Jason Barnett- "Also in the US it's an oven or stove. Not a cooker"- I hadn't even realized I'd used that word! Haha. It's just I hear my husband say it so often (Hmm...so maybe it isn't so far fetched that Joyce would pick it up also...hehe)

Rabidreject- Yes, Faith go boom. Along with everyone else. I can tell you that no one important is wiped from the story here, but there are going to be different effects/tragedies that will affect the final battle. All so I can get everyone who is going to survive in the right place...

And as for whether it's Willow or Tara going to cast the every girl a Slayer spell, well you'll just have to see. Happy you're liking the central Taraness though.

And the excited funky chicken dance impressed me quiite a bit; made me laugh. And I'm very glad you're excited about me rambling on for 26 chapters. Haha. Thanks for the review.

zigpal- Thank you, glad you liked the way Joyce dealt, and the guys will be banished from the house for a while. But still, needs must...and so they will eventually return. As for punching Kennedy, she's not in this chapter enough to be punched, haha. Thank you for the review and the claps.

Tara only saw the bomb a split second after Faith and Giles. The countdown was so near it's end. Could she do anything to stop it? Maybe not stop, maybe lessen it? She had to do something, she had to do it quick.

"GET DOWN!" Faith yelled at everyone, before hitting the dirt herself as the bomb exploded, erupting a fireball that blasted two Potentials miles back, their bodies collapsing on the ground lifelessly.

Buffy continued to look at the scythe. It was hers, it belonged to her and she wanted it. As she gazed at the weapon she heard Caleb drop into the room behind her.

"So? You found it" He said and she whirled round to face him, "Not impressed. Because the question now girly girl, is: can you pry that out of solid rock before I-"

Buffy turned back to the weapon and gripped the scythe handle in her handle and tugged it out of the rock as easily as if she were pulling a knife from butter.

Caleb looked on, stunned and just a little bit fearful as the Slayer, holding a mighty big and sharp weapon, turned to look at him.

"Damn," He cursed.

Smoke filled the chamber making it hard to see the hand in front of your face. After the blast had hit the first two Potentials, Tara had managed to create a semi-protective bubble against the blast but that hadn't stopped the bomb creating damage. Sure her spell had ensured that most of them hadn't been hit by the fireball that had been caused by the explosion, but the rest of the chamber had been damaged by the blast and large pieces of metal and planks of wood had fallen on top of them, causing unknown amounts of injuries.

Tara shifted from under a plank of wood that had landed across her. Luckily it had not been too heavy so beyond a few bruises and scratches she was fairly okay.

She stumbled up into a standing position and looked around to see how everyone else was. She turned away in horror as she saw the unblinking eyes of a dead Potential. She hadn't saved everybody. But how could she?

She heard the sound of someone stirring and turned to see Faith pushing several long pieces of metal off of her and stumbling out from under the debris. She looked a wreck but she was alive and standing so that had to be a good thing.

"Is everyone okay?" She asked Tara.

"I-I think so," She replied, "I m-mean not everyone but...most..."

"Hey!" Faith called about "Anyone! Call out if you're alive!" She ordered bluntly and in reply several groans of pain were heard.

"Moi..." Natasha called out weakly. Her arm had been pinned to a side with a shaft of wood. It looked bloody and painful and Tara hurried over to help her.

"I'm here too," Amanda said, walking over bloodied and bruised.

All around them other Potentials began climbing out of the debris if they were able to move while others called out for help which was immediately seen to as each of the standing Potentials helped.

"Where's Giles?" Tara asked after Kennedy and Rachel began seeing to Natasha.

"I..." Faith realized she hadn't heard him call out nor had he walked over out of the debris, "I don't know...if..." Her eyes fell on his form, "There" She rushed over with Tara to Giles who was not moving and his eyes were closed. A huge metal piece of the sewer structure was across both his legs.

Faith put two fingers to his neck and felt a pulse.

"He's alive," She told Tara as she looked down at the debris that had fallen across his legs, "He must have passed out from the pain"

"Do you think they're...they're broken?" Tara asked and Faith shook her head.

"I don't know...I don't know"

"We need..." Tara took a deep breath, "We need to get him out of here"

Faith nodded and began lifting up the metal plank off of him slowly and steadily, each movement reminding her of her own currently weakened state. Eventually she lifted it complete off of him and tossed it aside.

"Guys!" Faith called out the Potentials, "Those of you who're able, I'm gonna need your help over here"

"I think my arm is broken..." Vi replied as Kennedy, Rachel and Amanda went to help Faith.

"Come on," She ordered, "Help me lift him up. We'll have to carry him out between us"

Just as they gotten it sorted out and were about to head out of the sewers with all the alive Potentials a sound reached all their ears, making them stop in their tracks. A growl echoing in the darkness.

"Okay, what was that?" Amanda asked.

"It was one of them wasn't?" Kennedy came as close as she ever came to panicking.

"One of what?" Faith asked.

"The Ubervamps," Tara informed her, "Buffy got rid of the last one before you arrived. They're like vampires only-"

"Impossible to kill," Rachel filled in.

"Well, hard to kill anyway," Tara amended.

"Then let's get the hell out of here," Faith announced, "We're in no state to fight right now" No one moved, perhaps frozen to their places by the concept that a Turok-Han was here, "NOW!"

As a group they began to run as best they could with Faith and the three Potentials being partially slowed down by having to carry an unconscious Giles.

"This isn't the way!" Vi shouted out in panic as they all came to a dead end.

"Yes it is!" Faith argued, pointing out a turn.

"We're heading in the wrong direction!" Rachel yelled as the fear and panic began to build.

"No, it's fine," Faith insisted, pointing to a pile of debris ahead, "Up and over that. Now. Injured first"

Vi started to climb up the pile of destruction, reaching the top just in time to see an UberVamp appear from the other side, it's black eyes glinting at her. She screamed in horror and fell back, landing on the floor at the bottom of the debris.

Faith quickly tried to think of a battle strategy but with so many injured and the rest weakened they didn't stand a chance against something as strong as this. They needed to forget about offense right now and just work on defense.

"Stay together!" She ordered, "Stay close! Nobody panic!"

As she was saying this no one saw the other UberVamp creeping up behind them.

Andrew had been the one sent to do shopping for everyone. Joyce had initially gone to do it but Jacqueline had made a judgment call when she said she believed Joyce was too worried about Rupert and Buffy to be focused enough to do any form of shopping, never mind the grocery kind. And so Andrew had been sent and now he returned with the goodies.

He had poured them out onto the kitchen island and now Watchers and the remaining Potentials (That Joyce had reluctantly allowed back into the house since they would be prey to any number of attacks if they were left at the inn unprotected) scrounged over the food like children as they grabbed at their favorite items.

"Andrew...where...how did you get so much food?" Joyce asked.

"Okay, so I may have done a little looting..." He admitted, "Which is technically unethical but these girls need to eat! And, and also there was no one at the store. It was kinda exciting actually. A whole grocery store just abandoned. Food lying around everywhere. The produce was on the way to funky town but the other stuff-"

She held up a hand to stop him rambling on.

"It's fine Andrew." She assured him, before leaning forward and grabbing one of the syrup oat bars that someone had just ripped open.

"Ooh, Jaffa cakes!" Jacqueline said excitedly, reaching for a box greedily. Clearly, everyone had been much more hungry than they realized.

"The apples still look pretty good you know guys..." Andrew reminded everyone as that same everyone was currently binging on junk food, "So you know get 'em while you can...make sure to check those out..."

"Are you okay?" Dan asked Joyce, seeing that she was distractedly picking at the bar she had selected to eat and her mind was clearly elsewhere.

"Buffy hasn't come back yet" She said in reply.

"No, not yet, I know an'-"

"And Rupert and Faith and the others aren't back yet either," She continued, "They should be by now. If nothing had gone wrong they would be. They're not back which means something went wrong"

"Not necessarily," He said, "You can't know exactly what's happened. It just might have taken 'em longer than expected to get what they were lookin' fuh. Doesn't mean they're hurt"

"Surround the injured!" Faith ordered as she kept her eyes on the UberVamp, "Keep them protected"

"We have to remember our training!" Kennedy shouted just as an Ubervamp jumped on her back. Out of pure instinct she flipped it over and when it landed in front of her on it's back she screamed in horror at the close proximity of the demon.

"There's another one!" Amanda told them all.

"I know, I know" Faith nodded, "Come on! Move up, up!"

"Not that one!" Amanda told her, grabbing her shoulder and swinging her round to see what she was seeing, "That one!"

Faith saw that indeed there were three of the vampires and she suspected more were coming. She really needed to take charge here. She slipped out from helping hold onto Giles, leaving that responsibility entirely to the Potentials as she stepped forward to wards the vampire, grabbing a large shaft of wood as an UberStake on the way.

"Hey!" She shouted, getting the Turok Hans' attention just in case she didn't already have it, "Lookin' for me?"

Faith, though a Slayer, was presently weakened and she had underestimated the strength and agility of these vampires. In one swift and violent movement, the closest one knocked the weapon easily from her hand before backhanding her to the floor. She was back on her feet within a second, but her confidence had been knocked. She was unnerved by the strength these special brand of vampires held.

Suddenly, distracting Slayer, Potentials and vampires alike, a loud crash rebounded through the sewers and a moment later Buffy jumped down from above, landing neatly among them. In her hand was a red blade that glinted viciously while a deadly pointed stake was at the opposite end. She carried it like she had owned it for years.

As though sensing a worthier prey the vampires turned in synchronization to look at Buffy. The first UberVamp charged her with full force and she swung round with the scythe. The blade met his neck and punched right through, dusting him before Buffy had even finished her swing.

The dust had barely settled when the second and third UberVamps also charged her. She swung the weapon around and punctured the second vamp with the stake end, pushing through his hard plated skin and through to his withered heart. He turned to dust leaving her with only one more vampire to take care of.

This third one jumped her, grabbing Buffy round the neck, hurling her hard onto the metal grating. She rolled backwards away from him and completely out of his reach and flipped the scythe over in her hand so it was pointing towards the vampire. As he went to jump her again she swung it round, cutting through the air and through his neck. With him dust she immediately got up and headed over to the group.

"Who's injured?" She asked straightforwardly and then her eyes fell on Giles, who was crumpled on the floor due to the fact the girls had been unable to carry him for much longer. "Oh my God, Giles!" She ran towards him and turned to look at Faith, "What happened?"

"Trap. A bomb. Some metal fell on his legs. We think he passed out from the pain"

"We have to get him out of here," Buffy said, starting to lift him up, "Faith help me" Faith did so, "Come on. Grab the wounded. Let's go"

"Is, is there more?" Amanda asked fearfully.

"There's always more"

Joyce was in the living room with everyone else when the front door burst open. She immediately jumped out of her seat and ran into the foyer. It was Buffy, looking a little worse for wear, but she there. She was here, back.

"Oh Buffy!" She exclaimed, pulling her daughter into a tight hug, "You're back. Oh thank god you're okay!" She noticed Buffy wasn't hugging her back very enthusiastically. She pulled back from her, and looked into her eyes, trying to read her daughter's expression, "Buffy, what is it? What's wrong?"

It was then that the rest of the group came through the door. Faith and Kennedy were carrying Giles.

"Oh my god, Rupert! What happened? Is he okay? How badly is he hurt? How did this happen? Why-"

"Mom, just be quiet," Buffy told her, evidently tense, "Guys, lie him down on the couch for now."

"Is he going to be alright?" Joyce asked desperately, following them into the living room, "He's not conscious. Why is he- will someone tell me what happened, please?"

"It was a trap," Faith told her, "A bomb. Giles got knocked down by some of the sewer piping above"

"We have...we have to get him to a hospital"

"There are no hospitals right now Joyce," Daniel said.

"No," Faith agreed, obviously thinking of something, "But there's hospital supplies"

"We'd need practically everything they have," Buffy said, "To fix Giles, the girls. A wheelchair maybe? For Giles in case..."

"We'd need to send someone with a car then"

"You can take mine," Joyce said, "The keys are on the side"

"I'll go," Faith said, "I'll take Tara with me. She's the least injured. You stay here B and call the others here to help with..." She looked around at all the Potentials who had been injured, writing in pain, "All this. I'll be back with supplies in a bit. Come on T" She left the house, grabbing Joyce's car keys on the way out, and Tara followed on.

"He's gonna be okay, be okay, everything's gonna be okay," Buffy repeated as though trying to convince herself more than anything. "I'll...I'll call the others. Guys?" She turned to Andrew and the Watchers since she didn't think her Mom, who was currently holding Giles' hand and presumably staying beside him until he woke, was in any state to help out, "See to the girls as best you can with what we've got?"

Daniel raised his hand like a nervous student in class and Buffy sighed.

"Yes?"

"Erm...it might irrelevant, but what's erm...that you're carrying?"

Buffy looked at what he was pointing to and realized he was looking at the scythe that she held her hand, not having put it down once.

"Yeah, what's with the axe thing?" Andrew asked in agreement.

"Took it from Caleb," She explained, "Figured it might be important. Plus pointy and lethal to vampires on both ends."

"And red and shiny too," Andrew grinned enthusiastically but the smile obediently fell from his face when Buffy just looked at him.

"Guys. The girls." Buffy said simply, before going to the phone to call all the others that her Mom had banished from the house. Right now she really didn't think she'd care who was in the house, as long as Giles came round and was okay.

It was much later on and Tara and Faith had returned with an endless supply of supplies. The hospital had been completely abandoned- a fact that Buffy found left her feeling very cold. The hospital was always so supposed to be there, open, a safe haven and now even that was gone- so the two had been able to take their time to grab everything that was there, even taking one of the wheelchairs Buffy had suggested for Giles.

While they were gone, the others had managed to move Giles upstairs to his and Joyce's bed where several people, including Joyce, were gathered around.

"Is he breathing okay?" Buffy asked and Joyce nodded.

"But he's still not conscious though.."

"He will be," Buffy insisted, sounding much more confident than she felt. "Right now though, we need to continue with what we're doing"

"Which is what exactly?" Willow asked nervously, feeling a little uncomfortable around Buffy right now due to their last 'discussion'

"This," Buffy held the scythe in front of her for all to see, "I think it's some kind of scythe or something...all I know is it made Caleb run off in a hurry"

"So it's true then," Willow grinned, "Scythe matters" She giggled alone at her joke. Then realizing she was alone in the chuckles she cleared her throat and resumed serious face.

"Looks lethal B," Faith acknowledged checking out the weapon and gripping it tightly, Buffy nodded in agreement.

"Kills strong bodies three ways"

"And you say you can sense something...when you hold it?" Tara asked and again Buffy nodded.

"Not much, just...it's strong you know?" She said to them all, "I mean I knew it belonged to m-me..." She faltered as she looked over at Faith, "And...well, if it's a Slayer thing...I guess you'd feel it too," Buffy clearly looked uncomfortable about the concept of handing the scythe over to Faith and Faith recognized that and attempted to shrug it off.

"Nah, it's cool B, don't worry about it"

It was this that seemed to convince Buffy otherwise. She held out the scythe to the fellow Slayer.

"Try it"

Faith looked uncertain for a moment before her hand reached out, her fingers wrapping around the center of the weapon before pulling it out Buffy's hands. Once she grasped it in both of hers Faith had a look of awe on her face.

"Whoa, I mean wow. Yeah, I can feel it," She shifted the weight of the weapon in her hand as though really developing a feel for it, "It belongs to me. I can feel that." She stopped and sighed, handing it back to Buffy, "Belongs to the Slayer in charge anyway. Guess that's you"

Giles suddenly started coughing as he awoke painfully.

"Rupert?" Joyce asked, "You're awake. Are you okay?"

"That has yet to be decided," He coughed, "Wh-what happened?"

"There was an accident," Buffy explained, "I mean you're home now, but there erm..."

"There was a bomb," Faith said, "Where we headed- it was trap. The Bringers tried to blow us up. Tara did her best but some didn't make it and you erm...you got pretty badly hurt"

"But I'm still devilishly handsome?" He asked with a weary grin, that merest of efforts obviously causing him immense pain.

"I'll let Mom answer that one," Buffy told him, "But we think you're gonna be okay. I mean we all did the best we could, but...well we're not even sure what the damage is. If we were- Tara could work something, but not knowing well..." She looked over at Tara helplessly.

"Well, without knowing what the exact damage is...working magic to try and heal you could make things worse," Tara explained carefully.

"What things?" He asked.

"Your legs," Buffy explained quietly, "They were badly hurt in the explosion. We don't know whether they're broken or just injured or...if erm..."

"Paralyzed..." Willow mumbled quietly and as Giles closed his eyes, holding himself together, Joyce held onto his hand just that little bit tighter in support. He squeezed back.

"You know what?" Buffy said, looking over at her Mom and Giles and sensing the two needed some alone couple time, "We got things to do. Get ready for and all that. Look into this scythe thing. We'll all be downstairs if you need us"

"Right," Tara nodded in agreement as everyone filed out of the room, leaving Joyce and Giles alone in their bedroom.

"You're gonna be fine you know," She said to him, trying to put confidence and assurance into her voice. She only just managed it.

"I uh, I hope so," He replied, "I don't much fancy spending my life without my legs"

"If we had a hospital still here in Sunnydale we could have had you sorted out already," She told him, "With casts and things...but there's no one left. Faith and Tara had to raid the, uh, the hospital supplies. They got you a wheelchair," She added with a small smile and he managed to smile back.

"Marvelous...Xander shall be making jokes no doubt"

"Well, you did poke fun at his eye," She reminded him, "'No more fun and games eh Xander?' didn't exactly make him smile."

"No..." He admitted, "Gave me a laugh though"

"Well, that's all that matters then isn't it?" Joyce grinned, the two of them for the moment forgetting the awful situation. "Xander will just make X-men references to you all the time..."

Giles groaned as he realized the truth of her words and Joyce couldn't help but laugh a little at him.

"You got it?" Buffy asked Xander in the kitchen.

"Well, I've not got to the 'I got it' place yet," He admitted, "I'm still at 'you've got to be kidding'."

"You know it's for the good,"

"It's too many people Buff," He replied, "They ain't all gonna fit in the Xanmobile"

"Take Mom's car then, she won't mind"

"Well if we're taking your Mother's car then your Mother can drive them all," Xander replied, "I'm sure she won't have a problem with that"

"That's not the point," Buffy told him, "I don't just need someone who can drive. I need someone I can trust to keep them all safe- it's my family Xander and there is only one person I can trust with them. That's you"

"But Buffy...if I do this..." He sighed, "That's it for me for this fight?" He looked down for a moment before looking back up at her, "I feel like you're putting me out to pasture"

"Of course I'm not putting you out to pasture...what does that even mean anyway?"

"Well, you know..." Xander searched around for an answer, "It's like when a cow gets old and loses it's eye or it's ability to milk and-"

"Xander, I don't want Dawn in this fight. I don't want Mom and Lily even in the area during this fight. And Giles is too injured to be in this fight. I need them taken some place safe. Somewhere with a hospital for Giles. Please"

"You realize if I do this Anya will come too?" He told her and Buffy nodded.

"I wouldn't expect anything else"

"I just feel like the more people you send away..." He sighed, "I feel like there won't be anyone to fight by your side"

"You'll be there Xander, all the way" She told him warmly but he seemed unconvinced.

"Spiritual presence Xander doesn't get to stake any vamp that wants to jump ya"

"Yes he does," He assured him intensely, "You're my strength Xander. You're the reason I made it this far. I never would have been able to do it without you"

Xander tried, unsuccessfully, to hide how much her words moved him.

"Okay," He said quietly.

"Also, you can't shoot a bow and arrow anymore," She told him, "and every time you swing a sword I worry you're gonna break one of our good lamps"

"I thought you'd be staying up there with Rupert," Jacqueline said when she saw Joyce come into the dining room from upstairs. "Now that he's awake and all"

"I was going to but then Willow and Tara came in with the research about the scythe and now he's delving into that," She sighed as she flopped into a seat on the sofa, "Typical of him to start losing himself in stuffy old books"

"Well you married into a stuffy old book family," Ted told her and then regretted it when his Mother clipped him around the head for the comment.

"I just wish there was a hospital we could take him to," Joyce sighed and her sister-in-law sighed sympathetically.

"I know, and hopefully when all this is over, we will"

"But when will that be?" Joyce challenged, "Days, weeks, months?"

"You're not going to be here that long," Buffy told her, coming in from the kitchen with Xander and her Mother frowned at her.

"What do you mean?"

"You, Giles, Lily and Dawn are leaving town tonight. Xander's gonna drive you with Anya" Buffy explained but her Mom continued to frown in confusion.

"Okay...for the moment I'm going to ignore the fact that you've made decisions for me like I'm a child and ask why exactly is Xander the one driving us? Can't I drive myself?"

"That was my point," Xander chipped in, raising his hand as he volunteered the information.

"Mom, I..." Buffy sighed, "I can't let you go alone. I need you to go with someone who can look after you all. Make sure you're all safe"

"Getting away from here is as safe as it gets Buffy," Joyce pointed out, "As much as I hate any of you being in this...this fight, I can't help but think Xander's needed more here than he is babysitting...well me. Us."

"Valid points, all," Xander nodded.

"Mom, I-"

"Buffy, I know as well as you do that I'm not meant for this fight. Never was meant for this sort of thing," Joyce admitted, "I'm not this kind of fighter- I'm a Mother and well, that's a different kind of fight entirely," She looked at Buffy intensely, forcing her to maintain eye contact, "I can look after my own family Buffy" She sighed, "I just wish that could include you..." She added quietly.

Buffy didn't know how to reply to that heartfelt comment. She couldn't reassure her, because those words would be empty and insincere. Buffy never did know whether she would survive the next day or the next and no matter what, her Mom could never protect her from that. Buffy smiled a little to herself as she realized that fact never stopped her Mom from trying. Trying to get Faith to take over her job in senior year, attempting to send her across the country to Brown University- far far away from any Hellmouths, jumping at any chance of normalcy, heck even the very first time she found out Buffy was the Slayer she had tried to protect her. Buffy just hadn't realized that had been her Mother's intention at the time. If she was realizing that now, then she really had grown up a lot.

She looked at her Mom and nodded.

"Okay," She said quietly, "You can leave tomorrow. We'll let Giles rest tonight. I guess this means Xander stays here"

Joyce had just finished up in the kitchen- working by blasted candlelight thanks to the now lack of power throughout the town of Sunnydale- and was about to head upstairs to Rupert when the back door opened and Spike walked in.

"Spike," She said in mild surprise as a form of greeting.

"Joyce," He replied, before looking around, obviously trying to spot someone.

"Buffy's in the living room talking to Faith," Joyce explained.

"Oh, I'll just.." He went to head in the direction she had pointed out but stopped when Joyce spoke again.

"Did you find her Spike?" She asked, "Before she returned"

There was silence for a moment before he replied.

"Yeah, I found her alright"

"Then, thank you Spike"

"What for?" He asked, "She left. Came here I figure"

"Don't think you didn't have anything to do with that," She told him kindly, "You did"

A little thrown and touched by her words Spike shrugged uncomfortably before leaving the kitchen to find Buffy.

It was much later on that night and Dawn was looking around for Joyce.

"Where's Mom?" She asked Jacqueline as she came up the stairs. Jac was stood on the upper hallway outside her Mom's room.

"Shush..." Jac told her, putting a finger to her lips, "They're both asleep"

She pushed the door open quietly a little bit so Dawn could see.

"Rupert is naturally very tired and with as much worrying as Joyce does it's no wonder she's exhausted," Jacqueline explained to her step-niece as the the two peered in. Giles was asleep, lay straight out in the only way his injuries would allow while Joyce was curled up against his side, fast asleep also. However she was fully clothed and on top of the covers, suggesting that the two had just been talking when they had both fallen asleep.

"See?" Buffy said, grinning at Angel after they both looked at the fallen Caleb, "Under control"

"Well at least tell me you're glad to see me," Angel smiled.

That was all she needed. She dropped the scythe to the side and let him enfold her in his arms and she hugged him tightly back. They stood like that for a moment as Buffy pulled back to look into his deep brown eyes and then their lips brushed one another lightly, initiating a powerful contact that melded into an even more powerful and passionate kiss.

Unseen and alone, Spike stood to the side watching them both. The First in the form of Buffy stood beside him, watching the couple also.

"That bitch"