Hiraeth (pronounced [hiraɪ̯θ])

    AUTHOR: kerk hiraeth

    FANDOM: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (FemaleHusband!verse)

    CHARACTER: Buffy Summers 

    LENGTH: 300,

   RATING: PG-13,

   A/N: This is set some time after the setting up of Slayer HQ (around 2005) and the time the first of the various Slayer facilities started becoming operational (between late 2006 and the summer of 2008), with the facilities in Tibet & Scotland mentioned.

           The title originates with one of the episodes of Jet Wolf's Buffy continuation where Kennedy & Tara are on a road trip; discovering a mixtape of Tara's, and also discovering that Tara's music taste is far removed from what she assumed. It's also the fourth, or fifth, different title that I considered and, quite literally, decided upon when I was looking for the final line.

           I was trying to find the landing for this story and, from somewhere in my head, this song popped into my head. Given that the, original, two paragraphs were about Tara & Buffy's Moms; 2Pac's Dear Mama www.youtube.com/watch not only reduced that to a single line, but also gave me my title.

      Shonen Knife were playing in her ears as she made her spidery notes in the margins of reports; drinking the Jamaican Mountain Blue, sent her by Kendra's old watcher. A bottle of Japanese Whisky was on it's way in reciprocation.

   She smiled behind her cup; knowing full well they were commenting.

   She didn't need to hear them.

    ~~~

   The table, both private and public; peaceful as the old library making love to the Espresso Pump at midnight, was a tiny alcove in the never quiet commissary.

   Making herself a cup of tea; sent from the Tibetan facility by Oz, she started reading the training reports; much easier task now that the Slayers trained by Giles and Olivia were in charge of typing them up.

   She smirked at the highly inappropriate lyrics TLC were uttering.

    ~~~

   Her belly warmed satisfactorily by some deliciously spicy Solangon chicken soup; prepared by their brand new Filipina Watcher-cum-Chef, she relaxed with some Korean desserts; Japanese sodas; sent her by Satsu, and a gorgeous ice cream made by an old friend, and fellow refugee from Sunnydale, she began looking over the names of Slayers who had passed their...

   The Junior Slayers insisted on calling it Cruciamentum

   … except these kids were over eighteen; returning from deserved vacations, and needing to be assigned.

   And nobody had died.

   She liked the sound of that.

   After pencilling in a couple of names Buffy rose; deciding she needed some more tea. As the water boiled she relaxed by reading the label on the mixtape Tara had given her; some eighties Japanese band was doing a Doors cover.

   ''That'll Show-ya.'' Chuckling at the thought of Satsu's groan when she heard her chief's terrible joke she returned to the table with the hot water.

    ~~~

   As the fates were wont to do, just as Buffy was about to start on the progress reports for the trainees, the authors returned from a night out; Kennedy, who was leaving for Scotland in the morning, came in to the Commissary and, spotting her, stopped Vi and Rona from invading her personal sanctuary.

   Feeling an uncharacteristic warmth for the woman they were all convinced would have succeeded Faith, Buffy opened up the report folder again.

   Just then 2Pac turned up as the last artist on the mixtape.

   She grinned and shook her head at Tara's amazingly unpredictable musical taste.

   Buffy slowly made a silent, and invisible, toast her Mom.

     May the Goddess watch over you and those you love in these dark time,

     kerk hiraeth 
 

    AUTHOR: kerk hiraeth

    FANDOM: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (FemaleHusband!verse)

    CHARACTER(s): Faith Lehane;

    'SHIP: none;

   LENGTH: 350;

   RATING: R;

   A/N: After two years away Faith has been called back to Slayer HQ; established near the City of Trillium which, though close to a hellmouth, only marks the epicentre of a fiery series of hot spots; most dangerous of which is in Cleveland, but with fiery siblings near Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

           Irrelevant to this story is that Faith had already made the decision to return, but only Buffy and Giles know this. Also irrelevant to this story, but important to the series is why they called Faith back; hopefully it won't be too long before I write that story.

          This 'verse originates from the non-canon death of Willow in Season Six. 

ADDENDUM: I decided this was a good fit for the Halfamoon 2025 Day 3 prompt, Self-care. 

      By the time she brought her battered old Indian to a rolling halt outside the gatehouse Faith could see it was well past midnight.

    After staring down the Slayer in charge, she ignored the instructions she was given, and headed round by the old path next to where the hayfields had been.

    More than fifty hours on the road; she needed food, not fucking orders.

    Travelling at a purring lope she could see some kids under the lights having a catcher vs. umpire dispute as she took in the changes to the structures and layout in the two years she'd been gone.

    Growling at herself, she was still impressed as she dismounted out front of where the inner courtyard stables had been. She took in some kids playing a board game; one hurriedly hiding a plastic bag.

    Somebody had painted 'The Feading Room' in rainbow colours over the entrance; they'd used it to store crates of books while they repaired the main house, which set Faith to smirking that her snarky joke would be remembered by kids she'd never met she headed straight for the main cafeteria.

    Five minutes later she sat down; tray laden with baked potatoes; pasta; pierogi and chocolate cake.

    And confiscated beer.

    She recognised some of the faces staring at her as she fed her face.

    Grabbing up the last of the pierogi and polished off another beer; watched by the kid she's snagged them from. Grinning at her Faith stood up and chugged the last beer.

    Buffy and her Band of Bureaucrats could wait.

    Not needing to ask directions; she could see the floor plan Buffy's kid sister had drawn in her head, she grabbed some more Japanese sodas, heading straight for the only room in the building with a bed and a private shower.

    Odds on a fuck were low and she needed a shower and a bunk down more than a fuck anyhow.

    As she fell asleep she was thinking how to hammer these kids into some kind of shape; almost as if she'd come home.

    She kinda liked feeling warm as well.

     May the Goddess watch over you and those you love,

     kerk hiraeth