"Welcome home, Sir."

Lucas Hayden gently helped Nicole D'Armand out of the car as his butler held the door for them. "Thank you, Simmons. I didn't expect to be back so soon, but circumstances have changed."

"I need a drink," muttered Nicole, one hand on her forehead.

Hayden turned to Simmons again. "Tell Mrs. Abbey to open a bottle of wine in my den. Is there a room ready for our newest guest?"

Simmons' eyes flicked to where Kogue was lifting Dawn's unconscious form out of the car. "Yes, Sir. Everything is prepared just as you ordered." The butler turned away and spoke briefly with someone on a small cordless phone.

"Excellent, Simmons. Kogue, take our guest up to her room. She'll need to sleep off the chloroform." Hayden slipped Nicole's hand under his right arm. "Will you be all right, Nic?"

"I'm a little dizzy," said the Frenchwoman. "We have to talk about this, Lucas."

Simmons escorted the two to Hayden's private den and opened the door for them. Inside, a cheery fire was going in the fireplace and a bottle of wine and two glasses sat on a coffee table. Simmons withdrew, and Hayden helped Nicole into one chair. He took the other for himself after pouring the wine, which Nicole gratefully sipped.

"What happened?" asked Hayden after they'd both relaxed for a few minutes.

Nicole sighed. "I was keeping my mind open, looking for any mental activity concerning the girl in the immediate area, and all of a sudden, I- it felt like a lightning bolt hit my brain. Someone received a vision that gave away the girl's location and very nearly our identities."

"Received?" Hayden looked at Nicole curiously. "That's an odd choice of words."

"It's accurate," stated Nicole. "Someone received knowledge from something . . . other. There are powerful forces at work here, Lucas." The Frenchwoman's eyes went distant. "A god was destroyed for the child; those who love her will not be easily discouraged. We must be careful."

Hayden considered this. "Have you been having dreams?"

"Yes." Nicole leaned back, closing her eyes. "I cannot make sense out of half of what I see in them. The girl, blinding light, two men striding out of the far past, a warrior woman with dead eyes, and a door slamming shut in my face." She opened her eyes, looking irritated. "Merde! What good is precognition if I can't understand it?"

"Your visions and dreams helped us find our Key, Nic. Don't sell yourself short. I'm sure all will be clear in time." He looked at the psychic compassionately. "Get some sleep. If Mrs. Abbey's up to her usual efficiency, your room should be aired out and smelling lovely-the roses are simply divine this year. That new trellis is a work of art."

Nicole smiled wearily. "Sleep is a very good idea. I'll see you sometime tomorrow, then."

"Yes, I'm hoping to talk to everyone then-particularly Cassio and Mr. Rayne. Cassio's made some real progress."

Nicole's nose wrinkled. "I despise that man."

"The feeling, I assure you, is mutual," Hayden chuckled. "But he is the best, even if he is a bit of a smartass."

"A bit?" Nicole gave Hayden a meaningful look. "He's very smart, and he's a very big ass. Besides, he's hard to read." She pouted a bit.

Hayden shook his head, grinning. "Try to put up with him for a little while longer, my dear. At least until he's finished the translations."

Nicole drank the rest of the wine in her glass and stood. "Do you really think this will work?"

Hayden shrugged and rose as she did. "It's worth a try. If it does work, the profits will more than make up for all the trouble we've gone to."

"And if it doesn't?"

"We can still come out ahead." Hayden smiled thoughtfully. "After all, the Key is a highly valuable commodity in any number of dimensions. Tell me, how did you and Kogue get along as housemates?"

Nicole grinned wryly. "Swimmingly. I stayed out of his mind, and he tried to kill the goats quietly when he went for a midnight snack."

Lucas laughed heartily at that. "Good to hear. Sleep well, Nicole, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Lucas." Nicole left the room, and her employer sat down to do some thinking.

***

Buffy had done everything but call out the National Guard. She had the entire Scooby Gang combing Sunnydale after interrogating Spike right down to the very last detail. He had joined the rest, muttering about what he was going to do to the Sch'sek that had turned him into pulp. Willow and Tara had already tried a locator spell, to no avail.

"Whoever took her knows how to ward," Willow informed the Slayer regretfully. "Tara and I couldn't find a thing. Maybe we could try breaking the wards."

Giles spoke up. "That's very dangerous. If you don't know what went into the wards, you could end up doing a great deal of damage."

"Well, we've gotta do something," argued Willow.

Buffy tuned them out. The emptiness inside her was threatening to eat her alive.

"You okay, Slayer?" asked Spike.

"I've got to find her, Spike," said Buffy, not looking at him. "If she's- if something happens to her . . ."

Spike could fill in the rest of the sentence for himself.

Suddenly, Xander and Anya came running up. Xander had his cell phone held out. "Buffy, you wanna take this call," he said, handing her the phone.

A little confused, Buffy accepted it. "Hello?"

"Buffy? Thank God. I've been calling literally everywhere. You've all got frantic messages on your machines, just so you know," said the person on the other end.

It took Buffy a moment to recognize the voice, and another moment to respond. "Cordelia?"

"It's me," confirmed the young woman. "All the way from L.A."

Nonplused, Buffy said, "Look, Cordy, I don't mean to be rude, but I've got a serious-"

"Your little sister's missing," interrupted Cordelia. "I know. I got a vision."

"You did? Where is she? Is she all right?"

"Yes, and two 'I don't knows.' I got a vision that she was in a specific house in L.A., but by the time the boys got there, whoever had been there was gone. Angel says they couldn't have been gone more than ten minutes." Cordelia sighed. "We're trying to chase down whoever owned the house. Angel thought you should know about it."

Buffy took this in, nodding. "Thanks. I'll be down there in a few hours."

"All right. We'll see you then."

Buffy clicked off Xander's phone. "I need to get to L.A., fast."

The phone conversation had attracted the attention of the rest of the gang. "What's up?" asked Willow.

"Cordy got a vision. Dawn was in L.A. tonight, just a little while ago. That's where I'm going," summed up Buffy.

Both Giles and Xander offered to drive at exactly the same moment. Buffy looked at both of them, then turned to Giles. "Let's go."

Spike was right on her heels as they turned. Buffy looked at him.

"Hey, when you find the bloke who did this to me," said Spike, indicating his bruises, "I wanna be there to help you cut him to pieces."

"Spike, you remember Angel, don't you?" asked Buffy. "Your sire? The guy you can't stand no matter where his soul is?"

"For Little Bit's sake, I'll put up with the poofter," said Spike. Buffy raised an eyebrow. "I mean it! You won't hear word one from me."

"I'll hold you to that," warned Buffy. "And you'd better believe that if you and Angel start squabbling and delay us finding Dawn by even a second, there will be pain."

"Fine by me," said Spike with a hint of a wolfish grin. Buffy gave him a look.

"Buff," said Xander. Buffy turned to him. "We're coming, too. All of us."

Buffy looked a bit shocked. "You guys don't have to come. This could take a while."

"She's ours too, Buffy," said Tara. "We cared for her all summer. Please don't ask us to stay behind."

There was silence for a moment. Then Buffy smiled tightly. "Okay. Guess we'll all invade Angel's place."

***

"She's coming," announced Cordelia as she hung up the phone. "You were right, Wesley. Ten bucks says she's not alone, too."

"I wouldn't take the bet," said Angel. "She'll need someone to drive her, probably Xander or Giles. I'd put my money on Giles."

"Giles? Coming here?" Wesley went a little pale.

"Hasn't she got her driver's license yet?" asked Cordelia.

Angel gave a short laugh. "Not the last I heard. I think she feels like Sunnydale's dangerous enough without her driving."

"Slayer girl's on her way?" asked Gunn.

"Yep. What fun." Cordelia started to walk around the desk, then suddenly tilted violently to the left. Angel grabbed her before she could fall. "Whoa. That was interesting."

"What is it?" asked Angel, setting her upright.

Cordelia shook her head and nearly fell over again. This time, Angel kept his grip on her shoulders after he grabbed her. "Vision flash. I saw Dawn in front of a window. No, I don't know where. And I'm dizzy again."

Wesley came over, looking concerned. "Is it part of the vision, or do you think it's a side effect?"

"I can't tell." There was unwonted vulnerability in Cordelia's voice. "I- I just think there may be more to the vision, but I can't figure it out." She winced. "Just wish the dizzy would go away."

"You should lie down," said Angel.

Cordelia sighed impatiently. "I don't need to lie down, Angel. I'm fine." She shook his hands off her shoulders and took two steps away before starting to list again. Angel caught her for the third time. "Sitting down would be okay, I guess," she murmured, and Angel steered her to the couch.

All the time he was doing so, he held Wesley's worried gaze with his own.

***

Giles broke almost every law of the road between Sunnydale and L.A. Xander's car managed to cling to his bumper, but only just. A little over an hour after setting out, both cars pulled up outside the Hyperion.

"Giles! You drive like a wild man," Xander commented as he got out of his car. Willow and Tara emerged from the back seats, both looking a little worse for wear.

"Yes, well, I thought speed was of the essence," said Giles.

"I think I left a little of my essence on the passenger-side seat," said a shell-shocked Buffy. "C'mon. Let's go find out what Angel's crew knows."

The group made its way up the front walk, and Buffy entered the hotel first. Cordelia stood up from the couch.

"Buffy! And . . . everyone else." Cordelia's smile froze. "Good to see all of you!"

"They kinda insisted on coming along," said Buffy. "It's Dawn."

Three tall male figures entered the room. One was instantly recognizable as Angel. One was a young, good-looking African-American man no one recognized except Willow. The third was vaguely familiar.

Xander blinked. "Wesley?" he asked, almost not realizing he was speaking aloud.

The former Watcher didn't look anything like what most of them remembered. He was in a T-shirt and jeans, for one thing, and his hair was pleasantly mussed rather than glued into place. His bare arms were wiry with muscle. It wasn't just physical changes, though-something intangible was different about the whole way he held himself. He strode forward, straight to Buffy

"Buffy. Mr. Giles. I'm glad you got here so fast," he said, shaking both their hands. "You'll want to discuss Dawn, of course. Please come in." He indicated the unfamiliar man. "This is Charles Gunn, and . . ." Wesley's forehead crinkled. "Where's Fred?"

A girl poked her head out of the office doorway. "I-I didn't expect so many people," she said in a soft Southwestern accent.

"It's all right," Wesley reassured her gently, holding out a hand. "They're good people, Fred." Cautiously, the girl called Fred walked out of the office and to Wesley. She was tall and very thin, fragile-looking and elfin. Pretty, though, with her huge brown eyes and long, curly hair.

Angel's eyes, meanwhile, had found Buffy's. A nod passed between them along with a look that said more than words could have. Then Angel's eyes went past her shoulder-and widened with shock and outrage at what they found there.

"What's he doing here?" Angel asked suddenly, harshly.

Spike stepped forward. "Hello, Peaches. How've you been?"

"Buffy, why is he here?" Angel demanded again.

"Spike was the last person with Dawn when she was kidnapped," Buffy explained hastily.

"This is Spike?" asked Wesley incredulously.

"Oh, God," moaned Cordelia, sitting back down.

"You know, I've already got a theory about what happened to Dawn," said Angel acidly.

"Angel, Spike did not hurt her," Buffy insisted.

"Who's this guy?" Gunn asked Wesley.

"Spike. Angel's his grandsire," answered the ex-Watcher.

"More of Angel's vamp family. Just what we need around here," said Gunn, rolling his eyes.

Angel continued to glare at Spike. Palpable animosity flowed between them, restrained only by Buffy's presence.

She decided to try playing peacemaker. "Look, I know you two, well, hate each other, but could we keep a little perspective? Dawn, remember?"

Spike's face softened at her tone. "I'll do my part."

"Like you care," growled Angel.

The blond vampire gestured at his face. "Hey, I got these bruises tryin' to protect the little chit!"

"Watch what you're calling Dawn!" squawked Xander.

Angel surveyed Spike's injuries lazily. "It's a good look for you."

"Good look for you, too," sneered Spike. "Remember what happened last time we saw each other?"

"As I recall, the last time I saw you, Oz was holding you at crossbow point while your torture demon pal screwed you over," Angel said. "I believe you ended up back in Sunnydale, ringless and fangless."

Angel's tone sent Spike over the edge, and he was instantly at his grandsire's throat. Angel's expression remained contemptuous as he and Spike struggled.

Then they were violently thrown apart. Sprawled on the floor, they looked up to see a furious Buffy standing between them.

"That's enough! From both of you! Dawn is way the hell more important than your vampire machismo. I swear, you two get into it with the fighting and the posturing, I will beat you both senseless."

"That a promise, luv?" asked Spike. Angel growled fiercely.

"Spike . . ." Buffy warned. The younger vampire subsided, climbing to his feet. The Slayer turned to Angel, who was standing again. "Angel, I know you and Spike don't exactly get along, but please, for Dawn's sake, would you try?"

Angel pried his glare away from Spike, took a deep breath, and looked at Buffy. "All right."

"Boy, howdy," commented Fred.

"I believe I'll second that," said Wesley.

Buffy pulled together the tattered shreds of her temper and looked back at the crew of Angel Investigations. "Okay, to everyone who doesn't know, this is Giles, Xander, Anya, Willow, Tara, and Spike. Say 'hi,' guys."

"Hi," said Xander, Anya, Tara, and Willow in perfect unison.

"What precisely do we know?" asked Giles.

"Not much, I'm afraid," said Wesley. "We found the house that was in Cordelia's vision, but whoever was there had cleared out literally minutes before we entered. We've determined that one of the inhabitants was a Sch'sek demon, that the ownership of the house is nearly untraceable, and we also found a reference to a particular alchemist-Fausto Tesorieri."

"I'd lay odds on the Sch'sek being the same one I fought in Sunnydale," put in Spike.

"You say you couldn't find who owned the house?" asked Giles.

"Not for lack of trying," said Wesley, sounding vaguely defensive. "The ownership has been filtered through a dummy corporation. We're still looking into it."

"I could go rough up Gavin Park," offered Angel semi-seriously. "If nothing else, it'd be fun."

"The last thing we need is to bring Wolfram & Hart into this," Wesley said. "Of course, that's assuming they're not involved already. Which I sincerely hope they're not."

"Wolfram & Hart?" questioned Giles. "Aren't they lawyers?"

"Evil lawyers," said Cordelia, standing up. "They like screwing with Angel, and he likes beating them up. Especially the short ones." She took a step toward the group and went white. "Oh, God . . ."

Angel was there in a flash, pushing her back down onto the couch and crouching in front of her. "Cordy, what's happening? This isn't normal."

The Seer was breathing deeply, eyes closed. "I keep getting flashes from the vision, and every time, I get dizzy again. I think I hate this even more than usual."

Wesley walked over, face pensive. "Could it be something Dawn is feeling?"

"No. She's scared, not dizzy."

"Scared?" Buffy sat down beside Cordelia on the couch. "She's scared?"

"Yeah." Cordelia took another deep breath before opening her eyes. "I could feel her emotions pretty clearly. Still do, in fact. I just wish I . . . I wish I could figure out what's happening. Why this vision's making me so dizzy. There's something . . ." She closed her eyes again, concentrating. The Scooby Gang clustered off to the side of the couch, watching curiously.

After a few moments, Cordelia began to speak again. "I see her at the house I saw. She's in a small room with the blond woman, the demon, and someone else. A man in a suit. A really nice suit, as a matter of fact. I see her face there, and then . . ." Cordelia gulped, going white again.

Angel grasped her upper arms, watching her face with concern. "Cordy," he said softly.

Xander and Willow traded a surprised glance as they watched Angel and Cordelia. The warmth and concern that flowed between vampire and Seer was almost visible, and very unlike how the two had behaved toward each other in Sunnydale.

Cordelia held onto one of Angel's arms, leaning so far forward her forehead was almost touching his. "I'm watching her face, and it's like the whole world spins around, and now she's in front of a window. I see her . . . oh, God, she's beautiful! The light, she's like glass and there's light inside her, this pure, green light."

"The Key," whispered Tara. "That's the light I saw when . . ."

Willow put an arm around her lover as Tara trailed off.

"What else do you see, Cordelia?" asked Wesley. "Do you see out the window?"

"It's open," said the Seer. "It's up high, too. Dawn's looking out of the window. There are city lights far in the distance and a little below, and she can see a garden. She smells roses. She's looking out, and she's alone, and she's so scared . . ."

Angel moved his hands from Cordelia's upper arms to her shoulders, rubbing them soothingly. "Easy, Cordy. Come back out of it. Come back."

Cordelia visibly pulled herself together, breathing deeply and straightening up before opening her eyes. A single tear leaked out the corner of one eye and was surreptitiously wiped away.

Xander leaned closer to Willow, eyeing Angel and Cordelia suspiciously. "Are you getting a vibe? 'Cause I think I'm getting a vibe here."

"There's no vibe," scoffed Willow. "They're just friends."

"I dunno. I'm pretty sure there's a vibe. I don't like it."

"I think they're like-well, you and me."

"But even we got caught with the kissing." Xander shook his head. "Don't like it."

Willow bit back a retort to listen to what Wesley was saying.

"So that's it," said the ex-Watcher. "The vision moved you in time and space, and that caused the disorientation you've been feeling."

Buffy had gone pale. "Cordy, is there any way . . . any way you could get a message to her? Tell her she's not alone, that we're looking for her?"

"Sorry," said Cordelia. "My brain's stuck on 'receive,' not 'send.'"

"I can send," said Willow.

Cordelia's response was a very erudite "Huh?"

"I can send. Telepathically," explained the witch. "I might be able to get a message to Dawn."

"But honey, you can only send to people in your line of sight," said Tara.

"I know," responded Willow. "But Dawn's kinda in Cordy's line of sight. I might be able to use her vision to make contact, if I go through Cordy's mind. It could be worth a try, anyway."

"We have tried something like that before," mused Wesley. "Is there any danger to Cordelia in what you propose?"

"There isn't. I mean, I don't think so. I've never hurt anyone with telepathy before. Have I?" Willow gave a worried glance around the room.

"No, just freaked us out mightily," said Xander.

Angel shook his head. "If there's any risk to Cordy, it's not worth it."

"Yes, it is," stated Cordelia firmly. Angel looked at her. "Look, Angel, guys, I need to do something to help. If I know Dawn's not so afraid now, it might help with . . . this."

"If anything doesn't feel right, I can pull back out," Willow added. "Worst case scenario, it doesn't work at all. Best case, I make contact with the Powers That Be."

"And let me tell you what a joy that is." Cordelia straightened, steadying herself. "Okay, Willow. Invade my brain. Everybody else does."

Willow sat down beside Cordelia and took her hands. "Okay, breathe deep and clear your mind."

Do you hear me?

"Gah! Creepy!" exclaimed Cordelia, snatching her hands out of Willow's.

"Are you all right?" asked Angel. "Maybe you shouldn't try this."

Cordelia gave him a look. "I'm fine. It just took me by surprise is all." She offered her hands to Willow again, who took them. "Let's do this."

"You sure?" asked Willow.

"I'm sure. Go on ahead."

Both young women relaxed, closing their eyes.

Do you hear me?

Yes.

Good. Go back into the vision.

Pain. Flashes of dark and light. Dawn! Fear, so much fear. A blond woman, icy cold, a big demon (who smells awful), an unknown man.

The world turns, tips on its side, whirls around, and it's Dawn again. So beautiful, the light from within her, all soft and glowy green . . . . She's afraid, so afraid, so alone.

Willow dove in, straight through Cordelia's mind and into the emotions of the other.

Dawnie, can you hear me?

Dawn gave a gasp. "Willow?" she whispered into the dark room she'd awakened in.

It's me, Dawnie. Cordelia had a vision, and we're all in L.A. now with Angel's gang. We're going to find you, so don't worry. Do you know where you are?

"No," whispered Dawn. "They knocked me out."

Who's "they"? Do you know?

"No. There's a demon-Kogue, I think-and Nicole the psychic bitch, and then there's a guy-"

Psychic?

There was another presence, like a shark swimming through water. Willow felt it searching for her. It was strong, perfectly in its element, and it was reaching out, grabbing hold of Willow's consciousness, and Willow could only struggle against it.

Suddenly, violently, it was shoved away, and Willow felt herself flowing back into her own body, separating from Cordelia as she did so.

Both young women promptly fainted. Buffy and Angel both caught Cordelia, and Wesley caught Willow before she could fall off the couch.

Tara rushed over to her lover. "Willow? Are you okay?"

Willow opened her eyes, one of which was slightly crossed. "Whoa."

Cordelia gave a little moan. Angel scooped her up from the couch.

"Angel?" murmured the Seer. "Tell everyone to please stay out of my head."

It might have been funny without the tear running down her face. Angel looked at Wesley, who nodded, and the vampire began to carry his friend to the stairs.

"Where are you taking me?" asked Cordelia weakly.

"My bedroom," said Angel.

"Why, you beast," deadpanned Spike.

"Shut up, Spike," snapped the elder vampire. "You're going to rest, Cordy. No arguments."

As he carried Cordelia up the stairs, the attention downstairs focused on Willow, who was sitting up.

"What happened?" asked Buffy.

"We made contact," said the witch. "Dawn doesn't know where she is or who's kidnapped her, but she knew a few names. The demon's name is Kogue. The blond woman is Nicole, and she's psychic. I think she was the one who was trying to find us."

"Trying to find you?" Giles asked sharply.

"Yeah. I felt her searching for us-Cordy and me-but just as she found us, Cordy shoved her away. She's got a really strong mind. Cordy, I mean. But Nicole, too."

"That could mean they've been alerted to our presence," said Giles.

"There's some kind of boss, too," Willow continued, "but Dawn didn't get the chance to tell us anything about him.

Angel came back down the stairs. Xander looked at him.

"Angel, is Cordy okay?" asked the young man.

Only Xander and Giles, who was standing behind him, caught the fear and pain in Angel's eyes before the vampire pulled himself back under his usual tight control.

"She just needs to rest," said Angel. "These visions take a lot out of her. Willow, what happened?"

The witch recapped what she'd just told the others. Angel looked concerned.

"They could know we're coming, then," he said, unwittingly echoing Giles.

"We got away okay," protested Willow. "I don't feel whoever it was anymore. How bad could it be?"

"Perhaps you're all right," said Giles, "but what about Dawn?"

***

The door to the room Dawn was being held in flew open. Nicole stood in the light, a blue silk robe over her white nightgown, and she looked furious.

"Get Mr. Hayden," she commanded the vampire guarding the door. "Get him!"

The vampire left post-haste, and Nicole turned her attention to Dawn. "Who was here?" she demanded. "Who talked to you?"

"No one," Dawn said.

Nicole strode into the room and grabbed Dawn's shoulder hard. "Who was it?" The psychic's eyes searched Dawn's face, hard and unwavering.

A moment or so later, the man who called himself Lucas was in the door. He turned on the light.

"What's wrong?" he asked Nicole.

"Someone has made contact with her," Nicole told him, jerking her head at Dawn. "A witch named Willow. The Slayer and her friends have come to Los Angeles, and they're working with someone to find the girl."

"Do you know who?" asked Lucas.

"A vampire named Angel. The girl also has ideas about a smaller, blonde vampire; a girl named Cordelia, who has visions of some sort; and an unimpressive man named Wesley."

"Stop it!" cried Dawn, shaking Nicole's hand off her shoulder. "It's not true!"

"It's true," said Nicole.

"Oh, dear," sighed Lucas. "Do they know where we are?"

Nicole paused before answering. "They only had contact with the girl, and she doesn't know. I would say we're safe for now."

"You are so not," insisted Dawn. "They're gonna find you, and when they do, you'll all go down. You should let me go now."

Nicole smiled mockingly. "Nice try, child."

"My name is Dawn, you bitch!"

"Nicole, perhaps I should handle this," said Lucas. "Go on back to bed."

Nicole looked at Dawn, but obeyed her employer, leaving the room. Dawn was still under a full head of steam.

"Where am I?" she demanded, more angry than afraid now. "Who are you? Why did you kidnap me?"

"For the who, my name is Lucas Hayden," said the man. "For the where, you're at my house. One of them, anyway. As to the why, well, I'll be explaining that soon."

Dawn's eyes filled with tears. "Please let me go. I'm not the Key anymore."

"I'm afraid you are." Lucas actually looked compassionate. "I'm not planning to hurt you, Dawn. In fact, I can make your life very comfortable. This room will be yours. Just tell me what you need, and I'll provide it. But letting you go is not an option."

"Then get out." Dawn's voice was low, deadly. "Get out!"

Lucas shrugged. "All right. We'll talk tomorrow." He left, shutting the door behind him. A moment later, it re-opened. "Are you allergic to cats, by any chance?"

The non sequitur caught Dawn off-guard. "No."

A large gray cat swept by Lucas' feet and into the room. Lucas indicated it. "This is Diogenes. I'm sure he'll be happy to keep you company. Good night, Dawn. Oh, and I wouldn't try to escape if I were you. My grounds are patrolled by vampires."

The door shut again, and Dawn was alone. She sat on the bed, feeling helpless and afraid. Diogenes wandered over, examined her with huge golden eyes for a moment, then leaped up onto the bed and wormed his way onto her lap.

Hugging the cat, Dawn cried.