What can I say? Ripper's a bit more ...Ripperish, Joyce has a bit more fun, and Ethan gets a bit more quality time with Buffy.

Buffy was beyond irritated. Her mom and Giles kept kissing. Snyder wouldn't go away. And now she was chasing Ethan Rayne through a warehouse! What had she done to deserve this hell? She rounded some crates and skidded to a stop. Giles caught up to her, gasping for air. He started to speak, but she quickly held up a hand to shush him.

Buffy focused her senses and listened carefully. A hushed gasp for breath caught her ear and she grinned. Gotcha! she thought to herself. She kicked a hole in a crate and pulled Ethan halfway out.

"Look. A box full of farm fresh chicken."

Buffy paced angrily as she waited on Willow to look up the information she needed. She noticed her mom and Giles kissing again and huffed with annoyance. She dragged her mom away from Giles and handed her the phone.

"Let me know when Willow knows something," she growled. She walked over and dragged Giles over to where Ethan was nursing a busted lip. "You!" she said fiercely, jabbing a finger into Giles' chest, "keep an eye on him," she hissed, jerking her head toward Ethan.

"Now wait a minute!" Giles objected. "I'm the Watcher here! You're supposed to do what I say, not the other bloody way around!"

Buffy threw her head back and gave a guttural yell. She spun to face Ethan, fury making her flushed. "I could kill you right now!"

Ethan swallowed nervously. "Pet, if I knew anything else, I'd tell you."

"The candy, you moron!" she yelled. "I'm scarred for life by my mom and Giles making out! That's your fault!"

"Buffy?" Joyce called across the room. She held the phone out and blew a bubble with her gum. "Willow wants you."

She stomped over to the phone. "Talk to me, Will."

Buffy hung up, feeling sick to her stomach. She closed her eyes for a second to collect herself. She turned to let the others know what was going on and froze. "Oh. My. God!" Giles had Joyce pressed up against a wall, kissing down her neck. Joyce was busy slipping her hands into the back of Giles' jeans.

"I can't deal with this," she moaned. "The tribute is babies, people! I need you to stop groping and help me!"

Giles slid his hands under Joyce's top and Joyce wrapped her legs around his waist. From the corner of her eye she noticed Snyder sitting on the floor shoving chocolate into his mouth. Buffy took a step towards her Watcher and mother, but Ethan grabbed her arm. She pulled back a fist and he held up his hands in surrender.

"Pet, you have a choice. Stop them from shagging, or stop the tribute. Which is it?"

Buffy cast one last look at her mom and then spun away and ran for the exit. "I hate you," she hissed.

She raced to the Jeep and hopped into the driver's seat. She grabbed the keys from her pocket, dropping them in surprise as Ethan slid into the passenger seat. "What the hell are you doing?"

"You need the help," Ethan said grimly. He sighed and faced her fully. "I didn't know it was babies, Pet. If I had known, I would never have helped them. I would have come to you or Ripper and warned you."

Buffy grabbed the keys from the floor board and started the jeep. "Why should I believe you?"

Ethan was silent as she peeled out of the factory parking lot. "There's a lot of things I have no qualms about doing," he said softly. "Hurting children is not on that list." Buffy took a turn at break neck speed, making Ethan pale and grab the dashboard. She didn't sneer like he expected her too.

Buffy kept her mouth shut, despite the urge to ask him about his tone of voice. There was something in the way he had spoken that told her he wasn't lying.

Buffy stared at the empty bassinets with horror. Ethan left the nurse he had been speaking to and approached. "Dozy cow didn't see a thing!" He ran a hand through his hair with agitation. "I'm such a bloody fool!"

"I have to find them," Buffy whispered brokenly. "I have to find Lurconis."

Ethan paused and got a faraway look in his eyes. "Lurconis dwells beneath the city, filth to filth."

She looked at his suspiciously. "What?"

Ethan looked down at her. "I remember this. When we were trying to decide what demon to raise, Ripper and I went through some demonology books. Lurconis lives in sewers. That's why we crossed him off the list. Didn't wanna mess up our clothes."

Buffy rolled her eyes and stormed out of the nursery. "We have to get to the sewers."

Buffy took the last baby from Ethan's outstretched hands and placed it in one of the bassinets she had gathered from the maternity floor. Behind her Ethan climbed out of the manhole behind the hospital and started to brush off his pants. He grimaced when he realized the soot, slime and ash was only smearing.

He walked over and pushed two of the babies toward the elevators. Buffy pushed the other two behind him. They rode up in the elevator silently, both of them exhausted. They walked past a couple of sleeping nurses and returned the babies to their ward. Another nurse looked at them warily but she didn't hesitate to begin checking over the babies.

Buffy and Ethan rode the elevator back down and walked wearily toward the jeep. She opened up the driver's side door but Ethan plucked the keys from her hand and pushed her around to the passenger side.

"I've experienced your driving, Pet. I'd like to survive the night."

Buffy tried to glare at him, but she was too tired. Under any other circumstances, she would never ever trust Ethan. But. He had helped. He had used his magic to slow and disorient the vampires before diving into the pool to snatch the babies to safety. "I still hate you," she muttered, climbing into the seat.

"You said that already," he pointed out.

Buffy's eyes closed as she leaned her head against the window. "Meant it," she said with a yawn.

Buffy was vaguely aware of being carried. She whimpered as she was jostled a bit and cuddled closer to the warm chest. She heard someone shushing her and decided that was a good idea. She sank back into a dreamless sleep gratefully.

Buffy slowly opened her eyes and stretched her arms over her head. She sat up and looked around her room with confusion. Hearing a door open she slid from the bed and stepped into the hallway. Giles jumped with surprise and dropped his hands down to cover his nakedness. Buffy quickly clapped a hand over her eyes.

"Oh. My. God!" A door opened and Buffy peeked through her fingers. Seeing her mom in Giles' t-shirt was too much. Buffy stomped back into her room and slammed the door. She was tempted to storm back out there and yell at them, but when she opened her eyes she caught sight of a letter propped against another vase of daisies.

She walked over and picked it up cautiously.

Pet,

I promise I didn't take advantage.

I hope you like the flowers.

E.

Buffy was confused for a heartbeat. Then she looked in the mirror. Why the hell was she wearing a red silk nightgown?