In a flash of a bright, white, light, two figures appeared in the darkest corner, of the dimly lit hospital room. The two slowly opened their eyes. They looked around the strange room in confusion and shock. When the raven-haired man saw the fiery red headed woman he pulled her into a tight and loving embrace. She returned the embrace with every fiber of her being. After a few moments that they had taken for themselves, they once again began to take in their surroundings, to see what was going on. When their eyes fell on the woman lying in bed attached to tubes and machines, their eyes once again widened, but this time in shock and sadness. She was surrounded by two brunette girls who had fallen asleep in the chairs, on either side of the hospital bed. They were unsure as to who the two girls were, they assumed that they were her daughters, but they weren't sure. However, through all of this they were having a hard time getting their minds around the fact that such a strong woman was laying in the hospital bed, before them. The two of them stood at the foot of her bed just looking at her in sadness, and held each other for comfort and support. They could tell from the looks of her that her reasons for being in the hospital were not of the good kind. Neither, of the two, noticed the blond woman staring at them in shock, from the doorway of the room.
Buffy Summers stood in the threshold and stared at the two people in front of her in shock and sadness. She knew that if they stood before her, then her mother had done the most selfless thing in the world. Fore the two newcomers had been dead for the past 15-16 years. She found her voice after a few moments, though it wasn't very loud. "Aunt Lily?"
The two figures turned their heads toward her at the sound of her voice and the name she had spoken. The woman brought her hand up to her mouth and gasped as tears filled her eyes. " Oh my gods! - Eliza?" Buffy nodded, and let the tears form in her eyes, as she let out a light chuckle. "No one has called me that for a very long time." The woman, Lily, ran over to her and embraced her little goddaughter, whom was far from little anymore. Buffy returned the embrace whole-heartedly, despite the current circumstances. "Lily, don't hog her!" The raven-haired man chuckled with a tight throat. Buffy smiled and embraced her godfather just as warmly. "Hello, Uncle James!" She whispered as she buried her face into his shoulder. James held her a little tighter, almost as though he was afraid to let her go. It was an emotion, that she had rarely ever seen, or felt, in that, of James Harold Potter.
The three were brought back to reality, when they heard, Joyce Summers, begin to stir. They walked over to the hospital bed. James had placed a supporting and comforting hand, on the small, of both women's backs. "Mommy." Buffy whispered, so as not to wake up her two sisters. Dawn had been unable to sleep without the emotional support of her twin sister, nearby. And Hank Summers had been an ass-hole, in taking his sweet-ass time to send Faith, to see her mother, before her passing. The two were finally getting some well-deserved rest.
Joyce looked at her eldest daughter and smiled. She knew she would be leaving her three girls very shortly. She was overjoyed to see Lily and James standing by her baby girls' side. Everything was on the path to righting itself, it seemed. "Buffy, about your father…" But Buffy shook her head and interrupted her mother, with a gentle smile. "It's okay, Mom, I know. I know you put a spell on me to forget Dad and that Hank really isn't our father." Joyce looked at her daughter in confusion, when her middle daughter spoke up, albeit groggily. "We're immune to some spells, not all, but quite a few." Faith got the attention of everyone but a still sleeping Dawn. Joyce glanced at Dawn and them back at her two other girls, who shook their heads and shrugged in response, to her unvoiced question. Faith looked between Lily and James and then back to her mother and then to her older sister, for confirmation. Buffy was the once who voiced the question, however. "You traded yourself didn't you?" Joyce held her two daughters hands within her own. She felt both of them squeeze lightly as they awaited her response. "You girls know who I am. You've grown with me. You girls are strong you'll be fine. But, Harry, he needs his parents, now more than ever." Both girls understood, being sisters and slayers, the importance of family during the hard times. Harry didn't know much, if anything, of them, and without his parents, he basically had no one. "Dawn won't see it that way." The two said together. Joyce looked between them and spoke. "Then you two have to find a way to convince her." The two nodded and Joyce moved to wake her youngest daughter. It was time to say goodbye. Dawn opened her eyes and immediately started tearing up. She knew what that look on her mothers face meant. "I love you girls. Don't ever forget that. Keep each other safe and be there for one another, okay…?" The three girls nodded, afraid that if they spoke they would break down, and gave her a hug and a kiss each, as they saw her strength quickly fade as she fell into a sleep she would not be waking up from. Buffy smoothed her mother's hair back and let a tear fall down her face. "I love you, Mommy." Faith and Dawn embraced one another as the doctors rushed into the room to see if they could bring back Joyce Summers. James and Lily held Buffy as she tried her best to be strong for her sisters.
James and Lily closed their eyes as they felt Joyce's presence in their head. "Watch over my girls. All three are your goddaughters; Sirius and I would have had nothing less. Even though Harry doesn't know me, tell him that I love him and that I am truly sorry I could not have helped him. I was not of his blood; he would not have been safe with me. -- I have missed you both greatly and thank you for allowing me to do this for you. It has been an honor and a privilege to know you. I will see you all again one day, and don't think that I'm not going to be watching over you. Marauders honor!" they both smiled slightly at the humor in her voice. Neither said anything to Eliza, fore they both knew that she had made sure that no one else but them had heard her. It was their last goodbye until they were all together once again.
Lily and James were walking with Buffy toward the Summers home. Faith was on patrol, she had insisted that it would be a good chance for her to clear her head and take out her anger on some evil assholes out to piss her off. Spike, on the other hand, was attempting to explain what was going on, to Dawn, at the very moment. James and Lily had been with Buffy to help her with the papers and everything, to get her mothers body flown to England. "Dawn really isn't going to take kindly to you being around, when she finds out how and why you are here." James sighed and rubbed his temples. "We are sorry, Eliza." Buffy waved off the apology. "Don't even worry about it. If mom says that, Harry needs you now, more than ever then her decision was the correct one to make. We have had our mother. Now it's time for Harry, to have both of his parents." Lily blinked back tears and embraced her goddaughter. "Thank you, Eliza." Buffy smiled at them when she pulled out of the embrace and the three, once again, began walking. She looked ahead of her in a distant way that told them that she was thinking deeply. "Ever since I was called, I began to remember him. And I've wanted to find him, but I couldn't leave my mom and sisters unprotected on the hellmouth. Faith wasn't called till I was 17 and even then she was in L.A. with dad…Hank, and that would still leave mom and Dawn un-protected. Plus she was …10 when she was called. I wasn't about to leave her alone to patrol." Both James and Lily stopped walking. Being from the magical world, they were well aware of what a hellmouth was. "Hellmouth?" James asked, more out of not wanting to believe that all three of his goddaughters were in such close vicinity to one. Buffy nodded as she kept walking. "Yup. Sunnydale is home to the most dangerous, active, and largest hellmouth." The two adults just gaped at the young woman, with large eyes from shock and awe. However, if someone who knew James really well looked at him, they would see anger in his eyes. Not only was he worried for the safety of his girls, he couldn't understand why Dumbledore had stood for the Black girls to live on the hellmouth, slayers and witched or not.
Dawn sat next to Spike, on the couch, with tears in her eyes. Spike spoke gently, while running his hand through her hair. "Your Mum is were you Summers women get your need to protect the world, Bit." She looked at him with her big blue eyes, which nearly broke him. "Then something good will come from her death?" Spike pulled her to him, and held her tight. "Yeah, Bit. But that doesn't mean that you don't grieve for you loss. No one will think less of you for it." Dawn nodded and broke down in his arms. He just held her tight and rocked her back and forth, while whispering soothing words into her ear. She soon cried herself to sleep, in his arms.
Dawn tossed and turned about as the images passed by her eyes. Every image was of the same man that she felt a deep connection with. He had dark hair and dark blue eyes. His eyes showed the soul of a tortured man, with many pains and sorrows. His expression was one that spoke volumes to her. Though he often appeared happy, he still felt alone in the world. But more than that, he was incapable of being at peace with himself.
The longer her dream went on, the more she felt for him and from him, her connection to him strengthened greatly, as well. After awhile realization dawned on her. This man was her father. The connection they shared was very real and very strong. No matter how new the realization, of the connection was, it was still very much real. Real. Like her. This man had created her. She was real, just slightly modified to harbor the power that was of the Key.
She awoke with tears streaming down her face. She knew for a fact and without a doubt, that her father needed help. The only problem was she had no idea how to get to him, never mind help him. "Daddy." She whispered in the dark, as she put a face with the man who bore the true title for her and her sisters.
Then she heard the front door close, down stairs and realized that Spike had placed her in her room, after she had, obviously, fallen asleep. She got out of her bed, turned on her bedside lamp and began packing. She knew that Buffy was going to bury their mother in England, and that James and Lily needed to get home to their son. But she needed to find herself and who she was. And finding and helping her dad was the way she planned to go about it. Glory and her minions could go to hell for all she cared. She had a feeling that in England no matter how hard they came at her, there was going to be something or someone that was always going to be their to stop them, and she wasn't entirely sure that that person or power wasn't herself.
Buffy lead her Aunt and Uncle into the kitchen, were they found Spike making hot chocolate and Faith making some sandwiches. "Hey, guys. How is she?" Buffy asked as she stole a marshmallow from Spikes' hot chocolate and then gave him a quick kiss. He wrapped his arm around her waist and ran his hand up and down her spine soothingly. "As well as can be expected, Love." He answered her and placed a kiss on the crown of her head. "I think she needs some more absorbing time." Faith said as she ate a piece of ham and then pinched Spikes' butt. He rolled his eyes and handed her a hand full of marshmallows. "Thanks, Billy." Spike glared at Faith and Buffy shook her head in amusement. She loved that her sisters and her boyfriend got along so well, especially since if everything continues on as it was now, she was defiantly planning on spending the rest of her life with this man. But weird feelings coming from somewhere inside the house, made her glance up at the ceiling. Something was definitely off. She knew Faith could feel it as well, but the unspoken agreement was that at home Buffy was the more experienced slayer, and made the decisions. That was one thing that Faith had never argued with her about, the safety of their mother and those that resided in their home, unless of course it was one Hank Summers. But as if reading her mind, Spike stopped her from moving, by placing his hand on her ass. "Her two sisters are slayers. Their blood heritage runs through her veins, Love. And with every, bloody, passing second, she gets stronger." Spike told her casually, yet seriously. Which caused both Buffy and Faiths' eyebrow to practically reach their hairline. "Are you telling me that that energy source is our sister?" "One in the same, Pet." He said casually as he served James and Lily some hot chocolate. The two sisters shared a look and then looked at the ceiling in awe. "Damn." They said together, causing Spike to chuckle.
Lily left James, Spike, Eliza and Faith in the Kitchen. James had been surprised when he saw how much Faith resembled Sirius. She had his dark wavy hair, and her face was shaped similarly. But she had Joyce's eyes as well as a few facial features that indicated that she took after both parents equally. It was clear that Eliza had taken after Joyce physically. She made her way up the stairs, and followed the pulsing music that was originating from Dawns' room. Dawn had yet to leave her room while she and James were close by, not that she had expected her to. The closer she got to the door that lead to the youngest Black, sisters' room the more nervous she became. She knew she could fight an evil bastard like Voldemort, but when, it came to talking to a 14-year-old girl, it was scaring the shit out of her. She wanted to get along with Sirius' little girl, but she didn't want her to feel like she was trying to replace her mother.
Lily let out a shaky breath and gathered her courage to knock on the door. A few moments after doing so she heard and felt the sounds of Evanescence, at least that was who Faith had said it was, lower. She, then, heard the footsteps moving toward the door and the doorknob turning. Lily had only felt her heart race this widely once before in her life, and truth be told it was not the night she had faced Voldemort. She watched as the door open and she came face to face with Dawn Angelica Black. She had Sirius' dark hair, which was naturally wavy. She had his ocean blue eyes. And the Black attitude built in, facial expressions and all. She even had the Black body structure. She was her fathers' daughter…with blond highlights from Joyce. She hadn't looked this much like her father in the dark of the hospital room, and it was rather shocking to see.
Dawn raised her eyebrow when she saw who was at the door. "Hi." Lily whispered. Dawn rolled her eyes and walked back into her room, toward her bed and fell down on it. But Lily let out a shaky breath. Dawn had left her door open, and to Lily, it was a start. Lily, however, stood in the doorway, not wanting to invade her goddaughters' privacy, fidgeting with her fingers and the hem of her shirt. Dawn on the other hand was lounging on her bed reading a book. "What are you reading?" Lily tried making conversation. Dawn held up the book so she could see the title. "Myths and Factorial truths of Vampires and Werewolves", it was a book Dawn had stolen/borrowed from The Magic Box, when Giles hadn't been looking. Lily nodded in surprise and because she could do nothing else. "Any good?" She tried one more time, but Dawn just shrugged.
Catch me as I fall
Say you're here and it's all over now
Speaking into the atmosphere
No one's here and I fall into myself
This truth drives me into madness
I know I can stop the pain if I will it all away
Lily let out a sigh, about ready to give up for the day. And it was silent for an extended amount of time, and Lily was about to walk off when Dawn spoke. "It's all lies." Lily's head shot up and looked at Dawn who was still look at the book. "Excuse me?" Dawns' eyes moved to look at Lily over the top of the book. She held it up and spoke, indicating that it was the subject of what she was saying. "It's all lies. The author sucks at research, obviously he knows nothing of Vampires or Werewolves, and has never met one." Lily raised an eyebrow in confusion. She wasn't exactly sure how to take some Dawns' statement. "Never mind." Dawn mumbled and went back to her book.
Don't turn away
Don't give into the pain
Don't try to hide
Tough they're screaming you're name
Don't close your eyes
God knows what lies behind them
Don't turn out the light
Never sleep never die
Lily closed her eyes. She had been so close, but she knew she had one more option to get the young girl to talk to her. "I knew your Mum and Dad growing up." she could tell by Dawns' posture that she was no longer reading the book. After a moment she doggy eared the page and set the book on her nightstand. "Your not unwelcome in my room. You can sit down in here if you wish." Dawn said quietly, while looking at her hands. Lily smiled and sat down on the edge of her goddaughters' bed and let the silence once again fill the room.
I'm frightened by what I see
But somehow I know that there's much more to come
Immobilized by my fear
And soon to be blinded by tears
I can stop the pain if I will it all away
Dawn sat in silence with the red headed woman that her mother had given her life for. She really wanted to hate this woman and her husband. But for reasons she couldn't fathom, she just couldn't bring herself to hate them. She finally broke the silence with a question. "Are we related somehow? I feel some kind of connection with you and your husband. But it's not as strong as it was with Mom." Lily nodded in understanding and relief that Dawn was talking to her. "That makes sense. James and I are the godparents, to you and both of your sisters. Your birthfather…you know that…"She asked Dawn, unsure if she should continue. Dawn nodded. "Yeah, I know that Hank isn't my birthfather." Lily nodded and continued. "Okay. Well, as I was saying, your birthfather and James were like brothers growing up. Your fathers' family didn't like him that much, so he made his own family in James and your mother, followed by your sisters and you. And your mother is…was my best friend when we were in school together."
Don't turn away
Don't give into the pain
Don't try to hide
Though they're screaming your name
Don't close your eyes
God knows what lies behind them
Don't turn out the light
Never sleep never die
She kept quiet for a moment and let her godmother compose herself. And then she asked the mother of all questions. "My father didn't really kill those 13 people he's imprisoned for, did he?" Lily looked at Dawn oddly for a few moments, but then she shook her head. "No. But the Authorities don't know that, before James and I died…gods that's weird to say…we had Sirius Black, your father, and Peter Petegrew switch tasks. It was not Sirius who betrayed us to Voldemort and killed those 13 people it was Peter. But due to our deaths we could never speak on behalf of Sirius."
Fallen angels at my feet
Whispered voices at my ear
Death before my eyes
Lying next to me I fear
She beckons me shall I give in
Upon my end shall I begin
Forsaking all I've fallen for I rise to the end
Dawn watched Lily as she spoke. She looked sad at the mention of Sirius Black, and she looked pissed when she mentioned Peter Petegrew. After a moment she nodded, which she knew Lily had interpreted it as an understood of what she had just heard. But there were only two thought running through Dawns' mind at the moment. 'You did the right thing, Mom.' And 'Nobody fucks with my family.' Dawn finally spoke. "Don't worry, Peter will pay, Aunt Lily. No one, and I mean NO ONE, fucks with my family and escapes the wrath of my sisters." Lily's head shot up and she looked at Dawn with wide eyes. She really shouldn't have been surprised at her use of fowl language, she was after all the perfect clone, of Sirius Black, but she just couldn't help herself. Dawn smiled at her apologetically. "I'm sorry I made you speak of such a hard time for you. But I had to make sure that my Mom had made a good decision." Lily looked at her goddaughter with narrowed eyes and a smile. "Well aren't you a sneaky little thing. However, I'm glad. I really didn't want you to feel or think that I was trying to replace your mom in anyway. I just want to be your friend. " Dawn Smirked. "Thank you. But don't let Faith hear you say that. She is my twin; we're going to be 15 in a couple of months. And she'll kick your ass from here to L.A., she doesn't like being called little, just because she was younger than Buffy." Lily chuckled at that since she knew the feeling. "And I know you're not trying to take my moms place, and I think that we can start at friends." she said slowly as though choosing her words carefully, which caused Lily to smile that was a Joyce thing to do, Sirius never thought about what came out of his mouth, he just spoke, which was probably half of the reason he and the other marauders got into so much trouble. Then out of nowhere both of their stomachs growled. They both laughed and looked at their stomachs. "I think they are trying to tell us something." Lily nodded at Dawns' statement and helped the young girl off of her bed and they made their way down stairs and to the kitchen.
Once they got to the kitchen, James turned around to greet her and jumped nearly a mile out of his seat, causing Dawn to raise an eyebrow in confusion. She felt Lily put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at her godmother in a way that Lily loved, she was silently asking for the answer to this new problem. And for Lily that meant she was making progress with the youngest Black sister. "Eliza looks like your mother. Faith looks like your mother and your father. But you, you could be your fathers twin when he was 14. The only difference being that you're a girl, and the blond highlights you got from your mother." Dawn smiled widely as she listened to Lily. "Cool!" Then she turned to Spike. "Did you hear that, Spike? I look like someone! I'm real!" She ran into Spikes' arms and hugged him tight. He held her tight and smiled at her words and the happiness in her voice. "Awe, Bit. Don't even think like that. There was never a bloody doubt in my mind that you were and are real. You hear me?" Dawn nodded into his shoulder. Buffy and Faith had watery smiles on their faces, as they looked at Dawn and Spike. Lily and James, on the other hand, just looked at the four of them oddly. Dawn eventually pulled back and smiled up at him. "Do you think your real Bit could have a Big Bad Special?" Spike narrowed his eyes at her, but smirked at the same time. "Yeah, you can have a Big Bad Special. You little sneak." Dawn jumped up and down with a smile on her face. "Hey! I resent that!" "But that's why you love me." Faith and Dawn said at the same time. Spike flashed his amber eyes at her, but it only made her laugh and smile even more. And Buffy hit Faith over the top of her head to get her to shut up, thus causing the 14 year old slayer to glare at her older sister.
Spike was at the stove making the food while the five of them sat at the island talking. He could see that his girls were doing their best to be good at the whole hostess thing. And he also knew that James and Lily knew that his girls were trying to keep on their 'forever' happy smiles. "So what is the age difference between you three?" James asked out of curiosity. "There are six years between Buffy and Faith and I." Dawn smiled lightly. "And there is only two minutes difference between Dawn and I." Faith spoke after her sister. Dawn rolled her eyes and spoke. "Which in Faith language means, she's older than me and she is never going to let me forget it." At this Spike could tell Buffy was going to interrupt the on coming 'twin' argument. "Mom was pregnant with them when Voldemort attacked you guys. I think Dad knew about Faith, because it was Dawn who made the surprise appearance after Dad was no longer around," Dawn sighed and slammed her glass onto the surface of the island, startling everyone. "Great someone else who doesn't know I exist."
Lily and James gave the three girls a confused look. But the fact that Buffy rolled her eyes didn't go unnoticed by them. "Sorry. The inferiority complex, that comes with them being the slayers and all." Dawn said half sarcastically half seriously, which Faith nodded in agreement to. Buffy looked between the two increduously. "I'm sorry but neither of you are exactly the damsel in distress kind! What, with you being the Key, and you being a slayer, as well! I swear both of you have become more popular than me in the 'Evil wants to take me out' department. Dawn, your power is older than magic itself, and you have a damn hell god after you! The worst I got was Angelus, the Master, and the First! And Faith you are dating Angels' son, who believes that Angel is the root of all that is evil. So not only do you have to keep Angel still among the living undead, you still have to fight off every enemy Angel and Connor have ever made. Which in my opinion does not make for a fun date." Buffy ended her rant in a bored tone. Now it was Faiths turn to rant. "But I'm the Second vampire slayer. To everyone else I'll never be the slayer. As far as they are concerned I will never be as good as you! I mean look at you! You died! And yet you're here, alive and kicking, saving the world, killing the bad guys, and gaining a kick ass rep while you're at it! How do I compete with that?" Faith looked at her sister incredulously. "Who says I want the rep? I just want to be normal!" Buffy argued. Dawn rolled her eyes. "You're a slayer and a witch, Buffy. Your not the muggle definition of normal, you never will be! But guess what! - You're not in that boat alone. Faith is a slayer and a witch, and me I'm probably like some super witch or something. None of us are normal, Buffy!"
By now all three girls were standing and glaring at one another. Both James and Lily were shocked at how dangerous the girls' lives really were, yet, found they couldn't help but find their interaction amusing. It reminded them of their younger years at Hogwarts. "Enough!" A booming voice startles all of them. They all turned to Spike. "Bloody hell! Wake the dead why don't you. Then you can go test each other's goddamn theories! But I'm thinking that that is enough sibling rivalry for one night! Now eat!" Spike set down the pancakes in front of the girls. He had been making them while trying to ignore the arguing. The three sisters grumbled but sat down and began eating none the less. James found it amusing that all three of them listened to Spike the way they did. Spike came over and sat down next to James. "Enjoy the peace and quiet while you can. It's a rare commodity with these three." Spike said sarcastically to James and Lily, which caused the two to chuckle. Buffy glared at him. "You're sleeping in the basement tonight." Lily gasped. "Eliza!" Spike just shrugged before Buffy could say anything. "At least she didn't say the couch. That's when you know she's truly pissed at me." James and Lily looked at him in confusion. Spike glanced at Buffy who nodded. "The couch is right in front of the windows. Which in my case means one hell of a dusty end." he then vamped out for a moment and then turned back to his human face. Spike smirked at their shocked looks and Buffys' pout. "Dusty Spike makes for a sad Buffy." Spike looked at his girlfriend with a cocky look on his face. "I'll see you tonight princess." Buffy rolled her eyes, but was smiling none the less.
"So when do we leave?" Dawn asked trying to get off of the subject of her sisters and hopefully her future brother in laws' sex life. "Tomorrow, bright and early at 6:00 a.m., you two packed?" Dawn nodded as did Faith and then they both gave her a look. Once again Buffy began pouting. "Not even close." Dawn, Faith, and Spike chuckled and they all began eating again.