One by one the friends all collided with a carpeted floor, flustered and confused, travelling through portals was not the most comfortable of things. They began to get there bearings.
"Ok, now that's creepy" Xander sat up looking around at the familiar surroundings, "We don't seemed to have gone anywhere but Giles' living room"
"Yes we have" Giles stood up, "This might be my living room but its not how I left it, it's different, this alternate dimension must be similar to ours"
"Which means there's another Giles walking around out there somewhere?" Cordelia cried, "that is creepy."
"It also means there's probably another of you walking about too, God forbid" Wesley joked, but Cordelia didn't humour him.
"Now lets not jump to conclusions" The older watcher said, "For all we know" Giles pointed to the door "out there, could be raining with fire and swarming in demons" Buffy walked over to the nearby window and pulled back the curtains glancing out on the street below.
"Or it could be the regular world as we know it" she concluded.
"I wouldn't be too quick to judge" Wesley came to her side looking out onto the dusky street below, ⌠If the master has risen in this dimension, it also means you haven't stopped him, which means you are either not here in Sunnydale or..."
"I'm dead" Buffy said bluntly.
"I was going to say not the slayer" he continued.
"Let's not worry about it for now" she smiled at Wesley's help, "For now they have a slayer in this dimension. Or possibly two" she hesitated, "That doesn't matter, for now all that matters is finding the Master, killing him and getting back to the portal."
"In 90 minutes" cried Cordelia.
"What are we waiting for?" Xander chimed. They all headed to the door and out onto the street below.
"Keep your wits about you" Wesley said, holding his crossbow close, "Night is drawing in"
"Where do you suggest we go?" Giles asked the slayer as they began to head down the darkening street.
"I was hoping to ask you that question" Buffy sighed, "But seeing as you ask, I say we head into town, whatever is happening will be going down somewhere populated, and if we don't find anything, at least we might be able to ask someone" Giles nodded in agreement and the gang headed off in the direction of the main streets of Sunnydale. As they continued on into the darkening streets, they became silent. The place around them had an eerie emptiness about it. They didn't spot a soul down the pavements and few lights were on in houses. The amount of cars they saw could have been counted on one hand. As they neared the centre of town there was an increasing feeling of uneasiness materialising in the group.
"This isn't right" Buffy broke the silence, noting a shop front barred up, apparently closed of the night.
"Too right" Wesley mirrored her feelings, "Where are all the people?"
"I have a funny feeling the Master has something to do with this" Xander looked around the street looking for signs of life or clues to people whereabouts, but finding neither.
"Someone's coming" Buffy's slayer ears picked up the sound of footsteps running their way. The group readied themselves for an attack, crossbows aimed and swords ready. A figure came into view, the sound of heavy, laboured breathing filled their ears.
"Hold your fire" Giles shouted.
"Giles" the familiar face came into the streetlight, "I thought they had got you, the Master, I thought" The face flitted between each of the friends, "Cordelia, you're alive"
"Oz" Buffy cried throwing her arms around him, he grunted in pain and coughed weakly.
"You're hurt" she frowned with concern, noticing the blood on his face and lips.
"Yeah, we should get you to a hospital man" Xander stepped forward to greet him and Oz back away in shock. "What?"
"You!" he said, pulling stake from hidden in his clothes. "Giles what's going on?" The young boy turned to the watcher with the look of fear etched upon his face. "They turned you, didn't they?"
"Oz?" Giles stepped forward sheathing his sword and holding his hands up in defeat, "It's hard to explain, we're not from this dimension"
"Too right your not" Oz backed up, panic was now evident in his voice.
"Oz?" Buffy jumped in this time, "What's happening here?"
"Get away from me" Oz backed up further, grappling for a hidden cross in his pocket, he held it in front of him but no one flinched. He coughed then, struggling to hold his ground.
"Your not" he wheezed, "Your not vampires!" his knees buckled and Giles caught him as he began to fall. He coughed uncontrollably then, bringing up blood staining the watchers shirt in crimson.
"We need to get him to a hospital" Cordelia cried.
"It's too late" Oz's voice trembled with weakness.
"It's not too late, I'll find a payphone" Wesley butted in. Oz looked blearily up at the stranger of a man, he had no idea who he was, but there was something about him that reminded him of Giles.
"They took it. The vampires" he stuttered, voice weakening, "they took everything" he coughed again, bringing up more blood. "The Master, he..." his eyes fluttered closed.
"Oz" Giles shook the boy gently and he took a raspy breath opening his eyes again. "Stay with me, we're going to get you some help"
"Where's the Master?" the slayer shot, "where's his hideout?"
"Buffy?" Giles' voice scolded, "Now is not the time"
"The Bronze" Oz struggled to breath, coughing some more. "He's planning something big, he kidnapped Giles" Oz looked at the watcher in apparent confusion, "Something about crossing over" he took a sudden intake of breath and coughed violently, then suddenly he went still. They all froze in silence.
"Oh God" Xander's voice shook and he stepped back in haste.
"He's dead" Giles stared into Oz's glazed eyes, checking and finding no pulse. He closed his eyes gently and laid him down. "I'm sorry" The watcher's voice broke.
"We we're too late" Wesley said staring down at the departed young man, he still had no idea who he was. The gang remained silent for a while.
"We have to remember" Giles said, almost inaudible. "This is not the real Oz" he looked up at the others "The real Oz is back in our world"
"I'm sorry to be the insensitive one" Cordelia interrupted, "But, we only have an hour left"
"She's right" Wesley added, stepping forward, "We need to get moving, if we don't get to the Master soon, they'll be more people dead."
Giles stood slowly up, looking down at the young boy he knew, or knows, it was all a little confusing to say the least. "I don't just want to leave him." He furrowed his brows.
"I don't think we have a choice" Buffy pulled her watcher away, but he continued to stare at the body. "We could have saved him" Giles stuttered.
Buffy pulled him along the street and the others followed in silence. "Like you said" she turned to face him, "It wasn't the real Oz"
"I know" he said, "It's just. We should get to the Bronze"