Joyce glared at Giles and slapped her palm down on the kitchen table in the strange house as he and Buffy followed her in from the garage. Her face was flushed and her eyes narrowed on him. He stepped in front of Buffy and glared back at her.

"Mom, please calm down." Buffy said as she tried to slide out from behind Giles' protective cover. "Giles is helping us. He doesn't deserve this."

"You had to know she was delusional, but you don't get her help. No, you drag her to some kind of compound and reinforce her fantasy world. What kind of teacher are you?" Joyce snarled and took two steps toward Giles with her finger pointed.

"Your daughter is not delusional." His voice emerged, irritated.

"You want young girls to think your place is the only safe place around. Oh, you're a pervert." Joyce screamed. "We are leaving."

"No, Mom." Buffy picked Giles up and set him aside before turning to face her mother arms akimbo. "He is so not a pervert, and yuck and ewww. He is my second watcher, and a great man. He helps keep me alive."

"He wants you to think that so he can take advantage of you." Joyce moved forward and put her hands gently on either side of Buffy's face. "He doesn't really care about you."

"I do care about her. How dare you imply I do not?" Giles puffed up indignantly.

"Giles, not helping." Buffy sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"So where are you sleeping, Buffy?" Joyce dropped her hands to her daughter's shoulders. "In his bed?"

"No, again, Mom, with the yuck and the ewww. I sleep in my own bed. He sleeps in another house."

"So, you have your own bed and you never have to share?" Joyce raised an eyebrow and looked at her daughters face as she flushed bright red. "I knew it. He's a dirty old man."

"I am not." Giles paced the room and polished his glasses furiously.

"I assume that's my cue to enter." Spike grinned as Buffy and Giles glared at him and Joyce whirled around to face him.

"You look familiar." She said tilting he head and squinting. "Where have I seen you before?"

"Parent Teacher night, pet." He smiled at her. "You tried to take my head off with an ax."

"What? No, that boy looked different than you. Don't you lie to me," she took a couple of steps toward him with her finger en pointe.

Spike burst into laughter and leaned back against the wall for support. Buffy glared at him. His eyes met hers for a moment and she smirked and tossed her hands up in the air.

"You think this is funny? She wants me back in the loony bin and Giles in prison, and you are laughing." Buffy stomped over to him and punched him in the shoulder. He laughed harder and pulled her into a hug.

"Oh, I love your family. I really do." He giggled and swung her about before coming to a halt in front of Joyce and letting Buffy down slowly. He kissed the tip of her nose and turned to her mother, smiling.

"The watcher is a good man. Loves your girl like she's his very own. It's our bed she sleeps in, and will be sleeping in." He smiled and let his demon rise. His golden gaze met Joyce's as she stepped back. "She's not crazy. Vampires do exist."

Joyce stared at him for a moment and then punched him in the nose. His head snapped back and he rolled his neck as Buffy pushed her mother back from him.

"No hitting, Mom." Buffy glared at her mother and rushed back to Spike.

"Do you need an ice pack or some blood?" Buffy fussed at his face looking for any sign of injury.

"She's got style, your mum. I quite like her." He grinned down at Buffy. "She's strong, but only human, luv. I am fine."

"You might not be when she's done." Buffy flattened her hand against his neck, over her mark. "We aren't finished here."

"So, we are ripping the bandage off quickly, then?" He raised an eyebrow.

Buffy nodded and turned to look at her mother. Joyce and Giles were glaring at each other.

"This is your fault." Joyce pointed at Giles again. "Buffy may be a difficult child, but you encourage this. She's not an adult and he has to be in his mid twenties. You allowed this nonsense."

"You're off by a century." Spike smiled at her and sat on the kitchen island and pulled Buffy back against him. "I am a vampire."

Joyce growled low in her throat and glared at him. She turned on her heel and stepped toward them, her fists clenched at her sides.

"I wasn't speaking to you." She gritted out.

"No, you weren't, and you aren't listening to any of us. Buffy is in danger. So are we all. She loves you and can't lose you, so you will be living here until we can make the world safe for puppies, rainbows, and all that other sunshiny stuff." He rested his hands on Buffy's shoulders.

"Get your hands off my daughter." Joyce glared up at him.

"No." Spike smiled at her nicely. "We won't be dictated to in our own home."

Joyce turned and stared at Giles. "You're her watcher, and that's some sort of protector, right?"

Giles nodded and put his glasses back on.

"Then make him let her go." Joyce pointed at Spike while glowering at Giles.

"Mom, Giles can help me with the slaying and his big brain is so cool, but I'm where I want to be." Buffy stepped forward and grabbed her mother's hands and pulled them together in front of her. "Spike saved my life. Saved all our lives."

"So, you're rewarding him with your body?" Joyce shook her head. "Baby, that isn't right."

"Spike isn't like that. He wouldn't take advantage of me like that. I was in bad shape when he saved me, Mom. He could have finished me off, but he brought me here and got Giles. Tell her, please, Giles."

"I don't know the extent of her initial injuries. She'd been cleaned up and treated for most of them before I got here. She had a broken pelvis and couldn't stand on her own two feet. Her skin was a tracery of healing lash marks. Joyce, it was horrible." Giles touched her shoulder. "He has been helping us ever since."

Joyce swallowed. "How is she walking and bouncing about now? If all that is true?"

"Slayers heal at an extremely fast pace. They are stronger, faster, have heightened senses. The longer they live the faster and stronger they get. Buffy has been the slayer for two years now. She's amazing, truly." Giles smiled fondly at Buffy.

"Thanks, Watcher mine. I think you rock, too."

"So, why are they sleeping together, living together?" Joyce looked at the three of them.

"I made Spike promise to kill me before Angel could. I couldn't sleep without him next to me at first. I really didn't like it if he left my sight. Still don't really." Buffy shuddered. "Then it was comfortable and we just slept nothing else."

Joyce pulled her hands free and hugged Buffy close to her and rocked them back and forth. She rubbed Buffy's back. "Baby, I promise we will get you some help. We'll call the police. We'll find a way to get you back to normal."

"You still think I'm crazy." Buffy pushed her mother away gently.

"I'm fairly certain you all are. I don't know how he makes his face do that weird thing, but vampires don't exist." Joyce looked at Buffy with sad eyes. "I'll call your father and we will get you help."

"Mom, stop it. This is real. It is all really happening." Buffy pulled a knife from a wrist sheath and sliced her hand open.

The blood welled and Joyce raced at her with a kitchen towel that had been left on the table. Buffy looked at her and licked the blood off and held her hand up. There was a faint scar on her palm.

"Stop with the trick knives, Buffy. It is not funny." Joyce grabbed her shoulder and tried to take the knife. Buffy shoved her lightly back.

"It's not a trick knife, Mom." She drove it through her palm.

"Do we really have to resort to all this blood wasting?" Spike snarled and jumped down from the counter.

He put his hand under hers to catch the blood. Buffy glared at him for a second. He smiled and Buffy shook her head. Giles sat wearily in a chair and Buffy held her hand out to show her mother the blade poking through her hand.

"Pull it out, Mom. It's real. See for yourself." Joyce gaped at her daughter.

"We have to take you to the emergency room, now. You leave that in. You can't pull something like that out. We need a doctor." Joyce scrambled for her purse.

Spike rolled his eyes and grabbed the hilt of the knife with his spare hand. "I'll yank it out. Joyce, if you don't. I won't be careful. Your baby could get hurt."

"Stop it." Joyce grabbed his hand and he wrenched the knife free of Buffy's hand. She looked at the knife and her daughter's healing hand. "It's real. How is it real."

"There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Joyce, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Vampires are real. I am one. Buffy is the one girl in all the world that kills us. She is also very much my mate."

Joyce stared up at him for a second before her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed to the floor. He looked at Buffy and smiled.

"She believes you now."