Joyce took a deep breath.
"What are you. A bunch of world savers or a bunch of children." She fixed each with her gaze. "Last time I saw somethinglike this, Buffy and Dawn were squabbling over something they had as much control over."
"Mom," protested Buffy. "You don't know..."
"Maybe I don't know everything that happened but I do know this. This world, this entire plane of existance, may well end because the group of people chosen to save it are too busy squabbling among themselves."
"Mrs. Summers." Gunn stepped forward. "English here took Angel's son and turned him over to Holtz, who took him to a heel dimension."
"English?" Joyce looked confused.
"I believe he means me." Wesley stepped around the crowd. "And I did not turn the child over to Holtz."
"Then what did you do?"
"I found a prophecy that indicated that Angel might kill the child. I removed the child, I admit to that. but I did not hand him over to Holtz. He was taken from me."
"By whom?"
"Justine. She tricked me into thinking she was making a break from Holtz. She slit my throat and took the child."
Joyce turned back to Gunn. "Did you know this?"
"Mom," Buffy tried to interrupt. She was still in shock, seeing her mother. She looked real. But that could be illusion. She had to know. "Mom," she tried again.
"Later Buffy." Jpyce used the tone she always used when she meant her daughters to mind. Buffy clapped her mouth shut, and took a small step back. "Well did you," she asked Gunn.
"Wouldn't have mattered," Gunn stated.
"So you judged him without knowing all the facts."
"Still don't know if what he said was true."
"Justine?"
"Why not? That's the way it went down."
"Why?"
'Angelus destroyed Holtz's family. I loved Holtz. I wanted to help."
"Angel. Did you do what Justine said you did?"
"Yes." The admission came through clenched teeth and hung there over the room.
"At least we didn't kill him. How many of Holtz's family survived?"
"Mrs. Summers, I really don't think..."
"Not now Cordelia." Joyce took a deep breath. "I think I can understand how you feel Angel, but your son was born for a reason, and for that reason to be, he had to spend his formative years in Quor-Toh. What happened was meant to happen."
"It should not have happened," Angel roared.
"It did." Joyce was not in the least intimidated by Angel's outburst. "He's back, giving you the opportunity for another chance. How many chances did Holtz have with his daughter?"
"Now that's really unfair," Buffy was growing madder by the minute. "He didn't have his soul then. He's not the monster he was then. He's atoned for what he did."
"Didn't help Holtz any did it?" Buffy snapped her mouth shut audibly. Joyce turned back to Angel. "You took his family, he took yours. Seems to me there is some sort of balancing of the scales there. "
Angel stared at her.
Joyce sighed. "Okay Xander, I tried. I guess its up to you, me and Wes."
"What," demanded Buffy. "What's up to you?"
"Why saving the world." Joyce gazed serenely into her daughter's angry eyes. "Admittedly we aren't as good at it as you are, or Angel, and a lot of people re going to die, but you seem more interested in fighting among yourselves."
That last may have been said to Buffy, but it was meant for all of them and they knew it.
+++++
"Mom, I can't believe you did this." Buffy stripped sheets off the bed in her mother's old room, and threw them into a pile. They were back in Sunnydale, and Buffy was making a show of fixing up her mother's bd. Joyce had assured her it was not necessary, but Buffy felt the need to do something. "You can't talk to my friends like that."
"Oh and how should I talk to them? Like adults, when they were fighting like a group of children."
"You don't really think you helped do you?"
"Oh it didn't ease the tension, or get rid of any feelings. But it did focuss their minds o what was really important."
Buffy was about to make a reply when she was interrupted by Dawn coming into the room. "What are you doing," she asked.
"Making up Mom's bed."
"I can see that, but why? Who's coming over?"
Buffy stared at Dawn then turned her eyes to the space her mother had occupied.
"I am sorry Buffy," her mother's voice whispered in her mind. "I can only stay in this world for a fw hours at a time."
"What are you. A bunch of world savers or a bunch of children." She fixed each with her gaze. "Last time I saw somethinglike this, Buffy and Dawn were squabbling over something they had as much control over."
"Mom," protested Buffy. "You don't know..."
"Maybe I don't know everything that happened but I do know this. This world, this entire plane of existance, may well end because the group of people chosen to save it are too busy squabbling among themselves."
"Mrs. Summers." Gunn stepped forward. "English here took Angel's son and turned him over to Holtz, who took him to a heel dimension."
"English?" Joyce looked confused.
"I believe he means me." Wesley stepped around the crowd. "And I did not turn the child over to Holtz."
"Then what did you do?"
"I found a prophecy that indicated that Angel might kill the child. I removed the child, I admit to that. but I did not hand him over to Holtz. He was taken from me."
"By whom?"
"Justine. She tricked me into thinking she was making a break from Holtz. She slit my throat and took the child."
Joyce turned back to Gunn. "Did you know this?"
"Mom," Buffy tried to interrupt. She was still in shock, seeing her mother. She looked real. But that could be illusion. She had to know. "Mom," she tried again.
"Later Buffy." Jpyce used the tone she always used when she meant her daughters to mind. Buffy clapped her mouth shut, and took a small step back. "Well did you," she asked Gunn.
"Wouldn't have mattered," Gunn stated.
"So you judged him without knowing all the facts."
"Still don't know if what he said was true."
"Justine?"
"Why not? That's the way it went down."
"Why?"
'Angelus destroyed Holtz's family. I loved Holtz. I wanted to help."
"Angel. Did you do what Justine said you did?"
"Yes." The admission came through clenched teeth and hung there over the room.
"At least we didn't kill him. How many of Holtz's family survived?"
"Mrs. Summers, I really don't think..."
"Not now Cordelia." Joyce took a deep breath. "I think I can understand how you feel Angel, but your son was born for a reason, and for that reason to be, he had to spend his formative years in Quor-Toh. What happened was meant to happen."
"It should not have happened," Angel roared.
"It did." Joyce was not in the least intimidated by Angel's outburst. "He's back, giving you the opportunity for another chance. How many chances did Holtz have with his daughter?"
"Now that's really unfair," Buffy was growing madder by the minute. "He didn't have his soul then. He's not the monster he was then. He's atoned for what he did."
"Didn't help Holtz any did it?" Buffy snapped her mouth shut audibly. Joyce turned back to Angel. "You took his family, he took yours. Seems to me there is some sort of balancing of the scales there. "
Angel stared at her.
Joyce sighed. "Okay Xander, I tried. I guess its up to you, me and Wes."
"What," demanded Buffy. "What's up to you?"
"Why saving the world." Joyce gazed serenely into her daughter's angry eyes. "Admittedly we aren't as good at it as you are, or Angel, and a lot of people re going to die, but you seem more interested in fighting among yourselves."
That last may have been said to Buffy, but it was meant for all of them and they knew it.
+++++
"Mom, I can't believe you did this." Buffy stripped sheets off the bed in her mother's old room, and threw them into a pile. They were back in Sunnydale, and Buffy was making a show of fixing up her mother's bd. Joyce had assured her it was not necessary, but Buffy felt the need to do something. "You can't talk to my friends like that."
"Oh and how should I talk to them? Like adults, when they were fighting like a group of children."
"You don't really think you helped do you?"
"Oh it didn't ease the tension, or get rid of any feelings. But it did focuss their minds o what was really important."
Buffy was about to make a reply when she was interrupted by Dawn coming into the room. "What are you doing," she asked.
"Making up Mom's bed."
"I can see that, but why? Who's coming over?"
Buffy stared at Dawn then turned her eyes to the space her mother had occupied.
"I am sorry Buffy," her mother's voice whispered in her mind. "I can only stay in this world for a fw hours at a time."