Chapter 12. There Is No Place Like Home.
Buffy, Dawn, Giles, Spike, and Connor are back in London at Giles' house.
"Dawn, why don't you show Connor around, while I call for take out." says Buffy. Dawn nods her head and leads Connor down the hall.
"Hey, love?" says Spike. "There is one thing about Connor that you should know."
"What's that?"
"He likes older women. So, if he pulls a move on you, tell me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, Angel told me once."
"I don't think he would. He likes Dawn too much."
"I'm not sure about that, Buffy," says Giles. Buffy looks at Giles.
"What? You, too?"
"Buffy, he was holding your hand kind of tight. And he was looking at you in a way that didn't look right."
"Guys can look at me and not be hitting on me. You guys are way overreacting." Buffy walks away from the two.
"He'll probably check out her butt," says Spike. "Now, that's some piece of meat." Giles looks at Spike and he hits him upside the head. "Ouch."
"Try to refrain from saying that in front of me, Spike."
"Sorry, gee."
Dawn takes Connor to the training room where all the junior slayers are training with Faith. Faith sees Connor and is surprised to see him.
"Connor, what are you doing here?" asks Faith.
"You two know each other?" asks Dawn.
"Yeah, when I got out of the joint. He was a naughty kid, well, so was Angel since he was Angelus."
"I'm not too proud of my moody times," says Connor. "I feel like my dad now."
"Like father like son. Never fails. What brings you here?"
"Portal."
"Big mess with the guardian of time and space, but everything is back to normal now."
"How do you know Dawn here?" asks Faith.
"We've been instant messaging each other," Connor replies.
"Oh, so you're lover boy online."
"Faith." Dawn blushes.
"That's funny. You do know he's Angel's son, right?"
"Yes. He told me."
"So, how is the old stick in the mud?"
"You mean my dad?" asks Connor.
"Yep." Faith stretches.
"Human."
"Really? Shanshu came true?"
"Sort of. Didn't really have time to explain it. He's with Cordelia."
"Thought she was all higher being and stuff."
"She's human, too."
"Guess Angel is finally getting what he always wanted."
"What's that?"
"A normal life."
Kennedy returns to Brazil and Willow is happy to see her. She explains everything that happened and is amazed when she told her about her having the idea of hacking a portal to take them into the guardian's plane.
"It was crazy, but we pulled it off," says Kennedy. "And Kat and Tammy with their witch powers. Though you're still better than them." Willow smiles at her lover.
"No need to kiss up, Kennedy," says Willow. "They're really good. They know lots of stuff I know and other stuff that I don't."
"Yeah, but I'm sure you would have come up with a good vanquish for that warlock."
"I've never vanquished a warlock before. They have. At least, I think they have. There is so much we don't know about them and about their world. Xander says it's a lot like ours, but without the demons and sorts."
"Why would two powerful witches be in a place where there are no bad guys to kick around?"
"Don't know."
All around the universe and in each every dimension, every being that had been transferred into another realm have been returned into their own realm. All is balanced again.
Kat, Tammy, and Xander return to the real world once again. Tammy quickly makes her way out of the house since she knew what Xander and Kat are about to do.
"I like it when we get her out of the house like that," says Kat. Xander is holding her real close to him. "It's so much fun to see her run."
"Well, where were we before we were rudely interrupted by these random portals," says Xander.
"I was in my silk pajamas and you in your boxers and tee."
"We were in the bedroom. Let's go over there."
Suddenly a burst of wind enters the house, interrupting their moment. Xander holds on to Kat tight and they both look away. A strange being appears behind the two. They look at the being and realize that she is dressed in white and carrying an octagonal crystal in her hand.
"Very cunning of you to strip the warlock's powers with a binding spell," says the strange being to Kat.
"Thanks," replies Kat. "Oh, Xander, this is the…"
"New guardian," says Xander.
"Yes. She came to me before. Remember when the sword was headed for your neck?"
"Yeah, and you stopped it with your powers. You froze time, right?"
"No, it was I who froze time," says the guardian. "I gave her an ultimatum and she refused to go through with it. She loved you too much and her friends as well to give up their lives to stop the warlock."
"We stopped the warlock and no one got hurt," says Kat. "You better not be here to take my Xander." Kat stands in front of him.
"You were lucky, but if it were another circumstance you could have paid the price."
"I don't understand."
"None of your friends needed to be sacrificed to kill the warlock. I only told you that, so that you would refuse it and think of a different plan and you did. Instead of a warlock vanquishing potion, a binding spell."
"So, the whole thing was to change my mind of what I was to do?"
"What if she hadn't changed her mind?" asks Xander in a concerned tone.
"She would have died at the hands of the warlock. She would have revealed her powers to the warlock while protecting you. The warlock would have become even more powerful than he already was."
"So, I was the one that was going to die," says Kat. "And not Xander or my friends." The guardian nods her head. Kat turns to face Xander.
"The higher powers were at work here. They didn't want you to die. You've helped both Angel and Buffy very much in defeating very dangerous foes."
"Is this like a thank you?"
"Yeah, sort of."
"You're welcome, I think."
"Wait." The guardian turns to Kat. "Does this mean that me and Tammy were sent to their world on purpose? All this time it was the higher beings, right?"
"The first time it was a spell, but the second time we planned it. The being that had been conjured up many millennia's ago was a being that could not be stopped by anyone. Not even the strongest witches like your friend, Willow. We needed an outside source and that is why we brought you. Although the being did say that he was the one who brought you and the powers that be had not anticipated him getting so powerful in such a short time. They did not know that the being knew how to make himself whole again by using a body of a very powerful witch not from this realm."
"That was Kat," says Xander. "So, the powers that be decided to endanger her and Tammy. I thought you guys up there are supposed to be all knowing."
"I know that it was not our finest hour, but everything turned out alright," says the guardian.
"I think you've overstayed your welcome," says Kat. The guardian bows her head.
"Stay safe." The guardian then disappears in an instant.