A/N: IT TOOK A WHILE TO WRITE THIS. SORRY PEEPS. IM WAY BEHIND SCHEDULE BECAUSE FOR THE LIFE OF ME I HAD TO START FICS AROUND THE SAME TIME AS EACH OTHER. NOW, I'M CRAMMED WITH ALL THESE UPDATES. DARN IT. A HUGE WRITER'S BLOCK DIDN'T HELP EITHER. WELL HERE IT IS. FINALLY. I WAS GETTING FRUSTRATED BUT I WASN'T ABOUT GOING TO ABANDON THIS. NO WAY IN HELL.

ANYWAY, REMEMBER THIS PROPHECY:

"THE TEMPEST WILL ARISE AND THE GUARDIAN WILL WALK THE EARTH. THE JOINING WILL BE CREATED AND THE 'NAMELESS' WILL BE SHELTERED. AN ARMY SHALL EMERGE FROM THE PIT OF DOOM AND THE CHAOS WILL BEGIN."

ALSO, DON'T FORGET SPIKE'S PROPHECY. IT'S NOT ALL DONE YET EITHER.

A REMINDER: THIS CHAPTER TAKES PLACE A DAY AFTER DAWN RETURNS.

ANYHOO, HOPE YOU LIKE IT.

ENJOY.


~*~


"The tempest will arise." Wesley reread the first line to the passage.  He frowned.

"We know that the tempest is actually the storm that brought Chayse and Dawn here." Fred declared.

"And the Guardian will walk the Earth."

Fred creased her forehead into a frown. "It could be Chayse. She's very powerful."

Wesley shook his head. "I have a feeling it's not her. She's the key to this puzzle but what we don't know is why."

"What about Dawn?"

"The Guardian can't be Dawn. She's already the Key." Wesley explained.

"Well, then we're back to square one." Fred muttered in frustration as she readjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose. "We've been going in circles for over five hours, Wes. We're not getting anywhere with this."

"Not entirely. We know that there will be another apocalypse." Wesley pointed out. "The joining could also mean Chayse's birth."

Fred frowned. "But Chayse is already a few years old when she came through a portal. It doesn't fit."

"Right. The joining could symbolize the beginning of her life here on Earth, not exactly her actual birth."

Fred sighed sharply. "We're speculating. Why don't we ask the one person who knows everything?"

"Dawn."


************************************************************************


"Spike!" Willow Rosenberg's cheerful voice filled the empty Hyperion lobby.  She was beaming from ear to ear as she looked at the blonde.

The ex-vampire looked up from the magazine he was currently occupied with and smiled. "Hey, Red." Spike greeted as he discarded the magazine and stood up to greet her.

Willow easily walked over to him and hugged Spike. "Wow, you're human." She said as she stepped back to watch him.

Spike nodded, slightly amused. "Yes, I know. It's very becoming to be human now. I'm starting a trend." He grinned and Willow playfully jabbed at his shoulder.  "Get a soul, save the world, be human."

"Sorry." She mumbled with a smile.

"You wanted to test out if I felt all human flesh-y?" Spike asked.

Willow nodded. "Sorta." She replied. "I haven't seen you since the-"

"The end of the world?" Spike grinned, recalling the not so long ago incident.

"Uh-huh."

Spike shrugged. "Well, another end of the world is coming and here we are again." He stated. "So how are you?"

"Oh, good. Same old me. And you?" She asked.

"Good too." He answered. "Buffy and the girls are upstairs if you were wondering. I think they're having a slumber party."

Willow smiled at the mention of her friend. "How's Dawnie?" She asked, lowering her tone.

"She's different." He replied, cautiously glancing at the second floor.

Willow looked concerned. "How? Is she alright?" She asked.

Spike nodded to reassure her. "You'll just have to see for yourself, Red. I can't really put my finger on it. We all know she's been through so much already."

"Right. Right." Willow muttered as she pondered on how exactly Dawn had changed. "I should go see them then. Buffy was all very insistent on me seeing them, especially the little baby."

"Baby?" Spike echoed, looking slightly confused.

"Dawn's daughter."

"She's hardly a baby, Red.  She's probably three, four." Spike corrected and Willow looked surprised.

Her lips opened to form an 'o' and she nodded. "Big difference, then." She muttered. "Good to see you, Spike."

"You too, Red." He mumbled as he watched her ascend up the stairs.

Spike smiled to himself, thinking how great it was to see Willow again. It brought memories of time spent in Sunnydale. It seemed a lifetime ago. Spike headed for the kitchen. A mug of hot steaming coffee sounded just about right since he couldn't have blood and vodka anymore.

"Hey, sugarplum!" Lorne bellowed happily when he spotted Spike.

The blonde grimaced at the nickname slightly.  "Hey Lorne."

"Coffee?" The green demon offered since he was making one for himself already.

"Sure. Black."

"So how's everything out there?" Lorne asked as he set the mug in front of Spike.

"It's quiet. Not much going on. No magic or anything catastrophic happening yet. Oh, Red's here. She's upstairs." When Lorne looked slightly baffled, Spike went on to explain. "That's Willow."

"Oh."

"And you?"

Spike looked at him indignantly. "What about me?" He asked.

Lorne narrowed his eyes. "You just became human. It's not an everyday thing for you vampires." He drawled.

"Yes, well, don't worry about me. I'm a big boy. I can take good care of myself. It's the impeding apocalypse we should think about. From what I heard, it's serious."

Lorne nodded as he took a sip of his coffee. "Yeah, I wish I could pack my things and go to Vegas, maybe skip this end of the world thing this year but no can do." He lightly declared, looking somewhat miffed.

"Oh."

"On second thought, maybe it's a better idea if I stay here. Last time I was at the big L.V. I was held captive and forced to read people's aura's so that their destiny could be sold to the black market." He declared, waving his hand in front of himself. "Show business; it's so dangerous these days."

Spike smirked. "Must be tough."

"Yes." Lorne nodded firmly, his expression set in all seriousness. "Well, I have to see little Princess Chayse. I need to see what's going on in her mind. We might need some major info about our impending doom and all."

"I'll join you." Spike said as he rose from his seat. He didn't like the thought of having someone go into Chayse's head, no what the reason was. It seemed wrong and the fact that the little magic child could unleash an all powerful demon wasn't very comforting either.


************************************************************************


Willow gently rapped her knuckle against the door to Dawn's room. It hadn't taken her a while to find it since it was just a few doors down the hall.

"Come in!" She heard Buffy's voice from the inside. Willow turned the knob and pushed the door open, popping her head through the doorway.

"Hi." She said as she cast a glance at her friend and then a worried one to Dawn who was sitting cross-legged on the bed.

Buffy's expression lit up as she rose and hugged Willow. "You're here."

"Yes, I'm glad." Her gaze shifted to younger Summers girl. "Hey, Dawnie."

She beamed and Dawn gave her a small smile. "Hi, Will." She replied as she walked over to her friend and hugged her. "I missed you."

"You too. I'm glad you're alright." Willow declared as she stroked Dawn's hair. "You are alright, aren't you?"

Dawn nodded. "Besides being twenty in the body of a sixteen year old, sure." She replied.

Willow looked unsure of what to say and thankfully, a knock interrupted the rather tense silence.

Connor, Chayse, Lorne, Spike, along with Fred and Wesley stepped in.

Buffy frowned worriedly as she crossed her arms over her chest. "What's going on?"

"I came to have a little chat with Chaysie." Lorne declared glancing at the little girl who was holding on to Connor's hand. She seemed to have no intention of ever releasing him.

"And we need to speak with Dawn." Wesley declared in his business tone.

"About time." Dawn muttered. She had been expecting them since yesterday when they moved into the Hyperion. She wondered what took them so long to come to her and ask questions.

"I don't think this is such a good idea." Buffy intervened and Dawn sighed.

"It's just a few questions, Buffy. Plus, sooner or later, I'm going to have to explain this whole thing. It has everything to do with the end of the world again, you know." She declared casually and Buffy relented petulantly.

"Momma, what about me?" Chayse asked worriedly as she glanced at Dawn who was ushering Fred and Wesley to go to one of the other rooms to talk. It was getting crowded inside.

Dawn gave her daughter a reassuring smile. "You'll be fine, Chaysie baby. Connor will take good care of you." She said, glancing at the boy who nodded firmly. She said something in a foreign language and the room full of people looked curiously.

Wesley made a mental note to ask Dawn about that later.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Buffy asked her sister who shook her head.

"You and Willow need to catch up." Was all Dawn said before she exited the room with Wesley and Fred in tow.


************************************************************************


"So what do you want to know?" Dawn asked as she took a seat across from Wesley and Fred. They looked more uncomfortable than she was.

Wesley cleared his throat and Fred shifted uncomfortably. "First, where were you?"

"It was a hell dimension and by that, I don't mean flames and scorching heat." Dawn replied. "Does it help, if I describe it?" She asked unsurely.

Wesley nodded. "Anything you can tell us is incredibly useful." He stated. He and Fred were scribbling notes.

Dawn let out a heavy sigh as she made herself more comfortable in her seat. "It was blue. You couldn't see very clearly. In the day everything was dark blue and in the night it was pitch black. That's why everything is so bright here." She explained. "There was always thunder but it never rained there. Everything was heavier too."

"Heavier?" Fred echoed, giving Dawn a curious look.

She nodded. "The atmosphere was thicker. Not like here where everything is light, like you're floating."

"I see." Wesley whispered as he declared as he jotted some noted down. "How long were you there?"

"Four years, give or take a few months. Maybe five years. I don't know for sure." She shrugged. "I was unconscious a lot." Her expression had darkened.

"How so?" Wesley continued, trying not to be too indifferent of Dawn's situation.

She waved her hand as if to dismiss the question and for a few seconds there was a long pause. "Because of these." She said showing them her arms. There were traces of old scars, faint but visible enough. "They wanted my blood."

"Because it could open portals." Wesley murmured and Dawn nodded in agreement.

"It freed them. They wanted out just as much as I did." She said, her voice tense. "They drained me day in and out during the ritual."

"Rituals?"

"They said it was my duty. I was the Deliverer." She smirked, her frown deepening. "That's how the army was released."

"What is this army like?" Wesley asked.

"Hungry and very powerful. They're like a colony of demon witches. They're great with spells but they needed my blood to open portals. They had the guns but not the bullets." Dawn answered. "When they thought that I was going to die, they took drastic measures."

Wesley looked up, his breath held in suspense.

Sighing, Dawn continued. "They created Chayse."

Fred look shocked beyond belief. "But we thought she was your daughter." She whispered.

"She is my daughter." Dawn conveyed. "I carried her full term."

"But was she created from magic?"

Dawn nodded in dismay. "She was created from my human flesh and blood, by the power of the key and with the help of evil magic."

Wesley sighed. She was giving them so much information but nothing made sense. At least, not perfectly. "She's a replica."

The Key shook her head. "She doesn't look exactly like me and Chayse has powers that I never had as a key. I can open portals but she can't. She, however, can summon demons."

"Like that one that cured you?" Fred pointed out and Dawn gave her a half smile.

"What was her purpose?" Wesley queried.

"In the beginning, Chayse was meant to replace me but the Elders later saw that her blood couldn't open portals. So they changed tactics. Instead, they planned to raise her to rule beside me but under them. With Chayse's ability to summon demons, they wanted her to create an army and I would release them. But I wouldn't let them."

"You escaped?"

"Not at first. When I ran the first time, they caught me. I was too weak." She explained. "The second time, was after Chayse was at least a year old. After she was born, they didn't touch her at all because they didn't know how to raise an infant so I had her but as she got older, they grew impatient. They wanted to hasten the creation of their army."

"Does she know?" Fred whispered.

Dawn hesitated for a moment and then nodded. "She knows. She remembers a lot even when she was too young to remember. She's special and she knows it."

Wesley and Fred could only nod in agreement.


************************************************************************


"Hi, little princess." Lorne said cheerfully as he greeted Chayse who was sitting on Connor's lap. She was looking at him innocently.

Chayse titled her head. "Everything is lopsided." She exclaimed out loud, drawing everyone's attention. She watched Lorne as if waiting for an explanation.

"What do you mean?"

Nearby, Buffy and Willow were watching.

"Everything is lopsided. Are you and Mr. Angel going to stop the bad demons from coming?" She asked Spike.

"We'll try." He replied uncomfortably.

"They want me and Momma go to go back with them to the blue place." She declared.

"Blue place?"

"Uh-huh."

Lorne sighed. "Chayse, can you sing for Uncle Lorne?"

Chaysie giggled shyly. "You're funny. Will it help make everything not lopsided?" She asked.

"Maybe."

"Okay, I'll sing." She beamed as she hopped off of Connor's lap and walked to the middle of the room where everyone could get a good view of her. She started to sing or to be specific, chant in a different language.

Willow gasped.

"Oh, no."


~*~


A/N: THE TONS OF CLUES AND ANSWERS THAT I GAVE WAS TO MAKE UP FOR THE DELAYED UPDATE. USUALLY, I'M BETTER AT UPDATING.

BUT ANYWAY, I FELT BAD ESPECIALLY FOR NICOLE WHO RESORTED TO GROVELLING. LOL. HOPEFULLY THIS CHAPTER HELPED YOU A LITTLE.

TO THE OTHERS WHO REVIEWED, THANK YOU.

THERE ARE CLUES ALL OVER THIS CHAPTER. I DECIDED TO TAKE IT EASY ON YOU GUYS AND GIVE YOU A LITTLE BREAK.

ANYBODY HAVE ANY GUESSES ON WHY CHAYSE SAYS EVERYTHING IS LOPSIDED? HEHEHE.

ANYWAY, CHAYSIE'S MAGIC ISN'T EXACTLY SET IN STONE. THERE WILL BE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM AS THE CHAPTERS PROGRESS.

OH, DON'T FORGET THAT GILES IS COMING AND HIS EVER FORSHADOW-Y COMMENT OF: "AND BUFFY, I'M BRINGING SOMEONE."

P.S. YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT ONE THING BUT I WON'T DIVULGE THAT INFO TO ANYONE.

KEEP GUESSING. HEHEHE.

THANKS FOR READING PEEPS.

DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW.