Spock's whole world was spinning. Accepting the existence of time portals was difficult, but at least it was logical. The existence of children's stories like vampires and demons was just . . . illogical, impossible, against everything Spock believed in. It was physically impossible for there to be a creature that could live without breathing and an active heart. A dead organism could be forced to be re-animated through robotics and machinery – it had been done before on many other planets, but those were the kind of worlds that went through workers at an alarming rate, or rather any kind of living thing at an alarming rate – but for the organism to be able to think on its own, without the help of science, was just . . . impossible. Spock felt that if this woman told him anything else beyond the norm, that he would need to re-read every science journal he had collected over the years.
"Is there anything else we should be aware of about your world?" Spock asked wearily.
Buffy shrugged. "Just be really open minded about things. It took me a while to get used to it, but after coming back to life after dying the second time, I kind of thought that the rules of the universe aren't set in stone."
Spock felt his stomach do a flip, did he really hear what he thought he heard?
"You've died twice?!" Spock asked incrediously, surprised to hear Captain Kirk's voice saying the exact same thing.
They must have been spending too much time together.
Buffy raised her hands in a defensive motion. "I said to be open minded!" She rather cruelly reminded them.
"Would you mind telling us how it was even possible for you to be brought back from the dead even once?" Spock asked, feeling rather light-headed.
Buffy thought about that for a moment. "Well, the first time was when I was sixteen: I was fighting a rather tough vampire called The Master, and he bit me, not drinking enough blood to kill me, though. Just enough to nock me out. After that he apparently dropped me face-first into a puddle, and I drowned. Soon afterwards, my best-friend, Xander, and my boyfriend, Angel, found me, and Xander gave me CPR, bringing me back to life. Angel said he would have done it himself, but he's a vampire, so he can't exactly breathe life into someone if he can't breathe himself." Buffy explained.
"Wait, you dated a vampire?" Kirk asked, looking quite shocked.
Buffy gave Kirk a look that said that she didn't want to talk about the subject, but that she would have to anyways.
"Yes, Jim, I've dated two vampires so far. I dated Angel because I loved him more than I'll love anyone else, and even if I do fall for someone, a part of me will always love him. Spike was more of a solace thing. In the end, I learned to love him, too, but he didn't believe me when I told him. Right after that, he sacrificed himself to save the world. Now, I thought we were talking about the two times I've died." Buffy said coldly.
While Spock agreed with Buffy on the fact that it wasn't Kirk's business prodding around in her social life, Spock couldn't help but wonder why Buffy would end her relationship with this Angel, if she loved him so much. Normally Spock would have asked, but he could see in her eyes that this caused her too much pain, and though Spock couldn't feel that many emotions, he understood pain. He felt pain when he ended the short relationship he had with Uhura because they came from different races, and being involved with someone would distract him from his work aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise.
Kirk looked rather ashamed of himself, though Spock could see the curiosity lingering in his Captain's eyes.
"Right, sorry." Kirk said.
Buffy nodded. "I get it, it's a bit unnatural to hear of a vampire slayer falling in love with a vampire. Well, anyway, the second time was when me and my friends were fighting this Hell-dimension goddess named Glory, who was after my sister, Dawn, because she found out – as did I and the rest of my friends – that until a few months ago, Dawn didn't even exist. You see, Glory had been banished from her own little Hell, and the only way to get back was with this thing called the Key. Well, these monks were protecting the Key, so before Glory could get it, they transformed it into something else, something that they new I would protect like a lioness. They transformed it into my sister. So, Glory built this huge tower, and she cut Dawn, her blood breaking down the walls that separated the different dimensions. Glory didn't manage to get through – I made sure of that – but the world was crumbling, giant demons escaping into our world. The only way to make it stop was if the blood would stop running. Dawn wanted to jump into the portal into the dimension Glory came from, but I knew that even though Dawn had been created by a bunch of monks, that we still shared the same blood. So, I jumped instead. I was dead for at least five months, long enough for my friends to bury me and have a tombstone made. Well, after those five months, my friend Willow – a witch, might I add – decided to do a little spell that would bring me back from the dead. For some reason, my friends all though that I was suffering from eternal torment in a Hell dimension." Buffy said, Spock noticing the same pain flickering over her eyes.
Kirk didn't notice it. "So, wait, your sister was originally this Key thing, and these monks transformed her into your sister, and you didn't know?" He asked.
Buffy sighed. "The monks were very thorough; they made sure that we all thought that Dawn had been around for years, when in reality she had only been in existence for a few months. Dawn herself didn't know it. Glory was really fooled; she thought that Willow's girlfriend, Tara, was the Key, because Tara was new to the Scoobies." Buffy explained.
"Wait, your friend Willow's girlfriend?" Kirk asked.
Buffy nodded.
"And, your friend Willow is a girl as well?"
Buffy nodded.
"Not just, you know, a drag queen?"
Buffy shook her head.
Kirk took a deep breath. "Okay then. Hey, look! We're at the Bridge!"
Buffy turned towards the elevator opening just as it opened. Her gray
-green eyes opened wide when she saw the room. Buffy stepped onto the Bridge and Kirk smiled as he walked behind her, his eyes mostly one her back-side, and heturned to Spock with an appreciative smile.
"She's hot," Kirk mouthed, winking.
Spock had no idea how Kirk would know Buffy's body temperature, but let it go, figuring it was an odd human expression.
Uhura spun around in her chair when she heard them come in, and she deliberately ignored Spock and turned to Kirk with a smile.
"Welcome back, Captain. How was your visit to the Second Earth?" Uhura asked, and her gaze fell on Buffy and she frowned.
"And, who might this be?" She added.
Kirk smiled at Uhura, and turned to the rest of the Bridge.
"Well, crew, the trip to the Second Earth was . . . eventful. Spock, you got that tape from Scotty, right?" Kirk asked.
Spock nodded, and he pulled out the small disk from his pants pocket.
"Yes, Captain." Spock answered.
Kirk nodded. "Good, put it in the player." He said.
Spock did as told and he put the small disk into the small machine that would show all of their adventures on the screen. Kirk had made sure that Scotty had a small, microscopic camera follow them, taking a record of all that had happened on their trip to the doppelganger Earth. On the screen, it showed Spock, Kirk, and McCoy beaming down to a dark alley, and them walking blindly through it until Buffy ran straight into them. It showed their brief banter, then Buffy's extraordinary fight with the vampire. Spock still was mesmerized by the quickness and the strength and agility of the small blonde woman. Spock knew without looking that all eyes were upon the screen, watching as Buffy pulled the wooden stake out of her jacket, and plunge it into the vampire's heart, turning it into dust instantly. The video then continued to Buffy's explanation of vampires and demons. The video ended with them beaming back aboard the ship. And then all eyes turned to Buffy.
"That was . . . incredible." Chekov said in admiration.
"And I thought I was good at hand-to-hand combat!" Mr. Sulu said, smiling.
"Are all people on your planet like that?" Uhura asked, seeming to be the only one not impressed by the recording.
Buffy shook her head. "I guess I'll have to explain the whole thing all over again." She said, sighing.
Buffy then explained the entire world of demons and magic to the crew, just as she had to Kirk and Spock and partly McCoy, except that there were no interruptions. By the time Buffy was finished, everyone looked dazed.
"For the love of all that is holy . . ." Chekov whispered.
"I'd rather face those Romulans a thousand more times than have to face those demons you described." Said Mr. Sulu.
"I can't believe that all of that stuff is real." Uhura whispered, appearing to finally be convinced that Buffy was telling the truth.
"Yeah, well can we close our mouths at the shock of finding out about this stuff, because I want to know how you guys are a hundred years ahead of man-kind." Buffy said, crossing her arms.
"Two hundred fifty, actually." Spock corrected.
Kirk sighed. "Well, you see Buffy, I'd love to tell you . . . but Spock is way better at explaining things like that than me, so take it away!" Kirk said, gesturing at Spock.
Though Spock realized that Kirk had thrust him into an uncomfortable situation, Spock still tried to retain his mask of the Vulcan that knew exactly 'what made the world go round' as Spock believed to be the human phrase.
"Well, Buffy, this ship isn't from your planet. Or, at least this version of your planet. We come from the planet Earth, but the Earth we know is two-hundred and fifty years ahead of your Earth. However, every thing seems to be the same as it is one our Earth: there are the same states, same countries, same landmarks, even the planets surrounding yours are the same as where we come from. The only difference is the time-frame. Well . . . that and the fact that there are demons and such on your planet. We didn't travel through a black hole that could have thrown us back in time, there just appears to be another Earth that is more . . . primitive than our own. Even the other planets have failed to evolve. It's . . . unlike anything I've ever see before." Spock said, emphasizing every word in the last sentence when Buffy didn't seem phased by the news.
"You don't seem surprised." Uhura said suspiciously.
Buffy shrugged. "Hey, I've died twice, remember? I've seen stranger things."