Disclaimer: I own nothing. None of the characters and none of the stole . . . borrowed text.

They were so sick of researching. They were all sick of it. Even Tara who was mild mannered was getting near to the stage where she would bang her head against the wall. Her girlfriend just looked fed up, "I just wish we knew what we were dealing with. It feels like we're going round in circles."

Xander, who hated researching at the best of times was not any better, "Our circles are going around in circles. We have circles here Giles."

Tara rubbed her eyes, "What if she's not in the books?"

Willow looked puzzled, "What do you mean?"

"I mean what if she'd not a demon or a sorceress or whatever these books cover. What if she's something else all together?"

Giles came over after getting rid of a customer, "Something new you mean?"

Tara shook her head, "Something old. Something so old it pre-dates the written word."

Xander closed his book, "Well if it means that I don't have to read anymore, 'whoo' and might I add a big 'hoo'."

Giles however obviously did not see this as a positive thing, "No if Tara's right then we're blind there's no way we can anticipate her movements, where she'll turn up next . . .oh?"

All the gang turned to look at the customer who was standing in the middle of the store, "Uh-huh. I want these."

Giles quickly dealt with the order and sent the woman on her way, "She could be anywhere. But if she's as powerful as Buffy says I imagine it won't be long before she makes herself known."

Riley came over and hugged Buffy, "I heard. What do you need?"

Buffy slowly felt the feeling returning to her body; "I need you to take Dawn to school when she wakes up. Let her sleep for another hour if you can. Mom's not waking up for a while so I need to get to the Magic Box and back before she wakes."

Riley felt that feeling again. That feeling like he was being pushed away. He didn't like it one bit. He wanted to be here for her. He didn't want to be shut out, "What are you going to do Buffy?"

"I'm going to the Magic Box. I need to see if there's something magic that can cure my Mom. I will not let her die."

"Buffy people get sick. I don't think that magic is going to help . . ."

"That attitude is not helping." Buffy's tone brooked no argument and Riley shut up. "I'm going to try. So either help me by getting Dawn to school, or I will do it myself."

Riley nodded, "Okay. I'll take her."

Buffy squeezed his arm and walked out. Riley sank into the chair next to Dawn. He felt an incredible wave of depression pass over him. She didn't really need him. He so much wanted her to need him. Why couldn't she need him? Was he just not good enough? Why wouldn't she lean on him? Why did she think that's he had to be on top of everything all of the time? Well, he would get Dawn to school and the he was going to get very, very drunk.



Buffy was sat with her friends all around her. They all looked worried for her and about her mother. Even Anya. "So I figure there has to be some kind of mystical cure right. An incantation or something. We have to look."

Willow leant forward, "We can look, and I mean we will, but I haven't seen anything."

"Truth is, the mystical and the medical aren't meant to mix Buffy. I'm sorry. But the human mind is very delicate too much can go wrong."

Tara spoke up, "I've heard stories about people trying healing spells. If we did something it could make things a lot worse Buffy."

"We've done just about enough 'making things worse' for one day haven't we."

Buffy glared around at everyone sat at the table, "What do you mean?"

Glory snapped her fingers and a car appeared from round the corner of the apartment. The door opened and she slipped inside. Really, minions did have their uses. Rare, but still their uses after all, one could break a nail opening doors.

"Quickly. I don't like waiting. You all know that."

The car sped up and when they arrived at the zoo the door opened. Glory stepped out and walked straight over to the lizard house. A cobra. Nice. It would find her key from that annoying little slayer and if she could be bothered, she might kill the thing anyway. After all, she didn't have to do anything if she didn't want.

Buffy arrived in time to see the demon woman, or whatever she was chanting. Oh no. Buffy had, had enough for one day. There was no way that she was going to let this happen. The snake was not being changed to weed the gardens. It was for something bad. Buffy was having none of it. She listened for a moment and then she threw herself into the fight. She kicked the woman but she barely seemed to notice, "No fair. . .attacking . . . when I wasn't even looking . . . a little help . . . now this is no good," the woman was back on the offensive and Buffy as back to getting her ass kicked, "I'm out of the moment, and you're not giving me anything I can use. Dreg I'm not hearing chanting. Continue.

The scabby thing in the corner spoke, "Yes Glory."

So, the woman had a name. Glory. Buffy quickly filed that in her memory banks as the woman kneed her in the face, "Hey hey, work with me here. Even if I do have to carry your performance . . ." Buffy went flying face first in a plate of glass, "Scene."

Glory went over and stood in front of the huge urn in the centre of the room as Buffy cradled her very sore arm, "Arise. Arise. ARISE!"

Buffy watched in horror as the snake burst out of the urn. It had an almost human torso. Well it had arms anyway, but the rest of it was simply an enlarged snake. It was truly repulsive.

Buffy stayed just long enough to hear Glory tell the snake to find the key, before she slipped out of the door. She had to tell Giles and then, well she had to get back to the hospital.

Riley downed one shot after another. He couldn't stand it. The idea that he was losing her crept into his very inebriated brain. As it did there came another moment of clarity. He had never had her. Not really. Not like, he wanted to have her. She had never given herself to him. Not like, he had given himself to her. The vampire that Riley had seen here before sidled up to him. Suddenly Riley wanted her. He wanted to be needed. E wanted to feel passion and desire. Taking her hand, he led her behind the building to an alleyway. Riley let the demon kiss his neck and bite him. He had never felt anything like it.

Riley felt his knees buckle from the intensity of the emotion. He almost wanted to let her have him. To let her drink him up. He feeling of his life flowing into her sent him almost high. He held her head to his neck and slipped a stake into her chest. As she disintegrated, he felt hopelessly desolate. He wanted that feeling again. With a sickening thud, he realised something. He could never get that from Buffy. She would never give it to him.

Buffy knew that her mom had tried not to cry. She hadn't wanted to cry in front of Buffy. But Buffy knew her mother too well and she had seen of course. Now Buffy was going to pick up Dawn. Her mom wanted to tell Dawn herself. Buffy had agreed. She didn't think that she could do it herself. She might break down again. Opening the door of the Magic Box, she saw Dawn. And something that felt almost like panic swept over her. Dawn was about to have her world torn in half. She wanted to stop it . . .and she couldn't stop it. Buffy couldn't stop another thing from happening.

Dawn turned and saw her sister, rushing forward into a hug Buffy held her sister, the key. "Is she awake yet?"

Buffy smiled just a little, "Yeah, she's waiting for us."

"Can we take her home now?" Dawn already knew the answer.

"We'll see. Go get your stuff."

Before anything happened there was an ear-splitting crash. Buffy turned and saw the snake push itself through the opening it had left in the wall. Oh God. It was going to see . . . Dawn! DAWN! "Dawn!"

Buffy called out to her sister. Dawn just stood there transfixed with terror as the snake knocked a display unit on top of Buffy and stared at Dawn. Stared at the key. Then the thing turned and slithered back out of the hole.

Giles pulled Buffy to her feet; she looked she him and whispered, "It knows."

Not hesitating Buffy headed out of the door and followed the snake.

Spike was walking. He didn't know what else to do. He had seen Buffy at the hospital. She was ready to walk towards him. He had stopped her. He had told her no because he loved her. She couldn't take anymore that day. He didn't want to put anymore on her plate. He had told her no because he loved her.

He walked through the park and stopped. There was something . . . something in . . . he could hear people screaming. He headed off to see."

Buffy leapt into Giles' car, "We gotta stop this monster before it gets back to Glory."

"Glory?"

"That's what he called her. Giles she's going to know that Dawn's the key if we don't. . ."

"We will."

Giles drove like a maniac. He followed the snake to the edge of the park where Buffy jumped out, "Get back to the shop. Take care of Dawn."

Giles was about to argue but Buffy had already gone. Putting the car into reverse he headed back to the shop.

Buffy ran. She followed the disgusting thing. Leaping onto it's back she wrapped a chain around it's throat. It managed to throw her off, but she got a seat and pulled on the chain. Feeling it stop moving she released the chain and slid down a little. It caught her by surprise. Jerking and throwing her off. She jumped into it and punched. Letting all of her rage and fear out she punched and she kept punching. She kept punching long after the thing stopped moving.

Spike saw Buffy. She was hitting something. It looked like a giant snake. It was obviously dead. Spike could see tears on her cheeks. He moved forward and stopped her hand. She looked up ready to attack. "Whoa slayer."

Buffy saw who it was and all the tension went out of her fist although she didn't move it from his grasp. Instead, she moved over to him and slipped her arms around his middle.

Spike kissed the top of her head and was rewarded when warm lips touched his. Pulling him to her Buffy kissed him. She needed this. She needed him. Reaching for the fastening of his jeans, she ran her other hand up his chest, "Buffy, pet . . ."

Buffy touched her finger to his lips, "Shh. I need you. I need you."

Spike pulled her to him and kissed her again.