William was watching Dawn while she flipped through his father's watchers diaries. The council had this thing about people reading the Diaries of their watchers, but for some reason he was letting her read them anyway. It was a feeling he couldn't shake. That feeling was that she was supposed to read them. Almost as if all the answers to her questions could be found in his fathers books.
Almost as if everything he had just been thinking was actually happening, he heard Dawn gasp, "oh my god." Then when he looked up he saw her drop the books and pass out. William immediately ran over to Dawn. He checked her to make sure she was okay and then lifted her and placed her on the couch near the fire place. He then walked over to the diary and picked it up, before getting the maid to get a cool cloth for Dawn. He then walked back over to her and moved a piece of hair from her face. -- After a few moments of watching her, he remembered why she had fainted. He looked at the page of the Diary he suspected had caused her to faint. At the top of the page were two words in bold lettering. "THE KEY"
Sunnydale 2003
Spike and Willow were still searching & hacking into data bases. The Scooby's had been researching for the past 2 days. And had yet to come up with anything. All the sudden Spike knew exactly where to look. "Bollocks." he said or more like yelled. And in a matter of seconds was out the door. All the Scooby's looked at him oddly. Giles was the first to realize what happened. "Oh dear lord."
"Now see when he says 'dear lord' nothing good ever comes from that. It can't be good now. The world is going to end for the umpteenth time." Xander tried to lighten the mood of the room with sarcasm, but was only shot with annoyed and withering stares from everyone. Xander just rolled his eyes, and slumped in his chair, waiting for Giles to get on with his explanation. As soon as everyone was looking at Giles, he sighed and wiped his glasses before he continued. "Because Dawn is in the past she is changing the future without even realizing it. It could be the slightest thing that gets changed, but we still get new memories. However, because of where she is and when she is Spike's memories are going to be the ones that change more than ours. -- My theory is that he ran out because he remembered something. However, what it was we may never know because that memory could have been at any point in time from the time Dawn is in now until this very moment we are in.
Before the group could even get shocked expressions on their faces Spike was back, due to his vampiric speed. "You got that one bloody right, Ripper." Spike said to Giles as he held up 4 watchers diaries. Giles looked at him confused. Spike saw this and said 3 words that shocked Giles even more than Dawn being in the past. "They're my fathers."
This time it was Willow who spoke up first. "What?" Spike answered, but didn't look up from one diary that he was looking through. " My father was a watcher Red. The only thing was I never knew where they were when I was alive after my father died. Dawn found them. Then passed out when she found this." he looked up and handed the diary to Giles.
Giles looked at the diary with a shocked and confused look as he read. But Spike was fuming. " How can your bloody diaries say that Dawn isn't real and my fathers can completely contradict what you bloody said. According to my father all those memories are very much real. That bit about her powers doesn't really surprise me, she always smelled of power, even more than red over there. -- What the bloody hell is gonna happen to my nibblet watcher?
London 1880
William was sitting, on a chair, in the library, next to Dawn. She hadn't awoken in an hour and a half. He was beginning to worry about her. So as he sat by her he read the entry in his fathers diary. He had heard his father mention "the Key" once, but had thought nothing of it. But as he read on he wasn't sure what had caused Dawn to faint. Had it been all the supernatural content? No that couldn't be it, she was the one who calmly asked if his father had been a watcher. Then he thought, 'what if this information was shocking on a more personal level for her?"
Just as he thought this Dawn began mumbling. "No. No. No. Buffy. Buffy I have to go. You know I do. It won't stop until it has the blood. Always the blood.-- I have to go. You know I do.-- Buffy you have to let me go. Look what's happening. It has to stop and I have to stop it.-- I love you Buffy." William watched her while she mumbled and as she began sobbing. But at the end of her mumbling she began glowing green. William jumped up and back, staring wide eyed at her. A few moments later she stopped glowing and she slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him. When she saw him she smiled. William just kept looking at her not really comprehending what had happened. Then he subconsciously heard a deep voice. "It is done. Good luck young one. You will soon understand what it is you are meant to do." and then the voice was gone and the 2 continued to look at each other. William shocked and Dawn for the first time in her life content but not complete.