My Salvation
by Bwriter
Part 18
[reviews]
Part eighteen
Buffy looked over at Giles. He looked different than he had two weeks ago.
He looked refreshed.
Buffy knew that he still worried about her and she loved him for it but she felt he needed to get out more, meet new people.
They had left Ireland a few hours ago and were on their way back to America, for which Buffy and Willow were both glad. The blonde had liked meeting over family members but it wasn't home. Ireland was a beautiful country but it was cold as hell.
Feeling a nudge on her shoulder she turned to look into the eyes of her girlfriend.
"Deep thoughts?"
Buffy shook her head no before placing a small kiss on Willow's forehead.
"Just glad to be going home is all."
"Man me too. How do the Irish survive those temperatures?"
Buffy gave a laugh which was muffled as she had her head buried in her girlfriends neck.
Willow yawned, not able to help herself.
"Try to sleep, we'll be home soon enough."
Taking Buffy's advice, Willow closed her eyes and wrapped her arm tighter around Buffy.
"'night."
"Goodnight Will."
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"God! I never thought I'd be happy to see an airport in all my life."
Giles rolled his eyes at Buffy.
"Its possible that you could be over exaggerating just a little. Ireland wasn't that cold."
Buffy gave him a small smile so he would know that she was only kidding - mostly.
"It was a nice trip. Thank you." It still amazed Buffy that he had taken her at all. Her whole adult life, her mother and father had never shown an interest in her, unless of course her dad was beating the hell out of her and her mom was trying to get him to stop.
Giles seemed to get what she wasn't saying and gave her a grin in return.
Willow took the silence as a good thing and rested her head against Buffy's shoulder, going back to sleep.
Buffy looked down at the sleeping redhead and sighed.
"Another half hour and we'll be home."
She looked up at her uncle and smiled.
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Xander lifted her up and spun her around before setting her down and doing the same to Willow.
"Man have I missed you two. Spring break just wasn't the same without my favourite blonde and redhead by my side."
Cordy nudged him hard in the side.
"I mean I had Cordy so I didn't miss you at all." He quickly added before giving a big smile to the girl in question.
Buffy and Willow rolled their eyes at him and returned Cordy's hug.
"How was Ireland?"
Willow and Buffy both looked at each other before looking at Cordy.
"You mean have we got you a present?" Willow smirked and opened the bag, bringing out their gifts.
"Where is Oz, Lori and Devon?"
"Oz and Lori are away for the weekend and Devon in France. His parents felt he was getting too wild and that he was darkening the family name, so they shipped him over there to try and sort him out." Cordy said as she accepted the wrapped present from Buffy.
"Wow, harsh."
Buffy said nothing, she knew first hand what assholes parents could be and everyone knew her thoughts on the subject.
Xander opened his present to find a shirt inside. Taking it out of its wrapping, he turned it around to see that the back of it had a Leprechaun on it with the words 'does this guy make me look tall' on it.
"Thanks guys."
Cordy opened hers to reveal a silver locket in the shape of a Shamrock.
"Wow guys, this is beautiful."
Buffy and Willow smiled, glad that their presents had gone down so well.
"So, how about a night dancing at the Bronze?"
Buffy was about to say yes, when she saw Willow shaking her head no.
"I can't, I'm beat. All I want to do is crawl into my bed and not leave it again until school starts on Monday morning."
Buffy smiled at her girlfriend and turned back to Xander.
"That actually sounds like a good idea to me, plus I have so school work to catch up on before classes start."
Xander pouted at his friends before sighing and turning to Cordy.
"Guess its just you and me tonight then."
She rolled her eyes and walked off.
"Oh joy."
"She loves me really." He ran off to catch up with his girlfriend, leaving the two alone again in Willow's house.
"Man, I never thought I'd be happy school was starting."
Willow frowned at Buffy, and the blonde realised her mistake.
"I mean... yay school, gotta love the learning."
Willow relented after a few more seconds of scowling and dragged Buffy over to the couch.
"So, now that we're alone, what are we going to do with ourselves?"
Buffy smiled and leaned in, licking at Willow's lips before they opened.
While she had loved going on holiday, and adored Giles, Buffy regretted that she and Willow hadn't gotten to spend any time alone while they were gone.
Sighing, they both broke away to breath before Buffy lay down, pulling Willow so that she was spooned in the redheads arms.
"Tired."
Willow grunted her agreement, and soon the two were asleep.
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Giles groaned when he heard a knock at his door.
Setting his cup of tea down, he walked over and opened it, ready to tease Buffy for not taking her key, when he froze.
It wasn't Buffy at his door.
It was her mother.
"What do you want?"
Joyce stepped back, shocked by his tone. He was always so pleasant to be around.
"I was looking for Buffy. I went by the house, but it was empty, I came here and there was no answer. For days I've been back. Rupert, where is my daughter? Not to mention, my husband."
Giles eyes widened before a glare settled on his face.
"You'd best come in."
She noticed that he didn't seem to happy about inviting her in, but she went anyway.
When they had both sat, Giles let loose.
"That piece of shit you called a husband is dead. He hung himself inside his jail cell after he was arrested for attempting to rape your daughter. Buffy is now under my care, and truthfully Joyce, I don't think you are the best person for her to see. Everything is still fresh in her mind. Including your betrayal."
Joyce sat back in shock. How dare he tell her she couldn't see her own daughter.
"Might I remind you Rupert, that Buffy is only seventeen years old. Under the law, I am still her guardian, and there is no way in hell I will let you keep me from taking her with me."
Giles exploded and stood up, ready to lay into her about how bad a mother she was, when a noise from the door stopped him.
"Hey Giles I'm... mom?"
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Buffy opened the door to her home and stepped in, not looking up as she took off her coat.
"Hey Giles I'm... mom?"
She took a step back, feeling trapped when she felt the door behind her.
"Buffy."
When she saw her mother moving towards her, she cringed. Her mother had never hit her true, but she was supposed to protect her from her father, and she just let her to him.
Giles jumped forward, blocking Joyce from reaching Buffy.
"Get out." He had seen Buffy's reaction to her mother, and he was not about to force her into a situation she had no wish to be in.
Joyce glared at Giles, even as he moved Buffy with him, away from the door, keeping her from her mothers eyes.
"She is my daughter Rupert. You can't keep me from her."
She left the house, slamming the front door, and Giles cursed before turning to catch Buffy as she fell to her knees.
Why now, when she was finally getting her life together, when she was just starting to put everything behind her, did her mother have to show up?
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a/n - just a little to get back into the swing of things, its been way to long since I posted for this story - hope it was worth the wait!