Okay you probably know the drill my now, hehe. This is a continuuation from CS3 and CS4 in which after Band Candy Giles and Joyce started dating and in season 4 moved in together and at the very end became engaged. Not strictly necessary to read CS3 and CS4 to read this but hey, couldn't hurt could it?

Also thanks to all the lovely people who reviewed CS4 all the way. :-D.

And so here is the start of season 5 with Buffy vs Dracula. Read. Enjoy. Review.

"Ha! Touchdown! Oh yeah! Go team me!" Joyce casually watched Buffy do a victory dance. They were all at the beach- a 'family' day-out. It was something they hadn't done since Buffy had been sixteen. That had been a trip to the beach as well. Course, then it had just been Buffy, Xander and Willow and Joyce just the watchful eye and the person with a car that would take them home. She'd been bored that time- briefly enjoying watching her daughter and friends have fun, but for the majority of the trip she had been bored alone. She wasn't bored now, or alone.

Snuggling up closer to Giles on their towel on the sand she enjoyed the warm feel of his arm around her as much as she enjoyed the warm feel of the sun beating down on the towel.

"This is just what I needed," Joyce commented literally feeling herself relax more and more with each minute she spent on the beach. There'd been a few problems at the gallery lately and it had been making her extremely stressed. Here she could just forget all that and enjoy herself.

"I still feel it would have been better to have gone by ourselves, here I feel like a loose…thing," He told her, glancing over to the fact the rest of the group were several yards away from them, "But Willow had insisted so convincingly,"

"We're not loose 'things'," Joyce laughed at him as she also looked over at the rest of the group laughing and talking together, "We're playing the watchful parents. There enough to check up on them, alone enough to have our fun," Giles smiled down at her when she used the words 'our own fun', "Besides I think it was Tara's idea for this family outing- Willow was just her cheery spokesperson,"

"I'm inclined to agree," He smiled at her as she laid down flat on the towel, clearly intending to take in as much sun as possible, "Now let's talk more about this 'fun' you mentioned…"

At his suggestive tone she pushed her sunglasses off her face to look up at him.

"Less talking, more fun," She told him monosyllabically with a smile and he leaned down to kiss her, but just before there lips met the two of them jumped in shock as the sound of something bursting into flame attacked their ears. They looked over at the group and saw a flaming barbecue.

"Everything's okay!" Anya assured them before grumbling sarcastically, "Willow just nearly incinerated Xander. But that's all."

"Willow, did you do that?" Giles asked, a touch of concern in his voice.

"It's no big," Willow assured him, "You just have to balance the elements so when you affect one, you don't wind up causing-"

A loud clap of thunder caused all of them and other beach-goers to look up to the sky and see the dark ominous clouds suddenly forming. They all really saw the downpour rushing towards them before they felt it hitting their skin violently and icy cold.

"Argh!"

"Oh my god!"

"Cold!"

"And wet! So very, very wet!"

They all jumped up frantically and started gathering their stuff together, wanting to get out of the rain as soon as possible. Already their hair was soaked and limp and sticking to their heads coldly.

"I didn't do it! I didn't do it!" Willow insisted urgently as their sand under their feet stated turning to mud.

"Then make it stop!" Anya ordered her, running ahead to the large beach canteen everyone else seemed to be running to. The rest of the group eagerly followed her.

Once inside everyone dropped their soaked towels and items onto a table Anya had saved herself and so inadvertently everyone else. Around them other people were squeezing water out of clothes and hair.

"I may be wrong," Riley commented as he looked out the window to the thunderous downpour outside, "But I think that pretty much vetoes our beach trip"

"And I never got my burger," Buffy grumbled.

"Urgh," Joyce complained looking over to tangled, wet, mess of hair, "It's all tangled and…well, urgh"

"Yes, damn that urgh hair," Willow smirked as she finished detangling her own straight hair.

"I don't know…I like it…" Giles said running his finger softly over Joyce's hair and she turned to look at him a smile.

"You're just humouring me,"

"I am not," He insisted.

"Alright," She accepted, "Then you're humouring yourself" she smiled again as walked up to him and placed her hands on his chest. His top was soaked from the rain and clung to him and Joyce subconsciously traced the contours of his chest before looking closely up at him. A moment later they were kissing.

Rain or no, this was still a perfect day and nothing natural or super was going to ruin that. Not even Dracula himself.

"Big or small?" Giles asked.

"It's a simple question," Joyce said and then frowned in thought, "Or is it? It may be more complicated than I thought initially,"

"Why do we have to make this decision now?"

"Because how big or small it's going to be will determine the size of the guest list," Joyce explained with a sigh as she looked down at the lack of her notes in front of her on the dining room table.

"So why don't we focus on something beside the guest list?" Giles suggested. This wedding thing was turning out more complicated than he'd ever imagine and they were only a couple of months into the engagement.

"I don't know," Joyce sighed and he could tiredness and stress in her eyes, "I have all these conflicting thoughts in my head. Whether one thing would be better or another and I…" she sighed again, "I just wish these sorts of things were simpler" She admitted and he smiled in understanding. She looked at him, "I just want it to be special you know?"

"And it will be," He assured her with a brief kiss, "No matter what decisions are made,"

"I love it when you simplify things," She smiled at him and he leaned toward her again.

"I can make things simpler," He told her as they kissed again. They were forced to break apart as Joyce's cell phone rang. She sighed as she reluctantly pressed the answer button and put it to her ear.

"Hi," She put on a fake happy voice, "Mr Lohan, hi. Yes, about those pieces…" And she wandered off into the kitchen to carry on the conversation just as Buffy came bounding down the stairs. She walked in and saw the frown on Giles' face.

"Problemo?" She asked casually and shook his head as though to say 'it's nothing' but gave her an answer as well.

"Weddings are complicated," He stated and Buffy nodded in understanding as she headed over.

"Ah, you've been introduced into the bridal world of women," She laughed at him as she noted the pen and paper beside him, "Mom already got you in planning mode?"

"Yes," He admitted before looking at Buffy, "Why does every inch have to planned carefully?"

Buffy sighed as she realized how utterly clueless Giles really was.

"Oh come on, Giles, it's the Cinderella complex," She explained, "Every girl goes through it. Wanting every last bit to be perfect," She patted Giles on the shoulder faux-supportively "Good luck with that" and she walked out the room.

"Where are you going?" He asked with interest and she shrugged.

"Just patrol. You know, duty calls,"

"I could help," He offered not only because it was a temporary way to escape wedding planning but also because he hadn't helped Buffy patrol since she had been in High School and he kinda missed it.

"Nah, it's okay," She assured him as though doing him a favor, "Got Xander and Will coming along, bye Mom!" She called out as she opened the door but all she heard in reply was her Mom still talking in frustration on the phone. She gave a little wave to Giles before leaving, closing the door behind her.

Later on and Joyce was still answering phone calls from Mr Lohan or calls regarding him. Giles could complain about this or look at the upside that it was a momentary break from wedding plans.

He chose to complain.

Not only was it was a pain for both himself and Joyce when there were problems such as these at her work as it pretty much dominated her life for the duration, but at the present it was a constant reminder that he had no job of his own. He had been a watcher. He had been the high school librarian. And now he was neither. Buffy clearly didn't need him for slaying duties anymore and he had no gainful employment at all.

He was pulled out of his self-pitying reverie by the house phone ringing and he instantly got up to answer it. It was Xander asking him to come over to his house, which Giles dimly realized used to be his own, for an urgent slayer update. After assuring Xander he would over as soon as possible, he hung up and headed into the kitchen where Joyce was still on the phone.

"I'm-" He tried to tell her, but she was too involved in her phone conversation. He sighed in exasperation as he wrote the note down and pushed it in front of her. She glanced over at it, read it briefly and gave him a little silent wave of acknowledgement before returning her full focus to the person on the other end of the phone.

A quarter of an hour later and Joyce hung up as the phone call from the land of phone nightmares finally ended. As she sat in a seat at the kitchen island she dropped her head in her hands from exhaustion when she heard a knock at the door. She looked up in the direction of the door as though waiting for the knock again would tell her who was on the other side. Getting up she walked through the dining room to the hall and opened the front door expecting to see Xander, Willow or one of the others. Instead she saw a man she'd never met before. He wasn't really her type and yet she was pretty much blown away as she looked into his eyes. She shook her head to clear it as she looked at the tall, dark stranger again.

"H-Hi, can I help you?"

"Yes," the stranger admitted and Joyce could hear an accent in his voice, "I am new here and I am finding myself lost,"

"Oh, well, t-that's too bad," Joyce stuttered again, "Getting lost, I mean. It's better to know where you're going don't you think? That way you can find the place you're looking for. Because, you know, you don't want to not ever find…that…place…" She silenced her own babbling as she trailed off.

"I am looking for Lawn Avenue," Dracula lied to the Slayer's Mother, knowing he was already falling under his charm. It was almost too simple.

"Well, erm, I-I'm not quite sure where that is," Joyce admitted, ruffling the back of her hair with her hands trying to distract herself from how flustered she was feeling around him, "But if you come in I could get an…erm…. erm…" She was even forgetting her goddamn words, "A-Z! I could…get an A-Z?" She stepped aside to let him in and suddenly noticed that subconsciously she was hiding her left hand behind her back, covering the ring from his sight. What was wrong with her?

"Thank you, that is very kind," Dracula told her with a smile as he stepped inside the home, his invitation given.

"You invited him in?" Giles asked Joyce following her into the next room while Tara and Willow performed the anti-invite on their house.

"Well he seemed so nice and normal…" Joyce argued, before shrugging her shoulders, "A little pale…"

"A good rule Sunnydale rule of thumb?" Willow offered and Joyce turned around to look at her, "Avoid white skinned men wearing capes,"

"That's beside the point," Giles said as he looked at Joyce, "I don't truly care from normal, rather I care about the fact you actually invited him in at all"

"I didn't mean to!" Joyce cringed under his gaze as she blushed in embarrassment, "It was just he…well, he…it was…" What was it exactly? Now that Dracula was no longer here she wasn't quite sure why'd been so taken in by him in the first place, "he was all…"

"Mesmerizing," Willow said at the same time as Joyce.

"Exactly," Joyce agreed before looking at Giles, trying to appeal to him, "So really it wasn't my fault at all. Totally not my choice. At all," He still didn't say anything, "Really," She gave him a quick kiss on the lips, "You are the only man I'm interested in…. dead or alive," She added as an afterthought, "Dracula Schmacula"

"She 'Schmacula' the concerns away too?" Riley asked as he and Giles searched all the placed they believed Dracula could be residing. Giles nodded and Riley shook his head in disbelief, "Pfft, as if that would make it all better"

Since the two had started the search for Dracula's residence they had done nothing but rant and complain about Buffy and Joyce both giving in so easily to the vampire.

"You know they're still thinking about him, don't you?" Giles asked him.

"Oh yeah," Riley nodded, "Thinking back to those 'penetrating eyes'." Riley sighed in frustration, "I just can't believe Buffy just gave into him so easily like that- I mean she let him bite her!"

"It's not very encouraging is it?" Giles asked thinking back to the fact that Joyce had so readily invited Dracula in.

"Not real-" Riley paused as a sight caught his attention, "Huh."

"What?" Giles asked, looking in the same direction as Riley.

"I've lived in Sunnydale a couple of years now. Know what I've never noticed before?"

"A castle?" Giles supplied and Riley nodded as the two of them started walking up towards it.

"A big, honking castle"

The problem concerning Mr Lohan was finally resolved and now as Joyce drove home she realized she was finally free…. to worry about other things. There was the Gurian show the following week and of course the big thing to get in a tangle about- The Wedding. Giles was contributing as much as any guy could without exploding and Buffy was attempting to help- but it couldn't be helped if her slaying duties interrupted. What Joyce needed was another Buffy. A second daughter who wasn't the slayer to do all the wedding plan things with her. Maybe she could get Willow to split Buffy in two….

Speaking of, as she was driving along the road she saw Buffy walking along the sidewalk with Xander. Joyce was sure she'd been told that Buffy was being kept at Xander's to prevent any more Dracula meetings. But yet here they both were walking along with purpose. At closer inspection Joyce saw they both had a slightly glazed look to their eyes and she instantly knew there was more to this.

As she waited at the red light she picked up her cell and dialled Giles' own cell phone number. He didn't answer. It kept ringing until it switched to voicemail. She sighed in frustration as she threw her phone back down on the passenger seat. What was she supposed to do now? She couldn't call Buffy and she didn't have the others numbers. She made a mental note to resolve that at the same time she made up her mind and do the crazy thing of following her daughter and Xander in her car whilst continuing to call Giles and silently hope he would pick up soon.

Of all the things she had expected after following Buffy and Xander, a castle wasn't even on the bottom of the list. It loomed over her as she stood there, standing out clearly above the rest of the small town. So why on earth had she never seen it before? Giles still wasn't answering his phone, which meant one of two things. Either he'd lost it or he was inside the castle. Considering their lives she was going to go with option two and after seeing her daughter walk in there with Xander as well, Joyce believed she had no choice but to reluctantly walk through the castle doors as well.

As she opened the door it creaked so loudly and eerily that she feared the cliché would immediately give away her presence. Then, considering that the entire group was most likely wandering these castle walls made her realize it wasn't important whether or not Dracula knew she was here. It also made her realize that if it weren't for the danger how comical the situation would be as with the numerous corridors and secret passageways the entire group could pass each other several times without even realizing.

Looking around carefully as she walked down the ancient, stone halls she realized she had no idea where to go to find Buffy or even what she was going to do when she did. She saw a door to her right and on gut instinct pulled it open and realized a second before she put a foot forward that there was no where for her foot to go- there was no floor. The door opened onto a pit several feet deep and as she automatically looked down she saw there were people in there. There were theree women who from the ghastly pale faces Joyce immediately identified to be vampires. It took her a moment to fully realize who was in the pit with them though.

"Rupert!" She exclaimed in horror, "Oh my god!" She automatically looked away from the vampires groping him, "And you had issues with me inviting Dracula in the house!" She looked back at him for a second before having to look away again. As she was looking in the opposite direction and busy trying to block out the sounds of the vampires she saw Riley walking over. "Riley!"

"Joyce, what are you doing here?" He asked, rushing over, "What's the matter? Whoa!" He exclaimed, nearly falling into the pit himself. "Giles!" He immediately got out the cross was he carrying and held it out the vamp chicks and they hissed in detest and slinked away into the shadows leaving behind a very dazed looking Giles whose shirt was ripped where the three women had clawed at him seductively. Riley tossed the cross to Giles to keep away the vampires and Giles caught it as he stumbled up and shuffled over to Riley's outstretched hand.

"Joyce, Riley…thank god you're here," He told them breathlessly as Riley started to help pulling him up out of the pit. "There was no possible escape"

"Stop looking at them!" Joyce told him in displeased tone, seeing he kept glancing back at the three sisters who were keeping to the shadows and away from the light and Riley's cross.

"Sorry, it's just…" He looked down at his shoeless foot, "I've forgot my shoe…I'd better go…"

"Just get away from there! Go on! Go! Just go" Joyce started hitting him with girly punches and slaps on his back to back him move away from the door and the pit. "Get-" She carried on hitting him girlily in annoyance until he was on the other side of the hall and had seemed to have finally composed himself. "Arrr," She grumbled, pushing her hair out of her face, "And you were the one who was all upset over Dracula" She pointed out his hypocrisy.

"I was just about to stake them actually," He insisted pulling his ripped shirt together, "when you and Riley interrupted"

Riley and Joyce just exchanged a knowing look before walking on silently to find Buffy.

"What? I was," Giles insisted, following them.

"I still can't believe you," Joyce said to Giles a few moments later when the two of them and Riley had lost themselves further into the castle.

"I assure you, I was just about to kill them," He insisted and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, looked like," She sarcastically agreed as she followed Riley into the next room and saw Buffy sauntering down a spiral, stone staircase.

"Buffy! You okay?" Riley exclaimed, rushing over to her.

"Yeah, chock full of free will" She assured him.

"And Dracula?" Giles asked and Buffy briefly looked back at the pile of ash behind her.

"Euro trashed,"

"Oh thank god," Joyce put a hand to her heart with relief, "Wait, where's Xander?"

As if on cue Xander rushed in through the door behind them carrying a torch possessively.

"Where is he?" He demanded, looking around, "Where's the creep who turned me into the spider-eating man bitch?"

"What? Turned you into…" Joyce trailed off as she looked around at everyone in confusion, "How much did I miss?"

"Just be thankful you found Giles in time," Riley smirked.

"What? Why?" Buffy asked, looking between her Mom, Giles and Riley, "Wait, Giles, why's your shirt all like ripped?"

"It's nothing," Joyce assured her as she clipped Giles round the head good-naturedly as the two of them walked out of the room. When she saw how embarrassed he really looked she linked her arm through his, which seemed to cheer him up a little.

Xander watched the two go for a minute wondering what the hell Riley and Joyce had been talking about, before he returned to the task at hand as he looked at Buffy and Riley.

"You know what? I'm sick of this crap! I'm sick of being the guy who eats insects and gets the funny syphilis. As of this moment it's over. I'm fed up of being everyone's butt-monkey!"

"Check," Buffy smirked then tried to remain serious, "No more butt-monkey"

"I still can't believe how you were with the Three Sisters," Joyce commented the following morning as she lay in bed besides Giles, talking quietly with him, neither of them quite wanting to get up yet.

"I was dazed," Giles said in defence, "You try falling down into a pit and staying focused"

"Yes, because that's what it was all about: the fall." She said sarcastically, "You seemed very reluctant to leave. Looking back at them…Riley had to practically haul you out"

"I…I was…. lulling them into a false sense of security," He insisted and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure they were just as fooled as I was," She told him with a smile.

There was a knock at their bedroom door and both of them instantly sat up in confusion.

"Hey, sorry about the knocking," They heard Buffy's voice through the door, "This time is more awkward for me than it is for you, believe me, but I kinda need to talk to Giles and…well in case you haven't noticed it's like almost twelve. I mean, I know its Saturday but please." They then heard her walking off down the stairs, presumably to wait for Giles. They looked at each other with expressions that clearly said 'wonder what that was about' and the two of them started to climb out of bed.

Giles was already downstairs talking to Buffy about whatever it was she felt they needed to talk about, when Joyce finally walked out of her bedroom into the hall and bumped straight into someone.

"Dawn, watch where you're going," Joyce reprimanded her youngest daughter. She was always rushing from one place to another not bothering to consider the other people walking in the opposite direction.

"Sorry Mom," Dawn rushedly apologized, before running to head downstairs but with one hand Joyce stopped her.

"What's the rush?" She laughed.

"Got up late. Wanna make sure Buffy hasn't got the last of the milk," Joyce didn't both reminding Dawn that it was usually the other way round- that is, Buffy was the one always left without milk for her cereal (a years old pet peeve for her oldest daughter)- as Dawn ran off down the stairs creating quite a racket.