"Graduation Present"

Author: Michelle
Email: michellabella52478@yahoo.com

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"Congratulations, Buffy. You made it through high school," commended Mrs. Summers as they walked into the house.

Buffy shrugged and smiled. "Who'dve thought? Too bad Dad couldn't make it."

"He missed an...interesting ceremony." Mrs. Summers didn't quite think of the right words to describe her daughter's graduation ceremony.

"That's one way of putting it. Though 'interesting' is a bit of an understatement," Buffy said. She, also, couldn't come up with the right words. "Well, I bet no one else's graduation was this eventful."

Mrs. Summers hung her coat up in the closet. "And I'm willing to bet that no other mother got to watch her daughter lead a giant snake into the school and blow it up."

"What can I say, I wanted to go out with a bang," joked the graduate. "And it was a demon, Mom. I had to blow the mayor up or else all of Sunnydale would be snake food." Buffy tried to imagine it, but it wasn't a pretty picture. "I am going upstairs. I think there's still snake guts in my hair."

"Okay. I'll bring you a fresh towel to use. They're all downstairs in the dryer."

Buffy walked upstairs to the bathroom. She passed her bedroom, noticing a package on her bed. Overcome with curiosity, and too anxious to wait until she got out of the shower, Buffy went right into her room. Carefully sitting on the bed, she reached over to inspect the package. "Who sent this?" Her name was written in sprawling letters across an envelope on top of the wrapped box.

Buffy tore the envelope open. Inside was a note. She recognized the paper. Yellow parchment paper. The same paper Angel used to draw his pictures on. "Angel," she whispered.

Butterflies invaded her stomach, taking over like a group of unwanted army men. The last thing she expected was a letter from him, much less a package. He couldn't even say good-bye to her earlier, after the Ascension. They had just stood in the darkness and fog, unable to speak those two dreaded words. Then he disappeared into the darkness.

She slowly, cautiously unfolded Angel's letter. Sighing deeply, Buffy began to read.

Buffy sobbed openly and loudly. She didn't care if her mother heard, or even if the neighbors heard. Her sorrow took over and she let it. Even when her parents had divorced over two years earlier, Buffy knew she would be able to see them whenever she wanted. This was different. In her heart, though she tried denying it, she was aware that she might never see Angel again. It crushed her.

"What's the matter, sweetie? Why are you crying?" Mrs. Summers asked from the doorway where she held two towels.

She couldn't answer. The words wouldn't form and the shaking was uncontrollable. So uncontrollable that Angel's letter, which she had been holding in her left hand, fell onto the bed.

Putting the towels down on the chair near Buffy's door, Mrs. Summers entered the room. She picked up the letter and read it over. So he left town. Good. Maybe now Buffy can have a real life. The letter touched her, and she could see, through Angel's words, how much he cared about her daughter. In Mrs. Summers's eyes, he did the right thing for both of them.She placed her arms around Buffy, embracing her. Buffy sobbed into her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, honey. I wish I could have prevented this from happening."

Sniffling, Buffy moved out of her mother's embrace. "I miss him. I don't even have a picture to remember him by."

Mrs. Summers handed Buffy the wrapped package on the bed. "You have this. Open it; you can remember him by what he wanted you to have."

Buffy opened the box, careful not to rip the wrapping paper Angel used for it. When she removed it and opened the top, Buffy gasped. Inside was a stuffed teddy bear wearing ice skates. "Oh my god."

"It's a cute bear."

She shot her mother a dark glance which Mrs. Summers didn't notice. "It's more than cute, Mom. Not too long before...before he changed, Angel and I went ice skating. We never got to finish the date because the Order of Taraka came to the rink and tried to kill me. Us. He remembered. I think it's his way of telling me he owes me a date."

"That's very thoughtful of him."

"It's just like him, actually. There's more in here." Buffy lifted another piece of yellow parchment paper out of the box. "Mom, it's a drawing of me. When we lived in L.A."

"How can you tell? And how would he know what you looked like then?"

"My hair is really long here. I cut it before we moved here, remember? He must have drawn this the night I staked my first vampire. Angel was there, watching me from the brush." Fresh tears flowed as she pulled the last thing out of the box.

"What is it?"

Buffy sniffled. "A claddagh ring. There's a note attached to it. 'Wear it however you like. Mine will always face towards me.'"

Mrs. Summers looked at the ring her daughter held. "Looks expensive."

Buffy shook her head. "No, Mom. It's priceless."

The End