Competition

"Xander?" Joyce asked as she came back downstairs. She looked left and right and cold hear muffled male voices coming from the kitchen. Angry male voices. Creeping towards the kitchen and being as quiet as possible Joyce listened for even the quietest sound.

"...off, Deadboy!" xander said angrily.

"That cross won't save you if I decide to come in, Xander." Other male voice threatened.

Stopping at the door to the kitchen Joyce pressed her ear to the door and listened afraid that something bad was going to happen. This sounded like more than male posturing. And what could she do to help in that situation? A middle aged woman in the middle of two teen males fighting? What was she going to do? Use the 'Mom' voice on them? This wasn't like the movies, she couldn't pull a Keanu and just 'know' kung-fu like in the Matrix.

There was a surprised male noise and then a sound like a body hitting something. Joyce held her breath and tensed ready to... nothing, she was afraid to move.

The other man's voice shouted out, "DRU!"

An English woman's voice suddenly filled the air, "If you harm one hair on this boy's head."

"Seriously?!" Angry male voice.

"Don't worry Kitten, Mummy's here." English woman said.

"I guess I did drive you crazy." Angry male voice growled out.

There was a pause as something happened. Joyce held her breath and argued with herself about going into the kitchen and seeing what was happening. But if she interrupted she might not learn whatever the real deal was with this mysterious English woman. Who was she? And more importantly what was Xander's interest in this mystery woman? Was she competition? Joyce knew she had more going for her than a big boobed bimbo teenage girl like Cordelia but up against another mature- she assumed based on the voice- woman from far away exotic locals like... England? well, not that exotic but more exotic than another Californian.

"Uhhhh... Thanks...." xander droned, his tone of voice made it easy to see he was very unsure of himself.

"Your face is a poem." English woman said in a sexy breathy voice, almost crooning the words to Xander.

"Oh... That's.... nice..." Xander was obviously rattled as he wasn't his usual jovial self. Who was this woman who could make Xander so shaken?

"How do you feel about eternal life?" English woman asked.

What? What kind of a come on was that? Was that some kind of.... thing? How out of the scene was Joyce that she didn't even know the lingo anymore.

"W-we.. we couldn't just start with a cup of coffee? Maybe a movie?" Xander sounded... afraid?

"Invite me in, Kitten." English woman crooned.

"I- I... No." Xander sounded rattled again.

"Look in my eyes, Kitten, look in my eyes, be in my eyes...."

Ok. That was not..... Joyce didn't know what was going on but whatever it was it couldn't be allowed to happen. Joyce stood up straight, mind set and shouldered thru the door in a big attention getting entrance. Xander was standing a few feet from the door and standing just on the other side of the door was a- Wait... did that woman's face just change? It... it looked like her forehead changed? That.... that couldn't... no... that had to be a trick of the light, a shadow or something. Joyce looked from Xander back to the English woman and both looked a little surprised but normal. Well, more than normal. Both were very attractive. Xander was... Xander, People's sexiest man alive. And the English woman was an attractive brunette woman who was maybe somewhere in the mid 20s in an outfit designed to be super sexy and show off a good amount of cleavage.

Joyce narrowed her eyes and locked eyes with the brunette English woman who likewise narrowed her eyes and met her stare. Sizing up the competition. The English woman's eyes were... Joyce...

"Won't you invite me in?" English woman asked.

"I..." Joyce wanted to look away. Joyce wanted to deny her. And yet... those eyes....

"NO!" Xander said forcefully and glared at the English woman in the door. "Stop it. Leave her alone."

Joyce continued to meet the English woman's eyes. It was... things were... those eyes....

The English woman smiled a smile that was devious, her eyes boring into Joyce's and simpered, "What am I doing Kitten? I'm just a living breathing human being. Won't you invite me in?"

"Your just a living breathing human being." Joyce uttered.

The English woman gasped and put her hands over her heart. She looked down at her hands over her heart and smiled in amazement. She staggered and leaned into the door frame before falling into the kitchen on her knee. Her voice quivered with wonder, "My heart.... it... I'm alive."

Joyce shook her head trying to clear it, for some reason she had the feeling like she was in a waking dream. Something was... something had happened. Something was weird here.

"What the fuck just happened?" Xander asked looking from Joyce to the other woman.