Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Thanks must go to Tim, who has worked long and hard to fine tune this story. His advice and suggestions have made this story a hell of a lot better than it would have been without his input.

Year 2001 POST – Season 5 Episode Blood Ties (It's AU from there)

SG 1 Dates – Have been tweaked slightly, but this happens post the Nirrti/Cassandra story line.

oOoOo

It all started when a girl fell in love with a vamp. But this is not that story.

It all started when the military found an artifact that would let you travel to different stars. But this is not that story.

It starts with a 15-year-old girl involved in a supernatural war. This is her story.

oOoOo

Above Earth Orbit

A small spacecraft dodged shots as it raced towards the planet earth. As it grew near, it spun on its axis and took a shot at the enemy, managing to destroy it with a lucky hit to its engines. The pilot knew that the data he carried must reach earth, and although his pursuer was destroyed, his damaged craft may not make it. Fingers danced across the ships consoles trying to maintain some semblance of control, but it soon became apparent that the chances of survival were slim. Inevitably the flight systems failed completely. The pilot knew that he should not give up hope but, nevertheless knew that his damaged ship was on a near-suicidal approach vector and would with all likelihood crash on the western coast of one of the large populated continents. Even as he tried to re-establish control he knew he wasn't going to make it in time and hoped that at least the data he carried would survive.

oOoOo

1630 Revello Drive, Sunnydale California

It was an ordinary-looking suburban Californian street. Somewhat quiet and with a little less traffic than one might expect but otherwise very normal. Two young women were walking along the near-deserted street before stopping in the driveway of 1630 Revello Drive.

Buffy Summers looked at her house and sighed in frustration. She'd had to deal with a half-dozen vampires, and while that was a fairly usual night for the resident Vampire Slayer, everything still seemed frustratingly off kilter, "I'm still pretty wigged out Willow. I mean, well how do I have that conversation with Dawn? I mean she is only fifteen."

Willow gave her friend a sympathetic look, "I wish I knew...do you want me there?"

"It's just so frustrating, I mean I can't talk to mom about it can I? With her being sick, I am not sure she could handle it," complained Buffy as she unlocked the front door.

"You need to work out what you want to say to her, I mean she's got to be pretty freaked as well. Maybe that's why she's playing up."

"That or she is just being a brat. We have another big bad on the radar and now this key stuff on top of everything else. It's enough, I mean that's just it Will's, I shouldn't have to deal with the Key, why is it my burden to bear?"

Willow gave Buffy a one-armed hug, "I'm sure we can deal. We can help you, make sure she is kept out of harms way, all the usual Sunnydale evil. She is better off with us all looking out for her. Where else could we put her, Xander's basement? Though she wants to be Mrs, Dawn Harris I don't think that's something we should approve of at fifteen."

"That would be so wrong with her crushing. Damn it Will's we don't even know if..oh Will's what if the bastards that did this to Dawn? I mean look at it Will's, how do we know this key business hasn't made mom sick. I mean with all of Dawn's antics? Mom is worried, and she doesn't even know half of it...It's like I have to meditate for them!"

Willow sighed, "I think you mean mediate Buffy. You need to talk to Dawn get her to calm down. It doesn't matter how she got here.." As they both turned towards the house, they never saw a slight movement of the window blinds.

oOoOo

Dawn Summers knew they were talking about her; she knew it. She wished that she didn't hell she wished that she didn't know anything about the 'key', about herself. What she was in real life, instead of a 15-year-old girl. She was well aware that her behavior, her self-destructive behavior wasn't achieving anything. It didn't prove she was a real teenager, a real sister, or Joyce Summers daughter. The fact was that regardless of her memories she wasn't, she was a fake, a construct shaped to deceive. Even her Mom wasn't her Mom, really no matter what her 'fake' memories told her.

She needed to speak to someone, but the list of people who might understand her situation was pretty short.

"...That's just it Will's; I shouldn't have to deal with the Key, why is it my burden to bear?"

Willow was obviously further away, and Dawn could only barely hear her response, "...we can help...kept out...evil, she is...off with us...else could we put her?"

"..it Will's...how do we know this key hasn't made mom sick?."

Dawn could feel her own heart skip a beat...Buffy...why would she say that? Was that all she was, the Key?

Dashing away a tear from her cheek, she turned and went back to her room closing the door and leaning against it.

"Fine...fuck you, Buffy Summers, I'm gone," Dawn's whisper grew more ragged and stressed as she struggled to hold back tears. "This time I'm gone." The thought that she may be making her mom…Joyce sick was horrible. 'It's not like I am really your sister anyway.'

Dawn pulled open her top drawer of her dresser and started pulling out clothes. She couldn't take too much, but she wasn't going without some of her things.

Her backpack was pretty much full when she spotted the stake sticking halfway out from under her dresser. It was one of Buffy's. She picked it up and stuffed it in the bag before zipping it closed. After a final look around the room at her books, posters, and photos she turned to the window. She had a few hours until sunset.

Plenty of time.