Across The Universe Pt 1

by Net Girl

Buffy & Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Sequel to Death Of The Chosen One, Revenge of The Jinn.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Crossover

Spoilers: Lots for Buffy. If you haven't seen Menace, reading this is not recommended!

Summary: As the result of Ethan Rayne's botched attempt to rid the world of the Slayer and her Watcher, Xander and Imoen are zapped into the Star Wars universe. Xander enjoys the visit to the fictional world, Imoen can only think of it's dark future. Meanwhile, Buffy and the others work feverishly to find and bring Xander and Imoen back to the real world...

Disclaimer: All Buffy characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy Productions. The Star Wars characters belong to George Lucas, Lucasfilm and whatever else Lucas owns. Imoen is an original character, she belongs to me. Paul and I are not making any money off this, nor are we trying to infringe on anyone's copyright. So don't sue us.

Author's Notes: Since the Buffy finale did not happen in this universe, the school is still standing. Just a little warning: this story is pretty dark. But Buffy and/or SW fans are used to dark, aren't they?

Send all commentary to: and All flames are read, laughed at then deleted with extreme prejudice.

Across The Universe by Net Girl andSibyl.

Rupert Giles slowly pushed open the door of Willie's Bar. He peeked inside before he dared enter the dive bar which was frequented by all sorts of undesirable beings. "Undesirable" meaning beings that were not human or, in some cases, not living.

Willie, the Snitch as some referred to him, catered to the underworld members of Sunnydale. Vampires made up much of his core customers, but he had various other clientele. Even though Willie was human, he had the trust of this lot. And that put him in a comfortable position at times. And uncomfortable at others.

Giles let the door fall shut, but he kept his guard up. Buffy had been to Willie the Snitch several times in the past for information. She'd said she wouldn't trust him any further than she could throw him, but when properly motivated, his information was dependable.

Willie was behind the bar, wiping down the counter when Giles entered. The bar was empty since dusk was fast approaching and the vampires would be free to roam the town. Willie looked up when he heard the door shut. He offered Giles a smile.

"Hey, there," he said as Giles came over to the counter. "I was beginnin' to think you wasn't gonna show." He tossed his towel over his left shoulder as he studied Giles. "We ain't formally met."

Giles shook his head. "No, we haven't," he replied. He frowned a little at the extremely tacky Hawaiian shirt Willie wore. The young man's dark was slicked down with a massive amount of hair oil adding to his sleazy persona.

Willie grinned wider at the Watcher. "I'm Willie. I've had some past dealin's with your Slayer," he went on. "And you ought to be proud of that girl, too. My customers are always complaining about her. Makes no difference to me, though. They come in and they drink to forget about her. She helps my business."

Giles really didn't want to stay in this place any longer than he had to so he decided to be straightforward.

"You said you have information for me?" he prompted Willie.

Willie's smiled faded a little, his dark, beady eyes focused on Giles. "You get right to the meat of it, don't ya, Watcher?" He laughed. "That's ok. I like it. I did call yout. And I believe I also mentioned that this will cost you."

Giles nodded. "Yes, I recall the conversation."

Willie rubbed his hands together. "Good. I wouldn't want you to think this is some kind of freebie," he told Giles. "Because I got some real high quality stuff for you, buddy. So... what have you got for me, first off?"

Giles stared at Willie a moment then reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. He placed the bill on the counter and slid it towards Willie.

Willie looked from the bill the Watcher still had his hand on to Giles. "I don't believe that's gonna be enough," he said, shaking his head. "This is primo stuff I got. Gonna cost a lot more than that."

Giles reached into his pocket with his other hand and pulled out a fifty dollar bill. He saw the look on Willie's face when he placed that bill alongside the twenty.

"Wow...well that's real generous of you," Willie said as he reached out for the two bills. His hand jerked back when Giles pulled the money out of Willie's reach.

"You only receive one," Giles evenly said as Willie looked up at him. "Now, it is up to you on how much you receive. Your information is either worth 20 or it is worth 50."

Willie glanced down at the money, so close, yet so far away. He licked his lips. "And who decides what it's worth? Because maybe it's worth more than fifty dollars."

"Oh, I don't believe it will be," Giles matter of factly said. "I could always bring Buffy here to... negotiate a fair price."

Willie held up his hands as if in surrender, his smile vanishing from his face. "Hey, hey, now let's not jump the gun here," he nervously said. "There's no need to drag Buffy into this." He lowered his hands. "I think I can guarantee my info is worth that nice fifty right there."

Giles nodded once. "What did you have for me?"

Willie frowned. He hadn't expected the Watcher to be this hard a bargainer--his impressions of the man were all wrong. Not that he was a terrific judge of character, but he thought he could con a lot more out of Giles than fifty measly dollars.

"Word on the street is an old friend of yours has returned to town," said Willie in a low voice. He leaned towards Giles. "And he's brought some heavy duty magick to town with him, too. It's got my folks scramblin' for cover. Some sort of ancient whatsits. Powerful, I'm tellin' ya."

Giles allowed the information to sink in. "Who is this 'old friend' you mentioned?"

Willie shrugged. "Don't know the guy's name but the talk is he's holed up in some abandoned shop over on Main. Place used to be a costume store at one time."

Giles felt his blood run cold and his anger rose up inside. He gritted his teeth momentarily. "Ethan," he hissed.

Ethan Rayne, a once good friend of Giles' back in the days before Giles was a Watcher. In those days, Giles played with dangerous magicks with little regard for the life around him or the consequences involved. While Giles had moved beyond that, Ethan had not.

Ethan caused a lot of trouble in Sunnydale, the most recent exploit being cursed band candy. When the adults of Sunnydale had consumed the cursed chocolate bars, they reverted back to teenage mentality. However, that prank was nothing compared to what Ethan pulled on Halloween the year before.

Ethan sold cursed costumes to the children of Sunnydale then cast a spell that made people become whatever they were dressed as. Willow had become a ghost, Xander turned into a soldier and Buffy, she'd become a prim and proper 18th Century lady. And it was all done simply because Ethan got a right good laugh out of it.

Giles knew Ethan had to be forced out of Sunnydale before he could pull off whatever his latest scheme was. Giles knew his 'old friend' too well.

"This magick," Giles said to Willie. "Have you any idea what it could be?"

Willie shrugged. "You got me, buddy," he replied. "That's all I know. So... can I get paid now?"

Giles pushed the twenty over to Willie and pocketed the fifty. "Thank you so much," he said to the bartender.

Willie blinked as he picked up the money. "Twenty dollars?" he exclaimed as Giles headed for the door. "That was worth more than twenty dollars! Come on, have a heart!" He grumbled when Giles left the bar. "20 bucks! Sheesh!"

"You were extremely fortunate to receive that much," a voice said. Ethan Rayne came out of the back room, a smile on his face.

"I'm riskin' my rep here, bud," Willie said as he looked over to Ethan. "If word gets out that I'm dealin' with the Slayer and her Watcher on a regular basis, I'm finished. You owe me big for this."

Ethan shoved his hands in his pants pockets as he approached Willie. "Oh, you'll be well compensated for your help," he assured him.

"I'm guessin' you'll do me a lot better than twenty bucks," Willie muttered as he shoved the money into his pocket.

"Oh, absolutely!" Ethan said, his smile growing wider.

"What're you gonna give me?"

Ethan took a step closer to Willie, his smile fading away as he stared into the little weasel's eyes. "Why... I'm going to let you live," he evenly replied. "Do you think that is compensation enough?"

Willie, eyes wide, nodded. "O-oh, yeah.. s-sure," he spluttered in response. "That's... that's great! Really, I like it. I enjoy anything that keeps me fully functional." He stepped aside as Ethan walked past him. "Hey.. uh.. good luck, ok?"

Ethan paused, his hand on the door, and he looked back to Willie. "My dear boy... I don't need any luck at all," he said. He smiled then left the place.

Willie leaned against the counter, relieved. "This town's gettin' more and more dangerous," he mumbled. He pulled out his twenty dollar bill and looked at the picture of Jackson. "But me and you'll pull through, won't we?" He grinned as he put his money in his pocket and went back to work.

Sunnydale High School Library

Buffy Summers sat at the table in the library with Willow Rosenberg. The girls flipped through the catalogue they'd received at campus orientation earlier that day. Classes were slated to start in mid-September, two short weeks away, and both girl couldn't wait for it.

"I've been giving this a lot of thought," Willow said as she looked over to Buffy. "I'd like to pledge a sorority."

Buffy's nose wrinkled slightly. "Are you sure you wanna do that, Will?" she asked. "You don't seem the sorority type. No offense."

Willow shrugged. "I figured it would be fun to live in a house with a bunch of people. Something new, anyway."

"Willow, you're Study Girl. Are you up for living in a house that never sleeps?" Buffy turned the page in the book as she rested her chin in her palm. "Besides... we're supposed to be roommates." She glanced up at Willow. "We had a plan."

Willow looked across the table to Buffy. She could hear the hurt in her best friend's voice when speaking of the plan for them to room together perhaps not going through.

"Oh, hey, Buffy, it was just a thought," she said. "Nothing was written in stone. I guess I'll live in the dorms for awhile, see if I like it. If we like it. Maybe we'll pledge a sorority together next year."

Buffy met Willow's gaze. "I got two words for you concerning this whole sorority/frat thing: Reptile Boy."

Willow grimaced as she remembered that particular mess Buffy and Cordelia Chase got in at a frat house almost two years before. The two were almost sacrificed to a reptilian demon by a frat house full of weirdoes.

"You have a good point," she replied. "Sororities are definitely out."

The library doors opened and Xander Harris, followed by Imoen, entered. Xander whistled the tune of "Lola" as he strolled over to the table.

"Good evening, ladies," he greeted. "I trust your campus orientation went well?" He picked up the catalogue and began to sift through it. "Hmmm. Well, I don't see any vampires, demons, or hellhounds in the brochure here, Buffy. Sure this school's gonna be exciting enough for you?"

Buffy snatched the catalogue back from him. "I'm sure I'll cope, Xander," she tightly replied. "Thanks for your concern."

Xander shrugged then continued to whistle his tune as he walked away. Imoen glanced over at Xander then looked to Buffy and Willow.

"Don't mind him," Imoen said in a quiet voice. "He has been acting strangely since you began to prepare for college." She frowned. "I believe it hurts him, knowing he won't be joining you at the University of Sunnydale."

Willow looked past Imoen to Xander who leaned against the counter, snooping through some manila folders Giles left there. She had given Xander's situation little thought, being so busy with enrollment and everything. Xander didn't have the grades to earn an academic scholarship. He could probably qualify for financial aid, but so much was not covered by that.

"I wish he could go with us," Willow softly said, looking over to Buffy. "None of it will be the same without Xander, you know?"

Buffy shifted her gaze to Xander, watching him drum his fingers on the counter and mouthing the words to some song. Xander'd been reading Jack Kerouac books and talking of the open road a few months before. He'd expressed an interest in traveling to new places and seeing what else the world had to offer besides Sunnydale. But he abandoned those ideas when Imoen came into the picture.

Since early June, when Imoen had finally learned the truth about her "galaxy", Xander and Imoen had been virtually inseparable. Imoen continued to learn about the real world from Giles. Her curiosity about what her "galaxy" meant to those in the real world drove her even closer to Xander. And Xander was more than happy to show her everything, especially the inevitable future of her galaxy: the Trilogy.

Imoen took a seat next to Buffy, brushing her red hair, which was now shoulder length, over her ear. She pulled the catalogue closer studying the pictures of happy students on campus. She knew what college was and how important it was to Buffy and Willow. This place was a springboard to one's future. A springboard that Xander would not reach.

"Did you enjoy your orientation?" Imoen asked looking to Buffy and Willow.

Willow's face brightened as she nodded. "Oh, yes, I sure did," she replied. "They have a terrific curriculum there. We toured their library and computer labs. Really state-of-the-art hardware. And we also met some of the professors too. College is going to be great."

Buffy half-shrugged when Imoen looked to her for her comments. "I thought the guy giving the orientation was cute," she said. She sighed. "Which means he's most likely a monster, or some demon worshipper."

Imoen put a hand on Buffy's shoulder. "You should have a more positive outlook on your future at the university, Buffy," she told the Slayer.

Buffy nodded as she looked down at the table top. Imoen had a good point--Buffy was going into this with the wrong attitude.

"I'll keep that in mind," she said.

Imoen smiled as she removed her hand. "I'm certain your new school will be absolutely fine," she told Buffy and Willow.

"So..." Willow said to Imoen after a moment. "What did you and Xander do all day while Buffy and I were gone?"

"Well, for part of the day, we watched something called Star Trek on television," Imoen answered. A thoughtful expression crossed her face. "A rather interesting program, I thought. I found the whole 'beaming' process fascinating. I've not come across such technology in my..." She let her words trail off, a frown taking over her face.

Buffy and Willow exchanged looks. "Don't tell me that's all you guys did today," Buffy said to Imoen.

Imoen shook her head, her expression still sad. "No, we went to the mall. Xander showed me something called a 'comic book'." She paused, remembering the books Xander had showed her about Star Wars, what her world was referred to as. "After that, we went to a music store. I bought some of those CDs," she replied. She weakly smiled. "I liked the music store. So many different artists in one place."

"I'll stick with my Magick Shop," Willow said. She grinned. "So many spells and ingredients all in one place."

"Settle down, Will," Buffy jokingly told her friend. She turned her gaze to Imoen, noticing the strange look on the other girl's face. "What is it, Imoen?" she asked.

"When we went back to his house, Xander introduced me to someone named 'Weird' Al," she replied in a quiet tone.

Buffy put her hand to her forehead as she groaned. "Oh, Lord," she muttered, shaking her head. "He didn't."

Imoen's brow furrowed. "Xander says his songs are quite humorous, but I was puzzled by them, actually," she said. She looked to Buffy then to Willow. "He sang a song about my world..." She shook her head. "I do not understand why Xander found it funny."

"I found what funny?" Xander asked as he came over to the table. He looked at each of the girls. "What? I'm beginning to feel self-conscious here."

"Imoen was telling us what you two did today," Willow told him. "And about the... the music you listened to."

"Yes, I told Buffy and Willow about that 'Weird' Al person, the one who sang the song about Jedi Master Yoda," Imoen explained, looking up at Xander.

Xander laughed. "Oh, yeah, that guy's a riot." He whistled the "Lola" tune and laughed again. "'Yoda''s one of his best songs."

"I fail to see how a song about Luke Skywalker meeting Yoda is funny," Imoen shortly said, narrowing her eyes slightly at Xander. "He went to Yoda to learn about the Force, so he could help people. That is not something to be made fun of."

Xander sighed heavily. "Come on, Imoen, it's only a song," he said as Imoen got to her feet.

Imoen looked Xander in the eye. "Maybe it is to you," she evenly replied then she walked into Giles' office.

"Way to go, Xander," Buffy said, looking from the office doorway up to him. "You managed to alienate her and insult her in the same sentence."

"She should know I don't mean anything by it," Xander said, motioning to the office with his hand. "I thought she'd find the 'Weird' Al song amusing. Excuse me!"

"Imoen knows the truth, Xander, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have feelings about her old world," Willow softly said. "She has to deal with the knowledge of what lies ahead for the only world she's ever known, and the fact she can't do anything to stop it. She has friends back there, Xander. And a family--"

"Okay, okay!" Xander exclaimed, holding up his hands. "I get it! I was a callous jerkwad, and I should be shot at 6 AM. Happy now?"

Willow bit her lip. "I'm just saying be more careful about that stuff, Xander."

"Will's got a good point," Buffy agreed. "What if you found out you were just some made-up character whose only purpose was to entertain?"

Xander considered Buffy's question. "Well... it would sure explain a lot," he replied. He saw the looks he received from Buffy and Willow. "Okay, I understand. Be more careful with stuff in the future." He sighed. "Well, there goes showing her 'The Saga Begins' video."

The library doors burst open and a flustered Giles entered.

"Hey, Giles," Buffy greeted as her Watcher came over to the table. "What's the scoop from our friend, Willie?"

Imoen stepped into the doorway of Giles' office. She'd been around the librarian long enough to know the expression on his face meant big trouble was brewing.

"It's Ethan," Giles said. The three teenagers reacted with a mix of shock and fear. He sighed. "Willie says Ethan's... uh, back in town. Apparently, he's.. he's wielding some very powerful magick this time, as well."

Imoen slowly approached the others. "Who is this 'Ethan'?" she asked. "Is this the same man who cast that spell at Halloween?"

Giles turned, a little startled by Imoen's voice. "That is correct," he said. "Ethan Rayne. He is extremely dangerous, to say the least."

"Do you know what sort of power he's packin'?" Xander asked.

Giles frowned slightly as he shook his head. "Sadly, no," he answered. "But... um.. from what Willie said, it has the various demons and vampires frightened."

"Wonderful," Buffy muttered.

"We do have the advantage over Ethan this time," Giles continued. "He's making a hideout of that old costume shop of his on Main Street. We could surprise him... if we attack soon."

Buffy stood up. "Well, let's go," she said, slapping her hands on the table. "That guy never learns to stay away from here."

"Buffy, are you certain you should charge into this situation?" Imoen asked as she came up to the Slayer. "Perhaps we should make up a plan--"

"Oh, no," Buffy interrupted, shaking her head. "You guys are not coming."

"Of course we're going, Buffy," Willow countered as she got up.

"Really," Xander said. "Quit trying to hog all the fun stuff for yourself. We haven't done 'Kick Some Wizard Butt' in awhile. And Will and I missed out on it the last time. Right, Will?"

Willow gave a nod. "Right."

"And Imoen, she wasn't even here for it," Xander added, putting at arm around Imoen's shoulders. "She was doing the handmaiden thing."

Imoen glared at Xander a moment but decided to let his comment slide. Buffy and the others had a bigger problem to deal with other than Xander's disregard for her feelings.

"You guys win!" Buffy said, tossing up her hands. "But we buddy up, ok?"

"Roger," Xander confirmed as he gave Buffy a sharp salute.

"Good." Buffy motioned to Xander and Imoen. "You two take the back entrance," she said. "Giles, Willow and I will take the front. He's more likely to have a nice surprise or two up front. I'm not underestimating this Limey creep. No offense, Giles."

"None taken," Giles told her. He looked to the teens, the worry for their safety firmly in place. He never really liked the way Willow, Xander, and now, Imoen put themselves into these deadly situations, but he had to respect their loyalty to Buffy and their courage. "I want all of you to be careful. You know what sort Ethan is."

"We're always careful," Xander said to Giles. "We've got the market cornered on Careful."

"Let's get going," Buffy said.

"Won't you need a weapon, Buffy?" Imoen inquired as Buffy walked by her.

Buffy stopped and looked back to her. "No, I won't. I want to wring this guy's neck with my own bare hands," she answered. She saw Imoen's eyes widen. "Hey, Imoen... that... was a joke." She paused, then thoughtfully added, "Well, maybe not."

"We should hurry before Ethan has the... the chance to harm anyone," Giles said, motioning for the other three to come along with him.

Old Costume Shop

Ethan held the crystal up, moving it so that the candlelight glittered off the polished facets. Just the right size to fit into the palm of his hand, the crystal was warm to the touch and glowed from within.

He couldn't help but smile. This small crystal, not much larger than an egg, held more power than anything he'd ever heard of. And it was his, pried from the dead hands of a madman in the slums of Prague. The fun he would have with it...

Starting with a certain Slayer and her Watcher. Once they were out of the way, Sunnydale would be a great deal more hospitable. No more meddling from a silly teenager.

Ethan had heard about the attempt by a rather unpleasant Jinn named Saar to get rid of the Slayer. Sending the girl to a fantasy universe was an inspired idea, even if Saar had bungled it in the end. But with this crystal, Ethan could finish the job properly. Ta-ta, Slayer.

Granted, he didn't have the natural power of a Jinn, but the crystal was more than good enough. Within the innocent looking crystal was the power of ancient Númenor, more than enough to send one or two people into a more appropriate dimension. Hell, maybe, or perhaps Limbo.

Of course, that all depended on the two do-gooders showing up on schedule. Even as he thought it, though, the silent alarm lit up. Someone had come through the back entrance.

"Ni gyel i khor! Ede! Las ndan ndû! Ana ne bel!" Ethan sang out, holding the crystal above the intricate chalk markings on the stone floor. It hummed and let out a flash of light. "Eter i ad!"

There was another flash of light and then a faint sound akin to the ringing of a bell. The air inside the chalk markings shimmered and then seemed to vanish, replaced by a deeper darkness.

"Excellent!" Ethan hissed through gritted teeth. The gateway was open. Now all he had to do was hold it a little longer.

Easier said than done, he realized as the crystal began to tremble in his grasp. It had even more power than he had guessed - power and awareness. If those two do-gooders didn't show up soon, the portal would burst open and all Hell would break loose, quite literally.

But before that could happen, the door crashed open.

"Okay, game's over! Put down the ... rock..."

Ethan stared at the speaker. It wasn't Giles! It was one of those insufferable teenagers forever following the Slayer around.

And the redheaded girl just poking her head in the door wasn't the Slayer. "Xander, be careful!"

"Who the devil are you?" Ethan asked. She wasn't the Slayer, that was certain. "Doesn't anybody in this pathetic town follow a reasonable plan!"

"I'm Imoen. And I'm terribly sorry to disappoint you. Now please put down the rock," the girl said in a firm tone.

"Imoen, Buffy, close enough," Ethan spat. The crystal was starting to probe at his thoughts now. That was more than enough. "Ambar, lelya ménë! Annon edhellen, edro hi ammen! Mornië, hóciri!"

He pointed the crystal at them and shouted "Melkor, hóciri!" just as the two teenagers crossed the chalk markings. There was a hissing sound, a flash of darkness, and then the two were gone, swept up in the gateway.

Just then, the other door rocked as it was kicked with the force of a sledgehammer. Brilliant, NOW the Slayer shows up, Ethan thought as he strained to force the essence of the two teenagers across the void and into Hell. It was harder than he had expected. The crystal had a will of its own and wanted to keep the gate open, while something else was pulling the two victims into a different dimension entirely.

A second kick, and the oak door buckled. In a few seconds, a rather irritated Slayer would come through. Ethan sighed and let the strange force yank the children into that unknown dimension. No time for a proper job.

"Wherever you are, I hope it's painful," Ethan snapped. "Eter ei! Annon edhellen, edro nen!"

The dark gateway snapped shut and vanished just as the door took another hammer blow. Ethan ran for the back door, glad that the Slayer and Giles would be hurt indirectly by his latest trick. It wasn't until he was several blocks away that Ethan realized he'd dropped the ancient crystal in his panic.

With one last side kick, Buffy grunted as the door finally gave. She, Giles and Willow entered the front of the old costume shop. Odds and ends, dust and a mannequin lay about the place. Buffy kicked aside the mannequin.

"Where the heck is he?" she asked, looking back to Giles.

Giles nodded towards the curtained doorway, leading to the back room. "Back there," he said. He moved past Buffy and Willow, tossing the curtain open, ready to take Ethan on. He gave the back room a once over then stepped inside, followed by Buffy then Willow.

"So... where is he?" Buffy said after she gave the room her own examination.

"Better yet, where are Xander and Imoen?" Willow asked. She looked to Buffy and Giles. "They came in the back way, or were supposed to." Panic washed over her face. "Oh, no... you don't think that Ethan got them, do you? Maybe he's holding them hostage or something even more terrible?"

Giles shook his head as he circled the table filled with candles. "I don't think so, Willow," he replied. "Hostage taking isn't really Ethan's style--" His words cut off as he stared at the chalk markings on the floor. He kneeled down, brushing his fingertips lightly over the eerily familiar shapes and designs.

"What's this?" Buffy asked leaning over, looking from the markings to Giles. She waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello? Giles, it's me, talking to you." When Giles blinked at looked up at her, she went on. "What is this? Some sort of Wizard version of Hang Man?"

"It's magick," Willow said as she joined Giles on the floor. She pointed to the symbol she recognized. "That one is a pretty universal symbol." She raised up her eyes to Buffy. "It means 'gateway'." She scratched her head as she studied the others. "The rest... I haven't seen any of them before."

"I have," Giles said, his expression distant. A moment later, his hand reached out under the table then drew back. He adjusted his glasses as he examined the small crystal he'd discovered there. "Interesting," he commented as he turned the crystal, it's surface glimmering in the candlelight.

"Giles, we have missing teens here," Buffy said when her Watcher studied the crystal. "And you're playing geologist."

"It's... it's an odd item to find lying here," Giles commented as he held out his palm flat. The crystal sat there, still glimmering in the pale light.

"It's pretty," Willow said, reaching out for it. "It looks like a piece of rose quartz." She took the crystal from Giles' hand. Immediately upon Willow taking possession of it, the small crystal began to glow from within. "What..." She looked to Giles and Buffy, both not hiding their surprise. She clasped her fingers around it. "It's... it's warm, and powerful. It's making my body tingle. Funny."

"Let me see it, Will," Buffy said, holding out her hand to her friend. Willow placed the crystal in Buffy's hand, but it did not glow in the Slayer's grasp. "It's not doing anything for--" She sharply gasped as she fell to her knees.

Her mind filled with swirling visions of men, many men, in white robes. They looked to be preparing for some sort of ceremony. The scene flashed to a much larger version of the crystal that Buffy held in her hand. The visions melted into a bird's eye view of a beautiful city surrounded on all sides by water. A glorious city in the middle of the ocean.

Buffy's hand opened and she dropped the crystal to the floor. Her eyes flicked open as she caught her breath. "Wow," she breathed as she looked over to Giles and Willow.

"Buffy, are you okay?" Willow asked as she helped her friend to her feet. She grabbed Buffy by the arm when the Slayer swayed slightly. "What happened?"

Buffy put a hand to her forehead, trying to recall the flashes in her mind. She shook her head. "It was... a city surrounded by water," she said after a moment. "A bunch of guys in white dresses or robes or something were standing around this big crystal. Sort of like the crystal we have, but a much, much bigger version." She looked to Giles as he picked up the crystal. "It looked like they were getting ready for a ceremony or a party. I'm not sure what."

"A city surrounded by water, you say?" Giles repeated as he gazed at the small crystal in his hand. Could it actually be? No. He shouldn't jump to any conclusions with so little evidence. He looked to Buffy for her answer.

"Yeah, that's what I said." Buffy nodded. She noticed that strange expression on Giles' face. "What's up? It's not something worse than you expected, is it? Please, Giles, don't give that look. It gives me the wiggins."

"Oh, sorry," Giles apologized. He glanced at the crystal. "It... well, I believe I-I know what this crystal could be. I want to contact a local expert on the subject to be certain, though."

"What do you think it is, Giles?" asked Willow as they followed Giles out of the backroom.

Giles stopped and looked over his shoulder to Buffy and Willow. "If it is what I believe it is... Xander and Imoen may not be in this dimension anymore," he evenly replied.

Willow blinked. Buffy, however, groaned. "Man, alternate universes suck," she muttered. The two girls continued out of the old shop right behind Giles.

Xander awoke when a booted foot gently kicked him in the ribs. "We don't allow vagrants in the palace!" a woman's voice hissed in his ear.

"Huha?"

"You'll have to leave," the woman continued.

"He's probably drunk," a man's voice added.

"Muh - hang on," Xander groaned as he forced his eyes open. "Oh, whoa..." he added when his head stopped spinning.

He was sitting in the middle of a large marble courtyard lined with strange, blue-leafed trees and elegant pillars. Here and there, strange, vaguely Greek statues peeked out from shadowy nooks.

That, and the spaceship hovering above, pretty much told him he wasn't in Southern California anymore.

In fact...Xander grinned. "Oh, man...wow." He turned to the two people standing over him - a young, dark-haired woman in long scarlet robes and an older man in a dark leather uniform. The man had a pistol of some kind in his hand, not quite pointed down at Xander.

"Okay, stupid question time: This is Naboo... right?" He pointed to the woman. "And you're one of the Queen's handmaidens, right?" Please, God, make her say yes.

"Yes..." the woman answered, a confused frown on her face. "He must be extraordinarily drunk," she whispered to the guard.

"Owww..."

"Oh! Imoen!" Xander jumped to his feet. Or at least tried to - the best his sore muscles could do was a feeble spasm. "Are you okay?" Xander asked, rolling over.

Imoen rubbed her eyes as she nodded. "I think so - oh, great spirit, we're in Theed!" she blurted out as she looked around.

The robed woman let out a startled gasp. "Imoen! Is that you?"

"Sabe!" Imoen grinned and hugged the handmaiden. "Oh, I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Nor I, you! Where have you been all these months? We were so worried!" Sabe exclaimed, helping Imoen to her feet. "What have you done to your hair? And what in the name of the Force are you wearing? What happened to your robes? But come! The Queen will want to see you!"

"Hey, injured man here..." Xander called out as the two handmaidens began to head towards the brass doors at the front of the courtyard.

"Oh! Xander!" Imoen hurried to his side and helped him to his feet. "Are you hurt?"

"Nah. Okay, quick question. This is Naboo, right?" Xander asked as he turned around in a slow circle, taking in the courtyard and the palace all around. If this wasn't Naboo, it was a really, really good movie set. Maybe George Lucas was really a warlock - no, that was just plain crazy. It was obviously that they'd been sucked into the Star Wars universe.

"Yes..." Imoen frowned and stared at Xander. Hadn't Sabé already told him that? "Are you sure you're unhurt? How many fingers am I holding up?" she asked, holding out all five fingers.

"Cinco," Xander replied, still staring wide-eyed at the courtyard. "I mean, five," he added, remembering that Imoen probably didn't speak Spanish. "I'm fine, Imoen. It's just not every day that I get zapped into a fi - faraway galaxy. It takes some adjusting." He wiggled his fingers in the air. "Weird. The gravity is heavier here, I bet. No wonder you're all so short..."

"We are NOT all so short," Imoen replied with a grin. "Now come, please. The Queen - "

"We get to see the Queen?" Xander's smile widened. This was SO cool. "Does she really look like Natalie Portman?" he asked.

Imoen nodded, but the grin left her face. Real as everything around her seemed, it was all fantasy. Queen Amidala was only as 'real' as the actress who played her...her entire homeworld had only existed for a handful of years and even then, only as words on paper and images on film. But for a few moments after arriving, it had been just like before, until Xander's question reminded her what was real and what was just the product of an over-active imagination.

"Yes, Xander," she finally replied, trying to keep her anger from showing. Xander, naturally, was oblivious.

"The Queen is in the Afternoon Sun room, Imoen," Sabé said, wondering what had upset Imoen so badly. Perhaps the ... transition, however it happened, from wherever she had been all these months. "Where have you been, Imoen?" she asked.

"Do you remember the girl who came to Naboo..." Imoen paused and glanced back into the courtyard. The mirthir trees were still in bloom - could all the months in Earth have been only a few days, or weeks at most, on Naboo? Or had winter already come and gone? "What day is it?"

"The second of Lothran," Sabé replied. "It's been almost half a year since you left."

"Thank you. Do you remember the girl who came to Naboo last spring? The woman from the planet Earth?"

Sabé nodded. "Mistress Buffy? She seemed like an interesting young woman. We talked about her for weeks after she left."

"I was pulled to her homeworld by some strange power of the Force." It wasn't exactly the truth, but it was as close to the truth Imoen could comfortably come. "On Earth, only a few months have passed. I have been staying with Mistress Buffy and her friends. Oh! How rude of me...Sabé, this is my friend Xander Harris. Xander, this is Sabé Narwe."

Xander mock-bowed. "Hi. Great to meet you, your...handmaidenness..."

Sabé and Imoen both grinned. "Sabé is fine, Xander. Only the Queen is addressed with an honorific," Imoen explained. "It is customary to bow in her presence, but only as you enter. Then rise smartly and stand or sit, but do not stare. She dislikes it," Imoen added as they stopped before a large silver-blue door.

"Okay. Staring is bad."

"Extremely bad," Imoen whispered as Sabé opened the door, then stepped forward into the light.

Xander froze. It was finally really sinking in that he was on Naboo. This wasn't a dream or illusion. He really was in a galaxy far, far away. This was the best day of his life.

"Xander!" Imoen hissed at him.

"Oh, right!" Xander hurried after her, then skidded to a stop once he entered the "Afternoon Sun" room, a large circular chamber with a crystal dome that worked like a giant prism and enormous picture windows overlooking a garden. Two handmaidens in deep crimson robes sat on stone benches, while the Queen herself, clad in a blue-black gown, stood next to one of the windows.

" - Lady Imoen and her companion, Xander Harris," Sabé was announcing as Xander entered the room.

Imoen bowed, then arose, and Xander hastily imitated her.

"Imoen! You're back!" Amidala blurted out, surprise and happiness on her face, then composed herself. "We had missed you when you did not return from Coruscant," the Queen said, making it sound like a question.

"I was..." Imoen stopped and glanced at Xander. "I was taken back to the planet Earth, your Highness."

"Earth?" Amidala frowned for a moment, then nodded in recognition. "The world that Mistress Buffy came from?"

"Yes, your Highness. As Earth lacks space travel, I have spent the past several months there, learning its culture," Imoen explained, deciding to blur over the more unappealing aspects of the story.

"How did you return?"

"We - " Xander began before Imoen cut him off.

"A Sith Lord - "

"Kinda fell - "

"Used his powers - "

"Through a magic portal."

"To throw us across the reaches of space."

Amidala stared at the two of them, a ghost of a smile on her face, then nodded slowly. "I see. I am sure the details will come to you in time."

"Yes, I am quite sure they will," Imoen not-quite-hissed at Xander, who was busy admiring the dome overhead. "I hope my absence has not been too great an inconvenience, your Highness."

"We were worried, Imoen, not annoyed," Amidala replied. "But you're back and no doubt ready to resume your previous duties."

Xander's head snapped back down. Amidala wasn't a bitch in the movie, what was the deal? Queen or not, you can't just bark orders at people who have just been zapped into an alternate dimension. "Look, your Highness - " he started to say, but the collective laughter of the Queen and the Handmaidens cut off his angry retort.

The Queen stopped and nodded at Xander. "Yes, Master Harris?"

Crap. "Um...look! Clouds!" Xander pointed out the window behind the Queen. "Wow! You don't, um, see many clouds where I come from. Naboo really is new and strange to me..."

"No doubt it is. If you are interested, the library is open to all. There is much knowledge about my world there," Amidala said in slow, patient tones.

Great. The Queen thinks I'm a moron. "That's super. Libraries...you know...really cool." Xander froze as all the others stared at him. "I'll...you take it, Imoen."

"With pleasure," Imoen muttered under her breath. "Xander is no doubt still addled from the journey."

"Of course," Amidala said, her eyes twinkling in amusement. "Eirtae."

One of the handmaidens, a blond girl the same height as Imoen, stepped forward. "Yes, your Highness?"

"Please see to it that a droid airs out Imoen's old room." Amidala hesitated, an odd look on her face, then turned to Xander and Imoen. "Will Master Harris require separate quarters?"

"Um - "

"Er - "

"Yes," Xander and Imoen blurted out in unison.

Amidala smiled again and nodded at Eirtae, who bowed and hurried out of the room. "In the meantime...are you hungry? Thirsty?"

"No, your Highness. We ate not long before arriving here."

"Well, I'm kinda in the mood for some Naboo cuisine," Xander said. "What do you put on your pizza?"

"Pit-zuh?" Amidala repeated blankly.

"Oh." There's always something. "So it's a fair guess you don't know what pasta is, either?"

The handmaidens and the Queen all shrugged.

"Thought so."

Imoen stepped forward. "I'm sure the kitchens have something edible, your Highness. With your leave, Xander and I could attend to it ourselves. I do not wish to take more of your time."

"You are too gracious, Imoen. And you forget how dull the palace can be when not engulfed in a crisis," Amidala replied with a smile.

"Nonetheless, your Highness, I do not wish to impose upon you."

Amidala shrugged. "As you wish. Eat and change clothing. There is a state supper this evening at seven. You are, of course, invited, Master Harris, as a representative of Earth. I am sure you can answer many questions we have about your world."

"Oh, definitely. I'm Answer Man, big time," Xander said, trying not to wince. Ambassador of Earth? If the guys back home could only see him now.

Library

"All right then, Cyril. Thank you." Giles hung up the phone in his office and entered the library. Buffy sat on the table while Willow sat in a chair, studying the crystal. She held the glowing crystal in her hands as she looked over to Giles.

"So, what did your friend say?" Willow asked.

Giles removed his glasses. "Cyril is on his way from UCLA," he replied as he pulled out a white kerchief to polish the lenses of his glasses. "He's quite excited about the crystal."

Buffy hopped off the table. "Well, that's wonderful, Giles," she said as she approached him. "But what does that have to do with Xander and Imoen being in another dimension? And what is this friend of yours an expert on exactly?"

"Cyril Zahn is familiar with the legends of Numenor," Giles explained as he put his glasses back on. He stuffed his kerchief in his jacket pocket. "It's... more commonly referred to as 'Atlantis'."

Willow's eyes flicked from the crystal up to Giles. "The lost city of Atlantis, that one?"

Giles nodded. "Yes, the same," he confirmed. "Cyril is the foremost expert on... on a place that has no evidence of ever existing."

"How did you meet up with this Cyril guy?" asked Buffy.

"Cyril was a Watcher... up until five years ago," Giles answered. "He was a researcher of sorts for the Council. But Cyril disapproved of how they operated, so he resigned and moved back home to America."

"So he's an American?" Buffy grinned a little when Giles nodded. "And all this time I thought you guys were a 'Brits Only' organization."

"Mostly, but not exclusively," said Giles. "Cyril's passion is Numenor, Atlantis. Even though he teaches Ancient Egyptian history at UCLA, his free time is consumed by Atlantis."

"What did he say about this neat little crystal we found?" Willow inquired. She placed the crystal on the table and the glow faded away from it.

Giles came over to the table. "According to a story Cyril told to me years ago, the Atlanteans possessed a great crystal--"

"A big one? Like the one I saw in those weird visions?" Buffy interrupted Giles as he picked up the crystal from the table.

"Yes," Giles replied, glancing at her. "Anyhow, one of the theories, the one Cyril subscribes to, is the crystal held the power to open gateways to alternate universes, other dimensions. Cyril believes this is what happened to the city--that it did not sink into the oceans." He clasped his fingers around the crystal. "It simply... moved to... another dimension."

"Wow," Willow breathed, her eyes wide in wonder. "Do you think that's where Xander and Imoen went, to the same dimension as the Atlanteans? What if they're actually in that ancient city? That would be amazing."

Giles shook his head. "I'm not certain that is a dimension Ethan would have... sent them to," he quietly told Willow.

Buffy's brow furrowed as she tilted her head to one side. "You know, for Ethan to pull of something like this, he would've needed a lot of prep time." She looked to Giles. "And Xander and Imoen were long gone, as was Ethan, before we got inside the building."

"Are you saying that Ethan was expecting us?" Willow asked.

Buffy nodded. "Think about it. He had all his little doodles in place and his ceremony must've been well underway to work so fast. He had to have been expecting us."

Giles considered Buffy's logic. Yes, he had to admit she posed some excellent points. "If Ethan was expecting us or not is beside the point now," he said. "Where Imoen and Xander are is."

"Alternate universes and parallel dimensions are countless, Giles," Willow said, the panic in her voice growing with each word. "What if we can never find them? What if they are doomed to live out their lives in some universe where--" She stopped herself when she realized she was reaching hysterical. She drew in a few calming breaths. "I'm okay now. Really."

"Getting nuts with worry is not gonna help us or Xander and Imoen," Buffy said as she placed a hand on Willow's shoulder. She removed her hand and cracked her knuckles nervously. "I just hope they're okay... wherever they are."

Giles opened his hand and looked down at the crystal in his palm. "So do I, Buffy," he softly agreed. "So do I."

Xander followed Imoen through the labyrinthine passages of the Palace's basement until they reached a kitchen almost as big as Xander's house. A half dozen droids and a single human overseer were bustling around, preparing the food for the grand dinner later. Imoen steered Xander around the droids, who beeped angrily at the intrusion on their work, and into a small sub-kitchen with a simple wooden table and six chairs in the middle.

"Have a seat, Xander, I'll find something for you," Imoen said as she walked over to the tiny refrigerator in the corner.

"Okay." Xander obediently sat down at the table. Even the wood was different here, a dark brownish color with whiteish streaks. "The Queen was kinda cool."

"Kinda cool?" Imoen couldn't help but laugh as she rummaged through the micro-fridge. "The sovereign of my people, kinda cool."

"Well, she is," Xander said. "I'd vote for her. Except you don't vote for Queens."

"We do on Naboo," Imoen pointed out. "There are a great many differences between our worlds, Xander." She handed him a sandwich made of some dark meat between thick, light, almost white, slabs of bread. "Kaatho meat. It tastes like chicken."

"Seriously?" Xander took a hesitant bite. "Wow, it does. Who'da thunk? This is good stuff."

"I'm glad you approve," Imoen said. She smiled slightly and sat down opposite Xander. "So how do you like my home?" she asked.

"Oh, it's great! Just like in the movie," Xander said in between bites of the sandwich. "I wonder if we'll run into some Gungans."

Just like in the movie? Imoen shook her head to hide her sigh. How could Xander be so thoughtless? He was treating this like it was a big game. Sometimes he could be so annoyingly oblivious. Although to be fair, she would probably be excited if thrust into the world of the Akallabêth or one of the other epics in her family's library.

Her family... Imoen laughed - Varda be praised, she could see her family again now!

"What's the funny?" Xander asked as he stuffed the last bit of sandwich into his mouth.

"I - tomorrow, could we leave Theed? I would like to visit my family."

Xander nodded. "Oh, sure. Is there a bus or something to - wherever you used to live?"

"Hagia Triada. And I am sure the Queen still has my old speeder in storage, we can use that. It is only an hour away."

"Okay."

Imoen ignored Xander's lack of enthusiasm. His parents were drunkards, so it was only natural that he didn't share her excitement. "Perhaps we should go find more suitable clothing for the dinner tonight? T-shirts and jeans are not quite appropriate for a state function."

Xander grimaced. "I don't suppose I could wear Jedi robes?"

"No."

"But - "

"No."

"Just - "

"No."

"Okay. So, uh, what do people wear to state functionings?"

Imoen stood up and tugged on Xander's sleeve. "I'll show you."

Xander stared at the closet in awe. "There's not a lamp-post in the back, is there?" he asked after a moment.

"A lamp-post? Why?"

"Oh, never mind. Long story." Xander poked at one of the dress shirts, a green and black thing with leather studs and a big, ugly belt. "Is there anything that doesn't look like disco-wear?"

"Disco?"

"A dark period in human history."

"I see." Imoen shook her head and vanished around a rack of red silk dresses.

Xander pushed the green-black monstrosity aside and let out a whistle of admiration. "This, I like."

He pulled the blue-gray, banded-collar shirt off the rack and held it up. "Definitely snazzy...ooo, matching jacket." Xander put the shirt aside and picked up the dark gray jacket behind it. It wasn't the same color as a US Army jacket, but the cut was similar. "Sergeant Harris, reporting for duty."

"What's that?" Imoen asked, reappearing with a green dress draped over her arms. "Ah. That's an old militia tunic from the early colonial period."

"Cool. So whatcha got there? Something indecent, I hope?"

"Xander!" Imoen exclaimed with a grin. "This isn't the Bronze on Friday night. It's one of the highlights of the Naboo social year. Thus..." She held up the pale green dress. It was sleek and flowing with a modest scoop neck, and definitely the most beautiful dress Xander had ever seen.

"Yowza."

Imoen's eyes lit up. "You like it?"

"Yowza," Xander repeated. "You're gonna make all the little Naboo girls jealous."

"Don't be silly, Xander," Imoen said, blushing. "It's far less elegant than what the noble ladies will have."

"But oh so chic," Xander replied as he took a step closer to Imoen. "You'll look beautiful in it. Really," he added softly.

"I hope so. Now that we're back on Naboo, I can tell you that Earth clothes are so dreary and plain when they're not completely indecent. Those awful dresses that Cordelia woman wears - no Naboo would ever dare wear something so...so...provocative. I've missed Naboo clothing so badly."

"I guess there is something to be said for, um, layers and frills," Xander said. "So we're fed and outfitted for battle. Now what?"

"I imagine that Eirtae has prepared our rooms by now. Let's go see."

"You're the boss."

"These aren't rooms, Imoen, these are apartments," Xander said as he stared at the spacious chambers the Queen had assigned them. "If these are guest quarters, what does the Queen have?"

"The same, except slightly bigger," Imoen replied. "The previous monarch had far larger chambers, but Amidala decided to live more modestly upon her coronation."

"This is modest?"

"By Naboo standards. On Coruscant, the wealthiest citizens have private orbital palaces all their own."

"Seriously? That wasn't... I mean, Buffy didn't mention that."

"Perhaps she was otherwise occupied at the time," Imoen suggested. "Or perhaps she simply mistook them for moons," she added with a grin.

"That's no moon, that's a space station," Xander said, also smiling. That bit was one of Imoen's favorite lines for some reason. The idea that anybody could mistake a space station for a moon had really amused her, as far as he could tell. "So is this your room?" he asked after a moment.

"Hm? Oh, no, mine is the next one down the hall," Imoen said. "This is a guest room. My room has things in it besides furniture."

"Oh. Excellent point." Xander jumped down on the bed and let out an ecstatic sigh. "Soft...bliss..."

"Are you okay?" Imoen asked, staring down at Xander in amusement as he made a 'snow angel' on the bed.

"Oh, I could get used to this," Xander replied. "So what about your room?"

"I'm not sure the droids are done there..."

"Oh, come on. We can toss them out."

"Okay, if you insist. But it's really quite boring."

"It's Naboo. Can't be that boring," Xander muttered, following her out into the hallway and down to the next room. Imoen tapped a button half-hidden next to the door and it opened with a whoosh of escaping air.

"Wow. If this is your idea of boring..." Xander glanced around Imoen's room, a little larger and a lot more beautiful than the one they'd just been in. There was a potted tree with silvery leaves under the window, an oak bookshelf with actual books - the first Xander had ever seen in the Star Wars universe - on it, and a marble statue of a woman with a spear in hand and a crown on her head.

"It's far more modest than the other handmaidens' rooms," Imoen mumbled. She was amazed it was so clean. Amidala or one of the others must have made sure it was kept up while she was gone. She'd have to thank them for it later. They'd even dusted off the statue of Varda. "Well, there you have it. It's nothing really."

"Uh-huh." Xander nodded. If she didn't want to show off, that was okay. There was an entire palace, an entire planet, full of cool stuff to explore. "I like it. So when is this big shindig?"

"Shin-what?" Imoen sighed. Everytime she thought she'd mastered Earthslang, Xander threw a new and more bizarre word at her.

"The party."

"Oh! Only an hour from now. We should get dressed if we don't want to miss the opening ceremonies."

"Okay. I'll, uh, wait for you in my room, I guess."

Imoen smiled, happy to have an excuse to get Xander out of her room. She didn't want to make Xander feel inferior - his own room on Earth was a cell, really. It was embarrasing to have such fine quarters compared to that. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Xander snapped the collar shut and nodded at his reflection in the large, silver-framed mirror in his room. It looked like he'd put it on the right way.

"I could get used to this," he admitted.

The battered old droid poked its head into Xander's room. "Ambassador Harris, the Lady Imoen Eärendil is here," it announced in its gargle of a voice.

"Okay, let her...in..." Xander's words trailed off and let out a squeak. "You look good," he finally managed. Good didn't go nearly far enough. Imoen's red hair flowed down to her shoulders in sleek waves and was gathered into an elegant bun at the nape of her neck. An intricate silver necklace set with black pearls glittered in the moonlight, in sharp contrast to the earthy green tone of her dress.

"Really good," Xander added after a second.

Imoen blushed and curtsied. "Thank you. You're very handsome in that uniform," she said.

"Aw, shucks." He extended his arm. "Well, Lady Eärendil, shall we make a grand entrance?"

Imoen curtsied again and slipped her arm around Xander's. "Certainly, Master Harris. Lead the way."'

"Um...you better do that. I don't know the layout, remember?" Xander said. Some start to a graceful evening.

"Oh. Right." And then Imoen gently tugged on his arm and he forgot all about it.

The palace's Grand Dining Hall wasn't quite the size of Sunnydale High's auditorium, but it wasn't far behind. It had ECHOES. The table was just half as long as a football field, which was just as well considering how many people were seated at it.

Xander tugged at the collar of his new Naboo clothes and tried to remember which of the four forks was for the salad that was being served. Maybe he could invent pizza and make a fortune if he was here long enough...

"Eeetee raateetee?"

Xander turned towards the speaker, a four foot tall alien completely covered in dark brown fur. Oh, God, it's Cousin It. "I'm sorry, I don't speak...um...alien..."

"Eeetee raateeteetee?" the thing chirped, its fur rustling as it did.

"Imoen, help me out here," Xander whispered, tugging on her sleeve.

"Eeetee?" the alien squeaked, then let out a long series of whistles and chirps.

Imoen's lips twitched and she whispered something to the alien. It let out a sad hum and then shuffled off.

"What was that all about?" Xander asked.

"The Rohan Ambassador just requested you join her harem."

"Oh, oka - she WHAT?" A few of the nearest guests glanced at Xander, adding to his embarrassment. Too bad there wasn't a convenient hole to crawl into.

"It would seem that she found you quite handsome. But I regretfully turned her down on your behalf," Imoen explained, struggling to keep a straight face.

"Oh." Xander stared down at his plate for a moment, then nodded. "Oh."

"It would not be proper for a diplomatic representative such as yourself to accept such an offer, however attractive it might be," Imoen added, then gulped down the rest of her water to keep herself from laughing.

"Um, scary mental place time," Xander said.

"Shh, the guest of honor is arriving."

"Huh?" Xander stared at the great marble arch where Imoen was half-pointing. A half-dozen human dignitaries in simple white robes were entering, flanked by a pair of Palace Guards. "Who? Which one?

"Shh," Imoen whispered. "The woman at the head of the group. She's one of the Queen's friends - Senator Mothma."

"Whoa, as in Mon Mothma?" Xander asked, craning his neck to see the tall, red-headed woman. "Is that her? Is that her? The one who looks like Cate Blanchett?"

"Shh!" Imoen hissed and poked Xander in the ribs. "Just watch and listen."

Xander snapped his lips shut and watched as Mon Mothma and the rest of her entourage headed to the head of the table. The Queen, already there, rose and hugged the Senator, then sat down as the guests politely applauded the Senator.

"Citizens of Naboo, I greet you on behalf of my people. I would first like to thank..."

At that point, Xander tuned out. This was like being trapped in C-SPAN. He took a sip of water and stared at the other guests. Mostly Naboo in all sorts of fancy dresses and suits, but there were a few Gungans - none that he recognized, though. Boss Nass and Jar-Jar probably had better things to do than listen to uber-boring speeches about -

"Complacency. Apathy. Decadence. These are our enemies, just as dangerous as greed and aggression, but far more insidious. An invading fleet is painfully easy to discover, but who can recognize these phantom menaces?"

Phantom menaces? Xander and Imoen exchanged startled looks.

"Could - "

"You don't think - "

"Nah."

"Certainly not."

Mon Mothma continued, despite the deafening silence that filled the dining hall and the somewhat pained expression on Queen Amidala's face. "I would urge you, my friends, to look around you and ask yourself if, as some would claim, this truly is a golden age for the Republic? On the surface, perhaps, but dig deeper and you will find a rotten core beneath the gilded veneer. The Trade Federation, so recently vanquished by your courage, is but one aspect of this rot. Even before their downfall was complete, the Hutts had taken their place. And even now, on our fair capital of Coruscant, a man is elected Chancellor with grand promises but has failed to enact even one of them so far. Instead, he moves to strengthen the Fleet and restore a nebulously defined 'law and order'. Are these the causes that we would champion?"

Uneasy murmurs swept through the chamber and a few of the guests stood up to leave.

"I can see that my words startle you," Mon Mothma said with a slight smile upon her face. "Good! The time for dreamy stupors is over! All citizens must open their ears and their minds to the dangers we face, or else much that we hold dear shall become bittersweet memories."

The murmurs rose in volume and more guests trickled out, a few jeering Mon Mothma as they left.

"This is weirdin' me out," Xander whispered to Imoen. "She's talking sense but everyone's giving her the evil eye."

Imoen nodded slightly, her face pale. "I see now how the Empire came to power..." she whispered, a sad expression on her face. "If only I could speak to her..."

"Yeah," Xander half-heartedly replied. This was all so weird. Knowing all the horrible stuff that was going to happen to Imoen's universe was one thing, but actually experiencing the beginning of it...It gave him the wiggins, big time.

" - so I leave you to enjoy the rest of the evening," Mon Mothma said, again smiling as if she recognized the impossibility of that. A few of the guests clapped, but most remained silent or booed the Senator. She bowed slightly and took her seat next to the Queen.

Imoen glared around the room, silently furious at her fellow Naboo. How could they be so blind? Didn't any of them understand that what Senator Mothma was saying was true? From the looks of it, they would rather go back to the way things were without asking troubling questions. Of course they would. Why worry? It would all get taken care off on its own, it always did. The Naboo left the galaxy alone and it left them alone, that is how it worked.

She bit back tears and quietly excused herself. Just being in the same room as all those blind fools was too much for her. She all but ran from the dining hall until she reached an open balcony on the north face of the palace.

Imoen leaned against the cold stone railing and stared down at the lights of Theed. How many people slept under those lamps, not knowing, not imagining in their worst nightmares, the horror that would soon consume the entire galaxy?

Surely it was her imagination, but as Imoen gazed down at the sleeping city, an inky shadow seemed to stretch out and cover it, wrapping it in a deeper darkness than mere night. She let out a startled gasp and raised her eyes to the stars above.

How many months had it been since she'd seen the familiar stars? Her parents had taught her the stories of each one of them - bright, proud Varda the Queen; sad Alikki chasing her five lost children; silent Vairë winking with her violet eye; carefree Nessa skipping a step ahead of mighty Tulkas; vigilant Nienna, ever-watching the western sky with her scarlet eye, and all the others.

All lies. Orion. The Big Dipper. Ursa Major. THOSE were real stars. Those lights above, they were just illusion. Spin-offs of a child's story. The millions of years they had kept vigil over Naboo had never truly been. Naboo itself was a child, really, even in the fiction of Xander's world. All the stories, all the people, all of it was nothing...She was nothing. A character brought forth into life by a freak accident.

What did it matter what the people in Theed dreamed? At least they could sleep in sweet bliss, not knowing what would soon befall them. And what matter that? Who cared what the characters in a story felt, hoped or feared? Turn the page, close the book, and their sorrows and dreams were gone.

"Hey, there you are," Xander said as he stepped onto the balcony. "I got lost looking for you. Traumatized some droids, I think."

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Imoen said after a moment, never shifting her eyes from the stars above.

"You're crying," Xander whispered. He took a step closer and Imoen could feel his breath on the back of her neck.

"I am?" Imoen brushed her cheeks and stared down at her tear-moistened hands. "I hadn't noticed."

"Are you okay?"

"Not really, no."

Xander sighed and wrapped his arms around Imoen in a hug. "I'm sorry."

"I know." Imoen lifted her gaze to the black sky once more. The fictional stars twinkled back at her, so distant and silent...She shuddered. It couldn't all be a lie. There had to be some hope, something real, something that Lucas hadn't created with the stroke of a pen.

Imoen turned to Xander. "You've read many of the books written about my universe in your world, haven't you?"

"Well, most of the newer ones. You know me and books have a hate-hate thing going on."

"In any of your books, can you see my world at night?"

Xander frowned and scratched his chin. "I dunno. Not really. Why?"

"None? Are you sure? Not even a single picture?"

"Pretty sure, yeah."

Imoen let out a soft sigh of relief and squeezed Xander's arms. "The stars..." she whispered.

Xander looked up at the sky. "They're pretty."

"They're real," Imoen added, hardly daring to whisper the words. "They're real, Xander."

"Well, of course they are. As real as anything here."

Imoen shook her head. "No, they're truly real. Don't you see? If they don't exist in any of your books or movies, that must mean they exist on their own. Your George Lucas and all his computers didn't create them! Who knows what else they didn't create?"

"Hey, yeah...you're right," Xander said. "I mean, it's a big galaxy, right? Lucas only wrote about a few people and places."

"Yes, exactly." Imoen couldn't contain her smile. It wasn't all a lie. Her universe existed beyond the confines of Lucas' stories. And if that was true, perhaps...perhaps the future was not writ in the stars... She took Xander's hand in her own and gently squeezed his fingers for a moment, then released him. "Look. Do you see that bright white star...over there?" She pointed at proud Varda, surveying her kingdom from the northern heavens.

"Yeah."

"My people call her Varda after the Queen of our gods. She's the brightest star in all the sky, and the strongest of all the goddesses, but her majesty is a sad one."

"Why?" Xander asked.

"A Varda Oiolossëo, nei silivren neî miriel o menel aglar elenath! Na-chaered melé, Na-chaered turé, Na-chaered Gyel Mânawenûz. Varda, le linnathon, unu sil, si unu sil!" Imoen sang softly. Then, her cheeks red in embarrasment, she added "My parents used to sing that to me every night before I went to sleep."

"What does it mean?"

"O Varda Star-queen, weeping silver tears like jewels, from the glorious firmament! Too-far your love, Too-far your lord, Too-far Bright Mânawenûz. Varda, to thee I will chant under the stars, here under the stars!" Imoen pointed at the bright star to the north. "Varda watches over the Naboo from her silver throne, but she weeps for her lost love Mânawenûz."

"What happened to Maanawewho?"

"Mânawenûz, Xander," Imoen corrected patiently. "He gave up his freedom to banish the Darkness and allow life to grow...So now, until the end of time, Mânawenûz lights up the sky every morning while the tears of his lady Varda fill the heavens every night."

"Huh. I didn't know you even had stories like that."

"Well, you never really asked," Imoen said after a moment. "And it is a very old story. So few people believe in it or in Varda and Mânawenûz at all now..."

Xander nodded, sensing Imoen was uncomfortable talking about it, and continued to stare up at the stars.

Several minutes passed, and then there was a polite cough from the doorway behind them. Xander bit down a "Go away!" and gently removed his arms from Imoen as he turned.

It was Eirtae, a contrite look on her face. "Excuse me, Imoen, Master Harris, but the Queen is looking for you."

"Is something the matter?" "No, Imoen, but the Chancellor is soon to contact her and she requests your presence."

"The Chancellor? I see."

Eirtae's brow furrowed. "Is something wrong, Imoen?"

"No, nothing. Thank you for the message, Eirtae. We will be along shortly."

The other handmaiden bowed and vanished into the golden glow of the hallway.

"Great. I wonder what Palpatine's up to."

"Most likely, he is just delivering a polite congratulations to the Queen. It is a Endsummer tradition. I wonder why the Queen wishes us to be there for a private audience. That is all but unheard of."

"I dunno...Whatever's up, it's probably bad."

"You shouldn't be so cynical, Xander. I'm sure the Queen has a perfectly good reason for us to be there when she speaks to Palpatine. I just don't know what it might be."

Library

Roughly an hour and a half after Giles made his call, Cyril Zahn arrived at the Sunnydale High School Library. The dark haired man who entered the library was not what Buffy or Willow imagined him to be. He was not like Giles in any way.

Zahn wore a pair of jeans, battered up Nike sneakers and a gray Bruins sweatshirt. Under one arm he had an old book safely tucked away. He smiled at the two girls as Giles came out of his office.

"Cyril," Giles greeted as he extended a hand to the man. He grinned as he and Zahn shook hands. "So glad you could make it. You know, in the middle of the night..."

Zahn let go of Giles' hand. "Are you nuts, Rupert?" he said, eyes bright. "I wouldn't have been able to wait until morning for this. I averaged 95 all the way over here." He looked over to Buffy and Willow. "Which one is the Slayer?" he asked.

Buffy half-raised her hand. "That would be me," she answered.

Zahn came over to Buffy, hand extended to her. "So, you're Buffy Summers. I've heard a lot about you."

"Well, this is the first I've heard of you," Buffy replied as she let go of Zahn's hand. "Giles isn't one of those 'sharing people', so he just keeps unfolding like a flower, Mr. Zahn. Isn't that right, Giles?" She raised her eyebrows at her Watcher.

Zahn glanced back at Giles, laughing. "It's just 'Cyril'," he said turning his attention back to Buffy. "You're a Slayer out of the norm, Buffy. Refreshing to see. You're also one of the longest living Slayers in recent history. Perhaps the Council should take some notes."

Buffy looked over to Giles. "I really like this guy," she said, jerking a thumb at Zahn. "Can he stay... forever?"

Zahn held out his hand to Willow. "That means you're Willow, the girl who made the crystal glow."

Willow shrugged after she shook Zahn's hand. "I have no idea how I made it do that," she replied.

Giles brought the small crystal over to Zahn. He held out his hand. Zahn's eyes grew wide as he studied the object in Giles' hand.

"It's nothing like I'd imagined," Zahn said in a whisper as he took the crystal from Giles. He watched in awe as the light glinted off the crystal. "It's simply amazing. There's no other explanation for it. It's got to be a fragment from the larger crystal." He met Giles' gaze. "You don't know where Ethan picked up such a thing?"

"Well, he was gone before we had the chance to say, 'Hey, neat dimensional gateway opening crystal. Where'd you get it? I want one of my own'," Buffy replied.

"Buffy," Giles stiffly said, giving her a look.

Zahn, however, only laughed. He placed his book on the table. "She wasn't out of line, Rupert," he said. "It was a pretty senseless question." He made a motion for Willow to come over. "You just never know where Ethan gets his toys these days," he grimly tacked on.

Willow joined Zahn by the table. She held out her hand, palm up as Zahn instructed. She watched as Zahn placed the crystal in her hand. As soon as the crystal touched Willow's hand, the glow returned.

"Yep, that's me... the Glow Girl," she said, looking from the crystal to Zahn. "I bring good dimensional things to life."

Zahn smiled at the joke. "Have you had any sort of training in magick, Willow?" he asked, becoming serious.

"Well... yeah, I've been studying Wicca for over a year now," she answered.

Zahn nodded. "You feel the connection between yourself and the crystal?"

"It makes my body all tingly."

"The crystal is a receptor of magick and beings that possess some level of magick skill," Zahn explained. "Well, it was all in theory, but now it's been proven." He pointed to the glowing crystal. "The ancient Atlanteans were said to have complete mastery over magick. There's a story that the Atlanteans and their larger crystal played a part in driving the demons from Earth all those eons ago."

"Willie mentioned that the vampires in Sunnydale were frightened of the power... Ethan brought," Giles thoughtfully said as Zahn opened up his book.

"What's this?" Willow asked, placing the crystal on the table. She peered over at the pages as Zahn carefully leafed through them.

"A compilation of myths and magicks of Numenor," Zahn said. "A few supposed spells of the high priests are contained in here as well. The only book of it's kind in existence. And I have it." He smiled.

"Hey! Wait!" Buffy piped up. She waved a hand as she came up between Willow and Zahn at the table. "Go back a page." Zahn did so. "That's it! That's what I saw in the vision."

Buffy put her finger on a sketch of a group of men dressed in white robes, hands in the air as they surrounded a large, glowing crystal. Symbols adorned the robes the men wore and were on the ground around them as well.

"This? A depiction of some ceremony," Zahn replied, glancing at Buffy. He frowned. "Of what, I can't truly say. I have some ideas, but of course, I have no way to validate them. That's the trouble with researching a place like this."

"These symbols on the robes and on the ground," Willow pointed them out. "They're the same ones that were on the floor in Ethan's old shop."

"These very same symbols?" Zahn's finger tapped the book and Willow nodded. He slapped the table, a wide grin taking over. "My theory about the fate of Atlantis is probably correct! I've always thought this scene depicted the ceremony that shifted Atlantis and all its inhabitants to...another dimension."

"But what I don't get is how would Ethan Rayne know about all this stuff?" Buffy waved a hand at the book. "I mean, you're the expert here, Cyril, and you didn't even know what this was."

Zahn stood straight as he looked back to Giles. He, too, had known Ethan Rayne, but not as well as Giles, however. His contact with Ethan was rather sporadic while he and Giles were attending Oxford. Ethan mostly showed up to torment Giles in some shape or form.

He sighed. "Ethan's a fairly powerful wizard, Buffy," he replied. "He can find out pretty much anything when he sets his mind to it."

"And it's always something diabolical," Giles grimly added.

"Or just plain mean," Zahn said. He shook his head. "Well, I have a spell for opening the dimensional gateway in this book. I've never been able to attempt it though. The obvious reason being no crystal. But also, not formal training in magick."

"Today's your lucky day," Willow said as she stood a little taller and prouder. "You have both. The crystal and me."

Zahn's eyes flicked from the crystal to Willow. "No, I can't ask you to do something like this," he told her. "This is very powerful stuff, Willow."

Willow frowned as her shoulders slumped. "You don't think I can do it?" she asked. She pressed her lips together, an indignant air about her. "I've opened a dimensional portal before... sort of," she informed them. "Well, ok...it was a temporal fold and Anya helped, but same difference."

"Yeah, and look at what happened," Buffy said. "Your evil vampire self from an alternate universe came here and almost killed everyone."

Willow hesitated a few moments then said, "That was an accident, ok?"

Giles stepped towards Willow. "Anya, being an ex-demon, had more control over such complicated magicks," he said.

Willow clenched her hands into fists at her sides. "What are we supposed to do then, huh?" she hotly demanded. "Sit here and stare at the crystal? Hope Ethan comes back and reopens the portal out of the kindness of his heart? No, I don't think so."

Buffy blinked. It never failed to impress her when Willow took charge of a situation. She looked to Giles. "Will's got a good point," she said. "We don't have a whole lot of options here."

"I'm not even sure if this spell is real, if it even works," Zahn said. He sighed heavily as he switched his gaze to Giles. "We have to try, at least."

Giles closed his eyes. Would it be a wise decision? Who knew what would happen if the spell succeeded? Would they be able to control the dimensional gateway? Slowly, Giles nodded as his eyes opened.

"We must try," he quietly agreed.

Naboo

" - understand your association with this alarmist, your Highness," a voice was saying as Imoen and Xander entered the throne room. They both froze, recognizing the voice of the Supreme Chancellor.

The Queen was seated on her throne and not-quite-glaring at the hologram of Palpatine. "Chancellor, Senator Mothma has proven herself a loyal friend of Naboo and the Republic. Need I remind you that she was one of the few who spoke on our behalf during the recent crisis with the Trade Federation?"

"Certainly not, your Highness. I merely ask that you reconsider your friendship with the Senator in light of the new circumstances," Palpatine replied. "I would not want to see your trust abused by those with hidden agendas, Amidala."

"I thank you for your concern, Chancellor. I will give it due consideration."

Palpatine's image smiled slightly, recognizing and conceding defeat. "On another note, I have heard that there is an unplanned visitor on Naboo...a representative of the same planet as that woman who recently met with the Council - Earth, if I am not mistaken?"

Amidala nodded slightly. "Yes, an unofficial envoy has recently arrived."

"How fascinating. It is so rare that a previously unknown world contacts the Republic. Is, perhaps, the envoy available? It would be my pleasure to greet him on behalf of the Republic..."

"I am afraid that he is otherwise occupied at the moment, Chancellor," Amidala said, glancing through Palpatine and at Xander. "But I will send him your regards."

"I understand. Thank you, your Highness...If there is nothing else, I beg your leave. I had scheduled to meet with several Senators to discuss some of the pending bills in the Senate..."

"Of course, Chancellor. Good evening."

"Good evening, your Highness," Palpatine said, then vanished as Amidala cut the connection.

"Imoen, Xander, thank you for coming," Amidala said, still staring at the spot Palpatine's hologram had occupied. "I had wondered where you ran off to - is anything the matter?"

"No, your Highness," Imoen replied. "I merely went in search of some fresh air. I felt a bit light-headed."

"I see."

"But I'm better now."

"I see..." Amidala repeated, then shook her head. "I sought you out for a reason, Imoen. Palpatine's message only increases my urgency...I believe that it would perhaps be safer for you and Master Harris to leave Naboo, temporarily at least. I have received reports that there are people in the city asking after you."

"Like - people people?" Xander asked.

"People people?"

"An Earth expression, your Highness," Imoen smoothly replied, realizing now why Willow so often kicked Xander in the shins.

"Of course. At any rate, Captain Panaka is making arrangements for transportation, but a ship will not be available for at least another day. Perhaps you could visit your family until that time?"

"You've got a family?" Xander whispered. "You never mentioned them."

"I did not want to make you feel bad in comparison," Imoen whispered back. "Do you believe such measures are neccesary? I am not comfortable with the idea of a phalanx of security volunteers shadowing me and Xander."

"It might be inconvenient, but far less so than being abducted or killed would be."

"I'm with her on that, Imoen. Dead is definitely not good."

"It would only be for a short while, Imoen," Amidala added. "I assure you."

Well, it was a good point. Imoen had no desire to join Varda at the Court of Stars quite yet. "As you wish, your Highness."

Amidala smiled reassuringly. "Lieutenent Chyna."

"Yes, your Highness?"

Xander jumped. The speaker, a tall dark-haired woman in a Naboo miliary uniform, had been right next to him the whole time and he hadn't even noticed her. Damn creepy.

"Assign the Lady Imoen and Ambassador Harris a guard detail for the rest of their stay."

"Yes, your Highness." The lieutenent bowed and backed out of the room.

"As for the rest..."

"I would like to visit my family, your Highness," Imoen said. She was ashamed that she hadn't even thought of them until now. They must have been so worried when she disappeared.

Amidala nodded. "Then go and give them my regards. I shall contact you when the ship is prepared to depart."

"Thank you, your Highness." Imoen bowed deeply and left the room, stopping only to collect Xander.

Next Day

The trip to Hagia Triada was only an hour by speeder. Xander was entranced the whole way - Naboo was so clean and quiet compared to California, even aside from the whole Hellmouth thing. If they never got back to Earth, this wouldn't be such a bad place...Xander buried the thought. Willow and Giles and Buffy would come through.

"That's Celeborn Hill - the first colony ship landed there according to legend," Imoen pointed out as they passed a large grassy hill with a marble statue of a spaceship atop it. "Eight thousand years ago."

"That old? Wow."

"Eight thousand years isn't all that old, Xander. The Republic itself is nearly thirty millennia old, and there are dozens of species with histories far longer."

"I guess...On Earth, people were still living in caves thirty thousand years ago. I'm having trouble working my brain around it, to be honest."

Imoen smiled and patted Xander on the arm. "You're adjusting to Naboo far better than I did to Earth."

"I don't know about that. Getting the offer of sexual servitude from Cousin It at that dinner gave me a serious case of the wiggins."

"You haven't woken up in the middle of the night screaming and crying, have you?" Imoen asked.

"Well, not as such, no..."

"Then you're adjusting better than I did." Imoen smiled weakly and pointed at a dark forest off to the left. "That's Lutherién Wood, the site of the first contact between Gungans and my ancestors. We almost went to war with them."

"Really?"

"Yes. It happened soon after the first human colonists arrived. They tried to drain some of the marshlands the Gungans used for farming... But for the efforts of our first monarch, King Vainar, we would almost certainly have gone to war with the Gungans and probably destroyed them, or been destroyed ourselves. It was a rougher time...like your Wild West in America. Both our peoples have advanced greatly since those days. There hasn't been a war on Naboo for over five thousand years."

"Five thousand years? We can't go five months on Earth before somebody starts a war."

Imoen had no reply to that. How could she say that Earth was a primitive, barbarous planet without giving offense? On the other hand, for all Earth's savageness - so many horrible wars - it had no Palpatine, no Vader, no Death Star.

The car reached the crest of a grass-covered hill and stopped for a moment to let a farmer and his flock of hyapanths cross the road. Imoen sat up straight and stared out the window at a barely visible farm on the distant edge of the valley. Imoen's breath caught in her throat as the clouds parted and sunlight bathed the faraway farm.

"There..."

"That's your farm?" Xander asked, peering out the window.

"Yes." Imoen tapped the driver, a security officer, on the shoulder. "Driver, take us there swiftly, please.

"How can you be sure?" Xander asked, squinting now. "It's so far away."

"Xander, it's my home. I grew up there."

"Good point," Xander admitted, then lost his balance as the car kicked into overdrive. He fell sideways, right into Imoen's arms, and only reluctantly pulled himself up. "Sorry," he mumbled, not really meaning it.

"Apology accepted," Imoen replied, still feeling him in her arms. Then she smiled as the car passed through the old gap in the stone wall. She was home. It all looked the same. The ancient mirthir tree, its leaves a riot of blue and silver, swayed gently in the afternoon breeze and cast a proud shadow over the row of malla flowers that lined the cobblestone driveway. And at the end of that driveway, the achingly familiar manorhouse, a solid brick fortress that was almost as old as Theed itself. The ancient family crest was hidden in shadows, but Imoen didn't need light to see the stylized image of Holla's Wreathe constellation in her mind's eye.

"Stop here, please," she told the driver as the car reached a turn in the long driveway. "I don't want to startle the geela birds," she explained. The silly yellow things were easily scared, and a scared geela bird was one that could not produce the valuable silver eggs that all but paid for the farm and house. More than once, her parents had scolded her for playing in the coops and nearly spoiling the hatches of the day.

"Come on, Xander," Imoen said, practically yanking him out of the car.

"Ow! I'm coming, I'm coming," Xander whined as he rubbed his now-sore shoulder. He followed Imoen up the driveway, stopping to admire the giant birch-like tree at the top of a low hill. The leaves were a strange bluish shade, totally unlike anything he'd seen before.

Imoen, noticing his interest, came to his side and stared up at the tree. "It's a mirthir tree. This one is almost five hundred years old, but there are some in the capital that are ten times that - we brought them here from Alderaan when we originally settled Naboo."

"You people came from Alderaan?"

"Didn't you know that?"

"I must have been asleep in Naboo History 101..."

"Oh...oh. I'm sorry. I spent so much time learning about your world and so little telling you of mine..."

"Hey, don't worry about it. Plenty of time for history lessons later, right?"

"Yes..." Imoen stopped again and stared at the manor house. Something wasn't right. It only took a moment to realize what it was. "The doors are barred."

"What?"

Imoen ignored Xander and ran up to the house. Sure enough, the main doors were shut and sealed with the old iron bars that hadn't been used since - well, ever, as far as Imoen could remember. Her stomach began to twist into knots. Why would the house be locked up?

"What's the matter?" Xander asked as he followed her onto the porch.

"The doors, they're been locked and barred," Imoen answered impatiently. "I don't understand it. Why..."

"Maybe your parents went out or something," Xander suggested. He didn't like the look of near-panic on Imoen's face.

"In the middle of the afternoon on the eve of high harvest?" Imoen laughed humorlessly. She tried to peer through the windows, but they were too dark - the lights inside weren't on.

"Well, maybe..."

Imoen ignored Xander and raced around to the side of the house. The fence-gate was locked, too, and the shock-field on the top bar of the fence had been activated. Even touching the fence-gate gave her a slight shock. "Careful, Xander," Imoen said as she heard him approach. "It's electric."

"Geez!" Xander pulled his hand back from the gate. "Paranoid much?"

"This farm and our livestock are worth almost half a million credits. It's not paranoia." Imoen stared over the fence at the pastures behind the manorhouse. The fields were empty - not a single animal, not even a dog. At least none in her line of sight. The family land extended for almost half a mile beyond the manorhouse, most of it hidden at the base of a gently-sloping dale invisible from this angle. But still...it was as if nobody even lived her anymore.

"I'm sure they just went out for the day, Imoen," Xander said. "This doesn't look like a place that's been abandoned. Trust me, there are plenty in Sunnydale."

Imoen nodded, barely listening to what he was saying. "Yes, I'm sure you're right. We can always come back later on," she said, then shivered with the horrifying feeling that she'd never see the farm - or her family - again.

"Excuse me? Lady Imoen?"

Xander and Imoen both turned. It was one of the guards, Shaul, carrying a small metal disc in his hand. The other guard, pistol drawn as if she expected a battle droid to jump out from behind the trees, wasn't far behind.

"Yes?"

"A communication from Queen Amidala, my lady," he explained, handing Imoen the disc and then stepping back a respectful distance.

Imoen tapped the Activate button on the disc, hiding her confused frown. Why would Amidala call so soon after they left? Was the ship ready so soon?

A holographic image of the Queen appeared above the disc. The tiny flickering image smiled up at Imoen. "Imoen., I am sorry to interupt you, but Chancellor Palpatine has contacted me again. He wishes to meet with Ambassador Harris on Coruscant at the earliest convenience."

"With me? Why?" Xander asked.

The holograph-Queen shrugged slightly. "I imagine he wishes to initiate formal diplomatic ties with your world, Ambassador. I have checked with Captain Panaka and the transport is nearly ready. It should be able to depart as soon as you return...as you wish, of course. I do not want to cut short your time on Naboo by any means."

"No, your Highness. There is nothing for us here," Imoen replied. "We shall return to Theed immediately."

"Of course. Good travels." The Queen nodded once and then vanished as the communication was cut.

"Well, let's go," Imoen said, pocketing the disc.

"Are you sure?" Xander asked.

Imoen sighed and cast one last look at the empty fields. "Yes. I'll ask Eirtae or Sabe when we return," she said wearily.

"Okay." Xander followed Imoen and the guards back to the car. Maybe a trip to Coruscant would cheer her up. Yeah, right.

Library

Willow closed her eyes tight as she chanted the words to the ancient spell. With each passing word, Willow felt the crystal tremble in her hands. A flash of light filled the room and Giles, Buffy and Zahn shielded their eyes momentarily.

"Eter i ad!" Willow shouted holding the crystal over the markings Zahn and Giles had made on the floor of the library.

Another blinding flash of light, followed by a strange ringing noise, filled the library. Soon a deep, dark vortex took form within the markings, but that was all.

Zahn took a few steps closer to the vortex that swirled around noiselessly. He didn't dare enter the markings. Who knew what triggered this thing?

"Is it open?" he asked no one in particular. He hesitantly reached out a hand to the vortex, but he pulled his hand back. He sighed, his hope of finding those two kids fast fading. "I think this is a bust, Rupert."

Willow, eyes still closed, bit her lip. The strain on her mind was agonizing but she refused to give into the pain. She was the only hope for Imoen and Xander.

Xander, she thought. She kept repeating his name in her mind, focusing on a mental picture of him.

"Hey, look!" Buffy pointed to the vortex.

Slowly, the black cleared away revealing a beautiful stretch of land with lush rolling hills, a bright blue sky and pure white clouds. The only structure in this vast land was a modest home. Strange animals roamed about outside the place. They didn't appear vicious, but domesticated.

Giles stepped up beside Zahn, the two of them gazing into portal. Both were quite amazed the ancient spell worked and that Willow had performed it. Buffy brushed by Giles and Zahn, stepping inside the chalk markings so she could get a better look at this... other world.

"Buffy, don't!" Giles exclaimed as the Slayer raised up a hand to touch the portal.

It was too late. Buffy's right palm caressed the portal--but the view only wavered, like a pond after a stone is tossed into it. She pulled her hand back and looked at Giles and Zahn.

"It's solid," she told them. She pushed on the portal again, frowning. "This is sort of like TV with no sound. I don't think we did the spell right. Or our crystal is defective. Something's screwed up."

Willow gritted her teeth, her hand clasped tightly around the crystal as she opened her eyes. She focused on Buffy standing by the portal. She'd done everything right. Why hadn't the portal opened?

Zahn took a few steps closer to the window of sorts, shaking his head. "None of this looks familiar to me," he said in a low voice. "Architecture isn't like anything I've encountered in any culture here..."

"I see Xander and Imoen's with him!" Buffy declared. She pointed into the window, directing Giles' and Zahn's attention to the two figures coming around the front of the house. Imoen and Xander were engaged in a conversation, oblivious to the fact that Buffy and the others watched them.

Giles felt a rush of relief when he saw the two missing teens. "Thank God they're all right," he said.

Buffy squinted her eyes. "Something about this place looks familiar," she mumbled. She tilted her head. "I can't put my finger on what it is though."

Willow lost her hold on the crystal as her eyes rolled back in her head. She moaned in pain as she slumped over in the chair and onto the floor. The girl's hand opened and the crystal fell from it. The portal faded away as the crystal became separated from Willow.

Buffy blinked. "Someone kicked the cord," she grumbled. She turned around to see Willow lying on the floor. "Oh my God... Willow!" She blew by Giles and Zahn and dropped to her knees by her best friend.

Willow, a hand on her forehead, groaned as she used her other hand to push herself off the floor. She blinked a few times as she focused on the concerned faces of her friends. What had happened?

"Will, you ok?" Buffy asked. Willow struggled to get up. "Let me help." She put an arm around Willow and helped her back into the chair.

"You ok?" Zahn asked, leaning over trying to get a look at Willow's face. "What happened, Willow? Do you remember?"

Willow leaned on the table as she raised up her head to look at them. "I felt drained all of a sudden," she quietly answered. "Like every ounce of magick was sucked from my body at once."

Buffy put a hand on Willow's shoulder when Willow started to tip over in the chair. "Will, you sure you're fine?" she asked. She tossed a concerned glance to Giles.

"The spell was too much for her fledgling powers," Giles concluded. He put a hand on Willow's chin, lifting the girl's head up. He looked into her eyes. She appeared in good condition.

"That must be why we didn't establish an actual portal." Zahn nodded. He should've never let Willow try the spell.

"I want to try again," Willow weakly said. She swallowed. "I can make it work. Give me another chance."

"Absolutely not," Giles firmly responded.

"You might fry your brain with this level of magick, Willow," Zahn cut in. "It's far too risky."

"I'm taking Willow home." Buffy put an arm around Willow's waist and hoisted her friend to her feet.

"No," Willow protested. She was too tired to physically resist. "We... have to help Xander and Imoen."

"Wherever they are, they're not in any immediate danger," Buffy assured Willow. At least she hoped so. "You, though, need to get some rest."

"Come along," Giles said as he put an arm around Willow. "I'll take the both of you home."

"I'll stay here," Zahn said as the librarian and the two girls headed for the doors. "Do a little more research. Perhaps I missed something." He sighed heavily as the doors fell shut, leaving him alone in the library.

What a night, he thought. He leaned over and picked up the crystal from the floor. For a moment, he gazed at the crystal then sat down at the table. He placed the crystal on the table in front of him and went to work.

A half an hour later, Giles entered the library. He shuffled in, sighing heavily. This was the toughest, wildest night he'd seen in Sunnydale in a long time. The last was a night he preferred not to remember--the night Jenny Calendar was murdered. He pushed the thought from his mind when he looked at Zahn.

Zahn sat at the table, hunched over his book and fiercely scribbling down notes on a legal pad.

"Dammit," Zahn muttered. He tossed his pen onto the table as he sat up straight, rubbing his eyes with his fingers. He leaned back, looking over to Giles. "Hey," he greeted. "How is Willow, she all right?"

Giles nodded as he approached the table. Various books of magick were open on the table, along with pieces of wadded up legal paper.

"A good night's sleep will benefit her," he replied.

Zahn massaged his forehead as he let out another sigh. "I was cross referencing some spells in hopes of finding a way to help us," he said, motioning to the stuff on the table. "I've looked up a few other dimensional spells from various sources thinking we could water down this spell so it won't harm Willow."

Giles stopped flipping through one of the books that belonged to his own personal collection. "Watering down the spell probably won't help, Cyril," he replied.

Zahn tossed the legal pad down on the table. "Well, what the hell else can we do, Rupert?" he asked, angrily. "We have to get those kids back somehow without sacrificing the only person who can perform this spell."

"Willow isn't the only one who can," Giles patiently said.

"Rupert, I know Ethan almost as well as you," Zahn said as Giles sat down across from him. "Willow is right. He will not reverse this mess. He's probably hanging around watching you suffer."

Giles remained silent. Cyril was right about Ethan.

Zahn picked up the crystal and held it in his hands. He studied it, shaking his head still unable to believe this was all happening.

"It's something else, Rupert," he went on. "Almost twenty years of my life dedicated to Numenor, to proving in some way it existed." He placed the crystal on the table. "And I can't even be happy about it, thanks to Ethan."

"I don't see why you can't, Cyril," Giles quietly replied. He looked at his friend. "You're not the one who sent Xander and Imoen to another dimension."

Zahn chuckled lightly as he leaned back in the chair again. "Only Ethan could come up with an idea like that, sending someone to another dimension."

Saar and Serena came to Giles' mind. "Oh, I wouldn't be so certain," he said then picked up one of the books. The two of them set to work.

Concluded in Part 2...