Trials and Complications

Part 14: Moving on

Looking at the assortment of products in his friend's bathroom, Xander tried to figure out which one was the toothpaste.

"Hey Buffy!" the construction worker called out into the hall. "What does this white tube thing do?"

When met with no reply, the brunette proceeded to read, 'use twice daily for whiter brighter teeth.' Shrugging, the man decided to apply the paste to his toothbrush and brushed his teeth. Humming along, Xander was oblivious to his hostess who was sat quietly in her room.

Putting the finishing touches on her outfit, Buffy looked at herself in the mirror. The pain lessening each day, she took a deep breath, deciding she would remain strong for her daughter if nothing else. She looked up as Xander came to her doorway, knocking on the open door.

"Hey. How're you holding up?" he asked, dressed in the tight grey t-shirt he had borrowed from the slayer the night before.

"I'm ok," Buffy replied, walking towards her friend. "Thanks for staying the night; it meant a lot to Joyce. She really needs to be with familiar faces right now."

"Hey, no problem," Xander replied. He pulled the slayer into a tight embrace, assuring her, "You're doing great."

Appreciating the brunette's support, Buffy remained in his arms temporarily, suddenly alerted by his scent. She looked up and into the face of the construction worker. "Did you use my whitening kit?" she asked him.

"Why?" Xander asked her, flashing a cheesy, toothy grin. "Does it show?"

"We-I can smell it from here," Buffy replied, distancing herself from the brunette. "Xander that stuff is really strong. You don't wanna use too much and you've gotta wash it off straight away."

Releasing her, the brunette's face showed alarm. "Now you tell me," he exclaimed, rushing towards the bathroom to rid his teeth of the substance.

Shaking her head, Buffy left her room and walked into her daughter's. The slayer entered, heading for the hairbrush on her daughter's bedside table. "You ready?" she asked the youngster, picking up the tool and taking a seat on Joyce's bed. Patting the space next to her, she motioned for the child to sit beside her.

Joyce nodded, sitting down beside the slayer and allowing her to gently run the brush through her golden hair. The two of them sat in silence. Buffy straightened out the kinks in her daughter's hair. When finished, she stood up, located and handed Joyce her school bag. Leaving the room, bidding goodbye to Xander and gathering the rest of her things, Buffy allowed Joyce to lead her downstairs and into their car, following behind. Unlocking the blue convertible, she entered. Ensuring her daughter had strapped herself in with her seat belt and was secure; the blonde started her car and pulled out of the driveway. Minutes into the journey and breaking the silence, Joyce turned to her mother.

"Mommy is Faith coming to pick me up today?" she asked, remembering that the brunette slayer would always pick her up on a Tuesday.

"No sweetie, I will." The slayer paused, continuing when she decided that she would need to explain. "I know I usually have meetings, but you come first. I'll be picking you up everyday from now on."

Her gaze primarily fixed on the road ahead, she glanced at Joyce who just stared straight ahead. Feeling bad when she her daughter remained silent, Buffy searched for a way to lift her child's spirits. "Hey, your birthday's this week and we still haven't organised your party."

Her features showing elation, Joyce whooped. "I'm having a party?" she asked, excited.

"If you want to."

"Oh yay!"

"Do you know who you're going to invite?" Buffy asked, expanding on the subject topic change.

"Can I have anyone I want?" the blonde youngster asked.

"Anyone," Buffy repeated.

"Can Faith come?" the child returned.

Pausing briefly at the repeated mention of her former lover's name the blonde merely replied, "I'll ask her."

"Cool," Joyce replied. "And Tyler can come and Sarah and Randy and Jesse and Jamie and Tyler... Did I already say Tyler?" she asked, stopping to remember.

"Yes," the slayer answered.

"Ok."

Taking a moment to interject, Buffy added, "I'll ask your aunt Dawn. She might be able to take some time off."

"Yay, Aunt Dawn!" Joyce approved. "Oh and can Uncle Parker come? He's really cool."

Pulling up outside her daughter's school, Buffy parked her car. "We'll see," was the reply to her daughter's request. She released the seatbelt holding the child. "We'll talk more when you get back, ok?"

"Ok," Joyce agreed. She leant in to give her mother a kiss. "Bye mommy."

"See you later, sweetie," Buffy replied her, watching as her daughter left their car and closed the door. She made sure the child made her way safely into her school building before she started the engine and drove onto the main road, heading for her place of work.

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"Lemme get those," Parker offered, bending to pick the papers that seemed to have just leapt from Buffy's grasp and into his pathway.

"Thanks," the blonde psychiatrist replied.

Gesturing as if to say 'no problem', Parker turned as if to be on his way, stopping when Buffy called,

"Parker, wait." She paused, attempting to look as sorry as she could. "About the other day," she told him. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Parker dismissed, clarifying, "I was just ticked off that you're with someone."

Looking into her colleague's sincere blue eyes, the slayer couldn't stop herself from asking, "What if I wasn't?"

With an expression showing his lack of understanding, the brunette psycristrist asked, "What do you mean?"

"I'm not seeing anyone," Buffy told him, adding, "Anymore. We broke up."

"Why?" He asked, catching himself. "I'm sorry, that's none of my business." In an attempt to read his colleague’s expression Parker asked, "Are you ok?"

"You know what?" Buffy asked rhetorically, answering, "Yeah."

"Well anyway, I'm sorry," the man replied. Thinking about it he decided, "Well actually, I'm not.’Cause I really like you and the thought of you with someone else was killing me."

Flattered, the slayer smiled encouraging the brunette to continue his advances.

"In light of recent events," he declared. "What do you say we start over?"

"I'd like that," Buffy admitted.

"Great," Parker replied, grinning. "What are you doing this weekend?"

"I was supposed to be going out with a friend of mine," the slayer remembered. Deciding, "You should come... You could get to know everybody."

"Sure," Parker agreed. "Sounds like a date."

Buffy smiled. "Oh," she uttered, suddenly recalling an engagement. "Could you cover for me today? I've got to go and pick up Joyce from school later."

"Of course," the brunette replied, inquiring, "How is she?"

"She's ok. Much better now that she's having a party. To which, by the way, she wants you to attend."

"Me?" the brunette replied, taken aback.

"Yeah. She's crazy about you. It's uncle Parker this and Uncle Parker that."

Smiling the brunette admitted, "Well I'm crazy about her... and her mom."

"Stop, you'll make me blush," Buffy told her colleague enjoying the feeling of being wanted again. Succumbing to his charms the blonde slayer allowed herself to enjoy the attention dealt to her, fighting to ignore the guilt that for some reason still seemed to plague her conscience.

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Pulling up outside Sunnydale Junior School for the second time that day, the slayer exited her vehicle. Walking across the road, she saw her daughter standing outside in conversation with Faith who was crouched down beside her. The slayer approached the two of them.

"I miss you too," she heard Faith tell the youngster. "But things aren't great between me and your mom right now." Feeling a shadow cast upon them the brunette looked up to see her ex-girlfriend approach. She stood to full height.

With an awkward silence upon them, "Hey," was all Faith could think to say.

"Hey," Buffy replied. She looked to her daughter acknowledging her with a smile and a, "Hi sweetie." Bending and holding out her arms for the child, she asked, "How was school?" holding her in a tight embrace.

"Fine," Joyce replied.

The blonde slayer gave her child a kiss before standing and looking again to Faith.

"I wasn't sure if I was supposed to pick her up," the brunette explained.

Buffy nodded appreciatively. "How are you?" she asked, no other question coming to mind.

"Good," Faith returned. "You?"

"Yeah," the blonde slayer answered, with a nod.

"J tells me you're throwing her a party," the brunette stated.

"Yeah, this Saturday. It'd be great if you could come."

"Yeah," Faith replied, trying hard to remain casual. "I'll try and swing by."

"Okay. Well we'll hopefully you you then," Buffy told her, taking hold of her daughter's hand and motioning to leave.

"Bye Faith," Joyce told the brunette.

"Yeah, later kiddo," Faith replied, watching the blondes leave her hand in hand. Feeling her heart break for the second-time in a short period, she reached for her keys and headed for her car.

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"General, congratulations on your promotion," Hammond was told by a junior upon his arrival at the base.

"Well I owe it all to you, Major," the older of the two men replied. "Your plan worked like a dream."

"Yeah I just heard," the Major replied his superior.

The General shook his head as if dazzled. "I'm amazed though, how did you know it would work?"

"It was obvious," the younger man answered. "Buffy seemed unsure of their relationship. She was constantly holding back; like she was scared," he analysed, continuing, "Whereas... the other one, was very insecure about their relationship. I'm thinking rough childhood issues. They genuinely care deeply for each other and that manifests itself in the kid, but then again neither of them seems to know it. Add an excuse for them to break up and bam! I knew the two of them would go their separate ways - they just needed the opportunity."

"Oh, obviously," General Hammond replied sarcastically. He laughed, dismissing, "Anyway, good work, Major."

"Thank you, sir," the young man replied, cocking his head in a semi-bow.

TBC….