Spike gave Liz a look which plainly meant 'I'm sure you'll explain later', and then did something which Elizabeth wasn't expecting.
"Yea, they were probably after me" he said. "I owe some currency to a few buggers, and this was probably their way of tryin' to collect."
Kyle and Adam didn't look convinced at all, but the others were eager to jump on Spike for this. Especially Xander.
"Same old Spike; get yourself into trouble, get other people hurt. Except you don't really seem to care, do you?" he said. Spike gave a low growl in reply. Elizabeth came to his rescue.
"I'm sure he didn't mean to get anyone hurt Xander" she said, her voice low.
"Yea Liz, but in case you haven't realized, it doesn't take much for him to get it to happen anyway. Someone could have gotten hurt worse then they did. Or someone could have gotten killed."
He didn't notice how pale Liz had become, but Spike did. He growled again.
Giles interrupted them. "Well now that we know why they're here, it should be fairly easy to get rid of them. All Spike has to do is pay the person he owes back."
Spike nodded reluctantly. "Yea, Watcher. It's real easy."
"So let's turn to the matter at hand, shall we?" Giles said, opening up a new volume in front of him.
"What's the plan?" Buffy asked.
"Well, I've been looking into all the information we've accumulated about the Key so far, and I think it would be safe to assume that at least one of the pieces would be linked to us. To Buffy, at the very least."
"Wait a minute" Buffy said. "I thought that two different groups or something handled each part - how do you know that we have the other?"
"I don't, not exactly" Giles admitted. "However, the other section of the Key went missing only a few years before Dawn was brought here. It may very well be that they sent the other section as well, and all our information seems to point to that."
"I've been looking through some of the older volumes and I think the best course of action at this point would be to cast the same spell Buffy used to see what was out of place in her home when her mother was ill. It correctly showed Dawn's true nature, and there is no reason to think it won't do that again."
"I don't want to."
Everyone looked at Dawn.
"Why not, Dawnie?" Willow asked, coming over to her.
"Because that means everyone's going to see that I'm not really here. I don't want to see that. I don't want to see me flicker in and out of photographs, or look in a mirror. And that's what'll happen, right? Until we find out if I'm related to our toaster or some other weird thing that these people left here?" she looked up and they could all see she had tears in her eyes.
Liz came and crouched down in front of Dawn.
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," she said. "I won't do it either, all right?"
Dawn nodded, and gave a small smile. Liz turned to Giles.
"If you are all going to be doing that today, how about I take Dawn out somewhere?" she looked back at Dawn. "I still haven't seen too much of the local scene; how about it?" Dawn looked at Buffy, and she nodded.
"Just a couple questions," she said, as they headed for the door.
"Yes?"
"How long do you expect to have the spell in place?"
"A few days, most likely. This way we can be sure to have covered all the potential areas where the other section of the Key may be hidden." She nodded thoughtfully, and then asked the question that she really didn't want the answer to.
"What do you plan to do with it when you find it?"
Giles looked up, surprised. "Probably destroy it," he said, and she felt Dawn's hand tighten in her own. "If what I've been reading is correct, it's a highly dangerous magickal object with a great deal of power; power that could easily become tainted or manipulated by someone else. We need to keep that from happening."
He and the others noticed her pale face grow perhaps another shade paler. "Are you all right?" he ventured to ask.
Lost in her own thoughts, she almost didn't hear him. "Hm? Oh; I'm fine. Just had a late night with the dancing and the demon-guy, is all. We'll see you guys later."
They left, door shutting behind them. With that, Buffy turned towards Spike.
"You two went DANCING?" she said incredulously.
But she'd never get an answer. Spike was gone, sneaking out through the back.
"Yea, they were probably after me" he said. "I owe some currency to a few buggers, and this was probably their way of tryin' to collect."
Kyle and Adam didn't look convinced at all, but the others were eager to jump on Spike for this. Especially Xander.
"Same old Spike; get yourself into trouble, get other people hurt. Except you don't really seem to care, do you?" he said. Spike gave a low growl in reply. Elizabeth came to his rescue.
"I'm sure he didn't mean to get anyone hurt Xander" she said, her voice low.
"Yea Liz, but in case you haven't realized, it doesn't take much for him to get it to happen anyway. Someone could have gotten hurt worse then they did. Or someone could have gotten killed."
He didn't notice how pale Liz had become, but Spike did. He growled again.
Giles interrupted them. "Well now that we know why they're here, it should be fairly easy to get rid of them. All Spike has to do is pay the person he owes back."
Spike nodded reluctantly. "Yea, Watcher. It's real easy."
"So let's turn to the matter at hand, shall we?" Giles said, opening up a new volume in front of him.
"What's the plan?" Buffy asked.
"Well, I've been looking into all the information we've accumulated about the Key so far, and I think it would be safe to assume that at least one of the pieces would be linked to us. To Buffy, at the very least."
"Wait a minute" Buffy said. "I thought that two different groups or something handled each part - how do you know that we have the other?"
"I don't, not exactly" Giles admitted. "However, the other section of the Key went missing only a few years before Dawn was brought here. It may very well be that they sent the other section as well, and all our information seems to point to that."
"I've been looking through some of the older volumes and I think the best course of action at this point would be to cast the same spell Buffy used to see what was out of place in her home when her mother was ill. It correctly showed Dawn's true nature, and there is no reason to think it won't do that again."
"I don't want to."
Everyone looked at Dawn.
"Why not, Dawnie?" Willow asked, coming over to her.
"Because that means everyone's going to see that I'm not really here. I don't want to see that. I don't want to see me flicker in and out of photographs, or look in a mirror. And that's what'll happen, right? Until we find out if I'm related to our toaster or some other weird thing that these people left here?" she looked up and they could all see she had tears in her eyes.
Liz came and crouched down in front of Dawn.
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," she said. "I won't do it either, all right?"
Dawn nodded, and gave a small smile. Liz turned to Giles.
"If you are all going to be doing that today, how about I take Dawn out somewhere?" she looked back at Dawn. "I still haven't seen too much of the local scene; how about it?" Dawn looked at Buffy, and she nodded.
"Just a couple questions," she said, as they headed for the door.
"Yes?"
"How long do you expect to have the spell in place?"
"A few days, most likely. This way we can be sure to have covered all the potential areas where the other section of the Key may be hidden." She nodded thoughtfully, and then asked the question that she really didn't want the answer to.
"What do you plan to do with it when you find it?"
Giles looked up, surprised. "Probably destroy it," he said, and she felt Dawn's hand tighten in her own. "If what I've been reading is correct, it's a highly dangerous magickal object with a great deal of power; power that could easily become tainted or manipulated by someone else. We need to keep that from happening."
He and the others noticed her pale face grow perhaps another shade paler. "Are you all right?" he ventured to ask.
Lost in her own thoughts, she almost didn't hear him. "Hm? Oh; I'm fine. Just had a late night with the dancing and the demon-guy, is all. We'll see you guys later."
They left, door shutting behind them. With that, Buffy turned towards Spike.
"You two went DANCING?" she said incredulously.
But she'd never get an answer. Spike was gone, sneaking out through the back.