Joyce turned down another corridor and talked politely to a nurse about the condition of the man who she had come to see. Getting some answers to some of her questions she entered the room and saw her own eyes the state of the patient she had come to see.

"My god!" Joyce could simply say.

Rupert Giles grimaced as he turned to where Joyce was standing. He was lying on the hospital bed hooked up to various machines with bandages around his swollen head and arm. "It ummm… looks worse than it feels" Giles could only muster.

"What did this?" Joyce asked with concern.

"A demon. A rather big one" Giles recalled painfully. "Don't worry I should be out in a week or so."

A demon Joyce thought to herself, ah yes, she had to deal with demons and vampires now in her life. Oh, how she envied other mothers who only have to worry about unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, broken hearts and failing grades! Joyce now had to worry about all that and the things that go bump in the night to boot… that is if she knew where her daughter was. Pushing that sad fact to one side she looked at Giles in concern "Is this demon new or a regular?"

"Quite new," Giles winced straightening up slightly. "Oh, don't worry I should be out of here in a few days. It is well the others I fear as in Buffy's… absence they had taken to patrolling. Despite their numbers I fear that an encounter with it will lead to a similar state as me… or worse."

Joyce chewed her lip looking at the sorry state Rupert was in. She knew she should probably just forget about it and focus on worrying about Buffy. But she wanted to help out however she knew she was not the slayer or a fighter. When have she ever really helped with one of their battles? Well, except for that one time when she boinked a vampire over the head with an axe . . .not that anyone ever remembers that. Good thing too as means that none of them will even bothered to suspect that she is now boinking him on a regular basis… wait a minute maybe that was the answer…

XXXXXXXXX

"You want to do bloody what?!" Spike yelled nearly spitting out his coco.

"Go after this demon and kill it" Joyce replied calmly.

Spike looked at her as she had grown a second head. Spike noticed Joyce wasn't actually asking him to perform whatever little chore she had in mind. She was just assuming he would. It was like she was asking him to do the laundry or pick up a bottle of wine before he came round. She had brought it up so casually. Spike was expecting another night of fun and sex instead he now in the twilight zone. Because Spike was about to cave on something. He didn't know what it was yet, but he knew Joyce was going to ask him to perform some stupid labour of love and he was about to agree. Just as he always had with Drusilla.

"You do realise that I am a bad guy, right?" Spike slowly as if he were speaking to a child. "You do realise the things I've done?" Even as he said it, he cursed himself, wondering what bloody-minded impulse was making him remind her of things that could lead her to reject him.

"I know what you are," she said, as a matter of fact and simply "I hit you with an axe the first time we met, remember?" She smiled, as if it were a fond memory.

She says that she knows what I was. What the bloody hell does she think I am now? A housebroken puppy? Her lack of fear around him was almost frustrating. He was a killer not an errand boy. Despite how much they had been having together she had forgotten how risky it was simply being in the same room with him. "Count me out" Spike muttered darkly reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out his pack of cigarettes.

"But you are the only one who can beat this thing!" Joyce told him. "I have seen what it did to Giles. The others don't stand a chance!"

"So, some demon beat the slayer's watcher. Piff who cares!" Spike waved his arms dismissively.

"Yes, some demon! You have to stop it before someone else gets hurt!" Joyce dared him.

Spike looked coolly at her. "Oh, what you do mean before someone else gets hurt? Honey if I run into it, I will be buying it a pint for putting the wanker watcher into ICU!"

"Argh! Damn it Spike!" Joyce grunted getting up from the sofa. She started pacing in front of him muttering a few choice words about his lack of interest and him in general. How could she convince him that taking out another bad guy was to his gain? Spike would never do anything unless it was for his own gain. He was a bad hat, a villain, a monster in his own right… that was it.

"Yeah, I guess it was a long shot" Joyce said casually so to not to give the game away just yet. "I mean I guess with you changed and all…"

"Changed? What do you mean?" Spike enquired lighting his cigarette.

"Well come on. Here you are having a hot chocolate with a human. Spending the nights crying about your ex-girlfriend while some demon enters your patch of land! What is William the bloody going to do about that?" Joyce would have continued but with a snarl Spike had reduced the space between them to nothing in a matter of seconds and had her against the wall with his hand tightly around her neck.

"Take care what you say" Spike warned her.

"You would have snapped my neck already" Joyce gasped barely able to breathe with his grip. "Face it you have gotten soft!"

"Soft!?" Spike snarled again. "I could rip you from limb from limb right now and no one would even notice. You're little slayer girl doesn't care about you. Hasn't even called to tell you where you are. You've joined a book club and been shagging a vampire on the side just because you are lonely."

"I'm pathetic yes… but I'm still… the best…shag you can get… these days" Joyce managed to get out.

Spike's eyes roared in anger, but he released his grip on her and she fell to her knees gasping for air. "Tell me where the watcher encountered him, and I will head there" Spike commanded.

"I'm coming too" Joyce told him.

"And what be used as a human shield?!" Spike mocked her.

"No to make sure you do as you promise" Joyce said.

"What don't you trust me?" Spike joked.

"Should I?" Joyce dared him.

"Fine but it's your ass" Spike warned her. "One more thing" She looked at him. "I do this I get you."

Joyce rolled her eyes. "We have been having sex for well over 2 weeks I think you have had me."

"No, I get you all of you in any way I want. Fully nothing off limits."

Joyce nodded a little in fear. It wasn't like the idea of being with Spike that was scary. Far from it for a week now Joyce had been able to see Spike almost nightly. She had become accustomed to that. She had, in fact, become accustomed to doing a great deal more than just *seeing* Spike and found herself eagerly anticipating his visits. But the idea that Spike had been holding back and now that was off the table was something to fear… and if she was honest something for thrilling.

XXXXXX

Joyce found herself in the middle of a children's park at the dead of night. She was sitting on a swing whistling loudly eyes roaming the darkness. Spike had told her to sit there in the open and make noise. So that is what she did. She was bait. Then this hulking beast of claws and teeth came at her only to be stopped by Spike. Despite the monster having the advantage on size and strength Spike fought it with all his might. He punched, kicked and battled the demon across the children's park as Joyce could only watch in fear. Finally, after what seemed an eternity Spike gained the upper hand, managing to work his hands around the demon's neck and snap it quickly.

Spike spat out some blood and then turned to Joyce. "Well, this wanker's dead… not I do believe that we have an arrangement" Spike grinned at her.

XXXXXXXXX

Joyce looked around Spike's home uneasy as she sat on a rather burnt bed. It was an old burned-out factory far from her home. The place is a shambles, full of burn marks and she suspected rats. "Do you really live here?" Joyce asked looking around trying to picture it and unimpressed at the idea.

"What did you expect? A coffin?" Spike replied busy pushing boxes and pieces of burnt wood around he took a quick glance before rolling his eyes at her weak smile. Sodding Americans, he thought to himself they believe everything the films tell them. He went back to his searching.

"I had read in the paper that some vandals has caused the fire. The police believed it was arson." Joyce told him as she looked around the factory.

"No, it was your daughter's watcher on a revenge quest." Spike replied smiling to himself as he spotted the box. He knew it was here somewhere. He lifted the box and put it on the bed next to Joyce. He opened it to reveal a vintage dress inside. White possibly from the titanic era, beautiful in its simplistic design and classical in its style. Given Spike's immortal age Joyce decided it was the real thing rather than some cheap knock off or copy. It was stunning.

"It was one of Drusilla's dresses" Spike informed her. "I would very much like to see you in it."

"I bet" Joyce replied off hand. She felt his iron grip on her hand and winced looking up at this game face.

"We had a deal," Spike hissed. "I kill that demon and I get you… anyway I want." She gulped and nodded. Joyce sighed and went out of the room to change knowing he would probably want a big reveal.

Spike smirked and settled on her bed waiting for her to reappear with it on. And so, after a few moments did she wearing the dress. She looked nothing like what she regularly wore. Far from her long dresses and baggy tops here was she dressed delicately and from a different era. The dress was a plunge wiggle dress that flows and clings just so, serving as a temptation and warning about dangerous curves ahead. The dress was fully lined with a fused dress bodice for extra support. It's breathable yet sturdy material and made her look delicate and soft as it had his once beloved Drusilla. It fitted her as perfectly as it had Dru. Joyce stood before him almost uneasy at his gaze.

Spike took her new look in all her glory. She was a vision. She was divine. She was no longer Joyce, but something new, feminine, and wild. No one had ever looked at her with such lust and desire. It made her feel shy. This wasn't the way it was meant to be. Her life. A failed marriage. A missing daughter. Now she had this monster looking at her like she was a queen. She would have spoken but was then pulled hard into his arms. He kisses her with savage lust. His kiss completely robbed her of the ability to think; the world receded, leaving only the sensation of his mouth, his tongue and his hands. Joyce groaned into his mouth as she felt his body against him, wanting more as she sucked on his tongue passionately, running her hands through his hair.

She yelped at the sudden pain as he tore a piece of the dress off her. "Easy! Easy!" She yelled as ripped and clawed more chunks and pieces of the dress away from her body. Spike paid for no mind in his anger. Seemingly the dress was something to rip to shreds rather than be admired. He pushed her down on the bed roughly and she gasped in slight pain how hard he was handling her. "Spike calm down!"

"You like it exciting, Joyce." He whispered to her as he began softly kissing on her neck, tempting her with his touch. Her palms braced against his chest to push him away, yet only succeeded and grabbing hold of his dress shirt. "You like it when you shouldn't do it. When it's bad for all the best reasons well I'm bad to the bone baby." He told her then lowered his mouth to begin sucking on one of her nipples that was now free thanks to tearing of the dress. She gasped as Spike pleasurably tortured her sucking and licking her sensitive nipples. She closed her eyes, and her moans began to build as Spike lavished her breasts and continued to stroke her most intimate of places.

He pushed her legs wide open harshly as he ripped a large chuck of the bottom of the dress off. He pushed down his jeans. He was rock hard. It had been a long time since he'd been this hard. He had been hard since he had seen her in the dress but now seeing it barely cover her and in various pieces on the floor was so much better. That will pay Dru for leaving him as he pushed himself into her pussy. Spike gasped and almost came right then and there. She was so tight, so warm. He waited for the unbalancing wave of sensation to subside, then once he was satisfied, he began to thrust into her picking up speed as he pumped into her hard.

"Easy! You'll kill me!" She gasped as he growled again in her ear. Her pussy was on fire as he continued to force himself inside her. He was relentless seemingly never stopping or slowly down. The tattered now ripped dressed was drenched in sweat as he continued. Joyce had never felt someone be so rough with her. His cock stretching her to her limits as she bit her lip as he thrust hard inside her.

"God it's so deep!" She cursed again. "Please stop you're hurting me!" Joyce howled as he thrust himself into her with no preliminaries. She was tight, good and tight, and so much warmer than he was. He set up a fast, hard rhythm, driving deep inside her with every stroke. She throbbed around him. He leant down and kissed her deeply as he pinned her arms above her head. Joyce couldn't help but respond to his thrusts as he continued to claim her for himself. She leant her head back, exposing her neck as Spike licked and sucked on her flesh lustily, thrusting into her tight pussy. He grunted with lust and need as he continued slamming his cock deep into the groaning blonde. He felt her rock-hard nipples pressing into his chest as her hands moved down to caress his clenching buttocks. He shuddered and groaned, lost in a tornado of passion. "Spike!" Joyce called out as she came harder than ever before. "Oh god!" She cried out giving herself into the pleasure he gave her. It all too much for him as his body went rigid, then detonated, as his erratic short thrusts filled her until he had nothing left to give.

He pulled out of her and looked at her as she lay underneath him satiated, exhausted in the most exhilarating way. Her blood shouted at him so loudly, it made it hard to think finally, he knelt between her legs. The sweet smell of her mixed with his seed wafted out, enflaming his hunger. Spike knelt and licked his way along her inner thigh until he reached the junction of leg to pelvis. He growled and sank his fangs into the femoral artery. Joyce's body jerked at the pain, but she didn't fight him or struggle away instead she slipped a hand over his head caressing the back of it gently. He grabbed her hips and held her still as her blood flooded into his mouth. It was sooooo good. The taste of it was deep and rich beyond anything he could recall enjoying. He moaned as a glorious warmth spread through his body. It took all of his willpower to pull away after only a few swallows. She was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling above her, gathering her strength as he crawled over her kissing her softly but deeply allowing her to taste her own blood on his lips.

XXXXXX

She awoke in his arms still in his bed. She was lying next to a vampire inside an abandoned burnt-out factory that parts of she was pretty sure was unstable and definitely unsafe. Was this an example of madness? Had she lost all sense of control and her sanity? Buffy had made it clear to Joyce that Spike was an evil, soulless demon - but he likes marshmallows in his cocoa, and Passions on TV. He was the very thing that you her daughter fought again and again at night. Was this her way of getting back to her daughter by fucking a creature of the night who knew.

All she knows now is that she can feel him awaken, kissing her skin softly and caressing her body. She can't help but respond to his touch and caresses. "You're mine pet," he whispered, and his voice was grainy. "Don't you see that you're mine?"

She tried for another denial, but it wouldn't push past her lips. She tried to pull out of his arms, but her strength was lost to him,

She just kissed him back and let herself get lost.