Took the prompt a bit loosely....
BtVS1
"How was it?" Joyce asked from the couch, lowering the gallery books as she turned to the front door. Her eyebrows snapped up when she saw Buffy's disheveled appearance. "Oh dear. What happened?" She hurried over, caressing her daughter's cheek with one hand while the other fingered the torn strap of Buffy's new white dress.
"I'm sorry," the girl murmured as she forcefully drew away.
"I don't…" Joyce watched her run upstairs. "…understand."
In her room, Buffy stuffed the dress into the waste basket. The girlish fancy had become a shroud, then a lie - one more layer to hide behind.
alt BtVS2. post Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.
Buffy sighed as her boyfriend worked on her shoulder. Why hadn't Giles ever included massages in patrol? Relaxed Slayers were happier Slayers, and happier Slayers took extra care not to die. "So Willow said she and Oz could make it, provided the Dingoes weren't booked on short notice." She smiled at his chuckle. "Well, Will is optimistic. But Cordelia won't watch Titanic without 'the moron who's still on library archive duty - and when will Giles ease up anyway?'"
"I've never seen Giles so angry."
"Scary," Buffy agreed. "Who'd have guessed my Watcher had a mean streak under all that tweed?"
alt BtVS3
Buffy heaved a long sigh at her reflection. She shook her arms until the sleeves edged down to her knuckles. "Too big. I picked the wrong size and now I'll be the worst dressed Slayer in -"
Invisible hands settled the gown right again. "You look beautiful."
She tilted her head, laying her cheek against the back of his hand. "You say that only because you love me."
"No." His free arm came around her. The graduation gown rustled beneath her breasts. "I say that because you look amazing in teal."
"I do?" Her smile became a groan. "Don't tell Cordy."
alt BtVS4/AtS1
Buffy dumped a collection of camouflage clothes and assorted weapons onto her mattress, then turned around and poked her roommate until Willow had woken up and scooted over. "Walsh wants me to play commando," Buffy started.
Willow didn't even open her eyes. "Prints are so not your style."
"The Initiative captures demons. Evil demons." Buffy stole one of her friend's pillows from under her head. "Am I wrong not to trust them?"
"Well…." Willow blindly patted around for her lost pillow. "There was the 'You date a vampire?' panic."
Buffy cringed. "Which begs the question, why would they trust me?"
alt BtVS5/AtS2
"Screwdriver." Xander held his hand out for the tool, then focused on the loose door hinges. "You'd think Sleeping Beauty would know some basic repair stuff, but no…." He patted the toolbox between him and Buffy. "At least he isn't stingy about the equipment. Think I'll get the matching hard hat and tool belt?"
Buffy ignored his question. "Angel's been sleeping longer, hasn't he?"
"Deader than regular 'like the dead'." He added some of the reinforcing oil their secondary witch had devised. "Cordy says he's making up for your visits - spare details if that's true!"
But Buffy still looked concerned.
alt BtVS6/AtS3
"There." Cordelia stuck an extra baby bottle in the crammed bag. "Now you're ready."
Buffy glanced down at herself. With Connor asleep against her chest and a gigantic baby bag slung across her shoulder, she looked like…. Oh Lord. Careful not to jostle the boy, she sat down on the armchair next to the crib. "I look like a mom."
Cordelia gave her a 'better you than me' look. "It's not that bad."
"I'm not ready to look like a mom."
The brunette tried a supportive smile. "The way I remember it, you weren't ready to be the Slayer either."
alt BtVS7/AtS4
Buffy threw her coffee cup at the figure sitting at the kitchen table. Instead of hitting flesh, the cup passed through Joyce's chest. "If you're going to dress up like mom," she hissed, "at least make breakfast. Growing girls in the house, you know." She gave a pointed look at the broken shards, chuckled. "Right. You can't. Damn, uncorporeality must suck."
"Such an attitude, dear," her mother's disappointed voice continued, then it shifted into rage when Buffy laughed.
"You haven't done your homework, have you? Ask around, 'mommy'." Buffy smiled. "Using my family is the quickest ticket back into hell."
"How was it?" Joyce asked from the couch, lowering the gallery books as she turned to the front door. Her eyebrows snapped up when she saw Buffy's disheveled appearance. "Oh dear. What happened?" She hurried over, caressing her daughter's cheek with one hand while the other fingered the torn strap of Buffy's new white dress.
"I'm sorry," the girl murmured as she forcefully drew away.
"I don't…" Joyce watched her run upstairs. "…understand."
In her room, Buffy stuffed the dress into the waste basket. The girlish fancy had become a shroud, then a lie - one more layer to hide behind.
alt BtVS2. post Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.
Buffy sighed as her boyfriend worked on her shoulder. Why hadn't Giles ever included massages in patrol? Relaxed Slayers were happier Slayers, and happier Slayers took extra care not to die. "So Willow said she and Oz could make it, provided the Dingoes weren't booked on short notice." She smiled at his chuckle. "Well, Will is optimistic. But Cordelia won't watch Titanic without 'the moron who's still on library archive duty - and when will Giles ease up anyway?'"
"I've never seen Giles so angry."
"Scary," Buffy agreed. "Who'd have guessed my Watcher had a mean streak under all that tweed?"
alt BtVS3
Buffy heaved a long sigh at her reflection. She shook her arms until the sleeves edged down to her knuckles. "Too big. I picked the wrong size and now I'll be the worst dressed Slayer in -"
Invisible hands settled the gown right again. "You look beautiful."
She tilted her head, laying her cheek against the back of his hand. "You say that only because you love me."
"No." His free arm came around her. The graduation gown rustled beneath her breasts. "I say that because you look amazing in teal."
"I do?" Her smile became a groan. "Don't tell Cordy."
alt BtVS4/AtS1
Buffy dumped a collection of camouflage clothes and assorted weapons onto her mattress, then turned around and poked her roommate until Willow had woken up and scooted over. "Walsh wants me to play commando," Buffy started.
Willow didn't even open her eyes. "Prints are so not your style."
"The Initiative captures demons. Evil demons." Buffy stole one of her friend's pillows from under her head. "Am I wrong not to trust them?"
"Well…." Willow blindly patted around for her lost pillow. "There was the 'You date a vampire?' panic."
Buffy cringed. "Which begs the question, why would they trust me?"
alt BtVS5/AtS2
"Screwdriver." Xander held his hand out for the tool, then focused on the loose door hinges. "You'd think Sleeping Beauty would know some basic repair stuff, but no…." He patted the toolbox between him and Buffy. "At least he isn't stingy about the equipment. Think I'll get the matching hard hat and tool belt?"
Buffy ignored his question. "Angel's been sleeping longer, hasn't he?"
"Deader than regular 'like the dead'." He added some of the reinforcing oil their secondary witch had devised. "Cordy says he's making up for your visits - spare details if that's true!"
But Buffy still looked concerned.
alt BtVS6/AtS3
"There." Cordelia stuck an extra baby bottle in the crammed bag. "Now you're ready."
Buffy glanced down at herself. With Connor asleep against her chest and a gigantic baby bag slung across her shoulder, she looked like…. Oh Lord. Careful not to jostle the boy, she sat down on the armchair next to the crib. "I look like a mom."
Cordelia gave her a 'better you than me' look. "It's not that bad."
"I'm not ready to look like a mom."
The brunette tried a supportive smile. "The way I remember it, you weren't ready to be the Slayer either."
alt BtVS7/AtS4
Buffy threw her coffee cup at the figure sitting at the kitchen table. Instead of hitting flesh, the cup passed through Joyce's chest. "If you're going to dress up like mom," she hissed, "at least make breakfast. Growing girls in the house, you know." She gave a pointed look at the broken shards, chuckled. "Right. You can't. Damn, uncorporeality must suck."
"Such an attitude, dear," her mother's disappointed voice continued, then it shifted into rage when Buffy laughed.
"You haven't done your homework, have you? Ask around, 'mommy'." Buffy smiled. "Using my family is the quickest ticket back into hell."