Broken

[lit_gal]

200 Celebration
Request: Shakatany
Universe: Broken
Point of View: Amanda
Word Count: 437



Amanda crossed her arms and stared at her uncle, who wasn't her uncle, and just how stupid did her family think she was, anyway? He glared back, his blue eyes narrowed to slits and his cheekbones sharpening as he drew his lips together in a scowl.

"No bloody way," he hissed.

"Everyone's going," she countered, and then flinched, realizing just how pathetic *that* sounded about a half-second too late. Uncle Spike knew too from the triumphant way he raised just one eyebrow.

"You aren't just soddin' anyone," he pointed out, "and you're not going unprotected to a bloody sleepover at the school. Kids your age are supposed ta be avoiding school, not sleeping there."

"It's a fundraiser!" Amanda said, her own lips going tight with frustration. "The longer I stay up, the more money we raise for the earthquake victims."

"Like I bloody care," Spike instantly shot back, and Amanda opened her mouth in fury. She *hated* it when he put on this act like he didn't care about anyone. The only person in the world with a bigger heart was her father. Right. Change of tactics.

"Daaaa-aad!" she wailed. Xander leaned on the kitchen counter cutting an apple with a knife and popping the pieces in his mouth. He also looked suspiciously amused.

"I'm so not getting in the middle," he said as he held up his hands in surrender.

"Mom, make them let me go!" Amanda said as she turned and threw her body into a kitchen chair. Her mom glanced up with a small smile and just shook her head slightly. Amanda felt like stomping her foot in frustration, but the last time she'd done that, Uncle Spike had made fun of her for a week, and she was so not going through that again. God, if only her mom would ask, she knew Uncle Spike and Dad would bend over backwards giving her what she wanted.

"I'll tell Grandma you're being mean," she threatened the big guns, and now her father definitely had a look of amusement on his face.

"You better watch out there, Spike. Joyce… she just might side with the earthquake victims." Her father barely kept the laughter out of his voice, and Amanda nearly growled with frustration. She had the world's most annoying family; she didn't care if her friends all thought she had cool parents.

"Fine!" she nearly howled. "You can chaperone, but if just one more of my friends falls in love with you… either of you," Amanda pointed an accusatory finger first at Uncle Spike and then her father, "I will *so* throw up on your shoes!"

Comments

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

I'd love to comment but there's nothing yet to comment on *g* I'm so pleased that eventually I'll get a ficlet but if your muse wants to wait awhile that's ok. Congrats on the 202--your work deserves a large readership.

Shakatany

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

*headdesk*

I left the closing caret ">" off the lj-cut. SO SORRY.

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

I'm just trigger-happy with the refresh button. It's lovely. I can just picture a foot-stomping Spike curing Amanda of using that trick. After all he had a lot of experience with Dru and Joyce with Buffy.
Thank you for that peek at an older Amanda.

hugs
Shakatany

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

Oops one teeny error:
"she didn't care if her friends all thought she had cool parent." I think it's either cool parents or a cool parent. As Amejisuto wrote it's amazing how quickly you wrote it so it's understandable.

Shakatany

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

fixed. And yeah, these little tidbits are kinda writing themselves. It's fun.

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

Yep, I can say that this family is very experienced with handling the foot-stomping attitude. Of course, Spike and Xander ARE the ones who spoiled her in the first place.

And you are very welcome!

[amejisuto.livejournal.com]

OMG! That's just so cute!! SQUEEE! I love it!

And crap you're talented to get that out that quickly.

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you like. As a teenager, you really don't want your friends to like your parents... at least not LIKE like, as in crush like, so I can see this making her pretty frustrated.

[wordwitch.livejournal.com]

"No bloody way," he hissed. [...]
"You aren't just soddin' anyone," he pointed out, "and you're not going to a bloody sleepover at the school. Kids your age are supposed ta be avoiding school, not sleeping there."
[...]
"Fine!" she nearly howled. "You can chaperone, but if just one more of my friends falls in love with you… either of you,"

There's just a hair's worth of disconnect here. (By the way, I love it love it love it! Teen offspring angst! My favorite!) I can't quite see what they would have said before this where both the lines would be true. Unless there had been a previous day on which she had forbidden them both to chaperone ever ever again .... That would work. But not in this same conversation.

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

But that's exactly it. She's forbidden them to chaperone. I dont' think I made that entirely clear, so I added one word that I think makes that a little clearer.

and you're not going unprotected to a bloody sleepover at the school.

Clearer?

[wordwitch.livejournal.com]

ABsolutely PERfect! That does it.

*pulls fic around her like a shawl*

*purrs*

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

:-D

[jans-intentions.livejournal.com]

It would be wonderful being their kid. They'd nuture her and protect her fiercely. But yeah, a rock and hard place when it comes to over-protective. *g*

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

If you're going to grow up on a Hellmouth, these two would be the parents to do it. And with Trista and Joyce and Giles and Willow and Tara all around to support her, I think she's probably the safest child in the world if a little over protected.

[cindershadow.livejournal.com]

What a delight! And the final lines really finish the punch to the funny bone. I love the image of Xander here--quiet, relaxed, amused, loving, confident, and letting Spike take the heat on this one. And of course I love that Amanda sees right through Spike's pretenses (and that he can read her like a book, too).

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you caught that strength from Xander. He's confident and playful... all the things I loved about canon Xander without the pain of insecurity and fear that seemed to become an ever larger part of canon Xander. And yes, Amanda sees right through Uncle Spike, so he can give up the ruthless routine.

[kaydee23.livejournal.com]

Poor Amanda. It must be horriblet to have two hot fathers!

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah. Having friends get the hots for your fathers??? EWWWW

[windandsummer.livejournal.com]

brillant, amanda is adorable.

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

She is her fathers' daughter. Mouthy, strong, and easily embarrassed in public!

[texanfan.livejournal.com]

Perfect depiction of an atypical functional household. Everyone is so secure in their place in the family structure as the over protected teen hurls herself against it. Of course, given they live on a Hellmouth, possibly she's not OVERprotected. :)

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

Yeah... I think that's it. They're all secure. Trista may not talk much, but she does talk. Joyce is there, but doesn't need to constantly 'mother' them. Xander can laugh, and Spike has a family who will love him to the end of time. But yes, a sleepover on a Hellmouth does require some supervision.

[deannawol.livejournal.com]

That is soooooooo sweet! *grins*

I wondered what she would grow up to be like! ^_^

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

She is such a strong willed young woman that Joyce must feel like she has some little piece of Buffy back.

[yanagi-wa.livejournal.com]

I can just see all Amandas friends drooling over her two Dads. This was really good.

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

Hey, I know I'd do some drooling! I mean... look at them. Woof.

But I don't think Amanda sees them quite like that, nor would I want her to.

[realsmutgirl.livejournal.com]

*falls off her chair giggling wildly*

I think I just traumatised my cat:-D

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

Oh no.

Poor cat!

But I'm glad you liked Amanda and her small bit of frighteningly normal teen angst over (oh the horror) cute fathers.

[rngrdead.livejournal.com]

Oh *Brilliant* I adore this AU and figured that Trista would eventually improve - even if very slowly.

Adore the petulance of youth so well depicted and the vain attempts to play parents off against each other (even if her real motivation was to avoid her friends drooling over her Dads!)

Wonderful... wish you would write some more... pretty please?

L
J

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

Trista will never be fully independent, but yes, I see her slowly inching her way back to something a little closer to normal. And seeing her daughter being absolutely, annoyingly normal probably does more to soothe her fears than any dozen therapists ever could. And I don't know whether there will be more. I'll just have to see how the muse goes.

[sparrow2000.livejournal.com]

That made me laugh like a loon. The fact that Amanda is nauseated at the thought that her friends are lusting after her fathers is hysterical and I can just see Spike totally winding her up. I wonder what her friends think about Xander's collar - possibly that it's just a really cool fashion accessory?

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

She's a teenager--of course she hates the idea of her parents and sex. But with parents this sexy, she'd better get used to it.

And the collar is made of black links, so I think most people are just going to think it's a necklace. Well, unless they notice the lack of latch.

[sablerose2.livejournal.com]

I check everyday for little tid bits and this was great. Thank you

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you're enjoying this! You are very welcome.

[reddwarf75.livejournal.com]

lol That was great! *twirls u lovingly* :D
Marie

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

Weeeeeeee

I'm so glad you like. She is a bit of a handful, isn't she!

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you like it. I wrote three different ficlets in the Broken universe, so if you click on my user name, you should be able to find them in my journal by looking for the Broken icon. Thank you for the feedback!

[batmanvinnie.livejournal.com]

Yay for ficlety updatey joy. You give me joy.
Is it wrong that I want to see Buffy and Willow meet jim?
That was a good fic. Because of you sentinel (sp?) stuff, I actually went and looked up information on them.

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

Oh, I would truly like to have that meeting... we'll have to see if that bunny finds his feet and starts hopping.

I'm glad that you found Sentinel love because I just adore those two guys.

[stretfordditto.livejournal.com]

Cute. :D

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

So glad you like

[missmurchison.livejournal.com]

So nice to find this. I've been reading your Buffyverse fic, and I was wondering about Trista, because you packed so much about her into the short fics where she's mentioned. I enjoy the thought you put into your characterizations.

It was also fun to find this right after chaperoning an all-night non-sleepover at my kid's school! No one fell in love with this old lady, of course, but I did get respect from at least one kid because I knew what manga was.

Thanks for the fic.

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much. I do enjoy creating original characters, and Trista and Amanda are among my favorites. I just wanted to give Joyce a chance to have the family she never had in canon.

And kudos for you for doing the chaperon thing. I did it ONCE... just ONCE and man, you will NEVER catch me doing that again. But you are definitely on the cool side for knowing manga