What I Am
by sailor80
Eighteen
[reviews]
Willow frowned as Giles' phone continued to ring. After 20, she replaced the receiver and returned to the couch. Buffy was fiddling with the bag of peas on her knee. "Leave them there," Willow told her.
"What did Giles say?"
Willow considered lying . "No answer," she said.
"When did Giles get a life?" Buffy wondered aloud.
Willow shrugged. Before she could say anything, Joyce let herself in the door. "Hi, girls."
"Hi, Mom."
"Buffy are you all right?" Joyce came to the couch. She put her purse in a chair and looked at her knee. "What on earth happened?"
"Big demon." Buffy said.
"Have you had this looked at?" Joyce asked. She looked at Willow.
"I'll go in the morning if it's still bad," Buffy promised.
"You'll go now." Joyce told her firmly.
"Mo-om," Buffy whined. Willow choked back a snicker as Buffy glared at her.
Joyce smiled sweetly at her daughter. "You can go voluntarily, or I can call the ambulance."
Buffy realized she was defeated and frowned. "Can I at least have some shorts?"
"Sure, honey." Joyce turned her gaze to Willow.
"On it," Willow answered, and hurried toward the stairs.
"Crutches, too. They're in the bathroom closet, Joyce called up the stairs. She smiled at Buffy and shook her head. "Did you call Giles?"
"No answer." Buffy continued to sulk.
"Where's Faith?"
"Asleep, I guess." Buffy looked at her mother and pleaded again, "Can't we wait until tomorrow?"
"I don't think so," Joyce frowned. Buffy huffed and closed her eyes. She opened them again to see Willow with a pair of blue shorts. Buffy let Willow put the shorts on. She swung her legs to the floor, grimacing when her knee tried to bend. Buffy got to her feet on the crutches with a grunt, and stood with her eyes closed for a moment. Sweat popped out on her forehead, and Willow put her hand at Buffy's waist to steady her.
Buffy got out to the Jeep. As she slid across the back seat, Giles' car pulled up across the driveway. Spike got out and called Willow. "Red, c'mere a minute."
Willow waited until Buffy was in the vehicle before turning toward Spike. "What are you doing with Giles' car?"
"It's a bit of a story, luv, and the Watcher needs some witchy help."
"We're taking Buffy to the emergency room." Willow frowned at the sounds coming out of Giles' car. "Who's in there with you?"
"The Watcher." Spike raised his right hand and looked earnest. "Honest."
Willow looked uncertainly between the vehicles. Then she turned to Joyce. "Let me get Tara and Faith to help Giles, ok? I'll be right back." She dashed toward the house without waiting for an answer.
Joyce got into the car and locked the doors.
"What's going on, Mom?"
"That blond boy is here with Mr. Giles."
"Giles is here? Great! He can look at my knee."
"I don't think so, honey. He needs some kind of help."
"Mom, go see what's wrong with him," Buffy demanded.
"Willow's getting Faith and Tara up. They'll help him."
Although it was open, Willow knocked on the door. Tara sat up and asked sleepily, "What?"
"I'm really sorry to wake you up, but Spike is downstairs with Giles, and he says Giles needs some kind of magic help and we're taking Buffy to the emergency room to get her knee checked out, and I was hoping you could take care of it."
Tara just looked at Willow while the words soaked in. "Ok," she said finally.
"You'll probably need Faith, too."
"Ok," Tara repeated.
"Thanks so much," Willow said, and headed back downstairs before Tara could say anything else.
Tara stretched. Then she leaned over Faith and kissed her cheek. "What?" Faith grumbled.
"We need to get up. Willow said Mr. Giles needs us do something."
"Let Buffy do it."
"She can't."
"Why?"
"C'mon, Faith, get up."
Faith grumbled, but sat up. She tried to stretch, but her side stopped her. Faith stood up and yawned. "Where'd you put my stuff?"
Tara pointed, then opened a drawer and pulled out a shirt. She put it on and walked past Faith to the closet and got a skirt. She handed a pair of pants back to Faith, who sat on the bed to put them on. She was obviously tender, and slid her feet into sneakers that were a size too large. She yawned again, and moved toward Tara, who waited in the doorway.
They made their way downstairs. Faith frowned as they neared the door. She held Tara back with one hand and opened the door. Spike was leaning against the porch support smoking a cigarette. Faith looked longingly at it before demanding, "Whaddya want?"
"Red said your bird would help the Watcher. " Spike offered his pack to Faith.
She shook her head. "If this is a trick," she threatened.
"I'm chipped, remember?" Spike said bitterly.
Faith eyed him one more time before pushing the door open so Tara could come out. "Where is he?"
"In the car." Spike went toward it.
Faith followed him. Tara stayed behind her. Spike opened the rear door on the driver's side. Faith started to get in, then back out so quickly that she cracked her head on the door frame. "There's a freaking demon in there," she yelled at Spike.
"That's the Watcher," Spike replied calmly. A low rumble came from the car, and Tara looked toward it uncertainly. "He says it's a spell."
"What is he?" Faith asked.
"A Fyarl demon."
"And you understand him?"
"Oh, yeah. They're good to have on your side in a fight." Spiked dropped the cigarette butt. He ground it out and got into the driver's seat. "C'mon, now, girls, before the neighbors get more riled."
Tara and Faith looked at each other and shrugged. Faith got in first and Tara slid in beside her. As soon as she closed the door, Spike began backing out of the driveway. He sped to Giles' condo. Giles rumbled the whole way there.
Fortunately, no lights were on in the adjacent units, and they got in without attracting notice. Spike closed the door behind them. "Right, then, I'll let you lot get to work." He sprawled on the couch and turned on the television.
"We need you to translate," Faith said. She turned to Giles. "What happened."
"He had a drink with an old pal who likes to play tricks on people. You weren't here last time he was in town. Shame. That was great fun." Spike sat up and ignored Giles' glare. "He magicked all the Halloween costumes so that all the little kiddies turned into their costumes." Spike smirked. "Almost got her that time."
"Don't piss me off, Spike," Faith threatened.
"Oh, what're you going to do? Stake me?"
"There's worse things than that," she smiled at him.
Giles rumbled and shook a finger at them.
"Ah, we're just havin' some fun, right, Faith?" Spike said.
"Whatever. What do you need?" Faith asked.
Giles pointed toward the bookshelf and Faith groaned. "I'm told you, I'm not doin' research."
Tara walked to the bookcase. Giles pointed at volumes and she pulled them from the shelves. When her arms were full, he pointed her toward the table. Faith plopped on the couch, and Spike glared at her. She ignored him, put her boots on the table and leaned back. "What's on the Creature Feature?"
Spike pointed the remote at the television. They ran through the channels and wound up on Faith's choice. "Frankenstein."
Giles rumbled and Spike snickered. "It is that, mate."
"What?" Faith asked.
"A bit close to home." Spike slid down the couch and made himself comfortable. He watched the movie after that.
Faith watched, too, and then her eyes began to close. She slid further down the couch and landed on the floor with a thump. "Damn it," she cursed, and weighed the benefits of staying on the floor. She got up gingerly, and walked to the table. She took the chair beside Tara and got comfortable. Faith dozed after that, intermittently aware of the odd conversation between Giles and Spike and Tara.
Tara woke her after a few hours. "I need to get some things," she said softly. "Spike said he can get us into the magic shop. Apparently, it's closed."
"Yeah," Faith sat up and rolled her shoulders. "Place goes through owners like crazy. You think they'd have enough sense to at least pick up the welcome mat." She looked warily at the demon sitting across the table. "You gotta admit, you look rough and tough like this."
Spike didn't need to translate Giles' growl at the Slayer. Faith raised her hands. "Ok, ok, I didn't mean nothin' by it."
They returned to Gile's ancient Citroen. Spike drove again, and Tara found a strap to hang on to during this ride. He pulled into an alley and turned off the lights. Halfway through, he turned off the engine. He got out, and Tara and Faith followed him to a metal door.
They couldn't see what Spike did to open the door, but it opened easily for him. He turned on a light and pointed toward a door. "Good stuff's in the basement." He lit a match on his nail, further chipping the black paint, and lit a cigarette. "C'mon, now, birds, Uncle Spike's on a bit of a timetable. Chop chop."
Faith glared at him again, but followed Tara to and through the door the vampire pointed at. Tara found the light switch where she expected it, and was glad that the lighting was bright. Basements reminded her of things she'd rather forget.
At the bottom of the steps, Tara pulled a list from her pocket. She read off the items on it, and they began to hunt. It took nearly 20 minutes to gather all of the ingredients. They hurried back upstairs. Faith saw the bulging pockets of Spike's leather duster, but let it pass. She was still tired, and her ribs ached. They got back in Giles' battered old car for another reckless, careeening ride.
Buffy held Willow's hand and smiled hugely at her. "Hi, Will," she said through giggles.
"Hi, Buff." Willow kissed her cheek, then lifted the sheet.
Buffy giggled again. "Shh," she quieted herself. "Mom's here."
Willow looked at the splint encasing Buffy's leg from hip to ankle. Joyce was talking with the doctor in the hall, and as much as Willow wanted to hear what he had to stay, she wanted to see for herself more.
The door opened and Joyce stuck her head in. "Willow, honey, we need to go."
"No," Buffy protested.
"I'll stay until you're asleep," Willow said softly.
"Kay." Buffy beamed at Wilow.
"Ok," Willow answered with a smile. She stroked Buffy's hair. "It's been a long day, sweetheart. Don't fight the medicine."
Buffy yawned, and Willow continued her methodical stroking of Buffy's hair while the Slayer's eyes fluttered. Finally, they closed and stayed closed. Willow kissed Buffy's hand before releasing it and going into the hall. She followed Joyce to the car silently.
On the ride home, Joyce relayed what the doctor had said. Buffy would probably come home the next day with a referral to an orthopedist. Willow bit her lip. There was too much going on for them to lose Buffy. They would all be needed to defeat Adam, and even that might not be enough. But without Buffy, Willow knew they had no real chance to win. Her dark thoughts followed her into sleep, but every time in her dreams, Buffy came to save the day.