PART 6

Suddenly a bright blue, shimmery light appeared in front of Emma and when it dissipated there stood Jenny Calender. A startled gasp ran through the Scooby gang and Angel went about four shades paler than usual, suddenly Giles stepped away from the group and towards her.

"Jenny?" he asked softly not daring to believe his eyes.

She had, had her back to all of them, facing her charge, but when she heard Giles' voice she took a deep breath and turned around. "Hello Rupert" she replied cautiously.

Jenny may have appeared calm on the surface, but inside she was reeling… she really hadn't expected to see any of them again… especially not here. The only logical explanation for their appearance was that they'd somehow found out about Emma.

Giles took another step towards her. "It's you, but you're… you're dead" Giles said totally confused.

Jenny looked at him and replied, "Yes, I am Rupert." She felt acute sadness at the look on his face; he looked as though his heart had been shattered into a million pieces after being handed a shot at a dream.

"But… how is this even possible?" Willow asked. She knew that Jenny was Emma's white lighter… did that mean white lighters were dead people? And if so that meant Leo was dead too... she was really confused and decided it was better to not understand it.

"I'm a white lighter" was all Jenny could say. They were forbidden from discussing anything to do with how they become white lighters with mortals, demons and witches.

Xander walked slowly around the room and over to near Jenny and when he was in position, he reached over and poked her with his finger hard.

"Hey" Jenny yelled rubbing her arm. "Xander Harris, why did you feel the need to poke me?"

"I was… umm… checking if you were real" Xander mumbled embarrassed. He actually couldn't believe he'd done that; he'd poked his ex-teacher to see if he could stick his hand through her or something, what was he thinking.

Restraining the overwhelming urge to hit Xander across the head, Jenny turned back to Emma and asked, "So what is going on? They won't tell me anything… something about it being your decision if I am to know."

"Well don't look at me… I'm totally clueless about this. In fact I didn't want to call you, dad made me" Emma said grumpily, she could already see the affect of Jenny's presence on the others.

"Why not? I am your white lighter… you're supposed to come to me for help" Jenny objected.

Emma pointed at the Scoobies, "Look at them… they are all freaked out. Especially Angel."

Jenny looked at the Scoobies; she hadn't even noticed they were there, she saw that they all looked shocked, except for Angel who was practically catatonic. "I see your point… but it's my duty to be here" Jenny replied feeling guilty over the trouble she seemed to be causing. "So what's going on?"

Leo pulled Jenny aside and tried to explain what he knew about the upcoming battle and their part in it, including the fact that Emma now remembered her life as Buffy, the prophecy, the Scoobies part in it and how he knew Willow and Tara.

Over the next few hours the Scooby gang recovered enough to help in a battle strategy session (including Angel who could now mutter some words and not just stare at Jenny with glazed eyes), everyone was decidedly uncomfortable… except for Giles and Jenny. They were staring at each other with puppy dog eyes and grossing everyone out, finally Joyce spoke up, "For God's sake, get a room and get it out of your systems. We're trying to save the world here."

Before anyone could respond there was a knock at the front door. After a few moments Emma got up and said in her most sarcastic voice, "No… don't anyone rush… I'll get it." She walked to the door, leaving the stunned group behind her and she slowly opened it. "Andy? What are you doing here?" she asked all of the sarcasm draining from her voice.

"Em… I think we should talk" Andy said trying to restrain his anger and frustration. He'd gone over and over the night before events in his head and he realised that Emma had been pretty well cosy with that vampire. It had taken him months to get that close to her and he walks in off the street and she falls at his feet, even if she had known him before it just wasn't right… especially since he'd been in the room with them and had seen it. He'd decided that he was entitled to some answers and he wanted them now.

"Sure" Emma replied nervously. She knew that she'd have to explain this sooner or later to Andy… she'd hoped for later when she'd worked out her feelings for them both, but Andy hadn't given her that time.

They sat on the front steps of the manor in silence, both knowing they had to talk but neither knowing exactly how to begin. Andy finally broke the silence, "That vampire… do you love him?"

Emma noticed the pain in Andy's voice, but answered truthfully. "I don't know" Emma said, "I don't know what I'm feeling anymore… for either of you."

Andy looked at her, the woman he loved, "So then there's still a chance for me? For us?"

"I guess" Emma replied. "There are some things you should know about Angel…" "Okay… tell me," Andy said, trying to come off as the better man. Emma said, "I just thought I should set your mind at ease… he can't… do anything…"

Andy stared at her in disbelief and relief; "He's impotent?"

"No!" Emma yelled. "He has a clause in the curse on his soul… he can't do… without going evil."

Andy finally understood what she was saying; she was telling him that nothing of that sort would be going on between her and the vampire. "And there shall be no evil vampires here" Andy said.

"Yeah."

"So do you need some help in there?" Andy asked hoping she'd say yes so he could keep an eye on them together.

"The more people there are, the less research I have to do" she replied as they went inside.

"Well as interesting as this is… not. I have to patrol" Emma said a couple of hours later. She was going nuts, Angel and Andy were sniping at each other, and Giles and Jenny were playing footsie and her dad kept looking at her as if she'd grown a second head and she had no idea why.

"Need some help?" Angel asked. His goal was to spend more time with Emma, get to know her and he couldn't do that with her family or that pipsqueak hanging around. Patrolling on the other hand sounded ideal; he could get in his demon pounding for the day and spend time alone with her.

"Sure" Emma replied. This was good she'd finally get some time alone with Angel… to see if he'd changed, talk and basically just stare at his gorgeousness.

"Me too" Andy piped up. There was no way in hell that he was letting that guy be anywhere alone with his girlfriend, especially patrolling where it's all dark and sexy with that whole danger factor.

"You *want* to patrol?" Emma asked carefully, "Remember last time you tried that and you almost got us killed?"

"I said I was sorry… Please Em" Andy begged putting on his pouty face. He was hoping that it would work with her just like it worked on his parents and every other girl around… unfortunately Emma was not an ordinary girl.

Emma sighed, "Okay, but at the first sign of real danger, you're gone."

"Fine" Andy, said happy to get his way and over the expression on the vampires face.

"Sorry" she whispered to Angel as they left the manor.

"I understand" Angel replied. The truth is he did, Andy was a part of her life and she had to give him a fair chance. Luckily Cordy had said that both parts of the prophecy had said that he and Emma had to join, so he had no doubt that he would be the victor… well little doubt.

They'd been hanging out in the graveyard for twenty minutes and no vampires or demons had shown, of course why would they when Angel and Andy's constant bickering was loud enough to wake the dead.

"Would you two shut up? No demon is going to come anywhere near here with you two yelling at each other" Emma said for the fiftieth time.

"He started it" Andy hissed at her. He wished Angel would go back to the manor, every time he turned around they were comparing stakes or joking about some old memory.

"No, *you* did" Emma replied. She was starting to wonder what the hell was wrong with him; she and Angel weren't doing anything so why was he acting like a stupid jerk. She felt Angel stiffen beside her, "What?"

"Vamp… its coming" Angel whispered.

"WHAT?" Andy yelled.

"On second thoughts it's not coming" Angel said, "You're little boy here scared it off." Angel was so mad, that moron had ruined everything, first his chance to have Emma to himself and now his chance to take out his built up rage on a vampire.

"Calm down, he didn't mean too" Emma said holding Angel back from tearing Andy apart, even though she wanted to do the exact same thing. She wanted a good slay as much as he did, but she wasn't about to kill someone because of it.

"No…" Angel was being stubborn.

"Hey, maybe if you weren't into killing your own kind, we wouldn't have to worry" Andy said.

Emma simply walked away from them; she didn't want to have to deal with their bickering as well as her own problems. She left them there in the cemetery to fend for themselves, long past the part where she cared if something attacked them.

Into the early hours of the morning the meeting dragged on and after the emotionally charged patrol, she'd turned in. She was woken a little while later by the door to her room opening and she sat up, "Hello?"

"Hi" Dawn said coming fully into the room. She hadn't meant to startle Emma, she was just still so curious about the person her one time sister had become.

"It's okay" Emma replied, grateful that it had been Dawn and not Angel or Andy. She'd had enough of those two to last her a lifetime. "Did you want something?"

"Not really, they're taking a break and…" Dawn wasn't sure what to say.

"You were curious" Emma finished. It was totally understandable, at one time this girl had been her sister and she wanted to know about her. "Wanna sit down?"

Dawn sat on the edge of her bed and stared at her. "I kind of expected you to look like her… or at least blonde. I wanted so much to see something of her in you physically, but you're so different." Dawn sighed, "I miss her... you."

"I miss you too, Dawnie. You know this time around I don't have a sister… just Trisha and she's my cousin. It's not the same thing" Emma replied. "At least now you're the eldest… you always wanted to be."

"Yeah, but I kind of could of done without the death bit to get it" Dawn replied. "So you and Angel… What's going on?" Dawn asked hoping Emma was nuts about him, they deserved another chance.

"I don't know… when he's around things get confusing" Emma told her. "When Andy's around it's comfortable… Angel equals much confusion and butterflies in the tummy. I'm not sure what that's all about."

"It means you like him more than you like Andy" Dawn told her. "Just like Gunn and me."

"Gunn?" Emma asked, she didn't know who he was.

"He works for Angel… in fact he's minding the agency while we do this" Dawn said. They fell into silence for a few minutes and then Dawn asked, "Where did you meet that Andy-guy anyway? He's dopey."

"He's not… much. Anyway his dad is a family friend, so I kind of grew up with him" Emma answered.

Before Dawn could say anything a voice yelled, "Dawn… it's starting again."

Dawn smiled at her and said, "I'd better go. Good night."

As Dawn was about to leave the room Emma said, "Dawn?"

"Yeah."

"If you want an honorary, slightly freaky younger sister…"

"I'd like that. See you later" Dawn said leaving the room and closing the door.

Emma laid back and decided that this time Dawn didn't seem like such a spoiled brat… maybe it was life with Joyce, or maybe she'd just grown up. That was something Emma hoped she'd get to do and not die again anytime soon… especially in some great sacrifice.

When Emma came downstairs the next morning she found the whole house in darkness and realised that the Scoobies must all still be here. She walked into the kitchen and through bleary eyes noticed two figures at the table.

"Morning" she mumbled to them, sitting down next to them and laying her head down on the table to go back to sleep. One of the people got up and left the table, leaving Emma alone with the other.

"Good morning… uh… Emma" Giles said unsure about how to talk to this young girl.

Emma looked up and squinted at him, "Hey Giles… Sorry, I'm still kind of tired."

"From leaving Angel and that boy in the graveyard last night?" Giles asked her. He was confused as to why she would do that, she seemed like such a responsible young girl and when he'd asked Jenny she'd just laughed at him.

"They totally deserved it… they were fighting and scaring away all the bad guys" Emma defended her decision. "Besides I bet they didn't even notice I was gone until they wanted some comment refereed."

Giles was shocked to realise that this girl had hardly any resemblance to Buffy and yet seemed to contain some of the more vocal aspects of her personality. Her parents had said she was once a shy girl who could barely speak in public and now since the return of the memories, they couldn't shut her up. "Most likely, however…"

"It was shirking my sacred duty… blah, blah, blah" she mocked what he was about to say. She didn't want to hurt Giles' feelings, but she wasn't stupid she knew that leaving them alone like that was a bad choice she hadn't seen any other option though.

"Yes, well… I think they need me back in there" Giles said standing up and quickly leaving.

"Giles?" she said, but it was too late, he'd already gone.

Emma was still sitting there when her Uncle Cole walked in a few minutes later. "Hey kid… what did you do to the old British guy? He's more anally retentive than before."

"I mocked his watcherness" Emma answered depressed, "Nothing new… I've pretty much always done that." Emma felt guilty; she knew Giles hadn't deserved to take the brunt of her hurt pride. "So what's going on in there?" she asked changing the subject.

"Nothing… every plan we come up with…" Cole trailed off. "Phoebe had another vision; this one was about the battle and not anyone of us dead… that's a good thing…right?"

"Yeah" Emma said trying to reassure her uncle. Cole had just as much to fear from the scourge as Angel had, his half demon status would make him a target immediately and she had a bad feeling that Phoebe knew about it and had chosen to keep quiet. "I'm sure we'll all be okay," Emma added.

Cole noted her uncertainty, "Kid… you know you're my favourite niece…"

"Uncle Cole... I'm your only niece."

"I Love you Emma" Cole told her giving her a hug.

"I love you too, Uncle Cole" Emma replied hugging him back. As she watched him go she realised how serious he thought this was… he'd called her Emma and not kid, with that she realised that he didn't expect to survive the battle.

Emma joined the group a little while later and smiled at Willow and Dawn who'd saved a chair for her between them. She listened to battle strategies and assorted other plans and realised that they were grossly unprepared for what lay ahead… in fact with things the way they were, the chances of actually surviving this were dwindling. "So, the battle begins tomorrow night and all we've got is 'fight 'til we die'" Emma said.

"Pretty much" Xander replied. He looked at the girl sitting across from him and it suddenly struck him, how much at this moment she reminded him of Buffy. She was looking over their plan and would go along with what they said and at the last second do something so harebrained that it would work and save them all… at least he hoped that was what she was doing.

"So… that's it," Emma asked incredulously, "Just fight and hope we live. You've got to be kidding me." She couldn't believe that this was their master plan; the one they'd been working on all night. She turned to Angel and Cordy, "How did you defeat this army last time?"

Angel looked uncomfortable and Cordy started to cry. Finally Angel managed, "Doyle… he stopped them from using their machine."

"Who's Doyle?" Prue asked. She'd felt left out of the conversation for days and now they were talking about some guy she'd never heard of.

"He was Angel's best friend and my bo… mine too," Cordy said tearfully. "He was also part Bracken demon… he gave up his life to save everyone else."

Prue knew she shouldn't say it, it would upset a whole bunch of people, but she couldn't help herself. "So this time it's Cole's turn to save everyone's lives."

Phoebe ran from the room and Cole said to his sister-in-law, "Don't count on you being one of them", before following her out. Everyone else fell silent and Prue looked embarrassed.

Finally Xander said, "Cole's a demon… whoa!"

That night everyone was spending time with his or her loved ones. Willow and Tara had gone back to the hotel, as had Cordy and Wes, Xander and Anya went out on the town, Giles and Jenny had disappeared. Phoebe, Cole and Trisha stayed at the manor along with Leo, Piper, Emma and Prue and Angel. Dawn and Joyce went back to the hotel, Joyce and Dawn to bond and Angel to brood. The charmed ones were spending some quality family time when the doorbell rang.

Emma in a generous mood said, "I'll get it." She bounced to the door and was shocked when she saw who was standing there.

"Fluffy… you've changed" Spike declared, "Aren't ya gonna invite me in?"

Emma managed to find her voice, "Spike?"