Chapter Two - Time Twisters
Xander and Willow stood up surrounded by bright orange smoke. They couldn't see anything, let alone each other.
"Willow, are you there?" shouted Xander.
"I'm sorry, Xander." Willow replied, "It all went a bit Bedknobby and Broomsticky back there. I'm not sure if the spell's worked."
The smoke cleared to reveal a crowded bar.
"Then again, my musical prowess seems to have saved the day."
It was then that Xander remember he was naked, and, blushing, moved his hands to protect his modesty.
"Relax, Xander. No-one here can see or hear us. We're also utterly intangible. For the next hour, we can just walk around wherever we want and watch what happens." Willow then proceeded to wander freely around the bar having a look around. Xander just stood still, waving one of his hands in front of, and through, the face of one of the clientele, making infinitely sure that what Willow said was actually true.
The denizens of the bar were wearing futuristic fashions like something out of a comic book. On stage a tribute band, called They Might Be They Might Be Giants were performing a song called "Four Of Two".
"So where's Anya?" asked Xander. "And for that matter where am I?"
"I don't know." admitted Willow forlornly.
It was at that moment that a familiar figure entered the bar. They recognized him even with his braided hair. He pushed his way through the crowd, and ordered a drink from the demon behind the bar.
"A Bloody Mary, please. Keep the change." said Spike.
"That's a lot of change, Spike." observed the demon.
"Well that's because I need some information. I hear there's a new slayer in town. What have you heard?"
"She's young, dark-haired, got an attitude, dresses in red, used to be in trouble with the law a lot."
"How original. Has she got a name?"
"They call her F-"
The demon's attention had suddenly shifted to someone behind Spike. By the time Spike had turned around to see who it was, he found himself lying on the floor with a hand round his throat. Looking up, he saw the new slayer. Subtlety was never a slayer's strong point, he thought.
"Hey, Miss F, how's things?" Spike asked.
"I hear that you've been going round all the bars asking about me. I thought that I better find you before you found me." said the Slayer.
"So, you've found me, now what?"
"Well, I'm tempted to just kill you. Any reason not to?"
"I'm here to protect you, believe it or not. Someone's out to get you, worse than any monsters or demons you've encountered so far."
"That's what Gunther told me you'd say. You're lucky I've got some important business to do, otherwise you'd be history."
At that point the slayer unleashed numerous blows at Spike's body, flung him across the room, and made her exit.
Willow and Xander walked up to Spike's slouched body.
"Well there's Spike. Hi Spike." tootled Willow.
"Hello there" Spike responded, turning to face them, and then went pale (moreso than usual), as if he'd seen two ghosts.
"Didn't expect to bump into you two today. Nice outfits." he smiled, quickly regaining his composure.
"So, nobody can see us EXCEPT vampires." exclaimed Xander, moving his hands once more.
"So what brings you here, kids?" Spike asked.
"We're not us. We're the past us." explained Willow, "We've cast a spell to find out if Xander and Anya are happy in the future. Xander wanted to be sure that marriage to Anya was the right thing"
"What exactly does this spell do?" enquired Spike raising a quizzical eyebrow.
"It sent us into the future when Xander is with the person he had strong feelings for at the location of the spell, i.e. Anya."
"We did the spell in my parents' basement, so Anya wouldn't walk in us." added Xander, just so that he'd have something to say, rather than for any informational purpose.
"Oh, I get it." laughed Spike, realization dawning. "I shared that basement with you for a while and you certainly had strong feelings for me. You hated me, or so I like to think. And here you are meeting me in the future. I love spells, they're always worded to do nothing like what you really want to do. You should have read the small print, Willow."
"That may just be a coincidence." blustered Willow. "What makes you so sure that Anya and Xander aren't about to turn up."
Spike smiled, and beckoned them towards the door.
"Come on, Pinky and Perky, let me show you something."
As he pushed the bar of the Brew Drop Inn open, Willow and Xander gasped. They could see the massive city sprawling around them, and cars flying hither and yon through the night sky.
"Welcome to the future!" shouted Spike.
Xander and Willow stood up surrounded by bright orange smoke. They couldn't see anything, let alone each other.
"Willow, are you there?" shouted Xander.
"I'm sorry, Xander." Willow replied, "It all went a bit Bedknobby and Broomsticky back there. I'm not sure if the spell's worked."
The smoke cleared to reveal a crowded bar.
"Then again, my musical prowess seems to have saved the day."
It was then that Xander remember he was naked, and, blushing, moved his hands to protect his modesty.
"Relax, Xander. No-one here can see or hear us. We're also utterly intangible. For the next hour, we can just walk around wherever we want and watch what happens." Willow then proceeded to wander freely around the bar having a look around. Xander just stood still, waving one of his hands in front of, and through, the face of one of the clientele, making infinitely sure that what Willow said was actually true.
The denizens of the bar were wearing futuristic fashions like something out of a comic book. On stage a tribute band, called They Might Be They Might Be Giants were performing a song called "Four Of Two".
"So where's Anya?" asked Xander. "And for that matter where am I?"
"I don't know." admitted Willow forlornly.
It was at that moment that a familiar figure entered the bar. They recognized him even with his braided hair. He pushed his way through the crowd, and ordered a drink from the demon behind the bar.
"A Bloody Mary, please. Keep the change." said Spike.
"That's a lot of change, Spike." observed the demon.
"Well that's because I need some information. I hear there's a new slayer in town. What have you heard?"
"She's young, dark-haired, got an attitude, dresses in red, used to be in trouble with the law a lot."
"How original. Has she got a name?"
"They call her F-"
The demon's attention had suddenly shifted to someone behind Spike. By the time Spike had turned around to see who it was, he found himself lying on the floor with a hand round his throat. Looking up, he saw the new slayer. Subtlety was never a slayer's strong point, he thought.
"Hey, Miss F, how's things?" Spike asked.
"I hear that you've been going round all the bars asking about me. I thought that I better find you before you found me." said the Slayer.
"So, you've found me, now what?"
"Well, I'm tempted to just kill you. Any reason not to?"
"I'm here to protect you, believe it or not. Someone's out to get you, worse than any monsters or demons you've encountered so far."
"That's what Gunther told me you'd say. You're lucky I've got some important business to do, otherwise you'd be history."
At that point the slayer unleashed numerous blows at Spike's body, flung him across the room, and made her exit.
Willow and Xander walked up to Spike's slouched body.
"Well there's Spike. Hi Spike." tootled Willow.
"Hello there" Spike responded, turning to face them, and then went pale (moreso than usual), as if he'd seen two ghosts.
"Didn't expect to bump into you two today. Nice outfits." he smiled, quickly regaining his composure.
"So, nobody can see us EXCEPT vampires." exclaimed Xander, moving his hands once more.
"So what brings you here, kids?" Spike asked.
"We're not us. We're the past us." explained Willow, "We've cast a spell to find out if Xander and Anya are happy in the future. Xander wanted to be sure that marriage to Anya was the right thing"
"What exactly does this spell do?" enquired Spike raising a quizzical eyebrow.
"It sent us into the future when Xander is with the person he had strong feelings for at the location of the spell, i.e. Anya."
"We did the spell in my parents' basement, so Anya wouldn't walk in us." added Xander, just so that he'd have something to say, rather than for any informational purpose.
"Oh, I get it." laughed Spike, realization dawning. "I shared that basement with you for a while and you certainly had strong feelings for me. You hated me, or so I like to think. And here you are meeting me in the future. I love spells, they're always worded to do nothing like what you really want to do. You should have read the small print, Willow."
"That may just be a coincidence." blustered Willow. "What makes you so sure that Anya and Xander aren't about to turn up."
Spike smiled, and beckoned them towards the door.
"Come on, Pinky and Perky, let me show you something."
As he pushed the bar of the Brew Drop Inn open, Willow and Xander gasped. They could see the massive city sprawling around them, and cars flying hither and yon through the night sky.
"Welcome to the future!" shouted Spike.