Chapter 5 – Getting Together… Over & Over
It had been very quiet ever since the spell started, but now everyone seemed to have the last of their notes jotted. Buffy looked around at her friends, one of which was still passed out leaning against Xander as he looked over his notes. "Look, I think we should take a break from this, at least until Wil wakes up."
"I don't know Buffy, we may forget some crucial stuff," Dawn protested "I think it's best we try to hammer this out now, Willow can catch up when she wakes." Buffy was a little surprised at how her little sis was taking charge. She was probably right, but Buffy was trying to enter denial-vil where half of what she saw couldn't ever possibly happen…
"I agree with Dawn," Anya sounded "Not like we have a lot of time to waste, ya know probably."
Buffy looked around, everyone seemed to be in agreement to move forward. "Okay then, who wants to go first?"
"I will!" Andrew jumped in "So, on our way to Me-he-co, Jonathan and I saw this western themed bar, kind of in the middle of the desert. And lo and behold our two heroes were there, I did not see how but every creature in this demon bar was dead and we were left with Buffy and Spike in a fight to the death."
"I don't think that dimension will very helpful." Dawn interrupted.
"I don't know little bit, if he knows where this place is we could do some recon to see if anythin's related." Spike didn't see anything like what Andrew was explaining, so he honestly just wanted to know, helpful or not. "Go on Andrew, what kind of demon were the slayer and I duking it out with."
"Well you weren't fighting demons anymore," Andrew continued "No, no, you my vamperic friend were fighting Buffy to the death. I don't know when this took place, Buffy looked younger."
"What was her hair like?" Anya asked "Buffy has a different hairstyle most years, we can probably get an idea based on that."
"True, not like you can tell from Spike's hair. It's been blinding us the same way for years." Xander noted.
"Um well blond, and straight, up in chopsticks I think?" Andrew tried to remember.
"1997-98, Junior year sometime!" Buffy blurted like she was answering a quiz show. For the first time everybody cracked a smile and laughed a little. "What, chopsticks was so a late 90's thing, and I wore my hair a lot like that when Angel was evil, so I'd always have a stake on me."
"So you were fighting to the death cause he was still your mortal enemy," Xander filled in "Ah, good times."
"Okay, so their fighting is more understandable now." Andrew acknowledged "So after they fought for quite a while, they were getting very tired, they matched each other's blows quite well. Then they were fighting in the rafters of this shabby bar, Buffy managed to throw Spike down, but he landed on a plush couch."
"Some vamps have all the luck" Buffy joked, and made eye contact with Spike for the first time since the spell started.
"Yeah, always have pet" Spike acknowledged, grateful she was still speaking to him like a friend.
"But then, the Slayer realized the rickety beams would not continue to hold her for long, and after some banter back and forth from the two, Buffy sailed down to the couch, landing right on top of the vampire. After that the two made some kind of truce. So they both sat on the couch, chatting and drinking whisky for a while. I could not discern what was being said between the two, but it must have been something juicy because soon they were kissing each other with great fervor. Then clothing began to peel off and Spike put all us men to shame in how he was able to please Buffy with every touch. Like this one thing he did…"
"Okay, that's enough Andrew," Dawn protested "I caught a peek at that dimension too, nothing of their sex-capades at the saloon will help up beat back the FIRST. From now on if we have to tell a story that has sex in it, can we please not elaborate on the details."
"I agree," Buffy said, face flush from the previous story's pseudo ending.
"I had noticed that a lot of the dimensions had you two interlocking." Anya added.
"Yeah, seemed like all the ones I saw either ended with you two getting fleshy, or Spike killing Buffy." Xander pronounced.
"Okay, so if your story included more graphic details, just say they 'got together' how about that?" Dawn pleaded to the group.
"That'll work," Xander agreed.
"But what about the narrative flow and the erotic details?" Andrew begged.
"Andrew, personal stuff has a right to stay personal," Buffy tried to explain, then added bashfully "Whether it actually happened or not."
"But you were telling us to pay attention to every little detail, cause we don't know what will or won't be helpful"
"Boy, they ain't saying ignore what you saw, they're sayin simplify the snogging bits and expand on the more helpful pieces, all right?" Spike glared at him just to say ok so they could move on. Personally Spike would love to hear every sweaty detail of how he sprogged the slayer, or better yet he'd love to actually be allowed to touch her himself again.
"Fine, ruin the story."
"Anything else helpful Andrew?" Dawn asked
"Um, no. Everything else I saw actually happened I think. Like when Spike attacked the school on parent teacher night, and I saw Buffy singing to everybody at the bronze, with a weird red demon on stage with Dawn."
"Yeah, none of that's new to us." Dawn agreed "Buffy what did you see?"
"Nothing much, saw the Thanksgiving where we had our native vengeance visitors," everyone nodded understanding the timeline, except Andrew. She was not super ashamed to share this one since she knew Spike saw it anyway, and it didn't even happen. "Well sometime after the meal I was chaining Spike up in the tub, and he somehow convinced me to let him drink from my wound. Nothing else to that really. Then I saw Halloween night, where we all became our costumes, pretty much how I remembered it, so zilch new there." She paused really not wanting to share the next bit with Spike if he didn't see it, but resolved to sharing. "Then I saw a gorgeous beach house on an even prettier private beach," she glanced at Spike who was smiling a little, clearly he had seen it. "Spike and I, lived there, we were married, had two kids and one more was in the oven." Buffy looked around Willow was just starting to wake.
"Well that's an odd story to wake up to," Willow said as she stretched and sat up in her own chair.
"How you feeling Wil?" Buffy asked, getting ready to stand, but the witch waved her down.
"Fine, I was just wiped out. Pass out nap makes all good."
"So nothing else FIRST-ish Buffy?" Dawn prodded, wanting to keep things moving.
"Nope."
"Okay, Anya, what did you see?"
"Well, I saw an amusing dimension where Spike and Buffy 'get together' at the Bronze, but Buffy's hair was all crimpy, so it would have been a couple years ago and nothing was really FIRST relevant."
"Okay, anything else?"
"Yes, this one was sad, but helpful. Spike, Buffy, Faith, and all the cannon fodder went down into the seal, and found that army of super vampires, they all started fighting, the potentials were getting slaughtered. A few uber-vamps made it upstairs to where we humans were ready to defend, all but me died. Then this amulet thing Buffy was wearing started shining and was like instantly dusting all the vampires. She started shooing people upstairs, only a couple of potentials made it up before an uber-vamp killed them. Then Buffy insisted Spike leave too, I think she told him something like 'I'm right behind you', so he kissed her and obeyed her command. Unfortunately she got all burned up by the amulet and died, almost like a vampire does, just slower. When Spike got upstairs he, found me and we left the school building. The ground started to quake so we got on the bus and kept driving. The town was caving in on the hellmouth. Finally when we were out of the city limits the cave in stopped, Sunnydale was gone, and only Spike and I survived."
"Great, I get to die again," Buffy muttered.
"Not happening pet," Spike comforted, just as upset about that dimension's outcome, "No shiny bobbles for you." Buffy smiled a little at the vampire's concern.
"I think I saw the inverted dimension of that Anya" Willow started "Same thing Buffy, Spike, Faith and all the potentials went down into the seal. They started fighting the army, but the potentials were holding their own, like they had slayer strength. Then that amulet that Anya mentioned, it started going off in the same way, but Spike was wearing it. The cave started to collapse, then Spike sent Buffy upstairs after everybody else, then he slowly burned and turned to dust. Everyone else was fighting off the Bringers upstairs, and Anya was killed in the fight. So everybody but Spike and Anya made it to the bus. And same thing, big Sunnydale crater where the hellmouth was."
"So any idea where this amulet came from?" Xander inquired "I mean yes it kills who's wearing it, but it got the job done."
"No, it was just there," Willow explained "About 2-3 inches in diameter, looked like a large diamond, with some kind of black gold backing."
"So we go find that amulet, go get the ring of amara from our good old buddy Angel, then I wear that and the amulet and save the day!" Spike laid out, then looked to an offended Anya "And we just gotta watch so Anya don't get killed too."
"Angel kinda destroyed the ring," Buffy stated "He didn't think he deserved it and he didn't want it falling into the wrong hands, or chance him turning into Angelus while wearing it…"
"That bloody poofter, thinks he knows everythin'."
"Okay that's some good info Willow." Dawn said, trying to get back on sharing mode "What else did you see?"
"Um well, I think I saw when Spike tried to, um, take Buffy, last spring." Willow started and looked up at her friend for some hint if it were true. "In the main hall bathroom upstairs. Ended with Buffy kicking Spike across the room and him leaving." Spike looked away from the judging eyes of the group, still ashamed of what he had done.
"Yeah, that was that." Buffy acknowledged, not needing Willow to expand on the details.
"So yeah, that's really all I saw cause after a little bit I had to really focus my energy on just keeping the spell going."
"Did they talk for a bit before anything happened Willow?" Dawn tried to clarify.
"Well, yeah, he tried to talk it out before getting physical."
"I think I caught the alternate ending of that. They were talking in the bathroom, then Spike started crying, and broke down on the floor, Buffy comforted him for a bit, seemed like they were trying to work it out. Then Buffy gave Spike the sweetest kiss and winced in pain. Spike became very concerned and led her to her bedroom where he gave her a message, then I think they 'got together' cause more clothes kept coming off both of them."
"hm" was all anyone could offer to that story.
"So yeah that was one thing I saw. Spike you can go next."
"Oh me, um nothin' too helpful I spect." Trying to shrug her off and get her to move on.
"Spike." Dawn insisted.
Spike exhaled, thinking back on the different realities he saw, all of which could have or could still happen, with the slightest change… "Fine, well I saw a couple that Buffy saw too, the blood feeding at thanksgiving, and the married one. Also saw another one where these large nasty looking demons kept trying to mate with Buffy, thing is she was like paralyzed when she faced them or something. So I had to keep saving her by chopping off their dicks, apparently the only way they died." Spike didn't feel like sharing the more intimate details of that dimension with anyone but Buffy, if she would even listen.
"Zuxugna demons," Anya supplied "They only mate every couple hundred years, and the only way to kill them is when they're aroused and you chop of their penis."
"You know about those ugly buggers?"
"Yes, I've been to their dimension before, it's an interesting place. But I'm told not to go during their mating season though, the pheromones are so strong they incapacitate you until you've had an orgasm. But good news is I don't believe they are agents of the FIRST."
"Ewe, um is that it Spike?" Dawn pried.
"Yeah, see I got nothin' relevant to the big FIRST problem, little bit, who's next? You?"
"Oh, I suppose I can go. So I saw the alternate bathroom scene like I said, also saw the Glory showdown as it happened; so nothing new there. But I also saw Spike leading an army or Turok-Han." Spike shot his young friend a 'what the hell!' kind of look. "So yeah, Spike was leading a hundred or so across town, raiding houses and killing anyone in their path as they walked. The remaining army was probably raiding the rest of town. Then Spike's crew came up our street, and stopped in front of the house. And then Buffy and all the potentials came pouring out ready to fight. Buffy and Spike met in the middle and talked, I couldn't tell much of what was being said, but I think Buffy was just trying to buy time."
"Whys that?" Xander asked.
"Cause after they had a chance to talk for a bit, Buffy pulled Spike close and you threw a blanket over the both of them from above, you were in the tree. Then Willow who was on the roof of the house finished her spell and a blinding sunlight filled the sky and killed all the Turok-Han we could see. I don't think it killed all of them, just the ones in range of the spell, so you know army still in town."
"You figure why I switched sides?"
"Not sure, brainwashed maybe, or the FIRST used that trigger?" Dawn supplied "Buffy seemed to be getting through to you, though, probably why she cued Xander to save you from the artificial sun."
"Hm, any clue what she was saying? May give us a clue as to how or why it happened." Willow pried.
"No not really, 'your soul' 'heart' 'betrayed' I only caught a word here or there. Spike didn't really talk at all." Dawn looked over at Spike, who seemed deep in thought "I didn't see any clue as to why and how, it was all just happening."
"I never gotten my ball of sunshine spell to work though, so how is that even possible to do?"
"We could maybe look into the spell again tomorrow Willow, a fresh non-magic brain may see something you can't." Dawn suggested
"Yeah, good idea Dawnie. Maybe if we can figure out the sunshine spell we can go down into the hellmouth and use then instead of the killer amulet?"
"Sounds promising," Buffy said, actually a little hopeful "We miss any stories?"
Xander raised his hand "Mostly irreverent stuff, but one intriguing one that should be helpful."
"Go for it Xand, irrelevant first just to say you shared it."
"Thanks Buff. So I got to see an alternate Halloween where Spike got to kill Buffy, not so fun. Saw Spike and Buffy 'getting together' outside the double meat palace, which I'm guessing was true and not relevant to our current problems?"
Buffy looked down, hand over her face, and then finally said "Yeah, that one's true from last year."
"Okay, unimportant stories done now for the good one." Then Xander proceeded to tell the gang every detail about what Ethan enlightened to Spike and Buffy in another dimension, all about needing to find the guardians and getting them to help even the score. Xander chose to include Spike's question about his chip, since it did help clarify what the guardians were capable of. Spike got the same look on his face as he did in the mirror, used and confused if he should really be here feeling the way he does about Buffy. "… Then Buffy said 'Bait'. So yeah, that's when I noticed, Willow, ready to collapse and I pulled her out to stop the spell."
"You think these guardians, are the ones who give us this amulet?" Dawn asked.
"Maybe, what I said is really everything I saw, didn't leave anything out." Xander clarified.
"It make's sense though, that there is a force as equally powerful as the FIRST out there." Andrew commented "Otherwise where's the balance coming from?"
"Yes, good point Andrew" Dawn agreed. "So what, do we have to put Buffy in dire peril while we all wait to see if anyone or anything makes a move to help?"
"Kinda lookin that way. Spike and I will work on finding a guardian while we go patrol." Buffy looked to Spike for an 'ok', he was a little thrown, but agreed, and stood up from his spot around the table and put on his coat. "Willow and Dawn can get to work on that sunshine spell business. Xander, make a list of some close calls for me, maybe we can find a connection as to who or what my guardian may be. Anya & Andrew, go chat up some nicer demons, see if you can dig anything up on these guardians. Everyone good?" With no one refuting the plan, Buffy grabbed a few weapons and met Spike at the door, and the two headed to the closest cemetery.