In the last chapter, Mrs. Grey the nanny arrived to meet Buffy --
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"Hello, Buffy, it's nice to meet you," Mrs. Grey greeted her.
Buffy was silent. "Well, what do you say?" Angel prompted.
Buffy opened her mouth and out came, "Shit!" The single word resounded throughout the room.
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"WHAT was that?" Mrs. Grey and Angel both stared in shock at Buffy. "What did you say?" Mrs. Grey continued in a terrible voice.
"Shit!" Buffy repeated defiantly.
"That's what I thought you said," Mrs. Grey replied in a chilling whisper. "And just where did you learn this word?"
Buffy pointed. "From Angel."
If he was capable of turning bright red he was sure he would have. "It was an accident. I blurted it out and Buffy picked it up. I told her it was a bad word. I don't know why she didn't listen to me."
"You should know better than to say bad words around impressionable ears." Mrs. Grey scolded before she turned to Buffy. "And you, little girl. Do you know what we do to little children who use bad words?"
Buffy shook her head, her eyes wide.
Mrs. Grey looked at Angel. "If I'm to be Buffy's nanny, it's best that I start immediately and discipline her in an appropriate manner. I'm sure you'll agree. Now, where is your bathroom?"
"Over there." Angel pointed and watched as Mrs. Grey took Buffy's arm and led her away. He thought he knew what was going to happen. Buffy was about to get her mouth washed out with soap. It would be an unpleasant experience but she would learn from it. He bet she'd never say "shit" again.
But something was bothering Angel and he couldn't put his finger on what. He tried to shake away the feeling of unease that had crept over him. Mrs. Grey had come highly recommended. She knew how to handle young children, certainly better than he did. She would take care of the situation and that would be that. It must just be that he was overprotective of Buffy and was paranoid, imagining problems where none existed. He turned to go back to work. Then a small sound penetrated his consciousness. It was a very small sound indeed but he heard it. Only what was it?
A minute later the noise came again and a feeling of alarm shot through Angel. It had come from the direction of the bathroom. Buffy! Seconds later, Angel was outside the closed door. "Mrs. Grey? Buffy?" He tried the knob. It was locked.
"Just a minute," Mrs. Grey called back. "This won't take long." A second later, she uttered a cry of pain and then Buffy screamed.
Angel didn't wait any longer. He put his shoulder to the door and broke it open. Mrs. Grey, a knife in one bleeding hand and Buffy's shirt collar in the other, looked up at him.
"She tried to cut my tongue out!" Buffy wailed.
Three seconds later, Angel had thrown the fired nanny into the hall and was examining Buffy for signs of injury. The blood on her chin alarmed him at first until he realized it was Mrs. Grey's. Buffy had bitten her on the hand.
"Stay here," he ordered Buffy as he went into the hallway to find the woman. He was just in time to see her running out of the front door into the safety of the sunlight.
It was probably a good thing. If he'd caught her he might not have been able to stop himself from killing her. What kind of caretaker was he? He'd almost let Buffy get her tongue sliced off by a demonic nanny.
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The rest of the AI gang was horrified when they returned and heard what had almost happened to Buffy. Wesley and Gunn felt so bad, they volunteered to take her to see the "Digimon" movie that evening.
Once they were gone, Angel reached for the telephone. He had been thinking matters over and had reached the conclusion that Buffy belonged with her mother. He dialed Joyce's number but naturally there was no answer. Joyce must still be away on her business trip. Giles might know how to get in touch with her so Angel dialed his number next.
"Hello?" Riley's voice answered the phone.
"Riley, it's Angel."
"Oh. Hi."
"I'm calling about Buffy," Angel explained. He wasn't surprised that Riley didn't sound too happy to hear from him.
"Buffy isn't here," Riley replied. "She went off on a slaying retreat."
Angel hesitated. Riley was speaking like he didn't know what had happened to Buffy. If he did know, someone should have told him where Buffy was.
"You want to talk to Giles or Willow?" Riley asked. "They're both here."
"Yes." One of them should be able to give him some answers. While Angel waited for someone else to talk to, he listened to the background noises. He recognized the voices of Willow, Xander, and surely that couldn't be Spike, could it?
Just then Giles came on the line. "Angel? Is anything wrong?"
"Buffy's OK but she's not having the easiest time of it. I really think she'd be better off with her mother."
"We don't believe that's a good idea," Giles answered. "If you can hold off for another week, we're attempting to accelerate matters so we can move up the timetable of recovery."
"You can't speak freely?" Angel guessed. "Is it because Riley's there? He didn't seem to have a clue about what really happened to Buffy or that she's with me."
"We thought it best not to inform him, for various reasons," Giles replied vaguely.
"But you'll give me Joyce's number, won't you?" Angel pressed.
"I'm sorry. At the moment, we don't believe that is the wisest course of action."
Angel sighed. "All right, I guess I'll have to trust your judgement. Just please, try to hurry things up."
"Yes, we will. Goodbye, Angel."
Slowly Angel hung up the phone. From what Giles had said, they might be able to change Buffy back to normal sooner than they had expected. That was the good news. He hoped they were right.
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Two hours later, Wesley, Gunn, and Buffy returned from the movie. Wesley and Gunn's eyes were glazed over. Buffy was rattling on about Kari and Tai from the movie and how much fun it had been.
"That was 88 minutes of my life I'll never get back," Gunn informed Angel.
"Was it that bad?" Angel asked guiltily.
"Yes," Wesley said succinctly.
"All right, you guys paid your dues. You can take off and I'll watch Buffy the rest of the night," Angel offered. Cordelia had already gone off somewhere so it was only fair that he give Gunn and Wesley a break. From the looks on their faces and Buffy's description of the movie, they deserved it.
Soon Angel and Buffy were the only ones in the hotel lobby. Buffy insisted on repeating every detail of the events of the movie and Angel pretended to listen. Buffy only stopped when she heard a car outside. She ran over to the window and looked out.
"Angel, someone's here!" she called.
He followed her, hoping it wasn't a client who needed immediate help.
It wasn't. The car parked in front of the hotel was a DeSoto and the driver was Spike.
.
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"Hello, Buffy, it's nice to meet you," Mrs. Grey greeted her.
Buffy was silent. "Well, what do you say?" Angel prompted.
Buffy opened her mouth and out came, "Shit!" The single word resounded throughout the room.
.
.
.
.
"WHAT was that?" Mrs. Grey and Angel both stared in shock at Buffy. "What did you say?" Mrs. Grey continued in a terrible voice.
"Shit!" Buffy repeated defiantly.
"That's what I thought you said," Mrs. Grey replied in a chilling whisper. "And just where did you learn this word?"
Buffy pointed. "From Angel."
If he was capable of turning bright red he was sure he would have. "It was an accident. I blurted it out and Buffy picked it up. I told her it was a bad word. I don't know why she didn't listen to me."
"You should know better than to say bad words around impressionable ears." Mrs. Grey scolded before she turned to Buffy. "And you, little girl. Do you know what we do to little children who use bad words?"
Buffy shook her head, her eyes wide.
Mrs. Grey looked at Angel. "If I'm to be Buffy's nanny, it's best that I start immediately and discipline her in an appropriate manner. I'm sure you'll agree. Now, where is your bathroom?"
"Over there." Angel pointed and watched as Mrs. Grey took Buffy's arm and led her away. He thought he knew what was going to happen. Buffy was about to get her mouth washed out with soap. It would be an unpleasant experience but she would learn from it. He bet she'd never say "shit" again.
But something was bothering Angel and he couldn't put his finger on what. He tried to shake away the feeling of unease that had crept over him. Mrs. Grey had come highly recommended. She knew how to handle young children, certainly better than he did. She would take care of the situation and that would be that. It must just be that he was overprotective of Buffy and was paranoid, imagining problems where none existed. He turned to go back to work. Then a small sound penetrated his consciousness. It was a very small sound indeed but he heard it. Only what was it?
A minute later the noise came again and a feeling of alarm shot through Angel. It had come from the direction of the bathroom. Buffy! Seconds later, Angel was outside the closed door. "Mrs. Grey? Buffy?" He tried the knob. It was locked.
"Just a minute," Mrs. Grey called back. "This won't take long." A second later, she uttered a cry of pain and then Buffy screamed.
Angel didn't wait any longer. He put his shoulder to the door and broke it open. Mrs. Grey, a knife in one bleeding hand and Buffy's shirt collar in the other, looked up at him.
"She tried to cut my tongue out!" Buffy wailed.
Three seconds later, Angel had thrown the fired nanny into the hall and was examining Buffy for signs of injury. The blood on her chin alarmed him at first until he realized it was Mrs. Grey's. Buffy had bitten her on the hand.
"Stay here," he ordered Buffy as he went into the hallway to find the woman. He was just in time to see her running out of the front door into the safety of the sunlight.
It was probably a good thing. If he'd caught her he might not have been able to stop himself from killing her. What kind of caretaker was he? He'd almost let Buffy get her tongue sliced off by a demonic nanny.
.
.
.
.
.
The rest of the AI gang was horrified when they returned and heard what had almost happened to Buffy. Wesley and Gunn felt so bad, they volunteered to take her to see the "Digimon" movie that evening.
Once they were gone, Angel reached for the telephone. He had been thinking matters over and had reached the conclusion that Buffy belonged with her mother. He dialed Joyce's number but naturally there was no answer. Joyce must still be away on her business trip. Giles might know how to get in touch with her so Angel dialed his number next.
"Hello?" Riley's voice answered the phone.
"Riley, it's Angel."
"Oh. Hi."
"I'm calling about Buffy," Angel explained. He wasn't surprised that Riley didn't sound too happy to hear from him.
"Buffy isn't here," Riley replied. "She went off on a slaying retreat."
Angel hesitated. Riley was speaking like he didn't know what had happened to Buffy. If he did know, someone should have told him where Buffy was.
"You want to talk to Giles or Willow?" Riley asked. "They're both here."
"Yes." One of them should be able to give him some answers. While Angel waited for someone else to talk to, he listened to the background noises. He recognized the voices of Willow, Xander, and surely that couldn't be Spike, could it?
Just then Giles came on the line. "Angel? Is anything wrong?"
"Buffy's OK but she's not having the easiest time of it. I really think she'd be better off with her mother."
"We don't believe that's a good idea," Giles answered. "If you can hold off for another week, we're attempting to accelerate matters so we can move up the timetable of recovery."
"You can't speak freely?" Angel guessed. "Is it because Riley's there? He didn't seem to have a clue about what really happened to Buffy or that she's with me."
"We thought it best not to inform him, for various reasons," Giles replied vaguely.
"But you'll give me Joyce's number, won't you?" Angel pressed.
"I'm sorry. At the moment, we don't believe that is the wisest course of action."
Angel sighed. "All right, I guess I'll have to trust your judgement. Just please, try to hurry things up."
"Yes, we will. Goodbye, Angel."
Slowly Angel hung up the phone. From what Giles had said, they might be able to change Buffy back to normal sooner than they had expected. That was the good news. He hoped they were right.
.
.
.
.
Two hours later, Wesley, Gunn, and Buffy returned from the movie. Wesley and Gunn's eyes were glazed over. Buffy was rattling on about Kari and Tai from the movie and how much fun it had been.
"That was 88 minutes of my life I'll never get back," Gunn informed Angel.
"Was it that bad?" Angel asked guiltily.
"Yes," Wesley said succinctly.
"All right, you guys paid your dues. You can take off and I'll watch Buffy the rest of the night," Angel offered. Cordelia had already gone off somewhere so it was only fair that he give Gunn and Wesley a break. From the looks on their faces and Buffy's description of the movie, they deserved it.
Soon Angel and Buffy were the only ones in the hotel lobby. Buffy insisted on repeating every detail of the events of the movie and Angel pretended to listen. Buffy only stopped when she heard a car outside. She ran over to the window and looked out.
"Angel, someone's here!" she called.
He followed her, hoping it wasn't a client who needed immediate help.
It wasn't. The car parked in front of the hotel was a DeSoto and the driver was Spike.
