The next morning Dawn woke up to the smell of bacon. She showered, got dressed, and went downstairs to find Buffy cooking pancakes and Spike making coffee.

"It's about time you got up," Buffy chastised when she saw her sister come in the kitchen. She pushed a plate of pancakes at her. "What are those?" she asked, looking at Dawn's feet.

"Boots," Dawn retorted. "I got them with Faith the other day." She looked down at her tan suede, knee-high boots.

"Figures. Do you even know how to walk in stilettos?"

"Yes," Dawn replied, making a face at her sister.

"Morning Bit," Spike said. "Coffee?"

"No thanks," she said and poured herself a glass of grape juice. She took her breakfast into the living room and switched on the tv.

"Aren't you getting a little old for cartoons?" Buffy called to Dawn. Dawn stuck her tounge out, but Buffy was too busy in the kitchen to notice. "Hurry up and finish your breakfast. You're gonna be late on your first day." Buffy added. Dawn shoveled the food into her mouth.

"What's her problem?" she asked Spike, who had joined her in front of the tv. He shrugged and sipped his coffee.

"Dawn! Come on!" Buffy called again. Dawn sighed and finished her last half of a pancake in one bite. She picked up her dishes and headed back into the kitchen, but it was harder to walk in her new boots than she expected. Her left ankle bent the wrong way and she fell ungracefully to the floor, spilling syrup and grape juice all over the cream-colored carpet. Buffy rushed in when she heard the niose.

"Dawn!" Buffy shrieked.

"I know, I'm sorry!" Dawn replied and gathered the dishes off the floor. "Hey, I didn't get anything on the boots!"

Buffy gave her a withering stare as she scrubbed at the grape juice. She sighed, "This is never going to come out."

"You ok?" Spike asked when Dawn was in the other room.

"Yeah," she replied. "Just a little stressed. I have class in twenty minutes and I still have to get Dawn to school, plus we just located a slayer in New York..." she rambled.

"I'll take Dawn to school," Spike offered.

"Really?" Buffy replied gratefully. Dawn came back in the living room with her backpack on. "Ok, good luck, don't get in trouble, and call me if you see any zombie-ghosts or demons or anything," Buffy told her sister.

"Got it." Dawn checked her outfit once more in the mirror. In addition to her new boots, she was wearing a tan tweed mini skirt and a white long sleeve shirt with a long green beaded necklace. She called goodbye to her sister and bounced out the front door.

About ten minutes later the Viper pulled up outside of Pine Grove High School. Spike pulled into one of the parking lots and shut off the car.

"What are you doing?" Dawn asked alarmed.

"I'm gonna check the place out, make sure there's no big bads hiding out," Spike replied.

"No, you're not," Dawn told him. "This is my chance to start over, and not have people think I'm a freak. What if someone sees you? How am I supposed to explain you? No one else's parents have to check out the school." She ranted to Spike, hoping he would feel bad for her and just go home. "Please?" she added for good measure and stuck out her bottom lip.

Spike sighed, "Alright. But if this school is full of demons you're gonna have to explain it to big sis."

- - -

"Here you go, honey," Xander said as he placed a plate of pancakes in front of Anya. She thanked him with a kiss on the cheek. He then grabbed a plate for himself and sat down across from her. He looked across the table at her and watched her.

"What?" she asked through a mouthful.

"Nothing," he replied w/ a shy smile. "I just can't believe I almost lost you. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't made it out of that school."

"Xander," she began, but he cut her off.

"No, I'm serious. I love you so much. I can't imagine spending the rest of my life without you." He paused for dramatic effect. "Anya, I…"

He was cut off by a sudden knock at the front door. He sighed. "Come in."

"Good morning," Buffy called as she went inside, and joined Xander and Anya at their kitchen table. "Ooh, pancakes!"

"Good morning," Anya replied, feigning politeness and pulling her pancakes closer to her. Xander smiled at his best friend and got up to grab her a plate.

"Thanks, Xand. I didn't have time to cook this morning. Dawn spilled grape juice all over our living room carpet." He handed her a plate. "Which is kinda what brings me by. Do you think you could help me pull up the carpet when you have some time?" She flashed him her puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah sure, I'm free all afternoon."

---

Dawn had been to the main office, gotten her class schedule, and had now found her locker. So far everything in the school seemed normal. She opened her locker and put her backpack inside. Grabbing a notebook and her purse, she turned to go to her first class and accidentally ran right into a tall blonde boy.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said and looked up to see his face. He had beautiful blue eyes, she thought.

"No problem," the cute boy smiled at her as he followed his friends. Dawn turned to stare after him. A bell rang, snapping her back to reality. She ran to her class, as fast as she could in stiletto heels.

---