A/N: I own nothing of the Whedonverse nor any fairytales and I am not profiting from this work.
Chapter 23
Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
This is gonna be perfect
"Divinyls?" "Shut up."
The office was filled with humans and demons alike. The only one in the area with an open appointment slot before the next year who could see both Joyce and Spike. Joyce had been taken back first and tests had been done. It turned out to be a magically induced anomaly created through shifts in the Chaos matrix resulting in a brain tumor. It was small and a simple reversal spell would excise the tumor. Joyce asked what that would mean.
"Well, it would seem there have been multiple shifts in the temporal alignment and possibly a multitude of events and people that you would not have met or experienced have been shoe horned into the fabric of the universe and your mind. What we would be doing is reversing the spell that hides these workings from laymen. This means you would understand what had happened and be able to synaptically collate the fabricated and original timelines. It might be slightly confusing at first but it will be infinitely preferable to allowing the magic to continue working. As it stands now the spell to cover it up is blocking the kill switch in your brain cells and causing the tumor to grow. A human medical procedure includes the risks of aneurysm or death but this way the cells die. The cancer stops. There is no invasive surgery. Quite frankly you're very lucky that you were brought in now. If you had waited to be seen by a strictly human practice this may have become very messy. I will of course let this be your decision. If you decide to carry through with it I can call in a few hands from the coven and have it reversed before end of day."
Joyce joined the group sans Spike and gave them the information. Everyone said they would stand by her decision, whatever she chose. She went back and signed the forms of consent and was told to wait in the lobby with her family. Spike was wheeled out in a chair and seemed on very good terms with the nurse.
"We had to give him quite a bit of anesthesia due to his vampiric systems. It should wear off by tomorrow morning. Until then just keep an eye on him."
"Thank you Nursh! Nursh? Sheeshide." Spike's glazed eyes found Buffy. "Shlayer, I've losht my eshesh." He informed her with a frown.
"It's alright Spike. They'll come back."
"Summers." A spiny lizard like demon with tufts of purple and yellow fur called from the door. "The coven can see you now."
Buffy and Dawn hugged their mother while Giles offered a small 'good luck'. Spike had fallen under the sedation. The clock ticked on. Dawn looked at her sister.
"Why didn't Spike just get numbed by spell?"
Buffy smiled, a bit tired. "You know how he feels about magic. I'll bet he didn't like the anesthetics much better. Considering."
"Oh, right." Dawn looked over at her surrogate brother snoring in his sleep. Why did a vampire even breathe in his sleep let alone snore? Her family was all oddballs.
Their mom walked out to them and said that her tests all came back fine after the procedure but that it had been a long day and they needed to go get some rest before any celebrations could be in order. They got Spike into the car and Joyce drove them home. All the while glancing at Dawn in the rear-view. No matter how she came by this family, she looked over her daughters, their vampire, and the book resting on the front passenger seat, she never could have asked for anything better.