This is the fourth in a new Spike & Cerberus (And now Buffy & Scooby Gang) series called "Watchdogs". If you didn't read the ORIGINAL Spike & Cerberus series... do so. It wont make any sense otherwise...

Buffy turned in her sleep, so that her back was snuggled against Spike and her face was towards the window. The sun had risen a little while ago; shining through her curtains, it woke her gently with its warmth. She stirred, sighing contentedly. When she moved her head, a beam of light struck her eyes as it peeked through a crack in the curtain, making her wince. She groggily sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Cerberus wagged his tail lazily, and she patted him on the head.

And then she truly woke up. She realised with a start that the sunbeam that had kissed her face was also shining on her bedfellow.

"William!" She shoved him forcefully out of the bed, onto the floor and out of the sun.

Spike gave a cry as he struck the carpet. "Bloody hell, Slayer!"

Cerberus whined, standing up. The sun wasn't shining on his part of the bed, so he didn't make the connection that Buffy was pushing the vampire out of it. Was Buffy playing with Spike, or trying to hurt him? He wished humans were easier to understand.

Buffy threw herself off the bed, checking Spike for damage. He eyed her nervously as she pawed him, wondering if she was going to kiss or stake him next. He hissed when she touched a tender spot on his skin. Looking at it himself, he saw there was a red stripe across his shoulder.

"Sunburn!" Buffy proclaimed. "We're lucky it wasn't a lot worse!"

Spike stared at the mark in silent shock. Buffy kissed him on the head, relieved, and stood up to close the curtain better.

"I think we should get a window shade." She told him, as she made sure no more unhindered sunlight was coming through.

"Buffy ..." The look on Spike's face made her nervous. "Buffy, this shouldn't be possible!"

She sat on the bed, looking baffled, and a little hurt. "Well, I know it's not exactly smiled upon for a Slayer to love a vampire, but hey," she told him as he got up and came around to her side of the bed, shooing Cerberus to the floor, "I've never exactly been one to play the rules, and you're not paying attention to a word I'm saying, are you?" she asked as he went over to the window.

"NO!" she cried, leaping from the bed as he flung the curtains open. She wrapped her arms around him and tried to pull him to the floor, but he wouldn't budge. After a moment, she realised he was still partially in the light-- and still alive. Or at least, not going up in flames.

Spike stared at his arms and torso, exposed to the daystar, in awe. "How is this possible?" he whispered.

Cerberus tentatively stuck a paw into the light. Nothing happened. He stepped the rest of the way into it, tongue lolling and tail wagging. Spike swept the dog up into his arms, laughing and dancing about the room.

Buffy sat on the floor, watching them, mystified. She was overjoyed at their discovery, but didn't trust her legs enough to get up and dance with them.

Dawn tried unsuccessfully to not make a sound as she puttered about the kitchen, making breakfast. She didn't know the first thing about making French toast, so she'd decided it was time to learn, and surprise everyone. But in order to surprise them, she had to make sure she didn't wake them before she was done.

She cursed when she dropped an egg on the floor.

"Do we have to wash your mouth out with soap?" Tara smirked at her from the doorway. Willow stood behind her, arms wrapped around her waist and chin on her shoulder.

Dawn smiled the smile of the defeated. "I was trying to make breakfast for everyone ..."

"Aw, we'll help-" began Willow, as she used her magic to clean up the mess.

Tara grabbed her lover's hand, causing the egg to splatter back on the floor. "Sweetie, why don't we try doing it the old fashioned way? It'll be more fun."

Willow pouted a moment, then shrugged. "I guess so. If your idea of fun is hard work ..."

Dawn smiled. "I think I get what Tara means. Things mean more if you have to put a little elbow grease into it. You appreciate it more."

Tara gave the girl a shoulder-hug, then bent down to clean up the floor. Willow sighed and walked over to the recipe book, reading the instructions.

"Good morning, my harem!" Spike walked into the kitchen, arms wide in greeting, grinning from ear to ear. Dawn stared a moment at his fine, shirtless form, trying surreptitiously to enjoy the view, when she realised something. The kitchen curtain was open, and Spike was standing in the sunlight.

Willow noticed it to. "Spike!" she cried, and hurriedly drew the curtain closed. She spun back, scowling. "You should be more careful! Vampire flambé isn't on the breakfast menu!"

Spike walked over to the window. "Here, now, Red, you'll need good light to read that recipe book by!" He drew the curtain open with a flourish.

The three women gasped, each of them flinching as they expected their friend to get extra-crispy any second.

Spike stood there, arms crossed, a self-satisfied smirk on his face, and the sun shining off his skin. Tara thought he looked a little pink, like he had mild sunburn, but that was it. No smoking or boiling of flesh.

"I think you all better sit down," Buffy told them from the door.

Willow nodded, and immediately sank to the floor. Dawn and Tara managed to plunk down on the kitchen stools.

"So what's happened?" Willow asked, still looking at Spike as if she expected him to become a walking bonfire any second.

"I was actually hoping you could tell me that, Red." Spike replied.

"He can stand in the sun, but he seems to get a bit sunburned still."

Spike looked at the window, squinting. "Yes, in fact I think I've had enough of that for now," he said, and closed the curtain. The pinkness had been slowly going to red as he'd stood in the sun, but now it started to fade.

"He can also touch a cross-"

"But it still bloody hurts. It just doesn't burn nearly as badly. Kind of like holding a cup of hot coffee in a cheap cup," he elaborated. "And the sun kind of hurts to look at." He grinned. "Looks like I'll have to borrow those snazzy sunglasses of yours, love," he told Buffy.

She rolled her eyes before going on. "We've yet to test holy water, or the invitation thing. But, so far, he seems to be a lot less vulnerable to the things that are supposed to hurt a vampire. He doesn't have a pulse or breathe-- unless he wants to. And what's more, Cerberus seems to be reacting the same way."

Tara stared at the dog, standing at Buffy's feet, as she said, "I don't get it. Is he becoming some sort of super-vamp? Or is he becoming human?"

"We think it may have something to do with something Lydia told me a while back," Spike suggested. He told the girls what he had told Buffy just a short while before, about Lydia's theories on the nature of vampires, and how he related to them. Lydia believed that, rather than actually killing a host, the parasite of vampirism actually altered the host's state of existence, making it possible for that body to support a demon essence. This altered state was allergic to sunlight, and to the cross, which in pagan symbolism harnessed the power of the sun. She believed that Spike's human soul had managed to stay within its altered body, adapting to the new state. She also believed that Spike's human soul might be able to transform his body back into its former human state, effectively curing him-- or at least create some sort of new creature, a human-vampire hybrid.

"So why can't vampires just use sunscreen to go outside?" Dawn asked.

"Y'know how there are different levels of sunscreen, Nibblet? And how a lower SPF will allow you to tan, while a higher one will prevent the sun from touching you at all?"

She nodded, and so did the rest of the women.

"Well, let's just say there hasn't been a sunscreen made that was a high enough SPF to protect a vamp."

Dawn grinned. "Until now!"

Spike grinned back, and started to help her with making breakfast.

Faith looked up at the newly-risen moon and smiled. It had been dark for a couple of hours already, but it was still early-only sevenish. She loved winter in the south-- still warm, but dark early, meaning she had more hours to play with the vampires. She and Riley had taken a bit of a break during the day, going to Disney World, but the Haunted Mansion had nothing on the excitement of her real life. She'd only gone with to indulge Riley.

Now, It's a Small World, on the other hand ... That was truly a terrifying ride. She shook her head, trying to get the theme song out of her mind. It's a world of laughter, a world of tears. It's a world of hopes and a world of fears...

"Cotton candy?"

Faith jumped. "Sweet Jesus, Riley, don't sneak up on me like that!"

Riley frowned at her. "Just be glad I wasn't a vamp. What's wrong with you, Faith? You know we aren't here for fun; you should be paying more attention. If I could sneak up on you ..."

She scowled at him and gestured to the pink fluff in his hand. "So sayeth the man with the carnival food. This place just gives me the wiggins, all sweetness and light, and probably hiding something dark and sinister..."

Riley laughed. "Sounds like it should be right up your alley!"

She smirked while she looked about. "I think this is actually more up B's alley. We shoulda called her in on this. It's not fair, y'know? She gets to hang in Sunny D, and we have to take care of the rest of the world."

"Oh yeah, 'cause guarding the Hellmouth is such a picnic."

Instead of replying, she headed for the Pirates of the Caribbean.

"Aw, c'mon, Faith, we've been on this a dozen times already."

She batted her eyes at him, grabbing his arm and speaking with saccharine sweetness, "Oh, but I love this ride, honey, there's always something NEW to see ..."

Noticing the group ahead of them, he didn't protest, but hurried her along a little.

In the line, they pretended to be a newlywed couple, gushing over each other, but not being too loud or obnoxious about it. They wanted to make the crowd in front of them think they were oblivious to the rest of the world, unguarded-easy prey. They didn't want to annoy them enough that they'd stay away.

Faith breathed a silent sigh of relief when they were all loaded into the same boat together, with her and Riley in the back. The ride itself was torturous-- the tooth fairy was scarier than these pirates. Thankfully she didn't have to look at them much, while she and her Watcher played up the newlywed act. When they got near an area she knew had no video camera, she pretended to search through her bag for something. After a moment, the vampires in front of them turned around in their seats, smiling with their game faces. One on each side stopped the boat by grabbing on to the platforms on each side. They all had their game-faces on, all grinning.

Faith grinned back, pulling two stakes out of her bag. She handed one to Riley, and they got to work. Playtime was over. Well, for him, anyway. For her it was just getting started. The vamps all jumped onto the platforms, four on one side, three on the other. She followed the four, while Riley went after the three. The boat sailed on without them.

"So stayin' in the Haunted Mansion was just too obvious, huh?" She quipped to the vamps as she dogged their attacks, looking for an opening.

One of them shrugged. "Nah, too dusty. I have allergies."

"Really?" She staked him. "I think this place is dustier." She staked another.

She enjoyed herself as she danced the dance of death with the remaining two, even allowing them to get a hit in here and there. The pain was exhilarating. It got her adrenaline flowing, made her stronger. Still, the thrill was short-lived. She had them both dusted before she'd even worked up a sweat. She saw Riley still struggling with his last one, and debated whether it was worth helping him if it meant damaging his frail male ego. That would make him impossible to live with for a while.

She didn't get the chance to decide as the world went dark.

Dawn grunted with effort as she struck the punching bag as hard as she could. Heavy as it was, she could now make it swing a few inches bag. She didn't stop to admire her achievement, though, just kept punching.

"Whatcha doin', Platelet?"

Spike sat down on the bench and watched her.

She didn't stop as she answered. "Workin' out--huff!--what does it--huff--look like I'm doing?"

Spike only nodded. He knew Dawn was still upset over having learned she wasn't a Slayer-in-waiting, like they had thought until recently. He didn't see any harm in letting her work out her aggressions. In fact, he was still training her in hand-to-hand combat. Being the little sister of the Slayer meant she was still in danger every day of her life. Maybe she was never going to be the Slayer herself, but Spike would always be her Watcher.

And he was Buffy's Watcher now too, now that Giles had Shelly to train. Well, he didn't think Giles would ever stop being Buffy's Watcher, but he needed help now. And since the council decided they didn't have to pay an undead Watcher, Spike was going to choose who he watched. He didn't think Shelly liked him much, anyway.

Speak of the devil, and she shall appear, Spike thought as Shelly walked into the room, Giles at her side.

"Heya, Dawn! Wanna spar a bit?"

Dawn smiled as she stilled the punching bag. "Sure."

Shelly and Dawn had bonded immediately, despite the fact that the new girl had, in a way, taken Dawn's dream of being a Slayer away. The council knew there was a Slayer-in-waiting in Sunnydale. They had thought it was Dawn, at first, but later said they had received more signs that the girl had yet to be found. They were satisfied it was Shelly when Giles reported back after meeting her. Instead of resenting Shelly, Dawn had welcomed her into the Scooby Gang with open arms. Even Giles hadn't been so enthusiastic as she.

Spike was considerably less so. It wasn't that he didn't like Shelly-- he really had no feelings about her as a person either way, and Cerberus seemed to like her. It was just that they hadn't exactly had the best of introductions. She had seen him as a vampire, and attacked him, even though he had been fighting the demons who'd jumped her in an alley. She'd zapped him with a tazer, and was going to stake him if not for the timely arrival of the police. When he'd woken up, his chip had been rendered useless, thanks to the jolt of the tazer, and he'd had no memory of who-- or what-- he was. Buffy and the others had caught him feeding-- by accident-- on a girl, and if not for their faith in him, he could have truly been dusty history. It didn't help that Shelly had seen him again later consorting with the enemy, which he'd only done to get information. She still saw the world as "humans good, vampires bad." He wondered what she would think now that he was somewhere in between the two.

"So the others told me about your situation. Any luck on figuring it out?" Giles asked him as they watched the girls fight.

Spike shook his head. "Only what Lydia told us. And that's only a theory. We can't find anything to suggest a precedence for it." They had spent all day in the books, trying to find a reference to something similar.

Giles nodded, his attention on his pupils. "Slow down a little, Shelly. If you're too eager, you won't be able to read the warnings your opponent's body gives you, but they can read yours." He flinched as Dawn dodged a punch of Shelly's, then threw a successful one of her own. He took off his glasses and began cleaning them. "Yes, just like that, Dawn." He sat down next to the not-so-vampire, speaking lower so the girls couldn't hear. "You've trained her well."

Spike was surprised at how good those words made him feel, but he shook his head. "Not as well as you trained Buffy. Give it a while, Giles, you've only been at it a few weeks. Slayers aren't made in a day, and Shelly has a lot of preconceived notions about fighting."

Giles nodded. "I hadn't thought of that; you're right. I've got to break her of her bad habits before I can teach her new ones." He patted Spike on the shoulder and stood up, walking over to his new trainee.

Spike was oddly moved by the gesture. And then he realised something. He was pleased by praise from Giles, as if the man were his father. He marveled at how the dynamic between them seemed to have altered. He hoped it wasn't just wishful thinking. For all their verbal sparring, he respected Giles. Giles was also English, giving them a connection he couldn't get with any of the other Scoobies. And Giles was the father Buffy's blood-father wouldn't be. He wondered if the Watcher could ever come to think of Spike as a son the way he saw the other Scoobies as his children ...

Riley let out a cry when he saw Faith hit from behind by another vamp. It must have been hiding out somewhere in the attraction. He finished off his last vamp on his side of the water, and threw his stake at the one across the way. His aim was deadly, and the monster was dust.

An empty boat was passing just then, going over the spot where Faith had fallen. It got stuck. Riley stepped to a point beyond it on the platform, and jumped into the water. A boat further back had people in it, and they gaped at him. He ignored them as he lifted the empty boat up a bit and shoved it onward.

He found Faith and pulled her out of the water, lifting her onto the platform and pulling himself up beside her. She wasn't breathing. He immediately set to giving her CPR, but she didn't seem to be responding.

The boat with the people in it had gotten up to them. A man in the boat tried to get out and help, just as a man came out of a hidden doorway further down. Riley tensed; either one of them could be vamps.

The man from the doorway was wearing a pirate outfit and a nametag that said "Bill". Bill told the man from the boat to stay seated with his hands and arms inside the boat at all times. Seeing that someone official was taking care of things, the man did as he was told.

Bill pulled out a walkie-talkie from the back of his belt, and requested an ambulance. Riley was still giving Faith mouth-to-mouth. After another tense few seconds, water came bubbling out of her mouth, and she took several sputtering breaths.

"Help will be here shortly, sir," Bill informed him.

Riley hugged Faith, to him, stroking her wet hair. "Make sure the building is sealed off. No one, employee or otherwise, gets out of here until we determine the threat has been neutralized." He stood and carried her through the doorway Bill had come out of. Bill followed, speaking the orders into his walkie-talkie.

The Watchers had gotten word from their operatives within the theme park that a nest had settled in. This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened, but when it did, they saw to it that the threat was taken care of swiftly and quietly. Only this time, they believed some of the company's own employees had been involved, aiding the vamps by helping them hide themselves and the bodies. Of course the higher-ups were willing to allow the Watchers to use any means necessary to get the situation under control, and offered total cooperation. Employees in suspected nesting areas had all been replaced with operatives. There was also a vast number of hunters-for-hire scouring the vast 47-acre grounds of the resort. Bill was a Watcher operative himself.

Riley wondered, as Faith shivered in his arms, whether they might be allowed to stay when they were sure the nest was gone, and have a little R&R.

Dawn was slowing down. She had been working out for quite a while before Shelly had gotten there, and was on her last legs. It was all she could do to dodge the other girl's strikes now. Even at that, she was starting to fail. Shelly clipped her and sent her spinning to the ground.

Shelly immediately dropped down beside her friend and helped her up. "Sorry, Dawn!"

Dawn nursed her jaw a moment, then smiled. "No, no, don't be a silly goose. This sort of thing is going to happen in training."

"Well ... maybe I should just practice with Buffy ..."

Dawn scowled and squared her shoulders. "I'm not made of porcelain, you know. I can hold my own. You're not a Slayer yet, you're not any stronger than a normal girl!"

Shelly sighed. "That wasn't what I meant. I just meant there isn't any reason for you to get hurt just so I can train! I doubt I could do any damage to Buffy." She shrugged. "She would just make a more logical practice dummy, is all."

Dawn didn't seem to be paying attention to her for a moment. An odd look crossed her face. Then she smiled, an eerie, mischievous grin. "A 'dummy', am I? We'll see about that. C'mon, give m your best shot." She gestured for the girl to come forward and hit her.

"No, Dawn, we've had enough practice for one night."

Dawn raised a brow, still grinning. "You've questioned my ability, and stained my honor. You must allow me to get my honor back, and prove myself."

Shelly rolled her eyes. "Dawn, c'mon, let's just drop it already!" She turned to go into the shop.

Dawn grabbed the girl's arm. Shelly was shocked by the strength of her grip. She tried to pull away, and found she couldn't.

"Dawn, let go!"

"I will if you promise to take a swing at me."

"Fine, if it'll make you happy! Just let go already."

Dawn complied, a look of satisfaction in her eyes. She stood there, waiting for Shelly to swing.

When she did, Dawn ducked it easily, and took a swing herself. Her punch landed solidly on Shelly's jaw, sending the girl flying across the mat. Shelly lay there, dazed, as Dawn stood over her and offered her a hand up.

"Now we're even," Dawn told her. There was no arrogance or pleasure in her voice, just a simple statement of the facts.

Once Shelly was on her feet, Dawn bowed and walked into the shop. The fight was over.

After a busy patrol, Buffy and Spike were happy to call it a night. They were too tired to do anything but sleep, so they stayed in Buffy's room again, Cerberus happily sleeping at their feet. They were all fast asleep in minutes.

In her dreams, Buffy was in the desert. It was night, and there was a fire. She could sense something beyond the light, and saw flashes of white. It was the first Slayer.

Buffy crossed her arms, impatient. "I suppose you're going to lecture me about sleeping with another vampire. I would think by now you would get that I don't particularly care about the rules. You don't like what I do, you shouldn't have chosen me."

"I did not choose you. The demon did."

Buffy put her hands on her hips. "Say again?"

"The demon that gives us our power chooses. And now there is another."

Buffy's eyes grew wide. "Faith died?!"

"She died. She came back. Another was called. Now there are five. The Slayer is no longer alone. You must lead them."

"Wait a minute. FIVE? What's the matter, primitive Slayers count? There's me," she ticked off the names on her fingers, "Faith, and now this new girl. Who is it, Shelly?"

"Your daughter."

Buffy grew pale. "You mean Dawn?" Dawn's the Slayer?!? How the hell did that happen?!? The council said that Shelly was the Slayer-in-waiting!"

"She is one of many. Your daughter was another. Now she a Slayer. You must train her, just as you must train the others who are Slayers but were not called."

Buffy stared blankly for a long moment. Then, "What?"

"I think she means us, love."

Buffy turned. Spike and Cerberus were standing beside her. Only, Spike looked more like William, his hair a more natural blond. She poked him, hard, in the arm.

"Ow!"

"Are you really here?" she asked him.

"Well no, this is a dream, so I'm not really here-- but then, neither are you. But if you're asking if I'm a figment of your imagination or here in astral body, I'll have to say the latter. And I'd say the same goes for Cerberus here."

The dog barked in agreement.

"They are here as you are," the Primitive told them. "They have become as you did."

"And they're quite the fools," added a voice from beyond her.

A figure stepped into the firelight. It looked like Spike, his hair bleached and game-face on. Beside him stood a demonic-looking wolf. The wolf was growling low in its throat.

"Can't say I'm too happy about the arrangement, myself," the vampire added.

"You're him," William said, reaching unconsciously for Buffy's hand. She took it and held it tight.

Spike clapped. "Bra-vo! Yep, I'm the demon that had the ill luck of having to share quarters with a human soul. Oh come now, don't look at me like that. You should know by now that demons aren't inherently evil-- just chaotic. SO I like a good rumble. 'S considerably more in'erestin' that the life you used t' live, mister bookworm! You know, I should have found a way to throw you out anyway! Then I wouldn't be stuck in this predicament! Although I have to say that being practically immune to the effects of sunlight is a nice trade-off ..."

"I don't understand!" Buffy told the Primitive, exasperated. "What exactly is going on?"

"It's simple, chippie," Spike told her, lighting a cigarette. "William here is now a Slayer."

Dawn waited until the sounds from Buffy's room were long silent before she made her escape out her bedroom window. She wondered why Buffy hadn't seen fit to nail her window shut-not that she was complaining, mind.

Once on the ground, she made her way to the cemetery, hugging her coat to her against a wind that wasn't there, drawing comfort from the feel of the stake poking a her from inside her pocket.

Buffy blinked, her expression blank. She looked at William; he looked just as clueless. "Come again?" she asked Spike.

Spike rolled his eyes, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and Buffy was an especially dense pupil. "'E's the first male Slayer. Started 'imself a new line of Slayers altogether, 'e 'as. And the mutt there is the first animal Slayer, thanks to 'im and their mystical-mojo bond. Me an' the dire-wolf 'ere, were the demons wot power 'em up. In return, we get to be all not-crispy in the sun, and not all acid-eaten in the holy water. And we get some action, fightin' other demons, so 's not so bad." He shrugged.

Buffy thought about that a moment. There was something she was missing in all that. What would a vampire have to do with becoming a Slayer? And then she remembered that the Primitive had said something about a demon being the one who chose who got the gift next. She suddenly felt very ill.

"Are you saying that the Slayers get their power from... a vampire? That there's a demon inside me, just like there is in my enemies?!?"

Spike nodded. "Yeah, I'd say that was about the size of it."

"But wait a minute ..." William held up a hand. "If that's true, if a Slayer is part human, part vampire, then why hasn't Angel become a Slayer?"

Spike shrugged. "That all depends on your definition of the word, I suppose. I mean, he does kill vampires, after all. But As for why he hasn't transformed back to being at least partly human, I'd say that's because circumstances haven't exactly been right for that. You never left your body-- he did. You've always maintained a connection with your shell-- he was gone for a while. You've always been at peace with me, while Angel's human soul wars with Angelus. He could become a Slayer, if he wanted to, and accepted the terms."

"What about me?" Buffy protested. "I never accepted having a vampire inside me!!"

"That's different, love. That'd be like saying 'no one asked me if I wanted to be human. It's in your blood, just as being a human is." Spike sat down on the ground and got comfortable. Then he looked back into the shadows. "You wanna take it from here, love?"

From out of the darkness came another figure. It looked like Buffy as a vampire. Buffy felt her stomach flop, and even the Primitive seemed to shrink away form the creature. Vamp Buffy sat down on Spike's lap. They curled their arms about each other and smiled at their human counterparts.

Dawn smiled when she spotted Shelly. The girl was out patrolling, just as she'd thought. Putting everything Spike had taught her about lurking to good use, she crept up quietly behind the Slayer-in-waiting.

When she was right on the girl's heels, she whispered, "Nice night for a patrol, huh?"

Shelly spun, stake in hand, ready to drive it through the heart of a vampire.

"See, sweetie," Vamp Buffy began, "Not all of us are evil. Back in our own dimension, we don't usually kill when we feed. The vampires you know are descendants of criminals from my world. They didn't like the laws of our people, so they fled here to live and kill as they pleased. I'd come here, with several others, to stop them. But our host forms were not human, and we quickly discovered they could not survive in this environment. Something about this dimension prevented us from simply transferring ourselves to new hosts, human ones. One of my group had already discovered that to try was to kill the host. Stealing a host is forbidden among my people. While the convicts had no qualms about taking human lives to survive, we would not.

"When that one's tribal elders found me," she pointed to the primitive, "I was the last of my group left alive, and my host was dying. They did not yet know exactly what monsters were plaguing them, only that a great evil had come into their world. So they worked to save me, and I vowed to help them rid the world of its new evil. With the elders' help, I found a way to bond the vampire's demon with its human host, leaving the host body alive and its human soul intact, and giving it vampire strength. In return, they promised that all of this one's bloodline," she pointed to the Primitive again, "would be bound to me as well. When one Slayer dies, I'm drawn by the bond into another host. Every Slayer-in-waiting is a descendant by the matriarchal lines of her family from her sisters.

"I had resigned myself to my task, and the idea that I would always be alone. But over the many centuries I hoped to find another of my kind that I could make into a Slayer. I thought it would be Angel that would help me achieve this end, but when I tried to bond his two souls, it didn't work. As Spike said, the human and the vampire refused to co-exist, each insisting on total control. Until William, all the human souls had been forced out of the shell when it was acquired by one of my kind. Even Angel had required a spell to give his human soul access to his body again. But William embraced what Spike had to offer him long ago.

"Last night was the first time all the conditions were right-- that there was a vampire soul that was not evil, co-habituating his host with a human soul. All the vampires here being descendants of the convicts, they tend to behave as they were taught by their forefathers, to take pleasure in pain and destruction. Even this one here," she kissed Spike, "was less than well-behaved. But sharing his host with William had taught him how to love, and spending time with you," she looked pointedly at Buffy, "gave him incentive to change for the better. And that allowed me to bond their souls to make a new Slayer, as the humans had shown me all those years ago."

It was William's turn to look confused. "So what's with the metamorphosis? When a Slayer becomes the Slayer, the change is instantaneous! I'm still not alive!"

The smile she gave him was surprisingly gentle. "You had to change from vampire back to human. The transformation is reversing itself, and taking the same amount of time it did when you 'died'. You will be human-- or Slayer, rather-- by the time you awaken from this dream. And Cerberus will be alive, too. Your connection to him allowed me to bond his two souls as well."

Buffy looked at the wolf at Spike's side. Was this all just dream symbolism, or was that what was really inside of the little dog?

"So now I'll be mortal?" William asked. Buffy noted that he didn't sound either happy or disappointed-it was a question like someone might ask in biology class.

Vamp Buffy laughed. "You think a Slayer is mortal???"

Buffy raise her hand. "Uh, hello? I died, remember? Twice, in fact!"

Vamp Buffy shook her head. "You were killed. A vampire can be killed, too. A Slayer is as immortal as a vampire-- even if they are a bit easier to kill-- and will never die of natural causes." She looked a bit sad and wistful at that. "That was the one thing we couldn't be rid of, the immortality. If we had, the Slayer wouldn't have the vampire strength. Still, the Slayer can be killed far more easily than a vamp. It doesn't take something so specific as a wooden stale to the heart, just a bigger wound than your accelerated healing factor can handle. And the demon-- that would be me-- takes a back seat to the human soul, until there's a fight. I can walk in the sun, and I no longer need blood-- I think, because my host is still alive. We weren't really sure what would happen, but I think the pluses outweigh the minuses. But I still can never know peace." She gazed lovingly at Spike. "At least now I will no longer be alone ... "

Dawn caught the stake in her hand, grinning. "Whoa, there, cowgirl! It's just me!"

Shelly scowled at her friend. "Dawn, I almost staked you!" she hissed. "What are you doing, sneaking up on me like that?!" She thought about it for a moment. "On second thought, how did you sneak up on me?" Dawn looked at her nails, shrugging. "I dunno. Something I picked up from a certain vampire, I guess." She dropped the coy routine in favor of smugness, crossing her arms. "Although I'm surprised it worked on you, you being the Slayer-in-waiting and all!"

Shelly sighed, exasperated. "Dawn, I'm not the Slayer yet! And I may never be! In fact, I hope I never am. I don't want another girl to die just so I can be!"

Dawn paled. "I forgot about that. I mean, Faith wasn't the nicest person in the world, but ..."

A sound fro0m the nearby bushes made both girls jump.

Buffy sat long moments staring at the fire, absorbing the warmth and the words. At least now I know where a Slayer gets her death wish from, she thought. It's the demon's wish to finally be able to die, and escape the loneliness and horror of her existence ... Aloud, she said, "But what about Kendra? And Faith? There's already more Slayers now!"

"When a vampire creates a fledgling, a bit of their own demon spirit goes into the new host, rather like an amoeba splitting. They are, in essence, copies of me. Twin sisters, if you like, or daughters. So yes, I guess in that respect, I was not alone, once that happened. But then again, it's rather like looking in funhouse mirrors, being surrounded by altered versions of yourself."

"So ... you're saying you've made Spike into my ... 'mate'?"

"Something like that. You must understand, I would never have done this without his consent and yours. I knew you loved him, and that he would welcome all that being a Slayer has to offer. He can still help you fight, unlike Riley, and now can walk among men as one of them, as you do. And, if you are willing, you will bear children who will be Slayers."

Buffy stood, eyes flashing. "Whoa, wait a minute! You want me to visit this-- this curse upon my offspring?!"

"Not exactly. I mean, you do not have to have children if you don't wish it. I neither can nor will force you in this. But if you mate with William, your children will be Slayers. You will be the start of a new race of 'wolves' to hunt the vampires. Your children will protect your ordinary human kin from my bloodthirsty brethren, and any other monster out there. Together, we have evolved into something new, something beneficial to both our species." Her voice became pleading. "Buffy, if I could reverse time and the spell of the bond, I would give you back your life, your childhood. Do you think I wanted to leave my home? My loved ones? You know about sacrifice for the good of all-- and so do I."

Buffy could see the tears in her vampire-self's eyes. She didn't want to believe. Didn't want to, but did. And she understood the necessity of it, even as she wanted to scream at the heavens for the unfairness of it all. Life was life. She had already learned that vampires were not inherently evil. Now it was time she accepted it.

The Primitive spoke. "You are blessed. You are allowed to know what no other Slayer has-- love. You are not alone, as those before you."

Buffy felt her heart go out to the first Slayer, for the loneliness she must have known.

The Primitive continued. "And you already have a daughter who is a Slayer, now."

Buffy and William stared at the first Slayer. "Come again?" they said in tandem.

Two vamps swaggered out from behind the shrubbery. "Well, well, well," said one of them, "looks like Sunnyville done sent out the welcome wagon!"

"That's Sunnydale, moron." Dawn told him, rolling her eyes. "Can't you read?" She pointed to the sign above the gate that read "Sunnydale Cemetery".

Both the vampires shrugged. The second one said, "Nope." They stepped towards the girls, sneering. Then the second vampire stopped, scowling. The first stopped too, puzzled by his friend.

"Ain't ya gonna run? Er scream, at least?" the second vampire asked, clearly disappointed.

The first one turned to them, straightening in indignation. "Hey, yeah! What gives? You too dumb to know a vampire when ya see one, girlie?"

"Nope." Shelly smiled, holding up her stake.

"But you're too dumb to tell a Slayer when you see one, apparently," Dawn added, holding up her own.

"The Key," the Primitive answered.

"Dawn? But she's not even a Slayer-in-waiting!" Buffy protested.

Vamp Buffy raised a brow. "What makes you think that?"

"The Watchers said they made a mistake! They said SHELLY was really the Slayer-in-waiting and this is the Watchers Council, of course they screwed up, why am I not surprised?" Buffy finished, giving William an exasperated look.

Vamp Buffy nodded. "Dawn and Shelly are both descendants of the Slayer bloodlines, just as you and Faith are, and Kendra was. Faith drowned earlier today, so another piece of myself went to Dawn, the next best candidate."

Buffy was surprised to find tears in her own eyes. "So Faith is ... gone?"

Vamp Buffy shook her head. "No, she was revived by Riley. But since she was dead for a few minutes, the spell called for a new Slayer. This was another unforeseen situation. Back when we first cast it, none of us ever imagined there would be a way to resurrect a Slayer. Thankfully it didn't call another Slayer when you died the second time.

"But for now," she added, "I think you'd better go help Dawn. She's let the power go to her head, and gotten herself into a bit of hot water."

Buffy and William tensed, their eyes wide with fear and worry. "What's happened?" Buffy asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Vamp Buffy shrugged. "Oh, nothing too serious. Just stepped into a hornet's nest, so to speak, in the cemetery. It's not so bad-- Shelly's there, too. Still, I'd wake up now, if I were you, and hurry on over there."

"How?!" William cried, gripping Buffy's hand like iron. Cerberus whined beside them. "How do we wake up?!"

The primitive scowled at them, puzzled. "Just do!" she told them.

Spike rolled his eyes. "Do we have to do everything for you?"

The three vampires rose and walked over to their appropriate counterparts. They seemed to step inside them--

Buffy and William jerked awake, sitting upright, their hands still locked together as they had been in the dreamworld. Cerberus leapt from the bed and raced out the door. They untangled themselves from their blankets and raced after him.

Tara and Willow heard the ruckus and tore their bedroom door open. "What's the matter, where's the fire?!" Willow asked, her red hair wild as her eyes.

"Dawn snuck off to the cemetery!" Buffy told them as she scrambled to open the locks.

Willow ducked back into her room and reappeared a second later with her gauntlet on her hand. "Here, this is faster!" She used the gauntlet to open a magic portal to an area they knew well-- Spike's old crypt.

The vampires rushed at the two girls. The girls evaded them easily. A moment later, they were standing in the vampires' dust.

Dawn brushed her hands together. "Well, that was easy! We make a good team!"

Shelly smiled. "Yeah, we do! Y'know, Dawn, if I ever do become the Slayer, I hope you'll be my Slayerette-"

"I don't think you're gonna live t' see that day, li'l lady!"

Vampires were coming towards them from all sides. The girls didn't even have time to be frightened as they ducked and dodged, swung and kicked. They let their instincts move them, as they had been taught. Only they discovered quickly that Dawn had the advantage.

Dawn grabbed a vamp by the wrist and swung him into two others. When she kicked the next one, he flew across the graves into the mausoleum wall. She leapt high into the air, causing two that were coming at her from both sides to collide into each other. When she landed, it was in a handstand. She horse-kicked another vamp into a tombstone, cracking it. She grabbed her stake from the ground and went after more.

Shelly was doing well in her own right, staking more vamps even if she didn't have Dawn's finesse. That is, until she noticed what Dawn was doing. Dumbfounded, she stared in awe at her friend's superhuman exploits.

Dawn finished off another vamp and looked Shelly's way. Her eyes went wide. "Shelly!" she cried, rushing towards the stunned girl. She grabbed another stake from her pocket and threw both, one to either side. Shelly jumped, startled by the poofs of dust to either side of her. Dawn grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Are you all right?!"

Shelly stared at Dawn, with an expression somewhere between awe and horror. "You ... you're the Slayer now... aren't you..." It wasn't really a question.

Dawn let go, all the pride washed out of her. She knew what the life of a Slayer was like, had been in danger before... So why did the way she was feeling now come as such a surprise? The gift of being a Slayer felt less like a prize won and more like the heavy mantle of responsibility now she realised it really was. And as much as she wanted to prove herself to Buffy and the others, she wondered for the first time if she was really ready.

"DAWN!"

She spun towards the voice, the voice of her sister. She was in for it now. Her eyes opened wide as she found a vamp directly behind her-- and it turned to dust. She looked down at the ground, seeing the grave it had just dug its way out of. On top of it were two stakes. She barley noticed as her sister threw her arms around her, practically crushing her in her embrace. Buffy always forgot how strong she was. Would she forget now, too? Would she accidentally hurt someone?

"Dawn? Are you all right?" Buffy's eyes were full of tears.

Spike was there too, wrapping his arms around both of them. He wasn't crying, but his eyes were full of worry. "Nibblet, speak up, love? Are you hurt?"

Dawn finally managed to shake her head, to get the words out. "I'm fine. Really." Not quite the truth, but it would do. She turned towards her friend. "Shelly? What about you?"

Willow and Tara had gone over to the girl, and were fawning over her. She seemed catatonic, and they were doing their best to get her to snap out of it.

Dawn pulled out of her sister's embrace and went over to her friend. She gave her a slap. "Shell, snap out of it!"

The girl began to cry. "I-I've never faced so many at once before! They just k-kept coming! And you--! I was supposed to be the Slayer! But you handled it better than I ever could!"

Dawn hugged the girl tight, smoothing her hair with a hand. "Don't say that, Shelly! You would have done exactly the same in my place! It's the gift that allowed me to do those things-- I could never have done it one my own! But you! You did it without the gift!" She held the girl by the shoulders. "Buffy would never have lasted so long without her Slayerettes. Will you be mine? I need friends to help me."

Shelly wiped her eyes and nodded. "I have too, just to make sure you live, so I won't be called!" She laughed, and Dawn joined her.

Willow looked at Tara, clearly confused. "Did you understand a word of that?"

Her lover shook her head. "Maybe we're sleepwalking."

Willow nodded, thoughtful. "I think we should go back to bed," she said, heading back towards the portal. Tara took her hand and followed.

Buffy held out her hand. "C'mon, Dawnie. You too, Shelly, you can spend what's left of the night at our place."

Dawn took her sister's hand in hers, and took Shelley's in her other hand. Spike held Buffy's other hand, and carried Cerberus in his other arm.

"So I guess I'm grounded, huh?" Dawn asked.

Buffy shook her head. "Can't ground a Slayer for going out on patrol, now can I? But next time, you come-get-me!" She poked the girl for emphasis.

Dawn stared at Buffy in shock. "Y-you knew?"

"Mmmmmm, we have a LOT to tell you ..."

Spike groaned. "It can wait 'til morning, okay? I wanna actually be awake for my first day alive in over a hundred years!"

Dawn stared at him as they reached the portal, stumbling over a rock. "ALIVE???"

Buffy sighed and ruffled her sister's hair as they stepped into the house. "Tomorrow."

The portal closed behind them.