Disclaimer - I don't own anything, everybody you have heard of before belongs to someone else.
Hope you review it - please do as it would make my day.
Thanks to Twinkiecat for betaing this for me your help was greatly appreciated.
Dean pulled up the driveway to the large house, and peered through the windscreen, "You sure this is the right place?"
"We followed the directions they gave us," answered Sam as he folded up the map, "Dad still behind us?"
Dean turned to look out the back window to see the truck pull into the gravel lined path as if on cue, "Yeah, I'd say so."
The girl ran to the front door as the bell rang, throwing it open expectantly, "Thank God you're here!"
Her face fell as she saw the three men on the doorstep, "Oh you're not the cable guy – please tell me that one of you are the cable guy?"
"No, sorry," said Sam.
"You sure?" she said hopefully.
"Yeah, pretty sure" answered Dean "We're looking for Buffy or Dawn Summers?"
"You best come in." The girl turned her head to the hallway, which seemed to have various people flitting in and out. "Buffy, Dawn, you got visitors"
The three men followed girl into the house as she disappeared, Dean peered round the doorway of the reception room the girl had gone into to hear her speaking to someone else. Dean cocked his head to the side and a small smile began to curl on his lips.
"Nope, wasn't the cable guy. Any luck?" the strawberry blonde, who had answered the door, asked one of the other occupants of the room.
"Think it's the connector in the wall," came the slightly muffled response.
Sam took a step forward, curious to see what had got his brother so interested, the girl who had answered the door seemed to be talking to one the two other girls in the room, both of who were bent over the back of the couch examining something in the back wall.
Sam looked at the scene for a second before he turned to his brother to say something, just as John slapped them both of them round the back of the head,
"Not here," he said in an authoritarian, if somewhat slightly embarrassed tone.
"Its all right John," said Buffy as she sauntered up beside her father. "I think its safe bet to say that with the exception of all but one woman in this house this week, they all could quite easily cause damage to them in ways that wouldn't be pretty. But thinking on it that one is Dawn and you should see what Faith taught her to do with a spoon – it's terrifying."
John smiled, "That's my girl."
"Hey princess, how's things?" asked Dean rubbing the back of his head.
"The move went okay, and I'm settling in fine 'little brother'," she answered after giving both of the other two Winchester men a hug, "How's the bucket of bolts? Got it moving yet?"
"She's running fine, and she ain't no bucket of bolts," Dean said as he greeted his sister.
"I know, she's got feelings," she answered mockingly.
"Damn straight she does!" said Dean nodding. "Can't tell me you don't feel the same about some of those pointy things you use."
"The sight of Mr Pointy has been known to cause some vampires to quake in their boots," answered Buffy, she folded her arms across her chest, daring him to make a comment out of her statement.
Sam looked at his brother, who seemed to be holding back, before chuckling, "It's good to see you Buffy."
"Glad you guys could make it," she said looping her arm though John's, and began to lead the three of them away from the girls who were focused on the non-functioning cable. "It's still a like grand central station round here The younger girls aren't due off for a couple of hours, and some of the others just got in last night. Is it just you guys? What about that friend you were staying with, Bobby? Hope you three didn't leave the poor guy on his own."
"Got his own arrangements," said John. "Anyway he deserves some peace and quiet after dealing with us for the past month."
"And I was hoping for some unedited Winchester dirt from him," she said as they walked towards the kitchen. "Seeing how you're going to get loads on me and Dawn this visit, I was hoping for some ammo on my end."
Three young women in workout gear came out of the door from under the stairs from the basement, almost bumping into Sam as he walked by.
"Wow sorry," said a red head.
"Vi, will you move your skinny ass!" said the black girl who was stuck at the top of the stairs behind her.
Buffy gave out a chuckle as Sam move to the side to let the girls out, "Vi, Rona, Cho, this is John, Sam and the grinning idiot is Dean."
Vi gave the men Buffy had introduced her to a little wave; while she moved to give the other two girls enough room to get into the hallway.
"Guys this is Vi, heads up Australia, Rona, Africa and Cho, well she's China."
"Nice to meet you," said the black girl, "Would shake your hand but we've just been having a quick work out."
"That's all right," answered John.
"See you lot at dinner then," said Vi as the three girls started to head up the stairs. John and Buffy walked on a few steps as Sam and Dean watched the three girls leave.
"Say it," said Sam.
Dean turned his head to his brother. "Say what?"
"You know you want to, so say it now and get it over with before you say it out loud when someone who doesn't know you hears."
Dean put on an insulted look before smiling, "Dude, I love having sisters!"
"She's right, you know"
"Right about what?" asked a puzzled Dean.
"You are a grinning idiot."
Dawn was sitting in the kitchen across from Giles as Andrew described how this year's thanksgiving campaign was going to be organised, while taking a baking tray out of the oven.
Giles flicked his way through a magazine, half-listening, pointing out that this was an American holiday, and it wasn't his place to intrude on the actual planning. Dawn muttered something about Giles being an old fuddy duddy, and he'd do what was asked of him, even if it was just keeping Buffy out of the kitchen.
"Don't you appreciate my cooking, Andrew?" Buffy asked as she stood in the doorway.
"No," spluttered the little man, "It's just with the timing of both us in the kitchen, you know bad, very bad."
"I won't touch the gravy this year, I promise," Buffy said, taking a step to the side "Anyway Dawn look who I found on the doorstep."
Dawn almost bounced off her seat, and leaped into John's arms.
"Wow, take it easy on an old guy will you," said John, after having the wind knocked out of him, "It's good to see you too."
"You're not that old," said the girl, letting go, "Where are the other two?"
"Hey kid, how's school?" said Dean to his little sister as he gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"Loving it."
"It's good to see you all," said Giles nodding his greeting, "How is the hunting going?"
"Pretty quiet at the moment, couple of things coming up on the radar, nothing major," answered Sam as he dumped his bag on the kitchen floor.
"Lull before a storm?" inquired Buffy as she picked up one of the hot cookies off Andrew's tray, causing the little guy to start to flap his arms in response.
"Hope not," said John, answering his daughter's question.
Andrew continued to fuss with regard to the theft of his baked goods, "No, they are for the little ones trip, if you take one all will want! You can't deny one blessed warrior woman if another has taken, there'll be a breakdown of order and the beginning of chaos."
"Andrew, it is just a biscuit, you have two more trays in the oven so I don't think they'll miss one or two." sighed Giles, "And it is highly unlikely that Buffy having one of your…, what are they suppose to be?"
"Gingerbread Klingons" said Dawn, gesturing to her sister to throw her one, "You can tell 'cause they have bumpy heads."
"Well someone taking your Star Trek gingerbread things is not a sign of an incoming apocalypse."
Andrew looked silently down at the baking tray that was cooling on the kitchen counter.
"You never can tell these days," said Dean.
"Guys this is Andrew, and Dean, don't encourage him," said Buffy before biting the head off her ill-gotten gains, "You guys find the place all right?"
"Yeah, Xander's directions were pretty clear," answered Sam, "Didn't expect the place to be so big."
"It was a private boarding school, though its true function hasn't really changed too much in principle," said Giles. "The house is large enough to house a good deal more than it does at present, for times of major hellmouth activity."
"But it's just Xander and his girls at the moment isn't it?" enquired Dean, who was trying to snag a gingerbread man while getting his fingers swatted by an irritate Andrew, "Where is the one eyed one?"
"He's trying to organise the minis," Buffy replied.
"I think Xander's also hiding from the old timers," interrupted Dawn. "He's cut the cable and refusing to put it back on till the other ones have gone."
"Watch it with the 'old timers' comments please;" said her sister. "He said something about it being more effective than grounding the ones that live here. Though, he won't say exactly what they did; all I could get out of him was something about a stupid teenage boy not being able to keep his mouth shut, a psychology book, and now he can never watch Fight Club ever again."
"That actually makes more sense than what I got, he was muttering on about they had caused someone to leave here questioning his life choices," said Giles.
"So that explains why the girl at the door was asking if one of us were the cable guy," said Dean as he made another attempt to grab one of the cooling baked goods while Andrew looked the other way, "What is it with the switch around anyway."
"Most of the ones here have lost their folks, but a couple of the girls still have families out there. It's just they aren't in the position to take care of them, they are good people, but you know what child services can be like sometimes," Xander said as he stood in one of the doorways that lead off the kitchen. "The council tries to help them stay together but sometimes we can't."
John nodded, remembering all the times he and the boys had to take off to keep one-step ahead of social workers.
"So they train and go to school here and on holidays they go visit," explained Buffy.
"And take some of the others with so they all get a break from this place," continued Xander. "Make sure they all stay connected to the real world, anyway did I hear my name taken in vain."
"Yes," said Andrew, "Can't you fix the cable situation? They are now randomly accosting people at the door accusing them of being the cable guy. Can't you just reverse what you did and let the networks flow?"
"No!" said Xander, "The girls have to learn."
"Sticking with the authority figure thing?" asked Sam.
"Someone round here has too, someone has been spoiling them rotten since she got here" said Xander shaking Sam's hand. "It's good to see you guys."
"Is it my fault I'm their hero?" smirked Buffy.
Xander shook his head, "No, but the endless trips to the mall and the whole sisterhood thing that you've got going are getting me down. I know I'm usually outvoted seven to one, but you don't have to encourage them."
Buffy shrugged, "Well you didn't expect me to play mom do you?"
Xander looked at her with fear in his eye, "Hell no! That would make me dad and I am SO not ready for that."
"And you're not doing that already?" Dawn joked, "Anyway, I thought Clem was house mom?"
"Can't really see Buffy spending too much time worrying about the laundry," said Dean, finally getting hold of a gingerbread man.
"She doesn't fold the sheets right anyway," said a voice behind Xander.
Dean started to cough to as he choked on the cookie he had grabbed, Sam moved in to help his brother when he got a look at the face of the being who had made the declaration. Sam's eyes went wide, causing John to turn round to see what had caused such a reaction in his sons, he turned round alert and shocked at the sight before him.
The saggy leather faced thing was moving up the corridor, it's movements were slowed by the large duffle it was dragging. His automatic reaction was to go for a weapon but as he went for his hunting knife, he found Giles grabbing his arm. Dawn let out a giggle, as did Buffy.
"I take it no one warned them," said Giles, turning his attention to the younger members of the group round the table.
"Warned them about what?" said the thing, as he finally reached Xander's side.
"Thought they explained," stated Xander.
"I don't live here," said Dawn, trying to justify herself, "I thought if you hadn't told them about Clem, Buffy would have."
Buffy looked a little sheepish on the matter, "It slipped my mind."
Dean continued to cough, as Sam gave him a firm pat on the back, while he asked, "And what is that?"
"I'm Clem," it said introducing itself, "I live in the basement."
"You have a thing living in your basement?" asked Sam.
John spoke very slowly, "It's a demon."
Clem swallowed slightly nervously.
"Clem is perfectly safe," smiled Buffy.
"You have a demon in your basement?" the spluttering Dean asked his sister.
"No, I have Clem staying in MY basement. He is as welcome here as you are," said Xander, before turning to Clem, "You got everything you need?"
Clem nodded slowly, "Is it all right with you guys if I dump my bag by the door, I'll be back to pick it up in the morning."
"How long are you going for?" asked Dawn looking at the bag, "Or are you moving out?"
"The roasting of the mother in law kicks things off, but with the services and everything, should last four months," the demon quietened for a second thinking, "so in this dimension should be back next Tuesday. I still haven't gotten my speech right though."
"You'll be fine Clem. They wouldn't have asked you to be toastmaster if they didn't think you could do it," said Xander, "They know the situation, and you got a number for a meeting over the other side."
"Yes, it was nice to meet you guys," said the kind hearted monster to the new arrivals, "I'll best be off, sun's going down and I said I'd meet the guys at Mort's place."
"Nice to meet you," said Sam scratching his head, "Roasting of the mother in law?"
"His second cousin is getting spliced," said Xander.
"Hope it this one lasts longer than his first one," Clem said as he left the room, "It's way too soon; scar tissue has just healed from his last splitting."
"Roasting of the bride's mother is a traditional pre wedding feast in some lower dimensions," explained Dawn, "Only the vestigial limbs, though."
"Shame," muttered John, to which both his sons looked at him.
"Your mother was my life," he explained to his sons, while shaking his head, "but your grandmother."
"I can sympathise with that situation," said Giles before he looked down at the magazine again.
"What's this? Olivia's mom on your back G-man?" Xander smirked, "Getting stick from the potential in laws."
Giles looked at the younger man while addressing the demon, "Hope you enjoy yourself Clem."
"Thanks." Clem gave the room a little wave as he continued out of the backdoor.
"Oh you and Olivia back on?" Dawn asked as both she and Buffy looked at Giles,
"When did this happen?" Buffy asked her watcher, "Did I miss the memo? Xander was there a memo?"
"We have memos?" Xander asked, his face blanched on the possibility of more paperwork, "Cause if we do no-one told me."
Dawn sighed, "No we don't have memos! We all agreed no on the memos."
Xander pointed at Buffy, "But she said!"
"Xander there are no memos, and Buffy don't tease him." Giles said sighing.
Buffy nodded before turning to her watcher, "So you Olivia – when, how, we want the dirt! Not that we're complaining, we all liked her."
"Totally - come on big guy; enquiring minds need to know," Dawn said smiling.
Giles sighed before turning to Xander, "Thank you."
"You have a demon living in your basement dude." Dean exclaimed.
"Sam, can you smack your brother round the head please, I think the record got stuck in the groove," sighed Xander, "Clem needed a place to stay while he some sorted things out. He's okay and he helps out around here."
"He's still a demon," stated John firmly.
"There are degrees," explained Giles, "Clem is firmly in the neutral camp. Also he can be useful."
"Information?" asked Sam.
Buffy nodded, "One minor league minion's bar room brag, another major one's battle plan."
"XANDER! Please fix it." came the voice from the hallway.
He closed his eye, and then proceeded to turn round, "Excuse me."