Disclaimer: As per previous chapters.

She hadn't actually come here to find her. She had come to the small, tiny, death-wish town called Sunny dale to check out the latest 'slayer' and she if this one was going to go crazy and kill everyone in sight, or if this one was stable enough for the job.

She had known about Buffy, the blonde who protected the town, or at least tried to, against evil demons and vampires on a regular basis, she had already decided that she would visit Angel in his L.A place after this, after all, anyone would prefer a human to a vampire. Even if this one had some sort of super powers.

So for the record, it must be noted, she had found out about Buffy, Xander, Willow, Spike, everyone that had been within Buffy's memory, and some not, and even though she had scaled the time line like a spider up a wall she had found no trace of Dawn Summers.

She was all wrong.

Pushing open the door that lead into the tiny magic shop that Buffy and her watcher usually were, Rose allowed herself to marvel at the strange objects around her; proper crystal balls, herbs, ingredients, magical items, and even tarot cards- the last one was a favourite of hers, it was very funny to influence the outcome of cards.

Looking around the shop, she stared and thought for a moment, looking at the daggers in one of the display cases, and frowned at one of them- a green one which had a rather unpleasant history. Then decided looked at the crystal wands and pendulums, a pink rose pendulum caught her attention and within five minutes it was hanging around her neck looking quite shiny and beautiful.

A perfect pointed cylinder with the beautiful rose carved into it, it must have taken ages to carve away the stone of which it was made, and she had refused to let herself see who had made it, it would take away the mystery and allure.

The girl behind the counter, well, demon behind the counter, she had been to many times, and knew that Anya was in fact Anyanka and she knew not to mess around with vengeance demons.

So she half listened and looked at the shelves and inspected the merchandise, Skink Root, Essence of Rose Thorn, Holy water there was so much in the shop, it was much more wellly stocked than someone would imagine, and the whole place stunk of magic and paranormal.

Rose smiled and tried to converse with the nice vengeance demon, listening in to her babbling about all the things in the store- and their price, it wasn't until several minutes later when Anya paused and narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"So, what's your name? I haven't seen you around."

It was innocent enough, and even though her brain told her that perhaps giving a demon your name was like giving a vampire your front door key, she smiled with her large white teeth and responded all the same.

"I'm Rose Tyler. I've just come visiting from England."

Anya paused and seemed to look over her shoulder at another man, who was most definetly Xander and started chattering to him, while she did have a very bubbly voice, Rose couldn't stand to be around her- she smelled like blood, anger and revenge.

Her eyes trailed over the thick history books on one of the tables, and flicked through it, looking in disgust at one such page, wondering how someone could get a historical event so very wrong, they attacked first, they did this, they did that, they, they, they. It never gave a fair record, and if someone had asked the other guys, the losers, the ones who failed what had happened, they would give a totally different story.

And then she would tell the truth.

The bells above the door jingled and in came some, what looked to be, collage students who went straight for the dream catchers, incense sticks, Tarot cards, a raven haired girl taunted her friends with 'Eye of newt.'

Bogus. Phoney. They wouldn't know what 'Eye of newt' was even if it attached itself firmly to their backside and ask for tea.

However, while this had the effect of Xander to go and ask if they needed anything, it gave her time to separate the smells round this place, vampire, demon, human, slayer and another scent which smelled so strongly of herself.

That however, was impossible.

Looking up sharply, she reached into her handbag and pulled out her mobile phone, sending a quick text message to her mother, saying she'd be home soon, and that she was only going to be a few minutes.

Or not.

However, she could see that her mother had sent her a text message saying something about crossing universes was bad.

Then she paused as a man, who had the posture and look in his eye that boldly screamed 'Watcher', and had a British accent so thick it reminded her of librarians, who always seemed to have such thick accents.

"May I help you?"

Rose smiled and closed the large book without hesitation, standing then speaking quietly for him to hear, but so that the collage students wouldn't hear.

"Why does this place reek of demon and vampire?"

It had been a very legal mate question, however strange it may have sounded, but her speaking had the most unfortunate timing, as the students left as she finished.

The rest from there was a little extraordinary, Anya's head snapped up, Xander paled and his eye brows shot up, and a beautiful blonde's head suddently appeared, the expression on her face showed she had heard every word.

"I don't understand." The watcher replied, a bit too quickly, and Rose sighed heavily.

"Why does this place smell like, vampire, demon, Slayer and...A witch is here?" that confused her, there was honesty that many magical being types in one small building?

"The question is why do you know about Vampires, demons and Slayers." The sentence was not really a question, more of a demand, but Rose just replied as if she had a choice just the same.

"Been there, done that, got the t-shirt."

An answer that didn't really answer their questions, but gave them one, how clever of her, the annoyed expressions were just so amusing.

"So can I have an answer?" She asked politely, noting that they still looked like they'd swallowed a lemon flavoured lolly, they kept that expression then went into defence.

"Who are you? What are you!"

Rose raised an eyebrow and frowned, these people were honestly scared of her? This wasn't new, but every time someone showed genuine fear of her, it made her wonder. Why?

"I'm Rose Tyler. I dunno, I was human. Once."

Rose almost slapped herself, how was she suppose to say it? 'hi I'm Rose Tyler, also known as bad wolf, I'm basically time embodied into a human girl and well, that kinda makes me all powerful and all-seeing.' Yea, that would have gone down a blast, next she'd be telling them about her adventures on the Tardis, and that only fifty-six fairies could dance on a pins head- fairies were quite lazy.

She could see Buffy's eyes narrow and now resembled a death glare, she could see Anya, Willow and Xander, almost casually walk into the path to the door in case she tried to run.

Heh.

"So what are you now?" A different voice asked, and she couldn't care less who it was, all she cared about was thinking how had she ruined her plan of how to stroll into the headquarters of a protective slayer.

"I dunno." The honesty in her eyes must have shown, because Buffy looked slightly less-on edge, now it was only 99% death glare and 1% curiosity, which helped her so very much.

"I don't know what I am, just that I needed to be here, Gotta check if the slayer's gonna go insane. You look sort of stable."

There was a laugh, then silence again, Giles cleared his throat and motioned towards the table.

"Perhaps if we sat down and discussed this.." he attempted, then trailed off as Rose shook her head with a sad smile. She sighed and looked at Buffy, so young, her life line had barely began, and it wouldn't last very long.

Whatever angle you looked at it. She was a murderer, and murderers were her least favourite people. Even if this one had a special place.

"No, you see, I'm the only one of my kind I know I am, because only one of me exists." Rose spoke with such conviction, that made the people now effetely holding her captive look at her differently.

"How do you know?"

Rose snapped her head around quickly and looked at the brunette girl sitting on the small step just a few metres away and stepped backwards, the girl didn't have a life line by all rational trails of thought, the girl shouldn't exist.

She was unexistent.

"Who are you!" Rose tried to keep the hysteria from her voice and only partially succeeding, in one quick motion, Dawn was hidden behind Buffy, who was looking fiercely proactive.

"I'm Dawn."

Rose tried to focus herself, but it was no use, she felt fuzzy, and blurry around the girl, like when she had gotten tipsy at a party when she had been 16.

"What are you!"

The girl suddenly looked worried and mumbled something about Glory to her older sister with surprising speed, Rose had to strain to hear the exchange though.

"I'm not working for Glory." Rose said, looking amused, really, why would she work with such a delusional 'god'. That was like a cat saying one day, 'hey mouse, we've been fighting too long. Lets be friends' while eating the mouses best friend.

"I think you probably don't believe me, but I had to say. What is she?, I feel...strange...all fuzzy."

Rose paused for a moment then decided perhaps she should look again, and she did, but there was no Dawn Summers in her time Line, which meant she was not an original plan.

Suddenly overcome with curiosity she stopped and looked at Dawn again, she was truly someone special if even she didn't know about her? Or had she censored the life of this brunette girl from herself? A surprise?

This was perhaps the most bizarre thing she had ever come across, a mystery that didn't exist, and a strange creature that was so incredibly important.

She had to be.

"Fuzzy?" Dawn asked almost attentively, and Rose saw an exchange of looks between the two siblings, the silent argument "What do you mean?"

Rose nodded and smiled again, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and speaking in a calm voice she had perfected long ago.

"Yea, Sort of Blurry, and my vision is all wrong. I can't see very well, and according to the time Line, You don't exist at all."

Dawn froze and looked with such a strange expression that it seemed to be a mess of a mix of emotions.

"I'm the key."

Rose froze, and she could see the looked of utter horror as she had froze, then everything seemed to fall into place, Glory. The fuzziness. All so differently.

Now with a light heart, and the smile on her face she hadn't won since her hand had been in the doctors, she pulled off the beautiful rose around her neck and offered it to Buffy, she wouldn't be trusted.

"Dawn, Key." She mused, then cocked her head to the side. "I couldn't even see you, you must be someone very important."

At those word she started to turn slightly pink.

"I'm Rose, Bad Wolf."

She could see the spark being lit in the Watchers head, he actually recognised her, he knew what she was.

"I owe you a debt. If you need help. Well.." she stared at the rose pendulum in the Slayers hand "One day, you'll know what to do.."

This was it.

The beginning.

But of what, maybe she'd never know.

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