This is my first fanfic ever, so any reviews and constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated. Needless to say, all characters and the Buffyverse/Wishverse itself belongs to Joss, Mutant Enemy, Fox etc. I don't own anything, I'm just a fan.

Romanian Woods, Romania

1898

Leave it to gypsies to take everything so bloody personally. That's what Spike would have said. Of course the vampire Angelus knew they'd take it personally. That was half the fun. He reaped just as much pleasure from knowing how beloved the girl was as he had in doing the vile act. The plague of suffering would cripple and destroy the young gypsy girl, then spread to her clan and strike everyone who'd known or loved her. Even after the girl was dead, after Angelus had long since moved on, the suffering would continue, like ripples in a pond. Of course what Angelus had never considered was that he himself could become entangled in the web of pain he'd carefully constructed. That the wave of suffering would not only engulf the gypsy girl and her clan, but himself too.

His muscles ached as he raced towards the gypsy camp, the fires from the settlement burning brightly against the blackness of the night. Return my soul? He thought as he ran. Is that even possible?

He'd told the others nothing. Spike and Drusilla were off looking for little lost children to butcher, and Angelus had merely told Darla that he had something important to attend to, something that he needed to do alone.

The lights of the settlement drew closer. He had to reach the gypsy elders and kill them before their ritual could be completed. For any vampire, being fused with a human soul was a fate worse than death.

Angelus broke free of the woods, but a tree root snagged his footing as he ran, sending him sprawling, landing face first in the dirt by the gypsy bonfire. Frightened and surprised villagers began to gather. For an instant everything around him turned to a blistering white before turning pitch black. A man emerged from the blackness and approached the vampire. "It hurts, yes?" the man asked Angelus. "Good, it will hurt more."

The vampire felt completely numb. He failed in preventing the spell and for the moment, he had no idea where or even who he was. The last thing he remembered was stumbling out of the tavern, being attacked by the blonde woman, and then falling asleep for the next hundred or so years. "Where am I?" he asked the man.

"You don't remember… everything you've done for a hundred years." The man explained. "In a moment, you will. The face of everyone you killed… Our daughter's face… They will haunt you and you will know what true suffering is."

"Killed?" the vampire began in shock. "I don't…" Suddenly his restored human soul began to access the perverted memories still fresh in his undead brain. "No!" he gasped in horror as the memories of all the suffering he'd caused came flooding back to him. "No, no no!"

Holtz's wife and children. Drusilla. The gypsy girl. A hundred other innocent faces flashed before his eyes, faces that he'd gleefully murdered. Suddenly he cared.

Sunnydale High, Sunnydale, California

1999 -original timeline

Cordelia Chase stepped out into the courtyard of Sunnydale High with her new friend Anya, glad to finally have somebody who would listen to her. Life can be so unfair. Terrible things kept happening to Cordy, and behind it all, there was only one person to blame. Not Xander. Buffy Summers. Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Anya, the new girl at Sunnydale was a great listener. Ever since Xander cheated on her with the disgusting Willow Rosenberg, Cordy felt so alone. A week earlier, Cordy had walked into an abandoned factory; to rescue Xander no less, when she caught the pair kissing. Who knows how far it could have gone if Cordy hadn't walked in on them. Then, to add further injury; Cordy had tripped down some stairs, tears blurring her vision, and landed on a broken rebar, impaling herself. She was rushed to hospital, and had to take a week off school. The doctors said it was a miracle that none of her vital organs had been damaged. Xander even had the gall to visit her in hospital, to bring her flowers.What a joke.

She'd given up everything to be with Xander. Her most obvious sacrifice, of course was her social status. Cordy had been the pinnacle of popularity. Everyone looked up to her. That all changed when she started dating that loser, Xander Harris. Harmony and the others wouldn't be seen with her, but that was fine, Cordy was making new friends. She was slowly starting to be accepted into the "Scooby gang", Xander's circle of nerdy friends. And he cheated on her. With Willow of all people.

Popularity wasn't the only sacrifice Cordelia had made for Xander. She'd also been bitten by snakes, threatened by vampires and a manner other things. And through it all, Cordelia had convinced herself that it was worth it. That he was worth it. She was starting to count Buffy and the others as friends. But they weren't her friends. They would never be; they would always be Xander's friends first, and Cordy did not need their pity. Her old friends had ditched her. At least this new girl, Anya was keeping her company. Cordy winced as she clutched her side.

"Are you okay?" Anya asked.

"Oh, I just pulled some stitches last night," Cordy replied. "Know why? Surprise, it was Buffy's fault." Anya followed Cordelia's gaze and saw a blonde girl sitting at a bench. That must be Buffy, she thought. The slayer.

Suddenly Harmony Kendall and the rest of Cordilia's popular former friends approached. "Oh, hey it's garbage girl!" Harmony chirped. "Loved the look last night Cor. Dumpster chic for the dumped." The group of girls giggled as the walked by, leaving Cordy's face flushing a deep pink. Anya unfastened a pendant from around her neck and handed it to Cordy. It was a good luck charm, an elegant gold necklace with a brilliant green gemstone in the centre.

"Here." Anya said. "I think you need this more than I do right now."

"Yeah, I could use some luck... and a stick with sharp pointy bits." Cordelia said gratefully as Anya fastened the pendant around Cordy's neck. "If that Buffy wasn't… I swear, she's such a pain."

"But Xander, he's an utter loser," Anya said. "Don't you just wish-"

"I would have never looked twice at Xander if Buffy hadn't made him marginally cooler by hanging out with him." Cordy interupted.

"Really?" said Anya.

"Yeah, I swear! I wish that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale."

Anya turned to Cordy, who recoiled in shock. The vains on Anya's normally attractive face bulged out and the skin turned a raw pink. Her nails became long and black as coal. Anya Jenkins had become Anyanka, the demon saint of women scorned.

"Done." Anyanka growled as she twisted history and reshaped reality. I wish that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale. Those were the words Anyanka needed to hear.

Sunnydale High, Sunnydale, California

1997 -altered timeline

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" the small blonde girl stammered to the young man she had met at the club.

"It's a great idea," replied the young male. "Now come on." The empty hallway stretched before them. The boy wasn't worried. He'd snuck into the school like this a dozen times before. There was never any security, and it was the perfect spot to take girls. He was tall, athletic with brown hair. She was petite, had straight blonde hair and glistening blue eyes. The shadows played across the girl's porcelain features, giving her a striking elegance in spite of her outward nervousness.

What a great night. He'd finished up work early and decided to relax at the Bronze, maybe even pick up. None of his friends were there, which in his opinion sucked. Then he spotted her. Of course, unbeknownst to him, she'd been eyeing him long before he ever noticed the slim, attractive schoolgirl standing by the bar. First they'd started talking. Just casual flirting. He offered to get her a drink, but she said she wasn't thirsty. Maybe she's underage, he thought? Her age was hard to pin down just by looking at her. Her face was youthful and so innocent. But there was something about her eyes that gave off the impression that she might even be older than him. She was a girl full of contradictions, she wouldn't drink, but her hair and attire begged for the attention of every guy in the room.

For the briefest of moments, he considered his ethics. How old was she? If she's underage, should it matter? Could I get into any sort of trouble for this? He tried asking her age. She just smiled. Fuck it. She wants me. And he wanted her too. He'd always liked blondes, but there was something so irresistibly different about this girl. Some part of him just knew that she was nothing like any girl he'd met before.

"Do you go to school here?" the girl asked nervously.

"I used to," he replied. "On top of the gym it's so cool. You can see the whole town."

"I –I don't want to go up there." the girl stammered.

"Aw, you can't wait huh?" A small well of anger began to stir. He'd taken her this far. There was no way he'd have her bail out on him now.

"We're just going to get in trouble." This was the first time she'd ever broken into a school. Her eyes begged the boy, but this only egged him on further. What was this chick's name again?

"Yeah, you can count on it," he replied smugly.

The girl glanced over her shoulder nervously. "What was that?"

"What was what?" he asked back. Darla. That's right, she said her name was Darla.

"I heard a noise," Darla answered.

"It's nothing." He answered bluntly.

"M-maybe it's something?"

"Maybe it' something", he mocked.

"That's not funny!" She seemed genuinely frightened now.

"Hellooooo," the boy shouted into the darkness before them. He waited a few seconds. There was nothing. He turned back to Darla. "There's nobody here."

Darla relaxed a little and smiled sweetly at him. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," the boy grinned.

"Okay."

Now it was the boy's turn to feel uncomfortable. Something horrible happened to Darla's face. Her eyes turned yellow like a cat's, and the skin on her forehead twisted and formed two deep ridges that covered her brows. A pair of fangs extended from her mouth. He took a step back in horror. It was too late. Darla lunged at his neck, and the colour vanished from the boy's face before he could breathe.