zigpal- thank you vair much for review, and of course those much loved claps. Spike does turn up a little in this part, but it'll be even more so in the next one and glad you're likin' Crush so far. :-)

g120- yah you're good- you totally gave me a happy. ooh- yesh, you did get the hintage on the chocolate front as you shall see... .::durn durn durn::. haha. And 'Buffy English Style' I like that a lot. haha. I imagine the phrase being followed by an oh-so-cool wink. haha.

rabidreject-thanks for review and I'm glad you're likin it so far

"I'm sorry about that," A voice from the kitchen doorway stopped Joyce in the middle of taking the cake out of the oven where it had been waiting, already cooked, patiently. She stood up straight to see Jacqueline stood there.

"Sorry?" Joyce asked, not getting what the woman was referring to.

"What my Father was like before…with you." Jac explained, "I mean…. he's from a different time…different era…. and he just kind of views things rather differently than he should"

"So are my parents," Joyce countered, resting one hand on the counter as she talked the woman so as to retain her in-control stance at the same time as not looking especially confrontational, "But my Dad doesn't make those misogynistic comments"

"Touché." Jac smiled, "You really threw him you know?" Again, Joyce was slightly unsure of what she was talking about, "When you retorted. Dad isn't used to people facing up to him at all really…"

"I don't like that sort of attitude," Joyce admitted honestly, "Especially in my own home"

"Don't worry- I'm not disagreeing," Jac held her hands up in mock surrender, "I have a strong feeling that what you said in there was rather mild and very much a warm-up so-to-speak and so I'd rather not be on the receiving end of your retorts once the warm-up is complete"

Joyce just gave her a look that told Jac it was the right decision. The Giles family had set Joyce quite on edge- their entire attitude to everything had her defences up and so, in all honesty, she really wasn't in the mood for pointless small talk and boring chit-chat. Nor was she in the mood for any remarks they wished to head her, or any of her family's way.

"I do care about my brother you know," Jac said in a quiet tone that revealed it was the honest truth and Joyce looked to her with interest, listening properly as she carried on, "I know I haven't seen him in a while…years actually…. but I still look out for him…"

Joyce nodded in silent acceptance of this statement. It was what siblings did- looked out for one another. Arlene and herself always looked out for one another as kids and had continued to do so way into adulthood and even did so now. You knew that if everyone else lost your trust over the years your sister (or brother) was always there, no matter what.

"…And I know the type of women he attracts," Jac continued and Joyce immediately felt her defences go back up again.

"And what type exactly would that be?"

"That type," Jac replied simply, "Not afraid of challenge, speaks her mind…not afraid of the vampire or two that will undoubtedly come your way…not easily intimidated." Jac took a breath, "But I also know the other side of that 'type'. They're only ever with him if they truly care about him and he only ever gives them the time of day if he cares of them. I also know," Jac, added, "That they're few and far between. I don't pretend to know what on Earth went on during that dreadful period of time where he ran away from everything he knew…when he was living in the slums of London with god knows who…but in the time I have known what's been going on in his life he's had very few relationships. Very few women he'd ever let in…and you're the only I've know that has stuck around so long- and not run away because of all that being a Watcher entails," Joyce didn't bother to interrupt and add about the factor of Buffy being the Slayer or maybe that some of the women hadn't made it because they died as Jacqueline seemed to be really wishing to get to her point and get it across and so Joyce didn't really wish to disrupt her monologue. "And with marriage- rather a huge commitment wouldn't you agree? It's clear he thinks the entire world of you…. only a few moments in that now presently cramped living room and I could see that. The way he looks at you…" She paused again, before looking at Joyce directly, "I know your first impressions of our family were abrupt and weren't exactly on top form but…. for Rupert's sake if anything…I'd really like us to be friends…of a sorts. Or at least two women who don't completely hate each other"

Joyce smiled in spite of herself. This woman was amazingly human for someone Giles had said had always wished to be a Watcher. She was pretty surprised that she wasn't like following directly in her Father and Travers' footsteps…only female.

"Did you always want to be a Watcher?" Joyce asked casually, an unvoiced agreement of a truce between the two, as she started to retrieve the cake from the oven again and Jac went to help as she answered the question.

"Yes. The moment I was told about it…when I was a little girl…it was all I wanted to do. It sounded so exotic and adventurous." She smiled, "And as I got older I began to see the more substantial advantages also, of course,"

Joyce smiled also, as she placed the cake on the side; on it's large art-deco design glass plate.

"Surely you must have thought at one point like 'oh no, no thanks- I have other plans,'" Joyce reasoned but Jac shook her head, "Not even as a teenager?"

"Rupert never wanted to be a Watcher you know," Jac said, not actually answering Joyce's question.

"Yes," Joyce told her, accepting the distraction technique, "He wanted to be a grocer or a-"

"Fighter pilot," The both said in unison, smiling afterwards, both mutually warming up to one another.

"This chocolate cake looks delicious by the way," Jac told her, tentatively reaching out to take a lick of the flicked melted chocolate topping on her finger. After a taste she smiled in delight, "Tastes delicious too."

"Well, uh, Tara- you know the blonde girl in the living room that isn't Buffy?" Jac nodded to show she knew who she meant, "Well, she helped me out a lot with this. It was her idea in fact"

"Got to love a girl with great ideas," Jac smiled, "So should we ah take this in there, then?"

"Just a minute," Joyce told her, eyeing one side of the cake, where during baking it overflowed slightly and spread around one part of the edge of the cake, creating a sort of, now solid, chocolate puddle. Joyce headed over to the nearby drawers and pulled out an ordinary dinner knife to cleanly slice away the excess chocolate. When the piece was finally broke off in her hand she automatically popped it in her mouth.

As both Joyce and Jac walked back into the living room and placed the appealing-looking chocolate cake down on the coffee table, they caught the looks on every person's face. A look that clearly said more than one slice of that cake was going to be theirs.

"So," Edward spoke, stopping Joyce from going back into the kitchen for plates.

"So?" She asked, knowing he was hinting for her to get some point he was trying to make but what the hell was she supposed to get from the word 'so'?

"I don't believe I've had time to discuss this with Rupert yet, so I supposed now, while you're both here, would be as good a time as any"

"For what?" Joyce asked, her tone now suspicious as she cast a nervously confused glance Giles' way and he shrugged slightly to show he was as clueless as she was.

"Well, as you know, our family has had generation after generation of…" He paused as he looked around at the members of the Taylor family and sighed, "Of librarians and well we have young Edward here-" He pointed out Ted who was still talking to Dawn and so looked slightly confused by the mention of his own name so randomly, "but well, that's only one. It would be rather preferable to have more than a few descendents to carry on…the library…tradition"

"What?!" Joyce exclaimed, finally understanding what Edward was getting at, "You want us to have kids?!"

"WHAT?" Buffy exclaimed at the same time as Dawn, Willow and Xander and even, Tara realized, Giles. It was as much a shock to him as everyone else.

"We're not, we can't have-" Joyce began to protest but Edward carried on talking.

"I know you might view it as a little 'late', most people have their children in their late twenties, early thirties at the most, but you have to understand the circumstances"

"I do." She said and Giles looked over at her in panicked surprise before she continued, "and those circumstances are that we are not planning any children" She told him firmly and he went to argue, but she stopped him, "End of discussion" She looked down at the chocolate cake, wondering what it was she had been planning to do, before it finally came to her. "I'll, erm, I'll go get some plates"

"I'll help you with that," Xander offered, wishing to leave the thick tension that was the Summers living room.

"Well that was a shockorama of diabolical proportions," Xander commented as they walked into the kitchen.

"Tell me about it," Joyce agreed, stopping in her task to get plates to look at Xander, "I mean where does that guy get off? He just comes in here, looks down on my entire family and then suddenly decides he's the family planning agency?" She let out a brief, not-too-loud, expression of annoyance and anger, thinking over what had been said, "Plus-" She added, "I've had kids. I've been there- and any thoughts about going through it all again just…well…it gives me the wig"

"The wig?" Xander laughed, "You are spending way too much time with us"

"Probably," She joked, "You know this whole thing has had me and Rupert stressed for weeks," She admitted as she opened the cupboard door, which contained plates and glasses. She was tempted to get out the company plates- special guests and all that- but realized, with the mood she was in now, she really couldn't be bothered. "We've not even-" She stopped suddenly as she realized who she was talking to and began focusing intently on getting the plates out of the cupboard and putting them on the kitchen side.

"Not even what?" Xander asked, walking over to take some of the plates to carry in.

"Nothing." Joyce told him, but he looked unconvinced, "What I mean is it's nothing you want to hear"

"Oh come on," Xander tried to convince her, "I know I may not exactly be Dr Laura when it comes to relationships, but I can promise I won't completely freak and walk out the room a la a more masculine Buffy"

"Well you know with the worry and all…we haven't you know…." Xander looked completely clueless and she rolled her eyes as she realized she was just going to have to say it and kill him for it afterwards, "we haven't been having sex lately Xander. Rupert and I haven't been having sex."

"Oh." Was all Xander said in response as he realized perhaps Joyce had been right, and he didn't want to hear that, but he had dragged himself into it now.

"Or been kissing much at all…." Joyce added as an afterthought, "I mean with all this and then Dawn and Glory…it's all leaving very, very little time for well-"

"Smoochies?" Xander filled in immediately his eyes revealing slight panic.

"Yeah," Joyce agreed, grabbing the rest of the plates and closing the cupboard door, "I mean he's been all work, work, work. Doesn't a guy need a little downtime?"

"Well, I, erm, I know I do," Xander admitted as they started to walk out of the kitchen, "But it's Giles. You know- Watcher Man. He won't stop until the problem's solved."

"I know…I know…." Joyce admitted, "I know it's right and it's what he and the rest of us should be doing…but it doesn't mean I can't complain about it"

"Not at all," Xander agreed just as the two of them reached the living room, "Take heart- we have plates and a knife to cut this baby with."

"Hey Slayer- where you at tonight?" Everyone looked to see Spike stood behind them, having just walked in through the front door.

"Where am I at?" Buffy asked, not believing the his tone or the flippancy by which he'd asked, "What do you care anyway?"

"Wh- why, well, would I-" Spike stuttered at the question, "Well, I don't. Just vamps out there getting a little antsy. Sun setting and all that. Figured you might actually be out there. You know doing your job"

"I will be doing." Buffy told him, "In a minute. But right now, I'm here so go away"

"Vamps?" Arlene asked in confusion, "Is that a new term?"

"You have a job Buffy?" Grace asked and Buffy looked genuinely worried as she was asked these questions, no cover-ups coming to mind. Luckily though, Spike spoke again and distracted both Grace and Arlene from wanting answers to their questions.

"Bit of a party in here." He commented lightly, "Who are you lot then?"

"Spike…." Buffy said in a tone warning him not to push it, "This is my family," She gestured to the Taylors, "And these are Giles' relatives"

"Oh," Spike sniffed and then fully got the implications of what she had just said. Clueless people one side and bloody Watchers on the other, "Oooh! Well, erm, I'd best be off then. Told you…you're needed at work so erm I'll go now. Don't wanna bother you"

"Spike?" Jac asked, the name ringing a bell and then her eyes widened in realization, "William the Bloody?"

"The bloody reference isn't what you think." Buffy assured her Mom's side of the family when she saw their expressions, "It really isn't"

"Well…uh…." Spike tried to think of a way to excuse himself from Giles' sister, but realized there would be very little point, "Yeah, actually. Like I said- gotta be going."

And with that he was quickly gone, preferring not to stay in the presence of several Watchers, not to mention all of them being relatives of Giles, who on a number of occasions had made it very clear to Spike how much he disliked him.

"You just let him go?" Edward asked incredulously, "Like that? Buffy could have staked him right there and then"

"Well, it's ah, very, erm, well it's very complicated," Giles, told him but his Father looked unconvinced.

"Yeah, he's kinda good now," Buffy, explained, "Ish…"

"Stake? Vamps?" Arlene continued to ask, "What is going on?"

"Erm…" Joyce searched for an explanation, explanation read: lie, "Vamp is erm…slang…. for…thugs! It's slang for all those…thugs that roam the streets." Her family looked surprisingly convinced, but still very much confused, "Buffy's a…. volunteer policewoman"

"I am?" Buffy frowned and her Mother threw her an urgent look, " I mean, I am." She grinned nervously at her family, "Yeah, gotta stake…. gotta stake those vamps. Yeah."

"Yeah, doing her bit for the community," Willow added with a smile.

"We all do," Buffy told her family, grabbing Xander, Willow and Tara, "All of us…volunteer police…people."

"What?" Xander asked, wondering why the heck he and the others were being pulled into this lie.

"Which is why Spike was here just now," Buffy carried on 'explaining', "He was reminding me it's my…that is our," She gestured to her friends, "shift. We'd best be off on patrol" She dragged her friends through the living room, to the front door. She turned back to look at the Giles family before leaving, "It was nice meeting you"

"So, can we cut this thing now?" Dawn asked impatiently once Buffy and co had left the house.

"Yes," Joyce told her, and so consequently, everyone else, "But you're only having one slice."

"Mom…" Dawn whined in protest, "Why?"

"Need I remind you what happened last time you had chocolate cake?"

"I was twelve then…and the curtain rail was eventually fixed, but I'm not exactly gonna get hyperactive now am I?"

"One slice," Joyce repeated, showing her daughter that she wasn't going to relent.

"Fine," Dawn grumbled, mostly because she felt embarrassed about the way her Mom was being in front of Ted, "Just so long as you know that you're no fun"

"I'll survive," Joyce smiled.

"Well, I'll say one thing for her," Edward mused aloud after taking the first bite of his slice of cake, as did everyone else, except Joyce who resolved not to have her own slice, her whole attitude about the entire evening making her very not-hungry, but she opted to occasionally take a piece of Giles' slice. "She can bake a decent cake."

"I would appreciate it if you would stop talking about me as though I'm not here." Joyce told him warningly and Brian put down his plate of untouched cake and gestured for Giles to follow him into the kitchen. Giles put down his own untouched cake and did so. While he was gone, Joyce puzzled over why Brian had asked him to leave the room to talk and decided to ask Giles later. While waiting she started to nibble, almost subconsciously at the cake slice that Giles had left behind. There was just over a quarter of the cake left on the main plate, so she could easily have gotten her own piece but…she really couldn't be bothered.

"What's the matter?" Giles asked as soon as he and his brother were in the kitchen and out of the earshot of the others.

"She's a nice enough woman Joyce," Brian said simply and Giles knew it would ultimately lead to something further so he chose to just question him outright.

"Meaning what exactly?"

"Well, as I said, she's rather lovely but…she's not exactly…" Brian searched for an appropriate choice of words, "Our type of people is she?"

"'Our type'?" Giles repeated incredulously, "What the hell is 'our type of people'? You mean she's not a Watcher?"

Brian didn't say anything, which was, in Giles' view, the same as him having screamed yes from the top of his lungs.

"Neither was Mum," Giles countered and Brian sighed.

"Yes…I know…but that wasn't the same…she was still- in our circles if you know what I mean- on our level of…thinking."

"You mean she was upper class enough to be allowed into the tight circle that is the Watchers' Council?" Giles translated smoothly, before turning angry, "I can't believe you would stoop to something as low as this. This is beyond….what on earth gives you the right to judge Joyce like that?"

"I'm just telling you what I know-"

"What you think," Giles corrected, the tension audible in his voice.

"Like you said though," Brian added, "Mum wasn't a Watcher either," He paused to look Giles evenly in the eye, "And you know what happened to her because of the involvement"

"That's-" Giles could hardly speak in response. Not only was his brother using their own Mother's death…murder at the hands of an Mm'Fashnik…to make a point, which was low enough but he knew how easily that simple statement would plant the seeds of worry in Giles' mind. What if that sort of thing did happen to Joyce? It was fully possible. But, she was the Mother of the Slayer- that sort of thing was possible anyway. Hadn't Joyce said as much herself?

"The truth, and you know it," Brian finished the sentence for him. Giles didn't say anything in reply but silently headed back into the living room where he saw his cake had been slightly demolished, just over a quarter of it gone, from Joyce picking at it. Presently though, she wasn't nibbling away as she was talking on her cell phone, a look of concern on her face.

"How the hell should I know?" She was saying as he took his seat beside her again and few moments later Brian returned to the room also. "I don't have an 'attitude' Carole…I'm just a little busy at the moment ya know?" She was silent as Carole answered on the other end and once she heard what was said Joyce sighed a sigh that clearly showed what Carole was asking of her was going to require effort that she didn't want to give, "Fine, it's all good. I'll be there in five." She hung up and looked at the group around her. "That was erm…" She looked at Giles to talk to him directly, "That was Carole at the gallery. I'm pretty much needed apparently. Something's gone all wrong…or something." She looked at the rest of the group, "I'm sorry, but I'll, erm, I'll be back as soon as I can. Promise. I'm just kinda needed at work for a little bit." She smiled apologetically at them, feeling terrible not that she was leaving all of them, but rather that she was leaving Giles alone to deal with them. She gave him a quick kiss goodbye before grabbing her keys and heading out the front door leaving them all to their slices of chocolate cake. She briefly wondered who would be the first to get the extra pieces.

"You said it was a problem," Joyce said simply as she viewed the situation in front of her at the gallery.

"Well there was…." Carole admitted, "We just need you here to sign for it to be fixed"

"Fine," Joyce agreed with a roll of the eyes, "Whatever. Where's the signy sheet thing that I have to get all signature-happy on?"

"Erm…just here…." Carole said, handing the sheet to her, throwing her friend a wary look, "Are you okay?"

"I'm cool…why?" Joyce said as soon as she finished signing and she handed the sheet back.

"You just seem a little…off…like you don't really care about this right now…" Carole told her,

"No, I'm just…. all preoccupied. With this family thing I guess. It's getting me all…freaked out. His family aren't exactly the uber friendly type"

"…And you're kinda talking strange…." Carole added.

"Huh?"

"Like a lot more slangy…like you're spending way too much time around your daughters and their friends…you know…teenagery…I mean, you're sure you're alright?"

"What?" Joyce asked, as something clicked distantly in the back of her mind from what her friend had said, "Slang…teenagery…. but…" She didn't know how, but she recognized those symptoms way too much. But why wasn't she more affected? Unless it was progressive. Either way she really needed to get to Buffy…and Giles…if Giles was still, well, Giles… "I've gotta book," She told Carole, "Like right now. I'll see you"

She was barely out the door when she was already on the phone to Buffy, praying for her eldest daughter to pick up the phone.

"Buffy!" She exclaimed in joy, once she answered.

"Mom?"

"Yeah, hi. Listen, something really freaky is going on and I'm kinda thinkin' we're gonna need your help real bad."

"Freaky? Real…" Buffy repeated in disbelief at her Mom's choice of words, "Why did you s-" Buffy paused, obviously having the same thought her Mom had had moments ago, "Oh god. You're not-"

"No, I'm fine…ish. For now anyway. But I don't know how long…or anything really. I have no clue what's going on. I'm driving home now and I just hope the rest of them are pretty much of the good….but…"

"I get ya, we'll start heading over now- wait, why are you not at home?"

"I had to go to the gallery- but just hurry huh?" And with that she hung up.

Buffy clicked off her cell phone and put it back in her pocket as she turned to look at her four friends who had been forced to help out with patrol.

"We've got a problem."

"What problem?" Willow asked, "Did something happen at the house?"

"I don't know…I hope not…" Buffy answered honestly, "But that was Mom on the phone." She looked at Willow and Xander, as Tara had no experience with the previous case, "The Band Candy effects are making some kind of comeback"

"What?!" Both Willow and Xander exclaimed.

"Not in a major way," Buffy assured them, "At least not yet anyway. Mom just…was talking a bit like a teenager really. We've gotta get home and check the rest of the adults are okay…"

"Especially Giles?" Willow filled in, reading her friend's mind.

"Exactly," Buffy agreed as they all walked off.

"What's the Band Candy Effects?" Tara asked as they walked and they all began to explain the freaksome events that had occurred in their last year of high school.

Joyce couldn't open the door fast enough as she finally reached her house and stepped inside, slamming the door behind her.

"Rupert we've got a bit of a-" The word 'problem' fell silent on her lips as she took in the scene in front of her.

These were definitely not the group of adults she left behind. Her sister didn't look as proper as she had before and now had a stance and a look of disgust in her husband's direction that hadn't crossed her face since her days in High School when she'd been a cheerleader. Her proper, below-the-knee skirt had been hitched and rolled up and so now it was several inches above the knee and the long-sleeved shirt she'd been wearing had been cast aside and she wore the simple yet pretty cami top, that she had been using as an undertop.

The husband whom she was throwing looks of disdain at was in fact loud and confident and seemed unafraid to make his opinions known, acting as though he was the final word on everything- completely the opposite from the usually quiet personality Peter had adopted.

Her Mom was one of the most shocking to see. She was evidently and clearly very, very drunk and an empty bottle of wine lay beside her while a half empty glass of white wine sat in her hand. And even more shocking and grotesque for Joyce to witness? She was clearly coming on to an apparently unaffected Edward- except for the leering look he was giving Grace. Joyce resisted the urge to retch and for now was too shocked to tear her Mom away from him as she wished to do.

Her Dad didn't seem to care at all about this flirting…or anything at all in fact and was slouched in his chair, clearly sulking about something unknown to Joyce.

Brian was worryingly missing, while Jac had discarded the blazer of her designer suit (the item tossed carelessly on the floor) and kicked off her shoes and tights and now sat there picking her nails after picking up the remote and flicking on the TV. She then seemed to get bored with both these things and headed over to look at Buffy's portion of the CD collection.

Her husband Harvey no longer seemed to have any interest in her and the way he walked and the stance he held made him seem incomplete without a high school letterman jacket and he was actively flirting with Arlene and Arlene was returning the affection- the two so very close to acting on their flirtation and Joyce's mouth dropped open in shock at the two of them. They were both married after all.

But the one thing that confirmed Joyce's entire band candy fears? The déjà vu appearance of the way Giles was dressed and was acting and the clear fact that Giles had left the building and Ripper had strolled right in.