See Part 1 for disclaimer and details. Welcome to the final chapter of the story, everybody! It's been fun, but now this fic has to end. We just want to say thank you again to our beta readers Greywizard, Nodakskip and Mr. Mysterious, and also to everyone who has been reading and reviewing and sending feedback about this fanfic since December! In order of appearance, thank you to:

Alkeni, David Fishwick, fullhans1, Wonderbee31, Quathis, red-jacobson, Geoff, hordac85, Black-T3rr0rz, Janet M, Bry Elizabeth M, Craig, Guest, UnbendingCynic, Sage of wind Dragons, poe1911, Aliciaa, DanielRZ19, Guest1, Ninja Master, trongod, iota0000 and anyone else we've missed.

Now, this chapter is something to wrap up all the plot threads so far, and lay the groundwork for the sequel (if and when it's written). Just to fulfil our disclaimer duties, we must mention that the idea for the weapon to use against the First Evil came from the BtVS game and novel "Chaos Bleeds", by James A. Moore. Not much else left to say, except thanks again and we hope you like the final instalment of...

HERE IS GONE - A Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Angel Crossover Event

Part 21 – The End Of The Beginning

San Diego, California - a bar in the Old Town district

Six weeks later

Smiling and whistling to himself, Xander exited the bar as he left his work buddies behind for the evening. He planned to get into his car, go home, get some sleep - and then go to work tomorrow without having to worry about someone putting a gun to his head, or being turned into a dog, or being forced to have sex against his will. Basically just enjoy his new, wonderful, ordinary life.

A month and a half ago, that entire crazy night had finally come to an end after Cyvus Vail and Sahjhan had been killed. There had been questions about how he and Dawn had gotten into the mansion, of course - plus Buffy had been more than a little annoyed about how they'd somehow put themselves in danger, after she had specifically told them to stay out of it. But Harris had more or less ignored the Chosen One's demands for answers, saying that he had to go back to Los Angeles to do what his boss had ordered him to do with regards to that lumber shipment.

So, wanting to get out of Sunnydale as soon as possible, Cordelia had borrowed Angel's car and driven Xander (and Connor, for his own reasons) back to the big city. As had been the plan all along, Harris had spent the rest of the night in the Hyperion, and conducted his business at the lumber company the next morning; and by nightfall, he'd headed back home to more or less sleep for the rest of the weekend.

On Monday morning, after telling the big boss that he had decided to accept the San Diego job offer, Xander had gone to find Willow and Tara; and he'd been pleasantly surprised to find Giles had shown up in town again. The ex-Watcher had said that he was here to collect Willow and take her to a coven of witches in Devon, England; Tara, too, since she was now officially dead. It hadn't taken long before Willow had agreed to go; not only to make things easier for her girlfriend, but she really did want to get her magic under control, and the guilt was still eating her alive where Xander was concerned.

So it was just better for her to go. Out of sight, out of mind and all that.

After that meeting, though, a less pleasant task had had to be tackled; asking Kendra to take Angel's place in the detective agency he'd founded. The Caribbean girl had been somewhat reluctant to take on the responsibility, saying that she preferred to work alone or with a Watcher; because she couldn't exactly say that her priority had to be to put Connor and Dawn together. But in the end, after Kendra had assured herself that those two crazy kids were now officially an item and Buffy wasn't going to do anything stupid where Connor was concerned, Xander had managed to talk her into it. Very wisely, Angel himself had been absent from the meeting, given that the junior Slayer's feelings for the undead Champion hadn't changed a bit since the moment she'd come back from the dead.

Yeah, I wonder how exactly Cordy and Fred and Gunn are coping with Kendra's way of getting things done? Well, if I know my ex-girlfriend, she's probably playing peacemaker - with a generous and ever-loving use of scathing, caustic, ego-destroying commentary - every other day or so... Xander thought to himself in amusement, as he finally arrived at his car.

He reached into his pocket and took out a ring of keys. Pressed a button. The soft bloop bloop of Xander's Lincoln Town Car indicated that the doors had been unlocked...

"Hello, manservant."

Shocked at hearing that voice which had haunted his nightmares for nearly a year, Xander whirled around - before the vampiric thrall took hold of his mind. He said to the soulless demon almost mechanically, "Hello...master."

Dracula smiled; a cold, bone-chilling smile. "I see you have been busy over the past two years, manservant. And you made it difficult for me to find you."

"Sorry...master."

"Never mind. Now pay attention, manservant; the First Evil has begun massing its legions. I have learned that it plans to destroy this world in less than a year. And I say, this must not happen," Dracula rumbled, coming closer to Harris. "I much prefer this reality the way it is, and I am sure that you do so as well."

"Yes...master. What are my...orders?" Xander seemed to be fighting against the thrall, but it wasn't doing him much good.

"You will pack your things, and accompany me in my travels. As always, you will be my eyes and ears in the daylight. We have much to do, manservant." Dracula scowled, "The weapon to defeat the First will not be easy to assemble, but eventually, we will succeed in forging a sword containing the first ever ray of light. We must do so. Come!"

His cape flowing majestically behind him, the world's most famous vampire walked off down the street - and his free will stolen by the bloodsucker, Xander had no choice but to follow Dracula into the adventure of a lifetime.

Los Angeles, California - Hyperion Hotel

Earlier that day

"Charles, why are you being so pig-headed about this?!"

"Pig-headed? Fred, did you actually say that to me?!"

"Well, why not? What's that old saying Angel used to use, something about calling a spade a spade?"

"Woman, did you just call me a spade?!"

Annoyed, Cordelia shut the door to her personal room to avoid hearing the latest fight between Gunn and Fred. She had no idea what it was they were fighting about this time; but the odds were it was either about Wesley, or Kendra, or how the detective agency was drowning in debt so deeply it was a miracle they could still afford to keep the lights on around here. Thanks for dropping us like yesterday's Prada fashion accessories in order to constantly boink Buffy - thanks a lot for that, Angel, seriously!

All right, Cordelia knew that she was being somewhat unfair. Angel was also in Sunnydale for Connor, and her ex-boss deserved to know some joy in his life; and as much as she hated to admit it, Buffy was what made Angel perfectly happy. Emphasis on the perfectly. The Seer had heard from Dawn just how well Angel was now doing, and a part of her was happy for him.

The problem was, though, the dynamic of the LA group just wasn't the same without the Champion present to make everyone flock to his banner. Kendra wasn't Angel, and she obviously hated spending any time at the vampire's hotel, much preferring to do solo patrols of the streets of LA. Which was fine from the point of view of saving innocents, but without a leader in the trenches alongside the troops, things were starting to disintegrate on the home front for Angel Investigations.

For example, Cordelia had already let go of her Silverlake apartment, saying goodbye to her ghost roommate Dennis; she simply couldn't afford the rent there any longer. The Seer had packed her stuff and moved into the Hyperion, thinking it would be the most convenient option. Unfortunately, she hadn't fully considered what it would be like living with Gunn and Fred, even if the hotel was big enough that she should have been able to avoid them completely if she'd wanted to.

It's a miracle those two are still together, if you ask me, Cordelia thought musingly, as the shouting match between the physicist and the street fighter began to increase in volume. And the odds are they'll break up by the time summer's over, if not before. It's too bad, in a way; I thought Fred and Gunn had a chance for something permanent...

Shrugging, Cordelia sat down on her bed and began to write in her diary. Once she was finished recording the entry, she started flipping through the book, checking to see when her previous menstrual cycle had been: and then, much to her shock, the young woman discovered it had been well over a month since her last period.

No... the Seer thought to herself in sick horror. No, it can't be! I can't be...pregnant?! Can I? There's been no morning sickness, no weird cravings, no...oh no. OH NO! I forgot to take that damn morning-after pill, after I drove Xander and Connor here to the hotel that weekend! What the hell was the matter with me?

Rushing downstairs, Cordelia completely ignored the bickering Gunn and Fred and headed for the nearest pharmacy. She bought half a dozen home pregnancy test kits, and then went back to the Hyperion to find out if she was in the family way.

Much to her horror, by the time she was done, every single test indicated positive.

Oh. Dear. Lord, Cordelia sat down on her bed again, vaguely staring at the thin strips with two blue lines on them. What the hell am I going to do? Abortion? Adoption? Keep it? Yeah, I guess I'll have to go for Door Number Three, the first two options don't exactly appeal. And - no, Groo can't be the father; the dates simply don't match up. Which means...oh my God, I'm pregnant by my doofus of a high school boyfriend! Ohhh, this is a nightmare!

Should I tell him? Well, what are the pros and cons? Cordelia asked herself, trying to calm down and not freak out completely. She sat there in shock for what seemed like hours, before finally gathering her wits and thinking coherently again. On the plus side, I guess it would be good for our son or daughter to know both of its parents, and the extra financial support would definitely come in handy. Especially the older our kid gets! But as I recall, Xander always had such a huge fear of one day turning into his father...

Yeah, no doubt about it - I've got to tell the dork about this face-to-face. Otherwise when he finds out, he'll think I expected him to be a deadbeat dad, and/or I didn't want him involved in my pregnancy! And I remember enough about the Harris family to know how he'll react to that! I'll just have to make it clear that Xander's more than welcome to be part of our child's life, but that I'm not trying to 'trap' him, and that I don't blame him for how this all turned out...if anything, I blame that evil bitch he calls his best friend!

Her mind made up, Cordelia started to pack an overnight bag and prepare for her trip south to tell her ex-boyfriend the big news...not knowing that Xander himself was packing his stuff to depart San Diego, under Dracula's watchful and impatient gaze.

Los Angeles, California - the residence of Wesley Wyndam-Pryce

A while later

Wesley heard the doorbell ring, and putting down his magazine he opened up to find the local Slayer waiting outside. "Hello, Kendra."

"Hello, Mr. Wyndam-Pryce," the Jamaican Chosen One replied. "May I come in?"

The habit ingrained from an early age, Wes casually indicated for the girl to enter his home if she was able to do so. Understanding the gesture for what it meant, Kendra entered the apartment and waited until Wes had shut the door before speaking again. "T'ank you fer seein' me on such short notice, sir."

"There's no need to call me 'sir', Kendra," Wes replied affably, a far cry from what he'd been like six weeks ago. "I'm hardly your superior, in any sense of the word."

"You're a Watcher, Mr. Wyndam-Pryce, whedder yer still wit' de Council or odderwise," Kendra replied. "And a Slayer needs a Watcher."

Wesley blinked for a moment. "It was my understanding you're working with Angel's group now, though? Surely Gunn, Fred and Cordelia can assist you in any way that I could..."

"Dose people, I can't work wit' dem anymore!" Kendra said contemptuously, flexing her fingers like she was attempting to strangle someone. "Fred and Gunn - dey're like a couple o' children, always fightin' about somet'ing!

"And dat Cordelia!" the time-displaced teenage Slayer hissed, before throwing her head back and letting out a noise that sounded like a mix between a strangled cat and a growling demon. "She hasn't had one vision since de day Tara, Alan and I came back to dis world! She just sits around de hotel, reading her stoopid fashion magazines and daydreamin' about whatever goes t'rough her empty little head! Probably de vampire," she added disgustedly.

"Besides, none of 'em know how ta read books written in Sumerian, or how ta interpret me Slayer dreams, or anyt'ing else dat me old Watcher Mr. Zabuto used ta do!" Kendra shouted in exasperated explanation.

Wesley listened good-naturedly to the Slayer's rant, hiding all the signs that would betray his humor save for a slight twitching of his lips. But once she was done, Wyndam-Pryce put aside his amusement as he gave Kendra's request its due consideration. "Hmm. So, err, why not get in touch with Mr. Zabuto, then?" he frowned. "Or some other legitimate Watcher from the Council? You must surely know that as an independent agent, my resources are somewhat - limited."

"Mr. Zabuto passed away a few years ago," Kendra replied, deliberately leaving out the 'sir' this time. "And ta be honest, I don't like de way de Watchers Council operates now dat Mr. Travers is in charge. I can't help wonderin' if he'll arrange ta have me kidnapped fer 'study' back in England, now dat dat Faith girl is dead and anodder Slayer was Called ta take her place."

"I see. And yes, I heard about that; Faith simply dropped dead in her cell, no explanation given. Not that I'll mourn her loss, of course, but still..." Wesley frowned again. "Well, I must admit you've given me quite a lot of food for thought. Give me twenty-four hours to think it over, and then I'll give you my reply. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes, Mr. Wyndam-Pryce. And t'ank you for listenin' to my proposal." Kendra inclined her had as a gesture of respect, before Wesley escorted her to the front door.

Once she was gone the British man went to his closet door, undid the safety bolt, and quickly opened up to reveal another door; this one made of metal bars. He then stared at his prisoner; a shackled and gagged Lilah Morgan. Since Gavin Park had no longer been available for retribution concerning that demon ninja sent to kill him, Wesley had focused his attention on Lilah almost as soon as he had returned to the City of Angels.

Even if keeping a slave girl in his closet was somewhat...extreme, even for him.

"Get up, Lilah. As I believe they used to say in this country, we're going for a ride."

Sunnydale, California - Main Street

A while later

Spike watched all the Happy Meals with legs walking around, an eerily calm and content look upon his face.

It had taken him a while to recover from what Lloyd had done to him in that African cave, but once he was feeling strong enough, Spike had walked out of there and into the nearby Senegal village. At first hesitant, he had nonetheless attempted to feed on a helpless old woman - and for the first time in years, there had been no pain. Just the delicious sensation of the old bint's blood pouring down his throat, washing away the foul taste of animal blood he'd been subsisting on for so long.

Spike had eventually moved on from Africa to Europe, and from there to the United States by boat. He had subsequently traveled all the way across the country, heading for the California Hellmouth; because to his way of thinking, Buffy owed him a lot, and now the butcher's bill was finally due to be settled.

"Look at all the goodies," Spike commented to himself as he continued looking around, pausing as he spotted someone. Namely, a teenage brunette standing on the corner of the street. She was looking at her watch, glancing around, and hugging herself as if she was cold. She then turned and started to walk away: straightaway, Spike moved to follow her...

Because even though she wasn't, the girl looked quite a lot like Dawn.

He followed her to an alley. The young woman was walking along, still hugging herself, looking nervous. Suddenly Spike stepped out in front of her, causing the female teen to scream in fright.

"That's right, you should scream," Spike said, as the girl tried to get away. He moved to intercept her, glorying in her fear. "Some people around 'ere have forgotten who William the Bloody is. Time to remind 'em, I reckon."

"Please," the cheerleader begged, backing away as Spike advanced toward her, driving her up against the wall.

"You remind me of a girl I know," Spike said, not mentioning Dawn by name. "Her sister, she thought I was 'housebroken.' Truth is, though, over the years she just forgot who she was dealing with."

"Anything you want, please -"

"Namely, the Big Bad. 'Cause that's what I am. I'm evil," Spike started grinning madly, ignoring the girl's pleas.

"I-I-I'm sure you're not evil," the teenager replied, looking scared.

"Yes, I am. I'm a killer." Spike moved closer to her, eyeing her neck hungrily. "It's what I was made for, luv. I kill. I feed. Sure, for a while there I thought different - but after watching the Magnificent Pouf shag the Slayer, I realized - I was just bloody well kidding myself. Because deep down, demons don't change."

He got up very close to the schoolgirl, who was panting fearfully. Finally, Spike morphed into his vamp face, causing the young woman to scream again. "God, I love this part..."

He bent over and sank his fangs into her neck. The girl screamed again, trying to fight him off, but it was a hopeless task right from the start. Spike eagerly gulped down her blood like it was ambrosia, the nectar of the gods themselves...

SPIKE, NO! Dawn's voice suddenly thundered in the British vamp's mind, causing him to withdraw and slacken his grip on his victim. Shrieking all the while, the dark-haired girl kicked the platinum-haired vampire in the shin and managed to push him off, running out of the alley with blood leaking out of the twin holes in her neck.

Bloody hell, Spike thought to himself in annoyance, massaging his shin. It seemed pretty obvious now that he wasn't quite ready to resume his existence as William the Bloody, dreaded slayer of two Slayers. Not if the ghost of the Li'l Bit still held such a huge sway over his actions like this.

"Sod it," Spike muttered to himself, digging out a cigarette. Well, the evening hadn't been a total loss; he was making progress in exorcising all those stupid human impulses that were a consequence of being chipped for nearly three years, getting rid of everything that was preventing him from being the Big Bad again.

Indeed, Spike believed it was only a matter of time before he would be ready to confront his Grandsire, stake him, and then kill Buffy as well to finally bring about his Slayer hat trick - and avenge the death of Drusilla, or so he thought.

'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'? Try a vampire, instead...

Sunnydale, California - Doublemeat Palace

The next morning

"You're leaving?" the local Doublemeat Palace manager named Lorraine Ross looked surprised, after hearing Buffy say that she was quitting her job. Other employees came and went with depressing regularity, but the Summers girl had seemed like someone determined to stick it out here until she made manager.

Unfortunately, though, Buffy had realized that flipping burgers and slinging chicken nuggets around simply wasn't going to keep meeting the household's expenses, no matter how many double shifts she pulled. It had been a rather nasty shock for the Chosen One to discover just how deeply Xander had been supporting her and Dawn financially, not long after he'd left and his money had likewise vanished.

The old saying was true; you don't know what you've got 'til you lose it. And Buffy had felt about two inches tall that day, recalling everything she'd said to Harris before he'd departed Sunnydale for good.

"I'm afraid so, Ms. Ross. The thing is, I've kinda gotten a better offer somewhere else," Buffy said in reply to Lorraine's question.

"Do you mind if I ask where? Cluck-o-Rama? Bucky's Fondue Hut? Not that roach-house on Seventeenth and Elm!" Lorraine said with a slight shudder.

"It's nothing like that. In fact, I've decided to quit the food industry altogether. I'm going into protection instead," Buffy said nervously.

The manager's eyebrows shot up almost to her hairline. "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm, uh, going into the security business. You know, providing protection for people's homes, their families, that kind of dealie," the Slayer replied vaguely.

Lorraine looked confused, but then just shook her head. "Oh. But as for the Doublemeat secret..."

"Not a word to anyone! My lips are totally zipped. And y'know, I really doubt the guy I'll be working for cares about that sort of thing. Look, Ms. Ross, I just wanted to say thanks for giving me a job when I needed it; but now, it's time for us to say goodbye." Buffy stood up, and extended her hand to the woman behind the desk.

Lorraine got up herself and shook hands with a decisive briskness that Buffy wondered whether had been drilled into her by some corporate management demon, or something. "I understand. And thank you, Ms. Summers, for making Doublemeat Palace part of your working experience." She then sat down again, and brought out some papers for Buffy to sign. Including a nondisclosure agreement concerning the company's secret about their beef being made from vegetable products.

Well, that's that! Buffy shook her head slightly, as she exited the building; going around the back to where Angel was waiting for her in the shade. I'm officially unemployed now...

"Hey. How did it go?" Angel asked, hoisting his blanket onto a nearby crate. Dawn had told him how his Grandchilde had used such a thing to move around town during daylight hours, and while Spike may have made mistakes - he'd also come up with at least one good idea during his years here, Angel couldn't deny that.

"Okay. I guess. Angel, did I do the right thing?" Buffy wondered, letting him hold her in his arms. Could she really balance the Slayer thing, make money working in Angel's new agency, take care of her little sister and keep her relationship with her boyfriend intact?

One look at Angel's face, though, and Buffy knew the answer. Of course she could! Doubtless at times, it would be a struggle. But what wasn't, in this third life she was now living? The Chosen One suddenly didn't doubt how, now that she and Angel were back together, everything would be okay somehow.

"Everything'll be okay, love. As long as we're together, that's the important thing," Angel echoed her thoughts almost precisely.

"Yeah - but you heard what Anya said the other day, Angel. Eventually, after I'm gone, Angelus is gonna get loose again. What are we gonna do about that?" Buffy asked worriedly.

"I've already arranged for someone to put a spell on me, actually. Something to magically knock me out, the moment that happens," Angel reassured her. "Depending on the circumstances, Willow can then either curse me with a soul again - or else someone can just dust me and be done with it."

"What? ANGEL! Don't even joke about that!" Buffy said harshly.

"What makes you think I'm joking, Buffy? I mean, try to imagine what it'd be like for me in a century or so, after you're gone again. After I've buried Connor, and his children, and maybe even his grandchildren, what will I have to live for? I guess Wesley was right - I don't want to live forever. At least, not without you," the Champion assured her, referring to a semi-civilized conversation he and Wes had recently had.

Buffy tried to suppress the urge to shiver at the concept of immortality. She didn't want that, not with her memories of Heaven and what awaited her there again one day. Deciding to think about it tomorrow, the young woman simply plunged her lips onto Angel's - and let the taste of her boyfriend wash away all her worries and concerns, at least for a while.

Sunnydale, California - Playa Linda Beach

The next evening

"I think it's kinda weird."

Connor lay back on the red blanket, gazing up at the starry sky and listening to rise and fall of the ocean tide upon the sand. He had finally started to get used to such wonders, after the past six weeks. "You think what's weird?"

Dawn threw her hand up in a semi-impatient gesture. "This. Us. You know, given what certain other people have gotten up to lately, I just think it's sorta weird."

"Oh. You mean my dad and your sister," Connor smirked; he knew how those two were spending their nights these days. "Well, it's not all that weird. I mean, I'm not a vampire, and you're not a Slayer."

"True. I'm just a girl who has her own superpowers - just like you. Just like them." Dawn plopped down onto the blanket beside her boyfriend, briefly recalling that conversation with Xander within her mom's Jeep, not long before he'd left town.

"Have you been able to do the teleportation thing again?" the young man asked. Connor knew now how he had made an incorrect assumption when Dawn and Xander had shown up in his father's mansion, with regards to that fragment of the Eye, but he asked anyway.

"No," Dawn shook her head. "For some reason, it just doesn't work no matter what I try."

"You still haven't told Buffy about what else you can do nowadays, have you?" Connor asked. Even though he hadn't been there when Dawn had used that ability on Cyvus Vail - shooting laser beams out of her eyes and mouth - he had seen his girlfriend use her new power to dust vampires and take out a few other bad guys recently.

"No. I'm still waiting for her to get used to you, before I spring that secret on her. Besides, she's gotten so paranoid lately about what we get up to in private, it's unbelievable! I keep telling Buffy how, since she's having noisy sex with Angel practically every night, she shouldn't do the whole 'throwing stones in glass houses' dealie; but she just doesn't listen," Dawn said exasperatedly.

"Huh," Connor said noncommittally.

"What?"

"Well, something just occurred to me," Connor said slowly, pushing himself up on his elbows. "Namely, my dad might become human one day, and marry your sister; I mean, we both know that's something those two want. So, if we ever get married ourselves, Buffy would end up being both your sister and your stepmother-in-law..."

"Connor!" Dawn yelped, whacking him on the chest.

"Just a thought," the Miracle Child grinned humorously.

"Can ya come up with a new one?!"

Connor shrugged. "I tried to get in touch with Xander today. But he wasn't at work, and no one answered at his apartment."

"Well, maybe he's found himself a new girlfriend and he's finally getting some lovin'. After all, him and Anya are totally over now, and he's gotta find someone else eventually," Dawn pointed out the obvious.

"Maybe," Connor frowned.

"Speaking of which...?" Dawn looked at him pointedly.

What? Oh. Yeah. Connor drew her in and kissed her. Not their usual twenty-minute snog-fest, as Spike might have put it; just a soft, expressive, dizzying kiss that was fitting for their current romantic setting. Once they parted, Connor saw for himself how Dawn still had her eyes closed before she finally opened those luminous blue peepers again.

"Wow," Dawn smiled. "Now that's what I call a good kiss..."

"Do you talk about me with your friends at that school you attend?" Connor suddenly asked. His dad had advised him to take more of an interest in that part of his girlfriend's life, after all.

"Of course! In this dimension, y'know, women gossip. They talk to each other all the time about every little detail of their lives. Including and especially their boyfriends," Dawn said casually.

"Sounds like a lot of effort for very little return," Connor shrugged again.

"Well, maybe to someone raised in Quaker-Oats -"

"Quor-toth," Connor interrupted wearily. He was sure that she was deliberately mispronouncing the name just to get a rise out of him, even if he couldn't prove it.

"Whatever. Anyway, I'm just saying, things are different here. And when I say 'different' I mean better, right? C'mon, name me three things you can find here that you can't find there," Dawn insisted, leaning up to stare at her boyfriend.

Connor knew she was just trying to learn more about his life in that demon hell-world, but even so, he couldn't help feeling a momentary flash of resentment. He was uncomfortable talking about that part of his existence to anyone - except Xander, for some reason no one but the gods above and below could understand. "Okay, let's see. Double-Stuff Oreos...Twinkies..." He paused. "And a certain Slayer's younger sister."

"Hey!" Dawn jabbed him with her elbow, dismayed at her third-place position on his list. "Are you telling me I'm on par with snack foods? Or that I rate lower than them?"

Connor laughed, a sound that only Dawn could elicit from him. "No. You're at the top of the list, Dawn. It's all about you..."

"Well, I should think so!" Dawn declared, sounding very much like Cordelia for a moment.

"You wanna talk about something else?" Connor inquired, bringing her in and hugging her closely.

"Yeah. Um, I'm not sure if you wanna discuss it, though," Dawn said hesitantly.

"What is it?"

"There's still no news about that Holtz guy, right?"

Connor stiffened, before forcing himself to relax. "No. After Cordelia helped me find the place I checked out that underground chamber, and my adopted father was there, I could tell; but there was no statue or anything present. Someone must have gotten their hands on it, after that Wesley guy...did what he did."

"Well, my money says you'll find it again one day. I mean, that's just the way our lives work," Dawn said fatalistically. "Welcome to the Hellmouth, home of the weird and wacky."

"You're right," Connor slowly nodded. "Weirdness abounds around here, I've seen it for myself lately."

"Yeah, but you wanna know the funny part?" Dawn asked, absently intertwining her fingers with his.

"What is it?"

Dawn smiled at the man she would one day marry. "I can live with 'weird.'"

"So can I," Connor smiled.

They kissed. And somewhere up above within the Sacred Place, the disembodied soul of Alan Francis Doyle exuded pleasure and relief as the Time that Never Was - finally became the Time that Is and Will Be.

There was still so much more to accomplish, but for now, the Guardian of the Sacred Place could afford to take a moment to savor how much he and Tara and Kendra (and even Xander, in his own way) had managed to accomplish so far.

The quest for making this world a better place had truly begun!

The End