Disclaimers - See earlier chapters

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Buffy felt uneasy as she watched the two men in the back yard through the window.

"I think we've dodged the pissing contest," said Dean, trying to calm her.

"Dean's right Buff, they'll be fine," said Xander, reinforcing what had just been said.

"You're probably right," she said, still concerned, before adding in a sarcastic tone, "It's not like either one of them have ever exhibited anything that could cause people to say that they may have some minor violent tendencies."

Xander stood beside her, staring at the same scene; the two men were simply talking.

"See, they're getting on alright," said Xander, "And once they get past the…ah, there it is," he nodded as they watched Giles take off his glasses and wipe them using the corner of his sweater.

"What?" asked Dawn, "What's happening?"

"The polite British version of, 'If you cause any harm to either one of them, or think you have found a new weapon in your little war, I'll make sure they'll never find the body.' "

Sam looked shocked at that statement and looked over at his brother for some reassurance, but Dean was just sitting there quietly nodding.

"What's my Dad doing, exactly?" asked Dean.

"Scratching his chin," said Buffy.

"Got a hand in his pocket?"

She turned to face him, "Yeah?"

"Saying something similar."

She quickly turned, to see what was now happening. The atmosphere between them seemed more relaxed now.

"See," Xander put his arm round her shoulder, "Now they've got the threats out the way, they're fine."

Sam wandered over to the window, "You sure?"

" 'Course," Xander looked at the younger man, and seeing the anxious look on his face, gave him a small smile. "Look dude, don't sweat it; Giles' is just doing his protective watchery thing. I'd be the same if this had happened to one of my girls."

"Yeah I know… wait did you say 'girls'? As in plural?" asked Sam.

Xander chuckled, "Got seven in residence in Cleveland and there are others dotted all over the continent."

Sam just looked at him for a few seconds while trying soak in this new information, "Seven, I know you said there was more than one, but seven?"

"Yep," answered Xander, before seeing Dean's face out of the corner of his eye, "And please Dean, don't start with the harem jokes; trust me, I've heard them all before."

Dean raised his hands in protest, "Hey man, not gonna to say a word."

Buffy just rolled her eyes, "I think I'd best go outside."

As she walked out the door, Dawn turned to follow her, but not before, she shook her head at Dean.

"What?" asked the confused, but slightly affronted, Winchester.

"You were thinking along those lines boy," said Missouri as she followed the rest of them out of the room.

"'Didn't do anything!" said Dean as he turned to Sam, who was now looking amused.

Sam just started to laugh as he looked at his brother, causing Dean's face to fall further.

"Okay, tell me you're alright with this whole slayer thing."

"I'm just trying to roll with it right now," shrugged Sam, and as he walked towards the doorway he could still hear his brother's voice behind him.

"Fine," huffed Dean, "It's just I always thought, you know the stories that Pastor Jim and Bobby use to tell us, when we were kids, weren't real. The way I figured it, they were made up you know, - a nice little fairytale; and a way to keep warm and fuzzy at night when you're alone on a hunt."

As Dean walked out to the back porch, he saw both Dawn and Buffy just looking at him, with Xander smirking behind.

Buffy made a face, "I could go into the whole objectification of women speech, or I could go all post modern and just take what you just said as a kinda sick compliment. But seeing how you are my brother I think I'm just going to stick with – Eewww, with the icky!"

Dean just stood there silently as he realised what he had said.

"If it'd make you feel any better Buffy, you could just introduce them to Faith," said Xander, as he marked up a piece of wood. Buffy whipped round to face him as he continued to work away. Dawn just looked at the two of them, holding back giggles.

"Watch it Harris, you're skating on thin ice as it is."

Dawn bit her lip, "You know if they decide to get to know us, they are going to…"

"No – not happening," Buffy shook her head, "That is so not happening!"

Sam looked confused, "Faith? Who's Faith?"

"None of your business," Buffy said, "Or yours!" as she quickly turned her attention to Dean, "Anyway she's seeing someone."

Dawn shook her head, "No, I think they're going through one of their spells,"

"What? Since when?" Buffy looked at her sister before turning to her friend, "Xander?"

"Don't look at me, I usually switch off when Robin starts about what she's like."

"But they're your drinking buddies! That's what you guys do isn't it, drink and talk?" said Buffy, "Your own little support group with the addition of beer?"

"I suppose it could be described like that, considering on the cost of therapy these days," Xander nodded, "But I have a healthy survival instinct, so I don't ask about their 'current situation'."

At that point, Dawn burst into a fit of giggles.

Buffy just looked at her sister and then to Xander, "I can't believe you … both of you," she huffed, "I just can't talk at you guys right now or I'm going to say something that I'll; I'm just going to …" All of them watched her as she walked back into the house.

Dawn smiled, "We are so going to hell aren't we?"

"Oh yeah, but she makes it so easy sometimes," said Xander with a grin on his face.

"Who's Faith?" asked Missouri.

"Our whirlwind in black leather?" replied Xander, "She's another slayer."

"The only one that Buffy will take any real shit from," added Dawn.

"So they don't get along then," asked the curious little woman.

"Oh no," Xander said shaking his head, "They get along, but it's a long long story; trust each other with their lives, now."

"It's just other things they occasionally butt heads about," explained Dawn.

"Whirlwind in leather?" asked Dean.

"She does have a boyfriend," said Dawn. "They are together at the moment aren't they?" she asked Xander.

"Think so, but as I said I don't ask. I like breathing."

"Fair enough," Dawn nodded.

"Same attitude I have to your sister's love life," stated Xander, "They want me to know, they'll tell me."

He then turned his attention towards Dean, "You said Pastor Jim – You didn't mean Pastor Jim Murphy did you?"

"Yes."

"As in Pastor Jim Murphy from Blue Earth, Minnesota?"

"You knew him?" asked Sam.

"Yeah," replied Xander, "Well no - we never actually met. Swapped some intel – he gave me a heads up on some stuff that was heading my way."

"Jim was a good man," said Missouri.

He saw the reaction on both brothers' faces, Xander just nodded as he spoke softly, "He'll be missed."

Buffy walked back out to the back porch, and after taking a quick glance over towards the two men talking on the lawn, she started to look around for something.

"Xander, where's your phone?"

"In my jacket pocket, in the hall. Why?"

"The blender's started going off."

"What?" Missouri, as she dashed past Buffy into the kitchen, "I haven't used that thing in days, it isn't even plugged in."

The girl was right the blender seemed to be turning itself on and off at seemingly random periods.

Buffy sighed, "Yeah, I kind of hoped it was just a funky blender till I saw that, so I thought it might be a poltergeist, though I think we can all agree that is something we don't really need right now. But seeing how it's tapping out 'Don't keep me hanging on the telephone' I think we can rule that out, unless we've got a spirit with a thing for Debbie Harry."

Dawn watched the blender for a second, "She wouldn't would she?"

Xander stood there looking at the thing, "I told her not to just pop in and out of our heads."

Buffy and Dawn turned to look at him, causing him to go on the defensive, "Admit it the popping makes you with the startlingness as well!"

Both Buffy and Dawn continued to look at him oddly for a second, to which he just shrugged as he went to fetch his cell phone.

"What's going on?" asked Sam, wandering in after them.

The sisters turned looked at him, and as Xander came back into the kitchen, his attention firmly fixed on his phone, which had started to ring.

"Hi Will, yeah you heard huh, - no I was not ignoring you…. Willow don't be like that, how could we keep you out of the loop…. No, that didn't happen, where did you hear that…really? Oh didn't know that … right, … no just that bit not … she's not stalling…. Will, this is me, I don't know what that means... No they are not poopy heads!" said Xander into the phone.

"Poopy heads?" Sam mouthed to Dawn.

Xander continued to speak into the phone. "Willow you can't say that. … Why? Do I really have to explain… Is that physically possible? Oh it is – right."

"So much for the honeymoon," said Dawn, as Xander wandered back into the hall.

"We don't even know where they are yet," replied her sister.

Xander walked back into the kitchen as he turned off the phone, "They're at the motel."

"Oh great!" Buffy raised her arms to give a half hearted false cheer.

"What?" asked Missouri.

"Willow, the witch we got to invade your home, is at our motel," explained Dawn, "With Kennedy, her other half."

"The grapevines going," said Xander, "Andrew told Vi who told Rona, who told … well you know the drill – so far we have Dru involved, a resurgence of a dormant hell god, and various versions of the first reappearing. Though Cho is supposedly giving quite good odds on a collaboration between renegade ex-initiative agents and D'Hoffryn."

"We have really got to talk to that girl about her little gambling empire," muttered Buffy before continuing, "So Willow is here to find out what's going on?" She rubbed her eyes, "Remember when we had a plan? It was a good plan, a nice and simple plan - we come, we meet, we get know if Sammy's a boy or a girl, leave contact details and see what happens."

Xander just smiled, "Instead we land full force on their doorstep."

"You know it wouldn't be official until they've met all the scoobies," said Dawn.

Sam looked at Buffy for a second, "What do you mean see if I'm a boy or a girl?"

"Eh… Willow wasn't so sure," Buffy smiled, as she tried to explain.

Sam furrowed his brow, confused, "I'm androgynous now?"

"Well, she passed through you, so she didn't actually see you," answered Buffy.

He broke out into a little pleading smile and giving her his best puppy dog eyes, "Please don't tell Dean."

Dawn walked out to the back porch to get her bag, as she left Xander and Buffy to explain to a confused Missouri what a Scooby was. She had volunteered to go pick up Willow and Kennedy at the motel, as Xander was going to stay and fix the window, and having Buffy drive was not an option. It wasn't as if the council couldn't afford to replace the car, but it wasn't theirs to begin with.

How her sister had gotten her license was beyond her, but since she had gotten her's Dawn had really acted as Buffy's personal chauffeur. She could be happy in the knowledge that there were more than a few people alive and well today, because of the fact that she had kept her sister off the road. Maybe that's what her special gift was, Xander had his whole, "He who sees" thing going on and she was "She who drives".

Dean hadn't really moved, he was still watching Giles and John, who now seemed quite comfortable around each other. She could have sworn that Giles had just cracked a joke causing John to laugh. Well she hoped it was a joke, Giles had way too much dirt on her and her sister.

Hopefully, Giles could kind of mention the little thing about how she was, possibly also a member of the Winchester family, and then she wouldn't have to. Possibly, what the hell was she thinking – possibly? They had made her out of her sister.

In a way it should now be easier for her to explain, it wasn't as if they'd have to really explain the presence of the supernatural to John or the guys, and with Willow here, she could give them a little practical magic demonstration. Though, how a bunch of hunters would take to the idea of a girl that was created magically being one of their own was anyone's guess.

Previously Dawn had been hoping that Missouri or Sam would've picked up something from her and then she'd only have to worry about rejection, but now the idea of them freaking out was taking on some different implications.

"I'm just getting my bag," Dawn said, as she walked out the back porch and past Dean. She saw him pocket a small cylinder as soon as he saw her come outside.

"They still at it?" she asked, thinking it best not to pry.

"Yeah," nodded Dean, as he turned round to give her his full attention, "Blender mystery solved?"

"Willow."

"Your witch friend?"

She nodded, "I'm just going to pick her and Kennedy up, they're at the motel."

"Thought they were on vacation?"

"Honeymoon actually, but Will's worried and the rumour mill going into overdrive."

Dean shrugged, "Must be real worried to break that off."

"Well, you don't know our Willow," she said smiling, "And someone had to come and sort out the stories."

"That bad?"

"Oh you know women and their gossip – everyone's heard. You guys are worldwide phenomena now, she'll want the low-down from the horse's mouth before someone pushes the nuclear meltdown button."

Dean wasn't sure if he liked the sound of that, "World wide?"

"Slayer houses all over have heard the news."

He broke out into a little grin, "Really, should I be nervous?"

"I don't know what the latest take is yet, but I'll let you know. Do you need anything while I'm gone?"

"No I'm good," he said, she turned and started to walk, "Kid?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks for asking."

"No problem."

Missouri felt uncomfortable; well you would to if the normally inanimate household devices you had bought had started to take on minds of their own, especially when you find out that they had help. She didn't like the idea of things coming into her house unannounced; she would have to clean it after this.

She didn't regret letting John and the boys stay, and she knew trouble followed the three of them like a member of the family. However, she didn't expect any of this, and now more people were turning up as well; to be honest it was getting a little crowded.

From what she had felt, the three she had gotten to know were good kids, a little unit all of their own. Just like Winchesters, Buffy and Dawn were like the boys in a number of ways, with their friend Xander there to keep their feet on the ground. The older man, who turned up today, Mr. Giles, watched over them, wanted to keep them safe but knew he could never shelter them from the realities that were out there so prepared them to face it the best he could, just as John did with his sons. Though he did seem much better at letting them make their own decisions When they explained that there was another member of this little group, she wasn't quite sure where this Willow would fit in.

However, she did know that she didn't like the idea of the girl just popping in and out of her home without a 'by your leave', and she definitely didn't like the fact that she was doing it without the rest of her body being attached.

She looked out at her backyard, both men were deep in conversation, they seemed more comfortable round each other than before, though they obviously were still prepared to come out fighting to protect their own little worlds, if need be.

Buffy and Dean were sitting on the back porch, watching the discussion, and drinking lemonade as Xander was sorting out the hole in her wall. Sam at least had stopped pacing, if he'd gone on for much longer he was going to wear a hole through her floor. But if he started again she was going to have serious words with the boy.

It was then she felt it coming towards her, not one but two; yes definitely two. One was like last night in the hospital, the other was a very different power and very balanced at that, like a rope, being pulled taut in many different directions. It was power but it was defined, more sophisticated than what she felt from Buffy, and it was coming towards her.

The doorbell went off, causing her to focus on this plane of reality. She opened the door to find Dawn and two other young women, a brunette and a red head, the source of the forces she felt.

"Hey Missouri, sorry we took so long," apologised Dawn. "This is Kennedy and Willow."

The redhead held out a hand "Hello, nice to meet you,"

The brunette simply nodded hello.

Missouri stood to the side of the door, "Come in."

She felt it as the brunette past, a similar raw power, to the girl now sitting on her porch, though she didn't seem to have it as fully under control as Buffy did. It was the red head that she'd felt before, a fine line was being walked here and from the way the girl held herself she knew it. If this power was used it was as a surgical tool and she held back at that, which if what she had been told was true about her finding them while she was on the other side of the world was definitely worrying.

"So you're the one whose been messing with my electricals," she said to Willow as the three young women stood in here hallway.

"Yes, sorry about that," the red head blushed, "I'll try not to do it again."

Missouri just looked at the girl, she hadn't expected an apology, "Just don't make my kitchen appliances dance again."

"They still at it," asked Dawn.

"Yes, longest conversation I've ever seen John Winchester have."

"So, everyone still outside?"

Xander straightened up as he put the last pin in the outer wall, "Well that's that job almost done."

He turned to see the new arrivals in the doorway, he grinned as he swept her up in a big hug "Willow! Glad you could finally make it."

"You know you guys didn't have to come," said Buffy, as she greeted the brunette.

Kennedy shrugged, "Like I would have any peace if we hadn't."

Dawn nodded, "She's been very Willowy since I picked them up."

"She was pretty calm most of the time, and then Andrew and the girls started calling to ask what was happening, then I had to start trying to scrap her off the wall," said Kennedy, and in a hushed tone, added, "So much so we're going to have a problem getting home."

Xander rested his hands on Willow's shoulders and viewed her at arms length, "Was there any point in you getting a passport?"

"It has lots of stamps in it, lots of them," she said while looking was looking at the floor

"I don't think the ones we made with that potato that night we were drunk really count," stated Dawn, causing not only Buffy, but both Sam and Dean, to look at her. "Please, I'm over 18, where drinking is legal in most parts of the world. Including some of the places I lived over the past couple of years."

"That was my old one," Willow said quietly looking at the floor, she raised her head and then went into full flow, "I was worried. First you say I had to stay and let you do this on your own, even though Xander got to go, then Andrew calls saying Giles is on his way here and with the girls calling and something is attacking with no one knowing why. Then you three don't let me know that things are alright. So damn straight, I'm going haul ass and get over here!"

"Haul ass?" asked a shocked Buffy.

Xander shook his head, "Why Ms Rosenberg? That does not sound like you at all."

Dean turned to his brother, "Did she breathe at all during that?"

Sam shook his head, "I don't think so."

"See you have definitely upset her," stated Kennedy.

"We didn't plan this Ken," said Buffy.

"I know," said the brunette, who narrowed her eyes mischievously, "But you are still so covering."

"I know, I know, I have to take care of things when you two take the make up smoochie break," Buffy sighed, "Why couldn't this have happened when you guys were still lived in Brazil?"

Willow turned her attention to the two men on the porch in front of her, "Is this Dean?"

Dean looked at her before he answered cagily, "Yes."

"So that would make this the wiggy one" asked Kennedy as she peered at Sam.

Willow nodded, "Must be," as she turned her attention to the tall young man standing beside his brother, "Nice to put a face to the name, Sammy."

Buffy shook her head, "He's not wiggy Will."

"He's just really tall, and he prefers Sam." said Dawn.

"Thanks, I think" Sam said, unsure what to say.

Dean continued to look at the girls, "So you are Willow and Kennedy?"

"Yeah why?" asked the newly arrived brunette.

"Nothing," he said, " Just thought that you two got hitched that's all."

"Yes we did," answered the red head. "You got a problem with that?" asked Kennedy in a confrontational tone, causing Buffy to snort her amusement.

"No," Dean replied, "Never can be enough love in my opinion!"

Sam just looked away for a second shaking his head at his brother's response.

"It's just when they said Kennedy, thought you were a guy," explained Dean.

"I don't sound manly do I?" the affronted slayer asked, "It's my name isn't it?"

"No sweetie you're not manly," Willow put her arm round her partner, "And I love your name. Anyway I suppose it makes us even, we did think Sammy was a girl."

Sam hung his head in resignation as the grin spread across his brother's face.

"Really," said Dean, smiling, "Got you pegged already, eh Samantha."

"It's Sam," he said through gritted teeth as his brother continued to smile.