Third Person
Willow and Tara were doing the spell to bring Buffy and Zoey back to consciousness, but to do that, they had to go into their minds and bring them back themselves.
Tara went into Buffy's mind.
Willow went into Zoey's mind.
Willow was in a clean, brightly-lit room. She blinked in confusion, looking around
She was in the Francis house.
Willow walked slowly forward, looking around. She came into another room with a fireplace. On the wall, there was a picture of Layla and her ex husband, Zoey and Dawn's father, Todd, both of whom were holding a baby.
On a side table, there were more pictures, and a statue of a man, woman and child.
Willow turned away.
There was a sofa behind Willow.
She heard a little girl's voice. "Hi, Willow."
Willow turned around.
The little girl was about eight years old, with brunette hair in two pigtails. She was sitting at a child-sized round table with some toys on it, holding a doll.
Willow looked toward another picture on a table.
The picture was of the little girl in front of her along with another little girl with red hair.
Willow looked at the little girl in front of her, smiling. "Hello, Zoey."
~~~~~
Young Zoey looked at Willow. "What are you doing here?"
"Actually, I'm, uh, looking for you," Willow answered.
Young Zoey smiled. "You remember all the fun we had with dolls?"
Young Zoey stroked her doll's hair.
"Zoey, I need you to come with me," Willow told her, kneeling next to her.
"Why?" Young Zoey asked.
"To be with your friends," Willow answered.
"It's a big day for me," Young Zoey told her.
The front door opened.
Layla and Todd walked in with a baby in their arms.
"Hello?" Layla called.
Young Zoey smiled. "Mommy, Daddy!" She stood, handing her doll to Willow, running toward the door. Willow stood to watch. "You're back! You're back!"
"Hello, Zoey," Layla told her.
Todd leaned over with hands on his knees. "How's my girl?"
Young Zoey smiled.
"Are you ready to meet your new baby sister?" Layla asked.
Young Zoey looked upset, frowning, backing away, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Oh, come on now, Zoey," Todd told her. "She's nothing to be afraid of."
"Who's afraid?" Young Zoey asked.
"Don't you want to be the big sister?" Layla asked.
"No, I want to be the baby," Young Zoey answered.
Todd tilted his head. "Zoey."
"You're gonna pay more attention to her and forget all about me," Young Zoey told them. Layla knelt in front of her with the baby in her arms. Young Zoey looked at Dawn, turning to look at Willow. "Doesn't she look funny? Like a wrinkly old grandpa."
Young Zoey turned back to Layla.
Layla gently put Dawn in Young Zoey's arms. "Like this. Okay, support the head. There you go. We're calling her Dawn."
Willow smiled a small smile. "Dawn."
Young Zoey smiled. "I... I could be the one to look after her sometimes... if you need a helper." Layla nodded. "Mom? Can I take care of her?"
Layla smiled, stroking her hair. "Yes, Zoey, you can take care of her."
~~~~~
Willow appeared in the desert in the sacred place at night by an open fire. She looked around in confusion. "O...kay."
~~~~~
The scene was from 'Intervention'.
Zoey was sitting at one side of the fire.
The First Slayer was on the other side of the fire.
Willow looked at her warily. "Hey... I know you. You're--you're the first original Slayer who tried killing us all in our dreams." The First Slayer gazed at Zoey. Willow shrugged. "How've you been?"
The First Slayer looked at Zoey. "Death is your gift."
"Wait, death is her what?" Willow asked.
"Death..." Zoey trailed off.
"Is your gift," the First Slayer told her.
"Okay, no," Zoey told her. "Death is not a gift. I know this."
"Yeah, you tell her, Zo," Willow told her.
The First Slayer looked at Zoey. "What comes to as a sacrifice from you may be a gift for all others."
"What?" Zoey asked.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Willow asked.
The First Slayer was obscured by the flames, following the contours of her body. "You are finished here."
The First Slayer and the fire disappeared.
All that was left was cold gray rocks and sand.
Zoey and Willow frowned in confusion.
~~~~~
Willow appeared back in the Francis house.
Young Zoey was sitting at a child-sized round table with some toys on it, holding a doll. "Hi, Willow. What are you doing here?"
"Actually, I'm, uh, looking for you," Willow answered. "Here. Again."
Young Zoey smiled. "You remember all the fun we had with dolls?"
Young Zoey stroked her doll's hair.
Willow knelt next to her. "I think we already deja'd this vu."
Young Zoey giggled. "You talk funny."
"Yes, as you'll tell me again when we're older and in chem class," Willow told her. "Zoey, I need you to come with me."
"It's a big day for me," Young Zoey told her.
The front door opened.
Layla and Todd walked in with a baby in their arms.
"Hello?" Layla called.
Young Zoey smiled. "Mommy, Daddy!" She stood, handing her doll to Willow, running toward the door. Willow stood to watch. "You're back! You're back!"
Layla knelt in front of her with the baby in her arms. She gently put Dawn in Young Zoey's arms. "We're calling her Dawn."
Young Zoey smiled. "I... I could be the one to look after her sometimes... if you need a helper." Layla nodded. "Mom? Can I take care of her?"
Layla smiled, stroking her hair. "Yes, Zoey, you can take care of her."
Willow watched with a small smile.
~~~~~
Zoey and Willow were walking through the desert from 'Restless' and 'Intervention', during the day.
"What are we doing here, Zoey?" Willow asked.
"I can't get out of here, Willow," Zoey told her. "I tried."
"That's why I'm here," Willow told her. "I can get you out of here."
"How can you be so sure of that?" Zoey asked.
Willow sighed, shaking her head. "I'm not. But I have to try. Look, I don't know what the First Slayer meant by death being your gift, because you said it yourself. Death is not a gift, if it comes as a sacrifice from you or not. You've carried the weight of the world for long enough. And I--I know you didn't ask for this, but... I need you to keep going. We need you to keep going. Your mother and your sister are still out there, and they need your help."
"I'm trying, Will," Zoey told her. "I am."
"I know why it's so hard," Willow told her. "Because it didn't just shut down your body. It's trying to kill you. And that's why you feel so weak right now. Like you can't get out of here and save yourself, and save them, but you're wrong. That is the only way that you will be able to do those things. Come on, Zoey." She took her hands in hers. "We can get out of here. Together."
~~~~~
---Zoey---
I woke up in Xander and Anya's bedroom in their apartment, gasping.
Willow was sitting in front of me.
I looked around in confusion.
Buffy and Tara were sitting facing each other.
Buffy took a few moments longer to wake up. She gasped awake.
Willow, Tara, Buffy and I looked at each other for a long moment.
Buffy started to cry.
Tara embraced Buffy.
Willow and I held them as Buffy continued to cry.
~~~~~
Buffy, Willow, Tara, Anya, Mom and I walked into the Magic Box.
Giles looked at us. "Buffy? Zoey?" He looked at Spike and Xander sitting at the table. "They're back."
"You're okay?" Xander asked.
"Yeah, we're okay," I answered, holding Mom's hand in mine. "Hear you found the ritual text."
"Uh, something like that, yes," Giles answered.
"Did you know that... Ben is Glory?" Xander asked.
"So we were told," Buffy told them. "What do we know?"
"Um, well, uh..." Giles trailed off. Willow, Anya and Tara sat around the table. "According to these scrolls, uh, it's possible for Glory to be stopped." He paused. We waited for him to go on. "I--I'm afraid it's, um... well, I've read these things very carefully, and there's not much... margin for error. You understand what I'm saying?"
"Might help if you actually said it," I told him.
Giles nodded, putting his mug on the table, sitting down, removing his glasses. "Um... Glory... plans to open a dimensional portal... by way of a ritual bloodletting."
"Dawn's blood," Buffy told us.
"Yes," Giles answered. "Once the blood is shed at a certain time and place, the fabric which separates all realities will... be ripped apart." Mom started vaguely at the ceiling. "Dimensions will... pour into one another, uh, with no barriers to stop them. Reality as we know it will be destroyed, and... chaos will reign on earth."
"So how do we stop it?" I asked.
"The portal will only close once the blood is stopped," Giles told us. "And the only way for that to happen is, um..." He avoided my gaze, finally looking at me. "Zoey, the only way is to kill Dawn."
For a moment, I thought that I hadn't heard him right, half thinking that I was still shut down, trapped in my own mind, which would literally be playing tricks on me.
But then nothing changed, and everyone was looking at Mom and me.
I slowly started to react with dismay and denial, shaking my head barely, looking at Mom.
Mom looked at me. She hadn't seemed to realize what we were talking about, vacantly staring off.
I swallowed, looking down, disconcerted.
There was no way that that could be the only way to stop Glory.
There had to be another way.
I would not kill my sister.
And I would not let her die.