Comments: Storm9632@aol.com 

Comments: What might have happened if the Jana of 'Sex, Lies and Betrayal' 
had told Willow who she was. Happier ending, eventually.
Note: Some events occur in a different sequence than they did in the 
'original' Buffyverse. 

An Alternative Reality: Trying to Make Things Right

by Sigrina

She waited to hear what they were going to say. Willow had said it would be 
all right, but Jana was not so sure. 

She had told Willow about her clan, the curse, and her purpose here, after 
they had made love for the first time. Not when they had done the sex magic 
thing, but later, snuggled up in her bed after they had licked and teased and 
laughed their way through the night.

Something had made her blurt out her secret to Willow. She'd spent minutes 
that seemed like hours waiting for the young woman's response, sure she'd 
just ruined everything. Then Willow had hugged her trembling form, murmuring 
words of comfort. In the morning, Willow had insisted, as Jana knew she 
would, that the others be told. 

Which is why she was standing here now in the middle of absolute silence. 
Angel wasn't here, of course, but everyone else was, and their faces 
reflected varying degrees of shock and dismay. Finally, Giles cleared his 
throat.

'It seems a very strange clause in a curse. Obtain true happiness and turn 
back into a monster.'

Jana shrugged. 'It was a mistake. Somebody combined two different curses and 
a mistake was made. It was supposed to be 'Obtain true happiness and die in 
peace.' By the time somebody actually wrote down the curse and realised what 
had happened, Angel was long gone. And when they did find him again, he was 
so miserable and wretched that it seemed unlikely that he'd ever be happy 
again.'

'The curse. You have a copy?' Giles asked.

Jana shook her head. 'There was only one copy. It was lost in Eastern Europe 
during World War Two. And nobody knows which two original curses were used. 
It didn't really matter until the seers began to tell us that they could see 
Angelus returning.'

'Because he obtains a moment of true happiness?' 

Buffy's voiced was strained. Jana recalled that it was her Birthday. Not the 
best birthday present a girl could receive, knowing that at any moment her 
boyfriend could turn into a vicious homicidal monster.

'Well, knowing this should pretty much ensure that he never *does* have a 
moment of true happiness,' Xander drawled.

Jana nodded, as the boy flinched under Buffy's poisonous glare. He was right, 
of course. She hadn't thought of it that way. How ironic if all they had ever 
had to do was *tell* Angel about the clause. 
Not that it was foolproof, of course. True happiness could sneak up on you 
without warning. And she smiled faintly at Willow, who hugged her briefly. 
But at least this should delay things. And keeping Angel and Buffy apart 
would help.

She said as much, and received nods of agreement even from a scowling Buffy. 

'And Willow and I will try to find a way to permanently anchor Angel's soul 
in his body.'

'No offence,' that was Xander again, 'but how do we know that we can trust 
you? After all, you infiltrated us under false pretences.'

She had dismissed Xander Harris as an annoying bumbling fool, and felt a 
moment's shame to realise that she was guilty of underestimating him. 

She moved closer to Willow. 

'Because I love Willow more than life itself.' She smiled as Willow flushed 
in pleasure and embarrassment. 'And hurting you would hurt her.'

Willow was smiling incandescently now, and Jana felt herself falling for the 
young woman all over again. 

'So, what do we call you, then? Jenny or Jana?'

A good question. With only one answer. Jana would never have betrayed her 
clan by telling strangers its secrets. 

'Jenny, call me Jenny.'

[Contents Page]  [Fiction Archive]