In the Space of Desire
Chapter Twelve
Sunnydale High School
Jenny listened intently as Amy and Buffy filled her in on what had been going on with Sonya. Jenny listened to it all with a calm demeanor, watching them from her position behind her desk in the computer lab.
"... so we're going to use the oracle spell to find out what new evil is doing all this," Amy finished. "The Hellmouth's got to be involved..."
Buffy suddenly shushed Amy, giving her a meaningful look. Amy looked contrite at perhaps revealing too much information to a near-stranger.
"Don't worry, girls," Jenny said with a small smile. "I'm very aware that Sunnydale sits on a center of mystical energy."
"Is that why you came here?" Amy asked eagerly. "Does it help your witchcraft?"
Jenny nodded slowly. "Well, that is one reason," she said, unwilling to mention the other things, and people, involved in her move to the Hellmouth. Then she looked at Amy seriously. "But you have to be careful working spells in a place like this. If you're not careful and something goes wrong, it could be huge. The mystical energy here is enough to amplify a spell without your even knowing it."
A worried expression flickered across Amy's face. "You think we shouldn't do the oracle spell then?"
"Wait!" Buffy said. "Then how will we find out what's going on?" She looked at Jenny seriously. "I know that magic is dangerous, Ms. Calendar, but we've got a serious situation here."
"That's not what I meant," Jenny replied, standing up. "What I meant was that is why I'm going to help you do the spell... but we're going to have to find a fourth."
"A fourth?" Buffy questioned.
Amy nodded in understanding. "It's an element spell..."
Jenny looked at Buffy. "An element spell requires four women to cast, one for each element... earth, wind, fire and water. Pretty typical when beseeching the higher powers for information."
"But who can we get?" Amy wondered.
Buffy gave them both a determined look. "Can it be anyone?"
Jenny nodded. "Amy and I will be doing the main magic portions of the spell. The other two will mostly be there for support and protocol."
"Let's go," Buffy said. "I have an idea about who we can ask."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nathan... that name sounded so familiar to Sonya. Then she remembered. The sorcerer from the Order of Taraka. She looked at him in understanding, and he chuckled deep in his throat.
"Why are you here?" Sonya demanded. "Are you still trying to fulfill that contract on me?"
"Technically, that contract was on all of your little group, but since the vampyress who took out the contract is now dead, that is all null and void," Nathan answered in a conversational tone. He sat back in his desk chair, looking completely comfortable. "Why don't you sit down, Sonya."
"No thanks," Sonya replied. "I'll stand."
Nathan shrugged. "It's up to you, my dear."
"Quit with the 'my dear' crap!" Sonya yelled, her fear and pain getting the best of her. "How did you know about Xander? And he's not dead!"
"Yes," Nathan nodded firmly, "he is dead. You killed him. I was watching -- I know many spells that let me do that..."
Sonya felt tears building, but she pushed them back. If she let her grief loose now, the sobs would never stop. (Xander, oh, Xander...) But now, she had to focus on Nathan. She had to stop him, from whatever he was doing here.
"Why did you come back to Sunnydale?" she asked bluntly. "Quit jerking me around and just tell me!"
"I came for you." Nathan pinioned her with his black gaze.
The answer threw her for a loop. "Me? Why would you want me? Until a few days ago, I was nothing."
Nathan stood up and walked over to her. He laid a large hand on her shoulder. Sonya jerked back.
"Au contraire, Sonya," Nathan said. "You have never been and never will be nothing. Your very genetic make up is powerful. Regardless of whether you have the Slayer Essence or not, you are so strong..."
Sonya backed away from him, but he kept following.
"I wanted to kill Buffy," Nathan said in a confiding tone. "The blood of a potential Slayer would have increased my powers exponentially. But later, when I replayed the situation in my mind and looked in on your happy little gang I discovered that I had picked the wrong girl. You are the one..."
"You want to use my blood in some arcane ritual?" Sonya's eyes darted around the room, looking for anything she could use as a weapon or an escape route.
"No, no, no," Nathan said gently. "Since then I've realized something. I can find many potential Slayers to increase my power... You are special. You are the woman who can help me carry out my ambitions. With you by my side, we can rule first Sunnydale and then the country... and maybe even more."
"What are you saying here?" Sonya demanded, both to keep him distracted and because a part of her really wanted to know. "You want me to be your glorified servant, your wife, or what?"
"Either... both..." Nathan inched forward until his face was only a breath from her own. "With your powers -- both innate and physical -- to draw on, I can reach new heights. And with my powers you will have everything you ever wanted. I've been giving that to you already. Are you enjoying it?"
Sonya couldn't take it anymore. She pushed him away, and put several feet between them, ending up in front of his desk. A million feelings were swirling through her, but mostly fear -- fear of Nathan, fear for Xander, and the fear that everything that had happened over the past few days was about to come crashing down around her.
"I never asked for any of this," she whispered.
Nathan closed the distance between them again. "Yes, you did. Your soul was crying out for me, and I heard it." He caressed her hair with a cold finger.
"I never asked for it to turn out like this!" Visions of Xander tormented her whenever she shut her eyes.
"The thing with that boy was just puppy love," Nathan said. "It would never have lasted anyway. But your walking, your powers... these things I have given you. And as long as you are with me, you will keep them."
"I don't believe you," Sonya whispered desperately, even though she did.
"You know you do," Nathan countered. "I can hear it in the echoes of you mind."
Sonya couldn't take it anymore. She picked up a paperweight sitting on the desk and bashed Nathan in the head with it. "Hear this, you psychopath! I'm never going to be 'with' you in any sense of the word!"
With that, she began to run, skidding to a stop in front of the desk. "Nurse Jane!" she cried. "You've got to get out of here -- Na... Dr. Keller is insane!" Then she gasped, focusing on the figure behind the desk. A mannequin wearing Nurse Jane's uniform and nametag.
"Good help is so hard to find." Nathan was walking slowly toward her down the hall. "Now, Sonya, come back here or I'm going to be very upset with you."
"Like I care!" Sonya cried. "If you come near me again, then I'll kill you!"
He shook his head. "You don't want to do that. If you do, then, poof, you're back in the wheelchair."
Sonya stood there for a second, then she ran for the parking lot. She could still hear his voice, even as she got in the jeep and scrambled for the keys.
"You're going to regret turning on me, Sonya. You thought tonight was bad -- just see what I can do!"
With a screech, the jeep barreled out of the parking lot.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After the paramedics loaded the still-unconscious Xander into the ambulance, Oz followed them to the hospital in his van. There wasn't really anything he could do, but he wanted to know if Xander would be all right before reporting back to Buffy and Amy.
Oz hung around the waiting room for what seemed like an eternity. Then an intern in green scrubs came out and stopped by his chair.
"Are you the one who came in with Mr. Harris?"
Oz nodded, and waited for the young woman to tell him the news.
"He's unconscious, and honestly we can't say for sure when he will wake up. But his vital signs are getting stronger as we speak, and we have every confidence that he will pull through."
"Good," Oz answered.
The woman held up a cautionary hand. "He does have some minor wounds and abrasions to deal with, and his shoulder was dislocated during whatever struggle caused this."
"But that will heal quickly?"
"Relatively quickly," she said. "Mr. Harris is a lucky young man. Or he will be when he wakes up."
"Can I see him?"
The intern shook her head. "Visiting hours are over now, so you'll need to come back tomorrow." She paused and smiled. "I know that's hard, but he'll be more stable by then as well." She patted him on the shoulder, and then left to see about other patients.
Oz sat there for a moment, absorbing his gladness, and then he got up and walked into the parking lot just as a familiar-looking jeep pulled into the parking lot with a screech of the brakes and parked at a crazy angle. Sonya jumped out and started running for the doors.
"Sonya!" Oz called.
She turned to him with a mixture of desperation and relief. "Oz!" She crumpled into the arms that he suddenly found extended for her. She cried into his collar for a second, then she pulled back. "I have to get an ambulance!"
"What happened?" Oz asked, hoping there hadn't been another mishap.
"It's Xander... I think... that is he... might be... d... dead," Sonya stammered, her tears starting to flow again. "And I did it! I killed him!" She was starting to get hysterical. The sobs were turning wails, and her breath came in long, irregular gasps.
Oz grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "He's not dead!"
"No, he is! I killed him! Nathan told me..."
"Who is Nathan?" Oz asked, but Sonya was in no condition to answer questions.
"Sonya!" Oz snapped. "Get a hold of yourself. Xander's not dead! He's here, in the hospital."
"What...?" She looked up, halting mid-sob.
"I was looking for you. I found him. The ambulance came. Once he wakes up, the doctor has every confidence he'll be fine," Oz explained. He enunciated each word clearly, so that she would understand.
Slowly, Sonya took a few deep breaths. "He's really fine? I didn't kill him?"
"Right."
"I've got to go see him!" Sonya started for the doors again, but Oz held her back.
"We have to go and tell the others what happened. And you have to tell me who Nathan is."
"But..."
"No," Oz said firmly, pulling her toward the van. "You can see Xander later. You're coming with me now -- and I'm driving."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Angel had searched everywhere he could think of, but found no Sonya. He could only hope that Oz had found better luck.
There was only one thing left for him to do -- go back to Buffy's, see if the girls had found anything and regroup from there.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jenny drove Buffy and Amy back to Buffy's house. When they got inside, Jenny and Amy started setting up the spell. It didn't take much -- just a mirror and a circle placed on the floor with tape.
Looking up from making the final touches on the circle, Jenny asked, "Buffy, you said you had a fourth? We're almost ready..."
A door slammed outside, and Buffy stood up. "Me, too."
Joyce walked in carrying a white paper bag. "Kids!" she called. "Buffy, honey, I'm home! I brought some of those cream cheese pastries you like so much to tempt your tummy!"
"Hi, Mom," Buffy said, walking into the entry hall.
"Buffy!" Joyce said with a smile. "You're up and around."
"Yeah, I'm still not feeling myself, but hopefully that will change soon."
Joyce walked into the kitchen to put the bag of goodies down on the counter.
Buffy followed her. "Mom... I have to tell you something."
"Yes, dear?" Joyce puttered around, getting herself a glass of water. Buffy watched as she tried to think of what to say. Giles wouldn't want her to do this... but Giles wasn't in a position to help. Her mom was. (And, technically, at this moment he's not even my Watcher anymore...) Buffy thought.
"Mom..." This was harder than Buffy had thought. Finally, she just had to blurt it out. "Mom... it turns out that I have a destiny neither of us knew about."
Joyce looked at Buffy with a puzzled expression. "Do you mean your results from the aptitude test came back? What... did it say you should go into landscape architecture or something? What kind of destiny are we talking about?"
"Vampire Slayer."
Joyce blinked. "Excuse me... I thought you said..."
"Vampire Slayer," Buffy repeated. Joyce still looked confused, and she had every right to. Buffy guided Joyce over to the table, sat her down and took the chair next to her. "This is going to take a minute, but when I explain, you'll understand why it's important and why I need your help..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sonya sat in the van, looking out the window. She had just filled Oz in on everything that had happened since she left the library that evening. And Oz had filled her in on what he and the others had been doing.
"They aren't going to want me there," she said quietly as he turned into the residential area where Buffy and her mother lived.
"It will be OK," Oz replied. There was an uneasy pause, and then he said something else. "Have you thought about what happens when we get this guy?"
Sonya sighed deeply. "That I'm going to be bound to the wheelchair again for the rest of my life?" She raised her foot out in front of her, marveling again at how it felt to be able to move it. Then the foot dropped back to the floorboard, and she shut her eyes tight. "I know what it's going to cost, but I've got to do this. Nathan can't succeed at whatever he's planning."
The van pulled to a stop in front of Buffy's house.
"Here we are," Oz said unnecessarily.
"Yeah," Sonya said, opening her eyes and staring at the brightly lit windows. "Time to go in and face the music..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I just don't know what to say, Buffy..." Joyce looked into her daughter's face, searching for answers. In it she found both her sweet little girl and a strong, intelligent woman capable of taking care of more than just herself.
"Say you believe me, Mom," Buffy begged, taking her mother's hand. "I know this is a big stretch for you, but I swear that it's all true. And I'm not crazy."
"She's not crazy, Mrs. Summers." Amy stepped into the kitchen with Jenny behind her. "I know it's weird, but don't you feel a little better somehow to know that all those odd things in the world can be explained?"
Joyce looked at Amy, and then back at Buffy. She squeezed her daughter's hand tightly.
Tears formed in the corners of Buffy's eyes. "I didn't want to lie to you, Mom. I'm *so* sorry for that! It hurt every time I had to do it, but Giles said... well, I won't go through that again, but I want to start making that up to you now."
That was all Joyce could take. She stood and pulled Buffy up and into a tight hug. "I love you so much, Buffy. And don't feel guilty -- you told me the truth now, and that's what counts."
"You believe me?" Buffy mumbled into her mother's shoulder.
"Yes, honey, I believe you... as hard as it is, I believe you."
The hug went on a bit longer, then Jenny said, "I'm sorry to interrupt, I really am, but we've got to get on with this."
Joyce let go of her daughter and met Jenny's clear gaze. "Hi, Ms. Calendar... You really need my help with a spell?"
Jenny nodded. "And please, call me Jenny. People in a coven together should be on a first name basis..."
The four women were walking into the living room when the door burst open and Oz ran in, followed more slowly by Sonya.
"Why did you bring her here?" Amy demanded with a fierce frown to Oz. Buffy didn't say anything, but she carefully avoided looking at Sonya.
"Some big things have been happening," Oz said. "Sonya needs to tell you about them..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Angel saw Buffy's porch light shining in welcome, and turned up her front walk gratefully. (Maybe they have some news) he said, noting the presence of Oz's uniquely stripped van.
Suddenly, before he could do anything, a huge black vortex opened in the sidewalk right in front of him. It was too late for him to stop, and before he could even scream, Angel fell into the vortex. The vortex swallowed him up, and vanished.
Chapter Twelve
Sunnydale High School
Jenny listened intently as Amy and Buffy filled her in on what had been going on with Sonya. Jenny listened to it all with a calm demeanor, watching them from her position behind her desk in the computer lab.
"... so we're going to use the oracle spell to find out what new evil is doing all this," Amy finished. "The Hellmouth's got to be involved..."
Buffy suddenly shushed Amy, giving her a meaningful look. Amy looked contrite at perhaps revealing too much information to a near-stranger.
"Don't worry, girls," Jenny said with a small smile. "I'm very aware that Sunnydale sits on a center of mystical energy."
"Is that why you came here?" Amy asked eagerly. "Does it help your witchcraft?"
Jenny nodded slowly. "Well, that is one reason," she said, unwilling to mention the other things, and people, involved in her move to the Hellmouth. Then she looked at Amy seriously. "But you have to be careful working spells in a place like this. If you're not careful and something goes wrong, it could be huge. The mystical energy here is enough to amplify a spell without your even knowing it."
A worried expression flickered across Amy's face. "You think we shouldn't do the oracle spell then?"
"Wait!" Buffy said. "Then how will we find out what's going on?" She looked at Jenny seriously. "I know that magic is dangerous, Ms. Calendar, but we've got a serious situation here."
"That's not what I meant," Jenny replied, standing up. "What I meant was that is why I'm going to help you do the spell... but we're going to have to find a fourth."
"A fourth?" Buffy questioned.
Amy nodded in understanding. "It's an element spell..."
Jenny looked at Buffy. "An element spell requires four women to cast, one for each element... earth, wind, fire and water. Pretty typical when beseeching the higher powers for information."
"But who can we get?" Amy wondered.
Buffy gave them both a determined look. "Can it be anyone?"
Jenny nodded. "Amy and I will be doing the main magic portions of the spell. The other two will mostly be there for support and protocol."
"Let's go," Buffy said. "I have an idea about who we can ask."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nathan... that name sounded so familiar to Sonya. Then she remembered. The sorcerer from the Order of Taraka. She looked at him in understanding, and he chuckled deep in his throat.
"Why are you here?" Sonya demanded. "Are you still trying to fulfill that contract on me?"
"Technically, that contract was on all of your little group, but since the vampyress who took out the contract is now dead, that is all null and void," Nathan answered in a conversational tone. He sat back in his desk chair, looking completely comfortable. "Why don't you sit down, Sonya."
"No thanks," Sonya replied. "I'll stand."
Nathan shrugged. "It's up to you, my dear."
"Quit with the 'my dear' crap!" Sonya yelled, her fear and pain getting the best of her. "How did you know about Xander? And he's not dead!"
"Yes," Nathan nodded firmly, "he is dead. You killed him. I was watching -- I know many spells that let me do that..."
Sonya felt tears building, but she pushed them back. If she let her grief loose now, the sobs would never stop. (Xander, oh, Xander...) But now, she had to focus on Nathan. She had to stop him, from whatever he was doing here.
"Why did you come back to Sunnydale?" she asked bluntly. "Quit jerking me around and just tell me!"
"I came for you." Nathan pinioned her with his black gaze.
The answer threw her for a loop. "Me? Why would you want me? Until a few days ago, I was nothing."
Nathan stood up and walked over to her. He laid a large hand on her shoulder. Sonya jerked back.
"Au contraire, Sonya," Nathan said. "You have never been and never will be nothing. Your very genetic make up is powerful. Regardless of whether you have the Slayer Essence or not, you are so strong..."
Sonya backed away from him, but he kept following.
"I wanted to kill Buffy," Nathan said in a confiding tone. "The blood of a potential Slayer would have increased my powers exponentially. But later, when I replayed the situation in my mind and looked in on your happy little gang I discovered that I had picked the wrong girl. You are the one..."
"You want to use my blood in some arcane ritual?" Sonya's eyes darted around the room, looking for anything she could use as a weapon or an escape route.
"No, no, no," Nathan said gently. "Since then I've realized something. I can find many potential Slayers to increase my power... You are special. You are the woman who can help me carry out my ambitions. With you by my side, we can rule first Sunnydale and then the country... and maybe even more."
"What are you saying here?" Sonya demanded, both to keep him distracted and because a part of her really wanted to know. "You want me to be your glorified servant, your wife, or what?"
"Either... both..." Nathan inched forward until his face was only a breath from her own. "With your powers -- both innate and physical -- to draw on, I can reach new heights. And with my powers you will have everything you ever wanted. I've been giving that to you already. Are you enjoying it?"
Sonya couldn't take it anymore. She pushed him away, and put several feet between them, ending up in front of his desk. A million feelings were swirling through her, but mostly fear -- fear of Nathan, fear for Xander, and the fear that everything that had happened over the past few days was about to come crashing down around her.
"I never asked for any of this," she whispered.
Nathan closed the distance between them again. "Yes, you did. Your soul was crying out for me, and I heard it." He caressed her hair with a cold finger.
"I never asked for it to turn out like this!" Visions of Xander tormented her whenever she shut her eyes.
"The thing with that boy was just puppy love," Nathan said. "It would never have lasted anyway. But your walking, your powers... these things I have given you. And as long as you are with me, you will keep them."
"I don't believe you," Sonya whispered desperately, even though she did.
"You know you do," Nathan countered. "I can hear it in the echoes of you mind."
Sonya couldn't take it anymore. She picked up a paperweight sitting on the desk and bashed Nathan in the head with it. "Hear this, you psychopath! I'm never going to be 'with' you in any sense of the word!"
With that, she began to run, skidding to a stop in front of the desk. "Nurse Jane!" she cried. "You've got to get out of here -- Na... Dr. Keller is insane!" Then she gasped, focusing on the figure behind the desk. A mannequin wearing Nurse Jane's uniform and nametag.
"Good help is so hard to find." Nathan was walking slowly toward her down the hall. "Now, Sonya, come back here or I'm going to be very upset with you."
"Like I care!" Sonya cried. "If you come near me again, then I'll kill you!"
He shook his head. "You don't want to do that. If you do, then, poof, you're back in the wheelchair."
Sonya stood there for a second, then she ran for the parking lot. She could still hear his voice, even as she got in the jeep and scrambled for the keys.
"You're going to regret turning on me, Sonya. You thought tonight was bad -- just see what I can do!"
With a screech, the jeep barreled out of the parking lot.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After the paramedics loaded the still-unconscious Xander into the ambulance, Oz followed them to the hospital in his van. There wasn't really anything he could do, but he wanted to know if Xander would be all right before reporting back to Buffy and Amy.
Oz hung around the waiting room for what seemed like an eternity. Then an intern in green scrubs came out and stopped by his chair.
"Are you the one who came in with Mr. Harris?"
Oz nodded, and waited for the young woman to tell him the news.
"He's unconscious, and honestly we can't say for sure when he will wake up. But his vital signs are getting stronger as we speak, and we have every confidence that he will pull through."
"Good," Oz answered.
The woman held up a cautionary hand. "He does have some minor wounds and abrasions to deal with, and his shoulder was dislocated during whatever struggle caused this."
"But that will heal quickly?"
"Relatively quickly," she said. "Mr. Harris is a lucky young man. Or he will be when he wakes up."
"Can I see him?"
The intern shook her head. "Visiting hours are over now, so you'll need to come back tomorrow." She paused and smiled. "I know that's hard, but he'll be more stable by then as well." She patted him on the shoulder, and then left to see about other patients.
Oz sat there for a moment, absorbing his gladness, and then he got up and walked into the parking lot just as a familiar-looking jeep pulled into the parking lot with a screech of the brakes and parked at a crazy angle. Sonya jumped out and started running for the doors.
"Sonya!" Oz called.
She turned to him with a mixture of desperation and relief. "Oz!" She crumpled into the arms that he suddenly found extended for her. She cried into his collar for a second, then she pulled back. "I have to get an ambulance!"
"What happened?" Oz asked, hoping there hadn't been another mishap.
"It's Xander... I think... that is he... might be... d... dead," Sonya stammered, her tears starting to flow again. "And I did it! I killed him!" She was starting to get hysterical. The sobs were turning wails, and her breath came in long, irregular gasps.
Oz grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "He's not dead!"
"No, he is! I killed him! Nathan told me..."
"Who is Nathan?" Oz asked, but Sonya was in no condition to answer questions.
"Sonya!" Oz snapped. "Get a hold of yourself. Xander's not dead! He's here, in the hospital."
"What...?" She looked up, halting mid-sob.
"I was looking for you. I found him. The ambulance came. Once he wakes up, the doctor has every confidence he'll be fine," Oz explained. He enunciated each word clearly, so that she would understand.
Slowly, Sonya took a few deep breaths. "He's really fine? I didn't kill him?"
"Right."
"I've got to go see him!" Sonya started for the doors again, but Oz held her back.
"We have to go and tell the others what happened. And you have to tell me who Nathan is."
"But..."
"No," Oz said firmly, pulling her toward the van. "You can see Xander later. You're coming with me now -- and I'm driving."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Angel had searched everywhere he could think of, but found no Sonya. He could only hope that Oz had found better luck.
There was only one thing left for him to do -- go back to Buffy's, see if the girls had found anything and regroup from there.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jenny drove Buffy and Amy back to Buffy's house. When they got inside, Jenny and Amy started setting up the spell. It didn't take much -- just a mirror and a circle placed on the floor with tape.
Looking up from making the final touches on the circle, Jenny asked, "Buffy, you said you had a fourth? We're almost ready..."
A door slammed outside, and Buffy stood up. "Me, too."
Joyce walked in carrying a white paper bag. "Kids!" she called. "Buffy, honey, I'm home! I brought some of those cream cheese pastries you like so much to tempt your tummy!"
"Hi, Mom," Buffy said, walking into the entry hall.
"Buffy!" Joyce said with a smile. "You're up and around."
"Yeah, I'm still not feeling myself, but hopefully that will change soon."
Joyce walked into the kitchen to put the bag of goodies down on the counter.
Buffy followed her. "Mom... I have to tell you something."
"Yes, dear?" Joyce puttered around, getting herself a glass of water. Buffy watched as she tried to think of what to say. Giles wouldn't want her to do this... but Giles wasn't in a position to help. Her mom was. (And, technically, at this moment he's not even my Watcher anymore...) Buffy thought.
"Mom..." This was harder than Buffy had thought. Finally, she just had to blurt it out. "Mom... it turns out that I have a destiny neither of us knew about."
Joyce looked at Buffy with a puzzled expression. "Do you mean your results from the aptitude test came back? What... did it say you should go into landscape architecture or something? What kind of destiny are we talking about?"
"Vampire Slayer."
Joyce blinked. "Excuse me... I thought you said..."
"Vampire Slayer," Buffy repeated. Joyce still looked confused, and she had every right to. Buffy guided Joyce over to the table, sat her down and took the chair next to her. "This is going to take a minute, but when I explain, you'll understand why it's important and why I need your help..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sonya sat in the van, looking out the window. She had just filled Oz in on everything that had happened since she left the library that evening. And Oz had filled her in on what he and the others had been doing.
"They aren't going to want me there," she said quietly as he turned into the residential area where Buffy and her mother lived.
"It will be OK," Oz replied. There was an uneasy pause, and then he said something else. "Have you thought about what happens when we get this guy?"
Sonya sighed deeply. "That I'm going to be bound to the wheelchair again for the rest of my life?" She raised her foot out in front of her, marveling again at how it felt to be able to move it. Then the foot dropped back to the floorboard, and she shut her eyes tight. "I know what it's going to cost, but I've got to do this. Nathan can't succeed at whatever he's planning."
The van pulled to a stop in front of Buffy's house.
"Here we are," Oz said unnecessarily.
"Yeah," Sonya said, opening her eyes and staring at the brightly lit windows. "Time to go in and face the music..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I just don't know what to say, Buffy..." Joyce looked into her daughter's face, searching for answers. In it she found both her sweet little girl and a strong, intelligent woman capable of taking care of more than just herself.
"Say you believe me, Mom," Buffy begged, taking her mother's hand. "I know this is a big stretch for you, but I swear that it's all true. And I'm not crazy."
"She's not crazy, Mrs. Summers." Amy stepped into the kitchen with Jenny behind her. "I know it's weird, but don't you feel a little better somehow to know that all those odd things in the world can be explained?"
Joyce looked at Amy, and then back at Buffy. She squeezed her daughter's hand tightly.
Tears formed in the corners of Buffy's eyes. "I didn't want to lie to you, Mom. I'm *so* sorry for that! It hurt every time I had to do it, but Giles said... well, I won't go through that again, but I want to start making that up to you now."
That was all Joyce could take. She stood and pulled Buffy up and into a tight hug. "I love you so much, Buffy. And don't feel guilty -- you told me the truth now, and that's what counts."
"You believe me?" Buffy mumbled into her mother's shoulder.
"Yes, honey, I believe you... as hard as it is, I believe you."
The hug went on a bit longer, then Jenny said, "I'm sorry to interrupt, I really am, but we've got to get on with this."
Joyce let go of her daughter and met Jenny's clear gaze. "Hi, Ms. Calendar... You really need my help with a spell?"
Jenny nodded. "And please, call me Jenny. People in a coven together should be on a first name basis..."
The four women were walking into the living room when the door burst open and Oz ran in, followed more slowly by Sonya.
"Why did you bring her here?" Amy demanded with a fierce frown to Oz. Buffy didn't say anything, but she carefully avoided looking at Sonya.
"Some big things have been happening," Oz said. "Sonya needs to tell you about them..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Angel saw Buffy's porch light shining in welcome, and turned up her front walk gratefully. (Maybe they have some news) he said, noting the presence of Oz's uniquely stripped van.
Suddenly, before he could do anything, a huge black vortex opened in the sidewalk right in front of him. It was too late for him to stop, and before he could even scream, Angel fell into the vortex. The vortex swallowed him up, and vanished.