Love and hate, what a beautiful combination...

One moment Dark Buffy was standing in the center of the Sunnydale High school library. The next, she was on the floor of the library, being pummeled by Faith Lahane who had pounced on her from behind her back.

Faith Lahane no longer had the ability to speak thanks to a spell cast by Dark Buffy but that did not prevent her from straddling Dark Buffy's body as if she were a pony and punching her in the back of the head. Not content to do just that for long, Faith's next move was to grab Dark Buffy's head by the ears and start banging it on the floor of the library.

"Er, should we consider it a good thing that Faith is willing to do all that to a demon who looks just like Buffy?" asked Xander.

"I guess so," said Willow. "At least she's not doing it to the real Buffy."

Xander replied, "But if this particular demon is a future version of Buffy --"

"It couldn't be," said Willow. "Not our Buffy. It must be from a different world or something."

"'Or something' is right," said Anya. "Well, I don't know about you guys but I'm not content to just sit here and watch Dark Buffy get beat up. I wish --"

"Shut up, Anya," said future Amy, making the same magical gesture in her direction that she had seen Dark Buffy use on Faith and Buffy.

Anya immediately ceased talking and found herself unable to say another syllable.

"Are you crazy, Amy?" asked Kennedy. "Casting a mute spell on an ex-justice demon after what I've been through?"

"Kennedy, I love you very much but now would be a good time for you to be quiet," said Amy.

And with that, her strawberry-blonde hair turned a shade darker.

"Be quiet?" asked Kennedy. "Why would you ask me to -- Hey, wait! You said you love me?"

"Yes, sweetheart," said Amy absentmindedly. "Now please shut up. Mommy's thinking."

"Wait," said Willow. "Is Amy channeling her mom?"

"Considering what her mom was like, that's not exactly good news, is it, Giles?" asked Xander.

"Oh, hush, you three," said future Amy as her hair turned darker by yet another degree. "You know it's just an expression."

"You'd better reverse that spell you just cast on Anya or it's going to go badly for you and your girlfriend," said Halfrek.

Future Amy replied, "She's not my girlfrie -- Oh, what the hell!"

And just like that, future Amy turned, grabbed Kennedy by the waist, and then bent her over backwards while she kissed her squarely on the mouth.

"Wow!" cried Kennedy. "I guess you do love me. But this is so not the time --"

"Hush, Kennedy," said future Amy.

She let go of Kennedy and turned back to Halfrek. "Can you reverse that mute spell Dark Buffy cast on the two Slayers?"

"Even if I could," said Halfrek, "why should I bother?"

Future Amy smiled. "Well, maybe I could give you an incentive."

She turned toward Anya, chanted some words in Latin, made a few magical gestures, and then poof! A white rabbit sat where Anya had been sitting just a few minutes before, Anya's empty dress being the only sign that Anya had ever been there.

"Are you fucking crazy?" asked Halfrek.

"Like a fox," said future Amy.

And her hair turned yet another shade darker.

Dark Buffy just glanced in future Amy's direction, smiled and said, "I'm going to have to kill you for that just as soon as I'm done with Faith."

"Done with Faith?" asked future Amy. "Right now she's beating the crap out of you."

"Please don't gloat, Amy," said Halfrek. "It's not ladylike."

"Anyway, Faith's on top right now," said future Amy. "What makes you think you're going to win?"

"Oh, you don't know me very well," said Dark Buffy.

And with that, she turned, broke Faith's grip on her ears, grabbed Faith by the arms and then kissed her on the mouth.

Faith paused just long enough to register an expression of disbelief -- and then Dark Buffy disappeared into thin air along with Faith, leaving nothing behind save a cloud of black smoke that smelled like sulfur.