[continued from previous message]   
      
   Mrs. Kendall continued as if she never heard Buffy's protest. "…or he is   
   your supplier – a common drug dealer. But, if you aren't dealing in drugs,   
   then the only other explanation is that you are prostituting yourself and   
   this Spike character is your pimp."   
      
   At this accusation Buffy burst out laughing.   
      
   "You've GOT to be kidding me!" she was finally able to say. "That is the   
   most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my whole life."   
      
   "Then do you have another reason, an acceptable, legitimate excuse for your   
   all-night strolls?"   
      
   "Yes. The reason I go out at night is because – because I have insomnia. And   
   I get restless. Restless leg! I have restless leg. But I'm still home in   
   time to see Dawn off to school. And if I'm late, Willow and Tara are always   
   there."   
      
   Mrs. Kendall turned a page of the stack of papers in the file folder she was   
   referring to.   
      
   "Ah, yes. Willow Rosenberg and Tara Maclay. I understand they are students   
   at UC Sunnydale."   
      
   "They are."   
      
   "You first met Miss Rosenberg when you enrolled at Sunnydale High School   
   when you were a sophomore. Is that accurate?"   
      
   "It is."   
      
   "And you met Miss MacClay while you were attending UC Sunnydale?"   
      
   "Yes. My god! Did you investigate EVERYBODY?"   
      
   "I assure you, Miss Summers, our investigations are very thorough. Anything   
   that affects Dawn's welfare is important to us. But to continue. I   
   understand the two women have an intimate relationship. Is that correct?"   
      
   "Do you mean are they in love? Yes. They love each other very much! Is that   
   a problem?"   
      
   "Miss Summers, I went to college, so I know that young women often   
   experiment sexually. But that kind of aberrant behavior is not the only   
   problem. It has been reported that they have an unhealthy obsession with the   
   occult. They have been seen attending meetings of various Wiccan groups on   
   campus. And they have even been overheard as referring to themselves as   
   witches. Now, really – is that the kind of unwholesome exposure you want   
   Dawn subjected to?"   
      
   "I can't see where it's hurting anything. Dawn is smart enough to know   
   what's real and what isn't."   
      
   Mrs. Kendall turned to another page in the folder. "Isn't it a fact that   
   Dawn often visits an occult shop called The Magic Box after school?"   
      
   "Yes. If she knows I won't be home when she gets out of school, she goes   
   there to do her homework until I get there. And Willow and Tara are usually   
   waiting for her."   
      
   "Are you aware of the mortality rate of the owners of that establishment? At   
   least three of the proprietors were savagely murdered. It doesn't seem to me   
   that it is a particularly safe place for Dawn to be frequenting."   
      
   "That's – true, I guess. But not since Giles bought it!"   
      
   Once again she turned pages in the folder, then read briefly.   
      
   "Rupert Giles. I hadn't intended to get to him just yet. But since you   
   mentioned him, let's see what we have."   
      
   Mrs. Kendall read for a few more seconds, then said, "To be perfectly   
   honest, Mr. Giles is almost as much a mystery as your Spike friend. His   
   educational credentials are most impressive. Of course, the quality of   
   English schools far surpasses the ones here in the U.S. And I see he was   
   curator of the British Museum. But here is where the mystery arises. For   
   some unknown reason, he left that extraordinary job to come to Sunnydale to   
   serve as a lowly high school librarian. Did he ever happen to mention why he   
   made such a drastic change in occupations?"   
      
   Buffy shook her head and lied. "No. Giles never said anything to me about   
   that."   
      
   "I also find it quite strange that you don't call him 'Mr. Giles.' You refer   
   to him by his last name only. That strikes me as somewhat disrespectful. Do   
   you care to comment on that?"   
      
   "I – don't know. I suppose it started out as a joke. He's very British –   
   stiff upper lippy and all that, and British butlers seem to be called   
   'Jeeves', so I guess one just followed the other."   
      
   Buffy shrugged her shoulders. "But he never seemed to mind."   
      
   "You developed quite a, umm – friendship with Mr. Giles."   
      
   "I did. He's a friend and a confidant, somebody I trust, and can talk to,   
   and sometimes get advice from."   
      
   "I can understand that, what with an absentee father. And a mother who spent   
   far too much time running her art gallery to take time to see to the needs   
   of her daughters."   
      
   "NO!" Buffy exclaimed, coming to her feet, barely able to contain her anger.   
   "You WILL NOT say anything about my mother! After my dad left, she did   
   everything she could to see that we had a roof over our heads and food on   
   the table. She loved us, and every day she showed us how much. You will NOT   
   talk about her. Not EVER!"   
      
   After a few seconds Buffy sat back down still seething.   
      
   Mrs. Kendall took a deep breath, then continued. "Very well. So, back to Mr.   
   Giles. I also see that in the past couple of years, he's made several return   
   trips to England. And he is in the process of transferring ownership of the   
   Magic Box to…" Once again she turned a page and read the name. "…an Anya   
   Jenkins."   
      
   "So?"   
      
   "Miss Jenkins is in a romantic relationship with an individual named   
   Alexander Harris, is she not?"   
      
   "Yes!" Buffy acknowledged, her patience growing thin. "They are engaged. The   
   future Mr. and Mrs. Joe Normal."   
      
   "Yet, they are living together without the benefit of marriage. Living in   
   sin, as it were."   
      
   "Along with thousands of other couples!"   
      
   "But thousands of other couples aren't flaunting it in Dawn's impressionable   
   face."   
      
   Buffy's mouth opened to reply, but Mrs. Kendall went on before she could say   
   anything.   
      
   "Miss Summers, individually, these incidents and problems are comparatively   
   minor. But when one after another is piled upon each other, a very   
   disturbing pattern emerges. One that makes me wonder why Dawn hasn't been   
   removed from your home long before now."   
      
   "Now just a damned minute!"   
      
   "How old are you, Miss Summers?"   
      
   "Huh? How old am I? I'm twenty two."   
      
   "Which means I've been doing my job longer than you've been alive. So   
   believe me when I tell you, I do know what I'm talking about."   
      
   Buffy gritted her teeth, bit her tongue and held her anger. After a couple   
   tense minutes and many deep breaths, Buffy finally said, "Okay. There may   
   have been problems. So what do I have to do to get Dawn back?"   
      
   Mrs. Kendall smiled for the first time. "I'm glad to see you recognize there   
   are, indeed, problems. Which means the first step to resolving this   
   situation is at hand."   
      
   "So what do I have to do?"   
      
   "Well, the first thing you need to do is prove you have the financial   
   resources to take care of Dawn. I presume so far you have been existing on   
   the insurance money you received after your mother's passing?"   
      
   "Yes."   
      
   "Well that won't last forever, now will it? Do you have any marketable   
   skills to speak of? Some way to earn a living?"   
      
   "I've done some waitressing. Which I know barely pays minimum wage. But with   
   tips, I can make pretty good money. Although, there aren’t that many   
   restaurants in Sunnydale."   
      
   "True. But every day I pass that Double Meat Palace on my way to and from   
   work. And they always have a 'Help Wanted' sign in the window."   
      
   "That might be something. And I know sometimes you have to work a double   
   shift, so that means extra pay."   
      
   "But just remember that with any job you take, you have to be home when Dawn   
   leaves for school in the morning and be there when she comes home in the   
   afternoon."   
      
   "But if Willow or Tara are there, I can still work the extra hours."   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)