Chapter 71

"Oh my God." Buffy said, surveying the damage of her old stomping ground. Houses were burning and crumbling. Bodies of the dead and dying littered the public places once occupied by living people. Angel's old apartment building had fallen in on itself and the bottom floor was being used by humans seeking shelter. A demon ran across the street in front of them, pausing to stare. Its eyes widened and it turned and ran away. "Guess they remember us."

"Guess so." Angel turned down a street and Buffy saw that the Bronze was still standing. Only this time it looked dark and overrun with demons, vampires, and whatever else the Hellmouth had coughed up. The mansion was still standing and it looked deserted. Nothing moved inside when Buffy and Angel inspected it. Connor had been there though. His bags were in Angel's old room and there were shoe marks in the dust. The two headed out to the car and continued on.

The graveyard was a lot bigger than Buffy had remembered it. Of course, more occupants now dwelled here. She walked over to the spot where her mother was buried. The headstone was slightly faded and something had knocked off a chunk of the top left corner. Buffy picked it up out of the overgrown grass and placed it gently on the spot it had fallen off of. It fell again with a thud. It represented Buffy's falling hopes at the moment.

Main Street was a big inferno. The Espresso Pump was nothing but cinder and ashes. The Magic Box still stood, but it was darkened and charred. Buffy and Angel inspected the place. It had been used recently, but the occupants had left in a hurry once the fire had leaked through the ceiling over the cash register. A green film at the edge of the burn marks suggested that someone had stopped the fire with magick.

Their next stop was Buffy's old house. It still stood, untouched and abandoned. She slid the spare key she had hidden in the tree out front into the lock and opened the door. The hinges creaked loudly and the boards groaned under the weight it hadn't felt in ages. Everything was just as they had left it. A thick layer of dust covered everything. As Angel walked into the kitchen, Buffy headed upstairs. Her first stop was her and Angel's room. This had been her mother's room at one time. She remembered bursting through the window and saving her mother from Faith. Buffy walked into her old room and stared at the window. That was where she and Angel had shared their first kiss. That was also the place where she had found out that the man she loved wasn't a man at all, but a vampire with a soul. She blinked as the image came alive.

"Angel?" The sixteen year old version of Buffy asked as she walked into the room.

"Hey." Angel replied, walking from the shadows.

"Brought you some dinner. It's a little plateless, sorry." She handed him a plastic bag full of food that she had pilfered from dinner. He accepted it and looked at it. "So! What'd you do all day?"

"Uh, I read a little." Buffy looked over and saw the out of place diary at the same time 16 year old Buffy saw it. "And just thought about a lot of things. Buffy, I.."

"My diary? You read my diary? That is not okay! A diary is like a person's most private place! I.. You don't even know what I was writing about! 'Hunk' can mean a lot of things, bad things. And, and when it says that your eyes are 'penetrating', I meant to write 'bulging'."

"Buffy.."

"And 'A' doesn't even stand for 'Angel' for that matter, it stands for.. 'Achmed', a charming foreign exchange student, so that whole fantasy part has nothing to even do with you at all.."

"Your mother moved your diary when she came in to straighten up. I watched from the closet. I didn't read it, I swear."

"Oh." She realized what she'd just revealed. "Oh!"

"I did a lot of thinking today. I really can't be around you. Because when I am.."

"Hey, no big. Water.. over the bridge, under the bridge.."

"When I am all I can ever think about is how badly I want to kiss you."

"..over the dam.. Kiss me?"

"I'm older than you, and this can't ever.. I better go."

"H-how much older?"

"I should.."

"Go. You said." Their lips met in a small, but loving kiss. When they kissed again, it became more passionate. She put her arm around him. The kiss went on for several moments. Angel suddenly pulled back and looked away. "What? What is it? What's wrong?" He turned to face her and growled. Buffy saw he had his game face on and

screamed. He took a last look at her and jumped out of the window. He slid down the roof and off onto the ground. Buffy went to the window and watched him run away just as her mother ran in.

"Buffy?" Angel's voice came from downstairs.

"Angel?" She turned in confusion. When she looked around, she realized that she hadn't just been watching the scene, she had been acting it out. No, not just acting.. She had been 16 again and she had been kissing Angel again and she had seen his vampire visage for the first time again. "Oh." She walked downstairs. "Forgot how weird the weird can be."

"What happened?"

"I just relived our first kiss."

"Wow, I just relived our conversation about when I changed Dru."

"I told you I loved you that night." Angel nodded. "This is strange."

"Let's keep going."

Together they walked into the living room and Buffy saw Glory sitting there. The God looked directly at Buffy and said, "Long day sweetie? So this is where the Slayer eats and sleeps and combs her hair. So cute. I can't even stand it." She breezed past Buffy, taking in the living room, talking all the while. As she passed, Buffy didn't move a muscle. Only her eyes shifted slightly. "Personally, I need more space, but this is good for you. It's so quaint and.." Buffy casually edged behind the oblivious Glory, who was on the other side of the room. Buffy reached for the firepoker. "Tsk Buffy." Buffy looked up and Glory was right there in front of her. "If I wanted to fight, you could tell by the being dead already." Glory took the poker away and sat down. "So play nice, little girl."

"What do you want?" Buffy asked finally.

"The Key. Why else do you think I'd come here? See, I think you know where the Key is."

"Glad you think so."

"Well, it is the only thing keeping you alive right now. Cause you may be tiny Queen in Vampire World, but to me? You're a bug."

Buffy looked past Glory and saw Dawn and Angel standing there. Angel was ready to attack, but Buffy's eyes made him stop. Dawn stood there and watched as Angel tried to pull her behind him. Buffy nodded almost imperceptibly as Glory kept talking.

"You should get down on your knees, and worship me. But you still think it's 'neat' having Slayer strength. Ooh, big deal, stronger than humans. Phht. Who isn't? I could crush the life from you as easy as you'd break a nail. But I need the Key." Without turning, Glory said, "Hey guys! Join the party." Angel and Dawn froze. "Hey kid, c'mere a sec."

"Leave her out of this." Buffy said.

"Not asking twice."

"This is between you and me."

"No.. this is between me and my Key." Glory looked at Angel as he moved next to Buffy with Dawn's hand held tightly. "You two just happen to be the thing in the way." She looked at Dawn. "And you are just the darlinest thing I ever did see in my life. What's your name, honey?"

"Dawn." Dawn said, arms crossed.

"Dawn. Did you know your sister took my Key, Dawnie? And she won't give it back. Bet you know where she put it, don't you?"

"She doesn't know anything." Angel said.

"I know some stuff!" Dawn said.

"Bet she takes your things all the time without asking, huh? Where's my Key, Dawn?" Glory asked.

"Go upstairs." Buffy said to Dawn. Dawn shook her head.

"Dawn, now." Angel said.

Dawn looked from Angel to Buffy then to Glory and then started to head out of the room. "You're always talking about stuff I'm not supposed to hear. I'm gonna figure it out, you know!"

Glory watched Dawn leave. "I like her, she's sassy. And I'll kill her. Kill your Mom. Kill your friends. Make you watch when I do. Just give me the Key. Either you have it, or you know where to find it." Glory stood up. "Obviously, this is a one-time only deal. Next time we meet, something you love dies bloody. You know you two can't take me. You know you can't stop me." She headed for the door. "Oh. And the next time you have

guests? Little plate of sugar cookies. I'm just saying." With that, she was gone.

Joyce came out of the kitchen and looked at Buffy. "Who was that?"

"Mom!?" Buffy's eyes widened with tears. "Oh my God, mommy! I've missed you so much!" She went to hug her, but the image disappeared and she was left in the dark standing next to Angel.

While Buffy was going through her memory of the living room, Angel was going through his. It was Buffy's 21st birthday party. She was smiling and talking with her friends.

"Presents!" Buffy said.

"See? Just what you needed." Willow said.

"You are very, very wise. Now gimmie, gimmie, gimmie!" Buffy took a present from Willow and started to open it.

"This is extremely suspenseful. I want the presents!" Anya said.

Buffy pulled out a dress that was pink and feminine. "Pretty! Thank you!"

"We thought you'd get a lot of crossbows and other killy stuff." Tara said.

"So we figured, less killy, more frilly." Willow assed.

"It's lovely! I wish it was mine!" Anya said. Everyone looked at her strangely. "Oh like you weren't all thinking the same thing."

"I'm fairly certain I wasn't." Giles said.

"I'd like to second to that statement." Angel said.

"Open mine." Dawn said, giving Buffy a hand wrapped gift.

"It's not going to explode, is it?" Buffy asked as she opened it. It was a picture of her and Dawn laughing and hugging each other on the beach, in a frame adorned with seashells. It hit Buffy hard.

"It's when we visited Dad that summer in San Diego. I put the shells on myself. They're the ones we picked off the beach."

"Yeah. I remember." The room was deathly quiet. Dawn shifted uncomfortably, mistaking the atmosphere as everyone being overly touched.

"Jeez, don't get all Movie of the Week. I was just too cheap to buy you a real present."

"Thank you." Buffy hugged Dawn tight.

"Well, I feel bad now. Everyone gets you a pretty thing and I got you this." Xander handed Buffy a long box wrapped in bright wrapping paper.

Buffy tore into it and pulled out a large broadsword. "Oh! Shiny! I love it Xander. Thank you."

"Anything for the Buffster."

"I wanted to get you something pretty, but Xander insisted on the sword thing." Anya said.

"Well, thank you. I like this just as much as the pretty stuff." Buffy said. "Besides, I think Giles got me something from the weapons department at JCPenny."

"I didn't shop at JCPenny. That's a woman's store." Giles said.

"Well, A: it has men's clothes too and B: it was a joke. JCPenny doesn't sell weapons. I think."

"Very well. I got you this." Giles handed Buffy a large package. Buffy opened it and brought out an antique crossbow. "It can have about five bolts strapped into it that load after one is shot."

"Oh! I like this one a lot!"

"Hey, we've all given you a present except Angel." Xander said.

"Her mother hasn't." Anya argued.

"Mom gave me her present earlier today." Buffy said.

"Ok. That just leaves Angel." Xander said. "So, Dead Boy, did ya get her anything?"

"Don't call me that." Angel said. "And of course I got her something."

Joyce handed Angel a small package. Buffy started to open it and Angel helped her. When she opened the small velvet box, a beautiful and dainty gold necklace laid on the velvet. There was a heart shaped locket that said "Forever" on it. Buffy opened the locket and a picture of her and Angel was on the right side while an old picture of a couple was on the left side. The woman looked a lot like Angel and the man had Angel's eyes. Buffy assumed it was his parents.

"This was my mother's. Her mother gave it to her and my mother gave it to me. It was in my family for a long time. When the oldest child turned eighteen, the locket was given to them. I was the first male to ever get it so my mother told me to give it to the woman I love. I called a friend at a bank in London about a year ago and asked him to find the locket in the safe box I'd left there over a hundred years ago. He found it a couple of months ago and sent it to me. I wanted to give it to you when you turned 18, but at the time I didn't think it was appropriate because we weren't exactly together. He didn't find it in time for your nineteenth birthday, so I figured: 20 is as good a time as any."

"It's beautiful Angel." Buffy said. She barely got it out because of the lump in her throat and the tears that threatened to fall.

"Put it on."

Buffy handed the locket to Angel and lifter her hair. He slipped it around her neck and fastened the clasp. She turned to him and Angel fingered the word "Forever" on the locket. He looked up at her and she smiled, leaning down to kiss him passionately.

"I love it and I love you. Forever." Buffy said.

"Forever." Angel said into her ear.

Angel blinked and realized that he was still in the living room, only this time it was later into the night. And this time, Buffy was remembering it with him. Willow, Angel, and Buffy were talking on the couch while the others were split into small groups.

"Not even a card, huh?" Willow asked.

"I wasn't really expecting one. It's like 'radio silence' only it's 'greeting card silence.'" Buffy said.

"Sorry."

"Maybe it's time for a new tradition: birthdays without dad. It can be just as fun."

"Besides you have Giles."

"Yeah, some of my best.." Tara said. She stopped and looked over at the other end of the living room. "Oh God.."

The others followed Tara's look. The room went silent as the happy gave way to horror. Dawn was standing on the other side of the room. She held her hands out, blood dripping from a gash across her palms and upper arms. The birthday cake knife she used to inflict the wound hung limply in her other hand.

"Is this blood?" Dawn asked.

"Dawn!" Joyce said.

Buffy rushed over and took the knife from Dawn. "What did you do?!"

"It's blood, isn't it? It can't be me. I'm not a Key. I'm not a thing.." Dawn said.

"Sweetie, no, what is this all about.." Joyce asked.

"What am I? Am I real? Am I anything?"

Joyce rushed to her, hugging her close and grabbing her hand to stop the bleeding. She shared a devastated look with Buffy. It wasn't supposed to have happened this way. Angel came over and took the knife from Buffy, laying it on the coffee table. Buffy had picked up a towel and was covering Dawn's wounds.

"Angel, can you get the First Aid kit?" Buffy asked.

"Sure."

Buffy and Angel jerked and realized they were in the same positions as they had left off, only this time they were in 2024 and standing in a dusty house that had been abandoned years and years before.

"Did you..?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah." Angel looked around. "I think we need to get out of here and find Connor and the others. Something's here and it's messing with our heads."

"I totally agree. Let's get the hell outta here." Buffy took Angel's hand and they walked out into the night air to search for their son and their friends.