The Scooby Gang

Book 2: Traveling the What

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: The gang must pull together to face new challenges in their new environment. How will they deal with it? Where the Hell – are they, and is that literal?

Sequel to 'The Scooby Gang Book 1'

Multi-Ships: m/f/f/f/f f/f/f f/f m/f

Crossovers: Harry Potter, Stargate, Honor Harrington, Highlander, and Terminator

Chapter 13: The Sunnydale that isn't Home

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Dawn wakes and sleepily announces to Xander under her, "The portal shifted, Xander."

It seems the longest so far was about a month at each portal but some were shorter than others by at least a week and half. Xander and his girls were currently sharing the same bad, which included Willow, Cordelia, Kendra, and Dawn. Magic had been used to enlarge the room and the bed much to his chagrin. They'd even put several fitted sheets on the bed to make sure they stayed the same size when they did the permanent enlargement even if Dobby said he'd be happy to adjust the size for him.

Sleepily confused Xander wakes a bit, "Huh?"

It took a minute to register what the lump on his chest said and meant before waking up a bit more. Dawn was already back asleep now and that just wouldn't do, not if she said what he was sure she did. He bumps her a bit shaking her form her sleep, "What?"

Dawn woke up a bit, "I just felt the portal shift. This time feels…it feels similar but it isn't quite home."

Xander widens his eyes and throws off the blanket; this uncovers all four girls as he tries to get up unsuccessfully.

With a groan he mutters, "Up Wills!"

Willow instead of waking up rotates her hips while sleeping and slams herself down on his now instantly aware erections. Of course she also pushes Dawn more to 'her side of Xander' without even waking.

With a growl of pure sex and utters her name, "Wills!"

She wakes a bit and smiled sexually at him before realizing he wants up, this wasn't to be and she whines with a growl of her own, "I'm comfy with you inside me!" Willow sleepily content and completely aroused asks him, "You don't want to stay?"

Xander groans, "Sleep like this tonight, sex in a while, first I need to make sure there are no demons to find or sneak into the portal."

Willow growls and pulls off him. She pulls a sleepy Kendra to her left and Cordelia to her right so Xander would leave without waking them. Once he's up and on his way she'll untangle and follow. He could use the distraction and his morning disposition wouldn't likely vanish with help.

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Xander smiles slightly, "It looks like we're above LeVelle Manor."

Willow asks him a bit more awake now, "So not home but Sunnydale?"

Xander nods and moves the scout, "I'm moving towards Giles' old abode."

Flying for a scout without impedance was faster than driving, so it wasn't long before they could see a clear image of Giles home of that reality.

Xander sighs with relief at seeing the elder man.

Willow giggles as she feeds the portal another scout which will watch the portal over the unused LeVelle Manor, "Giles is there. Leave one there, I sent another. I want Giles to see this."

Xander smirks with a sigh and does as she bid while she rushes out to fetch Giles for her depraved pleasure.

With another toss he left the scout Willow sent at the Manor near the portal and the third he navigated to Buffy's old home on Revello drive.

Xander smiles with realization and relief, 'Joyce is alive.'

"Dear lord" Giles said as he saw himself in the apartment he'd given up to move in with the group then he noticed the moving scout, "Is that Joyce?"

Xander nods telling him, "The date on one the calendars I just saw is October of 2000."

Giles looks at all three scouts' images, with a worried tone he asks, "Buffy isn't there?"

Xander shrugs. "I think we should put a door there to investigate."

"I agree but make sure we put the proper runes on the doorway, the ones that are similar to the Fidelius." He added grimly.

Xander nodded with agreement, "Yes, but with anyone being the secret keeper but needing to point the door out physically."

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Xander knocked on the older Giles door and as he opened it he almost shouted, "G-man!"

Giles of the local residents looks at him confused and then with some worry he asks, "Xander?"

"Xander the younger, you might say. I take it the Xander of this realm is still alive."

The Giles with the Xander knocking chastises him and tells him, "Way to be blunt, Xander! Just enter his apartment will you."

Giles widens his eyes at his clone. "Was I too hit with Toth's ferula-gemina as well?"

Xander asks confused, "Ferula-Gemina what?"

The local resident shakes his head, "Never mind, who are you?"

Xander smiles widely, "Younger alternates that escaped evil PTBs of our world."

"Evil PTBs, is that some kind of demonic virus or something?"

Giles with Xander laugh. "Around Buffy's seventeenth birthday the Powers That Be started to conspire against us." Giles informed Giles.

Xander asks him, "Are Buffy, me, Willow, Kendra, Dawn, Cordelia, and Angel still around?"

The local Giles raises an eyebrow before glancing at his slightly younger analog, "Angel is in LA. Willow and Buffy are in college. Kendra died the end of the local's junior year. Cordelia I believe is helping Angel in LA."

Xander raised an eyebrow at that, stating the obvious, "I gather things didn't go the same as they did here." He paused and without humor asks softly, "How did Kendra die?"

Giles gestures as host to the couch "Perhaps some tea" he mutters not really wanting to relive it but knowing he must.

With a pouring of some tea and adding the sugar that the local Xander would have had he shivers the utterance of the name, "Drusilla killed her."

Xander growls and coldly states, "At least tell me she's dead."

Giles sighs and shakes his head. "Angelus was attempting to end the world and Buffy made a deal with Spike to debilitate their forces and relay information on their location."

The two visitors both raise an eyebrow. Giles had to make sure he heard right, "You mean Angelus was returned?"

Xander almost finishing the sentence, "His soul went bye-bye?"

Their host lifts a curious eyebrow, "Yes, I take it yours did not?"

Giles shakes his head with raw anger, "No, but it does however explain the Power's intervention. They were no doubt attempting to accomplish something similar."

Local Giles asks softly for clarification, "Are you saying the Powers caused that?"

Xander nods, "Our Angel, you had me trailing after him on Buffy's birthday. I saved him from getting knocked out by vampires with tranquilizers while he and Buffy were together. I bet you that they managed to do it and then planted some memory in Buffy to make her think it was somehow her fault." He growls a protective growl, "Make her feel too guilty to think clearly and she's much more pliable."

Local Giles had never seen the local Xander focused and wrathful, not this way. "You mean to say that Buffy's having sex with him didn't cause the curse to fail?"

Giles couldn't help but amusingly retort, "I should hope not or he likely looses his soul several times a week."

Their host blinks before blushing and then ripping off his glasses to polish them furiously as he attempted to fight off his sexual thought and blush.

Giles turns to Xander, "To be honest though, Janna mentioned that she asked your tribe to layer a curse on the demon portion of their union so that any moment of happiness within the demon or the soul would trigger the layered magic and prevent the soul from moving on during the moment of happiness, the gem likely causes that curse to strengthen and solidify."

Their host asks, "Your tribe?"

Xander nods, "Surprising us all, I'm actually of the Kalderash tribe. I have runic talent and can freely read their blood bound rune books."

Giles had put his glasses on and now took them off again, "Good lord."

The younger visiting Giles laughs, "I can't believe how obvious that defensive mechanism is. Tell me Xander I don't do that nearly as often do I?"

Their host froze in shock and calmly but firmly replaces his glasses.

Xander shakes his head, "Na, not anymore more. We've desensitized you. I think the fourth time you walked on Willow and Cordelia having sex did it."

Local Giles resisted the urge to clean his glasses. "Willow and Miss Chase…?"

Giles blandly tells Giles, "Xander is in a… relationship with Willow, Cordelia, Dawn and Kendra. How he manages to keep up I'm not sure."

Their host's voice breaks as he says, "But Dawn but is only fourteen."

The local Dawn was actually fifteen but Giles wasn't up on recent events such as birthdays.

Giles frowns, "Really?"

Xander tells him, "She's only a year younger than I am. I mean my Dawn is only a year younger than me. I assume that the age of the local Xander has him born in 81?"

Giles nods, "Good lord I wonder why she's younger here?"

In unison they both blandly say, "Powers."

Giles explains, "Dawn was magically set to be ignored by our entire group. Indeed when the Powers ran out of juice attempting to kill us off one too many times their magic failed."

Giles had to look at his visiting analog and Xander and couldn't help but faintly mutter, "Good lord!"

"We wanted to see if there was some way to help out and see what's been happening here. Not only that but both Dawn and Buffy want to see their mom, even if it isn't their mom she's still their mother." Xander said.

"Joyce isn't with you I take it?"

Xander shakes his head, "The powers killed her in a move to separate Dawn and Buffy."

Giles looks ill and nods. "I will call the group, and Joyce."

Xander offers, "We can set up the door here or maybe we should get another RV."

Giles nods, that made more sense as it was mobile, if anything happened here.

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The Scoobies were meeting at the Magic Box. "I'm telling the new apartment is going to be the best place for movie night." Xander insists, "Anya doesn't mind, really."

The soldier looking fellow nods at Xander, "Right Xander!" Spotting Giles he asks, "So Giles what's the situation?"

Giles smiles, "I don't recognize you. I'm an alternate Giles from another realm. I believe Xander referred to it as a not quite mirror realm and therefore I don't have a cheesy goatee."

Xander gapes at him and firmly announces, "You're not our G-man."

Giles groans, "I gather, that no matter which universe it is, I fall victim to that infernal name."

A fitter Xander enters, "Get use to it G-Man." He turns to newcomers, "I'm Xander LeVelle, glad to meet you."

Local older Xander whines out, "I thought that the rod thing was over."

Xander harshly replies, "Suck up, soldier!"

He hated hearing himself whine. Riley smiles widely as he'd felt like saying that to Xander a number of times and that he said it himself was a bonus, holding out a hand he introduces himself, "Riley Finn."

Xander shakes his hand, "We were in the neighborhood and thought we'd check out the digs."

He focused on Riley and got flashes of the previous history. There was a resistance there but he didn't push.

From the doorway Buffy calls out, "Giles, um what's the what?"

Xander grins, "I'm the what."

Xander smirks when she scrunches up her nose in thought on why there were two Xanders. He tells her with almost a flirting tone, "Don't do that, it'll stick and stay that way."

She blushes and almost whined his name, "Xander!"

She was thinking, 'Only Xander could do that to me.' While the local Xander smiles slightly at the whining slayer.

Xander offers, "So you're me, but what's with the last name?"

Xander shrugs, "It was either that or Kalderash, Willow did the name change when we purchased the mansion. If we're seen I'm just a cousin." Xander nodded the other Xander looked different enough a bit younger and a hell of a lot more healthy.

Curiously the local asks, "So, what're the differences?"

Just then Anya came in the door and Xander frowns. She was familiar but he didn't know her and the way she was acting was off. She was far older if the mind was anything to go on. He didn't push but he felt the age, it was similar to Amanda but darker in the past her emotional setting now was not quite the same.

"I'm Xander LeVelle, who are you?" he asks.

Her eyes widen and she glances at Xander, her Xander.

Local Xander asks visiting Xander, "You don't know Anya?"

He shook his head, "We left our Sunnydale in 98, just before summer."

He frowns at his double, "Left? Why did you leave?"

"The Powers That Be had Joyce killed, tried to get us to ignore Dawn who we think they may have just made sure she was born a bit younger here, tried to get Angel to loose his soul before the tribe could layer Janna's curse on top of the soul's curse which would lock the soul in place and ensure the torment of the demon with every happy thought. Let's not even start in on how they tried to wipe us out when we prevented those things from happening."

Local Xander couldn't help but say, "Good lord."

The other Xander smirks as did Giles.

Buffy looks at the local Xander with worry, "Xander?" Then she narrows her eyes and accuses him, "You sounded just like Giles!" She turns to the visitors and asks with a soft tone, "Did they really make sure he lost his soul like that?"

Xander shrugs, "I'm not sure because we don't know how universal the Powers are. They could be different for every dimension but the fact that things happened differently as though the things that they were trying to accomplish actually occurred here…" he shrugs.

Riley was quite, he was aware of who Angel was. "The Buffy with you guys is still with Angel?"

Xander and Giles both nod. "Not only that but he's got a heart beat as a side affect of the always being happy and the layered spell."

He didn't tell them about the ring, they didn't need to know. Giles nodded, both of them as the older one heard that last bit. The elder Giles gestures, "Joyce is on her way as well. We can set the door up temporarily in the loft."

Buffy asks, "Mom?" her eyes widen in comprehension, "You don't think they're going to kill my mom do you?" seeing their looks she growls out, "I'll destroy them."

"If they are trying but it is possible that they didn't initiate the condition but simply accelerated something that was already wrong with her. We do have some of the top of the line medical equipment."

With a small voice the man that called himself Riley Finn asks, "Do you think you could check me over as well?"

Xander shrugs and nods, "I think it would be best if everyone got checked over and maybe prolong too."

"Prolong?"

Giles informed them, "It's completely scientific, gene therapy is what Dawn calls it and it stalls the aging process by a great degree."

Willow enters and as he shared that last bit and asks, "Really?"

Willow wasn't alone she'd entered with a blond shy girl named Tara.

Xander froze a moment and smiled widely as he could almost feel the innocence coming off Tara.

Holding out a hand to her, "My name is Xander LeVelle."

Tara looks surprised as she felt him gently touch her mind and retreat. "Tara Maclay" she said without stutter then stuttered as she shook his hand, "You… your aura is different."

He nods, "I was exposed to an aspect of the demon, a mouthless kind that was telepathic and my aura adjusted to compensate."

Buffy whines, "You didn't like go crazy or have to drink some stinky icky potion?"

Xander smirks at her, "No, and I wasn't he only one exposed we had a large group and it was a plot by the Powers to eliminate us. We used runes to strengthen our minds enough to overcome the aspect of the demon. We can control it to some extent. Although of the group, I think I'm the only one that actually practices."

"No" Giles tells him blandly, "they all do so. It's just they practice with minds they know and trust. You are the only one brave enough to venture into uncharted waters." He smirked, "I would wager that they always feel conflicted with the act and you seem to have more control, likely because of the talent you have in runes."

Xander sighs but that nods that it did make sense.

Four voices ask in unison, "Runes?"

"That's where I know you, you use to be Anyanka."

Anya pales. "Are you a cheating bastard too?"

The Xander beside her took no offence.

"Of course not, you are the one that granted me the wish to never have to study runes to know them or something like that. I have ten thousand years worth of runes in my head now."

She looked surprised, he noted that she sounded a lot like Buffy when she whined, "But I don't grant wishes to men."

Giles nods, "I firmly believe you did it because he was in an open relationship with three women at the time who were all quite pleased with him as he was."

She looks confused, the other Xander was surprised, and the others were curious.

Anya however voices her confusion, "I would have had to be called by the feelings of betrayal…"

Xander smirks, "Unless your boss had been told to grant a wish and he wanted something nice to be his vengeances at being told him what to do."

She suddenly smiles giving him a nod, it now made perfect sense.

"Damn" Giles mutters, "You do have the knack to see to the heart of things, Xander."

He shrugged and the local Xander blushes.

"Anyway runes are a talent of ours. I suggest you learn them well."

Xander nods almost eagerly. "So you can like read minds and do super runes, any other superpowers that I might have too?"

Buffy rolled her eyes.

Anya was the one that spoke up with a firm tone, "Sex!"

Xander smirks as the older one, her mate, blushes.

"I might not personally know that…" The visiting Giles started. "Thank God, but I can attest to the sounds that all his girls make and by Buffy's smiling face the day after. She was quite pleased."

Buffy hisses, "I'm one of his girlfriends?"

Xander firmly denies it, "No!"

Giles seemed to be taking vicious delight in this, "Angel didn't mind so long as it corrected the issue of you calling out Xander's name in the moment of passion."

It was almost as though Giles could nail the kids that had so nailed him with the innuendo and loud sex. Buffy was blushing furiously.

Riley was looking at the Xanders curiously, "Why was she calling out your name? I mean it's obvious that you aren't with her…?"

He smiles before firmly stating, "Thin walls and copious amounts of sex."

Riley smiles with a glance to a smug Anya, "I'm over a thousand years-old sonny!" She had her best grandmother tone out to play, "I've had loads of sex and as a demon I might have actually kept up with my stud muffin."

Xander turns to Xander and states with disbelief, "She didn't just call you that!" Then he has to have confirmation, "Did she?"

Xander nods morosely

The visiting Xander turns to Anya, "Anya, you really are a contradiction. Pet names are for private use, as are handcuffs, sex toys, and feathers."

She suddenly had wide eyes and glances at Xander, her Xander. She licks her lips and then leans over to whisper something into Xander's ear.

Buffy blushes furiously again and glares at the new Xander. "I didn't need to hear that."

Anya's Boytoy was now blushing furiously and groans.

The local Giles had enough and said, "If you are done attempting to embarrass my kids?" He gestures, "Might we continue at the table?"

Joyce was at the door now and kindly asks, "Embarrass your kids?" She rubs her head massaging out the headache.

"Maybe we should head to the Manor the door is up and everyone is here, right?"

Giles looks around and nods, "Everyone but Dawn and Spike!"

That shocks Xander and Giles, "Spike?"

Riley admits, as though pulling teeth, "He has actually saved our lives."

"I wouldn't bring him with us. I don't know if the wards would dust him or not, but our lighting is likely to do it if he doesn't have a soul."

Giles nods, "Dawn then."

Joyce smiles and gestures, "She's in the back eavesdropping."

There was an accusing call from the back, "MOM!"

Dawn was now visible to the visitors, "Wow, you look almost exactly the same as our Dawn, maybe six months younger."

Dawn lifts an eyebrow.

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Joyce was shocked to say the least. The two girls rush her in a bone crushing hug.

Dawn from the Manor informs the group, "I have the scanner set up on the ship. We can fix whatever is wrong with anyone."

Giles notices the screen and asks, "You heard?"

Dawn nodded and then Egeria came rushing through following a small giggling child that looked about five.

Riley asks, "Who's that?"

"Egeria and Eric, they are two people we rescued from different worlds that humans weren't in charge of."

Riley turns pale and asks, "Demons?"

Xander laughs, "Aliens and machines. It seems that in one that someone wrote up an AI and forgot Asimov directives which would prevent them from harming humans."

Riley was no longer the only one pale at that.

Xander continues, "Eric was from that world. Egeria came from the world that the aliens responsible for the Egyptian pantheon of gods were never overthrown. They still ruled most of the Milky Way Galaxy as well as our two neighbors, from Earth of all places."

Confused that they were ushered towards another door, Joyce asks, "Where are we going now?"

"To the ship; I believe it's on its way to the area that holds some rather rare super heavy element called Naquadah."

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The Scoobies had all been scanned, Joyce had tumor that they got rid of and they were all given Prolong. Riley's heart was repaired and they were now outside the Manor looking shocked at the environment outside the sphere. They loved Buckbeak; he was nuzzling against the younger Dawn who loved the creature much more than her older twin.

"They could be twins." Joyce almost groaned at that, "Why is it that they are so close in age? I mean you said you were from years ago?"

Xander seemed to be the one that the group was looking to for answers, "The Powers, I think they did something to her. She has the power of some mystical key a hell-goddess is after. At least she did in our verse."

Buffy croaks out, a bit sharper than she means to, "Hell Goddess?"

Xander nods, "We weakened her with a trio of witches casting and utilized the orb over there" he gestures towards the edge of the manor, "It was meant to weaken and repel evil. Angel snuck up behind her while she was weak and drained her Dracula style."

Buffy pales, "Dracula, did you guys have to deal with him as well?"

Xander was surprised, "He's real?"

The other Xander groaned out, "Let us not talk about dark mast… I mean Dracula."

Smirking with amusement Buffy tells him, "He put Xander under his thrall."

Xander looked over at Xander with a smirk he said, "That was just to keep him way from the brides of Dracula. Remember his superpower is sex."

Anya widens her eyes and holds Xander closer.

"Sex dear?" said Cordy coming in and kissed his cheek, "If he's half as good as you then I'm sure that Anya wouldn't have mind sharing."

Anya looks torn, she was a very selfish person by nature but the woman was right, Xander often wore her out to the point that she didn't even feel the second of third hour of orgasms.

Dawn, his Dawn came was sitting beside him nodding.

Joyce frowns but didn't say a word. Their mother had been taken from her and she wasn't about to do something that would push them away from her.

Dawn the younger came over and looked Xander up and down. "He is younger than the Xander that lives in my world…" she looked over at her Xander and wasn't sure. She sits by her twin and Joyce noticed she sat a bit too close. Neither one minded that much it seems.

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Sunnydale's Giles turns to Giles and Xander, "The RV is set." He then petulantly asks, "Is there a reason you wanted it in my name?"

Xander nods, "We haven't set up IDs yet. I figured with the doorway in the RV it would be easy enough to use your identity for now. I set up two doors in the RV, one is for that door there and the other is for the Manor."

Giles nods and sighs, "I don't really get along with Angel, not after Janna…"

Giles the younger nods, "Just remember that it wasn't his fault, the Powers engineered that and it was the demon that he wasn't controlling that did it. He's also stuck with the feelings of guilt and first hand memories of the horrors and probably feels as though he did enjoy it."

Giles sighs nodding at the wisdom of his younger analog, "I also feel pity for him if that helps."

Xander shrugs. "I'll make sure the doors have the same illuminating effect on vampires as our lighting does. Without a soul he would find himself very ashy."

Giles smirks giving the lad a nod. "Then good look on the trip."

With that the two were driving to LA inside the newly purchased RV.

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In LA the local realm's Angel was quite shocked. He'd been greeted by Xander and Giles of all people. He would call this one Xander and the other one Harris to differentiate the two. The curse they were talking about to ensure his soul didn't go bye-bye was a good idea and he agreed to it. Janna has already sent the curse and a letter that she'd prepared to the other elders of the Tribe.

If the local powers had tried they'd find their ability to influence cut off almost completely. This group of Powers however seemed indifferent to the struggles of their champions and left them alone, for the most part. It seemed they chose their champions and let their champion's free will guide them and adjusted their plays against the demons from other avenues to insure the demons didn't gain an advantage over all which was their stated mandate.

"So you want me to drain a goddess?"

Xander nods, "Eventually when the time is right and the curse added. We don't want to have your demon get a happy from the hell goddess blood, just in case."

Angel sighs giving them a nod.

Cordelia asks, "So I'm working with you lot too? What about the visions and Doyle?"

"Doyle is with Harriet his wife and they are in the RV on another realm that has shortage of demons. After the curse is set we can all go get checked out on the ship but I want to inscribe a rune set to make you immune to sunlight as long as you have your soul intact."

Angel who blinked in shock and Cordy smiles asking him, "You two are friends then?"

Xander nods, "He did a whammy on me to help me remember if Dawn was a spell or the reason we ignored her was because we were forced to. You can't exactly stay hostile to someone that you trust enough to do that to you."

She nods. "And the Cordelia with you is alright with you and Willow?" she asked, she realized this Xander never cheated like hers did.

Xander smirks slightly, "Oh yea and usually she's right there with her."

"Or she's with Willow alone" Giles adds in with humor, "Those two are rather obnoxious in their timing of liaisons."

Angel blinks in shock, "You mean Cordy and Willow are…" he smirks at her, "in a relationship together?"

Xander mock pouts, "I personally think Cordy likes Willow more than me!"

Cordelia's eyes were wide.

Giles offers up, "Of course we don't know how much of the hostilities between those two were the produce of the Powers pushing it, how much was true dislike, or how much was unresolved sexual tension."

Angel groans as did Cordy, the ankle bracelet she had on now included a rune to prevent visions from being clouded, controlled, or limiting with what she saw. She was also going to get the Prolong and her headaches looked at.

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Joyce had all but moved into LeVelle Manor, Dawn was there too, and the older Scoobies including Cordelia and newly cursed Angel were often visiting. They'd set runic traps all over the place for Glory. As soon as she was in town they would be able to tell where she was and hopefully they would be able to use the same technique they'd used to kill her the last time.

It wasn't all good news. They found that one of the doctors Riley had worked with in the Initiative had been hired by Spike to remove the chip. Regardless of his former help the intent of his newest action moved him firmly into the role of enemy. Spike was quickly dusted and not given a chance to even explain his relapse. They'd never know that the doctor hadn't removed the chip and simply taken his money and cut him open yes the chip wasn't going to work for a few hours because that area of the brain was still healing but the new battery he'd put in would have ensured the chip worked for decades instead of years.

They were in the manor right now having a birthday party for Dawn, the younger one from the local Sunnydale. She'd been shocked at Spike's demise but reassured that she was here with friends.

"This is wonderful" she said with shock, it was book on languages, unlike the other Dawn she'd not known about certain traits she had as the Key. She took the gift to mean she was going to be included in research. She liked to be included.

Anya had given her a book on sex magic much to Joyce's frustration. Tara had blushed severely seeing the book and kept glancing at Anya throughout the party.

Tara had loved it here, the feeling she felt from beyond the wards was fantastic.

"Aught oh" she said suddenly and looked up with fear.

"What is it honey" asked Willow before suddenly everyone felt it as the manor seems to shift to the side as if they were suddenly accelerating too fast for inertial compensation that the wards provided to be affected.

"What the hell" Xander said as he made his way over to the back door. His eyes widened as he saw the strands of stems moving away from them.

He rushed outside and looked at the direction they were moving, there wasn't anything there so he sighed as the acceleration petered out and they were just moving fast now instead of faster.

"Something didn't want us there anymore."

"The portal wall is dead." Dawn tells Xander forlornly. "It isn't working anymore Xander."

Xander sighs but nods. "I hope the doors still work but they should."

She nods.

The End