Chapter 161: I Dream of Dawn

Buffy walked into the club and over to Piper and smiled. "Good morning. Any phone calls?" she asked.

Piper rolled her eyes. "Very funny. I maybe your manager, but I'm not your secretary. How's Willow?"

"I don't know," Buffy said. "She and Tara I think are in Paris today. Tara wanted to wait to start Willow's re-education so that Willow could get over Tara's loss, even though it was only brief."

"I can understand that," Piper said. "I remember when Prue died and when you died. The grief was nearly overwhelming. I can't imagine what it would be like to loose someone you love like you love Dawn and like Willow loves Tara."

"I can," Buffy said. "And I hope I never ever have to go through that again. I could see myself in Willow's place if Dawn had died. The grief … Look what it was supposed to have done to Grams originally."

"I know," Piper said. "She was supposed to have gone into a rage when she found grandpa dead. Grief can be a powerful motivator."

"That it can," Buffy agreed. "And you should know what it's like to lose someone you love like I love Dawn. You lost Leo last year when he became an Elder. I remember what the grief did to you."

Piper sighed and nodded. She had not though much about the time in which she had been a god and when Leo had become an Elder. She knew Buffy was right, she had been almost as bad as Willow. She had wreaked havic with the weather over San Francisco. "I remember."

"I'm sorry for bringing it up, I know you don't like to think about that," Buffy said as she placed a hand on Piper's arm. "Just as I don't want to think about loosing Dawn."

"Thanks," Piper said as she decided to change the subject. "So, what about the warlock powers?"

"Most of them left Willow the moment she found out that Tara had been given to her not only as her Whitelighter but also as her lover. There is still one or two that Tara said have bound to become Willow's permanent powers. She's no longer a Progenitor, but gifted like us."

"Do we know which ones?"

Buffy shook her head. "Not at the moment. That's going to be part of Willow's re-education, discovering her newfound powers."

Piper nodded. "How's Dawn?"

Buffy let out a sigh. "Almost getting killed hit her hard," she said. "But she remembers what I went through each time I had to die either to save the world or for a spell to work. And I think it comforts her somewhat that she isn't giving me a run for my money."

"That's good," Piper said. "We don't need anymore deaths in this family."

"Agreed," Buffy said. "By the way what are you doing here so early?"

"Greg is meeting me here, we're going on a date," Piper said.

"Really," Buffy said as Piper nodded. "Good for you. Anything I need to sign in our office before I leave?"

"One thing," Piper said as she led Buffy to the office in the back. "I was going to do this for your birthday. But with being poisoned, the talk with everyone and Willow's temporarily being a warlock. Well I forgot." She sat at her desk and passed a piece of paper over to Buffy.

Buffy picked up the paper and looked at it. It was the deed to Payson's P5.

"All it requires is your signature to take my name off the deed," Piper said. "I have already got the ball rolling for everything else, the merchant and liquor licenses are being changed into your name. I'm staying on as manager for now. With the money I've saved up, in a couple years I will open my restraunt. At which time you can hire Willow or Xander or someone else if you choose."

At Buffy's house Dawn was on the phone with Phoebe.

"You had a premonition of woman being attacked," Dawn said. "And you scryed for her and she was in the middle east someplace."

"That's right," Phoebe replied. "I'd like you to come along since you have an active power."

"Okay," Dawn replied. "Let me leave Buffy a note and I'll be right there."

Dawn preceeded to write Buffy a note and then shimmered to Phoebe's office where Phoebe and Chris waited for her. And then Chris orbed them out.

"Looks like a dig site," Phoebe said moments later as the three of them walked into a cave.

"In a desert in the middle east. You sure your scrying wasn't off?" Chris asked.

"Maybe Jinny is an archaeologist," Phoebe said.

"That doesn't make since, Pheebs. How would an archaeologist in the middle east get the Bay Mirror in the first place. Let alone send a letter back."

Phoebe shrugged. "She said she was with a controlling man."

"Ok, I think you're missing Dawn's point," Chris said. "What happens if this is a trap?"

"That's why I asked Dawn here in the first place," Phoebe said as the looked around.

Chris saw a small roped off area around a set of bones being excavated. "Hey, what's that?" he asked as bent over to look at them.

Behind them they heard shouting and the sound of a sword unsheathing. "Ouzgal! Mordeh shooret!"

Dawn turned and threw an energy ball at them vanquishing them.

"Do you think anyone heard them?" Chris asked.

From the doorway, a green blast shot out and hit Chris in the left shoulder.

Dawn saw a demon on a magic carpet flying into the cave straight toward them.

Chris motioned and using telekinesis brought the scaffolding on the side of the cave wall tumbling down in front of the demon.

Startled, the demon dropped a genie's botth on the ground. As he watched it fall he yelled. "No!"

Phoebe threw a potion on the just under the magic carpet. It sent a white cloud of smoke rising up to the air. The magic carpet turned around as the demon growled at the girls and then rode the magic carpet out of the cave.

"You ok?" Phoebe asked as she checked on Chris.

"I'll be fine. Is that a flying carpet," Chris asked.

Rather than answer him, Phoebe noticed that Dawn held the bottle that the demon had dropped. "What is that?" she asked.

Dawn looked over the bottle dusting if off as she does so. "I don't know."

A stream of pinkish-red smoke shot out from the bottle appearing in a whirlwind in front of them manifesting into Jinny.

"Thank you for responding to my letter," the genie said.

"Wait. Are you Jinny?" Phoebe asked.

Jinny smiled and looked toward Dawn. "At your service, Master."

Phoebe grimaced and looked at Dawn.

Later back at the manor Chris sat impatiently on the wicker seat while Leo healed his shoulder.

"I could heal him, master," said Jinny. "Your warrior needs his strength. My last master will be coming back for me."

"I think he's got it under control," Dawn said.

"Good idea. Save your wishes," Jinny said.

"Did you get a good look at the demon?" Leo asked.

"We did," Phoebe said, "and when we're done here Dawn and I'll go up to the Book of Shadows to check it out."

"I called Buffy, to see if she'd keep an eye on Jinny for me," Dawn said.

"And I called Paige." Phoebe added, "For when we go after the demon."

"Thanks," Chris said as Leo finished healing him.

"There is no need to guard me," Jinny said to Dawn. "Even if I was not bound to serve you, I would do it anyway for sparing me from Bosk."

"Bosk?" Phoebe asked.

Jinny nodded. "My last master. He was cruel, even for a demon. And I would know. My bottle has been passed around from demon to demon for centuries."

"That's terrible," Dawn said.

"You cannot begin to know. That is why I got the message to Phoebe. I knew if she had my bottle, she would wish me free. Now I am hoping you will, master."

Phoebe looked toward Dawn. "Remember the last one, Dawn?"

"Not really," Dawn replied. "I think I was at school or something when you guys dealt with him."

Phoebe nodded. "Well, no wishes. Piper, Buffy and I know all about genies. They're tricksters."

"Listen, I gotta get back up there," Leo said. "You think you can handle this without Piper?"

"Where is Piper?" Chris asked.

"On a date," Leo replied.

"On a date in the middle of the day?" Chris asked.

Phoebe nodded. "Yeah. Greg works nights."

Chris fell quiet as he tried to remember who Greg was. "Greg, Greg ..." His eyes widen when he remembered Greg. "Greg the fireman?" Phoebe nodded. "You mean the one she's insanely sexually attracted to?" He looked to Leo. "Doesn't that bother you?"

Leo shook his head. "No. If it makes her happy, that's all that matters."

"Oh, come on!" Chris said as he stood up. "What about all this forbidden lovers, you and me against the world stuff? That just doesn't go away."

"You know, Chris, it's a little late for male bonding, especially since I'm petitioning the other Elders to send you back to your time," Leo said.

"What?" Chris asked.

"Wait, are you serious?" Phoebe wondered.

"Even though Chris's intentions are good, his methods have put us all at risk. So, he's going back," Leo said. "Besides, you now have Tara. She's being assigned as the Charmed Ones Whitelighter."

"You mean abandoning me again," Chris muttered.

"Look, you did your job," Leo said. "You warned us about an evil that was after Wyatt. I think we can handle it from here." He then orbed out.

"I gotta stop him," Chris said.

"Don't worry," Phoebe said. "I'll talk to Leo."

Chris shook his head. "No, no, not Leo. Greg, the fireman. He's about to sleep with my mom," he said as started to orb out.

"I really wish you wouldn't do that," Dawn said. "Because what is this about Greg sleeping with Chris's mom. Is Greg two-timing Piper?"

Jinny put her hands together as she nodded and blinked her eyes. Suddenly Chris orbed back into the conservatory.

"What just happened?" Chris asked.

"Your wish is my command, Master," Jinny said.

"Hmm," Phoebe said.

"Well?" Dawn asked.

Phoebe sighed. "Chris is Piper's son."

"Oh," Dawn said.

Just at that moment the front door opened and closed and Phoebe, Jinny and Chris heard two sets of footsteps.

"All right, so where's the genie?" Paige called out from next to Buffy, who had Celia in a baby carrier strapped to her back.

Dawn and Phoebe walked into the foyer as Jinny followed her.

"Oh, my god, you landed one!" Paige said surprised.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "She's a genie, not a trout," she said as she gave Buffy a passionate kiss and then walked around her lover to Celia and kiss her on the forehead.

"You still have two wishes, master. I suggest you save one for Bosk," Jinny said as she looked at Dawn.

"Two wishes," Buffy said. "You guys do remember what happened the last time we dealt with a genie."

"I do, Buffy," Phoebe said. "But Dawn doesn't."

"I think the day you guys were dealing with that genie, I was either sleeping over at Janice's or at school or something," Dawn said. "I only heard about it in passing afterwards. Remember back then you didn't tell me a lot to try and protect me."

Phoebe nodded as she looked to Jinny. "There will be no more wishes. We're gonna do this our way."

"But you cannot handle him. Nobody can. He has a flying carpet and an army of forty thieves," Jinny said.

"Thirty-eight. Dawn and I vanquished two," Phoebe said.

"Let me guess," Paige said. "He wanted a crew and a nice ride. Original for a demon's wish, eh?"

"Yes, and if Bosk gets me back, he will force me to grant his third wish," Jinny said.

"What's his third wish?" Dawn wondered.

Suddenly huge diamond earrings appeared hanging from Paige's ear lobes.

"Nice earrings, Paige," Buffy said having noticed the earrings. "They must have cost a lot."

Paige reached up and felt the earrings.

"Did you do that?" Dawn asked Jinny.

Jinny shook her head. "No, but they are lovely," she said as she looked at Paige. "Who conjured them for you?"

"My boyfriend Richard." Paige sighed. "He's been showering me with gifts all week."

"Weren't you going to talk to him about binding his powers," Buffy said.

Paige nodded. "I have, but every time I bring it up, I just get another present. Luxury problem, I know, but still ..."

"Yeah, back to the demon," Phoebe said. "Uh, what was his third wish?"

"Zanbar," Jinny whispered ominously.

"Zanbar ...?" Phoebe said as she looked at Paige, Buffy and Dawn.

"What's Zanbar?" Paige asked.

"The Lost City," Dawn said. "The Zanbarian empire was largely wiped from history when it was swallowed up by the desert. Zanbar itself was the seat of power for the evil empire. After it was erased from history, the land that made up the Zanbarian empire was melded into Persia on the maps."

"How do you know about it?" Phoebe wondered.

"I read," Dawn said. "Mainly Giles books. There was some talk in one or two of them about Zanbar."

"Dawn! Will you do something, please? I can't orb," Chris said as he walked into the foyer.

"Paige," Buffy said as a diamond bracelet appeared on Paige's rist.

Paige looked at the bracelet, clearly upset. "Damn him."

"You know, Paige, if he won't listen to you, maybe he'll listen to his family," Phoebe suggested.

"Most of them are dead. Remember the feud?" Paige said.

"Please, we do not have time for this! If Bosk captures me, Zanbar will rise again from the dust," Jinny said.

"It's just a city," Paige said.

Dawn shook her head. "No, it's a city of magic."

"Master is correct," Jinny said. "Bosk has been using his thieves to search for its former site. If he finds it and wishes it back, there will be no stopping him. That is why you must wish me free, master. If I am not a genie, it will solve your problems and mine. I beg you."

"Hey ... a little help here? Please?" Chris said.

Buffy's go wide as she watched Paige's clothes transform into an elegant evening gown. "Paige, I think you need to do something, now. Not later. I have this. Go do something about Richard."

"Ok," Paige said as she left.

Phoebe turned to Chris. "You. Dawn and I will help you get your parents back together, but it has to be on my terms, agreed?"

"Parents?" Buffy asked.

"Chris is Piper and Leo's son," Dawn said.

"Oh," Buffy said her eyes going wide.

"Go get Piper. We could use her help," Phoebe said. "Dawn, he needs to orb."

"Uh ..." Dawn said as she turned to Jinny. "I wish that he could orb."

Jinny put her hands together, nodded and blinked and Chris orbed out.

"And we need to find a vanquishing potion for that demon," Phoebe said.

"I'm going to flame to Paris," Buffy said. "See if Tara and Willow would mind watching Celia."

"Good idea," Dawn agreed.

"Be right back," Buffy said as she flamed out.

Moments later Jinny flipped through the Book of Shadows looking at each demon that had at one time owned her. "Oh, he was my master once ... and him, too ... and her."

Dawn and Phoebe stood by the potions table as they made the potion for Bosk. "Boy, you sure got around," Phoebe said. "How did so many demons get a hold of you anyway?"

"Some bought, some stole. I changed hands so many times I lost track," Jinny said.

Dawn sighed and turned to look at Jinny. "I'm sorry I can't set you free, but wishing is just too risky right now," she said as Chris and Piper orbed in.

"Ok, let's go. Greg's not gonna wait forever," Piper said.

"Well, then you should dump him," Chris said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Piper asked.

"He's just being overprotective," Phoebe said.

Piper looked to Jinny. "I take it you're the ... Genie."

"Jinny," Jinny said.

"Jinny the genie," Phoebe said.

Piper looked at Dawn and Phoebe. "Of course. Who's the demon?"

Chris walked over to the Book of Shadows and looked at the demon Jinny pointed to.

"Uh ... he's a low-level demon with minimal powers," Chris said. "There's a vanquishing potion."

"Phoebe and I are working on it," Dawn said.

"Good. Then you're almost done with me, too," Piper said. "Ok, so what's your plan? Are you gonna summon him to us?"

Phoebe nodded. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking."

"What's the rush?" Chris asked.

"Well, not that it's any of your business, but Greg's shift starts in a few hours, and I won't see him for three days. So, I'm gonna go call him," Piper said. "And, um ... I'd put the genie back in the bottle just to be safe. No offense, but we've been burned before." She turned and walked out the attic.

Dawn picked up the genie bottle and held it out to Jinny. "Do you mind?"

"Yes, master," Jinny said as she crossed her arms and turned into a pink stream of smoke that entered the bottle.

"I feel so bad!" Dawn said as put the bottle on the potions table.

"As well you should," Chris said. "If we don't do something soon, I could end up half-fireman instead of half-Whitelighter."

"Oh, for goodness sakes," Phoebe said as she looked toward Dawn.

"Look, I'm running out of time here. So what do you say we get to use that genie to make mom and dad, you know ..." Chris said.

"That's vile ..." Dawn said.

"And against the rules," Phoebe added. "I would think that you wouldn't wanna be conceived that way."

"Well, it beats not being conceived at all," Chris said.

"Look, I told you I would help you on my terms," Phoebe said. "Ok? I'm not going to force Dawn into using the genie for you. So back off."

"I'll help you as well," Dawn agreed. "But it does need to be on our terms."

"Fine," Chris said. "What are your terms?"

"Hmm," Phoebe said as she looked at Dawn, who shrugged. "We're not really sure yet, but I am done with this potion." She then put the potion in the vial.

"Can I ask you something," Dawn said as she looked at Chris. "It's about Celia." Chris sighed and nodded. "Phoebe felt that you loved Celia. Is that because she's your cousin or are you two like me and Buffy?"

"Because she's my cousin," Chris said. "It really was her idea for me to come back. She wanted to do it herself, but she knew she couldn't. She knew you and Buffy would likely recognize her. She gave me a message for the day you or Buffy found out that I was Piper and Leo's son and that she was my cousin, she must have realized you would."

"What was the message," Dawn wondered.

"I love you both, mama Buffy, mama Dawn. Never forget that, no matter what happens to me."

"Ah that's sweet," Phoebe said as she smiled. "So as soon as Piper gets back, we are ready to go."

Suddenly Bosk crashed through the attic window on his flying carpet knocking over Chris. The flying carpet stopped mid-air and Bosk jumped off.

Phoebe threw the potion at Bosk only to have it explode harmlessly in front of him as an amulet glowed red, protecting him from the vanquishing properties of the potion.

Bosk smiled smugly. "Not this time, witch."

Dawn powered up an energy and threw it Bosk, missing him as he dove out of the way and threw a green dart at her.

"Uhh! Piper!" Phoebe yelled.

Dawn crawled behind the table. "Jinny," she started just as Buffy flamed in. "I wish …"

"Dawn, no!" Buffy yelled.

"… you free!" Dawn finished as pink smoke funneled out of the bottle onto the attic floor shrouding her from view. When it cleared where she had been now stood Jinny dressed in black.

"Well, it's about time," Jinny said as Bosk took a terrified step backward. "Who's the master now?" She powered up a fireball and hurled it at Bosk, vanquishing him in a wall of fire and smoke.

Chris noticed that Jinny was reaching for the bottle and held out his hand as it telekinetically flew into it.

Buffy powered up a fireball and threw it at Jinny who ran and dove on the flying carpet. The last she saw of Jinny, Jinny was flying out of the shattered attic window on the carpet.

Piper ran into the attic. "What?" she asked as Phoebe stood up.

"Where's Dawn?" Buffy asked.

"Here!"

Piper, Buffy, Chris and Phoebe looked around for Dawn but did not find where the sound of her voice was coming from.

"In here!"

Chris looked at the genie bottle in his hand and then peered through the opening. He saw Dawn dressed just like Jinny had been. Dawn looked up as she waved and grinned sheepishly at him. "Hello ... Master," she said.

Chris handed the bottle to Buffy who looked inside.

"What are you doing in there?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know," Dawn said. "I wished Jinny, free and the next thing I knew I was in here."

"Can you come out?" Buffy wondered.

"I can't! I don't know how," Dawn replied. "Try commanding me."

"Dawn," Buffy said as she shook her head. "I command you to come out."

"Sorry, Buffy," Dawn said. "I think it has to be my … master."

Buffy handed the bottle to Chris as she glared at him.

"You mean me?" Chris asked as he looked inside the bottle.

"Well, yeah, you did pick up the bottle, didn't you?" Dawn said.

"All right. Get out of the bottle. I command you," Chris said.

Dawn crossed her arms and immediately turned into blue smoke that poured out of the bottle. A second later she walked out of the blue smoke, human sized again.

Piper looked at Dawn and laughed. "You look ridiculous!" she said.

Buffy glared at Piper, "Not funny."

"Sorry," Piper said knowing how Buffy must be feeling at the moment. After all the love of Buffy's life was bound to the bottle. "Leo!"

"Have you ever noticed that Leo is the first person you call in your time of need?" Chris asked.

Leo orbed in and looked around the attic, when he noticed Dawn he groaned. "Uh-oh," he said.

"Yeah, right?" Dawn said. "Uh-oh."

"I still can't believe you made a wish with a genie," Piper said. "You know better than that."

Dawn sighed. "First off, I thought she was an innocent. Second of all, I wasn't around for the first genie you all dealt with a genie. I think I was having a sleepover at Janice's that day or was at school, I really don't remember. Third how was I to know that I was gonna unleash a demon? Or that I would even take its place."

"She has point there," Buffy said. "When we freed that one genie, none of us took its place. So why would Dawn?"

Leo held out his hand to Chris who handed him the bottle. He looked at an Arabic warning label. "It says so right here."

Dawn moved over next to Leo. "Arabic, I think. Not a language I've learned yet."

"There's a warning label on the genie bottle?" Piper asked.

Leo nodded. "Yeah. An ancient sorcerer condemned a demon into the bottle for not marrying him. It says whoever tried to free her, they'd have to switch places with her." He looked over at Chris and handed him back the bottle. "Missed a big one here, bud."

Chris scoffed. "You wanna pin this on me?" He put the bottle on the table.

"Leo. It's not his fault," Dawn said. "It's my fault."

"How come your empathy thing didn't give her away?" Piper asked Phoebe.

Phoebe sighed. "She tricked me and obviously the Book, too."

"I think we need to find a way to fix this," Buffy said.

"Well, the only way to fix it is to get the demon reverse the magic," Leo said.

"That's what we need to do then," Dawn said.

"I'll call Paige," Piper said as she headed out of the attic.

"Yes!" Phoebe said. "I do believe the element of surprise is very important here."

Chris watched Piper leave and turned to Dawn, Buffy and Phoebe. "Are you sure? Because we could always take our time with this plan, you know, keep Piper around just a little bit longer?"

"Yes, master," Dawn said.

"That's not funny, Dawn," Buffy said.

"I can't help it," Dawn replied. "It seems I'm compelled to call him, master." She looked at Leo. "How am I supposed to take charge and take commands all at the same time?"

"Well, you won't have to," Leo said. "Chris is coming back up there with me. The Elders have agreed to send him back to his time."

"What?!" Chris said.

"You don't know what you're doing here, Leo," Phoebe said.

"He doesn't belong here, and as your former whitelighter, he's doing more harm than good," Leo said.

"You are so full of it!" Chris said. "This isn't about me being a bad Whitelighter. It's about you feeling like I've let you down somehow! So whatever issues you might have with me, I wish you would just get over it already!"

Dawn put her hands together, nodded and blinked as a wave of magic passed through Leo. She looked down at her sudden pose, puzzled by what just happened.

"Leo?" Chris said warily.

Leo looked at Chris and laughed. "Of course, I forgive you, man. You don't have to yell! All you had to do was ask."

"I did?" Chris asked.

Leo nodded. "Yeah. And listen, with that whole going back to the future thing, you know, don't even worry about it, because I'll talk to the other Elders, and we're gonna work it all out, ok? It's no big deal. Ok?" He laughed as he opened his arms. "Come on, give me a hug!" He hugged Chris warmly.

Later downstairs Buffy sighed as Dawn sat cuddled into her as Piper and Phoebe worked on a spell.

"It would be good if a certain bossy sister would get off my back," Piper said as she looked at Phoebe. "I'm giving up a lot to be here. I'll write the vanquishing spell the way I want."

"You should invoke the name of—" Phoebe said.

"Piper," Buffy said. "Just let Phoebe help, okay. I want my baby not to be a genie anymore."

Piper sighed. "Sorry."

Just then Paige orbed in, a sad and worried expression graced her face.

"Back so soon?" Phoebe asked.

Paige nodded. "Yeah, the intervention was a complete train wreck. Richard wouldn't listen to anyone."

"Oh, Paige, I'm so sorry," Dawn said as Paige looked at her and laughed. "You're laughing at me? I'm trying to be sympathetic, and you're laughing at me?"

"I'm sorry. Maybe I needed a laugh after what I just went through," Paige replied.

"Yeah. It's ok," Dawn said. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Yeah ... but don't you …"

"Don't even complete that sentenance," Buffy said as she glared at Paige. She then turned to look at Piper. "Just finish the spell, ok?"

"All right. Hey, I want this done just as badly as you do," Piper said before looking at Paige. "Did you find us a ghost?"

Paige nodded. "Yeah, I got us Richard's dad. He's hanging out in limbo waiting for my call. Why do we need a ghost?"

"Well, once we capture Jinny, he can possess her and force her to wish Dawn free," Piper explained. "And then Buffy will stop glaring at all of us and be happy again."

Just then Leo and Chris entered the room laughing.

"Here's the crystals you wanted," Leo said as he put the box on the table in front of Piper.

"Well, you guys sure are chummy," Paige said.

Leo nodded. "Yeah, I had a change of heart, decided to let bygones be bygones."

"Really?" Piper asked.

Dawn saw Piper and Paige's puzzlement. "Guys, there's something I have to tell you."

"Uh, after we talk in the kitchen," Chris interrupted.

"But –" Dawn said.

Chris held up the bottle. "Dawn?"

Dawn crossed her arms and changes into a funnel of smoke and zoomed into the bottle.

"Now, that was cool. If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna have a little one-on-one with the help," Chris said as he left the room heading for the kitchen.

Buffy and Phoebe turned and immediately followed him. Once in the kitchen Chris let Dawn back out of the bottle.

"What do you want?" Buffy asked.

"I want mom and dad to sleep together," Chris said.

"You wanna make them do what?" Phoebe asked.

"We finally got dad in a good mood, and mom, she's all sexed up for the fireman," Chris explained. "This is the perfect time to hit 'em with the whammy."

Phoebe shook her head. "No, you are not gonna use Dawn to make Piper and Leo sleep together. Ok? We're gonna do this our way, mister!"

"I'm sorry, Phoebe, but I'm running out of time here. A guy's gotta survive," Chris said as he looked at Dawn. "I wish for Piper and Leo to sleep together tonight."

"I'm not—" Dawn began to argue as she put her hands together, nodded and blinked.

Suddenly there was two loud thuds in the other room.

Chris looked at Phoebe, Buffy and Dawn and the four of then ran back into the sitting room to see what happened. They found both Piper and Leo asleep on the floor.

Chris knelt down next to Leo and Piper. "They're sleeping," he said as he looked up at Dawn. "You tricked me."

Dawn shook her head. "No, you made me wish for them to sleep together," she motioned with her hands at Piper and Leo as Chris stood up. "... and they're sleeping together."

Chris sighed. "This is a mess! I've only got one more wish to sort this thing out, so if you don't mind ..." he held out the bottle.

"No!" Buffy said as she powered up a fireball. "You are not putting the love of my life back in that bottle."

"I would highly do as she says," Phoebe said. "You might not have to worry about being conceived when your on fire."

Chris let out a sigh as he looked at his sleeping parents.

Suddenly they heard Richard's voice shouting from the front door. "You're gonna break up with me over some flowers?"

"Look, I'm sorry. It's me or magic," Paige said. "You just have to choose one."

"You can't give me that kind of choice!" Richard said.

Paige sighed. "I just did."

"You wanna talk about dependencies?" Richard said. "Why are you always running off to be with your sisters?"

They're interrupted by a loud crash and a painful shout coming from the next room. Paige looked at Richard and sighed. "Wait here." She turned and headed back into the house.

A thief tossed Chris into a wall as Phoebe and Buffy fought two more.

Dawn stood watching, for some reason unable to do anything. Everytime she tried to power up an energy ball it seemed her powers were blocked.

Chris hit a cabinet and fell to the floor; the genie bottle slipping from his grasp and rolled under a table.

A thief pulled out his sword and moved toward Buffy as Paige came through the doorway.

"Find the bottle, before they do," Buffy said.

"It's over here," Dawn said. "It seems like my powers are not wanting to work, I can't touch the bottle either."

The thief wielding the sword rushed Buffy, who powered up a fireball and threw it, vanquishing the thief.

Paige rushed forward to get the bottle as a fourth thief stepped forward and swung his sword at her and she orbed out and back in behind him. She held out her hand. "Sword!" The sword orbed into her hand and she stabbed the fourth thief from behind vanquishing him.

In the back of the room, Jinny shimmered in. She looked around for the bottle and saw it under the table. As she stepped for the bottle, Richard walked through the doorway and leisurely waved his hand sending her flying backward toward the far wall.

Paige turned and thrust her sword into the third thief vanquishing him. "Catch," she shouted as she threw the sword to Chris who stabbed his thief just as Jinny got to her feet.

Intending to stop her, Paige looked around and saw the open box of crystals on the table. "Crystals! Circle!" she said as they orbed out and then she motioned toward Jinny and the crystals orbed back in circling Jinny and trapping her inside.

Jinny took a step and hit the barrier created by the crystals.

"Got her," Paige said.

Jinny tried to escape from the crystals, but found herself trapped.

"Where's the bottle?" Chris asked.

"My new master has it," Dawn said with a sigh.

They all turned and saw Richard holding the bottle in his hand.

"Richard?" Paige and Buffy warned.

Richard looked at Paige, then wordlessly shimmered out of the Conservatory with the bottle.

Dawn felt like there was a hook behind her navel. "Sorry, I think I'm tethered to the bottle," she said as she vanished.

Buffy let out a scream of frustration, while Paige went over to check the crystals at Jinny's feet.

"You think these crystals can hold me?" Jinny asked as she gingerly stretched out a hand to test the crystal bars. They zap her.

Paige shook her head. "Nope, not for long. That's why we're putting you back in your bottle."

"When I form my empire, the first thing I'm gonna do is rid the world of witches," Jinny said.

"Oh, yeah?" Buffy said as she glared at Jinny with murderous intent. "Well, when you're back in your bottle, the first thing I'm gonna do is put you in the microwave."

Paige grabbed Buffy and they and Chris walked out of the room.

Chris moved over to Piper and Leo and set them up on the couch and then orbed in a blanket and draped it over them.

Paige sighed. "They're still asleep." Chris nodded. "Why don't we try smelling salts?"

"It won't work," Chris said. "Trust me." He knelt down dejectedly on the sofa near Piper and Leo's feet staring at them.

"What's wrong with them?" Paige asked.

Chris sighed. "It's a long story."

"The short version of it," Buffy said. "He made my girlfriend grant a wish."

Paige looked at Chris. "You did what?"

"Two little wishes," Chris said.

"Oh, great, it's not bad enough I have to worry about Richard," Paige said. "Now I have to worry about you, too. What did you wish for?"

"For Leo to forgive him," Buffy said.

"Which, by the way, was an accident," Chris added.

"And?" Paige asked.

"For Piper and Leo to sleep together," Chris said.

"Paige, before you say anything. Chris is their son," Buffy said knowing Paige would have been appalled that Chris wanted Piper and Leo to have sex.

Instead Paige was shocked at finding out Chris was her nephew "What?" she asked as she stared at Buffy and Chris.

"It's true," Chris said. "Celia's plan was for me to come and save our family."

"You both are serious," Paige said.

"Yeah, we are," Chris said. "Only now I gotta save myself, because if my mom doesn't get pregnant in the next month, there is no me."

Paige groaned. "This is all so wrong ... and this ..." she said as she sat down. "... has been such a long day."

Buffy looked at Paige. "I'm going over to Richard's. I'm getting my girlfriend back from him."

Paige shook her head. "No, you can't. He's, uh—he's crazy right now. He might hurt you, Buffy,

ok? I need to strip him of his powers."

"How is that gonna help?" Chris wondered.

"Well, he's been corrupted by magic like Willow was and if I don't strip him of his powers, I might not be able to save him," Paige said. "Who else knows about this?"

"About me?" Chris asked as Paige nodded. "Just Phoebe, Buffy and Dawn."

Paige took a deep breath. "All right, you watch Jinny. I'm gonna go make this potion, okay?"

"I'll help you," Buffy said as she followed Paige upstairs.

At Richard's house Dawn watched as Richard searched the room.

"What are you looking for?" Dawn asked.

"A book of wishes," Richard replied.

"Wishes?" Dawn asked

Richard nodded as he went through a set of drawers. "Yep. Gotta get the wording right."

Dawn sighed. "Magic is not the answer to your problem with Paige."

"And how do you know what my problem is with Paige?" Richard asked.

"Because I know my sister," Dawn said as she sat down on a stool. "You want her to accept you with magic. Yet she can't because she sees you the way we all do."

"And what way was that?" Richard asked.

"Addicted," Dawn replied.

"So the whole family is brainwashed," Richard said. "I'll have to cast the spell on the whole family." He looked on a shelf and finally found the book. "Aha! Here it is." He grabbed it and pulled it out.

Just then Paige orbed in with Phoebe and Buffy and they saw Dawn sitting on the stool.

"Are you okay?" Buffy asked.

"I'm fine," Dawn said.

"Paige, I told you, don't orb in and surprise me," Richard said.

"He's not himself right now," Dawn said.

"Look, I'm fine, all right?" Richard said as he looked at Dawn. "I just need to do some reading. I'll call you when I'm ready."

Paige shook her head. "This is for your own good." She threw the potion at Richard who waved his hand deflecting it back at Paige. The force of the deflection sent Paige, Dawn and Phoebe and the vial slamming back into the next room. The crashed and slid, each of them hitting their heads against something and not moving.

"Buffy!" Dawn shouted as she ran into the other room. "Paige! Phoebe!"

Buffy slowly regained consciousness and looked up into Dawn's face and smiled. "Hi, baby."

"Hi, baby," Dawn replied as she kissed Buffy and then helped her to her feet.

As Phoebe and Paige regained consciousness Richard stepped toward them and helped them to their feet.

"You all ok?" Richard asked. "I'm sorry. I—I didn't mean to ..."

"It's ok. It's fine," Paige said.

"We're fine," Buffy and Phoebe agreed.

Richard nodded as he looked to Dawn. "I'll make it up to you."

Dawn held up a finger to stop him. "No, no, no! Not that way."

"No more wishes," Paige agreed.

"No, no, it's ok," Richard said. "It's not for me, it's for Buffy. "Dawn, I wish you free."

A whirlwind of blue smoke rose around Dawn and Richard, when it dissipated Dawn had returned to normal and Richard now wore djin's outfit.

Richard glanced down at himself. "Uh, what is this?"

Just then Chris and Jinny orbed into the foyer, a fireball powered up in her hand.

"What are you doing here?" Phoebe asked.

Jinny threw a fireball at them as everyone ducked out of the way.

Chris reached out to hit Jinny, who anticipated the attck and grabbed his arm. She tossed him over to the other side of the room and he crashed into the door, hitting it with a thud as he fell to the floor in pain.

Richard, Paige, Dawn, Buffy and Jinny got to their feet just as Jinny picked up the bottle.

Jinny stared at the bottle. "Genie, I wish The Charmed Ones dead."

Paige, Buffy, Dawn, and Phoebe looked at each other as Richard put his hands together, nodded and blinked. And the four of them collapsed to the floor … dead.

"NO!" Chris yelled as he scrambled to his feet and rushed over to them.

"Now, into the bottle," Jinny told Richard who turned into gray smoke that shot into the bottle. Chris looked up at her from his position near the sisters and she smiled at him. "My condolences." And then she shimmered out.

"No. No, you can't be dead yet," Chris said as he knelt next to the sisters. "It's not your time. I know it's not your time."

Buffy, Dawn, Phoebe and Paige's spirits rose out of the body as Chris got to his feet and stepped away from them.

"I'm sorry," Chris sobbed. "I'm sor—this—I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. She was gonna kill mom and dad."

"Hey, Chris ... we're not moving on," Phoebe said.

"Why aren't we moving on?" Paige asked.

"Who cares? You're still here," Chris said.

Phoebe, Buffy, Dawn and Paige looked at each as they tried to figure out what happened.

"Any of you guys got any unfinished business?" Paige asked.

"Not me," Phoebe said. "Buffy?"

"One, but not enough to hold me back," Buffy said.

"What is it?" Dawn asked.

"I would have liked to earned that reward that Gideon spoke so we both could have had a child together," Buffy said.

"Ah, that's sweet," Dawn replied. "I guess I'm the same as Buffy. Paige, what about you?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it, it would've been nice to find out I had another nephew before I died," Paige said.

"I was gonna tell all of you, but I just didn't get a chance," Phoebe said.

Paige sighed.

"Guys, we can fix this," Chris interrupted. "We can reverse the magic. All we need to do is get the bottle."

Phoebe nodded. "That's true. We're ghosts. We could possess Jinny. Where is Jinny?"

"Well, she was planning to conjure the lost city," Dawn said.

"Don't worry. We're gonna take care of this. Should we go check on Piper first?" Buffy said.

Chris shook his head. "No, no, no. Piper's fine. I mean, she has to be, right? If she was dead, I would have vanished."

Dawn looked to Buffy and smiled. "He has a point. Which means we may still earn that reward."

"How do we reach Jinny?" Paige wondered.

"You're ghosts," Chris said. "You can haunt anybody you want. You should just concentrate, and it should wisp you right to her."

Paige, Phoebe, Buffy and Dawn closed their eyes and concentrated and their forms whisp away in a ghostly white blur.

"Wait for me!" Chris yelled as he orbed out.

Somewhere in the middle east Jinny walkws forward toward the discovery, the genie's bottle clutched in her hand. "You sure this is the site?"

The head thief pointed to the ground in front of them where the skeletal remains of a two-headed animal had been discovered. "One of the hounds of the Zanbar. They guarded the city for the sultan."

"I could use a few of those myself," Jinny said as she lifted the bottle. "You ready in there?" She turned and held the bottle out in front of her toward the desert. "I wish to resurrect the lost city of Zanbar."

The ground immediately began to rumble all around them. From within the desert sand, the buildings of Zanbar rise up magically from the depths shooting straight upward to the sky altering the terrain before them.

Jinny watched with abject glee as the buildings, the walls, the palace continues to pull upward and out of the ground. When it's done, the magic city of Zanbar stood before them. "Finder's keepers," she said as she smiled.

"I wouldn't unpack if I were you," came Paige's voice from behind Jinny.

Jinny turned around and saw Chris, Paige, Phoebe, Buffy and Dawn standing behind her. She walked toward them. "Why haven't you moved on? You're dead!"

"So are you," Dawn said as she turned into a ghostly mist and dove straight into Jinny. Jinny gasped at the impact and dropped the bottle.

The head thief pulled out his sword and stepped forward to attack. Chris motioned and telekinetically threw the head thief up against the far cave wall.

Two other thieves standing behind Jinny drew their swords and swung them at Chris.

"Uh, watch out!" Paige said.

"Dawn, a little help here?" Chris said.

As the two thieves rushed past Jinny, she powered up two fireballs and threw them at the backs of the thieves, vanquishing them.

Dawn felt Jinny's body with her hands. "I think I've got control of her body," she said.

Chris rushed forward, took the head thief's sword and stabbed it down into the head thief, vanquishing him.

"Ok, all clear," Buffy said.

Dawn leaned Jinnyover and made her pick of the genie's bottle. "Richard, I wish you free."

Gray smoke shot out of the bottle and surrounded Jinny as Dawn's spirit left her. The moment the smoke cleared Richard stood where Jinny had been holding the bottle.

Paige smiled at Richard. "Hi, honey."

Richard looked into the bottle and saw Jinny. "I wish The Charmed Ones alive again."

The next day Dawn laid her head against Buffy's shoulder. "I hope that is the final time I have to die, I don't want to do it as many times as you have."

"Hear, hear," Buffy agreed.

"Buffy, I've been thinking. I want to get married," Dawn said.

Buffy sighed. "The State of California won't let us, Dawn."

"There are other ways," Dawn said. "Remember Piper's wedding."

Buffy nodded. "Officiated by Grams. I don't know if Grams will do it though. She is kind of old fashioned, grew up when our kind of love was not only forbidden, but unthinkable."

"We can ask, though," Dawn said. "And if all else fails. We can ask mom. She could be considered to be the matriarch of the Summers family line."

"I never thought of her being the head of the Summers family of witches, but you're right," Buffy said.

"So, Payson Halliwell, will you marry me?"

"Yes," Buffy replied and Dawn rose her head off Buffy's shoulder and kissed her lover, sister and fiancée passionately.

Author's Note: This is the last chapter I had completed. So at the moment its back to when I finish the next one it will be uploaded, instead of one a day like when I had managed to get ahead.

That said I made the right call on the Buffy/Dawn ship. Every time I wrote a scene I could see them together.

Talking about the Buffy/Dawn ship. I added about 180 words (I think that was what the count was) to the beginning of Used Karma, where Buffy was watching Dawn sleep.