Buffy turned in her sleep, so that her back was snuggled against Spike and her face was towards the window. The sun had 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 on 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 you're 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, lets 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 eachother, 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 opponents 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 demon's 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."