Categories > TV > Buffy the Vampire Slayer > Ordinary Lives
The room was dark and dank. Aren't they always? Just seems that way I guess. For there was a petite blond girl. She had been in this room for so many days now. Even she hadn't been able to keep track of exactly how long that she had been there. Her mind was kinda fuzzy at this point. But lack of food, fresh air, and water will do that to a person.
She sat on the edge of her cot. Long ago, she had grown accustomed to not really knowing where she was or what was going on. Didn't make it any less frustrating. Just made it more and more irritating. And if she could take it out on someone, she gladly would. But alas, it was just her. And the occasional people in masks bringing her what little food and other things she was allowed.
Something told her that this was all familiar. That someone she knew was behind all of this. And that she would be glad to kill that someone if she was given half the chance. But again, there was no chance of that. Whoever it was had the full advantage at the moment. But if she ever found her opening, she would gladly take it.
One thought that kept crossing her mind was, where was everyone? She knew that all her friends and definitely her mom would be worried about her and she was sure that they would looking for her. Especially after what she had done not so long ago.
As was habit, her hand found her wrist. The one that had that scar on it that she had inflicted upon herself. One that still sometimes gave her pain. It wasn't real pain. It was just a reminder so that she would know what it would cost her if she ever were to try something so stupid as that.
She sighed heavily. They probably didn't know she was gone. Or perhaps, they had been looking for her. And when she hadn't shown up after such a long time, they had given up on the whole looking for her. It was a possibility. There were so many possibilities. But who was behind this was the thing that was getting her more and more angry by the second.
That's when the door opened. As always, too quick for her to do anything about it. She tried to focus on whoever it was that was coming towards her. Her body was just so weak and focusing was not easy at the moment. But she tried. And tried hard.
Finally, the little bit of light that was in the room came across the face of the man making his way toward her. She cringed and crawled into the corner. Her back tightly pressed against the wall. She curled into a protective ball, not wanting to expose herself for the world to this so called man. This man that once meant so much to her.
"Hello Buffy." The man's deep voice made her cringe even more. "How's my daughter doing today? Sorry I haven't been down to see you in person. So many things are going on at the moment. I wasn't counting on the whole Mr. MaClay getting killed. But it works. With a little bit of rearranging on my part. Are you comfortable?"
"What do you think? You bastard!" Buffy pulled her knees even tighter into herself. She remembered well that last conversation that her father had had with her in the hospital. That she might as well be dead if she chose to not be his daughter. She couldn't help but swallow hard at the thought.
"That's my little fireball." Hank Summers came closer to his daughter. "You always had spirit. Even as a little girl. Too bad no one will ever get to see it again." Buffy smushed against the wall even more. "Oh, I'm not gonna kill you. It's just that I want my daughter. And you'll be here. Till the day you die. So enjoy yourself." He turned to go. But before he did he added, "Oh, and no one will miss you. I've seen to that. Poor girl. Wonder who her parents were."
As soon as the door closed, Buffy burst out into tears. No wonder no one had shown up. They all thought she was dead. That had to be it. So, if she wanted out, she was on her own. But what could she do?
"""""
He was new in town. An older gentleman, but not ancient by any means. He had a certain air about him. The stranger seemed to know the town and very well. He seemed to be navigating it in his nice shiny new BMW better then most Sunnydale residence. And his flashy red car seemed to be garnering.
One woman though caught his attention. She was a raven haired beauty. A little younger then he himself, but still of the right age and all. Slowly, he pulled his sporty car over to the curb. The woman kept walking, so he got out to follow her.
He finally caught up to her just outside a coffee shop. "Excuse me miss." His British accent was recognizable immediately. "I was wondering if you'd like to join me for a cup of coffee. Or, in my case, a cup of tea?"
"Is this a pickup or what?" The raven haired beauty smiled big. It had been a long time since anyone had made her feel good. And something about this man was already charming her.
"I was rather hoping that it was." The man smiled big. "My name is Ethan Rayne. I just moved here yesterday. I couldn't help but notice a beauty such as yourself."
"I'm charmed. My name is Jenny Calendar." She stirred him to the coffee shop. "We can talk for a bit. But I'll have to go sooner then I'd like. I'm a teacher at the high school and I've got lesson plans and papers, well, discs to grade."
"I see." Ethan nodded his head as they sat down. "Teaching. What a noble profession indeed. You get to shape the minds of our future. Quite the challenge from what I hear. But probably well worth it."
"It is." Jenny smiled as the waitress brought her a cup of herbal tea. "This is what I need. Been having a bit of stressfulness and lack of sleepiness because of it. It'll be nice to be able to relax, even if I have papers at home to grade."
"Well, I'm glad I could be of service then." Ethan took a sip of his own tea. "I was wondering something. I have been here to this lovely town before, but I'd be ever so grateful if sometime you'd care to show me around. I would ever be so grateful for the reintroduction to this fine town."
"I'd be happy too." Jenny eyed him over her cup of tea. "And that was another pickup line if I ever heard one. I suppose that we'll just have to end up checking out the best restaurant and possible a nice club afterwards. Or at the very least a nice coffee place like this?"
"Well, now." Ethan sat his cup down. "It's been a long time indeed since someone has basically been able to read my mind. Quite refreshing to say the least. And yes, those were my plans. Perhaps not exact, but close enough. I'd say it's too soon for dinner at my place. But if things keep going so well, I'd like that to be something you'd consider."
"Well, I'm very open to possibilities. You'll find that out." Jenny winked at him. In the back of her mind, she was thinking of Giles. How she'd vowed to win him back. But this was something she hadn't expected. Meeting someone that seemed so much like herself. And it was a welcome change, that was for sure.
"That sounds quite stimulating." Ethan picked his cup back up. "I'd like to make a toast. Rather unorthodox with tea, but I feel that I need to do this. To going after what one wants, no matter what the costs. Being bold gets you very nice things indeed. After all, I got a date with an amazing woman."
"And I've met this very charming man." Jenny clinked her cup against his. "And today was a day that I didn't think would be full of possibilities. Was I ever wrong. To you, Ethan Rayne." His smile was charming. Perhaps too charming. Was there a reason for him being back in town? Of course. One would have to wait and see what it was."""
"""
Dawn skipped along the sidewalk in front of the blond and the redhead. The two older girls seemed to be in a mood while the younger one was quite giddy at the moment. She was spending time with older girls. One that was her cousin. And ones that could possibly tell her what was going on in her head.
The trio had been shopping for the past few hours. And they had talked a little. But now it was time to make their way home. For it was talk time. Dawn had made them promise that today was they day that they sat down and had 'the' discussion with her. Not something the two older girls were looking forward to. Not even sweet Tara.
The three made their way to the apartment they all shared together. Giles was at Buffy's house helping her mother cope some. It was nice to see that the two were growing close. Unfortunately it had to be under such bad circumstances.
The three settled in the living room with a pizza and sodas. Tara and Willow shared the love seat while down was stretched fully out on the sofa. "So, you really gonna answer my questions? You promised after all."
"And we don't break our promises, Dawnie." Willow tried to keep her tone sweet. But Tara could hear the annoyingness in it. It was gonna be a long night indeed.
"Sure." Dawn smiled big. "Cool!" She sat at the edge of the couch. "Let's start with the easy stuff. How did you know? That you were like attracted to girls?"
Willow shrugged. "I guess I just started noticing girls in that way. And when Xander tried to get me to go out with him, well, the interest just wasn't there for me. Love him and all. He's like my bestest friend. Just, couldn't see myself kissing him or anything."
"I can relate." Tara took Willow's hand in her own. "It was back at my old school. I had one good friend. I started seeing her in a different way. My father found out and well, freaked. That's why we moved here. Well, one of the reasons. He thought it would be a good thing to keep me away from her. I'm so glad he did. Would never have met my everything."
"Awwww!" Dawn giggled. "That is so sweet! Man are you two like perfect for each other or what? And if it weren't for Faith, who knows when you two stick in the muds would have gotten together. You lucky dogs that Faith was looking out for you."
"I'll always be grateful to her." Willow smiled big. "She's been like my guardian angel ever since we were kids. It was hard when she moved away. I'm glad that she came back when she did. Again, with not meeting my everything."
"Awww again!" Dawn squealed this time. "See, this is really helping me. A lot man! I mean, there's this girl in my English class that I noticed like the first thing I moved here. She's like totally hot. Her name is Sharron. There was just something about her the minute I laid eyes upon her. Do you think I have the same feelings?"
"Dawn, sweetie." Tara sighed heavily. "We can't tell you that. We can't say for you. You have to follow your feelings. There are people out there that have feelings for both women and men. And there's nothing wrong with that. Are you gay? Are you bi? We can't answer that for you. You just have to look inside yourself."
"All right." Dawn looked a little sad for a moment. "Cept that I'm a little more confused now. I hadn't really consider the whole bi thing. I knew that, but just didn't think about it. I just know one thing. I'm totally digging on this Sharron. She is like the sweetest girl in the world. But I don't know if she knows I exist! Or if she'd like me in the more then a friend way."
Willow smiled big. She remembered those thoughts about Tara. How scared she was that all her everything would want is friendship. But things turned out really well for her. "Listen, Dawn. Word of advice here. You'll never know till you try. Worse case, she says that all she wants is friendship. That's not so bad. But think of the goodness. It happens."
"Thanks cuz." Dawn came over and gave her a hug. "And thanks for being honest with me. It helped. I think I have a phone call to make. See you guys later!" Both young women watched her go. And both wished her all the luck in the world. Happiness was hard to come by. How well these two knew. And there were still so many things hanging over them. Like who killed Mr. MaCaly?
She sat on the edge of her cot. Long ago, she had grown accustomed to not really knowing where she was or what was going on. Didn't make it any less frustrating. Just made it more and more irritating. And if she could take it out on someone, she gladly would. But alas, it was just her. And the occasional people in masks bringing her what little food and other things she was allowed.
Something told her that this was all familiar. That someone she knew was behind all of this. And that she would be glad to kill that someone if she was given half the chance. But again, there was no chance of that. Whoever it was had the full advantage at the moment. But if she ever found her opening, she would gladly take it.
One thought that kept crossing her mind was, where was everyone? She knew that all her friends and definitely her mom would be worried about her and she was sure that they would looking for her. Especially after what she had done not so long ago.
As was habit, her hand found her wrist. The one that had that scar on it that she had inflicted upon herself. One that still sometimes gave her pain. It wasn't real pain. It was just a reminder so that she would know what it would cost her if she ever were to try something so stupid as that.
She sighed heavily. They probably didn't know she was gone. Or perhaps, they had been looking for her. And when she hadn't shown up after such a long time, they had given up on the whole looking for her. It was a possibility. There were so many possibilities. But who was behind this was the thing that was getting her more and more angry by the second.
That's when the door opened. As always, too quick for her to do anything about it. She tried to focus on whoever it was that was coming towards her. Her body was just so weak and focusing was not easy at the moment. But she tried. And tried hard.
Finally, the little bit of light that was in the room came across the face of the man making his way toward her. She cringed and crawled into the corner. Her back tightly pressed against the wall. She curled into a protective ball, not wanting to expose herself for the world to this so called man. This man that once meant so much to her.
"Hello Buffy." The man's deep voice made her cringe even more. "How's my daughter doing today? Sorry I haven't been down to see you in person. So many things are going on at the moment. I wasn't counting on the whole Mr. MaClay getting killed. But it works. With a little bit of rearranging on my part. Are you comfortable?"
"What do you think? You bastard!" Buffy pulled her knees even tighter into herself. She remembered well that last conversation that her father had had with her in the hospital. That she might as well be dead if she chose to not be his daughter. She couldn't help but swallow hard at the thought.
"That's my little fireball." Hank Summers came closer to his daughter. "You always had spirit. Even as a little girl. Too bad no one will ever get to see it again." Buffy smushed against the wall even more. "Oh, I'm not gonna kill you. It's just that I want my daughter. And you'll be here. Till the day you die. So enjoy yourself." He turned to go. But before he did he added, "Oh, and no one will miss you. I've seen to that. Poor girl. Wonder who her parents were."
As soon as the door closed, Buffy burst out into tears. No wonder no one had shown up. They all thought she was dead. That had to be it. So, if she wanted out, she was on her own. But what could she do?
"""
Darla walked out of the school. It seemed that the place had become a morgue of sorts ever since the shooting that had nearly killed her. And now with this unidentified dead girl, it was making things worse. Things would never really be the same. And that made her sad.
Sad because it meant that things wold never be the same between her and Angel as well. They had tried to get back together, but things just hadn't quite worked out. Fortunately, Angel hadn't gone back to being the jerk that he had once been. One round of being a total jerk was enough for a lifetime. But the two had at least remained friends throughout the whole ordeal.
She was now on her way to her job. It kept her from thinking too much about life these days. The painful scars that she wore from the shooting. And the emotional scars of her courtship with Angel were also there. Just not for everyone to see.
Those were the hardest ones to deal with. She knew from past experience. She had watched from a distance what Buffy had gone through. And every day, she watched the blond hide those scars with long sleeved shirts. She herself had come close. But never had actually taken a blade to herself. And couldn't see herself doing that. She chose other ways to deal.
Hence, her job. She walked into the day care center. There were always a lot of kids there. But this was a special day care center. It was one that was specifically for those children that were challenged in some way. Whether that be physically or mentally, this was a place for special children to come and learn and just plain have fun.
It made Darla feel good. Worrying about someone else's problems instead of her own. And seeing the happy faces during the day. It was enough to make a girl really happy. At least for a little while. Until she went home and thought about her and Angel and what might have been.
And it helped to keep her mind off from Buffy. Not that the were ever close, but she was her classmate. They had spent a little time together when they were dating the brothers. But that hadn't lasted long. And it had definitely not lasted after Buffy had shut herself off from the world.
The thought of a killer running loose in the small town of Sunnydale was not something she liked at all. And what if they were targeting blonds? And young ones? It was a possibility. Not one that she liked. It wasn't usually the sort of thing that you heard of going on in small towns. Mostly bigger cities had these kinds of problems. But if there could be a mob in Sunnydale, then why not some kind of serial killer as well?
Even though it was still early afternoon, there were clouds in the sky and there were shadows among the buildings as she walked downtown. Why was everything you needed to get to through alleyways? It just seemed so darn inconvenient and dangerous for that matter. But what was a girl to do?
Just try and be extra careful. That's all a person could do in this day and age. That's when she heard the noise. Something was behind her. Then another noise. It came from in front of her. What the fury heck was going on? There were too many dark shadows to see what was going on around her. She took off running. Perhaps she could outrun whatever it was that was after her. She was close. So close to where she worked. Would she make it there in time?
"""""
He was new in town. An older gentleman, but not ancient by any means. He had a certain air about him. The stranger seemed to know the town and very well. He seemed to be navigating it in his nice shiny new BMW better then most Sunnydale residence. And his flashy red car seemed to be garnering.
One woman though caught his attention. She was a raven haired beauty. A little younger then he himself, but still of the right age and all. Slowly, he pulled his sporty car over to the curb. The woman kept walking, so he got out to follow her.
He finally caught up to her just outside a coffee shop. "Excuse me miss." His British accent was recognizable immediately. "I was wondering if you'd like to join me for a cup of coffee. Or, in my case, a cup of tea?"
"Is this a pickup or what?" The raven haired beauty smiled big. It had been a long time since anyone had made her feel good. And something about this man was already charming her.
"I was rather hoping that it was." The man smiled big. "My name is Ethan Rayne. I just moved here yesterday. I couldn't help but notice a beauty such as yourself."
"I'm charmed. My name is Jenny Calendar." She stirred him to the coffee shop. "We can talk for a bit. But I'll have to go sooner then I'd like. I'm a teacher at the high school and I've got lesson plans and papers, well, discs to grade."
"I see." Ethan nodded his head as they sat down. "Teaching. What a noble profession indeed. You get to shape the minds of our future. Quite the challenge from what I hear. But probably well worth it."
"It is." Jenny smiled as the waitress brought her a cup of herbal tea. "This is what I need. Been having a bit of stressfulness and lack of sleepiness because of it. It'll be nice to be able to relax, even if I have papers at home to grade."
"Well, I'm glad I could be of service then." Ethan took a sip of his own tea. "I was wondering something. I have been here to this lovely town before, but I'd be ever so grateful if sometime you'd care to show me around. I would ever be so grateful for the reintroduction to this fine town."
"I'd be happy too." Jenny eyed him over her cup of tea. "And that was another pickup line if I ever heard one. I suppose that we'll just have to end up checking out the best restaurant and possible a nice club afterwards. Or at the very least a nice coffee place like this?"
"Well, now." Ethan sat his cup down. "It's been a long time indeed since someone has basically been able to read my mind. Quite refreshing to say the least. And yes, those were my plans. Perhaps not exact, but close enough. I'd say it's too soon for dinner at my place. But if things keep going so well, I'd like that to be something you'd consider."
"Well, I'm very open to possibilities. You'll find that out." Jenny winked at him. In the back of her mind, she was thinking of Giles. How she'd vowed to win him back. But this was something she hadn't expected. Meeting someone that seemed so much like herself. And it was a welcome change, that was for sure.
"That sounds quite stimulating." Ethan picked his cup back up. "I'd like to make a toast. Rather unorthodox with tea, but I feel that I need to do this. To going after what one wants, no matter what the costs. Being bold gets you very nice things indeed. After all, I got a date with an amazing woman."
"And I've met this very charming man." Jenny clinked her cup against his. "And today was a day that I didn't think would be full of possibilities. Was I ever wrong. To you, Ethan Rayne." His smile was charming. Perhaps too charming. Was there a reason for him being back in town? Of course. One would have to wait and see what it was."""
"""
Dawn skipped along the sidewalk in front of the blond and the redhead. The two older girls seemed to be in a mood while the younger one was quite giddy at the moment. She was spending time with older girls. One that was her cousin. And ones that could possibly tell her what was going on in her head.
The trio had been shopping for the past few hours. And they had talked a little. But now it was time to make their way home. For it was talk time. Dawn had made them promise that today was they day that they sat down and had 'the' discussion with her. Not something the two older girls were looking forward to. Not even sweet Tara.
The three made their way to the apartment they all shared together. Giles was at Buffy's house helping her mother cope some. It was nice to see that the two were growing close. Unfortunately it had to be under such bad circumstances.
The three settled in the living room with a pizza and sodas. Tara and Willow shared the love seat while down was stretched fully out on the sofa. "So, you really gonna answer my questions? You promised after all."
"And we don't break our promises, Dawnie." Willow tried to keep her tone sweet. But Tara could hear the annoyingness in it. It was gonna be a long night indeed.
"Sure." Dawn smiled big. "Cool!" She sat at the edge of the couch. "Let's start with the easy stuff. How did you know? That you were like attracted to girls?"
Willow shrugged. "I guess I just started noticing girls in that way. And when Xander tried to get me to go out with him, well, the interest just wasn't there for me. Love him and all. He's like my bestest friend. Just, couldn't see myself kissing him or anything."
"I can relate." Tara took Willow's hand in her own. "It was back at my old school. I had one good friend. I started seeing her in a different way. My father found out and well, freaked. That's why we moved here. Well, one of the reasons. He thought it would be a good thing to keep me away from her. I'm so glad he did. Would never have met my everything."
"Awwww!" Dawn giggled. "That is so sweet! Man are you two like perfect for each other or what? And if it weren't for Faith, who knows when you two stick in the muds would have gotten together. You lucky dogs that Faith was looking out for you."
"I'll always be grateful to her." Willow smiled big. "She's been like my guardian angel ever since we were kids. It was hard when she moved away. I'm glad that she came back when she did. Again, with not meeting my everything."
"Awww again!" Dawn squealed this time. "See, this is really helping me. A lot man! I mean, there's this girl in my English class that I noticed like the first thing I moved here. She's like totally hot. Her name is Sharron. There was just something about her the minute I laid eyes upon her. Do you think I have the same feelings?"
"Dawn, sweetie." Tara sighed heavily. "We can't tell you that. We can't say for you. You have to follow your feelings. There are people out there that have feelings for both women and men. And there's nothing wrong with that. Are you gay? Are you bi? We can't answer that for you. You just have to look inside yourself."
"All right." Dawn looked a little sad for a moment. "Cept that I'm a little more confused now. I hadn't really consider the whole bi thing. I knew that, but just didn't think about it. I just know one thing. I'm totally digging on this Sharron. She is like the sweetest girl in the world. But I don't know if she knows I exist! Or if she'd like me in the more then a friend way."
Willow smiled big. She remembered those thoughts about Tara. How scared she was that all her everything would want is friendship. But things turned out really well for her. "Listen, Dawn. Word of advice here. You'll never know till you try. Worse case, she says that all she wants is friendship. That's not so bad. But think of the goodness. It happens."
"Thanks cuz." Dawn came over and gave her a hug. "And thanks for being honest with me. It helped. I think I have a phone call to make. See you guys later!" Both young women watched her go. And both wished her all the luck in the world. Happiness was hard to come by. How well these two knew. And there were still so many things hanging over them. Like who killed Mr. MaCaly?
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