Title: Physics with Buffy

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Disclaimer: Buffy is, of course, the property of the genius of Joss. I own nothing but the idea of this little story.

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A/N: Since Buffy Fanfic often uses Alternate Universes, I thought this would be a fun way to explain the whole concept so even Buffy could figure it out. haha Enjoy!

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(University of California - Sunnydale, 2001)

"I can't believe I let you talk me into taking th ... this, Astro Phyisie-dizzy class." Buffy whispered, as she squirmed in the rather uncomfortable lecture hall seat at UC Sunnydale.

"Shhh Buffy, this stuff is just getting good!" Willow whispered with her usual quirky little smile beaming across her face.

"Tegmark's Ultimate Ensemble hypothesis on multiverse theory considers equally all mathematically defined …," the professor droned on and on and on.

Despite all her very best efforts, Buffy coulldn't help but zone out in the first ten minutes of class. Her mind flooded with images of shopping and far more fun events with her friends. She remembered a really cute pair of shoes she saw in the Wally World shoe department just last week. She wondered if they were still there in her size. "Oh, and then there was that sexy dress just down the aisle from the shoes," she smiled as she thought to herself.

After a few minutes sitting in a daze, she squirmed a little more in her chair. A drop of her own drool hitting her hand seemed to snap her out of it. Wiping her mouth, she once again sat up in the stiff hard-backed seat. She thought to herself, "This class has been going on for well over twenty-four hours, I'm sure of it."

"I am totally positive, I'm not a three hours of class once a week kinda girl." Buffy sulked more to herself than anyone, a slightly pouty look coming across her face.

She watched for another incredibly long minute as the professor drew a bunch of circles on the board, one on top of the other. After a short explanation he drew overlapping rings and continued his mind numbing lecture. She felt like a zombie. Listening to the monotone older gentleman yadder on about physicals or physics or something was almost more than she could stand. She wanted to be outside, shopping, slaying, doing anything but this!

"… In light of Occam's Razor, the simplest solution concerning the Alternate Universe theory is …"

"How do you understand any of this stuff Will?" After a long pause, she added, "I think my brain is melting," Buffy's comments were a little too audible for Willow's comfort.

"Buffy, this is easy stuff. You'll catch on. Trust me. It's not bad at all … total cake walk, walking with cakes." Willow said as she glanced toward Buffy, then quickly toning her voice down when she noticed the professor look their way with a glare of annoyance.

The professor's gaze focused solely on Buffy. "The correct quantum mechanical definition of a parallel universe is simply … universes that are separated from each other by significant quantum events," he continued.

Buffy began to daydream yet again. "I wish …" replaying in her mind for the fifth time what she so wanted to be doing instead of being in class. Buffy finished her thought with confidence …., "I had mint chocolate chip ice cream while walking in …"

"Miss … MISS!" The voice from the stage interrupted her train of thought.

Buffy realized she had been day dreaming out loud. "This may qualify as the major faux pa of the day," she thought.

"Miss … Summers," Looking down at a class seating roster just for a second, the professor glanced back up at Buffy. "Did you have something to share with the class?" His tone was saturated with scorn.

Feeling a flush of humiliation come over her, amplified by an intense reddish rosiness to her cheeks, Buffy mustered up the hidden courage to stand. "I … I ... was just wondering …," her mind raced back to anything over the last two hours she could remember in order to form a question. She drew a blank.

"You were wondering what another universe would be like?" The professor must have had mercy on her, using her as a lead in to his next topic. "You see Miss Summers there may very well be a number of versions of you out there. While you are obviously entertaining us in this classroom, another version of you may be a waitress in a no-name diner, or perhaps you are a rich socialite, or a famous movie star, and yet another version of you could be some superhero in a world full of monsters."

Willow gave Buffy a strange look that screamed "Déjà vu" as Buffy started to sit down. The professor called on Buffy again, causing her to stand all the way back up, hanging on to her pen tightly as a security blanket. She was not getting away that easily it appeared.

"You see… Miss Summers, in Other Dimensional Theory, an infinite number of actions are also possible. Additionally, the laws of physics may be very different. Somewhere out there, a version of you could also be a large bunny or maybe even a robot." The class sympathetically laughed. Buffy started to turn more noticeably red but it soon faded as a determined look came across her face.

"You mean there is no … well … real me that's … me out there? That sounds boring." She made her point with an exaggerated pouty lower lip. "Bunny Buffy doesn't seem as fun as human Buffy. Anyway, I just am not into the fuzzy tail thing." Buffy shot back at the professor with a big dramatized frown. "Who would want to live with a fuzzy tail anyway? Such thoughts make my brain hurt."

Chuckles came from some of the students. Willow sank down a little lower in her seat.

"Yes, I can imagine so Miss Summers. In that case you will be glad to know that another part of that theory suggests that Alternate Realities may exist implying that the parallel universe is a variant of our own. In this theory the closer that universe A is to universe B then the more they are alike."

The bewildered look on her face told the professor that she did not have a clue as to what he just said. "It means there are possibly several near duplicates of you out there in the multiverse."

The thought of another Buffy out there made Buffy feel oddly comforted. She wondered for a second if the other Buffys out there had friends like she did and loved shopping. "Maybe this physical scientific stuff isn't all that bad," she thought to herself. "Got any examples of these universes around so I can see one? Do you think they have stylish yet inexpensive shoe stores?" The class laughed. Her playfully sarcastic skill with the professor seemed to diminish the embarrassment from a few moments ago. In her view, she just was showing interest in this new idea.

"You see Miss Summers ... uh ... let me see … your first name is … Buffy?" He knew the answer since he was looking at the seating roster but asked the question anyway to place emphasis to the class. It seems that with this professor, talking in class will get you called out in front of the world. She made a mental promise to herself to avoid this mess somehow the next time.

"Y... yes," Buffy said meekly, feeling just a little uncomfortable again.

"Well, Buffy, in an alternate universe YOU may be YOU with just a few negligible changes." The professor positioned clarity on each word he was now saying. "The YOU in the alternate reality may be … slightly taller or shorter, a year or two older or younger … maybe a brunette and not a blond … that kind of thing." He could make out from the look in her eyes that she seemed interested, so he continued.

"Here, in our universe, your name is Buffy, in an alternate reality, slash, CLOSE parallel universe; your name may still be Buffy. The further away from our universe you get the more variation is possible. Several universes away from this universe, your name could be Muffy or Joan or even Sarah. Yet, for all practical purposes, it would still be you."

"Muffy?" A bemused look appeared on her face as the buzzer rang signaling the end of class. "What kind of name is Muffy?"

Willow shot her quirky smile at her friend, "It's just a name Buffy, no biggie."

"Hmmm ... I guess your right. Although I think I could see myself as maybe a ... Sarah," Buffy thought aloud. "For some reason I could see myself as a Sarah." A little smile crossed Buffy's face she and Willow walked out of the classroom.

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A/N: This was a fun story I originally wrote as a prologue to another story. It helps explain alternate universes and parallel mumbo-jumbo. I thought it would really make a good stand-alone short story since I am seriously overhauling the original story it was written to support.

As always … let me know what you think PLEASE R&R! If you R&R ... I'll buy you mint Chocolate Chip Ice cream! Not really ... but if I could, I would for a R&R! hahaha