“I keep forgetting I’m not a normal person.”

Dawn looks down at herself as she speaks. She’s the Key — a hunk of magic energy that a bunch of monks placed in a human body. Opening and closing portals is what she’s supposed to do.

“I think.”

Buffy steps between Dawn and the portal to the Screaming Hells, the Horde of Anharran about to charge through it onto the Earth.

“Dawn, you are a real person. I don’t care what you used to be. You’re my sister. And there is no way I’m letting you anywhere near that.”

She points at the portal — swirling green energy — Willow trying to hold it back.

Giles points out that they can’t close the portal with the Restless Door destroyed. It will expand, and there will come a point where Willow can do nothing. The world will merge with the Hell dimension and create an apocalyptic event. The end of the world. Again.

“We must prevent it. And our options are down to… well… one.”

“Even if Dawn could close the portal from the other side,” Spike rages, “those demons would rend her to bits before she got the chance. We can’t protect her from so many.”

Giles raises his hand to his face in thought.

“Actually, I’m quite confident that, in an entirely magic-based reality, Dawn would have access to her full power. She’d be virtually Godlike. Nothing could hurt her.”

His next words come out in a whisper. A dreaded whisper.

“But she couldn’t come back.”

Andrew asks why she couldn’t just zap them back if she has powers there. But Giles tells him that once she reopens a portal to send them back, again, they’re stuck at square one. Dawn would have to remain behind.

Buffy moves in front of Dawn again, her Scythe slightly raised.

“Can we stop talking about options that involve my sister going to Hell? Because there is no way that is gonna happen!”

But a hand on her arm silences the Slayer. It’s Dawn.

“It’s not your decision. It’s mine. And if it’s the only way, I’ll do it.”

She looks at Buffy. Spike starts to move.

“Little bit, it’s not the only way.”

She looks back at him, sceptical.

“Really, Spike? Because I’m not hearing any others. And Willow looks like she’s about to collapse. If there’s another idea, let’s hear it.”

Her words are met with silence.

Buffy looks at them.

“This is stupid. It’s all ifs and maybes. We don’t even know for sure Dawn could do all this God stuff.”

Willow is now struggling, on her knees.

“We might have to find out — and soon. I can’t hold much longer.”

She’s having difficulty speaking. She’s being drained.

Buffy readies her Scythe.

“Okay. It just happens I’m really in the mood to vent some anger. Willow — push them as far as you can on three.”

Giles powers his magic up. Spike swings his sword. Dawn and Xander prepare. Buffy counts.

“One. Two. Three!”

On three, Willow pushes everything she can at the horde — holding them back, barely. The gang push and push and, eventually, force the horde back.

They emerge in the Screaming Hells.

There’s a huge army of demons ahead of them.

Xander asks Dawn if she feels different, but she doesn’t feel anything.

“I don’t even know how this Key-ness is supposed to work!”

That’s enough for Buffy, who swings at the approaching horde and orders her friends back through the portal.

A cry of defiance echoes across the dark, Hellish landscape.

“No!”

A larger demon walks through the throng of demons. He’s repulsive — five eyes in his horned head, a maw of razor-sharp teeth. Andrew thinks it looks like a Sarlacc Pit.

The demon bellows over the roar of the horde.

“I am Kerberon. God-King of this plane. And you, mortals — you stain on my heel — are to be washed off by the blood of your people after I claim your dimension as mine.”

He towers over the Scooby Gang like a giant.

Willow realises her magic doesn’t affect the demon King. Giles signals a retreat back through the portal — but, surprisingly, Dawn stands in their way.

She’s glowing green, ethereal energy swirling around her.

“I think my yoga class breathing did the trick,” she smiles. “This power isn’t part of me. It’s all of me.”

Kerberon screams in pain. Dawn, effortlessly — light as a feather — rises into the sky, floating, held aloft by energies so bright Buffy doesn’t have words. The energy extends from Dawn like a turret, surrounding the God-King and surging through him.

His body disintegrates into black, thick dust. It crumbles and falls through the air like fine powder, engulfing the horde. One of the demons says they’ve made a mistake. They must have the wrong portal. The others agree with their smaller friend and race to depart. Their King had told them humans were weak. Clearly, their God lied to them.

Dawn settles back onto the ground, the energy around her gone, the portal still open behind her.

“Y’know, I just might be feeling a tad Godlike now that you mention it.”

Xander grins behind her.

Willow tells them the problem still stands. They can close the portal — but finding their way home, from her experience with dimension hopping, is never straightforward.

“It’s easy to get lost. And every new place has its own rules.”

Buffy sighs. They don’t have a choice. She suggests that Xander and Andrew go back through. The others will travel home the long way round.

Giles informs her that of all of them, she’s the one most needed on Earth. The Soul Glutton and the Mistress are still out there. Buffy thinks the Council can handle it, but Giles shakes his head.

“I’m not sure that they can. Our enemies have spent months bringing demons to Earth — many covertly. These demons now owe them a debt they’re sure to call in.”

There will be an increase in hostilities next — and it will require all hands on deck. He also reminds Buffy that the Scythe has been found to be the most effective weapon against the oversized state the Soul Glutton becomes when he feeds.

Buffy turns to him and yells loudly.

“You’re asking me to leave Dawn here?”

Giles raises his hands.

“It turns my stomach even saying it, but you saw what she’s capable of. She’s in no danger.”

He turns to Dawn.

“Please know I would not even suggest it if innocent lives did not hang in the balance. But, objectively speaking, the wisest course is for you to remain here while we return to Earth and deal with the more pressing threat.”

A moment passes.

“The moment that is resolved, we will find our way to bring you home.”

Spike starts to get angry. Buffy looks to the floor. Dawn stops Spike before he says something he’ll regret.

“It’s okay. It’s not like anything can hurt me.”

She pulls Buffy and Spike closer to her.

“You’ve made these amazing sacrifices for me — for the world. I’ve always wondered if I could do something like that. If I could be brave. It’s kinda cool to find out that I can. I’ll do it. I want to do it.”

A slight smile crosses her lips.

Spike won’t hear it. He tells Buffy to talk some sense into her sister. He’s stunned when she doesn’t answer him. Instead, she reaches out for Dawn and holds her close.

“You’re sure you’re okay with this?”

Dawn nods. Reassures her. Spike yells again.

“Has the entire universe gone mad?”

Buffy turns to him.

“She’s an adult. She made her decision. I don’t like it, but I get why it’s necessary. Thousands of people died because we weren’t careful enough with the Restless Door. If we don’t stop this, billions could die. I can’t let that happen. Dawn can’t either. And I’m proud of her for that.”

Spike looks at her, his eyes pleading.

“So you’ll gladly abandon her in this Hellhole?”

“Not gladly,” she responds. “This isn’t what any of us wants, Spike. But how often do we get that?”

Spike sighs — then declares that he’ll stay behind as well. Giles doesn’t think that’s wise. The Hell dimension could have an effect on him as a vampire. Willow agrees. If he lost control of himself — as Angel did in Pylea — then he may hurt her, or she may be forced to hurt him.

Xander steps forward.

“I’ll stay. I mean, I’m no big loss in the war, right?”

Dawn walks towards him. Shaking her head, she tells him no. She knows he still has feelings for her — but that’s why she can’t let him sacrifice himself here. But Xander rebukes her.

“You’re not asking. I’m offering. And it’s not about that. You’re my friend.”

He takes her hand in his.

“Friends don’t let friends stay in Hell alone.”

She looks him in the eye.

“It’s dangerous here.”

“Lucky I have a God to protect me,” he smiles. “They’ll come back for us soon. In the meantime, Spike’s right — you should have company. In my experience, demons are terrible conversationalists.”

Willow mentions that her magics tell her time moves differently in this dimension than on Earth — slightly quicker. Like six weeks for every month. Not too long.

Xander reminds them he had nothing to do on Earth. Besides, maybe this is a chance for him to take a hard look at himself and get his act together. Like Rocky. Training in the mountains.

Buffy tearfully hugs her sister.

“Anyone messes with you, just zap them to dust. They’re demons. They deserve it. I’ll be back real soon.”

Dawn reiterates that she’ll be fine.

“Just hurry, okay?”

Spike says he wishes there was something he could do — but Dawn says it’s fine. Anya’s ghost, still hovering quietly around Xander, begs him not to do this.

“I can’t follow you. I can’t get through the portal for some reason. I have to stay here on Earth.”

Xander is pleased. If she’s linked to Earth, then there’s more to her than just haunting him. She’ll be able to figure it out.

“No one will be able to see me! It’ll be worse than not existing at all!”

He quietly reminds her that psychics can sense her. He’ll be back, he reassures her. He tells her to take care of herself — then walks away, back to Dawn.

“You’ll regret this!” Anya yells. “I was a Vengeance Demon! I know from payback! And I will make you pay for this, Xander Harris!”

Xander nods at Buffy. She tells him that he’s the best person to watch her sister.

Xander looks back at his family.

“I’ll skip the tearful goodbyes, if that’s okay. I know I’ll see you all again soon. Now get your hind quarters back there and start figuring out how to bring us home.”

As they share more tears and brief farewells, the gang step back through the portal to Earth — Dawn waving them goodbye.

“Now,” she says, staring at the portal. “Let’s see if this actually works.”

Within minutes, with her hands just spread towards the portal, Dawn closes it — a blink of light signifying its closing, as if it was never there.

Xander and Dawn look at the sky and the strange stars above them. He puts his arm around her shoulder.

“So. Want to see what this Hellhole’s got in the way of food?”

They begin to walk down an embankment. Exploration time.

On Earth, Willow consoles a crying Buffy. Giles stands there in silence. Spike doesn’t move. Andrew asks him why he isn’t going to Buffy’s side — but Spike doesn’t think he’s the right guy. He can’t believe they left Dawn behind.

Andrew looks at him, just as sad.

“Sometimes life sucks. Sometimes there’s nothing but bad choices that make you feel like absolute crap. That’s when you need to pull together. Help each other through it.”

Spike agrees. He will. When they get home.

Willow tells Buffy they’ll start researching right away. She’ll stay on Dawn duty while D’Hoffryn deals with the bad guys.

Every second they’re not needed, she’ll be working on it. Heck — maybe D’Hoffryn and the Council will take the demon lords out without them.

“I wish they could. I wish they’d just wipe them out without bothering us. Because all I can think about is getting Dawn back.”

They leave the cavern the way they entered — back through the lantern-lit tunnel. The atmosphere is sombre.

“But somehow, it’s never that easy, is it?”

As they walk away, Anya hovers behind them, watching.

“Sometimes it is,” she says with a grin.

Then her face shifts.

Anyanka.

“Wish granted,” she snarls after Buffy.

Elsewhere, the Mistress and the Soul Glutton are recovering from their battle with Buffy. The Glutton says he’s getting better — and when he’s ready, he will have his vengeance.

A voice tells him that’s unlikely. And he should know.

D’Hoffryn appears before them, hovering in the air.

“I am, after all, Lord of the Vengeance Demons, am I not?”

The Glutton snarls at his enemy’s approach.

“You’re too late, bureaucrat. Bring your entire Council against me. You will all die!”

He yells in perceived triumph and fires energy at D’Hoffryn from his trident.

It has no effect.

“Oh. There’s no need to trouble my Council.”

The Glutton is stunned that a lower being could survive the blast he just threw. D’Hoffryn grins broadly.

“Under the normal rules of reality, that would be so. But a Vengeance Demon may subvert the laws of reality in order to fulfil a human’s wish.”

With a wave of his hands, D’Hoffryn draws the souls from the Glutton, who yells in protest. He’s reduced to the size of an action figure on the ground.

D’Hoffryn walks over to him.

“And the Slayer wished that you be ended. Which I find entirely acceptable — seeing as you’ve already served your purpose.”

He steps on the demon with a squish, a pool of goo under his heel.

The Mistress, watching, tries to talk. She offers to help him achieve whatever he wants. But D’Hoffryn has but one simple desire.

“At times, when fulfilling a mortal’s wish, I taste true power. Omnipotence. I rip and tear and bend the very forces of the universe according to my will. Well — according to their will. Therein lies the problem.”

He turns to her, honesty on his face for the first time.

“Do you know what it feels like to feel that — for just a moment — and then have it slip through your hands?”

The Mistress suggests he steal the Vampyr book and write that in its pages. Make himself omnipotent.

“A most intriguing plan,” the vengeance demon says. “That I formed myself long ago. And no longer need you to see to fruition.”

With a flick of his wrist, the Mistress burns alive — until she’s nothing but ash.

Anya appears behind him.

“I think that’s the closest we’ve ever made a wish turn out to what the wisher actually wanted.”

D’Hoffryn smiles at her.

“And you did it every bit as ruthlessly as the true Anya ever did. When she was my favoured one — before those selfish, shallow children stole her from me, leading her down the road to mortality, ruin and death.”

For a moment, he looks sad.

“You are a copy. Made as near as I could manage to the original. So close, it was necessary to keep the truth from you — until you saw for yourself the duplicity and self-centredness of your ‘friends’ and gained the necessary perspective for me to make you a Vengeance Demon.”

Anya asks if anything about her is real. D’Hoffryn turns and waves his hand.

“You are now solid and immortal. The crown jewel of my newly reconstituted ranks of Vengeance Demons. And our future… oh, our future!”

He grins, his face lit creepily by the flame still burning the Mistress’ remains.

“And our future will be glorious,” he smiles.

Anyanka — his favourite — stands at his side.

Now the endgame can begin.