g120-thanks for review and thanks for the well wishes. I'm much better now. hehe. glad you're lovin, readin and reviewin- that's what I like to hear. haha. And yes, .::nods::. life is a bitca on the hellmouth. ;-)

zigpal-yay- claps! it's like a drug! haha. And you're really not a Riley fan are you? Haha. I'd hardly noticed that I rarely put him in this fic...it's just he doesn't seem to fit...I don't think he's in this chapter either so...lucky you! haha

rabidreject-thanks for review and yeah, I hated that Ethan just disappeared after A New Man. I thought he was a class character. Really used to make me chuckle some of the stuff he said as well. I'll probs continue trying to keep bringing him back in hehe.

Sunnydale was not a place Ethan favored and in return Sunnydale didn't seem to favor him. He had originally seen it as an ideal place to set up, not that he'd ever been one to stay in one place for too long, but the Hellmouth was just too good an opportunity to pass up. Ripper living there was just an added bonus. Or so he'd thought so originally.

Halloween might have been the first sign that maybe he should just pack up and leave, but he'd stayed around. Got caught by the little blonde Slayer in the library as well. Would have escaped that time if it hadn't been for the Slayer's friend- the brunette. Cordelia or something. She had a sharp kick.

His biggest mistake though, he had to admit had been last year. When he'd gone for drinks with Ripper of all things. Sure, he'd spiked his drink to turn him into a Fyarl, but he doubted that would have caused too much trouble. Amusement maybe, but trouble? Not for him anyway. But then he'd pushed too far again hadn't he? With the mother of the Slayer. That had gone too far for him as well. Which was an odd thing to think- he never used to bother, was convinced he still didn't. Maybe the Giles vibe rubbed off on you if you stayed in Sunnydale too long, which was why, for once, he was going to make this visit as short as possible.

He didn't want to go at all really, his Sunnydale luck, not being the best in the world, but he had to. Considering the events of last year he only had himself to blame. Himself and those bloody monks.

He knew the spell he had cast wouldn't hold up for much longer, which was one of the reasons he was speeding. He just hoped the spell would hold up long enough. He lifted a hand off the steering wheel as he felt the warning pains of a headache beginning and he massaged his temple with his right hand, willing it to go away, but it wasn't listening. It wouldn't go away until it was good and ready.

"Your one spot stop to shop for all your occult needs," Tara read from the advertisement in the yellow pages as she stood behind the shop counter next to Giles and Joyce, "Catchy"

"You think so?" Giles asked, pleased.

"Yeah," She nodded, "In a hard to read sort of way" She added before walking away.

Joyce smirked as Giles silent read the slogan to himself.

"It's fine," She assured him, reaching across him to put her coffee cup down on the counter. As she pulled back she went to give him a light kiss but was prevented by a wave of dizziness.

"Joyce?"

"And that's fine too," She told him with more confidence than she felt, "Either way it'll be fixed soon right? I mean you've, uh, you've found Ethan?"

"Well, yes" Giles admitted. After the call from Willow and Tara he had updated Buffy immediately and the two of them had told Joyce in the morning and the news had been met with a mixture of anxiety and relief. Followed shortly after by an order that Dawn was not to know anything. Buffy had readily agreed, having thought the exact same thing. Giles had eventually agreed, but not without some exasperation. Why did the Summers women keep so many things from another? It's a wonder they were able to keep up, never mind anyone else.

Any kind of reply from him was cut off by the sound of Anya, Xander and Willow walking into the store chattering away. Noticing he still wore a concerned look on his face though, Joyce gave him a light kiss before walking around to the other side of the counter where her bag lay on the far table.

"Am I right, Giles?" Xander asked as he and his two girls walked over.

"I'm almost certain you're not," Giles replied, "But to be fair I wasn't listening"

"Oh the new phone book's in with Mr Giles' ad," Tara told everyone in attempt to wipe the look of disapproval off Xander's face. Anya was immediately overcome with excitement.

"Yay! Am I mentioned?" When Giles told her 'no', she immediately lost her excitement

"Okay we were supposed to hook up with Riley this morning," Xander explained, "to take on a nest of vamps holed up in a tomb. So we get there, and guess what? Tell him Will"

"Tomb go boom," Willow said simply.

"Yep," Xander nodded in agreement, his tone sarcastic, "Captain America blowed it up real good. All by his lone wolf lonesome"

"Well, that was rather reckless of him." Giles commented.

"Was, uh, Buffy not with him?" Joyce asked, walking back over to the group, "Or you?"

"No," Xander shook his head, "She had some college stuff to see to. Plus it was the nest that had the vamp that got her last week. So Riley didn't want her anywhere near them till they were gone…." He trailed off as he saw the look of confusion on Joyce's face.

"What vampire 'got her'? Somebody got Buffy?"

Giles rolled his eyes and walked off in the other direction. Xander was the one who had blabbed so he would be the one to explain it all.

"Well, not got exactly more like brushed with…" Xander tried to explain nervously.

"What happened?" Joyce was now looking around at everyone, since it was clear they all knew, "Did something happen to Buffy last week? Why don't I know?"

"Well, it was nothing big really," Willow excused it all, "Just a little Slayer thing. Pfft. Not even worth discussing"

"Yes," Anya agreed readily, "Buffy just got impaled with her own stake by a vampire, but she's fine so it's really nothing"

"Buffy got what with what by who?" Joyce asked, not believing what she was hearing.

Willow and Xander both laughed nervously, throwing evil looks in the direction of an oblivious Anya.

"Seriously, it was nothing," Xander repeated his assurances to Joyce, "She's fine. Was fine. Is fine. All tenses of fine"

"That's what they were doing in her room…" Joyce said in realization as her mind flicked back to the memory of seeing Buffy, Riley and Dawn in Buffy's room, the alcohol on the side. If she'd paid more attention she would have noticed, the cotton buds, the left over bandages poking out from Riley's closed hand and the slight speck of blood on Buffy's top.

And she thought her days of being naïve and oblivious to Buffy's slaying outings were long past.

"Why did no one tell me?" She asked, "I think I have a right to know."

"I know," Xander agreed, "But Buffy didn't wanna worry you. She said you had enough on your demon plate." Xander paused for a moment, "And I think she's right."

"Yeah…" Willow agreed, looking at Joyce in concern. She wished they'd all stop doing that. It made her feel like some kind of invalid and she just wasn't. She knew though that it was just because they cared, which was nice to know. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine," It's all Joyce ever seemed to say lately, "Bordering on chipper and tomorrow planning on being obnoxious" She put on a brave smile that seemed to convince the others but didn't really convince herself. She felt absolutely awful, but she refused to give in. She just refused to.

Another thing he hated about Sunnydale. The accommodation. Since the small southern Californian town was on a Hellmouth, all but the residents had tuned in to the negative vibe it gave off. Unlike the oblivious and naïve Sunnydalians, outsiders heard of the bad news and events that occurred there and stayed well away. So, tourism wasn't a major source of income for the town. And so the few hotels there were, weren't paid much attention to, which was why Ethan had ended up in the same crappy motel as last time.

He was feeling absolutely awful though and actually felt as though he wanted to throw up so he was merely grateful for the fact the room had a bed and a bathroom. He had a feeling his nausea and sickness had a bit to do with the fact that he was going to have to see Ripper and all the mini-slayers again, not to mention the Slayer herself. He really didn't want to; as he knew the moment they set eyes on him he was in for a major ass kicking. However he really had no choice unfortunately. He was going to have to face the music and pray to God that Ripper wouldn't let the Slayer kill him, or kill him himself for that matter.

Dawn would be finishing school soon, Joyce noted as she glanced at her watch. They were all still gathered in the Magic Box and were so often now that Dawn, when she wasn't picked up by Joyce, nearly always got her friend's parents to drop her off at the Magic Box first rather than home. Not that Dawn ever complained of course. For years she'd mithered to be able to go to the magic store and now she had an official excuse to drop by everyday. Though through the combined forces of Joyce, Buffy and Giles it was made sure that Dawn never actually got to buy any of the items.

They were researching at the moment, as they had been the past few weeks, into whatever the woman was that had attacked Buffy. Joyce, understandably was terrible worried about this. In all her years of knowing Buffy to be the Slayer, her daughter had never once lost out on a fight, but this super strong demon woman had had Buffy running away and that just wasn't Buffy. And that thought alone terrified Joyce. Which was why she was uncomfortable about the fact that the research was being split between demon woman and Ethan's spell.

"Okay," Xander stated, "Does this woman have no history?" He slammed his book closed, "I thought Evil liked to brag to authors about what they'd done. Kinda like sportsman only…eviller."

"Maybe we'd find something sooner if we just focused on researching her…"Joyce suggested but the idea was immediately shot down by her daughter.

"No, we can research both. It's fine. We're good at research and I'm not forgetting about Ethan, I refuse to"

"But this…"

"Cordelia demon?" Buffy filled in with a little chipper smile.

"Yes…" Joyce agreed reluctantly, "She just seems so powerful and the fact that you might…well, probably, will have to face her again terrifies me. I don't want you being unprepared for her, because you spent too much time researching my problem. I can hold up for now"

"No" Both Buffy and Giles said in synchronization, causing Joyce to start a little, especially since Giles was at the cash register serving a customer when he made his protest. The customer jumped back a little also and he apologized.

"We can do both" Buffy told her calmly.

"But-" Joyce began as she stood up to get something, but she stopped talking as she felt woozy again, the world spinning slightly but not in a fun ride kind of way.

Ethan cursed as he felt the wave of dizziness overcoming him again and he reached forward to the bedside table for support as he stumbled over.

"Whoa!" Xander, who had been sat next to Joyce, exclaimed standing up quickly to grab a hold of Joyce's shoulders so she didn't sway and fall over completely. "Are you okay?" He asked the dumb yet normal question as he helped her steady herself back on her feet.

"Mmm…" She murmured massaging her head with her fingers, willing the pain to go away. Eventually it started to subside and she felt better.

"That's why we're splitting the research," Buffy pointed out and her Mother threw her an un-amused look, but let Xander sit her back down anyway.

"Fine," She agreed reluctantly, "But if this goes all horribly wrong you're in a world of trouble."

"Check," Buffy nodded, smiling at her mother's brave humor, "Avoid the trouble world. I'll be right back guys. Little Girl's room's a calling"

"Can I come?" Xander smiled but Buffy just rolled her eyes at him before walking out of the room. Anya on the other hand gave him a look of silent disapproval before hitting him on the arm, "Ow" He complained, "I was joking"

"Well joke about something else," She ordered him. Xander was going to go for a witty retort but the sound of Joyce's cell ringing, broke his train of thought.

"I'll be erm right back too," Joyce, told them, picking up the phone and walking off as she pressed the answer button, automatically opting for some form of privacy for the call, "Hello?"

"Maybe she's not in the books," Tara thought aloud.

"What do you mean?" Willow asked.

"I mean what if she's not a demon or a sorceress or a spirit or whatever these books cover?" Tara explained and Willow nodded in understanding.

"Oh I see. I'm on Ethan duty you see so you had me a little confused there"

"Something new you mean?" Giles asked, walking over to the table after finishing dealing with a customer. Tara shook her head 'no'.

"Something old. So old it pre-dates written word."

"Giles," Willow said, a thought forming, "The Dagon Sphere, you said it was created to repel…"

"That which cannot be named," Giles finished in realization, fearing that the woman Buffy faced was a lot worse than any of them had imagined.

"So I'm thinking maybe she…" Willow carried on Tara's original thought and Giles finished it.

"Predates language itself"

"Well hey," Xander said, "Does that mean I don't have to read anymore? Woo!" He then paused as he seemed to realize something, "No- I'm now on the Joyce and Ethan sitch. Never mind…no woo for me." He looked at them all with a quirky grin, "Possibly a hoo if I find something though"

"Darn toot'n" Willow agreed. However, when Giles spoke he was a lot more solemn than the other two.

"If Tara's right then we're blind. There's…there's no way we can determine…her moves…her habits…where she'll turn up next…" His thought pattern was broke by someone tapping him on the shoulder and he turned around to see a petite yet evidently confident blonde woman holding a pile of items up that she wanted to buy, "Oh I beg your-"

"Uh huh" She cut him off impatiently, "I want these"

"Okay, thank you for your time. Bye." Joyce terminated the call on her cell just as Buffy came out of the bathroom and almost walked into her.

"Oh sorry Mom."

"It's, erm, it's okay honey" Joyce told her distractedly and Buffy picked up on it.

"Who was that?" She asked.

"Hmm?"

Buffy pointed at the phone to illustrate what she meant.

"Oh, it was the hospital again," Joyce, explained, "They keep calling at home, work, on my cell…"

"What do they want?"

"They're insisting I come in for observation," Joyce explained grimly, "Because of the…well, you know" Buffy nodded in understanding, but frowned at the word 'observation'.

"What do you mean 'observation'? They gonna have you like running on a treadmill or something while they time you?" Buffy joked, attempting to keep the mood light.

"Oh you know…CAT scans…that sort of thing " Joyce tried to make the whole thing seem casual and unimportant for Buffy's sake, but she didn't fall for it.

"CAT scans? W-what, why, why do they think you need a CAT scan?"

"It's just doctor talk sweetheart," Joyce assured her, giving her a little hug, "We've already found what it is haven't we?" Buffy nodded silently, "So we will sort it out. No CAT scans. No worry. Okay?" Buffy didn't answer, "Okay?"

"Okay," Buffy grumbled in acceptance. She knew she should think positively. She always did in everything else in her life. If she didn't after all, it could get her killed. But when it came to her Mom- it was too personal, too low a blow on Ethan's part, and she couldn't help but worry.

"Hey!" Both Joyce and Buffy jumped, as did everyone else as they heard Anya and Willow exclaim in unison. Willow at the table and Anya at the cash register. The rest of the group looked from one to the other, wondering which to see to first.

"Hey!" Anya repeated the pitch higher and Willow rubbed her ears as though it hurt.

"Ow!" She complained pointing in Anya's direction, "Go to her! Go to her!"

"Anya, your heys are startling the customers," Giles warned her.

"And pretty much the state," Xander added, wincing at his girlfriend heying again.

"You sold someone a Khul's amulet and a Sobekian bloodstone." She told him, pointing at the receipt in her hands.

"Yes I believe I did," Giles agreed, examining the receipt himself.

"Does, does that mean something?" Joyce looked around at the others but saw they were as confused by Anya's protests as she was.

"Are you stupid or something?" Anya asked Giles in exasperation.

"Hey!" This time it was Joyce's turn to hey.

"Allow me to answer that question with a firing," Giles began but Xander jumped in to defend Anya.

"She's kidding!" He turned to his girlfriend, "An, we talked about the employer-employee vocabulary no-nos. That was number five"

Anya ignored Xander as she grabbed the receipt back from Giles.

"You never sell these things together, ever! Bad news! Don't you know about the Sobekites?"

"Oh I do!" Willow exclaimed.

"Well, at least one of us does," Joyce, commented quietly, feeling more confused by the second.

"It was an Ancient Egyptian cult," Willow explained to everyone at the same time as proving her knowledge to Anya, "heavy into dark magick"

"And the Khul's amulet," Tara continued, "Wasn't that a transmogrification conduit?"

"Damn straight!" Anya agreed

"Be that as it may," Giles said patiently, "I still see no reason for concern. I mean the Sobekian transmogrification spells were lost thousands of years ago. And besides the young woman to whom I sold them would have had to have enormous power-" Giles stopped talking as something clicked.

"Young woman?" Buffy repeated, "YOUNG WOMAN?"

"Well, I, erm-"

"Demon girl was here? While I was here? And you sold her transmoggy thingies?! Giles!"

"I-I-I didn't know it was her!" Giles stuttered, "I mean how could I?" He looked at the receipt again, "If it's any consolation, I may have over charged her"

Buffy just rolled her eyes and looked to Anya.

"What does this spell do?"

"Well, generally? It makes a monster"

"And the Sobekites were reptile worshippers," Willow added, "So it's probably something reptilian like a python or something…"

"Great," Buffy said sarcastically, "Just what I need. A glorified snake." She started to walk off.

"Buffy, where are you going?" Her Mom asked.

"I'm going off to kill this thing. She wants something reptilian? She'll be at the zoo- reptile house"

"Buffy you can't" Joyce protested, fearing for her daughter. She worried every time her daughter went slaying, went on patrol, went to fight the latest evil in Sunnydale, but that was just natural worry. Deep down she always had a confidence that her daughter would return. She was strong, resilient and would return home safe. But for the first time in a long while Joyce feared that if Buffy went to face this woman again she wouldn't return.

"I have to go Mom, I'm sorry" Buffy's words revealed to Joyce that maybe her daughter was thinking the same thing. Sorry seemed so final.

"Buffy, your Mom's right," Xander agreed, "I mean this chick creamed you last time"

"That's because I wasn't ready for her," Buffy protested, "I am now"

"How?" Joyce challenged, "How are you ready? Really?"

Buffy was silent, having no answer. Deep down she knew there was truth to what her Mom said. She wasn't ready. She didn't think she'd ever be ready for this woman. The thought had crossed her mind that she would fail- that this demon chick would be her last battle. But that didn't mean that she shouldn't try.

"I'm the Slayer," Buffy said in final answer, "I have to go"

"Rupert…" Joyce turned to Giles, pleading for him to help, to make Buffy stay.

"Buffy, I-" He began but Buffy stopped him.

"No, Giles. You know I have to go." And before any of them could protest anymore she walked out of the shop door.

"Well that was great non-success of a confrontation," Xander commented, "I've never seen Buffy so determined"

"Beginning of junior year," Willow said, having watched the entire thing, "Shortly after the Master…." She cast a nervous glance in Joyce's direction, wary of what she was saying, "After he…you know"

There was a silence again.

"So Will," Xander said cheerfully, clasping his hands together, "I believe you had a hey for us too"

"Ooh, ooh! Yeah, I do!" Willow exclaimed, suddenly remembering as she led the group back over to the table.

"What have you found?" Giles asked.

"I have come across an enlightening yet," She frowned in slight puzzlement as she picked up the book she had been reading, "also confusing conclusion" She took a deep breath before carrying on, "I've found the spell that Ethan is using on Joyce." She didn't give anyone time to comment on this revelation as she continued talking, "We've all been looking through malevolent charms for the symbol, but that's why we weren't finding anything?"

"Huh?" Joyce asked with a confused frown at the same time Giles asked "Pardon?"

"So you're saying making Joyce ill isn't all malevolenty?" Xander questioned, "Will, I think you've been reading too long- it's sending you a little-"

"I'm not crazy!" Willow protested, "And I'm not rambling. The symbol that Buffy saw is one for a benevolent spell, not a bad one"

"Are you sure?" Giles asked taking his glasses off and wiping them clean, looking completely perplexed by the whole situation.

"Yeah, I thought it was weird too," Willow told him honestly, "But I checked and checked, and it's definitely right. It's called Tutela of reus"

"Protection of the bound…" Giles translated, becoming even more confused as he took in the context of the entire thing. Why the hell had Ethan cast a spell such as that on Joyce? And why was it having such a terrible effect on her?

"Yeah," Willow nodded, "I don't get what it all means or why or whatever really…but one thing is for sure- the spell on Joyce is a protection spell"

"How can that-" All questions were cut off as they heard the front door opening and Dawn walked into the store. Willow quickly slid the book away, knowing Dawn was not supposed to know anything of the situation.

"Figured you'd all be here, instead of at home like normal people," Dawn commented, looking around at everyone as she walked over. "Where's Buffy?"

"Oh, she's erm out slaying some demon thing…" Joyce struggled to explain as she wasn't even sure what it was that Buffy was going to have to fight.

"That Giles helped create," Anya added helpfully.

"What?" Dawn, asked eyes wide as she turned to Giles, "Way to go!" She told him sarcastically.

"I-I didn't make it!" Giles argued before becoming embarrassed and mumbling, "But I erm…may have sold…the erm, items required to the erm…woman Buffy faced, uh last week…"

"May?" Anya questioned, "How about 'did'?"

"Anya…" Xander said warningly, "Remember what we talked about?"

Anya nodded and became sullenly silent.

"Hey guys," Buffy called as she walked back into the store later on. The pain making her unable to hide the newly developed limp from what the demon thing had called Glory.

"Buffy, oh my god, what happened?" Her Mother asked running over.

"Glory- that's what I heard them call the demon woman…thing- she created a snake demon and kicked my ass in the intervals"

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Willow asked, running over along with everyone else.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just pride mostly."

"Hurt pride isn't this visible Buffy," Joyce countered, "What on earth…you could have been seriously-"

"I know Mom," Buffy said calmly, "But I'm okay"

"Did you manage to get the demon she created?" Giles asked and Buffy shook her head.

"No, she'd sent it off somewhere before I could even get up again," Buffy shook her head again as though ashamed of herself, "I don't even know where it went"

Suddenly the front windows smashed and everyone ducked slightly to avoid the shower of shards of glass. Through the now open window came what can only be described as a giant snake.

"I think we know where it went" Xander commented, unable to hide a gulp.

The snake knocked over case after case and shelf after shelf as it slithered towards them and Buffy got into a stance, ready to fight it when the snake laid it's glowing red eyes on Dawn. Dawn screamed and carried on screaming. Buffy ran towards it but before she could even reach it, it hissed and reared before turning around and slithering away out of the store

"Dawn, are you okay?" Joyce asked and Dawn nodded weakly.

"Why was the big snake afraid of Dawn?" Willow asked everybody in confusion, which was when it all clicked for Buffy. She turned to Giles.

"Giles, it knows," She whispered, panic in her eyes and the two of them instantly ran out of the store.

"Knows what?" Joyce asked everyone left in the store, but they all seemed as clueless as she was. She shrugged, believing it would no doubt be explained later as she tended to a terrified and shaken-up Dawn.

"So we caught up with it eventually and I killed it before it could get back to Glory," Buffy finished retelling her slay-tale as she, Dawn, Giles and her Mom drove home. "Ripped to pieces"

"Literally in this case," Giles informed them all with a grim expression.

"Okay…so I went all out…" Buffy admitted in embarrassment, "But it was a big snake…so to make sure it wasn't going to get up any time soon I took some…gut-wrenching precautions"

"Thank you for the lovely visual…" Joyce commented sarcastically, before wincing in pain.

"Mom?" Buffy asked concerned.

"It's erm…" Joyce caught a glimpse of Dawn's worried face and changed her words mid-explanation, "It's nothing…just a headache"

"So who's hungry?" Dawn suddenly asked.

"After what Buffy just said and you're still thinking about food?" Joyce asked in disbelief, relieved that her daughter had automatically gone for a complete change in subject.

"Yeah," Dawn rolled her eyes as though she couldn't believe her Mom would think otherwise, "so coz of like the whole demon thing can we get take-out?" She asked as they pulled up in the driveway.

"Dawn if that was the case we'd have take-out every night" Joyce pointed out and as Dawn went to say something Giles interrupted as they got out of the car.

"Which is never going to happen"

"Why not?" Dawn whined, "Some take-outs have nutritional value"

"Yes," Giles agreed as though he were really contemplating Dawn's point, "All those chicken's feet pulverised into a burger form. Full of daily requirement of omega3."

"At this point you're abusing sarcasm," Dawn told him.

"Well, look at the family unit here, Ripper"

The group looked over in the direction of the annoyingly familiar voice and saw Ethan on their doorstep.