Rabidreject- Yes, Joyce is the flat line. Bet you really weren't expecting that, haha. And I'm glad you liked how Tara got through to Willow- that scene took me forever, because it just kept coming out all too-cheesy and wrong. Thank you for the review, and yes, after this we're on to season seven.

Buffyangel47- Thanks for the 'wow', loving the word usage and thanks for the review.

And yes, Tara is safe. She causes the uber change in season seven though I've realized...

Jason Barnett- Willow and magics. I know she could have easy dealt with the trio using non uber dark magics but she was afraid and angry (and in the original vengeful) so she wanted to cause them, particularly Warren, the most pain possible when she dealt with them. Dark magics are the only thing that could provide that ability to use maximum pain and torture.

Zigpal- I have only tried to kill Joyce (not including any Scooby related threats which they all have from time to time) once before now. And I like giving you a scare, what can I say? Funnily enough, Xander has some issues with that in this chapter also. Mother and daughters have scared him too many times. Although I will say that I did need Joyce to actually die this time for a future storyline, so I'm not being entirely mean. And I do promise this will be last ever direct threat on her life. Promise. Thanks for claps and review (even though you're accusing me of well...Joycicide)

Anya hated hospitals. They didn't smell quite right. They smelled too clean to her. Sterile. And sterile was not something Anya Harris approved of. However, given the fact that they were at the hospital for what was labeled by humans as a happy thing, she was willing to make an exception this one time and not complain about having to be there.

Eventually the four of them reached the labor and delivery ward and saw Giles, Buffy and Dawn stood outside in the corridor looking worriedly into the room which Xander presumed Joyce was in. But why wasn't Giles in there with her? Xander knew immediately, he knew something wasn't quite right.

"Guys! What's going on?" He asked, walking over which was when the sound reached him. The sound of a long, extended unbroken bleep of a heart monitor. No, it couldn't be. Not after everything they'd gone through that very day...for it to end like this. It wasn't fair.

"Xander," Buffy looked positively relieved to see him, as though his mere presence gave her strength. "I-It's Mom... s-she's..."

"She's...dead..." Anya said in complete shock as she looked in at the room, listening to what was going on.

"No, no she's not," Giles protested adamantly, "The doctors..th-there helping. They can..." He also looked in at the room where the medical staff were in deed working to resuscitate Joyce whilst making all their efforts to save the baby also. He had to turn away as he caught clear sight of Joyce's dea- no he couldn't say that word. He caught sight of her unconscious form. It unnerved him. He had to look away as, he saw, so did the others.

"Tara," Buffy said, desperation in her voice as she noticed the witch, while Willow had returned to her normal coloring, was still goddess-looking as her golden hair seemed to shine so unnaturally, it appeared to literally sparkle, "You can fix this"

"No I can't," Tara countered, but Buffy was adamant.

"Yes, you can. With all that...those books. They had healing spells- you could do it. Save her"

"No, I couldn't," Tara was firm, speaking to Buffy in an authoritative tone.

"But you-"

"It's possible." Tara agreed, speaking over her, "But I can't do it. I won't. It's not the natural order, it wouldn't be right"

"Who cares from right or wrong?!" Buffy burst out in anger, "My mother is dying Tara. In fact, she's dead. And we both know that those doctors are not going be able to doing anything for her but you can! And you're refusing to help?" Buffy was disgusted with her, "Who the hell are you? How can you just stand there and not help when you know you can?! You could save her li-" Buffy stopped talking, or rather shouting, at Tara abruptly as a noise reached them all. It was the heart monitor again. Beeping. At a steady rate. "What?" Buffy turned around, speaking in genuine shock and disbelief.

"Sh-she's...they did it..." Dawn stuttered through her tears while everyone else remained silent, unable to actually say words as the shock enveloped them, "She's alive..."

"Okay that's it!" Xander suddenly exclaimed through his shock, glaring over at Dawn and Buffy, "I've had enough with you three! You have got to stop dying on us. I can't take it anymore!"

"Sorry Xand..." Buffy jokingly apologized, laughing through her tears of pure relief that were pouring down her face. "Check...no more death scares..."

As the group took a moment to register their relief, a doctors stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Doctor?" Giles questioned, walking over to the man whilst being acutely aware that the entire group had followed him over and were haloed around them. "What...how is she?"

"Well, we managed to stop the bleeding," The doctor informed them with a warm smile, "Had to perform a c-section of course, but beyond a recovery period obviously needed right now...we have managed to stabilize them both"

"They're okay?" Buffy asked hopefully, "Both of them?"

"Yes," The doctor nodded with another smile, "Mother and baby are doing just fine"

"Oh thank god," Giles breathed, "Can we uh...that is would it be possible to see them?"

"Well she's very tired, more so than in normal circumstances obviously so I'm not sure whether she'd actually register your being there right now, but yes you're welcome to go in. Only for a few minutes though for all you, then I'm afraid we'll have to limit it to only one visitor. She has a lot of healing to do, a lot." He warned them, "It may be a while before she's back to her normal self again"

"Please, we just want to her see her," Buffy said and the doctor nodded stepping aside to let them past.

Joyce was indeed, not in the land of the awake, as they walked into the room and the majority of the staff left. The midwife and a nurse stayed behind cleaning up and tending to the also-asleep baby.

Tara reached out a hand toward Joyce.

"What are you doing?" Buffy asked, "I thought you said you wouldn't help"

"I wouldn't go against the natural order of things," Tara corrected her, "But I can accelerate the healing process. Help her" She continued to reach out her hand, brushing her palm against Joyce's forehead, summoning the healing magicks that were now a part of her and a few moments later Joyce's eyes fluttered open, still tired but immediate fatigue gone.

"Hi..." She murmured, sounding a little confused and lost, "Everybody's here..."

"Yes, everyone's here," Giles agreed softly, taking her hand lovingly, enjoying the fact that her hand was warm and not cold as had been threatened before.

"Good..." She smiled before frowning in further confusion, "Where's here?"

"Oh you're awake already?" The midwife asked in surprise as she walked over with the now clean newborn in her arms wrapped in a pink blanket, "We didn't suspect you to be awake for at least another twelve hours"

"She's a fast healer"Buffy explained quickly.

"Well," The midwife smiled, "Do you think you're well enough to hold her?"

"I think I can manage that..." Joyce smiled weakly with a sigh, sitting up slightly so her youngest daughter could be handed to her. She was still fast asleep, not even woke up crying yet, and her tiny hands were folding across her chest in a peaceful yet also comical way, "Hi there..."

Giles slid past Tara so he could sit on the edge of the bed beside Joyce to have a closer look at his daughter.

"She's so tiny..."was the only thing he could think of to say, taking her petite, delicate hand in his large one, finding himself marveling at it all.

"They usually are," The midwife smiled.

"We'll be back in a moment," The nurse told them, "We'll find an empty recovery room in the maternity ward and then we can move you from here"

"Thanks..." Joyce said briefly, but not actually paying attention as she fully focused on her baby daughter.

"Have you decided on a name yet?" The midwife asked with a smile, just as Tara moved back so Giles had more room. She backed up into a table, bumping against a small vase of two closed flowers, put there for what reason she didn't know, but she definitely didn't want to knock them over and break them, so she grabbed them quickly with her hands to steady them. But the magick still coursing through her poured over the flowers before she could consider to stop it and their buds suddenly opened wide.

"Rupert..." Joyce nudged him slightly to make him turn to see what Tara had done, "Lilies..." She laughed slightly.

"What is it?" The midwife asked, forgetting to consider for a moment how the flower buds had opened so quickly and instead wondering why the woman found it amusing.

"That's what we've decided to call her," Giles explained, "Lilian"

"Lily..." Joyce repeated, speaking to the infant softly, establishing the name for her.

"We'll be right back," The nurse told them before she and the midwife left the room.

"Do you want to hold her now?" Joyce asked Rupert, not wanting to let go herself but seeing in his eyes that he so desperately wanted to.

"Could I?"He asked hopefully, before taking her from Joyce's arms and getting to experience holding her for himself. "She's perfect"

"And a real heavy sleeper," Dawn commented, "Aren't babies meant to cry when they're born?"

"Let's just be thankful huh?" Anya suggested, "I for one do not want to be listening to the sound of a crying baby right now"

"Good point," Buffy agreed before turning to her Mother, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine..." Joyce nodded with a small smile, "Just tired...no, exhausted"

"Dying has that effect," Buffy half joked, only making light to cover the fear she had had.

"Yeah and about that," Xander said, "No more death scares. From you, Buffy, Dawn. I mean I know our lives aren't the safest but all three of you died today." He gestured over at Lily, "If, when she gets older, she starts doing the same thing..." He left the threat open. "You with me on this Giles?"

"Most decidedly not," He replied, not taking his gaze off Lily, "But to be fair I wasn't listening"

"You know you don't all have to stay here with me," Joyce told the group that were gathered around her bed in a room in the maternity ward in the exact same way as they had been in the previous room, "Besides, I thought the nurse told you that you could all only stay a few minutes"

"Yeah, well she seems to think you're well enough to deal with us a little while longer," Buffy smiled, "Besides, we wanna stay here...playing pass the child" As she said this she glanced over at Anya who was the one presently holding Lily. The baby had been passed from on Scooby to the next constantly ever since Giles had finally given up holding rights. She had so far been held by Dawn and Buffy and after Anya it was no doubt going to be Xander, who despite stating babies weren't his thing, looked as though he were itching to take a hold of her.

"I'm just glad everything's fine with her," Joyce said, "I was so worried with everything that happened..."

"We were too," Giles told her, putting an arm around her which she settled into comfortably and not without a little tiredness. Tara's spell may have accelerated her healing period, but she was still exhausted from everything.

"Yes, I'm sorry for that little scare," Joyce apologized with a small smile, "I know it was the last thing any of you needed after...wait, where is Willow?"

"Oh..." Xander frowned, looking around, "She was with us when we arrived..."

"Willow?" Tara called, heading back out into the corridor.

"Is she okay?" Joyce asked everyone, "Did...was everything...did it work out?"

"Yeah, Tara did some memory whammy on her I think," Anya explained, still holding Lily possessively, "And then once everything was good the two geeks did a runner"

"We don't know where they went," Xander added, before looking at Anya and holding out his hands a little, "Can I hold her now?"

"But Willow's okay though?" Joyce checked.

"That depends on what you define as okay," Tara replied, coming back into the room.

"Where is she?" Buffy asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," Tara nodded, "She just doesn't wish to come in"

"Why?" Dawn frowned, "Is she afraid we're gonna be mad at her? Coz, coz we are...but not in an angry-stay-out-of-the-room way..."

"No, not exactly," Tara replied, "She doesn't think she can come in. A-after what happened...she's not comfortable"

"What do you mean?" Giles asked, "True her actions were...not without prompting reprimand...but we wouldn't ah, shun her, so-to-speak"

"It's not that," Tara shook her head, "She just doesn't feel she has the right...to be here"

"Tara, ask her to come in," Joyce requesting, sounding extremely tired but apparently fighting it with all her will power until the current situation was resolved. "Please," Tara nodded in agreement, before leaving the room to talk to Willow, "And could...maybe the rest of you leave?" Joyce requested, "Maybe it would be..." She trailed off quietly as she saw Willow walking slowly and self-consciously into the room, being led by Tara, "better..."

Immediately, reacting on the need to get away from an awkward atmosphere rather than Joyce's words, Xander quickly, yet carefully placed Lily in her temporary beside cot before rushing outside of the room. He was quickly followed by all others except Giles, who remained beside Joyce and Buffy, who looked like she didn't want to be going anywhere while Willow was around.

"Please, Buffy..." Joyce said quietly, feeling that what Willow needed right now was not a Slayer facing her with her arms folded, on the defense. Buffy, for a moment looked as though she were going to argue with her Mom before she eventually relented and left the room with a sigh.

Although Willow was glad she wasn't surrounded by faces, she felt in some ways that this was worse. As though she were a teenager about to be told off by her parents for sneaking out a night. Except it wasn't something that innocent. She was being told off by surrogate parents because she had abused magic and killed someone. She had killed someone. Suddenly feeling even more awkward than moments ago, Willow turned to leave yet again.

"I'll just...go..."

"Willow, please," Joyce said quietly and the red-head stopped her retreat, "We're not..." she sighed, "We're not going to..we're not mad at you. At least, I'm not"

"Maybe not," Willow admitted, "But still...the things I did...I don't know how any of you can even bear to look at me. I killed a man"

"A man who almost killed two of my daughters," Joyce commented, "I think I'll find the courage to live on"

"Joyce," Giles reprimanded her casual attitude to the murder of a human being.

"I'm sorry Rupert, but I think what I think and I feel what I feel. Buffy and Dawn would be...they wouldn't be here with us here right now if not Willow. And he did that, he put them in danger, so forgive me if I feel his life had little value."

"See, and now I'm making you argue..." Willow pointed out shamefully, "I really should just go..."

"Willow you're not making us argue. We're not arguing," Joyce told her, "He thinks exactly the same thing. He's just being morally correct"

"Now, Willow," Giles said, effectively entering mentor-mode, "No matter any of our opinions and what occurred, your actions still merit some form of, ah, rehabilitation so-to-speak. Now, obviously our training- though it has taught you basics I'll admit- hasn't been enough for you. I should have realized that an addiction would need more than simple guidance. You require teaching and rehabilitation from people more skilled in the magics than I can hold claim to if you're going to recover from this."

"No, no," Willow shook her adamantly, backing up slightly, "I can't, I won't, do magic again. I can't, ever. How can I use it again after what I did?"

"Lily said you used magic," Joyce pointed out and the other two frowned in confusion so she explained further, "Lily...when she was here. She said Willow was using magic. Confidently. So, if she knew that you can get better, why can't you believe it too?" Joyce sighed a little, "I admit I may have selfish reasons behind this...it's just Buffy, she's gone through so much- please don't let her loose her friend too. Please"

Willow looked away guiltily, accepting Joyce's words, but not sure whether she could live up to the promise. As she looked away her eyes fell on the tiny sleeping form of Lily.

"Would you like to hold her?" Joyce asked and Willow started at the suggestion.

"But, but she's asleep..." She protested.

"And she will be again the moment you put her back down," Joyce countered, "The others have held her..."

"Could I really?" Willow asked hopefully, seemingly checking with Giles as to whether it truly would be okay for her to do so.

"Yes, of course," He nodded, looking to Joyce as though for confirmation, to find that immediate problem solved she seemed to be already drifting off. He slipped his arm out from under, resting her head on the pillow carefully, where she remained in full deep sleep mode.

"Your Mother's fast asleep," Giles informed Dawn and Buffy, and by extension the others as he and Willow came out of the room, "She's exhausted"

"Understandable...she like died and everything," Anya nodded in understanding and when everyone gave her a look, she frowned at the, "What? It's not like she did die"

"Yes," Giles nodded, just accepting it as a typical Anya-ism, before turning to talk directly to Buffy, "Buffy do you mind if I talk to you?" He gestured down the corridor, indicating that he wished to speak privately.

"Yeah, sure" She nodded, frowning a little in confusion, but heading on nevertheless.

"Now, it's about Willow," He told her the moment the two reached a side corridor with several empty chairs waiting for them. The two took seats opposite one another.

"Giles, I know what you're gonna say," She told him, "And no, you can't keep training her. I know you said this whole 'cold turkey' deal would be worst, but what you've been doing didn't help anyway. It isn't what she needs-"

"I agree," He nodded, throwing Buffy completely off course.

"You do?"

"Yes. Willow evidently needs more help than I can ever give her."

"So what do you think we should do?" Buffy asked, assuming correctly that Giles had an idea forming.

"There's a coven I know in Devon, back in England." He told her, "They could help Willow a great deal I believe"

"How?" Buffy was skeptical, "How is what they can do gonna be any different from how you've been trying to help Willow all year?"

"They have a greater knowledge of the magics than I can claim to Buffy," He pointed out, "And they've helped many others before that have been in Willow's situation and for a large percentage of the time, the, ah, cases have been a success"

"And the rest?" Buffy asked

"The rest were already beyond saving, Buffy," Giles told her, "And you and I both know what Willow isn't. This will give her a real chance at recovery,perhaps even to go so far as to safely develop of her powers"

Buffy sighed, dropping her head into her hands, knowing that what Giles was saying was reasonable and true, but feeling the whole concept of sending Willow across an ocean for what was essentially rehab, was presently more than Buffy could deal with.

"Fine," She eventually said, sitting up straight again so she could look across at Giles as she talked, "Okay, we'll do it."

"Right," Giles nodded, "The only issue that remains is who is to accompany her. I will obviously have to take her over there, if only for introductory purposes not to mention her own disorientation, but with your Mother and Lily, I can't stay there. And we can't afford to have you leave Sunnydale, so I was thinking that perhaps-"

"Tara?" Buffy caught onto what he was getting at before he could finish.

"Yes, my thinking exactly. As long as she's willing, that is-"

"She'll be willing," Buffy said confidently, "It's Willow. She's willing to do anything for her"

There's something about sleeping in a bed that isn't your own. No matter how asleep you may be, you still wake up at the slightest noises because they're not the ones familiar to your own home. This was one of the reasons Joyce awoke with a start when she heard a slight rustling noise beside her bed. The other reason she started was the person causing the noise didn't look at all human.

"Argh!" She couldn't prevent herself from yelling in shock and in turn, the 'visitor' yelled a little in fright also, which was when she actually saw who it was.

"Huh?" She squinted, trying to focus through the pitch black of the hospital room, "Lorne? Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Going to Las Vegas," He replied and when she managed to look at him skeptically despite being tired and confused, he insisted the truth behind the statement, "No really. I'm heading on there after here. But I knew this one had been born and I just had to have a little peek"

"W-what?" Joyce asked, even further confused as she flicked on the lamp that was on her bedside table. Apparently, despite being awake enough to recognize Lorne, she wasn't yet awake enough to comprehend why he was there at all.

"Baby. Born. I. Come. See," He explained monosyllabiclally and she seemed to nod in understanding.

"How did you know?" She asked.

"I have a sixth sense about these things," He told her, "That and a couple of gossipy seers let me in on the news"

"Seers?" She frowned, back to being completely confused.

"Oh yeah," Lorne nodded, "Can I pick her up?"

"What? Yes, sure you can..."

"I ask coz Angel used to be such a possessive vamp over Connor," Lorne explained, picking the little girl up, whilst trying not to dwell on what had happened to Angel's son in recent weeks. "Anyway, like I was saying- seers, the gossipy one anyway, have been yammering over this kid for the past twenty-four hours"

"They have? Why?"

"You still don't get it do you?" Lorne smiled whilst holding her child tenderly, clearly feeling comfortable and completely at ease with the action.

"Get what?"

"The kid here's big news. Half-Slayer, half-Watcher. It's a lethal combination."

"Lethal?" Joyce sounded understandably worried and Lorne hurried to reassure her.

"No, not for her. For the Big Bads out there. Look, whether it's an active power on her part or not, it doesn't matter. The PTB are tuned into her which means the uglies out there aren't happy."

"PTB?" Joyce frowned yet again, feeling like she did the time she first found out Buffy was the Slayer.

"Power That Be," Lorne explained hurriedly, "Cordy's little acronym"

"But I don't want them involved," Joyce protested, "I don't want them watching her. I don't-"

"That's not where your worry should lie," Lorne told her kindly.

"There's more worry?" She asked.

"I didn't just come here for the cuddles, though it is enjoyable," He added, smiling at Lily and holding her a little bit tighter. It had been so long since he had held Connor, but had it really been that long ago? Or did it just feel that long ago? "I came here to warn you"

"Warn me?"

"Listen, I don't think they know anything yet, but you still need to make sure to stay away from them."

"Who?" She asked and Lorne realized he had assumed she knew about the demonic lawyer firm in L.A.

"Wolfram and Hart. Big, bad, evil, demon-ruled, demonic lawyers. They've been obsessed with Connor from the off and somehow I don't think this little one will be out of their area of interest. And by interest I mean the dissecting type"

"Oh God...but how can we...how am I supposed...how are we meant to keep her safe from them?"

"I don't know," He told her honestly, "All I can say is, keep her all low-key okay? And don't be making any trips to the City of Angels. At all. Ever. At least not for a good long while. I'm sorry to tell you all this," He apologized, seeing Joyce's distraught expression, "But forewarned, forearmed?" He smiled, but it only seemed to mildly comfort her, "Anyway, I've got to go now. Got me a plane to catch" He told her placing Lily carefully back down in hospital cot, instinctively giving her a little kiss as he had done so many times to Connor. "I'll see you ducks," He told her, heading for the door. He stopped a moment as something occurred to him, "By the way...what did you decide to call her? The Seers weren't up on the names" He explained.

"Erm, Lily." She told him and he smiled.

"S'nice," He told her, before leaving, walking directly into Giles who, having been in the room with Joyce and Lily all night, was just returning to the room. "Hey fella, how you doin'?" He greeted him simply, before walking on off down the corridor.

"Wh- was that...Lorne?" Giles asked Joyce in complete confusion and she nodded, "What was he doing here?"

"He came to see Lily..." Joyce told him, thinking about all the worrying things Lorne had told her and she was now going to have to tell Rupert.

And so another season comes to an end. Hope you enjoyed the ride and season 7 should be up in the next week.