2001-Summer

"Hello, Dawn, my sister!" Buffybot said happily, giving the teen a hearty hug. Dawn smiled back.

"Hey, Bottie. Have a good night out?"

"Yes, a very good night. I slayed two vampires all by myself!" Buffybot said happily.

"Well, that's great," Dawn replied, then glanced over at the blond vampire in the corner. "Right, Spike?"

"Right. I'll be going now, Nibblet, seeing how Red and Glinda are home." He pushed off from the wall and headed out the door. "Bye, Bit."

"Goodbye, Spike!" Buffybot said loudly. "Visit again soon!"

The vampire kept walking, not sparing her a glance.

Buffybot felt sad. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Oh no," Dawn said quickly. "Not at all."

Willow walked down the stairs. "Bottie, time for a recharge."

Buffybot followed Willow cheerfully up the stairs, problems forgotten.

Dawn watched her walk happily away. She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning against the wall.

"Miss you, Buffy."

1997-Summer

"Thanks for taking in my stuff, Dad," Buffy said, watching her father carry several heavy suitcases into the house. "Can you tell Mom I had to go out? Thanks."

She left before her father could respond. He shook his head. "Kids these days."

"I know what you mean," Joyce Summers said, moving to stand beside him in the doorway. "But I trust Buffy. She can take care of herself."

2001-Summer

"Tara, I'm going to check up on Buffybot, okay?"

"Sure, sweetie. Don't be too long." Willow gave Tara a smile and walked over to the room next door. Her smile faded.

Willow hated lying. Especially to Tara. But the blond witch had expressed her views on resurrection spells. She wouldn't like what Willow now attempted to do. Especially as this was an ancient spell, a bit unstable and hard to control. But Willow could do it. She could.

In the only room devoid of human interference, Willow began her spell.

"Let the spirits bring back the warrior that is lost." She took out a small plastic bag of herbs and scattered them on the ground. Buffy's room. Willow hoped the location of the spell would help hone it.

"Let them send back the warrior of the people. I call on you…" Willow trailed off, her eyes black. She no longer said the words aloud, but the aura of energy around the red-haired witch began to increase.

Images were flying past Willow's eyes. Images of a baby girl. An infant with a bottle. A baby learning to walk. A toddler. First day of kindergarten. Elementary school. Blond pigtails. Parents arguing at night. Middle school. Trying on lipstick. Shopping. Shoes. High school. Boys. Cheerleading. School gym. Fire.

"Willow? What are you doing?" Buffybot asked innocuously, sitting up and disconnecting her wires. Recharge complete. "Willow?"

Divorce. Moving. Sunnydale. The library. The Bronze. The Master.

Willow's eyes glowed brighter and brighter. She didn't hear Buffybot at all.

"Willow?" Buffybot gingerly touched the witch's shoulder.

LA. Shopping. Shoes. Sunnydale—

Willow jerked, startled. She saw it was only Buffybot.

FLASH!

The blond girl staring back at Willow wasn't the bot. She was younger-looking, for one. And human.

"Will? When did you cut your hair? Wait a second, where am I?"

"Your room," Willow replied, numb. The spell had worked! Only it hadn't brought back the Buffy from last spring. No, Buffybot had gotten in the way.

Willow suddenly realized something. "Oh, no…"

"My room?" Buffy looked around. "Okay, some minor redecorating. No biggie, aside from the random teleportation." Buffy spun around and glared at her friend. "What did you do to me?!"

The witch took in a deep breath. "It's sort of um, complicated…"

The door opened. "Willow, what are you doing in there? Can you adjust Bottie's volume?"

"Uh, hey, Dawnie," Willow said meekly.

"Bottie looks different," Dawn commented.

"Who are you?" Buffy asked. A tall teenager with long, brown hair was in her bedroom.

1997

Buffybot blinked and looked around. She was outside, a block away from 1630 Revello Drive. Now, how did she get here? Did Willow erase her short-term memory again?

Buffybot shrugged and continued happily to the house.

"Buffy, how was your first day back?" a voice called from within. Buffybot stood still a moment, then the voice registered. It belonged to Joyce Summers, the biological mother of Buffy A. Summers.

"Mom! It's great to see you," Buffybot said brightly. She gave the surprised woman a hug. "How was the business trip out of town?"

Joyce just looked confused. "Uh…business trip? What business trip? You were the one gone all summer, Buffy."

Buffybot frowned. "Oh. Willow must have erased my short-term memory again."

It was now Joyce's turn to frown. "Willow? Your friend Willow?"

"Yes. Willow is my best friend. And she's recently gay," Buffybot quipped happily. "Where is Dawn, my sister?" Without waiting for a reply, Buffybot turned to go.

"Dawn? Who's Dawn?" Joyce asked. But Buffybot had gone upstairs. "Buffy? You don't have a sister," Joyce called after her.

Buffybot looked around. Her room was different. Maybe Willow or Dawn had changed it? Or maybe the other Buffy had rearranged it?

Not needing sleep, Buffybot nevertheless lay done flat on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Dawn had insisted she "slept" and had occasionally come to her, because she was her sister, of course!

After many minutes passed, Buffybot heard a tap on the window.

"Spike! It must be Spike!" Buffybot said happily to herself.

Buffybot was deeply disappointed to see that it was in fact not Spike at her window.

"Mind if I come in?" Angel asked.

Buffybot frowned. "You're Angel."

Angel frowned. "Yes, it's me." He slipped through the window. "How are you?"

"I'm functioning within given parameters. And you?" Willow had taught Bottie to be polite, even to people she didn't like.

"I-I'm fine. Buffy, are you sure you're okay? You don't sound very…well, normal."

Buffybot frowned again. "You're lame. Your hair grows straight up, and you're bloody stupid."

Angel felt his hair and frowned, deciding to look into that later. "D-did I do something?"

Buffybot shook her head and smiled brightly. "Please get to the point of this conversation, as I don't like you and would like you to leave."

Angel shook his head slightly, then cleared his throat. "Alright. The Anointed One. He's been gathering forces somewhere in town. I'm not sure why."

"You wouldn't would you? Angel, you're bloody stupid," Buffybot said sweetly.

"Don't underestimate the Anointed One just because he looks like a child. He has power over the rest of them. They'll do anything for him," Angel said, trying to ignore the blond Slayer. Was this just one of "those days?"

"Thank you, Angel. You have been very helpful. I'll go tell Willow."

Angel was now even more confused. "Shouldn't you be telling Giles?"

"Guy-iles? Oh yes, he's my Watcher. But Willow will tell him. Now please go."

Buffybot turned around and laid back down on the bed, eyes open and staring at the ceiling blankly.

Angel was thoroughly puzzled. "Uh…okay. Goodnight, Buffy. Sorry…I've missed you."

He turned to go. Something was off about the Slayer. Not just the way she acted. Something fundamental…something was off.

2001

"So you've transported me to the future," Buffy said slowly. "Can I ask why?"

"Well, um, you see…it's a long story," Willow said lamely. Tara, Dawn, Buffy, and Willow were gathered in the Summers' kitchen. Willow was confessing her little spell. "A long story we can't tell you because then you'll know what happens in the future, which will mess up the past, which is your present, so who knows what might happen in the future? Which is our present."

"Glad to see you still babble, Wills," Buffy said with a slight smile. She turned and regarded Tara and Dawn. "Now, who are you people? And where's Mom?"

Dawn bit her lip.

"Tara's my girlfriend," Willow said nervously. "And Dawn…Dawn is your sister."

"No way!"

FLASH!

"Hello, Dawn, Willow, Tara. What am I doing here?"

Tara sent Willow a questioning look. "Is your spell undone?"

Willow furrowed her brows. "Uh…I don't know. I mean, the spell was pretty vague. But I don't think this is it."

Buffybot looked around. "Where is Joyce Summers, my biological mother?"

Dawn stood abruptly and ran up to her room, shutting the door with a bang.

"Is Dawn upset?" Buffybot asked, concerned.

"No, no, it's okay," Willow assured. "Nothing to worry about. Bottie, why don't you tell me who you met and what you did just now?"

1997

Buffy walked into the Bronze. Okay, that was a weird and unsettling experience last night. Her mom seemed to think she went nuts or something. Asked her if she wanted to take a day off from school.

She shook her head. From what Willow…the other Willow…said, somebody else got sent back to her time. Did that mean the Buffy of the future had been here?

Lost in her thoughts, the Slayer barely noticed the tall, brooding man who made his way over to the door.

"Hi," Angel said hesitantly. The way he talked, not really looking into her eyes and keeping a two-foot berth, was really annoying her.

"So, is there danger at the Bronze? Should I beware?"

"I can't help thinking I've done something to make you angry. And that bothers me more than I'd like," he admitted, ignoring her comment. Whatever had felt "off" before was back to normal.

"I'm not angry. I don't know where you get that from. It's not like you even came to see me last night. I mean—"

"What are you talking about, Buffy? I went to your house last night. You-you said my hair was stupid." Without giving her a chance to say anything, Angel continued. " Why are you avoiding me? What are you afraid of? Me? Us?"

Buffy was about to explain, but him just assuming that everything was about him…"Could you contemplate getting over yourself for a second? There's no 'us'. Look, Angel, I'm sorry if I was supposed to spend the summer mooning over you, but I didn't. I moved on. To the living."

Buffy pushed past him and joined Willow and Xander at their table.

"Hey!"

"Hi," Willow replied.

"Hey," Xander said.

"What's wrong with Angel?" Willow asked.

Buffy shrugged. "Beats me." She turned to Xander. "Let's dance."

"Oookay…" Buffy grabbed him and dragged him to the dance floor. They began dancing, Buffy practically grinding against poor, confused Xander. Angel watched with narrowed eyes from the back corner.

FLASH!

Buffybot blinked.

"Woah, Buff, did you see that flash of light?"

Buffybot shoved Xander off. He landed on a small table ten feet away.

Angel smirked and slid off through the crowd. Looks like Xander wasn't enough man for his Buffy after all. He headed off into the night. Must reapply hair gel.

"No one can touch me like that except for my Spike!" Buffybot declared. "If you weren't my friend, Xander, I might hurt you."

"Ow," Xander groaned, climbing to his feet. "Glad to be your friend."

Buffybot smiled widely. "You are." She ignored the gathering crowd, instead searching the tables.

"Willow!" she shouted happily. "Willow, the most strange things are happening to me. I think something may be wrong with my programming."

Willow's mouth was still open in shock. "B-buffy! What did you do to Xander?!"

Buffybot frowned. "He was not acting properly, within parameters defined for 'friend'. Only Spike can touch me like that."

Willow's shock turned to confusion. "Huh?"

"That's not important right now. Where's Spike?"

2001

"I thought that wasn't going to happen again," Buffy complained. "The future Buffy, or whoever you sent back, is messing up my life! Mom thinks I'm crazy and I think she talked to Angel, too. Now everyone thinks I should be institutionalized."

Willow smiled awkwardly. "Well, the good thing about this is, I've figured out the spell. It should have been a permanent switch, but when Buffybot—er, Buffy, got in the way, the energies for the spell were thrown off, destabilized. So the two of you are sort of bound together, in a way. Lots of visits and switches back and forth. Sorry."

"Do you know how to end this…spell?"

Willow nodded vigorously. "Oh, yes! It's simple, really. All I need is to get this crystal. Anya helped me look up the Crystal of Zoth. We ordered it online." Her smile faded a little.

"What? Where's the catch, Will?" Buffy asked nervously.

"Well…it's out of stock. It'll get here…oh, I don't know…maybeinsixmonths."

"What was that?"

"Six months. Possibly. At latest."

Buffy's jaw dropped open. "WILL—"

"I'm here to look after the Bit," a voice said. "So you Scoobies can go patrolling now."

Buffy spun around, glaring into a pair of piercing blue eyes. "And just who are you?"