A
Altoz
Guest
Across the Multiverse, there are an infinity of alternate probabilities. At each point where a decision or action is undertaken, a series of new variant worlds come into existence.
May 7, 2002.
Buffy Summers had just foiled Warren Meers' attempted bank heist due to some opportune betrayal by his former cohort Jonathan Levinson. Irate at what had happened after he used a jet pack to escape, Meers brooded on his defeat. In some worlds, there wasn't a traffic jam and he wasn't stuck in lights on the way to Ravello Drive, where he shot Buffy Summers and firing wildly, a ricochet broke a upper floor window and killed whoever was in its path- Tara MacLay in some worlds, Anya Emerson in others, Dawn Summers or Daniel Osborne in still others. This was not one of those worlds. Further frustrated by the delay in his vengeance, Xander Harris caught sight of Warren Meers entering the Ravello Drive backyward, spotted the bulge in Meers' upper leather jacket and realised what it might be. Meers yelled:
"You think you can just do that to me? You think I'd just let you get away with that?"
But by that time, Xander had shoved Buffy behind him and was running toward him: "No! No, you don't get to do that to her, not again!" It wasn't particularly logical, given that Buffy's physical strength and Willow's wiccan capabilities both outmatched him. But Xander Harris wasn't thinking particularly logically that day. All that he saw was someone with a gun who was just about to shoot one of his best friends. Xander threw himself at Warren, intending to disarm him. Panicking, Warren fired twice at Xander. Both shots furrowed through his heart, killing him instantly. Xander was dead before he hit the ground.
Buffy should have pursued Meers, but her thoughts were on the man laying on the footpath: "Xander?! Xander, buddy?! Xander. come on..." But then she turned him face up and saw the two bullet holes near his heart: "No. No. No. Oh, god... Please, please come on, Xander..."
Upstairs, Willow had crossed to the intact window with Tara and screamed as she saw their best friends lifeless body. Tara held her:
"Don't look, baby. Don't look..."
"It's my fault. This is my fault. I should have been there. And now he's..."
"Willow, don't do this to yourself. And... there's no way back from what just happened."
"I...know. I know that I can't ask Osiris to bring him back, that it would be wrong. Look what hell Buffy's been through since that happened with her. But...it's a human death and it's a natural passing. Buffy was killed by Glorificus and that bastard Meers shot and killed Xander, it's not the same. He has been taken by the natural order of things. There's no way out of this. But baby, I feel in so much pain. I can't do anything to change this, because if I did, I would start down a very dark road. "
Tara was sobbing: "No one said it would be easy, Willow. This breaks my heart too. But right now, despite the agony we're both in, I've never been prouder of you than I am right now. I'll ward the place. Get down there and comfort Buffy. She needs you."
Willow began to walk down the stairs, blinded by her tears. She felt the darkness inside her, pushing against her, trying to get out.
In the garden, Buffy had stopped crying. She blinked and something cold started to spread from inside her.
At Sunnydale WatchHouse, Andrew Wells disappeared from within the confines of the cell that he shared with Jonathan Levinson. He reappeared a moment later outside Rack's darlkmagick pushers joint. Warren was panting, looking wildly around him:
"What is it?"
"The construction worker. Harris. He interfered when I tried to shoot and kill the slayer. I killed him instead."
"And Jonathan?"
"He betrayed us, Andy. Well, he'll get what's coming. Ah, there she is. Andrew Wells, meet our new partner...Amy Madison."
"Warren, sweetie? Good news. Rosenberg is out of the picture when it comes to darkmagick. If she didn't turn to it when you killed Harris, her best friend, then nothing will get her back into its orbit. MacLay's presence is acting as a barrier, she anchors Rosenberg. Which leaves us a clearer field. It means each of us can go in there and take what we want. How much we want."
"All of it, if we want?" Meers asked.
"Oh yes, sweetheart. All of it." Amy Madison's back was turned as they entered the pushers joint, so although she was holding Meers' hand, he didn't see the lightless obsidian of her eyes and her twisted sneer. Soon...very soon... she would be able to end this pretense. Too bad, Meers was cute. However, the two men were fools and she had no intention of being dragged down with them.
END OF PART ONE
'
May 7, 2002.
Buffy Summers had just foiled Warren Meers' attempted bank heist due to some opportune betrayal by his former cohort Jonathan Levinson. Irate at what had happened after he used a jet pack to escape, Meers brooded on his defeat. In some worlds, there wasn't a traffic jam and he wasn't stuck in lights on the way to Ravello Drive, where he shot Buffy Summers and firing wildly, a ricochet broke a upper floor window and killed whoever was in its path- Tara MacLay in some worlds, Anya Emerson in others, Dawn Summers or Daniel Osborne in still others. This was not one of those worlds. Further frustrated by the delay in his vengeance, Xander Harris caught sight of Warren Meers entering the Ravello Drive backyward, spotted the bulge in Meers' upper leather jacket and realised what it might be. Meers yelled:
"You think you can just do that to me? You think I'd just let you get away with that?"
But by that time, Xander had shoved Buffy behind him and was running toward him: "No! No, you don't get to do that to her, not again!" It wasn't particularly logical, given that Buffy's physical strength and Willow's wiccan capabilities both outmatched him. But Xander Harris wasn't thinking particularly logically that day. All that he saw was someone with a gun who was just about to shoot one of his best friends. Xander threw himself at Warren, intending to disarm him. Panicking, Warren fired twice at Xander. Both shots furrowed through his heart, killing him instantly. Xander was dead before he hit the ground.
Buffy should have pursued Meers, but her thoughts were on the man laying on the footpath: "Xander?! Xander, buddy?! Xander. come on..." But then she turned him face up and saw the two bullet holes near his heart: "No. No. No. Oh, god... Please, please come on, Xander..."
Upstairs, Willow had crossed to the intact window with Tara and screamed as she saw their best friends lifeless body. Tara held her:
"Don't look, baby. Don't look..."
"It's my fault. This is my fault. I should have been there. And now he's..."
"Willow, don't do this to yourself. And... there's no way back from what just happened."
"I...know. I know that I can't ask Osiris to bring him back, that it would be wrong. Look what hell Buffy's been through since that happened with her. But...it's a human death and it's a natural passing. Buffy was killed by Glorificus and that bastard Meers shot and killed Xander, it's not the same. He has been taken by the natural order of things. There's no way out of this. But baby, I feel in so much pain. I can't do anything to change this, because if I did, I would start down a very dark road. "
Tara was sobbing: "No one said it would be easy, Willow. This breaks my heart too. But right now, despite the agony we're both in, I've never been prouder of you than I am right now. I'll ward the place. Get down there and comfort Buffy. She needs you."
Willow began to walk down the stairs, blinded by her tears. She felt the darkness inside her, pushing against her, trying to get out.
In the garden, Buffy had stopped crying. She blinked and something cold started to spread from inside her.
At Sunnydale WatchHouse, Andrew Wells disappeared from within the confines of the cell that he shared with Jonathan Levinson. He reappeared a moment later outside Rack's darlkmagick pushers joint. Warren was panting, looking wildly around him:
"What is it?"
"The construction worker. Harris. He interfered when I tried to shoot and kill the slayer. I killed him instead."
"And Jonathan?"
"He betrayed us, Andy. Well, he'll get what's coming. Ah, there she is. Andrew Wells, meet our new partner...Amy Madison."
"Warren, sweetie? Good news. Rosenberg is out of the picture when it comes to darkmagick. If she didn't turn to it when you killed Harris, her best friend, then nothing will get her back into its orbit. MacLay's presence is acting as a barrier, she anchors Rosenberg. Which leaves us a clearer field. It means each of us can go in there and take what we want. How much we want."
"All of it, if we want?" Meers asked.
"Oh yes, sweetheart. All of it." Amy Madison's back was turned as they entered the pushers joint, so although she was holding Meers' hand, he didn't see the lightless obsidian of her eyes and her twisted sneer. Soon...very soon... she would be able to end this pretense. Too bad, Meers was cute. However, the two men were fools and she had no intention of being dragged down with them.
END OF PART ONE
'