Chapter 43: Changes

1993

As Dawn stood under the oaks, she couldn't suppress a twinge of resentment at the pressure Clay or Buffy's presence added to an already gut-twisting situation. Yes, she'd been the one to suggest the run, leaping up from the lunch table and declaring she was ready. Clay had asked if he should stay inside—possibly the first time in their relationship that Clay had been willing to give Dawn space. But she'd grabbed his hand and dragged him out with her.

Buffy watched as her sister took another deep breath. Dawn and Clay had been trying from the moment they had left the compound to conceive and just two short weeks earlier Dawn had found out she was indeed pregnant.

Buffy could hear laughter and smiled as she listened to her daughter. Daughter that sounded good to her own ears. She had long ago, before even drinking from the Fountain of Youth, given up hope of having a child. Then she got pregnant with Savannah and was worried that Dawn would find out and think that they could indeed have a baby. When even she hadn't known for sure if it hadn't been a fluke. They had both believed themselves at the time to be infertile, a price for drinking from the Fountain. So, she had given her daughter up for adoption. Then they found Savannah at the compound and Buffy was reunited with her. And Dawn finally knew she was an aunt and that it was possible to conceive. Buffy brought her daughter home with them. And thanks to Dawn and Jeremy the adoption records mysteriously disappeared from every computer in the world. Jeremy had also used whatever connections he had to make the actual paper trail disappear as well. Savannah was Buffy's again legally.

Buffy watched as Dawn started to crouch, she had asked if Dawn wanted to do the Change in private like they usually did. None of the Pack liked to Change in view of anyone else. The Change was something they usually didn't want anyone else to see. But Dawn had been worried about the baby. So, she had consented to let Buffy watch her through the Change.

Dawn's fingers rubbed the hard swell of her belly. There was definitely a swell there, however staunchly Jeremy swore otherwise. She could feel it with her hand, feel it in the tightening waistband of her jeans. Clay tried to avoid the question, but when pressed he would admit Dawn did seem to be showing already. Showing, when she was no more than five weeks pregnant. That shouldn't be. Buffy had told her that she hadn't started showing till her second trimester which was at twelve weeks.

Buffy watched and waited. "Dawn, maybe you should try another time?"

"I can't, Buffy," Dawn said. "You know I've already waited longer than our cycles allow, continuously squashing the need to Change." As she tried to initiate the Change her body rebelled, convulsing so hard she doubled over, gasping.

"Dawn?" Buffy asked with concern.

Dawn didn't answer as she pushed up onto all fours and cleared her head. Her skin prickled, stretching, itching as fur sprouted. Then her brain threw up the brakes again and her body tensed. Sweat trickled down her cheeks. She growled and dug her fingers and toes into the soft earth, refusing to reverse the process.

"Relax," Buffy said.

"I know," Dawn growled.

"Relax, relax, relax. Just stop worrying and let your body do the work. Like constipation. Relax and nature takes over." Dawn thought to herself.

Dawn laughed, and her changing vocal cords squeezed the sound into a hideous screech, more worthy of a hyena than a wolf, which only made her laugh all the harder. She toppled sideways and, as she lay there, laughing, she finally relaxed.

The Change took over, spontaneous. Dawn's convulsions of laughter turned to spasms of pain, and she twisted and writhed on the ground. The pain of a Change. Yet some still-panicked part of her brain convinced her this wasn't the normal kind of pain—she was killing her child, suffocating it as her body contorted.

Finally, the pain ended, gone without so much as a lingering ache, and Dawn lay on her side, panting, then leapt to her feet and stumbled for a second.

"Dawn?" Buffy asked concern in her voice.

"I'm okay, Buffy," Dawn projected telepathically. Since Ruth had taught Dawn the telepathic spell. Dawn's usage of it had improved to the point where Dawn didn't have to even think of the spell for it to activate. She just started speaking. And as a result, she could even act as a relay. "Except I stood up too fast. You going to Change?"

"Yeah give me moment." Buffy said as she disrobed and then initiated her own Change.

As Buffy changed, Dawn took inventory, made sure everything was as it should be. First, her belly. No obvious signs of distress. She panted, letting her chest rise and fall, testing whether the movement seemed to hurt anything. It didn't, though her stomach did let out a growl as that nearby rabbit's scent wafted past. The other part of her belly, newly filling with life, felt fine.

Dawn lifted her paws one at a time, stretching and rotating her joints. Good. Her nose and ears had done fine picking up that rabbit. And her wagging tail obviously worked.

Buffy stood up on all fours as her Change finished. She looked over at her sister. "Everything alright so far?"

"Yeah," Dawn thought back. "Just testing to make sure I didn't hurt anything during the Change. Everything seems to be fine so far."

"Dawn? Buffy?" Came Clay's thought.

"We'll be with you in a moment," Buffy thought. "Dawn's just making sure that nothing got hurt."

Dawn glared at her sister.

"Mom? Aunt Dawn?"

Buffy turned to face Savannah and shook her head. "Honey? What are you doing out here? You know it's not safe for you when we're Changed."

Savannah nodded as she heard her mother's voice in her head. In the time since she had come home with Buffy, she had begun her training, both Slayer and witch, which included Ruth's telepathy spell. "I know, mom. I just wanted to see if Aunt Dawn was alright."

"I'm fine, Savannah. Thank you for your concern," Dawn thought toward her niece. "Go back to the house we'll see you after our run."

Savannah nodded and rubbed her hands through Buffy and Dawn's fur and then ran back toward the house.

A wheezing sound erupted behind the sisters in the opposite direction that Savannah had just run off to. There, across the clearing, was Clay, his head between his forepaws, eyes closed, hindquarters in the air, body quivering with that strange wheezing noise. His eyes opened, bright blue eyes dancing with relief and amusement, and they realized what that noise was. He was laughing at Dawn.

"Ha. Ha. Dawn."

Dawn knew half of that laughter was relief at seeing her Changed. She knew the other half was Savannah. Somehow the girl had wormed her way into Clay's heart. The third human to ever do so. Dawn had been first, followed by Buffy and now Savannah.

Dawn swept around and stalked in the direction Savannah had gone. Halfway across the clearing, she wheeled and charged, teeth bared. His eyes widened in "oh, shit" comprehension and he backpedaled just in time to get out of Dawn's way, and then bolted into the forest.

Buffy and Dawn tore after him. They loped along the path, muzzle skimming the ground. The earth was thick with the scent of their prey—a deliberate move, as he weaved and circled, permeating this patch of forest with his smell, hoping to throw them off the trail.

Dawn closed the telepathic link to Clay and then looked at Buffy. Clay was the prey in this instance. No link no way he could tell where they were except by scent, sight and hearing. And they could coordinate without him knowing what they were doing.

Buffy and Dawn untangled the web of trails and latched onto the most recent. As they picked up speed, the ground whooshed past beneath them. Ahead, the path opened into a clearing. The sisters pitched forward, straining for the open run, but before they hit the edge of the clearing, Dawn dug in her claws and skidded to a graceless stop seconds before Buffy knocked her over.

"Sorry," Buffy thought. "Should warn me if you're stopping."

"Spur of the moment," Dawn thought. "Sorry, but we're being too eager. If we keep that up we'd run into a trap."

Buffy nodded and after a moment, the adrenaline rush ebbed and they started forward again, cautious now, ears straining, muzzle up, sniffing as they walked.

Their eyes saved them this time. That and the sun, peeking from fast-moving clouds. One break in the cloud cover and they caught the glint of gold through the trees. He was downwind, crouched to the left of the path's end, waiting for the sisters to come barreling out.

"Retrace," Dawn thought as she and Buffy retraced their last few steps, walking backward. An awkward maneuver—some things easily accomplished on two legs are much more difficult to coordinate with four. Once they'd gone as far as they could, Buffy and Dawn craned to look over their shoulders. The trees closed in on them from either side. Not enough room to guarantee a silent about-face.

They took a careful step off the path. The undergrowth was soft and moist with spring rain. They prodded at it, but it stayed silent. Hunkering down to stay below branch level, Buffy and Dawn started forward, looping to slink up behind him. Once close enough to see through the trees, they peered out. He was crouched beside the path, as still as a statue, only the twitch of his tail betraying his impatience.

Buffy and Dawn found the clearest line of fire, hunched down, then sprang. They hit him square on the back and Dawn sank her teeth into the ruff around his neck. He yelped and started to rear up, then stopped. Dawn let out a growling chuckle, knowing he didn't dare throw her off in her condition. Buffy slid off him and backed away

He dropped, letting his legs fold, his body cushioning Dawn's drop, but the suddenness of it was enough of a surprise that she let go of his ruff. As he slid from under Dawn, he twisted and pinned her, his teeth clamping around the bottom of my muzzle. She kicked at his underbelly. Clay and Buffy snorted as Dawn's claws made contact with Clay, but he made no move to fight back.

He looked down at Dawn, indecision flickering in his eyes. Then he released her muzzle and his head shot down to her throat. She wriggled, trying to pull out of the way, but he only buried his nose in the ruff around her neck and inhaled deeply. He shuddered, legs vibrating against her sides. A moment's hesitation. Then a soft growl, and he twisted off Dawn and dove into the woods again.

The sisters set off in pursuit. This time he had too much of a head start, and Dawn could only get close enough to see his hindquarters bounding ahead. Buffy could have caught him but she was enjoying the chase too much to speed up and pass her sister. Clay flicked his tail up. Mocking Dawn, he must have realized that Dawn had closed off the telepathic link. Buffy watched as Dawn surged forward, getting close enough to hear the pounding of his heartbeat. He veered and crashed into the forest, off the trail, and she chortled to herself.

"Now you got him, Dawn," Buffy thought.

"I know, he shouldn't have cut a fresh path. It will slow him down." Dawn replied.

A brace of ptarmigan flew up, almost under Dawn's feet, and she slid to a halt, nearly flipping over backward in surprise.

"What happened?" Buffy thought, who hadn't seen the panicked birds take to the sky.

"Birds startled me," Dawn thought with a laugh.

The sisters found his trail, but before they'd gone a hundred feet, a gurgling moan rippled through the silence. Buffy and Dawn stopped, ears going up. A grunt, then panting. He was Changing.

They dove into the nearest thicket and began their own Change. It came fast, spurred by a healthy double shot of adrenaline and frustration. When Buffy and Dawn finished, he was still in his thicket.

They crept around to the other side, pulled back a handful of leaves and peered through. He was done, but recovering, crouched on all fours, panting as he caught his breath. Dawn sprang onto his back. Before he could react, her arm went around his neck, forearm jammed against his windpipe.

Dawn leaned over his shoulder. "Did you think you could escape that easily?"

His shoulders slumped, as if defeated. Like Dawn and Buffy were stupid enough to buy that. Dawn pretended to relax her grip. Sure enough, the second she did, he twisted, trying to grab her.

Buffy laughed as Dawn slid off his back and pulled him down sideways. Before he could recover, Dawn was on top of him, her forearm again at his throat. His hands slid up her sides.

"If you're going to have sex. Wait until I'm gone," Buffy said

"Uh-uh," Dawn growled, pressing against his windpipe. "No distractions."

He sighed and let his hands slide away. Dawn eased back. As soon as she did, he flipped her over, still far more gently than usual, and pinned her as securely as he had in wolf-form. He eased down on top of Dawn.

"I'm going back to the house," Buffy said. "Next time please warn me. So, I don't have to Change."

Clay laughed as Buffy turned and walked away.

"She does have a point," Dawn said. "Not that I mind her seeing me or you naked or anything. But some thing's should just be private. Especially when we have a teenage girl living in the house."

"Point taken," Clay said.

Dawn's stomach growled.

Clay's hand slid across it, smiling, eyes still closed. "Hungry already?"

"I'm eating for two," Dawn said.

He chuckled as my stomach rumbled again. "That's what happens when you chase me instead of something edible."

"I'll remember that next time," Dawn said.

He opened one eye. "On second thought, forget it. Chase me and I'll feed you afterward. Anything you want."

"Ice cream."

He laughed. "Do we have any?"

Dawn slid off him. "The Creamery opened last week. Two-for-one banana splits all month."

"One for you and one for—"

Dawn snorted.

He grinned. "Okay, two for you, two for me. Want to see if Buffy wants to come, maybe treat Savannah to some ice cream?"

"I'll ask," Dawn said as Clay pushed to his feet and looked around. "Clothing southwest. Near the pond."

"Are you sure?"

"Let's hope so," Dawn said. "Buffy, want to take Savannah to get some ice cream?"

"Sure, meet you back at the house?" Buffy replied.

Dawn stepped from the forest into the backyard. As clouds swept overhead, shafts of sunlight slid over the house. The freshly painted trim gleamed dark green, the color matching the tendrils of ivy that struggled to maintain a hold on the stone walls.

As the shot rang out, Dawn pressed her hands to her ears and made a face. Clay motioned for them to circle back along the woods and come up on the opposite side. When they drew alongside the shed, Dawn could make out three figures on the patio. They recognized them as Buffy, Savannah and Jeremy. Jeremy, Buffy and Dawn had their backs to Dawn and Clay as Jeremy lifted the gun over the edge of the low stone wall and pointed it at the target. Clay grinned, handed Dawn his shoes, then broke into a silent lope, heading around the other side of the patio.

Dawn kept walking, but slower. "Jeremy, Clay's trying to sneak attack you."

"I know, I smell him. Thanks though, Dawn." Jeremy replied.

By the time Dawn neared the wall, Clay was already vaulting over it. He caught her gaze and lifted his finger to his lips, not knowing she had already said something to Jeremy. He crept up behind Jeremy, paused, making sure he hadn't been heard, then crouched and sprang.

Jeremy sidestepped without even turning around. Clay hit the wall and yelped. He shook his head. "Serves you right. You're lucky I didn't shoot you."

Clay bounced back, grinning as he brushed himself off. "Live dangerously, that's my motto."

"It'll be your epitaph too," Buffy said as Savannah giggled.

Buffy, Savannah and Jeremy watched as Clay bounded back to Dawn. As Jeremy glanced Dawn's way, relief sparked in his eyes. Dawn was sure Buffy had told Jeremy that her Change had gone well. And if she hadn't the fact Clay was in such a good mood would have. Like Buffy, Dawn knew Jeremy and Clay both had been worried, though they'd tried to hide it, knowing she'd been panicked enough and that the alternative—not Changing—would be even more dangerous.

Dawn handed Clay his shoes. Jeremy's gaze slid down to Clay's bare feet. He sighed.

"I'll find the socks next time," Clay said. "And look, Dawn found her top."

Dawn held up a sweater she'd "misplaced" in the woods a few months ago. Jeremy's nose wrinkled as the smell wafted his way.

"Toss it out," he said.

"It's a little funky," Dawn said. "But I'm sure a good washing, maybe some bleach…"

"In the garbage. The outside garbage. Please."

"Jeremy, I do have to ask. Were you keeping an eye on Savannah?" Buffy said. "She came upon us just after I Changed."

"Sorry about that," Jeremy said. "I hadn't known she had wondered off till she came running back." He gave Savannah a look.

"I was worried for Aunt Dawn, this was her first Change since she found out she was carrying my cousin," Savannah said in her own defense.

"It's alright, sweetie," Buffy said as Dawn smiled.

"We're going into town for ice cream," Clay said. "Wanna come?"

Jeremy shook his head. "You four go. You can pick up steaks at the butcher. I thought we'd have a barbecue, take advantage of the warm day. It may still be early in the season, but since you seem so energetic, perhaps I can persuade you to cart out the lawn furniture and we'll eat outside tonight."

"Let's do that now," Dawn said, swinging toward the shed. "Build up an appetite for those banana splits."

Clay caught Dawn's arm. "No lifting, remember?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. But she knew why Clay had reminded Dawn no lifting. They had known of no female werewolves offhand that had ever had a child. This was virgin territory for them and they were being careful.

"You can grab the lanterns," Clay said finally. "But I'll get them down."

"Are you sure?" Dawn said. "They are oil lamps, you know. I could set myself on fire."

Clay hesitated.

Buffy laughed. "You know Dawn, clutz city."

"Aunt Dawn is not a clutz," Savannah said in defense of Dawn.

Clay, Buffy, Jeremy and Dawn all bit back laughter.

"I'm thinking of the oil," Clay said. "Is it okay for you to breathe that stuff in?"

"Hmmm, you have a point. And what about the air? I caught a whiff of manure out there today. God knows what kind of drugs they're feeding cows these days," Dawn said.

"I'm just saying—"

"Clay, get the chairs. And the lanterns. Dawn, Buffy I need to speak to you two anyways."

"Savannah, honey, why don't you go help Uncle Clay?" Buffy suggested as Savannah bounced after Clay.

"Has she been taking her new vitamins?" Jeremy asked Buffy.

"Yes," Buffy said. "She's been taking them."

While Jeremy researched everything, he could find on pregnancy, he still relied on Buffy to an extent. While she had not been a wolf at the time, she had been pregnant. So, he had asked Buffy to play nursemaid to which Dawn had found hilarious.

"And no," Dawn said, "they don't seem to be upsetting my stomach like the last concoction. Next time, though, as long as you're mixing up a batch, could you add some cherry flavor? Maybe mold them into little animals? Bunnies would be good. I like bunnies."

Buffy laughed at the same time Clay's chuckle floated back to them. Jeremy glanced over his shoulder, estimating werewolf hearing distance, and then lowered his voice.

"You two got a call while you were out," he said.

Clay stopped.

"It was Paige."

Clay's shoulders tightened. He hesitated, then shook it off and resumed walking.

"Now this is the part of being coddled I do like," Dawn murmured. "He doesn't even complain about Paige phoning. Does she want us to call her back?"

Jeremy said nothing, just kept watching Clay's back, letting him get farther this time before continuing.

"She was relaying a message. Someone's been trying to reach you. Xavier Reese."

At that, Clay wheeled. Jeremy grimaced.

"You tried," Buffy said.

"Reese?" Clay strode over followed by Savannah. "The guy from the compound?"

"That's the only Xavier; Buffy and I know," Dawn said.

"What the hell does he want?"

Buffy and Dawn had their suspicions.

"Clay, language," Buffy said with a nod toward Savannah.

Clay sighed and nodded in understanding.

"Did Paige leave his number?" Dawn asked.

"You two are not going to call him, are you?" Clay said. "After what he—"

"He saved our lives. Not once but twice," Buffy said.

"He always treated me nice," Savannah added.

"Yeah? Well, if it hadn't been for him, your lives wouldn't have needed saving," Clay said.

"If it hadn't been for him," Buffy said. "I would not have been reunited with my daughter."

Clay sighed. "I know, Buffy, I know. Regardless the only reason he jumped in to save you both was so he could hold a marker over the both of you—" He stopped, jaw setting. "That better not be why he's calling."

Dawn took the message from Jeremy. "Buffy and I'll know in a few minutes."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"Hey, Dawn! Buffy!" the voice crackled across a weak cellular connection. "Remember me?"

"Uh-huh," Buffy and Dawn said.

Dawn set on the sofa the phone held between them. Clay sat on the other end, making no effort to look like he wasn't eavesdropping.

"Uh-huh?" Xavier said. "That's all I get after a year? The three of us spent a harrowing week together, locked in an underground prison, fighting for survival—"

"Dawn and I were fighting for survival. You were drawing a paycheck," Buffy said.

"Hey now, in my own way, I was just as much of a prisoner as you two."

Dawn snorted. "A prisoner of your greed."

"Trapped by my shortcomings. It's tragic really."

"Know what'd be even more tragic?" Buffy asked. "If you teleported into the middle of a wall and got trapped by your shortcomings there. Does that ever happen?"

"My momma taught me to always look where I'm going."

"Damn," Buffy and Dawn said.

"What did I ever do to you two—er, better not answer that."

Dawn glanced over at Clay, who motioned for her and Buffy to hang up.

"What do you want, Xavier?" Buffy said. "I was just about to head out for ice cream with Savannah."

"And that's more important than talking to me? No, wait, don't answer that either. Since you two are obviously not going to play nice, I'll cut to the chase. You both owe me a favor."

"No, you said we owed you one. We never agreed," Dawn said. "As I recall, you offered the trade in return for giving us two pieces of advice about the compound, but you hightailed it out of there yourself after only telling us one."

"The second was about the dogs. They had trained bloodhounds and attack dogs."

"Right, that's what nearly ripped my throat out," Buffy said. "If not for my Slayer healing it would have left a nice scar on my shoulder too. Thanks for the warning."

"Okay, so you two only owe me half a favor, and I'm really only using that as an opener for a fresh deal. I'm a useful guy, Dawn. Buffy. I could really help you two out."

"Uh-huh. So, who's chasing you?" Dawn asked.

"No one. Let me finish. I started thinking about this a couple months ago, that I should get in touch with you two and renew our acquaintance."

"Uh-huh. Who was chasing you then?" Buffy said.

"A Cabal, but that's not the point."

"We're not bodyguards, Xavier," Dawn said.

"That isn't what I have in mind. This particular proposal has zero violence potential. It involves another of your…specific skills. In return, I can tell you both where you'll find that rogue wolf you've been hunting."

Dawn and Buffy glanced over at Clay. "What rogue—?" Buffy asked.

"David Hargrave. Killed three women in Tennessee. Your Pack has been looking for him for almost five months."

"Who told you—" Dawn said.

"Contacts, Dawn. I'm a regular Rolodex of supernatural contacts. Point is, I know where Hargrave is hiding. That got me thinking. If I gave you two that information, you two might be willing to do a little something for me in return."

"So, we do this little something for you, and you give us an address, and we show up to find Hargrave cleared out a week ago…" Buffy said.

"No. If you agree to the deal, I'll tell you where to find Hargrave right away. Not only that, but I'll wait until you two have him, and then you two will do the favor for me. I don't con anyone who can rip out my liver with their bare hands."

"What's your end, then? What do you want?" Buffy asked.

"It…takes some explaining. Come to Buffalo tomorrow and I'll tell you."

"Buffalo? Too far. Meet us halfway, in Rochester," Dawn said.

"Buffalo is halfway. I'm in Toronto. Your hometown, if I remember the compound records."

"Not our hometown," Buffy said. "And what are you doing in Toronto?"

"That's where the, uh, service would take place. Should make it easier for you two, right? Operating on familiar ground? Anyway, I'm here setting it up, so I'll meet you two halfway, in Buffalo, tomorrow. Got a place all picked out. Nice and public. A daytime meeting. Absolutely nothing for you two to worry about…so there's no need to bring the boyfriend, Dawn."

"Uh-huh," Buffy and Dawn said.

"I like all my limbs just where they are."

Buffy and Dawn rolled their eyes. Clay mouthed something, but Dawn waved him off and took down the time and address from Xavier.

"It's Buffalo, not the Gaza Strip," Dawn said as they returned to the study with Jeremy and Savannah. Savannah didn't really need to hear Pack business. But the girl had gone so long without knowing Buffy that she tended to stay close whenever she could. Jeremy allowed it reluctantly, though he knew if it were something sensitive that Buffy would shoo her daughter out of the room.

Dawn plunked onto the sofa. Clay tried to sit beside her, but she swung her legs up to stretch out. He reached to yank them off his spot, then stopped, remembering her condition, and stalked across the study to sit on the fireplace hearth.

"Dawn needs to get out of the house," Buffy said.

"She got out yesterday," Clay said.

"To go to the grocery store. And last week, you let me go to Syracuse for a movie. The highlight of my month so far, dinner afterward and everything…oh, wait. I didn't get dinner, because you thought it was getting too late for me, so we ended up grabbing sandwiches to eat on the way back to jail … I mean home," Dawn said.

"Fine, you want to go out? We'll take a trip to New York next weekend, visit Nick. Who I'm sure would like to see Savannah. You and Buffy are not traipsing off to Buffalo—"

"Traipsing?" Buffy said.

He fixed Buffy with a look. Buffy returned the glare, and then glanced at Jeremy, who only leaned back in his chair. No sense appealing to him anyway. Dawn and Buffy knew which side he was on. Prison guard number two. Buffy was the only one on Dawn's side since she had gone through what Dawn was now and knew what to expect and what was really needed. But unless Clay or Jeremy sided with her she was outvoted and they wouldn't let her leave Dawn alone if at all possible.

Dawn took a deep breath. There was only one way to win Jeremy over. Steer clear of histrionics and mount a logical defense.

"You don't want mutts knowing I'm pregnant," Dawn began. "And I agree. But Xavier is half-demon. He can't smell that I'm pregnant, and unless I wear a tight shirt, he won't be able to tell by looking. I'm certainly not going to volunteer the news. All Buffy and I want from him is David Hargrave." She paused and met Jeremy's eyes. "We do want Hargrave, don't we? He's killed three women—"

"Neither you nor Buffy need to remind me of Hargrave's crimes," Jeremy said. "I have every intention of making this meeting with Reese. Either I will or Clay will—"

"Absolutely. Buffy will be with me," Dawn said.

"Clay can handle it by himself, with backup from Nick."

"Clay?" Buffy said. "Oh, you mean the guy Xavier expressly warned us not to bring?"

"What's wrong with me?" Clay said.

"You scare him," Savannah said.

"He's never met me."

"The idea of you scares him," Dawn said. "But I'm sure, once he meets you, he'll see that all those nasty rumors are completely unfounded."

"I'll send Antonio," Jeremy cut in before Clay could respond.

"If you send anyone, even yourself," Buffy said, "Xavier will be out of there in a flash. Dawn and I are the only Pack members he knows, so we're the only ones he'll talk to."

"Too dangerous," Clay said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the fireplace, as if that settled the matter.

"Dangerous?" Dawn said. "Do you remember what Xavier's power is? Teleportation. Limited teleportation. The guy can move about ten feet. You want to go to Paris tonight, Clay? Just say the word and we're there in a flash of green. Worst thing he can do to me or Buffy? Poke us in the eyes, go 'nyuk nyuk nyuk' and zip away before we can smack him."

One look at Jeremy and the sisters knew they were losing "calm and reasonable" points fast. When he opened his mouth, Buffy cut him off.

"Yes, the first time we met Xavier, Dawn and I ended up as guinea pigs for mad scientists and a play-toy for a sadistic industrialist. We could argue that it took him two tries and a good dose of our own stupidity to finally nab us, but it's still a valid point."

"You think?" Clay muttered.

"Now, yes, it's possible that Xavier has found someone willing to pay big bucks for a female werewolf, and he's said, Hey, I can get you two of those. But Dawn and I doubt it. He learned enough last time to know that if he tries it, he'd better spend that money fast, because he's going to end up in little bitty pieces when either Dawn or I get free or Clay catches up with him. Or worse yet when Savannah here gets a little older and comes into her Slayer powers. But it is a possibility. Dawn and I won't leave each other's sights. The meeting will be held in a public park, which we'll scout first. Savannah will be going with us as well, less conspicuous that way if she is there. Also, we have a witch who doesn't have to worry about her unborn children. And I'm sure Dawn will want to bring Clay, whether Xavier likes it or not. But we want to catch David Hargrave, and if this is our shot, I say it's a chance worth taking."

Clay opened his mouth.

"Let me rephrase that too," Buffy continued. "Dawn and I want Hargrave caught. I do not intend to let Dawn play any role in catching him. I might but she won't. For the next eight months, Dawn is out of the mutt-chasing business. If she knows what's good for her she won't object."

Dawn nodded. "I not only accept that, I wholeheartedly agree with it. No matter how bored I get, I won't take chances. Talking to Xavier, though, is a reasonable balance of risk and reward."

"One last thing," Buffy said. "I owe Xavier, not for the favor he believes Dawn and I owe, but for Savannah. If he and Bauer had not captured us, I would not have been reunited with my daughter."

Clay and Jeremy looked at one another, and the sisters knew they'd won…this time.