North and South...and West
by Rin
The 18th President
[reviews]
Dawn was finally warming up to baby RJ, as she rocked him to sleep. He was starting to grow a little hair, and he was now sleeping in a bassinet by her bedside. Buffy (and herself) now trusted mother and son to be alone together. No more need for supervision.
However, she wasn't quite ready to leave the room, and that love she saw glowing in Buffy's eyes when she looked at Samuel wasn't in her own when she looked at RJ. It was growing more and more frustrating, and the doctor had given her some medicine. It just didn't seem to be helping any.
"Dawnie, I'm goin' down to make Samuel a bottle. Do you want one, or do you wanna try feedin' him again tonight?" Buffy peeked in to see her sister smiling a little, just watching her baby. He wasn't as loud as he had been three weeks before, though there were still occasions when he'd wail.
"I think I'm gonna try feedin' him again. I gotta get used to it, I suppose." Dawn was almost on the verge of sleep herself, as she saw RJ's eyes start to droop a little. "Suppose I should do that now, huh?"
"If you're sure." Buffy took a quick glance. "If you need anything, we'll be in bed. Don't hesitate, okay?"
"'Kay." Dawn continued to rock, as Buffy shut the door behind her.
After she finished the bottle, she started to head upstairs. On the way to the stairs, she passed Willow's study, and wanted to let her know she was going to bed, and putting Samuel down, too. The redhead spent a lot of time in her study lately, always studying papers, always with a frown on her face. Buffy thought she should be happy, since Sam was elected president last week.
"I'm puttin' Samuel to bed, if you wanna come tuck him in." Buffy walked up to Willow, and placed a kiss on the crown of her head. There were papers scattered in piles. It was so unlike her husband to be so unorganized. Then again, she suspected there was form of organization to the mess.
"I just wanna finish this. It shouldn't take too long." Willow smiled forlornly up at her wife, and accepted the small peck on the cheek.
"I'm down for the count, too. Don't be too long, okay?" Buffy gave the redhead one last kiss before making her way upstairs. Everybody was so sad and frowny lately in this house. She wished her mother and Dr. Giles hadn't left so soon after RJ's birth. Their visit was way too short this time. Maybe she'd write, and start to plan a big vacation for them here, since Will would be busy with Sam's upcoming presidency.
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"How do you feel about Boston?" Willow took longer than she wanted, as she found Samuel already tucked in his crib, and Buffy reading in bed.
"It's...I've never been. Why? What's in Boston?" Buffy put her book aside, and watched her husband undress and dress for bed.
"It's just...I've been thinking, okay?" Willow pulled on an undershirt and sleeping pants, and crawled into bed. "I really can't continue to work with Sam."
"Why? Did he make you mad? Did something happen?" Buffy was worried. This was the first she'd heard that Willow had declined Sam's offer.
"No, nothing happened. It's just...he's going to be president, and that means he'll be in every weekly for four years, eight if he's reelected. If I'm by his side constantly, there's too high a risk that I'll be photographed with him, or even that my name is in the papers. I can't take that risk, not without losing the important things in my life." Willow turned fully towards the blonde, and grasped her soft hands.
"Work is important to you, though. THIS is important to you. I know it is, or you never would've worked with Sam to start with." Buffy wanted to cry but wasn't sure why just yet.
"You and Samuel are what's important. If I'm discovered as a woman, do you know what will happen to us? We won't be allowed to be a family anymore. They'll take Samuel away, and lock us both up. I want you more than I could ever want a career." Willow closed her eyes, and squeezed them tight. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly. "I've not been able to decide what to do, though. I have to find some way of supporting you, and I don't think I want to be in the military or political fields anymore."
"Okay..." Buffy took a deep breath of her own. "Did you get an assignment in Boston? Is that why you're askin'?"
"Sort of...yes and no." Willow wanted this to be a family decision. If Buffy didn't want her to go back to school, then she would find work somewhere. "I haven't been assigned anywhere...but I've applied someplace in Boston, and Sam talked to some people he knows there, and they'll allow me into Harvard Law School. It's supposed to have the best law library, and we have enough money saved to live comfortably for at least five years, which is way more than enough to get my law degree."
"W...wow. This is...huh..." Buffy wasn't sure how to react. "This is big news, Will. How long have you been thinkin' about this?"
"Since the National Convention. It's part of the reason I had to get home so fast." She watched Buffy's face, waiting for some type of reaction other than shocked and confused.
"Why didn't you say anything before?" That's what had Buffy confused.
"I didn't know what would happen, and I didn't want you to worry. I didn't want you to think that I was giving up any hope of a career in Washington. It's the political and high profile things that I fear would hurt us. I wanted to protect you, protect Samuel...protect myself." Willow had to take another deep breath. "I want to make this decision with you. I want to do good for this world but I know I can't in the public eye. I want to put my problem solving skills to good use, and I think law is the key. If you don't want..."
"It's not that I don't want. This is just...wow. Big deal. I...can you give me a few days, let me think about it some more, and then we can talk about it? I just don't wanna say the wrong thing right now, and I'm afraid that I will." Buffy had to take several deep breaths in order not to panic. What would this mean for the family? When would they have to move? How would they sell their house here in time? Would Dawn and RJ go with them? What about Miss Calendar and the others? There was just too much to think about before she could give her husband an answer. "Let's get some sleep, 'kay? Amy will be here around noon, so that we can get ready for Julia's party."
"Of course. Anything you need. Take your time." Willow turned the oil lamps off, and blew out the bedside candle. Positioning herself under the covers, she was surprised that Buffy snuggled up beside her. Relaxing finally, she started to run her fingers along Buffy's back. "I love you...so much."
"I love you, too. Now, let's get some rest." Buffy kissed the redhead's shoulder before laying her head back down there. There was much to think about, and it would require more rest than they'd had the past few weeks.
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Dawn finally left her room. She decided to bundle up, and take a walk with Buffy. They had the babies in the buggies, and were heading to the market to look at dresses. It was Buffy's turn to be quiet. She had been the entire week.
"Now it's my turn to ask YOU if everything is okay?" Dawn was coming around, and spent every waking moment with her baby. They were starting to really become mother and son. It was refreshing, and a weight lifted.
"Oh...yeah. Just thinkin' 'bout Will." Buffy scrunched her eyebrows in thought.
"As per usual, though I must admit, you're usually a little more chipper, and less with the frownies." Dawn smirked a little, glad to be alive enough to tease her sister again. "What gives?"
"He's turned down Grant's offer, and wants to go to law school in Boston." The women walked into the dress shop, and Buffy started to just stare at the dresses displayed. She wasn't really looking, just staring.
"Boston? Why Boston? Aren't there any here in Washington? You wouldn't have to move, then." It was Dawn's turn for the initial panic. What would she do? She couldn't go back to the farm. Not yet, anyways.
"It would be closer to SunnyDale, though, and I do miss home. It would be easier for mom and the others to visit, closer. It would make Will happy." Buffy looked into the buggy to see Samuel playing with his feet. He'd kicked off the blanket.
"What about you? What would make you happy?" It was Dawn's turn to take deep, calming breaths.
"Whatever makes him happy makes me happy. It's just...we've already established a beautiful home here. What about our friends? What about Ms. Calendar?" Buffy sat down in a huff after pulling the blanket back on Samuel.
"There are tons of families that'll be able to give her work, I'm sure. Worry more about your own family, okay?" Dawn sat down beside her sister, and wrapped her in a hug. "I would say that you should ask Will to find a law school here in Washington but Harvard just opened a law school not even fifty years ago. I'm assumin' that's where he's wanting to go."
"Of course...only the best for Will." Buffy smiled a little at that thought. "I'll have to talk more with him about it but whatever we decide, you and RJ are comin' with us, okay?"
"Thank goodness. I was worried." Dawn let out that last breath.
"You're part of our family, Dawnie. Of course you'll be stayin' with us, no matter what happens. For as long as you need and want." Buffy wrapped her sister in another hug. "Let's go home. I'm not really in the mood to shop today."
"This is a first. You really are torn up about this, aren't you?" Dawn followed Buffy out the door, as they made their way back home.
"More than you know." Buffy wasn't sure what was holding her back from just agreeing with Willow. Was it fear of change? Had she become too accustomed to living the life of high society again? Whatever it was, she knew that talking to Willow would ease all of her troubles, and they would be able to make a decision together, for better or worse.