A/N : Thanx to everyone who reviewed; DruscillaHawke, Freezyboncoolipants, SlaYeRGiRLkaL, Spufyfan4eva, candypir, dared, zanthinegirl, Ape18, Moluvsnumber17, spikes-slayer29590, Demonica Mills, wigi, Celestia Nailo, Bridge, libraflyter, Daniel Wesley Rydell, MaidenRo, SquirlyforSpike, GoldenAngl99, Time Rowanwood, AshesUponMemories, Xtremely-Canadian, Magick, pixiecorn, Rowan Rice, Moonjava, spuffy4eva, funkydevil206, Emma, KT, Lady Nightspike, Melissa, Ladyof Shalotte, velja. So glad you all like the story, seems the bathing scene in the previous chapter didn't disappoint too many of you, and you all liked the kissing, I'm pleased about that. So, here's the next chapter...
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 12

Joyce sighed heavily as she sat down beside Giles on the couch.

"Is everything quite alright?" the Watcher checked. Though the boy could be heartily annoying and very trying on ones nerves, Giles really wouldn't like to know that any great harm had come to Xander whom Joyce had just tried to call on the phone.

"Xander can't be far from where Willow is" she explained, glad that Anya had gone out to fetch another map, leaving the two older people alone, "He said he passed the Welcome to LA sign a few hours ago"

"You sound as if you're not happy about him being so close to finding her" Giles frowned, not understanding at all. Joyce sighed again.

"I know it'll be better when you have your sight back and when Xander is safe" she said, putting her hand over his once again, "but...I must admit, I like having Buffy this way. Does that make me an awful person?" she asked him.

"Quite the contrary" Giles assured her, "Buffy is becoming an independent young woman. It's difficult to be less than vital in someone's life when your role was so great before..." he trailed of before concluding, "I suppose it is quite natural to enjoy having her need you once again"

Joyce knew he was not only speaking of he attachment to her daughter, but also his own affection for the young blonde.

"She was lost for a while, without her father" she told him, "but when we moved here and you came into her life..." the sentence was left unfinished but there was no doubt in Giles' mind what Buffy's mother meant to say.

"Thank you Joyce" he said softly, voice full of emotion as he squeezed her hand. He'd never meant anything as much as the gratitude in those simple words just then, but then no sentiment from another had ever touched him as much as what she'd just said to him.

The moment was broken by the children's voices as they came scurrying from beneath the table presenting Joyce and Giles with a picture they'd drawn.

"Look, Mommy" Buffy grinned, "It's us" she pointed excitedly at the page her mother now held.

In the centre were two figures, one a girl in pink and the other a boy in blue, clearly they were supposed to be self portraits of Buffy and Spike. To either side were two larger figures, one it seemed was supposed to be Joyce and the one on the other side, Giles.

"It's beautiful, kids" she beamed, "I wish you could see it Rupert" she told him and Buffy frowned.

"Oh, sorry Giles, we forgot you couldn't see it" she said sadly.

"Not to worry Buffy, it'll still be here when my sight returns" he assured her, though he knew it would be of little matter then since the children would be children no more and not care at all about the cartoon-ish 'family portrait' they had made.

"I have an idea" Joyce smiled slowly as she had a thought, "You kids sit up here with Mr Giles" she said, helping them up onto the couch before she disappeared through into the dining room. Two minutes later she was back, carrying a camera.

"How about a couple for the album?" she asked, and the kids grinned and nodded wildly, Buffy in particular who immediately began posing like all little girls do when someone with a camera is present.

As Joyce snapped a few photos of the kids and Giles, both together and separately, she was smiling widely. Even though Buffy and Spike wouldn't stay this way forever at least she could look back at these pictures and remember how much fun it had been and how much love there was between them.

"It is such a shame I can't take a photograph of you with the children, Joyce" Rupert felt terribly guilty about it.

"There's no reason why we can't all be in the picture together" she realised as she had a thought, "Buffy can you move over to the side and make a space for me between you and Spike" she asked her daughter who dutifully scrambled across the cushioned surface leaving a Mom-sized space between herself and her friend.

"Okay, now..." Joyce pushed a couple of buttons on the camera, quickly positioning it on the shelf across the room before rushing to take her place on the couch. She made it comfortably between the children, and all four of them were smiling when the flash went off and the picture was taken. Perfect.

-

The rest of the day passed in relative calm. The kids were mostly well behaved, except for that one incident that Joyce would rather forget when she was a little late getting Spike's lunch and his demon came out to play. She didn't blame him at all, in fact it had been quite amusing when Anya had climbed on the chair to escape just in case the little vamp went for her ankles again.

Giles commented how strange it was that Spike was able to bite a human and cause damage, all be it very minor, when before this he'd been in severe pain from doing so. It was Joyce who had suggested perhaps because there was no real intent to injure anybody the chip in his head didn't fire. Giles had to admit he was quite surprised how quickly Buffy's mother was adjusting to the demon world that she had been given such a sudden introduction too. Though she'd known of her daughters true calling for more than eighteen months now, she'd never really become one of the gang as it were, not until now.

Giles found he very much enjoyed having a fellow grown up in the circle and most especially Joyce who he was starting to feel he may have under-estimated slightly, but then they hadn't spent all that much time together til now, not counting an incident with candy that he was far too embarrassed to have mentioned again.

Later in the day, when the kids had been fed and Anya had been talked down from the chair, another locator spell was performed over a map of LA so Willow could be more carefully pinpointed. Joyce called Xander as soon as they could give him a better idea of where to go, and also to check how he was.

"Couple of demon chases that were pretty close" he admitted, "What I wouldn't give to have the Buffster with me right now. Even pint-sized would be good"

"I feel awful for sending you off alone like that, Xander" Joyce apologised, "I'm so sorry, I thought I was helping"

"No, you were, you did" he was quick to assure her, "Actually you still are. I just need to find Will and get this whole thing straightened out before...oh God, not now!" he complained as the line crackled.

"Xander?" Joyce called worriedly several times before he answered.

"Picked up a tail, and not of the human kind" he explained, putting the car in gear, "I'll call you back later" he said, quickly hanging up and driving off as fast as he could.

Joyce put the phone back in the cradle and was surprised to find Buffy and Spike at her feet.

"Mommy, is Xander okay?" the little girl asked, her lip distinctly trembly. Joyce crouched down to their level and sighed.

"Of course honey, he'll be just fine" she promised, knowing she had no right since there was simply no way of assuring the boys safety.

"Don't like him much" Spike admitted, "but the Slayer does so I didn't want him to die"

"Nobody's going to die, sweethearts" she told them, giving them both a hug, and praying she was right.

"Joyce?" Giles called from the living room and the three went through to him, "I had an idea about Willow. Perhaps we might telephone the hotels and such in the area we pinpointed and ask if she's there?" he suggested, "It's unlikely she is deliberately trying to hide from us so she probably would have given her real name, indeed Willow is so frighteningly honest I suspect she would make herself feel quite terrible if she didn't tell the truth" he smiled.

"Thats a great idea, Rupert" Joyce agreed, grabbing the map from the table and noting down the road names near to the tiny burn mark the light from the spell had made. She had a modest knowledge of the Internet and was sure she'd be able to find a list of hotels, motels, etc. along these streets and their phone numbers so she could call and try to find Willow. She found she loved this, being in the thick of the action, a real member of the team. She only hoped that would last when this spell was over.

-

It was late afternoon and Spike and Buffy were lying on the living room floor watching the Disney channel, whilst Giles sat on the couch, sipping at his scotch and being driven a little mad by the too-happy kids songs and over-the-top voices of various cartoon characters.

Joyce was sitting on the stairs, calling yet another place that Willow might be staying in, only to be disappointed when the receptionist told her no-one of that name was there now or had been there in the last few days.

"Mommy?" a little voice called just before Buffy appeared in the hallway, "Can I have some juice?" she asked.

"Of course, honey" her mother told her, as they went through to the kitchen, "Orange or apple?" she checked as she lifted Buffy up onto the stool but the counter. The little girl made her choice and then started giggling for no apparent reason.

"What's so funny?" Joyce wondered loud and Buffy waved her hand in a motion that said 'come here, I want to tell you a secret'

"Spike kissed me" she whispered, clamping her hand over her mouth straight after like she really shouldn't have said it. Joyce held back a laugh, just smiling at her daughter who was trying not to giggle and go red.

"Why did he do that?" Buffy's mother asked as she poured her a glass of juice. Buffy was quick to tell all.

"Cos he's gonna marry me" she said firmly, "and he says that boys always kiss the girls they're gonna marry...just like you and Giles"

Jocye's eyes snapped up to look at her daughter and she stared so long she didn't realise she was still pouring juice from the carton, until it over-flowed from the glass, spilt onto the counter and dripped down onto her feet.

"Oh, shoot!" she complained, grabbing a cloth to mop up the mess. By this point spike had grown worried about Buffy, since she seemed to have been gone a long time and had come in search of her.

"Spikey!" Buffy grinned when he walked in, "Mommy spilled my juice" she giggled and he did too, finding her laughter infectious.

"You okay, Mum?" he asked, stopping his laughter when he realised she wasn't joining in their fun.

"Of course, Spike" she told him, smiling shakily as she cleaned up the mess she'd made, "Did you want some juice too?" she checked. When he nodded she lifted him up into the stool next to Buffy and eventually handed them both their drinks.

"Buffy, you know Mr Giles and I are just friends, don't you?" she said as she watched the little girl thirstily drink down her juice.

"But you're getting married" Spike said matter-of-factly, not so in need of his drink as his friend was, "You were holding hands and stuff"

Joyce was a little surprised they'd noticed. She seemed to have forgotten how perceptive children could be. It made her think though, about her real feelings for Buffy's Watcher. He was a sweet man, there was no denying it, she found she loved his company and was forced to admit that in their little throwback adventure she really had believed herself to be falling in love with him, and what happened on the hood of that police car, well, she claimed to have limited memory of that but it was clear as a memory ever could be and she'd never felt like what he'd made her feel that night.

"Mommy?" her child's voice brought her out of a distinctly R-rated thought-zone and she shook her head slightly to ground herself into reality again.

"Um, why don't you kids go and play for a while, I should really finish calling those hotels to help find Willow" she said with a smile as she helped them down to the floor again.

Spike was half way to the door when he realised Buffy hadn't moved yet, and he wasn't going to leave the room without her.

"Go ahead, sweetie" Joyce urged her as her daughter stood staring at her with a slight frown. Spike ran back and grabbed the Slayer's hand, making her turn to him. He grinned at her making her smile back before they bolted from the room together to go and play.

Joyce put the kids empty glasses in the sink before going back to her place on the stairs with the plan to call the rest of the places on her list in the long search for the only witch able to reverse her own spell. Just as she put her hand on the receiver it rang making her jump slightly.

"Hello?" she said warily, unsure whether to be worried or relieved when Xander answered her.

"I didn't find Wills yet, but I think I'm close" he said as he sat in the car outside a club. He was staring at a fluorescent poster with bold black lettering that read 'Live Tonight - Dingoes Ate My Baby - The Final Gig'

To Be Continued...

A/N2 : Well, Xander is one step away from finding Willow so the spell is almost over. What will happen when it ends? To find out you need me to update, but first I need to know that you want me to update so I guess you could maybe review and tell me if you want more? not-so-subtle hint And I'll update again when I can.