Disclaimer: Still not mine. I keep hoping.

***********

Angel was amazed that he was getting away with it. So far none of the other vampires had even questioned that he was one of them, and he wasn't sure if he should be grateful or worried. He hadn't made it this far without a healthy dose of paranoia. Plus it was a good thing that vampires didn't sweat.

"How's it going?" came a voice from behind him, making him jump.

Angel whirled, automatically slipping into his true face before relaxing when he saw who it was.

"Don't do that!" he hissed at Whistler, pulling him out of the corridor. Once he was sure they hadn't been seen and were currently safe, he continued, "And I have no idea how it's going. I don't even know what I'm doing here."

"I told you. You're here to help those kids. Especially the blonde."

"Yeah, yeah, I know you told me that. I still don't get what I'm supposed to do. This place is full of kids that have seen vamps. Not to mention that if the ones that are running it figure out what I am..."

"You mean, all soulful?" Whistler asked, then added. "Relax. That's the least of your problems."

"Great. What now?"

"What's going down here with the Master, it's happening tomorrow. That means they'll try to take the girl out tonight. You can't let that happen."

"I'm only here because you said I could help stop the Master from rising. I don't get why I'm sticking my neck out for some little girl that I don't even know or care about."

"Because if you do, you'll get what you want," Whistler said, adding cryptically under his breath, "though you'll have to wait a few years." He punched a clearly puzzled Angel lightly on the arm. "Just keep an eye on them. Protect those kids, especially Buffy Summers."

"I'm not doing anything until you tell me what's so special about this girl!" Angel demanded, but Whistler had vanished. The vampire sighed. "I hate when he does that."

********

"The most important thing is we hafta stick together," Buffy said solemnly, and her new friends nodded vigorously, Xander's dark hair falling into this eyes. He brushed it back, suddenly worried.

"What if they try to put me someplace else, 'cuz I'm a boy!"

Willow wrapped her arms around him and held on fiercely.

"You're not like other boys, you're Xander," she said firmly. "You hafta stay with us."

Xander looked a bit concerned by the first statement, then he settled for pleased. Buffy grinned.

"If they try, we just hafta figure something out," she said. "Plus we have to figure about the monsters."

"I have an idea," Willow said shyly, blushing furiously.

"Will has good ideas," Xander said proudly, making for an even more reddened redhead.

"What is it?" Buffy asked.

"You said you dreamed about the monsters, and the doctor and this place. Maybe there's an answer in your dreams, Buffy. If you tell us about them, maybe we can figure out how to stop the monsters!" Willow finished excitedly. Buffy looked uncertain, and Willow's face fell. "'Less you don't wanna."

"No, it's a good plan. It's just...I don't like talkin' 'bout it."

"Willow didn't like talkin' bout the monsters she saw," Xander pointed out, "she didn't like talkin' at all, but she did, cause you asked her to."

"It's okay," Willow said quickly.

"No, Xander's right. You told about your stuff. That's only fair."

"They really scary? Your dreams?" Xander asked in a small voice. "Cause I don't want Will to be more scared," he added with bravado.

"They're real scary, sometimes...but mostly they're just weird, cause I see stuff and then sometimes it happens when I'm not dreaming."

"Why?" Willow asked, and Buffy shrugged.

"Dunno. But I keep thinking there's gotta be a reason, right? If I dreamed about the monsters, and this place, and the doctor...and now I'm here..."

"What happened in your dream?" Willow asked. Buffy frowned and squeezed her eyes tight, trying to remember. "I saw...corridors...and beds...and Dr. Ephor, only her face was all like Willow's monsters...and there were other monsters like that too...a really ugly bald one, laughing..."

"We haven't seen any bald doctors or nothin yet. What else?" Xander asked.

"I know I saw other kids, like us...lots of them...all gathered together somewhere...it didn't look like the hospital...it looked...gray...and yucky...and everyone was scared...and then I saw two men...I didn't see their faces, but I knew they were good, there to help us."

"Grownups?" Xander said hopefully. Buffy nodded.

"And I heard a voice saying something over and over...it was weird...didn't make sense..."

"Do you remember what it was?" Willow asked.

"I think so...it said, 'They need a child to lead them, and lighten up the dark, the light that passes between them, if you just provide the spark.'"

"Are we gonna have to set a fire? Cause I'm not allowed to play with matches," Willow said worriedly. Buffy grinned despite her own concerns.

"I didn't see fire...or lights...just scary dark and kids that were really scared. But I felt like I was s'posed to do something, but I didn't know what. It was all weird," Buffy shrugged, then suddenly brightened. "We need sticks!" she whispered excitedly. Willow and Xander exchanged puzzled looks.

"Sticks?" Willow repeated.

"My cousin Rudy has that CD...but he never lets me borrow his things," Xander said hesitantly. When the two girls stared at him, he clarified. "Styx. Come Sail Away...Rock and roll band...they're not NKOTB, but I think they're cool."

"Not music. Sticks. Wooden sticks...like, this big," Buffy placed her hands a little less than a foot apart.

"Why do we need those?" Xander asked. "The monsters play fetch?"

Willow rolled her eyes while Buffy gave him an irritated look.

"No, silly. You stick them in the monsters and they go away." She pantomimed putting a stake into Xander's chest. "I saw it in my dream."

"They run away if you poke them?" he asked in disbelief.

"No, they don't run...they just...poof!" Buffy's hands moved wildly to try to simulate the dusting. Xander crossed his arms skeptically.

"Never seen a monster just go poof cause you poked it. Not in any comic book or any movie," he drawled. Buffy's hands balled into fists at her hips.

"It's what I saw!"

"Then it's what we hafta do," Willow said, her soft calm voice stopping the budding fight. Buffy smiled triumphantly as Xander scowled briefly, then relaxed and nodded.

"Right," Buffy crowed, then her expression became uncertain, "'cept, I dunno where we're gonna find sticks like that in here."

"I have an idea," Willow said a bit smugly.

******

Buffy was surprised at how easy it had been for them to sneak away from the group. At Willow's insistence, they had come up with a cover story about a missing sweater, but none of the nurses or orderlies seemed to even notice them as they crept through the corridors.

"Know what I really don't like about this place?" Buffy whispered.

"What?" Will asked, gripping Xander's hand a little tighter. Buffy gestured towards the wall to their left, which was the side of the building.

"They've shut up all the windows. You can't tell if the sun's out," she said. "The monsters don't like the sun."

"That's cause they're monsters," Xander added sagely. "Will, where are we going?"

"We need to find the closet where they keep the supplies," Willow responded in a hushed tone.

"But they won't have what we need there," Xander insisted, but both girls ignored him.

"They will!" Willow countered in a harsh whisper, then added a bit more doubtfully, "I mean, they should." Xander grabbed her arm and pulled her back, making her give a little surprised squeak.

"Out with it Will," he hissed at her knowingly.

"Xander!" Buffy slapped his arm.

"Oww!" Xander said, rubbing his wound with exaggerated hurt. "Don't hit me. Will's figured somethin' out and she don't wanna say," he informed her. "Doesn't." Buffy was gonna protest, but the redhead's guilty look stopped her.

"It's just...if the monsters know the sticks can poof them, they probably got ridda the splints," Willow whispered miserably.

"Ridda what?" Xander asked.

"Splints. Like for when you break your arm."

"Doctor's don't use those anymore," Xander said confidently. Willow's face fell, and her lip quivered.

"That was my best idea," she bemoaned, eyes filling with easy tears. Xander immediately put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"It was a good idea, Will. But I've broken my arm, 'member? They use the white stuff."

"Plaster," Buffy mused. Seeing Willow's crestfallen look, and without another idea, she added, "Well, it won't hurt to look, anyway. Maybe there'll be something."

Willow's expression brightened a bit, and they waited while Buffy poked her head around the corner and then signaled the all clear. They crept down the corridor, Willow sandwiched between Xander and Buffy, and the redhead tugged their sleeves excitedly.

"There!" she cried, and they saw the door labeled supplies. They all exchanged victorious grins as they ran for it, and Xander turned the handle and opened it...and the grins turned to horrified grimaces. Willow gave a silent airless scream as Xander slammed the door shut.

"W-what was that?" he asked, his face pale as he held Willow's head against his shoulder. Buffy shook her head, but she knew. They all knew. It was just too horrible to deal with right now.

"We need to get out of here," she said in a trembling voice, and a shadow settled over her. She looked up into the yellow eyes of an orderly in full vamp face.

"Too late, sunshine," the vampire growled as he lifted her closer to his waiting lips.

***********

To Be Continued... feedback rocks, and helps with the whole writing thang. :)