Track B in Track A 

“Focus on your world, Elizabeth,” Giles said, casting a quick glance at Angel. 

The vampire hadn’t moved since he took up his post, directly across from Elizabeth, watching her, waiting. For what, Giles didn’t know, but Angel waited, a smug, knowing look on his face, even as Spike stood opposite, looking somewhat…giddy behind the Slayer. Giles didn’t like to think what that meant. The fact that Angel had attempted to stop the spell, only to pull back at whatever Elizabeth said to him, worried the Watcher. 

“What your house looks like, your Giles and Cordelia.” His voice was monotone, floating over the dead silence that covered his living room. Honestly, this was just ridiculous; they needed a better place to hold these things. Preferably not over the Hellmouth, but his living room wasn’t acceptable. 

“Your Army, your Vampire Generals. Those you talk with, those you fight with.” 

Elizabeth listened to Giles’ voice; letting his words provoke the proper images in her mind. She could see her Giles and Cordy, the differences between them and the ones in this house were obvious, to her at least. Richter, the Vampire General of her Army who pledged his life and his sword to her for as long as she lived, who trained her, who tended her wounds when Giles couldn’t. 

Her world came into sharp view, the scents of death and charred land, the thousand of homeless, the hundreds who flocked to her Army, those who cared and those who didn’t. Those who fought for the wrong reasons, harming Elizabeth’s Army more than helping – Justine who lost her twin, Alexander who’s wife was turned, Thea who’s family was raped and murdered before her eyes, the very same vampire turning her that night. 

The history of her world, the present; what was all so different there, from the wars to the leaders, to the world knowing about demons. The lack of hope so prevalent among the masses and the spark she struggled to keep alive among her ever-growing Army. 

Closing her eyes, Elizabeth saw it all; saw everything her world was and everything she struggled each day to change. The War was all she knew, and fighting it was all she could do.
~~~~~~~~~~
Track A in Track B 

Angelus watched as Buffy turned to Darla. 

His Sire was flabbergasted; she’d obviously expected something else to happen here this night. She was wrong. Buffy was stronger than anyone Darla had ever faced in her mere three hundred and fifteen years, and she was about to learn that. The hard way. 

Buffy snarled as she spotted Darla trying to escape. 

Quickly staking the minion she was currently beating to a bloody pulp, Buffy moved, standing in front of Darla in less than a heartbeat. So this was what it was like, Buffy thought abstractly; this was what the Slayer was meant to be. Not the weakling she once was, no, this strong, fast, unstoppable woman that now was her. Buffy’s smile was wicked, taunting, knowing. 

Darla was suddenly scared. 

During Buffy’s fight with the gang of minion vamps, Darla’s smile had grown progressively less the more Buffy fought. She had never actually witnessed her enemy in battle, yet another flaw in the plan. The girl moved faster than the blink of an eye, and Darla was seriously beginning to reconsider her plan of not waiting for her Sire, of not running sooner when Buffy jumped over the remaining few vampires and landed in front of her. 

She hadn’t seen the Slayer move; Buffy was beating one of her last minions senseless one minute, and before Darla the next. She’d never seen a Slayer move so fast, hell, she knew very few vampires who could do that! 

“Ready to have a go at it, grandma? Think you can take me?” She taunted as she shifted to the balls of her feet, never taking her eyes off the vampire, never taking her senses off the remaining few vamps who had backed away at Buffy’s challenge of Darla. Angelus was there as well, Drusilla and William with him. That was fine, and she loved knowing they were there for her, but this was her fight. 

Darla laughed and it wasn’t a sane sound. 

Buffy circled Darla like a big cat, toying with her prey as she waited for the vampiress to strike, to make the first move. Never before, had the Union between her and the First Slayer been more evident; she was the ultimate Predator. Finally, stopping, facing Darla with a smile that made the other’s stolen blood run cold, Buffy waited a beat and wasn’t disappointed. 

“You think you have anything on me?” Darla asked, angry, jealous, and crazed. “You don’t know what I can do, little girl, you have no idea what you’re in for.” 

“Let me guess,” Buffy smirked, “You thought you could take me out of the picture, make up some lame reason as to how you found me, and get Angelus back? Guess what,” she leaned in slightly, “It wouldn’t have mattered. He’s mine.” 

“Wrong,” Darla shot back, though her confidence was seriously waning. “He’s mine, he always has been; I created him, he will always return to me. I’m his Sire, little girl, and there’s a special bond between Sire and Childe that you will never understand.” 

“I can’t imagine,” Buffy shot back, “Angelus letting anyone put a ring through his nose, leading him around like a beast, including you.” Buffy smiled, then, a cold sinister smile flickering across her face. “But feel free to try and convince me other wise…. Or is it yourself you’re trying so hard to convince that he still belongs to you?” 

Buffy shook her head, exhilarated by her fight with the minions, anticipating this next fight with Darla. “Either way, in a few moments it won’t matter because you’ll be dust.” Buffy said and attacked. 

Adrenaline still pumping through her from her fight with Darla’s pathetic troops, Buffy launched herself at the stunned vampiress. Her attack was vicious, merciless, as Buffy channeled all her rage – at the future Darla and this one, at her fight with Angelus, at everything her friends had done and not done and what she allowed them to do – and hit Darla repeatedly. Darla wasn’t a fool, and could keep up with Buffy on a basic level, but she wasn’t nearly as powerful as the Slayer Essence within the other blonde. 

It was borderline torture, the way she treated Darla, never giving any quarter, but not ending it, either. Angelus understood why she did that, but he needed to stop this. The underground rumblings about the Master being back in London meant nothing to Angelus except that Darla was his favorite, and when Buffy killed the vampiress, the Master was going to be angry. 

Buffy was holding Darla up by the other’s hair as she slammed her knee into Darla’s torso once, twice, releasing her only to capture her again, fists raining angry blows on Darla’s once beautiful face. Angelus, seeing enough, stepped forward to put an end to it, to save Buffy who obviously needs no saving…not from Darla at least. 

She had something to work out of her, but Angelus couldn’t have her continue on with it this way. 

Suddenly Buffy stopped, stumbling backwards as if pushed. Darla was beaten, and badly, but the moment the Slayer stopped her attack, she drew herself up, summoning all her strength. For whatever reason Buffy stopped, Darla didn’t care and was going to use it to her advantage. 

Angelus raced to her side, but was forcibly pushed back by whatever was pulling Buffy away from him.
~~~~~~~~~~
Track B in Track A 

Dru stood outside the window to the pretty Watcher’s house, and laughed. 

The aura surrounding Elizabeth was bright and bloody; it was reaching out, not to where the mean witch wanted her to reach, but to Angel as he stood directly in front of her, that knowing smirk still on his face. She didn’t want to leave, and he wasn’t letting her. 

No, Elizabeth Summers wasn’t going anywhere, Dru smirked as she leaned closer, listening to the rising and falling voices of the pair of witches within, listening to what their hearts wanted. The blonde didn’t want the Slayer to leave. The redhead was mean, and Dru didn’t like her; she wanted the Slayer to exchange with the other one. 

That wasn’t going to happen. No, what the redhead witch wanted wasn’t what she was going to get. At least not how she expected it.
~~~~~~~~~~
Track A in Track B 

Drusilla stood away from the fight, still leaning heavily against William as they watched Buffy and Darla fight. 

When Buffy stopped, stumbling backwards, and Angelus rushed forwards…afraid that his Sire had somehow hurt his love, afraid that Drusilla’s ramblings about Buffy’s friends trying to take her back to them were true, afraid of too many things he never gave a thought to before… Drusilla cried out. 

The aura surrounding Buffy was fading, the bright and bloody future Drusilla saw for her Sire’s Mate disappearing into a foggy nothingness that seemed omnipresent and empty at the same time. 

Someone wanted Buffy back, someone wanted to destroy their happy home, someone wanted things to change and revert, and it wasn’t anyone here. But that didn’t matter, because in the next moment Drusilla saw it all changing. Angelus could stop it; he could stop Buffy from leaving, from their family being torn apart. 

No, not Angelus…The Slayer’s Angel.
~~~~~~~~~~
Not Anywhere Specific but Everywhere at Once 

“Oops,” she said and looked up from her contemplation of the scenes to her companion. 

“How’d that happen?” The other woman asked in stunned fear, eyes glued to the scenes before her with wide, disbelieving eyes. “Better, why is it not happening?” 

“Uh…I don’t know.” 

“But it’s supposed to happen, right? They both switch, and then everything is right again?” 

“That’s what the book said, I read the directions,” she defended, “You were there! You read the same ones!” 

“We are so screwed,” she said as they looked at the scenes glaring side-by-side before them. 

The other woman couldn’t help but agree.
~~~~~~~~~~
Track B in Track A 

She did everything right; she focused on her home, she thought about her world, she envisioned her only friends there. 

And then Elizabeth looked at Angel, ‘Watch me,’ he’d said. 

She focused on him, looking into those golden-brown eyes and that knowing smile. ‘Watch me.’  The way he looked at her as if she was the only being in the world, the way he made her tingle just by being in the same room, the way his touch sent her body humming for more, always more from him, and her blood pumping fire, her heart beating a tattoo; ‘Angel,’ it said, ‘Angel.’’ 

She knew, then. She couldn’t leave him. She loved him too much to even think about leaving him, and how could she think that? ‘Watch me.’  How could she ever think that she could leave the world he was in, leaving everything they had, everything they could be? It wasn’t as if he was down the street or across the continent. 

No, he’d be in another dimension. Too far away for her love to reach him. 

The air surrounding Elizabeth fizzled, sucking in on itself as if it was imploding. The light just beginning to envelop Elizabeth went from the bright white of an opening portal to a dull, fading glow, then disappearing altogether. 

With a sharp cry she staggered within her sacred circle, feeling the tugging that was taking her away from Angel leave her. In its place, was the only tugging she wanted; that from the vampire before her.
~~~~~~~~~~
Track A in Track B 

The tugging stopped. 

Whatever had happened, it’d stopped, and Buffy only had a moment to regroup just as Darla moved in for the killing blow. 

“Decided that now was the time to grow a backbone, grandma?” Buffy asked, breathless, sore, but wanting to kill the woman before her. Whatever had just happened, whatever had drained her so, it didn’t matter to Buffy as she faced the vampiress once more. She had serious anger management issues with Darla. 

Angelus reached Buffy then, standing between her and Darla. His hands gripped her upper arms, his face a mask on concern. Not for Darla, but for her. “End this, love. End it now, and come home with me.” 

With that, he turned, intending to kill Darla himself. He didn’t care that she was his Sire, didn’t care that he spent the majority of the last century and a half with her. All he cared about was getting her out of their way. It was his own fault for letting her live in the first place. Angelus should have known better than to let Darla live while Buffy was with him. 

When he realized that he couldn’t live without Buffy, he should have staked Darla that moment, ending any threat to Buffy’s place in his life. But he hadn’t, letting his need to be with Buffy cloud his judgment. He hadn’t heard anything about Darla in weeks and so thought she wasn’t a threat. Thought that she wasn’t interested, thought that she’d moved on as they were both wont to do. Thought that Darla wasn’t a threat to his and Buffy’s life together. 

He should have known better. And now look what happened. 

Darla had set a trap for Buffy, with the Master’s blessing no doubt, and Angelus had almost lost his love. 

His face slipped into his demon’s, vampire golden eyes shinning brightly in the darkness. His hands reached out to grasp Darla’s neck intending to twist it clean off her body, ending her torture and her life. 

He never got the chance.
~~~~~~~~~~
Track B in Track A 

Elizabeth collapsed forward, into Angel’s waiting arms. 

She was spent. She had no idea what had happened, no idea why it’d taken so much out of her, but her energy was gone; her was head spinning with images of vampires and feelings of love and belonging. When Angel’s arms closed around her, when she was enveloped by his coolness, his love, his acceptance, Elizabeth relaxed for the first time since agreeing to return to her world. 

At first, Elizabeth thought her visions of vampires and love were of her life here; it made sense, everything fit. But now she wasn’t so sure she wasn’t seeing something of Buffy’s life…there. The parallel was uncanny and not entirely unexpected. 

So Buffy had found that Angelus, and she was his Queen, vicious and loving as the history of the couple told. Elizabeth could see that, could understand that. And could envy that. Not the viciousness and killing, for she’d pledged to protect the world from those who would destroy it. But the loving, the wanting to be with him no matter what. If Buffy had pledged herself to protecting the world as well, then what changed? And if Buffy could change, then would Elizabeth? 

When Angel lifted Elizabeth to him, relieved that she was still there and still her, he pressed a kiss to her sweaty forehead. Elizabeth had her answer just before losing consciousness. Whatever happened to her, Angel noted with a small frown down at the beauty in his arms, had taken a lot out of her and she was out cold in his arms. 

His eyes met Spike’s for a minute, the silent communication all the other vampire needed before nodding his head in acceptance and understanding. 

Angel turned, Elizabeth still held closely to him, and looked at the expectant group.
~~~~~~~~~~
Track A in Track B 

Angelus grabbed Darla’s shoulders, intending to kill her, intending to kill her so that Buffy would live without the threat of his Sire. Kill the creature who made him so that the one he loved could live. With him. 

Buffy screamed.

He turned, fearing that whatever had gripped her moments ago, was back, and he’d truly lost her. Darla was still in his grip, her battered and broken body struggling weakly for release, for escape. All she needed, the vampiress reasoned as Angelus’ grip tightened at the Slayer’s scream, was one chance to escape. Escape to her Sire where she’d tell him that Angelus and Buffy ambushed her, and she barely got away with her life. Where he’d take care of her and feed her, nurture her back to health. 

Her bleary eyes looked up, seeing the enraged Slayer; Darla wondered if she’d have the chance to see her Sire again. 

Infuriated, Buffy’s scream echoed around them. When she saw Angelus turn to his Sire, positive he meant to save her, sure he meant to take this chance away from her, the Slayer could no longer hold it in and screamed. Angelus turned, taking Darla with him, and Buffy used that opportunity. 

Buffy’s hand shot out, augmented Slayer strength pumping through her. Her hand shot out, punching through Darla’s chest cavity…right where her heart lay. The Slayer’s eyes locked triumphantly with Darla’s wide, surprised ones. Stunned, they all froze for the longest of seconds. 

“Angel,” Darla whispered, turning her head to look at her Childe. 

Growling, Buffy pulled her hand back, ripping it out and crushing Darla’s heart in her fist. Darla stood there with Angelus’ hands wrapped around her for the killing blow, when time caught up with her body, and she turned to ashes. The wind picked up just then, and the remnants of Darla floated around them. 

“Déjà vu.”
 ~~~~~~~~~~
Track B in Track A 

“It didn’t work,” Angel told the breathless group as they stared at him. “Buffy didn’t return, and you didn’t send Elizabeth back.” 

Riley scowled in anger. He still lost! Even now, even after all this; he still lost to that monster. What did he have to do to get Buffy/Elizabeth away from that creature and back into his arms? 

Willow looked drained, stunned, angered; she was so sure it would work! And after Elizabeth agreed to it, after she told everyone she was going back, then what went wrong? What happened to the spell that made it…not work? 

Cordelia looked relieved, as did Tara and Anya. 

“How could it not work?” Xander asked what everyone was thinking. “What happened? Did dead-boy fuck it up somehow?” 

“No, Xander,” Giles said, “Angel had nothing to do with it.” Looking at the vampire holding the woman who was and was not his Slayer, Giles wasn’t so sure about that, but voiced it anyway. He had his own suspicions as to what had happened, and his own fears for the future, but kept quiet about them. 

Angel, not caring to hear the rest of that conversation, abruptly spun and left the condo, heading into the black of night with his precious cargo cradled protectively in his arms. Cordelia quickly followed, as did Wesley, citing that they wanted to make sure Elizabeth was okay, and that nothing happened to her. It was only a partial lie… 

Anya and Tara wanted to follow as well, but stopped short of actually moving; they didn’t want to give away their allegiance to the still stunned gang. Not that they were betraying them by caring for Elizabeth and wanting the Slayer to stay, but both knew it would not go over well at all. Especially not after the spell hadn’t worked, and Angel seemed more than pleased over that. 

“What happened, then?” Willow asked, rising on shaking legs. Man, that spell was powerful. But it had to be if it was going to open a portal between dimensions, alternate worlds, and transport one woman there, and return another here. 

“Obviously,” Anya said in a huff, not entirely sure herself. “Whoever or whatever switched the Slayers to begin with wanted them to stay switched.” She looked to Giles for conformation, but received none. The Watcher just shrugged and turned to cleaning up the failed spell. 

Willow ignored the mess left by the failed spell, and immediately began to look for a new one to get Buffy back. She wasn’t giving up on her best friend.
~~~~~~~~~~
Track A in Track B 

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” He screamed in rage and sorrow and anger. 

How dare she! How dare she kill his favored, how dare the Slayer kill the Master’s Childe. The room was trashed, the few remaining vamps who hadn’t fled or been killed waiting for their Master to calm and for their orders. Seething, he slumped into his throne, clawed fingers gripping the carved skull arms. He had to think, he had to plan. 

Darla always was hot tempered, rushing into action before planning things properly. The minion who crawled away to report to him had confirmed that the Slayer was ready for them. And that this ready Slayer meant that she was stronger, faster, smarter than any other in the existence of the history of the conflict. 

Angelus…the much younger but infinitely strong vampire was going to resume his rightful place at his side, the Master mused. He was going to control his GrandeChilde through the Slayer. Turn the Slayer, have her as his Childe, use her to control Angelus as well as capitalize on her strength; a Slayer turned Vampire, it would be a glorious union. 

That was still the plan or part of it at least. The Master rose, causing the minions to bow respectfully. He was going to Turn the Slayer. But he was going to kill Angelus. Oh, he wanted his GrandeChilde with him, wanted the younger to rule by his side. And while it was the Slayer who actually killed Darla, it would hurt her infinitely more if her lover was dead while she was granted immortal life. 

Because the bond between a Mated Couple couldn’t be broken. When one died, the other was doomed to an existence of pain and suffering, no longer enjoying the pleasures of the hunt, of the feast. No longer finding pleasure in blood and sex and immortality. Oh, she’d no doubt try and kill herself, but the Master had no intentions of letting that happen. 

Oh, no, he’d turn the Slayer, make her his most powerful Childe…and then keep her alive, forcefully if need be, forever.
~~~~~~~~~~
Track A in Track B 

Angelus caught Buffy as his lover held the still bloody heart of his Sire. 

“Buffy, love,” he whispered, “Are you alright?” 

He wasn’t talking about having just killed Darla, and she knew it. No, that was almost incidental to him despite their history together and their shared bond. He was talking about whatever happened to her that granted Darla the upper hand for those few moments. 

“Yes,” Buffy nodded slowly as she looked at the heart she still held. Why hadn’t it turned to dust when Darla had? Why was it still in her hand, bloody and whole? 

William and Drusilla walked up to them then, Drusilla crying softly as she flung her arms around Buffy. She didn’t care that Buffy was bloody and held Darla’s heart – actually, that was probably some kind of turn on for the vampiress. “They tried to take you, but the White King wouldn’t let them. He wouldn’t let them take his Queen. And now the Black King and Queen can reign alone.” 

Buffy looked at the crazy vampiress askance. She didn’t understand the weird bond that had developed between them these last few weeks, didn’t understand why this Drusilla accepted her when the other hadn’t. Didn’t understand a lot about her growing friendship with both Drusilla and William. And right now, she was too tired to try. 

“I’m okay, Drusilla,” Buffy soothed, letting the taller woman’s head rest on her shoulder. “They couldn’t take me because I don’t want to go.” 

Angelus stepped back to her, gently handing Drusilla to William as he silently awaited just that. It was as if he knew a lot of things were going to happen before they did; not that he had the Sight like Drusilla, but more that he watched. He watched and listened, knowing his family sometimes better than they themselves. 

“A minion got away,” William said, “He’s reported to the Master by now, and I’m sure the old bat is in a fine rage.” Angelus settled his hands gently on Buffy’s shoulders as if she were gossamer thin glass and could break at any moment. “He’ll be coming after the Slayer,” William added. “And I don’t think he’s going to stop at her.”

Angelus nodded, both in receipt of William’s words, and of the warning. He knew his family would stand beside him, knew that they’d let nothing happen to Buffy. That wasn’t what he was worried about. He knew both William and Drusilla would lay down their lives for his Mate. What worried him was the way Buffy was acting. She looked as if she could break at any moment, and Angelus was afraid she would. 

“Let’s go home, love,” he repeated, cupping her face in his large hands. 

Nodding, Buffy took one last look at the heart she hadn’t yet let go of, images of Darla’s first death – at Angel’s hands – and this one – at her hands – overlapping into one crazed version that wouldn’t stop playing in her mind. Dropping the heart to the ground where Darla’s ashes settled, Buffy allowed her love to sweep her in his arms, cradling her close to his cool body, surrounding her in his fierce love, and take her home.

Part 19        Part 21

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