Faith goes looking for her father to answer some of her questions left by her mother's return. Buffy tries to help as best she can, leading her to ask questions about her own relationship with her father and whether she should do the same.
She was so good for me with my dad and helped me so much. She deserves to have this moment, whatever it is. Even if it's just a moment and doesn't lead to anything bigger, she needs to feel some kind of closure and to feel like she can move forward. I hope it leads to more for her and her dad, but if it doesn't, that's okay too. It's like I said, she and I are different people. We don't need the same things to move forward. If all she needs is for this to go well, then that's all she needs. I needed a lot more, which is why I had to go and meet my dad. Which worked out pretty well. My dad and I actually have a relationship now. Or something resembling a relationship.
Maybe things between dad and me won't work out long term. But at least we have a chance now even if it doesn't work out. We have a chance to have something. Not to mention knowing that he didn't know about things like vampires and what mom was when they were together. It makes me feel better to know at least one person in my life before meeting B wasn't lying to me. He wasn't trying to destroy my life in the way my mom obviously was. He was actually trying to protect me and give me something like a normal life, even if it didn't really work out that well for me. At least he tried to do the right thing. Just like he was when we had to face down the vamps he owed money to.
B probably isn't going to get anything like that. She needs something though. From the way she talks about him and how their phone conversation went, it's been a thing with her for a long time. It would be good to let things go. I definitely feel better knowing I don't have to worry about things anymore. Like I told B when she asked, I feel like I don't have as much weight on me as I used to. I can move forward now and not worry about some weird thing coming up from my past I didn't know about. At least from my dad or anything else with my family. That makes me feel so much better. I want B to have that if she can get it.
She turns into the cemetery and I follow.
We have to get through this part first though.
I look forward and see him a few feet ahead. As we get closer, I look to B and she gives me a sad smile back. She turns her attention to him.
"Hi dad..."
He does his best to smile back, given the circumstances.
"Buffy... it's good to see you."
We stop and her dad glances at me for a second. B notices.
"Dad, this is Faith. She's the one I was telling you about."
He turns his focus to me, trying again to give me a smile.
"The one who helped my daughter through this."
He puts out his hand to me. After a second, I take his hand and shake it.
"Thank you for helping her."
I try to smile back.
"You're welcome."
B speaks up at this point.
"Have you found it yet?"
"I was waiting for you."
That seems pretty nice of him.
B smiles at that and looks around.
"They're over here."
She starts moving towards their graves and I let her dad go first before following.
I don't want to get in the way. I'll just let them have this moment.
It isn't long before we all stop at their headstones. I stand just behind them both, enough to see the headstones.
'Joyce Summers Beloved Mother She Gave Us So Much'
'Dawn Summers Beloved Sister Darling Daughter She Was Loved'
Dawn...
He crouches down to get eye level with the headstones.
"I'm sorry..."
He lets out a deep breath.
"I should've been there, and I'm sorry that I wasn't."
He looks up at his kid.
"Did they suffer?"
B crouches down with him as she talks.
"Mom was in a lot of pain for a long time. They did everything they could to help her but..."
She stops, the ending kinda obvious. There's a long pause before he asks.
"And Dawn?"
B doesn't really answer. Eventually, I try to help her out.
"She didn't suffer."
He looks up at me, slightly confused. B decides to add to what I said.
"Faith was there... when Dawn died. She..."
Again B struggles to answer. So I step in.
"I was driving the car with Dawn when a drunk driver hit us on her side of the car. I did everything I could to save her but..."
It's my turn to not really finish what I'm saying with B stepping in.
"The doctors said there was nothing anyone could do. Even if Faith wasn't hurt in the car accident herself, Dawn's injuries were so bad, if she'd tried to help her it would've made things worse."
I kinda hate that we're lying to him. But it's the best way, and it's what B wants.
We fall into silence for a while.
"Did they get him?"
Him?
Neither B or I know exactly what he means so we just wait for more.
"The drunk driver. Did he go to jail for killing my daughter?"
We look at each other before B gives him the best explanation.
"He... died in the crash too. And we didn't want to hurt his family by going after him."
Her father thinks about that for a second.
"Makes sense. Joyce was always one for forgiveness."
None of us say anything for a while.
"I'm sorry Buffy, I should've been here for you. I should've been a better father to you... and to Dawn. Maybe if I was here, she wouldn't have died."
"Dad... you can't think that way."
"How can I not?"
I jump in at that point.
"It's like Buffy said. There wasn't anything anyone could do. I've spent a lot of time thinking about what I could've done differently. If maybe I'd gotten to her earlier. Maybe I could swerved to avoid the other car. But your daughter taught me I couldn't live like that. I had to move forward."
B adds something.
"So we did... together. We learned to stop blaming each other for what happened to Dawn."
She reaches out to her father and puts a hand on his shoulder.
"And you have to do it too dad."
He puts his hand on hers on his shoulder.
"You really have grown up, haven't you?"
"I had to."
She stands up again and not long after, I do too. Her father slowly follows.
"I'm sorry about that Buffy."
"It's okay. I... I like who I am now. I wouldn't change what happened for anything."
He waits a second before asking the obvious.
"What can I do?"
She doesn't respond right away.
"You came back. That's enough... at least for now."
He watches her for a while to make sure she means it, which she does.
"If I can do anything..."
She interrupts him without being angry.
"Thank you."
We stand in silence.
"Can I at least get a hug?"
B stands there for a moment, then closes the distance between them and they hug. I stand a few feet away and watch. She smiles at me before focusing on her father.
I'm really happy for her.
We stand there next to Joyce and Dawn's graves.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
