Zigpal- Thank you for clappated review and I'm glad you liked it. Joyce and Tara do change how the final scenes play out but- well, you'll see...

rabidreject- I'm getting you geared up for the finale? Ooh, yay! Hehe. Thank you for the review; particularly the words of awesomeness

"Are these the only things you want from here?" Joyce asked as she and Giles finished loaded things from the now defunct Magic Box into the trunk of their car. While she had no choice in closing her business, Giles had resigned himself to a similar fate due to the mere fact he didn't have time for it anymore what with everything going on in Sunnydale and all. Anya had been forced to admit the same thing and so the store had been permanently closed and now all that remained was for both Giles and Anya to take from the store what they wished to keep. Anya had already practically emptied the store by taking what she wanted and now Giles was just finishing his part in things. Joyce said she would send the things to Jessica along with everything else of hers she had already sent to the friend for temporary safe-keeping.

"Yes," He nodded, "I'm not as dictated by material possession as Anya. I've just taken things that were originally from my own collection."

"Yes, and I think half of them are just disguised new age paperweights"

"Haha, yes, very droll" He replied dryly. She went to reply but was interrupted by the sound of someone shouting her name across the street.

"Joyce!"

The couple looked around for the source of the voice and saw through the pile up of cars as people hurried to exit Sunnydale, that in one of the shinier family cars Carole was waving her friend over. Her husband was in the front passenger seat and their two teenage sons were sat in the back.

"Hi," Joyce managed a slight smile as she walked over with Rupert, "You on your way out of town then?"

"Yeah," Carole nodded, "I'm thinking we should have gone the day you closed the gallery...the rate this traffic is moving we won't be out of the town center till tomorrow" She laughed a little but there was an edge of desperate panic to her voice and Joyce couldn't help but pick up on it. "Oh hi, Rupert" Carole smiled, noticing him for the first time and he said hello back. He didn't sound very focused on the conversation though as he seemed too distracted by the chaos of everyone rushing so desperately out of town. This had never happened in Sunnydale before. "So when are you guys leaving?"

"Leaving?" Joyce frowned and her friend and ex-colleague nodded.

"Sunnydale?" She prompted, "You can't possibly be staying..."

"Well...uh..." Joyce looked uncomfortably from Carole to Giles before answering, "We are...I guess. Buffy...and well...it just isn't practical for us to leave Sunnydale"

"How can it be practical for you to stay?" Carole countered.

"It just...isn't," Joyce sighed, "Look we have to...finish sorting out some things...but we'll keep in touch."

"Yeah, of course we will," It was an empty promise, "I mean you have my cell number right?"

"Right,"

"Well..." Carole sighed before smiling almost sympathetically at her friend, "Take care Joyce"

"You too."

As the two walked away Joyce turned to Rupert sadly.

"Everything's falling apart." She said to him, "This place...it was dangerous, yes, but it was home. Home. And now it's just..."

"Empty?" Giles filled in knowingly and she nodded.

"Everything is just seeming to be stripped away...bit by bit"

The traffic eased up a little and the cars began moving again, every Sunnydalian- whether it be born and bred or recent movers- slowly drove their way out of town.

Tara knew she was a powerful Wicca. Way more powerful than she used to be. Ever since the events of last year where she had had to take in the knowledge of the white magick books- it had been the only way to help Willow- she had felt the intense magicks coursing through her. Always there, always a part of her, ready to be used, to bend to her will. Still didn't mean she wasn't nervous about today.

She and Giles were heading to the police station to get some more information on the so-called Preacher that had recently arrived in town to tear through the ranks with the back-up support of The First's Harbingers. To get this information though Tara was going to have to work a mixture of a glamor and a mind-control spell to convince the police that she and Giles were people who should be given the information. She had to convince them that they were inspectors.

"You nervous baby?" Willow asked as they sat together on the couch at Revello Drive, instantly picking up on why Tara was being so quiet.

"A little" Tara admitted. "I mean if this fails and then they realize we're lying. We could end up in jail. And with everyone pretty much jobless right now I don't think anyone could afford to bail us out"

Willow smiled and laughed lovingly at her girlfriend.

"You think too much sometimes, you know that? You are great and you are beautiful and you are powerful. This kind of spell? This is beneath you. Plus Giles looks inspectory anyway so that should help things along," Willow grinned.

"Speaking of which, I wonder what's keeping him," Tara said, "We were meant to set out twenty minutes ago"
"He and Buffy's Mom are probably busy having a 'and which disaster are you dealing with today?' conversation," Willow guessed, only half-joking.

"And you really think this plan of yours and Tara's will work?" Joyce asked sceptically as she and Giles spoke in the kitchen.

"Of course it will," Giles insisted, "Tara is a very capable witch, more than capable in fact and-"

"I didn't mean that," Joyce interrupted him, "I meant how can you be sure the police even have information on Caleb?"

"He's only just begun focusing his sadistic attention on our girls now," Giles replied, "But I don't believe this is something he has just begun. Odds are he's done something of a similar nature to other women...and I find it hard to conceive that there wouldn't be some sort of record of him in the police files"

"Maybe...I hope so," Joyce sighed, "I just...he scares me. More than anything else you and Buffy and the others have ever come across. He's all too human and all too horrific. The things...what he's..." She found herself unable to continue and Giles looked at her sympathetically.

"Are you going to see Xander today?" He asked and she nodded.

"Uh, yeah. I'm driving Buffy and Willow there once you and Tara head out. I erm, I asked if Anya wished to come but she spent all night with him. I don't think she can bare the sight of his injury for even longer."

"How is she coping?" He asked, "I know this must be traumatic...horrible for her. Almost as much as it is for-"

"She's coping," She told him abruptly, "Finding ways to deal. Right now she's trying to make herself useful- teaching the Potentials some things about those...those vampires. The very strong ones? Anything to get her mind off it I suppose...even if it's just for a little bit. She wants to be there when he comes home though"

"Of course" Giles nodded.

"We just have to find out when that is"

At the hospital Xander was now awake and sat up in his hospital bed. He had heavy bandaging over his damaged eye and had to move his head completely to see each woman sat on either side of his bed. The only one permanently in his line of vision was Buffy who stood opposite him.

"...and you should expect to see some bruising when you remove the bandage," She was presently relaying to him the information the doctor had told her and the others, "Bruising around the...area. The musculature and the bone structure took a heavy hit"

"Buffy..." Joyce said quietly in a slightly pleading tone at how her daughter was being so dreadfully straight forward and clinical about the entire thing.

"It's okay," Xander told her, "Need to know this stuff. Prepare me for looking in the mirror and all that." He joked but his heart wasn't in the punch line.

"Also, the meds may cause you some stomach discomfort," Buffy continued, "So we're gonna have to be, you know, careful about your diet"

"Can't really taste anything anyway," Xander told her, "I keep waiting for all my other senses to improve fifty percent- should kick in any day now"

"And we're looking at a possible release as early as tonight," Buffy informed him, not even able to respond to another of his reflex jokes; she was just too broken.

"Anya's very excited about that," Willow told him with a barely noticeable smile, "Although I think she's also concerned about your depth perception"

"So am I," Xander replied, "If I try and operate heavy machinery again I soon won't be the only guy around who's lost an eye"

"Okay I think you're all caught up," Buffy concluded and she went to leave the room.

"Buffy, where are you going?" Her Mom asked, "We...we just got here..."

"Yeah," Will agreed, "There were gonna be card games..."

"Yeah, I know but I should really get back," Buffy excused herself, "I really need to get to work..stuff on Caleb and stuff..."

"Buffy, it can wait a little while," Her Mom insisted, "I'm sure Rupert and Tara aren't even back at home yet. You could-"

"No, Mom," Buffy insisted, "I can't. I really can't" She bailed.

"Guess you're stuck with us two then huh?" Willow gave an attempt at her carefree grin.

"Stuck? No way," Xander shook his head, "With the two of you sat either side of me, each of ya holding one of my hands. Kingly- this is what this is"

"Well a king deserves some cherry-flavored, off-brand gelatin," Willow smiled, "Want some Jello?"

"I'm gonna need a parrot," Xander suddenly said and the two women frowned at him in mild confusion.

"Pardon?" Joyce asked.

"To go with the eye patch," He explained, "You know to complete the look"

"Xander-" Joyce began to say but he spoke over her, afraid that any words she had to say would be sympathetic ones that would cause his facade du cheer to fail.

"I think I still have that outfit from last Halloween," He told her and Willow nodded in agreement, going with it.

"And don't ever underestimate the effect of a peg leg. You the hospital could probably hook you up with a nice one- maybe they have a two-body-parts-for-the-price-of-one deal"

"Oh you know what the best part is?" Xander said to them both, still keeping with his cheery attitude that everyone there seemed to know was false but refused to acknowledge such, "No one will ever make me watch Jaws 3D again!"

"Yeah," Willow agreed, "Plus you'll never have to..." She trailed off; she couldn't keep it up anymore and she began to break down so Xander held her hand so much tighter.

"Please Will," The look in his eyes and the plea in his voice told her that he could only be strong if she was. Her tears could cause him to break to give up.

"Willow, didn't you uh...say something about games?" Joyce asked, picking up on how close everyone was to breakdown, "What have ya got there?" She asked referring to the bag Willow had brought.

"Oh I got cards and...and..portable checkers. And the little traveling magnetic Clue..."

"Well, I hate checkers..." Xander shook his head in distaste, "So it's either Clue or card games Will"

"I can't play card games," Joyce told him with a small smile, "It completely confuses me- I just can't get it. Unless it's snap"

"Card games it is then!" Xander grinned and when Joyce looked at him wide-eyed he explained, "I just wanna see you get all bewildered and confused. Should be fun"

"Don't worry," Willow assured her as she got out the cards, "We'll play Clue later and he gets confused and frustrated with that. We'll mock him"

They continued to pretend.

She had left Willow and Xander to bicker over which of the two of them were cheating more at poker. She'd told them she was just going to get some coffee- politely asking if they wanted any, an offer that they declined- or something and had left the room. The truth was it was all a little too hard for her and she honestly didn't know how Willow was keeping it up for such a long period of time.

But then Willow had always been used to this sort of thing, what happened in these fights. Sure, Joyce had gotten more involved over the years but never to the same extent that Buffy's friends had or Rupert, obviously. She'd always remained at least slightly on the outside; it wasn't really her world after all. She belonged in the world of normalcy and she was happy with that.

Now though she couldn't avoid it. No amount of denial, smiles or soup was going to make this go away. What had happened to Xander brought everything and everyone back to the harsh reality. A war they might not win and one in which no matter what people were gonna get hurt. Badly. Severely. Mortally.

"Oh god..." She said quietly to herself, realizing she was beginning to cry and she ferociously wiped away at the threatening tears before concentrating on picking a drink from the coffee machine.

"Joyce?"

She turned around to the familiar voice and saw Rupert stood there, holding onto a wide-eyed Lily; she was clearly finding the hospital intriguing.

"Oh Rupert, hi," She managed to smile for a moment before it was taken over by an expression of confusion, "What are you doing here? I thought you were researching into Caleb with Buffy?"

"Well, I've handed her the information to her and she's begun working on it with Faith and Tara. Also-"

"Also what?"

"Dawn's home. Helping them," He told her and then waited for the implication of what this meant to sink in.

"Wait, what? How can she...she should be at school right now" Joyce checked her watch just to be sure. It said one o clock.

"Robin informed us that Sunnydale High School has closed down as has every other school in the area" He explained, "Everybody's left Joyce. I believe we are the only remaining people in Sunnydale..." He looked around, "Well besides the medical staff. They seem to be very loyal..."

"Oh..." Joyce said quietly with a small nod as she looked down at the ground. A moment later she looked up straight, directly at him, "Wait, Dawn's doing research?"

"Nothing terrible I assure you," He told, "Just a few files about Caleb- previous places he's lived in that sort of thing..."

"Hmm..."

"How is Xander?" He asked, handing Lily to Joyce as the girl had been squeezing and opening her hands impatiently for her Mom to take her.

"He's okay...when he's winning"

"Pardon?" Now it was Giles' turn to be confused.

"Willow's helping pass the time and the unavoidable depression by playing games," Joyce explained, "I came out here for a little break. Was going to get some coffee but..."

"The stuff that comes pouring out of that machine Joyce is decidedly poisonous," Giles informed her with a look of disdain mixed with wariness aimed at the machine.

"Hence my not getting coffee..." She replied slowly with a small smile. "Come on" She gestured for him to walk with her back to Xander's room, "I think Willow wants to play Clue soon. The magnetic one of Dawn's?"

"You expect me to join in with 'Clue'?" The name was said in contempt.

"If we add 'doh' onto the end of the title will that make you more co-operative?" She asked with a smirk as they reached the room.

"Possibly," He replied, playing along.

"Hi, I brought back company" Joyce smiled at Xander and Willow as they walked in.

"See people leave this room and they multiply Will," Xander said, "One nurse leaves three come back. Joyce leaves and brings back...a family. Ooh amusing child! You know traditionally people bring grapes, balloons..."

"Call it a Giles family special," Joyce smiled at him as she plonked the child happily down on the bed on Xander's knee. She was at the age now where putting her down somewhere didn't cause her to immediately topple over and she could even crawl for small amounts of time. The small amounts of time Joyce didn't believe were down to lack of ability but laziness and the easily bored temperament Lily seemed to have. And it wasn't really crawling anyway so much as she would shuffle around on her butt, using her hands to push her forward. Thank god they had wooden floors at home or Lily would have a permanent carpet burn.

"How are you Xander?" Giles asked in a kindly yet British way.

"Down fifty bucks," He replied, "You know if Will and I were betting with real money instead of the imaginary Monopoly kind"

"Of course," Giles said softly, recognizing Xander's avoidance tactic and accepting it. His daughter however was getting straight to the point as she was staring blatantly at Xander's bandaged eye with a smile at the corner of her lips as though she were confused by the whole thing. After a moment of childish confusion she used her left hand to cover her left eye much in the same way Xander's was. She then smiled at him and everyone around her as though she had done something to be extremely proud of.

"Oh Xander, I'm so sorry," Joyce immediately apologized, gently tugging Lily's hand down as she did so, "She doesn't...she doesn't know-"

"No, it's fine," Xander assured her, "Makes it all kinda cooler" He realized he was lying and it sounded obvious that he was doing so and he sighed in defeat, "Oh so maybe it can't be cool. But she is making it a little more bearable. Kinda like she thinks I'm cool, even if I don't"

"That's coz ya not," Willow told him, "You'll always be a dope"

"Ix nay on the ownput day in front of the ild chay" Xander said, covering Lily's ears, "She thinks I'm cool pirate guy and it stays that way, kapish?" He then picked up the little girl and spun around so she was sat in his lap with her back to him so she could see everyone else, "You're just a ray of amusing sunshine aren't ya?" He asked her with a grin as she continued to sit with one eye covered and both Joyce and Giles looked visibly embarrassed by this, "You're way cooler than your parents."

"Hey," The two in question said in protest.

"Look I know you're tired," Buffy said, sounding very tired herself as she spoke to all the Potentials who were helping she and Faith research, "But the more of this we get done the closer we are to defeating Caleb"

"But is that even gonna happen? Like ever?" Rona asked sceptically, "I mean he creamed you last time"

That one visibly stung the Slayer.

"I wasn't ready for him. We weren't ready for him. But with this...all this that Tara and Giles got; we will be. Trust me"

The front door opened and Giles and Joyce walked in with Lily.

"You guys are back," Dawn stated simply as though that fact were not obvious to everyone.

"Yeah, erm, Anya just arrived so we left" Joyce explained, "And Willow stayed with him of course. I think she's kinda afraid to leave his side"

This statement was met with understanding silence and Tara returned to the research.

"How far have we come with this?" Giles asked, changing the topic as he joined the others at the table.

"Not very," Faith admitted, "This files are wicked dense."

"Have we obtained nothing from them?" Giles sighed.

"Not much," Dawn replied, becoming acutely aware that her Mother was in the room listening and so knew she had been researching, "Most of these places were hit by run of the mill vandalism. Basic B-and-E, money stolen, sometimes colorful language painted on the doors" She looked at her Mom and Giles, "Did you notice how I kinda threw B-and-E in there? It's a law enforcement term"

"'Go to your room' Have you heard about that term?" Joyce asked with a tight smile.

"Mom, please," Dawn pleaded, "This is only basic research. It's not like I'm looking at dead bodies or anything..." She looked around at the Potentials and pointed out her ex-classmate, "Amanda's researching and she's as old as me"

"I'm not Amanda's Mother, I'm..." Joyce trailed off as something occurred to her, "Where are your parents Amanda? Do they know where you are?"

Amanda shrugged uncomfortably.

"Not in the strictest sense..."

"Amanda you need to call them or go-"

"Well I went by their house the other day and they...they'd kinda left"

"What?" Joyce frowned, "Left?"

"As in left Sunnydale?" Amanda elaborated, "With everyone else?"

"But without..." Joyce turned to look at Giles, "And what about Willow's parents- Sheila she hasn't..."

"I'm afraid so Joyce," Giles told her sadly, "People seemed to have developed a every man for himself mentality"

"That's...but their children...you can't just...that's insane. I could never even dream of leaving Buffy or Dawn or..." She realized her bewildered and upset rant was making things a little worse for those there who's parents had left without them.

"Uh Mrs Giles?" Andrew said, coming out of the kitchen and breaking the awkward silence, "Faith stole the last meatball and mozzarella hot pocket out of the freezer even though I called dibs on it"

"I wish you'd all stop eating out of my fridge..." Joyce mumbled, "Andrew, I'll sort you out" She said, thankful for a distraction as she gave Lily to Giles and followed Andrew into the kitchen. "You know you can't 'call dibs' on things"

"Buffy and Dawn do," He argued.

"They're sisters," She replied, "It's in their nature. Believe me, I know"

"Why?" Andrew asked, switching the weight on his legs; a clear sign he was being nosy, "Do you have a sister?"

"Yes," Joyce replied as she looked in the freezer, "Older. Same age as Rupert. Now let's see if we have-ooh!" She exclaimed in surprise as she pulled out a frozen bottle, "Schnapps." She placed the bottle on the side before continuing her search, "Uh-huh, there we go" She pulled out the actual last hot pocket, "Now that is the last one" She said, handing it to him and he took it in his hands in awe.

"You are a god among men...er...women...er...people"

"Thank you," Joyce half smiled, half frowned before leaving the kitchen and returning to the group.

"What kind of mission are we talking here?" Spike was asking the group at large when Joyce returned to the room.

"Information collecting only," Giles replied.

"Giles, I'm not so sure about Spike going on this...thing...alone," Buffy admitted, "I mean Caleb can kick my ass and if Spike's there alone..."

"He can take Andrew," Giles said as the boy came in the room with his hot pocket.

"Again I say 'If Spike's alone'..."

"Andrew has knowledge of demons," Giles explained, "And he can take that controlling pan pipes thing he has..."

"You're not sending me with Dexter over there!" Spike protested.

"Excuse me, but where are you sending either of them?" Joyce cut into the conversation and Giles explained.

"It's a mission up in Gilroy. Abandoned," He told her, "But look what we found here" He put a magnifying glass to the page and Joyce looked through it to see he had focused on a symbol that was one of the walls of the abandoned room, "A knothole?" She asked and he nodded.

"The same as the mark Caleb branded into Shannon..."

"Oh my god..."

"Hopefully this place will shed some light on our so-called Preacher," Giles concluded, "Spike and Andrew should leave as soon as possible"

"Hello?" Buffy said, "That still not decided"

"Look I'll go," Spike sighed, "Take Nerd Boy here with me. Get him out of ya hair for a while"

"Spike..." Buffy still sounded unsure.

"Look either way this place needs checking out if our boy's been there," The vampire reasoned, "And whether you like it or not you're needed at H bloody Q here so...I'll go"

"Hey!" Andrew said in his familiar childlike whine voice as he raised a hand, "No one gonna ask me if I wanna go?"

"You're always saying you wanna get out of the house," Dawn pointed out.

"Yes, but I meant in a surviving capacity. Maybe like shopping for...supplies...and weapons...and stuff..."

"This'll be perfect for you Andrew, you'll do fine," Giles said but it was obvious through his tone of voice that he was just saying the words and there was no real meaning behind them, "Excellent. Off you go" He gave Andrew a shove in the back so he fell towards Spike. Spike rolled his eyes and walked off. Andrew came back to the table shyly and with an awkwardness that was palpable to everyone in the room, gathered the papers Giles, Dawn, Buffy and Faith had been looking at.

"He's going to need these..." He told them quietly before following on after Spike out the front door.

"He's going to get himself hurt you know," Joyce said uncomfortably as she watched Andrew go.

"Or killed," Faith added

"Or both," Buffy finished.

"Well, sacrifices have to be made," Was all Giles said in reply.

"Yeah," Faith agreed, "But in the mean time, the "troops" here gotta sit and stew, feeling crappier by the minute"

"And what do you suggest?" Buffy challenged as though daring Faith to come up with any idea she disapproved of.

"Well they need to tune out, relax..." Faith reasoned casually, "Bronzing it might be pretty cool. Not like any of them have ever been there before either"

"You think we should take them to The Bronze? In the middle of the apocalypse?" Buffy was looking at Faith as though she were insane and dumb.

"Yeah, especially you B," Faith nodded, "I mean if anyone needs to unwind it's you"

"What? That is so- we can't do that now Faith. We need to be on constant alert. They need to be on constant alert"

"Well the party at Christmas helped didn't it?" Dawn reminded her, "I mean Lily said that if we don't let ourselves loosen up sometimes we'll implode..."

"I don't know..." Buffy still looked unsure.

"C'mon," Dawn smiled, briefly looking over at baby Lily who was currently being held by Tara, "You know she would so agree this is a good idea"

"I wish people would stop using my baby sister as an argument..." Buffy sighed.

"Does that mean yes?" Kennedy asked.

"Buffy go," Joyce insisted with a smile, "You all deserve a little time to be just well, girls"

"What do you mean by 'you all'?" Faith asked, "You and G are coming too"

"We most certainly are not!" Giles immediately protested, "Not only am I sure everyone else would feel decidedly awkward if adults came along, but we will stick out like sore thumbs"

"How so?" Faith asked, "Everyone's left town mostly. The club'll be like ours."

"Well who will look after Lily?" Joyce asked, relieved she had come up with a genuine excuse, "I mean we can't take her there."

"I'll look after her," Tara offered, "I was planning to go join Willow and Anya at the hospital with Xander. I could bring her along"

The looks the couple threw Tara were decidedly venomous and Tara smiled weakly, knowing that they didn't really mean it; they'd just rather not go to The Bronze.

"Hey!" Faith shouted to Buffy over the loud music being played by the band at The Bronze. Yep, the apocalypse was coming and yet the club was still open and there was a band still playing, "Where did ya rents go?"

"They're not my parents!" Buffy shouted back, but then paused, "Well one of them is."

"You don't think they bailed do ya?"

"Oh with the massive enthusiasm they had for coming here?" Buffy asked sarcastically, "No..."

"Huh. You wanna a drink?" Faith asked, gesturing that she was heading to the bar.

"No, but while you're there stop Amanda ordering one; she's like seventeen"

"Sure," Faith nodded with a grin, "She'll get a nice 7-up"

"Yo- JD for myself!" Faith said as she arrived at the bar, shoving her way onto a stool as she waited for him to come back with the drink. She peered up and down the bar looking for any underage drinkers, spotted Amanda, tried to do a Buffy Glare, semi-succeeded as the girl asked for a coke. "Jeez get a room" Faith mumbled with a roll of the eyes at a couple necking beside her. She was all for the open public loving- if she was the one giving and receiving. Her eyes widened to saucer-like proportions when the couple at the sound of complaint pulled apart slightly to look at her and she saw it was in fact Joyce and Giles. "Holy crap, G" She held up her hands in mock surrender, "Sorry to interrupt. Thought you guys left"

"Yes, well we tried," Giles admitted, "But Kennedy wouldn't allow us to exit the building"

"Yeah, and you're real suffering for it huh?" Faith smirked.

"We are merely making the best of an uncomfortable situation"

"Or at least we were," Joyce mumbled pointedly.

"Hey you do the semi-dirty in public, you're gonna get ogled," Faith shrugged, just as she got her drink served her, "But whatever. Your deal is your deal. I'm off- dance floor's callin'"

"She has a point," Joyce admitted as Faith walked away. "We're the adults meant to be setting a good example"

"They forced us to come here," Giles reminded her, "They suffer the consequences. What do they expect us to do? Dance to that...music?" He said music as though he really doubted the band playing knew the meaning of the word.

"Good point"

"I believe Dawn was entirely right when she said she thought the band was one of the signs of the apocalypse"

"Hmm," Joyce smiled a half-amused smile, "Either way...I still feel out of place here. I know it's just the girls but still..." She looked at him, "I'm started to feel as though I wouldn't say no to some band candy. I'd feel more comfortable and at ease here then"

"How about we just don't have the chocolate?" He suggested as he nuzzled her neck, "And pretend we did"

"And how are we going to do that?"

"Hey, look's like they finally gave into the beat," Dawn grinned as she bobbed her head to the music that was definitely growing on her.

"Who what now?" Buffy frowned, sipping at her fruit cocktail.

"Mom and Giles. Although they're doing the whole smile-and-laugh-and-joke-and-lean-on-each-other-fun-swaying-so-it-doesn't-look-like-dancing thing"

"Next time, take a breath" Buffy told her, but glancing over at her Mom and Giles anyway and saw that they were doing exactly what Dawn had described. It wasn't really dancing- mostly it just seemed to involve Giles breaking out of his stuffy British mold for the mere purpose of making her Mom laugh.

"Okay, now you're being ridiculous," Joyce laughed.

"You said I was too much of a 'music snob' to dance to this and I'm proving you otherwise"
"Yes but..." Joyce trailed off as something caught her eye. She also stopped letting him dance with her.

"What is it?" He asked, turning to see what she was looking at. Several policeman, surrounding Faith.

"Was wondering what was taking you boys so long," Faith grinned at them, "Where ya been?"

"We're gonna have to ask you to come with us miss," Officer Munroe told her, "Outstanding warrant"

"Yeah or let's try this one on instead," Faith suggested, "Why don't one of you guys buy me a drink and we'll see where the evening takes us"

"Faith..." Giles said warningly.

"What?" She asked, "They're not gonna cuff me. I won't let 'em. I can't let 'em"

They cuffed her roughly.

"Hey!" Dawn protested, going to go forward but her Mom grabbed her by the arm, stopping her.

"Fraid it's not that simple miss," Munroe said, cuffing Faith.

"Officer, I'm sure we can...I'm sure there's a less abrupt way to deal with this," Joyce suggested calmly. It was then that she saw his badge. All their badges. Blacked out with tape so their numbers were covered, "Rupert..."

"I see it." He told her quietly. "Buffy?"

"What?" She asked, not getting it but Faith had.

"I don't think they're gonna give me the right to an attorney if you know what I'm saying B"

Buffy got it then and went to go forward, to help but Munroe and the others all pulled a gun on her.

"I don't think you wanna get involved in this Ma'am,"

"Yeah?" She asked him before kicking him in the face, grabbing the arm holding the gun to swing him round into the man next to him, knocking that officer down. She then snapped her other hand down into his lower arm causing it to snap as it broke. He dropped the gun and she caught it as he fell to the ground next to his colleague in pain. "Well maybe I do" She finished.

Silence reigned for a moment before the other officers, previously aiming their guns at everyone to keep them at bay now pointed them all solely on Buffy. Non-regulation guns. Machine guns.

"Back off all of you" Duncan told them, "While we deal with the chick here"

"You'll have to shoot all of us to get us to do that," Kennedy told him.

"Not a problem," He and the others grinned along with him.

"You can't...you can't just come in here and pass your own...you can't do any of this," Joyce protested.

"I think you'll find we can." Duncan assured her with an unpleasant smile, and Giles pulled her gently back a little away from the officers, not trusting who they were going to fire those guns at.

"No" Amanda said defiantly and the look in Buffy's eyes could only be described as pride.

"You're not in charge here," Buffy added just as Faith used the hold two cops had on her to lift her legs round and wrap them round Duncan's neck, bringing him onto the floor on his back and unconscious.

"We are" She grinned just before a massive fight broke out between the Slayers and Potentials and the Officers.

It was over within a matter of minutes but by then silence had taken over as the band, dumbstruck by the fight, had stopped playing.

"That was kinda cool" Amanda smiled.

"Well this has just sucked the fun right out of here," Kennedy grumbled as everyone from The Bronze was gathered in the living room for a meeting which was probably going to include another of Buffy's speeches. The meeting had yet to start however as the aforementioned Slayer was waiting for Willow, Tara and Anya to return from the hospital with Lily and Xander.

As if on cue from Kennedy's thoughts, the front door opened and the hospital group walked in. Anya was holding onto Xander's arm tightly guiding him through while Willow was walking carefully on his other side. Tara was carrying the now-asleep Lily.

"Oh god, is this the only welcome I get?" Xander asked seeing the small yellow welcome home banner on the mantelpiece.

"Oh thank you for looking after her Tara," Joyce said as she took her youngest daughter off the twenty-two year old.

"Even the kid's getting more attention than me," He jokingly grumbled.

"Well, we didn't have a lot of time to do much more..." Dawn admitted.

"Just pretend there's a big party," Willow grinned supportively.

"It's great to have you back Xander," Buffy smiled and he returned it.

"Same here..."

"Now that everyone's here," Buffy began before turning to the rest of the group, "I think I can say what needs to be said"

"And that is..?" Dawn asked weakly.

"This. Tonight," She gestured around as though they were still stood in The Bronze, "I know you guys needed a break. You're tired, you're worn out, you're scared, you're lots of things but what happened tonight proved what a bad idea it is. Let your guard down for just a second and things can go wrong, someone could use it against us. From now on it's no more laybacks, no more breaks, we need to spend as much time as we can getting ready"

"Ready for what?" Rona scoffed, "Getting killed?"

Buffy threw her a glare but she spoke in a patient voice.

"No, for winning. If we're gonna beat this, beat Caleb, beat The First, we need to be ready. Constantly." She told them all, "And we need to get the upper hand. And I think I've finally figured out how" She looked around at each and everyone of them, "The wine cellar. We're going back in"

This was met with shocked silence. That is until her Mother broke it.

"What? Buffy you can't be serious"

"Look I know it sounds crazy, but I've been thinking"

"Something that usually leads to something bad," Anya commented.

"Ahn..." Xander sighed.

"What?" She asked, "She wants everybody to go to that place where you lost your eye. It's insane"

"No. No it's not," Buffy insisted, "Look- we spent all this time worrying about the school and the seal right? Shutting it down, keeping things less hellmouthy? Well that's not where the power's at. It's at the vineyard"

"Buffy you don't know that for su-" Giles began but she spoke over him, clearly extremely confident in her opinion.

"The bad guys always go where the power is Giles," Buffy said adamantly, "They're protecting something at the vineyard. I say it's their power and I say it's time we go in and take it from them"

"Or in the alternative...how bout we don't?" Faith challenged, "It's a neat theory B, but I'm not going back in that place not without proof and neither should you and neither should they"

"I'm not saying it's gonna be easy" Buffy replied just as her Mom came back in the room from putting Lily to bed.

"What's going on?" She asked Rupert quietly and he sighed tiredly before replying.

"Buffy wishes to go back to the vineyard"

"Maybe it ends okay the way you wanna play it B, but maybe it doesn't. And right now I don't feel much like playing the odds"

"Did you come here to fight?" Buffy challenged quietly.

"Listen we're all fighters here, but you gotta give me something to fight, something tangible, not-"

"Windmills..." Giles said softly before looking at Buffy, "I'm sorry Buffy but Faith has a point. All you are handing us here is theory and nothing more. And that I'm afraid is not enough to risk lives on"

"I don't understand," Buffy said, looking around at everyone, "For seven years I've kept us safe by doing this. Making the hard decisions, and what? Now suddenly you're all acting like you don't trust me"

"Buffy, I'm sure that's not it," Joyce assured her before looking at Giles, "Is it?"

"Of course not. I just believe we should gather some more tangible proof before we charge in guns blazing"

"That's not trusting my decisions Giles" Buffy challenged evenly, "Look Spike said that right now my instincts are what is gonna get us through this. And that's what I'm doing now. If Spike-"

"You know what?" Rona suddenly spoke up in an aggressive tone, "I am so sick of your deal with this Spike guy. This isn't about him, this is about you. You're being reckless"

"What?" Buffy took a step back in shock.

"You are! I don't even know you and I can tell! You are so obsessed with beating Caleb, you are willing to jump into any plan without thinking!"

Joyce knew she wasn't exactly clued up on all the factors regarding the supernatural situations in Sunnydale but no matter the situation she wasn't about to let anyone speak to her daughter like that and she went to say so. However, before she could someone beat her to it.

"Hey," Tara protested in a much more defensive voice than the others had ever heard her use, "You're gonna back off!"

"Why?" Rona challenged, gesturing at Buffy, "She doesn't. She needs to start listening to us- it's our lives too and she doesn't even care"

"I care" Buffy said through gritted teeth, not believing what she was hearing.

"Well it doesn't feel that way to us," Kennedy told her, "People are dying"

"And that fact makes it automatically Buffy's fault?" Joyce asked, "I know I am admittedly biased in this, but you can't seriously be contemplating blaming Buffy for any losses? If it wasn't for her half of you wouldn't even be alive right now"

"She's right," Willow agreed, "Buffy has saved all of your lives constantly" She looked over at Buffy sadly, "But that doesn't mean that this time you're right"

"Look, I wish this could be a democracy, I really do," Buffy told them all, ""But democracies don't win battles. It's a hard truth but there has to be a single voice. You need someone to issue orders and be reckless sometimes and not take your feelings into account. You need someone to lead you."

"And that's automatically you?" Anya asked. "You really do think you're better than everyone else"

"What?" Buffy was thrown, "Of course I-"

Anya didn't let her finish as she continued calmly with what she had to say. What threw Buffy more was not once did Xander cut in to defend her.

"But we don't know." Anya continued, "We don't know if you're actually better. I mean, you came into the world with certain advantages, sure. I mean, that's the legacy. But you didn't earn it. You didn't work for it. You've never had anybody come up to you and say you deserve these things more than anyone else. They were just handed to you. So that doesn't make you better than us. It makes you luckier than us."

"It's gotten us this far"

"But not without a price," Xander said sadly and Buffy looked over at him, inadvertently forcing herself to look at the injury to his eye.

"Xander-"

"I'm trying to see your point here, Buff... but I guess it must be a little bit to my left... " He shook his head sadly, as though he really wished he could side with Buffy but he found it impossible to do so, "'cause I just don't."

"Look, I'm willing to talk strategy," Buffy said to them all, desperate for them to see reason, to understand her, "OK, I'll hear suggestions on how to break this down, but this is the plan. We have to be together on this or we will fail again."

"We are clearly demonstrating that we are not together on this" Giles informed her bluntly and his wife looked at him in shock.
"Rupert"

"Joyce, she is clearly refusing to listen to the opinions of others even when it is the majority"

"Buffy knows what she's doing"

"Does she?" He challenged, "With everything that's happened lately..."

"What?" Buffy cut in, demanding an answer, "With everything that's happened lately, what? I'm still the Slayer"

"And isn't Faith a Slayer too?" Rona said, adding her, in both Joyce and Buffy's opinion, unwanted say.

"What?" Faith was startled by this reference, "No. Whoa, no, no, no. So not what I meant. I'm not in charge chick. I think B here needs to just...chill out for a little bit, take a siesta or something. But I'm not the one you want."

"Maybe we need a vote... to see who wants Faith to have a turn in charge." Kennedy suggested but it came out more a demand.

"Just a second," Joyce cut in, "You're all throwing your opinions at Buffy, saying she's not taking your own thoughts and wishes into account, but you're doing the exact same thing right now. You want to vote Faith in? Faith just said that she didn't wish to lead"

"Yeah, listen to the woman with the head on her shoulders," Faith nodded, "She's right; guys I'm not the leading type."

"Fine," Kennedy agreed, "Then someone else gets voted in. Willow, Watcher guy, one of us...anyone. Anyone else to have a chance"

"I think we all need to calm down," Tara suggested, "We can work through this. There's no need to-"

"Keep on dying because she says so?" Again it was Rona speaking.

"Oh will you please shut up?" This exasperated plea came out in stereo as both Buffy and her Mother said it at the exact same time.

"So we vote someone else in" Anya said, as though making the decision for the group, "Anyone who wants to lead can be voted for."

"No wait guys-" Buffy looked around at them all desperately but save for Tara and her Mother none were supportive nor would they meet her eyes, "I can't watch you just throw away everything that— I know I'm right about this. I just need a little— I can't stay here and watch whoever it is you choose to lead you into some disaster"

"Then you can't stay," Dawn said sadly and when her Mom looked at her in shock she shrugged in just as sad a way, "I'm sorry. It's just...we need to be together on this which means she has to leave"

"Dawn this isn't your house. Nor is it anyone's here besides mine," Joyce told her, "And Rupert's." She looked at Dawn, "And therefore I can still, and will, pull rank"

"No," Buffy shook her head, "They want to drum themselves into the Hellmouth. Fine" She turned on her heel and left abruptly.

"Ding dong, the witch is dead" Rona mumbled but both Dawn and Joyce heard it.

"Shut up," Dawn ordered her with quiet venom.

"One more word out of that mouth Rona and you'll find yourself out of this house and vulnerable to any assault" She went to leave.

"Joyce, where are you going?"

"I'm going after my daughter Rupert." She told him just as Faith and Tara joined her. "Now are you coming?"

"Joyce, I don't agree with what s-"

"You're either with me or you're not" She told him in a voice that warned him he should choose wisely. After a moment he sighed in defeat and followed on.

"Honey?" Joyce called out, finding Buffy stood on the porch step looking out onto the street, "Are you okay?" Buffy didn't answer, "Come back inside huh?" Again Buffy didn't answer.

"Look, I didn't know it was gonna go that way" Faith said apologetically.

"They're worried and afraid," Tara added kindly, "It's understandable, but it doesn't mean that they meant what they said. You're needed Buffy"

"They've made their choice," Buffy said quietly, "And I choose to respect it." She turned to Faith with a tear stained face. "Don't be afraid to lead them. Whether you wanted it or not, their lives are yours now. It's only gonna get harder. Protect them, but lead them"

"Buffy-" Joyce began wondering what the hell Buffy was planning on doing.

"I'm gonna get out of here," Buffy answered her Mother's unspoken question, "I might be back. I might not. But right now I'm not needed here. You guys are. Thank you" Leaving her few supporters speechless, she walked off into the night.