Chapter 7:

When Torala came to call them to dinner Xander hadn't expected the banquet that had been prepared. Upon entering the dining room he first noticed the large table around which the rest of the room seemed to be organized. The beautiful wooden table looked rather old and considering who owned it, he assumed it had indeed been around for a long time. The table had been set for three people only and this made him realize that they were here all alone with the sorceress.

Torala was already seated at the head of the table and indicated they should seat themselves as well. The food laid out on the table didn't look like anything he had ever seen but smelled good nonetheless. He noticed that Dawn had no trouble with eating the various dishes but he wasn't so certain about trying it for himself.

Their hostess apparently noticed this and advised him to take some of everything and he could put aside the things he didn't like. He wasn't really inclined to trust her about this, but when his stomach loudly proclaimed its need for food and Dawn chimed in as well he started trying some of the dishes. While the food didn't taste like anything he had ever eaten before, he decided that with some notable exceptions it didn't taste too bad.

Xander had planned to make use of this opportunity to enquire after the sorceress herself, but when she made it clear that she wouldn't answer any personal questions for the time being he switched to other subjects.

"At this time, the two of you are my only guests." Torala informed him after he had asked her about it.

"But why? From what I have seen there is more then enough room for people to stay and you have already said that your friends often come for a visit."

Dawn decided to add to this. "There hasn't been anybody else here since my arrival. Does that mean you don't let two groups of guests stay here at the same time?"

This earned a sad half smile from the sorceress. "Normally I do not have any problems with people staying here, but there are circumstances at the moment that prevent this from happening. I would prefer not to discuss these at this time and will therefore ask you to talk about other things."

That was weird, but there were only two reasons he could think of why she wouldn't let anyone else stay here with them. The first was that she was indeed doing something that she didn't want them to know about which, considering the information they had received from Valen, was a likely option.

The second reason however was one that he had worried about himself. From his earlier conversation with her he understood that she was aware of Dawn's problem and the reason they were here alone might just be to ensure the safety of her friends.

However, he could think about that later, now was a chance to get some information and he wanted to make the most of it. "So, tell me about this house. Somehow I have a feeling it isn't exactly a normal place."

"Indeed, you are correct about this. I had the basics of this house built about fifteenhundred years ago."

Wait a minute, that didn't sound right. "Ehm, I thought that the Indians didn't go for houses, so how did you do this?"

Another of those smiles, that seemed to convey so much, appeared on her face before she answered. "What makes you think that this house is located in the United States of America?"

The shock of that question caused his food to go down the wrong hole and when he turned back after his coughing fit he noticed that Dawn hadn't exactly gotten off easy either. "Excuse me?" He did his best to control the mild panic that had appeared in his voice but couldn't keep it out completely. He hadn't walked that far had he?

"The physical location of this house is not in any place that you would know, but it has many entrances and exits that lead to and from what you would call civilization."

"Do you mean the house is in some kind of other dimension? The tunnel was like a Hellmouth?"

Torala sighed at that, it seemed as if she didn't want to explain but had decided to do so anyway. "No, while the tunnel of time is not what you would call normal, as it too can end in more places than one, it is not a portal to a different dimension. You have never needed to leave this earth in your journey here. This house was built in what some people now call a place forgotten by time, it is in a place that civilization has passed by."

"Oh." This didn't really make a lot of sense and hadn't exactly answered his question about where they were, but at least it was something. "So, how does the whole exits that lead to and from civilization deal work?"

"Just like I have already said, they lead to and from different parts of the world. You will not be able to use these doors at the moment, there is only one door that can currently be used by either of you and that leads to China."

"China? And what could we possibly do there?" This came from Dawn, who had apparently never asked after these things before, something that he thought to be rather strange.

"There is nothing there of interest to you. It leads to a valley in the mountains there and the nearest town is several hundred kilometers away. But if the two of you need some time alone, or feel the need to leave the house that is where you can go."

After she had told them this, Torala made it clear that she had no more interest in holding conversations about any subject and the rest of the meal passed by in relative silence.

. . . .

"So Dawn, what have you found out about the house and its owner?" After the lack of information gained during the meal, Xander was anxious to find out more about his current situation.

"Not much." She looked a little sheepish at having to admit this. "I didn't feel like doing anything but read since the moment I've arrived."

He had to blink in surprise at this. "Read? You've done nothing but read since you got here? Why? You know the reason that we're here for and I can't imagine you aren't interested in the house."

"I don't know why. When I arrived I wasn't exactly myself and Torala told me to go and read a little until I'd calmed down. Then you arrived and well… you know what's happened since then."

"You mean you've only arrived today as well?"

"No." The girl appeared a little confused. "I have eaten here before and slept, so I must have been here longer than a day. But I'm not sure how long exactly."

"Okay, that's weird."

"Yes it is, now that I think about it, it's probably got to do something with the house or Torala herself."

"You think she messed with your mind?" That gave him an uneasy feeling. His mind was his own and since it had been messed with before he knew that it was one of those things he hated most. If the sorceress messed with people's mind that meant that he didn't want to stay here any longer then absolutely necessary.

"Uh-huh."

"Damn, any idea why?"

"Like I said, I wasn't exactly in my right mind when I got here."

He didn't like this at all and decided he really needed some privacy where they could talk about these things without being overheard. "Do you know where that door is that she spoke about?"

"Yes, that's something I do know. It's this way." And she started to lead him through a series of corridors that seemed to go on forever.

When they had been walking for maybe ten minutes Xander began to question how the girl could have possibly found this door if all she had done was read. "Are you sure you're going the right way?"

Dawn only looked at him with an expression that he figured she could only have learned from Buffy and which basically said that she was certain and he shouldn't doubt her.

And indeed, within a few minutes they had arrived at their destination. It seemed like a normal front door to Xander, but there was a small display next to it that read 'Tian Shan mountains, China'.

Deciding that he might as well open the door to see what was behind it he made for the handle, when it opened by itself. Daylight streamed through the opening and he had to squint a little at the sun that had appeared above the valley less then an hour before. It was rather strange though that despite the fact he could see the effects the wind had on the environment he couldn't feel it. The door acted more like a window in the way that sunlight was the only thing that made it through.

When the two of them stepped through however there was no resistance and he immediately noticed the fresh smelling mountain air that was blowing all around him. He also took in the scenery, the beauty of which almost took his breath away. "I think we'd better leave the door open or we might not find the way back."

Dawn agreed with this but they did decide to move farther from the door so they would minimize the chance to be overheard. Moving away from the door but always keeping it in sight, it struck him how ridiculous that looked. In his life he had seen many strange things but had he made a list, a hole in the air that led to the inside of a house he couldn't see would definitely be in the top five. He considered that thought for a moment before amending it, well the top fifty at least.

When they had walked sufficiently far away from the door they sat down on the grass. Dawn started playing a little with the flowers that surrounded them while Xander looked at this, knowing that very soon he would need to ask questions that she wouldn't like.

Bringing one of the flowers to her nose to smell it Dawn started the conversation. "It's beautiful here isn't it?"

"Yes it is."

"You want to know what happened, don't you?"

A little surprised but also pleased that she brought it up herself he just nodded, allowing her the opportunity to talk the way she wanted.

After a short silence she then started telling what had happened to her since their separation. "I don't really remember how I, you know," she stopped here and made a stabbing motion with her hand, "it's like something took over. When I saw you wounded and I saw that I had my knife in my hand, I knew that it was my fault. But what I did then was the worst thing I've ever done in my life."

When she had started speaking she had looked down, but now she looked at Xander's face and he could see her eyes filling up so he tried to comfort her again. "Hey, it's okay remember. We talked about all that before and I forgave you for what you did."

"It's not okay!" This came out more vehemently than he had expected and he shifted a little uncomfortable when she continued. "What I did to you then was unforgivable. The fact that I stabbed you is bad enough, but it's nothing compared to my running away. I left you in front of a bar full of vampires while you were bleeding."

He now finally understood why she still felt so much guilt despite all of his assurances after his arrival at the house. And he also realized there was nothing he could do about it. This was something that only she could work out and even that would be difficult. Swallowing with a little difficulty he tried to say something anyway but couldn't find the words. Once again a friend needed him and he was unable to help her.

She just looked with sad eyes at his attempts to speak before she spoke herself. "It really is unforgivable isn't it? Even if you find something to say to try and comfort me, there is no way that I'll ever forgive myself for that moment." Shaking her head she then continued in a more collected voice. "I ran and ran as far away as I could because I felt so guilty, at first for the stabbing and later for the running away part as well. But by then it was too late to return and I decided I might as well do what we had come for, so I went to that weird house."

He snorted at that, weird house indeed. How there could be a house that lacked any kind of normal entrance in the middle of a city without anyone noticing would have surprised him had he been born in any place but Sunnydale.

"Yeah," a slight smile had appeared on Dawn's face, but she had once again averted her eyes, "You must have found it as well. I spent hours looking around it to find a way in but couldn't find anything, only when the sun rose did I finally find the engraving. Of course I knew what I had to do, but for some reason it wouldn't let me in at first. I spent over an hour trying different languages and cursing Torala for everything that had happened."

He didn't want to interrupt but he did make a mental note to explain to Dawn why she wasn't let in at first.

"In the end I was so exhausted that I decided to take a rest under one of those trees in the garden. I think I must've fallen asleep, because the next thing I remember was opening my eyes when it was already midday.

"This time when I tried the door it immediately opened and I walked into the tunnel. Well, you know what that was like since you've gone through it yourself." Talking about the tunnel made her look a little wistful, as if she wanted to go through it again and this only confirmed Xander's opinion that she wasn't exactly emotionally balanced anymore.

When he noticed that she had become lost in thoughts about this he decided to risk a question. "And when you came out?"

"Oh, sorry. When I came out I saw Torala standing there hidden in the sunlight. Did you have trouble seeing as well when you came out?" At his nod she looked a little relieved and continued. "So she was standing there and greeted me by name, I was kinda freaked out by that I guess and I took my knife. I'm not entirely sure what happened after that, although I know I didn't attack her, but the next thing I remember is that I had let go of the knife and she told me I might want to read a little to calm down."

"And that's what you did, until I came." Xander told her mulling things over. There had been something about the story that bothered him, but it wasn't until now that he knew what it was. "You said that you haven't come back to the hotel room?"

"No, why?"

"That isn't what you were wearing when went to the bar and some of your stuff was missing from the room, could you've forgotten about coming back?"

Again a smile appeared on her face and she even chuckled a little. "No, I understand why you'd think that, but I didn't take my things. They were here when I arrived and you'll probably find your own clothes and stuff in your room at the house as well."

Wonderful, this meant that they were dealing with a powerful sorceress who had lived for who knows how long, liked to do Jedi mind tricks on people and probably knew everything about the two of them. Oh yes, he was so happy that he had decided to do this, why couldn't he just let Valen try and kill her? At least he would have been rid of that annoyance.

"Xander?" The tremulous voice of Dawn shook him out of his reverie.

"Yeah Dawn?"

"I'm sorry, I know I deserve your anger but it still hurts to see it."

What was she talking about? Feeling a little confused he looked at her, but all he could see was a movement of her head as she once again looked down at the grass so that her face was hidden by her hair. Feeling frustrated he moved his hand through his hair, but stopped halfway through.

On his forehead he could definitely feel a frown, that was probably what had triggered his friend's reaction, but he had no idea how it had gotten there. Thinking about Valen and this entire messed up situation was probably what had caused it, however he had to convince Dawn of this.

"Dawnie, look at me. Please Dawn, I'm not angry at you."

As she hesitatingly brought her face back up he could see how believing he was angry at her had hurt her. "You looked so angry." The small voice she used to say this almost physically hurt him, it was so different from the Dawn with whom he had gone shopping. At the time he had hoped she could stop talking for a while, but now all he wanted was for her to once again act like she had on that day.

"I'm not angry at you." It was frustrating that he had to explain this, but he also knew he couldn't show any of that frustration. She would likely misinterpret it again. "It's this whole situation that I don't like, I just wish that I'd never said yes back in that stinking motel."

Dawn looked a little relieved but it didn't appear as if she was convinced yet, there was probably only one way to get her to lose some of the blame. "Dawn, I know a little more about what happened to you then I've told you so far."

"What do you mean?"

"I know why the door didn't open for you when you came to the house."

"Why?" This seemed to interest her, although he noticed that once again she had taken out that cursed knife and had started playing with it.

"You told me you were feeling angry at Torala when you wanted to open it, right?"

"Yes."

"That was why the door wouldn't open, it was created to stop anyone with bad intention from entering." He could see that she understood this, however now would come the hardest part. Taking a deep breath of the slightly chilly air he continued. "I also know why you were like that."

"What do you mean?" Anger was starting to surface in her voice again and for what must have been the fiftieth time that day he noticed how fast her mood could change.

"It's your knife." Nodding in the direction of the knife he then started to explain what he had found in that strange little antique store. It took a long time, especially since Dawn didn't want to believe that the knife could pose any danger to her. And when he admitted that the shop had disappeared the next day she wanted to write it of as a bad dream he must have had. There was no way that her beloved knife could do something like that to her.

"So, like I said, you must've dreamed it or do you really think that I've lost my mind?" Dawn seemed rather pleased with her little self-delusion and her look dared him to deny it.

"Trust me, had it been a dream I would've known. I've had enough weird ones the last weeks to recognize when I'm dreaming."

"So you really think that I'm fit for the loony bin?"

Though it was accurate, that wasn't exactly how he would have put it and he didn't think he should answer that question. "Okay, let's assume for a moment that you are right and that knife hasn't done anything to you. Could you at least tell me where you got it?"

Agreeing to this, she started telling him about what had happened during those days in London when she and Buffy had found out about the plot to kill her. It all sounded a little complicated to Xander, since Dawn didn't give the names of the two people that had informed them of this or what organization was trying to kidnap her so she could be given over to the Faithful.

She then told him how she had been taken while walking to her favorite park and that Buffy, Giles and the two mystery guests had come to save her. That none of the Faithful was left alive was something she didn't seem to care about, at least she clearly didn't disapprove of it. And that was what he thought strange, not just the fact that she didn't care but also that Buffy had apparently done some of the killing. Buffy's reluctance when it came to killing humans could be interpreted as a weakness but he had always believed it was one of the things that showed exactly what kind of person she was.

"And then she shot this priest guy that had tried to kill me with the knife." Another time one of the unknown had shot someone. "Since they had bragged about how powerful the dagger was we decided to take it with us when we left. Giles did some tests on it to find out if it was dangerous and when he told us it was safe, I got it since Buffy already had the scythe."

So Giles had already tested the knife, this shouldn't really surprise him since he knew the older man well enough to know he wouldn't just give something that could be dangerous to a friend. And yet, he had seen the effect the knife had on Dawn. An effect that could not be denied however much he wanted to, it was destroying her sanity and she didn't want to believe his warnings.

But even without that, he couldn't really believe that Buffy would have allowed her to have the knife. Something just sounded wrong about the entire story, as if an important part was missing. Why did Buffy kill humans, instead of just knocking them out? Who were the mystery guests? And how much did they have to do with the fact nobody survived? But above all, why was it that Dawn now held the knife meant to kill her?

"I take it there is no way that I can convince you to throw away the knife?" He had to keep trying, the safety of his friends was after all the most important thing to him.

"No. And besides, if what you've told me was actually true it would be too late anyway, wouldn't it?"

That had been a concern that had regularly crossed his mind since his meeting with Alice, but he had no idea what to do about it. No matter how hard he had tried he hadn't been able to think of anything that could reverse the process, magic had never actually been his forte, it had always been others who dealt with that and he couldn't reach them. One possibility entered his mind, but it was so ridiculous he didn't think there was a chance anything would come out of it.

Thinking that over he suddenly noticed how parched his throat was, they had been sitting here for hours talking and they had neglected to bring anything with them through the door. Maybe it was time they went back inside, it wasn't like there was anything left that he could try here and, he had to admit to himself, he was getting tired. So he ignored her question and asked if she wanted to come back into the house with him.

Following him she suddenly spoke up, interrupting his continued thinking about a possible solution to the problem. "Sorry, I wasn't listening."

Playfully rolling her eyes she repeated her question. "I asked what you meant by those strange dreams you mentioned earlier."

The dreams, had he mentioned them to her? He must have, although he couldn't remember when or why. "I've been having these weird dreams ever since we spoke to the annoying one."

"What about?"

"I don't have a clue, when I wake up I've completely forgotten what they're about."

"But you know they aren't normal dreams?"

"That's the only thing about them I know for sure."

"You know, I read somewhere that it is possible to remember you dreams if you repeat 'I want to remember my dreams' a couple of times before you go to sleep. Maybe that would work?"

"That actually works?" He didn't really believe something that simple could be the solution to his problem with the dreams, but if Dawn believed it, he might want to try it anyway.

"It does according to that book, apparently it is supposed to enhance creativity or some nonsense like that. But it might just help you with your dreams."

. . . .

His other self had run to the end of the tunnel what seemed to him like hours ago but Xander had been unable to move past the paintings with the same speed. Like the previous nights he had been pulled into the various paintings until he too had now finally finished walking through the tunnel. This time around when he exiting the tunnel the light didn't hurt his eye, that obviously was something that only happened to real bodies and not to strange memory thingies.

He noticed the sorceress waiting for him although his other self had left already in order to find Dawn. "Welcome again, Xander." She could see him! Panic momentarily flooded his brain, how could she see him if this was only a dream? Was she able to see into his mind during his dreams as well? She continued speaking however. "Dinner will be ready within moments, unless I am mistaken that is what you most want to see in this dream." She turned away, presumably to go to the dining chamber when she turned back for a last question. "What did you think about the paintings?"

Xander did not answer the question, he felt there was no need to do so. If she was capable of invading his dreams, surely she would know his opinion on the paintings. He passed Torala without looking at her and walked to the dining room where he discovered that he was the first to arrive and this surprised him. In all his other dreams he had been connected to his other self, but now he could walk around freely. Most likely it was an effect of the house or maybe even the sorceress herself, had she messed with his mind as she had with Dawn's? He was sure that if he'd been corporeal the thought would have send shivers up his back.

Finally the diners entered the room and he could pay attention to the conversation, trying to figure out the things that had been said and what hadn't been said. He couldn't find anything though, nothing was said that he could interpret differently but he kept being distracted by the sorceress who was obviously aware of him. Remembering that he had believed there was something strange about her, he started paying more attention to her actions instead of only her words. In the end when he discovered it he was so shocked that he woke up.

. . . .

"She never looks at anyone?" He whispered it softly in his darkened room. He scrambled to get a pen and some paper so he could write it down; this wasn't something he wanted to forget about. It was only when he had written the last word that he stopped to think for a moment and burst out in laughter. "What do you know, it actually works."

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Post-fic comments: Yes, the whole 'I want to remember my dreams' thing actually works, although not as fast as was the case here. It usually takes a couple of weeks before you remember them with any regularity and that is indeed supposed to improve your creativity. Although the most I've gotten out of it so far is a couple of ideas for original work and the very sincere hope that my dreams don't reflect my sanity. Don't forget to review especially if you've got some useful comments to make. Praise is nice but criticism improves my writing.

I know I've said before that I might do a little reposting of earlier chapters but I've decided against it. It may not be the best writing I've ever done but this way it will show me where I've improved and I don't like messing with stories I've already posted.