Laurel wakes up

Laurel had no idea how long she had been sleeping but she suddenly found herself waking up in the middle of the evening in a strange bedroom. Judging from the figure lying beside her, it was Tierra's bedroom and they had apparently done far more than gather up lost towels.

No matter. One thought kept racing through her mind and it had nothing to do with Tierra: What about Amelia?

Laurel had promised Buffy that she would look after Amelia and here she was, literally sleeping on the job. Granted, you don't meet a girl like Tierra every day and if things had been less serious, Laurel liked to think that Buffy would understand.

But, no, Laurel had to check on Amelia. Now. If it was not too late.

Then she heard the sound of a dragon's roar outside the window of the room -- and Laurel realized that it might already be too late.

"Please let Amelia be okay," she chanted as she hurriedly dressed. "Please let Amelia be okay."

Just then Tierra woke up. "Amelia!" she exclaimed.

Before Laurel could say anything, a half-naked Tierra was already running out of her bedroom and heading for the stairs.

Laurel just shrugged and followed, hoping against hope that it was not too late to help Amelia.

When she walked out the front door of the Violet Moon, she saw Amelia standing out in the street, staring at the sky with a frozen expression. Laurel turned to see what Amelia was looking at and noticed a small dragon flying toward them at ever-increasing speed. A dragon that looked like Buffy -- but obviously wasn't Buffy. Buffy's dragon skin was not that color and her wings were not that large and -- Oh, Great Goddess! It looked like this dragon was going to kill Amelia!

Laurel immediately leaped upon Amelia and brought her down to the ground just as the dragon let loose a torrent of flame in Amelia's direction. Laurel closed her eyes and prayed to every entity she could think of.

Buffy, she thought, I know I fucked up. But I did try my best to save Amelia. It's not my fault I failed.

Then Laurel realized that neither she nor Amelia was on fire. That they both had somehow been spared from the flames and that right then the dragon who had attacked them was flying off to seek new prey.

"Get off of me, Laurel," said Amelia, and Laurel hurriedly got off Amelia, still wondering how the heck they got spared from ****.

Then she heard Tierra's voice speak from behind her, "I'm flattered that you trust me to always have your back, Amelia, but Good Goddess, girlfriend! You really do like to cut things close."