Joyce was a naturally inquisitive woman. As a child she had been full of curiosities that she frequently voiced. Fortunately, her nanny had been a patient woman and answered Joyce’s questions as best as she could.
Her thirst for knowledge only strengthened as she aged. Thus, after the shock wore off from her daughter’s transformation, questions quickly crowded Joyce’s mind. In search for answers, she went to the one place that had loyally provided her answers in the past. The local library.
After spending an hour in the medical section, Joyce still hadn’t found anything that came close to what she’d seen Buffy do. No shifting facial deformities. Joyce hated to think about it like that; while shocking, Buffy’s transformed face was still sweet in an odd way. She was about to give up when a thin, red book wedged between two large volumes caught her eye. Slipping it out, the title read ‘Medical Mysteries and Phenomena: Where Medicine and the Mystical Collide’. Flipping through it, one page came to her attention:
"Metamorphosis is the ability of a being to shift into a different entity. It is a profound change in form from one stage to another. There have been discoveries of more extreme and unique cases of metamorphosis throughout history. Creatures of Were are beings that are able to change from one form to an animal, the most common being lycanthropes. The origin of individuals with the ability to shape-shift can be traced back to..."
Her interest piqued, Joyce found a small alcove with a comfortable chair and proceeded to read the book from start to finish. However, nothing in the book seemed to specifically relate to Buffy’s condition; the closest reference being the few pages on metamorphosis. Closing the book, a picture on the back cover caught her attention. The author was smiling shyly, obviously uncomfortable with having his picture taken. Joyce’s eyes flicked down to the author’s brief biography under his picture. Her eyebrows rose in surprise. He was a professor at the University of California. At least he had been ten years ago when he’d written the book.
Logging onto one of the library public computers, Joyce quickly typed the authors’ name in the search engine. Pressing on the first link brought up, she found that he was still teaching at UCLA.
Joyce bit her lip in thought. Tomorrow was her day off. She could be in LA before noon and back in Sunnydale before dinner.
Well, Joyce thought, looking at the picture, let’s see if you can help, Dr. Rupert Giles.
--
Joyce drove into LA late the next morning. After several queries around the University she was directed to the basement of the Sciences building. The silence in the basement was slightly unnerving after the busy hustle and bustle of the main University grounds. She quickly found Dr. Giles’ office and, taking a deep breath, she knocked firmly.
A voice from inside beckoned her entry.
When she entered, her gaze was immediately drawn to the man sitting at the desk in the middle of the room. He looked up at her and Joyce found herself staring at Dr. Giles. Her first thought was how well he’d aged in the past ten years. Embarrassed, she quickly pushed the observation aside.
“Yes?” he asked.
“Hi,” Joyce said, holding out a hand that Dr. Giles shook automatically. “My name is Joyce Summers. If you have some time, I’d like to ask you some questions about one of your books.”
Dr. Giles smiled warmly at her. Joyce made a point to ignore at how her stomach jumped. “Well, certainly, Miss Summers. Are you doing research for a class?”
“Um, yeah. I’m studying at Sunnydale University,” Joyce lied smoothly.
“Sunnydale? Lovely town, if I remember rightly. It’s been a few years since I’ve been that way.”
“Yes, it is. I’ve only lived there a few years, but I like it.”
He smiled another heart melting smile. “So, what exactly did you want to ask me?”
Joyce took out the copy of ‘Medical Mysteries and Phenomena: Where Medicine and the Mystical Collide’ from her purse, not noticing how his face darkened when he saw the book.
“I wanted to ask you about your work with metamorphosis. I-”
He stood suddenly. Joyce looked up at him in surprise. His eyes jumped around the room, never landing on her. “My apologises, but I forgot that I actually have a class in a few minutes.”
“Well ... I ... okay. Can you meet with me after your class?”
He was stuffing books into his briefcase. “I think not, no.”
“Maybe a different day then?”
Dr. Giles paused his movements and sighed. He looked up at her wearily. “Whatever you’re looking for ... I assure you it is not in that book. You’d best forget about it.”
Joyce followed him out of the office and watched him lock the door.
“But I think-”
“No,” he said abruptly, his lips a thin line. “I have to go. It’s been a pleasure, Miss Summers.”
Perplexed, Joyce watched him hurry away.
Frustrated and a bit angry, she arrived back in Sunnydale well before dinner. Entering the house, she smiled at the picture Olga and Buffy made sitting on the living room floor, playing with barbies.
Olga looked up at Joyce. “You’re back early.”
Joyce shrugged and sighed. “Yeah. Didn’t exactly go as planned.”
The Polish woman only nodded, not pushing to know why Joyce had decided to make the quick trip up to LA in the first place. Joyce was desperate to confide in Olga. The older woman had become her closest friend and confidant – but she wasn’t sure if she could, or should, tell Olga about Buffy.
Buffy sniffed quietly, her head bowed; not acknowledging her mother’s entrance.
Concerned, Joyce kneeled next to her daughter. “Buffy? Sweetheart? Are you okay?”
As though turning on a faucet, Buffy started to sob, her face scrunching up in obvious misery.
“Oh, honey.” Joyce gathered her up in a hug. She looked to Olga. “What happened?”
“I’m not too sure, no. I get her from preschool and she cry all way home. But she would not tell me why.”
“Buffy? Can you tell me what’s wrong?”
The little girl shook her head empathetically through her sobs.
Joyce lifted Buffy into her arms. “I’m gonna take her downstairs.”
“Of course, droga.”
Downstairs, Joyce gently laid her daughter on her bed. She soothingly stroked Buffy’s back until the little girls sobs had quietened down to uneven hiccups.
“Buffy, did something happen at school?” There was a long pause before Buffy nodded. “Did someone do something ... say something that hurt you?” A longer pause before the little girl shook her head. “What happened, Buffy?”
Buffy turned in her mother arms so she could look up at her. Joyce’s heart wrenched at the miserable expression on her daughter’s face.
“I’m so sorry, mommy. I’m so sorry.”
Alarmed, Joyce made sure her features and voice remained calm. “What happened?”
“They were ...making” hiccup “fun of me. I just got so mad ... and I ... and” hiccup “I didn’t mean to, mommy! I didn’t.”
“What happened?”
“I ... I changed,” Buffy whispered.
“Buffy...”
“I’m so sorry! You told me not to ... and I didn’t want to ... but I couldn’t stop it ...”
Joyce hugged her daughter. “Oh, honey, did you think I’d be mad?”
Buffy hiccupped. “Aren’t you?”
“No, sweetheart. Of course I’m not mad. This isn’t something you’ve learned to control yet.”
“I – I tried ...”
“I know, honey,” Joyce said, running a hand through Buffy’s hair. “We just have to take this step at a time, okay? We’ll learn to do this together. Okay?”
“Okay,” Buffy whispered softly.
Over the next few days, Joyce made sure to discuss with Buffy how to control her transformations.
“So you only change when you’re mad?”
Buffy thought seriously for a moment before shaking her head, licking the side of her melting ice cream cone. “No. It happens when I’m real sad, too. ”
Joyce nodded. “So we need to practice how to control big emotions, then.”
Even though Joyce’s attention was dominantly taken with her daughter, she still thought about her meeting with Dr. Giles. She still wasn’t sure why he had turned so cold towards her. Regardless of his behavior, Joyce hadn’t given up on her search for answers.
It was shop that she’d passed everyday going to work that she looked to next. She had never been inside it before. It was barely a hole in the wall, a dark and battered awning giving it an ominous feeling. The bells at the top of the door jingled merrily at her arrival. Stepping inside, Joyce wrinkled her nose at the musty smell. It was like the shop had been closed up for an extended period of time. She was the only customer.
A shelf full of jars caught her attention. Wandering closer, she quickly backed away when a jarred pigs’ foetus came into view. It was then that she noticed a withered old man standing at the counter, his sharp eyes watching her like a hawk.
“Um, hi,” Joyce said, unnerved by his unblinking stare.
He said nothing. Joyce bit her lip before looking away from him. She walked further into the store towards the collection of books at the back. She could feel his eyes burning into her.
The books were, surprisingly, in alphabetical order. Perusing the selection, Joyce jumped when a voice spoke right behind her.
“May I ... help you?” She turned to see the man at the counter standing inches from her. He studied her face as though searching for something.
“Uh, no, I’m alright, thanks.”
The man made an odd sound in the back of his throat before retreating back behind the counter. Finding nothing, Joyce went to leave minutes later, eyeing the man on her way out. Her skin crawled at the disgust on his face, his eyes smouldering with anger as he watched her leave.
“He knows.”
Half-way out the door, Joyce froze. “What?” she asked, turning to look at him.
But he was gone; a shiver ran down her spine. She quickly left the store, deeply unsettled.
I must have just imagined it...
The next night Joyce was still trying to put the whole disturbing incident out of her mind. She was in the middle of making dinner when a knock sounded at the door. She looked towards the door, surprised. Her visitors usually knocked at Olga’s front door, not knowing Joyce lived in the basement. Opening the door, she blinked in shock. Dr. Giles was standing on her door step.
“Er, um, hello, Miss Summers.”
Joyce hurriedly closed her gaping mouth. “Dr. Giles! Well, I ... this is certainly a surprise.”
Dr. Giles looked down shyly. “I’m sorry to arrive so abruptly. Should I come back another time? I probably should have called-”
“I – of course not. Please come in.”
Dr. Giles followed Joyce inside. He noticed she was making dinner. “Oh, maybe I did come at a bad time. I’ll come back later.”
“No, no,” Joyce said, still a bit flustered at his sudden appearance. “Please stay. You’re welcome to have dinner with us.”
Joyce was sure that she imagined the sudden disappointment on his face when she said ‘us’. She imagined it. Surely.
“I couldn’t possibly-”
“Mommy? Who’s that?”
Dr. Giles looked down at the little girl in surprise.
“Buffy, don’t be rude,” Joyce scolded. “This is Dr. Giles. And this little munchkin is Buffy, my daughter.”
Dr. Giles then did something that would capture Joyce’s heart forever. He kneeled next to her daughter and held out his hand to her. “Hello, Buffy. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please call me Giles.”
Buffy very seriously shook his hand. Joyce could tell from the sparkle in her daughter’s eyes that she liked him.
Joyce’s heart ached. Dr. Giles wasn’t the first man to be in their home. Joyce had gone on a few dates over the last six years, but they had never interacted with Buffy. And more often than not, once they found out she had a child, the made excuses and Joyce never heard from them again.
Joyce quickly reprimanded herself. Dr. Giles wasn’t here to take her on a date. He was here ... she frowned. Why was he here?
“Buffy, honey, Dr. Giles and I need to talk for a little while, okay?”
Buffy peered up at him. “Are you here for dinner?”
“Buffy, I don’t think-”
“Yes,” Dr. Giles said quickly then looked at Joyce. “As long as it’s alright with your mother.”
“Of course.”
Buffy simply said, “good.” Then she went back into the living room to watch Dora and Joyce found herself alone with Dr. Giles in her kitchen.
“She’s lovely.”
Joyce smiled. “Yeah, she is. She likes you.”
He was staring at her. His gaze suddenly made her feel naked. Embarrassed, she turned to the stove, stirring the cooking pasta.
“You’re probably wondering why I’m here.”
“Yeah, a bit,” Joyce agreed.
His hand was on her arm. Joyce swallowed a gasp. He gently turned her to face him.
“I want to apologize for my behavior the other day. I feel terrible for how badly I acted.”
“It- it’s alright,” she stuttered.
Dr. Giles shook his head. “No, it’s not. It’s just been ... a while since I’ve seen that book. It took me off guard.”
She looked up at him then, her curiosity aroused. “Took you off guard?”
His lips twisted in a self-mocking sneer. “That book almost ended my career.”
Joyce’s eyes widened. “How? I mean ... you don’t have to ...”
He smiled warmly. Joyce felt the familiar jolting sensation in her stomach at the sight. “It’s alright. I came here to explain it to you.” He then speared her with a calculating stare. “It wasn’t really easy to find you. I looked at the Sunnydale University, but they had no records of a Joyce Summers as a student.”
Joyce blushed. “I ... well ...”
“You don’t have to explain to me, Miss Summers.”
“You can call me Joyce.”
Another smile. Joyce’s knees felt rubbery. “Alright then, as long as you call me Rupert… or Giles if you prefer.” He looked over her shoulder. “You’re over flowing.”
“I’m what?”
He pointed to the over flowing pot. Joyce squeaked then quickly turned the heat down.
“Damn,” she said.
“Do you have a strainer?”
She nodded, pointing to the sink where she’d put it before she’d started dinner. Dr. Giles rolled up his sleeves and carried the pot over to the sink. Joyce watched him pour the pasta and water into the strainer, a bemused smile coming to her lips. He looked back at her, noticing the odd look on her face.
“Are you alright?”
Joyce mentally shook herself. “Yes, I’m fine.”
Putting dinner together with Dr. Giles was surreal. She still had trouble thinking of him as Rupert or just Giles. He insisted on chopping vegetables for the salad. Joyce accepted the help graciously and went to check the garlic bread in the oven.
“It wasn’t easy finding you,” Dr. Giles continued as though the last twenty minutes hadn’t happened. “But I found your address in the phone book. Seems not too safe to me, to have everyone’s address in a phone book, but I’m thankful for it because it helped me find you.”
“I know what you mean. I wasn’t too comfortable with it at first, but I got used to it.”
He smiled down at the pepper he was cutting. “I know I should have called first. But I was afraid you wouldn’t want to see me.”
Joyce could feel herself flushing again. God, she hadn’t blushed this much since University. There was a long silence before he spoke again.
“That book ... I wrote it about ten years ago.” He sighed. “I was terribly naive. I didn’t realize what kind of repercussions writing it would have.”
“Repercussions?”
He nodded. Then he said his next words quickly, as though ripping off a Band-Aid. “I lost my job and my reputation. No one would hire me for a long time. It was only through several recommendations and an extensive probationary period that I was able to get a job back at UCLA. A less prestigious job. But I’m thankful for it.” His bitter voice made her question how thankful he really was. But she remained silent. “It’s only been the last couple years that I’ve been able to work past the book. I’m slowly getting back my credibility.”
“I’m sorry,” Joyce said quietly.
“Don’t be. While it has been a very trying experience, I think I’ve grown wiser for it.”
Joyce bit her lip. She felt terrible for him and incredibly guilty too. She knew that before seeing Buffy’s transformation she would have completely discredited his book too.
Dinner was fun. Joyce couldn’t remember laughing so much in a long time. Even Buffy was giggling more than usual. After dinner Dr. Giles again insisted on helping Joyce clean up. After they washed the dishes she put on a kettle for tea. With two mugs of herbal tea they sat at the kitchen table.
“Thank you for dinner, Joyce. It has been a while since I’ve had anything so good.”
She smiled. “You’re welcome.”
A moment of comfortable silence passed.
“So, if you still have any questions about the book I’ll answer them as best I can.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to cause any pain for you.”
Joyce loved how the corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. “Don’t worry about that. I assure you it won’t cause me any pain at all to help you.”
“Well, I wanted to ask you about your work with metamorphosis.”
He frowned slightly. “Ah, I’m afraid my knowledge on the topic isn’t much more extensive than what is in the book. But I know of some sources I could look into.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”
“It’s no trouble. Really.”
Joyce found her eyes caught in his. His eyes were so blue. Like the sky early in the morning before the world woke up. Realizing she was staring, she looked away with a blush. Glancing at him, she noticed his cheeks were stained red too. He looked at his watch.
“I should go. I have a class in the morning.”
“Okay.” Joyce tried to ignore her disappointment.
He was staring at her again. Then, he was up and heading towards the door. Joyce followed him and watched him slip on his shoes and put on his jacket.
“Buffy!” Joyce called. “Come say goodbye to Dr. Giles.”
Buffy ran out of her room and skidded to a stop in front of the man. “Will you come back?” she asked bluntly.
“Buffy!”
“Yes, I will,” he promised the little girl. Buffy smiled and kissed him on the cheek before she ran back to her room giggling.
Giles was blushing. Joyce found the sight absolutely adorable.
“I hope that’s alright.”
“Of course! I mean … certainly.”
“Alright then,” Giles said, smiling bashfully.
“Um, goodnight. Drive safely.”
“Yes, you too. I mean, good night, that is.”
Joyce watched him leave, giggling like she hadn’t since she was in high school.
That night she dreamed about soft blue eyes.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
you guys are so great! Thanks so much for the reviews! It really brightens my day to know someone is enjoying my story. Thank you all for your patience with the places this story is going : )
Chapter End Notes:
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