The One That Could Have Been

Disclaimer: Any bit of Buffy the Vampire Slayer did not come from me, but from Joss Whedon. The title and very, very, basic idea of this came from the sixth season Friends episode with the same name.

Prologue

"Big battle tomorrow, huh?" Xander asked as he joined Willow, Buffy, and Giles out on Buffy's back porch, The other three Scoobies had already seated themselves and all found that they could not sleep on a night like that. Almost no one could, with the exception of Anya who was out cold.

Buffy nodded slightly. "Yep...You all know I love you all, right?" she asked.

"Oh god, we're all going to die," Xander announced as he took a seat on the floor between Willow and Buffy, completing the circle.

"Not necessarily," Willow said in Buffy's defense. "I think it is a good plan...Just wish I wasn't the big gun. Buffy, you know I hate pressure like this."

Buffy reached across the circle and placed a comforting hand on Willow's arm. "Will, I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't know you could do it. And if you don't want to be here, you can go with Kennedy."

Willow shook her head. "She's off Dungeons and Dragon-ing with Andrew, Amanda, and some other Potentials whose names I honestly can't remember. Besides, if this is my last night on Earth, I'd much rather spend it with my three best friends."

"I feel so loved," Giles said with a slight smile.

"Hmm, you ever wonder what things would have been like if I had actually gone through with my wedding to Anya?" Xander asked, breaking off the momentary silence within the group.

"Ooh, what if I had never gotten addicted to the magicks?" Willow added with a smile.

"And if I had never been fired from the Council?" Giles put in.

"What about you, Buff?" Xander asked as he turned to his left and looked at the Slayer. "What do you ever wonder your life would be like if one thing were different?" he asked, then immediately wondering if the statement made any sense.

Buffy stopped, pondering the question for a moment. "Well, it often occurred would I still be with Spike if I hadn't sacrificed myself?"

The four of them fell silent once again as they tried to picture the world they had just described.