No Place Like Home

"Well, all spells leave a trace signature." Michael informed Buffy.

"It's just not perceptible to the human eye. In this case, it could be the image of a hand choking your mother." Giles added.

"Or a cloud of mist around her." Anya suggested.

"Or maybe the shape of the demon that's performing the spell?" Willow asked.

"Possible, yes." Giles said.

Anya held up the perfectly wrapped hourglass, beaming.

"Okay, so I'll do what Monsieur Silk Knickers did. I'll go home, I'll get trancey and I'll see what's affecting my Mom." Buffy said.

"I don't know, Buffy. Trances?" Willow said concerned.

"Yes, Buffy, the Sorcerer Cloutier was legendary. His skills at achieving higher states of consciousness were..." Giles began.

"Better than mine?" Buffy asked, then to Willow. "I knew he was gonna say that." Buffy then said to Giles. "But I've been practicing concentration skills. I know I'm close."

"Are you ready?" Giles asked seriously.

"It's my Mom. I'll get ready." Buffy said, then to Willow, "What do I need?"

A little later Buffy was back home with all the stuff she needed to go into this mystical trance.

Buffy sat on the floor in the middle of her bedroom and dumped out a bag of incense, powders and other magical talismans.

"Thanks for coming with. I really appreciate the help." Buffy said to Michael.

Michael hunkered down next to Buffy.

"Sure thing. So what do I do?" Michael asked.

"Lots. Tons. Lots and lots of tons. This is all kinda..." Buffy began.

"New terrain?" Michael guessed.

"All prayin', no slayin'. Okay, so the incense needs to be ignited... and there's a job. And this stuff needs to get poured around me in a circle, counter-clockwise..." Michael interrupted Buffy.

"So, you need me to light incense and pour sand?"

"Magic incense... and spooky sand... and the ritual itself is..." Buffy started.

"Something you do alone." Michael finished, "You sure this isn't just your way of trying to make me feel less... what are the words... cute and weak and kittenish?"

"Kitteny." Buffy corrected.

"Right. Much manlier."

"Since when have you cared about being manly?"

"Look... I can take care of myself now."

"I know." Buffy said.

"I'm the Shadow Mage."

"I know you can handle yourself. I just didn't want to see you get hurt."

"That won't happen now. Maybe instead of you trying to take care of me, we agree to take care of each other. Deal?"

Buffy smiled and nodded.

"Done."

Buffy stood and they shook hands. Michael leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"For luck." Michael said.

He turned to go but Buffy pulled him back.

"Hey, a girl needs more luck than that." Buffy said.

Michael smiled and kissed her tenderly.

"Have a nice trip." Michael said.

Michael headed out and Buffy closed her bedroom door behind him and went back to the magic shop.

Buffy was soon prepared for the ritual: incense was lit; conjuring powder was poured in a circle on the carpet. She sat, cross-legged, in the centre and placed her hands on her knees. Buffy closed her eyes and began meditating.

The silence was broken by a knock on the door.

"What are you doing?" Dawn called.

"My boyfriend. Go away." Buffy shouted back

"Liar. Are you doing magic?" Dawn asked

"No, I'm not!"

"Can I watch?" Dawn asked.

"No, you can't!" Buffy replied.

"Oh, come on! Please, please, like times ten and cubed? Please?" Dawn pleaded.

Dawn tried to open Buffy's door but Buffy slammed it in her face.

"Yeah, well, I can smell your stinky incense down the hall, you know. And your clothes are gonna reek. And if you are doing magic, I am so telling." Dawn said.

Buffy wound up a towel and shoved it under the crack in the door.

"Fine! Go! Go tell. Go do whatever you want. Just go!" Buffy called to her sister, fast running out of patience.

Dawn was hurt by this. Despite everything, she really wanted her big sister's approval. She turned and walked back down the hall, dejected. She went into her room and slammed the door.

Buffy returned to the circle, sat, and resumed her meditation.

After nightfall, Buffy was still in the lotus position in deep meditation, her trance deepening with each passing Moment. Her eyes suddenly snapped open and Buffy got up and left her room.

The house around her appeared grainy and sepia-toned, reality slightly altered.

Buffy made her way down the hall and stairs to the living room, taking in her surroundings as she went, the familiar house suddenly appearing strange and new.

Joyce's voice came to Buffy as if from a great distance. Buffy turned to find Joyce dressed and putting on her overcoat.

"Buffy?" Joyce said.

"Mom? Are you going out?" Buffy asked.

Buffy studied her mother carefully but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Well, either modern medicine's working or I just took the world's best placebo. Either way, I'm going out for a couple of hours." Joyce told Buffy.

"Nothing..." Buffy said to herself, but out loud.

"Hmm?" Joyce asked, wondering what Buffy meant.

"There's nothing." Buffy said, again to herself.

Buffy stared intently at her mother, trying to detect anything abnormal, but everything seemed fine. Her attention was suddenly drawn to a family photograph on the wall behind Joyce. The picture showed Joyce, Buffy and Dawn smiling happily. Dawn's image appeared and disappeared, flickering in and out of the photo like bad television reception.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay? You seem a little out of it. Hey... Buffy?" Joyce said.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Long day's all. You go, have a good time." Buffy told her mother.

Joyce smiled at Buffy wistfully.

"You're so grown up," she said to Buffy.

Joyce turned and headed out. As soon as she was gone, Buffy immediately looked at another family portrait and found the same thing: Dawn fading in and out.

Buffy approached Dawn's room and cautiously opened the door. Dawn was not there and Buffy walked slowly in.

Buffy stood in wonder as the entire room around her shifted back and forth between Dawn's normal teen girl setting and a room full of boxes and odds & ends: an unoccupied storage room. Dawn's voice echoed from far away, calling to Buffy.

"Buffy? Buffy."

Buffy turned to find Dawn, angry at her intrusion. Dawn herself was also fading in and out of reality along with all her things.

"Who said you could come in my room?" Dawn asked.

Buffy finally realized what was going on.

"You're not my sister." Buffy said in a cold voice.

Buffy stared coldly at Dawn.

"Yeah! Like I even want to be related to your nasty self..."

Buffy rushed forward and seized Dawn by the arms.

"Ow! What are you doing?" Dawn asked.

"What are you?" Buffy asked

"Get off me!" Dawn said.

"You want to hurt me?" Buffy asked.

"Let go of me, you freak!" Dawn said.

"Then you deal with me." Buffy told Dawn.

"I'm telling Mom!" Dawn said.

"You stay away from my mother!"

Buffy shoved Dawn against the wall with tremendous force. Dawn stared at Buffy, shocked, and Buffy stared back, her gaze unwavering.

The moment was broken by the ringing of the phone.

Buffy went downstairs and answered the phone.

"What?" Buffy asked.

Giles tried his best to hear Buffy over the bustle of customers.

"Buffy? Oh, I'm glad I've caught you. I think we may have underestimated what we're dealing with." Giles said.

Buffy checked to see if Dawn was nearby before answering.

"Go on."

"We've uncovered more than expected about this orb. It's called the Dagon Sphere and it has a history going back many centuries." Giles informed Buffy.

"What's it do?"

"It's a protective device, used to ward off ancient primordial evil."

"Any word on what this evil looks like?" Buffy asked.

"Unfortunately, no. This is where..." Giles said then to customer. "Excuse me." Then Giles spoke to Buffy again. "This is where accounts get vague. All we've managed to uncover so far is the Dagon Sphere was created to repel 'That Which Cannot Be Named'."

"I'm going to go back to the factory where I found it. Whoever planted this doohickey's got answers."

"Buffy, you've heard me say this before but do be careful. Anything that goes unnamed is usually an object of deep worship or great fear - maybe both. Have you completed the trance? Seen what's harming your mother?" Giles asked.

"That's the thing... I just saw..."

Buffy broke off when she sensed Dawn standing behind her.

"Yes?" Giles asked.

"Nothing. It didn't work," Buffy said.

Buffy dropped the phone in its cradle and faced Dawn.

"What are you talking about?" Dawn asked.

"Slayer stuff. I'm going out." Buffy replied.

Buffy headed for the door.

"Do you really think I care you're the Slayer?" Dawn asked.

Buffy stopped and turned to her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Buffy asked.

Dawn gave her a cold look.

"I'll be home in an hour." Buffy said.

"Mom's coming back." Dawn informed Buffy.

"I'll be back first." Buffy said in a hard voice.

With that, Buffy grabbed her jacket and left. Buffy walked down the front steps and was halfway across the lawn when she stopped, sensing something. Buffy reached behind a tree and yanked Spike out into the yard.

"Spike." Buffy said.

"Hi, Buffy."

"Don't take this the wrong way but..."

Buffy socked him in the nose.

"Ow!"

"What are you doing here? Five words or less." Buffy asked.

Spike counted the words on his fingers.

"Out... for... a... walk... bitch."

"Out for a walk at night by my house. No one has time for this, William." Buffy informed Spike.

"On your merry way, then. You know, contrary to one's self-involved world-view, your house happens to be directly between parts... and other parts of this town. And I would pass by in the day but I feel I'm outgrowing my whole 'burst into flame' phase." Spike said.

"Fine. Keep going, I cut you a break'" Buffy said.

"Oh, yeah. Okay, let me guess... you won't kill me? Wooo... the whole crowd-pleasing threats-and-swagger routine. How stunningly original. You know, I'm just passing through. Satisfied? You know, I really hope so because God knows you need some satisfaction in life besides shagging that androgynite and I never really liked you anyway and... and you have stupid hair."

Spike turned and stalked off into the night leaving Buffy not just a little bit perplexed. She looked down at the base of the tree and noticed a dozen or so cigarette butts where Spike was standing. Having no time to worry about it now, Buffy headed off to the factory. She didn't notice Dawn watching intently from her second-floor window.

It didn't take Buffy long to reach the factory; she easily snapped the chain on the fence and headed inside.

Buffy flicked on her flashlight and started exploring the musty corridors of the abandoned building. Eventually, she came across a tremendous gaping hole in the wall and the twisted remains of a tempered steel door. She examined the wreckage with concern.

Joyce entered her house, looking pained.

"Buffy? Girls?" Joyce called

She got no answer.

"Where is everybody?" Joyce asked.

She looked in the living room and dining room but saw no one. Suddenly, Dawn was right behind her, holding a teacup and saucer. Joyce started.

"Hi, Mom." Dawn said.

"Oh! Dawn. Where's Buffy?" Joyce asked.

"You don't have to worry about her."

"You're probably right. I mean it's not like she's never patrolled before. Anyway, I was feeling kind of- what's the medical term - crappy. So, I called off the big night out."

"Want tea, Mom? I made it for you."

Buffy shone her light over the shattered remains of the blast door, and then looked deeper into the room. She saw a monk, semi-conscious and tied to a chair.

"Whoa." Buffy said.

Buffy ran to his aid and started loosening his restraints.

"It was you who planted the Dagon Sphere, right? I got it. Don't worry. I'm stronger than I look." Buffy informed the monk.

Glory silently approached Buffy from behind.

"I have had experience with stuff like this before. Best of all..."

Buffy whirls around and seized Glory by the throat.

"I'm not stupid."

Glory gave Buffy a withering look, wrenched Buffy's arm from her neck and backhanded the Slayer with such force that she flew 50 feet across the room and hit the cement wall so hard she cracked it. Buffy fell to floor and looked up at Glory, stunned at her power.

"You sure about that last part?" Glory asked.

Down at the magic shop the jingling bell signalled the departure of the final customer of the evening. Giles, Xander, Michael and Willow sat around the reading table, exhausted. Anya was at the register counting the day's receipts.

"Would someone please rip that bloody bell off its hinges?" Giles asked.

"Would that involve moving?" asked Xander.

"My feet are numb." Willow said.

"I'll see your numbness and I'll raise you a lower back pain."

"I think I liked it better when demons would just crash in here and tear the place apart. Just seemed so much simpler." Giles said.

"Got that straight." Michael said.

"You're out of crystal balls. Those babies are really popular with the amateurs. Better re-stock and raise the price 10%... Make it 15." Anya said.

"Anya..." said Giles.

Anya took no notice, "Your cash register looks like squirrels nest in it."

"Anya..." Giles repeated

"And the Hand of Glory packs some serious raw power. Better institute a seven-day background check for..."

"Anya... Would you like a job?" Giles asked.

"Okay." Anya said.

"Good. Then we can talk shop tomorrow." Giles told Anya.

"Okay... boss." Anya said smiling.

"Hey, any word from Buffy on how her spell went?" Willow asked.

"She said it didn't work." Giles said.

"She was so sure she could work that mojo." Michael said.

"Now she's off investigating whoever left the Dagon Sphere behind." Giles informed them.

"You're not worried about the Slaymaster General, are you Big G?" Xander asked.

"No, no. I just hope she isn't doing anything too rash." Giles said.

Buffy slammed into the cement wall again, face first. The wall cracked under the impact. Glory strode toward her and seized her by the shoulders.

"And another thing? I just want you to know..." Glory began.

She slammed Buffy into a support pillar and pummelled her.

"... the whole 'beat ya to death' thing I'm doing? It's valuable time out of life that I'm never gonna get back."

Buffy tried to fight back but Glory grabbed both her arms and wrenched them downward. Buffy cried out in pain.

"Wait, I've always wanted to try this. You know that thing with worms where if you have one, you rip it in half, you got two worms? Do you think that'll work with you?"

Buffy slammed her head into Glory's face and broke free. Glory cried out in shock.

"You hit me! What, are you crazy?"

Buffy pressed the attack, hitting and kicking for all she was worth, forcing Glory backward, but her blows seemed more to offend Glory than injure her.

"You can't go around hitting people. What, were you born in a barn? Fine. Be that way."

Glory easily blocked Buffy's next blow and swung her around into the wall. She sent a blow for Buffy's head but the Slayer ducked at the last instant and Glory's fist punched through the concrete. Glory picked Buffy up by the throat and held her there, gasping for air.

"I just noticed something. You have super powers. That is so cool. Can you fly?"

She hurled Buffy clear across the room where she landed, dazed, next to the dying monk. Buffy got to her feet and prepared to engage Glory again but realized her priority was the monk. She helped him out of the chair.

"Hey! Hands off my holy man!" Glory called.

Buffy picked him up and ran toward the window. Realizing what Buffy was about to do, Glory charged after them. She was too late: Buffy crashed through the window with the monk and tumbled to the ground below.

Glory stumbled to a halt when the heel on her shoe broke off. She took off the shoe and glowered at it in frustration.

Buffy helped the monk up and they escaped across the parking lot.

Glory whipped her shoe across the room in a fit of rage and stomped her feet. The tremendous force from her blow cracked the floor and she looked up as the support beams shatter and the ceiling came crashing down on her.

"Oh, shit!" Glory said.

A cloud of dust rolled out of the shattered window above as Buffy helped the critically injured monk across the lot.

"Stop. Please." The monk said in a thick accented voice.

"No. We have to keep going." Buffy said.

They stumbled across the lot to the chain-link fence surrounding the property. The monk collapsed against it, gasping.

"My journey's done, I think." The monk said.

"Don't get metaphory on me. We're going." Buffy said resolutely.

She tried to lift him again but he stopped her.

"You have to... the Key. You must protect the Key."

"Fine. We can protect the Key together, okay, just far, far from here." Buffy said, fearing that Glory might come after them.

"Many more will die if you don't keep it safe."

"How? What is it?" Buffy asked.

"The Key is energy. It's a portal. It opens the door..."

"The Dagon Sphere?" Buffy asked.

"No. For centuries it had no form at all. My brethren, its only keepers. Then the abomination found us. We had to hide the Key, gave it form, moulded it flesh... made it human and sent it to you."

Buffy stared at him in shock as the realization sank in.

"Dawn..." said Buffy.

"She's the Key."

"You put that in my house?"

"We knew the Slayer would protect."

"My memories... my Mom's?"

"We built them."

"Then un-build them! This is my life you're..." Buffy said angrily.

The monk started coughing heavily. He was fading fast.

"You cannot abandon."

"I didn't ask for this! I don't even know... what is she?" Buffy asked almost desperate.

"Human... now human. And helpless. Please... she's an innocent in this. She needs you."

"She's not my sister?"

"She doesn't know that."

The monk exhaled one last time and died. Buffy was stunned, her life turned upside down.

Buffy entered her house, still somewhat in a daze. She found her mother and Dawn together on the couch in the living room.

"You're home." Joyce said.

Dawn got up and left the room.

"I wasn't bothering her." Dawn said to Buffy as she passed.

"What was that all about?" Joyce asked.

"Nothing..." Buffy paused, "sister stuff."

Buffy turned and followed Dawn up the stairs. Buffy knocked on Dawn's bedroom door.

"Go away." Dawn called.

Buffy opened the door and stood on the threshold. Dawn sat quietly on her bed.

"I'm sorry." Buffy said.

"You hurt my arm."

"I know."

"Butthole."

"Really sorry."

"I tell you I have this theory? It goes where you're the one who's not my sister. 'Cause Mom adopted you from a shoebox full of baby howler monkeys and never told you 'cause it could hurt your delicate baby feelings."

Buffy took a few steps into the room.

"That's your theory?"

"Explains your fashion sense. And your smell."

"I'm sorry, okay?" Buffy said sincerely.

"Broken record much?"

"You can't even take an apology. You always do that. Ever since..."

Buffy stopped herself and sat down next to Dawn.

"I just had a bad day."

"Well, join the club."

"Can I be president?"

"I'm president. You could be the janitor."

"Okay." Buffy said and smiled.

Buffy reached up and stroked Dawn's hair.

"Buffy?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah?"

"What's wrong with Mom?"

"I don't know."

Buffy and Dawn shared a troubled look as Buffy continued stroking her sister's hair.