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Chapter 8

Giles ushered Joyce into his apartment. He was just getting her settled when he heard heavy footsteps on the stairs and a voice floated down.

"Oi, Watcher? The Slayer wants to know where you hide the good shampoo? When you had me chained to the tub, you hid it in the upstairs linen closet. She's right particular about what she puts on that shampoo commercial hair of hers.”

When Spike reached the bottom of the stairs, he noticed Joyce. His eyes moistened as he gazed upon the woman he had looked on both as a friend and a second mother. He whispered his name for her as one might whisper a prayer, “Mum.”

Joyce felt an overwhelming need to offer Spike comfort. She opened her arms to him and invited him in. As her arms wrapped tightly around the tearful vampire, she internally recognized him as one of her own; another child to love and protect. Her own eyes filled with tears of joy. Pulling slightly back from him to gaze into his tear streaked face, she smiled and offered him the most wonderful words he’d heard in more than a century. “Welcome home.”

Turning slightly to face the smiling watcher, Joyce shot him a look that promised pain and lots of it, her voice cold enough to freeze flame. “You chained him to your bathtub?”

Spike chuckled warmly, delighted at her protective stance. “It’s not like that, mum. It was the watcher from my time and I’d given him plenty of reason not to trust me. This one’s been nothin’ but kind to me.”

“SPIKE!” Buffy bellowed from the bathroom. “Where’s that shampoo?”

"Comin’, luv." Spike rolled his eyes at Joyce.

"EWWWWW!" she cried. her joke not successfully disguised as disgust.

"And she thinks I have a dirty mind," He chuckled.

Giles calmly walked to the bathroom door, “It’s in the cupboard under the sink, dear,” he informed her through the door, almost positive that he heard an embarrassed little ‘eep’ before she thanked him.

As Giles moved to rejoin Spike and Joyce in the living room, his front door was accosted by an abusive knocker and was opened before anyone could move.

“OH, MY GOD!” Dawn stood stock still at the sight of her mother hugging Spike. Evil Spike. Evil Chipless Spike.

“Easy on the ears there, Nibblet.” Spike grinned at the girl. This was his Dawn; he didn’t know how he knew it, but he did.

Dawn’s look of shock was exchanged for one of hope, as she asked in a voice that trembled with emotion. “Spike? My Spike?” His nod and gentle smile had her almost leaping into his comforting embrace. She wasn’t alone; her best friend was here too. She promptly burst into tears.

“Dawnie?” Buffy’s voice trembled as she spotted her weeping sister in the arms of her vampire.

“Buffy?” Joyce paused mid-step in her move towards her younger, weeping daughter.

“Mommy?” both girls whispered in prayer-like unison. Time seemed to freeze for an instant and then both weeping girls were in their mother’s arms.

~*~*~

The younger Buffy was busily doling out punch into cups, getting ready for the arrival of parents for Parent-Teacher night, when Willow approached her.

“What kinda punch did you make?”

“Uh…lemonade.” Buffy smiled, handing Willow a cup. “I made it fresh and everything.”

“How much sugar did you use?” Willow asked, smiling at her friend and taking a sip.

“Sugar?” Buffy questioned vacuously, her eyes wide in confusion. Looking back at the punchbowl, she failed to see Willow’s grimace at the incredibly sour taste of the lemonade.

“It's very good,” Willow offered loyally.

Buffy looked around the room to assure herself that there were no unwanted ears listening. Leaning into her friend conspiratorially, Buffy kept her voice low. “I had this dream last night about some droolworthy guy who sooo wasn’t Angel.”

“Really?” Willow asked excitedly.

“Uh huh! Wicked hot, and I think it was a Slayer Dream,” Buffy informed her. “It felt like I was being introduced to him or something; like I was destined to meet him and that he’s like really important to my future.”

“Have you told Giles? I mean with him being your watcher and you being the Slayer and it being a Slayer Dream, shouldn’t you be sorta going with the telling? ‘Cause he would be able to explain it and what are you going to do about Angel? Aren’t you sort of in love with him, ‘cause new guy could kinda cause you a problem there?” Willow babbled.

“Nah, I haven’t said anything,” Buffy admitted sheepishly, “I kinda wanted to see if I had…you know…another one tonight.”

“That good, huh?” Willow smiled at her friend.

“Better than chocolate,” Buffy assured her.

“Better than chocolate?” Willow responded, shocked.

“Ya huh,” Buffy confirmed.

“But what about Angel, Buffy?” Willow asked, her voiced laced with concern.

“Oh, he wasn’t in it. Just the blond hottie,” Buffy informed her friend cluelessly.

~*~*~

Angel awkwardly sat in his one chair in his dark basement apartment, morosely going over his meeting with the mother of his love. His demon was furious at Giles’ dismissal of him. How dare Giles discard him like that? He wasn’t even given the opportunity to prove he was a good man to Joyce. And Joyce; what was that ‘call me Mrs. Summers’ crap about? Angel shook his head in disbelief.

Buffy was not going to be happy when she found out that Giles had gone behind her back and informed her mother about her slayer destiny. Why was it now that Giles had suddenly decided to tell Joyce? And there was no way he was calling her Mrs. Summers, he was six times her age.

There was something wrong here; he could almost smell it. Giles had been adamant that Buffy keep her slayer identity secret. He wondered what could have changed the watcher’s mind and why now? Clearly there was something going on that he was not privy to. He was going to have to do something about that. How was he supposed to do what was best for Buffy if he wasn’t told everything? It looked like a little visit to the library was in order for the evening. It was time he and the watcher had a conversation. After all, he was the one who was chosen by the powers to help her. How could he do that if they withheld information? He was only trying to help. Giles should understand that he, Angel, always knew what was best.

Moving to the fridge to get himself some blood, Angel’s thoughts again returned to the meeting with Joyce. While he warmed up his blood in the microwave, he thought about her reactions to him. Granted, she may have had reason to be a little ticked over the tutor thing. After all, Buffy did lie to her. But it’s not like it was his fault. He didn’t tell Buffy to lie to her mother. If anyone was to blame, it should be Giles. He was the one that wanted Buffy to lie. Maybe letting Joyce know that would be the right thing to do?

He knew that Joyce might feel he was a little old for her daughter, that maybe their beautiful relationship was wrong, but he felt sure that if he explained to her that he was Buffy’s soulmate and that their love was true love and that true love can't be wrong, she would eagerly offer her support. Yes, Buffy was young and innocent, but he wasn't that much older when he was turned. Only twenty nine.





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