TITLE: What Would Happen If...
AUTHOR: Ragna (Obsessive-Compulsive Spike - WritingGoddess@aol.com;
SpikeGrrl1@aol.com)
RATING: PG
CLASSIFICATION: Buffy/Oz friendship.
SUMMARY: Buffy and Oz get sucked 100 years into the future, and it's a mess.
SPOILERS: All of season 4 BtVS and season 1 A:tS
DISTRIBUTION: Any sites with my fic up; you all have unspoken permission. I
write it, you can post it. Everyone else just keep my name on it and let me
know.
ARCHIVED AT: http://www.envy.nu/allthepain/index.html
DISCLAIMER: If you don't recognize it, chances are it's my own creation. If
you do, Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Kazui Sandollar, FOX and the WB own it or
them. Various friends of mine are holding characters hostage. You may see
them by appointment only.
FEEDBACK: Sorry I'm not home right now I'm walking in the spiderwebs so leave
a message and I'll call you back...in other words, I want it. Don't care if
it's onlist or not.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I apologize for the delay...I lost electricity to my house
for about a week and there was no way to write anything. I should put out two
or three fics today, I'm sure. To Bridget and Anji and Tairis and those who
worried about me while I was away.
~*~*~*~
Graham and Xander walked through the graveyards, unconsciously doing the
rounds that Buffy normally did.

"She does it in a patterned way," Graham said. "One you apparently have down."

"I patrol with her a lot," Xander said, refusing to use the past tense when
talking about Buffy.

Graham nodded. "I don't patrol with her much. Even after the Initiative
disappeared, and I knew I should help..."

"You help when you can. When it comes to brute force, you aren't all that
lacking, Graham."

"And neither are you, from the condition that punching bag was in."

"I was just imagining it was Spike's face. I've been wanting to do that for
years."

***

Giles looked around uneasily. He'd gotten off the phone with Wesley. "We'll
be having more company," he said, looking at the four people in his living
room. "Spike, since this is all your fault, I'm extracting a promise of your
best behavior right now."

"Fine, I promise I'll be just like the poof," Spike muttered.

"They'll be here in a few hours. Wesley's bringing Angel, while Cordelia, Gun
and their friend, a detective in the LAPD, will be researching about the
vampires who were to have abducted Graham if he hadn't tricked them."

"I forgot about that," Willow said.

"I felt it was worth looking into," Giles said.

"Tsar," Spike said suddenly. "He's making a bid for all the pansy ass
vampires here. He wants to build the forces up."

Giles picked up the phone again and dialed the number. "I do believe you
might be a help after all...Willow, Tara, would you please cast the message
spell and let our friends in the future know what we're doing?"

***

"Tomorrow night!" Buffy squealed, jumping up and hugging Oz. "We're going
home tomorrow night!"

"Calm down," Oz said, but he couldn't help smiling, sharing her excitement.
"We still have to help kill Tsar, remember?" He looked around and back at the
burning message.

"I know, I remember," Buffy said. "But we can go home! I mean, I can get back
and spill my guts to Graham and you..." She trailed off for a moment. "You
don't really have anyone in Sunnydale except Devon, do you?"

Oz shrugged. "I've got the band, I'll survive."

"No...I mean, you're alone. Relationship-wise."

Oz stayed silent for a moment. "Yeah, I guess I am."

Drew, who'd watched the celebrating from the sidelines, cleared her throat.
"Hate to break it to you, but if you go up against Tsar tomorrow night...how
are you going to get home?" She was hinting at the unsaid question: what if
they didn't survive?

Oz walked over to her and put an arm around her shoulder. "Everything's going
to work out. Trust me on it." And in that minute, a massive decision was made.

***

Wesley was true to his word...a few minutes before sunrise, he and Angel came
walking through Giles' front door. "A few more minutes and..." Angel was
saying.

"It's your fault you own a convertible and can't pay to get the bloody roof
fixed."

"I should take it out of Cordelia's pay," Angel muttered, looking at the
people assembled. Graham and Xander had returned from their patrol about a
half hour before, and there was a tenseness in the room, not only from what
was to happen that evening but from something else, something Angel and
Wesley didn't know about.

"How is Cordelia?" Xander asked.

"She's doing good," Angel replied. "Really good." One of the few things Angel
was proud of in his long existence was helping the people he'd helped,
Cordelia included. "What's going on here?"

Giles motioned for them to join him in the kitchen. "There's a bit of a rift
between them all," Giles said, pulling out mugs for the coffee that was
brewing. "Apparently it is centered on Spike and Anya seeing each other while
Anya was seeing Xander." He shook his head. "They're all here to get Buffy
and Oz back, but beyond that..."

Angel motioned towards Graham. "Who's he?"

"Graham Miller, the intended victim of the raid I was telling you about. He's
a friend of Buffy's, and a former Initiative member."

Angel nodded. "And we're here to do what?"

"Help me translate things...or at least one of you. If the other could help
keep peace, that would be appreciated as well."

The two men nodded, and Angel agreed to keep peace between all of them. He
just knew he was in for a long day.