Sometimes sitting by isnt an option

"Well, living in Gaia is rather expensive; even renting this place takes a pretty amount of money out of our pockets every month," she said, smiling as she saw him dicing some vegetables. She set the pot of water on the boiler, reaching above in the cabinet to grab some tomato sauce, opening the can before pouring it into a small sauce pan. "But there's a few outside of Gaia we could afford, even if I can't find a job right after university," she shrugged, smiling as she was clearly thinking of one house in particular.

She smiled a bit absentminded at his words. A place of peace and quiet, a place where Nessa could have herself a bigger room, perhaps even two bathrooms. She smelt blood, turning her head as she saw him wrap his finger with some paper. Blinking a few times she walked over to one of the drawers, taking out a packet of band aids. She came over to him, taking his hand between hers, inspecting it a bit before she cleaned the small cut carefully. Buffy then placed the band aid just right, finishing off with a light kiss over the band aid. "You should be more careful," she whispered, feeling a bit bad that she had distracted him.

Buffy smiled, looking up at his grey green eyes as she couldn't hide her excitement. "I don't know if it will still be for sale when we get the money," she said, licking her lips as she thought about how to describe it. Looking over she saw the water boiling, adding the pasta before grabbing his good hand, pulling him closer. "But it was a fairly nice house, two stories and a nice little garden," she said, letting her thumb run in circles over the back of his hand. She felt a little giddy thinking about it.

"If that's the case, then we do have the money," he argued, when he could clearly hear how she seemed so excited, how would he just let an opportunity like that slip by? He moved with her pull as she grabbed his hand, looking down at her with a relaxed expression, listening to her description of the house. He felt almost nostalgic as he remembered when he had told her about his daydream of seeing her in the garden with their child, showing her flowers. He lifted his hand to wrap his fingers around hers that had caressed his hand, lifting it to place a soft kiss against her skin. "Is there some secret evil scheme for you to indulge me in at any second now?" he asked against her hand as he made a small smile, shifting between her green eyes.

Buffy looked at him with gentle eyes, smiling as he clearly wanted to see it. She took her phone out of her pocket, finding a picture of the house from the outside. "It needs a little love and attention, but it shouldn't be too bad," she said, pointing at the screen. "Behind there is quite a large garden, mostly just grass and a few trees," she said, looking at him to see if he liked it.

When he looked at the picture, a scoff that supposedly masked a giggle left his lips, but it wasnt that he was mocking what she had found, it was just too endearing. He looked at her with a soft smile as he listened to her speak. "Say no more, my love. It's perfect," he said as he looked back at the picture, chuckling a little at how giddy he felt at the thought of a small little family home. The door rang and he frowned a little as he wasnt sure they were expecting company. He went out to the door, wondering if it was Vanessa or someone else. When he opened the door, his confusion turned to dread as he looked up at his older brother. "What are you doing here?" he asked in a tired tone. His brother flashed a smile as he stood leaned against the wall, "I'm here to see how my lil' brother is doing," he said, Baal sighing as he tried to close the door but his brother quickly placed a foot in the way of that, "You reek of alcohol," Baal hissed. "Then you know I've had a good night," he said with a smile. "Are you sure you'd want a commotion here in this peaceful building?" Daniel dared him, raising an eyebrow, which only seemed to make Baal even more agitated.

Buffy gave him a light push with her elbow as he scoffed, but she knew that he didn't mean it in a bad way. His words made her heart beat a little faster, because it was perfect. A perfect thing in their tumultuous life, she needed that. Nessa needed that stability, a house to feel safe and not any where near Southside. She heard the knock on the door, frowning, but let Baal handle it, turning to take care of the pasta sauce. "If it's Jake I think I need to make more pasta!" she chuckled before she heard the muffled speech from the hallway. Nessa stuck her head out from her room, looking to the door that her father was blocking the view of. "Daddy, who is it?" she asked, stepping closer with big eyes.

Daniel's eyes seemed to light up at Nessa's words, looking at Baal with surprised eyes, "Oh, I should have known you'd be busy, adding more children for your father to torment," he said, clicking his teeth shortly at Baal as he pressed himself closer, though Baal just pushed himself against him, making sure he neither got in or got to see Nessa. "What do you want, Mephisto?" he asked, trying his best to mask his anger, because if there was anything Daniel loved, then it was annoying his brother, "Always so serious, Belial," Daniel said with a tint of mockery in his tone. "I already told you, I want to see how you're doing," he said, this time a little more serious as he gave Baal a rather rough and unexpected push to get inside. Baal grabbed at the wall, making sure he didnt stumble, though he couldnt stop Daniel from getting in. "Prick," Daniel mumbled, closing the door as he then leaned up against it with his arms crossed. He spotted Nessa, flashing a short smile as he lifted a hand to wave at her.

Nessa looked a bit confused, she could feel her father's frustration in the air and as the tall blonde guy stepped in she looked a little sheepishly down. She walked to her father, taking his hand as she didn't really know what to say or do. Buffy could hear it got quiet, which made her confused, walking out in to the hallway. Her green eyes looking at the man leaning against their front door. He resembled Baal somehow, not a lot, but there were some features that couldn't be denied. "Hello," she said with a trying voice, keeping calm as she looked at Baal, trying to get an explanation.

Baal gave Nessa's hand a soft squeeze but his eyes wouldnt move from his brother, even for a second. Daniel noticed this, looking at Nessa with a soft smile before looking up at Baal with his smile fading in an instant, replaced by an expression of annoyance, "Do you always have to look so much like your father?" he asked, which made Baal grit his teeth. Buffy came out and Daniel made a greeting, lifting two fingers to his temple in a sloppy salute, "Milady," he said before he looked back at Baal. "This is my brother, Mephi..." - "Daniel, thank you. You dont hear me call you by your name for similar reasons," Baal tried but Daniel interrupted him, moving his eyes from Baal's sour face to Buffy's. "I'm from the side of the family that thankfully isnt tangled up in all that shit with the devil," he said with a small smile.

Nessa remained quiet before she looked with big eyes at the blonde guy. She didn't really know what to do when he looked at her, feeling a little intimidated. Buffy came out, nodding at his greeting, but not knowing wether to trust the guy that called himself Daniel yet. "Language," Buffy said in a stern tone, nodding towards Nessa before sighing. "Are you from the part of the family that eats, or are you like your brother, calling perfectly good food for rancid?" Buffy asked with a hint of a smile. She didn't feel like the brother would hurt her, but it was Nessa she was most worried about right now. She seemed so quiet. "Come set the table love," Buffy said to her daughter, Nessa looking briefly up at her father before nodding at her mother's request, skipping in to the kitchen to grab some plates.

"My bad, I'm not used to hanging around kids," he apologized with a rather charming smile that made Baal scoff. Her question made him shrug as he looked at his brother, "We're not that alike," he assured her, before he sent his brother a short look. Baal just wanted to roll his eyes and show how annoyed he felt, but he had a feeling it wasnt wise with Nessa around. He looked down at his daughter, touching her cheek with a faint smile before letting her run off. He looked back at Daniel. "So I shouldnt have been expecting a card for christmas to sum up your new life?" Daniel asked. "Definitely not," Baal assured him before crossing his arms. He wasnt really sure how he should be reacting to this surprise visit from Daniel. "Always so secretive," Daniel scolded him with a short clicking of his teeth. "But last time I checked, you werent the father of three. And when was that? 5 years ago?" Daniel said, pinching his lips before looking to Buffy for the answers Baal wouldnt give.

"Well, I guess a lot of stuff can happen in five years," Buffy said, walking over to Baal, placing a hand on his cheek. She looked at him, knowing he was keeping his eyes on his brother. Of course Buffy knew Baal had an extensive family, but this man was not from Baal's father's side. That had to mean something different, right? "I'm Buffy, by the way," she said, holding out her hand as a greeting before turning to look at Baal. "And though it might be strange, Nessa is our daughter," she said, a brief sadness in her eyes, but it quickly disappeared. She turned her attention to Daniel once more, looking at him for a moment. "Come on, let's eat," she said, trying to be polite, but she felt a little weary.

"A teenage daughter aint one of them, ma'am," Daniel assured her with a raised eyebrow as he wasnt sure how it had happened, unless Baal of course had knocked her up however long ago that white haired girl must be. He honestly wasnt that fond of pondering on his brother's actions that much. He grabbed her hand as she presented it, giving it a small squeeze, "Interesting name for a woman," he remarked. He nodded at her words, looking a bit down as he noticed the sadness as brief as it was. "He's not eating dinner with us," Baal said in a stern tone as he looked back at Daniel. "I wont allow him near our daughter in a drunken state," he said, frowning as he shook his head.

Buffy sighed, she knew it looked weird, but she didn't really feel like explaining everything. It still hurt just thinking about it, but it got easier for each day. His comment about her name made her shrug, she didn't mind, mostly because she would rather him call her Buffy than Boadicea. It felt like her name had gotten more meaning to it since being with Baal. The way he said her name, she didn't want any others to ever say it unless it was him. "Then he can sit next to me ... Family is family, even if they are drunk," she said looking at Daniel. The guy didn't look too good, but perhaps that was just because of the alcohol. "Besides, I could beat his ass," she said in a more lighthearted tone, but she was actually being rather serious. Nessa poked her head in to the hallway, briefly looking at Daniel with a confused expression before looking to her father.

Buffy shook her head, knowing that Daniel probably meant it well, but she walked to her daughter. She placed a gentle kiss against her nose, making the girl giggle. Buffy walked in to the kitchen making sure none of the food had been burned, and to her delight the pasta seemed about ready. She opened the fridge, taking out a large bottle of water, grabbing a few glasses on her way in to the living room again. Nessa still seemed rather careful about Daniel, sitting on her chair with her hands in her lap. "Is something wrong love?" Buffy whispered in a soothing tone to the girl, but she just nodded, making the hybrid sigh for a bit. She stopped as Daniel mentioned someone else looking for Baal. "V?" she asked, furrowing her brows as she couldn't make out if it was a male or female. Or if it was family as well. It was all a little overwhelming already. Nessa jumped as there was a knock on the balcony door. Outside a slender guy was standing, a big grin on his face as he was smoking a cigarette. At least he was smoking outside, Buffy thought to herself, shaking her head a bit before walking in to the kitchen again. She couldn't really place the brother and now another guy had showed up.

Baal turned his head as soon as the knock was heard, widening his eyes for a bit, before he seemed to make the same dreadful expression he had had when he saw Daniel. He sighed, as Daniel walked over to the door, smiling brightly as he opened the door to greet the guy with a hug, "Geez, I thought I was going to have to deal with Mr. rotten tomato all by myself," he said in a voice of relief, turning to look at Buffy and the others. Baal rubbed his forehead, not saying a word as he pushed Daniel out on the balcony, closing the door behind him as he frowned at his brothers, "Why the hell are you here? Both of you? What are you planning on tormenting me with this time?" he hissed. Daniel sighed, shaking his head as he looked down for a bit, like he had given up on answering. "Unbelievable. Here we are, caring for our brother's well being and you're the first to assume we're here for trouble," he said, frowning a little.

Virgil chuckled as his brother embraced him, giving him a squeeze back. Nessa looked as her father pushed Daniel outside with the newcomer, watching curiously, but she couldn’t hear what they spoke about. She had never seen her father frustrated like this before. Well unless you counted in the weird talk that her mother had had with Jake and her. “I ain’t here for trouble, believe it or not,” Virgil said scoffing. He took another drag at his cigarette, holding his breath for a moment as Daniel spoke. Maybe it was because Daniel was the oldest that Virgil preferred him to lead the word. “Like, I fuckinf get that you’re mad and shit, but I never really thought you’d be hostile,” Virgil said in a cold voice.

Virgil sighed as Baal grabbed Daniel's collar, looking in through the glass window to see the girl that was called his daughter. "And now your lady is looking at us too," he said under his breath, lifting up his hand to wave at Buffy that looked at them now. "She looks scary, well done," Virgil said, lips pulling up in a grin. He leaned back against the edge of the balcony, looking at his brothers, discarding the bud of his cigarette over the edge. "Are you really settling down?" he asked, looking at Baal with his head tilted to the side.

Baal was practically staring at Daniel with eyes that could kill, while Daniel just smiled at him with daring eyes. His eyes squinted shortly as the smile grew, "Come on then. Push me over the edge, see how your lady and kid would think of that," he dared him. Baal stared at him for a bit before letting go, stepping back as he shook his head. He wasnt liking the way Daniel was pulling at his strings, just because he knew what reaction he would get. Virgil's question made him sigh, "Yeah. I am," he said as he looked at his brother, not really shy to admit to it. Not that he had planned for this to happen, but he wasnt regretting it either. "So no more demon slaying?" Daniel asked rather curiously. Baal frowned, "No," he said, which made Daniel raise his eyebrows in surprise. "Interesting," he mumbled, looking back inside, "Shouldnt we be going back in?" he asked, as he looked at Virgil, clearly not searching for Baal's approval.

"You always go at it like this," Virgil said chuckling, but he didn't mind the two fighting. He found the chaos more fun than just sitting around waiting for things to just happen. However he wondered how much Baal was willing to do to keep them away from his new family. He nodded at his brother's notion about going inside, grabbing the handle to open the door. He looked back at Baal with a grin on his lips. "I seem to recall that Eaden loved when uncle V came to visit," he said with a grin before going inside. He greeted Buffy, taking her hand, placing a soft kiss on the back of her hand. "I'm terribly sorry, our brother has always had a temper - I'm Virgil," he said in a charming tone. Buffy looked rather confused at him, nodding a bit, but she felt something luring beneath the surface. There must've been a reason why Baal acted so strongly. "Are both of you joining us for dinner?" she asked, trying not to show how concerned she was. "If we are allowed to by our brother's lovely lady, then it would be a pleasure," he said, looking back to grin at Daniel. Buffy sighed, but nodded. She had said Daniel could stay to eat, and she wasn't going to deny another of Baal's brothers. "Of course, Nessa, say hi to your uncles," Buffy said. She clearly had to be the one keeping it calm, seeing as her fiancé couldn't. Nessa got up from her chair, walking over to the side of her mother. Virgil kneeled down, taking the girls hand with a smile on his lips. "Just as beautiful as her mother," he said in a warm tone. Despite him liking chaos, he also had respect for the offspring of his family members.