Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

Chapter 12

A week later, Buffy was no better, and even, perhaps, a little worse, though all of them smothered the thought whenever it came into their minds. The gang had continued to roam the city looking for clues, meeting with whatever supernatural forces they could find to see if anyone knew anything. Giles and Willow had contacted more people around the world than they cared to admit. Myrsina, if that who she was, had vanished into the ether. There had been no more attempts on Buffy's life, but then, what would be the need? The powers of darkness had effectively put a stop to the Slayer's power to hurt them. Buffy had suggested that she be allowed to go home, as the Council would probably not want to keep on paying the exorbitant medical bills. The Council had friends on the Medical Board, so the hospital staff had been told to allow some of the more unorthodox goings on in Buffy's room. She had been put out of the way of the rest of the patients so that no one would be disturbed by anything that went on and the gang were able to come and go as they pleased. However, the hospital was charging a fortune for turning a blind eye.

'And, guys, the docs can't do anything for me. I'm not actually ill. I could just as easily be lying on a sofa at home as being in this bed. I want to go home.'

They all shied away from that idea, because it seemed like they were giving up and admitting failure. And then she suddenly seemed to get worse, to the point where she needed help just to sit up in bed. They were all heartily sick of the sight of that hospital cafeteria. But, without saying anything, none of them wanted to leave Buffy and go back to the apartment. They felt like they were waiting for the other shoe to drop.

So here they were again, drinking bad coffee and talking endlessly about what to do. Dawn was late because she had gone into research mode again. Anything so that she felt she was doing something, not just sitting around waiting for the worst to happen, whatever that might be.

'I've been reading up about Snow White and Sleeping Beauty and stories like that. To see if there are any more clues. There are so many versions of them. And the earliest ones are gross! There's rape, cannibalism, torture, child abuse, all sorts of awful things. Nothing like the stories Mom used to tell me, and nothing like Disney! I even found a modern version where a human man releases a vampire woman from a curse! Don't tell me that's not a bit spooky!'

Giles spoke, rather eagerly for him. 'But did you find anything useful? Were there any aspects they had in common?'

'Not really, some of the older ones were so different. But some of them mentioned that the heroine was awakened not by a kiss from her true love, but by getting rid of whatever poisoned her, like the apple or sometimes it was a candy-type of thing. I think it was called a sweetmeat, which sounds pretty disgusting to me. In Sleeping Beauty kind of stories she sometimes had to have the needle or spindle removed. If you go back further then demons and witches are mentioned even more. I think that's because of Myrsina and the true part of the stories.'

'Well, this is all terribly interesting, but haven't the doctors x-rayed Buffy and found nothing?'

'Yes, but this is something magical! Maybe it wouldn't show up on an x-ray. I mean, vampires can't see themselves in mirrors and you can photograph ghosts, can you?'

Xander tried, and failed, to keep the scepticism out of his voice. 'But, Dawnie, how does this help? If there is some kind of toxic magic thingy in Buffy, what the hell are we supposed to do about it? Tell the doctors to pump her stomach or cut her open and have a good look around?'

'Don't be disgusting, Xander!' Dawn looked at him furiously.

'If there is something, I doubt it can be removed by mortal means. We need magical help,' said Giles.

Willow, who had been listening pensively up until now without saying anything, spoke up. 'I'm going to call the Coven in England, Giles.' And she left the room, taking out her phone as she did so.

The next day, Willow summoned them again to Buffy's room. Her witch friends had told her about a spell for removing unwanted supernatural elements from a body, but it had not worked. When she had cast the spell, there had been a faint, acid green light that appeared above Buffy's abdomen, but it had faded after a few seconds. Willow was sure that they were on the right track, but were missing something vital. It was there, skulking just out of sight in her mind's eye. The solution was there, but she could not quite catch hold of it.

So there they all were, the seven of them, surrounding Buffy. It was dim in the hospital, with the blinds carefully drawn against the bright sunshine, out of respect for the two vampires in their midst. But they could see that Buffy was not right.

She lay there on the hospital bed, her hand clutching one of Spike's, while the rest of the group stood in a circle around her. She looked pale and exhausted, maybe not the dead white of the mystical coma, but she was still not the glowing, healthy girl that they remembered. She looked like someone recovering from a terrible illness or who had just undergone chemotherapy. She could barely lift her head off the pillow and she looked frail, and that was the last word any of them would normally associate with Buffy. They had talked and talked about every aspect of what had happened but now they were out of ideas.

Spike, whose jaw was clenched so tight that a muscle was twitching on the side of his face, broke the silence. The pain in his voice, held in tightly but impossible to disguise, made the others shift uncomfortably in their places. 'See, Willow, I told you I wasn't the one. Why the hell did you think William the Bloody could be the Slayer's "true love"? (the sarcasm when he said those two words was so bitter that Willow instinctively put out her hand towards him), Well, Angel got it right; the whole idea is a joke just like ...'

'Spike', Buffy's disturbingly weak voice cut into his angry rant. 'Spike, who woke me up, you idiot? No one managed it except you. Doesn't that tell you anything?'

'Yeah, well, you're not exactly fighting fit, are you? Couldn't fend off a kitten in your present state, could you? So what does that say about your feelings for me? Maybe there was something there, enough to wake you up but not enough to really rid you of that bloody curse! What kind of half-arsed true love is that? Buffy, you love pretty much everyone else in this room far more than you ever loved me!'

'You got that right, Spike.' This time it was Angel who spoke, Angel who had been remarkably silent since he had realised that Spike was able to accomplish what he had not.

'Spike, Angel! Shut up!' Everyone looked at Willow in surprise. 'You know, I think we have been looking at this all wrong! Oh, Oh, don't speak, I'm having an idea right now.' And she left the circle around Buffy and started pacing around the room, in the small space between the bed and the window.

Finally, she turned and spoke eagerly, addressing all of them, 'True love! Why do we all think it's only about romantic love? There are lots of kinds of love, aren't there? And in this room, well, if we did some kind of love connection map, it would be like a plate of spaghetti! A huge plate of tangled spaghetti love!' She sounded almost giddy.

'Willow, what are you rambling on about?' Xander asked in a tone comprising equal parts exasperation and concern.

'Don't you see? In this group there's so much love and loyalty and ... Just look at us. The Scoobies together again, and yes, there are seven of us plus Buffy. That's really weird and kinda funny, too. But we are all here for each other, just like we always have been. And the seven of us are here for Buffy, because we all love her in our own way. We would all give our lives for her, and some of us already have.' (Here she looked at Spike and Angel and smiled, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

Willow continued, talking at breakneck speed, not wanting anyone to interrupt her. They were all looking at her, unsure where she was going with this, though Buffy had a wide smile on her face, as if she got it. 'Dawn loves her like a sister, and so do Xander and I, and Giles, you're like a father to her, and Spike and Angel, well, I don't think I need to explain about them. Even Andrew, you've been loyal to her and put your life on the line more than once.'

'Willow, he did try to kill her, or have you forgotten.' This was from Dawn.

Andrew looked hurt. 'Hey, that was a long time ago, and to be accurate, I didn't want to kill her, just defeat her with my evil genius. And I've spent a long time seeking redemption by fighting alongside the Slayer. Maybe I don't want to get all smoochy with her, (a look of distaste flitted across his delicate features), 'but Willow is right. I do ... well, I do love her in a respectful, admiring, platonic kind of way.'

'Exactly. And, to be honest, a few of us in this room have tried to kill her at some time or other. So... my point is that maybe Myrsina was smarter than we thought. You all said the curse was too easy to break. And perhaps romantic love was enough to wake her up, and you, Spike, did that because, in that way, you are her true love.'

At this, Buffy squeezed Spike's hand more tightly, and he looked down at her, eyes full of a mixture of scepticism and hope.

Willow continued, her voice bright with her usual inimitable optimism. 'But romance is not enough. Buffy needs all the people who love her to be here for her. And we are, which is a miracle, considering where we have come from and what we have done and how many times we have nearly died. And isn't it amazing that all the people who truly love Buffy are in this room, and that there are seven of us? That wouldn't be true of everyone who might be cursed.'

Dawn suddenly turned from the bed and ran to hug Willow tightly. 'Oh, Willow, why are you always so smart?' Willow went slightly pink.

Buffy spoke from her bed. 'Because her faith in the power of love never wavers.' Willow came back to the circle and looked down at Buffy, who struggled to sit upright. They hugged silently, just for a few seconds.

'Sorry to interrupt the Hallmark moment, but why seven? Isn't that just from the Disney version of Snow White?' Xander looked confused.

Giles, polite as ever but slightly impatient, spoke up next. 'Xander, you have been involved with the supernatural world long enough to know that seven is a very important number, mystically speaking. I think that Willow might be on to something here. So how can this help Buffy?'

Dawn spoke up eagerly, 'Isn't it obvious? We all have to do the ritual, together. Then Buffy will be back to normal. That's what you were thinking, isn't it, Will?'

'Exactly!