Seeing Is Believing by Kirk Baldridge

Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I think by now we all know who actually does.
Distribution: The Mystic Muse: http://mysticmuse.net
You want it? Take it. Just let me know where it is
Feedback: Yes, please. It's what gives me the strength to go on, after all.
Spoilers: Oh come on, the show is over. What's to spoil? What? Oh, okay. Well, if you haven't seen the 7th season you might be a little lost. Otherwise, this thing should speak for itself
Pairing: Willow/Tara

Summary: The First gets creative, and Kennedy must suffer the consequences.

Kennedy ducked into the mausoleum and leaned against the sarcophagus, lowering her head for a few moments to try and catch her breath.

Her side was throbbing, and she knew without lifting her shirt that she was going to have one hell of a bruise by morning. And unlike Buffy she didn't heal so quickly. She'd just been hoping a little tender loving care from a certain witch would help dull the pain.

The evening had been going so well. She and the other Potentials were out on patrol with Buffy and Spike, and she had been the one to save a girl from a vampire. Before she could celebrate she was attacked by a demon, a big, green, yellow-eyed demon that swung a tree limb at her like a club. She had tried twisting out of the way but was only partly successful, as her pained breathing would attest.

With that same demon hot on her heels she'd taken off running. Unfortunately she got lost, all turned around in the dark with no flashlight and no idea where the others were. Which meant she couldn't follow Buffy's number one rule about getting separated; head immediately back to the house. She had no idea where the house was, and every time she paused to rest the demon caught up to her.

"Women." The Potential nearly jumped out of her skin as Warren Meers leaned out of the shadows on the other side of the sarcophagus. "They're never around when you need them." He smirked. "And getting rid of them makes such a mess."

Kennedy sneered at the man, who's disgusting face she'd never forget since the first time she'd seen it had been after she kissed Willow. Only she knew this wasn't Willow, or Warren himself for that matter. And that only left her with one culprit. "Oh great. What do you want?"

The First, in the guise of Warren, walked through the sarcophagus. "What? I can't just stop in to say hi?"

Kennedy crossed her arms. "You're wasting your time, pal. Your twisted mind games might've gotten Chloe to off herself but that trick won't work on me."

"Of course not." Warren turned into Chloe, complete with pale skin and a ring of bruises around her neck. "You're much too smart for that, aren't you? Just like you're smart enough to know that you and the witch are never going to work out. We both know you're not good enough for her."

"I thought so. I saw her and Willow together, you know." Chloe 'sat' on the sarcophagus, at least as much as her astral self was able to. "The two of them made quite a pair. Fact is, if it wasn't for them I probably would have offed the Slayer a long time ago. You're just a pathetic substitute for blondie."

"You're not telling me anything I don't already know," said Kennedy. "Will's still in love with her. I'm the rebound girl. Whatever. That's cool. At least I get to spend some time with her."

"How pathetically noble. It's too bad you don't mean it. You're jealous, of a dead woman." Chloe became Tara, who Kennedy recognized from pictures. "How ridiculous is that?"

Kennedy backed away. She was having a hard time breathing, and it had little to do with her side. "Screw you. Like I said, you're wasting your time. You can't do anything to me."

"True enough. I can't." Behind 'Tara' the mausoleum door burst open and in walked a lanky demon in leather, with oily gray skin and wide golden eyes. "But he's a different story."

"I'd say it's a pleasure, but since you're here to kill me, I'm gonna go with screw you."

"A not unpleasant offer." Archon held up his hand and the palm began to glow. "But unfortunately, I have work to do. Another time, perhaps?"

"What are you…?" Kennedy recognized the signs of magic, like what she'd experienced firsthand from Willow only not quite as painful. "…doing?" Her skin was tingling. "No!"

Kennedy woke with a start, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her side pulsed with pain and she hissed as she sat up, slowly, and looked around.

She was still in the mausoleum but the First and its demon were gone. The Potential didn't understand it. They'd had her cornered, hurt, alone and helpless. Why hadn't it killed her when it had the chance? Struggling to her feet she put a hand against her side and winced.

It hurt pretty bad, but at least nothing was broken. She knew what that felt like. Once during a training session she had made a misstep that let her Watcher struck her in the side with his staff, nearly cracking one of her ribs. He didn't apologize or help her up, instead he just berated her for her careless and then tended to her wounds. She never forgot that, or made that same mistake again.

"Sorry, Nige. I'll try and do better next time." Kennedy headed for the door. She needed to get back to Buffy's to let the Slayer know she was okay and, of course, see Willow again. Hold her. Kiss her. Maybe…the Potential shook her head. This wasn't the time to get distracted. "I'm coming, Will."

Kennedy headed for the door. She needed to get back to Buffy's to let the Slayer know she was okay and, of course, see Willow again. Hold her. Kiss her. Maybe…the Potential shook her head. This wasn't the time to get distracted. "I'm coming, Will."

Outside, she paused as the sun shone in her eyes, momentarily blinding her. "Wait, it's morning? How long was I out?" She looked at her watch. According to it only an hour or so had passed, but it had been at least four hours until sunrise when they got to the cemetery. "Weird." The demon had done something to her, something magical most likely, it had probably affected her watch. "Screw it."

It was time to go. Of course she still had a problem. She wasn't exactly sure where she was or how to get back to Buffy's house. Shrugging her shoulders she just started walking. Sooner or later she was bound to see some sort of landmark she recognized, or if nothing else she could find a phone and call Willow. At least since the sun was up she didn't have to worry about running into any vampires, and the demon who had been chasing her had probably gone to ground for the day.

By chance the Potential found her way downtown. The two phone booths she came across were both out of order, but since she'd been to the Bronze before she at least knew how to get back to Buffy's from here. She stopped by the drug store for some pain relievers, and decided to get something to wash them down at the Expresso Pump before heading back. As she was entering two other people were leaving, and because she was busy trying to open a bottle of pills at the time she accidentally ran into one of them.

"Excuse me." Kennedy lifted her head. "I…" She immediately forgot whatever she was going to say, as she realized who it was she'd struck. "Willow?"

"What?" Kennedy blinked. "Yes, we…uhhm…" Willow's hair was different, shorter, and she was doing something the Potential had not seen much since arriving in town. Smiling. "You don't remember me?"

The other person cleared her throat. "Sweety, I've really got to get back to campus. I have a paper to finish. I'll see you later, okay?"

Kennedy started. For the first time she actually looked at the other person. Long blonde hair. A quirky smile. Both of which she'd seen in pictures around the house. "Tara?"

The Potential forgot all about her drink, and her pain, and instead followed the witches. Discreetly. She didn't want them to notice her so she occasionally stopped to duck behind a light post or parked car, all the while studying the pretty blonde with her girlfriend. She watched Willow start to put her arm through Tara's, then hesitate, only to have the blonde shake her head and do it instead.

"This is crazy. It's can't be Tara. She's dead. She's been dead over a year now." Her initial thought was that it was the First. But Willow was willingly spending time with her, and she was touching the blonde after all. So what the hell was going on? "Even for Sunnydale, this is a hell of a thing."

Along the way she couldn't help noticing that even though they were walking arm in arm there was a certain distance between them. A visible hesitance in their interaction, reflected in the way they parted without kissing, and the lingering glances each gave the other over their shoulder when they thought the other was not looking.

"Huh." She just assumed Willow and Tara were always lovey-dovey. From the way Dawn talked about them they were the perfect couple. But she saw a great deal of tension. "Wait." She remembered a conversation with Anya of all people, who mentioned the two of them had broken up for a time. "I had to watch Willow closely to make sure she didn't dig her lesbian-come-lately claws into Xander again" had been the ex-demon's exact words. "So, would this be...the past?"

Kennedy didn't pretend to understand magic. Trying to wrap her mind around alternate dimensions and telekinesis and all the rest of that fairy tale crap just made her head hurt. Her personal experiences with having the life nearly sucked out of her had also left her with a bitter taste in her mouth about the subject. But there was little doubt it was involved here. That demon in the mausoleum had obviously done something to her. It had apparently sent her back in time a year or so. She didn't know how, or even why. It did occur to her, though, that her easy acceptance of the premise was a pretty good indication of the weird direction her like had taken.

"Let's think this through. I need help with magic. I'm not ready to approach Willow again. Not until I have something concrete. So, where does a girl go in Sunnydale to find out about magic?"

A few minutes later she entered the Magic Box, and once again found herself at a loss. Willow had told her about this place, how Giles owned and ran it for a time then gave control over to Anya when he went back to England. But it had been destroyed, by Willow, and never rebuilt well before the Potential arrived in Sunnydale. She also had no idea what she was looking for. There were books everywhere, along with candles and charms and bottles of multi-colored liquids and powers. It was so...confusing.

Kennedy nearly jumped out of her skin. Not only because she'd been surprised, but because who was speaking to her. Anya, with her shorter, curlier blonde hair. "Uhhmm..."

"Come on, I don't have all day. I have to places to go and people to cu..." Anya stopped, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "Hallie says I'm having man issues. I'm sure you know what that's like."

Kennedy bit her lip. If she had gone back in time, how much should tell them? For now, she decided to play it safe. "Sorry."

Anya shook her head. "Never mind. Did you actually need something, or where you just here to stare at my shop? 'cause I don't mind, as long as your leering doesn't scare off the paying customers."

One thing was for sure; past or present, Anya was Anya. That was one thing Kennedy always liked about her. She spoke her mind, no matter what. She also had, if Kennedy understood correctly, something like eleven hundred years of experience with the supernatural behind her. "Do you happen to know anything about...time travel?"

"Hm...that's not exactly my area of expertise. Temporal travel is much more difficult than dimensional." Anya turned. "But I may have a couple of volumes on the subject. Are you looking for theoretical information, or practical application?"

"Actually, I know this might sound a little crazy, but I think I've been sent through time, and I need to figure out if there's any way to get back home." Kennedy held her breath, wondering how Anya would react.

"Uh, the future I guess. About a year or so." Kennedy stared at the other woman. "So, you're saying you actually believe me?"

"About being from the future? It's not the strangest thing I've ever heard. Done it once or twice myself as a matter of fact." Anya climbed the ladder. "Okay, let's see. Future, future...oh, here we go." She grabbed a large, leather-bound volume. "Tergum ut Posterus." She climbed off the ladder. "I have others too. I…" She paused as she was stepping off the ladder. "Before I hand over this very old and valuable manuscript, may I ask..." She clutched the book to her chest. "...how you intend to pay?"

Kennedy nodded, then drew one of several credit cards, platinum to be exact, from her purse and smiled at the expression on Anya's face. "Charge it." She followed Anya to the front counter. "I must admit, I'm a little surprised you're not. Surprised, I mean. By the time travel thing."

"Comes with the territory. I take it you weren't exactly planning such a long trip?"

"Not really. There was this demon. Its hand glowed and it zapped me with some kind of…"

Anya nodded. "Sounds like a Tempor. I met one back in…Cairo was it? No, Istanbul. Anyway, they're able to travel forward or back in time at will. Most Tempors are mercenaries, and as I understand it never use their power on someone else without good reason." She chuckled. "You must have really pissed somebody off to get one of them sent after you."

"Not on it's own, no, but it should get you started." Once she was sure the card had been approved Anya handed it, and the book, over to Kennedy. "I'll tell you one thing. I hope you know a good witch." Kennedy was a little taken aback by this statement, and nearly dropped the book. "Time travel's always difficult under the best of circumstances. A witch, or better yet a coven, would help you gather in and concentrate the kind of magicks you're going to be dealing with."

"You know her? Why are you here then? Talk to Willow. She can probably zap you back to your own time without any trouble at all."

"Are you kidding? She made a god scream. She brought the reluctant dead back to life. Willow's tapped into something primal. I know what that's like. " Anya leaned in close and lowered her voice, which for some reason made Kennedy very nervous. "Trust me, having control over life and death is intoxicating." Her face fell. "Even though it's not always as much fun as you remember."

"You can come back later. I'll get those other books for you." Anya ushered Kennedy toward the door. "I wouldn't pass up another sale. Come back tonight." She slammed and locked the door behind the Potential, who looked through the glass in time to see her disappear in a column of smoke and energy.

"Wicked. This must after her and Xander's wedding that wasn't." Kennedy knew about many, though not all, of the Scooby related incidents from the past year. She'd been trying to organize the exact timeline in her head. It was a little disjointed, like a TV series with weak writing. "Guess I'd better find some place quiet and check this book out. But sooner or later, I'm gonna have to talk to Will again."

Not surprisingly, the best place to sit and read a book in Sunnydale turned out to be the public library. The Potential found herself an isolated corner table and began reading; but after the first couple of pages she got bored and decided to skim the text instead.

Phrases like temporal fold and flux capacity meant nothing to her. She did, however, pay closer attention to a chapter entitled Intentional/Unintentional Temporal Alterations. It warned that changing things in the past could have a negative effect on the future. It also pointed out that the universal constant applied even to time travel, meaning once something happened in the past that sort of event was linked to that particular day and could not be changed, though the specific circumstances could. On the plus side, it confirmed what the Potential already suspected, a time traveler should interact with people he or she knew as little as possible to avoid contaminating the time line. Though under the circumstances it was seeming less and less likely she would be able to keep that rule up much longer.

Kennedy shook her head. "This is crap. What the hell did I buy this thing for?" She looked up at a clock on the wall, and then checked her watch for confirmation. It was four in the afternoon already. The sun would be going down in a couple of hours, which would officially make it evening and the approximate time the literal-minded Anya had told her to return. She was hoping the demon could help her figure out what she was going to do about getting home, or if all else failed could introduce her to the Scoobies so she could ask them for help without making it appear she was stalking Willow.

"Damn it, Red." She hadn't known the witch very long but already missed being around her so much it actually scared her a little. None of her previous relationships had her feeling this way, especially since Willow was the first one she had wanted to do more than just sleep with. The Potential gathered her things and went to get something to eat while she planned out in her head what she was going to say to Anya when she got back to the Magic Box.

That evening as Kennedy came around the corner, she heard voices. Anya's. Spike's. Buffy's. And what sounded like…Xander's? She ducked behind a tree and saw the four of them standing in front of the Magic Box, and they seemed to be arguing about something. Xander was holding an axe, and appeared to be on the verge of using it, though she couldn't tell exactly on who.

"Don't even try to deny it," Xander was saying. " 'cause we saw it all. The whole beautiful show."

Kennedy frowned. She hated coming in on the middle of a conversation like this, because it usually meant she'd just missed something really juicy.

"How?" Anya asked. "It was just…it was just a thing. I felt bad, and he was just there."

Anya seemed torn between tears and anger while Xander was just pissed. Spike, as usual Kennedy noted, was all but unreadable. She'd never seen any of the others like this.

"O-oh! Okay, you had to do it." Xander's anger surged and waned, mixing in as much disappointment and confusion. "Because he was there. Like Mt. Everest." He paused. "Like I used to be."

"And then you weren't." Now Anya was the one getting angry, which was something Kennedy had seen on a couple of occasions, although this altercation was different for all concerned. "You left me, Xander! At the altar! I don't owe you anything!"

"So you go out and bang the first body you can find?" Xander roared. "Dead or alive?

"When this is your solution to our problems," Xander replied. "I hurt you, and you get me back?" He was gesturing about wildly. "Very mature."

Anya shook her head. "No, the mature solution is for you to spend your whole life telling stupid, pointless jokes so that no one will notice that you are just a scared, insecure little boy!"

"I'm not joking now." In fact, Xander was the one person around the house Kennedy had never seen really angry or sad. She'd always thought of him as sturdy, like a rock, unaware he was carrying baggage like this around with him. Of course she'd also been more focused on Willow. "You let that evil, soulless thing touch you. You wanted me to feel something?" He shook his head. "Congratulations, it worked. I look at you…and I feel sick…" He glared at Spike. "…'cause you had sex with that."

"Shut up and leave her out of…" Xander turned to look at the Slayer, who averted her eyes.

"Whoa." Kennedy couldn't believe her eyes, or ears. Spike had slept with Anya and Buffy? "Oh, this is so twisted. I'm gonna have so much leverage when…if, I ever get home."

"I don't want to know this." Xander backed away--from her, from all of them. "I don't want to know any of this!" He threw his hands down dismissively and stomped off.

"Bloody Xander," the vampire snarled. "Buggered up everything. You know, I wish…"

"Don't," Anya said wearily. She turned and went back into the Magic Box, leaving Spike all alone.

The expression on the vampire's face stunned Kennedy. If she didn't know better, she might have thought he was about to cry. She remained hidden, thinking about how she had never seen Spike so vulnerable, until he finally left and she was able to go into the Magic Box.

Anya, who was cleaning up at the time, heard the bell over the door chime and responded without turning to see who had come in. "I'm closing!"

"Oh, it's you." Anya didn't stop what she was doing. "Turns out I couldn't find anything else. Time travel's not a big priority around here, and the only ones who know how aren't returning my calls."

"What about those Temporary demons? Couldn't you maybe put me in contact with one of them?"

"It's Tempor, and weren't you listening to what I just said? As far as anyone knows there isn't one in this time period, much less this hemisphere. Leave me your number and if I see one I'll call you." Anya sighed. "In the meantime, why don't you just go see Willow?"

Kennedy shoved her hands in her pockets. "I was hoping to avoid that if I could. I know her. I know…how things turn out, and…"

"See, that's what I'm talking about. It seems like you know an awful lot. Why can't you help me?"

"Because there are rules. New ones, which is annoying. I am not allowed to interfere with human affairs beyond the parameters of my job. And since you don't appear to be in need of any vengeance there's not much I can do." Anya stared at Kennedy. "You know, don't you? What I am?" The Potential nodded. "And it doesn't bother you? I guess you're a Scooby in that future of yours then, huh?"

"Never mind. I don't need to know. I don't want to know, frankly. I'm a demon. I have all the time in the world to get my life back on track, which will be as soon as I find somebody in this stinking town who'll wish Xander Harris' penis would fall off." Anya's face fell. "Though it really is such a nice penis."

Kennedy held up her hands. "Whoa. TMI. You've got issues. I can see that. I'll leave you to them."

"Do we ever get back together?" Anya asked as Kennedy was reaching for the doorknob. "Xander and I. Do we get back together in your future?"

Kennedy walked slowly, her mind racing a mile a minute as she tried to figure out what to say to Willow. The book warned about disclosing too much information, or changing things that were supposed to happen, but she was going to have to explain some of it if she expected Willow to help her.

"I won't tell her we're dating. It's not relevant, and it'll bring up too many questions about Tara." The Potential had been thinking a lot about the witch since realizing she was in the past. Tara was alive but, if she figured correctly, was not going to stay that way for much longer. Willow told her Tara had died a year ago, she had even taken a day away from her and the house to mourn the exact date by herself, but it occurred to the Potential that she did not know what the exact date was now. How close was she to when Tara died?

Before she knew it she was on Revello Drive. Looking at her watch, though, she was surprised to see that nearly an hour had passed since she left the Magic Box. The Potential stood in front of Buffy's house, still wondering what she was going to say. She wasn't even sure how to go about convincing Willow she was from the future, despite the fact that if she took it even half as well as Anya it wouldn't be a problem.

Kennedy made up her mind. She was just going to do it. Knock on the door, introduce herself, and tell Willow what was going on. She also reminded herself to suggest they keep an eye out for the First's activities. There wasn't much they could do right now but at least they could be better prepared. Which, not surprisingly, brought her back to Tara, and whether or not she should warn Willow about what was going to happen. It would be saving a life, but the book warned that was the sort of thing a time traveler should avoid.

She thought about a particular reference in the book which, for some reason, had stuck out in her mind. "One reaps what one sows. Even the most well-intentioned manipulation of the timeline can have unintended and unforeseeable consequences, especially where life and death are concerned." Which meant if she warned Willow and Willow saved Tara's life, her world might be very different if and when she got back. For one thing she and Willow probably would not even be together since she'd presumably still be with Tara. "Damn it. Still, as much as I hate the thought of losing her, I'd give anything to see her really happy again."

About then the Potential heard footsteps approaching. Losing her nerve she hid behind the tree in the front yard to see who it was. For some reason the answer did not surprise her.

The blonde seemed agitated. She got to the front door and froze, her hand inches from the doorknob. "No. I can do this. I have to. For Will. For both of us." She took a deep breath and went inside.

Kennedy followed. Tara was acting odd, and she wanted to make sure Willow was okay. She came up the stairs as quietly as she could, and heard Tara's voice. Not wanting to interrupt she remained where she was, halfway, unable to see Tara and thus unable to be seen herself, but still close enough to overhear.

There was enough of a pause Kennedy presumed Willow was saying something back, but if she was it was either too quiet or from too far away for her to hear.

Another pause. It sounded like Tara was reaffirming their break up. 'Bummer,' Kennedy thought to herself. 'Will said they got back together, before the end.'

"I'm sorry, it's just…" Tara sighed. "You know it takes time. You can't just...have coffee and expect…"

"There's just so much to work through. Trust has to build again, on both sides...you have to learn if...if we're even the same people we were. If you can fit in each other's lives. It's a long, important process and...can we just skip it? Can you... can you just be kissing me now?

The Potential's mouth fell open. 'Whoa.' This wasn't the end, it was the beginning. Willow had never mentioned a speech like that, but why would she? It was a private, intimate…Kennedy took a step back. Intimacy? If she was any judge things were about to get heated upstairs and she really didn't want to stick around for that. As she headed out the door she thought Willow in the throes of passion, and got a little heated herself.

Kennedy got a motel room after she left the Bronze, but she didn't sleep very well. Every time she closed her eyes she kept seeing Willow and Tara kissing, undressing each other, falling back on the bed…and it was making her head spin. Which, consciously, she knew was ridiculous.

Eventually she got up and went to breakfast. As she sat at the table, nursing a cup of coffee, she made up her mind to take another shot at Buffy's place. Surely Willow and Tara couldn't still be going at it, though admittedly she didn't personally know anything about Willow's endurance in that department. She shook her head, knowing this wasn't the time to get distracted.

As the Potential approached Buffy's house again she saw the Slayer herself coming from the other direction. Her hair was unkempt, and her clothes ruffled. "Whoa. Did she go hook with Spike or…" She thought about the conversation and realized how unlikely that was. Still, something had obviously happened. Buffy had her arms full of books and papers, which seemed odd since Kennedy rarely ever saw her read. This was her way in though, so she cleared her throat and stepped in front of the Slayer. "Excuse me, Buffy?"

Surprised, the Slayer took a step back and jerked her head up. "What? Do I know you?"

Kennedy smiled. "Yeah. Look, this is gonna sound crazy. And frankly, I'm not sure I wanna try and tell it more than once. Especially not out here. Would you mind if we went inside?"

"Well, you're not bursting into flames, so I guess it's safe to invite you in." Buffy gestured. "Come on."

Kennedy followed her inside. As the Slayer was closing the door behind them Dawn came bouncing down the stairs. "BuffyBuffyBuffyyou'renevergonngbelieveitwho'sthat?"

The Slayer held up her hand. "One thing at a time. What am I never going to believe?"

"You understood that?" Kennedy asked. Buffy shrugged her shoulders. "Must be a sister thing."

"Willow and Tara!" Dawn was grinning as she hopped from foot to foot. "I was waiting for you and Willow came out of her room to ask if you were back and then Tara did too, only she was just wearing a sheet and…" She finally had to stop to catch her breath. "Willow and Tara got back together."

The teenager nodded. "I think they're getting dressed." She giggled. "Or they're making out really quietly. I'm not sure which. So what'd you find at the nerd ranch?"

"Oh. Right. Well, we should probably wait for Willow and Tara. But my name is Kennedy."

Dawn grabbed her hand and pumped it. "Nice to meet you. I'm Dawn, and I am SO happy!"

"Kennedy, huh?" Buffy put her load down on the coffee table. "I'll take your word for that. So where do you know Willow and Tara from?"

"Just Willow, actually. I never met Tara." Kennedy and the others turned to look as Willow and Tara, now dressed, came down the stairs hand in hand.

"Hey guys." The redhead was beaming. "What's up?" Her gaze settled on Kennedy. "You again?"

Willow shook her head. "Not exactly. We saw her yesterday. She was acting like she knew me, but I've never met her before. What exactly is it you want?"

"Will, don't be rude," said Tara. "She probably knows you from class or something."

"Except she knows me too," Buffy added. "She said we fought evil together, even though we've never met. Now I failed metaphysics in college but that sounds a little out there to me."

Kennedy sighed. "Look, just hear me out, okay? I know this is gonna sound crazy, but…I'm not from here. This time, I mean. As near as I can figure I come from about a year in the future."

No one moved for a few moments, then Willow and Tara glanced at one another at the same time and in the same way as Buffy and Dawn did. They all turned back to Kennedy.

"You know Anya too?" Tara asked. "In the future, you know all of us? You're a Scooby?"

"Something like that. Where I come from, we know all about demons and Slayers and yes, I was among a group of people at Buffy's house, and I'd like to get back to them."

"Why did the demon send you here?" Willow asked. "If you're a good guy, why didn't it just kill you?"

Buffy grabbed Kennedy's shoulders. "What did you just say? You know about the First?"

"Yes." Kennedy took a deep breath. She was committed now. "I'm a Potential Slayer, Buffy. Like the others. We came to you for help because in my time the First is trying to wipe is all out."

"Why is the First trying to kill you all?" Buffy asked. "I thought it just hung around in the background, getting off on watching evil thrive and good people pay the price?"

"It used to. But something changed. It's got a mad-on for us now. Giles brought me and a couple of others to you and the rest have been arriving ever since. The house is way, way overcrowded, and I don't know how you live with only one bathroom. You should really look into some renovations before next year."

Buffy sat down. "Okay. Like my life wasn't complicated enough already? Now I find out my future sucks?"

"Hey." Dawn plopped down beside her sister. "Relax. Now that you know, maybe you can change it."

"No." Kennedy paused. "Well, not just. I need to get home. I can't do it on my own, but I know you guys are pretty powerful witches, so I thought maybe you'd know a spell or something."

Tara shook her head. "Nothing comes to mind. We can always do some research though."

"Meanwhile, what happened with the nerd herd?" Willow asked. "Did you find them?"

Buffy shrugged. She clearly wasn't happy. "Well, I found their lair, but they obviously knew we were tracing their signal. They left in a hurry. Van was gone, but everything else was still there.

"Nothing left now. Giant buzz saw. It was a thing." Buffy gestured to the books at papers on the coffee table. "This was all that I could save. I know it's not much, but we need to go through it, see if we can find anything that might tell us what they're doing, where they're going."

Tara picked up one of the books, only to have it fall apart in her hands. "Umm, this might take awhile."

"Anything we can do to fast forward?" Buffy looked anxious. "We really need to find Warren and the others before anyone else gets hurt."

"I might be able to help." Kennedy knelt beside Willow, trying hard not to notice the redhead's perfume. "Andrew wouldn't shut up about the Trio. Let me take a look at this stuff. I should be able to tell you where they're going to be some time soon, so you can take them down and get back to, you know, me."

Buffy frowned. "Wait, Andrew? As in Warren, Jonathon and Tucker's brother Andrew? Don't tell me he's hanging out with us in the future?"

Kennedy sat back in the recliner with notebooks and a stack of papers in her lap. They'd been at this much of the day, and all she had to show for it was a headache. Then again she was only half-able to concentrate because her eyes continued to wander over to Willow and Tara, who were snuggled together on the couch. The redhead seemed oblivious to her attention, but after one too many of what she thought had been furtive glances she caught Tara staring back at her and knew she was busted.

The blonde kissed Willow on the forehead and whispered something in her ear, then slid off the couch, motioning for Kennedy to follow her. In the kitchen the Potential found Tara getting drinks from the refrigerator and crossed her arms, unable to look the blonde in the eye.

"You keep staring. I was just wondering…do you have some problem with me in the future?"

Kennedy laughed. "Oh-ho, are you talking to the wrong lady. Believe me, I have more than enough experience in that department."

"What then? I don't mean to pry but something is obviously bothering you." Tara cocked her head. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Actually, yeah. But trust me when I tell you, you are absolutely the last person in the world who wants to hear what's on my mind right now." Kennedy shrugged. "There are a lot of things. But what it really boils down to, is I just want to get home. I have a life to get back to, you know?"

Tara nodded. "Fair enough." She handed a drink to Kennedy and two of them went back to the living room. "Here's your root beer, sweety."

"Thanks." Once the blonde was settled Willow snuggled up against her again and smiled. "I love you."

Kennedy turned away as they started to kiss. In her mind it was just yesterday that she and Willow had been kissing on that same couch. Seeing the two of them together like this was almost more than she could bear, but on the plus side she'd never seen Willow so unabashedly happy before. Truth was, as uncomfortable as she found this whole situation it was almost worth it to see this side of her…not yet girlfriend.

Dawn, who was sitting at the dining room table using Willow's laptop to look through the Trio's disks, groaned. "I know they're nerds and all, but this is ridiculous."

"There is Stars Wars fan fiction on here. Which is bad enough, I suppose, but come on. Who puts Boba Fett and Lando Calrissian together anyway?"

"Focus," said Buffy. "And don't read too much of that. You might get geek all over you."

The Slayer smirked as she walked back into the living room. "How's it going in here? Any luck?" Willow and Tara shook their heads, but Kennedy arched an eyebrow. "Yes, the young lady in the back row. Did you have something you wanted to share with the class?"

"Andrew went on and on about the Trio. One of the things he mentioned was an armored car robbery that you were able to stop. Which, if I'm not mistaken, is tonight."

From the other room, Dawn made a strange squeaking sound. "Guys! Come check this out!" They gathered around her and the laptop. "This disk has a lot of technical schematics and stuff on it. Lots of plans and very detailed maps, stuff like that."

Willow leaned over Dawn's shoulder and punched a few keys. "Hmm…it's hard to say. Their designations have been stripped."

"Maybe we can cross-reference them with the county clerk's office?" Tara suggested.

Buffy nodded. "Good. You guys go do it. I'm gonna patrol. Maybe I'll get lucky and run into Warren and his nerd herd along the way." She turned to Kennedy. "Sorry we haven't been more helpful."

"Don't worry." The Potential shrugged her shoulders. "I get it. Slayer stuff comes first."

Everyone but Dawn and Kennedy soon left. The Potential wasn't sure what to do or say, but luckily the younger Summers took care of that for her.

"Are Willow and Tara still together? What about Xander and Anya? Do they ever…"

Kennedy cleared her throat. "Look, I told the others, I'm still trying to figure out how much I can say. I don't want to change the future too much, you know? What would I have to go back to?"

"I get it. I saw Back to the Future three times." Dawn held her tongue, for all of ten seconds. "What about me? Do I have a boyfriend in the future? I'm not asking for names, mind you, just…"

The teenager's face fell. "Sorry. I can't help it. This is so cool. Willow and Tara are finally back together, and now I get to meet somebody from the future. As screwed up as this town is, sometimes living in Sunnydale really does have its advantages. Ooh! Do you like chunky monkey? We have some in the freezer."

"No, thanks." Kennedy watched her bound into the kitchen, then slumped back in the chair and dropped her head in her hands. They were all so happy. She couldn't help thinking about how screwed up things were about to get, and knew she was going to have to make up her mind about how much to tell them.

Sometime later Dawn got a call from her friend Janice, asking if she wanted to spend the night at her house. Since her sister was not there to say no the teenager left a note with Kennedy for her to give to Buffy, packed a small bag and ran out before anyone could stop her.

It was a little after sundown when Buffy got back. From the couch Kennedy saw the Slayer walking more slowly than usual, and when she didn't think anyone was looking she clutched at her back. The Potential knew something was wrong and got to her feet. "Buffy? What happened?"

"Oh. Nothing. Vamp got lucky, knocked me throw a headstone. Are Will and Tara back yet?"

Kennedy shook her head. "Tara called. Apparently there's some kind of computer outage at the country clerks office. They're gonna be in line there for a while."

Buffy read it and sighed. "Whatever. My back hurts. I'm going to take a long hot bath. You're welcome to stay here if you want. But can you do me a favor and catch the phone if it rings."

"No problem. And thanks." Kennedy sat back down on the couch to watch TV. Then she heard the front door fly open and turned her head, expecting to see Willow and Tara.

Instead, it was Spike. Completely oblivious to her presence the vampire took off his coat and tossed it onto the banister before heading up the stairs. The Potential didn't think much of it until she heard muffled voices and thumping sounds from above and got to her feet. It sounded like a fight. She looked around, saw a stake laying on the coffee table and grabbed it as Spike came racing down the stairs.

Spike turned, his face contorting to the demonic. "Who the bloody hell are you?"

"Just for the record?" Kennedy lunged in and drove the stake into his chest. "I never trusted you."

The vampire looked stunned, yet somehow strangely content, as he turned to dust.

Kennedy grabbed his leather jacket and swept his remains into it, then carried the whole thing out to the trash and got rid of the evidence. Buffy would think Spike had just left, and the others would never know he'd been there. Then she went upstairs to check on the Slayer.

It turned out her rash actions had been well-founded. Buffy was sitting on the bathroom floor, nearly in tears. Her robe hung half-open, and there was a nasty bruise forming on her leg. The Potential kneeled beside her. "Buffy?" She wasn't exactly sure what to say. "Did he…"

"…still here? No. You don't have to worry about Spike anymore." Kennedy held her hand out. "Here. Let's get you cleaned up before the others get back."

A few minutes later a bruised and battered Xander arrived, to warn them Warren had gone all uber-nerd. Willow and Tara were right behind him, with word from the country clerks office. All of their information gelled with Kennedy's, and even though she was still hurt in more ways than one Buffy got dressed and prepared to have what she hoped would be her final confrontation with the nerd trio.

Kennedy met her at the door. "Just remember. Don't let the anger consume you. Use it. You're the Slayer. No matter how strong he gets, you're the best there is." She carefully hugged Buffy. "Oh, and Andrew mentioned Warren's power was in his orbs. At the time I assumed that was a metaphor for something I didn't really want to think about, but you might want to keep an eye out, just in case."

"Hey. You're gonna save me life many times. Just consider this preemptive payback." Kennedy then joined Willow and Tara and Xander in the kitchen, where the latter was holding an ice-pack to his swollen face. "And how's patient X doing?"

Willow nodded. "We were just talking about that. Tara and I are going to walk him home. You wanna come?"

"Why?" Tara asked. "I mean, it's up to you of course. But Buffy said she invited you to stay. I don't know how comfortable the couch is, but…"

Kennedy shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I at least need to get that book. Maybe I will come back though. I haven't actually made up my mind." She stared despondently at Willow and Tara with their arms around one another for a moment, then took a deep breath and left. "About a lot of things."

In the end Kennedy did come back and stay the night, though it wasn't an easy decision. She liked being around Willow, even if the redhead barely noticed she was alive, but there was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that something important was about to happen and she wanted to be a part of it.

The Potential was sitting on the couch, watching a movie when Willow and Tara got back. She asked them if they wanted to join her, even offering to get popcorn, but from the way they could barely take their eyes and hands off one another she already knew the answer.

As the two of them started up the stairs, however, Buffy returned. She was walking a little stiffly and had a few more bruises than before, Kennedy noticed. She also looked tired.

The Slayer shrugged. "I stopped the robbery, which is good, crushed Warren's orbs, which was fun, and sent Andrew and Jonathon to jail. But the orbless wonder himself got away."

"It he's on the run and all by himself, I'm sure the police will be able to catch him," said Tara.

"The Sunnydale PD?" Buffy asked. "They're nice guys and all, but I'm afraid they couldn't catch a cold. On the plus side, at least now Warren's running scared. I don't think we'll be seeing him again." She took off her jacket and plopped down in the couch beside Kennedy. "So what're we watching?"

"Mm…Rhett Butler." Buffy leaped to her feet. "Uh oh. I feel a popcorn binge coming on." She rushed for the kitchen. "Hungry and…boy, do you have something to look forward to."

Tara performed what was quite possibly the most unconvincing yawn in history. "Absolutely."

"Well, uhhm, goodnight." The redhead wrapped her arm around Tara's waist and practically dragged her up the stairs. Moments later the bedroom door slammed closed.

The next morning the Potential was the last one up. As she came out of the bathroom she noticed Willow and Tara in their bedroom, getting dressed. She couldn't help staring, through the half-open door, at the way the blonde's blue top showed off her ample curves, and had a little more appreciation for Willow's tastes.

Downstairs she found coffee in the kitchen. As she was sipping it she saw, through the back window, Buffy poking around the yard with a stick. "What is she doing?" The Slayer seemed to be searching for something, though for the life of her Kennedy couldn't imagine what.

She sat down at the table. Something was bugging her. This whole situation seemed somehow familiar. It was as if she was on the verge of remembering something pretty important, like all the little things around her were adding up to something. She just didn't know what it was. "Let's see. It's a year ago. Buffy's in the back yard. Willow and Tara are upstairs. What happened a year ago?"

Anya was a demon. Spike had attacked Buffy. Willow and Tara had just gotten back together. She remembered Dawn telling her how Tara's death had been that much worse because it came so soon after their reunion. There was also something else, about…Xander? She heard another voice and looked out the window. Xander was in the yard now, talking to Buffy. Xander and Buffy. Willow and Tara.

The Potential leaped to her feet. "Oh hell!" This was it. This was the day. It was just like when Amy had zapped her into the back yard. Warren. He was coming to shoot Buffy. In the process of trying to kill her, he was going to make a colossal mistake that would end up taking his own worthless life. She had no idea of the exact time frame, but Xander had told her Warren arrived while he and Buffy were talking.

Kennedy had to make a decision, and now. Even though she knew it would probably mean losing Willow, making the redhead happy and, more importantly, saving a life was worth it. She charged for the stairs, even as behind her she heard Warren's voice coming from the back yard. She guessed she didn't have long and took the stairs two at a time, then hit the bedroom door at full speed. Tara and Willow turned, shocked by her sudden and uninvited entrance. Shots rang out as Kennedy tackled Tara, pulling the blonde to the ground and away from the window as it was pierced by a single bullet, which still only missed the two of them by inches.

"I-I think so. How did you…" Tara's eyes widened. "Wait, is that why you were staring at me yesterday? Was I supposed to die today?"

"Nothing like kicking sand in the face of the universe to get a girl's blood pumping."

"That was very dangerous, Kennedy. Changing the past can have kinds of unexpected consequence." Tara sat up, surprised that Willow wasn't there to help her. "Baby, are you…goddess. No!"

The redhead was laying flat on her back, a bloody hole in her chest. Reaching desperately for Tara she gurgled once more and then fell back, silent and unmoving.

"NO!" Tara crawled toward her lover. "Nononononono….Willow, don't leave me. Please!"

Kennedy felt cold. A deep, resounding, bone-numbing cold. The bullet that was supposed to hit Tara had hit Willow instead, because of her. "What have I done?" Then the world folded in around her and she passed out, leaving a vaguely human-shaped burn on the floor as she was engulfed in energy.

Tara, of course, didn't notice and wouldn't have cared. Instead she screamed her fury and grief to anyone in heaven and hell who would listen. "WILLOW!"

The Potential was jolted back to consciousness by a hand gently striking her face. She slapped it away and opened her eyes to see Rona leaning over her.

"Finally." The other Potential spoke to someone over her shoulder. "Tell the others she's awake, and could somebody please find Buffy?"

Kennedy sat up. "Rona? What the hell's going on?" She realized she was back in the same mausoleum where this whole insane journey had begun. For a moment she let herself believe it might have been a dream, but she couldn't forget the image of Willow on the floor, covered in blood. "Oh God."

"What's up, Ken?" Rona helped her friend stand. "We've been looking for you all night."

"Damn it! I thought fixed it! I warned them about the First! Why the hell didn't they listen?" She lurched toward the door. "Where's Buffy? I have to talk to Buffy!"

A few moments after they had gone Archon stepped out of the shadows with a knowing smirk on his face. He turned to the right as the First, now in the guise of Willow, also materialized.

"I apologize for not warning you," Archon replied. "I had to do this to preserve our future, and with as little strain on the rest of the time stream as possible."

"You will. For you see, I come from a point in the future where demonkind has been hunted to near extinction." He nodded at the look of shock and disbelief on 'Willow's' face. "Originally, the Slayer you call Buffy had her witch, the one you wear now, cast a spell which installed every female on the planet with any potential at all to be a Slayer with that power. They proved to be a very formidable army, and while we were able to kill many the others banded together far better than we and were able to overwhelm us. I have journeyed back through several times periods, in search of a way to undo this event. At last, I came up with a plan."

"There are rules, by which even I must abide. Changing the past is not so simple a matter, and if I had attempted to do it myself I could have upset the balance. A mortal, on the other hand, has the free will to make such choices with far less consequences. I calculated that this Potential would do what she could to preserve the happiness of her witch, and I could not risk sending any of the Slayer's friends because they already existed in the same time and the same place, which runs the risk of a serious paradoxical disruption."

"It doesn't matter. With the red witch dead the only thing standing between you and the conquest of the human race is a certain amulet. Currently, it is in the hands of one who opposes the Wolf, Ram and Hart. But I'm sure you can convince its mortal wielder to 'give' it to you. Otherwise it will end up in the hands of one of the Slayer's undead lovers, and things might still become complicated for you."

Kennedy and Rona, soon joined by Vi, eventually found Buffy in another part of the cemetery, squaring off against two vampires at the same time. She ducked under the rather clumsy punch of one and drove her stake into his chest, then even as he was turning to dust kicked the feet out from under the other and staked him as well. She stood up and brushed herself off, then almost ran into an angry Kennedy.

"I warned you! About the First, the Potentials! I told you what was going to happen! I told you so you could do something about it! Why didn't you?"

"Now take it easy, Kennedy. I remember what you said. I swear to you, we took it seriously. When Giles came back…" Buffy's voice caught in her throat. "…for Willow's funeral, I told him everything you told us. As soon as they got back to England he informed the Watcher's Council."

"And, nothing. They didn't believe him. Or you, I guess. Quentin Travers and his lapdogs chose not to do a damn thing. Giles did what he could to prepare, but only a handful of the other Watchers listened to him. We saved some of the girls. Probably a few more than whatever you went through the first time. But the First is still active. It's still got its Bringers out killing Potentials, and Sunnydale's still out last stand."

"Damn it!" Kennedy started trembling, as tears poured down her face. "Dammitdammitdammitdammit…"

Buffy cleared her throat. "Rona. Vi. Giles' got the rest of the girls gathered in the clearing to the north. Go tell him to take everybody home for the night. We'll catch up later." The other Potentials took off, and she turned back to Kennedy, who barely even acknowledged her presence. "Listen. I know this must be hard for you. Giles explained the whole time travel thing to me. How from your perspective all this stuff just happened, while we've had a year to mourn and everything. But let me tell you something. It's not your fault! No matter what you may be thinking, you did not kill Willow. Warren did. Are you hearing me? You didn't kill anybody, Kennedy. You saved a life. That's a pretty big plus in my book."

"Maybe. But don't forget, we aren't reading the same book, Buffy. Here, Willow always died. That's just the way it is. It sucks, yeah. It's horrible for you? Your best friend, Tara's girlfriend, is gone. A year ago. " Kennedy looked her in the eye. "I remember differently. I remember what it was like before. Willow didn't die. Tara did. I did this. I changed everything. I made the choice to help Tara, somebody I've never even met, and what happens? I end up losing the only woman in the world I ever really loved."

"Kennedy, I know it hurts. God, I thought we were all going to fall apart when she died. Tara was devastated. She was so lost she went to England with Giles, to spend time with some coven there. She blamed herself. Like you're doing. But I'll tell you the same thing I told her. It wasn't either of your fault. That bastard Warren is this one who did this. He's the one who deserved..."

Kennedy saw a subtle shift in Buffy's face. The barest hint of a smirk, at the mention of Warren. She got the feeling the Slayer was hiding something. "…what? Deserved what? What happened?"

"Dawn didn't tell us this until later, but Amy came to see her after Willow's funeral."

Buffy nodded. "It turns out she was nearly as freaked about Willow as the rest of us. She and Dawn hatched a plan to make Warren suffer for everything he'd done. They cast a spell on him which turned him into the thing he hated most in the world. A woman. She had Warren's mind and memories, but every time she tried to tell anyone who she came off sounding like an idiot. Men also found her irresistible and pretty much forced themselves on her, while women just ignored her. And every night, or any time she tried to sleep, she relived what happened in that bedroom over and over again. From Willow's perspective."

"I know." Buffy shrugged her shoulders. "On the plus side, the spell pretty much drove Warrena crazy. The last I heard, they had given her a nice padded room and a straight jacket in Belleview." She caught the Potential as she slumped forward. "I think we should get you home. You look exhausted."

Kennedy was in no condition to argue. Her head was spinning, and her stomach was cramping so bad she felt it all the way down to her toes. She took only a few steps and then passed out.

Kennedy woke, to find herself sprawled out on the couch in Buffy's living room. She sat up, confused, and looked around the room. There were sleeping bags rolled up in the corner, though not as many as she remembered, cookie and candy bar wrappers that had recently been piled near but not in a trash can, and a suspiciously familiar pyramidal stack of DVD's located right beside the television.

The Potential got to her feet. Her head hurt and her throat was dry, so she went to the kitchen for some water and aspirin. The house was so quiet she thought she'd be alone, but she froze in the doorway when she saw someone there, and her heart jumped up in her throat as she realized who it was.

The blonde, who had been cooking something on the stove, turned her head. "Oh. It's you." She was wearing a plush robe over pajamas. But it was her eyes that really grabbed Kennedy's attention and held on. They were the saddest, deepest blue the Potential had ever seen. "I'm making an omelet. Want one?"

"I'm good, thanks." Kennedy ran her fingers through her hair, her head and throat suddenly forgotten. "Where is everyone else?"

Tara arched an eyebrow. "Buffy didn't tell you?" Kennedy shook her head. "The people next door…disappeared, a few months back, which is not uncommon here in Sunnydale. After we realized the Watcher's Council wasn't going to do anything else Giles used their connections to buy the house so we'd have extra room for the Potentials we knew were coming. Half stay here, half there."

"Someone stands guards every night. That house also has an alarm. Plus, I put wards on both houses, to warn us if anything supernatural tries to get in. Even the First itself can't make an appearance in either house without us knowing about it, so no one else ends up like Chloe."

"Dumb kid is more like it. They were warned, what the First was like. Everybody was supposed to be prepared. But I guess no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, sometimes people die." Tara glanced at Kennedy. "Look who I'm talking to. You already knew that, didn't you?"

Kennedy could practically feel the cold coming off the blonde. Not that she could blame her. "Listen…"

"If you're waiting for me to say thank you, forget it!" Tara turned back to the stove, where she discovered her omelet had burned. Without a trace of emotion on her face she dumped it in the trash and started over. "You screwed up, you know. Truth is, we all would've been better off if you'd just let me die."

Kennedy got a sudden flash of Willow, on the bedroom floor, her chest a bloody mess, one hand reaching out for her. Only it wasn't reaching for her. That Willow barely knew who she was. She was trying to get to her one true love, which sadly was also true with the Willow she'd dated. Neither of them really wanted her, not really. She knew a part of the redhead would always belong to Tara.

"You dated Willow? She was your girlfriend, and you saved me? What the hell's wrong with you?"

"It's hard not to when you're projecting so loudly. Why would you save me and not her?"

"I did it for her. I knew Willow'd rather be with you than me. I thought if I could save you it'd make her happy. I had no idea moving you out of the line of fire…" Kennedy started to cry. "Damn it, I'm sorry Tara! I lost her too! Whether you wanna hear it or not she was the most important thing in my life too!"

Tara's hand came up, and for a moment she really looked like she was going to slap the Potential. More importantly, Kennedy saw it coming and didn't bother to move. But then the blonde's face changed, her eyes softened ever-so-slightly, and she dropped her hand. "No. You're not worth it."

"You got that right." Standing on the other side of the kitchen, was Willow. "I don't know what the hell I was thinking. You're the only one I want, baby."

"Or what?" asked the First. "You're gonna cry?" 'Willow' laughed. "Face it girls. I've got the edge. You aren't half the witch Red was, Blondie. You'll never be the Slayer's big gun." She vanished, though her voice echoed for a few seconds more. "Not like your poor, dead girlfriend."

Then the kitchen door swung open and Buffy walked in. "Morning, ladies." She saw the expressions on both their faces, and whatever humor she'd felt faded. "Okay. What'd I miss?"

Kennedy got come coffee and went out on the back porch to drink it. Though she couldn't see them through the fence she could hear the other Potentials working out in the yard next door, and felt a little guilty that she wasn't over there with them. She's said as much to Buffy.

"That's what I came over to talk to you about," the Slayer had replied. "You've been through a lot. I explained that to the other girls and we agreed to give you a pass. Truth it, you don't need as much training as some of the others any way. Come back when you're ready, and I'll see about you helping us train them."

Tara had apparently taken exception to this and stormed out of the kitchen. Kennedy decided she needed some air and some coffee, and a little time alone. Hence the back porch. "Damn it Will. I'm sorry. I swear to all those Wiccan Gods and Goddesses of yours that I was trying to help. As happy as I was while we were together I knew you really wanted Tara. That's why I was trying to give her back to you." She shook her head. "Damn it! Why the hell did this have to happen? It's not fair."

Kennedy turned and gazed upward. Tara was staring down at her from the second floor window. The same window, in fact, that Willow had been shot through. It was closed and repaired, however. She motioned for the Potential to join her, then backed away. The blonde was sitting on the bed in what Kennedy realized must have been Buffy's room again when she got up there, and smiled sadly as the Potential walked into the room.

Tara nodded. "Little bit. I wasn't eavesdropping or anything. I didn't even know you were out there. I just come in here sometimes and stared at that window. It's silly, I know."

"It's okay." The Potential shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not sure I've ever really been in love. But I'll tell you this much. If there was ever anyone I could fall in love with…"

Tara nodded. "I know exactly how you feel. Willow was definitely something special."

"You can say that again." Kennedy stared at the blonde for a moment. "But you should have heard the way she talked about you." Tara's eyes met hers as she continued. "When I could get her to get past mentioning your name without bursting into tears that is. You were the love of her life, Tara. A goddess. An angel. You meant more to her than I, or anyone else for that matter, could ever hope to."

"Tell me about. I've never been jealous of a dead woman before." Kennedy frowned. "And you know what really gets me? I finally meet you, I get to see the two of you together, and I realized that everything Willow was saying about you was true. You're an incredible person, and I could never compete with you."

Tara blushed. "You don't…d-didn't, have to. I was gone. Willow was grieving. All you had to do was spend time with her. Help her heal. Love her, like I did. Like I always will." She stood up. "I'm going for a walk, and I think you should come with me. I'll clear it with Buffy, okay?"

A short time later the two of them entered one of Sunnydale's many cemeteries. Kennedy already knew where they were going, even though Tara hadn't said a word since leaving the house. The blonde stopped so suddenly that Kennedy almost ran into her. She started trembling, and the Potential realized she was crying. Taking a deep breath, she looked down at the headstone they were standing by.

Kennedy crossed her arms and Tara kneeled down and put her hand on the headstone. She had seen Tara's grave only once by accident while they were on patrol. Coincedetally, she noticed that this plot was in the same cemetery, and near to but not exactly in the same place as the other one.

"It's not a coincedence." Tara blushed slightly as she glanced up at Kennedy. "Oh. Uhm, sorry." She touched her forehead. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm reading you so well."

"Since Sunnydale is such a dangerous place, Willow and I knew there was a chance something might happen to one of us. We discussed what we'd want to do in the event, where we'd want to be buried, and we both agreed this part of this cemetery had the nicest view."

"After she…pretty much every day the first couple of weeks after the funeral. Then several times a week for the next few months. Once we had to start getting things ready for the Potentials I didn't have as much opportunity, but I still try to make it here at least once a week."

Tara shrugged. "We don't usually come as a group. Everybody has their own schedules. Why?"

"If I hadn't interfered that day, Willow would still be alive. Warren may have pulled the trigger, but the bullet would never have hit her if it wasn't for me."

"I don't hate you. I did, for a while after it happened, but I know it's not your fault."

"Do you hate him? The Tara I met a year ago, the one Dawn and Willow used to speak so highly of, would never have been able to hate anybody. Has losing Willow changed that?"

"Sure it is. If I had my way I would've ripped the guys heart out and feed it to him. But I hear Dawn and Amy beat me to it. How the hell did that happen anyway?"

Tara frowned. "I don't have all the details. Apparently, Amy came to Willow's grave one afternoon while Dawn was there alone and they got to talking. They agreed Warren needed to suffer for what he'd done, but Dawn didn't want the rest of us to know about it. So they recruited Halfrek, one of Anya's vengeance demon friends, and made a wish that Warren experience all the pain he'd caused in every way possible. Buffy thinks it was a spell they cast. Dawn told me later it was actually a wish. Too bad I didn't think of that."

"Isn't Amy the one who took Willow to the magic dealer guy and screwed up her relationship with you? Not that I'm complaining, but why would she want to avenge Will's death?"

Kennedy noticed movement out the corner of her eye. "Uh oh." She got to her feet and pointed. "We've got company." Two big, scaly demons were stomping toward them with swords in their hands. "All I have on my is a couple of stakes. We'd better take off."

Tara gestured, almost casually, and the weapons went flying in opposite directions. "Not really." The demons were surprised, but kept on coming anyway.

"Nice trick. But we still have a couple of big uglies to deal with. What do you plan to do about them?"

"This." Tara gestured again, and an already broken headstone nearby was ripped out of the ground and flung at one of the demons. It shattered upon his head and shoulders and he fell face-down in the dirt. She turned to the other and held up her hand. "Incendere!" The still-standing demon burst into flames. It thrashed around for several agonizing seconds, howling, until finally being reduced to dust. With a smirk on her face the blonde waited for the first demon to start getting back to its feet before she immolated it as well. "That takes care of that."

"Thanks." The blonde blew a kiss at Willow's headstone, then stuck her hands in her pockets and walked off.

When they got back to the house Tara went next door for what she said were magic lessons with the Potentials, while Kennedy sought out Buffy in the kitchen.

Kennedy shrugged. "About like you'd expect. Hey, can I ask you something? About Tara?"

"Sure." Buffy sat at the table with a sandwich she'd just made and motioned for Kennedy to join her. "What's on your mind?"

"What happened to her? I mean, I know, Will…but I just saw her take down two demons like it was nothing. And she seemed to enjoy hurting them. But that's not the Tara I keep hearing about."

"No. I'm afraid that Tara went away a long time ago. Most of it was Will, of course. She sank into a really deep depression after the funeral. That's why Giles took her back to England with him. She spent months with some coven over there; grieving, and growing. She threw herself into the magic, 'cause she knew what was coming. She wanted to be able to help us fight the First when the time came. But the pain she was going through, and the magic itself, it changed her. It hardened her heart. She's more powerful, yes, but I think she actually gave up a little bit of herself to try and follow in Willow's footsteps."

Kennedy shook her head. "Never mind." That had never happened to Willow, so they had no idea what she was walking about. "Hey, where's Dawn?"

"No big. I just needed to ask her something." Kennedy went downstairs, where she found the younger Summers cutting human shapes out of cardboard. "How's it going, kiddo?"

"My hands cramping. And I think I'm getting a blister. Other than that? Peachy." Dawn put the scissors down and stretched, obviously grateful for the respite. "What's up?"

"Buffy told me about what you and Amy did to Warren. You used a vengeance demon, right? Like Anya?"

"After Willow…you know, we found out Anya had become a demon again. Xander freaked. He tried to get Anya to wish her back to life but she couldn't. There are some things even vengeance demons can't do. When she tried to explain that to him they got into a fight. Buffy and I defended her position and Xander just…took off. That was months ago, and we haven't seen or heard from him since."

"Not exactly. I was hoping Anya or one of her friends could tell me how to find a demon. How did you and Amy contact this Halfrek character?"

"I know her from before. I accidently made a wish to her last year, and I guess she felt my pain 'cause she answered when I called."

A dark-haired woman with a hideously demonic face materialized out of a swirl of smoke and energy. "Why hello, Dawn. Long time no see." She smiled. "You rang?"

"Thanks for coming, Halfrek. This is my friend, Kennedy. She needs to ask you something."

"Okay. Do you have a wish, dear? You're a little older than my usual clientele, but for Dawn's sake I think I can make an exception."

Kennedy shook her head. "No wish. I just needed to talk to a demon, but I didn't want Buffy or any of the others to know about it. They might try to stop talk me out of it."

"Ooh, intrigue." Halfrek rubbed her hands together. "I love it. What do you need, Miss Potential?" She smiled at the look on Kennedy's face. "What? You think I don't know? You girls are all the buzz in the demon community. You actually got the First out of hibernation to come after you. That's pretty impressive. Also, stupid and suicidal, but who am I to judge? Now, what is it you want?"

"Hm…I don't usually associate with those types. They tend to be so…moody." Halfrek cocked her head. "However, I do seem to recall D'Hoffryn mentioning there was one in town. Here on business, as I recall, and he wanted to check in with the locals to make sure his work wouldn't interfere with anyone else's. I don't know where he is right now but I could probably find out for you."

Halfrek smirked. "Cute. But if you're planning to use a Tempor's services that means you want to change the past. If you do that, this conversation might never happen and your debt would be nullified. So don't bother. I'll do Dawn this favor, 'cause her last wish was so much fun." She teleported, only to reappear an instant later in the exact same spot. "It may take some time though. Tempors are really good at hiding."

Dawn sighed. "So, since you're down here, and since I did you a favor, wanna give me a hand?"

The next several days went by quickly. Kennedy got back to work, training some of the other Potentials while also getting personal instructions from Buffy herself. During once such session the Slayer informed her she was planning to make her second-in-command.

"You're good. If you ever get called you'll make a hell of a Slayer. But right now I need you to share some of your self-confidence with the other girls. After Chloe…"

"You didn't before. How many times do we have to tell you? Even Tara knows it's not your fault."

Meanwhile, the previously inactive First had gotten back to work as well. A Turok-han and a group of Bringers ambushed the group while they were on patrol, and several of the Potentials were badly hurt. Kennedy and Dawn were helping Vi and Rona back when they saw Halfrek appear nearby.

"Buffy's waiting for us," said Kennedy. "Take them. I'll catch up with you in a few."

Kennedy nodded. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." She stuck her hands in her pockets as she approached Halfrek. "Did you find him?"

"Yes and no. Turns out Archon left town, right after you got back. Said something about changing the future for the better, and bought everybody at Willy's a round of drinks before leaving."

"…here? Oh, you know what they say. Every cloud has a silver lining." Halfrek chuckled. "Actually, I prefer a chewy, bloody center…" She shook her head. "…never mind. Archon's gone, and I don't know how to find him. But I do have some information about another Tempor here in Sunnydale."

"No one, as far as I can tell. He's just vacationing on the Hellmouth. See, the Tempor's are, among other things, kind of like historians. The whole demon world's talking about what the First is up to, and I imagine this guys wants to be around so he can say he saw it happen." A piece of paper appeared in Halfrek's hand. "Now, I have his address here but I should warn you. Tempor's may not look dangerous, but they have nasty tempers and long memories, and I wouldn't want to see anything happen to you."

"About you? I don't. But Dawn is another matter. I can't stand seeing kids in pain. It's why I agreed to help her with that Meers character." Halfrek shook her head. "Woman hating bastard. You humans get on us demons for our lack of souls? How do you explain creeps like him?"

"Tell Dawn I said hi. Oh, and she owes me one now." Halfrek winked and disappeared.

Kennedy clutched the piece of paper in her hand. If Buffy or Tara figured out what she was planning to do they would probably try to stop her. Ever since she came up with the idea she'd been keeping her distance from Tara, in case the witch had any more unfortunate mind-reading incidents. Now that she had a line on the Tempor, she just had to figure out a way to get in and see him without alerting the others, and more importantly convince him to send her back to the past again so she could put right what she had made wrong.

The next night, since Kennedy was second-in-command after all, she was able to arrange the schedule so would be on a team with Chao-Ahn, Vi, and two of the newer Potentials. Since Chao-Ahn didn't speak English and Vi pretty much did what she was told, Kennedy found it pretty easy to slip away while they were on patrol and go looking for the address Halfrek had given her.

As she rounded a corner she bumped into someone. "Excuse me. I…" She lifted her eyes from the paper she was holding and saw Buffy standing there, arms crossed. "Oh crap."

"Oh crap is right." Not surprisingly, behind the Slayer stood Tara. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I need to go back. Don't you understand? I can fix this. I can make it all better! I can save Willow." Kennedy shrugged her shoulders. "If I play my cards right I can save Tara too. Imagine having two witches with you? And it might even get Xander and Spike back."

Buffy shudderd at the mention of the vampire's name. She hadn't seen him since the night her attacked her in the bathroom, but every once and a while she found herself thinking that his strength and experience would have been valuable in the upcoming battle. Then she shook her head. "Or, you could just end up making things worse. Did you ever stop to consider that?"

"Yes. Look, I know it's risky. But it's one I'll gladly take to save Will." Tears welled up in Kennedy's eyes but she fought them back. "I don't know what else to do, Buffy. I miss her, so much, and I can't help thinking if I only had that moment to do over again. Now I can."

"Kennedy…" Tara stepped forward. "…no. Time is malleable, yes, as you well know. But there are still limits. It's not meant to be bent and twisted at your whim. Even the Tempors know that."

"Besides, even if you find this guy," said Buffy. "What makes you think he'll be willing to help?"

The Potential reached under her jacket and drew out a wicked-looking knife. It was reminiscent, Buffy noticed, of the one Mayor Wilkins had given to Faith. "Let's just say I can be very…persuasive." She stared at the two of them for a moment then shook her head. "Look, I'm going. If you guys feel the need to stop me, you'd better be prepared to take me down hard. Otherwise, let's get a move on."

"…we miss her too," said Tara. "And if what happened before wasn't supposed to happen, if it went against the intent of the God and Goddess then it's only right we repair the damage."

"And what if it was what they wanted?" Kennedy asked. "What if my going back the first time was meant to correct things and now we're screwing them up again?"

"I'll apologize later." Tara replied. "After I have Willow back in my arms again."

Kennedy, who had been smiling at this turn of events, suddenly started frowning again. She felt the old insecurities rising up within her again and glanced back at Tara, who was beaming. It was impossible to hate the woman. At least she and Willow would be happy together. She shook her head.

Tara watched the Potential closely. She was projecting again, but the witch didn't mind. Kennedy was thinking about seeing her and Willow together in the past. Those were memories she would be happy to relive over and over, even if they did just so happen to be coming from someone else's mind.

The address in question turned out to be an abandoned office building, which had been converted into a makeshift hotel. Only as soon as they stepped inside they knew there was no human clientel, at least not willing ones. There was a vampire behind the front counter, and he snarled as they approached.

Buffy nodded. She looked down at the counter and saw a crystal paperweight there. She picked it up and crushed it in her bare hand, then wiped the dust off on her pants.

Tara stepped forward. "Thanks." She gestured, and the vampire burst into flames. As he disintergrated she turned to Buffy and Kennedy and frowned at their expressions. "What?"

"Come on," said the Potential. "Better let me go first." She patted the knife at her hip. "You guys might scare him off before I can torture him into helping me."

When they got to room 212 Kennedy started to knock, but Buffy grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"If you knock, he might run. You want to do this we'd better not give him the chance." The Slayer kicked the door in so hard it shattered the frame and rushed into the room. An instant later there was a flash and she came flying back, slammed into the far wall and slid to the ground, glassy-eyed. Her shirt was smoldering and the bare flesh underneath beet-red. She was still conscious, but stunned.

"Yeah," said Kennedy. "We got him now." She stepped into the room and looked around, her hands held up to show anyone who might be curious that she was unarmed. "Hello? Umm, hey, sorry about the door and all. I just need to talk. I don't want to hurt you."

Kennedy heard the voice as if it was right in front of her, but she couldn't see anyone or anything. "Hey, she tagged along. You try telling a Slayer no." She stopped trying to find him, obviously he wasn't going to just reveal himself. "Look, I swear I don't want to hurt you. Assuming you're the Tempor. I need your help."

"Nobody seeks us out unless they want to go somewhen. That usually means they lost someone or something and they want to retreive it. So, who'd you lose?"

"The hell we will." Tara held her hand up. "Ostendo sum Turpis!" The air in front of them shimmered but nothing appeared, and the blonde's face fell.

The demon laughed. "Stupid witch. I'm not invisible. I'm out of sync with your reality. It's safer that way. You can't see me, touch me or hurt me, unless I allow it. And just so you know, I'm not undoing it until I get a personal guarantee from the Slayer and the witch that I am not to be in any way slain."

"Because you say so, little girl? Hardly. I know you're awake, Slayer. You and the witch promise to spare my life, whether I help you or not. Otherwise, I'm out of here."

Buffy struggled back to her feet, still clutching at her chest. "For Kennedy's sake I agree not to slay you." She frowned. "Unless you zap me again. That hurt."

Kennedy turned to Tara. She could tell the blonde was on the verge of doing something really nasty to the demon, and while that would be something to see if she killed him now he wouldn't be able to help her save Willow. So, as much as it pained her she thought about the day Willow died, seeing her laying on the floor, and she made sure Tara would be able to see it as well. Behind the image, she apologized.

Tara gasped. "O-Okay. Fine." She took a step back and put a hand to her forehead. I won't hurt you."

Part of the room appeared to turned inside-out, and there was suddenly a gray-skinned demon like Kennedy had seen in the maseoluem standing in front of them. It was wearing blue jeans and tennis shoes, and holding a wooden rod with a glittering crystal skull on the tip. "Was that really so hard?"

Buffy put her hand on Tara's shoulder as the blonde gritted her teeth. "Take it easy."

"Kennedy." The Potential crossed her arms. "And let's cut the crap, okay? You obviously already know. I want you to send me back in time. What will it take to get you to help me?"

Willow leaned over Kennedy's shoulder. "Unfortunately, you're a little too late. I got here first." All three other women recoiled and she smiled. "Which is ironic, considering."

"Sorry," said the demon. "Loyalty and all that." It lowered the rod and the skull glowed, releasing a bolt of lightning-like energy even Buffy's reflexes could not avoid. She screamed as it pitched her head over heels into the ceiling, with enough impact to leave a vague imprint of her body. As she tumbled face-first to the ground, clearly unconscious this time, it turned the rod on Tara. "Your turn, witch!"

Kennedy cursed inwardly. It hadn't even occurred to her the First might become aware of what she was planning and try to stop her. As the Tempor prepared to fire the Potential made a split-second decision, and charged the demon before she had the good sense to tell herself she was crazy.

Alerted, the demon turned its weapon toward the Potential instead. As the skull started to glow Kennedy did the only other thing she could think of; she hit the ground. The blast missed her, but passed close enough to scorch the back of her jacket and pants and the electricity made her skin feel like it was on fire. Her head was spinning, and she was in no condition to stop the demon from zapping her again.

Tara paled. "No." Something snapped inside her. "No!" All the anger and grief she had been bottling up exploded in a swirling nimbus of power. "NO!" Energy shot off her body in every direction. It washed harmlessly over Buffy and Kennedy but enveloped the Tempor demon and shredded it from the inside out. Though the effect only lasted a few moments, to the demon it must have felt like an eternity. As soon as the creature's body was dissolved the blonde fell to her knees, suddenly exhausted. "Willow."

Kennedy sat up, wide-eyed again. "Whoa." Though that was the kind of thing she had seen Willow do, it somehow seemed even more awesome coming from the otherwise soft-spoken Tara. Then it dawned on her what had just happened, what's she'd lost, and she began to cry.

Kennedy didn't say anything to any of the other Potentials when they got back to the house. She went right down to the basement, stripped to her tank-top and began hitting the heavy bag as hard as she could, over and over until her knuckles started to bleed. She didn't notice, or care. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" That had been her only chance to save Willow. Nothing else mattered.

"Sucks without the superpowers huh?" 'Willow' walked out of the shadows behind her. "Buffy probably would've knocked that thing across the room."

"Shut up!" Having lost her rhtyhm, Kennedy tried punching the bag again and became acutely aware of the pain in her fingers now. "Son of a bitch!"

"I'm evil, kid." 'Willow' shrugged. "Didn't you get the memo?" She winked at the Potential and disappeared.

Tara spoke briefly to someone in the kitchen, then closed the door behind her and came down the stairs. "Don't try that with me. The wards told me what happened. What did it say to you?"

"Nothing important." Kennedy frowned. "Wait a second, the wards told you it was here? Why didn't they warn you the other day, in the kitchen?"

"They did. I felt them going off. But we were already talking to the First. I knew it was there. The wards are more for warning me in the middle of the night, or if it appears in one house while I'm in the other." Tara crossed her arms. "So, was it Willow?"

Tara nodded. "That's it's job. I would say don't let it get to you, but I think we both know that's not really what you're upset about, is it?"

"Damn it, Tara! I was so close! How can I go back now? How am I suppose to save Willow?"

"I know, I know. You're gonna say this is a sign, right? That we weren't meant to try? Don't bother."

"Actually, I still think you're right." Kennedy jerked her head up, and saw the blonde was smiling at her. "You were chosen to go back the first time, and I think you've been selected again. The God and Goddess are working their will through you. And if we can't get a Tempor to help, I'll just have to do it myself."

Tara nodded. "I think so. There's a spell. I found it after you and I first talked about this, but I was afraid to try it myself because I would be changing things for a third time, while you'd basically be putting things back on their proper course. That should cause less stress to the timeline and have a better chance of success, all things considered." Tara bit her lip. "The problem is, it would require us to merge out spirits."

"It's similar to something Willow and I did a couple of years ago, when Buffy and Faith switched bodies. With our spirits bonded you'll be able to pierce the veil of time and return to me, provided nothing happens to me in the past to sever our connection." Tara shook her head. "Trust me, it's not as bad as it sounds."

"Nothing," Tara replied. "Buffy and Dawn might understand, but I don't think Giles would."

Three hours later the two of them were in the living room of the other house, setting up candles and crystals for the spell. Since Buffy had been okay with Kennedy going to the Tempor they told her what they were planning to do, and the Slayer agreed to keep the others busy so they wouldn't be interrupted.

"Hey, explain to me one more time how this is supposed to work?" said the Potential.

Tara nodded. "Once the ritual starts you'll have to concentrate, on a specific place and a specific time. The stronger the memory and the more clear it is in your head the better."

"It's keyed to the time Willow was shot. A few seconds after that moment the spell will reverse and bring you back here. Even if you're unconscious or hurt."

"Good to know. Let's…" Kennedy frowned. "…wait. I've read about some of these Wicca rituals. We don't have to get naked or anything, do we?"

Tara smiled and shook her head. "With a few notable exception being sky-clad is just optional." She arched an eyebrow. "Though to be honest, I wouldn't mind checking out the compettion."

"We hold hands. I'll chant. Since we're connected you may experience some of my memories, and I have no control over what you see or how much, so I'll just apologize in advance." Tara cleared her throat. "You'll feel cold first, then kind of tingly, and once you start to feel hot that's when you focus, all right?"

"Okay." Tara took a deep breath. "Here we go." She leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

As Tara repeated the spell several times it occurred to Kennedy that the literal translation, which Tara had explained to her, didn't seem to make a lot of sense.

She still thought it worked better in Latin since she didn't understand it. But then again there was a lot about magic she didn't understand, and as long as it worked she didn't really care what Tara said, or what she had to do. Willow's life and happiness was the only thing that mattered here.

Kennedy's chest suddenly felt tight, as if something was squeezing her heart, and she was cold. As she opened her mouth to say something she was flooded with memories.

Kennedy's eyes rolled back in her head. It was the most incredibly sensation of her life. It left her feeling all tingly, inside and out. Her mind spun from everything she was seeing and feeling, tasting and touching, even though she consciously knew none of it was really happening to her.

It took the Potential a few moments more to remember that was the cue, and she concentrated on the moment in the past she had selected. She wasn't sure why that particular freeze-frame was so clear in her mind, she just hoped it would give her the best chance to do what she needed to do.

Tara felt a floor of emotions from the Potential as she was swallowed up by the magic. When Kennedy disappeared the blonde fell back, unconscious, sweating, and barely breathing.

"Just making sure there're no more Evil Trio cameras," the Slayer replied. "Or Evil Uno."

They both looked yp as what sounded like thunder, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. When they looked back at one another they were surprised to find Kennedy standing between them.

"What the hell?" Buffy glanced at the house. The back door was closed. "How'd you get out here so fast?"

"I didn't. I'm still in there." Kennedy shook her head. "Never mind." She reached into her jacket and pulled out an envelope which she handed to Buffy. "Here. Do me a favor and hold on to this? Don't read it until after I'm gone though, okay?" The Potential turned and took off through the back gate.

Buffy shrugged. "You're asking me?" She turned as they both heard shouting and the sounds of a struggle in the alley. Then two loud pops. "Gunshots? Kennedy!" She found the Potential laying on her side in the middle of the alley. One hand was still clasping the wrist of a dark clad man with a gun, laying face-down a few feet away in a pool of his own blood. "How did she know?"

"Time travel, I guess." Xander kneeled beside the man while Buffy checked Kennedy. "How's she doing?"

"Her pulse is weak, but her breathing's steady. I think she'll be okay, as long as we get her to the hospital." Buffy leaned back. "How about yours?"

"No good. Looks like he took one right in the heart. I don't…" Xander's eyes widened. "Buffy!"

"He must've been coming after you." Xander looked at Kennedy. "She knew. She went to stop him."

Energy surged around Kennedy and she vanished. They stared blankly at the spot where she'd been laying for a few moments, then back to one another.

Kennedy had a vague impression of shapes over or around her, and distant, muffled voices, but none of it was clear and any recognition was quickly overcome by the rush of pain that signaled a return to unconsciousness.

At some later point she dwindled back to awareness, and weakly opened her eyes to so much light it almost blinded her. The pain returned in force and she didn't have the strength to keep herself from blacking out again.

The next time she was more alert and aware. She brought a hand up to shield against the light as she opened her eyes, only to find her surroundings lit by moonlight streaming through a curtained window. Looking around she realized she was in a cold, white room, laying on a bed that was about as comfortable as it looked, with a tube in her arm, and wearing a blue gown that was open in the back. A hospital, obviously. But she had no idea how she's gotten there, or why her side hurt so much.

Kennedy blinked. That voice...she knew that voice, but it was impossible. Slowly, she turned her head.

A man was standing there. He appeared to be in his mid-forties, with light brown hair streaked gray and bright green eyes. He wasn't wearing his glasses but he did have on the ever-present tweed jacket.

Her Watcher. Only he couldn't be here. She'd seen the Bringers tear him apart. Jacob Saint John was dead. Which meant this couldn't be him at all. She lay her head back. "Damn. I thought I'd fixed it this time."

He sighed. "Given the circumstances I completely understand your confusion, Kennedy. But I assure you, I am your Watcher." He reached out and took her hand. She gasped. "Not the First Evil."

Tears welled up in Kennedy's eyes. "How is this possible? I-I watched you die. I..."

"The discrepancy will take some explanation, I'm afraid. But what you're experiencing is a phenomenon called temporal remembrance deprivation." Jacob sat down on the edge of the bed. "In simplest terms, while you have full memories of everything that happened in the original timeline you came from, as well as any alterations that may have occurred as a result of actions you took, or did not take, in other timelines, that memory is yours alone. For everyone else, we were altered by the flow of time. We remember what happened to us, and have no memories of anything you may have experienced. Do you understand?"

"Not even remotely. But at least I know it really is you." Kennedy sat up and embraced him. "God, Jacob. I missed you so much. I should have paid more attention to your lessons."

"...never began their campaign of destruction," Jacob replied. He reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope Kennedy recognized. "I take it you know what this is?"

Kennedy nodded. "The letter I gave to Buffy the second time around. I wanted to give her more detailed warnings about what the First was going to do. But what's that have to do with you being alive?"

"Second time around, you say? Remarkable. How many different timelines have you..." The Watcher shook his head. "...never mind. That is a discussion for another time. In answer to your question; after your sudden departure, Miss Summers made contact with the Council and conveyed your warning to us, along with this letter. We had the paper, the envelope, even the ink, tested through varies scientific and mystical means, to verify its contents. Once we determined the materials in question and the watermark did not exist, but that both were on the drawing board for a verifiable paper company in the future, Quentin decided it would be in our best interests to consider your warning a genuine threat and to prepare accordingly. We gathered Potential Slayers and their Watchers from every corner of the globe and kept them under round the clock security until the First's operatives became visible to us, then we launched a series of counterattacks that overwhelmed and surprised the Bringers." He paused to catch his breath. Kennedy smiled. Jacob had a habit of talking so fast and so much he nearly hyperventilated. "We even took the precaution of 'convincing' the Sunnydale city council and school board to halt plans for a renovated school on the same grounds and instead arranged for another prime location. We then consecrated the grounds and erected a church there, with our own mystical protections in place to prevent access to the Hellmouth or the Seal of Danthazar. The First's plans for domination were thus thwarted before they had a legitimate chance to begin."

"I can't speak for the evil entity in question, but the Potentials have still been gathered. Since we had them all together for their protection it was decided by Mr. Travers, along with Rupert Giles and Buffy Summers, that a more unified training system was in order. The Council donated one of its estates to establish a Slayer academy of sorts, where the Potentials can have traditional schooling as well as all appropriate combat and mystical training. Mr. Giles is the Headmaster. Miss Summers and her sister live in the house in California where you no doubt met her on one of your previous excursions. Her other friends have more or less diversified. With the Hellmouth no longer as omnipresent a threat some of them have left the lifestyle previously forced upon them."

Kennedy had an image of Willow, on the floor of the bedroom, bleeding from a gunshot wound. She closed her eyes against it, and in spite of herself let out a low moan.

"No. It's okay. I just...it's hard to wrap my mind around all this. Where am I, exactly?"

"No. Sadly, both of your parents were in the south of France when you...rematerialized in this timeline a week ago, no doubt in a different place and with different company than when you left. Their private jet was having engine trouble and, well, you know your parents. They refuse to fly on a commercial airline. I offered to have them flown back on the Council's expense but your mother said something about not accepting charity, and that since your life was not in immediate danger they would wait for their plane to be repaid. They should be here in a day or two, assuming your mother doesn't decide to do more shopping."

"According to the doctors you should be up and around by the time your parents arrive. The bullet did not damage any of your vital organs and the wound itself seems to be healing nicely. You'll need to remain in the hospital for a week or so to make certain there are no unforeseen complications, but I imagine we can have you home in time for your birthday."

"My word. Such language. That's the American school system for you." Jacob stood up. "Speaking of, there are some...people here to see you. Assuming you feel up to it, of course."

"Associates of Miss Summers, who sends her regrets she could not come herself. One or more of them have been in the waiting room for days, and I do believe they're beginning to make the nurses uncomfortable." Jacob put his hand on the door handle. "Shall I show them in, or ask them to come back at a later date?"

"N-No, I want to see them. Thanks." Kennedy arranged some of the pillows behind her to make herself more comfortable, then sheepishly realized it would be easier to just angle the automatic bed upward. As she was getting it where she liked it there was a knock on the door. "Come in!"

He looked just as she remembered; in jeans and a t-shirt with a big X on it, under a leather jacket. But she had her hair done up and was wearing a sequined green gown clinging to her every curve.

The younger Summers blushed. "Uhh, thanks. I'm going to an awards ceremony this afternoon, and I didn't think I was going to have enough time to get home and change. Oh, and Buffy says hi."

Xander smiled. "You know, that's pretty much the only thing that hasn't happened to me."

"Don't jinx me, D-meister. I got out of the whole demon violence thing, remember? I don't need any gun-toting human maniacs to show up on my doorstop because you made one of your funny, funny jokes."

Xander shook his head. "I'm working for a construction company in New York as a matter of fact. Assistant manager. I have my own office and get to order guys way bigger and stronger than me around." He smirked. "It's pretty cool, actually."

"I'm still in school, unfortunately." Her face lit up. "On the plus side, I can have friends over 'cause I don't have to worry about demons kicking the door down anymore, and Buffy lets me, you know, go out at night."

"Thanks to you," said Xander. "Still trying to get my head around the whole temporal reversion thing though. You know us 'cause you met us before, several times. But when you appeared in Buffy's back yard that day we had no idea who you were. We had to wait almost a year to meet you, which..." He put a hand to his forehead. "...oww. Brainlock."

"Poor, poor Xander." Dawn patted his shoulder. "Trying to keep more than one thought going at a time too stressful, huh?"

Kennedy smiled at the way Xander yelped when Dawn, in fact, playfully bit his hand. "You guys sure are a lot easier going than the last time I saw you. It's amazing what differences a year can make, huh?"

As the door started to open behind them, Xander nodded. "You don't know the half of it."

In walked Willow and Tara. The redhead was wearing a flower-print dress and had her hair tied back, while the blonde wore a simple blue dress that seemed designed to accentuate her ample cleavage. They were, not surprisingly to anyone in the room, holding hands and apparently could not stop smiling at one another.

Kennedy blinked. It took her a moment to realize what the younger teenager had said. "Wait, what? You guys got married?" Willow and Tara nodded. "When?"

"Not long after you stopped Warren," Willow replied. "Buffy told us what you'd done, and we figured something really bad must've happened for you to come back and change things. We all started talking, about life and death, and the next thing I know..." She nudged Tara, who smiled. "...this one's proposing to me."

Tara nodded. "Luckily, she said yes. We got married in San Francisco and then moved to England to help the Coven and the Council start the new Slayer Academy. I'm presuming mister Saint John told you about it?"

"He did." Kennedy was still stunned. "Wow. Married. Oh, wow. I mean...congratulations."

Kennedy lay her head back and sighed. She'd lost Willow, but at least the redhead was happy, and it sounded like everything else was actually going to work out on their side. For a change.

Up on the roof of the hospital stood the First, in the guise of Warren Meers. It'd heard every word being said in the hospital room several floors below. It paid particularly close attention to Kennedy's thoughts, which were being projected quite loudly to anyone capable and willing to listen, and sneered at the last one.

Behind him, an attractive young nurse who made the mistake of taking her break on the roof lay with her spine twisted in an unnatural angle at the feet of a dark-haired man in a priest's collar.

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Seeing Is Believing

by Kirk

Copyright © 2005

kirkbwriter@juno.com