*****

When it was long over, after Willow and Buffy had died destroying Glory and it had been years since anyone had called her a key, it was just the two of them. In the end she had promised that. The very last minutes. Minutes that she never thought about during the day. Minutes that ate away at her soul and consumed her sleeping mind the moment her eyes closed each night. * * * * *

They kept their room as dark as possible while they slept. As the first sliver of sunlight spread from the thin space between the heavy curtains of their motel room, Dawn began to stir. Shivering and still asleep she reached for the familiar curve of the warm body of the woman beside her. Waking with a start she clung to her, escaping her angry dreams.

Thankful for morning, she sat up trembling slightly. Dawn always woke first. Shards of sunlight were strewn all across their bed illuminating the sleeping shape beside her. As she watched her lover sleep, Dawn could feel the warmth coming back to her body. In those first minutes of each day she could draw in enough warmth to surround the part of her that was dead inside. Without her to love, she never would have survived. She wouldn't have wanted to.

Tara...

When had it become love? At first it was just need. To be around someone who had been there. Someone who knew what she knew. Someone who remembered.

It was guilt because she felt responsible for what Glory had done to Tara.

It had been to keep a promise to someone who had died for her. A one-word promise in blood that she could hear echoing in darkness of her heart.

There had been so little time in those last minutes. They had been running, the cave falling all around them, Glory still behind them. They couldn't see her but she was close. Dawn had felt it. Glory's need for her crept under her skin burning her inside. She ran and ran in the darkness. Willow ahead of her, Buffy's hand in the small of her back guiding her. Xander, Spike, Giles, Anya all dead. Glory still coming for her. So many dead. All around her.

All around them rocks scraped and cut at them as the ground shook. She was still coming. The tiny opening of the cave seemed to be moving further and further away. She wondered if it would hurt when Glory caught her. Would she feel anything? Once transformed would she still be self-aware? Her legs were starting to ache. It was impossible to keep running. Glory was going to catch them. She was going to stop running, stop the killing. Then she heard it.

Thump.

The hand guiding her slid away as Buffy hit the ground. Skidding to a halt Dawn yelled for Willow. She turned searching for Buffy in the darkness. She found her slumped against the cave wall, blood pouring from a gaping hole in her forehead.

"Dawn go."

"No, I'm not leaving you."

"You have to. She's coming."

"She can have me Buffy. I have lost everything. Everyone around me dies. It's not worth it. I'm not worth it."

Willow crouched beside her studying the wound. Blood was pouring down the slayer's face. She would be dead in minutes. Buffy briefly made eye contact with Willow acknowledging her fate.

"Dawn, you have to promise that you'll get out. I'm not gonna make it. I've already lost too much blood. If you don't survive then we all will have died for nothing."

"Buffy," she choked "you can't leave me all alone. I need you."

She tried to pull Buffy to her feet but her legs were already limp and her eyes were beginning to glaze over.

"Buffy...Buffy..." she cried out shaking her. For a moment she saw her sister's eyes flicker as her mouth started to move.

In a barely audible voice the slayer whispered, "I love you Dawn." Slowly reaching up she brushed the tears streaming down Dawn's cheek. "Sisters..." and then she was gone.

"Buffy..." Dawn squeaked, shuddering. "Hug mommy for me."

Frantically Willow grabbed Dawn's shoulder. They had to go. She knelt in front of her sister for another second before kissing her on the forehead and closing her eyes.

Dawn's legs nearly gave out when she tried to stand. She let Willow pull her to the opening of the cave. She couldn't bear to look back. All around them rocks and dirt came crashing down. She was able to see the sunlight pouring into the opening of the cave about five feet above them.

Ice cold, long fingers closed around Dawn's neck snatching her roughly from Willow's grip. Not realizing until that moment how much she really wanted to live, Dawn clawed and kicked at her attacker. Willow attacked them from behind with a large rock pulling Dawn free. Boosting her up towards the opening of the cave, she shouted, "Dawn go. I'm right behind you, I have to do the spell."

Dawn pulled herself through the opening and turned back around reaching for Willow.

"Come on"

"I have to finish the spell."

"She's too close. I can feel her."

"Dawn you will never be safe. This has to end now."

The ground shook harder flinging Willow to the ground. Looking down, Dawn could see the rocks covering the floor of the cave. Screaming her name, she looked everywhere but couldn't make out Willow's form. Rocks filled the cave nearly to the opening. She could hear the sound of Willow chanting but couldn't see her anywhere. The cave shook violently as Willow chanted on and on. Dawn could feel Glory's essence fading.

"Willow" she screamed into the trembling cave. Finally she slid back into the cave the space between the opening and the piles of rocks only 2 feet apart. To her left she could see Willow pinned beneath a pile of rocks.

"Dawn, the cave is going to collapse. Get out!" Even as she stepped down, a tremor nearly knocked her off her feet. The rocks under her feet started moving and she lost her footing. Willow slid further into the pile of rocks until only her head and one hand were free. The tremors began again burying Willow completely. Just as she went under she looked into Dawn's eyes, "Tara?"

Dawn nodded as the redhead disappeared beneath the pile of rocks.

She slowly managed to pull herself back through the opening. She walked through the woods back to the clearing, the earth swallowing the cave behind her.

In the clearing she could see Tara sitting in the car gazing out the window waiting for them to return.

*****
tbc