WWDD: S2E15 “PHASES”

Ms. Klusmeyer teaches Dawn's class about lunar cycles and gravity—how the moon controls the tides, affects animal behavior, and has even been linked to magic. Dawn's eyes meet Cynthia’s across the room at the word "magic" before Dawn immediately looks away. She is NOT friends with a journal thief, even if she’s the only other person at school who knows about monsters.

That night, while Buffy is hunting werewolves, Dawn sprawls on her bed with Buffy’s Discman, a pair of thin, black-foam headphones, and the new “Spice World” CD. She catches movement outside the window and spots Angel on the sidewalk, turning a flower in his fingers, eyes fixed on the house. Angel smiles menacingly and waves. Dawn gives a small, uncertain wave before he calmly walks away into the dark.

When Dawn tells Buffy the next morning, she abruptly pulls Dawn aside and tells her that something happened to Angel and he isn’t safe. Dawn asks, small and hopeful, “Will he be okay?” Buffy hesitantly stammers, “I...don’t know.” She makes Dawn promise to stay inside after dark and to run if she ever sees him again. She hugs Dawn tightly before rushing off to school.

Dawn’s class has a substitute. Word spreads in hushed whispers: Ms. Klusmeyer’s daughter, Theresa, was killed last night. The class feels different—quieter, heavier, like no one knows how to act. When the bell rings, she passes Cynthia, but a nagging feeling of responsibility turns her around. She pulls Cynthia aside and hurriedly tells her to stay inside after dark and not invite anyone inside. Cynthia nods, wide-eyed with scared understanding.

That night, there’s a knock at the door. It’s Xander—sent by Buffy to watch over Joyce and Dawn (which is why we don't see him chasing werewolves with the other Scoobs). She gives him a full tour of her room, plays the entire Backstreet Boys album, and teaches him her masterfully curated choreography. Before bed, she ends the day’s journal entry with Xander’s name surrounded by tiny hearts.