"Do you have everything, Will?"Buffy asked her best friend.
"I double checked the ingredients and everything's accounted for. We're ready." Willow responded as she looked to Tara for asurrance and then back to Buffy. Andrew, who had just joined the meeting looked nervous.
"Andrew. You're staying here with Emily." Buffy insisted. Andrew looked disappointed and crossed his arms. Emily who was standing next to him, coppied his expression.
"No fair!" Andrew whined. "She's not even nice to me."
Buffy kneeled down to be face to face with her daughter. She took both of Emily's hands in her own and smiled. "Now baby, I know you want to come with us. The truth is baby, that we don't really know what we are getting into so it's safer for you to stay here with Andrew."
"What if bad things get you?" Emily asked, saddened. She looked to the floor. Spike walked over from the couch and picked her up into his arms as she hugged onto him tight.
"Don't you fret little bit. Everything is going to be alright, you hear?" Spike said, looking into her deep ice blue eyes that mirrored his. She paused for a moment and then shook her head.
"That's so beautiful." Andrew said, sniffling back tears. Buffy reached over and slapped his leg. "Ow! That hurt."
"Okay let's do this." Buffy exhaled as she rose to her feet. Spike kissed his daughter's forehead and gently placed her back down on the floor. The rest of the gang got up and shuffled around the room to where they had planned everyone to stand.
"Buffy…" Dawn said, hesitantly. Buffy turned to look at her little sister.
"Dawn, what is it?" Buffy pondered.
"Count me out." Dawn said politely backing out of the circle. "Even after all the training I've done with the Slayerettes I just don't think I'm ready for something this big. I don't want to slow you down."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I'm just going to stay here with Andrew and Emily. Someone has to help Emily tie him to a tree." Dawn joked as Andrew whined again. Buffy gave her sister a smile and looked back at the circle of people she had around her. Giles, Tara, Willow, Xander, and Spike. They held hands as Willow spoke in a foreign language. Seconds later a bright blue portal opened in the center of the circle. Without further thought Emily ran to her mother and placed her hand over Buffy and Spike's hands just as the portal sucked them in.
"Emily, no!" Dawn yelled then realizing it was too late. They were gone. Emily was gone. She looked over to Andrew, who looked about ready to wet his pants. "Buffy is going to kill you."
"Me? Why me?" Andrew whined.
"You were supposed to be watching her and now look. She's off to the future and she's probably in danger." Dawn scourned him. Andrew looked like a sad puppy begging for forgiveness. Dawn felt kind of bad. "Don't worry, Andrew. Buffy will figure something out. She always does…" She said shaky as she stared at the place where only a minute ago stood her family. Worry crossed her face but she was careful not to let Andrew see it. "She always does…"