Summary: It has been two years since Dawn returned from Middle Earth. Now Gandalf has come and bids her to return so that the ring in her possession is destroyed before Sauron can get his hands on it.

A/U: Set after Chosen

Pairing: Dawn/Legolas

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns Buffy. The Tolkien Estate and Middle Earth Enterprises each own a portion of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. From what I can tell the question who owns what though is not as clear cut.

Chapter 1: Return to Middle Earth

It was the eve of the greatest battle Buffy would ever fight. Or so she believed. That was all about to change when a knock came at the door. She went to answer it and found a gentleman, looking every bit the stereotypical wizard.

"I am looking for Ariel," the man said, "daughter of Elrond, daughter of Buffy."

Buffy's eyes went wide no one outside her friends, herself and Giles knew of Dawn's trip two years earlier to Middle Earth. Which meant this man was from there. "You're from …?"

"Middle Earth, yes," the man said. "I am Gandalf the Grey."

"Dawn!" Buffy yelled before returning her attention to Gandalf and motioned for him to enter.

Gandalf smiled and walked into her home. "A sensible precaution if I say, my dear."

"Gandalf!" Dawn shouted as she came down the stairs and hugged the man. "What are you doing here?"

"Can we sit?" Gandalf said as Dawn nodded. She led him and Buffy into the living room as the Potentials gathered around them. "The ring do you still have it?"

"Yes," Dawn said. She reached up on the mantle of the fireplace and pulled down a small box. She opened it and handed the ring to Gandalf. "It is one of the few things I kept from my journey. I still have my elvish sword and the mithril shirt that Thorin gave me. The gold has long since been melted down to remove any traces of Middle Earth and been converted into our world's currency."

Gandalf nodded as he looked over the ring.

"How is Legolas?" Dawn asked as Gandalf studied the ring.

"He is getting along quite well. He asks of you each time I should see him. Of course I always have the same answer as I have not seen you till this day," Gandalf said. "Now have you used the ring since coming here?"

"Yes," Dawn said. "And it doesn't work here."

"Interesting," Gandalf said. "It must be suffused with the magic of our world. And yours is likely incompatible with it."

"Then why does the Key work in your world?" Buffy asked remembering the story Dawn had told her after her return.

"Because the Key is not unique to any one world. But to the universe as a whole," Gandalf said. "Now, Dawn, forgive me for what I do now. But I have to be certain." He threw the ring into the fire.

"What the heck, Gandalf," Dawn said as she grabbed a fireplace poker and fished out the ring.

Gandalf looked at the inside of the ring and nodded. "I had to be sure, Dawn. That ring is dangerous and far more powerful than I ever dared to think, so powerful that in the end it would utterly overcome anyone who possessed it. It would possess him or her. And the only reason it has not done so is because in your world its power is diminished. In Eregion …"

"Eregion?" one of the potentials, who had gathered around along with the Scoobies, asked.

"Do they know?" Gandalf asked.

"My friends know," Dawn said. "The Potentials, no." And she proceeded to dispel her glamor spell. Not long after she came home, Willow and Tara had taught her a spell so that she could hide her ears and change her blonde hair back to brunette.

Several potentials gasped and Dawn quickly gave the cliff notes version of her story before returning her attention to Gandalf. "And to answer Amanda's question?"

"Eregion was a kingdom in Middle Earth," Gandalf said. "Now long ago many Elven-rings were made, magic rings as you call them, and they were, of course, of various kinds: some more potent and some less. The lesser rings were only essays in the craft before it was full-grown, and to the Elven-smiths they were but trifles – yet still to my mind dangerous for mortals. But the Great Rings, the Rings of Power, they were perilous."

"A mortal, who keeps one of the Great Rings, does not die, but he does not grow old or obtain more life, he merely continues, until at last every minute is a weariness. And if he often uses the Ring to make himself invisible, he fades: he becomes in the end invisible permanently, and walks in the twilight under the eye of the Dark Power that rules the Rings. Yes, sooner or later – later, if he is strong or well-meaning to begin with, but neither strength nor good purpose will last – sooner or later the Dark Power will devour him."

"How terrifying!" said Willow.

"How long have you known this?" asked Dawn. "And why did you not tell me this before I left Middle Earth."

"I was not sure when you left, Ariel," Gandalf said. "In fact I was not sure till I threw it into the fire. But I began to guess just before the Battle of the Five Armies, that you had found one of the rings. A shadow fell on my heart then, though I did not know yet what I feared. I wondered often how Gollum came by a Great Ring, as plainly it was – that at least was clear from the first. For a while you did not reveal the ring and I wondered why. Then you told me of how you found it in the Gollum's cavern. That was when I began to guess at what you had found. I then proceeded to do some research after you left Middle Earth with the help of your father. And that is what has brought me here after so long of a time."

"Long of a time?" Dawn asked. "It's only been two years."

"Here yes." Gandalf said. "On Middle Earth it has been sixty years."

"You still haven't answered," said Xander. "A couple questions. Why did you come and why did you throw the ring into the fire?"

"I have to some point answered the first question," Gandalf said. "I will answer the rest of it in a few moments."

"I would be patient," Dawn said. "Gandalf reveals things in his own time."

"And about the second question," Gandalf said and he motioned for Dawn to hand the ring to Xander. "Do you see any markings, Mr…"

"Harris," Xander said as he looked at the ring. "But you can call me, Xander. And no I can see no markings anywhere on the ring."

"When I threw it into the fire," Gandalf said. "There was writing on the inside of the ring. You would not be able to read it. But I could. The letters were Elvish, of an ancient mode, but the language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here. But this in the Common Tongue is what is said, close enough. One Ring to rule them all. One Ring to find them. One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. It is only two lines of a verse long known in Elven-lore. Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky. Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone. Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die. One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne. In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. One Ring to rule them all. One Ring to find them. One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie." He paused, and then said slowly in a deep voice. "This is the Master-ring, the One Ring to rule them all. This is the One Ring that he lost many ages ago, to the great weakening of his power. He greatly desires it – but he must not get it."

"The Necromancer," Dawn said remembering what Gandalf had said of him during her trip to Middle Earth.

"Yes," Gandalf said. "His true name is Sauron, he is simply referred as the Enemy now. Now to answer the rest of the first question. He has arisen again and left his hold in Mirkwood and returned to his ancient fortress in the Dark Tower of Mordor. He is fast becoming very strong. His plans are far from ripe, I think, but they are ripening. We shall be hard put to it. We should be very hard put to it, even if it were not for this dreadful chance. He still lacks one thing to give him strength and knowledge to beat down all resistance, break the last defenses, and cover all the lands in a second darkness. He lacks the One Ring."

"Wouldn't it be best then to leave it here," Dawn said. "Out of his grasp?"

"It is not out of his grasp," Gandalf said and he looked directly at Buffy.

"A Hellmouth," Buffy said realizing what Gandalf was getting at. "He's sitting on a Hellmouth."

"Yes," Gandalf said. "He can send armies through his Hellmouth to this world. In fact I believe he is already doing so."

Dawn frowned and looked to Buffy. "We know of the First's Ubervamps. But what if the First and Sauron are conspiring together. To leave two worlds in darkness."

"It's possible," Buffy said.

"Now that said there are three rings, fairest of all, the Elf-lords hid from him, and his hand never touched them or sullied them," Gandalf said.

"My father has one doesn't he?" Dawn said.

"Yes," Gandalf said. "There were seven the Dwarf-kings possessed, but three he has recovered, and the others the dragons have consumed. It would not surprise me if Smaug consumed the one destined for Thorin. And Nine he gave to Mortal Men, proud and great, and so ensnared them. Long ago they fell under the dominion of the One, and they became Ringwraiths, shadows under his great Shadow, his most terrible servants. Anyways the Nine he has gathered to himself; the Seven also, or else they are destroyed. The Three are hidden still. But that no longer troubles him. He only needs the One; for he made that Ring himself, it is his, and he let a great part of his own former power pass into it, so that he could rule all the others. If he recovers it, then he will command them all again, wherever they be, even the Three, and all that has been wrought with them will be laid bare, and he will be stronger than ever."

"We should proceed with your plan to close the Hellmouth, Buffy," Dawn said.

"It will be a delaying tactic of course since this Sauron could send his army through the Cleveland Hellmouth," Giles said.

"But it would give us a chance to return to Middle Earth and to destroy the ring," Dawn said.

"Who shall go with you?" Giles asked.

"The fewer the better," Gandalf said. "For most of you will not know our world or the dangers you will face. Only those Ariel trusts should go."

"Buffy," Dawn said, "Willow and Xander. Giles I would like it if you could. But if Willow's spell works tomorrow then you will be needed here to restart the Watcher's Council. And Faith even though we had our differences, I'm not leaving you here because of them. With Buffy gone you will be head Slayer. You will have to watch out for them."

Faith looked to Buffy who smiled. "She's right," Buffy said. "There is no one else I would rather have watch out for our new sister Slayers than you."

Faith nodded. "Everything will be five by five," she said.

The next day went by and somehow they fought back both the First's army of Ubervamps as well as Sauron's army of Orcs and closed the Hellmouth. Now they stood at the edge of the crater that once was Sunnydale. Buffy, Dawn, Willow and Xander were saying their goodbyes to their friends and the newly called Slayers.

Then Dawn performed the ritual she had learned before leaving Middle Earth and opened the portal. She followed by Buffy, Willow, Xander and finally Gandalf walked through the portal.

Author's Note: The battle along with other elements of this chapter will be seen in Middle Earth: Interlude