Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.
The rest of the week passed uneventfully. Now that the constant threat from the Order of Taraka was gone, everyone was able to catch up on some much needed sleep. They slowly returned to their jobs, Anya practically taking over The Magic Box while Willow and Tara helped out at The Gallery as much as possible. Xander returned to his construction sites, while Dawn had officially started her summer vacation and decided to spend as much time as she could at home with the newest members of the family. Joyce and Giles were the last to return to their former lives.
Joyce spent her days taking care of the babies and taking care of her daughter. Earlier Anya likened Buffy to her children and Joyce couldn't agree more. She had three babies at home who needed her constant attention. Sometimes it was a toss up to see who needed her more, her daughter or her grandchildren. Thankfully Dawn was a constant presence and was helping as best she could. Andrew also was constantly in the house and trying to help, though his attempts usually just led to more problems. They were slowly getting into a pattern though, and Joyce was planning to go back to work, at least for half a day, that Monday.
Giles also hadn't returned to work. Veronica was staying until Faith returned. Albert also decided to stay, much to the sibling's discontent. None of the Scoobies could figure out Giles's father. Though he was the leader of the Watcher's Council, which existed solely to piss them off and get in their way according to some members of the group, he was always extremely kind and polite to them. He was intelligent, caring, and always watching them with curiosity, not contempt which they were expecting. Giles, in particular, was having a hard time reconciling the two sides of the man he thought he knew.
Albert mainly stayed in Giles's house during the day, directing the cleanup operation from Sunnydale. Eventually he would need to return to London, but he was content to stay right now and for the first time in his life Giles was content to let him. Giles and Veronica spent their days in the main house, training. While nowhere near a Slayer's ability, by the end of the week she could handle herself in a crisis. She also agreed to go on a patrol with Spike, which would get her some real life experience, now that the craziness had died down.
"You ready pet?" Spike asked as he showed up on Saturday night. Everyone was gathered around the living room. While the days were almost back to normal, nights were still new territory. Everyone still gathered at the Summers residence after work was done. Joyce would cook the family dinner, which helped calm her nerves. They were slowly getting used to Buffy being back, not to mention the new arrivals.
"As I'll ever be," Veronica told the vampire. She wore dark, practical clothes and had a small sword strapped to her back. She also had several stakes and a small crossbow.
"You'll do fine," Giles told her from his position in his favorite chair where he was trying to read the Codex. He had taken to studying the book every night and had yet to let anyone else take a look inside. Albert watched him curiously. Veronica nodded and followed Spike out of the house. "She'll be fine," he told everyone when they watched the door. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Spike will keep her safe."
"He will," Joyce agreed distractedly before turning to Dawn. "Are you sure you'll be okay."
"Mom," she whined. She was in the middle of the room helping Buffy exercise her arms. The Slayer could almost hold them over the armrests of her wheelchair. "We've gone over everything. I know what to do for all three of them. We've discussed every situation you could think of. I'm an adult. I can do this. Besides, you'll only be gone a few hours and if I need you I can always call."
"Plus I'll be here," Andrew called out helpfully.
"That's really reassuring," she replied sarcastically. "Maybe it's too soon. Maybe I should wait to go back to work." Dawn rolled her eyes dramatically.
"I think you should stay here," Anya said. "It is giving me an opportunity to stretch my corporate muscles. Running two businesses can be quite thrilling."
"What?" both Giles and Joyce said at the same time.
"Well, neither one of you are there. How else are we going to make a profit if someone doesn't take up the mantle of leadership?"
"We've been helping with both stores," Tara said shyly, as if that was overstepping some boundary.
"Thanks you," she said uncertainly, wondering if Anya had been able to make any improvements to the shop while she had been away. The ex-demon had tried to improve Giles's shop throughout the years, claiming her way was more efficient and produced greater profits. Only threats of firing her could keep the young woman at bay. Joyce secretly laughed at those confrontations and now not so secretly worried she might be having some herself.
"Go check out the damage," Dawn said, as if reading her thoughts. "We will be okay for a few hours."
"Okay," she relented. "For a few hours." Dawn silently cheered as the group slowly broke up for the night. The next morning Joyce was extremely nervous. Giles also was returning to work that day, although he was going in for the full day. Joyce briefly considered taking everyone to work with her before deciding against it. There was just so much that could go wrong over at The Magic Box, and while before The Gallery was usually safe from all the Slayer craziness, now that the two were connected they had more than their share of demons breaking up the place. "Are you sure?" Joyce asked again. Dawn rolled her eyes.
"Mom!" She didn't need to say anything else. They had taken care of the twins, who were upstairs sleeping, and taken care of Buffy, who was about ready to nod off in her wheelchair. Joyce looked again at her stricken daughter, about ready to change her mind, when Dawn grabbed her arm and pulled her to the door. "Have a good day," she ordered, opening the door and almost pushing her from the house. Joyce had just enough time to grab her keys.
"You'll call?" she asked as she crossed the threshold.
"If I need you yes," Dawn told her. "Have fun." Joyce nodded as the door shut on her. Slowly she made her way to the car and on to The Gallery. Ten minutes later she parked behind Giles's car and made her way to the shops.
"Hey," she said as she opened the door to The Magic Box. She wasn't quite ready to see the disaster area her own shop was.
"Welcome back," Giles said. He and Veronica were sitting at the research table.
"Thanks," she said, looking around in trepidation. She couldn't see Anya anywhere, which meant she was probably wreaking havoc in The Gallery. "It looks like you shop survived."
"Relatively intact," he told her, pointing behind the counter. It looked like Anya had been attempting to change the filing system. "I wish the same could be said about The Gallery," he said vaguely. Joyce closed her eyes.
"How bad?" she asked, opening her eyes when he didn't answer. She looked between Giles and Veronica. Both of them just grinned. "Are you researching?" she asked, trying to delay the inevitable entrance into her own shop.
"Just reading," Veronica told her. She recognized The Codex as the larger volume. Giles had been particularly possessive of the book, only letting it out of his sight at night when he went home with his family. She thought once his family left again the book would make the trip over to his house as well. Joyce reached out and picked up the smaller book.
"The Codex?" she asked, reading the title to the smaller book. She looked between the two books as she put the smaller book down.
"Thought lost to the Council centuries ago," Veronica said. "Apparently my brother got a copy somehow and has been hoarding it."
"Angel," he answered her unasked question. "The Codex we recovered is written in a language I have never seen. We're hoping by comparing the two we will slowly be able to translate the language.
"Oh," Joyce nodded, thinking to the mysterious prophecy Albert alluded to.
"If we find anything we will tell you," Giles reminded her. "Which you fully know. Are you trying to delay entering your shop?" he asked, realizing why she was so interested in research.
"Maybe," she sighed, looking at the connecting door.
"Go," he told her, pushing her slightly toward the door. "It's not as bad as you're thinking." She nodded, taking the few steps to reach the door. She opened the doorway, unprepared for the sight that met her. Boxes and crates lined every available space in the shop, leaving very little for the three girls and the few customers inside.
"I don't know why she gets to hold the clipboard," Anya grumbled as she and Willow were opening boxes and crates. Paintings and sculptures were being stacked carefully in a corner.
"Because she knows about art," Willow said, defending her girlfriend. Joyce looked across the room and saw Tara softly talking to the customers.
"But I'm much more managerial than she is," Anya protested. "Besides I was around when most of this art was created. In fact, I was the inspiration for several artists throughout the years."
"And when people are interested in paintings with men in various stages of retribution we'll be sure to send them your way," Willow replied, struggling to open a crate. Joyce, knowing exactly how hard some of those crates were to open, immediately stepped in to help. "Oh. Hi," Willow said, looking up when the extra muscle finally popped the top off.
"What's all this?" she asked, gesturing around the showroom.
"Pieces from New York," Tara said, joining them as soon as the customers left the shop. "We were going to wait for you to get back before opening them, but we ran out of room."
"New York?" Joyce asked strangely before remembering the reason she went to New York in the first place. The events that transpired completely blocked the art she went to buy. "Oh God. I forgot the pieces would be arriving. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Anya accepted the apology. "We understand you had other things on your mind. That's why I took it upon myself to help organize your books and help out in your store."
"Thank you," she said politely, "but don't you need to help Giles?"
"I can do both," she said proudly. Willow and Tara shared a look. Tara handed her the clipboard.
"I wasn't sure how you handled your inventory," Tara told her, "so I've just been listing the artist's name, the name of the piece, and a basic description. All the invoices from New York are on your desk. I wasn't sure about anything in the storeroom, so I've just been selling the pieces you've already priced."
"Tara?" Joyce interrupted, glancing through the notes Tara gave her. Tara stopped talking and looked at her uncertainly. "Would you like a job?" Tara's eyes lit up and she smiled shyly. Willow beamed with pride while Anya looked disappointed.
"Yes," she told her, "Thank you." She was very excited. She had enjoyed working at the small shop.
"But what about me?" Anya asked.
"There are several things that need to be addressed in the shop where you actually work," Giles said from the door. Anya looked over before sighing.
"I still get to work the books right?" she asked. Joyce nodded. Money was Anya's specialty. Even without looking at the books she knew Anya would probably improve them. Anya, apparently happy with that bit of news, happily handed her crowbar over to Joyce and returned to her own shop.
"Are you sure?" Tara asked once Anya had disappeared. "I mean I'd understand if you just said that to get rid of Anya."
"Tara," Joyce interrupted her, gesturing to the clipboard. "This is amazing work, especially considering you were flying blind. And I have needed to get an assistant for a while now, I just kept putting it off."
"If you're sure," Tara said. Joyce nodded. "Then I'd love to."
"Great. Let's clear out some space then we can start going over things." Tara nodded, looking over to Willow. She gave her two thumbs up. Between the three of them they were able to clear out a corner of the showroom. Willow excused herself when the two of them started talking about work. Tara was a natural in the art business, picking up on the nuances of the business in practically no time.
"You guys ready?" Willow asked, coming back into The Gallery. Joyce looked up, surprised to find that it was almost seven. She was planning to only spend a couple hours there before heading home.
"Oh my God," Joyce said, "I was going to call Dawn. See how things were going."
"Giles did," Willow told them. "A couple times. Everything is fine." Joyce nodded while she closed down her computer. "So how did my working girl do?" Willow asked, putting her arms around Tara protectively.
"She's a natural," Joyce told her.
"It helps that I love art," Tara said, blushing slightly. Giles, Veronica, and Anya joined them, having finished locking up The Magic Box. "Not that I don't like magic," she said hesitantly, "cause I do and I don't mind helping out." The group headed out the door, only stopping the let Joyce lock the door. They talked about nothing as the group piled into the cars and headed back home. Arriving they walked into the Summers house to find Andrew standing over a smoking oven.
"Andrew?" Joyce asked. The twins were in the kitchen, watching everything from their swings. Andrew was waving a dishtowel over the stove, trying to get the smoke to clear.
"Dinner is not quite ready yet," he told them. "I am having a small technical problem with the casserole."
"What are you doing?" Joyce asked, immediately checking on the twins.
"Cooking," he told her honestly.
"Why?" Anya asked, coming over to the kitchen counter. "Are you trying to poison us?"
"I'm just showing my appreciation for everything you've done for me," he said sincerely.
"Why is Dawn letting you cook?" Joyce asked, picking up Billy protectively. "Where is Dawn?"
"In the living room," Andrew said, pulling a blackened pan from the oven. "Dinner might be delayed."
"Andrew," Joyce sighed, rolling her eyes as she went to check on her daughter. She took one step into the living room and froze. "Rupert!" she screamed. Giles raced passed her, Joyce right on his heels.
"What happened?" he demanded, taking in the scene immediately. Buffy was desperately clutching her sister, trying to get her body to move in ways it just wasn't capable of. She was pale, having trouble breathing normally, had sweat pouring off her in buckets, and was shaking so violently he was afraid she would topple right off the couch if Dawn wasn't there. But all that was insignificant when compared to the look of pure terror shining on her face. For her part, Dawn was trying to comfort her older sister, but apparently not having much luck.
"I'm not sure," Dawn admitted, looking at him desperately. "Buffy was napping on the couch. I was helping Andrew in the kitchen when I thought I heard something."
"What did you hear?" Giles asked, slowly inching toward the sisters. He stopped when he got too close, Buffy's grip on Dawn tightening painfully.
"I thought I heard whimpering," she told him, wincing at the painful grip. "I think she was having a nightmare." Giles nodded.
"Oh baby," Joyce said, not sure which one of her daughters she was talking to at that moment. Someone grabbed Billy from her arms, she wasn't sure who, and she slowly inched toward her girls. "It's okay. Mommy's here." Buffy flinched, pulling away from her mother and consequently pulling Dawn with her. Joyce wasn't deterred though. She kept up her calming platitudes as she slowly inched forward. Eventually she was able to place her hand on her Buffy's shoulder. She began rubbing gently, trying everything she could think of to get her daughter to calm down. Nothing worked though. She looked at Giles in fright.
"What do we do?" Willow asked, paling slightly at the sight. Joyce looked over and saw Tara and Anya watching from the hallway.
"Call Ben," Giles told her. She nodded and headed for the phone.
"What's happening?" Joyce asked. She moved her hand from Buffy's shoulder to her hair, gently running her fingers through the blonde locks.
"She's starting to remember," Giles said simply.
Ben headed over right away, but it was still twenty minutes before he got there. In those twenty minutes they were helpless as they watched Buffy go from bad to worse. She was starting to hyperventilate, which just made her other symptoms so much worse. Her fingers were digging into Dawn with a strength they didn't think she had. Joyce could see bruises forming on her younger daughter and had tried to switch places with Dawn, but Buffy wasn't letting go. Giles didn't think she understood what was happening, and while they could have tried to use force to break the grip, he thought that wasn't the best option right then. Dawn agreed and all but told her mother to leave them alone. Joyce nodded unhappily. She stopped trying to come between them, but she refused to leave. Instead she continued murmuring nonsense words, giving comfort to both her daughters.
"What's wrong?" Ben asked as soon as he got there. Willow heard his car pull up and quietly went to open the door. Willow put a finger to her lips and led him further down the hallway. He was able to see the scene from there.
"Ben," Giles greeted quietly, slowly backing away from the ladies. He entered the hallway quickly, never taking his eyes off them.
"Giles," Ben returned the greeting, his eyes taking in the scene. He studied it intently for a few minutes. "How long has she been like this?"
"She was asleep," Dawn repeated for their doctor. "I woke her up about ten minutes before everybody got home. She's been like this since then, but she's getting worse." Ben nodded before holding up his keys.
"In my trunk is my bag and a small oxygen bottle. We're going to need both." Willow nodded, grabbing his keys and heading outside. He shifted slightly, moving closer to the door where Giles was hovering quietly. "If I had to guess, I'd say she was having a nightmare. When Dawn woke her up, the nightmare changed into a flashback, which evolved into a panic attack," he told him, speaking calmly but loud enough for Joyce to hear. "This is a rather extreme example, but flashbacks and panic attacks are common reactions to her situation. Gregory and I have been expecting something like this from the moment she came in."
"So what do we do?" Joyce asked, close to panicking herself.
"Try to keep her calm," Ben said. "A flashback creates fear, which feeds the panic attack. A panic attack generates more fear. It's a never ending cycle. But if you can calm her down you have a better chance of breaking the cycle. It's best if she's able to come out of these herself."
"And if she can't?" Willow asked, bringing in the items Ben requested. "It's been thirty minutes already and she's just getting worse."
"We give her something to calm her down," he said, routing through his back until he pulled out a syringe and a vial. "Just something to take the edge off. Hopefully then you'll be able to get through to her and she'll break out of her panic attack." Joyce and Giles shared a deep look, having an entire conversation without saying a word. When Joyce finally broke eye contact she looked up at Ben and nodded. He quickly prepared the sedative, then he and Giles began slowly inching toward them.
"Where?" Giles asked. As they neared the girls Buffy began to tense, squeezing Dawn even harder.
"Her bicep," Ben answered. Giles nodded. Buffy was shaking so much they would need to hold her down to administer the shot, and that was while she was not actively fighting them.
"Buffy. Look at me honey," Joyce tried to get her daughter to focus on her, even putting herself in her line of sight, but it was clear nothing was registering. At least not until Giles put his hand softly on her shoulder. Buffy started whimpering and immediately started fighting against them, clawing and scratching anything she could reach, finally letting go of Dawn who gratefully jumped off to the side as Ben quickly injected the medicine. As soon as their hands left her, Buffy stopped fighting. She was reaching for the comfort of her sister and didn't seem to realize that the person she grabbed was her mother. She gasped at the tight grip.
"Joyce?" Giles asked in concern. She just shook her head.
"Tight grip," Joyce said. "I've had worse." They just nodded their heads. Ben retreated into the kitchen, but Giles stayed where he was, hovering over the two of them. He reached out to rub her arm gently, surprised when she didn't flinch or try to move away.
"Here." Ben held out a small oxygen mask to Joyce. Joyce took it and held it up to her daughter's face. She expected another fight, but was surprised when Buffy just laid there and let her mother attach the mask
"It's okay. It's okay. Deep breaths. It's okay." She kept repeating this mantra as Giles carefully pulled the elastic band around her head, holding the mask firmly in place. She started running her fingers through her daughter's blonde hair. She could feel Buffy's muscles starting to loosen up as the sedative took effect.
"That's what I heard," Dawn gasped, pointing behind her to the form on the couch. "Whimpering." Ben pulled Dawn into the hallway, examining the bruises they could see thoroughly. Joyce realized for the first time since she was rescued Buffy had made sounds. In a split second the fear that came from hearing those pathetic whimpers turned to hope. Even now some small whimpers could be heard coming from her daughter. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard.
"I don't think you broke anything," Ben told Dawn after his impromptu exam, "but you'll be sore for a few days. I can write you a script if you need one."
"We still have some painkillers," Giles told him, not leaving his spot from their side. "But thank you. Would you care to join us for dinner?" he asked him. "It's the least we could do for dragging you all the way out here after your shift ended."
"Thanks for the offer but I do have plans," he told them kindly. "I can stay a few minutes to make sure she's settled, but then I really do have to go."
"So what happened?" Willow asked. She leaned against the wall but was watching the Slayer intently. "Is this because we entered her mind?"
"Yes," Giles said simply. "Buffy warned us this would happen."
"But we opened the door anyway," Willow said dejectedly.
"So she's remembering everything?" Joyce asked. Giles shook his head.
"Not yet. It looks like small parts are escaping her confinement, but as time goes by more and more memories will come to light. Right now her memories are manifesting themselves as nightmares, but eventually they will come to haunt her waking hours as well."
"You'll have to find a way to help her cope," Ben said. He took a few cautious steps into the living room. "It looks like the sedative will work in extreme cases, but they shouldn't be used day to day." He gently reached out to check her pulse, then pulled out a blood pressure cuff when Buffy didn't react negatively to his presence.
"How do children cope?" Anya asked, rocking Alex gently and returning to the hallway now that the situation had calmed down.
"They climb into their parent's bed," Joyce said from experience. "But I don't see Buffy being able to do that anytime soon."
"Well maybe you can climb into her bed," Anya said with her usual bluntness. Dawn rolled her eyes while Anya continued her thought. "They have baby monitors so you don't have to be in the nursery with the children all the time and still be able to hear them when they wake up. Is there some rule that say's those can only be used for infants?" Giles opened his mouth to protest, only to close it and look over at Joyce.
"She does have a point. If we are able to wake Buffy up before the nightmare progresses to far, we might be able to stop the flashbacks before they begin. At the very least prevent them from getting this bad."
"That might work for the flashbacks," Joyce said, "but what about the nightmares themselves. Does she even know what they mean? Is she dreaming about these horrible events without even realizing they're her own past?"
"I don't know," Giles admitted, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "The Buffy we met inside her mind knew exactly what happened, but there is a very real possibility she will never be that Buffy again." Joyce looked down at the small form in her arms. Buffy was struggling to keep her eyes open, but she knew it was a fight she couldn't win. She knew exactly how her daughter felt. She felt totally helpless.
"We'll worry about that tomorrow," Joyce announced. "Right now we need to focus on Buffy. Dawn?"
"We've got the twins," she told her, knowing instinctively who Joyce was worrying about. She nodded.
"Rupert. Can you carry Buffy upstairs?"
"Of course." He gently picked up the struggling girl and headed for the stairs. Ben followed discretely. Joyce stood up and went into the hallway.
"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, examining the bruises on Dawn's skin. Dawn rolled her eyes.
"I'm fine. But you need to go. We've got things down here. You need to take care of things upstairs." Joyce nodded and followed them upstairs just as Andrew approached the group.
"Maybe we should order pizza?"