CHAPTER 6: Just What the Hell is the Key??

Buffy walked in from a hard night's slayage, exhausted and limping, to hear a groaning noise come from her living room. She sighed and stood up straight, squaring her shoulders back.

"Look, I don't know who's in there, but I'm not in the mood -"

She rounded the corner to see Giles standing over a man tied up in a chair in the center of the room. Two things struck her about the situation at once - whatever was going on, Giles could take care of it. And knowing that, seeing him standing there glowering at the intruder was hotter than she'd ever care to admit. Clearing her throat, she crossed her arms and leaned against the door jamb.

"Hey, Giles, who's your friend?"

Giles cut a look that told her now was not the time for joking. "This man claims he helped create Dawn."

"What?!" Buffy rushed forward. To Giles' surprise, she knelt down next to the injured man, checking his face and neck for immediate signs of damage. "Are you alright? How long have you been here? Why didn't you come to me directly?"

"Buffy -"

"I'm sorry," the man groaned. He tried to force his eyes open. "I thought you were dead, Slayer. I was trying to, uh, reach the Key to see if she was aware of her mystical beginnings ... and if she wanted to remain corporeal."

Sighing, Buffy started untying the man, but Giles' hand appeared above her own, stilling her fingers. "He's been following Dawn since the night at the tower."

Buffy looked back at the monk, and for the first time, took in his appearance. Shabby Hawaiian shirt, ragged shorts. "Did you get mugged by a bum or something?"

"No," the man replied. He was panting slightly, but he tried to focus on her as best he could. "I had to avoid my robes or the minions of the Beast would find me."

"Minions?" Buffy looked back to Giles, worry etching the edges of her face. "They're still around? Have you seen any of them? What if -"

"Glory is definitely dead," Giles replied. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I'm sure her minions are just looking for any loose ends that need tying."

Buffy returned a solemn gaze to the monk, a hard glint in her eye. "Look, I gotta be honest with ya, pal, you and your friends pretty much put me and my family through hell. Not to mention what your pet project has done to Dawn! Could you pick a more unstable vessel?? A hormonal teen-aged girl? You may as well have recreated warheads!"

"The Key is -"

"Her name is Dawn," Buffy said, glaring at him.

"Yes, Dawn... her essence... what makes her - ah!" he tried to shift and winced, "- the Key, is very old. The energy is much like a soul, but it has the mystical qualities that make it a target to quite a few other-wordly rituals. She is... very special."

"So... her soul is the Key? She's just...built around that? Do you realize how fragile a human is?" The monk sighed and nodded, which only made Buffy continue her tirade. "What made you think it would be okay to dump her onto Earth, to trust her to a Slayer? Why not a little black box from an airplane or something? What if I was Faith? She's crazy you know? She would've let Dawn die, no problem!"

The monk winced and shifted in his chair. "We knew the Slayer would protect her child with her life. That... that was -"

"Wait, what?" Buffy rose, stepping back a few paces. Her arms crossed. "I think you're confused. Dawn's my sister."

"Your memories of the Key -"

"Her name is DAWN," Buffy said, almost a growl. Giles blinked and glanced at Buffy. Perhaps he shouldn't have been so harsh on the monk with his "persuasive" techniques.

"Dawn, yes... your memories of her were... created by the Order. We cast the spell to implant those memories. But the... the genetic makeup of the... of Dawn, is that of the Slayer, and her Watcher."

"Wait, you mean you- but she's fift-" Buffy's jaw worked, but all she could do was pivot and look to Giles. Her rock and mentor. He'd be able to explain this.

Just as soon as he was done polishing his glasses.