Dawn blushed under the scrutiny of the man standing behind the counter. It was the fourth time she had come in as many days, each time buying several pints of pig's blood. She knew the he had to be wondering what she was using it for, but somehow "feeding my crazy vampire friend" didn't sound like it would cut it. So she paid for her purchases and scuttled out as soon as she could, clutching the brown paper bag close to her chest.

"Dawn!"

She spun around at the sound of her name, an excuse already springing to her lips when she realized it was just Janice. "Oh. Um, hi."

"Hey, I'm glad I caught you," the other girl said, jogging up to Dawn. "You left school so fast."

"I, uh, had errands to run," Dawn said nervously.

"It's fine. But Robin and I are hitting the bronze tonight. You should come. You haven't been around much lately."

"O-okay," Dawn said. "I'll ask Buffy. If she says I can come, I'll show."

"Great!" Janice flashed her a smile. "See you later."

Dawn breathed a sigh as Janice walked away, and hurried off in the direction of the graveyard. Spike was sleeping fitfully when she arrived, so she merely placed the blood on the floor next to him and slipped out.

Buffy appeared from the kitchen when Dawn got home. "Where were you?" she asked. "I was starting to get worried."

"I-I had to get some books f-for history," Dawn stammered. "S-so I went t-to the library, b-because that's where the books are."

"Oh," Buffy said. "That's fine."

Dawn was careful not to show her relief and instead asked, "Hey, um, Janice and Robin are going to be at the Bronze tonight. Can I go?"

"Yeah, that's fine." Buffy looked startled and strangely pleased. "Angel can drop you off later."

"Great. I guess I'll get started on my homework." She retreated up the stairs as fast as she could without arousing suspicion. She closed the door to her room and leaned back against it. She couldn't keep it up much longer. Eventually she was going to have to tell someone that Spike was back, because no matter what she tried, he wasn't getting any better. And she certainly was going to tell Angel or Buffy. Willow might be more sympathetic, but she would want to let Buffy know. Oz wouldn't do anything without Willow's cooperation, and Giles wasn't even an option.

Her head snapped up. Doyle. She could tell Doyle. Not only could he keep a secret, he'd be the most willing to help, seeing as how he didn't have as much bad experience with Spike as the others did. Maybe he'd know why Spike was acting so weird.

The Bronze that night was crowded, the dance floor so packed that it was a wonder anyone was able to move. Janice and Robin kept up a lively chatter, but Dawn found herself unwilling to join in. They talked about boys and clothes and the pop quiz. Dawn couldn't help but think they were being childish. She had bigger things to worry about, like vampires and demons and apocalypses. But she pasted on a smile and nodded at all the right times.

"Oh, my gosh!" Robin suddenly squealed. "The hottest guy just walked in."

"Where?" Janice demanded. Dawn didn't bother looking.

"Over there," Robin pointed. "You know, the bleached blonde."

Dawn's eyes widened and she turned around, almost falling out of her chair. "Oh, my God," she muttered. Spike stood just inside the door, looking a little dazed. He had put on a clean blue t-shirt, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. His hair was disheveled, but it only added to his charm. Ice-blue eyes suddenly met Dawn's.

He made his way through the crowd as if drawn by a magnet and for a second he looked like the old Spike. He didn't stop until he stood in front of Dawn, just inside her personal space. Robin and Janice were too shocked to say a word.

"I was looking for you," Spike mumbled, looking confused again.

"Is everything okay, Spike?" Dawn asked.

"There's something happening," he told her. "Something about to open. I wanted to make sure it wasn't you." He looked her up and down and nodded. "Nope. You're safe. I can go now."

Dawn caught his arm as he turned away. "What do you mean, something's about to open?" she demanded.

"You're the Key, aren't you?" he replied. "You open things. Except not this thing. So it's all right."

"No, it's not all right!" she exclaimed, becoming nervous. "I have to go tell Buffy!" She jumped to her feet and dragged him through the crowd, forgetting all about her friends.

Once they were outside, Spike ground to a halt. "Can't go with you," he said. "Don't fancy being dust. 'Sides, I'm still crazy. Slayer won't like that."

"Can you get home all right?" Dawn asked in concern. He shrugged one shoulder.

"It's a short trip. Though I might take the short cut through hell. Oh, wait a second, already been there." He gently removed Dawn's hand from his arm. "Run tell big sister something's brewing. There's sure to be tears."

*****

Buffy balanced the large bowl of popcorn and two hot chocolates long enough to get to the sofa. "You could have helped," she told her husband, who was lounging on the sofa. He looked up at her with the puppy-dog expression she was rapidly getting used to.

"But I was so comfortable," he said.

"Move," Buffy ordered heartlessly, poking him in the ribs. Angel gave a funny squeak and flinched away. Buffy stared at him, her mouth open. "Oh, my God. Angel, are you ticklish?"

"What? No!"

She reached out and poked him again, getting the same results. "We've known each other for over five years! How could I not know you're ticklish?" Ignoring his protests, she pounced on him, digging her fingers into his sides. He writhed away from her, giggling like a kid.

"Stop! Stop! I give up!" he gasped, holding her back. "Yes, I'm ticklish!"

"Were you ticklish as a vampire?" Buffy demanded, letting him fend her off—for now. Angel snorted.

"I don't know. I didn't exactly let people tickle me when I was a vampire, Buffy."

"That is so funny," she said with an evil grin. Her hand darted out and Angel squealed, rolling off the couch in an attempt to get away from her.

"Look, can we just watch the damn movie?" he asked plaintively from the floor.

"I don't think so," Buffy said. "I haven't lost interest in this tickling thing, yet."

Behind her, something flew in through the bay window with the sound of breaking glass. On instinct, Buffy reached out and snatched the object in mid-air, her hand closing around cold metal. She blinked at it in confusion.

"Buffy, no, bad!" Angel sputtered, and then it exploded.

Buffy's world erupted in blinding light and deafening noise. Her hand burned with intense pain and she felt her head impact with the window, shattering it. Blurred shapes and vague noises passed over her, but all she could hear was a loud ringing and the throb of her heartbeat.

Angel was partially sheltered from the flash-bang, and managed to get to his feet after the explosion. He staggered and fell bodily against one of the black-clad intruders, who pushed him away. Angel shook his head to clear it and saw two figures make their way upstairs.

"No!" he roared, lunging toward them. One swung around and with a gesture of contempt, fired his weapon. Angel collapsed and lay unmoving.

The world began to resolve itself for Buffy until she could get to her feet without falling over. The first thing she saw as her vision cleared was Angel sprawled limply on the floor and her baby in the arms of a stranger. She had a half-second to make a choice, but she didn't hesitate.

She launched herself away from the couch, over her husband's body, and landed in front of the intruder carrying her daughter. Her first blow was deflected by the mask, so she brought her knee up to his groin. Then someone yanked her backwards by her hair.

A flash of red-black filled the living room, forming a giant, glowing ball of energy. One by one the attackers plunged through, including the one carrying Caddie. Buffy pushed herself up on her elbows and watched in horror as the portal shrank and disappeared. Then the world spiraled into blackness.