A/N: Yay! I'm back. Sorry it's been so long! I've been really busy with practice and school etc... Okay, well thanks to my reviewers. Yay you! Keep reviewing, it feeds my hunger. Yummy. Oo and sorry if I screwed up Joyce's headstone. I don't remember her middle name so I made one up.

Chapter 3 : Mommy?

Buffy Summers walked briskly down the streets of Sunnydale barefoot in a hospital gown. Her hair was now reaching down her back and was a tangled mess. The twinkle her hazel gems once held was there no more, but confusion and uncertainty shown through. Everything looked the same to Buffy, except her old highschool.

It was gone.

'How is it gone? It wasn't gone before...' She thought to herself as she recalled the events four years before. Obviously the Mayor hadn't won because, well, Sunnydale was still here. Buffy wondered what happened to her friends, Faith, Giles, Angel...

The doctor had mentioned that her mother was dead. Dead. So final to Buffy. She tried not to think about it, telling herself that the doctors were wrong, lying to her.

The blonde slayer turned down Revello Drive towards her home. She stopped in front of the house she once called 'hers' to see a new red truck in the driveway and a small blue minivan behind it. Lights shown from the windows and shadows moved. Buffy smiled. Her mother must have bought a new car or she had friends over! That was it! It had to be...

Her pale knuckles pounded roughly on the white door as she felt a smile upturning her soft pink lips. The door slowly began to open to reveal a young woman, approximatley twenty-five standing in front of Buffy.

"Hello. Um, can I help you?" Asked the woman politley.

Buffy frowned. It wasn't her mother. "I.. Who lives here?" Her voice was still hoarse and worn from the tube slammed down her throat but Buffy bared the pain.

"Oh, I do. My husband and I, and our daughter. I'm Marissa Gauck." The woman held out her hand for Buffy to shake. Buffy did nothing of the sort. Her eyes traveled from Marissa's face to her hand, then back up.

"Buffy Summers." It sounded so drawled and fragile, like the words would break.

"Oh." Marissa put her hand back to her side and frowned. "You wouldn't happen to be the daughter of Joyce, would you?" Buffy nodded blankly. "I'm terribly sorry..." Marissa eyed Buffy's gown and gave a questioning look but Buffy ignored it.

"Thank you for your time, Mrs.Gauck."

Buffy turned and walked down the steps of the porch, leaving a very confused Marissa Gauck at the door.

"I'm hungry damnit!" Faith screamed angrily from her place at the cell door. She held onto the bars tightly and sneered as Gunn slowly moved towards the cage.

"Yeah well if you don't shutup there, Rogue, You're gonna be hungry for a while." Gunn didn't take his eyes off of the pissed slayer. With one of those on your hands, you could be in a lot of trouble. Carefully, Gunn set the plate of vegetables and pork on the floor about six feet from the cage. He grabbed the stell pole on the hook near the wall and began to push the plate towards Faith.

She kneeled down on the floor and pulled her plate in the rest of the way. She sat like that as she picked at the food. "No milk? I need strong teeth and bones, honey."

Gunn set the pole back on it's hook and then shrugged. "You're on water. Remember? Maybe if you're good you can have some later, honey." He spat in a mocking tone.

"Have you fed her?" Came a sharp voice from the stairway. The blue vixen known as Illyria began slowly mounting the steps. She had her jaw set in a tight line and her eyes glued fiercley on the hungry slayer.

"Yeah. He fed me. Go away." Snapped Faith from her seat on the floor.

Illyria narrowed her eyes but then regained her control as she tilted her head to the side, eyeing Faith carefully. "Can I kill her? Slowly?"

Gunn rolled his eyes and stood back by Illyria. He slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans and shook his head. "Yo Blue, it's been a long time since Faith's been here and you ask the same thing every damn day. Do you expect me to change my answer? Or more along the lines of.. do you expect Angel to change his answer?"

"Where is the heroic vamp daddy anyway?" Faith asked with a mouthful of pork.

Illyria took a step forward but Gunn put a hand on her wrist to hold her back, although he probably couldn't stop her if he wanted to. "Let me go."

Gunn swiftly dropped her arm and Illyria stepped back into her previous position. Gunn shrugged. "Like you care. He's away."

Faith smirked and looked up from her plate. "Oh yeah? I hear his Barbie's gone back to walkin' and talkin'... did he need a good lay? I'm surprised he didn't take me up on my offer..."

Illyria made a sound that came out almost as a hiss and Gunn motioned his head towards the stairs. "We better get upstairs."

Buffy stood in the center of Restfield Cemetary staring at what was becoming part of her worst nightmare.

'That's what it is. A nightmare. Nightmare. It's not real. I'll wake up and I'll be in Angel's arms and my mom will be home and.. and..'

A single tear escaped the corner of Buffy's eye and then the waterworks began. Her knees gave out and she landed with a thud on the ground. Her arms enveloped the large grey stone made of marble and hugged it affectionatley.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She repeated her words over and over as sobs choked out of her body. Buffy was trembling and her entire body was shaking from the hysterical sobs.

"Mommy..." Her voice was a soft whisper that echoed through empty graveyard.

A tingle ran up her spine as a familiar sensation neared. A familiar being.

The strong arms engulfed her petite frame from behind and Angel pulled Buffy against him. Her slender, pale fingers ran over the enscription on the headstone.

'Joyce Elizabeth Summers

Incredible Mother

A Strong Woman'

"Mommy..." She repeated softly as she lay numbly in Angel's arms. He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head, whispering sweet nothings in her ear for comfort.

Okay this chapter wasn't so long. But I wanted to write it. Review!!!