By Sword and by Claw
Chapter Three

Joyce finished packing her wash bag and made one last check through the house. She'd packed enough clothes to last at least a week and called the Gallery, telling her two assistants there was a small family crisis at her sister's.

The pair of them should be able to cover for her long enough. According to Buffy if Joyce had to be gone any longer than a few days it wouldn't be worth coming back. She wasn't sure how to take that. Badly, or very badly.

It was all so much simpler when she didn't know about her daughter's destiny. When she lived in a world without demons, monsters and homicidal robots. Now she found herself wondering if she would ever see Buffy again and if she could ever forgive herself for abandoning her.

She knew instantly the answer to that was no, she never would.

It was Buffy that had convinced her to leave, to miss her graduation and run away. Run away while the fate of the world and Buffy's life was in danger. Not for the first time Joyce wanted to throw her packed bag into a corner, grab a kitchen knife and stare down whatever monster came her way. Every instinct she had screamed at her protect herself and her family, but she couldn't. Buffy was the Slayer, it was her destiny, not Joyce's. A destiny she couldn't fulfil if she had he mother to worry about. That had been Buffy's argument and it made sense.

Joyce's little girl had to win, the whole world counted on her. That meant she had to leave. Picking up her suitcase she headed downstairs and out to her car. Buffy had her house keys with her so Joyce stopped to latch the door. As she turned around she saw Mr Giles's battered old car pull up. Before it even stopped the librarian leapt out of the antique and ran to her.

'Thank heavens I found you. It's Buffy.'

Joyce's world collapsed in on itself.

Oz pulled up his van outside the hospital. 'Go, I'll find a place to park.' he told them. Willow spared a moment to kiss her boyfriend on the cheek before following Xander and Wesley into the building. Over the last few years they'd made enough trips to know Sunnydale General well enough, Oz too. It wouldn't be too long before he caught up. Dodging the limited security and bored looking nurses at reception they pushed their way into the emergency ward.

They didn't know what had happened, they were in the library researching the Mayor's upcoming accession when the phone rang and Giles answered. From what they overheard the former watcher still disliked Angel. Something was wrong and Buffy was in the hospital. While Wesley kept demanding to know what was going on Giles grabbed his coat and left. It took all of a minute for Xander to decide he was going to the hospital, Willow and Wesley following and Oz driving.

The three of them found Angel sitting in the Emergency Ward's waiting room, Willow had seen the vampire with a soul hurt, angry, psychotic, and even happy. She'd even seen him after his time in hell. Even then he had never been so lost. He was sat there, his head in his hands, obvious to the world. 'Angel?'

'Willow, Xander!' he looked up desperately. 'Oh thank god you're here.'

'What happened?' Wesley asked in his most pompous tone of voice.

Angel blinked before looking around, 'Where's Giles?'

'He went to get Buffy's mom.' Xander told him. 'How bad?'

'Where is she?' Willow jumped in.

'We… we were talking.' Angel stammered, not sure who to talk to first. 'We'd just come out of the murdered professors apartment. We were in the middle of the street, arguing, when suddenly she threw me to the ground. Next thing I knew she was on top of me. An arrow in her chest.'

Xander swore, Willow gasped and Wesley looked almost green. 'It was a trap, had to be.' Angel continued. 'Should have seen it. Wilkins has controlled the town for a century, if he didn't want something published he wouldn't bury it. It just wouldn't be printed in the first place.'

Wesley visibly pulled himself together, which was more than Willow could do at the moment. 'Is… is she expected to survive?' he asked carefully.

It was all the young witch could do to hold Xander back.

'They won't tell me, but it's bad. Very bad.'

Wesley took a few steps away from Xander and fidgeted nervously. 'I have… there must be… Action. I have to do something. Where's Mr Giles, blast it. Bugger damn and blast!' In a sudden burst of anger the Watcher lashed out at the wall. Willow had never seen him do anything like that and for the first time she actually suspected there was more to the Englishman than a whimpering idiot. After a moment he seemed to compose himself. 'I have to inform the Watchers' Council.'

'Is that all you can think about? The Watchers Council?' Xander asked, shocked.

'Xander…'

'No Willow, I want to know. Buffy's in there, we don't know how badly she's been hurt and all you can do is phone home?' Willow's best friend was angry and looking for someone to lash out at. She knew that, it was just Wesley's bad luck he was in the way. 'You're supposed to beher Watcher, there has something you can do.'

'Believe me, I wish there was.'

'Believe you? Why, because you've got an accent? You've been here for months, months!' Xander shoved him. 'What good have you been? What have you done to help?'

The young watcher looked away. 'Not enough.'

'Damn straight,' Xander agreed. 'Wait what?'

'Not. Enough.' Wesley admitted, suddenly angry. 'If it had been maybe Buffy wouldn't be injured right now. Maybe she would, I don't know. All I do know is that with the Slayer injured there's only us standing between the world and an immortal sorcerer that aims to become a true demon. A monstrous form that would plunge humanity into a biblical apocalypse the like of which no one has seen or heard of in millennia. A job we are woefully unqualified for!' The Watcher ended up yelling loud enough for Xander to back down.

Willow felt Oz wrap an arm around her and she realised she wasn't shivering because of the cold. 'You think… you think this is it?' she asked. 'I might be able to find something… a spell…'

'A spell? Wilkins has been orchestrating this abomination for well nigh a hundred years. He'll have to have clouded the visions of seers and prophets for decades, made deals and arrangements with demons and creatures too humous to mention and sold his sole a strip at a time to evil beyond description. You think a novice witch could summon enough mystical energy for him to even notice?' They'd never seen Wesley like this. He almost seemed competent.

'I doubt it.' Giles said as he came into the room, Buffy's mother was just behind him. Like the rest of them she was pale. 'Throughout history the Slayer has been humanity's first and only line of defence. The council exists to guide, to help her in her task. We can't help her now. The only people that can are professionals.'

Faith gently opened the door and looked around the corner. Her boss looked up gave her a brief grin that was not meant to reassure her. After a second turned back to the phone in his hand. 'Yes, yes I understand. Terrible business all round, I have to agree.'

The rogue Slayer tried not to wince. She hadn't failed exactly, Angel wasn't going to interfere and neither was Buffy. Not now. Thing was the boss had gone to a lot of trouble to get that poison and he hated wasted effort.

'Yes well I expect you to do your job doctor, as efficiently and as skilfully as ever.' The Mayor said with just the hint of a threat. This time Faith did wince. The boss and threats usually ended messily. 'Yes yes, I have a meeting right now but I'll be sure to call him. Make sure there's plenty of blame to go around, just none for me. Good, good give my love to the wife. Goodbye Doctor.'

He hung up and looked at her. 'Well this quickly became a pickle, didn't it my dear.'

'Sorry boss, she must have seen the arrow coming.' Faith shrugged as she looked at the desk. 'I've never seen her move that fast before.'

'I specifically arranged this little assassination for one reason, to get rid of that traitorous, back-dabbing Vampire. Instead you do a fantastic job on Ms Summers, just goes to show we all have to make room for happy accidents!' He laughed and headed to his cupboard. Inside was enough freaky things to give even her nightmares. 'It's perfect. I had hoped to kill that annoying little blonde bitch with a horde of vampires, but she somehow evaded them. This way that rabble of misfits will spend all their time trying to save her. Rather than getting in my, our way.'

'They can't stop you. Not now.' Faith said, convincing herself as much as anyone else.

The Mayor pulled out a mummified head and took the top of it off. 'Of course not.' He agreed taking a jelly Baby out and offering it to her. 'They'd just be an irritation, but if there's one thing I've learnt you never can be too sure. That's why the good doctor was on the phone. I'm sure he'll have a creative solution to Ms Summers's health.'

Faith tried to smile at that, but something about the causal way he said it chilled her.

Giles stood by his fellow Watcher and Englishman. Joyce was talking with Willow and he wasn't sure who was trying to comfort who. 'So, have you called them yet?'

'The Council? Not until we know more.'

Giles looked over his glasses at the younger man. 'We both know what will happen. They'll send a kill team to finish the job. They have done before, when a Slayer was injured.'

'Not this time.' Wesley shook his head slowly. 'It would be pointless, the Slayer line continues through Faith.'

'That wouldn't matter. As long as there's a possibility the Council will take it. They might even finish the job with Faith just for the sake of it.' He took his glasses off and polished them. 'I'm sure the only reason they haven't already is that Buffy is, was active.'

'Mr Giles, I knew that. I understand that none of you have reason to trust me, but I am trying to do the right thing.' He took a deep breath. 'I spent my life training for this Mr Giles. Rupert. My father, his father back four generations were Watchers. None of them were called to watch over the Slayer. I was and I found… I found I was woefully unprepared for the task. I still think our only option is to contact them, but I can't risk Buffy's life. I won't.'

Giles looked at him carefully 'You know Wesley, I think you're beginning to get it.'

Joyce sat with her daughters friends. Willow was a sweet girl, this world wasn't for sweet girls. Joyce wasn't sure who this world was meant for anymore. The Englishmen were off in one corner, like a pair of statues and the two boys, Oz and Xander, just looked shell shocked. It was like they didn't know what to feel.

Joyce did

She felt guilty. Guilty she wasn't there when her daughter was hurt. Guilty she hadn't been there all the times she'd been hurt, the times she'd been scared. Guilty for all the times she should have said yes. Those times she should have said no. She was guilty for the terrible mistakes she made. She felt guilty for all the mistakes she hadn't made yet and now never could.

She felt like she was going to drown in guilt.

Then a too thin looking man with pinched face and medical scrubs came down the hall. It took all of her strength not to stare at the deep red stains on his front. Giles must have been the first to see him because he was already moving to intercept him. Joyce was only a few steps behind and all too quickly the two of them were there, in front of him. 'Doctor, my daughter…' she began.

He took a deep breath. 'Mrs Summers, your daughter is alive and stable. After a fashion.'

Joyce was suddenly glad Giles was there to hold her up as all the strength left her legs. 'What does that mean, after a fashion?' Xander asked.

'I think I should discuss this with the family in private.' The doctor said softly to the teenagers.

'They are family, we all are.' Joyce said firmly, knowing that was how her daughter felt and for once agreeing. Even counting the Vampire.

He nodded. 'Well then, if I can be blunt, Buffy is a young woman of remarkable strength. Both of character and will. This is going to be hard to hear, but you have to understand that if anyone else was injured like this, in my medical opinion, they would already be dead.'

'Thank you, Doctor.' Giles said in a remarkably calm voice. 'And she's stable?'

'Yes, but I cannot promise how long. The, urm, object is pressed right against the wall of her heart. Not half a centimetre more and we wouldn't be discussing this. Complicating it even more is what is known as the angle of attack. The object came in almost right angles to her chest, entering through the right side and being deflected by her ribcage. The sad truth is there are only half a dozen surgeons with the skill to remove it in the country. Now I understand one of them is based in LA, but not only are their skills in high demand but are known to be incredibly expensive. Even then I cannot guarantee anything better than a one in five chance, at best.'

The words sounded hollow to Joyce, like they should have meant something, but didn't. 'Thank you, doctor.' Giles repeated in that same dead calm voice. 'I hope you have some luck contacting your colleague. Come on Joyce, everyone, let's sit down and let the doctor get on with his work.'

Buffy was dead, well she had to be didn't she. No one could get shot through the chest like that with a crossbow bolt and live. It didn't matter how many wires they stuck to her head or machines that went bleep they brought in. Buffy Summers, Vampire Slayer, was dead.

Another big clue was the way she just lay there, barely breathing. One of the beeping machines was supposed to be helping with that, but that was it. The Doctor's hadn't even pulled the arrow out of her. You'd think that would be the first thing they would do. Take out the thing that was killing her. It was basic wasn't it, pull out arrow, save life. The only reason they wouldn't was if there wasn't a point.

So, looking down at her body with a foot long shaft of wood still in her heart Buffy was fairly sure this is what dead felt like. Sure she'd done it before, been dead that is. But it wasn't like this. Then she just wasn't. This was the full out of body, pearly gates, St Peter on his cloud playing his harp, death. So far she didn't like it.

She tried to get peoples attention, shouting waving her hands, even walking through them to give them a chill. So far nothing. Unsurprisingly she couldn't touch anything either. Which did leave the question why she didn't just fall thought the floor, but that one wasn't really on her list of priorities.

Far more important was getting back in her body, but that was the one thing she couldn't do. She could walk through anything and everything else, but trying to get close to herself was like pushing two magnets together the wrong way around. It got harder and harder until eventually she, well her sprit, was flung off in some direction. The way Buffy figured it it was only a matter of time before those machines stopped beeping, her body died and she was pulled the other way. Knowing her luck that was going to be down, rather than up.

She took a deep breath before realising just how stupid that was. 'So, what would you do next, huh?' Buffy asked herself, literally. 'Can't punch, can't kick, can't shout. What next? Cry? That ain't going to work.' She walked around the bed, feeling that strange repulsion pushing her away. 'Come on Buffy. You're supposed to be clever, here. You're the one with the brains. Literally okay, so think. Lying there and dying not an option.' She shouted.

'I'm afraid that is not quite true.' Someone said. Their voice was old, but somehow kind. It was exactly what she expected it to be.

She turned to face him. He was blue, tall and dressed in some sort of armour, with a long, fur lined cloak that came over his shoulders. His face was mostly a long beard, with pointy ears sticking out from under a helmet. There was something almost cat like about him. 'Okay. Not what I expected.'

'I beg your pardon.'

'Death, Grim Reaper.' she said keeping her body between them. 'I mean you got the whole stick-ey thing going on and the robes. Sort of. It's just, no offence, I'm not ready to die just yet.'

'Then you, Miss Summers, have a problem.'

End Chapter Three