"Buffy?"
Buffy struggled to overcome the grogginess that came along with waking up. She opened her eyes, squinting against the bright light of day. Xander smiled down at her, his brown hair mussed from a night of attempted sleep.
"How do you feel?" Xander asked the blond.
"Like I got hit by a truck," Buffy answered honestly. She hurt all over. Her muscles screamed in agony when she attempted to stretch. "Or was it a train?" Buffy thought out loud about her condition. "Xander, why do I hurt?"
Xander looked guilty. "Well, the sleeping pill didn't work, but you needed sleep."
"And?" Buffy prodded.
Xander held up a syringe needle and ducked his head. Buffy glared at him when she realized what had happened. "You sedated me? With what?"
"Leftover wolf tranquilizers," Xander shrugged. "Did you stay in this world though and get some sleep?"
Buffy thought about it. "Yeah, I guess I did. I do feel like I've slept for the first time in weeks. But tranquilizers? Let's not make a habit of this, okay?"
"Promise," Xander swore, crossing his fingers behind his back. 'Screw that,' he thought to himself. 'I'm not about to lose her. Not now, not ever.' "So, what do you think happened in the other world?"
"I honestly don't know," Buffy admitted. "I guess the world probably went on like usual, just like it did when I was still living only one life."
"But you like this one best don't you?" Xander asked, trying to mask his worry.
Buffy smiled and looked deep into his eyes. "There is no competition. I am only complete when I am with you. There I am just a hollow shell of myself. How could I ever choose that world over ours?"
Xander smiled and lifted Buffy out of bed, holding her close. "I knew you'd say that."
Buffy wrapped her arms around Xander's neck, wincing slightly. "I need to take a shower and then we have to go see Giles. See if he has any answers."
Xander nodded and set Buffy back on her feet. She moved toward the bathroom, turning around, halfway there. "Coming?" she asked, her voice seductive.
Xander grinned, "Thought you'd never ask?" He rushed across the room and tossed Buffy over his shoulder. Her squeal was the last thing heard as the door clicked close.
~Magic Box~
"Buffy," Giles greeted the young couple as they entered the store a few hours later. "How did it go last night?"
"Everything went fine," Buffy assured her Watcher. "I got a full night's sleep with no alternate world to invade my life, thanks to Tranquilizer-boy here." If looks could kill, Xander would be a smoldering pile of ashes.
Xander shrugged, "Hey! At least it worked."
"Uh-huh," Buffy said. "Now I know how Oz feels."
"How I feel about what?" Oz asked, coming from the back room.
"Being shot with a tranquilizer," Buffy replied.
"Oh," Oz sat down at the table, pushing a heavy book aside.
"So, G-man, find anything out yet?" Xander asked the older gentleman, eager to solve their latest crisis.
Giles removed his glasses and Buffy sighed. This was never a good sign. "Well, the Council is looking. So far, nothing has surfaced. But we will find something."
"And?" Buffy asked. "Look Giles, I know you're hiding something. What is it?"
Giles exhaled and sat down. "I got a call from Angel last night."
"Yeah, so?" Buffy was confused. "What's the big deal?"
"Buffy, Angel doesn't exist in this world any more," the Watcher reminded the Slayer.
Xander stared at Giles. "What did he say?"
"He said Buffy was going to die," Giles said. "He mentioned a name. Riley, I believe it was."
Xander closed his eyes. Buffy winced as his hand tightened possessively around hers, but she didn't say anything. "Did he say anything else?"
Giles shook his head. "Nothing."
"This Riley is in her other life," Xander mentioned. "Maybe he'll try...Buffy, are you okay?" Buffy was swaying slightly at his side, holding onto his arm for support.
"I'm just so dizzy," Buffy admitted. Her head was spinning. Xander began to reach for a chair, but Buffy went slack in his arms. She fell to the ground, no longer aware of her surroundings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
World 1
Buffy slowly opened her eyes. She was in her room, at her mother's house. It was dark outside. 'Why am I here now? I should be with Xander, how did I get here?' Buffy realized she wasn't alone in the room. She glanced over at the door and saw Spike standing, bathed in moonlight.
"Every time you show up like this, you risk all of your parts, you know that?" Buffy glared at the intruder.
Spike rushed to defend himself, "I wouldn't be here if I didn't have a good reason. As usual, I'm here to help you, and I - are you naked under there?"
Buffy rolled her eyes. Typical Spike. "Get out."
"No, I'm serious. I mean, not about the naked part, I mean..." Spike craned his neck, attempting to see under the covers.
"Get out or I will drop you out head-first." Buffy threatened.
"I wanna show you something." Spike spoke in a low, serious tone.
Buffy realized he was serious. "What?"
"You need to see this," Spike responded. Buffy sighed. "But we need to move if we wanna get there in time."
'What now?' Buffy wondered. She looked at Spike and raised her eyebrows. 'I am not about to change in front of him. No free shows for the dead guy.'
"Oh, please! Like I give a bloody damn." Spike scoffed as he turned around. Buffy glowered as she quickly changed into some nearby clothes. 'This had better be good.'
Silence filled the night as Buffy followed Spike to an old, abandoned warehouse. 'And this is unusual, how?' Buffy wondered as she focused on the vampire in front of her. They entered the dark, dingy building.
Buffy was disgusted as she looked around. The place reeked of filth and death. There was garbage lying in piles all around. But that wasn't the most disgusting thing in the room. That honor went to the people, the live humans there, paying to be sucked on by vampires. Buffy fought the urge to reach for a stake.
Spike sensed her intentions, "Don't stop, Slayer. This isn't what we're here for." He nods to some stairs. Buffy begins to head up them, but stops when she hears a scuffle.
"What do you think you're doing?" a vampire asked Spike.
"Just having a little look, mate. Keep it down." Spike tried to ignore the annoying intrusion. He attempted to follow Buffy once more, but was stopped by the vampire once again.
"You can't go up there."
Spike grabbed the vampire by the throat and tossed him aside. "I said to keep it down." The platinum-haired vampire turned back to the stairs, adjusted his jacket, and followed the Slayer.
Buffy was confused. The second floor was in the same condition as the first floor. 'What is so important about this damn building?' Buffy was getting agitated. Spike leads her to a slightly open door. With a nod of his head, he let her know that whatever he wanted to show her was on the other side. Buffy walked through the door and stopped, shock registering on her face. Riley sat on the other side of the room, bare-chested, allowing a vampire to drink from his arm.
"Harder," Riley ordered, unaware of the spectator now in the room. Buffy gasped, causing Riley to look up. The vampire continued to drink as Riley gulped. "Buffy."
Buffy didn't know what else to do. She just turned and ran.
Buffy struggled to overcome the grogginess that came along with waking up. She opened her eyes, squinting against the bright light of day. Xander smiled down at her, his brown hair mussed from a night of attempted sleep.
"How do you feel?" Xander asked the blond.
"Like I got hit by a truck," Buffy answered honestly. She hurt all over. Her muscles screamed in agony when she attempted to stretch. "Or was it a train?" Buffy thought out loud about her condition. "Xander, why do I hurt?"
Xander looked guilty. "Well, the sleeping pill didn't work, but you needed sleep."
"And?" Buffy prodded.
Xander held up a syringe needle and ducked his head. Buffy glared at him when she realized what had happened. "You sedated me? With what?"
"Leftover wolf tranquilizers," Xander shrugged. "Did you stay in this world though and get some sleep?"
Buffy thought about it. "Yeah, I guess I did. I do feel like I've slept for the first time in weeks. But tranquilizers? Let's not make a habit of this, okay?"
"Promise," Xander swore, crossing his fingers behind his back. 'Screw that,' he thought to himself. 'I'm not about to lose her. Not now, not ever.' "So, what do you think happened in the other world?"
"I honestly don't know," Buffy admitted. "I guess the world probably went on like usual, just like it did when I was still living only one life."
"But you like this one best don't you?" Xander asked, trying to mask his worry.
Buffy smiled and looked deep into his eyes. "There is no competition. I am only complete when I am with you. There I am just a hollow shell of myself. How could I ever choose that world over ours?"
Xander smiled and lifted Buffy out of bed, holding her close. "I knew you'd say that."
Buffy wrapped her arms around Xander's neck, wincing slightly. "I need to take a shower and then we have to go see Giles. See if he has any answers."
Xander nodded and set Buffy back on her feet. She moved toward the bathroom, turning around, halfway there. "Coming?" she asked, her voice seductive.
Xander grinned, "Thought you'd never ask?" He rushed across the room and tossed Buffy over his shoulder. Her squeal was the last thing heard as the door clicked close.
~Magic Box~
"Buffy," Giles greeted the young couple as they entered the store a few hours later. "How did it go last night?"
"Everything went fine," Buffy assured her Watcher. "I got a full night's sleep with no alternate world to invade my life, thanks to Tranquilizer-boy here." If looks could kill, Xander would be a smoldering pile of ashes.
Xander shrugged, "Hey! At least it worked."
"Uh-huh," Buffy said. "Now I know how Oz feels."
"How I feel about what?" Oz asked, coming from the back room.
"Being shot with a tranquilizer," Buffy replied.
"Oh," Oz sat down at the table, pushing a heavy book aside.
"So, G-man, find anything out yet?" Xander asked the older gentleman, eager to solve their latest crisis.
Giles removed his glasses and Buffy sighed. This was never a good sign. "Well, the Council is looking. So far, nothing has surfaced. But we will find something."
"And?" Buffy asked. "Look Giles, I know you're hiding something. What is it?"
Giles exhaled and sat down. "I got a call from Angel last night."
"Yeah, so?" Buffy was confused. "What's the big deal?"
"Buffy, Angel doesn't exist in this world any more," the Watcher reminded the Slayer.
Xander stared at Giles. "What did he say?"
"He said Buffy was going to die," Giles said. "He mentioned a name. Riley, I believe it was."
Xander closed his eyes. Buffy winced as his hand tightened possessively around hers, but she didn't say anything. "Did he say anything else?"
Giles shook his head. "Nothing."
"This Riley is in her other life," Xander mentioned. "Maybe he'll try...Buffy, are you okay?" Buffy was swaying slightly at his side, holding onto his arm for support.
"I'm just so dizzy," Buffy admitted. Her head was spinning. Xander began to reach for a chair, but Buffy went slack in his arms. She fell to the ground, no longer aware of her surroundings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
World 1
Buffy slowly opened her eyes. She was in her room, at her mother's house. It was dark outside. 'Why am I here now? I should be with Xander, how did I get here?' Buffy realized she wasn't alone in the room. She glanced over at the door and saw Spike standing, bathed in moonlight.
"Every time you show up like this, you risk all of your parts, you know that?" Buffy glared at the intruder.
Spike rushed to defend himself, "I wouldn't be here if I didn't have a good reason. As usual, I'm here to help you, and I - are you naked under there?"
Buffy rolled her eyes. Typical Spike. "Get out."
"No, I'm serious. I mean, not about the naked part, I mean..." Spike craned his neck, attempting to see under the covers.
"Get out or I will drop you out head-first." Buffy threatened.
"I wanna show you something." Spike spoke in a low, serious tone.
Buffy realized he was serious. "What?"
"You need to see this," Spike responded. Buffy sighed. "But we need to move if we wanna get there in time."
'What now?' Buffy wondered. She looked at Spike and raised her eyebrows. 'I am not about to change in front of him. No free shows for the dead guy.'
"Oh, please! Like I give a bloody damn." Spike scoffed as he turned around. Buffy glowered as she quickly changed into some nearby clothes. 'This had better be good.'
Silence filled the night as Buffy followed Spike to an old, abandoned warehouse. 'And this is unusual, how?' Buffy wondered as she focused on the vampire in front of her. They entered the dark, dingy building.
Buffy was disgusted as she looked around. The place reeked of filth and death. There was garbage lying in piles all around. But that wasn't the most disgusting thing in the room. That honor went to the people, the live humans there, paying to be sucked on by vampires. Buffy fought the urge to reach for a stake.
Spike sensed her intentions, "Don't stop, Slayer. This isn't what we're here for." He nods to some stairs. Buffy begins to head up them, but stops when she hears a scuffle.
"What do you think you're doing?" a vampire asked Spike.
"Just having a little look, mate. Keep it down." Spike tried to ignore the annoying intrusion. He attempted to follow Buffy once more, but was stopped by the vampire once again.
"You can't go up there."
Spike grabbed the vampire by the throat and tossed him aside. "I said to keep it down." The platinum-haired vampire turned back to the stairs, adjusted his jacket, and followed the Slayer.
Buffy was confused. The second floor was in the same condition as the first floor. 'What is so important about this damn building?' Buffy was getting agitated. Spike leads her to a slightly open door. With a nod of his head, he let her know that whatever he wanted to show her was on the other side. Buffy walked through the door and stopped, shock registering on her face. Riley sat on the other side of the room, bare-chested, allowing a vampire to drink from his arm.
"Harder," Riley ordered, unaware of the spectator now in the room. Buffy gasped, causing Riley to look up. The vampire continued to drink as Riley gulped. "Buffy."
Buffy didn't know what else to do. She just turned and ran.