Hell on Earth: Signum - Series 1: 108: Flashback – Act 3
by Timan
~ The Magic Shop, Sunnydale California ~
Dawn sat at the table drawing idly in her workbook. Xander walked up and placed a large soda next to her.
“There you go,” he said, “one Dawn size drink for you.”
Dawn grunted lightly. Xander and Buffy shared a look. Buffy walked over and sat in the seat next to her.
“Hey you,” she said sweetly as she rubbed Dawn’s back, “You’ve been pretty quiet there. Something you want to share?”
Dawn didn’t respond. She continued to draw with as determined look on her face. Buffy frowned and watched her work. There was only one other time that she’s seen her like this and that was when she found out she was the key. Buffy looked with concern at the others as she rejoined them.
“She’s totally freaked,” Buffy said, “Giles any theories?”
“No, sorry, I need more information from dawn before I can even hazard a guess.” Giles replied thoughtfully
“Any chance her godliness is behind it? She was always big with the messing of people.” Xander inquired
“Hard to say,” Giles replied, ”this doesn’t seem like her style of attack at all, also, there’s still the chance that this is a normal dream and in no way linked to any supernatural events.”
Buffy turned and looked at Dawn.
“No. there’s something behind this. Guys we need answers and we need them fast.”
Giles pushed up his glasses.
“Alright I’ll continue my research,” he said, “I might branch out to psychic phenomenon see if we turn up anything there.”
“We’ll help you.” Willow said as she and Tara started to pull books out from the shelf
“And I will, again, be demonstrating elite skills in the getting of the sugary snacks.” Xander said as he headed for the door
“I’ll take Dawn home. If you find anything call me.”
“Absolutely.” Giles replied
“Go for the seal!” Belle yelled, “I’ll hold them back!”
“What?” Rebecca replied
“You have a better chance of getting it then me. I’ll distract them.”
“Belle this isn’t smart.”
Belle didn’t listen. She flipped through a gap between two tentacles and bolted for the entrance. She swung around sharply cutting down four of them. Rebecca shot her an annoyed look before she moved at full Uber-Slayer speed to the Ram Seal. Cutting down a couple more tentacles Rebecca gripped the seal and lifted it carefully. She turned in time to see Belle struck down the tentacle burrowing through her chest dragging her to the ground while several others wrapping around her limbs.
Frowning intensely Rebecca ditched the seal and rushed in to help. She cut off the constricting tentacles and Belle dropped to the ground. The slayer winced in pain one last time before her life slipped away. Rebecca glared at the on coming subterraniel menace as she picked up both swords. Rebecca leaped into the center of the room and went to work swinging both blades at lightning speed. One by one the bladed Tentacles fell as The Divine One picked up speed.
For the duration it felt like Rebecca was going to survive. She slashed out a couple more time and tried to make her way to the entrance. That’s when it happened. Pain shot through Rebecca's body. The Divine One stumbled and dropped to the ground clutching her stomach. With the last of her strength Rebecca lifted her head. She noticed a figure standing in the corner of the room. That figure stepped out of the shadows with a confused, scared, curiosity Rebecca looked up at her in shock . . .
“Mom?” She asked
Dawn woke up with a start. She sat bolt upright and looked around the room. She didn’t know how she got there but she was lying in her bed. Dawn tried to figure out how she got there but the last few hours were a blur. Ever since Buffy picked her up from school there’s been a sensation in the back of her mind that’s been eating at her telling her that there is something seriously important she had to do but she had no idea what it was ore why she was the one to do it. The door to her room slowly opened and Buffy walked in cautiously.
“Hey,” Buffy said, “I heard you wake up.”
“Was I too loud?” Dawn asked
Buffy shrugged.
“One the screaming died down it was pretty quiet.”
Dawn smiled briefly but soon returned to her serious gaze. Buffy walked over and sat on the bed.
“How you feeling?”
“I-I don’t know,” Dawn replied quietly, “have you ever had the feeling like your brain was, like, pulling you two ways?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s kinda hard to explain it’s like . . . okay, it feels like a teacher’s giving me a pop quiz in a class I’ve never taken.”
Buffy though about this.
“So you don’t know what’s going on?”
“All I know is that it’s really important.”
Dawn tightened her lips. Buffy smiled at her in a warming fashion.
“Giles will figure it out,” Buffy replied, “You know he can be pretty smart when he wants to be. Get some rest I’ll be down stairs if you need anything.”
Buffy stood up and walked towards the door. Suddenly something popped into Dawn’s head.
“Buffy.”
Buffy stopped and turned back.
“Yeah?”
“There was something different about the dream this time,” Dawn explained, “You remember the woman I told you about, you know, the one with the brown hair?”
“Yeah.”
“Well something really weird happened at the end.”
“What happened?”
Dawn looked up at her sister seriously.
“She called me mom.”
~ The Magic Shop, Sunnydale California – a few hours later~
Giles, Willow and Tara poured over the books in the magic shop. Giles put down his book and pulled off his glasses.
“There are too many variables,” he commented, “Without more in formation from dawn
“Well maybe we’re looking in the wrong in the wrong places.” Willow commented
Giles thought about this. He turned and looked up on the mezzanine level.
“This could be the work of dark magic. You two keep searching down here I’ll check the other archive.”
Willow nodded as she went back to the books. As Giles left she heard Tara sighed.
“What is it sweetie?” Willow asked
Tara looked up shyly from her book.
“I-I wasn’t sure if I should say anything before but I felt something w-when Dawn was here.”
Willow looked at her girlfriend curiously. Tara moved in closer to Willow.
“Dawn had this energy around her,” Tara said, “But I-it wasn’t hers. It felt like it was forced into her.”
“Forced? Hey, maybe it’s a transference spell.”
Willow stood up and walked over to one of the furthest shelves. On the way she noticed Dawns exercise book she accidentally left behind. Something on the open page caught her attention.
“Ah, Giles!” Willow called out
Giles appeared at the upstairs railing.
“What?” he asked
“There’s something here you gotta see.”
~ The Summers Household, Sunnydale California ~
Buffy rushed to the phone.
“Hello?” She asked
“Buffy, it’s Giles.”
“Anything?”
“Actually yes. Can you meet us here?”
“Alright I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Buffy hung up the phone. She wandered over and sat next to Dawn who was watching the TV quietly on the sofa.
“I’m gonna be a couple of minutes are you okay on your own?”
Dawn nodded uncomfortably. This didn’t convince the slayer.
“Are you sure?”
“If something goes wrong I got the TV to protect me.”
Buffy smiled and stroked Dawns hair lightly. She then grabbed her coat and headed out the door. Dawn settled back down to watch the TV. Slowly her eyes began to close as the last, long; couple of days began to catch up with her again.
Back at the magic shop Buffy stared at Giles confused.
“A message? What kind of message?” She asked
“We’re not entirely sure of its origin. All we know is that it was directly targeted at Dawn.”
“So there’s no chance of this being just a normal dream.”
“No, unfortunately, that still was the popular theory until Willow saw what dawn was drawing.”
Willow handed Buffy Dawn’s exercise book. Buffy opened it and looked at the drawings in shock. She looked back up at the others.
“Isn’t that the Star of Asgeroth?”
“Yes it is.” Giles replied
“But we never told her about the star.”
“Exactly so how would she have know about it unless someone has told her. I’ve been studying the other drawings Dawn has made over the past day and they all point to the same conclusion. Someone is trying to communicate to her.”
“Why her?”
“We’re still trying to iron out the details Buff,” Willow commented, “Hopefully we should have something soon.”
Buffy tried to process all the information then something clicked.
“Becky.” She said in surprise
“Pardon me?” Giles asked
“Dawn told me the woman in her dream called her mom. Wasn’t Becky dawn’s girl?”
“Hey yeah,” Willow replied,” We never did find out what happened to her. Maybe she’s trying to tell us were she is.”
“We’ll have to look into this immediately. Buffy go back to dawn see if you can find out more about the woman in Dawns dream.”
“Alright.”
Just then the phone rang. Giles wandered over and answered it.
“Magic shop.”
A frown crossed Giles’ face. He handed the phone over to Buffy.
“It’s Dawn.”
Buffy took the receiver.
“Hey Dawnie how are you . . . okay, slow down, what did you say?”
“I said I think I know what I need to do,” Dawn replied, “I have to leave Sunnydale.”
“What, no, look, stay there aright? I’ll be home in a few minutes.”
“No I need to go now.”
“Stay there Dawn I’m on my way now!”
Buffy slammed down the phone. She looked seriously at the others.
“Giles if there’s any answers I need them now.”
“We’ll get right on it.”
Dawn paced anxiously through the living room. That last dream she had was clearer then the others and finally something began to make some sense. Unfortunately what she was looking for wasn’t in Sunnydale and to get to where she was going she was going to need assistance. Tired of waiting she decided to go to the only other person she could think of that would help her.
~ Graveyard, Sunnydale California – An hour later ~
Dawn walked slowly up to the crypt door. She was both nervous and anxious all at the same time. Turning the handle she stepped in side. Spike charged at the door defensively ready for a fight but when he noticed it was dawn entering he stopped and rolled his eyes.
“Oh bloody hell can’t you birds read,” He said in an annoyed tone, “the signs says ‘no Summers allowed’.”
Dawn looked at the blank door confused
“What sign?”
“Well, I haven’t actually had it made yet but when I do I expect you two to respect it got it.”
Dawn pouted and folded her arms anxiously. Spike saw this and softened his stance. He sat on the edge of the nearby coffin and motioned Dawn to join him.
“Alright pet tell old Spike what the problem is.”
“I-I need your help.” Dawn replied nervously
“With what bit?”
Dawn looked at the vampire seriously. Although she only had part of the answer she felt this was the right thing to do.
“I need you to get me to L.A.” she replied
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