One day, by now it was early spring, Sarah, Buffy and Willow were patrolling while the others were at the Magic Box, researching why a demon, known for wanting to be in a wet and swampy climate, had shown up here. It wasn't an emergency or something, Buffy had killed the demon the day before, but Giles wanted to know and had recruited part of the gang.

So while Xander, Anya and Tara were researching, accompanied by Dawn, the other three went out hunting.

A thing they better should have done another night…

They were walking through a particular nasty street in downtown Sunnydale, Willow at the back, Buffy in the middle and Sarah ahead of them. Suddenly, vampires appeared from everywhere. There were at least a dozen of them, and they were positioned in such a way that each one of the girls was separated. Six of them attacked Buffy and four of them headed for Willow.

Buffy with Slayer strength and all was on her way to help Willow while trying to dust the ones attacking her. With a lot of trouble she reached Willow, dusting two of the six that were attacking her. Now Buffy and Willow were together, the two groups of vamps combined and the eight of them attacked the two girls. Buffy and Willow fought while trying to get to Sarah.

But there was something strange about the whole thing. The vampires didn't seem to go full force and all they were really doing was blocking the way to Sarah, keeping the Slayer and her Witchy friend busy. As soon as Buffy realised this, she jumped up on a pile of crates and looked for Sarah.

At first, she didn't see her, but then she heard a muffled scream and saw a piece of Sarah's red coat in between a group of at least nine or ten vampires. Buffy became furious; it was a trap! She turned around and with new fury she dusted three vamps in two strikes. Willow, now also seeing Sarah was in trouble stepped into a corner and called up some magic, creating a tunnel to Sarah.

At that moment, Spike jumped down and kicked a vampire out of the way, saying: "Need a hand?"

Buffy didn't respond and ran for Sarah with Willow right behind her. As the Slayer and the Witch approached the group, they fled, but not before one turned around and laughed at them.

"Too late, Slayer," he said and ran.

Buffy and Willow reached Sarah and saw to their horror that she was almost unconscious, her hand pressed against her neck and blood on her clothing and face. The worst had happened; they had bitten her.

Spike came near and pushed Buffy aside, then he picked Sarah up.

"Where to?" he simply asked.

"Magic Box," Willow said, it's closest and the others are all there. Spike nodded and started to run, as fast as he could with a body in his arms, to the Magic Box.

When they arrived there and burst through the door, the others looked up in surprise.

"Sarah!" exclaimed Giles, immediately recognising his daughter.

"She's been bitten," said Spike, walking towards the back end where the others were.

"Put her here," Anya said, indicating the backroom.

Spike walked in the other room and laid Sarah down on the pillowed camp bed in the corner.

"It's was the same…" Sarah uttered, barely able to speak, "one of the group some time ago. The group I dusted three of… when my magic emerged."

Sarah was leaning against the pillows, panting. Her hand covered the wound in he neck as the blood dript between her fingers.

"They turned her," Spike said, looking at the wound and the blood around and in her mouth.

"Help me," she managed to say, "my body is fighting it… the magic… but I don't know... how long…" Giles turned and ushered the others backwards out of the room.

"We'll find something," Willow said before Giles looked at Sarah once more and closed the door.

"What do we do?" asked Tara, once they were out.

"Her magic is not so powerful, although she hasn't been using it very much lately, she might have some reserves," Giles said and thought, "she could hold on a while, but..."

"How long is a while," asked Buffy.

Giles shrugged: "A few hours, maybe till morning, then she'll... die."

"And resurrect," added Spike. Giles closed his eyes and allowed himself to feel the pain. Then he breathed in and opened his eyes with determination in it.

"We have two options," he began, "there are two rituals we can perform, both involving an Orb of Thesulah. The first will help the magic in her body defeat the vampire."

"Then she'll be cured?" Dawn asked.

"Not… Not as such, there's still a big chance she'll die, but she won't turn. The second option is to restore her soul once she has turned."

"Like Angel," Buffy said. Giles nodded and then turned to Anya.

"Anya, I believe we have an Orb in the basement..."

"On it," she said and headed for the basement.

Giles walked to the shelves with books and ran his finger along them.

"We need.... this book," he said as his finger stopped at a particular one. He took it out and opened it on the table, searching the right page.

"Here it is," he said, pointing to a picture of the Orb and a list of materials needed. He did the best he could to keep himself from falling apart and succeeded pretty well.

"Willow, Tara, if you could..."

"Of course," Tara replied before he could finish his sentence. At that moment, Anya came back.

"I think we have a little problem," she said, holding out a little box.

They turned and saw, inside the box, the Orb was shattered.

"It was on the ground like this, I think it fell of the shelf."

"Oh, dear lord," Giles uttered, he breathed heavily, trying to keep it all together. He stood for a few seconds and then turned to the counter where he searched in a drawer. He turned out a piece of paper and handed it to Willow, who stood nearby.

"This is a list of other magic suppliers in the area; you and Tara go and make a round to see if one of them has an Orb."

"Right away," Willow said and she and Tara left.

"Anya, you and Dawn get the other materials from the list. Xander, close the door, we don't want to be disturbed. Buffy, Spike, come with me please."

As the other three went to do what they were told, Giles headed for the backroom with Buffy and Spike following him.

Sarah smiled lightly when they came in, her forehead glistering with sweat.

"Still here," she said, "but not for long." Giles went to sit next to her as Buffy and Spike kept a distance.

"So glad... that I found you... in time," Sarah said and reached for Giles' hand. He grabbed it and held onto her.

He smiled at her and said: "I'll do everything I can."

"I know... but just in case... I love you... dad." Giles swallowed and pinched her hand.

"I love you too, and I've never been happier then when you turned up."

Then Anya, Dawn and Xander entered and started preparing the ritual with the other materials.

During the next hour, Sarah weakened visibly, and Giles never left her side. Buffy was sitting on the other side, either cooling her forehead or holding her hand.

"Dad..." Sarah said, so soft it could hardly be heard.

"Yes, dear," Giles said as Buffy stood up and motioned to the door.

"I'll just... eh..." Sarah turned to her and smiled.

"Thank you Buffy," she said upon which Buffy smiled back and stood back. Then Sarah turned back to Giles.

"It won't be long now," she continued, her voice barely a whisper.

And indeed, while she kept looking at Giles, she dozed off and her breath was barely noticeable.

"What's keeping Willow and Tara?" Buffy said softly.

"I'll go check where they are," Spike, who had been standing in a corner, said and left.

Suddenly Sarah breathed deeply and all attention switched to her.

"Sarah, I'm here," Giles said, pinching her hand. She slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to her friends. She smiled at them and her eyes started to glister.

"Be sure... to stake me... if you have to." She turned her head to her father and, with the same glister she said: "Love you..." Then slowly her eyes closed and her breathing became shallow and shallower and slowly, she faded from life.