Work Text:
A Little Bit Of Rayne 9: Light Little Flurry
by Ragna
writinggoddess@aol.com
Now the rain turns into snowfall as the
City sky reflects the silver street below
~ from "Gone To The Movies" by Semisonic
It was raining in London. It was cold, and dreary, and miserable.
It perfectly reflected Jennifer's mood.
She'd taken some time away from Giles and the newfound Slayers to go to London and visit her mother, but as she walked in the rain, she started to wonder if walking from the nearest bus stop to her mother's place had been a good idea after all.
She hadn't seen her mother in months. She'd talked to her, of course; Jennifer was nothing if dutiful, but she missed talking to her mother in person, having some of her homemade hot chocolate and seeing all the pictures that tied her to her past. She missed home.
Home...that made her wonder where home was these days. She knew home was in London, in her mother's cozy flat, but she wondered where her home in the States was going to be. She knew she wasn't going to move back in with Wesley soon, and she wasn't about to take her apartment back from Dawn and Buffy.
So where did that leave her?
She listened to the sound of her snow boots crunching on the loose gravel. There was only a flurry of rain falling down now, not like the storm that had hit earlier in the day. It made things look softer.
Maybe she should just stay and forget about Los Angeles...
"No," she muttered to herself. She knew she couldn't do that. Angel needed her, and so did Spike, Lindsey, Dawn, Buffy, Fred, Gunn, Robin, Faith...
She looked up and saw the door to her mom's place in front of her. All the thinking had preoccupied her time until she arrived.
She took her key out and opened the door, thankful to smell the aromas that meant her mother was busy baking. "Mum! I'm home!" she called out.
Debra Evans poked her head out from the kitchen. "Jenny! What a surprise."
Jennifer grinned. Her mother was the only person who ever called her Jenny; everyone else called her Jen or Jennifer. "Well, I was nearby, helping Rupert out. Thought I'd pay a visit."
The tan her mother had had when Jennifer was younger was gone now, as was the thick, long dark brown hair; it was graying at the temples and was cut in a shorter, more angular fashion. It also seemed thinner.
But Debra seemed much the same: tall, lean and with a few laugh lines on her face. And the smile was just the same, Jennifer thankfully noted.
Debra gave her daughter a hug. "Have you talked to Wesley yet?"
Trust her mother to hit on the one subject she didn't want to talk about. "Not since I left LA, and I don't want to talk to him right now."
Debra nodded. "When you're ready you will, right?"
"Maybe."
"Close enough," she said gently. "So, read any interesting letters lately?"
Jennifer looked at her mother, raising an eyebrow. "Letters? Mum, all my mail's still getting sent to Wesley's, and as far as I know it's now piled up on my desk at the firm."
"Then I'm glad I got a letter."
"Well, I'm glad you got one too, but what does it have to do with me?"
"It's from your father, Ethan."
Jennifer steered herself towards the nearest seat to sit down before she lost the ability to stand. "He? He wrote? You and me?"
Debra nodded. "You're right, you're letter's probably in Los Angeles." She went to the table in the entryway and plucked a letter from the top of the pile of letters there, then went back and handed it to her daughter. "Read it."
Jennifer's hands were shaking as she opened the letter, the first words she'd ever known from her father.
"Debra,
I made a real mess of things, didn't I? Twenty-five years have gone by, I know, and I do apologize about...well, everything. This is what I get for wanting chaos. I assume you've moved on. If you haven't, I hope it has nothing to do with me. If you have, congratulations. I hope life is better for you now.
I heard through the grapevine that our daughter is a Slayer. Surprise, surprise. I hope she's safe; I used to...well, it's not important. Suffice to say, it's a hard job. She's also a Watcher, I think? I was still in prison when the Watcher's Council blew up. I never thought about that...must come from your side of the family. If she's anything like you and nothing like me, then they're a very lucky organization.
I'm out now, back in London. This isn't a letter begging for you to reunite with me; while I am a changed man, like I said earlier, I hope you have moved on, even if it's back to Rupert. Honestly, anyone is better than me. I would like to see you, however. I'd also like to see Jennifer; I sent her a letter as well to the firm she's working with in Los Angeles. I hope she gets it.
Let me know what you decide; my phone number is below.
Yours truly,
Ethan"
Jennifer set the letter down. "How does he know about me?"
Her mother emerged from the kitchen with two mugs of hot chocolate. "I'm assuming he's kept tabs on you as you've grown up."
"Did you tell him you were pregnant with me?"
"Yes, the day before he was leaving for Liverpool. I told him to leave, that I would be fine on my own."
"Why didn't you ever talk to Rupert until a few months ago?"
"I was ashamed," Debra said simply, handing Jennifer her mug. "He and Ethan hated each other at that point. Ethan later admitted he'd used a spell to get me in bed, but the damage was done. I was afraid Rupert would hate me."
"He doesn't."
"I know."
"In fact, he asked me to invite you back for dinner tonight."
Debra smiled. "Did he now?"
Jennifer nodded. "Mum?"
"Yes?"
"If I were to call him, would that be okay?"
Debra thought for a moment. "I don't want to see him, dear, but you're an adult. If you want to meet him, then I have no problem with it."
"Can I use your phone, then?"
"Of course."
end