Xander entered the Magic Box to the sound of screaming from the back room. He glanced questioningly at Anya, who was standing stoically behind the cash register.
"Buffy and Dawn," she said with a strained business. "Dawn didn't clean her room and Buffy's having kittens. I wish they'd do it somewhere else. At least three customers left with their money."
"I'm sure they'll be done soon," Xander tried assuring her. "Giles' here..."
"Xander!" Willow stormed out of the office, with Giles looming behind her. ""I know I may deserve everything coming at me, karmic and all, but Warren sitting on my sofa with no skin on is a bit much."
"Hey, I don't shoot the messenger..." Xander was still trying to think of something remotely coherent to say but was stunned by a shriek coming from the back room. This time, it wasn't sibling rivalry at twenty decibels. It was at twenty decibels, but it was pure panic. Everybody froze, then there was a stampede to the back room.
Buffy stood there, wide eyed, frozen. "She ... she's....she's gone."
"Buffy, what' happened? Where's Dawn?" Willow glanced at the back door. It was closed, and nothing to show that it had been recently opened.
"I don't know." Buffy whispered. "She just disappeared."
"How," Giles asked. The back door is still locked. She didn't come out the front way. How did she go?"
"I don't know." Buffy looked like she was about to fall apart. "We were arguing and there was this flash of light and she was gone."
"Look we'll find her." Willow had completely forgotten her issues with a skinless Warren, but Xander hadn't, he just filed it away. Right now finding Dawn was the important thing, and what he was hearing was highly disturbing.
"I think she's learning to use her key powers."
"What, Xander, she wouldn't do that."
"Wouldn't she? Wouldn't you if you had them?"
"Dawn is not me. I'm more responsible."
"Dawn is a Summers. With the same amount of the Summers brand of pig headed stubborn independence you have. My guess is she's starting to discover them and use them with no idea of how." Xander took something like a palm pilot out of his jacket pocket, and started poking at buttons."
"What's that?" Willow moved up to see what the display said. She half expected to Xander to try to hide it, but he didn't. "Uh, why can't I read that thing? It looks like a normal computer?"
"That's because you aren't supposed to see this. Remember what I said about the people I work for being like uber librarians?"
Willow nodded, while Buffy Anya and Giles gathered around. Buffy stood apart, still looking around, trying to see Dawn.
"They work at a place called the Celestial Library, where the Books of Lives are stored. Everyone has one, where everything we've done, though, said, or dreamed is written down. I'm looking at Dawn's book. It should tell me ah got it."
"Uh where, that wasn't a happy got it."
Buffy grabbed at the device, and screamed as her hand passed right through it, and Xander's chest.
"I really wish they hadn't taught you to do that," she said frustrated. She took a few calming breaths. "Okay, where is she? She's gonna be so sorry when I get my hands on her."
"First of all, she's sorrier now than you can ever make her. Second, I'm the only one here who can get to where she is. Third, you're not going."
"What," Buffy shrieked. "What do you mean I'm not going. She's my sister."
"If I could move you through the worlds we wouldn't need her to help us against the Valaasce Sisters. I don't have that kind of power. Also, you and Giles need to come up with a training program for her. So the next time she doesn't pop off somewhere she can't get back from."
....
Xander stood in the middle of a vast mud plain. Cracked, hot, flames leaping and danicing from the cracked mud. Slogging through it was like walking through a thick slough. Not pleasant, but it was here that Dawn had accidentally transported herself. He didn't envy Buffy her task of reigning Dawn in. He'd help if he could, yeah like Buffy would let that happen. No, she still thought he was going to kill her, and carry off her soul to parts unknown. No way she was going to trust him. The world was changing, he wasn't about to settle for donut boy again, she had to get used to the idea. She would. It would just take some kicking and screaming to bring her around.
He'd be there every step of the way. But for now, he had to find Dawn.
And he did. Right in the center of a ring of fire, trying to stay as far away from the licking flames as he could totally terrified.
"Xander," she screeched as she saw him. Thank God you're here. Where's Buffy?"
"Shhh shhh" Xander didn't want to make any sudden rash moves, like moving to fast. Dawn was just this side of beyond total fear, and who knows what would happen. So he moved steadily, making sure she could see him every step of the way. "She's back at the shop. She couldn't come." Xander stepped through the flames, and slowly reached for her. She fell into his arms.
"Its okay." Xander let the terrified teenager sob against his shoulder. "Everything is going to be okay. But I need you to do something for me."
After a bit, Dawn pulled away from him and looked at him. "Wh-what?"
Xander reached out his hands. "Take my hand in both of yours." She did, and he placed his free hand on top of hers. "Now, I want you to see the Magic Box, in your mind. Look at it, as if you were there. "Can you do that?"
Dawn nodded. Her eyes squeezed shut."okay."
"Now think of the word's "BE THERE", like you can see them, superimposed on the picture of the Magic Box interior."
"Uh okay." Dawn's voice quavered. "Am I doing it right."
"You did it just right."
Dawn opened her eyes to find them standing in the center of the Magic Box. There was Buffy, Giles, Anya, even Willow. Just staring at them. Xander released Dawn's hands just as Buffy started to move. A moment before Buffy's fist connected with his jaw.
"That's for doing what I wanted to do." Buffy glared at Xander's crumpled form, perhaps a little too triumphant. Then she reached down and hauled him to his feet, and she kissed him. "That's for going after her and bringing her back."
"Buffy and Dawn," she said with a strained business. "Dawn didn't clean her room and Buffy's having kittens. I wish they'd do it somewhere else. At least three customers left with their money."
"I'm sure they'll be done soon," Xander tried assuring her. "Giles' here..."
"Xander!" Willow stormed out of the office, with Giles looming behind her. ""I know I may deserve everything coming at me, karmic and all, but Warren sitting on my sofa with no skin on is a bit much."
"Hey, I don't shoot the messenger..." Xander was still trying to think of something remotely coherent to say but was stunned by a shriek coming from the back room. This time, it wasn't sibling rivalry at twenty decibels. It was at twenty decibels, but it was pure panic. Everybody froze, then there was a stampede to the back room.
Buffy stood there, wide eyed, frozen. "She ... she's....she's gone."
"Buffy, what' happened? Where's Dawn?" Willow glanced at the back door. It was closed, and nothing to show that it had been recently opened.
"I don't know." Buffy whispered. "She just disappeared."
"How," Giles asked. The back door is still locked. She didn't come out the front way. How did she go?"
"I don't know." Buffy looked like she was about to fall apart. "We were arguing and there was this flash of light and she was gone."
"Look we'll find her." Willow had completely forgotten her issues with a skinless Warren, but Xander hadn't, he just filed it away. Right now finding Dawn was the important thing, and what he was hearing was highly disturbing.
"I think she's learning to use her key powers."
"What, Xander, she wouldn't do that."
"Wouldn't she? Wouldn't you if you had them?"
"Dawn is not me. I'm more responsible."
"Dawn is a Summers. With the same amount of the Summers brand of pig headed stubborn independence you have. My guess is she's starting to discover them and use them with no idea of how." Xander took something like a palm pilot out of his jacket pocket, and started poking at buttons."
"What's that?" Willow moved up to see what the display said. She half expected to Xander to try to hide it, but he didn't. "Uh, why can't I read that thing? It looks like a normal computer?"
"That's because you aren't supposed to see this. Remember what I said about the people I work for being like uber librarians?"
Willow nodded, while Buffy Anya and Giles gathered around. Buffy stood apart, still looking around, trying to see Dawn.
"They work at a place called the Celestial Library, where the Books of Lives are stored. Everyone has one, where everything we've done, though, said, or dreamed is written down. I'm looking at Dawn's book. It should tell me ah got it."
"Uh where, that wasn't a happy got it."
Buffy grabbed at the device, and screamed as her hand passed right through it, and Xander's chest.
"I really wish they hadn't taught you to do that," she said frustrated. She took a few calming breaths. "Okay, where is she? She's gonna be so sorry when I get my hands on her."
"First of all, she's sorrier now than you can ever make her. Second, I'm the only one here who can get to where she is. Third, you're not going."
"What," Buffy shrieked. "What do you mean I'm not going. She's my sister."
"If I could move you through the worlds we wouldn't need her to help us against the Valaasce Sisters. I don't have that kind of power. Also, you and Giles need to come up with a training program for her. So the next time she doesn't pop off somewhere she can't get back from."
....
Xander stood in the middle of a vast mud plain. Cracked, hot, flames leaping and danicing from the cracked mud. Slogging through it was like walking through a thick slough. Not pleasant, but it was here that Dawn had accidentally transported herself. He didn't envy Buffy her task of reigning Dawn in. He'd help if he could, yeah like Buffy would let that happen. No, she still thought he was going to kill her, and carry off her soul to parts unknown. No way she was going to trust him. The world was changing, he wasn't about to settle for donut boy again, she had to get used to the idea. She would. It would just take some kicking and screaming to bring her around.
He'd be there every step of the way. But for now, he had to find Dawn.
And he did. Right in the center of a ring of fire, trying to stay as far away from the licking flames as he could totally terrified.
"Xander," she screeched as she saw him. Thank God you're here. Where's Buffy?"
"Shhh shhh" Xander didn't want to make any sudden rash moves, like moving to fast. Dawn was just this side of beyond total fear, and who knows what would happen. So he moved steadily, making sure she could see him every step of the way. "She's back at the shop. She couldn't come." Xander stepped through the flames, and slowly reached for her. She fell into his arms.
"Its okay." Xander let the terrified teenager sob against his shoulder. "Everything is going to be okay. But I need you to do something for me."
After a bit, Dawn pulled away from him and looked at him. "Wh-what?"
Xander reached out his hands. "Take my hand in both of yours." She did, and he placed his free hand on top of hers. "Now, I want you to see the Magic Box, in your mind. Look at it, as if you were there. "Can you do that?"
Dawn nodded. Her eyes squeezed shut."okay."
"Now think of the word's "BE THERE", like you can see them, superimposed on the picture of the Magic Box interior."
"Uh okay." Dawn's voice quavered. "Am I doing it right."
"You did it just right."
Dawn opened her eyes to find them standing in the center of the Magic Box. There was Buffy, Giles, Anya, even Willow. Just staring at them. Xander released Dawn's hands just as Buffy started to move. A moment before Buffy's fist connected with his jaw.
"That's for doing what I wanted to do." Buffy glared at Xander's crumpled form, perhaps a little too triumphant. Then she reached down and hauled him to his feet, and she kissed him. "That's for going after her and bringing her back."