A mother's dilemma

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Buffy. "Are you saying I died?"

"Yes, Buffy," said Joyce. "At least twice -- that I know of. The first time you sacrificed yourself to save your sister and the second -- it doesn't matter."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Buffy. "How could I have died twice? I mean I drowned once two years ago but Xander brought me back through CPR. And now you're saying I died a second time and a third?"

"Yes, Buffy," said Joyce. "The second time Willow brought you back with a spell. The third time -- well, you made Willow swear on her life that she would never again try to bring you back to life through magic. And you made the same person who turned me swear that he would never turn you as well. So the next time you died, you stayed dead."

"I see," said Buffy. "So even if I get rid of this curse, it doesn't sound like I have a lot to look forward to if I go back to Sunnydale."

"Well, there's no law that says things have to work out the same way in your world that they did in mine," said Joyce.

"There isn't?" asked Buffy.

"Yes," said Joyce. "In fact, I know a very easy way to make sure that you never ever have to worry about dying."

"Oh, you mean that philosopher's stone thing that Amy keeps trying to borrow from the Count," said Buffy. "Well, good luck with that, Mom. I'd like to think that you could be more persuasive than Amy but on the other hand, that Count can be pretty stubborn."

"Oh, Buffy," said Joyce with a weird expression on her face. "The solution I'm thinking about doesn't involve the Count."

"It doesn't?" asked Buffy. "What is it?"

"You know what it is, Buffy," said Joyce.

"No, I don't," said Buffy.

"Oh, Buffy," said Joyce. "I felt so bad when you died that final time. I didn't want to lose you but lose you I did. But now I have a second chance."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Buffy.

"Oh, Buffy," said Joyce as she bared her fangs and transformed her face into the classic vamp-face expression Buffy had seen on so many other vampires. "You know full well what I mean."

And as Joyce moved forward, Buffy suddenly understood what Joyce was getting at. But for the life of her, she could not get herself to move, not even if it meant reaching for a stake.

"You're my Mom," said Buffy. "You can't do this. You know deep down that it isn't right."

"Oh, on the contrary, my dearest Buffy," said Joyce. "It is right. And it is precisely because I'm your mother that I know this is so. You should have known all along that there was no way I was going to let you die yet another time. Even if it meant that I had to turn you myself."