CHAPTER 1
Part 1: HERE
“Another dull and boring day at the Magic Box,” Dawn said.
“You’re just depressed because Connor hasn’t called you yet,” Willow said. “Give him time. They only left eight hours ago.”
“Eight hours and nineteen minutes,” Dawn corrected. “Are you doing a spell?”
“Yes,” Willow said. “And no, you can’t help me. I’m going back to that alternate reality to tell everyone that we made it back alright.”
“Can I come?” Dawn asked.
“Ask your sister,” Dawn said.
“Thanks a lot Will,” Buffy called from across the room.
“Can I?” Dawn asked. “Pretty please with marshmallows and Skittles on top?”
Buffy rolled her eyes. “I guess. Just be careful.”
“I will,” Dawn said, rushing over to give her sister a big hug.
“Skittles?” Buffy asked.
“Would you have preferred M&Ms?”
“Get out of here before I change my mind,” the slayer warned her sister.
“Can I come too?” Anya asked.
“If you want,” Willow told her.
PART 2: THERE
“Hey Giles,” Willow said.
“Willow” Giles said. “You’re back. How did the spell work?”
“Wonderfully,” Willow told him. “I just came back to tell you that we made it home ok.”
“Splendid,” Giles said. “And I see that you brought Dawn with you.”
“Yeah,” Willow said. “She wanted to meet herself.”
“And I want to see Anya,” Anya said. “Where is she?”
“Basement,” Giles told her.
“Great,” Anya said and headed for the basement.
“And Dawn is at home with Tara. Would you like me to phone her and have her come down here?”
“No, that’s ok. We’ll just walk over there and surprise them...uh, her,” Willow said. “It’s not like we don’t know the way or anything,” she joked.
***
“Willow?” Tara said when she opened the door. “You’re back.”
“And I brought Dawn,” Willow said. “She wanted to meet herself.”
“Oh,” Tara said. “Our Dawn was so disappointed when she found out there was another Dawn on your world and you didn’t bring her with.”
“Tara,” the other Dawn called, “who’s at the door?”
“It’s Willow. She brought Dawn with her,” Tara called back.
“Get out ” Dawn cried when she appeared at the top of the stairs. “Wow,” she said as she bounced down the stairs. “You really are me ”
“Or possibly, you’re me,” Dawn said.
The Dawns giggled.
“Wanna see my room?” the other Dawn asked.
“Sure ” Dawn said and they ran up the stairs.
“Do you want to come in?” Tara asked Willow.
“Sure,” Willow said.
“So, the spell worked?”
“Yep,” Willow said. “How have you been?”
“Fine, you?”
“Fine,” Willow replied.
“You don’t sound fine,” Tara observed as they sat down on the couch.
“I know,” Willow said. “I had trouble sleeping last night. I... couldn’t stop thinking about you,” she admitted.
“Really?” Tara asked.
“Yeah,” Willow continued. “I know it’s wrong. You’re not my Tara, but...”
“I couldn’t really sleep either,” Tara admitted. “I kept thinking about you, too.”
“Really?”
Tara nodded and Willow smiled.
“So now what?” Tara asked.
“I don’t know. I mean, I can come back here any time I want to, but...”
“It wouldn’t be right for anything to happen between us,” Tara finished.
“Yeah,” Willow agreed.
“Yeah,” Tara repeated.
They sat there in silence for a few minutes.
“I should probably go,” Willow said finally.
“I wish you wouldn’t,” Tara said.
“But...”
Tara cut her off with a kiss.
***
“Oh,” Xander said, obviously forcing a smile. “The other Anya is back.”
“Yes,” his Anya said. “She is helping me with the inventory.”
“Great,” Xander said. “I was just on my way out to pick up something for lunch. You girls want me to bring you back anything?”
The Anyas looked at each other and smiled. “Turkey wrap and a bottle of water,” they said in unison.
Xander rolled his eyes. “You been practicing that?” He joked.
“Actually, yes,” his Anya admitted.
“Okay,” Xander said slowly. “You want any chips or anything with that?”
“Sour cream and cheddar if they’ve got them,” the Anyas said in unison, then looked at each other strange.
“Let me guess, haven’t been practicing that part?”
They shook their heads and giggled.
“I’ll be back,” Xander said.
***
“Hey, did your sister blow up the highschool?” Dawn asked.
The other Dawn nodded. “But they rebuilt it, along with the help of Xander.”
“Mine too,” Dawn said. “AND I have to go there now ”
“Me too ”
“That is so cool ” Dawn said.
“It’s really weird how much we have in common,” the other Dawn observed. “It’s like we’ve lived the same lives. Do you think that’s strange? What with us all being from alternate realities and stuff?”
“Probably. You should’ve heard some of the stories Buffy and them had to tell about those alternate realities It was so hilarious ‘cause on one world, Angel and Cordy were having a secret affair and they thought my Xander was their Xander and Angel, not Cordy was trying to let him down easy ”
“No way ” The other Dawn cried. “So, like, Xander and Angel were having a thing, with each other, on that world?”
Dawn nodded. “BUT, as far as my Xander knows, I don’t know this. Willow told me this morning at breakfast, after Buffy went to go check out the new highschool.”
“I know my Xander would just die if he ever found out.”
The Dawns giggled.
“What other happy-fun things did they come across on their journey?”
“Uh, Ethan Rayne was Buffy’s watcher.”
The other Dawns eyes widened. “Get out Really?”
Dawn nodded. “And, that’s not even the best part He was engaged.” she paused for effect. “To mom ”
The other Dawn’s eyes widened. “Ohmygod I SO have to tell her ”
“What?” Dawn asked.
“I am going to call her right now ”
“What?” Dawn repeated.
“Didn’t your mom move back to LA last year?” the other Dawn asked.
“No,” Dawn said. “She died like a year and a half ago.”
The other Dawn’s eyes widened. “I... I’m sorry. That’s when my dad died.”
“Your dad?”
The other Dawn nodded. “He was in a car wreck. Drunk driver hit him.”
“Did you see him very often?”
“Only like once a week. He was too busy working to visit more than that.”
“Oh,” Dawn said, suddenly very sad.
“What about your dad?”
“I haven’t seen him in years.”
***
“That was wrong on so many levels,” Willow said, pulling away.
“I’m sorry,” Tara said. “I...”
“It’s not your fault,” Willow assured her. “I just think it would be best if we didn’t see each other anymore.”
“I agree,” Tara said sadly.
“Crap,” Willow said.
“Crap,” Tara agreed.
They looked deeply into each others eyes and were kissing again in seconds.
***
“Now what do you want to do since we’re through with the inventory?” Anya asked.
“I don’t know,” the other Anya replied. “Too bad you lost your power, we could’ve teleported somewhere fun.”
“Yeah, but D’hoffryn probably would’ve found us and done something horrible to us.”
“Oh, right. Forgot about that.”
The Anyas sighed.
“Oh ” The other Anya said suddenly. “I know what we could do ”
“What?”
“Go back to my apartment and play a game.”
“You mean like ‘The Game Of Life?”
The other Anya nodded. “Only we could start of with way more money then we’re supposed to AND have the option of selling the pink children if we want ”
“Yes,” Anya agreed. “Let’s do that Only, lets not play with the blue children because I don’t like them.”
“Ok.”
***
“So, what did she say?” Dawn asked when the other Dawn finally hung up the phone.
“She was really creeped out.”
“But did she think it was funny?”
The other Dawn nodded.
“So, what do you wanna do now?”
The other Dawn shrugged.
“Oh,” Dawn said. “I just had a horrible idea ”
“What?”
“What if we switched places for a little while?”
The other Dawn’s eyes widened. “You mean like me go back to your reality and you stay here?”
Dawn nodded. “Kinda like a prince and the pauper thing, only different.”
“Do you think it would work?”
“Well, the first thing we would have to do is switch clothes...”
***
“I really should be getting back,” Willow said.
“I know. It’s getting late.” Tara agreed.
“Buffy’s probably worried about Dawn and there’s no telling what the Anyas are doing.”
“You brought Anya?”
Willow nodded. “But I’ll come back,” she promised.
“When?” Tara asked.
“Tomorrow?”
Tara smiled.
“I’ll call the Dawns,” Willow said. She walked over to the bottom of the stairs and called, “Dawnies ”
Tara giggled a little.
“That sounded strange, right?”
Tara nodded.
The Dawns came bouncing down the stairs.
“What’s up?” They asked.
“It’s time to go,” Willow said.
“But we just got her,” one of the Dawns moaned.
“Can you guys come back? Soon?” The other Dawn asked.
“How does tomorrow sound?” Willow asked.
“Great ” Both Dawns said.
“Can we walk them back to the Magic Box?” Dawn asked.
“Sure,” Tara smiled.
“Let’s go,” Dawn said.
The Dawns ran out onto the front porch and down the steps.
“This is going to be SO cool,” Dawn said. “I just hope we don’t get caught.”
“We’ll just switch back tomorrow. No harm, so foul.”
“Cool,” Dawn said. “Wait, I’m expecting a call.”
“Huh?”
“From that guy Connor I told you about. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea now.”
“Well, we could always switch tomorrow,” the other Dawn suggested.
“But we’re already wearing each others clothes.”
“No big,” the other Dawn said. “We’ll just switch back at the Magic Box.”
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