Skylar
Doppleganger Duets

Doppleganger Duets


Author: Skylar (Nichiren2am@hotmail.com)
Disclaimer: Joss and company own everything
Summary: What if in "Dopplegangland", evil Willow wasn't the only one to
cross over?
AN: Fourth story in my Remedy series.  For this series, I?ve just decided to
pick episodes at random to rewrite trying to fix Joss? mistakes.
Spoilers: Everything up to "Dopplegangland", plus the other stories of this
series.
AN: For this series, there?s no happiness clause in Angel's curse, so there
was no Angelus, and no Angel being sent to hell.  However, Angel has moved
into the mansion on Crawford street.  Jenny was killed, only by Spike.  And
Xander and Willow never kissed, so everything's still peachy between W/O and
X/C.
AN: "Somebody Else" belongs to Bleu, "Not Myself" belongs to John Mayer,
"Somebody Else's Song" belongs to Lifehouse, and "Virgin State of Mind"
belongs to K's Choice.
Rating: I'd say PG-13.
Dedication: For Heidi, who I've been promising this one to for a while now.
Distribution: Want it- take it.  Just let me know where it?s going.
Feedback: As always, greatly appreciated.



     People's lives- their real lives, as opposed to their simple physical
existences- begin at different times.  The real life of Liam O'Halloran, a
young man who was born and raised in the Galway area of Ireland, began in
1753.  Two things had happened to him since that year.  The first ended his
life; the second gave him another.

     The exquisite, gentle beauty who had single-handedly finally given him
a reason to exist was perfectly nestled behind him on the bed, sitting
indian style.  She was chuckling softly as she ran her long, slim fingers
through his tousled hair, just imagining the look on his face as she
continued playing with his hair.

"Angel, hold still, will ya?  How do you expect me to get it straight?"

"Straight?  Was that your intention, because it doesn't really have the feel
of 'straight' to me..." he smiles, reaching around a hand to grab one of her
own, groaning when she escapes his grasp.

"I'm almost done."  With a few more swipes, Buffy scoots off the bed to face
him.  "There you go.  Perfect!"

     Angel reaches up a hand to feel the mess that he knew she had surely
made of his hair.  "Buffy...did you put anything in my hair?"

"Just some gel..." she smiles sweetly.

"*Some* gel?"  He tries running his fingers through his spikes again,
finding more goo.  "This is more than just *some*.  I think Cordelia uses
less."

"Try and do your boyfriend a favor," Buffy mock pouts, turning her back to
him as she goes to grab her backpack.  It was getting close to 7 and she'd
promised her mom that she'd spend dinner with her before going out on patrol
with her newly styled boyfriend.

"Come here," he goes to reach for her, wimpering softly as he sees her brush
him away.

"No, no...I know when my efforts aren't appreciated."  Angel grabs her
around the waist, pulling her into his arms.

"You are always appreciated," he smiles against her neck as his hand makes a
trail along her stomach, his fingers beginning to tickle her.  "Even when
you make a mess of my hair."

"No messier than it always is," she giggles, pulling him down to her for a
quick kiss.  "But the messy look is good on you.  Any look is good on you,"
she corrects herself, eyeing him appreciatively.

"I thought you said my hair needed a change?" his eyes lift up, recalling
the conversation they'd had when she'd stopped by after school.

"Well, sometimes change can be good.  For example, the messy 'wet' look on
you is sexier than the messy 'dry' look...although, neither one of them is
my favorite look for you," she slyly smiles, pulling him along with her as
she walks backwards towards the bed.

"And which one would that be?" he raises an eyebrow, intrigued by her
comments.

"The look that you give whenever you look at me," she smiles, pulling him
down ontop of her as she relaxes back onto the mattress.  "I never knew that
a person's eyes could say so much, but...whenever you look at me...I feel
everything.  Feelings I never even knew existed until us."

"Excitement," he begins for her, just barely grazing her lips with his own.

"Trust..."

"Bliss..."

"Comfort..." she wraps an arm around his neck, bringing him closer to her.

"Acceptance..." he smiles, nuzzling her neck.

"Safety..."

"Home..." he pulls away from her neck to face her.  "My life...my heart...my
world."  He softly brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, letting his
fingers come to rest on her cheek.  "You're everything, Buffy. 
Everything..." he finishes with a gentle kiss, laying off to the side of
her.

"Too bad mom wants me home for dinner," the slayer sighs, resting her head
against his shoulder.

"Couldn't you tell her you were eating over here again?"

"I could...but Willow's supposed to be coming over for dinner too.  I
haven't been spending enough time with her."  Buffy sits up, fixing her
mussed shirt as she explains.  "I think a lot of things have been getting to
her lately.  Namely the whole 'I'm tired of being everyone's doormat and
homework gal' thing."

"Willow said that?"

"More or less.  Can't blame her though.  Snyder's making her tutor this jerk
jock just so he'll stay on the team, and after Xander and I pushed her last
button, she stormed off, threatened to change her look, cut class, and 'eat
her banana- lunchtime be damned'."

"What exactly did you say to her?"

"I think it was the whole 'old reliable' crack that finally did it.  But I
didn't mean it the way it came out- I mean, that's what Willow is- reliable.
  I guess maybe we all take her for granted a lot of the time."  Buffy
reluctantly gets up, grabbing her bookbag as she heads downstairs, Angel
following closely behind.

"Tell you what," he pulls her into a final hug.  "What about if after
dinner, I'll meet you two at the Bronze.  Maybe we can cheer Willow up."

"Sounds like a plan," she seals their deal with a kiss, using all of her
willpower to pull herself away from him, reaching behind her to open the
front door.  "I've really, really gotta go.  Will's probably waiting for me
at the school."

"The school?" he manages to get out in between kissing.

"She said she was working on some project with Anya.  You know- that new
friend of Cordelia's?"

"A friend of Cordelia's?" he pulls away to face her, a small smile on his
lips.  "Poor Willow...no wonder she's depressed, having to hang out with
anyone Cordelia-oriented."

"They say variety's the spice of life..." Buffy kids, reaching up for his
lips again.

******

     Inside an empty classroom of Sunnydale High, Willow and Anya were
laying out the materials necessary for the vengeance demon's spell.

"The necklace was a family heirloom passed down for generations," Anya
explains, mixing together more sacred sand.  "Then it was stolen from my
mom's apartment," she lies, walking over to join the eager young wicca on
the floor to perform the spell to create the required temporal fold.

"So how does the spell work?" Willow asks.

"Uh...well, we both call on Eryishon- the endless one...offer up the
standard sublication...then there's a teensy temporal fold- we hope.  Then I
pour the sacred sand over the representation of the necklace, and then
Eryishon brings it forth from the time and place it was lost."

"Okay- cool," Willow nods her head, eager to get started.

"Are we ready?"  Seeing the redhead smile, Anya offers her hand to Willow,
beginning her chant.  But after a few seconds of listening to the spell,
Willow could sense something going wrong.

     New images and sounds began to race through her head.  Trying her best
to look through and beyond them, she finds her eyes resting upon the sight
of herself, though not quite herself.  She seemed to be in a violent
struggle with Oz in some sort of factory building.  The onset of a terrible
headache brought forth the accompanying screams, filled with agony and
despair.  As Anya raises a hand to pour the sand over the intricate drawing
of her necklace, Willow's hand begins to shake uncontrollably, causing the
demon to not only cover the image of the necklace, but also the young teen's
hand.

     With a final flicker of light surrounding their circle, the spell
ended.  Anya, in anticipation of seeing if the spell worked, hardly notices
Willow holding a hand to her head in pain.  "That was a little blacker than
I like my arts," she sighs, standing to her feet.  The sounds and images of
before had ceased, but their presence still lingered inside the wiccan's
aching head.

"Will!"  Buffy comes jogging up the hall, meeting her best friend halfway. 
"Sorry I'm running a little late.  You guys done your project?"  When she
doesn't immediately answer, still squinting her eyes trying to make the pain
go away, Buffy's voice turns panicky.  "Willow?  Are you okay?  What's
wrong?"

"Nothing...nothing," she gives her head a shake, deciding to try and salvage
some sort of fun from the night.  "Must've been around those pesky chemicals
too long.  Fumes, ya know?"

"Mmm- that's why I prefer to stay away from all things chemistry," the small
blonde smiles, linking an arm with her friend as they begin their walk to
her house.

"Unless of course we're talking about the chemistry between you and a
certain souled vampire," Willow giggles, eyeing her friend suspiciously. 
"I'm guessing you two were so wrapped up working on your own 'project' that
you sorta lost track of time?"

"Guilty as charged- you know me too well.  I'm sorry, Will.  But we're gonna
both make up for it tonight.  Angel wanted to know if we'd meet him at the
Bronze tonight after dinner."

"Sounds nice.  Oz is playing," her face instantly brightens as they approach
Buffy's front door.  "I don't know though- I mean, it is a school night."

"Willow..." the slayer sighs, tossing her bag onto the couch.  "Come on.  A
little change in the ordinary would do you a world of good."

******

     Halfway in the middle of shoving the vampire through the makeshift
stake, Oz was suddenly stopped.  He stares at the wall he and Giles and were
now faced with, seemingly part of a large, towering building alongside some
alleyway.  Twilight was slowly surrendering to full dark when Giles finally
takes it upon himself to break the silence.

"Where the devil are we?"  Searching his fellow traveler's eyes for some
sort of explanation, he finds him as dazed and confused as he was.

"No clue..." Oz finally breathes out, slowly beginning to walk down the back
alley.  "But I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

******

     Preparing herself for the impact and fatality of the blow, Willow
suddenly comes to feel the cold hardness of the concrete floor instead of
the deadliness of the pointed wood she had previously been headed for. 
Holding a hand to her head in confusion, she slowly and carefully pulls
herself to her feet, dusting herself off as she takes in the new appearance
of the factory, completely emptied.  You'd have hardly guessed they'd had
their blood-assembly line functioning only minutes ago- a project that
would've gone smoothly for the master if it hadn't been for that damn slayer
and the whitehats.

     There was a distant twinge of pain for her to see all of the gleefully
happy humans, strolling along down the street alongside her.  "People..."
she whispers to herself, her instincts remaining unclouded by the strange
surroundings as she heads towards the Bronze.  "Alive...waiting to play..."

******

     She'd always known it'd end like this for her.  After a grueling
battle, she'd miss a cue or a landing, and that would be that.  No fuss, no
muss in the demise of Buffy Summers, somewhat unwilling chosen one to defend
the world against vampires.  <Blah, blah, blah,> she thinks to herself,
feeling the master's hands wrap tightly around her neck.

     Her head twists only slightly as she falls to the tiled floor, landing
harshly with a loud thud.  "Christ..." she instantly reaches around a hand
to grab her stinging neck.  Seeing it still it one piece was almost as big a
surprise as finding herself in what seemed to be a library.  "Great. 
Books...a fate much worse than death," she mutters to herself, steadying
herself on her feet as she searches around for the crossbow that had been
knocked out of her hands only seconds ago.

"Typical..."  She pauses, letting out a bewildered little laugh.  "Where the
hell am I?!"

******

"Buffy..."  Feeling the point of the stake pressing against his skin, Angel
cries out his slayer's name in a final desperate plea.  But as he collapses
to the floor, he finds himself still very much as alive as he can get, as
well as laid out on what felt to be grass, a crescent moon hovering
undetected over the night sky, glimmers of its light peering out in between
the branches of a nearby tree.

"What...?"  Scanning his surroundings, he shakily pulls himself to his feet,
being left to assume that he was indeed out of the factory and now in front
of a nearby house.  He passes a glance to the lighted windows, feeling
almost drawn to the glow.  He starts to move towards the front door, without
having any real idea of where he was or was meant to go, but halts in his
tracks upon noticing the nearby vampire approaching from the opposite side
of the small house.

     Gently dusting off his leather jacket, Xander takes in his new
surroundings with an evil glare, his eyes flashing yellow as his senses pick
up on the scent of his lover's 'puppy'.  Being even more pissed off than he
was for being sent to wherever the hell he now found himself, he begins
creeping around the house's perimeter, turning back around to check the
back.  "Come on out, puppy.  I don't bite...well, not as hard as Will does."

     The world suddenly swims back into sharp focus for Angel.  He had never
felt such dismay, such horror, in his whole life.  In a new world, his
destiny and love seemingly dead and lost, he had no other choice but to keep
running.  Limping only slightly, he scampers up to the front doors, praying
to whoever was listening that someone was home.  After a few more seconds of
banging, he flinches back upon seeing a kindly faced woman, grinning at him
with open arms.
 
Part 2
 
"Angel," Joyce Summers greets him affectionately, though her eyes begin to
travel up and down his untypical disheveled appearance.  "Umm...you're just
in time to join us for dinner.  Come on in," she steps aside, a bit thrown
off by the awkward steps he takes to brush past her into the house.  "Did
you run into some vampires on the way over?"  That was the only explanation
she could come up with to explain his current condition.  He looked thinner
than normal, his eyes sulken in, his frame shaking slightly.

"Yes..." he whispers softly, his eyes nervously darting back and forth from
the interior of the house to her.  "...vampires..."

"Well then...why don't you, uh...just sit down, and...I'll just call Buffy."
  He does as requested, still having no clue as to who this woman was or why
he somehow knew that she was trustworthy.  <Buffy...> he reasons with
himself.  <She knows Buffy.  Her mother...?>

"Buffy?"

"Yeah mom?"  The smiling slayer turns around from her stool to greet her
mother as she walks into the kitchen.  "What's up?"

"Angel's here, honey.  I think he just finished dealing with some vampires. 
He looks a little...run down," was the nicest way she could put it,
especially considering that the charming and self-assured man she had liked
from first meeting was now sitting in her living room looking like some worn
out prisoner of war.

"Is he okay?"  Not even waiting for an answer, Buffy hops down from her
seat, living Willow and her mother behind as she races out to the living
room.  "Ohhh...thank god," she breathes a sigh of relief as she sees him
with her back towards her, pacing around by the fireplace, gently observing
the pictures that adorned its mantle.  "Mom told me you were-" a small gasp
escapes her lips as Angel2 turns around to face her, his eyes widening at
the sight of her new appearance.  "-dirty...?"

     Taking a few quick steps towards him, she crosses her arms in mid walk
as she notes the new appearance of his hair.  "You know, I know you didn't
really like it, but you could've left all the gel in just to humor your
girlfriend," she giggles.  She reaches out to grab him into a hug but is
taken by surprise by his immediate response of flinching back, using a hand
behind him to maneuver away from her.  "Angel?  What's wrong?  Come on- I
was kidding about the hair."

"Buffy?" his voice is barely above a whisper as he leans his face in a bit
closer to inspect her.  She looked...happy- and healthy.  Two things he had
sorely missed seeing upon first meeting her.  He lifts a tentative hand to
her chin, gently tilting her head up, only to find the small scar across her
lips missing.

"Uh-huh...me Buffy- you Angel," she giggles, reaching for him again,
thinking he was playing in jest.  When he pulls himself away again, opting
to crawl on the floor back towards the wall instead, her panic level begins
to rise.  "Angel- what's going on?"

"You..." he lifts a hand to point to her, still shaking slightly.  "The
master...you- you killed him?"

"About two-hundred vamps ago," she lets out a small laugh.  "Where've you
been the past two years?"

"Waiting...for you.  I came here to- to wait for you...my destiny..." he
trails off, remembering her initial reaction to his earnest confession from
before.

"Now that's more like it," she smiles again, hoping he'd decided to quit
fooling around with his act.  She kneels down beside him.  "So...do you plan
on spending the night here on the floor, or do you want to..."  She takes
note of the redness being revealed by the opened top buttons of his old,
worn out shirt.  Reaching a hand in, she feels the burn scars gracing the
smooth skin of his chest, gasping in shock as she pulls his shirt completely
open.  "Angel?!  What happened?!  Who did this to you?!"

"Hey guys," Willow's cheery voice enters the room before she does, "dinner's
ready.  Hi Angel!"  She twirls her fingers in a friendly wave, at first
happy to see the vampire she'd always considered a close friend, but quickly
hurt at his reaction to her.

     Angel2 begins jerking against the wall, trying frantically to pull
himself to his feet and get as far away from his 'owner' as possible.  "You
didn't- you didn't kill her" he blurts out, somewhere between a horrified
observation and a completely baffled question.  "Why didn't you kill her?!"

"Angel-" Buffy tries calming him, placing a hand to rest against his cheek.

"Okay, okay-" Willow cuts in, "so I accidently squeezed some doughnut jelly
on Buffy's blue sweater...I'm- I'm sorry...wait..." she takes a few steps
towards him, clearly catching a glance of his burned chest.  "Angel- what
happened?"

     Passing Buffy a final glance in desperation, Angel2 races over to the
door, deciding to take his chances Xander instead of the torturous,
redheaded vampire.

"Angel leaving so soon?" Joyce asks, reemerging in the living room.

"Mom- I'll be back," Buffy yells, grabbing her jacket as she heads for the
door.  "Willow- stay her with her.  Something's up!"  As she stands in the
open doorway, watching as her best friend heads down the street after her
obviously sick and delirious boyfriend, a thought finally crosses Willow's
mind, causing her to call down the street to the slayer.  "You two weren't
experimenting with candles...were you?"

******

"Buffy?"  Giles, book in hand, steps out of his office, surprised to see his
slayer in the school library.  "Is something wrong?"

     The slayer readies herself, throwing her hands up in defense upon
seeing the weird stranger who had summoned her to this freak town. 
"Oh...it's just you again."  Giles, slightly hurt by the greeting, places
his book down on the nearby table, taking in his slayer's new look.  "Did
you...just finish up slaying?  By the looks of it, you really must've made a
good showing," he nervously laughs.  As if her stern and hard look weren't
intimidating enough, Buffy2's commando gear left little to the imagination. 
Her faded gray tank top and worn pants added that extra something to the
sound of her heavy boots, stomping around him as he studies her.

"So what happened?  Where the hell am I?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, one minute I'm about to receive a free chiropracting check-up from
the master, the next I'm in some library with you!"  Buffy2 begins rooting
through his office, trying to find some sort of weapon to arm herself with. 
"Is this your idea of some sick joke?  Or is this just another one of those
'slayer tests' I keep being disqualified from because of- what was it
again...that's right- misconduct!"

"Buffy..." Giles lets out a heavy sigh, his conscience still burdening him
from his actions around her eighteenth birthday and the test he had forced
her to go through.  "I assure you- I'm just as confused as you are as to
what you're talking about- did...did you just say the master??"

     Finally finding another crossbow and some stakes, she tucks them into
one of the duffel bags he'd had resting beside his desk.  "Well I'll tell
you what- why don't you stick around in here, plant that nose of your's into
a book, and try and make yourself useful while I go out and make the big bad
nasty go away for all of you lovely people, okay?  They've probably all left
the factory by now.  Maybe that club...the Bronze..."

     Not waiting for a response, she quickly turns, heading out the double
doors, bag in hand, headed for the Bronze- the only logical place she could
think of finding anyone to give up some information as to where all the
demons had retreated.

"Joyce?" Giles adjusts his glasses as he sits down with his phone, not too
long after Buffy2 had departed.

"Mr. Giles?"  Mrs. Summers was more than relieved to hear his voice.  "Is
everything alright?"

"I was just about to ask you that same question.  Buffy was just here, and-"

"So that's where she went.  Was Angel with her?"

"Angel?"

"Mmm-hmm.  She just left a little while ago chasing after him.  I think he
was sick or something.  He didn't look well."

"Neither did Buffy.  She just left a mintue ago, but Angel wasn't with her. 
What do you mean Angel didn't look well?"

"He stopped by the house.  I think he was attacked by some vampires- he sure
looked like it.  He took off running down the street and Buffy followed
him."

"She said she was heading towards the Bronze..."

******

There's a chair in my head
In which I used to sit
Took a pencil and I wrote
The following on it
Now there's the key
Where my wonderful mouth used to be
Dig it up, throw it at me
Dig it up, throw it at me


     The swarm of fresh new blood twirled and danced around her, just
begging to be drained.  Eyeing each one hungrily, Willow2 makes her way
through the Bronze's crowd, amazed that so many teens had dared to step foot
in it.  The stares that the others kept giving her were alarming- not the
usual stares of horror and dismay she had been used to getting, but now,
stares composed of sheer confusion.


Where can I run to?
Where can I hide?
Who will I turn to?
Now I'm in
A virgin state of mind


     Her eyes shifted from human to human, angrily glaring as she's still
yet to see any of the others.  She stares thoughtlessly through the useless
bodies, not trying to make sense of the situation, only wanting it to go
away.  <Everything's alive...and wrong...>  The familiar feeding ground had
been rendered unfamiliar, almost cheerful with human spirit.


Had a knife to disengage
The voids that I can't bare
Cut out words I've got written
On my chair
Like, do you think I'm sexy?
Do you think I really care?


"Hey!" a voice snaps at her after bumping her thoughtlessly.  "Rosenberg? 
What're you doing, trick-or-treating?"  Apparently this boy knew her, or at
least seemed to.  "You're supposed to be home doing my history report.  I
flunk that class you're in big trouble with Snyder."  Okay- apparently this
mindless drone didn't know her.  If he had, he wouldn't have dared to take
that tone with the powerful vampire.  "Until we graduate, I own your ass!"

     The redhead lifts her eyes, the corners of her mouth lifting into a sly
smile.  "Bored now..." she says nonchalantly, shoving the boy against his
chest and launching him almost effortlessly onto the nearby pooltable.

"I'm having a terrible night," she wimpers, stepping slowly over to him
among the murmuring crowd.  Seeing him try to get up, she assists him,
wrapping a hand around his neck, pulling him to his feet to face her. 
"Wanna make it better?"  He throws a punch in vain, having it grabbed and
pushed to the side as the demon's grip tightens.

"What's going on?" Xander chuckles as he approaches a group of classmates,
laughing in disbelief at what they were witnessing.  "Is there a funny
thing?"  Not having to wait for a response, Xander's eyes son fall upon the
sight of his best friend engaged in some sort of fight with that jock she'd
been forced to tutor.

"Back off!" the brave teen commands, tossing the scared boy to the side. 
"You stay the hell away from her!"

"O-okay...su- sure!"  He stumbles to his feet, making a mad dash out of the
nightclub with a whole new respect for his tutor.

     After watching him flee, Xander turns to face Willow2, his jaw almost
dropping to the floor as her outfit literally pops into full view.

"Xander..." Willow2 smiles, thrilled to see her lover.

"Will...changing the look not an idle threat with you," he squeaks out after
giving her a full once over.

"You're alive," she slinks over to him, wrapping him up into a hug, letting
her hands roam his expectedly cold form.

"Uh...Will, this is verging on naughty touching here.  Hands!" he quickly
snaps away from her as the feel of her palms moving more and more south
becomes apparent.  "Hands in new places!"

"You're alive..." she sighs, the full extent of the words hitting her as she
realizes this wasn't her Xander.

"You mentioned that before," he nods.  "Will, are you okay?"

"No...everything's different..." she pouts, tilting her head in even more
confusion at the sight of her lover being, of all things imaginable, human.

"Oh- there you are!" Buffy yells to her friends as she races into the
Bronze.

"Hey Buff," Xander answers her, though not taking his eyes away from
Willow2.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your- holy god, you're Willow."  The
slayer takes a step back at not only seeing that her friend had somehow beat
her to the Bronze, but managed to go from Miss Sunshine to Misstress of Pain
in less than ten minutes.

"You..." Willow2 glares at her- the one who had ruined the master's plans.

"Will- what are you doing here?  I asked you to stay home with mom while I
went out looking for Angel.  Well I guess mom will be okay.  Now that you're
here you can help me track him down."

"What's wrong with Deadboy?" Xander casually asks, his eyes giving the
confused vamp another once over.

"Puppy?" Willow2 perks up at the mention of her playtoy.

"He's out somewhere.  I think he's...puppy?" Buffy stops in mid explanation
at her best friend's new name for *her* boyfriend.  "Uh...you know what?  I
like the new look, Will.  It's extreme, and it looks good, but...what's
going on?"  Buffy's eyes widen in suspicion as Willow2 inches her way over
to her.

"I don't like you..." the vamp tells her in no uncertain terms, emphasizing
her harsh declaration with her even harsher stare.

"Will...I'm sorry about earlier today.  You know how my foot likes to live
in my mouth, but you know...you really didn't have to prove anything."

     Allowing her eyes to linger on the small blonde a bit longer, Willow2
finally raises her head, turning towards the side door.  "Leaving now."

"Will- gotta say, really not loving the new you!" Xander shouts after her as
Buffy goes to stop her best friend.

"Willow, wait-" the slayer makes a grab for her arm, instinctively flinching
away as a growl escapes Willow2's lips, her eyes flashing yellow as her face
shifts to her vampiric features.

"Get off me!"  Buffy and Xander are left to watch her stealth departure,
staring on in utter disbelief and denial at their best friend's new
condition as a vampire.

******

     Giles2 and Oz2 had been observing the crowd since their arrival at the
Bronze from the upstairs catwalk.  The vamp's headquarters had certainly
undergone severe renovations in the past hour or so.  Lights and music had
been blaring across the widespread crowd, without a trace of any of the
master's henchmen.

"Don't they know how dangerous this is?" Giles2 points out to Oz2 as they
descend the stairway.

"Judging by the way they all seem to be partaking in the 'fun'- probably
not..."  As they reach the bottom of the stairwell, Giles2 decides to take
charge deciding it best if they split up to search the town.  "You stay here
on guard- I'm going to head back to the library.  See if anyone else has
checked in."  Following his orders, Oz2 reaches the bottom of the stairwell,
picking up on a familiar voice.

"She can't be..." Xander finally speaks up from his drink, peering over at
Buffy sitting across from him, still in the Bronze.  "I mean...she *can't*
be- not Will..."

"Xand..." Buffy sighs, not sure how to comfort her friend- or herself for
that matter.  She'd had to bury friends before, but none as close or as
special as Willow.  She'd never thought she'd have to face the day when
she'd lose Willow.  Or Xander...or Angel, who at present time, she was still
supposed to be searching for.  "I can't..."  A deep sigh escapes her as she
reaches out to place a hand over his own.  "Xander..." she begins to sob,
not willing to come to grips with what had happened.

"Xander!" Oz2 pops out from behind one of the pillars, stake in hand as he
charges the young man.  Toppling over to the ground, Xander almost shrieks
at the sight of Oz hovering above him, ready to plunge the wooden point
through his heart.

"I knew we shouldn't have trusted you!" Oz2 snaps back at a shocked Buffy. 
"You're playing both sides!  You're probably one of them!"  He returns his
attentions to the 'vamp' at hand, lifting both arms above his head to
increase impact, but finds himself caught in Buffy's grip.  The slayer flips
him backwards, and with a fierce punch straight to the center of his face,
knocks him out cold.

"What the hell-" Xander moans as Buffy helps him up, finally realizing what
his friend's motivation must've been in attacking him like that.  "Oh god-
he must've seen Willow..."

"We've got to get to Giles-" Buffy grabs the last bit of reason she was
clinging to in her mind, steering Xander towards the door.  "We've got to
let him know what's going on.  And we've *still* got to find Angel."

******

"There you are!"  Cordelia catches up with her boyfriend, just down the
street from her house- or at least what appeared to be her boyfriend...the
black, tasteful leather he was wearing threw her off for a second.  "I
thought you were picking me up at eight to go to the Bronze?" she pulls him
around to face her in the middle of the street.  "Weren't we supposed to
meet- god, what happened to you!  You're all...pasty...pastier than usual!"

"You..." the vampire snickers, running a hand up her bare arm as he eyes her
temptingly.  "Cordelia..."

"Look dough-boy, enough with the games.  I'm hungry, and I'm tired- thanks
to spending the whole night looking for you, so let's just go, okay?" 
Without giving him another glance, she begins walking ahead of him,
stumbling a bit over her new shoes.

     Seeing her stumble, as well as being famished for some fresh blood,
Xander2 makes a running dive for her- only to slam his head into the
concrete as she escapes his grasp, bending over to fix the strap on her
black leather heels.  "I swear- if I hadn't found these on sale, I would've
never...Xander!" she notices her boyfriend laid out on the pavement, holding
a hand to his head.  "I can't take you anywhere, can I?  Now come on- let's
just get to the Bronze.
 
Part 3
 
The evening made her restless as Willow2 wandered the city's streets
after her hasty departure from the Bronze.  As she moves about down along an
alley, her head turns at the sound of the approaching vampires.

"Willow Rosenberg," the taller of the two announces.

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," she smiles, not even bothering to
look back at them as she halts in her pace.

"We won't talk," the vamp assures her, making a quick dive which she easily
averts.  His partner decides to try his luck against her, finding his
efforts coming up a little short as well.  He yells in pain as Willow2 slams
him into the wall, deciding to try and get her information out of the first
vamp she'd already knocked to the ground.

"You made me cranky."

"There's been a mistake here," he tries appealing to her, obviously one of
his own kind.  "We were sent after a human."

"Really?  Who do you work for?" she inquires softly, grabbing his
outstretched hand in the process.

"I'm not telling you a thing."  Before he can hear them snap, the redheaded
vamp easily breaks a few of his fingers, smiling in the process as she tries
reaching him once more.  "Who do you work for?"

"You," he finally concedes, grateful to finally be allowed back up on his
feet.

"Get your friends," Willow2 gives him her first set of orders.  "Bring them
here.  The world's no fun anymore.  We're gonna make it the way it was. 
Starting with the Bronze."

******

"Buffy!" Giles exclaimes upon seeing her return to the library with Xander. 
"Thank heavens you're alright.  Where did you...you changed clothes?"

"What?" Buffy solemnly looks up at him, not expecting to be given fashion
tips from her watcher, especially right before she had to tell him of
Willow's demise.

"Your clothes- when you were here earlier-"

"Giles, this is the same thing I've been wearing all day since school
started."

"Yes- but when you were here about an hour ago you were dressed to play the
lead in the next Rambo movie."  Seeing her confused look, he decides to drop
it.  "Oh well, it's not important."  As his two students continue to stare
at him, he picks up on something more than confusion coming from their
distraught faces.  "What is it?"

******

"The Bronze..." Xander2 observes upon arriving at the familiar club. 
Watching as Cordelia makes her way through the side door, he attempts to go
around through the back but finds himself being grabbed by the overbearing
girl who was quickly working his last nerve.

"Not like you haven't seen it before and need the grand tour," she snaps at
him, pulling him by the arm and dragging him inside over to a table.  The
brunette sits down, looking up expectantly at her boyfriend.  "Well? 
Where's my drink?"

"Drink..." he smiles, making a steady walk behind her, trailing his fingers
along her neck, looking for just the right place to sink in.

"Oh no-" she flings his hand away.  "Drink first, then play.  I'll have the
usual.  Go ahead..." she turns her head to face him.  "Go on- before Oz's
band starts playing.

     His vampiric features begin to flash, though they go unnoticed by the
ever-insightful Queen C.  Once he has himself under control again, or
something approaching it, Xander2 slowly stalks through the crowd of humans,
reveling in the dark lights as he makes his way back over towards the side
doors.  He pauses, listening for a moment as his senses pick up on the
familiar voice and scent coming from nearby outside.

     He makes his exit, heading down the back alley, instantly recognizing
his lover gathered around a bunch of other vamps.  "Willow..." he growls in
a possessive manner, causing her to turn around and squeal in delight.

"Xander..." she grins, racing over and jumping into his arms, wrapping
herself completely around his body.

"Babydoll..." Xander2 smirks, greedily capturing her lips with his own,
drawing only a few drops of blood from her lip when they finally break away.
  "What the hell is this freakshow?"

"Everything's wrong here...you were alive..." she tells him, receiving a
disgusted glare from him.  "You were inside...with that slayer."

"That friend of her's- Cordelia..." he licks his lips appreciatively, "she's
inside now, baby."

"Well we can't just leave them both alone like that, can we?"  Willow2
motions to her new recruits to join them as they approach the side door. 
"Why don't we give them a first hand glimpse of the new world we're gonna
make here..."

******

"Angel?" Joyce pulls open the door to face the vampire, welcoming his newly
freshened look and smiling face.  "You're looking much better."

"Thank you..." he replies automatically, not exactly sure what she meant,
but accepting the compliment nonetheless.  "Are Buffy and Willow ready?"

"Ready?" she stares at him puzzled.  "I- I thought they'd be with you."

"No...why would they be with me?"

"Well, when you took off earlier, Buffy was understandably worried, so she
went after you- though you seem to be just fine now."

"Excuse me, Joyce, but...what are you talking about?  I haven't seen Buffy
since she left the mansion a few hours ago."

"Angel," she lets out a small laugh, "I may be old, but I'm not *that* old
where I don't know what I see.  You were just here a little while ago...a
little shaken up.  You'd said you'd run into a vampire.  Must've been some
vampire," she smiles, taking a sip of her tea.

"Joyce, I can assure you that I never-"

"Oh, Angel- it's alright, dear.  You think I don't have a pretty good idea
what you and Buffy do in your spare time," she beams at him.  "Look-
whenever you two want some...*alone* time, you don't have to go running off
together, making some excuses that some big evil is going on."

     Deciding against pushing the matter further, Angel tries getting as
much information out of her as possible.  "Well, in that case, uh...would
you happen to know where Buffy said we were headed for the night?"

"Well, when Mr. Giles called, he said she was headed for the Bronze to meet
up with you."  Hearing enough, Angel takes off back out the door, his gut
telling him that not only was something going on, but Buffy was in danger.

******
     Unable to move, their faces permanently fixed on remorse, the two
friends and the former watcher sit together on the library's stairs, trying
to make some sense of recent events.

"This isn't real," Xander finally breathes out, his eyes still glazed over
with the tears that, so far, he'd been able to hold back.

"I can't feel anything," Buffy whispers.  "Arms, legs, anything..."

"She was truly the finest of all of us," Giles sighs, rubbing his forehead
lightly.

"Way better than me," Xander casually remarks.

"Much, much better," the englishman is quick to agree with him, prompting
the teen to begin placing blame.

"It's all my fault-"

"No-" Buffy speaks up.  "It's me.  I mean, it's *me*.  I'm the one who
called her reliable.  She must've gone out and gotten attacked, which she
never would've done if I hadn't called her reliable," the slayer's voice
begins to crack, a small sob escaping her lips.  "And now my best friend is-

"What's going on?"  A smiling Willow comes bouncing through the library
doors, quickly taken aback by her friends' miserable faces.  "Jeez, who
died?"  Receiving only blank stares from them, she begins to turn serious. 
"Oh, god.  Who died?"

     Not believing what he was seeing, Xander is the first to react,
springing to his feet, a cross stretched out in front of him.  "Back!  Get
back demon!"  After a few more shakes, he realizes that the holy symbol was
having no effect on a clearly, very-much alive Willow.

"Willow..." grasping what little hope she had left, Buffy slowly approaches
her friend.  "You're alive."

"Aren't I usually?"  Those three words were the last she was able to get out
before being bombarded with a tight hug from Buffy, a jubilant Xander
following right after.

"I love you guys too."  As their grips increase, Willow tenses up.  "Okay-
oxygen becoming an issue."  Not wanting to have her die twice in one day,
Buffy and Xander swiftly pull away, their eyes still fixed on the wonderful
sight of her.  "Giles, what's going on with these-"  She'd known her friends
to be over emotional sometimes, but Willow never expected such a response
from the usually serious and stern Giles.  "Uggh..."

"Oh," Giles flinches back, "sorry, umm..."

"It's really nice that you guys missed me," her eyes lift as she notices the
way Buffy was giving her a joyous look simliar to ones she'd seen her friend
give Angel.  "Say, you all didn't happen to do a bunch of drugs, did ya?"

"Will, we saw you at the Bronze," Xander tries explaining their reactions. 
"...a vampire."

"I'm not a vampire," Willow says, more confidence in that simple statement
than in any she had made before.

"But you are," Buffy tells her.  "I- I mean you *were*.  Giles, plan on
jumping in with an explanation anytime soon?"

"Well, uh...something, uh...very strange is going on," was the best the
usually well-versed librarian could come up with.  In typical fashion,
Xander is the first to try and make light of the situation.

"Can you believe the watcher's council let this guy go?"  As he expected,
his humor wasn't much appreciated, and the four sit down at a nearby table
to discuss things.

"Okay..." Willow begins, "let's back things up to when you saw a vampire who
looked like me at the Bronze-"

"Will, she didn?t *look* like you..." Buffy restates her case, "she *was*
you."

"Buffy- I was never at the Bronze tonight...remember?  You asked me to stay
with your mom until you found Angel.  The only reason I even left your house
now was because your mom sent me here after Giles called her saying you
stopped by here and then was headed for the Bronze."

"When did you call my mom?" Buffy turns to her ex-watcher.

"After you were here earlier..."

"Giles, I *wasn't* here earlier!" the frustrated blonde assures him as she
stands to her feet.

"Buffy, I know what I saw...you were here, going on about something having
to do with the master-"

"The master?  As in, already slayed, ashes to ashes master?"  She pauses for
a moment, thinking back to her earlier encounter with Angel2 from before. 
"Angel was saying something about me killing the master when he came over
tonight.  He was almost...surprised that I'd killed him."

"This was before you saw Willow at the Bronze?" Giles asks.

"I wasn't at the Bronze!" the redhead yells, surprised by her own reaction. 
The four were so caught up arguing amongst themselves, they never noticed
the two individuals who had quietly crept in through the library doors.

"I don't know who you guys saw, but it wasn't me.  I was at Buffy's the
whole night doing what I do best- being old reliable- looking after her
mom."

"A lot of good it did," Buffy sighs.  "I haven't even found-" she turns her
head, catching a glimpse of someone running at her with open arms, sweeping
her up into his arms.  "Angel!"

     Angel2 says nothing, only falls to his knees, his arms still clutched
tightly around the slayer's legs, as Giles2 comes walking over behind him.

"Giles??" the four friends shout in unison, their eyes racing between the
two identical englishmen who had finally come face to face.  Again, Xander
was the first to respond.

"Okay...it's official...I'm having my first nervous breakdown..."

******

"Oz."

     Hearing his name, the musician turns to find Angel.  <Should've known
it was him?never makes a sound.>  "Hey man.  You looking for Buffy?"

"As always," he smiles, though still worried about where his beloved and
Willow had ran off to.

"Well, no sightings as of yet, but Willow said they'd both be here tonight
with you."

     As their eyes begin to search through the massive sea of people,
Willow2 and Xander2's crew of vamps begin their attack through the crowd.

"That doesn't look good," Oz casually mentions to an already frantic Angel.

"Everybody shut up!" the head vamp yells.  Tossing party goers left and
right, the demons make a finite clearing for their leaders, slowly
sauntering in behind them to enjoy the sights.  "Alright.  Nobody cause any
trouble or try to leave, and nobody gets hurt."

"Why don't I believe him?" Angel whispers to his friend.

"Well, he lacks credibility."  Seeing another few people being thrown about,
Oz tries formulating a plan.  "Can you get out of here?"

"Skylight in the roof- I can make it."

"I think we need some back up."

"I think I'm needed here..."  Angel watches as Oz takes a moment to study
the warfield.

"Ten to one...could get pretty pointless."

     As Oz turns his head towards the sound of new footsteps approaching the
stage, what he sees almost makes him wish he'd been born blind.

"Look...everyone's all afraid.  It's just like old times," Willow2 grins. 
Wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, Xander2 pulls her into his
embrace as he nuzzles her neck.  ?Sure feels like home to me, baby.?

     The fact that his supposed friend was almost to the point of mating
with his girlfriend hardly fazed the usually calm Oz.  That wasn't the whole
trouble- that wasn't what made his belly crawl with horror and revulsion. 
The sight of their fang-filled grins, fierce yellow eyes, and almost
translucent skin was another story.

"Get Buffy," he orders Angel.  "Do it now."  Trying to get over his own
shock, Angel's feet are still locked in place, just long enough for Willow2
to catch a glimpse of him.

"Puppy..." she beams, pulling Xander2 along with her as she walks closer
towards the stage.  "I missed you..."  Without thinking, Angel swiftly
dashes up the nearby ladder, making his way to the roof, hoping to find
Giles at the library to inform him of this new development.

"What's the matter?" she pouts, switching to game face along with her lover.
  "Don?t ya wanna play with us!" she yells after him.

"Lemme tag the puppy," Xander2 pleads, receiving his approval from the
redhead, giving her a hard kiss before dashing off after Angel.

     Deciding that she would be able to deal with her pet later, she turns
to grab a nearby young girl, addressing her soon-to-be new legion of
subjects.

"Now...if you're all good boys and girls, we'll make you young and strong,
forever and ever.  We'll have fun.  If you're not..."  She yanks the poor
girl's neck back, exposing her bare flesh and sinking her fangs in, reveling
in the taste of her fresh young blood.  After sending her dropping to the
floor, she returns to her human visage, smiling proudly.

"Questions?  Comments?"  Out of the corner of her eye, she catches the sight
of a young man sitting up in the nearby corner, stake in hand as he calls
out to her.

"Willow!"  The voice that calls seems to be echoed, and for good reason. 
Oz2 looks back at the stage, seeing his identical counterpart staring right
back at him, mouth already opened from the yell they'd both shared.

"Oooo..." Willow2 begins grinning.  "Double the whitehat dessert..."

******

     Disconcerning the curious way Angel2 was still hugging her, Buffy leans
back against the table Xander was sitting on, watching as Giles leans
against his office's door frame, discussing his own, and Willow's supposed
doubles.

"This is creepy," Willow sighs as she eyes Giles2 sitting down in a chair. 
"I don't like the thought that there's a vampire out there that looks like
me."

"Not looks like- *is*," Xander clarifies.

"It was exactly you, Will," Buffy adds, struggling a bit against Angel2's
grip.  "Every detail.  Except for your not being a dominatrix.  As- as far
as we know..."

"Oh right- me and Oz play mistress of pain every night," the still cheery
redhead jokes.

"Did anyone else just go to a scary visual place?" Xander mutters.

"Oh yeah," Buffy, and both forms of Giles agree.

"Well- well about about this?" Giles points to his own double.  "I mean, do
you think I like the idea of having another me around?"

"Do you think *we* like the idea of having another you around?" Xander
blurts out.  Before any of them can yell at him, a loud yell can be heard
coming down the hall.

"Giles!!!" comes a voice that they all recognized, though knew it couldn't
be since it's owner was still clutching Buffy.  "Giles!!!!"  This time the
yell is accompanied by a quick blur, dashing by the circular windows of the
two swinging doors.  The image goes rushing past again, making a brief pause
in front of the doors.

"Xander- no!  What are you- umph!!"  The image is knocked down with a loud
thud, another seemingly leather covered figure pouncing on top of him.  Not
being held down for long, the owner of the familiar voice overpowers his
attacker, knocking him out with a hard right, then scampers in on his hands
and knees, trying to get to his feet as he comes fumbling through the
library doors.

     Taking a few uneccesary breaths, Angel rushes over to Giles2. 
"Giles...we've got a problem."

"Um...Angel?  I'm over here," Giles motions with his hand, drawing the
vampire's attention.

"Oh- right," he nods, before apologizing to Giles2.  "Sorry..." he blurts
out without taking notice of seeing two Giles.  Before he can continue, his
eyes drift over to Buffy, who's jaw had found a permanent home on the floor
as she stares awkwardly at her lover.  "Buffy!  Thank god you're alright!"
he shouts, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug.

     He captures her lips in a passionate kiss before pulling away, finally
taking notice of the new person who had his grubby hands still wrapped
around *his* girlfriend.   "Buffy, I...something's happened that-  Willow
and Xander are dead."

     The others in the library nod, blank stares being passed around as
Angel's eyes come to focus on the very-much alive frames of both Xander and
Willow.  "Hey guys..."  Willow waves to him, while Xander nods, the young
man's eyes being torn between the sight of two Angels and two Giles.  "Wait
a minute..." Angel's voice begins to crack as his mind finally catches up
with what was going on.

"We're right there with ya, pal," Xander tries calming him.

"Yeah," Willow chimes in.  "Buffy and Xander said they saw me at- umph!!" 
The redhead is cut off for the third time that night as Angel wraps her up
into an even tighter hug than Buffy, Xander, and Giles did.  Realizing he
was probably hurting her, Angel retracts, already mumbling his apologies.

"Hey!" Xander pouts.  "I'm alive too!  Don't I get a hug?!"  Angel can only
glare at him as he shifts his eyes back to Giles for an explanation.

"Buffy and Xander said they saw Willow at the Bronze as a vampire," he
begins.  "However, Willow says she was at Buffy's all night waiting for her
to come home after going after *you*.  This was all after Buffy stopped by
here to explain to me how she was going to kill the master, but that
couldn't have happened because Buffy says she was out looking for you until
she decided to stop by the Bronze, where she saw Willow as a vampire, which,
as I said, Willow claims couldn't have been.  Still with me?" he checks,
hoping the vampire wasn't as confused by all of this as he now found himself
to be.

"Okay..."

"Ooo-" Xander cuts in.  "Tell him about the two of you," he points to Giles
and Giles2, both of whom passed him exasperated stares.

"Right...umm...right before you came in now, I...or rather, *he* came
walking in," he nods his head towards his counterpart.  "Did I cover
everything?" he checks with Buffy, receiving a small nod as a response.

"Okay...that answers all of my questions but one."  Angel walks over to
Buffy, staring down at the man who was still pooled around the slayer's
feet.  "Who the hell is this guy?!" he yells, grabbing the man by the neck,
lifting him into the air.

"Funny..." Willow says meekly, "I was about to ask the same thing."

"Deadboy..." Xander hops down from the table to introduce the vampire to his
own double.  "Meet Deadboy..."

"What are you talking about?" Angel shouts, confused by his remark.  "Who is
this guy?!"

"Hello!" Xander makes a wave of his hands at his friend's exact duplicate. 
"You don't recognize your own...oh..." he stops himself before shoving his
foot even further into his mouth.  "Of course you wouldn't...how could
you...I mean, it's been what?  Over two-hundred years since you've seen
yourself.  I mean, how could you know that...this guy's...you..."

     Staring the man he held above his head straight in the eyes, Angel
slowly lowers Angel2 to the ground, watching as he jerks backwards against
the table.  Angel looks at himself thoughtfully for a moment, then shifts
his gaze to Giles and Giles2 before finally regaining his voice.

"You know..." he begins with a nervous, bewildered, and utterly dazed laugh.
  "They say when you hit 240 you start to lose it, but I never took it
seriously.  Once I turned 243, I thought I was one of the lucky vampires to
have not lost my mind...what the hell is going on around here?!?!"
 
Part 4
 
Suppose I said
I am on my best behavior
And there are times
I lose my worried mind


     Giles and Giles2, following their initial suspicions that magic was
somehow involved in all of this, were busy in Giles' office, rooting through
the usual books of choice, while Buffy and Angel began to drag the
still-unconscious form of Xander2 into the library, headed for the metal
frame of the ever-resourceful cage.

     For the time being, Angel2 was having his burns treated to by Willow,
the redhead stunned that the still-frightened vampire would come within five
feet of her.  She looks on from the table as Xander holds open the cage
door, allowing the slayer and her lover to drag his vampire counterpart
inside, shutting it closed.

"That's me?" Xander laughs, smiling almost proudly at his leather-clad
double.  "I mean- that's *me*!" he points to the doppleganger's prone form,
beginning to laugh hysterically.  "I'm totally buff!  I mean- check it
out...I'm a badass, supercool, mega-scary vampire!  How awesome is that?!"

"Good thing Cordelia isn't here..." Buffy sighs, passing her friend a tired
glare.  "She might get all jealous over how you're drooling over
*yourself*!"

"Oh come on-" he scoffs at her.  "You've gotta admit it- I make one totally
slick vamp- way cooler than Deadboy," he lifts his head towards Angel.  "Who
knows Buffy...if things would've been different-"

"Don't even waste your time dreaming about it-" the feisty blonde quickly
stops where she knew his train of thought was going.  Just the idea that he
was thinking that a vampire version of himself could replace Angel was
enough to make her leap out of her skin.

     They walk over to where Angel2 was being fussed over by Willow, Buffy
placing a comforting hand on his shoulder as she approaches him.  She
couldn't really explain it, but somehow, just as she was undeniably drawn to
her own Angel, she felt some sort of a connection with this one.  He had the
same hints of remorse and pain lurking behind his eyes that her own lover
did, but also something else.  He had such a desperation and longing in his
voice.


Would you want me
When I'm not myself?
Wait it out while
I am someone else?


"How are you feeling?"

"Better..." he finally whispers.  "Thank you..." he says, directing his
appreciation to both the blonde and redhead who'd been so kind.  Unable to
resist, he reaches up slowly to grab her chin in his hand, wanting so
desperately to kiss her, but maintaining his resolve as he sees the total
absence of any scar.  "You're not her...are you...?"

"No..." Buffy tells him with a frown, saddened by just how much this version
of her lover had depended on her own mirrored image in his own world.

"She's..." Angel2 lifts an eye towards Angel, a drawn out sigh escaping his
lips.  "She's yours..."


Suppose I said
Colors change for
No good reason
Suppose I said
You're my saving grace


"Yes..." Angel answers his twin, still amazed at what he saw to be his own
appearance.  He'd remembered faintly how he'd looked all those years ago
before being turned, but without the luxury of having a reflection, he'd
allowed his own image to be almost completely erased from his memory.  Not
that his mind would've had any room for it- Buffy's curves, the sweet
outline and contours of her face, were the only images his mind had totally
consumed and burned into his memory forever.

     After checking in with the progress Giles and Giles2 were making- not
surprisingly, the two brits were getting along splendidly- Buffy sits down
next to Angel, leaning against her chest as he takes her into his arms.

"You okay?" she sighs into his red silk shirt.

"Mmm...still digesting some things..."

"Would those things be seeing Willow and Xander as vampires, having another
Giles around, or trying to beat yourself up for touching me?"

"All of the above and then some," he smiles.  "It's just really bizarre.  I
mean..." he throws a glance over to where Angel2 was buttoning up his shirt
after having his last wound patched up, "...that's what I would've been
like...if I'd never met you.  If you'd never come to Sunnydale..."

"Well if that's how well off you would've been," she playfully teases him,
pulling back to face him with a warm laugh, "I can only imagine what double
would be like...wait a minute..."her mind flashes back to what Giles was
going on about before.  "When Giles said I was here earlier going on about
the master...you don't think..."

"I wouldn't put it past things lately," Angel responds.  "All of us probably
have doubles here...only questions are how and why?"  Seeing both Giles come
out of the office, Angel stands, pulling Buffy alongside of him to see what
they'd found out.

"Anything yet?" Buffy asks.

"Well..." Giles begins, "we've found quite a bit on individuals having
alternate versions of themselves in different worlds and
dimensions...dopplegangers they're called...but, umm...I'm more interested
in what...um," he stutters a bit, trying to find the best way to address his
own alternate version standing right beside him.  "In what...Giles here, has
been telling me.  Why don't you, um..." he motions for his double to explain
things to the rest of them.

"Oh- yes, of course...you see, in my world...actually," he throws a look
towards Angel2, "in *our* world, you were never actually in Sunnydale.  We
sent for you after this young girl...Cordelia, she kept going on and on
about how we needed to get Buffy, we needed to get the slayer to destroy the
master and fix things."

"Is this *your* Cordelia or *our* Cordelia who was the cause of all this,"
Buffy checks, "because if it was *our* Cordelia, I'm gonna have a field day
with her after we straighten things out.

"In any event," Giles2 picks up again, "you came to Sunnydale- or actually,
*she* came to Sunnydale, though not as...refined and pleasant as you are,
and was headed after the master to stop him before he had his factory
completely up and running."

"Factory?" Angel raises an eye at the reference.

"Yes..." Angel2 chimes in.  "The master...he built a factory
line...efficient devices for draining humans in masses.  Him and- him and
Xander, and- and Willow...they're in charge-"

"Alright!" Xander cheers, though instantly wishing he'd kept his outburst to
himself.  "Oh, right- that's bad.  Sorry, sorry..."

"They run the city...vampires outnumber humans by the hundreds...we weren't
enough to stop them."

" 'We' as in..." Buffy tries drawing more information out of him.

"Giles, Oz, a few others, and myself...I- I was captured by...Willow.  They
hate me because of my soul...because I value human life..."

"We?d finally thought we'd be able to rid ourselves of this plague once
Buffy arrived," Giles2 cuts in.  "But there was this...this demon...she'd
said something about another world.  I was trying to find a way of whatever
spell she'd said she'd cast when all of a sudden, Oz and I arrived here.

"And that's where we stand with things," Giles confirms.  "We still nowhere
closer to figuring out how all of this was actually caused, and Willow's
double is still on the loose..."

"Yeah-" Angel sighs, "she's still at the Bronze with a cadre of vampires
looking to party."  Picking up his cue, Buffy grabs her jacket as the
friends head out in full attack mode.

"We'll figure out who they all are after we stop the feeding frenzy.  How
many of them were there?"

"Eight or ten."

"Guys-"  The friends turn to see Willow stopped in her tracks, a confused
look on her face.  "What are we gonna do with me- the *other* me, I mean?"

"I don't know, Will," Buffy answers her.  "I mean, we just have to stop
them."

"I get that.  I just kinda wanted to know- oh!" finally an idea strikes her.
  "Hey- go...I'll catch up."  The others waste no time in following her
simple order, leaving the redhead alone in the school to do her own
research.

     As she leans over the library countertop to fetch a book, she finds
herself being grabbed from behind, a familiar hand coming to stretch across
her sweater as the sound of her own voice begins to spill into her ears.

"Alone at last..."

******

"Well look at me," Willow2 smugly admires herself as she pushes against her
panicky twin.  "I'm all fuzzy..." she pouts, feeling a hand down Willow's
pink sweater.  "Your little school friend Anya said you're the one who
brought us all here."

     Willow stares in disbelief, realizing just what the spell she'd
foolishly agreed to help Anya with was what had caused the day's bizarre
events.  "She said that you could get us back to our world."

"Oh.  Ohhh...oops."

"But I don't know...I kinda like the idea of the two of us," Willow2 beams,
pulling Willow into an awkward embrace.  "I'm sure Xander would love it too-
the three of us would have sooo much fun.  We could be quite a team.  If you
came around to my way of thinking."

"Would that mean we'd have to snuggle," Willow nervously says, not liking
the vibe she was picking up from her other self.

"What do you say?" Willow2 tries enticing her, running her tongue over her
exposed neck, causing Willow to wince.  "Wanna be bad?"

"This just can't get more disturbing," Willow cringes, mustering up the
courage to finally pull out of the vampire's embrace.  "That's it- no more! 
You're really starting to freak me out!"  Finding there was no way past her,
Willow grabs a nearby cross, shoving it into her double's face, but to no
avail.  Willow2 throws her over the counter, causing her to tumble into one
of the filing cabinets.

"Well, if you don't wanna play...guess I can't force you..."  The vampire
walks over to her, preparing to finish herself off.  "Oh wait...I can..."

     Being too wrapped up in her intentions, she doesn't fully take notice
of the tranquilizer gun Willow held in her hands and was now firing a shot
from, aimed directly at her chest.  Feeling the piercing of the needle, its
contents beginning to work their way through her blood, Willow2 slowly feels
herself come crashing helplessly to the floor.

"Bitch..."

******

"It's extraordinary," both Giles observe after the friends had been called
back to the library by a proud Willow, who had successfully taken down her
evil vampire counterpart without throwing a single punch.

"It's horrible!" the redhead corrects them, watching intently as Xander and
Angel drag Willow2's body into the cage alongside Xander2.  "That's me as a
vampire?  I'm so...evil and...skanky.  And I think I'm kinda gay."

"Thank god I lucked out," Xander smiles.  "Wait...if your twin's gay...and
your twin is with *my* twin...eeewww- I don't even wanna touch that one..."

"So I'm guessing you don't want me to tell you how I'm her 'puppy'," Angel2
asks the already disgusted teen.

"Uggh..." Xander and Angel flinch, having various horrible, mind-damaging
images flash before their eyes.  "So what do we do now?" Xander asks after
finally regains his composure.

"We still have to get to the Bronze," both Giles speak up.  "Would you mind
not doing that?" Giles turns to his double, giving him a pointed frown.

"Sorry..."

"Even if they're supposed to wai for her, they may start feeding," says
Angel.  "Vampires aren't notoriously reliable."

"So we charge in?" Xander offers.  "Much in the style of John Wayne?"

"High casualty risk," Giles warns him.  "I haven't any other plan though." 
The friends were at a loss as to how to deal with things until Buffy slowly
raises her hand.

"Umm...I have a really bad idea..."

******

     The light eminating from the Bronze's fluorescent sign was the only
indication of any activity going on inside.  The usually lively and
energetic club held an all encompasing chill as the Scoobies were examining
the perimeter.

"They're- they're still in a holding pattern.  That's- that's good..."
Angel2 manages a smile as he hops down off of a stack of boxes, giving
everyone the okay to go through with the plan Buffy had come up with.  Now
dressed in Angel's clothes, the double found himself even more uncomfortable
than he was before.  "I'm- I'm still not...sure about this..."

"*You're* not sure about this?" Angel hisses at him, appearing from behind
Buffy, now wearing the worn and tattered clothes of his imprisoned
counterpart.  "I still don't understand why him and I had to switch," Angel
mumbles to Buffy.

"Angel, think about it- we can't send him in there to fight in his
condition.  If we send you in, with all of them thinking you're him, we add
the always-appreciated element of surprise."

"Exactly," both Giles agree, prompting Giles2 to begin his apologies again. 
"Right- sorry, sorry...won't happen again."

"Okay..." comes Xander's voice as he walks alongside Willow, "so what
element do *we* bring to the table dressed like we should be in the Rocky
Horror sequel?!"  Having switched clothes with their vamp-selves, Xander and
Willow made quite an impressive sight in their respective leather attires.

"Are you okay in that?" Buffy asks her best friend, notcing her squirming
around in the vampire's clothes.

"It's a little binding.  I guess vampires really don't have to breathe." 
Taking a moment to give herself a once over, she takes notice of just how
binding the outfit really was.  "Gosh, look at those, she shyly mutters,
spotting her exposed cleavage.

"Umm...Willow," Giles begins after recovering from his small blush, "since
your other self seems to be in charge, you go in and defuse the situation as
best you can.  But at least try and get some of them to come and to even up
the odds a bit."  The ex-watcher turns to Angel and Xander.  "After she's
managed to convince all of them, you two begin the attack and Willow will
give the signal."

"What's the signal?" Angel2 asks.

"Me screaming," Willow meekly answers him.

"We come in hard and fast," Buffy reminds all of them, turning with Angel2
to go around to their position.  "You're sure you're all up to this?"

"Don't worry," Willow smiles, "I won't do anything that could be
interpretted as brave."

"That goes for Xander, too," Angel lets out a small chuckle.

"Hey pal- when we get in there, just remember who's the one in charge this
time!" he retorts.  "You know, if he's supposed to be our 'puppy', I still
don't understand why you won't let me pull him in on a leash, Buffy."

"Because I'd have to let Angel kill you," Buffy smiles, "and I really don't
want that on my conscience.  Now let's go."

     The others head to their posts as Willow leads herself, Xander, and
Angel up to the Bronze's door.  "Wait a minute," Xander grabs her by the
arm.  "How's my hair?"

"Xander..." Angel growls, wishing Buffy would've let him use a leash so he
would've at least been able to choke the obnoxious boy with it.

"What?  Vampires are all about the hair- and I'm looking so damn good that I
just wanna make sure I've got the total package down cold."  After letting
out a heavy, frustrated sigh, Willow steadies herself as she lifts a hand to
knock at the door.  Willow2's first in command opens for her, welcoming her
back.

"Hi," Willow says, a little too perky.  "I'm back."

<We're screwed...> Xander laughs to himself, trying to keep the straight and
serious face he'd tried picking up from watching Angel.

"Did you find the girl?" the tall vampire asks her.

"Yep.  I did."

"Where is she?" asks Anya.  There's a lingering pause before Willow answers.

"I killed her," she tries saying with confidence, "and sucked her blood as
we vampires do."  Sensing that the small clan of vamps were getting
suspicious, Xander tries throwing in his own act at convincing them.

     Holding Angel around his neck from behind, Xander approaches the head
vamp.  "We brought the puppy back too!  You were a bad boy, puppy-" he gives
Angel's neck a jerk.  "Bad, bad, baaaadd puppy," he scolds him as he pats
him hard across his head.

<We're all gonna be killed...and if not- I'm gonna kill him!> Angel
realizes, almost leaping out of his skin when he feels Xander's tongue
against his neck.  <I can't believe he just did that!>

<I can't believe I just did that!  Oh well...all part of the job.>  "But you
know...he's so much fun to play with- I think we'll keep him around."  He
tosses Angel to the vamp, returning his attentions to Willow.

"You know," Willow walks over to one of the other vamps, "I think maybe I
heard something out there- why don't you go check?"

     The demon does as requested, soon meeting the end of Buffy's stake once
he steps outside the door.

"Nice job..." Angel2 compliments the slayer.  <*His* slayer...> he winces
inwardly.  <*He* has one...mine hates me...>

"Thanks," she casually replies, readying herself for whatever other vamps
would be coming out.

"Is it..."  The double hesistates before deciding to continue.  "Is it
always like this...with...you and him?  Fighting side by side...with each
other...all the time?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way," she replies, another twinge of remorse for
the love that this Angel lacked in his own world.
 
Part 5
 
"How could you kill her?" Anya asks Willow.  "She was our best shot at
getting your world back."  Trying to look angry and intimidating, Willow
takes a few steps towards her.

"I don't like that you dare question me!  Maybe I'll have my minions take
you out back and kill you horribly," she warns, sort of enjoying this new
change in attitude.  As she strolls along through the club, she gives a
double take as she sees Oz and Oz2 standing side by side, their eyes
shifting from one another to her.

     Willow gives both of them a small wave she'd hoped none of her
'minions' had seen, receiving only a slight raise of eyebrows from both Ozs.

"Vampires..." Anya sighs.  "Always thinking with your teeth."

"She bothered me," Willow continues.  "She's so weak and accomodating." 
Somewhere in the middle of her speech, Willow began venting her own
frustrations, finding it to be an easier task than she'd ever thought. 
"She's always letting people walk all over her, and she gets cranky with her
friends for no reason.  I just couldn't let her live!"

     Stopping her pace in front of one of her many minions, she throws
another command at him.  "You know, he's been gone for awhile.  Why don't
you go check on him?"  The dimwitted vamp does as ordered, leaving the
Bronze to meet the same fate his fellow demon had met.

"Well boss-" Willow2's head vamp smiles through his fangs, "since that plan
is out, why don't we get with the killing?"  A wave of panic begins to rush
over Willow, now not really liking her appointed role as the leader to carry
out Buffy's plan.

"I- I don't know if I feel like killing anymore.  I'm so bored.  It would be
like shooting fish in a barrel.  Where's the fun?"

"With all due respect, boss," the tall vamp licks his lips appreciatively,
"the fun would be the eating."  Again, panic and fear race through the young
girl's mind as she tries stalling for time.

"Maybe we should let everyone go and give them a thirty-second head start."

"Wait a minute..." Anya lifts an eye at her last remark.

"No-" Willow nervously blurts out.  "I like my plan."

"Oh...nice try," the vengeance demon finally sees through her façade,
realizing they'd been dealing with the shy and timid schoolgirl and
obnoxious class clown all along.

"Ok- lets get to the killing!" Willow pipes up.  "Why don't we start with
her!"

"Why don't we start with you two!"  Anya turns to consult with some of the
other vamps.  "If they're vampires, then I'm the creature from the black
lagoon."

"Xander Harris!!!"

     The swarm of vampires, as well as most of their captive human
prisoners, turn at the sound of Cordelia's angry shout.  The brunette,
returning from her thirty minutes spent touching up her hair and makeup in
the bathroom, comes rushing over to where her boyfriend was lurking
alongside Willow.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?  I leave you alone for a few
minutes and I come back to find you messing around with some...some..." she
searches for the right word to describe the leather-clad vixen who's waist
her boyfriend's arms had been wrapped around, until she finally realizes who
it was.  "...some...Willow?"

     The former mayqueen makes no attempt to hold back her laughter as she
nearly collapses to the floor in the midst of her chuckling.  "Oh my god! 
You look so ridiculous!  Has Oz seen you yet?"  She turns to see Oz, and
Oz2, motioning for her to keep quiet.  "Oz- get a load of...wait...I never
knew you had a twin brother?  Anyway- did you see this?!  It's a riot!"

     Seeing that the naïve and shallow Queen C was about to blow things,
Angel jerks violently against the two vamps who were holding him, trying to
lunge at Xander in an attempt to carry out their deception.  Knowing that
Xander wouldn't hesistate in punching him, Angel inwardly smiles as the
young man sends him reeling back with a surprisingly hard punch to the jaw,
letting out what Angel could only assume was his weak attempt at a growl.

"You wanna be next, princess?" Xander tries snarling at a still-laughing
Cordy.

"Oh please!" she gasps.  "Now come on, let's just-"  Knowing he would be
bitched at for weeks upon weeks to come, Xander closes his eyes, delivering
a swift uppercut to his girlfriend, knocking her to the ground.

"Keep an eye on those two," Xander orders his army, eyeing Angel and Cordy. 
"Don't want them causing any more trouble for us."

     Still not convinced, especially after seeing Xander holding his fist
from the two punches he'd just thrown out, Anya casually strolls towards the
two.  "I'm just so tired of being around human beings and all their baggage.
  I- I don't care if I ever get my powers back.  I think he should eat you."

     Trying to hold out for a little while longer, Willow tries desperately
to have Anya's doubts removed from the picture.  "This girl has a history of
mental problems dating back to early childhood  I'm a blood-sucking fiend. 
Just look at my outfit."

"Humans," the lanky vamp snickers.  "I should've smelled it right away."

"A human?" Willow raises her eyes, feeling both versions of her boyfriend
approaching her and Xander from behind in support.  "Oh yeah, could a human
do this?"  The loud shriek she lets out sends a sharp pain through
everyone's ears, as Willow anxiously awaits the arrival of their backup.

     Her best friend's loud cry was all it took for Buffy to lead the others
in their charge to begin pummeling their way through the small clan of
vampires that had taken the Bronze hostage.

     Grabbing a pool cue for a weapon, Buffy quickly lays out two attacking
vamps.  Seeing his beloved making her way over to them, Angel easily breaks
away from his captors, snapping both of their necks before they could even
realize he was more than just their helpless 'pet'.

     Wanting to get in on the action, Willow spots Anya trying to make a run
for it, but quickly puts it stop to it as she reaches back, balling up her
fist, sending it flying across the demon's face.  "Ha!  Ow, ow, ow!  Happy-
but ow!!"  Oz and Oz2 each grab her by the hand, leading her up onto the
stage for protection.

"Thanks honey..." Willow smiles at Oz, her eyes quickly shifting to the
presence of Oz2, "...and uh...thanks...Oz?"

"You're not...she's not..."  He looks to Oz, hoping for a clear explanation,
but finds his counterpart only smiling back at him.

"Later would be a good time for explanations..."

     After tossing a few more vamps out of his way, Angel gets a clear view
of his doppleganger, not really holding his own against three attacking
vamps.  Seeing him being laid out with a devastating kick, Angel rushes
over, sending the vamps flying before helping Angel2 to his feet.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah...I- I think so..." he looks down at the clothes he'd borrowed from
his more agile and strong self, "but I think I ruined your clothes..."

     Trying to make their own run for it, Oz and Oz2 try gathering together
the rest of Oz's bandmates, heading towards the stage entrance to escape the
building.  "Devon- come on, man!" Oz shouts to the lead singer, turning
around just in time to see Willow2 and Xander2 reach out to toss him aside.

"Oh no..." Willow breathes out seeing her and her friend's twins standing
before her in their game faces.

"What can I say..." Xander2 slyly smiles, "they just don't make cages like
they used to."  As he reaches for her, Willow instinctively closes her eyes,
anticipating the blow, only opening them once she hears him let out a yell
in pain.

"You again..." Willow hears her double say to someone, her eyes widening as
she finally sees who had knocked Xander2 out.

"Lucky for you," Buffy2 smirks, "I pride myself on persistence."  Never
catching a glimpse of the other version, the good version, of Willow
standing behind the vamp, Buffy2 yanks the demon away from the exit, tossing
her into the drumset still standing on the stage.

     Recovering quickly, Willow2 catches the approaching Buffy2 with a quick
kick to the face, landing the slayer on her back.  Spotting her
goody-two-shoes version trying to make a run off the stage, the vampire
makes a mad dash for her, pulling her down to the wooden frame of the stage,
beginning to choke her furiously.

     Making short work of another five vamps, Buffy surveys the battlefield.
  Xander was currently ramming Xander2's head into the bar counter, while
Cordelia was slapping Xander across the head in the process for hitting her.
  Her two Angels were assisting Giles and Giles2 in dusting some of the
vamps who had foolishly remained in the club instead of taking off with some
of the others.  The only person, or rather, persons unaccounted for were
both Willows.

     Spotting her best friend's fuzzy pink sweater currently draped over the
prone body of her best friend being choked, Buffy clears a path through an
vamps who dared attack her, breaking her pool cue in half over one's head to
drive the splintered end through another's heart.  Finally reaching the
stage, she pulls her stake above her head, preparing to send it straight
through the double's back, aimed at her heart.

"Buffy no!!"  Hearing Willow's plea, Buffy retracts her stake, grabbing
Willow2's left shoulder, never noticing a hand she recognized as her own
grabbing the vampire's right one.

"Oh my..."

"...god..."

"...you're..."

"...what the..."  Buffy2 leans in her face a bit to stare at Buffy.  After a
few moments of careful studying, Buffy breaks the silence between them.

"I'm brutal!  And- and with a scar!  Uggh..."

"Okay-" Buffy2 finally speaks up.  "Now I'm pissed!!"  She dives at Buffy,
rolling with her off the stage, receving a round of surprised stares from
the rest of the Scoobs and their counterparts.

     Angel and Angel2 were holding Willow2 captive up on the stage, staring
down helplessly at the two slayers fighting it out.  Deciding to try and
intervene, Angel makes a grab for Buffy2, trying to pull her off of his
beloved.

"Come on-"

"Get your damn hands off me!" she yells, plunging a stake straight into his
chest as he pulls her to face him.  Angel slumps back, clutching his wound
in pain, his only thought of Buffy as he anticipates his sure death coming
any second from the blow.

     Seeing her lover, the stake, and blood seeping through his already
ravaged shirt, Buffy crawls her way over to him, tears already springing
from her eyes as she calls out his name, halfway between a sob and a scream
of pure terror.

"Angel!  Angel, please!  No!!"  Giles and Giles2 hurry over to her
instinctively, racing to help her in yanking the stake out.  Finally
succeeding, their adrenaline finally slows as they see that the blow had
just barely missed his heart, but nonetheless, still left him wounded.

     Finally releasing him from her grasp, Buffy wipes the tears from her
eyes as she stands, walking over steadily to her counterpart.  Without
saying a word, the slayer grabs her twin by the neck, pulling her face up a
little closer to her own.  "Seems like you have to work on your aim..."  She
lands a hard right straight to Buffy2's left eye.  "I on the other hand,
always get the job done!"  Pulling back once more, Buffy finds her arm being
held in mid-air by Angel2, straing at her longingly with his desperate eyes.

"No..." he whispers, praying she wouldn't go through with what he knew she
was capable of doing to his own Buffy.  "She's mine...she's all I have to
hold onto..."

"This world's no fun..."

     Willow2's pout was what finally brought the mass hysterics to a cease. 
Buffy releases her grip on her double, opting to instead shove her to the
floor before heading over with Angel2 to help her own Angel to his feet.

"Are you alright?? Angel??" Buffy holds Angel's head in her lap, as Angel2
offers his own help for his dazed other self.  "Buffy- I've got him," he
says, gently trying to push her aside.

"You can barely move yourself," she snaps back at him, noting the blood that
was seeping through the new silk shirt she'd bought her own Angel for
Christmas.  "I can handle him."

"Buffy...you're not going to be able to support his weight."

"I'm a lot stronger than I look."

"You might- you might wind up hurting him more than helping him.  Now come
on..." he helps Angel up, slinging an arm underneath of his to support him,
"I'll help him outside and we can both get treat-"

"He's mine!  My Angel- my responsibility, my life!  Go help your own- the
one who did this to him!"  Buffy had had enough of him telling her that she
couldn't help her own lover, her eternal soulmate- who else could?  Angel2,
as well as all of the others, was taken aback by her outburst.  "Buffy...I'm
sorry.  I- I don't know-"

"No, no no...I'm sorry.  I just...," she starts, unable to hold back her
tears anymore, "...I just want to get him home."

"Me too," sighs a weary Angel, jerking his head up.  Buffy laughs lightly at
his attempt to make light of things, as both she and Giles2 help both Angels
to the back, waiting for the others to round up the rest of the
dopplegangers and head back to the nearby mansion to get all patched up.

******

Can't change this feeling
I'm way out of touch
Can't change this meaning
It means too much
Never been this lonely
Never felt so good
Can't be the only
One who's misunderstood
I remind myself of somebody else


     While the others were busy swapping back their everyday clothes, Buffy
and Buffy2 found themselves alone in Angel's bedroom, staring intently at
each other, waiting for the other to be the one to break their silence.

     Buffy2 stands abruptly from her seat at Angel's desk, walking over to
study the pictures that adorned the intricately designed bedroom she could
clearly tell belonged to both this world's souled vampire and this world's
version of herself.  Tracing a finger alongside one particular framed photo,
seemingly from around Christmas time, she throws a look back to Buffy.  "You
two are...together...?"

"Yes," she replies, with an icy tone to her voice she didn't try to smooth
over.

"Look- I'm...I'm sorry about...trying to...well, almost-"

"Almost killing him?"

"I'm sorry.  But what the hell was I supposed to think having myself
fighting with...myself...seeing two of everyone..."

"I know.  It's a little...much."

"He's..." she hesitates, walking slowly back over to Buffy, "he's okay,
isn't he?"

"Yeah...once he gets out of the shower I'll patch him all up.  Good as new,"
a smile crosses her face for the first time since coming face to face with
her own doppleganger.

"What about..."  For the first time since she can remember, Buffy2 finds
herself letting her emotions take over instead of instinct and reason,
"...what about mine?  Is he...was he hurt?"

"A few cuts and bruises.  He'll be fine though."  Seeing her counterpart's
face wash over with relief, Buffy decides to take the initiative.  "He loves
you..."


Feeling like I'm
Chasing, like I'm
Facing myself alone
I've got somebody else's
Thoughts in my head
I want some of my own
I want some of my own


     Buffy2 bitterly laughs, prompting Buffy to let out a small sigh of
frustration.  "He does...he always has.  That's why he came to
Sunnydale...to wait for you...his-"

"His destiny," she finishes for her, waving a hand in the air.  "I'm his
destiny, his soulmate, blah, blah, blah.  So I've been told..."  Taking a
chance, Buffy tries reaching her again.

"And you love him..."  Buffy2 turns her head sharply at her twin's last
statement.  A small smile finally graces her usually tight, cold
face as she sits down beside her.

"I can't," she whispers, almost apologetically.  "I can't love him- I can't
afford to.  And besides- he's a vampire for christ's sake.  He's one of
them-"

"He's not," Buffy's quick to shoot down her initial hesistations.  "He's
more human than anyone I've ever met-"

"*Your's* is...how do you know mine even...even still loves me?"

"Because...if he's anything like my Angel...he doesn't know anything
else..."  The two slayers share a quick smile, Buffy2 nervously laughing,
trying to pretend none of this could possibly be serious.

"This is ridiculous!  I'm the slayer- he's a vampire.  It'd just be...too
hard-"

"So you don't love him?"

"I didn't say that!" Buffy2 quickly snaps back.

"So you *do* love him?"


Can you see me up here
Would you bring me back down
Cause I've been living to see my fears
As they fall to the ground
I remind myself of somebody else


"I didn't say that either!  I just...I don't know..." she lowers her head
into her hands.  "When I saw him, in- in that cage they kept him in...and
when he looked up at me...it was like everything else fell away and there
was only him," she confesses, lifting her head to face Buffy.  "Yeah...I
don't know how or even why...but...I do love him.  I've never felt something
so strong.  I've never really felt anything before- at least nothing like
this?love or compassion.  Belonging..."

"I know," Buffy passes her a small smile, trying to comfort her.

"How?  You have this- friends, family...him.  You have a life...all I have
is-"

"A chance," Buffy cuts in.  "You've both got this new chance now.  Look..."
she scoots over, folding her legs underneath of her.  "I know what you're
going through, and how you've been dealing with things, because I was once
the same way.  I hated it- I hated being chosen to do this.  It was just
this thing that kept eating away at my life until finally, it became my
life.  But that was before I came here.  My friends, my family...my
Angel...they make things worth while.  You may not have Willow and Xander in
your world- come to think of it, *not* having Xander as a potential friend
may sometimes be a good thing- but you have Angel now.  And he can give you
back a new life.  If you'll give yourselves a chance."


Feeling like I'm
Chasing, like I'm
Facing myself alone
I've got somebody else's
Thoughts in my head
I want some of my own
I want some of my own


     Buffy2 was about to respond to her other self's advice, when suddenly a
loud bang, accompanied by a low moan of pain radiates from the master
bathroom.  Both hopping up to see what was going on, Buffy is the first to
see Angel trying to pull himself out of the shower, a hand resting against
the now-broken frosted glass shower door, his head and body hunched over in
pain.  The beads of water dripping down, curving around the muscles of his
naked frame were mixing with the blood that was still gushing out of his
wound, trickling with it down the drain.

"Angel..."  Buffy rushes to his side, not really caring that her counterpart
was watching on, getting a very clear view of her lover completely lacking
any sort of covering.  She supports his weight on her shoulder, passing her
twin a small grin as she does the same on his other side, helping him into
the bedroom.  Buffy heads over to his closet, grabbing the first pieces of
clothing she sees, and brings them over to him along with the medical kit
she'd brought upstairs.  "You'll be alright...you'll be just fine..."

"I'll, uh...leave you two alone..." Buffy2 excuses herself, turning for the
door.  As she walks out, she finds herself at a loss as to where to head in
the elaborate building.  <I wonder if he owns one of these in our world?> 
She walks into the first guest room down the hall, only to find Angel2 in
the same state and position as Angel was.  With nothing covering his
showerfresh, still dripping wet body, Buffy had to take a few more gulps of
air before taking another step forward.  Her soft look traveled slowly over
the back of his head, lingering on his well-sculptured, though somewhat
frail back, then further down to his legs, a few cuts gracing their fair
skin as well.

     Her eyes bulged at the sight of those pitiful welts on the creamy
tender flesh of his back.  She wanted a whip in her hands to strike back at
the vampires- namely the two that were, by now, downstairs, ready to be sent
back to their world- who had so ruthlessly broken this poor gentle soul. 
She stared at the ladder of bloody welts on his back, and never before had
felt such hate or anger.

     She watches intently as he begins stumbling around the room, making his
way over to the bed to pull on the clothes that Buffy'd said he could take
from her own Angel's wardrobe.  The pair of leather pants he was holding out
in front of him took both Buffy2 and the still-shaky vampire by surprise. 
Being used to whatever rags Willow2 and Xander2 decided to toss at him from
time to time, the sleek and lustrous style of this world's Angel gave them
both quite a jolt.

     As he slides the smooth leather over his skin, he glances up as he
pulls up the zipper, finally taking notice of his audience.

"Oh!" Buffy2 gasps, realizing she'd been caught.  "I- I'm sorry...I- uh-
didn't know you were getting changed, I can- uh- come back-"

"No-" he tries rushing over to stop her, grabbing his side as a sharp pain
radiates through it.  Buffy2 hurries to his side, supporting his weight as
she helps him to sit on the bed.  "Are you...alright?"

"I'm starting- starting to heal," he whispers, finally lifting his eyes to
look into her own.  "I'm glad that- that I got a chance to see you again
tonight."

"You are?"

"Of course," he answers her simply.  "After we...after they send us all
back...well, I don't know whether you and I will...if I'll get the chance
to..."

"Angel..." she sighs, unconsciously laying a tentative hand over his shaking
one, "you and I have both waited so long.  Waiting for some sort of life- a
salvation.  After seeing how things are here- how different and- and
pleasant things can be, I want that...with you."  His eyes widen as Buffy2
continues.  "This is a chance...maybe our only one, and...and I want to take
it.  I want what they have...what we should've had from the start."

"Buffy," he says her name in the gentlest of whispers, softly grabbing her
hand.  Buffy2 sighs, lowering her glance to her lap.  "Buffy, it's- it's
okay.  It will be fine...with us.  We'll be fine..."  He casually slips an
arm around her shoulders, and Buffy immediately pulls herself into his
embrace.

     She rests against him, finally feeling a sense of warmth and safety for
the first time she could remember since being called.  She could not
remember being more comfortable in anyone's arms- not even her long-since
slain parents.  No- more than comfortable, it felt natural to be in Angel2's
arms, as if she were born for this moment, born to relish in it.

     Angel gently leans his head forward against hers, closing his eyes as
he breathes in her warm, comforting scent.  The scent he'd been praying for
and dreaming of since arriving in Sunnydale years ago to meet this young
woman he knew to be his destiny.  As they sat, staring intently upon one
another's face, Angel2 shyly trails his fingers along the side of her face,
and nervously smiles up at her.  "Buffy...I know you don't believe me,
but...I- I love you.  I just...I love you."

"I believe you," she sighs, pulling out of his arms to completely face him.

"You- you do?  Why...?"

"Because...I love you..."  Angel sighs upon hearing the words spill from
her, looking down at her smiling face with longing eyes.  He pulls Buffy2
closer against him, softly brushing his fingertips across her cheek as he
nervously kisses her, just barely brushing his lips against her own.

*knock knock*

     The sound makes them both leap apart from one another, as if caught
doing something that was so wrong, only it felt more right than anything
either one had ever experienced.

"Am I, uh...interrupting anything?" Buffy smiles as she enters the room
fully.

"No, no..." her double shyly replies, standing up from the bed, helping
Angel2 to his feet as well.  "We just were...well, what you were saying
earlier...thanks," a small grin forms at the corners of her mouth as she and
Buffy embrace in a small hug.

"Buffy...is everything okay?"  Angel appears at the doorwway, leaning
against the frame for support, sporting a similar attire to what Angel2 was
now clad in.

     The deep puncture wound on his chest heavily bandaged, the only other
thing covering his still partially wet form was a pair of leather pants,
bearing a striking resemblance to the ones Angel2 had been leant.  Standing
across from one another, a mirrored image of small droplets of water gently
trailing down their bruised chests sends a small glimmer of reflected light
bouncing between them.

"We're getting out of here just in time," Buffy2 lets out a short chuckle
before leaning over to whisper to her counterpart.  "It's just too tempting
having the two of them together like this."
 
Part 6
 
What if I was alright
What if I wasn't wound so tight
What if I had the guts to be bad
Would you still look at me like that
Would you be mad that I had had the old me back


"So, uh...in *your* reality, I'm like this badass vampire, huh?" Xander asks
his counterpart, smiling at him in his usual goofy way as the vampire leans
against the dining room table in the mansion, alongside his demon lover in
their proper attire.

"And in *this* reality," Xander2 smirks, "I'm...*you*?"  Xander proudly
makes a display of himself, receiving only a groan of distaste from both
Xander2 and Willow2.  "How soon can we leave this circus, Jeeves?" he asks
Giles and the familiar Giles2, who were busy with a less than willing Anya
trying to formulate the spell to send the dopplegangers back to their own
world.

"Uh, we're about ready here," Giles announces, lifting a head to face the
group.  Rising from her seat beside Angel, Buffy pulls her best friend over
to the side to confront her about sending the vampires back.

"Will...do you think we're doing the right thing?  Sending..." she warily
tosses a glance to her two friends' vampire doubles, "*them* back?  I mean,
they are demons."

"We just can't kill them," Willow responds.

"No...I guess not..."

"I mean- I know she's not me...we have a big nothing in common, but,
still...."

"There but for the grace of getting bit," Buffy offers her, pondering for a
moment herself as she looks over to her own counterpart, standing beside
Angel2.

"If we send them back to their world, then they stand a chance.  That's the
way it should be anyway."

     Angel, standing from his seat, gives his bandage a quick check to see
how fast he was healing.  Lifting it at a corner, he's surprised to see that
the stake-shaped hole in his chest was still bleeding steadily, realizing
that the wound must've done more damage than he'd anticipated.

     Her enhanced senses picking up on the scent of fresh, exposed blood,
Willow2 slinks her way over to him, placing a hand on his bare shoulder. 
"Still bleeding, huh?" she smooths over her voice.

"Just a little," he replies automatically, thinking it was this world's
Willow who had approached him.  "It should've started healing by now...I
don't know what's wrong."

"You know what..." the vampire slowly switches into gameface, inching closer
to him.  "I know something that'll make it all better."

     Knowing that the shy redhead he'd come to call a close friend would
never be that forward, or creepy, Angel turns, grabbing her hand tightly and
pushing her away with whatever strength he had left.  Hearing the growl that
she lets out, Buffy, her counterpart, and Willow come storming over to the
couch.  "Nice try..." Angel grins, fixing his taping back into place.

"Do we have to dust you now-" Buffy begins.

"Or can you say- 'hands off'?" her more forceful twin finishes, pushing the
vampire against the fireplace.

"Can't blame me for trying," Willow2 smiles, switching back to her human
façade as she's finally released from Buffy2's grip.  Walking past Angel
from behind, she decides to get in one last feel of this world's more
strapping and full-bodied version of her precious puppy.

"Hey!" Angel yelps, flinching forward as he feels a hand he recognized not
to be Buffy's slide across his backside.

"Hands!  Hands!!" Willow warns her other self, already seeing the two
slayers drawing out stakes.  "You definitely have to work on that."

"And there's a lot you have to work on," Willow2 glares at the meek teen. 
"First and foremost- I'd ditch the fuzzy," she lets a hand linger on her
pink sweater, letting out a small chuckle.

"Really?  Well, I've got a newsflash for you-"  Reaching back, Willow lands
a solid punch square across the demon's face, knocking her head back,
eliciting an angry growl from her other self as her face flashes with her
vampiric features for a moment.  "-the mistress of pain look is out and
fuzzy is *way* in."


Why can't I be
Somebody else
Somebody who
Isn't too afraid to believe
It's okay to be
Just me


     Buffy shakes her head with a laugh, surprised though proud of her best
friend's actions, as she approaches the vampire herself.
"What is it with you anyway?  The fact alone that you and
Xander...err...*your* Xander are...whatever you are..." she shakes her head
trying to knock the image out of her mind, "is, by far, reason enough for
you to be a little freaky, but this...*thing* you have for poor Angel- this
obsession-"

"Which by the way," Buffy2 cuts in, "is unhealthy in a major way..."

"Exactly," Buffy agrees, "this totally crosses the line.  So why don't you
do us both a favor-" the angered blonde wraps a hand around the top of the
vamp's neck, her double mirroring her action, as the two slayer's shove her
over to where Giles and Giles2 were finishing up their preparations.  "In
exchange for letting you go back to your world in one piece-"

"-as opposed to millions of specks of ash-" Buffy2 adds.

"-you learn to control those nasty impulses of yours-"

"-as well as your hands-"

"And stay the hell away from Angel!" they both shout in unison, stunning the
redheaded demon in return.


Maybe I was too much
Maybe I turned it down the notch
And maybe I have the mind to go mad
Maybe I'll mess me up real bad
Maybe I'll make you wish you had the old me back


     Seeing that all of the doubles were beginning to gather around, Giles
calls over all the others to begin.  "Don't you try any tricks now, dear,"
he warns Anya, kneeling beside her on the floor.  Lifting his head, Giles2
calls out to the others.  "If you'll all just complete the circle we have
here..."

"I don't need tricks!" the vengeance demon shouts.  "When I get my powers
back, you will all grovel before me!" she threatens them, receiving a roll
of the eyes and loud scoffs from both Willows.  Slowly walking over to her
twin, Willow tries conjuring up the most practical and helpful advice she
could offer.

"Good luck.  Try not to kill people."  On impulse, she pulls her into a
small hug, not totally surprised to feel her cold hands begin to roam over
her body yet again.  "Hands, hands!!  Again with the hands- what did we just
say about that?"

"Sorry..." she pouts, opting to use her hands to explore Xander2 instead,
wrapping him up into a tight embrace.

     Taking her spot beside her counterpart, Buffy slowly looks over to her,
not quite sure how to bid her farewell.  She knew that she'd seen and dealt
with a whole lot more that she never mentioned.  More that she was to see
and deal with later herself.  The two were undeniably connected, even if not
similar in most ways, and now there was nothing left to say but goodbye.

"Good luck..." Buffy finally whispers, placing a hand across Buffy2's. 
Letting out a small grin, the doppleganger grabs her other self's hand
warmly.  "Thank you...for everything.  For...opening my eyes..." she
unconsciously passes a sweet look towards Angel2, sitting beside her,
clutching her other hand tightly.  "And for the new clothes," she adds,
looking down appreciatively at her new attire, a much welcomed change from
the military commando look she had going for her upon first arrival.


Why can't I be
Somebody else
Somebody who
Isn't too afraid to believe
It's okay to be
Just me


     As they watched, waiting for the inevitable to happen, within a matter
of seconds, the doubles vanish midway through Anya and Giles' chant,
returning to their own world with the hope to somehow make it better.

******

      Finding themselves returned to their own chaotic world, Willow2 is the
first of the dopplegangers to meet her fate.  Finding no time to escape from
Oz2's reach, she feels the splintered wood pierce her heart from behind,
barely able to get out her final words.  "Aww, fu-"

     Caught up straight back in the middle of her battle against the master,
Buffy2 feels his cold hands once again wrap around her neck, preparing to
snap it.  Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpses Angel2.  Narrowly
averting his own previous fate of being dusted, he races over to her,
landing a high kick to the master's jaw, knocking him backwards off of the
slayer.  Leaving her just enough room to maneuver, Buffy sends him flying
against the rusted steel pole that was projected out of the crumbling cement
wall, staking him through the heart.

     In an added effort, Angel2 grabs the sword that the slayer had brought
along with her, sending the master's head spinning off with one quick slice.

******

"Now that the clone squad is gone," Cordelia says from her spot watching in
the corner, "can someone please explain to me what exactly happened?  And
where was my clone, huh?  How come everyone else gets one but me??"

"Because one of you is enough to last a million clones ten lifetimes,"
Xander grins back at her.

"Oh- don?t you start with me!  I'm still mad at you for punching me!" she
begins slapping him across the chest, backing him into the wall.  "I've
never been so mad at anyone in my entire life!"

"You might want to rethink that," Angel says to her, causing her to pause in
her attack, allowing Xander to slip away onto one of the couches.

"What are you talking about?"

"Anya here was telling us about a wish you made a few months back," Oz fills
in.  "Something about Buffy never coming to Sunnydale, which basically led
to mass chaos for all of us in another world."

     Picking that up as he cue to exit, Anya pulls herself to her feet,
racing towards the front doors of the mansion.  "See you guys in class
tomorrow!"  Buffy begins to go after her until Willow calls her back.

"She's not worth it.  Besides, she doesn't even have any of her powers."

"She's a vengeance demon..." Buffy muses to herself.  "Guess you never can
tell these days.  Hey wait- what about Snyder?  Ya know, he's always struck
me as...never mind..." she trails off after seeing the others shaking their
heads in disapproval of her theory.  "So Cordy...care to explain why you
wished me gone or would you like me to just hit you now and you can explain
later?"

"Oh...well, I uh...ya see, I, umm...I was mad at Xander!" the brunette
defends, grabbing her jacket to head out the door.

"Thus causing a backlash towards Buffy?" Xander looks at her, surprised by
his girlfriend's actions.  "When were you that mad at me?"

"Hello?  Am I the only one who remembers how you spilled over half of my
favorite perfume all over my desk?"

"Please don't tell me *that's* what caused all of this!" Buffy nearly dives
towards Cordelia, prepared to deal with her in her own efficient manner. 
Trying to protect his foolish, yet still-loved girlfriend, Xander steps over
between them, holding Cordelia behind his back.

"Come on, Buffy..." he gives her his best, goofy smile.  "No use crying over
spilled perfume, right?  Right??"  Sensing that their presence was no longer
required, he pulls Cordy out from around him, dragging her quickly over to
the front doors.  "See you guys in chem.  Angel- keep an eye on that nasty
wound man, and uh...keep an eye on Buffy too!  Make sure she doesn't leave
the mansion tonight!!" he pleads, quickly dashing off.

     Soon after, the others all make their departures, bidding the couple
goodnight, leaving them to rest up and recover.

******

     Daylight was fast approaching, and both Buffy2 and Angel2 could sense
it.  After a grueling, hard-fought battle, the master had finally been
destroyed, along with his minions, and the shroud of death and misery that
had shadowed the town for so long began to lift from Sunnydale.  With Giles2
and the rest of the 'whitehats' already headed for their respective homes,
Buffy2 and Angel2 found themselves in an awkward situation.  No place to go
for either of them- no family, no home...just the sense of security and
belonging that they'd both finally found in one another.

     He was sure they would talk about things.  How could they avoid it? 
But they didn't.  For a long time they only stand side by side, overlooking
the small town from its highest hilltop.  Angel2 looks over at his slayer. 
Her eyes were large and glassy.  Perhaps because of the full realization of
the battle they'd just won, or perhaps because of the future that was now
being offered to her.

"The sun will be up soon..." she casually remarks, glancing over at him. 
"You should get inside."  There was a long pause between the two before she
adds the single word Angel had been hoping for.  "*We* should get inside."

"Where are you...I mean, you don't live here.  Where- where are you
staying?"

"Don't know," she turns to face him fully.  "Jeeves- err...Giles said we
were both welcome to stay with him."  She lets out a small chuckle that
Angel picks up on.

"What?"

"Giles...he offered to...to train me- here.  Be my new watcher- teach me
some discipline," she does her best impersonation of his strict and uptight
voice, her heart beginning to melt as she hears Angel2 laugh for the very
first time.

"Are you going to?  Stay, I mean?  He- here?"  Buffy fixes her gaze on him,
a warm smile breaking out across her face.

"Well that depends...where are you going to stay?  I mean, you've pretty
much been stuck here under house arrest for a few years.  Now that you can
leave, why would you wanna stay?"

     Angel2 ever so slowly places a hand against her arm, lightly pulling
her into an embrace, his cheek against her hair, his voice tight with thick
emotion.  "For the same reason I came here in the first place...to find my
destiny," he reaches up a hand, gently cupping the side of her face.  "To
finally be with you."

     He was murmuring her name as he pulled her close, tugging off the small
clip from her head, letting loose her hair before cupping her head in his
hands to gently ease it closer to his lips.  Soft tresses of blonde hair
shadow their mouths as they lose themselves to the heated embrace.  Gently,
Angel2 runs his fingers over her cheek, capturing her lips with his once
more before reluctantly pulling away, seeing the glowing orb looming in the
horizon.  Clasping her hand in his, he leads her down the hill, beginning
their walk through the now-peaceful streets of their Sunnydale.


Suppose I said
You're my saving grace


******

     Finding safety and comfort in one another's arms, Buffy and Angel were
resting peacefully in bed.  The sleepy slayer was more than content as she
lay in her boyfriend's arms, her head resting against his stomach as she was
curled up alongside him, careful not to upset his slowly healing wound.

"What did your mom say?"

"It's okay that I'm spending the night.  I don't think she would've been
able to handle an explanation of things tonight anyway.  She kept telling me
to make sure that you're okay.  She thinks you were having some sort of
breakdown when you stopped by the house after the other you was already by
looking like some sort of runaway from the asylum."

     Lightly tracing random patterns across his skin, she quietly studies
his form.  "I thought I'd lost you.  I've never been that scared before in
my whole life."  Her voice is barely even a whisper as she runs her hand
along the side of his stomach, softly kissing each of his bruises.

"I'm not going anywhere," Angel assures her, pulling the sheets up tighter
around them.  "What do you think they're doing right now?"

"Who?" she raises her head to face him.

"Us...the *other* us," he smiles down at her, shifting a bit against the
pillows.

"I don't know...but I think whatever happens to them now that they've gotten
back to their world, they're together.  And that's all that matters."

"I can't imagine what it must've been like for both of them," Angel sighs. 
"Not having anyone to turn to.  No one to love and depend on."

"I don't have a clue how she managed to stay as sane as she seemed to be. 
Well, aside from the whole trying to stake my boyfriend thing," she
chuckles.  "But slaying...that's all she's ever had. That's all she's ever
known.  I don't know how I would've managed to keep out of a straight jacket
if it wasn't for all the gang, and you..." she trails off, turning slightly
to look up at him. "Angel...you're the one person who I can always depend
on, for everything.  And in all of the chaos that's happened, I just wanted
some time alone with you to tell you that, and how much I appreciate it.  No
matter what, you've always been honest and you've never once done anything
to hurt me, or anyone else for that matter.  You've never let me down, and I
know you never will because that's the type of person you are."

"That's the type of person we *both* are," he adds, capturing her lips with
his own.

     They lay in peaceful silence until she speaks up again.  "Today had to
be one of my most bizarre ones to date.  I mean, it's still hard to believe-
having them all here, seeing what we all could've been like if things
would've been different."  Deciding that their night had already had its
fill of depressing gloominess and philosophizing over alternate worlds and
dimensions, she tries turning their conversation to a happier note.  "And
speaking of different," she pulls herself up to run a hand through his dry
hair, "what happened to my masterpiece, huh buddy?  I spent all of that time
getting your hair just perfect, and what do you do?  How am I rewarded?"

"Well how would you like to be rewarded?" he beams back, still amazed by the
power that this young woman had over him.  "Would you like me to try my hand
at doing *your* hair?"  Seeing her immediate look of disapproval, he props
himself up fully against his pillow, pulling her up completely into his
arms.  "Oh come on- weren't you the one saying just this morning how change
in a person can be a good thing?  What happened to your whole 'variety's the
spice of life' philosophy?"

"After everything we've been through today, I've had a major change of
heart.  So long as you're always you and I'm always me, I'll be more than
thrilled with life..." she leans in to give him a heated kiss, pulling away
with a slight grin,  "...and so long as I can keep anyone else from calling
you their 'puppy' ever again..."


Suppose I said
You're my saving grace
 

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