AN: Thank you for all your reviews. Just a question but does anybody have trouble getting to the other chapters? Anyway I don't own BTVS but I SO wish I did. Some of the dialog might sound familiar but I don't know the exact words. Sorry it took so long.

Buffy walked into her mom's room that night. She was startled at the sight of her mom packing a bag.

"Hey mom, where are you going?" Buffy asked worryingly.

"Well, you know that nothing that's been bothering me for the past few weeks. It might not be nothing after all, so I'm going to the hospital for observation tonight and they want to do a CAT scan." Joyce confided in her oldest

After finishing talking to her mom about tomorrow, Buffy went out to sit on the porch to be alone and process. Buffy had put her head in her hands and tried hard not to break down. She felt that she had to be strong for her family and there was no way she could do that if she cracked now. Spike had slipped into the backyard through a gap in the fence carrying a shotgun. He was hoping that he had enough time to pull the trigger before the chip in his head went off. Spike's thought revolved around if Buffy was dead than the feelings would die too but he stopped when he saw the slayer look defeated.

"What's wrong, Love?" Spike asked sincerely.

"My mom is staying overnight at the hospital for observation. She's real sick." She didn't know why she told the bleached blonde that but it felt good to get that off her chest.

Hearing the slayer's word and his own feelings about Joyce, Spike put his arm around Buffy. Joyce had never looked at Spike like a monster. They had bonded over a period of time when spike would come to the house uninvited. She treated Spike like a regular person and he really liked her for it. Buffy didn't know why she was accepting Spike's comfort but knew that it was appreciated.

The next day, Buffy and Dawn were sitting in the Waiting Room of Sunnydale Memorial. They were sitting there uncomfortable and worrying about their mother. They could only imagine what the test will show. Both of them were shocked out of their discomfort when they saw Shane walking towards them. She was wearing plain blue jeans and a white t-shirt with her hair pulled back and leather jacket. Stopping in front of the girls, she looked down and sadly smiled.

"Shane, what are you doing here and how did you know we were here?" Buffy asked she stood up and hugged the demi-god.

"Giles told me and I was hoping there was something I could do." Shane answered returning the hug and pulling Dawn into one as well.

"Thank you so much and if you could just look after Dawn while I go to the exam room, that would be really helpful." Buffy said and waited for Shane to nod her head to go to see the results.

"Don't worry, Dawn. I'm sure that in the end everything would be fine." Shane said to the scared looking teen to reassure her.

Buffy returned with Riley in tow and informed them of Joyce going in for a biopsy to look at a shadow. Shane and Riley glared at each other through but not wanting to do anything that would upset the girl of their dreams. Shane, sitting next to Dawn, had draped her leather jacket over her to use as a blanket. Buffy looked on with a grateful expression for the older girl. Buffy thought she was lucky to have someone who would look after her sister while she tried to remain strong. Buffy noticed the time and got up to wake Dawn for school.

"Hey Shane," Buffy said as she reached down and shook Dawn awake, "Do you think you could take Dawn to school?"

"Yeah, sure, Buffy. Just do me a favor let me know if you need anything or if you hear anything?" Shane asked concerned.

"I will and thank you for this." Buffy answered.

Shane and Dawn walked out of the hospital and started on Dawn's way to school. Shane noticed how sad and distracted the littlest Summers looked. 'She is way too depressed to sit in a classroom for six hours. This isn't something a fourteen year old should go though. As much as I love Buffy, I don't think she should shut Dawn out like this or close herself off. I get the need to be strong for someone but this can't be healthy,' Shane thought. She stopped suddenly which caused Dawn to turn and look at her with a questioning look.

"Dawn, do you really want to go to school with all this stuff going on?" Shane asked.

'No, I really don't but Buffy and Mom would get upset." Dawn replied.

Shane just shrugs and rhetorically asks, "What is youth without skipping school at least once?" She then states, "Though, I would say that you shouldn't really do this but now isn't a good time for you to sit in a classroom and be able to think about what could happen."

"You're really going to let me skip school." Dawn said with a bright smile.

"Only today." Shane reaffirmed.

Across town, the gang had gathered to research this new demon Buffy had faced. Faith had showed up and went to the back to train. Giles had finished a sentence, when he turned and came face to face with a pretty blonde with a high dollar dress and shoes. Faith walked out of the back as she felt something strange in the Magic Box. She couldn't tell who the feeling was coming from but it made her stand on edge. Looking around like a crazy person, she had caught Tara's attention.

"Faith, Is something wrong?" Tara asked with concern as she stood in front of Faith.

"I sense something is wrong but I can't sense who it is." Faith explained to the blonde witch.

"Do you think that the demon is here?" Tara asked while preparing her defense.

"I don't know. Nobody ever gave me or Shane for that matter a description." Faith replied and felt as the feeling vanished. "Well, It's gone now and I never got a clear look."

"What's going on over here? Faith, you look like you're ready to hurt someone." Giles interrupted at seeing Faith's disturbed face.

"I felt something off in the store, Watcherman." Faith explained a little bitterly at the accusation.

She turned around and went back to training. Faith just pounded at the bag with a fury. 'Why can't these people see that I'm not going to hurt them? I apologized for what I did and turned myself in. I stayed in jail cause I thought that would help them see that I was good again. I haven't done a damn thing to them since I got back. I mean, B kind of trust me again and Tara treats me like a real person not some ex-con,' Faith thought as she punched again and again at the bag wanting to release all the anger she needed. Faith stopped when she heard a commotion from the front of the shop and rushed out thinking there was an attack.

"What's going on?" Faith demanded when she saw everything was fine except for the concerned looks on the Scoobies.

"Well, Giles here sold a Khul's amulet and a Sobekian Blood Stone to the new big bad. It's a very bad thing. She is probably going to transmogrify a snake for something." Anya said bluntly.

"Okay, then I will track her down and take care of it. Don't tell Buffy, she has other things to deal with." Faith said as she took off out the door.

Faith ran around town for a while trying to come across that feeling she had earlier. She finally felt it around the Zoo. Running directly to where they kept the snakes, Faith ran straight and tackled Glory with all she had. She threw a right hand jab to the face then hit a knee to the stomach. Faith threw another fist to the face and kicked at the knee. Faith knew that she couldn't let this women get any momentum and continued to throw moves to keep her busy. Eventually Glory got tired of this, she caught a fist and twisted it behind Faith's back.

"Dreg, I'm not hearing any chanting." The blonde yelled at her servant.

"Oh yes, Glory." Dreg responded to her as he went back to chanting.

Glory threw Faith into a wall which dazed her. While Faith struggled to get back up, a giant cobra emerged from the vase that it was housed in. Glory gave it instructions to seek out the key and it took off throwing Faith into the wall again. Glory and her minion took off while the slayer/demi-god hybrid struggled to stand up. Faith noticed they were gone and began her trek back to the Magic Box. 'so it's out there seeking a key. Well at least, we now know her name. She is really strong. I can't believe that she beat me without even really throwing a punch,' Faith thought. She continued that train of thought all the way back to the Magic Box. As she walked in the door, Faith literally ran into Buffy leaving to help her.

"Faith, did you stop her and are you okay?" Buffy asked and then stated, "You look beat to hell."

"I didn't stop her and now there is a giant cobra out there looking for a key. I learned, though, that her name is Glory." Faith informed the group as she sat down.

"Well that should help with research." Giles tried to cheer up the beaten slayer.

"Look, B, why don't you just head on back to the hospital, take care of your mom, and leave things to me and Shane. We can handle this I swear." Faith said to Buffy with determination.

"I'm only going back for a little bit after mom wakes up but you're stuck with me on this." Buffy told Faith as she felt that she could finally do something.

Shane and Dawn were walking around town just letting Dawn enjoy her day off of school. They had gone by a merry-go-round that started the two on a talk about their respective childhoods. Shane felt bad when this had started as she knew that all of Dawn's earlier memories were fake. They were just walking through a shopping center when Dawn stopped and turned to Shane with a look of determination on her face.

"I want an honest answer from you." Dawn said and, when she got a nod from Shane, she asked, "Are you only watching out for me because you like my sister?"

"I guess I'm really transparent about my feelings but to answer your question no. I think you're a cool kid and you shouldn't be left alone right now." Shane said looking straight into her face to know what she said was honest.

"Thank you. So you really like my sister?" Dawn said teasingly.

"Ha ha ha, yeah. I do." Shane replied with a laugh.

"It's almost 4:30 maybe we should head to the Magic Box. That's usually where everybody is anyway." Dawn suggested.

The two entered the Magic Box and Shane noticed Faith looked a little worse for wear. After they were told what the situation was, Dawn sat down at the table to go over her previous day's homework and think over the situation they were in. Shane took Faith into the back and explained to her about Dawn, even if the blonde slayer got mad at her for this. Shane knew that Faith had proved herself and could be trusted with this. Faith was shocked to learn of Dawn's origins.

When Buffy returned that night, Dawn ran and hugged her sister. That's when Sobek had crashed through the window, immediately knocking Buffy away and headed straight for Dawn. She screamed with terror and the snake's eyes flash. It turned and slithered out and started its path back to Glory. Buffy and Shane took off after it while Giles headed to get his car. Faith stayed behind as protection for the key should the other two fail to reach the snake and Glory came after Dawn.

Giles pulled up to the other two and continued the chase in his car. Sobek cut through a park and Buffy jumped out to follow it with Shane seconds behind her. Buffy reached it first and with a chain that she had taken off a broken gate jumper on its back, trying to choke it out and eventually it fell. Thinking she had won, Buffy relaxed her grip and the giant cobra took the opportunity to dislodge the slayer. Shane ran in and stopped it from getting to far with a punch to the face. Buffy jumped in and assaulted the creature with slayer powered punches even after it had stopped moving. Shane moved and grabbed Buffy's arm pulling her into a hug. Buffy felt a little of her strength leave and cried on Shane's shoulder.

AN: okay sorry for the long wait. Please review and give me suggestion. There is another story I am working on if you want to read it and review that too. That is me begging.