Summary:       Buffy meets Elizabeth and founds out exactly what happened when she died. 

Disclaimer:    Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own everything.  But I wouldn't mind leasing Spike from them for a couple of weeks :)

Feedback:     As always, appreciated.

Mirror Image

"He wants to call another meeting?  But we just talked about this last night."  Dawn had come home early from her after school tutoring session with Spike, telling Buffy he needed to talk to all the Scoobies again.  "And he didn't have anything constructive to say then."

Dawn finished drinking her juice.  "All I know is what he told me.  He said he needed to see everyone.  He had some new information that might help.  He almost pounced on me when I walked in.  Then cancelled our tutoring session.  He was acting really weird.  Maybe you should go talk to him!"  The last thought brightened Dawn's outlook.  She was sick and tired of playing go-between for the two of them.  If they wanted to talk, they should just talk.

Buffy vigorously shook her head.  "No way, Dawnie.  I am not going to his crypt."  Last night, Buffy had only allowed herself a few glances at Spike, but each time she saw the hunger in his eyes.  Being together with the other Scoobies had helped her willpower.  Alone with him?  She'd jump him in a heartbeat.  "If he wants another Scooby meeting, he'll get one.  What time?"

Dawn shoulders fell.  "Around 8 o'clock.  He said he might be a little late, but to wait for him.  He said it was big news."    

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Buffy looked at her watch.  It was 8:15 and still no Spike.  Why call a meeting if you weren't going to show up?  Buffy stood up from the research table to walk around the store.  She was not in the mood for this.

Just as Buffy was going to tell the others to go home, Spike walked in the door.  But he wasn't alone.  A small figure stood behind him, wrapped in a cloak.  Buffy couldn't see who or what it was.  "It's about time you showed up.  And who's your friend?"

Spike didn't waste time with the niceties.  He figured that shock could work to their advantage.  His voice was commanding as he spoke.  "Slayer, take a seat with the rest of them."  When Buffy didn't move, Spike continued.  "NOW!"

Buffy didn't like to be talked to in that tone of voice, especially from Spike, but she did as she was told.  Dawn had said he was acting weird.  "Okay, Mr Bossy.  I'm in a seat.  What's the big emergency?  And who is that?"  Buffy asked again, pointing to the cloaked figure.

Spike kept his eyes on Buffy.  God, I hope she doesn't faint.  "Last night there was someone waiting for me when I got back to my crypt.  She says she's the guide the Powers sent.  I thought you'd want to meet her." 

Buffy's eyes widened with surprise.  "My guide, here already?  Why did they send her to you?"  Buffy was starting to stand again.

Spike yelled at her.  "Sit down!"  He moved so that he was standing in front of the figure.  Almost protecting her, Buffy thought.  "Slayer, trust me.  You don't want your legs giving way." 

Spike whispered to the girl behind him.  Pushing the hood off her head, she peaked around his shoulder.  "Hi, guys."  Elizabeth quickly moved her head back behind Spike's back.  Why did he insist on doing this in front of everyone?

Buffy placed her hands on the table, leaning forward.  "Spike…"  There was a threat in her words.  She didn't just see what she thought she saw. 

"Calm down, Slayer.  Think about how you would act.  Then you'll understand."  Spike looked at the rest of the Scoobies.  Mouths were hanging open all around the table.  At least they were silent.  "Elizabeth, stop hiding back there.  She isn't going to hurt you.  You should know that better than anyone." 

Elizabeth took a deep breath before she moved from behind Spike.  No, Buffy wasn't going to hurt her.  Even if she tried, Elizabeth could take care of herself.  A fleeting thought passed through her brain.  Wonder what it would be like to fight herself.  "Hi, Buffy.  I'm Elizabeth.  At least, that's what Spike calls me.  I'm part of what's missing." 

Spike had been right again, Buffy thought.  She was glad she was sitting down.  She didn't think her legs would hold her.

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

After the shock wore off, the questioned had started, mostly from the Scoobies.  Buffy had just looked at her mirror image.  Once her legs had stopped quaking, even Spike's threatening tone couldn't keep her sitting down.  She walked around Elizabeth, examining her in the same way Spike had the night before.  Spike kept himself placed between the two Slayers.  He knew Buffy couldn't hurt the girl, he and Elizabeth had done a little training earlier, but he wasn't taking any chances.  There was that innocence about her.  Something inside Spike wanted to protect it.  "Slayer, would you stop circling her like a fledgling hunting his first kill!  She's not here to cause trouble.  She's here to help."

Elizabeth placed a small hand on Spike's shoulder.  The room was in total chaos.  It was exactly what she had expected, but it wasn't helping.  "Maybe I should tell them why I'm here."

Buffy's eyes had followed Elizabeth's hand.  Now, she directed her attention towards Spike.  The bastard!  "She was in your crypt last night?  All night?"  Buffy took a menacing step towards the vampire.

Spike suppressed a groan.  He knew he was going to get in trouble for that.  Spike's cocky nature took over.  He lifted an eyebrow in Buffy's direction.  "Jealous, pet?"

Both Slayers answered in unison.  "I am NOT jealous!"  The girls stopped to stare at each other.  A second later, they were laughing, the tension between them immediately gone.  When the laughter ended, Spike watched as Buffy extended her hand to Elizabeth.  "Sister."

Elizabeth took the hand in her own as she answered.  "Sister."  Understanding and recognition passed between the two of them.  Parts of the whole.  Buffy was the first to break the contact.  "Maybe you should tell us why you're here."

Elizabeth nodded.  She looked over at Spike before whispering to Buffy, "Nothing happened.  Swear.  He's a little too freaked out to try anything right now." 

Buffy also looked over at the worried vampire.  "I can believe that.  But you're coming home with me tonight.  I trust him with my life.  But I'm not so sure about my, uh, our body."  Elizabeth snorted.  She understood completely.

Unlike the rest of the room, Spike had heard the Slayers' quiet conversation.  Two Buffy's.  Two Buffy bodies.  The possibilities were mind-boggling.  The groan he suppressed earlier slipped out.  Both girls gave him a knowing look.  Spike shuffled his feet.  "If the two of you are finished talking about me, we have business to discuss."

Buffy looked around the room.  It was in chaos.  "I think everyone should sit back down.  Then Elizabeth can explain why she's here."  Buffy looked at the girl again.  Calling both of them Buffy would be confusing.  And Elizabeth was her given name.  Spike had chosen well.

Spike spoke to Anya before she could sit down.  "Demon-girl, fetch me five glasses, one filled with water."  Spike and Elizabeth had come up with a little demonstration he hoped would help the rest of the group understand what had happened to Buffy.

Anya put her hands on her hips as she answered.  "My name is Anya.  If you want water, go 'fetch' it yourself.  You know where the glasses are.  Buffy, your boyfriend is such a pig." 

Spike grumbled to himself as he gathered the glasses and the water.  Xander's eyes were moving between the two women.  He leaned over to whisper to Willow.  "Is this what it was like when Toth split me in two?  It's so weird."

Willow was also looking between the two Slayers.  "It was weirder with you.  You were identical.  At least with Buffy, one has long hair, the other short.  Not as hard to tell them apart."     

Spike walked back to the table, placing the glasses in front of Elizabeth.  He stood next to her.  "We're ready to begin now, pet."  Spike watched as Buffy's eyes flickered up to him.  Not jealous my foot.

Elizabeth looked at the group sitting around her.  "The Powers told me what happened before they sent me here.  I wasn't aware of any of it, just like Buffy.  So I'm not sure if I'll be able to answer all your questions."  Buffy covered Elizabeth's hand with her own, giving it a light squeeze.  Strength.  "According to the plans of Fate, we weren't supposed to die.  The monks made a mistake when they sent Dawn to us in human form."  Elizabeth quickly looked over at her younger sister.  "And we're glad they did, Dawnie.  We wouldn't trade you for anything in this world.  We love you."

Buffy also looked at her sister.  Dawn was handling the sight of the two Buffys better than she would have expected.  "She's right.  I love you, more than life itself."

Elizabeth continued.  "The Key, not Dawn, the Key was supposed to close the portal.  When we jumped in, we confused Fate.  And that's why things got lost."  Elizabeth could see the confusion on everyone's face.  "I am so not doing a good job of this."

Spike placed his hand on Elizabeth's shoulder.  "Just keep going, pet.  They'll understand."

Elizabeth smiled up at the vampire.  We do love him, she thought.  "Let's follow the bouncing-Buffy.  By Fate's plan, we weren't supposed to die.  The energy of the Key was going to return to the universe.  Not a bad plan really.  But the monks, being human, made a mistake.  They didn't send us a Key to protect; they sent us a sister to love.  Our love for Dawn changed the plan.  So, we enter the portal and die.  Now, we're not supposed to be there, so Fate bumps us out of the demon dimension.  But dead beings that leave a demon dimension are always sent to Hell, so we get bumped there.  But we've done too much good to be in Hell, so we're bumped into Heaven.  But, we're not supposed to be in Heaven either.  They weren't ready for us.  And it all happened so quickly.  So we just sit in limbo while everyone takes stock of the situation.  It's like, 'We have the Slayer, but what are we going to do with her?'  And as they start to work out what happened, other things are noticed.  Things are missing."

Elizabeth stopped for a minute.  She wanted to give everyone a chance to catch up.  Buffy was the first one to speak.  "Missing.  What's missing?"

Elizabeth turned to look at Buffy.  "Well, to put it bluntly, parts of us.  During all that bumping, the evil side of the game decided to take advantage of the situation.  They grabbed at parts of us while we were being bumped around."

Buffy looked up at Spike.  "You were right.  I came back wrong."  Everything Tara had told her, none of it mattered.  She was wrong.

Spike eyes were filled with love as he looked at his Slayer.  "Not wrong, Buffy, just jumbled.  Let Elizabeth finish. luv." 

Elizabeth was agitated.  "Spike's right.  We're not wrong.  See, the Powers had every intention of sending us back, you just came back too early.  There are still parts of us lingering in the demon dimension, in Hell and in limbo." 

Buffy's voice was very quite as she spoke.  "You still haven't told me, what parts are missing from me?"

Elizabeth turned to Spike.  It was his turn now.  "Okay kiddies, pay attention."  Spike picked up the full glass of water.  "This is Buffy when she jumped into the portal.  The glass is her body, the water all the parts of her."  Spike poured some of the water into the first glass.  "Now that's the part she left behind in the demon dimension."  Spike poured some into the second glass.  "And that's the part she left in Hell."  He poured some into the third glass.  "And that would be that part left in limbo.  Our Elizabeth."  Spike poured the rest into the fourth glass.  "And that's the part that came back to us." 

Dawn looked at the vampire.  "Still not getting it, Spike."

Spike put the empty glass back down.  "Nibblet, what's in each of these glasses?"

Dawn rolled her eyes.  "Duh, water."

Spike continued.  "Water.  It doesn't matter how many glasses I pour in into, it's all still water.  That doesn't change.  Buffy's the same way.  It's all still Buffy.  Nothing's missing.  It's just sliced a little thin."  Spike looked at his Slayer.  Had he make the situation better or worse?

Willow's eyes were bright.  "I get it!  Water is made up of Hydrogen and Oxygen.  It always stays the same no matter what you do to it.  Ice, steam, its all water.  It's not like Buffy's soul was left in one place, and her emotions in another.  It's not a specific part of her that's missing.  It is just parts of the whole."

Buffy's closed her eyes.  Sliced a little thin.  Spike hit the nail on the head.  "That's why things have been difficult.  I'm not all myself, literally."

Elizabeth let out the breath she had been holding.  Buffy understood.  "Yes, that's it.  The Powers were working on collecting all the parts before they sent us back, but they were having difficulty finding them.  Plus they thought they had time.  It's not like we had noticed.  We weren't even ready to go back."

Buffy straightened her shoulders as she spoke.  "What the hell is that supposed to mean!"

Elizabeth placed a steadying hand on Buffy's shoulder.  "Buffy.  We hadn't asked about our friends.  We hadn't asked about Dawn.  We hadn't even asked to see mom.  We were adjusting to the peace.  The non-fighting.  The absence of worrying about everyone and everything.  We were in a state of limbo.  Normally, when people die, the Powers try to guide them out of that state as soon as they can, but since they had no answers for us, they let us stay there."

Tears rose in Buffy's eyes.  "I could have seen mom?  She was there." 

 "Well, of course she's in Heaven.  Our mother is a wonderful woman."  Elizabeth saw that Buffy was crushed.  "Please, Buffy.  Don't cry about this.  She saw us, you know.  She was sad we were taken from life so quickly, but she was so proud of the fact we sacrificed ourselves for Dawn."

Hearing that comforted Buffy, gave her strength, her mother was proud of her.  She turned to Elizabeth with renewed interest.  "So, what happened next?"

Elizabeth turned towards her best friend.  "Willow.  The spell she cast started bumping us around again.  Only this time, we didn't want to leave.  So when our friends yanked us out, we fought, leaving me to stay in limbo."

Willow and Xander's looked destroyed.  Normally, Buffy would have comforted her friends, telling them it wasn't their fault.  But she didn't have the strength to lie to them again.  Part of this was their fault.  "Why is all of this happening now?  Why didn't they send you months ago?"

Elizabeth had a good idea what Buffy was thinking about her best friends.  "The Powers That Be have found out where the missing parts are and they think they know how to get them.  We just need to wait a little longer, then we can be whole again.  Can you wait?"

"Do I have a choice?  What am I going to do?  Sneak into Hell and steal part of myself back?"  Buffy ran an absent hand through her hair.  She was lost in her own thoughts.  So lost, she didn't see the look that passed between Elizabeth and Spike.  If she only knew how close to the truth she was.

---TBC