Angela the Vampire Slayer

Part Three

by Kenne Morrison

Disclaimer:  All recognizable character and story elements are copyright Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.  This story is for entertainment purposes only.  Not for profit.

What has gone on before:  An ancient demon with plans to conquer the world performed a ritual that banished Buffy from the Earth Dimension.  His plan was to rid the world of its slayer without killing her so another slayer could not be activated.  However, at the same time his ritual was beginning, Willow and Tara were attempting a spell of their own.  The result was Buffy being pulled into an alternate dimension while the slayer of that dimension was pulled into her world.  Now Buffy finds herself on a world in a Sunnydale very similar yet too different from her own.  Here, someone else was chosen to be the slayer; someone who operates differently from her.  Here she finds that her presence meant a difference in her friends.  Now she's coming to the realization that her friendship with Willow meant a big deal in Willow's life.

            One month later, Buffy had learned a lot about this alternate world and the people who were so different from the friends she remembered them to be.  First, Buffy learned that she was never chosen as the slayer.  Another girl, Angela Ruiz, had been the chosen one.  Angela was the daughter of Mexican immigrants who had worked hard to give their daughter what she had.  They had also instilled in Angela a rigid structure of how things should be done.  So, as a result, Angela treated her duties as a slayer very seriously and had surrounded herself with assistants that would take it just as seriously.

            The first person that Angela had met was Xander, and while his adolescent preoccupation with beauty caused Angela much stress, she eventually molded Xander into a capable fighter and right hand man.  Giles was delighted in having a slayer who took her duties so seriously, but it was unsettling to him at first when Angela accused him of being "Too lazy".  Giles had quickly learned that he was not going to be able to develop any sort of personal friendship with the slayer.  Angela had sought out the very best people to aid her in her tasks even though she was not interested in getting to know them as people.  Therefore, Willow was given research work and working with computers to find information, but she was never allowed to assist in the actual slaying of demons.  Angela felt that her shyness and lack of confidence in herself was too great of a liability to be of much use to the cause.

            The fact that Willow had been relegated to such a menial task hurt Buffy more than she was aware.  When Tara, Giles, and Xander had decided to let her move around on her own, she had sought out Willow.  The extent to how little Willow thought of herself almost brought Buffy to tears.  It was certainly not how she had expected to find Willow when she first met.

            A knock on the door sent Willow scurrying around her room picking up papers and making sure her hair was in place.  "Ummm, come, come in," came Willow's uncertain reply.  Buffy had no idea how to prepare herself for meeting this Willow for the first time, but she knew that she needed to do it, if only to help this Willow to see what her Willow had become.  Opening the door, Buffy walked in.  The room was tiny and devoid of character.  Willow was hiding behind a computer desk her long auburn hair hiding her face.  "Hi, you don't know me, but my name is Buffy.  I'm not from this world, but because things are similar here, I feel that I know you so well."

            "I know who you are.  Tara and Mr. Giles have told me all about you.  They need me to do some research to see if we can send you home.  I assume you've come to see if I've made progress, and I'm sorry but I don't know anything yet.  You see…."  Willow explained like someone who was late getting a school assignment done.

            "Willow, that's not why I'm here,"  Buffy brushed back her platinum blonde hair and flashed her friendliest smile, a smile that had gotten a response of a smile out of her best friend back home.

            Willow's mouth gaped open at the response.  She was expecting Buffy to lecture her on the work she was given.  She stared in wide-eyed wonder as Buffy walked around the room as if studying things in a non threatening way.  "I-I can get you some tea if you'd like,"

            "That would be great, Willow, but if you'd tell me where things are, I'd like to get us both some tea."  Buffy followed Willow's instructions as Willow sat there looking like she was literally at a loss for words.

            While Buffy went about making the tea, she tried to find that spark in Willow that she knew should be there.  However, this Willow had never had the chance to bloom.  Buffy was willing to accept the truth that things were so radically different just because she wasn't there.

            "So, Will, you ever get into the witchy stuff like Tara does?" Buffy was staring at the room she was in.  She couldn't tell if this was a classroom or an office because it was so devoid of personal character.

            "Oh, no, I'm not allowed to do anything like that.  It's too dangerous."  Buffy looked into Willow's eyes and saw that 'mouse caught in a trap' look that she was very familiar with.  Whenever Willow became uncomfortable or bewildered she'd always dart her eyes expecting trouble.  In her world, this was an asset that Willow used to stay on her feet and ever aware of danger.  But in this world, it just meant that someone was beating Willow down so far that she didn't know how to respond for herself.

            "Have you ever tried to practice magic.  You'd be good at it, you know."

            "I can't.  Tara's the strong one.  She's the one with the gift.  I-I only mess things up."

            "You never know unless you tried, Will."

            "Um...I-I don't think so.  We don't need some demon coming from a hell dimension to eat us all up."

            "Oh, c'mon Will, try.  For me?"

            "No."

            "Please? My Will would.  She's a big bad witch."

            "I'm NOT YOUR WILLOW!!!"

            Buffy stood there startled at Willow's outburst.  She was hoping that her goading would ignite that spark that she knew was there, but she hadn't expected an outburst like she was seeing.

            "Whoever she is.  She isn't me.  I'm not her.  I think you should just go before you get me in trouble."

            "Sure.  Whatever. " Buffy turned to go hiding the tears that threatened to flow from her eyes.  "You're not my Willow."