Spike woke up shortly after Angelus had been in the room. A quick panic over took him
and he feverishly looked around for Buffy before realizing that she was still sound asleep in his arms. This was just where she belonged and where she was going to stay. He was bloody well gonna back up some things and his girl and then he'd get them out of Sunnyhell forever. Gone with out a trace they would be. Soon.

AN: sorry, that was just a little filler chapter that I hope explained some things about Ruby but kept the mystery. Mind you all that like this story, reviews make me write quicker.

Buffy let out a low moan in her sleep and snuggled deeper into Spike's chest. To anyone she looked like she was just sleeping. Little did anyone know that Buffy was going to get a reminder of her past self.
Buffy opened her eyes and expected to see the black of the blind fold. No, what she saw shocked her completely. There in a large canopy bed was her. She cautiously looked around the room and took in her surroundings. She stood in a large Victorian type room. As her eyes rested on herself again, she was startled by the entrance of a short, pudgy black woman. The woman totally ignored her and walked over to the other Buffy. She gave other Buffy a sharp shake, waking other Buffy.
"Good mornin' ta ya Miss Elizabeth," the woman said, "Time for ya to get up and face the day. Breakfast will be served in less than an hour."
Elizabeth. Holy shit. Elizabeth looked an awfully lot like Buffy.
Elizabeth sat up with a nod and stretched her slender arms over her head, yawning, "Okay Loretta. Let's get this bloody awful torture over with."
"Lizzy!" Loretta scolded "What would your mother say if she heard ya talkin like that girl?"
A small smile graced Elizabeth's lips, "Mother would say Loretta, "you're fired for teaching my Elizabeth such horrid language."
Loretta let out a deep rich chuckle and nodded, "You got me dere Lizzy now outta bed. Gotta get you lookin like a proper young lady."
Elizabeth sighed and stepped out of bed, "That I'm not."
Buffy was way wigged now. This was to freaky but, it was probably a better state of mind to be in then chained to a bed by a vampire right?
"Oh come on now miss," Loretta sighed, leading Elizabeth into a bathroom like room. Buffy followed, step for step, "You're a beautiful young lady that'll have all the bachelors fightin' for a chance to marry ya."
Elizabeth sighed as Loretta stripped her of her night dress and helped her into her bath, "I just don't feel like a proper young lady though Loretta. Am I crazy for wanting to be out on my own, free, independent...able to marry whom I chose?"
"And who would that be Lizzy?" Loretta raised an eyebrow, giving her a knowing smile.
Yeah! Who Lizzy? Who did I wanna marry? Wait. Did I just refer to Elizabeth as myself? Way wiggy.
"I know what you're thinking Loretta," Elizabeth sighed wistfully, "And it's not entirely true but William would never return my feelings. I'm positive he sees me as nothing more than a gawky little girl that he grew up with as a playmate. I'm sure he'd want to court a girl such as Cecily Adams or someone...someone beautiful."
William? William who?
Loretta sighed and took the scrub brush to Elizabeth's hair after dunking her head under the water without warning, "Miss Elizabeth, you make a tart like Cecily Adams look like Mrs. Edwardson. You are beautiful girl and don't you ever forget it!"
"Ouch Loretta!" Elizabeth whined, "You don't have to scrub so bloody hard."
"What am I gonna do wid you Lizzy?" Loretta laughed, easing up on her scrub.
"Do you really think I make Cecily look like that old hag Mrs. Edwardson?"
"With an additional ten years Lizzy," Loretta assured.
Wow. Elizabeth was just as insecure as Buffy. Buffy sighed heavily as the similarities between the two girls kept coming.
About an hour later Buffy was more than thankful she could bath and brush her own hair. Loretta showed no mercy. Buffy touched a lock of her golden hair and shuddered. Very thankful.
She sighed and followed Buffy and Loretta down a set of stairs and into a dining room.
Buffy stopped dead in her tracks. At the table sat her mother, her father, Dawnie and oh my god Ruby.
Dawnie was currently stirring her water with her finger in a very Dawn like fashion.
"Aurora Winters!" Buffy's, uhhh, Elizabeth's mother. Aurora? Okay not so much Dawnie in name.
"Oh mother," Ruby waved a dismissive hand, "What's the difference is she does that. It's not like we have company."
"Scarlet," her father sighed, "That's no excuse for bad manners."
Scarlet? Okay then.
Elizabeth smiled at her family members and took a seat in between Scarlet and Aurora.
"Morning mother, father, Scarlet, Rory."
"Elizabeth," her mother smiled.
Buffy watched as the family ate their breakfast. It was more formal than with Buffy's family but it was so familiar it was scary. These people were her friends and family but they weren't. Elizabeth was Buffy but she wasn't. It made absolutely no sense but at the same time cleared everything up.
They were now sitting in the living room when a servant came in, "Miss Elizabeth, Master William is here to see you."
Scarlet nudged Elizabeth and gave her a wink when their parents were watching.
Elizabeth frowned playfully at her sister and swatted her, "Do shut up Scarlet."
Scarlet got a look of pure innocence that Ruby had used so many times before on Buffy. Okay this was now past wiggy and on to BEHOND wiggy.
Elizabeth stood, straightening her skirts and nodded, "Please do send him in."
The servant nodded and exited the room, only to return moments later with, oh my friggin god, Spike.
"Elizabeth," he said timidly. Okay the face was Spike but everything else was way different. The dress, the hair, the attitude. God, since when did her dreams become the Twilight Zone? Buffy scoffed. Oh yeah cause her life was so normal at the moment.
"William," Elizabeth greeted happily, "Hello. What can I do for you this fine day?"
"W-well I was wondering, hoping that you would, maybe, possibly accompany me on a stroll this afternoon?" he stammered nervously making Elizabeth smile.
"Yes of course William. I would love to go on a stroll with you. Shall we?"
"Yes, quite. Let's get going," he nodded.
Elizabeth turned to Scarlet, "Do tell mother and father that William and I went for a stroll?"
Scarlet nodded and smirked, "Not a problem at all sister dearest."
Elizabeth gave William a warm smile and they were off.
Buffy watched them walk around all afternoon. They were so at ease with each other. They were both so in love with each other. Oh my god that was her and Spike wasn't it? Great, now she was getting symbolic dreams. And here she'd thought that dreams around squirrel's in pink tutus were bag enough. now they have to have meanings? Buffy was pulled out of her mental dream ramble when Elizabeth and William stopped at her house.
Elizabeth smiled at him warmly, "I had a wonderful afternoon William. You're such magnificent company."
William blushed slightly, "Thank you Lizzy. I always do enjoy my time with you. Shall I see you tomorrow at the Adam's party?"
A small smile graced Elizabeth's lips, "Yes of course. I'll save you a dance." With that, she leant forward and William a seemingly chaste kiss on the lips, "Good evening William. I shall..."
Buffy's eyes slowly opened to see black. Well that was just a dandy dream now wasn't it?
AN: we'll aren't i just the updating queen? This is the second time today. Go Me!!! Does a victory dance. I'm just burstin with ideas. Anyways, with Buffy's dream Dawn's name Aurora is the name of the Greek goddess of the dawn. Aren't i just a clever little girl? lol. sorry. if u like it tell me. if you hate it, tell me.