Title: Gift of a Future 8/?
Author: Gileswench
Feedback: Constructive criticism always welcome. Praise abjectly sought.
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc., etc., etc. I just let them have all the fun Joss won't. I own nothing except my twisted mind which you really don't want. Please don't sue.

Giles and Captain Picard walked into the Magic Box to find Anya and Dr. Crusher involved in a strenuous disagreement. Riker rushed to the Captain's side with a sigh of relief.

"Captain," he said, "am I glad to see you."

"What's going on, Number One?"

"It seems that Wesley broke some things before Xander got him out of here a while ago. Anya wants Beverly to pay for them. Unfortunately, Beverly doesn't have any gold-pressed latinum - not that Anya would accept it as payment. Beverly tried to talk Anya into letting Wesley work it off in the store. So Anya made a few choice remarks about what she thinks of Wesley."

"Which would not endear her to Beverly."

"If that was what she was going for, I don't think it worked."

"Suggestions?" The Captain looked expectantly to Riker and Giles.

"I would suggest separating them for a start," Giles offered drily. "Commander, have you seen Buffy this morning?"

"She's in the back, training."

"Thank you. I trust I can leave this...situation in your capable hands, yes?"

Without waiting for a reply, Giles headed for the training room with his box of donuts and a large cup of coffee.

*****

The Buffybot raced down the streets in a blind panic. All she wanted was to get where she would be safe. Spike would protect her from Willow and Tara. She knew it.

If she could just reach him before Willow caught her.

Robotic Slayer speed was clearly on her side. The bot reached Restfield cemetery and raced for Spike's crypt. She pounded on the door wildly.

"Spike! Spike! Let me in, please!"

The vampire cocked his head and rose slowly. He moved gingerly between his natural wariness and his wounds from the torture Glory and her minions had put him through the night before.

"Slayer?"

"Please, Spike, you have to let me in! Willow wants to kill me!"

"What are you nattering on about?" Spike said as he opened the door. "Red wouldn't hurt a fly."

He shut the door and turned to look at the Slayer in confusion.

"Ow!" he yelled when she grabbed him into a fierce embrace. "Watch the muscles! That bloody hurts!"

The bot released him immediately.

"I'm sorry Spike. I didn't mean to hurt you. Shall I kiss you and make you feel better?"

The bot dropped to her knees. Spike jumped back.

"Come on, Slayer! A joke's a joke, but this one has gone on too long. You made your point last night. Go back to your little pals and tell them Spike's not biting this time."

"I don't understand," the bot said, hurt and confusion filling her eyes. "I just wanted to make you feel better. That always makes you feel better. And I want the tension to go away."

"The ten...?" Spike cursed under his breath as he figured it out. "You're the bleeding thing that got me tortured in the first place! Get out!"

He strode to the door and flung it open. The bot stood lost in confusion.

"Spike, don't you love me?" she asked with a wobbling chin.

"No, I don't. You're just a pile of circuits and wires and suchlike. Now I've tasted the real thing, you're not good enough. Now get out of here before I turn you off permanently by tearing your insides out with my bare bloody hands!"

The bot stood staring at him for a long moment, then sadly moved to the door of the crypt. At the last moment she turned back.

"I thought you loved me, Spike."

"Well you thought wrong, pet."

He slammed the door in her face.

*****

Giles peeked cautiously into the training room. He didn't want to disturb Buffy if she was in the middle of some of her more acrobatic moves. When he saw she was sitting on the couch with Counselor Troi, he smiled and entered the room.

"Hello, Buffy, Deanna."

Buffy was on her feet and fussing immediately.

"There you are! Do you have any idea how worried I was? You owe me more jelly donuts than you can possibly have brought."

"Then it's a good thing I brought you this," he said handing her the coffee.

She opened the lid and inhaled deeply.

"Mmmmm, mocha. Okay, you're forgiven, but there'd still better be jelly donuts in this for me."

"Plenty. Just be sure and save me at least one."

"You don't deserve it, but I will. So what's up with the tardiness? You didn't stay up reading all night, did you?"

Troi joined them and took a chocolate glazed pastry from the box. She was amused that the other two seemed to have forgotten she was there at all.

"No, I did not stay up all night reading," Giles evaded.

Buffy's eyes narrowed.

"But I'm betting you stayed up late."

"Jean-Luc is a fascinating man."

"I told you not to ask about the future! Giles, that always leads to trouble."

"I didn't ask about the future, very much. And he didn't answer as much as I asked."

"Then what? What did you guys sit up into the wee hours talking about that was so fascinating?"

"If you must know, we discussed Shakespeare and archeology. Satisfied?"

"No. Giles, I told you I need you rested. I need you to be really here for me."

"And I will be, Buffy. I just...it felt good last night to talk to someone who shared my interests for a change."

As soon as he saw Buffy's wounded expression, he wished the words unsaid.

"I'm sorry, Buffy. I didn't mean it like that..."

"It's okay, Giles," she assured him in clipped tones. "I know I'm not as smart as Captain Picard. It must be hard for you, having to spend all your time with an airhead like me."

"You're hardly an airhead."

"But I'm not exactly profound girl, either. It's okay."

She put down her coffee and donut.

"Guess I'd better get back to training. I need to be up to full strength if I'm going to face Glory anytime soon, and I'm betting she's gonna come after us pretty quickly."

"Buffy..."

"No, it's okay, Giles. I have work to do. And don't you have a shop to run?"

She turned without giving him a chance to reply and turned on the techno music for her aerobics workout. Giles gave her one last frustrated look and left the room. Troi followed a moment later.

*****

Left to her own devices, the Buffybot was unsure what to do. Her program told her to return to Spike, but he had thrown her out. Her next impulse would have been to go to the friends she'd been programmed to know, but Willow planned to kill her. She felt pretty sure that going to any of the Scoobies would mean her demise, and that was something she didn't want at all.

She sat down on a gravestone to think. Thinking was not something she was in the habit of doing if it could be avoided, but she had no choice. She had to figure out what her next move would be.

There had to be someone who wanted her. She was programmed to love. If Spike didn't love her, what was the point of her existence?

Should she find someone else to love?

Was it possible she could?

And even if she could, where would she find him?

The bot sighed.

Thinking was very much more difficult than it looked.

*****

By the time Giles returned to the front of the shop, the situation between Anya and Beverly had deteriorated to the point that Worf was physically restraining the former demon while Captain Picard tried to hold the doctor back.

"Let me at her, Jean-Luc!"

"Doctor!" the captain admonished her. "Surely we can resolve this without resorting to physical violence."

"Wanna bet?" Anya hissed, which was all the more impressive a feat since there wasn't a single s in her words.

She further emphasized her words by biting Worf's hand.

"That was most painful!"

"What the hell is going on here?" Giles demanded.

At his commanding tone and blazing eyes, the combatants stopped in their tracks.

"She started it," Anya accused sullenly.

"I did not," Beverly returned with a flash of anger.

"Yes you did. You had that stupid kid and he broke things, so it's all your fault!"

Again, Captain Picard had to restrain his chief medical officer.

"Anya," Giles told her sharply, "these people are our guests. Treat them with respect or take the rest of the day off. Without pay."

Anya swallowed hard.

"You wouldn't."

"Keep arguing and I'll take the breakages out of your pay as well."

The former demon glared at her boss but returned to her work without another word. A moment later, Captain Picard looked pointedly at Beverly. She nodded to indicate she would behave herself and he released her.

"Perhaps it's too distracting having all of us here while you try to work," Captain Picard offered. "I'll take my people somewhere else, Giles."

"That might be for the best," Giles agreed mildly.

"Buffy gave me a key to her house, in case we needed it," Troi offered.

"Fine," Riker agreed. "That's where we'll go. Plenty of room for us there."

"Lead on, Number One," Picard ordered. "If you'll excuse us, Giles."

"Of course."

Moments after the entire bridge crew of the Enterprise filed out the door, Willow and Tara came rushing in breathlessly.

"Is it here?" Willow asked.

"Is what here?" Anya asked. "What are you looking for?"

"The Buffybot," Tara explained. "It's missing."

*****

"So it's him," Glory purred. "Right under our noses. I like the detail work those monks did. Quirks, foibles, passions...it's all so cute, so...human. You know?"

The minions standing before her all smiled and nodded at the magnificent Glorificus' wisdom. None, however, dared to comment on it. The Goddess' temper had been foul that day.

"Pretty convincing really," she mused. "But not convincing enough. Just not enough clue to go around."

She stood and eyeballed each minion in turn.

"You all know your assignments. I think it's time to collect the key."

None dared contradict her splediferousness. They scuttled out in her exceptional wake.

They headed for the video arcade.

NEXT