Dedicated to Taste Like Special and RAGAnne.

RAGAnne: I definitely wanted to play with the 'Dawn is happy when Dawn is included' thing (which I feel like comes out in season five but even more so in six and seven). So I think Buffy spending alone time with her first thing in the morning and Spike helping her feel 'useful' and badass by going on a demon butt-kicking mission taps into that for her. At least that was my rationale. :)

And here we go...

Chapter 28

Buffy handed the lady her change and smiled. The lady walked off toward the front door of The Magic Box with her bag. Xander was rummaging through a weapons chest over by the table as Giles and Anya did something business-y down in the basement. Dawn was at school with the Dagon Sphere secure in her backpack to keep Glory away. Xander yanked one of those silver spikey balls on a stick and chain from the weapons chest, presenting it to Buffy.

"Whaddya think, Buffster? Mace? Good enough to kick some psycho god butt?"

Buffy shrugged, closing the register. "The more weapons the better, right?"

Xander pointed at her. "Right you are, Slay-gal!" He stuck the mace on the table and went digging around in the chest some more. "So what's the plan for tonight? Ahn and I can't exactly play Clue with Dawnie while the rest of you guys hunt down the little scabby dudes and Glory."

Buffy pressed her fingers to her eyes. "Yeah, I know." It was the first of May, which meant Big Bad season. Willow had helped Buffy make it through finals without running out of the classrooms crying. They were officially in overtime. "Um, maybe Giles..."

Xander stood again, holding a wooden baseball bat with both hands. "Somehow I don't think he's gonna go for the bench warming, either."

"Well, it's not like we can take Dawnie with us for a field trip and deliver The Key right to Glory." Buffy folded her arms across her chest. Her brain was doing that fogging thing where her mind started to wander to things like the beach and that time she and Spike spent in that hotel and mochas with Wills and Tara and going for pancakes with Dawn... All normal girl things that made the Slayer stress levels go down.

"We could put her on a roundtrip plane to Hong Kong," Xand said with a huge grin. "I'm sure the monks whipped up a passport for her, right?"

Buffy laughed. "Somehow I don't—"

The front door of The Magic Box opened and Willow came speeding in, muttering to herself. Angry muttering. Bad, angry muttering.

"Well that's not a happy Willow," Xander said. He tossed the baseball bat on the table next to the mace. "What's wrong?"

"Tara and I had a fight!" Wills shouted, throwing her hands up in the air.

"A fight?" Buffy and Xander said together. They shared a look.

"Yeah. About the Dagon Sphere." Willow pouted her lips, a wrinkle forming between her eyebrows. "I wanted to use Beltane to channel the sun's energy and enhance the sphere's power. 'Cause it's shiny and, I dunno, it stands to reason the sun might help."

"Sounds complicated," Buffy muttered. More knots twisted in her tummy as she remembered Spike's warning about Wills getting too caught up with the magics.

"Where does the fighting between our two favorite witches come in?" Xander stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Tara is afraid 'cause there's this teensy tiny chance the spell might go kabloo-y."

"And when you say kabloo-y..." Xander prodded.

"Might destroy the Dagon Sphere..." Willow stared down at her shoes, picking at the hem of her fuzzy pink sweater. "Or the building. Or hurt us." Willow raised her chin, resolve face in full form. "But I won't get it wrong. Not with Tara. We can do it. I know we can."

"Will, maybe we should just take a breath, alright?" Buffy walked around the counter, standing next to Xander. "I mean, the Dagon Sphere is doing its job. It's keeping Dawn off of Glory's radar. Maybe there's some other spell. Some other witchy goodness you can lay on her that'll help, huh?"

Willow grimaced. Buffy combed her fingers through her own hair, feeling really awkward. No one ever really brought up the magic warning to her, except for Tara and maybe Spike or Giles once or twice.

"At any rate, Wills, it's not worth the fight," Xander said. "You love Tara, and she loves you. Isn't that the only thing that matters?"

"Well, I mean..." Willow rolled her eyes. "I guess I was a little harsh."

"Hey, I bet she's at my mom's gallery," Buffy said. She wrapped her arms around herself. To her, it'd always be her mom's gallery. But the reminder of her mother's absence still hurt, every time.

Xander came closer to Buffy, then kiss her on the temple. "Why don't we go visit?"

"Hey!" Buffy moved toward Willow, linking arms with her. The pair of them shuffled toward the front door of The Magic Box with Xander walking on the other side of Buffy. "Xand and I can watch the gallery while you guys talk things out, hmm? Maybe go for a walk, get some ice cream, don't think about spells for twenty minutes and see what happens?"

"Ahn! Giles!" Xander called to the basement. "We're heading out!"

XXXXX

"I'm just saying," Buffy continued, "it'd be an easy way to distract and/or confused a demon. Even Glory." She and Willow glanced at each other. "I mean, it's gotta stun a hell god for a hot minute if someone comes at her doing the—"

"Hey!" Xander shouted as the three of them walked down the street. "The Snoopy dance is for special occasions only!"

Willow smirked. "Like Halloween?"

"Exactly! Or double Xander type scenarios," he said. "I can't just whip it out all willy nilly."

"Well, no, we would not want that," Buffy agreed before she and Willow giggled uncontrollably.

It was a perfect, sunny day downtown. A few people walked around in front of the shops. Mostly it was middle-of-the-day quiet.

And then they came up on Joyce's gallery.

And they heard the shouting.

Buffy recognized that voice.

Willow and Buffy broke apart from each other, Xander tightening his hands into fists next to them. The front of the gallery was wrecked, like Godzilla had taken a big ol' chomp out of it. Tara had up one of those blue magic force field thingys around herself. And, flinging statues and huge pieces of wood at Tara was...

Glory.

Buffy ran at full speed into the gallery, Xander not too far behind her.

"C'mon, precious!" Glory said to Tara, completely unaware that the Scoobies were behind her. "I just wanna know where my shiny key is, that's all!"

Buffy punched Glory twice in the back of the head. Xander kept on barreling toward Tara. Glory spun around, grabbing Buffy by the throat and lifting her a foot off the ground.

"Okay, you are in some serious need of etiquette lessons, sugar." Glory smiled. "What, do they raise slayers in barns?"

Buffy dug her fingernails into Glory's hand around her neck. She was making a dent in the hell bitch's skin. They could hurt her now. But not here. They needed better weapons, more people, to make sure Tara was alright. Buffy landed a solid kick of her boot to Glory's gut, propelling herself out of Glory's grasp as Glory went careening to the back of the gallery. Buffy flipped herself off the floor as Glory struggled her way out of a busted painting. Buffy felt something grab her arm and spun to hit it by pure adrenaline-fueled instinct, until she realized it was Tara. Tara's nose was bleeding, but she had her blue barrier up over herself and Xander and now Buffy. Willow stood on the sidewalk in front of the store. As Glory got to her feet, Willow's eyes went black.

"Excudo!" Willow shouted, holding her hand out toward Glory.

Tara pulled Buffy and Xander down into a crouch so that they narrowly avoided getting hit by a blast of green energy, which instead hit Glory and sent her to the floor again. It wasn't going to do much for long; she was already struggling to her feet again. Tara, Buffy, and Xander rose. Willow had been knocked over. Tara dropped her barrier and ran to Willow's side, helping her up. Xander put a hand on Buffy's shoulder, snapping her out of it. They caught up with Wills and Tara, all four of them sprinting away from the store. Glory was standing behind them in a flash. Tara and Willow held hands, their free hands flat in Glory's direction. Willow's nose was bleeding really bad.

"Kali, Hera, Kronos, Thonic," the witches chanted. "Air like nectar, thick as onyx. Cassiel by your second star, hold our victim as in tar."

That stopped Glory in her tracks, and they ran.

XXXXX

The librarian, the bricklayer, Lady Vengeance, and the Wicca set were all at Rupert's place, hiding out where Glory (hopefully) couldn't find 'em for an hour or two. Spike and the two slayers had decided that it was prolly a good idea to get Dawn out of school early. Buffy'd told the principal to call the Bit in because their aunt Faith was in the hospital. Spike and the Dark Slayer met them in the DeSoto outside.

Now Spike was driving 'em back to Giles' flat. This lot was safe so long as they had the Dagon Sphere, carefully tucked in Dawn's backpack, to keep them under Her Psychotic One's radar. He parked under a shady tree. Enough shade that he could hide under his duster and be okay. He killed the ignition. The slayers were the first out of the car, followed by Dawn and Spike. When they turned the corner into the courtyard, the entire place was covered in rubble. And, where Giles' flat was, the entire wall that separated it from the outside had been blasted down to nothing.

"Shit," Faith muttered.

"Giles!" Buffy called.

"Xander? Anya?" Dawn shouted after her. "Tara?" She moved toward Buffy and Faith. "Willow?" Buffy held out her arm, stopping the Bit in place.

"Stay here with Faith," Buffy said. "Keep your backpack close."

"But what if—"

"You can wait five seconds for me to tell you what's up." Buffy looked to the other slayer, who came to Pint Size's side without another word. Dawn pouted and crossed her arms over her chest, but she stayed put.

Spike followed Buffy into what was left of Rupert's flat. Aside from the busted wall, the place didn't look too bad. All the musty old books and Scotch still in place, maybe the couch was askew or somethin'. Buffy kept scanning the place, her heart loud and racing in Spike's ears.

"Wills! Xand! Tara? Anya?" she called out. She sprinted for the staircase. Then the phone in the kitchen started to ring. "Spike, I'm going to check upstairs. Can you—"

Spike nodded and the Slayer ran off to the second floor. He wandered to the kitchen, picking the phone up. "'lo?"

"A voice! A British voice! Xander, someone finally picked up!"

"Demon Gal?"

"Yes, hello. Spike?"

"Yeah, it's me. Are you all a'right, love?"

Buffy flew down the steps and then into the kitchen, staring wide-eyed at Spike.

"We're all alive, yes," Anya said. "And all of our limbs are intact. Tara is still quite shaken from the incident at Joyce's gallery, though."

"Are they okay?" Buffy whispered.

Spike nodded.

"Faith! You and Dawn can come in here!" Buffy grabbed the phone from Spike, who tightened his lips and glowered at her. The Dark Slayer and the littlest Summers came edgin' into the Watcher's flat. "Hi, Giles?" Buffy said into the phone.

Dawn's eyes were shining. She opened her mouth to say something, but Spike put a finger to his pursed lips. They're okay he mouthed. Dawn smiled, grateful for the news. The other Slayer busied herself by checking out the rubble knocked into the living room.

"You're all alright? Where are you?" Buffy nodded, chewing her lower lip, her eyebrows lowered as she concentrated on what Demon Girl was saying. "We'll be there in ten minutes, alright? Just... see if Wills and Tara can do some kind of 'cloak the apartment from Big Bads' ritual,' alright?" She hung up the phone. "C'mon. They're at Xander and Anya's place. The quicker we get there, the less time they don't have the Dagon Sphere's protection."