Without Shrimp, ch. 10 b (Alternate Ending)
Disclaimer: All Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel: the Series characters belong to Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy. Like so many others, I'm just playing in his sandbox.
Author's Notes: Okay, here it is, the alternate ending to this Fic. If you read ending A, you already know what I had originally planned for this story. Like so many things, though, this fic took on a life of it's own, and like many of the fans and reviewers, I began wondering 'What if?" I'd like to dedicate this entire Fic, both versions to those fans like me who both loved, dreaded, and cried over the episodes 'the Body' and 'Seeing Red'; to the Tara fans, who like me, never knew how much we were going to miss the character Amber Benson brought to life, or Joyce, who's appearances to Buffy in season 7 (by actress Christine Southerland) made me miss our 'Mom' all over again. That said, as much as I love Tara, I'm still a die-hard Buffy/Spike, Xander/Willow shipper. My thanks to BloodyMiri, MadRog, Kantarya, Kallysten, Nautibitz, and all the other wonderful Buffy- fic writers who inspired this, I pray I haven't offended any of you by utilizing your specific 'verses in the previous chapters.
"Well, then. It would appear that this is it, as you Americans are wont to say." Giles said, looking at the people assembled within the Magic Box. "This certainly has been an odd week, even by Sunnydale standards, as I'm sure we can all agree." This earned him laughter, from both the modern Scoobies, and the Scoobies of two years ago. Even Joyce, Spike, and his own younger counterpart laughed.
"Look," Xander said, "I'm sorry that we've turned your lives upside down, and who knows, maybe our younger selves won't even remember what happened once we step back through the portal, but if any of you do.. well, I hope that we've all gotten something from all this. Maybe Giles is right, and we've just created another branch on the timeline by doing all this. Guess we won't know until we go back. But just seeing you all again, alive and healthy.. For me, it was worth it."
"I can't say the exact same thing, but, personally, I'm hoping we can prevent some of the things we learned about that may come. I'm not convinced that you guys are from OUR future, but at least we can make sure to try and plan around certain events." His younger self added.
Willow (year 2000 version) silently agreed, deciding to research in spells to make windows bulletproof.
Tara stepped forward, to the Willow from the future, and looked her square in the eyes. "Remember what I said, Willow Rosenberg. I'm going to hold you to that."
"I remember. I don't know if I CAN, but I'll try. For you."
"No. For you, Willow." Tara replied. Willow reached out, took Tara's hand, and squeezed it. Tara smiled.
"I just hope I don't throw up all over Xander's floor after we go back." Dawn said, eliciting another laugh from all. "I know that Me and myself are STILL a bit queasy in each other's presence, so hopefully, time travel the other direction won't make it temporarily worse." She got somber for a second. "Look, I just want you to know, I love you guys, all of you."
Both Dawns got swept up into hugs, and then the Dawns each moved into the back of each group, so that any teariness or sniffles would be less noticeable.
"Well, you guys know me, not really big with the speeches.." please, don't let the Scoobies say anything right now, Buffy thought, "anyway, everything I needed to say this week, I've already said, y'know? I just.. what Dawn said, y'know?" Buffy finished, staring at her fashionable-yet- affordable-boots.
"Hey, I know most of you either really, really hate me, or at least distrust me, and I don't blame any of you one bit. I needed to serve out my time until Angel and Buffy needed me, and I earned that pardon fair and square, afterwards. I just-" Buffy arched an eyebrow at Faith's hesitance. "I just wish I hadn't made those mistakes in the first place."
Everyone winced and held their breath for a second.
"Hey, I'm just happy that Joyce let us photocopy her secret recipe for her lasagna and her chocolate chip cookie and cocoa recipes!" Xander joked, breaking the tension, amidst laughter and a high-five from his younger counterpart.
"Giles?" Tara quietly asked the older version of the ex-librarian she knew, "You've been kind of avoiding looking at me and my Willow ever since your turn at meeting your alternate selves. Is there something wrong?"
"Er, oh, NO, Tara, nothing at all!" He pulled off his glasses and began furiously cleaning them. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, your Willow let MY Willow and I come along when she talked to her other selves from across dimensions." Tara gave a tiny, knowing smile; "It seems one of the Willows from another Sunnydale told us of her world, and in it, well, lets just say, Truth or Dare games after too much bourbon may have people ending up in bed with people you don't expect them to, or so I hear. From what I understand, you were very kind and gentle, and even if I myself don't swing that way, I'd like to say thank you, anyway."
"Yes, well, um-"
Tara laughed and returned to the side of Younger Willow.
Joyce stepped forward, and looked at the prime Watcher.
"Rupert, I've become aware of certain things that.. might or might not happen in the near future. You might not be always successful with Buffy, but you do try and be a father to her. So. Thank you for that. And there's one more thing I want to say to you, since I may not ever have this chance again.."
Joyce grabbed Rupert Giles by the collar, pulling him into a lip-lock that shocked him, both Buffy's, and both Dawn's, at that!
Spike grinned viciously, and whispered 'Way to go, mum. Might loosen the ponce up, a bit.' He turned and slipped outside as the sun was setting, slipping into the alley. Once again, he pulled out the envelope that the Buffy from the future had given him the night before.
'Spike', the letter read, 'this letter is part apology, and part confession. The apology is for the way I've treated you ever since Willow's botched spell. You know the one I'm talking about. Anyway, since then, I'd tried so hard to forget what I felt during the time we were engaged, and the way you acted. Like a person. I had to remember that you were my mortal enemy, one of them, Vampires, with a capital V. Yes, you tried to kill us a few times since, but you helped more than hindered, and eventually, you end up proving yourself. Love isn't brains, you told me once, and you were right. Because if you'd had any, you'd have left Sunnydale, and never come back. But you did. And in the numerous times you did, you went from being my enemy, to being my friend, to being.. and hold on here, this is something you never expected to hear in your wildest dreams.. someone I love. Yes, you heard me. I love you. I just wish I'd said it, before you'd gone all dust and ashes on me. Remember that, Spike. Love, Buffy'
Inside, Xander and Willow had both gotten mischievous looks on their faces and mock-grabbed for their younger selves partners.. then, they mock grabbed for each other's partners.
"Okay, okay, you two, that's enough!" Dawn laughed. "Let's go."
Joyce, Dawn, Buffy, Willow, Xander, Anya, and Giles watched as the air in the doorway into the training room took on a silvery, mercury-like sheen, and the Scoobies from the future stepped through, one by one. As the ripples of the last one traced across the doorway, the silvery stuff faded.
Xander stepped forward into a bedroom, in a house he didn't recognize. "What the-?"
Buffy, Faith, Dawn, and Giles stepped out behind him.
"Who the hell ARE you people, and what're you doin' in my house?" A large angry African-American man yelled, holding a baseball bat. "Any o' you Terminators, or something?"
"Er, no?" Dawn said, hiding behind Buffy.
"Then get on outta my house!" The man yelled. The Scoobies made their way out the door, and Buffy pulled out her cell phone and hit auto-dial.
"Hey, Killer. It's me, Buffy. Could you get Angel and his flunkies over at Wolfram and Hart to come pick us up? Where are we?" She looked down at a newspaper on the pavement, as they stepped out into a cold, windy night. "Um, looks like it's Cleveland. No, I don't know why D'Hoffrynn portal spit us out back here, instead of Sunnydale." She grinned at something the person on the other line said, "Okay, and give the Great Big Poof hell from me, too."
"HEY!" Faith said, "Knock off the Angel-bashing, PLEASE? He did wrangle me a parole under his supervision, over at Wolfram and Hart."
"Plus the pet-names you and Captain Peroxide toss at one another upsets my stomach, and then I can't enjoy cooking for Wills." Xander added.
**Three hours later**
"Okay, Giles, what went wrong?" Dawn asked the Chief Watcher. "How come we couldn't go back in time to give ourselves the warnings we remember getting?"
"Possibly because we already changed the majority of what they told us, Dawn. There was absolutely nothing we could do to save Joyce, Tara was shot by Warren on the back porch when Willow and she went to go help Buffy, and Anya died saving Xander from losing an eye to that madman of an back-woods preacher."
"Maybe. But at least we changed a few things. Buffy never died., she used the Scythe the other Buffy told her how to find, to kill Doc, before he could complete Glory's plan. Warren died at Spike's hands, after he'd replaced the chip with his soul. Jonathan and Andrew left town with Angel, and now work with him at Wolfram and Hart." She smiled almost maliciously at Giles. "Plus, now Xander and Willow are dating steadily, along with Buffy and Spike"
"Please, don't remind me. I respect Spike, but I still wish Buffy's heart had chosen better."
"PUH-leeeze, Giles, who'd have you picked? Riley? Sure I can just see the look on your face as you flew down to Iowa every three months to see her and her 6 or 7 kids... "
"Well, perhaps you may have a point there, Dawn, but.."
Buffy just smiled, shook her head, set the earphones on tighter, and settled back into her chair for the rest of the flight.
The End.
Disclaimer: All Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel: the Series characters belong to Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy. Like so many others, I'm just playing in his sandbox.
Author's Notes: Okay, here it is, the alternate ending to this Fic. If you read ending A, you already know what I had originally planned for this story. Like so many things, though, this fic took on a life of it's own, and like many of the fans and reviewers, I began wondering 'What if?" I'd like to dedicate this entire Fic, both versions to those fans like me who both loved, dreaded, and cried over the episodes 'the Body' and 'Seeing Red'; to the Tara fans, who like me, never knew how much we were going to miss the character Amber Benson brought to life, or Joyce, who's appearances to Buffy in season 7 (by actress Christine Southerland) made me miss our 'Mom' all over again. That said, as much as I love Tara, I'm still a die-hard Buffy/Spike, Xander/Willow shipper. My thanks to BloodyMiri, MadRog, Kantarya, Kallysten, Nautibitz, and all the other wonderful Buffy- fic writers who inspired this, I pray I haven't offended any of you by utilizing your specific 'verses in the previous chapters.
"Well, then. It would appear that this is it, as you Americans are wont to say." Giles said, looking at the people assembled within the Magic Box. "This certainly has been an odd week, even by Sunnydale standards, as I'm sure we can all agree." This earned him laughter, from both the modern Scoobies, and the Scoobies of two years ago. Even Joyce, Spike, and his own younger counterpart laughed.
"Look," Xander said, "I'm sorry that we've turned your lives upside down, and who knows, maybe our younger selves won't even remember what happened once we step back through the portal, but if any of you do.. well, I hope that we've all gotten something from all this. Maybe Giles is right, and we've just created another branch on the timeline by doing all this. Guess we won't know until we go back. But just seeing you all again, alive and healthy.. For me, it was worth it."
"I can't say the exact same thing, but, personally, I'm hoping we can prevent some of the things we learned about that may come. I'm not convinced that you guys are from OUR future, but at least we can make sure to try and plan around certain events." His younger self added.
Willow (year 2000 version) silently agreed, deciding to research in spells to make windows bulletproof.
Tara stepped forward, to the Willow from the future, and looked her square in the eyes. "Remember what I said, Willow Rosenberg. I'm going to hold you to that."
"I remember. I don't know if I CAN, but I'll try. For you."
"No. For you, Willow." Tara replied. Willow reached out, took Tara's hand, and squeezed it. Tara smiled.
"I just hope I don't throw up all over Xander's floor after we go back." Dawn said, eliciting another laugh from all. "I know that Me and myself are STILL a bit queasy in each other's presence, so hopefully, time travel the other direction won't make it temporarily worse." She got somber for a second. "Look, I just want you to know, I love you guys, all of you."
Both Dawns got swept up into hugs, and then the Dawns each moved into the back of each group, so that any teariness or sniffles would be less noticeable.
"Well, you guys know me, not really big with the speeches.." please, don't let the Scoobies say anything right now, Buffy thought, "anyway, everything I needed to say this week, I've already said, y'know? I just.. what Dawn said, y'know?" Buffy finished, staring at her fashionable-yet- affordable-boots.
"Hey, I know most of you either really, really hate me, or at least distrust me, and I don't blame any of you one bit. I needed to serve out my time until Angel and Buffy needed me, and I earned that pardon fair and square, afterwards. I just-" Buffy arched an eyebrow at Faith's hesitance. "I just wish I hadn't made those mistakes in the first place."
Everyone winced and held their breath for a second.
"Hey, I'm just happy that Joyce let us photocopy her secret recipe for her lasagna and her chocolate chip cookie and cocoa recipes!" Xander joked, breaking the tension, amidst laughter and a high-five from his younger counterpart.
"Giles?" Tara quietly asked the older version of the ex-librarian she knew, "You've been kind of avoiding looking at me and my Willow ever since your turn at meeting your alternate selves. Is there something wrong?"
"Er, oh, NO, Tara, nothing at all!" He pulled off his glasses and began furiously cleaning them. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, your Willow let MY Willow and I come along when she talked to her other selves from across dimensions." Tara gave a tiny, knowing smile; "It seems one of the Willows from another Sunnydale told us of her world, and in it, well, lets just say, Truth or Dare games after too much bourbon may have people ending up in bed with people you don't expect them to, or so I hear. From what I understand, you were very kind and gentle, and even if I myself don't swing that way, I'd like to say thank you, anyway."
"Yes, well, um-"
Tara laughed and returned to the side of Younger Willow.
Joyce stepped forward, and looked at the prime Watcher.
"Rupert, I've become aware of certain things that.. might or might not happen in the near future. You might not be always successful with Buffy, but you do try and be a father to her. So. Thank you for that. And there's one more thing I want to say to you, since I may not ever have this chance again.."
Joyce grabbed Rupert Giles by the collar, pulling him into a lip-lock that shocked him, both Buffy's, and both Dawn's, at that!
Spike grinned viciously, and whispered 'Way to go, mum. Might loosen the ponce up, a bit.' He turned and slipped outside as the sun was setting, slipping into the alley. Once again, he pulled out the envelope that the Buffy from the future had given him the night before.
'Spike', the letter read, 'this letter is part apology, and part confession. The apology is for the way I've treated you ever since Willow's botched spell. You know the one I'm talking about. Anyway, since then, I'd tried so hard to forget what I felt during the time we were engaged, and the way you acted. Like a person. I had to remember that you were my mortal enemy, one of them, Vampires, with a capital V. Yes, you tried to kill us a few times since, but you helped more than hindered, and eventually, you end up proving yourself. Love isn't brains, you told me once, and you were right. Because if you'd had any, you'd have left Sunnydale, and never come back. But you did. And in the numerous times you did, you went from being my enemy, to being my friend, to being.. and hold on here, this is something you never expected to hear in your wildest dreams.. someone I love. Yes, you heard me. I love you. I just wish I'd said it, before you'd gone all dust and ashes on me. Remember that, Spike. Love, Buffy'
Inside, Xander and Willow had both gotten mischievous looks on their faces and mock-grabbed for their younger selves partners.. then, they mock grabbed for each other's partners.
"Okay, okay, you two, that's enough!" Dawn laughed. "Let's go."
Joyce, Dawn, Buffy, Willow, Xander, Anya, and Giles watched as the air in the doorway into the training room took on a silvery, mercury-like sheen, and the Scoobies from the future stepped through, one by one. As the ripples of the last one traced across the doorway, the silvery stuff faded.
Xander stepped forward into a bedroom, in a house he didn't recognize. "What the-?"
Buffy, Faith, Dawn, and Giles stepped out behind him.
"Who the hell ARE you people, and what're you doin' in my house?" A large angry African-American man yelled, holding a baseball bat. "Any o' you Terminators, or something?"
"Er, no?" Dawn said, hiding behind Buffy.
"Then get on outta my house!" The man yelled. The Scoobies made their way out the door, and Buffy pulled out her cell phone and hit auto-dial.
"Hey, Killer. It's me, Buffy. Could you get Angel and his flunkies over at Wolfram and Hart to come pick us up? Where are we?" She looked down at a newspaper on the pavement, as they stepped out into a cold, windy night. "Um, looks like it's Cleveland. No, I don't know why D'Hoffrynn portal spit us out back here, instead of Sunnydale." She grinned at something the person on the other line said, "Okay, and give the Great Big Poof hell from me, too."
"HEY!" Faith said, "Knock off the Angel-bashing, PLEASE? He did wrangle me a parole under his supervision, over at Wolfram and Hart."
"Plus the pet-names you and Captain Peroxide toss at one another upsets my stomach, and then I can't enjoy cooking for Wills." Xander added.
**Three hours later**
"Okay, Giles, what went wrong?" Dawn asked the Chief Watcher. "How come we couldn't go back in time to give ourselves the warnings we remember getting?"
"Possibly because we already changed the majority of what they told us, Dawn. There was absolutely nothing we could do to save Joyce, Tara was shot by Warren on the back porch when Willow and she went to go help Buffy, and Anya died saving Xander from losing an eye to that madman of an back-woods preacher."
"Maybe. But at least we changed a few things. Buffy never died., she used the Scythe the other Buffy told her how to find, to kill Doc, before he could complete Glory's plan. Warren died at Spike's hands, after he'd replaced the chip with his soul. Jonathan and Andrew left town with Angel, and now work with him at Wolfram and Hart." She smiled almost maliciously at Giles. "Plus, now Xander and Willow are dating steadily, along with Buffy and Spike"
"Please, don't remind me. I respect Spike, but I still wish Buffy's heart had chosen better."
"PUH-leeeze, Giles, who'd have you picked? Riley? Sure I can just see the look on your face as you flew down to Iowa every three months to see her and her 6 or 7 kids... "
"Well, perhaps you may have a point there, Dawn, but.."
Buffy just smiled, shook her head, set the earphones on tighter, and settled back into her chair for the rest of the flight.
The End.