Title: Love, Hellmouth Style 11-12
Author: Gileswench
Contact: gileswench@yahoo.com
Feedback: Constructive criticism always welcome. Praise abjectly sought.
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc., etc., etc. I just let them have all the fun Joss won't. I own nothing except my twisted mind which you really don't want. Please don't sue.



Crystal stared at the note. The words blurred together and melted into the only two to penetrate her mind.

"I'm leaving."

Hank was gone.

He hadn't even waited until the baby was born to bail. Hell, he'd barely waited for her to start showing.

An unconscious hand strayed to the slight swell of her belly.

What were they going to do?

******

"Hello?"

"Hi. Could I talk to Joyce Summers, please?"

"This is Joyce."

The girl on the other end of the line burst into tears.

"Who is this, please?"

After several attempts cut off by hiccoughing, Crystal managed to identify herself.

"Okay, Crystal, calm down. Just tell me what's wrong. Has something happened to Hank?"

"He - he's gone. To Spain. With his - his secretary!"

"Hang on, Crystal. Is there anyone you can stay with while you figure out what happens next?"

"No. I can't go back to my parents. You didn't hear what they said when they found out about Hank."

"Listen to me, Crystal, stay where you are. Pack your bags, and I'll get someone down to pick you up by this evening. You're coming to stay with me."

As soon as she hung up, she picked up the phone again and dialed.

"Magic Box. Your one-stop shop for all..."

"Rupert, it's Joyce. Could I ask you a favor?"

*****

As class ended, Buffy looked up to see Giles standing in the doorway, hands in his pockets. She smiled. Lunch with Giles would definitely be of the good. She had felt sick to her stomach that morning and skipped breakfast, but now she was hungrier than she could ever remember feeling.

She headed for the door, deliberately ignoring Professor Baird's attempts to catch her eye.

"Hey good looking. To what do I owe this honor?" She swept Giles out the door before he could get sidetracked by the teacher.

"Must I have an excuse to come see my wife?"

"I guess not, but it's sorta standard to say something like 'I couldn't bear to be without your lovely face another minute' or something like that."

'Yes, well, all that is true, of course. I did, however, have another reason to drop by."

"Which would be?"

"I'm not quite sure how to say this. Your mother got a call from Crystal this morning."

"She's alright, isn't she?"

"Physically, yes. Buffy, your father left her."

"Already?"

"I'm afraid so. At any rate, your mother asked if I would go fetch Crystal. She's going to stay with your Mum for a while, until she decides what to do next."

"And you're leaving when?"

"Immediately."

"Want some company?"

"I'd be terribly grateful. I have no idea what to say to her."

"And you thought it might be a good idea to have a woman along."

"Something like that."

"No problemo."

"They walked in silence for a moment.

"Why did you ignore Leo like that?"

"Huh?"

"I saw you, Buffy. He was trying to get your attention, but you walked right past without even acknowledging him. What happened between you?"

"Nothing."

"All right. You can tell me later, when you're ready."

*****

"I can't believe he did that." Buffy shook her head with as much confusion as she had the previous twelve times she'd said it.

"I know he's your father, Buffy, but I do believe he's the most boorish man I've ever met. Frankly, I think Crystal's better off without him, though I shan't tell her that."

"And I know all that. He is. Boorish. And she is. Better off, I mean. I just don't know what happened."

"If I could explain it to you, I would. Fortunately, I got that sort of behavior out of my system before there were children involved."

"So what made you snap, anyway? I know you said when your Mom died, but that was before you ran away from Oxford, wasn't it?"

"Buffy, please. I'd rather not bring up the ghosts of my past while I'm driving."

"Okay, not now. But soon."

"Why do you want to know this?"

"Because it's about you. There's too much stuff I don't know about you. And you know all the bad stuff from my wild teenage years, 'cause you were there for it. I just want to be even."

"You already know the worst of it. Eyghon, Ethan. The rest is merely sordid."

"So why won't you tell me?"

"I told you, I will. Later."

"I don't get why you think Ethan ranks with Eyghon as worst."

"You have met him, haven't you?"

"Don't be so snarky. It's just...what's so bad about what you guys did? So, he was your boyfriend. Tara's Willow's girlfriend and that's okay."

"Yes, but Tara is a good person. Ethan isn't."

"There must have been something good about him. He wouldn't have loved you so much if there weren't. And you wouldn't have loved him."

"Buffy, could we please talk about this another time?"

"Fine. Okay. I just thought since we have some uninterrupted time, I might learn something."

"Has this anything to do with why you wouldn't talk to Leo today?"

"I thought you didn't want to talk about it."

"Not just now, no. But we will discuss it later, I promise."

"When?"

"Tonight?"

"Okay. If Crystal duty doesn't last too late."

"We're agreed, then."

"Ooh, there's the turnoff!"

"I see it."

*****

Crystal swept the room with her eyes. There was no longer any sign that she had ever lived in the house. Not that there had been much before. All the furniture, the art, the dishes and linens, everything had belonged to Hank before they were married. Now that she'd packed her clothes and pulled her CDs out of the rack, there was nothing of her left. She thought of leaving her wedding ring on the coffee table, but decided not to.

Too dramatic a gesture, she told herself, knowing it was a lie. She simply couldn't face the next few months without the talisman that would keep her safe from unkind commentary. Soon her pregnancy would be obvious. the least she could do was show the world her baby had a father.

And she knew who he was.

Swiping at the fat tears that rolled down her cheeks, Crystal put pen to paper once again. She had to tell Hank where she was going and why. Why was pretty obvious. Married just under a month, her husband was already having an affair. Where was something he needed to know. In case he ever felt like knowing his child.

*****

"So how much are we going to tell Crystal?"

"What do you mean, luv?"

"About vampires and Slayers and Hellmouths, oh my. She's gonna figure out there's something weird about us. She's shy, but she's not dumb."

Giles sighed. "I'd rather hoped we wouldn't have to say anything, but if she's staying with your Mum, she will probably find out soon enough. Still, let's not frighten her the first day out, shall we?"

"And if Spike is back to hanging out around Mom's place again?"

"I thought we were the ones he was spying on these days."

"Yeah, but you never know when he might want a cup of hot chocolate. He's a sucker for those little marshmallows."

"We'll have to proceed carefully with this, Buffy. The less she knows, the safer Crystal will be. And in her condition..."

"I know. We have to keep the baby safe, and it won't be easy if she's in on the slayage."

"Exactly."

They were both silent for a moment.

"Rupert?"

"Yes, luv?"

"What about our baby? I mean, when there is one. How are we going to handle the slaying when I'm pregnant? We never talked about that, but it scares me."

Giles pulled the Citroen off the road and drew Buffy into the comforting circle of his arms.

"We'll find a way, sweetheart. The others will help. I'll call on Angel if need be."

"You'd do that?"

"If that's what I have to do to keep you safe, yes. I would do even that."

Buffy held her husband closer. She knew how much it cost him to make that vow. She'd seen the scars left by Angelus on his skin, and had an inkling of those left on his heart.

"I love you, Rupert."

"And I love you."

He took her face in his hands and kissed her gently.

"Now, let's go get Crystal, shall we?"

"Yeah. I don't want her to be alone too long."

*****

The photograph seemed to mock Crystal. It showed a tall, good looking man and his pretty child bride, both happy and hopeful. Less than one month had passed and now the man had moved on, leaving the girl to depend on the kindness of near strangers. Another victim of the thoughtless whirlwind that was Hank Summers.

She found it ironic that the one person she could think of to trust in this moment was her predecessor. Like Crystal, Joyce had stood beside him for a happy wedding photograph, given him a child, and been tossed aside to raise the child alone. Still, Joyce seemed more than willing, taking an almost motherly attitude - or what Crystal would have expected a motherly attitude to be in any other family. Her own mother specialised in guilt and recriminations.

And so it was that Crystal was soon to be rescued by her stepdaughter. Stepdaughter. Even Buffy had taken more of a parental tack with her when they had met. No, there was no point in even trying to wrap her brain around the concept that Buffy was her stepdaughter which would make Rupert...her son-in-law, she supposed.

That was too strange to think about.

In the end, though, the photograph went into her bag as she waited. At least her child would know what its father looked like.

PART 12

Joyce was almost happy as she made up Buffy's old room for Crystal to stay in. Not that she was happy the poor girl had been left in the lurch, far from it. But the house had been so empty since Buffy had moved out. At least the year before, she had known this was where Buffy would come home to in the summer between school years. Now, she was married and her home was the apartment on Oakpark Street, across town. It would be nice to have someone to mother a bit, if only for a while.

Obviously Crystal couldn't stay indefinitely, but maybe until the baby was born? At least there would be someone around when the damn headaches started in again. Joyce didn't like to worry Buffy, but the headaches kept returning and getting worse. Not that her doctor had been able to find anything wrong with her. In fact at her last appointment, he'd tactfully tried to suggest she might need therapy more than medicine.

Maybe it was time for a new doctor instead.

*****

"Rupert, Ben & Jerry's. Now."

Giles followed his wife's directions to the ice cream parlor as Crystal sobbed uncontrollably in the back seat. Buffy sat next to her stepmother, giving her a shoulder to cry on.

"It's gonna be okay, Crystal, honest. We'll take care of you as long as you need. Hey, would it make you feel better if I promise to let Rupert punch my dad when he shows his face again?"

"I believe we already have enough trouble with Immigration, luv. Besides, I think your mother would enjoy it even more than I."

"Good point. Mom it is."

Despite her best efforts, Crystal couldn't help a tiny giggle at that. She immediately felt guilty.

"How can you joke about it?"

"I think the question is more how can we not? Look, you cry, you scream, and then you find the funny. It's how people keep going when things get too rough. That and vats of Chunky Monkey."

"But I don't like Chunky Monkey."

"Okay, fine, have Cherry Garcia. Whatever floats your boat. You just have to find the good stuff in life and focus on that."

"What if you can't think of anything good?" Crystal's chin trembled.

"Then your friends help you find them. And I can tell you one already; your baby. It's gonna be here in just a few months, so you have to be okay for that kid."

"I don't know if I can."

"You'll find a way. I promise. And we'll help you find it, won't we, Rupert."

"Of course we will. Ah, here we are." He pulled the car to a stop. He opened the door for the girls to pile out of the backseat and led them into the shop.

*****

Crystal was surprised how much better she felt having had some ice cream and let Buffy and Giles say a few comforting things. By the time they got back to the Citroen, she was ready to take a nap in the back for the rest of the drive.

Buffy glanced at the sleeping girl. "How could he run off and leave her? I just don't get it."

"I don't know, luv. One would think if he had any sense of responsibility whatsoever, he would at least have made some provision for her. Still, she's with us now. She'll be taken care of."

"And I'm really glad she's coming with us. I just...I don't get it."

"You keep saying that. I have the feeling there's something you're not saying."

Buffy sighed and furrowed her brow as she searched for the words.

"He didn't use to be this way. When I was a kid, he seemed to care, anyway. Now he runs away from Crystal almost right after the wedding. I know he wasn't ever the best dad, but he wasn't anything like this. I just wish I knew what happened is all."

There was no answer, so Giles reached over, took Buffy's hand and kissed it, letting go only when he needed to shift gears.

*****

Joyce was in the kitchen making hot chocolate when she heard Giles' car pull up outside her home. She knew Buffy would let herself in. She reached into the cupboard for mugs and poured the liquid comfort. As the door opened, she added miniature marshmallows to each drink, picked up the tray, and headed for the living room.

Buffy carried Crystal's suitcase and Giles carried the still sleeping girl. Joyce looked at them with some humor.

"Poor thing. She must be exhausted."

"She's not the only one" yawned the Slayer. "Is it my imagination or is the drive between here and LA getting longer?"

Giles gently lowered Crystal onto the sofa.

"I believe it's the emotional strain, Buffy."

"That and the fact Crystal's pregnant." Joyce added. "When I was pregnant with Buffy, I fell asleep at the most embarrassing times. I just couldn't keep my eyes open. I actually dropped off in a church right in the middle of a wedding once. Hank assured me I didn't snore, but I got some funny looks at the reception."

Joyce passed the hot chocolate to her daughter and son-in-law, then went to gently shake Crystal awake.

"Hmm...where am I?"

"You're home, Crystal. Have some hot chocolate and I'll show you up to your room. She'll be staying in your old room, Buffy. Is that okay?"

Buffy swallowed an irrational urge to protest. "Sure. I'm not using it. Fine."

The four talked quietly as they drank their hot chocolate.

"Were you going to school in LA, Crystal?" Joyce asked

"Well, I was accepted at UCLA, but with the baby I deferred entry for a year. I don't know what I'll do now."

"Well maybe you could transfer to UC Sunnydale. It's an excellent school. Buffy could show you around the campus."

"And I'd be happy to do that. Oh, Willow and I are going to a party this weekend. You could come with and we could introduce you to the wonder that is campus life."

"Um, okay."

"What about a job? Have you given that any thought yet?" Joyce was really getting into the mother role again.

"I hadn't really, no. I - Hank just left. I don't know what I'm going to do." The girl's face began to crumple again.

"Perhaps we should leave all these questions until tomorrow. Best not overwhelm Crystal her first night here." Giles laid a kindly hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to decide anything tonight. Why don't you get a good nights' sleep? I'm sure things will look brighter in the morning."

"That's a good idea. And we'd probably better go too. I'm dead on my feet, which is a pretty creepy idea now I think about it."

"Thanks, all of you. I don't know what I would've done..."

"Hey, no big. You're family."

Buffy and Giles said their goodnights and headed for home.

*****

When they reached their apartment complex, they found an alarming scene before them.

"Great" Buffy grumbled, "my two least favorite bloodsuckers are bonding."

For there stood Spike being interviewed by Ms. Pennington.

"And how long have you known the Giles'?"

"Ooh, must be, what?, about three years now. 'Course they weren't together then. I can't believe they didn't invite me to the nuptials. Like that, we are" he twined two fingers to demonstrate. "Or at least I thought. Then that's the trouble in this modern world; no consideration for old mates."

"Were you aware of a romantic relationship between them?"

"Never bloody told me a thing. Y'know, funny thing, I could have sworn Buffy was still dating this college boy...what is his name? They had quite the torrid affair going last I heard."

"His name?"

"Hang on a bit. It'll come to me..."

"Spike!"

"No that's not it. In fact, that's me. Hello, Buffy, Giles. What's a fella gotta do to kiss the bride around here?" He moved for Buffy who pushed him away slightly.

"A fella's gotta quit smoking for one thing. Then he's gotta tell me what the hell he's doing here."

"Just come to pay my respects to my old mates."

Giles rolled his eyes.

"Old mates? Since when are we old mates?"

The vampire drew himself up to his full height.

"I'm hurt, Giles." He turned to Ms. Pennington. "I was invited in for Thanksgiving last year and everything. In fact, I was Rupert's houseguest for some time after as well. I could tell you a funny story about that..."

"I think it's high time we took this conversation inside, don't you?" Giles clapped a hand on Spike's shoulder "And no smoking in my flat, Spike."

The vampire reluctantly stubbed out his cigarette against the wall, dropping the butt carelessly to the ground as he followed the others inside.


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