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Chapter 5 – Unique Replica


Using the claim that was practically nonexistent in this dimension, Anne walked through the cemetery until she came to a crypt that was practically pulling her toward it.

Hesitantly knocking on the door, she smiled when it opened to reveal the blonde vampire. “Hi,” she said softly.

“Thought you were leaving, pet,” he said, an amused smile on his face as he leaned against the doorway.

“I think they’re working on it,” she said, gesturing into the darkness before a slight pout formed. “It’s possible.”

“Possible?”

“Well, I kinda pissed off the Scoobies. Or at least, Xander.”

“Really?” he asked, raising an eyebrow and biting his bottom lip. “And what did you say to upset the whelp?”

“I defended you.”

“Enough said,” he replied, giving her a kind smile. “That leads me to my next question- why are you here?”

“I kind of… I miss him,” Anne whispered, glancing at the ground for a moment.

Giving her a sympathetic look, Spike stepped out of the way, allowing her to enter the crypt. “If I’d known you were coming, I would have tidied up a bit,” he said with a smile.

“Yeah, it is a little dusty in here,” she teased, walking around the crypt. “But I like it… you’ve fixed it up.”

Hearing the same phrase in the same tone of voice that he’d heard weeks earlier from his Buffy caused Spike to pause as he walked toward the small refrigerator.

“Uh… yeah,” he murmured, grabbing a bottle of whiskey and taking a long swallow.

“Sorry,” Anne said, turning toward him with a look of understanding. “Déjà vu?”

“Yeah, you could say that,” he said, nodding slightly.

“Good kind or bad kind?”

“One of the few that was good,” he replied, boosting himself up to sit on a coffin, setting a glass down on the flat surface. “Care for a drink?”

“God, yes,” Anne murmured, walking over and hopping up to sit across from him.

“Didn’t want to spend time with the Scoobies?” Spike asked, pouring a drink for her before taking a long gulp from the bottle.

“They’re not exactly my friends,” Anne replied.

“What do you mean, pet?” he asked, turning to look at her in confusion.

“They’re… different. I mean, Anya’s still the same because she’s… well… Anya,” she said, smiling when she saw the slight grin he gave her. “But this Willow… I’ve barely talked to her, but I already know that she’s a lot more powerful than the one I know. And Xander… do they not have evolution in this dimension?”

Laughing for the first time since Buffy had broken his heart, Spike leaned back, feeling relaxed in her presence. “Buffy, I… Slayer…”

“Anne,” she said softly, knowing that it was hard enough to see her wearing the face of the woman he loved- he didn’t need to hear a name he was familiar with. “Call me Anne.”

Watching her take a shot, Spike raised an eyebrow in surprise when she set the glass down without flinching. “Used to this, are you?”

“Spike…my Spike,” she corrected with a frown. “He got me used to this a long time ago.”

Smiling at the memory, Anne took another shot before rolling her neck around her shoulders, trying to ease the tension.

“So, Spike,” she said in a teasing voice. “What’s your story?”

“You don’t want to know my story, pet,” he said, taking another drink while Anne threw back her shot.

“Seems only fair, since you know all about me.”

“Doesn’t have a happy ending,” he said with a sardonic smile.

“Humor me.”

“What do you wanna know?”

“Tell me about your relationship,” Anne said with a slight shrug.

“Relationship,” Spike repeated with a scoff, his voice holding a distant quality as if he was talking to himself. “What we had wasn’t a relationship.”

“Then tell me about whatever you want to call it,” she replied.

Sighing in acceptance, Spike looked at the bottle in his hands, staying quiet for a long moment before speaking. “It was… It was about need.”

“On her part?” she asked, tilting her head to study him.

“From both of us.”

“Why did it change?”

“She used me,” he whispered, staring into his glass. “At least she was upfront about it… why wouldn’t she be? Wasn’t her heart on the line.”

“Maybe it was,” Anne said, causing Spike to look at her. “Did you ever think that it was her heart on the line? Maybe she got scared.”

“Doubt it,” Spike said with a scoff.

“What happened before you broke up?” she asked gently.

“Her ex came back into town,” he said bitterly.

“But what happened between the two of you? The last time you were alone together?”

Spike frowned, shifting uneasily as he took a drink. “We made love,” he muttered after a moment.

“For the first time?” Anne asked, her voice soft in understanding.

“It was…”

“I know you had sex before that,” she continued. “I can pretty much figure that one out of my own. But did you ever ‘make love’ before?”

“No,” he whispered, looking at the bottle in his hand.

“There you go,” she said gently. “She got scared.”

“How do you know?”

“Because even though I’m not technically her, I am her. It wasn’t like I just jumped into the arms of a vampire when I was sixteen. It took some persuading on his part. Vast amounts of persuading, in which I was the bitch queen of bitchdonia.”

Spike smiled until he noticed the melancholy expression on her face. “They’ll find a way to get you back,” he said, seeing her try to offer him a smile.

“It’s just strange,” she said, looking up at Spike with an array of emotions on her face. “And I’m sure you know better than anyone what I mean.”

“Yeah,” he said, smiling lightly. “I guess if you get too lonely around here, suppose you and I could…”

Trailing off with a suggestively raised eyebrow, he smiled when Anne giggled.

“Sweet,” she said with a slight nod. “And tempting. But you’re not my Spike.”

“Yeah,” he agreed with a sigh. “And you’re not my Buffy.”

Hearing the sound of the crypt door opening, both turned toward it. “Speak of the devil,” Anne muttered.

“Who are you?” Buffy asked, walking into the crypt, tightening her jaw when she saw them sharing a bottle of whiskey.

“Buffy Summers,” Anne replied, growing irritated with the tone of voice the other woman was using. “Guardian of the Hellmouth, Slayer extraordinaire. Do you have a problem with that?”

“Did you have someone build another robot?” she asked, turning toward Spike. “Just a stupid scheme to get me back?” She immediately regretted the tactless comment when she saw the pain on Spike’s face.

“How can you… No!” he said, jumping to his feet. “I didn’t have another bleeding robot built.”

Buffy opened her mouth to stop him as he stormed out of the crypt, closing her eyes when she heard the door slam behind him. Fighting the tears that were burning in her eyes, she slowly looked up to see her own face staring back at her in shock and disappointment.

“You can go now,” Anne said in a cold voice, crossing her arms over her chest.

“W-what?”

“If you honestly think Spike could do something like build another robot just to make you see what you’re missing, then you’re dumber than I thought. This sounds like some hair-brained idea of Xander’s, not yours.”

“I-”

“And if I was sent to ‘get you back’, don’t you think I would be doing a better job of it? I mean, you’re obviously over him,” she continued sarcastically. “There can’t possibly be any jealousy there. I could chase after him and have sex with him right now, and it probably wouldn’t make a bit of difference to you, am I right?”

“You know, you’re sounding a lot like Faith right now,” Buffy said with a hard edge to her voice.

“Who?” Anne asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

Remembering that Drusilla never would have killed Kendra, Buffy merely shook her head. “Just forget it,” she said, turning to walk outside. “You don’t get it.”

“No, Buffy,” she replied, raising an eyebrow when her doppelganger turned around. “You’re the one who doesn’t get it. And at this rate, you never will.”

* * * * *

After spending an hour searching for Spike, Anne had finally found the distraught vampire. They’d spent the rest of the night in his crypt, talking about his former relationship. Spike was emotionally drained, but Anne could see he was feeling a little better.

Instinctively knowing that the sun was about to rise, she stood up and stretched, exhausted from the long night.

“Mind if I crash here?” she asked, glancing over at the armchair.

“Take the bed,” he said, gesturing toward the lower level. “I’ll stay up here.”

Anne smiled, hopping to her feet. “Generous,” she said, taking his hand in hers. “But we’ve already established that nothing sexual will happen. No need in both of us having a sleepless night.”

Reluctantly following her to the lower level, Spike nervously looked at the bed before following Anne’s movements as she lay down.

“Good night, Spike,” she said with a yawn.

“Night, love.”

Anne shifted on the mattress after a few minutes, unused to being so close to the feel of a man who represented her mate without being able to get close to him.

“What’s wrong?”

Hearing Spike’s voice next to her nearly put her at ease. Slowly turning over, she blinked away the tears in her eyes. “I miss him,” she whispered in a choked voice, not realizing how hard it was to have a night away from her Spike.

His heightened senses picked up on the tears as he tenderly reached over and caressed her cheek. “I’m sure he misses you, too.”

Nodding slightly, Anne curled into herself, trying to push the tears away.

Seeing the face of the woman he loved so distraught, Spike tried to remind himself that she wasn’t Buffy. Not the one he knew. But he couldn’t resist the urge to offer her what little solace that he could.

“Come here, pet,” he said, opening his arms to her.

Anne eagerly moved closer, allowing him to pull her closer until she was safely resting against his chest. Relaxing at the familiar feel of his arms wrapped around her while Spike took comfort in her familiar presence.

This Buffy actually let him hold her, be gentle with her. If only the woman he loved would have allowed that.








Thanks so much to: Tam, MidnightGirl, Franchesca, Tasha, blondiebear, Caitie, sue, willowmouse, BuffyandSpikeForever, Cordykitten, Mariana, txjmfan, gypsy_jin, jennybean, Esther, Smitten, teasha, SinisterChic, phantomwriter, Crystal Pegasus, Sevvy_O, & Jessica for reviewing!





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