Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own everything. I'm just playing around.
Chapter Two

"So, that's it? You just grant a wish I didn't even know I'd made and then make me live in some world I don't even know? I don't belong here . . ." 'Willow. Dawn. Spike . . . Any of them! I need to find them. I need to help them! I need them to help me . . .', Buffy thought.

With that, Buffy walked through the graveyard in her black dress. Armed with nothing but herself. Walking into a world that sparked vague resemblance to her own. But Halfrek had said it was her own . . .

She heard the slightly distant rumble of a motorcycle and knew it was show time. Would her friends react the same? Would she react the same? Then Buffy noticed that with each step she took, the rumble became louder, until she could tell it was only moments away. She followed her instinct and hid in a few bushes, and watched as several motorcycles tore through the cemetery. 'Home, sweet, home,' she thought.

Since they had passed, Buffy walked from the graveyard and back onto a main road of Sunnydale. She walked toward her house, noticing fire and smoke and death all around her. Much like it had been a year before. Before she knew it, Buffy was only two blocks from her home. And that's when she heard footsteps coming from in front of her; walking toward her. She quickly his behind a fence. Tara, Willow, Xander, and Anya walked by; heading for the cemetery she had risen from only a few moments before.

'Okay, Buffy. Now's your chance. Walk to them, follow them, catch up with them! Anytime now,' she thought. But she knew why she wasn't going toward them.

"I should see Dawn first. I owe her that much, I guess," Buffy murmured to herself. The thought kept creeping into her mind that the only reason she wanted to see Dawn first was because she knew Spike wouldn't be far behind, but she shrugged it off.

Now, coming back to the sidewalk, Buffy continued home, hoping to find someone familiar . . . something familiar. . . As she walked up the smaller sidewalk to her front door, Buffy braced herself for anything she may have found inside, then grasped the door knob, and turned it. Thankfully, it was unlocked. 'So, there are vampires, demons, and whatever else, and we still leave the door open?,' Buffy thought.

Buffy walked inside and found what she was looking for. Home. Or as close as she would come to it for a while. Ignoring the urges she had to lay on the couch and go to sleep, or yell Dawn's name so she'd know her sister was back, Buffy decided to walk around and see what or who she found. First, she went upstairs, checking her room first. "At least some things never seem to change," Buffy said, smiling at her room. She decided to sit on her bed for a moment, just sorting through her thoughts. 'Nothing with Spike happened. Nothing with Willow happened. Tara never . . . There was no singing, there is no crazed "First Evil" guy going around spreading his prophetic "From beneath you, it devours" message. I never said I was complaining . . .', Buffy thought.

That's when she heard the sound. It had come from Dawn's room. Something had fallen over, probably a porcelain box, and broken.

"If Buffy were here, she'd kill me . . .," came Dawn's voice from that room. Buffy couldn't help the smile on her face; she could work with this.

She got up from her bed and walked to Dawn's doorway, noticing Dawn now had her back to the door. "And I will."

Those three words got Dawn to jump and turn around faster than anything else. "Oh. It's just the Buffy Bot. Every time I hear your voice, sometimes I fool myself into thinking . . ." Dawn's eyes had finally scanned Buffy over completely, and noticed her dress. The newest fad was definitely NOT funeral attire.

It was still harder for this Dawn to grasp and accept what was going on. "What . . . What is this? Is this a joke? Is this some kind of a sick joke? That's the dress we put my sister in for her funeral. What's going on?"

It's a good thing Buffy had patience. "Dawnie. I know it's hard to accept, but I'm back. I don't know how, and I don't know why, but . . . I'm back now. And I promise I'll never leave again." 'Okay, so I lied about the whole "not knowing how" thing. No one's perfect,' Buffy thought.

"Buffy?" Dawn asked as she walked to her sister.

"Buffy."

Dawn squeezed her sister tighter than Buffy could ever remember. "Dawnie? I only came home to let you know I was back. So, please. Stay here, and if anyone else comes, don't tell them I'm back. I'd rather tell everybody myself. Okay?"

Dawn nodded, having let her sister going. "Yeah. But, I want to help. I don't want to wait around for some motorcycle guys to come and kill me."

Buffy sighed. "Dawn, please. I don't want you to get hurt. Just, do it for me. I promise I'll try to make it up to you, if you want to help so badly."

It was Dawn's turn to sigh. "All right. Just promise me you won't do anything I wouldn't do."

Buffy gave one of her priceless "Yeah-right-sure" looks.

"Okay. I see your point. So, do everything I wouldn't do, and don't do anything I would do."

"You can count on it. Hopefully I'll be back soon."

"Bye Buffy."

"Bye."

With that, Buffy walked out of Dawn's room, downstairs, out the door, and into battle.