Chapter Two: What may come
The next afternoon Buffy cautiously entered her house. She didn't know if her father was home or not. She sighed softly not seeing her father in the living room as she entered. She quickly made her way upstairs to her bedroom. As soon as she shut her door, she noticed her dad sitting on her bed.
"Where were you last night?" He asked. Buffy shrugged as she stayed near her door. "I was sober enough to notice you were gone all night long."
"I stayed at the park, under the slide. I'd rather stay out of your way now." Buffy said just loud enough to be heard. Hank got up quickly and took his belt off. Buffy instantly knew she was going to get a horrible beating for her comment. Three hours later Hank finally stopped beating her. She lay on the floor in the middle of her room silently letting the tears fall. She hurt too much to let herself cry.
The next morning Spike and Dru went over to Buffy's to pick her up. No one answered when they rang the doorbell. Spike looked around then opened the door. As they entered the house, they kept an eye out for both Buffy and her father. They knew her mother no longer came home anymore. They went upstairs to Buffy's room and cautiously opened the door. The sight of Buffy covered in blood on her floor was heartbreaking to both teens. Spike quickly went to make sure she was still breathing.
"She's barely breathing. Call an ambulance and then call dad." Spike instructed to his sister then he said to Buffy, "Hang on pet. Help is coming."
Dru called an ambulance and her father. Her father told Dru to run home as fast as she could when the ambulance arrived and let Spike ride to the hospital with Buffy. A few minutes later the ambulance showed up and Dru ran home. Spike rode with Buffy once they got her on a stretcher and in the ambulance. The entire trip there Spike kept talking to Buffy and holding her hand. Upon entering the hospital, Rupert and Anne had to pull Spike away from Buffy and keep Dru from running. Keeping those two still and quiet when Buffy was concerned was like trying to an apple hanging in the tree forever, just not possible.
Three hours later, a doctor came out in scrubs looking for Buffy's family.
"We're her family." Giles said standing up with his family.
"We have her stable. She is also awake asking for Dru and Spike." The doctor said. "You may all go in and visit." The doctor said leading them to her room. Giles held his wife back as their teens entered the room. He waited until they were talking to Buffy before he said something.
"How much more proof do you need?" He asked Anne. She sighed knowing she was beat.
"No promises but I will talk to the firm and see what we can do to get Buffy out of Hank and Joyce's custody. But we don't know where Joyce is this time." Anne said looking at her husband.
"I do." Spike said interrupting them, "Buffy get mail from her mom in a P.O. box that her dad doesn't know about. Her mom is in L.A. has been for a couple of years. There probably mail in there now."
"Son why didn't you tell us?" Giles asked sternly.
"Because she made me promise her. She let me read some of the letters and Joyce admits why she doesn't fight for Buffy. She also admitted that she did not want custody for Buffy because she isn't living a stable life. Last I read from a letter her mom was living with a sister in a drug neighborhood." Spike said. He went back to Buffy. His parents looked at each other then entered the room.
"Dru, let me use your cell phone real quick. Willow and Xander need to know what's going on." Spike said. Dru handed her phone over. Twenty minutes later Willow and Xander were walking into the room. Buffy had fallen asleep waiting for her other two friends. Spike made a quiet motion to them as they walked closer.
"What happened?" Willow asked as she sat down next to Dru on the window seat.
"Her father beat to the point she had to come here." Spike said still sitting on the bed next to Buffy.