Past/Future Visions 3
Real World
“Even if what Cordelia is telling us is true, it could take years to find which world Buffy has been transported to. The only things we have to go on is that except for some minor changes, everything that has happened here, has happen there as well.” Giles told the still arguing scoobies. Willow, Xander, Spike and everyone who had been with her in her last battle with Glory were finding it hard to believe that Buffy could still be alive somewhere. Angel and the LA crew after a few moments of confusion while trying to understand Cordy’s explanation of how Buffy could still be alive hadn’t doubted her for a second after an exasperated Cordy had finally just shouted that it had been a vision.
“I guess we should get started then!” Cordy said excitedly taking a seat at the research table. The others looked surprised at her sudden uncordelia-like burst of enthusiasm. “Where do we start, Giles?” she asked, practically radiating her readiness to do her part. Cordelia being this ready to help was making Willow nervous and for the first time she began to think that maybe Cordelia was right. She didn’t want to let herself start to hope only to have that hope crushed, but if there was even a chance that Buffy was alive…
She had been the first person Cordy had tried to convince that Buffy was still alive when she, Angel, Wesley, and Gunn had arrived in Sunnydale. At first she had put it down as Cordy’s way of dealing (or not dealing) with the fact that Buffy, the invincible Buffy, had finally died. But Cordelia hated being proven wrong, so there was no way she would be this enthusiastic about looking for the blonde Slayer unless she knew was she was right.
“Cordy, no-one’s said you were right,” Xander explained to his ex-girlfriend. “Giles just said if you were right. I mean, even if she did go to another dimension, she’d still have to survive that fall and…”
“I believe you, Cordelia,” came an unexpected interruption. Everyone tuned to look at Tara, who started blushing, but continued anyway. “I’m not completely sure how, but I think… when Glory, you know, sucked my brain, I kinda got some things from her too. That’s why I knew where to find her. I also understood how the dimensional rift worked. In essence, like is attracted to like. The demons on this world and the Hellmouth drew more demons through the rift. It’s possible our Buffy coming into contact with the rift drew another Buffy from somewhere else and the other Buffy did the same thing as ours, drew our Buffy to her side.”
A moment of silence followed Tara explanation as the two groups each digested the information the blonde girl had given them and Willow hugged her in silent approval.
“I’m not sure I understood all that, but let’s say it’s true,” stated Xander. “I’d still find it hard to believe she could have survived that fall.”
“Oh, shut up!” Spike growled. It had taken a major effort to drag the vamp out of the crypt he had retreated to in his grief after Buffy’s death. Now with the chance that the woman he loved was still alive, Spike was nearly back to his old self. “If vision girl here says the Slayer’s alive, I say we start figuring out how to bring her home. For Dawn’s sake we should at least try,” he added softly.
No matter how hard they tried, no one could convince the grief stricken teen that Buffy’s death hadn’t been her fault. One of the reasons she hadn’t been told of this meeting. And with Glory dead there was no longer any reason to keep her out of school or away from her friends, although she herself wouldn’t have anything to do with anyone who wasn’t a member of their little group.
“He’s right, of course,” Giles agreed. “Willow, Tara, help me find the proper books?” he asked.
“About time!” came Cordy’s slightly annoyed voice.
Alt-verse
Giles paced back and forth become more worried by the second as he listened to Buffy’s version of her life story. Cordy kept shaking her head and muttering about amnesia, but the more he heard of Buffy’s story the more convinced he became that whatever was wrong with the Slayer, it wasn’t anything so simple as loss of memory. In fact, the girl’s memories were remarkably detailed. The problem was that there were some major differences in what she remembered and what had actually happened.
At the moment Buffy was recounting her version of what had happened with during the mayor’s Ascension, but was interrupted by Cordy. Giles could only wonder that she hadn’t interrupted before now. “First of all, me and Xander! That’s just…sick! Secondly, the mayor never completed his Ascension because we took that case with the spider thingies in …”
“Cordelia, maybe it would be for the best if you didn’t confuse her farther,” Giles said, stopping the girl mid rant.
“She’s my girlfriend, I can confuse her if I want!” came her indignant reply. Luckily she was interrupted once again before she could continue, this time by the arrival of the rest of the gang. Before anyone else got a word out a streak of brown hair flashed through the door and onto Buffy’s bed causing the Slayer to wince in pain, but never the less manage a one armed hug her little sister. “Dawn!” she called, as tears leaked from her closed eyes.
Dawn pulled back and looked her older sister in the eyes, “I told them you wouldn’t be in here long!” she told Buffy excitedly.
An involuntary grin spread itself across Buffy’s face at seeing her sister in a cheerful mood. The last few months had been hard on Dawn and it had become a rare thing to see the girl happy. “Yup. ‘Be outta here in no time.” She told the grinning girl. She looked over the rest of the group. Willow with a huge smile holding the hand of Tara who wore a shy smile of her own, but one just as happy. Xander grinning with boyish glee written all over his face and even Anya in one of her rare displays of emotion for anyone other than herself or Xander wore a smile. Even if she was staring at the slayer like she expected her to disappear at any moment. And there was Spike standing like some grim sentry at the door to room
Then Buffy’s gaze moved to a sight that froze her blood in her veins. Faith was there too. But from what she had managed to pick up from Cordy’s rambling that had been sort of expected. Even Oz standing next to her and holding her hand wasn’t as much of a shock as who was standing to their left. There stood Riley Finn in his overly precise clothes…smiling and with his arms around Harmony?
Real World
“I found it!” shouted Anya happily holding up her book. “Look, I found a way to get Buffy back!”
The others wasted no time crowding in around the ex-demon reading the book. Giles walked over to the group took the book and started reading it. “Yes…hmm, yes, this is very good!” he said getting more and more animated. Followed by a depressed sounding, “Oh” and the drooping of his shoulders.
Taking a deep breath he turned to give the group the bad news. “Um…the spell Anya found is valid, but I’m afraid it will be of no use to us” Giles held up his hand to silence them as the scoobs and LA gang responded with a slew of moans and questions. “In order for this spell to work we would need the Buffy that came through the portal alive” He told them grimly.
There was grim silence in the room as they soaked this in. Finally Xander broke the silence with false enthusiasm, “Back to the books!”
As everyone returned to researching no one noticed as Willow took Tara’s hand and the book Anya had be looking through and went over to a very unusual set of books. The first book in this section was titled Where Magic and Time Converge. She knew Giles didn’t allow anyone to come near these books because they were dangerous, but it wouldn’t be the first time she went against his wishes. And this time it was for Buffy.
TBC
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