Buffy's POV

I walk straight into my mom's hospital room, stopping a few feet from her. She's being tended to by a nurse, but I don't care.

"How could you?"

Mom looks up at me, she doesn't say anything.

"After what she did?"

My mom looks at the nurse for a second.

"Nurse, would you give us a few minutes?"

She glances at me and then at my mother.

"Sure..."

The nurse leaves.

"How could you call Faith? How could you ask her to come here and not tell me?"

She takes a deep breath.

"I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure you'd let her come."

"You're damn right I wouldn't have let her come here. She KILLED DAWN!"

Mom just looks at me for a minute.

"Yes, she did. But that doesn't change the fact that I need to speak with her."

"Why? What could you have to talk to her about?"

Mom's eyes drift down to her feet.

Oh my god, is she?

"You're going to forgive her? After she killed your daughter?"

"No I..."

"Would you forgive her if she had killed me? What if I had been on that tower and she had pushed ME? Would you have forgiven her THEN too?"

"BUFFY ANNE SUMMERS! You listen here..."

I stop talking and listen to my mother.

"I didn't say anything about forgiving her. You're angry and you're jumping to conclusions. Now calm down and let me explain."

What the hell am I doing? I'm yelling at my sick mother.

I run a hand through my hair.

"I, I'm sorry... I don't know what's wrong with me."

"I have no intention of forgiving Faith. What she did was wrong, and nothing she can say or do will change that. But as I've told you before, love isn't always about forgiveness. And as hard as this may be for you to accept, I still love Faith like she were my own daughter."

"But what she did..."

"Was wrong, I've already said that Buffy. But have you forgotten about what happened with Ted?"

What?

I'm not really sure what she's trying to say so I just keep quiet.

"My ex-boyfriend... Ted? You killed him, remember?"

"He, he was a robot..."

"Did you know that when you hit him and knocked him down the stairs?"

"N-no..."

"I didn't find out until over a year later. Up until he showed up out of the blue the day after, I was completely convinced that you had killed the man I was in love with. But I knew even before that, even though you had killed him that I would do everything in my power to keep you from going to jail for it, because you were my daughter and I loved you. I know that the situations are different in a lot of ways. Dawn was incredibly unique, something I knew from the moment I held her in my arms after she was born. And I know that Dawn meant just as much to me as she did to you. But on a basic level, the situations are the same. You killed someone that I loved deeply, no matter how it came about, and Faith killed someone you loved deeply. Believe me... I understand what you're going through. But I came to a decision a long time ago that I loved my daughters unconditionally, and Faith as far as I'm concerned is still my daughter. Nothing either of you could ever do could change how I feel about the both of you. Not even what Faith did to Dawn can change it. I need Faith to know that in case something happens to me."

Something happens?

I go up to her bed and sit next to her in the chair.

"Mom... nothing is gonna happen to you. The doctors started giving you the treatment today right?"

"Yes..."

"Then you're going to be fine Mom. You don't have to worry about telling Faith anything. She doesn't deserve to hear anything like that anyway, not after what she did."

"Isn't that my decision to make?"

She's really determined to do this.

"I'm not sure Mom, can't we... shouldn't you wait and see how good the treatment goes first? Maybe you won't have to tell her anything and she can just go away."

My mom looks at me for a few seconds.

"All right, if you feel that strongly about it, I'll wait. But on one condition..."

Condition?

"What is it?"

"That if I decide in a few days, or weeks that I want to talk to Faith, you won't stand in my way."

I take a minute and look at her.

God I hate this. I just want Faith to go back wherever she came from... but she's my mother, I can't say no.

"Okay..."

I sit back in the chair and close my eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Okay, I... I won't stand in the way, as long as you give it some time."

"Deal..."

My eyes meet with my mother's.

"I love you Mom..."

"I love you too sweetheart."

Faith's POV

Well that went well... I guess.

I drop my bag just inside my motel room door as I shut it and head over to the bed.

At the very least there was a lot less violence than expected.

I get on the bed and lie down.

I figured she'd throw a chair at me, or maybe the coffee she had in her hands. But I came away with a few threats and some hits to the face. That's much better than third degree burns. Still, I hope Joyce is all right. Buffy no doubt went to confront her mother about calling me and asking me to come see her. Not that I think Buffy would hurt her in a million years, I mean if she can't hurt me after what I've done then she'd never even think of hurting Joyce, no matter how much she hates me. I just don't think that her daughter yelling at her is what Joyce needs right now. I get the impression she's not in the greatest condition.

I get up and go towards the bathroom. I stop in front of the mirror and look at myself in it. I notice the redness on my cheek and check it for bruising.

I knew not telling Buffy was a bad idea.

I run my hand over my cheek when I realize it's fine.

Well, nothing I can do about it now. The important thing is that she knows I'm here in town now and I'm not going away until I see Joyce. She means too much to me to not give her what she wants.

I head back into the main part of my motel room and sit on the bed.

I'll have to wait for a better time to see Joyce. I told Giles where I'd be staying when I saw him on my way out, he remembers the number. I also left the number with the hospital reception and asked them to give it to Joyce when Buffy isn't around as a favor to me. I made their workplace a vampire free zone back about a year ago when I wiped out Omega's gang from Sunnydale, and most of them know it. I'm sure Joyce will get the message. Now I just have to figure out what to do until then. It could be a few days at least, maybe longer, depending on how Buffy feels.

I lie back on the bed.

I should at least do some good while I'm here, maybe patrol. I could go by the cemetery and visit Dawn's grave, if I can find the courage to go there and face her that is. She was my daughter and she's gone. I know it's my fault and I have to live with that, but it still hurts that she died. It was hard enough to face what happened to Buffy 2 years ago, I'm not sure I could handle seeing Dawn's name etched in stone. I guess I'll try and go and find out.