I Think I Know Why

Giles and Wesley still looked very confused but finally Giles spoke, "I don't understand. You're Buffy…but from the future?"

"Yes…I think. I'm just as confused as you guys are trust me. When I went to bed last night I was 22 years old in the year 2003 and when I woke up I was in my 18 year old body in 1999. That's pretty much all I know. I have no idea how I got here or why I'm here," Buffy tried to explain.

Wesley walked towards Buffy studying her with his eyes, "That's remarkable. Are you sure that you've traveled back in time? I have never heard of such a thing actually being possible in all my years of studying the supernatural."

"Pretty sure. I don't know how else to explain it," Buffy answered.

Giles wasn't really convinced, "Now Buffy are you sure you didn't just have a dream that you were in the future? You do tend to have very realistic dreams."

Buffy looked at him with an annoyed look, "Right that's what happened I some how had a realistic dream that gave every single detail of the next four years. There's no way Giles. I have a very vivid memory of the past…I mean…next four years of my life. There's no way I dreamed them."

"No I suppose not then. I just don't understand. Like Wesley, I too have never read or heard anything about this ever happening before," Giles said while cleaning his glasses.

Buffy looked down at the ground slightly frustrated. "Great…I'm four years in the past and I don't know how or why I'm here and the one person I thought could help me figure that out has even less of an idea then I have. I need to know what's going on Giles. I'm needed back in my time. I mean for all I know I could just be in an alternate universe somewhere and not in my universe. I'm needed there."

"I truly am sorry Buffy but I'm just as confused as you are," Giles said feeling bad that he couldn't help. "But don't worry Buffy we will figure this out."

"Yes we will work together and try and figure this all out," Wesley said trying to take charge as usual. "Although I must say this couldn't have come at a worse time with the mayor's ascension coming up."

Buffy looked at them and smiled. She remembered the major's ascension at graduation when they blew up the school. She giggled a little, "Don't worry about that guys we're going to band the class together to fight him and his vampire cult and then we blow up the library with him in it. There…problem salved now let's focus on why I'm here."

The two watchers looked at her quite stunned. Wesley spoke up, "Yes of course. The demon that the mayor will ascend to can be destroyed by fire. It's brilliant."

Buffy smiled at Giles and then said, "trust me…we've got way bigger things to worry about in my time then the mayor. Remember the First evil? The one that tried to make Angel kill himself?"

Giles nodded, "Yes I remember."

Buffy continued, "Well it got tired of waiting for other evil beings to take over the world so it's doing the job itself. The First is smart. It's been using the bringers to kill all potential slayers around the world and when it gets them it's going to go after Faith and then me. After we're gone there will be no one to stop the Hellmouth from opening and the army of Turok-Han from rising and bringing the world into darkness. Short version…end of the world."

Both watchers look stunned. All of this was a little too much for them to take all at once. Everything was happening so fast.

Giles finally spoke, "Sounds like you have your hands full there."

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, we definitely do."

"We?" Giles asked, "Umm…I don't want to sound childish but…am I with you as well?"

Buffy looked at him and smiled, "Duh Giles," she said, "Like I could do it without you."

Giles smiled back at her. Wesley now looked anxious to know about his future, "Umm…I'm sorry but…am I there too?"

Buffy's smile went away, "Sorry Wes but your not." Wesley's face turned white. He thought she meant that he didn't make it that long. Buffy realized that this was what he was thinking and quickly corrected herself, "Oh no Wes…I mean your not there in Sunnydale with us. You're still alive, you're just in L.A."

Wesley looked confused. He couldn't figure out why he would ever go to L.A. Before he could ask though Giles began speaking first, "I'm sorry Buffy we shouldn't be asking you about the future. There could be great consequences if we knew our futures. Things might change drastically and it might not be for the best even if you mean it to be."

Wesley still wanted to know about his future very badly but he knew Giles was right, "Yes…Mr. Giles is right. You probably shouldn't tell us any more about the future unless it is absolutely necessary."

Buffy stood there and thought for a moment. Even when she realized that she had been sent to the past she didn't even think about how she might change the future. Now she kept going through in her head all of the bad things that had happened over those four years. Angel had left her and gone to L.A., her mother had died, she herself had died and been brought back to life, Willow almost destroyed the world because Tara died. She knew that she could stop most of these things if not all of them from happening just by knowing that they were going to happen. Then she realized that she didn't really have time to think about those things now. Right now she had to find out how she got there and most importantly why she was there.

Buffy was about to say something when Willow, Oz and Xander walked into the library. Seeing them felt so weird. Xander looked so much younger and Willow was with Oz. Seeing her made Buffy realize that Willow was the one that had changed the most out of everyone. She was a powerful witch who had almost destroyed the world, and she was also gay. The Willow she saw in front of her was the shy Willow that only knew a few little spells and was dating a werewolf. It wasn't until then that she realized how different everything really was and how hard it was going to be to adjust in this reality.

The three friends walked towards Buffy. Xander sat down on a chair and Willow and Oz, hand in hand, stopped in front of Buffy. Willow spoke, "Hey Buffy. How's it going?"

Before Buffy could answer Giles spoke, "I'm afraid we have a new problem at hand."

Xander rolled his eyes, "Oh great…a NEW problem? Just what we need as if the whole Faith turning evil and the mayor's ascension thing wasn't enough. All right watcher boys what's the sitch?"

Wesley answered, "I'm afraid it's slightly more complicated then our problems with the mayor."

"Well that doesn't sound good," Willow said with a worried voice, "More complicated then the mayor's ascension…ok now I'm scared."

Buffy looked at Giles and Wesley with an annoyed face, "Don't worry Will I'm hoping it's not as bad as these two are making it sound. It's no big deal at all really. I've just been sent back to the past is all. See in my world I'm really 22 years old but somehow I got sent back in time four years. We were just about to try and figure out how and why."

The three kids looked at her with confusion and then Oz spoke, "Cool."

Xander stood up, "Wait just a second here. You're from the future? In that case the important question isn't how or why. The important question is do you remember the scores to any very important football or baseball games that can make Xander lots of money?"

Willow looked at Xander with disgust, "Xander?"

"What? I was just kidding," Xander said as he sat back down, "Sort of," he added. "So time travel huh? This world amazes me more and more everyday."

Giles was getting annoyed, "Can we please focus on the issue at hand? We need to figure out how and why future Buffy is here. Now from what you've told us the best guess I can think of is that things are very stressful in your time. You're under a lot of pressure to try and stop the First evil. Maybe somehow you were sent back because you're supposed to change something. Possibly something that will make things easier for you…help you with something or other."

"Yes, I was just thinking the same thing," Wesley contributed. "The only other thing I could think of would be some type of magic your enemy has done but it wouldn't really make any sense for them to just send you back in time where you could actually change things and better prepare."

"Precisely," Giles offered. "There are also very few beings, good or evil, that have the kind of power to send someone back in time. It requires the kind of power that only higher beings posses."

"That does make sense, but what could it be and why is it that I'm here of all the times in my life?" Buffy asked with confusion.

Giles, also looking confused, said, "I'm not sure. I know I said that you shouldn't tell us anything else about the future but you may have to if we are to figure out what it is you need to change. Is there anything significant that happens in the next few days or weeks even that you think might have anything to do with your time?"

As Buffy sat there and thought Xander interjected, "Wait the First evil? You mean the one that tried to get Angel to kill himself? What does it have to do with anything?"

"In Buffy's time the First evil is killing potential slayers trying to get rid of the slayer line so that no one can stop it from opening the Hellmouth and destroying the world," Wesley answered.

Xander still looked confused responded, "Oh…great."

Giles looked at Buffy, "Can you think of anything?"

She couldn't really think of anything that was big enough to have anything to do with the First. The only really significant events she could think of wouldn't take place for another year or so. She finally answered, "No…I can't think of anything it could be that happens soon. Only things that happen in a year or so," she said as she looked at the ground. Even thinking about the other things, such as when her mom dies and when she dies, still made her feel upset. She continued, "And even those things wouldn't have much to do with the First I don't think."

Giles looked very confused still. That was his only idea that would make any sense so now he was clueless and didn't know what to say. "Right…well then…I'm not sure what else it could be to be honest. It's very strange in deed."

Buffy looked upset. She felt so helpless and she knew that the others did too because they didn't know what to tell her. "So…what now then? What do we do?"

Giles looked at her helplessly, "I'm not sure."