Thank you so much for the reviews. Yes, we will get the Buffy/Hank reunion, but it might not go the way you think it will. We will delve a bit more into Hank's story, but not quite yet.

And feel free to keep telling me any editing errors I make, even in the older stories, but please don't be offended or upset if I don't change them here. I feel that once the story goes online and is complete, it should stand proudly on its own, mistakes and all. I do fix any mistakes on my master copy though, so please point them out to me. And of course if it is a current story I will fix anything I can before I hit the complete box.

As for challenges and prompts, I really don't do any of those. The story pretty much plays out in my mind and I just write it down. And I have no idea where these stories come from.

Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.

Dawn glared at her alarm clock as it blared at her. She longed to throw it at the wall and go back to sleep, but instead she forced her tired body out of bed. She stepped into the shower, letting the water cascade over her, hoping the heat would wake her up. After a minute of standing under the spray, she grabbed her shampoo and started her day. When she was finished she dressed quickly and made her way to the kitchen. She was not surprised to find she was the last one down.

"Good morning," Andrew smiled brightly at her. He was at his customary place by the stove. "Pancakes or french toast?" he asked, pushing a cup of coffee her direction.

"Pancakes," she said, taking a slow sip of the hot beverage. She glanced around the room. Her grandparents were sitting at one end of the island, sipping their own coffee and staring at Andrew curiously. He was apparently in the middle of a story, which he promptly resumed as he cooked Dawn's pancakes. Her dad and aunt were in the dining room, already eating whatever Andrew had cooked up. "Thanks," she said when he placed a plate of pancakes, bacon, and eggs in front of her.

"My lady," he bowed gracefully before turning to her grandparents. He got off on another one of his tangents, and Dawn had to fight to suppress the smile at the panicked look on their faces. She looked up when Giles and Ethan entered the room. Giles looked like he hadn't slept at all, which he probably hadn't she realized, while Ethan threw an annoyed look Andrew's way and proceeded to sit as far away from him as possible.

"Did you sleep at all?" Dawn asked when Giles came to sit next to her.

"A little," he told her, watching as Andrew put some water on for tea even as he continued his story. "I tried to keep alert to any disturbances."

"I take it we are disturbance free?" she asked. He nodded.

"And how were the twins last night?" he asked. Andrew put the boiling pot of water in front of him, along with various teas, milk, honey, and an empty mug. Giles started making his tea as he talked with Dawn.

"They were fine," she told him. "They woke up around 3, but I gave them their bottles and they went right back to sleep." She shared a smile with him. "Maybe we shouldn't tell that to mom. She might start getting dangerous thoughts in her head."

"They do love to torment your mother," Giles returned her smile, "especially in the middle of the night." He turned to Ethan. "Would you like some tea?"

"Kindness in the morning does not make up for what you did to me last night," Ethan growled. Giles smirked.

"Andrew was more than happy to have you," he said cheerfully. "He said you were the perfect houseguest." Ethan rolled his eyes.

"Why that boy still has bunk beds I'll never understand." He took the tea Giles handed him. "Did I pass your test Ripper?"

"The first of many I assure you," Giles said as he sipped his own tea. They took their plates over to the dining room, sitting across from the Summers. Dawn followed, quickly eating so she wouldn't be late for school. She gave a quick goodbye to her family as she raced out the door.

The day passed too quickly for her. She went straight home after school, something she rarely did nowadays. "I'm home," she called out as she dropped her backpack at the foot of the stairs.

"In here," Giles called from the living room. She cautiously approached.

"Where is everybody?" she asked. Giles had several volumes of his basic demon books open on the coffee table. Her dad and aunt were staring at him in shock, while Ethan was playing with the twins on the floor.

"I convinced Andrew to help at the shop today," Giles explained. "And your grandparents decided to take advantage of the nice weather and explore the town."

"And we've been having a lovely conversation about this new world your father and aunt suddenly find themselves in," Ethan said, as he tickled Billy. The baby laughed loudly, reaching for the chaos mage.

"Dad?" Dawn asked as she moved closer. "Aunt Nancy?" Her aunt turned towards her.

"It's a bit overwhelming," she said honestly. Dawn glanced at the books Giles had shared with them. She knew he had just given them the supernatural introductory speech.

"It gets easier," she told them. "And I doubt demons will target you once you leave. They've learned not to piss off Buffy by doing stuff like that." Nancy nodded but Hank looked like he was about to pass out.

"Buffy was telling the truth," he said over and over again. Dawn threw a concerned glance to Giles.

"I think that's enough for one day," he said, closing the books he brought out. "Dawn, could you help me put these away?"

"Sure," she said, gathering up the books in her arms. "I have homework and SAT prep anyway. The library is my next stop." Giles nodded and followed her to the library, his arms full of books as well. Dawn put her stack on the table and left to get her backpack. She was just about to go back to the library when there was a knock on her door. "Giles," she called back even as she went to answer. Very few people made it past their security and to their door. "Are we expecting anyone?"

"No," he called out as he joined her. Ethan looked up from the living room, but made no move to join them. Dawn glared at him and he raised his hands innocently. Once Giles was there she opened the door.

"Wesley?" she asked, seeing the group standing on the other side of the door. "Gunn? Fred? What are you guys doing here?" She stepped back and they let themselves into the house.

"Is anything wrong?" Giles asked. He led them into the living room.

"We were going to ask you the same question," Wesley said, eyeing the extras in the room curiously. Nancy stood up and pulled her brother to his feet.

"Why don't we take a walk?" she suggested. "Give ourselves time to adjust." Hank nodded and let her pull him out of the house. Ethan stood to leave, but Giles put a warning hand on his shoulder.

"Not you," he said coldly.

"I was merely getting a bottle for the children," he said. "They seem a bit peckish."

"They're fine," Giles growled. Ethan sighed, but sat back down.

"Are these them?" Fred asked, getting to her knees so she could see the kids better. She reached out a hand and Billy grabbed onto her finger. "They're so cute." Gunn joined her and soon they were both on the floor playing with the kids.

"Angel told us," Wesley explained as he watched his normally serious coworkers suddenly making baby sounds and funny faces.

"Did he tell anyone else?" he asked. Giles had gone to Angel to see if the vampire could use the resources of Wolfram and Hart to help search for the other children. He knew Angel would tell his people, but worried how much further their secret would spread.

"No," Wesley shook his head. "This is a matter being handled by Angel Investigations." Giles nodded his appreciation.

"So what brings you to Sunnydale?" The others looked up.

"Angelus," Wesley said uncomfortably.

"Angel lost his soul?" Dawn asked, close to panicking.

"He thinks he did," Gunn said, standing up and joining them. "He locked himself in his office, in a cage, in chains. And he kept ranting about hurting Buffy."

"But Cordelia doesn't think so," Fred added as she joined the group. "She said he's not stalkery enough for Angelus."

"It was creepy enough for me," Gunn said. "If I didn't know how he usually is I would have staked him myself. If Angelus was worse I don't know how you guys managed."

"Since Cordelia is the only one who has experienced Angelus, she stayed behind to keep an eye on him. But something is definitely wrong," Wesley added. "He begged us to come protect Buffy in between threatening to turn her."

"It's almost like his demon is out of control," Fred added.

"Just like Spike," Dawn said, looking at Giles.

"What about Spike?" Wesley asked. Giles look sheepishly.

"He's downstairs, chained up inside the cell," he told them. He led the former Watcher downstairs. A few minutes later they reentered the living room.

"Just like Angel," Wesley said after a minute. "And you have no idea what could be affecting them?"

"No," Giles admitted. He looked over at Ethan. "We've had our own crisis to deal with and I haven't had time to figure out what is wrong with him. But now I'm convinced it is related. Ethan. What have you done?"

"Nothing," he said. "I went to see you the second I got into town and have been enjoying your hospitality ever since. I haven't had time to do anything."

"But you know something," Giles demanded.

"You don't feel it in the air?" he asked seriously. Giles shook his head. "You've really let yourself go haven't you Ripper."

"What are you talking about?" Gunn asked.

"There's magic in the air," Ethan smiled, holding his hand out as if he could feel something. "It's not the normal Hellmouth energy either. And it's getting stronger."

"Magic," Giles repeated. "And you expect me to believe you have nothing to do with it."

"I was not the one seeking out powerful mages for a coven," Ethan argued. "But if I had known your witch was going to do this I might have joined."

"Willow is not behind this," he said angrily. Wesley put a restraining hand on the Watcher.

"Do what exactly?" Wesley asked. "And how do you know there's magic involved?"

"One of the downsides of not belonging to a coven is power," Ethan explained, "or lack thereof. A coven will share power amongst its members."

"Which makes them much more powerful than a solitary magician," Wesley finished. "That is basic magic."

"A coven is more powerful, but the individual has less control over their own magic," Ethan finished. "I decided early on that there was only one man I would ever share my power with. When he went back to the Council, I vowed never to join a coven and remain a solitary magician for the rest of my life."

"Interesting," Gunn said, sounding extremely bored. "And this helps us how?"

"Solitary magicians develop a sixth sense about magic, rather like water rippling in a pond. Whenever a large spell is cast we are able to use the excess magic for our own desires." He raised his hand, waving it through the air in front of him. "I can feel magic coursing through the city."

"So whatever is affecting them is magical?" Fred asked. Ethan nodded. "Well that at least narrows it down. How many witches or warlocks are powerful enough to cast something like this?"

"Only two that I know of," Giles said, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "And they'll both be here for dinner."

"You can't think Willow did this," Dawn told him. "She hasn't been casting anything since Ethan came, and she's gotten so much better from a few years ago. And I know Tara would never cast anything that would harm anybody, even demons."

"I agree," Giles told her, "but we can't ignore the facts." He turned to Ethan. "Out of curiosity, which spell would you have cast to cause this kind of damage?" Ethan looked thoughtful for a moment.

"It depends what the end play is," he said. He turned to Wesley. "You said your vampire kept going on about hurting the Slayer?" Wesley nodded. "And the vampire downstairs keeps going on about hurting everybody. This could be an elaborate assassination attempt, though I must say it's a bit extravagant, even for my taste."

"Assassination?" Fred said thoughtfully. "How would you do something like that?"

"Well, it couldn't be done directly. As much as I would love it, you can't magically take over control of another person. Especially if you were trying to get that person to do something he or she wouldn't normally do. That would leave an indirect route." He thought for a moment before continuing. "There's always using the subconscious: dream weaving, hypnosis, that sort of thing. But it takes weeks, if not months to get results from those and it sounds like your demons went crazy overnight. There's always the classic coercion, but since nobody has been kidnapped and held for ransom." He looked around. "Where is your lovely bird Ripper?"

"She and Buffy are in L.A.," he said, mainly for the benefit of Angel's group, "and if anyone kidnapped her they would have Buffy also and there would be no need for this type of spell."

"True," Ethan admitted.

"So let me get this straight," Gunn said, leaving the babies and coming over to the group. He looked at Ethan. "You used to be evil."

"Not evil," he defended himself. "Just chaotic. Mischievous. Or in other words, fun."

"Right," Gunn said disbelievingly. "So if you were trying to kill the Slayer, what would you do?" Ethan thought for a minute.

"If it was me I'd use the abundance of demons around as a mob."

"But the majority of demons that live here are peaceful," Giles argued.

"Which is why I would need a spell that would target every demon species and a lot of power behind it. More than a solitary magician would have. I would probably need a coven filled with the most powerful sorcerers of our time."

"But how would you do it?" Fred asked. "How would you get them to act against their nature?"

"They already are love," Ethan smiled mischievously. "Demon's do not live in the world of man. They do not hold down a job so they can pay rent and put food on the table. They don't go to school or discuss politics. They kill, and maim, and destroy. Every day they live peacefully they act against their nature. A simple spell to remind them of the animals they truly are is not hard, but to spread it out to the whole city would need power. Then you simply hope one of those newly awakened, animalistic demons takes out your target."

"It's simple," Wesley said, but then he shook his head. "But why would it work on Angel? He's nowhere near Sunnydale. And none of the demons in L.A. seem to be affected."

"Through Spike," Giles said. "They are bonded through their demonic bloodline. As Spike's Sire, Angel will feel anything particularly strong that Spike feels. Especially if they are relatively close."

"I thought Drusilla Sired Spike," Wesley said, confused. Giles sighed.

"She started the process, but then got distracted. Angelus took it upon himself to complete the process, eventually claiming him as a Childe along with Drusilla."

"So he has two Sires?" Fred asked, intrigued by this development. She hadn't gotten to know Spike very well in the few times the groups interacted, but was finding him intriguing. "Maybe that's why he's so different from other vampires."

"Maybe," Giles conceded. "Either way if there is some spell trying to bring his demon to the forefront it's possible it is doing the same with Angel. Also Drusilla, if she's anywhere close."

"Which she isn't," Wesley added. "Our last reports had her in South America. Hopefully she just stays there."

"Wait," Dawn said, holding up a hand. "If there's a spell causing all demons in Sunnydale to go all grrr… arrggg, why is Spike the only one affected?"

"He easily is the most violent demon residing in Sunnydale," Giles said. "Even if every demon who lives here is suddenly overcome with violent thoughts and outbursts, the majority are not exactly scary, violent, or even intimidating. For example, it would take a lot to stir Clem to violence, and even more for that violence to be effective." Dawn sighed. He was right. She had met Clem years ago, and he was still one of her favorite non-human friends, even if he acted a little weird at times.

"So how do we stop it?" Gunn asked, pulling his homemade scythe out.

"We find the witch or warlock and stop them," Giles said.

"The witch that will be coming over for dinner later tonight," Ethan pointed out.

"Willow didn't do this!" Dawn shouted.

"She tried to recruit me to her coven!" Ethan countered. Their voices were raised.

"Enough!" Giles stepped between the two of them. "Shouting at each other isn't going to help anyone!" The two of them just glared at each other until Ethan backed down.

"Sorry Ripper," he said. Giles pinched the bridge of his nose in an effort to keep the headache he could feel coming away.

"We won't accuse Willow without proof," he said sternly, "but we also can't ignore the fact that Willow is one of a handful of people who could pull this off. In the meantime, it is getting dark. If Ethan is right, and he probably is, our normally peaceful demons might start rioting."

"We can help with that," Gunn said, hefting his scythe. "We can patrol and keep everything safe."

"I would prefer you not kill my neighbors just yet," Giles said. "Patrol with tranquilizer rifles please." Gunn nodded.

"I would like to see Spike," Fred spoke up. "Compare his condition with Angel."

"Of course," Giles said. He looked at Dawn. "Can you take her?"

"Sure," she shrugged. "I'll grab some guns and tranqs while I'm down there." Giles nodded and she led Fred away. Soon she reappeared with the rifles.

"How will we know if it's a good demon or a bad one?" Gunn asked as he expertly loaded the gun and tucked the extra tranquilizer darts in his pockets.

"One of us will have to go with you. We'll be able to tell which ones you can shoot and which ones you can kill." Gunn and Wesley nodded as they finished gearing up. They moved to the hallway just as the door opened. Hank Summers and his family stood on the threshold, staring at the heavily armed men.

"Paintball competition," Wesley explained before looking at his watch. "Which we're late for. If you will excuse us." They didn't give the family any time to question, instead moving across the drive to where their car was parked.

"They must take paintball very seriously," Irene Summers said disapprovingly. She marched past the group and into the kitchen. "Is dinner not ready yet? It's nearly dinner time." Giles sighed as he stepped into the kitchen and began making dinner. He would be nice to these people, if only for Buffy and Dawn.