Author: Dayna
E-mail: honzr@midstate.tds.net
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Characters don't belong to me. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. No copyright infringement intended. Only Rosalyn belongs to me.
Distribution: TPWFLD; Angel of Mine; otherwise please ask.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Buffy raced into the library screaming for Giles.....but received no answer. She had just come from looking for the others, but it was as if they'd vanished.
"Giles, where are you?"
"He's gone, Buffy. Just like the others."
Buffy turned to see a blonde woman sitting on the table. Buffy quickly pulled out a stake.
The mystery woman laughed. "That's not going to do you any good, Buffy. You can't destroy me."
"Wanna bet?" Buffy asked as she threw the stake.
Buffy watched as the stake hit an invisible shield, and dropped to the floor. Never coming close to the woman.
"Well, that was productive." The woman said sarcastically.
"What are you? And what have you done with my friends?"
"I am called Rosalyn, and obviously I'm a witch. As for your friends, they're safe."
"Then you're going to take me to them." Buffy said forcefully.
Rosalyn shook her head. "That's not how it works. You should actually be thanking me. He wanted them dead, but I found another way to get them out of the way."
"Who's he?" Buffy asked.
"The Mayor. He wanted you and your friends out of his way.....permanently. I'm against killing.....unless I decide it's the right thing to do. And in this case I didn't. Your friends don't deserve to die."
"So, what have you done with them?" Buffy asked suspiciously.
"I've made their dreams come true. And as long as you don't try to interfere, they will remain safe and happy for eternity. Where they are now, they'll never age and will live in peace."
"Excuse me if I don't believe you. I want you to take me to my friends.....NOW!" Buffy demanded.
"You're certainly stubborn, aren't you? Don't you realize that you're in no position to demand anything?" Rosalyn asked.
"If you think I'm going to abandon my friends, then you're crazy." Buffy spit out.
"I'm perfectly sane, you little twit. It doesn't matter what *you* want, this is how things will stay. You'll never see your friends again. But, if you quit annoying me, I'll allow you the same safe dream world that I've given your friends. However, if you insist on continuing with this attitude, I'll leave you behind for the Mayor to deal with."
"I think you know what you can do with your little 'dream' world shit. Give me back my friends, or you die." Buffy said confidently.
"Stupid girl. Are you really selfish enough to demand your friends return to this reality? I've already told you that if they return, they will die."
"The only stupid thing around here is this conversation. How do I know you haven't killed them?
Rosalyn rubbed her forehead. This girl was giving her a headache. She had already decided that the Slayer didn't deserve her help......Rosalyn refused to help such an annoying person.
"Fine! I will show you the new lives your friends have been granted, then I will leave. You have forfeited you chance."
"Whatever."
Rosalyn rolled her eyes, then hopped off the table. A quick wave of her hand, and they were transported into a darkened hallway. Buffy looked around, and noticed the doors.......doors that eerily resembled cells.
"This is your idea of a 'happy' existence? Being locked up in tiny cells for the rest of their lives."
"They only look like cells on the outside. Within each room is their private paradise." Rosalyn explained.
Rosalyn pointed to the doors and Buffy walked to the first one. She looked back at Rosalyn, then at the door. A viewing window appeared.
"I'll allow you to see that each of your friends is safe. Then you will go back to Sunnydale, and I don't care what happens to you."
Buffy looked in the window. Inside it looked exactly like the library. She looked questioningly at Rosalyn.
"Keep watching."
Buffy watched as Giles stepped into view. She pounded on the door, trying to get his attention, but he didn't seem to hear her. Buffy watched as Giles sat at his desk, rubbing his forehead. She saw hands appear on Giles' shoulders, and gasped as she saw Ms. Calander massage his shoulders. Then a stunned Buffy watched as her Watcher pulled the computer teacher onto his lap. As the encounter was turning passionate, the window disappeared.
"No need for you to be a peeping tom. Your Watcher has back the woman he loves, and has a job he enjoys. There are no vampires, no demons, no Hellmouth. Giles can live in peace with Jenny."
Buffy leaned against the door. She had never seen Giles so relaxed, and so happy. He was a completely different man then she knew.
"Still not convinced, are you? Fine, go ahead and look in the next room." Rosalyn said as she leaned against the other wall.
Buffy approached the second door, and again the window appeared. Inside she saw Oz playing with his band. A woman she'd never seen before was the only other person in the room. After the performance was over, Buffy watched as the scene in front of her changed. Oz and the woman were locking themselves in a basement.
"What's this?" Buffy asked.
"One of the most important things in Oz's life is the band. The other is finding a woman he could share his life with."
"But that's not Willow." Buffy butted in.
"Was I finished? I don't really think so. Oz wanted someone to share everything with.......including his werewolf side. Willow could never be around him during that time, because he could very easily kill her. Now, he doesn't have to worry about that anymore. I've given him someone both he and the werewolf can love."
The meaning behind Rosalyn's words became apparent when growling came from the room. Buffy looked in and saw not one, but two werewolves. She watched in shock as Oz and his mate sniffed and played with each other.
"*This* was Oz's dream?"
"Yes, he wanted someone who would understand and love everything about him. His paradise is being able to play with the band, and finding his dream mate." Rosalyn pointed out.
"To each their own, I guess. So what about the others?" Buffy asked.
"Go ahead, you should know how this works by now." Rosalyn said impatiently.
Buffy glared at the witch and walked to the next door. Looking in, she was shocked to see Faith. But not a Faith she recognized. The girl Buffy watched was laughing and smiling at something. Gone were the leather pants, and too-tight shirts. Faith actually looked happy.
"Why is she so happy?" Buffy wanted to know.
"Since vampires don't exist in her world, Faith was never called as a Slayer. She grew up in a loving family, and has met the man of her dreams. Why shouldn't she be happy?" Rosalyn countered. "Faith always craved love and attention, things she'd never had. Now she has those things."
Buffy watched as the man pulled Faith into his arms, and they began dancing around the room. Faith wound her arms around the man, and smiled at the words he was whispering in her ear. As the man bent to kiss Faith, the window disappeared.
"Have you seen enough yet?"
"No, what about the others? What have you done with Cordelia, Xander, Willow, and........."
"And who? Angel?" Rosalyn asked.
Buffy walked to the next door and waited for the window to appear. Rosalyn sighed, and opened the window. Buffy saw the school, and watched as Cordelia walked down the hallway. Cordelia was surrounded by her followers.
"This is her dream? Figures." Buffy said.
"Cordelia was very happy with her life the way it was before you ever showed up. Before she became involved with Xander. She wanted things back the way they were. When she didn't have to worry about anything other then what she was going to wear, or which guy she'd go out with. It may seem trivial to you, but it's what makes her happy."
"I'm not surprised." Buffy said as she walked to the next door. She'd seen enough of Cordelia's 'snob' story.
"Ok, so who's next?" Buffy wanted to know.
As the window appeared, Buffy saw Xander. He was lounging on a couch watching TV and filling his face with junk food.
"Typical Xander......" Buffy began.
"Keep watching, you may be surprised." Rosalyn teased.
Several moments later, Buffy was surprised. Buffy turned away from the door, and shuddered.
"I *sooo* didn't need to see that. That's going to haunt me for life." Buffy said.
Buffy had always known that Xander liked women, but three at one time? "You could've warned me about that."
"Why? You're the one who wanted to see what his idea of paradise was." Rosalyn said.
"But I *didn't* want to see his little orgy."
Shaking her head, Buffy tried to get rid of those images. Seeing Xander having sex was bad enough.....but watching his little menage-a-trois was downright scary. Buffy walked to the next door. For the first time Buffy noticed that it was the last door. So that meant the witch had only grabbed Willow or Angel, not both of them.
"Alright, I'm waiting." Buffy announced as she waited for the next window to open.
"Take my word for it, you don't want to see what's behind that door. I'm giving you the warning that I didn't before."
"What are you hiding? You've shown me everything else, why don't you want me seeing this?"
Rosalyn mumbled under her breath, then opened the window. "Just don't whine about me not warning you."
Buffy turned to look in the window. She watched as Willow sat in her bedroom, typing away on the computer. The view switched so that all Buffy could see was the screen. Willow was obviously hacking into some files. The view again switched to show Willow's hands on the keyboard, and another set of hands covering hers. The male hands gripped Willows, and pulled Willow up. Then Buffy found herself looking at Willow. Buffy watched as Willow wrapped her arms around the man, and pressed intimately against him. The man's hands caressed Willow's back, before picking her up and carrying her to the bed. Buffy watched in shock as the man covered Willow with his body, and they began kissing and caressing each other. Buffy turned away from the window.
"Wow, who would've thought that Willow had *those* kinds of dreams. So, why didn't you want me to see that?"
Rosalyn shook her head. "You're not too bright, are you? Who do you think the man was?"
Buffy shrugged her shoulders, then turned back to the window. She hadn't really paid too much attention to the man. But now, she saw something familiar about him. The blood drained from her face as she realized that the man making love to Willow.......was Angel. Buffy began pounding on the door, yelling at Willow to get away from Angel.
Rosalyn put her hands over her ears trying to drown out the noise, "Oh, would you shut up already! They can't hear you. Just like Giles didn't hear you when you did that before."
Buffy turned and walked over to face Rosalyn. "How long has my best friend been lusting after my boyfriend?"
Rosalyn couldn't believe the selfishness of the girl in front of her. "And do I remember saying that was Willow's fantasy? Hhhhmmm, nope, don't think so."
"Are you saying.......you don't honestly expect me to believe that Angel ever desired Willow. Why would he? Angel had me." Buffy argued.
"You certainly like making assumptions. You *assumed* that was Willow's paradise; you *assumed* that was Angel; and you *assumed* that Angel had never desired Willow."
"So what are you saying?" Buffy asked.
"I'm not saying anything. You don't want to hear my answers anyway.....not really. You'd rather just believe what you've made up in your mind. The only thing that should concern you, is now you know your friends are fine."
"I want Angel out of that room and away from Willow!"
"No can do. But you don't have to worry about them. They both love everything they're doing together. Such an attractive couple, don't you think?" Rosalyn taunted.
"Angel belongs with me." Buffy said as she ran back to the door. Using all her strength, Buffy broke the door open. She entered the cell yelling Angel's name..........but the small cell was empty. Buffy turned to Rosalyn.
"This has all been a trick!"
"No it hasn't, but I couldn't allow you to interrupt the lovers. As soon as you broke the door, I simply moved them to a different spot......away from you."
"Don't call them lovers!" Buffy yelled.
"I've really had about all I can take of you, young lady. I've done what I said I would. Now it's time for us to part company. I suggest you think about leaving Sunnydale. The Mayor has plans for you......and none of them are pleasant."
"I'm not through with you!" Buffy screamed and launched herself at Rosalyn.
Buffy found herself lying on the library floor. Everything was as it had been.......except she was alone. {Maybe it was all just a really nasty dream.}
"Yeah, that's gotta be it. I mean....Angel and Willow.....lovers......get real." Buffy said to herself.
Buffy stood and walked over to the library table. She would sit and wait for the others to show up. They'd get a kick out of hearing about her dream. As Buffy sat down, she spotted a picture on the table. Turning it over, she screamed.
"NO!!!!"
Buffy threw the photo on the floor, and rushed out of the library. The photo, showing Angel and Willow naked and wrapped in each other's arms, disappeared as soon as Buffy dropped it.
Rosalyn laughed from the stacks, and disappeared.
THE END