“What do you mean Buffy’s been taken?” Dawn screeched, the decibel level so high that even she flinched, let alone her stunned companions seated around the table. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, reaching down within her core to find the well of composure and maturity that she’d been working so hard to cultivate over the last few months. Opening her eyes, she glanced surreptitiously to the right, quickly noting the slight grimace on Connor’s face before she dropped her gaze to her clenched fists.
Not that she cared what he thought, or where he sat, or why he was even here. And the way he constantly hovered over her, pulling out her chair, making sure she had a drink or a jumper or a shoulder to lean on, well it was really freaky. Well, freaky in a kind of sweet, annoying, charming way. Not that she thought he was charming, just that he did nice things for her. Like a boyfriend. Well not a ‘boyfriend’, just a friend, who was a boy.
She’d managed to make it to half way through breakfast (pancakes and syrup, but just round, not funny shapes ‘cos Willow made them; Tara being another one on the missing persons’ list) before she repeated the question she’d asked in the van the previous evening. There had been a long pause before Willow confessed that they didn’t know where Buffy was, just that she’d been taken, and that Spike and the others were busy tracking her down.
“Okay, sorry guys, let’s try that again shall we? Can anyone tell me what’s happened to Buffy?” she asked calmly.
Willow nodded, impressed by Dawn’s self-control, despite her rocky start. “Believe it or not Buffy was taken on the very same afternoon that you were. It happened while Spike and Giles were heading to pick you up from school, and because they spent all afternoon and half of the evening searching for you, it was hours before anyone realised she was missing.”
“Oh my God, so this is my fault?”
“No Dawnie, don’t be silly. The kidnappers may have been opportunistic, but they had obviously made careful preparations prior to the event. If not Friday, it would have been some other time soon I’m sure.”
“So, so,” Dawn paused, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer or not, “So where are the others now? Have they found Buffy or not?” The last sentence ended on a whimper, and without fuss or question, she found her hand tucked up in Connor’s, his touch lending her strength and courage.
“It’s a long, heroic story,” Andrew weighed in, “And one that’s taken them across the world to a remote mountain range in the former Russian country of Georgia. Tomorrow, our intrepid heroes, Spike and Faith are going to make their way down into the world’s deepest cave, a desperate journey to the centre of the earth, all for the sake of love.”
Dawn sighed and rolled her eyes, turning her back on Andrew in order to question Willow in more depth. “So Buffy’s in a cave? In Russia? Is that a joke?”
“Well actually, we don’t know if she’s in the cave,” Willow admitted hesitantly, “But Spike and a bunch of Slayers had this slayer dream, and based on that, we’re pretty sure that the place she’s being held in are these Krubera caves.”
“So how come you haven’t just done a locator spell?’
“We have, repeatedly, but we came up with nothing!” Willow admitted. “From what we can gather, we think she’s been taken through a dimensional door to somewhere other.”
Dawn opened her mouth in shock and terror. Then, a look of determination crossed her face and she closed her mouth and her eyes, reaching out across time and space to seek out Buffy’s signature with her key energy. The others watched silently, holding their collective breaths as they waited for the verdict. Finally she slumped and looked at her companions. “Nothing,” her voice wavered, “I can’t sense her at all.”
“Yeah, Dawnie,” Willow said softly. “That’s exactly how it’s been for us. Even Spike can’t sense her, and believe me, that’s rocked him pretty hard.”
“So how come you’re so sure that’s she’s down some hole? How do you know she’s not, you know, … gone, like she was before?” Dawn finished on a whisper, her eyes filling with tears.
“Well, because apart from the wholesale slayer dreamage, Rowan was adamant that Buffy’s still alive, that she can sense her in the same way that she could sense Spike when he was in the amulet. She’s out there somewhere, we just need to find her.”
“Okay, but shouldn’t I be able to sense Buffy? I mean what’s the use of this whole portal opening, dimension hopping, key shaped super power if I can’t even sense my own sister, just cos she’s in a different dimension?” Dawn was winding up to a whine.
“I guess you can open doors, but you can’t see through walls.” Willow said. “Now if we knew which dimension she was in, I suppose you could open the door, or even a window, and track her down. But we don’t so …” the redheaded witch shrugged her shoulders apologetically.
“At least can we get ourselves over to Georgia, over to where Spike and Giles and the others are? If we use one of my portals, we could all head through now. No mess, no waiting.” Dawn said enthusiastically.
“We’ll head over in the morning, first thing,” Willow said and the others nodded their own confirmation. At Dawn’s expression of protest, the witch continued, “We could all do with a full night’s rest, no-one has slept properly since Thursday, and there are some things I need to get sorted out for Giles before we go. Get packed and rested up. Tomorrow morning is soon enough after a magically induced coma for you to be throwing your weight around,” she added firmly.
Dawn slumped, disinclined to argue with a whole bunch of boring common sense. Her stubbornness, for once, arose out of fear for her sister rather than the teenage brattishness she’d so recently left behind. And as such, she couldn’t really disagree with Willow’s reasoning. In fact she was feeling kind of washed out, which seemed astonishing given the fact that for all intents and purposes, she’d spent the last three days sleeping. She could only suppose that being knocked out was somehow way less revitalizing than ordinary sleep.
As it was, the rest of the day passed pretty quickly anyway. She spent some of the time showing Connor around the estate, some of it packing and the rest napping. Between her afternoon nap and the early night they all had in order to be up early, Dawn found herself well refreshed and raring to go by seven the next morning. She closed her eyes, locked in on Giles’ essence, and after a moment’s hesitation, effortlessly opened a passageway between Ashdown and the little motel in Gagra that currently housed the balance of the Scoobies.
“Giles,” she yelled as the last of the troop nipped through the open portal and she let the door snap shut behind her. She ran into his open arms and he scooped her up, one of only two men in her life that was tall enough to still do so since her legs had gotten so lengthy. His hug was surprisingly fierce, and he topped it off with a kiss to the top of her forehead as he stepped back to look at her.
Dawn might have been shocked by the tears brimming in Giles’ eyes, if she had in fact been able to see them through the moisture that obscured her own vision, but it didn’t take 20-20 vision to see the existence of strong familial bonds and the fact that these two had missed one another very much.
“Dear heart,” he began, “I was so worried. If anything had happened to harm you, I don’t know how …” Giles pulled her into his arms again, as if physical touch alone could grant him the reassurance that Dawn was really there, was really safe. All the paternal emotions that he’d been holding in check over the last seven years, not just for Buffy and Dawn, but for the other children as well, seemed to have come bubbling to the surface ever since they’d made Ashdown their home.
It was as if, finally given the time and space and go-ahead to flourish, the feelings had inundated his heart. Cat’s re-entry into his life, as well as the conception of the twins had also played a significant role in the creation of this sensitive, new age version of himself. He suspected, that underneath all the reserve and stuffiness, this gooey, marshmallow centred Giles had always existed. And although it still embarrassed him a little to be so demonstrative of his feelings, mostly he revelled in the sense of freedom, freedom to express himself and his emotions without censure. And being able to wrap Dawn up in his arms after coming so close to losing her was heavenly indeed.
So too was having his wife back at his side. It had only been two days since he’d seen Cat, but it had seemed interminable to the besotted watcher. Too uncomfortable to easily travel long distances by plane, she’d decided to stay at home. But she’d jumped at the chance to portal hop, eager to re-join her husband. To have Cat, Willow, Oz, even that blasted Andrew join them, and for them to bring the newly rescued Dawn with them was a godsend. He waited until Dawn had caught up with the rest of their party before calling her back over towards the small lounge.
“Now my dear, come and sit down and we’ll catch you up on our progress so far.”
Dawn slipped into a soft, comfy armchair and Connor perched himself on the arm. In the end they all gathered around, the two teams reunited and now crammed in together in a setting somewhat reminiscent of their gatherings in Los Angeles. They listened intently, Tara and Rowan and Khatia adding their own two cents worth as Giles’ tale of their search slowly unfolded. Dawn’s heart filled with anguish as Tara briefly told of Spike’s despair at losing Buffy, but she threw her arms around the older girl in gratitude at her caring, sensitive support of the distraught vampire.
“So Spike and Xander and Faith have only headed off this morning?” Dawn asked.
“Yes,” Giles said, “In fact, they should be approaching the peak of the mountain before too long.”
“Couldn’t I maybe portal up there quickly, just so I can see Spike and wish him luck?” the young key asked hopefully.
“Let me think it over Dawn. In the mean time I suggest we go and find somewhere to eat lunch. I’ll also need to book another few rooms to accommodate the rest of you. And then I think I’d like to hear a bit more about your own adventures.”
As it was, those activities alone took several hours, and it was late afternoon before Dawn broached the subject of a visit to the mountaintop again.
“Well Dawn, I have given this some serious thought and I think it would be better if you didn’t go. I know that in many ways seeing you would settle Spike, taking at least one worry off his mind. But we can't afford for him to be too sentimental as he heads off on this mission. We need him focussed and fired up. A certain amount of wrath will undoubtedly spur him on.”
“Huh?” Dawn said, her eyebrows raised in incredulity. “That’s just dumb. Spike will be focussed and fired up out of love and concern for Buffy. Getting pissed off might help focus him during any coming fights, but as for the journey there, love is enough of a motivator for Spike.” She sighed and softened her tone. “If you don’t want me to go, well okay I respect that, but can I at least take a peek, see for myself that he and Faith are all good and ready to go?”
“You can do that?” Giles asked in astonishment.
“Yeah. I’ve been practicing with Tara for the last couple of weeks. It’s the same principle as opening a full portal, except that I don’t punch through to the other side. It’s kind of like digging a tunnel through a hill, but stopping just before you scrape away the final layer on the far side. Except in this case that thin layer is see-through. I can’t hear what’s happening on the other side, and they can’t see or hear me, but for me, it’s just like looking through a window.”
“Good grief Dawn, that’s astounding. What a very special and talented young lady you’ve become. I feel truly blessed to have you as part of my family,” he said, choking up a little on the last part.
Dawn threw her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, both of them a little misty eyed at this point. Finally she’d calmed down enough that she could start on the window opening exercise. Tara joined her in a quiet meditation, helping to get the teenager calm and centred and controlled enough to complete the delicate task. With a bit of effort, Dawn got it right on the first go. Right there, in the middle of Giles’ hotel unit, they were able to see an image of Spike, Faith and Xander peering down through an opening in the snow-dusted field. They were chatting easily with one another as Spike tugged on a rope that disappeared into the earth.
She was able to hold the window open for long enough for everyone to catch a glimpse. Although the trio had only left that morning, it was great to see they’d arrived at their destination safely and that they seemed confident about the journey ahead.
Dawn felt a lot better for having seen Spike, even if she hadn’t been able to talk to him or burrow into his chest for a hug. But of course the worst part was still to come, the waiting. The following two days were excruciating for all of them. They had very little research material with them, so apart from scrolling online sites to check for the emergence of any new demon worshipping factions, there wasn’t much they could do in regards to finding out who Buffy’s kidnappers might be.
No-one felt that it was appropriate to check out the local sightseeing spots or enjoy the food or culture of this seaside town while Buffy was still missing. Willow and Rowan kept themselves busy finding out more about the caves themselves, while Giles and Cat posed as anthropologists and asked the locals about any regional myths or legends that might give them some insight into what they were dealing with. It was of course an ancient town, established as a Greek colony in historical Colchis. Colchis was home of the mythical Golden Fleece, and as such, was also the destination of Jason and his Argonauts.
Cat had of course excitedly regaled them with the fruits of their research.
“Sae that means that this was also th’ haem of the fire-breathin’, mythical bulls, the Khalkotauroi. But aside from them, we could nae find any evidence of other ancient demons or monsters.”
“None of the locals had heard any rumours of demon-worshipping groups or the like in the area,” Giles added. “However, interestingly enough, the historian at the museum stated that they’ve always viewed Colchis as the original homeland of the Scythian Amazons.”
“Gee,” Willow remarked, “Those Scythians really got around huh. And as for you Miss Khatia, I guess you’re doubly home now,” she added.
Khatia smiled and nodded vaguely, unaware of what the Amazon reference had to do with her, other than it being the name of the organization that oversaw Ashdown Academy. But the others in the room seemed to be in on the connection and were nodding thoughtfully.
They only thing that really broke the tedium were the twice daily observations that Dawn provided of Spike and Faith’s progress. But even that wasn’t very exciting – there was only so much armchair viewing of crawling and scrabbling through dark, dirty tunnels that a person could take before even that became boring. It seemed to drag on and on endlessly. At least they knew they were safe and heading in the right direction.
By the Thursday, they’d even picked up that Spike was excited about something, and eager to press on. Of course the lack of audio meant they had to rely on facial expressions and body language alone, but the way he was driving the two of them on seemed to indicate a level of urgency they hadn't seen up until then.
Then, on Friday morning, their view of Spike looked as though it had been filmed through an underwater camera. They’d watched entranced as the vampire, wearing some odd little breathing apparatus, had toiled away, clearing rocks from the floor of a flooded tunnel.
Dawn kept the portal open longer than usual, just long enough to see the water begin whirlpooling its way down through the hole in the floor of the basin. Balancing on the edge of exhaustion (keeping the portal ninety percent opening was much more draining than simply opening and closing a doorway), she teetered for a moment, wavering between allowing the window to slam shut and punching through the opening altogether (which would be fairly disastrous considering that there were several hundred gallons of water on the far side of the thin film that they were peering through). Finally, just as Spike wooshed out of sight, Dawn collapsed and the portal snapped shut above her.
Connor dashed to her side, checking she was okay before helping her up. The room was silent, shocked, fearful, about both Spike and Faith’s safety.
Then everyone began talking at once, half of them yelling at her to reopen the portal, the other half loudly exclaiming exactly why she couldn’t do that, and wouldn’t be physically able to for at least another hour or more.
“I must remind you,” Giles said firmly, “That Spike is a singularly resourceful fellow. He has got himself out of scrapes far worse than this one appears to be, as well you all know.”
“Yes,” Tara said quietly, “After all, being dust is pretty much the ultimate bad for vampires, and he still managed to come back from that.”
“In the meantime, I would suggest that we prepare ourselves to ride to Spike’s rescue should we be needed.” Giles pulled out his handy notebook and a pen. “What might he need us to bring, provided we can get to him?”
“Rope!”
“Weapons!”
“Sagaria!”
“What?” Dawn asked, “They didn’t take the scythe with them?”
“They debated the issue extensively, but the scythe is just too big a weapon to stow into a pack or wear comfortably on your back and both of them needed their hands free to be able to climb. Sagaria is here though and could be taken through the portal to them if needed.”
“Buffy’s probably the one that needs her the most.” Andrew mused. “If only we knew how she was getting on, or where exactly she is.”
Dawn nodded, then closed her eyes briefly as the chatter continued around her. She still felt pretty exhausted, she really needed to get some food and drink into herself and have a rest if she had any hope of recharging her batteries in the next few hours. But maybe she had just enough energy left to do a quick energy scry.
Quickly, silently she sent out her little scan signal, tuning her radar to pick up on Buffy’s particular signature. She didn’t really expect to pick up anything, so it was a shock when a little blip came through, faint but unmistakeable. She repeated the action, not wanting to get her hopes up until she was positive. The signal that came back to her was unquestionably Buffy’s.
Dawn smiled. Connor, sitting beside her as always, picked up on the change in her demeanour and took hold of her hand. Dawn opened her eyes and turned her gaze towards the boy. His devotion was kind of unnerving, but right now she was too stoked to care. Buffy was out there somewhere, who knew in what state, but alive nonetheless. Excitedly she threw her arms around Connor and pulled them both up into an impromptu little jig. It was time to saddle up and get this show on the road. Her sister needed rescuing, and she was feeling ready for action.
Well at least she would be, after a good nap!