Chapter 2: Bargaining Part 2

September 27, 2001 – Thursday

Restfield Cemetery

The Buffybot, though damaged, gamely tried to fight off the demon bikers. "I'm dangerously close—" she said as one of the bikers hit her, "—to system failure. I have to to disengage from—" she was struck again, "—combat until Willow can service me."

The leader swung a thick chain at the bot. "I'll service you, toygirl," he said as the chain wrapped around her feet and yanked her off her feet.

Somewhere in the Woods

Xander was carrying Willow, who had fallen unconscious. Suddenly he heard the sounds of something coming at him from behind. He whipped around, ready to fight, when he sees Tara and Anya emerging from the brush.

Tara moved to her girlfriend. "Willow?"

"I'm pretty sure she's okay," Xander informed her comfortingly. "Or as okay as anyone who just had snakes coming out of their mouth and what the hell was up with that, Tara?!"

Tara looked up at him but didn't answer.

"Less talk, more running away," Anya instructed.

Xander nodded as he looked around. "The woods should give us some cover. Their motorcycles can't follow us in here."

With that, motorcycle headlights swept across their faces as they heard a couple of them approaching.

"Somebody should tell them that," Anya interjected.

"New plan: We split up," Xander informed them.

"No!" Anya countered looking every bit scared. "Bad plan!"

"I'll take Willow—" Tara offered.

"No. I can carry her," Xander countered as she looked at him worriedly. "I'll keep her safe, Tara," he reassured the blonde witch."

Tara nodded. "We should meet up somewhere."

"The Magic Box," Xander told them. "And whoever gets there first should call Dawn, Lynn and Spike."

Tara nodded in agreement.

"But…" Anya said, hesitating. "The Buffybot…"

"We can't. She's—" Xander started. "It's lost." He glanced over his shoulder as he heard the motorcycles getting closer. "The only one left that can help is Dawn." He looked at his girlfriend. "Go!"

Reluctantly, Anya hurried off after Tara. Xander lifted Willow over his shoulder and, carrying her, stumbled off in another direction.

Restfield Cemetery

In her coffin, Buffy was panicked and wild-eyed as she realized she's entombed, buried alive. She began to thrash around. She held the sides of the casket as if they were closing in on her, her mouth widened to emit a scream, but the only sound that escaped was a horrid dry rasp.

She began pushing and kicking at the side of the Coffin gasping for what little stale air might be trapped inside here with her.

In the Woods

As Xander ran into a clearing Willow began to stir. "Xander…Where—?" she asked.

"Shh," Xander ordered. "We're using our quiet voice, Wil." He lowered her to the ground and the knelt down next to her.

"Why…Why are—Where's Tara?" Willow questioned.

"Off and running. Like we need to be," Xander informed her. "We got to keep moving."

"Moving," Willow started. And then she began to remember why they were out there. "Oh. Right. Demons. On bikes."

Xander nodded. "Yep. We got trouble," he told her. "Right here in Hellmouth City. And our very own Robo-Buffy led them right to us."

"Buffy!" Willow cried as she remembered they were trying to resurrect Buffy. "The ritual! We have to go back!"

"Wil, I told you—" Xander started.

"We need to try again," she cut in.

Xander sighed. "We can't—"

"We have to, Xander!" Willow cried. "She's…She's waiting, counting on us. On me." Her grief was obviously mounting. "I can't leave her there anymore. I won't. We have to finish—"

A motorcycle engine revved nearby, as its rider howled. Xander gently, but firmly, put his hand to Willow's lips to quiet her, calm her down. They waited a few moments, as the sound of the engine moved off.

"The Urn of Cirrhosis…" he said.

"Osiris," Willow corrected.

"Yeah. It got…" Xander said trying to find the best way to remind her that the ritual would no longer work, "…kind of…"

Willow's face paled as she remembered what happened at Buffy's grave. "Broken. It's broken. I remember."

"So, we'll find another one," Xander said trying to ease the blow. "Better made. Ahn and I'll jump back into the web and—"

"There is no other one," Willow replied numbly.

"Okay," he said. "Then we'll fix this one. A little tape, dab o' Krazy Glue…"

"No," Willow countered despairingly. "It's no good. The urn's defiled. It's gone. Nothing." The words caught in her throat as the pain of the reality sank in. "All for nothing," she uttered as tears began to fall from her eyes. "Buffy's gone. She's…she's really gone. What am I going to tell Dawn? Especially after what happened early this summer."

Restfield Cemetery

Buffy pounded on her coffin, her knuckles and fingernails raw and bloody. Finally, she managed to smash through the lid. As she pulled her fist out of the hole, dirt began to stream in. With all her might, she pulled down on the splintered wood around the hole she had made, the dirt stream becoming a torrent.

Holding her breath, she pulled herself up through the opening and started to dig her way out.

Summers Home

Spike was rummaging through the weapons trunk. "Nothing," he mumbled to himself. "Coupla stakes. Right big help. Holy water, one cross—" his hand began to sizzle when he accidentally touched the cross, "Yahh!" he cried. "Oh, brilliant." He waved the pain off as he looked up and saw the Dawn had morphed. "What are you doing Ranger?" he asked.

"What does it look like?" the White Phoenix Turbo Ranger replied as she walked over the fireplace and picked up a phoenix statuette off the mantle. "So what are they?" she asked motioning toward the window, indicating the bikers.

"Hellions…" Spike answered. "Road pirates. They raid towns. Use 'em up, burn 'em down. Usually backwaters. Any place…Any place they think is vulnerable."

"They know Buffy's dead," Lynn said in realization. "That Dawn is the only defense between them and…"

"Between them and the people of this town," the Ranger finished for her girlfriend. She turned and headed for the door, Lynn and Spike following. She stepped out the front porch and held up her hand. "White Phoenix…Racer mode."

The Phoenix soared out of her hand growing larger till it was the size of a car at which point it transformed, as it landed on the street, into its vehicle mode. "Spike, I can only fit two."

"I'll find my own ride, Ranger," he told her. "Where do you want to meet up?"

"If you find the guys, Magic Box," Lynn suggested.

"Good idea, Lynn," the Ranger agreed,

Restfield Cemetery

Buffy punched through the last inch of dirt and feverishly clawed at the ground. She slowly pulled herself up out of her grave. She looked around wild-eyed, wheezily gasping for breath.

She slowly got to her feet as her headstone caught her eye. She slowly looked over at it and froze.

Streets of Sunnydale

Buffy walked down the middle of the seemingly deserted street as she numbly looked around. She slowly approached a Sunnydale police car that was on fire, its tires slashed, windows and taillights broken. She stared, incredulously, at the blazing fire for a beat, almost hypnotized by it.

Suddenly as if seemingly from nowhere a Hellion gunned his motorcycle, roaring up behind her. She spun around and flinched as he rode on by, smashing his beer bottle on the ground at her feet, spraying her with glass and beer.

Magic Box

Tara and Anya scrambled inside from the back-alley door and slammed it shut behind them. "Willow? Xander?" she called out hopefully. Anya stepped toward the front of the shop, looking around, as Tara moved toward the training room. "They're not here," she said with a touch of concern.

"Thank God…" Anya said as Tara glared at her. "My store hasn't been looted," she explained as they heard a crash come from outside.

"Yet," Tara said as Anya moved to the front window and looked out. She brought her wrist communicator to her lips. "Dawn?"

"Tara?" came the White Phoenix Turbo Ranger's voice. "Where are you?"

Anya watched as the window of the bookstore Lynn's mom owns was smashed out with a trashcan. "Is Lynn with her?"

"Why?" Tara wondered.

"A demon just broke out the window of Lynn's mom's bookstore," Anya answered.

"Anya and I are at the Magic Box," Tara informed the Ranger. "Xander and Willow are still out there. And Dawn, the spell didn't work. The demons interrupted the ritual."

"That's not good. The demons know she died somehow."

"They chased the Buffybot into the cemetery," Tara answered. "She was heading for Willow…"

"Because she was damaged," the Ranger finished for the blonde witch. "Okay stay there. If we see Xander or Willow we'll steer them your way."

"Xander," Anya said, her concern growing.

"Ther're all right," Tara said with calm certainty.

"Then where are they?" Anya questioned. "Why aren't they here yet?"

"I don't—" Tara started.

Anya turned to Tara as panic set in. "What if they're hurt? Xander could be lying somewhere. All broken and bleeding. Calling my name—"

"Anya—" Tara cut in.

"Like that! Or—oh—" Anya said as she walked back toward Tara, holding her stomach. "Oh—what if they're already dead?! Oh God!"

"They're not," Tara countered.

"How do you—" Anya started.

Tara grabbed Anya by the shoulders. "He's with Willow," she said trying to calm the ex-vengeance demon. "If something…happened…I'd know." She looked Anya in the eyes. "And so, would you."

Anya searched her feelings for a moment. "You think?" she asked wanting to believe Tara.

Tara nodded and pulled Anya into an embrace as a look of relief came over her. "I'm sure of it…They're fine. They're both fine. They…"

An idea occurred to Tara and she pulled away from Anya. She slowly moved toward the table. "Maybe they just got lost. In the woods."

"The woods?" Anya asked with concern. "We're going back to the woods? I hate the woods. All those woodsy trees—"

"No. It's okay. Lost is good..." Tara informed her as she swept the table clear and climbed on top of it. "Willow and I always know now to find each other." She sat cross-legged on the table.

"With yoga?" Anya scoffed.

"Call Dawn tell her to meet us," Tara instructed as she closed her eyes. "Now, shh. Aradia…Hear my words…"

In the Woods

Xander supported Willow, who was still shaky, as they moved blindly forward in the dark. "Okay, this is really starting to grate my cheese," he said. "These woods aren't that big. And I know we've been going in a straight line, 'cause I've been following the North Star."

"Um, Xander, that's not the North Star," Willow informed him when she looked at what he was pointing at. "It's an airplane."

Xander squinted to get a better look. "No, it's not an airplane. It's definitely—" He sighed in frustration realizing what it was. "—a blimp. But I can see how one could make that airplane mistake."

Willow sat down on a fallen tree. "Xander…I can't walk anymore. I have to rest."

"Can't be much further," he said hopefully.

"You said that an hour ago. I'm just…" Willow reminded him as she closed her eyes. "The spell took a lot out of me."

Xander studied her for a moment. "As for example, snakes. Why didn't you tell us how much—"

She looked up at him. "Don't. Not now."

"What were we into back there, Will?" Xander questioned.

After a moment, Willow stood and Xander moved to help her. She waved him off. "Doesn't make any difference now…"

"Don't get avoidy on me," Xander pleaded.

Willow sighed. "I'm not avoidy. We've got bigger problems. Demons."

"Demons!" Xander said, dripping with sarcasm. "Huh. Well, there's something you don't see every day. Unless you're us!"

"And we're lost. So, can we just—" Willow said as she spotted something behind Xander. "What's that?"

"There! See? Avoidy!" Xander said if that confirmed what he had said.

"That light," Willow informed him as she looked at the light. He followed her gaze to see the light deep in the forest, weaving among the trees and getting ever closer. "Over there."

"You mean the one moving toward us," Xander said, sounding unnerved. "Incredibly fast?"

"Hello?" Willow called out, taking a tentative step toward it.

Xander eyed her, disbelieving. "Hello? We're being hunted and you're helloing strange fast-moving lights in the dark? It could be anything. It—It's a motorcycle headlight," he said the last bit with dread.

"No," Willow countered. "Too small—"

Xander picked up a large stick, and bravely got ready to take on the invader. "Get behind me!"

Willow squinted. "Xander, I don't think—"

Xander pulled her behind him as he stood his ground. "Will, stay down! I'll take care of—"

The light suddenly and startlingly burst through the brush. It was a little ball of light and it flew around her heads. "Oh. It's just—" she started.

Xander cowered from the flitting thing, freaking. "Bug!" he swatted it away. "Ahh! Big firefly bug thing!"

"Xander…" Willow interjected.

"Get off!" he screamed. "Get—Do fireflies bite? Or…They probably burn, don't they? They—Yee-uuuhh!"

"That is not a bug."

They turned at the sound of the voice to find Lynn standing behind them. "Lynn!" Willow said happily.

"Tara cast that," Lynn informed Xander. "It's a locator type spell. It's so that she and Willow always knew where each other was. All I had to do was orb after it." She held out her hands. "Anya and Willow are the Magic Box. Dawn's out on patrol." She held out her hands and Xander and Willow took them before disappearing in blue and white orbing lights.

Streets of Sunnydale

Buffy was trudging along on the sidewalk. She paused to rest, leaning against a car at the end of a driveway. Suddenly the car alarm went off blaring loudly. She backed away as the porch light come on.

She snapped her eyes shut, trying to blink away the momentary blindness. She could barely make out someone coming out of the house and pointing at her.

"What are you doing? Get away from there!" he said as he leveled a shotgun at her. "I said, get off my property!"

Buffy hesitated, shaking her head as if to say she meant no harm.

"You hear me?!" he swung the gun around and wielded it like a club, intending to bash her brains in. "Leave us alone!" She staggered away. "Get out of here!"

Magic Box

Blue and white orbing lights appeared in the middle of the shop and solidified into Lynn, Xander and Willow.

"Xander!" Anya cried excitedly. "I knew you weren't dead!" She threw her arms around him.

"Well, then, what was I so worried about?" Xander questioned.

Willow hurried over to Tara and fell into her arms. Tara held her, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead.

"Are you—?" Tara questioned with concern.

"Not yet," Willow answered with a weak smile. "But I will be." She gently pulled away and sat down, aided by Tara. "Where's Spike?"

"Dawn pulled out her Zord for transportation," Lynn informed her fellow witch. "It carries a maximum of two people. "So, Spike sought his own transportation. He was to meet us here if he found you. So, he's probably still searching."

"We have to go out and look for him and help Dawn," Willow said.

"Um. Question," Anya countered. "You want us to go back out there?"

"Well, yeah. Unless someone's got a better idea," Willow said a little unsure.

"Well I can take us to Dawn," Lynn said. "But that won't find us Spike. And since the demons know Buffy's dead. We're going to need Spike's help now more than ever."

"Even if we go to Dawn how are we going to help her fight these guys?" Anya questioned. "I mean, we can handle a vampire or two, sure, but we've got a cavalcade of demons here. Dawn can only do so much as either a Ranger or a Slayer. She needs…"

"Buffy," Xander said finishing his girlfriend's thought.

"Buffy…" Willow said brusquely, "…is not coming back. We failed. So…we're the only backup Dawn gets, gang." She slowly stood up. "Xander, grab some weapons. Lynn, you orb to Dawn. Help her however you can till we can get there. Xander…Tara…Anya, we're going to find Spike then we'll go to Dawn and Lynn to back them up."

"If we're going, we should go now," Tara said when they heard a crash somewhere outside. "They seem to be getting more and more worked up by the minute."

"Well, they can't keep it up forever," Xander said as Lynn orbed out. "I mean, maybe they'll party themselves out, tire of this place and move on."

Streets of Sunnydale

"Say hello to your new home, boys!" the leader said. He was talking to his fellow Hellions who were gathered around him, cheering him on. "This here is a momentous occasion. The beginning of a new era. Now, no question the open backroads and highways have been good to us, but we got ourselves a juicy little burg just ripe for picking…"

Buffy walked numbly in the middle of the street nearby.

"And I ain't in no hurry to leave," he continued. "Are you?" he asked as they cheered. "So, I figured what better way to kick off our semi-settling down than with a little christening…"

A biker tied the end of a chain to the back of a motorcycle.

"A symbolic act commemorating the new order around here…" he continued as another biker tied a chain to another motorcycle, facing the opposite direction. "And ridding ourselves of any not so pleasant reminders of the old…"

He lifted up a 38-caliber revolver and loaded a bullet into the chamber. "All in one, quick, really, really violent, fell swoop…" He slapped the chamber closed as Buffy approached unnoticed. "Gentlemen, start your engines."

Buffy peered through a break in the crowd and saw the Buffybot standing in the middle of the crowd. She could see it had been damaged and that its limbs were attached to four different motorcycles.

The leader held up the revolver. "Bye-bye, Slayer," he said and fired the gun into the air.

The bikers took off, and with mounting horror Buffy watched as the Buffybot's limbs were ripped from her sockets. "No!" Buffy screamed.

The crowd quieted and turned to look at Buffy. The leader scrutinized her for a moment. "Another one for the fire, boys…" he informed them. "Tear it up! Then we will go after the Power Ranger!"

The Hellions, crazed with bloodlust, rushed at Buffy.

Buffy stared at them, wide-eyed with fear. She turned and ran, the Hellions giving chase on foot and on motorcycle. Two bikers zoomed past her, then swerve their bikes around, cutting off her escape. Buffy skidded to a halt, then sprinted off in another direction.

Another biker came, dangling a chain. As it reached her, the demon swung the chain, Buffy ducked and the chain wrapped around the throat of the Hellion chasing her. Both Bikers fell off their motorcycles. She then tore off down another road.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Willow and Tara, followed by Xander and Anya, made their way down the alley. Willow was armed with a crossbow, while Xander had a battle-ax.

"It wasn't your fault," Tara informed her girlfriend. "We don't know that the spell would've worked even if those demons hadn't—"

"It would've worked," Willow countered.

"Well maybe…" Tara started.

"What?" Willow asked with a glance at Tara.

"Maybe it wasn't supposed to," Tara answered. "I mean, those demons coming just at the exact wrong time…Maybe we really were in over our heads. Invoking forces that we have no right to…Maybe the fates sent all this destruction down on us to stop us. I mean—"

"You mean maybe it's my fault," Willow cut in.

Tara started to protest, but Willow stopped her by putting a hand on her arm, clearly not resentful, just mournful and guilty. Tara folded Willow into her arms.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Two of the bikers were chasing Buffy down the street, converging on her. She made a dash for a dumpster by an industrial building. She leapt onto it, and flipped over a fence.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"I'm not saying we announce it this second…" Anya whispered to Xander.

"Anya…" Xander cut in.

"I think it will please them to know we're engaged," Anya told him. "And I think Willow, in particular, could use a morale booster right now."

"Can we talk about this later?" he asked.

"It's just that…Well, all the excuses for not telling anyone we're engaged are gone now," Anya continued. "I mean, apart from hell-bikers, there's nothing hanging over us anymore. This is it. No more surprises."

Suddenly something shadowy jumped out, landing in front of them. "Watch it!" Xander cried as he instinctively pushed Anya back, protectively.

Willow raised up her crossbow, pointing it at the filthy thing in front of them as it rose up.

"It's…the Buffybot," Tara said mistaking Buffy for the robot.

"Oh, peachy," Xander cried. "No doubt here to lead the Wild Bunch right to us again."

Buffy looked at them, her eyes darting around, feral.

"Will, next time it's damaged, couldn't you program it to find the nearest Radio Shack or—" Xander suggested as he looked at his friend.

Willow took a step forward as she realized this was not the robot, her spell had worked. This was… "Buffy?"

Buffy focused on Willow for a moment before taking off and running away from them.

They turned and chased after her.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"Where did—?" Anya asked as she looked around.

"Here," Tara said as they went around a corner to find Buffy at a dead end, crouched like a caged animal.

"Buffy…Buffy, are you…?" Willow started and then decided to try a different approach. "It's Willow. Can you hear me?"

Buffy didn't look or answer, only searched for a way to escape.

"What's wrong with her?" Anya wondered.

"Nothing," Willow said almost defensively. "She's…she's in shock."

"Her hands are bleeding. Her fingernails…" Tara said looking at Buffy's hand.

"And she's filthy," Anya added.

"Aw no…" Xander said in realization. "No! How could we…Ugh! So stupid."

"Xander?" Willow cut in looking at her friend.

"The spell. Our little resurrection spell worked like a magic charm," he informed the redheaded witch. He turned and looked at Buffy. "We brought you back to life, Buffy." He looked back at the others. "Right where we left her...In her coffin."

Willow cupped a hand over her mouth. "Oh…God…"

They look back at Buffy who was huddled up in the corner of the alley.

"She had to dig out of her own grave," Tara said in shock.

Willow turned away, devastatingly affected by the revelation.

Xander took a step toward Buffy. "Buffy? Buffy, it's Xander. We're…sorry. We didn't know…" He received no response from his friend. "Buffy?"

"You're not reaching her," Tara informed him. "She's too traumatized."

Anya carefully moved toward Buffy. "Hey, Buffy, here's some good news that might perk you right up," she said gently. "Xander and I have an announcement—"

"Anya!" Xander cried pulling his girlfriend back.

"What?" Anya interjected. "I'm trying to help."

"Buffy," Xander informed the blonde Slayer. "It's going to be all right. We…We brought you back. You're home now." Buffy seemed to peer up at that. "Yes!" he said encouraged by her response. "That's right. You're home."

Buffy looked past the Scoobies at the leader who was coming up behind them unnoticed.

"Yeah…" the leader said as everyone pivoted to look at him and six of his gang. "Welcome home, Slayer. Alive and kicking after all. And no Power Ranger in sight."

Buffy peered at the demons through the matted hair hanging in her face.

"Well, alive, anyway," he continued. "Not looking too good though, is she?"

"Don't see you winning any beauty contests, unless the Miss My-Face-Fell-off Pageant gets going…" Xander said putting up a brave front.

The leader turned to Xander, eyeing him threateningly. "Big axe you got there."

"The better to cut you down to size, grandma," Xander countered as the leader made a move toward him.

"Incendire," Tara whispered and a jet of flame erupted between them, startling the leader who fell back.

"So, you got a witch in the mix," the leader told them.

"More than one," Tara corrected.

"I happen to be a very powerful Manwitch myself. Or…male…" Xander said before looking at Willow. "is it warlock?"

"Plus, we have a Slayer here…" Anya added looking at the feral Buffy, "…who might actually be looking to eat some brains so, I think a quiet moseying, no hard feelings and I'm sure your demon horde won't think any the less of you…"

"Now, my boys, see…that's tricky," the leader countered. "They came looking for a massacre. And I think you got exactly enough magic between you for a kiddies birthday party."

Willow stepped forward. "You'd be wrong."

"Whoa. I better back off or you might pull a rabbit out of a hat," he scoffed.

"Don't do that!" Anya said, clearly terrified. "Why would you do that?"

"Look," Willow said looking at the demon leader. "We don't want trouble. And you don't want trouble."

"Of course, we want trouble," he countered with a chuckle. "We're demons. We're really all about trouble."

"Not this kind," Willow informed him.

"I get your point," the leader said as he back handed Willow, sending her flying into a pile of trash cans. Xander moved forward but the leader clipped him before he could even swing his axe.

Tara and Anya both move toward their respective lovers just as Buffy slowly stood up.

"Let me tell you something, children," the leader said. "We're not going to fight you. We're just going to hold you down, enjoy ourselves for a few hours. You might even live through it, 'cept that certain of my boys got some anatomical incompatibilities that, uh, tend to tear up little girls."

Buffy slowly moved toward him. Instinctively her hand moved behind her back as if reaching for something that wasn't there.

"So, who wants to go first?" he asked and then he noticed Buffy who stepped right in front of him. "I was really hoping it'd be you." He punched her in the face. S

Buffy took the blow hard but didn't so much as rock back. She looked at him, feeling the bit of blood on her lip. Her eyes narrowed on the leader. She mouthed the words, 'It's Morphin' Time. Silver Slayer Power!' not realizing she wasn't holding a morpher.

He took another swing at Buffy. She blocked it, then cracked him across the jaw. Then she slammed him in the face with her heel, snapping his head back. He hit the ground hard, out cold.

Both the Hellions and Scoobies were stunned by the turn of events. Willow, Tara, Xander and Anya looked at Buffy, who stood over the leader's prone body, breathing hard."

"Does this mean we win?" Anya asked seconds before the demons charged at them.

Willow fired the crossbow as Xander swung his ax. Buffy leapt into the fray, taking on most of the Hellions single-handedly.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

The White Racer raced down the street and the White Phoenix Turbo Ranger and Lynn looked out the window looking for the Hellions.

"Dawn," Lynn said having spotted something, "what's that?"

The Ranger steered the Racer into a heavily littered convenience store parking lot. They got out of the Racer and came face to face with a sight that was disturbing for the Ranger. In front of them was the Buffybot, it was only a head and torso, its expression frozen into some benign half-smile, eyes wide open.

The Ranger moved to the dismembered effigy of her dead sister. Lynn stood behind her, clearly affected, but trying to hide it.

"You moved past it, but you still miss her," Lynn said in realization.

"Always," the Ranger answered. She reached over to close the robot's eyes when it unexpectedly turned to look at her and Lynn.

"Dawn," the Buffybot said. "You're my sister, Dawn, and you are her girlfriend, Lynn," she told them. "Where did I go?"

"What?" the Ranger asked in confusion.

"Where did I go? I was here. Here," the Buffybot said. "But then I ran away."

Lynn's eyes went wide in realization. "Oh god," she said. "Their spell worked." She looked at her girlfriend. "The bot is talking about Buffy."

"Yes," the Buffybot said. "The other Buffy."

"Buffy…?" the Ranger said, her voice small and almost childlike.

"I don't- I don't know where she went. Maybe—" the Buffybot said as sparks sputtered from one its wounds and it fell silent again.

The Ranger rose and turned toward Lynn. "Find the guys and tell them." She turned and hurried back toward the Racer. She hopped it and drove off as Lynn orbed out.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Most of the Hellions lay dead as Buffy battled the two remaining Hellions. One of them wielded a pipe and raised it to strike at Buffy. She grabbed the arm of the other, who held a knife, and snapped it. She then jabbed him killing him.

Xander stood up in time to watch Buffy finish off the other Hellion by breaking his neck. As the dust settled, everyone moved over beside Buffy, surveying the carnage.

"Well, they wanted a massacre," Tara said.

Xander stared at Buffy. "She's Buffy," Xander said, comforted by the thought. "She's herself again," he said as she looked at him. "You're back, Buff. You really are…" Buffy backs away, "…whoa, whoa…"

Buffy suddenly turned and ran down the alley.

"Buffy!" Willow called after her friend.

"Let her go." They turned and saw Lynn behind them. "I think Dawn knows where she's going."

Unseen the leader stood up and looked at his slain brethren. He brought up his fist and his switchblade claws snap open.

"Lynn!" Anya cried having spotted the leader about to strike. "Look out!"

Lynn orbed out just as the leader swiped at her, missing her. She orbed back in.

"Now what kind of a Slayer is it runs out on her buddies…just when they need her most," the leader chuckled.

Lynn smirked. "Ax!" she called out and Xander's ax orbed into her hands.

"Obfuscate!" Willow cried as she tossed out her empty hand and a grayish glob of energy appeared, turning solid and viscous, as it hit the leader in the face, sticking there like fly paper.

Blinded and enraged, he tried to pull the energy glob off.

Construction Site

Buffy looked up at the tower from which she had fallen from. From which she had given her life for Dawn from. She looked toward the stairs and then started the climb up them.

Streets of Sunnydale

The leader struggled to break free of the energy glob just as Lynn orbed out. When she orbed back in she stood behind the leader. She plunged the ax in his back and he fell to the ground dead.

"Lynn?" Willow said in surprise. "I thought you were supposed to be part pacifist?"

"Technically speaking I am," Lynn said. "But that doesn't mean I can defend my friends."

Xander walked over to the Witchlighter with Anya. "Nice axing."

"My first," Lynn chuckled.

Construction Site

Buffy stood at the edge of the platform, looking down, her mind replaying the night she had died. She closed her eyes as she mouthed the words she said to Dawn that night.

"Buffy?"

Buffy's eyes snapped opened and she turned to face the White Phoenix Turbo Ranger.

"Buffy?" the Ranger repeated. "Power Down!" she called out and de-morphed to reveal who she was to her sister. "It's okay, Buffy."

Buffy turned back around again, to stare into the abyss off the platform.

"No!" Dawn cried. "Don't! Don't jump, Buffy! Don't move! Just…walk to me. Please?" she pleaded as Buffy looked back and forth from Dawn to the edge. "I'm your sister. Dawn. We were up here together. You instructed me to morph, remember. Then you did the only thing you could do. Please don't do that again."

Dawn slowly inched herself toward Buffy as the platform groaned and swayed under her feet. She regretted demorphing now, but she knew to reach her sister that Buffy had to see her face.

"Buffy, I need you to move toward me. Because the tower was built by crazy people and I don't think it's holding up very well…Please, talk to me."

"Is this hell?" Buffy questioned.

Dawn frowned as she looked at her sister. "What?"

Buffy turned to face Dawn. Her expression almost childlike in its desire to understand. "Is this hell?"

"No," Dawn informed her. "Buffy, no. You're here. With me." She took a step toward Buffy as the tower elicited another more pronounced groan. "We have to get off this tower."

"It was so clear here., On this spot," Buffy informed her sister. "I remember how…shiny and clear everything was. But now, now it's…"

"Buffy, please." Dawn begged as Buffy closed her eyes. "Listen to me. You asked me to take up your mantle. And I tried. But it's been so hard without you. Stay with me. Please. I need you to live. Live. For—"

The was a screech of grinding metal. Dawn looked up and saw a steel girder break away from the tower that missed her by inches. A large section of the platform broke away as the girder slammed into it on its descent.

Buffy turned to look back as the impact caused the tower to shudder violently, and the platform started to separate from it, banking to the side.

Dawn lost her footing and started to slide off the edge. "Buffy!" she cried.

In that moment clarity came to Buffy. "Dawn!" she cried. She ran toward her sister, traversing the ever-tilting platform. "I'm coming!"

Dawn strained to reach the rail.

"Teleport!" Buffy cried as she grabbed Dawn as the platform lurched away further.

Dawn hit the teleport button on her wrist communicator and she and Buffy disappeared in a beam of white light.