DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All property belongs to their respective owners.

A/N: Just a bit of a filler chapter to coax my Muse into the good stuff. Also, there is mention of a mini-slayer at the end of the chapter. I wonder if anyone can name which movie she is visiting from? Please read and review. Thanks!

Beta: As always, thanks go out to mmooch! You're the best!


Horatio walked back into the break room to find it almost empty- only Calleigh and young Mr. Wolfe remained- but there was no sign of Buffy and the others. Had they already left? When he looked, he didn't see any of their belongings strewn about either. Surely Buffy couldn't have left without saying goodbye to him first, right? Horatio wasn't quite able to hold back the hurt and disappointment at the thought.

Crestfallen, Horatio was about to go ask Calleigh where Buffy and the others had gotten off to, when the women in question walked back into the room. At the sight of Buffy, Horatio felt his heart lift and gave a mental sigh of relief. She hadn't left him without saying goodbye after all. If that didn't prove that he was falling hard for her, he didn't know what did. Now it was just expressing his feelings without scaring her away that was proving difficult.

Immediately after they walked back into the room, Horatio noticed that Mr. Wolfe's eyes zeroed in on Dawn. 'Hmm, it looks as though Mr. Wolfe is interested in Dawn; I'll have to keep an eye on this situation in future.' Horatio would have to have a talk with Mr. Wolfe about treading very carefully where Dawn was concerned.

He'd also seen and made note of the fact that Dawn looked upset and a bit angry, while Willow and Buffy both looked contrite. It was obvious that he had missed a good deal of the drama while talking to Alexx. Perhaps he should find out what was going on?

Buffy saw Horatio looking her way with a contemplative expression on his face, so she went over to speak with him before she took her sister and Willow home. Dawn had had a major snit over their teasing her about Ryan; but when they had questioned her, she refused to talk about what was bugging her. Since a public building wasn't a good place to continue the talk, Buffy had decided that it was time to call it quits for the day. "Heya, handsome, I just wanted to say goodbye before we head out."

"Is everything okay? Dawn looks rather upset," Horatio asked.

"I don't know. We were teasing her earlier, and she freaked out over it. But when Willow and I tried to apologize, she just gave us the silent treatment. Reminds me of when she was younger," Buffy lamented, "Boy, do I miss those days…not! But I think it's best if I take her home. If she should deign to answer me in more than monosyllabic grunts anytime soon, I'll be grateful."

"Oh. Okay then. I guess I'll see you around soon enough, right?"

"You betcha! We still have that 'Safety Against the Supernatural' seminar and training session to do. Be prepared for some interesting situations and zany type fun."

"I will, sweetheart. You take care of yourself and my nephews and niece," Horatio said, as he gave Buffy a hug goodbye and a kiss on the temple.

Dawn walked out a few feet ahead of Willow and Buffy, barely acknowledging anyone- although she did manage to spare a brief glance to Ryan- before exiting the break room.

Buffy and Willow could hardly contain themselves. They wanted to find out what was bothering Dawn. After unlocking the car and climbing in, Buffy and Willow both turned around to face Dawn in the backseat. It seemed smarter to get to the root of the "teenage hissy fit" now, rather than let her sit and stew on it for the duration of the drive home. Dawn held a grudge like no one else when she wanted to.

"Alright, Dawn, spill it. What's bothering you so much that it caused your fourteen year old self to make an appearance at the crime lab today?" Buffy asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Dawn said, "And quite honestly, I really have no desire to talk to you right now."

"Come on, Dawnie. We can't help you, if we don't know what's bothering you," Willow pleaded.

For several moments, Dawn didn't say anything as she gathered her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she let loose. "You really want to know what's wrong with me? Fine, I'll tell you what's wrong with me: you two just embarrassed the hell out of me in front of Ryan, for starters! I know you both thought it was funny, but I didn't! We had sparkage—literally- between us, and that scares the hell out of me!" Looking pointedly at Buffy, she continued, "I don't want to inherit your luck when it comes to love! And I know that that is a distinct possibility, considering that I was created from your blood. I don't want to be "Love's bitch"! Nor do I want to be in a Romeo and Juliet type of relationship, like you were with Angel, is that so wrong?"

Buffy didn't know what to say to Dawn's outburst; she hadn't known that Dawn felt that way. She knew that her past relationships left something to be desired; but her sister made it seem like all of her past relationships had been cursed.

Sure her relationship with Angel was doomed from the get-go, and maybe the circumstances in which she and Timmy had gotten together wasn't the greatest, but she'd thought that their relationship and marriage had been a good thing, and she imagined that if he had lived, their marriage would still be going strong. So Buffy was a little hurt by Dawn's comments.

"Thanks a lot, Dawnie. I know my love life hasn't always been smooth sailing, but you make it out to be worse than the Titanic," Buffy said flatly.

"I didn't mean it like that," Dawn exclaimed, suddenly realizing her mistake. "But, even you have to admit that it appears to be a bit of a curse when it comes to Summers women and dating. We seem to fall for some seriously unsuitable men. Remember Mom's adventures in dating? Ted the Robot? And then there was the band candy incident with Giles? I somehow doubt you've forgotten about that one. I know I'm still traumatized by that one. And we'll never know if Brian was a good guy or not, because Mom died before we ever got the chance to meet him," Dawn reminded Buffy.

When it looked like Buffy was about to protest, Dawn cut her off, "I'm not saying what I say to be hurtful; but, you have to look at the evidence here. The Scoobies- as a whole- have really crappy luck when it comes to love and relationships. And when there was literal sparkage between Ryan and me, it freaked me out.

"So yes, I was acting irrationally when you both decided to mess with me like that, and yes, I said things I shouldn't have. I am sorry for what I said, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm freaked about what happened, and damn it, I plan to stay that way for the foreseeable future!"

Buffy knew exactly the thing to say about Dawn's little diatribe. "Weren't you the one who told me, 'That true happiness doesn't come along very often, especially for us; but when it does, that we should seize it with both hands? And not to hesitate, or let go, because it might slip through our fingers.' Why not take your own advice and just go with it? So there was literal sparkage. So what? Maybe that means it is the 'be-all and end-all' for you and Ryan; or, it just means there was some static in the air. You're not looking to marry the guy, right? So don't make it into something it isn't. Just ask him out for coffee, or something equally low-key, like ice cream. You just want to see where this thing may go, not declare your undying love and devotion to the guy."

Dawn thought over what her sister had just said. She couldn't deny that there was merit to her advice. She did think that Ryan was hot, and she did want to find out more about him. And the only way to get to know him better was to ask him out.

Sure, things could go totally FUBAR; but then again, things could go fabulously and maybe something significant could come out of it. But she would never know if she didn't try. Sighing in defeat, Dawn conceded to Buffy's point. "As much as it pains me to say it, but you're right. I'm overreacting. I should just ask him out, and then see how it goes from there, right?"

Keeping the smugness out of her voice, Buffy replied, "That's what I'm saying. In fact, I was thinking that it would probably be a good idea to have some type of mixer in order to have our group and Horatio's to get to know each other in a relatively stress-free environment. Because the PTB knows that it may be hard for people who rely on science to believe that the supernatural is real. In fact, I think a barbeque-type deal at the beach sounds perfect."

Dawn immediately perked up at Buffy's idea. "That's a great idea! I can get to know Ryan in a relaxed setting, not to mention I can wow him when I wear my ice-blue bikini. And you can let Horatio see that even though you're a mommy, you're still a major hottie. And, the chance to poke fun at Giles in a swimsuit is just too funny an opportunity to pass up on!" Dawn enthused, ignoring Buffy's sputtering at the comment about Horatio.

When all three women imagined Giles' discomfort at having to wear a swimsuit, they burst out laughing at the hilarity.

"Oh goddess! I can just see it now! He'll be stuttering and saying 'Oh dear lord' while he searches for his handkerchief so that he can clean his glasses!" Willow laughed.

"Do you think he'll have a tweed swimsuit as well? Because ever since he became the Head of the IDC, he's reverted to his tweed-y ways again," Buffy asked, trying not to snort.

While Dawn had initially found the thought of Giles' discomfort in a swimsuit funny as well, she soon found her brain going to a disturbing visual place, as she thought of Giles in nothing but a pair of Speedos. Groaning aloud, she pressed her palms into her eyelids in an attempt to ward off the mental pictures, "Oh, eww! I actually had a picture of Giles in nothing but a pair of Speedos just pop into my head! OMG! I need an industrial-sized bottle of 'brain bleach' to remove that image!"

As soon as Dawn mentioned it, Buffy found her own brain betraying her, as a similar image popped into her own head. "I'm right there with you, little sister! I so did not need that mental image in my head, along with the knowledge of what Mom and Giles did during the band candy incident."

"Oh, I don't know. I happen to think that Giles is quite the hottie for a gentleman of his age. If I were single and not totally in love with Tara, and he suggested that he was interested in "making with the smoochies" with me, I don't think I would be turning him down," Willow commented.

"Willow! That is so gross! He's old and like a Dad to us! The fact that you would even consider smoochies with Giles is just plain wrong! I mean, he's Giles. And besides, you're meant to be gay," Buffy sputtered.

"Did you forget about Oz? I was completely in love with him before all that crap with Veruca went down and he left to learn how to "control the wolf". And even before Oz entered the equation, there were my feelings for Xander, remember? I was in love with him since we were little kids. Besides that, I once had quite the crush on Giles. So, it was harder for me to view him in the 'Dad' category like you did," Willow said.

"Anyways! Can we please move on?" Dawn pleaded. "Let's work on the details of the beach day mixer thing. The sooner it happens, the sooner I can work on getting to know Ryan."

"I'll have to talk to Horatio and see what he thinks of this idea; afterwards, we can come up with something as far as scheduling this event goes. Does that work for you, Dawnie?" Buffy asked, "Although I think you should just bite the bullet and ask him for coffee or ice cream, anyway."

The next evening…

Horatio was walking through his front door when his cell phone began to ring. Quickly setting his solitary dinner down on the entry hall table, he dug into the pocket of his coat, trying to get his cell phone before the call went to voicemail.

Having located it, he snapped it open as he answered, "Caine speaking."

"Well, hey there, handsome! Are you at work still? Or have you managed to find your way home?" asked the sweetest voice in all of Miami.

"Hello sweetheart. How are you?" Horatio asked.

"I'm doing well, I just thought I'd call to say hello, that's all," Buffy said. "How was work? Did you put away any new baddies?"

Chuckling as he shifted his cell into a more comfortable position, he answered, "No, but we are working on a new case. What about you? How's everything at Slayer headquarters?"

"Everything is quiet, for now. No apocalypses to speak of. Then again, we still have some time until we hit apocalypse season."

"And is Dawn doing better today?" Horatio asked, "She seemed upset when you three left yesterday."

"You're not lying about that one," Buffy said wryly, "It seems she has a bit of a crush on Ryan, and she didn't appreciate Willow and I teasing her about it."

"She is still a teenager when all is said and done, so I suspect that she's bound to succumb to her hormones- every now and again."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Buffy sighed. "Anyway, I kinda promised Dawn I'd talk to you about having an informal barbeque/beach mixer-type thing, so she could get to know Ryan in a more casual setting. Also, I figure it's also a good way for everyone else who's going to participate in my seminar and training session to meet the other slayers, witches and Watchers they may or may not be working with without the stress of a working environment. Besides, I have a feeling that quite a few of your people are going to have trouble wrapping their minds around the supernatural."

"Well, I will have to run it by my superior, but I see no problem with it. Was there a specific date you wanted to have the barbeque by? Just so you know, I will need at least seven days advance notice in order to schedule things properly."

"Understandable. How about we try for a week from this Sunday? That should be plenty of time to get permission from your boss. And it gives me enough time to have all of our people teleported in from their respective posts."

"Sounds good to me, sweetheart," Horatio acquiesced. "However, I'm going to let you go now, because my dinner is getting cold."

"Geez, why did you wait until just now to say something, H? We could have talked after you'd eaten dinner," Buffy exclaimed.

"Not to worry, it's fine. I would have said something if I had wanted to eat my dinner right away."

"Okay, well I'll talk to you soon, Horatio. Enjoy your dinner."

"I will. You have a good night, Buffy. I'll talk to you soon."

"You have a good night as well."

Two weeks later…

May 29, 2005

It had taken longer to set up the meet and greet barbeque event than Buffy had originally planned.

Of course, the attempt to open up the Cleveland Hellmouth by a group of renegade Granola demons hadn't helped either- and yes, she knew that wasn't the actual name of the demons, but honestly, like she really cared what their proper name was? She sure as hell wasn't interested in being politically correct to a bunch of demons bent on chaos and the destruction of life as they knew it.

So, Buffy had had to postpone the plans for the barbeque while she and a few other senior members of the IDC dealt with that mini apocalypse. But she had gotten home a few days ago and had finalized the plans for the picnic. They were going to hold it on Sunday at her house, because of its prime location just steps from the beach. It was just one of a few of the old Council's properties that had been kept when Giles had taken over the reins as head of the IDC. Buffy may not have had very many positive things to say about Quentin Travers and the old Council, but the one thing she could say- was that they did know how to treat their VIPs. Because that was what her house had been, a retreat for the upper echelon of Council members and their guests.

And as far as the menu went, there would be burgers, hot dogs and chicken along with coleslaw, corn on the cob, potato chips and fries for the CSI group, slayers, Watchers and witches. In addition, there would be Tara's special veggie burgers and grilled eggplant for all of the non-meat eaters. Buffy was looking forward to Tara's veggie burgers, because she had come up with a recipe that was to die for. It tasted so similar to a regular burger that most people couldn't tell that it wasn't actually meat. It definitely made going meatless that much more bearable for Buffy when she had started getting into the vegetarian lifestyle. And for the desserts, there would be a fresh fruit medley, along with strawberry shortcake, a mixed berry crumble and finally, Buffy was going to make her specialties: vegan tiramisu- which was Tara's favorite- and a chocolate-espresso torte with dark chocolate ganache and mocha-flavored whipped cream.

Buffy, Tara and Willow were responsible for the majority of the prep work and desserts, while Xander had already promised to man the grill for that day. Both Faith and Dawn were charged with getting the house cleaned. Buffy was pretty sure that they'd already drafted quite a few of the minis into helping them though. As long as the house was ready, Buffy didn't care how Faith or Dawn got them to do it. As far as she could tell, everything seemed to be covered for the barbeque.

A makeshift little bar had even been set up so that the adults could enjoy some alcoholic beverages if they chose to. And a scythe-empowered slayer named Cammie had even volunteered to act as bartender. Faith had found her in a popular little dive bar in New York City. Cammie was a petite blonde-haired, blue-eyed dynamo who rivaled Faith with her wild flirty ways and penchant for being the center of male attention.

Both she and Faith had instantly clicked with the Russian woman; she was sweet and instantly likable, with her quick smile and raunchy sense of humor. She was a very good slayer as well; she could think outside the box and knew how to improvise. In fact, Buffy believed that if you put both she and Faith into a blender- for lack of a better analogy- Cammie is what you would come out with.

So with everything taken care of, Buffy decided that she would work on the "show and tell" she had set up for the day after the barbeque.