Magic Box

The Scoobie's assembled around the round table. Giles placed a freshly brewed cup of tea and honey in front of Joyce. He ran a gentle hand down her back and sat down beside her.

Meanwhile, Buffy paced back and forth oblivious to the side-eye glares Graham and Spike were sending each other. Spike curled his lip with a sneer and flicked the nicotine from the butt of the cigarette between his fingers.

"Willow's warning spell wasn't tripped? You're sure?" Giles asked.

"Buffy said, it wasn't Glory." Joyce confirmed cupping her shaky hands around the teacup.

Buffy shook her head, "It was the fire alarm. She's been acting out… this hasn't been easy for her. She tore her room up, burned all her diaries… "

"The Dawnmeister Chronicles?" Xander asked with surprise.

"She's been keeping those since she was—I mean…" Willow looked at Buffy with sadness.

"Since she was seven. I remember too, Will." Buffy sat down at the round table running her fingers through her curly hair. "We have to find her." Buffy gathered herself transitioning into 'General Mode'. "Before Glory or the Knights of Hack and Slash figure out what she—who she really is. Mom and Giles, go back to the house just in case Dawn comes back. The rest of us will split up and sweep the city. Spike, reach out to your dank and darks, find out if they've seen—"

"I'd love to help but…" Spike caught Graham's challenging glare, daring him to finish his sentence. Spike faltered with a shrug, "Well, a fellah's gotta kill somethin'."

Buffy nodded and continued talking to the gang, "Check the mall, the Bronze… "

"Dog park!" Anya added with a smile. "She's got a thing for the Schnauzers! I remember."

"But none of those memories are real." Xander said with defeat.

Buffy turned her eyes to the shaggy haired man almost insulted by the observation. "They were to her. And to me. She's real to me." Buffy flicked her eyes to Joyce's face.

Oz stepped forward and said, "Xander's just saying, Dawn might avoid the places she remembers because of that."

"So we've gotta assume she's perhaps thinkin' outside the box." Graham suggested.

"Anya, stay put in case she shows up here. Xander, sweep the centre." Buffy looked at Willow and Oz, "You guys search the West side. Mom and Giles, go home. Spike, go to Willy's and the sewers. Graham, you're with me on the East side. We have to… please, just find her."

Sunnydale Park

"Dawn!" Buffy shouted through the darkness as Graham trailed behind her with his hands in his pockets. "Dawn!"

Graham released a breath as he watched her move ahead of him searching every corner. "Babe, maybe yellin' her name like that isn't the best idea." He carefully told her trying not to anger or frazzle her already severed nerves.

"We have to find her." Buffy searched the bushes and under the picnic tables.

"All I'm sayin' is callin' her out like that… she might hear you and bolt in the other direction."

Buffy halted her movements and faced Graham. He could easily see the terrified worry in her eyes. He crossed the small space between them and held his hands on her arms.

"Spike was right, it's my fault." She said with guilt. "I should have told her. I should've been honest with her…"

Graham shook his head cupping her cheek with his hand. "It's not your fault. She's just… sooner or later, she would've skipped out on us anyway 'cause she's a fourteen year old teenage girl explodin' with hormones and angst. You tellin' me, you were completely stable at that age?"

"I was a ticking time-bomb." Buffy admitted.

"Exactly. Breathe."

Buffy took a deep breath and looked at him, "Then what?"

"Exhale." He wrapped his hands around her shoulders, "We'll find her and you'll put your arms around her and tell her how much you love her. That's what's next."

Buffy held her hand over his when an ambulance siren drew her attention away. They exchanged a look reading each others mind, they suddenly took off into the opposite direction towards Sunnydale General Hospital.

Sunnydale General Hospital

Buffy and Graham ran through the double sliding doors.

Buffy immediately went to the nurses station while Graham searched the visitor areas up and down the halls. When he returned to Buffy, he was turning off the cellphone in his hand. "I called the gang, they're on their way."

"She wasn't brought in." Buffy looked at him with worry.

Graham placed a hand on her shoulder, "That's a good thing."

"I don't know… "

A hysterical janitor brushed passed them mumbling to himself. Buffy was about to say something then she noticed the way he moved and spoke. It was the sort of victim Glory usually created.

"Glory."

"Let's go." Graham took her hand pulling her along down the hallway before anyone noticed them.

They broke into each room searching for Dawn with no luck until they entered an examination room just as Glory's fingertips touched either side of Dawn's head to suck out her brain.

"Get away from my sister." Buffy said through angry gritted teeth.

Glory turned with a large grin over her face, "Oh, hey!" She said casually. "We were just talking about you!"

"Conversations over, Hell-bitch." Buffy flew forward attacking the Hell God to the ground with lightening speed.

Glory regained composure quickly and swung her arms. Her powerful attacks were easily but her defended by the Vampire Slayer.

Glory looked over Buffy's head to see the rest of the Scoobie gang enter the room. Oz snuck around the fight taking Dawn's hand to pull her away.

The God's eyes light up when Graham entered the examination room. She shoved Buffy away and went to Graham. "Hello, sweet-cheeks!" She wrapped her hands around Graham's throat lifting him from the floor. Graham gasped for breath and head butted the blonde demon.

With surprise, Glory removed her hands from around Graham and staggered backwards. "Ow! Watch the hair!" She back handed him across the face sending him flying across the room.

Graham crashed into the wall and dropped to the ground with a hard thud.

"If he wakes up, tell him to call me." Glory winked at the Slayer.

Buffy's eyes saw red and attacked the demon. "Stay." She threw a powerful back fist across Glory's face. "Away." Buffy jabbed her fist into Glory's nose. "From." Punch. "My." Punch. "Boyfriend!" Buffy thrusted a powerful kick into Glory's stomach sending her across the room.

Buffy turned to check on Dawn when Glory came up behind her with a crowbar. "Buffy!" Dawn cried

Glory jabbed the crowbar into Buffy's shoulder. Buffy staggered back with a painful groan. She turned her eyes to the crowbar empaled in her shoulder. Glory grinned triumphantly, "Is that the best you little crap gnats could muster? 'Cause I gotta tell you, so not impressed."

Buffy yanked the crowbar from her shoulder and back handed Glory with it. Willow appeared in front of Buffy facing the Hell God. She blew dust from her hand over Glory.

"Look what you did to my dress, you little—" Glory started to whine shoving the redheaded witch away.

"— Discede!" Willow clapped her hands together.

Glory suddenly vanished.

Oz reached out, catching Willow as she collapsed to the ground.

"What did you do to her?" Buffy asked.

"Teleportation spell… Still working out the kinks." Willow explained as she pinched her bleeding nose.

Buffy smirked, "Where did you send her?"

"Don't know. That's one of the kinks."

"Buffy!" Dawn called out to Buffy kneeling beside Graham's head. "Look at what I did!" She panicked looking down at Graham knocked unconscious. She pointed her finger over the dark purple and red bruise forming over his forehead and the cut over the bridge of his nose.

Buffy knelt at Dawn's side shaking her head looking into Dawn's eyes. "No, no, it's not your fault. He's going to be fine." She turned her eyes to him and gingerly ran her fingers down the side of his face hoping she was right, that he would be fine. "Are you alright? Did she hurt you?" Buffy asked Dawn notching the blood in the palm of her hand.

"Why do you care?" Dawn asked hiding her injured hand.

"Because I love you. You're my sister."

"No, I'm not."

Buffy shook her head taking her hand, "Yes, you are. Look," Buffy opened Dawn's bleeding hand, "Blood." She then pressed her own palm over her open wound on her shoulder then held Dawn's hand, mixing their blood. "It's Summers blood. It's just like mine. It doesn't matter how you got here or where you came from. You are my sister. There's no way you could annoy me as much if you weren't."

Dawn wrapped her arms around Buffy's neck almost desperately, "I was so scared."

"I know. Me too." Buffy closed her eyes happy that her sister was safe.

Graham's aching groans broke the sisters tender moment. They turned their eyes to Graham slowly coming to from his unconscious state, opening his eyes.

"I'm so, so, so sorry, Graham." Dawn apologised profusely.

"Ouch… I'm—I'm okay… " He grumbled as he began to sit up only to fall back down dizzy. "I'm just seein'… a lot of you…"

"Whoa, whoa, not too fast," Buffy cautiously helped him sit up. "Slowly," she held her hands around his back to help him sat upright.

Dawn brushed her guilty tears from under her eyes, "It's all my fault."

"No, it's not." Buffy told her again. "He hurt because Glory threw him into a wall—Not you." She wrapped her arms under his armpits helping up him to his feet, "C'mon, honey, up we go."

Xander went to Graham's other side just as he started to topple over from Buffy's arms. "Whoa there!" Xander caught him. "How many fingers am I holding up?" Xander held up two fingers in front of Graham's face.

Graham blinked with dizziness, "Seventeen… "

With a smirk Xander said, "Oh, you're fine."

Buffy looked at Dawn, "We should call Mom and Giles. She's freaking out."

Dawn's eyes widen realising the scare she must've put her mother through. "Is she mad? About the fire?"

"I think you sort of have a 'get out of jail free card' on account of big love and trauma."

"Really? Okay, good. Think she'd raise my allowance?"

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Don't push it."

1630 Revello Drive

The front door opened, Joyce and Giles immediately jumped up to their feet with hopeful expressions on their faces watching Dawn round the corner. The teen flew straight into Joyce's arms hugging her tightly.

Joyce sighed with relief letting her eyes fill with tears grateful to be holding her daughter. When she opened them, Buffy came into the room with a very loopy Graham hanging off of her. "Oh my, what happened?" She asked watching as very bruised Graham hold a lock of Buffy's hair under his nose smelling it with a dreamy grin dancing across his face.

"Glory threw him into a wall." Buffy said plainly and sat Graham down on the couch.

Without grace, Graham fell backwards onto the couch. He turned his eyes up to Buffy and touched her hand with his fingertips, "You're pretty." He dreamily grinned as Buffy sat down.

Dawn laughed watching his high display, Graham laid his head over Buffy's lap looking up at her. With his index finger he poked around her face. "Graham's kinda high on painkillers. He's been saying weird stuff like that and sniffing Buffy's hair all the way home."

Graham continued to poke his finger around Buffy's face, "Pretty—pretty—pretty… Like a rainbow…" Buffy looked down at him unable to hold back her amused smile. "No, no, like… sunshine. Pretty like sunshine." Graham turned his head towards Joyce and Giles staring at him a bit disturbed and yet, totally amused. Graham's blue eyes widened spotting an imaginary figure standing in the corner, "Whoa… big bunny." He snorted bursting into laughter.

"He'll be fine." Buffy reassured.

Graham looked back up at her and grinned with a chuckle, "I'm a cowboy."

Buffy smiled running her fingers through his short brown hair. "You're definitely something."