CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO: JOYCE (III)

Saturday: 7pm

17th July 1999

California: Sunnydale

"Can you pass the salt Dawnie?" Buffy asked.

Dawn did as requested, Jay rolling his eyes as his little sister seemed so compliant.

"You'd never pass the salt to me if I asked," Jay grumbled.  "No fair playing favourites."

Dawn stuck her tongue out at him.  "You never ask nicely," Dawn replied.

"Oh yeah.  Good point."

Joyce smiled and felt her heart twinge a little.  She loved that feeling of absolute contentment that came from watching her three children together.  Even when they were bickering, it was good to see all three of them together.

"Are you staying the weekend?" Dawn asked, turning her attention to her sister.

Buffy looked towards Joyce.  "Can I, mom?"

Giles had been fairly relaxed for the holidays, allowing Buffy to spend the night with either her family or with any of her friends.  (Except for Xander of course…Giles may have been older, but he wasn't oblivious to what was happening between the two teenagers.)

"You know you're always welcome here, honey," Joyce replied.

Buffy grinned.  "Looks like you're stuck with me for the night."

Dawn grinned and squealed with excitement.

"Awww, does she hafta?" Jay teased.

"This coming from the boy who started dying his hair because of his sister," Tim added.

Buffy looked at Jay who went slightly red under her gaze.

"Is that true?" she asked quietly.

Jay nodded and grinned sheepishly.  Buffy grinned and surreptitiously wiped tears from her eyes.  He'd never told her that before. 

Dinner was finished quickly and chairs scraped the floor as the family rushed to get up to avoid clean-up duty. 

"It's your night Dawn," Tim prodded gently.

"Daddy…please?  Buffy's staying.  Can't Jay do it?" Dawn pleaded.

Jay looked at his youngest sister with indignation written across his face.

"Uh, hello?  I might wanna talk to her as well," Jay said. 

Buffy rolled her eyes.  "Look, we'll make it simple and the three of us can do the dishes.  Then we can just hang out or whatever."

"Little Miss Sunshine strikes again," Jay muttered.  Buffy turned to glare at him, unable to keep the grin off her face despite the narrowed eyes.

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Saturday: 10pm

17th July 1999

California: Sunnydale

Dawn had gone to bed and Buffy and Jay were sitting in the living room wrapped under a blanket talking quietly.

"Have you and Xan talked yet?" Jay asked.

Buffy smiled, unable to stop the fuzzy feelings that began when her semi-boyfriend was mentioned.

"Not yet.  This week's been kinda jam packed with Scooby outings, so we haven't really had a chance to be alone," Buffy explained.

Jay groaned.  "You guys are worse than Faith and I were."

Buffy laughed a little.  "We're no where near as bad as you guys were," Buffy said.  "You two were terrible.  And at least I have a valid excuse for not wanting to date."

Joyce walked into the room, halting the conversation.

"Are you two still up?" she asked rhetorically.  "Aren't you tired at all?"

Buffy and Jay shook their heads simultaneously.  Buffy turned to look at her twin pointedly. 

"I was thinking that I might actually go for a walk," Buffy said.

Jay caught on immediately.

"Yeah, a walk," Jay said, trying to sound excited at the prospect.  "Sounds like an idea."

Joyce could tell that there was something going on, but didn't question it.  She'd been informed by Dawn that Buffy and Xander were about to begin an attempt at a relationship, and Joyce figured that this attempt at casual was to do with Buffy wanting to see Xander.

Buffy and Jay stood before Joyce could tell them that she didn't want them going out.  She couldn't really stop them now that they were eighteen. 

"Just be careful," Joyce implored.  "Jay, look after her."

Jay smirked and Buffy bit back a grin. 

"Sure mom," Jay replied.

Buffy kissed her mom's cheek and grabbed her coat, feeling the pockets to make sure she had weapons.  Three stakes and several bottles of holy water.  She could also feel the stake that was tucked in the back of her jeans in the small of her back.  Joyce opened the door for them and watched them walk down the path.

"Oh, Jay," Joyce called, stepping onto the balcony.

Both Jay and Buffy stopped, turning to look at their mom.  Before Joyce could say anything more, something rushed onto the porch and pushed Joyce aside, heading instantly towards the Slayer.  Buffy was alert immediately, grabbing the stake from the back of her jeans and ducking one of the vampire's punches.

Jay moved aside, going to stand with his mom in case he needed to protect her.  He too grabbed a stake from his pocket.  Joyce watched in amazement as her daughter executed perfect punches, kicks and rolls against the unknown attacker.

Buffy took a backhand to the right side of her face, stumbling a little as she was hit.  She regrouped and tossed the vampire against the tree in the front yard.  The vamp stopped, stunned and Buffy plunged her stake into his chest.  The vampire crumbled to dust and Buffy turned slowly, her breathing hard.

She swallowed nervously and Jay tried to convey sympathy to her through a small smile.

"Buffy…what…is going on?" Joyce managed to get out.

Buffy stepped forward nervously and replaced the stake in the waste-band of her jeans.

"Mom…"

Jay nodded at his sister when she faltered.

"I'm a Vampire Slayer."

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Saturday: 11:30pm

17th July 1999

California: Sunnydale

"And that's why you were in England," Joyce repeated.  "To train to be a…"

"Slayer," Buffy finished.  She nodded.

"And that's why you still live with Mr Giles?"

Buffy nodded again.  "Pretty much."

Joyce swallowed hard and took a sip of her water.  She couldn't believe what she was being told.  But, after seeing the man explode to dust when her daughter had stuck a stake in him, she had no choice except to believe it.

"H-have you tried not being a Slayer?" Joyce asked.

Buffy sighed.  They'd been down this path several times already.

"It's just fate, Mom," Buffy said patiently.  "It's who I am."

"Well I just don't accept that!" Joyce said angrily.

Buffy flinched.  She shut her eyes and counted to five, trying to calm herself down.  She didn't want to get into a screaming match with her mom.  She didn't want to lose her family.  And she knew that that was definitely something that could happen if she wasn't careful.

"Mom, I know you wish I could be different," Buffy said quietly.  "I wish I could be that for you, but…I can't.  But there is something I do that I can do better than anybody else in the world."

"Slay vampires," Joyce said.

Buffy nodded. 

"And everyone knows about you?" Joyce asked.  "Jay, Tim?  Dawn?"

Buffy nodded.  "Tim found out when he worked out who I was.  Jay followed me one night.  Dawn found out in pretty much the same way you did."

"And you're friends?  They all know?  Faith, Willow?"

"Faith was in training to be a Slayer as well.  But…she won't be one," Buffy said.  "And Willow and Xander were with Jay when he followed me."

"Actually, Willow and I were with Xander when he followed you," Jay corrected.

"Buffy, this is insane," Joyce said, standing up and beginning to pace the room.

"Mom-"

"No…I…I can't believe this," Joyce said, completely ignoring her daughter.

"Mom-"

"There's no way that this is possible."

"Mom," Jay and Buffy said at the same time.  Joyce finally stopped and looked at them.

"Mom…what did you think happened to her?" Jay asked.  "Didn't you ever wonder what she was doing in England?  Why she went to Russia and Romania and Ireland?  Didn't you wonder why she went to LA so soon after we finally got her back?  Mom, Buffy was born to do this.  It sucks and I hate that she does it, but…it's the right thing to do.  It's what she has to do.  She protects people, helps people."

Joyce got a little paler and sat down again.

"Oh god."

Jay looked at his sister and smiled.  "I think we just got through."

"You," Joyce said, looking at her daughter.  Buffy felt a note of panic rise in her chest. 

"Me?"

"You're the girl that people keep talking about," Joyce said.  "The little blonde angel that saves everyone."

Buffy and Jay exchanged extremely confused looks.

"Uh…mom," Jay said.  "What are you talking about?"

"One of my friends was in the hospital last week," Joyce said.

"Mr Sanderson," Buffy and Jay said in unison.  Joyce nodded.

"He told me he'd been saved by a golden angel that fought like a warrior.  That's you," Joyce said.

"Uh…I guess so."

"Cool," Jay said.  "Wha'dya know?  People think you're an angel.  Wait until they find out the truth."

Buffy poked his ribs with enough force to make him squirm, but not enough to make him bruise.  He poked back and a small fighting match ensued.  They split apart when they realised that Joyce was staring at them in confusion.

"Uh…when do you get to…you know, retire?" Joyce asked.

Buffy swallowed hard, all traces of her earlier smiles completely gone.

"I don't," she replied quietly.

Joyce paled and saw the serious expressions on both of her children.

"You don't?"

Buffy shook her head, wishing that she had better news to tell her mom, not only for her mom's sake, but for her own as well.

"It doesn't stop," Buffy said gently.  "It never stops.  Not until I stop."

"And you won't stop…"

"No."

Silence descended upon the room and Joyce and Jay could only fight back tears.  Buffy breathed in deeply in stood up.

"Maybe I should go," she said quietly.

Joyce stood and caught Buffy's arm.  "No.  Stay.  I…we want you to stay."

Buffy looked at her mom for any sign of mistrust, but saw only concern and love written in Joyce's eyes.  She nodded and sat back down, suddenly feeling as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.  Everyone she loved knew who she was and still wanted her in their lives.  Life was pretty good.

Awww….everyone wanted Joyce to find out, so there ya go.  My apologies for the delayed update…I'm having serious problems with this fic and I'm running out of updates to give you guys.  Hopefully I'll be able to write heaps more in the next few days!

Toodles.

K.