Of fact and fiction - Chapter One
by Angel Eternal
email: [email protected]




Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer is owned by Joss Whedon, several
companies and God knows who else. One thing is certain - I don't own
any of it! Nothing - zip - nada!





Rapidly the pages of the book flipped open, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"How are you doing honey?"

Willow looked up and smiled at Tara. "Ok, just looking for one little thing, then we can
go ahead and do this."

Tara smiled at her encouragingly, as the door of the Magic Shop opened.

"Ok, the cavalry has arrived!"

Willow and Tara looked up as Xander and Dawn walked in. Xander immediately
went to the counter to grab a kiss from Anya.

Dawn sighed, and rolled her eyes at the couple. "Remind me again what I'm doing here?"

Xander turned and flashed her a grin, "You're here because the Buffster left you with
me, hence where I go, you go."

Willow smiled at her, "Don't you want to help out with the spell Dawnie?"

At the mention of spells, Dawn brightened, "Spells? As in ass-kicking stuff?"

Willow laughed, "Well it's a little something to help Buffy..."

"Let me guess - you're ball of sunshine? Wasn't that the one that brought on big
troll with big hammer?" Dawn smiled as Willow squirmed.

"Well...you see...it's gonna work this time!"

Dawn laughed, "Yeah, I know Wills - I'm sure that whatever happens it can't be as
bad as a troll."

Xander gasped dramatically, "Don't say that! Now we're jinxed!"

"So where is Buffy?" Anya asked, her attention focused on log.

"Where else?"

* * *

"Has anyone ever told you that cleanliness is next to godliness?"

Swiftly Buffy flipped the attacking vampire over her shoulder, "Well I guess you have
no chance at being anywhere near 'godly' but still..."

While he was still reeling, she swiftly kicked him the head before staking him. Without turning,
she threw a stake over her shoulder and staked the vampire behind her.

Buffy sighed, and dusted herself off. Nothing lately seems to keep her on her toes
anymore...

The breath was knocked out of her as she hit the unforgiving ground. She gasped
desperately for air, but was rammed back into the ground. She could feel what was
possibly a knee grinding into the small of her back. Buffy fought for consciousness, as
whatever was attacking her pummelled mercilessly into her body.

As sudden as the attack itself, the weight disintegrated, and she felt dust settling around
her.

Groaning, Buffy rolled over, and stared up, blinking as ashes drifted into her eyes.

Spike stood over her. He slipped the stake back into his pocket and offered her his
hand.

Angry at herself, she callously brushed away his hand.

"Oh - no thanks then? Somebody should teach you manners Slayer."

She shuddered, not wanting to face him, "I didn't need your help."

Spike smirked at her, "Oh yeah - keep telling your self that Slayer. What the fuck was
that?"

He tried to keep the worry out of his voice. She was almost taken out by a third-rate
vamp! Not even a Master Vampire.

Buffy whirled around. "Why the hell do you care? And please don't tell me about
your misguided 'love'!"

Spike flinched, but tried to ignore it. "That isn't the point Slayer - you almost got killed!
That stupid vamp was seconds away from snapping your friggin' neck!"

Buffy tossed her hair over her shoulder, still stinging with the humiliation. "I ask again -
why do you care?"

Spike just stared at her, and Buffy looked away from the intense ice-blue eyes.

Spike sighed, "Do you really have to ask anymore luv?"

Buffy backed away from him, "I don't need this right now..."

Spike smirked and crossed his arms, "Yeah run away - like you always do."

The comment made her stop in her tracks and stare at him, "What are you saying?"
Her voice was low, with a that threatening edge to it that made shivers run through
Spike.

Spike smirked at her again, "You know precisely what I'm saying luv."

She lunged at him.

* * *


"Remember Willow, one incorrect word and God knows what could happen..."

Willow waved aside her girlfriend's cautious reminders. "Yeah yeah - I know."

Excitement was pumping through her veins. She was so close to perfecting this spell.

Tara's hands flashed as she shuffled the tarot cards.

The Scooby gang were seated in a circle, and Tara dealt a tarot card for each of them.

"The Magician." she laid the card in front of Willow.

"The Popess." she placed the card in front of herself.

"The World." she placed the card in front of Dawn.

"Justice." she laid the card in front of Xander.

"The Falling Tower." this she placed before Anya.

"Force and The Hanged Man" for Buffy and Spike respectively.

"Umm - remind me again why Spike has to be in this?" Xander asked, uncomfortable at
the thought of the blonde vampire.

Willow arched one eyebrow. "Can you deny that he's been helping us out with the
vampires lately?"

Xander opened his mouth to protest but fell silent.

Willow breathed deeply, trying to calm her mind. Then she started

"Venis tarah kameta toovid..."

Light rose from the middle of the group.

"Acatha vatera - vashee..."

"Kushini tavana Re!"

Tara glanced at her sharply, but before anything could happen the ball of light swirled
upwards then exploded momentarily blinding them.

As soon as the white haze had lifted from their eyes, they sat up.

"Uh - was that supposed to happen?" Dawn asked, rubbing her eyes.

"No..."

"You mispronounced a word."

Willow glanced at Tara, "What? I did?"

Tara nodded, "You said 'tavana' instead of 'tavina'."

"Oh..." Willow blushed.

Xander shrugged, "No harm done! Just temporarily blinded!"

Dawn stared at the middle of the circle where Tara had placed Buffy's and Spike's
cards.

"Um guys..."

"Yeah Dawnie?"

Dawn silently pointed, "It doesn't mean anything does it?"

The cards were gone.

Tara shook her head, "N-no - at least I don't think so - I mean, they could've just been
blown away you know?"

Dawn nodded. "Yeah - nothing happened."

* * *

"Ow! Bloody hell Slayer!"

Buffy continued to pummel him, venting her frustration on him. Then suddenly he grabbed
her, and rolled her onto her back.

Spike sat on her astride, grinning down at her with that wicked grin in place.

"Always wanted you..."

He was interrupted by a very distinct neighing.

* * *

"Hey check this out! What a coincidence!"

Xander turned to his girlfriend, "What is it An?"

Anya smiled at him brightly, "How many 'Buffies' do you know? And how many 'Spikes'?
And what's the coincidence that some author would put them in her book?"

Willow's head snapped up and ran to Anya's side, "What did you say?"

Anya looked at her bewildered as she snatched the book out of her hand.

Anya had been reading the book that Willow had been reading. Willow knew for a fact
that there was no character in that book named 'Buffy' or 'Spike'. She flipped the book
open to the first page and scanned the words, mouth dropping.

"No - it can't be!"

She flipped through the rest of the book only to find that the book was blank.

Tara came up behind her, "What is it honey?"

Willow threw the book down on the ground, then thinking better of it, picked it up and
dusted the cover. "Buffy - Spike - Buffy and Spike! Book!"

Xander tilted his head to the side, "Do I speak for all of us when I say - huh?"

Willow stopped to catch her breath. "Buffy and Spike are in this book."

Xander frowned, "Again with the - huh?"

Tara picked up the book, "That spell - the cards representing Spike and Buffy,
they got pulled into another universe?"

Willow nodded. "I - I think so..."

"We have to get them out! I mean Buffy!"

"And Spike." Dawn reminded him.

Xander shuddered, "Poor Buffy!"

Dawn frowned at him, but before she could say anything she was interrupted by the
door opening.

"What is this about Buffy?"

They all turned as Giles walked in, head barely visibly above the stack of books he
carried in his arms.

All fell silent, unsure how to explain to the Watcher something they couldn't explain
to themselves.

Giles began to be concerned about the silence. In his experience, silence never boded
well. "What happened to Buffy?"

Willow was the first to speak, her words tripping over each other. "Well, we're not
sure...I mean we kind of know what happened...but we're not sure...and....I..."

Giles pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling the headache coming, knowing that it
would probably develop into a full-blown migraine in another two hours. "Anya?"

"Buffy and Spike are stuck in a book." the ex-demon simply stated.

"What?!"

Willow sighed, and tried again to explain. "Remember the ball of sunshine thing?"

Giles groaned, "The one that brought a hammer-wielding troll into our lives?"

Willow flushed, "Sheesh! One little mistake and no one ever lets you forget it!"

Tara touched her arm, "Honey - track?"

Willow nodded, the flush still evident on her cheeks. "Right - track - keep on it.
Okay here's the deal. I wanted to try out the spell again - I was so close!" Giles
frowned at her, and she hurried through her explanation. "A-anyway, We formed
a circle and we placed Buffy and Spike in the middle, because one they weren't
here and Buffy has to be able to handle it without having me along all the time and
the spell has to recognize Spike..." again Giles frowned at her, "But that's not the point,
anyway I did the spell, but I mispronounced one of the words and there was this big ball of
light and whoosh th-the cards representing Buffy and Spike were like gone, and then
I picked up the book that I was reading and Buffy and Spike were in it..."
Willow trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

Giles stared at her, trying to digest the information that had been thrown at him.
"So you're saying that Buffy and Spike are in another dimension and the only way
we can reach them is through a book?"

Tara nodded, "Basically, but it seems to be a one-way thing - like those mirrors
the cops have? We can see what they're doing - it's written into the book."

She handed the book to Giles, who turned it over in his hands, trying to sort the
jumble of thoughts in his mind. "Does it matter what kind of book it was? Is what is
being written have any similarity to the original text?"

Willow thought carefully, "Well - the setting of the story I guess. But that's it - what
is being written is what Buffy and Spike are doing, and it just keeps going."

Giles sighed, and Xander winced, "Oh no - I've heard that sound before - it usually
precedes an all-night research party."

Giles nodded wearily, "I'm afraid so - we need to get them out of there."

A the Scooby gang settled to picking books, Dawn picked up the book. "Umm guys,
what about this?"

Giles tilted his head to one side, "What about it Dawn?"

"Don't you want to read it? I mean to find out what's happening - maybe the answer is
in here. Besides what if something happens to them?"

They looked at each other, Willow sighed, and took the book. "We'll take turns reading
it - while the others do the research."

Willow settled into a seat. She didn't know what to expect. She also didn't want to
mention to the others that the book that she was reading had been a romance.








Just for those who are curious, here's a little of what the tarot cards meant:

The Magician (Willow) - originality, creativity, self-reliance, skill, will-power,
self-confidence, ingenuity, guile, masterfulness, trickery, deception, unity of thought
and emotion, determination to see a task finished
Reverse: insecurity, disquiet, use of one's skill for destructive ends

The Popess (Tara) - wisdom, common-sense, serenity, objectivity, perception,
self-reliance, hidden emotions, teacher
Reverse: lack of understanding, ignorance, shallow

The World (Dawn) - attachement, perfection, honors, ultimate change,
the end result, path of liberation, eternal life
Reverse: lack of vision

Justice (Xander) - fairness, righteousness, good intentions, well-meaning
actions, firmness of character, considerate
Reverse - bias, false accusations, intolerance

The Falling Tower (Anya) - complete change, breakdown of old beliefs,
abandoment of past relationships,
Reverse: oppresion, imprisonment

Force (Buffy) - control, strenght, courage, fortitude, defiance, action,
confidence, inate ability, fervour, mind over matter, conquest
Reverse: pettiness, lack of faith, scummbing to tempation

The Hanged Man (Spike) - sacrifice, transition, change, reversal of the
mind and one's way of life, repentance, uncertain outcomes, an unappreciated
person
Reverse: preoccupation with the ego, unwillingness