Oz's van bucked as it dropped from the paved road to the gravel one. Buffy's feet which were originally perched on the dashboard bounced and dropped to the floor. She grumbled about him needing climbing gear to get out of the potholes but shifted in her seat so her feet could remain on the floor. Nothing but trees could be seen along the rutted road and both teens felt a bit of apprehension as they moved farther from the comforts of civilization. It didn't help that they had been driving for hours along highways and byways that neither had previously seen. Without the precise directions, they would have both been hopelessly lost by this point.

Skeptically, Buffy eyed the passing scenery. "You did promise that there would be a bathroom and running water at this campground, right?" she nervously prodded.

Oz nodded. They weren't actually camping in a tent. Each year, his family rented a cabin on a small lake in the mountains. He hadn't been with them since he was a kid and he understood that the place had been rebuilt a few years ago. His uncle Ken had assured Daniel that his Aunt Maureen wouldn't agree to go anywhere that didn't have a bathroom. Buffy would have her shower. They would be sharing the loft with his younger cousin Jordy for sleeping quarters but it was a lot better than roughing it under canvas.

Rocks pinged off the bottom of the van and Oz cringed. He hoped that nothing rattled loose in his van and left them stranded in the middle of no where. When he turned the wheel slightly to avoid another huge pot hole, branches scraped along the side of the vehicle.

"You're paint is so toast," Buffy uttered as she stared at the thick pine trees that crowded along the roadside. The Slayer wondered what types of demons lived in places like this and if she should have brought more weapons than a few stakes. She pulled her hands inside her thick sweater sleeves and folded her arms over her chest. The heater in the van didn't work great and the higher they traveled into the mountains then the colder it became. The Slayer worried that she would be seeing her breath by the time they reached their destination.

"I was getting tired of the zebra stripes," Oz replied as he silently hoped there was room to turn around at the cabin because there was no way he was succeeding in backing out on the multiple miles of lane they had covered.

They rolled over another huge hole in the road. As the teens muttered at the jostling, the van cleared the thick treeline. The pair fell silent as they caught their first look at the small lake shore where the cabin was tucked along the water. The snow capped mountain across the lake threw its reflection onto the mirror-like surface of the water and sunlight blazed across the open space. The cabin fit perfectly in the setting. It was well maintained and was positioned to optimize the view.

"Wow..." Buffy muttered. "Definitely nicer than a tent."

Oz nodded in agreement as he pulled into place in the small gravel lined parking area beside the wood cabin. He was relieved to note that there would be just enough room to turn around if a third vehicle wasn't present.

Before the teens could exit the van, his younger cousin came bounding off the deck and raced towards the vehicle. The elementary school kid threw himself at his favorite family member. Jordy's excitement spilled everywhere. He babbled about the cool loft in the cabin, the games they were going to play and how cold the lake water felt. The seven year old had already hugged Daniel three times before the older Osbourne even had a chance to close his door.

Buffy quietly stood by the van and watched the two cousins. A soft melancholy washed momentarily over her as she remembered how close she had been with her favorite cousin. She and Celia had been closer in age than Oz and Jordy. They were the best of friends and family until Celia got sick. Buffy sighed. She still missed her. Celia's death was the first real brush of grief and sorrow in a life now filled with almost daily doses of horror.

Shoving aside her more morbid thoughts, the Slayer moved to the back of the van to help grab their stuff. Each teen had packed a duffel bag of clothes and toiletries, a sleeping bag, and a pillow. No one would suspect that Buffy had tucked a few extras in with her clothes but they made the teen feel a bit more comfortable. Weapons were soothing for the Slayer. As Buffy reached for her sleeping bag, Jordy finally noticed her. His eyes got really big before he started tugging on his cousin's arm.

"You brought a girl," the young boy stated. The way Jordy said girl made it sound like Oz had brought the black plague along with him on the trip.

Oz smirked. The musician had only told his family that he was bringing a friend. Her sex had never been mentioned.

"Yup," he simply replied.

"But you were bringing a friend," Jordy whined in a whisper that wasn't quiet enough to keep Buffy from hearing. "She's a girl."

"Her name is Buffy," Oz shared as he grabbed his sleeping bag. He slammed shut the back of the van and shouldered his duffel bag. He waved his friend towards the steps that led up the side of the deck.

"But she's a girl," Jordy hissed one more time.

"Yup and she can hear just fine," Buffy stated as she stared at the younger kid. She tried to share a friendly smile with the kid but he wasn't buying it. Jordy blushed and leaned slightly against Oz.

"We can't sleep in the loft with a girl," he whispered. This time, his voice was soft enough that Buffy was only able to see his lips move but not hear the words.

"She won't bite," Oz offered. "And I doubt she snores as loud as I do."

"But she won't want to play in the woods. She might get yucky."

"You might be surprised how well Buffy handles muck," Oz replied as he thought about all the demonic sludge in which the Slayer waded. He nudged his cousin towards the deck and the dreaded girl who had sent Jordy into such a dither. "Give her a chance. I think you will like her."

The boy's shoulders slumped and he approached Buffy like a convict to an electric chair. He shoved out his hand and mumbled his name. Buffy solemnly shook his hand and thanked him for allowing her to come with Oz.

"You just better not spend all your time kissing on him," warned the younger cousin with a fierce scowl. He crossed his arms in a miniature version of a displeased parent.

Buffy offered him a warm grin in return.

"I promise there will be absolutely no kissing. None. Zip. Zilch. And just so you're in the know, I don't snore but I sometimes have bad dreams," she admitted in an attempt to establish a connection with Jordy. The boy nodded in understanding and offered the Slayer a tentative smile. Buffy resisted the urge to ruffle his hair which probably kept her from tipping back to the hated side of the scale. Instead, she followed the two Osbourne cousins across the large deck and into the A frame log cabin.

While his aunt and uncle hugged Oz and crowed over him, Buffy stood just inside the sliding glass door that was centered in the middle of the cabin wall. The wall at her back was all glass and frame and afforded the room a full view of the area. To her left was an efficiency kitchen with a small six person high top table. To the right was a larger open space with a couch facing a huge fireplace. Logs were already set in place for a fire. There were two wooden rocking chairs in the corner with a tiny round table between them. The supposed living room was empty of anything else. Behind the kitchen, Buffy could see the ladder that led to the loft. There were two doors tucked in the back of the room behind the fireplace hearth that she assumed led to the promised bathroom and a bedroom. The place was small but the view from the deck across the tree lined lake and to the mountains was well worth the trip.

Buffy was startled from her perusal of the amenities by Oz's Aunt Maureen. The tiny strawberry blond woman wrapped her arms around the Slayer and hugged her tight.

"I am so glad that you talked Oz into coming with us. I know he planned on giving some band excuse to avoid the trip originally. He told me you were pushing him to do the family thing so I totally appreciate your twisting his arm," she whispered into Buffy's ear as she hugged her tighter. "We would have gotten to see him next month around the holidays but this means so much more to Jordy."

Buffy drew back slowly and offered the older woman an uncomfortable smile. She wasn't used to such open affection from strangers. Maureen respected her quiet maneuver and patted her on the arm.

"OZ!" Jordy called from the top of the loft ladder. "You gotta come see our bedroom!"

Chuckling, the older cousin followed the summons to the open top floor tucked into the eaves of the A frame. There were two pair of boxed camp beds with thin mattresses tucked in the tiny space along with a single tiny dressers on each side. Jordy informed everyone that the boys would take the side with the ladder while Buffy could have the side that was partially covered by the stone chimney.

"Do you want us to tack up a blanket to give you your own space?" Oz's uncle asked Buffy in a boisterous voice as he moved to give her a welcome hug.

Unconsciously, Buffy took a step back from him along with a jagged breath. Ken Osbourne wasn't an overly large man but she still wasn't up to him being too close.

Both Maureen and Ken noticed the movement. Like their nephew, they didn't press. Instead, Ken moved backwards towards the kitchen and offered them all drinks while Maureen quietly stepped into the empty space and fussed over how they would get the sleeping bags and luggage up to the loft. She described the adventure of getting Jordy's stuff in place when they first arrived.

As she listened to the quietly silly story, the Slayer appreciated the calm observation and easy acceptance of her unexpected behavior from Oz's relatives. It appeared that mellowness was a common family trait in Osbournes. A little bit of tension that she hadn't realized was there released. She sighed as the muscles in her neck loosened slightly. She instantly felt more comfortable.

"I got it," Buffy offered at the end of the luggage story to cover her awkward feelings as she grabbed two sleeping bags. She called to Oz who glanced over the railing of the loft just in time to catch a sleeping bag in the face. He staggered back and his cousin howled in laughter.

"Nice arm," muttered his Uncle Ken as the second bag followed the first.

Buffy grinned at the comment and nodded her thanks as Oz succeeded in catching the second one without it hitting him in the head.

Grabbing the two duffel bags with their clothes, the Slayer slung them over her shoulders and clamored up the ladder. She reached the top and tossed Oz his stuff before tossing her own onto one of the beds on her side of the loft.

"Whoa..." Jordy exclaimed in awe as he watched the ease that the previously dreaded girl handled getting their stuff to the loft.

"Told ya so," Oz muttered as he shook his head and tapped the youngster on the chin.

Jordy closed his mouth only to open it once again to whisper in his none to quiet voice "Wonder if she is that good with rock climbing?"

"As long as I don't break a nail," Buffy answered over her shoulder in her own mock whisper and with an evil grin.

Confused, Jordy glanced at his cousin. He wasn't sure what to make of the nail comment. It seemed at odds with Buffy's athletic ease. The young kid expected girls to worry about their hair and nails. It was the excuse his mom used to stay at the cabin instead of traipsing through the woods with the Osbourne men-folk as she called them.

"She'll come with," Oz stated as he moved to stow his clothes in the dresser.

Still confused, Jordy watched Buffy mirror her friend as she too emptied her duffel bag of clothes and toiletries. He glanced up when a hand landed on his shoulder. All confusion evaporated and worries about the strange blond slithered away when his older cousin issued his challenge.

"Race you to the lake?"

Anya panicked. Normally, she could handle a bit of weird or out of the ordinary. She had been alive for long enough that she had some impressive life skills as well as demonic experiences. They provided a vast array of beneficial courses of actions to an almost unending number of situations. Unfortunately, none of her experiences equipped her to handle a complete emotional meltdown by a crazy seer who was a former vampire and recently resurrected as a human. As a demon, she had handled all sorts of damaged women but they tended to at least be slightly aware of reality. They would communicate with her or her magic would sooth the way for understanding.

Her humanity now limited Anya's options. She gently prodded her split lip and her swollen cheek. She had originally attempted to embrace and calm Drusilla. Lacking any type of supernatural strength proved to be more than just a minor inconvenience. After being repeatedly struck in the face and body, Anya had retreated and formed another battle plan. She had called for reinforcements.

As the fit continued, the former vengeance demon just stood in her living room and watched Drusilla roll around on the floor, screaming incoherently and ripping handfuls of her hair from her head and scratching her skin until she bled. Anya shifted nervously. Short of Drusilla permanently maiming herself, she wasn't about to try any other kind of physical intervention.

Anya cursed Buffy for running off on her weekend camping trip with Oz. She followed it with a thorough trashing of Giles for not being at the library on a Friday night and then moved onto disgust with vampires in general and Spike in specific. Of course, it wasn't fair for her to be mad at the blonde vampire. Until the sun set, his movements were limited and it wasn't like she even had a phone number where he could be reached. If she was honest with herself, she didn't really want William the Bloody in her apartment anyway. She just wanted someone to help Dru.

Her intercom buzzed making Anya jump. After a stressful squeak, she hurried to the communication device and called a greeting. She frowned for a moment but tossed aside all her apprehension as Drusilla's screeching reached an even higher pitch.

"Get the hell up here!" she ordered her visitors. Moments later, she flung open her apartment door to reveal Cordelia, Xander and Willow.

Queen C shoved her classmates into the apartment in front of her.

"Make yourselves useful," she ordered as she pointed towards the hysterical woman.

"Ummm, what are we supposed to do?" Willow inquired nervously as she rapidly glanced from Drusilla to Cordelia and back again. The cute teen had been shocked when she opened her front door to find Cordy ordering her to get in her car. Because she had been so flummoxed, Willow followed the direction without question. She had crawled into the back seat to sit beside her best friend who had looked just as clueless. Cordy had rushed them to Anya's home without any explanation.

"Just do something," the cheerleader instructed as she waved her hand towards the screaming woman. She figured that if the Slayer was missing that her classmates were the next best thing for dealing with the weird and wig-worthy. If all else failed, she figured the two geeks would know how to contact Giles so he could handle the situation.

Willow approached the flailing woman with a healthy dose of apprehension. Although her natural tendency would be to grab Drusilla and try to stop her fit, the teen remembered how Oz treated Buffy when she freaked. Touching was not part of his routine so she tried to follow his guidelines. Willow knelt on the floor near Dru and started calling to her.

Drusilla ignored her. She continued to scream about teeth and fur and moonbeams. Exasperated, Willow turned back to her companions and asked for suggestions or assistance. Even though her mother constantly spouted stuff about psychology, Willow had no real clue about what would really help.

"OH!" Cordy exclaimed as she grabbed her purse and started digging in it. Keys, lipstick, tissues, and a tampon fell on the floor before she triumphantly held aloft her target.

"PRESTO!" she stated. "Instant calm in a bottle."

The cheerleader shook the bottle of Versed that she liberated from her mother's medicine cabinet. She tossed the container to Xander who just stared at it in confusion. He handed off the sedative when Willow requested it. Anya retrieved some water and the group set about getting a couple pills into Drusilla.

Half an hour later, the exhausted teens lounged around the small living room. Dru had leveled an impressive battle against the teens and the sedative. They were all sporting new bruises and scratches but at least Drusilla was no longer screaming hysterically. She lay on the carpet with her head resting in Willow's lap while Anya softly attempted to clean and bandage her numerous injuries. Absently, the red head ran her fingers over Dru's dark hair in hopes she found it soothing.

"Choices and Chosen," Drusilla slurred softly as the double dose of medication worked its calming magic. "Mummy's the lamb and the ashes are gone. No more fatlings. My Spike... our Spike... her Spike. No more ashes. No more gems. No more slime on pretty gowns."

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, pretty Daughter goes to heaven," she whispered.

Willow froze with her hand resting on Drusilla's head.

"What did you say, Dru?" she prodded.

"Choices and Chosen," the former vampire replied before her voice shifted into a childish tone as she began repeating a nursery rhyme about a kitty visiting the queen.

Xander and Willow shared a moment of understanding and excitement. They couldn't wait to contact Giles and let him know that Drusilla seemed to know more than they did about Buffy's prophesy as the Daughter. It was a possible breakthrough in research that had grown cold and unfocused. They just hoped something coherent could be coaxed out of the confused and often erratic woman.

"Hey, Oz," whispered Jordy as he gently nudged the cousin shaped lump curled inside his sleeping bag. When the teen only slightly shifted his snoring, the boy poked him a bit harder.

"Oz..." he hissed near his ear.

Blinking his eyes into focus, Oz could see his cousin's pale face almost glowing in the moonlight that streamed across the lake and through the wall of glass at the front of the cabin. The teen wiggled his way loose from his mummy bag and wiped the sleep from his eyes.

"What's up, cuz," he whispered as he attempted to clear the cobwebs from his head.

"She wasn't kidding," Jordy replied as he swung his hand towards the other side of the loft where the chimney from the fireplace put most of Buffy's bed in shadow. "She really does have bad dreams."

Oz frowned for a moment before he actually understood what his cousin meant. Whimpers and soft crying could be heard across the room.

"Think I should wake her?" Jordy asked as he moved to do just that.

Oz grabbed the kid by his arm and pulled him back.

"Umm, how about I do that," he offered as he wiggled further from his bag while keeping a strong hold on the younger boy. Oz figured approaching a sleeping Slayer in the middle of a bad dream wasn't the safest thing for a little kid. He grimaced slightly. He wasn't even sure it was a safe thing for him to do.

"Think she is dreaming about that creepy old guy we met at the lake?" his cousin innocently asked. The hunter with the weird tooth necklace really freaked out the kid. He hadn't made Buffy or Oz feel particularly comfortable either.

Oz considered the grumpy hunter that had all but chased them away from the lake after the sun had set. He shrugged. The guy had some serious socialization and hygiene issues but he doubted he had made it into Buffy's nightmares.

"Maybe," he replied distractedly as he watched Buffy start to move about on her bed. Her whimpers got a bit louder. "Why don't you go fetch Buffy some water?" he prompted in hopes of getting Jordy out of the loft.

Happy to do something he thought was helpful for his favorite relative, Jordy nodded and scrambled for the loft ladder. Oz pushed off his bed and moved slowly to the other side of the loft. He softly called to his friend a couple times as he approached. His chest tightened as he caught a shadowed glimpse of Buffy's tear-stained face. He called her name a bit louder as she flung her arms out and cried louder.

Despite anticipating at least a serious bruising, Oz reached out to his friend in hopes of shaking her awake since she wasn't responding to his voice. He figured that her legs inside the sleeping bag were a far cry safer than her flailing arms so he laid a tentative hand on her leg. He caught hold of her knee and called her name again.

At his touch, Buffy jackknifed up in the bed. Oz ducked and barely missed being smacked in the head as she scrambled away from him. In her haste, the Slayer caught herself in the sleeping bag and tumbled to the floor. The shock of hitting it jarred the last of her nightmare from her head. It didn't help her fear though. Wildly, Buffy glanced around the dark room. She didn't recognize where she was and she started to panic. Still on the floor, she scrambled back into the small corner between the bed and dresser. She pressed herself into the tiny space and pulled her legs towards her chest.

When nothing attacked her or approached her hiding spot, her breathing slowed slightly. Looking about the loft, the Slayer finally noticed her friend crouched near the bed about six feet from her.

"Oz?" she murmured with a hint of confusion evident by the tremble of her voice.

"It's okay, Buffy," he assured her quietly. "We're at the cabin. Remember? You were just having a bad dream. Thought you might want woken up."

Buffy scrubbed at her cheeks with the palms of her hands before pushing herself to stand. She reached out and snagged the wooden stake that was partially visible from under her pillow. She twirled it in her hand and sighed at the familiar weight at the end of her arm. A peaceful certainty settled over her now that she had a weapon in her hand. She took another deep breath then sat on her mattress.

Oz moved to sit gingerly beside her.

"Thanks," the young woman whispered into the silence.

"Jordy heard you."

Buffy glanced towards the camp bed where the youngest Osbourne should have been resting. The bed was empty. She frowned.

Noticing her expression with the aid of the moonlight, Oz glanced towards the loft ladder as if expecting his cousin to climb up on cue. No little kid appeared. Instead, a howl ripped through the quiet. Both teens startled.

"I didn't know there were wolves in California," Buffy murmured in surprise.

"There really aren't," Oz replied as he stood and hurried towards the ladder. Jordy was taking way too long getting the water and he suddenly felt the need to check on his cousin. Behind him, Buffy tucked her stake into the waist of her jogging pants and followed Oz in his descent from the loft.

The sliding glass door stood wide open and Jordy was not in the kitchen or living area.

Another howl ripped through the air. The sound spurred the Slayer and Oz into action. They rushed out of the cabin and across the deck towards the lake. On the bottom step of the planking, Jordy stood transfixed. He had seen movement through the window when in the kitchen and had been too curious not to follow. The kid hadn't realized the danger. A few feet away from him stood a huge, hairy monstrosity with a canine shaped head but standing on two legs like a man. The beast growled and lunged for what he saw as an easy meal.

Three things happened simultaneously. Oz dove for his cousin. The Slayer plowed into the demon and the monster snapped its jaws at its intended victim.

As teeth sliced into his shoulder, Oz screamed. The demon might have been aiming for Jordy but any meat was acceptable. Despite the pain from the bite, the older boy remained wrapped protectively around his cousin when they hit the ground. He clutched him close to his chest and sobbed a promise to Jordy that he would be fine.

Just as quickly as they entered, the demon's teeth were ripped from Oz's skin. The demon grunted and snarled as Buffy ripped it away from its intended dinner. The werewolf spun from the momentum of the Slayer's attack and it stumbled slightly as Buffy bounced away from the tackle only to follow with a spinning kick to the side of its head. The blow momentarily stunned the monster and the Slayer wasted no time in snapping a forceful kick into the center of its hairy chest. The blow sent the growling monster staggering backwards a couple steps.

It shook its head. Blood and slobber dripped from its vicious teeth. It crouched slightly as it focused on the Slayer who had moved directly between the monster and its possible human dinner. It growled lowly as it hunched a bit more in anticipation of diving towards the blond warrior. Buffy shifted in preparation of the attack. She slipped the stake free from her pants. Although it was sorely lacking in functionality, she grasp her stake tighter and twisted her body slightly sideways to afford the demon less of a target for her vital parts while still keeping her weapon at the ready.

The werewolf pounced. Buffy met the charge with a left upper cut under its huge jaws and followed it with a quick stab from her stake. The wooden weapon plunged into the monster's shoulder. It howled in pain but pushed through the Slayer's defenses. It forced her towards the ground. Her back hit the hard earth and knocked the breath temporarily from her body. Intent on keeping its teeth from tearing out her throat with her forearm, Buffy was only able to block one of the beast's claws with her free hand. Pain blossomed on her side as the werewolf dug its right claw into her hip. She grunted while scrambling to get one of her feet up into the monster's gut so she could force it's bulk off her body.

A gun shot thundered through the darkness. The monster whimpered and stiffened before suddenly slumping onto the Slayer's prone form. She struggled for a moment before leveling the now dead body off her chest. She scanned the area of other threats before rushing towards Oz who had stumbled with Jordy up to the deck.

The creepy hunter from earlier ran from the treeline. He nudged at the furry carcass with his rifle before turning to glare at Buffy.

"Did it bite you?" Cain demanded as he grabbed for the Slayer to check the blood on her side. Buffy shrugged free of his hands as she assured him that the demon merely scratched her.

The hunter immediately lost interest in the Slayer and headed towards the deck where Maureen and Ken had joined Oz and Jordy. The gunshot had woken them and the empty loft had only compounded their worry. Maureen softly soothed her crying son while Ken pressed his stripped T-shirt against the bite on his nephew's shoulder.

With his rifle hitched over his arm, Cain pushed past Ken to see the injury. The younger man protested and pushed the unknown hunter away from the injured teen. He moved protectively between Oz and Cain and demanded that he back off. The hunter bristled but was stopped from further harassing by Buffy. The Slayer moved beside him and placed a restraining hand on his forearm.

"What kinda demon was that?" she inquired evenly as she nudged the older man further from her friend.

"Werewolf," Cain disdainfully answered as he continued to watch Oz. "Your friend got bit. He's gonna be furry in a month."

"It will be fine," Buffy soothed in hopes of keeping the clearly agitated hunter from harming Oz or his family.

Cain swung around and glared at the Slayer.

"You're a fool," he hissed before nodding towards the future werewolf. "Your friend's a monster now."

"And I will deal with it," Buffy promised calmly.

Cain snorted in disbelief. The hunter arrogantly believed the pretty teen was idiotic and delusion to boot. It was her funeral though. He would wait and find the new wolf come the next full moon. He shrugged off her restraining hand and moved towards the dead werewolf body. He grabbed it and started pulling along the shoreline so that he could skin the beast without an audience.

Buffy watched his progress as she tapped her bloodied stake against her free hand. She wondered what the hunter wanted with the dead body but rationalized that at least she didn't need to clean it up if he took it with him.

"Be seeing you," Cain ominously muttered as his eyes followed Oz's retreat into the cabin.

Buffy stiffened as she promised herself to keep her eyes open for an appearance in Sunnydale by the werewolf hunter. She wasn't about to allow him to shoot her friend like he did the monster that attacked them. Oz wasn't going to be a monster. There had to be something that Giles could do to help. Confident in her Watcher's ability to make the situation better, Buffy followed the Osbournes into the cabin and firmly locked the sliding door behind her.