Chapter Four - Joyce "Mike Tyson" Summers

Beta by Spikeslovebite aka Tam, aka my evil twin Skippy :P

Hospital same afternoon/evening

William walked into his daughter’s room with a smile. The chit had drawing paper spread out around her, all of it filled with diagrams and notes. His eldest was adesigner/inventor. If the girl could think it up, she could design it so that it worked. Well, as far as weapons went. Some of her other inventions were rather spectacular failures.

"What are you working on, bit?" he asked

Joyce looked up with a frown. "How many times have you watched the Batman movies?"

"More than a few times, why?" Why did he hate where this was going? He picked up a few discarded drawings and studied them. ‘Chit’s a bloody genius,’ he thought with pride. ‘Bit of an egghead, but beautiful with it. Just like her mum.”

"Saw blades are lame,” Joy offered, drawing quickly. "But large throwing stars about the same size and weight... add in a basic magnetic homing/return device, and presto! Spikearangs."

"Oh, bloody hell." Williams head dropped to his hands. He waved the drawing under her nose. “This is the bloody decelerator you designed when you were thirteen."

"Yep, and we already know that works." Joy was serenely unfazed by her father's attitude. "Now, this? Add lead weights to a spare duster as a weapon, clothes made with a cotton and titanium steel weave for protection and you have yourself a walking tank."

"Luv, the cotton titanium? It’s been proven that without padding you can still die from the shock of a bullet hit." William tried to reason with her.

"True, but for a vamp it would make him damn close to unstoppable if he has the fighting skills." Joy picked up another sheet and began drawing more. "Hmmmm, probably would mean the same for a slayer,” she mused. Her eyes lit up suddenly. “And… If you enchanted them? Made them invisible? They would keep a certain Aunt Key from getting cut."

"Now that I can agree with." William smiled. If Dawn never got cut then Buffy wouldn't have to jump from the tower.

"Can you find a smith to make them?" Joy asked eagerly

"Got just the man for the job, luv."

__________________________

Revello Drive

Joyce had put her daughter to bed. The poor girl was so wracked with grief and weakness she could barely stand. Joyce now understood what had happened and no matter what her daughter or the others said, she now had a stake with a certain broody vampire's name on it. Aerifinn was weaker than her daughter and Joyce had put her in the master bedroom to rest. Joyce was seething at the injustice done her daughter.

*knockknockknock*

She answered the door to a strangely familiar woman. "Mrs. Summers?" The woman asked

"Yes, I am,” Joyce answered. "And you are?"

"You probably don't remember me. I'm nurse Danvers from the hospital," the woman replied. "I was just wondering why you haven't visited your niece in ICU?"

"Niece?" Joyce asked.

"Yes, Joyce Summers Kenticott? Looks just like your daughter Buffy?" Miss Danvers asked. "You didn't know? I thought her Uncle Spike would have told you?"

"Spike?" Joyce spoke the name with surprising calmness. "No, William hasn't told me anything, but he will."

"William?" The nurse continued. "But William is Spike's brother, Joy's father."

"Miss Danvers, could you accompany me to see my 'niece', please?" Joyce was now completely confused.

_____________________________

Magic Box

Spike sauntered into the Magic Box with a chest almost larger than he was balanced on his shoulder. He needed help and wasn't afraid to ask. Especially since he had information to give old Rupes. The entire gang was there, but Spike only wanted to talk to Rupert, and maybe Red. He knew that the whelp was only going to piss him off.

"Rupes?" Spike addressed the watcher. "Rojack demon gave me some info you and the slayer might need."

Xander was on him in an instant, pinning him to the wall and causing Spike to drop the trunk on his head. "Ouch! Xander screamed. “What the hell did you do to Riley, you bleach brained bastard?"

"Bloody hell, Harris." Spike laughed as he watched the boy try to wedge the trunk off of him. "What the hell is going on with white bread?"

"It seems he no longer sees the need to hide his true self," Giles stated.

"Might have been Aerifinn's boys?" Spike suggested casually. It occurred to him that he might have been the cause of whatever Riley was doing. "You know how healers are."

"Of course,” Giles said deep in thought. "Often to heal a problem you must first acknowledge it."

"You can cure a small penis?" Anya asked suddenly.

"Wot?" Spike was loving this.

"Riley is suffering from small penis syndrome,” Anya informed him brightly

"ANYA?" Xander screeched. "We don't know that!" He was out from under the trunk, but made no move to attack Spike.

Spike grabbed the trunk and lifted it onto the research table. He flipped it open, revealing a computer monitor and several CPUs, as well as a couple of notepads.

"Rojack demon gave this to me,” Spike lied to change the subject. "Well; he told it to me and I wrote it down." He handed Giles the note books.

Giles at first scanned the pages and then pulled his glasses off and sat down quickly. "Are you sure of this?"

"As sure as I can be, under the circumstances." Spike put a piece of gum in his mouth. "Rojack's are generally truthful."

_____________________________

Hospital

Joy was still thinking up designs. Her papa had gone to find a weapon's smith, but Joy was caught in the frenzy. Her mum had always sworn that her papa had only needed encouragement to fully change sides sooner and Joy felt a strange pressure to encourage and cheer on this world's Spike anyway she could. She was using the lap top he had brought her, hacking into US government and Initiative funding to finance her current project. The perfect car. Her father refused to even talk to her or Will about a car, but she had designed them before. Here most of her designs were too high tech to be of use, but she was working on it. She lifted her head distractedly when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in,” she called out.

"And you are, young lady?" Joyce asked from the door.

"Nana Joyce?" Joy fumbled off the bed cursing inwardly at her inability to sense her nana.

"Nana?" Joyce asked smiling at the young girl.

"You know, my mum's mum." Joy opted for sitting on the bed. "Please have a seat, please," she offered, remembering her manners.

"Mum's mum?" Joyce was confused but pleased at the girl's reaction. She sat in the hospital chair. "And your father is?"

"William." Joy was sweating bullets for no real reason, but this was her nana. Her long dead nana.

Joyce's face clouded. "And he sent for the healer?"

"No, he mentioned it and Uncle Spike sent for her," Joy said quickly. "Uncle Spike had to agree to the price."

"And the price was?"

"He had to agree to the return of his soul."

_______________________

Revello Drive

Buffy awakened suddenly, heart hardened after what felt like several hours of slayer dreams. For four years her Slayer side had been subdued. Even more so for the last year or two, but now it was back with a vengeance. William, huh? She needed to have conversations, separate conversations with Giles, Xander, 'William', and Riley. Whore, huh? Oh, yeah, the conversations might wind up violent in some cases.

Buffy rolled to her feet and reached for the phone. "Give me Giles."

Buffy listened to Anya rattle on for a moment before interrupting. "Did I ask you about the store? Then kindly give me Giles."

"Giles, call the Council and tell them we are having a Reconfirmation and we need Faith in Sunnydale for it,” Buffy said abruptly. "I'll be there shortly and tell ‘William’ he better have his peroxided ass there."

___________________

Magic Box

Giles stood for a moment staring at the receiver before telling Spike, "Buffy is on her way. She said you better be here when she gets here."

"Oh yeah!" Xander beamed. "Buffy's gonna dust your undead ass."

"I don't think so, Xander." Giles said looking at a startled Spike. He remembered her calling him William. "I really don't think so."

"Oh?' Willow said suddenly wanting to change the subject. "What are the computer parts for?"

"Tagon, a real sicko, had a nest here in Sunnydale over on Broad Street. Broke up the nest and figured he had his money stashed in hidden numbered accounts. 'M guessing the information is on these," Spike told her nervously. "Figured we could use it to bring down Glory and such."

"You took down Tagon?' Giles asked impressed in spite of himself.

"Got Drakken and his boys too." Spike had never minded blowing his own horn. "I'm technically the Master of Sunnydale still, so they were poaching on my bloody territory."

______________________________

Almost an hour later in the Magic Box.

Joyce Summers entered the store in a huff. Upon seeing Spike, she walked right up and hugged the startled vampire. "Thank you."

Spike stood for a moment before he gave in and hugged her. "You're welcome, mum."

"Holy frijoles, Batman! Joyce you're hugging the evil undead. He’s a killer; a monster,” Xander babbled, wondering why anyone would ever hug Spike.

"Xander,” Joyce started evenly. "This evil, undead, killer? This monster? He agreed to accept a soul so that I could be healed and Buffy and Dawn could have a healthy mother." She looked at the boy with a trace of disdain. "Would YOU be willing to make a sacrifice like that?"

"A soul you say?" Giles asked, ever the researcher. Before anyone could answer him, the door was once again flung open and Buffy stormed in. Catching sight of Spike, she walked straight up and decked him. Before he even hit the floor, she flung herself at him and hugged him, whimpering all the while, "Thank you, thank you, thank you...."

"A soul, Spike?" Giles asked the question again.

"Vampires are by nature pack animals, Rupert." Spike smiled fondly at Joyce over Buffy's shoulder. "And Joyce and the Bit are the closest thing I have to Family."

Buffy couldn't believe the comfort she felt in her mortal enemies embrace. Her Slayer side was actually purring. For the first time in forever she felt content. /Pack/ part of her brain tried to concentrate on the conversation. /Pack, this was her pack. They were almost all here. / She looked around at them. They were only missing Dawn and Faith, of all people, and Wesley? She needed her pack here for the fight ahead. /Soul/ filtered through her mind. /Something about a soul/

"A soul,” Buffy said out loud, still in Spike's arms. "For mom?"

"Sure wasn’t for me,” Spike hedged. "Although, I did find out all kinds of nifty benefits come with a vamp getting the soul for himself without it being a curse."

"Benefits?" Giles began to take notes. "What benefits could it have?"

"If my demon wants it and binds to it,” Spike said taking a deep breath. "It gets rid of most vamp weaknesses. Sunlight, holy water, reflection, unbeating heart? No longer a problem."

"So, basically kind of a male slayer?" Buffy asked pulling slightly back from him. The last piece fell in place for her, slayer side shouting ‘I told you so!’ and doing the snoopy dance.

The door to the training room burst open and out stepped Riley Finn.

"Buffy,” Riley acknowledged. "It didn't take you long to find a new fuck-toy."

"Excuse me?" Joyce was pissed enough already. Now she was seeing red.

"Your daughter is a whore, Mrs. Summers. Didn't you know?" Riley said with an evil glint in his eye.

*Wham!*

Joyce’s right fist came from nowhere, smashing Riley's nose all over his face. Blood spurted out, covering the floor around him as he spun in a circle before going down and out on his face.


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