Summers Home, 0645 hours.
The older Dawn helped Tara with fixing up breakfast while Buffy rushed back up the stairs after she told the blonde Slayer that all of them needed to talk. But after breakfast, since Dawn was really hungry.
Drinking coffee while helping Tara, the older Dawn continued to glance at the younger woman; the very woman that the older would see lying dead on the floor of her room a year later.
With a stack of pancakes now ready to be eaten, the first one to be awakened was Giles; who walked in groggy after hearing the 'clinks' of plates being moved around, the smell of coffee, and the sizzle from the cooking of pancakes, eggs, and bacon.
"This is quite a spread for breakfast," Giles said, impressed, as he looked at the island and then watched the older Dawn bring down three boxes of cereal. He then rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands while Dawn placed the boxes of cereal on the kitchen island.
"Dawn's hungry," Tara said as she placed another pancake on the stack of twenty before going back to the stove. Tara then placed some batter on the pan and, while the batter sizzled as it spread on the heated surface of the pan, turned to walked towards the older Dawn. While Dawn poured milk into a large bowl of three different kinds of cereal mixed together, Tara lay an arm around her shoulders, "she's all grown up and needs her strength."
"And the last thing I ate was Army rations," Dawn said before she put a spoonful of cereal and milk into her mouth. She chewed, and then swallowed while her eyes were closed as she felt the cold mush go down her throat. She released a moan as the cold seemed to radiate throughout her body before opening her eyes and then staring at the bowl of cereal in her hand.
Smiling, Dawn then looked up and smiled at Giles and Tara who were waiting for her to continue. In the meantime, Dawn looked over at Tara and thought to herself before looking away back at the bowl of cereal, 'well, technically that wasn't the last thing I ate.' Dawn then released a chuckled as she thought about what she and Willow were doing in the tent before the push to the Sunnydale crater. She then took another bite before looking over at Tara and said, "and the rations were really bad."
"How bad did it get in your future?" asked Giles as he poured himself a cup of coffee after Tara kissed Dawn's cheek and then rushed off to the stove to flip the twenty-first pancake.
"Really bad," Dawn said looking at Giles and remembered Twilight snapping his neck. Dawn then looked away and put another spoonful of mixed cereals and milk into her mouth. She chewed while wondering if it would be a good idea to tell the two of them about Willow before the others arrived.
Dawn knew that if there was anyone who could prevent Willow from abusing her powers, it would be Giles and Tara. Dawn then swallowed the food she was chewing and then put down the bowl on the island and sat on one of the stools.
She looked behind the scruffy haired Giles for Buffy, but didn't see her. It was then Dawn heard the restroom door close shut above them and guessed that Buffy would be taking a little longer to come back down the stairs. "Tara, can you sense if Willow's awake?"
At hearing Willow's name specifically, Tara and Giles looked at each other, and then back at the older Dawn.
"Tara?" asked Dawn looking expectantly at the witch. Tara shook her head after sensing for Willow's presence close by, and then told Dawn that the redhead was still asleep.
"But she should be getting up soon, and…."
"It's better that she doesn't hear this now," Dawn interrupted Tara before she took in a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly, "one of the things that happened in my future. One of the things that need to be changed is Willow. I mean… well… her situation."
"Willow?" asked Tara with a concerned looked on her face as she looked back over her shoulder at Dawn. She then turned back to the pancake, and left it up with a spatula and then turned and took a few steps towards the plate on the island. "What situation, Dawn?"
The twenty-first pancake was only just placed on a plate and Tara finished pouring more batter onto the pan. Following the sound of the sizzle as the batter hit, and spread, on the surface of the pan, Tara then turned and looked back at Dawn who nodded her head while Giles took a sip of black coffee. "What do you mean her situation? Was she sick in your future, Dawn? Was she okay? Or..."
"Willow started to get into the hard magics," Dawn whispered as Tara stopped talking. She and Giles then looked at each other, and then back at Dawn once again. "I mean she's already begun, right? Tara? You were brain-sucked by Glory."
"Yea," Tara nodded her head.
"Willow used the books in the dark magic section of the Magic Box to use against Glory, didn't she?"
"Yes," Giles said as he took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He knew all of this because Willow had told him, in private. But it was something that the younger Dawn didn't know… it was something else that revealed to Giles that the older Dawn in front of him was from the future. Giles then turned to the surprised Tara and gently told her that Willow was doing what she thought best. "In my opinion, she used dangerous magics, but those magics caused Glory pain, and those very magics were the basis for your memories being transferred back to you."
And Tara didn't know what she could say about that. She couldn't be angry at Willow, the redhead saved her from an eternity being trapped in her own mind. But Tara also knew the danger of dark magic causing a 'rush' for any witch.
Even herself.
Tara shook her head and pushed those thoughts of her childhood away, the thoughts of accessing dark magic by accident before she was scolded by her mother.
Instead, Tara turned to Dawn and hoped that her Willow did things differently. That she didn't go down the path that Tara would have if the latter's mother hadn't interfered and trained her in secret.
As if she ready Tara's mind, Dawn gently told he and Giles that, "The timeline's changed, and I don't know if that Willow will develop here. In my timeline, Buffy jumped off the platform, and she died."
"Oh my Lord," Giles whispered as he gently lay down the cup onto the island while Tara flipped the last pancake and then turned off the stove. "Buffy died?"
"Yeah," Dawn said as she remembered that very day as a distracted Tara placed the last pancake on the stack of pancakes on the plate. First, she had to wonder about Willow, and then now she just heard that Buffy died in the older Dawn's future.
"We didn't have her for six months. But… to cut down a very long story, Willow found a spell to return the dead to life by calling on Osiris."
"No," Tara shook her head as her body turned cold at the thought of what Willow could have done, "that kind of a spell is too powerful and… and…"
"I would never have advocated it," Giles said interrupting Tara with disbelief in his voice, "I would have…"
"You left Sunnydale, Giles," Dawn whispered as she turned her head after swallowing another spoonful of cereal, and looked at the surprised Giles. "You left. Giles, there's a lot you need to know. A lot that I want to stop from happening. Before that, I need to tell you what happened. And the first thing you need to know is that you left."
"Even if I did," Giles whispered as he thought about the urge that had been developing for some time to leave for England since he wasn't really needed as a Watcher by Buffy. In the meantime, he continued to speak, "Willow is the most responsible person I know, next to Tara, and…"
"Dawnie, I would never have allowed Willow to…"
"You did, Tara," Dawn whispered as she stared at Tara's stunned look, "you, Xander and Anya had doubts… but you went with Willow because… because we needed Buffy back. We needed a Slayer."
"Good Lord," Giles whispered as he leaned on the island. He started to feel sick as he imagined Willow doing something so risky and dangerous. He then glanced at the stunned Tara who had her hand on her chest and wondered what she had to be thinking. Giles always thought that Tara was level-headed, that she, of all people, would understand the need to let nature run its course. He believed that she, of all people, would advocate that bringing back the dead would be an unnatural act.
But then, Giles realised, they didn't lose Buffy in the here and now.
Dawn did. In her future.
Giles wondered what losing Buffy would have done to all of them. He then turned back to Dawn, and he saw the result standing in front of his very eyes. A living witness to events that could have happened. A witness to what seemed to be a distant future that would begin with such a small action as Buffy dying.
"When she was completing the spell at Buffy's grave, Willow got a taste of power beyond anything she ever experienced," Dawn whispered as she looked at the island while remembering the woman she loved. Dawn gently pushed aside Willow's memory and then looked up at Giles, "after you found out what she did, you were disappointed at her. You called her a rank amateur playing with forces beyond her control."
"And she was," Giles whispered, "bringing back someone from the dead… anything could have happened."
"But that started her downward spiral," Dawn whispered as she remembered the car crash where she was badly injured. Dawn looked back up at Tara, "you did everything you could to teach her responsibility and control, but she didn't listen. She was already getting too powerful and… and you gave her an ultimatum after you found out she did…" Dawn stopped talking when she realised she would be telling Tara and Giles about Willow's spells that changed the former's memories about their fights about the use of magic. Or when Willow wiped everyone's mind. And Dawn changed the subject, "Tara, she did something that made you break up with her."
"What was it?"
"It was bad," Dawn whispered as she looked away from the widened eyes on Tara's face. "At first I was angry at you, I didn't understand why you'd leave Willow.
"What happened?" asked Giles looking at Dawn while he walked over to Tara and placed his hand on her shoulder, "why did Tara leave?"
"It doesn't matter," Dawn whispered. "But Willow descended more after the break-up. Eventually, she found a way to return Amy to her human form. And…."
"Amy?" asked Giles.
"Amy the rat?" Dawn clarified as Tara and Giles stared at each other again. They shared the same thought before the turned back to Dawn, the Willow they knew hadn't reached that level of power yet. It was concerning to the both of them that the future Willow could perform transmogrification.
The both of them then turned back to Dawn who continued to talk, "And then they started practising magic. It.. it was our fault too. None of us said anything." Dawn then grabbed the back of her head as she looked at the bowl before taking another bite of the cereal, "Yeah Buffy, Xander, and Anya talked in private that Willow was doing too much magic, but that was it." Dawn then took in a deep breath and exhaled as her hands let on either side of the unfinished bowl of cereal, "Buffy and Xander thought she'll have self-control, but Anya thought that Willow tasted too much power. But even then, we didn't do anything. Amy even introduced Willow to a black magic supplier, and... and that's when Willow hit rock bottom."
"What happened?" asked Tara as she tried to push away the lump forming in her throat, and the pain in her chest as she imagined things getting even worse for Willow. Giles too looked on and wondered how he could prevent such a thing from happening in the here and now. He knew that without bringing back Buffy from the dead, Willow wouldn't have the feeling for even powerful magics. But that didn't mean it wasn't going to happen eventually.
It was a worry in the back of his mind ever since he could see how powerful Willow was becoming as time went on from when she re-ensouled Angel. She was a natural with the wielding of mystical energy, a natural witch who had the potential to wield unlimited amounts of power.
Someone who was untrained in the use of that power.
Giles knew that he and Tara were both relying on Willow's innate sense of responsibility to know the difference between right and wrong; but now, after hearing what Dawn was saying, he started to doubt himself. Shaking his head, he asked Dawn to continue. He needed to know more.
"We were supposed to go for a movie," Dawn said when they heard another door open.
"Willow," whispered Tara as she looked up, and then back at Dawn.
"She got high on magic, and crashed a car," Dawn whispered, "I was in the car."
"Oh, Dawnie," Tara whispered tilted her head and shook it.
"How badly were you injured?" asked Giles as he narrowed his eyes at Dawn.
"Broken hand, cuts and bruises on my legs," Dawn said as she leaned on the island, "but that changed things. Willow stopped using magic, and eventually got back with you, Tara."
Tara gave a small smile at the thought that she and Willow got back together. They were destined for each other after all, she thought to herself. The three of them stopped talking when they heard footsteps behind them. Dawn, Giles, and Tara looked at each other… the latter two trying to make sense of the revelations as Willow walked in and stood next to Giles while rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Hey," Willow groggily said as she shuffled into the kitchen. She turned to Tara who looked back at her. Willow then shuffled towards her with a pout on her face. The both of them then hugged while Giles stared at Tara staring back at him with worry on her face. Tara then closed her eyes and held Willow tight with Giles turning back to Dawn who had gotten off her stool and stood on her feet.
Willow then parted from Tara while saying that the food smelled amazing, and then turned her head to the older Dawn.
"Dawnie," Willow smiled as she rushed to the older woman. The both of them hugged each other tightly.
Dawn wanted to kiss Willow as passionately as she did a month after Willow pulled her out of her catatonic state. Instead, Dawn's chin was placed on Willow's shoulder while her younger-self walked through the door and then looked at the food, and then up at the older Dawn.
Willow parted while Dawn's younger self asked Tara if she could stay home from school since she was suffering a traumatic event from last night.
"No," Giles and Tara said. Dawn then turned her head to Willow who smiled and shook her head. The younger Dawn then turned to her older self just as Buffy walked through the doorway.
"You know what I've been through last night," the young Dawn said as she looked at the older Dawn while Buffy crossed her arms over her chest and stared at both of her sisters, "come on, it was traumatic for the both of us."
"Yea, being held by Glory was traumatic," the older Dawn said as she looked at the wide grin on her younger self's lips. The younger Dawn was about to ask Buffy if she could get an excuse note, but the older Dawn interrupted her younger self, "of course, I had to deal with my Buffy dying." The room had gotten so silent that a pin could be heard dropping as Giles and Tara looked away sadly while Willow, Buffy, and Dawn stared at the older Dawn with surprise on their faces.
Buffy and Dawn suspected something could have happened in the future, such as Buffy dying when she jumped… and the older Dawn alluded to that very fact. But having it confirmed was a punch in the gut. The three of them stared at the older Dawn's face and hoped she was kidding around.
But there was something in her eye that said that this was no joke.
Buffy really did die; she was supposed to die. Willow looked back at Buffy and rushed past everyone to hug her. In the meantime, Buffy stared at the older Dawn while the younger Dawn hugged her as well.
"Who… who looked after you?"
"You made Spike promise to watch over me," the older Dawn said as Giles and Tara looked at Buffy who asked the question, and then at the older Dawn, "Willow and Tara moved in here so that they could look after me too. And the BUffybot was a stand-in for you, Buffy."
"So…."
"I think we should sit down and discuss this after breakfast," Giles said interrupting Buffy, "and after Dawn leaves for school". The older Dawn nodded her head. She knew that the Scoobies needed to know the truth about what happened, at least the major details. The older Dawn then took a deep breath before she looked at her younger self, and wondered what she would have thought had the situation been reversed. But at the same time, the older Dawn wanted her younger self to be able to live her own life, free of her older version's experiences.
Summers Residence, Living Room, 0930 hours.
After the reluctant younger Dawn left for school, Buffy and the others headed for the living room where she sat next to the older version of her sister. With their stomach's full, and with a content older Dawn sitting with her back rested against the soft couch cushions, Giles started off by asking Dawn to start from the beginning. Xander and Anya, who woke up only thirty minutes ago, leaned forward and listened while Dawn began.
"It all started with Buffy's death," Dawn said looking at her sister who was sitting next to her and holding her hand. Dawn looked down at their hands clasped together, and then up at Willow and Tara who were hand in hand as they sat on one of the love-seats. Dawn then looked at Giles before continuing as she looked back at the others, and ended at Buffy, "we were without you for six months, Buffy."
"Six months?" Willow asked confused while Anya and Xander stared at each other in equal confusion.
"When you say six months?" Xander asked waving his hands, "you mean… wait… I thought Buffy died?"
"For Six months before Willow, Xander, Anya, and Tara brought her back," Dawn said to a stunned Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Anya.
"Wait.. what?" a surprised Willow said, "I… wait… huh? I brought back Buffy from the dead, and…"
"What did you do?" asked Anya with eyes narrowed as she stared at Willow who stared back at Anya while waving her arms.
"I didn't do a thing," she squeaked, "I mean… I… I would never… I mean… maybe I would have since it's Buffy, and..."
"Guys!" Buffy's voice cut through the other voices in the room. Dawn stared at Buffy who was now speechless. Dawn took in a deep breath before continuing.
"Willow reprogrammed the Buffybot to become the Slayer when you were dead," Dawn said as she locked eyes with Buffy, "they didn't tell me, Giles, or Spike what they were planning. So when you came back?" Dawn's eye teared up as she remembered that very day when she saw Buffy about to nearly jump off the top of the tower that Glory's minions had built six months before her death, "when you came back… I was so happy, Buffy." Dawn tightened her hold on Buffy's hand while she hung her head, "you came back to us. But.. but you were out of it. I.. I mean…"
"Dawnie?" asked Buffy who wondered if her return caused something to happen to herself.
"Did Willow mess up?" asked Anya.
"I didn't do anything," Willow reiterated as she stared at a frowning Anya.
"Willow, Anya," Giles gently admonished before nodding at Dawn, "Dawn's not talking about this Willow, Anya. Now, let's listen to what she has to say."
Anya sighed before nodding her head and then turned to Xander who was listening intently. Anya knew that bringing back the dead was risky, and wondered how bad things had gotten in the future.
"No, Willow didn't mess up." Dawn lifted her head back up to stare into Buffy's eyes, "everyone thought that Buffy was being tortured in a hell dimension. We thought that the trauma changed her, and that's why she was pushing herself away from me… from us. We thought that's why she was acting strangely. We thought…"
"I'd never do anything like that, I would never push you away Dawnie, I..." Buffy was then suddenly interrupted by Dawn. Buffy wanted to say that she would never push away her friends. But the expression on Dawn's face as they stared at each other, and the fact that Daw's hands were trembling told her something different.
It was all true, Buffy thought to herself as she looked into Dawn's good eye. She did try to push them away, to keep them at arm's length.
"You were pulled away from heaven, Buffy," Dawn revealed as Willow brought her hands over her mouth. Tara held onto her redhaired girlfriend while Giles looked away sadly. Giles knew that Dawn wasn't talking about this Buffy, but he was still upset at the fact that they never had a thought that Buffy could be in heaven as a gift for sacrificing herself.
Anya and Xander didn't know what to say, they just stared at Buffy in disbelief. As for Buffy herself, she simply stared at Dawn wordlessly. And Dawn continued while Buffy's own thoughts ran through her mind, "you said that this life was hell. And who could blame you, Buff."
"No," Buffy said as she placed her hands on Dawn's cheeks, "I would never…"
"You haven't been through that, Buffy," Giles whispered while Willow shook her head as tears welled in her eyes at the thought of pulling her best friend out of heaven. It was then that Tara leaned in towards her girlfriend and whispered.
"No one knew, Willow." Willow looked back down at Tara and shook her head.
"I should have known," Willow whispered with her eyes wide open in shock, "I… I pulled her out of heaven. Tara, who does that? I…"
"It wasn't your fault, Will," Buffy said looking at her best friend. She then turned to her sister and whispered, "did… did I leave again? Like when Angel was sent to hell, did I leave again?"
"No," Dawn answered "but.. but you weren't there either… part of you loved us. But another part just didn't want to be with us. Didn't want to be with me."
"I…"
"I still loved you," Dawn said as she looked at her sister, "but I went out of control too." Dawn thought it best to skip over the entire kleptomania part of her life. She believed it would be best to talk to her younger self about that in private. However, she also knew that it started after Buffy's death. Taking a deep breath while making a mental note to still talk to her younger self, Dawn then continued, "In the end, we got closer together. But… oh God… but it took a monster to take someone we loved away from us to realise that you belong here, with me. With all of us, Buffy."
"You said it took a monster to take away someone we love?" asked Tara as Dawn looked at her, "A demon?"
"A man shot at Buffy because she stopped him from using mystical stuff to commit crimes," Dawn said as she looked at Tara. Dawn wasn't going to mention Warren's name, neither was she going to mention Andrew or Jonathan. She wanted her own vengeance on the three of them.
Dawn didn't want Buffy and the others to interfere because she knew that they wouldn't do what needed to be done. "Buffy was shot through the shoulder, and then he ran away while firing his gun."
Dawn then stopped as she remembered walking into the room to find Tara's body. While she sat on the couch, Dawn took in a deep breath and then turned to stare at Tara. "A bullet crashed through the second-floor window."
Giles noticed Dawn looking at Tara, and he turned to the witch. As did the others. "The bullet….. it went through Tara."
"What?" asked Willow as she leaned forward while Tara's eyes went wide in stunned silence. The two of them held their hands tight while Tara shook her head 'no'. Willow stood up and her mouth hung open as she looked around at the others in disbelief, and then she turned to look at Dawn.
"I found her body when I came home from school. I tried to wake her up but… I…"
"No," Willow said as Tara closed her eyes and a tear travelled down her cheek. Xander and Anya were seated in place, the both of them still in disbelief as they stared at Willow and Tara. Giles didn't know, once again, what to think. He thought that it was unbelievable, but he could tell from the crack in Dawn's voice that there was truth in what she was saying. He then stared at Buffy who stared at Dawn in stunned silence.
All of them were getting hit in the gut with information that was painful, Giles thought.
And if true, then Tara's death would be as painful as Joyce's death. Buffy then turned back to Dawn and asked, with a soft voice that was threatening to crack at the thought of Tara dying, if what she was telling them was really the truth.
"I won't lie about something like this." Dawn said looking into Buffy's eyes, "Xander was with you when you were shot, and Willow was with Tara. But no one knew about Tara until later, and…"
"I… I would have done something, Dawn," Willow said. Dawn looked back at her and said in a gentle voice.
"You were devastated, Willow," Dawn said, "Xander asked what happened to you when they were putting Buffy in the ambulance, but you didn't say anything.."
"I would have…"
"She was dead," Dawn said looking at Willow, "and you…. you… asked Xander what happened. And he told you. Xander told me you walked away, Willow. My God you were so angry… so…" Dawn then stopped herself and stared at Willow's stunned face, and then at Tara whose shoulders were trembling. Dawn knew this was going to be hard. But she needed to push through, they needed the truth. They needed the truth so that the future could be prevented from happening since anything could still happen for Twilight to come into this new timeline.
The events that led up to The End needed to be prevented.
Dawn then whispered, "you went to the Magic Box and you sucked in every dark magic spell. Willow, you were angry. You were pure rage, hate, destruction… you lost Tara and… and no one could stop you."
"By God, no," Willow said as she looked at Tara who looked back at her.
"Will…"
"I would never lose control like that Tara, I…."
Dawn then told Willow what she already revealed to Tara and Giles earlier that morning in the kitchen. Willow listened in stunned silence as Dawn told her what happened as she descended into uncontrolled magic use. She told Willow about how she reached the bottom, and the clawed herself back… first earning Dawn's trust, and then Buffy's trust, Xander's, Anya's, and the finally Tara. "And she died the day after you guys got back together, a year from now."
"Perhaps it would be best if we took a break, and…"
"I… I need to hear," Tara whispered as she looked at Giles, and then at Willow who had tears coming out of her eyes as they stared at each other. Tara placed her hand on her girlfriend's cheek and smiled while tears gathered in her own eyes, "the future's changing, Willow The more we know, the more…"
"I'll never do anything to hurt you, Tara," Willow said interrupting Tara. The both of them gave each other a kiss, and Dawn looked away. Her heart was breaking, but she didn't want to show it. Dawn looked away at Buffy, glad that she never revealed that Willow wiped Tara's mind a few times.
"Willow, after she absorbed the dark magic from the books in the Magic Box, saved your life," Dawn told Buffy, "but she was angry. So angry."
Dawn told them about that fateful night. Dawn told them how Willow, stunned once again with new revelations, killed the one who shot Tara and Buffy.
"And I was glad," Dawn said as she stared at Willow who had tears streaming down her cheeks after hearing that she killed someone in anger. "I told Buffy I was glad you did it, and…."
"No," Willow said as she got up from her seat and rushed to Dawn. She kneeled down and hugged Dawn tight while saying that Dawn was wrong to have ever thought that. "I… I can't imagine…"
"No one can, Willow," Giles said as Dawn looked at him while Willow parted and then stood up, "an emotional loss like that would be…"
"I was there," Dawn said as she looked up at Willow. And the redhead immediately feared what else she had done. She wondered how far she fell into the darkness. Dawn continued to say that Willow nearly killed Buffy and Xander who rescued "the other two who weren't involved in Tara's murder".
"Buffy, Xander" Willow said looking at all of them, "I…"
"It's not you, baby," Tara said as she got up and held Willow's hand, "It's not you."
"She's not you," Dawn reassured Willow before continuing, "but you still need to know, Will. You stole the power of a dark wizard when you used up your magic. You…. you tried to well… turn me back into an energy ball."
"I did what?" Willow cried as she ran her hand through her hair, "I…"
"You were already deep into magic, Will," Dawn said, "but Buffy stopped you. And then… then well, you and Buffy fought."
"Willow and Buffy looked at each other in disbelief, and then back at Dawn. "Your fight destroyed the Magic Box, and then Giles intervened," Dawn told Willow about Giles and the Devon Coven, and the essence of pure magic that they imbued him with. The very same essence that Willow stole.
Dawn explained how Willow could feel sorrow from everyone on the planet, and the sorrow overwhelmed her until she decided to destroy the world. Dawn stared at Willow as a smile developed on the brunette's face. "you almost succeeded. But it wasn't Buffy who stopped you. It wasn't me, it wasn't Anya."
"Then who was it?" asked Willow.
"Xander was the one who stopped you." Willow looked back at the stunned Xander, as did the other Scoobies.
"I did?"
Dawn explained that it was that Xander who prevented Willow from ending the world by reaching to her humanity which the magic absorbed from Giles helped intensify. Willow and Xander looked at each other, the former rushing to Xander, and then hugging him, as she thanked him for stopping her.
"Technically, I haven't done it yet," Xander said holding Willow tight.
"And now, it won't need to happen," Giles said before turning towards Dawn, "if we know who killed Tara, then we could…"
"I'll make sure he pays," Dawn said with a serious look on her face. She then turned to Buffy, who was looking back at Dawn in concern at what she meant. But before the Slayer could say anything, Dawn spoke, "that was the day things changed. I got my sister back. I got you back, Buffy. That's the day you embraced life again. And that's the day that Willow went to Devon with Giles so that she could learn to control the magics she absorbed."
Dawn then looked at Tara, "and Tara was with her the whole way in spirit."
"But the war?" asked Anya as she leaned forward. She knew there was something else missing.
"The first step was Buffy jumping off the platform, and then she was brought back to life which was the second step. And then Willow absorbing the dark magics and the Devon Coven's essence of magic was the third step. The fourth step to the End was the coming of the First Evil."
Dawn told Buffy and the others about the First and its war against the Slayer Line. She told the group about how the Council was destroyed by the First's agent. It was then that she made a mental note to look up Caleb. She explained that the First was able to take action because Buffy was brought back to life after she died.
"So that's not happening," Anya breathed a sigh of relief.
"But I saw something that called itself the First," Buffy said referring to the being that tried to have Angel kill himself over Christmas a few years back.
"You coming back caused something to happen to the Slayer line," Dawn explained while Giles looked on thoughtfully, "when you were brought back, it caused something that made the First able to act."
"It is possible," Giles said rubbing his chin.
"Yea," Dawn said before continuing to say that the agents of the First then murdered Potential Slayers and their Watchers all over the world. She went on to how Giles brought back Potentials to their house, and then how one of them started to pursue Willow relentlessly. "And yeah, the both of you were together, and.."
"I…."
"I was dead, Will," Tara said as she looked at Willow who was shaking her head in disbelief.
"But…" Willow stammered at Tara, "you and I are soulmates, Tara. How could I even move on from you?"
"Not now," Anya said as she stared at Willow, "you need to listen, Willow. From everything that Dawn's said, you played a key role, and…"
"Without knowing, Anh," Xander interrupted as Anya shot up to her feet, "that timeline's Willow did what she thought was right, and…"
"She nearly ended the world," A very worried Anya said as she motioned to Dawn, "that's what Dawn said." Anya then turned to Willow who was looking away from Anya, "you need to stop, Willow. The more powerful you get, the more…."
"Going cold turkey's not the way," Giles said as he took off his glasses and shook his head, "let me think about this. If the Devon Coven was able to help Willow train in Dawn's future, then… then maybe they can help now."
"Can you call them?" asked Willow as Buffy and Dawn looked at each other. Dawn then looked away and hung her head when Tara said that she'd like to accompany Willow as well. It was then that Dawn continued her story. She talked about how Willow brought Faith back from LA, and how she became Buffy's ally. Dawn looked straight at the surprised look on Buffy's face upon hearing that she and Faith, while not the best of friends, did get along.
"At least you two didn't try to kill each other, much," Dawn said. She then told them about the Scythe and the final battle. About how Willow used her powers to activate every single Slayer on Earth.
"Wow," Buffy said looking at a surprised Willow who pointed at herself.
"I did that?"
"I'd like to know more about the Scythe and, in addition…," Giles turned to Willow, "that is amazing, Willow."
"It was what we needed to do to beat the First Evil," said Dawn after mentioning that she couldn't reveal the location of the Scythe, and asked that Giles didn't tell the Council about it since it was never meant for them to find it. Giles nodded his head and said, "of course" before Dawn continued to speak, "but that was the last Step. We didn't know it at the time, but activating all the Slayers must have caused some kind of a mystical shockwave or something… we weren't sure. But it was a drastic change. And that change had consequences."
"What consequences?" asked Giles.
"Twilight," Dawn said as Giles stood up with his eyes wide open and stumbled back, "the End of all Things."
"No," Giles shook his head at Dawn, "no."
"What's Twilight?" asked Buffy as she quickly got up and rushed to her Watcher who was about to collapse on the floor, "Giles?"
"A story… A Watcher's myth," Giles whispered as he looked past Buffy, at Dawn, "a living dimension that was prophesied when…. When a Slayer would change everything in the world, and be granted the powers of a god, as well as a chance to bring about the birth of a new world," Giles gulped as he looked back at Buffy with terror in his eyes while Dawn looked away sadly, "in the 1680's, thrity members of the Council committed suicide when they thought the prophecy came." His eyes then shifted to Dawn who looked up at him while she was seated, "Dawn, there was a… oh dear God, a drastic change in the Slayer line." Giles then looked back at Buffy, and then Willow, and then back at Buffy, "the activation of all the Slayers in the world. That's what… what… oh dear."
"That's what you said too, in my timeline," Dawn said as Buffy helped the stunned Giles back to his seat. Dawn continued to explain to the stunned group about Twilight, and how he manipulated and led a section of the Army, and the enemies of the Slayers, to murder Slayers all over the world.
Dawn continued that Twilight's Avatar had great power, and so the universe granted Buffy great powers as a counter balance. Dawn looked at Buffy while the latter held onto Giles while was leaning forward on his seat, "you were like Superman, Buffy. And your mission, the reason why the universe gave you those powers was to balance Twilight's chosen champion. You were supposed to kill him. Killing him would have stopped Twilight, but… but you and he had sex."
"Eww," Xander's said as he looked at Buffy.
"I.. I would never…."
"Angel was Twilight's avatar," Dawn said as Buffy's eyes went wide.
"Ok, now the sex thing makes sense," Xander whispered.
"And the result of your sexual… adventure, was the birth of Twilight," Dawn said, "Twilight started to spill into this dimension. And we tried to stop it. Willow, Kennedy, Rona, Vi, every Slayer who was part of the Slayer Army was called to fight. London, LA, Sunnydale, name it… battles were taking place everywhere. And then there was an idea."
Dawn told the group about the Seed of Wonder, and how if it could be destroyed, then Magic would be cut off from Earth. And thus, the Twilight invasion would stop.
"We found the seed, and Buffy was about to destroy it," Dawn then whispered shaking her head, "Angel was free from Twilight after he and Buffy swore to fight against it. But Twilight forcefully took control of Angel again, and then used him to kill Giles."
"No," Willow whispered as she looked at the alarm on Giles' face.
Dawn continued to say that Twilight flung Giles' dead body into Buffy, which knocked her back, "and then Twilight stole the Seed. And his demons continued to pour in." Dawn then closed her eyes, the memories still fresh in her mind, "and we fought. Riley, Faith, Buffy; the three of you trained me. Willow taught me basic spells. The other Slayers were responsible for training every able bodied civilian we came across. We tried to save as many as we could… but… but we lost so many Slayers."
Tara listened to Dawn's haunting voice as she mentioned that billions of lives were lost. She looked away as she imagined the level of death and destruction, and she held Willow's hand tight while Dawn sat alone on the couch.
"So much death.. the air was full of the smell of rotten bodies, the smell of blood," Dawn whispered as her voice trailed off. She took a deep breath as Buffy slowly made her way back to the couch and sat next to her sister. Buffy reached down and held Dawn's hand tight. Dawn looked back up at Buffy, and continued, "Xander died a year after the invasion started. Spike was then killed, and then… so many, Buffy. So many died. Six billion lives gone in a matter of ten years, just like that."
"How did you lose your eye, Dawnie?" Buffy asked gently.
"I lost you," Dawn said without answering Buffy's question, "you were the Slayer, Buffy. Always a Slayer, the one everyone looked up to. The Slayer General."
"Dawnie," Buffy shook her head trying to wrap her mind around what Dawn was saying. Dawn interrupted Buffy before she could say anything else, and asked her to listen. Buffy nodded her head, and Dawn continued, "A few days after I was rescued from Twilight, he…." Dawn bit her lower lip as she looked away and remembered that day like it happened only yesterday, "you, Willow, Riley, and some Army guys rescued me and a few others from Twilight's hands. Because of that, Twilight came after us. He found the compound despite all the powerful wards that were placed around it. Demons invaded and started to kill people and Slayers."
Dawn took a deep breath again to compose herself before she continued talking as she looked straight into Buffy's eyes, "you led the Slayers that were fighting the demons while the others escaped. You ordered them to escape. Willow pulled me away after you ordered her to and… and we ran. We started to evacuate our base after Riley set the self-destruct. You told me you were coming behind me and… and I looked. You were still fighting with Faith and several Slayers by your side, and then... and then you ordered the Slayers to lead us away."
Dawn then widened her eyes at Buffy as she tightened her hold on the latter's hand.
"Faith died pushing you away from a demon," said Dawn, "but you saw that there were more civilians that needed to leave, so you fought, along with a contingent of soldiers. I've never seen you fight that hard. But even… even you couldn't handle them. The soldiers and Slayers were ripped apart in minutes. A demon punched you, Buffy. Then another demon came at you. The fist went through your back… we.. we stared at each other just as we reached the exit. I wanted to run to you, I screamed for you. But Willow and Riley pulled me back."
"No," Willow whispered shaking her head as she imagined what happened..
"Dawnie," Buffy whispered as she placed a hand on Dawn's cheek. She couldn't imagine what her sister had seen. And there was something telling Buffy that she didn't want to see.
"I saw the demon tear your body apart, Buffy," Dawn said as she looked at her sister, "you were the six hundred and sixty seventh Slayer to die. I saw you die and I screamed. And then there was nothing… I was catatonic for four months. I don't remember what happened, but Willow was the one who pulled me out. She helped me back to who I was."
Dawn then glanced at Willow and then closed her eyes before turning back to Buffy. Dawn knew she couldn't reveal that she and Willow were in a relationship, it was something no one needed to know.
"We called it The End of All Things. Twilight took over. Earth's demons were destroyed one after another, six billion people died with most of the survivors forming a resistance. For what good it did us anyway. We fought against demons.. one after another. But nothing worked. Willow was the most powerful witch of the Earth realm, but even she couldn't do a lot since Earth's magic was being corrupted." Dawn then took a deep breath while she let go of one of Buffy's hands and then wiped the tears gathering in her eyes.
"That was bound to happen," Giles whispered as Buffy pulled Dawn in for a tight hug.
"We thought we lost everything," Dawn said as she held on to Buffy tight, the former's heart breaking as she thought about Willow, "but Willow heard a rumour a year ago from my perspective. A powerful spell capable of sending one person back through time. And with Earth's magic nearly fully corrupted for Willow to use, the both of us went on a road trip. We went to London, found the spell, and then returned to LA."
Dawn held on tight to Buffy as she thought about her adventures with the redhead during the journey. She closed her eyes as she remembered the smile on her Willow's face. A smile she would never see again.
"Willow cast the spell that brought me here," Dawn whispered as she pulled back and looked into Buffy's eyes, "and the last time I saw her, a demon stabbed her through her back."
"She sent you here," Buffy whispered as she only imagined what Dawn must have been through, "you changed the future, Dawnie. We'll stop everything from happening, and.. and we'll prevent that future."
"Yea," Tara said as Dawn turned her head to look at her
"First things first, Dawnie," Willow said, "who killed Tara?"
Dawn looked at Willow. And shook her head, "Be happy with Tara, Willow," Dawn whispered. She could see that Willow was about to interfere, but Dawn spoke first, "just live your life with the woman you love." Dawn looked sadly at Willow, and then at Tara, and back at Willow again before looking away, "be happy."
Just outside the Sunnydale Crater, 2021.
A black boot stepped into the blood soaked ground as demons ate the various pieces of flesh and bone that were scattered throughout. The owner of the black boot then took a few more steps to the site of an intact mass of body parts that lay scattered in a small circle. The masked villain tilted his head and stared at the torn half of Willow's bloody head and then he looked back up. He could sense the scar formed by the sealing of a mystical doorway. He knew Dawn, the last survivor of the Twilight incursion, had escaped his grip.
"Just where did you go, Dawnie?" whispered Twilight as he looked back down at the body parts of the red-haired witch who was supposed to be all-powerful and feared.
He smirked before whispering, "maybe you would know, Willow." Twilight raised a hand and aimed it at the pieces of Willow's body. The hand glowed a sickly green as body parts started to shake before being lifted off the ground. "You'll tell me, Red. You'll tell me everything."
TBC.