"How is she?" Giles whispered as he entered Buffy's room. He looked at the girl. For now, she was peacefully asleep, but her face betrayed her distress. Her eyes were red and swollen from the crying, and the lack of sleep had also left its traces.
* * *
Joyce woke up a good sixteen hours later. Rested a little, she went up the stairs to check on her daughter. She quietly opened the door and saw Willow lying on the bed, asleep, still holding Buffy close. Buffy was shaking, but apparently the nightmare wasn't as bad now as before. Thankful that her daughter finally got some rest, she looked over at Giles. The librarian was sitting at Buffy's desk, going through an old book. A pile of even older looking books was stacked beside him.
"Do you need anything?" she whispered.
Giles looked up at Joyce and nodded towards the teapot. "Ah... n-no. I ah... I've got a pot of tea right here. It's all I need." He turned back towards his book, but looked around again. "Ah... thank you." He started reading again, and Joyce decided to let him be. She didn't even want to think about what he was doing. All she wanted was for Buffy to get rid of these nightmares. No matter what she'd have to do.
* * *
About an hour later, Giles heard noises coming from behind him. He turned, and saw Buffy's moving had awakened Willow. She was trying to calm the restless girl down, but it only grew worse. Giles stood up and walked over to the bed. But just as he thought Buffy would wake up again, she fell motionless, and silence returned to the room.
"What now?" Willow asked. "I can't stay here forever. My mom wants me home tonight."
"I-I know. things would be ah.... things would be easier if Xander or Cordelia were here."
"They're still in Florida," Willow replied. "It's just you and me. And half a Slayer."
Giles looked at Buffy. "I ah... I wouldn't count on it. In this condition she couldn't even defeat some second-rate vampire."
"Then let's hope nothing bad happens 'till this is over."
"That's what I'm afraid of."
"Prophecy again?"
"Ah... yes. How did you know that?" Willow gave him a stare as if to say, 'You really need to ask?'
"Yes, of course... This one worries me." He paused for a second. "I'm still working on it, but it doesn't look good."
"Why is it you always stumble on prophecies every time there's a problem?" Willow didn't really want an answer to that. She hoped Giles wouldn't answer that. But she knew better.
"Because she's the Slayer," he said. "With Buffy, there's no such thing as luck or coincidence. Everything has been foreseen. Nothing passes that hasn't been foretold."
Willow looked back at Buffy's sleeping face and let Giles continue his research. He was right. She knew it. But Buffy was in no condition to save the world now. If any demon was to find out... She shivered as she thought about what might happen then.
Her mind drifted to all the things they'd been through. The Harvest, the Master, Moloch. Oh yes, she remembered Moloch. And how Buffy had been there for her when it was over, when she really needed a friend. She wouldn't have made it without her, and now it was her turn. She was going to be there for Buffy, and help her through this. Whatever it was.
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