(Note: Some dialog taken directly from the episode.)

Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its characters are the property of Joss Whedon.

My childhood-home I see again,

And gladden with the view;

And still as mem'ries crowd my brain,

There's sadness in it too.

-My Childhood-Home, by Abraham Lincoln

"I'll get it!" Dawn jumped up from the dinner table and hurried to answer the knock at the door. Her face lit up the second she saw who it was. "Spike!"

"Hey, Little Bit." The vampire was surprised as the girl flung her arms around him. After a second he reciprocated, a bit awkwardly.

Dawn withdrew and grabbed his hand. "C'mon in!" She half-dragged him through the door. She frowned as he stepped into the lighted interior. "What happened to you? Run into some big bad demon action?"

Spike gestured to his swollen eye, the last remnant of the severe beating he'd received the week before. "Nothin' I couldn't handle, Niblet."

"We were just having dinner," Dawn explained, "Wanna join us?" She turned to Buffy, who arrived to see who the unexpected visitor was. "We've got enough food for another person, right?"

Spike didn't give the Slayer a chance to answer. "'Fraid this isn't a social call, pet."

"Vampires?" Buffy asked.

"Definitely not," he replied, "Some demon I haven't seen before. Nasty looking bugger wavin' a sword around, attacking anybody it sees, human or not."

"Great," Buffy sighed, "I'll go grab some weapons."

Spike waited by the door while Dawn followed Buffy into the living room and watched her collect a variety of weapons in a bag.

"I'm sorry," Buffy said.

Dawn mustered a smile. "It's okay."

"No. we're gonna sit down and have a real dinner...someday. I hate having to run out in the middle. It's just, y'know, there's this thing out there."

"I understand," Dawn tried to sound positive, "Well, maybe when you get back, we can set up for your party tomorrow."

"Yeah, uh, this could take a while, though. I wouldn't wait up." Buffy zipped the bag closed, then put on her coat. "Besides, Willow promised to be on birthday patrol, so there's nothing left for us to do."

Dawn's shoulders slumped. "Right."

"Okay, so, finish dinner, homework, and don't stay up too late. Alright?"

"Okay."

Buffy said a quick goodbye and hurried out the door, followed by Spike, who gave Dawn a parting nod.

It took most of the night, but they finally tracked the demon down in one of the cemeteries. Buffy and Spike each carried an axe, the rest of the weapons stashed out of the way, but still within easy reach should they be needed. Just when Buffy was about ready to give up and call it a night, the demon attacked. It was an ugly, red-faced brute with numerous horns jutting from the sides of its head and a ridiculous large topknot that flopped around when it moved. The demon wielded a gleaming sword with an ornate gold hilt; an incongruously glamorous looking weapon for such a homely creature. With one swing it knocked the axe from Buffy's hand. Buffy grabbed the demon's wrist on the return swing and Spike brought his own axe to bear. Before his weapon made contact with the creature's flesh, the demon suddenly vanished.

"Huh," Spike remarked, "Guess that explains why it got around so fast."

The demon reappeared to his right and he dodged the swinging sword while Buffy kicked the demon in the midsection. Another kick knocked the sword from the creature's grip and she snatched the blade from midair. The demon lunged and Buffy plunged the blade into its belly. There was a roar, a blinding light that sent both Slayer and vampire reeling. When their vision cleared, the demon was gone, only its sword imbedded in the ground remained.

"Run off, huh?" Spike called out, "Afraid to face a couple of true warriors?"

Buffy retrieved her axe from where it had landed and pouted when she saw the handle bent out of shape. "This was one of my favorites."

Spike yanked the abandoned sword out from the ground, offered it to her hilt-first. "At least you got a new sword out of the deal."

"Ooh! Shiny." Buffy accepted the weapon with an eager grin.

Spike chuckled and put his arm around her waist as they began to walk home. "So, what'd I hear the Bit say about a party?"

"Uh, yeah, my birthday's tomorrow," she shrugged, eyes lowered, "It's not gonna be a big thing. Just the usual gang, y'know. Willow, Xander, Anya, Tara, a girl from work named Sophie."

Spike made a noncommittal sound in his throat.

Buffy glanced at him from the corner of her eye, suppressed a wince at the sight of the black eye he still sported. It made her sick every time she saw it, knowing it was her that gave it to him. He'd forgiven her, of course, but that wasn't about to make her feel any better about it. In some ways, it made her feel worse.

The weird thing was, he didn't act any different than before. Not until she told him about Tara's investigation of the spell that brought Buffy back from the dead. When she told him about the whole "tropical cellular tan" thing, she didn't really expect him to care one way or the other. But for some reason, finding out she hadn't come back "wrong" seemed to really bother him. She tried talking to him about it, but he kept changing the subject or ignoring it altogether, until she finally just gave up. It was tense for a couple of days, but things were settling back to normal. Well, normal for them.

Buffy took a deep breath, then blurted out in a rush, "Soyouwannacome?"

Spike looked at her in surprise. "You're inviting me to your birthday party?"

"Well, maybe not inviting," she prevaricated, "Just sort of...casually letting you know that, if you wanna show up...y'know, if you feel like it..." She squirmed. It had sounded so much better when she rehearsed it in her head. "You don't have to bring a present or anything."

Spike tilted his head. "And what'll your friends say to me showing up?"

She shrugged. "You're part of the team, helping me out on patrol and stuff. Why shouldn't you come? And if you get along with my friends okay—"

"Ah!" Spike nodded in sudden comprehension, "This is you testing the waters with your friends, innit? Seeing how they handle my presence outside of Slayer work before you break the news about us."

"It's not testing," she protested, "There's no test. I want them to get used to you being around. That way, when I tell them about us, it won't be as big a shock. Hopefully."

Spike appeared to consider it. "Can I bring a friend?"

"You have friends?"

"Oi!" he glared at her, "I do happen to have a social life outside of patrolling, I'll have you know."

Buffy held up her hands in surrender. "Okay. Feel free to bring your plus one."

"Alright, then."

"Okay."

The two of them walked on in silence, identical smiles inching across their faces.

Buffy felt kind of strange watching her friends do all the work of readying the house for the party while she sat around doing nothing. But she had to admit, she rather liked the low-pressureness.

"So, who's coming?" Xander asked as he helped Anya prepare the copious amount of snacks, "You invite anyone else?"

"Just you guys," Buffy replied, "Willow, Tara, the gang. Oh, and Sophie, from work." She noticed the surprise on the couple's faces and went into the defensive. "What? Like I'm one of those losers who can't make friends outside her tight little circle? No. I'm friendly. We bonded instantly. Peas in a pod. Bonded peas."

"Really?" Anya smiled, "Um, what's Sophie's last name?"

Buffy pursed her lips and looked away. "Okay, shut up."

"Don't worry about it," Xander said, "We're all over the 'new friend' thing."

Something about that statement raised a warning flag in her mind. "What 'new friend' thing?"

"Well, um, we invited someone for you," Anya said, then added in an excited whisper, "A guy."

Buffy suppressed a groan as Dawn, overhearing this last part, exclaimed, "For Buffy? Really?" The teen threw her older sister an amused look, knowing Buffy was already spoken for.

Xander waved a negligent hand. "Ah, don't worry. It's not a setup."

"Right. No," Anya agreed with her fiancé, "Just an attractive single man with whom we hope you find much in common." Which would have been fine, had she not proceeded to add, "And if you happen to form a romantic relationship leading to babies and many double dates with us, so we have someone else to talk to—yay!"

Buffy shared a brief look with her sister. "I assume this was an act of kindness?" She was gratified to see Xander look a little shamefaced. "That'll help with the not throttling."

A short while later, Buffy tore herself away from the aspiring matchmakers to answer the door. She was glad to see it was Tara. The two of them had grown closer since Buffy's whole emotional breakdown last week. They met up on occasion and talked. It was nice having a friend she could talk to about her relationship with Spike, among other things. Tara never once came across as judgmental about the fact that Buffy was in love with the vampire.

"So, um, is Spike coming?"

"Maybe. I haven't really told the others," Buffy confessed, "I'm not sure if he'll even show up. I hope he will. It'll be good to see if he can play well with others. Make it easier when I'm ready to—"

"Come out?" Tara quipped.

Buffy laughed. "Yeah."

A very nervous Willow chose that moment to make her appearance and Buffy was quick to excuse herself. She went to the kitchen and busied herself with pouring some drinks. A minute later, a very stressed looking Tara entered the kitchen.

"Hey, how did it—"

"Yes, please." Tara snatched a newly filled cup from Buffy's hand and took a healthy swig.

"Guess that answers my question," Buffy muttered, reaching for another empty cup.

There was a knock at the backdoor, then Spike entered carrying a six-pack under one arm, a second figure coming in behind him.

"Spike!" Buffy didn't even try to hide the fact that she was happy to see him.

"Yeah. Heard about the shindig," he said, playing it cool, "Figured we're all part of the team. Thought I'd, uh, swing by."

Buffy's smile faded as she got a look at Spike's companion. With his loose skin and doglike face, there was no way he could ever be mistaken for human. "Wait, what kind of team is this?"

"Hi," the demon waved a clawed hand, "We met once before."

She vaguely recalled the night of the kitten poker. The details were still a blur, since she'd been drunk off her ass at the time. "Yes. Yes, we did," she smiled politely.

"You know, more the merrier. That whole thing," Spike said.

The demon introduced himself to Tara. "Hi, I'm Clement. Clem."

"Tara," she replied, not at all put off by his looks. Bless you, Buffy thought.

Xander chose that moment to usher a good-looking blonde man into the rapidly crowding kitchen. "Buffy," he indicated the newcomer with a flourish, "Richard."

The man smiled and nodded in greeting. Buffy gave a friendly, but noncommittal, "Hey."

"He was wondering where the best place was to park his car," Xander said.

"Oh, that's easy. Just—"

"Buffy will show you." Xander practically threw the guy at Buffy, then beat a hasty retreat.

You are so gonna pay for this, Buffy thought angrily. "Okay. Uh, I'll be right back," she said to the others. Her eyes met Spike's for a second and she saw the vampire's scarred eyebrow rise.

As they were leaving, Richard whispered, "Um, the guy with the..."

She glanced back at Clem, thought up a quick lie. "Skin condition. He doesn't like to talk about it."

Richard seemed willing to accept that explanation.

As soon as Buffy left with her guest, Spike scoffed a derisive, "Stupid git."

"I don't know," Tara said, her mischievous side coming through, "He seemed...cute. W-W-Was he cute? I mean, I'm not a very good judge, but I think he seemed cute." She smirked at the vampire's flustered look.

The ever-affable Clem nodded and said, "I think he seemed cute, yeah."

Spike glared at the demon.

Buffy used a bathroom break as an excuse to get away from her unwanted suitor. When she returned, Spike was there to ambush her.

"You want to slip away for a minute, luv?" He took her by the arm and led her to the little alcove behind the stairs.

"What?" Buffy asked, following his lead and keeping her voice low.

Spike leered. "I'll let you blow out my candles."

Buffy snorted and covered her mouth. "Oh, my god. That was the worst line."

"Maybe," he conceded with a grin, "Still...interested?"

She frowned in surprise. "Here? Now?"

"Oh, what? You worried about Richard?" Spike rolled his eyes, "You don't wanna make your new boyfriend jealous, huh?"

"Shut up," she smiled, "He's...sweet."

"Oh, shut up. He's sweet," Spike mocked with a teasing grin.

Buffy quirked an eyebrow. "Maybe he's not the jealous one." She squeezed past him and returned to the living room where the party was taking place.

"You think he'll take you out on his ten-speed, pet?" Spike said to her retreating back, "Maybe he'll let you ride in that little basket up front." He scoffed, then muttered, "Jealous, my arse."

Dawn peeked out from the living room. "C'mon, Spike! She's opening presents."

Spike sighed and followed the girl. He leaned in the doorway, watching as Buffy unwrapped her first gift. When Buffy pulled a strange-looking device out of the box, it was clear she had no clue what it was. "Uh..."

"It's a battery operated back massager," Willow declared proudly, "And it's portable, so you can take it with you on patrol. It's, like, instant gratification for all your little acheys."

Buffy's eyes automatically went to Spike and felt a blush coming on at his suggestive smirk. Buffy put the massager aside, making a mental note to put it in her weapons bag before the next patrol. "Great. Thanks. Uh, what's next?"

Dawn eagerly handed her a beautifully wrapped box. Buffy gasped when she discovered the leather coat neatly folded inside. "It's goregous."

Dawn beamed.

Buffy noticed a piece of plastic attached to the coat. "It still has the security tag on it."

Spike was the only one to notice the blood drain from the teen's face. "That...That's so weird," the girl stammered, "I-I can't believe they didn't take that off."

Buffy was distracted from any suspicions when Xander and Anya presented their gift; a beautiful wooden chest Xander had constructed himself to hold all her weapons. Then Sophie, the last guest, finally arrived and Buffy made the introductions. Sophie was in her early twenties with curly brown hair and an expression of permanent distraction.

"Uh, my mom told me to say thank you right away, 'cause otherwise I usually forget. So, thank you!" she smiled nervously, "And also, um, I can't have any...any chocolate or-or peanuts or egg yolks..."

"Is that the friend you brought from work?" Anya whispered, an uncharacteristic show of tact for her.

"Yes," Buffy replied, refusing to justify her decision to invite the strange girl.

"...And sometimes dairy," Sophie finished.

Outside on the darkened porch, a woman stepped out of the shadows and gazed at the closed door. She smiled, her face transforming from the human Dawn knew as her guidance counselor, to the distinctive veins and ridges of the vengeance demon Halfrek. "Wish granted."

The party was in full swing. Upbeat music blared from the stereo. Sophie and Clem—who'd strangely hit it off right away—were dancing. Willow and Xander were goofing off. Anya was nodding to the music from the couch, and beside her, Dawn viewed it all with a happy smile.

Buffy left the room to see if there were any more drinks in the kitchen when she ran into Richard in the hallway. She'd been pretty successful in avoiding him most of the night, but the guy was persistent. Not pushy or anything; he just didn't take the hint. He was a nice enough guy, and very cute, but after a few minutes with him Buffy realized he was rather boring. Sadly, a couple of years ago he would have been just her type. But her tastes had changed quite a bit since then. Obviously.

"Hey," Richard greeted, "Great party. Everyone's having fun."

Buffy smiled politely. "I hope so."

"I mean, look what time it is. And no one's even thinking about leaving," his gaze fixed on her, "I know I can't tear myself away."

Buffy's smile became a little more forced.

"Hey, can I get you a drink?"

Buffy noticed movement over his shoulder and saw Spike looming in the kitchen door. "Uh... I'm good, thank you. I think I'll just head back in."

Richard didn't seem at all deterred by her brush-off. "Well, I'll look for you."

"Okay," she said, mostly to hurry him along. Thankfully, it worked.

As soon as Richard was gone, Spike sauntered over to her, a teasing grin on his face. "Ooh, Buffy," he said in a high, mocking tone, "Can I get you a soda pop? I think I'm in looove."

Buffy's shoulders shook with suppressed giggles. Spike caught her around the waist, but she squirmed out of his arms. "Stop it. Someone's gonna see."

She glanced around, beckoned him over to a spot out of the living room's immediate view. She leaned against the wall and tugged Spike's coat lapels, letting him close the distance between them. Spike's kiss was slow and sensual, and possessive at the same time. His teeth nipped at her bottom lip, then his tongue soothed it. Buffy moaned, the sound sending shocks straight to Spike's groin. Without breaking the kiss, he took her hand and guided it towards the front of his jeans. Buffy's fingers were just sliding under the waistband when instinct told her they were no longer alone.

Buffy jerked away from the vampire and looked to the side in panic, only to feel a surge of relief when she discovered the interloper was Tara. The witch's eyes twinkled in amusement.

Spike, not realizing Tara was in the know, tried to salvage the situation with a hastily thought-out lie. "I had a...muscle cramp. Buffy was, uh, helping."

Buffy gave him an oh, please look.

"A muscle cramp?" Tara's mouth twitched in a suppressed grin, "In your...pants?"

"What? It's a thing," Spike retorted.

"Riiight." The witch smirked, then turned and went back to the party.

Buffy laughed. "It's okay. She knows."

"Oh. You...told her?"

"Don't look so shocked," she chastised, smiling, "It wasn't planned. It just sort of came out when we talked about her researching the spell. She won't tell anyone."

Spike took a moment to process this. "So, does this mean you'll be telling the others about us soon?"

Buffy sighed, "Spike..."

"No, forget it," Spike waved a negligent hand, "When you're ready. I know." He didn't want to argue on her birthday. Besides, the fact that she'd let Tara in on the secret of their relationship gave him hope.

"We'd better get back to the party," Buffy said with some regret.

"Right," Spike muttered, then brightened as an idea came to him. "You know...I hear there's this tradition involving birthdays and spanking."

Buffy looked at him, amusement shining in her face. "I think you're right. Should we give it a try later?"

"Well, far be it for us to buck with tradition." His arms slid around her waist. "Later? My crypt?"

Buffy's answer was to put her arms around his neck and pull him down into another kiss.

Some time later, they broke out the boardgames and started playing. Anya was dominating at Monopoly, as usual whenever she played a game involving fake money. Meanwhile, Spike, Clem, Xander, and Tara were playing poker at the folding table.

"I still say it's weird without the kittens," Clem muttered.

The hour was growing late, or incredibly early, depending on how one looked at it. Yet nobody felt the desire to leave.

"We should totally have a slumber party," Dawn declared excitedly.

"Oh, I don't know," Buffy vacillated, "I guess, as long as everyone's staying up anyway."

"Must be some late night activities to keep us busy 'til morning," Spike drawled from over at the poker table. Even though he didn't look up from his cards, he felt Buffy staring daggers at him.

"How's that cramp, Spike?" Tara suddenly asked, "Still bothering you?"

Spike frowned at her, confused. "What? Oh. Yeah."

"Maybe you, uh, wanna put some ice on it," the witch smirked.

Buffy held back a laugh at the vampire's flustered expression.

And so it went, on until the morning. By sunup, Tara and Sophie were asleep on the couch. Xander, Dawn, and Clem were watching early morning cartoons on TV. And Spike and Buffy were sitting on the floor playing gin rummy. Richard came into the living room and said, "Hey, Xander, we gotta be at work in a few minutes."

"Okay," Xander replied absently, eyes still riveted to the television.

Richard shifted anxiously. "I can't be late today."

"You should definitely go," Spike all-too-willingly agreed, "Let's find your coat and get you on your merry way."

"Spike," Buffy sighed. He'd been making snide comments about and toward Richard all night. It was funny the first hour or so, but now it was getting on her nerves.

"I don't know why I'm not leaving," Richard murmured, bewildered.

"Me, either," Spike frowned, shrugged, "Besides, Richie, you can't skip breakfast, a growing boy like you. Me, I used to love breakfast. In the old days, I probably would've eaten by now."

"Of course, with that new diet of yours, you wanna be careful what you try and put in your mouth now, Spikey," Buffy's tone held an edge of warning. Which Spike chose to ignore.

"Yeah? I dunno. Tummy's making all kinds of gurglies. Maybe I ought to just feed on whatever's around, even if it doesn't go down well." He cast a predatory smile towards Richard. "You, uh, workout?"

Fed up with his immaturity, Buffy grabbed him by the arm, pulled him to the feet, and half-dragged him out into the lobby. "Hey, Mr. Passive-Aggressive Guy," she hissed, "Seriously, you want to take it down a notch or two in there?"

"What? Poor, dainty Richard can't take a joke?" Spike scoffed.

"We do not joke about eating people in this house!"

"What're you gonna do?" he challenged, "Beat me up again?"

Buffy's jaw fell open. He was actually going there. "God! I was insane to ever think you could just hang out with my friends!"

"And I was insane to think—" he paused, cocked his head, "No, wait. You were right. You're insane."

"I think it's time for you to go," she stated.

"Yeah, well, can't," he pointed at the curtained windows, "Daylight."

"Okay, I'll go." She was well past the point of rational thinking by then.

"I'll get the door," Spike retorted.

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Buffy fidgeted. "I'm actually trying to move right now."

"Me too." Spike frowned.

A moment of tense silence.

"Well," Buffy met his troubled look, "This can't be good."

No one could leave. Even when they made a concerted effort all at once, none of them could take a step towards the door. When they tried the phones, they found the line was dead. They were completely cut off from the outside world.

Magic was clearly in play. For whatever reason, someone or something was keeping them trapped. For Sophie and Richard, it was especially upsetting, since they had no clue what was going on. Buffy tried her best to prevent a panic.

"We all have places we'd rather be," she said in what she hoped was a calming tone.

"Things we'd rather be doing," Spike added, the innuendo earning him a glare from the Slayer.

"I think our first priority should be to find a way out."

"Sure," Dawn spoke up, her voice laden with deep-seated anger, "Of course you all want to leave. 'Cause being stuck in here with me, that'd really suck, right?"

"No, Dawnie," Willow denied, "It's just we have...more important things to do." The redhead grimaced at her poor choice of words.

Dawn abruptly got to her feet. "Yeah. I know. Important. Whatever that means, right?" She left the living room in a huff and ran upstairs to her room.

A moment later, Buffy, Spike, and the Scoobies followed. Her reaction to their desire to leave couldn't be ignored. But if she did have anything to do with their predicament, she wasn't telling. Her anger and bitterness astonished Buffy. She had no idea Dawn was carrying that kind of emotional baggage.

"I'm glad you're trapped," the girl spat, "How else can I get anybody to spend any time with me?"

"Dawn," Buffy tried to reason, "if you want us to spent time with you—"

"I don't. Get out," Dawn's voice rose shrilly, "Get out, get out, get out!"

They left her alone. Even if she did have something to do with this, she obviously wasn't motivated to help them.

"I just can't figure out why she didn't come to me," Buffy said regretfully.

"Well, you have been a little busy lately," Xander pointed out. He wasn't accusing her, but Buffy winced all the same.

Spike cut in, "Hey, I don't wanna keep you all from the touchy-feelies, but maybe the encounter group can meet later? Say, when we're not trapped in a house."

For once, everyone agreed with the vampire. They needed to focus on the task at hand. Magic seemed to be the best option. Willow couldn't do it, of course, but Tara was more than capable. Unfortunately, she didn't have any of the necessary supplies.

"Well, we don't have any in the house," Buffy said, "We got rid of everything."

A very uncomfortable Willow spoke up, "Actually...not everything. I, uh, might've kept one or two things. Just in case."

Everyone had the same mix of disappointment and relief in their expressions. But there was no time for recriminations. Willow brought Tara the supplies, then she and the others waited by the front door while Buffy and Xander assisted Tara in the kitchen. Tara put a mixture of various herbs and oils into a mixing bowl, lit it with a match, and whispered, "Release."

The flames quickly died and the smoke drifted like a living thing through the house, seeking a spell to nullify. After a moment, Tara called out, "Try the door."

Spike stood directly in front of the door. The knob was easily within reach, but no matter now hard he strained, his arm refused to reach for it. After a few minutes of futile struggle, he gave up with a heavy sigh.

Meanwhile, in the living room where no one saw, Tara's magic found a target that fit the parameters she set for it. The animate smoke wrapped itself around the gleaming new sword Buffy had gotten from the demon on her last patrol. The blade's outer surface seemed to liquify and pool itself on the floor, then gradually started to rise up and morph into a standing figure. As the red-faced demon solidified, it reached for the sword.

A sudden roar shook the defeated group from their collective sulk and sent most of them scattering as the demon bore down on them, wielding its former prison. Spike dodged a wild swing, but Richard wasn't fast enough to avoid a deep cut across the belly. As Richard fell, Spike grabbed the demon's sword arm and Buffy tackled the creature, sending them sprawling. Before Buffy could do anything else, the demon seemed to melt into the floorboards. She and Spike stood together, gazing warily around them. The demon reappeared behind her, tried to strike her down, but Buffy was able to grab its wrist before the blow landed. The demon threw her off and she cannoned into Spike. By the time they regained their feet, the creature had vanished again.

"That's the demon we killed to nights ago," Buffy declared.

"The demon we thought we killed," Spike corrected.

Richard was alive, but badly hurt. They carried him upstairs and put him in one of the bedrooms. What he really needed, though, was a doctor.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay," Buffy said, trying to ease the panic she saw in everyone's eyes, "I promise, we'll be out of here soon."

But when night came, they were still trapped.

Sophie stood at one of the windows, staring out at the peaceful street and groaning "oh god, oh god," over and over. She pretty much spoke for all of them at that point.

"Okay, so maybe 'soon' was a bit of an overstatement," Buffy muttered ruefully.

"So, you ever think about not celebrating a birthday?" Spike wryly asked, "Just to try it, I mean."

"I'm gonna go check upstairs," Buffy said, "Keep an eye on things down here?"

Spike nodded. He might not like all of her friends, but he'd protect them because they mattered to her.

Buffy got a dagger from her weapons cache, wishing once again that she still had her axe. As she made the rounds, a groaning, creaking noise rose through the house. The sound of the demon moving through the walls. Buffy's entire body sang with tension as she moved through the halls, certain the creature was going to attack at any second. A tall, gray figure suddenly stepped out in front of her. Buffy gasped and just barely stopped herself from stabbing an equally startled Clem.

"Sorry," the dog-faced demon grinned in apology.

Meanwhile, Xander went downstairs to get some water for Anya. The former vengeance demon wasn't handling the situation well and Xander was trying everything he could to keep her calm. As he made his cautious way towards the kitchen, the demon stepped out of the wall behind him. Xander yelled as the creature grabbed him and brought its sword towards his neck.

Hearing Xander's cry, Spike rushed out from the living room and grabbed the demon's sword arm. When he couldn't disarm it, he punched the creature hard in the side. The demon retaliated with an elbow to the vampire's face. Spike fell back, stunned. The demon flung Xander against the far wall. That was when Buffy arrived and she and the demon fought. The demon managed to knock the dagger from her hand, and a wild backswing brought the tip of the sword slashing across Xander's arm.

"Grab the sword!" Buffy shouted.

Spike leapt to his feet, tried to wrestle the sword away. The demon punched him and sent him sprawling again. Then the creature vanished into the wall.

"Are you hurt?" Buffy asked both men.

Anya slowly walked in, shock and despair written all over her expression. Xander immediately got to his feet and went to her, ignoring the pain in his arm as he reassured her that he was okay.

Buffy saw Dawn standing in the living room's entryway. She went to her sister and said, "It's getting kinda scary. You okay?"

The teen schooled her expression into one of indifference. "Do you care?"

Buffy struggled to hold her temper. "Fine. Stay with Spike." She stormed out of the room.

Dawn's mask of apathy cracked as she watched her sister leave. The teen hurried to follow. "It's not like I meant for this to happen," she called after her.

Buffy paused, sensing she was ready to talk. "I never said that you did."

"I didn't want this," the girl insisted.

Buffy turned to face her. "What did you want?" When the teen didn't answer, Buffy urged, "Dawn, come on."

"No," Dawn's voice trembled, "You don't know. You have this thing you do. You have all these friends, and Spike. You have no idea what it's like."

"What are you talking about."

"Being alone."

Buffy stared at her, uncomprehending. "You're not alone."

"Then why do I feel like this?"

They went upstairs to Buffy's room and talked. Buffy learned about her sister's constant loneliness and fear of abandonment. A lot of it sprang from the things that happened to them over the last year. But a lot of it was also Buffy's fault, and she knew it. She was never around. Always working or patrolling. Or hiding away in Spike's crypt. The latter was especially Buffy's fault for thinking she could keep her relationship with the vampire separate from the rest of her life.

"Dawn," she said with every sincerity, "the most important job that I have is looking out for you."

Dawn snorted, "You sound like my guidance counselor. She give you a handbook or something?"

Buffy frowned. "Counselor?"

Spike was going stir-crazy. Stuck in a house with people he, by and large, didn't give a rat's ass about, with a crazed sword-wielding demon scrabbling through the walls...and the smell of blood from Xander's wound was making him that much more aware of the fact that he hadn't fed since before this ill-fated birthday party. He wanted to put some distance between himself and the tempting, but untouchable, walking Happy Meals, but he promised Buffy he'd look out for them. Didn't help his state of mind when Anya finally lost it and tried to bully Willow into falling off the wagon. When Tara stood up in the redhead's defense, Anya left the room in a huff, muttering about doing something, Xander at her heels What she thought she could possibly do, Spike hadn't a clue. He wasn't going to bother running after her. He stayed in the living room with the others until Dawn came hurrying down the stairs a few minutes later, followed by Anya, Buffy, and Xander.

"I work hard at that store," Anya grabbed the girl's arm, halting her retreat, "And I helped you. I took care of you. This is how you say thank you?"

Buffy tried to come to her sister's defense. "Anya, hold on, okay?" she turned to Dawn, "Tell her you didn't do this. Tell her it's a mistake."

But Dawn couldn't say it. Then Buffy's eyes wandered to the leather coat she'd received from the girl, forgotten in all the excitement. The coat with the security tag still attached.

"How are we supposed to trust you, Dawn?" Anya's voice was no longer angry, only hurt, "I mean, you say you didn't put us here, but look at this stuff. How are we supposed to believe you?"

Buffy pushed her disappointment aside and spoke up, "Look, I-I don't think she— I don't think it's all her fault. She— There was a guidance counselor, or someone pretending to be a guidance counselor. She made Dawn make a wish."

Anya gave the teen a you-should-know-better look. "You made a wish to someone you've never seen before?"

"Yeah," Dawn answered in a tiny voice.

"Did she wear a pendant with a dark blue stone?" Anya asked.

The girl nodded. "And little red flecks?"

"Oh, for cryin' out loud," Anya groaned, then shouted at the ceiling, "Halfrek!" She explained to Dawn, "It's Halfrek, a vengeance demon. You made a wish to a vengeance demon. Only a vengeance demon can break her own vengeance spell. Nothing else will work. She's the only one who can get us out of here." She yelled, "Hallie, get your ass down here!"

The vengeance demon appeared in a dramatic puff of smoke. "You rang?"

Before Anya had a chance to say anything, a sword blade suddenly ripped through the front of Halfrek's torso. The red-faced demon yanked the sword free and the wide-eyed Halfrek collapsed onto the floor. The demon swung its sword at Buffy, but she grabbed its wrist, halting it mid-swing. Anya ran over and began punching the demon. "I hope you die, you stupid jerkface!"

Spike rushed in to help. As Anya was knocked aside, he and Buffy fought the enraged demon. But even against two opponents, the demon was formidable. Especially since it could melt into the floor or walls when things got hairy and reappear at random somewhere else.

At one point, Spike was lucky enough to knock the weapon from the creature's grip. "The sword!"

Buffy snatched up the sword. The demon tried to make a break for it, but Buffy stabbed the wall it retreated through and, with a loud roar and a blaze of light, the demon was once again trapped within the sword. Buffy immediately snapped the blade in half across her knee and tossed the now useless halves away.

Everyone's eyes went to the motionless vengeance demon on the floor.

"Her pendant!" Anya cried, "Get her pendant!"

Halfrek's eyes opened and she got to her feet. "There will be no touching of the pendant," she stated primly. Noticing she shocked looks, she laughed and said, "What? Did you think I'd be stopped by a sword in the chest? Flesh wound. Honestly, Anyanka, you used to know better."

Anya stared at her old friend in obvious hurt. "How could you? Why would you do this to us?"

"I told you I was going to take care of some business while I was in town," Halfrek replied without a trace of remorse.

"Yeah, but cursing us?" Anya flung out her hands, exasperated, "Some of them are in the wedding party."

"I just go where I'm—" Halfrek froze as her eyes fixated on Spike. The look on her face was one of shocked recognition. "William?"

Spike frowned at the demon, then his eyebrows rose in growing surprise. "Hey, wait a minute."

"You guys know each other?" Buffy asked.

Halfrek blinked, shook herself. "Uh, no! No." She tittered and actually primped her hair while glancing sidelong at the vampire.

Buffy scowled as the sudden urge to punch the demon in her veiny face rose up in her. But she pushed it aside and focused on the task at hand, i.e. getting Halfrek to lift the curse. It wasn't so simple, of course. Halfrek thought herself fully justified in punishing them all for Dawn's suffering.

"This girl was in pain, and none of you could hear it," she gestured to Dawn, who looked away, "I could hear her crying out everywhere I went in this town. It was unbearable. And none of you knew." She looked at them all in disgust. "You people deserve to be cursed. Enjoy your time together. From now on, all you have is time. Time...and each other." She smirked in Spike's direction. "Good luck."

And with a dramatic wave of her arms...she stayed exactly where she was. Halfrek blinked, gave a nervous laugh. "Wait. Wait." She cleared her throat, repeated, "Time and each other," in a mutter, then flung out her arms and...went nowhere.

A smug grin worked its way across Spike's face.

Anya rolled her eyes. "It's the curse, Hallie," she said, confirming the vampire's suspicion.

The vengeance demon huffed, "For crying out loud. Fine! The curse is lifted! We can all leave, now! Damn it." A snap of her fingers, and she vanished.

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. Coats and bags were gathered. Xander and Anya retrieved Richard from upstairs to get him to the emergency room. They all gathered at the door, waiting to see if the curse really was over.

"Think it's worn off?" Buffy asked.

Spike quirked an eyebrow. " Just one thing to do." He sauntered over to the door and, without hesitation, turned the knob. The door swung open with a welcome creak and a mini stampeded took place as everyone eagerly stepped out into the world.

Spike lingered in the doorway, turned to face Buffy. "You're stayin', I take it."

Buffy nodded, glanced back at Dawn. "We have a lot of talking to do." And I have a lot of neglect to make up for.

Spike nodded in understanding.

"So...How exactly do you and Halfrek know each other?"

The vampire smirked at the not-so-casual question. "Jealous, pet?"

"No," she said with a little too much force, "Just, y'know, curious."

Spike smiled. "Kind of hard to see with all the veins and such, but I'm fairly sure her name used to be Cecily."

"Cecily," Buffy's eyebrows rose, "As in—"

"The woman who broke William's heart, yeah."

"Oh." She processed this for a second, then a scowl creased her face. "Bitch!"

Spike chuckled. "Look at it this way: if Cecily hadn't treated me like dirt, I wouldn't have run out that night, wouldn't have found Dru and been turned. And I wouldn't be here now."

Buffy's anger faded somewhat. "Well, when you put it like that... Oh, who am I kidding? She's still a bitch."

Spike laughed, delighted by her automatically siding with him. He leaned in and kissed her. "I'll see you later, luv."

"You'd better," she whispered, "You still owe me a birthday spanking."

Spike's grin turned lascivious. He stole one last kiss, then left Buffy to work things out with her sister. As he walked back to his crypt—and the fridge full of blood that awaited him—he tipped his head back and gazed at the clear, open sky. It was a beautiful night.