Q & A #42
Dawn's ghetto blaster roared, while Meredith played with her dolls. Try as she might, she couldn't concentrate on the adults downstairs in the living room. "I want to have a nap now."
"Really?" Dawn shut off the music. "All right. I'll run into my room and get my book. I can read while you sleep." She paused at the door. "Stay in here. I'll be right back."
Meredith climbed under her comforter and listened. She could hear Willow and her mother, even though she didn't understand everything. Her father was a blank, as usual.
"You should have told us. What were you thinking?" Mommy was angry.
"You don't understand. You don't know what she is." There was a pause. "I know, Spike. That came out wrong. But you have to believe me, it wasn't me. I didn't do anything. Just a little protection spell. It's who she is."
[Don't cry, Auntie Willow.]
[Please stop listening, Meredith. This is grown-up business.]
[Okay.] Meredith stopped talking to Willow, but she didn't stop listening. Dawn came into the room and lay beside her, opening the Lord of the Rings. Meredith pretended to be asleep.
"How could I tell you?" Willow asked. "I know you've been talking to Riley."
"What the hell has that got to do with anything?" Another pause. "Shut up, Spike. None of this makes sense."
"Let me start at the beginning." Willow collected her thoughts. They were hazy. "I stumbled on some information on the Internet. About government operations. Secret operations. You remember Marci? Remember when she disappeared, I mean really disappeared? I think the government took her. And I found more evidence about the use of psychics as weapons and covert agents." Yet another pause. "And how could you stop them, Spike, if they knew? Riley's one of them."
"That's ridiculous," Buffy snorted. "That's totally different from the work he does."
"Really?" Willow asked. "Then why did he take a psychic child away from her real mother? Meredith told me. He's part of it."
Her mother's mind was a jumble of emotions. "My god. My poor baby."
She wished she could hear her father through the others' minds, but they were too far away. Everything was so mixed up. "I know, Spike." Willow was saying. "Maybe I was wrong. But I love that little girl. I'd do anything to protect her."
"Why, Willow?" Buffy asked. "Why is she like that? Is it something we did? And what about the new baby? God, Spike, I'm scared."
"I don't think it's because you're the Slayer, or Spike's a vampire. It's just the way she is. Like other children all over the world. Not even magic, really. Something else."
"It can't be true," her mother was saying, over and over. "It can't be true. Not my little girl. Not my ..."
"Mommy!" Meredith screamed, as she felt the stab of pain.
Dawn's ghetto blaster roared, while Meredith played with her dolls. Try as she might, she couldn't concentrate on the adults downstairs in the living room. "I want to have a nap now."
"Really?" Dawn shut off the music. "All right. I'll run into my room and get my book. I can read while you sleep." She paused at the door. "Stay in here. I'll be right back."
Meredith climbed under her comforter and listened. She could hear Willow and her mother, even though she didn't understand everything. Her father was a blank, as usual.
"You should have told us. What were you thinking?" Mommy was angry.
"You don't understand. You don't know what she is." There was a pause. "I know, Spike. That came out wrong. But you have to believe me, it wasn't me. I didn't do anything. Just a little protection spell. It's who she is."
[Don't cry, Auntie Willow.]
[Please stop listening, Meredith. This is grown-up business.]
[Okay.] Meredith stopped talking to Willow, but she didn't stop listening. Dawn came into the room and lay beside her, opening the Lord of the Rings. Meredith pretended to be asleep.
"How could I tell you?" Willow asked. "I know you've been talking to Riley."
"What the hell has that got to do with anything?" Another pause. "Shut up, Spike. None of this makes sense."
"Let me start at the beginning." Willow collected her thoughts. They were hazy. "I stumbled on some information on the Internet. About government operations. Secret operations. You remember Marci? Remember when she disappeared, I mean really disappeared? I think the government took her. And I found more evidence about the use of psychics as weapons and covert agents." Yet another pause. "And how could you stop them, Spike, if they knew? Riley's one of them."
"That's ridiculous," Buffy snorted. "That's totally different from the work he does."
"Really?" Willow asked. "Then why did he take a psychic child away from her real mother? Meredith told me. He's part of it."
Her mother's mind was a jumble of emotions. "My god. My poor baby."
She wished she could hear her father through the others' minds, but they were too far away. Everything was so mixed up. "I know, Spike." Willow was saying. "Maybe I was wrong. But I love that little girl. I'd do anything to protect her."
"Why, Willow?" Buffy asked. "Why is she like that? Is it something we did? And what about the new baby? God, Spike, I'm scared."
"I don't think it's because you're the Slayer, or Spike's a vampire. It's just the way she is. Like other children all over the world. Not even magic, really. Something else."
"It can't be true," her mother was saying, over and over. "It can't be true. Not my little girl. Not my ..."
"Mommy!" Meredith screamed, as she felt the stab of pain.