Buffy had changed into all black with a gold belly chain around her waist. She and Angel actually matched. Angel drove them to the Summers' house as Buffy talked about her humiliation at the hands of the Council. They walked up the porch and Buffy opened the door.

"I mean, could I have been more lost?" Buffy asked, shutting the door and tossing her bag on the couch. Angel went to the stairs and looked up as Buffy called, "Mom?" She headed for the kitchen through the living room, head down from exhaustion. Which is why she didn't see Glory standing there when she nearly ran into the woman.

"Long day, Sweetie?" Glory asked. Angel walked into the living room, hearing the new voice. Buffy stood looking at Glory in shock as the other blonde continued to talk. "So this is where the Slayer eats and sleeps and combs her hair. So cute. I can't even stand it." She breezed past Buffy, taking in the living room, talking all the while.

As she passed, Buffy didn't move a muscle. Only her eyes shifted slightly. Buffy noticed the fire poker and as Glory inspected Angel, Buffy slowly moved towards it. "Personally, I need more space, but this is good for you. It's so quaint and.." Buffy reached for the poker, but Glory was in front of her out of nowhere. "Tsk. Buf-fee.. If I wanted to fight, you could tell by the being dead already." Glory gently takes the fire poker away from Buffy, put it back, and sat down as Angel moved to Buffy's side. "So play nice, little girl."

"What do you want?" Buffy asked.

"The Key. Why else do you think I'd come here? See, I think you guys know where the Key is."

"Glad you think so." Angel said.

"Well, it is the only thing keeping you alive right now. Cause you may be tiny Queen and King in Vampire World, but to me? You're both bugs."

Buffy's eyes widened a little as Dawn walked into the room. Dawn froze, seeing Buffy and Angel's faces. She mouthed 'what?'. Glory kept talking, oblivious.

"You should get down on your knees, and worship me."

Without moving her head, Buffy shifted her eyes toward the kitchen door. Dawn took a step in that direction. Buffy nodded almost imperceptibly. Dawn took another step and kept going as Glory talked. Buffy kept her eyes on Glory.

"But you still thinks it's 'neat' having Slayer strength. Ooh, big deal, stronger than humans. Phht. Who isn't? I could crush the life from you as easy as you'd break a nail. But I need the Key." Glory paused and held out her hand. "Kid." Dawn froze. "C'mere a sec."

"Leave her out of this." Buffy said.

"Not asking twice.."

"This is between you and me."

"No.. this is between me and my Key. You two just happen to be the things in the way." Glory snapped her fingers sharply, still not looking back. Dawn, arms folded and looking creeped out, stepped forward. Glory looked at her for the first time. "And you are just the darlinest think I ever did see in my life. What's your name, honey?"

"Dawn." Dawn said.

"Dawn. Did you know your sister took my Key, Dawnie? And she won't give it back. Bet you know where she put it, don't you?"

"She doesn't know anything." Angel said.

"I know some stuff." Dawn said.

"Bet she takes your things all the time without asking, huh? Where's my Key, Dawn?" Glory asked.

"Go upstairs." Buffy said.

Dawn looked from Buffy to Glory. She took a step back, heading out. "You're always talking about stuff I'm not supposed to hear. I'm gonna figure it out, you know!" With that, Dawn left.

"I like her, she's sassy. And I'll kill her. Kill your Mom. Kill your friends. Kill your little boy toy vampire. Make you watch when I do. Just give me the Key. Either you

have it, or you know where to find it." Glory rose. "Obviously, this is a one-time only

deal. Next time we meet, something you love dies bloody. You know you can't take me. You know you can't stop me." Glory headed for the door. "Oh. And the next time you have guests? Little plate of sugar cookies. I'm just saying." Glory opened the door and left.

Buffy stood there, looking at Angel. He looked just as freaked as she did and Buffy knew that he didn't care about Glory threatening to kill him. He was freaked at the fact that Glory had come to the house when Dawn and Joyce had been there. Joyce walked in.

"Buffy, who was that?" she asked.

"Pack a bag." Buffy said.

"What? Why?"

"Just do it mom. We don't have time to piss around. Pack one for Dawn too."

"Where are we going?"

"Someplace safe."

An hour later, Buffy, Joyce, Dawn, and Angel stood in Spike's now darkened crypt. Buffy swept a flashlight over the place and found Spike on one of the sarcophaguses. He woke with a start and jumped to his feet.

"Aah! Oh, it's the Slayer and Peaches. For a second there I was worried." Spike said. "So, what can I do you for?"

"We need your help." Buffy said.

"Great! I need your cash."

"I'm serious. You have to look after them."

"Well, that's a boatload of manly responsibility to come flying out of nowhere. What's the matter, Slayer? Not feeling a hundred percent? Wanna get away with ol' Peaches here?"

"No, I.."

"They didn't put a chip in your head, did they?" Spike asked Angel.

"No Spike." Angel said.

"Be funny if they did."

"I need an answer. Now. In or out, Spike?" Buffy asked. She sighed and lightened her tone. "You're the only other one strong enough to protect them."

"What's in it for me? Mind, I've seen what your gratitude's like. I still prefer the Benjamins."

"I'll find the money. We can't handle this alone."

"Hmm. Guess not. All right then." Spike looked at Joyce and Dawn. "Ladies. Come on in. Plenty of blood in the fridge, don't be shy."

"You mean like, real blood?" Dawn asked.

"What do you think?"

"Mostly I think, 'Ew!'"

"Mom, keep Dawn here as long as you can. I'll be back soon as I can." Buffy said. She looked at Spike and took him aside. "I know I don't have to tell you this, but.."

"Yeah, yeah.. 'anything happens to them, I'll stake you good and proper.' Sing me a new one sometime, eh? That bit's gone stale."

Buffy rolled her eyes and she and Angel left. They walked fast towards the Magic Box. Buffy was running late for her scheduled appointment with the Council for her test. She rushed down the alley when she and Angel were tackled to the ground. They leapt to their feet. Something humanoid, but impossible to tell what it was, because a leathery helmet covered the thing's face had just tackled them.

One of them punched her. Buffy hit the ground, rolled, and came up in the same motion in her fight-stance. She concentrated on the guy in front of her. Two more appeared behind her, carrying quarterstaffs, all three identically dressed creatures inching forward, surrounding Buffy and Angel, ready to attack. Buffy and Angel looked around them, sizing up the situation. This was the last of many straws in her very bad day. She was not about to snap.

"Guys? Is there any way we could not do this?" Buffy asked. A fist to her face was all she got for an answer.

They were surrounded by four masked men, all of them closing in at once. The lead guy, holding a sword, swung it over Buffy's head. She ducked just in time to avoid getting decapitated. As the other three came in from the sides, each swirling deadly quarterstaffs, Buffy lost track of what Angel was doing. She turned to face one of the guys and another hit her hard behind the knees. She dropped to the ground. The masked man she was facing viciously batted her in the face.

Buffy landed hard on her back. Stunned, she looked up just in time to see the lead guy bring his sword down upon her. She rolled out of the way, the sword just missing her. Buffy flipped to her feet as one of the quarter-staff guys brought his stick whipping around, but this time Buffy caught the staff in mid-blow. Grasping the end of the stick, she shoved it forward and knocked her attacker in the face with it. Once, twice, three times in rapid succession. He was out. Buffy squared off with the other two. Sword guy circled around her one way, staff-guy circling around the other way. Buffy waited for it, timing it.

They both struck at once. Buffy grabbed sword guy's arm at the wrist just as he came thrusting at her. Using his own sword, she cut staff guy's staff in half. Buffy then roundhouse kicked the staff guy in the head, knocking him cold. She grabbed a fallen quarterstaff and attacked the swordsman. He staggered back. She kicked the sword from his hand. It clattered to the tarmac. Buffy tackled him hard onto the ground, jammed the staff up against his windpipe, crushing the breath out of him. Angel walked up to her, a small cut on his hand. Buffy smiled at him

"All right, let's see.." Buffy reached down, still crushing the thing's throat, and grabbed its mask from the bottom, just below the jaw. "What you are." She ripped the mask off the thing to reveal it is a ruggedly handsome man in his late thirties. There was an arcane symbolic tattoo on his forehead, matching ones on each cheek.

"Go on, Slayer, kill me. But know that my death will only buy you more time." The guys said.

"Ok. Who are you?"

"One soldier in a vast army."

"What 'army'?"

"The Knights of Byzantium. An ancient order. And now, your enemy."

"You work for Glory?"

"You think we ally ourselves with the Beast? You must be mad."

"You're the ones who tried killing me."

"We were fools. Four alone. But if it takes a hundred men, we send the hundred. And if it takes a thousand, we send them too. So long as you protect the Key, our brotherhood

will never stop until we destroy it. And you both with it."

"You'd send a thousand.."

"You are the Slayer. We know what we must do. Now be done with it. Kill us, and let Legions follow."

Buffy picked up the guy's sword. "Go." The guy stood up and ran away. Buffy looked at the sword, an idea forming in her mind.

"Well, that was bracing." Angel said.

"Yeah."

"You ok?"

"I'm fine. Perfect."

Angel looked at her as she walked to the front door of the Magic Box. They entered, tired, contemplative, and the sword in Buffy's hand. The Council people stood around with Giles as her friends watched from the loft.

"You're late." Travers said.

"Yeah." Buffy said distractedly.

"Was there an attack?" Giles asked.

"Yeah."

"Well. We can begin the review at last. We'll skip over the more obvious.." Travers started, but Buffy's firm voice cut him off.

"There isn't going to be a review."

"Sorry?"

She was very calm, unnervingly so. Angel knew what she was doing and he went and leaned on the ladder to the loft, watching her. Buffy hoisted the sword as she spoke, holding it up in front of her and laying it gently on the table, pointy end directly at Travers.

"No review. No interrogation, no questions you know I can't answer, no hoops, no jumps.." Nigel started to talk, but Buffy cut him off. "And no interruptions. See I've had a lot of people talking at me the last few days. People just lining up to tell me how unimportant I am. And I finally figured out why. Power. I have it. They don't. This bothers them. Glory came to my house today."

"Buffy, are you all.." Giles asked.

"Just to talk. Tell me Angel and I are bugs, we're fleas, she could squash us in a second. Only she didn't squash us. She came to my house and she talked. We had what in her warped brain probably passes for a civilized conversation. Why? Because she needs something from me. Because I have power over her. You didn't come all the way from England to determine whether I'm good enough to be 'let back in.' You came to beg me to let YOU back in. To give your jobs, your lives, some semblance of meaning again."

"Oh, this is beyond insolence.." Nigel said. The reason he didn't finish the sentence was the sword Buffy whipped off the table and hurled across the room. It stuck into the shelf inches from his head.

"I'm fairly certain I said no interruptions." Buffy looked around her. "You're Watchers. And without a Slayer you're pretty much just watching Masterpiece Theatre. You can't stop Glory. You can't do anything with the information you have on her except publish it in the 'Everyone Thinks We're Insano's Home Journal.' So here's how it's going to work. You're gonna tell me everything you know. Then you're gonna go away. You'll contact me if and when you have more information. The magic shop will stay open, and Mr. Giles will stay here as my official watcher, reinstated at full salary."

"Retroactive." Giles coughed into his hand.

"To be paid retroactively from the month he was fired. I'll continue my work, with the help of my friends.."

"I.. I don't want a sword thrown at me, but civilians.. we're talking about children." Lydia said.

"I'm talking about two powerful witches and a thousand year old ex-demon."

"Willow's a demon!?" Anya asked loudly.

"The boy? No power there." Phillip said, looking at Xander.

"'The Boy's' clocked more field time than all of you combined. He's part of the unit." Buffy said.

"What about Angelus? He's the most dangerous among you."

"Angel. His name is Angel. And he is not dangerous. He hasn't been dangerous for almost three years now. He's not ever gonna be dangerous unless I need him to be." Buffy turned back to Travers. "You may all be very good at your jobs. The only way you're ever gonna find out is if you work with me. You can all take your time thinking about that, but I want an answer right now from Quentin. Cause I think he's understanding me."

He paused, as Buffy waited. Finally he said, "Your terms are acceptable."

Whooping and clapping came from the loft. Xander, Willow, and Tara were bouncing and clapping. It died down after a few moments and Tara said, "Sorry. Sorry." Giles and Angel smiled proudly.

Buffy sat down across from Travers. "See? No begging."

"Rupert, when we inventoried your shop, we found a bottle of single malt scotch hidden behind the incense holders." Travers said.

"Well, it's not that, during working hours.." Giles said.

"I think I could use a glass."

After a moment, Giles stood. "I suppose a few of us wouldn't mind a.."

"Just a minute." Buffy said, stopping Giles and making him sit again. "Glory. I wanna know."

"There's a lot to go through." Travers said.

"I just want to know what kind of demon I'm fighting."

"Well, that's the thing. Glory isn't a demon."

"What is she?"

"She's a god."

Buffy stared astonished. "Oh."