Chapter 26: Appearances
Author's Notes: This is the beginning of Part Two of the entire story. It starts at Chapter 26 because Chapter 23 had to divide into three parts and post as three parts, and so I used up chapters 23, 24, and 25. Rather than have the numbering off forever, I have chosen to pick up at Chapter 26 so it corresponds to the chapter listing on the actual story sites. Hope that's clear.
Because 'A Vague Disclaimer Is Nobody's Friend' Willow Rosenberg
IMPORTANT NOTE (And the Please Humor Me Award goes to...): As I've stated several times over the course of posting this story, the laws and programs involved are hugely complex and I'm not writing a thesis here. Fed laws, State laws, County programs, the criminal justice system thrown in for good measure - it's mind boggling, really. In
Part One, I did the best I could to create a legally correct framework, although I can't guarantee that every detail is perfect.
For instance, it turns out that the hospital rule
may apply only to teen foster children having babies, which Buffy was not, although she was a resident in a maternity home at the time and it was clear that her parents would not permit her to return home with a child, so maybe it would apply, but then she was under sixteen, so maybe it wouldn't apply. Who the hell knows? That's New York, and they have their own problems. New York gives me a headache. In the universe of my story, I declare it to apply. I have gone back and edited that chapter to specify foster children, without further comment, so do what you will with that one.
In California, I purposely sped up the dispositional hearing, and combined it with the temporary custody hearing (which is required to be held within 24-72 hours), and skipped the probation dept reports entirely, in order to get Buffy out of detention and into a home more quickly, and also to get Katie settled. I am operating under the principle that Buffy's situation was unusual anyway - having two minors without support or adult guardian of any kind, needing state intervention, and whose cases depend entirely upon each other's dispositions - and Buffy being subject to a Juvenile Court judge's special sentencing instructions and qualifications for probation,due to an actual criminal conviction being alleged and determined, etc. Different counties do things so differently as it is, I figured we could play with it in a fictional county. The required six month review after initial foster placement actually should be 120 days for a child under three, which Katie is, as they want to either reunify or get the little one adopted faster than older children would be because there are psychological developmental issues at work there for babies and toddlers. It's a whole thing, so I messed that up. I've gone back and edited those chapters to state 120 days instead of six months, so please keep the new time frame in mind, if you're following that sort of thing in the story.
There're lots of details like this that are difficult to pin down and work with. Trying to get firm answers on scores of fine points like this, consistent answers and for the right calendar years and in the right states and counties, is a task that could lead one to the use of massive amounts of alcohol, just to dull the pain.
So, don't look here for legal advice. I am using general information regarding these laws - as accurate as I can but still - and a firm belief in the legal principle that just because you're a kid doesn't mean you that don't have legal rights as a parent, all laid out in the context of a fictional story, for the story's sake.
As for
Part Two, it is even more complicated and I am therefore going to be vaguer about specific things and am intentionally doing that because I do not want to spend all my free time doing legal research instead of actually writing the story. I've done some research, am trying to make it real, am trying to give programs in the correct part of the state and for the correct year their actual names and content, but frankly, the subject would bring better people than me to their knees, and I want to live. So you're getting the blurry watercolor version. After all, this IS a love story. If you want pitch-perfect law, read a law book. :-)
The song quoted is
Let Me by Paul Schwartz and Lisbeth Scott. It is actually a spiritual song, and is extraordinarily beautiful. But whenever I hear it I think of Buffy and Spike in this story, in the context of the spiritual link between two people whose destiny it is to intertwine and lift up the other. If you wish to hear it you can find it at www.paulschwartz.com/sog2_c_letme.html
So with that rather lengthy disclaimer out of the way, we head into Part Two. At last.
Disclaimer: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer are owned by Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and Fox studios. This story is not meant to infringe upon anyone's rights, only to entertain.
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Part Two Let me be your peace
That I may comfort
Let me be your faith
That all believe
Let me be your voice
That I may sing of love
Let me be your touch
That I may heal
Let me be your breath
For all to breathe
Let me be your sun and rise
Tenderly into a lonesome sky
Make me your truth
And from that brilliant light
A thousand wings in flight
Illuminate the night
Make me your fire
A ring of bliss to clear
Each solitary sigh and fear
Let me be your touch
That I may heal
Let me be your breath
For all to breathe
Let me be your sun and rise
Tenderly caress the sky
Make me your truth
And from that brilliant light
A thousand wings in flight
Illuminate the night
Make me your fire
A ring of bliss to clear
Each solitary sigh and fear
Let me be your peace
Let me be your faith
Let me be your love Let Me
from,
'State of Grace II' Lisbeth Scott/Paul Schwartz
Chapter Twenty-Six Appearances Buffy closed the heavy front door with care, and took a good look around at what she could see of the beautiful home from the entrance. An impressive staircase stood to the right and rear wall of the wide entry hall, it's dark wooden bannister curving elegantly as it wound it's way up to the second story landing. The entry hall itself had dark wooden flooring, polished to a lustrous sheen, a perfect contrast with the cream colored walls. A tall ornate wooden coat rack and side table stood to the left of the door, and a matching umbrella stand and side table stood to the right. A round claw foot table stood in the middle of the large entry hall, with a large urn of red poinsettias displayed at the center.
She looked right, and saw before her the open double doors to a formal dining room. A long dark walnut table with intricately carved chairs stood in the center of that room, with matching sideboard and buffet along two separate walls. Heavy dark gold draperies graced the tall windows looking out over the front yard. The traditional oil paintings above the buffet and along the far wall appeared to be expensive. An oriental rug in a classical design covered the polished wooden floor.
Turning back to the left of the entryway, was another set of double doors, opening onto a very large living room, with a thick pile cream carpet and two formal sofas and several wing chairs, in shades of gold and dark green and brown. A massive brick fireplace stood on the far left wall, with an expensive and ornate fire screen placed before it. More expensive-looking traditional oil paintings graced these walls, also. A perfect, ceiling high, Douglas Fir Christmas tree, decorated in stylish-yet-homey ornaments, garlands and many little twinkling colored lights, stood in front of the center window looking out to the front yard. The same dark gold drapes and more of the same style of expensive dark wood furniture was placed around this room, and the entire effect was one of traditional tastes and a very comfortable income.
Buffy found the decor to be extremely tasteful, classically beautiful, and depressingly stifling. That last feeling, she reminded herself, was a reaction to years of living in a similar home with a mother who could not tolerate the slightest disorder or opposition. Buffy sincerely hoped her feelings were misplaced, and that the elegant furnishings in her new foster home did not come equipped with their own brittle rigid control freak. She really wasn't in the mood right now.
Noticing that the tea service had been removed from the coffee table, Buffy followed a hallway that branched off from the entry hall, into what she was certain was the back part of the house. Here was another living room, this one much less formal, and thankfully promising to be much more comfortable to relax in. It was, Buffy was certain, a 'family room', and acted as the actual day to day living area for the family. It was decorated in a more American country theme, in blues and reds and golds. This informal family room opened up completely, with no partition other than a breakfast bar, into a very large state of the art home kitchen. A table, in the same American country theme, sat near a back window on the kitchen side of the large living area. Buffy would bet money that this is where the family actually shared their daily meals.
The tea service sat upon the breakfast bar, waiting to be washed and put away. Still, there was no one here.
*Strange, that she'd just disappear like that.*
Buffy walked over to the french doors and saw that they opened into a large backyard, as carefully kept as the front was. The central highlight of the backyard was a truly spectacular built-in swimming pool. There was redwood decking, and some good quality wrought-iron chairs and tables sat on this side of the pool patio, as did an enormous barbecue grill station. Even though it was December and rather chilly out, she was really tempted to try out that pool. The whole set up just screamed family gatherings, pool parties, and barbecues. So far, that was her favorite part of the house.
Turning back again, her eyes swept the kitchen/family room and still detected no one there. She continued her trek through the lower level and discovered a laundry room, two powder rooms, and the entry to the three car garage. An enormous black Ford Expedition was parked there, and the garage was as clean and tidy as the rest of the house seemed to be.
Finding nothing else to interest her down stairs, Buffy wandered back to the entry area, took her suitcase in hand, and ascended to the second level. The staircase ended on a short landing that opened into a large hall running the length of the house sideways, with windows letting in light on either end. She counted four doors to her left, and six doors to her right.
Buffy stopped at the entrance to this hall, feeling that she had gone as far as she dared go in someone else's home without invitation. She retraced her steps, placing her suitcase on the top landing, and stepped slowly back down the stairs and returned to the formal living room. She hoped that Blonde Woman would return soon. She was very anxious and thought she'd feel much better when she was in her own designated room and had unpacked. She sat on one of the sofas to wait for her foster mother to return and show her to her room. She also thought the woman should tell her what her name was, and what she was expected to call her. Strangely, that had been glossed over when she'd first entered with Tanya, and Blonde Woman had talked so incessantly that the lapse was forgotten.
*Great. I live with a ditz whose name no one has even bothered to tell me. And she's wandered off somewhere. Does she even remember I'm here?*
Buffy picked up a magazine that had been carefully laid out among five others, upon a shelf beneath one of the end tables. The magazine was new, and although it was House and Garden, it was the most interesting of the choices before her. She thought she'd just read until Blonde Woman returned, and hoped she didn't fall asleep in the process. She was exhausted from the drama of the day, and desperately wanted to get into her new room and lay down for a bit.
"Oh!" came an astonished cry and a giggle from behind her. "I forgot all about you!"
Standing in the doorway from the hall, Blonde Woman looked both amused and embarrassed at her lapse. Buffy had the impression that she thought it was a cute little lapse. From this and the earlier conversation between Tanya and Blonde Woman, Buffy was starting to think Blonde Woman thought everything she did was cute. She thought that that was going to get old real fast.
For her part, Buffy was annoyed to be forgotten so quickly, but had decided early on to humor Blonde Woman as much as necessary. She really wanted to get along here, and make her stay in foster care as drama-free as possible. She felt that if this was the path Judge Holtz had laid out for her to get her daughter back, then she would walk it perfectly. She had her eyes on a goal and by God she was going to reach it as fast as possible.
So Buffy gave Blonde Woman her best smile, and assured her that it was fine, she didn't mind a bit. Blonde Woman beamed at her happily, and offered to take her on a tour of the house. Buffy didn't want to admit she'd been wandering on her own, so she took in the new information and sights as though she'd never seen them before.
Once Blonde Woman reached the top of the stairs, Buffy realized her suitcase was sitting right there as a testament to her having walked this way previously. Fortunately, Blonde Woman was chattering on and didn't appear to have noticed, so Buffy snagged it and continued to follow Blonde Woman through the second story.
"Our bedroom is at the end of this hallway, the last door on the right," Blonde Woman nodded toward the left hallway without walking any further down that way. "There is a linen closet on the near left, here, and a guest room at the far left. The room on the near right is my doll room."
Buffy gazed down the hallway at the various doors Blonde Woman pointed out to her.
"The 'doll room'?"
"Oh, yes!" Blonde Woman gushed. "I collect antique dolls and dollhouses, and that entire room is where I display and store them. There are some dolls placed around the house, of course, but most of them are in that room. I'll show them to you later." Blonde Woman turned to go down the hallway on the opposite side. "Do you have any hobbies or collections?"
"Um...no."
""Well, that's too bad. I believe every woman should have a hobby of some kind. I've found that it really relieves a lot of tension. And, it's such
fun!" Blonde Woman beamed.
Not knowing how to respond to this declaration, Buffy quietly followed Blonde Woman down the right hallway.
"Now, here is my husband's home office, on the right here," she turned to Buffy and warned her gravely,"You must never go in my husband's office. He's very strict about his office." She turned and indicated the open door across from the office. "To your left here is the upstairs bathroom," and she continued down the hall, pointing out the different areas as though she were a docent giving a guided tour in a museum.
"Next on our right here is another bedroom, for another foster child should we decide to bring one in." She turned to Buffy with wide sincere eyes, laid a hand on her arm and nodded in all seriousness. "You're our only foster right now, though."
She then turned back to her tour, pointing to a door on the left, across from the 'other foster bedroom'. "That's another closet, and the door on the far left is another guest bedroom. And
this," she announced dramatically while opening the last door on the right, "is your new bedroom." She smiled happily as she waved Buffy into her new room.
Buffy slowly entered the room and stopped a few feet beyond the door. The room was a light, cheerful room, painted in cream, as most of the house seemed to be, with deep blue curtains pulled back by a sash at each of the three wide windows, which were also fitted with wooden slat blinds, for privacy in the evening. At the center back wall, there was a double size french sleigh bed with a down duvet covered in a blue-and-cream thin-striped fabric. Fluffy down pillows, in flouncy white shams, sat two deep on each side of the head of the bed. Over the bed hung a beautiful oil painting that drew Buffy's attention immediately. It was of a young Amish girl, dark blue scarf covering her blonde head, standing next to a barn in the middle of a light snowfall, herding some cows to the warmth inside. There was about the rural scene something so peaceful and timeless that Buffy found herself calmed as she contemplated it.
A matching bedside table graced each side of the sleigh bed, with a small stained-glass lamp atop each. A cordless telephone and an alarm clock sat on the right-side table.
A dark blue upholstered wing chair stood on the right side of the bed, on the opposite side of the bedside table. A bureau, a small bookcase, and a matching desk and chair completed the furnishings. There was a good-sized walk in closet, and Buffy could see a door on her right, opening into a private bathroom. Overall, Buffy was pleased with her surroundings.
*I could do sooo much worse than this.* Buffy mused. *Although it looks like Blonde Woman is settling in to to keep me company for awhile.*
Blonde Woman had indeed settled herself on the bed, next to the suitcase Buffy was now unpacking, and had not stopped chattering away. Buffy was having difficulty keeping up with the pace of her 'conversation', especially since the subjects kept changing back and forth at a rapid pace. It seemed as though Blonde Woman was easily distracted and would say anything at all as soon as it popped into her head.
*She'll run out of things to say eventually. Right?*
"Just the one suitcase? Well there's plenty of room, you can pick up some more things if you want. Tanya was telling me that you'll be attending Sunnydale High School. That's wonderful. It's a good school. We should get you some new clothes before the new semester starts. Oh! What an adorable little halter. I've never seen one like that before, can I take a look at it? Such lovely fabric, it must look just wonderful on you. Oh! I love that black dress. There's wooden hangers in the closet. I just can't abide wire hangers, can you? What a dear little stuffed pig! He looks well-loved, I'll bet you've had him for years. Are those pictures? May I see them? Is this your baby? What a little doll! What's her name? How old is she? Will you be bringing her here sometimes? I'd love to see her..."
Buffy was astonished at the sheer speed and number of questions Blonde Woman asked. She barreled through them so quickly that she didn't really seem to stop to hear any answers. Buffy's headache was getting worse, and she really needed to rest a minute. But she didn't want to insult or alienate the strange woman, especially since she had been quite friendly so far. Since Blonde Woman didn't look to be slowing down any time soon, Buffy decided she'd just have to be as determined to interrupt as Blonde Woman was to talk.
"Um...I...What is...I don't know...I never got...
What is your name?!" she finally increased her volume and asked her question as rapidly as possible.
Blonde Woman finally registered and stopped speaking. "Oh! Did I forget to introduce myself? I'm so sorry. My name is Rosemary. You can call me Rosemary. Everyone calls me Rosemary. I never did like Rose, or Rosie, or Mary--"
"I'm very glad to meet you Rosemary. Your house is beautiful, and I really love the room you're letting me stay in," Buffy rushed on now that she'd managed to be heard. "But it's been a very long day and I'm getting a headache and I'd really like to just turn in for the night if that's all right? I need to just rest now." Buffy gave Rosemary her best 'hopeful' face, and prayed desperately that the woman would leave her be for a while.
"My goodness, what am I thinking, talking your ear off your first day here," Rosemary bounced to her feet, and announced "Actually, I do have an engagement I was planning to attend and it starts in about thirty minutes. I do need to get going." Rosemary started out of the bedroom and then turned at the door, "If you get hungry, help yourself to whatever food we have in the kitchen, there's a tv in the family room, and tylenol in the bathroom cabinet down the hall. I expect to get back about ten-thirty and my husband won't be back until very late tonight. You'll meet him tomorrow morning. Breakfast is at 7:30 but if you want to sleep in tomorrow we can find something for you to eat after. We'll have to go shopping and get some foods you especially like, if you want... to..." She finally slowed down and took a breath. She continued more slowly, "I'm very glad you're here now, Buffy. In just the short time you've been here, the house doesn't seem quite so silent, you know?" She smiled sadly.
Buffy hadn't expected this last admission, but immediately thought of her own loneliness at the apartment, when Fred was gone and Faith was often absent. And at least she'd had Katie for company, too. She suddenly saw Rosemary, not as a talkative busy body with loose boundaries, but as a woman with a comfortable life and a beautiful home, but who still felt very much alone. Buffy thought she probably talked to her dolls, but the dolls couldn't talk back... at least she hoped they didn't.
"I used to get lonely at my apartment, too. It's good to have someone else around, even if they don't say anything at all, you know? Just being there in the house is enough, you know?" Buffy said softly.
"Yeah, I know," Rosemary smiled again. "Good night, Buffy."
"Goodnight, Rosemary."
Rosemary closed the door and left Buffy to herself finally.
Buffy finished unpacking, but the last item brought her up short. It was Katie's little black velvet Christmas dress, the one she'd just finished Saturday, minutes prior to the police pounding on her door. She had managed to partition off the pain she felt over losing Katie to someplace deep and inaccessible, just so she could get through the last few days with her sanity intact. She hadn't been able to let herself feel the pain and loss very deeply for fear she would crumple and die right there in the jail.
But as she now held the little dress in her hands, suddenly the enormity of her situation and her devastation at being separated from her baby all caught up with her. She crushed the little dress close to her chest and curled into a ball in the middle of the bed and wept until she fell into an exhausted sleep.
~~~~~~~~~
Buffy woke around midnight, feeling uncomfortable and grungy, still fully clothed and atop her bedcovers. It took a moment to get her bearings and realize where she was. Once she remembered, she rose and put the suitcase and anything else left on the bed on the top of the bureau. She placed the little black dress carefully on a hanger in the closet. Then she stripped out of her clothes and took a quick shower, donning the loose cotton pajama bottoms and baby t-shirt that she usually slept in.
Once done, she looked around the room a minute and tried to decide what to do. The headache was gone, but she suddenly realized that now she was starving. Dinner had been early, and she'd had nothing since. She slipped her thin robe on and made her way through the dark house and into the kitchen. She turned on the light and looked around to see what snacks were available. Discovering some cereal, she made herself a bowl and settled down on the sofa to watch a little late night tv while she ate. Nervous about waking anyone else, she kept the sound very low.
Suddenly a strong male voice came from behind her, in the kitchen.
"Well, hello there," The Voice greeted cheerfully. "You must be the new foster kid."
Buffy put her bowl down on the coffee table and turned around to greet her new foster father, who was also walking over to meet her. Suddenly they both stopped and stared at each other in shock.
"John Smith!?" she gasped, then remembered her manners. "Um, I mean, hi." She smiled uncertainly at him.
John could not believe this. It was the girl from the beach last summer. The girl in the smokin' hot bikini with the little baby building sand castles at the lagoon.
*Oh God. How am I going to explain this? I
flirted with this girl. And now she knows who I am. And that the children weren't even mine. Oh God.*
*Omigod. He's the guy from the beach. With the little kids....who weren't his?! And he
flirted with me! Omigod!*
They both smiled tentatively at each other. John seemed frozen in shock, and Buffy shifted nervously. Neither knew how to say what they were both thinking.
*That slimy scuzzball is married! And using someone else's kids to pick up women!*
*That incredibly hot girl is living in my house and could tell my wife at any moment what I was doing last summer! I am so screwed!*
*What if he comes on to me now!? What if he thinks he can blackmail me into letting him do things to me in order to stay in this home and not get Judge Holtz mad at me for messing up the placement!? I am so screwed!*
"Well, nice to meet you, John. I'm Buffy."
"Yeah, nice to meet you too, Buffy."
"I'd better wash this up and go to bed now." Buffy started to take her bowl into the kitchen.
"No, leave it. I'm not ready to sleep yet. I'll take care of it for you." John stopped her and reached to remove the bowl from her hand.
Buffy looked down and handed it off to him. "Thank you. Good night."
John watched her walk out of the room. "Good night." He sat down wearily at the breakfast counter. "I'm in trouble now."
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There's the first chapter of Part Two. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. She'll be meeting Spike very very soon. I just need to get her circumstances sorted out before the grand entrance. Thank you for all your lovely reviews.
Sara