The first day of summer found the Summers twins packing up any necessities in preparation for Buffy's stay with their father, Hank, in his home back in L.A.
Yilfa had opted out of joining her sister even though she would've enjoyed visiting her friends again there was no way she was returning to that city any time soon - certainly not to spend time with the man who she viewed as having walked out on his family because he didn't want to deal with what had been going on after Buffy's calling.
The twins had a slight argument about how if one was staying behind then the other would as well but much like how Buffy knew Yilfa couldn't stay in L.A. Yilfa knew that Buffy needed time away from Sunnydale after what had happened with the Master and her subsequent resurrection.
Besides, Yilfa still had a lot of prep work to do before the arrival of her twins and not a lot of time to do it so she really was better off staying behind. Although she demanded that Buffy bring her back some new outfits from their favorite strip mall while she was there to which Buffy happily agreed.
The next day when Hank's car pulled up the Summers' driveway Yilfa bid farewell to her twin and gave a short nod to Hank before promptly heading back inside before he could try and start any awkward conversations with his eldest.
Buffy noticed the subtle wilt to Hank's shoulders after Yilfa failed to acknowledge him beyond a stiff nod and while she felt bad for her father she understood that Yilfa had no desire to interact with him and likely left to avoid further dampening the already overcast mood for the rest of the family.
After the father-daughter duo had left for the busy streets of L.A. Joyce found her eldest staring at an old framed photo of the four of them at a sunny park back when the girls were eight - they all had big, genuine grins on their faces and they looked like any normal, happy family. Joyce saw the many complex emotions swirling around in her daughter's eyes and felt her heart sink.
Yilfa and Hank's relationship was complex and nothing like how Hank and Buffy's was. There had always been an underlying note of tension and a faint chill to their relationship that only became more prominent as Yilfa grew up - they were polite and did care for each other but if a total stranger were to look at them on the streets they'd likely think that they were acquaintances with some sort of unpleasant history between them rather than a parent and their child.
Joyce and Hank's devorce only served to further cement the distance between the two and Yilfa never bothered making any attempts to spend time with Hank unless Joyce and/or Buffy was there with her. In fact the only real communication between them was exchanging holiday or birthday cards.
Yilfa looked at the photo for a few moments more before setting it back down and heading upstairs to her room without another word.
Joyce sighed. They were both in for a long summer.
It had been a long summer.
To think that she wasn't even halfway through it yet only served to make Yilfa feel even more exhausted then normal. That or it was another part of her pregnancy. Possibly both.
Yilfa lay sprawled inelegantly across her bed, book long abandoned in favor of listening to After The Thrill Is Gone as it played on her record player. The only real source of teenage company she bothered with after Buffy'd left was with the members of a small band called Dingos Ate My Baby whom she would occasionally perform with at the Bronze before she got too far along in her pregnancy.
Her contact with Willow and Xander was minimal - she would patrol with them whenever she could, though after her belly popped she opted out of patrolling for various rather obvious reasons, and was always open to conversing with them though neither of them went out of their ways to hang out with each other although Yilfa had noticed how they spent increasing amounts of time together which gave the blonde hope that Xander was moving past his crush on her sister and finally giving Willow the chance she deserved which was why she often left the pair to their own devices.
In fact the only person she kept consistent and frequent contact with was Angel. They had continued with their nightly ritual as he'd dubbed it and often spent their nights laying in bed watching movies, reading, talking, or just laying cuddled next to one another in comfortable silence.
And every time Yilfa had performed at the Bronze, Angel would be sitting at a table close to the front watching his sister with a fond, proud smile as she ensnared every patron with her sirens' song.
Speaking of Angel, Yilfa heard the familiar two-tone tapping on her window before a familiar figure pushes the unlocked window open and squeezes through. Sighing happily, Yilfa walked - or rather waddled - over to her record player and turned it off before sitting back down on her bed. Angel cleared his throat as he leaned casually against her closet door.
"You still listening to moping music?" He asks, poking fun at her taste in music like she so often did to him. Yilfa glared at him semi-playfully, "For your information Angie it's not moping music - it's Eagles music. And before you ask: I'm fine."
Angel raises an eyebrow looking sceptical and asks, "Really?" Earning a shrug with a light nod from his sister who doesn't meet his eyes - instead opting to look at the area that they (Yilfa, Joyce, and Angel) had finally finished converting into her baby's nursery.
Angel scans her up and down before he scoffs and storms towards her, looking upset as he leans down and gently but firmly grabs her arm before pulling her into her bathroom and making her stand in front of the mirror hanging above the sink.
"Take a closer look and then still tell me your fine."
Yilfa slowly looked up and gasps lightly once she saw her reflection. Bags were heavy under her tired blue eyes, her cheeks were sunken in slightly from the constant lack of food courtesy of her revolting stomach and not only that but those expressive and lively eyes instead reflected back an almost dead stare.
The lively gleam in them was gone.
"This isn't the Yilfa I know."
The she-wolf sheepishly glanced beside her in the mirror and frowned when she didn't see Angel's reflection before the realization dawned on her. She had forgotten that vampires didn't have reflections, she had grown so close and used to his presence that she often forgot that Angel was in fact a centuries old vampire. Turning around, she almost ran into Angel's chest with how close he actually was thought he caught her before she could.
She looked up into his brown eyes with a quiet intensity, he looked down at her with an expression that she couldn't quite decipher though she recognized his genuine concern for her well-being.
"You need to eat...I know you haven't had much besides crackers and soup in a week."
Frowning playfully she squinted her eyes at him, "How do you know that? You been keeping tabs on me?" She teased.
"Just making sure you don't do anything stupid." He quipped with a playful smile that bordered on being a smirk. His response and his expression drew a scoff from the blonde who then looked over at her shower stall, "Okay, I'm gonna take a shower...if you could please get the hell out of my bathroom - I mean unless you'd like a free show from the pregnant lady."
Angel's lip slightly raises as his smirk widens, "There she is ladies and gentlemen."
Chuckling lightly, Yilfa glanced back at him, "Thanks Angie."
"No problem Yvie." He goes to move away until she holds his wrist, stopping him. Standing on her tip toes she placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. Backing away slowly she let go of his wrist and looked up at his smiling face that so few got to see.
"Now really get the hell out."
And Angel laughed.
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