Zigpal-Thanks for review, claps, all. glad you liked the chapter and that you thought I minimilized blah, hehe. And well, for this chapter Joyce does have some anger towards Quentin and co. hehe. It's pretty much left over anger from every time she's come across the council. haha. Helpless, Who are you?, London...she's not havin much luck with them is she?

And hey- the rest of you out there. Reviews guys? ;-)

A/N: Took a lot longer to update because well, as irony would have it, just as I finished writing the opening scene for this chapter what happened to Joyce at the gallery happened to me. My Cocorific document just disappeared completely. No record of it ever having existed. That was the opening sequence of Checkpoint gone and all my notes for each chapter all the way up to Tabula Rasa gone. Irony is ironic that way- Let's just say I am now extremely glad I'm not killing Joyce off in this fic. I am not ashamed to admit that when this document disaster happened I actually cried. Even my back-up copies were gone. Just like it never existed. So, took longer to update as I ended up writing all my notes again. Or at least half of them. The chapters aren't detailed out like they were originally but the gist is there. I want to kill Microsoft for this. Giles is right. Computers are a stupid fad and should be destroyed presently. Bring back typewriters I say (And the abacus- you just don't see enough abaci). Also, season 6 plans –wise there is some definitely off-canon stuff happening….so anyway, on with Checkpoint. A

After the weeks of waiting the shipment had finally arrived at the gallery. Twice. Yes, after waiting for so long Joyce had discovered she had been sent two of what had been ordered.

"But I only ordered one set,"

"Well, it says two on here," The man tapped his clipboard. He was the deliveryman, but he probably had a more professional-sounding, politically correct title for his job, but right now, Joyce, in her annoyance, viewed him as just a glorified postman.

"I don't care what- give me that," Joyce snatched the clipboard out of his chubby hands to get a closer look at the details written down. Sure enough, she was listed for two shipments. She held up the clipboard to him and pointing at the second list of items, "I don't where this has all come from, but I didn't order these."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, of course I'm sure," Joyce, insisted, not believing he could actually ask that question, "Why on earth would I order-" She looked to the list of items for an example, "one set of antique cameos and also import another strikingly similar set? Why? Why on earth would I do that?"

"You could have done it to sell more,"

"But I wouldn't order them both at the same time!" Joyce exclaimed, "I'd wait to see how the first set went first!"

"Look, we got two sets of orders here" He pointed at the clipboard, "Both of 'em with your name on the paper. So why don't you just sign?"

"But I don't want those," Joyce pointed out the crates of extra items, "I don't need those"

"Look lady," the deliveryman sighed, "I don't know a da Vinci from a de Caprio- I don't really know squat about the art business,"

"Clearly," Joyce mumbled but not loud enough for him to hear as he carried on talking.

"Alls I do know is, is that there are two shipments here- both for you so why don't you just sign and let me do my job?"

"Fine," Joyce grumbled snatching a pen off him. As she scribbled her signature at the bottom of the page she hoped the cameos were going to be more of a success than she originally thought and the same went for the rest of the items, "Fine" She repeated with controlled anger in her voice as she shoved the clipboard and pen back in his arms and turned on her heel, leaving the assistants and trainees to deal with the rest as she felt if she stayed dealing with the task personally any longer she would implode.

She walked through the gallery, heels clicking, and entered the office more loudly than she intended, her bad mood revealing itself. Vicky and Jem who had both been working on the computer in the room looked up in her direction.

"Problem?" Vicky asked casually, knowing full well that there was.

"Nothing that can't be dealt with," Joyce told her, refusing to let the issue with the delivery win.

"Well, that's better than we're doing," Jem told her and Vicky hit him on the arm as though telling him to be quiet.

"What do you mean?" Joyce asked and Vicky smiled at her as though really not wanting to talk anymore.

"It's just a little thing really," She told her, "We just may have a few…erm, problems"

"What 'problems'?" Joyce asked suspiciously.

"Well, erm, some files have erm," Vicky glanced back at the computer screen for a moment before looking back at Joyce, "become unreachable," She pulled a 'who'd a thunk it' face but Joyce wasn't convinced by the light-heartedness, the events so far having made her a cynic for the day.

"What do you mean 'unreachable?'"

"Well, erm…some files have for some unknown reason become corrupt and just…" She laughed nervously, "Disappeared" She waved her arm to both illustrate the point and make it seem like it was no big deal.

"Dis-a-peared?" Joyce asked, frustration creeping into her voice as she stretched out every syllable of the word.

"Yeah…" Vicky admitted, looking back at the computer and clicking a few times with the mouse as though to further prove what a problem there was, "You know maybe we should get that Ted guy back in, I mean he set it all up and-"

"No!" Joyce's protest came out more forceful than she intended and both Jem and Vicky jumped a little, "What I mean is uh-" Joyce paused, "Wait, which files?"

Vicky bit her lip as she looked to Jem for help, wondering how the hell she was going to tell her boss the invoices and inventory lists for the past month were completely gone.

They hadn't been able to recover any of the files. Any of them. They had simply ceased to exist. When they had David, the I.T technician have a close look at it he had told her that there wasn't even a history of them. It was as though they'd never been recorded. He suggested it was due to a bug of some kind, but a check had revealed there wasn't a single virus on the computer. So in summary? It had been simply the worst luck.

And Joyce's day seemed to be continuing in that vein. After closing up the gallery at just after half-past five she had gotten in her car and drove in the direction of the Magic Box, rather than home, knowing that Dawn was staying over at friend's and both Giles and Buffy were more likely to be at the shop than the house. It was just after six and she was still in traffic.

A traffic jam. Just what she needed. When did Sunnydale even have traffic jams? She'd been not moving for the past twenty minutes and she was bordering on claustrophobic. She was tapping her fingers impatiently on the wheel when she saw the cars ahead finally begin to move. She sighed in relief, but just as she started to drive on, the car wouldn't go anywhere. In fact it stopped working at all as the engine died out. Joyce looked at the dashboard in disbelief as though that alone would tell her why the rest of the car wasn't working. Was this really fair? Really? As she leant over her seat to reach her bag and grab her cell to do one of the things she hated the most- call the AA team- she heard the beep of car horns from the drivers behind her. Like that was going to get her moving. It was as if they assumed she was staying where she was by choice. Were they insane?

As she dialled the number for the emergency repair team she thought to herself about how this day couldn't possibly get any worse.

She finally made it the Magic Box at seven o clock. If they were a normal couple, Giles would be home by now and closed up shop, but since their lives were very far from normal and Glory was a recent mad and powerful addition- the likelihood that the entire group would still be at the store was very high. And sure enough as Joyce walked to the storefront, the lights were on and people were inside.

Opening the door she saw the people weren't the usual crowd. She saw Giles and Buffy- pleasant sight in comparison to everyone else around them. Quentin Travers sat at a table, clearly trying to look superior and numerous Watchers hovered about him. Joyce took heart in the fact that she couldn't see Weatherby and co amongst them, but it was a very slight and small upside. In fact, after her extremely bad day she decided she would really rather not deal with them right now and leave them up to Buffy and Giles. How could a day be so bad?

"It's all just a bad, bad, bad dream…" She murmured to herself going to step back out of the store, but Travers stopped her.

"Mrs Summers," he greeted her and she was forced to turn around to face him, fake smiles and all.

"Hi...Mr Travers"

"Yes, well, uh," Travers looked at Giles, but nodded in the direction of Buffy, "Resemblance is striking sometimes, isn't it?" He asked, referring to Buffy's own entrance mere moments before.

"Yes," Giles agreed with a slightly patronizing tone, "Well, that does tend to happen between Mothers and daughters"

As Joyce went to stand beside both Giles and Buffy, the tension in the room increased to the point of slice-it-with-a-knife thickness as a silence fell over the room. Rather than deal with the issue of the events from the previous year, the obvious reason for the sudden silence, Travers decided to continue with what he had been saying before Joyce walked into the store.

"As I was saying Buffy, Glory is stronger than you. She's a more powerful instrument if you will. We can help you. We have information that can help. Pass the review and we give it to you without reservation. Fail the review, either through incompetence or be resisting our recommendations…"

Angrily, Giles stepped towards him.

"Resisting your recommendations? She fails if we don't do whatever you say! How much under your thumb do you think we are?"

"How much do you want our help?" Travers challenged and as Giles violently headed for him two other Watchers restrained him.

"She's not your bloody instrument and you have no right to do any of this!"

"Giles!" Buffy exclaimed and Giles reluctantly stepped back from Travers and shook off the Watchers holding his arms.

"I understand you think this is unfair," Travers told them but the matching look on the three's faces showed they believed anything but of him, "But there are factors which should motivate you to go along with the review. Now I don't want to do this, but obviously we could shut this place down permanently."

"You can't do that," Buffy outright denied, "You don't have the power"

"Of course we do," Travers stated simply, the lack of threat in his voice making it sound all the more threatening, "and a great deal more. In fact, if you insist on fighting us, we'll arrange to have Mr Giles deported within the day. Never set foot in this country again"

"You can't do that," Joyce argued strongly, "You don't have the right"

"We have the right and the power to do so Mrs Summers"

"No, I mean," She looked to Giles with apologetic look for a moment, "I don't want to put a formal contracty slant on our marriage but," She looked back to Travers, "We get married and it's well…instant green card. Even if you deport him we could get married in England and then he's back in the country" Buffy looked at her Mom in realization before looking at Travers with an expression of resolve.

"We can put a stop to that as well, I assure you," Travers told her.

"What?" Joyce asked in horrified disbelief.

"We can prevent the entire marriage if you force us to do so," Travers told her seriously, "If Buffy refuses to co-operate, neither of you will see Mr Giles again" The gravity of the entire situation settled on the three of them and they stood there in frustrated and angry silence, "Am I making myself clear?"

"It's a power play that's what it is. It's about who has the power,"

"I'm guessing they do," Buffy guessed as she sat at the table in the Magic Box. Travers and the rest of the Watchers' Council entourage were gone and now as she sat at the table, Giles leant against a nearby shelf, clearly as frustrated as her and her Mother who presently was pacing slightly near the table, "Big power outage in Buffy country?"

"I should have set you loose on them. That's what I should have done," Giles said forcefully and Buffy shook her head.

"Giles, that Travers guy is like sixty, I can't hit him," She paused in thought for a moment, "Wait, can I?"

"Have you ever noticed his teeth?" Joyce asked, stopping her pacing to walk over to the table, "They're like tiny little rodent teeth,"

"Um, well" Giles started, but Joyce carried on.

"Horrible gnashing little teeth. You just want to pull them out with pliers," She a made a motion with her hands as though she were about to throttle an imaginary Travers before she sighed in frustration and flopped down in a chair besides Buffy. She became deadly serious and somber as she looked to Giles sincerely and asked him, "Can they really send you out of the country? Stop the wedding?"

"In a heartbeat," Giles admitted, taking his glasses off as he began to clean them, anything to prevent himself from making eye contact with Joyce as he carried on with what he was saying, "See, the rough stuff, they're all right out there, a bit ham-handed, but they get it done…this stuff, the, uh, bureaucracy, the pulling of political strings, they're the best in the world. They can kill you with the stroke of a pen" He paused in thought but didn't cease to continue cleaning his glasses, "Poncy sods" Both Buffy and Joyce jumped slightly as there was a crunching sound and the two looked to see Giles had broke one of the lenses of his glasses in his hand from cleaning too vigorously. He sighed in resignation at the glasses and the entire situation their new state represented and took a seat next to Joyce who rested her head on his shoulder, looking frustrated to the point of exhaustion by the entire thing.

"Am I going to be able to get through this review?" Buffy asked quietly.

"Well I," Giles decided to go for complete honesty over words of comfort, "I suppose they'll make it as difficult as they want to. The physical stuff could be a bit of a challenge"

"That's not what I'm worried about," Buffy told him, "It's the other stuff. Examining decisions I've made. Twice now I've been in slaying distance of Glory and twice she's kicked my ass without even tensing a muscle. And I haven't been able to figure out…what she is, or anything about her except that she wants the key, which we have, and I can't even figure out of it's okay to tell anyone that"

Joyce leant up off of Giles to reach over and put her hand over Buffy's calmingly.

"You are doing great honey, no one could ask anymore from you"

"The council can," Buffy countered, her tone suddenly becoming panicked, "They're gonna ask questions I don't know the answer to. Their gonna expect me to…be like a Slayer and know stuff, but I'm just me and I don't know anything and they're gonna go away and they're not gonna tell me how to fight Glory, and I'm not gonna be able to protect Dawn."

"Buffy, calm down," Giles told her, "The scandal here isn't anything you've done wrong, it's the way their behaving. Holding what they know hostage with a gun pointed at my bleedin' green card no less," He sighed and Joyce moved her hand off Buffy's to put her hand in his, giving it a supportive squeeze, "It's humiliating."

"Also smart," Buffy added, "It's the perfect thing. Mom can't lose you," She looked directly at Giles, making eye contact, "I can't lose you"

"Thank you," Giles said softly and Buffy sighed, standing up.

"I guess I should be getting ready. What do you think it'll be like? I mean how do you think they'll start?"

"Mrs Summers," Nigel said simply as he sat in the seat opposite Joyce at her dining room table, "Mr Giles and yourself have been dating for quite some time now haven't you?"

"Since Buffy's senior year, you know that," Giles snapped in reply to Travers' question. Travers sat at the table in the Magic Box while Giles stood nearby, refusing to sit.

"And…well, the relationship has most certainly progressed in its seriousness hasn't it?" Travers asked carefully.

"Well, yeah," Joyce replied as Nigel took notes and she gave him a look that showed she was less than impressed, "Engagement tends to imply this…I'm sorry, what has this got to do with Buffy?"

"Well, it's merely to do with research into how well Buffy performs as a Slayer. How personal situations might affect that"

"What personal situations?" Joyce asked in disbelief, "Why would my relationship with Rupert affect Buffy's slaying in anyway? I mean, maybe Buffy the girl was, at first a little-"

"So she was affected? By the situation, I mean?" Nigel checked.

"Well, like any teenager really- why are you even…what are you writing down?"

"We both know that yours and Buffy's relationship was a little unconventional to begin with," Travers stated, "You always looked upon her as a daughter and she in return, clearly sees you as a Father figure"

"Your point being?" Giles asked and Travers cleared his throat before continuing.

"Your, ah, relationship with the girl's Mother has, obviously, only further developed these bonds."

"You think my marrying Joyce is influencing Buffy's decisions and slaying…putting her in danger…." Giles said slowly in realization.

"Don't you?" Travers challenged.

"No, I don't think that question's appropriate,"

"This is merely an evaluation Mrs Summers," Nigel insisted as Joyce stood up from her seat, anger clearly building, "You have to understand-"

"I 'understand' that this evaluation is nothing more than your hoops and your intention for us to jump through them"

"As a reasonable woman Mrs Summers, I'm sure you see how significant and important these questions are to the evaluation."

"Of course I'm a reasonable woman. It's you and the rest of the council who are unreasonable!" Joyce exclaimed, anger mounting, "I'll admit my preconceptions about the council were negative before your arrival here, but surely you 'understand' that considering that I've come across the council three times before and each time, well," She laughed without humor, "You've tried to kill me." She breathed deeply and walked around her chair so she was directly in front of the table, facing Nigel who still sat on the other side, "But I decided to go through all this…these 'evaluations', these tests, for Buffy's sake…for the information you have, what's a few hoops? But threatening Buffy, threatening Rupert…putting each and every one of us through these ridiculous questionnaires, interpreting our answers to suit your purposes, examining my personal life as though you have the freedom to do so. I have my limits" Joyce told him finally, "And I think you just pushed them"

"Well I-"

"We're finished," She told him firmly and coldly and Nigel, quite unable to hide his intimidation when he heard the hidden threat in her voice and saw the cold look in her eyes, rose from his seat and silently headed over to the front door, clipboard clutched under his arm. "Before you go," Joyce's voice caused Nigel to pause mid-way to reaching for the door knob, "I want you relay a message to Mr Travers," She told him, turning around to look at him now, folding her arms across her chest, "I know he, you and the rest of you consider me pretty much irrelevant in the entire Slayer scheme- his actions from my trip to London proved that- but if any harm comes to Buffy, Rupert or any of my family…I will find a way to make you suffer, have no doubt"

Nigel nodded silently, an unvoiced assurance that the message would reach the head of Council, before leaving just as silently out the front door. Joyce closed the door behind him just as Dawn walked into the room.

"Who was that?" Her youngest daughter asked inquisitively.

"A member of the Watcher's Council," Joyce replied, not looking away from the door.

"What happened?"

"I think I just totally screwed our chances," Joyce replied honestly, turning to look at Dawn with a worried look.

"I don't like this," Joyce said simply as she and Giles stood in the training room at the magic store, alone together.

"Yes, I know," Giles, agreed, "But, well, they'll be gone soon"

"I'm not talking about them," Joyce gestured in the direction of the main part of the store where the Watchers stood waiting silently and somberly for Buffy to arrive, "I'm talking about Buffy not being here yet,"

"She'll be fine. She's just running a late. It is Buffy after all and it is Sunnydale," Giles joked slightly and Joyce nodded with a slight smile.

"It's just…. with this Glory around…I'm constantly worried for Dawn on top of my usual worrying for Buffy, and on top of that there's even more worrying for Buffy" She sighed, "It's just a whole lot of worry," She sighed again, but this one was more out of frustration as she pointed in the direction of the main part of the store again, "I also don't like them"

Giles chuckled lightly at the earnestness in her voice and couldn't agree more as he put his arms around comfortingly and she settled against him contentedly in his embrace.

"Why did they even question us separately?" Joyce asked into his shirt, "They didn't split anyone else"

"Travers' idea most likely," Giles told her, "But the reasoning behind it? Beyond a vendetta, I can't think of much else"

"Well your Slayer's twenty minutes late and counting Rupert," Travers announced as he walked into the room, interrupting the private moment and the two looked over at him, but to the chagrin of Travers didn't let go of one another.

"I assure you, Buffy will be here," Giles told him and Travers chuckled.

"Yes, but when?"

"I'm not sure I like your tone Mr Travers," Joyce told him, now letting go of Giles to face Travers properly, speaking in her patient, filled-with-controlled-anger parent-teacher voice.

"Joyce…" Giles said quietly, putting a hand on her arm to calm her down slightly as he knew they were walking on dangerous territory here.

"She's a slayer," Joyce carried on saying to Travers, "You know what that entails. Did you think to consider that she's been held up by vampires? This is Sunnydale after all. Hellmouth, remember?"

Travers just nodded with an expressionless face before exiting the room. Giles and Joyce looked at each other silently, before following.

Walking into the room, Joyce looked around for the rest of the group but could see them nowhere. She turned to Giles.

"Where are the others?" She whispered. He pointed heavenward and she looked up to see Tara, Willow, Anya and Xander all sat in a childish way, legs swinging, on the top floor of the store, with their legs hanging through the railing. They waved down at them silently.

Just then, Buffy walked in through the door, carrying a lethal looking sword in her hand. She was looking at it inquisitively as she walked at a leisurely pace to the table where Travers sat.

"You're late," He commented snootily.

"Yeah," Buffy did nothing but one wordedly agree

"Was there an attack?" Giles asked, concerned as he eyed the sword.

"Yeah," Buffy agreed monosyllabically again and once more sounding very pensive.

"We can begin the review at last," Travers announced quietly as he picked up a pen, "We'll skip the uh, more obvious questions"

Slowly Buffy placed the sword down on the table, across the papers Travers intended to write on.

"There isn't going to be a review"

"Sorry?" Travers questioned, not believing it to be possible to have heard what he just heard.

"No review. No interrogation. No questions you know I can't answer. No hoops, no jumps-" Nigel began to speak and Buffy threw him an even glare, "No interruptions"

As Nigel immediately shut up, Buffy began to pace slowly as she talked calmly and quietly, fully aware that every Watcher was being attentive.

"See, I've had a lot of people talking to me the last few days. Everyone just lining up to tell me how unimportant I am. And I've finally figured out why," She looked Travers in the eye, her gaze powerful and menacing, "Power. I have it. They don't. This bothers them" She resumed her pacing as she began to move her coat at the same slow, calm, steady pace, "Glory…came to my home today"

"Oh my god, Buffy is everything alright? Dawn?" Joyce checked at the exact same time Giles asked, "Buffy are you okay?" and so the words of the two of them came out as a messy jumble but Buffy looked over at them with a serene smile that matched her calm pace. She seemed oddly at ease with everything suddenly.

"Just to talk," She assured them. "She told me I'm a bug. I'm a flea. She could squash me in a second" She stopped her pacing to look directly at Travers once more, "Only she didn't. She came into my home and we talked. We had what in her in her warped brain probably passes for a civilised conversation. Why?" She didn't wait for an answer, "Because she needs something from me. Because I have power over her" She put her hands on her hips as she looked around at every Watcher in the room, catching for a moment the eyes of her friends who were watching eagerly from above, "You guys didn't come all the way from England to determine whether or not I'm good enough to be let back in. You came to beg me to let you back in. To give your jobs, your lives some semblance of meaning."

"This is beyond insolence-" Nigel began, breaking the rule of 'no interruptions' and without blinking an eye Buffy picked up the sword in one hand and flung it in the direction of the Watcher. It imbedded itself in the wall just inches from his nose.

"I'm fairly certain I said no interruptions,"

"That was excellent!" Joyce heard Xander whisper excitedly above her and she looked up to see he was wearing a huge grin on his face. She had to agree though, after the way Nigel had been in the 'interview' she did get a little happy from seeing the sword thrown at him and him being scared into silence. He stood there, now a dithering, nervous wreck, not really daring to say another word.

"So here's how it's gonna work," Buffy carried on, "You're gonna tell me everything you know. Then you're gonna go away. You'll contact me if and when you have any further information about Glory. The magic shop will remain open. Mr Giles will remain here as my official Watcher, reinstated at full salary-"

"Retroactive," Giles coughed out, hoping Buffy would get the message. She did.

"…to be paid retroactively from the month he was fired," Travers went to say something and reading his mind and so guessing what he was about to say Buffy carried on, "This will not, however, affect in anyway Mr Giles' relationship with my mother. Their wedding and their marriage will not be interfered with by any member of the council. I would ask no derogatory comments to be made, but," She smiled an equally smarmy smile at Travers ironically and perhaps purposely reminiscent of Gwendolyn Post (Mrs), "But we can't ask for miracles can we? I will continue the work with the help of my friends."

"I-uh," The Watcher who Joyce recognized as Cassandra from the trip to London spoke up nervously, "I don't want the sword thrown at me, but, but, civilians. We're talking about children"

Buffy looked up at her friends with a smile.

"We're talking about two very powerful witches and a thousand-year-old ex-demon"

"Willow's a demon?!" Anya attempted to cover her back. Badly.

"The boy?" Phillip, another Watcher questioned, "No power there"

"The 'boy' has clocked more field time than all of you combined he's part of the unit"

"Erm, but-" Cassandra again spoke nervously, "your Mother. I mean the ah, boy may have uh 'clocked field time', but your Mother has no defences, no skills, but being your Mother she's already a liability and distraction for your slaying. Do you really think it's safe to have her, well, in battle so-to-speak?" By the way Cassandra spoke it was evident that she had quickly determined where the power and control lay. Buffy.

Buffy looked over at her Mom who still stood beside Giles, underneath her friends sat on the balcony and thought over the past events. Finding out about Dawn, her getting ill, Ethan…everything. The Watcher was right- she didn't have any 'special defences'. She couldn't fight properly herself, she wasn't overtly used to all things slayery, but yet she was still stood there, not falling apart and not backing down.

"My Mom has a world of strength in her and has faced more things in the past few week than all of you combined will in your lives," Buffy smiled over at her Mom, who returned it, "I don't know anyone stronger," She looked to the audience of Watchers, "Each and everyone of this group matters. We work together. Always. Now, you all may be very good at your jobs, the only way we're gonna find out is if you work with me. You can all take your time thinking about that," She turned to look directly at Travers, "But I want an answer right now from Quentin, because I think he's understanding me" She paraphrased his own statement from before. A little thrown off, Travers cleared his throat.

"Uh, your terms are acceptable,"

"Giles," At the sound of his name, Giles looked up to see Buffy stood in the doorway to the training room. The Watchers' Council had left the previous day and as the store was now completely empty, he had decided to take the time to clean up the mess the Watchers had left behind. Training equipment out of its place for example, stock not returned to the front of the store.

"Buffy," He greeted her simply with a smile. He was still beaming from how Buffy had dealt with Travers the other day and how thrown off the head of council had been by it. Plus, she'd gotten him his job back- retroactive salary, of course- and he couldn't be more thankful. He looked at her and saw how much she had grown up and matured since he first met her when she had been a typical American 16-year-old girl all those years ago.

"So the British Invasion has officially left the building thank god," Buffy commented lightly as she stepped into the room, "No offence"

"None taken, I assure you" He paused, "I'm so very proud of you Buffy. You know that?"

Buffy nodded silently.

"Yeah, of course I do," Buffy, told him with a smile, her voice serious, knowing there was no joke in the touching exchange. Her tone then became light and peppy again, "I just like hearing you say it" He laughed quietly.

"So, how come you're here?" He asked eventually, "I thought you'd be out with Willow, Xander and the others…celebrating the Council's departure"

"We are." Buffy told him, "Well, we were. And we will be doing again…I just wanted to talk to you about something first"

"What is it?" Giles asked, concerned.

"Mom." Buffy stated simply and this clearly wasn't enough explanation as Giles frowned in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"The Council said a lot of stupid things while they were here," Buffy said to him, "But one thing Cassandra said was erm, not wrong" She paused for a moment before carrying on, "Mom can't defend herself. I mean, she's slowly been more and more in on the slaying stuff every week and she still has no abilities beyond research. I mean, I know Xander is basically the same…but, I don't know- it just seems different….but I never used to bother. It was just how it was. She got along just like Xander did. But now we know Glory is…a god…I'm worried. Seriously worried." She made sure to make eye contact with Giles as she said her next words, "I want you to train her."

"What?" Giles frowned.

"Train her," Buffy repeated, "I may be the slayer, but that just means I can do the fighting things, not teach them. You can. You're like …well…." Buffy looked awkward for a moment, "you're really good- pretty much something I silently noticed ever since my first year in Sunnydale. And I want Mom taught by the best"

"But, Buffy," Giles said, "As much as I fully appreciate the compliment you just paid me, your Mother is just that…your Mother. She has no special fighting skills, how-"

"I know," Buffy interrupted him in agreement, "Just teach her something minimal effort- maximum damage. I don't know…swords or something. You're good with that. I just-" Buffy took a deep breath, "I don't want her completely defenceless with Glory around, Giles. I don't want her to get hurt."