I have no idea who came up with the name Linda Pryce as the name of Faith's watcher, but it seems to have become a common enough usage. So, thanks and credit for that are yours.
Willow realized that something was reallyoff. She'd been talking to the new Watchery people when all of a sudden she not only wasn't in the library, but was at her locker with students running about. Buffy came up to her.
"Hey, Wills," her blonde friend greeted her, "Ready to go?" Willow got a sudden feeling that she was like Xander and his group.
"Um, let's stop by the library for a moment, Buffy," the redhead replied, "I need to check with Xander about something." Her friend smiled and nodded.
A minute later they found Xander almost dressed in his weatherman suit, carrying a water bowl to a large rodent. He started as they came in, making eye contact with Willow for a moment before they shared a small almost-sad smile.
"So you're Reset Girl, huh?" Xander asked as he walked over to the phone, hand hovering over it until it rang. He conducted his usual conversation with Joyce. Buffy watched him suspiciously, especially when he grabbed the fines money and Giles' car keys.
"Xander, how did you know that the phone was going to ring, and why are you stealing from Giles?"
"Well, ya see, Buff, there's a very good explanation for that," her friend replied, gesturing them through the door of the building, "This Halloween is older than you know. Contrary to popular belief, it isn't a quiet single night of the year, but a true Hell Night, repeating itself endlessly until I can find a way to wrest us free from impending destruction of the multiverse. I've made this day my home, my Hell. But in time I lost my purchase on this reality. The way was made for others to somehow join me as things universally have grown worse. All that remains of the Old Xander are the vestiges, certain personality traits, his frighteningly good looks…" They'd reached Giles car and he held the door for them. Buffy interrupted.
"The Giles imitation is funny. So how does this all work?" she asked, "And how long have you been doing this?"
"The Book of Xander in the library tells that the first Xander in this causality loop dressed up as Phil from Groundhog Day, and that the integral part of that movie was for him to endlessly repeat the same twenty-four hour period until everything for him was right. And for the costume to be true, the power of a chaos mage fed upon the power of the endless Hell Mouth and drew forth the power of the Hyena, and so I and now a few others walk the Earth, costuming, eating, experience the lives of the possessors. Waiting until I get around to truly accepting my life and breaking free, perhaps for the Old Xander to return…"
"So it's all about you?" Buffy asked, "So what's so hard to accept about your life that you can't break free?"
"It's not only who I was Buffy, but who I am now," Xander responded, as they were drawing up to Dawn's school, "Including two Horsemen of the Apocalypse. I'm almost in a good enough place, but then there's still a it of glumness and a few more skills I need before I'm comfortable enough to really try breaking free." Dawn gets in the car, raises her eyebrows, Xander gestures at Willow, "Two Watchers arrived this last go-around, and they're on research duty on the metaphysical side. Right now, Dawnie and I have the science side of things, my having gone as Asimov and MacGyver, Dawn as Samantha Carter….Hey Dawnie, how's my favorite brunette?"
"I better be your only brunette," she said giving him a patented mock glare, "And Willow? When did you notice 'the change.'" The redhead blushed deeply.
"Yesterday, I thought it might have been a dream, with my taking a nap in the afternoon, but since I was talking with Linda and was suddenly in the hall, it was…when I was…withyouandXanderatthelibrarythenightbefore."
Dawn smiled a big beaming smile at the other girl in the back seat of the small car, then looked concerned at Willow as Xander reached his house, tossed Dawn the keys and said, "Drop off Buffy at your house and I'll take Willow to the store and get things rolling. Buff, Wills is with us for a few minutes, but we'll drop her off about half-hour or so and drive you to the school." Xander ran into his house to swipe his father's car and cash. Dawn got up front.
"Dawn, since when can you drive?" Buffy huffed, making a move as though to drive herself.
"Back off, Sis," Dawn said waving back, "I've doin' a little bit of driving during these loops, and at least have the experience of others to guide me."
Willow arrived at the store to find Linda and Wesley outside in the Harris car. Waving, she went inside Ethan's and found Doyle, Dawn and Xander in Fremen attire, stilsuits and all. 'Xander looks dreamy,' she mentally sighed. Dawn ran up to her and handed her a very nice black outfit.
"Lady Jessica, but before the whole Reverend Mother going-within stuff," Dawn enthused as she motioned Willow toward the changing room, then lowered her voice. "Xander already did the Gurney Halleck thing, but I thought it would be cool for all of us to go. Ever since I sat down and watched the mini-series with you and Xan this summer, I've read all the books and everything. The later ones are a total drag, but the show was good."
"So you have him going as Paul?" Willow asked, continuing to put on the dress, slightly uncomfortable at the presence of the girl close to her.
"Nah, he doesn't want to get stuck with the whole prophet-thing," Dawn responded, helping Willow with the harder to reach places, "So, Duncan Idaho, but he's insisting on a pair of long crysswords crossed over his back."
"And Doyle?" Willow continued, snickering at her Xander.
"As Liet Kynes," Dawn replied, "And I'm Chani, his daughter."
"Ooh, fighter-girl," Willow smiled.
"Hey," Dawn countered, "Lady Jessica was a fighter-girl, too. Bene Gesserit, remember?"
"Oh yeah…"
"We also need to do the remember it all spell on you," Dawn said, and explained a little more about how they'd been doing things.
Duncan whirled around, one minute he was fighting Sardaukar to the death, and the next moment he was…here. A scream broke the night, and he raced in that direction, noting that two others in stilsuits were engaging several…things…in combat, swiftly neutralizing the beings as a ridiculously dressed young woman decapitated one with a sword, causing it to burst into ashes and dust. Duncan approached the others warily, addressing them. While the others in stilsuits understood him and after a few moments resolved they were who they claimed, the other young woman didn't, gestured and bowed herself away, and dashed off sword drawn.
I believe she may have been a Slayer Jessica pronounced, She has the feel, grace and aura of one. Though it's been since before the Butlerian Jihad that one has been needed away from a Hell Mouth.
Be that as it may, Liet replied, This place is not Arrakis, so do any of you have suggestions as to our course of action?
Perhaps we should find a quieter place than this, Idaho considered, Exchange information about what we were doing before we came to be in this place so that we have a better chance of returning home.
Two cemeteries and thirty vampires later, the spell ended, the four having determined several hours differences in their displacement, enough that should they return to the exact same moment, or incrementally further along, Liet and Idaho might avoid the fate waiting them.
Wow! Willow exclaimed, That was amazing! I remember everything! And I think my memories go a little further along…Duncan! Er, Xander, you and Liet survive because we hit the road and don't stop for tea.
"Yeah, Wills," Xander continued, "And my Gurney memories are changing too. Weird. Why would they do that? He manages to get away to us after just a few months, faking his death."
"And with the two of them to help Paul with his training," Dawn continued, "And with my father to maintain precedence until Usul's assumption of his proper mantle as Lisan al-Gaib, the Fremen are even deadlier."
"I think what it means is that in order for the memories to 'fit' they would have to change," Doyle said, "Remember, they're stories, though in us they're made to be more."