Disclaimer: I just realized that I forgot the disclaimer, so let's just pretend I didn't,

okay. I don't own any characters from Buffy, Angel or anything else, forever and

ever amen.

I just wanted to send out a big THANK YOU to all the people who sent the great

reviews. You've made me feel very welcome. I also wanted to answer some

specific questions and comments that were sent so bear with me.

Deep Red: I am working on a Harry Potter xover but that won't be for some time

yet. As for immortal Buffy, I'm neither confirming or denying it, cause I

really haven't decided yet.

WhiteWolf 3: Since this chapter hopefully answers the 3 day question I'll leave that

one, but the comment of Dawn becoming Buffy's personal-portal-opener. I

wanted Buffy to deal with being truly alone for this fic and I wouldn't get to run

with this if she still had Dawn. I also felt it would be easier for Buffy to

manoeuver and do what needs to be done without having to worry about her

little sister and being a 'good' influence.

Tannim2: I'm afraid that she won't be going to Forever Knight's world just yet. But

don't worry Forever Knight was one of my favorite shows and there is an idea for

a story there, a vauge one granted but it's still there.

ZombieGurl98: Expect a Middle Earth xover but like Forever Knight and Harry

Potter it won't be just yet.

Jess S1: Buffy will be jumping from world to world so be prepared for both a

Harry Potter and a Lord of the Rings story. I can't promise and

Buffy/Legolas action, because I really haven't considered it yet. But things change

so who knows? Right?

"speach"

-thought-

One more thing I want to apologize for not getting this out sooner. To be honest I

didn't think anyone would read this so I didn't plan for any other chapters. So

once again I apologize for not having anything sooner.

NOW ON WITH THE STORY!!

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

LOS ANGELES

THE PLAZA

10:30AM



Dawn Summers awoke bright and early, despite her best intentions to sleep

in till noon. She lay in her bed for a few moments, listening to the breathing of her

roommates Amanda and Eloise. With a sigh she swings her legs off the bed and

allows herself a full bodied stretch and a large yawn. Getting up she gathers up a

change of clothes and makes her way to the bathroom - at least I'll get first crack at

the bathroom.-

Twenty minutes later she exits the bathroom in a cloud of steam, dressed in a

pair of faded blue jeans, ripped at the knees and a light-weight, pale violet sweater

over a black tank-top. She goes to a mirror attached to a dresser and quickly

brushes her damp light brown hair. Finally satisfied with her appearance she makes

her way quietly to the door, she slips out and silently shuts the door behind her.

Once in the hallway she stops unsure of what to do next. Finally deciding to go

down to the dining room to have breakfast. As she's passing Buffy's door she

notices that it's slightly ajar. Curious and a little alarmed (consequence of living on

the hellmouth) she creeps up to the door. As she nears she clearly hears the older

members of the group talking loudly in agitation.

"Are you quite sure Whistler said you had no choice Buffy?" Giles asks.

Dawn can picture him pinning Buffy with a no-nonsense look as he vigirously rubs

his glasses.

"I'm sure Giles, he may not have used those exact words, but the message

was pretty clear." Dawn frowns at hearing her sister's voice, it sounded like she

had been crying. Curiousity and alarm growing she presses closer to the door, and

manages to peer inside. She sees Willow sitting on the couch fully dressed,

looking like she's about to burst into tears. Xander sits next to her in his pajamas

looking like he wants to beat something. Faith sits on the arm of a chair in a pair of

grey sweats and a tank-top, apparently in shock. Robin sits in the chair dressed in

sweats, his arm around Faith, deep in thought a hand absent-mindedly rubbing his

bandaged stomach. Giles is pacing back and forth, dressed in jeans and grey

sweater his glasses in his hand and a pensive frown on his face. Buffy sits in a

large chair with her back to Dawn. - What the hell is going on - Dawn thought

"They can't do this, I mean take someone from a dimension to use as their

muscle. Can they?" Willow asks, looking up at Giles. Her words almost a plea.

Giles sighs and stops pacing to look down at the floor. "They are The

Powers That Be, one would assume they could."

"Isn't there something we can do, a spell or blessing anything." Willow was

beginnig to sound desperate.

"Whistler only gave me three days Will. I don't think even you could find a

spell in that short of time." Buffy answers.

-Three days for what.-

Faith speaks slowly still in shock, "I thought they were the greater good, the

reason we fight the good fight. B's fought the longest and the hardest why would

they do this to her?" Dawn feels her pulse jump into her throat - Do what to

Buffy-?

"Because they're unfeeling bastards, who care diddily squat about their

champions." Xander finally speaks up, obviously pissed.

"Xander . . ." Willow starts, but is interrupted by Xander springing to his

feet.

"Don't 'Xander' me Willow. We just got her back and now they expect us to

just sit here twiddling our thumbs while they send her off to another dimension."

Dawn gasps and moves a way from the door, just as Buffy jumps from her

seat and spins around.

"Dawn?" Dawn doesn't answer, instead she turns and bolts down the

hallway. Not wanting to wait for the elevator she runs down the stairs. Once in the

lobby she hesitates a moment before heading towards the doors. She continues to

run down the street tears now streaming down her face. Four blocks from the hotel

sobs begin to rack her body, she leans against a store wall and slowly slides down

it. With her face against her knees and her arms over her head she sobs, while the

sun streams down on her. The people on the busy sidewalk sidesteping the young

woman who cries as if her heart is breaking.

A few moments later Dawn senses somebody sit next to her, sniffling she

turns her head slightly and is surprised to see Willow.

Noting her surprise Willow gives her a small smile, dried tear-tracks on her

own face. "I convinced Buffy to let me come after you. Thought it'd be best. If

Los Angeles' didn't see the Slayer in her pj's."

Dawn shifts and leans against the wall with Willow, wiping her eyes and

cheeks with her hands. "Why does she have to go?"

Willow sighs, "Well it's either what Xander said, and the PTB are unfeeling

bastards or it's because Buffy's the only one who can help those other worlds."

"What about what you said, can't we find a way to keep her here?" Dawn

asks hopefully.

Willow shakes her head. "Buffy was right, three days is just not enough time

to come up with a spell. Not one strong enough to oppose omnipotent beings

anyway."



They sit in silence for a moment, watching the people pass them. Never

realizing that they were about to lose a great warrior. Dawn finally breaks the

silence. "What if it isn't the PTB that's sending her a way? What if it's a nefarious

evil, planning on killing her when it gets her without us?"

Willow rasies her eyebrows at this, as if seriously considering it. Then she

shakes her head again. "I don't think so. Buffy says she got her orders from

Whistler and Whistler is a balancing demon for the PTB."

Dawn's not about to let the idea go yet. "Could've been a shapeshifter."

"Buffy would've sensed it." Willow looks at Dawn in sympathy. They again

sit in silence. This time it's Willow who eventually breaks it. "The way I see it we

have two choices. One: we could get angry and blame Buffy for something she has

no control over. Or two: we could finally act like adults and spend the next three

days showing Buffy that she has our support and love."

Both girls stare off into the distance each lost in their thoughts. Each

wondering how to let go.

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



BACK AT THE PLAZA

BUFFY'S ROOM

After Dawn had run off and Willow had gone after her. Xander had left

slamming the door behind him, Faith and Robin had left shortly afterwards saying

something about getting dressed. The only ones left in the room were Buffy and

Giles.

Buffy stood staring at the door for a moment, finally she looks towards her

former watcher. Giles stood in front of the large patio windows, with his back

towards her. Taking a deep breath she decides to take the bull by the horns, "Are

you angry with me?"

Giles jumps as if startled and spins towards her, shock written on his

features. "Good lord Buffy why would I ever be angry with you."

Buffy shrugs, but doesn't look away. "You haven't said anything since

everyone left. Silent Giles usually equals angry at Buffy Giles."

Giles looks at her intently, he sighs and moves towards the couch. He

motions towards Buffy and she approaches him, both sitting down Giles leans

forward and braces his elbows on his knees. "I'm not quite sure how to. . . react to

all of this."



Buffy snorts softly, "Join the club."

Giles glances at her and smile softly. "Yes, well. A part of me is terrified for

you, but another bigger part of me thinks this could be a great opportunity for

you."

Buffy looks at him sharply. Then gets up and moves a way from him

quickly. "Sure of course you do. I mean you're the one who thought I'd kill my

own sister. But did I? You're the one who thought it'd be best to leave after

everyone found out I came back from Heaven. Which worked out real well by the

way. You're the one who told me I'd have to make the hard decisions. Of course

once I did you turned around and told me I'd gone too far, then supported

everyone when they kicked me out of my own house. So you'll excuse me Giles if

I think your thought process is currently crap."

Buffy was shaking slightly as she paced and for the first time Giles realized

just how much his disloyalty had hurt her. He stood and approached her he raised

his hand slightly to touch her shoulder but thought better of it. "Buffy. . . I don't

know what to say. . . I-I did what I thought was best. I realize that some of my

decisions over the past few. . . um I realize they were. . . crap. But the leaving I

honestly thought would be best for you to stand on your own feet. I didn't realize

you would turn to Spike of all people. I didn't realize you would be unable to. . .

reconnect with anyone. And I now know that I put too much pressure on you, to

make the hard decisions. You have accomplished a great many things and have

sacrificed much that I admit I sometimes forget that you are in reality a twenty-three

year old woman, who was forced into an unfair destiny. I should have seen that, I

shouldn't have expected you to make the hard decisions when I myself could not."

Buffy looks at him sharply, with a questioning, vulnerable look that just breaks

Giles' heart. "As for kicking you out of the house. I'm sorry, it doesn't nearly

make up for what happened but I am. After the heat of battle wore off I had a lot

of time to think. And perhaps Spike was right in a way." He notices Buffy curious

look. "When he returned to the house and discovered that you left he told us, 'the

Watcher can't handle the fact that his Slayer has outgrown him.' or something along

those lines. And it's true I didn't realize how much I relied on you needing me, until

I came back and you no longer turned to me. The fact that I had brought it on

myself by leaving. . ." He laughs at himself slightly and shakes his head. "Well it

just made everything that much worse. I'm afraid I went through what all parent's

go through, I had trouble believing that you were an adult and no longer the little girl

I first met." He turns a way rubbing his eyes.

Buffy looks at the proud figure of her once mentor, the man who despite

what she had said was more like a father to her than Hank Summers had ever been.

Watching him she realizes what it cost him to say what he did. She approahes him

silently and wraps her arms around him, burying her face in his back. After a

moment he squeezes her arms in a psuedo-hug.



Breaking out of her hold he turns to her and continues. "This could be a

real chance for you Buffy. These other worlds. . . they're not 'your' responsibility

your not their hero, from what I understand from what Whistler told you. You will

be there to help and guide the heros of that dimension. Many young adults go

through similar journeys." She looks up at him wrinkling her nose and frowning.

He chuckles slightly. "Well perhaps the journeys are a little different. But the idea

is still the same, going a way to find oneself. To be free of ones obligations.

Granted most people go to exotic places such as Europe or Asia, but I guess one

could make do with other dimensions'." He smiles and is rewarded when she

returns it. "You can do this Buffy."

He hugs her, and they stand there for a bit sharing a moment. Giles finally

pulls a way and leaves to go to his own room to allow her to change. Buffy stands

there for a long while staring at the door pensively.

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

FAITH & ROBIN'S ROOM

Robin stiffly lowers himself onto the couch in the room as he watches Faith

absentmindedly gather her clothes. "Faith?" he asks his lover worriedly.



Faith looks over at him a distant look in her eye. "We talked after she came

for us after the explosion. I told her how I'd always thought she had it all, friends,

family a guy devoted to her. I told her how I didn't realize that being the leader, the

strong one had cut her off from the people she loved most." The distant look

fades as she looks Robin dead in the eye. "I'm the next oldest Slayer, when she

leaves I'm it. I'll lead these Slayers, I'm gonna be the ones they turn too, the strong

one." She laughs slightly. "The 'strong' one. You know what I woulda done if the

Scoobies had pulled that "kicking you out for 'our' own good" bullshit?" She

plows ahead, not waiting for a response. "I woulda said "see you all in Hell and

been outta Sunnydale so fast, it woulda made your head spin. But what does Buffy

do?" Again she doesn't wait for a response. "She stays. She f**king stays,

rescues the person who took her place and never tells off the people who kicked

her to the curb in the first place." She starts pacing in agitation. "I don't think I

can be the one people lean on alone." She admits in a soft voice.

Robin struggles up from the couch and approaches her, taking her in his

arms he says. "You're not alone."

"You sure you want to stay when people are getting on my nerves and I start

snapping and bitching at everyone?" She asks in a cocksure voice.

Robin though can hear the underlining thread of trepidation. He gathers her

closer and leans in to her. "Of course, your bitching and snapping will keep life

interesting." He gives her a small, intimate smile.

She returns it almost against her will. She then breaks out of his hold gently

and turns back to gather her clothes, she then enters the bathroom not bothering to

shut the door. As she starts the water for her shower she shouts back. "We

should have a party for B."



Robin once again settled on the couch frowns and calls out. "What? Why?"

"A going away party for B, you know loud music, presents, booze. To

allow the new Slayers to say goodbye without making B or anyone else getting

uncomfortable or sad. A way to send B off with a bang." Faith tells him entering

the shower.

Robin smiles and once again gets up off the couch walking over to the

bathroom he leans against doorjamb and watches her silhouette through the shower

curtain for a second. "Your pretty remarkable, you know that?"

Faith pokes her head out from the end of the curtain and gives him a good

natured grin. "Bout time you admitted that Robbie." Her grin turns to a leer as she

asks, "you wanna help me wash my back?"

Robin laughs, pushes away from the doorjamb and enters the steam filled

bathroom.

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





Next chapter 'Bon Voyage Buffy'

The party and a certain souled vampire. Also Xander says his piece

Read and Review Please.