Disclaimer: The characters we all know and love from BtVS belong to the Great God Joss. I'm just playing in his back yard for a bit. Also, you'll probably recognize the stuff from various episodes in the explanation phase. (muchos gracias to AleXander for his wonderful work on the Transcripts available on the Slayerfanfic Archive)
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Buffy re-entered the living room to find her mother sitting up on the couch. Extremely pale. Joyce hugged herself, staring down into her lap, still trying to grapple with the possibility that vampires might actually exist. And the more alarming revelation that Buffy (and from the looks of things, Willow and maybe others, also) *knew* about it. And had known for some time.
"Mom?" Buffy asked hesitantly as she stepped up to the couch.
Joyce suddenly couldn't sit still. She rose and began to pace nervously. Trying to rub away the goosebumps on her arms, Joyce finally noticed a fine coating of some kind of grit on her arms, blouse and skirt.
"What...?" she murmured, brushing at the grit. A small puff of dust rose from her clothing and hung in the still air of the living room.
"Vamp dust from earlier?" Buffy asked Angel, who stood leaning against the edge of the wall separating the hall and the living room.
"I think so," he replied.
"Vamp....dust," Joyce stammered, her voice quavering, "From....earlier....those things....on *me*?"
Buffy stood motionless, undecided on how to proceed, as her mother stared down at herself. Joyce's breathing speeded up. Suddenly, Joyce bolted for the hallway.
"I have to shower," she added, rushing to the stairs.
Buffy followed her to the hallway. Angel stayed where he was, keeping his back turned because of his suspicion of what came next. And he was right. Joyce was barely halfway up the stairs when her blouse fell from her shoulders, landing on the steps. She disappeared down the upstairs hallway toward the bathroom already working on her skirt's zipper.
Buffy stood at the bottom of the stairs, her face twisted with worry. When Angel stepped up beside her and put his arm around her shoulder, Buffy leaned into his comforting embrace. She waited until she heard the water come on upstairs before stepping out from Angel's arm. And noticed Willow standing motionless by the hall table, staring at the receiver in her hand as if it were some strange experiment gone awry.
"Will?" Buffy asked, "Did you get through to Xander? I think we're gonna need backup testimony for some of this."
"Hunh?" Willow replied slowly, not quite in the here and now, "What?"
"Willow?" Buffy prodded, "Telephone? Xander? Did you get through?"
"Um, yeah," Willow sighed, finally hanging up the receiver.
"Well?" Buffy prompted, "Is he coming or not?"
"You know how we've been wondering why Cordelia and Xander have been acting so weird this past month?" Willow asked.
"Yeah?" Buffy replied, confused by the non sequitur.
"I think I know what's causing it."
"What do you mean?"
"They're together."
"Will, you're not making any sense."
"Cordelia was there. *At Xander's house*!"
"What?!?" Buffy was as shocked as Willow looked, "Are you certain?"
"Yes," Willow whispered disconsolately, "When Xander answered the phone, he was out of breath. Then there was *Cordelia's* voice saying 'call back later, Xander's busy'. I think I interrupted them."
Buffy's mouth dropped open in shock. Xander and Cordelia? Together? *Xander* and *Cordelia*?!? There had to be some weird Hellmouth thing behind *that*. She walked over and picked up the phone, punching the numbers harder than necessary.
"Hello?" Xander's voice sounded normal to Buffy's ears.
"Xander," she replied, "It's Buffy."
"Hey Buffster," Xander declared, "I was just going to call you. Is Willow still there? She was going to come over and help with the math tonight when you two got finished doing the girl thing."
"Sorry, Xand," Buffy answered, listening closely to see if she could hear anything incriminating in the background, "You're on your own mathwise tonight. Something's come up here."
"What's up, Buff?" Xander asked, "Anything I can help with?"
"Not right now," Buffy sighed. If there was something going on between him and Cordelia, tonight was not the time for that revelation. There was already enough on everyone's minds. She would just have to do her best telling her mother about the Bazoar without Xander's backup testimony.
"It's just that....," she continued, pausing to take a deep breath, "The Crime Club is about to induct a new member."
"*What*?" Xander's voice took on a slightly hysterical edge, "Buffy, what's going on? What happened? Who is it?"
"Xander!" Buffy interrupted him before he could ask any more questions, "My Mom found out. She was attacked by a couple of vamps outside the Gallery. Angel rescued her. But when she got home we had a repeat performance on the front lawn. I staked Lyle Gorch and another vamp right in front of her. And Willow bagged the last one with my crossbow. My Mom saw it all. Giles is on his way over right now to help me and Willow explain things."
"You sure you don't want me to come over?" Xander asked, his voice betraying his unease at Buffy's revelation, "I know Giles is the Answerman and everything, but you don't need my help?"
"It's all right, Xander," Buffy insisted, "We can handle it. I'll see you tomorrow."
"If you're sure?" Xander added.
"I'm sure, Xand. Bye."
"Bye."
Buffy hung up. She glanced up the stairs as she moved to join Willow and Angel in the livingroom. An uneasy silence descended.
* * *
After several minutes the tense quiet, broken only by the steady drone of the shower running upstairs, began to grate on Buffy's nerves. She rose from the couch and began to pace restlessly. Back and forth between the foot of the stairs and the front window. Back and forth, pausing briefly at the end of each leg to check for either the appearance of her mother or Giles' arrival.
"I'm gonna check on my Mom," Buffy suddenly announced, starting for the stairs, "Keep an eye out for Giles, he should be here any second."
Buffy ran up the stairs, not waiting for either Angel or Willow to acknowledge her. She knocked, somewhat hesitantly, on the bathroom door.
"Mom?"
No answer.
"Mom?" Buffy called again, a little louder.
Still no reply.
Buffy opened the door and tentatively stuck her head into the steam-filled room.
"Mom?" she called for the third time.
The faint sounds of sobs brought her completely into the room and up to the tub. Pulling aside the shower curtain, Buffy's heart leapt into her throat. Her mother sat, huddled on the bottom of the tub in a fetal position, shivering despite the scalding water raining down on her. Her eyes were clenched tightly shut and her shoulders shook.
Buffy reached out and turned off the water. She grabbed a towel from the bar on the wall beside the shower and drew it around Joyce's shoulders. Or, attempted to. Joyce flinched away from the slight contact with a shriek.
"Mom!" Buffy cried, hopping into the tub, "Mom, it's me. You're safe."
[Whoa, deja vu,] Buffy thought as she firmly wrapped the towel around her mother's shoulders, [Except for the wet part.]
"I've got you, Mom," she continued soothingly, "Nothing can hurt you here. Everything will be all right."
Joyce slowly began to relax and allowed her daughter to help her from the tub. She dried herself off, leaning heavily on Buffy's shoulder. The shock and hysteria were starting to wear off. As she let Buffy lead her to her room for some clothes, Joyce mustered as much calm and control as possible to face the memories of tonight's events. She was going to want some damned good answers from Buffy and the others about all this.
* * *
Willow nearly bolted from the couch when the doorbell rang. Finally. The silence that had permeated the house since the water upstairs was shut off had been practically unbearable. But Angel had gone into Silent Brood Mode in the corner and she refused to show her anxiety by babbling. Relieved that something was happening, Willow rushed to the door and threw it open.
"Giles!," she shouted, "What took you so long?"
"I had to stop by the library," Giles explained, "For the volume with the information on the Bazoar. Is everyone all right? No one was harmed?"
"I think Buffy's Mom is pretty wigged," Willow told Giles as she virtually dragged him by the sleeve into the living room, "But nobody got hurt. This is *not* good, Giles. Mrs. Summers *saw* Buffy stake a couple of vampires. And she saw Angel's game face."
"She also staked a pair herself," Angel added from his position in the shadowy corner.
Giles stopped dead in his tracks. His mind had almost come to grips with tonight's surprises on the way over, but Angel's revelation derailed his train of thought again. He almost didn't even notice a pair of stakes and Buffy's crossbow sitting openly on the coffee table when he sat down, his mind still reeling with the implications of Joyce Summers discovering her daughter's "hobby".
Giles dropped the books on the table next to the crossbow and stakes.
"Very well," he said, "I'm still a little in the dark here. Will someone please explain what happened?"
Willow and Angel exchanged a look before she motioned for him to start.
* * *
Joyce and Buffy entered the living room to find a tense silence hanging over its occupants. Joyce was surprised by the presence of the school's librarian, Mr. Giles. Then she remembered something from last week, when Buffy hadn't been in the library when she'd gone to pick her up.
///Joyce glanced down at the books lying on the top of the card catalogue.
"'Bristol's Demon Index'?" Joyce asked, "'Hell's Offspring'?"
"A hobby of mine," Giles replied, picking up the books and placing them on a shelf inside the cage, "But...uh...having nothing to do with Buffy in any way."///
Later that night, while frantically searching for Buffy in the wake of the gas leak, Joyce had forgotten Giles' odd comment. But now, it was another piece to a puzzle Joyce had never even known existed. All those times Giles had called, or come to the house, looking for Buffy because of something going on at the library now seemed to have a sinister edge.
[He knows,] Joyce thought, [He's known all along and kept it from me!]
"You!!" Joyce snarled at Giles, advancing menacingly on the tweed clad man, "How *DARE* you! How could get my daughter involved in this nonsense?"
Willow brought her knees up to her chest on the end of the couch. Even though this example of parental wrath wasn't aimed in her direction, Willow made herself as small and inconspicuous as possible. She knew she could find herself under Mrs. Summers baleful glare at any point. And she dreaded it, knowing that it was inevitable. Mrs. Summers would undoubtably realize that Willow was deeply involved with Buffy's secret.
Angel stayed in his corner. He had no desire to step in. Joyce needed to get the anger out of her system if there was any chance of getting her to listen to the truth. Right now she seemed to be in pure overprotective lioness mode and Giles would just have to deal with Joyce's ire. He probably had the best shot at making her listen, anyway.
Giles pressed himself deep into the chair. Joyce's white terrycloth robe covering her pale blue pyjamas did nothing to lessen the fire in her eyes or the set of her jaw. He blinked, suddenly seeing Buffy as she might look if she survives Slaying for twenty years. Giles opened his mouth to say something, anything, which might calm the raging Valkyrie in front of him. But Buffy got there first.
"Mom!" Buffy cried, grabbing Joyce's arm, "Giles didn't start anything! Just let us explain!"
"Buffy. Sit. Down. And. Be. Quiet," Joyce said through clenched teeth before rounding on Giles again, "You *bastard*! Buffy's a teenager, I expect a certain amount of rebelliousness and evasiveness from *her*. I can still remember what it was like to be one. But *you*, you are supposed to be an adult. Responsible. How dare you involve my daughter in your delusions? I want some answers and I want them *now*. Just what the Hell is going on? And when did it start?"
"It started back in LA before I got expelled from Hemery," Buffy stated from behind Joyce's shoulder, "And there's nothing delusional about all this. This is the dark side of reality, Mom."
"What?" Joyce asked, whirling on her daughter in shock.
"It started back in LA," Buffy repeated, "All those fights. That 'bad crowd' you always talk about. That was all about vampires. I had to burn down the gym because it was full of vampires and that was the only way I could stop them."
Joyce's eyes darted from Buffy's set face around the other occupants. They all looked deadly serious. Joyce didn't resist when Buffy took her arm and led her to the couch. She practically collapsed onto it, shaking her head.
[This is *not* happening!] the rational, logical part of her mind kept insisting, [Vampires do not exist. Those men could not have turned to dust. *I* must have been hallucinating. I'm having a breakdown, that's the only explanation that makes sense.]
"Mom, I know this is hard," Buffy said, sitting on the couch between her mother and Willow, "But it's the truth. And I know how you're feeling, I didn't believe it at first either. Please, Mom. You have to listen to us."
"What is going on?" Joyce whispered.
"Vampires are real, Mom," Buffy stated, "And it's my destiny to fight them. There's nothing you can change. You're just gonna have to accept it."
"Well I *don't* accept it!" Joyce blurted, "There has to be another explanation! This is *not* possible!"
"Giles, help," Buffy sighed, "You do the whole explanation thing better than me."
"I'm afraid Buffy is essentially correct, Mrs. Summers," Giles said quietly when Joyce looked at him, "Vampires are definitely all too real. And Buffy is the only one capable of fighting them effectively."
Joyce looked away from Giles. She couldn't accept the sad agreement she saw in Buffy's eyes. Joyce looked past her daughter to the other girl on the end of the couch. Willow looked back at Joyce's pale face and nodded confirmation. Joyce's eyes flicked to the corner Angel had ensconced himself in. He just looked back, his face blank. Then he nodded as well.
"Maybe you should start at the beginning Giles," Buffy suggested, "Give her the whole deep background thing."
Giles cleared his throat nervously as Joyce turned to face him.
"Yes, I suppose that's best," he sighed, then looked Joyce directly in the eye, "This world is far older than anyone knows. Contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold aeons demons walked the Earth. They made it their home, their Hell. But as time progressed, they lost their purchase on this reality. The way was made for mortal animals, for Man. All that remains of the old ones are vestiges, certain magics, certain creatures..."
"And vampires," Buffy added.
Joyce looked from one face to another, still not wanting to believe this. But her resistance was beginning to fade. They all seemed so sure, so serious, despite the unbelievability of the subject matter.
"Yes," Giles continued after sparing Buffy a reproving glance for interrupting him, "The books tell that the last demon to leave this reality fed off a human, mixed their blood. He became a human form possessed, infected by the demon's soul. He bit another, and another, and so they walk the Earth, feeding. Killing some, mixing their blood with others to make more of their kind. Waiting for the animals to die out, and the old ones to return."
"But what does any of that have to do with Buffy?" Joyce asked.
"I'm the Slayer," Buffy replied, as if that explained everything.
"The 'Slayer'?" Joyce questioned.
"Into each generation a Slayer is born," Giles answered, ignoring Buffy rolling her eyes at his lecturing tone, "One girl in all the world, a Chosen One, one born with the skill and the strength to hunt the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil and protect the world."
"I don't believe this!" Joyce shouted, jumping up and starting to pace, "This *can't* be happening!"
"Mom!" Buffy exclaimed, getting up to stand in front of her mother. She was beginning to get desperate, wanting to make her mother see past her denial, "It's the truth. You *saw* those vamps outside turn to dust when I staked them. And those other ones earlier outside the Gallery when Angel rescued you. It's all real. You have to understand it."
"I don't know *what* I saw," Joyce retorted, her mind still clinging to the idea that this was all some sort of horrible nightmare, "Or think I saw. This is impossible."
Buffy looked at Giles and Willow, at a loss. This was much harder than she'd anticipated. Her mother was refusing to accept something that was staring her in the face.
[Staring her in the face?] Buffy thought suddenly, turning to Angel.
"Angel, come here."
Angel was at her side immediately. He looked into her eyes and took a step back. He couldn't believe she was thinking what he thought she was thinking. Her face hardened.
"That is not a good idea right now, Buffy," he warned, "Your Mom's already been through a lot tonight. Don't you think she's had enough shocks?"
"Angel," Buffy commanded, "Game face. Now."
Angel sighed and looked down. He thought Buffy was pushing too hard and too fast, but Joyce's continued refusal to believe what they were telling her had reached a point where he accepted that it would take something this drastic to make her see the truth. He allowed the demon to surface, his face transforming to reveal the vampire, and raised his head to look straight at Joyce.
Joyce's hand flew to her mouth to try and hold back the shriek that threatened to escape when Angel looked at her. Her eyes widened as she forced herself to take a long look at the pronounced brow ridges, the glowing yellow eyes, and the fangs visible through his parted lips. Giles immediately stepped up to her side to catch her in case she fainted. He shot a glare at Buffy, telling her wordlessly that he thought she was being too abrupt. Joyce continued staring at the horrible visage where a handsome young man had been standing just seconds before.
"Buffy," Angel said quietly, rolling up his sleeve, "Your cross."
Buffy blinked at him. She looked back at her mother's pallid face and sighed. This was going a bit father than she'd expect to have to, but Angel had a point. If her Mom still wasn't accepting everything, going whole hog would be necessary. She reached up and undid the clasp of the chain around her neck. She held out the cross. Angel nodded to her and, with a grimace, Buffy pressed the cross against his bare arm.
In the dead silence, the faint sizzle that started the moment the cross touched Angel's flesh sounded very loud. Buffy pulled the cross away quickly when a wisp of smoke began rising from Angel's arm. Angel held his arm out, the cross shaped burn clearly visible. Giles slipped his arm around Joyce's waist as her knees buckled. He helped her the few steps to the couch and sat her down.
"Oh my God," Joyce whispered, her denial finally crumbling.
Buffy hurried to her mother's side, taking Joyce trembling hand in her own.
"Mom," she whispered, "I'm sorry about that, but I had to make you see that we're telling you the truth. I know this has all come at you pretty fast. And it's a big shock. But we'll deal. God, I've wanted to tell you this for so long, I just didn't want to put you in danger. I hated keeping this quiet, knowing you didn't understand why I was always in so much trouble because of what I am. And I didn't want to worry about me. I can take care of myself."
"Oh, Buffy," Joyce breathed, gathering her daughter into a hug, "I'll always worry about you, you're my daughter. I know you can take care of yourself, but a mother worries. It just is."
Willow watched the pair on the couch for several seconds before turning to Giles and Angel.
"I think the worst is over," she said quietly so as not to interrupt Buffy and her Mom, "Maybe this is the point where we should leave?"
"You may be right, Willow," Giles acknowledged.
"Wait," Joyce said as they turned toward the door, "There's still something I want to know."
Everyone looked at her expectantly. Angel began to feel uncomfortable when her gaze settled on him.
"If you're a vampire," Joyce asked, her voice a little unsteady, "Does that mean you drink blood? Feed on people?"
"I used to," Angel replied, cutting off Buffy as she opened her mouth, "But not for a long time."
"Angel's a special case," Buffy added.
"He has a soul," Willow confirmed.
"What?" Joyce said, confused.
"I'll explain," Angel sighed, motioning for Willow and Buffy to let him speak, "When you become a vampire, the demon gets your body. But not your soul, that's gone. After I turned, I.... wreaked havoc for a long time. No guilt. No remorse. Then, I fed on a Gypsy girl. Her people reacted by punishing me with the worst thing they could come up with. They cursed me. Brought back my soul. You can't begin to imagine what it's like to have done the things I've done and still care. I haven't fed off a living human since that day."
"Now he helps us out with the Slayage," Buffy added, "He brings us information on what the local undead are up to so I can stop it."
"Us?" Joyce asked.
"Well," Buffy spoke slowly, she knew this part would be hard for her mother, "Giles is my Watcher. He researches prophecies, demons, what vamps might in the neighbourhood and what there weaknesses are. And he teaches me how to fight. Well, more like acts as a live punching bag while I practice. I try not to hurt him. Much."
Giles cheeks coloured slightly. He knew Buffy usually held back when they sparred, but this was the first time she'd actually admitted it.
"And Willow?" Joyce asked.
"She stumbled on to the truth about me," Buffy said, "And refused to stumble back out of it."
"Buffy saved my life," Willow added, "So now I help out with the research and stuff. I can usually dig up stuff on the Net we can use. Almost as much as what Giles has in those books of his. Xander and Cordy help out, too. I like to call us the Slayerettes."
"Do your parents know?" Joyce wondered, "Am I the only one who didn't?"
"Oh no," Willow replied, her expression stricken, "You won't tell them, will you? Please don't tell them. I don't want them to worry. I'm careful, and I try to stay out of the actual Slaying."
Joyce looked at Giles. His expression was certainly revealing. She could see the concern on his face. He worried about the children's involvement, she could tell. And when he exchanged a speaking look with Buffy, she realized he worried about her daughter as well.
"All right," Joyce acquiesced, "But it's getting late. You should probably be getting home, Willow. Will you be okay, or should I drive you?"
"I can walk her home," Angel offered, his eyes finding Buffy's.
"I'll be safe with Angel," Willow said, catching Buffy's nod and grin.
"Mr. Giles," Joyce added, "Would you mind staying? I'd like to speak with some more about all this."
Again, Joyce noticed the silent exchange between the librarian and her daughter. From the corner of her eye, she saw Buffy's barely perceptible nod before her daughter got up to escort the others to the door. Giles returned to the chair and prepared himself for the barrage of questions he was sure Joyce was about to ask.
"You were pretty good with my crossbow, Willow," Buffy said as she opened the front door, "Have you been practicing without telling me?"
Willow looked down and shuffled her feet nervously.
"Yes," she confessed, "After what happened the night of the Spring Fling, I asked Giles to teach me how to use a crossbow. I had to work on him for a while before he agreed, but he has been teaching me."
"Why, Will?" Buffy asked, curious.
"I can't fight like you can, Buffy," Willow replied, "So I thought I'd better learn how to use something with a little more range. Just in case. And I wanted to be able to do *something* if you ever needed backup sometime. It came in handy tonight, didn't it?"
"Will, you are the best," Buffy asserted, drawing her friend into a hug, "But you be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you, so no independent safaris, okay?"
"Okay," Willow assured her friend, "Besides, dust doesn't make a very noteworthy trophy. Hard to hang of the wall."
Buffy chuckled and playfully swatted Willow on the arm. She gave Angel a hug and closed the door behind them.
Buffy stuck her head back into the living room to find her mother and her Watcher deeply involved in their discussion. Buffy wasn't sure she wanted to know what they were talking about, but she hoped Giles would be careful about what he said. Her mother may have come around and accepted the whole Slayer deal, but some of the gang's past experiences should probably not be revealed right now. Her Mom needed more time to let it all sink in before that happened.
"I'm gonna go to bed now," Buffy said, interrupting them, "Or do you want me stay down here and talk some more?"
"You go on up, Buffy," Joyce told her, "I'm sure we'll be having a lot of talks about everything over the next few days. And I think I need a little time to really take this all in. I won't keep Mr. Giles too long, honey."
"Okay, Mom," Buffy replied, "Night Mom, Giles."
Giles smiled slightly as he watched his Slayer head up the stairs before turning his attention back to Joyce. He would make every effort to help Mrs. Summers cope with the knowledge that had been revealed tonight. He could almost sense the same strength he so admired in Buffy in her mother as well. It may take a little time, and there would undoubtably be difficulties, but he was sure Joyce would eventually be accepting of her daughter's destiny.
THE END
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