Buffy and Angel hung back and watched the Magic Box closely from a nearby rooftop. They had issued the Buffybot and took her on a small test. She had past and gone back in. Everything was on schedule. Now all they had to do was follow Tara. Buffy and Angel held hands tightly. Both of their knuckles were stark white. The door to the Magic Box opened and Tara walked out. A few moments later, the rest of the gang walked out. Buffybot was with them. She walked exactly like Buffy. It was perfect for their plan.

Buffy and Angel moved and followed the gang high above. Tara led them to a large construction site with a huge tower. Angel kissed Buffy quickly and jumped down to meet the gang. Willow jumped slightly.

"Sorry." Angel said.

"It's ok." Willow said.

"This the place?"

"Yeah. It's where Tara took us."

"The portal must open up there." Giles said, pointing at the tower.

They all stared for a moment before Xander looked over at a bulldozer with a large wrecking ball attached to it. "Hey, check that out. I think I can work with that."

"Give it a shot." Buffybot said.

"See you guys in there." Xander took off.

"Will, you're up."

"Need anything?" Angel asked.

"Could use some courage.." Willow said. Spike offered her a flask. "The real kind. But thanks." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She began mumbling something under her breath. An incantation. Then she walked in.

"You. What are you doing here?" Glory asked Tara.

As she said it, Willow appeared between them and shoved her fingers into both Glory's and Tara's heads. "She's with me."

Glory gasped in paralyzed pain as did Willow and Tara, as white, crackling energy burst from Glory's head, running along Willow's arms straight into Tara's head. A moment of this, all women shaking, and the energy blasted outward and sent all three of them flying back in different directions. Willow and Tara both landed hard, lying unconscious.

"What the frikkin' hell did that bitch do to me!?!" Glory asked.

"You look fine! Truly!" One of her crusty minions said.

"Stylish and affordable! Or.." Another one said.

"She made a little-she made a hole.. God I need a meal.. I need a brain to eat."

"Take mine, oh groove-tastic one." Minion one said.

"I said a BRAIN, you worthless dirt! I got places to be! Big day.. Need a brain.." Glory turned and saw Buffybot and Angel standing right there. "Suppose I could always use yours." Glory said to Buffybot.

"Okay then. Come and get it." Buffybot said. Glory and Buffybot eyed each other. Buffybot took a circling step, Glory watching her with disdain. She took a step as well, but it was a tad unsteady. "You don't seem very well. Do you need to lie down and have a tonic?"

"Your little witch-bitch gave me kind of a headache there. And all it did to her was kill her and her friend, so kudos to her! But if you think this is gonna last more than eight seconds.."

"I notice that you're talking, whereas in your position I would attack me." Buffybot interrupted.

"Oh most sweaty-naughty-feelings-causing one, should we.." Minion 1 asked.

"Guard the girl! I can take care of hairdo and her boy here. This is a- a.."

"Diversionary tactic?"

"Go! Guard!"

"You keep saying I'm nothing, I'm still not feeling attacked by you. It's strange.." Glory moved toward Buffybot, then hesitated. Confusion crossed her face. She continued to move toward her, but slowly, with effort. "You're not as blurry with speed as usual, either."

"The witch.."

"It's not her." Angel said. He pulled the Dagon's Sphere out. "It might be this.. I heard it was supposed to repel you. So my guess is that you probably shouldn't touch it."

Angel tossed it to Glory, who instinctively caught it. Energy rippled from it, causing her to convulse with agony. A scream welled up inside her and then she crushed the sphere in her hand. Glory looked down, breathing hard, and then she looked up with murderous hate. "You're gonna wish.."

Glory was interrupted by Buffybot's fist right across her jaw. She flew back and hit the ground. Anger rebounded her up, only to meet a flurry of blows and kicks from the determined Slayerbot. She barely fended them off at first, then started to get her own back, landing a couple of good blows.

"You got this? Giles and the others need my help." Angel said.

"Go." Buffybot answered.

Glory attacked again. They exchanged blows, Glory slowly starting to gain the upper hand. Buffy punched at Glory's face, but Glory caught it. "You know what?" She backhanded Buffybot hard and sent her staggering. "I'm feeling a little better. And now

I'm a little bored."

"Well that's the.." Buffybot was cut off when Glory kicked her head off.

"I'm sorry, you had a comment?" Glory asked. She looked closely at Buffybot's head. "Wow.. the Slayer's a robot! Did everybody else know the Slayer was a robot?"

"Glory?" The real Buffy asked behind her. Glory spun and Buffy swung Olaf's hammer into her face, home run style. Glory flew back and smashed into the nearest wall, dropping in a dazed heap. "You're not the brightest god in the heavens, are you?"

"Buffy!" Dawn screamed.

Buffy looked up and bolted for the stairs to the tower. Angel watched her as she jumped out of the way of the flying wrecking ball that slammed into Glory. He was with Giles, Anya, and Spike behind a pile of rubble, where various crazies and/or minions occasionally charged over or hurled something at them. The rest of them formed a cordon between them and the stairs.

"Has anybody noticed that we're moving backwards?" Anya asked.

Spike poked his head out and got whacked with a brick. "It's crossed my mind."

"If Buffy can keep Glory down long enough, it won't matter. There's only a few minutes left to start the ritual." Giles said.

Xander ran up to the gang like a soldier in the trenches and squatted with them. "How are we doing?"

"So far, it's a tie." Anya said.

"We haven't gotten up to Dawn, but neither has anyone else." Giles said.

Angel squinted up at Dawn on the tower. "Someone's up there."

"Okay, we gotta charge or something.." Xander said.

"We already tried that." Anya said.

"Angel? Spike?" Willow asked. The two vampires looked around in confusion. "Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear." Spike said.

"Who? What?" Giles asked.

"Is someone up there with Dawn?" Willow asked.

"Yeah. We can't see who." Angel answered.

"Are you talking to us?" Xander asked.

"You two get up there. Go now." Willow said.

"Yeah. But.." Spike said.

"Go!"

Angel was already gone. They charged the tower and the group of crazies. The group was split down the middle, bodies thrown back by an invisible force, as Spike and Angel sprinted through and leapt up the stairs. They both climbed fast, racing to save Dawn. They stopped at the top and Dawn saw Angel first.

"Angel!" She screamed.

The old demon turned to great them. Spike stared at him. "Doesn't a fellow stay dead when you kill him?"

"Look who's talking." The demon said.

"Come on, Doc. Let's you and us have a go."

"I do have a prior appointment.."

"This won't take long."

"No. I don't imagine it will."

Spike went at the demon and he came forward as well, sidestepping with preternatural grace and suddenly he was behind Spike. Spike grabbed for Angel's hand, but it was too late. The demon threw him off the tower. Angel punched the demon, Doc was his name, and Doc dodged it quickly. Angel went to punch him again, but Doc got behind him just like he had had Spike. This time, Doc drove a knife up into his back to the hilt. Angel roared with pain as the knife was ripped out harshly. He turned and faced Doc.

"Stay away from her." Angel said.

"You have a soul?" Doc asked.

"Had one for a while."

"Why do you care about the girl so much?"

"Because the woman I love needs me to keep her sister alive."

"Oh."

Doc opened his mouth and shot his tongue out. Angel dodged it but as it snapped back, Doc swept his legs out from under him. As Angel got back up he found Doc gripping him from behind, they were facing Dawn. Angel struggled effortlessly.

"I'll send the woman your regards."

Angel locked eyes with Dawn, panic in both their expressions. "No." Angel whispered. Doc shoved him off the platform on the same side he had thrown Spike. Angel plummeted down and hit the concrete hard, knocking him out cold.



Buffy wailed on Glory with the hammer. Glory's face was bloody and she was dazed. A blow sent her to her knees. An uppercut put her right on her back.

"Stop it.." Glory said.

"You're a god.." Buffy slammed Glory in the face again. "Make it stop." And again Buffy hit her. And again. She raised the hammer and hesitated. Glory, bloody and defeated, morphed into Ben. He was equally battered, and looked up helplessly at Buffy.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"Tell her it's over. She missed her shot. She goes. She ever.. EVER comes near me and mine again.."

"We won't. I swear."

Buffy rose and then ran off towards the tower. Someone was up there with Dawn and Angel and Spike were out cold on piles of concrete. She raced up the tower, a sense of urgency building in her. She reached the top and found an old man cutting Dawn along the stomach.

"Dawn." Buffy said.

"Buffy.." Dawn said.

Buffy strode toward Doc. He turned and gracefully hurled the knife at her face. She batted it out of the way.

"Well, this should be interesting." The guy said.

She reached him and batted him aside as easily as she did the knife, never breaking stride on her way to Dawn. He screamed and hit ground with a wet crunch. Buffy untied Dawn.

"Buffy, it hurts.." Dawn said.

"I got you.. You're gonna be okay." Buffy said.

"Oh, God, Buffy.."

Buffy hurriedly untied Dawn and started dragging her down the platform. Dawn resisted. Finally, she stopped and looked back.

"Come on!" Buffy said.

Dawn looked at the ball of energy that was now forming. The tower rumbled and shook, wind whipping both girls' hair. Dawn looked back at Buffy. "I can't."

"What? We have to get down!"

"Buffy, it's started."

The energy ball grew and shot out a lightning-like tentacle of energy. It hit an intersection of the street and the street crumbled away into a fiery abyss.



Angel awoke and looked around. Half of his face was covered in blood and his duster was soaked with more. He looked up at the tower and saw the huge energy ball forming and growing. Looking even closer, he saw Buffy standing up there with Dawn. He desperately tried to push himself up.

"Buffy.." he groaned hoarsely. "No.."



Buffy and Dawn saw what was happening. Another rumble nearly shook them off their feet.

"I'm sorry." Dawn said.

"It doesn't matter. Nothing.." Dawn made a break for it and Buffy caught her. "What are you doing?"

"I can end this."

"No!"

"I have to jump. The energy.."

"It'll kill you."

"I know. Buffy, I know about the ritual! I have to stop it."

"No."

"I have to! Look at what's happening!"

Buffy looked up as a dragon flew over their heads. "I don't care! Dawn, I won't lose you."

"You have to! You have to let me go! Blood starts it, and until the blood stops flowing it'll never stop. You know you have to let me.." Buffy stared at her desperately. "It has to have the blood."

Buffy stopped listening. She was flashing back to Spike telling them about the blood and then to her saying Dawn was made out of her. "It's Summers blood. It's just like mine." "Death is your gift." Then Buffy knew what she had to do. As the sun was just starting to rise in the horizon, Buffy looked at it, uncommonly serene. Another rumble and the apocalyptic noise come back to her, and she turned back to Dawn. Dawn knew without knowing.

"Buffy.. no."

"Dawnie.. I have to."

"No!"

"Listen to me! There's no time, Dawn, please listen. Dawn listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will always love you. But this is the work that I have to do. Tell Giles I.. I figured it out. And I'm okay. Tell Angel to never forget me and that I love him more that anything or anyone I've ever known. Go on in and live with me in his heart. And Give my love to my friends. You have to take care of them now. You have to take care of each other. You have to be strong. Dawn, the hardest thing in this world is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me." Buffy wiped a tear away from Dawn's cheek and took the moment to memorize Dawn's face. She kissed her, and then turned and ran. She swan dived off the platform.



Angel looked up. "NOOOOOOOO! BUFFY!" With a burst of strength, he shoved himself up. Staring up helplessly, he watched as she jumped into the ball of energy. She writhed for a long while. Angel could feel the pain she was feeling and it brought him to his knees. It was excruciating. Then it started to die away and he started to weep. As the portal closed, something died in Angel's heart, his very soul. His soul mate was gone. Angel grabbed his hair and buried his face in his arms. He sobbed harder than he ever had before.

Finally, sobs still escaping and tears still cascading down, Angel got up and ran over to Buffy's body. He pulled her upper body into his arms and held her closely, sobbing into her cold neck.

"Please baby, please wake up! You promised you'd never leave. Wake up. God, please! No. Buffy! Please!" He shook her slightly, tears falling down onto her beautiful face. "No. No. No. No. No. Please God no." Angel started to rock her back and forth. "Buffy." He stroked her gorgeous face lovingly. "I love you. God, I love you so much! Come back to me. I can't go on without you." He kissed her dead lips. "I love you."

The rest of the gang walked slowly up behind him and watched with tears falling down their cheeks. They watched the love, the soul mate of the Slayer named Buffy Anne Summers sob desperately for her to come back to him. They watched their friend sob helplessly for his lover, their friend and daughter, telling her silently in their own way that they loved her too.