Author's Note: The condition mentioned is indeed real. It's called Porphyria, and has many forms. Please Review.
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NOVEMBER 20, 2027-NEW HOPE CEMETERY-

Joni kicked the leaves as she walked through the rows of stone, keeping her eye out for freshly turned earth and hoping that her father wouldn’t soon be, once again, amongst the dust that lingers here. She, like her parents, had begun to really believe that they’d beaten the virus back. There hadn’t been any new cases in years.

Her parents had been so jubilant that they’d adopted a toddler that the county agencies had had difficulty placing because of a “sunlight allergy.”

Someone at the county home had heard of the Dustins and their interests in cases like hers. Apparently, the woman at the home thought there was something “unnatural” about the little girl. As it turned out, the girl wasn’t “unnatural” at all.

She wasn’t a vampire. Although, she did have a rare genetic enzyme deficiency, that caused her to break out in blisters if she was exposed to the sun for any length of time.

It is this condition that contributed to the “legend” of the vampire. And, who better to care for someone like Mabel than a vampire and a Slayer?

All seemed right with the world. The four of them had started to have a somewhat normal life. A life full of Christmases and birthdays, and parent teacher conferences. It was nice.

But then, two years ago, the “Lace” had mutated drastically from its original strain. Joni wasn’t sure why that had happened. She found out later that the new strain had had something to do with what had happened to her, and her Daddy, when she was a baby.

The new, and more virulent form of Lace was slow and insidious. And, it seemed to zero in on her Daddy. At times, her Daddy was too weak to even lift his own head without help. At other times though, he was able to walk with the aid of a walking stick. It was painful to watch what was happening to him, and to think about what could happen.

It was painful to think that something could be strong enough to bring him down.

Joni had wanted to help. She tried to find out the specifics of her time as a child, thinking that, perhaps the answers lie in there somewhere. But her mother wouldn’t discuss it.

During the bad times, she rarely, if ever, left his sickroom. She would stay there for weeks on end. She wouldn’t eat, or let anyone near her.

At one point, it got so bad, she had to be hospitalized and fed intravenously.

Joni could still remember, and quite vividly, a night when the virus first began its assault. Her Aunt Dawn had insisted that she spend some time with her Aunt Georgie. She had resisted at first. After all, she wasn’t a child. If her father was dying, she had a right to be there when it happened.

Joni could still hear her own voice as it blurted out that thoughtless demand. At the time, she didn’t care if her mother heard, or was hurt. But, she had forgotten about her Daddy. He heard every word.

The door to the sickroom opened then. Joni was not prepared for what staggered out.

Joni had known from childhood that her Daddy was different. She knew he was a vampire. She’d even had an imaginary friend that was one, so the idea of the undead walking never bothered her.

But, her Daddy had never looked more cadaverous than he did when he stepped out of that tiny room. He was skeletal. It made her insides churn just seeing him like that.

The jerky movements as he stepped toward her made her heart sink further. But it was the bone-on-bone grinding of his voice that removed all doubt. This was a walking, talking, corpse standing in front of her. His barren, desolate stare caused her throat to tighten in fear and sympathy.

Bloodless lips parted and the icy plea came slowly, as if filtered through a pain-addled brain that was pushed to its limits and was barely cognizant, “Dove…please. I don’t want to leave you now,” Joni could see that the possibility really did frighten him, as his eyes widened in realization. He closed his eyes, shielding himself from the stark reality of what was happening, “But I’m not good…to be around…right now. Sometimes I don’t know…where I am. Or even if… I don’t know. I need you…safe. Not…here. Take Bee. Please go,” he lowered his eyes, “Someone will tell you…when I’m …safe again. Please…go.”

Joni was unaware of her Mom’s presence until she saw her Daddy start to fall and she rushed to catch him. His body hit the floor before she could. As her Mom’s eyes looked up at her, Joni never realized how bright they were when she was angry, “You heard him,” she said, her voice quaking with rage and grief, “Do this! If not for me, then do it for him. Honor this!”

All she could do was nod. The sight of her Daddy, unconscious on the floor, filling her vision. The idea that she could be responsible for putting her Daddy in that much agony was enough to make her run screaming from the house and never look back.

That was a bad time. But last night was the worst. Daddy hadn’t even recognized Mabel, not that that mattered because last night it was Uncle Angel her Daddy saw as a threat.

Uncle Angel had come to see what he could do for her Mom and Mabel. As soon as he came through the door of the sickroom, he had playfully tussled Mabel’s hair. That was a mistake. Her Daddy had somehow found the strength to bolt out of bed and charge him, throwing Mabel aside in his delirium. She hit the bedside table and fell to the floor.

Daddy rarely showed his demon to his family. And last night was the first time Mabel had seen it. It scared her. After Uncle Angel left, it took her and her Mom hours to calm Mabel down so that she would go to sleep.

Last night had scared her too, but not for the same reason. What scared her was what her Daddy had said to Uncle Angel before her Mom was able to pull him off of him.

In full demon visage, his eyes shining with rage, her Daddy’s voice roared, “Angelus, never touch my girl again! You come here again, and I’ll kill you!”

It was at that moment that she realized that her Uncle knew something. And she was going to make him tell her what that something was.
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DECEMBER 2, 2005- LOS ANGELES

Willow stood there staring at Buffy as she lay in the circle. She blinked in amazement. She’d done it. She’d found them and pulled them back.

She knelt next to Buffy, listening to her sob, “Buffy, you’re home. Are you all right?”

She held the little girl tighter to her, looking anxiously at her unconscious face, “Joni. Joni, please wake up,” hot tears were streaking down her face but she didn’t care. She only saw Joni’s face, “You came all this way, you can’t sleep now.”

The girl in Buffy’s arms moaned and her eyelids fluttered. She was on the edge of wakefulness, “Daddy,” she muttered.

Willow gasped. Was this little girl really Joni? She looked much older than Willow thought she would. Willow swallowed, “Joni? My name is Willow. I’m a friend of your Mommy’s. Can you understand me?” she put her hand on the girl’s soiled cheek.

At the slight touch, her eyes opened and focused on her face. Her pupils dilated in fear, “It’s okay,” Willow said softly, “You’re safe now. I won’t hurt you.”

The only response from Joni was a guttural sound from deep in her chest. It was primal.

The shock of hearing that sound made Willow pull her hand back. She looked up at the glistening eyes of her friend, “Buffy, can you tell me what happened?”

Vacant eyes looked back at her. Buffy’s eyes were drowning in sorrow and her voice was hushed by the weight of it, “Oh, Willow. We have to find him. I can’t leave him there.”
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IN THE INTERREGNUM-

He knew the hunt. He was a beast. To survive, he had to kill.

This world was hard and cold, but it was his. And, he had to survive in it.

The marks on the wall of his shelter had been important once. He knew that. They meant something, had a sound to them. But what did they mean now? He used to know. The meaning was his. But the beast took the words from him.

What did it care for noise, and softness? Just kill. Fight. Survive the cold. Forget about the small one gone up into the sky, leaving him down on the earth, alone.

He did make the sounds, when he remembered. When they meant something. But no more. Nothing was here, nothing but the animal within. It came and promised to protect him, keep him warm. And it did that.

He gave the beast his warmth, and his words. He let the beast take her, and them. He had to. To survive in this place, he had to.

For a time he wept. And then, he forgot. And the beast remained.
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IN THE INTERREGNUM- HIGHER PLANE

Mother and daughter wept together, “Oh Mom,” Buffy cried, “I can’t watch this!”

“You have to Honey. This was his world. This is his world now, without you and Joni. And it will be this way, until she decides what to do.”

Buffy looked at the scene unfolding before her, and her heart ached, “But how can she… How can I leave him there?”

Joyce looked at her daughter’s haggard expression and said sadly, “You know she won’t. And that’s the problem,” Joyce’s lip jutted out in thought, “He does have a choice here, you know.”

“No Mom. You can’t mean…” Buffy gasped, forcing the horror to stay inside by clasping a hand over her mouth.

Joyce shrugged, resigned, “If she makes that choice, what do you think he’s going to do, Honey?” she sighed at the knowledge that flared in Buffy’s eyes, “He loves you all too much. Remember, ‘Manchester United, dog racing, happy meals with legs?’”
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NOVEMBER 20, 2027- NEW HOPE CEMETERY

The caretaker watched the young lady as she walked through the stones. His heart ached for her. She seemed to have a purpose but there was something in her eyes that bothered him. There was a loss there that did not come from her surroundings.

This girl was out for blood. He knew it in his very being. Something here was very wrong.

He knew he had to make it right somehow.