g120- Next fifty years. Right. Got it. Haha. Thank you for the review

zigpal- gets dizzy from dancing I'm guessing you're happy if you're doing the box step, haha. Thank you for the review

rabidreject- Thank you for the review and as for all those storylines you just threw in there, well you're just going to have to see how things play out

A/N: Sorry it's been over a week since an update guys but things have been very, very hectic. Anyway this chapter sees a mini, mini Angel crossover andI believe a snippet of a storyline that comes into play in season 8. Oh yeah baby. haha. Enjoy.

"Come on, Lily, please, please co-operate," Jacqueline begged as she attempted to feed her young niece. However, every time the spoon of food came anywhere near the little girl's mouth, she shoved it away forcefully with her small hand and just shook her head emphatically with a wide grin. "Your mother entrusted me to look after you this morning and I believe that involved getting you to eat so please..." She tried again and failed just as Daniel walked in to see how she was doing.

"Still trying to get her to eat?" He asked in amusement, "I thought you told Joyce and Rupes you could handle it"

"And I can," Jac insisted, "It just seems she's not in the mood to eat. Are you?" She looked at the little girl who merely grinned almost devilishly in response. "Makes sense I suppose"

"How?" He asked.

"Well Mum said Rupert was always a terror this young. Hell he was a terror at the age of five, six, seven..."

"Still think it's weird, him havin' a kid," Daniel commented with a shake of the head, "Then again; never thought the guy'd get a girl either"

"I know..." Jac said softly in agreement as she watched her niece look between the two of them as though trying to decipher what they were saying to one another, "I mean, last time we visited he and Joyce stated firmly that in no way were they ever going to have children. Next time I come by they've got a baby girl"

"Yeah, it's not like it were planned though is it?" Dan grinned, ruffling the soft hair on Lily's hair. In response she tried to slap him.

"Yes," Jac agreed with an expression of disapproval, "I truly don't wish to know the full story there"

"Good point"

"I still can't believe he planned never to tell any of us," Jacqueline shook her head in disbelief, "His family!"

"Yeah, well, guess he din't want her getting recruited intuh Watcher's School eh?" Dan guessed correctly, "I mean after what they put Rupert...and a lot of us through, makes sense he'd want his daughter out of it all as much as possible"

"Yes, but- Dad. Dad didn't even know he had another grandchild and now..." Jacqueline started to cry as she reminded herself of the fact her Father along with her husband and hundreds of friends and colleagues were now dead, "I'm sorry," She managed to apologize through the tears, "It's just when I think...and now he'll never ever know and won't meet Lily because he's gone...and Ted's Father's gone too...and..." She choked back sobs and Daniel stood beside, a hand on her shoulder in understanding. He knew exactly how she felt. Everyone they had known, grown up with, loved was gone. They were the only surviving few and that could make a person feel very much alone.

Lily frowned at Jacqueline crying for a moment before outstretching her arms towards her, making nonsensical noises to grab her attention and her aunt looked over at her, blinking away tears so she could see her clearly.

"Oh sweetie," She managed to smile a watery one as she reached forward and picked up the child, holding her in her arms and Lily held her as tightly as was possible for a nine month old and Jacqueline was truly grateful for it.

"Oh it's not that bad," Joyce assured him. They were at the library in the new Sunnydale High. Joyce was on her way to work, having left Jacqueline to take care of Lily, but Rupert-before going to the Magic Box to see how Anya was doing running the store practically one-handedly lately- wished to stop by the school, feeling that now they knew Robin, that he would be able to be in closer contact to the Hellmouth and it's activities. And, after being librarian at the previous school he had wished to see the new library facilities, apparently intending to look through any arcane texts Robin might have put there for further information about the Seal and The First. Joyce, due to some inexplainable instinct, had decided to go in with him.

What Giles had come face to face with horrified him. The library was larger than the last and had a lot more modern look in comparison to the olde worlde look the previous one had carried. But most horrifically the room was filled, completely filled, with computers. Computer after computer after computer while the books retained a small area in the back.

"Not that bad?" Giles looked at his wife as though she were insane.

"Well, I'm sure the books are scanned and saved onto the computers so..." She winced as she realized that had been the absolutely wrong thing to say.

"We have to speak to Wood about this." He said, his tone firm and his attitude adamant. He turned swiftly out of the room and started heading down the corridor.

"Are you sure honey?" Joyce asked, rushing to keep up with his quick and steady, determined pace. "I mean-"

"Of course I'm sure"

"But Robin- He's the Principal and I'm not sure he'll think it's appropriate to have those sort of books in a public school library. Especially after what happened last week"

"Well, I'll just have to reason with him won't I?" Giles replied before pushing the door open into Robin's office where both he and Buffy were stood.

"Everything's terrible," Giles announced his entrance.

"I think that's exaggerating just a little..." Joyce told him.

"It's a catastrophe," Giles continued.

"What is?" Buffy asked, frowning, "What's wrong?"

"It seems Rupert has a little issue with the current state of the library" Joyce explained tentatively.

"What's wrong with it?" Wood asked, in full-on Principal mode.

"It's nothing but computers!" Giles exclaimed, in a tone that seemed to say that Robin should have known that answer anyway. "There's not a book to be seen"

"Well, there was that little rack of...okay," Joyce began to say but trailed off when Giles threw her a look.

"We should go before the school board"

"Pardon?" Robin asked, confused.

"I can have my back up library sent from home in the meantime. It isn't much but-"

"Giles," Buffy sounded like a teenager who was being embarrassed by a parent in front of a date.

"Knowledge comes from crafted bindings and pages Buffy," He replied, "Not ones and zeroes."

"Is there another reason why you're here?" Buffy asked, hand on her hip.

"Yes"

"There is?" Joyce asked, "I thought you just wanted to see if everything was okay?"

"I always wish to talk to Buffy"

"About what?" Buffy asked.

"Spike" He replied, "And the removal of his chip. Now, I've been thinking this over-"

"Not that again," Joyce rolled her eyes, "We can trust Spike"

"No," Giles corrected her, "You can trust Spike"

"And therefore by extension so should you"

"He's a vampire. One controlled by The First no less"

"Everyone's been messed with by The First- us included. And he has a soul; shouldn't that mean something?"

"You've always favored him, Joyce, before the soul. Before the chip!"

"Well, he always seemed perfect amiable and-"

"Amiable?" Giles scoffed, "Before he came to see you a couple of years ago, he had just devoured a shopkeeper!"

"That was just..." Joyce searched around for the appropriate term, "...survival"

"Oh yes of course," Giles agreed without sincerity.

"Are you being sarcastic with me?"

"I thought these two had gotten back together..." Robin frowned at Buffy in confusion, "Have they broken up again?"

"No..." Buffy replied, "This is actually how they act when they are together. Especially when they're talking about Spike. Giles is against, Mom is for. They're not really arguing. Just...having a heated debate."

"We are not," Giles and Joyce protested in synchronization.

"See?"

"Look, my point is with this...uh trigger that The First has implanted in Spike we cannot ever really trust him Buffy," Giles said, "He may snap at any moment, switching temperaments; begin killing again at a moment's command"

"It's not random Giles," Buffy protested, "It's to do with that song he was singing before he attacked Andrew"

"Yes," Giles agreed, "But he has no memory of it. Is there any part of it you can remember?"

"I dunno..." Buffy shrugged, "Not like it had a catchy hook or anything like 'I'm comin' up so you'd better get this party started'. It was boring, English, old, just like yo-" Giles glowered at her while her Mother merely raised her eyebrows as though daring her to finish the sentence and she quickly changed course, "-ul Brynner. Yul Brynner. A British Yul Brynner"

"That aside," Giles let the comment drop, "It is this lack of knowledge over the trigger that prompted me to do a little research into triggers of a supernatural variety"

"And?"

"And it appears the occurrence is not as rare as you may believe." He informed her, "Also, I discovered a spell that should be reasonably easy for Tara to cast."

"A spell that'll do what exactly?" Buffy asked, her voice weighted with suspicion.

"Well...alert Spike to what the trigger is," He explained, "Allowing him to...disarm it"

They were all the basement, gathered around Spike. All being Buffy, Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya, Joyce, Giles and Wood. Dawn had been forced by her mother to stay upstairs with the others- Cassandra was keeping her company- and Jac and Daniel were looking after Lily while the Potentials seemingly caused havoc in the living room.

"What are you doing here?" Spike asked Wood, "Come to see the show?"

"Thought you might need the support," Wood smiled tightly.

The tension in Wood's voice was palpable.

"Hey can we leave the testosterone display outside?" Anya asked "It's going to be dangerous enough when this spell makes Spike go crazy without you adding to the tension"

"Right, let's get this over with," Spike sighed, "What're you gonna do?"

"It's just a spell," Tara explained, "Should relax your mind, take you to whatever memory holds the...key to your trigger"

"And what if it don't work?" Spike challenged.

"As long as you're open to the memories, shouldn't be a problem," Willow assured him and the vampire sighed with a nod.

"Fine...chant away..."

"Kun'ati belek sup'sion." Tara began to chant powerfully and solemnly from the text in ancient looking book, "Bok'vata im kele'beshus. Ta'li ta'li ek'vota. Mor'osh boota'ke..."

"What exactly is it going to do?" Joyce asked Giles in a whisper as Tara chanted, but before Giles could reply, blinding light almost as though it were directly from the sun poured over them and everyone had to put a hand up to their eyes to block the light. When it cleared and they pulled their hands away they saw they were no longer in the basement. Well, Buffy, Tara, Joyce and Giles weren't. The others were no where to be seen.

"Where are we?" Buffy asked, looking around at the room they were stood in which had a distinctly antiquarian look to it, "Where are the others?"

"I don't know," Tara admitted, "We were all the nearest to Spike so maybe we're the only ones effected..."

"Her eyes balls of honey..." A familiar voice reached their ears, but what threw them was the lack of a cockney accent. This was pure upper crust. "Angel's harps her laugh..." The group slowly followed the sound of the voice until they came into another, more open room in which an old Victorian lady was sat upon the sofa listening to...

"Spike?!" Buffy yelped in absolute shock when she saw the vampire as his human self, bearing an uncanny resemblance to...well, Giles. After this exclamation, Buffy threw her hands to her mouth, worried that the vamp in question would look over.

"Don't worry," Tara assured her, "I don't think they can hear us"

"Who's that he's talking to?" Joyce asked, walking over and Giles for a brief moment panicked that while they couldn't be heard, they were visible, but neither Spike nor the old woman took any notice of her. "Is that his Mother?"

"It would seem so," Giles said, joining her.

"Is...is he reading poetry?" Buffy asked in disbelief, "And his hair...it's brown..."

"Please tell me you didn't believe that hair color to be natural," Giles begged, referring to Spike's bleached locks of the future.

"Hark the lark," Spike, or rather William continued, "Her name it hath spake. 'Cecily' it discharges. From twixt it's wee beak"

"God, that was bloody awful," Giles commented once the poem was over and Buffy hit him.

"It wasn't that bad," She said in defense, "It was sweet" She watched the pre-vampire intensely, "I never knew Spike could be like this..."
"Well technically he isn't Spike yet," Giles pointed out, "This...is William"

"Oh yes, you've a rare gift," His Mother was presently telling him in a warm tone causing Buffy to smile. She had never seen this side of Spike before and to do so now...well, it made her smile.

"Would that certain publishers thought as you," William replied shyly.

"Well, you mustn't be disheartened..." His Mother continued to encourage him.

"We're...we're not stuck here are we?" Joyce turned to Giles worriedly, who in turn looked at Tara.

"I don't believe so..." Giles replied, "Or at least I hope not"

"Hope isn't good to go on Giles," Buffy said, tuning into the conversation.

"Well, if push comes to shove Tara can always reverse the spell, can't you?" He turned to the witch and she nodded, holding up the text in her hand a little.

"Well, I still have the spellbook"

"I'd just rather we not reverse the spell till we have a chance to discover Spike's trigger," Giles continued.

"It's to do with his Mom...?" Buffy asked, sounding like the Queen of Skeptic Town.

As if in answer they all heard William's Mother, Anne, begin to sing softly to her son.

"Early one morning, just as the sun was rising, I hear a maid singing..."

"That's it!" Buffy exclaimed, "That's the song I heard him singing to himself before he attacked Andrew!"

As if suddenly hit with a violent, brute force the four felt themselves thrown backwards away from the scene as the Victorian living room flickered from sight and the basement came back into view. Amazingly, despite the force they'd just felt and having walked around Spike's original home they were all stood exactly where they had been before Tara had cast the spell. Except now they all felt nauseous and dizziness caused them to stumble a little.

None of them really had time to fully embrace the dizzies however as Spike suddenly vamped and began loudly trying to attack them at the same time there was the sound of smashing glass upstairs followed by the sounds of screams and chaos.

No one knew quite which direction to head. Giles was already heading up the basement stairs though with Joyce right behind him. Anya and Xander looked momentarily over at Spike before turning to follow the couple on up the stairs. Willow and Tara stayed behind to try and help Buffy and Wood with controlling the suddenly ferocious vampire.

"What's going on?" Giles asked as he came into the kitchen and saw chaos before him. The kitchen door had been knocked off it's hinges and lay flat on the floor, the glass panes shattered and there were several men, all bald, tall, their faces and hands entirely red with black pupiless eyes and wearing brick red robes, in the room. Giles' sister was presently trying to tear one such man off her arm, knocking him away into the kitchen side desperately. Dan just thumped another, though it didn't knock the man out it sent him backwards enough. Several Potentials, including Kennedy, were also trying to help and the fight had spilled out in the dining room.

"Who are they?" Anya asked frantically, diving out of the way of one, "What did they want?!"

"I think-" Dan battered away another robed man as he tried to get over to the group who were presently too confused to do anything beyond duck the chaos, "They're after Lily"

"What?" Joyce yelped.

"Well, they seem to keep heading toward her"

"Where is she?" Giles asking, seeing that his daughter wasn't in the kitchen.

"Cassandra. Just took her. I don't know where"

Giles turned to his wife, but saw she was already gone, weaving her way through the fight, out of the room, to find where Cassandra had gone with Lily.

"Joyce!" Giles shouted, before trying to follow on after her, elbowing one of the robed men in the face to do so.

"Hey don't leave us here!!" Anya protested and Xander took her hand, leading to back against the door to the basement.

"Now we can either stay here and fight psychotic robe guys. Or go downstairs and face psychotic vampire" He offered and Anya looked at him in disbelief.

"Isn't there an option that doesn't involve the word 'psychotic'?"

"Not in our lives"

"Joyce!" Giles continued to shout heading over to her through the chaos of Potentials attempting to fight the unfamiliar robed men. He finally spotted her going to head upstairs, he guessed presuming Cassandra would be up there with Lily as that would generally make sense unless the Watcher had opted to take the child out of the house completely but with the Robed Men coming in from every entry that wasn't likely. However, before Joyce had stepped up to the second step she was grabbed by one of the robed men and they pulled her back down the step by her hair. She tried to fight them off, but as Giles found out when another one pulled him by the shoulders, they were incredibly strong. He tried to rip out of the man's grasp but he held on tightly so Giles backed up as much as he could until they hit a wall. The collision caused the robed man to let go in pain and Giles got free, before turning around and decking him.

He then able to once again return his attention to Joyce, who he saw had gotten the man to let go of her hair, but she was kicking and slapping him away as he still had hold of her arm. She was telling him to let go in an almost comical fashion as though that mere command would give the man or demon as it may very well be incentive to do so. She eventually pushed him away completely, but he grabbed her again as she went to dash off, throwing her round and she banged into the wall, before falling down to the floor unconscious.

Giles barely had time to be worried, outraged or all of the above as one of the robed men slammed a chair into his face and within seconds his own world went black also.

"I can't believe you both got knocked out this time," Willow shook her head in disbelief as she and Tara were seeing to the adults' head wounds. Dawn, Anya and Xander were seeing to any injured potentials in the dining room.

Both Joyce and Giles were sat dejectedly on stools in the kitchen, looking very much self-conscious that the two of them had been knocked out and that Tara and Willow were seeing to their injuries in an almost mothering way.

"Ow, Willow," Giles complained as she pulled another splinter out from just above his eye. Along with several scratches and a slight bruise the chair KO had caused him to have several splinters on his face which Willow wanted to laugh at but didn't for knowing he would be inclined to attack her if she did so.

"Don't be such a baby," She told him, "It's just a splinter. I just hope when Lily grows up she doesn't inherit your guys' unconscious tendencies coz that would not be good"

"This doesn't look too bad," Tara commented as she finished cleaning the half-bruise half-scrape on the side of Joyce's head. It was fairly near her hairline and Tara suspected that once she let out the bits she'd pinned back to see to the wound, it wouldn't be very much visible at all. "Might be a little sore though. I could put one of those little band-aid stitches on if you want-"

"No" Joyce said adamantly,taking the slide out of her hair immediately as though worried that Tara would attempt to apply one anyway. She brushed her hair with her fingers so it fell over the injury, covering most of it. "Who were those men anyway? Why were they after Lily?"

"I don't know." Giles replied, "I've never come across them before. They weren't at all familiar to me"

"Kennedy is having her first interrogation with one of them upstairs in Buffy's room," Willow told them, "Daniel's helping.

"Oh Lord..." Giles put a hand to his head before getting up, "Those two working together could be cataclysmic." He left the room, presumably after Dan and Kennedy.

"Did you say Cassandra put Lily to bed?" Joyce asked the two witches and they nodded causing Joyce to leave the room also, but she was in search of her daughter.

"I will not tell you a thing," The demonic monk guy continued to repeat to Daniel and Kennedy.

"Do you think we should hit him again?" She asked.

"I don't think it's making a difference"

"I didn't say it was," Kennedy replied and the Watcher raised his eyebrows in interest. If the girl ever became the Slayer he very much wanted to be her Watcher. She had a very similar attitude to his own and the fire she had over slaying demons entertained him to no end.

"Maybe we should move onto some classical torture..." Dan thought aloud.

"It matters not what you do," The demon monk told him, "My brethren all went free from here tonight and they shall return. And I shall leave here with them and the child"

"Why are you so interested in Lily?" Daniel asked just as Giles came into the room.

"The child holds the key. No matter how many cities are overthrown, she can bring us back to power"

"Bring you back to power?" Kennedy frowned, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"The child is predestined. Though many have tried to prevent her from coming into being, we knew she would always come to pass. And now we take what is rightfully ours"

"I highly disagree," Giles seemed to speak calmly but there was a quiet venom in his voice, "And I'm sure her Mother would feel the same. Try to take Lily again and you and your 'brethren' shall find yourselves somewhat eviscerated. Now," He took a further few steps into the room, "Where exactly are you from?"

"A place you have no ability unless we wish it, cow" The monk replied angrily, "Pylea shall once again rid itself of you scum with the child in our hands"

"Pylea?" Daniel frowned, looking to Giles, "Isn't that a-"

"Demon dimension?" Giles nodded, "And a decidedly unpleasant one at that." He looked at both Daniel and Kennedy, "Keep an eye on him. Torture him if you wish. Buffy's weapons have a varied choice. Any further information you can get out of him as regards to Lily would be very much appreciated," He left the room, and went to go to Lily where he found Joyce already was.

"Is she okay?" He asked as she picked her up out of her bed.

"She's fine," Joyce smiled warmly with relief as she held onto the child tightly, "Just a little..."

"Frazzled?"

"Yes," She smiled a little at his choice of words, "Frazzled." They both fussed the young child in silence for a few moments, before Joyce broke it with a question, "Have you found out anything about the men who attacked? Are they...are they something else to do with The First?"

"I suspect not," He replied, "He has revealed himself to be from a demon dimension actually. He and his brethren seem to be viewing Lily as some kind of savior for their demonic priesthood"

"What?" Joyce was understandably horrified, "No it can't...no...she's not...she's-"

"Something very special," He completed, "So much so that Evil wish to have their hands on her. Which isn't going to happen"

"No," Joyce shook her head, taking deep comfort in Rupert's words.

It was much later on that same day and night had fallen as Buffy and Wood still stood guard over Spike trying to get him to work through his memories so as to cure him of his trigger while Kennedy and Dan continued to torture the demonic monk upstairs. The others were researching into the Pylea demon while several of the Potentials kept an eye out in case the rest of them decided to attack again.

"There's nothing in here specifically about them or any reference to why they would want Lily," Giles said in exclamation, slamming the book he had researching in closed.

"It isn't gonna be another Key thing is it?" Xander asked, "They wanna use her to get him back to this Pie...ayah...place"

"Pylea," Giles corrected patiently, "And I don't believe so" He considered his answer, "Or rather I hope not. Either way, no matter what they wish to use her for; it isn't going to happen"

"I concur," Xander nodded with a serious expression, whilst retaining his trademark levity.

"They're going to come back you know," Joyce said to them. She wasn't researching. She was pacing. "They want Lily...and that thing is still here"

"Well if they do, we'll be ready for them," Giles assured her.

"How?" She challenged, "By getting knocked out again?"

"Well, uh,I-"

"Guys?" Rachel, one of the Potentials, called out, "Hate to break the Fluster Brigade but we got company"

"It's DuffMan right?" Xander asked and Rachel threw him a look.

"Yeah, and all of Moe's Tavern" She stepped aside from the window so Giles could have a look. "I'd say there's about fifteen of your robe guys"

"Damn," Giles cursed, "They don't seem to be making a move yet"

"No," Xander agreed, looking outside also, "Just surrounding us. We need to get Buffy"

"She's too busy keeping control of Schitzo Vamp," Anya said.

"Well Schitzo Vamp will have to wait," Giles said and then rolled his eyes as he realized what he had just said, "I did not just say that"

"I'll go get her," Xander left the room to get Buffy from the basement.

"Rupert, what do we do?" Joyce asked worriedly, not knowing whether it was safer to leave Lily upstairs where she was or whether she could go to her- or would that just lead them directly to her daughter, she just didn't know.

"We have a fairly strong force here," He reasoned, "As long as we keep any of them from getting upstairs everything should be okay. I promise"

"I don't believe you!" Joyce exclaimed as at that exact moment one of the robed demons came smashing through the window landing in a neat tuck and roll as though he were a human canon ball. When he stood upright in the center of the living room,in the middle of all of them, they saw he was wielding what looked to be some kind of ceremonial sword. He sliced it through the air threateningly as though telling them what he was going to do to each of them and the next moment the rest of his brethren charged in.

"I'm here!" Buffy told everyone as she ran into the room just as the chaos began. She had left Wood to look after Spike. "Okay, you guys are really ugly" She said as one of the robed demons came at her. She grabbed him by the wrists and twisted both arms right ground causing him to flip round and land painfully on his back on the dining room table, "Haven't you ever heard of a facial?" She thumped in the face, before tossing him off the table into one of the side cabinets, "Or sun tan lotion?" Another one was coming from behind her and without even glancing to see where he was she ducked and swung round with her right leg outstretched high and her foot connected loudly with the demon's jawline and as something in him snapped he stumbled back in pain. "Maybe if you spent less time attacking my little sister" She grabbed the one she had thrown into the cabinet and tossed him at two coming toward her, knocking them all down like bowling pins, "And more time on self-image, a facial here, a make-over there" She snapped the weapon out of one of the recovering demon's hands and swung it round easily like a baton, "You'd wouldn't have this whole red skin issue thing going on" She impaled all three at the same time with the long sword through their abdomen and they collapsed back onto the floor and Buffy moved further on into the fight. She reached the living room where she saw both Vi and her Mom were being backed into a corner. Vi, points to her, was attempting to fight back but was unfortunately not doing very well while Joyce was mainly just focusing on not getting hit and therefore not getting knocked out. Again.

She just took a step forward to help them when the front door open and she turned to attack whatever was coming through only to see two semi-familiar faces. She couldn't remember their names very well though. Her Mom, who fell back into the wall beside the three suddenly, answered her question when, after gathering her balance again she looked at the newcomers with a look of confused shock before saying-

"Fred? Lorne?"

"Hi sweetie," Lorne smiled back, just ducking a flying knife, "When you and your hubby said back here was hectic you weren't kidding were ya?" He asked, looking around at the chaotic fight.

"Oh no..." Fred shook her head, fiercely not liking what she was seeing, "No...No...no..."

"What? What is it?" Buffy asked and Fred pointed out the robed demons to Lorne.

"Lorne...it's...from..."

"Guess getting run out didn't get them killed," Lorne attempted to joke but there was real fear in his voice and expression.

"Who are they?" Joyce asked, "They're after Lily"
"Well, I warned you about this didn't I?"

"You said keep her away from Wolfram and Hart," Joyce protested and Lorne looked at her in exasperation.

"They are the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart"

"What!?"

"We need weapons!" Fred said, looking around in panic at all the demons, "Chest. Over there" Buffy pointed out and Fred immediately ran over and Buffy soon followed on into the fight also.

"I think we'll just sit out of the way duck,don't you-" Lorne began to say to Joyce who he knew- a lot from when she sang- was just as non-violence inclined as he was. However when he turned to look at her as he talked he saw she had ran off in the direction of the stairs which one of the demons were heading up. She pulled at the demon's arm but it did nothing so she did a much more effective thing- she tripped him up. He fell all the way back down to the stairs where, once he landed on the floor, Fred killed him with one lethal slice and dice blow from the Hunga Munga she was wielding.

"Now there's three of you left..." Buffy said looking around at all the dismembered and dead demon monks, "And only one of me...plus Fred who seems to have some mad skills...and then we've got Giles who you know is pretty handy with a sword and then Mom who gets all mad whenever family's threatened plus a few Potentials I'd say you're pretty much numbered guys"

"So, these monks...these ah, demons, you say they are...were connected to the law firm in L.A?" Giles asked Fred. Lorne, who had been cut across his arm in the crossfire was currently being seen to be Joyce while Fred answered the question.

"They're from Pylea," She answered, "It was the demon dimension I was trapped in...for a long time. Those...priests or whatever they were meant to be were the guys running the deal...keeping the humans down and the demons up"

"'Cept yours truly," Lorne cut in, "My distaste over maiming made me part of the unpopular crowd"

"You said they were Wolfram and Hart," Joyce pointed out as she finished bandaging his cut, "But...they didn't look at all like the members we've come across before"

"Wolfram and Hart is a multi-dimensional law firm," Fred explained, "It has law firms in every dimension you can think of and recruits people or demons from each of those dimensions. The one in our world employs humans, the one in Pylea..."

"Employs demons," Giles finished, "But why were they here? And why are they after Lily?"

"Guys got themselves exiled when Cordy did a little overthrow," Lorne explained as he pulled his jacket sleeved back over his now bandaged would.

"Cordelia?" Joyce frowned. "What has she got to do with any of this?"

"Turned out 'princess' actually is one in their world. Some prophecy of a human girl with the Sight." Lorne shook his head, waving his hand as though to brush away that matter deeming it far too confusing, "Anyway the new Prince of Pylea being somewhat human and pure of heart yadda yadda yadda made a little democracy in Pylea and the demon priest guys your lot just decapitated got thrown out"

"B-but what has Lily got to do with all of this?" Joyce looked thoroughly confused by the notion and Lorne believed he never met anyone who could so visually express confusion.

"They've got a thing about prophecies," He explained, "Any person involved in one has power in them for the mere fact that they have a bigger plan, a bigger purpose. Her Slayer half has all the physical strength that appeals to them and since these guys feed on knowledge the Watcher side of her would also be appealing. She was a perfect choice"

"Choice for what?" Giles asked.

"Sacrifice, worship?" Lorne shrugged, "Who knows? Anything that would allow them to use her to get their power back in Pylea" He looked at Lily's parents, trying to explain the situation kindly, "Look, I can't tell you everything. Not just coz it'd be breaking the house rules but because I don't know it all anyway. But Lily was meant to come about...if not through you two then by someone else but you were the two who were the lucky two. But she's meant for big things. A good big thing. Which means no matter what something evil is gonna try and use her for big bad things. I'm sorry"

"I hate prophecies," Joyce finally said, "And I hate magick. And I hate all the demons and vampires and...I just want it all to stop."

"There's something else," Fred said and when Joyce and Giles looked even more worried if that were possible she hurried to explain, "No it's not about Lily. It's about why we're here and all. We didn't just have perfect timin' ya know"
"Oh yes," Giles said in realization, "I'm afraid in all the chaos I'd rather forgotten as to whether there was a reason for your being here"

"We kinda need Willow." Fred explained, "For a spell. Back in L.A. Cordy and Wes says she's the only one who can do it"

"Do what?" Giles asked and it was Lorne who replied in the rare use of his somber tone.

"Restore Angel's soul"

Fred and Lorne had gone back to L.A, taking Willow with them so she could perform the Spell of Restoration on Angelus. Tara had accompanied them at Willow's request. Just in case she got out of control with the magics.

Buffy had had a worse time curing Spike then any who had remained upstairs realized. Apparently Robin had had some unresolved issues with the vampire on account of Spike had killed his Mother. Buffy had returned to the basement from helping to fight off the demon Pylean priests to find wood attempting to kill a triggered Spike. Luckily things weren't any worse than the fact both were a little worse for wear. Plus it seemed Spike had made peace with his memories allowing him to make the trigger redundant.

And now there was a peaceful emptiness and silence reigning over 1630 Revello Drive as it was well on into the night and all residents were asleep. While most anyway. Both Joyce and Rupert were wide awake and stood in the doorway to the small room in which Lily was sleeping as though continuously making sure she was still there.

"Are things always going to be after her?" Joyce asked quietly and Giles sighed.

"No more than things are after any of us, I just believe they may have a greater impact," He sighed again, "I can't deny it's going to be hard"

"I knew that," She replied, "Raising a child is always hard. But I thought it was going to be hard because she didn't like Kindergarten, because we wouldn't let her watch her favorite show 24/7...because she wanted a certain dress for a dance...not because demonic factions are after her constantly since she's meant for some big thing that none of us have a clue about"

"Well she seemed to cope with it rather well," Giles pointed out softly, putting his arm around and she leant into him naturally, slipping her arm around his waist.

"She was constantly chipper..." Joyce admitted and Giles groaned slightly. She looked at him in mild puzzlement, "What?"

"A 'chipper' daughter. I'm not quite sure I could deal with that" He told her and she smirked at him.

"You're calm in the face of prophecies but peppy teenagers frighten you?"

"I was there when Buffy wished to be a cheerleader remember?" He reminded her, "When a lot of young girls wanted to be so actually. And it involved several cheerleaders having curses put on them. So yes 'peppy' frightens me. Frightens me quite a bit"