"Did you see them, Xander? I'm telling you, if there aren't orgasms going on already, they will be going on very soon," the ex-vengeance demon informed her embarrassed fiance as they brought the first load of coffee and pies up the walk to Bella's apartment.

"I really don't think that what they're doing is any of our business, Ahn," he said, hoping she'd drop the subject before someone else heard them. That someone, specifically, being Buffy. "As long as they don't kill anyone. Well, other than him."

"Kill who?" Dawn brightly asked, taking a stack of hot pizza boxes from Xander's arms.

"Nobody," Xander quickly offered, smothered by Anya's "Spike."

"Who's killing Spike? And it better not be anybody because he's mine," Buffy warned. "To kill," she quickly amended, swallowing a rising lump called 'embarrassment' in her throat.

Xander glared at Anya silently gloating "see what you've done?" Unfortunately for him, his girl would never be the Queen of Subtle.

"Oh, we just saw Spike and Bella groping each other outside. I just thought it was nice that someone is getting and giving orgasms around here," Anya pouted, completely unaware of just how red the tips of Xander's ears had become.

"Gro-groping? Groping how?" Buffy asked weakly.

"Gro...ping," Dawn said slowly. "Sure you've been groped before."

Everyone looked at her, surprised by her condescending tone.

"What?"

They brought in the rest of the coffee and pizza and went about distributing the much-needed fuel. Dawn was stuffing a folded slice of pepperoni pizza into her mouth. She still felt her sister glaring at her.

"Oh, for crying out loud, already, Buffy!" she yelled, dropping her pizza onto a paper plate. She wiped her greasy fingers on a napkin and then stormed across the room to her sister.

"You didn't want him. Now he doesn't want you. You don't get to change your mind again."

That stung. More than Buffy cared to admit. And when had her sister gotten so bold and insightful? Probably hanging out with that damned witch Bella, she thought, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Dawn, apologize to your sister," Giles wearily directed the teen.

"No."

"Dawn." He pulled off his glasses, polishing them on his sleeve. His tone was stern.

"Again, no," she told him, drawing the word out for effect.

"It wasn't a request Dawn," Giles warned.

She put her hands on her hips and stared at Buffy.

"Come on, Buffy. We can't be harboring bad feelings. The First will use them against us to divide and conquer," Dawn challenged her.

Buffy could swear that her 15 year old sister was the one trying to do the dividing and conquering.

"You're not Dawn," she seethed, preparing to attack the girl staring her down.

She pushed up her sleeves and was about to lunge when Spike and Bella walked in the door.

"What in the bloody hell is going on here, Slayer?" Spike demanded to know.

His eyes darted between the Slayer and the Bit. They were at a stand-off about something. But it was the feral stance which Buffy had taken that most concerned him.

"She's. Not. My. Sister," the Slayer ground out.

Dawn felt the tears stinging the backs of her eyes at Buffy's pronouncement. Not her sister. So that's how it works when someone disagrees with the Great Buffy.

"Fuck you, Buffy!" Dawn shouted at her sister. The tears were flowing freely as Spike stepped between the two girls, looking from one to the other for some sort of explanation.

"Which one of you wants to start?" Spike asked, slipping his arm around Dawn's shoulders. He was glaring at Buffy. She could see he had already chosen his side.

Bella quietly closed the door behind her. The Slayer and her sister at a stand-off. Definately not of the good.

"Why would you say something so hateful to your sister, Buffy?" Bella asked cautiously. Humans. She just couldn't understand them anymore.

It took Buffy a moment to realize her mistake.

"Oh, God," she gasped. "Dawnie, I thought--"

Bella helped Buffy back over to the sofa.

"Listen, emotions are high. But, you've got to keep it in check, Buffy. The First will not come to you in a setting like this, Buffy. It comes to you when you are alone," Bella told her.

Buffy knew that. She knew that.

"I know you're under a lot of stress. I do. You don't have to take this all on alone, though. Spike and I are strong fighters. And we know what's the what, now. Rupe," she called to the Watcher.

He looked up at the sound of his name.

"Coffee, pizza and a night full of texty goodness?"

He allowed a small smile as he nodded. She sounded like one of the Scoobies. He didn't know whether to be concerned or relieved.

Everyone went off into their own corners. Spike, Bella and Giles took their spots at the dining table, still poring over ancient tomes for the spell that they needed.

Buffy and Willow were eating pizza and searching the net on the sofa. Anya and Xander were arguing about the anchovies and olive pizza that nobody but Anya was going to eat. Dawn was sitting on the kitchen counter, munching happily on her neglected slice of pizza. She was watching Bella and Spike out of the corner of her eye.

None of them knew what she knew. None of them ever really wanted to see what they didn't want to see. There was something kind of glowy hovering around Spike and Bella. Nothing overtly showy, and she supposed that she, again, was the only one who noticed.

He had tried so hard to be good for Buffy. But, with Bella, it wasn't even a matter of trying or not. He just was. She just brought that out in him. And, apparently, it struck a sour chord with Buffy.

Spike was kneeling on the floor next to Bella. His hand was resting on the opposite side of Bella's chair, his arm around her waist. When they spoke to each other, it was quietly, respectfully and with love-glazed eyes. She supposed that a lot of their communication was silent. It made her smile. She imagined herself with some handsome guy,and speaking to him without words. Spike and Bella could bring out the romantic in just about anyone.

Dawn noticed that Willow was stealing glances of them, as well. A couple of times, she had caught Bella's eyes and smiled at her before returning to her work with Buffy. Willow certainly was a romantic, too. But Dawn had been witness to that when she was with Tara.

Buffy looked perplexed. She seemed like she was forcing herself to concentrate on the research that she and Willow were doing on the laptop, but Dawn saw the wistful look she had whenever she'd look at the vampires. She just couldn't muster up the sympathy she should for her sister, though. Not after all of the pain she caused Spike. He had a chance to be happy with someone like him. Buffy needed to get past herself and when she did, she'd realize that Dawn was right. She'd had her chance. And now it was gone.

"I think I found something," Bella suddenly called out, interrupting Dawn's little people-watching game.

Bella handed the text down to Spike.

"Do you recognize the language?" she asked.

He studied the words on the page and looked at her. He couldn't place it. Although, he knew that he'd seen it before.

"It's Aramaic, Spike. Rupe."

Spike passed the book to Giles. Indeed, it was an Aramaic incantation. Surely, the witch didn't think that this was the spell that would embody the First?

"This is it. I can feel it," she told Giles.

He nodded, still unsure.

"Rupe." Her tone was firm. She was sure. "This will make it corporeal. It can make it bleed. It can make it die. Now, we just need to decide when."