Chapter 37: Gone

"Dawn! Buffy!"

Leah's voice. Dawn grabbed the elevator door before it closed. Leaning out, she saw Leah jogging from the opposite exit.

"We couldn't get to Savannah," Dawn called.

"Me neither. I'm sorry, Buffy. All hell's broken loose in there. We'll never get back inside."

"Hurry then," Dawn said.

As Leah ran, the elevator door jerked, as if trying to close. Dawn shoved it back, but it kept moving, pushing harder and harder until she had to lean against it, straining to hold it open.

"Come on!" Dawn yelled. "Something's wrong with the doors. Buffy, I need your help!"

Buffy didn't move to help Dawn. Her mind was on Savannah and the fact that she was leaving her daughter behind. When Leah was less than five feet away, the door jolted violently, slamming into Dawn's shoulder. Dawn stumbled. Leah reached to grab her, but Dawn fell backward into the elevator car.

As the doors clanged shut Dawn jumped up and pounded on the button to reopen the elevator.

"It won't open!" Dawn yelled. "Hit the call button!"

"I am!"

The elevator lurched suddenly. It heaved upward.

"Look after Savannah," Buffy yelled as tears sprang to her eyes. "Tell her I will come back for her. Tell her I'm sorry I broke my promise."

"I will," Leah yelled back.

When the elevator finally stopped the doors opened. They found themselves staring at a waist-high wall. No, not a wall. A floor. The elevator had stopped between levels. As they stepped forward to look out, the elevator jerked again. Machinery groaned in the shaft overhead and the car began sinking. The floor inched from waist to mid-chest. Their window of escape was vanishing—literally. Grabbing the edge of the floor they vaulted up and out of the elevator before it vanished down the shaft.

Dawn and Buffy realized they were on the top floor. The elevator had brought them all the way up.

Dawn let Buffy take a moment to compose herself before they tried to remember where the exit was. To their left, at the end of the hall. As the sisters turned, voices echoed through the corridor, coming toward them from the rear. They looked around for a hiding place. There was a door about twenty feet down the hall. They sprinted for it, threw the door open, and was jumping inside when they realized the voices had stopped. The guards were back at the elevator. As the sisters listened, the guards argued over what to do about the broken elevator, then unanimously decided to hand the decision to someone else—namely Tucker. A minute later, they were gone.

Buffy and Dawn waited until the sound of their boots receded into silence, then they eased from their hiding spot, looked both ways and ran. The corridor ended in a small room. Inside was the door to freedom. All they had to do was open it. And to open it, all I needed was the retina and handprint of an authorized person.

The voices near the elevator returned. Buffy and Dawn raced for the closet again. Once inside, they listened. Only two voices this time. They were waiting for their companions to return with Tucker. Buffy and Dawn didn't have time to think up a foolproof plan, or much of any plan at all. They didn't stand a chance against more than two guards all carrying guns. Someone would get lucky and one or both of them would be shot.

Pushing open the door, Dawn checked the hall and made sure she couldn't see the guards—meaning they couldn't see her or Buffy. As quietly as possible, they hustled toward the elevator. They stopped at the corner, crouched, and peered around it. The guards faced the opposite wall, one peering into the elevator shaft, the other bitching about the delay. Dawn took one breath, then launched herself at the first guard, knocking him into the elevator shaft. His arms windmilled once, and he plunged out of sight. Dawn nearly stumbled in after him and managed to avoid it only by using the momentum to twist and spring at the second guard. His hand went for his gun. As he yanked out the pistol, she snatched it from his hand and flung it down the elevator shaft. Then she slapped her palm over the guard's mouth as Buffy came up to her. Buffy grabbed him and shoved him forward. When he resisted, Buffy heaved him off the ground and carried him. His feet kicked frantically.

Buffy dragged the guard to the door. The security panel was the same as those on the cell-block exits. Dawn hit the button Bauer had used and jammed the guard's chin upward. As the camera whirred, the guard realized what they were doing and shut his eyes. But it was too late. The first light flashed green. Dawn grabbed the guard's hand and wrenched open his fist. Bones snapped. She forced his broken fingers around the door handle. The second light turned green. Dawn placed her hand over his and yanked open the door.

Buffy released him and walked outside as Dawn snapped his neck. They raced into the forest, eschewing the network of paths and heading for the thick brush. No one came after the sisters. They would. The question was how far could they get before they did. How many miles to the nearest town? Which direction?

Dawn grabbed Buffy and tried teleporting. Katzen's spell was still on her. She had to wonder why, maybe it was to give time for the guards to recapture them. "No go. We'll have to run."

Buffy simply nodded and Dawn knew her sister's mind wasn't on what lay ahead of them but what was behind them.

Off the paths, the woods were rain-forest thick. Every ground-level inch was clogged with vines and dead vegetation. Every aboveground inch was covered with bushes and spindly trees, all vying for pockets of sunlight unclaimed by the towering old-growth forest. Here and there Buffy and Dawn stumbled onto paths trodden by deer, but they kept losing them as they petered out into thin trails already reclaimed by wilderness. A place for animals, not humans. But Buffy and Dawn didn't have the option of turning initiating the Change, they couldn't spare ten minutes to Change.

Dawn grabbed Buffy's hand again and hoped it would work, but it didn't. "I think we're going to have to."

Buffy nodded as they slowed, moving more carefully now so they wouldn't leave an obvious trodden path. After they zigzagged for five minutes, they found a thicket, crawled inside, and listened. Still no sound of pursuers. Buffy and Dawn pulled off their clothes and Changed.

They were still straining with the final stages of their Change when something knocked Dawn and Buffy to the ground. Leaping up, they twisted to face their attackers. A rottweiler stood three feet away, growling, a stalactite of drool quivering from his curled upper lip. To his left was a large bloodhound. A tracking dog and a killer. These two hadn't strayed from a neighboring farm. They'd come from the compound.

The Change finished, Buffy and Dawn pulled themselves up to their full height. The hound wheeled and ran, not so much intimidated as confused, seeing a canine and smelling a human. The rottweiler stood his ground and waited for Buffy or Dawn to take the next step in the dance of ritualized intimidation. Instead, the sisters leapt at him.

The sudden attack caught the dog off guard, and the sisters sank their teeth into his haunch before he tore away. He twisted to grab Dawn, but she darted out of reach. As Buffy lunged again, he was ready, rearing to meet her in mid-jump. They crashed together, both struggling for the crucial neck hold. His teeth grazed Buffy's lower jaw. Buffy broke away and sprang to her feet. Dawn dashed behind him and vaulted onto his back. As he fell, he twisted, jaws snapping onto Dawn's foreleg. Pain shot through her, but she resisted the urge to jerk away. Dawn slashed at his unprotected throat, teeth ripping through fur and flesh. The rottweiler convulsed, bucking to throw her free. When Dawn released Buffy was in their grabbing his mangled throat and pinning him to the ground. She waited until he stopped struggling, then let go. Then she and Dawn ran.

Already the baying of a hound reverberated through the night air. The ground vibrated with running paws. Three dogs, maybe four. The hound had rediscovered his courage in a backup team. Just then someone shouted. And the sisters realized in the time it would take me to challenge and fight the dogs, the guards would be on them. Their options narrowed to two: Throw the hound off their trail or lead the dogs away from their handlers. Either way, Buffy and Dawn had to run.

The best way to lose the hound would be to run through water. Winsloe had mentioned a river. Where was it? The night air was so damp, everything smelled like water. Buffy and Dawn had run about a half-mile when the humidity content in the westerly wind tripled. As they veered west, they found a path and took it. Speed was now a bigger concern than laying a difficult trail. On the open path, they ran full tilt, heads low, eyes narrowed against the wind. Buffy and Dawn dashed across a spongy patch of ground, covering it in three strides. As their front paws hit firmer earth, the ground beneath Dawn's back legs suddenly gave way. Grappling for a hold, Dawns dug her front claws into the soil as her back legs pedaled air. Behind Dawn, her hindquarters disappeared into the darkness of a deep hole. Then Dawn recalled what Winsloe had said about Lake running for the river: "… if he takes the easy route, he'll find himself in a bear pit."

Buffy turned around when she noticed Dawn wasn't beside her. She ran back to her sister and grabbed her by the back of the neck trying to pull her up. The hound's baying crescendoed, then split into two voices. Two hounds. Both getting very, very close. Dawn's right rear paw struck something on the side of the pit, a stone or a root. She used it to push as Buffy dragged her up. A dog yipped behind them. They didn't turn to see how close it was.

The sisters ran for the river. An earsplitting yowl sounded to their left, so close they felt the vibration. They veered right and kept going. The thunder of running paws shook the ground. Buffy and Dawn hunkered down and picked up speed. They were faster than any dog, shoot Buffy was faster than Dawn but Buffy paced herself. Better together than separate. All they had to do was keep out of their reach long enough to outpace them. So long as they didn't hit any more traps, they could do it. The sound of running water grew until it drowned out the panting of the dogs. Where was that river? They could smell it, hear it … but couldn't see it. All they could see was the path extending another fifty yards. And beyond those fifty yards? Nothing. Meaning the ground dropped off to the river. How much of a drop? A small riverbank or a hundred-foot cliff? Were they willing to take the risk? The water sounded close, so it couldn't be too steep a drop. They had to take the gamble. Not slowing, Buffy and Dawn raced toward the trail's end. Then, less than thirty feet away, a shape flew from the forest's edge and landed in their path.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Buffy and Dawn tried to stop as all four of their legs shot out, like brakes on a car careering out of control. They caught a glimpse of fur, a flash of canines, and braced for the attack. A tawny underbelly sailed over the sisters. Stupid dog. They never did have any sense of aim. Buffy and Dawn wheeled around to meet their assailant on the backlash and saw only a flicker of tail fur as he raced away. As they began to run for the riverbank, a roar of fury split the night air, and they again skidded to a stop. Buffy and Dawn both knew that roar. Inhaling, they caught their attacker's scent and realized why he hadn't attacked them.

Wheeling, Buffy and Dawn saw Clay fly at a pack of five dogs. The sisters tore after him. Before they could cover the fifty feet between them and Clay, both hounds and one rottweiler turned tail and ran. That meant they only had to fight two dogs, a rottweiler and German shepherd. Three to Two. Perfect! Hey, wait a minute—Clay was running after the cowards, leaving Buffy and Dawn with both remaining dogs. So, it was now one on one. Still not bad odds but three on two would have been better.

The rottweiler turned on Buffy. As she spun to face him. The rottweiler sank its teeth into Buffy's shoulder. Buffy toppled backward, trying to knock him off.

The shepherd leapt at Dawn's throat, but she saw the flash of teeth and snapped her head down to protect her neck. As the shepherd pulled back, Dawn grabbed his ear between her teeth and wrenched, shredding it. He yelped and stumbled away.

The rottweiler grabbed Buffy's shoulder again and shook her. Her legs struggled for a foothold. Pain ripped through her shoulder. As her right rear leg scuffed the ground, she dug in, got some leverage, and rolled, jerking the rottweiler off his feet. They tumbled down, somersaulting together, snapping at anything within biting distance. Then, in mid-roll, the rottweiler flew off her.

Literally flew. One second his teeth were plunging into the thick fur around Buffy's neck, then next he was hurtling skyward. Blood sprayed her eyes. Blinded, she lurched to her feet, tossing her head to clear her vision. The first thing she saw was the rottweiler hanging from Clay's jaws.

The shepherd. It dove at Dawn. She spun, catching it in mid-flight, and tore out its throat before they even hit the ground. Its body was still twitching when the sisters and Clay heard the shouts of the guards.

Buffy and Dawn ran for the riverbank. Clay cut them off and shoved them toward the woods. As Dawn snapped at him, they saw the bodies of both hounds lying farther up the path and they understood. Clay had gone after the fleeing hounds to ensure they couldn't double back and pick up their trail. With the hounds dead, they didn't need to head for the water.

They dove into the underbrush and circled north, coming within thirty feet of the guards as they jogged toward the river. They didn't stop, nor did the rottweiler loping beside them. They were making enough noise to cover Buffy, Dawn and Clay's, and the southeasterly wind kept their scent from the dog.

Buffy and Dawn followed Clay through two miles of forest, heading northeast. When he stopped, Buffy and Dawn sniffed for the stink of a road but smelled only forest. As they searched the breeze, he brushed along Dawn's side, rubbing close enough for her to feel the heat of his body through his fur. He circled her, then paused at her injured shoulder, licked it twice, and circled again. Buffy whimpered at being left out and she could see the mirth in Clay's eyes as he moved to rub against her. Letting her know she was safe. Then they headed northeast at a slow lope. A half-hour later, Buffy and Dawn picked up the distant scent of a road. Time to Change.

Even after the sisters Changed back, they stayed in their hiding place. While Clay paced beyond the thicket, the sisters crouched there, listening to the crunch of dead leaves under his feet and wondering what the hell they were doing.

"Dawn?" Buffy thought.

"I'm afraid, Buffy," Dawn replied. "I don't know how to face Clay. It's like a stranger is waiting for me and I'm not sure how to react. It's like I want nothing more than to huddle here until he goes away. Not that I want Clay to go away. I just …"

"I know," Buffy replied. "I feel the same way. But it's going to be okay."

Clay stopped pacing. "Dawn? Buffy?" he said softly.

"Ummm—we don't have any clothing," Buffy said trying to distract Clay from the fact they were still in the thicket.

"Lousy time for joking, Buffy?" Clay said as the sisters finally stepped out of the thicket. He searched the sisters' faces, hesitant, almost uncertain. Then he pulled them against him as their knees gave way, and they stumbled into his arms, burying their faces against his shoulders, inhaling his smell as a sound frighteningly close to a sob burst from each of their lips.

Clay wrapped his arms around the both of them and hugged them close to him, his hands rubbing their backs. When both Buffy and Dawn stopped shaking, they bent their knees, lowering themselves and Clay to the ground.

Dawn and Clay looked at each other and smiled at the thought of making mad passionate love here in the woods to one another. But two things stopped Dawn from doing just that; one was Buffy was right there and two was Savannah. Her niece was still inside waiting for their return. "We have to find Jeremy and plan our return," she said. "This can wait."

"Return?" Clay asked.

"My daughter is back there," Buffy said.

"What?" Clay asked as he looked at Dawn who nodded.

"Do you remember when you bit me," Dawn said. "Buffy was in Toronto already setting up our new identities. Remember?"

Clay nodded.

"When I left for Toronto, I was already three months pregnant, I was just beginning to show," Buffy said. "I didn't want Dawn to find out. Remember while we had never suffered a first death like Rei, we believed we were like her. That the Fountain had made us infertile. And I didn't want to get Dawn's hopes that she might one day have a child and then watch them grow up and eventually die like she had to do with Jack."

"So Buffy," Dawn said. "Gave her up for adoption. A witch by the name of Eve adopted her when she noticed that Buffy's daughter was a witch. We don't know why for sure we assume so she could train her. Anyways Savannah and the adopted mother were captured. We're not going into right now how we found out that Savannah is Buffy's daughter. We'll wait till we're with Jeremy for that. It's complicated. But suffice to say Savannah is in there. And we have to go back and get her."

"And we will," Clay said as he looked to Buffy and smiled. "She is your daughter which means she is mine and Dawn's niece. Which also means she is part of the Pack, even if she isn't a wolf. And you know we don't leave anyone behind."

"I know," Buffy said.

"We should go," Dawn said.

Clay chuckled. "You think?"

"Probably. Unless you brought food. Then maybe we could squeeze in a picnic before we leave, watch the sun come up," Dawn said.

"Sorry, darling. No food. There's a town about ten miles from here. We'll grab breakfast there.

I was in kind of a hurry to get away and I didn't grab a change of clothes."

"Those guys from the compound," Buffy said as Clay nodded. "Winsloe told us, showed us some pictures of you. Told us that one of their guys killed you."

Clay looked at the sisters.

"But we knew there was a chance it couldn't be true and when we asked for something to confirm your scent, Winsloe balked and said someone had come to get your body," Dawn told him. "It was then Buffy and I knew it wasn't true."

"Anyways we'll have to share what I've got. Of course, that'll make it easier if we decide to stop for more sex after breakfast," Clay said.

"Just take us home," Dawn said. "Then you and I can have all the sex we want. And believe me, Clay when I say, I want to make love to you so badly."

Clay laughed and kissed Dawn. "I bet, but I wish I could."

"She meant, take us wherever Jeremy and the others are. We still have to get my daughter back, remember?" Buffy said.

Clay nodded and retrieved his clothes from behind a nearby tree. Then he handed Buffy his shirt, which thankfully for her height covered her. He handed his boxers, and socks to Dawn.

"If we need to switch for any reason, I will give Dawn the shirt and hide or Change as the situation requires," Buffy said.

Clay nodded as he put on his jeans and shoes. Once they'd dressed—or half-dressed—he walked them to the waiting car.

They were in Maine. Not seaside, vacation-land Maine, but the middle of the remote northern section. Before Clay had left Jeremy to look for Dawn and Buffy, the others had narrowed the sisters' location to upper Maine. In Clay's absence, Jeremy had moved everyone to New Brunswick, deeming it the safest location from which to search for all three of them. Clay learned this by calling Jeremy from a roadside pay phone. Jeremy still had Dawn's cell phone and was able to give him directions.

On the way to New Brunswick they stuck to the back roads for as long as they could, less chance of being seen half-dressed by a cop. But in that part of Maine, the non-highway roads were often so insignificant they couldn't find them on the map. They soon turned onto I-95. Before they reached the Houlton–Woodstock border crossing. Buffy handed Dawn the shirt then she initiated the Change. The plan was at the border-crossing they would say that Buffy was their dog, Clay's idea. It was either that or explain why Dawn was topless. Buffy buried her muzzle in the back seat so the people at the border crossing wouldn't see that her for what she was. Crossing the border into Canada was a snap. To be on the safe side Buffy stayed Changed till they got to New Brunswick.

They reached the motel at nine-thirty. It was an old but well-kept motor lodge with a huge roadside sign proclaiming "Bienvenue/Welcome." Only a half-dozen cars dotted the parking lot. Come evening, it would fill with vacationers making the trek from Ontario and Quebec to the Maritimes, but for now everyone was gone, up early and on the road by breakfast.

"Is this the right place?" Dawn said. "Do you recognize any of the rental cars?"

"No, but they'd have traded them for new ones. I do recognize that guy by the fence, though."

Jeremy stood before a caged pen of grouse and pheasant, his back to them. Dawn threw open the door and leaped out before the car stopped rolling.

"Hungry?" Dawn called as she jogged toward Jeremy. "They look fat enough."

Jeremy turned, giving Dawn a half-smile, as unsurprised if she'd been standing behind him the entire time. He looked at Buffy and frowned. "Why is she?"

"Border crossing," Dawn said. "Not enough clothes to go around. It was either she pretends to be a dog or we explain why one of us is nude. She kept her muzzle buried in the back seat so they wouldn't recognize her for what she is."

"Good thinking," Jeremy said as Dawn threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek, he hugged her back and murmured that he was glad to see her. He then reached down and ruffled Buffy's fur and whispered in her ear that he was glad to see her as well.

Buffy gave a simple nod of her head.

"Have you all eaten?" he asked.

"We grabbed breakfast," Clay said as he approached. "But they're probably still hungry."

"Starved," Dawn said. And then she looked at Buffy. "Buffy, you hungry?" she thought.

"Starved."

"Buffy says she's starved," Dawn said.

"How?" Jeremy asked.

"Telepathy spell," Dawn said. "Ruth taught it to me while we were in there. I tried using it to contact you but they had a blocking spell up that wouldn't even allow me to teleport. But while we were in there, I tried it with Buffy. Got to the point at least with her I don't even have to actually cast it. It's like the link is just always on."

"Ah," Jeremy said. "There's a restaurant a mile down. We'll get a proper meal there. First, though, I suggest you put on more clothing. Both of you. And Buffy you need to Change and get some clothes on." He steered them toward the motel. "We'll take my room."

A room door opened and Paige emerged, but Jeremy continued leading Buffy and Dawn toward the opposite end of the motel. Dawn managed a quick smile and wave before Jeremy ushered the sisters into his room.

"They're eager to see you, but it can wait," he said.

"Preferably after Buffy and I have showered, and Buffy's Changed," Dawn said.

"First, medical attention, I see you have healing scars, Dawn. Does Buffy? Then a shower, food, and rest. There's no rush to talk to anyone."

"Yes, we both have some scars; I think Buffy's is pretty much healed, though. And thanks."

After Buffy had Changed Jeremy looked over the sisters tending to any injuries they still had. As he was finishing up Buffy's stomach growled.

Jeremy glanced over his shoulder at Clay. "The restaurant is on the east side of the highway. Head south around the bend. They should have pancakes."

"Et le jambon, s'il vous plaît," Dawn said.

"They speak English," Jeremy said, lips twitching as Clay hesitated by the door. "She said she wants ham as well. Naturellement."

"Right," Clay said. And left.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

After examining, stitching and cleaning any residual wounds the sisters had, they each took a hot shower. Buffy was the first in and out. As Jeremy handed her some clothes Dawn went in to take hers.

Dawn was still in the shower when Clay returned with breakfast. Buffy immediately dove into hers as Clay walked into the bathroom.

"You know they probably won't come out of there for an hour now," Buffy said as she looked at Jeremy who laughed and nodded. "We need to talk about the compound."

"And we will, not this second though," Jeremy said. "Rest for now."

"Jeremy," Buffy said. "Now, you and I. This is important. My daughter is there."

"Your daughter?" Jeremy asked shocked. "You always said that you and Dawn couldn't have children."

"As far as we knew we couldn't," Buffy said. "Then just before I met you, I gave birth. I'm not going into how I know she's mine. It's complicated. But the fact is, she is mine. And I intend to go back for her, with or without your help."

Jeremy sighed and nodded.

Twenty minutes later, Buffy and Jeremy had left the room before Dawn and Clay had even come out of the bathroom. Dawn was now curled up beside Clay, one arm draped over his back, tracing designs in the sweat between his shoulder blades as he nibbled the hollow between her neck and shoulder. She yawned, stretched her legs, then wrapped them around his.

"Sleep?" he asked.

"Later," Dawn said.

"Talk?"

"Not yet." Dawn buried her face in his chest, inhaled, and sighed. "You smell so good."

He chuckled. "Like ham?"

"No, like you. I missed you so much," Dawn said.

His breath caught. One hand went to her hair, stroking it back from her ear.

"I was scared," Dawn said.

"So was I," he said, kissing the top of Dawn's head. "When I realized you and Buffy were gone."

Someone knocked on the door. Clay swore under his breath. "Go away," he murmured, too low for the visitor to hear.

"It could be Jeremy," Dawn said.

"Jeremy wouldn't bother us. Not now."

"Then it's probably, Buffy," Dawn said. "She'd knock if she thought."

Clay nodded and laughed. "Buffy, we're having –"

"Dawn? It's me," Paige called.

Clay lifted himself onto his forearms. "Go away!"

"I just wanted to see how Dawn—" Paige said.

"No!"

Paige's sigh fluttered through the door. "Stop shouting, Clayton. I'm not going to harass her. I know she's been through a lot. I only wanted to—"

"You'll see her, like you will Buffy, when everyone else does. Until then, wait."

"Maybe I should talk to her," Dawn whispered.

"If you open that door, she won't go away until she's pestered every iota of information from you."

"I heard that, Clayton," Paige said.

He snarled at the door and muttered under his breath. Something told Dawn that Clay and Paige hadn't become fast friends in hers and Buffy's absence.

"Ummm, Paige?" Dawn called. "I'm kind of tired, but if you'll give me a minute to dress—"

"She won't go away," Clay said. "You need time to relax. You don't need to be answering questions for a bunch of strangers."

"I'm not a stranger," Paige said. "Could you be a little less rude, Clayton?"

Dawn crawled from the bed and tossed Clay his jeans. When he opened his mouth to protest, she jabbed a finger at the window, then lifted it to her lips. He nodded. As she slid into Clay's T-shirt and boxers, he eased the window open and unhooked the screen. Then, while Paige patiently waited for them to open the door, they escaped into the surrounding forest.

"That probably wasn't very nice," Dawn said as they tramped deeper into the woods.

Clay snorted. "Won't catch me losing any sleep over it."

"I know Paige can be difficult, but—" Dawn said.

"She's a pain in the ass, darling. And that's being generous. The kid is barely out of school and she thinks she's a leader, pushing her way into everything, arguing, second-guessing Jeremy. Until she met you in Pittsburgh, she'd never been within screaming distance of real danger and suddenly she's an expert." He shook his hand. "Don't get me started."

Dawn sighed. "Seems I already did."

"Nah, that's nothing, darling. Give me a few hours and I'll tell you what I really think of Paige Winterbourne. Nobody talks to Jeremy that way, especially not some little girl with an overinflated sense of her own importance. If I had my way, Paige would have been sent packing last week. But you know Jeremy. He doesn't put up with her crap, but he won't let it get to him, either." He pushed through a tangle of tree branches. "Where're we going?"

"How about a run? Even Paige wouldn't pester a wolf," Dawn suggested.

"Don't count on it." Clay said as Dawn nodded. She then stopped for a second and cursed. "What?"

"Buffy," Dawn said. "I probably should warn her. With Savannah still locked away in that place. She doesn't need Paige bothering her."

"Your right," Clay said as he watched Dawn. He saw the faraway look in her eyes. And was sure she was telepathically talking to her sister.

"Buffy?" Dawn thought.

"Dawn?" Buffy said.

"Beware of Paige. She came to see me. Clay and I slipped out the back to get away from her. She may try and come see you next. And with Savannah, I know right now is not the time you need to be worrying about Paige."

"Thanks for the warning, Dawn," Buffy replied.

After Clay and Dawn's run, they made love. Again. Afterward they lay in the grass, soaking up the late summer sun that pierced the canopy of trees overhead.

"You smell that?" Clay asked.

"Hmmm?" Dawn said not really paying attention.

"I smell food."

"Dead or alive?" Dawn asked.

Clay laughed. "Dead, darling. Dead and cooked."

He heaved himself up, looked around, then motioned for her to wait and vanished into the woods. A half-minute later he returned with a picnic basket. Well, a cardboard box actually, but the smells drifting from it were definitely of the picnic variety. Laying it on the grass, he unpacked cheese, bread, fruit, a covered plate of chicken, a bottle of wine, and assorted paper and plastic eating tools.

"Picnic fairies?" Dawn asked, then caught a whiff of scent that answered her question. "Jeremy. Buffy must have told him we headed out." She grabbed a drumstick and tore a chunk from it. "I'm spoiled."

"If she did tell him, I'm going to thank her. You deserve it."

Dawn grinned. "I do, don't I?"

They polished off the meal and Clay polished off the wine in less than ten minutes. Then she reclined on the grass and sighed, content and sated for the first time in nearly two weeks. Dawn closed her eyes and the first seductive tug of sleep washed over her. She rolled against Clay, smiling drowsily, and let the waves of slumber pull her under. Then she bolted awake.

"We can't sleep out here," Dawn said. "It's not safe."

Clay's lips brushed my forehead. "I'll stay awake, darling."

As Dawn opened my mouth to argue, Jeremy's voice drifted from the distance. "You can both sleep. Buffy and I are here."

Clay tapped Dawn and indicated his head and then pointed in the direction Jeremy's voice had come from.

Dawn understood what he was wanting. But she was unsure if she could do it. "I've never done a three-way. I'll try though," she whispered low enough only he heard.

"Buffy?" Dawn thought.

"Dawn?" Buffy's reply came.

"I hope I got this working right. Clay are you there?" Dawn said.

"I'm here, Dawn." Clay replied.

"Can you hear him, Buffy?" Dawn said.

"Yes." Buffy said.

Clay looked at Dawn and smiled. "Buffy, thank you for letting Jeremy know where we were. The picnic lunch was much appreciated. Now get some rest, you like Dawn deserve it after what you two have been through."

"Thanks. But until Savannah is in my arms again. I don't think I will be able to sleep much." Buffy said and both Clay and Dawn got the impression that Buffy was trying to keep from crying.

"We'll get her Buffy, don't worry. And you know me, I live up to my promises." Dawn said.

It was late afternoon when Jeremy nudged Clay and Dawn awake. Clay grunted between snores but didn't move. Dawn yawned, rolled over, and kept rolling until she was lying on her other side, whereupon she promptly fell back asleep. Jeremy shook them harder.

"Yes, I know you're still tired," he said as Clay grumbled something unintelligible. "But Dawn and Buffy need to speak to the others today. I can't postpone it until morning."

Clay muttered under his breath.

"Yes, I know I could," Jeremy said. "But it would be rude. They've been waiting all day."

"Dawn Marie Summers!" Buffy said. "Up and at them."

"We need—" Dawn began.

"Jeremy brought clothing for Clay. I grabbed some for you, Dawn," Buffy said.

"I need to brush—"

"I grabbed a brush and mouthwash, Dawnie," Buffy said. "Jeremy and I figured if we let you two go back to your room, we wouldn't see you until morning."

"We're meeting in fifteen minutes. I'll keep it short. For both yours and Buffy's sakes," Jeremy said.

The meeting was to be held in Kenneth and Adam's room. As they crossed the parking lot, Buffy and Dawn saw Paige pacing the crumbling sidewalk. Her arms were crossed, probably against the cool night air, but it looked as if she was holding in a barrage of questions, she'd been waiting half a day to fire at the sisters.

Dawn stopped and looked at Buffy.

"What?" Clay asked.

"Buffy, what do we tell Paige? About Ruth?" Dawn thought as Buffy stopped and looked at her.

"Oh, shit," Buffy said.

"What?" Jeremy asked.

"Ruth, Paige's aunt," Buffy said. "She's dead."

"Oh dear," Jeremy said. "That will be something that has to be broached carefully."

"We're going to have to talk to Paige," Dawn said.

"Stay in sight," Clay called as the sisters jogged away.

As Buffy and Dawn approached, Paige turned and nodded, acknowledging their presence, but saying nothing. Her face was expressionless, any annoyance hidden under a veneer of good manners.

"How are you two feeling?" she asked. "Jeremy says your wounds aren't too bad."

"About earlier," Dawn said. "I'm—I wasn't thinking—it's been a hell of a day." She shook her head. "Sorry, that's a lousy excuse. You wanted to know about your aunt. Neither Buffy or I thought—we shouldn't have—"

"She's gone, isn't she?"

"I'm so sorry," Buffy said. "It happened after we lost contact, and we forgot you didn't know."

Paige's eyes moved from the sisters, turning to stare over the parking lot. The sisters struggled for something to say, but before they could think of anything, she spoke, her gaze still fixed on some far-off point.

"I knew," she said, her voice as distant as her gaze. "I sensed she was gone, though I'd hoped I was wrong." She paused, swallowed, then shook her head sharply and turned back to the sisters. "How did it happen?"

"Heart attack," Buffy thought. "Say it was a heart attack. Better than telling her my daughter inadvertently may have killed her."

"Heart attack," Dawn said.

Paige frowned. "But her heart—"

"Welcome back!" Adam shouted from across the parking lot.

Buffy and Dawn turned to see him running toward them, grinning.

"You two look good," Adam said. "Well, except for those cuts. We'll get them back for that. How are your arms, Buffy? The burns, I mean. I never got a chance to explain. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. Really sorry."

"To be honest, I'd forgotten all about it," Buffy said.

"Good. Then forget I mentioned it." He turned as Clay reached them. "How come you didn't take me along? I could have helped with the rescue."

"There was no rescue," Clay said, looping his arms around both Buffy and Dawn's waists. "While I was trying to find a way inside, Buffy and Dawn escaped. All I did was provide the getaway car."

"We should get this meeting started," Paige said. "We'll keep it brief. I'm sure you two are exhausted, Dawn, Buffy. We won't pester you both for details to night. I promise."