Crawford Street Mansion.

The older Dawn caught a glimpse of a black blur rushing towards her while arguing with Buffy. There was no time for her to move before the blur impacted her and she was forced down onto the hard floor. She heard a growl above her while fingers quickly pressed around her throat… within a few seconds her vision was clearing from the impact onto the floor.

'You!' Dawn thought as she stared into the dark yellow eyes staring back at her. Her eyes went to the fangs in Angel's mouth before her ears heard Giles, Buffy, Willow, and the Xander both yelling and pulling at Angel to get off her. Seeing Angel again after all this time brought about memories of her own torture at his hands. It was because of him that she had the whip marks on her back… it was because of him that she lost her left eye. Gritting her teeth as they locked eyes with each other and her heart racing, she swung her right arm and slammed a fest into the side of his face. She continued to punch him while everyone was trying to pull him off her.

"WHY?!" Angel yelled into Dawn's face while she continued to punch the side of his head, "WHY!?"

The older Dawn was also moving her legs while trying to slip away and hopefully to knee him in any sensitive area. She felt his hands tightening around her throat before she grabbed his head with both hands and made a split-second decision to cast a quick spell. It would be nothing big like the Ignis spell, instead it would be similar to the spell which killed Amy the rat. Dawn glared at Angel as she wordlessly cast the Fulmen spell. Arcs of electricity shot out from both of her hands and into both sides of Angel's head. It was enough to make him scream in pain and let go of her throat before he brought his hands to both sides of his own head. It was enough to give him enough pain, but not enough to stun both Buffy and Faith who were holding onto Angel and pulling him away.

As the two Slayers pulled him off the older Dawn, she slowly sat up while rubbing her own throat. Getting to her feet slowly as Angel – now shaking his head as the pain faded away – growled at her while Faith and Buffy continued holding him back. Dawn could see that he was struggling to break free… his rage etched on his face… as she rolled her hands into fists. This was the same Angel who tortured her… the same Angel who wasn't strong enough to stop Twilight from taking him over. The same Angel who brought about the End of all Things.

The older Dawn looked to her left as Tara placed a hand on her shoulder before glancing over at Willow standing next to the blonde witch. Older Dawn then turned her head to see the fear on the face of her younger self. She then looked over at Giles who was yelling at Angel to calm down while Xander and Anya looked on.

'This isn't that Angel,' the Older Dawn reminded herself. She took in a deep breath before speaking, "I'm sorry, Angel." Her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear since they all looked over at her while Angel stopped struggling, his vampire eyes glaring at her while bearing his fangs at her.

"You smell like her," he growled as he nodded at the younger Dawn while staring at the older one, "who are you? And why did you kill Darla and my child? Why my child? He was innocent!"

Everyone was eyeing her now. Older Dawn could feel their judgement on her as she closed her eyes and remembered the Conner she knew in the future. He was a friend. One of her best friends who remained with her as the End came down on all of them. He died at the hands of his possessed father weeks after Twilight's demons took over the world. Dawn opened her eyes and breathed out while willing her heart to slow down.

"Conner," Dawn said as everyone stared at her, "that's what you would have named him."

Angel raged out at her, nearly breaking Faith and Buffy's hold on him. Older Dawn and Angel stared at one another, the latter growling in her direction while Faith – holding tight onto his left arm – was telling him to calm down. Older Dawn turned her head towards Faith and remembered the way she died in the future. She then turned her head towards Buffy staring at her with lips pressed together before the latter asked the question going through everyone's minds.

"You really killed Darla? And her son?" Buffy asked. By now, Angel stopped struggling and was standing very still, his body tense, and his arms held on tight by both Faith and Buffy. The older Dawn felt Faith's eyes on her as well, before she turned her head towards the others nearby. She then turned her head towards the look on her younger self's face – she feared the answer to Buffy's question.

"You know the answer, Buffy," the Older Dawn said as she turned away from the stunned look on her younger self, "you know why it needed to be done." Older Dawn glanced at the look of disgust on Angel's face before continuing, "you would have your son Connor, and in my timeline, he was one of my best friends."

"You…"

"I did what needed to be done, Buffy," the Older Dawn reiterated as she stared at her sister before turning to look at the shocked expressions on both Willow and Tara. She then turned her head towards Giles who had closed his eyes and shook his head. She noticed the neutral expression on his face and wondered if there was someway he understood the necessity for going into such extremes. And since this was apparently the time to confess, the older Dawn took in a deep breath to calm herself before saying, "I did what needed to be done. To take out the threats since…" she turned towards Buffy, "I know you won't make that decision." The older Dawn then looked over at Faith and then at Giles and then to Willow and Tara, "Amy needed to die."

"Dawn…" Tara whispered in shock.

"You know why… I already told you all why," the Older Dawn said, "as for Jonathan and Andrew, they aren't the threat you think they are. They aren't the threat I made them out to be." Buffy and the Scoobies were surprised to hear that confession.

Xander then raised his hand and asked, "so why did we follow those two clowns."

"It was a distraction," both Anya and Giles – realization etched on their faces - spoke at the same time.

"Wasn't it? They were the distraction.," Giles said while taking off his spectacles and turning towards older Dawn.

Dawn nodded her head before saying, "yeah. The real threat was Warren Mears." She then looked at Buffy, "he was the one who shot you." She then turned to Willow, "he was the one who killed Tara. He caused so much trouble for us in the future. He couldn't live… and…" Dawn then turned her head towards Buffy, "you would have left him for the police if I didn't do what had to be done… if I hadn't killed him."

"He didn't do anything," Buffy said as she let of Angel's arm and strode towards the older Dawn while the younger one called out towards their sister who exclaimed, "you didn't have the right to kill him!"

"I know the monster he becomes," the Older Dawn said as Buffy stopped just a step away, a look of anger on her face; the both of them facing off against each other.

Older Dawn could not help but wonder why Buffy didn't understand the threat Warren represented. Didn't she understand the need to prevent all the little cracks in the universe that led to the coming of Twilight and the End of All Things? Why couldn't she understand? The Older Dawn wanted to yell at Buffy that the latter had no idea of the future… of the coming nightmare. 'And the nightmare is here… or.. or at least trying to come here. By now, in my timeline, Twilight was fully manifested and had taken over. So maybe we have time?' Older Dawn looked away from the disappearing look of anger on Buffy's face and glanced at Giles, 'Oh, wasn't there something Giles wanted to tell me?'

It was just then that the younger Dawn jumped in by saying, "We have bigger problems now, Buffy…" She then looked at her older self and said, "Old Me… we still have bigger problems." The younger Dawn walked over to Buffy while facing her older self and continued, "we have the scythe and… and Willow is here."

"Yeah," the Older Dawn said while waving a hand in Willow's direction, "she's right there."

"No," Giles stepped in, "that's what I wanted to tell you. The Willow from your future… the one you said was killed. She's here… in this timeline."

What? Older Dawn stepped back in surprise… her eyes wide open… lips parted as she stared at Giles and then at the other Scoobies. No, it was impossible. "That's not possible… I saw a demon stab her through the chest just before I stepped through the breach into the past… into his timeline."

"She's alive… somehow… she's alive," Xander said before the Older Dawn turned towards him. She could sense the confusion between Faith, Angel, and Gunn… but there was no time to bring them up to speed. Not yet, anyway. For now though, the older Dawn felt sick.

"She's Twilight's herald, Dawn," Tara said much to Older Dawn's horror, "she said that she needs the Scythe to bring Twilight into this timeline."

"Will someone explain to me what the hell is going on here?" Angel growled at Buffy and then he glared at the Older Dawn who was looking away from him. He then turned towards Buffy who said she and Giles will explain everything to him, Gunn, and – after hesitating for a moment – Faith. The Older Dawn was still in disbelief about her Willow's survival, but she managed to give a small smile towards the still confused Faith. The dark haired Slayer nodded at her before walking away with Buffy and Giles.

The Older Dawn then noticed Tara, Willow, Xander, Anya, and her younger self walking towards her. "I don't regret what happened to Amy and Warren," she said before Willow said they needed to take time to come to terms with everything that was learned before starting to make some sort of plan to fight Willow.

"Willow's alive," the Older Dawn whispered. But if she was Twilight's herald, then she was the one responsible for the day's destruction. "Somehow Twilight resurrected her… well… he's a living dimension so there's no telling how vast even a small amount of his powers could be." Older Dawn had her face in her hands before yelling out a barely muffled "Damn it!"

She lowered her hands and then stared at the remaining Scoobies staring back at her. Dawn didn't want to believe it, but she couldn't ignore the situation around her. The attacks by those red shards, what Buffy and the others witnessed; her Willow was here. She was corrupted by Twilight, but she was alive. Older Dawn's mind immediately went to the danger her Willow represented, 'since she's become Twilight's herald, does she have access to all her own powers? Or just the ones given to her by Twilight? She's a danger either way, but if she has her abilities boosted by anything given to her by Twilight… oh boy, I don't wanna think about that.'

But, if Willow was here in the past then… Older Dawn looked at everyone in surprise while asking, "why are you all still alive and… well, how is it my Willow's not here?"

The Older Dawn listened in silence as younger Willow, Tara, and the others recalled what happened earlier that day. When Older Dawn heard about the symbols carved onto the shaft of the Scythe – which she grabbed and then took a good look at the deep scratches – she was amazed.

'That's why she's not here now,' Dawn thought while gently placing the Scythe on the coffee table once again. She then listened, with a stunned expression, when the young Dawn, Tara, and Willow said that the time-displaced Willow – her Willow – managed to gain control of her body for a few seconds. And all she asked was for them to kill her before the Herald of Twilight took over once again. Older Dawn listened while covering her mouth with her left hand as Anya explained how Willow opened a breach into another dimension before closing it.

"And we came here after she left," Xander finished.

Older Dawn had her eye closed while everyone stared at her. She couldn't help but mentally ask what she would have done. If Willow was in front of her – if the redhead was in control – would she have killed her? 'If she told me to kill her, would I? Could I?' older Dawn opened her eyes and thought back to all the time they had spent together.

'Marry me,' her Willow had said. Older Dawn had loved her Willow… watching a demon thrust its fist through the redhead's chest from the back was something Older Dawn would see whenever her eyes were closed.

'What would I do?' Older Dawn asked herself mentally as she stared at the Scythe. 'She asked to be killed… which could mean she is unable to fight this part of Twilight… this Herald. Why did she gain control? She did not gain control when she shot those red darts that destroyed so much of Los Angeles… so why gain control at that moment? And if she gained control then, could she gain control again? Or would the Herald prevent her from gaining control?' Older Dawn felt her head hurting as she looked up at the younger Willow. Pressing her lips together, she shook her head before getting up. She needed to rest. The enocian symbols on the Scythe were protecting them all by hiding them away from the Herald's sights, so they could discuss the situation later.

"I've been… I'm going to rest," Older Dawn said as she turned her head in the direction of frenzied whispers from just outside the door to the one of the smaller courtyards. She then turned her attention to the Scoobies and her younger self, "the Scythe is protecting us and… and my Willow sent herself somewhere – probably somewhere really far away - to keep us safe for a little longer. We will come up with a plan or something after I get some shut-eye."

"Should Buffy have killed her? Should Giles have killed her?" The Older Dawn turned towards her younger self after the latter asked the loaded question.

"I honestly don't know," Older Dawn answered. She then sighed before continuing, "Amy, Warren, Angel, Cordelia, Connor. Willow and I started to think of how we could change the future… our future… after retrieving the spell from London. We found the only way to prevent the steps that would eventually lead to Twilight would need their lives to be sacrificed for the greater good." The Older Dawn then took in a deep breath and continued as footsteps could be heard coming their way. She glanced over at the angry look Angel was giving her before she looked at Buffy, Giles, Gunn, and then at Faith.

"Willow and I confirmed our targets with Riley and whatever remained of the military," Older Dawn said before she looked away, "there was no one else. The vast majority of Salyers were dead, any Slayers alive were in different bunkers… well, the ones that weren't destroyed by Twilight." The older Dawn looked at Giles, "Giles was long gone by this time, so was Xander, Anya…" Older Dawn turned towards Faith, "Faith died protecting others, Buffy was gone, Gunn… you were long dead, Wesley died in LA during Twilight's first strike…" Older Dawn shook her head as she leaned forward, "Willow and I listed the key moments and people… the ones we knew needed to be knocked off the board."

Older Dawn then stood up while looking at Angel, "Connor… Connor was one of my best friends. Doing what I had to do hurt… trust me, it hurt."

"You still did it," Angel growled.

Older Dawn stared at him before imperceptibly nodding her head, "like I said, I just did what needed to be done." She then wiped her eyes before turning towards Buffy, "thanks to the symbols on the Scythe we have an opportunity for some rest… I definitely could use some rest. Tonight, we need to come up with a plan." Dawn then nodded at the Scythe, "as long as we have the Scythe, we win and Twilight – the real Twilight - is prevented from coming here."

"And older me?" Willow asked to no one while she remained seated with Tara's hand on her back.

Older Dawn still did not have an answer. She hoped that after some rest, and after everyone had calmed down, they could come up with a plan that wouldn't involve killing the woman she loved. Older Dawn looked away from Willow towards the Scythe, 'if it came down to it… if there was no other choice, then I would have to kill Willow… I would have to do it. Even if it kills me… I have to be the one to kill my Willow. Could I?'

As Older Dawn walked towards one of the stairs leading to the second floor, she could not help but continue to wonder if she could kill Willow even if she did have a good chance. Or was there another way.

Crawford Street Mansion, 5 hours later.

The atmosphere in the main dining room during what passed for dinner at the Crawford Street mansion was tense. Various types of food from the nearby grocery store – which was empty since many residents in the area left the city – such as chips, salsa, various types of dips, and a couple of frozen lasagna, which was heated in the oven, rested on the dining table. The foods were at various stages of being finished while everyone remained silent as they ate, with the odd whisper here and there. The Older Dawn was seated next to her younger self, Tara seated with Willow, Buffy next to Angel who was glaring at the Older Dawn who glanced at him, and looking away as she dipped a chip into the queso. The other Scoobies were seated around them with Giles at the head of the table.

The Scoobies were soon whispering amongst themselves as they finished the food on their paper plates; it was as if no one wanted to be the first to speak up. They were supposed to begin coming up with a plan to defeat the Herald, but no one had an idea that was effective. The Herald was powerful, there was no doubt. And there was no doubt that the Herald would be able to return from which ever dimension she was sent to earlier that day.

"How about putting evil Red into a magical prison?" Faith spoke up before biting into a piece of lasagne on her paper plate, "can we do that?"

Everyone looked over at Older Dawn who leaned back on her chair and said, "after Twilight killed Giles in my timeline, we tried everything possible to imprison Twilight. Nothing worked."

"But that Twilight was an entire dimension," Anya said as every looked over at her, "the Herald only has a small amount of Twilight's power, right?"

Older Dawn nodded her head before realizing what is was that Anya meant, "and since Willow has only a portion of Twilight's power…"

"Still extremely powerful," Tara pointed out before continuing, "but I think Willow, Anya, and I can come up with a prison."

Older Dawn then thought of another issue, "if the Herald has access to my Willow's magical prowess… and I'm sure she does… we're dealing with the most powerful witch who currently exists on Earth."

"And she's not here," Faith pointed out, "not yet anyway."

Older Dawn looked at everyone else as Faith shrugged her shoulders. As the night went on, everyone had one or more ideas, but it all depended on surprising the Herald after she escapes from the other dimension. As everyone spoke, Older Dawn was deep in thought while staring at the artichoke dip. Older Dawn figured there was one way to slow the Herald down, but her plan wouldn't stop her completely. She looked up and around the table as everyone came up with various ideas, but she felt in her gut that none of them would work.

Leaning forward on the chair, Older Dawn had a memory come to the forefront of her mind. "Light… we are each other's light in the darkness." The Older Willow had said this to Older Dawn soon after recovering from her catatonic state following Buffy's death. They were in the bunker… one of many shelters from what remained of humanity… with Willow's arm across her shoulders when she whispered those words to Dawn. It was just them… they were all that was left of the Scoobies in a world destroyed by the very things they had sworn to fight against. In a lost battle, they would be there for each other in mind, spirit, and body. Older Dawn knew in her heart that the light between them… the love they shared… could never break no matter how difficult the situation.

'Willow is in there somewhere… trapped by the Herald,' Older Dawn thought as the vestiges of an idea, different from what the others were discussing, formed in her mind. The relationship between her and Willow were different from the relationship she shared with the others, 'there has to be a way to save her.'

Just then a calm voice could be heard in their minds. Everyone stopped talking as the Herald spoke while filling their minds with images of destruction and mayhem – from the destruction of cities and towns to the complete annihilation of demons native to the Earth realm to the death of billions from demons falling out of jagged tears in the sky. Older Dawn closed her eyes and tried not to shed tears while everyone around the table gasped at watching, in their minds eye, the deaths of so many Slayers from Buffy to Vii to Faith. They listened to the Herald's offer of salvation to the ones who give up the Scoobies before Older Dawn and the others opened her eyes.

"Damn," Faith said rubbed her forehead.

"That was… I don't know what to say…" Xander whispered as he held onto a fearful Anya. Older Dawn looked over at Buffy looking back at her with horror; the former quickly looked away to her younger self holding onto her hand.

"Did anyone see you when you went shopping for these groceries?" Giles asked with fear in his voice.

"It was empty," Anya said while she stared at the lasagne on the table, "there was no one there."

"Did anyone see you drive this way?" Angel asked.

Xander shook his head before saying there was no way to know, "I mean there could be people hiding inside their homes. Or the odd homeless guy. But the other Willow only showed us, and everyone else in town I guess, our faces. She did not show everyone a picture of my car."

"Maybe we leave Sunnydale?" Willow asked.

"Where would we go?" Tara asked before she turned towards the Older Dawn, "Dawnie?"

The Older Dawn looked at the blonde witch and then whispered, "we can't go anywhere."

"So what do we do?" younger Dawn asked.

Older Dawn then turned towards Tara and asked, "are you sure my Willow broke through?" Tara nodded her head while Giles answered in the affirmative. The older Dawn breathed a sigh of relief and then turned her head towards Buffy and said, "you can't interfere, Buffy."

"I…."

"You. Must. Not. Interfere," the Older Dawn said in no uncertain terms. Before Buffy could speak, Faith was the one who spoke up next.

"Dawn 2.0," the dark-haired Slayer said as Buffy turned her head towards her while pressing her lips together until they were a thin line, "I'll make sure she doesn't interfere and…"

"This is not your call to make," Buffy growled at Faith who looked back towards the blonde Slayer with a nonplussed expression.

Faith shook her head at Buffy before telling the blonde, "What I was gonna say was that we need to know the plan first." Faith rolled her eyes at the Slayer before turning her head towards Older Dawn, "well? What's your plan?"

The Older Dawn shook her head before curtly saying, "there's no time to discuss it. Whatever the plan, it's my call to make." She then looked around the table and continued, "all of you are going to hide. Take the Scythe with you since it is going to conceal your presence." She then looked over at Angel, "I cannot apologize enough, Angel. But you, Faith, and Gunn need to hold Buffy back when I make my play."

"What play?" Gunn asked with furrowed eyebrows, "and what if this nutso plan doesn't work?"

"If Willow's in there somewhere," Dawn said as she stared at Gunn, "I'll do what I can to break her free… but I need to do this on my own."

"Why?" Buffy asked again.

"Dawn?" Giles voice brought the Older Dawn out of her thoughts before asking the question Buffy asked earlier, "why do you need to do this on your own?"

Before she could answer, everyone in the dining room felt a chill through their bodies. Silence fell as they looked at each other before wincing at the sound of a loud BOOM coming from the direction of the foyer and living room. They could see smoke coming into the dining room as well as hear the sounds of debris crashing everywhere in the living room and foyer. The floor and walls in the dining room seemed to tremble as the Older Dawn stared towards the direction of the entryway to the dining room, as did the others. She knew this feeling of fear that travelled through her body; it was Twilight. The Herald was here… but how?

Buffy was the first one who moved; she rushed towards a side table where the Scythe was located and grabbed it. She then whispered in Angel's direction, "Angel, there are hidden tunnels beneath the mansion right?" Angel nodded his head – it was a secret he and Buffy knew – much to the surprise of the other Scoobies.

"Oh Buffy!" Dark Willow's voice echoed throughout the mansion before reaching the ears of the Scoobies, "you have something of mine!"

"Take the Scythe out of here," Older Dawn whispered as she rushed around her chair and strode towards the wall on her left. There were two swords hung on the wall, their blades crossing each other. She grabbed one of the swords and then turned towards her younger-self about to grab the other sword. Older Dawn pulled her younger self back, "you are getting out of here." The younger Dawn was about to retort at the Older version of herself just before there was a violent rush of wind through the dining room entryway. The wind was so rough that the Scoobies, including Angel, Gunn, and Faith's bodies flew through the air screaming before falling onto the floor several feet away from their previous positions. At the same time, the large and heavy dining table flipped through the air before hitting the wall on the left… the impact breaking it into several pieces which then fell onto the floor.

Younger Dawn screamed at the violence of it all while Xander helped her stand up. At the same time, Anya was helping Willow and Tara up to their feet with Angel helping up Buffy. Faith and Gunn were slowly getting to their feet, as did Older Dawn who stared in horror as her Willow – who looked like the near evil woman known as Dark Willow with raven coloured hair and black veins branching around on her face – floated through the entryway with a smirk on her face.

"Here you all are," Dark Willow chuckled landing gently on the cool floor. Older Dawn glanced at Buffy who was holding tightly onto the Scythe; the latter nodded at Angel and then at Faith… both nodding back at her before they slowly moved to surround Dark Willow. Older Dawn pushed her younger self behind her while Xander did the same to Anya… however, the latter three were unarmed.

'Okay, hopefully this secret plan works,' Older Dawn thought while she glanced at Gunn who cautiously sneaked behind her until he was to her left. He continued moving cautiously, Dark Willow eyeing him with a grin, before he turned and grabbed the other sword off the wall and turned back towards the most powerful witch of all time.

"Willow," Tara said as she stood in place while holding the hand of her version of Willow, "you're in there… somewhere. You need to fight."

Dark Willow closed her eyes and chuckled. Older Dawn knew there was no other way forward but to initiate her plan. It was a suicide mission that could end in her death or Willow's death; or both. Either way, there was a very small chance of success. But it was a still a chance no matter how small. It was better than the odds that were presented by allies in her own timeline.

"Willow," Older Dawn said, her fingers tightening their grip around the sword's handle. Dark Willow smiled at her, but the smile never reached her eyes. Those deep black eyes staring back at her. "My Willow's in there… let her out."

"No," was the eerily cheerful response.

Before anyone could say anything, Older Dawn raised her voice before taking a step forward over the objection of Buffy and Xander. "Let her out now!" Older Dawn exclaimed. She needed her Willow to break through since Dark Willow would not let her go willingly. "Are you afraid?" Older Dawn asked with a sneer. She noticed Angel glancing at her while Faith whispered if it was a good thing to piss off "Darth Willow".

Older Dawn ignored Gunn who asked what she was trying to do while, at the same time, lifting her left hand towards Dark Willow and whispering, "fulmen." Electrical energy shot out from her fingertips to the middle of her palm before shooting across the room towards Dark Willow laughing just as the bolt of electricity hit her. Older Dawn screamed as she shot more of the bright blue and white energy towards the evil standing in front of them all. She heard Buffy, Willow, Tara, Gunn, her younger self, Faith, and Xander yell at her to stop.

And she did. Older Dawn lowered her arm to the sight of electricity arcing along the surface of Dark Willow's unaffected clothes. The Herald was unaffected… all she did was laugh.

Older Dawn gritted her teeth as she mentally prepared for her next magical attack. It would not kill Dark Willow – the Herald - but Older Dawn was hopeful Dark Willow would feel arrogant enough to each her grip on Willow. If only to let her Willow watch the others fail in defeating her.

'Willow is in there, somewhere,' Older Dawn thought as she waved her hand towards Dark Willow and exclaimed, "Fulmen!" Older Dawn fired off four more lightning strikes before she waved her hand and exclaimed "Ignis!"

It was the third time that day Older Dawn used the Ignis attack, and she felt the effects as she stumbled back. She was caught by Xander before she could fall onto the floor as blood trickled down from both nostrils while Dark Willow stared at the sleeves of her leather jacket as dark smoke rose. All Older Dawn could do was watch as Dark Willow calmly took her jacket off and let it crumple to the floor just before it caught fire.

"That tickled," Dark Willow said with an impressed expression on her face, "not bad… but not good enough." Older Dawn nodded her head while Xander pushed her back. Dark Willow sneered while saying, "you wanna say hello to Willow? Well, that won't happen." Older Dawn glanced at Angel from behind Xander… she could see he was about to make a move. As was Buffy and Faith with Willow and Tara preparing spells.

'No,' Older Dawn thought. The others making a move may distract Dark Willow, but Older Dawn needed to shock her Willow… the one in the Herald's grip. 'Shock her, and then hope she takes control. The others could then attack… the distraction can give time for my Willow to gain control. By now, Twilight destroyed so many lives in my timeline… which means the Herald is not at his level. But she is still powerful enough.'

"Willow," Older Dawn said as she pushed herself past Xander even at her weakened state. Her hand was still gripping the sword handle… she could feel the leather pressed tight against the palm of her hand.

"Fine," the Herald crowed while rolling her eyes, "I will let Willow watch as I crush you; then she will watch and despair as I activate all Slayers and bring Twilight here into this timeline."

That was all Older Dawn needed to know; her Willow was going to be watching. Older Dawn turned her head towards the younger Willow and Tara before whispering, "don't distract her yet…" Tara and Willow stared at her in confusion, which only deepened when Older Dawn whispered, "you'll know when to fight her with everything you have."

Before the two witches could say anything, Older Dawn screamed as she rushed forward before Xander could stop her. Her sights were locked onto the sneer on Dark Willow's face… her eyes shifted upwards to lock onto those black shiny orbs. Older Dawn heard Xander yelling out from behind, she could see from the corner of her eyes as Buffy and Faith rushed towards her only to be pushed away by an invisible force – specifically a wave from Dark Willow's hands. Nearing the sneering woman, Older Dawn watched as Angel – who was about to leap towards her – was pushed up into the air before being slammed onto the floor. But Older Dawn continued running forward until she swung the sword down.

Everything seemed to happen in a split second as the sword was knocked out of Older Dawn's hands before there was a feeling of weightlessness. Older Dawn heard her younger self scream just before she felt herself being violently pulled towards Dark Willow. She stopped and remained floating in the air just before stopping with their noses less than an inch apart. At the same time, Older Dawn felt a stinging pain permeating from her chest as she was placed on the floor – her feet touching the cool surface.

Older Dawn continued staring into those dark eyes before looking down at her chest. She could hear the screams from behind followed by the sounds of thuds made by bodies being flung into solid objects. She could see the Herald's bloody arm thrust into her chest as her eyes started to become heavy. She looked back up at Dark Willow's sneering face and whispered, "light… in the darkness." With a disgusting SHUCK sound, the Herald pulled back her arm and showed off the blood covering it as Older Dawn felt herself going numb and falling onto her knees.

"Willow…." Older Dawn struggled as she fell backwards onto the hard floor. The Herald looked down at her before the one-eyed brunette continued, "I will always… always…" Dawn found it difficult to speak as warm liquid seemed to fill her mouth, "love…" As darkness surround her, Dawn felt cold while hearing a distant roar of rage. It was familiar to her; but there was nothing she could do now. This was a suicide mission to try and get her Willow back in control. And all she could do, even as she lay dying, was hope. Until her last breath, she would hope.

'Willow.'

TBC