Chapter 7
"Willow?" Angel asked.
"I don't know! I didn't do this!" Willow said, starting to panic.
"Will, calm down." Buffy said, grabbing the red head's shoulders. "Just find a way to reverse it."
"But that's just it! I didn't do this, so I don't know how to reverse it. I don't even know where we are!"
"This is LA." Angel said. "Only, an LA that's been at war for a while."
"How can you tell?" Buffy asked.
"I've lived for over 240 years, I've seen stuff like this before. Only this is much worse."
"Oh."
"We need to find shelter quick before some of these nasty demons find out we're standing here."
As they started to walk, Buffy said, "I'm surprised they haven't noticed us yet."
"Well, don't count your stakes yet. They still could." Angel eyed a group of demons that didn't look anything like what he had ever seen before. They were hanging out on a street corner smoking and laughing.
"I don't think they'll be any harm. They look like they're just here to enjoy the carnage, not cause it."
"Still, better safe than sorry."
"I could cast a warding spell..." Willow started.
"No!" Buffy and Angel said. The demons looked over.
"Well, damn. So much for counting stakes and staying safe." Buffy said.
"It's the Slayer!" One of the demons said.
"She's with Angel again!" Another said.
"Apparently we exist here." Angel said, looking down at Buffy.
The two demons that had talked ran across the street and stood in front of them. "Hey guys." Number two said.
"Hi." Buffy said.
"So I guess your off the market mama." Number one said.
"Excuse me?" Buffy started to attack, but Angel held her back.
"Whoa Buffy. Calm it down." Angel said.
"So how'd you win this one back?" Number one asked, obviously the leader.
"Um, I didn't..."
"Man, I thought you two were broken up for good!"
"Broken up?" Buffy asked. "Ok, I had a really strange morning. Can you guys refresh my memory?"
"Still funny."
"Being serious."
The two demons looks at her, bewildered that she would take that tone with them. "Chill mama." Number two said.
"Stop calling me that!"
"Chico, go back over to the others." Number one said.
"All right Paunch." Chico, walked back to the group, obviously hurt.
"Paunch? Your mom must've hated you to name you that." Willow said.
"Who the hell are you?" Paunch asked.
"I'm the witch."
"Willow. Her name is Willow." Buffy said. "Ok, time to stop with the meet and greet. Refresh my memory. What's going on here?"
"What'd you do, hit your head and get amnesia?"
"Sorta." "Ok, well... You and Angel have been broken up since your wedding day which was ten years ago. You and me were an item for a while until you ditched me for Gunn until he got killed and then I never heard about you till now."
"First off, ew. I would never sleep with a demon." Angel cleared his throat. "Except you. And second, I'm married to Angel."
"Well, yeah. You two never divorced."
"Ok, what happened on the day of the wedding?"
"Well, a demon attacked and killed a bunch of your friends. Angel didn't stop them and you left."
"Thanks for the clear up. Bye." Buffy started to walk and Angel and Willow ran to catch up. "Ew, ew, ew, and more ew."
"So, it's ten years in the future." Angel said.
"Apparently." Buffy stopped about two blocks away from Paunch. "Let's split up and try and find the Buffy and Angel here. Also, we need to find out who died that day so if... When we get back we can stop it."
"Buffy..."
"It's a perfectly good idea. Don't argue. This is still LA. Meet me at the Wolfram and Hart building... Or where it's supposed to be." With that, Buffy blended into the shadows and left.
"Buffy? It's..." Faith opened the door and stopped. "Time." There was no one here. No sign of Angel or Willow either. "Buffy? Angel? Willow? Anyone?" No answer. Faith saw broken glass on the floor and then looked at the shattered window. "Well, this can't be too good."
"What can't?" Dawn asked, standing in the doorway.
"Uh, Buffy, Angel, and Willow are missing."
"How can you tell?"
"Buffy's wedding dress." Faith pointed. "Willow's maid of honor dress." She pointed at the purple dress. "And Angel's tux is laying on the bed in his dressing room. Plus, the window's broken."
"This can't be too good."
"Come on."
Faith ran downstairs in the short dress and high heels, cursing herself for not wearing flats or boots. "Wesley! Guys!"
"Faith." Robin said.
"What's wrong?" Xander asked.
"They're missing!" Faith said.
"Who?" Wesley asked.
"Buffy, Angel, and Willow. They're missing. I went upstairs to tell them it's time and they're not up there. The Buffy and Willow's dresses and Angel's tux are laying on the beds in their dressing rooms and the window in Buffy's room is broken."
"This can't be too good." Gunn said.
"What can't?" Lorne asked.
"Buffy, Angel, and Willow are missing." Dawn said, starting to panic.
"Dawn, calm down. We're figure this out and find them." Faith said.
"Buffy and Angel are the only real family I have left now. We have to find them."
"We will." Robin said.
"Let me take a look at the room." Lorne said, walking upstairs. Ten minutes later he came back. "Someone was doing a spell in that room. There's major mojo magick vibes coming off the air in waves. It wasn't all Willow's doing either."
"What do you mean?" Xander asked.
"I mean, someone else was either in that room or knew that Willow was doing a spell and they flubbed it. Purposely."
"We need to do something." Dawn said.
"Well, I have this friend of a friend who does these spells that are like the star 69 of the magick world..."
"No way Big Green." Gunn said. "You're friends've been enough help lately."
"This guy really is reliable! I swear on the life of me that this guy is. He's been one of my closest friends since I first arrived here to this beautiful plane of existence."
"Fine." Faith said. "We're a little desperate here. Me, Robin, and Gunn can go with Lorne to this friend and check him out. The rest of you stay here and see if any other clues show up to help us out so we can fix this."
"Good luck! Be safe." Dawn called.
Buffy didn't feel safe at all. Everywhere she looked there was destruction and chaos. Almost as if post-Jasmania hadn't ever stopped. Places that she had once known were either destroyed or taken over by demons. A big part of Buffy hurt. Two demons had informed her that Angel, the Angel here, was with Cordelia. Angel had moved on and it proved that if he lost Buffy, he could move on... to Cordelia.
Suddenly, a flash of blonde hair in a window above her caught Buffy's attention. She would know that hair anywhere. After all, it was her hair. Buffy ran into the building and found the door that she assumed was the one that led to the place where she had seen herself. With a deep breath, she knocked on the door.
"I can't believe this." Angel said. "Buffy would never be so... so..."
"Faith-like?" Willow asked.
"I didn't mean..."
"Before she went evil I mean. And, well, a little like after she went evil."
"I guess."
"Angel, don't be so down. That's not the Buffy we know and love. That's some future Buffy that we're going to stop our Buffy from evolving into. I don't think I could let my best friend become like that."
"You couldn't help it."
Willow and Angel spun around to find a demon half of Angel's height standing in a shadowed corner wearing a robe that hid its features. Purple energy crackled around its hands, but it wasn't threatening. It just seemed to... be his hands actually.
"Who are you?" Angel asked, looking like he was going to vamp.
"I am Rahlah, sorcerer of the Makien tribe. I brought you here. Well, the past me brought you here with a little help from me."
"You're the one who brought us to this hell?"
"I understand your anger, but please let me explain. This hell will be caused by you and your Slayer."
"What do you mean?" Willow asked, intrigued.
"If you will, follow me to my home. It's right around the block."
Angel eyed him warily and then looked at Willow. *What harm could it do?* She asked him in his mind as she started to walk. *After all, we need to find out how to get back. He could be the key to getting back.* Angel sighed and followed.
"No fuckin' way!" Future Buffy said. "You've gotta be a shapeshifter."
"Ok, I've always had a dirty mouth, but please... Watch the profanity." Past Buffy said. "And no, I'm not a shapeshifter. Those things are creepy and they made my life a living hell."
"I'm confused."
"You're not the only one."
"How do you now about my dad?"
"Because I'm you. Or, technically, you're me. I could give you all the intricate details about that night, but I'd rather skip it and play twenty questions."
"Why should I trust you?"
"Because you trust yourself. Stop being so damn stubborn and let me in." Future Buffy rolled her eyes and opened the door further to let Past Buffy in. "Thanks. Now, let's talk about what happened the day of the wedding that made you... me... us call it off."
"If you're me, then you should know."
"Actually, I don't think I've gotten that far yet. See, I was getting ready to put my wedding dress on and then this demon attacked, so Angel asked Willow to cast a protection spell and then we ended up here. All of us. Me, Angel, and Willow."
"Willow's here?"
"Somewhere. We split up to find you and Future Angel. Anyways, why did you stop the wedding?"
"It's pretty damn obvious."
"Not for me."
"Because Angel killed Willow and Giles. It was his fault they died."
"What? Why would Angel kill his friends?"
"He saw the demon go after Willow while she was in a trance and he didn't stop it."
"Oh please! Angel would never let any harm come to any of our friends and you know it."
"Yeah, tell that to Giles as he was shredded by that thing and Angel stood back and watched."
"No. I know Angel. We both know him! He would never just 'stand by and watch.' And you know what? I also know myself and you are not who I am."
"For once we agree on something. This isn't who I was. I changed. I had to. My friends are dead and Angel's with Cordelia now so it's over and done with."
"There is no way Angel loves Cordelia. It's a brotherly love he has for her. It always has been."
"Then they must've been big into incest in Ireland."
Past Buffy rolled her eyes. "You're stupid." With that, she decked her future self. The Future Buffy was knocked unconscious by the powerful blow. "Wow, I really am a danger to myself." Past Buffy tied her future self up with heavy chains she found in a corner and then dragged herself inside a meat locker that only opened from the outside. "Where would Future Angel hide?" As Buffy walked on onto the sidewalk, she looked at the street sign on the corner. The Hyperion was only a few blocks away. Angel might be there. "Worth a shot."
"How do we get back?" Angel asked. "We can't be stuck here forever right?" He and Willow were sitting in an apartment that was sparsely decorated. The demon had explained everything that had happened since the wedding day. Buffy and Angel here were still married, but they were separated. Angel himself was with, of all people, Cordelia. Willow and Giles had been killed when the winged demon had attacked the wedding with full forces behind him. Buffy had freaked out and split, calling off the wedding and her and Angel's relationship because she said that Angel had let Giles and Willow be killed in front of him. For ten years, that winged demon had run Los Angeles and every demon that was against him had been at war with him and his followers ever since then. LA was a demon war zone like none other before.
"Angel..." Willow said. "This guy is obviously extremely powerful. He brought us to the future to save me and Giles and the whole LA area."
"I'm sorry, but I'm kind of wanting to get back and stop this from happening. I can't lose Buffy. Not like this."
"It's perfectly understandable." Rahlah said. "And it's simple really."
"Simple? It's never simple."
"All you have to do is reunite the Buffy and Angel of this time and destroy the demon that started all of this."
"You call that simple!? If the Buffy and Angel here have tried multiple times to kill this guy and failed, what makes you think that we'll be able to kill him along with bringing back two people who hate each other."
"Ah. There you are wrong. You don't hate Buffy. You still love her."
"I will always love her."
"And she you. Dig past the hate and get to her heart. You will see that she still loves you."
"We are talking about the Buffy and Angel here, right?" Willow asked.
"Yes."
"Good. Just wanted to clear that up."
"With the combined efforts of you and your future selves, you have a shot at defeating the demon and learning his weakness." Rahlah said, clapping his hands. A light flashed and Angel and Willow stood on the sidewalk in front of Wolfram and Hart.
"Willow?" Angel asked.
"I don't know! I didn't do this!" Willow said, starting to panic.
"Will, calm down." Buffy said, grabbing the red head's shoulders. "Just find a way to reverse it."
"But that's just it! I didn't do this, so I don't know how to reverse it. I don't even know where we are!"
"This is LA." Angel said. "Only, an LA that's been at war for a while."
"How can you tell?" Buffy asked.
"I've lived for over 240 years, I've seen stuff like this before. Only this is much worse."
"Oh."
"We need to find shelter quick before some of these nasty demons find out we're standing here."
As they started to walk, Buffy said, "I'm surprised they haven't noticed us yet."
"Well, don't count your stakes yet. They still could." Angel eyed a group of demons that didn't look anything like what he had ever seen before. They were hanging out on a street corner smoking and laughing.
"I don't think they'll be any harm. They look like they're just here to enjoy the carnage, not cause it."
"Still, better safe than sorry."
"I could cast a warding spell..." Willow started.
"No!" Buffy and Angel said. The demons looked over.
"Well, damn. So much for counting stakes and staying safe." Buffy said.
"It's the Slayer!" One of the demons said.
"She's with Angel again!" Another said.
"Apparently we exist here." Angel said, looking down at Buffy.
The two demons that had talked ran across the street and stood in front of them. "Hey guys." Number two said.
"Hi." Buffy said.
"So I guess your off the market mama." Number one said.
"Excuse me?" Buffy started to attack, but Angel held her back.
"Whoa Buffy. Calm it down." Angel said.
"So how'd you win this one back?" Number one asked, obviously the leader.
"Um, I didn't..."
"Man, I thought you two were broken up for good!"
"Broken up?" Buffy asked. "Ok, I had a really strange morning. Can you guys refresh my memory?"
"Still funny."
"Being serious."
The two demons looks at her, bewildered that she would take that tone with them. "Chill mama." Number two said.
"Stop calling me that!"
"Chico, go back over to the others." Number one said.
"All right Paunch." Chico, walked back to the group, obviously hurt.
"Paunch? Your mom must've hated you to name you that." Willow said.
"Who the hell are you?" Paunch asked.
"I'm the witch."
"Willow. Her name is Willow." Buffy said. "Ok, time to stop with the meet and greet. Refresh my memory. What's going on here?"
"What'd you do, hit your head and get amnesia?"
"Sorta." "Ok, well... You and Angel have been broken up since your wedding day which was ten years ago. You and me were an item for a while until you ditched me for Gunn until he got killed and then I never heard about you till now."
"First off, ew. I would never sleep with a demon." Angel cleared his throat. "Except you. And second, I'm married to Angel."
"Well, yeah. You two never divorced."
"Ok, what happened on the day of the wedding?"
"Well, a demon attacked and killed a bunch of your friends. Angel didn't stop them and you left."
"Thanks for the clear up. Bye." Buffy started to walk and Angel and Willow ran to catch up. "Ew, ew, ew, and more ew."
"So, it's ten years in the future." Angel said.
"Apparently." Buffy stopped about two blocks away from Paunch. "Let's split up and try and find the Buffy and Angel here. Also, we need to find out who died that day so if... When we get back we can stop it."
"Buffy..."
"It's a perfectly good idea. Don't argue. This is still LA. Meet me at the Wolfram and Hart building... Or where it's supposed to be." With that, Buffy blended into the shadows and left.
"Buffy? It's..." Faith opened the door and stopped. "Time." There was no one here. No sign of Angel or Willow either. "Buffy? Angel? Willow? Anyone?" No answer. Faith saw broken glass on the floor and then looked at the shattered window. "Well, this can't be too good."
"What can't?" Dawn asked, standing in the doorway.
"Uh, Buffy, Angel, and Willow are missing."
"How can you tell?"
"Buffy's wedding dress." Faith pointed. "Willow's maid of honor dress." She pointed at the purple dress. "And Angel's tux is laying on the bed in his dressing room. Plus, the window's broken."
"This can't be too good."
"Come on."
Faith ran downstairs in the short dress and high heels, cursing herself for not wearing flats or boots. "Wesley! Guys!"
"Faith." Robin said.
"What's wrong?" Xander asked.
"They're missing!" Faith said.
"Who?" Wesley asked.
"Buffy, Angel, and Willow. They're missing. I went upstairs to tell them it's time and they're not up there. The Buffy and Willow's dresses and Angel's tux are laying on the beds in their dressing rooms and the window in Buffy's room is broken."
"This can't be too good." Gunn said.
"What can't?" Lorne asked.
"Buffy, Angel, and Willow are missing." Dawn said, starting to panic.
"Dawn, calm down. We're figure this out and find them." Faith said.
"Buffy and Angel are the only real family I have left now. We have to find them."
"We will." Robin said.
"Let me take a look at the room." Lorne said, walking upstairs. Ten minutes later he came back. "Someone was doing a spell in that room. There's major mojo magick vibes coming off the air in waves. It wasn't all Willow's doing either."
"What do you mean?" Xander asked.
"I mean, someone else was either in that room or knew that Willow was doing a spell and they flubbed it. Purposely."
"We need to do something." Dawn said.
"Well, I have this friend of a friend who does these spells that are like the star 69 of the magick world..."
"No way Big Green." Gunn said. "You're friends've been enough help lately."
"This guy really is reliable! I swear on the life of me that this guy is. He's been one of my closest friends since I first arrived here to this beautiful plane of existence."
"Fine." Faith said. "We're a little desperate here. Me, Robin, and Gunn can go with Lorne to this friend and check him out. The rest of you stay here and see if any other clues show up to help us out so we can fix this."
"Good luck! Be safe." Dawn called.
Buffy didn't feel safe at all. Everywhere she looked there was destruction and chaos. Almost as if post-Jasmania hadn't ever stopped. Places that she had once known were either destroyed or taken over by demons. A big part of Buffy hurt. Two demons had informed her that Angel, the Angel here, was with Cordelia. Angel had moved on and it proved that if he lost Buffy, he could move on... to Cordelia.
Suddenly, a flash of blonde hair in a window above her caught Buffy's attention. She would know that hair anywhere. After all, it was her hair. Buffy ran into the building and found the door that she assumed was the one that led to the place where she had seen herself. With a deep breath, she knocked on the door.
"I can't believe this." Angel said. "Buffy would never be so... so..."
"Faith-like?" Willow asked.
"I didn't mean..."
"Before she went evil I mean. And, well, a little like after she went evil."
"I guess."
"Angel, don't be so down. That's not the Buffy we know and love. That's some future Buffy that we're going to stop our Buffy from evolving into. I don't think I could let my best friend become like that."
"You couldn't help it."
Willow and Angel spun around to find a demon half of Angel's height standing in a shadowed corner wearing a robe that hid its features. Purple energy crackled around its hands, but it wasn't threatening. It just seemed to... be his hands actually.
"Who are you?" Angel asked, looking like he was going to vamp.
"I am Rahlah, sorcerer of the Makien tribe. I brought you here. Well, the past me brought you here with a little help from me."
"You're the one who brought us to this hell?"
"I understand your anger, but please let me explain. This hell will be caused by you and your Slayer."
"What do you mean?" Willow asked, intrigued.
"If you will, follow me to my home. It's right around the block."
Angel eyed him warily and then looked at Willow. *What harm could it do?* She asked him in his mind as she started to walk. *After all, we need to find out how to get back. He could be the key to getting back.* Angel sighed and followed.
"No fuckin' way!" Future Buffy said. "You've gotta be a shapeshifter."
"Ok, I've always had a dirty mouth, but please... Watch the profanity." Past Buffy said. "And no, I'm not a shapeshifter. Those things are creepy and they made my life a living hell."
"I'm confused."
"You're not the only one."
"How do you now about my dad?"
"Because I'm you. Or, technically, you're me. I could give you all the intricate details about that night, but I'd rather skip it and play twenty questions."
"Why should I trust you?"
"Because you trust yourself. Stop being so damn stubborn and let me in." Future Buffy rolled her eyes and opened the door further to let Past Buffy in. "Thanks. Now, let's talk about what happened the day of the wedding that made you... me... us call it off."
"If you're me, then you should know."
"Actually, I don't think I've gotten that far yet. See, I was getting ready to put my wedding dress on and then this demon attacked, so Angel asked Willow to cast a protection spell and then we ended up here. All of us. Me, Angel, and Willow."
"Willow's here?"
"Somewhere. We split up to find you and Future Angel. Anyways, why did you stop the wedding?"
"It's pretty damn obvious."
"Not for me."
"Because Angel killed Willow and Giles. It was his fault they died."
"What? Why would Angel kill his friends?"
"He saw the demon go after Willow while she was in a trance and he didn't stop it."
"Oh please! Angel would never let any harm come to any of our friends and you know it."
"Yeah, tell that to Giles as he was shredded by that thing and Angel stood back and watched."
"No. I know Angel. We both know him! He would never just 'stand by and watch.' And you know what? I also know myself and you are not who I am."
"For once we agree on something. This isn't who I was. I changed. I had to. My friends are dead and Angel's with Cordelia now so it's over and done with."
"There is no way Angel loves Cordelia. It's a brotherly love he has for her. It always has been."
"Then they must've been big into incest in Ireland."
Past Buffy rolled her eyes. "You're stupid." With that, she decked her future self. The Future Buffy was knocked unconscious by the powerful blow. "Wow, I really am a danger to myself." Past Buffy tied her future self up with heavy chains she found in a corner and then dragged herself inside a meat locker that only opened from the outside. "Where would Future Angel hide?" As Buffy walked on onto the sidewalk, she looked at the street sign on the corner. The Hyperion was only a few blocks away. Angel might be there. "Worth a shot."
"How do we get back?" Angel asked. "We can't be stuck here forever right?" He and Willow were sitting in an apartment that was sparsely decorated. The demon had explained everything that had happened since the wedding day. Buffy and Angel here were still married, but they were separated. Angel himself was with, of all people, Cordelia. Willow and Giles had been killed when the winged demon had attacked the wedding with full forces behind him. Buffy had freaked out and split, calling off the wedding and her and Angel's relationship because she said that Angel had let Giles and Willow be killed in front of him. For ten years, that winged demon had run Los Angeles and every demon that was against him had been at war with him and his followers ever since then. LA was a demon war zone like none other before.
"Angel..." Willow said. "This guy is obviously extremely powerful. He brought us to the future to save me and Giles and the whole LA area."
"I'm sorry, but I'm kind of wanting to get back and stop this from happening. I can't lose Buffy. Not like this."
"It's perfectly understandable." Rahlah said. "And it's simple really."
"Simple? It's never simple."
"All you have to do is reunite the Buffy and Angel of this time and destroy the demon that started all of this."
"You call that simple!? If the Buffy and Angel here have tried multiple times to kill this guy and failed, what makes you think that we'll be able to kill him along with bringing back two people who hate each other."
"Ah. There you are wrong. You don't hate Buffy. You still love her."
"I will always love her."
"And she you. Dig past the hate and get to her heart. You will see that she still loves you."
"We are talking about the Buffy and Angel here, right?" Willow asked.
"Yes."
"Good. Just wanted to clear that up."
"With the combined efforts of you and your future selves, you have a shot at defeating the demon and learning his weakness." Rahlah said, clapping his hands. A light flashed and Angel and Willow stood on the sidewalk in front of Wolfram and Hart.
