Chapter 3: She Has Come
*****A Few Hours Later*****
Obi-Wan was not sure how he felt about his Master adopting Dawn, but he was still thinking about his words from earlier. They went to the scheduled testing, and he was happy that Dawn got her pilot's license. It meant so much to her, and her joy was contagious. Maybe there was something to what his Master said. He would speak with Yoda about it when they returned to the Temple.
As they celebrated her success at dinner, his master was nearly as happy as Dawn. Then the server brought out a small cake, and they sang happy birthday, a song she had taught them. Then Dawn closed her eyes before blowing out the candle. She had explained the previous year about making a wish, but you couldn't share it, or it wouldn't come true. When he tried to explain that her logic made no sense, she had thrown a piece of birthday cake in his face. Since his master only gave her an indulgent smile, he refrained from arguing on her birthday.
As he got to know her better, he knew that her wishes were probably all the same. She wished that her sister would find a way to her. Whenever Obi told her of the unlikeliness of that happening, she would just smirk. "You don't know my sister," Dawn said. "If there's a way for her to be here, she will find it."
That was a year ago. Obi-Wan knew all about Dawn's sister because Dawn talked about her a lot. Her sister and her sister's friends. She had a crush on Xander, the normal one who babysat her and made her feel special. He fixed the house when demons or zombies attacked and broke things. Dawn claimed that her sister was a mystically empowered vampire slayer, who fought the forces of darkness daily. According to Dawn, it was basically all the girl did. Her friends helped her some, but Buffy did the biggest part of it. She even sacrificed the man she loved to save the world when she seventeen, which bothered Obi-Wan.
He had discussed the story with his Master.
"Do you believe Dawn's tales of her sister?" he had asked Qui-Gon.
"I do," he replied. "I saw her sister in a vision. I felt her strength. She is a warrior. I have no doubt."
"How could one so young sacrifice the man she loved to save the world?" he asked. "We have been taught that strong passions would not allow for such sacrifice."
"She is not a Jedi, Obi-Wan," he said. "She does not have the temptation of the Darkside of the Force to lead her astray."
That made sense to Obi, but now he considered her actions in light of what Qui-Gon said earlier that day. Did love always push one to the Darkside? Could one love and still do the right thing like Dawn's sister did? Qui-Gon said that the sister was prepared to jump that day Dawn came to them. The sister wanted to die in her place, but Dawn beat her to it. Her love for Dawn propelled her to such actions.
What would it be like to be loved like that?
These were the thoughts in his mind as Dawn cut the birthday cake, chatting about her first attempt to make a cake and how Buffy insisted that one did not put pickles in a birthday cake.
Qui-Gon seemed filled with joy and at peace, and Obi realized that adopting Dawn made him very happy.
They were entering their apartment, turning on the lights when it happened. A portal opened, and a blonde woman dressed for battle entered. Behind her, there was a woman of a species that Obi-Wan could not place, but she was tinged in blue.
As the portal closed, Dawn gasped. "Buffy!"
"I told you that I could bring you to her," the blue woman said with a disdainful sniff as Dawn threw herself against her sister.
"Happy birthday, Dawn," Buffy told her, hugging her tightly.
"Too tight," Dawn squeaked.
"Sorry," Buffy said, giving her a sheepish smile.
"We just had my birthday dinner, and I made a wish that you would come and here you are!" she announced. She gave Obi a smug look. "See, I told you! Wishes do come true!"
"Welcome," Qui-Gon said, greeting her with a smile. "We are very glad as Dawn has missed you a lot. I am Qui-Gon, and this is Obi-Wan."
Buffy looked at the taller man with the warm smile and long hair with interest as he held out his hand to her. She accepted it. "It's nice to meet you both. Thanks for taking care of her. I'm Buffy Summers, her sister. This is Illyria. She can open portals. We opened a few wrong ones, and then Willow figured out a spell to pinpoint your location more exactly," Buffy said.
Illyria looked at Dawn with interest. "I can see the Key inside of her. It infuses her very being," she said. "She is very powerful." Then she looked at the two men. "The men are enhanced with the song of the green somehow. I do not understand it. This place is strange." She frowned.
"What is she?" Dawn asked.
"Illyria, would you like to go outside and explore?" Buffy suggested. "Don't go killing anyone, okay? If someone attacks you, just knock them out. We don't know the rules here."
"I enjoy ripping out spines," Illyria said with such casual ease that Obi-One was greatly disturbed.
"I know you do, but now is not the time," Buffy told her.
She nodded and went out the front door.
"What the hell, Buffy? Who is she?" Dawn asked.
"Please have a seat," Qui-Gon suggested.
Buffy explained a bit about what she had done the past two years trying to find Dawn. "Nothing worked. Then Illyria began working with Angel," she shared. Buffy didn't tell them about Fred or that she had killed her taking over her form.
"She used to be a real Old One and is ancient. Like before humans evolved on Earth. She was trapped in something called a Deeper Well and stripped of her powers," Buffy explained. "She is not what she once was. She can no longer slow down time. Her form cannot contain her previous powers, so Angel took most of it away. I had her get back her portal opening ability because I needed it to help you."
"Is she evil?" Dawn asked. "If she's a pure demon, then she must be."
Qui-Gon looked alarmed and glanced at Obi-Wan.
"I wouldn't bring an evil demon around you, Dawn," Buffy said, annoyed. "She is neither good nor evil. What she is is a big gun, a weapon that I will point at whatever enemy threatens me and mine. She likes me, and respects Angel and Willow. Her instincts are alien. She knows the true nature of things, and she has an affinity to plant life—calls it the song of the green. She is an incredible fighter. Damn well indestructible."
"I do not feel the Force in her," Qui-Gon said. "She seemed to be a blank to me."
"What does Buffy feel like?" Dawn asked.
Qui-Gon closed his eyes and reached out with his senses, trying to find her in the force. It was odd. Unlike her companion, she did have a force presence. It was unlike anything that he had ever felt. It both blazed like the sun and felt cold at the same time. He did not understand it.
He opened his eyes and smiled. "I feel her presence in the Force," he said simply, not wanting Obi-Wan to distrust Buffy.
"What's that?" she asked.
"All living matter is made up with the Force. In our worlds, there are certain people who have what Dawn would call similar to your DNA—although we do not call it that—that are gifted in sensing and wielding the Force," he said. "We train them from a young age to master the Force, to become Jedi Knights. They are peacekeepers in the galaxy. They use the good side of the Force, staying away from aggression, hate, and fear, which gives way to the Darkside of the Force. The Darkside of the Force poisons and twists them, making them a shell of the person they once were. Eventually, the strongest Force users become Masters and can train others, who are called Padawans. Obi-Wan is mine. I have also been training Dawn even though she is not a child. She is unusually strong in the Force."
"It's kind of like magic, Buffy," Dawn said excitedly. "But it's not. Oh, I got my pilot's license today since I turned sixteen! I can fly spaceships! Isn't that amazing?"
Buffy wasn't sure if amazing was the word she would use, but she was just glad that her sister was alive and well. It seemed that she owed this Qui-Gon quite a bit. She looked at him and smiled. "It seems that I owe you much, Mr. Gon," she said.
"Qui-Gon Jinn is my full name," he told her. "But please call me Qui-Gon or Qui as Dawn does."
"All right," Buffy said, flashing him a smile. He couldn't know how rare her smiles were these days.
It was surreal for Qui-Gon to have the woman from his dreams there in front of him. Her presence was potent as she was unlike any other person that he had ever met. She had her long blond locks pulled back, but her caged energy was coiled, ready to spring at a moment's notice. The deadly grace about her was very attractive, and Qui-Gon felt a strong attraction to her. Something that he had not felt since he was much younger. He was probably at least a decade or so older than her, but he felt a strong pull toward her. His Force dreams of her seemed to indicate that she was his destiny in some way.
"We better go find Illyria before she gets into trouble," Buffy said to Dawn. "You can show me around."
Qui-Gon could sense that the girls wanted some privacy, so the two of them followed at a distance, allowing the girls to talk.
"I cannot believe that Dawn's sister is here," Obi-Wan remarked.
"It is the will of the Force," Qui-Gon said. "She has been in my dreams, so I knew it was only a matter of time."
"Do you think she will take Dawn away from us?" Obi-Wan asked, not sure he liked the thought.
"I do not," Qui-Gon said. "She needs us. She just does not know it yet."
Ahead, the girls were talking. Buffy was telling her what their friends had been up to. Dawn was surprised and happy to hear that Angel was a father.
"Xander and Anya were engaged, but then he left her at the altar," she shared.
"No way!" Dawn exclaimed. "Poor Anya."
"Yes, it sucks," she said.
"I wish that he came with you," Dawn said. "I miss him. I miss Tara and Willow a lot."
"We can go home," Buffy said.
Dawn was silent. Then she shook her head. "Qui-Gon adopted me, Buffy. I love him. I don't want to leave him," she said. "Can we stay here? I'm learning so much, and there's aliens and outer space. We go on peace keeping missions and stuff. It's just awesome. There's no hellmouth or vampires. Sure, there's the Darkside of the Force and evil aliens somewhere, but I've not seen any yet."
"If Illyria doesn't get to kill evil things, there's no telling what she'll do," Buffy said.
"Well, can't she go back home and tell them we're okay?" Dawn suggested.
"That's a good idea," Buffy said. "Then Willow and Xander can come visit us whenever they want."
"We will need to take her to our home in Coruscant, so she can find the Jedi Temple," Dawn said. "What about Giles and the hellmouth?"
"Faith is there now. Wesley got the Council to let her out," she told him. "He will be her watcher and keep the hellmouth in check."
"I miss him, but Qui-Gon has a soothing presence like he does, and Master Yoda is even wiser than him," Dawn said.
"Master? They got you calling them master?" Buffy asked, outraged.
"It's just a title," Dawn said with a shrug. "It's when they master the Force, they are called Master. It's not like evil vampire Master. It'll take you a while to get used to, but you will have to. They are very good people, Buffy. You'll see."
They saw a group of men in a circle, and Buffy groaned. "I just know that's Illyria," she said, picking up her pace.
When Buffy managed to push her way through the group, she was relieved to see no blood shed. "Illyria, is everything okay?" she asked.
"All is well. These humans tried to entice me in a game of chance," she shared. "When I informed them that I had no money, they tried to convince me to copulate with them as if I were a common street whore. As they used flattery, I decided not to beat them unconscious."
"That's good," Buffy said, smiling at her in approval.
As she pushed through the crowd to join Buffy, Dawn said to one of the men, "You guys are so lucky someone taught you manners."
"She doesn't look so tough," one of the men said.
"Appearances are deceiving," Dawn said with a grin.
When the group made it back to their quarters, Qui-Gon was going to make up the couch for Illyria.
"That will not be necessary," she said. "I do not require sleep."
"Never?" he asked.
"No," she said. "I am not a weak human. Although this vessel has reduced me from my former glory, I do not sleep unless I wish to dream. I find my host's memories disturbing, so I do not wish to do so."
"Are you hungry?" Qui-Gon asked.
"I am," Buffy said. "Illyria doesn't eat much."
"I am not in need of substance," she said. "I will commune with the tree." Then she sat next to the potted plant that Dawn had bought to spruce up the place.
"She's good," Buffy said.
"Let's go into the kitchen and get away from your weirdo friend," Dawn said with a snicker.
"That is unkind," Qui-Gon said to her with a frown of disapproval. "One does not look down on others because they have needs and habits that are different or foreign to our own ways. All species are equal and deserving of our respect."
"I am sorry, Father," Dawn said, looking guilty at his gentle chiding.
Buffy's eyes widened in amazement at the man.
She had finally met the Dawn Whisperer, and she was very impressed.
When he smiled at Dawn in forgiveness, draping his arm around. "Obi-Wan has a surprise for you in the kitchen," he told her.
Dawn looked at Obi-Wan, who looked a bit embarrassed. "I made you a homemade cake, but it does not have pickles in it," he told her.
Dawn's face showed her surprise, and Buffy could tell that the action was out of character for the teenage boy, who had said little since Buffy's arrival.
When she saw the slightly lopsided chocolate cake, she hugged the teenage boy, who blushed.
"That was very sweet of you, Obi," she told him. "Thank you."
"You are welcome. Happy birthday. I am glad that your birthday wish came true," he told her.
Dawn grinned. "I told you nothing would keep my sister from me!" she bragged.
Obi laughed, not petty enough to begrudge Dawn a bit of boasting as it was an incredible outcome after all.
Buffy ate the sandwich Qui-Gon made while Dawn cut the cake, giving herself the biggest piece. She didn't think that she had ever seen her sister so carefree and happy. These two guys loved her sister, and she could tell that Dawn had a bit of a crush on Obi. However, there was a camaraderie between the two and an easy affection that told Buffy that she didn't need to worry too much about them.
Then she found Qui-Gon's eyes on her and felt her own heart race.
Wasn't that interesting? She wasn't all slayer after all.
She smiled and took another bite of her sandwich.
Maybe it was time for Buffy Summers to remember how to be a woman.
*****Chapter End*****
If you are unfamiliar with Illyria because you never watched Angel, I recommend you go to YouTube and put in her name and Angel and watch a video about her. She is a singularly unique creation of Joss Whedon. I hope you enjoyed this update. Take a moment to comment or review.
