DISCLAIMER: All things Buffy are the creation and property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy Productions, and so forth. All things non-Buffy are the creation and property of many other individuals and corporate entities.

This particular story is the creation of Robert A. Black (that's me). Feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you think of my work. Good or bad, I'd like to hear it.

TIME CONTEXT: This story takes place between the Buffy episodes, "Nightmares" and "Invisible Girl."

Confused? Refer to the Readers' Guide at the end of the chapter for hints and explanations.

"Gone. Gone. All of it's gone."

Spike pulled the car over to the side of the road. Drusilla sounded like she was having another of her visions, and he didn't want to miss any important bits.

"What's gone, Poodle?" he asked her.

"Miss Edith's knocked the teapot over," Drusilla replied. "The tea's all run out onto the floor."

Spike turned and looked into the back seat. Drusilla sat with her dolls next to her. She had been trying to have one of her tea parties while the car was still moving, and sure enough, the teapot had tipped over. The spilled tea, of course, was something only Drusilla could see.

Spike growled to himself. The madness that came with Drusilla's gifts could be the most annoying of burdens. He sometimes thought they could even make him angry enough to go out and kill people without enjoying it.

Still, there was no point in venting any of his frustration at Drusilla. It would only upset her, and he didn't need that. Swallowing his anger, he merely said, "Well, don't worry, love. Once we find the power that collected those people you saw before, I'm sure we'll be able to get all the tea you want."

He faced forward and turned the ignition key to start the car again.

"That's all gone, too," Drusilla said quietly.

Spike's foot slipped off the clutch. The car jerked forward violently, then came to a stop as the engine died.

"What did you say?" asked Spike, turning toward the back seat again.

"Someone put a hole in the one who held the power. It's all run down the drain." Drusilla cast a forlorn look down at the floor of the car. "Just like the tea," she added.

"You mean it's all gone?" Spike asked, incredulous.

"Everything is the way it was," Drusilla replied. "Out with the new. In with the old."

Spike snarled. If Drusilla was right, then the two of them were back where they started. Still without a way of restoring her to health.

Fortunately, Drusilla wasn't quite finished. "The Master's in his place again," she said, "but he's about to meet his end."

"Really?" said Spike. "Well, at least that last bit sounds promising." Perhaps things were looking up after all. "Maybe we'll check out this Sunnyhill place after all, once the time is right."

Spike started the car again and drove it down the highway. He would have to wait until Drusilla gave the word before going to Sunnyhill, of course. He had no desire to face the Master and didn't want to arrive in town before he met the fate Drusilla predicted. Still, there was plenty to do before then. Plenty of people to kill, as well. It was going to be a good spring and summer.

"Spike?" said Drusilla.

"Yes, love?"

"Can we stop soon?" Drusilla held up another of her dolls. "Miss Holly wants some Earl Grey."

***

Buffy shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She really had to stop falling asleep in these things, she thought groggily.

It took a few more seconds of waking up to remember that she wasn't in a chair when she was last awake.

She opened her eyes and found herself in the library. The normal library. No alien beings. No time travelers. No visitors from alternate universes. The place was its usual dark, creepy self.

She was home.

If Buffy was tempted to think she had dreamed the entire night's adventure, the aches throughout her body put a stop to the idea quickly. But clearly something had happened while she'd been out. She stood up, hoping to find someone who could fill her in on the details.

Giles hurried out of his office, clearly delighted to see her. "Buffy!" he called. "I'm so glad you're all right!"

"You know me," said Buffy. "Slayers wobble, but they don't fall down." Looking out the windows, she asked, "What time is it? I'll bet I'm in the major league grounding zone."

"It's quite early, actually - for tomorrow," said Giles.

"So what exactly happened?" Buffy asked. "The last thing I remember was that Lennier guy staking Anthony. How did he do that?"

"We're not exactly sure," Giles replied. "Lennier claims that he was able to reach Anthony by keeping his thoughts tranquil. Since Anthony was busy tormenting you, he didn't notice the danger until it was too late."

"Tranquillity, huh? I'll have to try that sometime," said Buffy. Giles's expression suggested he would believe such a claim when he saw it. Buffy decided to move on to another topic. "So where is he now?" she asked. "Where's anybody now?"

As if on cue, the library doors opened and Xander walked in, with Kimberly close behind him.

"Buffy!" Xander cried. "Welcome back! You're just in time to catch the end of the incredible collapsing interface show."

"The what?" Buffy asked.

"All the different universes are fading out," Xander explained. "One minute, people are there. The next - WOOSH! - they're gone. Back to wherever they came from, I guess. Almost everybody's left by now."

"With a few exceptions," said Buffy glancing over at Kimberly as the girl chatted with Giles.

"Yeah," said Xander. "Ain't life grand?"

The library doors opened again, and the Seventh Doctor entered, followed by Ace.

"Good morning," said the Doctor, tipping his hat. "I trust everything around here is returning to normal."

"We're getting there," Buffy replied.

"Splendid," said the Doctor. "Ace and I have kept ourselves busy, dropping off people here and there while the Podowski resonances were still in our favor. We also picked up a passenger you might be interested in seeing."

With that, the Doctor pushed the library door open with his umbrella. Another small figure stepped through.

"Willow!" cried Xander.

Willow broke into a huge grin as Xander ran over and gave her an economy-sized welcome-home hug. Buffy merely shook her head and smiled to herself. One of these days, Xander would have to stop being clueless boy when it came to the way he felt about his friend.

"You guys have no idea what I've been through tonight," Willow said, once she was able to breathe again.

"Same here," Xander replied. "I guess it's been a night of wackiness for everyone."

Willow spotted Kimberly across the room and, much to Buffy's surprise, walked straight over to the other girl. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a bright pink wristwatch.

"I guess this belongs to you," said Willow, handing Kimberly the watch.

"Thanks," Kimberly replied. She quickly took the watch and strapped it to her wrist. "Well, I guess this means I should be going."

"So soon?" asked Xander.

"Yeah," said Kimberly. Buffy knew from the look on Kimberly's face that the girl wasn't nearly as clueless about Xander's feelings as Xander was. "Like the Doctor said, I really shouldn't miss those Podowski resonances."

"Gee," said Willow. "That's too bad."

"Well, you know how it goes," said Kimberly. "Maybe I'll catch you at the next interface." With that, she pressed a button on the side of the wristwatch. A bright pink flash enveloped her, then shot through the ceiling. She was gone.

***

Not too long after Kimberly's departure, the Seventh Doctor and Ace said their good-byes as well. The eastern sky was just beginning to brighten as the pair left the Sunnydale High School building and made their way to the Doctor's TARDIS.

"Professor," said Ace, "there's something I've been meaning to ask you. What did the Master mean when he talked about changing the course of your other self's life?"

"It's quite simple, really," the Doctor replied. "The Master took his current body back when I was that Doctor. The Master was also the one who ended that particular life of mine. Therefore, I couldn't let myself see him, because if he did I might be changing my own personal history."

"I see," said Ace.

"Do you really?"

"No," Ace admitted. "Hasn't that Doctor's life already been changed just by being here and meeting you? I mean, if you had already gone through this night back when you were him, wouldn't you have remembered it?"

"Who says I didn't?" the Doctor asked cryptically.

It took Ace a moment to grasp what the Doctor told her. When she did, her eyes grew to twice their normal size. "You knew!" she cried. "We went through all that, and you knew what was going to happen the whole time!"

"Not everything that was going to happen," the Doctor replied. "I knew someone had caused a multiversal interface, but I didn't know who. My other self never met Anthony, remember? It took me over a century to find him, then several decades more to figure out how I could lure him to the Hellmouth at this exact moment in time."

"You did that?"

"I had to," the Doctor insisted. "This way, I had some control over the situation. If I'd left Anthony alone, he might not have found the Hellmouth until he was older - and far more dangerous."

"Well devious," said Ace. "I'm glad you're on our side. At least I think you are."

The Doctor reached out and lightly flicked his finger across the tip of Ace's nose. "If I wasn't," he told her, "you'd know."

"So what happens to all the people who live here?" said Ace, hurrying to catch up as the Doctor resumed his quick walk toward the TARDIS. "They've spent the whole night with people from other worlds. Isn't that going to change things a little?"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry, Ace," the Doctor replied. "I suspect that little problem will take care of itself."

***

Giles and the three teenagers were busily recounting their various experiences when the library doors opened yet again. Mulder and Scully entered and quickly approached the group.

"Mister Giles," said Mulder, "I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder. I understand my reputation precedes me."

"It does indeed," Giles replied.

"Then you should already know why we're here," Mulder continued. "I can't begin to tell you how much tonight's events are going to affect our work on the X-Files. We'll need to get sworn statements from all of you."

"Sworn statements?" Buffy repeated. "As in, 'you have to get up in court and say it in front of everybody' type sworn statements?"

"More likely Congress, if this thing has the kind of impact I think it will," said Mulder.

"Congress. Cool," said Xander.

"Giles, we don't have to, do we?" asked Willow.

"Agent Mulder," said Giles, "I will be more than happy to make a statement, but I must insist that you leave these children out of your report, as well as any information about Buffy's... special calling."

"You can't ask me to do that!" Mulder exclaimed.

"I just did," Giles reminded him. "Telling the world that Buffy is the Slayer would place a number of people in grave danger. You should have plenty of evidence without even mentioning her name..."

"I have a responsibility to the truth!" Mulder insisted.

"And I have a responsibility to my Slayer," Giles countered.

"And I have a responsibility to something far greater than either of those," a new voice said quietly.

Everyone in the library turned toward the door, where they saw an older man in a dark suit standing there, watching them. In his hand was a cigarette, which he puffed on as if he was an alien who needed some kind of chemical supplement to breathe the Earth's atmosphere.

"You," said Mulder, his voice suddenly filled with hatred. "I should have known you'd show up."

"Of course," said the cigarette smoking man. "The things you've seen present a serious threat to the public well-being. It's my duty to protect the public against them."

"Even you won't be able to cover everything up this time," said Scully. "There have been too many witnesses, and there's too much physical evidence."

"All of which are already being handled, Agent Scully," the cigarette smoking man replied.

The library doors opened again. Three more people - a young black man, an older white man and a young blonde woman - filed in. They were all dressed in matching black suits. Despite the fact that it was not quite dawn, all three wore matching pairs of sunglasses.

"You have something to report?" asked the cigarette smoking man.

"Yes, sir," said the woman. By some curious coincidence, she sounded almost exactly like Kes. "The construction detail has almost finished restoring the Bronze to its former condition. Our memory reconstruction sweep of the town is nearly finished as well."

"Excellent work," said the cigarette smoking man. "Complete your assignments, then get all units out of here before they're noticed."

The woman nodded, and all three of the black-suited figures left. The cigarette smoking man puffed on his cigarette contentedly, daring someone to say something.

Mulder finally spoke up. "That takes care of the town," he said, "but what about us?"

"You'll be pleased to know, Agent Mulder," the cigarette smoking man replied, "that I have something quite special in mind for you."

The library doors opened once again, admitting another man. Like the trio that had preceded him, the man was dressed entirely in black, even down to a black pair of gloves. His clothes, however, were in an odd style that Giles didn't recognize. The man's left hand seemed to be frozen in the shape of a fist, and an unusual pin bearing the Greek letter Psi stood out on the man's chest.

"Mister Bester," said the cigarette smoking man, "it's good to see that you're still here. I know the Podowski resonances won't last much longer, so I appreciate your staying to complete this little task."

"My pleasure," said Bester. "If it protects the time stream, then it's in my best interest as well as yours."

Willow gave Bester a peculiar look. "Don't I know you from somewhere?" she asked.

"I sincerely doubt it," Bester replied. "And even if you do, you won't for very much longer."

A look of intense concentration crossed Bester's face. Giles suddenly began to feel the room spinning. The effect was similar to being hypnotized, only more extreme. As he fought to keep his balance, Giles looked around and saw that everyone else in the library - except for the cigarette smoking man, oddly enough - was feeling the same sense of disorientation.

"Soon," Bester's voice rang in Giles's mind, "you won't remember that any of this ever happened. It'll be like a bad dream you forget the minute you wake up. But then...

No one responded.

"Come on, people!" Bester exclaimed. "Lewis Carroll? Alice in Wonderland? My God, no matter where I go, I'm surrounded by cultural illiterates."

Giles was about to say something, but he abruptly forgot what it was. Then he forgot everything else and faded from the conscious world.

***

"Hey, Buffy, look at this!" Willow cried from her usual place in front of the library's computer terminal.

"What is it, Will?" Buffy asked. She was busy setting up her books for another round of dreaded history studying, and was therefore desperate for anything that would drag her away from them.

"You know that FBI Agent whose files I, uh, accidentally stumbled over a few weeks ago?" said Willow. "The guy who investigates UFO's and monsters and all that weird stuff?"

"Sure," Buffy replied. "How could I forget?"

"Well, he was here!" Willow exclaimed.

"What? In Sunnydale?" Panic flashed across Buffy's mind as she thought of the FBI discovering that she was the Slayer.

"About a week and a half ago," Willow continued. She pointed to the computer screen as Buffy reached her side. Several highly classified-looking government documents filled the frame. "Look, here's his field report. Someone sent him copies of the school paper. You know, stuff about all the weird things that happen around here."

"I don't remember anyone investigating anything," said Buffy. "If he was here, you'd think somebody would have pointed us out to him. Cordelia, if no one else."

Willow shrugged. "The report just says he came out here and didn't find anything. He wrote the whole case off as 'an adolescent prank.'"

"Well, how do you like that?" said Buffy. "It's about time we got a break."

"I'll say," Willow replied.

The two girls looked through the FBI documents for a while. Then, once they were sure they hadn't been discovered, Willow clicked the button on her mouse and returned to her web surfing.

Buffy went back to her books, still dreading the thought of reading through them, but at the same time feeling somewhat relieved to be worrying over something so normal. For once, the routine non-supernatural side of life was taking priority. The upcoming May Queen selection and the Spring Fling were going to fill all their lives with normal things, and Buffy couldn't be happier. For once, the supernatural had passed them by without disturbing them at all.

The End

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