Another patrol around Sunnydale and another few thousand demonic rodents. This had to

be the most boring apocalypse ever. Not that he underestimated the seriousness and

gravity of the situation, Giles told himself. But the fact was that while the Hectalik

swarm numbered in the hundreds of thousands, the inhabitants of Sunnydale numbered in

the thousands as well, and most people and demons were taking an active part in the

defense of the town and the world. While this was a wonderful and unique turn of events

for a town that had made turning a blind eye to the hellmouth induced events that

occurred within it's borders into an art form, the fact remained that it made for a very

long, stressful, and boring apocalypse. He simply wished it was over.

Well, as he was duty bound to take this last patrol he might as well use the time wisely.

Namely by considering the most recent changes in his slayer's circle of family and friends.

The first and most radical change was Spike. He had come into this group as a captured

enemy. Not only had they treated him as such, but he had responded in kind. That

however, had changed. He paused trying to place exactly when the change had occurred.

It was after Willow's botched attempt at the 'my will be done' spell. Spike's behavior at

that point was still very much that of an offended vampire. Now that he thought about it,

the change was very close to that time, soon after the Gentlemen had come to Sunnydale

if he was recalling correctly. Yes, within a short time of his moving in with Xander.

Although he wasn't surprised at how the others had overlooked just how radical the

change in Spike was. He still said many of the same things, but much of the tone had

changed drastically. Some how, most likely through Xander, Spike had become friends

with his charges. Spike now considered the entire group his nest. Giles was aware that

Xander had a true gift when it came to making friends, he just wished he knew how

Xander had managed to make a friend out of someone he hated.

The introduction of Dawn, or rather the truth about Dawn being revealed had also

changed the dynamics of the group. Not so much about her being created to be the Key's

container, that was accepted as another example of Sunnydale strange, but the fact that

Dawn was Buffy's daughter. There was only one recorded instance of a slayer ever

becoming a mother to a child of her own blood. And that had only been possible due to

the child's unusual position during the pregnancy. No one in fact, had even known she

was pregnant until she had given birth. Giles suspected that the slayer had instinctively

shielded the child during any fighting, otherwise a single blow would have most likely

have killed the child. Her Watcher had been shocked and horrified to find her slayer in

labor after a particularly vigorous patrol. That slayer too, like Buffy, had been a lost

slayer and giving the timing of the child's birth, had become pregnant shortly after being

called but before her Watcher had found her. As with all events in a slayer's life, the

strange changes in her behavior after the child's birth had been meticulously recorded.

Buffy was now exhibiting many of those same behavioral changes. Most notably, her

frustration and inability to sleep while Glory was targeting Dawn. She was increasing the

number and frequency of her patrols. When she wasn't patrolling, Buffy was doing her

best to actually treat Dawn as her daughter. She was making sure Dawn had food,

clothing, shelter and protection when she wasn't present. She was making sure that Dawn

was getting a good education; checking over the Homeschooling packets John had gotten

for Dawn and verifying with Willow that the program Dawn was enrolled in was legal.

She encouraged Dawn to spend time with the new members of her family, but also made

sure that Dawn wanted too as well. Giles had believed that the slayer's strong maternal

instincts recorded in the Watcher's diary had been a property of the slayer in question, or

perhaps had been triggered by the pregnancy and birth. Buffy, however, was proving that

both theories were incorrect. It seemed that all that was needed to trigger the instincts

was the knowledge of the connection.

Willow and Xander had both asked him about the changes in Buffy's behavior, concerned

about their close friend. He had told them it was due to her inability to kill Glory. While

he had believed that to be the truth at the time, only her frustration had vanished with

Glory's defeat. While Buffy was now able to sleep, the number of hours she was

managing to sleep had decreased from a maximum of five hours a night to three or four.

The extra patrols had become almost constant but he was unsure if this was due to the

nature of the Hectalik problem or if it would continue after.

Joyce had been very firm with him when he had asked her opinion upon the subject of

Buffy and Dawn. Dawn was very likely to be the only child Buffy ever had. As long as

both Buffy and Dawn wanted a mother and daughter relationship, that was what they

would have. There was to be no interference. As he did not wish to jeopardize his

relationship with Joyce he had agreed. And as Dawn had proven very insistent over the

last few days that she had been back home in calling Buffy Mom, he supposed the matter

was settled. They would simply learn to deal with the new moods Buffy was

experiencing the same way they had learned to make sure she was eating when she wasn't

dating. He never had figured out the correlation between those two events, although he

was certain there was one.

Rupert Giles stopped dead in his tracts in amazement. He was halfway through the patrol

and had spotted the main portion of the swarm. The swarm was being decimated.

Demons of every shape and size imaginable were every where. Some were gorging,

swallowing the Hectalik whole. Others were grabbing them up left and right and stuffing

them into the magical bags Willow and Tara had created. There were humans there as

well, police and National Guardsmen, shooting the creatures until they ran out of

ammunition. As he watched, a vampire reached for a police officer, only to be slapped

away by another demon who gestured up at the Watcher. The officer in turn, staked the

vampire and went right back to shooting the Hectalik. The Scoobies efforts had paid off

better than anyone but Willow had predicted.

Giles had radioed the location and direction of the main portion of the swarm to those

waiting back at the hellmouth. Xander had taken the information and directed everyone

into place. The construction site had been lit up with huge lights everywhere to ensure

that there wasn't a single shadow for a Hectalik to hide in. John looked over the site and

was glad to see that Xander knew what he was doing. He not only knew the site, being

part of the construction crew, he was very good with group tactics and had placed each

person according to their strengths. He and Buffy had been placed side by side as each of

them had been given one of Caleb's special items, two assault cannons; machine guns belt

fed by backpacks filled with ammo. Dean and Xander were in position to back them up

and change the guns over from an empty load to a full one. Willow and Tara were behind

the concrete barrier seated on the ground. They were far enough away from the others

that they would be able to concentrate on the magical reinforcement they would be giving

the barrier and not be distracted by the killing the others would be doing. Sam and Spike

were covering their flanks. The main danger, he knew came not from the Hectalik's

claws, but from being crushed beneath their bodies as they all tried to cram themselves

into the hellmouth.

The swarm came, not in the flood everyone was expecting, but in a steady stream all night

long. John almost wished that they'd had the flood to deal with. Without the immediate

danger from the threat of being crushed by overwhelming numbers their adrenaline didn't

kick in and that made the task even more exhausting. One shot every few minutes for

each of them, and they had to be watching for that shot every second. It was one very

tiring and frustrating, but he was pleased at how well everyone was holding up under the

strain. Everyone but Spike that was. He really wanted to be able to gag the vampire.

Spike had to be the only vampire he had every heard of with attention deficit disorder.

He spent several hours grumbling under his breath about how boring this was, and

couldn't he just go and get into the thick of the fighting with the other demons? Finally

close to dawn, Xander ordered Spike to go home as he would be of no use to anyone as a

pile of ash. Spike gave Xander a two finger salute and stalked off, scooping up at least

one Hectalik before anyone could shoot it. The stream slowed to a trickle, then a steady

drip. Then finally, an hour after dawn, nothing. It was over.

Buffy took off her assault rig and John gratefully joined her. He ached and wished for

just a little of her slayer strength. The assault cannons were heavy. Dean looked over the

plies of slaughtered remains and said what everyone else was thinking. "I'm not cleaning

that up. Someone else can do it." Slowly the group gathered up their weapons. Sam and

Dean picked Tara and Willow off the ground and carried them over to John's truck.

Everything and nearly everyone was loaded up into the back. Only John and Buffy rode

in the cab. There was no talking either in the back or between Buffy and John as they

drove down to the warehouse to pick up Dawn and Joyce.

Anya was the one who met them at the door to the warehouse. "That was wonderful!"

She exclaimed. "The hellmouth didn't open, there are lots of satisfied customers who

paid me in Hectalik for their pocket dimensions, and no one got hurt. Right?" She

peered at the back to the truck where most of the group was sleeping or trying to. Just

then Dawn and Joyce came out of the warehouse. Their first reaction was to check Buffy

for injuries.

"Right, Anya." Buffy said. "No worries Mom, Dawn. Everyone's ok."

John ushered all three women into the cab of his truck. "Oh, and Mr. Winchester. I know

we really didn't get a chance to talk, but as I'm leaving for New York now, this is my last

chance to wish you luck on your war with the Jekfoontar clan." Anya said as she shook

his hand.

Dean and Sam's heads poked out over the sides of the truck. Did she just say what I think

she said? their twin looks proclaimed. "You know what clan killed my wife and Sam's

girlfriend?" John asked her, gripping her hand so she couldn't leave.

"Oh, yes. That particular kill style is very unique. They only use it on enemies of the

clan. And I know they've been trying to wipe out the descendants of a human warrior for

centuries. There is some kind of prophecy about a child of power rising from that

bloodline and destroying the magical bonds that hold the clan together. If you are ever in

New York, please come visit." And with that she got into her car and left Sunnydale.