Disclaimer: Any character that you've seen on the show is owned by Joss, not me.
Colleen The new slayer
Jordan Psychic who receives The Visions
Holly Half Sellar Demon
Dawn The Key
Aaron Currently exploring magicks
*****
"I give up," Aaron said. He got up and let Dawn take his seat. "You give it a try."
"Yeah right," Dawn said as she sat down in front of the lap top. "Like if you can't do it then somehow I'm going to be able to."
"You're good with computers," Aaron told Dawn as he lay down on his bed.
"Being able to use Word effectively and being able to search the web are not skills that are going to be extremely pertinent to hacking into this lap top," Dawn told Aaron.
"Who would have thought that a Hell God who used walking scabs as lackeys would have such an impressive security system on their laptop?" Aaron asked.
"Apparently not us," Dawn told him. "This is pointless. We're never going to be able to get into these files."
"So that means that we're going to have to look into some other options," Aaron told Dawn.
"Well," Dawn said, "there is one, but I only want to use her as a last resort."
"Who?" Aaron asked.
"Willow," Dawn told him. "She'll be able to do it. I just don't know if I want her to know about it. There's no way that the adults are going to be exactly thrilled that Glory is after me again. Last time this happened we left town."
"I know someone," Aaron said. Dawn looked at him expecting an answer. "Jack Coban."
When you look at Jack Coban you don't exactly think computer genius. You're more likely to think "himbo." Himbo is a term thrown around Sunnydale that usually means a male bimbo. These people usually aren't smart and are more interested in sleeping with the maximum number of people possible. Jack was technically only a half himbo.
"Do you think he'll do it?" Dawn asked Aaron.
Aaron shrugged. "It's worth a shot. I'll talk to him tomorrow."
*****
"Why do I have to sit bitch?" Colleen asked. She thought about what she just said. "Aaron if you would like to keep your limbs in tact then I suggest that you don't answer that question."
Aaron had started taking the entire gang to school since he got his car. He and Dawn would pick up Jordan, then Colleen, then Holly. Jordan and Colleen usually had to fight about who had to sit in the middle when Holly got in.
"Is this Mighty Mighty Bosstones?" Jordan asked Aaron.
"Yeah," Aaron told him.
"Weren't they cool in like sixth grade?" Jordan asked Aaron. "With that one song?"
"They were always cool," Aaron told Jordan.
"That's a matter of opinion," Holly said.
"When you guys drag all of our asses to school you can pick the music," Aaron told them frustrated.
*****
During ninth period Aaron ducked out of study hall and went in search of Jack. Dawn thought that she had seen him in the computer lab during this period. Aaron went to the lab first and sure enough Jack was in there. Luckily there was a substitute teacher that day so Aaron could get into the lab with no problem. Jack was working by himself at a table in the back.
"Hey Jack can I talk to you?" Aaron asked Jack.
"O'Malley," Jack said as he looked up at Aaron. Aaron and Jack had known each other from Honors classes but we're never really friends. "What's up?"
"I have a computer problem," Aaron told Jack as he took the laptop out of his backpack.
Jack opened up the laptop and turned it on. He was immediately faced with the same security that Aaron and Dawn had been faced with. He played around with it for a few seconds seeing how bad the damage was.
"What's wrong with this?" Jack asked Aaron.
"My dad had some new security software put in it," Aaron lied. "Then he forgot how to use it."
Jack continued to type on the computer. Aaron watched as his lip curled at the side. He was puzzled by the computer.
"I've never seen anything like this," Jack told Aaron. "Where did he get this?"
Aaron shrugged. "No clue. Do you think you can fix it?"
"I can fix anything," Jack told Aaron. "It just might take a while."
Aaron wrote down his cell phone number and gave it to Jack. "Take the laptop with you but call me as soon as you get it fixed. It's really important."
"Okay," Jack said as he put the piece of paper in his pocket.
"Thanks," Aaron said as he started to walk out of the computer lab.
"Don't mention it," Jack said to Aaron. A thought popped into his head and he called out to Aaron as he left. "Maybe you could put in a good word with Dawn Summers for me as a thank you?"
*****
Colleen, Holly, and Jordan patrolled together. There weren't an oddly large amount of vampires out lately so they large group wasn't really necessary. Colleen thought it was necessary though. Now that she knew that Kaoryn was back and that Jordan was her number one target she had no intention of letting him out of her sight. As they walked Jordan's watch gave a beep.
"It's been an hour," Jordan said. "Time to say I'm sorry again."
"Jordan!" Colleen said to her friend. "It's starting to get really old. I know you're sorry, you don't have to keep telling me."
"It's the only way I can express how truly sorry I am," Jordan said. "I'm really really sorry that I said that in front of Mike."
"It's not your fault," Colleen told him. "It's a psychic thing. I can't get mad at you. It's my fault, not yours."
"Has there been any luck with a Colleen and Mike reunification?" Holly asked Colleen.
Colleen shook her head. "We're kind of in that phase. You know that phase? The 'normally we wouldn't be speaking to each other but we have to because we fight together to save the world' phase."
"I read about that in Cosmo," Holly said to Colleen. Colleen smiled.
"So is Mike a part of the group now?" Jordan asked Colleen. "Is he an official Scooby?"
"That's such a dumb name," Holly said.
"He meets all the requirements," Colleen said to Jordan. "What with the new super powers and all."
"So why isn't he here tonight?" Jordan asked.
"A slayer, a demon, and a psychic," Colleen said. "I think a living vampire would just be over kill."
"You can never be too safe," Jordan said.
"What's going on?" Holly asked. "Is this a psychic thing?"
"Not really," Jordan said. "It's more of a scared to death thing."
"Same thing if you think about it," Colleen joked.
*****
Aaron sat in his bedroom studying for his upcoming finals. At least, that's what his parents thought. Of course, Aaron never really needed to study. He was confident that he could go into his finals and ace them all without even cracking a book. That's why instead of reading school books Aaron had his nose buried in magick books. If there was a big battle looming on the horizon then he was going to need some new material.
"Come in," Aaron said when he heard a knock on the door. He looked up and wasn't surprised to see Dawn standing in his doorway. "What's up? Need some help for your finals?"
"In a way," Dawn told him.
"What subject?" Aaron asked.
"More like in the break kind of way," Dawn told Aaron. "Can we go for a drive?"
Aaron smiled and reached for his keys on his desk. "You just love my new car."
Dawn just smiled. If everything was going to be ending soon for her then there were a few loose ends that she needed to straighten out.
*****
"Something is very wrong about this scenario," Jordan said to Holly as she walked him to his door.
"What?" Holly asked him.
"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Jordan asked her. "Shouldn't the guy walk the girl home?"
Holly laughed. "Well this is kind of an unconventional relationship. Almost like a mixed marriage thing."
"We're both part demon," Jordan said to her. "It would never have worked out anyway."
"Are you telling me you're breaking up with me?" Holly joked around with Jordan.
"I just can't deal with the fact that you're in love with someone else," Jordan said to her with a smile when he got to his door.
Holly stared at him with a contorted look on her face. It was a mixture of surprise, embarrassment, and a little bit of anger.
"You're really abusing this psychic thing lately," Holly said to him. She looked a little uncomfortable.
"It's really more of a hunch," Jordan said as he walked into his house. "Seize the day Holly, or the night in this case." Jordan shut the door without giving Holly a chance to respond.
Holly walked down the road towards her house confused. She knew that she could trust Jordan with her secret but it was still embarrassing having him know how she felt about Mike. She would never act on her feelings though. Mike and Colleen loved each other. Even if they were going through a hard time now she still felt that they were in love. They really hadn't been broken up for that long. Besides, Holly had the courage to fight demons on a nightly basis but she didn't think that she had what it takes to come clean about her true feelings.
Holly walked down the street deep in thought. Maybe if she hadn't been so in thought she would have noticed the large group of demons that had followed her and Jordan to Jordan's house and now watched as Holly walked away. Kaoryn stood at the front of the group and smiled as Holly walked away.
*****
"So is the night air helping you clear your mind?" Aaron asked as he and Dawn drove through the streets of Sunnydale.
"Yeah," Dawn said. "Do you remember how I told you that I was sorry for the way I treated you?"
"Do you remember when I told you that you don't need to be?" Aaron said to Dawn.
"I need you to know that I'm sorry," Dawn told him. "Because that way I can tell you that I was wrong."
"Wrong?" Aaron asked Dawn.
"I lied to you," Dawn told Aaron. "I told you that you were only my best friend." Aaron looked over at Dawn when they got a red light. They made eye contact and Dawn saw the wonder in Aaron's eyes. It was almost like Aaron could hardly believe that what was happening was reality.
"You're not my best friend," Dawn said to Aaron after they had gone through the intersection. "You're more than that. Everything in my life is so messed up and the only thing that seems to make sense, the only that's right in my life is you. And I was a moron for never realizing it before and I know that I rejected you and I'll understand if you don't feel that way about me anymore."
"That's impossible," Aaron said staring straight ahead. He turned to look at Dawn. "The way I feel can't change in a couple of months of thinking that you just consider me to be one of the girls."
Dawn smiled. Aaron took his right hand off the steering wheel and let it slide over to Dawn's hand. Dawn smiled as she felt Aaron grasp her hand. Sometimes it is so easy to overlook the comfort of having your hand in someone else's. Dawn looked down at her hands in Aaron's and wondered why it had taken so long for this to happen. She regretted how much time she had wasted. If there wasn't much time left she was glad that Aaron at least knew the truth.
The silence and the perfection of the moment were interrupted by the Indiana Jones tone playing from Aaron's cell phone. Aaron had no intention of answering until he remembered that he had given the number to Jack. As soon as he remembered that fact he instantly knew that it had to be Jack. Aaron reluctantly let go of Dawn's hand and answered his phone.
*****
Jordan sat in his family room alone. His parents had already gone to bed despite it only being 10:00. He didn't mind though. That just means that he gets to enjoy the big television with HBO. He watched an episode of the Sopranos while eating a bowl of popcorn. The phone beside him rang and Jordan picked it up on the first ring.
"Hello," Jordan said into the phone.
"Did we have Spanish homework?" Colleen asked him.
"Page 218 exercises C and D," Jordan told her as he noticed that he was out of Pepsi. He grabbed his glass and walked into the kitchen.
"Is it easy?" Colleen asked him.
"Honestly?" Jordan asked Colleen.
"No," Colleen told him.
"Yeah it's simple," Jordan said as he realized that he forgot to take the garbage out.
"How long does it take?" Colleen asked. "Honestly."
"It'll take about an hour," Jordan told her as he picked up the trash and walked outside with it. "You can copy mine if you want but I don't know if that's a good plan with finals coming up."
"Yeah I know," Colleen said. "I hope the final in there isn't going to be as horrible as I think it's going to be."
"You know it's going to be," Jordan told her as he put the trash in the trashcan.
"Maybe I should just be the Slayer fulltime?" Colleen asked Jordan.
"That might be a good idea," Jordan said as he saw the vampires blocking him from getting back into his house. He turned around and saw that there were more vampires behind him. "That might be a good idea right about now."
"Jordan what's going on?" Colleen asked him.
"Kaoryn," Jordan said. The line went dead after Kaoryn punched Jordan, knocking him to the ground.
*****
Aaron pulled up to Jack's house and turned the car off. Dawn started to take her seatbelt off.
"No wait," Aaron said to Dawn, remembering what Jack had said earlier. "Wait here. I'll be right back."
"Um," Dawn said confused. "Okay."
Aaron walked up to Jack's door and knocked. Jack was there in a few seconds. He let Aaron inside.
"That was some heavy encryption," Jack told Aaron as he handed him the laptop. "I got through it though. Does you dad work at that magic shop too?"
"No," Aaron said. "It must just be stuff that I left on there. Thanks again Jack."
Jack turned to shut the door behind Aaron and saw Dawn standing by the car. "Hey, is this my payment?"
"Goodnight Jack," Aaron said as he shut the door. Aaron walked over and met Dawn by the side of the car.
"Did he unlock it?" Dawn asked him.
"Yeah," Aaron said. He reached past Dawn and grabbed the handle of the door to let her in. While leaning over his face was right next to Dawn's. For the first time since they had admitted their feelings for each other they were face to face. They kissed for the first time.
The phone rang loud in Aaron's car.
"I'm going to smash that thing," Aaron said, angry that the kiss had to end early. He looked at the caller id and saw that it was Colleen. He answered the phone and his mood suddenly changed when he heard the tone of Colleen's voice.
*****
Jordan lay on his back and looked up at Kaoryn. A little bit of blood came out of his nose.
"So let's make this easy," Kaoryn said to him. "Just tell me where the Key is and make this night a whole lot easier for both of us."
"You honestly think that I'm going to do that?" Jordan asked Kaoryn.
"No Slayer around," Kaoryn said. "No one here to fight for you. I don't think that your psychic powers will save you from all of us."
"No," Jordan said. "Not all of you." Jordan focused all his energy into throwing a vampire close to Kaoryn at her. Ever since Aaron's spell had cast his spell on Jordan he found his powers at a slightly higher level. Sensing that there was an opening behind him Jordan took off in the moment of confusion that he had caused.
Jordan knew that he didn't have a chance. The vampires all had supernatural speed. It wouldn't take much for them to catch up to him. Jordan reached out with all his abilities to try to find an escape route. He sprinted between houses and down dark streets. A vampire caught up with him. Jordan shot his hand back and an invisible force sent the vampire flying back.
Blood had ruined Jordan's shirt. Using his powers like this wasn't exactly causing the blood to stop. Another vampire appeared in front of him. Jordan sent a trash can from in front of a house into the vampire's head. Jordan went between houses again. He was tired. He knew that it was only a matter of time before Kaoryn caught up with him.
"Colleen!" Jordan shouted as he saw her in the street.
"What's going on?" Colleen asked him.
"Kaoryn and a bunch of vamps were waiting for me outside my house," Jordan said between gasps of breath. Three vampires had just appeared on the street.
"Go," Colleen said. "I'll take care of these guys. Aaron and Dawn are circling around looking for you. Holly should be on her way soon." Colleen didn't wait for Jordan to leave. She immediately intercepted the vampires and began to fight them.
Jordan didn't look back. He knew Colleen could handle herself so he took off again into the night. He ran and he noticed that the vampires weren't following him anymore. His desperate running for his life slowed down into a very fast jog. Slowly, he came to a stop. He looked around him and didn't see anything moving anywhere around him.
Jordan took a deep breath and let his being expand. He stretched out with his mind until he felt his friends. Aaron and Dawn were only five blocks away and if he hurried he could intercept them. He started to jog down the sidewalk again. He came to a stop when he saw Kaoryn in front of him, flanked by vampires on either side.
"I told you your powers wouldn't save you," Kaoryn told Jordan.
Jordan immediately bolted off to his left, running between houses again. Dawn and Aaron were so close. Jordan just had to get to them. He was only one street away from Aaron and Dawn. He could see the headlights that could only be Aaron's SUV. Suddenly, Jordan stopped in the middle of the street.
He wouldn't make it in time.
Even if Jordan got to the others in time the vampires would get there. They would be able to get Aaron and Dawn. Jordan looked behind him and saw the three vampires running towards him. He looked over to the headlights in the distance. Jordan had never seen something so close and so far away at the same time before. If he was going to get captured he couldn't let Kaoryn get Dawn too.
Jordan turned back to see Kaoryn's fist make contact with his eye. He was out in a second. Kaoryn smiled as one of the other vampires picked him up. Kaoryn held her hand out and a ripple in space appeared before her.
"No!" Colleen said as she ran towards Jordan. She was getting so close. She watched as the vampires disappeared through the ripple while holding Jordan. Colleen ran faster than she had ever run before in her life. She pushed herself beyond any limit that she previously had. In her mind she imagined the dimension that she was about to enter. She thought about what sensation she would experience as she went through the hole in space.
Colleen felt the wind pushed by her face as she ran through the air. The portal had closed. They were gone. Colleen let out a scream just as Aaron and Dawn turned onto the street.
*****
Holly entered the Magic Box at about 11:00. No one said anything about meeting there but Holly had a feeling that's where everyone would be when she went by Jordan's house and saw that his phone was still lying in his yard. She looked at her friends' faces and she knew that they didn't have Jordan. Holly gave them a pleading look with her eyes, begging them to tell them good news.
"We were too late," Colleen said. "They took Jordan to whatever dimension they go to."
"Do we have a plan?" Holly asked.
"Yeah," Colleen said sadly.
"What is it?" Holly asked. She turned to Aaron. "Can you open a portal?"
Aaron nodded his hand. The laptop was in front of him giving off a faint blue glow. "Yeah I can do a spell."
"And the but?" Holly asked.
"The spell that will open the portal," Aaron told Holly, "It requires the Key."
Holly looked from Aaron to Dawn. No one said anything.
Aaron sighed as he shut the laptop. Holly noticed the way that his eyes fought back against tears.
"There's a chance that doing the spell could undo the spell that binds Dawn to human form," Aaron told Holly. "She could cease to exist."
To Be Continued
*****
Author's Note: I just wanted to thank everyone that took the time to review. Kristy said that these last chapters were good but I've had my doubts about them. Keep reviewing.