"There's a balance between good and evil that has to be maintained. When your universe fell to evil there had to be another universe where good wins otherwise it would start off a chain reaction with one universe after another falling to evil. That's why the Powers That Be opened up the portal between that world and this. With what you knew of the other universe you'd be enough to tilt the balance here in favor of good."
– Shadow Plays for the House of Scooby: Endgame
A current theory in modern quantum cosmology is the concept of the multi-verse. At the instant universe was created, at the very instant of the separation of space/time, all the energy in the universe (matter and energy are pretty much the same thing at this point) underwent every interaction possible. Every set of interactions had it's own unique wave phase which still echo to this very day in the multi-verse.
'So what's this got to do with the price of monkey's paw in the Magic Box?' I hear you ask.
Everything is pre-ordained. Everything that has happened, is happening and will happen has already happened at the start of the uni/multi-verse.
Anyone who says that they know the destiny of the all the infinite number of universes in the multi-verse is talking out their ass. Even the PTB can only a limited amount of the multi-verse. That's why they get surprised every time shit happens.
They just shift the blame for it to us with that 'free will' crap.
There are an infinite number of universes, each different from all the others. Sometimes the difference is as small as the movement of a single quark, sometimes it's something on a universal scale.
There are universes where Buffy and Willow walk The Road to Recovery, Xander and Buffy make Nonsense, and Willow and Xander have Indiscretions. Where there's Willow Rosenberg CIA, Alexander Harris FBI, and Buffy the Cookie Dough General. There's even universes where Faith is Sated, Buffy has a Cris de Coeur, Xander's Chasing Tara, and Willow has Trinity's Child.
Science says it's impossible to see or interact with these different universes because they have a different phase to our own.
But what science thinks is impossible, magic knows it's not only possible but also highly entertaining.
Tara sat exhausted on her makeshift cot, her long hair matted with dust and demon gore.
After Xander had defeated Dark Willow and Dark Buffy, Tara had returned their bodies for burial. That done, she had gone out in search of the remaining Scoobies.
She had found Giles, Anya, and Dawn leading a group fighting against the demons that now ruled this world and made it their hell. With Buffy and Willow dead, the First Evil had lost its corporeal form and some of its control on this world and gave hope to all those who battled to reclaim the world from the darkness.
The forces of good were still fighting.
They had made some gains. Their stronghold in the mountains provided a place of relative safety to fight their war from. They had begun to assemble the remaining forces of good and shape them into a powerful force to be reckoned with.
Tonight they had raided Spike's stronghold. Spike had been one of a number of figures to fill the leadership vacuum left by Buffy and Willow. Tara had lead a small group whose jobs was to create a distraction in order for the others to attack the main target.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Anya who came into the room supporting a badly wounded Giles.
"Anya! Giles! What happened? Where's Dawn?"
Giles was ashen faced as Anya eased him onto one of the other cots in the room.
"We were inside Spike's stronghold when we got caught up in the middle of a turf war between Spike and Angelus. All hell broke loose."
Tara paled a little.
"Where's Dawn?" she asked again, afraid for the answer she'd get.
"We got separated." Giles choked back the tears and the pain while Anya did her best to comfort him.
"Giles, what happened to Dawn?" Tara insisted.
The tears flowed freely down the cheeks of all of them now.
"Spike took her."
It was a massively different world he had awoken to that morning a year ago.
He had awoken in a world where Xander Harris had never existed. A world where Buffy and Willow were way older and in college. A world where Willow was dating a girl named Tara.
It was a bizarre world, but a world he was, at the moment, very happy to be in.
"Mmmm.. Summers lips." Xander murmured.
"You like?"
"Oh yeah. Loving the lips." He told her as they kissed on her bed.
"What the hell are you two doing in there?" a voice yelled from the other side of the locked door.
"Go away! It's none of your business Buffy!" Dawn yelled back. She looked at her boyfriend in frustration.
"Just because her love life sucks don't mean she has to make mine suck too." She grumbled.
He drew his cloak closer about him as he gazed upon the four lands from the windy spires of Paranor.
It had been over a hundred years since Walker Boh had made him the offer to become a Druid. Giles had accepted what he had thought at the time to be a great honor.
After all, he would become only the second Druid to walk the halls of Paranor for nearly 200 years.
Giles knew now that it was less of an honor and more of a great burden.
A burden he felt grow heavier as the time approached for him to go out into the four lands and gather those needed to defeat the growing evil that threatened the lands.
He mentally went through those he would need.
Willow Ohmsford. Wielder of the magical heritage of the Shannara needed once again to save the land. Undoubtedly she would refuse to go any where without her childhood friend Xander Leah. The bond of friendship would see the Prince of the newly restored Highland kingdom follow in the footsteps of his ancestors who helped the Ohmsford's with their quests for over a thousand years.
Then there was the matter of Buffy Jax. Descendent of the great weapons master Garet Jax and former childhood friend of Willow and Xander. Her relationship with them was a potential major problem. But Giles needed her to help safeguard them in the dangers that lay ahead.
All this would be a matter for another day, Giles told himself as he turned and descended into the Keep.
There was still much to be done before that quest could start.