"Buffy? There was a call for you." Madeline said as Buffy reached the counter.

"For me?"Buffy asked, surprised.

"Willow Rosenberg called. Something happened to Dawn Summers."

Buffy paled at her words. "Did she say what happened?"

"No. She was at the hospital."

"Thanks," Buffy said. "I need to go." She breathed a sigh of relief at Madeline's nod of agreement. She was going no matter what but it would be nice to still have a job when the crisis was over. "I don't know when I'll be back," she added.

"Go!" Madeline made a shooing motion in the direction of the door. "I was running this place by myself for years. I can do it for a day or two."

"Thanks," Buffy said, giving her a grateful smile before running out the door. Stopping in her apartment, after changing into her patrolling clothes, she grabbed her helmet and keys. As an after thought she grabbed several of her smaller stakes and her favorite knife. She had a feeling she was going to need the tools of her trade.

Spotting an extremely Willow anxiously pacing in front of Tara, Buffy slipped into the ER Waiting Room. She didn't see Dawn's sister and assumed she was with her. "What happened?" she asked, stepping into Willow's field of vision, blocking the path she seemed intent on wearing into the carpet.

"She didn't come into school this morning," Willow said. "Beth was supposed to have the day off but she wasn't answering her phone." She couldn't seem to stop moving, changing her movements so she was now walking around Buffy. "I've got a free period in the morning. So I went over there as soon as I could."

Reaching out, Buffy stopped her. She gently turned Willow face so she could look in her eyes. Wincing at the hurt and pain she could see in them she asked softly, "What'd you find?"

"The house was a wreck," she said.

Buffy could feel her shivering under her hands. Stepping closer, some impulse caused her to wrap her arms around Willow and hug her. "And?" she prompted, ignoring Tara's gasp of surprise,

"Dawn was in the back yard, unconscious. I called 911. I don't know why the neighbors didn't hear anything. The fight must have made a lot of noise." Willow said, rambling on, hugging Buffy tightly.

"Any idea what happened?" Buffy asked, including Tara in the question.

"No," Willow said. "I called Tara as soon we got here."

"How'd Dawn's sister take this?" Buffy asked, remembering her reaction the last time Dawn had gotten hurt.

"I don't know. She's missing." Willow said.

"Willow?" a voice asked softly. Buffy released her and stepped back so she could face the speaker, a nurse around Willow's age.

"Yes?"

"You can go in and see her now," the nurse said.

"Thanks, Amy." she said, causing Buffy to start in surprise and look more closely at the nurse who looked vaguely familiar.

Nodding at Buffy and Tara, Willow followed her down the hall.

"How is she, Doc?" Willow asked the doctor standing outside Dawn's room. An occasional speaker at Coven seminars, as the Coven's doctor she was one of the few people in town who was aware of the Coven's true purpose.

"A broken arm, a couple cracked ribs, and a sprained shoulder." she said.

"When can I take her home?" Willow asked. She didn't think the doctor needed to know to whose home, though she felt Dawn would be safer at the Coven House until they could clean up the mess and get her sister back. Willow unobtrusively took a deep breath, trying not to think about what they would do if they couldn't find Beth.

"I'd like to keep her here overnight for observation." the doctor said. "And Willow?"

"Yes, Doc?" Willow stopped just inside the doorway.

"You and your friends? No more than five minutes." the doctor warned her. "She's going to be very groggy. With her special abilities we had to sedate her fairly heavily. She probably won't make much sense."

"Friends?" Willow whispered, turning around to see Buffy and Tara standing behind her. "Okay," she said, hoping Dawn was coherent enough to tell her what happened.

"She looks so young." Willow said, walking over to Dawn's bed.

"She's tough," Buffy said quietly behind her. "She'll be back on her feet in a day or two."

"I know." Willow said. "Hey!" she said as Dawn opened her eyes and looked at them blearily.

"Guys..." Dawn whispered hoarsely. "Where's Beth?"

"We were hoping you could tell us." Willow said.

"She didn't get away?" Dawn asked, her eyes revealing her fright.

"I don't know." Willow said. "All I found was you."

"What happened?" Buffy asked, standing at the foot of the bed, her face blank. Out of the corner of one eye, Willow could see Tara looking at the older woman with concern.

"It was one of those demons from the other day. You know, near the Hellmouth?" Dawn said, coughing as she finished. Looking around Willow found a pitcher of water. Filling a glass, she held it for Dawn. "There were four of them," Dawn continued after a minute. "They broke into the house. I couldn't stop them." She stared at Buffy for a moment. "They just kept coming. I couldn't slow them down. I don't know how you did it."

"How'd you get outside?" Willow asked.

"Outside?" Dawn turned back to look at her. "I don't remember."

"We'll figure it out later." Willow told her.

"Please find Beth." Dawn asked, her voice fading away and her eyes closing. Gesturing to the others, Willow pointed to the hallway.

"Someone needs to stay here with her." Buffy said once they were out of the room. "Will you be alright here by yourself?" she asked.

"Yes."Willow said. "Why?"

"Someone needs to find Dawn's sister."she said.

"Do you think she's still alive?" Tara asked, causing Willow to wince and check to make sure Dawn was actually sleeping.

"I can't be sure, though I suspect she is." Buffy said. "Hopefully they needed her alive for whatever they needed her for."

"Okay." Willow said, collapsing into a nearby chair. "Buffy?"

"Yes?"

"Once you find her, come back and get us."

"Okay." Buffy nodded at her and Tara before turning and hurrying away.

"Do you think she will?" Willow asked Tara, as she sat next to her. "Come get us when she finds Beth?"

"No." Tara said firmly, not elaborating.

"I don't think so either." Willow said numbly, hoping she wasn't going to lose another person before the day was over.

Stepping under the yellow police line, Buffy looked around the wreckage of 1630 Revello Drive. She'd seen the house take damage during her tenure in her own Sunnydale but never like this. The windows were gone and the ground floor was just a shell. Whatever had happened, Dawn had put up a tremendous fight. There wasn't a single piece of furniture larger than kindling.

Picking her way through the wreckage, she tried to reconstruct what had happened but there wasn't enough left of anything to do more than guess. From the lack of blood, she suspected they'd had a specific goal. One that didn't involve immediate death.

Stepping into the kitchen, she spied a slipper under some rubble. From the size it must have belonged to Beth. Stepping out into the backyard she found its mate at the bottom of the porch steps. From the lack of footprints she suspected they'd gotten what they'd come for.

Buffy's thoughts were interrupted by her cell phone vibrating in a pocket. "Yes?"

"Have you found her yet?" Willow asked.

"No, she's nowhere near the house."Buffy said,stating the obvious."It looks like she was the intended target."

"Beth? Why her?" Willow asked.

"No idea. I'll ask as soon as I find her."

"Do you think it's related to the Hellmouth?" Willow asked. "Dawn thought the demons were the same."

"There's a good chance." Buffy said, unsuccessfully trying to get a feeling for where they'd gone after the attack. "How's Dawn doing?"

"Still asleep." Willow said. "As soon as I can find someone to keep an eye on her we'll help you search."

"Stay with her," Buffy said. "I've got this covered, though a tracking spell would come in handy right about now."

"I'll see what we can do." Willow said. "Don't forget to come get us if you find her."

Even though she had no plan to do so, Buffy winced at the reminder.

[E.O. Mission statement]
[You have got to be kidding me!]