zigpal- Ooh I even get a dance for that chapter?! (picked up and danced about should I say...haha) I'm so very happy you liked it so much, and your welcome on the hittage of Ethan front (Maybe we'll have further chance for that in the future haha...). As for Riley being slapped about a bit- well, it doesn't happen in this chapter as he isn't actually in it- but I do have plans for when he returns in season 6...

Rabidreject- thank you so very much for the review. And don't worry about wow, stick with it- I like it. haha ;-D.

You two gave me such an uber happy with your reviews but I have to ask...where has g120 gone? You three are like my power-giving Triumvirate of reviewers that I want to send virtual FF dot net chocolates to...

And sorry guys for the late update. Things have been really hectic lately. ;-)
A/N: I apologize to very young eyes, as some parts of the beginning of this chapter are definitely rated mature in a NC-17 kind of way. It was inspired by Xander's conversation with Dawn in the original episode and suddenly both Giles and Joyce seemed to be asking for their sex life to take a spotlight for one chapter. So blame them, it's all them. And may this leave your perception of Giles unwarped.
"You pick Dawn," Xander encouraged as he, Dawn and Anya looked at the cinema listings in the paper, "You're the guest, so you choose"

Anya looked very upset by this decision and leaned over to whisper film suggestions in the fourteen-year-old's ear.

"Go monkey…choose monkey…"

"It's okay," Dawn, told them, ignoring Anya's weird hints, "You guys don't have to make a big deal about me staying over. I'm only sleeping over here because Riley and Buffy are boinking at his place and Mom and Giles are boinking at home"

Xander choked on air. How could this girl be so blunt? Did she know nothing of embarrassment and denial?

"No, that's not it…that's not it at all," he told her.

Dinner was delicious, the taste still resting pleasantly in her mouth as Giles had once again proven that among many other talents, he could cook. As Joyce finished her slice of cake that been laid out for dessert, she took another moment yet again to take in the huge effort he had made for the night.

The wonderful dinner, the music, the romantic lighting courtesy of numerous glowing candles…it all seemed so much and so overwhelmingly wonderful.

"You're spoiling me," Joyce smiled at him as, after being sat together at the dining table, they now moved to sit in the living room, the candlelit theme having carried on from room to room.

"Well, you deserve it," He told her, meaning every word, "After everything that happened…everything you've been through…you definitely deserve it"

"Well," Joyce debated, smiling suggestively at him, "I would have to say that so much effort only deserves some spoiling in return."

"Really?" Giles questioned, returning the smile as she leant over to him, pressing her lips against his. This kiss started gently at first, but the passion of it quickly grew. She lifted her legs up onto the sofa so she could kneel on the back of her legs, making herself level with Giles as she continued to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck as the two of them mutually deepened the kiss. He was forced to pull his lips away from hers as he felt her start to undo the collar of his shirt. Not to be outdone, he began unlacing the string tie that was interwoven into her skirt. Her top slipped up slightly as he glided his hands underneath the hem, brushing his hands against her bare skin and the moment they made contact she seemed to take a sharp intake of breath, before pressing her lips against his once more, running her fingers through his hair as she did so as he carried on running his hands gently, teasingly, along her bare back.

"We really should stop doing this in the living room," Giles said when the kiss broke temporarily, both of them coming up for air.

"Mm-hmm," Joyce agreed without conviction as she focused more on undoing the rest of the buttons on his shirt, "Next time…"

Giles nodded distractedly in agreement as he too became more focused on other things besides environment as he pulled Joyce's spaghetti strap top off over her head in one fluid motion. The top dropped to the side of the sofa at the same time she finally undid all the buttons on his shirt and shoved the sleeves down, off his arms, and tossed the garment aside.

He gazed as she sat there, smiling, in just her skirt and a lace bra, and just a small, silver cross necklace he had bought her for her last birthday. Her creamy colored skin looked a healthy, glowing bronze in the light of the candles and it made her blonde locks look golden.

Unable to resist any longer, he leaned over to her, and coursed feather light kisses along her neck which he traced along her shoulder, slightly down onto her back as he leaned further forward and unhooked the fasten on her bra smoothly and pulled the item away, sliding it off her arms as he pulled away from her. He sat back to look at her, the bra now cast aside with the other items, admiring everything about her.

She smiled at him, but didn't give him much longer to look as she slid over, closer to him, and undid the buckle his belt. Once it was gone, she undid the zip, pausing before letting him slide off the trousers completely to run the palm of her hands lightly over the coarse hairs spread over his chest. His breathing became heavier, more erratic as she teased her hands through the strands, drifting down to the trousers where her warm palms pushed and urged him to take them off. As he complied, she unzipped the back of her skirt, the noise sounding more seductive than it should to Giles and she slid off the soft pink item.

Instantly he drew her close, indulging in the familiar and thrilling feel of her skin against his as they let their mouth continue what their hands had started. Gently, he pressed her back to lie down on the soft cushions of the couch, covering her body with his as their mouths traced over each other, lingering. He placed his hands behind her head, to guide her as she he gently pressed for her to tip her face to the side so he could fully rediscover the soft skin of her neck, shoulder, collarbone. His soft kisses sent blissful shivers running through her and she closed her eyes as she breathed in every touch, suddenly jerking slightly with happy surprise as he nibbled her ear.

She sighed with as much content as exhilaration when his hands cupped her breasts, his mouth caressing over the firm flesh as he travelled further down her body. He rolled his tongue over one nipple, teasing her and she let out an involuntary and pleasure-filled gasp as she put her arms around him pulling him tighter to her as he continued to lip her nipple. She responded, unaware that she had done so, so soon, as she became lost in the heat of the moment. He felt her rocking, her hips moving to the same rhythm as his tongue, offering greatly needed friction against his throbbing penis.

Refusing to give in to temptation yet, he continued his actions onto her other nipple and her rocking continued at the same pace as she gripped his shoulders desperately as though making certain he wasn't moving away. He took his lips away from her breasts, tracing up along her neck before reaching her lips again. As she parted her mouth and he gained entrance again, tongues dancing, he reached his hands down to her underwear and he pushed away the panties, down her legs, where she eventually kicked them off.

As she used one hand to tug at his boxers, she used her other to reach behind her, searching desperately for the drawer she needed to find in the side table. Finally getting a grasp on the handle she tugged before reaching inside, searching the contents blindly as she revelled in the rewarding feel of him against her, now his own underwear had been tossed. She finally found what she was looking for, kissing him passionately again as she pulled out a foil wrapper from the drawer.

As he took it from her, she watched him rip open the packet and to accentuate the experience he made the condom part of the play, her pleasure filled moans only encouraging him, before he finally knelt over her.

She spread her legs wide for him, pulling him tightly closer as she wrapped one arm around his neck, the other around his back Once he was close enough for her, she took her hand off his back and moved it down to his penis in one smooth, unbroken motion. She took his stiff length in her palm to guide him in.

"Joyce," he moaned as he made contact with the inviting muscles of her channel, it was intoxicating.

"Rupert!" Joyce's groan was so much louder than his that it bordered on shouting, a loud sexual cry, "Please, Rupert!" as she desperately wanted to feel him closer, for her to come to her climax, her cries became begs.

"I'm here Joyce…" He assured her quietly, his warm breath adding more to the stimulation as it tickled her neck. Slowly, he bore down, driving deep inside of her and she started to begin the same rhythmic rocking of before and she arched in a pleasured response.

"Oh my god!" Her cry was a so like a shout now but at the same time seemed low, erotic and quietly personal enough for only him to hear, no matter how loud she said it, and he felt it all along his shaft.

"They just need to time to be…tender," Xander assured an unconvinced Dawn.

"He's not very convincing is he?" Anya checked and Dawn shook her head.

"Right," Giles said as he stepped down from putting up the banner above the Magic Box counter. "And so it begins. No longer a victim of crass holiday commercialisation…I'm a purveyor of it"

"You know, I'll never get this whole multi-culture thing," Joyce told everyone, as she read the numerous holidays listed on the banner.

"What do you mean?" Xander asked.

"Well, I don't get how you have to make sure everyone's not offended." Joyce explained, "I mean I don't celebrate…" She squinted at one of the holidays, "Gurnenthar's Ascendance, but I'm not offended by people who do. I just don't understand when Christmas became an offence…"

"Yeah," Willow nodded in agreement, heading over to the counter with a cardboard box full of items, "I mean I'm a Jewish Wiccan who celebrates Christmas with you guys. That's like Hanukah, Yule and Christmas all wrapped up in one," She thought for a moment, "I'm the poster girl for multi-culturalism"

"Oh, who ordered more chicken' feet?" Anya asked as she pulled a jar out of the box Willow had just deposited, "The ones we have aren't moving at all."

"That generally happens when you cut them off the chicken," Xander quipped.

"I'm serious," Anya insisted, as she opened the jar, "Maybe we could do a holiday promotion" She took out a chicken foot, looking to it for inspiration, "One free with every purchase!"

"Oh yes…" Giles commented, with a nostalgic look on his face, "Dear holiday memories, merry tykes by the fire, enjoying their brand new…chicken feet…"

"Aww, yeah…." Willow agreed, sounding equally nostalgic, "holding them tightly as they fall fast asleep, painting their little toenails."

"Oh I don't know…" Joyce added, sensing the sarcasm in their voices, "They could be just perfect for mini Willows and Taras…" She smiled, clearly teasing also and Anya slammed the chicken foot on the counter in annoyance, smiling her own unimpressed smile.

"That's so very humorous. Make fun of the ex-demon! I can hear you in private," She began to talk to the chicken foot, "'I dislike that Anya. She's newly human and strangely literal'"

"I don't say that," Willow told her, "No one says that. No one talks that way"

"And I like you Anya," Joyce assured her with a smile, "It's just some of your thoughts border on…unconventional"

"There's nothing wrong with my idea," Anya protested, "I've been good for this store," She frowned, "If it wasn't for me Giles would be a terrified old man staring at a quarterly tax payment and Joyce would be overwhelmed with bills for 24 hours nurse care for him while she spends the rest of her life doomed to be a bored, unsatisfied housewife"

"I say that's an exaggeration," Giles protested and Joyce nodded in worried agreement.

"Anya, you've helped out a lot…" Willow reasoned, "Maybe not to that extent…but you know, I've helped too"

"Yes," Anya agreed sarcastically, "I forgot about all the vigorous sitting around"

"Anya you can back off a little," Xander told her kindly, "You get paid. Willow's doing this in her own time."

Anya nodded and plastered on a fake smile as she looked at Willow.

"I'm sorry Willow. Thank you for making time in your busy life to come in here and get in the way of mine."

"Anya, play nice," Xander, told her.

"Willow only does the oddjobs around here remember," Joyce told her, "You're the employee. I mean, you don't mind me being here do you?"

Anya seemed to consider this for a moment before shaking her head with a frown.

"No, but that's different. You're just here, here and you're with him-" She pointed out Giles, before gesturing at Willow, "She's just wandering around…'helping out' which translates as…getting in my way!"

"Anya, what did I tell you?" Xander questioned with a warning tone.

"Fine!" Anya pouted angrily, "Take her side! Even though I'm the one that sleeps with you and feeds you and bathes you…"

The group were saved having to question the last action on the list, by Buffy storming in through the door.

"I need to find out everything I can about a vamp nest downtown"

"A nest?" Giles questioned, "What sort of-"

"There were people there," Buffy explained, her expression deadly sombre, "It looked, um, it looked like they were paying vampires to bite them."

"Now I know what to get for the person who has everything!" Xander exclaimed.

"Oh my god, isn't that dangerous though?" Joyce asked Buffy, but looked around at everyone in case they had the answer, "I mean aren't vampire bites a bad thing?" As she asked the question she subconsciously rubbed at the scar on her neck.

"Yeah," Willow agreed, "I mean who would pay to get bitten?"

"Oh that's been going on for centuries," Anya, explained casually, "Humans hire vampires to feed off them, they, well you know, get off on the rush"

"And the…hazards of the underworld can become addictive," Giles said knowledgeably before adding, "Uh…for some people"

"Why don't the vampires just kill 'em?" Xander asked the question that everyone had been thinking.

"Because they get cash," Anya answered, "Hot and cold running blood…they don't leave any corpses behind so they don't get hunted"

"But still i-it can be terribly dangerous for humans," Giles added, "I mean people can end up dying accidentally, or, or meeting a vampire who only pretends to play by the house rules."

"You knew about this and you didn't tell me?" Buffy asked angrily and Giles was taken aback by her attitude.

"I hadn't seen it since my Ripper days…"

While Joyce was paying full attention to the conversation and was extremely concerned about what Buffy had found out, at the mention of Giles' Ripper days she couldn't help briefly thinking of his Ripper nights and a little smile played at her lips as she thought of the most recent. Sure they had started in the living room but it had eventually moved to the hall…. which had eventually moved to the bedroom which had eventually moved to the actual bed.

"Hey!" Willow whispered loudly to her, "I saw that! Bad smiling- bad lighting up. Bad appeal. Badness" Willow was pleased to see Joyce look suitably embarrassed and would no longer catch Willow's eye and instead began to focus intently on the conversation between Buffy and Giles. Pfft, and people used to think Willow Rosenberg was a pushover. Pfft.

"Vampires are vampires," Buffy stated angrily, "And my job description is pretty easy. Are you coming with me or not?"

"Well, uh, not actually," Giles replied and it was Buffy's turn to be taken aback.

"What?"

"Well, that is, I, uh, would except…your mother has an appointment at the hospital in a little while, remember?"

"Wait…I thought that was all sorted," Willow said in confusion, "With Ethan turning up and everything"

"Well yeah…" Buffy agreed, "But what is she supposed to say to the doctors? Hey don't worry about it- a spell made it all better?"

"Oh. Well. Yeah." Willow nodded in agreement with a little smile as she realized what Buffy said made sense.

"So what was it?" Xander asked

"What was what?"

"The spell that Ethan cast…"

"Yeah," Willow said, interested to find out as well, "Why was it all protection-y?"

Giles, Joyce and Buffy all shared nervous glances knowing they couldn't tell the group the truth, mainly because none of them knew the truth about Dawn. So, what could they say instead? It was Joyce who answered the question.

"It was uh to do with…what happened last year"

As her Mom said this, Buffy breathed a sigh of relief. Not only did the answer make sense and was reasonable but it came from a very sensitive topic and so would ensure no further, complicated questions from the others.

"Oh," Willow said quietly while Xander nodded silently. Anya wasn't really paying attention as she checked the amount of money in the cash register.

"So, who is coming then?" Buffy asked, resuming the topic from before as she headed over to the weapons chest. Xander and Willow reluctantly followed.

"You know, after everything we've done you'd think I wouldn't be nervous," Joyce commented with a quiet, nervous laugh a she sat on the table in the small dark room, legs swinging with nerves. "It's just hospitals and the CAT scan…it's all…." She was saved from finishing her sentence and Giles replying by Dr Issacs walking into the room, x-rays in hand and a worried look on his face.

"Sorry, it took so long Mrs Summers, but I had to confer some things with some colleagues of mine"

"Confer what things…?" Joyce her expression now mirroring the worried one of Dr Issacs. The doctor started placing the scan results up on the light board on the wall.

"I'm not quite sure what to say," He told them as he turned away from the placed X-rays, "But I believe we've found something"

"What?" Joyce asked louder than she had intended. She looked at Giles, "How is that possible?"

He had no answer, but went to suggest a possible theory when Dr Issacs continued talking.

"Well at least what used to be something," Dr Issacs frowned at the results, "Still is…. used to be…is…"

"Dr Issacs?" Joyce prompted and he turned away from the x-rays to look at her, "Could you explain your thought process please?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," he apologized and took a deep breath. None of them knew whether it meant anything yet, but he still hated giving this type of news. But it was part of the job and so there was nothing to do but bite the bullet, "We've found a shadow…and from what we can gather, it has the potential to be a brain tumor"

But I suspect if you took her to the doctors they'd have some scientific explanation. A brain tumor more than likely

Ethan's words came to Joyce's mind and she realized that what Dr Issacs was pointing out on the scan was the physical effect of how'd she'd been effected by…everything. She couldn't bring herself to think 'effected by Dawn'. It really wasn't Dawn's fault. She didn't even know. But the tumor was still there? Maybe the spell couldn't fix damage already done- maybe that had to be dealt with the old fashioned way. She found Giles' hand and held onto it tightly as Dr Issacs continued talking.

"But you see this lighter shadow surrounding the darker?" He pointed out the area, "this seems to be where it, whatever it is, used to be" He looked at them both with a doctor-serious face

"What is it?" Joyce asked, "I mean, besides the obvious"

"Any mass, Mrs Summers, malignant or not either spreads or remains one size permanently…but this, this here," He pointed out the shadow again before looking back at them in confusion. "This seems to shrinking. It's as though it was fully forming but whatever was causing it before- well, the pressure has been released and so has the mass with it"

"Well, isn't that a good thing?" Giles checked while personally thinking it definitely was. If the 'mass' was disappearing it meant the spell had been a complete success and Joyce was going to be okay.

"That depends," Dr Issacs reasoned honestly, "When the pressure was released the mass may have stopped developing, but it should have stayed the way it was- not began to depreciate." He looked at Joyce, "A biopsy would be needed for further observation."

"I don't want to," Joyce protested only realizing how childish she sounded when it came out of her mouth.

"Mrs Summers…Joyce," Dr Issacs said pleadingly, "You must understand that this is a very delicate situation and it's for your own benefit for us to look further into it"

Knowing she didn't want a hole drilled into her skull through a biopsy, especially since she had figured that all this Dr Issacs was pointing out only further proved the spell had worked and she was thankfully okay, she looked at Giles, silently pleading for him to be the swing vote and convince Dr Issacs.

"Uh, Dr Issacs?" Giles inquired, "I, uh, can you force her to stay for the biopsy? Is it obligatory?"

"Well, uh, n-no…" Dr Issacs replied reluctantly as he knew exactly where this conversation was heading "It's Joyce's choice ultimately, but," He now turned from answering Giles to look to Joyce to appeal to her common sense, "considering how this could be a malignant mass- I mean, we actually don't know what it is at all, I strongly advise that you stay. It'd only-"

"No," Joyce told him quietly.

"Joyce- please, you understand I only have your best interests-"

"I'm going home," Joyce told him firmly, interrupting his arguments, as she got up off of the table. Dr Issacs sighed in reluctant resignation.

"I really do hate to let you go Joyce, but…. well, if you experience any further problems…please don't hesitate to come back in."

"Thank you," Joyce told him with genuine appreciation and went to leave but Dr Issacs stopped them.

"Uh, I'm afraid you'll have to fill in some forms…"

"No problem," She assured him with a smile before turning back to Giles as they walked out of the room together. She didn't care how many forms she had to fill in; she just wanted to get out of there.

Joyce didn't like to admit it, admit it to anyone at all, but everything that had happened at the hospital earlier that day had really shaken her up. That was why she is was in the kitchen alone, washing the dishes or rather not washing the dishes. Instead she was stood there, staring at them, hands not even in the water.

When Ethan had arrived in Sunnydale last week and told her what he had. About how…the monks' spell had effected her she had just accepted it as words. Words that would be remedied.

But going to the hospital, having the CAT scan had brought a harsh reality to it all. It made the brain tumor a real, living thing. She, Joyce Summers, had had a brain tumor. Still did actually, for a while anyway, if what Dr Issacs had revealed was correct. Subconsciously she lightly touched the side of her head with her fingers thinking of what could have developed there. A brain tumor…it would have gotten worse. Operations. Would she have even survived? Would she had have to have left Buffy and Dawn behind? Buffy had enough to deal with in her life, without her Mother not being there for support.

Joyce put her arms around herself tightly, a sorry attempt at bringing herself child-like comfort when she felt warm hands on her shoulders and looked to see Giles stood behind her smiling a smile at her that revealed he knew exactly what she was feeling and why and so also knew there wasn't much to say in response or sympathy. She turned around to face him and smiled back. This was more of the comfort she needed. Safe- all of it safe reminders that she was still here, it was all okay, that she wasn't going anywhere and that she wasn't going to have to leave anyone behind.

She didn't say anything herself either, but merely reached up, her lips brushing his in a tender kiss and as he deepened it, leisurely drawing her in, she wrapped her left arm casually around his neck, drawing him to her and soon the right arm joined the left.

She pulled away from him as an upsetting sound reached her ears, disturbing the couple. Once they were parted, she listened more intently and identified the sound as crying and it was coming from the hall. Gently sliding past Giles, who at the time had been still close to her against the sink, she headed into the hallway, following the sound.

Buffy was there on the stairs. Just sat there. Looking lost. Her face tear stained as her sobs now became silent.

"Buffy?" Joyce asked quietly and her daughter barely looked up.