Disclaimer: Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and Angel are not mine, I'm just playing with them.

Chapter 20: Wind of Change

Buffy and Spike were enjoying a good snog, or so Spike figured. That was, until her cell phone had rung. She was now talking with Angel, and from the sound of the conversation, things weren't as lovey-dovey as he'd imagined as he'd stormed out of Lindsey's apartment.

"Yeah, Angel. We're on our way back." Buffy paused, and Spike wondered what Angel was saying to her. "All right. We'll be right there." She hung up the phone and gave Spike a sheepish grin. "Duty and my little sister call." Buffy told him. He smiled at her, and knocked back the rest of his drink. "You know, it's really not funny how those two things always seem to go together." She mused aloud.

"We'll work it out, same as always." Spike reassured her. She smiled back and placed her hand in his. They left the bar cautiously, taking the underground way back to Lindsey's apartment.

*

"Are you sure, Willow?" Angel asked, glancing down at his son. He noticed that a lock of the boy's hair had fallen over his eyes, and felt a desperate urge to smooth it back. He resisted, though, because he didn't want to get taken into the spell. There would be no telling what damage that would cause.

"I'm sure." She said, looking from Lindsey to Angel. It was clear from their expressions that they both thought her nuts. Well, she was kind of questioning her sanity too, so maybe they weren't far off. "I won't do it if Buffy thinks it's a bad idea or if we can come up with something else." Willow toyed with the ends of her hair. "Honestly, I've done everything else that I know of." She told them.

"It'll work, though, right?" Lindsey asked Willow, shoving his hands into the pockets of his tight fitting jeans.

"Well, truthfully? No." Willow answered, not looking at either man.

"You shouldn't put yourself in that kind of danger." Lindsey said, moving towards her.

"She's in more danger around you, than she is doing this spell." Angel insulted Lindsey. He almost took the bait, but kept his attention on Willow.

"I mean it." Lindsey said.

"You want Connor back, don't you?" She addressed both men. Angel and Lindsey shared a look. They both nodded. "All right then. We're just waiting for Buffy." Willow decreed.

*

Dawn had been upset when they'd flashed out of her last memory. When they'd flashed into the next one, Connor thought she was going to go ballistic. He followed her gaze up to the top of a badly constructed tower.

"What is going on?" Connor asked her. She didn't answer, just kept staring up. He grabbed her by the shoulders and whirled her around to face him. "Dawn?" He nearly whispered.

"I can't relive this again, Connor. I just can't." She cried.

"Relive what?" Connor had no clue what was going on.

"As you've figured out by now, I'm not your average human. I'm also a key, and in a few minutes, I'm going to be cut open and my blood is going to be shoved into a lock." Dawn told her, her tone tired and bitter. Movement caught Connor's eye.

"What..." He trailed off as he registered that Younger Dawn was being held between two demons, and that she was being forced to walk forward.

"And there I go." Older Dawn said, sounding numb. "We should follow. Wouldn't want to miss the show." She went on, not sounding the least bit like herself. Connor took her hand to try to stop her from moving, but she seemed determined to go, so he resigned himself to the climb up the tower.

*

Lindsey let Buffy and Spike back into his apartment, shutting the door behind them. The blond duo wordlessly sat on one of his couches. Angle and Willow sat on the other one, facing Buffy and Spike. Lindsey settled himself into his armchair, which was in the middle.

"What's up, Will?" Buffy asked the nervous looking red head, breaking the silence. She avoided Angel's gaze.

"I've tried just about everything I know to wake up Dawn and Connor, and I've been unsuccessful." Willow began, noticing that Buffy had a strong grip on Spike's hand. She also noticed that Angel was staring at Buffy like he was ready to devour her. She would be money the two vamps were dying to be at each others' throats.

"What are you saying, Red?" Spike asked her, finally giving her all his attention. "There's nothing you can do?" He questioned her. He was all business when it came to saving Dawn.

"I'm not saying that." Willow answered him. "Ok, point blank. I'm running out of options. There's only one thing left that I could try, and even then it's a very last resort-y type of spell." She told them.

"Let's do it, then." Spike said, anxious to help his Nibblet.

"It's more complicated than that." Willow admitted.

"How complicated?" Buffy's voice was nearly a whisper. The three men in the room all looked at her. Lindsey thought he would never see the day when the Great Buffy Summers would be afraid. Of course, he never figured on actually meeting her, so that went without saying.

"Well, since Connor and Dawn are where they are supposed to be, I would have to go into their memories and find them." Willow explained.

"Consequences?" Angel wanted to know. Willow hadn't gotten this far in the explanation, when she'd broached the idea with him and Lindsey earlier.

"Well, I could get lost inside one their memories and end up like they are now, or I could alter their memories somehow. There's even a slim chance I could alter the fabric of time." Willow warned, sounding a little afraid.

It was the little bit of fear in Willow's voice that worried Buffy. The red head was a seriously powerful witch, and there was nothing she couldn't do. Of course, she preferred a slightly timid Willow than the one with black hair and magical suicide tendencies. Buffy sighed, knowing that this was the only way to save her sister.

"Ok." Buffy said, meeting Willow's gaze.

"Buffy, are you sure?" Angel was quick to speak up. Sure, he wanted Connor back, but there had to be a safer way.

"I trust that Will knows what she's doing. So should you." Buffy answered him. "What's the plan?" She questioned her friend.

*

Older Dawn and Connor made it to the top of the tower just after Younger Dawn and her captors. Older Dawn stared at her younger self as she was tied to the end of the tower and the demons headed back down.

"I was so scared." Older Dawn whispered, staring. Connor was quick to pull her to him. It didn't matter that she wasn't quite who she said she was. Neither was he. All he knew was that somehow, she could understand everything he'd gone through.

"It'll be all right, Dawn." Connor tried to be soothing.

"No! It won't be all right!" Older Dawn suddenly cried out. "Buffy dies because of me." She sobbed in his arms. Connor wasn't sure what to say. "She's going to sacrifice herself so that I can live." Dawn whispered between the heaving of her chest.

"I don't understand." Connor was definitely confused now. For someone who was supposed to be dead, Dawn's sister was very alive, and hopefully hadn't figured out where they were yet.

"It complicated." Older Dawn said, her voice dull. Loud noises sounded below. The three of them up on that tower peered down below. Older Dawn nearly crumpled. "Oh, Goddess. It's started." She whimpered. Connor settled themselves in a corner of the rickety platform.

When Doc appeared, Connor thought he might have blinked and missed the demon's entrance, it happened so fast. He couldn't hear exactly what was being said, but the Dawn in his arms gasped as he pulled out a knife. That's when Spike came charging by. He strode out onto the platform, his platinum hair shining in the moonlight.

"You don't come near the girl, Doc." Spike shouted after they scuffled for a few minutes.

"I don't smell a soul on you." Doc replied. Connor just stood in awe and watched.

"I made a promise to a lady." Spike told Doc.

"I'll send the lady your regrets." Doc said, and the flicked out his tongue. Before Connor had a chance to blink, Spike was being thrown from the tower. Younger Dawn screamed. Connor felt helpless as he gathered Older Dawn in his arms. He hid Older Dawn's eyes as Doc began cutting, the sobbing of her younger self almost unbearable to his ears. He watched as the blood ran down and settled in mid air. A couple of seconds later, and the portal opened in a burst of light.

*

Willow had just arranged them in a circle around the unconscious teens. Buffy was nervously holding onto Spike and Lindsey's hands. There was no way Spike would be ok with Angel holding her hand, and while Angel had issues with both men, he would do anything to save Connor. She felt Spike's thumb rub the back of her hand and tried to relax. Willow knew what she was doing.

The red head stepped among the circle of candles around Dawn and Connor, and settled herself on the floor. She steeled herself, and looked up at Buffy.

"You guys know what to do." She instructed. Buffy closed her eyes, as she and the others began to chant in Latin. After they had spoken the spell through one time, Willow reached out and touched both teens at the same time. Buffy and the others began chanting a second time.

*

As the portal began it's swirling below the, Older Dawn stood up. Connor got up too, wondering what she might do.

"Buffy's going to be here any second." Older Dawn said, looking at her younger self and then up at Connor. "I have to stop this." She said.

"What do you mean?" Connor asked her.

"I'm going to jump in the portal instead." Older Dawn replied.

"Dawn, you can't. This is just a memory." Connor tried to reason with her.

"Maybe. But I can't sit here and watch." She refuted.

"Dawn, I won't let you." Connor argued. Older Dawn didn't get a chance to reply because Willow appeared beside them. The teens were taken aback.

"Thank Goodness I found you." Willow said. "We don't have much time. Give me your hands." She instructed.

"What's going on?" Connor demanded, keeping an eye on his Dawn. None of them saw the ripple that had gone through the air at Willow's appearance, or that Dawn's younger self was now staring the three of them quizzically through her tears.

"I'm here to get you out of here." Willow told them, but her attention was diverted when Younger Dawn began calling for help.

"Please, help me!" Younger Dawn screamed.

"Can she see us?" Older Dawn asked.

"Oh, Goddess, I think so." Willow admitted.

"Then I know what I have to do." Dawn spoke with conviction.

"Dawn, no. Let Willow get us out of here." Connor held her face between his hands. Willow was taken aback by how comfortable the pair seemed with each other.

"I can't. I'm sorry, Connor. I just can't." Dawn apologized.

"It'll kill you!" He shouted as they made their way towards Younger Dawn. Willow felt a familiar tug of her spell, and knew that Buffy and the others were chanting to bring them back. She had to be touching them. They were too far away, and no amount of shouting brought them closer. They reached the end of the tower, disregarding a wide-eyed Younger Dawn, and looked down at the portal. A clump on the stairs signaled that Buffy was coming, and Older Dawn looked at Connor.

"I love you." She said, kissing him.

"I love you too." Connor replied, and took her hand. "I'm jumping with you. " He told her. She looked like she might argue, but Buffy's footsteps were getting closer. They had all but forgotten Willow and Younger Dawn.

The last thing Willow saw as she disappeared was Dawn and Connor, leaping through the hole on the tower's platform.

The last thing Dawn saw was her younger self wrapped in Buffy's arms.

The last thing Connor saw was darkness.