Buffy sighed as she stepped into her house. Michael placed a hand on her back. Buffy nodded, "I'm going to walk in there and Willow will start a long convoluted explanation about how she was doing something for Cordelia in LA or something, and forgot to call."

Michael took a deep breath, "We'll find her, I promise."

Buffy nodded and turned to face Michael, "You've already got the boyfriend thing down flat." She smiled a little while Michael looked down at his clasped hands. "C'mon," Buffy leaned in and gave Michael a quick kiss.

Anya spoke loudly from the living room doorway, "Buffy and Mr. Dr. are making out."

Buffy shook her head, "Guess we should go in there..."

Michael smiled as he shook his head and put a hand around Buffy's waist. "My mother warned me about girls like you." Buffy rolled her eyes and smiled back, "Good thing I didn't listen to her."

Tara looked up and looked quickly back down when Buffy and Michael entered the living room. Her hair hung in front of her face, "They haven't found her, Kim went out with Kerry, I-I think that Kim was worried about the plant thing eating her or something."

Buffy made a gesture with her hands before she collapsed on the couch next to Tara, "Poof, or more specifically, swish... fooom... No more plant."

Tara nodded distractedly, and Buffy frowned, "Hey, you look all pale. Anya..."

"You rang?"

Buffy shook her head, "Xander couldn't have instilled in you a normal sense of humor?" Anya started to speak, "Never mind. Look, do you think you could whip something sweet and easy to go down for Tara? I could probably use something too. I'd make it..."

"But you don't want to burn down the house..."

Buffy groaned, "If I had the energy I'd stick out my tongue out at you, but I don't, so just pretend that I did."

"Okay." With that Anya bopped into the kitchen pulling an unsuspecting Michael behind her.

Tara lifted her head up, "You think they'll be all right in the kitchen alone?"

Buffy laughed, "Mike is a military dude, he can handle anything, so he'll be able to semi-deal with Anya."

Tara's eyes focused on Buffy's face, "You like him?" Buffy nodded, "Good, don't lose him, he's a pretty silver color." Tara laid her head down on Buffy's shoulder.

Buffy scratched her head as she regarded Tara quizzically, "Silver?"

Captain Seymour stormed into Riley's office. "What the fuck are you doing..." Riley raised an eyebrow, "Sir."

Riley sat back in his chair, "To what are you referring Captain?"

Captain Seymour started pacing back and forth in Riley's office, "You know exactly what I'm talking about. It has gotten out of hand. I gritted my teeth while you let Buffy in, and when you brought in that doctor, but this I will not stand for. Don't you understand how dangerous what you are doing could be?"

Riley steepled his fingers, "You know some people think I was put here because I got Sam killed. I'm a good soldier Seymour, well... for the most part." Riley smirked to himself, "Do you have a code of ethics Seymour, or do you just follow orders like a stooge."

Captain Seymour's nose was fluctuating like a bull ready to charge, "I will dig up another officer and declare you unfit for duty, fry the thing's brain myself."

Riley shook his head, "No, you're not. You know, last time I disobeyed orders this badly I got kicked out of The Initiative. Think I can go two for two?"

Captain Seymour's biceps flexed and he picked up the visitor's chair and threw it at Riley before escaping the office. Riley shook his head, "Sad really." Riley keyed the intercom, "Finn to Room 4, don't let Captain Seymour in to see the patient. Is that understood, use force if necessary?"

"Deadly sir?"

Riley took a second to consider this, "Nah, I need someone to bring me up on charges, makes it interesting. Finn out." Riley keyed a walkie talkie that he had hooked on his pants, "Finn to Abby, how're you two doing?"

Abby responded, "We're doing fine, will probably be able to leave in ten or fifteen minutes."

"Very good. I will be coming with you."

Abby nodded, "I could hear the fight from down here. You okay Riley?"

"I'll live. Let's just make sure the patient lives. I like my head, brain, and other vital parts."

Abby laughed.

Xander yawned as he and Dawn entered the Summer's house. He glanced up at the clock as Dawn trudged up to her room to fall into bed. "3 am. Six hours." He heard the crackling of the radio in the living room. No one seemed to be answering it.

He picked it up and moved into the kitchen, "Base here...a sleepy base, but base none the less."

Kim spoke on the other side, "Shut the fuck up Alexander Harris, we found her. Do you know where the Initiative used to be?"

Xander's eyes got large, he dropped the radio and was out the door in a second. "Xander, damnit Xander. We're coming back to base. Don't move a muscle."

Xander was running, both out of breath, and on the pavement. "God, please don't let me die, cause if I die, Buffy's gonna kick my ass, followed by Willow and Anya, not to mention Tara and Kerry." He kept chugging.

Kim glanced around the room and gave a yell, "Xander...damn."

Kerry stooped down in the kitchen and picked up the radio that was now definitely dented, "Don't think he even heard the last part of your message hon. On the bright side..."

"Willow?"

"...you've woken up everyone else in the house so that they can worry along with us."

Kim closed her eyes and scrunched up her face, "Oops..."

Buffy rushed into the kitchen, "What... who... what happened."

Dawn was next followed by Tara both asking the same questions. Anya stumbled in next followed by a very bleary eyed Mike. "You do know you people keep more hellish hours than even me?"

Buffy waved him off, "What happened?"

Kerry held up the radio, "Kim and I found out from a vamp, who's now a nice dust pile, that Willow was taken by the Initiative, or whatever they're calling themselves. It seems that the government thought that she was getting too strong as a witch. Guess they're a bit late, but anyway, they were going to fry her brain." Tara sagged against the door frame, Kerry quickly continued, "So we radioed home.

I guess you were all sleeping. Xander picked up, but after Kim asked where the initiative was, he took off."

Buffy looked up at a clock, "How long ago was this?"

"10 minutes ago maybe."

Dawn went over to a window that looked out on the driveway, "Yeah, took the car to the campus. Must already be there by now."

Anya clasped her hands to her chest, "My Xander is so brave."

Buffy put a hand on her forehead and shook her head, "God, she's back. Couldn't you have stayed bitter, it was so damn easier to take."

Anya didn't bat an eyelash, just raised her nose and turned towards the dishes in the sink and stared at them.

Xander burst into Room 4 panting. Willow was drowsy and mostly out of it to one side while a young woman was half supporting Willow and Riley was duking it out with a guy. Xander frowned and caught Riley's eye. Riley slowly turned Captain Seymour so that his back was to the door, and therefore to Xander. Xander snuck up behind Captain Seymour and kicked his legs out from under him. Seymour went down with an oof and various oaths. Before he could get up, the young woman came over and whacked the Captain on the head with a leg of... something.

Riley glanced around and shook his head. He grabbed Willow around the waist and hefted her over his shoulder. "C'mon, he was the good guy in this room."

Xander nodded his understanding and they all sped out of the room.

Buffy was closing the door with Tara fidgeting to one side when Xander's car roared into the driveway. Tara was suddenly awake and bright eyed. She was next to the car and opening up the back door before the brake lights even turned off. "Willow, baby, oh god." Her eyes got hard as diamonds, "What did you do to her Riley."

Buffy came up from behind Tara, "That's a very valid question..."

Riley gestured inside, "Could we...do this inside? What I did was very..."

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Against orders. You know, for a boy scout, you kinda suck with the whole, obey orders even if they're to jump off a bridge."

Riley shrugged and gestured to the house, "Inside, please..."

When they got inside Kim did a double take, "Abby, how did you get involved in this?"

Abby took a long breath as she sat down in one of the chairs in the living room. "It is all your Kerry's fault...all her fault, as if I could be Dr. Weaver."

Kim smiled, "Well, I do have to agree with that, there is only one Dr. Kerry Weaver."