Chapter Three - Future Shocks

The mission from Gunther had led to Melaka Fray finding The Watcher's Diary. As she read the tales of the previous slayers she had a thought.

She was not alone.

She heard a sound behind her and quickly turned around. A ginger cat was scurrying across the room.

"Hey, little fella, what's happening." Fray said, picking up the cat and stroking its fur. The cat stretched and purred and looked behind Fray.

"Did you get to the bit about me yet?" asked the figure that had silently appeared behind her. "The name's Buffy Summers."

An instant later, Spike and his invisible-to-all-but-vampire companions, entered with a lot more noise, as he kicked a door down.

Buffy had her back to Spike, but it didn't matter. She could take him. She could take anyone.

"There's no point trying to stop me, Spike. It's never worked before."

"Buffy?" exclaimed Willow, in a bewildered and confused little girl voice.

"Willow? What are you doing here?" Her voice was, for a second, tinged with sadness. She turned around and saw Spike, Willow and Xander. "And Xander, too. At least you're pleased to see me."

"Except for vampires AND slayers." hissed Xander to Willow, his hands dropping once again.

"What's going on?" asked Fray.

Buffy smiled. "You're the first person I kill, Melaka Fray. Spike (the guy behind me with the bleached braids) is the second, and the other two, the naked ones you can't see or hear (you're not missing much believe me), well they're just ghosts from the past."

"But I thought you were a slayer like me." said a confused Fray.

"I'm no ordinary slayer." Buffy's brow furrowed, and furrowed, and furrowed some more, and her smile became more fangy. "I'm a furshlugginer vampire slayer."

"Buffy The Vampire Slayer, that's kind of catchy." observed Xander.

Willow frowned. Now was not the time for levity.

"It's all one big trap, Melaka. I arranged with Gunther to get you here. Who do you think wrote The Watcher's Diary that you were just reading?"

"I wonder if I did it." whispered Willow to Xander. "That would be a cool twist - if I ended up documenting all Buffy's adventures."

"It would tie in. You've spent your life going through the Ws, werewolves, Wiccan witchcraft, women..." whispered back Xander.

"Well we all know what kind of W you are." retorted Willow, her voice rising. "You, you, you ... you Mister Wisecracker, you."

"That wasn't the one that leapt to my mind." Spike admitted.

"I can hear you back there." shouted Buffy. "I'm a villain now and I'm explaining everything to Melaka before I render her lifeless. Would you please have some respect for tradition."

"Anyway, where was I? Ah, yes, all those stories couldn't have been written by a Watcher, how could they have possibly known the details."

"I get it. It's written by THE Watcher, he sees everything. Who'd have thought that that bald guy on the moon really existed?" interjected Xander, and then wished he hadn't.

"I wrote it, you numbskull." shouted Buffy exasperatedly, "A slayer subconsciously inherits the memories of all the previous slayers. It's fact. I wrote The Watcher's Diary, it's my dream journal. And why is it called The Watcher's Diary? Because I watch each new slayer come and I watch every new slayer go. It's your turn to go, Melaka. Now, before I kill you I'd appreciate it if you put down Willow." Buffy gestured towards the cat Fray was holding.

"Pussy Willow, do you get it?" Spike said to Willow explaining the cat's name. Willow nodded whilst placing her hand over Xander's mouth.

Fray dropped the cat and the fight started.

"I don't suppose that you can do any magic here in the future, Willow?" asked Spike. Willow shook her head apologetically, things didn't work that way.

"A few moments ago you were glad that there were other slayers, and now I bet you wish that I'd never turned up." said Buffy, blocking Fray's punch whilst delivering a substantial kick to Fray's head. "I once had a friend called Cordelia who wished that." Another kick landed on Fray. "She's dead now." Followed by a punch. "You'll be meeting her soon."

"Give my regards to Cord, Fray." Buffy knocked Fray across the room "Remember me to Wes The Square."

Spike attempted to join in but just got flung aside like a rag doll.

A few wisps of bright orange smoke appeared at Willow and Xander's feet".

"Not long to go, the spell's wearing off." warned Willow.

"Spike, I've got to know before I go." shouted Xander.

"Oh, my hair?" smiled Spike, "Everyone asks about that. The future's so shite I've got to wear braids."

"No, not that. How does the marriage go?"

Spike smirked mischievously. "Oh, you and Willow. You live happily ever after, don't worry."

At that point the bright orange smoke consumed Willow and Xander.

Spike had to get back to helping Fray.

Only one of the slayers would survive that night.

As the bright orange smoke slowly wafted away, leaving them back in the basement, Willow and Xander sang a duet. Xander was grateful when he realized that it was a reprise of a song he'd sung earlier that day with Anya. If it had been something more commercially orientated than Anya would never have forgiven him.

"It's sad."

"It's sadder."

"Buffy's a bigger badder."

"Do you really think Fray had a chance of grabbing success."

"She looked a loser."

"And Buffy is a bruiser."

"Does sexy MF really stand a chance with BS."

"I'd say it wasn't easy, She'll try, but I've a feeling she'll die."
"Are we looking at the gloomy side?"

"Will little Spikey turn the tide?"

"He'll probably get the boot in, though that hairstyle doesn't suit him."

"Maybe he'll surprise her, and prevent Fray's demise, yeah."

"Is Fray winning?"

"Is she losing?"

"This is all really confusing."

"I wish that was some way our memories to quell."

"So thank God I know a spell. I swear that I know a spell."

"Seal up my lips."

"I need a plant."

"Get me that plant. Cast me that spell."

"We'll never tell."

THE END

Grr! Arrgh!