REPLAY



Note- Okay, I know that the crystal in Tubula Rasa probably only effected everyone because they were in one place. Let’s overlook that, shall we. How about it works because Willow is trying to banish all the bad events of late, and they were all involved in them.



Everyone has memories from What’s My Line Part 1 and 2. Except Dawn.



Sorry for the long wait. RL hasn’t let up for me. But hey, it is extra long for ya, so no complaining.







Chapter 15- When he was Bad



Willow woke up to a very strange environment. She was sprawled out on the carpet of her best friend’s living room. She didn’t remember getting there. In fact, the last thing she recalled was walking down the hall with Oz at school. She lifted herself and made an ‘eep’. There were two strangers in the room with her.



Was Buffy having a slumber party? Maybe she had somehow consumed spiked punch and passed out. That might explain why her mind couldn’t connect point A to point B.



Just then the blond woman opened her eyes. This was followed by the teenager.



“Who are you people?” the teenager asked.



“Hey,” Willow said. “I’m Willow.”



The young girl seemed really scared. She hugged herself. “I don’t remember anything.”



Willow’s eyes widened. “Nothing?”



The girl shook her head.



Willow turned toward the blond. “How about you?”



The woman appeared to be surprised she had been spoken to. She shyly met Willow’s eyes. “I-I don’t remember how I got here either. I remember who I am, though. I’m T-Tara.”



Willow smiled. “Hi, I’m Willow. The last thing I remember is talking to someone at school.” She glanced around. “This is my friend Buffy’s house. Maybe we should see if anyone else is here. Buffy might be able to explain what is going on.”



“Good idea,” the teenager commented.



They got up. Splitting up they checked the house. Apparently they were the only ones there.



“What now?” the teenager asked.



Willow bit her lip. Before she could respond the doorbell rang. All three of them shared a questioning look.



“I think we should answer it,” the teenager said.



Willow went to the door. She braced herself before opening it. A man burst in, almost knocking her down.



“Will!” Xander shouted. “It is so good to see you. Something is up. I went home and my parents insist I no longer live there. As grand as that sounds . . . Sweet mother, what are you wearing?”



Xander pointed to Willow’s chest and fish-mouthed. She followed his finger. She gasped and hid her exposed cleavage. Her mother would never have approved of this shirt.



“Are you wearing make-up?” Xander went on. “And your hair . . .”



Willow touched her head. Her hair was shorter than it was supposed to be.



“This isn’t right,” Willow said.



He shook his head. “The Willow I know would never have worn a sexy top like that. And did that really come out of my mouth?”



Willow blinked.



Xander noticed Tara and the girl for the first time. He gestured in their direction.



“Who are they?”



“Oh, I woke up next to them. That’s Tara and . . . The girl doesn’t remember anything, even her name.” She gave the teenager an apologetic look.



“Buffy’s not here?”



“No. But we really need to find her,” Willow said.



+ + +



The first place Spike went was the warehouse. It was abandoned. The only indication that a couple of vampires had inhabited it was the lingering stench of death.



He went to Willy’s next. He needed information. Where was Drusilla?



He hardly got a foot in the bar when he was tossed out. He was kicked and hit until he fell to the ground.



“We’ve discussed this before, Spike. This bar doesn’t serve your kind,” the vampire said.



“My kind?” Spike asked in disbelief.



The vampire snorted. “Turn coats. Go back to where you belong. At the slayer’s feet.”



With that the vampire left Spike in the alley.



“Spike, buddy, is that you?”



Spike turned his head. A demon stood there. He had floppy ears that reminded him of a dog. His skin sagged tremendously. The demon came over and helped Spike to his feet.



“It isn’t smart to come around here now. Mr. Shark is searching for you.”



Spike squinted. “Do I know you?”



The demon was taken aback. “Come on, it’s your pal Clem. Do you have amnesia?”



“What is the date?” Spike asked.



“What? November. 2001.” Clem grabbed Spike’s arm. “I think we should get you back to your crypt and sort you out.”



+ + +



Buffy knelt before the young woman. “He’s gone.”



The woman glanced up. She was pale in the dim light and she looked terribly scared. She began to mutter something over and over. Buffy strained to hear.



“It’s gone. It’s gone. It’s gone.”



Buffy furrowed her brow. “What is gone?”



The woman’s eyes lifted. She seemed to realize how vulnerable she seemed. She sat up straight, her expression hardening. Buffy rose, offering her hand.



“I’m Buffy. What is your name?”



The woman ignored the slayer’s hand. She picked herself up. Her eyes darkened.



“I am Anyanka,” she said, threateningly.



Starring at her blankly, Buffy asked, “And is that supposed to mean something?”



“You’ve never heard of me?”



Buffy shook her head.



“I am legendary. I, Anyanka, member of D’Hoffryn, have littered the world with masculine entrails. When I get my necklace back I will make sure you remember my name.”



Buffy scrunched up her nose.



Giles stepped up. “Good lord, are you telling us that you are a vengeance demon employed by D’Hoffryn?”



Anya gave a small smile. “Yes. I right scorned women. Now, if you will excuse me, I must be on my way.” She attempted to walk away. Buffy quickly grabbed her arm in a deathly grip.



“Hey!” Anya hissed.



“If you think we’re going to let you leave . . . !”



“Buffy, we have more important matters to attend to,” Giles said.



Buffy yanked Anya toward the door. “Come on, entrail girl, you’re coming with us.” She turned to Giles. “Let’s take her back to my house. Mom’s out of town. We’ll tie her up and discuss what to do next.”



Anya pouted on their way out.



+ + +



Willow couldn’t stop looking at the blond girl. It was extremely disturbing. It wasn’t an enviously ‘I wish I had her body’ way. It was an ‘I want to touch her body’ way. She forcefully averted her gaze and moved closer to Xander. She made herself take him in. He’s hot, he’s hot, he’s hot, she thought in a mantra. I don’t like girls.



What is wrong with me? Willow thought. She fumbled with her hands nervously.



“Do you think we should go out and l-look for your friend?” Tara asked.



Turning toward Tara, Willow opened her mouth to speak. Oh, look at those plump . . . OH GOD! She clamped her mouth shut and quickly swung her head away.



“Shouldn’t we go to the hospital?” Dawn asked. No one seemed to hear.



“We could check the library,” Xander suggested.



“She likes to read?” Dawn questioned.



Xander laughed. “Buff? Oh yeah, she’s a total bookworm,” he said with sarcasm.



Just then the door burst open. Willow and Xander jumped up from the couch. Buffy emerged. She pushed a very displeased woman into the room.



“Oh, hey guys!” Buffy cried, surprised.



“Buffy, we are so glad to see you!” Willow yelped.



Xander pointed to Buffy. “You’re hair has grown!”



Buffy glanced from one best friend to the other. She frowned. “You look different too. Older.”



Giles came up behind Buffy.



“Everyone’s hair is different. Did yours get grayer?” Xander asked.



Giles narrowed his eyes. “Thank you, Xander. I refuse to acknowledge that question.”



Buffy took charge as always. “Look, guys, we all have changed. I think there is a possibility that we traveled into the future. Either that or someone did a magical aging spell.”



“That makes sense,” Willow agreed. “Neither scenario sounds good to me.”



Raising his hand, Xander said, “I have to go with the time travel theory. My parents told me that I no longer live with them. They didn’t find anything unusual with my newly manly self.” He paused. “Of course my dad wasn’t in the clearest mindset as usual. My mom, though, would have reacted somehow. . . I think.”



Buffy made some hand gestures in the air. “All right, so time went wonky. How do we fix it?”



“First we have to figure out what caused all this,” Willow stated.



“Good deduction, Holmes,” Xander said.



“I suggest we seek out the library,” Giles recommended.



Buffy tugged Anya’s arm. The vengeance demon frowned.



“I’m not a cow you can herd around,” she protested.



Buffy gripped Anya’s arm tighter, which made the woman hiss.



“Who’s your friend?” Willow asked.



“Anyanka,” Anya said, clearly expecting a fearful reaction. She sighed when she got none.



“Oh. Well, nice to meet you,” Willow said. The red-head gestured toward Tara and then Dawn. “This is Tara and- We don’t know her name. She has complete amnesia.”



Buffy furrowed her brow. Giles studied the young girl.



“Very odd,” he remarked. He addressed the girl. “There are books at the school that can help us get to the bottom of this.”



Dawn’s lips lifted slightly. “Thank you.”



The group filed out of 1630 Revello Drive. They walked down the road in silence, each lost in their worries. It seemed as if the world slept for once. There was no one about, demon or human. The only sound was the rustle of the trees.



They came to an abrupt halt when they met their destination.



Dawn shook her head. “Why did we stop?”



“Merciful Zeus!” Xander exclaimed.



Giles thrust off his glasses. “Good Lord!”



“Um. . . Where’d the school go?” Buffy asked.



Sure enough, the school was nowhere to be found. In its place stood the beginning of a construction site. Partial walls hinted that a new building was going to take the old Sunnydale High’s place.



“You didn’t happen to burn it down like Hemery, did you?” Willow asked, with a raised eyebrow.



+ + +



The prospect was atrocious. There was no way he had a chip in his brain. He almost laughed at the idea. The government wasn’t smart enough to do something like that. And besides, he would never let them do it even if they were capable. To prove this, Spike clamped his hand around the demon’s neck. Hard.



“Does that hurt?” he growled.



The demon’s eyes bulged. He nodded.



“Then you lie, mate. I can cause pain. This little show proves it.”



“Umins,” choked Clem.



“What was that, mate?”



Spike leaned forward. He loosened his hold.



Clem gasped. “Humans only,” he got out.



Spike’s jaw twitched. The thought of no warm blood, to never experience the coppery substance sliding down his throat . . . His hands formed into fists.



“Look, Spike, buddy . . . “ Clem paused. “I don’t understand. I thought you didn’t mind the chip so much anymore. I mean, you’ve been helping out the slayer and everything.”



“Slayer?”



The way Spike said it made Clem jump.



“Something is clearly wrong with you. I think-“



Spike had had enough. He jarred out and hit the friendly demon in the face. Clem fell unconscious, hitting the stone floor. Spike stepped over him, heading out into the night.



+ + +



The gang went to the only place that made sense. The Magic Box. Giles had taken note of a myriad of volumes there that might be helpful.



“Is it still open?” Dawn asked.



Buffy shrugged.



“A magic store? Sounds cool,” Willow remarked.



Anya pouted the entire way there.



They made it with no problem. The doors were still unlocked and so they went right in. Buffy let Anya go, but kept her eye on the ex-vengeance demon. Anya wandered around, taking in the merchandize.



“Whoever owns this shop has very good taste.” She ran a finger over a shelf. Then she examined it. “And keeps it very tidy.”



The others paid little attention to her ramblings. They were busy going through books. Except for Buffy. She tried, but couldn’t concentrate. Finally she gave up. She shut the dusty hardback in front of her and stood up.



“I’m no use to you guys. I’m fighty girl, not researchy girl. I think I’ll go find something to beat up. Hopefully the one who did this to us,” she said.



Giles considered her proposal. “Yes, that is a good idea. You might be able to get some information around town.”



Buffy nodded. She smiled, and then turned to go.



“Hey, the forms next to the cash register say that Anya and Rupert own the shop together. No wander it is in such good shape,” Anya announced as Buffy exited. She almost turned back, but decided not to. That information wasn’t any weirder than anything else that night. In fact it was comforting. That meant they weren’t trespassing by barging into a shop and going through books for sale.



She didn’t make it far. Spike met her only two blocks away.



“Slayer,” he greeted.



A heavy sigh escaped her lips. “Spike, I really don’t have time for this.”



He slipped into game face. “You don’t have much time left. I hear you’re responsible for a piece of metal in my brain. Time to test it out.”



She reached into her pocket and pulled out a stake. “Whatever. Fine. Let’s make it fast.”



He ran at her. He got in a good punch. He waited as if in anticipation for a moment. Nothing happened. His hesitation gave Buffy the opportunity to get him down on the pavement.



“Floppy Ears was lying afterall. I’m as free as ever. Free enough to kill you,” he leered.



She rolled her eyes. “Free enough to try.”



Spike sprung to his feet. He circled her on the balls of his feet. “Ready to dance, pet?”



She answered him with a kick to his ribs. They would have continued this if it wasn’t for the ambush. A crowd of vampires surrounded them.



“Friends of yours?” Buffy questioned.



“You know I only go for one on one.”



Buffy ducked a kick. She spun, thrusting out her stake. A cloud of dust formed in the air. She went for the next foe.



“Spike, the boss isn’t convinced you’re going to pay up,” a vampire said.



“Pay?” Spike asked. He would have left the slayer to do battle alone. Probably would have watched even, rooting on the fang gang. But an odd thing happened. It seemed like he was the target. Against his will he had to join the slayer in battling the vamps.



+ + +



Willow was the first to hear the commotion outside.



“Hey, do you hear that?” she asked.



“Hear what?” Xander questioned.



“Shhhh. Listen.”



There was a span where no one spoke. The faint sound of a brawl filtered into the shop.



“I hear it. Sounds like fighting,” Tara remarked.



Willow stood up. “It sounds like a big fight. Buffy probably is in it. We have to go help.”



They all agreed to go. They gathered artillery. Xander handed a stake over to Dawn. She eyed it warily.



“What are we fighting?” Dawn asked.



Xander thought better of it and gave her a cross instead. “Just point it at the grrr monsters.”



They headed out.



It didn’t take long for them to find the battle. Buffy, and surprisingly Spike, were in the midst of it. The others joined in. With the extra white hats, the vampires waned.



Willow struggled with her opponent. He was significantly larger than her, so she wasn’t shocked when she was thrown to the ground. She didn’t notice the crystal that slid out of her pocket on impact. She quickly picked herself up to continue fighting. Eventually she was able to get the piece of wood into the vampire’s heart. He disintegrated immediately. She smiled at her accomplishment. She turned to find another match, and her foot stepped onto the fallen crystal. It crushed, releasing a greenish glow.



+ + +



The last vamp disappeared. Everyone seemed a little dizzy for a moment. Then their eyes widened in realization. Suddenly Xander let out a laugh.



“Sorry, I just got back the memory of seeing King Ralph.”



Willow met Tara’s eyes. She saw disgust. With a shake of her head, Tara walked away.



“Tara!” Willow called. She ran after her. “Tara, wait!”



Dawn surveyed her friends and sister. “You all remember me, right? You got back fake memories along with the others, right?”



Xander gave her a smile. “Yeah, Dawnie. We remember.”



“Phew, good.”



Spike hadn’t moved. Buffy moved toward him, worry on her face.



“Spike?” Buffy asked.



His head shot up. Panic spread over his features. He took a staggering step back.



“What is it?” Buffy inquired.



He didn’t answer. Instead he fled the scene. Buffy watched him go in shock. She was hit by the irony of the situation. It was never Spike who ran away. Not anymore. Not since they had been enemies. Why was he doing it now? She felt pain ignite in her chest.



+ + +



Willow tried to apologize. Her attempts were futile. Either Tara had become deaf or had decided to ignore her. She stared in frozen horror as her other half packed a suitcase.



+ + +



Anya snuggled up to Xander in bed.



“I like life as a human far more than that as a demon,” she said.



He pulled her close. “Good.”



+ + +



Giles flipped the ticket from side-to-side. Then he placed it back on the table. He sighed and reached for his glass of scotch.



+ + +



When a slayer’s mind was made up, it was made up. And Buffy’s was set on finding Spike. She raced through Sunnydale, finding her way to the cemetery. She slowed when the dark crypt came into view. At first she had the impulse to smash her foot into the door and force her way in. Instead she knocked. There was no answer.



She reached out and opened the door with a creak. She stepped into the shadowed realm.



“Spike?”



She had expected to encounter a drunken vampire, but there was not a bottle in sight. Spike sat against his sarcophagus with his head bowed. He didn’t move until she was upon him.



“Go away.” His voice was hoarse, and Buffy could have sworn he had been crying.



She crouched to his level. “Spike, what is this?”



“Why’d you come here slayer?”



Slayer?



“To set things right.”



“They can’t be right, can’t you see that? I. . .” He lifted his head. His eyes met hers, full of pain. “I tried to hurt you. I’m a monster. That’s all I’ll ever be. I try, but it is inside me. You were right. I’m just a serial killer under lock and key. Given the chance-”



His words were silenced when her hand cupped his cheek. Her face softened. She leaned down and pressed her lips to his.

“I don’t see a monster. I see a man. This little extravaganza only enforces that. I know now how different you are. How much you’ve changed. For me.”



His mouth fell agape, but let out no sound. He gazed at her in awe.





That part took me forever to write. Yay, it is finally done. Now I can start on the next one.