Zigpal- Thank you very much. Me like the claps. hehe. Glad you liked the mother/daughter thang as yeah, I agree with you, I always saw the others as seeing her as a Mom to them. (I chuckled over your 'maybe not Xander...'). And you will just have to wait and see about any off-canoning action...but I think I am one with your 'screw the non-reviewers' idea. Witness my jumping on board. ;-) So hope you like this chapter.

Rabidreject- hallor again and thank you for the review.

g120- Xander's after everybody haha. After all didn't he say looking at linoleum made him wanna have sex? And thanks, happy you thought the Willow and Joyce scenes were erm...what's the word...developmental to the story. hehe. And oh I have plans for spell wackiness as I am already half way through Something Blue so watch this space. haha.


So I missed The Intiative. I know-sorry, just don't hunt me down. But I missed it for story related reasons and other non-story related reasons. Either way please forgive me and I hope this chapter makes up for it because it's 26 pages long and well...I think my keyboard is about to die from exhaustion as now the U button is playing up. Typical.

Also will be making up for the Intiative missage with a post-restless chapter. ;-)


"So if we had dinner at three then everyone can start getting here for around half one or two" Joyce mused aloud and Giles knew he should be paying attention.

It was near that time Americans called 'Thanksgiving'. Given that it was an American holiday he was still wondering why it was being held at his house and not say…the house of an American. Joyce was already in the full swing of things as she paced around his living room explaining the ins and outs. "Buffy is even going to help this year she says" Joyce carried on and Giles smiled a weak smile of encouragement, but too late, Joyce saw that it wasn't genuine. "Problem?" She asked him directly and he sighed.

"Its just…now don't take this wrong way please, but ah, I still don't understand why this Thanksgiving dinner has to be held…here."

"Oh that's simple" Joyce told him with a smile as she walked over to where he sat casually on the living room sofa, "That way the leftover mess is here and so very far away from my own house."

"So this is all a clever scheme to stick me with clean-up duty?" He asked with a smile and she nodded.

"Exactly. What can I say? I always have a scheme"

"Don't you mean plan?" He questioned her choice of words and she shook her head.

"No, definitely scheme." She assured him, but saw he still seemed reluctant about the whole idea. "Oh come on" She encouraged him climbing up onto a seat next to him on the sofa, "Dating an American means you have to embrace our crazy American holidays and traditions" He went to protest but she kissed him hard on the lips before he could.

"Would this be one of those crazy traditions?" Giles asked after the kiss broke and she smiled.

"Why? Feeling more able to accept now are we?" She asked.

"Leaning towards that, yes," He agreed, grabbing her and pulling her onto his knee as they kissed more.


"But you were as against this holiday as I was before" Willow argued as she sat on her bed, arms folded and wearing resolve face.

"I know" Buffy said in a guilty voice, "But then Mom started talking about her doing the whole giving thanks thing at Giles' with a big dinner and she…she…she kidnapped me onto the Thanksgiving Train!"

"It's a sham Buffy" Willow said, refusing to see the funny.

"But it's a sham with yams. It's a Yam Sham"

"Uh-uh" Willow shook her head, "you're not gonna jokey-rhyme your way out of this one"

"Come on it'll be great" Buffy pleaded, "You know how much you love Mom's cooking. Full roast…the whole nine yards. In fact it's probably like the whole nine miles."

"I thought you told your Mom you were gonna help with the cooking"

"And by help I meant hover in the kitchen with amusing banter" Buffy informed her friend before going back into plead mode, "Come on-it's like Professor Walsh was saying in Psych. The comfort factor. And we could all use a little comfort food"

"I guess…" Willow gave in reluctantly before looking at Buffy with a pointed stare, "But don't come crying to me when you see your Mom and Giles doing the Ma and Pa deal and you wig"


"So I called Buffy" Joyce was explaining to Giles as the two of them stood in his kitchen the TV on in the other room quietly and the noises on the news broadcast humming in the background, "She's going to do the shopping. I figured slayer strength might give her a bit of an edge"

"An edge?" Giles asked as being male he had no clue why Buffy would need an Edge just to shop for Thanksgiving.

"You're kidding right?" Joyce asked him but his blank expression told her the answer, "You're not kidding. Women can get very aggressive when food shopping for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. I've earned myself a few bruises in scrabbles for the best turkey over the years" She admitted and he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Sounds like the Supermarket's answer to Patrol" Giles half-joked but Joyce nodded in a serious manner.

"You have no-" She stopped talking as the newsreader's words on the TV reached her ears and both she and Giles headed into the living to watch what was on the TV

"Professor Gerhardt of Anthropology at Sunnydale University was found dead in her office last night, her throat slit" The Newsreader informed them, "With one ear missing it appears to be the act of…"

"I'll call Buffy" Giles stated automatically after hearing the newscast and he headed over to the phone. As he dialled and waited for her daughter to pick up, Joyce carried on watching the broadcast with morbid fascination. It was only the sound of a knock at the front door that drew her attention away and while Giles continued to talk on the phone to Buffy, Joyce answered the front door.

The last person she expected to see on the other side was Angel.

Apparently Angel felt the same way about her.

"What are you doing here?" They both asked one another in unison just as Giles finished his phone call and he looked over in surprise after hearing the stereo exclamation.

"Angel" He stated simply as his eyes laid on the vampire, "What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?" Angel asked in answer and Joyce frowned.

"I thought once you're invited you can always come in"

Angel shrugged

"I was being polite," He told her as Giles nodded and he stepped into the house.

"Now what are you doing here?" Joyce asked the moment the front door was closed behind Angel and Giles was taken aback by how she was confronting him.

"I know." Angel said, "I remember what you said about staying away from Buffy but-"

"Wait, what?" Giles asked, confused, "What do you mean 'after you said'?"

"Erm…Joyce…told me it was better if I left Buffy…last year?" Angel became wary half way through the sentence that Giles had no clue what he was talking about.

"I didn't say that" Joyce argued and Angel immediately protested.

"Yes you did"

"No I didn't. The way you say it makes it seem as if I forced you to leave town and I most certainly-"

"No just said if I knew what was best for Buffy I'd-"

"Uh-uh. I didn't tell you to do anything except the right thing"

"Oh yeah, like you didn't imply" Angel scoffed childishly looking humorously out of character and Joyce reacted just as childishly.

"Oh my god. Why are we even having this conversation?"

"Because you-"

"Excuse me!" Giles interrupted them loudly and both turned to look at him. "Is it too much to ask for…well, for two adults to, for one moment, act their age?"

The two looked very disgruntled at being told off.

"Well, she started it" Angel grumbled and Joyce opened her mouth in shock and was about to argue when Giles spoke over her.

"Now Angel, could you please inform us at to why you are actually here?"

"It's Buffy"

"Buffy?" Joyce asked, all grudges against Angel suddenly dropped, "What is it?"

"A friend of mine…back in L.A had a vision of Buffy. She's in big trouble"

"What kind of trouble?" Giles asked and Angel frowned.

"Not sure. It wasn't too clear, but there's a big feeling it's bad. She needs help"

"Well, she's not here…" Joyce told him looking around the apartment as though to prove she was telling the truth, but Angel shook his head.

"No. She can't know I'm here. It would be too hard"

"For who?" Joyce asked carefully.

"Both of us" Angel told her honestly.

Suddenly they heard a noise outside and a sound of grumbling revealed to them all that it was Buffy heading up the drive and Joyce and Giles looked at each other in panic, knowing Buffy was about to walk in any second with Angel just stood in the living room. They turned to him to tell him to hide only to find…he'd already hid. The couple looked around in genuine confusion as they tried to figure out where he'd gone or even how he had gone so fast but before they had time to think about it too much Buffy walked in through the door carrying numerous shopping bags.

"Hi" She greeted them, "There's more outside" She told them and the two went to grab their share.


"So how was it at the store?" Joyce asked as she dropped the last of the bags onto the kitchen counter. She had been quite amazed that Buffy had turned up with the shopping so quickly, but had in fact found out that Buffy had already investigated the murder and was on the way home from the superstore when Giles had called her on her cell.

"Awful. It was more like a riot than an actual riot." Buffy said, "I've seen vampires more reserved than that. I thought I was going to have to use slayer moves on this one woman who was completely hoarding the pumpkin pie filling"

"And you didn't because…?" Joyce asked and Buffy immediately explained.

"Oh because in her rush to get it she totally tripped over her own feet knocking like this really skinny woman so while she was insincerity girl with the apologizing I made with the getting of the filling."

"And at some point are you going to tell me about the murder?" Giles asked and Buffy was suddenly reminded that there were more important things to attend to.

"Oh right, well the knife was some sort of Indian artefact." Buffy explained, "Chumash I think. That's all we got"

"Chumash?" Giles checked and Buffy nodded,

"Yuh-huh"

"Those were the people indigenous to this area" Joyce said as she unpacked more bags and the other two looked at her, "Oh-we have a section dedicated to their art in the gallery. Quite primitive but simply amazing to look at if you take time to notice the detail" She explained.

"Hmm…. that's interesting" Buffy agreed, "And my slayer sense is telling me it's not a coincidence"

"It could be though," Giles pointed out, "Just a convenient weapon at the time."

Buffy shook her head.

"Nuh-uh. There were like a big pair of scissors just handily sitting on her desk. No- that knife was picked for a reason"

Joyce opened the fridge to put in the food that would spoil otherwise and saw the fridge was basically empty and she rolled her eyes. Men.

"God, what do you live on?" She asked him, "I swear, I'm going to have to be here 24/7 just to make sure you have enough food for a normal human being"

The kitchen went deathly silent as all three realized what Joyce had accidentally implied and a feeling of uncomfortableness rippled through them as Joyce and Giles looked at each other awkwardly and Buffy busied herself with opening another bag. "So, erm what…erm…w-w-what were you saying about the knife?" Joyce broke the silence and Buffy immediately co-operated.

"Oh yeah. Uber clueage I say. Could blow the whole thing wide open. Or at least partially ajar"

"Ah yes" Giles agreed, "Well, I'll erm, I'll certainly look into the Chumash collection and see if there's any ritual significance to the ear removal"

"Thanks that's great" Buffy told him, "Well that's pretty much it. I've just got a few more things to pick up from the store so…catch you guys later?"

She rushed off before they could even reply and the moment she walked out the door Angel came out of the back room.

"Where the hell did you go?" Joyce asked him, still confused about how he could have disappeared so quickly.

"Just there" was all he said, before pausing to think how to phrase the question he was about to ask, "So…you two aren't living together?"

"What?"

"No"

Angel just nodded in acceptance.

"No it was just with the you being here" he said to Joyce, "and then…" he trailed off, "anyway, whatever killed this woman in the vision is probably the danger Doyle saw in the vision"

"Doyle?" Giles asked.

"The friend" Angel explained,

"Yes well, this Doyle has some ominous vision about Buffy and well it is all terribly vague" Giles commented and Joyce nodded in agreement. "I don't know whether you can be terribly sure of this"

"Believe me, I'm sure"

"I don't know" Joyce debated, "I mean there are lots of things, supernatural things, going on around here. This may be completely unrelated…I'm kinda inclined to agree with Rupert"

"You would" Angel reasoned, "You're dating him" He looked at the two for the moment in consideration, "You know maybe you two should only count as only one vote"

"You wouldn't say that if we were voting with you" Joyce pointed out and Angel shrugged in acceptance.

"Let's not fall into the pattern of before shall we?" Giles asked them, before looking directly at Angel, "if it is this that is threatening Buffy then we do need to deal with it quite urgently. I'm assuming it is something to do with the recently discovered mission-something is angry about being disturbed"

"Or maybe it was trapped there" Angel proposed, "and now it's released."

"And it took a liking to a Chumash knife." Joyce said, "I've been living in Sunnydale too long to see that as a coincidence"

"It's definitely related" Angel nodded in agreement, "Do you know Father Gabriel?" The couple shook their heads, "He knows the history of this place pretty well. His family dates back to mission times. He might be able to fill in some blanks"

"Ok I'll see about contacting him" Giles told him as he noticed Angel heading for the door, "Where are you going?"

"To watch her."

"Angel you can't do that" Joyce protested, "She'd want to see you so much and you won't let her, but you can see her freely?"

"Trust me- mine is not the good half of the deal"

"Well what if she does see you?" Joyce asked.

"She won't" He assured her and left without another word, closing the door behind him.

"I'd forgotten how silent and brooding he was," Joyce said still looking at the now closed door, unaware that Giles was scrutinising her.

"You don't find that sort of thing attractive do you?" He asked and she turned around to him in shock.

"What? He's like half my age"

"Technically he's five times yours" Giles pointed out.

"Still, no. Definite no." She looked at him carefully, "Wait, are you jealous?"

"No" Giles protested, "Just, well, just curious. I mean so many women say they fall for the dark, mysterious type and well…one can't help but wonder"

"Well…one shouldn't," She told him, "Trust me. No worries here" She smiled and he smiled back.

"So 24/7?" He asked, referring to her slip-up before, "Think we could give that a practice run right now?" he asked and she grinned.

"Well…" She reasoned, "I do have spare clothes here and whoa!" She exclaimed interrupting herself as Giles suddenly picked up in his arms (one of those swooping gestures she'd grown very fond of) but just as he was carrying her off the words of the repeated broadcast floating out from the TV.

"Anthropology professor at Sunnydale University…"

"Father Gabriel" Joyce murmured in Giles' ear, reminding him of the problem at hand and he sighed in defeat and Joyce was reluctantly placed back on the ground on her own two feet.


Cooking was a complicated matter. Especially when it was a Thanksgiving Dinner. Especially when it was in someone else's kitchen. And especially when the owner of said kitchen was being very distracting.

"Do you want these potatoes to become little thin chips?" Joyce asked as Giles leaned over her again, breathing down her neck and as she giggled slightly the peeler suddenly developed the use of slicer as her hand slipped and a quarter of the potato fell separately onto the board.

"I don't know" Giles debated, "I think some sacrifices are worth making" He told her, pulling her hair back slightly so her neck was bare and that's when he saw the scar. Two puncture marks healed over but with deep scarring left behind and a thin scar line trailing between the two marks. A vampire bite. He remembered the night she'd gotten it. From Darla. It had been the first night he had met Joyce and he'd thought about her a long time after that meeting, trying his hardest to get her out of his head. And here was the permanent reminder for her. Also a permanent reminder that their lives would never be normal, never like other people, always dangerous. Never knowing whether you were going to make it from one day to the next.

"What's the matter?" Joyce asked, aware that he had stopped teasing her. He touched the scar slightly and her hand instantly snapped up to cover it. "Oh that." She seemed ashamed of it as though she was somehow to blame for the bite, which was ridiculous. He pulled her hand away and in a clichéd moment kissed the scar gently and Joyce practically dropped the items in her hand as the sensation it gave her rushed through her entire body.

She didn't know why, but she put it down to one of those seize-the-moment instances as she spun around so she was facing him, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him hard on the lips. As he returned the kiss and it deepened he felt her moan, even if it wasn't quite verbalized-their mouths otherwise occupied at the present time-and the sound rippled through his body. He pressed her against the kitchen side and he was dimly aware of a few of the potatoes rolling onto the floor as they both seeked closer contact of one another. He lifted her up slightly, never breaking the kiss and she sat up on the kitchen side all potatoes now no longer a problem as they all were brushed aside or rolled around on the floor.

"Okay break it up-kids entering" He vaguely heard Buffy's voice speaking and dimly in the back of his mind he realized he and Joyce should break apart. The two reluctantly did so. "So what part of Thanksgiving was that?" Buffy asked with a smirk, enjoying the fact it was making them uncomfortable.

Giles distracted himself by picking up the now useless potatoes and Joyce slid silently off the kitchen counter, pulling her skirt down straight.

"So I went to see that Father Gabriel" Buffy informed them

"And?" Giles asked, throwing the potatoes in the bin.

"Badness" Buffy said simply and with a sad look across her face explained what she had come across, "He was already dead when I got there and this Native American-said he was called Hus or something-was there just about to cut his throat. It was awful. We fought but he erm, he got away and then like turned into all these bats and like flew away like whoosh"

The couple were silent for a moment, knowing there was nothing appropriate that could be said for the Father's death.

"Well it's clear we're dealing with a spirit of some kind" Giles said, deciding to focus on the supernatural side of things, "It's very common for Indian spirits to change into animal form"

"I know" Buffy reasoned, "But why did I freeze though? Let him go? I mean it's plenty uncommon for me to freeze up in a fight"

"Oh I'm sure it wasn't your fault sweetie" Joyce assured her daughter while she carried on peeling vegetables, "and honey?" Joyce spoke to Giles directly, "We say Native American"

"What?" Giles frowned in confusion.

"We don't say Indian" Buffy explained to him, "It's offensive"

"Ah yes of course" Giles agreed, an edge of sarcasm to his voice, "Little slip-up- I'm always forgetting about these new PC terms. I'm still trying to refrain from referring to you lot as…." He caught Joyce looking at him with a raised eyebrow, one hand on her hip as though daring him to finish the sentence, "so erm…this ah, 'spirit warrior' has killed innocent people?"

"Mom?" Joyce looked up, "What are you gonna do with the potatoes?" Buffy hated solid potatoes. Ever since she was a child she could only eat them in mashed form. It was terrible, she knew, but old habits die-hard.

"I'll boil them and put them through the ricer Buffy don't worry" Joyce assured her, knowing exactly what she was getting at.

"Ah yes, of course, the ricer" Buffy agreed then frowned, "What's a ricer? Does Giles even have one?"

She seemed to have said a question Joyce hadn't considered as her Mom frowned in questioning at Giles.

"You do have a ricer don't you?" She asked.

"No" He shook his head.

"Well, what are we going to do now?"

"Mash them with forks?" Giles suggested, but the two looked unconvinced, "I'm sure it will just be like the pilgrims did now did either of you happen to catch the little question about the deaths of innocent people?"

"Yes" Buffy told them, "And I do want to stop him…. just in a non-slaying capacity"

"Why?" Joyce asked, "He's killing innocent people. No matter the intent…I mean this kind of intent paves roads to hell."

Buffy sighed in frustration.

"I know. Argh, why can't evil just be evil? Since when did they come with a stupid guilt clause?"

There was a knock at the door and as though unsure of what to expect all three went to answer it and Willow came walking in, piles of books in her hands which she dropped on the table at the first opportunity.

"What are all these?" Joyce asked, flipping through a few of the books.

"Chumash research" Willow explained, "More specifically the Chumash war"

"War?" Giles asked, "But the Chumash were a peaceful tribe"

"Oh they were fluffy indigenous kittens," Willow agreed, "Till we came along.

"Why? What happened?" Buffy asked, flipping through the books herself and grimacing at the ghastly pictures and diagrams.

"How about imprisonment, forced labor, herded like animals into a mission full of bad European diseases?"

"Boy. Cultural partnerships really didn't stress any of that stuff" Buffy commented, closing one of the graphic books.

"Not even a diorama" Willow agreed, "And it gets better. The few Chumash who rebelled were hanged and when a group were accused of stealing cattle they were killed and-"

"Proof was brought back in the form of cutting off the victim's ear" Joyce read from the book, grimacing at the imagery it created. It proved that the link to the Chumash was no coincidence. Joyce put the book down slowly, figuring it wouldn't do her any good to read further on.

"So Hus wasn't kidding about the rightful vengeance routine" Buffy summarised.

"He's recreating all the wrongs done to his people" Giles elaborated, "And it's up to us to stop him"

"Nothing like Thanksgiving for conflict" Joyce commented and then suddenly reminded herself that a dinner was still cooking in the kitchen, "Damn-the turkey" And she ran off into the kitchen.

"Are you sure we shouldn't be helping him?" Willow checked.

"No I think perhaps we won't help the angry spirit with his rape and pillage and murder" Giles pointed out and Willow rolled her eyes.

"Well, no, not like that…but maybe we could…address some wrongs" She smiled, "Bring the atrocities to light"

"If the history books are full of them I'd say they already are"

"Give him his land back" Willow proposed just as Joyce, slightly suspicious that an argument was brewing, came back into the room.

"It's not exactly our land to give" Giles argued.

"I don't think you wanna help. I think you just wanna slay the demon and go la la la!"

"And I think your sympathy for his plight is blinding you to certain urgent facts" Giles retorted.

"No you're the one blinded being all ha-di-ha I'm British I don't give a bloody damn-"

"Willow, you need to see this in a neutral fashion otherwise-"

"But this isn't a neutral situation. Stop trying to-"

"I'm not trying anything. I'm merely saying-"

As the two argued Buffy and Joyce looked across at each other helplessly as the argument escalated.

"Guys" Joyce tried to interrupt but the two argued on obliviously, "guys…" The carried on arguing getting louder by the second so Joyce went for the obvious approach and stepped in between them, "okay guys!"

The two finally became silent. For a moment anyway.

"But I'd just like to say-" Willow began but Joyce shushed her with a raised hand.

"No." She interrupted her, "Rupert's right"

"Well of course you'd say that-" Willow went to argue again but was shushed once more.

"No, the main priority is to stop this spirit hurting innocent people" Willow went to interrupt again but Joyce carried on talking, "No matter the reason behind his actions"

"But his people deserve to have wrongs righted." Willow said when she was allowed to speak again, "if we just 'slay' him then we are just as bad as the original colonists who murdered his people"

"Innocent people who aren't to blame in the slightest will die if we don't" Joyce reasoned calmly.

"Buffy…" Willow appealed to her friend, but Buffy shrugged uncomfortably.

"I think Mom's right will. He's killing people and that doesn't exactly put him in the good column…" Buffy looked very apologetic and guilty, "I'm sorry"

"Well that's fine" Willow said in an attempt to sound as though their decision didn't bother her, but failed miserably. "Go, go slay. I'll be trying to find a more peaceful path," She informed them, grabbing several books and sitting down to study them in a huff.

"Will…" Buffy tried to appeal to her but Willow wouldn't listen and Buffy sighed, "Well that went swimmingly"

There was another knock at the door and Giles opened it to see a very ill looking Xander propped up on Anya's shoulder.

"Xander. You look like death," He said as way of greeting.

"That's not very nice" Joyce reprimanded heading over and then her eyes landed on Xander, "But it unfortunately is so very true. What on earth is the matter?"

"You didn't bring rolls?" Buffy asked with a frown, seeing their empty arms as they walked into the living room. Willow moved off the sofa and into the chair and Anya lay Xander down on the settee.

"The doctor couldn't figure out what was up with me" Xander explained, "He said I had a lot of symptoms that didn't connect"

"I think they do connect" Buffy told him.

"To this Chumash spirit vengeance guy?"

Buffy turned to Willow.

"Didn't you say the Chumash got all diseased when they were holed up in the mission?" Willow didn't answer, but merely carried on reading, "Will"

Willow sighed and looked directly at her.

"I'm not going to help with the information giving if you're just gonna go all kill! Kill! On them." Willow told her, but when she looked at the pleading face of Xander she gave in, "But yes, yes they were. In here it lists the various-"

"Various?" Xander asked in instant worry, "As in…"

"Well I'm sure it's nothing to worry about" Joyce tried to calm him down.

"Ultimate jinx" Xander told her before looking at Willow, "Tell me Doc, am I gonna die?"

"Well they did suffer from Malaria, some smallpox…" Willow murmured her reply

"I was gonna say smallpox" Anya said as Joyce passed her a cool cloth to place on Xander's head. It seemed to have little effect.

"You know syphilis…" Willow continued to mumble

"Syphilis?!" Xander sat up straight in shock, but Joyce placed a firm hand on his shoulder and he lay back down, barely aware that he had been forced back down on the sofa as he lost himself in the panic of hearing the word syphilis and the suffering from it.

"Well, this is probably mystical and it'll go away as soon as…." Willow trailed off. She knew the others were intent on killing the Chumash warrior, but she was still determined to find an alternative.

"We still don't know what we're gonna do…." Willow said.

"I thought we had cleared that up" Joyce sounded confused and a little exasperated.

"No, you jumped in and was all 'oooh we're gonna do this'" Joyce looked suitably insulted by Willow's impression, "We…well, maybe I can find another way"

"Let's give him some land" Giles suggested sarcastically, "I'm sure that'll clear everything up"

"If you could just give me some time to read some more" Willow said, ignoring Giles' stab at her suggestions.

"Oh well then! I guess we'll just ask him to wait a while to kill again, till you've read a bit more" Joyce said, just as sarcastically and Willow frowned.

"You two are a very sarcastic couple" She commented, "It's not healthy"

"Can we come back to me and my new syphilis?" Xander asked.

"No!" Giles, Joyce and Willow all answered in unison.

"What's to discuss?" Xander whined, "Spirit guy bad. Give Xander syphilis. Buffy slay bad spirit guy"

"But we've never faced this sort of spirit before" Giles pointed out, "We don't actually know what would kill it"

"Again with the killing" Willow exclaimed and Buffy sighed as the two fell into another argument

She took a moment to take in the scene around her. She didn't know whether it was a typical Thanksgiving or not. They had the new girlfriend (Anya) who was being introduced to the dysfunctional parents (her mom and Giles), the son whose girlfriend it is bringing problems every time he visits-in this case mystic syphilis (Xander), the younger sister who was something of a rebel against her parents beliefs and was often the root of many family arguments (Willow) and the middle child who watched everything and had the crazy monologue running through her head (that would be her). Hmm…despite the supernatural and abnormal things going on they were a pretty natural and normal family dynamic. Irony at its best Buffy believed.

"Hus won't stop" Giles was saying, "Hatred is a cycle. All he will do is kill"

A knock at the door stopped Willow from retorting. Everyone frowned in confusion.

"Aren't we all here?" Buffy asked herself as much as everybody else as she went to answer the door. A literally smoking Spike stood on the doorstep covered in a towel as he tried to protect himself from the rays of sunlight pouring down onto the ground and his back.

"Help me," He pleaded and Buffy responded by shoving him into the direct light. He got up as quick as he could and ran back into the shade of the doorway, "What part of help me don't you understand?"

"The part where I help you"

"Who's at the door?" Anya asked as Giles grabbed a stake off the side and joined Buffy at the door.

"I don't know" Joyce answered honestly as she peered at the front step, "I can't see past Buffy and Rupert" and she and Willow headed towards the door until the visitor came into view.

"Spike?" Joyce asked, not quite believing what she was seeing.

"Joyce!" He exclaimed, sounding genuinely happy to see her, "You're a nice girl, love. Tell these two to invite me in." He then frowned, "Wait, what are you doing here?" As Joyce walked to the door and stood next to Giles his question was silently answered and he laughed in disbelief. "No way- I don't believe it. You and the Watcher shacking up"

"We're not living together" Joyce and Giles were practically in sync, but not quite.

"Ah but you are together though" Spike nodded and then looked at Buffy with a grin, "Bet you weren't too pleased about that were ya? Bit of a shock I fancy"

"Yes, this is the way to get yourself invited in Spike" Buffy retorted and he groaned in frustration.

"Please. I'm burning out here" He turned to Joyce, "Make em let me in love. I've never done anything to hurt you have I?"

"You almost killed me daughter that one time-"

"Yeah but you hit me with an axe that time so that evened out" Spike reasoned and Giles looked at Joyce in surprise. He was sure he hadn't heard this story before and was just as sure that he would very much like to.

"And then last time I saw you, you had kidnapped Willow and Xander" Joyce continued.

"Ah but we had a nice chat dint we?" Spike appealed and sighed when it didn't work. His eyes then landed on Willow and he brightened again. "Willow tell em! Tell em I'm safe! Tell em what happened when I saw ya"

"You said you were gonna kill me then Buffy" Willow stated and Buffy poised her stake ready to make Spike the pile of ash on the doorstep.

"Yes, bad" Spike agreed with Willow, "But the other part. About how I can't bite anymore"

"It's true" Willow admitted with a sympathetic nod, "He had trouble performing"

"Yeah well it looks like they've done me for good…." When no one seemed to know what he was on about he elaborated, "You know…. Spike had a little trip to the vet and now he doesn't chase the other puppies anymore. I can't bite anymore. I can't even hit people"

"And this effects me how?" Buffy questioned him and Joyce frowned at her in disapproval.

"Buffy. He's harmless. You can't leave a harmless, defenceless person out to starve or god knows what"

"Mom," Buffy couldn't believe what she was hearing, "He's still a soulless, evil, vampire"

"And I'm not denying that" Spike agreed, "But I have the inside scoop on these solider blokes"

Both Buffy and Giles still seemed reluctant to give Spike the permanent invite.

"Look he's all alone and helpless," Joyce appealed for Spike, putting a hand on Giles' arm and looking up at him, "Plus he has information on the commandos…that's got to be some useful help hasn't it?" Giles looked down at her, trying to ignore the persuasive look she had on her face. And why did she have to be wearing a red top? He found it very hard to say no to her when she was wearing red. He sighed in defeat.

"Alright fine" he agreed and she smiled widely, "I invite you in Spike"

"Oh thank god," Spike said running in away from the sun that had been inching ever closer, but before he could get very far he was grabbed by Buffy and he saw Willow heading over, holding some rope and he sighed in frustration as he realized freedom to enter the house didn't mean freedom to walk about in it.

"Buffy is this really necessary?" Joyce asked looking over at Spike in concern as Buffy tied him tightly to the chair.

"Yeah, you're cutting off my circulation here" Spike complained and Buffy just tied the ropes tighter.

"You don't have circulation"

"Well it pinches"

"Yes, it's necessary Mom," Buffy said, ignoring Spike's complaints as she stood up

"But he's harmless now, what's he gonna do? Gnaw at the weetabix?"

"It's Spike" Buffy said straight-forwardly, "He'll find some way to be Evil and destructive"

"It's true; I will" Spike said with a smile and a nod, "But I have information and I feel I'm being mistreated."

Buffy just rolled her eyes and ignored him, turning her back to him for the full effect and Joyce shrugged at him apologetically.

"Mom" Buffy reprimanded, "Stop having sympathy feelings for Spike"

"I can't help it," Joyce owned up honestly, "It's just he looks all forlorn and helpless there and I get…well I get all these motherly feelings for him"

Buffy looked at Spike to see where the hell her Mom was getting this from and saw Spike smiling at her in a way that said 'ner-ner-ner-ner-ner'.

"Yeah," Buffy said sarcastically, "Looking at Spike makes me wanna go all red-cross" The glare she threw Spike's way told him the sarcastic comment had a double meaning.


An argument had started up again. The Dean had been identified as Hus' next target and while someone going to check he was safe was one priority the other was figuring out to stop the Hus from ever harming him or anyone else for that matter. However, Willow was still putting up a resistance to the slaying option.

"No, I'm not gonna help you kill him," She argued, "I don't get why you even think that's an okay solution"

"The phrase 'only solution' I believe comes to mind" Giles replied smoothly.

Joyce had decided she'd had enough of the two of them and had eventually stopped trying to intervene and was instead focusing on trying to get both Anya and Buffy to help in the kitchen. Buffy seemed to know what she was doing, at least for the most part, but Anya being newly human had no clue and seemed to need direction every step of the way.

Buffy walked into the living room, still stirring a mixture that at the moment looked nothing like the desert it would become later on, just as Spike looked ready to kill himself.

"Oh someone put a stake in me"

"Well if you close your eyes and wish real hard" Buffy reminded him and went to put the bowl down and grab the discarded stake from before.

"It's just all this politically corrects bollocks is driving me insane!" He complained and Anya and Joyce joined everyone else in the living room, intrigued by his rant.

"Why is his hair that color?" Anya asked Joyce, puzzled. Anya seemed to have taken to aiming all questions at Buffy's Mom since the ex-demon seemed to view an ability to cook meant having a never-ending fountain of knowledge. No doubt she would discover the mistake of this assumption in due course.

"Caesar is not going round going 'I came I saw I feel really bad about it'" Spike was still ranting, "The history of the world isn't making friends. You had better weapons and you massacred them. End of story"

"But-" Willow went to argue some more, but Buffy stopped her.

"Willow I know you feel really bad about this and honestly I think it has a lot to do with your Mother, but this isn't a wronged Native American we're dealing with it's a Vengeance spirit or whatever and that is a qualifier for slay gal"

Willow was silent as was everyone else.

"Erm…but how are you going to do that?" Joyce asked, warily as she sensed the tension in the room, "I mean you still don't how to kill it"

"I know" Buffy ran her fingers through her hair trying to relieve some of the extreme stress she was feeling, "Well, until we do, know that is, someone still needs to warn the dean"

"I'll go" Willow said, "I need the air"

"Will…." Buffy knew her friend for want of a better word was miffed.

"No it's fine" She assured her.

"Well, you can't go alone." Buffy told her, "I mean I want you coming back with like both ears firmly attached okay?"

"I'll go with her," Anya offered helpfully with an eager smile.

"Me too" Xander struggled to get up but Joyce walked across the room to make sure he lay back down.

"Oh no, you're way too ill to be going anywhere." She told him, "Anya and Willow will be fine"

"Oh yeah leave him here" Spike said, reaching over as if to smell Xander and he probably was, "This one looks about ready to kick the bucket and I think I can eat someone if they are already dead"

Both Xander and Joyce looked at Spike in disgust and then looked at each other.

"You should go," Joyce said helping him back up and he wobbled out the door with Willow and Anya.

"Pfft." Spike sniffed with disdain at letting Xander go, "When do I get fed?"

"Keep that up and you can pretty much set it for the 12th of never" Buffy snapped at him.

"You know what happens to vampires who don't get to feed?" Spike didn't wait for an answer, "Living skeletons. Like those famine pictures from those dusty countries only not half as funny"

"Do I have to gag you coz-"

Joyce rolled her eyes at Giles with a smile as Buffy and Spike continued to banter.

"Do you mind helping in the kitchen?" She asked, "Since Anya's gone and Buffy's well…busy"

"Well I definitely enjoyed helping in the kitchen before…." He murmured suggestively.

"Really?" She smiled, reaching over to get the bowl Anya had put down when an arrow blurred past and pinned the sleeve of her top to the wall, "Argh!" She said more with surprise than pain since it hadn't even grazed the skin and the couple looked up to see Hus stood above them.

"You!" Buffy exclaimed, "Listen, maybe I wasn't clear before about how terrible we all feel cause we're trying to help!"

"What's going on?" Spike asked in panic, unable to see anything.

"Little help here please," Joyce pleaded, finding she couldn't pull the arrow out and everyone at present seemed too distracted by Hus. Giles heard her though and turned round and suddenly remember the whole sleeve-attached-to-the-wall situation and pulled the arrow out with ease. He then saw Hus getting ready to aim more arrows, "Get down!" He warned everyone and everybody except Spike hit the floor.

"You're not gonna just leave me up here!" Spike complained in complete and utter panic as dozens of makeshift stakes flew past him. One pierced him in his lower chest, "Hey watch the heart!"

"Why is he here?" Buffy asked, "And not at the dean's?"

"I don't know," Giles, replied, "Perhaps he views you as a threat"

"Can we stop referring to him in the singular?" Joyce asked, "Because I may be going slightly crazy what with all the arrows flying past dangerously close to us and all, but I'm sure there's more than one of him"

"Oh great" Buffy complained, "Just what we need. A siege. Can't we just have dinner?"

Several arrows all at the same time suddenly came whizzing past the three but luckily missed them all and buried themselves in the sofa behind them. Not sure they would be as lucky next time Giles put his arm over and around Joyce protectively so if any arrows came too close he would take the brunt of them.

The phone could be heard ringing over the noise and Giles reached over to pick it up.

"Hello? Yes…w-w-we're well aware of that…. we're, we're under siege right now actually, thank you" He hung up.

"Who was that?" Buffy asked.

"A…erm, someone" Giles nearly slipped up, "We need a plan"

"Yes, let's talk it about it some more," Buffy responded sarcastically, "Where's your weapons chest?"

"Over there," He indicated the chest that lay at the other side of the room. Buffy let out a frustrated sigh before beginning to sidle over to the chest.

"Buffy!" Joyce let out a warning just in time as an arrow headed Buffy's way and she dove out of the way in time to see it embed itself in the floor. She hurried over to the chest quickly with a brief look of thanks in her Mom's direction.

As she took weapons and handed some to Giles another seven arrows were shot in their direction and one hit Joyce on the same arm that had previously pinned to the wall.

"Joyce!" Giles exclaimed at the same time as Buffy said "Mom!". The arrow hadn't gone in too deep so Giles gently pulled it out but the wound that bled quite badly proved it had been deep enough. He went to see to it but she shoved him away.

"No, I'm fine" She assured both of them, but feeling anything but, "Go do the fighting thing." Buffy nodded, knowing her slaying duties came first as she went to fight off the Hus, but Giles was still reluctant, "Go." She repeated, "I'm fine" He nodded and as soon as he got up Spike came crashing down on his chair beside her.

"Bloody hell!" He cursed and then noticed the blood on Joyce's arm, "Ooh, blood. Could I just…." He inched forward but she moved away out of his reach.

"Ew" She said to him before looking at how Buffy and Giles were doing. Buffy was doing okay, but she seemed to be having problems about how to defeat the Hus.

"Giles, these guys! They don't die!"

"Bit busy over here!" Giles replied and Joyce saw one of the Indian spirits had him by the neck. Ignoring the pain in her arm, she grabbed one of the vases off the side and smashed it over the demon's head. It didn't knock him out but it startled him enough for Giles to get the upper hand.

Buffy sliced the Hus with the Chumash knife and realized it left a cut.

"Your knife can kill you" She breathed just as the man in front of her turned into an enormous bear and she will filled with panic. Demons and vampires she could handle. Bears? Not so much.

"You made a bear!" Spike sounded petrified.

"I didn't mean to!" Buffy replied honestly.

"Undo it! Undo it!"

Suddenly items of food started being thrown at the bear.

"Hey gentle Ben!" Xander taunted, "That's for giving me syphilis!"

While the bear was distracted Buffy stabbed it in the bag and it alone with the rest of the Hus vengeance spirits disappeared including the one Giles had been fighting and he toppled over slightly at the sudden lack of resistance.

"Did we win?" Spike asked warily, aware that there was a calm silence.

"Yeah, I, erm think we did" Buffy replied, looking around, "Everyone okay?"

"Bandage now" Joyce whimpered as with nothing to distract her, the full pain of the injury hit her.


Dinner was laid out across the table and everything looked very normal considering the events of just over half an hour ago. The only thing out of place was Spike tied to a chair amongst the group.

Joyce brought in the last bowl of food, stuffing, and placed it on the table to find everyone had already started eating. Fighting vengeance spirits apparently did wonders for your appetite. She went to sit down herself but found there were no chairs left and she realized that a disgruntled Spike presently took up the chair that would have been hers.

"This is another reason why I don't think we should tie up Spike," She said and Buffy looked around as though double-checking there were no sneaky chairs hiding away.

"Oh…" She said wondering how the problem could be resolved, "You have no seat…"

"Easily rectified," Giles said and grabbed Joyce round the waist, pulling her onto his knee.

"Not exactly practical though" She reasoned.

"Practicality I believe is highly over-rated," he said before kissing her. Buffy turned to Willow with a frown but Willow stopped her talking.

"No, no whining. That was the deal remember?" She reminded Buffy of why she had agreed to Thanksgiving in the first place.

"This turkey's great Mom"

"What?" Joyce looked at Buffy wondering what she was on about, "Oh thanks hon,"

"I can't believe the way I reacted," Willow complained, poking at her food dejectedly, "Two seconds of conflict with an indigenous person and I turn into General Custer"

"Violence does that," Giles told her, "Instinct takes over"

"That's the fun of it" Spike spoke up and Buffy told him to shut it.

"And I don't think you can feel guilty for fighting back Willow" Joyce comforted her, "I mean they were killing innocent people and weren't really the erm…'fluffy indigenous kittens' you called them before."

"Guess not…" Willow mumbled, sulking slightly.

"An entire siege" Spike complained, "You'd think on of you would bleed a little."

"I think I bled enough" Joyce said, looking down at the bandaged arm. It felt okay now, but her top was officially ripped and ruined.

"Yeah, but you didn't even let me have any" Spike whined.

"Certainly not" Giles told him, pulling Joyce closer to him on his knee protectively as though worried perhaps that Spike was going to break free of the ropes and attempt to get the blood Joyce had denied him before.

"It wasn't exactly the perfect Thanksgiving we planned" Buffy grumbled and Willow shrugged.

"Oh I don't know. Seemed kinda right to me. A bunch of anticipation, a big fight and now we're all sleepy. Plus- we all survived"

"Always an upside" Buffy agreed.

"And you know what?" Xander patted Anya on the shoulder suggestively, "I think my syphilis is clearing right up"

"And they say romance is dead" Buffy said, "Or maybe they just wish it" She added cynically.

"Oh I don't wish it" Joyce informed her and Buffy noticed that despite her mother's 'complaints' of impracticality before she now seemed quite happy sat on Giles' knee.

"Well our first Thanksgiving together" Willow concluded the entire day's events into one sentence, "It was just like old times"

"Yeah especially with Angel being here and everything" Xander added only realizing a second later what he had said and let slip out.

Everyone looked at Buffy in worry, waiting for her reaction.