By Ripe Wicked Plum

"I'M NOT HAPPY!"

Jinx flinched as a shoe careened past his head to smash against the wall, watching as Glory threw the mother of all hissy fits right in front of all her minions. She was standing in front of her vanity, her closet exhausted for objects to ill-use and turn into airborne fatalities.

"A vampire and one lousy Slayer!" Glory screeched as she flung a decorative bottle of scented oil at Jinx's head, hitting him right in the forehead, "I'm a Hell God! This people are WORMS compared to me! Tiny...insignificant little MORTALS! AND THEY'RE NO MATCH FOR US!"

"Of course, your magnificent, beautiful, soft one..." Jinx stammered, "They're...not a problem..."

"Not a problem..." Glory fingered a bottle of perfume thoughtfully, "Not a problem, huh?! THEN WHERE THE FUCK IS MY KEY?!"

Jinx ducked as the perfume careened at him, exploding against the wall beside him, and he was showered with glass and Chanel Number Five. "It's...just...a matter of time, your...uh...cocoa-butter scented one..."

"A matter of time?!" Glory stalked towards him, the entire house shaking with her footsteps, "I got news for you, Jinxie! We're almost out of time!" She kicked him in the chest, and Jinx went flying through her bedroom door, and slumped unconcious to the floor, blood trickling down his face from the glass of the bottle that had hit him in the face, looking quite a mess.

"Want something done, you have to do it yourself," Glory growled angrily, slamming her door closed and stalking towards her bed. She threw herself on top of her designer sheets, staring up at the ceiling as she scowled. "Stupid vampire..."

Dawn lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling as she listened to Spike and Buffy arguing downstairs.

"Anya's right, Spike...how long will it be before Glory finds out what Dawn is? How long till she comes crashing through that door, really meaning business?! We can't just sit here and wait for that to happen..."

"You think I don't know that?! But where are we going to go, Slayer? At least this way, we have home turf advantage..."

"I don't know what 'effin fantasy world you're living in, Spike...but there's no way in hell we have ANY kind of advantage! She's a goddamn GOD!"

"So you suggest we what? Hightail it out of town?! No...not my style..."

"Coulda fooled me. You were pretty much itchin' to get out of town when Angelus had a sword at my throat!"

Downstairs went quiet for several moments, before Spike quietly responded, "That was unfair..."

"I know...I'm sorry...but we can't just sit around here and wait for Glory to finally kill us and do God knows what to Dawn..."

"And running will help us how? She'll just go after the rest of the Scoobs, and turn them all into gibbering morons! She'll just keep coming till she gets what she wants! Do you really want your bloody friends caught in the crossfire?!"

"Now who's being unfair?"

"It's the facts, ducks. She'll track each and every one of them down, and suck their sanity, or whatever the hell it is she does...I don't know about you, but I'm not about to abandon ship just because I'm a little scared..."

"I'm not abadoning ship! I want to keep my sister safe! And what do you care about my friends?"

"Granted...the whelp gets on my nerves...but I like the rest of them...and I don't turn my back on people I care about...never have, never will."

"Yeah, cause you're such a people person!"

"Will you just stick to the issue at bloody hand?! I'm not leaving, Slayer. You can go if you want, but don't expect me to leave my responsibilities to YOUR friends behind! I'M NOT THAT BLOODY COLD!"

There was a sound of a palm striking flesh, and Dawn closed her eyes tightly as she heard the front door slam, and Spike snarling in anger, and punching the wall downstairs.

She silently slipped out of bed, and hurriedly dressed, sniffling as she swiped at the tears on her face. She glanced towards the door before throwing up the window and slipping out the fire-escape.

Dawn pulled her coat around her, shuddering a bit in the cool breeze, the night uncharatistically cold. She glanced around the darkened street, feeling a small thrill run through her. Whether it was fear or excitement to be out on the dangerous streets of Sunnydale was yet to be seen.

She sighed softly, brushing a strand of soft, brown hair out of her face, staring down at her feet as she walked, her shoulders hunched a bit. She kicked a can, then jumped at the loud sound it made as it struck a lightpost, then looked up as an ambulance went by.

Dawn slipped through the swinging doors of the mental ward, glancing up and down the long corridor. A nurse walked by, holding a tray of medication in little paper cups, and Dawn shrank back.

She continued by without seeing the teenaged girl, and Dawn slipped out behind her, and walked slowly down the hall, wincing whenever her shoes squeaked on the freshly cleaned floor. She froze as a doctor came out of a room, but he was engrossed in his clipboard, and passed by Dawn without an upwards glance, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

She chewed on her lower lip as she continued down the hall, then paused when she passed a room where several people were softly murmuring.

She backtracked, and peeked in. About ten people were lying in hospital beds, the room obviously overcrowded, and they were all tied down to the beds.

She walked in slowly, and as their eyes turned on her, and the murmuring increased.

"No data..."

"Nothing there..."

"All empty..."

Dawn shut out their words as she approached the first bed, staring down at a boy who couldn't be much older then her, his sanity undoubtedly taken away by Glory...who was only in Sunnydale because of her.

Dawn glanced down at her hands, then at the boy before slowly going up to him.

Buffy quietly let herself into the dark apartment, dusty from a tiring patrol. She jumped when she heard a match being struck, and glared towards the kitchen, where Spike was sitting at the counter, in the dark. "What did we say about smoking in the apartment?" She asked in annoyance as she flicked on a light, and Spike glanced at her, lazily lifting an eyebrow, apparently not caring as he puffed on his fag, looking back down at the newspaper spread before him.

"Spike!" Buffy stalked towards him angrily, "Put that out...right now!"

"Sod that...my apartment, my rules," The vampire replied easily, still looking down at the newspaper, even though he wasn't really reading it. "You ran off in the middle of a bloody discussion, Slayer..."

"Discussion?!" Buffy snorted, "You obviously were with Drusilla too long if you're crazy enough to think that was a discussion!"

Spike's head shot up, his eyes blazing, and Buffy took a step back at the murderous look on his face, and he shot to his feet. "Don't. You. Fucking. Talk. About. Her." Spike bit out venomously, as he grabbed Buffy by the arm, and she winced as his fingers dug into her arm.

Spike saw he was hurting her, and with a low growl, he dropped her arm, turning his back on her.

Buffy rubbed her arm, "Spike..." The Slayer shook her head slightly when the vampire refused to look at her, "Sorry...I just forgot..."

Spike snorted, rinsing his mug out in the sink, "Whatever, Slayer..." He growled shortly, "Just...sod off..."

Buffy sighed, taking his seat, and Spike scowled at her when he turned back around, wiping his hands off on a dish towel, "I'm sorry, Spike...I didn't mean to say anything about Drusilla...really. If I did...I would have called her a crazy hose-beast...or Queen Wack-job...or..."

Spike stared at Buffy levelly, and the Slayer smiled leaning forward and grabbing him by the belt loops on his jeans, and dragged him forward, "I was kidding..."

"Real funny," Spike answered sarcastically as Buffy kissed the center of his chest, "I'm cracking up on the inside, believe me."

Buffy sighed, seeing her Slayer charms wasn't working on him too well, "Spike...I'm...sorry...I was thinking while I was patrolling...you're right...again..." She grimaced up at him, "You think you could be wrong for once, and let me get gloating rights."

"Not bloody likely..." The corner of Spike's lip turned up, and Buffy grinned up at him.

"See? I know I'd get you to forgive me..."

"Don't forgive you," Spike said stubbornly, and Buffy rolled her eyes as she slipped her hands beneath his t-shirt, caressing his cool, silky skin, raising an eyebrow when his stomach rippled beneath her fingertips.

"You sure you don't forgive me?"

"Definitatly..."

"That's too bad," Buffy replied silkily, sliding her hands over his flat nipples, smiling as he closed his eyes with a small shudder, then lifted his shirt up a bit to plant a kiss on his stomach, "Because Anya told me that make-up sex is pretty nice..."

"Oh...hell...yeah..." Spike breathed a bit heavily, then his eyes opened, "Nope...still mad..." He stifled a moan as she kept assautling him with hot, wet kisses along his stomach, "Really mad..." He jumped when Buffy gently bit his nipple, leaning towards her automatically, and Buffy chuckled throatily.

"Now why don't I believe you?"

"Fuck this..." Spike dragged her mouth to his, pulling the stool closer to him as he devoured her mouth, and Buffy hooked her legs around his knees.

He suddenly broke away from her, and howled as he clutched his head, tripping over Buffy's locked knees, and he sprawled on the ground with a loud groan.

"Spike! What's wrong?!"

"Fuck..." Spike dragged himself back to his feet, his head throbbing, "I'm going to kill the brat!"

Dawn gasped as she fell back, her fingers slipping from the boy's skull, and sat back on the ground with a hard, painful plop.

She took a long, deep breath, ignoring the pain her healing had caused her as she got back to her feet, looking down at the boy who was gaping emptily at the ceiling before blinking, and looking up at Dawn in confusion.

She moved on to the next bed, and took another large gulp of air.

"I can't believe she sneaked out! AGAIN!" Buffy nearly tripped on her way down the stairs of their apartment, the two blonds hurrying to Spike's ancient car.

Her answer was Spike falling to the ground with an agonized howl, "BLOODY FUCKIN' HELL!"

"Oh God..." Buffy winced as she knelt beside Spike, the vampire swearing profusely as his head seemed about ready to explode. Whatever Dawn was doing, it was affecting Spike as well. "Where is she?!"

"Hos--hospital..." Spike gasped out, shaking his head to clear the images, "I can smell the bloody disinfectant..."

"What's happening?"

"My friggin' head's about to explode! What's it look like?!" Spike snapped in pain, "It's worse then the bloody chip!"

"Okay...we'll get to the hospital...we'll kill Dawn..."

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Buffy winced, and wrapped an arm around Spike's waist, and opened the door to the DeSota, "Give me your keys..."

"No way are you driving my car!"

"Spike! You're having brain spasms! Give me the freakin' keys!"

"No! AAHHHH FUUUUCCCKKKKKK!" Spike dug out the keys and threw them at Buffy, and she raced towards the other side of the car.

She jumped behind the oversized wheel, and jammed them in the igination as Spike groaned, and lay down in the seat, his head in her lap, and she glanced down at him worriedly as she slammed on the gas.

Dawn's entire body was throbbing painfully as she dragged herself to her feet, eyes a bit glazed as she headed towards the last few people left in the room.

Buffy pulled in front of the hospital, and hopped out, an angry, pained vampire in tow. "We need a distraction so we can get past the front des--"

Spike gripped his head, and howled, making everyone in the room freeze and stare at the man whose face was contorting in severe pain, and then the nurses and doctors were rushing towards him, sure he was having an embolism.

"That'll do," Buffy raced past the desk, and headed deeper into the hospital, searching for her sister, and saw a nurse she knew well from her mother's stay in the hospital. "Irene! Have you seen Dawn?"

"Buffy! Hey!" The cheery nurse stopped, then frowned, "Seen who?"

"Dawn...my sister? You brought her cookies all the time..."

"I'm...sorry...I have no idea who you're talking about..." Irene eyed Buffy worriedly, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Buffy hissed angrily through her teeth, then brushed brusquely passed the nurse, a bit miffed that she didn't even remember Dawn. The woman HAD talked to her everyday.

Buffy pushed away her anger at the nurse, stalking down the hospital. She paused when she heard a faint hissing sound, and then was rushing towards the mental ward, her eyes going wide.

She kicked open the door just as Dawn healed the last man, and she slumped to the ground, gasping for breath, her lungs burning.

"DAWN!" Buffy rushed to her sister's side, and the girl looked up with glazed over eyes before finally giving way to exhaustation and slipping into unconciousness.

She picked Dawn up into her arms, shaking her head slightly as she took a fire exit out of the hospital, and deposited her sister in Spike's car before going to collect her boyfriend.

Spike was in the waiting room...being zipped into a body bag.

Buffy rolled her eyes, then stalked towards the intern zipping it, and glared at him, "Do you mind?!" She snapped, then bent, and unzipped the bag, then slapped Spike as hard as she could.

"Miss?! What in the hell are you...?" The intern let out an unmanly screech as Spike's eyes shot open, and he stared at Buffy, then sat up, looking down at the body bag.

"Oh...not bloody this again! A bloke can't pass out without being sent to the morgue around here!" The vampire shook his head as the doctor ran away, screaming his little head off as the night desk nurse snorted, muttering something rookies as she turned her attention back to her magazine, walking stiffs not really fazing her anymore.

"I'm going to rip the bloody little chit's legs off and feed them to Zorklok demons!" He let out a short snarl as he stood, then weaved a bit on his feet, pressing the heel of his hand against his forehead, "Ah...Christ...that hurt like a mother..."

Buffy looked up at him in concern, and he rested his hand on her shoulder to steady himself, "Are you all right?"

"Need aspirin...lots and lots of aspirin..." Spike muttered, and Buffy led him out towards his car, and he slumped into the front seat in relief, his head still throbbing at the temples. He glanced back at Dawn, who was lying across the backseat, still unconcious.

"No fair trying too look all passed out and innocent," The vampire griped, "My fucking head HURTS!"

"Spike, she's passed out, and thus, beyond caring," Buffy told him with a deep sigh, "I'm too tired...I'm starting to sound like Giles."

"Ow! OW! Buffy! That HURTS!" Dawn snapped as Buffy dragged her into the Magic Box. "I'm already grounded for life...do we have to add crippled to the list?! And why couldn't I stay home?"

"Because, Spike is suffering from post-whatever-the-fuck-you-did-last-night-head pain. And whose fault is that?!"

"No idea," Dawn jerked her arm loose with a scowl, rubbing where Buffy had griped it much too hard. She had never seen her big sister so pissed...and Spike...if didn't know that the blond vampire loved her so much, she would have peed herself at the threats he leveled on her of what he would do to her if she tried to sneak out ever again.

"Hey, Buffy !" Anya called cheerfully, holding a stack of bills in her hands, happily counting it, "Want to help me count my money?"

Buffy rolled her eyes, shoving Dawn towards Anya, "Give her something icky and unpleasant too do. I have to talk to Giles," Buffy said shortly, heading towards the back.

Anya glanced at Dawn, looking confused, "Hello, little girl...I'm Anya. Can you say Anya?"

Dawn gave Anya a look, "Riiiigghhhttt...what drugs are you on?"

"Giles! I have problems!" Buffy stalked into the backroom, and the Watcher glanced up, looking startled.

"Wh-what is it, Buffy? Is it...Spike?"

"Uh? No...it's Dawn. She sneaked out last night, Giles...she went to the hospital and healed a bunch of people...and when she did it, it caused Spike a helluva lot of pain..."

"Slow d own," Giles removed his glasses, and began to polish them, "Let's start at the beginning...who's Dawn?"

Buffy stared at Giles blankly, "Huh?"

Spike was in the midst of a dream involving him, Buffy, a bottle of champagne and enough hot fudge cover her entire body in...and for some reason, the Notre Dame Football team yelling 'Touchdown' in the background when he was jerked awake by the ringing of the phone.

He groaned, rolling over, his head still pounding fearfully, and grabbed the ringing monstrosity off the cradle, "What?!"

"Spike...it's me..." Buffy sounded tearful on the phone, and Spike sat up abrubtly, his eyes widening, "Luv?! What's wrong? Is it Dawn?! Did Glory..."

"God...I wish..." Buffy sniffled on the other end of the phone, "I got a problem down here at the Magic Box...I need you here..."

"Why? What's going on, Buffy?"

"It's the others, Spike...they...they don't remember Dawn."

Spike climbed out of the manhole behind the Magic Box, and lifted his duster over his head before sprinting for the backdoor, and burst through into Buffy's gym.

He could hear voices in the front of the shop, and he hurried in to see Giles and Anya staring at Dawn like a bug under a microscope as Buffy fairly shouted into the phone, "Dawn, Xander! She had a crush on you since she was like...TEN! You have to know her! You were jealous because she got a crush on Spike..."

Buffy glanced towards him, and slammed the phone down on Xander, letting out a strangled cry of frustration, "It's the same...Willow, Tara, Xander...even my dad! None of them know Dawn!"

Dawn was studying her feet intently and Spike went up to her, kneeling down in front of her, "Nibblet?"

She looked up at him, and he could see the tears standing in her eyes, and he kissed her forehead tenderely before glancing towards Giles and Anya, who were watching him now in surprise, apparently shocked by the level of affection he gave the now unknown girl.

"When did this start?"

"They knew her yesterday," Buffy said, sounding a bit hysterical, "I don't get it! It...just...doens't make any sense!"

"Buffy...please...be calm..." Giles said, turning towards his Slayer, "You don't have a sister...you never had a sister..."

Buffy looked towards Spike desperately, and the vampire frowned, "What about Glory?"

"Glory?" Giles repeated in confusion, and Buffy let out a small moan, sinking down into a chair.

"Fuck..." Spike rubbed the bridge of his nose as he straightened, "What do you remember...about the last couple of months, Watcher? You remember me and the Slayer living in your house, right?"

"Yes, that was just after Buffy's house blew up..."

"And how did it blow up?"

"I...uh..." Giles glanced at Anya, who could only shrug, looking puzzled herself.

"What about me and the Slayer getting together? You remember that, right?"

"Of course...it was after Joyce died...I don't see what this has to do with anything...I don't get why Buffy seems to think this girl is her sister...is it a spell?"

"He...asked me before who I was..." Dawn said quietly, and Spike and Buffy glanced towards her sharply. "When...I healed you, Spike...he...he asked me who I was..."

"Shit..." Buffy glanced towards Spike, "I remember that...but I didn't think about it..."

"GODDAMN IT!" Spike kicked an empty chair, and it crashed against a bookcase, toppling a few volumes down, "Dawn! We told you it could have consquences we didn't know about!"

"I didn't know!" Dawn wailed, "How as I supposed to know!?"

"Which was the EXACT bloody reason you shouldn't have DONE IT!"

Giles and Anya backed away from the group a bit, suddenly wary of the vampire, and Spike forced himself to calm down, and he closed his eyes as he took a deep breath.

"Right...sorry...didn't mean to lose my temper...it's not just memories the monks planted, is it? Otherwise, they should've remembered everything after they made Dawn..."

"I'm not real," Dawn said softly, looking up at Spike and Buffy, "I mean...that's what all the crazy people said...that's what mom said...before. I'm not real...I have no data."

Spike hissed through his teeth a bit, then stalked towards the counter, grabbing out Giles' Watcher journal, and the older man protested as Spike flipped through it, frowning, "There's nothing about Dawn in here...not even the stuff we read on the Slayer's birthday..."

"Of course there isn't..." Giles grabbed his journal, "Since she hasn't even existed till today!"

"Right...of course, how stupid of me," Spike replied dryly, then sighed deeply, trying to think as he glanced towards his girls, two pairs of big, beautiful eyes watching him, wanting his help. Nope...no pressure here...

He ran a hand through his hair as he started to pace, muttering obscenities beneath his breath, "What about the Poof?" Spike asked hopefully, "I mean...he didn't know about her before anyway..."

"I doubt it," Buffy shook her head, " A nurse at the hospital when mom was there didn't remember Dawn either."

"So...you're telling me...of everybody on the planet...the only ones who know about Dawn...are you, me, her...and more then likely Glory?"

Buffy nodded forlornly, glancing at her Watcher, who was staring at them like they had all gone insane. "Are you sure...that...she isn't a demon?"

"I am NOT a demon!" Dawn replied, insulted, then glanced at Spike hopefully, "We can fix this right..."

"Yeah, sure...Watcher, Demon girl...go with me on this. This is Dawn, Buffy's 'sister'," he made air quotes, "She's something called a Key...still with me? Good. A evil Hell-God is after her, wanting to use her to seperate her body from that of a intern at the hospital...Ben. Does anyone know Ben? No, didn't bloody well think so...anyway, she wants Dawn, me and Buffy are trying to protect her, despite her attempts at sabotaging ALL our efforts...oh...and I want to kill you all just so I can go home and sleep for twenty years because my head REALLY FUCKIN' HURTS! Mostly because Dawn over there can heal nutty people, and doing so causes me extreme pain for some bloody reason we will never know since I am planning on ripping the Watcher's head off and punting it across the store like a stuffy tweed soccer ball."

Everyone stared at Spike with wide eyes, and the vampire plopped down in a chair, crossing his arms and resting them on the table before burying his head deep inside them in an attempt to shut out the world.

"He's...grumpy..." Buffy explained wanly, and Giles rolled his eyes.

"You think?" Anya shook her head at Buffy, "I think he's nuts. You're both nuts. And the kid's probably an evil demon messing with your head."

Dawn glared at Anya, then rolled her eyes, glancing at Buffy, "What are we going to do?" Her eyes widened slightly, "Hey, since no one remembers me, does that mean I don't have to go to school when fall comes?"

Buffy pinched the bridge of her nose, "Now my head's starting to hurt..."

"Buffy...uh...if what you say is true...then can you please explain why I can't remember a thing?"

"I'm...not sure. All I know is that Glory sucks and Dawn fills. You were doing all the research on the Key, but looks like we get to start all over again."

"Consquences," Spike grunted as he sat up, "She gives people back their sanity, but it takes away some of the things the monks gave her...I figure, if she kept it up, not only would I be a drooling pile of mush, but she would lose form. She'd revert back to her original form..."

"What?" Buffy stared at the vampire, "You mean...she heals someone else, she could..."

"Become a big glowy thingy?" Dawn looked stricken, "No one told me this!"

"Yeah, but we told you to not bloody HEAL PEOPLE!"

"Okay, okay! No need to get snotty about it," Dawn muttered.

Giles and Anya merely looked confused, "A big glowy what?" Anya asked, and Spike groaned, burying his head back in his arms. This was going to be a long, long day.

"What's wrong with him?" Xander asked when he saw Spike lying on top of the counter, a cold, damp rag over his eyes.

"His head hurts..." Buffy explained in a low voice, not wanting to disturb the vampire. He had been good for the last few hours, explaining over and over again to Giles what had happened, and who Dawn was. "Just leave him be, please? He's had a hell of a night and a hell of a day."

"Really?" Xander waited for Buffy to turn around, then started to flick Spike's temple, and the vampire's hand shot out, grabbing the boy's wrist and twisting it.

"Ow! OOOWWW!" Xander yelped in pain, falling to his knees, and Buffy rushed to his side.

"XANDER! I told you to leave him alone!"

Spike let go of him, and Buffy went to his side, running her fingers through his hair, "Are you all right, honey?"

"He was flicking me."

Xander rolled his eyes as Buffy glared at him, and continued pampering the vampire, then nearly pumped into Dawn, who was looking up at him pleadingly, "Watch it, kid," Xander said, moving her aside and headed towards the rest of the group, "So...what's going on? And why did Buffy go insane on the phone?"

Giles looked up from his research, clearing his throat, "Uh...Buffy...believes that girl over there to be her sister."

Xander glanced at Dawn,raising an eyebrow, "Buff...you do know you don't have a sister, right?"

"I want to go home," Dawn whispered to Buffy, "I...I can't stay here anymore...they're...all looking at me..."

Spike lifted the rag off his face, and slid off the counter with a small groan, and took Dawn's small hand in his own, glancing at Buffy, "I'll have to take her through the sewers..."

Buffy glanced at Dawn, who only shrugged, not really caring at the moment. "Fine...call when you get home...I want to know you're safe. Try and get some sleep, and maybe your head will stop hurting."

Spike nodded, kissing her cheek, and led Dawn into the back. Buffy sighed as she turned towards the others as Giles said, "Buffy...just...one more time...what is Dawn?"

"It's...horrible..." Dawn told Spike as they trudged through the sewers, "The...way they're looking at me...like I'm something they have to slay...an-and Willow...she was looking at me like she wanted to do an autospy...it's like..."

"They weren't even seeing you as a person," Spike finished for her, lighting a smoke, and scanning the sewer for any enemies that may be lurking in the darkness. Any sort of nasty might be lurking down there, and he was surprised the Slayer had agreed. Maybe she knew a little about what Dawn was feeling as well. "I know what you mean, luv...they looked at me like that for the longest time..."

"But they don't...not anymore...now they're looking at me like I'm a huge freak."

"Luv, you were in a room with an ex-demon, two witches, a Watcher and a Slayer. You aren't the freak of the lot. Harris was...normal's a minority in our group," Spike replied, then sighed a bit as he glanced down into Dawn's unhappy face.

"They looked at me like that when they found out what I was...before I did...like they didn't know what to think about me...or do with me..."

"I know," Spike laid a hand on her shoulder, trying to smile at her reassuringly, but he knew it probably wouldn't work. "Listen...we'll do our best...even if we have to find out what spell those bloody monks used to plant the memories in the first place..."

"I don't want that..." Dawn shook her head, "It's not...honest...and it's manipulative...just like the first time. They'd hate me even more."

"No one hates you," Spike said, kneeling down in front of her, then grimaced a bit when the knees of his jeans got soaked by the dirty water, "They're just confused right now...we'll find a way to fix this."

"I doubt you can," Dawn sighed heavily, and Spike straightened, taking her small hand in his.

Buffy sighed heavily as she came home long after nightfall, having spent the entire day at the Magic Box, covering ground they had already covered in the Glory-Dawn situation, trying to get everyone back up to date on what was going on.

She dropped her back of Slaying tools beside the door, and glanced inside, smiling when she saw the tv on, the volume down-low. She shed her jacket as she went up to the couch, and she bit her lip when she saw Spike and Dawn snuggled together on the couch, Dawn half-asleep and watching TV, and the vampire dead to the world, his arms around the girl.

"Hey," Buffy said quietly, and Dawn looked up at her, yawning widely.

"Hey...how'd it go?"

"Well...I managed to convince everyone we aren't crazy...and we did a lot of the research on Glory and you that we already did months ago..." Buffy shook her head, "And I thought it was boring the first time around..." She glanced fondly at the vampire, "How's he feeling?"

"His headache's gone, but he's still tired," Dawn said, looking puzzled, "It didn't effect me that much...how come it did him?"

Buffy shrugged, "No idea," She sighed, and Dawn tried to wriggle out of Spike's grasp without waking him, but the vampire sleepily opened his eyes as she got away, then rolled onto his back to look up at Buffy, giving her a tired smile.

Buffy leaned over the couch, and kissed his cool forehead, "How you feeling, babe?"

"Just tired," Spike sat up, stretching his lean body, "I ordered the Nibblet some pizza...we got some left if you're hungry..."

"Sounds good," Spike started to sit up, but Buffy gave him a light push, "You stay, I think I can manage nuking a piece of pizza all by myself."

"You sure...?" Spike grinned sheepishly at the look Buffy gave him, "Right...you can manage."

"So...what did the others say?" Dawn asked worriedly, "I mean...about the whole...me thing?"

"They're confused, Dawn...they're still trying to figure out what happened in the gaps in their memories. They don't remember anything about you. There's a lot of hazy, black spots...one of the reasons they aren't committing me and Spike."

"Reassuring," Spike remarked as he stood up and followed Buffy into the kitchen, and grabbing a beer out of the fridge, giving Buffy a pointed look, subtly tipping his head a tiny bit in Dawn's direction.

Buffy sighed as she popped her pizza in the microwave, and turned towards Dawn, "What I want to know is why the hell you sneaked out last night, Dawn. We talked to you about that! With Glory on the loose, it isn't safe! She probably knows I'm not the Key by now, so she'll start looking at the people close to me...and considering Spike's off that list too, she's narrowing down candiates..."

Dawn looked down at her feet, "I was listening...to you and Spike...an-and..."

Spike and Buffy exchanged a guilty look, and Buffy shook her head slightly, "We were just arguing, Dawn..."

"Yeah, about me..."

"Not about you, Platelet," Spike replied, "We were disagreeing on a point...and bloody hell, you heard me and the Slayer fight before and it never bothered you then..."

"Yeah, but you weren't together then!" Dawn said testily, "And mom always said that she and dad were just arguing..."

Buffy's eyes widened a bit, and Spike glanced at her in confusion, "Mom...dad...divorce," Buffy mouthed quietly to the vampire, and he looked surprised.

"That's what you're worried about? Me and the Slayer breaking up?" Spike chuckled, and Dawn looked up at him, a bit bewildered. "Luv...seriously...your sis couldn't get rid of me when she was kicking my arse every other day, and thinking of new and interesting ways to shove a stake in my body. You think a little argument's going to drive me off?"

Dawn shook her head, glancing down at her feet again, "Guess not..."

"Good...remember that...since the next time you try to run away, I'm going to hobble you..." He smiled playfully as he grabbed her around the middle, tickling her.

Dawn shrieked with laughter as the vampire lifted her off the ground and flipped her upside down, still tickling her stomach as she thrashed in hysterics, her feet kicking in the air. "I'm going to break your tiny little legs and then nail your feet to the living room floor if you even dream of setting foot outside this house without permission!"

Buffy leaned against the counter as she watched them, a bright smile on her face as she listened to Spike threaten her baby sister as he tickled her mercilessly.

Spike yawned widely, running a hand through his mussed hair as he looked through the fridge for something to make a growing teenager and a insatiable Vampire Slayer for breakfast. He took out the milk, sniffed it, grimaced, and stuck it back in the fridge in true male fashion.

"Eggs it is," he muttered, grabbing the carton out, then frowned when he opened it. Only two left. Apparently one of them was going to starve since Buffy forgot to do the shopping the day before.

"Now...who do I love more?" He mused as Dawn came into the kitchen, and while the vampire turned towards the stove, she opened the fridge and sniffed the milk before gagging, and then putting it back in the fridge. "What's for breakfast?"

"Depends on the coin flip," Spike replied as Buffy came in, and she opened the fridge, grabbing out the milk and pouring herself a glass.

"Flipping a coin for what?" She asked, then took a sip of her milk. Her eyes widened, and she rushed towards the sink, spitting it back out. She swiped at her lips with a sickly grimace. "Ewwww...didn't anyone notice the milk's gone bad?"

"Nope," Dawn and Spike answered in innocent unison.

"I don't hear scrubbing!"

Dawn gritted her teeth together as Spike appeared in the doorway behind her, and she threw a glare over her shoulder, "I'm cleaning...see?" She held up her rag, "Cleaning."

"Not bloody fast enough," Spike glanced at his watch, "I gave you an hour to get this bathroom sparkling, and it's still not up to par."

"What?!" Dawn glanced around the pratically spotless bathroom, "What are you talking about?"

"Get the stains behind the loo, pet, like the good little worker-bee you are..."

"Spike! No one in this house could have possibly put those stains there!" Dawn said, looking horrified, "I don't know who they're from! I could get sick!"

"You're using bleach...kills all the nasty germs...besides, you're not to picky about sticking your fingers into people's brains. You can clean up a bit of piss."

Dawn shuddered, glancing at the stains with trepidition, "I learned my lesson...I will never run away again...and...I'll never do anything bad again!"

"Yeah...I said the same bloody thing when I was your age," Spike grinned evilly, "Scrub."

Dawn let out a little whimper, "You're enjoying this way too much..."

"Yeah, probably," Spike chuckled when she shot him a glare, "Scrub."

"You hate me, don't you?"

"Nope...adore you, love you more then unlife itself. Scrub."

"Bu--"

"Scrub."

"Spi-"

"Scrub."

Dawn threw her hands up in the air in exasperation, and scooted near the toilet with another whimper. "I hate my life."

"Ah, yes...because you have it so horrible, having a pet vampire to cook and clean and cater to all your needs. You poor darling. How do you ever manage in this hell?"

"Gee, Spike...sarcastic much?"

"Scrub, scrub, scrub," Spike sang loudly, "Scrub, scrub, scr--" Both Spike and Dawn went rigid when they heard someone smash through the door downstairs.

Spike grabbed Dawn and yanked her to her feet, and rushed her towards he and Buffy's bedroom, "Stay here," He ordered quietly, then closed the door behind him as he slowly made his way towards the stairs.

He glanced down as a familiar blond stalked into view, and his eyes widened as he rushed back towards his bedroom.

He threw open the door, then closed and locked it behind him, "Dawn! Come on!" He said urgently.

"What? Who is it?" Dawn asked fearfully as the vampire dragged her towards the window. He shoved the blinds aside and threw the window open with a hiss of pain as the sunlight struck him.

"Get out...run to the Magic Shoppe," Spike ordered, "Tell Giles to call the Slayer...tell her that Glory's here..."

"What?!" Dawn stared at him, "No...I'm not leavin--"

"You don't have a bloody choice!" Spike snapped, dragging her towards the window. He took a quick glance down, then picked Dawn up. Dawn let out a small screech as Spike shoved her through the window and dropped her straight down into an open dumpster.

She landed on the soft, but disgusting contents, glancing up as Spike threw the window shut again, and then she was scrambling out of the dumpster.

She dropped down to the ground, covered in garbage, and started to sprint down the alley, then gave out a scream when one of Glory's minions jumped out, and grabbed her around the middle. Jinx grinned as he covered her mouth, lifting the struggling girl off the ground.

Dawn bit his hand, and yelled Spike's name before being surrounded by more minions and dragged off, kicking and screaming.

Spike glanced around, looking for a weapon, then saw Buffy's slaying bag lying halfway underneath the bed.

He grabbed it up, and dumped it on the bed, sifting through it. He hissed when he touched a damp holy water bottle, and swatted it away before grabbing up a dagger and slipping it inside his belt, and a small, curved ax.

He took a deep breath as he slowly opened the door, and made his way towards the stairs. He glanced down, his ears straining to catch even a faintest sound from down below before proceeding down the stairs.

He saw Glory raiding his fridge, and she sniffed the milk, grimacing as she turned towards him, "Your milk's bad."

Spike's eyes narrowed as he tightened his grip on the ax, and Glory rolled her eyes at him, "Do you think that little ax is even gonna faze me? Come on...seriously...how many times have I beaten you senseless already?"

Spike didn't answer her, and Glory hopped on the counter, "Fine...pleasantries aside, Spikey-boy...I have something you want, and you have something I want."

"I really doubt you have anything that matters to me," Spike growled, "Get the hell out of my home."

"You people are so predictable, it's pathetic. How many minutes did it take you to get Dawny out a window? Three? Four at most? Probably wasn't long from the sound of things. Now...we can talk like reasonable, mature adults...or you can get the Slayer's little sister back in multiple pieces."

Spike went rigid, then roared, charging the Hell-Goddess, rage overshadowing all sensible thought.

Glory moved impossibly fast, and Spike slammed into the counter, with the Goddess bending his arm painfully behind his back, her body pressing him forward into the cold, hard marble. "Temper, temper, vampire," She hissed in his ear, "Where's my fucking Key?!"

"Go fuck yourself!" Spike snarled, struggling against, "And if you even fucking think of touching Dawn, I'll kill you!"

"Ohhhh...big threats from the helpless vampire," Glory lowered her voice, giving it a husky, seductive sound, "I know you know who my Key is. You were healed by them...if you want Dawny back in recoginizable pieces, I suggest you take a day to decide. I want my Key by this time tomorrow...and then you get Dawn back...hopefully, for her, no assembly required."

Spike's shoulders slumped, and Glory patted him on the back, "That's a good vampire," She released him, "You remember where I live, right?"

Spike nodded, his eyes on the black marble of the counter, and Glory smirked, "Tomorrow, Spike...and you better have my Key with you." She flounced out cheerfully, and Spike closed his eyes, inhaling sharply.

He suddenly snarled, and drove his fists into the marble counter, smashing the hard surface as shards of marble was driven into his hands. "YOU FUCKING BITCH!"

Dawn struggled with the rough ropes that held her captive, wriggling a bit in an attempt to get free. Glory's minions had brought her back to the Hell Bitch's posh suite, and left her tied up in her bedroom. Dawn tried to keep calm, hoping that Glory still didn't know she was the Key.

"There she is..."

Dawn's head shot up, and her head shot up as Glory sauntered in the room, Jinx in tow, a smirk on the Hell Goddess' face, "There's the key to my Key..." Glory sniffed the air, then gave Jinx a look, "It stinks."

"She fell in a dumpster," Jinx answered, and Glory grimaced as she glided up to Dawn, picking a bit of garbage out of the girl's hair.

"Really, Dawny...with great skin like yours, you really shouldn't be dumpster diving..."

Dawn jerked her head away from Glory, her eyes narrowing, "Stay away from me."

"Hey, now! You're my guest, so you should treat me with respect!" Glory gripped Dawn's chin and forced her to look up at her, "Or I'll rip every hair out of that pretty little head of yours!"

"Your...your guest?!" Dawn spat out, "You kidnapped me!"

"Details, details," Glory waved her hand dismissvely, "Whatever." Glory sank down on the couch beside the girl, patting her on the head in mock affection, "So, it's just us two girls, Dawny...just me and you...oh, and Jinx, but he doesn't really matter, does he?"

"I don't know who your Key is," Dawn said, glaring at Glory, "And Buffy will never tell you."

"I'm sure she won't," Glory smiled evilly at Dawn, "But I think you will..."

"I don't know who the Key is!"

"I think you do. You're a smart kid...you probably noticed things...strange things...like crazy vampires suddenly being healed...that little incident in the hospital...the Slayer's protecting my Key, and you'd have to be an idiot to live under her roof and not know. I don't think you're an idiot, you're not an idiot, are you Dawny?"

Dawn didn't answer her, and Glory's face contorted in anger as she gave Dawn's hair a sharp tug, making the girl cry out in pain. "You like Spike, don't you, Dawn? He's your friend...almost your brother, right?"

"Ye-yes..." Dawn stammered, tears coming to her eyes, and Glory leaned towards her, "I got him in the next room, Dawn...one of my minions is standing by, holding a glass of holy water. Did you know that if you force a vampire to drink holy water, he'll burn slowly...from the inside out? Not right away...no, it's not fast at all, since it's no where near the heart. No...first, his tongue and his gums are melted away...and then his throat."

Dawn's eyes had gone as wide as possible as her lips parted a bit, tears jumping to her eyes as Glory described it in deadly detail.

"And then that holy water will melt his stomach...and then his dead, useless organs. Then, around that point, it'll hit his bloodstream...burning up those veins and arteries as it moves...all the while, he's screaming...screaming in complete agony because he knows he's dying...all because of you, Dawny. By the time that holy water hits his heart, everything inside him has melted into a big, black, sizzling mess...whole process takes about fifteen minutes...longer if we make him drink it a little bit at a time. Can you just see it, Dawny? Poor little Spike having to go through ALL that pain just because YOU..." Glory jerked Dawn's hair with each word, "ARE...BEING...STUBBORN?!"

Dawn let out a gasping sob, and Glory started to stroke her hair, "Now, Dawny...who's my Key?"

"I don't know..." Dawn managed to get out, still sobbing.

"Fine, Jinx! Tell him to pour exactly a tablespoon in the vampire's mouth. His mouth needs to be washed out anyways...you want to watch, Dawny? See his lips melt off? The same lips that probably kissed your forehead when he tucks you in at night?"

Dawn trembled, and she closed her eyes, "Me..."

"What?" Glory frowned, "You what?"

"I'm the Key..." Dawn sobbed out pitiously, and Glory let out a triumphant shout, jumping to her feet and hurrying towards the door to let the others know. She paused in the doorway, "Oh...and Dawn?"

Dawn looked up at her, tears streaming down her face.

"Spike isn't here..." Glory smiled cruelly, "Never play poker, honey...it's obviously not your game."

Dawn let out an agonized cry as Glory started to laugh, turning on her heel. "God! Mortals are SO easy!"

To Be Continued