Go to Sleep
"Moo-ooom," Buffy whined, "Dawn's crying."
Joyce sighed softly, stroking a strand of hair back off her forehead. "She's sleepy, sweetie."
"How can you tell? She cries all the time."
"She doesn't cry all the time."
"The rest of the time she's sleeping." Buffy huffed the way only a child could.
"She's just a baby, sweetie. You were the same way. You cried and slept and ate and slept and cried and pooped."
Buffy scowled. "Did not!"
"You did, baby." Joyce didn't say, 'You still do,' because that wasn't a battle she wanted to get into at the moment. "But Dawn's sleepy, so I'm going to read to her and hope she goes to sleep." Joyce smiled. "Want to join us?"
Buffy cocked her head, seeming both wise and innocent for a few seconds. "Yes, please."
Joyce said, "Why don't you pick out a book and I'll get Dawn, and we'll meet in your bedroom?"
A smile broke out like the sun over Buffy's face. "Okay!" She scampered off toward the bookshelf. Joyce sighed again, softer. Her girls. Right now it was easy. Later, she knew, it'd be much harder.
But for now, a little time with her two girls, it wouldn't be bad at all. And if they both fell asleep, well, that'd be even better, giving Joyce a few minutes of peace and quiet she so deserved.