Disclaimers: Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon own it all. I'm just doing this for fun, and hopefully entertainment

Reviews: Welcomed and appreciated


"Are you sure this is the right way? I see no vampire type castles in this neighborhood." Xander had been at Willow and Cordelia's place when Buffy had called and had insisted on going with them.

"No way am I letting you take Dawn's mother over there by yourself. Who knows what they really want. They could just be using you as a blood delivery service."

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "And how are you more able to take care of us then we are? I have a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do and my Willow is a powerful Wicca. You just don't want to be left out, so just admit it. And you never got over your crush on Joyce. You were always such a sick puppy Xand. Speaking of which, where's the ex-demon?"

"At the Magic Shop, Giles left her in charge. And why do you always have to be such a bitch to me Cordy? If I'd been a better boyfriend you and Willow would've never gotten together and you would never have recognized you latent lesbian tendencies. I am the reason you guys are so happy."

Willow had to laugh, despite the fact that the world might be coming to an end. Her lover and her best friend were always sniping at each other and it amused her more than she could ever say. "Come on kids, stop the bickering or you'll both have a time out. We really need to go and pick up Joyce."

"I don't understand Mrs. Summers. How could Dawn not be Dawn? We've known her since you moved here. How is it you could possibly think she just came into being? And why does this hell god think she's a key that can open the portal to her dimension?" Confusion clouded Willow's face and Cordelia looked as if she were about to cry.

"It's very complicated Willow. But the gist is we need to protect Dawn. We are just very lucky she escaped. We have to get to her. Buffy is doing her best but I know Angelus will lose patience before long." Joyce didn't have the energy to get into the whole explanation. She just prayed Dawn was alright and that Giles would be back soon.

So, here were the four of them on Crawford Street searching for a hidden house. Willow pulled out a pouch and poured a small amount of green powder on her hand. "Okay sweetie, stop the car for a sec." Willow stepped out of the car and blew the dust into the wind, letting it carry the magic powder on its quest. At first it seemed to all dissipate, when it suddenly merged into a spiraling tunnel and headed straight for a large tree. Smiling, she turned to the occupants of the car. "That's where we're going."

"They live in a tree?" Xander questioned.

"Just grab my bag back there and let's go." Sometimes even she lost patience with her much loved Xander.

In much the same way Spike took Dawn to the mansion, Willow led the Joyce, Cordelia and Xander. Fascinated by the strong witchcraft that keep the house hidden for so many years, Willow was dying to meet whoever had crafted the spell. Maybe if she were lucky when this was all over she would.

All four stood at the front door, not sure who should knock when the door was opened by a smirking Spike. "Well, here we have all the white hats in a row. Good thing you have a reason to be here or I'd be feasting for days." He gave Cordelia a lecherous grin as he eyed her low cut t-shirt. "Oh yes, for days."

Willow's eyes gave off sparks as she waved her hand, sending Spike across the foyer. "Hey, I was just having a bit of a look. You didn't have to go all witchy on me."

"Enough Spike. Don't you have someone to kill?" Buffy came down the stairs closely followed by Dawn, whose eyes were downcast.

"Couldn't find him." Spike was lifting himself up and trying to right a table he had been thrown into.

"That was an antique Spike. Next time could you just fall through a wall?" Buffy went to Joyce and motioned to Dawn. "She knows what she is, seems the hell god told her of her origins." She reached behind and grabbed Dawn's arm, pulling her forward. "Here, she needs to cling and I am not the one she should be clinging to." She nodded at the other three. "Come into the library." She turned and walked down the hallway.

"So, all the little scoobies are still together? Isn't that quaint?" Angelus had several books open, he cast a meaningful glance at Cordelia and Willow. Would love to see the two of them together, he thought.

As if reading his mind, Buffy came to stand behind him and whispered in his ear. "Don't go there, don't even think it." He looked up at her with his signature smirk.

"I'm just window shopping Buff. No purchasing, promise." He loved it when her jealousy reared its' little head.

"Willow, come take a look at these. I thought we could spend a little vacation in an alternate dimension, just don't know which one seems the best."

"Oh, cool. You have spells to open the portals? How about returning spells?" Willow almost ran over to him, forgetting the fact that she was in the home of a master vampire. She peered over his shoulder, getting a little too close for Buffy's liking so she went over to Angelus' desk and lifted several of the volumes and placed them on a near by table.

"Here Willow. You can look at these over here."

She smiled up at Buffy, "Great. Cordelia, come take a look at these."

Angelus gave her a wicked smirk. That's my girl, he thought, good thing we think alike. Xander had been staring at Buffy since he had walked in the door and that would not do. He rose and walked over to Buffy and whispered into her ear.

"Seems your little high school chum just can't take his eyes off of you. If he starts drooling he will be living minus a testical or two. Take care of it." He walked out to the room and motioned for Spike to follow him.

Buffy sighed and looked about the room at the assembled group. How had she gotten into this all over again? The only one missing was Giles and he was the only one she really wanted to see. Well, him and the two Summers women. She would never admit it to Angelus, but they pulled at her. If she told her sire he would kill them on the spot, of this she was sure, so for the first time in their relationship Buffy consciously kept something from him. But she would fix this, make things safe for the women and then her life would be her own again. And his, she would be his completely once more. She stood in front of Xander and looked down at him.

"Why did you come? You really have no reason to be here and you are not wanted. I am going to have someone escort you back to your place."

He looked up at her and frowned. "Do you think I want to be here? You make me sick. You chose this, him, over the people who really loved you? You made that decision while you were still yourself and looked what happened. You've turned into the kind of person you hated. Hanging on his every word, catering to his every demand. You used to be something, someone. Now you're just nothing."

Buffy laughed out loud and whispered to him. "It speaks and says nothing as usual. You can honestly preach to me of being nothing when your whole life depends on others pulling you along? As for what I am, well I owe you no explanations, but I love what I have become. I am Angelus' mate and he is mine. When I was her, your precious little slayer, I had nothing of my own. I had to save the world and still deal with your demands and whining. And your inadequacies. Oh, does someone need rescuing? Must be Xander. And when I fell in love with a real man I got no support from you. The only one who understood was Willow. You, my sad little boy, you were just a burden that kept running along after the big kids." She gave him a disdainful glare. "My gods, you couldn't even keep your girlfriend satisfied so you had to turn to an ex-demon." She moved in close to his face. "Do not mistake your jealousy and envy for superiority. You are nothing, have always been nothing and will always be nothing. Except maybe a yoke around the neck of your friends and Giles."

With that she turned to find Spike when she felt his hand on her shoulder. Without thinking, she grabbed his wrist, flung him to the ground and landed on his chest with her knee. She heard the air whoosh out of him and shook her head.

"What the hell are you thinking of boy? At least pretend to have the balls to take it." Buffy got up and stood away from him, waiting for him to catch his breath while Cordelia and Willow ran to help him up.

"What happened?" Willow looked up at Buffy with tears in her eyes. She had been a fool to think this might be the beginning of some sort of new relationship with her old best friend.

"He surprised me and…hey, wait a fucking minute here. I do not have to explain myself to you. You are here to help Dawn and Joyce, not to ask me questions. Are we clear?" Buffy rolled her eyes. She was a demon after all, these weak humans were lucky she didn't let Angelus and Spike have a mid-night buffet at their expense.

Willow shook her head. "We're sorry, it's just hard. We kinda went back in time for a second. Please Buffy, don't be mad."

"Oh please. Don't you dare apologize to her." Cordelia had had quite enough of Willow's excitement and Xander's mooning and glaring. He was lucky Angelus hadn't ripped him a new one. "She's the one who sent for us." She glared at Buffy. "And don't play miss high and mighty. I saw the way you were looking at your mom and sister, yeah, I said it. Mom and sister! You may be able to fool all of them," she waved her hand at the assembled group, "but you cannot fool me Buffy Summers. Even as a vampire bitch, I know how you work. With all your strength and power you should've been a force to be reckoned with in Sunnydale. Hello, still a Hellmouth. But no, you sit at home with your vampire lover and travel to Italy and shop. You do not rally the forces of evil to take over demonland. And you tamed the fucking," she turned to Joyce, "pardon the language," she turned back to Buffy, "the fucking Scourge of Europe. His bark has definitely become worse than his bite."

Buffy calmly walked up to Cordelia and took her by the throat as she pushed her against the nearest wall. In a deathly quite voice she spoke. "Don't you dare to presume you know me, girl. You know nothing of me or my lover or my life. You live because of my grace and because of his."

Willow ran to the two of them. "Buffy please! She can't breath. Please put her down. She and Xander will go. They don't get it, they just don't understand that you are someone else now. Please Buffy, I am begging you. Please put her down." Buffy heard the fear in her voice and saw it in Cordelia's eyes and smirked. She had made her point so she released the dark haired girl. "I'll get Spike to take them home." She turned and started walked away.

Dawn was in her mother's arms, silently crying. "Maybe we should go too, mom. I don't think she wants any of us here. I don't want Cordy and Xander to leave."

"Shhh baby, we have to stay. We have to keep you safe and we have no place else to go. Just remember sweetheart. It's not the Buffy you remember. She's someone else now. I wish she was our girl, but she isn't."

Xander wiped the tears from his eyes. "I'm sorry, I…I just couldn't help but try to see our old Buffy and all I succeeded in doing is ruining things." He ran after Buffy. "Please Buffy, don't punish them because of me. I'll go, but let Cordy stay. Both Will and Dawn, they need her." He was pleading and Buffy appreciated a good bit of begging.

"Fine. You leave, she stays." She nodded toward Cordelia. "But she had better watch her tongue or someone will watch it for her." Buffy went to Dawn and Joyce. "While they search for a portal let me show you to a room where you can rest. I'm sure you must me tired." She looked Joyce over Dawn's head.

"That would be nice. Thank you Buffy. And thank you for…well for all of this." She rose, lifting Dawn with her. "Come on sweetheart, we'll lie down for a while. I really am quite tired."


"So you think this is the place that will work for us?" Angelus was reading over the dimension Willow was suggesting to him.

"Well, I don't really know for sure but it appears to be less demonic than most and this one visitor writes that the locals have a simple village-type existence. They are very superstitious but we could just blend and bide our time for awhile. Don't you think?"

"Maybe. You have a way to come back once you get there, right?"

"Well, yeah. But aren't you and Buffy coming with us?" Willow didn't think it would be safe to travel there without them.

"No, but I'm sending Spike with you. You'll be fine with him." Angel turned to find Buffy but Willow stopped him.

"Angelus, why are you doing this for us? I mean, why do you care?"

He turned back to the young witch. "Because she cares. I don't know why, but this means too much to her. Dawn and Joyce mean too much to her and I want this to end here. I could just let you all die, I have no problems with that. But she wants you all to live." He sat back down and considered her. "When I turned her, when she asked me to turn her, I thought the first thing we would do together was kill the lot of you. But instead she made me promise nothing would happen to you." He shrugged. "She's not like a vampire, not really. But she's not like her old self either. Buffy is her own entity. And she's mine. I will do anything to keep her that way. If that means protecting people from her old life, so be it. But don't mistake this for my caring Willow. I don't. I only do this for her. Are we clear?"

"Crystal."


Glory was pacing about the room when her minion entered.

"Oh magnificent one. We have news." Slook bowed before her.

Glory kicked at him to release a little of her frustration. "Well, give you little beastie man."

"We caught sight of the blond vampire escorting a human home. We think he may know the where abouts of the little girl. He is a friend of the mother as well."

"Yeah, okay. So why isn't he here? Do I have to do everything myself? Why do I even have minions to do my work when they don't?"

"So sorry mistress of splendiferous radiance…we shall bring the boy to you." He bowed as he began to depart.

"Umm, hello? Need a little attention here. Some nourishment would be a good thing. Gods! Do I have to do it all? Bring me some food and then a mimosa, I do need my vitamins, then bring me the boy. Are we on the same page now?" She looked at her nails and waited.

"Indeed your grace. Your will shall be done."


Xander sat in his apartment thinking over what Buffy had said and he had to admit she was right. He really didn't have anything to offer anymore. Not that he really ever did. Willow had her magic, Cordelia was becoming the little ninja protector and Giles. Well, Giles was the glue that kept them all together once Buffy had left. They all did their best but he only had a few funnies and a little bit of brawn to offer. And these days Cordelia's brawn was the most effective.

Anya sat next to him and handed him a beer. "What's the matter? I wish you hadn't gone with them. I mean it was dangerous and you are needed here. By me." She had come home from the Magic Shop and found Xander in a funk. When pressed, he had finally told her what had happened. "I never met this Buffy the slayer, but I am so sure she is not worth all this upset. She's a vampire now, she's happy. And she's helping Joyce and Dawn. So really, there's no reason to be all gloomy. As far as you are concerned, it's over."

The door to their apartment flew open allowing 3 of Glory's minions to enter. "You are the friend to the key? You know where she is residing?"

Both Xander and Anya jumped up, Xander ready to fight, Anya ready to run. "Xander, the bedroom. We can get out through the window."

"Who the hell are you?" Xander questioned.