A/N Just some notes, responses and thoughts before posting this chapter.

Mara, firstly, thank you for the ideas you've given me and look for some to be incorporated in this story and in future ones since you've freely offered them. But I kinda think I should be unselfish and encourage you to write your own stories, you clearly have the imagination for them. 👍

The Initiative is not something I'd considered bringing into this story mostly because they were so irritatingly incompetent. But the whole point of that arc was so Buffy could tell them off and smack down Adam. Here's the thing though, it cheapens things when the enemy is so stupid you think it would be a mercy to just shoot them. 😝

On the other hand, the Scoobies need a Big Bad and there is a power vacuum now. Long term, the Initiative has the potential to be like Hydra or Weapon X. Possibilities?

The Mayor is still around and I will be getting to him. I think it's fanon that he's connected to the Hellmouth, but it's an idea that makes sense. Which means he has been and is suffering from the loss of it.

I have no plans to turn this story into an actual crossover, however I will say that as one reviewer suggested there's plenty of room for the 'tropes' or inspiration of various superheroes to be mined. 😌

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Joyce finished setting the table, she'd opened it up in the living room because there'd be so many more people than usual around it. She was determined that this meal would be light and fun and relaxing. Buffy and her friends were kids, teenagers, fighting a war virtually alone. The concept was mind boggling and painful to contemplate, they needed a respite, a safe place where they could shut out the world and just be kids for awhile. Tonight's meal would give her a chance to get to know, for herself, these determined young people.

Buffy had told her that Ted had accessed private information about each of them from the guidance office's computers, though she hadn't told her mother what that information was, respecting their privacy. But Joyce could guess it was likely painful as well as personal information. Ted's insanity causing more pain by tearing open wounds in teenagers involved in a war that continuously added new pain. She could hate the creator of that damn robot for that alone if she had no other reason to hate him and she had plenty of reasons to hate him with all the lives his insanity had affected.

A knock on the door shook her out of her introspection and Dawn bounced down the stairs yelling, "I'll get it!" She hadn't stopped talking about the revelations or gushing about the gifts Xander had given them or the possibility of having superpowers herself one day. Joyce let out a breath, trying to let go of her tension, how could she help these kids relax if she couldn't relax herself?

Dawn opened the door and found Xander and Cordelia standing there. "Ohh! I love your dress, Cordelia!" She exclaimed, admiring the sapphire colored thigh length one piece with a narrow belt that Cordelia was wearing. Then she noticed the necklace around Cordelia's neck. "Is that a cross?" She indicated the gold and red colored piece hanging from a chain.

"No, it's my sword disguised as a necklace." Cordelia answered. "Xander had shown me a way to hide it with a concealment spell, but I wanted a few different options on how I could always have it around without people knowing I've got it, so he came up with this. It looks like it's real gold, doesn't it?"

"It's pretty." Dawn agreed. "You think you could do something like that for me and Mom, to hide our gifts too? The bell is pretty by itself, but I can't really carry it around like that and Mom can't fit the cloak in her purse."

"Let me think about it." Xander responded. "I admit, it was fun trying to figure out a creative way to hide Cordy's sword in plain sight, but then I remembered some superheros disguise their weapons as jewelry and after that it was just a matter of figuring out how to do it. And Cordy likes gold jewelry." He grinned at his girlfriend who just raised her eyebrows and didn't deny it.

Another knock signaled more incoming guests and Buffy appeared on the stairs as Dawn opened it to reveal Willow and Oz, who neither Joyce nor Dawn had met yet. He'd dyed his hair a more circumspect brown for tonight

With some red streaks in it. Joyce remembered Buffy had mentioned he played guitar in a band and decided she liked the look.

A final knock a few minutes later revealed Jenny Calendar and the group was complete. What followed was a few hours of laughter and friendship as Joyce got to know and respect the people, young as they were, fighting so hard to keep everyone safe.

She also got them to open up a little and unburden themselves, hoping it was a sign that she was succeeding in her own self-appointed mission, to provide a haven away from the war for them.