The Fallen Slayer {1}

Keep Moving Forward

WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA

A lot can change in the space of a few days.

Between the apology tour she had been making, and her upcoming college graduation in a few days, Buffy was completely wiped out.

Hence, why being in Williamsburg was exactly what she needed right now, Bonnie coming up for the afternoon just made it all the better. The two girls were catching up on all the time they had missed together as Sandra continued to set up for the graduation party which was meant to start in a few hours.

Letting her eyes drift over to where Mark was bouncing Joy up and down as his toddler son stared at the little girl in fascination, Buffy couldn't help but smile as the four-year-old Bobby carefully tapped Joy's nose before laughing and running off to cause chaos with his cousins who were already driving their grandmother to her breaking point, if Buffy's mandarin translation was accurate.

Grabbing a cookie from the tray that Sandra had set aside for them, Buffy finally forced herself to stop checking on Joy every five seconds and shifted her focus back to Bonnie who was trying not to laugh as one of the twins kept rushing over to her with daisies, completely besotted with the Bennett witch.

"I can't believe you promised to make Katherine of all people immortal." It had taken Buffy a good 10 minutes following the reveal that Bonnie was working with Katherine to function again.

Just the sound of that woman's name caused her blood to boil and the second that Bonnie got what she needed out of the doppelganger, she was killing her.

Adding her new flower to her ever-growing pile, Bonnie just smirked from behind her coffee mug "I never said I would actually go through with it. Witches lie."

Buffy let out a giggle at that "You devious little witch."

Bonnie just grinned proudly at the teasing tone before her eyes lit up in excitement as Sandra walked over with baby Joy leaving Mark now stuck handling all of the young boys who were hanging off his arms like a jungle gym.

"You boys best not break anything!" Sandra grumbled running a stressed hand through her dark locks before focusing down on the adorable little girl "You are never going to be like your cousins, Chújú."

At the unfamiliar phrase, Bonnie turned to Buffy who just smiled softly "It means daisy."

Instantly, Sandra's smile started to grow and she quickly moved to kiss the top of Buffy's head before using one hand to squeeze her cheeks "Look at my sunshine. You will be fluent in no time." She chimed lovingly before adjusting her hold on Joy as she glanced between the two girls who were still snacking on the chips and salsa she had supplied them with upon their arrival.

A frown slowly started to appear on her face.

"You girls need to eat quicker." She chestized as she glanced over at Nate who was in the middle of trying to hide from his youngest set of twin sons "Boy stop hiding from your own flesh and blood and bring these girls more food! They are too skinny."

"But mom, they're evil!"

"You made them, they get their evilness from you!" Sandra snapped back before turning back to the girls.

Tossing a few chips into her mouth, Buffy moved to reach for her daughter only for Sandra to slap her hands away "Sandra, when am I getting my baby back?"

"You've had her for two months." Sandra reasoned as she purposely stepped back clutching Joy tighter to her chest "She is mine for the next few days."

Rolling her eyes, Buffy focused back on Bonnie who furrowed her brows in confusion "Days?"

There was a small pause as Buffy twirled her straw, avoiding eye contact for a moment "When you told me your plan to temporarily drop The Other Side so you could speak to Qetsiyah "I thought here would be safer."

As powerful as she and Rebekah were, the fact was even if Bonnie was only dropping the veil for a few hours at most, there were still so many enemies who might that advantage of their short time free to get some revenge. Including the witches Bonnie had killed who wanted Joy dead, the witches Buffy had killed to protect Joy, the hybrids Klaus had killed, and an endless number of nameless enemies that Klaus had pissed off over the course of a thousand years.

Buffy's biggest concern was Mikael making an appearance.

So until she knew for a fact that The Other Side was either locked back up or destroyed, Buffy wasn't taking any chances with Joy's safety.

"What about Klaus and Elijah?"