(Kitchen)

JOYCE: It still seems to me like there's a lot you don't know about this. I mean, is she dangerous?

BUFFY: No.

GILES: Well, now, wait just a second.

(Camera pans across to the doorway. We see Dawn in the dining room, looking down the hallway, listening in.)

GILES: I assume you're talking about her existence rather than her intentions.

(Buffy looks down the hall, sees Dawn.)

JOYCE: Exactly.

BUFFY: (calls) Dawn? What are you doing in there? Party gettin' slow?

DAWN: Uh...

(she picks up a stack of plates from dining-room table)

DAWN: ... we need plates. Cake time. She walks off. Buffy smiles nervously.

(Cut to living room. Tara and Willow are preparing the cake. Xander and Anya stand in the doorway kissing. As Dawn walks in, Anya pushes Xander away; Willow and Tara stop what they're doing. Dawn puts plates on the table next to the cake, smiling. She stops smiling when she sees Tara's face, then turns around to look at Xander and Anya.)

DAWN: Why does everybody start acting all weird when I'm around?

XANDER: Me? Me not weird.

DAWN: I'm not an idiot. I know you're talking about me.

XANDER: No, no, we really weren't.

ANYA: (fake voice) We were talking about sex.

(Buffy, Joyce, and Giles enter.)

DAWN: (to Joyce) They were talking about me, just like everybody is.

XANDER: Again, not so much. In fact, none.

ANYA: We were talking about sex. I mean, you know us, sometimes we like to pretend stuff-

JOYCE: Um...

XANDER: Anya!

ANYA: You know, like, say there's a fireman, or a shepherd-

BUFFY: You know what? Let's not have this exchange of images right now.

DAWN: Oh. Right. Of course. Can't let Dawn hear anything. (angry) Fine. I'm just gonna go to bed. That way I won't accidentally get exposed to, like, words.

(She storms out. Everyone looks unhappy. Willow holds up a piece of cake on a plate.)

WILLOW: Cake?

• Dawn as the Key

written by: Steven S. DeKnight; Transcribed by Joan the English Chick (pisces@englishchick.com).. Full transcript at:
http://www.studiesinwords.de/91bloodties.html