The moment Dawn opened the door she knew something was wrong. She quickly bypassed joy at seeing her friends as dread settled in at seeing their faces. She stood back as both Willow and Giles entered without an invitation, allowing a bit of tension to ease from her. "Buffy!" Dawn called before either Willow or Giles could speak. Looking at them both Dawn asked, "Did something happen to Kennedy?"

"No Dawnie, she flew on to Cleveland to… to break the news there," Willow avoided eye contact as she spoke. Dawn noticed that Willow was playing with a small, lightly glowing orb on a necklace.

Another look over the duo and Dawn felt the bottom of her stomach begin to fall out. "Where's Xander?" As soon as Dawn had said his name Willow pulled the taller girl into a tight hug and started crying. Immediately Dawn began to cry into Willow's hair as she kept saying no, oblivious to Buffy's entrance.

"What…" Seeing Dawn clinging to Willow and the two crying, Buffy turned her gaze to Giles. "What's going on Giles?"

"Buffy, perhaps you should sit down," Giles started then looked to Willow and Dawn. "Willow, would you…" At this Willow led Dawn down to sit beside her on the small couch, while Buffy took a seat in one of the chairs.

Giles took a seat as well, and to Buffy's eyes truly looked what must have been his age. A sad and weary look to his face and a near defeated slump, barely noticed in his shoulders, set Buffy on edge. "We," Giles started, motioning to Willow, "just returned from South Africa…" Giles held up a hand, forestalling Buffy's questions.

"Xander had left a message for me, saying he'd stumbled across a ritual sacrifice, or some such thing. He arrived too late to help the victim but had done his best to interrupt the ritual, however some of the demons made it through a portal they'd created. He'd left the message for me after they'd gone through, describing quickly what he saw and… and that he loved you all." There was a pause as Giles looked Buffy in the eyes, noting out of the corner of his eye that Willow was holding Dawn tighter. "He followed them through."

"What… why would he do something so… I thought he was past this recklessness," Buffy began, anger in her voice.

"Shut up!" Dawn yelled. "This isn't the time for that Buffy. You know why he'd do something like that, he'd risk anything if it could save a life. Just… Don't."

"He was afraid something dangerous might be coming through the portal and went to try and stop it," Willow said with a sniffle. "It's so stupid and brave and idiotic and heroic and… so Xander."

"And by all accounts, it worked," Giles said with a look at Buffy. "As far as we can tell, nothing came through the portal. We can only assume that Xander stopped it. We've researched the demons and… it's quite a feat that he managed to kill one of them. Possibly even the others on the other side of the portal. He… he did well, he did us proud."

Buffy didn't seem to pick up on the verbal cues in how Giles spoke, as she asked, "Can't Willow just, you know, magic him back or something? Open the portal back up so we can go get him… Or…" Buffy's eyes misted over and she stared Giles hard in the eye. "He's dead, isn't he?"

Dawn let out a loud whimper into Willow's shoulder again as Willow stroked her hair. "He's not dead," Willow said as she pulled away from Dawn. "We… we can't get a portal to him, there are too many variables for us to find him. But we managed this," she said pulling the glowing necklace up to show both girls. "It shows us that Xander's still alive. As long as this orb is intact or glowing, we know Xander's alive. It can't be broken except…" Willow took a deep breath. "It can't be broken unless Xander dies. So we know wherever he is, he's alive." Willow graced them both with a watery smile. "Where there's life, there's hope."

A giggle bubbled up from Buffy, quickly changing to a strangled cry as she rushed to embrace the crying girls on the couch. Dawn even managed a smile at the line, before more tears fell as they all held each other. The three women stayed that way for a few minutes, crying and reassuring each other. Giles finally stood up after watching the display, absently rubbing his eyes, before muttering about making some tea. Buffy gave one last squeeze to Willow and Dawn then extricated herself to show Giles where everything was in the kitchen.

As soon as she stepped in the kitchen, Buffy gave Giles a piercing gaze. "What aren't you telling us Giles?" She watched as he pulled off his glasses and cleaned them, that little bit of home, of something she was so used to, eased the pain that had settled in her chest since Giles had broke the news. "Xander isn't this reckless, not anymore. What happened?"

With a sigh, Giles put his glasses back on and motioned Buffy further into the kitchen, further away from the possibility of being overheard. "I got to the ritual first, before Kennedy or Willow. When I got there… the sacrifice the demons used bore more than a passing resemblance to Willow. It was eerily so, in fact I immediately called Willow. I told her it was to check on when she'd make it but… I wanted to be sure, even though I'd spoken to her just awhile earlier." Giles busied himself with fixing the tea, looking away from Buffy. "What was done to the girl… I'm not sure how much of it Xander saw but… We know how protective he is of Willow."

Buffy's voice trembled. "I remember. He threatened me once, over her." At Giles sudden intense look, she continued. "It was after I came back to school, when you'd all been kidnapped to try and bring back the Master. He… he told me that if they hurt Willow he'd kill me." A silence stretched on longer than comfortable. "Giles, he meant it."

"I know. I didn't tell Willow about this, Buffy, for a reason. I don't want her to feel responsible, it wasn't her fault."

"I know Giles, I won't say anything, I promise." Buffy stood there and watched as Giles finished with the tea. It was minutes before she caught his eye and searched his face as she asked, "Do you think he'll make it home?"

A fatherly smile crossed Giles lips. "Buffy, if anyone could it would be him. And we know that others have come through portals before. Suffice to say, I have already bought a box of Twinkies in anticipation of his return."