Counterparts

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy, Stargate or any of the other universe or characters that shall be mentioned here.

Summary: Searchers of Merlin's Avalon cave find a second long range communication device, or at least that's what they believe.

Timing: Stargate Season 9 just before Beachhead

Author's notes: As always don't forget to review! Yes I'm still alive and this story is now finished. Sorry it took so long, I just finished exams for the first part of my Masters degree. Here it is after much ado, the end my little romp:)

Chapter 16 Epilogue: Living with the changes- Wesley and Fred with a touch of Landry

3 months later, Wesley pulled up in front of the house that had been his and Fred's home. He parked in the driveway and turned t his companion in the passenger seat.

"Are you ready, Fred?" he asked reassuringly.

Fred took a deep breath and steeled herself, it had a great deal of effort and time but she had finally managed t overcome her 'other' memories.

She gazed longingly at the house that held so many happy memories, untouched by the darkness of the other world, "I think I'm going to be just fine," she answered with a timid smile.

They got out of the car and walked to the front door, Wesley's keys jingling as he pulled out the proper key. He opened the door and stepped inside and turned back, beckoning Fred forward.

Nervously, Fred took a deep breath and entered the place she once and hopefully would still be able call home. Fred carefully gazed around herself taking in her surroundings and the memories associated with them. It was all so very familiar, she stood at the foot of the stairs and ran her hand along the bannister revelling in the feel of the smooth wood, she remembered telling her children not to slide down it, only to be caught doing it herself the next day.

She walked into the living room, images overlaying themselves over reality as she saw herself cuddling with Wesley on the couch, the memory flickered and she saw herself watching in delight as her children opened presents under the giant Christmas tree Wesley had once miraculously wrestled into the living room last Christmas.

She signed as over memories came to the surface, it was all so cutesy and sappy at times, nothing at all like the other Winifred Burkle, okay sure before she went to LA things had been just as simple, easy going and peaceful-well mostly. There had been that time great uncle Osborn had gotten into cousin Richards's hidden stash of moonshine that one Thanksgivings that nobody in the family ever mentioned in polite company.

But it wasn't the same. The absurdity of the other Winifred's life had overwhelmed her for so long. Aliens she could deal with, she'd believed in them since she was a teenager, but monsters-real monsters, were a whole different set of equations.

As far as she was concerned, it was like trying to compare between high school math-not calculus just the regular stuff, and the ZPM equation.

The monsters that live under your bed, the Bogeyman, Vampires, Werewolves and Witches should not exist. Ancient demon monarchs that eat people's souls should not even be a serious topic!

"Fred...darling? Is everything all right? You seem a tad tense," Wesley said in a concerned tone.

Fred blinked and noticed that she was tense, she took a deep breath and counted to ten as her therapist had suggested in similar conditions. The mere thought of those other memories made her tense.

She turned and gave Wesley a small reassuring smile, "I'm ok." She paused with a frown, "But where are the kids?"

"Roger and Trish took them out to get ice cream...I thought maybe you could use a moment alone first, get readjusted to being at home again," Wesley answered earnestly.

"That was thoughtful," Fred complimented he husband. He was always taking care of her right, even from the very beginning.

She walked to the couch and sat down, Wesley continued to hover nervously until she tapping the cushion next to her reassuringly, "It's okay I'm not going to shatter into a million pieces if you sit next to me," she commented smartly.

He smiled weakly in return and quietly sat down next to her without a sound.

They sat in silence for a few minutes that seemed to drag on for eternity.

Fred turned to Wesley and asked asked, "Can we at least snuggle a little? I don't think we're going to have a lot of alone time when the kids get here." She said pointedly.

In response, Wesley put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. She rested her head on his chest, she closed her eyes and listen the continuous thumping of his heart.

"This is nice, no children, no alarms, no unscheduled offworld activations, no demon armies threatening to beat down the doors, or signs of impeding doom," Fred murmured contently.

"It is indeed," was Wesley quiet reply.

Fred lay in her lover's arms, feeling the love he had for her enveloping her, protecting her. There were no demons out to get them, no vampires, no evil physics professors trying to send her to a demon dimension, no Wolfram and Hart, and best yet-no Illyria.

There were evil aliens out to get Earth but those she could live with.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Wesley pushed the door open and stepped into the Lobby of the LA branch of Wolfram and Hart. He held the door open as General Landry followed him into the lion's den.

After much research and debate between the General and Wesley they had taken this trip to investigate this dimension's version of Wolfram and Hart. What they had discovered was not good t say the least. Various dealing, direct and indirect and ties were found between the law firm and Ba'al, the Trust and the unlamented Robert Kinsey. Landry had also discovered much to his shock and dismay an old friend was CEO of the LA branch of all places.

Hence why they were here now.

Wesley's eyes darted from corner to corner taking in the similarities between this lobby and the one from his other memories. The sheer resemblance did nothing to assure his uneasiness.

General Landry calmly walked to the front desk and said, "General Hank Landry, USAF and Dr Wesley Wyndam Price , for Mr Alexander Thompson."

The security guard stared at him with very cold calculating eyes and reached for his phone, he turned away and talked into it for a few moments into it before turning back and emotionlessly saying as he replaced the phone in its cradle, "Mr Alexander is expecting you, his office is on the top floor, first elevator will take you there. His office is right next to the elevators, you can't miss it"

"Thank you," General Landry said haughtily.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

The elevator doors opened and the other shoe dropped, as Wesley stepped out into the heart of Wolfram and Hart. The floor was exactly the same as in his memories. Lawyers and legal aides walked back and forth about there business. All looking very busy.

Wesley looked towards Landry and whispered, "It's a just like my memories."

A few meters away from the elevators was the desk that should have belonged to Harmony. Wesley's eyes widened as he recognized woman sitting there. It was that angry female Vampire that had tried to frame Harmony for murder!

Landry stepped up to the desk and was about to speak when a loud welcoming boomed, "Hank Landry as I live and breath! It has been a dogs age!"

Landry turned around and saw his old friend walking towards him. Alexander Thompson was a stocky firm fellow with greying hair and brightly intelligent shrewd blue grey eyes. He approached General Landry and grabbed in his massive hug.

"It's been to long Hank!" he said enthusiastically.

"That it has Alex," he broke the hung and gave a pointed look around at his surroundings, "I see that you're doing quite well for yourself."

Alex smirked, "It's nothing just a little law firm," he joked, they laughed and then he said shrewdly, "You're not doing half bad yourself general."

Hank shrugged and said simply, "You don't know the half of it."

"Well then why don't you come into my office, I have a bottle of hundred year old scotch that I've been keeping for a special occasion-and this qualifies as one," he remarked offhand as he gestured to his office's door.

Wesley followed in their path casting disturbed glances at Thompson's secretary. He watched as she took a gulp from a cup containing a dark liquid that didn't look like coffee.

They entered the office and Wesley closed the door behind them. Again the office was almost identical to Angel's in layout and furniture with a few small additions, mainly personal photos scattered across the walls of the office.

A few moments later, Thompson held a large bottle and three glasses, he placed the glasses on his desk and opened the bottle of scotch, he poured into the glasses and passed the glasses to Hank and Wesley.

"To old friends that I haven't seen much too long period," he said happily as he raised in glass in a toast.

"To old friends," Hank reciprocated with a smug smile.

Thompson smiled and drained his glass in one gulp, he then quickly refilled his glass, he sat down behind his desk and slowly sipped his drink.

"So Hank, what brings you to my neck of the woods?" Thompson asked simply.

"What? Can't I just stop by to reminisce about old times?" Hank asked simply.

"I'm a busy man Hank, busy and very powerful these days..." he paused a shrewd look passing in his eyes, "Not that you're not powerful as well. From what I've heard you have a red phone on your desk these days-and besides if you wanted to reminisce you would have brought Dr Price along with you." Thompson stated evenly.

Landry's eyes narrowed but the smile never left his lips, "Heh, ever cutting to the chase?"

"It's served me well all these years, I doubt I would be sitting behind this desk if I never manages to cut though the BS," Thompson retorted with a huff.

Landry eyed him carefully, "Let's say I've recently discovered that we have some associates and acquaintances in common."

"Oh?" asked Thompson raising his eyebrow in surprise, "from what I understood, they were enemies."

Hank's eye's hardened, "Is that so?"

"Yes," Thompson took a gulp of his scotch and leaned back into chair as if he hadn't a care in the world, "Are you here to convince me to perhaps speak to me about them?" he asked calculating manner.

"That would be nice, but I doubt you would do such a thing," Hank retorted.

They lapsed into silence and gave each other calculating looks.

Wesley eyed Thompson with suspicion, between the similarities between his memories and the offices of Wolfram and Hart along with this conversation, he knew that this world's Wolfram and Hart were just as rotten as he had imagined.

The door to Thompson's office opened forestalling any further conversation between the two old friends.

Wesley turned around to see who had entered and froze in surprise when he recognized the woman who had entered.

Thompson rose from his chair and welcome the newcomer, "Ah welcome Ms Morgan, what can I do for the Senior Partners now?"

Standing in front of him was a dead woman from another that should have not have exist.

Lilah Morgan wearing a white scarf around her neck and a business woman's powersuit smiled her well known icy smile.

"Lilah?!" uttered Wesley in surprise.

Lilah Morgan turned to him and did a double take in surprise. She stared for a moment before recovering quickly, "Mr Thompson your secretary failed to mention that you had guests."

Wesley rose from his seat galvanised, she had recognized him and yet they had never met!

"How do you know me?!" he demanded quickly taking a careful step towards her.

Lilah feigned confusion, "I'm sorry? I'm afraid I don't know you."

He took two quick steps and grabbed her scarf, quickly before she react he ripped it off her neck.

He stared uncomprehending for a couple of seconds at the even scar on her neck.

His eyes flicker up to stare into hers, "It is you Lilah! The Senior Partners sent you to this dimension?" he questioned hotly.

Her eyes softened, "You know I've missed you Wesley too, and no they didn't send me here-I had to work hard to get out of that hell dimension they first sent me to. But what the hell are you doing here?"

Wesley didn't answer as his mind seemed to overload with possibilities with what else could exist naturally in this dimension.

"Ms Morgan, you know this Dr Price?" Thompson asked in extreme surprise.

Lilah smiled, "Only in the biblical sense-plus he gave this," she pointed at the scar on her neck, "when he posthumously cut off my head with an axe."

Thompson sputtered for moment contemplating that, he'd always seen Lilah Morgan as the super bitch-the ultimate ice queen, the perfect lap dog of the Senior Partners, she never talked about herself and know he knew more about her than anybody in the firm.

"Actually no, you don't know me...I'm not him," Wesley admitted.

Surprise blossomed on her face and she quickly demanded, "Then how the hell do you know me?"

"I have his memories-its quite complicated, I know everything he knew, all his true memories," he clarified.

She stared at him, contemplating each word he had uttered to her, "What do you mean knew? Don't you mean knows?"

"He's dead Lilah, you can thank Cyvus Vail for that," Wesley added coldly. "Didn't you get the memo?"

Wesley saw sadness in her normally cold eyes, "No I didn't get the memo," she replied slowly, "I don't suppose you know what happened afterwards, I doubt Angel would have let something like this pass unanswered."

Wesley eyed her curiously before deciding t answer, "Truthfully, I doubt Vail lived long after I was gone-and Angel most definitely had nothing to do it."

Lilah frowned, "Gunn, then?" she asked though mentally snorted that former street punk could have taken on and defeated such a powerful sorcerer as Vail.

"No Gunn was busy taking on a demonic US senator candidate, the other Wesley died in the arms of an Old One that had joined us..." he paused for a second, "well joined us after a fashion. She considered me her Qwa'ha Xahn, her High Priest. I expect they were cleaning bits and pieces of him from the floor for several weeks after she was through with him."

"An...Old One?!" Lilah repeated in disbelief, she snorted, "I bet little Fred just loved that!"

Wesley's jaw clenched angrily, "Fred was already dead, consumed by the Old One's rebirth...it wore her face."

Lilah's jaw dropped in shock and disbelief, "Just what the hell happened after Angel took over Wolfram and Hart?"

"A great many things," was Wesley's succinct reply. He turned to face General Landry, "I think it is time for us to go General."

Landry had been watching the exchange between Dr Price and Wesley in rapt attention, wondering just what was occurring in front of him. He stood up and turned to Thompson who seemed just as mystified, "It's been fun Alex, I expect we may be running into one another sometime soon again, thanks for the scotch," he said with a smile as he downed the last of his glass.

He and Wesley quickly moved to the exit and left the two bewildered evil lawyers in their wake.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

After they were out f the building Landry turned to Wesley, "What the hell happened up there?" he demanded.

Wesley sighed, "Lilah is a walking dead lawyer who sold her sold her soul to the Senior Partners, the scar on her neck was from where the other Wesley cut off her head to make sure she wouldn't rise again as a vampire," he explained simply.

Landry stopped suddenly as his mind tried to follow that statement.

Wesley continued walking his mind working a mile a second, if Lilah and Wolfram existed in this dimension then what else?

He thought idly, maybe I should call father and ask about the Council? There's no Sunnydale, but maybe there was another Hellmouth somewhere else? One things for sure I can't tell Fred abut any of this!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"You see son I told you this would be fun!" Q exclaimed happily as he continued to watch his handiwork unfold.

Q2 gave him a doubtful look, "I don't think so-I mean aunt Kathy would gave you another of her long winded speeches about responsibility and such things if she saw knew what you had done here."

Q huffed in annoyance, "You're again missing the whole point of this, don't you see the changes and paths now open to them all? The things they can now do? Potentials and possibilities all laid out in front of them...now all they have t do in reach out and grab them!" he exclaimed excitedly. "They were all s drab and bring before I interfered-I mean look at them they're a hell of lot more more interesting now! I could stay her a couple more Earth years just to see what they do! Can Cam remain sane or is he going to conqueror the universe here? And the Phoenix-"

"I thought we we're allowed to mess with the Phoenix?" Q2 quickly cut in.

Q waved his hand irritably, "Pfft, it may be a powerful entity in its own right but we are still Q!"

Q2 gave his father a dubious look, but the old man ignored it.

"Right where was I? Oh yes the Phoenix-its not going to interfere much here there's to much going on in that other dimension the Silent King and that insane Summers brother are ripping apart time and space there, I have a feeling the Phoenix is going to rearing its head sometime in the near future there ,much to their dismay. That English pansy is in for more surprises than he can imagine, and of course lets not forget our two new love birds, they have quite a bit of technology, it'll be interesting t see if they realise this or not." Q rattled on.

Q2 still looked dubiously at his father.

Q stared at his offspring and sighed, "Oh fine, be that way! Just you watch and see! Its going to be a fun time in this verse for quite a while now!"

Author's notes: Hope you enjoyed this! Don't forget to Review! And yay another fic complete:) Currently I have no plans for a sequel I'll leave what happens next up to all my readers's imagination;P:P:)