Holiday in Hell

Season8, episode 3
Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Acknowledgments: Many thanks to Mel D and Linda for beta reading this episode.

Buffy and Xander walked up to the library, ready for a mini research session. It was a light day. Faith was out checking up on Vi and most council functions were on hold until she got back.

“Hey, we’re early, go us,” Xander said looking at his watch.

“Can’t wait to see the new library,” Buffy said, going to open the door.

“Oh, hey, that’s right. You haven’t seen my masterpiece yet. Prepare yourself for a blast from the past,” Xander said as he stepped in front of her and swung the doors wide.

“Ok,” Buffy replied hesitantly, then watched as the doors swung open to reveal a bigger, slightly more elegant replica of the old Sunnydale High library.

“What do you think?”

“How?” Buffy asked as she walked into the room.

“I drew up some specs for the contractors. It was actually pretty simple. They didn’t have to change much structurally, just superficial stuff.”

“Wha?” Buffy replied as she walked in and a furry of memories assaulted her.

“You don’t like it. It’s too full of bad memories. See, I told Will it’d be creepy but she said you’d –“

“Love it,” Buffy said turning back to look at him.

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s like having a bit of home here. You know? So much of our past is gone, a lot of it, cause I blew it up,” she added. “It’s nice to have a reminder of Sunnydale.”

“Well if you want I could redo your room to look like your old one.”

“Let’s not go overboard.”

“Well I think you’re overreacting,” Willow said as she and Giles entered.

“Well I think you’re under reacting.” Giles countered.

“You just want there to be trouble because you’re dying to try out all our new toys,” Willow accused.

“Well, honestly, Willow how old do you think I am?” Giles replied indignantly.

“Come on, you’ve been looking for the next battle since like ten seconds after the last one was done.”

“I just don’t want us to lose focus. The First is still out there you know. Hello Xander, Buffy,” Giles said, noticing them for the first time.

“Hey,” Buffy replied. “What’s the new danger?”

“Nothing,” Willow answered. “Hey, what do you think of the library? It’s not creepy is it?”

“I love it.”

“Good, I knew you would.”

“So, research, give us the 411,” Xander said taking a place at the table.

The rest of the gang joined him and paused a moment to marvel at the familiarity. All of them had feared at some point during the last two years that they were through, that there was just too much to get past. But as they sat at the old table and looked around at each other all the betrayal and pain seemed so far away and the love and trust, so close.

“Ah, well,” Giles said, finally breaking the silence. “It seems something is displeased about recent events.”

“Something?” Buffy asked.

“Or a group of somethings,” Giles replied. “Messages threatening the slayers have been popping up all over the world. It seems there’s a new group bent on undoing your changes.”

“Or there’s a bunch of demon hoodlums running about and tagging tombs,” Willow said.

“Can they do that? Undo the spell, not tag tombs,” Xander said.

“It’s impossible to say, this whole situation is entirely unprecedented. We need more information.”

“Right,” Buffy said. “I’ll hit the local demon haunts and check on the messages around here. Xander, get locales for all the other threats and send the nearest active slayer to check the scene. Tell them not to engage, strictly recon.”

“On it,” Xander said and left.

“Giles continue with the book stuff.”

“Right, book stuff,” he replied moving back into the stacks.

“What about me?” Willow asked.

“I need to know…” Buffy said pausing till Giles and Xander were out of sight. “what’s going on with you and Kennedy?”

“What? Did she say something?”

“Not in so many words.”

“It’s nothing. You should go hit stuff.”

“No, not fallin’ for that one again. I should find out what’s bothering my best friend.”

Willow sat back in her chair, pondering how best to answer.

“I’m not sure what it is, but now that things aren’t so ‘EEE AHHH’ it just seems like we don’t have a lot in common. I think maybe the intensity was all Hellmouth and not a lot of actual relating. I mean, at first I thought her lack of fear of my power was her believing in me, now I think she just doesn’t get it.”

“It’s hard sometimes, when you date outside the group. For a long time I felt Riley didn’t really get me.”

“Did you ever feel like he got you?”

“Actually, no. But maybe you two will be different.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Buffy inspected the grass around the tomb. Clearly whatever had left the message was massive. But after a year of dealing with a completely non-corporeal foe, she was actually relieved to find she had a good solid opponent. She turned her attention back to the message.

“The chosen disrupt the balance. The balance must be restored.”

She’d often wondered if the shadow men had had a reason for creating only one slayer. She told herself it was just so that they could control her more easily. But maybe that wasn’t the case. Maybe she’d completely destroyed some key balance of good and evil and thrown the universe out of whack.

“Great, something new to feel guilty about,” she muttered and turned to go. But as she did something pink caught her eye. She looked more carefully at the writing. It shimmered slightly in the light. She got a little closer and promptly noticed the smell. “Oh God,” she said recoiling, “that’s not paint.”

“It’s blood, some sort of demon blood,” Willow said looking up from the microscope.

“Why use blood?” Buffy asked.

“Well it has a certain horror movie aesthetic,” Xander replied.

“But in horror movies it’s the victim’s blood right? If it’s trying to scare us why not use human blood?” Buffy asked.

“Are you suggesting that there’s some ritual significance?” Giles asked.

“Yeah, I mean, speaking as a warrior, not gonna wound myself without a pretty good reason.”

“Well, we’ll look into it. Shouldn’t you be packing?”

“Packing?” Buffy asked, briefly afraid she was being kicked out again.

“For Disneyland?”

“Oh crap. Oh shit. Ah, heh, I forgot. God, I am like the worst sister ever,” Buffy said as she got up and hurried toward the door. “Um, is there something I can investigate while I’m back in the states?” Buffy asked turning back at the door.

“No, just have fun, you earned it,” Xander replied before Giles could object.

“Ok, keep me posted.”

Giles once again tried to object but Willow chimed in, “Will do.”

“Please sit back and enjoy your flight,” the pleasant voice intoned.

Buffy looked over at Dawn, who was peering out the window and bouncing slightly in excitement.

“I can’t believe you’re this excited about Disneyland. We grew up in California. We must have been there eight times as kids.”

“Yeah, but it’s different this time. So much has happened. We’re going on vacation! It’s just such a relief,” Dawn effused.

“I’m sorry this year was such hell. I promised to show you the world and you got researching primordial evil and battles with developmentally delayed vamps.”

“It’s cool,” Dawn replied, “You had to save the world before you could show it to me.”

“Anyway, I’m sorry I couldn’t be a better sister before.”

“You were a great sister.”

“I was a great warrior, I was a crap sister. I don’t even think I know what your favorite band is anymore.”

“Coldplay.”

“See, never would have guessed that. In my head you’re still listening to NSYNC.”

“Yeck,” Dawn said screwing up her face. “Anyway, plenty of time to bond now. No slayer stuff, just sister stuff.”

Buffy hesitated a moment, thinking of the threats against the slayers, “Right, sister stuff only.”

“I don’t get it, I mean yeah I’m sorry Anya’s dead but to end your life just because one person’s not around anymore?” Xander said looking up from the map he was making.

‘I get it,’ Willow thought then said, “Well, Mary was obviously unstable. She may have had a pre-existing condition that his death just aggravated.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t have brought her here; maybe seeing him again was just too much.”

Willow wanted to say something comforting but Xander was right. She was clearly unwell. They shouldn’t have traumatized her like that.

“I don’t know, maybe not,” Willow replied. “I guess we should get back to research.”

“Yeah,” Xander replied.

After a few fruitless hours of research Willow took a break to spend time with Kennedy.

“Do you really think it was wise to let Buffy go?” Kennedy asked. “I mean, our track record for getting by without her isn’t exactly stellar.”

“We’ll be fine,” Willow replied. “We’ve got twenty slayers just in this building, bedsides she needs time with Dawn.”

“Yeah, but couldn’t she take time with Dawn later? I mean, with some new menace threatening the Chosen, this isn’t the best time. It’s actually pretty selfish of her if you ask me.”

‘Well nobody did,’ Willow snapped back mentally. She calmed herself and replied, “It’s never the best time. And these threats might be nothing.”

As they walked toward their room Willow did what she does best, she wallowed in guilt. “Well nobody did?” How could she think that? Kennedy was just expressing her opinion. Her forcefulness was part of what Willow loved about her, she was so vocal, so aggressive, so unlike the shy, unassuming, passive character traits that Willow hated so much in herself. But at times Kennedy was just so - annoying.

Had it been this way with Tara? She was sure it had been. They’d had plenty of bad times, but somehow Willow couldn’t remember any. Maybe it was just an unwillingness to think ill of the dead. Or maybe – Willow couldn’t shake the feeling that even though she and Tara had fought, things had always been – better. There was a core of trust and love that made all their problems seem inconsequential. Maybe she just needed to give it time with Kennedy. Perhaps that core would build up.

As they entered Willow’s room Kennedy flipped the light switch and the bulb sparked and went out.

“Crap, you know, the one problem with living in a nice place like this is those high ceilings,” Kennedy said peering up through the darkness. “We’re gonna need a ladder. Or, hey, you could just magic in a replacement bulb, right?”

Or maybe, just maybe, this thing with Kennedy wasn’t going to work out.

“Ok, first we hit the big rides, the early morning lines will be shorter,” Dawn said from her position on the bed. She was surrounded by maps and guide books. “I say we skip the Materhorn altogether. I mean- lame. Unless you want to go for the completeist approach,” she added.

“Nah, skip it,” Buffy replied from inside the bathroom.

“You almost ready?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Buffy answered in what was a remarkably clear voice, considering the tears streaming down her face.

Spike watched in agony as she struggled to compose herself. Being a ghost hadn’t been very pleasant, but when he had to watch Buffy in pain, he could swear he had a body again; the pain was palpable, physical. He wanted so badly to be able to comfort her, to be able to speak at least, but no sounds came.

“Shh pet, please, everything’s ok now. You’ve got everything you ever wanted, well, everything but that ice dancing career, but you can make a go of that now.”

Buffy took a few deep, uneven breaths and steeled herself. She had no idea why she was crying. She had to be strong. If she showed weakness there would be death. Hadn’t Annabelle run right after Buffy tacitly admitted she couldn’t protect her? Hadn’t Chloe killed herself when the first told her Buffy’s fears? There was no room for weakness. She had to be – ‘Wait, why can’t I show weakness?’ she suddenly thought.

“Dawn, Dawn can you come in here?” Buffy called hesitantly.

“I’m charting the quickest path between ToonTown and Frontier Land.”

“Can’t that wait?” Buffy replied, exiting the bathroom.

Dawn looked up at Buffy’s tear-streaked face.

“What happened? Did you hurt yourself? Oh God, is someone dead? I didn’t hear the phone. Did Giles call?” Dawn asked as she pushed her maps aside and went to Buffy.

“No, I just, umm,” Buffy said, gesturing with her arms out, unable to speak.

Luckily Dawn caught on quick. She grabbed Buffy and held her tightly. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m scared and tired, still so tired and what if I’m never ok? And I miss Spike and I don’t know – I’m just crying.”

“It’s ok,” Dawn replied smoothing Buffy’s hair. “There’s nothing to be scared of.”

Buffy laughed in response.

“Well, ok, there’s lots. But I’m here and I won’t let anything happen to you.”

And strangely, her scrawny, tragically uncoordinated sixteen year old sister’s promise was the most comforting thing Buffy’d heard since before her mom died. Buffy knew she’d be the one protecting Dawn if anything bad went down, but hearing Dawn promise to protect her with such conviction made Buffy believe. She believed she was protected and loved and safe. And the last of the fear and tension drained away and she was Buffy again.

She clung to Dawn tightly for a few moments, letting her breathing return to normal.

“Thank you,” Buffy finally said, pulling away to look Dawn in the eye.

“No problem,” Dawn replied not understanding Buffy’s sudden change.

“Come on, we should go get in line. Do you have our plan of attack?” Buffy asked.

“Right here,” Dawn replied scooping a handful of papers off the bed.

Buffy grabbed her purse and Dawn her book bag and they walked into the California heat, arm in arm.

“Crap,” Willow said.

“What?” Xander replied looking up from his SAT study book.

“Well, it seems, perhaps Giles may have been in some sense right.”

“In what sense?”

“In the sense that we shouldn’t have let Buffy go cause now we’re screwed.”

“Oh, that sense, I hate when he’s right in that sense.”

“The blood sample belongs to a very sophisticated, highly intelligent demon named Cemtaur. He’s the last of his kind.”

“So, probably not just some JD prank.”

“No.”

“Why’s he making his move now?”

“I don’t know, maybe the spell messed things up, maybe there’s some chink in our defenses we’re not even aware of. Maybe he really does believe in this balance stuff.”

“See, I don’t think that balance crap is fair. The First upset the balance first by making his uber army. We reset the balance,” Xander objected.

“Actually we upset it first; or rather you did when you brought Buffy back the first time. From then on there was always one more slayer than there’s supposed to be.”

“Oh,” Xander said a little sheepishly, “So there’s a way to interpret this where the whole war was my fault.”

“And mine, if I’d let her stay dead things would have been reset.”

“Bad us.”

“Not really in the mood for comedic understatement right now,” Willow said resting her head on her hand.

“Hey, cheer up, this balance stuff is probably a bunch of hooey. Just some weird demon superstition.”

“Well, either way we pissed off a pretty powerful foe.” Willow replied looking at the engraving of Cemtaur.

Buffy and Dawn exited Splash Mountain giggling and stumbling slightly.

“We have to do that again,” Dawn said.

“Totally worth the two hour wait,” Buffy agreed.

Before they could make their way to the end of the line again a frazzled woman stopped them.

“Have you seen my little girl?” she asked.

“Um, no,” Buffy replied looking to Dawn. “I’m mean, we’ve seen a lot of little girls but none who looked lost.”

“Here,” the woman said pulling a photo from her wallet. “This is her.”

Buffy and Dawn looked at a photo of a young girl wearing a tutu and clutching a bouquet of roses.

“Sorry, we’ll keep an eye out,” Dawn said.

“Have you tried the lost child department?” Buffy asked.

“No,” the woman said distractedly.

“Here why don’t we go there with you, ok? Mrs…”

“James. Ok, yes. I should have gone there first, I don’t know, I just…”

“Hey it’s ok; you’re a bit upset, perfectly understandable.”

Buffy and Dawn walked on either side of Mrs. James trying to comfort her with assurances that her daughter would be fine.

The lost child office was clean, friendly and brightly lit, just like everything else in the magic kingdom, but it gave Buffy the wig. She held Dawn back while Mrs. James went to talk to one of the employees.

“My slayer sense is tingling.”

“Vampires?” Dawn asked incredulously.

“No, there’s just something off about this place, I don’t know…” Buffy said turning around.

Dawn turned as well and stopped when she caught the eye of one of the employees who she could swear was giving her the look. The same look she got from crazy people and the ghost who lived in their house. The look that said, “You’re not what you seem, you don’t belong here.”

“Yeah, definitely wiggin here,” she said to Buffy.

Mrs. James returned looking even more lost. “She hasn’t turned up, but they sent out a bulletin, they assure me they’ll find her.”

“Are they calling the cops?” Buffy asked.

“No, I guess kids run off and get lost here all the time, she’ll show up,” she said, not believing it one bit.

“We can wait with you,” Dawn offered.

“No, no, you’ve done enough. Go, enjoy Disneyland.”

“Alright,” Buffy replied, “but take my cell number in case you need anything.”

Once they were back in the baking heat Dawn exclaimed, “We’re just leaving her here? That place was totally creepy.”

But Buffy was too preoccupied dialing her phone to listen. “Hey, Will. I need the low down on kids who’ve disappeared while visiting Disneyland. Yeah just call me on the cell as soon as you can,” Buffy finished closing the phone and turning to Dawn. “I don’t like the way that guy looked at you, stay close.”

“I can look after myself.”

“I know, I just don’t want to be the frantic woman running around showing pictures of you to strangers, ‘cause we lost all the photos in the disaster.”

Buffy and Dawn had thoroughly cased the Lost Children Dept and gotten lunch by the time Willow called back.

“Disappearances from Disneyland are few and far between, lots of kids get lost but most turn up,” Willow explained. “I did find one possible lead though. All the kids who’ve disappeared went to schools for the gifted.”

“So someone’s taking super smart kids?”

“Or super talented,” Willow said.

“The ballet costume,” Buffy said. “The missing girl was a dancer.”

“So what do they want the extraordinary children for?” Willow said.

“Oh God,” Buffy exclaimed looking around. “Dawn. Dawnie!.”

“What? Where’d she go?” Willow asked.

“She’s gone, Dawn’s gone,” Buffy said panic rising.

“Calm down,” Willow said. “She’s probably just run to the bathroom, she doesn’t fit the pattern.”

“No, she’s not in any way extraordinary, except the whole opens the portals that separate dimensions thing.”

“Oh,” Willow replied. “I’ll research this and get back to you.”

“Ok,” Buffy replied, not really hearing her.

“She’ll be fine; she can take care of herself,” Willow said. “What’re you gonna do?”

Buffy strode purposefully back to the lost children office, “I’ll give you a dollar if you can guess.”

“Bash people’s skulls until they tell you where Dawn is?”

“You know me so well.”

“The people who work in that office might not even be involved.”

“Some of them, maybe, but I know one who is,” Buffy replied opening the door and looking straight at the creepy man. “Gotta go Will.”

“Good luck with the violence,” Willow said quickly before hanging up.

Buffy put her phone away and said, “You see things, right?”

“Yes,” he said looking at her cautiously, then looking around at the empty office.

“Look at me. What do you see?”

“D- Darkness,” he stammered.

“That’s right,” Buffy replied stepping closer to him. “Now where’s my sister?”

“I-I don’t know where they take them.”

“You just single out the special ones.”

“Yes.”

“Ok, so find your boss, tell him I’m not exactly unique anymore but still pretty darn special and get me taken to wherever she is.”

“I can’t, they won’t want you, they’ve already got a slayer.”

Buffy froze. There was a girl trapped wherever Dawn was, trapped because of Buffy’s decision.

“Well then tell them I’m something else. Tell them I’m whatever they need.”

“I can’t lie, they’ll kill me.”

“Not if I kill them first.”

“You can do this?” the man asked.

“I can do anything, things will go smoother of you just accept that now.”

The man nodded in agreement and scurried to his desk and started filling out forms.

Buffy looked on. “We don’t really have time for paperwork, someone has harmed Dawn and I have to kill them.”

The man held up his hand gesturing for her to be patient. He folded the paper and pressed the wall behind him. A patch of the wall sprang open to reveal one of the canisters they use at the bank. He put the form in it and returned it to the wall where it disappeared.

Before Buffy could react the floor opened beneath her and she fell not so much down as in, into another dimension. ‘How handy is it that I can identify that sensation?’ she thought as she fell.

Buffy landed gently in an exact copy of the lost children office. Well, almost exactly, this one was less clean and not so well lit and decidedly creepier. There was no one to stop her so she walked out the way she’d come in and found herself in the middle of the dingiest place on earth. It was the Anti-Disneyland. As she stood there trying to get her bearings Mickey Mouse walked by carrying an uzi and smoking a cigar and she upgraded it to The Most Disturbing Place on Earth.

“Dawn?” she cried tentatively. “Dawn,” she repeated a bit louder.

Mom always told them to meet where they’d last seen each other if they got separated, so she made her way to the entrance of Toon Town, and immediately regretted it. The toons were all ragged, as if they spent their free time being mauled by lions. “What the hell?” she whispered.

“Buffy,” Dawn cried and grabbed her from behind.

“Oh thank God,” Buffy said turning around and gripping her as hard as she could.

“Hey, hey super powers. Super powers.”

“Sorry, so sorry,” Buffy letting up a bit but still holding Dawn tightly.

“What’s going on?” Buffy asked.

“I don’t know,” Dawn replied. “They asked a bunch of questions when I first got here then they went away.”

“Have you seen anyone else?”

“Yeah, there are some other kids around but they won’t talk to me, they just look away like they’re scared.”

“Ok, we just need to-“ Buffy was cut off by the arrival of three men wearing what could have been Dentist uniforms in the fifties, except that they were black. The man in the middle carried a clip board.

Buffy and Dawn pulled apart.

“You’re our new one aren’t you?” the man in the middle asked.

“Yes-” Buffy began but she was cut off again.

“Name, date of birth, and social security number.”

“I’d like to speak with whoever’s in charge.”

“Alright Idlike,” the man continued and Dawn giggled slightly. Buffy rolled her eyes at her.

“What? It’s kinda funny.”

“What do you see?” the man continued oblivious to Dawn’s interruption.

“See?”

“Yes, not in general of course, we’re only interested in what you see for us.”

Buffy was still confused but Dawn caught on. “Oh, they think-“ she said but stopped and looked at the men. “Hey, remember our friend Cassie? Wouldn’t she just love this place?”

“Um, no,” Buffy replied. “Oh, wait, yes, right,” she said turning back to face the men again. “What do I see for you? Good stuff, wacky hijinks, you’ll love it. Now can I see the guy in charge? No, wait, I see you bringing us to the guy in charge.”

“Do you have a vision for him?”

“Yes, and I can only tell him,” Buffy said quite pleased with herself.

“I think you’re lying,” the middle man replied.

“Ok, how bout ‘I see you getting your asses kicked if you don’t take me to him?’”

“Oh no, there’ll be no violence,” the man said pulling out a syringe and all three moved toward her.

“But I like violence,” Buffy said neatly kicking the syringe guy backward. She followed by leaping up to kick the guy on the right, pushing off his chest to slam her foot into the one on the left.

Buffy grabbed Dawn and they took off running. They were in the middle of Toon Town before the men were up and chasing after.

“Here,” Buffy said pulling Dawn into a ride.

“No, no, bad hiding place. This is creepy enough already,” Dawn hissed.

“It’s not that bad,” Buffy replied as she turned around and found herself face to face with a statue of a hatchet-wielding Roger Rabbit. She started and hopped back. “Suddenly demons seem so comforting,” Buffy said and pulled Dawn into a ride car.

Buffy took a moment to recover then said, “Ok, new plan. First we find the other slayer.”

“There’s a slayer in here?”

“Yeah, they’ve probably drugged her, or maybe she just doesn’t know her power. Anyway, between the three of us we should be able to force them to put everyone else back.”

“Ok, how do we find her?”

“I don’t know. Willow’s been doing this meditation thing to find the new slayers. Maybe I could do it.”

“Yeah, I mean you are a slayer you should have some sort of connection.”

“Right,” Buffy said crossing her legs, “Ok, I can do this.”

Dawn sat back and got ready for a long wait. But within seconds Buffy was climbing out of the car and walking toward the exit in a trance.

A trance. Dawn hadn’t thought about that. Buffy would be out of it till they found the girl, meaning Dawn was the only one who could protect them.

Dawn grabbed the machete out of the trunk of a Dumbo statue and followed Buffy. They made their way through the rotting foliage and rusted rides as the sky grew darker.

They were drawing near the Swiss Family Robinson house when the Dentists appeared out of the darkness directly in front of them. They lunged after Buffy but Dawn stood in front of her and swung the machete in a wide arc. All three jumped back and Buffy continued walking.

“Stay away from us,” Dawn warned in what she hoped was an authoritative tone.

The three men stayed back and looked anxiously at each other. “Another one?” the left man finally said. “No, she’s the key,” the middle man said, “She is energy. She has no strength.”

Dawn responded with a jump kick forward the way Buffy had taught her and threw in a sweeping slice of the knife at the end. She didn’t really want to hurt them and give away how little force she was putting behind the kick. The move was mainly for show, but it worked the men moved farther back and Dawn turned to follow Buffy into the Robinson house.

“That was so cool,” she squealed under her breath. “Did you see those guys just totally step down?”

Buffy muttered, “Good job.” But she was still in her trance and continued to silently climb the stairs.

As they came up to the second landing Dawn looked out to where the three men were still standing and glowered. They slinked back a bit. Dawn delightedly turned to continue following Buffy. Halfway up the next flight of stairs she heard a low whimpering. As they got closer she could make out a figure huddled against the wall.

Buffy stopped before the figure as if unsure where to go. Dawn wasn’t sure how to go about getting her out of the trance so she just shook her shoulder gently.

“Um, stop the trance, please?” she said. A face poked out of the bundle and looked at them warily.

“Buffy snap out of it,” Dawn said shaking her harder.

Buffy suddenly whipped her head around and looked at Dawn. “Stop it, I’m asleep…” Buffy said trailing off as she looked around at the post apocalyptic Swiss Family Robinson house, then down at the girl. She knelt down beside her and said, “Oh. Hey, umm, have you met an old guy named Giles, or a red head called Willow?”

The girl shook her head.

“Well then this will come as quite a shock. Hmmm. Where to begin…”

A half hour and several demonstrations of strength and agility later they had the girl, Megan, almost convinced Buffy was actually the slayer, though she was still having trouble with the idea that she was.

After the twenty-eighth “But this is impossible,” Buffy had finally had enough.

“We don’t have time for this,” she said getting up. “Come and help or stay and whimper, I don’t really care.”

She and Dawn turned to go.

“No, wait, I’ll come,” Megan said, getting up off the floor rather stiffly, as if she’d been huddled there for days. “I mean you’re nuts, but you seem kinda nice,” she concluded.

Buffy peered out into the darkness. It seemed the Dentists had gone away, but it was too dark to be sure.

“Megan.”

“Yeah,” Megan said hesitantly, worried that Buffy was going to make another bizarre declaration.

“Any idea where the headquarters would be?”

“No, I’ve been here the whole time.”

“Oh, oh,” Dawn exclaimed. “I know, the castle.”

“Good thinking. Stay close, keep the machete handy.”

“Check.”

“What’s wrong?” Kennedy said coming up behind Willow and wrapping her arms around her.

“I’m just worried about Buffy and Dawn.”

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Kennedy said.

“And I guess I’m still upset about Mary.”

“I get that. It must’ve been hard for her to be so weak,” Kennedy replied moving around to sit next to Willow.

“What? I don’t think she was weak.”

“Come on, someone dies so life’s not worth living? That’s pretty pathetic. Don’t tell me you buy into all that Romeo and Juliet crap.”

“Well, no. I just think it’s harder than you think to deal with things like that.”

“And I just think people should buck up,” Kennedy said casually.

“God, how can you be like that?”

“Like what?”

“So…hard.”

“I’m not… I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Yes you are and you did. You’re so judgmental. You never pause to consider what anyone else is feeling…gah,” Willow said in frustration.

“Well if I’m so awful why are we dating?”

Willow wanted to scream, “I have no idea.” But instead she just looked down silently.

“I mean,” Kennedy said hesitantly, “you still want…”

“I-I don’t know,” Willow replied softly.

Buffy, Dawn and Megan looked up at the castle slack jawed.

It was pristine, just like the one in their reality. Not knowing what to say they silently walked up the main stairway. At the top the Dentists guarded a door.

“You are not allowed here,” the middle man announced.

“You’re not allowed to rip people out of their dimensions.”

“Oh but we are,” they replied. “Dane has decreed it.”

“Whatever, just get away from the door,” Buffy said.

The three men conferred for a moment then pulled out syringes and lunged at the girls.

Dawn hunched down and used her attacker’s momentum to toss him over her back.

Buffy spun hers and used a punch kick combo to send him down the stairs after Dawn’s guy.

Megan took no time in getting herself pinned to the wall, arms flailing. Buffy grabbed the man by the neck and tossed him after his brethren. She watched after to make sure they were out of commission then turned around and walked back to Megan. “Stop fighting your instincts,” she said angrily.

“I’m not.”

“Yes you are. You’re a slayer, just let yourself be strong.”

“Not that I don’t love your speeches, but can it wait?” Dawn said gesturing behind them to the now open door.

A voice floated out to them. “Enter,” it said simply.

“Ok,” Buffy replied and led the girls in. Inside there was a man sitting on a throne.

“You’ve penetrated my sanctuary.”

“Well you’re security’s not exactly not exactly top notch,” Buffy replied.

“No, no I fear it isn’t.”

“So here’s the deal, send all of us home and we won’t kill you.”

“You don’t frighten me. There are worse things than death,” he said.

“Like what?” Buffy asked.

“Watching others die.”

Buffy thought back to all the girls she’d seen die in the last year and silently agreed.

“Who’s died?” Dawn asked.

“Everyone.”

“Why?” Buffy asked.

The man shrugged his shoulders slightly. It seemed as though even that simple gesture was overwhelmingly difficult. “All systems tend toward chaos, ours a little more quickly than most.”

“I don’t understand, why won’t you let us go?” Megan asked.

“We need a fresh start. We need to rebuild our world.”

“So you took the best from ours,” Buffy said. “But what’s with the Disney theme?”

“Children are more malleable and able to resist the decay longer and we can only pull people through matching points in our two dimensions, until now,” he said looking at Dawn. “So, we built a replica of the child mecca.”

“But it’s tending toward Chaos too,” Dawn said.

“Yes.”

“Listen…” Buffy said.

“Dane,” the man filled in.

“Right, Dane. I’m sorry about your disaster but I can’t let you kidnap these people to rebuild your world.”

“There’s no let about it. You have no choice. Kill me if you like, it won’t get you home.”

“Well, since it won’t make a difference either way and you’re pissin’ me off,” Buffy said walking toward him.

“Come on,” Dawn said and grabbed Buffy’s arm to pull her toward the door. “We’ll find another way.”

Back outside the enchanted castle Buffy put on her resolve face and tried desperately to come up with a plan. But all she could think was, “I want Willow. Willow could fix this.”

“We should call Willow,” Dawn said.

“With our interdimensional cell phones?” Megan asked.

“Yes, perfect,” Buffy said and took off running.

Dawn immediately followed after. Megan hesitated a few moments, debating whether it was safer with or without them. Suddenly there was a loud crash and the sound of metal collapsing and grating against metal. Perhaps it was safer with the crazy girls. She chased after them, catching up in no time, a fact that was lost on no one but her.

Buffy had led them to the missing child office.

“What are we doing here?” Dawn asked.

“They’re contacting the guy on the other side somehow, if they can only reach through identical points it stands to reason it’s in his office right?” Buffy said crossing the room and pressing at the wall. This didn’t do much in the way of discrediting Megan’s “They’re all nut jobs” theorem.

“Ah,” Buffy exclaimed delighted as the wall popped open. She whirled around to the desk and scribbled a note, put it in the tube and watched it disappear.

“Ok, now what?” Megan asked.

Kennedy and Willow sat in silence.

“So, what was this? Just some effect of being in a life or death situation?” Kennedy asked.

“Maybe,” Willow replied. “I mean you have to admit we never had much in common.”

“I thought there was enough.”

Kennedy looked so heartbroken Willow wanted to take it all back, go back to the way things were, but she knew she was right.

“There are things about me you never got, never cared to get. I don’t think you ever really wanted me as much as you wanted your idea of me.”

Kennedy didn’t know how to reply. “So what this is it? I don’t get your magic problem so we’re over?”

“It’s more than that.”

Willow was going to continue but the phone ringing cut her off.

“I’m sorry I have to get that – Buffy and Dawn.”

“Course, why would our relationship take precedence?” Kennedy said and stormed out.

Willow took a deep breath and picked up the phone, “Council research center, Rosenberg speaking.”

“Um, hi. My name’s Bob You don’t know me, I work at Disneyland.”

”Oh my God,” Willow said. “Have you seen our friends, Buffy and Dawn Summers. They’re-“

“Yes, yes. I just got a message from them. They need to know how to open a portal between dimensions.”

“What? They’re in another dimension?”

“Well you see…”

While Bob was explaining the situation Willow called Xander and had him pull all the info they had on the decaying dimension.

“Ok, do you own a cell phone? One that you leave in the office?”

“No, but we have walkie talkies.”

“Excellent. They’ll have to match with the other dimension like everything else so it should be simple to adjust them so we can talk to other side.”

“How?”

“Just follow my instructions carefully.”

“Oh, ok,” Bob replied, perfectly happy to have orders.

Buffy, Dawn, and Megan had settled into an uncomfortable silence. Buffy sat at the double of Bob’s desk; Megan and Dawn were sitting on the floor playing rock/paper/scissors.

“So, what do you do when you’re not being kidnapped?” Dawn asked.

“I’m a student. I go to Berkeley.”

“What do you study?”

“Literature.”

“Buffy? Dawn?” a screechy voice called out from a cabinet on the far wall.

“Willow?” Dawn said getting up and opening the cabinet.

Inside was a wall of Walkie Talkies and one of them had Willow at the other end. Buffy came up beside her and they both started picking up receivers and talking into them.

“Hello.”

“Willow.”

“Can you hear us?”

“Hello, hello I can hear you,” one of them finally replied.

Buffy gripped the receiver and said, “Willow, oh it’s so good to hear your voice.”

“Yours too. Is Dawn ok?”

“Yeah. Can you get us out of here?”

“Easy. They’re doing a lot of the work keeping all those hot spots active. I just need some data. I need you to get to whoever’s working the mojo and find the spell they’re using.”

“Ok, any thoughts on how to find the guy?”

“Well, he’s got to be monitoring everything somehow, so he know when one of the target kids so I’m thinking he might be-“

“In the security center. Dawn…?”

Dawn was already pulling emergency exit maps out of the desk drawers. “Ok, I think this has to be it,” she said pointing to the map.

“Ok, we got it Will. I’ll talk to you again when we get there.”

“Ok, good luck.”

The girls paused at the door to the security room.

“You two stay back,” Buffy said and kicked in the door but stopped short as she registered a man on the other side of the room with a gun pointing straight at her. Before she could move she was on the floor with someone’s arms around her waist. She struggled to get away but Megan whispered, “No, stay down.”

“Here, this way,” Buffy said dragging Megan with her behind a desk.

“I know you’re there,” the man said walking around the desk.

Buffy knew she and Megan could take a bullet, but how many? She reached for the desk and tried to pull it on top of them, but the man had swung around to face them before she could get a good grip on it. Buffy moved to cover Megan.

The man loomed over them, gun poised. He smiled and said, “It’ll be a pity to lose our slayer and seer. But there’s always more-“

A look of shock passed over his face and he crumpled at their feet.

Dawn stood behind him clutching a large flashlight in both hands and grinning.

“I got him. I hit him and he’s on the floor,” she said and reached out her hand and pulled Buffy then Megan up.

“Good job,” Buffy said turning to look at Megan, “Both of you.”

“I guess my reflexes are a little better than I thought,” Megan said.

“Yeah, takes a bit of getting used to,” Buffy replied.

“Alright, let’s tie this guy up and find the spell.”

Twenty minutes later Mojo guy was tightly bound to the chair and being guarded by Megan on one side of the room while Dawn and Buffy looked through his desks on the other.

“Thanks for taking care of that guy,” Buffy said.

“No big,” Dawn replied.

“It was a big, very resourceful and timely. I don’t know what we would have done…”

Dawn looked up from the book she was flipping through. “Well, if I save your ass another ten thousand times we’ll almost be even.”

“Buffy?” Willow broke in through the walkie talkie.

“Oh, Willow,” Buffy said and grabbed for the walkie talkie. “Sorry I forgot to call back,” she said into the receiver.

“No problem. You ok?”

“Yeah. There was some trouble but Dawn and Megan took care of it.”

“Good. Do you have the spell?” Willow asked.

“Yes. Do you have to do it?”

“No, anyone can. Putting you back will just take a little concentration and the right words.”

“Good. I’m gonna need a way to close or seal or whatever the hot spots.”

“Already on it, I should have something soon.”

“Oh, oh, got it,” Dawn cried and began reading. “Dwok nod-“

“Stop,” Willow cried.

“What?”

“Let’s not just randomly open portals, k?” Willow said.

“Right, good point.”

“Ok,” Buffy said. “Here’s the plan – “

A few minutes later Buffy was off running, walkie talkie and maps of hot spots in hand. The first place she checked was the caves on Peter Pan’s Island. She found five kids and led them to the nearest spot. “Ok, Dawn they’re ready,” Buffy said into the walkie talkie and stepped back. In an instant the kids were gone. She silently hoped they weren’t in the land with no shrimp and moved on.

Meanwhile back at the monitor center Megan and Dawn were watching Buffy’s progress.

“Why are those kids just doing what she says?” Megan asked.

“I don’t know. I guess they’ve seen enough weirdness that they’re not fazed by anything anymore.”

Something banged open loudly behind them. Megan and Dawn turned to look at the door, but there was nothing.

“What was that?” Megan asked.

“I don’t know. Get the gun,” Dawn replied.

Megan picked the gun up from where it still lay on the floor.

“Do you know how to use this?” she asked handing it to Dawn.

“Point and pull, right?” Dawn replied.

“Dawn we’re in position,” Buffy said over the walkie talkie.

Dawn turned back toward the monitor then back to Megan. “Crap, ok. Megan you’ll have to watch the door while I do the spell. Ok?”

Megan was terrified at the idea of having Dawn’s life in her hands but she nodded.

Dawn returned to the monitor and concentrated on the spell. A second later the door burst open and the Dentists walked in.

“What do I do?” Megan cried but Dawn couldn’t risk interrupting the incantation to answer her.

Megan turned back to face the men and kicked the knife out of the lead’s hand. It arched through the air and landed in her hand, almost as if she had meant it to.

She lunged forward and slashed, cutting the lead across the chest. The knife went through so quickly, ‘like butter,’ she thought as she spun around landing a kick to his chest as she’d seen Buffy do.

The other two came at her from either side. She kicked out to the right and knocked the first one back but she misjudged the force it would take and found herself falling to the side. Half way down she decided to go with it and put her hands down and pivoted on them, sweeping her legs into the remaining Dentist, knocking him over.

“Ok,” Dawn said. “Spell’s done. Need any…help?” she asked looking around.

“Nah, I got it,” Megan replied getting rope to tie up the men.

Back at the hotel Buffy and Dawn collapsed on their beds.

“Was our Disneyland adventure everything you hoped for?” Buffy asked.

“Well, we bonded.”

“True, but I’m sorry everything turns into a horror show.”

“I like the horror show,” Dawn said turning to face her.

Before she was even done speaking the phone rang.

“Good cause I’d bet…well, not all my worldly possessions, all Giles’ worldly possessions that that’s another disaster.”

Buffy picked up the phone.

“Summers.”

“This is the front desk. We’re just calling to confirm that we were able to get the dinner reservation you requested.

Buffy blinked a few times, and said, “Thanks,” and hung up the phone.

“Apocalyptic badness?” Dawn asked.

“Nope, dinner.”

“Refreshing change of pace.”

“I think so.”