ok, i know, i know... no excuse really, just haven't been writing... this is a short update, but there is alot going on... so enjoy!

"So, do what do I owe the pleasure of an unscheduled call?" her voice was twisted with amusement, almost bouncing with energy.

"Have you been eating too much candy again? You sound like a pixy-stick."

"They don't have pixy-sticks in Greece."

"Dawnster…"

"All right, I was just showing the girls a basic scan technique. I might have amped it a bit too much. I think I've finished paperwork for things that haven't happened yet. Talk to me, bring me down."

"You wanna come over and help me regrow an eyeball?"

"…"

"Dawnie?"

"…really?" now she was hesitant, quiet.

"Really, Harry's got some friends who think they may have a technique that'll work. I just need some clean energy that's compatible with mine since I don't have a magic reserve to draw on. When Hermione explained it to me, it sounded kinda like yours might work."

"Okay, first you have to explain who Harry is, who Hermione is, and what time you've booked my plane ticket for…"

Harry was pacing the hallway outside his door when he suddenly realized something that had been nagging the back of his mind for days. Without really thinking about it he hurried down the hallway into the Slayers wing and knocked heavily on a door.

"Harry? Wha-" Mirabel started to ask when Harry grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to a large painting on the hallway wall. It was a nice painting, of another hall which opened out into a courtyard. It was fanciful and reminded Harry of the mostly outdoor villas in Mexico. The fountain at the end and the stucco on the wall confirmed it. Down the other hallway was a painting of a castle hallway, complete with fire sconces on the walls.

"I've been thinking."

"Okay," Mirabel nodded at the crazed eureka look on Harry's face.

"This used to be a Wizarding mansion right?"

"Yeees." Mirabel drew her response out.

"Put your hand on the painting."

"What?"

"Put your hand," Harry grabbed her hand. "On the painting," and slapped it on the bottom right corner. Not surprised in the least when another corridor opened up and presented them with four doors on each side of the hallway.

"What-the?"

"Extra wings! Expanding charms! Requires a blood relative to activate."

"You mean to tell me…" Mirabel grinned as she looked up and down the corridor, to make sure nobody was listening in. Harry smirked, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

"You can have your own room."

"Well, I think, now that I've gotten some information from Xander about the circumstances behind his eye… squishing…" Hermione sighed as she referred to the incident as Xander had insisted on calling it. "That he may have been attacked today because of McNair, but not BY McNair." She waved off the immediate rejections. "Listen to me. We all know that McNair has a few minions, not Death Eaters, or at least those who hadn't become Death Eaters by the end of Voldy's rein. He may have sent them out to take Xander without realizing he'd be with "The-Bloody-Boy-Who-Lived."

And here's why," she flipped open a book on blood rituals and twirled it around so the others could see.

"That's a resurrection spell," Ginny pointed out, not noticing the Scooby's faces pale at the thought.

"Yes, I believe he's going to try and resurrect Voldemort again."

"But he can't!" Harry jumped up, "And even if he could, what makes him think he needs Xander to do it?"

"Remember the Dagger Harry?" Ron was catching on quickly; of course he'd been listening to Hermione muttering about for an hour, just staring at her as she flipped through book after book. He was a besotted idiot.

"What about it?"

"When Xander used it some of his personality was implanted. It made its way to Voldemort; McNair used it some before we'd destroyed it. He knows a bit about Xander, and he thinks, we think, he could use Xander to "locate" Voldemort. For lack of a better explanation," he waited for a second for that to sink in, and then took a deep breath for the other shoe.

"He's going to want my eye," Xander beat him to the punch, verifying his seer status.

"That's what we think." Hermione admitted with a deep sigh, sitting in the library chair limply.

"Well he can't have it!" Buffy stood, adamant. "We're not going to let him have it, once squished eyeball in a lifetime is enough!"

"Well, it probably wouldn't be squished…" Ron offered, and then shut his trap as Buffy turned to glare.

"Mystical spoon?" Xander laughed.

"Yep… mystical spoon." The two Cyclops laughed while the rest of the room just stared, glared, or ended up chuckling.

"Well, even if he succeeded in spooning out Xander's eye, he wouldn't be able to resurrect Voldemort. His soul was sucked into hell in so many pieces I'm sure the next times he's reincarnated it'll be as a swarm of not-very-intelligent-insects." Ginny looked around at the silence and shrugged, "What? He destroyed himself when he made his stupid "soul canisters of evil". He screwed the pooch!" Then chuckled when Harry turned red.

"Literally."

There was a horrible pause.

"EWWWW!"

"You have to admit," Harry commented to Buffy as they stood on the docks and watched the recent dust from slaying drift with the wind. "It was pretty funny. I mean, the looks on all of your faces…"

Buffy turned to him and shoved his shoulder. "It wasn't funny; I might be scarred for life! Just please reassure me, one more time."

"All right," Harry chuckled as he raised his right hand in oath. "I swear to whatever gods you hold sacred, I did not witness Voldemort in indecent relations with canine life."

"Fine." Buffy swung the ax and rested the handle on her shoulder as she concentrated for any resonating demonic energy. Harry had decided, just as a precaution, to narrow down the "black splotches of evil" on his map. While there was high activity at some docks warehouses, the area of ink had been smaller in this area. He surmised that it had been felt out as a temporary hideout, but hadn't worked to McNair's advantage. So they came heavily armed, but not really expecting more than the occasional vamp.

So far they'd been right.

"You about ready to call this a night?" Harry asked, stifling a yawn.

"Yeppers," Buffy agreed, bored out of her skull. She turned to the last warehouse and swung the axe to chop off the lock. "Right after this one clears out."

"Sounds good," he kicked open the door and blinked wearily at the scene that greeted them. It took a full ten seconds to reengage his brain. Buffy just jumped into the fray and started chopping off heads. In the midst of the chaos Harry rushed in and grabbed the unconscious girl from the alter and hauled her out the door.

just a little reassurance... the girl they just saved has nothing to do with the plot... they're just going to take her home and admonish her not to go anywhere with freaky faced guys... good advice huh?