JUNE 28, 2030- LOS ANGELES-

Buffy could barely contain her rage. She turned on him, and it was so familiar. There he was staring at her, daring her, “Spike, I…” she stopped. No, not Spike. Never Spike. “Oscar,” she seethed, “I don’t care if you are,” she felt her heart clench at her mistake; it still felt like he was with her, like she could feel him- and Joni too- but, they were both gone now. She closed her eyes and swallowed the sob. He made her so mad sometimes, just like he did. She struggled with the next words, it was sometimes hard to think about what he was; *was…Oh, God…* the words came falling out of her, and she felt like dying as they fell, “of Drusilla’s line. You were never his *family!* And, fangs…?” she narrowed her eyes at him, “Not exactly the thing you need to convince a *vampire slayer* that you’re sane! I’ve lost my husband, and I couldn’t protect my daughter.” Buffy sank, listlessly into the kitchen chair, the sadness overwhelming her. “Like mother, like daughter,” she whispered, her voice revealing a pain that she would rather have forgotten, “She’s missing,” Buffy couldn’t bring herself to say, or even *think* the word, the other word, the one she feared so much, “And, I have to train her replacement. I have things to do. It’s all I can do. We *are not*,” she spoke through clenched teeth, “talking about this again!” Her pain and grief seemed to give her renewed strength, and she stood up, “Two years, Oscar!” she cried, for herself, and for him, “*Two years* of this!” she let the tears fall, “Let him rest, can’t you?” she begged.

There was silence. Oscar was stunned. Never before had she questioned his sanity…but now…He clutched at the papers, his fist trembling; they were what he had now, his one hope. He offered her the words, softly, like a prayer, “But, there’s hope, there is! I know it! They’re both still here,” Oscar shook his fist, showing her the papers again, “This just proves it. All we need do is find them…”

DECEMBER 22, 2005-

Her words rang in Oscar’s head, as he stared at Angelus- cum- human-cum-fledgling vampire: “Was there something in Drusilla’s blood that made every vampire that drank from her crazy, or something?”

And as he looked deeply into the new vampire’s eyes, he began to wonder, because he could see that there was something wrong; a vacant look, as though he’d been shocked. With that dazed, frightened look, Oscar could feel his hope slipping.

Jonina would need a teacher, someone to tell her what, it seemed now, her father could not and Angelus would not.

Someone had to teach her, prepare her for the hope that was to come.

Could he do it? Was this, indeed, insane?

Oscar moved to the corner of the shed that protected him, and the other vampire, from the coming morning, the corner in which Angelus was crouched, and looked into his eyes, “Can you hear me?” he asked, searching for what he knew- what he hoped- was there, some kind of understanding, and maybe remorse.

But, he found nothing.

Oscar felt his demon begin to rise within him, and made an effort to push it back. He looked down at the concrete floor at his feet, and saw the unsullied, beaming stone eyes of the toy he’d rescued from the rail yard. He picked it up and held it as though it were made of the most fragile crystal, because, to him, it was. This was it. The one, the rabbit he’d heard stories of, and that had come to symbolize his own hope; a hope he still held out for himself, and that was this: that he would see his little Diana, and his beloved Mary again one bright day, and he would be with them again- and that hope was lying in the in the dark, on the cold floor.

He just hoped it wasn’t too late.

It hadn’t been until he’d seen what that amulet had done, and what Jonina’s grief could do, that he began to hope. Hope that, perhaps, she was small enough to believe, and change the sadness he knew would come, into joy.

“Oh, Rabbit,” he whispered, as he held the toy lovingly, “Are you strong enough?”
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Joni couldn’t remember seeing her Daddy that sad. It was hard, and it hurt to see him like that. She had heard him say that he was afraid. He’d never been afraid before. He’d always been so brave, and he’d always kept her safe, at home.

But, this was not her home. This was a very scary place, and there were monsters everywhere. Her Daddy couldn’t fight them all. She knew that, and she knew she was too small to fight them for him.

And Mommy, she seemed just as sad. Even telling her how pretty she was didn’t seem to make her very happy.

Joni could feel her stomach starting to hurt. She could see them crying, and even though what her Daddy was saying made no sense, she knew that he was talking about her.

Her Daddy was crying. He was scared, and she knew it was because of her.

“…I thought that I could protect her, that I could do this,” Spike was saying, “I thought I could have you, and Joni too. But, I was wrong, and now,” his voice became a growl, “I’m here, but I’ve lost you both again!” he paused when the shriek of an emergency siren cut through the early morning stillness outside. He winced at the sound as it passed. “Being here,” he continued, his voice low, and full of loss, “and not knowing you, after all I’ve seen?” he swallowed hard, swallowed the pain that was trying to escape; he wouldn’t let it escape, if it did escape, it might kill them both, “That would be worse than not having you at all,” he told her.

Buffy shook her head, moving in close to hold him, and he did not pull away from her when she held him, “It doesn’t have to be that way,” she said, “ I can help you, I know I can, if it comes to that. But, it won’t.” she assured him, “ I have the amulet. We’ll find out what it did,” she nodded as his head ducked under her chin, and said, in a soft, far-away voice, “I’ll smash it, if I have to,” she ignored the tears that were falling over her cheeks, “I promise you that.”

Joni watched her Mommy and Daddy crying, and she got mad.

What could make her Daddy cry? Whatever it was that could do that must be really bad…Was it her, did she do that?

She could fix it. She and Spike could fix it…Papa could fix it…

Without thinking, she ran down the stairs, and stood just outside her parents’ embrace. She looked at them for what seemed, to her, to be a long time. They hadn’t noticed her. She was quiet for a moment, then, putting her hands on her hips, Joni made a growling sound in her throat.

She smiled when they turned to look at her.

Buffy couldn’t help it, seeing Joni standing there with her hands on her hips, her dark eyes flashing, she had to smile. And, she thought she saw Spike’s mouth turn up a little, along with an eyebrow. “Well,” Buffy said, stifling a giggle, “I guess we know who her Mommy is, don’t we?”

Spike groaned softly against her. It didn’t seem to be sad, it seemed as though another distant memory was back in its place. Good, she thought, Now, if I could just make that keep happening, maybe we can beat this thing, whatever it is… “Joni,” she asked, “is there something you want, Sweetheart?”

Joni nodded, saying, “Yes, to tell Daddy that I won’t leave him. I’ll fix it. Papa and I will fix it.”

She sounded so sure. It made Buffy smile, and she opened her arms up, watching as Joni stepped quickly inside. She closed the embrace once more, as her child’s arms wrapped tightly around her Daddy’s legs, holding on for dear life, “Out of the mouths of babes,” she murmured, and laughed when she heard the response, muffled though it was, as her face was pressed against her Daddy’s calves.

“I’m not a baby!”