halfamoon | Day 6 Secrets and/or Lies - Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Title: A Believable Story
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Female Character: Joyce Summers
Rating: Teen
Summary: Set between seasons 2 & 3, Joyce receives a phone call from her ex-husband

The call from Hank came out of the blue. “Hello, Joyce,” he said. “Is Buffy home?”

“She's not here,” said Joyce. She didn't expect him to continue with the line of questions. He was easy in that regard, usually giving up as soon as he got an answer.

This time, he continued, “Oh, that's too bad. I was going to be traveling near Sunnydale next Satur and I wanted to take her to dinner. Can you have her call me when she gets home?”

I have no idea when that will be. “Sure,” said Joyce, mind working quickly to devise a believable story. “Only... if it's next weekend, she's going out of town with her friend Willow.” The last thing she needed was for Hank to know that Buffy had left town. She had looked after Buffy after the divorce, dealt with all of the teen angst and drama, and she didn't need for him to start feeling like the better parent.

“Well, maybe if she knows I'm going to be there, she'll change her plans,” Hank said.

“I doubt it. She and Willow have been planning this trip to Big Bear for months. She even picked up the cutest outfit just in case they go skiing. I'm surprised she didn't mention it to you.” Joyce knew very well that Hank hadn't tried to reach Buffy in months and she got a tiny bit of pleasure of needling him.

“Just tell her I called.”

“When she gets home, I will.” Another lie. Well, a lie that she hoped wasn't a lie. If Buffy came home before next weekend, Joyce would relay the information. It would be a small price to pay for having her daughter back home.

There was a long pause and then Hank asked, “Joyce, are you doing okay?”

She set the receiver in the cradle, ending the conversation. She didn't feel like lying anymore.