Chapter 1 – Mirrored Veil
"Nothing, the FIRST is coming with an uber-vamp army and we have no way to fight them" Buffy was at her wits end, lousy with dead ends and no clue what the FIRST had in store for them. The Scooby gang was at a loss and watcher in training, Dawn, had been nose deep in books ever since Joyce appeared to her. All that time and energy researching the origin of evil, usually they would have at least had a lead by now, but zilch.
"We'll figure something out Buff," Willow trying to be reassuring "we always do."
"But we're not fighting a vampire lord, or a giant snake, or even a hell god; we're fighting the reason they exist. And we're not gonna take them out with a rocket launcher or an ajoining spell." Buffy threw her head down into the open book in front of her at the dining table. The whole gang was in deep research mode.
"So what, we just give up?" Willow asked.
"No, of course not, just ranting about our imminent doom." Trying her best not to sound discouraging, but failing. "I need a new brain, one that hasn't been stuck thinking about this 24/7."
"Or maybe find someone who's faced the FIRST before." Willow trying to be helpful.
"And based on our stunning lack of answers from our research, I'm guessing that nobody in this dimension has faced the FIRST and lived to tell the tale." Xander chimed in.
"I guess so, but we had bubcus on Glory until the council gave us all that useful info about her hell dimension, and how she just wanted to go home. Once we actually got that research it totally changed the game for us." Willow boasted triumphantly.
"Yeah but unfortunately this time the watchers council kinda got blowed up, so our resources are a bit limited." Xander reminded.
"Wait, what did you just say Xander?" Buffy inquired.
"Council go boom?"
"No, before that, 'nobody in this dimension'?"
"What about it Buff?"
"Anya, you've seen other dimensions before right?"
"Well yes, there are thousands of other dimensions, some are just different worlds, and some are simply alternate realities of our own world. Like there's a world without shrimp, exact same as ours just no shrimp."
"So another reality on the same timeline could be drastically different just because of the little changes?"
"Yeah, like in the world without shrimp, instead of Xander getting food poisoning last year from the bad shrimp he ate, he probably ate something else and did something different with the day he spent puking. Maybe he saved someone from a vampire, and because that person lived it changed the future."
"I think I'm getting a headache." Dawn moaned as she lifted her head from the tomb she was translating. "Trying to translate a Turkish spell and hearing you talk about alternate realities and dimensions, too much for this watcher junior brain."
"Then stop trying to translate and just listen to me, I'm far more interesting." Anya proclaimed.
"So Anya, you're saying it's possible other dimensions or realities could have faced the FIRST already?" Buffy tried to clarify.
"Well yes, that's definitely possible, I mean it seems hard to believe this is the first time the FIRST has tried to get rid of good. It's possible they already overtook the other more hell-like dimensions, it would make sense, lack of good to balance the scale and all."
"Wow, so all we have to do is find a dimension that's beaten the FIRST back, pay them a visit all reporter like and ask them how they did it!" Xander simplified "Easy peasey, lemon squeezy, right?"
"Well no, not as easy peasey as you just made it sound. It is extremely difficult for mortals to travel dimensions, mainly 'cause there is no guarantee there will be a way back. Magic doesn't work the same in every dimension. So the magics used to make a portal here may not work to do the same in another." Anya clarified.
"I mean it was a lot of work but Willow was able to make a portal for Buffy to come home from the shadow man dimension." Xander imposed.
"Yeah, but we had that demon to exchange to actually pull her back specifically, otherwise I'm not sure how we would have found her to bring her back." Willow impishly explained, giving Buffy a shrug.
"Okay so what if you don't go to the other dimensions, just take a look?" Dawn chimed in.
"What are you saying Dawnie?"
"So instead of going into the dimension and asking around you just look through a window of time." Dawn offered "I mean it's gotta be possible to just see other dimensions without needing to be there. That's how the Baljoxis eye worked, it saw everything past and present in every dimension, right?"
"Well yes, but we already tried talking to that peeping tom and it got us nothing but the fact that us bringing Buffy back was the reason the FIRST was acting up." Xander reminded.
"Willow, I've been reading about this spell called the mirrored veil, or something like that…" Dawn started.
"I've heard of that spell, but isn't it more of a fortune teller's glamor?"
"That's what I've read about it, people use it as a fortune teller trick 'cause it shows what seems like could be your future with bits of your past to make you believe it is or could be true. See I'm thinking it's not a prophetic spell so much as revealing alternate realities. Showing what your life could be if you just did or will do just a couple things different."
"Now that you put it that way; that makes alotta sense. Anya you know about this spell? Have you seen it done?" Willow inquired.
"I haven't heard about this mirror spell but I know it's possible to cast a window to look into other dimensions. What do you think us demons would watch for fun before TV." She chuckled to herself then added, "I've just never heard of mortals doing it. I mean most mortals don't know about any dimension besides their own, so I guess why would they go looking?"
"Well this seems more promising than stewing in the impending doom. Willow, Dawn, & Anya you keep looking into this maybe we can make it work and get a clue of what's to come and how we can fight it." Buffy directed "Xander you wanna help me with the potentials' training session in the back yard?"
"Sure thing Buff," Xander accepted as he stood up from his chair. "I have a feeling I'd be more helpful teaching how to bash things in than trying to keep up with the brainiacs, and Anya."
"Oh bite me Harris, I may not understand chemistry and smarty pants stuff like Willow here but I've been alive for over 1,000 years, I can help!" Anya argued.
"Never said you couldn't," Xander hollered as he walked out the back of the house "Just taking my jab at ya for the day."
Just past 1:00 Buffy wrapped up her training with the girls and sent Xander out for pizza. Willow, Dawn, & Anya were still working out how to work out the dimensional window. And after Buffy's last discussion with Giles, he thought it'd be best to go back to England and try to pick-up the pieces of the council. Andrew was actually being helpful doing the dishes and not even griping about it. After bringing in & putting back the last of her weapons in the chest, Buffy figured now was as good a time as ever to fill Spike in on the morning's new plan. So after closing the weapons chest, as much as it would with all the extra weapons in it lately, Buffy headed down to the basement.
"Spike, you awake?" she asked timidly starting down the stairs.
"Buffy? What's up?"
"Nothing, I mean if you'd rather keep sleeping I can tell you later." she stared up the staircase.
"Na, I'm good, luv." Spike sat up in his cot and slid to one end, motioning for Buffy to join him. A blanket covered his lower half, but nothing covering his top. "What'd the Scooby's come up with now? Something actually useful against the utmost evil?"
Buffy walked over to him and joined him on his cot. "Dawn kinda came to an intriguing idea, Willow and Anya are helping her work it out now."
"And the idea would be?"
"Complicated… essentially they're trying to find a way to look into other dimensions, so we can see how other people or creatures may have defeated or at least repelled the FIRST."
"I see, so by seein' what world without shrimp Buffy would do, we could gauge what we should or shouldn't be doin'. That the idea?"
"Yup" Buffy said with empty enthusiasm, then she perked up and shot him a look of confusion "Wait, how'd you know about the world without shrimp?"
"Eh, everybody knows the more obscure dimensions, well everybody who isn't human, pet." He explained as he gave her a light sideways shove.
"Have you ever been to another dimension?"
"Me? No," Spike scoffed "never thought the idea was all that interesting, got plenty of fun things to do right here at home."
"I suppose, killing and falling in love with slayers would keep you busy."
"Oi, I killed two, only fell in love with one." Spike clarified "Bitch made me wanna be a better man and everything, soul included" he joked.
"Yeah, she does sound like a bitch." Buffy chottled.
"She is," Spike started to lean in and then stopped and added. "But you know all 'bout Faith."
Buffy shot him a look and sent a half-hearted left hook right for his jaw. Spike intercepted it and pulled her in close against his chest to diffuse any other blows. They chuckled for a minute then Spike said softly "I'm only joshing you Slayer, you know it's all 'bout you, luv." then he gingerly kissed the top of her head.
For a moment Buffy was relaxed and comforted by her en-souled lover, then the panic and fear of 'this isn't right' and 'we would never work' settled in and she squirmed out of his grasp and headed for the stairs. As her foot landed on the first stair, Spike made her pause with a soft "I'm sorry pet" Buffy glanced back at him. "I didn't mean to scare ya."
"I know," she said as she turned to face him "And I'm not exactly being fair to you. I like being around you, 'cause you have this inhumane ability to understand me, and know what I need; more than my friends ever have… for some reason."
A small smile escaped Spike's lips as he cocked his head to the side, then prodded "But?"
"But you're a vampire, your immortal, you've lived far before me and will probably live long after." She bluntly pointed out "There is just no logical reason us being together would remotely work. The only healthy relationship I've been in I chased off because I didn't wanna deal with an ultimatum."
"Buffy…" Spike stood up, revealing that he was indeed wearing pants as he strode toward her.
"And now that relationship has absolutely no hope cause he's happily married to a great girl who's human and loves to fight demons like him. Hey maybe I should just become gay and find a potential slayer to hook up with like Willow, then at least our lifespans would be similar."
"Slayer." Spike said with a bit more emphasis to shake Buffy out of her rant. It wasn't until then that Buffy realized he was standing right in front of her, and staring into her with those deep blue eyes of his. "Everythin' will work itself out eventually, if you end up with me, well that'll be grand." he shot her a quick smile, then placed a hand on her cheek "If you end up with someone else that makes you feel wonderful and loved, well I'll be happy knowing you found what you've been looking for all along. Either way I'm a better person, er well demon, for having known you Buffy."
She took a deep breath and said meaningfully "Thanks… William." Then she headed up the stairs to the dining room where the girls were researching.
William… I hate it when she uses my real name, all true confessions. I may be in love with you Slayer, but I know you love me too, just gotta make you realize it for yourself… And find a way around this immortality business…