DISCLAIMER AND AUTHOR'S NOTE: All Buffy The Vampire Slayer stuff belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and Warner Brothers. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fiction. All other characters that appear belong to me. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies may be made for private use only and must include this copyright notice and disclaimer. There is subtext in this story. If this kind of stuff is not legal where you live, if you're under 18 or if you don't like the notion of two women being in love, then you should find something else to read. Inspired by the movie Little John.
In the Family
By Kristjan Brezovnik
When Buffy Summers first got to the dorm room, she’d thought she was finally her own woman. But, being a small town farm girl, she was a bit nervous about the whole big city thing. Still, she’d quickly made friends. She’d also gone out to the parties, where she’d met Riley, who was now her ex-boyfriend. He was two years older than her, but he was from a small town, like her. He’d seemed the ideal boyfriend and she liked him, but for some reason she always felt something was missing. He was okay at first, but then he got slightly pushy about having sex. Buffy was reluctant about it, but then she finally let him take her cherry after a party, when she was drunk. In spite of her drunken state, she was disappointed by the experience. Riley seemed satisfied by the experience and he left her alone for a couple of days. Then he wanted to have sex again, but Buffy didn’t, she really didn’t see what was so good about it, not to mention it was messy. He left her alone for a another couple of days. When he wanted to have sex again, they ended up having an argument. Riley then ignored her for a week.
While Riley was giving her the cold shoulder, Buffy met Cordelia. She’d seen her around before, but she’d never talked to her. She was surprised when she learned that Cordelia was a lesbian and it absolutely shocked her when she discovered that not only Cordelia wasn’t ashamed or hiding it, she was actually proud of it. She was a bit nervous that people would think she was a lesbian as well because she was hanging out with Cordelia, and Riley did in fact suggest it. Still, she liked hanging out with Cordelia, especially after Cordelia stopped hitting on her.
When Riley stopped ignoring her, they continued their relationship, but she felt that things were not the same anymore, that Riley had changed somehow. Their relationship lasted exactly one week longer. At first, everything seemed to be okay, except for the strange feeling Buffy had. Then Riley started to criticize her friendship with Cordelia. She ignored it for a while and then finally told him to stop it. Riley stopped, but a few days later, he wanted to have sex again. Buffy didn’t want it, and Riley started calling her names. They had an argument and Riley even slapped her.
When Cordelia came to visit Buffy, Buffy told her about the fight and Cordelia told her to dump him, that she deserved better.
The next day, Riley came back. He seemed apologetic at first, but then he wanted to have sex again. He became violent when Buffy didn’t want to have sex, and he hit her. This time Buffy hit him back and told him to get lost, that it was over between them. Riley wanted to force her to have sex and they ended up physically fighting. It wasn’t until Buffy hit him with a vase that Riley gave up and left with a bloody head.
Buffy cried for a while and then cleaned up the apartment.
And now, two months later, she was having a fight with her mother because she was dating Cordelia. And on a Christmas Eve of all days.
“Look, Mom, I love Cordelia and that’s it. I don’t know if it’ll last, but I’m happy with her. I don’t know if that makes me gay or not, and I don’t really care, it’s not something to be ashamed of, you know.”
”Honey…”
“No, Mom, I don’t want to hear it. It was bad enough when Riley kept badmouthing Cordelia and now he’s badmouthing me as well. I really don’t need you to tell me who to love, Mom.”
Buffy stormed out, and Joyce, her mother, didn’t know whether to go after her or not. They’d never had this kind of argument before and she didn’t quite know how to react. Not to mention that the subject of the argument was new to her. She wasn’t overly religious, but the thought that her daughter might be a lesbian made her feel uncomfortable.
”How’d it go?” Cordelia asked when Buffy called her.
“Crappy. Mom really freaked out and we had a big fight over me being a lesbian.”
”I’m sorry.
Buffy sighed.
“Me too. We’ve never had this kind of a fight before.”
”Is she dealing?”
“I don’t know, we’ve been ignoring one another all day.”
”Oh. I hope things change, I really don’t want you and your mom to be mad at one another because of me.”
“It’s not because of you, it’s because of me. Don’t worry, I still love you and I’m not gonna break up with you or anything stupid like that.”
”Good.”
“And how are you doing?”
”I’m okay. I miss you.”
“I miss you too. I can’t wait to come back.”
”Me neither. Don’t piss off your mom too much.”
“I’ll try. I love you.”
”I love you too.”
“Night, Cordy.”
”Night, Buffy.”
After she got back to the dorm room and put her bags away, Buffy went straight to Cordelia.
“I missed you so much,” Buffy said after they stopped kissing.
Cordelia smiled.
“Me too.” She caressed Buffy. “I’m sorry about your mom.”
Buffy sighed.
“I don’t want to talk about her.”
“Okay. Oh! I got you a present.”
“I got you a present too!”
Cordelia kissed Buffy on the nose.
In the evening, Buffy took Cordelia out. It was the first time that she took Cordelia out, usually Cordelia took her out.
“I like how you’re spoiling me,” Cordelia said when they came back to her place.
Buffy smiled.
“I like spoiling you. And besides, it was about time I took you out, you usually take me.”
“I like being surprised.” Cordelia hesitated for a moment. “You wanna stay over?”
“Eh…” Buffy said, suddenly nervous.
“I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
“I don’t have any clothes and…”
“You can use mine.”
Buffy thought about it for a moment.
“Okay.”
Cordelia caressed her.
“I don’t want to force you, Buffy. You don’t have to stay, if you’re not comfortable with it, or if you don’t want to.”
“I do!” She hesitated for a moment. “I’m just nervous. Riley…”
Cordelia covered Buffy’s lips with her fingers.
“I’m not Riley.”
Buffy smiled.
“No, you’re way sexier.”
Cordelia smiled as well.
“You got that right. So, you’re staying?”
Buffy nodded.
“Yeah.”
“Wanna take a shower?”
“Sure.”
“Come.”
As she lay in Cordelia’s bed, Buffy smiled. She was excited and nervous at the same time. She was excited, because she was in Cordelia’s bed, wearing Cordelia’s underwear and t-shirt, and it seemed very intimate to her. And she was nervous, because she knew Cordelia would want to have sex someday. She just hoped she wouldn’t hurt Cordelia’s feelings. Still, she was curious about what it would be like to lie cuddled up to Cordelia. They’d cuddled before, just not in bed, and she liked it.
After tossing and turning for a while, Buffy got up and went to the kitchen to get herself a drink. As she went through the living room, she noticed Cordelia, who was sleeping on the sofa. She smiled. She’d never seen Cordelia asleep. She looked so relaxed and cute. She stared at her for a few moments and then went on to the kitchen.
When Buffy woke up in the morning, she was a bit confused at first, but then she remembered where she was and she smiled. She yawned and stretched, and then got up. She was on her way to the bathroom when she heard that Cordelia was already up.
“You’re up!” Cordelia said when she saw her.
“Eh, yes?” Buffy said, confused.
“I was gonna make you a breakfast in bed,” Cordelia whined with a pout.
Buffy chuckled.
“In your own house?”
“Sure, why not?” They kissed. “Sleep well?”
“Probably better than you.”
“Oh, I slept okay. My sofa’s quite comfortable.”
Buffy smiled.
“You look cute when you’re asleep.”
Cordelia pouted again.
“And I don’t when I’m awake?”
“You’re always cute,” Buffy said and kissed her on the tip of the nose. “I’ll go dress.”
“Okay.”
“Hey, gorgeous,” Cordelia said when she came to Buffy’s place in the afternoon.
“Hey,” Buffy said with a smile, and they kissed.
“I got a big favor to ask.”
“Sure.”
“We got a business dinner this Wednesday and we’re supposed to bring a date. Wanna be my date?”
“To a real business dinner?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure? I mean, I don’t mind being your date, I just don’t want you to get in trouble because you bring a girl.”
Cordelia grinned.
“Don’t worry, they know I’m gay. Plus, they’ll all be jealous of me for bringing such a hot lady.”
Buffy blushed.
“If you’re sure.”
“I am.”
Buffy smiled.
“Okay. What do I wear?”
Cordelia thought for a moment.
“I was thinking that red dress, but that would probably shock them too much. How about the dark blue one?”
Buffy pictured herself in the dark blue dress.
“Okay. Anything else?”
“No.”
“Okay.”
“I gotta run now, I have some errands to run. I’ll be back in an hour or two.”
“Okay.”
They kissed.
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
When they got to the business dinner on Wednesday, Buffy looked around nervously.
“Nervous?” Cordelia asked.
Buffy smiled at her.
“A little.”
“Don’t worry, they really don’t care about us being gay.”
“No, not that. Someday I might work for someone here.”
“Oh. Then we better behave.” Buffy blushed. “Come, let’s get you introduced.”
“And?” Cordelia asked as they drove home.
Buffy looked at her.
“It was okay. They didn’t seem to mind that we were gay.”
“Told you.”
“Yeah. Still, it was nice. Of course, they did test my knowledge when they found out what my major was.”
“Well, considering I didn’t hear any rumors about you, I’d say you passed.”
Buffy smiled.
“Yeah, I know my stuff.”
“Good.” Cordelia thought for a moment. “Wanna sleep over?”
“Can’t. I got classes early and I need to get some sleep, I really won’t have the time to go home to get my stuff.”
“We can go get it now and then go to my place,” Cordelia suggested.
Buffy thought about it.
“Okay.”
Cordelia smiled.
“Great.”
Buffy hesitated for a moment.
“You can stay over at my place for the weekend,” she suggested, blushing a little.
Cordelia glanced at her, smiling.
“I’d love to.”
“Great.”
On Friday, after work, Cordelia packed and went over to Buffy’s. She convinced Buffy that they should sleep in the same bed since it was big enough, and she promised that she wouldn’t even touch her.
On Saturday, however, while they were cuddling in front of the TV and fondling one another, Cordelia decided to see how far she can go.
“Cordy, stop,” Buffy finally said.
Cordelia stopped.
“You don’t like it?” she asked.
Buffy blushed.
“I do.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Buffy’s blush deepened.
“It’s just… If we continue, we’ll probably end up having… sex.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“What’s so special about sex anyway?”
Cordelia raised her eyebrow.
“Special?”
“Yes. I mean, it’s quick, it’s messy and it hurts. That’s about it.”
“Have you ever cum?”
“Cum?”
“Yes. You know, have an orgasm?”
Buffy blushed again.
“Women have orgasms?”
“Of course we do. We cum too, but only a few can really squirt.”
“Like men?”
“Yes. Man, Riley really messed up. Okay, let me explain. The hurt part, that’s probably because he took your cherry. That’s a one time only. Quick? That depends. Men cum faster than women, but that doesn’t mean it has to end with one orgasm. Me and Tara, my last girlfriend, we once had sex the whole night, plus the next day till noon. I don’t even know how many times I came. And messy?” Cordelia grinned. “It can be as messy as you want. But seriously, it was messy because of Riley’s cum. It’s less messy with women, though we too can be messy. Tara and I had to air her mattress for two days to get the smell out. We had to throw away the sheets, because the stains didn’t go out.”
Buffy blushed.
“Oh.”
Cordelia kissed her on the cheek.
“Trust me, sex is the greatest thing in the world. Once I make you cum, you’re gonna beg for more.”
Buffy’s blush deepened.
“I don’t know.”
“Tell you what. When you’re ready, we can start making love. And if at any time you decide that it’s not something you like, just tell me and I’ll stop. Okay?”
“Okay,” Buffy said and cuddled up to Cordelia. “Thanks.”
Cordelia kissed her on the top of the head.
“You’re welcome, honey.”
During the rest of the movie, Buffy’s mind was mostly on sex. What Cordelia had told her clarified things a lot. Plus, she’d lusted after Cordelia for a while and was really curious.
“Cordy,” she said when the end credits started rolling.
“Yes?”
Buffy hesitated for a moment.
“Can we have sex?”
Cordelia looked at her.
“You sure?”
Buffy nodded.
“Yes.”
Cordelia smiled.
“Okay. Let’s go to the bedroom.”
“Okay.”
They got up, and Buffy turned off the TV. Then they went to the bedroom.
“Eh,” Buffy said, nervous.
“You changed your mind?”
“No!” Buffy said and blushed. “It’s just… I’m not sure how… I mean…”
Cordelia smiled.
“Relax. Just lay on the bed and let me rock your world.”
“Okay.”
Buffy lay on the bed and Cordelia joined her.
“I’m guessing that some things might seem strange to you and you might think they’re indecent or slutty. Maybe even disgusting. Well, sex is supposed to be slutty. Just lay back and relax. Okay?”
“Okay,” Buffy said, excited and nervous at the same time.
Cordelia smiled and kissed Buffy. They kissed for a while and Cordelia explored Buffy’s body with her right hand, making Buffy shiver.
“Cordyyyyyyy!” Buffy screamed at the top of her lungs as she came.
Cordelia grinned and kept the stimulation going, prolonging Buffy’s orgasm until Buffy passed out. Then she cuddled up to Buffy and kissed her all over the face.
“Wha… What happened?” Buffy asked when she came around.
Cordelia grinned.
“You came.”
“I did?”
“You bet.”
“Oh.”
“Did you like it?”
“I loved it!” Buffy said and kissed her. “Thank you.”
“Any time.”
Buffy licked her lips.
“What’s this salty…” then her eyes went wide as she realized what it was. “Is that my…”
“Your pussy juices,” Cordelia confirmed with a grin.
“Oh,” Buffy said, blushing.
“You like them?”
Buffy licked her lips again.
“It’s strange. It’s okay, I guess.” She blushed. “Makes me feel all slutty.”
Cordelia grinned.
“Good,” she said and kissed Buffy again, while she scooped some more of Buffy’s pussy juices with her right hand.
“Mmm,” Buffy said and licked her lips.
Cordelia licked her fingers and then offered them to Buffy.
“Here,” she said.
Buffy automatically licked them, and then immediately blushed as she realized what it was she was tasting.
“I like it when you act like a slut,” Cordelia said with a smile. “Makes you all sexy like. Hey, leave some for me,” she said. She pulled her fingers from Buffy’s mouth and licked them. “Food of the gods.”
Buffy lay back.
“Thanks you.”
Cordelia smiled.
“Any time,” she said and cuddled up to her.
Buffy licked her lips, hesitating.
“My turn now,” she then said.
Cordelia looked at her.
“You sure? You don’t have to, if you’re not…”
“I’m sure,” Buffy interrupted her. “I’ve drooled long enough, roll over.”
Cordelia grinned.
“Yes, Ma'am,” she said and rolled on her back.
Buffy blushed. She hesitated for a moment and then kissed Cordelia.
“And remember, you don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with,” Cordelia said when they stopped kissing.
“Okay.”
“And if I’m not comfortable with something, I’ll tell you.”
“Okay.”
Cordelia smiled.
“Don’t worry, you’ll do fine.”
“Okay.”
Cordelia gave her a peck on the nose.
“Stop agreeing and start fucking.”
Buffy grinned.
“Yes, Ma'am.”
“Oh, Buffy! Buffy, Buffy, Buffy, Buffyyyyy!” Cordelia screamed as she came.
Buffy remembered that Cordelia kept stimulating her while she was cumming, so she did the same. She was a little worried when Cordelia passed out, but then she remembered that she’d passed out as well. She smiled and cuddled up to her.
“Oh, wow,” Cordelia said as she came around. “I so needed that.”
Buffy smiled.
“I’m glad I could help you,” she said and kissed her.
“Oh, honey, you may be new to eating pussy, but for your first time, it was more than okay.”
Buffy blushed.
“Really?”
“You bet. And you’ll get even better when I’m done teaching you about the art of eating pussy.”
Buffy’s blush deepened. She hesitated for a moment and then scooped up Cordelia’s pussy juices and licked them from her fingers.
“Ooh! Somebody likes pussy juices,” Cordelia said.
Buffy blushed again.
“Want some?” she asked.
“You bet,” Cordelia said. She grabbed Buffy’s hand and started licking her fingers. “Delicious,” she said when she was done, and kissed Buffy. “Wanna do it again?”
“Again? You mean sex?”
“Yes.”
“Now?”
“Sure.”
“Eh…”
“I thought you liked it.”
“I do!”
“Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”
“Eh, no.”
“Then what’s stopping you?”
Buffy thought for a moment and then smiled.
“Absolutely nothing,” she said and kissed Cordelia.
“Good. How about we do the sixty-nine.”
“Sixty-nine?” Buffy asked, curious.
“Position. So you can eat my pussy while I eat yours.”
“Oh.”
“That way you can try to repeat what I’m doing to you and learn how to properly eat pussy.”
Buffy blushed.
“Okay.”
“Wanna be… No, I’ll be on top this time.”
“Eh, okay.”
Cordelia smiled.
“Relax,” she said and kissed her.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” Cordelia said with a smile when Buffy woke up the next morning.
Buffy smiled.
“Morning.”
They kissed.
“How do you feel?” Cordelia then asked.
“Like I’m in heaven.”
“Good.”
“Can we do it again?”
Cordelia laughed.
“My, I’ve made you a sex addict.”
Buffy blushed.
“I can’t help it if I like it.”
Cordelia smiled.
“That’s okay.” She thought for a moment. “I don’t have any plans either. Let’s have sex.”
A couple of weeks later, when Buffy was on her way from college, she ran into Riley and a couple of his friends, who were a little drunk.
"Well, well, who do we have here," Riley said.
"Riley," Buffy said coldly.
"I hear you're fucking a woman now."
Buffy glared at him.
"That's none of your business."
Riley stepped closer and grabbed her arm.
"Is it true?" he demanded.
"Let me go," Buffy said and tried to pull her arm free.
"Answer me!" Riley screamed and slapped her.
Buffy screamed.
"Yes."
Riley slapped her again.
"Bitch. You think you're too good for men?"
"Let me go!"
"Let's show her how fucking is done," one of Riley's friends said.
Riley grinned.
"Yeah."
When Cordelia got a call from the hospital, she immediately went there. The nurse on the phone refused to give her any information, because she wasn't a blood relative. Cordelia was beyond pissed. When she got to the hospital, she wanted to just grab the nearest nurse and beat the information from her, but she controlled herself. The nurse asked her again if she was blood relative. Cordelia bit her teeth and said yes. The nurse gave her the information and Cordelia quickly went to Buffy's room. Her eyes went wide when she saw all the bandages. She approached the bed.
"Buffy?" she said softly as she took Buffy's hand.
Buffy didn't respond, so Cordelia guessed that she was unconscious. She grabbed a chair and sat down.
"Oh," a doctor said an hour later, when she came to check up on Buffy.
Cordelia woke up.
"Huh?" She looked around. "Doctor."
"Good evening."
Cordelia looked at Buffy and then back at the doctor.
"How is she?"
"Not good. She has a couple of cracked ribs and a lot of bruises."
"What happened?"
The doctor hesitated for a moment.
"She was raped."
"What? By who?"
"We don't know, but from the quantity, we're guessing that there were several people involved."
"God."
"She'll be okay, physically, but she's gonna need every friend she has."
Cordelia glanced at Buffy, sighing.
"When will she wake up?"
"Probably tomorrow." The doctor hesitated for a moment. "The police will want to question her."
Cordelia tensed.
"I know. I'll see if I can get her to talk."
"Good."
The doctor checked the charts and the machines and then left.
The next day Buffy woke up around noon. Cordelia was still in her room, but she was tired. She had spent the night sleeping in a chair and wasn't very rested, plus she'd only eaten some junk food from a vending machine.
"Buffy," she said, relieved, when Buffy groaned and opened her eyes.
"Cordelia," Buffy said weakly.
"Oh, Buffy," Cordelia said and hugged her.
Buffy burst into tears and hugged her back.
Cordelia quietly held her.
When Buffy stopped crying, Cordelia let go of her. She caressed her.
"Buffy?" she asked when Buffy didn't look at her. "Look at me, please." Buffy shook her head. "Buffy," Cordelia said and turned Buffy's head. She hesitated for a moment and then gently kissed Buffy on the top of her head. "I love you," she said with a smile when Buffy looked at her for a moment.
Tears started to run down Buffy's cheeks and she started to sob again.
Cordelia hugged her.
"Shh," she said and caressed her.
When Buffy gave birth nine months later, Cordelia was there with her. Buffy had refused to go to the Lamaze classes, but Cordelia had gone on her own, so she knew what to do. She stood by her and comforted her, whispering encouraging words to her.
Buffy was in torment. A part of her knew this was her baby, but the memories were so strong that she couldn’t wait to get rid of it. She’d wanted to have an abortion, but Cordelia had convinced her to deliver the baby, after all, it wasn’t the baby’s fault. Now she almost regretted it, because the pain of delivery brought back the memory of the pain of rape. But at least it would be over soon and then she could forget about the baby.
The doctor kept up the chatter, commenting on the progress, but the only voice Buffy heard was Cordelia’s and she focused on it, letting it guide her through the delivery.
When she finally felt relief wash through her after the baby was out, Cordelia’s voice lost its charm. Buffy let out a deep breath. But then she heard the baby scream and she covered her ears.
“Take it away! Take it away!” she screamed.
The doctor and the nurses looked at her, confused.
“Just take the baby away, please,” Cordelia said.
“Okay.”
The doctor quickly severed the cord. Then he gave the baby to a nurse, who took it away.
“There, it’s gone,” Cordelia said when the nurse and the baby were gone. She kissed Buffy on the top of the head. “It’s okay.”
Buffy opened her eyes and looked at her.
“Is it gone?”
Cordelia nodded.
“Yes.”
Buffy breathed a sigh of relief and let go of her ears.
“How do you feel?” the doctor asked her.
Buffy looked at him.
“Yes,” she said weakly.
“I’ll fill out the paperwork for her,” Cordelia told the doctor.
“Okay, but she’ll still have to sign it.”
Cordelia nodded.
“I know.”
When they were finally alone, Buffy started to cry. Cordelia sat beside her and hugged her.
“Shh, it’s okay, sweetie. It’s okay.”
Cordelia quietly held Buffy until Buffy stopped crying.
“Thanks,” Buffy then said.
Cordelia smiled.
“You’re welcome,” she said and caressed her.
Buffy took a deep breath and wiped her eyes.
“I’m so glad it’s over.”
Cordelia took her hand.
“You sure you want to give her up for adoption?”
“Her?” Buffy said, startled.
Cordelia smiled.
“It’s a girl.”
“Oh,” Buffy said, tense. She sighed and nodded. “I don’t want to keep her. I can’t.”
“You don’t have to give her up for adoption.”
“Then what?”
“Let me find her a good home.”
Buffy thought for a moment and then nodded.
“Okay.” She smiled a little. “Thanks.”
Cordelia smiled back.
“You’re welcome,” she said and kissed her on the forehead.
“Mrs Summers?” Cordelia asked when she got to the farm that was Buffy’s home.
“Eh, yes?”
“I’m Cordelia.”
Joyce frowned.
“Buffy’s, eh, girlfriend?” she asked, glancing at the baby Cordelia was holding.
“Yes,” Cordelia said and entered.
“Eh, what can I do for you? Is Buffy okay?”
“No,” Cordelia said as she put down the bag. “She was raped by her ex and his friends.”
“What?!” Joyce said, shocked.
“She made me promise not to tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because of the argument you had when she told you about me. She doesn’t want to see you.”
“Oh.”
“Anyway, I know I’m breaking the promise, but she wanted me to find a good family for Hope and I think you’re the best choice.”
“Hope?”
“The baby,” Cordelia said and moved closer.
“Buffy’s?”
“Yes. I know you and Buffy aren’t on speaking terms, but I don’t want to give Hope to some strangers, because then Buffy would never see her again.”
“Why doesn’t Buffy take care of her?”
“She can’t even see her, because she reminds her of the rape. Every time she sees her, she starts trembling violently.”
“Oh.”
“She wanted to have an abortion, but I stopped her.”
Joyce sighed.
“How is she?”
“Recovering. The cuts and bruises have healed, but her mind will take some time.” She hesitated for a moment. “She doesn’t know I took Hope to you. Will you take her?”
“I…”
“Please. I don’t want Buffy to lose her. I’ll get on my knees and beg, if I have to,” she added when Mrs Spencer hesitated.
Mrs Spencer smiled for a moment. Then she stepped closer to Cordelia and took Hope from her.
“Thanks,” Cordelia said. She caressed Hope. “The papers are all in the bag, as well as some clothes and diapers. My address and phone number as well. I’d like to be kept informed about Hope, so I can tell Buffy about her someday.”
Joyce looked at her.
“I will.”
“Thanks.” Cordelia hesitated for a moment. “Bye.”
“Let me know how Buffy is doing!”
“I will.”
“Thank you.”
Cordelia smiled a little.
“Bye.”
Through the next two years, Cordelia took care of Buffy. Buffy slowly stopped being afraid of men, especially after she took a self-defense class after a little encouraging from Cordelia. After a while, Buffy even became comfortable with having sex, but it took her a while before she completely relaxed and started enjoying it again. But Cordelia was very patient. The one remaining sore problem, however, were little children, especially girls. Teenagers Buffy could deal with, but anything younger made her shiver.
After two years, Buffy and Cordelia broke up. They were still best friends and Cordelia still watched over Buffy, but they weren’t a couple anymore. Cordelia was the first one to start dating and eventually Buffy also gave it another go.
Finally, Buffy met Faith. It was strange for Buffy, because Faith made her feel a little nervous, just like Cordelia had. But Faith was patient, and Buffy felt that Faith liked her as well, so she finally asked her out. Faith accepted. Buffy felt a little nervous when they went out on their first date, but she quickly relaxed, because Faith wasn’t trying to impress her, nor did she try to get in her panties. Other dates quickly followed.
When Buffy dropped Faith home after their third date, she heard someone crying.
“Is that a baby?” she asked, startled.
Faith smiled.
“Yes, my daughter, Dawn. She’s fifteen months old.”
“You have a baby?” Buffy asked, surprised.
“Yes.”
Buffy started trembling. She stood still for a few moments and then quickly left.
“Buffy?” Faith asked, confused. She followed her to the car, but Buffy quickly got in. “Buffy?”
Buffy fumbled with her keys for a few moments and then quickly drove away.
Faith stared after the car for a while, confused, and then went inside.
“Hey,” her friend Willow said, carrying the crying Dawn.
“Hey,” Faith said and smiled at Dawn.
“How was your date?”
“Okay. Until we got here.”
“What do you mean?” Willow asked as she gave Dawn to Faith.
“Well, she didn’t know I had a daughter, it never came up. She just left when she found out. She looked really freaked out.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
Willow thought for a few moments.
“I think Tara dated Buffy’s ex.”
“Can you get me her number?”
“Tara’s?”
“No, Buffy’s ex’s.”
“Oh. I’ll try.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“Oh, Dawn just needed a new diaper.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Night.”
“Night.”
“Faith?” Cordelia asked when she arrived to the café.
Faith looked up.
“Yeah.”
“I’m Cordelia.”
“Oh, hi.”
Cordelia sat down.
“So, you’re the new woman in Buffy’s life.”
“I don’t know.”
Cordelia frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, last night, when Buffy dropped me off at home, she found out I had a baby.”
“Oh,” Cordelia said, guessing what the problem was.
“You know what happened?”
“She freaked out.”
“Yeah. Do you know why?”
Cordelia hesitated for a moment.
“How much do you love her?”
Faith frowned.
“Considering we’ve only been on three dates and didn’t really get a chance to talk about much… A lot. She’s nice and funny and sometimes shy. And sexy. And I really find myself thinking about her a lot. I’d really like to get to know her better, but it seems like I might not get the chance.”
Cordelia sighed. She thought for a few moments.
“What can I get you?” the waitress startled her.
“Eh, latte.”
“Okay.”
The waitress left and Cordelia returned to her thoughts. Even though it wasn’t her who was raped, it was still hard for her. It nearly broke her heart seeing Buffy hurt so much and not being able to take away that pain. She’d never talked to anyone about it before, not even Tara, who was one of her best friends. She wasn’t sure she wanted to share it with Faith, but then again Faith seemed to care about Buffy. She had helped Buffy deal with her reaction toward children, but maybe Faith could help her further, and then maybe someday, Buffy could be reunited with Hope.
“Here you go,” the waitress startled her again.
“Thanks,” Cordelia said. She waited for the waitress to leave. “Three years ago, Buffy was raped,” she then got straight to the point.
Faith’s eyes went wide.
“What?”
“By her ex-boyfriend and his friends. She was really down. And on top of it, she was pregnant as well. She wanted to have an abortion, but I stopped her. When she gave birth to Hope, she couldn’t even look at her without getting really sick. She wanted to give her up for adoption, but I convinced her to let me find a good home for Hope.”
“Did you?”
“I took her to Buffy’s mom. They hadn’t spoken to one another ever since Buffy told her about me.”
“Oh.”
“Anyway, for a while, every time Buffy saw a child, she got really sick. She’s better now and she can look at them, but not from up close. I’m guessing the thought of holding someone’s baby really scared her.”
Faith sighed.
“Damn.” She thought for a moment. “Any idea how I can deal with this?”
“One step at a time. Keep mentioning Dawn to her for a while, then talk to her about Dawn, show her pictures and so on.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Cordelia smiled a little.
“You’re welcome.”
Faith thought for a moment.
“And you?”
Cordelia frowned.
“Me?”
“You were there for Buffy when she was practically in hell. You helped her get back on her feet again, make her laugh. How did you deal with it?”
Cordelia gulped.
“I… I…” She sighed. “I’ve never talked to anyone about it.”
“You don’t have to, if you’re…”
“No,” Cordelia interrupted her. She sighed. “It might help you help Buffy. Or convince you to stay away from her.”
“I’ll take my chances then.”
Cordelia smiled sadly.
“Okay,” she said and took a sip.
“Thank you,” Faith said when Cordelia was done.
Cordelia sighed.
“It kinda feels good to be able to tell someone.” She thought for a moment. “What did you decide?”
“I need to go see Buffy and convince her to give me a chance.”
Cordelia smiled.
“I’m glad. If you need any help, call me.”
“I will. Thanks.”
When Faith got to Buffy’s apartment, she knocked, but there was no response.
“Buffy!” she called, knocking again. “Please, open up.” She waited for a few moments, listening, and then knocked again. “I can hear you moving, Buffy! Please, open up. I’ll get on my knees and beg if I have to, you know. And I have the time as well.”
“Just… go away,” Buffy said through the closed door.
“And just let you go? I don’t think so. Please, let me in, we need to talk.”
Buffy hesitated for a moment and then opened the door.
“Faith…”
“I love you, Buffy, and I don’t want to lose you,” Faith interrupted her.
Buffy sighed. She looked down and walked away.
Faith followed her in and closed the door.
“Look at me, Buffy. Please.”
Buffy turned and hesitantly looked at her.
“Faith…”
Faith covered Buffy’s lips with her fingers.
“Let me do the talking first.”
Buffy hesitated for a moment and then nodded.
Faith smiled and caressed her with the back of her fingers.
“I love you, Buffy, and I don’t want to lose you just because you have a problem with children.” She hesitated for a moment. “I talked to Cordelia and she told me what happened,” she admitted.
Buffy tensed and turned away.
Faith gently hugged her from behind.
“It’s okay, Buffy. I’m not forcing you to see Dawn or babysit her. I want you to give us a chance, to give this relationship a chance and not end it before it even had a chance to bloom.”
“Faith…”
“I think you’re worth fighting for, Buffy. I’ll get on my knees and beg if I have to. Please.”
Buffy sighed. She closed her eyes and leaned her head on Faith’s shoulder.
Faith quietly held her, tightening her hug a little.
“You… Are you sure?” Buffy finally asked.
Faith smiled.
“Absolutely.”
Buffy sighed.
“Okay.”
Faith’s smile widened. She let go of Buffy and turned her around. She caressed her.
“I love you,” she said and gently kissed her on the lips.
Buffy smiled a little.
“I love you too.”
Faith caressed her again.
“I’ll help you deal with it, okay?”
Buffy sighed.
“Cordelia tried.”
“I know, but she didn’t have a child.”
Buffy looked at her feet.
“I…”
“I know, she told me about Hope.”
Buffy looked at her, surprised.
“Hope?”
“Your daughter.”
“She named her Hope?”
Faith frowned.
“She didn’t tell you?”
Buffy sighed.
“I never asked.”
“Oh.” Faith put her arms around Buffy’s waist. “I know we’ve only just started dating and all, but if you want to talk about it, I’ll listen.”
Buffy smiled a little.
“Thanks.”
“And don’t worry, if I invite you to my place, I’ll make sure Dawn is not around and her stuff is out of sight.”
Buffy sighed.
“Thanks.”
Faith pressed her forehead against Buffy’s.
“It’s okay. We’ll go one step at a time. Okay?”
Buffy nodded.
“Okay.”
“Good. Now, how about we go shopping?”
“Shopping?”
“For stress-relief. I don’t really like shopping, but Cordelia says it helps you, so we’re going shopping.”
Buffy smiled.
“Okay.”
“Good. Go get dressed then,” Faith said and let go of Buffy.
Buffy turned to leave, but then she turned back, grabbed Faith’s face and kissed her deeply.
“Mmm,” Faith said, licking her lips, when Buffy let go of her.
Buffy blushed a little.
“Thank you.”
Faith smiled.
“Anything for my girl,” she said and caressed her.
Buffy captured her palm and kissed it. Then she left.
“Hey,” Cordelia said when Buffy came to visit her in the evening. “How do you feel?”
Buffy smiled.
“Better.” She hugged her. “Thanks.”
Cordelia smiled.
“That’s what friends are for.”
Buffy let go of her.
“Yes.”
“She came to talk to you?”
“Yes. She was very persuasive. Then we went shopping.”
Cordelia chuckled.
“It seemed to work.”
“Yeah.”
“I get the feeling that you’ll be good for one another.”
“You like her?”
Cordelia nodded.
“Yes. She’s a good listener. And very perceptive. Don’t you let her go easily.”
Buffy smiled.
“I won’t.”
“Good. Coffee?”
“God, no! I won’t be able to sleep all night and then I’ll wallow in self-pity.”
Cordelia smiled.
“Okay. Something alcoholic or not?”
“Non-alcoholic.”
“Okay.”
Buffy followed Cordelia to the kitchen.
“You… You named her Hope?” she asked, nervous.
Cordelia looked at her, startled.
“Your baby? Yes.” She smiled a little. “I was hoping lots of things, and the word was constantly on my mind, so I named her Hope.”
Buffy smiled a little.
“Good.”
Cordelia hesitated for a moment, pouring the drinks.
“Do you want to know more…”
“No,” Buffy quickly said.
“Okay.”
Buffy sighed.
“I need to get used to children first. Maybe then.”
Cordelia nodded.
“Okay,” she said and gave Buffy her drink.
Buffy took a deep breath to calm down.
“I need some cheering up.”
“Think about having sex with Faith,” Cordelia suggested.
Buffy burst into laughter.
“That’s something to look forward to. But I think I’ll wait a little.”
“Don’t keep her waiting too long.”
Buffy smiled.
“I won’t. But I’d like to get to know her a little better first. And besides, I don’t want to use her just to feel better.”
Cordelia grinned.
“With your pussy eating skills, she’ll want to be used as often as possible.”
Buffy blushed.
“Not funny.”
“What? You give great head, trust me. You should be proud of it.”
Buffy’s blush deepened.
“Okay, enough with the sex talk.”
Cordelia smiled.
“I can’t help it, I just love teasing you when you’re being all shy about sex. I mean, you can be a real slut in bed.”
Buffy’s eyes went wide.
“Cordelia!”
“What? It’s true? Or did you forget our sex sessions?”
Buffy blushed furiously.
“No.”
“You should let the slut in you out a bit more often.”
“Cordelia!” Buffy groaned.
Cordelia grinned.
“Okay, okay, enough with the sex talk. Come, I got some books you might want to read. It’s work related.”
“Okay.”
Buffy followed Cordelia to the living room, trying hard not to think about their sex sessions and failing miserably.
It took lots of hard work, but with some help from Cordelia, Faith managed to cure Buffy of her fear of children. At least she hoped she did. Once she met Dawn, Buffy grew very attached to her, and Faith had her hands full making sure Buffy didn’t spoil Dawn too much.
Five years later, Joyce decided she should get over the fact that her daughter was gay, and patch things up. If not for their sake, at least from Hope’s sake. She had written to Cordelia about Hope, and Cordelia in turn wrote to her about Buffy, which was how she learned that Buffy didn’t seem to be afraid of children anymore. She waited until Hope's summer break and then took Hope to see Buffy. She didn’t let Buffy or Cordelia know she was coming, because she thought that if Buffy found out she was coming, she might just disappear, and she really wanted to patch things up.
When she got to Buffy’s house, she took a deep breath, nervous, and then rang the bell.
“Mom,” Buffy said, surprised, when she saw Joyce.
Joyce smiled.
“Hello, Buffy.”
Then Buffy noticed Hope and her eyes went wide.
“Is… Is…”
“Your daughter, Hope,” Joyce confirmed.
Buffy started hyperventilating. She finally closed the door and leaned on it, trying to calm down. She’d thought she’d gotten over it, but seeing her daughter just brought back the memories.
“Buffy!”
“Go away!” Buffy called and went to the living room.
“Grandma?” Hope asked outside, confused.
Joyce looked at her and smiled a little.
“I don’t know, sweetie,” Joyce said.
They both turned at the sound of a car stopping.
“Hi,” Faith said with a smile. “You’re Buffy’s mom.”
“Eh, yes,” Joyce said. “You’re Faith.”
“You know me?” Faith asked, surprised.
“Cordelia wrote to me about Buffy and she sent me pictures.”
“Oh. Cool.” She smiled at Hope. “Hi, Hope, I’m Faith. I’m your mommy’s partner.” She glanced at Buffy’s car. “Buffy isn’t home?”
“She is, but she just… freaked out,” Joyce said.
“Oh,” Faith said, worried. “Wait here.”
“Okay.”
Faith went in.
“Buffy!” she called. She listened for a couple of moments and then went to the living room. “Hey,” she said softly when she saw Buffy cuddled up on the sofa, crying. She put her bag down and then sat on the sofa, putting Buffy’s head in her lap. “It’s okay,” she said, caressing her.
“I thought I was okay,” Buffy said quietly.
Faith kissed her on the temple.
“You just need to get used to her.”
Buffy thought for a moment.
“Did Mom raise Hope?”
“Yes. Cordelia thought it was the best choice.”
Buffy smiled a little.
“It was.”
Faith caressed her.
“Will you be okay for a while by yourself? I’d like to find out why they’re here and see how long they’re staying.”
Buffy nodded.
“I will.”
“Okay,” Faith said and kissed her on the temple again. “You’ll be okay, baby.”
She got up and went back outside.
“Is she okay?” Joyce asked, worried.
“Not really,” Faith said.
“She doesn’t like me?” Hope asked.
“No, honey!” Faith said. “She loves you, she just can’t… She just can’t see you right now. It’s not your fault, she just has to deal with some bad memories.” She looked at Joyce. “Why are you here?”
Joyce sighed.
“I wanted to patch things up between us.”
“Oh. Why didn’t you call?”
“I didn’t want Buffy to just disappear.”
“Ah. How long are you staying?”
“I don’t know. We have a couple of days, but then I really should go back to check up on the farm.”
“Where are you staying?”
“At a motel.”
“Okay. Let me give you my… Wait! You could stay with Cordelia.”
“Cordelia?”
“Yes. She has a spare room and I know she would love to meet Hope. Let me give her a call.” Faith took out her cell phone and called Cordelia. “Cordy?”
”Hey, Faith. What’s up?”
“Buffy’s mom is here. She brought Hope.”
”Really?” Cordelia said, excited.
“Yes. She wants to patch things up.”
”It was about time.”
“I know. Unfortunately, Buffy freaked out when she saw Hope.”
”How is she?” Cordelia asked, worried.
“Shaken up. She’s recovering. Anyway, they’re staying here for a couple of days and I thought they might stay at your place.”
”Yes! Absolutely! Just take them to my house, I’ll be home in an hour or so.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll see you later.”
”Okay. Bye.”
“Bye.” Faith put her cell phone away. “She’s all excited about it,” she told Joyce.
“Oh. Are you sure?”
“Yes, absolutely. Let’s go get your stuff from the motel and then I’ll take you to Cordelia’s house.”
Joyce thought about it.
“Okay.”
“I’ll just go get my bag.”
After Joyce took their stuff from the motel and signed them out, Faith took them to Cordelia’s house.
“This is it,” Faith said as she rummaged around her bag for the keys. “It’s nice, because it’s close to Buffy’s house.”
She unlocked the door.
“You have her house keys?” Joyce asked, surprised.
Faith glanced at her.
“Yes, and she has ours.”
“Oh.”
“Come in. She said she’ll be home in an hour or so.”
“And you’re sure it’s okay to…”
“Positive,” Faith said. “In fact, she told me to bring you here, even though she wasn’t home.”
“Oh.”
“Come, let me show you around. Okay, this is the center of the house. That’s kitchen, toilet, living room, a cabinet, down there’s basement, and upstairs are a couple of rooms and a bathroom.” She went to the living room. “I suggest you wait here until she tells you in which room you’ll be staying. And if you’re hungry or thirsty, help yourselves.”
“You’re not staying?”
Faith glanced at her watch.
“I’ll have to go pick up Dawn from the kindergarten.”
“Dawn?”
“My daughter. She’s six.”
“Oh.”
“Eh, the remote for the TV should be somewhere under those magazines. Feel free to read them.”
“Is that Mommy?” Hope asked when she saw the photos.
Faith smiled.
“Yes.” She looked at Joyce. “She has photos of you two as well, but she doesn’t display them, because she doesn’t want to upset Buffy.”
“Who is that?” Hope asked and pointed at Dawn.
“That’s Dawn, my daughter.”
“Oh.”
Faith realized that Buffy was the one holding Dawn, and that Hope might feel jealous about it.
“Your mommy couldn't stand Dawn either at first. In fact, she couldn’t stand any child.”
“Why?”
“Well, something bad happened to her before you were born. And after you were born, she couldn’t stand you, because you reminded her of that. And she couldn’t stand any other child either, because they all reminded her of you. But she’s better now and she’s a wonderful mommy to Dawn. And when she gets used to you, she’ll be a wonderful mommy to you as well.” She caressed Hope. “She wants to be your mommy, but you have to give her some time to get used to it. Okay?”
Hope nodded.
“Okay.”
Faith smiled.
“Good. Why don’t you watch some cartoons now. Auntie Cordy will be home soon.” She looked at Joyce. “I have to go pick up Dawn and then go back to Buffy.”
Joyce nodded.
“Thank you.”
“No problem. Bye.”
“Bye.”
“Bye, Hope.”
“Bye,” Hope said.
“Mama!” Dawn called when she and Faith came home. She ran to the living room. “Mama!” She ran to the sofa and hugged Buffy.
“Oh, honey,” Buffy said, hugging her back.
“Hey,” Faith said with a smile.
“Hey,” Buffy said.
Dawn let go of her.
“Are you okay, Mama?” she asked, worried. “Mommy said you were sad.”
Buffy sighed.
“I’m better now,” she said and caressed her.
“Why were you sad?”
Buffy glanced at Faith for help.
“Might as well tell her the truth,” Faith said.
Buffy nodded, and sat up.
“Come here,” she said and helped Dawn sit in her lap. “Well, you see, I have a daughter too.”
“Really?” Dawn said, wide-eyed.
“Yes.”
“Where is she?”
“She lives with her grandmother. My mother.”
“Why?”
Buffy thought for a moment.
“Well, before she was born, something really bad happened to me and she reminded me of that. I couldn’t stand to see any child, not even you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. But Mommy and Auntie Cordy helped me.”
Faith sat beside Buffy and put her arm around her shoulder.
“And we’ll help you get back to your daughter.”
“Uh-huh,” Dawn said, nodding, and hugged Buffy.
Buffy smiled.
“Thanks.” She thought for a moment and then looked at Faith. “What did Mom want?”
“She wants to patch things up.”
Buffy sighed.
“It’s been so long.”
“I know. It’s about time you two made up.”
Buffy nodded.
“Yes.”
“They’re staying at Cordelia’s place.”
“Really?” Buffy said, surprised.
“Yes.”
Buffy sighed.
“At least it’s not a motel or something.”
Faith looked at Dawn and smiled.
“Guess what, honey, since Buffy is Hope’s mom, that makes you two sisters.”
Dawn’s eyes went wide.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Cool!” Dawn said, excited, and clapped her hands. “How old is she?”
“Eight.”
“When can I meet her?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“You can tell her about Mama and she can tell you about Grandma.”
“Grandma?”
“Mama’s mom.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” She looked at Buffy. “Will you be okay, Mama?”
Buffy smiled.
“Yes,” she said and kissed her on the forehead. “Go, Mommy will cuddle with me for a while.”
Dawn smiled.
“Okay.”
She slipped down and then ran to her room.
Buffy leaned her head on Faith’s shoulder and took a deep breath.
“I really want to get over this. I don’t wanna be freaked out by my own daughter. I don’t want Riley to win.”
“Riley already lost,” Faith said and kissed her on the top of the head. She thought for a moment. “Are you comfortable talking about Hope?”
Buffy thought about it and then nodded.
“Yes. It kinda feels… nice.”
Faith smiled.
“That’s good.”
“I think I was just surprised to see her.”
Faith picked up her bag and took out her purse. She opened it and took out a photo of Hope.
“Does this freak you out?” she asked and showed the photo to Buffy.
Buffy gasped and tensed.
“Shh, it’s okay,” Faith said and put the photo away.
Buffy took a couple of deep breaths to calm down.
“You have a photo of Hope?”
“I have a few. Cordelia was in contact with your mom. She told her about you and your mom told her about Hope. And send her pictures. I asked her to give me a couple, so I could show them to you, if necessary.”
Buffy sighed.
“Does… Does Mom know I was… raped?”
“Yes. You’re not mad at Cordelia, are you?”
Buffy shook her head.
“No. I suppose she had to tell her how Hope came to be.”
“Yeah.”
Buffy took a deep breath.
“Can… Can you show me the photo again?”
“Sure,” Faith said and showed her the photo.
Buffy stared at it for a few moments, but when she started shivering, Faith put the photo away.
“Damn,” Buffy said as tears came into her eyes.
“Shh, it’s okay,” Faith said and kissed her on the top of the head. “One step at a time.”
Buffy nodded.
“Hi,” Cordelia said when she came home.
“Hello,” Joyce said.
Cordelia smiled at Hope.
“Hi, Hope.”
“Hi,” Hope said a bit nervous.
“My, you sure have grown since the last time I saw you. You were just a baby then. I’m Cordelia, by the way. Your mommy and I used to be together.”
“It’s really okay with you if stay here?” Joyce asked when Cordelia looked at her.
“Yes, absolutely. You’re practically family, so to speak. Come, let me show you to your room.”
“Come, honey,” Joyce said to Hope.
Hope hopped off the sofa and followed them upstairs.
“How long are you staying?”
“I can’t stay for more than a few days, I have to go check up on the farm then.”
“You could leave Hope here,” Cordelia suggested. “And Faith could bring Dawn and they could play together.”
“I don’t know.”
“We’ll see how things go along, you don’t have to decide right now.”
“Okay.” Joyce hesitated for a moment. “Thank you. For bringing Hope to me and for taking care of Buffy.”
Cordelia smiled at her.
“No need to thank me. I care about Buffy, she’s one of my best friends. Oh, I was thinking about giving your letters to her, so she can read them and gets to know Hope better. It might help her get used to Hope.”
Joyce nodded.
“Yes.”
“Okay. Ah, here we are. Will you two sleep together?”
“Yes.”
“If you want, Hope can have her own room.”
“No, it’s okay.”
“Okay. The bathroom is over there.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll be downstairs.”
“Okay.”
Cordelia went downstairs and called Faith.
”Hey,” Faith said as she answered the phone.
“Hey,” Cordelia said. “How is she?”
”Better. I showed her a photo of Hope and she’s not freaking out so much anymore.”
“Oh.”
”She also told Dawn about Hope.”
“And?”
”Dawn is all excited about meeting her big sister.”
Cordelia smiled.
“That’s nice. And Buffy?”
”She wants to get over this aversion and finally be a mom to Hope.”
“That’s good.”
”Yeah. Anyway, I was about to call you. We need to arrange a meeting, so that Buffy and her mom can talk.”
“What about Hope?”
”I’m not sure if Buffy’s quite ready for her yet. Anyway, I was thinking the park. That was Buffy can see Hope from afar, so that if she freaks out, she won’t scare Hope.”
“A good idea. When?”
”Don’t know. After work?”
“Okay. Let’s say at four. At the swings.”
”Okay, we’ll be there.”
“Okay.”
”Oh, by the way, Buffy’s not mad at you for telling her mom about the rape.”
“Good. I was a bit worried.”
”No need to. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay. Bye.”
”Bye.”
Cordelia put away her phone and turned around.
“Oh!” she said, startled, when she saw Hope. She smiled. “You startled me.”
Hope hesitated for a moment.
“You know Mommy?”
“Yes. I just talked to… Oh. Sorry, just a little mix up. I’m used to Dawn calling Faith Mommy and I automatically… Never mind. I just talked to Faith, your mommy’s partner. She said your mommy’s okay and wants to get over her problem so she can be with you.”
“Really?”
Cordelia smiled.
“Of course. She loves you. You may remind her of what happened, but that’s not your fault and she knows that.”
“When will I see her?”
“I don’t know. Soon, I hope. Faith is trying really hard to help her. Tomorrow, we’re going to the park and you can play with Dawn, Faith’s daughter. She’s all excited about meeting you. She can tell you more about her.”
“Will Mommy be there?”
“She’ll come there, but I don’t know if she’ll be ready to talk to you yet.”
“Oh,” Hope said, disappointed.
“Want me to give her a message for you?”
Hope thought for a moment and then nodded.
“Uh-huh. Tell her I miss her.”
Cordelia smiled.
“I will.”
Hope hesitated for a moment.
“What do I call you?”
“How about Aunty Cordy? Dawn calls me that.”
“Okay.”
Cordelia ruffled her hair.
“I just can’t wait for you and Buffy to finally get together.”
“You know her good?”
“Yes. We’ve been together for a couple of years. We broke up before she met Faith, but we’re still best friends.”
“Oh.” Hope thought for a moment. “Did you write letters to Grandma?”
Cordelia smiled.
“Yes. And she wrote to me. When I meet your mommy, I’ll tell her more about you.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t worry, sweetie, you and your mommy will get back together. I promise.”
Hope smiled a little.
“Okay.”
“Good. Wanna watch TV?”
Hope nodded.
“Uh-huh.”
“You know where the remote is?”
Hope nodded again.
“Uh-huh.”
“Okay. If you need anything, just ask, okay?”
“Okay,” Hope said and went to the living room.
Cordelia looked at Joyce, who had come downstairs, and smiled.
“I’m glad you finally decided to come,” she said.
“I’m starting to think I should’ve come sooner,” Joyce said.
“Maybe. But not much sooner. Anyway, tomorrow, we’re going to the park. Faith will bring Dawn, and Buffy will come too.”
“Okay.”
“But I can’t guarantee that Buffy will be ready to talk to Hope.”
Joyce nodded.
“I know.” She thought for a moment. “Eh, I don’t mean to sound rude, but I am… curious. What’s it like being a gay?”
Cordelia smiled.
“I don’t know,” she said, shrugging. “What’s it like being straight?”
Joyce frowned.
“I don’t know.”
“This alternative lifestyle bullshit is nonsense. I don’t live any differently from you. The only difference between us is that I prefer women and you prefer men. That’s it. I know conservative lesbians and I know some that are real sluts. But I also know conservative straight women and straight women who are sluts.”
“I see. So you don’t like men at all?”
“I like men, I have no problem with them. It’s just that sexually, they leave completely cold. Women on the other hand… Anyway, there are some lesbians who find men sexually repulsive, even though they work normally with them. And there are probably some straight women who find women sexually repulsive.”
“Oh.”
“We’re not really all that different.”
”Hi, Cordy!”
Cordelia and Joyce both looked.
“Hey, Willow,” Cordelia said and approached her.
“Visitors?” Willow asked after they kissed.
“Guests,” Cordelia explained. “This is Buffy’s mom.”
Willow’s eyes went wide.
“Really? Hi.”
“This is Willow, my partner,” Cordelia introduced her while they shook hands.
“Hello,” Joyce said.
“Buffy’s daughter is in the living room.”
“Really?” Willow said, excited, and went to look. “Hi!” she said and waved at Hope, when Hope looked at her. Then she looked at Cordelia. “Does Buffy know?”
“Yes.”
“How did she react?”
“She freaked out.”
“Oh. Is she okay?”
“Yes. Faith is trying to help her overcome her fear.”
“Okay.” She looked at Joyce. “How long are you staying?”
“A couple of days.”
“I don’t know if Buffy can overcome her fear that quickly. It took her two months before she could stand to look at Dawn from afar.”
“Oh.”
“Hey! You could leave Hope here.”
“I already suggested that,” Cordelia said.
“Oh.”
“We’ll see,” Joyce said.
“Okay.
“Introduce me to Hope,” Willow said.
Cordelia smiled.
“Come.” They went to the living room. “Hope, honey, this is Aunty Willow. She’s my partner and she’s a friend of your mommy.”
“Hi,” Willow said with a smile.
Hope smiled back.
“Hi.”
“How old are you? Eight?”
Hope nodded.
“Uh-huh.”
“Wow. You’ll be a teenager in no time.” She sat beside Hope. “You like school?”
Hope nodded.
“Uh-huh.”
“Me too.”
“But you’re too old for school.”
Willow smiled.
“I know, but I used to love going to school. And I still like learning new stuff.”
Hope smiled as well.
“Me too.”
“If you have any questions or problems, just ask me.”
“Okay.”
“Good.”
The next day, they went to the park.
“Hi,” Faith said as she and Dawn arrived.
“Hey,” Cordelia said.
“Where’s Buffy?” Joyce asked.
“Parking,” Faith said.
“Oh.”
“Anyway, this is my daughter Dawn. Honey, this is Mama’s daughter Hope and this is Mama’s mommy,” Faith introduced them.
“Hello,” Joyce said with a smile.
“Hi,” Dawn said shyly.
“Is Mommy coming?” Hope asked.
“She is,” Faith said, “but I don't think she ready to see you yet.”
“Oh,” Hope said, disappointed.
“Why don’t you and Dawn go play. She could hardly wait to meet you. Dawn can tell you about her and you can tell her about Grandma.”
“Okay.”
“Come,” Dawn said.
She took Hope’s hand and led her away.
Faith looked around and saw Buffy in the distance, standing still, obviously shivering.
“Buffy.”
Joyce and Cordelia looked.
“Where is she going?” Joyce asked.
“I don’t know,” Faith said and headed after Buffy.
“Wait,” Cordelia said. “I’ll go. You stay here and watch the girls.”
“I can watch the girls,“ Joyce said.
“No, you’re coming with me. You and Buffy need to talk.”
“Oh."
"Come.”
“Hold on. Hope!” She waited for Hope to look at her. “Auntie Cordelia and I are going to talk to your mommy! We’ll be back soon! Faith will stay with you! Okay?!”
Hope hesitated for a moment.
“Okay!” she called back.
Joyce smiled and then followed Cordelia.
Faith slowly went after the girls.
“Where is she going?” Joyce asked when they saw Buffy drive away.
“Probably home,” Cordelia said. “Come.”
When they got to Buffy’s house, Cordelia told Joyce to wait outside. Inside, she quickly found Buffy, who was sitting on the sofa in the living room, hugging her knees.
“Hey,” she said softly.
“Hey,” Buffy said.
Cordelia sat beside her and put her arm around her shoulder, and Buffy leaned her head on Cordelia.
“It’s okay.”
“I was hoping I was ready.”
“One step at a time, sweetie.”
Buffy sighed.
“I know. I’m just glad Faith told me to follow them from afar, so Hope wouldn’t see me freak out again if I freaked out.”
“Do you want Hope back?”
Buffy nodded.
“Yes.” She glanced up at Cordelia. “I’m glad you gave her to my mom.”
Cordelia smiled.
“She seemed the best alternative.”
“Yeah.”
“How do you feel?”
“Better. I seem to calm down faster.”
“Good.” Cordelia opened her bag and took out Joyce’s letters. “Here,” she said and gave them to Buffy. “Your mom’s letters.”
“Letters?” Buffy said, surprised, and sat up.
“Yes. She wrote to me about Hope and I wrote to her about you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. She may have been mad at you, but she was still worried. And I wanted to know how Hope was doing. Plus, now you can read these and learn more about her, it might help your fear.”
“Thanks,” Buffy said and hugged her.
Cordelia kissed her on the top of the head.
“Any time, sweetie. Anyway, your mom’s outside.”
“She is?”
“Yes. Faith is watching the girls.”
“Oh.”
“Feel good enough to talk to her?”
Buffy took a deep breath and nodded.
“Yes.”
“Okay.” She thought for a moment. “You know what you could try? You could look yourself in the mirror and tell yourself what happened.”
“What happened?”
“The rape. Telling it out loud to yourself might help you.”
Buffy swallowed.
“You think?”
“I don’t know. It might. Just remember, it wasn’t your fault.”
Buffy sighed.
“I know.”
Cordelia gave her a kiss on the forehead.
“You’ll be okay.”
Buffy nodded.
“I know.”
“I’ll go get your mom.”
“Okay.”
“Is she okay?” Joyce asked when Cordelia came back out.
“Yes,” Cordelia said. “You can go in. And take your time. I’ll wait.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
Joyce went in. She’d never been in the house, so she was a little uncertain as to where to go. She followed her instincts and quickly arrived to the living room.
“Mom,” Buffy said, a bit nervous.
“Oh, honey,” Joyce said and hugged her.
Buffy hugged her back. She wasn’t mad at her mother anymore and she was glad her mother wasn’t mad at her either. Suddenly she realized just how much she’d missed her. Sure, she had her friends and Faith and Dawn, but she still missed her mother.
“Shh, it’s okay,” Joyce said when Buffy burst into tears. “It’s okay, I’m not mad at you anymore,” she said as she held Buffy.
When Buffy calmed down, she let go of Joyce. Joyce let go of her as well, and Buffy wiped her tears.
Joyce caressed her.
“Feeling better?” she asked her.
Buffy nodded.
“Yes. Thanks.”
Joyce smiled.
“You’re my daughter.”
Buffy sighed.
“I missed you, Mom.”
“I missed you too, honey. I’m sorry we had that fight, I should’ve accepted you the way you are.”
“Yeah.” Buffy sighed. “We should’ve made up a long time ago.”
“I know.”
“Thank you for taking care of Hope.”
Joyce smiled.
“She’s my granddaughter. I just wish you had been there too.”
“Me too.”
Joyce nodded at the letters on the sofa.
“I see you got my letters.”
Buffy glanced at the letters.
“Yes, Cordelia gave them to me.”
“I know. She wrote to me about you and I wrote to her about Hope.”
“I know. Thanks.”
“I just wish I had been there for you when you needed me.”
“Me too.”
“But Cordelia did a great job taking care of you.”
“I know. I’ll be forever grateful to her for that.”
“Me too.” Joyce smiled. “Why don’t we sit down and talk a little.”
Buffy smiled a little.
“Okay.”
“I’m sorry I kept you waiting for so long,” Joyce said when she came out.
Cordelia smiled.
“No problem. Did you and Buffy work things out?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now all we have to do is get Buffy and Hope back together.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go back to the park.”
After Joyce left, Buffy went back to the living room. She sat down and picked up the letters, but then she remembered Cordelia’s advice. She hesitated for a few moments, scared, but then decided to do it anyway. She knew it would hurt, but maybe she would feel better. And the sooner she got over it, the sooner she would be with Hope again. She took a deep breath, got up, and went to the bathroom.
“How is she?” Faith asked when Joyce and Cordelia came to the park.
“Okay,” Cordelia said.
“Did you make up?” Faith asked Joyce.
Joyce nodded.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Joyce glanced toward the girls.
“And the girls?”
“They’re already best friends,” Faith said with a smile. “Hope is the shy one.”
Joyce smiled.
“I’m glad they’re getting along.”
“Me too.”
When Faith and Dawn came home, they found Buffy on the sofa, hugging her knees.
“Are you okay, Mama?” Dawn asked, worried, when she saw that Buffy had been crying.
She ran to her and hugged her.
“I’m okay, sweetie,” Buffy said and hugged her tightly.
Faith came closer and caressed her.
Buffy smiled at her.
“I just followed an advice Cordy gave me,” she said.
“Did it help?”
“A little.”
“Good.”
Buffy smiled.
“How did the girls get along?”
“Great. Right, Dawn?”
Dawn stopped hugging Buffy.
“Uh-huh,” she said, nodding. “Hope is nice and she told me all about Grandma, and I told her all about you.”
Buffy smiled.
“Thank you.”
“She misses you.”
Buffy sighed.
“I know, sweetie. I miss her too.”
“Will she come live with us?”
“Yes. I think so.”
“Cool!” Dawn said, excited.
Buffy and Faith smiled.
Faith nodded at the letters.
“Your mother’s?”
Buffy glanced at them.
“Yes. Haven’t had the chance to read them yet.”
“Oh. Come, honey, let’s give Mama some space so she can read her mommy’s letters.”
“Okay,” Dawn said and slid off Buffy’s lap. “I’m thirsty, Mommy.”
Faith took her hand.
“Come.”
“Aunty Cordy, I’m thirsty,” Hope said when they came to Cordelia’s house.
“Come,” Cordelia said and took her hand. “Did you have fun with Dawn?” she asked as they went to the kitchen.
Hope nodded.
“Uh-huh. Dawn told me about Mommy and I told her about Grandma.”
“Good.”
Hope thought for a moment.
“Dawn calls my mommy Mama.”
“I know,” Cordelia said as she poured some juice for Hope.
“Why? She said my mommy’s also her mommy.”
“She is. Your mommy also takes care of Dawn and she is her second parent, so Dawn calls her Mama.”
“Oh.”
“Here you go,” Cordelia said and gave Hope the glass.
“Thank you.”
“And when you move in with them, Faith will be your other parent.”
“Do I have to call her Mama?”
“No, that would be confusing. I’d suggest you call your mommy Mama and Faith Mommy. That way you and Dawn will both call them the same. That is if you feel comfortable with calling Faith Mommy. You don’t have to, you know, you can call her whatever you’re comfortable with. And if you’re not sure, just ask Faith.”
“Okay.”
Cordelia smiled and caressed her.
“Don’t worry about it. I told Faith all about you and she could hardly wait to meet you. She likes you.”
“I like her too.”
“That’s good.”
Three days later, Buffy finally felt she was ready to meet Hope, but when Hope came to the living room, she tensed.
“Buffy?” Faith asked, worried,
Buffy took a deep breath.
“I’m fine. I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
Buffy nodded.
“Yeah.” She smiled at Hope. “Hi, honey.”
“Hi,” Hope said, a bit nervous.
“It’s okay, go to her,” Joyce prodded her and let go of her hand.
Hope hesitated for a moment and then slowly approached Buffy, who was breathing heavily but didn’t freak out. She stopped a step away from Buffy, a bit uncertain.
Buffy smiled softly and hesitantly caressed her.
“Oh, sweetie,” she said and opened her arms.
Hope quickly hugged her, and Buffy hugged her back, tears running down her cheeks.
“I missed you so much,” Buffy said, sobbing.
“I missed you too, Mommy,” Hope said, happy that she was finally with her mother.
“Come,” Faith said quietly and led the way out, so that Buffy and Hope could spend some time by themselves.
“That’s a relief,” Cordelia said when they got on the verandah.
“Yeah,” Faith agreed.
“And the timing is great too,” Joyce said. “I’ll have to go back to the farm today.”
“Grandma, is Hope gonna stay here?” Dawn asked.
Joyce looked at her, startled by Dawn calling her Grandma.
“Eh, I can’t see why not. We’ll just have to get her stuff.”
“Cool.”
“She can stay here till the weekend and then we can all come to the farm,” Faith said.
“That’s a good idea,” Joyce said. “We’ll see if Hope is okay with it.”
“Yes.”
“Can she sleep in my room?” Dawn asked.
“She might want to sleep with Mama,” Faith pointed out.
“Oh.” Dawn thought for a moment. “For how long?”
“I don’t know. Until she feels safe and certain that Mama won’t leave her again.”
Dawn’s eyes went wide.
“Mama won’t leave her again, will she?” she asked, worried.
Faith smiled.
“No, of course not. The only reason Mama left Hope with Grandma is because of her fears. And you could see that she’s over those fears.”
Dawn smiled, relieved.
“Okay.” She thought for a moment. “And when Hope feels safe, can she sleep in my room?”
“If she wants. But we’ll make sure she has her own room anyway.”
“Okay.”
When Buffy finally calmed down, she took a deep breath.
“Are you okay, Mommy?” Hope asked.
Buffy smiled.
“Yes,” she said and wiped her eyes. She kissed her on the forehead. “I’m so happy that I didn’t lose you.”
“You’re not afraid of me anymore?”
Buffy shook her head.
“No, I got over my fears.” She sighed. “I just wish I’d managed that sooner.”
“Can I stay with you now?”
“Yes, of course.”
Hope smiled a little.
“Can I go visit Grandma sometimes?”
“Of course! I’ll go visit her too.”
Hope’s smile widened. She thought for a moment.
“Mommy, are you Dawn’s mommy too?”
Buffy smiled again.
“Yes.”
“Is that why she calls you Mama?”
“Yes.”
Hope thought for a moment.
“Is her mommy gonna be my mommy too?”
“Yes, we’ll both be your mommies.”
“Do I have to call her Mommy?”
“Not if you don’t want to.”
“What do I call her?”
“Whatever you feel comfortable with. I suggest you ask Faith about it.”
“Okay.” Hope thought for a moment. “Mommy, can I call you Mama?”
“Mama?”
Hope nodded.
“Uh-huh. Aunty Cordy said so it wouldn’t be confusing.”
Buffy thought about it.
“Yes, she’s right.” She smiled. “You can call me Mama.”
“Okay.” Hope thought for a moment. “Are Dawn and I sisters? Dawn said we were.”
Buffy smiled.
“Yes, I think so. I mean, Faith and I are both her and your parents, so that makes you sisters. Would you like that? Having a little sister?
Hope smiled.
“Uh-huh.”
Buffy caressed her.
“Good. How about we go tell them that you’re staying.”
“Okay.”
Hope slid down and then waited for Buffy to get up. She took her hand, and Buffy smiled at her, gently squeezing her hand. Then they went to the kitchen.
“Hey,” Faith said, smiling softly.
“Hey,” Buffy said and smiled as well.
“Everything okay?”
Buffy nodded.
“Yes.” She looked at Joyce. “Hope wants to stay here.”
Joyce smiled.
“We thought she might. We’ll go get your stuff from, eh, Aunty Cordy, okay?”
“Okay,” Hope said, relieved that Joyce was okay with it. She looked at Faith, hesitating for a moment. “What do I call you?”
“Call me?” Faith said, startled.
“Uh-huh. I’m gonna call Mommy Mama, but she said I should ask you what to call you.”
“Oh. Well, my name is Faith. Dawn calls me Mommy. I don’t know, whatever you’re comfortable with. You can call me Aunty Faith, if you want.”
“Oh.”
Faith smiled.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Okay.”
“Are you gonna sleep with Mommy and Mama?” Dawn asked Hope.
Hope looked at Buffy.
“Can I?”
Buffy smiled at her.
“Of course.”
“Can I too?” Dawn asked.
Buffy looked at her.
“Sure.”
“Cool!”
Cordelia ruffled her hair.
“Why don’t you show Hope around the house?”
“Okay,” Dawn said, excited. She took Hope’s hand. “Come,” she said and dragged her away.
“Honey, I’ll have to go back to the farm today,” Joyce told Buffy.
Buffy nodded.
“I know.” She hesitated for a moment. “We’ll come visit you for the weekend.”
Joyce smiled.
“Okay.”
“Will you stay for lunch?”
“Okay.”
“Then let’s get Hope’s stuff,” Cordelia said.
“Okay.”
“Are you gonna join us for lunch?” Buffy asked Cordelia.
Cordelia smiled.
“No, I’ll go out with Willow.”
“Oh.”
Cordelia looked at Joyce.
“Let’s go.”
Cordelia and Joyce left.
“How about you show Hope some photos,” Faith told Buffy.
Buffy nodded.
“I will. Oh! The letters. Cordelia!” she called and ran to get the letters.
After fetching the photo album, Buffy went to the Dawn’s room, where the girls were playing. She smiled at the sight. When she realized she was smiling, she felt relief wash over her, because she realized that she had finally accepted her daughter and wasn’t freaked out by her anymore.
“Having fun?” she asked.
The girls looked at her.
“Uh-huh,” Hope said.
“Good. I got my photo album here. Wanna see?”
“Uh-huh,” Hope said, nodding excitedly.
“Let’s sit on the bed.”
Buffy sat down and the girls quickly joined her.
When Faith came upstairs a couple of minutes later and saw them, she smiled. She quickly fetched a camera and snapped a photo.
“Cheese,” she said with a smile when Buffy and the girls looked at her.
She quickly snapped another photo.
“Thanks,” Buffy said with a smile. “You should show Hope your photos.”
“I’ll go get them.”
When Joyce and Cordelia got back, Buffy, Faith and the girls were still in Dawn’s room, talking, Hope sitting in Faith’s lap, Dawn sitting in Buffy’s lap.
“Ooh!” Cordelia said, excited, when she saw them. “Stay put,” she said and put the bags down. She quickly rummaged through her purse and took out her camera. “Say cheese!” She snapped a photo and then looked at Joyce. “Go join them.”
“Yeah, Mom,” Buffy said.
Joyce smiled and put down the bags. She went to Faith, because there was more space.
“Ready?” Cordelia asked when Joyce sat down.
“Yes,” Joyce said.
“Okay. Cheese!”
She snapped a photo.
“You too,” Faith said.
“Me?” Cordelia said, startled.
“Sure, you’re family too.”
Cordelia smiled widely. She set the timer and then quickly went to the bed and sat beside Buffy.
“Cheese!”
The End