Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.
"Hey guys," Willow greeted when they made their way into The Magic Box late the next afternoon. "How was mother daughter bonding time?"
"Great," Dawn said as she made her way to the table. Joyce followed her more slowly. "The movie was kinda lame, but the mall food was surprisingly yummy."
"Don't forget the shopping," Joyce said as she took a seat next to her daughter.
"Oh my God," Dawn gushed. "The shopping was amazing. They were having a sale so I was able to get the shoes and the matching purse."
"Sounds like you two had fun," Giles said, coming back to the table after helping a customer.
"We did," Joyce confirmed, hugging Dawn slightly. "So what did you guys do all day?" she asked, seeing Giles and Veronica at the research table with the two Codex books surrounded by pads of paper with various writings on them.
"We're still trying to translate this," Veronica said, gesturing to the larger book. "None of the known languages we have tried seem to work. We've started on dead languages, but so far haven't had much luck with those either."
"We think the smaller one was already translated before it was smuggled out of the Voulard's grasp," Giles said, rubbing his eyes wearily. Dawn curiously pulled the larger book closer to her.
"Giles?" she asked, as she thumbed through the various pages. "I thought you said this book was in some different language."
"It is," he said, not looking up.
"And on the seventh day of the seventh moon man shall call upon the demon Balthezar. And he shall reign in terror for seven years until a daughter is Called. And they shall meet on the fields of fear and the daughter will be victorious, though neither will walk away," she read. Giles looked up.
"Did you just read that?" he asked, hastily putting his glasses back on. Veronica rushed to Dawn's other side, almost pushing Joyce out of the way.
"Yeah," Dawn said. "It's written in this newfangled language called English."
"No it's not," Veronica said. "I can't make heads or tails of this." She looked back at Dawn. "Where did you start reading?" Dawn pointed to the page, this time with Giles looking over her shoulder.
"And you can read this?" Giles asked.
"Yeah," Dawn rolled her eyes, flipping the pages a bit until she found something that sounded interesting. "And there will come a time of great unrest, when man shall rise up against their Kings, and the daughter Called shall stand beside them on the gallows. And the next daughter Called shall look upon her own hand and see blood. And the ones that watch shall take her and heal her but it will not be enough. And she will be full of grief. And she will flee and perish under her grief." Dawn looked up. "That's certainly cheerful."
"And unfortunately true," Giles said, reaching for the smaller Codex and rifling through it. "That passage refers to an event that actually did take place. During the French Revolution, the Slayer at that time was actually a member of the upper class and was caught up in the reign of terror. She was beheaded during a mass killing spree by the commoners, along with her Watcher as well as several other upper class families." He found the passage he was looking for and laid the book next to the larger one. "The Slayer called after her was actually in the mob that killed them. The Watchers found her and took her away, but it was too late. Her grief consumed her. One night she snuck out. They found her body the next morning, barely recognizable."
"Eww," Dawn said, pushing the books away from her before facing Giles. "Are you saying you can't read this?" He shook his head. Dawn turned back to the pages, flipping through them at random. "Hey," she said, pointing to a page. "I can't read this. It's all squiggly lines and weird symbols."
"That's what we've all been seeing," Giles said, retaking his chair and leaning back thoughtfully. Willow and Tara joined the group at the table. Willow picked up the book.
"It has powerful magic," she said, handing the book to Tara.
"But it's different from ours," she frowned as she put the book down. "It feels more primal. Older."
"That would make sense if it was Voulard magic as Anya suggested," Veronica said. "But why can Dawn read it?"
"Maybe because I'm more primal," she suggested. "Older." She glanced at Giles. "What if this book is reacting to me because it senses a common element? We're both almost as old as time itself?"
"And it's revealing itself to you as it would to those who wrote it?" Giles sighed. "That actually makes sense and is a good way to safeguard the knowledge."
"Then why can't I read every page?" Dawn asked.
"I assume because you are not a Voulard demon," Giles said. "You're close enough to trick the book, but it will only reveal the prophesies that have already come to pass. They must have some other spell or protection to show the prophesies that have not come to be yet."
"So I can help you with this?" Dawn's eyes lit up. "Something that I can do that no one else can?" She turned to her mother. "Please let me help with this one?" Joyce sighed.
"It's your summer vacation. You can do whatever you want." Dawn cheered as she and Giles pushed everything away from them as they focused on the larger Codex.
"Do I want to know why Dawn is primal and as old as time itself?" Veronica asked, stepping back when one of the pads landed on her foot.
"Not really," Joyce said as she backed away to the door. "I think Dawn is set for a bit. Can you make sure she gets home safely?" She threw the question to Giles, but he was too absorbed in this latest breakthrough so she looked to Anya instead.
"We won't forget her," Anya said cheerfully. Joyce sighed, but turned for the door, surprised when Veronica joined her.
"I don't know how you do it," Veronica admitted as they walked slowly to the car. "I was raised with the supernatural, but I continually find myself inundated with information to the point where I feel like I can't breathe. And here you are, finding yourself suddenly thrust into a world of monsters and you handle everything that comes your way." Joyce laughed.
"Not always," she said. "When Buffy first came to me I had her committed. The second time, I saw my daughter dust a vampire right before my eyes and I threw her out of the house, trying to scare her straight. I hated the myself as soon as the words left my mouth. I never thought she would actually go, but she did. For the longest three months of my life I didn't know where she was or even if she was alive." She looked up at the older woman. "I deal with whatever comes our way now because I've lived the Hell of not knowing and I never want to go back there again."
"But what about the last four years?" Veronica asked. She saw Joyce's face pale and immediately looked away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to,"
"No," Joyce interrupted. "It's okay." She took a slow, steadying breath. "The last four years have been Hell, but at least I knew why. I knew every time she walked out that door she might not come back. It didn't make me worry any less, but at least I knew. When she didn't make it home that fateful night four years ago, I knew something bad had happened. I just didn't realize how bad."
"I'm sorry," Veronica said, putting a supportive hand on her arm. "I didn't realize how upsetting this would be for the families."
"You can't imagine," Joyce smiled sadly. "But you will experience it. When this all calms down and you take Faith back to Cleveland. Night after night you'll send her out, knowing she'll be fighting for her life and hoping she survives to make it back. Then one day she won't." Joyce blinked furiously to clear the tears from her eyes.
"I don't know if I'll be able to deal with being Faith's Watcher," she said, looking down at her feet. "I didn't think it would be anything like this. I'm one of the best researchers the Council has, but none of that knowledge has proven helpful here. My younger brother, the disgrace of our family, has everything under control while I can barely remember how to kill a Fyarl demon." Joyce laughed.
"Beheadings are always a good starting point," she said, trying to make the older woman laugh. It worked slightly. "The thing about Faith is she doesn't need a traditional Watcher. What she needs, whether she'll admit it or not, is a friend."
"A friend," Veronica repeated. "I think I can do that."
"Good," Joyce said as she opened up the door and climbed into the car. "I'm going to head home. Want a lift?"
"No thank you," Veronica told her. "I think I'll stay around here a little longer. See if I can help in any way." Joyce smiled as she drove away. Fifteen minutes later she arrived at her home.
"Xander?" she called out as she hung up her keys. Silence greeted her. "Anybody home?" she called as she moved from the entryway into the living room. She turned when she saw Andrew coming down the stairs. "Andrew? Where is everybody?"
"I have the twins in the nursery," he said excitedly. "We're learning about the early years of Starfleet and the Prime Directive."
"Where's Xander?" she asked, interrupting what she knew would be a very boring explanation of whatever he was trying to teach the twins.
"Oh," he said, looking slightly hurt but bouncing back like she knew he would. "Xander left a message for you. He said to tell you he was taking Buffy back to the hospital."
"What?" Joyce screamed, running up the stairs and into Buffy's room. Her wheelchair was at the foot of her bed, but she was nowhere to be seen. "When did he leave?" she asked, running back down the stairs.
"About twenty minutes ago," Andrew said as she grabbed her keys. "He saw something he didn't like and called Ben and Ben said to bring her in right away. Then he said I was to tell the first person I saw what happened and watch the kids." Joyce nodded absently as she raced back to the car. She made the trip in a daze, barely noticing what she was doing or where she was until she parked next to Xander's car in the hospital parking lot. She ran through the doors, only to almost literally run into Xander who was using the pay phone at the end of the lobby.
"Joyce?" he called. She focused on him, trying to get her breathing back into some semblance of normal. "She's here," he said into the phone. "Thanks Will."
"What happened?" she demanded as soon as he hung up the phone.
"Calm down," he said as he led her into the waiting room. "Deep breaths."
"Xander!" she yelled, but tried to do what he said. Soon she found herself calming down and able to focus on him properly. "Xander?" she asked again. This time he answered.
"Everything was fine. We had just finished giving the twin their lunch and put them down for a nap. I joined Buffy in her room and we just watched some TV, but her fever kept getting worse. I tried to cool her down with a sponge bath. That's when I noticed something in the ostomy bag."
"What?" Joyce asked breathlessly.
"Blood," Xander quietly answered. "I called Ben and he said to bring her in right away. I wanted to call you but I had no idea where you were. I left a message with Andrew then put Buffy in the car and drove here." He closed his eyes tightly.
"Xander?" Joyce asked, gripping his arm. "Tell me."
"She started having a seizure as we pulled up," he admitted. "Luckily Ben was waiting for us with some orderlies. They took her in immediately and I've been trying to get a hold of you ever since." She pulled him into a hug as they both started crying. They pulled apart a minute later as the rest of the Scoobies ran in the door.
"Mom?" Dawn asked as she ran into her mother's arms.
"I'm here," she said, hugging her daughter tight. Anya threw herself into Xander's arms while Willow and Tara held each other silently.
"What happened?" Willow asked. Xander quickly recounted his story.
"Ben said he would talk with us as soon as he knows something," Xander added at the end. The group nodded, slowly taking seats throughout the room. It seemed like hours before Ben walked in. Joyce noticed him first, jumping to her feet which alerted everybody else.
"She's stable," he said before they could ask him. "She's running a high fever, but she is responding to antibiotics. We are monitoring her very closely."
"She was seizing?" Tara asked. Ben nodded.
"Her seizing was due to her high fever. It spiked shortly after she arrived. We've managed to lower it, but it is still dangerously high."
"What about the blood?" Joyce asked.
"There is a fairly significant amount of blood in her urine," Ben confirmed. "We are currently running tests to try to determine the cause."
"Can I see her?" Joyce asked. Ben shook his head.
"We're still running some tests," he told her. "Once we get her settled I'll see what I can do." He turned to the group. "Is there anything different I need to know?" he asked them.
"No," Giles said. "The bounty is gone. There haven't been any attacks for weeks now."
"And both crystals were clear," Xander added. "I checked before I brought her here." Ben nodded.
"I have to get back. I'll let you know as soon as I find out something." They nodded, resuming their places in the waiting room. Time passed slowly. Someone went for coffee, which gave them something to hold on to besides each other. Talk was sporadic and met with silence. They watched as other people came and went and still they knew nothing. Finally, Ben returned.
"What's the what Doc?" Xander asked, the first one to notice his arrival. Ben frowned at them, studying the papers in his hand carefully before turning to the group. His eyes sought out Joyce, who immediately moved to the front.
"She's still stable," he told her first, "and she's responding well to treatments. We're getting her settled right now."
"When can I see her?" Joyce all but begged.
"I'll take you to her," he said, motioning everybody to follow him. He led them through the hallways to a different part of the hospital then before. Joyce paled when Ben pushed past the doors marked ICU. He led them past empty cubicles until they reached the last bed. "Only two visitors at a time," he told them, "and only for five minutes." Joyce nodded and she and Dawn quietly walked into the room. The others watched from behind the glass partition. They could see Buffy, her petite form looked even smaller lying in the hospital bed. A blue cooling blanket covered her frail form and they could see ice packs strategically placed around her. Several IV's, one including blood, ran into her arms. Wires raced underneath the blanket, leading to the various pads they knew were attached to her body while an oxygen mask covered her face.
Joyce fell to her knees when she reached her bedside. Dawn put her shaking hands on her mother's shoulders. They watched as the two women spoke softly to Buffy until finally Joyce uncovered one of Buffy's hands. She gripped it tightly before bringing it up to her lips and kissing it softly. She caressed her daughter's sweaty forehead before stepping back out into the hallway.
Giles went in next, followed by Willow and Tara and lastly Xander and Anya. Once everyone had a few minutes with her Ben led them into another waiting room. "What's wrong with her?" Joyce asked as soon as Ben shut the door.
"Her preliminary blood work shows a number of bacterial infections," Ben said, frowning slightly, "but they are relatively common bacteria."
"Wait," Xander held up his hand, stopping Ben's explanation. "Are you saying that Buffy has a common cold?"
"Several colds in fact," Ben explained. "But yes. We have her on antibiotics, which are helping, but not nearly as much as I hoped. It's almost as if her immune system has stopped working."
"Why?" Joyce asked in a quiet voice. "Does she have…"
"No," Ben quickly reassured her. "Mercy General in New York did a thorough screening of all rescued victims for sexually transmitted diseases. All of Buffy's results were negative. We also performed the tests when she was first transferred her, and again this afternoon. All negative."
"Oh thank God," Joyce said, sinking to a chair in relief. Giles frowned.
"Then why is her immune system not working?" Ben shook his head.
"We're still trying to figure that out. I was hoping you would say it was some demon or spell that was affecting her."
"For once I wish it was," Giles said, cleaning his glasses with gusto. Ben nodded.
"We're still running tests. We'll know more in the morning," he said with such confidence they almost believed him. "Until then I suggest you all go home and try to sleep."
"Can I stay?" Joyce asked. Ben studied her for a moment.
"You can stay," he finally said, "but only if you promise to stay out of our way."
"I promise," she said quickly. She gave everyone a quick hug as they slowly made their way out of the hospital. They promised to be back early the next morning and bring some breakfast for her. She smiled as she settled in for a long night.
"We come bearing gifts," Xander said as the group made their way into the waiting room the next morning. Giles held up a bag of food as they gently woke up Joyce, who was sleeping in one of the chairs outside the room.
"Thank you Xander," she said as she slowly stretched out kinked muscles. "This smells delicious," she said as they led her back into the waiting room. She sat down on one of the chairs and slowly opened the bag. "Andrew?" she asked. Tara nodded.
"He wanted to do something to help," she said.
"Isn't he watching the twins?" Joyce asked, realizing she wasn't as concerned with that thought as she thought she would be.
"He is," Anya admitted unhappily. "Just because he doesn't actually have to work like the rest of us he gets to play with the babies all day long." Joyce laughed.
"You won't think that if you ever have one of your own," she said as she ate the food he made her. "You'll beg someone to watch them for a day just so you can have some peace and quiet."
"Maybe," Anya admitted before looking at her watch. "Well I need to go open up the Magic Box."
"And I'll take care of The Gallery," Tara added.
"And I need to go to the site," Xander reluctantly added. Willow looked at her.
"I can stay if you want." Joyce smiled at her.
"Why don't you go help at the shops?" she suggested. "We're just waiting for test results right now anyway."
"If you're sure," Willow said uncertainly. Joyce nodded. "Okay. But if you need anything just call. And we'll be back later for a good long sit in." The four Scoobies reluctantly left the hospital, taking a protesting Dawn with them, leaving Giles and Joyce alone.
"How was last night?" Giles asked. Joyce picked listlessly at her food.
"She had another seizure," she admitted. "Her fever spiked again and they had to use an ice bath to cool her down. That was around 4 A.M. Thankfully she has been sleeping quietly since then, even though her temperature is still rising." Giles closed his eyes tightly.
"Willow and Tara did a spell to see if anything magical was making Buffy sick," he told her, "and Spike did the rounds at the demon bars to see if there were any new players in town that were attacking her. Both yielded no results. If someone is doing this to Buffy, they're keeping quiet about it.?"
"The Council?" Joyce asked in a small voice.
"I wouldn't put it passed them," he answered, "but I don't think they are behind this."
"They've poisoned her before," she replied, barely able to keep the accusation out of her voice. Giles heard it anyway and flinched.
"If it were a matter of tradition or protocol I might agree with you," he said. "But right now there would be no reason. There would be nothing to gain."
"Was there a reason before?" she asked quietly.
"According to my father there was," he replied, "though I have yet to figure it out." He sighed. "I can certainly see the Council doing something like this, but they always have a reason. I can't see how this could possibly benefit them."
"Maybe they found out?" Joyce suggested. Giles shook his head.
"My father already knew," he said quietly. "That is why he came to New York. Why he came here. To get to know his family. My family."
"So if it's not the Council doing this, then what is?" Joyce asked. Giles looked directly at her for the first time.
"I don't know," he quietly admitted. They stared at each other for a minute, until Ben saw them and headed over.
"Okay, this doesn't make any sense," Ben grumbled as he studied the latest test results.
"What?" Giles asked wearily from his position by the door.
"I have the latest results of her blood work," he said, holding up the folder. "Her white cell count is alarmingly low."
"What does that mean?" Joyce asked desperately.
"White blood cells are what our bodies use to fight disease," Ben explained carefully. "They essentially make up our immune system." They nodded in understanding. "A typical human has on average a white cell count of five to ten thousand. Buffy is barely scraping one thousand."
"Why?" Giles demanded. Ben shook his head.
"There are certain diseases and medical conditions that can explain a low white cell count, but we've tested for those with negative results. Certain medications, which we know she isn't taking, as well as drug and alcohol abuse, which I think we can safely rule out at this time."
"What about before?" Joyce offered. "We know they gave her something before she was rescued."
"She was in a coma for almost seven months," Ben told her gently. "Whatever they gave her is out of her system. And if it was the cause of this it should have shown up before now." Joyce nodded her head.
"Have you tried calling Gregory?" Giles asked. Ben nodded.
"He was one of the first people I called. He had lots of theories involving demons and magic, but the evidence doesn't support any of them. I sent him a copy of the test results. He said he'd look into it and get back to me." He looked back to Giles. "Are you absolutely certain there is nothing supernatural going on here?"
"Yes," he answered. "They even double checked last night." Ben nodded.
"Can I go sit with her?" Joyce asked quietly. Ben looked at her carefully.
"Yes," he eventually said, "but if her immune system is compromised I insist you wear gloves and a mask. Try to limit her exposure to germs." Joyce agreed and Ben called for a nurse. She showed her where to scrub up and soon she was entering Buffy's room. Joyce took her usual spot at Buffy's bedside. She reached out to grab her hand, giving it a little squeeze.
"What the Hell is going on here?" Faith demanded as she bowled her way past nurses and orderlies who tried to stop her. Ben waved them back and Faith marched up to the waiting room, Daniel following close behind. They were no closer to figuring out what was going on with the blonde Slayer. Night had fallen and the Scoobies had once again invaded the hospital. "We get back from L.A. and find Andrew alone in the house with the kids. Then he tells us Buffy is back in the hospital. What is going on?"
"Are you alright?" Ben asked as his eyes immediately shot to the long scratches on her arms and hands. He immediately headed over to her, but she just waived him off.
"I'll be fine," she said dismissively, "Slayer healing. But what's going on?" Joyce and Giles told her a quick version of what happened, but Ben was fixated on what she said. "Yo Doc? You still with us?" Faith asked when he got a faraway look in his eyes.
"Slayer healing," he said quietly, before zeroing in on Giles. "Do Slayers ever get sick?"
"It has happened, but it's extremely rare," he answered. "Why?"
"We forgot one big supernatural element at play here," he answered. "She's a Slayer." Giles's eyes got wide as he considered that angle. "How does Slayer healing work? Does it only heal damage or does it help prevent disease as well?"
"I don't know," Giles admitted. "I've never really given that much thought into Slayer healing. No more than I've given to their increased strength and speed."
"But you've been able to take that away," Joyce said suddenly. "That drug that you used on her eighteenth. Can the Council somehow take away a Slayer's healing power too?"
"Not without leaving a trace," Giles said. "Even a basic blood test would reveal the foreign compound in Buffy's blood during the test."
"Hmmm," Ben said thoughtfully. "I have an idea, but I need a baseline to compare with." He turned to Faith. "Would you be willing to let me draw a blood sample? It would allow me to compare the various cell counts between a healthy Slayer and a sick one."
"Sure," Faith answered nonchalantly, but she couldn't hide the shiver that ran through her body. Ben raised an eyebrow and she shrugged. "I just don't like needles much," she said as she pulled up her sleeve and offered Ben her wrist. He gestured for Faith to follow him into one of the other rooms. She returned a few minutes later, holding a cotton ball over a small puncture wound.
"He's going to get started with his tests," Faith told everyone, "and said he would get back with us as soon as he can." They all nodded as two by two they went to visit Buffy while Joyce prepared for another long night. "Now will someone tell me what has been happening here?"