Author's Note: I'm impressed at how many people guessed this.
Epilogue to follow. Then that's all for Season 3. I'll post a little preview for Season 4 at the end of the story, as usual.
Enjoy!
It wasn't the weirdest Christmas ever.
Especially not considering all the Sunnydale years, when weirdness and demon attacks were pretty standard at every time of the year. Or the recent Christmas day craziness, where aliens seemed to always wind up swarming over London on exactly December 25th, like they had an alarm clock or something.
But it was definitely weird.
"So… you're not the same person I knew," Ace double checked, looking Buffy over. "Even though you look and sound exactly like her."
"That's right," Buffy confirmed. "I'm Buffy. Dawn's sister."
Ace nodded, slowly. "Which means… you're not about to blow up at us and go on about the Professor being evil and deserving to die," Ace said. "Which is good." She crossed her arms. "Because he might be an alien git who's always got a master plan stashed away — but he's still the Professor."
"Hey, I'm with you!" Buffy said, gesturing at Ace. "Doctor all the way!"
Ace still seemed a little wary.
But stayed with Dawn, as they got together all the pieces of the airplane. And began to reassemble them back into a bike.
"Mind you, I'll never get it to travel through time or space, again," Ace sighed, trying to reassemble the thing. "Friend of mine put that in, back on Gallifrey. I never knew how it worked."
"I bet Seo could fix it for you," Dawn offered. "You know, when she gets better."
Buffy was off with Seo. In the back room. Just spending some mother-daughter alone time, while Ace and Dawn worked on motorcycles, in the front.
Seo was still drained of energy. Enough so that she couldn't even walk on her own.
Dawn really hoped she was okay.
Ace held up an out-of-shape piece of metal. "Well, if we ever want it to act like a bike, again," she said, "we need to find another one of these. It must have fallen away from the rest of the wreckage, when you crashed."
"I didn't see anything. Maybe it was buried in the sand." Dawn's mind raced. "We could use, like, a magnet! Pick up anything metal we find. Just in case there are other missing parts, too."
Ace grinned. "Not bad, Key-Girl," she said. Adjusted her jacket, getting up. "Think your sister and blondie'll be all right, here, on their own?"
"They'll be fine," Dawn said, shrugging on her own coat, and hurrying to the door. "Just pop your head in, let them know what's happening, and let's get going! We've got bike stuff to do!"
Buffy and Seo listened, as Ace and Dawn left.
Seo's ship nestled away in a corner of the room, with Seo herself tucked up in her bed, nice and tight, looking at her wonderful Mommy. Her wonderful, no-longer-sick, no-longer-threatened Mommy. Who sat just beside her, on the bed, stroking Seo's hair. A gentle smile on her face.
"Don't leave ever again," Seo said.
"I won't," said Mom. "My brave, brave Seo. Splitting open universes to get me back. Testing the fabric of reality for your mom." She stood up, grabbing up another pillow, fluffing it in her hands. "My child." Then, turning on Seo, "His child."
And slammed the pillow down across Seo's face.
Seo struggled to breathe. Struggled to move, beneath the too-tight covers. But the person holding the pillow sat down hard on her, making any struggle impossible.
"It was so easy," said Mom's voice. Now icy and cold. "I just told you what you were expecting to hear. 'I forgive you.' Like anyone would really be that cheesy!"
Seo thrashed.
Tried to scream.
Tried to call out, get free.
Managed only to get a leg free, and with a vicious kick that sapped up all her remaining strength, shoved Elizabeth off of her.
The pillow falling to the floor.
Seo taking in deep lungfuls of air.
"Oh, you little…!" hissed Elizabeth.
She grabbed Seo up by the leg, and — in a burst of her remaining Slayer strength — snapped the bone.
Seo cried out.
"Shh," said Elizabeth, grabbing her up. "Poor little baby. I don't want to kill you. Not really. But you're smart — like your mom said you were. It was only a matter of time… before you found out your mistake. Sent me back." She put her hands around Seo's throat. "And I'm not going back. Not for anything."
Seo screamed, loud as she could.
Loud enough.
The door burst open.
Both Ace and Dawn rushed into the room, leveling weapons at the person who looked exactly like Buffy.
"Figured it was you, toad-face," said Ace, glaring at Elizabeth. "You didn't think twice when I called the Doctor, 'the Professor'. And you knew I'd recognized you, the moment I saw you." Nodding at Dawn. "From her stories, her sister wouldn't have."
Elizabeth was up in a second. Held Seo out in front of her, like a shield.
"One step closer, and she dies," said Elizabeth. "And I'd be happy to kill her. More than happy."
"You… killed Mom," Seo breathed.
"Uh, no, you killed your mom," Elizabeth countered. "And I knew you would. It wasn't a fifty-fifty chance — it was a guarantee." She laughed, a little. "Willow figured it out. She knew I'd be the one prepared for the Crystallizer's change. That I'd know exactly how to act to make me look like her. Exactly which characteristics to adapt, and which to chuck out the window."
"While the real Buffy," Ace continued, "would be unprepared. Floundering and desperate. Pleading and protesting and trying too hard."
"Which would just make me seem more genuine," said Elizabeth. She used her free hand to poke Seo in the shoulder, the pain searing through Seo in a flash of utter agony. "Your mom was pretty upset. She tried to shoot me. Thanks for being my shield, then and now."
As Seo remembered…
The way Elizabeth had stumbled, as they entered the portal. Yanking on Seo's hand, pulling Seo sideways. Dragging her… directly into the way of the shot.
"So," said Elizabeth. "You couldn't tell your mom from me. And killed her. On Christmas! How's that for a Christmas present?" Her grin lighting up her face, her eyes glowing and manic. "I just wish you could see what I'm gonna do, now that I'm free. Too bad you have to die, first."
Dawn stared at Seo.
Looking almost… betrayed.
"How could you not have known?" Dawn said. The raw, bitter pain bleeding across her face. "How could you leave Buffy…?!"
Ace put a hand on Dawn's shoulder.
Her eyes and weapon trained on Elizabeth.
"Oh, come on, Ace," said Elizabeth. "I've got to kill her. She's like him." Her voice lowered. "The guy who jerked your life around. Failed you, over and over again. Brought you into master plans that led to you losing the only people you liked or trusted."
Ace didn't answer.
"I saw how you looked at Gallifrey," said Elizabeth. "You were there, huh? When the war broke out. You fought. You wanted to keep fighting."
"I… got sucked out of the war," Ace muttered. "Didn't mean to. Never knew what had happened."
"Just suddenly woke up, and found out that the Doctor had done it again," Elizabeth guessed. "Killed all your friends on Gallifrey. Murdered everyone on the planet's surface, leaving you the only survivor."
Ace's face burned with fury. "You… miserable…!"
Elizabeth seemed amused.
"You don't know what it's like!" Ace said. "Don't you dare…!"
"I always dare," said Elizabeth. "So go on! Shoot me, and the baby grows up to become the murderer. Another copy of him. Another Doctor running around, manipulating and conniving and destroying people's lives."
Dawn's eyes kept boring into Seo.
More and more with every word Elizabeth spoke.
As if to say, "Really? Really?! You thought this was Buffy!"
Ace stepped forwards. "Yeah, he can be a git," she admitted, with a sigh. "I said that. Won't take it back." She lowered the gun, put it down. Then held out her hands, for Seo. "But you don't shoot the kid for her dad's crimes. So hand her over."
Elizabeth didn't.
Instead, her hands tightened around Seo's neck.
"I don't think so," Elizabeth said, her hands getting ready for their final twist and snap, to kill Seo. "Told you. I'm not going back. Not ever."
Seo knew she had only one chance. Only just barely had enough strength to make this work.
Just as Elizabeth got ready to make it final — to really kill her — to really snap her neck and race out the door, to freedom… Seo twisted in her grip.
And bit down, hard, on her hand.
Elizabeth shrieked, dropping Seo to the ground, in a heap. Ace lunged for her gun, giving off a shot, but Elizabeth had ducked behind Seo's ship, and the shot bounced off the outside.
"Catch me if you can!" called Elizabeth, cracking open a window behind the ship.
Ace surged forwards, but Elizabeth had already slipped out.
And was running away, through the dark night. Keeping to shadows, where the others couldn't see her.
Ace swore. "We gotta get after her," she said to Dawn, grabbing a torch and jumping out the window. "She destroyed one world, already. Not going to see her destroy another!"
Dawn lingered, just a second longer.
Seo looking up at her, from the floor. Seeing every ounce of fury and rage on her face.
As she knew… they were both remembering that silhouette, in the portal. The one they hadn't let through. The one Seo had left to burn to death in a fiery explosion.
"I'm sorry," Seo pleaded, with Dawn. "I didn't know. Really!"
The words seemed to make Dawn even angrier. "I can't deal with this," she hissed. Her whole body shaking with rage, as she hurried after Ace. "You killed my sister, Seo. I can't… talk to you, right now."
Then she left.
Aunt Dawn — the only family Seo still had, on Earth. The only family that had survived this Christmas. Dawn. And she'd never forgive Seo. Couldn't. Hated her for… for…
Seo looked back at her ship.
Struggled, on hands and knees, towards it.
Ace swore, under her breath.
Swore in words that Dawn didn't even know. Alien words from alien worlds Dawn had never been to, and probably never would.
"She's gone," said Ace. Shining the torch around. "Disappeared! And I was so close." She turned back to Dawn. "You know the Doctor?"
Dawn nodded.
"Well, there's one way she's right about him," said Ace, turning back to the house. "When the Professor makes mistakes… he makes big mistakes." Her jaw was set, her voice icy. "And he made a mistake the day he kept her alive."
"Big mistakes," said Dawn. "Like father, like daughter."
Ace paused. Then swung back. "Hey, go easy on the munchkin," she said. "Elizabeth's pretty tricky. Managed to fool the Professor for years."
Dawn couldn't get the image of that silhouette, trying to come through, out of her mind.
The last glimpse she'd ever get of her sister.
"And maybe… maybe you were both right," said Ace. "Sending back the war. Closing the link. Even if I wanted to go back and show those pepper pots a thing or two." She clapped Dawn on the back. "Come on. Let's regroup. Then make sure that Elizabeth gets what's coming to her."
Dawn gave a long, irritated sigh.
"Yeah," she decided. "I guess… you're right. After all, Seo will want to help."
Except… when they got back to the house… they found no Seo. No black glass pillar, in the room. As if they'd both just vanished, completely.
Dawn stared.
Suddenly feeling a horrible kind of guilt crawling through her.
"Seo's… gone," said Dawn. "She just… left."
Left without waiting for Dawn to cool down. Left without waiting for the apologies and the hugs and the tears. Just… gone.
Disappeared from Dawn's life, as if she'd never existed at all.
"You coming?" shouted Ace, from the next room over.
Dawn turned around. Remembering, in 2004, first meeting Ace and hearing that — in her own future — they'd be hanging out together. Having adventures. Saving the world with a gang of their own, and no… no Buffy… around to…
Dawn had been happy about it, back then.
Now, she just felt empty.
No Buffy.
No Seo.
Because Buffy was dead. And Seo had killed her.
"Yeah," said Dawn. Putting on a brave face. "Yeah, I'm… coming."
And she stepped forwards. To Ace. The future she'd known was waiting for her.
Time to meet her destiny.
Seo didn't know how many days — or was it weeks? — she lay on the floor of her ship, as it drifted through the vortex.
Unable to move.
Unable to heal herself properly.
Unable to stop her mind from replaying the scene over and over again. Her choice. Her failure. And that silhouette, just before she'd sealed the breach and sentenced… her own…
Seo had no energy left to do anything but break down into violent, passionate sobs.
Those sobs were the only things she had left.