Accept what you have (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Title: Accept what you have
Author: oraclejenn@yahoo.com
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Characters/Pairing: Joyce Summer, Buffy (no pairing, just the characters)
Summary: When she became a mother she’d known that she couldn’t protect her child from everything.
Rating: PG
"Buffy? You're going to be late." Joyce knocked on the door again before pushing it open. The rumpled bedspread moved slightly but there was no other indication that her daughter knew she was in the room. A slight frown passed over her face. "What time did you get in last night?"
Silence greeted the question and Joyce put the folded clothes she was carrying down on the desk before sitting on the edge of Buffy's bed. "Slayer or not, I still expect an answer."
She watched the covers move as her daughter emerged from the downy hiding place. There was a bruise spreading over her cheek and her left eye was swollen. "After four I think. M'Fashnik demons aren't big on watches."
A frown passed over Joyce's face as she reached out to tentatively trace the outline of the bruise. "But he looked worse than you when you were finished, right?" She still wasn't very comfortable with her daughter being a Slayer - putting her life on the line just about every night against things that she had never really believed existed. She wasn't comfortable with knowing that there were things out there she couldn’t protect her only child from.
That winning smiled flashed at her as Buffy pushed herself up a little more. "If by worse you mean a puddle of some orangeish green goo... then yes, he looked worse."
"Good. That's what I like to hear. You weren't wearing my blue sweater last night... where you?" Her eyes slid to the pile of clothes Buffy had worn yesterday, caution in her tone. "That... that orangeish green goo does come out in the wash doesn't it?"
"It's just a sweater, mom."
Looking back at her daughter, Joyce just nodded. "Buffy, couldn't you just..." she let the rest of the comment fade away when Buffy rolled her eyes. Sighing, she looked down at her hands for a minute before standing. "Right. Not something you can walk away from. I know. I know. Just stay here for a minute."
She closed the bedroom door behind her and sighed before walking down the stairs. When she became a mother she'd known that she couldn't protect her child from everything. But she'd been thinking more along the lines of heartbreak or not making the cheerleading team. Demons and the end of the world hadn't even made her extended list. That was something they didn't cover in parenting class.
One phone call and a quickly reheated plate of breakfast then she was back in the room. Buffy turned from her dresser, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "If you write me a note, I can miss first period. No one pays attention anyway and the teacher actually likes me. Giles wanted..."
"Back in bed, young lady."
Joyce was always reminding Buffy how important school was. How she needed it to get ahead in life. How skipping a day would just be denying herself knowledge that could come in handy later on. All of that and knowing that a bruise didn't even register on Joyce Summer's scale of Reasons to Stay Home From School explained the silent acceptance and obedience to the command.
"Good." Joyce sat beside Buffy on the bed, one hand tucking the same strand back before placing the tray on her daughter's lap. "Now eat your breakfast and tell me about what happened last night."
She hadn't bargained for her daughter to be the Slayer, to be the one who had to save the world every night but that was who she had. And while she might not have pep-rallies to go to, Joyce was not going to ignore who her daughter was. It just might take a while to understand and accept it all.
"You're sure you want to know?"
Joyce nodded and settled against some of the pillows, forcing herself to stay quiet as she was given a glimpse of the life her daughter lead.
Author: oraclejenn@yahoo.com
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Characters/Pairing: Joyce Summer, Buffy (no pairing, just the characters)
Summary: When she became a mother she’d known that she couldn’t protect her child from everything.
Rating: PG
"Buffy? You're going to be late." Joyce knocked on the door again before pushing it open. The rumpled bedspread moved slightly but there was no other indication that her daughter knew she was in the room. A slight frown passed over her face. "What time did you get in last night?"
Silence greeted the question and Joyce put the folded clothes she was carrying down on the desk before sitting on the edge of Buffy's bed. "Slayer or not, I still expect an answer."
She watched the covers move as her daughter emerged from the downy hiding place. There was a bruise spreading over her cheek and her left eye was swollen. "After four I think. M'Fashnik demons aren't big on watches."
A frown passed over Joyce's face as she reached out to tentatively trace the outline of the bruise. "But he looked worse than you when you were finished, right?" She still wasn't very comfortable with her daughter being a Slayer - putting her life on the line just about every night against things that she had never really believed existed. She wasn't comfortable with knowing that there were things out there she couldn’t protect her only child from.
That winning smiled flashed at her as Buffy pushed herself up a little more. "If by worse you mean a puddle of some orangeish green goo... then yes, he looked worse."
"Good. That's what I like to hear. You weren't wearing my blue sweater last night... where you?" Her eyes slid to the pile of clothes Buffy had worn yesterday, caution in her tone. "That... that orangeish green goo does come out in the wash doesn't it?"
"It's just a sweater, mom."
Looking back at her daughter, Joyce just nodded. "Buffy, couldn't you just..." she let the rest of the comment fade away when Buffy rolled her eyes. Sighing, she looked down at her hands for a minute before standing. "Right. Not something you can walk away from. I know. I know. Just stay here for a minute."
She closed the bedroom door behind her and sighed before walking down the stairs. When she became a mother she'd known that she couldn't protect her child from everything. But she'd been thinking more along the lines of heartbreak or not making the cheerleading team. Demons and the end of the world hadn't even made her extended list. That was something they didn't cover in parenting class.
One phone call and a quickly reheated plate of breakfast then she was back in the room. Buffy turned from her dresser, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "If you write me a note, I can miss first period. No one pays attention anyway and the teacher actually likes me. Giles wanted..."
"Back in bed, young lady."
Joyce was always reminding Buffy how important school was. How she needed it to get ahead in life. How skipping a day would just be denying herself knowledge that could come in handy later on. All of that and knowing that a bruise didn't even register on Joyce Summer's scale of Reasons to Stay Home From School explained the silent acceptance and obedience to the command.
"Good." Joyce sat beside Buffy on the bed, one hand tucking the same strand back before placing the tray on her daughter's lap. "Now eat your breakfast and tell me about what happened last night."
She hadn't bargained for her daughter to be the Slayer, to be the one who had to save the world every night but that was who she had. And while she might not have pep-rallies to go to, Joyce was not going to ignore who her daughter was. It just might take a while to understand and accept it all.
"You're sure you want to know?"
Joyce nodded and settled against some of the pillows, forcing herself to stay quiet as she was given a glimpse of the life her daughter lead.