With this Ring.... by Lilachigh
Chapter 9 Stop Wasting your Time
Buffy walked through the town streets, interested to see what was the same as the other Sunnydale and what was different. The mall was in the same place, but the coffee shop was the Double Meat Palace and vice versa which was odd.
The big shoe store was a garden centre and there seemed to be a lot more people riding bicycles instead of driving around in cars.
But the Bronze was in exactly the same place. She pushed open the big doors and the smell - stale beer, cigarette smoke and rancid sweat from teenage dancers, assaulted her nose.
She and Spike had decided that she should come here during the day time to catch the staff before they became busy. Spike had kissed her and gone down into their basement, heading off through a tunnel that linked up to the maze of underground passages he knew so well, both here and in their other world.
As he said, it wasn’t that he didn’t trust OzT to find out from the local demon community if XanT had been in a fight, but there were some vamps who kept themselves hidden out of sight and he knew exactly where to find them.
Inside the Bronze, a bored looking boy was sweeping the floor and behind the bar - yes - Buffy’s stomach lurched - it was AnyaT, polishing the glasses.
“Hi,” Buffy said cheerfully. “You don’t know me - my name’s Buffy Summers.”
“Hi! Can I help you?”
Buffy hesitated. Was this Anya a vengeance demon, too? It wasn’t the sort of question you could ask straight out. Had XanT annoyed her in some way? Knowing what pain Anya had inflicted on victims in the other world, perhaps she’d given XanT some dreadful punishment.
“I hope so. I’m looking for a friend of mine. He works in here in the evenings. You must know him. XanT - I mean Xander Harris.”
AnyaT’s eyes lit up. ‘Xander - oh yes, of course I know him. ’
“I haven’t seen you here before, have I?” Buffy said cautiously.
“No.” AnyaT frowned. “I came to Sunnydale when I married my boyfriend, - ” she stopped and to Buffy’s horror, tears glinted in her eyes.
“Hey - are you okay?”
AnyaT dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “Sorry. Yes, I’m fine!”
Buffy patted the girl’s hand. This Anya was thinner, she looked desperately tired, her hair a mousey colour, badly cut, her skin was blotchy, as if she spent too long indoors and ate too many burgers and chocolate shakes. She was wearing faded jeans and a dreadful beige top with a purple zig zag pattern worked into the long sleeves.
AnyaT sniffed hard. “Thanks. The cigarette smoke makes my eyes ache. I’d really like to get a job in a nice dress shop, but we need the money and the Bronze pays quite well. But it’s not the sort of place I’d usually frequent, I can assure you.”
“No, no of course not. But there’s nothing wrong with the Bronze. We come here a lot.”
AnyaT pursed her lips and looked disapproving. “Well, as soon as I find myself another job, I’m leaving. But my husband needs our money. He’s writing a book, you see, so he can’t take a regular job. He’s very clever. I don’t know what he sees in me.”
“Have you been married long?” Buffy glanced at the girl’s red, rough hands where the shiny gold ring sat and thought it was a great shame the guy wasn’t a vampire so she could stake him!
“No - not long. I met him in New York, but he comes from Sunnydale so we’ve come back here to live. He’s had a really hard life and he’s trying to put it all into his book.
“Anyway, you’re not here to listen to my life story, are you? You said you’re looking for Xander. Isn’t he at home? No, wait, his girl friend came in searching for him, didn’t she?”
“Yes, Tara. Someone told her he left here at the usual time. Was that you?”
“No.” AnyaT folded the drying cloth neatly and lined up the little dishes of peanuts in a nice straight line. “There’s another girl who sometimes does shifts when we’re very busy. She was working with Xander that evening.”
Buffy sighed. She didn’t seem to be getting very far. When OzT had told her there was a girl at the Bronze called Anya, she’d been absolutely certain that the trail would lead straight to XanT. Even though in this universe he was in love with TaraT, she’d thought that he must have made some connection to AnyaT.
But obviously she was wrong. She couldn’t see XanT being attracted to this dowdy, timid girl at all. TaraT was shy, but you still felt she could be as brave as a lion if something threatened the man she loved. This Anya seemed far more uncertain, worried.
It was all so confusing, trying to keep the different world’s relationships straight.
“Okay, thanks for your help. Can you jot down the girl’s name and address for me?” Buffy asked, pulling a coaster across the bar and fishing in her pocket for a pencil.
AnyaT started to write when the door to the Bronze banged open and a man strode in. “For god’s sake Ahn, aren’t you ready yet? I thought we were going out for lunch. I’ve been slaving over that computer all morning. I don’t think you’ve any idea how hard it is when I’m pouring out all this emotion in words, not to eat properly.”
Buffy spun round. The same dark hair, soulful eyes, long thick lashes any girl would die for, same pouty, spoilt mouth. There was no mistaking him. “Parker!” she said.
“Well, goodness, look who’s here! Hi Buffy! Long time no see. Have you been away? ” The sulky expression was washed away by the blinding, charming smile she remembered so well. But in this world, thank god, she knew she hadn’t slept with Parker.
They’d gone out on a couple of dates and she’d ended up loathing him so much that she’d dumped him as quickly as she could.
“Yes, I’ve been - out of town,” she said shortly.
“Oh - really - interesting - I’ve been in the Big Apple myself, media work, you know. TV, radio, film scripts Got a big commission to write a book. So we came back to Sunnydale. I need the sun, the quiet - ”
“The money your wife earns,” Buffy said before she could stop herself.
ParkerT shot AnyaT a filthy look. “Been telling everyone our private business, pet?” he said angrily.
“No, of course not.” AnyaT gasped and winced as he grabbed hold of her arm.
“I’ve told you before what will happen to you if you don’t keep your stupid mouth shut!”
“But Parker, I didn’t, I haven’t - ”
“I think you should leave the lady alone.”
They all spun round. Spike was leaning against a table, hands in jeans pockets, staring at ParkerT and the girl.
ParkerT sneered at him. “Oh, yes, and who’s going to stop me?”
Buffy groaned. “That is not a sensible thing to say to Spike,” she said cheerfully. “Just let go of Anya’s arm before my husband makes you.”
“I can do what I like to my own - Yooowwwwwhk” His voice screamed out as Spike effortlessly lifted him and hurled him across the room to smash into a table and lie moaning on the floor.
“Parker!” AnyaT started to run across to him, but Spike caught hold of her round the waist and turned her to face him.
‘Stupid bint!” he shouted. “Stop wasting your time on that one. Walk away while you have the chance.”
“Spike?” Buffy asked cautiously, not sure what he meant.
Without another word, Spike pushed up the long sleeve of AnyaT’s shirt. Buffy gasped and felt sick. There was a row of black and yellow bruises all the way up the girl’s arm and what looked suspiciously like a cigarette burn.
AnyaT had began to cry. “He doesn’t mean it,” she sobbed. “He’s so artistic, you see. So sensitive. I annoy him by being clumsy, by being ugly. He needs to be surrounded by beauty and lovely things. I can’t earn enough money for us. It was different in New York. I had a good job. But here....”
“Anya!” Buffy reached out to grip her hands. “Listen to yourself. This isn’t your fault! It’s his. I dated him a couple of times in college and he was a rotten little prick then and, as far as I can tell, he hasn’t changed at all.”
‘Did he ever hit you?” Spike’s voice was dreadful because it was so quiet, so deadly.
Buffy shook her head. “There were rumours from other girls, but I broke it off with him before we got physical.”
There was a long silence broken only by ParkerT’s moans that doubled as Spike kicked him in the ribs. Buffy knew that was nothing compared to what he would have done if she’d told him that on their second date in this universe, ParkerT had grabbed her hair and pulled it so hard tears had run down her face. She’d been so tempted to kill him herself, but had known she had to control her Slayer strength. Spike would have no compunction on that count.
“You don’t need to stay with him,” she insisted to AnyaT.
The other girl looked at Buffy and for the first time, the Slayer could see a resemblance to the other Anya dawning in her expression.
“The truth is - I’m scared of him,” she said simply. “I thought he was so sweet and sensitive when I met him. I wanted to look after him, make up to him for all the bad things he told me had happened to him in his life. But when we got here he changed. Nothing I did was right. And there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with his life or his family! I didn’t know how to deal with him on my own.”
“Well, you’re not on your own any more, You’ve got us right behind you. But now you’ve taken the first step, I don’t think you’ll let him scare you so much.”
AnyaT pushed her mousey hair behind her ears and straightened her shoulders. ‘I’m going home to pack,’ she said. “I’ll book into a motel tonight and find myself another room tomorrow.”
Buffy scribbled a phone number on the back of AnyaT’s hand. “That’s my friend Willow,’ she said. ‘Ring her, tell her what’s happened. She knew Parker in college, too. She’ll put you up. Trust her.”
Other words trembled in Buffy’s mouth. Words like - if you meet a tall, weird looking guy called D’Hoffryn, give him my regards.
“Thanks. Oh, here’s that name you wanted.” Anya handed over the coaster and without another look at the moaning figure of her husband still lying on the dirty floor, she walked out of the Bronze.
Spike crossed to Buffy and wrapped his arms round her. “Leave you alone for ten minutes and you’re up to your pretty little round ass in trouble,’ he murmured into her hair.
Buffy relaxed against him, luxuriating in the feel of his muscles wondering how she’d come to be so lucky in both universes.
“It’s all so weird, Spike,” she said. “How can AnyaT be an abused wife and our Anya is a vengeance demon? Everything is different here - even us! Can you imagine us spending a night like last night back in the other Sunnydale?”
Spike growled deep inside his chest as the memories of their night roared through his body. He kissed her, running his lips along the delicate lobe of her ear. “Perhaps one day we will,’ he said hopefully. ‘In the meantime, pet, we don’t seem to have got very far in our XanT hunt. The vamps are doing their three monkeys routine all over town.”
Buffy sighed. ‘Perhaps this girl can help. She was the last person to see him.”
She read the name AnyaT had written on the coaster and began to giggle. Oh no! It couldn’t be, but then, why not? She handed it to Spike.
“Bloody hell. Cordelia bloody Chase!”
to be continued
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Author's Chapter Notes:
From now on, the AU Sunnydale characters will have the letter T after their names, instead of me using the word Two every time. I do hope this isn’t too confusing. Let me know if it is. Thanks for all the great reviews.