Author’s Note: Thanks so much to Kar for her fabulous beta work an encouragement. This chapter introduces a Spike that might be a little familiar to constant readers.


Chapter Two

Buffy poured herself a cup of coffee and joined not-Spike at the kitchen island to wait for Giles. She sat on one of the stools and watched him stir his own cup. They stared at each other over their mugs for long, silent minutes. Her coffee was getting cold and whatever was in the bag smelled good.

"So, the whole heart-beating thing… how did that happen where you're from?"

He smiled and handed her a paper-wrapped cinnamon roll from the bag. "I got captured by a bunch of government soldier types, and afterward I started working for you and the Scoobs." She nodded to let him know that was familiar. "Willow did her soul curse on me and after I helped you, or my Buffy rather, save the world from Adam, it fulfilled some prophecy and I woke up human."

Buffy blinked and took a bite of the roll to stop herself from saying anything stupid.

"I take it things went a bit differently here."

"You could say that," she agreed. "Willow didn't curse you. I mean, we never even talked about that. Is that when you two got together?"

He laughed and studied his cup. "Christ no. Couldn't stand me then. Started putting up with me better after that and I started carrying on like a mooning idiot, but it wasn't ‘til after her soldier took off and Drusilla came back to reclaim me that she admitted there was anything between us."

"So you guys got married?" It was still pretty hard to imagine. Being with Spike was one thing, but married?

He gave her a sheepish smile. "When Celia.... I wanted to do the right thing."

"How noble," she teased. Really, she was feeling a little jealous of this other Buffy. "How did my family feel about it all?" she wondered aloud.

He frowned. "It was after your mum...." She nodded her understanding, so he continued. "And your dad was scarce, so it really wasn't an issue."

"What about Dawn?"

"Dawn?"

Buffy felt a little dizzy. No Dawn? It was just one little difference, wasn't it? Only not so little. She couldn't imagine life without her sister, even if half the things she remembered about her sister were imaginary.

"Never mind," she managed. She stared up at the top of the stairs, at the door to the second room where Dawn's little odds and ends lived. Then, where a blink ago there had been nothing, there was another Spike-shaped guy wearing nothing but a towel and a silver chain. Before she could make a sound, he sauntered into her bedroom, like it was the most ordinary thing in the world.

"Did I just see..."

"Yes," she whispered. "He's a vampire. I can feel it. He--"

"Buffy! What the hell happened to all of my...." He stared at them from the landing. "What the hell is going on? Get away from that thing!"

She decided it was wiser to take a few steps away from the island. "Spike, it's okay. Just... you're probably going to want to sit down."

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Giles finally arrived and Buffy decided it to let him interview the two Spikes alone. Hearing about the vampire-Spike's home, where her mom was still alive and things were, if possible, seemingly more shiny-happy than human-Spike's home was just too much. She washed her face until her skin was red from rubbing, but at least the tear tracks were gone. Vampire-Spike was waiting in her bedroom when she came out.

She tried to think of something to say. "Do you want some clothes? I think I might have some stuff that would fit you." She knew it was a badge of serious sadness that she still had Spike's tiny bag from Sunnydale. Months after the hellmouth closed, she'd found it packed into her own larger bag with a stack of family photos and Mr. Gordo. Even when he'd come to Cleveland full of his accusations about Italy, even after she and David got serious, she'd still kept the stupid bag.

The Spike studied the clothes carefully. "You have some of this things?"

"Yeah."

"But he doesn't..."

"No."

"Did he ever..."

"Not here. Sunnydale. I... lost him after Sunnydale."

He gave her the most sympathetic look. She didn't want to cry again. "So, I'm dust here then?"

"Oh. No. You're just in Los Angeles. He comes up here to help train the girls sometimes, but he works for Angel's evil law firm-thingy most of the time."

His expression turned confused. "I'm not dust, but I'm not with you," he offered, as though this were the least likely thing possible.

She had to laugh at his tone. "It surprised me too, but no, he doesn't want to be here."

"You're sure."

She refused to cry again. "He made it pretty clear." His face was full of questions, so she tried to head him off. "We grew apart, I guess, okay? He was really angry about some stuff he thought I did, and when he found out the truth he was still angry. Or maybe he was embarrassed," she explained, which was what she secretly believed. He'd spent nearly an hour ranting at her and when she'd informed him that he was mistaken he'd had to stay angry or else look like an even bigger idiot in his own eyes. She had been angry too, then. Angry that he mistook some other blonde slayer for her. Angry that he hadn't even tried to contact her in a year. Angry that, like Angel, he had just decided for her what was best. But then he'd pointed out that she'd known about his return from the embers for a while and accused her of not caring enough to come get him either, and that had pretty much left them with nowhere to go.

By the time she was done telling all that to the other Spike, she was near to crying again. She hadn't meant to bare her soul like that, but he was stroking her hair and looking at her like Spike used to when she'd come back from the dead, wanting to know everything she was feeling. After a moment she realized that he was touching her and not wearing very much.

"I'll let you get dressed," she blurted and stepped into the hallway to compose herself. When he walked out into the hall he was dressed, looking like a walking memory of their last night together all those years ago. It was deeply unsettling.

"L-- Buffy, you alright?"

"This is going to sound so stupid. You look just like him."

He smiled. "Let's go downstairs and see if old Rupes has come up with anything."

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