Chapter Sixteen: Answers...at Last
"Dawn," Joy parked her car in the Summers' driveway after school on Monday. Joy had offered to drive Dawn home since the guys had afternoon practice for football. "I made a decision."
"About what?" Dawn gathered up her books and began to climb out of the car.
"I think I want to meet your sister."
"You do?" Dawn was excited. "That's great! Come in now and meet her! Willow and Tara are probably home too." Dawn waited for Joy to turn off the ignition and then giddily led the way to the front door.
"Wait," Joy hesitated as Dawn prepared to open the front door. "Are you sure that your sister's going to want to meet me? You know, I probably didn't make the best impression last time we met."
"I'm Positive!" Dawn took Joy by the wrist and led her into the house. "Buffy, Willow, Tara," She hollered out as she brought Joy into the living room. "Come down here please!" She motioned to one of the couches. "Go ahead and sit down."
Joy sat gingerly on the edge of the sofa against the window and waited as footsteps on the stairs alerted the approach of the rest of the household. Soon Buffy appeared at the foot of the steps, followed immediately by the redhead and a dark-haired guy. "Where's everyone else?" Dawn pouted when she realized that the house was mostly empty.
"Tara's got a class," the redhead spoke up. Her eyes never left Joy on the couch.
"Anya's at the Magic Box," the dark-haired man replied.
Buffy shrugged, "I don't keep tabs on Riley, you know. He's free to do whatever he wants. It's not like he's my boyfriend anymore or anything, and just because he's back, it doesn't change anything..."
"Buff, I don't think she was asking for a monologue," He winked at Dawn. "Were ya Dawnster?"
Dawn looked confused but she ignored her sister's ranting. "So, look who's here." She pointed to Joy who was now beginning to wonder about what she had gotten herself into.
The redhead wandered over to the couch to greet the stranger. "I'm Willow," she introduced herself sweetly and Joy knew at once that she was a very friendly person.
"I'm Joy," she replied.
The dark-haired guy stepped forward next, "You can call me Xander." He grinned.
"What's your name?" Joy asked.
"Xander," He didn't seem to understand the question.
"Okay," She smiled. He seemed nice as well as amusing. "And you're Dawn's sister, Buffy, right?"
The blonde nodded, "Yea," and then she turned to her sister and lowered her voice. "Can I talk to you for a minute...alone?"
Dawn knew better than to protest so she obediently followed her sister across the hall into the kitchen. Willow went with them while Xander stayed behind to keep Joy entertained.
"So," He was quiet for a moment as though trying to come up with some way to occupy the guest until the girls returned. Suddenly he spoke up. "Do you like finger puppets?" He found a pen on the side table and began drawing little faces on each of his fingers.
Joy tried hard not to laugh. "Umm, no offense Xander, but I'm a little old for finger puppets."
"Ah, no way, no one's too old for finger puppets!" He wiggled his drawn-on fingers for a minute before he realized her tight-lips trying to hold back her laughter. "Oh come on, you couldn't be too old to laugh, you're all of what, fifteen?"
Joy rolled her eyes, "I'm almost seventeen, thank you very much!"
"Oh god, you're ancient!" He rolled his eyes, "I think we better start planning your funeral!"
"Shut up!" Joy felt as though she were sitting around, joking with an old friend, not with a stranger whom she had just met.
The girls returned soon and Buffy put on her most official sounding voice. "Joy, Dawn has just been telling us in more detail about the fighting skills you displayed when fighting the vampires at the dance," She began, perching on the arm of the chair across from Joy's couch.
"Okay," Joy didn't really know what this young woman expected her to say. Joy was only here because in her gut she felt that Dawn may have a serious reason for wanting her here, and so she came, to listen to what her friend's older sister might have to say. Beyond that, the listening, she didn't have much else in mind.
"Have you ever fought vampires before that night?" Buffy asked.
Joy sighed, "Yes."
Willow had wandered out of the room and now returned with a phone in her hand. She whispered something to Buffy and then sat down in the chair. Buffy gave an affirming nod to whatever her friend had told her.
"Is fighting vampires a reoccurring thing with you?" Buffy kept asking questions which Joy didn't really feel necessary and so she continued to answer them simply.
"I guess, lately anyway," Joy glanced at the wall clock and worried about how late she would be getting home.
"Have you dusted all that you have fought?"
Now Joy was getting annoyed. She hadn't expected to be brought here for a bizarre interrogation on her dealings with the undead. "Look, I'm here because Dawn wouldn't stop begging me, but I really don't understand why you're so curious about the creatures that I have killed!"
"I'm sorry, Joy," Dawn spoke up suddenly. "I didn't think that Buffy's questions would bother you so badly. I just thought you'd like to know that you're not the only one who's had fights with ugly evil things!"
"Well, duh! I didn't think I was the only one! God, it's not like I think I'm superwoman or something just because I staked a couple vamps! I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of it." Joy stood suddenly. "You know what, this is just a waste of time and I've got to go now..."
"No, please, not yet," Buffy stood too. "Just stay for a little longer. I don't think you quite understand how unusual it is to be able to slay a vampire as easily as you did."
"Slay?" Joy smirked. "I wasn't aware there was a special lingo for killing the bloodsuckers!"
Xander laughed and then quickly silenced when he noticed Buffy's and Willow's disapproving glares.
"There's someone I want you to talk to, Joy," Buffy explained. "I think he will be able to answer more of your questions then I could. He's so much better with the teach-age!" A knock on the door arrived in perfect timing and Willow rushed to answer it.
"In there," Her voice could still be heard from the entryway and a second later she came back into the living room, followed by the older man Joy had seen at the house on the dance night. "This is Giles." Willow introduced.
Dawn whispered her own explanation, "We were at his house the other night."
"Is it her?" He asked Buffy, not even acknowledging Joy's presence yet.
"We're not sure," Buffy shrugged and took her seat. "I'm getting the impression that she's not exactly anxious to be 'chosen'." Joy puzzled at the conversation passing between the two.
"Hello, Joy," Giles had a very proper English accent. "You must be confused as to our strong desire to meet with you."
"Oh no, that thought never even crossed my mind," Joy rolled her eyes sarcastically.
"Very good," He removed his glasses and cleaned them with a handkerchief from his tweed jacket pocket. "I have heard that you have some experience with vampires. Is this true?"
"If you loonies are just going to be repeating the same questions over and over, I really think I could occupy my valuable time better elsewhere." Joy was still standing and now she began to walk towards the door.
"How did your parents die, Joy?" His words froze her in her tracks.
Spinning around, Joy glared accusingly at Dawn. "God, is my life just an open book that you feel free to flaunt to your friends? I thought I could trust you, Dawn!"
Dawn's eyes widened in alarm, "But, Joy I didn't tell him!" She shook her head emphatically. "I told my sister, but she needed to know, trust me! Please Joy, don't leave."
But Joy was already out of the living room with her hand on the doorknob. When she opened the door she was greeted by a rather tall and attractive man. His handsome face was lit up by a friendly grin.
"Hey, are you the new slayer?"
Joy lowered her bright eyes into slits. "What the hell is going on here?" She stormed back into the living room, being followed by the new visitor. "Who are you people, and why am I here?" She demanded.
The new guy looked apologetic, "I guess you haven't told her yet?"
Buffy smiled at the handsome man and ignored his rhetorical question. "I wasn't expecting you today, Riley."
"Yea, I know, but I was bored so I figured, hey why not go see Buffy," He glanced around the room, "And everyone else." Then his smile disappeared and he got suddenly serious, "Tell me Spike isn't here!"
"He's taking a nap in Buffy's room," Xander offered with a grin. Riley started to fume but Buffy quickly interjected.
"Stop it Xander," Turning to Riley she shook her head. "Spike isn't here. I promise."
Even with all her feelings of confusion and anger, Joy was strangely curious as to the newcomer, whom Dawn had informed her earlier was Buffy's old boyfriend. She was also interested in the past connection between the ex-couple and the handsome blonde she had met a couple weeks ago. Joy was certain that they had some sort of past and not a good one, judging by Riley's grave face.
A minute later Joy was wondering what had provoked her to speak her next sentence and she decided it was her way of 'getting back' at these crazy people. But once it was out she couldn't take it back. "So, why the tension? Did your girlfriend screw around with the hot British guy behind your back?" Joy laughed at her comment, thinking that it would just come off as a joke but it evoked a rather startling response.
"What? No! I mean..." Buffy stuttered out. "Have you been talking to Spike? You know he always lies! You can't believe a word he says!" She kept rambling. "And I wasn't screwing around behind Riley's back! It was way after Riley was gone...and it wasn't like that..."
Finally she had to pause for a breath and Willow came to her side to quiet her. "Buffy, I don't think she meant anything by it." The redhead assured the panicked blonde.
Joy's eyes widened as she realized what Buffy had just confessed to. Wow! Buffy and the hot guy were together? Hmm...she's lucky. Joy frowned at the thoughts going through her head about the very attractive man she had only met once and tried to push them away. "I'm sorry Buffy," She felt it necessary to apologize to the psycho woman who had finally leashed in her ranting rage.
"Don't worry about it," Buffy cleared her throat and tried to recover from the awkward subject.
"Okay, so now that I've totally put this meeting in a funk, let's talk about the whole 'slayer' thing." Joy finally returned to the couch and sat, a little reluctantly, but ready to receive whatever information these people could give her. She figured she owed them that much after angering Buffy like she did. Everyone who had been unusually quiet during the irritable conversation brought up by Joy and pointed towards Buffy, now looked to Giles for an explanation. And so he began.
"In every generation there is a chosen one," His voice was slow and deliberate like a sermon being recited at a funeral or a christening. "She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the slayer." When he finished his oration all Joy could do was stare with her mouth slightly ajar. He realized she wasn't going to respond so he continued. "Joy, we believe that you are that chosen one, well two actually," He nodded towards Buffy, "She is sort of the first, in a while I suppose. At least she has been for a few years."
"So you're saying that I-" Joy had a hard time finishing her sentence but everyone else wasted no time in jumping in to complete her obvious thoughts.
"Uh-huh," Dawn grinned.
"Chosen..." Joy's thoughts dropped off again.
"Yep," Xander picked up her thoughts perfectly.
"You're a vampire slayer!" Buffy summarized Giles's long speech into a simple statement.
"No shit!" Joy couldn't think of anything better to say to express her confused feelings at that moment.
When Joy finally left the bizarre world of evil-fighters, she wasn't exactly convinced that she was who they said she was. Buffy and Giles had sounded so convinced that she was this 'chosen one' or 'slayer' that she felt like believing them, but when she was alone to really consider what they had been telling her, she wasn't so certain. The concept of one girl to battle the world of evil seemed very unrealistic. So far Joy had fought a few vampires but she had no proof of other demonic creatures actually existing.
She had let the strange people give her their speeches and their opinions and then they had let her leave to ponder what they had told her. She promised Dawn that she would call later, but as Joy parked her car in the driveway, she was becoming a little wary of meeting with Dawn or her friend's again.