RATING: PG
COUPLING: Buffy/Riley Willow/Graham
SUMMARY: A/U - Riley has left Buffy, and this is 10 years into the future.
DISCLAIMER: All BtVS characters belong to the wonderfully talented mind of Joss Whedon. However I do own Riley's daughters and Sam the nanny.
FEEDBACK: Pretty pretty please! I really hate to beg, but will .
SPOILERS: All of Season 5, and my own little universe.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Ladies and gentleman please put your hands together for my wonderful Beta reader, Anne-Marie!! Chris, thanks so much for all your wonderful feedback, you're such a good buddy! To all the wonderful authors out there who inspire me - Ace, Sam, Amy, Jesmin, Ginger, Holli, Nicole- thank you for challenging me everyday. Thank everyone who finds the time to send me feedback!
Buffy walked into the kitchen to find the kids setting the table while Sam made pancakes for them. Stopping in the doorway, she watched Evan with his sisters. It was hard to believe that the four of them had only met days ago. The closeness he had with each of his little sisters was adorable and Buffy blamed herself for keeping them apart. At the moment, Tristan was helping him get the juice out of the fridge, at least that’s what she told Buffy when she saw her watching them.
"We’re getting the juice and we’re setting the table for Sam," Tristan smiled proudly at her big brother.
"Yes and you’re doing such a good job! Good morning, Buffy," Sam said, looking up from the stove.
"Good morning. So what’s for breakfast? Can I be of any help?" She asked, coming up behind her son and hugging him. Evan immediately shrugged out of his mother’s hug, and for a second Buffy thought how strange that was. Her son was normally very affectionate toward her.
"You could take Dr. Finn and Graham a cup of coffee if you like. They’re on a conference call in his office," Sam suggested as she turned back to the pancakes.
"Sure. Do you know what Graham takes in his coffee?"
"Black. And Dr. Finn…"
"Just milk, I already know that."
Buffy didn’t like the fact that the nanny knew all the little things about Riley’s life, things that she should have known. To her, it appeared that Sam was making it well known where she stood in Riley’s life.
<Well if she wants a fight, it’s a fight she’ll get! >
"Right," Sam replied, not liking the way that Buffy had snapped at her. It was obvious that Buffy felt threatened by Sam presence in Riley’s life and maybe she should. There was no way that she would be forced out of the Finn household by this California bitch. Sam not only loved her job but also knew that she’d miss the girls and Riley, not to mention Graham more than she could bear.
<Good thing none of them are mind readers, because the thoughts I have about Graham would curl their hair! >
Buffy poured the coffees and headed down the hall towards Riley’s office. She was still steaming at Sam’s unspoken reference to her place in Riley’s life and while Buffy understood that the girls needed someone in their life, there was no way she was getting Riley too! Buffy would do whatever she could to rid her if it began to look like Sam had a little too much interest in her employer. She’d never in her life played dirty, but if that’s what it took to hold on to Riley, well that was what she would do. There was no way she would loss Riley to the damn nanny!
As Buffy reached the office, she could hear other voices and although she tried not to eavesdrop, her natural curiosity won out. She knew Riley and Graham owned a multi-million dollar business but she wondered what they actually did. How could they have made this type of money operating a security firm? She hid out of their line of vision to listen for a few moments.
"Look, their numbers have grown overnight! The only way that’s possible is if they’ve joined forces with another group. Masters are not normally known to work together, so what’s different this time?" Buffy could hear Riley asking.
"Last time we had a case like this in France, they were working together to open the portal to a dark dimension. We know that the hellmouth in Sunnydale has been magically sealed for the last 8 years, and that the New Orleans opening has had a lot of activity lately. Bryan, what are the readings down there?"
Graham was pacing the office looking at the file in his hand.
"Wells hasn’t gotten back from the lab yet with the readings. All I can tell you right now, Graham, is that it’s starting to crack. We risk it opening at any minute, and the activity levels indicate that. The crew we faced last night were willing to die to stop us," answered the voice that Buffy assumed was Bryan. Hearing them talk about hellmouths and masters, Buffy wanted to know what the hell type of business Riley was involved in. He’d left the agency? When had that happened?
"They’re like kamikaze pilots during the Second World War. They just kept coming at us, sacrificing themselves to keep us away from the opening."
"Reece, have you been there yet?" Riley asked, trying to figure out what was happening.
"Soon as I got here. No activity around it in the way of vamps but the readings are hot."
<Vamps! What are you involved in here Riley? >
"Shit! I should be down there!" Graham said, as he began to pace the room faster.
"Is Graham pacing?" Bryan laughed, responding to Graham’s agitated exclamation.
"What else is new? Glad I have him on the speakerphone. He managed to kill another phone in Columbia last week," Riley told Bryan, chuckling at Graham’s antics.
"Knock it off guys, this is some serious shit!" Graham snapped.
"Graham, we all need a little humour or we’ll explode, which is precisely what you are going to do if you don’t sit down! Reece, check with the Cardinal and see what he has to say then get back to me."
"Sure boss. The Vatican must be paying big time for us to deal with this."
"Oh, you don’t have any idea how much he’s milking them!" Graham laughed.
"That’s sacrilegious! I’m only charging them our expenses, the rest we’re covering." Riley said, throwing Graham a warning look.
"We’re paying?"
"Think of it as a charitable donation to the church," Riley said smiling sweetly at his business partner.
"Cold buddy, so cold."
"Well if you went to church more often, Gray, you wouldn’t feel that way."
"Look, don’t even start with the lecture buddy. My Irish mother gave up on her death bed."
"Guess everyone returns to the church when the time’s right for them."
"Knock it off, Finn," Graham growled.
"Knocking it off."
"Bryan, check on the autopsy report on the two nuns that were used as the sacrifice, and get back to me. Have Wells call Gray with the lab results when he’s finished with the work-up and Reece, make sure that the Cardinal has my number if he needs anything. Tell him we’re working around the clock on the translation."
"Sure thing Boss," Reece answered.
"Keep me informed, Reece," Riley said as he hung up the phone.
What the hell was Riley involved in? The Catholic Church? Sacrificial nuns? Vampires? Buffy needed answers, but she knew now wasn’t the time for them. Moving into the doorway, she cleared her throat to let the men know she was standing there.
Looking up both Riley and Graham saw Buffy holding two coffee mugs.
<Shit! I should have made Gray shut the door! > Riley thought to himself.
"I come bearing coffee," Buffy said, entering the office and handing Graham his black coffee.
"Thanks," he said, smiling up at her as he took the offered mug.
"Here just like you like it," she said, handing Riley his mug.
"Thanks, Buffy," he replied, looking carefully at the blonde standing in front of him.
Riley looked at Graham than back at Buffy. What had she heard? Since the firm had been developed, he had never risked his family’s involvement in his work and now Buffy stood in front of him with knowledge of his world. It was a knowledge that could get her killed. Riley looked down at his coffee cup, then up at Buffy.
"How much did you hear?" He asked, not taking his eyes from her face. If she lied he’d know.
"Enough."
"What’s that suppose to mean?"
Seeing the fear in Riley’s eyes, Graham knew that Buffy’s overhearing of their conversation could put her in danger and he thought about the redhead upstairs in his bed. Could he always protect Willow?
"Let me see, hellmouths, the Vatican, nun scarifies, vampires. All I want to know is what the hell are you two involved in?"
"I’ll explain this to you later when we have time to explain it fully. Right now, if I start telling you what’s going on all it’s going to do is leave you with enough information to be dangerous," Riley told her brusquely as he rose from behind his desk.
"And what the hell is that supposed to mean!?" Buffy demanded, placing her hands on his chest to stop him from stepping by her.
"I said I’ll explain it to you later. Right now with everything else on our plate, it’ll only complicate things. I can’t be worrying about what you know and don’t know! I have a son whose dying, a woman upstairs who’s being stalked by a psycho, and a woman I’m trying to restart a relationship with. To top it all off, I have a Hellmouth threatening to open and two families to call and tell them about their son and husband’s deaths. So right now Buffy, I don’t want to have to explain this all to you."
Buffy stared speechless at Riley after his outburst. Here she was dumping so much on him, and all he was trying to do was save the world, something she used to do.
"Is breakfast ready?" Graham asked, trying to change the topic, and avoid an all out war between the two strong-willed people in front of him.
Taking a deep breath, Buffy pulled her eyes way from Riley’s and looked at Graham. She could see the uneasiness clearly etched on his face and she decided that whatever it was that they were involved in, she wasn’t sure she really wanted to know.
"Yeah, Sam’s just making the pancakes. How’s Willow this morning?" She asked trying to help Graham easy the tension in the room.
"Willow… Oh my God Willow! I left her in the bathtub almost two hours ago!" Graham exclaimed as he flew out the room.
"Oops! I’d hate to be him right now!" Riley snorted through his laughter.
"Think I better make an appearance or there may be a murder up there," Buffy giggled.
"Go, I’ll met you up there," Riley told her as he leaned in to kiss her forehead.
"Don’t think I’m letting this conversation go, Riley," Buffy warned over her shoulder as she left the room.
"Oh I know you won’t," he sighed in response, following her out of the office.
Buffy walked into the bathroom in time to see Willow pull a fully clothed Graham into the large sunken tub with her.
"So you forgot about me?" Willow giggled as Graham spurted and splashed in shock as he met the water.
"I honestly think that will be the last time you do that," Buffy laughed at Graham’s current predicament.
"I should hope so, because I’d hate to think I was dating the human prune," he said as he wiped water from his eyes and turned toward Willow to splash her. He leaned in to catch Willow’s lips in a kiss and as the simple kiss became more passionate, Buffy excused herself from the bathroom and was closing the door when Riley entered the room.
"What are you doing? Preserving the crime scene for the police?" Riley smirked as she spun around to face him.
"Will pulled him into the tub with her. I left when things started to get a little heavy in there," Buffy smiled, an intent look on her face as she looped her arms around his neck.
"Maybe we should join them," Riley said, quirking an eyebrow and pulling her close to him.
"I’d rather we were alone. Is your tub that big?"
"Bigger," he winked at her and she began to giggle.
"I thought size didn’t matter."
"Oh baby, don’t ever believe that."
Riley lips captured Buffy’s in a sweet kiss but it didn’t last long as Buffy pulled back and licked her lips. She looked up at him,
"Sir, do I detect Maple syrup on your lips?"
"Guilty. Breakfast is ready," he said.
"I’d rather have this for breakfast."
Buffy reached up on tiptoe to kiss him again.
"And the best part, this burns calories, it doesn’t cause them," she mumbled against his lips.
"Uh, Riley?"
Graham’s voice could be heard from the bathroom. Riley and Buffy separated and turned to see him peeking out of the mostly closed door.
"Yes Graham?"
"Could you grab me some dry boxers and jeans please?"
"Sure thing. Need some help with Willow?"
"Oh no, Willow’s fine, at least she’s not complaining," Graham laughed.
Riley handed him the requested items of clothing, and turned away from the bathroom door.
"We’ll see you two down stairs for breakfast. Soon."
"Yes Dad," Willow answered, giggling loudly.
Buffy had already started back down the stairs when Riley caught up to her. He reached out to a hand to stop her.
"I was only kidding about the bathtub, but later might be nice," she said coyly.
"Sorry, I really didn’t have that in mind right now. I’d like to discuss Evan with you," Riley said, leading her into the sitting room off of his bedroom.
"What?"
"This morning he came down early, he said he couldn’t sleep. When I looked at him he looked really flushed. Buffy, he had a fever."
Buffy’s head snapped up at this information.
"Look, he didn’t want me to tell you. He’s afraid you’ll run him off to the hospital and he’ll spend the rest of the week there."
"Well, he just may have to. Let me go get dressed and we’ll take him there right away."
Buffy had already started towards the door when Riley reached out to stop her again.
"Look, maybe I’m overstepping my bounds here, but let me call Steve. He’ll tell us what to do."
Riley could feel the tension in her body as he tugged her into his embrace and hugged her to him. How many medical emergencies in his son’s life had he missed? Riley vowed that now that he was back in their lives, he would never let them go through this alone.
"Riley, usually Dr. Fields tells me to take him in immediately. When he was on the chemo we constantly had to worry about him picking something up. I’m always worrying about him," she said, leaning into him for comfort and feeling grateful that for once she didn’t have to go through another crisis alone.
"We’ll call Steve and we’ll go from there. I’ll get the thermonator and we’ll take his temperature. Okay?"
"Okay. It’s good to have a world class cancer specialist at your beck and call," she smiled weakly at him.
"Yeah it is, but I’m going to owe him huge!" Riley said, taking her hand and leading her back down to the kitchen.
Riley had called Steve and they had discussed Evan’s fever. Steve said the fever was mild, nothing to really worry about at this point, but to keep an eye on it. If they wanted to be safe, they could swing by and he’d check him out, and do a blood work up. Buffy had planned to accompany them to the hospital, but Lindsay called with a major crisis in the Lamourxeau case and she had to let Riley take Evan to the hospital alone.
"I promise as soon as I know what’s happening I’ll call. Even better, I’ll have Steve call you," he said kissing her nose.
"This man is going to hate me by the time I leave here."
"Nope, I think he’s joined the Buffy Summer’s fan club. You won him over the other day. I can tell."
"Then have him call me. I think I may go have a bath after I deal with this Lindsey thing. Seeing Willow and Graham in the tub makes me want a good soak. I do some of my best work in the tub at home."
"I remember you used to be really good in showers too."
"Finn, your mind is always in the gutter," she said as she playfully slapped his chest.
"Only when it comes to you, my darling," he said, quickly kissing her goodbye.
"If Ev’s up to it afterwards, do you mind if I take him out to lunch or something? I really haven’t had a chance to spend any alone time with him yet. There’s so much I have to learn about him."
"Sure, if he’s up to it. I think he’d like that, just the two of you."
When Buffy finally got out of the tub, the house was dead quite. Riley and Evan had gone out to lunch after Steve had checked him out. The blood test showed that he’d picked up a bit of a bug but Steve had given him some antibiotics to kill it and assured Buffy and Riley that he would be just fine. With both parents’ nerves considerably relaxed by the diagnosis, father and son had gone off to lunch.
Willow and Graham had gone to the fracture clinic for x-rays on Willow’s ankle and Graham had called a short time later to confirm that Willow’s ankle was indeed broken. They’d have to put a cast on and wait for it to heal. He’d wanted to know if Xander had called with any further details on the stalker but Buffy said no, he hadn’t called as of yet. Graham knew they’d have to tell willow about the break-in tonight, and wanted all the information he could possible get first.
Jordan, Hope and Tristan were out with Sam having a girl’s day. They were going to the movies, lunch, and then a manicure. Buffy wished that it were her getting to spend this time with the girls. It would have been time to bond and get to know each other better. Instead it was the nanny who was of having fun with them.
Sighing heavily, Buffy picked up her briefcase and laptop and headed downstairs. Sometimes she hated being a lawyer because the workload kept her away from Evan. It had gotten so bad last year that she had had to put her foot down and make sure she was out of the office every night at 5:00. When Evan finally went to bed, she’d work until the wee hours of the morning. Raising a child alone and being a lawyer was not always easy and she knew that she was lucky to have her friends and Lindsay to help her.
Walking past Jordan’s room something caught the corner of he eye. Sitting on the window seat with her legs crossed was Jordan.
"Hey, I thought everyone was gone? Why didn’t you go with Sam and the girls?" Buffy asked, leaning against the doorjam.
"I had homework that I needed to get done so I asked Sam to let me stay since you were here anyway," Jordan replied, still staring out the window.
<Okay something is definitely wrong here. > Buffy thought, frowning to herself.
"Jordan, is something wrong? You were really quiet through breakfast." Buffy said coming in to the room. Realising that the child might not want her to come in, Buffy stoppped.
"You don’t mind if I come in do you?"
"No, it’s okay," Jordan said, turning to face Buffy.
Buffy could see the tears that were threatening to spill at any moment.
"What’s wrong Jordy?" Buffy asked gently as she sat down on the window seat opposite the child. Buffy pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them.
"Nothing," she replied, swiping at the tears that were now rolling down her cheeks.
"Do you always cry over nothing? Buffy asked. "Come on Jordan, I’m a really good listener."
"I was just thinking about what will happen if we fail the test."
"Oh."
Buffy was not expecting this from the child and had actually expected anything but this. She shifted her sitting position and leaned against the wall with her legs curled up under her.
"What will happen to you and Dad?" Jordan asked, looking at Buffy with a pair of beautiful blue eyes that matched her father’s and brother’s.
"Well, I don’t know honey. Evan may die… and then your dad and I will have to cope with it."
Buffy hadn’t been prepared to have this conversation with anyone yet, let alone an 8-year-old, but sitting here now on the window seat, it seemed like the right time. In the back of her mind Buffy always knew she could lose her son, but she’d pushed it back, burying it amongst her other dark thoughts. Now this child was forcing her to think about it.
"What does cope mean?"
"Well, we’ll have to learn to live without him, I guess."
"That’s not fair! I just got to meet him finally! I don’t want him to leave yet!" Jordan cried, burying her head in Buffy’s lap.
"I don’t either baby, but there’s still the hope that one of you will match him, and that’s what I cling to."
Buffy hugged the child to her, feeling her own tears finally falling freely.
"So we’ll cling to that hope together, okay?" Buffy said, rubbing Jordan’s back.
"Together," Jordan agreed, looking up at Buffy and smiling meekly.
Buffy tried to smile back at Jordan through her own tears.
"And if it doesn’t work I want to come live with you."
Buffy was shocked to hear the child’s simple statement.
"Dad has Hope and Tristan. You’ll have no one, so I want to come live with you. That way you won’t be alone."
Hearing her explanation, Buffy knew she would always hold a special place in her heart for this beautiful child. Here she was thinking about Buffy, and what would happen after Evan was gone. At 8 years, Jordan shouldn’t have had to think about things like this.
"Jordy honey, even though your dad has your other sisters, he’s going to need you too. I thank you for your offer, but honey, he’s going to need you too," Buffy said as she hugged the child tightly to her.
"He’ll understand, Buffy. I’ve already lost my mom, I know what it feels like to miss someone."
"You really miss her, don’t you?"
"Sometimes. I’m afraid of what will happen to you. You need to be loved, and I need a mom. It would be perfect."
There, it was finally out. Jordan wanted a mother in her life, a role Buffy would only be to happy to fill, but a role that Hope wanted to remain vacant.
"I would love to be your mom, honey."
"Then marry Dad and move here and we’ll be one big, happy family."
"Oh Jordan, I wish it were that easy. I have a job in California that I can’t just walk away from and Evan’s doctors are all there. We need to stay in California right now, but maybe someday it’ll happen."
Buffy stroked the young girls beautiful hair and hoped that she could understand the complications that came with being an adult..
"You have beautiful hair, Jordan."
"It’s like Aunt Moe’s, Dad’s sister. Do you know here?"
"No, she died before I knew your dad. They say she was pretty special, just like you."
"Everyone says I’m like my Dad."
"Yeah, you are and so is Evan. I’m really glad we have this time together, Jordy. I think you and I are going to become good friends."
"Yeah, I’d like that," Jordan said quietly, still resting her head in Buffy’s lap.
"Does anyone every call you Dani?"
"No, just Jordy. Uncle Graham calls me little Rye sometimes."
"I can see why," Buffy smiled. It was obvious that Jordan was the most like Riley. She had her father’s soul.
"Would you mind if I call you Dani? It would be my special name for you."
"Like Uncle Graham’s name for Tristan,’ she asked excitedly as she sat up straight.
"Just like that."
"Cool! I’d like that," she said, throwing her arms around Buffy’s neck and then settling her head back in her lap.
The two sat huddled together on the window seat watching the snow fall. Buffy never thought she’d hold a little girl in her arms like this but here she was holding Riley’s baby. In that moment, everything in the world felt right. It was so easy to imagine that the two of them were the only people in the world and that they were safely encased in a snow globe that kept everything evil and frightening away from them.
"Do you get snow in California?"
"Sometimes, but it doesn’t happen very often. Up in the mountains it snows."
"Do you know how to ski Buffy?"
"Your Dad and I used to go a long time ago."
"Did he teach you? He taught me."
"No, I already knew before I met Riley but we used to love to ski together."
They fell into companionable silence again. Jordan was so quiet that Buffy had thought she’d fallen asleep until the child sat up, and reached for her math book.
"Buffy, can I ask you a favour?"
"Sure Dani. Anything you like."
"Could you hold my hand tomorrow?"
Seeing the peaceful look on Jordan's face, Buffy smiled. There were no nerves or tears just a confident smile on her little face.
"You nervous?"
"No, not really. I'm more worried about if it doesn't work."
Once again they both fell into silence.
"So will you? Hold my hand, I mean."
"Dani, I promise to never leave your side. Except when they do the procedure, I can’t be there for that."
"Good."
Jordan smiled slightly and cuddled deeper into Buffy's side.
"Are you good at math?"
"Not really, why? Do you need help?"
"I can wait till Dad gets home."
"Your Dad says you’re a straight A student."
"Yup. I like school."
"Once again, you and your brother are your father’s children!"
"Yeah, he told me that."
"You hungry, Dani?"
"Sure!"
"Okay, lets go down and see what we can find for lunch," Buffy said, swinging her legs over the seat and placing her feet on the floor.
"Can I bring my work with me?"
"Only if I can."