Remembrance

Disclaimer: Of course, characters and settings from Buffy the Vampire Slayer are...from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And therefore not mine. I am only borrowing them from Joss, Fox, ME, and whomever else, and I promise to give them back. Any characters or places appearing not from the show are mine, unless specifically credited otherwise.

Author's Notes: This story focuses exclusively on the core four (Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles) so some characters will show up very little, others, not at all. Sorry. It also takes place in Season 3, anywhere between 'Amends' and 'The Zeppo'. The time doesn't affect the plot much, actually - I just like the high school seasons best :) As always, reviews are highly coveted (And, to be honest, very inspiring sometimes. There's nothing like knowing people are reading what you're writing to get you writing more. Even if they don't like it.) Please leave one. Mispel and Zac - thanks a bunch!

Spoilers: Possibly a few through Season 3, but nothing else.

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"...you'll pass these back. Homework tonight is to fill out these forms with a detailed analysis of period of your choice. Detailed as in, if you're going to copy right from the book, Mr. Mezzina, you had better pick at least three separate pages. You can get started now."

Buffy couldn't hold back a yawn, though she did try to hide it as best she could. It sort of figured that the one night in the last month she was in bed before midnight would end up with her exhausted the following morning. Logic had long ceased to apply in her life.

The boy in front of her turned in his seat and passed the worksheets back to her. She set aside a packet for herself, then turned to hand the other two to Xander and Willow, directly behind her. The angle allowed her to catch a glimpse of Tommy Mezzina, sitting at a table two rows over and looking mutinous. Grinning slightly, Buffy turned back around.

"So, what period are we doing?" Xander asked Willow, beneath his breath. Normally, Buffy would be asking her friend the exact same question, though maybe in a more discrete manner. And, she realized, come the end of the day she probably would be. But right at that very moment, she couldn't be bothered to do anything at all, even if it was only copying someone else's work.

"Oh, is it a group assignment? I must have missed Mrs. Taggart saying that." There was amusement in Willow's voice, and Buffy knew she would end up helping both of them along later in the library, as usual.

'Buffy Summers,' she wrote along the top of her paper, and then just beneath it, 'Chemistry: Period 8.' Idly, she traced over both lines again.

Then, just the second line, several times.

Then, just the number.

Head in her hand, Buffy watched pen sweep along the curves of the 8 over and over again, transfixed. Someone sneezed loudly to her right several moments later, and brought her trance to an abrupt end.

She blinked rapidly, confused. Her pen was still poised in her hand, halfway through the loop of the number, but the number was no longer on her worksheet. It was carved into the desk, along with a string of other numbers that looked like a complicated algebra formula.

We don't sit at desks.

Buffy looked up very quickly, and was suddenly very wide awake. She was still in a classroom. A nice classroom. Just not hers. Bewildered, she searched for some indication of where she was.

She was surrounded on all sides by kids around her own age. Scratch that, she decided, after a moment. Younger. Maybe even frosh. One boy, a row behind her and one seat over, was wearing what looked like a letter jacket, but only his name was on the front. After waving her arms frantically for a moment and confirming no one seemed able to see her, Buffy stood and circled behind him, checking the back of the jacket for a team or a town name. If there was one, it was blocked by the back of a chair, and the bear mascot that was visible didn't help much.

She realized quickly that the boy to whom the jacket belonged was asleep, and she wasn't going to get a chance to look for a town anytime soon. Instead, she let her attention wander to some of the other students. No one was particularly interesting, and most were totally silent. Taking a test, she guessed.

A few rows ahead, someone giggled, and then quickly bit it back as the teacher at the front of the room looked up from her desk sternly. She wandered forward, eager for a little distraction. Peering over the girl's shoulder, Buffy watched as the girl unfolded a note as quietly as she could and read it quickly.

"Why didn't you come over like you were supposed to last night?"

The girl glanced behind her, and Buffy followed her eyes to another girl, sitting diagonally to the right. That girl looked up after a moment to meet the first's eyes, frowning, and after a moment, Buffy realized with a start that she was the girl in the red hat.

Whipping around, Buffy studied the face of the first girl, looking for some sign that ...yes, it was the other girl from her dream. But she looked different. Tired and a little older, maybe. She sighed and turned back around, bending over the note and writing out a hasty reply, which Buffy quickly squinted to catch.

"I'm really, really sorry. I started early on my homework and ended up asleep on my math book. My dad didn't know I was out until 11."

The note was refolded and flicked back. Buffy found herself more interested in the girl than the note, though, and stayed with her. She was definitely younger than Buffy was, maybe 13 or 14. Her hair was strawberry blond and short. Much shorter than she remembered it was in her dream, Buffy realized.

But if that was a dream, and she was there, I'm probably just dreaming again, so who cares?

Still, she kept up her appraisal of the girl, taking in little things like a scar behind her ear and obviously bitten nails, until a new folded piece of paper sailed onto the desk.

"Yeah, alright. You have looked kind of trashed all day. I had been thinking maybe you had another fight with your mom."

The girl gave a soft, sharp laugh under her breath that lacked any trace of humor, but turned slightly in her seat and shook her head just enough for red hat to see. It didn't take long for red hat to reply with another message carefully aimed onto the girl's desk.

"That's good. What time are you coming over tonight?"

The girl visibly flinched, and paused for a long moment before replying. It looked like it took a great physical effort to write the words.

"I'm really sorry, Em. I can't sleep over tonight. I totally forgot about something I have to do."

Red hat...no, Em's face darkened the moment she read the note, and she was very still for almost a minute before ripping a new chunk of paper and answering. The note was flung in the girl's direction, not with quite so much care this time.

"Let me guess. Tomorrow's no good either. Actually, you don't know what you'll be doing all weekend, but you'll probably be out. And you can't tell me where or why. Am I warm?"

The girl bit her lip and looked like she was going to cry. She didn't answer the note. Buffy could hear Em make a low noise of disgust, and then the two sat, silent.

Several minutes later, the bell rang. The girl turned quickly in her seat, looking to her friend, but Em was already gathering her things up rapidly, and without looking at the girl once, she turned on her heel sharply and left the room.

Someone shook Buffy's shoulder gently, then a little harder.

She opened her eyes and looked up into the concerned face of Xander.

"Rough night last night? Come on, caffeine on me."

She yawned and followed him.