Parting Gift

Part of the Omniverse Project

By Benji The Vampire Confuser

All Characters are the intellectual property of Joss Whedon and his Scoobies.

G has his good days and his bad days you know? Like, on a good day he knows who I am, even if he is confused 'bout what's goin' on. Bad days, hell, don't even get me started. Then there's the days in between when he'll think I'm B, or even his mom.

It's hard y'know? This guy trained the Slayer, this ain't supposed to happen to a guy like this! Guess it's not too surprising though. A guy can only take so many shots to the head before something gets knocked loose right? Plus the guy's like ancient y'know? B just turned 45 last month, that's gotta make ol' Rupe at least 80.

Now don't go thinkin' the ol' gang's abandoned him just 'cause I'm the one telling you this. It's my turn to watch him. Okay actually it's B's turn…

But she's busy elsewhere.

On the good days I get to play story teller. Andrew loves those days. I tell 'im about Drew comin' out to Dawn, who was not surprised. How Willow and B got all McGonagall with the Slayers (Drew insists he's Prof. X). The best though is telling him about Xander. Boy got himself a hot, (if klutzy) wife, and five kids already. And twins on the way. I show 'im the home videos of the wedding (G usually remembers his own wife). Then the topic comes to Dawn.

Oh God…

"Are you still here?"

Buffy's head shot up from it's reclining position, chin resting on her chest. "Dawnie?" Her sister hadn't said anything coherent for more than a week.

"Don't you have a home?"

Buffy stifled a sob that was half laugh anyway.

"You look like Hell." Dawn continued. "I have a bathroom in here, you could at least wash your face."

Buffy said nothing. Her baby sister was lying as she had for the past 2 months, body wracked and wasted by chemo, radiation, and cancer. She'd been staying with Buffy until she absolutely had to be moved to the hospital. Tubes in her nose, needles in her arms. And an absolutely exhausted look in her eyes.

When her teasing failed to elicit a response, the younger Summers lapsed into silence for a while. Just when the aging Slayer thought she'd gone back to sleep, Dawn spoke again, her voice small.

"Buffy? What's heaven like?"

Feeling as though the lump in her throat would burst, Buffy took her hand.

"It's, peace." She said softly. How could she possibly describe such…perfection?

"Sounds boring."

"If it was it wouldn't be heaven." She countered. "It's all right to be scared Dawn."

"I'm not." Dawn turned her face to her, smiling. "I'm starting to remember things. From before."

"What?"

"The closer I get, I remember more. I remember the monks. They were kind of scared of me. Except one. He told me about his family…Buffy," she was straining for energy, her voice barely audible. "It, it wasn't their idea…how to hide me…sending me to you. It…it was mine…"

"Dawn?"

BEEP…BEEP…BEEP….BEEP…..BEEP…BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE…..

The door burst open, admitting Willow. Buffy could hear doctors on their way.

"Dawn!" She collapsed, sobbing, Willow's arms tight around her. She didn't notice at first Willow's gasp, or the glow that slowly filled the room. Then she raised her head, and gaped.

Dawn's body was glowing. Her skin shone with an ethereal light that spread throughout her body and filled the entire room. As they watched, the light coalesced into a small ball of luminescence and rose from the bed. Buffy realized that for the first time, she was truly seeing her sister.

"Dawn?" Buffy whispered. The ball of light hovered nearer before floating to the hands of a third occupant of the room, only just now visible in the illumination provided by it's charge.

"Hi Dawnie." Her skin and hair were beyond pure, her robe only slightly less white than the glorious feathered wings.

"Tara?" Willow breathed, reaching for her.

Tara smiled and winked. "I really do still sing to you." She said, before holding the Key up to her face.

"Ready to go?"

Buffy and Willow would later swear that they heard Dawn's voice.

"One stop along the way."

Faith glanced at Giles, who had been staring out the window for an hour.

"Huh? You say something G?"

"Dawn has passed." He said softly. "She is gone."

Woah, the Slayer thought. This is a new one. G-Man's never been cryptic before, just clueless.

He turned, tears shining in eyes that for the first time in a long time, were clear. "She's cured me Faith."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"She is the Key. What does a Key do?"

"It…unlocks doors."

"Precisely." He smiled. "Dawn has unlocked the door that was blocking my memory." The phone rang. "That will be Buffy or Willow no doubt."

Sure enough, Faith heard Buffy's grief stricken voice. "Hey…yeah B…Yeah I know…well I got some news of my own."

The End