Roomies
Chapter 33
He had known Buffy’s father when they were kids and the man had always seemed to love his family. Guess this was one of the effects money had, he surmised. His baby was being blackmailed by her own father and from what he could gather from Dawn’s ramblings, her mother had known all along. There were some things in life that you just couldn’t wrap your head around, no matter how you looked at it.
When they were younger, their fathers were always drinking beer, playing poker, working away from home, and avoiding the kids. Who would have thought two such simple men could effectively crumble their children’s lives at some point?
Putting the letter on the bed beside them, Spike held Buffy and Dawn as close as he could, not wanting to them to hurt anymore than they did already.
Opening the front door, Joyce was greeted by silence. There was no way Dawn could ever manage to be home on her own and not have her music blaring, her stuff all over the house and something burning in the kitchen. Calling her by name received no response and Joyce began to panic about her baby, until the door opened behind her and there stood Dawn, Buffy and William.
“Hello?” She greeted uncertainly, there was something not quite right about the almost menacing pose William stood in. Which may have something to do with the paper he held in his fist and the red rimmed eyes and tear stained cheeks of both Buffy and Dawn.
“Is everything OK?” Joyce immediately rushed forward to comfort her girls, hurt and confused when she was refused.
“Buffy? Dawn?” She said slowly, waiting for an explanation, or even a reaction.
Pushing past her mom, Dawn perched on the arm of a chair and folded her arms expectantly watching her sister do the same, with Spike taking a seat between them leaving the only available space directly opposite them.
Passing over the letter, Spike sat back not wanting to influence the way this was going to happen. He knew this wasn’t going to be a nice thing, but it was not directly involving him and he wanted to respect Buffy’s need for emotional distance when she was distressed. No matter how much he wanted to fight her battles and protect her from the world, this was her family and she needed to clear the air with all necessary parties.
Even if that meant going near that fucking country boy wanker and not pounding his face in.
“Mommy?” Dawn asked softly, tears welling behind her eyes. “Is it true?”
Rapidly scanning through the letter to find what she was referring to, Joyce gasped, her face giving away the answer before she could think of any way to say it. Bursting into tears, Dawn fought to get away from Spike as he tried to comfort her.
He wasn’t her sister’s boyfriend.
That wasn’t her sister.
Dawn Summers, what a joke.
Pulling Spike away carefully, Buffy replaced his arms with hers, knowing that her baby sister was hurting and whether or not she happened to be adopted was completely irrelevant. She was her baby sister and it was her job to protect her from the world and to care for her. Things like that didn’t change just because she didn’t share the same genes.
At this point in her life, Buffy was almost wondering what the point of sharing genes with parents was. They only screwed you over anyway.
“Mom?” Buffy ground out, her eyes not leaving her mothers as she watched, waiting for a response, “Is it all true?”
Meeting Buffy’s stare, Joyce found that she couldn’t deny anything in the letter. Hank had well and truly messed things up all over again. Her babies would never trust her again and it was all his fault for letting them know in such a cold hearted and vicious way.
“I’m sorry.” She whispered, watching as Buffy and Dawn dissolved into each other’s arms, heartbroken sobs renting the air while William tried his hardest to comfort them.
“So-“ Buffy sniffed, “If I don’t marry Riley-“ Sniff “then Dad’s going to cut me out of my inheritance and disown us. All because Riley’s dad is as big as jerk as our dad?”
Nodding slowly, Joyce tried to put it in a way Buffy would understand,
“It’s a business merger sweetie.”
Choking back her tears, Buffy stopped crying, wiped her eyes and sat up straight. A business merger? That was how her dad thought of her? An investment for the future? A pawn to be used for making more money?
“No.” She spat, taking Dawn and William by the hand. “We’re leaving.”
“Can you drive us to LA?” She whispered to Spike as soon as they were out the door. Nodding silently, Spike turned them in the direction of his mothers place, he would drive them anywhere if it meant she would stay with him.
All he needed was his other baby and they would hit the road and sort this mess out.
If not he’d just have to sort this out the tried and tested way- With his fists
Watching from the window, Joyce sank down on to the sofa, the tears she had been determined not to shed in front of her girls running freely down her cheeks, the image of their heartbroken and disappointed faces haunted her from behind her closed eyelids.
Would they forgive her for not telling them? For deceiving them? Would they ever place their trust in her as they once had so innocently?
She had broken her family, and now she would have to repair it.
Picking up the telephone she booked a return ticket to LA.