g120- Thanks for the reviews and the comments about this being well written (Oh yes, I picked up on that haha) and that you liked the Weatherman quotes. The song just seemed to fit. hehe. And well, Joyce and Rupert's 'rough patch' gets some progression in a good way...

zigpal- Been waiting on the Xoyles action have ya? haha. (Noticed you read 'Comfort'...hehe). Thank you for the reviews and, obviously, the claps.

A/N: Now, I reach out to you all about...season 8. Yay or nay peeps? Shalt I go on after season 7 into season 8? I have already got plans for it, but just wanted to check you would want to read that. I mean I have a whole 16-chapter thing planned that would happen during in Angel season 5 (Yes, we'd get crossovers you crossover lovers out there hehe) but before Buffy Season 8 (As that was meant to occur post Angel Finale) which ends up very Lily centered (Young Lily, not older Lily) and sees how Joyce ends up in Watcherdom...so you game guys?

"Oh!"

"Right...well, uh..."

"This is a bit of a tangle isn't it?"

Tangle was a very apt word for the situation. Joyce, multi-tasking once again, had been looking over statements from the gallery at the same time as putting away the now dry and clean dishes. She had been so absorbed in the information on the papers that she hadn't even seen Rupert stood in front of her reaching forward to get a mug out of one of the high cupboards. Walking into him, awkwardness had ensued as the two, being especially careful not to border on accidental naughty touching, tried to go their way without bumping into one another again. But as Joyce had ducked under his arm he had gone to move it, meaning she just ended up where she started. So he had moved. Just as she had moved. And now he had one hand on the cupboard door and she was reaching around his waist to keep hold of the papers she had loosely placed on the side before the tangle, and she was slightly trapped in the corner by his body.

"Er...yes...maybe if I..." Giles started to maneuver to free Joyce when the ex-couple began to hear the sound of quiet childish titters from beyond the kitchen doorway.

"Honestly, you're like giggling fairies," Joyce tutted as she and Giles untangled themselves and saw Willow and Dawn in the doorway.

"...And so the Potentials stay with all the Watcher people. But mostly they're here. Training," Buffy explained as she let Robin Wood into the house.

"And these Watchers are the only ones left?"

"Pretty much," Buffy nodded, "The few that are here only survived because they believed and listened to what Giles and Lily tried to tell them"

"Uh-huh," Wood nodded, "I thought Lily was that...that baby I met a while back. Your baby sister?"

"Oh she is," Buffy nodded and at his look of confusion hurried to explain, "Oh she came back from the future. To help us with some stuff. It was a whole big thing. But she's gone now. We just have baby Lily now. So you don't have to worry about being confused"

"Too late," Wood smiled.

"Anyway, this is it; command central"

"Where the hell have you been?" Andrew demanded, stomping into the living room wearing oven mitts, "This funnel cake is kicking my ass"

"This is Andrew-"

"Andrew, have you been in the kitchen again?" Joyce asked, walking into the room after him, "It smells like an array of not-cooked ingredients. And give me my oven mitts back"

"-And you've met my Mother" Buffy finished with a small smile.

"Yes," Robin smiled offering his hand for Joyce to shake, "Always a pleasure"

"Likewise," She smiled, shaking his hand momentarily before returning her attention to Andrew.

"Fine, I'll go see to the cake..." He grumbled, going to stomp off, but Robin's question stopped him.

"Erm...who exactly is he?"

"Hello, I'm Andrew..." Andrew smiled girlishly, "Nice to meet you"

"Erm...yeah..." Wood agreed, before looking at Buffy questioningly.

"Andrew's our...well, hostage"

"I prefer the term 'guestage'," Andrew said, making quote marks with his hands but with a look from Joyce he hurried back into the kitchen.

"You'll have to excuse Andrew," Buffy said, "Or not. Your call. Wanna see the Potentials hard at work?"

"Lead the way"

"Is Rupert out there with them?" Joyce asked nonchalantly and Buffy smirked at her.

"Why?"

"No reason," She replied, "I'd just like to know is all."

"Look," Buffy sighed, "You two are driving me insane. This has become pointless. I get that you're hurt. And I get that you're fed up of being hurt. But this...this is just craziness. If you want to see him, see him. If you want to get back together, get back together stop...being all...avoidy"

And with that Buffy walked off with Robin.

"What was that all about?" He asked.

"Mom and Giles were together. They broke up. Now they kinda wanna get back together but won't. And for the audience at home it's very annoying."

"Ah"

"And here are our Potential Forces..." Buffy announced, pushing open the back door to reveal several dozens of young girls being led in a training schedule by Kennedy who was being advised and guided by Giles. Truly, it was an impressive sight.

"Left palm- right hook- huh!" Kennedy yelled at them all, "Over cross, under- huh!"

All the Potentials punched out in perfect synchronization. All but one. A fairly new girl, called Chloe. Kennedy immediately spotted her and picked her out.

"Hold it!" She called out, storming over to the the timid girl, "What the hell yoi call that 'Potential'? Try that in the field, you are dead! Drop and give me twenty!"

"Tw-twenty what?"

"Push-ups maggot!"

"Hey!" Joyce protested at the same time as Giles said 'Now, hang on'. "You can't speak to her like that. She's still just a girl" Joyce headed over to the young red-head, and Giles joined her.

"They need to be prepared and this is the way I'm doing it so-"

"Don't push me Kennedy," Joyce warned her, before returning her attention to Chloe. "Are you okay sweetie?" She asked kindly and Chloe nodded, clearly upset.

Kennedy turned to Giles in frustration.

"We can't molly-coddle them like this. If we do, they'll die"

"And you can't treat them so terribly Kennedy," He replied, "I said you could help train them. Not treat them...as though they work for you. As though they are less than what they are"

"Do you wanna go inside?" Joyce asked Chloe softly and the girl shook her head, eyes on the ground, "You're sure?" Joyce seemed reluctant to accept this for a moment, before she nodded, "Okay" She sighed, "But only if you're happy...if you're sure"

"I am...Miss" Chloe nodded nervously and Joyce had no choice to accept this decision. Sparing a moment to give a warning look to Kennedy, she headed back into the house.

"As you can see everything's going along smoothly," Buffy said as she looked to Robin with a forced smile.

"My god, we thought this was long lost," Giles gasped taking in the Slayer Emergency Kit before him. Buffy had explained that Robin had had it all these years as when his Mother died he hadn't been able to part with it.

"I still can't believe you're Nikki Wood's son," Daniel added, scrutinizing Wood intensely. "Never met the woman, but I heard she was a wonderful Slayer. One of the best"

"I believe she was," Wood nodded.

"Yes, this rather a surreal occurrence," Cassandra agreed.

"So what's in the bag then?" Buffy asked bluntly, "Some Pick 'n' Mix candies?"

"We're not actually told," Jacqueline admitted. For once her son Ted was with her. In recent weeks she had had him staying far away from the events of the house, allowing him to research and study back at the inn well out of harm's way. "You only truly find out once it's your Slayer who has the box"

"Guess that's you mate," Dan grinned at Giles.

"Actually it's kinda all of us," Dawn said, "I mean unless you like all avert your eyes when Buffy opens the bag...well you're all gonna see what's inside"

Buffy opened the bag and peered inside for a moment, as though checking for creepy crawlies, before she began hauling out the contents

"Weapons..." She listed, pulling out the pointy objects and dropping them on the sofa, "Trinkety goodness..." They also got dumped on the couch, "One huge ass textbook," She opened it a moment to see it was all in a very foreign language, before she held it out to the group, "Anyone who wants to start work on that feel free" Both Cassandra and Dawn grabbed for it eagerly. The two women looked at one another, silently communicating before they seemed to decide they could work together on it. "And ooh, a big box"

Buffy was just about to open the box when she was interrupted by a scream. The scream was undeniably her Mother's and it was coming from upstairs. Buffy dashed for the staircase with Giles close behind her. Dawn left Cassandra with the book and headed up also. After a moment's thought the others ran after them also.

"Mom?" Buffy called out as she hurriedly walked along the landing and saw her Mom backed against the wall opposite to the bathroom in horror, "What is it- oh my god..." She gasped as she saw what her Mom had seen.

Chloe. Hanging from the ceiling. Dead.

"Dawn." Buffy said, her voice betraying no emotion, "Get a knife. I'm cutting her down"

"Joyce are you okay?" Giles asked and she nodded weakly before hugging him tightly for support. He immediately returned the embrace, stroking her hair as he comforted her.

"Course she's okay," Chloe's voice, "It's Chloe who's not"

Everyone looked over to see The First in the form of Chloe stood beside Chloe's hanging body.

"You're not Chloe," Buffy said adamantly.

"Well neither is she anymore," Chloe/First replied, "Now she's just...'Chloe's Body'"

"What did you do to her?" Joyce asked in horror.

"Nothing," Chloe shrugged, "We just talked. Like you and Glory talked. Like your lover and Jenny talked. How are two working out by the way? Still issues over the 'other woman'?"

"Don't listen to it," Buffy ordered, "Any of you"

"Oh don't bother. Chloe only offed herself because she knew what you're not getting. I'm coming, you're going. All this? It's almost over"

"We'll be here" Was all Buffy said in reply.

"All of you?" Chloe questioned 'innocently', "But I thought-" Suddenly her voice changed to that of Buffy's, though she stayed in Chloe's form, "They're not all gonna make it. Some of them will die. Nothing I can do will stop that" Her voice switched back to Chloe's once more, "Hey, I didn't say that. Be seeing you all. One by one. T.T.F.N!" And with that, The First blinked out, leaving Chloe's body hanging there.

"T.T.FN?" Cassandra questioned, "I- uh what is that?"

"I don't know..." Buffy answered honestly.

"It's a Tigger thing," Dawn answered weakly, "Ta ta for now. It's something he says..."

"Dawn." Buffy said once again, "Where's that knife?"

Everyone was gathered in the living room. In fact there was so much everyone that they spilled out into the hall, the stairs, the kitchen doorway, there was barely room to breathe there was so many crowded in there. They were silent and their was a somber tone hanging in the air, everyone was mourning for Chloe.

Buffy came back in, holding a shovel, having finished burying Chloe's body outside next to Annabelle's.

"Everybody here?" She asked and Kennedy nodded in reply.

"All accounted for"

"Anyone like to say a few words about Chloe?" She asked and when no one answered she herself continued, "Alright, then I will. Chloe was an idiot"

"Buffy," Joyce said in shock.

"Chloe was stupid. She was weak. And anyone else who's in a rush to be the next dead body I bury, it's easy. Just think of Chloe. Do what she did. And I'll make room for you next to her, and Annabelle. I'm the Slayer" She said quietly to all of them and saw every last one of them had their eyes down to the ground, "The one with the power. And The First has me using that power to dig our graves!" As her voice raised angrily she threw the shovel aside and it clattered loudly against the wall. "I've been carrying you," Buffy continued, "All of you, too far, too long. Ride's over"

"You're out of line" Kennedy said, standing up and clearly unable to put up with Buffy anymore.

"She's not," Dawn countered quietly, "Buffy's right. I mean seriously, have you or any of the Potentials actually done anything without Buffy as back-up?"

Kennedy had nothing to say in reply. Almost.

"If she gave us a chance I'm betting we'd do just as good without her around"

Buffy walked over to the girl getting quietly yet intensely in her face.

"You're new here. And you're wrong. I have the power here, not you. The rest of you are just waiting for me"

"Well, yeah but only because you kinda told us to," Xander spoke up, "You're our leader Buffy, as in 'follow the'"

"Yeah, well from now I'm your leader as in 'do what I say'"

"Buffy," Joyce reprimanded her again, "You can't talk to him like that. In case you've forgotten it isn't troops here...or or soldiers...or even all Potentials here. It's your friends, your family." She made eye contact with Buffy across the room, trying to read her, "Or had you actually forgotten that?"

"She's right Buff," Xander agreed, "We're your friends here. We're here coz we wanna help you. Not cause we got drafted"

"Well, you are now," Buffy countered, "We are getting ready for a war here, and if you aren't prepared to fall in line then you are useless to the cause"

"Come on Buffy," Willow reasoned, "You know everyone here is doing the best they can"

"And The First isn't impressed. It already knows us. Knows everything we can do. And it's laughing," Buffy looked around at each and everyone of them, "You want to surprise the enemy? Surprise yourselves. Force yourselves to do what can't be done otherwise we're not an army. Just a bunch of girls waiting to be picked off and buried"

Spike got up and went to leave.

"Where are you going?" Buffy demanded.

"Out." He answered, "Since I'm neither a girl nor waiting all this speechifying doesn't really apply to me does it?"

"Take a cell phone," Buffy told him, "That way if I need someone to get weepy or wailed on, I can call you"

"If you've got something to say-"

"Just said it," Buffy said abruptly cutting him off.

"I don't have to be here," Spike said, forcing himself to remain calm, though everyone in the room could sense he was quickly losing his patience.

"Keep holding back Spike and you might as well walk out that door," Buffy told him simply as though daring him to do so.

"Holding back?" Spike scoffed in disbelief, not believing what she was saying, "You're blind. I've been here, right in it. Fighting, scrapping"

"Since you got your soul back?" She challenged.

"Matter of fact," He admitted, "I'm just not relishing the kill the way I used to"

"You were a better fighter then"

"I did this for you!" Spike yelled out in retort, his emotions running so high he was beginning to become unaware of the large audience around them, listening to every word that was being said, "The soul, the changes- it's what you wanted!"

"What I want is the Spike who's dangerous. The one who tried to kill me when we met"

"Buffy, stop it!" Her Mother cried out, "You're being...Buffy, this is insane," She said, grabbing her daughter by the shoulders once she reached her, "What the hell is the matter with you?"

"Nothing is the matter with me," Buffy replied sharply, shaking off her Mother's hands roughly, "What is the matter is there is not one person in this room that can defend themselves against what's coming"

"And shouting's going to make that all better is it?" Joyce challenged, "Buffy you have to stop this...whatever it is that you think you're doing"

"I'm being the Slayer," Buffy retorted, "That's what a Slayer is. A general, someone who leads the troops"

"And it is cutting you off from reality"

"This is reality Mom! Or have you still not gotten that yet?"

"Your reality is the people who've been with you from the start Buffy. The people who care about you and love you. And you seem to have forgotten they're even there"

Silence reigned.

"Dawn, get the emergency kit," Buffy ordered, not even taking her eyes off her Mom.

"Why? What are you going to do?" Dawn asked.

"I'm declaring an emergency"

The room had been cleared. All the Potentials had been sent home. Ted had also been sent back to the inn, while his Mother and the other Watchers were present alongside Buffy, Dawn, Xander, Anya, Willow, Spike, Tara, Joyce, Giles and Principal Wood. All of them gathered around the Slayer Emergency Kit. Lily seemed to be attempting to peep, but essentially locked in her portable pen, she could do nothing but try to stand and look over. The standing wasn't going spectacularly well and she kept thunking back down on her butt. After worrying over the first five times, her parents eventually realized this wasn't bothering her or hurting her and they ceased running over to check her each time.

"We thought you'd wanna be here," Buffy said to Wood, "And not go with the others"

"You thought right," He nodded.

"The stuff in this bag though," Xander said as he poked through the contents, "Books, weapons...it's all stuff we've seen before"

"Not this we haven't," Anya said, pointing at the wooden box that looked extremely heavy, but Buffy lifted out with ease. "What's inside it?"

"We're never told," Giles admitted.

"And I don't know either," Wood added, "It's not been opened since-" Buffy broke off the metal lock with a snap, "Well, since now"

The group as a whole peered inside and Buffy reached in to pull out the contents, handing them to the nearest person handy which happened to be her Mother. The contents were covered in dust and other such aging stuff and Joyce grimaced, quickly handing them to Giles. There was a copper turntable, a lamp and several-

"Puppets?" Xander frowned, "That's it! The First hates puppets! Now if we can just airlift Kermit, Fozzi and Miss Piggy into town – The First'll be a runnin"

"Those are Muppets," Willow informed him simplistically.

"Damn," Xander cursed, his seriously tone prompting a smile of amusement from Tara.

"I- that is we- Dawn and I we came across these in the textbook," Cassandra said.

"Yeah," Dawn nodded in agreement picking up the ancient book and opening it to the appropriate page.

"They're...shadow casters. According to this you put them in motion, they tell you a story. It says you can't just 'watch' you have to 'see'"

"Not watch, but see?" Joyce frowned, "What does that mean?"

"It's cryptic," Xander said, "I don't like it. Every time instructions get cryptic, somebody gets hurt." He paused in momentary thought, "Usually me" He went to put the Shadow Casters back in the box, but Buffy gently but firmly stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"You can't watch, you have to see?" Buffy asked, "See what?"

"Well apparently it is something to do with the Origin Myth," Cassandra explained.

"The Origin Myth?" Buffy frowned.

"What?" Dan gasped, snatching the book out of Dawn's hands, "It can't be about that"

"Hello?" Buffy waved, "Still needing back story here?"

"It's the story of the First Slayer Buffy," Giles explained, "And ah, how she came to be"

"I saw her," Buffy said suddenly.

"You saw The First Slayer?" Wood sounded confused and a little skeptical.

"Yeah, in a dream. Last night. It's got to mean something. We gotta find out what," She looked over at Xander, "Time for a puppet show"

"Erm...there's some assembly required"

"I really don't like this idea..." Joyce admitted once everything was set up for the light show of shadow puppets.

"Seconded," Xander raised his hand, "I'm with the woman who chooses life" He paused, "Not with with, in the sense of withing." He decided to quit talking while he was ahead. Ever since the events of last week where Joyce, under an unfortunate misfired love spell by Willow, had come onto him and actually succeeded in at the very least kissing him he had been rather on edge about any slight, accidental, insinuation of coupledom between the two of them. It seemed to him that Joyce had quickly gotten over it, but then again, he reminded himself she was the queen of all things repression and denial worthy.

"Well tough," Buffy said, breaking into his thoughts, "We're doing it" She turned to Cassandra and Dawn who were looking over the book that contained the instructions.

"Erm...I think, according to this, you gotta add the puppet guys on one by one," Dawn told her.

"In the order it dictates here," Cassandra added. "Through that the Shadow casters tell a story"

Xander nodded and spun the turntable device on which the now lit lantern sat.

"First there is the Earth" Dawn read and Xander clicked in the caster that was the image of hills and grass and a crescent moon. The shadows cast themselves on the wall, looking larger than life. Suddenly the faint yet steady sound of drums picked up, sounding like something out of a voodoo ritual and the group looked around in fearful confusion.

"So far so creepy," Xander commented, using humor to hide his growing fear.

"Then there came the demons" Cassandra read next.

Xander clicked the demons into place and although the turntable was not moving the shadows on the walls began to move as the demons chased in the hills under the moon and a demonic roar could be heard along with the drums.

"After demons there, there came men," Dawn stuttered, beginning to be frightened by the images.

As Xander added the 'men' shadow caster the images started to pick up pace and the sound of chanting was heard amongst the other sourceless sounds. With all the lights off except for the one on the turntable it made the group feel as if they were in the center of a voodoo ritual and were about to be sacrifice to a petra loa. Glancing around everyone Willow saw matching expression of fear and noted that Giles had his arm around Joyce who had leant against him, subconsciously holding his shirt slightly. Willow had given up on guessing whether the two were together or not anymore.

"The men then found a girl," Cassandra shouted over the chanting and Xander added the girl caster to the collection.

The scream of the girl, the scream of the First Slayer, could be heard above all the other sounds as the turntable began spinning of it's own accord, picking up pace every second.

"The men took...they took the girl to fight the demons. They...they chained her to the earth" Dawn struggled to read the text just as Lily began crying in fright at all the noise and chaos and her parents quickly moved away from the turntable to see to her. "And then-" Dawn threw the book into Cassandra's hands, "I can't read this!"

"Well my Sumerian isn't exactly up to scratch either," Cassandra retorted, the collaboration of terrifying sounds making her panic, "Something about 'darkness'..."

"What about darkness?" Buffy asked frantically as she watched the shadows re-enact the events.

"It says you cannot be shown, you cannot just watch but you must see- see for yourself. But only if you are willing to make the exchange"

"I thought you said your Sumerian wasn't up to scratch," Jacqueline pointed out and Cass held the book up for her to see.

"It's not in Sumerian anymore..."

The blending images of the shadows suddenly began to spin out of control, seemingly being sucked into the light before there was an entire explosion and the turntable was suddenly replaced by a large portal of shimmering blue light about the size of a normal door, it's supernatural light pouring on everyone and lighting up the entire room.

Joyce and Giles looked at one another with similar 'huh' expressions before slowly placing Lily gently back in her pen and walking over to get a close-up look at the portal.

"What does it mean?" Xander asked and Buffy was the one who supplied the answer.

"Means I have to go in there"

"What?" Joyce yelped, "What? No. Buffy where on earth did you get that idea? You are not- you don't even know what's going to happen when you go through. Where you'll end up"

"That's the whole point," Buffy replied.

"Buffy, if you go through there we don't even know how to get you back!" Willow pointed out and Buffy looked over at her before turning her gaze to Tara.

"Tara can do it. She'll know how" She replied and before anyone else could respond, grab her or in anyway try and stop her from leaving, she jumped through the rapidly close portal and when the blinding light blinked away Buffy was no longer in the room, leaving only silence behind.

"Buffy?" Joyce asked timidly though she knew there would be no answer.

As though sensing the badness that had just occurred Lily looked on at the Buffy-less group a moment before bursting into tears, loud sobs that seemed to echo around the entire living room and Giles rushed over to pick her up and comfort her, shushing her softly.

"What was that it said about an exchange?" Anya asked warily.

As if in answer there was a flash of light, something a lot smaller than the last, accompanied by a sharp blast of wind that forced them all to fall back and few paces. This left room for the thing that suddenly appeared in front of them. A demon. A big, scary, tusking, drooling demon that very much looked like it could crush Dawn with his pinkie.

The gang only had a second to register it's presence before it smacked back Xander with a single punch, sending the man smashing into the fireplace, Joyce just barely moving out of the way in time.

Giles quickly moved Lily far out of the way. He wished to take her upstairs, thus completely out of the way, but with the demon attacking he couldn't risk walking with her in case anything happened as he was making the journey an he daren't risk that even slightly. He had barely stepped away from the child when he felt the demon grab him by the shoulders tightly, lift him up off the ground and throw him in the direction of the foyer. He fell into the stairs, smashing the banister and landed with a thump on the floor, unconscious.

"Rupert," Joyce gasped, going to head over but she was stopped by a hand on her arm and she turned to see Wood holding onto her.

"C'mon," He said, "We need to get you and your daughters out of the way. Fast"

Joyce just frowned at him in annoyance, said "I'm fine", before tugging her arm out of his grasp and continuing on her way towards the unconscious Rupert.

"First rule of this here house," Xander said, getting up unsteadily from where he had been thrown by the demon, "Never try and protect her," He pointed at Joyce, "Dawn or Buffy unless they specifically ask you to. Ever. This will just piss them off" Xander informed him before diving out of the way of another attack by the demon and he landed on the sofa with almost perfect precision.

"You guys get out of it's way!" Spike, who had remained silent until now, shouted out, "All of you!" He ducked a blow from the demon and swung to kick it in it's back. The demon barely stumbled backwards. And even had time to throw Cassandra into Jacqueline, the two of them falling backward and landing harshly on the floor.

"What are you gonna do?" Dawn asked frantically and he grinned in reply.

"What I do best"

Spike did not spare even a moment long enough for Dawn to ask what exactly that was before he launched himself at the demon, his full strength and weight behind the attack. He grabbed the demon roughly bad the head and charged into the wall, smashing it into the plaster. He continued to do this again and again as the demon growled and cried out in pain; Spike was actually doing some damage to it. However just as moments ago he had had the upper hand, suddenly the demon, apparently having had enough with being smashed into a wall, pulled easily out of Spike's hold on him, spun around, grabbed the vampire in both hands so as to lift him off his feet as though he were no more than a piece of plywood. And then threw him through the ceiling. Through. The. Ceiling. The entire group could only look on in silent shock and horror at the Spike-sized hole that had been created.

With everyone else essentially defeated and seeing no one else to challenge, the demon tossed Dawn out of the way and charged past everyone and through the front door.

"Ah," Daniel nodded, looking up at the hole in the ceiling which Spike had been shot through, "So that's what Spike does best, eh? Getting thrown through ceilings?"

"I'll go check he's okay," Dawn said, running off towards the stairs, but she stopped as she reached the hall, remembering what had happened to Giles. He was still unconscious and her Mom was beside him trying to wake him up gently. Eventually, she seemed to get fed up with this method.

"Wake up," She snapped, giving him a harsh slap on the cheek.

"Whoa Mom," Dawn said, interrupting her, "Repressed anger much?"

"What?" She frowned and Dawn nodded at the hand that had just slapped him, "Oh...well, he shouldn't get knocked unconscious so much"

"Right..." Dawn nodded slowly, slightly confused, but she didn't comment as she continued on up the stairs to see if Spike was alright.

Joyce watched her go, before resuming the slapping of Rupert. However, before her hand made contact with his cheek again, he grabbed her wrist to stop her just in time.

"Oh. You're awake," She said, sounding slightly disappointed as though she had been looking forward to slapping him again.

"Yes..." He said shaking his head to clear it, "Is Lily okay?"

"She's fine," Joyce assured him, "She was out of harm's way"

"And the demon?"

"Gone," Anya answered, "Leaving a smashed wall, smashed door, smashed staircase and oh- a big hole in your ceiling"

"I think we've got bigger problems than house repair right now," Xander said and Wood nodded in agreement.

"Demon loose, no Slayer"

"We need Buffy," Willow said.

"We gotta get her back," Xander stated the blatantly obvious as he turned to Tara, "Thing you can work it?"

"I can probably open the portal," She admitted, "But with what the text said about an exchange I'm not sure I could get Buffy through it...through it without-"

"Without the demon being put back through," Giles finished as he stumbled over with Joyce.

"Exactly," Tara nodded, "So..."

"So we need the demon," Robin surmised and the others nodded in agreement, "Well I hate to be the negative police but that very demon just left the house for god knows where and not one of us had the strength to break it's finger never mind stop it, drag it back here and throw it through a portal it might not want to go back through"

"What about the book?" Joyce asked and Cassandra, having gotten up from where she had been thrown, and brushing herself off as though the fall had caused no more problem for her than wrinkling her skirt, headed over to the text.

"Well...oh," She frowned as she looked at the pages.

"What?" Giles asked, "What's the matter?"

"Well...erm...you see..." Cassandra said as Jacqueline looked over her should at the pages, and immediately wore the same expression as the other Watcher.

"It's become slightly harder to read," Jac explained.

"Harder how?" Daniel asked and Cass held the book up for all of them to see. The pages were now blank. "Oh."

"Right, well that's okay," Xander said, trying to remain positive, "We'll just start with what we know"

"And that would be what exactly?" His wife challenged him, "Besides a big lump of zero?"

"Well, Tara said something about the exchange mentioned in the book," Joyce reminded her as she walked back up to the group, Lily now in her arms, and stood beside Giles with her.

"But if I do open a portal- which not to sound egotistic- but I definitely can...I can't be sure it'll lead to where Buffy is..." Tara said.

As the group discussed how to go about things, Jacqueline watched her brother who was presently stood with his child and his wife that was technically not his wife anymore if the two were as deadly serious about the separation as they appeared to me. However, despite this the two of them seemed quite in harmony with one another as they dealt with Lily. Making a snap decision, she walked over to the couple and lifted Lily out of Joyce's arms only to immediately place her in Giles' hands.

"Can I speak with you a moment Joyce?" She asked.

"Well, I uh-" She was tugged away from the group by her sister-in-law without being given a choice in the matter.

"Can I ask you what exactly it is you're trying to prove?" Jacqueline asked once the two of them were in the kitchen.

"Excuse me?"

"You clearly still love the man and he practically worships you. The two of you are getting along just fine and yet you insist the two of you are not going to be together anymore," Jac elaborated, "Forgive me for thinking that is slightly insane"

"It's more-"

"If you say complicated one more time in reference to this situation Joyce, I may have to hit you," Jacqueline interrupted her with a warning, "Now I'm going to ask you something and I want an honest answer. Do you really want the two of you to separate? Completely I mean, such as divorce"

"I..." Joyce sighed, "No," She answered honestly.

"Then what the hell are you playing at?" Jacqueline asked of her in exasperation.

"I-"

"Now I know you're stubborn-"

"I am-"

"-and hurt and put those two things together and you're not going to want to initially change your mind over this-"

"Jacqueline, I-"

"-but considering what is going on in all our lives lately, I don't believe any of us have the luxury to allow our love lives to become 'complicated'-"

"Well, I don't think I h-"

"-Joyce, stop trying to interrupt me."

"I-" She went to interrupt again and then took a breath as she stopped herself, "Okay," She agreed quietly.

"I have lost my husband in this battle, killed by The Bringers and...he's gone. He's," She took a deep breath as though trying to control her emotions, prevent herself from crying where she stood, "He's not coming back. And before he...before he was killed. The two of us had an argument...nothing overtly huge, a silly thing really, but I was petty enough about it to walk off on him. I...Joyce, I never saw him alive again"

"Oh god, I didn't- I am so sorry, I-"

"You and Rupert may have your whole lives ahead of you, or you may only have tomorrow." Jac told her honestly, "But if you think, even for one minute, that you want the two of you to be together at that end- whenever it comes- then please, do so. Just stop whatever it is the two of you are doing and work through it. Please"

"Got 'im right here," Spike announced a little while later as he came back in though the front door, dragging the now dead demon. "Get with the portal openin' Tara"

"Right," The witch nodded before turning to stand to face the center of the room. She closed her eyes, palms open and spread wide at her side and as she stood in silence she seemed to be gathering all the energy she could within her self before her eyes suddenly blinked wide open and she jutted her palms forward, seemingly causing a rip in reality as the portal burst open in white light.
"My girlfriend's so wicca powery," Willow smiled giddily, watching her, "She's so hot"

"The white magic from the books last year does come in handy," Tara admitted with a sweet, wry smile before looking over at Spike, "The demon?" She prompted and Spike nodded as he picked up the demon easily in his arms.
"Right," He tossed the dead demon though the portal which caused another blinding flash. When the portal blinked away Buffy was left standing in the middle of the room.

"Oh Buffy!" Joyce exclaimed happily at the sight of her, drawing her daughter into a tight hug of immense relief.

"Are you alright?" Giles asked in concern and Buffy looked over at him.

"I'm fine," She assured her, but her expression revealed to him she had something deadly serious on her mind.

"Well, there you go." Joyce said after she and Giles had re-set up his bed on the sofa, "I...we'll have to get something more appropriate soon" She said.

"Yes," He agreed, "Though I am growing accustomed to waking with sofa imprints on my neck"

At this Joyce barely stopped a laugh escaping and she covered her mouth with her hand almost immediately.

"Oh I'm sorry, I just...I found that amusing"

"Hmm" He smirked in mock-disapproval.

"Well..." She found the two of them stood incredibly close and wondered how that had come to be. Had she stepped toward him or had he moved closer to her? Damn, this close she could smell him. Not that he smelt smelt, he just smelled of...him. Rupert. It was certain aroma that was his cologne mixed with...him. What made him Rupert. And god dammit that smell was intoxicating.

"Joyce..." He murmured becoming just as acutely aware of how close they were. Their noses were almost touching now.

"Rupert..." Joyce's voice went up helplessly at the end as though pleading him to let her stop whatever it was the two of them were doing right now, but then, a moment later her lips were on gently upon his and the two were kissing one another softly. He gradually put his arm gently almost, carefully, around her waist and her arm instinctively draped around his neck.