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“Hank? It’s Joyce.”
Buffy and Angel sat in her kitchen, listening to the phone call between her parents. She was curled up on his lap, her head leaning against his chest. Mrs. Summers had insisted that Buffy be in the room with her for moral support, since she was about to tell her ex-husband a whole list of reasons why Buffy wouldn’t be spending the summer with him, none of which were technically true. Buffy had insisted that Angel be in the room with *her*, for moral support when she had to talk to her dad.
“It’s about Buffy,” Joyce was saying. “No, nothing like that. She’s fine. It’s just that..... well, she won’t be able to spend the summer with you this year. At least, not the whole summer.” There was a pause while she listened to Hank’s predictable (and understandable) reaction. “Well, it’s partly because of school. She missed some of her exams..... Why? Well, one of her friends was in the hospital, and Buffy couldn’t really concentrate under those circumstances.” She glanced over at her daughter and crossed her fingers. “So she has to make those up.... and her teachers think that she might need to take a few summer school courses. She’s been falling behind a little bit... nothing to worry about, they say. They just want to make sure that she’s prepared for senior year.....”
Angel raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Once your mother decides to accept something, she really accepts it,” he said.
Buffy nodded. “Yeah. She’s really taking this well. I’m still waiting for the breakdown.”
Just then Willow, Oz, Xander, and Cordelia came in through the kitchen door, arguing good-naturedly. They quieted when they saw that Mrs. Summers was on the phone, but continued to talk in whispers.
“I come bearing food!” announced Xander, setting two pizza boxes down on the table. At a glare from Cordelia, he moved them over to make space for the popcorn and chips she was carrying.
“What movie did you guys get?” Buffy asked.
“Scream 2,” Oz answered, setting the bag from the video store next to the food.
Buffy groaned. “Don’t we have enough bloodshed in our everyday lives?”
Willow giggled. “Well, it was the only decent new release that didn’t involve demons, vampires, werewolves, or high school,” she said apologetically.
Angel looked relieved. “Good,” he said. “I hate vampire movies.” Everyone burst into laughter, and after a moment, he joined in.
“Buffy,” Joyce said. “Your father wants to talk to you.” She held out the phone. “Try and keep it down to a dull roar, all right? The pillows and things for Willow and Cordelia are in the linen closet. And make sure that the guys are on their way by midnight. See you in the morning.” She kissed Buffy on the cheek and headed upstairs.
“You guys go in and start the movie, okay? I’ll be in in a minute,” Buffy said. She looked at Angel, and he nodded. He’d stay in the kitchen with her. The rest of the Scooby gang picked up the food and relocated to the family room.
Buffy lifted the phone to her ear. “Hi Dad.”
“Hi Buffy. What’s this I hear about you not coming this summer?”
“I might be able to come for a couple of weeks at the end. But I really need to get caught up on my work, get ready for senior year, you know? I wish I could come for longer,” she said.
“Well, I’ll miss you, honey. I wish you could come for longer too.” Her father’s voice sounded sad. Then he brightened. “You sound like you have some friends over.”
She smiled. “Yeah, Willow, and Xander, and her boyfriend Oz, and his girlfriend Cordelia.” She paused, glancing at Angel. “And....... my boyfriend. His name’s Angel.”
She could almost see her father’s eyebrows going up. “Oh? What’s he like?”
“He’s wonderful.” She could feel Angel’s eyes on her, and she raised her gaze to meet his. “He looks out for me, and he’s smart, and really sweet.” She saw a smile creeping over Angel’s face. “He’s a great guy.”
“Well, that’s wonderful, sweetheart. I wish I could meet him.” He sounded slightly wistful.
“Maybe you will sometime.”
Suddenly Xander called from the family room, “Hey Buff! Hurry up or there won’t be any pizza left!”
Her father sighed. “Well, I guess I’d better let you go. I’ll see you soon, I hope.”
“Soon.” Buffy was reluctant to hang up. Here was another person she’d almost lost. “I love you, Daddy.”
She heard the smile in his voice. “I love you too, Buffy. ‘Bye for now.”
“ ‘Bye.” She hung up the phone slowly, then turned to Angel. “Come on,” she said with a grin, grabbing his hand. “Let’s go pretend we’re normal teenagers.”
With a crooked smile, Angel allowed himself to be led into the family room.