Title: Find Your Way Home
Author: Ally
Disclaimer: With the exception of my own creations, no Buffy or Angel characters belong to me. They belong to Joss Whedon, Fox and UPN.
Rating: G to R
Keywords: Alternate Universe/Futurefic
Pairings:
Main: D/X, B/S
Others: A/Fr, W/O, F/T, C/D,G/A, J/G, W/V
Distribution: You want this? Take it; just tell me where it's going.
Author's Notes: Did you ever have a story you can't get out of your head? Well, this is mine. Hope you like it.
Dedications: To those kind souls who gave me feedback. I appreciate it so much.
Feedback: Always appreciated.



After a quick change of clothes, Dawn bounded down the stairs, feeling a little better about the whole situation. Buffy was her sister and no matter what had happened in the past, she would stand by her and support her. That's what family was for.

As she entered the room, she saw Buffy sitting on the couch, curled up into a ball. She was staring off into space, looking at something that wasn't there. The good mood from before was gone, replaced by this small and lonely girl. This worried Dawn a little, so she decided to treat her with care.

"Hey, Buff" she said, sitting down next to her.

"Hey" she said, tearing her gaze away from the window. "Is Justin asleep?"

"Oh yeah. His head hit the pillow and he was asleep" Dawn said, smiling.

Buffy smiled back. "Yeah, he sure is a bundle of energy."

"Oh, I know. Some days, it's all I can do to keep up. Xander seems to be the only one who can keep up, but that's because he's a big kid at heart."

Buffy smiled at the thought of her best friend. " How is Xander?"

"He's good. He's got a great job in construction and..." she hesitated, wondering if she should tell Buffy about the engagement.

"And?" Buffy prodded, wanting to know.

Dawn opted for the truth. "And he's engaged."

"Really? To who?"

Dawn wordlessly held up her hand, showing the simple diamond ring on her finger. Buffy's mouth opened in shock and Dawn felt her stomach clench. She didn't know why, but she felt like she needed Buffy's approval. She was so into her thoughts that she almost didn't feel Buffy's arms wrap around her.

"So you're okay with this?" she asked.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I? You're my sister, Dawnie and I only want you to be happy. Does Xander make you happy?"

"Very" she said, with a smile.

"Well, then, that's all there is to it. How did you guys get together anyway?"

"It happened pretty naturally. We were spending a lot of time together and then he asked me to dance at my party. And when he took me in his arms, I just knew. This was the man I was destined to spend the rest of my life with" she said, a little dreamily.

Buffy smiled, happy to see her sister so happy. "How long have you guys been together? How did he propose?"

"Well, we were together about eight months when he proposed. It was New Year's and we went to a party at An...a hotel" she stopped, catching herself before she said Angel. She didn't want to bring that subject up until it was absolutely necessary. "We were having a really good time, but Xander seemed to be nervous. Anyway, about a minute to midnight, he took me out onto the balcony and the city was so beautiful. Then he told me that he loved me and couldn't live without me. Then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. After about 10 seconds, I said yes."

"How romantic" Buffy said.

"Yeah, I know."

After a second of silence, they both burst out laughing, neither one knowing why. All they knew was that it felt good. Buffy was laughing so hard that tears were coming out of her eyes.

"I missed this" she said, wiping her eyes.

"Yeah, me too" Dawn said, sincerely.

Buffy sighed and said "You know, there were times I felt like coming home."

"So how come you didn't?"

"I don't know. I mean after the fight with Mom and then sending Angel to hell, I just... I just had to leave. After a while, I got used to 'life on the road.' And I thought that you guys would be better off without me" she said, her eyes tearing a bit.

"Oh, Buffy" Dawn said, hugging her sister tightly. "Everyone misses you. They never stopped. It's just after a while, they knew you weren't coming back. That you would be found when you wanted to be found. So life went on, but nobody stopped caring about you."

Buffy sniffed and tried to regain her composure. Dawn just kept rubbing her shoulder, ready for whatever came next. There was silence for several minutes and she could hear the clock tick.

Suddenly, Buffy said "I miss him."

"Angel?"

"Yeah, I mean I know that I only knew him a short time, but I felt a real connection, you know? Then when I had to send him to hell, I felt my heart break. I used to have dreams about him, where he was alive and everything was okay, but then I'd wake up and the hell would begin all over again."

"I'm sorry, Buffy."

"Don't be. I mean it's stupid to moon over a guy that's been gone for 10 years. I've tried to get on with my life, so many times, but never could. I think I just had to come home and face my past."

Dawn nodded and smiled, knowing that now was the time to tell her about Angel ... and Spike ... maybe. "Buffy, you know I love you, right?"

"Yeah, I love you too."

"Well, you may not after this. Um, see the thing is... a few months after you left, Angel came back."

"He.. He came back?"

"Yeah, um, nobody knows why, but they found him a few months after you left, roaming the woods. He was like a wild animal. Willow had to restrain him with magic for a few weeks after."

"Where is he now?" she whispered.

"In LA, um, he used to have an investigation agency."

"Used to?"

"Yeah, about 2 ago, they closed the Hellmouth for good. As a reward for his service, the Powers granted him his humanity. He's human, Buffy."

"Human?" she asked, tears streaming down her face.

Dawn nodded. "Yeah and there's one more thing."

"What?" she asked, wondering how this day could get any worse.

"Spike is here too. "

"Spike?!"

"Yeah, he came back to Sunnydale about a year after you left. Drusilla left him for a chaos demon and he wanted her back. He kidnapped me, hoping to get Willow to do a spell. That never happened though. Angel saved me and told Spike to leave, but he never did. He ended up working with the Scooby Gang and we really bonded. We're really good friends now. He really took care of me when I was younger."

"And he just did it out of the goodness of his undead heart?" she asked, sarcastically.

"No, one's really sure why he did it and it took awhile for them to trust him, but I always knew he had some good in him."

Buffy got up and began pacing the room. "So what you're telling me is that Spike is human and a good guy?"

"Yeah. If you knew him for as long as I have then you'd see."

"How did it happen?"

Dawn hesitated, not knowing if she should add futher to her misery, but Buffy said "Please, tell me. I really want to know."

"OK, well, it started about 2 years ago...

*Flashback*

They had been gone for 2 days and Dawn was getting nervous. The Scooby Gang was her family and she wanted them to come home safe and alive. Joyce, meanwhile, was pacing the floor, while Justin was playing on a blanket, oblivious to what was going on. Everything was so quiet and this unnerved Dawn to no end.

She had been watching her mother pace for hours and she was starting to get dizzy. " Mom, could you please stop, for like, 2 seconds. You're making me dizzy."

"Sorry honey. It's just I'm worried about Giles and the others. It's been 2 days" she said, her head in her hands.

"I know Mom, but just think, after this, no more Hellmouth. We can have normal lives and Justin will never have to go through what I did" Dawn said, her voice choked.

"Oh, honey." Her mother embraced Dawn and shared in her pain.

"You know, at times like this I wish Buffy were here."

"Me too, honey, but she made her choice and we have to accept it. She'll come back when and if she's ready."

Dawn just nodded and laid her head down on her mother's shoulder. Justin had teetered over and she lifted him onto her lap, where he promptly fell asleep. She smiled and closed her eyes.

She must've fallen asleep though, because she was awoken by something outside. Her mother was still asleep and Justin was looking at her questioningly. "So you hear that too, huh?"

She got up, with Justin on her hip and opened the door. She saw the sun rising on the horizon. It was a beautiful sight. Then, out of nowhere, she saw people walking down the street. As they got a little closer, she saw it was the gang. She smiled and raced inside. "Mom, Mom!! Wake up! They're here, they're alive!"

Joyce bolted awake and raced outside with Dawn. They smiled and clapped as the gang made their way up the street. And the best thing was, they were all there. Some of them were limping and all of them had bruises and bumps, but they all seemed okay.

"Is it done?" Dawn asked, as they climbed the stairs.

"Yeah, and it was a hell of a battle" Xander said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"C'mon, let's get you inside" Joyce said, hanging on to Giles for dear life.

Dawn smiled as the gang all began talking at once. They each had stories to tell and they all seemed exciting. Then just as they got inside, both Angel and Spike collapsed.

Doyle and Fred raced over to them and Dawn would've too, but she was supporting Xander, who broke his leg. "Are they OK?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. Let's get them on the couch" Doyle said, as Faith and Gunn helped to lift them on the couch.

"Well, there's not much else we can do now and some of you need to get to the hospital" Joyce said.

"She's right. Dawn, can you stay here and take care of the ones who don't need to go to the hospital?" Giles asked. She nodded her ascent. "Wonderful, anyone who thinks they need medical attention can come with Joyce and me."

"Can you make it to the car OK?" Dawn asked Xander.

He grimaced and said "Yeah, thanks."

"I'm glad you're all right."

"Me too" he said, following the others out.

With the exception of Willow, Oz, Doyle, Fred and Tara, everyone had to go to the hospital. It took Dawn a little over an hour to get everyone settled and taken care. She had just finished with Tara and was stretching when she heard a scream from the living room.

They all raced inside to see Angel and Spike on the couch, sunlight coming though the window and not harming them in any way.

"They're alive" Doyle said, going over to them.

*End Flashback*

"After that, it was pure pandemonium. It took us a really long time to get used to them standing in the sun. When Doyle asked what happened, Angel said he was taken to the Powers That Be themselves. They thanked him for his service and granted him his humanity. Spike just said that he was taken to the Oracles and given a choice -- stay vampire or become human."

"And he just decided to become human?"

"Yup. He told me later on that he always knew he had some humanity in him and ever since he met me, that it was coming to the surface more and more. He just wanted to explore it some more without the demon."

"So that's it, huh?"

"Pretty much. After Angel became human, he looked for you everywhere, but he couldn't find you. He just started dating Fred, this girl they saved from another dimension a few years back. She has a very...unique personality. They're good together, though."

"So, everyone's moved on with their lives. Everyone except me."

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked confused.

"Well, even though I've been gone so long, I'm still stuck in the past. I'm still that seventeen year old girl that left Sunnydale all those years ago."

Dawn felt bad for her sister. She thought Buffy had been so happy and fulfilled, but she was just as miserable as when she left. "I'm sure that once you talk to the gang, everything will work out OK."

"Maybe."

"I can talk to the gang tomorrow."

"NO!!! I mean, no, I'm just not ready yet. Give me a few more weeks and I'll talk to them. I promise" she said, off Dawn's look.

"All right, but it's really hard for me to keep secrets, especially from Xander."

"I know, but it's just really important to me. Promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Oh, thank you" she said, hugging Dawn tightly.

Just as they parted, the door opened and Joyce stepped in. "Hi girls" she said, smiling at them.

"Hi Mom" they said, in unison.

"Why are you so late?" Dawn asked.

"Oh, I was taking inventory at the gallery and then a shipment came in so I had to check it out, but everything was wrong so I've been on the phone all night. Now all I want to do is get to bed and sleep for a thousand years."

"Yeah, I better get to bed too. When Justin gets his required eight hours, he's a handful" Dawn said, stretching.

"Night girls" Joyce said, hugging each, extra tight.

"Night Mom" they said.

A few minutes later, the house was quiet. Buffy was left alone with her thoughts, which was never a good thing. Her back ached and she felt cold all the time. When she left Texas, it was to get away from her thoughts, but they just seemed to chase her. And then, just like the night before and the night before that, she cried herself to sleep.