FF Past Imperfect

["Christeen Demons" <Shyfox30@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Okay, how do I explain this one...I've had this on disk for a while..trying 
to decide if I wanted to finish it or not...I'll give you guys a taste, and 
you can tell me what you think...find some way to continue, or dump it?

Disclaimer: I've borrowed liberally from Joss this time, some lines too, 
from the original movie...so anything that doesn't belong to him, belongs to 
me.:-)

Pairing: Eventually B/W

Part one

?No Way, Buffy! You can?t possibly expect me to believe that you were as bad 
as Cordelia." Willow had exclaimed, as she had lain on Buffy?s bed, looking 
at a way, way old high school year book.

"Actually, I was worse than Cordelia." Buffy had said, ruefully, as she 
looked at the old picture that had been taken of her and her cheerleader 
friends. She was sitting on top of the pyramid, and the smile on her face 
said it all. ?I?m so popular. Everybody likes me.? Funny thing about that 
was she hadn?t liked herself much back then. She hadn?t really liked herself 
until she had met Willow, and Willow had shown her the true meaning of 
friendship.

Willow remembered that conversation clearly as she stared across the 
cafeteria at a fifteen year old Buffy Summers, dressed in clothes she 
thought Cordelia would be impressed with, surrounded by a group of other 
?popular girls?. She had no idea how she had come to be there, or even if 
she could be seen. The way the students had passed around her she felt as if 
she were invisible. Willow could just make out the conversation of the girls 
from where she stood, and some of the comments Buffy was making were really 
surprising her. She knew Buffy had warned her about the way she used to be, 
but she really didn?t believe deep in her heart, that Buffy had been as bad 
as she had said she was.

"Is Jeffery coming over after the game?" One of the girls was asking Buffy, 
her perfectly permed hair blowing in the wind.

"Yeah. My parents are going to be out at one of my Dad?s dinner meetings, 
and Jeffery wants to come over and take advantage of the situation." Buffy 
grinned, giving her friends a conspiring look.
"Are you going to let him?" Another girl asked, her smile halfway between 
excited wonder and contemption.

"I don?t know. Maybe. If he?s lucky." Buffy said snidely, before she and her 
friends started laughing. She glanced up from her circle and somehow managed 
to lock eyes with a shy, hurting pair of green. She froze for a second, 
taking in the appearance of the new girl that was standing a short distance 
away from her and her friends. The girl had straight, red hair down past her 
shoulders, and was wearing a hat and clothes that hadn?t seen a fashion 
magazine in...ever. She was surprised to find that she didn?t feel revulsion 
for a girl that would have been instantly branded a nerd and a geek from her 
friends. Instead she was surprised to feel a friendly warmth wash down her 
spine at the sight of her. The feeling shocked and frightened her.

Willow was very surprised to be staring into bright blue as she met Buffy?s 
gaze. She knew she should have averted her gaze, but she found she was 
unable to as their souls connected.

She knew the instant the fear hit the bright blue eyes that she should turn 
and walk away, but she was unable to do so as she watched the walls reappear 
in Buffy?s eyes.

"Hey, Buff. Are you listening to me?" Spiral perm asked Buffy, bringing 
Buffy?s eyes away from Willow?s.

"Of course I was Jen. Yeah, it?ll be cool if we go to the mall after 
school." Buffy answered, carefully avoiding the strange red head?s eyes. She 
wondered how long the girl had been standing there staring at them, then 
shook the strange feeling off and returned her attention to the 
conversation.

*****

Willow didn?t know why following Buffy to the mall had been such a strong 
idea to her earlier, but now as she tried to hide in the closest Gap so she 
wouldn?t be spotted she wondered at the brillance of her idea.
Buffy was gushing over this yellow leather jacket, which Willow thought was 
kinda nice, but not really Buffy?s style. At least not the Buffy that she 
knew. "What do you guys think? Kim? Jen?"

"Please, that is so five minutes ago." The one Willow assumed was Kimberly 
said, turning her nose up at it. It looked like Jen was about to say that 
she liked it, that was before Kim said she didn?t.

"Yeah." Jen nodded, then followed Kim out of the store. Buffy looked a 
little sad that her taste in jackets hadn?t been appreciated, then followed 
her friends out of the store. Willow followed them serruptitiously.

"What are we doing?!" Kimberly asked, bored of shopping.

"Oh, I don?t know. Why don?t we go see a movie?" Buffy asked, as she and her 
friends walked through the mall.

"Where?"

"Omniplex?" Jen offered.

"Oh no way!" Nicole cried, totally grossed out by the suggestion.

"No THX." Buffy scorned.

"They don?t even have Dolby." Nicole agreed.

"Sorry." Jen said softly. Sometimes her friend?s scorn could be rough.

"Beverly Center." Kim suggested.

"Oh please. They show previews for porn movies." Buffy said, totally grossed 
out.

"Oh yeah." Kim agreed, in disgust.

"Amc?" Nicole suggested.

"Bogus Corn." The group chorused.

"Totally stale, and their ushers are like the acne patrol." Kim groused.

"Totally." Buffy agreed, hitting the button for the elevator. The elevator 
opened and the girls got on, continuing their conversation.

"O.K. O.K. How, are we thinking? Pavilion?" Nicole asked the group.

"Sounds Toasty. We?re going to the Pavilion." Buffy said, agreeing for the 
group. "What?s playing?" She thought a few seconds later.

"I don?t know. Does it matter?" Kimberly asked, as the doors started to 
close.

Willow wished she could have gotten on the elevator with Buffy and her 
friends, but that would have brought too much attention to herself. Besides, 
she really didn?t know if she could handle whatever Buffy and her friends 
might say about her.

Just then, a strange guy in a fedora hat and an overcoat rushed up to the 
elevator pushing the button for it to open. The doors opened and the strange 
man and the girls looked at each other. Willow saw a mixture of revulsion 
and disgust cross the girls? faces, while the stranger just stood there in 
what looked like shock to Willow.

"Excuse much. Rude or anything?" Buffy asked, scornfully as she went to hit 
the elevator button again.

"Nice ensemble." Kim said, glancing at the way the strange man was dressed.

"What a homeless." Another of the girls cried out, though Willow couldn?t 
see which one said it.

Buffy froze staring at the stranger until the doors were closed and Willow 
watched as the old guy stood staring over the balcony waiting for the girls 
to come out of the elevator. Willow could hear Buffy and her friends 
laughing as they walked out of the mall. By the look on the old guy?s face, 
Willow could tell that he wasn?t happy with what he saw.
Suddenly, a sudden intuition told her who this strange guy must be.

Cautiously exiting the palm tree she had hid behind, she approached the old 
man who was still staring down at the milieu of teenagers beneath them. 
"Merrick?" Willow asked, then stood stock still as the old guy swung around 
to look at the unnerved red head.

"How do you know my name?" Merrick asked, taking in the unusual appearance 
of the teenager. He could sense a strangeness in this young one, although he 
couldn?t quite put his finger on what made him feel that way.

"Buffy told me a lot about you." Willow said, stunned, not quite believing 
she was meeting the legendary first watcher.

"She did?" Merrick inquired, wondering how that was possible since he hadn?t 
even introduced himself to the young slayer yet.

Willow glanced around the mall nervously. "Maybe we should talk somewhere 
less crowded." Willow suggested.

Merrick eyed the girl with an appraising eye. "Maybe we should. Come." 
Merrick said, hitting the button for the elevator. They both stepped onto 
the elevator, giving each other wary looks.

*****

"Do all watchers have cars like these?" Willow asked, incredulously as she 
took in the aging car. Merrick didn?t answer the question, just opened 
Willow?s door, then went over to the driver?s side and got in himself.

"How many watchers do you know?" Merrick asked, his curiosity of the girl 
expanding with every minute he spent in her prescence.

"Ummm, you would be my second actually...though you were technically Buffy?s 
first." Willow babbled.

"Were?" Merrick asked, his eyes leaving the road to glance at the mysterious 
red head.

Willow gulped and nodded, wondering if she should be telling the Watcher 
this much, since she herself couldn?t even remember how she got here. "You 
could say I?m kinda from the future...Buffy?s future actually."

...to be continued?
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