Chapter 36: Interlude—Dawn

November 2000

Dawnara scanned through her program as she regularly did looking for any anomalies when an internal alarm went off. She checked the alarm and mentally nodded as she activated a holographic projector in Buffy's office. "Colonel."

Buffy looked up from the reports she had been going over. "Yes?"

"The monks are going to create Dawn, soon," Dawnara reminded Buffy.

After Buffy's trip to the future she and Dawnara had talked about Dawn. About how to handle the situation. They came to the conclusion that Dawnara would monitor the time and would set an alarm to go off hours before the monks creation spell. Enough time to bring Willow in, find their location and talk to them about changing their plans.

Buffy nodded as she tapped her commbadge. "Summers to Rosenberg-Summers. Will, I need you to come to my office."

"On my way."

Several minutes later Willow entered Buffy's office. "What is it Imzadi?"

Buffy smiled. "Do you still wish we could have a daughter together?"

"Yes," Willow said. "Very much. Why?"

"Dawn is set to be created by the monks, soon," Dawnara said. "If you both give me your access codes so I can access the holosuite program, I can find out where the monks are and you can have them bind the energy into a cloned body sharing both yours and Colonel Summers DNA."

Willow smiled. "Access holosuite program, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Starfleet authorization code Enye, Beta, Charlie, Alpha, Two, Five, Nine."

"Access holosuite program, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Starfleet authorization code Enye, Alpha, Tango, Whiskey, Nine, One, Zero," Buffy said.

"Accessing," Dawnara said as she scanned the program. "They are in Czechoslovakia. Transferring coordinates to the transporter room."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Inside a glowing room somewhere in Czechoslovakia. Two monks grabbed ahold of a door's telephone pole-sized wooden bolt as they shoved it into the lock, bolting the door.

"It's coming. It's going to kill us!" said a young monk in his native tongue.

"Our lives aren't important. We have to protect The Key," said another.

They rushed to join a third, older monk, standing alone on the stone floor with his eyes calmly closed. The monks hastily arrange their candles and amulets, and form a circle.

"Help me perform the ritual."the elder monk said just as Buffy and Willow materialized in a transporter beam. They look up at Buffy and Willow. "The Slayer? What is she doing here?"

Buffy smiled as her commbadge translated the monk's speech. "I'm here because of what you are about to do. You are going to send the Key to me in the form of a sister. I have a better way. And a way to protect the three of you from the one you call the Beast."

"How can you do that?" the younger monk asked.

Buffy smiled again as she tapped her commbadge. "Summers to Deep Space Nine. Five to beam up, energize." She, Willow and the monks disappeared in a transporter beam.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Buffy, Willow, Xander, Joyce and the monks sat in the conference room discussing the Key. "So let me get this straight," the older monk said. "You still want us to bind the Key but into a body you will create. With the memories you requested as well as her knowing that she houses the Key."

"That's correct," Buffy said. "We kill two birds with one stone."

"And you also promise to protect us from the Beast if we do so," the younger monk said.

"We will protect you from the Beast," Joyce said. "Regardless if you do this."

The monks looked at each other and then nodded. "We will do it," the third monk said. "How long till the clone's body is ready?"

"An hour," Buffy said.

The monks nodded.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

The monks stood around the cloning tube chanting, their eyes closed. The tube began to glow, and as it did so the monks chanting became not three voices, but ONE... And then there was a sudden, impossible wind as the young monk gasped.

The glow expanded, momentarily filling the room with light, and then suddenly, with a sucking whoosh, it contracted into the body in the cloning tube.

Inside the tube the teenage girl's eyes snapped open and looked around for the first time as memories surged into her mind. Memories she knew were not real, but real enough for her. She knew that she was not only the daughter of Buffy and Willow but she was also the Key.

Buffy looked to Willow as they smiled. They walked over to the tube as Buffy input the commands to open it. "Hello, Dawn," Buffy said. "I'm your mother, Buffy. And this is your other mother, Willow."

"Hello, mom," Dawn said as she looked first at Buffy and then Willow. "And hello, mom."

Buffy looked to Joyce who moved over beside them, "And this is your grandma Joyce."

Dawn smiled as she looked at Joyce, "Hello, Grandma Joyce."

"Hello, Dawn," Joyce said.

The monks turned to face Buffy, Willow and Joyce. "How will you protect us from the Beast?" the third monk asked.

Buffy smiled. "Dawnara scan for the one referenced as The Beast or her human vessel and beam him or her into space. Widest possible dispersion."

In Sunnydale, California the one known by the monks as the Beast frowned as she felt an unfamiliar tingle throughout her entire body as she dematerialized in a transporter beam.

On Deep Space Nine Dawnara smiled at Buffy. "Done. The one known as the Beast, Glory and Glorificus has been beamed into space, energy only. As of this moment the holosuite program Buffy the Vampire Slayer is obsolete. With the changes made to the timeline by Glory's early defeat. Everything after this point may not happen. To be on the safe side I will remain in contact with Lieutenant Lehane and Mr. Giles in case I am wrong."

"Very well," Buffy said. "Now gentleman. Which would you prefer? Staying here or going back down to Earth?"

"I think we would like to return to Earth," the older monk said. "Thank you for protecting the Key and thank you for your defeat of the Beast."

"You're welcome," Buffy said. "I must ask that you keep everything you have seen here today, a secret."

"Of course," the older monk said.

Buffy smiled. "Dawnara if you would escort the monks to the transporter room and beam them back home."

Dawnara nodded. "If you will follow me, gentleman." She turned and led the monks out of the room leaving the new mothers and grandmother with their new daughter and granddaughter.