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Note: The final chapter! and reviews are loved!

The Finale

"She's still not answering her cellphone. Are you sure that she made no mention of where she was going!" Poor Wes was nearly in hysterics, glaring angrily at his cell phone, as if somehow it were the culprit keeping him from getting in touch with the teenager. He couldn't understand why, but for some reason, Dawn's being in town, away from them, was causing him flashbacks of his failure with Faith.

"For the last time, Wes. NO. She did NOT tell me where she was going! I gave her the cellphone, and told her to be careful, and have fun. Oh, and, erm .. I also .. sorta .. toldhershehasnocurfew." (told her she has no curfew) When Wes suddenly levels a livid look at him, Angel ducks back, behind the newspaper he had been pretending to read since shortly after Dawn left. Well, that's not entirely true. He had actually attempted to read the damn thing, but after repeating the same sentence 13 times, he had given up on anything but the pretense.

"What bloody well happened to ELEVEN O'CLOCK! Are you mad! You've no idea what sort of monsters roam this city's streets! Erm .. ok .. so maybe you do, but, young Dawn does not! At this very moment, she might be suffering a mauling at the claws of some horrible monster!"

"... or, she could be at Caritas." Both men turn to regard Cordelia, who is blissfully unaware of what she has said. However, after a mental replay of her words, realization sinks in, and she blanches slightly. She stands quickly, grabbing her purse in hand and heading for the door. "You know, technically, I'm not working at the moment, so I think I'll just - -" She had her hand on the door, and thought she was home free, until ...

"Walk out that door, and I will dock your pay for the full week, Cordelia." Angel speaks the words softly, calmly, and yet, it does more damage than his rampaging would have. She jumps back from the door and turns to face him in disbelief.

"Fine, fine, I'm staying already."

"Cordy .. why would Dawn to to Caritas? I mean, how does she even know about Caritas?" Again, Angel seemed surprisingly .. calm.

"I .. might have told her about that time you sang Barry Manilow to help a case while she and I were out to lunch that one day ..." All brooding aside, Angel looked both mortified and angry .. and confused. And yet, the mortification and anger are more about Dawn knowing about Manilow than anything else.

"Well, I think a trip to Caritas is in order!" Wes suddenly, and loudly, exclaims in a near squeal. Wordlessly, Angel crosses to grab his trench, shrugging it on before he lightly grabs Cordelia by the arm.

"We'll pick up your boy on the way. He'll come in handy if we have to go look for her."

The bitter, smokey scent of sandalwood twists and turns to twine with the soothing scents of Jasmine and honeysuckle. The sickeningly sweet incense smoke clings to the wiry frame of the seated form.

"To the Power that does not waiver,

I seek now thy ancient favor!

I summon thee now, to me,

I request of you, hear my plea!"

The smoke thickens, the alley in which the teenager sits cross legged begins to shimmer and fade, replaced by a Grecian pillared courtyard, a man and woman standing before her.

"How dare you summon us! We do NOT converse with LESSER beings! How have you summoned us without being present at the gate!"

"Is it the day for before-hour visits, or what! Hey, I don't remember ordering extra crispy!" Lorne whinges as he throws the door open, and a smoke billowing blanket comes running into the room. Gunn, Cordelia, and Wes come spilling in behind Angel as he rips the blanket off and looks frantically around the room.

"Where the hell is she, Lorne?" Angel demands with a hint of a growl in his words that he is sorely trying to suppress.

"Calm down, Angelcakes. Dawn was here, but she left about an hour and a half ago. I tell you, if I ever decide to go live performance, that girl will always have a job here!"

"She sang for you!" The worry is evident in Wes' words as he moves to sit on a stool.

"Sang! She nearly brought me to tears, kiddo! Lot of pain and secrecy hidden away in that poor creature. Which, BY THE WAY, why did no one tell me she is the Key!"

"NOT of the important right now, Lorne! What did you read and where did she go?"

"When she sang the first time, I read a Prophesy in her soul. The second time she sang, I read her .. intentions .. toward you, Angel. So, I sent her to people who could help her with both."

"... yeah, yeah, you're the all powerful Oracles, mortals tremble. I'm here on behalf of your Poster Boy, Angel. My name is Dawn Summers - -"

"Th-the KEY!" Both Oracles exclaim in awed unison. Now, the Oracles are known for being snotty, snobby, holier-than-thou-art types, at least that is what Lorne told her, so she is more than a little surprised when the male drops to one knee in reverence and supplication, and his sister bows her head.

"Forgive my sister, oh Ancient One. She merely gave the proper response that is used to weed out those not truly brave enough, or worthy, to seek out our help. How might we be of service, My Lady?"

"Ok, it's like this ..."

Once Lorne coaxed everyone to sit, namely a pacing, irate vampire, he begins to explain.

"So, the poor creature showed up, banging a hole in my door, begging me for help. Imagine -my- surprise, since I didn't even realize she was in -town-! She started trying to offer me -things- .. Angel, calm down, back off, I meant -jewelry- things! Anyway, I finally agreed to do a reading, and she begged me not to tell you, because she was worried about everything you've been through lately, Angelcakes. She sang for me .. I tell you, the girl was like a -professional-!"

"Dude, get to the point!" Gunn snaps angrily, always quick to temper.

"Erm, right. I was really surprised by the reading .. there were these strange pictographic symbols, and something about a Champion, and a Warrior .."

"The prophecy from the scroll you sent us after! But, how does that pertain to Dawnie?" Wes sighs softly, pinching the bridge of his nose, sighing when he realizes that the damned headache is beginning once more. Angel growls and jumps up from his seat.

"Damn it, that's just it! How could we have missed it, Wes! Don't you see, that's why she left the room so quickly after she looked at the scroll!"

"Ok, Cryptic much ..! Fill us in, Angel!" Cordelia snaps, feeling annoyed by this point.

"Dawn's not -young-, you guys. You just think of her that way. She's really an ancient, powerful entity .. the Key. She's the 'once ancient power born of the Slayer.' You guys, Dawn is the 'warrior' sent to aid the Champion." By the time he's through talking, Angel has plopped gracelessly back into his chair.

"Right .. but, it's a bit more complicated than that, Angelcakes. The warrior must make a .. a sacrifice .. in the name of love, for the Champion. I didn't tell Dawn that part. As far as she was concerned, she was here for one reason, and one reason only: To try and find a way to anchor your soul."

"... the Key is ancient, all powerful, and .. all of that. So, here's the deal .. I'm willing to give all of that power up to you, if you will anchor Angel's soul to him, -permanently-." Dawn states calmly. For the first time in her life, imaginary or otherwise, she isn't afraid, or worried. For the first time, she is -sure-, confident.

"You would .. willingly .. give you life .. for a vampire's happiness?" The female Oracles asks softly, a not of disbelief in her voice. Her brother, without looking up at Dawn, smirks faintly, his words just as soft.

"No, Sister. She would willingly give her life for love .. the Warrior would sacrifice her life for her Champion." Both sets of eyes peer up, darkening to a deep amber in shade as they regard Dawn quietly for a moment. The male stands suddenly, putting the Oracles side by side once more, their hands reaching out in front of them, toward Dawn.

"SO BE IT!" They exclaim as one. Dawn feels almost as if fingers are suddenly probing her form, coming to rest in the centre of her. And then she feels it .. a slow burn deep beneath her skin, kind of like one of those phantom itches that burns deeper and harder when you try to scratch it. Except this hurt. A -lot-. She feels like her blood is boiling and her insides are being peeled apart like a banana ..one strip of flesh at a time! But, she doesn't scream. Tears stream down her cheeks, and her jaw sets, clenched against the pain .. but, the thought of Angel -finally- being able to find happiness keeps her from screaming.

Angel hits his knees with a blood curdling scream .. that causes Wes to scream like a frightened school girl in surprise .. causes Lorne to duck for cover behind the bar .. and Cordelia to fall out of her chair, flat on her arse.

"Bloody hell! What's wrong, Angel!" Wes is the first to recover enough to question his friend's condition, all the while silently -swearing- to himself it was -CORDELIA- that had screamed like that .. yes, had to be. Geek aside, he was far too -manly- to make such a noise!

"D-Dawn .. her .. her blood in me .. The Key, it's .. it's .. dying!" Tears stream in thick torrents down Angel's cheeks as he gasps the words as if a man that could not, for the life of him, catch his breath .. though, obviously, he didn't -need- to catch his breath. He feels a deep burning in his chest, and knows that a part of him was dying right along with the Key .. which meant that Dawn was dying. Another shrill, pain filled feminine scream rips through the night club .. only this time, it really -is- Cordelia. Her rigid form is held protectively in Gunn's arms as she convulses.

"Oh, God. Sh-she .. she's close. We have to hurry!" Cordy struggles to stand, feeling Gunn anchoring her as she moves, the others following close behind.

Breath catches, ragged and weak, within slowly stilling lungs. Tendrils of chestnut hair sprawls across pale, soft features in a display of macabre beauty. Green flecked blue eyes stare, glassy, into nothingness .. unseeing, the light fading with every quivered breath. And then, he is there, almost as if appearing out of thin air. Angel falls to his knees next to Dawn's prone form, scooping her into his strong, protective arms, infinitely gentle with the young woman.

"D-Dawn .. no .. no, please .. D-Dawnie!" Angel howls the words in brokenhearted desperation and despair, as if by voicing them, it will somehow bring her back to him. So close to death is the young woman, that no pain registers when Angel loses control of his strength in the midst of his emotional pain.

"A-Angel .. I .. I love you .." Dawn manages to whisper the pained words just loud enough for his supernatural hearing to pick it up. Angel sobs softly, but fiercely at those words, his form shaking uncontrollably for a moment as the pain continues to blossom through out him, as he -feels- Dawn fading away in his arms. Some Champion he had proven to be .. he couldn't even save her. Then, he finally does what he had been dreaming of doing since Thanksgiving, never making the connection that Dawn had not been in existence then .. he presses his lips against her tear-stained petals, murmuring with all of his heart and pent up emotion.

"I love you too, Dawn." Words that made little sense, and yet .. from the moment he had seen her when she arrived in LA, had been the truest words he ever longed to express. He sobs harder, louder when he feels her last breath caress his salt-crusted lips .. heard the final erratic beat of her heart before it suddenly falters .. and stops. And in that moment, he feels something that is so uttelry -impossible-, and yet, he is too deep in shock to realize: He feels warmth flushing his form .. and even as Dawn's heart gives it's final thump, he feels his own give a singular, solitary beat before falling silent once more.

"The Key has given her life for the one she loves, as it was prophecised so long ago. The 'warrior' has claimed her Champion. Do you accept?" Angel blinks through his tears when he realizes that the Oracles are suddenly just .. there. He had just lost Dawn, but she, through her sacrifice of love .. through her -death- .. had done what nothing else had been able to thus far: cemented his right as a Champion. She had given him something he had -never- had before: The choice to become a Champion.

"Yes .. I accept." He manages to cease his tears, speaking as calmly as possible given the fact he is still cradling Dawn's lifeless body in his arms. The Oracles smile softly, and speak as if one.

"The Key has chosen well. Her sacrifice has been accepted, and the Key is no more. Witness the birth of the Warrior." At first, Angel doesn't even hear their words, so deep is his despair. But, when there is a sudden, sharp intake of breath from the one he holds, the words sink in.

"D-Dawn ..!"

The End