Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.
"I think this calls for a celebration," Joyce declared as she and Dawn joined everyone in the hallway. The group was slowly putting things down after unloading the car. This was the first time everyone was home and nobody knew exactly where to put the twins' things or Buffy's things. Or the twins or Buffy for that matter.
"Pizza?" Xander asked as he struggled to unfold the wheelchair.
"How about a home cooked meal?" Joyce suggested. "I haven't seen my kitchen for almost a month."
"That sounds great," Xander told her, "especially if you throw in cake and ice cream."
"Consider it done," she told everybody. "I just need to go to the store." Tara and Dawn both volunteered to go with her, but she declined. She really needed some alone time. She quickly made her list and was out the door in minutes. An hour later she was back with her arms full of groceries. She grumbled under her breath when nobody offered to help her bring in her purchases. Her grumbles stopped at the sight that met her. Buffy was in the center of the couch, Xander and Willow scrunched up on either side of her. Anya and Tara were next to their partners, each of them carrying a baby. Dawn had curled up in one of the recliners, while Giles had claimed the other one. Across from them Faith and Daniel were curled together on the love seat. Someone had popped a movie in, but the only one watching was Buffy. Everyone else was fast asleep.
"Cute isn't it." Joyce jumped at Spike's unexpected voice. He looked apologetic. "Sorry Mum, didn't mean to scare you."
"It's okay Spike," she told him quietly. He helped her with the bags and started to unload the groceries once they were safely in the kitchen. "Aren't there supposed to be more houseguests?"
"They're over yonder annoying the Watchers," Spike grinned. "Think of it as cosmic payback."
"They can't be that bad," she said as she started making dinner.
"Oh they're that bad," he told her. "I wanted to kill them after a minute, just to shut them up." He leaned against the counter as they finished unloading the groceries. "The Watchers said they'll come over about five." Joyce glanced at her watch.
"Dinner should be just about finished then," she said. "Will you be joining us?" Spike shrugged.
"Might as well. No sense patrolling on an empty stomach." He pulled out a couple packets of pig's blood from the fridge and poured them into two mugs. "I'll be downstairs with Peaches if you need anything." She nodded and tried to cook the dinner as quietly as possible, but still she managed to rouse Giles. He yawned as he came into the kitchen, taking a seat at the counter.
"I didn't mean to wake you," she said. He waved her concern away and helped her with dinner. "Was Buffy really watching the movie?"
"I don't think she was watching it exactly," he confessed. "I think it kept catching her attention because the images kept changing." It made sense. Both Buffy and Faith were always hyper aware of their surroundings. Xander had explained it as a Slayer thing. Giles smiled as he helped her mix the salad and toast the rolls and was just about to set the table when the doorbell rang. He opened the door and let the Watchers in, along with their two guests.
"This place is much better than the dump we're staying at," Andrew started to complain.
"Hey!" Giles objected, knowing the Watchers were camping in his house.
"Don't mind him," Jonathan cautioned. "He's just upset that he can't go back for his limited edition Luke Skywalker action figure."
"It is extremely rare," Andrew raised his voice slightly in frustration. "Who knows what those people are doing to it. What if they," his whole body shuddered, "play with it?"
"Then the world will end," Giles said, at the end of his rope, "which is fortuitous that you are here as the world ending is our specialty." He turned his back on them and addressed the Watchers. "Father. Veronica. Gregory. How did you sleep?"
"A real bed was a Godsend," Gregory said appreciatively. Albert said nothing, instead he was investigating the room closely, while Veronica and Rupert watched him in trepidation.
"So this is the social experiment the Council funded," he said calmly.
"We are completely self-sufficient," Giles automatically defended.
"I am aware," Albert said. "Perhaps you will indulge an old man and give me a tour?"
"I would," he began, "but I'm helping Joyce in the kitchen."
"I can," Dawn said, sleepily coming out of the living room before realizing exactly what she volunteered for. "What do you want me to show them?" she asked, shooting Giles a concerned glance. Giles sighed.
"Whatever they want to see," he told her. "If the Council is truly willing to try to work with us we shall do the same and keep no secrets from them."
"And if they're not?" she asked innocently, glancing between Giles and his father.
"We've cut ties with the Council before," he said nonchalantly, "we can do it again." The two men had a staring contest. Surprisingly Albert backed down first.
"This way," Dawn said, leading the older man from the entryway. Giles watched him go, breathing a sigh of relief.
"He still hasn't said anything," Veronica told her brother. "He was mesmerized by your library collection, but he hasn't said anything about Buffy."
"I assume he snooped quite thoroughly last night?" he asked, leading her into the kitchen. Anya and Tara had woken up and joined them in the kitchen, leaving the three core Scoobies asleep on the couch. Giles quietly made his way to the living room, looking at them fondly. Buffy had finally fallen asleep, but the other two had shifted during their sleep. They were each using Buffy as a pillow, with their arms over the young woman as if they were afraid she would vanish again. He was loathe to wake them, but knew from experience that was not the most comfortable position to sleep in. "Willow. Xander." He called quietly, trying not to wake the sleeping woman between them.
"What?" Xander asked groggily. He quickly pulled back when he realized where he was sleeping. "Will?"
"Yeah?" she asked, opening her eyes lazily. She didn't pull back from her friend though, instead she got a big smile on her face. "I never thought we would do this again."
"I know what you mean," Xander agreed before looking at Giles. "Yeah G-Man?"
"Dinner," he replied exasperatedly. "And don't call me that." Xander grinned.
"Can I help with anything?" he asked, stretching. Willow reluctantly moved, but unfortunately Buffy woke up with the jostling.
"Can you get the wheelchair from the hall?" he asked, reaching for Buffy. Xander nodded and darted out of the room, only to return a few minutes later. Giles carefully transferred the girl from the couch to the chair, ensuring she was strapped in securely. Willow pushed her into the dining room, where Joyce was laying out the food.
"This looks great," she said, locking the chair in place at the head of the table. She helped Xander set the table while the others slowly gathered.
"You have a very lovely home Ms. Summers," Albert told her when Dawn led them back to the dining room.
"Thank you," she replied, throwing a concerned glance to Giles. He could only shrug. They sat down, the Watchers raising an eyebrow when Spike and Angel joined them. Everybody started eating in an uncomfortable silence.
"So Rupert," Albert spoke after a few minutes, "You have a very impressive setup here." Everyone glanced at Giles before looking back at their food. Giles gripped his utensils tightly as he responded.
"Thank you Father."
"And your journals were much more interesting than the reports you send to the Council." Giles glared at his father.
"All the Council cares about is results," he spat out. Albert didn't answer. Giles forced his hand to unclench and sighed tiredly. "Why are you here Father? You don't care about Slayers."
"How dare you!" Albert didn't shout, but they could clearly hear the anger in his voice. "I have dedicated my entire life to the Slayer."
"Not my Slayer," Giles said, shooting a look at Buffy. The girl was sitting calmly in the wheelchair, looking around the room and seemingly oblivious to the group that was eating around her. Albert followed his sight. His gaze softened. He put his fork down, leaning back in his chair. He debated with himself for a minute before starting to speak.
"We are in the midst of a prophecy," he admitted. "One that very well could change the world."
"What?" Giles asked. Now the older Watcher had everyone's attention.
"The Dawn of the Third Age of the Slayers," he said quietly. "The most closely guarded secret in the Watcher's Council."
"The Third Age," Veronica added. "That's what that demon said."
"D'Hoffryn," Anya corrected automatically, "but how does he know? Vengeance demons have never really cared about prophecies. Not like other demons."
"That is something I would very much like to find out," Albert told her. "As far as I knew, there was only one man or woman alive who knew of the prophecy."
"The Chancellor," Giles whispered. "What does the prophecy say?"
"I can't tell you." Albert held up his hands at the outrage that declaration caused. A few moments later the angry voices quieted.
"Can't or won't," Giles challenged.
"Can't," Albert said steely. "The prophecy was discovered at the beginning of the Second Age of the Slayer. Its destructive potential was so great the Watchers and the Sorcerers of the time bound the knowledge into a single source and eradicated all mention of it from the world. Only the Chancellor of the Watcher's Council knows of its existence. Only the Chancellor can read it, but for security reasons, the Chancellor is unable to speak it aloud. I can't tell you, even if I want to."
"I'll call Wesley," Angel said somberly. "See if the firm knows anything about a Third Age Prophecy."
"So yet again there's something that affects us that the Council thought we didn't need to know about," Xander growled. "I'm getting tired of playing their games."
"Xander," Giles cautioned. He threw a frustrated look to his father before facing the Scoobies. "As intriguing as this conversation is, we do have a more pressing matter. Night is almost here and we need to prepare."
"About that," Daniel spoke up for the first time. "We can't keep going on like this. It's been nonstop heavy patrolling around the clock for the last few days and nights. Eventually someone is going to get hurt."
"Yes, well," he began as he started gathering up his dirty dishes and bringing them to the sink, "we'll have to hope the new protective measures Willow and Tara cast will allow us some time to rest and regroup."
"What's that look for?" Faith demanded, bringing her own dishes into the kitchen. "I know that look."
"What look?" Giles asked.
"That is your patented 'I have a crazy idea' look."
"Giles doesn't get crazy ideas," Willow pointed out.
"I know. He wasn't the one with the crazy ideas. That was usually B or another member of the Scooby gang. But he was the one who would make the crazy idea work. And that is the look he would wear when he figured it out."
"Hmm," Xander spoke up, studying Giles's face intently. "You know she's right. So crazy idea Giles. What's with the face?" Giles sighed but began.
"I've been thinking about the bounty," he explained. "If we're correct in our thinking, The Ring is behind it. But what could they possibly gain from this? Originally I believed they didn't want the demonic aspect of The Ring to come to light."
"They didn't want to draw undue attention when she was just another faceless victim," Joyce said. They finished rinsing the dishes and made their way back to the table. "We've already discussed this."
"Right," he agreed, "but once we found her it makes no sense to continue to try to kill her. But the opposite happened. Not only do the attempts continue, but they reach new heights. A bounty the Order of Taraka would be interested in is no small feat. It makes no sense to call out the Order of Taraka unless she knows something they're terrified might come out."
"One small problem with that Giles," Xander spoke up. "In case you haven't noticed, she hasn't been a real chatterbox since she's been back."
"They don't know that," Angel told him, "or more likely they won't care. She's a loose end."
"So all she has to do is tell us this secret information and we can put a stop to them," Spike said. "One small problem with that. Like the whelp said. She isn't speaking."
"This would be where my crazy idea fits in," Giles said. He had everyone's full and complete attention. "We enter her mind and get the information we need." The Scoobies looked thoughtful, but the Watchers gasped.
"That is impossible," Veronica said. "You'll just get yourself killed."
"I agree," Gregory spoke up. "The mystical forces surrounding the Slayer are too strong. To even try would be suicide."
"Unless she invites us in," Giles countered. Veronica looked at the girl.
"She's in no shape to invite you into her mind Rupert," she told him sadly.
"She already has," he said. He looked to his father, who was watching the proceedings carefully, before turning back to the group. "To defeat Adam we combined our essences. She essentially invited Willow, Xander, and myself into her mind. I think we can still use that connection to enter her mind and find the information we need."
"But we did that years ago," Xander pointed out, "and we stopped the spell and uncombined."
"And then we all had a Slayer dream," Giles told them. "If the connection was terminated as Xander suggests we shouldn't have had that dream. I believe those connections are still there and we can still use them to enter her mind safely."
"And if your wrong you'll die," Veronica all but shouted, "or worse."
"There's worse things than dying?" Xander asked, but Giles ignored him.
"It's a risk I'll admit." He spoke to Xander and Willow mainly, but loud enough for the group to hear. "We will need to research the spell more thoroughly, but I think this may be our only way and I am willing to take that risk." Willow and Tara shared a long look before Tara nodded encouragingly.
"If it will help Buffy then I'm in too," Willow said.
"Xander is in too," Anya said.
"What?" Xander countered. She just looked at him. "Okay. I'm in." He looked to Giles. "So what do we do first?"
"What else?" he replied.
"Research." Everyone spoke at the same time. The Watchers watched with varying degrees of bemusement.
"So I guess we'll patrol," Faith said, standing up. Daniel and the vampires followed her lead.
"Wait," Giles interrupted as they were about to walk out of the room. "By moving Buffy and the children we may have shifted the demons' attention here."
"Right," Faith agreed. "Wasn't that why we moved them? To get everyone someplace safer?"
"True, but if the demons know Buffy and the children are in the house, our defenses may come under constant attack."
"So patrol might come to us," Faith summed it up before shaking her head. "It doesn't matter if most of the demons are here. If there are any demons running around downtown Sunnydale looking for Buffy, we have to stop them. We can't take the chance that they'll all followed us."
"I can go," Daniel volunteered. "I can teleport downtown and check things out, kill anything that's causing trouble, and teleport back here to help you defend the homestead."
"What if something goes wrong and you can't get back?" Faith asked. Daniel shrugged.
"My demonic part has already been invited in so it shouldn't be a problem, but if something does happen I'll just find a spot to lay low in until you come kick my ass in the morning."
"And don't think I won't," Faith smiled, leaning in to give him a long kiss. After a minute Xander coughed in the background and they broke apart. "Be careful," she said. He nodded and vanished. Faith turned to the vampires. "I guess we patrol inside the borders tonight."
"As long as we get some good violence in before bed it doesn't matter where we patrol," Spike said, as the group headed outside. Giles looked at the Scoobies.
"I suggest we start researching," he said, leading the way to the library. The Scoobies and the Watchers were right behind him.
"What can we do?" Jonathan spoke up. Giles looked around uncomfortably. He had forgotten the young men were there.
"Why don't you go play look out?" Anya spoke up.
"How do we do that?" Andrew asked eagerly. Anya smiled.
"Spend the night on the porch," she told them. "If you're dead in the morning we'll know something got through."
"I don't think that's how look out works," Jonathan told her. Andrew frowned.
"Either way it's fun for us," Anya said as she entered the library. The rest of the group entered behind her. The boys went to follow but Giles put an arm out blocking them.
"Go up onto the roof," he told them. "You can see the entire property from up there and Spike and Angel should be able to hear you anywhere they are. If there's any problems come find me immediately."
"Right. Roof," Andrew repeated before looking around curiously. "How do we get up there?"
"I'll show you," Dawn said, rolling her eyes. She grabbed Andrew's hand, pulling him after her. "How did you ever manage to become one of the Nerd Herd?" Jonathan shrugged and followed them. Giles shook his head before retreating to the library, leaving Joyce alone with Buffy and her kids.
"Looks like it's just us," she spoke to Buffy. Buffy quickly stopped looking around and focused on her mother. "What do you say we put the kids to bed and go watch some TV?" Buffy just stared at her. Joyce sighed. She wasn't really expecting an answer, but some hopeful part of her wished getting Buffy back home would trigger the miracle cure she was constantly hoping for. She looked between the twins and Buffy, not wanting to leave either one alone quite yet.
"Mom?" Dawn asked quietly as she came back downstairs. Buffy turned her attention to her, darting between the two women.
"I know it's irrational, but I don't want to leave them," Joyce said, looking at her youngest. "I'm afraid if I let them out of my sight they'll be gone."
"They're not going anywhere," Dawn said, leaning in to hug her mother supportively. "None of them can walk yet." Joyce laughed, which was what Dawn was going for. "Look. Willow and Tara put a lot of work into securing and protecting all the houses. Xander put a lot of work into building the nursery. And Anya actually spent a lot of money on the latest must haves for babies, including a baby monitor. The twins will be perfectly fine and we'll hear them if they need anything."
"And if the demons get in?" she asked.
"They'll have to get through us first," Dawn said, repeating what her mother told her earlier that day. She pulled her mother toward the babies. "Take the twins upstairs. Check out the new nursery. You're probably going to be spending a lot of time in there. I'll stay with Buffy and find something to watch when you get back. We'll have a movie night. Just the three of us. Just like before."
"Thank you Dawn," Joyce said, giving her daughter a quick hug before grabbing the twins and heading upstairs. Dawn stood there for a minute before making a bowl of popcorn. She constantly told Buffy what she was doing, keeping up a totally one sided conversation with her older sister. When the popcorn was done she turned back, surprised to find Buffy watching her with the same level of concentration that was usually reserved for their mother. Dawn shrugged off the uncomfortable feeling that stare caused. She put the bowl on Buffy's lap, unlocked the brakes, and wheeled her sister into the front room.
"What kind of movie tonight?" she asked her sister as she moved the popcorn onto the table. "I'm thinking a chick flick. Maybe something with Brad Pitt?" she spoke out loud until she found the perfect movie. She popped it into the player before turning back to Buffy and stopping.
"Is something wrong?" Joyce asked as she joined them, the baby monitor firmly in her hand. She raised her eyebrows at Dawn's movie selection, but Dawn only shrugged.
"It's the first time I've ever really moved her," Dawn admitted her fear. "I don't want to hurt her." Joyce sighed and put the baby monitor on the table.
"She's still pretty tough," she told her, "and she is healed. She's not going to break."
"Right," Dawn said. Joyce sat down on the couch and watched. She knew this was something Dawn had to do on her own. Dawn took a deep breath before grabbing Buffy under the arms. She almost overbalanced as she lifted her awkwardly up, unprepared for how much weight Buffy had lost. She managed to prop Buffy against her chest and somehow get her arm underneath Buffy's legs and lift her from the chair. She took the few steps to the couch and put her sister next to their mom. Buffy immediately leaned into her mother's embrace. "Sure," Dawn grumbled as she moved the wheelchair out of the way, "I do all the work and you get all the reward."
"If it makes you feel any better she's drooling on me," Joyce told Dawn.
"A little," Dawn admitted. She handed Joyce a towel then grabbed the popcorn, plopping onto the couch on her other side. Joyce quickly got Buffy situated before wrapping her other arm around Dawn. With both her girls in her arms she finally found a peace that was missing for over four years. She fell asleep before the previews were finished.