This is the resolution chapter and wraps up this storyline. I plan on revisiting this after I finish other stories. I'd like to explore a Buffy/Thor pairing more seriously and bring in the Guardians of the Galaxy. I need to finish my other Avengers crossover, however. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 5: The Returned

*****Cosmos******

Dawn looked down at her newly created body and grinned. She had fingers and toes again. Her hands went to her boobs—she had boobs again. Buffy would be so jealous. Running into the cosmic gods had been a lucky twist of fate. The god told her to picture her form, so she did. Then in a moment, she was just like her old self.

Well, not exactly. Now she had her keyness—she remembered how to access her powers. The god that helped her also gave her the ability to absorb excess energies. He said that she'd need that back on Earth if she was going to help save everyone.

She was dressed all in green—kind of like Robin Hood or the Green Lantern from that movie Xander rented. Thanks to the god named Infinity, she looked human again. Her encounter had been surreal.

Dawn, our morning star, you have a task that we can offer aid," the female voice said.

The light was so bright that Dawn couldn't exactly make out their form. "Can you dim down the bright light? I can't see you."

Suddenly, the light dimmed, and she saw a tall man and woman dressed like old pictures from her Greek Gods' study. "Thanks," she said.

"I am Eternity, and this is my sister, Infinity," the man said. "We can bring your human form back to you and aid you in your quest to reverse what Thanos has done."

"You know about that?" she asked.

The woman nodded. "His actions have ricocheted throughout the multi-verse. By destroying so much life in this universe, he has unbalanced everything," she said. "It must be fixed."

"Are you going to go with me to Earth and fix it?" Dawn asked hopefully.

"That task is not for us," Eternity said. "It is for you to do."

"What can I do?" Dawn asked.

"You are not human," Infinity said. "Your father is a god, who tried to create life without a female counterpart. He did not succeed."

"But I'm here—I'm alive," Dawn said in confusion.

"A demonic being from Earth acquired you long ago, but you were made human by powerful magics," Infinity said.

"Yes, the monks did it to protect me from a hell god," Dawn said.

"By doing so, they did not just give you a body, but they gave you a soul," Infinity said. "Your sister's blood and soul were reborn in you."

"Seriously?" Dawn asked in surprise.

"Yes," Infinity said. "That means that your sister's life force is tied to yours."

"I didn't die when she did," Dawn said. "She jumped through a portal to save Earth and died. My friend Willow brought her back."

"Yes, we know," Eternity said. "You would've ceased to exist in your human form within a year. It would've started to break down as your soul was contained also in your sister. The two souls cannot be permanently separated. As you are immortal, so now is your sister. She cannot die permanently, but she can always be brought back as long as you are in your human form. When you cease to have a human form, she will be able to die."

Dawn grimaced. "I'm keeping her from heaven?" she asked, upset at the thought.

"When you both grow weary of human existence, you can shed your human form, and then she will be set free," Infinity explained.

Dawn was relived and nodded. "So what can I do on Earth? Do I have the power to reset time?" she asked.

"No. You have the power to absorb excessive energies, magical attacks, and opening of portals," Infinity said.

"The Old One is gaining back power to fix what Thanos did," Eternity explained. "However, she cannot contain such power for long in her current form."

"Illyria?" Dawn asked. "That's good."

"Go to Earth now, and you be able to give them aid," Eternity said.

Somehow, Dawn was able to, in this new form, to think of where she wanted to be and get there. Now, she was floating above Earth. How was she able to breath? She didn't understand it, but after Thanos destroyed her original form, this new one seemed to be better equipped.

She grinned. "I'm like a superhero! Buffy's going to be so jealous!" she said to the stars.

*****Earth*****

Steve, Clint, Thor, and Natasha, along with Rocket the talking racoon went with Buffy, Faith, and Angel to the Deeper Well entrance while Illyria went inside. Angel tried to keep the roster that went with him down to just Thor and Buffy, but they were all too curious. Also, they just wanted to feel like they were apart of doing something to reverse the devastation, and Illyria getting her power was the first step.

"Is this going to work?" Clint asked, pacing with the seething anger he was feeling. His grief was threatening to stomp out all reason, and he was holding on by a short thread.

"It has to," Buffy said, unwilling to consider the alternative.

"Something comes," Thor said, bracing himself with his weapon ready. He sensed the energy building before his eyes saw anything.

A portal formed and a figure in green stepped out of it.

"Who's that?" Natasha asked.

Dawn took off the green head piece. "It's me, Buffy," she said.

"Dawn?" Buffy said in shock. Then she moved to embrace her, overwhelmed to see her alive and well.

"How are you here?" Faith asked, hugging her next.

"It's a crazy story," Dawn said. She looked around. "Who's your new friends?"

Giddy with happiness, Buffy introduced her to everyone. "We're waiting for Illyria to get back her time altering power," Buffy explained.

"I met two gods named Eternity and Infinity—they were siblings. They're the gods of the cosmos," Dawn told everyone. "They said so many things to me. They gave me back this form and said that my creator or father tried to make a child without a female, so I didn't have form. When the monks gave me my form, they didn't just make me from you, Buffy, but they actually put a part of your soul in me, and I'm immortal due to my key form. If Willow hadn't brought you back, I'd have died within a year."

"What?" Buffy said, trying to take in everything.

"So my grandfather didn't create the Key?" Thor said in surprise.

"I don't think so—he didn't name the god, though," Dawn said.

"Buffy's immortal?" Angel asked.

"Yes," Dawn said. "When we get tired of living, I can shed this form, and you can go back to heaven."

"Wow," Buffy said, not sure what to think about all that.

"Can you help with Thanos?" Steve asked.

"According to the sibling gods, Illyria can do that, but I'm supposed to absorb her excess energies," she said.

"We were wondering how we were going to solve that problem," Angel said. "Wesley's not here to make a ray gun."

"Bruce probably could've done it," Natasha said.

"Supposedly, I can absorb magical attacks and take on excess energy as well as open portals wherever I want," Dawn said, grinning at her sister. "Oh, and I can breathe in space somehow!"

"And you're still taller," Buffy said with a pout.

"And my boobs are bigger!" Dawn said, smirking.

Thor missed his own mischievous brother Loki as he watched the two interact. "Do you think it would be wrong of me to get Illyria to go back to Asgard at the time when my half-sister invades and destroys everything?" he asked the group.

"Well, let's take care of Thanos and then ask her," Steve said.

"It will depend on how well she's holding up with the excess energy," Angel said.

"Ria likes a good slaughter," Faith said.

"She's kind of like a loaded gun," Buffy said. "Just point her to where you want her to go."

"Just make sure she can't actually take over Asgard," Angel said.

"Keep her away from Loki," Steve said.

"My brother was killed by Thanos before his snap," Thor said. "Can we save him?"

"Loki doesn't deserve saving," Clint said, glaring. "Did you forget what he did on Earth?"

"I forget nothing," Thor said. "It was me he betrayed and tried to kill, but he has reformed and aided me against the Dark Elves after they murdered our mother. He's been by my side ever since."

"We will try to save everyone we can," Buffy said, giving Clint a pointed glare. "If you think he's worth saving, we will save him."

Thor smiled at her in gratitude.

Rocket moved to Dawn's side. "Hello," he said, looking up at her.

Dawn grinned down at him. "You are so cute!" she gushed.

Rocket rolled his eyes. "Don't even think of petting me! You said your father tried to create you without a mother?" he asked.

Dawn nodded. "That's what they told me," she said. "He's not human, but they said that he was some kind of god."

"My friend Peter is from this planet, and his dad was a celestial god, who went around trying to create life," Rocket said. "He might be your half-brother."

"Really?" Dawn said, looking at Buffy. "We might have an actual brother!"

Buffy grinned. "That'd be really cool. What's he like?" Buffy asked.

"He's okay," Rocket said. "He was taken in the snap, or he's with Ironman in space somewhere."

"Tony's not came back, so we don't know," Steve explained. "Peter and Dr. Strange were with them, and the other Guardians."

"We're the Guardians of the Galaxy," Rocket said. "We were able to keep one of the infinity stones from Thanos a few years ago, but he managed to get it back."

"Well, I just know we're going to get everyone back and kick Thanos' ass," Dawn said with the supreme confidence she learned from her big sister.

"Damn straight!" Faith said.

"She's coming!" Angel exclaimed from his watch at the entrance.

Illyria appeared. "It is done," she announced. "I am not as I once was, but I have regained much."

"Do you feel okay? Going to blow up on us?" Angel asked. "If you kill Fred again, I'm going to be really pissed!"

"She is fine," Illyria said. "She says to tell you to relax. We got this."

"You can hear her?" Angel asked.

"My new powers have made it easier to sense her," Illyria said. "It is like she is right next to me but not."

"So what's the plan?" Faith asked.

"Let's go back to headquarters and decide the best time to get Thanos and kill him," Steve suggested.

"Yes, we don't want to try to take him while he has all the stones," Buffy said.

Illyria opened a portal. She stepped through without comment, and everyone followed after her.

When they were back, Thor suggested that they go first to Nidavellir. "Etiri told Rocket and me that Thanos had killed all the dwarves and forced him to make the gauntlet," Thor said. "Without the gauntlet, he cannot wield any of the stones."

Illyria looked at Dawn with interest. "You are not as you were," she said.

"Nope. I'm all superpowered up like you," Dawn said with a grin. "I am the one who can absorb your powers before they cause you to go caplooey," she told her.

"Take my hand," Illyria said.

Dawn glanced at Buffy and Angel first because she didn't exactly trust the Old One.

Illyria's face transformed into Fred, but her body stayed the same. "It's okay, Dawn," Fred assured her. "She thinks together, we might be able to pinpoint the exact time Thanos is at Nidavellir."

"Oh," Dawn said. She grabbed Fred's hand, and her face morphed back into Illyria.

"That's some freaky shit," Clint whispered to Nat.

"You're telling me," Natasha said. "It's like this sweet Bruce puppy inside the Hulk. I wonder if Bruce could ever switch back and forth so easily?"

"That was intense!" Dawn remarked after releasing Illyria's hand.

"I have it," Illyria said. "We can get there before he gets the gauntlet. If we kill him in the past, everything will go back the way it was."

"Tony and Parker and everyone won't have even have left Earth," Steve said, nodding.

"That works for me," Natasha added.

"Are we sure about that?" Bruce asked. He and Rhodey had been waiting for them when they returned. "There's no way of knowing that we don't just create an alternate timeline entirely."

"If that timeline brings everyone back that he wiped out, does it matter?" Buffy asked.

"We are altering our current timeline," Dawn said. "However, it does create a conversion as we will know what's happening. If it was just resetting the timeline without Thanos' snap, we wouldn't remember."

"Fred says that time is circular, not a line," Illyria said.

"Does it matter?" Angel said. "If the end results brings back those we love, does it matter if time is altered or things are changed somewhat?"

"Not to me," Clint said. "I just want my wife and kids alive." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Let's get it done," Faith said.

They all grabbed the weapons that they needed. "Who's going to take point?" Buffy asked.

"I will rip his head from his spine," Illyria announced.

"You're too short to even reach his head, and you can't fly," Buffy pointed out.

"You are not taller than I," Illyria said with a haughty sniff.

"I can fly, so I will take point," Thor said. "When I knock him down, everyone will get to chopping off body parts."

"I'm all for chopping up baddies," Buffy said with an eager grin.

"I will gauge out his eyes," Rocket announced.

"That's badass," Faith said, giving him an approving look.

Rocket preened at her approval. "I can add it to my collection of body parts," he said.

"Sick," Faith said, grinning.

"Are we ready?" Illyria asked.

"Remember," Thor said. "He will not be alone. He will have his so-called children with him—his lieutenants. They are very powerful. One of them is telekinetic."

"I think I can handle that one," Dawn said.

"Bruce, we need Hulk to handle the big one with Thanos," Thor said. "He is a black dwarf."

"I thought dwarfs were short?" Buffy asked.

"No," Thor said. "They are massively large and strong."

"Hulk will take him," Bruce said.

"Is the Big Guy coming out?" Natasha asked.

"He better," Bruce said. "Do you hear that Hulk? Stop being a baby. Just because Thanos beat you once doesn't mean he will again."

"No!" Hulk said.

Everyone looked at Bruce in various degrees of surprise.

Illyria went up to him, and she put her hand on Bruce's chest. Bruce was transformed into Hulk. "You will fight, or you will die," she said coolly.

"You can't kill Hulk," Hulk told her, glaring at her.

"Then stop being a coward," she said, looking up at him.

Hulk growled down at her. "Hulk not afraid of no one!"

"Did you know he could talk?" Natasha asked Clint and Steve. The two men shrugged.

"He spoke a lot to me when we were trapped on that planet and forced to fight," Thor said.

"Bruce lost over a year to Hulk's rage," Natasha said.

"We are ready," Buffy said, slapping her hands together and looking up at the Hulk. "We have the big green demon guy. We have an Old One, an immortal key, and Thor. Thanos and his goon squad won't know what hit'em!"

Illyria nodded and looked at Angel. "Are you coming?" she asked.

"Will there be a sun that will set me on fire?" Angel asked.

"No," Thor said.

"Then I'm coming," Angel said. He picked up a sword.

Illyria opened the portal and stepped through with Thor right behind her and then the Hulk. Steve tried to go next, but Faith jumped in front of him with a smirk. Buffy followed Steve with Dawn behind her. Clint stepped in after Natasha, leaving Rocket to follow before Rhodey as War Machine, and Angel stepped through last.

After Angel stepped through, the portal closed.

It looked like they were just in time. Rocket looked gleeful as he watched Thor jump up for the attack on Thanos. His lieutenants, though, stood in front of him as a shield.

The Hulk didn't hesitate, and the fight was furious. Illyria made short work of Proxima Midnight, the only female lieutenant of Thanos.

"She actually ripped out the girl's spine," Clint said a bit horrified.

"Don't piss her off," Natasha said with a smirk as Clint loaded his arrow and fired it into the skinny, ugly one.

When he flicked it away be raising his hand, Clint said, "Well, we know who the telekinetic guy is."

"I got this," Dawn said. She opened a portal right under the guy's feet, and he simply disappeared, falling through it.

"Cool," Buffy said, smiling at her in approval.

Steve, Faith, and Buffy took on another ugly alien while Clint shot arrows at the black dwarf the Hulk was fighting. Rhodey was flying above Thanos, shooting his proton cannon down on his head while Angel and Illyria focused on helping Thor with Thanos.

Angel used his sword to tear into Thanos massive leg, bringing him to his knees as Thor pulled his axe out of Thanos' chest, having once again missed the man's head in his first attack.

"Now I will take your head!" Thor declared.

Illyria, though, had moved to Thanos' backside and punched her fist through his back and grabbed a hold of his spine.

Thanos let out a scream of pain as she pulled, causing Thanos to collapse.

"Thus ends the life of Thanos, the Mad Titan," Thor said. Then he swung his axe at Thanos' head, determined to take it off anyway.

Rocket was gleeful as he used his pocketknife to take out an eye. "Slayer," he called out to Faith, who turned. Rocket held up the eye.

Faith howled in laughter, so relieved to see Thanos finally dead.

Hulk broke the dwarf's neck, and then it was over.

"We did it," Dawn said.

Everyone cheered, hugged, or high-fived each other.

"I can't believe you ripped out their spines," Natasha said to Illyria.

"That is my favorite way to kill," she said with a satisfied smile.

"It's super gross, Ria," Fred said, changing Illyria's face to Fred.

"Are you okay, Fred?" Angel asked her.

"I'm great, handsome man," Fred said, giving him a bright smile.

"Let's go back to Earth," Buffy said to Dawn. "We have to see if things are changed."

Dawn opened the portal, and they all stepped back into Avenger's headquarters.

It was brimming with life. Staff was there as if the snap hadn't happened. Since Thanos was killed in the past, he didn't get the stones and wipe out half the universe.

They had defeated Thanos.

Sam looked at Steve. "Where the hell did you guys go?" he asked.

Steve didn't answer—he just stepped close to hug Sam. He was so relieved that Thanos' snap was reversed.

Buffy jumped up and planted a kiss on Thor's cheek. "I've got to get back to Giles and my slayers in Newark. Come with us, and then Dawn and Illyria can go help you," she said.

Thor looked at Steve, who nodded. "Go. Save your people. Thanks, Thor," Steve said, holding out his hand.

Natasha watched their new friends leave—Angel and the Old One went with the slayers and the Key. Rocket was staying with Thor, assuming Thor would be how he'd get reunited with the Guardians.

Nat turned to Clint. "We have to get you home," she said.

Clint was already on his phone, calling his wife. When she picked up, his eyes filled with tears as relief filled him. They were alive again.

"Do you think Tony's okay?" Bruce asked Rhodey.

"If I know Tony, he's probably here somewhere," Rhodey said.

"That's right. If Thanos didn't ever get the stones, there was no reason for Tony or Peter to be in space," Bruce said. He called out, "Friday, is the boss man around?"

"He is at the park with Miss Potts," Friday said.

They really had won.

Everyone was returned to where they had been before the snap. Only those that had went to the past knew what had really happened.

*****A Few Days Later*****

Buffy and Faith had been happy to find all the slayers, Xander, and Willow back alive. No one who had been killed remembered anything. No one but the ones who were off planet retained any memories. It was like everything had been reset. Giles had cleaned his glasses for two entire minutes when they filled them on Dawn and what all had happened. He had wanted to doubt their wild tale even though Thor was there to verify. However, no one could dismiss the new changes in Dawn—even Willow was impressed.

Angel was back in Los Angeles with Spike. Illyria stayed with Buffy and Thor in New Jersey while they tied up loose ends.

Now they were going to the Asgard ship and help Thor and his people. Willow had decided she wasn't going to miss out on the adventure this time and was going with them.

Buffy looked at Faith as Dawn opened the portal. "This should be fun," she said.

"Hell yea!" Faith said, her excitement obvious.

They followed Thor into the portal.

*****The End*****

I hope to one day write more, so I left some clear ties loose. I hope you enjoyed my short tale and didn't find it too simplistic. Reviews are nice. Thanks for reading. I'm not going to argue any rules of time travel or consequences of changing the timeline, so please don't try to destroy my chapter if it flies in the face of your strong beliefs on the matter. It's science-fiction and this IS fanfiction! :)