A Second Chance By Story Oracle
Disclaimer-I don't own any characters from BTVS. They belong to the Evil Joss.
Summary- Buffy is given a chance to live her life over again. AU after Lie to Me B/A G/J X/C
Spoilers- minor 'Lessons' and 'Beneath You', Season 2 & 3 after 'Lie to Me', minor Season 4,5 and 6.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm going to be the best principal ever!"
His words echoing around in her head, Buffy stood still, watching the principal of the new Sunnydale High School walk down the hallway. Suddenly the noises made by the students around her was gone, replaced by someone saying her name, over and over. Buffy could almost feel someone shaking her shoulder. *What's going on?* she wondered. Suddenly the hallway started to fade away. "No!" She screamed, closing her eyes.
The shaking increased. "Buffy? Come on, wake up."
Buffy opened her eyes to see Jenny Calendar leaning over her. *Oh my God! S-She's dead* "Ahhh" she screamed, moving her chair as far away from the gypsy woman as possible.
Jenny took a step back from the pale, shaking slayer. "Buffy? Are you all right?"
The blonde slayer went totally white, and she slid along the bookshelves, away from the computer teacher whose dead body had been found in Giles' bed, until she felt a restraining hand on her shoulder. Buffy felt the tingle that went through her every time she felt her mate's touch, and froze. She slowly turned around until her green eyes met brown ones filled with concern for her.
"Buffy? Baby, are you okay?"
Buffy's eyes widened and she whimpered in fear, wrenching herself out of Angel's grasp and jumping away from him. *First Jenny and now Angel...what's going on?* Panting, she looked around, taking note of her surroundings for the first time. She saw bookshelves, a large table, and an open door leading to an office. *Giles left his office door open again!* she mused. *Wait... GILES' OFFICE???* Bracing herself against the bookshelf, Buffy turned in the direction of the counter. If this was the Sunnydale Library as it looked like it was, then the rest of the gang would be near the counter.
Sure enough, Giles was standing behind the counter, a thick book open in front of him. Xander and Cordelia stood in front of it, also with books open in front of them. Willow sat on the counter, playing with her long hair, with a book open on her lap. Buffy's gaze lingered on her best friend. After all, the last time the slayer had seen her, the witch had gone evil and had tried to end the world. *It's nice to see Will acting like her normal self again!* Her gaze went past the redhead, then back as she realized Willow's hair was long, like it was when they first met.
"Nooooo." Buffy whispered. "It can't be. It's not possible." Her face filled with confusion, as she turned back to face her love. Angel's face plainly showed his hurt and confusion over her actions, as did Jenny's.
"What's not possible, Buffy?" Angel asked.
But the blonde slayer didn't answer him. She had fainted.
Buffy found herself in what looked like an office. She had never seen it before.
"It is possible." A voice said from the doorway. Buffy spun around to face Whistler. "It's just not done very often."
Buffy just looked at him, more confused then before. "What are you talking about?"
"You've been given a chance to start over, kid." He smiled. "The Powers That Be are tired of their warriors being in pain. It wasn't supposed to be that way. Janna of Clan Kalderash was supposed to tell you about the curse so you could fix it. When she didn't, and you had to send Angel to Hell, they brought him back to give you two another chance. Then Angel refused to believe that the two of you were meant to be together, and left Sunnydale. At Thanksgiving they gave him another chance to make it right, which he again gave up. After the whole Connor thing, they decided to take things into their own hands. Or, rather, yours. They sent you back in time to right the wrongs done by Janna of Clan Kalderash and your Angel."
"How do I do that?"
"You need to confront Janna and convince her to do a binding spell. It has to be done before your birthday or we're right back where we started."
"Will...will everything happened as it did before?"
"Some things will, some won't. Angel won't leave, so the whole running away thing won't happen. You won't be with Scott, Parker or Riley. Xander and Cordelia will stay together, as will Willow and Oz, and Giles and Jenny. Willow won't turn evil and Giles won't leave.
"That's how I always dreamed things would turn out."
Whistler smiled. "You're back to your junior year of high school. Principle Synder is still alive, but your old friend Ford isn't. Kendra hasn't come yet, so Drusilla is still weak and Spike can still walk. Oz still has a thing for Willow, but they're not dating yet, and he doesn't know that he's a werewolf. The Key is still energy, so you don't have a sister."
"How do I explain my behavior after I woke up?"
"You'll find a way. I believe in you." Whistler winked at her and disappeared.
"Gee, that was real helpful." Buffy muttered. "How do I get back?"
Buffy felt Whistler's voice instead of hearing it this time. 'Close your eyes.'
"OK, that was just freaky." Buffy complained. Still, she closed her eyes.
Buffy felt a slight tug, then she was back in her body. She was lying down on the floor, with her head in Angel's lap.
The vampire was stroking her hair with one hand, and calling her name over and over, asking if she could hear him. His free hand held one of Buffy's hands in a strong grip. Buffy opened her eyes and looked up at her love, whom she hadn't seen in almost two years. "Angel," she whispered.
"Buffy!" Angel leaned down and kissed her forehead quickly, before helping her to sit up.
"Buffy, are you all right?" Giles asked as he walked over to stand next to Ms. Calendar."
"You scared us when you fainted." Willow added.
"Sorry. I had a weird dream. When I woke up I thought I was still in it."
"Weird as in bad? Or as in terrifying?" Giles asked.
"It wasn't exactly bad, but it wasn't the best dream."
"Would..Can you tell us about it?" Jenny asked hesitantly.
Buffy winced inwardly at the teacher's hesitant tone. One of the things she regretted the most was the way she had treated Jenny after Angel's curse had broken. She would make sure they didn't go through that again. "It was of a possible future...a bad one. One that will come to be if we make the same mistakes again. I mean it wasn't like hell on earth or anything, there were good times, but I don't want our lives to be like that."
"How bad could it be?" Xander asked. "I mean nothing's that bad as long as we have each other."
The slayer looked around her at the people in the library. Xander, Cordelia, Willow, Giles, Jenny, her Angel-her gaze lingered on him for a second-before turning back to Xander. "The gang wasn't the same. Some of us had left-*Jenny, Cordelia, Angel, Giles*- while others had joined us." *Riley, Anya, Tara, Faith, Dawnie, Spike*
"You said we made mistakes," Giles mused, going into Watcher mode. "How do we fix them, or better yet, how do we not make them again?"
Buffy looked at him, really looked at him. He seemed happy standing there next to Jenny with his arm around her shoulder. Happier than she remembered seeing him since before Graduation. If she remembered right, he and Jenny had patched up their relationship.
"Buffy?" Giles asked.
Buffy blinked, realizing she had been staring at Giles. "I'm sorry. I'm just really tired," she lied. "That dream took more out of me then I realized."
"Its quite all right." Giles smiled. "It is late. We all should be getting home."
Everyone picked up their things and prepared to leave. As they walked out, Buffy hung back by Jenny and Giles. "Ms. Calendar? Can I talk to you?"
"Of course, Buffy. Why don't I take you home? We can talk in the car." Jenny and Buffy walked out to Jenny's car and sat down.
"I know this is going to sound strange," Buffy said. "But please hear me out." Jenny nodded and the slayer continued. "My dream revealed many things to me about the next four years. It was almost like I had lived those years. Many things that happened...I don't want to happen again."
Jenny started the car and headed for Buffy's house. Buffy a deep breath and continued. "Ms Calendar..I.," Buffy stopped and sighed. "There's no easy way to say this. I know who you are."
"As does the rest of the gang. I teach computers."
"No, I mean the real you. Janna of Clan Kalderash. I know you're a gypsy"
Jenny slammed on the brakes and jerked the car over to the side of the road. She turned to face Buffy, her face pale. "What? I don't know what you're talking about."
"I know, Janna. I know that your grandmother sent you here to watch Angel and to make sure he still suffers."
"How?"
"Like I said, my dream revealed many things. The details don't matter. We have more important matters at hand. We have to bind Angel's soul to his body.
"Bind his soul? What are you talking about? He can't lose it. He is to suffer for eternity.
"There is a clause in the spell your ancestor used. It says that if he has one moment of true happiness, then he will lose his soul."
"How do you know? Oh right your dream. I'm sorry Buffy, I can't help you."
"Please, you have to at least try to translate the spell. I know you can."
"My family would be very angry if they found out I was trying to help Angelus. I'm sorry Buffy, I won't help you."
Buffy hated to tell Jenny what had happened to her, but she saw no other choice. "Maybe I can give you a reason. In the dream, the curse broke. Angelus went back to Spike and Drusilla, and became master of the vampires. When Angelus came back you were forced to tell us about your past. We were upset, and refused to interact with you, especially Giles. You worked around the clock to translate the curse so you could recurse Angel, which is how I know you can do it again. Just as you finished the curse, Angelus found out from Drusilla and destroyed it, and killed you, leaving your body in Giles' bed. Giles was devastated."
The gypsy woman was silent for a while, "I have a program that will help me translate. I will work as fast as I can. Please, Buffy, keep this between us."
"I won't tell anyone. I'll help in any way I can. We need to get it done by my birthday."
~~~~~~~~~~~
A few days later after school, the gang was in the library. Willow was doing homework, while Buffy and Xander threw a paper ball to one another across the table. Giles was doing Watcher things, Jenny was working on her laptop, and Cordelia was fussing with her hair. Jenny typed a few more than picked up a yellow floppy disk. Sticking it in the laptop, she hit a few more keys with a flourish. She saved the document on the floppy then sent it to the printer in her classroom. "Yes!" She muttered happily. Raising her voice, she added, "Buffy you said you needed my help with a computer program that you don't know how to use? I can show you it in the computer lab, now if you like."
It took Buffy a little while before she realized what Jenny meant. "Oh! Yes please, its really confusing."
"What computer program, Buffy?" Willow asked, a little hurt. "I could have helped you."
"I know, Will, I just didn't want to bother you so I asked Ms. Calendar." They walked out of the room towards the lab. "I'll patrol after we're done, Giles." She said over her shoulder.
"Well wasn't that just peachy." Xander exclaimed. "The Buffster sure has been spending a lot of time with Ms. Calendar lately. It's like she's the new Teacher's Pet or something."
"She needed help." Angel answered.
"But since when does Buffy ask for help?" Cordelia asked.
Buffy followed Jenny to her classroom. "Did you get it done?"
Jenny smiled. "I've worked around the clock for the past week. I just now got it done!"
"Thank god! You and I obviously have to be the ones to cast it. What supplies to we need?"
Jenny looked at he paper in her hand. "We need an Orb...I can get that, herbs-she showed Buffy the list of which herbs to get-...you can get those from the Magic Shop. Oh, and something that belonged to Angel...your jacket will work. Everything else I have at my house. It's 6:00 now, do you think you can come to my house at say 7:30? We can do the spell then."
"That's fine. I'll get the herbs, then do a quick patrol." She picked up the list and walked towards the door. "Thank you so much, Ms. Calendar."
"Buffy?" The slayer stopped in the doorway and turned to look at the gypsy. "Please, my friends call me Jenny. I'd be honored if you did...just not in class of course."
Buffy smiled at her. "I'd like that...Jenny."
~~~~~
At 7:30 Buffy was at Jenny's house with the supplies. Jenny was ready for her and they did the spell. Jenny did the actual casting, Buffy stood outside the circle and watched.
As Jenny started chanting Buffy felt a warmth flow through her, and a slight tugging, then a flow of energy that was so great it made the slayer pass out on the floor. When she awoke she was lying on a couch with Jenny sitting next to her.
"How do you feel?" The gypsy asked.
"Tired." The slayer replied. "And... something else... Angel. You bonded his soul with mine didn't you?"
Jenny nodded. "It was the easiest thing to do. Angel will never be able to lose his soul as long as you're alive."
"And when I die...it'll be True Happiness Clause part 2." It was more of a statement then a question. Jenny nodded anyway.
Buffy stood and stretched. "I'm going home to sleep. Tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken will be a battle with Spike and Drusilla."
"You know what will happen in the future? Past your seventeenth birthday?"
"I'll explain more when the whole gang's together, but I know what will happen in the next five years, to some extent. It will be different with Angel not losing his soul, and not leaving Sunnydale, but the major events should be the same. We will be prepared, this time around."
~~~~~~~
The next day Buffy called a meeting in the library after school. Everyone, including Angel, was there.
Xander and Cordelia were the last to arrive. "Wow!" Xander whistled. "Whatever's going down tonight must be big for Dead Boy to be her before sunset."
Buffy didn't even crack a smile. "It is." Something in her tone told Xander that she meant business and he sat down without another word.
"The underground was pretty quiet. Spike's not attacking, he's hidden himself and Dru. No-one knows where." Angel said quietly.
"They're in an abandoned factory. Spike isn't as quiet as he appears to be. He's planning something. We have to attack tonight, and we have to destroy his plans."
"We have to?" Giles asked. "What's so important that we have to attack tonight? We're not ready."
"Spike is calling in the Order or Taraka." Buffy replied. "We have to prevent him from doing so."
Angel stared at her. "The Order? Are you sure?"
"Taraka?" Cordelia asked. "What kind of name is that?"
"The name of a deadly band of assassins, bounty hunters to be exact. Probably called to kill Buffy." Giles answered quietly.
"Angel and I will attack tonight. Giles, find a way to stop the call." Buffy ordered.
~~~~~
"I'm calling in the Order of Taraka." Spike said.
"The Order? Isn't that overkill?" Dalton asked.
"I think its just enough kill. I want the slayer out of the way. Nothing is going to stop this spell."
"What spell?" Angel hissed. He and Buffy were outside the room listening. Buffy stood up and went for the door. "What are you doing?"
"Trust me." She whispered. "Follow me." Raising her voice, she called "That's what you think, Spike."
The peroxide blonde spun around, going into game face. "Slayer! How the hell did you get in here? How the hell did you find us?"
"I have my ways." While Spike's attention was on the slayer, Angel destroyed the cards, Spike was using to call in the Order. When Spike realized what he was doing, he sprang towards his sire, but it was too late.
"Bloody Hell! I'll kill you for that, Peaches!"
Angel came over and stood behind Buffy. "I'd like to see you try, William."
Spike growled and started towards the elder vampire, but was stopped by Dru's hand on his arm. "Don't worry, luv. Daddy will come back to us soon. Then we'll be a family again."
Angel tensed. *Angelus*, but Buffy just laughed. He looked at her in surprise. *Dru just said I was going to lose my soul and she just laughs?*
"In your dreams, Dru." Buffy laughed. "Your precious Daddy is never coming back again."
Dru snarled. "You changed it! You and that nasty gypsy."
Spike and Angel stood there puzzled, wondering what their girls were arguing about.
"That we did. Angelus will never be set free again."
Suddenly Drucilla's eyes narrowed. "You hurt my Spikey! You tainted him!"
"That wasn't my fault!" Buffy exclaimed. "I never asked for him to tie me to a pole and beg me to love him. Though it was pretty funny to see Harmony yelling at him. But I certainly never asked for him to fall in love with me. Especially after I came back!"
Dru snarled. "You made him feel! Not only for you, but for a mindless cloud of energy!"
"Oh yeah," Buffy rolled her eyes. "Like I wanted to be almost raped in my bathroom."
"WHAT?" Angel stared at Spike with murder in his eyes.
Buffy laid a hand on his shoulder to calm him. " And Dawnie is not a blob of energy! She is my sister. I never wanted her to fall in love with a soulless demon. She did it on her own!" The slayer crossed her arms over her chest, and glared at the insane vampire. "Take your Spikey and get out of this country. If I see either one of you here again, you're dust! Got it?"
But the brunette hadn't finished her tirade yet. "You made him go out and get a soul!" She hissed.
"Go find your Chaos demon, Dru." Buffy, rolling her eyes, turned and walked out, dragging Angel with her. *So that's why he left. He got a soul!*
By the time they got back to the library, Angel was shaking with rage, thinking about Spike touching his mate. He had replayed the conversation in his head the whole way home. *Drucilla said Angelus was coming back...but that's not possible. And Buffy knew what she was talking about. Everything Dru said Buffy understood. How...why? Dru said Buffy had worked with a gypsy...theres a Kalderash gypsy in Sunnydale...why didn't she tell me? Buffy's sister falling in love with Spike...she doesn't have a sister. When did Spike have MY mate tied to a pole? When did she leave? WHY did she leave? And when did he try to rape her? When did she invite him into her house?* He just about dragged Buffy into the library and pushed her into a seat at the table, not caring what the gang thought about his actions or the fact that he was in gameface and snarling angrily. He was beyond angry, and also very confused.
Giles and the Scoobies watched as Angel, in full gameface and snarling, dragged Buffy into the library and pushed her into a chair. What shocked them even more was that Buffy didn't seem to care that he was so rough with her. She was smiling as she thought of all the time she had spent crying in her room after Angelus had come back, and again when Angel had left. Now that the curse was gone she didn't think she would have to cry in her room ever again. She snapped out of her thoughts as Angel roughly shook her shoulders.
"Do you want to explain what Drucilla was talking about?" He growled at her.
Buffy's smile faded as she tried to think of a way to break it to him easily.
"Um, Angel?" Willow asked timidly. "Why are you so angry?"
"Dru and Buffy had a conversation while we were at the factory about things only they knew. About Angelus, Buffy's sister, and Spike. Mostly about Spike. About Spike tying her up and almost raping her." He spat.
"Excuse me? Did you lose what's left of your brain?" Cordelia asked. "Buffy doesn't have a sister."
"I know that." Angel replied, getting angrier. "Dru said something about Spike falling for energy, and Buffy said it was her sister."
"Spike raped my slayer?" Giles asked shocked. "When was Spike ever alone with Buffy?"
"Almost. She said he almost did. In her own house!"
"Buffy invited a soulless demon into her house?" Xander screeched.
Buffy sat at the table, pinned in her chair by Angel's arms, which were still on her shoulders. She was getting really tired of her friends talking about her as if she wasn't in the room. "Excuse me!" She called, trying to get everyone's attention so she could explain. Everyone except Jenny ignored her, continuing to yell at each other. "SHUT UP!! She shouted. They all turned to look at her, except Angel.
"Thank you." She smiled. "Now if you all shut up and let me explain, you might get all your questions answered.
Angel lowered his head to look at the floor. "Why? How?"
Buffy winced, guessing what he was talking about. "Angel, let me explain. Please."
The dark haired vampire sighed and sat down. Buffy sighed and looked at the table. This was going to be difficult.
'Make sure you don't tell them too much of the future, Blondie. Only tell what is necessary right now. You can tell them the rest when it's about to happen.' Whistler's voice echoed in her mind. 'And don't worry. You won't always carry these memories around. After a while they will fade, and you will remember only what you need to fight-not the details.'
Buffy smiled to herself. *That's good to know. Though I wish you would stop speaking to me telepathically. It scares the shit out of me.*
She heard the demon's laugh. 'Would you rather I said it out loud so everyone could hear me?'
She laughed silently. *Good point.* Buffy looked up to see everyone staring at her. *Now look what you've done!*
Her only response was another laugh, as the good demon's mind pulled away from hers.
She sighed. "Okay. You all know the dream I woke up from a few days ago?"
"When you went all crazy at the sight of Ms. Calendar and Dead Boy?" Xander asked.
Cordelia hit him on the arm. "That was a yes."
Buffy smiled. It sure was good to see them back together. *No! They never broke up. Remember that, Blondie. Oh great! Now I'm sounding like Whistler.* "Yeah, that one. Well...it wasn't exactly a dream. Or at least it wasn't to me."
"How could it not be a dream?" Willow asked.
"Guys please let me finish with no interruptions." She sighed and continued. "Like I was saying it wasn't a dream. It was of the future but I didn't dream it-I lived it."
Angel's head snapped up and he stared at his girlfriend, questions in his eyes. "The Powers That Be are gods that rule the good forces. They create the prophesies and send them to us. The slayer is their warrior against the dark forces. They are the fates, and create destiny. A secret that was supposed to be shared in the former timeline wasn't so a powerful demon was brought back, which was not supposed to happen. From that time on the PTB's best Warriors-who were soulmates-were separated. Every time the PTB's tries to reunite them something stood in their way. They knew the Warriors were stronger together then apart, so they decided it had gone on too long. They sent me back in the past to right the wrong done to the Warriors."
"Which means what?" Xander asked.
"I was given the chance to live my life over again-the way it was supposed to be."
"The Warriors you spoke of," Jenny said softly. "Are you and Angel, right?"
Buffy stood behind her mate and put her arm on his shoulder. "Yes. Angel and I are soulmates."
The vampires face lit up with the thought that he was able to be with the one he loved for all eternity, but something still bothered him. "What Dru said, about Angelus coming back..."
"In the other timeline, he did come back. You experienced a moment of true happiness and you lost your soul. That was because of the secret. But Jenny and I made sure you will never lose your soul again."
"The pain I felt last night. You did a spell?"
"Yes." Jenny confirmed. "I bound you soul to Buffy's. You can never lose it as long as she's alive. When she dies, if you have a moment of true happiness you will lose it again. But I doubt that will happen if Buffy's gone."
Angel pulled Buffy down for a kiss. "Never. Not if she's not with me."
"'Jenny' did the spell?" Willow asked hurt.
"Yeah I thought you were just a technopagen. Well that and a computer teacher." Xander said.
The gypsy paled a little and looked at Buffy. Buffy shrugged "It's your call. All I can say is I won't turn you away."
Jenny sighed. "I haven't been fully honest with you. I'm not really from New York. I'm a Romanian. A Kalderash Gypsy."
"What?" Angel tensed, and Buffy sat in his lap trying to calm him.
"I was sent here to watch you, Angel, by my grandmother. To make sure you still suffered."
"You lied to me." Giles spat. "To all of us. We trusted you."
"Why?" was all that Angel could say.
"My people are stuck in the old times. They wanted the demon who killed their prized daughter to suffer. They didn't-don't-understand that the demon committed the crime, not you. As a matter of fact they refuse to see it. I believed that too, until I met you and saw how in love you and Buffy were-and then fell in love with Rupert." She risked a glance at Giles and her heart dropped when his expression didn't change. "I can't change what is the past. All I can say is that I am sorry. I never meant to hurt you, Angel, or to hurt anyone here."
Buffy opened her mouth to say something but Angel beat her to it. "I forgive you, Jenny. I understand the cry of vengeance. And I thank you for giving me the chance to be with Buffy." He gave the gypsy a rare smile then stood up and left the library through the stacks.
Buffy hugged Jenny hard whispering, "Thank you!", then took off after her boyfriend.
"Um, we're just gonna leave now." Willow babbled nervously. "Bye!." She stood up and ran out of the library dragging Xander with her.
Jenny turned to look at Giles, who had his back to her. "Rupert..."
Giles turned to look at the woman who had stolen his heart. He was hurt that she had kept her past from him, but he remembered the last few weeks after Halloween. He knew he couldn't live without her. Sighing he whispered, "I forgive you."
Buffy didn't catch up with Angel until they had reached his apartment. When she ran up panting he mearly looked at her and gestured for her to go inside. She sighed and sat on the end of the bed.
"You're angry." It wasn't a question.
He turned to look at her. "What really went on tonight, with Spike."
"We stopped him from calling in the Order of Taraka."
The dark haired vampire just stared at her.
"Alright. Somehow Drusilla remembers the former timeline. Probably because of her visions, or something. The things that she said...don't matter anymore. They won't happen again." *I'll make sure of that.*
~~~~~~~~
Buffy woke up to the sound of the phone. She leaned over and picked it up. "Hello?"
"Buffy! Thank God you and Angel are ok. You two are okay right?"
"Yes, Will," she smiled looking at Angel sleeping next to her in the bed. "We're both fine."
"And the judge?"
"Floating in the water. The rocket launcher worked just fine."
"That's good. I'll see you later."
"Bye."
Hanging the phone up she went back to the bed, smiling at Angel who had woken up.
"Who was that?"
"Willow. We forgot to call last night."
He laughed and moved to lay on top of her. "I guess it just slipped my mind."
Disclaimer-I don't own any characters from BTVS. They belong to the Evil Joss.
Summary- Buffy is given a chance to live her life over again. AU after Lie to Me B/A G/J X/C
Spoilers- minor 'Lessons' and 'Beneath You', Season 2 & 3 after 'Lie to Me', minor Season 4,5 and 6.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm going to be the best principal ever!"
His words echoing around in her head, Buffy stood still, watching the principal of the new Sunnydale High School walk down the hallway. Suddenly the noises made by the students around her was gone, replaced by someone saying her name, over and over. Buffy could almost feel someone shaking her shoulder. *What's going on?* she wondered. Suddenly the hallway started to fade away. "No!" She screamed, closing her eyes.
The shaking increased. "Buffy? Come on, wake up."
Buffy opened her eyes to see Jenny Calendar leaning over her. *Oh my God! S-She's dead* "Ahhh" she screamed, moving her chair as far away from the gypsy woman as possible.
Jenny took a step back from the pale, shaking slayer. "Buffy? Are you all right?"
The blonde slayer went totally white, and she slid along the bookshelves, away from the computer teacher whose dead body had been found in Giles' bed, until she felt a restraining hand on her shoulder. Buffy felt the tingle that went through her every time she felt her mate's touch, and froze. She slowly turned around until her green eyes met brown ones filled with concern for her.
"Buffy? Baby, are you okay?"
Buffy's eyes widened and she whimpered in fear, wrenching herself out of Angel's grasp and jumping away from him. *First Jenny and now Angel...what's going on?* Panting, she looked around, taking note of her surroundings for the first time. She saw bookshelves, a large table, and an open door leading to an office. *Giles left his office door open again!* she mused. *Wait... GILES' OFFICE???* Bracing herself against the bookshelf, Buffy turned in the direction of the counter. If this was the Sunnydale Library as it looked like it was, then the rest of the gang would be near the counter.
Sure enough, Giles was standing behind the counter, a thick book open in front of him. Xander and Cordelia stood in front of it, also with books open in front of them. Willow sat on the counter, playing with her long hair, with a book open on her lap. Buffy's gaze lingered on her best friend. After all, the last time the slayer had seen her, the witch had gone evil and had tried to end the world. *It's nice to see Will acting like her normal self again!* Her gaze went past the redhead, then back as she realized Willow's hair was long, like it was when they first met.
"Nooooo." Buffy whispered. "It can't be. It's not possible." Her face filled with confusion, as she turned back to face her love. Angel's face plainly showed his hurt and confusion over her actions, as did Jenny's.
"What's not possible, Buffy?" Angel asked.
But the blonde slayer didn't answer him. She had fainted.
Buffy found herself in what looked like an office. She had never seen it before.
"It is possible." A voice said from the doorway. Buffy spun around to face Whistler. "It's just not done very often."
Buffy just looked at him, more confused then before. "What are you talking about?"
"You've been given a chance to start over, kid." He smiled. "The Powers That Be are tired of their warriors being in pain. It wasn't supposed to be that way. Janna of Clan Kalderash was supposed to tell you about the curse so you could fix it. When she didn't, and you had to send Angel to Hell, they brought him back to give you two another chance. Then Angel refused to believe that the two of you were meant to be together, and left Sunnydale. At Thanksgiving they gave him another chance to make it right, which he again gave up. After the whole Connor thing, they decided to take things into their own hands. Or, rather, yours. They sent you back in time to right the wrongs done by Janna of Clan Kalderash and your Angel."
"How do I do that?"
"You need to confront Janna and convince her to do a binding spell. It has to be done before your birthday or we're right back where we started."
"Will...will everything happened as it did before?"
"Some things will, some won't. Angel won't leave, so the whole running away thing won't happen. You won't be with Scott, Parker or Riley. Xander and Cordelia will stay together, as will Willow and Oz, and Giles and Jenny. Willow won't turn evil and Giles won't leave.
"That's how I always dreamed things would turn out."
Whistler smiled. "You're back to your junior year of high school. Principle Synder is still alive, but your old friend Ford isn't. Kendra hasn't come yet, so Drusilla is still weak and Spike can still walk. Oz still has a thing for Willow, but they're not dating yet, and he doesn't know that he's a werewolf. The Key is still energy, so you don't have a sister."
"How do I explain my behavior after I woke up?"
"You'll find a way. I believe in you." Whistler winked at her and disappeared.
"Gee, that was real helpful." Buffy muttered. "How do I get back?"
Buffy felt Whistler's voice instead of hearing it this time. 'Close your eyes.'
"OK, that was just freaky." Buffy complained. Still, she closed her eyes.
Buffy felt a slight tug, then she was back in her body. She was lying down on the floor, with her head in Angel's lap.
The vampire was stroking her hair with one hand, and calling her name over and over, asking if she could hear him. His free hand held one of Buffy's hands in a strong grip. Buffy opened her eyes and looked up at her love, whom she hadn't seen in almost two years. "Angel," she whispered.
"Buffy!" Angel leaned down and kissed her forehead quickly, before helping her to sit up.
"Buffy, are you all right?" Giles asked as he walked over to stand next to Ms. Calendar."
"You scared us when you fainted." Willow added.
"Sorry. I had a weird dream. When I woke up I thought I was still in it."
"Weird as in bad? Or as in terrifying?" Giles asked.
"It wasn't exactly bad, but it wasn't the best dream."
"Would..Can you tell us about it?" Jenny asked hesitantly.
Buffy winced inwardly at the teacher's hesitant tone. One of the things she regretted the most was the way she had treated Jenny after Angel's curse had broken. She would make sure they didn't go through that again. "It was of a possible future...a bad one. One that will come to be if we make the same mistakes again. I mean it wasn't like hell on earth or anything, there were good times, but I don't want our lives to be like that."
"How bad could it be?" Xander asked. "I mean nothing's that bad as long as we have each other."
The slayer looked around her at the people in the library. Xander, Cordelia, Willow, Giles, Jenny, her Angel-her gaze lingered on him for a second-before turning back to Xander. "The gang wasn't the same. Some of us had left-*Jenny, Cordelia, Angel, Giles*- while others had joined us." *Riley, Anya, Tara, Faith, Dawnie, Spike*
"You said we made mistakes," Giles mused, going into Watcher mode. "How do we fix them, or better yet, how do we not make them again?"
Buffy looked at him, really looked at him. He seemed happy standing there next to Jenny with his arm around her shoulder. Happier than she remembered seeing him since before Graduation. If she remembered right, he and Jenny had patched up their relationship.
"Buffy?" Giles asked.
Buffy blinked, realizing she had been staring at Giles. "I'm sorry. I'm just really tired," she lied. "That dream took more out of me then I realized."
"Its quite all right." Giles smiled. "It is late. We all should be getting home."
Everyone picked up their things and prepared to leave. As they walked out, Buffy hung back by Jenny and Giles. "Ms. Calendar? Can I talk to you?"
"Of course, Buffy. Why don't I take you home? We can talk in the car." Jenny and Buffy walked out to Jenny's car and sat down.
"I know this is going to sound strange," Buffy said. "But please hear me out." Jenny nodded and the slayer continued. "My dream revealed many things to me about the next four years. It was almost like I had lived those years. Many things that happened...I don't want to happen again."
Jenny started the car and headed for Buffy's house. Buffy a deep breath and continued. "Ms Calendar..I.," Buffy stopped and sighed. "There's no easy way to say this. I know who you are."
"As does the rest of the gang. I teach computers."
"No, I mean the real you. Janna of Clan Kalderash. I know you're a gypsy"
Jenny slammed on the brakes and jerked the car over to the side of the road. She turned to face Buffy, her face pale. "What? I don't know what you're talking about."
"I know, Janna. I know that your grandmother sent you here to watch Angel and to make sure he still suffers."
"How?"
"Like I said, my dream revealed many things. The details don't matter. We have more important matters at hand. We have to bind Angel's soul to his body.
"Bind his soul? What are you talking about? He can't lose it. He is to suffer for eternity.
"There is a clause in the spell your ancestor used. It says that if he has one moment of true happiness, then he will lose his soul."
"How do you know? Oh right your dream. I'm sorry Buffy, I can't help you."
"Please, you have to at least try to translate the spell. I know you can."
"My family would be very angry if they found out I was trying to help Angelus. I'm sorry Buffy, I won't help you."
Buffy hated to tell Jenny what had happened to her, but she saw no other choice. "Maybe I can give you a reason. In the dream, the curse broke. Angelus went back to Spike and Drusilla, and became master of the vampires. When Angelus came back you were forced to tell us about your past. We were upset, and refused to interact with you, especially Giles. You worked around the clock to translate the curse so you could recurse Angel, which is how I know you can do it again. Just as you finished the curse, Angelus found out from Drusilla and destroyed it, and killed you, leaving your body in Giles' bed. Giles was devastated."
The gypsy woman was silent for a while, "I have a program that will help me translate. I will work as fast as I can. Please, Buffy, keep this between us."
"I won't tell anyone. I'll help in any way I can. We need to get it done by my birthday."
~~~~~~~~~~~
A few days later after school, the gang was in the library. Willow was doing homework, while Buffy and Xander threw a paper ball to one another across the table. Giles was doing Watcher things, Jenny was working on her laptop, and Cordelia was fussing with her hair. Jenny typed a few more than picked up a yellow floppy disk. Sticking it in the laptop, she hit a few more keys with a flourish. She saved the document on the floppy then sent it to the printer in her classroom. "Yes!" She muttered happily. Raising her voice, she added, "Buffy you said you needed my help with a computer program that you don't know how to use? I can show you it in the computer lab, now if you like."
It took Buffy a little while before she realized what Jenny meant. "Oh! Yes please, its really confusing."
"What computer program, Buffy?" Willow asked, a little hurt. "I could have helped you."
"I know, Will, I just didn't want to bother you so I asked Ms. Calendar." They walked out of the room towards the lab. "I'll patrol after we're done, Giles." She said over her shoulder.
"Well wasn't that just peachy." Xander exclaimed. "The Buffster sure has been spending a lot of time with Ms. Calendar lately. It's like she's the new Teacher's Pet or something."
"She needed help." Angel answered.
"But since when does Buffy ask for help?" Cordelia asked.
Buffy followed Jenny to her classroom. "Did you get it done?"
Jenny smiled. "I've worked around the clock for the past week. I just now got it done!"
"Thank god! You and I obviously have to be the ones to cast it. What supplies to we need?"
Jenny looked at he paper in her hand. "We need an Orb...I can get that, herbs-she showed Buffy the list of which herbs to get-...you can get those from the Magic Shop. Oh, and something that belonged to Angel...your jacket will work. Everything else I have at my house. It's 6:00 now, do you think you can come to my house at say 7:30? We can do the spell then."
"That's fine. I'll get the herbs, then do a quick patrol." She picked up the list and walked towards the door. "Thank you so much, Ms. Calendar."
"Buffy?" The slayer stopped in the doorway and turned to look at the gypsy. "Please, my friends call me Jenny. I'd be honored if you did...just not in class of course."
Buffy smiled at her. "I'd like that...Jenny."
~~~~~
At 7:30 Buffy was at Jenny's house with the supplies. Jenny was ready for her and they did the spell. Jenny did the actual casting, Buffy stood outside the circle and watched.
As Jenny started chanting Buffy felt a warmth flow through her, and a slight tugging, then a flow of energy that was so great it made the slayer pass out on the floor. When she awoke she was lying on a couch with Jenny sitting next to her.
"How do you feel?" The gypsy asked.
"Tired." The slayer replied. "And... something else... Angel. You bonded his soul with mine didn't you?"
Jenny nodded. "It was the easiest thing to do. Angel will never be able to lose his soul as long as you're alive."
"And when I die...it'll be True Happiness Clause part 2." It was more of a statement then a question. Jenny nodded anyway.
Buffy stood and stretched. "I'm going home to sleep. Tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken will be a battle with Spike and Drusilla."
"You know what will happen in the future? Past your seventeenth birthday?"
"I'll explain more when the whole gang's together, but I know what will happen in the next five years, to some extent. It will be different with Angel not losing his soul, and not leaving Sunnydale, but the major events should be the same. We will be prepared, this time around."
~~~~~~~
The next day Buffy called a meeting in the library after school. Everyone, including Angel, was there.
Xander and Cordelia were the last to arrive. "Wow!" Xander whistled. "Whatever's going down tonight must be big for Dead Boy to be her before sunset."
Buffy didn't even crack a smile. "It is." Something in her tone told Xander that she meant business and he sat down without another word.
"The underground was pretty quiet. Spike's not attacking, he's hidden himself and Dru. No-one knows where." Angel said quietly.
"They're in an abandoned factory. Spike isn't as quiet as he appears to be. He's planning something. We have to attack tonight, and we have to destroy his plans."
"We have to?" Giles asked. "What's so important that we have to attack tonight? We're not ready."
"Spike is calling in the Order or Taraka." Buffy replied. "We have to prevent him from doing so."
Angel stared at her. "The Order? Are you sure?"
"Taraka?" Cordelia asked. "What kind of name is that?"
"The name of a deadly band of assassins, bounty hunters to be exact. Probably called to kill Buffy." Giles answered quietly.
"Angel and I will attack tonight. Giles, find a way to stop the call." Buffy ordered.
~~~~~
"I'm calling in the Order of Taraka." Spike said.
"The Order? Isn't that overkill?" Dalton asked.
"I think its just enough kill. I want the slayer out of the way. Nothing is going to stop this spell."
"What spell?" Angel hissed. He and Buffy were outside the room listening. Buffy stood up and went for the door. "What are you doing?"
"Trust me." She whispered. "Follow me." Raising her voice, she called "That's what you think, Spike."
The peroxide blonde spun around, going into game face. "Slayer! How the hell did you get in here? How the hell did you find us?"
"I have my ways." While Spike's attention was on the slayer, Angel destroyed the cards, Spike was using to call in the Order. When Spike realized what he was doing, he sprang towards his sire, but it was too late.
"Bloody Hell! I'll kill you for that, Peaches!"
Angel came over and stood behind Buffy. "I'd like to see you try, William."
Spike growled and started towards the elder vampire, but was stopped by Dru's hand on his arm. "Don't worry, luv. Daddy will come back to us soon. Then we'll be a family again."
Angel tensed. *Angelus*, but Buffy just laughed. He looked at her in surprise. *Dru just said I was going to lose my soul and she just laughs?*
"In your dreams, Dru." Buffy laughed. "Your precious Daddy is never coming back again."
Dru snarled. "You changed it! You and that nasty gypsy."
Spike and Angel stood there puzzled, wondering what their girls were arguing about.
"That we did. Angelus will never be set free again."
Suddenly Drucilla's eyes narrowed. "You hurt my Spikey! You tainted him!"
"That wasn't my fault!" Buffy exclaimed. "I never asked for him to tie me to a pole and beg me to love him. Though it was pretty funny to see Harmony yelling at him. But I certainly never asked for him to fall in love with me. Especially after I came back!"
Dru snarled. "You made him feel! Not only for you, but for a mindless cloud of energy!"
"Oh yeah," Buffy rolled her eyes. "Like I wanted to be almost raped in my bathroom."
"WHAT?" Angel stared at Spike with murder in his eyes.
Buffy laid a hand on his shoulder to calm him. " And Dawnie is not a blob of energy! She is my sister. I never wanted her to fall in love with a soulless demon. She did it on her own!" The slayer crossed her arms over her chest, and glared at the insane vampire. "Take your Spikey and get out of this country. If I see either one of you here again, you're dust! Got it?"
But the brunette hadn't finished her tirade yet. "You made him go out and get a soul!" She hissed.
"Go find your Chaos demon, Dru." Buffy, rolling her eyes, turned and walked out, dragging Angel with her. *So that's why he left. He got a soul!*
By the time they got back to the library, Angel was shaking with rage, thinking about Spike touching his mate. He had replayed the conversation in his head the whole way home. *Drucilla said Angelus was coming back...but that's not possible. And Buffy knew what she was talking about. Everything Dru said Buffy understood. How...why? Dru said Buffy had worked with a gypsy...theres a Kalderash gypsy in Sunnydale...why didn't she tell me? Buffy's sister falling in love with Spike...she doesn't have a sister. When did Spike have MY mate tied to a pole? When did she leave? WHY did she leave? And when did he try to rape her? When did she invite him into her house?* He just about dragged Buffy into the library and pushed her into a seat at the table, not caring what the gang thought about his actions or the fact that he was in gameface and snarling angrily. He was beyond angry, and also very confused.
Giles and the Scoobies watched as Angel, in full gameface and snarling, dragged Buffy into the library and pushed her into a chair. What shocked them even more was that Buffy didn't seem to care that he was so rough with her. She was smiling as she thought of all the time she had spent crying in her room after Angelus had come back, and again when Angel had left. Now that the curse was gone she didn't think she would have to cry in her room ever again. She snapped out of her thoughts as Angel roughly shook her shoulders.
"Do you want to explain what Drucilla was talking about?" He growled at her.
Buffy's smile faded as she tried to think of a way to break it to him easily.
"Um, Angel?" Willow asked timidly. "Why are you so angry?"
"Dru and Buffy had a conversation while we were at the factory about things only they knew. About Angelus, Buffy's sister, and Spike. Mostly about Spike. About Spike tying her up and almost raping her." He spat.
"Excuse me? Did you lose what's left of your brain?" Cordelia asked. "Buffy doesn't have a sister."
"I know that." Angel replied, getting angrier. "Dru said something about Spike falling for energy, and Buffy said it was her sister."
"Spike raped my slayer?" Giles asked shocked. "When was Spike ever alone with Buffy?"
"Almost. She said he almost did. In her own house!"
"Buffy invited a soulless demon into her house?" Xander screeched.
Buffy sat at the table, pinned in her chair by Angel's arms, which were still on her shoulders. She was getting really tired of her friends talking about her as if she wasn't in the room. "Excuse me!" She called, trying to get everyone's attention so she could explain. Everyone except Jenny ignored her, continuing to yell at each other. "SHUT UP!! She shouted. They all turned to look at her, except Angel.
"Thank you." She smiled. "Now if you all shut up and let me explain, you might get all your questions answered.
Angel lowered his head to look at the floor. "Why? How?"
Buffy winced, guessing what he was talking about. "Angel, let me explain. Please."
The dark haired vampire sighed and sat down. Buffy sighed and looked at the table. This was going to be difficult.
'Make sure you don't tell them too much of the future, Blondie. Only tell what is necessary right now. You can tell them the rest when it's about to happen.' Whistler's voice echoed in her mind. 'And don't worry. You won't always carry these memories around. After a while they will fade, and you will remember only what you need to fight-not the details.'
Buffy smiled to herself. *That's good to know. Though I wish you would stop speaking to me telepathically. It scares the shit out of me.*
She heard the demon's laugh. 'Would you rather I said it out loud so everyone could hear me?'
She laughed silently. *Good point.* Buffy looked up to see everyone staring at her. *Now look what you've done!*
Her only response was another laugh, as the good demon's mind pulled away from hers.
She sighed. "Okay. You all know the dream I woke up from a few days ago?"
"When you went all crazy at the sight of Ms. Calendar and Dead Boy?" Xander asked.
Cordelia hit him on the arm. "That was a yes."
Buffy smiled. It sure was good to see them back together. *No! They never broke up. Remember that, Blondie. Oh great! Now I'm sounding like Whistler.* "Yeah, that one. Well...it wasn't exactly a dream. Or at least it wasn't to me."
"How could it not be a dream?" Willow asked.
"Guys please let me finish with no interruptions." She sighed and continued. "Like I was saying it wasn't a dream. It was of the future but I didn't dream it-I lived it."
Angel's head snapped up and he stared at his girlfriend, questions in his eyes. "The Powers That Be are gods that rule the good forces. They create the prophesies and send them to us. The slayer is their warrior against the dark forces. They are the fates, and create destiny. A secret that was supposed to be shared in the former timeline wasn't so a powerful demon was brought back, which was not supposed to happen. From that time on the PTB's best Warriors-who were soulmates-were separated. Every time the PTB's tries to reunite them something stood in their way. They knew the Warriors were stronger together then apart, so they decided it had gone on too long. They sent me back in the past to right the wrong done to the Warriors."
"Which means what?" Xander asked.
"I was given the chance to live my life over again-the way it was supposed to be."
"The Warriors you spoke of," Jenny said softly. "Are you and Angel, right?"
Buffy stood behind her mate and put her arm on his shoulder. "Yes. Angel and I are soulmates."
The vampires face lit up with the thought that he was able to be with the one he loved for all eternity, but something still bothered him. "What Dru said, about Angelus coming back..."
"In the other timeline, he did come back. You experienced a moment of true happiness and you lost your soul. That was because of the secret. But Jenny and I made sure you will never lose your soul again."
"The pain I felt last night. You did a spell?"
"Yes." Jenny confirmed. "I bound you soul to Buffy's. You can never lose it as long as she's alive. When she dies, if you have a moment of true happiness you will lose it again. But I doubt that will happen if Buffy's gone."
Angel pulled Buffy down for a kiss. "Never. Not if she's not with me."
"'Jenny' did the spell?" Willow asked hurt.
"Yeah I thought you were just a technopagen. Well that and a computer teacher." Xander said.
The gypsy paled a little and looked at Buffy. Buffy shrugged "It's your call. All I can say is I won't turn you away."
Jenny sighed. "I haven't been fully honest with you. I'm not really from New York. I'm a Romanian. A Kalderash Gypsy."
"What?" Angel tensed, and Buffy sat in his lap trying to calm him.
"I was sent here to watch you, Angel, by my grandmother. To make sure you still suffered."
"You lied to me." Giles spat. "To all of us. We trusted you."
"Why?" was all that Angel could say.
"My people are stuck in the old times. They wanted the demon who killed their prized daughter to suffer. They didn't-don't-understand that the demon committed the crime, not you. As a matter of fact they refuse to see it. I believed that too, until I met you and saw how in love you and Buffy were-and then fell in love with Rupert." She risked a glance at Giles and her heart dropped when his expression didn't change. "I can't change what is the past. All I can say is that I am sorry. I never meant to hurt you, Angel, or to hurt anyone here."
Buffy opened her mouth to say something but Angel beat her to it. "I forgive you, Jenny. I understand the cry of vengeance. And I thank you for giving me the chance to be with Buffy." He gave the gypsy a rare smile then stood up and left the library through the stacks.
Buffy hugged Jenny hard whispering, "Thank you!", then took off after her boyfriend.
"Um, we're just gonna leave now." Willow babbled nervously. "Bye!." She stood up and ran out of the library dragging Xander with her.
Jenny turned to look at Giles, who had his back to her. "Rupert..."
Giles turned to look at the woman who had stolen his heart. He was hurt that she had kept her past from him, but he remembered the last few weeks after Halloween. He knew he couldn't live without her. Sighing he whispered, "I forgive you."
Buffy didn't catch up with Angel until they had reached his apartment. When she ran up panting he mearly looked at her and gestured for her to go inside. She sighed and sat on the end of the bed.
"You're angry." It wasn't a question.
He turned to look at her. "What really went on tonight, with Spike."
"We stopped him from calling in the Order of Taraka."
The dark haired vampire just stared at her.
"Alright. Somehow Drusilla remembers the former timeline. Probably because of her visions, or something. The things that she said...don't matter anymore. They won't happen again." *I'll make sure of that.*
~~~~~~~~
Buffy woke up to the sound of the phone. She leaned over and picked it up. "Hello?"
"Buffy! Thank God you and Angel are ok. You two are okay right?"
"Yes, Will," she smiled looking at Angel sleeping next to her in the bed. "We're both fine."
"And the judge?"
"Floating in the water. The rocket launcher worked just fine."
"That's good. I'll see you later."
"Bye."
Hanging the phone up she went back to the bed, smiling at Angel who had woken up.
"Who was that?"
"Willow. We forgot to call last night."
He laughed and moved to lay on top of her. "I guess it just slipped my mind."