See Part 1 for Disclaimer

Part 3

Buffy and Angel slowly pump the vampire for information, alternately threatening him and torturing him.  Despite attempts with holy water and the breaking of almost every bone in his body, they could not get him to tell who the mastermind is.  They do however get him to admit that he was sent here to try and turn Joyce against Buffy, and that if he couldn't he was supposed to capture her with the help of his friends.

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Joyce watches for a moment, as Angel and Buffy begin the inquisition, before turning away in horror as the first bone was broken.  How could this cold efficient interrogator be her daughter?  She could not bear to watch as her daughter and this Angel tortured this man as if he wasn't even human.  He certainly didn't sound human as they tortured him, but who could blame him.  She glances back at a particularly terrible scream and lets out a scream herself.  The man's face looks like nothing human.  Buffy looks up at the horror on her mother's face.  "We've got as much as were going to get out of him," she tells Angel handing him a stake, "Why don't you take him into the kitchen.  Mom, believe it or not, we didn't do that to his face.  That's one of the things Giles is going to explain to you."

Buffy takes a step towards her mother, but her mother pulls away in fear.  Angel returns from the kitchen to see a hurt Buffy, and her frightened mother.  He puts his hand on Buffy's shoulder comfortingly.  "His friends were probably scarred away by his screams," Angel says quietly.

"Or they think the screams belong to my mother.  We had better check before we make for the car.  The roof will be the best vantage point," she replies taking a momentary comfort in his touch.  Joyce remains on the couch as Buffy and Angel go up the stairs.  Buffy hands Angel two stakes and takes two herself as they head out her bedroom window.

"What's up with your mother? and her sudden dislike of me?" Angel asks as they enter her room.

"Mom got a note that says the whole gang is a lot of cold-blooded killers.  You are portrayed as the leader and that we're..." she says quickly before coming to a blushing stop.

"Lovers?" Angel asks softly.  Buffy nods her head.  There is an awkward silence for a moment.  "I take it she didn't belive you when you told her we aren't."

"No, I'm taking her to Giles so that he can explain us out of the killers thing, but I don't know if she'll every believe me about this," she said sadly.  "Oh, well.  To get her to Giles we're going to half to clear the area first," she said climbing out the window.

The vampires were still circling the house trying to figure out what was going on inside.  Buffy and Angel easily pick them off and return through her window.  They return downstairs with a gym bag slung over Buffy's shoulder.  "Time to go," Buffy says, opening the front door.

Joyce slowly gets up, grabs her purse, and walks out the door.  They pile into the car and drive to Giles house.

Part 4
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