Days in the Sun
May 29th, 2022 - Alone
It was the first time Lisa had been home since she had discovered herself a vocation in slaying. More than three months, during which Spike had fought the urge to call her in the middle of the night more than once, just to make sure she was home and safe. But he knew his daughter, she wouldn't have liked that at all, she was too independent to tolerate him checking on her too often. So the phone calls had been kept to their weekly schedule. It had been hard for him, but he knew it had been just as hard for Buffy.
Better than anyone, his Slayer knew what it was like to be out late at night, alone, to turn demons into dust without anyone knowing about it. She knew better than he did, too, certainly. Night was his territory by necessity. It was hers because she had been Chosen. But Lisa... It was different for her. She had been the one who chose, not the one being chosen. She had chosen to be a Slayer, chosen to become part of the night. In a sense, she was closer to him, who had voluntarily joined his lover's fight, than she was of her mother. But in the end, both he and Buffy worried for her just as much.
The dinner had been nice, joyful even. Buffy, him, Lisa, Jay, Will and Sarah. Talk about the end of school, about their plans for the summer, about anything, except slaying. Lisa's siblings didn't know of her new nightly activities, and they didn't need to know. They didn't need to worry, or to feel like they had to follow her lead. If someone out there had plans for them, it would happen soon enough, no need to give them ideas before that.
After dinner, his two slayer ladies had gone out on the back deck. He had started to follow, but Buffy had shaken her head lightly and stopped him. He couldn't help but wonder what it was that they were talking about. Though in truth, it wasn't too hard to guess. The topic was either Lisa's boyfriend, or what she did with him. And being excluded from that conversation was just fine with Spike.
"So it's over?"
Lisa's nod was almost imperceptible, but Buffy caught it, because she was expecting it. They were sitting on the bench on the deck, talking quietly in the warm night. The last time they had talked like this had been almost four years before, when Lisa had left for the other side of the country. She was so young and so scared then... She was still young, still scared, but not about the same things anymore.
"It couldn�t keep on like that," Lisa said softly. "He would have gotten himself killed sooner or later. I should never have told him. Shouldn't have let him patrol with me."
Buffy let out a quiet sigh. Her daughter had told her about her boyfriend the summer before. They had made plans a few months back for him to spend half the summer in California with them. But Lisa had come home alone.
"Did you tell him why?" Buffy asked, though she could guess the answer.
"No," Lisa replied unsurprisingly. "I told him... just told him it was over. That I didn't love him anymore."
"But you still do," Buffy completed quietly.
Lisa's only answer was a sob. Buffy pulled her daughter's head against her shoulder, softly stroking her short curly hair, soothing away the tears that were now flowing freely. She didn't know what to tell her to comfort her, mostly because she had never figured out the answer to that question herself. To date a normal guy without ever telling him about her slaying activities, or to tell him, and have him eventually get into harm's way because of it? She had found a way around it by falling in love with vampires, but could she even mention it to Lisa? It wasn't like "good" vampires were a common thing anyway.
That was one of the reasons Buffy had been so reluctant about her children following her path. Being a Slayer was, ultimately, about being truly lonely. She had had the Scoobies, but it was different from having someone who could fight just as well as she could by her side, that she knew she didn't have to worry about. And now Lisa had made that discovery in the most painful way.
Eventually, Lisa's tears dried, but they remained there, silent in the night, until Spike joined them an hour later with three cups of hot chocolate and a worried smile.
The characters and names used in these stories do not belong to me. All copyrights remain with Fox and Mutant Enemy. No profit is made from this fanfiction.