Chapter 2
I knew something was wrong as soon as I walked in the door. I invited Wesley to stay for a late dinner, and went in search of Buffy, making sure that Spike was cooking and not her. She may be great at a lot of things, but cooking is not Buffy's forte.
I knew she wasn't going to answer even before I shouted her name. Intuition annoys the hell out of me. Wes tried to convince me that they just weren't back from patrol yet, but I knew. For all their inventiveness, Buffy and Spike patrolled the same pattern every night, and were home at exactly the same time. We'd sit down have dinner and they'd do another sweep before bed, sometimes with me tagging along. If a demon held them up, they'd call my cell. I had no missed calls.
I began to panic and was about to go look for them when Wesley's phone rang. The butterflies that had been making my stomach their new playground instantly turned into the world's largest boulders. I sank to the couch as Wes' face turned ashen. My fingernails cut deep crescents into my palms. I didn't even notice the blood till Wesley grabbed my hands after he'd hung up the phone.
He wrapped me in a hug as I began to cry. Waiting till I calmed, he told me Willow had said we were needed at council head courters. Buffy and Spike were patrolling with some of the younger slayers, when a female Chamos, a lesser demon of time, seemingly came out of nowhere. In their attempts to kill her, they didn't notice the portal it began to create around itself. As they both ran at the Chamos the portal closed around them sending them off to goddess knows where in time. The others had ran back to base camp to inform the others and start the research party. That's what we're need for. Research.
As I look around me at the dozens of others helping us look for a way to bring Buffy and Spike home, I marvel at how the times have changed, and yet think that we could have hundreds helping us and still not find anything useful. We don't even know if there's anything useful to find. The Chamos are a very rare breed of demon, and not much study has been done on them. No one has ever gotten caught in one their portals before. Figures it would have to be Buffy that would be the first to stumble into this kind of mess. She seems to be magnetic when it comes to bad luck.
"We'll find a way to bring them back, and you'll have Buffy yelling at you to clean your room before you know it," Wesley says, trying to comfort me. I can tell by the look in his that he's not even sure though.
I put on my bravest smile and lean in as he wraps his arm around my shoulders. "Sure we will. And Spike will be back to insulting you with the Britishisms that only you two seem to understand, while Buffy and I laugh as you grumble back insults under your breath."
"I would never," He replies using his version of the higher than mighty voice.
I lift my head and raise an eyebrow at him. I can tell he's trying not to laugh, by that twinkle he gets in his eye. I love that twinkle. In a way it's comforting. "Really?"
He smiles and kisses my forehead, before I once again rest my head on his shoulder. Squeezing me again, he reverts back to seriousness. "I promise Dawn, we will rescue them."
And in that moment I can almost believe that there is no doubt. Everything will be alright. I am at home safe and protected, while my sister and her husband take a second honeymoon through time, and they will return soon baring outrageous gifts for everyone. It's a nice thought. I sit up and the two of us get back to our research, but not before I lean over and give Wesley a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Wes." He smiles in return.