Warriors in Exile (3/?)
Title: Warriors in Exile
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: All of "Buffy," and all of "Star Wars" through Episode III.
Summary: After the final battle with the First, Buffy walks away from the Scoobies to start a new life. Imagine her surprise when a group of Jedi exiles arrive at her door a year later.
Disclaimer: Joss owns "Buffy," Lucas owns "Star Wars," I own my laptop.
AN: Thanks to everybody who's commented on this fic! I really appreciate it. As always, many thanks to revdorothyl for betaing for me!
Chapter One | Two
Made by skylar0grace
Chapter Three
Buffy reluctantly woke up early the next morning to the blaring of her alarm clock across the room. Normally, she would have slept until noon, but there was too much to do today in order to get her new guests settled. Grumbling under her breath about the indecency of the hour and the fact that her alarm clock was too far away to throw against a wall, she quickly showered and put on her clothes. She was tempted to write a quick note to Ben, letting him know where she was, but then she realized he probably didn’t read English. How does he even speak English? she wondered silently before filing that though away for future consideration. She wasn't in the mood for any deep thoughts before she was fully caffeinated.
“When is my life ever easy?” she muttered to herself as she left the house and got in her Jeep. She desperately needed to get more food, seeing as she barely had enough in the house to feed herself. Feeling slightly overwhelmed at the amount of food she had to buy, she hit up several stores in order not to draw attention to herself. Not knowing what the kids would eat, not to mention Ben and the girls, she ended up buying a little bit of everything and prayed she would have enough storage for all the food. She finished her massive food quest with a stop by Starbucks and the local donut shop to get some much needed coffee and breakfast.
Pulling into her driveway, she was surprised to see Ben sitting with Abby in front of the house, in a pose similar to the one she used when mediating. The Border collie lay next to him, a pathetic look on her face. When she spotted Buffy, she perked up and began barking. As soon as Buffy left the safety of her car, the dog bounded over and began dancing around her owner.
“Yeah, yeah, Ben’s a big fat meanie for not playing with you,” she told the dog, being careful not to spill her precious mocha. “No worries, girl, we’ll go for a run later. You know, since you’re up and all, you can help me carry stuff inside,” she called out to the Jedi, who had since opened his eyes. Shaking his head, he brushed off his pants as he stood up and moved to help her.
When Obi-Wan had woken up and dressed himself, he was surprised to see the black and white canine sleeping in front of the youngling’s rooms. Discovering Buffy’s vehicle gone, he decided that he might as well meditate. The canine followed him outside as the black canine took the other’s spot in front of the door. The creatures appeared friendly, but he was still nervous about the interest they took in the younglings.
In the daylight, he could see the interior of the house better than he had been able to last night. The main room was decorated in bright colors, with light-colored wooden furniture tastefully arranged. The lightness of the wood finish and the large windows combined to give the room an airy and open quality and made the space appear larger than it was. To the side, there was a room with a large table that looked unused. Attached to both rooms was the large kitchen where they had talked the night before. Again, the light colors and the openness of the kitchen made the house appear larger.
Deciding to meditate outside in order to enjoy his first real breath of fresh air in a while, he quickly found a place just outside the door under a tree. He easily settled into the familiar patterns of meditation and soon lost track of time. He was vaguely aware of the canine settling down next to him, but he ignored her. He was only brought back to the now when he heard Buffy’s voice call out to her dog. Getting up, he helped her carry the various foodstuffs inside to the kitchen.
“I got us some donuts for breakfast,” she told him as they put away the various items. He didn’t recognize most of them, but he would have to trust her judgment on this.
“What are dough-nuts?” he asked, hesitantly pronouncing the word.
“Yummy pastries,” she replied, moving towards two bright pink boxes on the counter. She opened one and snagged a round, brightly colored pastry with a hole in the middle. “Trust me on this, Ben: they’re good. Those here are just frosted, the ones with no holes have jelly in the middle,” she continued, pointing out which was which. “I didn’t know what you like, so I got a bit of everything.” She moved away with her beverage and her donut and sat on the couch. Grabbing what looked to be one of the more innocuous donuts, Obi-Wan joined her.
“What’s that?” he asked, pointing to a viewscreen with two-dimensional images playing across it.
“It’s a TV. We watch it in order to keep ourselves entertained,” she explained. “It can play movies, we can watch TV shows, play video games, all that fun stuff.”
“What are we watching now?”
“ ‘The Lion King.’ It’s what we call a Disney movie, which means cute, animated animals, lots of singing and a happy ending.”
“It looks like something a youngling would watch.”
“Don’t put down the ‘The Lion King’! It’s a classic and so much deeper than people give it credit for. I mean, it’s 'Hamlet,' but with lions and music…and you have no idea what I’m talking about,” she finished with a drawn-out sigh, taking in his lifted eyebrow. She scowled in exasperation. “Just watch the show and eat your damn donut,” she muttered, turning back to the screen with a small pout on her face. Obi-Wan bit into the pastry, only to have the sweetness overwhelm him.
“Is there anything you eat that isn’t overly sweet?” he asked her. Buffy only rolled her eyes.
“Look, donuts are perfectly acceptable breakfast food. They also make great snacks after patrol. If you don’t like it, don’t eat it. More for me.”
“I wasn’t complaining, I was just commenting on this fact.”
“Look, I eat them ‘cause I just burn right through them. Also, the sugar rush you get is pretty nifty after saving the world from the newest Big Bad.” Shaking his head, Obi-Wan finished his donut quietly while watching a feline singing about how it wanted to be king.
Looking at her watch, Buffy reached for the phone. Quickly dialing, she got up and moved away from the couch.
“Wolfram and Hart, how may I help you?” asked a bored voice.
“Harmony, is Cordy or Angel there?” Buffy asked, playing with a piece of paper.
“I don’t know,” the blonde vampire responded. Buffy could almost picture her painting her nails or reading a Cosmo while sitting at the receptionist desk.
“Well, can you check?” Buffy snapped at the phone. Or might that ruin your nails? Buffy thought to herself silently.
“Jeez, rude much?” Harmony snapped back. “Oh look, here’s Angel. I’ll direct you right away.” Buffy snorted at the sudden professionalism in the vampire’s voice at the sight of her boss.
“This is Angel, how may I help you?” came her ex’s voice over the phone.
“Hey Angel, it’s Buffy.”
“Buffy…what did you do this time?”
“Wait a minute, can’t I call the guy who helped set me up just to chat?”
“If you wanted to chat, you would call my personal line at the Hyperion rather than here,” he answered dryly.
“Yeah, be all logic-y and ruin my fun,” Buffy complained.
“Buffy…”
“Fine. I got galactic refugees camping out in my house, and I need help getting them documented. Seeing as you now run Evil, Inc. I was figuring you could pull some strings and get them social security and stuff.”
“And stuff…?”
“You know what I mean!” she snapped at him playfully. “Look, I’ll explain everything to you later. I just wanted to know if I could count on you for help.”
“You know I’ll always be there for you if you need me, Buffy. Did you even have to ask that question?”
“Who said I was asking it, Angel? I was just wondering if it was within your capabilities to do so.”
She heard Angel sigh over the phone. “Let me check up on this, and I’ll get back to you later today,” he promised her.
“That’s all a girl could ask for. You’re the best vamp-with-a-soul ex a girl could have.” They chatted a while longer before Buffy had to hang up in order to deal with the munchkins streaming downstairs. Grabbing the milk and OJ she had bought, she put them on the counter along with the various cups in her kitchen.
“One donut to begin with and then if there’s enough, we’ll work out seconds,” she said as she passed around the box. The kids ate their breakfast in silence, looking around the house with wide eyes.
“So what’s the plan for the wee people?” she asked Ben.
“I’m going to meditate with them and go over their lessons with Olee. After that, I’ll work with them on their lightsaber technique.”
“Don’t they get playtime? I mean, them being kids and all that, they should have time to just chill.”
“They’ll have time to ‘chill,’ as you put it, after their lesson,” Ben told her. “But you have to remember that these aren’t normal children: they’re training to be Jedi, which means they have very little in the way of free time.”
“Yeah, because they used to do that with Potentials, and I know how well that turned out,” Buffy shot back, ignoring the confusion on Ben’s face. “Look, if you’re going to be all Watcher-y for them, I’m going shopping to get you guys some new clothes.”
“What’s wrong with these?” Ben asked while looking down at his clothes, slightly shocked.
“Oh, I don’t know--maybe because you’ll stand out worse than a demon in the middle of main street? Maybe you can get away with that outfit in Santa Cruz or SF, but not here. See what I’m wearing,” she gestured at herself. “This is more typical of Earth-wear. Olee looks like she might be able to fit into my stuff, but the kidlets need clothes, as do you and Ahsoka.” Buffy began looking at him critically, estimating measurements. Ben began to squirm under her gaze, obviously feeling uncomfortable being sized up like this.
“I should be back by the afternoon,” she told him, grabbing her purse. “We’ll try on the clothes when I get back, and I’ll figure out if we need to exchange anything. Later!” she called out, heading out the door.
“Oh, there’s sandwhich type stuff in the fridge for lunch if I’m not back by then,” she added, sticking her head in the doorway. “Meats, veggies, and bread. It’s a do-it-yourself type deal.” With that, she got back in her Jeep and headed to the outlets in Salinas.
“She seems very…enthusiastic,” Olee remarked dryly to Obi-Wan after Buffy breezed out of the house. Obi-Wan could only nod in agreement at his Padawan’s assessment of the strange woman who was housing them. He wondered what exactly she meant when she had mentioned the Potentials. Putting it in the back of his mind, he and Olee rounded up the younglings and began the morning lessons.
Buffy didn’t appear again until mid-afternoon. By then, he and Olee were working with the younglings on basic lightsaber technique, using the remotes that he had scavenged from the ship. They had left the canines in the house, afraid of what might happen to them if they got too close to a training saber.
“Did anyone call while I was out?” she asked him as she lugged several large bags into the home.
“Not that I’m aware of,” Ben told her as he dismissed the younglings.
“Not sure if that’s a good sign or not, but we need to think positive when it comes to dealing with Evil, Inc. It’s a law firm my ex works for,” she added after seeing Ben’s concerned face. “I’m going on the assumption that all lawyers are evil beings out to destroy the world. Angel can have his bad days, but he’s a nice guy. Broody, but nice.” Actually, it really was "Evil," cap included, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.
“What’s in the bags?” he asked, pointing at a blue bag with strange writing all over it.
“Funny you should ask, Benny. These,” she said, shoving some bags at him, “are your new clothes. Go to your room and try them on. I also got some clothes for the little ones and the girls. Come on, Ben, we don’t have all day.” Obi-Wan only shook his head and went into his room. Pulling out the clothing, he noticed Buffy had bought him several pairs of pants in a dense, blue fabric, along with several shirts. He slipped on the pants and found that they were a fairly good fit.
“Turn around,” Buffy ordered him when he emerged from his room. She studied him with a critical eye. “Am I good, or am I good?” she congratulated herself. “Gotta love the Gap Outlet. Come on. Let’s go dress the kids.”
“How are you affording all of this?” Obi-Wan asked as they handed out clothing and made sure it was being worn correctly.
“I got a nice retirement package from my old bosses,” Buffy replied. “That, coupled with some seven years' worth of back pay, loss-of-home type stuff, and some great investment advice, means I’ve got more than enough to cover this.” Just then, the phone rang.
“Please be Angel,” Buffy muttered as she reached for the phone.
“Hello?”
“Buffy, it’s Angel. I searched around a bit and I think I can help you with these people,” he said, getting right to the point. Buffy collapsed on a couch and put her feet up on the coffee table.
“I’m sending up Wesley to coordinate with you. He should be up there in a few days.”
Buffy let out a sigh of relief. “Awesomeness. How’s everything going down south?”
“Trying to reform an evil company, fighting to keep my soul, saving the world--the usual. Cordelia has been making up for lost time while she was in her coma and is doing her best to drive me to stake myself, Fred and Wesley are dating.”
“Ohh, how cute! A Watcher finds true love.”
“I’m not sure about the true love bit, but it’s starting to get annoying.”
“Oh, quit brooding.”
“I’m not brooding.”
“Yes, you are. Anytime someone is happy, you brood. Do you want me to get Cordy to back me up?”
“That’s not necessary," he said. He paused, and for a second, Buffy though he was going to add something to that last statement, but instead he said, "Look, I have an investigation I need to get back to. Call me when Wesley gets there.”
“Will do. Take care.” Buffy hung up the phone and looked around. She could hear the kids running and laughing outside, watched by Olee. Ahsoka sat under one of the oak trees at the edge of the lawn, staring at nothing in particular.
“Was that good news, or bad news?” Ben asked her from the doorway. He looked good in his new clothes, Buffy observed as she walked towards him. He seemed slightly uncomfortable in his Earth-wear, but he would get used to them in time.
“Yep,” she replied, popping the “p”. “Angel said he can pull some strings in order to help you guys get settled here. He’s sending up one of his buddies to help us.” They stood in silence for a few moments, watching the children play.
“How do you think the parents are going to react, with their children disappearing off the face of the galaxy?” Buffy asked to break the silence.
“Their family is dead,” Obi-Wan replied, face grave. Buffy gave him a confused look and he elaborated. “The Jedi Order was their family. We take the younglings at a very early age and raise them in the Temple. Most are only a few months old when they enter.”
“So, basically, you kidnap the kids, tell the parents, ‘Oh yay, future Jedi here; too bad for you, you now never get to see your kid again.’ Kinda sucks for the parent.”
“I think that’s misrepresenting the case. What we do is allow an opportunity for the younglings to serve the Republic, using their abilities in the Force. We give the younglings a home and a place where they can flourish. Leaving them with their parents too long could lead to them forming dangerous attachments, that could lead them astray. Anakin broke the code, and it had serious repercussions. That’s something we want to prevent.”
“That’s such bull-shit. Basically, you’re taking these kids, isolating them, and depriving them of a normal childhood,” Buffy countered. “Also, don’t get me started on that whole attachments bit.”
“Why not?” Obi-Wan challenged, unaware he was about to step into dangerous waters.
“Why? Why, he asks. Oh, I don’t know, maybe because it gives a person something to fight for. Tell me, how long does your average Jedi live?”
“Why is this relevant?”
“Because the Watchers Council basically did the exact same thing you guys do, but with the Potential Slayers. They’d kidnap them, and have a Watcher raise them in isolated areas in the chance that one of them might be Called. The downside to this lovely system: few of those Called ever reached eighteen. Hell, most died before they reached sixteen years old.”
“How is this relevant? The Jedi have each other to rely on, while what I’m getting from you is that the girl only has this ‘Watcher’ to rely on.”
“The only reason I’m still alive and kicking is because my family gave me something to fight for. They took care of me, and I took care of them, and we saved the world,” she replied, conveniently leaving out the part where they threw her out of her home.
“But would you sacrifice the well-being of the world for their sakes?” Obi-Wan countered, trying to get her to see his point of view. “Look at what Anakin did in the name of trying to save his wife.”
“Oh, trust me, there’s a lot I could talk about with this ‘Sky-guy's’ case, but we’ll get there later.”
“You haven’t answered my question.”
“Once,” she answered quietly, looking him straight in the eyes. “Once when I had the opportunity to kill a demon who wore my lover’s face, I couldn’t. And not a day goes by when I don’t regret that. I could’ve saved someone close to me a lot of pain and suffering, and made it so a friend didn’t have to die. As is, I had to stab him through the stomach and shove him through a portal. I saved the world, sent my lover to hell for a few hundred years, and tore my life apart in the process.” She was silent for a moment, lost in the memories of that terrible spring when they had all lived in fear of Angelus.
“Look, I’m not telling you how to train the kids, but keep in mind that’s what they are. They aren’t warriors, they aren’t Champions of the Light and all that. They’re just kids. Let them have that, at least.” She walked inside, leaving him alone to think about what she had said.
~*~*~
Buffy went to her room and quickly changed into her running gear. She needed to go clear her head from all the bad memories and the lingering guilt she felt over Calling all of the Potentials in order to fight the First. Going back downstairs, she noticed the house was blessedly empty. “Abby! Come here, girl,” she called to the Border collie. She tried to alternate which dog she took with her, and it was Abby’s turn today.
She drove until she reached the spot by the sea where she liked to run. Pushing out all her thoughts, she tried to focus instead on the smell of the ocean, the feel of the breeze in her hair and the sun on her skin. She kept her pace slow, by her standards, so that Abby could keep up with her. She quickly lost track of time. Finally, noticing that Abby was slowing down, Buffy slowed to a walk and headed back to the car. During her run, the sun had started its slow descent into the ocean, reflecting off the shiny surface of the water. Buffy paused for a moment and drank in the sight. Smiling happily, she and Abby drove back to the house.
Inside was slightly ordered chaos. The children milled around, looking at the books she had bought in order to teach them to read English. Others watched the TV in fascination. Ahsoka sat to the side, while Olee and Ben attempted to herd the kids. Buffy was glad she had picked up pizza on her way back from her run; cooking and Buffy were still fairly un-mixy things after all these years and she didn’t want to poison her guests.
“Anybody hungry?” she called out as she set the pizza boxes on the counter. A chorus of high-pitched “yes” was all the answer she needed. “Come and get it-Carmel’s finest pizza pie right here, for your dining pleasure,” she announced as she set out plates. Each child timidly took a piece and began eating. Some didn’t like it, so Buffy brought out some of the other food she had bought earlier in the day.
“You know, you don’t have to keep doing this for us,” Ben told her as she watched the kids eat and chatter away. “We can find a place of our own to stay.” He seemed slightly uncomfortable around her, probably due to the disagreement they’d had earlier.
“I told you, no worries. Besides, this house is too big for just little old me and the pound puppies here,” she reassured him, taking a big bite out of her slice. “Look, my house is your house, as the saying goes.”
“You don’t know the danger you’re putting yourself in. If the Empire discovers us here, it could mean your death.”
“Look here, Mister. You see this face?” she asked, pointing to her face. “In the words of someone I know, this is my ‘resolve face.’ I’m not changing my mind. Do you think I haven’t lived in danger before? Try living with the largest concentration of evil forces trying to destroy the world on a yearly basis and trying to kill me on a weekly basis, and then we’ll talk.” Obi-Wan could only shake his head at the stubborn young woman who had offered them shelter.
He spent the rest of the evening watching in amusement as Buffy tried to explain the finer points of making a handstand to the younglings. This both amused and tired out the younglings, so that they went to bed willingly when Obi-Wan instructed them to. Making sure that they were secure, he went back downstairs to join Olee and Ahsoka. Buffy had disappeared into her room and emerged a short time later dressed in an outfit similar to the one she had worn the night before.
“Don’t wait up,” she called out as she went out the door. “Remember, no verbal invites, kid,” she added, pointing at Olee. She nodded, and Buffy stepped out the door. He spent the rest of the evening going over some of the paper items Buffy had purchased. She called them “books” and said they were fairly simple ones in order to help them understand the alphabet used in this place. Olee eventually dragged Ahsoka to bed, leaving Obi-Wan alone with the canines, Abby and Darci. They eyed him warily before Abby wandered over and lay down in front of the younglings’ room.
“She’s a sheepdog,” said Buffy’s voice from behind him. Startled, he turned around to see her in the doorway, brushing off her jacket. “Sheep are wooly, stupid things that have a nasty habit of getting eaten. Sheepdogs protect said idiot creatures,” she elaborated as she perched on the arm of the chair. “I found her and took her in. She’s a good girl, but a bit overprotective at times.”
“She appears to believe the younglings need guarding,” Obi-Wan observed.
“Yeah, well, you know what they say: animals have a special spidey-sense all of their own. Want anything to drink?”
“Do you have tea?” he asked as she moved back towards the kitchen.
“Yep. You’re in luck. I just stocked up on it today. I’m guessing decaf, seeing the time and all?” Obi-Wan nodded. “Okeedoke.” She put water in a kettle and pressed a button. She went upstairs for a moment and returned, carrying a stack of papers, a device of some kind and a book. She set up her materials on the table in front of the couch and came back to finish the tea.
“Here’s some mint. Careful…it’s hot,” she added lamely as Ben winced. “Want some ice in that?” He shook his head and moved back with her into the living area. Buffy, before she sat down, pressed 'play' on her stereo and listened as the familiar strains of “Wicked” floated lightly through the air.
Buffy soon lost herself in the readings, tuning out Ben. Although she was a few years older than most of her fellow students, there were times where she felt more motivated to do well in her classes than them, mainly because she now had the luxury to focus on her studies and not worry about having to fight the forces of darkness on a nightly basis. She was now beginning to understand the joy Willow had found in learning, and was finding university to be a pleasurable experience this time around. Of course, it did help that none of her professors were mad scientists trying to kill her, and that there were no secret government compounds beneath the campus.
“What are you doing?” Ben asked, snapping her out of her reading-induced trance. He was looking curiously at the book and the notes she was making in the margins.
“Studying. I’m kinda in college right now, which means tons o’reading to do and not enough time to do it.”
“What are you studying?” He looked genuinely interested, not just the, “Oh, I’m asking because I only want to be polite” looks that most people got when she mentioned she was in college.
“Psychology. I got started about five years ago, but I had to drop out. I decided to go back to get my degree, though.” She gave a small chuckle. “If someone had told me two years ago that I would be living here and going back to school, instead of flipping burgers at the Doublemeat, I would’ve checked to make sure they weren’t crazy.” Obi-Wan studied the text, but couldn’t understand a single thing it said. He grabbed one of the smaller books she had bought that she said might help them learn to read English and tried to decipher the text.
“I cannot understand how you read this,” he complained, putting down the book in frustration.
“Maybe because that’s what I’ve learned, and not that weird symboly thing you call an alphabet,” she shot back, looking up from her studies. “Here, let me see.” She sat down next to him and pointed to the first symbol. “This is ‘A’, as in apple,” she began. She went through the entire book once with him, while he tried to match the sounds with the symbol. She wasn’t the best of teachers, getting easily annoyed and distracted, but at least she was trying.
~*~*~
The next day played out very similarly to the one before, with Obi-Wan and Olee working with the younglings while Buffy went into the town nearby to meet with some friends.
Before she left, she instructed him how to use a primitive communication device she called a “phone.”
“See this thing? Use it to call me if something major goes down,” she instructed as she wrote down her telephone number. “Dial these numbers to get a hold of me. Don’t try to understand them, just dial.” She left after that, humming slightly off-key to a tune only she knew.
When Buffy returned from having coffee with Rich and Micah, she found Olee sitting on the couch studying the books much as Ben had done last night. “Anything I can help you with, Ol?” Buffy asked as she threw her purse on the counter and snagged an extra donut.
Olee smiled a little when she heard her new nickname and motioned for Buffy to come over. “I was wondering if you could help me learn this language?” she asked politely. “Obi-Wan said you helped him last night, but he was still having problems understanding it.”
“Yeah, well, not everyone is special enough to learn a new language in a day.” Buffy sat down next to Olee and spent the rest of the afternoon going over the alphabet. Ahsoka wandered in at some point and stared at them in disinterest before going back outside. Olee proved to be a better student than Ben had been, picking up things fairly quickly. She reminded Buffy of Willow, making her smile wistfully.
“Thanks Mis…I mean Buffy,” she hastily corrected seeing Buffy’s raised eyebrow. “It feels strange not being able to read here.”
“Well, they do say that ‘practice makes perfect,’” Buffy quipped as she stretched on the couch. “Keep at it and you’ll get it in no time. You’re a smart kid.” Olee gave her a shy smile and went outside with the book in order to continue studying. Buffy watched her go with a twinge of sadness. Olee was around the same age as Dawnie and reminded her of her sister.
Feeling restless and wanting to get out of the slight funk she was in, Buffy went to her specialized training room in the basement. Flicking on the lights, she smiled at the sight of her personal domain. The space was open, with the padded floor providing needed cushioning for her knees. Her various weapons hung on the wall and a punching bag hung in a corner. Turning on the stereo, she stretched to the fast tempo and began running through the various kicks, blocks and punches she knew, fighting against an invisible enemy. That would be a good thing about Faith showing up: there would be someone to actually practice against. Although, she might be able to see if Ben wanted to go for a round or two, later.
Finishing her routine, she heard faint applause. Looking at the open door, she saw a group of the kids watching her in fascination. “See anything you like?” she asked as she moved up the stairs.
“How do you do that?” asked one of the human looking ones, a girl with dark skin and hair, and wide brown eyes. “You aren’t a Jedi, yet you move like Master Kenobi did when he was protecting us at the Temple.”
“I eat my daily dose of fruits and veggies, kids. And now after that PSA, who wants dinner?”
“Master Kenobi is cooking, using our stores,” another kid replied.
“Smart man,” Buffy muttered as she led the still wide-eyed munchkins to the kitchen. “What’re you up to, Benjy? The kidlets here mentioned you were cooking something.”
“Yes,” Ben replied as he slowly stirred something in a pot on the stove. “You’ve been feeding this small army the last two days, so I thought I would return the favor.”
“Aw, thanks, Ben. You know, as soon as we get you up to speed on this reading deal, I’ll get you a cookbook... if this food experiment works out well.”
“Master Kenobi, you should have seen Buffy fight,” piped up the young girl, Ranie or something along those lines. “She was almost as good as you were…” She stopped suddenly, a sad look on her face. Closing her eyes, she swallowed hard.
“Hey, Ranie, come here.” The girl, still visibly shaken, walked over to where Buffy was crouching down. “It’s OK to feel sad and angry and hurt about what happened. Emotions happen. If you only bottle them up and refuse to look at them and let them go, they’ll eat at you from the inside. Sometimes you just need to yell and scream and cry, until they’re all gone.” All the kids looked at her in shock, and she sighed. “Look, if you need someone to cry on, cry with, cry at, just find me,” she told the little girl as she gave Ranie a gentle hug.
They ate dinner in relative silence. Even though Buffy had no idea what it was, it was relatively good. This strengthened her resolve to get Ben reading as soon as possible, just to get him to cook on a more regular basis. After dinner, Buffy shooed them all out of the kitchen so she could clean up. It was the least she could do, seeing as Ben had worked some sort of mojo in the kitchen.
“Jedi aren’t really supposed to be all emotiony are they?” she asked Ben later that night as they sat on the couch, Buffy studying and Ben trying to decipher the new alphabet. This seemed to be quickly turning into a ritual, where they would unwind and chat after everyone else had gone to sleep.
“‘There is no emotion, there is peace,’” he replied as if he were quoting something. Buffy snorted into her textbook. “Emotion can cloud the judgment of a person and cause them to act in irrational ways,” he explained seriously as Buffy frowned.
“But everyone has emotions,” Buffy argued. “I mean, isn’t that part of being alive? Life would be kinda boring if it were peace all the time.” She got a sad, wistful look on her face and turned away. “I mean, life’s not like Heaven.”
“What’s Heaven?” a confused Obi-Wan asked .
“Heaven’s where good people go when they die. There’s no pain, no suffering, no worrying about the next big bad trying to take over the world. Everything is…peaceful.” She seemed to be speaking through some kind of personal experience, making him wonder how exactly she was still here. “How’s the reading coming, Benjy?” she asked, changing the subject to safer ground.
“Frustrating,” Obi-Wan complained as he rubbed his temples. “I don’t understand how Olee is picking this up so quickly.”
“Let’s see what you have so far,” Buffy said as she moved closer to Ben. He was able to correctly identify the letters, which was a good step. “At least you don’t have to translate to a different language. Foreign language and Buffy are un-mixy things.” They spent about another hour working on reading before retiring for the night. As Buffy climbed into bed with Darci beside her, she smiled softly. It felt good to have someone to talk to again who wasn’t four-legged and furry.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: All of "Buffy," and all of "Star Wars" through Episode III.
Summary: After the final battle with the First, Buffy walks away from the Scoobies to start a new life. Imagine her surprise when a group of Jedi exiles arrive at her door a year later.
Disclaimer: Joss owns "Buffy," Lucas owns "Star Wars," I own my laptop.
AN: Thanks to everybody who's commented on this fic! I really appreciate it. As always, many thanks to revdorothyl for betaing for me!
Chapter One | Two
Made by skylar0grace
Chapter Three
Buffy reluctantly woke up early the next morning to the blaring of her alarm clock across the room. Normally, she would have slept until noon, but there was too much to do today in order to get her new guests settled. Grumbling under her breath about the indecency of the hour and the fact that her alarm clock was too far away to throw against a wall, she quickly showered and put on her clothes. She was tempted to write a quick note to Ben, letting him know where she was, but then she realized he probably didn’t read English. How does he even speak English? she wondered silently before filing that though away for future consideration. She wasn't in the mood for any deep thoughts before she was fully caffeinated.
“When is my life ever easy?” she muttered to herself as she left the house and got in her Jeep. She desperately needed to get more food, seeing as she barely had enough in the house to feed herself. Feeling slightly overwhelmed at the amount of food she had to buy, she hit up several stores in order not to draw attention to herself. Not knowing what the kids would eat, not to mention Ben and the girls, she ended up buying a little bit of everything and prayed she would have enough storage for all the food. She finished her massive food quest with a stop by Starbucks and the local donut shop to get some much needed coffee and breakfast.
Pulling into her driveway, she was surprised to see Ben sitting with Abby in front of the house, in a pose similar to the one she used when mediating. The Border collie lay next to him, a pathetic look on her face. When she spotted Buffy, she perked up and began barking. As soon as Buffy left the safety of her car, the dog bounded over and began dancing around her owner.
“Yeah, yeah, Ben’s a big fat meanie for not playing with you,” she told the dog, being careful not to spill her precious mocha. “No worries, girl, we’ll go for a run later. You know, since you’re up and all, you can help me carry stuff inside,” she called out to the Jedi, who had since opened his eyes. Shaking his head, he brushed off his pants as he stood up and moved to help her.
When Obi-Wan had woken up and dressed himself, he was surprised to see the black and white canine sleeping in front of the youngling’s rooms. Discovering Buffy’s vehicle gone, he decided that he might as well meditate. The canine followed him outside as the black canine took the other’s spot in front of the door. The creatures appeared friendly, but he was still nervous about the interest they took in the younglings.
In the daylight, he could see the interior of the house better than he had been able to last night. The main room was decorated in bright colors, with light-colored wooden furniture tastefully arranged. The lightness of the wood finish and the large windows combined to give the room an airy and open quality and made the space appear larger than it was. To the side, there was a room with a large table that looked unused. Attached to both rooms was the large kitchen where they had talked the night before. Again, the light colors and the openness of the kitchen made the house appear larger.
Deciding to meditate outside in order to enjoy his first real breath of fresh air in a while, he quickly found a place just outside the door under a tree. He easily settled into the familiar patterns of meditation and soon lost track of time. He was vaguely aware of the canine settling down next to him, but he ignored her. He was only brought back to the now when he heard Buffy’s voice call out to her dog. Getting up, he helped her carry the various foodstuffs inside to the kitchen.
“I got us some donuts for breakfast,” she told him as they put away the various items. He didn’t recognize most of them, but he would have to trust her judgment on this.
“What are dough-nuts?” he asked, hesitantly pronouncing the word.
“Yummy pastries,” she replied, moving towards two bright pink boxes on the counter. She opened one and snagged a round, brightly colored pastry with a hole in the middle. “Trust me on this, Ben: they’re good. Those here are just frosted, the ones with no holes have jelly in the middle,” she continued, pointing out which was which. “I didn’t know what you like, so I got a bit of everything.” She moved away with her beverage and her donut and sat on the couch. Grabbing what looked to be one of the more innocuous donuts, Obi-Wan joined her.
“What’s that?” he asked, pointing to a viewscreen with two-dimensional images playing across it.
“It’s a TV. We watch it in order to keep ourselves entertained,” she explained. “It can play movies, we can watch TV shows, play video games, all that fun stuff.”
“What are we watching now?”
“ ‘The Lion King.’ It’s what we call a Disney movie, which means cute, animated animals, lots of singing and a happy ending.”
“It looks like something a youngling would watch.”
“Don’t put down the ‘The Lion King’! It’s a classic and so much deeper than people give it credit for. I mean, it’s 'Hamlet,' but with lions and music…and you have no idea what I’m talking about,” she finished with a drawn-out sigh, taking in his lifted eyebrow. She scowled in exasperation. “Just watch the show and eat your damn donut,” she muttered, turning back to the screen with a small pout on her face. Obi-Wan bit into the pastry, only to have the sweetness overwhelm him.
“Is there anything you eat that isn’t overly sweet?” he asked her. Buffy only rolled her eyes.
“Look, donuts are perfectly acceptable breakfast food. They also make great snacks after patrol. If you don’t like it, don’t eat it. More for me.”
“I wasn’t complaining, I was just commenting on this fact.”
“Look, I eat them ‘cause I just burn right through them. Also, the sugar rush you get is pretty nifty after saving the world from the newest Big Bad.” Shaking his head, Obi-Wan finished his donut quietly while watching a feline singing about how it wanted to be king.
Looking at her watch, Buffy reached for the phone. Quickly dialing, she got up and moved away from the couch.
“Wolfram and Hart, how may I help you?” asked a bored voice.
“Harmony, is Cordy or Angel there?” Buffy asked, playing with a piece of paper.
“I don’t know,” the blonde vampire responded. Buffy could almost picture her painting her nails or reading a Cosmo while sitting at the receptionist desk.
“Well, can you check?” Buffy snapped at the phone. Or might that ruin your nails? Buffy thought to herself silently.
“Jeez, rude much?” Harmony snapped back. “Oh look, here’s Angel. I’ll direct you right away.” Buffy snorted at the sudden professionalism in the vampire’s voice at the sight of her boss.
“This is Angel, how may I help you?” came her ex’s voice over the phone.
“Hey Angel, it’s Buffy.”
“Buffy…what did you do this time?”
“Wait a minute, can’t I call the guy who helped set me up just to chat?”
“If you wanted to chat, you would call my personal line at the Hyperion rather than here,” he answered dryly.
“Yeah, be all logic-y and ruin my fun,” Buffy complained.
“Buffy…”
“Fine. I got galactic refugees camping out in my house, and I need help getting them documented. Seeing as you now run Evil, Inc. I was figuring you could pull some strings and get them social security and stuff.”
“And stuff…?”
“You know what I mean!” she snapped at him playfully. “Look, I’ll explain everything to you later. I just wanted to know if I could count on you for help.”
“You know I’ll always be there for you if you need me, Buffy. Did you even have to ask that question?”
“Who said I was asking it, Angel? I was just wondering if it was within your capabilities to do so.”
She heard Angel sigh over the phone. “Let me check up on this, and I’ll get back to you later today,” he promised her.
“That’s all a girl could ask for. You’re the best vamp-with-a-soul ex a girl could have.” They chatted a while longer before Buffy had to hang up in order to deal with the munchkins streaming downstairs. Grabbing the milk and OJ she had bought, she put them on the counter along with the various cups in her kitchen.
“One donut to begin with and then if there’s enough, we’ll work out seconds,” she said as she passed around the box. The kids ate their breakfast in silence, looking around the house with wide eyes.
“So what’s the plan for the wee people?” she asked Ben.
“I’m going to meditate with them and go over their lessons with Olee. After that, I’ll work with them on their lightsaber technique.”
“Don’t they get playtime? I mean, them being kids and all that, they should have time to just chill.”
“They’ll have time to ‘chill,’ as you put it, after their lesson,” Ben told her. “But you have to remember that these aren’t normal children: they’re training to be Jedi, which means they have very little in the way of free time.”
“Yeah, because they used to do that with Potentials, and I know how well that turned out,” Buffy shot back, ignoring the confusion on Ben’s face. “Look, if you’re going to be all Watcher-y for them, I’m going shopping to get you guys some new clothes.”
“What’s wrong with these?” Ben asked while looking down at his clothes, slightly shocked.
“Oh, I don’t know--maybe because you’ll stand out worse than a demon in the middle of main street? Maybe you can get away with that outfit in Santa Cruz or SF, but not here. See what I’m wearing,” she gestured at herself. “This is more typical of Earth-wear. Olee looks like she might be able to fit into my stuff, but the kidlets need clothes, as do you and Ahsoka.” Buffy began looking at him critically, estimating measurements. Ben began to squirm under her gaze, obviously feeling uncomfortable being sized up like this.
“I should be back by the afternoon,” she told him, grabbing her purse. “We’ll try on the clothes when I get back, and I’ll figure out if we need to exchange anything. Later!” she called out, heading out the door.
“Oh, there’s sandwhich type stuff in the fridge for lunch if I’m not back by then,” she added, sticking her head in the doorway. “Meats, veggies, and bread. It’s a do-it-yourself type deal.” With that, she got back in her Jeep and headed to the outlets in Salinas.
“She seems very…enthusiastic,” Olee remarked dryly to Obi-Wan after Buffy breezed out of the house. Obi-Wan could only nod in agreement at his Padawan’s assessment of the strange woman who was housing them. He wondered what exactly she meant when she had mentioned the Potentials. Putting it in the back of his mind, he and Olee rounded up the younglings and began the morning lessons.
Buffy didn’t appear again until mid-afternoon. By then, he and Olee were working with the younglings on basic lightsaber technique, using the remotes that he had scavenged from the ship. They had left the canines in the house, afraid of what might happen to them if they got too close to a training saber.
“Did anyone call while I was out?” she asked him as she lugged several large bags into the home.
“Not that I’m aware of,” Ben told her as he dismissed the younglings.
“Not sure if that’s a good sign or not, but we need to think positive when it comes to dealing with Evil, Inc. It’s a law firm my ex works for,” she added after seeing Ben’s concerned face. “I’m going on the assumption that all lawyers are evil beings out to destroy the world. Angel can have his bad days, but he’s a nice guy. Broody, but nice.” Actually, it really was "Evil," cap included, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.
“What’s in the bags?” he asked, pointing at a blue bag with strange writing all over it.
“Funny you should ask, Benny. These,” she said, shoving some bags at him, “are your new clothes. Go to your room and try them on. I also got some clothes for the little ones and the girls. Come on, Ben, we don’t have all day.” Obi-Wan only shook his head and went into his room. Pulling out the clothing, he noticed Buffy had bought him several pairs of pants in a dense, blue fabric, along with several shirts. He slipped on the pants and found that they were a fairly good fit.
“Turn around,” Buffy ordered him when he emerged from his room. She studied him with a critical eye. “Am I good, or am I good?” she congratulated herself. “Gotta love the Gap Outlet. Come on. Let’s go dress the kids.”
“How are you affording all of this?” Obi-Wan asked as they handed out clothing and made sure it was being worn correctly.
“I got a nice retirement package from my old bosses,” Buffy replied. “That, coupled with some seven years' worth of back pay, loss-of-home type stuff, and some great investment advice, means I’ve got more than enough to cover this.” Just then, the phone rang.
“Please be Angel,” Buffy muttered as she reached for the phone.
“Hello?”
“Buffy, it’s Angel. I searched around a bit and I think I can help you with these people,” he said, getting right to the point. Buffy collapsed on a couch and put her feet up on the coffee table.
“I’m sending up Wesley to coordinate with you. He should be up there in a few days.”
Buffy let out a sigh of relief. “Awesomeness. How’s everything going down south?”
“Trying to reform an evil company, fighting to keep my soul, saving the world--the usual. Cordelia has been making up for lost time while she was in her coma and is doing her best to drive me to stake myself, Fred and Wesley are dating.”
“Ohh, how cute! A Watcher finds true love.”
“I’m not sure about the true love bit, but it’s starting to get annoying.”
“Oh, quit brooding.”
“I’m not brooding.”
“Yes, you are. Anytime someone is happy, you brood. Do you want me to get Cordy to back me up?”
“That’s not necessary," he said. He paused, and for a second, Buffy though he was going to add something to that last statement, but instead he said, "Look, I have an investigation I need to get back to. Call me when Wesley gets there.”
“Will do. Take care.” Buffy hung up the phone and looked around. She could hear the kids running and laughing outside, watched by Olee. Ahsoka sat under one of the oak trees at the edge of the lawn, staring at nothing in particular.
“Was that good news, or bad news?” Ben asked her from the doorway. He looked good in his new clothes, Buffy observed as she walked towards him. He seemed slightly uncomfortable in his Earth-wear, but he would get used to them in time.
“Yep,” she replied, popping the “p”. “Angel said he can pull some strings in order to help you guys get settled here. He’s sending up one of his buddies to help us.” They stood in silence for a few moments, watching the children play.
“How do you think the parents are going to react, with their children disappearing off the face of the galaxy?” Buffy asked to break the silence.
“Their family is dead,” Obi-Wan replied, face grave. Buffy gave him a confused look and he elaborated. “The Jedi Order was their family. We take the younglings at a very early age and raise them in the Temple. Most are only a few months old when they enter.”
“So, basically, you kidnap the kids, tell the parents, ‘Oh yay, future Jedi here; too bad for you, you now never get to see your kid again.’ Kinda sucks for the parent.”
“I think that’s misrepresenting the case. What we do is allow an opportunity for the younglings to serve the Republic, using their abilities in the Force. We give the younglings a home and a place where they can flourish. Leaving them with their parents too long could lead to them forming dangerous attachments, that could lead them astray. Anakin broke the code, and it had serious repercussions. That’s something we want to prevent.”
“That’s such bull-shit. Basically, you’re taking these kids, isolating them, and depriving them of a normal childhood,” Buffy countered. “Also, don’t get me started on that whole attachments bit.”
“Why not?” Obi-Wan challenged, unaware he was about to step into dangerous waters.
“Why? Why, he asks. Oh, I don’t know, maybe because it gives a person something to fight for. Tell me, how long does your average Jedi live?”
“Why is this relevant?”
“Because the Watchers Council basically did the exact same thing you guys do, but with the Potential Slayers. They’d kidnap them, and have a Watcher raise them in isolated areas in the chance that one of them might be Called. The downside to this lovely system: few of those Called ever reached eighteen. Hell, most died before they reached sixteen years old.”
“How is this relevant? The Jedi have each other to rely on, while what I’m getting from you is that the girl only has this ‘Watcher’ to rely on.”
“The only reason I’m still alive and kicking is because my family gave me something to fight for. They took care of me, and I took care of them, and we saved the world,” she replied, conveniently leaving out the part where they threw her out of her home.
“But would you sacrifice the well-being of the world for their sakes?” Obi-Wan countered, trying to get her to see his point of view. “Look at what Anakin did in the name of trying to save his wife.”
“Oh, trust me, there’s a lot I could talk about with this ‘Sky-guy's’ case, but we’ll get there later.”
“You haven’t answered my question.”
“Once,” she answered quietly, looking him straight in the eyes. “Once when I had the opportunity to kill a demon who wore my lover’s face, I couldn’t. And not a day goes by when I don’t regret that. I could’ve saved someone close to me a lot of pain and suffering, and made it so a friend didn’t have to die. As is, I had to stab him through the stomach and shove him through a portal. I saved the world, sent my lover to hell for a few hundred years, and tore my life apart in the process.” She was silent for a moment, lost in the memories of that terrible spring when they had all lived in fear of Angelus.
“Look, I’m not telling you how to train the kids, but keep in mind that’s what they are. They aren’t warriors, they aren’t Champions of the Light and all that. They’re just kids. Let them have that, at least.” She walked inside, leaving him alone to think about what she had said.
~*~*~
Buffy went to her room and quickly changed into her running gear. She needed to go clear her head from all the bad memories and the lingering guilt she felt over Calling all of the Potentials in order to fight the First. Going back downstairs, she noticed the house was blessedly empty. “Abby! Come here, girl,” she called to the Border collie. She tried to alternate which dog she took with her, and it was Abby’s turn today.
She drove until she reached the spot by the sea where she liked to run. Pushing out all her thoughts, she tried to focus instead on the smell of the ocean, the feel of the breeze in her hair and the sun on her skin. She kept her pace slow, by her standards, so that Abby could keep up with her. She quickly lost track of time. Finally, noticing that Abby was slowing down, Buffy slowed to a walk and headed back to the car. During her run, the sun had started its slow descent into the ocean, reflecting off the shiny surface of the water. Buffy paused for a moment and drank in the sight. Smiling happily, she and Abby drove back to the house.
Inside was slightly ordered chaos. The children milled around, looking at the books she had bought in order to teach them to read English. Others watched the TV in fascination. Ahsoka sat to the side, while Olee and Ben attempted to herd the kids. Buffy was glad she had picked up pizza on her way back from her run; cooking and Buffy were still fairly un-mixy things after all these years and she didn’t want to poison her guests.
“Anybody hungry?” she called out as she set the pizza boxes on the counter. A chorus of high-pitched “yes” was all the answer she needed. “Come and get it-Carmel’s finest pizza pie right here, for your dining pleasure,” she announced as she set out plates. Each child timidly took a piece and began eating. Some didn’t like it, so Buffy brought out some of the other food she had bought earlier in the day.
“You know, you don’t have to keep doing this for us,” Ben told her as she watched the kids eat and chatter away. “We can find a place of our own to stay.” He seemed slightly uncomfortable around her, probably due to the disagreement they’d had earlier.
“I told you, no worries. Besides, this house is too big for just little old me and the pound puppies here,” she reassured him, taking a big bite out of her slice. “Look, my house is your house, as the saying goes.”
“You don’t know the danger you’re putting yourself in. If the Empire discovers us here, it could mean your death.”
“Look here, Mister. You see this face?” she asked, pointing to her face. “In the words of someone I know, this is my ‘resolve face.’ I’m not changing my mind. Do you think I haven’t lived in danger before? Try living with the largest concentration of evil forces trying to destroy the world on a yearly basis and trying to kill me on a weekly basis, and then we’ll talk.” Obi-Wan could only shake his head at the stubborn young woman who had offered them shelter.
He spent the rest of the evening watching in amusement as Buffy tried to explain the finer points of making a handstand to the younglings. This both amused and tired out the younglings, so that they went to bed willingly when Obi-Wan instructed them to. Making sure that they were secure, he went back downstairs to join Olee and Ahsoka. Buffy had disappeared into her room and emerged a short time later dressed in an outfit similar to the one she had worn the night before.
“Don’t wait up,” she called out as she went out the door. “Remember, no verbal invites, kid,” she added, pointing at Olee. She nodded, and Buffy stepped out the door. He spent the rest of the evening going over some of the paper items Buffy had purchased. She called them “books” and said they were fairly simple ones in order to help them understand the alphabet used in this place. Olee eventually dragged Ahsoka to bed, leaving Obi-Wan alone with the canines, Abby and Darci. They eyed him warily before Abby wandered over and lay down in front of the younglings’ room.
“She’s a sheepdog,” said Buffy’s voice from behind him. Startled, he turned around to see her in the doorway, brushing off her jacket. “Sheep are wooly, stupid things that have a nasty habit of getting eaten. Sheepdogs protect said idiot creatures,” she elaborated as she perched on the arm of the chair. “I found her and took her in. She’s a good girl, but a bit overprotective at times.”
“She appears to believe the younglings need guarding,” Obi-Wan observed.
“Yeah, well, you know what they say: animals have a special spidey-sense all of their own. Want anything to drink?”
“Do you have tea?” he asked as she moved back towards the kitchen.
“Yep. You’re in luck. I just stocked up on it today. I’m guessing decaf, seeing the time and all?” Obi-Wan nodded. “Okeedoke.” She put water in a kettle and pressed a button. She went upstairs for a moment and returned, carrying a stack of papers, a device of some kind and a book. She set up her materials on the table in front of the couch and came back to finish the tea.
“Here’s some mint. Careful…it’s hot,” she added lamely as Ben winced. “Want some ice in that?” He shook his head and moved back with her into the living area. Buffy, before she sat down, pressed 'play' on her stereo and listened as the familiar strains of “Wicked” floated lightly through the air.
Buffy soon lost herself in the readings, tuning out Ben. Although she was a few years older than most of her fellow students, there were times where she felt more motivated to do well in her classes than them, mainly because she now had the luxury to focus on her studies and not worry about having to fight the forces of darkness on a nightly basis. She was now beginning to understand the joy Willow had found in learning, and was finding university to be a pleasurable experience this time around. Of course, it did help that none of her professors were mad scientists trying to kill her, and that there were no secret government compounds beneath the campus.
“What are you doing?” Ben asked, snapping her out of her reading-induced trance. He was looking curiously at the book and the notes she was making in the margins.
“Studying. I’m kinda in college right now, which means tons o’reading to do and not enough time to do it.”
“What are you studying?” He looked genuinely interested, not just the, “Oh, I’m asking because I only want to be polite” looks that most people got when she mentioned she was in college.
“Psychology. I got started about five years ago, but I had to drop out. I decided to go back to get my degree, though.” She gave a small chuckle. “If someone had told me two years ago that I would be living here and going back to school, instead of flipping burgers at the Doublemeat, I would’ve checked to make sure they weren’t crazy.” Obi-Wan studied the text, but couldn’t understand a single thing it said. He grabbed one of the smaller books she had bought that she said might help them learn to read English and tried to decipher the text.
“I cannot understand how you read this,” he complained, putting down the book in frustration.
“Maybe because that’s what I’ve learned, and not that weird symboly thing you call an alphabet,” she shot back, looking up from her studies. “Here, let me see.” She sat down next to him and pointed to the first symbol. “This is ‘A’, as in apple,” she began. She went through the entire book once with him, while he tried to match the sounds with the symbol. She wasn’t the best of teachers, getting easily annoyed and distracted, but at least she was trying.
~*~*~
The next day played out very similarly to the one before, with Obi-Wan and Olee working with the younglings while Buffy went into the town nearby to meet with some friends.
Before she left, she instructed him how to use a primitive communication device she called a “phone.”
“See this thing? Use it to call me if something major goes down,” she instructed as she wrote down her telephone number. “Dial these numbers to get a hold of me. Don’t try to understand them, just dial.” She left after that, humming slightly off-key to a tune only she knew.
When Buffy returned from having coffee with Rich and Micah, she found Olee sitting on the couch studying the books much as Ben had done last night. “Anything I can help you with, Ol?” Buffy asked as she threw her purse on the counter and snagged an extra donut.
Olee smiled a little when she heard her new nickname and motioned for Buffy to come over. “I was wondering if you could help me learn this language?” she asked politely. “Obi-Wan said you helped him last night, but he was still having problems understanding it.”
“Yeah, well, not everyone is special enough to learn a new language in a day.” Buffy sat down next to Olee and spent the rest of the afternoon going over the alphabet. Ahsoka wandered in at some point and stared at them in disinterest before going back outside. Olee proved to be a better student than Ben had been, picking up things fairly quickly. She reminded Buffy of Willow, making her smile wistfully.
“Thanks Mis…I mean Buffy,” she hastily corrected seeing Buffy’s raised eyebrow. “It feels strange not being able to read here.”
“Well, they do say that ‘practice makes perfect,’” Buffy quipped as she stretched on the couch. “Keep at it and you’ll get it in no time. You’re a smart kid.” Olee gave her a shy smile and went outside with the book in order to continue studying. Buffy watched her go with a twinge of sadness. Olee was around the same age as Dawnie and reminded her of her sister.
Feeling restless and wanting to get out of the slight funk she was in, Buffy went to her specialized training room in the basement. Flicking on the lights, she smiled at the sight of her personal domain. The space was open, with the padded floor providing needed cushioning for her knees. Her various weapons hung on the wall and a punching bag hung in a corner. Turning on the stereo, she stretched to the fast tempo and began running through the various kicks, blocks and punches she knew, fighting against an invisible enemy. That would be a good thing about Faith showing up: there would be someone to actually practice against. Although, she might be able to see if Ben wanted to go for a round or two, later.
Finishing her routine, she heard faint applause. Looking at the open door, she saw a group of the kids watching her in fascination. “See anything you like?” she asked as she moved up the stairs.
“How do you do that?” asked one of the human looking ones, a girl with dark skin and hair, and wide brown eyes. “You aren’t a Jedi, yet you move like Master Kenobi did when he was protecting us at the Temple.”
“I eat my daily dose of fruits and veggies, kids. And now after that PSA, who wants dinner?”
“Master Kenobi is cooking, using our stores,” another kid replied.
“Smart man,” Buffy muttered as she led the still wide-eyed munchkins to the kitchen. “What’re you up to, Benjy? The kidlets here mentioned you were cooking something.”
“Yes,” Ben replied as he slowly stirred something in a pot on the stove. “You’ve been feeding this small army the last two days, so I thought I would return the favor.”
“Aw, thanks, Ben. You know, as soon as we get you up to speed on this reading deal, I’ll get you a cookbook... if this food experiment works out well.”
“Master Kenobi, you should have seen Buffy fight,” piped up the young girl, Ranie or something along those lines. “She was almost as good as you were…” She stopped suddenly, a sad look on her face. Closing her eyes, she swallowed hard.
“Hey, Ranie, come here.” The girl, still visibly shaken, walked over to where Buffy was crouching down. “It’s OK to feel sad and angry and hurt about what happened. Emotions happen. If you only bottle them up and refuse to look at them and let them go, they’ll eat at you from the inside. Sometimes you just need to yell and scream and cry, until they’re all gone.” All the kids looked at her in shock, and she sighed. “Look, if you need someone to cry on, cry with, cry at, just find me,” she told the little girl as she gave Ranie a gentle hug.
They ate dinner in relative silence. Even though Buffy had no idea what it was, it was relatively good. This strengthened her resolve to get Ben reading as soon as possible, just to get him to cook on a more regular basis. After dinner, Buffy shooed them all out of the kitchen so she could clean up. It was the least she could do, seeing as Ben had worked some sort of mojo in the kitchen.
“Jedi aren’t really supposed to be all emotiony are they?” she asked Ben later that night as they sat on the couch, Buffy studying and Ben trying to decipher the new alphabet. This seemed to be quickly turning into a ritual, where they would unwind and chat after everyone else had gone to sleep.
“‘There is no emotion, there is peace,’” he replied as if he were quoting something. Buffy snorted into her textbook. “Emotion can cloud the judgment of a person and cause them to act in irrational ways,” he explained seriously as Buffy frowned.
“But everyone has emotions,” Buffy argued. “I mean, isn’t that part of being alive? Life would be kinda boring if it were peace all the time.” She got a sad, wistful look on her face and turned away. “I mean, life’s not like Heaven.”
“What’s Heaven?” a confused Obi-Wan asked .
“Heaven’s where good people go when they die. There’s no pain, no suffering, no worrying about the next big bad trying to take over the world. Everything is…peaceful.” She seemed to be speaking through some kind of personal experience, making him wonder how exactly she was still here. “How’s the reading coming, Benjy?” she asked, changing the subject to safer ground.
“Frustrating,” Obi-Wan complained as he rubbed his temples. “I don’t understand how Olee is picking this up so quickly.”
“Let’s see what you have so far,” Buffy said as she moved closer to Ben. He was able to correctly identify the letters, which was a good step. “At least you don’t have to translate to a different language. Foreign language and Buffy are un-mixy things.” They spent about another hour working on reading before retiring for the night. As Buffy climbed into bed with Darci beside her, she smiled softly. It felt good to have someone to talk to again who wasn’t four-legged and furry.