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Rescue and Sacrifice	By : QueenC Category: AtS/BtVS Crossovers > Het - Male/Female > Connor/Dawn Views: 2677 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own AtS or BtVS. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Title: Rescue and Sacrifice (1/?)
Author: QueenC
Rating: R
Pairings: Dawn/Connor; Angel/Cordelia; Buffy/Spike
Disclaimer: Joss owns all. All hail Joss.
Spoilers: Anything and everything is fair game.
Summary: Willing to do anything to get his son back, Angel enlists the help of an unlikely candidate.
Author's Notes: Ok, this story has been rattling around in my brain since halfway through 'Common Ground'. This story is slightly AU. Basically, Dawn discovered that she could use her Key powers early on, and has been working with Tara to perfect her skills and Groo never showed up at AI. Also, Buffy isn't quite as hostile to Spike. In fact, they have a tentative friendship. I think those are about the only major changes. And, as in all my stories, Angel is Spike's sire because I simply refuse to believe anything else. Words in *'s are emphasized, words in 's are thoughts, and words in ~'s are dreams.

******

LA
As Angel stared at the scorched crib in the corner of his room, that thought was the only thing going through his anguished mind.
Although it had only been two days since Connor had been kidnapped and taken to a hell dimension, to the mourning father it had felt like an eternity. He hadn't slept, hadn't fed, and hadn't moved from his vigil since his return from the ill-fated rescue.

It took everything he had not to greet the sun each morning, and he knew, had it not been for his friends, namely Cordelia, he would have done precisely that. However, she had been by his side almost the entire time, not leaving him alone long enough to harm himself. Usually she just sat there, not speaking, just ofng sng silent support. For that, he would always be grateful.

Suddenly, a scream rang through the hotel, causing Angel to jump up, turning towards his closed bedroom door. That was Cordelia, and she was yelling his name.

"Angel!" the Seer shrieked, bounding up the stairs, taking them two at a time. She skidded down the hallway, crashing into Angel, who had rushed out of his room. She felt his arms go around her waist, steadying her, and couldn't help the heat that spread through her body at the contact.

"Cordy, what is it? What's wrong?" Angel asked, taking in her wide eyes and flushed expression. Quickly, he released his hold on her, taking a step back.

Cordelia Chase smiled brightly, practically jumping up and down in excitement. "You'll never guess! It's great! No, it's better than great! It's fantastic!" she gushed. Seeing his expression darken, she sighed, realizing what he must be thinking. "And, *no*, it's not something frivolous and stupid! You should know I wouldn't bother you if it wasn't important!" she snapped.

Angel looked away, guilt filling him.

The former cheerleader rolled her eyes, lightly slapping him on the shoulder. "Hey, pay attention!" she said. Once he was looking at her again, she smiled once more. "Ok. I had a vision."

The souled vampire stared at her for a full minute, waiting on her to elaborate. When he realized that she wasn't going to, he sighed, trying to keep himself calm. "About what?" he questioned.

If it were possible, her smile would have gotten even larger. Just thinking about how happy this news was going to make Angel, she began bouncing once again, giddy laughter erupting from with her. Finally, once it appeared as though he was going to shake her if she didn't tell him, she blurted out, "Connor."

The former Scourge of Europe stared at the woman before him, his jaw hanging open. Instantly, he felt hope swell within him. "What about him?" he asked, trying to keep the excitement from his voice.

"I think I know how to get him back," Cordelia exclaimed, squealing.

Needing to work off some of the energy she'd acquired, she began pacing back and forth in front of him, wringing her hands as she blabbered on. However, Angel wasn't paying attention to a word she said. His mind was still reeling from the bombshell she'd just dropped. Yet, something still plagued him. "Wait. There isn't a way into Quortoth, remember?" he suddenly stated.

The young woman stopped mid-stride, turning to face him, a slightly annoyed expression on her face. "Hello? Were you not listening to a *word* I said?" she demanded. At his sheepish look, she sighed, shaking her head. "I *said* that we were misinformed. There *is* a way to get in there. And, as luck would have it, we happen to know the person who can do it."

"Who?" he instantly asked, trying to rack his brain for anyone he might know who would posses that amount of power. However, he could have pondered it for a hundred years or so and would have never guessed what she was going to say next.

"Dawn."

******

Sunnydale

"Ok, let's try it again. Except this time, I want you to focus more on the size of the portal and not so much on the location, ok?"

Dawn Summers sighed; blowing the strand of hair that had fallen across her face away. She eyed the woman before her, a confused look on her face. "But, shouldn't I worry about *where* I'm opening? I mean, I don't want to make a doorway to, like, Hell, or whatever," she wondered.

Tara McClay nodded patiently, her face impassive. "That's true. And, I didn't say *not* to focus on the location. Just, not as much as you have been," she explained.

The teenager nodded, wiping the sweat off her palms on her pants. She then took a deep breath, exhaled it slowly, and nodded at her mentor. "Ok. I'm ready."

The blonde witch smiled. "Great! Now, close your eyes, like you've been doing," she ordered. Once the girl had complied, she continued. "Good. I want you to picture somewhere, anywhere where you've ever felt safe. Got it?"

Dawn nodded slightly, her eyes still closed. "Yeah. I have it," she answered softly. She already knew what to do next, and idly wondered why Tara felt the need to walk her through this part every time.

"Alright. Focus on the scenery, the smells, the feel, everything. Make it seem as though you are there now." Once she was certain that Dawn was listening and doing just that, she slowly stood, walking behind the girl. "Now I want you to think about the portal. Picture it opening, revealing your safe place on the other side."

The training room was quiet for a minute, save for the soft, even breath coming from the brunette teenager kneeling on the floor and the murmured words of encouragement Tara was sending her way. Suddenly, the air surrounding them began to crackle and hiss.

"Good, Dawnie. Open your eyes slowly and find a place to open the gateway."

Dawn did as she was told, finally deciding on the far corner, farthest away from themselves and the door to the shop. She gasped as she felt the magicks move through her, causing the room to shift slightly as the very fabric of space tore. Finally, just when she was beginning to think she wasn't going to be able to do it, a soft green light seemed to flow from nothing.

"Very good. You're going to start feeling a tug, but it's okay. It's just the pull of the magick. Concentrate on the portal, on making it expand," Tara said softly. y may making it grow to the size of a door."

The girl nodded slightly, slowly forcing more of the magick into the gap before her. Gradually, it began to grow, the place she'd been visualizing coming into focus on the other side.

Tara couldn't prevent the gasp that escaped her as she realized just *where* it was she was looking at. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she placed her hand on the trembling teenager's shoulder, squeezing it gently. "That's enough, Dawn. Go ahead and shut it down."

Dawn reminded herself to breathe and she attempted to ease the gateway closed with destroying everything around her. At first, it seemed as if she was actually going to succeed. Then, with a cry, she suddenly collapsed to the ground and the portal snapped shut, sending a shock wave across the room.

The blonde raised her hand, murmuring a few words. Instantly, the magicks speeding toward her stopped, then disappeared. Once she was certain there wasn't going to be anymore danger, she knelt beside Dawn, her face a picture of concern.

"Are you alright?" she asked quietly. She remembered from previous lessons how much the young girl's head usually hurt after they were finished.

Slowly, Dawn nodded, forcing herself to sit up despite the protests coming from her body. "Yeah, I'm fine. My head feels like it's going to fall off, but, I'm ok," she answered. She tried to stand, only to discover that was a *very* bad idea as the room began to spin. Moaning, she slumped back to the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her forehead on them. "Ugh, remind me again why I talked Buffy into letting me do this?" she half-joked.

Tara frowned in concern. "If you want to stop, we can. I know that it's extremely difficult learning how to control power," she offered.

The girl shook her head, whimpering slightly at the movement. "No," she replied. "I'm *not* going to quit now. I almost have it figured out."

The blonde witch sighed, gently stroking the teenager's hair. "Yes, you do. But, if it's causing you this much pain, I'm not so sure it's a good idea. No one wants you to get hurt," she murmured.

Dawn sighed, slowly raising her head to look the woman in the eye. "Tara, I might be able to someday use this power to help people. I *can't* just give up because of some measly headache," she forced a smile as she continued. "Besides, the pain is almost gone, anyway. If you ask me, it's one *small* price to pay for being able to save lives."

Tara nodded, smiling. "Ok. Well, go ahead and get yourself cleaned up and meet me out front so we can start on the Algebra homework." She stood, walking to the door.

Once her mentor was gone, Dawn gently eased herself onto her back, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples with her fingers. "The pain is almost gone. Yeah, right. Lie much?" she muttered. Finally, she made herself stand up, biting back a moan. "Ugh. All I know is, the pain *has* to get better. It sure can't get much worse."

Nearly twenty minutes later, she exited the back room, glancing around the virtually empty store. She gave Anya, who was busy counting inventory, a small wave, then flopped down into a chair. Frowning, she looked around again, finally asking, "Where's Tara?"

The former vengeance demon didn't even look up from the clipboard she held as she answered, "Oh, she had to go run an errand. She said she'd be back in a little while and that you were to study until she returned."

Dawn nodded, reaching for her math book. She opened it and began reading, trying to ignore the throbbing behind her eyes. < I am *so* tired. Maybe I'll just close my eyes for a second. > With that thought running through her mind, she closed her eyes, dropping her head onto the table, and was soon sound asleep.

~ It was hot, of that much, she was certain. However, it wasn't the type of heat she was accustomed to. Where as California was a rather dry heat, this was humid. Her clothes stuck to her and sweat dripped from back of her neck to between her shoulder blades, causing the young woman to arch her back and shiver.

Looking around, she frowned, suddenly realizing that she was no longer in the Magic Box. In fact, she was somewhere she'd never seen before.

Everything was darker here, more forbidding. It was as if the place had never seen the sun. There were no plants, no trees, no vegetation of any kind. All she could see were dirt and rocks.

"Oh, and don't forget the fires. There are always fires here," a voice said.

Dawn whirled towards the sound, her eyes landing on a young boy. He was maybe eight years old, with brown hair and big, blue eyes that were full of pain and sadness.

Smiling, she knelt to his level, peering into his dirt-covered face. "Hi there. What's your name?" she asked.

He stared at her for a moment, finally looking away. "Which one?" he questioned.

Dawn frowned, confused. "You have more than one name?" she wondered.

He nodded, still not looking at her. He seemed to be watching something in the distance. However, there was nothing there, as far as she could see. "Yeah," he murmured his voice soft. "I have lots of names."

The teenager sighed. It was obvious that he didn't want to tell her who he was.

"Well, my name is Dawn," she said, smiling again. "And, it's nice to meet you, whoever you are."

Finally, he turned his attention back to her, a shy smile on his face. "You're pretty," he announced. "You look like an angel." He frowned, the sadness filling his eyes once more. "I've never seen an angel, but my dad says that they're real. He also said that some people pretend to be angels but they're really demons in disguise." He studied her for a minute, then hesitantly asked, "Are you a demon?"

Dawn shook her head, trying to hide the shock she felt. "No, I'm not a demon."

The boy shrugged. "My dad is. Not my dad here, but my real dad. So is my mom." He paused for a moment, as if thinking of something. When he spoke again, his voice seemed distant. "I'm the bastard son of two demons." Suddenly, his eyes grew wide. "I've got to go now. My dad'll be mad if I'm late again." He began to run off, then paused, turning back around.

Suddenly, he ran back to her, wrapping his arms around her neck and hugging her tightly. Once he pulled back, he smiled a truly happy smile. "My name's Steven. I don't like it as much, though." He took a step back, waving at her. "See you later, Dawn."

"As much as what?" she asked. However, he didn't answer her, merely turned around and darted off, disappearing into the ascending darkness. "As much as what?" she cried louder, suddenly very afraid. "Steven, wait!" ~

Dawn sat up with a start, the little boy's name still on her lips. Quickly, she jumped up, looking around. She was back in the Magic Box. She was safe. And, everyone was staring at her.

"You alright, Little Bit?" Spike asked in concern. "You're heart's racing, luv."

She smiled, running a shaky hand through her hair. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bad dream, I guess."

"Must have been one hell of a dream," Buffy commented. "What was it about?"

Dawn stared at her sister, trying to find a way to describe what she had just seen. Finally, she shrugged, sitting back down. "Steven," she answered simply. "It was about Steven."

******
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Rescue and Sacrifice