The party had broken up into small knots. Buffy, Giles, Angel, and Joyce
were talking quietly in the kitchen. Dawn was wandering around between
most of the groups. Willow and Tara were talking in the living room while
Anya and Xander shared a private moment on the couch. Buffy turned her
attention away from Angel to listen to her mother.
"It still sounds to me like there's a lot you don't know about this. I mean, is she.. is she.. dangerous?" Joyce asked.
"No." Angel said.
"Well, let's wait a second on that. I assume you're asking about her existence, not her
intentions.." Giles said.
Buffy heard a noise and moved to look out into the dining room. "Dawn? What are you doing? Party getting slow out there?"
"We need plates. It's cake time." Dawn said, picking up a few plastic plates.
"Ok." Buffy looked over at Angel and said, "Maybe we should get out there?"
"You're the guest of honor." Angel said. He put his arm around her shoulder and they all walked into the living room. Willow had just cut the cake and Anya said to Dawn, "We were talking about sex."
Dawn turned to Joyce. "They were talking about me. Just like everybody else is."
"Again, not so much. In fact, none." Xander said.
"We were talking about sex. You know us. Sometimes we pretend stuff.." Anya said to Joyce.
"Um.." Joyce shifted uncomfortably.
"Anya." Xander warned.
"Like, say, there's a fireman? Or a shepherd?" Anya continued.
"Okay, you know what? Let's not have this exchange of images right now.." Buffy said.
"Oh. Right. Of course. Can't let Dawn hear anything. Fine. I'll just go to bed. That way I won't accidentally get exposed to, like, words." Dawn stormed up the stairs and slammed the door to her room.
Willow held up a slice of cake and asked lamely, "Cake?"
Buffy smiled. "I'll take some."
"Me too." Angel said.
They all went about the party, trying to forget Dawn's little outburst. Eventually, they all settled down in chairs and on the couch. Buffy, Angel, and Willow sat on the couch talking. Xander and Anya were back to their privacy. Tara talked with Joyce on the threshold of the French doors. It had been an hour since Dawn had had her outburst.
"Not even a card, huh?" Willow asked.
"I wasn't really expecting one. It's like 'radio silence' only it's 'greeting card silence.'" Buffy said.
"Sorry."
"Maybe it's time for a new tradition: birthdays without dad. It can be just as fun."
"Besides you have Giles."
"Yeah, some of my best.." Tara said. She stopped and looked over at the other end of the living room. "Oh God.."
The others followed Tara's look. The room went silent as the happy gave way to horror. Dawn was standing on the other side of the room. She held her hands out, blood dripping from a gash across her palms and upper arms. The birthday cake knife she used to inflict the wound hung limply in her other hand.
"Is this blood?" Dawn asked.
"Dawn!" Joyce said.
Buffy rushed over and took the knife from Dawn. "What did you do?!"
"It's blood, isn't it? It can't be me. I'm not a Key. I'm not a thing.." Dawn said.
"Sweetie, no, what is this all about.." Joyce asked.
"What am I? Am I real? Am I anything?"
Joyce rushed to her, hugging her close and grabbing her hand to stop the bleeding. She shared a devastated look with Buffy. It wasn't supposed to have happened this way. Angel came over and took the knife from Buffy, laying it on the coffee table. Buffy had picked up a towel and was covering Dawn's wounds.
"Angel, can you get the First Aid kit?" Buffy asked.
"Sure." Angel came back into the room a minute later.
They got Dawn bandaged up and Joyce took her upstairs. Buffy and Angel helped Willow, Tara, Xander, and Anya gather their stuff up. They solemnly made their way out, no one sure what to say. Willow hugged Buffy tight.
"Whatever you need, just.." the red head said.
"Thanks." Buffy said.
"Perhaps I should stay. Just in case.." Giles said.
"This is family stuff. We need to deal with it."
Giles nodded and left. Buffy sagged against the door. Her eyes slowly moved up the stairs, her face filling with dread. She wasn't sure how to handle this. She wasn't even sure if she ever was going to tell Dawn. Angel took her hand and they walked up to Dawn's room. They entered, the scene hitting Buffy hard. Dawn was laying on the bed. Her hand had been bandaged, but that was the least of the damage. Joyce gently stroked her hair.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Dawn asked.
"We were going to. We just.." Buffy said.
"We thought it would be better to wait until you were older." Angel said.
"How old am I now?" Dawn asked.
"Fourteen. You know that." Joyce said.
"No. The monks. When did they.."
Buffy looked at Angel, then down at the floor. "Six months ago."
"I've only been alive for six months?"
"No, honey. You've been alive longer than that to us." Joyce said.
"You don't know that. You don't know anything! I'm a Key! Everything about me is just.. made up."
"Dawn, Mom, Angel, and I know what we feel. I know I care about you. I know I worry.." Buffy said.
"You worry 'cause you have to. I'm your job. 'Protect the Key,' right?"
"No, I worry because my sister is cutting herself."
"Yeah? How do you know? Maybe it's just another fake memory. From my fake family."
"Honey.." Joyce said. She reached out to touch Dawn. Dawn pulled out of reach. Buffy, Angel, and Joyce stared at Dawn. Dawn looked down.
"Get out." Dawn said softly.
"Dawn.." Buffy said.
"Get out! GET OUT! GET OUT!"
Buffy looked down and walked out. Angel followed her to her room and shut the door behind him. Buffy laid down on her stomach on the bed and shoved her face into the pillows. Angel went to her and scooped her up into his arms. She started to cry.
"I didn't mean for her to find out like this."
Angel stroked her hair. "I know. It's not your fault."
"It is. I didn't tell her. I should have."
"You couldn't have known. We don't even know how she found out."
The next day, Buffy and Angel met everyone at the Magic Box. They strode in quietly and looked at everyone.
"Guys, is everything okay?" Willow asked them.
"Did you find anything new?" Buffy asked, ignoring the question.
"We're looking, but.." Giles said.
"We need answers, Giles. We need to find out everything about the Key. What's it for? Who created it?"
"And why Glory's got a big girl god jones for it." Xander said.
"No, this isn't about her. It's Dawn. She deserves to know where she came from. She needs to know. Or-or it's just gonna eat away at her.."
"How did she find these? How did she even get in here in the first.." Giles started, picking up books.
Anya stopped him. "Eww!" She pulled a cigarette butt from an ornate urn. "Who's been using the Urn of Ishtar as an ashtray?"
Buffy's face darkened as she realized who had helped Dawn. Angel obviously got it too because he was already out the door. Buffy ran after him and they stormed into Spike's crypt. He sat on a sarcophagus painting his nails black.
"Mornin', sunshine. If you've come 'round for eggs and sausage, I'm fresh out." Spike said. Angel grabbed the lid of the tomb and with one hard pull, he yanked it out from under Spike. He fell in with a thud. "Hey! Careful! These are wet!" Wham! Angel slammed the sarcophagus lid straight into Spike's chest, pinning him in place. He was stuck.
"You let Dawn find out like that? From books and papers? You hate me that much?" Buffy asked.
"I was just along for the ride. Not like I knew she was mystical glowy key thing. Nobody keeps me in the bloody loop, do they?" Spike asked.
"You could have stopped her. You could have.." Angel said, getting mad.
"Oh, yeah, here it comes. Something goes wrong in your life, blame Spike. Newsflash,
kiddies!" Spike flipped the entire lid off and away from him. It landed with a heavy crash beside him. "If kid sis wants to grab a midnight stroll, she'll find a way, sooner or later. I just thought she'd be safer with the Big Bad looking over her shoulder."
"She shouldn't have found out like that."
"You two didn't think you could hide the truth from her forever, did you? Maybe if you had been honest with her in the first place, you wouldn't be trying to make yourselves feel better with a round of Kick the Spike."
"You have no idea how I feel." Buffy said. She turned and left.
Angel walked up to Spike and got in his face. "You ever pull a bull shit stunt like this again, I promise you it will be your last."
"Oh, sod off Peaches. It ain't my bleedin fault Little Bit ran off."
Angel punched Spike hard enough to drive him back into the concrete wall. Spike stared at Angel coldly as he walked out of the crypt. Buffy was standing at the gate to the cemetery waiting for him.
"Knew you'd have to punch him." Buffy said.
"You heard that?" Angel asked.
"No. But your face gets this look on it after you beat the crap out of somebody."
"I've never really liked him."
"Me either." Buffy sighed and jumped down off the wall. "We need to get home and talk to mom. Dawn'll be home from school soon. Who knows what she'll do."
Buffy, Angel, and Joyce sat on the couch in the Summers' living room that night. Dawn was upstairs in her room. Dawn had gotten in trouble at school that day and Joyce had panicked and sent Dawn to her room. Now she was feeling guilty.
"We can't just let her sit up there all alone." Joyce said.
"She needs time, Joyce. We can't force her to be all right with this." Angel said.
"So that's your answer? Leave her alone and hope everything works itself out?"
"No, but if I were her I'd want a little space right now to try to figure things out, not my
mom and sister and brother-in-law coming at me from all sides." Buffy said.
"Her school called today. She's been suspended. She told one of her teachers to.. She's never used language like that before."
"She probably feels like she can say or do anything now." Angel said.
"It won't matter because she's not real. We're not her family. We don't even know what
she it." Buffy added.
"How can you talk about Dawn like she's a thing?" Joyce asked.
"We're not. We're saying that's how she feels."
"Then we need to show her it's not true. She needs to know that she's still a part of this family and we love her."
"It's not that simple. We're not going to fix this with a hug and a kiss and a bowl of soup. Dawn needs to know what she is. She needs real answers."
"What she needs is her sister, Buffy. Not the Slayer."
"Mom, the Slayer is the only thing standing between Dawn and a god from the Bitch Dimension that wants to stuff her in some kind of lock and give her a good twirl. I need to be out there doing my job or else." Suddenly a screech sounded and Buffy shot to her feet. "Willow's spell. Glory!"
Buffy and Angel headed towards the stairs. Joyce followed. "Wait! It's not Glory.."
Buffy smashed open the locked door, sending wood splinters flying. Joyce was right behind her and Angel. Dawn had set her diaries in the trashcan on fire. The screech was coming form the smoke detector.
"Damn it!" Buffy said. Buffy and Angel grabbed blankets and started to bat at the fire.
"Buffy.." Joyce said.
"No, mom, she could've burned the house down.."
"Buffy!" Buffy suddenly noticed the stricken look on Joyce's face. "She's gone."
Buffy spotted Dawn's open window, the curtains fluttering in the breeze. Her face dropped. Angel looked at the window and he and Buffy headed downstairs.
"We need to find her. Joyce, you stay here just in case she comes back." He said as he and Buffy grabbed their coats and left.
They reached the Magic Box and found everyone still there researching. Spike was even there helping. Buffy filled them in on what was going on.
"Willow's warning spell wasn't tripped? You're sure?" Giles asked.
"It wasn't Glory. Dawn's been acting.. It hasn't been easy for her. She tore her room up, burned all her diaries." Buffy said.
"The Dawnmeister Chronicles?" Xander asked.
"She's been keeping those since she was.. I mean." Willow said.
"Since she was seven. I remember too, Will." Buffy said. "We have to find her, fast. Before Glory or the Knights of Hack and Slash figure out what she-who she really is. Mom's at the house in case Dawn comes back there. The rest of us will split up and sweep the city. Spike, reach out to your dank and darks, find out if they've seen.."
"I'd love to help, but.." Spike said.
"I'll pay you. Just do it."
"Chip in the head, sweet cheeks. Means I can't kill anything but demons. They didn't exactly vote me most popular this year." They all stared at Spike. "Well, a fella's gotta kill something.."
"Maybe if we figure out where she'd run to.." Tara said.
"Oh! The mall! She loves the mall." Willow said. She looked at Buffy. "I think she gets that from you."
"The Bronze perhaps?" Giles asked.
"Dog Park! She's got a thing for the Schnauzers! I remember.." Anya said.
"But none of those memories are real." Xander said.
"They were to her. And to me." Buffy said.
"I'm just saying she might avoid the places she remembers because of that."
"Well, for now we have to assume. Anya, stay put in case she shows up here. Giles, Xander: sweep the center of town. Willow, Tara: west side. Spike, you're with Angel and me on the east. We have to.. Just find her. Please."
Everyone nodded and headed out. The first spot that Buffy, Angel, and Spike checked was the park. They headed towards it, Buffy and Angel calling out for Dawn.
"Dawn?! DAWN?!" they yelled.
"Yeah, that should do it." Spike said.
"Shut up." Buffy said.
"The nibblet scampered off to get away from you. She hears you bellowing she'll pack it in the opposite direction. Can't say I blame her."
"You were right. It's my fault. I should have told her."
"She probably would have skipped off anyway, even if she never found out. She's not just a blob of energy, she's also a fourteen-year-old hormone bomb. Which one's screwing her up more right now? Spin the bloody wheel. You'll find her, just in the nick of time. That's what you hero types do. You'll find her."
"And then what?"
Spike didn't have an answer for her. They kept walking. Searching everywhere. They even went to Angel's old apartment. Nothing had been disturbed since the last time Buffy had been in the place two years ago when Angel had left. Eventually, they all met up with Willow, Tara, Xander, and Giles at the graveyard.
"We looked but.. no Dawn." Willow said.
"What about the carousel?" Buffy asked.
"We checked there too."
"Nothing?" Buffy asked Xander and Giles.
"I'm sorry, Buff." Xander said.
"Anything could have happened to her. I mean, not just Glory.." Buffy said.
"We'd better check the hospital." Angel said.
"You don't think she'd be there, do you?"
"We have to try. It's the only place that we haven't looked."
"She wasn't brought in." Angel said as he and Buffy left the nurse's station and went back to the group.
"That's a happy thing, right?" Xander asked.
"I don't know. I can't.." Buffy was cut off by a security guard.
"I found him up on the third floor in the break room! You gotta see him! His head's almost twisted clean off!" the guard said.
"Glory." Buffy and Angel said simultaneously.
They all headed off towards the commotion. As they passed a door, Angel stopped and cocked his head. Buffy looked back at him. He pointed towards the door.
"Dawn's in there and she's not alone." He said.
Buffy nodded and tried the doorknob. It was unlocked. As she opened the door, Glory was reaching for Dawn's head. "Get away from my sister."
"Oh hey! We were just talking about you!" Glory said, looking at Buffy.
"Conversation's over, Hellbitch." Buffy attacked with a ferocity she'd barely ever used. She employed a stick and move strategy, hitting Glory hard and dodging her counter attack. The rest of the Gang fanned out across the room as Angel and Spike joined Buffy in pounding Glory.
"I thought you said this skank was tough?" Spike asked just before Glory swatted him across the room. Spike hit a wall and then the floor, unconscious.
"If he wakes up, tell your boyfriend to watch his mouth." Glory said.
That pissed Buffy off. "He's! Not! My! BOYFRIEND!" Buffy punctuated each word with a punch.
"I am." Angel said. He landed a hard punch to Glory's nose.
Willow and Tara had positioned themselves on opposite sides of the room. Their eyes were closed as they quietly chanted. Buffy and Angel continued their assault. Glory latched onto Buffy's foot in mid kick. She admired Buffy's footwear.
"Hey, those are really nice shoes!"
Buffy back flipped, catching Glory in the chin with her free foot. Buffy fell into Angel's arms and he swung her around, slamming both of her feet into Glory's face and then smoothly putting Buffy down.
"Giles, now!" Buffy said. Giles fired his crossbow. The bolt slammed into Glory's chest and bounced off.
"Oh, please! Like that's gonna.." Glory was cut off by Xander whacking her in the head with a crowbar. "Hey! Watch the hair!" Glory yanked the crowbar hard, sending Xander sailing into Giles. She hefted the crowbar like a spear. "Okay! Time to start the dyin'!" She hurled the crowbar at Dawn.
"Dawn!" Buffy yelled as she leapt in the way at the last second. The crowbar pierced Buffy's shoulder. She went down in agony. Dawn and Angel ran to her side.
"Buffy!" Dawn said.
"Nice catch!" Glory said.
"Get back!" Buffy said to Dawn. She yanked the crowbar out of her shoulder as Glory started a fresh attack.
"Is that the best you little crap gnats could muster? Cause I gotta tell you: so not impressed." Before Glory could reach Buffy, Willow and Tara suddenly sprung into action, throwing colored dust at Glory from either side. It hit her and clung, staining her skin and clothes. "Look what you did to my dress, you little.."
"Discede!" Willow said. She slammed her hands together, activating her spell. Glory suddenly disintegrated. Willow collapsed to the floor, her nose bleeding.
"Willow!" Tara said, rushing to her side.
"What did you do to her?" Buffy asked.
"Teleportation spell.. Still working out the kinks." Willow said weakly.
"Where did you send her?"
"Don't know. That's one of the kinks."
Buffy turned to her sister and pulled her into a tight hug. "Dawn!"
"That's an incredibly dangerous spell for an adept at your level." Giles said to Willow.
"Yep. Won't be trying that one again soon." Willow said.
Buffy pulled back from Dawn and looked her sister over. "Are you all right? Did she hurt you?"
"Why do you care?" Dawn asked.
"Because I love you. You're my sister."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are. Look." Buffy took Dawn's hand. The cut across her palm had opened up during the fight. "Blood. It's Summers' blood." She took her own hand, smeared blood on it from her shoulder wound and held it up. "It's just like mine." Buffy pressed her palm into Dawn's, mixing their blood. "It doesn't matter how you got here or where you came from. You are my sister. There's no way you could annoy me as much if you weren't."
Dawn hugged Buffy tight. "I was so scared."
"Me too."
"Wait! Ben! He.. He was here. He was trying to help me, but then he.. I think he might have left before Glory came. I - I can't remember."
"It's okay. We'll thank him the next time we see him. We'd better get back. Mom's freaking out."
"Is she mad? About the fire?"
"I think you sort of have a get out of jail free card, on account of big love and trauma."
"Really? Okay.. Good." Angel helped the two girls stand. "Think she'd raise my allowance?"
"Don't push it." Angel said as they walked out.
"It still sounds to me like there's a lot you don't know about this. I mean, is she.. is she.. dangerous?" Joyce asked.
"No." Angel said.
"Well, let's wait a second on that. I assume you're asking about her existence, not her
intentions.." Giles said.
Buffy heard a noise and moved to look out into the dining room. "Dawn? What are you doing? Party getting slow out there?"
"We need plates. It's cake time." Dawn said, picking up a few plastic plates.
"Ok." Buffy looked over at Angel and said, "Maybe we should get out there?"
"You're the guest of honor." Angel said. He put his arm around her shoulder and they all walked into the living room. Willow had just cut the cake and Anya said to Dawn, "We were talking about sex."
Dawn turned to Joyce. "They were talking about me. Just like everybody else is."
"Again, not so much. In fact, none." Xander said.
"We were talking about sex. You know us. Sometimes we pretend stuff.." Anya said to Joyce.
"Um.." Joyce shifted uncomfortably.
"Anya." Xander warned.
"Like, say, there's a fireman? Or a shepherd?" Anya continued.
"Okay, you know what? Let's not have this exchange of images right now.." Buffy said.
"Oh. Right. Of course. Can't let Dawn hear anything. Fine. I'll just go to bed. That way I won't accidentally get exposed to, like, words." Dawn stormed up the stairs and slammed the door to her room.
Willow held up a slice of cake and asked lamely, "Cake?"
Buffy smiled. "I'll take some."
"Me too." Angel said.
They all went about the party, trying to forget Dawn's little outburst. Eventually, they all settled down in chairs and on the couch. Buffy, Angel, and Willow sat on the couch talking. Xander and Anya were back to their privacy. Tara talked with Joyce on the threshold of the French doors. It had been an hour since Dawn had had her outburst.
"Not even a card, huh?" Willow asked.
"I wasn't really expecting one. It's like 'radio silence' only it's 'greeting card silence.'" Buffy said.
"Sorry."
"Maybe it's time for a new tradition: birthdays without dad. It can be just as fun."
"Besides you have Giles."
"Yeah, some of my best.." Tara said. She stopped and looked over at the other end of the living room. "Oh God.."
The others followed Tara's look. The room went silent as the happy gave way to horror. Dawn was standing on the other side of the room. She held her hands out, blood dripping from a gash across her palms and upper arms. The birthday cake knife she used to inflict the wound hung limply in her other hand.
"Is this blood?" Dawn asked.
"Dawn!" Joyce said.
Buffy rushed over and took the knife from Dawn. "What did you do?!"
"It's blood, isn't it? It can't be me. I'm not a Key. I'm not a thing.." Dawn said.
"Sweetie, no, what is this all about.." Joyce asked.
"What am I? Am I real? Am I anything?"
Joyce rushed to her, hugging her close and grabbing her hand to stop the bleeding. She shared a devastated look with Buffy. It wasn't supposed to have happened this way. Angel came over and took the knife from Buffy, laying it on the coffee table. Buffy had picked up a towel and was covering Dawn's wounds.
"Angel, can you get the First Aid kit?" Buffy asked.
"Sure." Angel came back into the room a minute later.
They got Dawn bandaged up and Joyce took her upstairs. Buffy and Angel helped Willow, Tara, Xander, and Anya gather their stuff up. They solemnly made their way out, no one sure what to say. Willow hugged Buffy tight.
"Whatever you need, just.." the red head said.
"Thanks." Buffy said.
"Perhaps I should stay. Just in case.." Giles said.
"This is family stuff. We need to deal with it."
Giles nodded and left. Buffy sagged against the door. Her eyes slowly moved up the stairs, her face filling with dread. She wasn't sure how to handle this. She wasn't even sure if she ever was going to tell Dawn. Angel took her hand and they walked up to Dawn's room. They entered, the scene hitting Buffy hard. Dawn was laying on the bed. Her hand had been bandaged, but that was the least of the damage. Joyce gently stroked her hair.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Dawn asked.
"We were going to. We just.." Buffy said.
"We thought it would be better to wait until you were older." Angel said.
"How old am I now?" Dawn asked.
"Fourteen. You know that." Joyce said.
"No. The monks. When did they.."
Buffy looked at Angel, then down at the floor. "Six months ago."
"I've only been alive for six months?"
"No, honey. You've been alive longer than that to us." Joyce said.
"You don't know that. You don't know anything! I'm a Key! Everything about me is just.. made up."
"Dawn, Mom, Angel, and I know what we feel. I know I care about you. I know I worry.." Buffy said.
"You worry 'cause you have to. I'm your job. 'Protect the Key,' right?"
"No, I worry because my sister is cutting herself."
"Yeah? How do you know? Maybe it's just another fake memory. From my fake family."
"Honey.." Joyce said. She reached out to touch Dawn. Dawn pulled out of reach. Buffy, Angel, and Joyce stared at Dawn. Dawn looked down.
"Get out." Dawn said softly.
"Dawn.." Buffy said.
"Get out! GET OUT! GET OUT!"
Buffy looked down and walked out. Angel followed her to her room and shut the door behind him. Buffy laid down on her stomach on the bed and shoved her face into the pillows. Angel went to her and scooped her up into his arms. She started to cry.
"I didn't mean for her to find out like this."
Angel stroked her hair. "I know. It's not your fault."
"It is. I didn't tell her. I should have."
"You couldn't have known. We don't even know how she found out."
The next day, Buffy and Angel met everyone at the Magic Box. They strode in quietly and looked at everyone.
"Guys, is everything okay?" Willow asked them.
"Did you find anything new?" Buffy asked, ignoring the question.
"We're looking, but.." Giles said.
"We need answers, Giles. We need to find out everything about the Key. What's it for? Who created it?"
"And why Glory's got a big girl god jones for it." Xander said.
"No, this isn't about her. It's Dawn. She deserves to know where she came from. She needs to know. Or-or it's just gonna eat away at her.."
"How did she find these? How did she even get in here in the first.." Giles started, picking up books.
Anya stopped him. "Eww!" She pulled a cigarette butt from an ornate urn. "Who's been using the Urn of Ishtar as an ashtray?"
Buffy's face darkened as she realized who had helped Dawn. Angel obviously got it too because he was already out the door. Buffy ran after him and they stormed into Spike's crypt. He sat on a sarcophagus painting his nails black.
"Mornin', sunshine. If you've come 'round for eggs and sausage, I'm fresh out." Spike said. Angel grabbed the lid of the tomb and with one hard pull, he yanked it out from under Spike. He fell in with a thud. "Hey! Careful! These are wet!" Wham! Angel slammed the sarcophagus lid straight into Spike's chest, pinning him in place. He was stuck.
"You let Dawn find out like that? From books and papers? You hate me that much?" Buffy asked.
"I was just along for the ride. Not like I knew she was mystical glowy key thing. Nobody keeps me in the bloody loop, do they?" Spike asked.
"You could have stopped her. You could have.." Angel said, getting mad.
"Oh, yeah, here it comes. Something goes wrong in your life, blame Spike. Newsflash,
kiddies!" Spike flipped the entire lid off and away from him. It landed with a heavy crash beside him. "If kid sis wants to grab a midnight stroll, she'll find a way, sooner or later. I just thought she'd be safer with the Big Bad looking over her shoulder."
"She shouldn't have found out like that."
"You two didn't think you could hide the truth from her forever, did you? Maybe if you had been honest with her in the first place, you wouldn't be trying to make yourselves feel better with a round of Kick the Spike."
"You have no idea how I feel." Buffy said. She turned and left.
Angel walked up to Spike and got in his face. "You ever pull a bull shit stunt like this again, I promise you it will be your last."
"Oh, sod off Peaches. It ain't my bleedin fault Little Bit ran off."
Angel punched Spike hard enough to drive him back into the concrete wall. Spike stared at Angel coldly as he walked out of the crypt. Buffy was standing at the gate to the cemetery waiting for him.
"Knew you'd have to punch him." Buffy said.
"You heard that?" Angel asked.
"No. But your face gets this look on it after you beat the crap out of somebody."
"I've never really liked him."
"Me either." Buffy sighed and jumped down off the wall. "We need to get home and talk to mom. Dawn'll be home from school soon. Who knows what she'll do."
Buffy, Angel, and Joyce sat on the couch in the Summers' living room that night. Dawn was upstairs in her room. Dawn had gotten in trouble at school that day and Joyce had panicked and sent Dawn to her room. Now she was feeling guilty.
"We can't just let her sit up there all alone." Joyce said.
"She needs time, Joyce. We can't force her to be all right with this." Angel said.
"So that's your answer? Leave her alone and hope everything works itself out?"
"No, but if I were her I'd want a little space right now to try to figure things out, not my
mom and sister and brother-in-law coming at me from all sides." Buffy said.
"Her school called today. She's been suspended. She told one of her teachers to.. She's never used language like that before."
"She probably feels like she can say or do anything now." Angel said.
"It won't matter because she's not real. We're not her family. We don't even know what
she it." Buffy added.
"How can you talk about Dawn like she's a thing?" Joyce asked.
"We're not. We're saying that's how she feels."
"Then we need to show her it's not true. She needs to know that she's still a part of this family and we love her."
"It's not that simple. We're not going to fix this with a hug and a kiss and a bowl of soup. Dawn needs to know what she is. She needs real answers."
"What she needs is her sister, Buffy. Not the Slayer."
"Mom, the Slayer is the only thing standing between Dawn and a god from the Bitch Dimension that wants to stuff her in some kind of lock and give her a good twirl. I need to be out there doing my job or else." Suddenly a screech sounded and Buffy shot to her feet. "Willow's spell. Glory!"
Buffy and Angel headed towards the stairs. Joyce followed. "Wait! It's not Glory.."
Buffy smashed open the locked door, sending wood splinters flying. Joyce was right behind her and Angel. Dawn had set her diaries in the trashcan on fire. The screech was coming form the smoke detector.
"Damn it!" Buffy said. Buffy and Angel grabbed blankets and started to bat at the fire.
"Buffy.." Joyce said.
"No, mom, she could've burned the house down.."
"Buffy!" Buffy suddenly noticed the stricken look on Joyce's face. "She's gone."
Buffy spotted Dawn's open window, the curtains fluttering in the breeze. Her face dropped. Angel looked at the window and he and Buffy headed downstairs.
"We need to find her. Joyce, you stay here just in case she comes back." He said as he and Buffy grabbed their coats and left.
They reached the Magic Box and found everyone still there researching. Spike was even there helping. Buffy filled them in on what was going on.
"Willow's warning spell wasn't tripped? You're sure?" Giles asked.
"It wasn't Glory. Dawn's been acting.. It hasn't been easy for her. She tore her room up, burned all her diaries." Buffy said.
"The Dawnmeister Chronicles?" Xander asked.
"She's been keeping those since she was.. I mean." Willow said.
"Since she was seven. I remember too, Will." Buffy said. "We have to find her, fast. Before Glory or the Knights of Hack and Slash figure out what she-who she really is. Mom's at the house in case Dawn comes back there. The rest of us will split up and sweep the city. Spike, reach out to your dank and darks, find out if they've seen.."
"I'd love to help, but.." Spike said.
"I'll pay you. Just do it."
"Chip in the head, sweet cheeks. Means I can't kill anything but demons. They didn't exactly vote me most popular this year." They all stared at Spike. "Well, a fella's gotta kill something.."
"Maybe if we figure out where she'd run to.." Tara said.
"Oh! The mall! She loves the mall." Willow said. She looked at Buffy. "I think she gets that from you."
"The Bronze perhaps?" Giles asked.
"Dog Park! She's got a thing for the Schnauzers! I remember.." Anya said.
"But none of those memories are real." Xander said.
"They were to her. And to me." Buffy said.
"I'm just saying she might avoid the places she remembers because of that."
"Well, for now we have to assume. Anya, stay put in case she shows up here. Giles, Xander: sweep the center of town. Willow, Tara: west side. Spike, you're with Angel and me on the east. We have to.. Just find her. Please."
Everyone nodded and headed out. The first spot that Buffy, Angel, and Spike checked was the park. They headed towards it, Buffy and Angel calling out for Dawn.
"Dawn?! DAWN?!" they yelled.
"Yeah, that should do it." Spike said.
"Shut up." Buffy said.
"The nibblet scampered off to get away from you. She hears you bellowing she'll pack it in the opposite direction. Can't say I blame her."
"You were right. It's my fault. I should have told her."
"She probably would have skipped off anyway, even if she never found out. She's not just a blob of energy, she's also a fourteen-year-old hormone bomb. Which one's screwing her up more right now? Spin the bloody wheel. You'll find her, just in the nick of time. That's what you hero types do. You'll find her."
"And then what?"
Spike didn't have an answer for her. They kept walking. Searching everywhere. They even went to Angel's old apartment. Nothing had been disturbed since the last time Buffy had been in the place two years ago when Angel had left. Eventually, they all met up with Willow, Tara, Xander, and Giles at the graveyard.
"We looked but.. no Dawn." Willow said.
"What about the carousel?" Buffy asked.
"We checked there too."
"Nothing?" Buffy asked Xander and Giles.
"I'm sorry, Buff." Xander said.
"Anything could have happened to her. I mean, not just Glory.." Buffy said.
"We'd better check the hospital." Angel said.
"You don't think she'd be there, do you?"
"We have to try. It's the only place that we haven't looked."
"She wasn't brought in." Angel said as he and Buffy left the nurse's station and went back to the group.
"That's a happy thing, right?" Xander asked.
"I don't know. I can't.." Buffy was cut off by a security guard.
"I found him up on the third floor in the break room! You gotta see him! His head's almost twisted clean off!" the guard said.
"Glory." Buffy and Angel said simultaneously.
They all headed off towards the commotion. As they passed a door, Angel stopped and cocked his head. Buffy looked back at him. He pointed towards the door.
"Dawn's in there and she's not alone." He said.
Buffy nodded and tried the doorknob. It was unlocked. As she opened the door, Glory was reaching for Dawn's head. "Get away from my sister."
"Oh hey! We were just talking about you!" Glory said, looking at Buffy.
"Conversation's over, Hellbitch." Buffy attacked with a ferocity she'd barely ever used. She employed a stick and move strategy, hitting Glory hard and dodging her counter attack. The rest of the Gang fanned out across the room as Angel and Spike joined Buffy in pounding Glory.
"I thought you said this skank was tough?" Spike asked just before Glory swatted him across the room. Spike hit a wall and then the floor, unconscious.
"If he wakes up, tell your boyfriend to watch his mouth." Glory said.
That pissed Buffy off. "He's! Not! My! BOYFRIEND!" Buffy punctuated each word with a punch.
"I am." Angel said. He landed a hard punch to Glory's nose.
Willow and Tara had positioned themselves on opposite sides of the room. Their eyes were closed as they quietly chanted. Buffy and Angel continued their assault. Glory latched onto Buffy's foot in mid kick. She admired Buffy's footwear.
"Hey, those are really nice shoes!"
Buffy back flipped, catching Glory in the chin with her free foot. Buffy fell into Angel's arms and he swung her around, slamming both of her feet into Glory's face and then smoothly putting Buffy down.
"Giles, now!" Buffy said. Giles fired his crossbow. The bolt slammed into Glory's chest and bounced off.
"Oh, please! Like that's gonna.." Glory was cut off by Xander whacking her in the head with a crowbar. "Hey! Watch the hair!" Glory yanked the crowbar hard, sending Xander sailing into Giles. She hefted the crowbar like a spear. "Okay! Time to start the dyin'!" She hurled the crowbar at Dawn.
"Dawn!" Buffy yelled as she leapt in the way at the last second. The crowbar pierced Buffy's shoulder. She went down in agony. Dawn and Angel ran to her side.
"Buffy!" Dawn said.
"Nice catch!" Glory said.
"Get back!" Buffy said to Dawn. She yanked the crowbar out of her shoulder as Glory started a fresh attack.
"Is that the best you little crap gnats could muster? Cause I gotta tell you: so not impressed." Before Glory could reach Buffy, Willow and Tara suddenly sprung into action, throwing colored dust at Glory from either side. It hit her and clung, staining her skin and clothes. "Look what you did to my dress, you little.."
"Discede!" Willow said. She slammed her hands together, activating her spell. Glory suddenly disintegrated. Willow collapsed to the floor, her nose bleeding.
"Willow!" Tara said, rushing to her side.
"What did you do to her?" Buffy asked.
"Teleportation spell.. Still working out the kinks." Willow said weakly.
"Where did you send her?"
"Don't know. That's one of the kinks."
Buffy turned to her sister and pulled her into a tight hug. "Dawn!"
"That's an incredibly dangerous spell for an adept at your level." Giles said to Willow.
"Yep. Won't be trying that one again soon." Willow said.
Buffy pulled back from Dawn and looked her sister over. "Are you all right? Did she hurt you?"
"Why do you care?" Dawn asked.
"Because I love you. You're my sister."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are. Look." Buffy took Dawn's hand. The cut across her palm had opened up during the fight. "Blood. It's Summers' blood." She took her own hand, smeared blood on it from her shoulder wound and held it up. "It's just like mine." Buffy pressed her palm into Dawn's, mixing their blood. "It doesn't matter how you got here or where you came from. You are my sister. There's no way you could annoy me as much if you weren't."
Dawn hugged Buffy tight. "I was so scared."
"Me too."
"Wait! Ben! He.. He was here. He was trying to help me, but then he.. I think he might have left before Glory came. I - I can't remember."
"It's okay. We'll thank him the next time we see him. We'd better get back. Mom's freaking out."
"Is she mad? About the fire?"
"I think you sort of have a get out of jail free card, on account of big love and trauma."
"Really? Okay.. Good." Angel helped the two girls stand. "Think she'd raise my allowance?"
"Don't push it." Angel said as they walked out.
