Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.
"I'm back," Joyce called when she got back the next evening. This was the first time for almost a month that the group that returned from the shops headed to their own houses instead of congregating at hers. Joyce smiled as she realized that meant everything was finally getting back to normal. Though she would miss them, their constant presence was getting a bit stifling. "Dawn?"
"Out back," she called. Joyce headed through the kitchen and onto the large porch. The porch covered the entire length of the building and was perfect for outdoor entertaining. She could see all the other homes from there, the other houses forming a small circle with her home at the apex
"Hey," she greeted Dawn, who was sitting in one of the recliners. Buffy's wheelchair was on the porch, but Buffy herself was sprawled out in the large grassy area between the houses, her hands floating over the grass as she basked in the late afternoon sun. Joyce sat down beside her. "How was today?"
"Good," Dawn told her. "She mostly slept. I think her temperature is higher though." Joyce frowned, eyeing her daughter.
"How long has she been out here?" she asked. Buffy didn't seem particularly upset, instead she seemed to be enjoying the outdoors.
"Ten minutes or so," she said. "She kept looking out the window. I wasn't sure if she was looking for you or wanted to come outside."
"She seems happy," Joyce commented, leaning against the back of Dawn's recliner. "The twins?"
"Andrew's with them," she said absently, gesturing wildly with a hand. "He's reading them fairytales from the Star Wars Universe. I didn't even know they had fairytales."
"Hmm," Joyce frowned, glancing up at the window she knew was the nursery. "Maybe I'll go and check on them before I start dinner." She left before Dawn could agree or disagree. The brunette sighed, sitting back as she watched her sister. Buffy had stopped feeling the grass and instead was absently trying to pull up the small blades. She wasn't having much luck though. She just didn't have enough coordination to succeed. Dawn smiled as she stretched out her long body, eyes closing briefly as she enjoyed the sunshine.
"Dinner's almost ready," Joyce said as she rejoined them about thirty minutes later. "Do you need help with her?" Dawn shook her head.
"I got it," Dawn said, getting to her feet and stretching. She went down the few steps to the grass, sitting down quietly next to her sister. Joyce watched from the porch. "Buffy?" she said quietly, reaching out to grab a hand. Buffy squeezed softly, but gave no other indication she heard Dawn. "It's time to go in." At that Buffy reacted, opening her eyes and turning her head in Dawn's direction. Her eyes were full of resignation. "We can come back outside tomorrow," Dawn said as she pulled Buffy into a sitting position. Buffy nodded as she lifted her arms around Dawn's neck. She leaned against her sister as Dawn snaked an arm under her knees and lifted. She easily lifted Buffy into her arms and walked back to the porch. Joyce was waiting for them by the steps. She already had the wheelchair into position.
"Whoa," Joyce cried out when Dawn put Buffy into the chair. Buffy almost slid out as Dawn was getting her legs into position. Joyce reached out to steady her daughter as Dawn gave her a quick glance.
"She's not to steady right now," Dawn said as she finally got Buffy's legs straightened and her feet in the footrests. She reached for the strap and quickly secured Buffy around her waist. "I think it's because she's sick right now. Think we'll need the other one?" She stared at a second strap before looking at her mother.
"Maybe," she said, taking her hand off Buffy's shoulder. Buffy was steady for about ten seconds before she started to tilt to the right. Dawn sighed and reached for the second strap. It came underneath her arms and around her chest. Once it was buckled Buffy was able to stay upright, though it was obvious it was because the strap was keeping her in place. Joyce frowned again as she moved to brush Buffy's bangs back and felt the heat radiating from her. She shared a glance with Dawn before she led the way into the kitchen. Dawn pushed Buffy into place at the table while Joyce grabbed the thermometer. Buffy protested, but finally allowed her mother to push the thermometer under her tongue while Dawn set the table.
"Well?" Dawn asked after a few minutes when Joyce pulled the thermometer out.
"101.3," Joyce read as she put the thermometer back into its case. "She officially has a fever now."
"What did Ben say when Giles called him?" Dawn asked as she helped her mom bring over dinner from the kitchen.
"He said to keep an eye on it. We can crush up a couple of aspirin and add it to her dinner or to her water. Speaking of water how did that go?" Dawn shook her head.
"Badly comes to mind," she admitted, "but it could have been worse. She didn't fight me or anything, she just refused to drink." Joyce nodded, expecting that reaction. Eventually Buffy would come around.
"So we'll just keep an eye on her. Ben said if the fever lasts longer than a week or if it spikes to bring her in." Dawn nodded, expecting that answer. There just wasn't much you could do for someone in Buffy's condition. "He did say if we thought she was getting dehydrated we could keep the IV in all day, instead of just going through that one bag every night."
"I don't think it's that bad," Dawn said as Andrew brought down the twins. Dawn immediately went to hold one while Joyce grabbed the other one. This left Andrew free to get their swings ready. "Especially since you can get her to drink water now."
"I'll try after dinner," she said as Andrew brought in the swings. They carefully put the babies down before turning to their dinner.
"Ooh. Tacos," he said, helping himself to a big plate.
"Andrew?" Joyce said carefully as she made a small plate for herself. "Have you thought about what you want to do now?"
"Well after dinner I'm going to finish the tale of 3PO," he said, obviously missing the point. "We got to the point where he gets his golden casing, but there's so much more that goes on in his life after that. It's not fair to expect the twins to understand the movies without knowing the backstory."
"No," she interrupted him before he could fill them in on the backstory. "I'm not talking about right now as in after dinner. I'm talking about the rest of your life. What do you want to do with the rest of your life?"
"Oh," he said surprised, as if he hadn't really thought about what to do next. Joyce realized he probably hadn't.
"Do you want to go back to Cleveland?" she asked gently. He shrugged.
"I really didn't like it there," he said. "Too cold."
"But what about your things?" Dawn asked, seeing where her mother was heading and trying to help. "Don't you miss all your stuff?"
"Kinda," he admitted, looking down at his plate. "But I kinda like having friends more than my stuff?"
"Don't you have any friends?" Dawn blurted out before thinking. Joyce rolled her eyes, knowing what his answer would be.
"Not until Warren comes back," he said quietly. Dawn and Joyce looked at each other. Joyce rose and rounded the table until she was next to the strange young man.
"You know that will be a long time," she told him, kindly. "If he ever comes back."
"He will," Andrew said. He tried to sound certain, but his eyes betrayed his fears. "He said he'd never leave me."
"Andrew," Joyce sighed, but it was enough to break through his barriers. He erupted into tears and Joyce pulled him into a hug.
"I don't want to go," he managed to get out between sobs. "Please don't make me leave."
"Oh Andrew," she said, holding him close. She patted his back awkwardly, trying to help him calm down. "I won't make you leave until you're ready." She held him until he got himself back under control.
"If it's alright with you, I'd like to go up to my room," he said, refusing to look up.
"Of course," Joyce started, but he was out of the room before she finished speaking. She sighed, looking over to her daughter. "He has a room?" Dawn nodded.
"He kinda adopted one of the guest rooms," she said between bites. Joyce returned to her dinner.
"When did that happen?" she asked as she returned to her own dinner. "Why am I only now finding out about it?"
"You had other priorities," Dawn said, looking at her sister. Buffy was still in her chair, although she seemed to be half asleep. "He's a very strange young man. It's hard to believe he was an evil genius who tried to kill Faith."
"Yeah," Joyce agreed halfheartedly. He certainly didn't look or act like he was evil, but then most people looked normal until they had a knife in your back. "Dawn?" she said suddenly. "He has never done or said anything that has made you uncomfortable has he?"
"What?" Dawn asked, needing a few minutes to understand what her mom was asking her. "No. He says some weird stuff sometimes, but nothing that has made me uncomfortable. Besides, do you think Spike would let him stay here if he thought there was any chance Andrew would hurt any one of us?"
"You're right," she said, taking another bite of her dinner. "I just don't know what to make of him. And I really don't know what to do about him."
"Let him stay," Dawn suggested. "At least until Faith and Daniel return. Maybe when Jonathan gets back they'll want to head somewhere else together?"
"Maybe," Joyce shrugged as Billy started crying. She rose to get the boy while Dawn went into the kitchen to warm up a bottle. "It's okay little man," she cooed as she settled him in her arms. He smiled up at her and she realized she had missed this. "You've been spending all your time with everyone but Mommy," she told the infant, tripping on the last word.
"Mom?" Dawn asked as she held out a bottle. Knowing Alex would be getting hungry soon she went ahead and warmed up two. She went back to the table, placing the second bottle by her own drink as she started eating again. "You okay?"
"Yeah," she said haltingly, her gaze leaving Billy and landing on Buffy. "It's just the first time I've referred to myself as Mommy." She expected to find some sort of accusation in the eyes of her daughter, but Buffy was just as she left her, half asleep in her chair, the straps the only thing keeping her upright.
"It's weird isn't it?" Dawn asked. Joyce nodded. Albert had given her the papers before he left. She was now officially a mother again, but until now that hadn't really set in. Dawn finished her plate and was preparing to take the dirty dishes into the kitchen. "Should I get Buffy's dinner?" Joyce nodded and Dawn returned seconds later.
"Do you want to switch?" Joyce asked. She knew Dawn and the others knew how to feed Buffy, they even practiced on some unconnected feeding tubes in the hospital, but knowing and doing were two different things.
"I got it," she said, as she checked the bottle. She moved to her sister, then glanced at her mother uncertainly. "Does she need to be laying down for this?" she asked.
"No," Joyce told her. Dawn nodded and began gently tugging up the hem of Buffy's shirt until the feeding tube was revealed. Buffy opened her eyes at the slight jostling. She gave Dawn a small smile before closing her eyes again. Dawn quickly attached the bottle and fed her sister, finishing just as Billy was finishing with his bottle. "Two down," Joyce said as she caught the burping rag Dawn threw at her and started burping the baby. She expertly finished her dinner while Billy rested against her shoulder.
"How can you eat and burp him at the same time?" Dawn asked when she finished putting all of Buffy's supplies away. Joyce smiled at her.
"Practice," she said simply. Dawn sighed as she took Billy and placed him back in his swing.
"Do you think we should try and get some water in Buffy or just let her sleep?" Dawn asked quietly.
"Buffy?" Joyce called quietly, seeing how asleep her oldest was. She reached out and brushed her bangs of her forehead, checking her temperature as she moved her head into a more comfortable position. Buffy opened her eyes slightly, trying to focus on her mother. Joyce looked back to Dawn. "She needs to drink as much as she can. Can you get me a glass of water from the kitchen?" Dawn nodded.
"Do you want me to crush a couple aspirin into it?" she asked.
"If you didn't add any to her dinner," Joyce said. Dawn nodded and left for the kitchen. Joyce returned her gaze to Buffy, who was still struggling to focus on her. "It will be okay Buffy," she soothed as she gently ran her fingers through her hair. "This will help," she said, once Dawn returned with the water. Buffy obediently opened her mouth and let some water trickle in. She swallowed as best she could, but some still trickled onto her chin. "It's okay," Joyce soothed, pulling the burping rag off her shoulder and using it to wipe away the water. Alex chose that time to start crying. Dawn rushed off to her while Joyce coaxed sip after sip of water into Buffy.
"Mom?" Dawn called out, disrupting her concentration. She belatedly realized Alex was still crying, despite the bottle being there and Dawn doing everything she could think of to calm the baby down.
"One second," she told her daughter, "let me get one more sip down." But it soon became apparent she had lost Buffy's attention when she looked away and would not be able to get it back. She sighed, glancing at the nearly full cup she still had, before standing and heading to her daughter. "It's okay," she said as she put the cup on the table and reached for Alex. Dawn readily gave her up. Joyce began rocking her gently. "It's okay. Mommy's here." Slowly Alex began to quiet down, staring up at Joyce calmly.
"Great," Dawn said resignedly as Joyce settled down in her chair to feed the baby. "Another Summers girl that will only work with you."
"Dawn?" Joyce questioned softly even as she reached for the bottle and began feeding Alex. "What is that supposed to mean?" Dawn sighed.
"It's nothing," she said. "Are you done with your plate?" she asked before Joyce could question her again. Joyce nodded and Dawn quickly gathered the dirty plates and dumped the in the kitchen. She then grabbed the leftover food and began boxing it up. She was filling up the sink to do the dishes when she heard her mother come up behind her.
"Dawn? What's wrong?" She turned, seeing Alex almost asleep on her mother's shoulders before bursting into tears.
"It's nothing," she somehow managed to get out before turning back to the sink and starting on the dishes. Joyce left only to return a minute later and help her with the dishes. She didn't speak, instead giving Dawn time to get herself back under control. When she did she turned to her mother. "It's stupid."
"It's never stupid," Joyce said while keeping her attention on the dishes. They worked silently for a few minutes before Dawn spoke up.
"It's just old insecurities raising their ugly heads," she said quietly. Joyce nodded.
"I understand," she said, glancing at her youngest daughter briefly before refocusing on the dishes. "I have a few of those every now and then."
"How do you deal with them?" Dawn asked, giving her mother her full attention since she started washing dishes. Joyce turned to her for the first time too.
"Talking always helps," she said kindly. "I promise you can tell me anything." Dawn nodded, turning back to the last of the dishes.
"You know I've always questioned my place in this family," she started. Joyce remained quiet, not wanting to scare her. "The monks placed me here to protect me, but after Glory was defeated I wasn't sure if I really belonged." Joyce nodded quietly. She had helped her daughter with this very issue once they discovered her true origins and a few times since then.
"You know we love you," she said, giving Dawn a quick glance before returning to the dishes. "It doesn't matter to us where you came from. You're a part of this family now, for better or worse."
"I know," she acknowledged as she finally ran out of dishes to wash. She watched her mother rinse the last few dishes before pulling the stopper on the sinks. She watched the water slowly drain as she struggled to put her feelings into words. "I know you love me, and I love you, but after we lost Buffy some part of me wondered if you only kept me around because I was made from Buffy. I was this last little piece of her that you could still hold and protect."
"Dawn, that's ridiculous," Joyce scoffed. "We love you for who you are."
"I know," she said, turning to face her mother, "but there was always some little part of me that thought that. And as the years went by that part got smaller and smaller but then Buffy came back and she had kids for you to protect and love and suddenly I'm wondering if I'm really wanted again." She didn't realize she had started crying until Joyce pulled her into a fierce hug.
"You are always wanted," she said, tears streaming down her face and landing on Dawn's shoulder. "It doesn't matter how many new children we get or how many Scoobies come and go. You will always have a place here with me."
"Thanks Mom," Dawn said breathlessly. Joyce hugged her once more before letting her pull away. "I told you it was stupid," Dawn said, self-consciously rubbing at her eyes.
"What brought this on?" Joyce asked, her hand brushing through Dawn's long hair.
"You called yourself their mommy," Dawn said, gesturing to the twins. "I know we talked about this, and I know it's in the best interest of everyone, but when you said that all I could think of was you never called yourself mommy to me."
"I did," she protested, only to remind herself all those early times with Dawn was nothing more than fake memories. Dawn smiled gently at her, knowing what she was thinking. "I'm sorry baby," she said softly, pulling Dawn back into a gentle hug. "It's okay. Mommy's here. Mommy will make everything alright." She held Dawn tightly.
"It's not as comforting when you're not in diapers," Dawn said suddenly, causing both of them to laugh. Dawn pulled away, rubbing at tear stained cheeks.
"I am sorry," Joyce said sincerely. "I didn't realize how much this bothered you."
"I didn't either, until just now," Dawn admitted. "I guess I've always been afraid that you would find something new and kick me to the curb. And now that you have."
"We will never abandon you," she said again, smiling gently. "No matter how much you might want us to." Dawn smiled at that before they picked up dishtowels and began drying the dishes. "You know what we need? A mother daughter day."
"Really?" Dawn asked, excitement shining in her eyes.
"Really. When was the last time we did something? Just you and me?" Dawn shrugged her shoulders. "It's settled then. Tomorrow you and I are going to make a day. We'll go to the movies or shopping. Whatever you want?"
"What about The Gallery?" Dawn asked. "Or Buffy and the kids?"
"Tara can handle The Gallery without me and we'll get someone to watch the kids." Dawn nodded, knowing it would be easy to get one of the gang to help. "You just be thinking about what you want to do tomorrow."
"Great," she said, sounding more like herself. She helped her mother get the twins to bed before helping with Buffy, all the while thinking of what she wanted to do tomorrow with her mother.