Title: Revenant, Ch. 11

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"Giles, we have to talk. It's serious."

"Angel, Wesley. What is serious, and how serious is it?" Giles asked, standing up from his desk.

"Well, it appears that Luke and Penn are moving up their timetable for whatever they are planning. Earlier this month my men have noticed that we've had disappearances at the Sunnydale dig, mostly security people on night patrol." Angel pinched the bridge of his nose, frustration evident. "That's an expected hazard of the job, especially here at Wolfram and Hart. But now an entire Strike Team has vanished, and we realized enough security personnel were killed or taken to make an entire vampiric assault force."

"Dear lord in heaven!" Giles gasped.

"Indeed." Wesley added. "Several possible vampires, well armed and fully trained in the latest in S.W.A.T. gear and tactics, and with knowledge of Wolfram and Hart's internal security measures. We think that Luke and Penn may attack soon, possibly within the week."

"Yes, we'll need to inform Buffy immediately, co-ordinate with Gunn and your head of security, and perhaps call in some reserves."

"Rupert, as much as Faith and I have come to terms with each other, I think it would be better if her and Robin Wood remain in Cleveland. If nothing else, we will need a second line of defense." Wesley added. "Twenty Slayers in Cleveland make a nice secondary line."

"Hopefully, they won't be needed." Angel said. "Between the Angel Investigations gang, and the Scoobies, we should have enough experienced fighters to stop whatever it is my two 'uncles' have in plan."

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"Hey, get a room, you two!" Dawn chuckled, launching a pillow at Spike as he and Buffy got a little too carried away, necking on the couch.

"She's right, Spike," Buffy said, tugging his hand out from underneath her top.

"Cor, Slayer, it's not like it's not something she hasn't seen before on late-night cable." Spike objected, trying to recapture Buffy's lips.

"Spike, god, you're such a pig!" Buffy laughed, shoving him playfully off the couch.

"Eww, I so do not need a 3-D, in Angel's living-room, display of the mating habits of the wild North American Vampire Slayer." Dawn objected. "Either watch the movie or have sex, but don't try to combine the two, especially in front of me, please?"

"C'mon, Pet, I think we've traumatized the Nibblet long enough. It's too early for the poor nasties to be rising from their tombs yet, so let's go work off all this extra energy upstairs, eh?" Spike said, rising from the couch.

"Yes, please do, for my sake, Buffy."

"I don't know, the couch is nice and comfy!" Buffy mock-pouted.

"Oh, now you're ganging up on me too?" Dawn pointed the TV remote at the pair and pressed a button, scrunched up her face and tried another, then threw her hands up. "Argh! They SO need to invent a remote that works on annoying older sisters!"

Spike and Buffy laughed as he helped her off of the couch, and the pair started up the rear staircase up to their rooms.

Dawn finished watching the end of 'Kill Bill, Volume One', then got up to get something from the kitchen to snack on. She started to pull out a loaf of white bread, then got a little nostalgic for the days of Tara cooking around the house. 'Wheat it is, then.' Deli-sliced packages of ham, turkey, and pastrami were hauled out of the fridge, along with southwest-flavored dip, swiss cheese, and pepper-jack cheese. After assembling the sandwich, she popped it into the microwave oven, and pulled out a Xander-worthy sandwich. 'Yet another reason we nick- named ourselves the Scoobies, Xander's Shaggy and Scooby style sandwiches!'

Grabbing a soda out of the fridge as she returned the ingredients, Dawn grabbed her sandwich and decided to take the long way around the lobby. 'Who else is in the hotel?' she thought to herself. No one was in the music room since Lorne was over at the W&H offices. No one in the library except Giles, Wesley and Angel, who rapidly excused themselves and left. Cordy was in the W&H medical wing, so no one was in the AI office. That just left the target practice room.

Dawn opened the door with her elbow and looked inside. Xander and Willow. 'Huh? Were they-?' Dawn's jaw fell open, and she almost dropped her sandwich. Almost. 'Omigod. OmiGOD! The were! They ARE!'

 Dawn slipped back out the door, then quietly closed the door with her hip. She walked over to the rec room, closed the door, sat her sandwich down, and began silently cheering, pumping one fist up and down in the air in a 'you go, girl!' kind of way. When she got out of breath, Dawn sat back down, and beamed, mentally replaying in her mind the image of Xander and Willow kissing.

T.B.C.