Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.
"Joyce." Joyce frowned as someone gently shook her arm. She opened her eyes to glare at that someone, then frowned as that simply act brought about pain and stiffness in her body. "Joyce? Are you awake?"
"Rupert," she said sleepily. She held out a hand, which he used to help pull her into a sitting position. She yawned as she realized she was lying on the floor by her daughter's bed. Giles helped her to her feet and she immediately turned to her daughter. "I guess I was really tired."
"Did you sleep at all in L.A.?" he asked as they both checked on the sleeping girl.
"About as much as Buffy did," she admitted. "Maybe a little more."
"You need to take care of yourself so you can take care of her," Giles admonished her. "You know that."
"I know," she admitted. She turned back toward him. "Was there something you needed?"
"Lunch," he said. She looked confused until she saw the time.
"I've been sleeping for almost five hours?" she asked.
"You both have," he clarified. Joyce turned back to her daughter.
"No nightmares?" she asked. Giles looked uncomfortable. "Rupert?" she demanded.
"She had nightmares," he admitted, "but Ethan was able to coax her through them."
"Ethan?" she asked, her voice slightly higher than she wanted. Buffy grimaced but continued to sleep. Giles made sure her wheelchair was next to the bed before pulling Joyce out of the room.
"Yes Ethan," he told her once they were in the hallway. "As loathe as I am to admit it, he has some sort of connection with her."
"He also tried to kill her," Joyce pointed out, "or should we forget those small incidents too." Giles sighed.
"I'm not saying we should accept him at face value, but he has been nothing but helpful since he got here. He let us lock him up. He didn't run when he could have. And he has been helping us figure out what is wrong with Spike. He even let himself bunk with Andrew at my suggestion."
"Really?" Joyce asked, all previous arguments against him out the window for the time being. "He bunked with Andrew? All night long?" Giles smirked.
"He wasn't happy the next morning," he said. "My point is he is doing everything we ask of him. If he has any ulterior motive here, I can't find it."
"So you believe what he's been saying?" she asked as they made their way into the kitchen. Ethan glanced up and grinned when he saw them coming through the doorway.
"More than I did a few days ago," Giles reluctantly admitted. Joyce huffed but didn't say anything. She rounded the kitchen to where sandwich fixings were laid out.
"Should we get Buffy?" Nancy asked as she led Hank up from the basement.
"No!" Joyce nearly shouted. She sighed, then looked at them. "She hasn't been sleeping well and is finally asleep," she explained. "I'll make her something when she wakes up."
"Of course," Nancy immediately agreed as she made a sandwich for herself and her brother. Hank was staring into space until she waved the sandwich in his face. A loud growl and banging could be heard coming from the basement for a few minutes before it quieted down.
"Spike," Giles explained. Joyce nodded and started making a sandwich. Giles had told her what was going on, but she hadn't been down to check on the vampire yet. Mostly because Hank was spending an inordinate amount of time there.
"Where are Irene and Stephen?" she asked.
"They decided to explore the local culture and take lunch in town," Nancy explained. "I think the shock of Buffy's story has them more off balance than Hank's own fall from grace."
"What?" Joyce asked.
"I'll explain later," Giles told her. She nodded just as cries could be heard from the baby monitor. "The twins," he said, putting down his sandwich.
"I'll go," Joyce told him, but he simply followed her out. Minutes later they returned, each carrying a baby. Giles expertly put Billy into his highchair before reaching for Alex. Soon the infants were content, watching the adults around them.
"Mommy missed you," Joyce said as she grabbed a jar of baby food and began feeding the twins. They raised their arms to her, but she didn't pick them up. Instead she began tickling them in between bites, which they found hilarious. Soon the quiet kitchen was filled with baby laughter. When the twins were finished she took Alex and laid her on her shoulder as she started her own sandwich. Giles did the same with Billy, but had him on his lap as he ate. Hank and Nancy watched in silence until another growl came up from the basement. "Have you made any progress?" she asked as she slowly paced back and forth.
"It depends on your definition of progress," Giles admitted. "I don't think we can actually stop the spell."
"But we can wait it out," Ethan added helpfully. Joyce glared at him, which he returned with a smirk.
"Yes," Giles reluctantly added. "I think our best bet is to simply let the spell run its course. It is taking a tremendous effort to keep the spell going. Even if the most powerful sorcerers and witches worked together, they couldn't keep a spell like this going indefinitely."
"So when is it going to end?" Joyce asked as she shifted Alex into a more comfortable position.
"We think in a two days," Ethan said. She raised her eyebrows but intentionally didn't look at him.
"It's a full moon in two days," Giles explained. "As you know a full moon is attributed, rightly or wrongly, to many abstract and just plain weird behaviors in people. Demons react to a full moon in much the same way, only perhaps more strongly. The spell is actually gaining power. It is logical that its climax would concur on the night of the full moon to fully affect the demonic population in Sunnydale."
"Is it dangerous?" Joyce asked. Giles shook his head.
"Wesley and Gunn have been patrolling every night, usually with Xander. They haven't reported any extremely unusual changes. Demons are more aggressive, but nothing that they can't handle. I believe Willy's is taking the brunt of the damage."
"My heart bleeds," Joyce said unconvincingly. Giles smiled. "So we wait two days and see if the spell ends?" Joyce asked. Giles nodded. "And if it doesn't?"
"Then we hit the books again." Joyce nodded.
"How can you stay so calm about this?" Nancy asked. She and Hank watched the interaction in awe.
"Years and years of practice," Joyce smiled as she looked at them. Nancy's eyes kept wandering to the baby in her arms. "Would you like to hold her?"
"Is it okay?" Nancy asked, excitement shining in her eyes even as she reached for the almost sleeping child. Joyce nodded and passed her over. Alex opened her eyes sleepily before smiling and closing them again. Joyce watched for a minute before turning back to her own lunch.
"So anything else happen while I was gone?" she asked, taking a bite of her sandwich. "Dawn decide to run off and join a circus?" Giles chuckled.
"You heard about Drusilla?" he asked, not able to remember exactly what he told her before. She nodded.
"The property line," she added. He nodded. "Any ideas?"
"We're working on it," he assured her. She simply nodded before something caught her attention outside.
"Is it just me or does it seem to be getting dark?" she asked. Giles looked out before carefully putting Billy back in his highchair.
"It does seem to be a bit overcast," Giles murmured. "I don't remember seeing any indication of rain on the forecast."
"Maybe something's blowing in from the ocean?" Nancy suggested. "It happens all the time down in San Diego."
"Maybe," Joyce conceded as she took another bite. She kept watching the weather change worriedly. Suddenly Alex woke up crying. Nancy tried everything she could to soothe the baby, gratefully handing her over to Giles. She stopped crying as soon as he held her, but was still fussing.
"What's wrong little one?" Giles cooed. She looked at him tearfully then turned to watch outside. He followed her gaze. "Joyce!" he said sharply as he thrust the baby back into Nancy's arms. At the same time Billy started crying, which set off Alex again.
"What?" she asked as she scanned the backyard, but she quickly saw what caught his attention. "Drusilla," she hissed, putting herself protectively in front of the children. Giles stepped up to her side as the crazy vampire danced her way onto the porch.
"Someone is blocking the sun for her," Ethan said as he stepped to her other side. "There's magic in the air."
"She can't get in right?" Joyce double checked as she grabbed a wooden cooking spoon from the rack. Giles nodded. It was confirmed when Dru stopped advancing when she reached the porch and instead stared at them through the glass.
"Mummy's home," she sang as she started swaying in place.
"I'm warning you now Drusilla," Joyce shouted through the glass, "if you attack my family I will never stop until you fit in an ashtray." Dru stopped swaying and looked at them.
"I'm not doing anything she doesn't beckon me to do." She laughed manically and Joyce tightened her grip on the wooden spoon as Giles and Ethan both grabbed makeshift weapons.
"She can't do anything, right?" Ethan checked. Giles nodded.
"She still can't get in and nobody is outside right now that she can attack."
"Rupert!" Joyce whispered. Dru's attention had focused to the side of the house. A sadistic smile formed on her face.
"Come my Childe," she sang. They watched helplessly as something crawled along the back porch.
"Buffy," Joyce whispered when she was finally able to make out what had Dru so intrigued. Buffy slowly crawled over to the vampire, staring at her curiously. "Buffy!" Joyce shouted as she and Giles tried unsuccessfully to get the doors open.
"Drusilla don't," Giles shouted as he abandoned the stuck door knobs and began trying to break the glass. He pounded on it with everything he could think off, but the glass held. Nothing they did worked. They were helpless as they watched Buffy slowly pull herself into a sitting position in front of the crazy vampire.
"Stand back!" Ethan ordered as he pulled Joyce and Giles away from the door. Once they were clear he started chanting, his sparks of magic racing between his fingertips. He reached a hand to the door as the magic flew from him to the glass. The entire wall glowed red for a moment before rebounding off the door and crashing into the chaos mage. He was forcefully thrown from the kitchen and slammed into the living room wall. Dru barely looked up at the chaos.
"I tasted you once before," she said to Buffy, who was simply staring up at her, "and I haven't been able to get your taste out of my head." Her face shifted, her fangs showing.
"Dru!" Joyce yelled again, desperate to help but unable to do anything. She and Giles continued their attack on the door and windows, but nothing broke. Dru glanced at them before pulling Buffy up off her feet.
"Soon she will be part of my family," she said as she held the paralyzed girl upright with one hand. With her other hand she brushed her long, blonde hair back and bared her neck. Buffy gasped as Drusilla bent down and latched on. A few minutes later she raised her head, her mouth covered in blood. She screamed in delight as she started to twirl the blonde Slayer.
"Dru," Joyce begged, tears coming down her face. "Please don't." But they were still trapped inside the house and couldn't do anything but watch. Eventually Dru stopped dancing and simply held the girl up.
"Together we shall reclaim our dark prince," she said. "He will come back to his family when you are with us." She bent down again, drinking deeply as she held Buffy's frail form to her body when suddenly Buffy was violently ripped from her grasp. Joyce looked up in time to see Spike throw himself between Buffy and Drusilla.
"Stop!" Spike shouted. He was shaking from head to toe and was in full game face, but he stood facing his Sire. "You can't do this."
"You're right," she sang, seductively stepping up to him. She gave him a long kiss, sharing the remaining blood in her mouth with him. His body shuddered and he gave an involuntary growl.
"Dru," he said as he weekly pushed her back. She stepped away, but then danced around him.
"The stars have been talking to me," she said, as she caressed his body as she passed. "They've been telling me it's time for our family to reunite."
"No!" Spike shouted as he tried to ignore her. She smiled.
"They brought Grandmother back from the beyond," she told him. "Soon they will return Daddy to us. They even showed me how to bring back my naughty, naughty Spike." She smiled as she turned and picked up the Slayer again, this time cradling the girl in her arms. He growled as she turned to him again, but didn't make any move to stop her. "Turn sunshine into night and we all will be together forever."
"No Dru," he tried to reason with her, but his yellow eyes were locked on the bared neck she presented him. "You can't turn a Slayer."
"The stars whisper I can," she told him. She bent her head and began drinking again. Buffy turned her head slightly toward the door. Her eyes locked questioningly onto her mother's and her arm flopped uselessly in her direction.
"Buffy!" Joyce shouted uselessly. Dru ignored her, but Spike glanced back before roughly pulling Buffy into his own arms.
"No!" he shouted. Dru looked up, her golden eyes gleaming mischievously. She reached up and before Spike could react dragged his head to the still bleeding wound. He latched on instinctively, gulping down hot Slayer blood before he realized what he was doing. Drusilla laughed with joy and Joyce tried one final plea.
"Spike," she begged. "Please." Spike shifted so he could look at them even as he continued to drink. He locked eyes with Joyce. "You promised," she said quietly, even though she knew he could hear her.
"No," he said quietly. With great strength he pulled himself from his feast. Dru stopped dancing and looked at him with loathing.
"You still choose the sunshine?" she asked haughtily. Spike roughly nodded even as he was trembling from head to toe.
"I won't let you turn her," he forced out between bloody lips. "I love her too much to let her become something she hates." Dru screamed as she rushed forward and pulled Buffy from his hands. Struggling to control his own bloodlust, he didn't react for a few minutes, which was all Dru needed to put some space between them.
"She will bring you back to the family!" Dru shouted at him. "Whether as your Childe or my Minion it will not matter." She bent to finish draining her when Spike charged. She had barely latched on when Buffy was once again violently ripped from her arms. Spike brutally pushed his Sire away. They fought like animals for a few minutes before Spike suddenly got the upper hand. He knocked Dru to the ground then broke one of the wooden railings surrounding the porch. He placed his makeshift stake to Dru's heart when Buffy suddenly went limp in his arms.
"Buffy?" He shook her gently, but she didn't react. He took one step backwards, the makeshift stake never leaving its target. "Run Dru," he ordered. "If I ever see you again I will kill you." Dru looked at him, then cocked her head.
"You will see me again, my black prince," she told him as she gracefully got to her feet. "But the stars say it is not time yet. Soon we shall continue this." She ran forward and gave him a quick kiss before bounding away. As soon as she was out of sight Spike dropped the stake, his shoulders slumping in exhaustion before he looked at the bloody girl in his arms.