CHAPTER 4:

Buffy spotted Dawn first. Giles glanced down at the tiny blond beside him and her fixed stare drove whatever he'd been about to say out of his mind. Following her gaze he found her degree of shock was understandable. It was hard to see the Dawn of barely two years ago in the woman who waited for them on the other side of the glass wall of immigration. Taller, very thin and the scars on her cheek a vivid red on the pale face. Catching Buffy's anguished stare, Dawn gave a small wave and a reassuring smile. Obviously uncomfortable with the throng of people also waiting for those slowly sifting through customs, Dawn remained standing with her back to a pillar and scanning the crowd around her warily.

"Dawn and Angel did try to warn us not to expect her to be unchanged, Buffy."

Giles touched her shoulder gently as they shuffled one place forward in the queue.

Buffy nodded and said, husky voiced,

"I know. It's just that .. She's been so hurt, Giles! Her face; I can't imagine how desperate she must have been to do that to herself!"

Giles removed his glasses and was polishing them as he spoke around the lump blocking his own throat,

"The scars can be fixed with plastic surgery. And she'll regain her weight easily. As for her emotional state; Angel is amazed at how strong she is! Of course there will be some problems; it's only to be expected. This not wanting to see Willow is understandable and not unreasonable. We need to respect her wishes while she adjusts to being back."

Buffy nodded.

"Everything I read about that place; that Kridjator, is so .. How did she manage to survive six years of it, Giles? The slavery; the torture; being made to fight for her life as entertainment for a horde of demons and she says she's not a Slayer? It's unbelievable!"

They reached the customs officer and passed through quickly. Dawn moved swiftly to meet them in the baggage area. Giles noticed how controlled her movements were and realised she was compensating for the lack of gravity by concentrating on moving as slowly and as smoothly as possible. But when Buffy finally released her sister several minutes later and Dawn wrapped her arms around his waist, the strength in her hold made him wince.

Dawn immediately let go and gave him a tiny smile, saying apologetically,

"Oops, sorry Giles. Spike says it's like being hugged by a bear trap. But we all know what a cream puff he can be."

"Oh yeah? Wait till you're back to normal Niblet; then we'll see who wins the arm wrestling and demon tossing!"

Spike smiled but was eyeing Buffy with a cool wariness. He muttered,

"You're looking good, Slayer. Guess Europe and taming the newbies suits you?"

"Thanks Spike. You're looking pretty good yourself, for someone who was a pillar of fire last time we saw each other."

Buffy didn't have the heart to be angry and hurt over his not telling her he had returned from his fiery, save-the-world heroics. She felt enough guilt for having distrusted both he and Angel in their recent battle. She offered a truce,

"I'm sorry I missed you guys when you were in Rome. I should have got in touch. But .. "

Dawn took a bag from Giles and winked as she wondered aloud;

"Wonder what the etiquette is? Do you treat both exes the same? Or is there a particular order like when you hire and fire? You know Giles, last in, first out? Oww! Let go Buffy! I can beat you with one hand behind my back these days! Tell her, Spike!"

Spike glanced from the blushing Buffy, who was tugging Dawns ear, to the squirming Dawn and then to a smiling Giles.

"Uh uh Bit, so not gonna get involved. I'm just here to play chauffeur, remember?"

Buffy bit her lip at his nonchalant attitude and Giles looked both relieved and surprised. The blond vamp hefted a suitcase and strode off ahead into the parking lot. The drive to the hotel was quiet, Buffy and Dawn exchanged a word here and there but Spike's coolness provided an awkward dampener on conversation.

When they pulled up in front of the hotel the vamp stayed behind the wheel, leaving them to remove the bags. Through the open window he asked Dawn,

"You want me to swing by later and pick you up?"

"No, I'll be fine. Are you going to the hospital? Don't forget to sound Gunn out about my idea, okay?"

Spike nodded and glanced at Buffy and Giles on the sidewalk. He gave them a small wave and a polite,

"If I don't see you before you leave for Europe, have a good trip. Don't let Bit near the mini-bar; she's a fiend for a good drop of whisky."

"Tattle tale!"

Dawn laughed as he drove off. Turning to a bemused Giles and a confused Buffy, she said brightly,

"I got you a suite. Thought it would be more comfortable having a quiet place to talk. The food here is great, too. Are you guys hungry? I'm always hungry these days. Must be the change of air, like when you go to the beach. Adanar says I'll do some damage to my system if I keep eating the way I have since we've been back."

"Adanar? Oh, your Ganaru friend. I hope we will get to meet him, I've never met a true healer."

Giles led the way into the lobby.

"He's going to come by later. He's really interested in the whole Watcher – Slayer whatsit and the stuff about the Key. I asked him to come to the airport but he thought we'd be better off having a bit of privacy. And he worries about Angel; he doesn't believe us when we tell him Angel's always been doom-y and gloomy. Ganaru aren't susceptible to depression and stuff apparently."

Dawn stood back as he and Buffy signed in and were handed their keys. A bell boy took their bags and showed them to the comfortable suite of two bedrooms, a bathroom and a small living room. After tipping him and closing the door behind him, Dawn grabbed one of the menu's laying on the coffee table and began poring over it. Buffy sat down next to her on the couch and asked diffidently,

"Is Angel as unforgiving over us not trusting him as Spike seems to be?"

"Dunno; although he got himself all worked up when he found out I hadn't got in touch with you. Spike did too. He said it was cruel."

Giles cleared his throat and asked quietly,

"Why did you wait so long to let us know you were back, Dawn? Are you so angry with us that you haven't wanted to talk to us?"

She sighed and leaned back against the couch, frowning.

"First off, we were ill when we came through the portal. The gravity times three deal and we had to fight the slavers for the portal device, which didn't help. Then it seemed like we were in the wrong dimension or something. The time differential; coming across a load of slayers; hometown in a pit, that kind of thing. Then on the way from Canada, where we came through, I began to hear stuff, rumours about the way things went down and I wasn't sure whether you were still the good guys."

Buffy stared at her, hurt. She demanded to know,

"How could you think that? Did Spike or Angel … "

Dawn flared up,

"This was before I got to L.A.! I ran into Clem in Seattle and dropped by every demon bar between there and here and I wasn't sure what I'd find here! Look,"

She tried to calm down as she explained,

"Sunnydale was gone; Willow was still doing magic and was back in our, your, house not long after sending me to hell and with a new girl friend to boot. Not only her but Warren's evil little sidekick and Faith, the rogue slayer! Then I get here to find Spike, Angel and two of their friends taking on dragons and a demon horde numbered in the tens of thousands after Wesley had already been killed and not a Slayer or Scooby in sight! What do you damn well expect me to think, huh?"

The scars on her cheek reddened and she touched them as if they hurt. In a quieter, almost gentle voice she continued,

"I know you never asked to get landed with me or be dragged out of heaven to look after me and I know it wasn't fair of those stupid monks to create me. I'm not blaming you Buffy, honestly I'm not, but it must have been a relief for all of you to have me .. not be there anymore. I never meant to be cruel or hurtful but .. I was so busy staying alive and trying to get back that I never really thought it through. Coming back here to a world where I never belonged. I just wanted out of Hell so badly!"

Buffy began to cry. Giles removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose before he said quietly,

"Willow has never forgiven herself for having said some very hurtful things to you in her madness Dawn. She, we tried very hard to get you back but nothing …"

Dawn broke in,

"She has the power to raise the dead, restore Angel's soul and change ten thousand years worth of history and she's too weak to reverse her own spell? Oh, please! What was it you called her; an 'arrogant amateur'? You knew she was out of control! You knew first hand that she was abusing her power and you just left her, and us, alone to deal with it. You left us!"

Giles sagged and tried to respond but found himself unable to speak but his face took on a guilty, haunted expression.

"And I wasn't there for you either."

Buffy choked out. She turned to Dawn and told her,

"I'm so sorry Dawnie! I'm so sorry I let you down. Those months were so awful for you, I know. I was so busy feeling sorry for myself and using Spike to beat myself up that I ignored everything you were trying to deal with! God, you had to resort to making wish spells and the stealing to get any sort of attention. You were fourteen and trying to deal with losing mom, my death, Glory and the whole Key business and I never even thought about what you were going through! Then I lost you and it was too late."

As Buffy sobbed Dawn put her arm around her sister's shoulders and rocked her.

"Hey, come on, quit that Buffy. Slayers don't cry, I think it's in the rules somewhere. Besides,"

she giggled and Buffy looked at her in surprise,

"That whole klepto thing? Came in real handy; I'm loaded! Kinda stole a few Berdea crystals while I was in the mines. Black diamonds. But it wasn't really stealing; they had no retirement or health plan at all!"

She sounded so virtuously self righteous that Buffy managed a watery smile and asked,

"Loaded huh? So you won't be asking for your accumulated pocket money arrears?"

Dawn waved her hand in an airy, dismissive gesture and said generously,

"Oh, you can keep it all! Use it to buy yourself something madly useless!"

Buffy laughed and wiped her eyes. Dawn picked up the menu and pleaded,

"Can we please order? Before Adanar gets here and does his 'you will suffer a digestive upset' routine? Ooh, lemon chicken! I'm gonna have the chilli too!"

Giles cleared his throat, affected a shudder and frowned at her choices but before he could say a word there was a knock on the door and Dawn rolled her yes and muttered mournfully as she stood to answer it,

"Too late! Now I can only have one or the other! Damn it!"

Even before the Ganaru had a chance to say a word, she demanded to know,

"What's happened? What's wrong?"

Even Buffy and Giles could see the agitated, anxious expression on the demon's face as he glanced towards them momentarily.

"They're here Dawn! Hadretz and Strega! The slavers are here in this city; I saw them across the street just three blocks away!"

"Oh, shit!"

Nobody admonished Dawn for the fervent expletive.