Chapter 11: Listening to Fear
This chapter is pretty much canon, but I promise you, next chapter is going to have Angel. It'll also be good bye Riley. For now, Enjoy!
Buffy and Dawn were at the hospital with Joyce. Dawn was sitting with Joyce on the bed, while Buffy was sitting beside them. Joyce had a bandage on her forehead. Dawn was eating green Jell-O with her fingers.
"Listen you two," Joyce said. "I know this creamed spinach is pretty delicious, but I promise, I won't be offended if you go out for some real food."
"You kidding me?" Buffy said. "This is the good life. Relaxing in bed while people bring you food on trays.
"I like the Jell-O." Dawn said licking her fingers. Joyce laughs.
"Help yourself." She said. "There's something about food that moves by itself that gives me the heebie-jeebies."
"It's good and wiggly. This girl at school told me that gelatin is made from ground-up cow's feet, and that if you eat Jell-O there's some cows out limping with no feet." Joyce and Buffy grimace. "But I told her I'm sure they kill 'em before they take off their feet. Right?" Buffy looked at her mother.
"You're the one who insisted on teaching her to talk." She said. Doctor Kreigel entered into the room.
"Oh, hello, Dr. Kriegel," Joyce said. "Um, you know my girls, Buffy and Dawn."
"Yes, of course." He said. "You two are becoming part of the regular crew around here."
"Just keeping her company." Buffy said.
"Good. Just be careful you don't wear her out."
"Ohh," Joyce groaned. "Don't worry about that. I woke up exhausted, there's really no more exhausted to get." The doctor takes Joyce's chart and looks at it.
"Well, maybe some good news will help. The blood work's come back from the lab, and everything seems fine. So, we've scheduled your surgery for day after tomorrow at ten in the morning." Buffy and Joyce sober up at this. "How's that sound to you?"
"Oh, well, I think they had me scheduled for volleyball, but, ah, we can work around it." Doctor Kriegel laughs.
"All right. Joyce, you take care. Make sure you get some good solid rest. And I mean that." he exited the room.
"Uhh, the day after tomorrow. I don't think I can stand to stay here another two days just waiting."
"Waiting?" Buffy said. "Gimme a break, we got, we got tons to do."
"We have soap operas to watch and trashy magazines to read." Dawn added.
"And an adjustable bed to fiddle with. That alone will keep me busy for four hours or so."
"Oh, I really don't need you to stay here, Buffy." Joyce said. "I know you've got patrolling to do."
"Not tonight. Tonight I have mom-taking-care-of to do. And besides, the gang's filling in for me. I'm sure they have everything under control.
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In the graveyard, Giles had a dark-haired female vampire in a choke-hold from behind while Willow attacked her from the front. The vampire shoved Willow away and twisted out of Giles' grip. Another female vampire, this one blonde, threw Xander to the ground as the first one threw Giles over her shoulder. The blonde vampire was tackled to the ground by Liam. Willow got to her feet, holding a stake. She rushed at the brunette vampire, but the vampire grabbed her, lifted her over her head, and threw her to the ground. Liam continued to fight the blonde vampire, but was thrown off by her. Giles rushed the brunette vampire and tried to lift her over his shoulder but she punched him in the back and then kneed him in the chest. Xander rushed over the blonde vampire but she hit him and grabbed him in a headlock and started punching him.
Giles reeled to his feet, disoriented, and the brunette vampire punched him in the face. Xander broke free of the blonde vampire and she punched him in the face with both her hands clasped together. Liam came up behind her and kicked her in the back of the knee, sending her down. Then grabbed her from behind in his own headlock. Willow got to her feet again, picked up her stake and ran forward. The brunette vampire threw Giles over her shoulder and as she straightened up, Willow came up behind her and staked her. Giles grabbed for his own stake. The blonde vampire threw Liam off of her and tried to get on top of him but Xander came up and kicked her backward. He lunged at her but she deflected him and threw him against a crypt. He staggered to his feet and she put her hand on his neck and shoved him back against the crypt. Giles lunged forward, shoved the vampire out of the way and raised his stake as if to stab Xander.
"Human chest! Human chest!" he said.
"Sorry!" Giles apologized. The blonde vamp got up, and shoved Willow away as she approached. The vampire went to where Giles and Xander were still standing by the crypt and shoved them up against it with one hand on each of their chests. They stared at her in alarm. Liam came up and pushed her away. She staggered back and Willow ran up behind the vampire and staked her. The guys gasp and pant as Willow begins to grin. "My god, what a rough night." Willow kept giggling and grabbed Xander.
"I just did two of 'em! Yay on me!" Xander grinned. Everyone came up to Willow and they begin to walk off.
"Nice job Will" Liam said. "that's one for the record books."
"That was pretty cool. Except the part where I was all terrified and ... and now my knees are all dizzy."
"Not so much a big success night for me." Xander said. They begin to walk away. "But I think I should get points just for showing up. Unlike some Riley Finn who shall remain unnamed."
"Yes, that was disappointing." Giles said. "Things would have been easier if he'd been here."
"Oh, piffle," Willow said proudly. "Who needs him when I'm dusting two at a ti…." She suddenly staggers and Giles and Xander catch her, each grabbing an arm. "Whoops." She smiles nervously at Xander. "Maybe it would've been good if ... he'd shown up."
"Perhaps he forgot."
"Or maybe not." Liam said under his breath. They walked off.
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Back at the hospital, Joyce was reading in bed while Buffy and Dawn were doing something at a nearby table. Willow entered with a large colorful paper bag.
"Care package!" She said as she put the bag on the bed next to Joyce. Dawn came running over, as Buffy followed more slowly. "Special delivery for the Summers girls. Now, let's see what I have in this sack of mine. Oh, I feel just like Santa Claus, except thinner and younger and female and, well, Jewish." She goes into the bag. "This is an extra-special gift for your mom, that I know she'll need." She pulls out a beer hat. "A beer hat! See, i-it's got cup holders, and a straw that goes directly into your mouth, and you can fill it with other stuff than beer. And somehow, when I was in the store this seemed like the most important idea and now there's the whole part where I'm crazy.
"It's perfect." Joyce said smiling. "Thank you, Willow. You're very sweet." Willow handed the beer hat to Dawn.
"Now, let's see, who's next? Dawn, I believe I have something in here for you..." Joyce puts her hand to her head and grimaces. Buffy looks concerned.
"Headache?" Buffy asked quietly. Dawn stopped smiling.
"Just a little one." Joyce said smilesing. "A biggish little one. I'm fine! Go on, what else is in that sack of goodies, Willow?
"All right." Willow went on. "Dawn, to keep you busy." She took out a book marked "Spells" and handed it to Dawn, who smiled in delight.
"Ooh, spells!" she said gleefully. "Thank you, Willow!" She hurried over to a nearby chair and sat down to read. Buffy folded her arms and looked at Willow.
"You got her a book on spells." Buffy said. Willow stopped smiling. "The girl who can break things by just looking at them, now has a book to teach her to ... break things by looking at them?"
"Oh, well, it doesn't actually have spells in it." Willow defended herself. "Just history, and anecdotes, stuff like that." Dawn sat quietly reading her book. "Oh, Buffy I have this for you." She pulled out a large textbook called "World History" and gave it to Buffy.
"Homework?" Buffy pouted. "Oh. I don't believe in tiny Jewish Santa anymore."
"And a yo-yo." She pulled a yo-yo out of bag and gave it to Buffy.
"Thank you." Buffy said smiling. There was a knock on the door and Willow went to answer it. She opened it and Liam stood in the doorway.
"Is this a girl only party, or can a guy join in?" he said smiling. Dawn stood up and stood next to Buffy.
"Hi Liam." She said smiling.
"Liam" Joyce said. "What a pleasant surprise." Liam walked in and stood next to Willow. "What are you doing here?"
"Well" Liam began. "My mom always told me to care for my friends families like I care for my friends, and I stay true to her words." He smiled at Buffy who in return, smiled at him.
"Well that is very nice of you." Joyce looked at him quizzically. "You know…I have always wondered why you wear sunglasses everywhere." Willow and Dawn looked to him, wanting to know the answer.
"Eye condition. I don't like people looking at my eyes weirdly. Makes me look like some freak." They all smiled and Liam noticed the beer hat that Joyce was holding and pointed to it. "Beer hat?"
"Willows present for me." Joyce said. Liam turned to Willow.
"I didn't know we were supposed to bring gifts. I would have done so. Are you trying to make me look bad?"
"No" Willow said. "No. No. I just….wanted to make her feel good."
"I should have done that."
"It's ok Liam." Buffy said. "You didn't have to bring gifts."
"Which is why did it anyway." He turned and opened the door, grabbing the bag of presents that he had sat down before he came in. "I have presents for the Summer's woman." He reached in and pulled out a long tin foil wrapped present. "I know that hospital food is crud so Joyce…" he handed the package to her. "Veggie burrito. A healthy choice of food, that can actually be called food."
"Oh…Thank you" joyce said taking the burrito and sighed in relief. "You have no idea what it is like here."
"I think I got an idea. Dawn…" he reached into his bag again and pulled out an amulet. "An amulet." Buffy raised an eyebrow, Dawn ran to him and took the amulet with gleam.
"Ohh cool. What powers does it have?" she asked giddy.
"It has the power to reinforce the power that all women have of attracting male companions." Liam said. This brought a laugh from all of the woman in the room. "And for Buffy…"
"If it's a textbook, Willow already got me one." Buffy said.
"Who wants a text book?" he reached in to bag and pulled out a small box. "When you can have chocolates." He handed it to her and she smiled.
"Thank you. See Will. You give me homework that's already done, chocolate means nothing to me. Give me work to do, I'll take chocolate any day." Willow smiled at the statement.
"The book is just in case you get a chance to look it over." Willow said. Joyce looked thoughtful. "We're doing World War One now. The last exam was really pretty easy, just underlying causes and trench foot. So it should be no hassle to make it up…" Buffy sighed.
"I don't even know if I'm gonna take that exam." She said.
"I'd rip it in half and stick it in bed with me!" Joyce snapped. The girls and Liam look confused. Dawn looked up from her book.
"Mom?" Buffy said tentatively. Joyce looked confused.
"You know, I think I'm gonna take a little rest now." She handed her cup and burrito to Buffy as Willow packed up her bag. Buffy put the cup and burrito on a nearby table as Joyce lied back in bed.
"Okay. We'll be right outside if you need us." Dawn got up and they left. Joyce smiled after them, then lied back and closed her eyes. Out in the hall, Dawn looked anxious as Buffy closed the door behind herself.
"What was she talking about?" Dawn asked Willow. "I mean, that was weird."
"She's gonna be fine." Willow reassured her.
"It's okay." Buffy said coming in. "I'm sorry, the doctor spoke to me, and uh, I should have told you. Um, the, the thing that's pressing on her brain, sometimes it, it might make her say weird things."
"Does she know she's saying them?" Dawn asked.
"Not really. It's sort of like a flash, you know, but you saw her two seconds afterward. She was normal."
"And after the operation," Liam added. "No more pressing. She'll be all normal all the time."
"Is that right?" Dawn asked Buffy.
"Hey, Santa's doesn't lie." She said back. They all smile. "Liam can I talk to you for a second?" Liam looked at her.
"Sure" the moved away from Willow and Dawn for a private chat. "Mom?" he said when they weren't going to be heard.
"I'm really worried about my mom."
"Hey, I would be to if that was you. I am right now. It's my grandmother." Buffy looked at the ground and shifted her feet.
"I know you don't know anything." She said looking back up. "But if this is it…"
"Hey." Liam interrupted her. "Don't talk like that. You gotta be positive."
"I'm trying to be. But we don't know if this is it. And if it is….I want her know."
"Mom?" Liam looked confused.
"I want her to know who you really are. I want her to know that I'm going to have a family of my own and be happy." Liam took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "I know you don't want people to know but she's…."
"Ok" he said.
"OK?"
"Yeah. I think it's a good idea. All people want before they go is to know that the people they care about will live on and be happy." He said smiling.
"That's what I want for her."
"We'll tell her." He put his glasses back on. "But when she's a little more….sane" Buffy smiled and they both made their way back to Willow and Dawn.
"Ready to go?" Buffy asked them. They nodded and they all started to walk. As they walked down the hall, a man passed them going the other way with three women. He brushed Buffy. "Oh, excuse me."
"Careful," the man said. "The facts say a-a picnic is in order." He turns around to look back at the three girls. "What is that thing?" He pointed at Dawn and walked back toward them, becoming agitated. The three women with him exchanged a worried look. "There-there's no data. There's no pictures on this one there!" He continued pointing at Dawn. She looked scared. Liam stepped forward protectively. The man's wife came forward. "What is the data? There's no one in there."
"Buffy?" Dawn said scared. Buffy grabbed Dawn and turned her away.
"Come on, honey. Don't worry about it." she said. Buffy, Liam, and Willow stared over their shoulders as they hustled Dawn away.
"What's wrong with him? Is it like Mom? A thing in his head?" Buffy starred after the man.
"I don't think so, I-I think it's, it's different. Don't, don't worry about it." she brushed some hair back from Dawn's face. An intern named Ben approached them. Buffy and Dawn had met him when they first brought Joyce in.
"I guess I missed that," Ben said. "was he bothering you?"
"Hey Ben, uh, this are my friends Willow and Liam." Willow shook his hand. Liam just nodded. "And, uh, yeah, the crazy man was a little ... you know, crazy, but it's okay. Are they really gonna send him home?"
"Don't get me started. The mental ward's booked beyond capacity, literally nowhere to put them, so the ones with families, they're letting 'em go home. Like his family's gonna be able to take care of him. He has to have someone to watch him 24-7!" he looked at Dawn. "What was he saying to you?"
"Oh, he was just babbling."
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Later that night, Buffy and Dawn were still at the hospital with their mother. Joyce was in her hospital bed, holding the nurse call button, pushing the button again and again.
"This thing doesn't work! It isn't working!" she said irradiated.
"I'm sure they heard you." Buffy said and took the call button from Joyce and put it aside. Dawn was in reading.
"I bet it's not even hooked up to anything. Just like the push buttons at the crosswalk that are supposed to make the signal change."
"I'm sure someone's on - What, the push buttons aren't hooked up to anything?" The doctor entered.
"Oh, tell him, Buffy. Tell him, okay?"
"Look, Dr. Kriegel, we wanna go home."
"Well, of course." Dr. Kriegel said. "You can come back and visit your mother first thing in the morning."
"No. We. I-I mean, all of us. My mom too." Joyce looks anxiously at the doctor and nods.
"Oh. Well, I understand that, but it's not necessarily the first thing I'd recommend."
"I can't! I-I can't stay here waiting for two days for this operation, I just can't." Joyce said frantically. The doctor sighed. "It makes my head hurt to be here, can't you tell that?"
"Joyce, there's no reason to get upset."
"No reason to get upset? Oh, right, sorry, I must just think there is because of my brain tumor!" Dawn looks upset. Joyce calms down slightly.
"Here, Dawn, why don't you get something from the machine?" Buffy said and handed Dawn some money. She took it and left, looking apprehensive.
"I-I'm sorry I said that, I'm just tired." Joyce said softly to Buffy.
"I know. Listen, Doctor, I don't see why we can't take her home, you know, just until... I-I mean, wouldn't it be better for her to rest someplace where she felt safe and comfortable?"
"Even if it would mean some work for you, taking care of her?" said Dr. Kriegel. Joyce sighed and leaned back in her bed.
"Oh, thank god." She says.
"I'll do it, anything." Buffy said. The doctored sighed and shakes his head.
"There are medications to administer," he said. "I'd have to go over those with you, and I'd need for you to check her vitals, watch her pretty closely. I'm afraid you won't get a lot of sleep."
"I'm not much of a sleep person anyway." Buffy shrugged.
Can we go now? Joyce said anxiously and started to get out of bed. "Let's go now!"
"Oh, hold on!" Buffy stops her. "Lemme get all the medications and all the instructions on how to do everything."
"She's right." The doctor agreed. "Let's do this right. We don't wanna forget anything." Joyce sighed.
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Willow and Tara were walking through forest. Riley, Xander, Anya, Liam and Giles were walking behind them. Giles had a flashlight. Willow and Tara saw a meteorite fall to earth and they were investigating it.
"Everyone stay close." Riley said to the group.
"No shit" Liam said under his breath.
"I'm glad you called me in on this." Riley said to Xander
"Glad you answered." He said back.
"Oh, yeah. I'm sorry about last time. Heard I missed out on some fun."
"Oh, yeah, fun was had. Also frolic, merriment, and near-death hijinks."
"Look, there it is." Riley pushed past Willow and Tara. They approached a long trench in the ground. There was the meteorite. They all ran up to the edge of the trench. Riley jumped down into it as Giles moves his flashlight over the rock.
"Wow." Willow said amazed. "We have meteorite." The rock was steaming.
"Is it hot?" Anya asked. Riley put his hands toward it. "'Cause, uh, if there's radiation, you could like go all sterile." Riley looked alarmed. Xander jumped backward. Riley touched the rock carefully.
"No, it's not hot." He said kneeling. "It's warm. And broken. It's sort of…"
"Hollow." Giles said.
"Yeah."
"So, uh, we're all thinking the same thing, right?" Anya said.
"Festive pinata?" Xander joked. "Delicious candy?"
"Something evil crashed to earth in this and then broke out and ... slithered away to do badness." Willow observed.
"In all fairness, we don't really know about the slithered part." Giles said.
"There aren't any footprints coming from the rock." Liam observed. "The ground is wet here and it's going in that direction." He pointed in direction of the woods. They moved off. Riley climbed out of the trench to join them. Willow moved around some trees and finds the man from the hospital lying on the ground.
"It went here!" she said. They all rushed over. Riley kneeled by the body and felt its neck.
"No pulse." He said. Liam joined Riley by the guard's head.
"No marks on him." Liam said. "Wait" he looked closer at the body. "Willow, look familiar."
"Yeah." Willow said. "He, he was at the hospital, a mental patient. They released him today." Everyone leaned down to look at the body. Riley took out a pen and brought it toward the man's mouth.
"Uh, Riley, what are you doing?" Giles asked.
"I'm not sure, there's something..." Riley said. He sticks the pen in the man's mouth and it comes out covered with a clear slimy substance. Everyone but Liam reacts at the same time, making disgusted noises and covering their noses as it obviously smells bad. "Oh, that might be toxic, don't touch it." Liam activates and analysis scanner on his glasses without anyone noticing.
"Oh yeah, touching it was my first impulse." Xander said sarcastically. "Luckily I've moved on to my second, which involves dry-heaving and running like hell. Oh, man, does that smell. Why aren't you affected by it?" he asked Liam who hadn't moved from his kneeling position staring at the substance.
"I've smelled worse things than this." He said.
"Yeah," Riley said. "your demon friends smell good to you?"
"Half –demon" Liam corrected him. He looked at the substance again. Analysis said that it was a sort of protein alkaloid and it was going to dissolve fast. "Perhaps we should explore a bit more, head into the woods a bit. See if we can't find this substance in there." They all look into the woods. It was dark and scary-looking.
"Who votes research?" Xander said. Everyone but Liam and Riley raised their hands and starts to walk away.
"Yeah, I think that's a good call." Riley said standing up. "There could have been some other cases like this. I'm gonna stay here, examine the body some more, look around a little bit."
"I'll go into the woods and see what I can find." Liam said.
"Um, give us a call if you need help." Giles said to the both of them.
"Believe me, something jumps out at me in the dark" Riley started. "You'll hear me even without the phone. Call me if you learn anything."
"You got it." Riley watches them go. Liam started to walk off towards the woods. "Hey" Riley called to him. Liam turned to face him. "I'm sorry about that. it's just….I haven't had really any good relationships with any kind of demons so…"
"You don't need to say anything." Liam said. "I understand. You live in a world of black and white. Demons are evil. Humans are good. Not open to the thought that demons can be good. Let alone breed with humans who let them. I grew up with that. But I can assure you Riley, I'm not here to hurt Buffy. I'm here to help her."
"It's just that you always seem to know what to do when something really bad happens."
"I saw each one of my family members die in front of me by Evil. I learned through the years. Because if you don't know what to do in certain situations…you better have a good tombstone picked out beforehand. That's always that hardest part."
"Was your mother killed by demons?" Liam hesitated.
"No. Humans. Because she saw past the demon and saw the good that can be found in all creatures if you just take the time to look." He turned away and walked to the woods. "Just like Buffy." Riley stares at him, taking in what he said. Then he took out his cell phone and dialed.
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Back at the hospital, Dr. Kriegel was checking some paperwork as Joyce stood behind him, dressed with Buffy and Dawn.
"Well, I guess we're all set then." He said. He turns and handed Buffy a piece of paper and three pill bottles. "You've got my home phone number, pager number, and here, these are the medications I talked to you about. The sedative and so forth, painkillers."
"Right. No problem." Buffy said.
"Now, if this is gonna be too much for you, we can make your mom perfectly comfortable here."
"No. No, no, I-I got this. We really, really appreciate…"
"You look just like your father when he cries." Joyce said to Buffy.
"I-I told you she's been…"
"I know. Joyce?" the doctor said. Joyce was staring dazedly at Buffy. "Joyce." She looked at him. "We're all done here. Why don't you take your girls home now."
"Yes." She said. "Yes, thank you. Thank you for all your help, doctor."
"I'll see you in a couple of days." He walked off. The Summer's women turned away, Buffy and Dawn flanked Joyce and linked their arms through hers.
"Oh, let's get the hell outta here." She said as they left.
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Liam was walking through the woods and got to the streets of town. He was following the demons trail. It wasn't that hard. He could smell the demons scent from the place it crashed. And he had on thermal vision on his glasses and could see the slime trail the demon left behind, even after it dissolved. He heard a helicopter overhead but brushed it off and kept walking, picking up the pace, hoping to get to the demon. Liam arrived at the hospital and followed the trail. It led him to the psychiatric ward. He peered into the room and saw five dead people. He turned off his thermal vision to get a better look. All of them seemed to be covered in the mysterious goop.
"What a fucking mess" he said. He turned on the thermal vision again and scanned the room. He saw a trail leading out. He followed the trail to the outside again and found that it stopped in the parking lot. "Bastard must have found a ride." He suddenly remembered that the demon killed mental patients, the mental patient from the hospital in the woods, and that Joyce was acting crazy earlier. "Oh fuck. Grandma!" he took off at a run to Buffy's house. He was running as fast as he could, not stopping or pay attention to anything. This led to him bumping into and toppling over Spike as he was running through the graveyard.
"Whoa. Where's the fire?" Spike asked getting up.
"Not now Spike." Liam got up too. "Mom could be in trouble."
"Yeah. With what?"
"Some demon is killing crazy people."
"How is Buffy in danger then?"
"Her mom's been acting crazy because of the tumor. I followed the demons trail and it led me to the hospital. I found five dead mental patients. The trail ended at the parking lot and Buffy checked Joyce out earlier tonight."
"Then what are we doin' standin' 'round then? Let's go"
"Think you can keep up old man?"
"Hope you can keep up junior." The both started at a run towards Buffy's house.
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The Queller demon was in Joyce's room and Joyce was talking to it, still acting a little crazy. The Queller squeals and drops down on top of Joyce. She screams. Dawn hears the scream and gets up. Joyce struggles against the Queller.
"Get off me!" She said. It spits its slime onto her face. She shakes her head trying to dislodge it. Dawn opens the door and sees the demon on top of Joyce. She gasps. The Queller looks at her as she grabs a coat rack from her room and shakes the clothing off of it. She attacks the demon with it, shoving it off the other side of the bed. Most of the slime seems to have hardened on Joyce's face. She pulls it away, gasping and panting. Dawn looks around, scared. The Queller arises from behind the bed and launches itself at Dawn, squeaking. She screams and runs back into her room. The Queller chases her, crawling along the floor. Dawn runs through her room and out into the hall, as the Queller enters the hall from Joyce's room. Dawn runs into the bathroom and slams the door. Buffy was crying in the kitchen. She had the radio on and water coming from the sink. She wipes hair back from her face and sniffles. The back door banged open as Liam and Spike entered. Buffy shrieked and dropped a plate she was wiping. Liam and Spike looked at her and she looked at them.
"Liam?" she said wiping tears from her eyes. "Spike? What are you guys doing here?" Liam was about to answer when he noticed the tear marks on her face.
"Are you ok?" Liam asked.
"Still recovering from the near heart attack you guys gave me."
"No need to be rude." Spike said. "But we are here for a reason. Where's your mum?" They heard a shriek from upstairs and Dawn calling for Buffy. "Never mind." They all raced upstairs. Liam ran ahead into the hallway, and came back a moment later with the Queller on top of him. The two went rolling down the stairs. Buffy and Spike jumped out of the way. "Wow. Ugly thing."
"Some help…Would be…..Appreciated." Liam gasped from the floor. The Queller squeaked and crawled away. Liam rubbed his neck and looked around.
"It's fast" Spike commented
"No shit"
"Where did it go?" Buffy asked frantically, looking around. Liam pulled out his axe, ready to strike anything that moved funny. They walked into the living room cautiously. Then Buffy gave a strangled yell suddenly and Liam saw the demon grab hold of him. Spike tackled Buffy to the ground and ripped the demon off of her. It fought back, but he wrestled with it.
"Spike." Liam yelled. "You ever play baseball?"
"I think for all intents and purposes, this is demon ball." He growled while fighting the demon. Liam raised his axe.
"Then batter up." Spike threw the demon at Liam and Liam swung, slicing the demon in half. It became still. "Home run." He breathed. Spike held out his hand to Buffy and she took it and he pulled her to her feet. Just then, the door burst open and Riley came in, followed by commandos. They all turned and saw more commandos coming in through the back door yelling random orders. Riley looked at Spike and Buffy apparently holding hands. Spike gave him a sour look.
"Are you okay?" Riley asked Buffy. Buffy frowned at him, and then rushed to the stairs.
"You just missed a real nice time." Spike said to Riley. Riley looked around and saw the Queller at Liam's feet, cut in half. Buffy burst into Joyce's bedroom.
"It's gone. I killed it." She said. Both Dawn and Joyce hugged her, putting their heads on her shoulders. She put her arms around them. "Everything's all right. Everything's all right."
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The next morning, Joyce was at the hospital again and a nurse was putting an IV in Joyce's arm as Buffy sat on the bed by her, holding her other hand. Joyce winced as the needle entered her arm. The nurse finished and left. Buffy sighed.
"Buffy, uh," Joyce said and cleared her throat. "I'm gonna ask you something, a-and if I'm, if I'm being crazy you just tell me, okay?"
"You got it." She said.
"The other day ... well, actually, I'm, I'm not sure when, the days seem to all bleed together..."
"It's not important."
"No, I guess it isn't. I do know I was ... pretty out of it, and I had ... not-not a dream ... exactly, more like I had this ... knowledge, i-it just came to me like ...truth, you know?" Buffy frowned. "Even though it didn't seem...possible, even though I shouldn't even think such things."
"What?"
"That Dawn..." Buffy looked very startled. "She's not ... mine, is she?" Buffy stared at her mom, then looked down and then looked Joyce in the eye.
"No." Joyce absorbs this for a moment.
"She's ... she does belong to us, though."
"Yes, she does."
"And she's important. To the world. Precious. As precious as you are to me." Buffy smiled and nodded her head. "Then we have to take care of her. Buffy, promise me. If anything happens, if I don't come through this…"
"Mom…."
"No, listen to me. No matter what she is, she still feels like my daughter. I have to know that you'll take care of her, that you'll keep her safe. That you'll love her like I love you."
"I promise." Buffy said with tears growing her eyes.
"Good. Good." Joyce said and they both hugged. "Oh, my sweet brave Buffy. What would I do without you?" Buffy hugged her mom tightly.
"I don't know, mom." She pulled out of the hug and looked at her. "And I don't know what I would do without my child." Joyce looked confused. Buffy opened the door and Liam came into the room. "Mom, I want to officially introduce you to someone." Joyce looked even more confused. Buffy turned to Liam. "Liam, this is Joyce Summers. My mother." She turned to her mother. "Mom, this is Liam Summers." Joyce looked a little shocked. "My son from the future." Liam took his sunglasses off and kneeled down beside Joyce looking at her. She looked back even more shocked. Seeing Liam and how he looked a lot like Buffy.
"What?" she said.
"Hi Grandma." Liam said. Joyce looked back at him.
"I don't understand."
"And you don't need to. I am Buffy's and Angel's son from the future. I came back to save it and my family." Joyce looked bewildered. "I know it's a lot to take in but…" Tears where starting to form in his eyes. "I can't bear the thought of you not knowing in case this was it." Joyce looked away. The information she was just given, sinking in. She looked at Buffy for confirmation. Buffy nodded back. Joyce looked back at Liam
"I didn't tell you because I didn't want to put you in any danger if evil found out where I came from. Future knowledge is dangerous in the wrong hands. At the moment, only immediate family know who I am. Mom, Grandpa Giles, and now you."She continued to look at him, then placed a loving hand on his face.
"Ohh." She said with a smile. "My own grandson." This made Liam and Buffy smile. "My daughter has a son."
"Both your daughters will have children." This made Joyce smile even more and a few tears went down her face. They hugged. Buffy stood there crying happy tears as everyone else did. Liam pulled away from Joyce and kissed her forehead. They looked at each other and Joyce placed her hand on his face again.
"God ,you look so handsome."
"It's a Summer's thing." They both laughed. Joyce looked away quizzical and then looked back.
"But…If you're Buffy and Angel's son than why….."
"Don't worry about it grandma. We have everything under control. You need to worry about you. I actually want to spend time with my grandma now." She smiled at him and they hugged again. Liam's phone started to ring. He pulled away from the hug and pulled out his phone.
"I thought cell phones were supposed to be off in hospitals?" Buffy said.
"Since when do I follow rules that aren't my mother's?" He opened his phone and answered it. "Yeah….yes….he did?...She was?...How long?...OK thanks Lorne." He hung up. And turned to his mother and grandmother.
"What is it?"
"We're gonna need to move pretty soon. That first event I talked about…it's gonna happen."
"When?" Where?"
"Relax mom. We have some time to stay for the surgery and see if grandma makes it." He looked to her." I have a feeling she will."
"Future knowledge?" Joyce asked.
"Faith." He answered and they all smiled
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX
Joyce was on a gurney, being wheeled away. She had one arm up behind her head and she smiled down the hall as she was moved backwards. Buffy and Dawn had their arms around each other, watching. Riley, Xander, Anya, Giles, Tara, Willow, and Liam were standing behind them watching. Joyce looked very calm. She waved to her two girls and to her grandson. Liam secretly waved back.
Now Joyce knows. Almost the whole family knows who Liam is. Next chapter, Angel come in and Riley goes out.