Epilogue
As soon as everyone was back in the Magic Box, the Scoobies were hugging each other, finally reunited. Everyone was congratulating Buffy, Pan, Faith and Dawn for the show they've done and how they talked to Quentin. They were all sure that this time, the Council wouldn't do anything stupid. And if not, they've recorded everything Quentin told Dawn in his office and as long as Quentin wouldn't notice the bug, they would continue that and be better safe than sorry.
The whole time, Spike and Buffy avoided each other as much as possible, even though they knew that they would have to talk.
"Hey guys! It's still early tonight! What do you think of Bronzing?" Xander asked with a wide smile. "Or are you too exhausted?"
"No way!" Buffy, Faith, Pan and Dawn answered in unison.
"Bronzing? What's that?" a confused Goten wanted to know.
"The Bronze is the best club in town," Pan explained. "Well, the only, but still the best. The only bad thing is that many vamps are hanging out there, looking for some food. But that won't stop us from going there. So, what do you think?"
"Well, why not… I think we can party a bit, after what happened today…" her uncle answered.
The four girls looked around and saw that everyone agreed with going to the Bronze. "Okay, but first of all, I have to get out of those clothes," Buffy said.
"Don't worry Buffy, we've kept your clothes, because we were always hoping that we would find a way to bring you back," Dawn said smiling.
"Good… Then let's go!" the Slayer said cheerfully.
~*~
About one hour later almost everyone was ready and waited in the Summers living room. With almost that is Buffy, Pan, Faith, Dawn and Cordy who were still at Buffy's room, getting ready, while the men, except of Xander, he and Anya wanted to meet the others at the club, as well as Willow and Tara, who also wanted to change clothes, were waiting (im)patiently in the living room.
"Shouldn't someone go up there and get them?" Angel wanted to know. He was still dressed in one of his black shirts and black trousers.
"I don't understand this whole thing… I would rather stay here," Vegeta mumbled.
"Come on, Vegeta," Goten said cheerfully. He was dressed in one of Xander's Hawaii shirts and beige pants. "I'm sure it will be fun."
"Sure. Or what do you think, Watcher?" Spike, who was still dressed in black, asked.
"Well, for you young people, I'm sure it is. I think I'm finally after five years beginning to understand, what you understand of 'having fun'."
"Mr. Giles, if it's boring for us in the club, I'm sure we can talk," Gohan suggested and earned a smile from the Watcher.
"How long are they already in there? I think it's time to go," Trunks said and his future-self sighed.
"Okay, then I'll go and get them…" he said and walked up the stairs to the girl's room.
~*~
In the meantime the girls were almost ready. Buffy was wearing a knee-long baby-blue dress, Dawn a pair of tight jeans and a tight greed T-shirt, Faith black leather pants and a red blouse and Cordy was dressed in a long dark-red dress. At that moment Mirai Trunks knocked at the door. "You can come in, Trunks!" Pan shouted and he opened the door.
"The others are waiting impatiently for you and sent me to… wow," he just managed to say, as he saw Pan. He looked at her from head to feet and from feet to head. She was wearing high-heeled black boots, which were going up to her knees, a black miniskirt and a night blue strapless top, which was tied up behind her neck.
"You like what you see?" she asked him teasingly, as she walked up to him.
"Oh yeah…" He leaned down and kissed him passionately.
"But you look also really good." Trunks smirked. He had decided to wear a pair of black pants and a dark blue shirt, which showed his well built body and he had tied his long her back, so that just a few bangs were hanging in his face.
"Really?"
"Really."
Suddenly they heard Faith clearing her throat. "I'm sorry to interrupt you guys, but I think we should go down now."
"Sure," they said in unison and followed the other girls down to the living room, arm in arm.
~*~
Goten just came out of the kitchen, eating some cake, as the girls finally came down the stairs, but when he saw the couple, who came last, he swallowed the cake the wrong way and began to cough. "Panny? What happened to you? You- you're wearing a skirt. Man, how did you get her into that?" he asked Mirai Trunks, when he was finally again able to speak.
"I didn't do anything," Mirai Trunks answered.
"Panny, I hope you tell me, when I should get worried about you."
"Don't worry Goten. I'm still me… I've just widened my taste for clothing a bit." At that moment, the others came out of the living room and spotted Pan. Gohan's jaw dropped to the floor literally. He had never seen his daughter wearing something like this, as well as Trunks. "Hey you two! Are you coming?" she snapped them back into reality, when everyone had already left the house and just they were still standing in the corridor.
"Mmh? Oh, yeah…" Gohan said and walked past Pan. He knew he had to accept that his little girl was now a grown up woman, who managed to live with amnesia for six month. Trunks didn't say anything, as he walked past Pan. He was still shocked by her outfit. He somehow found it too bad that he didn't see the woman in her before he fell in love and bonded with Marron. But he admitted to himself that it's better for her to be with his other self, not just because he's nearer at her age, also because he knew that this man is a better Trunks than he ever will be.
~*~
It didn't take long for them to arrive at the Bronze and soon all of the young people were found on the dance floor, while Giles, Wesley, Angel, Gohan and Vegeta were sitting at a table, talking. But Spike was neither with the group on the dance floor, nor with the men at the table. He was sitting at the bar, drinking a beer and watching the others. He still had a hard time to accept that Buffy was alive, just like that. And plus, he should be the one who made her remember everything? That was simply unbelievable.
Suddenly he saw Angel coming towards him. "Spike, can I talk to you?"
"Sure… What about?"
"It's about Buffy…"
"Oh, you can have her… You're the better man for someone like Buffy," Spike told Angel sincerely.
"That's the whole point… I don't love her anymore… And she doesn't love me… When I walked her home, she told me that she moved on… But she couldn't exactly tell, what her feelings were. And there's still this thing that I think that I fell in love with Cordelia…" he said as he looked over, where the girls were dancing and laughing. The boys took a small break and joined the others at the table.
"Queen C? Wow, I never saw that coming…"
"Spike…. Bottom line is, even if I still loved Buffy, she would never feel the same for me, because I think that she's in love with you."
~*~
"What do you think they're talking about?" Cordelia asked.
"I can't say for sure. But I think that Angel is talking about you. According to the dreamy look in his eyes." Buffy had to giggle, when she saw Spike's confused look. 'Seems like Angel told him just about his feelings for Cordy.'
"Huh? I don't understand what you're talking about," Cordelia said blushing a deep red.
"Come on, Cordy," Faith said. "Haven't you noticed the look in his eyes whenever he talks to or about you. The guy's absolutely fallen for you." At that moment the fast song ended and the dj decided to play a slow and romantic one, namely again "Here with me" from Dido. "Now take your chance, or I have to help you." All girls except of Faith went back to the table.
"You won't dare!"
"You'll see," the dark haired Slayer smirked and walked to the two former vampires. "Okay guys. There are two problems you have to help me with. First of all Angel. You'll go over to Cordy and ask her to dance. Now! And you Spike will do the same, just with Buffy. Do you understand me?" They nodded, stunned by Faith's determination. "Well, what are you waiting for? Obey your hearts!" She shushed them from their seats and sat down on one of them, watching smirking, satisfied with her work, how they went over to the two women.
~*~
"Hey, what has Faith done to you?" Dawn asked them grinning, but they didn't answer. Instead they went to Buffy and Cordy, who were sitting next to each other.
"Mmh, Cordy…"
"Yes, Angel?"
"Do you… I mean… Would you like to dance with me?" Angel asked nervously.
"Sure," Cordelia answered, beaming a huge smile at Faith, who showed her a thumb-up.
"And what do you want Spike?" Buffy wanted to know as Angel and Cordy disappeared on the dance floor.
"Well, Faith told me to obey my heart and ask you to dance with me. So, what do you think?"
Buffy shifted nervously on her seat. "O-okay… I guess." Spike took her hand and also led her to the floor.
Pan smiled after them. She was sure that they would work it out eventually. She didn't know Buffy for long now, but she felt that the Slayer felt something deeper than friendship for the vampire and that it could really be true love. Suddenly she noticed someone standing next to her and looked up.
"May I have this dance Pan?" Trunks asked her, holding out his hand. Pan hesitated and looked to Mirai Trunks, who was engaged in a deep conversation with Gohan.
"Okay…" she whispered and took his hand.
Angel and Cordy swayed slowly to the music, talking about work, until Angel changed the subject. "Cordy… It could be that I might regret this question… But did you ever feel more for me?"
"What?"
"I know it sounds stupid, but after Buffy's death, and how you took care of me then… I think that I fell in love with you in that time…"
"You love me? Really?" Cordy asked disbelieving.
"Well… yeah… But if you don't love me back… there's still the way of being…." Angel tried to say, but was cut short by Cordy.
"Stupid! I love you!" she said and they kissed.
Faith still smiled at them, satisfied. 'Well, that was couple #1.'
Spike and Buffy were dancing in an awkward silence, without looking the others in the eyes they held each other loosely. None of them knew what to say, until Buffy suddenly stopped dancing. Spike looked at her, confused. "What's up, pet?"
"Spike, we need to talk," Buffy said, looking to the ground.
"Yeah, I think we should," he answered. "Shall we go outside?" The Slayer nodded and so they left the club.
"Wow Pan, you surely have changed," Trunks stated immediately, as they were on the dance floor.
"Positive or negative?" she asked him smirking.
"I think Bra won't recognize you, since she almost never got you to wear a skirt. But I'm sure she would start screaming and yelling, telling everyone that Pan finally became a woman," he chuckled.
"Don't tell her about that. I dare you."
"Don't worry Pan. I will keep this as a secret." He took a deep breath. "It is like in old times, isn't it?"
"Yeah, my eighteenth birthday, where you danced with me to this song. I felt like I have been in the seventh heaven."
"Pan, does he treat you nice?" Trunks asked, referring to his other-self.
"Yes, he does. And he really loves me. Like I love him."
"And you're happy?"
"As happy as I can get," she answered sincerely.
Trunks stopped. "Good," he said and left Pan standing on the dance floor, walking over to the table. When he arrived there, he patted his others-self on the shoulder. "Go now to her. She's all yours."
Mirai Trunks smiled at him and went to Pan.
~*~
Buffy and Spike were walking through an alley near the Bronze. They were completely alone. "Spike…"
"Buffy, I know what you want to say…"
"Really? That's good, because I self don't know what I want to say," Buffy said and stopped.
Spike looked at her suspiciously. He saw how Buffy took a deep breath and looked up to him. "I meant it, as I said that you're not a monster. You are a man. Okay, now you are definitely one, since you're human. But as you told me that I treated you like a man, even though you thought you knew you were a monster, I knew deep down that you were wrong. At this time, you were already a man Spike. You were a vampire, right. But you were not a monster. A monster kills, but you protected my family. Always. You never did hurt Dawn. That's why I asked you to take care of her. I knew that you would protect her with your life. And that was enough for me to die in peace, knowing that she would always be safe with you." She sat down on some steps of an old warehouse. "The prophecy was right. Shortly before I remembered everything, I saw visions of you and me, how you pissed me off and how you promised me this. I've thought of it the whole time, and I came to the result that, when I'm able to trust someone, like I trust you, then there must be something like…"
At that moment, they heard a girl scream. Buffy and Spike looked at each other and ran to the direction where the scream came from. When they arrived, they saw how two vampires were cornering a teenage girl. "Hey! Is everything okay here?" Buffy asked innocently.
"Run!" the girl shouted crying.
"I would listen to her…" one of the vamps said as he walked over to Buffy and vamped out. "This place isn't safe for you."
Buffy smirked. God, how she loved this game. "Really? I would rather think that this place isn't safe for you." She pulled out a stake of her pocket and threw it to Spike. "Spike, take care of the other one."
"Sure pet," he answered and lunged at the vamp.
"While I take care of this one." She pulled out another stake and began pummeling on the stunned vampire and the girl used the time to run away.
Spike managed to dust his one within a few seconds and looked just up to see how Buffy was about to finish the other off. "Who are you?" the vampire asked, when he was lying on the ground.
"I'm Buffy," she said and brought the stake down into his chest. "The Vampire Slayer." She pulled out the stake and the vampire disintegrated into dust.
"So, Buffy, what did you want to say before we were interrupted?" Spike asked, as he was standing next to Buffy.
"This," she answered as she pulled his face down and kissed him softly. When they broke apart, both were out of breath. "I meant that I could just be able to trust you like this, when there's something like true love."
"You really mean that, luv?" Spike asked confused and Buffy nodded. Happy, he lifted her up and hurled her around.
"Spike! Let me down!" Buffy shouted laughing and Spike obeyed, kissing her again.
"I think we should now go back in. The others are probably worried about us," Spike suggested.
"Okay, let's go back."
~*~
When Faith saw Buffy and Spike coming back in, hand in hand, she smiled to herself. "Mission fulfilled."
~*~
The next evening everyone was gathered in front of the crypt, where the four Saiyajins appeared just a few days ago. Last hugs were exchanged between Pan, who was by the way dressed in the clothes in which she arrived a half year ago, Mirai Trunks and the Scoobies, while the Saiyajins were waiting patiently for them. "Promise me that you will come back and visit us," Dawn said with tears in her eyes.
"Don't worry Dawnie, Trunks and I will come back," Pan answered, having a hard time to hold back her tears. How she hated saying goodbye.
"Hey P, when you come back, I promise I will be stronger then," Faith said.
"I know. But you also have to promise me one thing. Don't die."
"Don't worry, we're two Slayers, one former vampire and a Key. Nothing should take us down that easily."
"Goodbye, Dawn, Faith," Mirai Trunks said, as he hugged the two girls. The next one was Giles. "Giles, we want to say thank you for everything."
"Yeah," Pan continued. "You were a really good friend." Now Pan couldn't hold back her tears anymore and jumped at Giles neck. "Goodbye Giles. Take good care of them."
"I will, Pan, I will. Goodbye. Trunks," he said as Pan let go of him and he shook Trunks' hand.
"Giles."
Then they arrived at the last ones. Spike and Buffy. Holding hands. "Well, Spike…" Trunks said. "Looks like you got your true love."
"Yep, and she's all mine," the former vampire answered smirking.
"Buffy, it was nice to meet you, even if it was just for a few days…"
"It was nice to meet you too, Trunks. Pan, do you know what luck you have to have him as boyfriend?"
"Yeah, I know. But to quote Spike: He's all mine," Pan said laughing. "Goodbye Buffy." They hugged and then Pan went to Spike. "And you help Giles to take care of them. If not I will come back and kick your sorry ass."
"I will take care of them, like I've promised. Goodbye Pan." Spike leaned down and hugged her as well. "Goodbye Boxer Boy," he said, when he and Trunks shook hands and so they walked over to the Saiyajins. Gohan opened the portal and they waved one last time to the Scoobies, before they disappeared in the portal.
~*~
When the Saiyajins came out of the portal, they were alone in the lab. Pan immediately grabbed Mirai Trunks' hand and pulled him behind her. "Where do you want to go?" he asked surprised.
"I have to meet Bra! Both she and Marron are here! As you know I haven't seen them for a half year," Pan said happily and ran through the corridors until they stopped in front of a door, through which you could hear loud music.
"What's that?" he asked.
"That's just Bra. She often hears loud music when she doesn't want to be disturbed," Pan told him.
"Then maybe we should come back later, and…"
"No way, you will now meet your sister. Now… And besides, it's my job as best friend to annoy her." With that, Pan opened the door and walked in, followed by a bit shy Mirai Trunks, but the two girls still didn't notice them, because Bra was lying on her bed, letting her head hang down on one side and they could see Marron's feet on the floor, suggesting that her head should be somewhere near Bra's. Pan smirked and slowly floated over the bed to her two friends, 'lying' on her stomach and resting her head on her hands. "Hey you two! What are ya doing?" she shouted to be heard over the music.
Bra nearly fell from her bed, when she heard that voice. Neither she nor Marron had seen her, because their eyes were closed. "Pan?" Marron asked disbelieving.
"PAN!" Bra shouted and tackled her friend to the ground. "You're back! When did they find you? Are you okay?"
"Bra… need… air…" Pan managed to say and Bra immediately got up from her friend. "So, it's better. Yes, I'm back as you see, they found me a few days ago and yes, I'm okay," she answered on the questions. "Oh, and Bra, I want you to meet someone." Pan motioned to Trunks.
"Really? Who? Oh, it's just my brother… I thought you found a boyfriend…"
"Uhm, Bra…" Marron said. "This is not your brother… Well, at least not your *your* brother. See?"
"Marron's right. That's a Trunks, but not your brother Trunks. He is the one who came to the past to help in the fight against the androids. And he's mine," she told her friends smirking. "Trunks, meet your sister Bra and our best friend Marron."
"Hi," Mirai Trunks said.
"Hi," the girls just replied a bit confused.
Pan saw the look on their faces and began to laugh. "Don't worry, I'll explain everything, when everyone's here."
~*~
Shortly after, everyone was gathered at CC, happy that Pan was back safe. ChiChi and Videl cried, when they finally saw her again, causing Pan to cry as well. When everyone calmed down, Pan remembered what she had promised her grandfather. "Grandma, I have to tell you something from grandpa."
"What do you mean?"
"He visited me in my dreams a few times, to watch over me. He told me to tell you that he's really sorry that he left you again and that he really loves you with all his heart."
"Thank you Panny…" ChiChi said, and hugged Pan, crying again.
~*~
A few days later Mirai Trunks and Pan were standing in front of the portal, which was modified, so that it would also work as time machine, ready to go to the past to visit the other Bulma. "Okay, kids, are you ready?" the Bulma of their time asked.
"Sure… I can't wait to see her again," Mirai Trunks said smiling.
Bulma smiled back and opened the portal for them. "You can go through now. And don't get lost."
"Don't worry Bulma. That won't happen again," Pan said and followed her mate through the portal.
~*~
Mirai Bulma was standing in the kitchen, looking out of the window. It had now been a half year since Trunks went back to the past, and she was slightly worried that something might have happened to him. Suddenly she saw how in the front yard a blue vortex appeared and her son and another strange, but yet familiar girl came out of it. Smiling brightly she quickly ran outside to greet them. "Trunks!" she shouted and hugged him.
"Mom!" he hugged her back.
"Where have you been? It has been a half year!" she asked.
"That's a long story, but mom, I want to introduce you Pan. She is Gohan's daughter. Pan, that's my mom."
"Gohan's daughter? But how? Wait, you can explain it to me once we're all inside," Bulma said and led the two inside.
A few hours later the two Saiyajins had explained the most important facts. Bulma noticed, how happy her son was and it had really been a long time, since she'd last seen him that happy. He had finally found someone to love, and it was his mentor's daughter he fell in love with. She was convinced that it must have been fate that the two found each other in a complete different dimension.
After Pan and Trunks went to bed, Bulma sat in her room on the balcony looking at the stars. "Oh Vegeta, you should see your son now. Fully grown up, strong and he found a girlfriend. I know you would like her. She's a Saiyajin, Gohan's daughter. They're both deeply in love and really happy. And he deserves to be happy after what he went through in the last twenty years," she whispered, feeling that Vegeta was watching her, and hearing every word she said.
~*~
"I wonder what they're doing right now?" Dawn asked. She, Buffy, Spike and Faith were on patrol on one of the graveyards.
"Who? Trunks and Pan? I think they're having big 'Welcome Back' parties everywhere," Faith told them smiling.
"They're finally home, together, and happy, I guess. Just like we are," Spike said as he put his arm around Buffy.
"Yeah," the blond Slayer just said and snuggled up to the former vampire.
THE END