I've been way busy with work, but thankfully, I have some time off.

This focuses on the What's My Line two-parter but with major canon changing. Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night.

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy. Joss does.

Chapter 6: Let Other Pens Dwell on Guilt and Misery

It was a dark and stormy night in the sleepy town of Moon Valley, California. The rain was nowhere to be found, but the constant thunder and lightning warned the citizens of the town that the floodgates of Heaven were about to open. Sadly, some vampires were not deterred-too thirsty to let something as silly as rain keep them from finding some unsuspecting prey. Thankfully, two beautiful and brave ladies were out in the cemeteries, keeping watch for the predators before the storm breaks in.

Dawn tapped her pencil against her cheek as she stared down into her composition notebook.

"Dawn, what did you put for number 8?" Xander asked.

The brunette Slayer's eyes stayed focused on her notebook.

"Yoo-hoo! Earth to Dawn!" Xander snapped his fingers in front of Dawn's face.

"Oh! Sorry!" Dawn blinked for a few seconds and closed her notebook. "Number 8 for what?"

Xander held up a piece of paper filled with questions and little bubbles. "The stupid career test we have to take."

"Oh yeah!" Dawn said. "I finished that earlier today in homeroom. I'm just working on...a side project right now." She quickly hid her notebook inside her backpack and took a look at Xander's test sheet.

"Lucky you," Buffy said. "I would've opted out entirely, but given that this test Principal Snyder's "hoop" of the week and he won't be happy unless I'm jumping…" The blonde slayer blew a raspberry and rolled her eyes.

"You're not even a teensy weensy bit curious about what kind of career you could have had?" Willow asked. "I mean, if you weren't already the Slayer and all."

Buffy shrugged her shoulders. "As far as I'm concerned, my future, as well as Dawn's, has been already set in stone the minute that the raggedy man showed up at Hemery High."

"Poor Merrick," Dawn said. Then she gasped, took out her notebook again, and started writing.

"What's with Dawn today?" Xander asked.

"She's been like this since last week," Buffy said. "She was reading Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey and then all of a sudden, she grabbed one of the notebooks from last year's school supply shopping spree and wrote like the wind."

Dawn pouted. "I'm right here, you know!"

"I-I-I think it's great that you're writing, Dawnie," Tara said. "I-is it like a journal or something?"

Dawn put down her notebook. "It's actually more like a novel. I kind of thought that I could write about, well, us. The slaying, the vampires, the demons. Names will be changes, obviously, but it's basically about what happened to us."

Buffy smiled. "That's actually really cool, Dawnie. Can I see?"

Dawn shook her head. "I will tell you the names of all the characters, though." She pointed to Buffy. "Your character's name is Sarah and mine is Michelle and we're still twins, but with extra superpowers and weapons. You get to use a really cool scythe and I know how to levitate."

Buffy smiled. "Nice!"

"What about me?" Xander asked.

"Your character's name is Alex and you are basically like Batman, with lots of cool gadgets."

"Sweet!"

Tara gave Dawn an eager and curious smile. Dawn smiled back at the blonde witch and said, "You are descended from a long line of healers. You supply all the defensive magic and heal the group."

Tara blushed.

"Do I get to do magic too?" Willow asked.

"Yep! Your magic is more offensive, with fireballs and stuff like that."

"Ooh! I love it!"

Principal Snyder passed by the group and gave them all a glare.

"You five are being entirely too loud to be taking your career tests," he snarled.

Dawn handed her career test over to him. "I forgot to give you my sheet, Principal Snyder. I finished it in Homeroom." She looked up at him with wide eyes and pouted. "I'm sorry that I forgot to give it to you."

Snyder blushed and took the test sheet from Dawn. "Thank you, Miss Summers. I hope that your sister will finish hers in a timely manner as well."

The short principal then caught sight of Larry and his boys causing trouble in another hallway and ran to stop them.

After he left, Dawn giggled and said, "Did I mention that in my book, I made Snyder a troll?"

The group broke out into quiet giggles and continued on with their test.

###

Drusilla shuffled the deck of cards, drew ten from the deck, and placed them on the table in front of her. She hummed as she turned the first card over.

"The moon shines its lovely light," Drusilla said to no one in particular. She turned the next card over, revealing a picture of a bright sun. "But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and the Slayer is the sun. She will kill the envious moon, who is already pale and sick with grief."

She shook a little as she remembered the way that Spike looked at the blonde slayer. She turned over the next card.

"The King of Cups expects a picnic and his birthday is coming soon," Drusilla whispered. An image of Spike flashed in her mind as she turned over the next card. The card revealed an upside-down picture of a sword held by a hand.

"The Sword of Damocles is hanging over my head. No...not my head. But someone is about to cut the thread."

The fifth card showed a picture of a star. "The stars are singing to me. My strength will return." Drusilla clapped with glee as she turned over the next card, which showed a picture of four wands placed as supports for an arch with a couple standing beneath the canopy. "Love will conquer all."

She turned over the next card which showed a stained glass window of three coins with pentacles at the center. "I need the three. The power of three shall set me free." She turned over the next card and grimaced at the picture of a woman on a throne of sunflowers, holding a wand in her hand. "But the queen of the sun! She's always in my way!" The next card showed a picture of a woman on a silver throne holding a gold chalice in her hand. "Her sister is equally dangerous. They will both take my knight away from me!"

Drusilla took a deep breath and turned over the last card. A knight in black armor carried a black flag over a ground littered with skeletons.

"Death will come. But for whom?"

Drusilla summoned her minion to her. "Call upon the Order of Turaka. Tell them to kill the Slayers and their friends, but bring my Angel to me."

"As you wish, my lady!" the minion said.

Drusilla smiled and danced around the room to music that only she could hear.

###

Spike didn't know why he found himself walking towards the home of the Slayer Twins. He'd been walking by their house a lot ever since he and Dru escaped from the bomb shelter. He was waiting for the right time for Buffy and Dawn to tell him how to cure Drusilla. Unfortunately, every time he passed by the house or through a cemetery, he would always sense the Wanker's presence. He passed in front of the house and smelled the hair gel that practically screamed "Wanker" and continued walking. Guess I'll go get something for Drusilla to eat, Spike sad.

Dawn giggled in surprise as she walked in her room and found Angel hugging a rag doll close to him.

"Just dropping by for some quality time with Little Miss Muffet?" Dawn asked.

"Who?"

"My doll." She gestured to the doll Angel cradled in his arms. "Buffy has Mr. Gordo, I have Little Miss Muffet."

"Oh." Angel smiled sheepishly as he carefully placed the doll on a side table. "I just came to...check up on you."

"It's good to see you, outside of the whole bearer of bad news thing."

They sat down on the bed together.

"So, um, how are things?"

"We have this thing going on at school."

"Career Week, right?"

"How did you know?"

"I lurk. You seem really excited about it."

"I kind of am. Buffy's Little Miss Cranky as usual, but that's just because we both have the whole sealed fate thing going on. I can't help but feel curious and hopeful, though."

"So what kind of career do you want?" Angel asked.

Dawn showed Angel her notebook. "I want to be a writer. I've been seriously inspired by, well, everything, and started writing about what I've been through."

Angel flipped through the pages of her notebook. "You're serious about this?"

"Yeah, I am," Dawn said.

"What do you think you'll get on your career test?" Angel asked.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Probably something boring like a librarian, no offense to Giles there. Or worse, maybe a career in museums like what my mom does."

"I can see you being a paralegal myself."

Dawn laughed. "Yeah right! I'd rather die than work for a bunch of lawyers! They're more demonic than the stuff I fight on a daily basis." She took a look at Angel, whose face was as serious as a statue's. "You're serious."

Angel grimaced. "It's just that a career in arts? You're not gonna make a lot of money out of it."

"But you're artistic, Angel. I've seen your sketches."

"They're just a hobby, Dawn. You don't exactly see me selling my drawings do you?"

"No."

"It's just a suggestion, though."

"Yeah, I know."

Angel looked over to Dawn's drawers. A picture of her skating on an ice rink caught his attention. He got up and took a closer look at the picture.

"You ice skated?"

Dawn nodded. "My Dorothy Hamill phase. My room in L.A. was this major shrine - Dorothy posters, Dorothy dolls. I even got the Dorothy haircut. My friends in LA used to call me Ice Princess."

"You wanted to be like her?"

"I wanted to be her. Skating and gymnastics used to be my escape. When my parents were fighting."

"When was the last time you put on skates?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Probably a couple hundred demons ago. Why?"

"I was thinking. There's a skating rink that's closed on Tuesdays."

Realization filled Dawn's eyes. "Tomorrow is Tuesday."

"What do you say we go there after school?"

Dawn smiled. "Okay. I just need to tell Buffy first."

Angel returned her smile as he walked towards the window. "I'll see you tomorrow, then." He jumped out of the window and walked out into the night.

Dawn rushed over to the other side of the hall, where Buffy was looking over her homework.

"Hey, sis," Buffy said. "What's up?"

Dawn smiled. "Angel and I are gonna be going out on a date tomorrow."

"Lucky you. It's just too bad tomorrow is Tuesdays. I don't know why, but I always hate Tuesdays. Nothing good ever happens. Maybe Tuesdays just hate me."

"Speaking of things that hate you, have you decided when you're gonna talk to Spike?" Dawn asked.

Buffy sighed. "Yeah, I figured I'll go to the Bronze after this whole Career Week is over."

"And Drusilla?"

"I've been talking with Miss Calendar. The cure requires Drusilla getting Angel's blood. But we're also looking into other spells that can teleport her far from us. Willow and Tara are practicing the teleporting spells right now."

"Lucky them. I always wished we could do magic. I mean, I want to do something other than getting dreams and sensing vampires."

"Well, you gained a bit of extra strength from that Moon Sailor, right?"

"Sailor Moon, yeah. And I think she uses some kind of moon magic as well."

"Maybe in between all the career day stuff, I can help train you with your strength and Jenny can figure out how you can use the moon as a magic source."

"Thanks, Buffy."

###

The next day, the results from the career aptitude test were posted. Students gathered around the bulletin boards. Cordelia smiled as she saw personal shopper, motivational speaker, and lawyer on her results.

"So what did you get?" Buffy asked.

"Construction, Carpentry, or Architecture," Xander read. "Well, I do like working with my hands."

"Let me see!" Dawn said. "Huh. I got Museum Curator, Historian, Librarian…Dammit! I wanted something cool!"

"Creative careers aren't usually on these things, Dawnie," Buffy said. "What did you get, Tara?"

Tara smiled. "Nurse. I also got Medical Assistant and Teacher."

Willow looked on the list and read her results out loud: "Science Technician, Network and Computer System Administrator, Computer and Information Research Scientist! It's perfect!"

"I'm glad someone got the careers they wanted!" Dawn lamented.

"I wonder if I could be like Miss Calendar," Willow said. "Combining magic and computers."

"That would be seriously cool," Dawn said. "What about you, Buffy?"

"It seems we both got stuck with some lame-ass jobs. I got Athletic Trainer, Guidance Counselor, and Law Enforcement Professional!"

"As in police?" Willow asked.

"As in polyester, doughnuts, and brutality," Xander said.

"They don't sound all that bad to me," Dawn said. "At least you get to do stuff."

"Is something wrong?" Buffy asked.

"Angel wasn't so keen on the whole writing thing."

"Well that's kind of sucky," Xander said. "And I'm not just saying that because he's a vampire."

Dawn giggled.

"Maybe you can find a way to deal with it through writing things out," Buffy said. "Make an enemy that represents what you're going through with Angel. Then have Sarah and Michelle figure out a way to deal with that problem."

Inspiration instantly lit up in Dawn's eyes. "I got the perfect idea!" She giggled and ran off to her next class.

###

Katja flashed an evil grin, her fangs shining in the moonlight. She folded her arms, showing off the high quality of her three-piece suit and gave Sarah and Michelle a challenging look.

"So what's it gonna be, Slayers? Are you going to let your little friends die or are you gonna hand yourselves over?"

Michelle looked over at Alex and Liam, who were tied and gagged onto one pole and at Lily and Amber, who were tied up at another pole.

"We're gonna have to get creative here, sis," Michelle said.

"Right. You levitate and knock her out," Sarah said. "I'll slice our friends free."

"Hey, Dawnie," Angel said.

Dawn quickly put her notebook in her backpack. "Hey, Angel."

"You ready for some ice skating?"

Dawn nodded. "Yeah."

Angel tied the laces on his skates and led Dawn out into the ice. The two of them glided like a pair of professionals.

"You're really good at this."

"I used to watch ballet," Angel said. "Not that much different, really. Even when I was evil, I loved watching people dance."

Dawn blushed with a modest smile on her face.

All of a sudden, a red-skinned demon wearing a black suit charged on the ice. Angel quickly punched the demon in the face and knocked him down, then threw the demon around every time it fought back. Dawn took off her blades and tied the skates together. She held herself up against the wall and threw the skates at the demon's head, knocking him out.

Dawn slid on the ice as best as she could and held onto Angel to prevent herself from falling.

"What was that thing?" Dawn asked.

"It was just a m'fashnik demon," Angel said. "Not much of a threat." He took a close look at the demon's hands and noticed a ring with an intricate engraving.

"What's with the ring?" Dawn asked.

"Go to Giles. I'll take care of him, okay?"

"But Angel!"

Angel grabbed the ring off of the demon and threw it to Dawn.

"Just go!"

Dawn whined and ran out of the rink.

###

The Scooby Gang were surprised to see Dawn as she ran inside the library.

"What happened to your date with Angel?" Willow asked.

"A demon attacked us," Dawn said. "And it was wearing a ring-the kind you'd usually see on Super Bowl champions."

"Do you know what it looked like?" Giles asked.

Dawn took the ring out of the pocket. "Yeah."

Giles looked through the books and pulled out a volume entitled Rings. After flipping through a few pages, he found a picture that matched the ring that Dawn had.

"This guy was hard core, Giles. And Angel was power-freaked by the ring."

"I'm afraid he was not overreacting," Giles said. "The ring is worn only by members of the Order Of Turaka. They are a society of demon assassins dating back to King Solomon…"

"So I guess now would be a good time to get into training then," Buffy said.

"But these assassins won't stop until they got what they came for," Giles said. "And more will come unless the contract is cancelled

"Then we just have to take them down," Dawn said. She turned to Jenny and said, "Buffy told me that you can help me with some kind of moon magic?"

Jenny nodded. "Yeah. But it's a little dangerous. The moon is connected to emotions and especially to women. So relying on the moon to give you strength will vary. But there's a magic that can be used to replicate the powers you had. I have a friend from Japan who's more familiar with the character you turned into."

"Awesome!"

###

Willy's Pub

The weasel-like bartender hummed to himself and looked up as a shadow loomed over him.

"Oh. Hey, Angel," Willy said. "I didn't recognize you in the dark there."

Angel glared at Willy.

"What - what can I do for you tonight?" the bartender asked.

"I need some information," Angel said.

"Yeah? Man, that's too bad. Cause I'm staying away from that whole scene. I'm living right, Angel."

"Sure you are, Willy. And I'm taking up sunbathing."

"Come on, now. Don't be that way. I treat you vamps good. I don't hassle you. You don't hassle me. We all enjoy the patronage of this establishment. Everybody's happy."

Angel leaned in close and slammed his fists onto the bar. Willy flinched.

"Who sent them?" Angel shouted.

"Who sent - who?"

Angel gripped his hand around Willy's neck and threw him up against the wall.

"The Order of Taraka," Angel said with his teeth gritted. "They're after the Slayers"

"Come on, man!" Willy squealed. "You know he ordered those guys. Spike's sick of your girls getting in his way."

"Where can I find him?"

Willy choked and passed out.

All of a sudden, Angel felt the burning sensation of Holy Water on his skin. He turned around as one of the members of the Order attacked him. It was a Polgara demon. He struggled against him, but the Polgara demon brought out a skewer from his arm and stabbed Angel right in the gut. The dark-haired vampire felt a few more splashes of Holy Water hitting him. Finally, he felt some ropes being tied around his hand and a long claw under his chin.

Drusilla smiled as she lifted Angel's face up so that his eyes met hers. She waved her fingers in front of him.

"Be in my eyes," she droned hypnotically. "Be...in me."

The last thing Angel saw before he slumped over was Dawn standing over him, dressed in a long white dress.

###

"I think we need to split up," Buffy said. "Willow, Tara, check on my mom. I'm gonna patrol. Dawn, stay with Miss Calendar."

"Where are you gonna go?" Dawn asked.

"Well, who do you think would send those guys after us?"

Dawn pouted. "Be careful, okay?"

Buffy nodded.

###

Restfield Cemetery

Buffy felt a cold breeze blowing as the sun set. She found Spike leaning against a crypt, smoking a cigarette like always.

"The sun sets and she appears," Spike said. "What do you want, Slayer?"

"Call off the Order," Buffy said.

"What?"

"The Order of Tamagochi or something? A demon attacked my sister and Angel."

"Sounds like a typical Tuesday here in Sunnyhell."

"Yeah, well they're not gonna stop until you tell them to. I can help you with Drusilla but I can't exactly do that with demons trying to kill me."

"You do realize that I still want to kill you."

"Well the feeling is mutual. But seriously? You don't know anything about the Order and the assassins?"

"I haven't seen or heard from the Order of Turaka in a long time. Not since-"

Realization filled both of their eyes. Buffy ran off back to the library while Spike went back to the factory.

###

The Factory

Spike hurried inside and found Drusilla coming out of her bedroom. She smelled of hair gel and Holy Water.

"You put a commission to the Order of Turaka," Spike said. "And now you have Peaches here?"

"He thinks I'm the moon," Drusilla cooed. "My Angel will give me strength."

"Drusilla, I am getting help. We can cure you and get out of this hellhole. I'm tired of being here."

"The Slayers are holding you back."

"No, they're not!"

"You're lying!" Drusilla slapped Spike and pushed him down to the floor. "You were the Slayer of Slayers. And now...you don't want to kill them. I see both of them, floating all around you. Laughing."

"They want to help you," Spike said.

"With the help of an evil teacher. Who wants to take my Angel away from me."

"Angel? Angel?! Don't tell me that after almost a century away, you're still pining for your Daddy?!"

"I need him!" Drusilla cried.

Spike's jaw dropped. He turned around and paced for a bit before turning back at her. "Who was the one that saved you from that mob at Prague? Who's been there for you since China, in Spain, in Italy, in Woodstock?"

"But that was all the past, Spike. I look into your future. And all I see are the Slayers."

Tears welled up in Drusilla's eyes as she turned and walked away. "I will see to my Angel now. I'll cure myself on my own. You taste like ashes to me, Spike. You're beneath me. Now leave me!"

Spike started hyperventilating. Tears welled up in his eyes and he left the factory.

###

Buffy returned to the library. She did a quick head count and noticed two people missing.

"Where are Willow and Tara?" Buffy asked.

She gasped in surprise as Willow and Tara appeared in front of her.

"What the?" Buffy, Dawn, and Xander said simultaneously.

"There was a demon that followed us!" Willow said.

"We cast a spell-" Tara said. "We teleported out, but it's probably not far."

"Drusilla made the order," Buffy said. "What do you think she has planned?"

"If I were Drusilla," Jenny said, "I would probably seek out my sire. It's known that Sire's blood has healing powers for the vampires they turn."

"Oh no!" Dawn said. "Angel!"

Giles looked through the volume involving Drusilla. "There is a ritual here. She must've foreseen it."

"So where are they now?" Dawn asked.

Tara grabbed a scrying crystal from her pocket and hummed over a map of Sunnydale. The crystal landed on top of an icon of a church.

###

The Scooby Gang rushed to the abandoned church indicated on Tara's map. Spike was right at the front door and pounced on Buffy right away.

"I'll take care of Spike!" Buffy said. "You guys get Angel!"

Giles nodded and led the rest of the team further into the church.

Buffy and Spike traded blows, pushing and punching, kicking and throwing each other around the narrow hallway. All of a sudden, a green-skinned demon with a twisted face broke through the wall and grabbed Buffy by the neck.

"Spike!" Buffy choked. "Get this thing off me!"

"You're the one who drove Drusilla away from me! Why should I help you?"

Buffy used all her strength to break free from the demon's release. Then she threw the demon down to the end of the hallway.

"I'm sorry, I'm not exactly Dr. Ruth here, but right now, we have a Grappler demon to deal with. So would you rather let the green menace here kill me or you?"

Spike huffed. "Fine."

The two of them turned their attention to the demon, with Buffy breaking one of its arms while Spike twisted its leg around breaking it. Then he held the demon down while Buffy snapped its neck.

All of a sudden, they heard Dawn screaming.

The two of them ran inside the presbytery and saw Dawn surrounded by a shield created by Willow and Tara while Xander, Giles, and Miss Calendar fought off the Polgara demon and a couple of Drusilla's minions. Angel was tied up to a pole, slowly regaining consciousness.

As the dark-haired vampire woke up, he took a look at his surroundings. He was inside of an abandoned church. He felt the ropes around his hands. Dru must be setting up for the ritual, he thought.

Angel had to think fast. He saw all the candles around the church. Using his arms to break free of his restraints, he knocked the candles down onto the floor. One of the candles set a curtain on fire while the rest spilled onto the floor. He got up and pushed Spike towards the fire, but Drusilla held him back.

"You are not going to kill him!" Drusilla cried. She went into game face and bit down on Angel's neck hard. Angel groaned as he felt his strength leaving him.

"ANGEL!" Dawn cried.

"Dawn, we gotta get outta here!" Buffy said.

Dawn looked to her sister and then to Angel. "I'll come back for you!"

The two slayers ran outside.

"We gotta get Angel out!" Dawn said. "Drusilla's taking him away."

Buffy turned to Tara. "Can you cast some kind of spell to take out the fire?"

Tara nodded. She turned to Miss Calendar and Willow. The three witches chanted as a raincloud opened over the abandoned church, pouring rain onto the fire.

Buffy ran back inside and found Spike slumped up against the organ as it was about to collapse on him. He was badly burned, but he was otherwise okay.

Dawn looked around the church for Angel. She ran to a back entrance and found an open sewer grate.

"He's gone!" Dawn cried. "Angel is gone!"

"But Spike's still here," Buffy said.

"You think he can be helpful?" Dawn asked. "How can he help us?"

"Spike is the only one who knows where they're hiding and how we can get to them. He can either face our stakes, leave town, or help us, but I promise you, Dawn, we will find Angel."

Dawn nodded.

Buffy carried Spike over her shoulder and led him out.

###

When Spike opened his eyes, he found himself inside a crypt. The pain from the fire still lingered throughout his body. He slowly sat up and reached into his pockets for his cigarettes and lighter only to find a note from Buffy.

"By now, your girlfriend has probably cured herself using Angel's blood. We took you to a crypt in Restfield Cemetery, close to our house. As much as we hate to say this, your girlfriend has become our common enemy. She left you to die in the church and she has Angel. If you wanna get back at her and get Angel out of your life, work with us or leave town. Try and kill us and I won't hesitate to let Dawn kill you."

###

Meanwhile, Buffy and Dawn were starting another day of school.

"I'm sorry," Dawn said. "I should've listened to you."

"Hey, it's my fault for letting Drusilla get away with Angel," Buffy said.

"We didn't have much of a choice. I just wonder if Spike will be willing to help us."

"I'm just glad that this whole Career Week is going to be over soon!" they heard Cordelia whine to her fellow Cordettes.

"I almost forgot about that," Dawn said. "We'll be going to workshops this week."

"How was the writing?" Buffy asked.

Dawn took the notebook that she had tucked under her arm. "Read for yourself."

Sarah and Michelle watched as the fire reduced the abandoned mansion into a pile of rubble. They heard Katja scream before she turned into dust. Michelle held Liam close to her and kissed him on the forehead.

And so once again, the day was saved.

"After everything that's happened, I still feel like I want to keep writing," Dawn said. "And you were a really big help with that. Maybe you should be a counselor.

"It'll take a lot of studying to be qualified," Xander said, appearing behind them.

"Like I don't do enough research!" Buffy said.

"The first workshop starts in a few minutes," Dawn said. "Let's go!"

As Buffy, Dawn, and Xander went inside the classroom, Tara turned to Willow and said, "So when do you wanna tell them?"

Willow raised an eyebrow. "About what else happened in Buffy's basement?"

"We kind of kissed, you know."

"I know. But with Angel being captured and Drusilla being the new Big Bad...maybe we can wait until later. I just sort of like having something that's just, you know, mine. I mean,

do you get what I mean?"

"I do," Tara said. "I am, you know."

"What?"

"Yours."

The two of them gave each other a knowing look and held each other's hands as they walked inside the classroom.

Please like and review and tell me what you think of the changes. What do you think will happen next?