The fast-descending dagger was aimed unerringly at Xander's lone functional eye and he was acutely aware of that fact. With a surge of adrenaline, he desperately swung out his arm and managed to not only deflect the blow, but also knock the weapon from Tessa's grasp. She recovered remarkably quickly and prepared to launch another attack – this time, with her bare hands. But as she reached for Xander, Buffy came to the rescue and jerked her away.

"It's okay!" she hastily assured, keeping a firm grip on the young girl. "He's a friend!"

Giles and Dawn had followed on Buffy's heels. Giles immediately rushed to aid Xander while Dawn hurried to Tessa's side, anxious to calm the obvious agitation.

"'Friend'?" echoed Xander in disbelief. "Is that we're calling crazy killer monsters now?" He accepted Giles' offer to haul him to his feet. "We're fighting evil with hugs and brownies?"

Dawn treated him to a frown. "Tessa's not evil."

"Of course not," agreed Xander sardonically. "I was three inches from a truly authentic Ray Charles impersonation, but it was in the name of good."

"You should've called first," said Buffy.

"So now I have to make an appointment to get into my own home?" he asked, voice a little shrill.

"No," Buffy corrected. "I left you a message. Sort of giving you the heads up?"

Xander extracted his cell phone and checked the tiny screen. 'One missed call' was prominently displayed, but it didn't appear to make him feel a whole lot better about the situation.

Clearly shaken, Tessa looked from Buffy to Dawn and then hung her head.

"I'm sorry," she humbly apologized. "I thought ... I thought he was coming to get me, and ..."

Buffy patted her shoulder. "It's all right," she comforted. "It was just a misunderstanding. Nobody's hurt."

"Nobody's hurt?" queried Xander, tone climbing higher by yet another octave.

He looked around and retrieved one of the items that had been thoughtlessly and carelessly thrown from his hands upon arrival. It was a take-out bag from Burger King – crushed and flattened. He thrust the bag in the faces of the onlookers, shaking it for good measure. A small quantity of ketchup oozed from the bottom.

"You owe me an Angus burger!"

Giles took a step toward the front door. "Might I suggest we move this inside? Your neighbors are suspicious enough as it is."

Xander was unable to cease glowering at Tessa, who seemed totally deflated and utterly ashamed of her actions. Arm draped consolingly around Tessa's shoulders, Dawn led her back to the couch while Buffy joined Xander, still clinging to his demolished bag. She pried it from his fingers and patted his hand consolingly.

"I'll explain everything as soon as Willow and Tara get here," she promised.

"I'm sure it'll be a wondrous tale of myth and intrigue," he huffed, umbrage not diminished in the slightest, as he marched stiffly toward the kitchen.

With a sigh, Buffy began to follow, but then her phone emitted the "Kim Possible" theme and she brought it quickly to her ear.

"Hey, Will," she answered. A concerned frown crossed her forehead. "Tara? Is everything—?"

She listened to the response, gaze traveling toward the interior of the house where everybody was now safely inside, and paid close attention to the message being conveyed.

"Okay," she acknowledged soberly. "You guys get here as soon as you can. Make sure you bring your new playmate."

Nodding at the confirmation, Buffy snapped shut the phone. Deep in thought, her eyes narrowed.

The living room had become somewhat short of seating since the arrival of Faith, Willow and Tara, with Denali in tow. The only notable absentee was Tessa.

Buffy paced back and forth in front of the coffee table. "It's not that simple," she declared firmly.

Denali appeared genuinely stunned at the statement. "Not that ..." Her searching gaze scoured every face, obviously wondering if any of them perceived Buffy as the crazy individual Denali believed her to be. "Not that simple?" she echoed with a shake of her head. "It slaughtered five people."

"And their little dog, too," Xander added.

"I'm here to make sure it never happens again," continued Denali. "What part of that isn't simple?"

"How about the part where you're killing an innocent?" asked Buffy with a raised eyebrow.

Denali blinked in disbelief at the assertion. "I'm killing innocents?"

"Something I'm sure you know nothing about," Willow jabbed.

Denali narrowed her eyes in Willow's direction as Buffy turned to address the two witches, sitting together on the couch.

"Can you guys do it?"

They regarded each other soberly.

"Maybe?" ventured Tara.

"We can send her somewhere," Willow attempted to assure. "That part's not so much a problem."

"Excuse me," interrupted Denali. "I clearly don't have a handle on this whole Slayer thing yet, but aren't we forgetting about the part where we're Slayers? The thing is evil and it needs to be destroyed."

"She's not a thing, and she's not evil!" Dawn exclaimed from her cross-legged position on the floor. Every eye turned toward her. "She's a person, just like us. She gets scared and lonely, and happy and excited ..."

On the second floor, Tessa sat with her back against a wall near the stairwell, where she was able to hear the conversation taking place below. A fleeting smile of gratitude brightened her otherwise dejected features as Dawn took a bold stand in her defense.

"She just wants to go home," finished Dawn with a scowl.

"Sure she does," scoffed Xander, "now she's actually got a chance of being stopped." Dawn and Buffy shot wounded looks in his direction, but Xander refused to be swayed. "How convenient. She says she's been on earth almost a year, right? Where was this big yen for home before a bunch of people turned up dead?"

Dawn scrambled to her feet. "If you'd just spend time with her—"

"I got all the time I need, thanks," replied Xander, throwing up his hands.

"But it's not even like her species is violent," Buffy insisted. "Right Giles?"

"Uhm, well, not as a general rule, no," agreed Giles. "Most recorded encounters with the Ru'nar were- were benign." He shook his head. "Though I'm not certain the generalization could, or should, be applied to each individual."

Denali rolled her eyes. "I don’t get how this is even a question. It's a demon." It seemed as though Dawn might protest once more at the word choice, but Denali never gave her the opportunity. "It's a demon," she reiterated forcefully. "It was found with the bloody remains of an entire family not ten feet away."

Buffy tapped her chin and glanced up at the ceiling, as though she were solving a great puzzle. "Which, let's think, doesn’t even make sense!" She looked to Denali for the answer to this challenge. "If she'd killed them, why would she hang around?"

Denali simply crossed her arms and refused to give the issue a moment's thought. "I never want to know why a demon does what it does."

"Met girls locked up for less evidence," Faith remarked from her perch on the arm of the couch. "Gotta admit B, it's pretty damning."

"But I know she—" Buffy tried to explain.

"You don't know anything," interjected Xander, tossing his arm out to the side. "You're assuming. Now guess which not-at-all cliché phrase comes next?"

"I'm assuming?" rejoined Buffy, fast losing her temper. "You're the one insisting that she's the bad guy here!"

"I'm not insisting, I'm suggesting," Xander refuted. He narrowed his gaze at Buffy. "Someone's got to."

Buffy jutted her chin defiantly. "How can you be so sure you're right?"

"How can you?"

Tara glanced from Buffy to Xander. "Guys, this isn't helping," she pointed out in a calm voice.

"Research!" Willow announced in a stressed and overly bright tone. "We'll- We'll get into research mode a-and find out for sure. We just hold off on doing anything before—"

"I'm not wasting my time on something I already know," snorted Denali impatiently. "I've been tracking the thing for a week and already that's a week too long. It's here, and I'm going to kill it."

Looking amused despite everything, Faith leaned toward Denali. "Just a tip? Lyin' might be a skill you wanna look into."

"Okay, that's it," Buffy stated, her tone making it clear there would be no further debate. She seized Denali by the elbow and turned her toward the front door. "You and me are having a little chat."

To no avail, Denali tried to wrench her arm free. "What?" she queried with disdain. "I don't have time for 'chatting'."

"If you want the demon, you'll make time," Buffy told her tartly.

Reluctantly and with nothing even resembling a good grace, Denali gave in. Glowering, she allowed Buffy to steer her from the room. As she left, Buffy tossed a meaningful glance in Willow's direction and the redhead communicated her understanding with a brief nod. As the two Slayers departed, a tense hush fell over the room. It was shattered by Dawn.

"I can't believe you're being like this," she said to Xander. Her expression was one of pain and confusion at his attitude.

"Look, I'm sorry you're upset," Xander acknowledged, although he remained largely unrepentant, "but it's the truth. She might've done it. I don’t know. All I do know is that my appetite's taken a week's vacation after seein' those—" He gestured with disgust at the photographs laid out on the coffee table. "—and that I very nearly qualified for a lifetime's supply of handicapped parking, courtesy of the chief suspect. So forgive me for not bein' first in line for her pep squad."

"Xander." Willow's voice was soft, yet the tone commanded immediate attention and everyone turned to look at her. "If you don’t wanna help, that's okay," she told him, though not unkindly. "But for the rest of us, we've got work to do. So let's get to doing."

Dusk was rapidly descending as Buffy and Denali strolled through a cemetery. Clearly bored and blatantly unhappy to be there, Denali kicked at tufts of wet grass with the toe of her boot.

"Are we done chatting yet?" she asked curtly.

"Don't be in such a rush," Buffy counseled. "I've been told that I'm really quite pleasant company."

Denali snorted back a laugh. "Now I know you're crazy."

The pair continued their walk in silence for a moment.

"The way it worked for you should never've happened," Buffy told her. "The way it used to be, once a Slayer died, the next one was called. The Watcher's Council—" She explained as Denali tossed a puzzled glance in her direction. "They were a bunch of stuffy English guys. Sort of like our stuffy English guy, only like times twenty."

Denali didn't seem to appreciate the reference, and Buffy shrugged.

"Anyway, the Council would've found you, and you would've had a Watcher to teach you everything you needed to know. Obviously you didn't get that, so we're gonna go through a crash course. Slaying 101."

"I've been doing my job just fine, thanks." Denali appraised Buffy from head to toe. "And if you're the result of this Council's training, frankly, I'm not interested."

Buffy flittered her hand to wave off the very notion. "Oh no. Me and the Council didn't get along so much. Though they probably would've loved you." In an exact mirrored action, Buffy surveyed Denali. She seemed no more impressed. "Their way isn't exactly how we do things any more."

"Hm," murmured Denali. "Pity."

"See, in some ways," Buffy explained, "it's a pretty simple gig. See Jane Slay. Slay Jane, Slay."

"And the other ways?"

"Ah yes. The other ways. It's the part where you actually stop and think." She emphasized the words, as though they were foreign concepts to her audience-of-one. "Thinking wasn't exactly an officially sponsored extra-curricular activity with the old Council. There was just that a big ol' blanket of conformity. If it's not one of us, kill it." She tilted her head to one side and made an interested noise. "There's probably some ripe social commentary in there somewhere."

"How about a point?" wondered Denali, arching her eyebrow. "Is there one of those in there somewhere too?"

Coming to a halt before a headstone, Buffy turned and looked up at Denali. "Maybe the fact that, I dunno, it's wrong?" she suggested. "Some demons are evil and nasty. You're right. I'd even say most. Trust me," she reassured, "I'm on-board. But some aren't the bad guys. They just wanna be left alone to do their little non-violent demony thing. Some, in fact, are the good guys. Believe it—"

"I don't," was the emphatic response.

"—or not." Buffy finished. "But you not believing it doesn’t make it less true." She considered her words for a moment. "I get what you're doing. It's easier when you don't have to worry about it. No horns good, two horns bad."

Denali stood in front of Buffy, legs astride. "But using the Buffy Summers method," she reasoned with deliberate care, "I take them out to dinner first. If they don't pick up the tab, then I know they're evil and must be destroyed."

Buffy smirked. "You know, sarcasm is the ignorant person's weapon. All I'm saying is, look at each on a case-by-case basis. Trust your instincts." She thought for a moment before adding, "Once we get you some less-murderous ones. Open yourself to the possibility that—"

The lesson was interrupted by the sound of churning earth as a vampire began to rise from the grave at their feet. Denali blinked in surprise, but Buffy was unfazed. With a fluid motion and little aforethought, she seized the front of the vampire's shirt and hoisted him far enough out of the ground to expose his chest before driving a stake into his heart. The deed was completed in record time.

"—that maybe, just maybe," Buffy resumed without missing a beat, "the things you think should be killed really shouldn't."

"Give them a chance, right?" questioned Denali wryly.

Buffy nodded encouragingly. "Yes. Exactly."

"Like you gave that vampire a chance," returned Denali, indicating the pile of ash.

Buffy frowned. "What?"

"The vampire," repeated Denali. "The one you just staked not ten seconds ago."

Buffy examined the stake in her fist and then slipped back inside her jacket. Her mouth grew prim.

"That's different. Vampires are different."

Denali's was immediately skeptical. "So some demons are good, but all vampires are bad?"

"Right," agreed Buffy. She paused for a moment. "Unless they have a soul." She paused a moment longer. "Or a chip."

An expression of contempt tinged with disbelief crossed Denali's features. "Are you even hearing yourself?"

"Vampires aren’t like demons," Buffy said with authority. "Demons can be harmless. They can get by without hurting anyone. Vampires don't have that restraint."

"Unless they have a chip or a soul," Denali repeated incredulously.

Hearing it coming from someone else's mouth, Buffy seemed to be uncomfortably aware that it wasn't exactly the most convincing argument to the average individual. Still, she stuck to her guns. "Uh-huh," she confirmed with a defensive edge.

"Then how do you know the difference?" challenged Denali. "Do they wear special shirts, or have a secret handshake or something?" She waved at the pile of ash once more. "How do you know that one should've been destroyed?"

"Vamps don't come with leashes," Buffy clipped. "You have to give it to them."

"So you can just give a vampire a soul?"

"Not me," admitted Buffy. "But it's possible, yeah."

"And then they become good?"

"Yes."

Denali looked even more puzzled than before. "Soooo then ... Why not give souls to all the vampires?"

A deep furrow appeared on Buffy's brow.

"If it makes them good, then it's what you should do, right?" persisted Denali. "I mean, isn't that what you've been telling me? Only kill the things that deserve to be killed?"

"We can't just reensoul every vampire in the world," rejoined Buffy, becoming irritated. "I've seen how tough it can be to just do one."

"Okay then, streamline the process," Denali proposed without hesitation. "Or start with the ones you find."

Buffy was having trouble with the concept, either in accepting it or outright dismissing it. She perched on the edge of the tombstone standing watch over the now-empty grave and said nothing. Denali favored her with a penetrating gaze, but Buffy's eyes were distant and unseeing as she bit into her lower lip.

Stealthily, Denali moved to stand behind her. "Or is it just easier when you don't have to think about it?" she wondered aloud. "No fangs good, two fangs bad?"

Buffy shook her head, immediately refuting the idea, but seemed unable to articulate an appropriately scathing response that would prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that things simply didn't work that way.

"Maybe we're not so different after all, Buffy Summers," murmured Denali, hefting a large stone urn.

Buffy was totally unprepared for the attack. The urn shattered in a cloud of dust and tiny fragments as it impacted with her skull, and she slumped heavily to the ground.

Denali looked down at the unconscious figure. "Except for the part where you're an idiot," she muttered, shaking her head. "And I'm the amateur?"

She sprinted from the cemetery, leaving Buffy's motionless body sprawling where it had fell.

At one side of the backyard, Willow and Tara sat across from each other on the grass, finalizing the preparations for their spell; the sky, although darkening, still held sufficient light for the task at hand. Xander and Giles stood on the porch, watching and waiting, while Faith had claimed a perch on the wooden railing and was swinging her legs.

By the large tree that dominated the area, Tessa shuffled restlessly within a large circle of white sand. Her expression was a blend of nervousness and excitement. Just beyond the perimeter of the circle, Dawn hovered nearby offering support.

Leaving Tara alone for a moment, Willow made her way to the two young girls. "Okay," she smiled brightly, "So we're about ready to give it a whirl."

Tessa chewed on her lower lip. "It's safe, right?"

"Totally!" affirmed Willow with confidence. "Absolutely! 100% guaranteed ..." She nodded. "...probably completely safe."

A hint of panic crept into Tessa's eyes. "'Probably'?"

Willow glanced to Dawn and then back to Tessa. "It's like I said – the tricky part is hitting the bullseye. The actual process, not so hard. Heck, I teleported a troll once, and he was like three times bigger than you!" Dawn smiled at Tessa encouragingly while Willow continued. "So here's what we're gonna do: you keep thinking about your home. Form a picture of it in your mind and hold it. Concentrate super hard. Me an' Tara are gonna try to tap into that energy to find the path. Okay?"

Taking a deep breath, Tessa indicated her acknowledgment.

"And whatever you do, don't break the circle," Willow instructed both Tessa and Dawn firmly. "There could be feedback issues and that'd just be unpleasant." She pulled a face that was presumably engineered to express said unpleasantness before addressing Tessa once more. "Now, just settle back, fasten your seatbelt, and leave the driving to us."

Willow's smile was reassuring and only weakly returned. As the redhead rejoined Tara, Dawn grinned enthusiastically at Tessa.

"Excited?" asked Dawn in an upbeat fashion, trying her best to help chase away any fears that Tessa might be harboring.

"Mostly right now, I just feel sort of sick," Tessa admitted, rubbing her arms for comfort.

"Like you might barf any second?" commiserated Dawn. Seeming a little queasy, Tessa could only manage a strained nod. "That could be excitement," Dawn affirmed. "Or bad egg salad. I'm gonna go with excited, though."

"In case I don't get the chance later ... thank you," Tessa told Dawn, dark eyes shimmering with genuine affection. "For everything. You, and Buffy, and Willow and everyone." She sighed. "I wish we could stay in touch."

"I'd call, but the long distance fees would probably suck up my allowance until I was 60," replied Dawn with a chuckle.

"Maybe someday, though?"

"I hope so," returned Dawn enthusiastically.

"Because I'm gonna go crazy if I don't find out what's up with that island," Tessa declared peevishly.

The pair smiled at each other across the distance of the circle that separated them.

On the porch, Xander scratched the back of his head. "Explain to me again how this is the right choice," he urged.

"Of the options available, it's either this, allow Denali to do as she pleases, or place constant surveillance on them both until we can ascertain the truth," responded Giles patiently. "Ideally, I prefer the third option, but it would require considerable resources. Teams would need to be dispatched to the location of the crime and contacts established within the ranks of the investigators." He removed his glasses and began to polish them as he spoke. "Then assuming the perpetrator was even discovered – something for which there is no guarantee – there is currently insufficient evidence that it was the work something demonic at all." He replaced the glasses on the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "It simply isn't practical."

"Better t' be wrong bein' right than right bein' wrong, eh Oxford?" Faith tossed over her shoulder, although Giles declined to respond.

"And even if we did all vote for Door #3, I'm not sure Buffy'd listen anyway," said Xander. "You may've noticed how when she gets her righteousness on, things sorta stop being a democracy real quick."

"She is indeed on occasion very ... driven," Giles confessed. "I'm confident she would've listened to reason, however."

Faith and Xander exchanged a look that indicated they didn't share Giles' conviction, but there remained little time to dwell on the possibility.

"Okay, we're ready," Tara announced softly and an expectant hush fell as she began the invocation.

"Weary traveler
On the path of day
The moon is high and the hour is late
Reach far through beyond
Where thought cannot sway
The moon is low and time will not wait"

Willow took up the chant.

"Weary traveler
On the path of night
The—"

The liturgy abruptly terminated as the arrival Denali, vaulting over the tall fence surrounding the backyard, took everyone by surprise. The instant her feet hit the ground, she raced toward Willow and Tara. Taken totally off-guard, it seemed as though time stood still for everyone but Denali. She reached the two witches without interference and roughly grabbed a handful of Willow's hair from behind. Forcefully jerking the head toward her, Denali delivered a vicious karate chop to Willow's exposed throat. Immediately, Willow began to gasp, fighting for air as she collapsed backward. With a cry of horror, Tara scrabbled across the grass to reach her side while Denali made a beeline for Tessa..

"Xander!" commanded Giles urgently, but Xander was already sprinting through the back door.

He seized the first two weapons within easy reach - a battle axe and a broadsword. From the entranceway, he tossed the axe to Giles, who caught the handle squarely in the palm of his hand. Without further hesitation, the Watcher began to chase down Denali. Xander wasn't far behind.

Denali was no more than a stride's length from breaking the circle when she was brought heavily to the ground from the rear. Looking up, she saw Faith barring her way to the demon. Faith didn't speak. She didn't need to. Her smirk said it all.

Within the ring of sand, Tessa was rapidly losing self-control. Terrified, she came perilously close to taking flight, but Dawn ventured as close as she dared without crossing the line, offering reassurance and trying to instill an air of tranquility.

"She's here. She's here," Tessa muttered almost hysterically. "She'll get me. I've got- I've got to—"

Frantically, her body swiveled toward the fence – a means of escape, an exit. Dawn inched even closer, instinctively reaching out a restraining hand, but stopped just short of encroaching upon the circle. Instead, she called Tessa's name and then moved to block the view of the girl's potential attacker by stretching out her arms. At Dawn's feet, the sand was glowing with a silvery incandescence, and it was apparent that the spell was in-progress. She locked eyes with the petrified demon. The act seemed to bring Tessa a degree of comfort, but it was tenuous at best and her desire to flee was almost palpable.

"You can't!" ordered Dawn. "You have to stay there until it's over!"

Tessa began to murmur in her native language before slipping back into English. "...and I'll die and I'll never make it better and..." Her words became undecipherable once more.

"You're not gonna die," Dawn told her sharply.

But Tessa continued her wretched murmurings, eyes drifting again toward the fence.

"Tessa!" yelled Dawn. Her shout cut through the panic, and Tessa instantly snapped to attention. "You're not gonna die," Dawn told her as though the statement was an immutable fact. "You're gonna go home. I promise." She locked eyes with Tessa, unflinching in her vow. "I promise."

Across the yard, Tara cradled Willow's head in her lap, smoothing the hair away from her damp forehead. "Willow! Oh god, Willow, are you okay?"

Willow's labored breathing was not getting any easier. Her chest heaved as she struggled to capture what oxygen she could, but it was questionable whether the amount would be sufficient to sustain her. Tara decided to take no chances. Hovering her palm over Willow's throat, she closed her eyes and moved her lips in a silent chant. A pure white glow spread from her fingertips to the base of the wrist, bathing Willow's throat in a healing balm. Within seconds, Willow's gasping breaths grew less ragged. Lowering her hand, Tara quickly opened her eyes and looked down anxiously into Willow's pale face.

"Been better," Willow rasped, her voice scratchy and painful. She inhaled deeply and glared. "Man, I hate her."

There was the sound of solid knuckles connecting with an equally solid jaw as Denali stumbled backward in an effort to remain upright. Still off-balance, she swung wildly at Faith, who easily dodged the blow and countered by slamming the heel of her hand squarely into Denali's nose. This time, Denali went down, sprawled on the grass. She looked up to find that Giles and Xander were also blocking her path to Tessa.

"I strongly suggest that you stay down," Giles quietly recommended.

Faith hopped lightly on her toes. "Nah, let her up. It's fun."

"And you consider yourselves heroes?" sneered Denali.

Xander hoisted his sword over one shoulder. "Actually, I consider myself a demigod," he cheerfully corrected, "but I'll take 'hero' on a slow day."

Denali's narrowed gaze became fixed upon Xander. "I thought you at least were on my side."

"I kinda was," he admitted with a brisk nod. "You lost a lotta cred when you came in and went all Bruce Lee on my best friend, though."

Adopting their former positions, Tara and Willow had resumed casting. This did not go unnoticed by Denali, who rose slowly to her feet.

"So that's your solution," she scoffed with open contempt. "Just let them go and cross your fingers."

Faith shrugged. "It lacks the charm a' your 'kill everyone an' let god sort it out' method, but it'll do in a pinch."

"We're not perfect," Giles stated. "Not a one of us."

"Well I am," piped Xander confidently.

Giles shook his head. "We all can only do what we think is best."

"And this ..." Denali gestured with her hand, encompassing the entire area. "This is what's best?"

"I personally think the house needs to be reshingled," advised a voice from behind.

Denali turned to see Buffy standing before her with arms folded across her chest.

"But other than that, it's pretty darned close."

"Hey Buff." Xander inclined his head in greeting. "Nice of you to join us."

"Sorry I'm late" Buffy apologized with a smirk. "You know how those graveyard shifts can be murder."

Giles grinned as well. "I always say—" he began, but he got no further as Denali rushed him, planting a fist savagely into his stomach. Winded, Giles fell to his knees and she snatched the axe from his hand.

In one smooth movement, Denali jumped into the air and executed a spinning kick that caught both Xander and Faith unawares, knocking them back and providing her with an unobstructed path to Tessa's location. Realizing it might be her final chance, Denali immediately pounced upon the opportunity and she hurled the axe toward her target with a deadly aim. Buffy was on her in a heartbeat, but it was already too late.

"Willow, Tara!" shouted Buffy, turning to face the witches, but held as they were within the depths of their spell, they were powerless to react.

The axe continued to rotate with unerring accuracy toward Tessa. She could see it coming – knew it was destined to reach its intended mark – but could only widen her eyes in alarm.

Dawn too was unable to tear her horrified gaze from the fast-flying blade. She clenched her hands into tight fists. "No!"

As the weapon sailed over the threshold of the circle, there was a brilliant flash of green light, immediately followed by a concussive wave of energy that swiftly spread across the area. The first story windows shattered instantly and everyone within range of the powerful force field was lifted from their feet and thrown to the ground. The blinding radiance persisted for a moment longer, and then rapidly dissipated.

For several seconds, there were no signs of life. The yard was a disaster, littered with broken glass and splintered wood. Embedded in the trunk of the tree was the axe, directly behind where Tessa had last been standing, but Tessa herself had vanished. Little by little, bodies began to stir.

Giles raised himself on one elbow and looked around worriedly. "Is everyone all right?"

Buffy groaned, and Faith ruefully examined a rip in her leather jacket. Tara's head peered over the top of a pile of broken planks, Willow's hand waving in the background. Xander struggled to his feet and moved toward the house.

"Hey, look," he commented. "My first window repair job. It's like it's really home now."

One by one, the others joined him.

Giles seemed especially put out by the turn of events. "And I was about to say something terribly amusing before she got the jump on me," he complained. The others turned to him expectantly, perfectly willing to hear the joke belatedly, but Giles could only frown. "Bloody well forgotten it now."

"Where's Denali?" asked Tara as she worked to remove a splinter.

"Did she get impaled by something sharp and painful?" asked Willow hopefully, voice still hoarse. "Cuz I'd be surprisingly okay with that."

"Don't see her," reported Faith after a hasty survey.

Buffy nodded her agreement. "She must've run aw..." Her voice trailed off and her face became concerned. "Dawn?" Her gaze raked the area. "Where's Dawn?"

Immediately everyone began to scour the vicinity with anxious eyes. There was no sign of Dawn.

"Dawn?!" yelled Buffy, a hint of panic beginning to set in.

"Hey, guys?" came a gleeful cry from the far end of the yard.

All heads snapped in the same direction and, one by one, each expression gave way to complete and utter shock.

Dawn was virtually bursting with brilliantly bright green energy. It pulsated with the force of life and radiated from her head all the way down to her toes. Even her eyes were bright with the luminous glow. Extending her arms, Dawn spun on her heel so they could appreciate the effect from every conceivable angle. Grinding to a halt, she turned to her audience with a huge grin.

"Check me out! I – am so – cool!"