Buffy awoke to find herself unable to move, her whole body from her neck down was completely numb and her head pounded with incredible force. She averted her eyes in the direction of scuffling feet and quickly squinted when a bright light shone in her face.

"Ah, you're awake," she heard a voice say but couldn't make out the face because the glare from the light was too strong.

"What did you do to me," she demanded to know through clenched teeth.

"Well, after hearing about what you did in the cargo bay, I figured it was safer that I give you something to lax your muscles. It'll wear off in time."

"Let… me… go…" Buffy growled out as she tried desperately to move her arms.

"Ummm, I don't think so. Not until I find out why you felt it necessary to use me as your own personal punching bag," Mal walked in with an ice pack over one eye.

"Stay away from me!"

"Not 'til I get answers from you," Mal pressed his hands on either side of Buffy and leaned into her, his face mere inches from hers.

"Where's my sister?" Buffy asked, ignoring the uneasiness in her stomach at how close he was to her.

"Uh uh, see… I ask the questions, not you," Mal replied as he stood up straight, " 'sides I don't know who you're sister even is."

"You're lying!"

"Listen, I don't even know who you are!"

Buffy clenched her jaw and stared into the eyes of the man who once was her enemy as she felt the muscles in her arms awaken. Her fingers twitched with anticipation as did the rest of her muscles, a smile creeping up on her face.

"Doc, I don't like the way she's lookin' at me," Mal pointed out as he watched the smile begin to spread.

Just as Simon moved over to the bedside, Buffy leaped to her feet and snatched the syringe out of the doctor's grip; grabbing him by the throat and holding the needle to his eye.

"One move and I'll shove this in his brain!" Buffy screamed when Mal started to take a step forward.

"Whoa now, let's all just stay calm okay," Mal held up his hands to show he was no danger to her.

"Shut up, okay! I am so sick of this! I want to know where my sister is!"

"Buffy," a soft voice in the doorway got her attention and Buffy whipped her head in that direction. Her eyes filled with tears at the sight and her grip around Simon lessened.

"Dawnie," she whispered as she stared at the girl in the doorway.

The girl had a slight glow surrounding her and her hair flowed freely around her face and down her back; Buffy released her hostage and walked up to the girl. Placing a shaking hand on her face and allowed the tears to fall as a smile captured her face. She pulled the girl in a hug and refused to let go but as she pulled back her smile faltered when she noticed the girl standing in front of her was not Dawn, but River instead; a smile reflecting Buffy's.

"No," Buffy whispered as she backed away, refusing to accept the fact that her eyes had played tricks on her.

"Buffy, it's okay," River replied as she followed Buffy.

"NO!" Buffy collapsed to floor and gripped her head in her hands, her hair trapped in her fists. She allowed the tears to come full force as she rocked herself back and forth, refusing to believe where she was and the things that had happened in the past two days.

"Shhh, it'll be alright," River whispered as she pulled Buffy into her lap, the blonde girl resting her head on the young girl's legs; allowing her to comb her fingers through the gold locks.

Mal and Simon just watched the event unfold, confusion written on their faces at the transition from a young warrior woman to a vulnerable and fragile girl. They watched with sympathy and pity as River soothed the girl in her arms, trying to wrap their brains around who she was, where she was from, and how she got there. There was going to be a lot of explaining to do, Mal thought, and the first was going to be convincing Buffy he was not the man she thought he was.

Buffy sat in the galley with the rest of the crew staring at her in curiosity, making her feeling uneasy which made her fiddle with anything she could get her hands on. She still kept her eyes on Mal, unable to imagine him as anyone but Caleb.

"Alright, we'll start by asking who you are and why you're here," Mal broke the silence, leaning against the counter of the kitchen.

Buffy scanned the room, looking at every face there; trying to find the words to describe what had happened without sounding like some psychotic. She stared down at her hands as she opened her mouth to speak.

"My name is Buffy, as most of you know already and I'm not real sure why I'm here. My, uh, sister was kidnapped and I was looking for her. Then the next thing I know I'm waking up in a strange ship with people I've never seen before. With the exception of you," Buffy addressed Mal with her eyes and he nodded in response.

"Speaking of which, why do you keep saying you killed him," Wash asked as he pointed to his captain with his hand.

"Because I did, or at least someone who looks and sounds just like him," Buffy answered with raised eyebrows.

"Again with the unsettlin'," Mal replied as he walked over to where Buffy sat, "care to explain this fella?"

"He was a priest who hated women. Thought they were evil and he would murder them, I don't know how many he killed," Buffy answered with a shrug, "but I showed him."

"Well, that don't sound like the cap'n," the young engineer replied, "he's the sweetest toward the women folk, ain't ya." Mal just smile at her in response before looking back at the petite blonde before him.

"I would never lay a hand on a woman, my mamma taught me better than that," Mal told her with gentleness in his voice and Buffy couldn't help but believe it was genuine. And the look in his eyes told her something else, what it was she couldn't say at the time; but she figured she'd find out eventually. She gave a small smile before averting her eyes elsewhere, she felt something change inside her when she looked at him and it was uninvited.

"So, do you know who took your sister?" Kaylee asked with a sad smile.

"Yeah, but I don't think he's anywhere near," Buffy answered; trying not to give too much away about the demon world.

"What world was he on? We could start looking there, for clues and such," Mal asked wanting desperately to help her out.

"World?"

"Well, yeah," Mal answered, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Woah, wait a minute," Buffy quickly sat up, her hands raised in the air, "where am I… I mean what time. Is this the future?"

"Most would call it the present," Mal replied.

"What year… how…" before Buffy could respond any further, she felt a soft touch on her shoulder; turning to see who it was, she found River's big brown eyes looking into her green ones. She watched as River leaned towards her ear and whispered an explanation. Buffy's eyes grew bigger and bigger with each word until her eyelids couldn't stretch any further.

"No no no, see this can't be right. My sister, she… no. Five hundred?" River nodded in response and Buffy collapsed back to the chair she had recently vacated. Tears once again welled in her eyes and fell down her soft skin, she had done it. She failed, she was on a mission to save her sister and it back fired. Now she was stranded five hundred years in the future without a clue how to get back home.

"Okay, someone care to explain," Mal ordered, he didn't like not knowing what was going on.

"She's not from our time, Captain," River answered.

"I don't have time for your psycho babble, River."

"It's not psycho babble, captain. She's not from our time, she was sent here by a power higher than us."

"Okay now you know not to talk about him around me," Mal was getting angry. He usually did with the mention of God.

River laughed at him and didn't wince at his glare, "I'm not talking about him, but there is a power higher than us. And she's their puppet."

"River, please," Buffy begged as she placed a hand on her arm.

"They need to understand, Buffy."

"Okay, I'm getting' tired of this gorram bullshit," Jayne said as he got up from his chair to leave the galley.

"Sit Jayne," River ordered him and surprising everyone, including Jayne, he did as he was told.

"She protects us from them. She fights for us, risks her life for us," River spoke, keeping her eyes on Buffy's the entire time; brushing wild strands of blonde away from Buffy's face.

"She's saved the Earth-That-Was many times, Captain," River looked at him before looking back at Buffy, "we probably wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for her."

"River would you care to explain it in a way we would understand?" Mal asked getting irritated.

Before River could respond, Buffy opened her mouth to explain, "Have you ever heard of a slayer?"

"Yes." A voice that was silent the entire time spoke up and everyone turned to face the preacher.

"One girl in all the world…"