Monday, June 8, 2:30 a.m.

  Dear Diary,

  I don't seem to be sleeping very well tonight, so I might as well write you. All day today I've been waiting for something to happen. And it did, Jezebel nearly killed Buffy and gave me bruises galore. I don't know what to do with out my powers and nothing seems to bring them back, and now Tara can't get to this realm anymore. And every time I close my eyes I see Jezebel start up the steps to Rose's room. We sent her to the Charmed Ones, hoping they can keep her safe and away from Jezebel should we fail.

 Maybe I'll try to sleep again. Maybe if I lie down with my headphones on, I won't see Jezebel.

****

Dawn put the diary back in her nightstand drawer and took out her walkman. She flipped through the channels as she stared at the ceiling with heavy eyes. Through the crackly and sputter of static a D.J.'s voice sounded in her ear.

 "And here's a golden oldie for all you fabulous fifties fans. 'Goodnight Sweetheart' on the Vee Jay label by the spaniels . . ."

  Dawn drifted away on the music.

  The ice cream soda was strawberry, Dawn's favorite. The jukebox was playing 'Goodnight Sweetheart' and the counter was squeaky clean. But Tara, Dawn decided would never really wear a poodle skirt.

 "No poodles," she said gesturing at it. Tara looked up from her hot fudge sundae. Her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail. "Who thinks of these things anyway?" Dawn asked.

 "You do silly. I'm only visiting."

 "Oh." Dawn took a pull at the soda. Dreams. There was a reason to be afraid of dreams, but she couldn't think of it just now.

 "I can't stay long," Tara said. "I think she already knows I'm here. I just came to tell you . . ." She frowned.

 "Dawn looked at her sympathetically. "Can't you remember either?" She drank more soda. It tasted odd.

  "I died too young, Dawn. There was so much I was supposed to do, to accomplish. And now I have to help you."

 "Thanks." Dawn said.

 "This isn't easy, you know. I don't have that much power. It's hard getting through, and it's hard keeping everything together."

 "Gotta keep it together," Dawn agreed, nodding. She was feeling strangely lightheaded. What was in this soda?

 "I don't have much control, and things turn out strange somehow. She's doing it, I guess. She's always fighting me. She watches you. And every time we try to communicate, she comes."

  "Okay." The room was floating

 "Dawn, are you listening to me? She can use your fear against you. It's the way she gets in."

 "Okay . . ."

 "But don't let her in. Tell everyone that. And tell Willow . . ." Tara stopped and put a hand to her mouth. Something fell onto the hot fudge sundae.

  It was a tooth.

 "She's here." Tara's voice was strange, indistinct. Dawn stared at the tooth in mesmerized horror. It was lying in the middle of the whipped cream, among the slivered almonds. "Dawn tell Willow . . ."

 But Dawn was stumbling back. Everything was whirling around. The soda was bubbling out of the glass, but it wasn't soda; it was blood. Bright red and frothy, like something you coughed up when you died. Dawn's stomach convulsed.

 "Tell Willow I love her! And don't trance, Dawn do you hear me Don't Trance!" It was the voice of a toothless old woman, and it ended in hysterical sobs. Dawn was glad to fall into darkness and forget everything.

  Dawn nibbled at the end of her felt pen, her eyes on the clock, her mind on the calendar. Eight and a half more days of school to survive. And it looked as if every minute was going to be misery.

  Some guy had said it outright, backing away from her on the stairs. "No offense, but your friends keep turning up dead or bruised. Your whole family is whacked."  Dawn had gone into the bathroom and cried.

 But now all she wanted was to be out of school, away from the tragic faces and accusing eyes- or worse, the pitying eyes.

 The bell for the end of the day rang; Dawn was the first one out of the building and on to the street. It didn't take her long to walk home. When she got there she found her family sitting around the table planning, Willow and Giles, and Jenny were researching Jezebel. While Buffy, Faith, Spike, and Conner were in the basement training. Dawn sat on the steps next to Xander to watch. She turned to Xander. "Where is Mom and Grandma?"

Xander gave her a crooked smile. "They are sitting up for the ritual to pass the balance on to Faith."

Dawn turned her eyes back to the people on the floor; her eyes kept landing on Conner and the way his muscles rippled when he moved. She found herself thinking more of him every day he was around. They were growing closer, had gone on a date or two, and he had been the one to comfort her when everything they tried failed to bring back her powers. Feelings she had never felt before were churning in her, she wondered if they were love.

 The door to the basement opened and Joyce called down. "We're ready for you up her Faith."

The others joined her up in the living room, a circle had been formed, and there was smoking incense, perfuming the room. Joyce stepped into the circle followed by Faith. Joyce spoke to Buffy. "I will be very weak after the balance has been passed, I'll need to rest for a while, but it is important that nothing interrupt the ritual."

She turned to Faith and took her hands.

 "Swift on the heel thou comest,

Thrice summoned by my spell,

Thrice troubled by my burning,

I call to the balance with-in me,

It is time to find your way to my

Successor, The one who bears my

mark."

There was a whirlwind of energy with-in the circle pouring out of Joyce and into Faith. They jerked apart Joyce collapsing, Faith falling to her knees. Buffy rushed forward to their mother, while Spike rushed to Faith.

Faith was helped to the chair, while Joyce was helped to the couch and made comfortable. Victoria sighed. "They will both be fine. Shouldn't you all be out patrolling?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, but I don't want to leave you and mom here by yourselves."

Faith raised her head. "I'll stay with them; Grandma here can bring me up to speed on my powers."

Buffy nodded and broke everyone up into teams and started out. Half way down the street Xander stopped her. "Buffy, I know Faith is your sister and everything we've been through, I still don't trust her to be alone with your mother and grandmother."

"Xander, I want to trust my sister and I do. So let's not have this talk." She moved on to the cemetery, they were patrolling.

Two hours later of nothing happening the others met back at the corner and walked to the front door of the house to find it open. Buffy rushed in to find her mother, half on the floor half on the couch, and Faith just standing there. But no Victoria.

AN: I know another cliff hanger and another short chapter, but hey the next chapter by last count is 10 pages long. Stay tuned