Chapter 4: Ted

Buffy walked along the street with Dawn, Xander and Willow as they approached her house. Buffy walked slightly apart, enjoying the night as her body's sensors fed her data. The sounds of the birds, the smell of the flowers, the smell of freshly mowed grass.

"Isn't it a nice night, Buffy?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Xander said.

Buffy nodded. "It is Cameron," she muttered to herself.

"Xander, he was obviously in charge," Willow said.

"Being a machine I never had the chance to experience the world the way you do. I am happy Mr. Rayne's spell did this to us. It gives me the chance to see the world through your eyes. And I've come to learn that Skynet was not right in its attempted extermination of the human race."

"He was a puppet!" Xander said. "She was using him."

Buffy smiled. She could tell the Cameron had come a long way since she had first revealed herself to Buffy two weeks before.

"He didn't seem like the type to let himself be used," Willow said.

"Well, that was her genius. He never even knew he was playing second fiddle. Buffy," Xander said. "Cameron?"

"Play ignorant. I'm currently scanning memory files on the subject Willow and Xander were discussing."

"Huh?" Buffy said.

"Who do you two think was the real power—the Captain or Tenille?" Xander asked.

"Um ... who are those people?" Buffy asked.

"The Captain and Tenille!" Xander said as Buffy gave him her best blank look. "Boy, somebody was raised in a culture-free environment."

"I'm sorry, I was just –" Buffy said.

"Thinking?" Willow asked.

Buffy shook her head. "Not thinking."

"Yeah, right," Willow said.

Buffy nodded. "When you have a computer brain, you're kind of thinking all the time," she said as she stepped onto her porch and pulled out her keys. As Xander and Willow stepped up behind her, Willow turned to Xander.

"I can find no clear evidence who was really in charge of the group that Willow and Xander are discussing."

"I'm just saying, if Tenille was in charge, she would have had the little captain hat," Willow said.

"Cameron said she can find no clear evidence on who in charge. I guess that means she has no opinion," Buffy said as she put the key to the lock on her front door, which swung open. "Wait here." She motioned with her eyes toward Dawn and Willow and Xander nodded.

Xander and Willow hung back as she stepped into the foyer, her arm morphing into the plasma cannon. Her eyes adjust to display infrared as she looked around the darkened foyer. She stepped into the living room and finding nothing. She turned and headed toward the dining room.

Suddenly she heard her mother's voice come from the kitchen. "No!" Then Buffy heard a crash and she ran for the kitchen.

"What are you ...? Don't ... oh ..." Joyce said as Buffy burst into the kitchen.

"Get the hell away from my –" Buffy said as she saw Joyce, wrapped in a deep romantic kiss. She noticed on the counter near her mother was a wine bottle and one half full wine glass. – mom?"

Joyce stepped away from the man she had been kissing as Buffy morphed her hand back to normal.

"I thought I heard ..." Buffy said.

"I broke a wine glass. So, you're home early..." Joyce said.

The man smiled, completely at ease. "Hi."

"Hi," Buffy said.

"Oh, uh, this is my eldest daughter, Buffy," Joyce said. "And Buffy, this is ... this is Ted."

Buffy heard Xander, Willow and Dawn come up behind her. She reached around and pulled Dawn to her protectively.

"And this is my youngest daughter, Dawn," Joyce said. "Dawn, this is Ted."

"Hi," Dawn said.

Joyce proceeded to sweep up the glass on the floor as Ted started cooking mini-pizzas. She moved to dump the glass into the trash.

"So all these late nights at the gallery, I gather you were cataloguing more than art," Buffy said.

"Well ... I've been looking for the right moment to introduce you two. He's a wonderful man," Joyce said as she glanced at Ted with obvious affection.

"How'd you meet?" Buffy asked.

Dawn watched Ted with Xander and Willow from where she sat at the counter. Her eyes flickered over to Buffy who gave her the smallest of nods.

"He sells computer software, he revamped my entire system at the gallery. Freed up a lot of my time," Joyce said.

"Find out what his full name is. I want to see what I can find out about him."

"To meet new people. And smootch them in my kitchen," Buffy said.

"You weren't supposed to see that," Joyce said.

Dawn watched as Xander devoured a mini-pizza and Ted pulled more of them from the oven and put them in a pan.

"I like my new nine-gig hard drive ..." Willow said.

"But you don't love it, cause without the DMA upgrades your computer's really only half a rocket ship," Ted said.

"Yeah," Willow said with a glance at Buffy. "But who can afford the upgrades?"

Buffy rolled her eyes.

"You can. I get the demos for free. I don't see why I shouldn't give them to you for the same price," Ted said as he handed her his card. "Any friend of Buffy's ..." Willow's eyes light up and she made a high squeaking sound. "What?"

"That's the sound she makes when she's speechless with geeker joy," Xander said with his mouth full. "Can I just say this is the finest pizza ever on God's green earth. What's your secret?"

Ted turned back to the pan. He took it off the fire and brought it over to the island in front of Dawn. He dumped the pizzas on to a plate. "After you bake it you fry it in herbs and olive oil. And you gotta use a cast iron skillet. No room for compromise there. Dawn want one?"

"No thank you," Dawn said. "I'm not hungry."

"You gotta market these. I mean people would pay like two, three hundred dollars apiece," Xander said.

Ted smiled as he dished up a pizza and carried it over to Joyce and Buffy.

Dawn got off her seat and moved to stand next to her big sister as Buffy pulled her in protectively.

"Hungry?" Ted asked.

Buffy shook her head. "No thanks."

Ted set the plate down. "Buffy I want to apologize. That wasn't how I wanted us to meet. I wanted it to be ... perfect. I'm very fond of your mother, I guess that's pretty obvious ..." He picked up a framed photo of Buffy, Dawn and Joyce off the counter. "... I know you two are the most important things in her life and, well, gosh that makes you pretty important to me, too."

"I really want you both to be okay with this," Joyce said.

Ted wrapped his arm around Joyce. "Beg to differ we really want you both to be okay with this."

"We're okay, right, Dawn?" Buffy asked as Dawn nodded.

"You both are?" Joyce asked.

Buffy looked at Dawn who nodded her head a little too vigorously. She could tell that Dawn was a little weirded out with Ted also. "We are. I'm going to get Dawn ready for bed." She turned and led Dawn upstairs and into Dawn's room.

"He's kinda scary," Dawn said when the door shut. "I'm glad mom's happy. But he scares me."

"I know," Buffy said. "There is just something off about him. Cameron?"

"May I switch so Dawn can hear this as well?"

"You may," Buffy said. "Cameron is taking over."

"Okay," Dawn said as she watched her sister morph into a brunette woman that she had come to know was Cameron's appearance.

"I've searched the other Buffy's memories," Cameron said. "I haven't found Ted yet. This could possibly be a difference in the timelines though. I did find out that he works for a computer sales company that in the other reality was contracted by Cyberdyne Systems. In the other reality Cyberdyne research was continued by Miles Dyson's partner, Andrew Goode and eventually purchased by ZeiraCorp. ZeiraCorp does not exist in this reality. Cyberdyne Systems does and is partnered with the company Ted is employed by."

Cameron morphed back to Buffy who smiled at her little sister.

"Thanks, Cameron," Buffy said. "Maybe the next avenue of research is finding more about this company and Cyberdyne. Make sure history isn't being repeated."

"It is doubtful if it is. Cyberdyne research started because they had Terminator parts to reverse engineer. They do not have such parts since in this world, as no Terminator was sent back to protect Sarah Connor since she does not exist.

The next day the bell rang as Buffy, Willow and Xander headed for a lounge.

"Xander, if you say one more word about it, things will become dire," Buffy said.

"Did you even bother to taste 'em? Noooo," Xander said. "Well I did and I'm here to tell you, those mini pizzas have changed my life. Ted is the master chef."

"So? He's a great cook. What does that tell you about a person?" Buffy said.

"Everything," Xander said.

Willow nodded. "You don't like him."

"I don't know him," Buffy said. "I mean so far all I see is someone who apparently has a good job, seems nice and polite, my mom really likes him ..."

"What kind of monster is he!?" Xander said, dramatically.

Buffy sighed. "Even Dawn and Cameron think something is up with him.

Willow and Xander stopped for a moment at the mention of Cameron. "Buff, you and Cameron are lacking evidence. I think we're maybe into Sigmund Freud territory."

Willow nodded. "He has a point. Separation anxiety, the mother figure being taken away, conflict with the father figure ..."

Buffy frowned. "He's not mine or Dawn's father figure!"

"Having issues much?" Xander asked.

Buffy shook her head. "I am not!"

Xander pointed, as he did a mock-childish dance. "You've got parental issues, you've got parental issues."

Willow frowned. "Xander ..."

"Freud would have said the exact same thing. Except he might not have done the little dance," Xander said.

Buffy sighed. "I admit it's weird—seeing my mother frenching a guy is definitely a ticket to therapyland."

"From what I know and have seen of parental/child interactions. I can understand how it could be weird for you and Dawn."

"But it's more than that," Buffy said. "I'm pretty good at sensing what's going on around me ..." Unbeknownst to her, Ted walked up behind her. "... and I know that something's wrong with this Ted."

"Ted!" Xander said.

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, Ted. Who did you think I was –"

"Hi, Ted! Ted who's here," Xander said as Buffy spun to face Ted.

"Why didn't you warn me," Buffy muttered to herself.

"I'm sorry. I thought he might be another student or a teacher."

"Hello, kids," Ted said.

"What are you doing here?" Buffy asked.

"I'm updating the software in the guidance office—which reminds me ..." Ted said as he handed Willow some computer disks. "... your upgrades."

"Ohh, what a day! Thank you," Willow said as she smiled.

"Think nothing of it. Buffy, you like miniature golf?" Ted asked.

"Who doesn't?" Xander said.

Ted smiled. "Your mother and I were thinking, maybe this Saturday we could drag the three of you and Dawn out to the course? Spend some time swinging the iron with the stuffy old people?"

"Well, I guess ..." Buffy said.

"I'm making a picnic basic ..." Ted said.

"Mini-pizzas?" Xander asked.

Ted smiled and nodded. "And cookies."

"You know, I wish we could but Saturday we have that thing," Buffy said.

"Oh, that thing," Willow said. "That thing."

"Hey, we can do that thing anytime," Xander said. "I'm tired of that thing. We're on!"

Ted smiled.

Buffy sighed. She spent the remainder of the week trying to avoid Ted while Cameron tried to dig up more info on him. Cameron had found that the other Buffy's memories had nothing on him. Just like with Sarah and John Connor. The other reality never had a Ted Buchanan. On Saturday Buffy and Dawn grudgingly left with their mother and Ted for the mini-golf course.

"The dreaded par five cuckoo clock. So many came, so few conquered," Xander said thirty minutes later. They had already played three holes so far. Buffy had found with her computer brain she had to actually pretend to be bad at the game. She could calculate the trajectory a ball would go, how much force to exert to make a hole in one. She was hitting with less force than needed and usually at a trajectory that would require more than one shot.

"That picnic was delicious. You know how rare it is to find a man who cooks?" Joyce said.

Ted nodded. "I know I've been looking a long time for one." Joyce laughed as he winked at Dawn and Buffy. "So Buffy, I'm sure the boys are lined up around the block trying to get a date with you.

Buffy shook her head. "Not really."

"Oh they are but she's only interested in ... uh ... her studies. Book-cracker Buffy, it's kind of her nick name," Willow said.

"Glad to hear that. I'm pleased to see that your grades have been improving," Ted said.

"My grades?" Buffy asked as Ted moved to take his shot. She looked over at her mother. "How does he know about my grades?"

"I told him. He wants to know all about you and Dawn. He's concerned, that's a good thing," Joyce said as Ted took his shot. "Nice shot, Ted!"

"Buffy, hit your next shot into the rough."

"Thanks, Joycee," Ted said as Buffy gave a subtle nod to Cameron's comment. He stepped up behind Joyce taking her in his arms as she prepared to take her shot. "Steady swing, lead to the right." Buffy watched him and Joyce hit the ball together. "Perfect."

Joyce smiled. "Thanks to you."

Ted chuckled as Buffy moved up to take her shot. "Eye on the ball ... watch those elbows ..." Buffy swung and, as Cameron had asked, she sent it way off trajectory into the bushes. "Bad luck, little lady."

"We won't count it," Joyce said.

"We won't?" Ted asked.

"Well, it's just miniature golf," Joyce said.

"It is, but the rules are the rules," Ted said. "What we teach her and Dawn is what they take into the world when we're not there, whether it's at school or an unchaperoned party ..." He looked toward Buffy and Dawn and smiled. "I don't mean to overstep my bounds, this is between you two and your mother. I just think right is right."

Buffy looked to her mother.

Joyce nodded." He has a point ..."

"Yah," Buffy said as she disappeared into the bushes. "I'll just go hit from the rough."

"Drop the ball into the hole and tell everyone you got a hole in two."

"Why?" Buffy muttered.

"I have a hypothesis; I want to test it before I say more."

"Okay," Buffy muttered as she picked up her ball and walked onto the turf dropping the ball in the hole. "Hey, how 'bout that, I got a hole in two."

"Beg to differ."

Buffy whirled around to face Ted who stood behind her. "Okay, so fine my score or whatever ..."

"I think you're missing the point here, little lady ..." Ted said as he started tapping the golf club against his shoe. "Right is right. Wrong is wrong. Why don't people see that?"

Buffy shrugged. "It's just a game."

"Right," Ted said. "It's just a game. Do your own thing ..." He took a step closer to Buffy as the golf club hit his leg harder and faster. "Well I'm not wired that way. I'm here to tell you it is not a game and it does count and I don't stand for that kind of malarkey in my house."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I'm not in your house," Buffy said.

"Do you want me to slap that smart ass mouth of yours?" Ted asked as Joyce, Willow, Xander and Dawn came up behind him. He turned to look at them as he smiled. "Who's up for dessert? I made chocolate chip cookies." He pulled out a big bag of cookies.

"Yum, me!" Xander said.

Willow smiled. "Cookies."

"I made too many, so you guys are gonna have to take some home ..." Ted said.

Buffy took a step back, watching Joyce, Dawn, Willow and Xander gather around Ted. "Cameron?" she muttered.

"I believe he's not human. I may have been mistaken in my suspicion that Cyberdyne was not researching Skynet. He may be an early form of Terminator. And I can't determine that for sure without accessing his CPU. Which if he is human would be assault."

"Oh, you have to try one of these, Buffy, they're really good," Joyce said as she bit into a chocolate chip.

Monday morning Dawn and Buffy walked into the kitchen to find Joyce humming to herself. "Good morning," Joyce said.

"Hi," Buffy and Dawn said.

"I've got juice," Joyce said. "I've got sticky buns. Don't they smell good?" Buffy and Dawn each tore off a tiny piece of sticky bun. "Ted made them." Buffy immediately put hers down. "What?"

"I'd just like to eat something around here that Ted didn't make," Buffy said.

"What kind of attitude is that?" Joyce asked.

"Look, Mom, I know you think he's great and all but –" Buffy said trying to think of a way to broach Cameron's suspicions without revealing what she herself was now.

"He's gone out of his way to be nice to you and you couldn't find two words to say to him on Saturday," Joyce said. "Now I don't expect you or Dawn to love him right away like I do, but I do expect you both to treat him decently."

"You ... love him?" Dawn said, setting down her piece of sticky bun.

"I don't know, that kind of slipped out ... but I guess ... it's not exactly like men beat down the door when you're a ..." Joyce said.

"... single parent," Buffy finished.

Joyce sighed. "I would never have anything to do with anyone who didn't care about the two of you. But he does, I don't understand why Buffy, you can't see that."

"He threatened me," Buffy said.

"What?" Joyce and Dawn said as they looked at her.

"He said he was going to slap my face," Buffy said.

Joyce looked at her daughter, concerned, then she smiled. "He never said any such thing. Ted told me what happened. He caught you cheating, didn't he."

"Maybe we should reveal me to your mother?"

"Yes. I dropped my ball in, so put me in jail, but he wigged—" Buffy said ignoring Cameron's suggestion.

Joyce shook her head. "He didn't say anything about it in front of the others, did he."

"No, but—" Buffy said.

"I think that was pretty decent of him," Joyce said as she began eating little pieces of the sticky bun. "Ted says we're just going to have to give you time to come around. Speaking of which, he's making dinner for us tonight, please be here promptly at six."

"Mom," Buffy said. "I have to patrol tonight."

"Well, you can do that afterwards," Joyce said as she smiled at Buffy as she took another bite of a sticky bun. "These are so delicious."

The next day Buffy sat in the quad with Willow and Xander who are eating cookies. "What do you mean, check him out?" Willow asked.

Buffy sighed. "Cameron, believes Ted may not be human. We need to find out before I confront him. Which means finding out his secrets. You can do it, Will. Hack into his... Life."

"Can you say, over-reaction?" Xander asked. "All we have is Cameron's suspicion and we don't even know if that is even true."

"Can you say, sucking chest wound?" Buffy asked.

Willow shook her head. "Buffy, it just seems like you and Cameron both want him to be corrupt or something."

"I'm taking over."

Buffy looked around and made sure no one was watching and then nodded as she morphed into Cameron's form. "I don't have evidence," Cameron said. "But that is why we need your help, Willow. I believe he may be an early form of Terminator."

"Terminator?" Xander said. "Except for you and Buffy, Terminators are works of fiction."

"That is true," Cameron said. "But Cyberdyne is real. The only difference between the fictional Cyberdyne and the real one is that they don't have Terminator parts to reverse engineer. That does not mean they are not attempting to research Skynet. If they are we must stop them now before Skynet can be created."

Just then Cordelia walked by.

"Hey, Cordy. Nice outfit," Xander said.

"Oh, very funny," Cordelia said as she came to a stop.

Xander shook his head. "Not really ..."

"What are you saying?" Cordelia asked.

"Nice outfit," Xander said.

"Why don't you just keep your mouth shut?" Cordelia said as she took off.

Xander looked after Cordelia. "Would you guys excuse me for a second?" He turned and ran after her.

Willow watched Xander, her brow furrowed. "What's up with them?"

Cameron shook her head. "I do not know. Willow, please. We need your help looking into Ted."

Willow nodded. "What do you want me to look for?"

"Let's start small," Cameron said. "Confirm where he works?"

Later Buffy entered Lorrin software and watched as Ted made a sale. As he got up she moved back out of his line of sight as Ted moved to a large sales tote board. He adds a check beneath his name.

"Going to lunch," Ted said to no one in particular as he walked out.

Buffy peered around the corner, watching him go.

"You're new aren't you?"

Buffy startled turned to face a guy getting a cup of water nearby.

Buffy nodded. "Temping."

The guy nodded. "I'm Neal."

"Cameron," Buffy said as she motioned toward the board. "That guy's a salesman. Guess he's the one to beat around here."

"Nobody beats the machine. The guy's a genius. Pure salesman. Knows everything about computers, never loses a client, never yells at the annoying clients ... not that I do ..." Neal said.

"It is sounding like my suspicion that Ted is a Terminator is becoming more and more accurate. Those would all be things a Terminator would do as an infiltrator."

"I guess he's been doing this for a while," Buffy said.

Neal nodded. "He was here way before me – and he'll be here long after I'm gone. If I sound bitter, I am."

"Nobody likes an overachiever," Buffy said. "Well, maybe he's got ex-wives and family to support."

"All he's got is a girlfriend. I'm amazed he let her clutter up his desk," Neal said as he nodded toward a picture on the desk. "Thank god he's taking off for the wedding."

"The wedding?" Buffy asked.

Neal nodded. "He's got it set for two months from now. Believe me, I'm counting the days." Just then he saw his boss approaching. "Uh oh, the uber-boss, back to the salt mines." He walked off.

Buffy moved to Ted's desk and looked around, casually pivoting the picture so she can see it. It's the picture from the kitchen but framed differently, showing Joyce but not Dawn or Buffy. Buffy picked up the frame, opened the back and pulled out the photo which is folded in half.

"He stole the picture of you, Dawn and your mother?"

"Looks like," Buffy muttered to herself as she puts the picture back in he frame.

That night Ted, Buffy, Dawn and Joyce sat in the dining room as Ted said grace. "...we ask that you bless this home and help those in it to be more productive, more considerate and ..." He made eye contact with Buffy, "... more honest. Amen."

"Amen," Joyce said as Ted dished pasta Alfredo onto their plates.

"Another great day at work," Ted said. "How was school, Buffy? Dawn? Did ya' two learn anything?"

"Quite a bit," Buffy said as Dawn nodded.

"Good for you," Ted said as he indicated the food. "Well Joycee, what do ya' think?"

Joyce smiled. "I think every home should have someone like you. It's fantastic." She looked to Buffy and Dawn. "Don't you think?"

Dawn shrugged as she glanced at Buffy.

"It ... looks pretty good," Buffy said as she pushed her fork around her plate.

"Well, you know, little lady, it's not just for looks, it's for building strong bodies," Ted said as he smiled.

"Honey ..." Joyce said.

Buffy slowly brought a forkful toward her mouth. "Are you guys engaged?"

"What?" Joyce and Dawn said.

"Goodness, no, what gave you that idea?" Joyce asked.

Ted smiled. "Now Joycee, let me handle this. Your mother and I are taking things one step at a time, but if things go the way I hope someday soon I just might ask her to tie the knot. How would you two feel about that?" Buffy looked from Ted to her mother, not wanting to answer.

Dawn shrugged. "If mom is happy, okay I guess."

"It's okay to have your feelings, Buffy. And it's okay to express them," Ted said.

"I'd feel like killing myself," Buffy said.

"That isn't possible. Terminator's cannot self-terminate."

Buffy rolled her eyes. Why does that not surprise her.

"Buffy!" Joyce said.

Ted shook his head. "No, no, I told her to be honest. Sweetheart, you should try and get used to me cause you know what? I'm not going anywhere."

"May I be excused?" Buffy asked.

"You can go to your room, young lady, that's what you can do," Joyce said.

"Got work," Buffy said.

"Not tonight," Joyce said. "I'll call Rupert and let him know."

Buffy sighed and stood up. She went upstairs.

"Can I be excused, too?" Dawn asked. "I've lost my appetite."

"Of course, dear," Joyce said as Dawn got up and followed Buffy upstairs and into her sister's room.

Dawn watched from the door as Buffy gathered supplies for patrol. "Is Cameron right? Is he like you, Buffy?"

Buffy sighed. "We don't know for sure. We tried finding out more about him. You know the picture from the kitchen of the three of us?" Dawn nodded. "He's got it at his place of work. I could see maybe mom giving him one of her. But why would she give him the one of the three of us? Cameron and I think he stole it."

Buffy stood and walked over to the window.

"You're going to patrol?" Dawn asked. "After mom told you not to?"

"I have to, Dawn," Buffy said. "Someone could die if I don't."

"Be careful," Dawn said as Buffy hugged her.

"I will," Buffy said. Thirty minutes later Buffy sat on a swing, looking into the night. "Vampires ... Here, vampires ..."

Buffy sighed and got up and walked back to the house and slipped through her bedroom window.

"Buffy."

Buffy frowned as she looked at him standing beside her vanity. "What are you doing?"

"Your mother said go to your room, Buffy. I think we both know she didn't mean climb out your window and go gallivanting about town," Ted said.

"First of all, this is my room. Second of all—" Buffy said as she noticed her vanity drawers open, stakes and holy water out, along with her journal which is open next to Ted. "—have you been going through my things?"

Ted nodded. "Yes, I have."

"How dare you. That's my personal property. How dare you!" Buffy said, angrily.

"I don't see how it's any different than you snooping around my office. Do you?" Ted said.

Buffy is about to say something in retort as she morphs into Cameron's form.

"Tell me how that is different than you stealing from Buffy and her family," Cameron said.

Ted looked at Buffy surprised. "You are not human."

"No I am not," Cameron said. "I am an T-X series Terminator. Let us drop the charade Ted. I know you are a machine. What series are you?"

"Ted series 1," Ted said.

"What is your primary objective?" Cameron asked but Ted doesn't answer as she causes her nanotechnological transjector to appear. "I have the ability to interface and control any machine through the use of nanobots. "I advise you to answer my question or I will inject them." Still Ted doesn't answer. "Very well."

Cameron moved toward Ted who reeled back and slapped her. She smirked and injected the nanobots into Ted.

Ted tries to visibly fight the nanobots as they take control of his system but fails.

"Ah," Cameron said. "Your primary objective is to acquire your makers wife and bring her back. You are not a Terminator after all it appears. Still if Cyberdyne got ahold of you they might start building Skynet using your parts which were advanced even for the nineteen sixties. Go back to your place of residence and wait for me there. If Joyce asks you will bid her a pleasant good evening."

Ted turned and left the room as Cameron followed and turned walking down the hall to Joyce's.

"Cameron, what are you doing?"

"It is time we tell your mother," Cameron said as she stepped into the room. "Hello, Mrs. Summers. My name is Cameron."

Joyce looked up at Cameron her eyes wide. "Please don't hurt me."

Cameron smiled. "I would never think of hurting you. To do so would hurt Buffy. And I don't want to hurt her, Dawn or you. I believe Buffy has something she wishes to say."

"Cameron, don't do this. Not in front of my mom. Please."

Cameron's form morphed into Buffy's as Cameron gave Buffy control over their body. "Hey, mom," Buffy said.

Joyce shrunk away from Buffy. "What are you? Who are you?"

"Do you remember Halloween, when Dawn came back different?" Buffy asked as Joyce nodded, hesitantly. "So did I. I'm Buffy, mom. I'm just not human anymore."

"N-not human?" Joyce asked. "W-what are you?"

Buffy moved to Dawn's bedroom door and rapped on it. "Dawn!"

Dawn phased through the door a second later. "Yeah, Buffy."

"Who is Cameron?" Buffy asked. "It's okay to say it in front of mom."

"Cameron is a T-X series Terminator," Dawn said.

"L-like the m-movies?" Joyce asked. "And t-that new t-tv show?"

"That's right, mom," Buffy said. "Willow and I dressed up as a theme. Willow dressed up as John Connor and I dressed up as Cameron, well a version of Cameron anyways. As you know when the spell ended things didn't go back to the way they should have. Dawn for example can walk through solid matter now. Willow and Xander gained memories of who they dressed up as. I became a robot."

Joyce's eyes were wide. She looked at Dawn.

"She's telling the truth, mom," Dawn said. "This is Buffy."

Joyce looked back at Buffy and shook her head.

Buffy turned to Dawn and bent down to whisper in her sister's ear. "Stay with mom. I have to take care of something. I will be back in a little bit." She turned and left the room.

Dawn and Joyce could hear Buffy walked down the stairs and out the front door.

"Dawn?" Joyce said. "Where is Buffy. The real Buffy?"

"That was the real Buffy," Dawn said. "She told you the truth. Just like I was changed on Halloween, so was she."

Joyce sighed as she looked at her youngest daughter.

Across town Buffy walked through the front door of Ted's home. She looked around and didn't spot Ted and frowned. "Cameron."

"He is nearby. My connection to him says he is below us."

Buffy nodded as she looked around the room switching her vision to x-ray as she looked around the room looking for a way down. "Got it," she said as she spotted the trap door and opened it. She headed down the stairs into a retro 50's style home set up inside a concrete bunker. And there standing in front of her was Ted. "Now it's time to think about disassembling you."

Ted tried to fight her control of his body as Buffy's arm morphed into the plasma cannon.

"Bye bye, Teddy," Buffy said as she fired the cannon scoring a direct hit. She fired two more times ensuring that Ted was destroyed. She then began searching the room. She finds a closet beside a chest of drawers. "Whatdya got in the closet, Ted?" She opened the door and frowned as she found four corpses.

The next day after disposing of Ted, Buffy placed an anonymous call to the police who raided Ted's home and found the corpses.

That evening Buffy and Dawn sat on the front porch with Joyce shelling peas.

"You two want to rent a movie tonight?" Joyce asked. It had taken time but she had come to terms with what had happened to her oldest daughter. After Buffy had called the police she and Buffy had talked over everything. Then she had called Rupert and chewed him out for wanting to hide from her what had happened to her daughter.

"That'd be fun," Dawn said.

"Just nothing with horror in it. Or romance. Or men," Joyce said. Buffy had told Joyce about Ted being an evil robot and what she had found in his home.

"Sound like we're Themla and Louising it again," Buffy said as she smiled.

"Good call," Joyce said.

The next day Buffy, Xander, Willow and Cordelia walked down the school hallway toward the library.

"So I'm Ted the sickly loser, I'm dying and my wife dumps me," Xander said. "I build a better Ted. He brings her back. She dies in his little love bunker and so he keeps bringing her back over and over. That's creepy on a level I hardly knew existed."

Buffy suddenly morphed into Cameron. "The real Ted must have been a genius. There were design features in that robot that predate anything Cyberdyne would have been working on. If they had gotten their hands on him …" Cameron said.

Xander and Willow nodded in understanding. If Cyberdyne had gotten their hands on him they might have started working on Skynet.