Chapter 3. Double Vision.

Xander and Buffy head over to the apartments they had gone to the other day. He spoke to the lady and gave her the deposit and all she needed. The lady was more impressed with his attire, but confused why he was with Buffy since she assumed was with the tall strapping man she had greeted first the last she saw them.

"Thank you for your time," says the lady. "Enjoy." She leaves and Xander starts jumping up and down.

"I'm so proud of you, Xander," says Buffy. "Now, we need to get back to other important things."

"Right, Toth. What kind of name is that?" Buffy glares at him. "Okay, trying to be helpful." Buffy flips through the pages of the book Xander took from Giles and finds the page that has the info on Toth.

"Read this. It says that his stick thingy can divide a person into two equal halves. Oh my gosh, that has to hurt."

"Buffy, I don't think you're reading it right. It says two equal persons."

"Oh, that's what he did. When he zapped me. He split me into two and that other me is me."

"Huh?"

"She's my other half. My Slayer half. I don't have my Slayer strength." Buffy tries to punch Xander and she breaks her nail. Xander did not feel a thing. "Oh, my nail."

"You're right. Why would he do that?"

"Because he's not going after Slayer Buffy, he's going after ordinary girl Buffy."

"What if one of you dies?"

"Then the other me dies, too. We're connected. We are Buffy."

"Wow."

"What?"

"I thought you'd be a little more air-heady."

"Xander." Buffy punches him again and breaks another nail. She whimpers.

"I'm sorry." Xander grabs her hand and kisses it. "What do we do now? I mean, we gotta keep you safe."

"We need to warn the others, so we can put both of us back together; I mean me and her…whatever."

"I'm not leaving you alone here, Buffy."

Meanwhile at Giles', they are discussing why Xander would steal one of Giles' books. Buffy then tells them that he was with a girl who looked like her.

"It was like she was my twin sister," says Buffy. "She tried to fight me, but I twisted her hand and it kind of hurt mine."

"Did you say there were two Buffy's?" asks Giles. "Where have I read that before?"

"In the book that Xander took," says Willow. "I think that was there. Maybe it has something to do with Toth. Maybe he clones people with his stick thingy."

"Cloning isn't something demons would do, especially that particular demon."

"Then what else can you remember, Giles?" asks Buffy. "There is a girl out there that looks like me and who knows what she could be doing. And she's convinced Xander that she is me and he can be in a lot of trouble."

"We need to find out where they are," says Willow. "And get the book back."

"Well, lets start looking," says Giles as he heads to the door. "There is so many places that Xander could be."

"I'll catch up with you," says Buffy. "I'm going to get some help."

"Are you going to get Riley?" asks Willow.

"No."

"Okay," says Giles as he and Willow head out of Giles' house.

Buffy heads over to the cemetery. She stops at a crypt and knocks on the door. Spike answers the door and rolls his eyes at her.

"What do you want?" asks Spike.

"I need your help," says Buffy.

"Cough up the goods."

"Spike, this Toth demon that we fought at the junkyard has somehow cloned me."

"Cloned you, a demon cloned you. Now, that's an idea." Spike starts getting naughty thoughts in his head.

"Spike!"

"Oh, sorry, Slayer. Got caught up. What do you want me to do about it? I ain't fighting that big demon. He's like the jolly green giant, except less jolly. Forget it, Slayer."

"I don't want you to fight him. I need to find Xander. He's in trouble."

"And that is news because…"

"Spike, that girl has convinced Xander that she is me and I need to stop her. There is only one Buffy in this town and that's me."

"That's telling them, Slayer. There is nothing on the tube tonight. Let's go." Spike heads out of his crypt and closes the door.

Willow and Giles have gone to many of Xander's usual places but nothing. The two were going nowhere fast.

"Where could he be?" asks Willow. "What if she's torturing him right now and we haven't gotten one bit closer. She could be breaking his fingers for all we know."

"Willow, calm down," says Giles as he puts his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure that Xander is alright. We'll find him." They pass the apartments that they had looked with Xander the day before. Willow sees Xander's car nearby.

"That's Xander's car."

"Perhaps we struck to some luck."

"Xander was looking at apartments yesterday here. Why would she take him here?"

"Don't know, but we have something. Let's go." Willow and Giles go into the complex and head to the apartment where she was yesterday. Giles tries to open the door.

Inside, Buffy and Xander freak when they see the doorknob move. Buffy gets behind Xander for some strange reason. She knew she had no Slayer strength and it seemed like a girly thing to do.

"Oh my gosh," says Buffy. "He's found me."

"We could climb out the balcony," suggests Xander.

"We're three stories up."

"Oh." The door finally budges and in comes Willow and Giles. Xander and Buffy are relieved that it is not the demon.

"Xander, you're okay," says Willow.

"Of course I am, Willow," says Xander as Buffy comes out from behind him. Willow looks at her.

"Xander, we think that this isn't Buffy," says Giles.

"You're a little wrong there, Giles, because I kind of took your book. Sorry about that. This is Buffy and so is the other one you guys were with. Both of them are Buffy. Two parts of Buffy."

"The Slayer half and the normal girl."

"Right on the money. We need to get them back together."

"I know a spell of how to do that."

"Good because we haven't got much time. That Toth is after this Buffy and if he kills her…"

"Both of them will die and Buffy will die."

"He's amazing."

"I'll go try to find the other Buffy and get some of the supplies we need to do the spell. Willow, stay here with them. I'll be back soon." Giles exits the apartment. Willow turns to Xander.

"Xander, why are you dressed so nice?" asks Willow.

"Well, I don't want to brag, but I got the apartment, Willow," says Xander.

"Really? That's great, Xander. How are you going to pay for it?"

"Got a raise, too. I got a little determined."

"He looks great, doesn't he?" says Buffy finally speaking. "I'm liking this new Xander." Buffy rubs Xander's shoulder. Willow just smiles at the two and agrees with Buffy.

Giles looks for the other Buffy in the cemetery. The last time he saw her, she was headed that way. He is in luck when he sees Buffy walking out of the cemetery, with Spike at her side. Giles explains everything about the other Buffy and about Toth, who is after the other Buffy.

"We need to find him," says Buffy. "And kill it."

"Sounds good," says Spike.

"I'm going to get some stuff at my place for the spell to restore the Buffy's," says Giles.

"We'll find Toth," says Buffy as she heads back into the cemetery. Spike follows her. "If he is looking for me, then there is only one place I'd be."

"Guess you're right," says Spike when he spots the demon ahead.

"You're going down." Buffy faces the demon and begins to fight him. The demon is strong and hardly makes any movements with Buffy's attempts to hurt him. Spike joins in on the fight, but the demon smashes his nose and tosses him towards a tombstone.

"You're not the one I'm looking for," says the demon, Toth. He hits Buffy on the head with his stick and she falls down on the ground. Toth leaves the cemetery. Spike crawls over to Buffy.

"Buffy, are you okay?" asks Spike. Buffy stirs and touches her head, which is full of blood.