Chapter Two: Meeting The Alters

The next morning came too fast for Buffy, who woke up slightly disoriented and ready to pummel when she didn't recognize her surroundings. But once she calmed down and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she realized it hadn't been some wiggy dream brought on by too much yogurt. That she was indeed in a strange world with strange yet not strangers.

After eating her Chinese and making slight conversation with Carly and Faith, she'd showered and put on the clothes Carly lent her since they were the same size. Then she'd crawled up onto the couch and tried to rest. Tried to think about anything other than what she couldn't stop thinking about. Her mind kept swinging back around to the fact that leather clad, finding the fun Faith had found her fun in a member of the same sex.

And they probably had that. Lots and lots of same sex sex.

It was not of the norm, because the Faith she knew didn't like to be tied down to just once person. Her motto was all get some and get gone not get some and cuddle with her on a chaise lounge. But this wasn't the Faith she knew and the sooner she remembered that the better off she would be. Of course that begged the question, could this have been the Faith she'd known if things had went differently? If there hadn't been punching and kicking?

On the off moments when she'd thought about Faith, they were always what if scenarios. What if she hadn't killed Allan Finch? What if Wesley hadn't spooked her right into the creepy arms of the Mayor? What if she hadn't said the hell with her as soon as things got too hot to handle?

Would it have been like this now?

Would they have become fast friends who stood the test of time?

Would she be back in her right universe because Faith had helped her take out Glory?

The smell of waffles invaded her nose and her tummy gave a growl, alerting her that her brain should shut up so she could pay it some attention. Swinging her legs around and putting her feet on the floor, she smoothed down her hair and stood to see Faith piling down a plate with breakfast. Carly must have left early for work.

"You cook too?" She inquired as she slowly walked over. "This just gets weirder and weirder."

Faith laughed and reached into a cabinet for syrup. "Take it I'm a train wreck in your neck of the woods?"

"Yeah." She chuckled, sinking down at the small table. "But well--it wasn't so much your fault as ours. I could have handled stuff differently."

"No worries." The brunette shrugged. "Wasn't my life so I got no bones to pick."

"Right. Right."

"Still it's fucken weird to think there's like, another me. Always thought I was often imitated but never duplicated."

"Haha well if it's any conciliation, you're still pretty original."

Smirking, Faith opened the fridge and pulled out a jar of strawberry jam. "So what's your story?"

Buffy picked up a fork. "Oh um, I dunno. I--I mean I guess the only difference from here is that I didn't die." She pushed around her eggs. "Xander gave me CPR and I went on to kill the Master. Then I just kinda killed everything else too."

"Wicked." The younger girl voiced. "Gotta say it's cool to actually be able to meet another Slayer. This whole one girl in all the world shtick ain't all it's cracked up to be."

"You're telling me." She shoved the eggs into her mouth, savoring how good they were. So fluffy. "Um--so Giles took you under his wing when you got here?"

"Yup. My Watcher was toast and all I wanted to do was hit shit. Last thing I wanted was someone tellin' me what to do, but G wouldn't give up. He let me stay with him and made me train. We fell into a routine." The brunette explained, wiggling her leg underneath the table. "He--he's kinda like the Pops I never had, ya know?"

"Yeah." Buffy said softly. "I really do. He's been like that for me too--especially since my mom died and my dad stopped coming to visit."

"That's rough, yo. Sorry."

"Thanks. So umm, what are you doing today?"

Faith poured syrup over her waffles. "Workin'. I got a job bartendin' at the Bronze. I switched shifts with Mark yesterday though so I could patrol tonight."

Next she'll be saying she saves orphans from burning buildings. "Oh."

A nod. "Yup but, I'll drop ya off by Red's dorm room so that you guys can get reacquainted. And afters we can slay together if ya want."

Buffy smiled. "Sounds like a plan." Now to be curious. "You and Carly huh? Ho--how did that happen?"

She smirked, chewing her food and swallowing. "We met at this Halloween frat party that was bein' haunted by some baddie. She got attacked by a scarecrow and I got it off her. We just clicked after that and the rest is what it is."

The blonde sipped her orange juice. "She's really nice. Not really your type, no--not that I know your type. I--I mean she could be your type. Not that you even have to have a type... I'll just shut up now."

Faith chuckled. "What? Is it cause she doesn't have a cock?" When Buffy nearly choked, she chuckled again. "I don't really label myself. I dig guys but I dig chicks too; besides she's smokin' hot. I'd have been crazy not to go for it."

Paging my brain. Now would be a good time to check in. "I'm sorry I--I shouldn't have said anything."

She shrugged. "I don't mind. Got nothin' to hide."

That's a first. "I'm glad you're happy, Faith. Really. It's nice to know that at least somewhere things worked out for you."

"Heh thanks Buffy." The other girl replied. "Glad you're not six feet under."

They both laughed and continued to eat, while Buffy continued to wonder why hearing her name and not her nick name from this woman rubbed her the wrong way.

It was just a stupid nick name she never really liked in the first place. B. Bees. At the very least she could have called her Buff like everyone else.

At the very least she didn't have to make it so Faith. So...special. So damn hard to forget.

~*~

Standing outside of Willow's dorm room, Buffy pulled at the bottom of the short red pleated skirt she wore, courtesy of Carly. She hadn't worn something so short since she was seventeen and trying to impress people. But apparently most of Carly's clothes were either very wintery or very summery, and since it was a nice day outside she'd opted for summer. Flashing thighs and legs summer.

Faith however had on black jeans and a matching wife beater, with a tiny silver cross around her neck. Obviously bad ass was not a term for leathers only.

Exhaling deeply, she stared at the door and swallowed thickly. She was nervous which was odd because she knew Willow. Or she knew a Willow, which was not this Willow. Even though Giles acted like Giles, Willow could act totally different. She could be fake and annoying like Harmony had been, or an outcast like Amy. Speaking of, was Amy a rat here too? Focus. Okay. Willow. Old reliable Willow.

"I changed my mind." She announced. "Let's just go."

"Calm down." Faith mused, knocking on the door. "I'm sure she's just like the Red you hang with."

"Bu--but what if she isn't? What if she's--she's mean or a blonde? I can't handle a blonde Willow."

"You're kinda twisted. Relax."

"I can do that. I can relax. I can relax until the cows come home."

The door opened and she actually meeped. Willow in her long skirt and frog colored blouse smiled, pushing shiny red bangs out of her bright blue eyes. "Hey Faith." She turned to..."Ooh. Yo--you look just like someone I--I used to know."

"Buffy Summers, right?" The blonde inquired. "You went to high school with her but she...died. Cute little thing, deadly with pieces of sharp wood."

"Wow you're good." Willow replied, slightly confused.

Buffy giggled, wetting her lips. "Actually Will I--I'm Buffy. No--not the one you know; I'm from another dimension where I didn't die at the hands of the Master."

Anyone else would have called the men in white coats at a sentence like that, but it sounded plausible to her. "Oh--whoa. That--that's a lot to take in while you're still standing in the hallway. C'mon in."

"Well you're in good hands now. Gotta hit the bricks. Catch ya later, Buffy." Faith pointed her fingers like a gun and then walked off.

It's not Buffy! Sighing, she slipped into the room and glanced around. "I'm sorry to just spring this on you bu--but I'm so used to hanging out with my friends, and you're a friend so..."

"It's okay." The Wicca said smiling. "If you're anything like the Buffy I knew, we're gonna get along fine. Besides I'd really like to know more about this other dimension." A brow rose. "Though if I'm a leather wearing vampire mama, don't tell me."

She laughed. "No. You're just as sweet are you are now."

"Good. So another Sunnydale? That's kinda freaky."

"Yeah. But it's just like this one, at least from what I have seen. Well, except for Faith it is. She's more structured here."

"Ooh. What about me? Does coffee make the me there, jittery?"

"Hah yeah it totally does. And you're really good with magic. And you're dating a great girl named Tara."

Willow smiled and sat down on her bed. "Hehe neat. Man, so what have you been doing all of these years? Oh! Is--is there a Xander there?"

Buffy nodded with a chuckle. "Yup. I think pretty much everyone you know here is there. Or w--was if they didn't die. But Xander is alive and of the good. He's in construction."

"Oh here he's a tip top mechanic. Even thinking of opening his own garage." The Wicca explained with a proud grin. "Though his girlfriend leaves something to be desired."

"Anya?" When she said yes, the blonde snickered. "Yeah she's the same where I come from. Loves money, Xander and not much else though oddly she comes through in times of fightin'." Chewing on her bottom lip, she continued. "As for me I--well I've been slaying. I dated Angel for a while but that ended badly. Then I did the college thing for a while, but dropped out after my mom got sick."

"Sorry to hear that." Willow replied gently. "Hehe you and Angel huh? Sounds dishy. After you--erm--she died here he went all mopey and made it his mission to finally kill the Master. Then Spike and Drusilla came, so he helped us with their craziness along with Kendra."

Sighing, the Slayer places her hands in her lap. "What happened to Spike?"

A snort. "He took off after Dru was killed, but of course came back to doll out the vengeance. The army guys put a chip in his head though, so now he can't bite people. Haven't seen him in a while."

Good. "Did you date a guy named Oz?"

Willow grinned. "Yup. He was in a band; Dead Men Don't Bite."

"That's a weird name." Buffy made a face.

"It's a quote I think from Plutarch."

"In my dimension they called themselves Dingos Ate My Baby."

"Oh. Yeah that's--well it's defintely not Plutarch."

The blonde wanted to inquire as to just who Plutarch was but she decided against it. It would probably lead to her learning something new and who needed that?

Giving a amused smirk, Willow pulled a stuffed animal into her lap and made it dance. "How did you end up here anywhere? Faulty spell?"

"Rogue portal." Buffy said slowly. "It was supposed to kill me but...I dunno. Here I am instead."

"Well th--that's good. Cause death is...bad. Icky." The Wicca tilted her head to the side. "Wanna go freak Xander out?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

Ten minutes later both girls were strolling out of the elevator and down the hall of Xander's spiffy apartment. It was one of his few days off, so Willow was quite sure that he was going to spend it lazying about the house eating pancakes and watching soap operas, though he would always claim otherwise. Instead of knocking, she used her spare key and padded inside. There indeed sat Xander Harris on his sofa, staring intently at the tv while the noise of a vacuum filtered out of a back room.

"Hey." Willow called out. "Another VH1 behind the music special on NSync again?"

He glanced up. "No. And for the last time I..." Trailing off, he looked to Buffy and blinked quickly several times. Rubbing his eyes, he pushed the pillow he was holding to the side. "Who? What? Huh?"

Buffy gave a little wave. "Hi."

"But, you're dead! You died! Demon; is it a demon?" He stood abruptly.

"Nope. Just other dimension Buffy." Willow said in a sing song voice. "Other dimension us, not included."

He arched a brow. "Other dimension? Jiminy crickets." A pause. "Well um, hello. I'm Xander. It's nice to meet you." He spoke slowly as if she were slow or possibly deaf.

The blonde sent him a look. "I'm from another dimension. I don't ride the short bus to school." Smiling, she moved to a chair and sat down. "And I know you who are 'cause there is a Xander where I come from. We've been friends for a long time now."

"Ooh. Were we ever...more than friends?"

"Sorry, no. You've always been one of the girls."

Before he could reply, Anya swept into the room all blonde hair and bright eyes. She put the vacuum into the hall closet and sighed, noticing Buffy. "Who are you?"

"I'm Buffy." The Slayer responded. "Distant friend."

"Ah. Well I'm Anya, Xander's girlfriend." She said proudly. "I suppose I should offer you something to drink since you are a guest. Would you like anything to drink?"

"No thanks."

"Good. Now I don't have to tax myself making something. Yay."

Buffy grinned; yup she was most totally Anya. "This might be an odd question but, are you by any chance scared of bunnies?"

Anya stared at her like she had three heads. "Bunnies? Well that's just stupid. Who in the world would ever be scared of bunnies?" As Buffy lowered her head, she continued. "Squirrels on the other hand, with their evil little beady eyes and hoarding of nuts; I hate them. Furry little demon seeds...if I had a car I would not brake for them."

Yup, most totally Anya.

~*~

The vampire in the ripped leather jacket rushed Buffy but she darted out of the way, tripping him as he went past. She then kicked his red pants wearing friend in the face and sent him stumbling back into a headstone. Swirling her stake from where she sat on the brick wall watching the petite blonde handle two creatures who were very much taller than her, Faith smirked. It was hella cool to see another Slayer in action, especially the first Slayer the Dale had ever had. Giles had often talked about Buffy; usually he was stone drunk though and mopin' about like a homeless person. Saw a lot of that after he got fired from the Counsel.

But back to Buffy, she was a gorgeous thing in action or maybe especially in action were the right words. Perfect high kicks and so flexible. Like a big cat playin' with a bumpy faced mouse. "Need any help?"

"No!" Buffy shouted as she punched Leather Jacket in the face. "I'm good."

"Aight." Faith chuckled. "Gotta say this is wicked, watchin' ya move. You don't just fight, ya got style."

"I--" She ducked a hit and grabbed Red Pants, tossing him into a tree. "Thanks. Never heard that before..."

The brunette grinned, swinging her legs. "Can't wait til we train tomorrow. Never went head to head with someone who could actually take me. Gonna be interestin' when I get my hands on ya."

"What? Ooh..." She jerked back a few steps after being hit in the face by Leather Jacket. "Excuse you!" Grumbling, she stalked up to him and began to pummel him. "We are trying..." Punch. "To have..." Punch. "A conversation..." Punch.

"Ahh!" He growled. "Who the hell are you anyway?"

Smiling, she whipped out her stake and plunged it into his chest. "Slayer comma the. Look it up."

Just as he started to poof into dust, his face contorted into confusion and he pointed to Faith. "But I thought she was the..." And he was gone.

As the brunette laughed, Buffy turned her sights on Red Pants who was just getting his wits about him. She flipped over to where he stood on wobbly legs and delivered a rough round house to his jaw, sending him spiraling over a low bush. Next she pounced on this waist, hit him once more for good measure and then staked him.

"Woo!" Faith clapped. "That was awesome. Do ya always pun when ya slay?"

Giggling, the other girl nodded. "Force of habit I guess." She sniffled and glanced around, then arched a brow. "Surprised you didn't jump in. Work up the double Hs."

"Eh to be honest, I don't need to slay to be hungry or horny. It just amps it up when I am."

"I fear you and your calmer attitude."

Faith snickered. "You're a real trip, Buffy."

The blonde felt herself get twitchy; she could literally hear the name floating around in her head. Over and over like a giant floaty head person, mocking her with its sharp tongue that knowing her name-ness.

"Okay I can't take this anymore!" Buffy shouted, throwing up both hands. "Enough is enough!"

Faith arched a brow. "Are you havin' some sort of mental crisis I should know bout? Do you need some pills?"

She sent her an are you kidding me look. "No it--the Faith I know doesn't call me Buffy unless something major is happening. Usually there is fighting or stabbing involved. She--well she calls me B."

"B?"

"Yeah. An--and I know it's a really stupid thing to--but--I like it. Call me, B."

The brunette gave a slow grin. "Aight, B. C'mon let's go get some grub."