Buffy thought the spinning would never end. The feeling of having her body jerked around in an endless spiral was something she never wanted to feel again. It was like her insides were being yanked, twisted, then crushed, one by one. You could imagine her relief when she felt herself being thrown from the vortex onto the ground. The wet grass beneath her helped her feel more grounded. She was okay and thankful that the spinning and gravitational pull was gone.

The air was moist, as if it had just rained and the smell was like a freshly mowed lawn. Taking a deep breath, she could tell the difference between the air here and the air in Los Angeles. Her thoughts went to their last night. Mansion, spells, the Hellmouth, Spike. It all happened so fast it was hard for her to grasp the reality of it all. Just a week ago she was flying to Los Angeles, after hearing about Angel and Spike and some big battle. And in one week, Spike becomes human, they become a couple again, sort of. They get smacked down by the Immortal and his warlock minions ,and now here they are, on some wet grass after being in the spin cycle of a washing machine. Buffy slowly opened her eyes, preparing for bright sunlight which she could see through her closed lids. She spotted Angel, who was already on his feet arguing with Lorne.

"This is not Pylea." Lorne said.

"I'm in the sun, and I'm not burning. I don't feel a pulse. It has to be Pylea!' Angel argued..

"Trust me. The Deathwok clan would be already be gathering us up to sell us as cows to the locals, well you guys as cows, anyway." Lorne said.

All eyes turned to Lorne.

Willow and Kennedy approached them. "Something about this seems strange. I think we may have been sucked into another dimension," Kennedy said.

"Please don't say it's the shrimp one. I'm so not in the mood for shrimp!" Xander joked.

"Very boring dimension, that was." Illyria sighed.

"I can imagine, like how much scampi can one human endure?" Xander smiled at the unenthused group.

Willow stretched out her arms and faced the sky. "It's weird. I know my powers are still in me, but I can't seem to get a hold on what type of place this is. I can't connect to it,"

"Yea, same here." Issa said.

Willow turned to Buffy. " Hey Buf, you okay?"

Buffy stirred, realizing her head was laying on something. She turned her gaze towards the sky to see Spike looking down at her. Her head rested on his lap as he stroked her hair. The sight of him made her feel warm and safe. They made eye contact and smiled. Buffy let him help her to her feet. He eyed her strangely when she held his hand longer than usual. He handed her the scythe she was lucky enough to have brought with her. With a shy smile, she headed towards Angel with the rest of the crowd. There they were. Angel, Lorne, Faith, Willow, Kennedy, Xander, Issa, Giles, Illyria, Spike, and herself. A wave of nausea came over her when she didn't see Dawn. She recalled Gunn taking her and Andrew to the limo where it seemed safer. She never saw them get sucked in to the portal, which is a good thing, maybe. Still, she needed to know if anyone saw anything at all.

"That was messed up! That vortex deal, what the heck was that?" Faith asked.

"It was a portal to this dimension, I wager." Giles said. "The why or the how, I'm not sure of.

"Dawn, Gunn, they were in the limo, did anyone see?..." Buffy felt a wave of anxiety come over her. She realized she and Spike were the last ones to get sucked in. Turning to Spike, she can see he was already reassuring her.

"They were fine, at least from what I saw as I got... sucked in. It was like the pull of the portal had no affect on them." Spike said.

Buffy's shoulder eased and she let out a sigh. Somehow, Spike always had a way to relax her mood. It used to be their hot relationship that made her feel comforted in the past, but then it grew into something more intimate. Something more real. Unconditional. And whether it was that intimacy or just a few words to ease her, it worked. He always found the cup half full, and for Buffy who was a cup half empty kind of gal, he was the perfect contrast for her. He was a positive influence in her life. She was okay to admit that now. Especially when she would forget to live once in a while. He reminded her of what was really important. Buffy also found it interesting that he was the only man in her life that has ever had that effect on her.

"How very odd. I wonder why that is" Giles questioned.

"What about the other slayers? Did anyone see?" Faith asked.

"I saw them get sucked in as well. They're probably somewhere here in this dimension," Angel told her.

"Should we check the place out. Walk around. See what we find?" Faith asked.

Xander scanned their surroundings, nervously. "Is that such a good idea?" He approached Buffy and continued. "I mean, if we don't know where we are..."

"Well, one way to find out." Buffy asserted.

They walked slowly down a narrow dirt road. It was a beautiful place. A vast green field surrounded them, touching a waterfall that clung to the magnificent mountain range to the left. There was a certain energy here. It felt light. The sun was bright, birds sang. It was breathtaking.

"It kinda reminds me of Naboo," Xander said.

"This is definitely not home. That's for sure," Kennedy said, pointing at Angel.

Angel smiled as the sun hit his face. "Yea, this always feels amazing."

They came to a small village. People were dressed like something right out of Hobbiton. The women were happily carrying jugs of milk and water, smiling at the drifters. Various people approached them, trying to sell them things like milk, cheese, meat, ale. No one looked at them strangely. Which was strange.

Xander suggested they ask someone about this place. They didn't want to seem like outsiders, though judging by their appearances, it was unavoidable. He spotted a pleasant looking woman standing near a fruit stand.

"Giles, you're polite and British, go talk to her," Xander said, pushing Giles towards the woman.

Giles inched his way to the lovely lady, looking back at Xander, annoyed. "Hello. We are new here, and if I may, I would like to ask you some questions about where we are..,"

She smiled wide and leaned into him. "What would ya like to know?" Her voice was soft and sensual, matching her voluptuous features which were accentuated in her wench style dress.

"Well, where is here exactly?" You see, we have come from a long way and..."

She looked puzzled. "Ya mean this village? This is Marno. Been here for eons," she said.

"Ah, yes. Marno. What can you tell me about it?" Giles felt a bit intrusive. He was careful not scare her by asking too many questions.

"I'm not much of a history buff. You may want to check out the innkeeper. His name is Wally. He minds the Gretho Inn up the road. That's his surname. Gretho. His family has owned the place for a long, long time," she informed him.

Giles nodded. As he turned from her she called out to him. "Hey, by the way, what's yer name?" she asked.

Giles was slightly embarrassed for not introducing himself. He smiled at her.

"Rupert. Thanks for your help...uh.."

"Layli," She grinned. "Rupert. If ya ever need anything, don't hesitate to come see me," she flirted.

Faith giggled. "Check out grandpa getting lucky."

"Ew, Faith, stop!" Buffy joked.

Buffy wondered what world were they in. She was familiar with many other dimensions, mostly from researching demons all these years. She knew some were very much like earth, yet a few things were different, little things, Anya would tell her. Like one dimension called Borthus. This one intrigued her the most because, according to Anya, it looked and felt just like Earth, except for one difference, animals could actually talk. Buffy remembered how she and Dawn giggled at the thought of hearing a dog ask their owner how their day at work was or complain about how they've had to pee for like hours but they were stuck inside the damn house all day!

She froze. Dawn.

Buffy's stomach was in knots. It was like none of them ever got a break. Big fight, dragon, illusion spells, now dimension hopping. It was catching up to her and she can feel herself reaching that breaking point. Coming to Los Angeles was important. Finding Spike and Angel in the thick of some insane battle she still has yet to understand, was what she needed to do.

At this thought, she felt eyes on her. Spike. Without looking, she smiled, remembering the moment he became human again. He was laying on the couch in the hotel, eyes closed, heart beating... heart beating. This all must be so crazy for him. He wanted it, as he told her. Now he was human. Alive.

Buffy turned to see Spike eying her, curiously. She couldn't imagine what he must be thinking after what she put him through. For starters, when she finally had a moment to talk to him after the battle, she punched him. Then blew him off, then took care of him when he became human, made love to him, blew him off, yet again, told him she loved him, again, then became fodder for some warlock's illusion spell, which Spike saved her from. She figured he probably thinks she's a nutcase.

"Penny for your thoughts, slayer." Spike whispered to Buffy.

Without looking at him, she spoke. "I'm glad you're here with me. That's all."

Spike smiled at her and they walked on.

The Immortal rose to his feet. His driver stood next to him, eying his surroundings in bewilderment.

"Where the hell are we?" The Immortal asked.

His driver shrugged. They saw an image from across the road.

Jean.

The Immortal walked quickly over to him. "You fool, what did you do?" he shouted.

Jean shook his head. "Something really stupid," he confessed

"Where are we?" The Immortal shouted.

Jean Trevaud took in the scenery. They were in the middle of a field. Mountains, forests, and waterfalls surrounded them.

How could I have been that stupid? How could I have recited the wrong spell? He cursed at himself. He was angry, hurt, confused. He wasn't thinking clearly. He had just found Drusilla. She was dust on the floor. He was in a fit of rage. He wasn't thinking and now The Immortal and his driver were closing in on him.

"I... I don't know. I chose the wrong spell," Jean confessed.

"Please explain to me what spell you are referring to!" The Immortal demanded.

"I meant to ban the slayer and her friends to this dimension. Instead, I banished all magic here. All of those who are mystically inclined."

Jean took a few steps back. He wasn't sure if that sentence would be the last words he'd ever speak again.

The Immortal looked crazed. "Well, can you get us back?"

"I have to think. I need time. There are always ways, but I need to attune myself to the magic in this dimension. It's different in every dimension. Though, I am still a warlock here, the magic is derived from another source. One that I will need to find and tap into. It's going to take me time," he told them.

The Immortal glanced over at his driver. His driver, Sergio, nodded in agreement.

Sergio was a powerful warlock himself. He was much more experienced in the dark arts than Jean was. The Immortal found him in Rome years ago, practicing with a very powerful cult called the Diavolo di Famiglia. The Family of the Devil. Of course, they never really practiced Devil worship, it was just a name they choose to seem... threatening. He wasn't one to evoke his magicks unless otherwise provoked. This is why the Immortal kept him around. Although he was quite vocal about his dislike of magic, he felt it a powerful weapon against those who wished to do him harm.

Jean slipped away from them in search of some other mystical beings in hopes to find the source of the power here. He decided to start with the forest. Maybe he'd bump into a wiccan or some sort of tree hugging witch that could help him. He didn't want to be anywhere near The Immortal, anyway. Though, he heard them following him.

Damn!

"Monsieur?" Jean asked him.

"Signore Trevaud, do you think I am an idiot? That you'd find a way out of here and actually come back for Sergio or myself? I seriously doubt that!"

"Fine, but please don't interfere with what I need to do. You or Sergio!"

They proceeded into the thick forest.

The interior of the Inn was quaint. The counter had a bell on it, so Giles approached it. He noticed a room to the right. It looked like a small dining area. There was a long table, with bench style seating around it. A few people sat around it , laughing and talking. They didn't notice the strange group that entered. He rang the bell. Giles glanced quickly at the guests who all seemed to turn to his direction. A portly man wobbled from behind a curtain. His cheeks were plump and red. He sort of looked like a short, brown haired Santa Claus.

"Well, isn't this a treat. You all looking for a place to stay?" Wally asked them.

Giles approached him. He looked back at his large group. Buffy, Spike, Angel, Illyria, Willow, Kennedy, Xander, Issa, Lorne. "Yes, please. We are new here and we were hoping..."

"Ah, I know you lot aren't from around here. I know everyone in this village. Where you from?" he asked Giles, eying the group behind him.

"Well, that's a very long story. Do you have rooms here?" Giles asked.

"Sure I do. Some of you will have to pair up." Wally told him. "Maybe you all get get situated and come down for supper. Gretta, my wife, she's cooking up a roast."

"Yes, we can do that," Giles agreed, eying everyone for their approval.

Wally escorted them to the second floor. He showed them to their rooms, unlocking the doors. He eyed Willow and Kennedy strangely when they entered a room together, hand in hand.

"If you need anything, I'll be downstairs," Wally told them all.

He waddled down the steps. Before anyone entered their rooms, they gathered in the hallway.

"Layli said Wally could help us. We should really do our best not to stand out too much," Giles said, looking down at Buffy's scythe. "Let's all meet back downstairs in one hour for dinner, Wally's wife is cooking."

"Well I know my pair." Xander pulled Issa close to him as they walked together towards their room.

Buffy looked shyly as Spike, not entirely certain they would be sharing a room. Spike took notice of how uncomfortable she seemed so he spoke before she could. "I'll pair up with my ol pal Angel here."

As he and Angel walked towards their room Angel growled. "If you snore, I swear, I will put you outside."

Buffy giggled and followed Faith to her room. Faith smirked. "Sure, we will call it The Slayer Room."

Buffy turned back to Illyria who stood still, staring at an old painting of a horse. "We used to ride these beasts for transportation," she said.

Lorne joked. "And guessing from this Middle Earth kinda place, I'm sure they use them for that here as well.

"Illyria, come with Faith and I. Our room has three beds." Buffy suggested. Illyria approached Buffy, still staring at the horse.

"Well that leaves you and I, Watcher." Lorne said to Giles. "Two classy bachelors, sharing sleeping quarters."

"Yes, that will be fine. I wonder if they have Scotch in our room?"

"I think we are going to get along juuuust fine!" Lorne said, smiling as he wrapped his arm around Giles.