All bags were packed and everyone waited outside. Gretta came out with more food wrapped for them. She had loaned them clothes, soap, toothbrushes, combs, and blankets. They all were very grateful. Wally handed them a few hand drawn maps to help them navigate. It was a pretty simple lay out. The gray pointy things were mountains, as Willow put it. The round blue circles were lakes, and Xander guessed the green and brown blotches were the forests. Easy enough. Wally also handed them coins in case they needed to purchase anything on the way.

Buffy and Spike sat together on a tree swing in the back of the Inn. They hadn't really talked much this morning. They just enjoyed the peaceful serenity of the approaching sunrise. Spike held her hand tightly as he glanced at her.

"So, here it is," he said.

Buffy cracked a smile. She thought about their night in Los Angeles, how she made love to him in his newly human body. Her heart sped up with feeling of excitement, but guilt at the same time. She didn't want to be so drawn to him. She always fought it, yet now something inside her knew it was okay to want him. To be close to him. To love him. They both looked up at Giles yelling for them. Spike stood, helping Buffy out of the swing. They followed Giles to the front of the Inn, where everyone stood, ready to go.

"Ok. So, here are your maps and some names and places some of you can seek shelter," Wally told them, handing them papers.

"According to Wally, the journey is at least five days each way. He has managed to get you rides, but most of the journey will be on foot, I'm afraid" Giles informed them.

"Foot? How much will be on foot?" Buffy asked.

"Spike and yourself will be mostly on foot, unfortunately due to the treacherous mountains. You'll have a ride at least to the bottom, then the rest is..." Giles stammered.

"Great! And what kind of ride are you talking about?" Spike asked.

Just then four carriages being pulled by horses arrived. Each had a driver, smiling politely.

"Horses? No cars?" Xander asked.

"Cars?" Wally asked.

"Look, this is the best we can do. Please don't make a big deal of it," Giles said.

Buffy hugged Giles "Thank you Giles."

"Be safe and we will see you in a less than two weeks." Giles said, optimistically.

Buffy watched behind her as their carriage pulled away. Seeing everyone departing, and Giles standing with Wally and Gretta just seemed so surreal. Buffy turned to Spike. He was staring out the other window, taking in the scenery. She leaned her head onto his shoulder and sighed. She went through their instructions in her head. The carriage was to leave them at rest stop at the foot of the mountains. They'll be there by nightfall. There, they would spend the night and make their way through the mountainside by morning. Buffy wasn't worried about the trek. She knew she and Spike could deal with whatever came their way. She thought of Dawn and hoped she wasn't scared. She hoped Dawn would know she is okay and she will see her soon. Her thoughts turned to scattered images as she drifted to sleep against Spike's shoulder.

Faith and Angel sat across from each other in the carriage. He leaned his head out the window, absorbing the sun's rays. Faith smiled at him, knowing he must be loving it.

"You're like a dog," Faith joked.

Angel pulled his head back inside, trying to focus on her with sun spots in his eyes. "Huh?"

"So, I think it's kinda cool that you're not allergic to sun here. Why is that?" Faith asked.

"Not sure really. When we got stuck in Pylea, it was the same way. Except, my vampire self was some crazy looking demon. It's not like that here. I don't get it."

"You mean, you vamped out to test it?"

"Well, yea. But I vamped out the same way I would at home. So, I have no idea why I can be out in the sun."

"Hmm. Gotta research that one, 'cept, I'm not big on books, we'll have to leave that mystery to Giles."

Angel smirked.

"I'm glad it's you and I, though. I mean, we can be a pretty cool team, right?" Faith told him.

"Yea, we are huh?" Angel agreed. "Speaking of, I haven't heard you mention Wood at all."

"Eh, I'm sure he's fine. " Faith said, half believing it.

Willow and Kennedy thanked their driver as they piled out of the carriage. Their hike would be about a mile before they'd reach the cabin. After forty minutes or so, they spotted the small cabin and luckily because the night was approaching and walking through this forest in the dark would not have been fun.

They made their way to the front door. A friend of Wally's owned the small cabin. Her name was Deirdre. She was a pleasant older woman, lived alone here in the forest. She was already preparing dinner when Willow knocked on the door.

"Well, you must be Wally's friends, come on in," she greeted. She had a fire going. Straight ahead was the kitchen table, already set up for dinner. A small living room was off to the left, where the fireplace was. It was a cozy, inviting home. They felt right at ease immediately.

"Thanks. We really appreciate you letting us stay the night," Willow told her.

She urged them to sit around the table and start on dinner. Kennedy eagerly plunged into the soup and rolls laid out before them. The food was warm and delicious. Deirdre brought out some turkey and roasted veggies.

Halfway through eating, Deidre spoke. "It's about four days to Bruthem. The city is beautiful. Lots to do there too, if you get bored, They have musical and movie theatres, concerts, plays, you name it," she told them.

"Sadly, we don't have time for that," Willow said.

"Yes, Wally told me about your mission. The Gem of Anu. Tricky thing that is."

"Tricky?" Kennedy asked.

"Wait, how did Wally..."

"Carrier pigeons. Well, Allora guards it. She's the only one who possesses powers just shy of mystical. She has become one with the earth. Very strong, she is. She had been given the duty of protecting the gem piece by the Great One himself."

Willow became edgy. She felt there was a lot more about this mission she didn't know. "Earth? This is..." Willow looked at Kennedy and saw the same expression. Confusion.

"Yes, this is Earth," Deirdre said.

"If this is Earth, then why does it feel like another dimension?" Kennedy asked.

"Because it is. It's Earth, but not your Earth." Deirdre rose to fill up their cups with fresh water. "You see, there are many planes, dimensions that exist on this one planet. You are from one, and now you have been drawn into another."

Willow knew about different planes of existence. She just never thought about it being all Earth bound. Makes sense though, sort of in a strange 'only they could understand' way.

"Who is the Great One?" Willow asked.

Deidre looked around as if there could be someone listening in on them. "Hakan is his name. He is the ruler of Bruthem."

"Oh, is he... nice?" Willow asked.

"Very. He has been a great king. He is worshiped and loved by many. He is also known to be the direct descendant of the man whom Edana fell in love with."

"Wow. Romantic," Kennedy said, smiling at Willow.

"Yes, very romantic. Edana had spent nearly a year in our world, falling in love with Melik, the ruler at the time. He had lost his wife to a rare disease and was in a deep depression. Edana was brought to him, as a prisoner charged with using magic. You see, in those days magic was considered evil. There were so many monsters and demons afoot, that anything associated with them was considered a crime. After he listened to her stories of portals and The Gem Of Anu, he decided to pardon her. She swore to him that she would rid his world of such evil creatures. They spent time together in search of the gem that Edana learned would not only control the demons here, it would aid her in getting home."

"Yea, kinda why we need to get the gem back together..," Kennedy said.

Deirdre smiled at her then continued. "They fell in love. When she finally found the gem, Melik was saddened by the fact she was going to leave him. It was heartbreaking, but she had to go. To help his world and get back to hers."

Willow squeezed Kennedy's hand, looking on at Deirdre with sorrow in her eyes. She hated tragic love stories. Romeo and Juliet brought her to tears every time. She couldn't even watch the Leonardo DiCaprio movie without bawling like a baby.

"So, after a sad farewell, Edana brought all the demons back to her world, then crushing the gem, closing the portal forever. Although, as beautiful and wise as she was, she never considered that magic worked both ways. That anyone who knew how, could easily come through a portal to this dimension if the magic was strong enough. Like you folks."

"Yea, but we still don't know how or why we are here. One minute we are in...wait. Jean Trevaud," Willow said, looking at Kennedy with widened eyes.

"What about him?" Kennedy asked.

"He must have done this. Wanting to get rid of us. That bastard!" Willow cried.

Deirdre looked puzzled. She rose from her chair and grabbed a pie from the kitchen counter. She placed it in the center of the table and began slicing pieces for them.

"Has to be, right?" Willow asked, looking at Kennedy.

"Once you all get the gem pieces together, the portal will surely open again, but Hakan may be extremely weary about letting you do that." Deidre warned them.

"Why?" Kennedy asked as she took a bite of a piece of pie.

"You see, you'll be allowing demons to enter. It may be too risky for him."

"They're already here, I'm afraid," Willow told her.

Deirdre's eyes grew big. She looked around, frightened at what Willow just told her.

"You see, when we got thrown here, so were some demons. We don't know how it happened, but they came to Marno last night," Willow continued.

"My God, is everyone.."

"Fine. We got rid of them. And we have friends staying with Wally to make sure nothing else happens there," Kennedy assured her.

Deirdre stood, looking out a window in the living room. She clearly felt vulnerable. Kennedy stood and walked to her.

"Look, you'll be fine," she told her.

Later that night, Willow sat by herself on the porch, intent on getting her magic online again. She meditated for nearly two hours, feeling the energy of the world around her. It was a peaceful and calm energy. There was a lot of mystical vibrations, yet Deirdre claimed this place has been without it for so long. Willow tapped into whatever it was that crept through the air. She saw it in her mind, the millions of demons crawling over the land like hungry fiends. There weren't many humans around during this time. The demons were home here, like this was their home.

Their home.

Then it was no more. Humans multiplied, and the monsters were gone. Life here was brighter. Peace prevailed. Yet, the mystical energy was still strong. It still lingered, naturally. Willow opened her eyes, shaking off the vision she just had. Looking around the dark, thick forest, she had a sudden fear. Demons were comfortable here. They fit in here. It would explain Angel's lack of burning up under the sun. But how? Why?

Willow began to read some texts Wally gave her about Edana. She was intrigued. She was sure this woman was from their own dimension. The magic and power within her seemed ancient, but familiar. The Gem of Anu sounded really familiar too as if she'd read it somewhere. She just couldn't recall. Willow thought of calling the coven then realized it was impossible. No phone, and calling would be... well, impossible. She remembered reading about inter-dimensional magic in some old dusty books Giles kept in the Magic Box. The frequencies were different in each dimension, this making the magic different in each. She knew once she attuned herself to it, she would be back to her old mojo self. She wondered how many people were sucked into this specific one, anyway. Okay, there was them, and the occasional demon gang, but who else?

Oz walked through Gustor. The locals didn't seem to be bothered by him, although some grunted when they passed him. It was a busy town, people hustling about looking busy. He wasn't sure how he got here. He was in San Diego rehearsing for a gig, when a huge portal opened up over his studio and sucked him into it. His band members who were looking on in shock, couldn't really do anything.

Now, he knew he was not in his own dimension. He could sense it. Everything about where he was seemed old fashioned and strange. The roads were just dirt, and the people dressed like right out of Lord Of The Rings. Maybe he fell into the Middle Earth dimension. Oh, I could be so lucky, if there even was one.

He approached what looked like a pub and entered. A few scraggly looking men sat with pints in their hands. Two fat ones were arguing in the corner at a table. The place reeked. The light from outside caused an obnoxious glow to the interior that had some of the locals cursing at him.

"Uh sorry. Can't help the sun light..," Oz apologized.

The men grunted and continued wallowing in their own self pity and ale.

Back in Marno, Gretta was busy preparing dinner for Giles, Lorne, and Illyria. Wally was more relaxed, after nothing happening for almost twenty-four hours. He rose and picked a book from his collection off the shelf. He handed it to Giles, grinning.

"Maybe you should read this one. It's written like an old folk story, but it mentions things you may be familiar with. Demons, Vampire Slayers, Vampires, give it a whirl."

Giles thanked him as he opened up to the first page. "A Dark World" It was titled.

Lorne watched, shaking his head. He just wanted a stiff Sea Breeze, some Della Reese and maybe a good game of poker. He rose from the couch and entered the kitchen. Gretta turned to him and smiled.

"So, you got anything to drink around here?" Lorne asked her.

She turned to him and brought her eyes to the glass cabinet near the door. Lorne spotted a bottle of Vodka, sitting next to a couple of bottles of cranberry and grapefruit juice. His eyes lit up.

"I knew you were holding out on us!" he smiled.

Xander and Issa walked through the small town where they were going to spend the night. The air was cool and the sky was bright with stars. They had felt at ease since coming to this dimension, which had them a little confused. Xander just assumed that being anywhere then where they were the last few days was inviting enough. They walked hand in hand, checking out the local shops and markets. With some money Wally gave them, Issa had bought them some fruit, which they fed to each other, erotically. Xander wanted to get her up stairs and naked.

"Can we...?" Xander smiled at her.

She nodded as they made their way to the cottage. Xander turned quickly, accidentally colliding with someone.

"Ow!" A familiar voice screeched.

Xander brushed himself off, then gasped at a face he thought he'd never see again.

"Harmony?"

Harmony appeared just as shocked as he was. She was a mess and clearly had been wandering around for hours. Her shoes were full of mud and one heel had been broken off.

"Xander, thank God," she said.

Issa looked on. "You guys know each other?" she asked them.

Xander stared at Harmony in disbelief. "Well, we went to high school together, then she was vamped," he said to Issa. "Then I heard you were working for Angel in Wolfram and Hart," he said, turning back to Harmony.

"Yea, it's gone. Angel, well..., where the hell are we?" she asked.

"It's a long story, to which I'd be more than happy to tell you, but what I can't figure out is why you're here..," Xander said.

'Well, me neither. I was staying with a friend in Venice Beach and we were getting ready for a party, when all of a sudden a huge black hole opened up and sucked me into it. Just me! Not my friend. What's up with that?"

"I don't know. That's weird though, why some of us were thrown here, but others weren't?"

They looked at each other, confused.