Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Hermione Granger stalked down the back steps of The Arms onto the back lawn, Dobby the House Elf in close attendance. It was four days since they'd been brought to this new reality, two since the group of military men had been located with Caridad. Now everyone was settled into their own space in the hotel, the slayers were training, some people were off doing whatever tasks they were assigned and this group, the group she was looking for, were doing some sort of 'training' on the back lawn. Yes. And the two individuals she was searching for were in fact with the group just as she'd thought.

"Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy," she barked in a highly aggressive manner.

"Hermione Granger should be sitting down and calming herself," Dobby twittered. "Would she like a cool drink? A foot rub?"

Lee Imlay looked at the two young men, only a few years younger than he himself really, and saw them flinch. He'd been teaching them, or at least trying his best to teach them, firearms and so far the two were fairly useless. Now he found himself intrigued as the petite, pregnant girl stalked over to them, one of those freaky elf things chattering at her, and it seemed the two men, both quite a bit bigger than the girl, were cowed.

"Hey 'Mione," the dark haired guy began.

"Don't you 'Mione me, Harry!"

"Look, Granger," the blonde tried.

"And you," she turned on him. "I would think YOU would know better!" Her hands went to her hips and she turned her eyes onto Imlay for a moment. "I won't take a moment of your time and you can have these two idiots back, not that it will do any good."

Malfoy was affronted. "I'll have you know, Granger…"

"What, Malfoy? What? You're doing so well with guns? Doing so well with Muggle inventions are we," her voice was filled with sarcasm. "I am pregnant not incapacitated! You call off Dobby this instant since he won't listen to me, or if you don't I swear on all that is magical in this reality I will blast you with the nastiest spell I can come up with. I am not the smartest witch for nothing."

"'Mione, we just," Harry began to speak, trying to placate the irate witch.

Out of nowhere the girl whipped out a wand, "Silencio," she cried. "I am not a victim!" Now tears were pouring down her face. The blonde kept his mouth shut, probably the smartest thing he'd done all day, and the little elf lowered to the ground silently, his ears drooping. "I am NOT a bloody victim and you keep putting me in that place! Ron will always be dead, Harry, we will always have to remember that, but WE are alive! And bloody hell I'm going to live because that's what they would have wanted; that's what he would have wanted. And this baby might not have been created out of love. That's something I have to live with for the rest of my life, but he or she WON'T. THIS baby will be born and loved and I will not be a VICTIM anymore. DO YOU UNDERSTAND? Both of you," she asked, her wand twitching between the two.

"We're sorry, Hermione," Draco said softly.

All Harry could do is nod, so he did, and Hermione ended the spell. "Dobby, let Hermione have her space. If she needs something I'm sure she'll get the help she needs," he said, shame filling his voice.

Dobby looked up at Hermione, tears filling his large eyes. "Dobby just wants to help Hermione Granger. She's Harry Potter's best friend."

"And I love you for it," she told him and hurried away sobbing.

Harry and Draco looked after her not knowing what to do.

Lee looked at both youth. "Ain't you goin' after her?" When he got no response he shook his head. "And you can do that too? You guys are shit with guns, and you just let a girl go off cryin' on her own."

Draco sneered at the shorter man, "Did you not hear her tell us to leave her be? If we went after her she'd probably hex our bloody balls off!"

Lee rolled his eyes. "I'll be back," he told them and hurried after the girl. His mother had taught him one thing right at least. You don't just leave a girl to go crying by herself; especially not some crying pregnant girl.

She hadn't gotten far; sitting down on a bench, her little wooden stick clutched between both small hands. This Hermione really was a pretty girl, which he had no business thinking since one, she was pregnant and two she was a teenager, he told himself as he approached. "I come in peace," he announced so as not to startle her. "Please don't turn me into a toad."

The girl looked up at him, brown eyes still shining with tears. "No toads, I'm much more inventive than that. And you're safe… I already feel sorry enough that you have to teach Harry and Draco how to use Muggle weaponry."

Lee stepped forward and handed her a white cloth before stepping back again nervously. Just because his mom taught him you didn't leave a girl crying didn't mean he felt less nervous about it. Cuz let's face it, girls and tears were nerve racking. "I brought that so you could wipe your face," he told her and felt stupid.

She smiled gratefully. "It smells a bit… odd."

"Gun oil… sorry," he shrugged.

Hermione sighed. "You really are wasting your time you know. I don't even know why they signed up for it. I think it was Fred and George who dared Draco… and if Draco had to do it then he would drag Harry. Harry would know what guns are, he was raised in a Muggle family, but until we came here Draco had no idea. And now he's watching movies I think he's envisioning himself as Sylvester Stallone or some other action hero."

"I should have our Staff Sgt train 'em. He could do it. Talk about a live action hero."

She jolted a bit, and stood, the tears drying as she moved towards him. "I'm Hermione, you probably know from the conversation, but…"

"Lee Imlay," he told her.

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Dom didn't know how he ended up there, but he did, and when he did she was there too. He felt a connection to this woman; a spiritual connection. "How is she?"

Cordy looked up to find Dom looking down on her as she rocked Elena Catherine in the nursery. "She's doing well. We're past the stomach cramps and she's starting to sleep better. I think she has nightmares. I think I'm going to be moving her crib to my room tonight once I get the all clear from the doctor."

Dom eased down on a chair next to her. "That's a lot of responsibility."

Now Cordy just looked at the baby. "I know, but all I do is think of her, and I find myself spending more and more time with her. I'm surprised I haven't seen you in here."

Dom ran his hand over his head. "I know… I've missed her… I've been a little messed up in my head…"

"Are you okay?" Now Cordy was worried. She knew the loss of Brian O'Connor had been hard on Dom and his family. He'd taken great comfort in Elena that night. But since the new group had come he'd been absent and now he looked haunted, and a flashbulb went off in Cordy's head. "It's one of the new people. They remind you of someone…"

"Elena Santos… one of the new slayers… she's the image of Letty, my former fiancé. She died. Seeing that woman… it was like seeing a ghost."

Cordy leaned forward, making sure to catch Dom's eye. "I understand," she whispered. "Seeley Booth. He's the image of Angel, Connor's dad. I loved him. Was going to tell him and then I went into that coma. Now he's gone. Forever. I understand. Have you talked to her? Perhaps there's a chance…"

"No," he interrupted; his voice was so very certain. "I saw her watching someone else. I have a feeling she was working up to something. If there isn't something already there will be. And it isn't that I want something with her… it was just a shock after not seeing her face for a few years."

The baby had awoken and she'd seen Dom. She smiled widely and started reaching out her arms towards him, making the two adults lean closer to make the exchange.

"It was just a shock," he asserted. "Why do I feel like I can talk to you about all of this; like I can talk to you about anything?"

Cordy smiled. "Some people just have connections. Sort of like me and Xander. We dated in high school and now we're like brother and sister."

"Yeah… yeah, at first I thought it was gonna be something more… you're gorgeous," he told her bluntly, and grinned when she blushed, "but…"

"No, I know what you mean…" she said softly. "I feel it too… like I've known you for a long time…"

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Buffy hit the button for the elevator and leaned her head against the wall. The day had been a long one full of training, and she wanted to shower before dinner. She couldn't count it as a bad day though. On the contrary, it had been good. There had been no premonitions as of yet, and no sojourns into unknown territory. All in all, a good day.

"Ms. Summers."

Her name was said in that deep smooth velvet, that sent a pleasurable shiver up her spine and she opened her eyes to see Aaron Hotchner looking at her.

"Are you all right?"

She smiled. "I'm fine. Tired in a good way. Just heading up to shower before dinner. You?"

"I was helping to train some of the younger men with firearms… Jack's playing with some of the other children," Aaron couldn't help but smile as he spoke. "I have to admit I'm surprised with how happy he is playing with them."

"Brave Jack's a good boy," Buffy smiled remembering the little boy holding onto her. It had felt good. "They're all so good. I just want as much normal for them as we can get." A fierce light entered her eyes.

"You're an amazing person, Buffy," Aaron told her honestly. "Hell and suffering fall around you and you and your friends have managed to not only save so many of us, but you've given us all purpose and reason. Very few of us would have survived if not for you."

Buffy stared at Aaron Hotchner for a moment before leaning in and pressing her small body into his and his up against the wall behind him. "We all need purpose, Hotch… that's what they call you, isn't it? We all need purpose… you would have survived… and you would have made sure your group and the Lima parents survived. Because that's who you are… but I'm really glad we were able to bring you back here." Then Buffy did what she'd been itching to do for three days and she kissed Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner.

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