The group arrived back at Giles house close to sunrise. Together Buffy and Giles carried Spike inside. He had fallen asleep on the way home. Buffy had managed to stop the bleeding for him on the way home. As they laid him on the couch, Buffy felt her heart sink to her stomach. "He looks pale" She said "I mean more than normal." "Yes I suppose he is. Buffy he's a vampire. He will come out of this in a few hours. His kind always does. Just let him rest."
Buffy frowned, but nodded slowly. "I guess so." She looked at the sleeping vampire for a moment, and then turned back to Giles. She started to say something when there was a knock on the door. Both of them realized that this time they could not hide Spike in a closet. He should not be moved. Giles sighed and opened the door. Outside were... Buffy and Spike. Well their former selves anyway. The second Spike stepped forward.
"Pardon me sir, I do apologize for troubling you, but our carriage has broken its wheel. Might I borrow some tools to fix it? It's getting late, and we would rather be on our way home." Giles held his hand firm on the door giving the impression that he could not come in. "Yes well I have some in the tool shed. Would you like to follow me?" He asked. The second Spike nodded and motioned towards the carriage. "May my wife step inside? It�s a trifle chilly and we just found out today that she�s carrying a child." A nervous Giles shook his head. "Yes why of course. Bring her in."I cant believe what I'm hearing. She thought. Looking around quickly she grabbed a lacy tablecloth and draped her head in it. Covering her hair so she would not look so much like her past self. Looking over at Spike she threw a blanket over him up to his neck. There that should cover his clothes. Now what about his face?
Buffy found some gauze and started wrapping his head as Giles stepped inside with her double. Buffy kept her head down as she wrapped. Maybe they would be quick and she would not have to talk to the girl at all. Buffy's twin took a seat on Giles favorite chair and looked sadly at Spike. "Is he ill?" She asked. Buffy nodded, keeping her face low continuing to wrap his head. The other girl was quiet. Keeping her eyes fixed on Spike. She hesitated then spoke in a hushed voice. "What happened to him?" Buffy shook her head. "He had a.... Uh..." She searched for the words. "Carriage accident. His horse went wild and he was thrown off and caught under the wheels." She commended herself on such a quick and believable lie. Because the other Buffy had gasped and raised her hand to her mouth in horror, like women back then did.
Giles stepped through the door just then with Spike's twin self. "We've fixed the wagon ladies." Buffy's former self got up and crossed to her new husband. Spike's twin wrapped a loving arm around his wife. Buffy felt a warm feeling run over her looking at the two. They chatted with Giles a minute and then bid her goodbye and a healthy life. Spike mumbled in his sleep something she could not decipher. Giles walked over and chuckled, pushing the glasses back up on his nose. "That�s incredibly fast work Buffy. Very smart too." She shrugged as she started to unwrap him. "Well they couldn�t see him could they? She held up the lacy tablecloth. "I had to improvise." She gave him a warm smile. She was tired, her muscles hurt and she was worried about Dawn. All her friends would be wondering where she was. Would they go look at Spikes? Find him gone as well and draw the wrong conclusions? Considering all the stuff that went on earlier in the year. She knew that although Xander was playing it cool, he still harbored some resentment towards the vampire. Or would there be some kind of time lapse till they returned home? She could only remember telling Willow that he was going along tonight. Buffy silently wished that she had had a chance to leave behind some sort of clue.
She finished and let out a huge yawn. Well, worries would just have to wait. This Slayer was ready for a nap. She laid her head on the back of the sofa, and fell into a deep sleep.
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When she awoke, she and Spike were in the middle of a large field. Spike sat up and cursed. "Bloody hell, what is all this?" Buffy shrugged. "Last thing I remember was sleeping on Giles chair. This is just bizarre. We could be anywhere." Spike jumped up and brushed himself off. His wounds from last night were gone. "Amazing vampire perks. Got to love that about being dead." He stated.
Buffy walked around, checking out the scenery. Nothing about their new settings gave them any clue as to year or place. They were lost; there was no way around that conclusion.
"So what the hell do we do now?" Spike asked sincerely annoyed. "I'm all out of smokes." Buffy gave him a sour face. "Your dead, you don't need them anyhow. We have to find a place for you to hide before you burn up. No telling what time it is and when the sun is going to rise." Spike nodded and pointed towards a hill. "Looks like there a cave over there. Lets check that out." He suggested. They headed out with their minds weary with worry. He wondered just how long she would be OK. Dawn was at home on the Hellmouth and there was no telling when Glory would find out about her.
Morning came and went. Spike slept like a baby while Buffy wandered from the cave in search of some sign of life and or time frame. As luck would have it they were in the old west. And from what Buffy could tell, it was still Sunnydale. Just western style.
"Spike!!! Wake up!!" Grumbling about being waked up, Spike got in an upright position; automatically checking for his smokes then reminding himself he had none. "What are you so chipper about?"
"Were in the old west. Were closer!! I mean we were way back in time last night. Now today were further ahead. Come on. Maybe there�s another Giles in this lifetime." Spike stared at her. Just watching the excitement in her eyes. "Right then pet. Lets head out and see what we get ourselves into this time."
Buffy smiled. "What makes you think we'll get into something? Maybe well just find the way home." A roll of his eyes told her he was in disbelief. "Sure, and when we walk about a mile or so some portal will just open up and take us home." "Fine, be that way. I'm going to stay on the bright side of this." Her voice took a sadder note. "I'm worried about Dawn." Spike tried his luck, went to her and hugged her. Much to his delight and surprise, she hugged him back. "I know pet, I know. We will get this figured out." He assured her as he stoked her hair. It still had the faint smell of Vanilla. He inhaled deeply, drinking in her scent. When the embrace broke the vampire and the slayer took a moment to look in each other�s eyes. Looking for hope in each other�s eyes.
"Spike?"
"Yes luv?"
"I..." Spike stopped her he shook his head and took her hand.
"Ditto."