Giles rolled in his sleep and promptly fell off the couch onto the floor with a groan. He pulled his head up glancing at the empty bottle on the table in front of him.

I swear, if Ethan's come back again I'm going to strangle him.

His head was pounding along to the beat being played on his front door. "Good Lord, what is it now…" Giles growled as he pulled himself up and ran a hand through his hair. He had drank far more than he was accustomed to and he was feeling the effects acutely. The banging on the door resumed.

"Come on, Giles, open up!"

"Dawn?" Alarm bells started ringing in his head and he inhaled deeply in an attempt to sober himself up a little before surging toward the door. He was still a few feet from it when the lock clicked and the door burst open as Dawn practically flew past him like a whirlwind making a quick circuit into the entrance and living room looking around.

Giles furrowed his brow in confusion as he watched her and jumped slightly as the door closed softly on its own. He sighed as he went over to where Dawn was peering into the kitchen. She whipped around to face him. "Is she here? Where is she?"

Giles's brain sloshed around inside his skull for a moment. "What's this about? Are you looking for Buffy? Is everything alright?"

It was Dawn's turn to be confused. "What? Buffy's at home doing yoga and her weirdo birthing exercise stuff. She's super cranky about something called Braxton Hicks and said she was going to try taking a hot shower if the other stuff doesn't help."

"I— She's been having them for days, are they getting worse?"

"I dunno, she's kinda in a mood though. Spike and I are just giving her some space."

Giles blinked at her a few times. "I- if you're not looking for Buffy, then I don't- who are you looking f—" he stammered in confusion.

"The ghost! Where is she?" Dawn blurted excitedly with an implied "duh". "Spike said you were talking to her last night. Can I see her? I have so many questions I want to-"

"Dawn, please, settle down. I'm afraid my head simply can't take so much excitement right now, why don't you have a seat."

Dawn plopped down on the couch where Giles had slept the night before and kicked off her shoes, making herself right at home in true teenage fashion. She pulled her legs up to sit criss crossed with a throw pillow in her lap. The Scrabble board still sitting out on the table caught her eye. Not the board so much but rather the fact that the tiles were stacked into oddly neat towers.

"What's with the solo Scrabble playing?"

Giles turned towards his kitchen with a sigh and prepared the coffee pot. Dawn's teenage enthusiasm was far too much for him in his hung over state to handle.

"I wasn't playing a game. It would seem to be my ghostly housemate's preferred way of communication. It's a bit annoying really. If only I had a typewriter, I think that would be preferable."

Dawn blinked down at the board. "But it's still pretty cool— so wait, does that mean you haven't actually seen her?" she questioned him.

The sound of the coffee pot brewing filtered through as Giles came back out into the living room, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck to relieve some of the tension there and cleared his throat. "No, not as such, she hasn't been able to fully corporialise yet. I rather think she's been putting all of her energy into communication and moving things about, it would seem."

Dawn frowned, looking dejected. "Oh man, I was really hoping to see a ghost," she pouted.

A few Scrabble tiles jumped up spelling out:

HI DAWN

She gave a yelp of surprise and blinked up at Giles. Her face split into a bright smile. "This is so cool!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Giles let out a huff, silently wishing that his coffee would brew faster and sat down in the chair beside the fireplace. "Did you really come over here on a Saturday morning just to have a ghost encounter?"

Dawn shrugged her shoulders and gave a little nod. "Well yeah I guess so. That and I don't know, I thought maybe I could just hang out over here for a little while."

"This is all quite the change for you as well, isn't it?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I mean, the Aunt thing is so, so cool— really it is! I can't wait to meet my nieces. I just— I don't know—" she paused, biting her lip. "I mean I'd like to be that cool Aunt that gets to spoil them and buy them all kinds of stuff and take them places, but I don't even have a job and Buffy won't let me touch any of the money that Hallie put away for me."

Giles gave a nod of approval. "As she is right to do at this time. That money is for your education and if there's anything I can agree with Halfrek on, it is that you are an extremely bright girl and deserve the opportunity to pursue whatever future you wish for yourself."

She shifted down further into the couch cushions, giving him an awkward smile. "Thanks," she murmured and gave a shrug. "I'm just not really sure where I fit in anymore or what I should be doing with my future. Now it looks like I might actually have one." She paused again thoughtfully and leaned forward towards the Scrabble board. Once more studying the letters spelling out her name. "So how does this work?"

The tiles sat motionless and Dawn looked up at Giles who was staring at her. Her words had torpedoed through his brain and he was scrambling to find the right response. "No one is expecting you to know what you want to do with your life right now, Dawn." He shook his head with a sigh. "If you're really concerned about your place within the group, you should realize that you have a gift for research. I know it's not the most exciting thing in the world but perhaps that could be your contribution. I could help you with it if you're interested."

Dawn thought about that for a moment and nodded. "Like a Watcher in training?"

"If that's what you wish, then certainly. As for the babies, just keep in mind that for the first seven years or so you can likely ply them with cookies, piggyback rides and trips to the park to win them over," he said, giving her a reassuring smile.

"I have gotten a little better at baking."

"I dare say you'll have plenty of time to practice before they'll begin eating solids," he teased lightly.

The coffee pot beeped signaling it had completed its job and Giles got up to get himself a cup. "Would you care for anything? Orange juice perhaps? I don't dare give you coffee."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Why not? I'm allowed to have coffee."

"I confess that your hyper enthusiasm is a bit much for me this morning ," he added as he returned to the living room, sipping his coffee, like it was a nectar of the gods.

"How come you're all grouchy anyway?"

It struck Giles that Spike had apparently refrained from saying anything to Dawn about his drinking the night before, and he was most grateful for it. "I'm afraid I had an unexpected visitor last night and I didn't sleep well."

Dawn raised her eyebrow. "Is this the creepy kind of visitor or the eww kind of visitor?"

"If my brain were functioning properly I might actually try to decipher your meaning. As it is— it was Ethan Rayne," he explained, knowing full well that there was no point in keeping his presence in town a secret. They had to find out what Ethan was doing in Sunnydale and Giles was refusing to believe a word out of his mouth. Despite Kimberly's seemingly forgiving nature, he had seen far more of the chaos and destruction Ethan was capable of and wasn't about to be taken as a fool.

Dawn's already raised eyebrows threatened to disappear into her hairline. "The band candy guy?"

Giles cleared his throat. "One in the same."

"What did he want?"

"Something he will never get if I have any say in it." Giles set his empty coffee mug on the table next to the Scrabble board and ran a hand through his hair. "If you don't mind, I really do need to discuss all of this with Buffy, however, first I believe a shower and a shave is in order."

"Okay, that's fine, I'll just talk to your ghost, I have a lot of questions for her."

Giles removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not really sure if—"

The tiles shuffled around gracefully.

I DONT MIND

GO ON DAWN

Dawn smiled up at Giles. "This is so cool. Go on, get all un-stinky."

Giles replaced his glasses and turned down the hall muttering something under his breath.

(*)

Dawn grinned down at the board. "Your name is Kim right?"

YES

SPIKE TOLD YOU

Dawn wrinkled her brow. "Was that a question?"

YES

"Yeah, he did. We seriously need to get you some punctuation."

More tiles jumped to the board.

YES PLEASE

Dawn settled back comfortably. "So how do you like having Giles living in your house?"

HE IS A GOOD PERSON

I LIKE HIM

"I don't want to be all rude and stuff but you seem really nice… so how come you scared off so many other people?"

There was a long pause as though Kim was thinking, before the tiles started to move.

PARTICULAR

MISUNDERSTOOD

Dawn frowned at that. "I guess I can understand that. I don't think I'd be super cool with people living in my house."

NO NOT EASY

Dawn shifted in her seat. "I have kind of a weird question…"

No response.

Dawn wasn't even sure if she wanted to hear the answer, but she had to ask. "Did or ehhh- do, you know my mom. Joyce Summers?"

DID

NOT WELL

BUT A LITTLE

"She hum… she's not a ghost though, huh?"

HONESTLY

YOU WOULD KNOW

BEST

Dawn nodded glumly. "I was afraid you'd say that."

SHE IS

LIKELY AT

PEACE

"Thanks Kim." As much as she would have loved to have a Scrabble conversation with her mother, she knew it was probably for the best. Dawn chewed her bottom lip. "Does that mean you're not?"

A pause.

ALWAYS RESTLESS

EVEN IN LIFE

Dawn hummed with a nod. "I guess I get that. So eh what did you do before you hum— you know."

The board cleared leaving a single word.

DIED

"Ehh yeah. That..."

More tiles were added to the ones swirling around the board.

WORKED AT ADDICTION AND REHAB CENTER

"Like a councilor or something?" Dawn asked.

YES

TWENTY FIVE YEARS

"Wow, that's a long time to be in the same job."

I LOVE HELPING PEOPLE

Dawn hugged the pillow to her stomach. "I feel like I could use a little of that."

I AM A GREAT LISTENER

(*)

The dingy motel room held little interest as Ethan tapped a pen absently against a pad of paper resting against his thigh. He had been honest with Giles when he said he had completed the rehab program the initiative had put him through. Granted they didn't know the first thing about magic and had essentially put him through an AA program. There was some overlap to be sure in regards to the addiction but the fact remained that they weren't the same at all.

He bounced his leg in agitation. For months all he could think of were the few glorious sun filled months in his youth when he had been the happiest in his life. He and Ripper had been sharing a small flat, experimenting with magic and each other. They had both been more than a little curious and one night after a particularly intense spell they had given in.

Even after all these years if he concentrated hard enough he could almost feel Ripper's arms wrapped around him, the taste of cheap whiskey on his kiss. The feel of skin on skin.

He wanted that again. Happiness, forgiveness, belonging. He wanted Ripper.

Ethan dragged a hand down his face and examined the list again.

Magic could hold all the answers. It could fix everything. It could bring Ripper back to him.

But that would mean crossing a line. Drifting back into his old ways.

It would be so simple. Like slipping on an old jacket. I could do it without raising alarms. Rupert wouldn't even know what hit him, and I'd have Ripper back. My Ripper.

(*)

Buffy stood with her arms wrapped around her enormous belly as Giles sat down in Buffy's living room. "Save it. Spike told me after Dawn left," Buffy groused.

"Told you what exactly?" He had a vague memory of Spike showing up but he couldn't remember what, if anything, he had said to him.

"Ethan is in town and for whatever reason, you decided it was a good idea to crawl into a bottle."

Giles grimaced and cleared his throat. "Well yes… I—"

"What's going on? I mean really…" she paused, sitting down in a chair. "Spike says your ghost lady is being protective of you and I'm here wondering what the hell she's protecting you from that you don't think I should know about."

Giles removed his glasses. "Buffy, it really isn't as simple as all that, it's— it's personal. Deeply so; and frankly it hasn't anything to do with the supernatural yet alone your calling as the Slayer. Not as of yet at least. I haven't the foggiest idea why Ethan is really in town."

Buffy bit her lip and gave a little bob of her head. "Okay… and I take it you're definitely not buying the whole leaving town bit?"

He stared down at his glasses, his free hand gave a little twitch as though itching to clean the lenses out of habit. "The only thing I know for certain is that I can't believe a word out of his mouth. But then-" he straightened up, taking a deep breath, "-doesn't matter. I think it would be prudent for us to keep a lookout for any signs of Ethan and the chaos that follows."

"I get the whole not believing thing, especially after the demon Giles craziness, but seriously. What the heck did the guy say that could have got you all weirdly messed up like this?" She brought a hand to her lower belly to massage out a tense muscle.

"I assure you, it's personal," he answered dejectedly. "He's just trying to work me up."

Buffy furrowed her brow. "I'm still confused. Personal or not, this isn't like you, you're wigging me out. What the heck happened last night? You're acting like— like— ohh." She stopped when it suddenly hit her. She knew the look in his eyes all too well. She used to see the same look in the mirror every time Angel twisted her head around. She rocked back into her seat, staring at the man she loved as a father. "Giles I- I knew you guys were close but- I mean— I don't want to be all jumping-to-conclusions girl here but—"

"I'm afraid in this case you are right to take that leap," he replied as he slipped his glasses back into place and rested his head back against the upholstery in a defeated gesture. "It was a long time ago. I rather thought he had put it all behind him as I had, but it would seem I was wrong. Or perhaps that's his game- his visit could certainly be nothing more than a distraction for whatever nefarious purpose he has in mind. I don't know what to believe."

Buffy was stunned, utterly unsure of what to say. He had dated Miss Calendar, had his old girlfriend Olivia come to visit from England, and hell, he even had sex with her own mother under the influence of the band candy. This was a new facet to him and she was more surprised by the fact that he had hidden it from them than the fact it was there at all.

"So you and Ethan were…" she trailed off, expecting him to fill in the blank.

"We were young, shared a tiny flat. We— we became intimate. Most people believed we were only ever close friends, and we let them. This was before he started worshiping chaos of course. That's what ended things between us. It- the magic- took over. I got help. He didn't," he finished darkly.

"And what? You've just been pretending ever since? I mean what was that thing with my mom? I know it was the candy but- seriously, were you just messing around with her?"

His eyes flashed to hers. "Certainly not! I happen to like women a great deal, I'll have you know. Especially your mother. She was an exceptional woman that I could have easily seen myself having a deep meaningful relationship with had things gone differently. I miss her quite a lot." He shifted forward, leaning his forearms onto his thighs. That confession had cost him something and he took a moment to regroup before speaking again. "I'm simply willing to accept that love and attraction can take other forms beyond the social norms of male/female relations, or human/demon as the case maybe."

Buffy hummed thoughtfully and pressed her lips together as a slightly painful wave rolled through her and disappeared almost as quickly. She took a deep breath, getting her mind back on track. At least Giles's answer was one she could understand and support. There was no point dredging up more of the past than necessary and Giles seemed to be fairly well convinced Ethan was only bringing it up now to throw him off balance. "Alright, good talk. So where is your ex now?"

He eyed her, understanding her lack of response for what it was. Acceptance. His fear of rejection had not only been faced but turned to ash. It was clear that their familial relationship stood solid as ever.

Giles took a deep breath and bobbed his head. "I told him to leave town, so he's probably still around."

"I should get Willow on the techno thing and see if she can track down where he might be staying. Maybe Xander can check out a few places."

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't—"

She tilted her head, giving him an understanding look that carried just a hint of exasperation. "You know I won't say anything unless I have to. But come on, Giles, no one here is going to judge you for something like this. Xander might say something stupid, but that's just because he's kind of an idiot."

Giles snorted a dark laugh. "Be that as it may, I would rather avoid that scenario if possible."

She shrugged, shifting in her seat to ease out a muscle spasm in her lower back, she had been having them periodically all day.

Stupid pregnancy pains… I can't wait for these two to come…

"Don't worry, Giles, we'll stop him. It's what we do."

(*)

The Magic Box had been doing a steady business all afternoon. Once the store was clear Anya decided she might finally be able to eat her lunch. She had no more than taken a big bite of her sandwich when the bell tinkled over the door. A thin wiry man with gray hair came through the door.

She chewed quickly, rushing to clear her mouth to greet him as he went straight toward a small collection of ceramic offering bowls on display near the front of the store. He looked up, briefly, giving her a little nod as he helped himself to the largest offering bowl in stock, tucking it under his arm as he went over to the herbs, selecting a few.

It was clear he knew what he was after. "Are you finding everything alright?" Anya asked.

He glanced up at her pleasantly. "A place for everything and everything in its place. Tedious and boring, but efficient."

Anya blinked at him, unsure if she had just been complemented or insulted by the Englishman.

"I've found all I need, I think," he assured her, coming up to the counter with an easy swagger.

Anya gave him her best customer service smile as she started to ring him up. "Can I interest you in some candles? Buy one pack, get one half off today only! They're great for spells or setting a sexy time mood," she beamed.

"Oh why not? I've been feeling rather romantic as of late. Best to be prepared I suppose."

"That's the spirit!" Anya said enthusiastically, adding the candles to his order and finishing the transaction.

She watched him go and had no more than turned around to take another bite of her sandwich, when the bell above the door tinkled again. Anya spun back to the door to see Xander walking through the door with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Was that Ethan Rayne?" he asked incredulously.

"How would I know? I never actually met the guy." Anya shrugged her shoulders, still munching on her sandwich. "He paid in cash, so it's not like he left his name."

"Anya, honey, if that's who I think it was, he's bad news. Like big bad news." Xander palmed his face in frustration. "I got a call from Buffy to help find that guy! I've been driving around to all the motels in town looking for him."

She set down her sandwich, swallowing. "He was perfectly fine in here. Maybe a little weird but you know, like Giles kind of weird." She defended awkwardly, her face turning serious. She then proceeded to pull out her copy of the last receipt, handing it to him. "He didn't buy anything that sets off alarm bells. See for yourself," she said, gesturing to the receipt, "there's no way I could tell you what he was going to do just by looking at that. This is all pretty basic stuff. Offering bowls can be used for all kinds of things, it purely depends on what he's putting in the bowl."

"Alright, okay, it'll be fine. You didn't know what he looked like, it's not— okay… think Xander, think…" he rubbed a hand across the back of his neck in agitation and nodded. "You call Buffy and Giles, I'm going to go see if I can track him down and see where he's staying."

"By yourself?"

"Recon only, I promise."

Anya nodded, picking up the phone. "Call when you know something."

"Will do."

(*)

Buffy had been feeling restless ever since her talk with Giles. The continued back ache and general soreness combined with the weird rolling pains weren't helping matters. The only time she seemed to get any relief was when she was upright and moving around. She had already finished all the housework and was looking for something else to keep her occupied. If Spike had been awake she might have conned him into giving her a massage but decided to go for a walk instead.

It was a beautiful sunny day. She took a drink from her water bottle enjoying the subtle breeze. She continued on, politely waving at several people tending to their lawns as she walked or rather waddled down the sidewalk. The pains in her back, hips, and belly seemed to continue to come and go in subtle waves although she had to admit, they did seem to be increasing a little. She was a little over halfway through her planned route when the gently climbing waves of pain she'd been power walking through suddenly broke into a full blown hurricane.

She clutched her belly, taking a moment to breathe through the pain until it passed. She needed to get home, grab Spike and his flame-retardant blanket and get to the hospital. She had nearly reached the sidewalk in front of her house when another intense contraction hit, this one slightly longer than the last.

Ohh… oh boy… here we go…