Dawn set a glass of water down on the stand beside her bed and settled back into the little nest of pillows she had made for herself while finishing her homework before going downstairs for dinner. Buffy had just left for patrol after eating and she knew she wouldn't be home for hours. She could only just hear the soft sounds of Willow and Tara cleaning up downstairs as she pulled out the bag of things she had bought from the Magic Box. Despite the upcoming sale, there were a few things she just couldn't resist buying right away.

She smiled at the secondhand Astrology book, it's cover was slightly battered, an elaborate sun and moon embossed in gold on the cover. What had attracted her to it most was that the book also included some simple spells for beginners. Buffy had been hesitant about letting her get it at first but Anya had assured her it was harmless.

Dawn settled back against the pillows with her legs curled up comfortably as she began to read. Within minutes she had become fully engrossed in the book. She had been studying astronomy in school but this wasn't anything like what they had been learning. She found the very idea that the stars and planets could have such a profound effect on a person's personality and their life in general to be utterly fascinating.

She was studying a chart, illustrating not only personality traits of the individual Zodiac signs but also their compatibility in romantic relationships and friendships, when there was a soft knock at the door.

"Yeah?" Dawn answered absently without looking up from her book.

The door opened a little revealing Willow wearing a tank top and a pair of sleep pants. "I wasn't sure if you were still up. Tara and I are getting ready for bed so I thought I'd check to make sure you didn't need anything."

Dawn looked up at her, rolling her shoulders. "No, I'm good. Just reading my new book."

Willow glanced at the book in her hands. "Is that a spell book?"

"A little bit. It's mostly just Astrology with a little starter stuff thrown in. Pretty low key."

Willow took a few steps into the room and sat on the bed to take a better look at the book. "May I?" she asked, holding out her hand for the volume.

Slipping her new moon and star bookmark in to mark her page, Dawn handed it over. Willow took a moment to look through the table of contents and flipped through the pages.

"Looks like a good introduction-y book," she said, standing up with a yawn. "Sorry, I need some serious time in dreamland. Don't stay up too late, if you're still up when Buffy gets home she might decide to use one of us as a practice dummy."

"Huh yeah, like I believe that one."

"Read at your own risk," Willow teased. "Look, even if you don't have school tomorrow we still have to work on your astronomy project. So sleep is of the good."

She rolled her eyes with a sigh and nodded. "Fine, I'll go to bed after this chapter."

"Ah huh, famous last words," Willow sing-songed.

(*)

One more chapter… and another, and another…

The soft click of the front door locking pierced through Dawn's concentration and she looked up at the clock with wide eyes.

3:15

She glanced down at the pages in front of her, realizing she had nearly finished the book. She had never encountered a subject that had gripped her so completely but the more she read, the more she felt like she might be able to understand the people around her.

Begrudgingly, she marked her page and clicked off her bedside lamp. She had only just managed to settle down between the covers when Buffy's soft footsteps came up the stairs.

Dawn pulled the blanket over her face, desperately trying to think sleepy thoughts but all she could think about was the way the position of planets at the time of a person's birth could affect every part of their life so completely. What that meant for her, being someone who wasn't exactly "born" posed a number of questions that roiled in her brain.

As best as she could tell she was most certainly a Virgo as she had always believed. The thought had actually given her a sense of pride. She had already started to understand so much more about herself and found it incredibly empowering.

Now I just need to find out what everyone else's signs are.

Dawn laid there in the dark, letting her thoughts roll around while trying to will herself to sleep. The shower turned on and she assumed her sister must've had a particularly dusty night. Good for her sister, not so great for Sunnydale's evil undead.

She was just starting to settle her mind when a fully formed thought popped into her head. She sat up abruptly, turning her bedside light back on, and dumped out the little bag of things she had bought at the magic box. She had bought her sister one of the little zodiac charms that had just been set out for the sale. Normally she would have waited but there was only one capricorn charm and Dawn thought it might be a nice Christmas present for Buffy.

Dawn pulled the book off the nightstand, flipping back a few chapters, until she found what she was looking for. A very simple spell to "Draw in positive and compatible energies", according to the book. She read over the spell, and the accompanying passage over again. It was a simple spell, just a charm really.

Like a good luck charm, right?

Dawn picked up the little sea goat necklace for Buffy. If she did this, she'd be out a gift for Christmas and yet if anyone could use a little more good luck it was definitely her sister.

She didn't need much for the spell, a charm, a candle and some incense. Check, check, and check! All things she had right there in her room.

The shower was still running as Dawn slipped out of bed to settle down on the floor in front of her bookshelf with the book and the necklace. She opened a decorative box from the bottom shelf, pulling out a candle, her favorite incense and a book of matches from Willy's that Spike had given her.

The book had recommended personalizing the spells and had provided fill-in-the blank suggestions. Dawn held the book in one hand and recited the augmented incantation while lighting the candle and incense with her other.

"Capricorn rule and Aquarius' cusp I call forth harmony for Buffy.

Like sun and moon, light and dark, draw forth that which completes your heart.

Luck and fortune follow where you go, compatible energy you shall know.

To bring joy to all life's parts."

When she had finished, she plucked up the silver chain, letting the charm dangle as she waved it through the fragrant incense smoke repeating the words a second time.

Lastly she ran the charm over the flame, the light glittering golden against the silver sea-goat charm as she recited the spell for the third and final time. The charm glowed gold for a second—or maybe it was just the candle flame—as Dawn finished the spell saying, "As I will it, so mote it be," an odd tingly sensation ran through her body, down her right arm and into the charm.

Then nothing.

Dawn examined the necklace, it looked the same and yet felt heavier somehow.

Interesting.

She had just finished cleaning up the spell and crawled back into bed with the charm necklace laying on top of the book on her nightstand when the shower cut off. Dawn flicked off the light, snuggling into bed with a soft smile on her lips as she imagined giving her sister the charm.

This'll show Buffy I'm not just some dumb, helpless little kid! Now I can do cool helpful spell stuff too. They are all going to have to start treating me like one of the gang after this.

I can totally see it now, Buffy's gonna be all like, "Wow, Dawn, you're seriously the best sister in the history of sisters!"

Maybe she'll even let me go on patrol with her and teach me how to fight!

(*)

A loud banging on her door woke Dawn the following morning. "Get a move on, Dawnie, breakfast and science projects don't wait for sleepy teenagers!" Willow called through the door.

"I'll be down in a minute!" Dawn groaned as she unearthed herself from her nice warm bed.

She had barely pulled her clothes on when the necklace caught her attention and a cheerful smile spread across her face.

Using a piece of pink printer paper she had laying around, Dawn wrapped the necklace and tucked it inside the back pocket of her jeans. She couldn't wait to give it to Buffy.

I really hope she actually wears it and doesn't think it's too lame…

The small pink package felt like it was burning a hole in her pocket all through breakfast. She was just putting her plate in the sink when Buffy padded into the kitchen.

"Uggh… there'd better be coffee," Buffy grumbled.

Dawn and Willow turned to greet her.

"Yeesh, Buffy, what happened to you last night?" Willow exclaimed.

Buffy shook her head, accepting a mug of coffee from Tara with a grateful nod. "Took out a nest. It was seriously gross. Like the dust everywhere kind of gross. Sometimes I swear it's worse than beach sand."

"Eww," Willow said with a sympathetic scrunch of her nose.

Seeing her chance, Dawn pulled the package from her back pocket, smiling. "Here's something that might cheer you up," she said excitedly, handing it out to her sister.

Buffy eyed her dubiously with a tired stare. "Ah ha and what's that?"

"I got a present for you."

Buffy took the small package, unwrapping it and looked down at the sea goat, charm, strung on a silver necklace. "Wait, you got this for me? With your birthday money?" Buffy replied.

Dawn nodded. "Well it's not like I didn't get myself stuff too. But you know-" she shrugged, "-I was gonna save it for Christmas, but I totally suck at waiting. D-do you like it?"

Buffy examined the charm in her hand, nodding slowly. "I—" she looked up, meeting her gaze, "—I love it. Thank you," she said as she proceeded to put the necklace on. She let her fingers glide over the charm, giving Dawn a smirk.

"What?" Dawn hedged.

"I'm just wondering what it is you borrowed and destroyed this time that made you want to go all 'Santa' two months early," Buffy replied teasingly.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Oh my gosh, I seriously just wanted to do something nice for you sheesh… are all Capricorns always so pessimistic? I bet it's your Aquarius cuspy-ness."

"What'd you do, swallow that horoscope book you got?"

"Ha ha, very funny. You won't be laughing so much when—" Dawn stopped abruptly, unwitting to give away her surprise just yet. She wasn't sure how Buffy would feel about her doing magic and thought it would be better to tell her she had charmed the necklace after her luck had started to change for the better.

"When?" Buffy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"When you look in the mirror and see how nice it looks on you," Dawn answered.

Buffy looked to Willow and Tara for confirmation. "What do you guys think? How's it look?"

Pride shot through Dawn as Willow and Tara chimed in with complements.

"Told you," Dawn smiled before heading into the living room, confident in a job well done.

(*)

Buffy examined her reflection as she got ready for work, it was the morning of Halloween and the day of the big sale. Dawn's gift rested just below the notch of her throat where her collar bones met, framed by the squared neckline of her black sweater. She ran her fingers over the charm. She'd been wearing it continuously since her sister had given it to her only days before. Aside from the obvious fact Dawn had gotten it from the Magic Box, there was something oddly familiar about it, a little like wearing a favorite cozy sweater.

She sighed as she slipped on a cat ear headband and added the hot pink collar with a bell that had come with them. She added some extra eyeliner and a little to the tip of her nose. Anya had insisted everyone working the sale be dressed in costume. Buffy bit the inside of her cheek trying to imagine what Giles would dress up as.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs Dawn held out a brown paper bag to her. Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Whatcha got?"

"Willow made you lunch," Dawn answered.

"Aww, that was nice. Where is she anyway?"

Dawn shrugged. "She said something about having to go somewhere with Tara and then meeting you at the Magic Box."

"Ohh, I thought we were all going in together, they said they would help us out today."

"Beats me, Miss Kitty, I'm just the messenger-" Dawn said, just as Xander's car horn blared from outside, "-gotta go!"

"Magic Box after school! I don't want you running off with Janice tonight!"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I got it! I have to get the rest of my stuff tonight anyway," she added before slamming the door behind herself.

Buffy huffed indignantly, muttering under her breath, "Teenagers…"

(*)

Buffy had just finished helping her fifth customer of the morning when Willow and Tara finally came into the shop, both dressed in pretty but functional medieval style dresses.

"There you are!" Buffy exclaimed. "I thought we were coming in together, Anya has been freaking out, we're slammed."

Willow squeezed Tara's shoulder. "Maybe you should explain it, I'm going to go see where Anya wants us."

Tara nodded glumly, watching her go for a second before turning to Buffy. "It's sort of my fault we're so late, I h-had to go to the hospital this morning."

Buffy's eyes widened. "Oh my God, are you alright? What happened? Why didn't you say anything?"

Tara shook her head, picking up a bag of herbs and placing them back into the basket they came from. "N-no, not me. A friend— I- Do you remember Sue Reed from the campus library?"

Buffy shifted a stack of books over to the counter. She couldn't remember even being in the campus library more than a half dozen times. "Ehh- no," she muttered apologetically.

"It's okay, y-you might not have even seen her, she only works there two days a week. She's usually at the bookstore she runs with her husband, 'Reed's Reads' in town?"

Buffy shook her head, holding up a finger as a customer came up to her, asking for help finding eye-of-newt. "The mustard seeds and other herbs are right in the middle section over here," she answered, taking the basket of herbs from Tara and taking them with her as she showed the older woman over to the display of herbs. Buffy sighed as she came back over to Tara. "Sorry about that. You were saying?"

"I hum, well anyway, I've gotten really close to the Reeds, they're sort of like adopted parents— they're really nice— and hum— I got a call from Sue, Frank- that's her husband- he eh- he had a heart attack last night and—" Tara's voice caught a little and Buffy pulled her into a hug.

"Oh my God, Tara, that's awful, is he alright?" She felt a pang of guilt for not knowing about these apparently very important people in Tara's life.

Tara nodded, wiping her eyes. "They say he's going to be okay but it's just—"

Buffy nodded, patting her friend on the shoulder. "I totally get it and I'm sure Anya and Giles will too."

Tara nodded tiredly, gesturing toward the training room in the back. "I'm just going to go pull myself together in the bathroom and then I'll be out. It's been kind of a rough morning."

"Go on, I got this."

(*)

If the morning had been busy, then the after school rush was a madhouse. Tara and Willow were both helping Buffy tend to customers on the floor and restock shelves while Anya, Giles and Xander worked behind the counter. Even Dawn got roped into helping out with bagging when she arrived after school.

Buffy had just separated from one customer and was straightening a display of candles when a voice caught her off guard.

"Well ain't you just a pretty kitty…"

Buffy turned around abruptly, taking in the lascivious smirk on Spike's face, he wasn't even trying to hide the fact he'd been checking out her ass.

"What are you doing here?" she asked with mild annoyance.

He unhooked his thumb from where it had been resting in his front pocket and brought his hand to his chest in faux innocence. "You're the one that said I should come by for the sale."

She rolled her eyes. "I didn't actually think you would though."

"Neither did I, and yet, here I am, paying customer and all." He bounced on his heels briefly until his eyes caught sight of the necklace around her neck. "Didn't realize you were into the whole horoscope thing, pet," he said, gesturing to it.

They had seen each other a few times since she had started wearing it but this was the first time he'd seen her when she wasn't bundled up against the October chill.

She brought her fingers up to trace over the charm. "Oh, eh yeah, not really my thing but Dawn got it for me, so…"

"It suits you."

There was something in his tone that made the entire busy store seem to fade into the background. At least until Anya's voice cut through to her. "Buffy, can you get some more mandrake root from the storage room?"

Buffy jumped a little, unsure of why she had been so distracted. "Ah- yeah! Sure thing, Anya, I'll be right back."

"I'll come with. It's on my way home anyway," Spike drawled.

"Is the cash register on your way home too?" she smirked.

"Haven't even picked anything up yet, I'll have you know, Slayer," he retorted as he followed her down the stairs.

Buffy could practically feel his eyes follow the sway of the cat tail pinned to the back of her pants. What struck her most was the fact that she didn't actually seem to mind.

Weird.

(*)

Spike followed Buffy down the stairs to the basement storage room, watching her fuzzy cat tail sway against her tight black pants. What he would give to be that damn tail. He could feel himself growing hard at the thought and had to look away before he let it drive him mad.

Buffy drifted over to one of the shelves scanning the jars. "Mandrake, mandrake— any idea where the mandrake is?"

"Wrong shelf, Luv. It's over here," he answered, reaching up for the jar and turning toward her. "Got to keep 'em three to a jar, tend to go a bit wonky if—" he cut off as he realized the way she was looking at him, green eyes wide in the dim light, and he cleared his throat. "So, yeah, there they are…"

Buffy nodded numbly, accepting the jar.

He took a half step closer to her, throat dry. "What'd ya have planned after closing? Patrol?"

She shook her head, seeming to wipe the cobwebs from her mind. "No, not tonight. We're planning a little low key Halloween party at the house. Pizza, snacks, scary movies that I'll probably just laugh at if they don't put me to sleep first."

"The bloody ones always just make me peckish," he shrugged.

Buffy laughed. "Ewww."

He couldn't help the fond smile forming on his face. "Like a good cooking show's never given you the tummy rumbles," he smirked.

She rolled her eyes. "You're insane."

He shrugged unperturbed. "You try turning over a new leaf after spending 130 years with someone who actually is insane, and tell me that doesn't leave you a bit twisted."

Buffy didn't laugh. He watched her eyes dart around the room as though she were searching for a new topic.

He stood awkwardly for another moment before they both started to speak at once.

"Did you want—"

"I should prob—"

Buffy giggled, releasing some of the tension. "You go first."

Spike shook his head. "Not important. I just figured boss lady'd be looking for her mandrake roots."

Buffy looked down at the funny little things in the jar in her hand. "Oh, eh yeah— but hum," she hesitated, prompting Spike to raise an eyebrow at her. "Did you want to come hang out with us tonight?" she blurted.

He felt his eyebrows go up. Whatever he thought she was going to say, it wasn't that. "You're actually asking me to socialize with your mates?"

She nodded as though on autopilot. "It's BYOB. Whether that's blood or booze, that's your call."

"I'll be there." The words had bypassed his brain completely.

She nodded again before excusing herself, gesturing upstairs with the jar.

He swallowed as he watched her flee up the stairs, cat tail swaying. He pinched himself hard in the arm. "Not a dream then," he muttered to himself before heading out through the tunnels. Empty handed.