Buffy knew what she was seeing wasn't real. She wasn't sure how she knew, but something about the scene felt off. After all the times that Anya had told them about the other worlds wishes created, something must have managed to stick. Because something told Buffy this wasn't Earth.
There wasn't shrimp everywhere. But something definitely felt off. She recognized where she was. She was near the graveyard in Sunnydale where Spike's crypt had once been.
Buffy walked to the cemetery, knowing the familiarity would help. But there was nothing familiar about the cemetery she found herself in. The graveyard had never been what anyone would call empty, but this version of the graveyard had many more headstones and crypts. She walked among them, keeping an eye out for anyone following her.
That was when she happened to notice the names of some of the nearby tombstones. Her heart sank. Among the ones she recognized were ones she never hoped to see written on tombstones: Willow Rosenberg, Alexander 'Xander' Harris, and Rupert Giles. Buffy sank to the ground in front of Willow's headstone, fighting back tears and losing.
A sudden noise broke her sadness. She spun, ready to attack whomever was coming up behind her, she recognized the gaunt figure. Clearly, someone had been abusing the vampire who stood in front of her. As Angel fell to his knees, she rushed over to him. He looked up at her, deep sadness in his eyes.
"You're not real." His voice came out rough. His body went limp as Angel passed out. Sighing, Buffy touched his cheek.
Back on Earth, Angel and Eilish were tending to Gunn's wounds. Already, he was showing signs of improvement. His fever had broken, thanks to the antibiotics that Shannon had managed to procure.
"I think he's out of the worst of it now. Thank you, Eilish." Angel looked up at the blonde girl, graciously. The girl grinned at him, and Angel was struck by a memory of Buffy. Eilish didn't look that much like the blonde girl Angel had fallen in love with, but there was definitely a strong resemblance.
"You know, I saw you once. From a distance, and as a quick glance." Eilish was still helping Gunn to eat a bowl of soup, but she smirked slightly as she spoke. Angel looked at her vaguely. "It was a few months back. You were at a bar with a blonde guy. In Rome. I was hired to pretend to be the last Chosen Slayer."
Angel grimaced as the puzzle pieces fell into place in his mind. "So you're the one who was with the Immortal?" He fought back a flash of anger and jealousy that didn't make sense to him. He had just met her after all. Why should he be jealous?
"I wasn't with the Immortal in the way you think. It was a cover. He wanted her, and the head of the Watcher's Council, someone I think called Giles, knew she wouldn't be safe. Unless someone found out what he wanted. So I was asked to pretend to be her for a few months." She shrugged. "All things considered, it was pretty easy. The hard part was getting away from him when the time was up. He's been helping a group on demonic powers in Italy."
Angel sighed. "He's working with Wolfram and Hart. The demonic law firm I was trying to bring down. They turned Los Angeles into a war zone, bringing Hell to Earth to destroy us." He glanced at Gunn, who had fallen asleep while they spoke. Then, he glanced at Illyria, who had seemed deeply unhappy since they had left L.A. "And they pretty nearly succeeded."
Eilish's phone went off right then, and she stepped away from him to answer it. Angel was very careful not to show it, but he could hear what was being said on the other end.
"We need to move. Fast. The others, in England, think Spike is being held in Italy. Since you lived there for several months, you're our best bet for recovering him safely. Andrew's squad will meet us there." Eilish agreed, and asked what Shannon thought about recruiting Angel and Illyria to help. "If they're willing, we could use the help. I'll make sure Gunn is taken care of if it helps convince them to join us." Eilish agreed to ask and hung up.