Chapter 4 to Ch.5
Buffy looked at the faces around her as she got up off the floor. "Everyone okay?"
"So what's the plan now, Buff?" Xander asked as he watched her closely. "What do we do?"
Buffy's jaw tightened. "We have three choices. We either, A: find her spell book and reverse the spell on my mom; B: find her and behead her or C: make the trade."
"I am absolutely forbidding you to do Option C," Wesley said adamantly. "You can not allow that witch to possess your body. The ramifications if she should possess your body… with her abilities, it would be, would be… well, it would be bloody horrible."
Angel was about to say something when Buffy stopped him with a wave of her hand. Buffy looked at the young Watcher coldly. "Let me make this clear to you, Wussy. In case you haven't been listening. The woman is after me. To get me, she's willing to kill all the people that I know, including you. I don't like you, but I have an obligation to save you. Got that?"
Wesley nodded slowly. Buffy then stepped up to his face as he stepped back. "But I also know one other thing: I am not going to let my mother die. You Watchers might have been bred out of the test tubes from the Brave New World, but those of us in this reality actually have parents that we care about. And I am not going to let her die nor am I going to give that witch my body unless I don’t have any choice. Got it? Good. Now get out of my face."
Buffy looked at her friends. "First we find her. She has to have a hideout somewhere. Oz, can you sniff her out?"
"I can try. Just need some of her clothes to get her scent." Oz said calmly. Buffy nodded.
Buffy nodded. "Willow, go with him to Amy's house and tell her dad what's going down. They know about Amy being a rat, and he has no love for Psycho Mom. Tell them that they might be the next target if she's done with me. Then head off to the local witch-supply shops and see if anyone matching Psycho Mom's description was in recently."
Willow nodded. "Got it."
Buffy looked at Xander and Wesley. "Xander, you're trading guard duty with Giles and Wesley. I don't want my mom alone."
Xander looked at Wesley, then at Buffy. ”You sure that you want him sharing guard duty with me? He could upset her.”
“He won’t upset her. If he does, he loses his kneecaps,” Buffy said as she glared at Wesley. "I don't trust you to protect my mom, but you're an extra pair of hands that can help Xander. And right now, I need all the hands I can get. And you have access to her room, ‘Uncle’ Wussy."
Buffy turned to Angel and was about to speak when the phone rang. Willow immediately raced towards it. "Hello? Giles! Buffy-"
Buffy raced to the phone and grabbed it from Willow. "Giles, what's wrong? What-"
Buffy's eyes widened as her face paled. Angel raced towards her and pulled her against him. He gently grabbed the phone from her numb fingers. "Giles? What? Oh, God. I'll get her right there."
"What? What's wrong?" Xander demanded as he moved towards them. As Buffy buried her face against his chest, Angel spoke to Xander.
"You guys get going. Buffy and I have to get to the hospital. Giles called to say that Buffy's mom has gotten weaker. Buffy? We should go now."
Buffy nodded, dazed. Then her face hardened. "To the hospital. Right. Then to Willie's. And then the Bronze and cemetery to find some vamps."
"Why? You are going patrolling?” Wesley asked as Buffy started to stride out the library. Buffy turned to face him.
"No. I'm going to pass a little information along. Such as major open hunting season on vamps if my mom dies," Buffy said as she walked out the library doors. "Now, let's go. Xander and Wuss, you two meet us at the hospital."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Giles met Buffy and Angel outside her mother's room. Buffy barely noted his wrinkled look. "Buffy, you're here. Good. She's been in and out of conciousness. Asking for you."
"How is she?" Buffy asked tearfully as she peeked into the dimly-lit room. "Truth."
Giles glanced at the woman in bed behind him, then at his fragile Slayer. No, not a Slayer, he corrected himself. A young girl. A young girl that was afraid to lose her mother. "She's weak and getting weaker, Buffy. We have to find Catherine Madison and counteract the spell as soon as possible."
"We already did. Angel will fill you in, I'm going to see my mom," Buffy said as she walked into the room.
Buffy gently sat beside her mother. "Mom?"
Joyce Summers opened her brown eyes and gave her little girl a tired smile. Though she was weak, she was aware of the worried look in her daughter’s eyes, and the fear that showed on her face. ”Hi honey. Did you eat dinner?”
Buffy struggled to provide a small smile. ”I had a hot dog. Or two.”
Joyce managed a maternal frown. ”That’s not dinner, honey. That’s a snack.”
“Yeah, well then you’re going to have to get better soon because you know that I don’t cook,” Buffy replied as she gave her mother a lopsided grin. Then her face fell. ”Mommy...”
Joyce gathered her daughter into her arms. ”Oh, honey. It’s all right. Mom’s going to be fine. You’ll see.”
As Buffy sobbed harder into her mother’s chest, Joyce thought frantically to distract her child from grim thoughts and to stop her own fears. She concentrated on making them both feel better.
“Mom!” Buffy cried, in mixed horror and amusement. ”Stop! See? No more tears. Just stop singing that song!”
Joyce tried to look innocent. ”What? Is it my voice? You know that I can’t sing, honey. And since that’s the only song I know by heart...”
“Mom, I still have nightmares over that song,” Buffy said, horrified. Then she gave her mother a watery laugh. ”I can’t believe you were just singing that!”
“Why? Lambchop was the only thing you would watch, other than Sesame Street and I can’t remember that theme song too well. And I’m fresh out of stories,” Joyce said as she wiped her daughter’s tears. She smiled. ”There, that’s better. No more crying, honey. I don’t need it.”
Buffy’s smile wobbled. ”Mom, I’m looking for the witch. I’m gonna find her and make you better.”
“I know you are, honey,” Joyce said as she pushed the strands of hair away from her daughter’s pretty face. ”But in case that you don’t-”
Buffy put her fingers against her mother’s lips. ”I don’t want to hear it. You’ll get better. I’ll make it happen.”
Joyce kissed her daughter’s fingers and removed them gently. As she cupped her daughter’s small face, she wondered. When did she grow so fast? Where is the baby that came from my body? “I know. But if you don’t, I know that you did your best. And that you’ll stop her from hurting any more people. Mr.Giles said that he’d take care of you in case you can’t to go to your father. And, all the arrangements have already been made in case I die.”
“Mom, you’re not going to die,” Buffy protested. Joyce shushed her daughter.
“Honey, everybody dies. Even misguided, deluded, annoying, interfering, imperfect and embarrassing moms. It’s just a matter of where and when,” Joyce smiled. ”And the world will go on.”
Wanting to put away her mother’s fatalistic talk, Buffy frowned. ”Who called you a ‘misguided, deluded, annoying, interfering, imperfect and embarrassing’? And when did you get philosophical?”
“Mr.Giles, Mr.Pryce, the troll at school, your dad and you. But not in that order. And the philosophy came from a comic book Xander gave me over the summer. I have to say, comic books certainly have changed since I was a girl,” Joyce said blandly. Buffy giggled. ”I love you, honey. Even though I hate you being the Slayer, I know you have to do it. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. Though I wish you’d clean your room more often and eat healthier food.”
“Mom,” Buffy protested with a small laugh. ”You’re not supposed to ruin a sentimental talk like this with nagging.”
“I’m a mother, honey. I can say anything embarrassing or annoying to my baby whenever I want. Childbirth does that to a woman,” Joyce grinned tiredly. ”Now go out there and kick that witch’s butt. And don’t get too dirty, I’m still trying to get the stains out from the last demon you killed.”
“Will do,” Buffy grinned as she hugged her mother. ”Love you, Mom. Even if you can’t sing.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Wesley walked quietly away from the door, and stood against the other side of the wall. It was all so different here. He had excelled in his studies, he knew what he was supposed to do. He knew the theories and the drill. And as a reward for his efforts and determination, he was given the highest responsibility, to guide the Slayer.
But it was all so different from what he thought it would be. The Slayer in his charge was independent, impulsive, disrespectful and insolent. But she was also innately kind, loyal, creative, dedicated, smart and brave. She did her duty as she tried to carve out a life for herself. Slaying was not all she wanted in her short life- she wanted more than that for herself. She didn’t want to just be the Slayer, she wanted to be a person. Just another difference in a long list of her differences from other Slayers.
And she had a mother. A mother that cared about her child. A mother that was in the line of attack simply because she was the Slayer’s Mother. A mother who, while possibly on her death bed, still tried to make her sad and scared little girl smile. The Council of Watchers disliked the Slayer having families. The council encourged the parents of Slayers to give the girl up, or if the family didn’t, they discouraged the Watcher from associating with them, if at all possible.
This woman had never been discouraged from keeping the child, had never been told about her daughter’s true vocation until a year ago. And from what he could see in Giles’s diaries, after Buffy had returned home, she supported, loved her daughter as best she could. Never interfering with Buffy’s duties, even though she feared very much for her child’s life. He wondered for the first time since his training ended, if some of the methods of the Council was wrong. He wondered if the Slayers might need family, parents- a mother. And when he thought that, his world tilted.
Wesley sniffed as he straightened his posture. ”I’m fine. Just thinking. About things. Buffy is still in there.”
Angel nodded as Giles walked up with a cup of tea. ”Buffy is still with her mom. I can hear her trying not to cry, and some really bad singing.”
Giles smiled to himself. ”Buffy once said that her mother couldn’t sing. And that she got that talent from her mother.”
Angel gave a half laugh. “She most definitely did.”
“Gee, thanks, Angel. See if I ever sing you to again,” Buffy said as she walked out of the room, and over to her friends. ”Mom’s sleeping now. Wes, you’re on guard duty until one of us releives you. Giles, I’m assuming that Angel told you what went down in the library.”
Giles nodded. ”Yes, but I agree with Wesley, Option C is not to be used under no circumstances.”
“Option C will be used if there is no choice,” Buffy said firmly. ”And you’re going to help me use it. I want you to get me a poison, Giles.”
Startled, Giles gaped at her.”Buffy-”
Buffy cut him off. ”Mom’s already weak and I don’t trust Psycho Witch to keep her promise. Get me that poison, Giles.”
“Isn’t that a bit drastic?” Wesley demanded.
Buffy looked at Wesley with a cool eye. ”You would rather have an insane witch running loose in a Slayer’s body?”
She then turned to Angel. ”I’m going to Willie’s, you’re going to find me some vamps and bring them to me. It’s time that the minions of darkness start working for their keep. They’re going to help me hunt this witch down.”
With Angel behind her, Buffy started moving away, then stopped and turned. ”And Giles? Mom said that you should stop feeding me hot dogs for supper, pizza is healthier. And Wesley? If you upset my mom-”
“I know, I’ll lose my kneecaps,” Wesley grumbled.
Buffy smiled at him. ”Nope. Mom’s going to deck you. After she’s done, I get a chance to hurt you.”
“After Buffy’s done, it’s my turn,” Angel said in a low voice. Wesley swallowed the threat with a small nod. Satisfied, Angel walked towards Buffy.
“Wonderful, threatened by a boy, a witch, a Slayer and a vampire,” Wesley muttered as Buffy walked away. He looked at Giles. ”Do you have any idea what she’s planning?”
“No clue whatsoever,” Giles said to Wesley. ”But then, that’s when her best plans work. I have to go now, please make sure that Joyce is comfortable. Contact me at the slightest change. And don’t upset her. Or you’ll have to answer to me when Buffy and Angel are through with you.”
Wesley looked at Giles sourly. ”Why does everyone say that?”
“You have a rare talent for upsetting her,” Giles replied. ”And we won’t stand for it.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Willie took one look at the Slayer and gulped. She did not look like she was in a good mood. Not that she ever did… He then noticed the large vampire behind her, guarding her back. He looked pissed as well. Both Angel and the Slayer looking pissed. Not a good sign. Not at all. Instead of turning around to run away like he wanted to, he smiled smarmily at the Slayer, his nasal voice loud. ”Hey, Slayer! Angel! Look, it’s the Slayer!”
Buffy saw this as she kept her eyes on Willie. Her eyes never moved off of Willie’s face as she said drolly, ”You vamps might want to stop and hear what I have to say. Might save your undead lives.”
The vamps stopped and turned around, standing ready to fight or flee. The Slayer smiled so coldly at Willie, he felt a chill around his heart. ”So what are you doing in these here parts, Slayer? Doing some hunting?”
“No. Not yet. My mother’s dying, Willie,” Buffy said loudly. ”It’s bad, she may not survive the next night or so.”
“Tough break, kid. Shit happens,” Willie said nervously. ”But what’s that got-”
“Yeah. Tough break, shit happens. Except this shit was caused by a witch with a grudge against me. A witch I need to find before tomorrow night, and you’re all going to help me find her,” Buffy said sweetly.
Willie looked at her warily. ”And what’s in it for me?”
“Well, let’s put it this way. Attacking my mom is a big no-no. I take it very personally when things go after my mom and friends. And I tend to react badly when shit like this happens,” Buffy said as she approached the bar. ”If my mom dies, who knows what I’ll do in my grief? I might go hunting for vampire nests during the day or start a full-time ‘Clean-up Sunnydale’ mode. I might even burn a few old buildings down, kinda like this one.”
Buffy grabbed Willie by the neck, choking him slightly. ”I might even beat up certain bartenders with nasal voices on a whim. I want information on the witch. I want her brought to me in the LaVille Cemetery… alive. Kill the witch, and I still go ballistic. Clear on that?”
“As pure vodka,” Willie choked out. Buffy then threw Willie across the bar. Then smiled coolly at the vamps still watching her warily. As Willie tried to stand, he asked, ”So what does this witch chick look like?”
“Dark brown hair. Mid to late thirties. Five foot seven. Wearing a silver jumpsuit that makes her look fat. Eyes turn black when she casts spells. I want the information soon. I’ll be back by nine tomorrow to see what you’ve got,” Buffy said as she started to walk out the door. ”Have fun hunting.”
Buffy rubbed her eyes as she entered the school. It was a long night, and it was going to be an even a longer day. Buffy made no stops loitering in the student lounge or the quad. Instead she headed right to the library.
“Summers!” a voice barked out. Buffy swung around to face the little troll that enjoyed torturing her existance. ”Heading for a little trouble I see.”
Buffy stared at him. ”Trouble?”
“Yes, trouble. I don’t see any baked goodies for the Senior Bake Sale today, Summers. Perhaps we don’t think that school spirit is important? Perhaps we’re just hoping for a little time for detention?” Synder all but purred at her as he pointed at the student table selling the baked goods.
Buffy stared at him when it hit her. ”The Bake Sale. Today. I forgot. I don’t have-”
“The goods? Well, that’s all right. I’m thinking that a little detention is good for you. Today,” Snyder decided.
Buffy gaped at him. ”No, I can’t. I have to go to the hospital. My mother’s-”
“In the hospital? Big surprise there, she’s probably dying right now, fighting for her life,” Snyder sneered at her. ”A likely story, Summers.”
Furious tears coming out of her eyes, Buffy stepped up to the troll. ”As a matter of fact-”
“That is what exactly happened,” Giles said as he came up from behind Snyder. He looked down at that little pissant that made his life, his Slayer’s life and the lives of his young friends difficult. ”In fact it was in the paper today, the Sunnydale Gazette. Under the article ‘Art Gallery Manager Attacked’, page five. Her mother is now in the hospital fighting for her life. Miss Summers should not have come to school today, but she did so at her mother’s insistence.”
The crowd in the hall grew quiet as they saw the school librarian give Principal Midget a very cold dressing down. But Giles never saw this. He only saw red as he continued to talk coldly to the little troll. He handed him the newspaper. “You should read the news before attacking the students under your charge. A smart lawyer might see this as a form of harassment.”
His face red, Snyder glared at the English librarian as he flipped to the page where said article was. Giles looked over the smaller man’s shoulder. ”There it is right there. In black and white. Can you read it or should I tell you what it means in words of one syllable?”
Snyder glared at him, but Giles ignored it. He smiled coldly at the troll. ”I believe that she should be excused from her classes today? And from an unjustified detention? She needs to be with her mother.”
“Fine,” Snyder said coolly. ”She can go, but she still has to do the work that she missed today. Is that understood?”
Buffy nodded. ”Understood.”
The crowd parted as Snyder stalked away. Cordelia came up to Buffy after watching the exchange. ”Is it true? Is it really true that your mom’s in the hospital?”
Buffy looked away as Giles answered for her. ”Yes, it’s true. And I think that there is also a reason to believe that you might also be in danger as well.”
“Again? Why? It’s Buffy’s mom that’s lying in her death bed,” Cordelia squeaked. Buffy groaned as tears started again. ”What does that have to do with me?”
Giles pulled her to the side. ”It’s Amy Madison’s mother who has done this to Joyce. And she was a head cheerleader in this school. She was the one that blinded you three years ago, and she might attack you again, Cordelia.”
Xander walked up to the small group. “Yeah, but she has to finish off Buffy’s mom before-oof!”
Xander grimaced and rubbed his stomach as Willow smiled sweetly at him. ”Shut up, Xander. Can we go to the library now? We need to confer what we’ve done so far.”
Oz nodded. ”And we need to get it done before people start listening in on what we’re saying.”
“Do I have to come?” Cordelia groused. ”I’m just finally getting my social life back on track.”
As Giles, Willow and Buffy headed towards the library, Xander looked back at her. ”Only if you value your life in the literal sense.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
In her seat, Buffy looked at Giles expectantly. ”Well? Do you have it?”
Giles handed her a small vial. ”Very potent, and very lethal. Tastes like almonds.”
“Buffy, what is that?” Willow asked as Cordelia entered the library, flinging the doors open.
“I really hate you guys, you know that?” Cordelia said as she plopped into a chair, far from Xander. ”And I’m really sorry about your mom, Buffy. But do you really think I might me a target?”
Xander looked at her. ”Well, gee, Cordy. You beat her on the squad, you threatened her. I have no idea on why a woman like that might want some revenge against you.”
As Cordelia was about to say something scathing, Buffy slipped the small vial into her jeans when no one was looking. She interrupted the growing feud by asking Willow, ”What do you have?”
“Went to the local shops and found two dead bodies,” Willow said with a grimace. ”The police found them and said they had heart attacks and had burned their hands and face on the nearby candles. But it really looks like the cause of ‘Death by Magic’. I’m guessing it was Psycho Mom. One store was near the wharf. Near where all those abandoned houses are? The other was near the center of town. Off Hannigan Street and Carpenter Avenue.”
Buffy nodded as she filed that bit of information away. “Oz?”
“Found her scent, then lost it. Same area as the shops, but nearer to Main Street,” Oz said as he steepled his fingers. ”Any luck on your end, Buffy? Willie say anything useful?”
“Don’t know yet,” `Buffy said with a grim smile. ”I’ll know by tonight. At nine.”
“What’ll happen at nine o’clock?” Willow asked hesitantly. She didn’t like the hard look in her friend’s eye.
“I’ll either have information about where Catherine the Great is or she’ll be wrapped up like a present for me. If I get nothing and my mom is dies,” Buffy said. ”I’ll be quitting school and doing a whole lot of extermination.”
Giles looked at Buffy, stunned. ”You’re getting vampires to help you hunt for this woman?”
“It’s for their best interest, Giles. A girl needs to work out her grief, and what better way than to exterminate the undead?” Buffy said stubbornly.
“But what if they kill her?” Giles demanded. ”What then?”
Buffy glared at Giles. ”I told them to bring her to me alive, or I go on with the extermination. And what can we really do about her? Get her spell book, destroy the spell on mom. Then she could come back and makes our lives miserable again. If we can’t find the spell book, then we have to behead her. Great, people are safe and we go on living.”
“Except then we begin to act like Faith and become murderers rather than Slayers,” Willow said.
Buffy’s jaw hardened, but she continued, “Like I said, get her alive, she reverses the spell. But, what’s to stop her from going after you, me or any of us again? Put her in jail? For what? Incarceration for Casting Lethal Spells? Or the other possibility that she succeeds in killing Mom? Then who’s next to die until I give her what she wants?”
“So then why not? Give her what she wants,” Cordelia said. Buffy glared at her as Giles rubbed his face tiredly.
Cordelia’s eyes widened. “Oh…Oh!”
Buffy smiled sadly at her friend. ”I don’t forget any fact. Now since it’s day, we can plan to find her. But how?”
“Well, I think we need to think like her if we’re going to find her,” Oz said.
Xander grimaced. ”Great. Just think like a Homecoming Queen and add a truckload of loose screws and a tiny dash of evil. Where can we go to get an inkling on how much vapidness, loose screws and evilness is present? Cordy, any thoughts or comments?”
Cordelia scowled at him. ”Gee, what a compliment Xander. Thanks a bunch.”
“I call it how I see it,” Xander said simply. ”Now any ideas?”
Cordy was about to give a scathing reply when Buffy simply reached over to smack Xander on the head. Holding his head, and glaring at her, he demanded, ”What was that for?”
“I don’t have time for this repartee,” Buffy said with a glare. ”Cordelia, if you can help me, do it now, else you’re on your own when Catherine the Great Psycho Mom comes after you.”
“Try the malls, boutiques, beauty salons or places like that,” Cordelia said quickly. She shivered at the coldness in Buffy’s eyes. ”She was gone for sometime, God knows where, so she’s going to want to pamper herself. Then do some more witch shopping maybe.”
Buffy nodded, then looked at her Watcher. “Giles, I’m going to visit my mom. Spend some time with her, do a little hunting for Cathy the Great Psycho Mom. The four of you, call me if she shows up here.”
“Need a ride? Willow and I are free tight now,” Oz offered. Buffy nodded gratefully.
As Buffy left the library with Willow and Oz, Xander looked at Giles. ”Is she going to be a loose cannon like Faith?”
“She doesn’t have an weird mother/daughter relationship with her mom does she?” Cordelia asked. ”It’s kinda weird Buffy going ballistic because her mom’s dying.”
Xander glared at her. ”Yeah, kind of weird that Buff wants to protect her mom and her friends. Even weirder that she doesn’t want to give up her body to a psycho to save us. Giles, is Buffy going to be all right when this is all over?”
“I don’t know,” Giles said slowly as he took off his glasses. ”Buffy once told me, while in L.A. she had come home beaten after a particularly grueling night of Slaying. She was tired and beaten. Her mother was awake when she came in. And instead of ‘wigging out’, her mother merely cleaned her scrapes and cuts, then held her close as she slept. Buffy said on that night, she had never felt so safe since she was called. Then her mother started looking for a job outside of L.A. after she took away her telephone and allowance.”
“Whoa, harsh, no phone,” Cordelia said as she looked at the library doors. ”So is Buffy going to go psycho if her mother dies?”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was silent for a moment, then the trio heard Wesley audibly sniff. "Well, Mrs. Summers, there's no need to be snide."
Buffy then rushed into the room, Willow and Oz trailing her. "Wes, are upsetting my mother?"
Wesley turned around and glared at the Slayer. "No, but she is upsetting me. Your mother has been making personal comments about me all morning."
"It wasn't personal, Wesley," Joyce whispered as her brown eyes sparkled merrily. "It's a fact. You do not tell a woman, while out to dinner for a first date, that she had done something wrong while doing her job."
Oz winced. "You're lucky you're still alive after a comment on that. Especially on a first date."
Wesley glared at Oz, then at Joyce. "But there was no reason to say, and I quote 'She out to be ashamed of herself, wanting compliments instead of criticisms on a first date. Ought to be shot for thinking that way.' End quote. You were picking on me."
"Mom! You should be ashamed of yourself," Buffy clucked as she sat next to her mother on the bed. Buffy smiled bravely when she saw the gaunt cheeks, dry lips, and thin, pale blue veins under her eyes. There were more contraptions connected to her mother's arms, and they seemed larger and more menacing than they did last night. Still, she tried to maintain a cheery face. "You picked on Wussy while I wasn't here to see it! How could you!"
Joyce smiled tiredly as she whispered. "Sorry, honey. I'll be sure to do it again when you're around. Willow. Oz. Shouldn't you three be in school right now?"
"I was given the day off by Principal Troll himself, Will and Oz gave me a ride here," Buffy said as she adjusted her mother's pillow. "It was so cool. Troll was there to pick on me because I didn't have the cookies, then Giles came and verbally knocked his peg down."
Joyce nodded slightly, then with some effort, she looked at Willow. "And how are you doing, Willow? Get that computer program all set up? The database that identifies everything from demons to the color tie Wesley is wearing? Are those college applications done?"
"The program is up and running and the applications are almost done. Just have to type them now," Willow said, her voice catching. "It'll all probably be done by-by the end of this week."
Joyce smiled as she whispered. "No tears, Willow. Or my daughter will ruin the mascara that she 'borrowed' from me. Oz, how are the lyrics coming? And the applications to Julliard and that private music school you like?"
Other than his face turning slightly red, Oz smiled. "It's getting along, Mrs. S. Getting along on all accounts."
"Oh, that's good," Joyce said as she closed her eyes, then opened them. "Honey, I know you want to speak to Wesley, so shoo. I'll be fine with Willow and Oz."
Buffy nodded, then lightly kissed her mother's cheek. "Be right back, Mom."
As Buffy walked out of the room, she heard Willow start a lively conversation with her mother. Good old Willow. I can count on her to help out with Mom. And Xander. Willow and Xander got along so well with her mother that she sometimes wondered if they liked her better because of her mother. It was a strange thing to think about now, especially when she never thought about it before. Shaking off her strange thoughts, she looked at Wesley who was straightening his tie. "Did she pass the night okay? There was no more worsening of her condition?"
Buffy smiled briefly at this. "Great. I'm free, so I'll stay with her for now. When you see Giles, tell him to come as soon as he can. Xander will have the next shift, then Giles. I'll be hunting as soon as Xander heads over. Go get some sleep while you can, Wesley. Will and Oz can take you home if you want."
Wesley nodded as he turned away. "I will be very sorry if your mother passes away, Buffy. She is a sweet woman, I told her-I told her some things that I never thought I would tell her or anyone else."
Buffy smiled. "That's my mom. And she's not going to die, not when I can help it."
"You know that I should tell you to forget your mother, that there are other more important demons to defeat. That you should count her only as another casualty against the forces of evil," Wesley said slowly. "That as the Slayer you cannot afford to be emotional about losing your mother to the machinations of this evil witch."
Buffy's shoulders straightened and her hazel eyes narrowed at him. "And are you? Are you going to tell me to forget about saving her? To not get emotional?"
"No. I'm not. This battle is yours, Buffy. And I'll help you fight it," Wesley said as he looked at her. "There is three things I learned in these few months as a Watcher. You need to adapt to every new situation. And that you cannot always remain detached if you wish to survive."
"Sounds like a better set of three rules than one word repeated three times, Wesley," Buffy commented with a small smile.
"Indeed, they are," Wesley said, please that he made her smile. "I'll wait for Oz and Willow outside."
As Wesley walked away, Buffy called out to him. "Wes? You only quoted two rules, what's the third?"
Wesley smiled widely as he walked away. "To wear body armor around you, your mother and friends."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was near the evening as Buffy and Willow walked around the New Horizons Mall, carefully searching. Cordelia and Wesley were at the other side of the mall while Xander and Oz searched the streets, trying to sniff out the witch’s hideout. Giles was with Joyce, guarding her like a good little fake fiance should. The pair of girls never noticed a woman with black eyes glaring at them with hatred.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Joyce smiled tiredly at the man sitting next to her, she felt the warmth of his large hand, the softness of his hair and the loudness of his snores. With some effort, she pulled her hand away. He woke up immediately. "What? What is it? What's going on? Joyce?"
"Still here and accounted for," Joyce whispered. It took so much effort to just talk. "I just wanted to scratch an itch, and you had my good hand."
His face flushed with embarrassment and sleep, Giles blinked at her. "Oh, sorry about that, Joyce. I haven't-I wasn't able to-"
"Get much sleep? I'm so sorry about that," Joyce apologized.
Giles smiled gently at her. "Well, it's not your fault that an insane cheerleader cast a spell on you. Do you want me to scratch your itch?"
Joyce winced. "I don't think that it's possible. It's in a private area. That only I and three other people on this green earth should see. My doctor, nurse, and husband."
"Hello, Mrs. Summers! How are you feeling so far?" asked a cheerful nurse as she entered the room. "And hello to you, too, Mr. Giles. You're looking fine, and you're vertical as well."
Joyce looked amused as Giles scratched his ear. "Does this mean that you're usually not vertical?"
"Oh, Mr.Giles, when he comes in, he's on a stretcher in the emergency room," the nurse said cheerfully as she read Joyce's instruments. "I'm more acquainted with him there- I was just recently transferred to this floor. I tell you, all the nurses were just stunned to know what a romantic Mr.Giles is! Your daughter had us all swooning when she said that he had come to her for her permission to marry you. Saying that he was waiting for the perfect moment ask you. So romantic. And his face was so very red from embarrassment."
Joyce's eyes widened and she started giggling softly. "Oh, I wish I could have seen it."
Startled, he looked at Joyce as she giggled at his embarrassment. To hear her laugh was worth the slight humiliation he was feeling at this moment. As he took Joyce's hand into his, Giles smiled sheepishly at the nurse. "It still hasn't reached the perfect moment yet to ask her, Nurse Watson."
"It'll soon be, Mr.Giles," the nurse assured him. "Well, I'm done for now. And hope that you remain vertical. Mr.Giles," she said, leaving the room.
With some effort Joyce quirked her eyebrow at him. "You certainly are a favorite around here."
"One of the perks of fighting demons," Giles said as he sat next to her on the bed, surprising Joyce. "You get to know the hospital staff and they treat you better."
"I suppose," Joyce whispered as she turned her head towards the door. She couldn't be sure, but she thought she’d seen a flash of black and red passing by quickly. She blinked hard, and she saw another flash.
Fearing that his talk had upset her, Giles gently moved a strand of hair from her face. "Buffy will never be in this hospital, her healing abilities are near miraculous. I, on the other hand, will probably use this hospital every time I get a paper cut. Or a bump."
Joyce smiled at him. "I thought it would be Wesley in the hospital with the paper cut and bumps, while you have the ace bandage for the sprain. You will keep Buffy safe? You promised."
"Yes, I did, and I will," Giles assured her. Desperate to keep her mind occupied, he looked around. "I see that you have alot of flowers from friends."
"Yes, and I'm afraid that they need some water," Joyce whispered. ”Can you get some? I don’t seem to have a pitcher-could you find one and bring some water back?"
Nodding, Giles left the room in search of a pitcher. Joyce watched the door, and whispered as loudly as she could. "Liam? Is that you?"
A few moments later, a figure appeared at the door, and Joyce winced when she saw him. His cheekbones were so sharp she wondered if she would cut herself on them. His blue eyes were bloodshot, and his usually firm mouth trembled. "Hello, Mum."
Joyce tried to lift her hand at him, but couldn’t. His blue eyes flashed, and he was by her bedside immediately. ”Oh, Mum. What happened to you?”
“Witch with a grudge against Buffy,” Joyce whispered. ”But tell me how you got here. And so fast!”
“There’s a small blood bank in the hospital, you can get some blood there and pop it in the microwave,” Joyce whispered. A small smile lit Spike’s face, then fell as he studied her thin features. She looked like his beautiful mother, a hundred years ago. Thin, pale, mortal, dying. All because her little bastard son didn’t have enough sense to come in from the rain.
From the scowl on his face, Joyce knew he was thinking of his mother who died from pneumonia a hundred years ago. She sighed, then opened her arms and then he rested his head against her chest. ”I’ll be fine. Buffy will find the witch and give her a good thrashing.”
Spike held her carefully, his sharp hearing barely detecting the pounding of her heart. When she talked, it was hardly more than a whisper in the wind. ”Mum? I can turn you. You won’t have to die, you could live with me and I could take care of you. I don’t want to lose you. We could take care of each other forever. Mother and child.”
Joyce smiled sadly as she stroked his head. ”And then have Buffy slay both you and me when she finds us? She would never believe that I would willingly change myself, and I could never forgive myself for making her slay me. And I will not be responsible for her slaying you, Liam. Besides, pale skin doesn’t go well with blonde hair.”
Spike snorted with laughter, and Joyce smiled. ”That’s better. Now tell me, how was Mexico?”
Spike smiled as he realized she was trying to distract him. “It was-someone’s coming. Probably the Watcher.”
Joyce pointed at the door across her. ”Closet.”
Spike entered the closet just as Giles walked into the room with a pitcher full of water. ”Here’s the water, Joyce. Sorry to take so long, I was talking to the doctors, who by the way, can act like complete morons. Which should I water first?”
Joyce smiled. ”Take your pick. What did the doctors say to you to upset you?”
“Oh, this and that,” Giles said as he watered a small fern from Xander. ”Tips on a romantic evening. Ribbing on being a proper Brit. The nurses are swooning over our cover story that Buffy made up. About us getting married. Did you hear something?”
“Nothing really,” Joyce whispered quickly, then she smiled. ”From what the nurses say, you’re quite the dashing figure, both horizontal and vertical. You have half the nurses in love with you with that accent of yours. They think that you’re quite a catch. Too bad, they think that you’re taken.”
“Er, yes, too bad,” Giles said as he looked out the window.
Joyce smiled as she continued tiredly. “Well, look at it this way, at least some good will come from this spell Catherine put on me- when I’m out of here, you can date some of the nurses here. I’m sure that they’d be happy to try and heal your broken heart.”
“Er, yes, I’m sure that they would,” Giles said as he added water to a vase of yellow and pink roses. But is my heart still broken? Do I want one of them to heal my heart? thought Giles. He turned to her, not sure about what he was going to ask. ”Joyce, when this is over-”
“Doctor, please! Hurry,” Joyce gasped out. The instruments started going wild as Giles ran into the hall and called for help.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Giles caught his Slayer and gripped her shoulders. He shook her gently. ”She’s in there, Buffy- don’t make her more upset.”
Nodding, Buffy went into her mother’s room. ”Mom? Mommy?”
“Buffy,” sighed a voice from the bed. Buffy sat next to her mother on the bed. ”Love you so much. Be good.”
“Mom, shhh. Don’t talk, we’ve almost found her. I got lots of people and demons looking for her,” Buffy said frantically. ”I can find her. Just you hang on.”
Joyce nodded, her eyes closing. ”Such a beautiful baby. Love you. Love Liam, too. A friend. Don’t hurt. Promise me.”
Confused on who this Lee was, Buffy agreed. ”I won’t hurt Lee. Promise. And you’ll get better. I promise.”
“Never would have traded you. For a thousand Monets. My baby girl.” Joyce smiled as she slipped into sleep. She didn’t hear the sobs of her daughter.
When the doctor entered the room, he touched the crying girl’s shoulder. ”It won’t be long now, Miss Summers. She won’t hurt. She’ll be in peace.”
Buffy wiped her eyes. “Thank you. I need-”
“I’ll send the them in,” the doctor said as he left the room. As Buffy downed the vial from her pocket, she turned when her friends entered the room. Giles and Angel entered first, their faces grim when they saw the small vial in her hands. Wesley, Xander, Willow, Oz and Cordelia then entered, their eyes focused on her mother. Buffy smiled grimly at them.
“She’s not keeping her promise. Neither will I. Catherine the Great Psycho is a dead witch. Forget the spell book, I’m going to behead her. Giles, you and Cordelia stay here, guard her. Angel, you and I hit Willie’s for info. Xander, you Oz and Willow head to LaVille Cemetery. The vamps are supposed to bring her there if they find her. Now let’s move. We haven’t got much time left.”
When they left, Spike walked out of the closet. He looked at the still form on the bed. ”I’ll be back, Mum.”
