Chapter 45: Diversion

When they finished their research, Jeremy had them call Xavier to accept his offer and get David Hargrave's new address. Clay and Antonio took care of Hargrave right away. They found Hargrave right where Xavier had told them he'd be. So, they were ready to uphold their end of the deal.

When Buffy and Dawn called Xavier, things weren't going well on his end. Although he assured the sisters, he was just working out some kinks, they got the impression the buyer was waffling. When a month passed, with no word from Xavier, they figured the deal had fallen through.

Two more months passed. Spring became summer, then headed toward autumn. Dawn blinked, as the blanket of sleep fell away. Clay's face, twisted with worry, hovered over Dawn's. Then she saw Buffy and Savannah standing in the doorway. Her sister and niece's rooms were just next door so she must have woken them while she had still been caught in the throes of the nightmare.

"Dawn?" Buffy said. "Are you okay?"

Dawn opened her mouth, but only a whimper came out. Clay's arms tightened around her. She started to relax. She ran her hands over her rounded belly. In just two months Dawn's pregnancy had accelerated.

Jeremy had insisted it was because of Dawn's wolf blood, but he was only guessing. No one knew. Even Buffy who had been pregnant didn't know. Dawn ran her fingers over her stomach again.

Clay laid his hands over Dawn's as he glanced at Buffy and Savannah.

"I can't Change anymore," Dawn whispered. "It isn't safe for the baby. It can't be."

"If it wasn't, then you wouldn't need to Change while you were pregnant. You can't have a species physically incapable of reproducing—"

Savannah moved to Dawn. They watched her as she laid her hands on her aunt's stomach. "Their like me," she said.

"What do you mean, sweetie?" Buffy asked.

"The inherited everything from Aunt Dawn and Uncle Clay, just like I inherited everything from you, mom," Savannah answered. "They are both witches and werewolves."

"A whole new species," Dawn said as she looked at Clay. "Like Savannah is a hereditary Slayer, witch hybrid. They are a hereditary werewolf and witch. You, me, Buffy were bitten, they are the species."

"You'll be okay," Clay murmured. "You're doing great so far, right, Buffy?"

"He's right, Dawn. You are doing fine, right?" Buffy said.

Dawn took a deep breath. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm so—"

He put his hand over Dawn's mouth. "You're worried. Nothing wrong with that." He lowered Dawn down to the bed. "What did you dream?"

An image flashed through Buffy's mind of blood and clotted fur. Buffy frowned, was her sister's telepathic spell activated? And since when could Dawn send images?

"Dawn is your link open?" Buffy thought.

Dawn pulled back, not looking up at Clay or Buffy. "I just want—I need to sleep."

As Dawn fell back to sleep, Buffy nudged Clay and motioned toward the hall. They followed by Savannah quietly walked outside shutting the door behind them.

"Mom," Savannah said. "Was Aunt Dawn's link open?"

"You saw it?" Buffy asked as Savannah nodded.

"You saying she was telepathically projecting to the two of you?" Clay asked.

"Yeah," Buffy said.

"What did you see?" Clay asked.

"Clotted fur and blood," Savannah said.

Clay looked back at the door and then at Buffy. "Do you think they'll be stillborn?"

"I don't know," Buffy said. "And that's scares me. We're in unfamiliar territory. Everything is different than what a human would experience." She looked at Savannah and then back at Clay. "What I experienced when I gave birth to Savannah. Savannah's right they are just like her. New versions of werewolves. There is no telling how things may progress with them."

"Talking about Savannah do you think they will be a danger to her? She will be a Slayer after all; they will be able to sense it." Clay asked.

"No," Savannah said as Buffy looked at her.

"Savannah's right," Buffy said. "Savannah's Slayer powers will activate in the next couple years. Even if your kids can Change at birth. They still won't be able to match Savannah's Slayer strength for years. I'm more worried about the witch part. Dawn's powerful we know. Willow is powerful and she is descended from Dawn. Savannah may be severely tested when they come into their powers."

"Remember, mom, I too am a powerful witch," Savannah said.

"I know, sweetie," Buffy said. "But they are direct descendants of Dawn. You are my daughter, I carry a latent gene only because of the spell she and Willow will do in the future. We don't know how much of Dawn's power went into me at that point. They could very well be more powerful than you." She looked back at Clay. "Let's not mention any of this to Dawn. The stress of what we talked about won't be good for her."

"Agreed," Clay said. "Good night, Buffy. Good night, Savannah."

Savannah smiled as she hugged Clay. "Night, Uncle Clay." She turned and headed into hers and Buffy's room.

"Night, Clay," Buffy said as she turned and followed her daughter.

Dawn woke up the next morning to the sound of Clay's snoring. She eased out of bed so she wouldn't disturb him, then leaned over to brush her lips across the top of his curls, too light a touch to wake him.

As Dawn headed downstairs, she heard Jeremy and Savannah in the kitchen. When she smelled what was cooking, Dawn knew Jeremy like Buffy and Savannah had heard her wake up screaming last night. She leaned against the wall and cursed her performance, knowing even as she did that it wouldn't be the last.

"Hiding from Jeremy," Buffy said causing Dawn to jump. "Sorry, didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"It's okay, Buffy," Dawn said as she took a deep breath, pushed open the kitchen door and looked at the tottering stacks of pancakes and sliced ham on the counter. "You don't need to do this."

Jeremy fished the bottle of maple syrup from the back of the fridge. "The plates are already in the sunroom. Can you carry the pancake platter for me?"

"Really, you don't need to do this. I'm being silly, and what I need is a swift kick in the rear, not comfort food," Dawn said.

"What you need is baby furniture," he said, handing Dawn the platter. "Plus, a nursery to put it in, but I thought we'd start with the furniture and choose the decor from there. Besides Buffy keeps reminding me that I don't have a suitable room for a thirteen-year-old girl and that's why she sleeps with Buffy."

They all knew the real reason Savannah slept with Buffy. Savannah had lost her adopted mother the year before. She didn't want to lose her birth mother too. Its why Savannah spent every available second with Buffy.

"I'm sure Syracuse has fine stores," Jeremy continued, "but I propose a trip to New York. We'll spend a couple of days, stay with Antonio and Nick, make a trip out of it. We'll leave today."

Dawn shook her head. "I'm not ready, Jer."

"We'll go whenever you are. We have to wait for Clay anyway, although if we're lucky, the four of us will be able to leave him with Nick while we go into the city and shop."

"I don't mean—I'm not ready for a nursery. If something went wrong—I'm not ready," Dawn said.

Jeremy laid down the ham and looked at Dawn.

"That's why this is exactly what you need," Buffy said. "Everything is going fine, and the best way for you to recognize and accept that is to keep moving forward, making plans and preparing." She smiled at her sister. "At the rate you're progressing, we'd better get going, or we may end up with a baby and no place to put him or her. We'll be fashioning diapers out of dishcloths."

Dawn tried to return her sister's smile, but her lips wouldn't budge. She looked away. "Buffy, Jeremy, I can't. Soon, I promise. Just … not yet."

Buffy looked to Jeremy with a look that said they should talk. He nodded as the kitchen door opened and Clay popped his head in.

"Look who smelled breakfast," Dawn said.

As Dawn brushed past him, she dipped her hand to his and squeezed it. An awkward apology for last night.

"I'll take that ham," he said to Jeremy.

Dawn didn't turn, but she knew more than the platter passed between them. She was sure after she'd fallen asleep again last night that Buffy and Clay had talked. Maybe even Jeremy, Buffy and Clay. To devise a distract Dawn plan. Option one: baby shopping in New York. Along with furniture shopping for Savannah. She knew that Savannah was happy sleeping with Buffy for now. She was sure her niece would eventually want her own room but not yet. Not so soon after she had been reunited with her birth mother. She was sure now over breakfast they would head for option two.

After Dawn left, Buffy told Jeremy about what she and Savannah had seen. Jeremy admitted that the vision disturbed him a little. But it could simply be that Dawn was nervous about her baby.

Dawn turned into the sunroom and put the pancake platter down, then reached for the coffee urn and started filling mugs.

"We should invite Paige up," Clay said as he rounded the doorway. "For a visit."

"No segue required," Dawn murmured. "Silly me."

Dawn exchanged his ham platter for a steaming mug of coffee and sat down to fix her own. "Invite Paige here? Your desperation is showing."

He shrugged and slid into his seat. "We've had her up before."

"At mine or Buffy's invitation. With you gritting your teeth the whole time," Dawn said.

"I was never gritting my teeth. I'm fine with Paige. And if Lucas can make it … All the better. Maybe they'll be working on a case, something to get your mind—something to talk about."

Dawn would rather take a trip to Portland to visit them, but she knew that was out of the question. Having Paige here would be nice, and if Lucas came along, Clay would enjoy the distraction just as much as she did. Shoot she was sure Savannah would love to see Paige too.

Officially Savannah belonged to Dawn's Coven; unofficially Paige helped Dawn teach Savannah. Dawn knew she hadn't learned everything the Devon Coven had to teach her. So, trying to pass down various things to Savannah was not easy if she didn't know all of them. So, she called Paige frequently about teaching Savannah this or that. Sometimes Paige would squash an idea saying that Savannah was not ready for that. Other times she encouraged something. Savannah was coming along nicely with her powers thanks to Paige's help.

After breakfast, Dawn waited until it was a reasonable time to call Oregon. Then she phoned Paige. As she listened to Paige's answering machine, her hopes plummeted. She didn't bother leaving a message. The one on her machine told her Paige was off on an investigation with Lucas. Of course, the message didn't say that, but it was one she used to let her fellow council members and supernatural friends know she was out of town, and they should call her cell phone instead.

"We'll try again next week," Clay said. "She's never away long."

"How about Jaime," Buffy said from the door.

"Invite Jaime? I'm sure she's too busy—" Dawn said.

"What about that documentary work we were talking about? Not really our type of writing, but you seemed interested when she brought it up," Buffy suggested.

Dawn hesitated, and then nodded. "Sure. Work. That'd be good. Something new might be just what I need."

Dawn grabbed the phone book from the drawer, opened it and dialed. Again, she got an answering machine. This time she left a message, just a vague "give Buffy and me a shout when you get a chance." She suspected it would be days before she heard back—Jaime spent most of her year touring, a few days here, a week there. God only knew when she'd get the message.

"She might have just stepped out," Clay said.

"Sure. Maybe," Dawn said.

"Hey I have an idea you want to give Nick a try?" Buffy said.

Dawn shook her head, murmured a "maybe later" and slid from the room.

Buffy sighed as she watched her sister leave.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

The phone rang early the next morning.

"I'll get it!" Dawn said as she rocketed from the table so fast that she temporarily forgot her new center of gravity and nearly landed face-first on the floor.

"You expecting someone?" Clay called after me, as I righted myself and hurried to the study.

"Work," Dawn said. "A … job assignment. Buffy?"

"Coming," Buffy said. Officially Buffy was Dawn's writing partner. Unofficially Dawn did most of the work. Buffy and Dawn had agreed to the arrangement as it brought in extra cash into their joint savings.

Buffy knew that very likely it wasn't Jaime calling. But she knew Dawn wanted contact with the outside world beyond just herself, Clay, Savannah and Jeremy. Any contact. Buffy theorized that a vacuum cleaner salesperson would do.

The phone hit its fourth ring as Dawn dove for the answering machine, and hit the off button, then glanced at the caller ID as she reached for the receiver. A pay phone tag flashed past. A payphone? Maybe Jaime calling back or Paige checking in.

"Hello?" Dawn said as Buffy stepped up beside her and hit the speakerphone button.

"Dawn!" a voice boomed.

"Xavier!" Buffy said.

"Good to hear from you," Dawn added.

Silence. Then, "What'd I do?"

"Nothing. It's just…good to hear from you," Dawn said. She saw Clay appear in the doorway. She mouthed "Xavier." He scowled.

"So, what's up?" Buffy said. "Have you heard anything about that letter? Or do you have something else you need us to do? We still owe you for the Hargrave tip, don't forget."

He paused, certain a trap lurked behind my enthusiasm. "Uh, no, I haven't. It's the letter. Things have fallen back into place—"

"So, we're on? Great! When do you want it?" Dawn said.

"The, uh, buyer would like it within the next couple of weeks, but if that's not enough notice, I can probably swing something—"

"A couple of weeks? Perfect. Just send us the updated plans and we'll be on it. Do you still have my fax number?" Dawn said.

He did. They discussed a few final details, then they hung up as Dawn turned, beaming, to Clay.

"Absolutely not," he said. "So, don't even ask."

"Ask? Since when do I need your permission?" Dawn said. "Buffy?"

"No," Buffy said. "It's too risky, Dawn. If this had been a few months ago, maybe."

Dawn glared at her sister and then bounced past her and Clay out the door.

"He's going to say the same thing," Clay called.

Since Dawn had started showing, Jeremy, Buffy and Clay hadn't wanted her leaving Pack territory or meeting with any supernatural who wasn't a good friend. As overprotective as that sounded, there was logic behind it. Jeremy and Clay at least wanted to keep her pregnancy a secret from the werewolf world for as long as possible. Buffy was just being concerned, period and Dawn knew it.

Savannah had let slip one night when she and Dawn had been playing cards that she and Buffy had seen images flash through their minds. It had been then that Dawn knew that she had unconsciously shown portions of one of her dreams to her niece and sister. And that it had set Buffy on edge. Dawn couldn't fault Buffy for her concern. Ever since she had been a teenager, Buffy had been the one to take care of her. Even now when things like this happened Buffy found it hard to squash the maternal instincts she had for Dawn.

After all she was Buffy's first born, right? Even though, she and everyone else had memories of her being Buffy's sister. She had been made from Buffy like a baby was made in conception. So not only was she Buffy's sister but her daughter as well. And for that Dawn couldn't fault Buffy for her concern over Dawn's welfare.

"The plan will stand as we decided two months ago," Dawn said. "I'm not arguing with that. Jeremy takes the letter and Clay stands guard. Mine and Buffy's job will be to escort Jeremy into the house, so he doesn't have to worry about opening doors in wolf form."

"And what if—" Clay began.

"The doors are rigged with deadly gamma ray trip wires?" Dawn bit back the sarcasm. "Sorry, I mean, what if it's not safe for me to go inside the house? Then I don't. Jeremy, you wanted Karl to go over the plans. I agree. If he has any safety concerns, then I won't go in."

Buffy was wisely staying out of the argument. She knew Dawn had found a way around her objections, with the escort thing. Short of something going horribly wrong, Dawn would be safe. And if push came to shove, she could always teleport. Even though Jeremy wanted her not to use magic at any time during her pregnancy.

"That's any concern," Clay said. "Not a high risk or a moderate risk. Karl even brings up a potential risk, you don't go, right?"

"Right," Dawn said.

"And anything goes wrong, we get out of there."

"Absolutely," Dawn agreed.

"And it's there and back, just an overnight trip."

"Fine by me," Dawn answered.

"And you stay in my sight, Buffy's sight or Jeremy's sight at all times, the entire trip."

"Except for bathroom breaks," Dawn said.

He hesitated.

"I got a compromise to that," Buffy said. "Before you glare at me, Dawn, I would feel better being with you. Not that this will likely happen but what if you went into labor in the bathroom. And we're all sitting in the car waiting. We might not hear you until it's too late."

Dawn sighed and nodded. "Okay."

"Okay, Clay?" Buffy asked as Clay nodded.

They looked at Jeremy.

"I have another suggestion," came a voice from the door. They all turned to see Savannah standing there. "Aunt Dawn teaches me her teleportation spell. And I already know the telepathy spell."

Jeremy, Clay and Buffy looked at each other and considered Savannah's suggestion.

"I think it's a good idea," Buffy said. "Not only will Savannah then be able to teleport us out of harm's way if the need arises. But she can act as a relay between all of us for communication." She looked at Clay. "That said not only would you be standing guard …"

"I would protect her with my life," Clay said.

"All right," Jeremy said. "Let's get this over with, then. Dawn? Call Karl and see how soon he can look at those plans."

Karl Marsten arrived two days later. Prompt for Marsten, who had spent the last year dragging his heels on another matter: joining the Pack. Three years ago, Jeremy had granted him territory for helping them when a group of mutts tried to overthrow the Pack. The problem was he had been part of the plot and had bitten a criminal by the name of Brandon who had wound up biting Buffy. It had been how Buffy had become a werewolf. Neither Dawn nor Clay had been able to exact revenge for Buffy as Brandon had been killed by a pickup truck on the freeway. And so, since Karl had bitten Brandon, Buffy held him responsible and had vowed to kill him only to be stopped by Jeremy. Jeremy had told Karl he had two choices. Accept the deal or he would let Buffy kill him. Karl had wisely accepted the deal.

Ever since his help usually came slow…like a week after they needed it. Then last spring he'd come to Buffy. Why Buffy no one was entirely sure. Maybe he respected her? He'd met a half-demon tabloid reporter who wanted to help the council and asked by way of Buffy for Dawn to "mentor" her. Since then, Marsten had been quick to come when Buffy or Dawn called, not that Buffy called him very often. She only called him when Jeremy forced her to. Usually Jeremy would try Dawn first and if that didn't work then he would force Buffy to call.

When he declared the job looked sound, they left for Toronto.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Patrick Shanahan's house, half hidden by evergreens, wasn't what either Buffy or Dawn had expected. Sure, they'd seen the blueprints. Even knew the neighborhood—modest homes where you pay more for the address than for the square footage.

Savannah, Buffy and Dawn looked at the ranch-style house. There was a camera at the front door, more to ward off salespeople than to foil thieves. The only security system was a key-coded entry point alarm—the kind that, if triggered, would call forth an unarmed twenty-year-old security guard, accustomed to showing up and finding sheepish homeowners who'd forgotten their codes.

From behind the sisters came the soft padding of paws on grass.

"Doesn't look like you can hope for much mayhem in this adventure," Dawn thought

A grunt and Dawn turned to see, not the golden-haired wolf she expected, but a jet black one.

"Er, and that's good," Dawn said quickly.

Buffy and Jeremy rolled their eyes. As Jeremy passed the sisters, his tail whacked the back of Dawn's knees.

"I was talking about Clay, not me," Dawn said. "I'm not looking for any mayhem. I already promised. I won't do anything to make this adventure more fun—I mean, dangerous."

Jeremy tilted his head, eyes meeting Dawn's, then gave a soft chuff, knowing she was only teasing, and padded to the line of trees to peer out at the house.

Another sound came behind the sisters, this one the sharp scuffle of dead leaves. Then the ground vibrated as Clay pounced and landed at Dawn and Buffy's side.

"You don't dare tackle me now, do you?" Dawn said. "I should have known Jeremy wasn't you—you're never that quiet."

Clay slipped his head under Dawn's dangling arm, letting her hand slide over the top of his head and down to the ruff behind his neck. She ran her fingers through the thick fur, over the coarse top hairs and burrowed down to the soft fluff underneath.

Dawn crouched beside him. He leaned against her and she let her hand rest on his shoulder. They sat there for a minute, looking over at the house.

Then Clay moved to Savannah and rubbed against her. "Stay close to me," he thought.

"I will Uncle Clay," Savannah said as she placed her hand on Clay's back. "Just in case I have to teleport."

"Okay, who's up for a little grand larceny?" Buffy thought.

Dawn's adrenaline started pounding when she touched the security keypad. As her latex-clad finger punched the buttons, her mind raced through every conceivable risk. She punched in the last digit and held her breath as she braced for the alarms. Even when they didn't go off, she paused, half expecting a wailing car to rip into the driveway.

Buffy put the key in the lock and it popped open. She turned the handle and pushed. She listened for footsteps, then looked around for any sign that Shanahan was there. According to Xavier, Shanahan gave a monthly investment seminar to prospective clients tonight, something he never missed. But there was always a first time…

Buffy let Dawn enter first as she watched her sister zip to the keypad inside the door. A green light flashed. Something hissed behind Dawn and she jumped.

"Cat," Jeremy said as he halfheartedly growled and the cat tore off.

Jeremy's nails clicked against the parquet flooring as they set off. He slowed, put more weight on his pads and all went silent. They found the locked room easily enough. It was just a spare bedroom with the window bricked over and the door locked. The locking mechanism was so simple Xavier hadn't bothered providing a key—a sharp doorknob wrench of werewolf enhanced Slayer strength snapped it open.

They entered a library. Bookcases lined the walls, containing lots of knickknacks and a smattering of actual books. There were a couple of uncomfortable-looking leather chairs and a full bar.

A table near the center held numerous glass boxes, containing artifacts, small statues and bric-a-brac. Among them was the box that held the letter.

All this the sisters saw from outside the door. They couldn't go any farther, as they didn't know how much of the room the spell covered. Dawn could have told them if she had used magic but of course Jeremy had forbidden her to use any. And Savannah was outside with Clay.

Jeremy took one careful step inside and paused. Buffy, Jeremy and Dawn strained to hear some indication of a tripped alarm, yet they didn't know what would happen if the alarm was tripped.

Dawn had said that depended on the spellcaster and could be anything from flickering lights to wailing sirens to the room being sucked into a portal leading to a hell dimension.

When nothing happened, Jeremy padded over to the table. Now came the tricky part.

Jeremy had to start the Change, with particular attention to his hand, then stop at the point where he could fish the glass cutter from the bag around his neck, cut open the box and put the letter in the bag. Buffy and Dawn were glad Jeremy was the one doing it. While they wouldn't mind the challenge, Jeremy had the most control over his Changes and was most likely to be able to manipulate the glass cutter and letter while still in largely wolf form.

Buffy watched as Dawn looked away. She knew how Dawn felt about the in-between state it was gruesome to see. They had seen it the year before with Patrick Lake. And neither of them wanted to see it again. The only reason Buffy had watched Dawn Change in the last few months was so she could monitor Dawn and try and make sure nothing happened to her niece or nephew.

When Jeremy stopped at the foot of the table, the sisters turned away and stayed turned away until a cold nose pushed against their hands.

"Got it," Jeremy said

Dawn grinned and patted his head. "Good boy."

"Funny, Dawn," he said as he nudged Dawn. "Get moving."

"He's right, Dawn. We need to get out of here. Before Shanahan comes home." Buffy thought.

Clay and Savannah met them at the edge of the evergreen patch. "Everyone okay?" Clay asked. When everyone said they were, he dove into the trees to Change back. Dawn untied the bag from around Jeremy's neck, and he loped off to his own spot.

"You can end the spell now, Savannah," Buffy said as she watched her daughter relax.

Dawn turned over the bag containing the rolled-up letter and squinted to see words.

"What's it say?" Savannah asked.

"Nothing for your eyes and ears," Buffy said. "It'll give you nightmares. Ask me again when you're a few years older."

Savannah looked to her mother and then nodded in resignation.

Suddenly Clay grabbed Dawn from behind, swung her up and around to face him. A resounding smack of a kiss, and he put her back on the ground.

Buffy shook her head. She didn't bother really with telling Clay and Dawn or even Jeremy to be careful of where they leave their clothes when Changing. Or to be dressed before Savannah saw them. Savannah had seen each of them nude at one time or another. And she understood why, too. The girl was smart. It didn't hurt that Buffy, just once, had allowed Savannah to watch her as she Changed. Just so Savannah would know how dangerous it was to interrupt them.

Savannah turned her eyes. Just because she had seen them all nude didn't mean she wanted to either. "Uncle Clay!"

Dawn glance at Savannah and smiled. "Did you hear that, Uncle Clay? Savannah is embarrassed."

Clay laughed and ruffled Savannah's hair. He then turned back to Dawn and took the bag and started opening it. "So, this is the letter?"

Dawn snatched it back. "Yes, and it's a valuable historical document, so don't touch."

He snorted. "A letter from a fucked-up killer or a fucked-up wannabe. Historically valuable only in that it proves humans were no less screwed up a hundred years ago than they are now."

"Language, Clay," Buffy said as she motioned toward Savannah.

"It's okay, mom," Savannah said. "I know not to use that word. Momma Eve said they were bad words and not for a young lady to repeat."

Buffy sighed at the mention of Savannah's adopted mother. Not because it was disturbing to hear Savannah call someone else mother. But because of what had happened to Eve. Winsloe and his goons had her killed. Leaving Savannah practically alone till Buffy returned to the compound to get her.

From behind them came a sigh, then a mutter that sounded like "Figures," followed by "Dawn, get off Clay. Clay, get dressed. Now. You know the rules when you're around Savannah."

"We were just—" Dawn said.

"Oh, I know what you were doing, but you can wait ten minutes, until we get to the hotel. And out of Savannah's sight."

Dawn pulled away from Clay. "Please, do you really think we'd interrupt our getaway for sex?"

Buffy and Jeremy just gave Dawn a look.

"Okay, maybe we would, but not tonight," Dawn said.

Jeremy scooped up the letter. "Clay? Get your clothes on. Meet us at the car."

"You three go on," Dawn said. "I'll wait—"

Buffy and Jeremy grabbed Dawn's arm and led her away as Savannah followed.