(no subject)
Title: Influx (2b/?)
Summary: One by one, they return. Not in the order anyone would have predicted, though.
Rating/Warning: Descriptions of past violence and severe injury. Some adult themes as well. These are adults, after all.
Author’s Note: A prologue of sorts to a story I have kicking around in the back of my head. It’s my way of getting the characters from where Mutant Enemy left them to where I need them to be for this other story to work.
Author’s Note 2: I have no beta readers, so please forgive any obvious errors that I missed. Feedback is appreciated, and can only lead to better-written chapters in the future.
Author’s Note 3: My apologies at how long this has taken. I really shouldn’t have worked on it tonight, either, but I’m really itching to get to writing Chapter 3, and I have to get through all this first. One more part of Chapter 2 to go after this, and I really want to get that up this weekend as well.
Chapter 1 is here.
Previous part of Chapter 2 is here.
*******************************
A week and a half later, Giles was on his way down the steps of the main building, heading home to make dinner, when he spotted a vehicle he didn’t recognize coming down the drive and pulling into the car park. Riley’s people had come and gone several days ago, so he had a pretty good idea who was driving the black Ford Galaxy minivan, but you couldn’t be too careful. He did not approach the van, but instead stood ready to make a break back into the building as the van pulled slowly to a stop at the base of the steps.
The van’s passenger-side front window rolled down, and Giles heard a familiar voice saying, “You know, driving on the left is bad enough, but how am I supposed to get used to turning right instead of left when I circle towards something I want to have on my side of the car?”
Upon hearing Riley’s voice, Giles relaxed and continued down the steps towards the van. “You should try parallel parking,” Giles teased. “The change in perspective makes it almost impossible, until you get used to it. How were your travels?”
“Oh, the usual,” Riley answered as Giles approached the passenger-side window. “Long transatlantic military flights are always a good time. A day or so at the Embassy in London getting everything in order, and then the standard 4 hour drive to get here.”
Riley looked around from his vantage point in the van. “I like what you’ve done with the place, Giles. It looks a lot more lived in than the last time I was here. Oh, and I like the sign, too. Did you know that...”
“Please, do not mention the sign,” Giles interrupted, with a bit of a growl in his voice.
Riley wondered what the sore spot was about the sign, but figured that now was not the time to pursue it. “Sign, what sign?” Riley replied, with a little smirk.
Giles looked a little sheepish as he realized how he’d responded, but he recovered quickly and changed the subject. “I was just heading over to my house to make Buffy and myself some dinner. Would you care to join us?”
The shock on Riley’s face confused Giles for a moment, until he mentally reviewed his recent conversations with Riley and realized he had failed to impart something. “Oh, dear. I’m terribly sorry, Riley,” Giles said. “You threw me off a bit when you announced you were going to be coming, and I completely forgot to mention that Buffy was here as well. I hope that won’t be a problem?”
Riley struggled to regain his composure. Multiple ugly scenarios ran through his mind as he factored Buffy’s unexpected presence. After a moment, Riley realized there was no point in getting worked up. She was here, and he would just have to deal with it. He took a deep breath, collected himself and responded. “No, Giles, it’s fine. Just a little surprised, that’s all. How long is she staying?”
Giles sheepishly replied, “Actually, she has just taken a position at the Training Centre, so she now lives here. We haven’t worked out permanent housing for her yet, so she is still staying with me.”
“Oh.” Riley had hoped that he’d have a chance to talk things through with Giles first, but it looked like he’d have to include Buffy, too. Best to get the awkwardness and violence over with, he supposed. “Well, that’s great,” Riley said half-heartedly. “Dinner it is, then. I would like unpack a little first, though. When should I come by?”
Giles and Riley worked out the specifics, not just of tonight’s dinner, but also how to get from the main building to gardener’s house, and how to get from there to Giles’ house. Giles was a bit distracted throughout, and Riley figured it had to be because Giles hadn’t told Buffy that he was coming, either. He almost felt bad for Giles as the man stepped away from Riley’s van and headed toward his house, obviously deep in thought.
Riley had no trouble finding the gardener’s house, and was happy to see that it would suit his needs perfectly. A quick tour through the house showed that his team had only had to make a few modifications, which was both good and bad. Good, because it meant they had been done quickly and hadn’t raised any questions that would have forced him to talk to Giles about his situation. Bad, because now he couldn’t put off talking about it any longer, and even worse, he’d have to talk about it with Buffy there, too.
Okay, soldier, Riley thought to himself. No more self-doubt, and no self-pity. He’d always known he’d have to have this talk with Buffy’s team sometime, and that time just happened to be tonight. Nothing to be done about it but face it head on, because it wasn’t going to go away.
Mental pep talk finished, Riley headed out of his house and back to his van for the very short drive to Giles’ house.
*******************************
“I’m getting a definite third-wheel vibe here, Giles. You want me to eat elsewhere tonight?”
Startled, Giles looked up from the table he had just finished setting. Buffy, as was her wont, had stayed upstairs until just before the meal time, and Giles had taken advantage of that situation to avoid discussing their dinner guest. He decided it would be better discussed after the meal was prepared so he could devote his full attention to each task. The alternative would inevitably lead to overcooked pasta and an even-more-upset Buffy, both of which were to be avoided at all costs.
Despite all the extra time his delay had afforded him, he still didn’t know how best to broach the subject. He decided to take a slightly indirect approach. “Actually, Buffy, I’m more likely to be a third-wheel than you.”
Buffy gave him a small smile. “Well, duh. Who would you want to chat more with, the young, beautiful California girl, or the oldish British librarian-type?”
“Actually...” Giles began, only to be cut off.
“Sorry, I forgot for a minute who you were,” Buffy said, her tone still playful. “Who would a normal person want to chat with more?”
Buffy decided to take Giles’ indulgent smile as her answer, and she continued, “Exactly. So, are we going to play Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, or are you gonna spill?”
No way around it now, Giles thought to himself. He decided to play it casually, and turned back into the kitchen, saying over his shoulder, “Riley.”
Giles expected Buffy to pursue him into the kitchen, and was somewhat surprised when she didn’t. He returned from the kitchen carrying the pasta to find that Buffy hadn’t moved an inch, and was glaring at him, hands on her hips. Oh, dear.
“Riley, as in Agent Riley Finn, as in my ex-boyfriend, is coming to dinner, and you didn’t warn me?”
Buffy’s voice was quiet and controlled, which was the exact opposite of what Giles had hoped for. Histrionics meant she was just venting some nervous energy; calm and collected meant she was genuinely angry.
“I am very sorry about that, Buffy,” Giles said, in what he hoped was his most apologetic tone of voice. “Riley surprised me somewhat when he called and said he was coming, and by the time I got everything arranged for his visit, I was so used to the idea that I forgot to inform you.”
Giles’ voiced changed from apologetic to a more introspective tone, as he said, “In fact, I’ve been so used to being by myself here, that there have probably been many things I haven’t told you about. I do apologize, and I will try to do a better job of keeping you up-to-date about what’s going on here at the Centre.”
Buffy’s glare softened a bit. “Look, Giles, I don’t want to know about the latest plan to trim the bushes differently, or whatever. But when someone is coming to visit that I know, and especially when that someone is an ex-boyfriend, you really need to tell me about it. Okay?”
“I promise, I will tell you about any visitors that you know personally well in advance of their arrival in the future,” Giles replied, and was pleased to see Buffy smile. The smile quickly was replaced by a look approaching horror.
“Oh, God, when is he coming, Giles? I need to change! And maybe take a shower! Hmm, what can I do with my hair...” Buffy paused in her rant as she realized that Giles was chuckling at her. “Look, all this would have been dealt with long ago if you had just told me, so don’t go laughing at my panic now. When is he coming?”
Giles looked at the clock on the mantle. “Actually, he should have been here five minutes ago. Being late isn’t like him. I wonder if he had any trouble making his way to the house..”
Buffy was right behind Giles as he headed to the front door. “Giles, I’m as directionally challenged as they come, and I’m pretty sure that I could get from here to there with no...umph.”
Giles had come to a complete stop on his front stoop, and Buffy had walked right into his back. Giles was blocking her view, and not moving. Not very helpful, in her opinion. “Hey, Giles, could you unpause or something? I can’t see through you.”
Giles didn’t respond verbally, but turned his body very slowly, keeping his gaze locked on something in front of him. He finally moved enough for Buffy to be able to see around him, and when she took in the scene, she froze as well, eyes wide and mouth open.
There was Riley, next to what she presumed was his van. He looked a little older, but otherwise not that different, except for one glaring thing.
He wasn’t standing there.
He was sitting there.
In a wheelchair.
A big, black motorized wheelchair. From the way it was positioned, it looked like Riley had tried to coax it up over the curb, but had given up. He looked at Giles, somewhat sheepishly.
“I’m sorry, Giles, but I guess I’ve just gotten used to having ramps and stuff the places I usually go. Maybe we should have dinner down at my place?” The total lack of a response gave Riley time to gather up the courage to look over at Buffy, and shyly say, “Hello, Buffy. You look great.”
Hearing her name must have unfrozen her, because before Riley could really register that she’d moved, Buffy was standing next to his chair, giving him a very, very tight hug despite the awkward angle.
Maybe this won’t be so bad after all, Riley thought to himself, just before Buffy released the hug, and slapped him across the face.
Summary: One by one, they return. Not in the order anyone would have predicted, though.
Rating/Warning: Descriptions of past violence and severe injury. Some adult themes as well. These are adults, after all.
Author’s Note: A prologue of sorts to a story I have kicking around in the back of my head. It’s my way of getting the characters from where Mutant Enemy left them to where I need them to be for this other story to work.
Author’s Note 2: I have no beta readers, so please forgive any obvious errors that I missed. Feedback is appreciated, and can only lead to better-written chapters in the future.
Author’s Note 3: My apologies at how long this has taken. I really shouldn’t have worked on it tonight, either, but I’m really itching to get to writing Chapter 3, and I have to get through all this first. One more part of Chapter 2 to go after this, and I really want to get that up this weekend as well.
Chapter 1 is here.
Previous part of Chapter 2 is here.
*******************************
A week and a half later, Giles was on his way down the steps of the main building, heading home to make dinner, when he spotted a vehicle he didn’t recognize coming down the drive and pulling into the car park. Riley’s people had come and gone several days ago, so he had a pretty good idea who was driving the black Ford Galaxy minivan, but you couldn’t be too careful. He did not approach the van, but instead stood ready to make a break back into the building as the van pulled slowly to a stop at the base of the steps.
The van’s passenger-side front window rolled down, and Giles heard a familiar voice saying, “You know, driving on the left is bad enough, but how am I supposed to get used to turning right instead of left when I circle towards something I want to have on my side of the car?”
Upon hearing Riley’s voice, Giles relaxed and continued down the steps towards the van. “You should try parallel parking,” Giles teased. “The change in perspective makes it almost impossible, until you get used to it. How were your travels?”
“Oh, the usual,” Riley answered as Giles approached the passenger-side window. “Long transatlantic military flights are always a good time. A day or so at the Embassy in London getting everything in order, and then the standard 4 hour drive to get here.”
Riley looked around from his vantage point in the van. “I like what you’ve done with the place, Giles. It looks a lot more lived in than the last time I was here. Oh, and I like the sign, too. Did you know that...”
“Please, do not mention the sign,” Giles interrupted, with a bit of a growl in his voice.
Riley wondered what the sore spot was about the sign, but figured that now was not the time to pursue it. “Sign, what sign?” Riley replied, with a little smirk.
Giles looked a little sheepish as he realized how he’d responded, but he recovered quickly and changed the subject. “I was just heading over to my house to make Buffy and myself some dinner. Would you care to join us?”
The shock on Riley’s face confused Giles for a moment, until he mentally reviewed his recent conversations with Riley and realized he had failed to impart something. “Oh, dear. I’m terribly sorry, Riley,” Giles said. “You threw me off a bit when you announced you were going to be coming, and I completely forgot to mention that Buffy was here as well. I hope that won’t be a problem?”
Riley struggled to regain his composure. Multiple ugly scenarios ran through his mind as he factored Buffy’s unexpected presence. After a moment, Riley realized there was no point in getting worked up. She was here, and he would just have to deal with it. He took a deep breath, collected himself and responded. “No, Giles, it’s fine. Just a little surprised, that’s all. How long is she staying?”
Giles sheepishly replied, “Actually, she has just taken a position at the Training Centre, so she now lives here. We haven’t worked out permanent housing for her yet, so she is still staying with me.”
“Oh.” Riley had hoped that he’d have a chance to talk things through with Giles first, but it looked like he’d have to include Buffy, too. Best to get the awkwardness and violence over with, he supposed. “Well, that’s great,” Riley said half-heartedly. “Dinner it is, then. I would like unpack a little first, though. When should I come by?”
Giles and Riley worked out the specifics, not just of tonight’s dinner, but also how to get from the main building to gardener’s house, and how to get from there to Giles’ house. Giles was a bit distracted throughout, and Riley figured it had to be because Giles hadn’t told Buffy that he was coming, either. He almost felt bad for Giles as the man stepped away from Riley’s van and headed toward his house, obviously deep in thought.
Riley had no trouble finding the gardener’s house, and was happy to see that it would suit his needs perfectly. A quick tour through the house showed that his team had only had to make a few modifications, which was both good and bad. Good, because it meant they had been done quickly and hadn’t raised any questions that would have forced him to talk to Giles about his situation. Bad, because now he couldn’t put off talking about it any longer, and even worse, he’d have to talk about it with Buffy there, too.
Okay, soldier, Riley thought to himself. No more self-doubt, and no self-pity. He’d always known he’d have to have this talk with Buffy’s team sometime, and that time just happened to be tonight. Nothing to be done about it but face it head on, because it wasn’t going to go away.
Mental pep talk finished, Riley headed out of his house and back to his van for the very short drive to Giles’ house.
*******************************
“I’m getting a definite third-wheel vibe here, Giles. You want me to eat elsewhere tonight?”
Startled, Giles looked up from the table he had just finished setting. Buffy, as was her wont, had stayed upstairs until just before the meal time, and Giles had taken advantage of that situation to avoid discussing their dinner guest. He decided it would be better discussed after the meal was prepared so he could devote his full attention to each task. The alternative would inevitably lead to overcooked pasta and an even-more-upset Buffy, both of which were to be avoided at all costs.
Despite all the extra time his delay had afforded him, he still didn’t know how best to broach the subject. He decided to take a slightly indirect approach. “Actually, Buffy, I’m more likely to be a third-wheel than you.”
Buffy gave him a small smile. “Well, duh. Who would you want to chat more with, the young, beautiful California girl, or the oldish British librarian-type?”
“Actually...” Giles began, only to be cut off.
“Sorry, I forgot for a minute who you were,” Buffy said, her tone still playful. “Who would a normal person want to chat with more?”
Buffy decided to take Giles’ indulgent smile as her answer, and she continued, “Exactly. So, are we going to play Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, or are you gonna spill?”
No way around it now, Giles thought to himself. He decided to play it casually, and turned back into the kitchen, saying over his shoulder, “Riley.”
Giles expected Buffy to pursue him into the kitchen, and was somewhat surprised when she didn’t. He returned from the kitchen carrying the pasta to find that Buffy hadn’t moved an inch, and was glaring at him, hands on her hips. Oh, dear.
“Riley, as in Agent Riley Finn, as in my ex-boyfriend, is coming to dinner, and you didn’t warn me?”
Buffy’s voice was quiet and controlled, which was the exact opposite of what Giles had hoped for. Histrionics meant she was just venting some nervous energy; calm and collected meant she was genuinely angry.
“I am very sorry about that, Buffy,” Giles said, in what he hoped was his most apologetic tone of voice. “Riley surprised me somewhat when he called and said he was coming, and by the time I got everything arranged for his visit, I was so used to the idea that I forgot to inform you.”
Giles’ voiced changed from apologetic to a more introspective tone, as he said, “In fact, I’ve been so used to being by myself here, that there have probably been many things I haven’t told you about. I do apologize, and I will try to do a better job of keeping you up-to-date about what’s going on here at the Centre.”
Buffy’s glare softened a bit. “Look, Giles, I don’t want to know about the latest plan to trim the bushes differently, or whatever. But when someone is coming to visit that I know, and especially when that someone is an ex-boyfriend, you really need to tell me about it. Okay?”
“I promise, I will tell you about any visitors that you know personally well in advance of their arrival in the future,” Giles replied, and was pleased to see Buffy smile. The smile quickly was replaced by a look approaching horror.
“Oh, God, when is he coming, Giles? I need to change! And maybe take a shower! Hmm, what can I do with my hair...” Buffy paused in her rant as she realized that Giles was chuckling at her. “Look, all this would have been dealt with long ago if you had just told me, so don’t go laughing at my panic now. When is he coming?”
Giles looked at the clock on the mantle. “Actually, he should have been here five minutes ago. Being late isn’t like him. I wonder if he had any trouble making his way to the house..”
Buffy was right behind Giles as he headed to the front door. “Giles, I’m as directionally challenged as they come, and I’m pretty sure that I could get from here to there with no...umph.”
Giles had come to a complete stop on his front stoop, and Buffy had walked right into his back. Giles was blocking her view, and not moving. Not very helpful, in her opinion. “Hey, Giles, could you unpause or something? I can’t see through you.”
Giles didn’t respond verbally, but turned his body very slowly, keeping his gaze locked on something in front of him. He finally moved enough for Buffy to be able to see around him, and when she took in the scene, she froze as well, eyes wide and mouth open.
There was Riley, next to what she presumed was his van. He looked a little older, but otherwise not that different, except for one glaring thing.
He wasn’t standing there.
He was sitting there.
In a wheelchair.
A big, black motorized wheelchair. From the way it was positioned, it looked like Riley had tried to coax it up over the curb, but had given up. He looked at Giles, somewhat sheepishly.
“I’m sorry, Giles, but I guess I’ve just gotten used to having ramps and stuff the places I usually go. Maybe we should have dinner down at my place?” The total lack of a response gave Riley time to gather up the courage to look over at Buffy, and shyly say, “Hello, Buffy. You look great.”
Hearing her name must have unfrozen her, because before Riley could really register that she’d moved, Buffy was standing next to his chair, giving him a very, very tight hug despite the awkward angle.
Maybe this won’t be so bad after all, Riley thought to himself, just before Buffy released the hug, and slapped him across the face.