Chapter 2: My disguise is myself

Summary: The moment she knew she lost him was when she read he was getting married. Running to make sure he knows the truth Buffy Summers never thought she'd be one day actually showing Angel the truth behind her lies. Now both of them are stuck in a time too familiar to each other and must find any means of getting back to their future selves.

Rated: T

Disclaimer: The characters used are from Buffy verse, created by Joss Whedon. So don't sue!


"Buffy are you awake?" Joyce shouted from the kitchen. Upstairs, Buffy sat on her bed as she recognised her old bedroom. She remembered every haunting detail of it. Buffy slowly got out of bed, her muscles still sore she crept up to her closet mirror. Taking in a deep breathe she stepped up to the mirror and looked at herself in the reflection… Standing in the mirror was a slim, tanned, blonde girl. A girl, not the 28 year old woman Buffy is but a much younger version of her. Buffy touched the mirror and followed each line of her face and body, "This can not be for real…" She whispered. Buffy screamed, venting out her anger and hoping the loud scream might wake her up.

"Buffy what's wrong?" Joyce shouted from down stairs.

Once Buffy stopped screaming she tried to take in deep breathes.

"Buffy, honey you ok? Do you want me to come up?" Joyce said, now much closer to Buffy, who assumed that Joyce must be standing in the corridor or staircase.

"Yes… I'm ok…." Buffy looked down at herself. She stood in her old teenage selves body, wearing baby pink shorts and matching vest. She ran her fingers through her blonde, tangled hair… The length was short with bangs.

"This cant be happening… This isn't real… I'll wake up soon." Buffy said to herself as she looked around her old room. She squeezed her eyes shut and muttered, "Please wake up, please wake up, please please, please…" Pleading turning to begging, Buffy started to cry, "Please wake up!" When she opened her eyes nothing had changed. She was still in her old room, still in her teenage body and still unsure of what happened.

"Ok, think… Buffy think!" Buffy spoke in a third person trying to take some action in the out of control situation. Buffy stood up and started pacing. "What happened… What happened… I was with Angel… We were arguing and it was raining… Raining a lot actually. It got really loud, too loud for even New York…" Buffy closed her eyes and tried to remember what happened, 'I remember the lightening, a lot of it, blinding lightening… then… nothing.' Buffy thought. 'What happened after the lightening?' Buffy sat down on the edge of her bed again and put her hands.

"Buffy! I'm getting really late!" Joyce shouted again.

'Well… I cant sit here and wait to be taken back to New York.' Buffy got up and started going through her old clothes. Everything was there, even her favourite jeans that were accidentally given to a charity shop by her future step dad.


Buffy wore black jeans and a white t-shirt with black trainers. She tied her hair back, although few of her bangs still danced around her face. With no make up on Buffy headed down stairs to see her mum. Standing at the kitchen door, Buffy watched her mother's back, as she put files together.

"I'm ready." Buffy said gravely, as she waited for her mother to turn around. Joyce turned around slowly holding few files in her hands.

"Finally! Get in the car, I'll lock up." Joyce didn't take her eyes off her files, unaware of Buffy's tears. Buffy took the car keys from the front door table and left her old house. Outside she wiped her tears and looked up at the blue sky.

Talking to herself she said, 'This is some cruel joke the universe is playing on me.' Buffy unlocked the car door and got in, waiting for her mother.


Outside the Sunnydale High School, Joyce and Buffy sat in their family car looking at the school and its students.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Joyce asked again.

"I'm fine… I'll see you at home, ok?" Buffy replied avoiding eye contact from her mum. Concerned at her daughters detachment Joyce frowned and leaned over to kiss Buffy on her cheek. Buffy flinched at the contact, something even Joyce took account off.

Buffy got out the car, said goodbye to her mum and walked to her school without looking back at her mum. At the school's entrance Buffy stopped to stare at her old school. She took a deep breath in and walked inside, 'I cant believe I'm here again!' Buffy thought as she went inside her old school. Inside, the school was packed with students discussing homework, music, movies…the classic tales. Buffy ignored them and tried to think what year it could be and where her locker would be.

"Buffy!" The same old familiar voice shocked Buffy with its violent closeness and it's shouter's tight embrace. Xander held Buffy from behind and said, "How have you been?" He let go of her and turned her around. Buffy shocked at first, remembered how much she loved her best friend. A friendly face was just what she needed. Buffy hugged Xander tightly and whispered, "I'm so happy to see you."

"Wow, Buff, I love the welcome, could get use to this." Xander said as he hugged her back. Buffy let go of Xander and smiled back.

"Sorry, it's just been a long day." Buffy muttered as she wiped away her tears.

"Is everything ok?" Xander, suddenly concerned at Buffy's odd behaviour.

"No… No… I'm fine. Anyways, where's Willow? Is she here yet?" Buffy asked as she shifted to the side of the corridor letting other students pass down.

"Who?" Xander frowned, "Who's Willow?" Buffy stopped fidgeting with her back pack and looked at Xander. 'No Willow? That means it's 1997... Willow's family hasn't moved here yet and we haven't even met. Shit!' Buffy thought.

"Oh… A… a friend who was helping me study few weeks back." Buffy replied as she looked around the corridor.

"Few weeks back? Are you sure you're ok?" Xander leaned forward and put his hand on Buffy's free shoulder.

"I'm fine, honestly… I wish everyone would just stop asking me that!" Buffy replied rudely as she pouted.

"Well… School started last week, and I mean… if you and this 'Willow' were studying then you must have been studying during the summer… In France… With your father!"

'Fuck, I'm 16 years old! Shit shit shit!' Buffy thought.

"Oh… No, I meant last week… Sorry, it's just me and mum were arguing this morning. My head's all over the place." Buffy lied as she hoped for Xander to buy her story.

"Well, that's ok." Xander tried to pretend it didn't worry him how Buffy was behaving, "We should get to class."

"Yes, of course… er… Xander, where's my locker?" Buffy asked knowing this would trigger a siren in Xander's head.

"Did you hit your head last night?" Xander asked as they started walking towards the library's direction. Buffy smiled at Xander trying not to say another lie. Few doors away from the library, Xander stopped outside a flower stickered locker and pointed at it, "That's your's and this," point at one on the right hand side of Buffy's, "this is mine, remember? You do remember your locker code don't you?" Buffy shook her head and pouted again, 'Please buy my innocent act, please…' Buffy thought.

"40-20-19, you're lucky I remember it!" Xander opened his own locker as Buffy opened hers. "You know you can tell me anything. I mean, last night if something happened… I know the worst of it anyways."

"I know Xander, I'll tell you… but not now." Buffy said, then thought 'Not until I know what's going on.'


"Why does Othello not investigate Iago's accusations? Why does Othello not seek his own proof of Desdemona's betrayal?" Mr Harding asked as he wrote the question down on the blackboard. Once he had written it all down, he turned to the class and continued, "That's you're essay question. I want creative answers, please think back to last year's work on Macbeth… We had similar questions on the exam papers. This will be your practise essay until I give you one where it counts for credits." Mr Harding's voice trailed off in Buffy's head as she looked blankly at her text book in front.

It was apparently, 10th September 1997, English literature was her first lesson for the day. Buffy ignored everything Mr Harding said, her note book had notes from yesterday so she pulled out a new sheet and wrote the accounts of what happened from the moment she saw Angel. She kept account of what happened in 2009 and what happened when she woke up. Then she tried to remember the events in her life before 10th September 1997 and after. 'When did Willow move to Sunnydale…?' Buffy tried to think. 'September or October? It was definitely before Halloween dance.' Buffy played with her bangs as she tried to note down everything she knew. 'When did Angel come back?' Was the last thing she wrote on her note book.


By lunch time Buffy had almost got use to her teenage self. Xander sat opposite her on the lunch table and had even carried her tray over, still concerned about her odd behaviour. "Home Alone 3, I cant believe they've replaced the kid! It's apparently going to be really good, I heard it's better than the last two. But the last two were amazing man! Buff, I am so dragging you lot to see this..." Xander said as he took his first bite of his burger. "I mean, I know it's a kiddie film, but I was a kid… once… and so want to see this!"

Buffy giggle and said, "It's crap, don't get you're hopes to high."

"What? How can you know this? It's not even out yet." Xander said as he opened his soda can.

'Shit, pay attention!' Buffy thought, then said, "I read somewhere it doesn't follow up to the last two."

"Oh really? What magazine did you read this in?" Xander questioned his best friend.

"Er… I don't remember… Must have read in on the plane of something."

"Oh… Because yesterday you weren't even aware they made a third one." Xander replied.

"Chill Xander, I must have read it last night or something, I don't remember, ok?" Buffy snapped. Feeling guilty after a few seconds, Buffy apologised for her behaviour straight away. I gotta be more careful, Buffy thought. Xander and Buffy spoke lightly around homework and things happening at home. Buffy's mind kept on going back to her notes for the day and what had happened when she woke up. Every so often she would gaze up at Xander and be surprised how much he had changed from the dorky 16 year old self he was. Out of no where someone slammed their bag down on the lunch table Buffy and Xander were sitting at. Buffy jumped but then relaxed when she saw who was hovering over her now.

"Hi Cordy." Buffy said casually before continuing to play with her food. She missed the weird looks she got from Cordelia and Xander.

"Excuse me, I'm only 'Cordy' to my friends… and you're not one of them!" Cordelia responded with her famous laugh as she flung her hair back.

"That's right Buffy, stick to what we normally call her… 'Queen Bitch'!" Xander looked at Cordelia then winked at Buffy. Buffy smiled slightly then internally kicked herself for another mistake. "Why are you here?" Xander asked.

"Just to let you both know that I'll be starring in next month's teen vogue!" Cordelia spoke loudly so that the students near her could also hear her speech. "I know you losers are happy for a fellow Sunnydale High school students rise to fame… Because, as we all know… The closest celebrity you'll ever come to is… well… ME!" Cordelia showed her dazzling smile and turned around to see how many people heard her.

"No, that's not true… I once met the clown from McDonalds and he's way more famous than you, and also much prettier!" Xander responded. Few students who were listening in on their conversation laughed and walked towards their seats.

"Oh, what do you losers know about being famous." Cordelia stormed off back to her crowd of minions.

"You're quite all of a sudden." Xander pointed out. Buffy smiled and tried to take a big bite of her burger so she didn't have to talk further. "So, 'Cordy', What was that about ?"

Buffy chewed on her food slowly but Xander waited patiently. Buffy swallowed and was about to take another bite but Xander stopped her.

"So?" Xander asked.

"I… I heard some of the others call her that and thought maybe if I called her with that nickname she might be nice to us."

"What? That's just stupidity! Buffy, yesterday, Cordelia threw her lunch tray on your lap. She's a bitch for life, remember?" Xander said, his anger rising as he realised how off Buffy had become over night.

"Oh…" Was all Buffy said before she continued eating and avoiding Xander's gaze. If yesterday was the big fight with Cordelia, then that means… Today's the day Angel moves to Sunnydale, Buffy thought.


I hope you guys like this story... It's just short so I'm able to update sooner. Please read and review as always. Thanks!