A/N : Hey, I'm glad some people are still reading this. This story and my other Spuffy fic are two of my longest ever, even though they are quite short compared to some authors stories. Anyway, after this chapter there's just one more chapter and the epilogue which I will try to get done very soon (lots of sweet Spuffy planned, especially in the epilogue!) but I really want to get the end of Always Remember - I Love You written first (lots of Spuffy there too!). Enough rambling now, here's the next chapter...oh, btw - reviews very welcome!!!

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 25 - Family Values

"Mom I'm a vampire Slayer"

"Oh my..." was all the words Joyce managed before she passed out, thankfully, straight into the arms of Giles. Jessica helped her fiancé to half carry, half drag their neighbour into her own house, which Buffy hurriedly opened the door of. Almost as soon as the woman was deposited on the couch she started to stir.

"I can't believe you never told her you're the Slayer" Jessica exclaimed, standing with Giles one side of her, Spike the other while Buffy knelt by her mother.

"There was a never a good time" the girl made her excuse just as she noticed her sister come into the room from the kitchen.

"You're a what?!" she asked with shock, she'd obviously heard what Jessica had said.

"Dawnie, please, stay out of this" Buffy urged, helping her semi-conscious mother to sit up a little more.

"Mom! What's going on?" the younger Summers demanded to know as she hurried to her Mom's side.

"I'm not sure dear" Joyce admitted, turning on the sofa and patting the spot next to her "Come sit here, maybe Buffy can explain"

Dawn did as she was told as Buffy stood up and took a deep breath.

"Okay, from the top" she sighed, turning briefly to look at the three people just behind her "and maybe you guys could help me out a little" she pleaded, knowing how difficult this was going to be "Mom, vampires and demons are real, and I'm the one who kills them and I'm called the Slayer" she explained as simply and clearly a she could.

"How many Slayers are there?" Joyce asked with a frown as she glanced at the other inhabitants of her living room.

"Oh, only one" Giles jumped in feet first and in complete Watcher mode "You see, to every generation a Slayer is born, one girl in all the would with the strength and skill to fight..."

"Dad" Spike interrupted with a sigh "you're not helping" he told him as he saw the confusion of Joyce's face seemingly increase with every word hid father uttered.

"Giles, I..." Buffy started before turning to her boyfriend "wait a second, did you just call him Dad?"

Spike smirked at that, he hadn't really noticed that he'd done it himself.

"Well he is my father, isn't he?" the boy shrugged, with a glance to the man in question "'Sides with him and Mom getting hitched I figured it made sense"

"Buffy..." Joyce tried to get her daughters attention back to her, she needed some more explanation, she was so confused and bewildered by all this.

"Oh, Mom, yeah" Buffy shook her head to clear all other thoughts as she turned back to her mother "so, I'm the Slayer and I kill vampires and sometimes other demons too" the Slayer waited for her mothers reaction to the bizarre news she was giving her.

"Like the...thing out there" Mrs Summers gestured out of the window to where she'd seen what was apparently a demon of some kind?

"Yeah, pretty much" Buffy nodded that it was true. She was quite surprised that her mother wasn't more angry or less calm about all this, but she was glad too.

"And, and you all knew about this" Joyce asked the family in her living room, "and I didn't...oh my, I must be a terrible mother" she shrieked, covering her face with her hands.

"Mom, you're really not" Buffy promised her.

"But school teachers and your friends and the neighbours know more about you than I do" Joyce protested, looking as if she might cry or go hysterical or both at any moment.

"That's not true, Mom" her daughter tried to explain "well, maybe it is true" she conceded "but Mr Giles knows because he's my Watcher. You see, a Slayer slays and a Watcher..."

"Watches?" Joyce guessed, just as her daughter once had.

"NO" Giles yelled indignantly "I train the Slayer, er, Buffy, to fight the demons"

"Yeah, and Jessica and Spike know about Slayers and Watchers and everything cos they're Giles's family" the eldest Summers tried to make her life sound less of a lie than it was, hoping still that this was as bad as it would get, that her mother was not going to crazy about this, although she couldn't really blame her if she did.

"But we're your family Buffy" Joyce sounded more hurt than anything else now.

"Yeah" Dawn agreed, simply to cause more trouble, her sister had no doubt about that.

"I know" Buffy told her mother, ignoring Dawn, "and I wanted to tell you it was just...hard"

The look on her daughters face and in her eyes most especially told Joyce that Buffy was telling the truth and that it had been painful for her having to hide this secret and that she only did it because she felt she had to.

"Well, at least no-one else found out before me..." she smiled, a little, but frowned again when Buffy looked away "did they?" she wondered aloud.

"Well, Cordy knows" the Slayer admitted "and Willow, and Xander" she all but whispered "but that's all, I swear" she hurriedly added.

"Oh, this is a lot to take in" Joyce sighed, trying not to pass out again.

"You got that right" the fourteen year old at her side snapped "Maybe they're all just crazy?"

"Zip it, Dawn" Buffy said sternly, causing her sister to fold her arms over her chest and look daggers at her.

"Don't talk to me like that" she yelled "just cos you're some dumb Slayer"

Before Buffy went off at the deep end, as he knew she would, Spike stepped in.

"It's not dumb Little Bit" he told the youngest Summers "your sis here has saved a whole load of people doing what she does"

"With your help" Buffy looked up at him and smiled appreciatively for all he'd done and for what he was trying to do now.

"Only research though" Giles was quick to throw in "Spike doesn't fight vampires..." he trailed off when he saw the look on his sons face. Jessica saw it too.

"William Rupert Hart you tell me what that look is for!" she demanded, causing a giggle from Dawn who echoed the middle name that was so amusing. Buffy had to stifle a laugh herself.

"Well maybe I helped once" Spike admitted "or twice" he shrugged "per week" his voice got quieter as he continued "or more, maybe"

"I don't believe this!" Jessica exploded.

"You're not the only one" Joyce agreed and both Buffy and Spike wished the floor would swallow them whole, or even better if they could just rewind the tape and play last night again instead of tonight.

"Look, honestly, it's okay" Buffy announced to the room, standing up in the centre of everyone and silently demanding their attention "I would never put Spike or anyone else in danger" she promised "I can handle myself, being the Slayer and all, and y'know he hasn't been fighting vamps for long but Spike's learnt real fast and he's a real member of the gang"

"Gang? There's a gang?" Joyce, who was starting to feel better about the situation during Buffy's little speech went straight back into full panic mode at the word 'gang'.

"Buffy's in trouble! Buffy's in trouble!" Dawn sang with delight causing a stern look from both her mother and sister.

"Perhaps we should go" Giles realised, as he began to feel increasingly uncomfortable "give you some time" he said quietly, ushering his fiancée and son toward the front door.

"Dawnie why don't you walk across the street to your friend Janice's for a while" Joyce suggested, realising it was time she and Buffy had a long talk.

"I can't" the brunette said happily "she's out, besides, I wanna stay"

Both Joyce and Buffy looked annoyed by this although neither had another explanation. Giles and Jessica were out of the front door by now but Spike just heard what was said and came back into the room.

"How about you come to our place Little Bit" he suggested "I kind of need to talk to you anyway"

"You do?" Dawn exclaimed her eyes wide and happy at the prospect of talking alone with Spike "I mean, okay, yeah, let's go" she rambled, jumping to her feet and practically running out of the door with him following behind her, smiling proudly that he had saved Buffy for once instead of the other way around.

The two young people, the Slayer and her boyfriend, shared a smile as he left and Buffy brought her attention back to her mother.

"Does she...?" Joyce began but her daughter knew what she was going to say.

"Have a crush on Spike?" she finished for her "Totally"

To Be Continued...