Buffy rescues herself

"Well, come to think of it," said Buffy, "I do have one question: what about Dawn?"

"What about her?" asked Drusilla.

"What's going to happen to her?"

"What would you like to happen to her?" asked Drusilla.

"Er -- she gets to go home and die of old age?" asked Buffy.

Drusilla shook her head. "Sorry, Buffy. That's just not in the cards for your poor sister."

At this point, Drusilla started circling the room and examining the floor. Almost as if she was looking for something...

But what? Buffy thought.

"It's really such a shame about your sister," said Drusilla while she was circling. "If she had minded her own business, she could have lived a long and happy life."

The knife, Buffy thought. The one that Dawn brought in with her. But why would Drusilla of all people need a knife?

"Not only did poor Dawn gets punched out by her own sister, she got stabbed too -- with the very knife she was using to rescue her older sister. Adds new meaning to the term 'Slayer's blood', doesn't it?"

At this point, Drusilla stopped.

Then Drusilla bent down to pick up something.

She found the knife, thought Buffy. What can I do to stop her now?

Check Dawn's pockets, she thought.

What?

Check Dawn's pockets, she thought. Xander would not be stupid enough to send Dawn into this place with only a knife for protection.

Actually Xander would be that stupid, she replied.

Maybe, she thought. But Giles wouldn't be. Neither would Willow. Surely one of them gave Dawn something more than a knife for protection. Perhaps a charm or a magic pendant or --

And then Buffy found it. Right in Dawn's right-front jeans pocket.

"Of course you can always argue that you didn't do it but I doubt you'd have much credibility, Buffy," said Drusilla. "And after a few sessions of electric shock treatment, I highly doubt you'd be lucid enough to make a very compelling argument, anyway."

At this point, Drusilla stood over Dawn and Buffy with Dawn's knife in her right hand.

"Say goodbye to your sister, Buffy," said Drusilla.

"Say goodnight, Drusilla," said Buffy.

"What?" said Drusilla.

But before she could say more, Buffy took out the taser that had been in Dawn's pocket and pressed it against Drusilla's chest. The resulting shock was not enough to kill Drusilla, much less turn her into dust. But it was enough to make her drop the knife and render her ****.

At this point, Dawn woke up.

"What happened?" she asked. "Why did you hit me, Buffy?"

"No time to explain, Dawn," said Buffy. "Just help me strip Drusilla and then tie her up before she regains consciousness."

"Strip Drusilla?" asked Dawn.

"Of course," said Buffy. "There's no way I'm walking out of here naked so I might as well take her dress."