Parallels

By Cat

Copyright April 2001 © Cat

This work is not to be reproduced in any way without the express written permission of the author.

*****

Chapter One - Making Introductions

*****

Spike leaned back into the shadows and watched as a young woman drew steadily closer to him. The bleached blonde vampire growled in frustration and disgust. He honestly felt like a pathetic ponce at the moment. For the simple fact that he was about to pull, what was nothing more than a childish prank, just for the cheap thrill it would afford him. This wasn't even a quick mugging - well all right it was. But it wasn't even as if he really needed to do it at the moment. He'd had a good night, relieving the half-drunk wankers' downtown of their wallets earlier in the evening.

Spike sighed, truth be told he was just so damn bored. The bloody chip in his head had ruined him. He couldn't hunt or feed, couldn't turn anyone. And it had been a damn quiet week. Even the bloody Slayer was bored. And the Watcher - he was beside himself, sure that all this quiet meant that something big was about to happen.

He watched as the dark haired young woman got closer, his body tensing slightly in preparation. As she moved within a few feet of him on the sidewalk he sprang in front of her snarling, game face and fangs bared.

"Shit!" the girl shrieked jumping back away from him.

Spike felt the energy surge through him and grinned letting his fangs show even more, anticipating the begging and crying about to start. Then his fun was ruined when she reached out and punched him in the arm, squashing his ego flat.

"God! You scared me, Spike."

"That was the whole point, Luv," Spike snarled trying to keep up his end, but knowing already that he'd failed as she grinned at him. It made him pause for a moment because it seemed so familiar.

"Well you did," she chuckled. Then she flattened his ego further by reaching out and looping an arm around one of his. "I have been looking all over for you."

Spike felt himself starting to droop, he was used to not scaring the Scooby's by this point, but a complete stranger? Then he looked at her surprised. "Looking for me? You were looking for me? Why?"

"Yeah, I wanted to meet you first." Seeing the look of surprise dawning in the still yellow tinged blue eyes she laughed softly. "Sorry, it's a long story."

"Stories, I just love stories," Spike said snidely.

The brunette sighed and rolled her eyes, reminding him of Giles. "Lighten up Spike, you'll always be the Big Bad to me."

The blonde vampire pulled his arm free and stepped back an angry frown on his face. "Look, as bloody nice as 'tis to know that I'm so well known, 'tis a bit off putting."

"Sorry, hey are you hungry?" the girl asked, changing the subject so fast it almost made his head spin.

"I could eat," Spike sighed, realizing he wasn't going to get to this person. He could always just walk away, but he had the feeling she'd just follow him. And he was hungry. It seemed like he never got enough these days. Not that he was expecting to get what he really needed now, either.

"Great, I don't know where to get what you need, so lead on MacDuff," she told him with a smile.

He stared at her for a moment, she seemed so damned familiar, but he just couldn't place it. He thought about heading for Willy's but after what had happened there the last time he didn't think that would be a very good idea.

"Right, this way." He started walking down the sidewalk. Then turned to look at her. "By the way, Pet, do you have a name?"

The young woman smiled sheepishly. "I'm, Cat."

Spike nodded and kept walking. The brunette chuckled and shook her head, following.

*****

Spike stared at Cat as she finished her story, a bag of blood halfway to his mouth. Slowly he lowered it back down. "I shouldn't be surprised by this. I mean, I am a vampire, living in a town sitting on top of the Hellmouth, but it's still bloody amazing."

"Believe me I understand. It's was more surprising for me, it's certainly not normal where I come from. At least not that I know of and I'm still not all that sure that I'm not going to wake up and find that this has all been some really vivid dream," the brunette replied with a small smile, playing nervously with the cold french fry in her hand. "But hell even if it is, I figure I might as well take advantage of it."

"So you decided to look me up?"

Cat grinned, "Yes, and the rest of the gang."

Spike rolled his eyes in disgust. "Wha' you want to meet them for?"

The brunette laughed and stood up from the picnic table to toss her empty wrappers in the garbage, she held out her hand and took the two empty blood bags from Spike to throw them away as well. The Vampire quickly finished the one in his hand and handed it to her also.

"Sorry, I'm really looking forward to chatting magic with Willow and Tara. Oh hey they are together aren't they? I mean I'm not sure exactly when I've landed," Cat said as she walked past the picnic table and slipped into a swing, so that the vampire missed the pensive look that passed over her face.

Spike closed up the cooler that contained the rest of his bags of blood. He caressed the cooler for a minute a smile on his face and then stood up to walk over to take the swing beside the young woman.

"Yeah, the little witches are together. Quite sweet, actually, never thought Red had it in her," Spike replied pushing off.

The brunette pushed off herself, flexing to send her swing higher. "I think it is very cool, they make a great couple. Have Tara's, yuck, family showed up?"

The blonde looked over at her. "Yeah, quite enjoyed them, actually. They showed up last month."

"Only you would like that bunch of intolerant, prejudiced, bullies," Cat sighed exaggeratedly. "You do know that if they had known you were a vampire they'd have burned you at the stake, if they didn't pass out or run first."

Spike laughed, "You're probably right. Sodding inbred...."

Cat shrieked as she was suddenly grabbed around the waist and pulled out of her swing. She felt a quick, sharp pain in her back. Then she was on her feet and Spike was standing in front of her protectively.

"Honestly Slayer, think you'd bloody well check before you just up an stake a body. Thought your lot was able to sense stuff like that," the Vampire sneered.

Cat peered out from behind the bleached blonde's shoulder to see a young woman with a stake standing in a fighting stance just behind the swing she'd been in. Despite the scare and the pain, a small smile tugged at her lips. She could feel a slow trickle of liquid running down the middle of her back.

"Anyone hanging around with you Spike, has to be a member of the undead fraternity. Nobody else could stomach you for long," Buffy sneered back. "Anyway from the back it looked a little like your insane girlfriend was back in town."

Spike tensed, growling angrily. Then a hand touched his arm.

"Let it go, she's just blustering to cover her mistake and to get your goat," Cat said softly.

"Well she's done got it," the Vampire snarled.

The brunette stepped around to stand beside the angry vampire. "Hi, I'm Cat. Sorry, I really am human." She rolled her shoulders slightly, grimacing at the pain in her back.

"You do know you're hanging with a Vampire don't you?" Buffy asked her.

"How bad are you hurt?" Spike inquired, ignoring Buffy and stepping behind the brunette, looking at the hole in the back of her shirt. He'd already smelled the blood, but the back of the shirt was slowly soaking. "Bloody hell!"

"Hey!" Cat protested as she was suddenly swept up in two strong arms.

"Don't argue, Luv. The sodding Bint stabbed you a good one. The way you're bleeding every vampire and demon in a five mile radius can smell you." The blonde vampire started off. The smell of her blood was distracting because it smelled so good and alive. And familiar, but he still couldn't quite place it.

"Don't forget the cooler," the brunette insisted, embarrassed at being carried when she didn't really feel hurt.

Spike detoured back to the picnic table and grabbed the small cooler slinging the long strap over his shoulder. "Happy?" he asked looking down at Cat.

"Yes. Spike, I'm not dying. It doesn't even hurt that much," she protested as the Vampire strode quickly down the sidewalk.

"Where are you taking her?" the Slayer was suddenly beside them.

"The closest safe place, the bloody Watcher's. You'll have to take care of anything we run across and they are coming. I can hear them," Spike snarled.

"Come on Spike, you can put me down. It doesn't hurt that much and that way if we do get attacked we can run," the brunette cajoled.

"Cat Luv, Buffy and I can run faster than you and your not that heavy."

They hadn't gone more than half a block when they were confronted by two new vampires. "Midnight snack, Spike? Didn't think you could do that anymore," one of them sneered. "Why don't we just take her off your hands for you?"

"Not in this lifetime," Buffy retorted from beside them. She spun into action attacking the one closest to her.

Spike did a half pivot and took out the second with a savage kick to the vampire's midsection sending him flying across the street. But he was back on his feet in a second and coming back at them.

"Go Spike, I've got them!" Buffy yelled as she staked the first one and he went up in a cloud of dust.

"Right!" Spike took off at a dead run and Cat had to close her eyes as the houses passed by in a blur of motion.

*****

The loud pounding on the door made the people in the condo jump. Giles leapt up from his seat at the table and hurried to the door. He opened it cautiously and nearly got knocked over as Spike forced his way in.

The Watcher pushed the door closed. "What's happened?" he asked seeing the girl in the Vampire's arms.

"The Slayer got careless and tried to stake her just because she was with me," Spike informed the other man angrily.

"Buffy? She wouldn't do that?" Willow exclaimed from where she was sitting at the table doing research.

"Well, she bloody well did," the blonde vampire retorted. He headed for the couch to put down his burden.

"Don't you dare lay me down on Giles' couch. I'll get blood all over it. Just set me down on my feet," Cat whispered sternly, her brown eyes snapping at him.

"But Luv...." Spike grumbled never one to lose a decent chance to cause the Watcher a bit of innocent grief.

"On my feet, I refuse to bleed all over the man's couch. What a perfect way to say hello," the brunette frowned.

"Not your fault the bloody Slayer decided to stake first and ask questions later," Spike fumed as he set the girl on her feet.

"Oh good Lord," Giles burst out as he got his first good look at the blood soaked shirt. "Willow, take her into the bathroom we'll need to see how bad that is. She might need to go to hospital."

Willow and Tara led Cat into the downstairs bathroom while Giles pulled the first aid kit out of the kitchen cabinet. On his way back to the bathroom he tossed Spike a damp towel to clean the blood off his hands and coat. Xander stood to the side watching.

"So, what really happened?" the dark haired young man asked snidely.

Spike snarled and started to answer when the front door opened.

*****

"Did Buffy really try to stake you?" the red headed witch asked worriedly, as she helped the brunette out of her bloody shirt. Tara held the dark hair trying not to get anymore blood in it than there already was.

"Yes, but I'm sure it was an accident," the brunette sighed trying hard not to look like she was staring at the two women. Her fingers itched to reach out and touch Willow's red hair. "I guess it would be only logical to her that I might have been a vampire."

Willow handed her a towel just as there was a knock on the door. Cat used it to cover her front and the witch let Giles in with the first aid kit. "Forgive the intrusion, if you want I can leave you to Willow and Tara."

"No it's ok. I'm not shy," Cat gave him a lopsided grin, her eyes watching his every move.

Willow blinked as she watched, because for just a moment the other woman had looked a little like, Xander.

"Right, then." The Watcher set the case on the counter and opened it up. From under the sink he pulled a bottle of peroxide and plastic bag of cotton balls. While Giles got out the items he needed. Willow used a wash cloth to clean up the wound and the blood as much as she could.

"It's not deep," the Watcher said as he began to clean around the wound with the peroxide. "This may sting a bit," he warned as he cleaned the wound itself with a peroxide soaked cotton ball.

Cat gritted her teeth, feeling the liquid bubbling in the puncture wound. "It's... okay."

"What were you doing that would have made Buffy think you were a vampire?" Giles asked as he began to smooth ointment over the spot.

"Swinging in the park, talking to Spike," Cat told him as he taped a square bandage over the spot, with a wad of sterile cotton folded up underneath to help stop the bleeding.

"Hmm that just doesn't sound like Buffy, she is normally much more conscientious than that," the Watcher frowned. "Stay here and I'll bring you a shirt, you can wear."

When the older man returned with a light sweater, Tara was helping Willow rinse the blood out of the brunette's hair while she sat on the closed toilet seat, with the towel wrapped around her. He laid it over the towel rack for her and started out the door again.

"Mr. Giles, I know that Buffy is more careful than this. Spike told me that it has been really quiet lately, so that everyone is a little on edge," Cat said. Her eyes held him with a penetrating look that reminded him a little of Angel. "Really, seeing me with Spike and not knowing who I am it was logical that she thought I was another vampire. I'm just glad that Spike has really fast reflexes."

"For once, so am I," the Watcher murmured. His mind was running in circles, she seemed so familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why. Pushing the thought to the back of his mind for now, he went out closing the door behind him.

Cat stood up and reached for the sweater as Tara toweled her long hair dry. "Thanks for the help, I appreciate it," she said softly and suddenly her eyes held a shy look that was reminiscent of Tara.

"It was the least we could do," Willow answered with an embarrassed smile. "Seeing as Buffy tried to stake you and all."

"It really was an accident, I'm sure. Don't be mad at her," the brunette said as she pulled on the big sweater. As she pulled it over her head she breathed in the warm scent of it and despite everything felt comforted by it.

*****

When Cat, Willow and Tara walked back out into the living room it was to see Buffy and Spike squared off by the door yelling at each other with Giles trying to keep Buffy from staking the vampire.

Hearing her come in the room Spike was immediately by her side his fight with Buffy forgotten. "How are you feeling, Luv? Do you need to sit down?"

Cat chuckled, "I'm fine, it wasn't a deep puncture, but I would like to sit down. But you're blowing your Big Bad image right out the window, you know."

Spike glowered, then sighed deeply as he led her to the couch to sit down, taking the seat beside her. "I lost that when I got the bloody chip. Especially with this lot."

"Okay, who are you and what were you doing with Spike?" Buffy questioned suspiciously, walking to stand in front of the couch.

Spike growled low in his throat, but a firm hand on his stopped him from doing anything.

"Buffy!" Giles said sharply.

"It's okay, it's her job to be suspicious," the brunette said with a smile. "My name's Cat. And you are Buffy Summers the Slayer. That is Rupert Giles your Watcher," she said nodding at the older man who quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Then there's Tara Maclay and Willow Rosenberg, they do magic." The brunette's eyes got soft as she looked at the two witches. She ignored the exclamations of surprise that escaped from the people around her. "And Xander Harris, carpenter extraordinaire and damn good at swinging a battle axe."

Again the look was soft and an emotion flitted across her face almost too fast to be seen. Xander grinned and Spike started to make a comment, but Cat smacked him and he closed his mouth giving her hurt look, which she ignored.

"Spike could have told you that," Buffy said firmly.

"True, but he didn't," Cat stated. "As for what I was doing with Spike. We were just talking, getting to know each other. He's always been fascinating to me, because he's got so many layers and I just wanted to meet him first, sorry," she finished with an apologetic smile to the group.

"Excuse me, you think Spike is fascinating?" Buffy exclaimed her eyebrows reaching for her hairline.

"Well yeah," the brunette replied sounding oddly like the Vampire. "I mean he is over a hundred and twenty years old and that's not counting in his human years. He's traveled the world, seen things I can only read about in history books. And he does have that Big Bad image, you know." The last was said with a huge grin.

"Pet knows a good thing when she sees it," Spike stated with a smug smile.

Buffy just rolled her eyes and ignored him.

"So," Xander said sitting down on the arm of the couch. "You know who we are, but we don't know anything about you."

Cat took a deep breath, not looking very happy. "Well, it's a long story and it's going to sound pretty crazy. But considering where you live, where you went to High School and the fact that you fight demons on a daily basis. It shouldn't be too hard for you to accept if you keep an open mind."

"Of course we will. Would you like anything before you begin? Some water, a soft drink?" Giles asked heading to the kitchen.

"A cup of tea would be nice," the brunette replied.

"Is Earl Grey all right?" Giles called from across the counter.

"That would be perfect thank you. With a little milk and sugar?"

"Quite right, the only way to drink it." The Watcher threw her a smile over his shoulder.

While Giles made up a pot of tea for he and Cat, Tara and Willow got soft drinks from the fridge for everyone else. They also stored Spike's new supply of blood in the back of a lower shelf. The two young women passed out the soda's then found themselves a place to settle on the floor and listen to the story. Willow cuddled back into Tara's arms with a small sigh of satisfaction. Only Spike noticed the look of happiness and love that flickered in Cat's eyes before it was quickly veiled.

*****

Cat wrapped her hands around her cup of tea, glad for the warmth and for something to do with her hands. They tended to fly around when she talked if she was nervous and she was nervous. For some reason telling Spike had been so much easier. Finally she cleared her throat.

"Okay, I guess the first place to start is to tell you that I'm not from this Universe. I'm from a parallel universe to yours." She held up a hand as Giles started to open his mouth. "I know this because in my universe, vampires, monsters and demons only exist on television."

"But can you be certain?" Giles asked. "Even the general populace of Sunnydale doesn't truly believe in the existence of demons."

"Oh yeah, I can be certain, because you see. In my Universe, you're all actors on a show called, 'Buffy, the Vampire Slayer'."

Spike snorted, even though he'd heard the story once before already and Buffy shot him a killing glare. Then she looked at Cat with a proud smile. "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer?"

Cat nodded. "Yes, it's a show about you and the Scooby Gang and all your adventures saving the world from various apocalypses and that sort of thing," she replied vaguely.

"Leave it to the Buffster to have her own TV show," Xander grinned and the blonde threw him a winning smile.

"So that's how you know about all of us. That's a little scary, to think that somewhere out there people are watching our everyday lives," Willow said hesitantly.

"Well not everyday, but the high points and low points, yes," Cat reassured her.

"So how did you end up here in our universe?" Giles asked.

The brunette grinned slightly. "Would you believe through a mirror?"

"Actually yes, I would," the Watcher responded. "Mirrors are often doorways between realities. Please go on."

"Well I was getting ready to go out for the evening and was making sure everything looked all right. When suddenly I couldn't see myself in the mirror anymore. It's one of those big old, free standing antique mirrors, my mom and I found it in an antique store," she explained.

"So it was like being a member of the undead, eh? No reflection," Xander inquired with a lopsided grin. And Cat smiled back for a brief moment unable to resist.

"Well not exactly. I mean one minute there I was in the mirror, then there was like this swirl of smoke and then I was looking at the outside of the Magic Shop," she answered.

"And... and... d...did it pull you in?" Tara stammered.

"No, I guess I've always had more guts than brains," Cat said with deprecating smile as the others chuckled. "I reached out and touched the mirror and my hand passed right through it. I didn't even stop to pack anything, let alone think about whether I should do it or not. I just grabbed my backpack and stepped right through on to the sidewalk in front of the store. When I turned around there was no way back."

"So you can't get home," Willow stated sadly.

"I don't know," Cat replied. "I'm still not sure that this isn't all some kind of dream. I keep expecting to wake up in my bed at home."

"It is entirely possible that this is a timed event and you could find yourself here for several days and then suddenly whisked home," Giles mussed. "Or that some extreme event has caused this to happen."

"Maybe something is happening here and it's caused doorways to open in other dimensions and I was just the only one dumb enough to not stay put," the brunette sighed.

"Well we will help you all we can," Giles told her, patting her hand reassuringly. He immediately stood up and started going through a group of books on one of his bookshelves. Then he frowned. "The book I need must be at the store."

"I was a little surprised when you weren't there, at the store I mean. That's where you usually do your research now isn't it?" Cat asked.

"We needed some books that were here at Giles so he closed up early tonight," Willow stated from where she was sitting with Tara.

"Ah, I see," the brunette nodded in understanding.

The Watcher looked at the clock on the wall. "It's getting rather late for tonight. Why don't we all go home and get a good nights sleep and start fresh tomorrow?"

Spike gave the man a disbelieving look. "Oi, Watcher, and just where do you suggest Cat go? I mean she can come back to me crypt with me if she wants."

Giles looked startled then embarrassed. "Oh dear, you're quite right, Spike."

"She is not going back to the crypt with you, Spike," Buffy exclaimed giving the vampire a dirty look.

"I don't mind, it would be kind of an adventure. I've never spent all night in a graveyard before," Cat said with a wicked grin.

"Absolutely not, you're coming home with Tara and I," Willow replied.

"Oh, I'd like that," the brunette smiled enthusiastically. Then she turned to Spike. "But I'd still like to spend one night in the crypt, if you really mean it."

The vampire gave her a winning smile. "Just name the day, Luv."

*****