I punched through the outer edges of reality, the winds of uncreation clawing at the little bubble of reality contained by my Spark.
I barely had time to gasp as I realized I was in the air falling towards a tree. For some reason I appeared twenty meters in the sodding air!
I barely had time to flip upright and PUSH with my telekinesis, putting my entire remaining blue land into it.
Even putting that much into it I hit the ground hard due to the short time but I managed to turn a bone breaking and possibly fatal fall into a heavy roll.
"Fucking hell..." I cursed as I struggled onto my feet, looking around. I was in some kind of construction yard. It was empty even if it was lights out. Perhaps it was a Sunday or something.
I brushed the dust from my t-shirt and jeans before picking up my dropped backpack and heading out to look for any clue to where I was. It did not take long until I recognized my location.
Sunnydale.
As I watched the coffeehouse I frowned. That was...strange. I was definitely NOT at the location of Sunnydale when I left Westeros. Speaking of which, it was just plain strange I ended up in Sunnydale when I walked for the first time and not in Sweden.
I glanced back at the spot in the air I fell from. Perhaps it was some kind of resonance reaction with the Hellmouth?
I tapped my finger against my leg before I shook my head and started towards the Summers home. The buildings in town were still standing and there were people going about their business, so they beat the Mayor. Good.
Smiling I turned off the road and up to the Summers home and knocked on the door.
There was some noise inside before the door opened...to reveal Dawn.
She froze for a moment, staring at me before she squealed "Winter!" and almost launched herself at me only to catch herself and back away "No...You are dead."
"The rumors of my demise are a bit exaggerated." I told her while looking her over. Young.
Too young...Unless my sense of time and memory is completely of center, they would be up to at least season six if not early seven by now.
Something was wrong.
"Is Buffy home?" I asked her and she slowly nodded as somebody called for her out of view.
"Buffy!" She called back and soon said blond death machine appeared.
"Hello Paladin." I said, smiling slightly. I honestly missed her.
She froze and stared at me.
"You are dead." She said with a faint tone and I shook my head.
"Exaggerated and all that. No, I escaped the same way as I ended up here. Only just found out how to control it. The Mayor?" I asked and she slowly shook her head.
"W-we beat him. We had the books and called in the Council for help. They took him out with rocket launchers after he transformed. Kendra?" Buffy asked and I shook my head, sighing.
"Dead. He killed her in front of me. Saved my life. Everyone all right?"
Buffy swallowed and shook her head "G-giles is an arm short. M-my mother is..."
I forgot about that.
"I'm sorry." I told her and stepped over the threshold, offering a hug.
She took it.
As I let go she stepped back "What's going on?" I asked her and she shook her head.
"A hell goddess called Glorificus is looking for something called The Key." Buffy said and then she smiled slightly "We missed you."
"We did." Dawn said and I glanced over at her.
"Buffy..." I asked "Who is the girl?"
Buffy blinked "What do you mean? That's Dawn, my little sister."
I shook my head "Buffy, you were a single child when I left."
"No I wasn't!" She said with a frown and I looked between them before offering Dawn my hand.
"Dawn, let me have a look. Something strange is going on."
"Winter...You are scaring me..." She said but took my hand and I nodded.
"It wont hurt." I said before I closed my eyes, channeling a bit of black.
Her soul felt...normal at the surface. As I slowly delved deeper I could feel a small hard Green Spark at the center, giving the rest of her soul a slight green tint.
She had the Spark. A strange green tiny one but a Spark. An inactive one and one that felt different than mine, but it was still a sodding Spark!
I let her go and frowned "Your soul is...not normal. It is however real." and then I looked a Buffy "I think she is The Key."
"I'm not a Key!" Dawn exclaimed and stepped back.
I gave her a small smile "Dawn, if you are, and I'm not saying I am right here, it is just an educated guess with the available information, it do not make you any less real than anyone else. Your soul is right there and it is real."
Buffy looked between us "We need Giles."
I slowly nodded "I think we do." and then frowned "You have graduated by now. Where do we meet up now?"
"He bought a magic shop down town. T-that's were meetings are now." Dawn said as she hugged herself, still disturbed by what I said.
I might have been a bit blunt, but she deserved to know.
On our way there Buffy glanced at me "So where have you been?" she asked and I shook my head.
"All over the place...and I can't stay here. I came to ask for help." I told her as I enjoyed the sunshine. It was so good to be somewhere people did not stare at you.
"Help?" she asked and I nodded as Dawn followed along behind us, letting us talk.
I nodded "I'll explain it when everyone is gathered. It is a rather long story and I rather not tell it twice. But I cannot stay long, maybe a day or two."
She gave me a worried look and then nodded. We continued in silence until we reached The Magic Box and walked inside as I pushed the door open.
"Hello Giles." I said as I gave the old man a smile. He still had two arms but his left arm felt magic from the elbow and down. Magical replacement of some sort.
He was cleaning his glasses as I greeted him and he twitched in surprise and chock, dropping his glasses.
"W-winter? But you are...how?" he asked as he managed to get his glasses back on, staring at me as if he was seeing a ghost.
I smiled slightly "Same way I first arrived here. But I'll explain in detail when the whole gang is gathered...we have some more things to discuss as well."
AN// Big thanks to Cytokinesis for betaing this.
