Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Joyce looked up to see Veronica watching her from across the counter. Joyce smiled, returning to the spaghetti sauce she was absently stirring.

"They're not worth that much," she said. She had spent the last hour cleaning up the garbage they had invariably made. Dawn finally agreed to help once the twins were sleeping in their cribs again. It didn't take the women long to throw everything into the biggest box and set it outside. Spike said he would take it to the dumpster once the sun had set.

"The video marathon is still going strong?" Veronica asked, pointing upstairs.

"Last I checked," she said. "I don't know if they'll even come out for dinner. When they would do that as kids they would just kinda fall asleep."

"Which wouldn't be a bad thing," Veronica told her. "Everybody is exhausted, even with the reprieve we were given." Joyce nodded, pulling the sauce off the burner.

"How is the cleanup coming along?" she asked as she poured the noodles into a drainer.

"Surprisingly well. They've already cleared out two of the arms and are working on their third. Faith wasn't too keen with the idea of working with the Watchers, but she did. She didn't even try to kill any."

"It's an improvement," she said. While the Scoobies were finishing up the house, Giles took the remaining Watchers to his flat. Albert coordinated and directed the cleanup phase of the various arms of The Ring. "She and Daniel should be returning shortly. Rupert said they needed to eat before they tackled any more arms tonight."

"Makes sense," Joyce said thoughtfully. "It's a good thing I made extra." Veronica nodded as Andrew and Jonathan came hurrying up, followed by a thoroughly frustrated Dawn.

"I am not babysitting them anymore," she said, heading to the opposite side of the counter from where they were standing. "If I have to hear one more Batman vs. Superman debate I'm gonna go crazy."

"They're not debates," Andrew defended himself. "They are friendly discussions." They looked up when Anya and Tara joined them, each carrying a baby.

"They woke up," Anya said. "It was a perfect excuse to leave that horrible movie." Tara nodded.

"I hate to agree with Anya, but she's right. That was one of the most boring movies I've ever seen."

"Are the others coming down?" she asked, popping a couple of loaves of bread into the oven. "Dinner's almost ready."

"I don't think they're coming," Tara said, letting Andrew hold the baby. Joyce frowned but let it go. As long as he didn't try to take her out of the room it was fine. "They started another movie. It's sweet that they're trying to share this with us, but I think they should just keep it for them." Joyce nodded knowingly. The few minutes she would spend checking on them whenever they were doing their movie nights was more than enough for her. Even Dawn couldn't stand watching, even if it was one of the few times they were willing to let her stay back then. The timer buzzed and Joyce took the bread out of the oven.

"Dawn? Could you set the table please?" she asked as she started cutting the bread into slices. Dawn nodded, turning her attention to the boys.

"We could help," Jonathan volunteered. Andrew sighed, handing Alex over to Veronica before following the two of them. Tara helped Joyce finish the dinner and soon everyone was eating.

"You started without us?" Faith asked, as she and Daniel entered. She was grinning as she said it and they knew she was teasing them. Giles and his father followed shortly.

"Help yourself," she said, pointing to the kitchen. "It's a free for all day, with everybody doing their own things right now." They quickly dished up their own plates before joining the group at the table.

"Any problems?" Veronica asked Faith. She shook her head, her entire focus on the dinner in front of her.

"No," Daniel answered for her. "The few demons they had were so shocked by our arrival they didn't even fight." He pulled the list from his pocket. "A couple more days and we should have everything cleaned." Joyce nodded as Spike calmly walked in, a mug of blood in his hands.

"Oh bread," he said, taking a piece and dipping it in the blood before eating it. He watched the Watchers expressions carefully.

"Spike," Joyce warned, knowing he was taunting them deliberately.

"Sorry pet," he said, looking down at the ground. He quickly finished the bread before downing his blood. "Just getting ready for patrol."

"Do you need a hand?" Faith asked, finally breaking away from her dinner.

"You're always welcome," Spike told her. "But me and Peaches can handle it if you are needed somewhere else."

"We were gonna try to clear out a couple more arms before bed," Faith said, pulling the list toward her. She started staring at it curiously. "Where's Angel?" she asked. Spike shrugged.

"Spend the day in his old apartment. Said he was gonna do a quick patrol then head over here." Faith nodded, unable to tear her gaze away from the paper. She subconsciously began circling one of the locations with her finger.

"Faith?" Veronica asked.

"What?" she asked, jerking her head up.

"Are you okay?"

"Five by five," she told her before noticing movement in the hallway. "Angel?"

"Hey," he said, greeting everybody. "I just got a call from Wesley. The Ring can no longer support the bounty."

"Thank God," Joyce said, relieved beyond words. "So it's over?" He nodded.

"The bounty isn't officially off the market yet, but it should be within the hour. I'll stick around for a couple of hours, just to make sure the word gets out," Angel told them, "but then I need to get home. We still have an apocalypse of our own to deal with." He looked to Faith. "We could use your help Faith."

"You got it," she said, watching him carefully. "We need to go right away?" He shook his head.

"We've still got some time. Wesley will call when the bounty is officially gone." Faith nodded, looking back at the list of Ring locations.

"I want to get one more arm," she said. "Then we can turn the whole thing over to the Council. It doesn't need a Slayer."

"Where did you want to go?" Albert asked. "I can alert the Watchers to your arrival."

"Singapore, but I don't want the Watchers," Faith told him. Albert stopped eating, staring at her for several long minutes.

"You need backup Faith," Veronica said authoritatively.

"I really don't," she said before looking directly at Veronica. "But I do want two Watchers with me. Just not any of the goons they called out before. I want you there V."

"What?" she asked, dropping her fork in surprise. "I'm not a fighter."

"Exactly," she said as if that made her point. "I need a researcher, and from what I can tell you'll be great at that, but when the Big Bads are in town, everybody is a fighter. I need to see what you can do and I can't think of a better time."

"You'll be perfectly safe," Daniel added, though he looked at Faith curiously. "We're about to turn the whole thing over to the Council anyway. We wouldn't do that if it was demon central." Veronica nodded, picking up her fork again. Her hands were shaking, but she had a determined face.

"And the other Watcher?" Albert asked. "You said you wanted two." Faith looked to the head Watcher.

"I need Giles," she said, without looking at him.

"Pardon?" he said. "You know I can't go back there."

"I know," she said, finally looking at him, "and I don't need you there for that."

"Then why?" he asked. Faith took a deep breath before explaining.

"You're the only Watcher I trust," she told him. "I need you to help V. Assess her than work on her skills."

"You want me to train my sister?" he asked, pulling his glasses off. "You do realize she is not a Slayer."

"Yeah, but neither are you. Neither were any of the Scoobies, but you didn't let that stop you. You managed to take a group of helpless teenagers and not only managed to keep them alive for almost a decade, you've turned them into a damned good fighting force. And that's been while you're on top of a Hellmouth. You're the best trainer I know." She looked back to Veronica. "I don't need anything fancy, just teach her enough to keep her alive." Giles sighed but nodded.

"When do we leave?" he asked, putting his glasses back on.

"After dinner," she smirked, helping herself to another plate of spaghetti.

"Don't worry," Tara said reassuringly to Veronica. "We've all been trained by Giles a little. Basic protection and self-defense."

"Yes," Anya added. "And I only though he was trying to kill me five times."

"What?" Veronica asked, her fork slipping from her grasp.

"He can be kinda intense," Tara said. "But he really is a great teacher."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said, picking up her fork and trying to finish her dinner. Giles sighed, but they just kept smiling at her.

"I'm just going to go check on the others," Joyce said as she finished up her plate of spaghetti.

"I'll join you," Giles said, picking up his cleaned plate. They detoured to the kitchen and rinsed them off before heading to the stairs.

"Should we disturb them?" Joyce asked, looking in to see all three of them sound asleep on the bed. Giles smiled at the sight.

"No. Wait until they awaken naturally then give Buffy her dinner and nightly routine."

"It might be later than her normal schedule," Joyce remarked.

"Some things are more important than schedules," Giles reminded her, turning to go back downstairs. Joyce walked in to grab the empty popcorn bowl before joining him. Faith and Daniel were finished, Faith twirling her dagger around restlessly while they waited for Veronica to finish. Giles quickly grabbed his broadsword and a couple daggers, securing them in his jacket. He also grabbed a short sword for his sister, giving it to her as soon as she was finished.

"Be careful," Joyce told them as they teleported away. She sighed, looking around at the group. "Now we wait. Again."

Joyce looked up from the chair she was curled up in when she heard some sound coming from her daughter's room. She put the book she was reading down carefully before getting to her feet and heading in. "Morning," she said as Xander finally opened his eyes.

"Morning?" he asked, stretching his long arms out. His movement was enough to wake Willow, who yawned loudly before rolling out of bed.

"It will be in a few hours," she said, smiling gently. Xander groaned, burying his face in the pillow for a minute before pulling himself upright.

"How long did we sleep?" Willow asked. She reached for her shoes, blushing when she realized she didn't take them off. She looked to Joyce. "You put us to bed?"

"It's what mothers do," she said simply. "You all needed the sleep."

"Yeah," Xander said, looking to Buffy. The jostling had woken her and she was blinking sleepily, staring at the ceiling. "Where's everybody else?" he asked when he realized the house was completely quiet.

"The twins are sleeping," she told them, "and the girls are celebrating at the Bronze. I managed to convince them to take Andrew and Jonathan with them."

"What?" Xander asked as he reached for his own shoes.

"Oh right," Joyce said, slapping herself upside the head for forgetting. "You weren't down for dinner. Angel came by. The bounty is gone. He needs to get back to L.A. for their apocalypse. Faith and Daniel are going to help, but Faith wanted to clear out one more arm of the Ring before they turn it all over to the Watchers. She left, taking Veronica and Rupert with her."

"You know what they say about the families that slay together," Xander joked before his stomach growled loudly. "The joke wasn't that bad," he grumbled, looking down at his stomach.

"I thought it was funny," Willow said as she finally stood up. "Did you say something about dinner?"

"There's leftovers in the fridge," Joyce told them. "Help yourself."

"Thanks," Willow said, leaving the room. Joyce began arranging the things she would need for Buffy's nightly ritual, surprised when Xander was hovering uncertainly in the doorway.

"Xander?" she asked him. He looked uncomfortable. "What is it?"

"It's just," he sighed loudly, running his hands through his hair. "The girls were all talking about her routines, and even Spike knows what kind of care she needs, but I have no clue." She smiled at him.

"Would you like to help me tonight?" she asked. "I can go over everything." He nodded his head. She pulled him toward the bed kindly, explaining everything she did even as she let him help. By the time they were done Xander was pale and shaking.

"How you doing there big guy?" Willow asked when he entered the kitchen. Xander sat down heavily on a stool. "I know the feeling," she said, pushing a plate of warmed up spaghetti his way.

"Does it ever get easier?" he asked, downing his food automatically.

"It does," Joyce said, coming up behind him. She reached into the refrigerator for one of Buffy's premade meals. "The more you work with her the easier it gets."

"It's just so hard, seeing her broken like that."

"Hey," Willow protested. "She's not broken. She's just hurt. It's no different than when you broke your arm. Or when Giles keeps getting knocked out. Or when I get a little loopy because of a spell."

"Okay I get it," Xander raised his hands in surrender before noticing Joyce was heading back upstairs. "Is there more?" he asked.

"Not much," she told him. "Just her dinner and the IV. I can finish it up. You've helped enough already."

"No," he said, pushing back his half eaten plate. "I need to know all of it. Just in case." He straightened his shoulders and followed her out of the room. Willow watched, turning when she heard the front door open. "Hey. How was the Bronze?" she asked as the girls trudged into the kitchen.

"Surprisingly tiring," Tara said, grabbing a cup and heading to the sink for some water. "But then we didn't sleep the whole afternoon."

"Not the whole afternoon," Willow protested half-heartedly. "We did watch some movies."

"And speaking of those movies," Anya said, coming to rest against the counter, "we've decided to start our own tradition. Whenever you feel the need to lose brain cells by watching them, we've decided we'll go to the Bronze and have some real fun."

"They're not that bad," she said, pouting slightly. "It's what we used to do for fun."

"And that's sweet," Tara said, putting her arms around her girlfriend. "You should keep your traditions. But they are that boring." Willow sighed as Daniel suddenly teleported into the living room. The group quickly rushed over to meet them.

"How did it go?" Dawn asked.

"Fine," Faith said, looking between the two Watchers. A knock sounded at the door. Dawn moved to open it, stepping back to allow Albert, Jonathan, and Andrew in. She led them back into the living room.

"I received a message saying you had left the lair," Albert told the group who just teleported in. "Shall I give the go ahead to the Watchers?" Faith and Giles looked at each other.

"I think we're good," she said after a few minutes. He nodded, about to leave the room, when he saw the books in the hands of his children.

"What did you find?" he asked. Giles and Veronica looked at each other warily.

"Books," Veronica finally answered. "Whole libraries that the demons were hoarding."

"Anything interesting?" he asked, reaching for the books his daughter was clinging to. She shared a look with her brother before relenting, passing over some of the books she was holding. Albert froze when he saw the titles.

"These books have been lost for ages," he said reverently. "What others have you found?"

"The Codex." Giles said it quietly but the quiet whisper erupted like cannon fire in the still room. "The most complete book of Slayer prophecies ever recorded." He dropped the other books he was carrying on the table, but kept a protective hold of the thickest volume.

"I thought all those books were lost," Albert said simply, sinking into one of the chairs.

"You thought wrong." Albert and Giles stared at each other. Again Albert was the one to back down.

"Have you read it?" he asked, knowing they just arrived and he couldn't have read the whole thing yet.

"I've skimmed through it," he told his father, "and I intend to read it completely. Very soon."

"What of the rest?" he asked, indicating the books that were resting on the coffee table.

"There's more," Veronica said. "Hundreds more. These are the ones Rupert wanted personally."

"To add to your collection?" Albert asked, trying for humor. Giles shook his head.

"These are the ones that pertain directly to a Slayer. I don't trust the Council with that information."

"You still doubt the Council has the best interests of the Slayer in mind?" he asked. He looked tiredly up at his son.

"I believe the Council has nothing but their own best interests in mind," he said calmly. "The information in these books could be used to actually save the life of a young girl one day, if they are in the hands of someone who actually cares for her. The actions of the Council have repeatedly proven they do not care about the life of the Slayer beyond how it can benefit them. They will stay with me, until I pass them on to a worthy successor."

"Veronica?" Albert asked, looking from his son to his daughter.

"Rupert is right," she said slowly. "Behind the Council walls it's easy to forget that the Slayer is a person. A young girl. We read the prophecy of the death of a Slayer and think nothing of it, no more than the death of a stranger would affect us a world away. That has got to change. If hoarding the information was some grand experiment the Watchers of old tried, I can safely say it has failed. The knowledge in these books has to be in the hands of those that will put it to the most good. That is no longer the Council headquarters." Albert thought for a minute before putting the book he was holding back down.

"If there are hundreds of other books there our researchers won't miss these few. I'll tell the team they are cleared to go. Unless there were some other books you wanted."

"Nothing else jumped out," Giles admitted. Albert nodded.

"Read that book," he indicated the one his son was still clutching to tightly. "Then come find me. Perhaps we will have much we can discuss." Giles nodded and Albert was about to leave when Angel walked in.

"Oh good. You're back," he said, addressing Faith. "Wesley called and all hell's about to break loose. We really need to go."

"We're ready," she told him, "just need to find where they put the keys to the hogs."

"I'll get them," Dawn said, leaving the room. Angel looked uncomfortably at Giles.

"What is it?" he demanded.

"I spoke to Wesley. He was still checking into any prophecies regarding the children of Slayers." Giles nodded, knowing what Angel was talking about. "He found one, just the last few lines, in one of the most secure vaults the firm has. The Senior Partners have dismissed it, it would be extraordinarily hard to fulfill, but they keep it around because of the potential it has if it ever does come to pass."

"What are the lines?" Giles whispered.

"The seven scions of The Slayer shall gather together as one," he recited from memory. "A choice shall be made. And the world of man shall burn or be saved. At the Dawn of the Third Age." Everybody froze at his words.

"What does it mean?" Anya asked quietly.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Angel said, "but we do have more immediate problems to deal with. You ready?" he asked as Dawn walked back in with their keys.

"Yep," she said, grabbing her leather jacket.

"Wait," Jonathan called out. He was breathing deeply, trying to build up the courage to say what he needed. "I need to go with you. You'll need my help."

"I don't think so," Faith said quickly.

"We didn't follow you to L.A." he blurted out quickly. "We were recruited. By Wolfram and Hart."

"What?" Angel stalked over to him, roughly pulling him by his collar. "What would Wolfram and Hart need from a worthless, pathetic creature like you?"

"A spell," he said, choking when Angel's hands tightened on his collar.

"They have spell casters," he told him bluntly. "Dozens of them."

"It couldn't be done in house or you'd find out about it," he choked out. "They needed someone to subcontract."

"What spell was so important that they couldn't do it in house?" Angel asked, his eyes flashing yellow.

"They want to steal your soul." Angel gasped at that reply. It wasn't what he was expecting. He forced himself to loosen the hold on the younger man. Jonathan took several deep gulps of air before turning to him. "They want Angelus back. That's why they did all of this, why they gave you the law firm in the first place. They wanted to corrupt you so you would lose your soul, but it didn't work. Now they're trying something much more direct."

"Why you?" he asked, taking a few steps back so he wouldn't be tempted to hit the young man. Jonathan shrugged.

"They contacted Warren. Heard we had some success fighting the Slayer and wanted to know if we could do the same against a souled vampire." Faith rolled her eyes but let him continue.

"What could they possibly want with Angelus?" Giles asked harshly. "Surely they know he would hunt them down and kill them."

"Probably," Angel admitted, "but he'd start here first."

"They don't just want Angelus," Jonathan told them. "They want all of them. The Whirlwind."

"That's why they brought Darla back," Angel said, thinking out loud.

"One of the reasons," Jonathan confirmed. "They thought she would be able to steal your soul. You know, that one moment of happiness."

"I was never that happy with her," he told him before regarding him thoughtfully. "How can you help?"

"I know what spell they're going to use," he told them. "And I know how to stop it. The apocalypse was never about the world ending. They just wanted you distracted so you wouldn't realize what they were doing." Angel looked to Faith.

"How can we trust you?" she asked him.

"You can't," he said simply, "but I'm all you've got."

"Hello," Willow spoke up for the first time. "If you need witches you have a couple of powerful ones right here who can help." Angel shook his head.

"They'll sense you coming a mile away," he said, looking back at Jonathan. "Can you get in without them stopping you?" He nodded his head.

"And I know exactly where to go." Angel gave another long look to Faith.

"Fine," she relented, "but he is not riding down with me."

"I'll take him," Daniel said. Everybody turned to look at Andrew.

"I would go," he started, "but somebody needs to stay and take care of the babies."

"Right," Angel replied, turning to face Giles. "I'll call Wesley and tell him what's happening. If they do get my soul…"

"We'll have the ensoulment spell ready just in case," he reassured him. Angel nodded but kept going.

"If they do get my soul, promise me that you'll kill him. He'll come for Buffy first and she is helpless. Don't trust anything I say unless you check in with Wesley first. Remember what I told you after Christmas." Giles nodded.

"Or I could just read your aura," Tara said. He looked to her and nodded.

"And you should probably do the uninvited spell," he said, "after I leave. Just in case." Giles nodded.

"I won't let him hurt her again," Giles reassured him.

"Me neither," Faith said, popping her knuckles threateningly. "So why don't we go stop this thing before any of this becomes an issue." Angel nodded and headed for the door. Daniel grabbed Jonathan by the arm before leading him from the house. Faith watched them go for a moment before turning back to Giles. "I think I like your sister G. I think we could work good together. I would hate to see something happen to her because she can't handle a sword."

"I'll give her some basic training," he told her, smiling at the dark Slayer. "Now it's time to go save the world."

"You never get tired of saying that do you?" she asked, pulling him into a quick hug. "Thank you for everything."

"My pleasure," he said, pulling away. "Be careful." She nodded and headed out the door. They could hear the roar of the motorcycle's engines as they stormed off. The quieter sound of Angel's car followed them.

"What did Angel tell you after Christmas?" Willow asked curiously. Giles sighed.

"Everything." The group fell silent at that. The older Scoobies lost in memories while the newer ones looked confused.

"What now?" Andrew asked. They all looked at him.

"We prepare the spell," he told Willow, "and hope we never have to use it."

"Then we all go to bed," Joyce said. She was standing at the door to the dining room, watching the group with tired eyes.

"How long have you been standing there?" Giles asked.

"Long enough," she said. "We're all exhausted. We finally get a break from the demon attacks. We all need a good night's rest."

"Of course," Giles said, running his hand through his hair. "We're all tired."

"I would like to continue coordinating the Watchers from your flat," Albert said, getting slowly to his feet. "If that's alright with you."

"Of course," he agreed, holding his hand out to Veronica. She nodded, and let him guide her back to his house.

"What is this ensoulment spell?" she asked him as they left. "I've never heard of it. And an uninvited spell?" Giles chuckled slightly as the door closed behind them.

"Do you need to go to The Magic Box to get the stuff for the spell?" Xander asked Willow, stepping out from behind Joyce. She shook her head.

"We should have all the stuff we need over at our place." She and Tara joined hands. "We'll get it all ready before we go to bed, just in case. If Giles needs us, we'll be there." Joyce nodded, watching as the witches left the house. She turned to Xander and Anya.

"Do you want us to stay?" Anya asked in her usual no nonsense way. "We don't mind staying here even though the crisis is over."

"No," Joyce told them. "It's okay. Go spend some alone time together." Anya smiled, practically dragging Xander out with her. Joyce smiled as she turned back to Dawn.

"Crisis over. Scoobies disperse," she joked half-heartedly.

"Is something wrong sweetie?" Joyce asked. Dawn shook her head but couldn't stop the tears from forming in her eyes. "What's wrong honey?" she asked, taking her youngest in her arms.

"It's stupid," she said after a minute.

"Not if you're crying over it," Joyce told her comfortingly. "What's wrong?"

"They all just left, like everything's back to normal. But nothing will ever be the same again. Buffy's back and she has kids and they're just acting like it's another day."

"Oh honey," she rubbed Dawn's back comfortingly. "Everyone is just as confused and scared as you are. Even me. It will take a few days for everything to get back to normal. For all of us."

"Thanks Mom," she said, as her smile turned into a yawn. "I guess everyone is tired."

"Why don't you go to bed? Tomorrow is a big day."

"What's happening tomorrow?" Dawn asked as she led them upstairs.

"Tomorrow we start figuring out what the new normal is."