Author's Notes: I've been thinking about this idea for a time and decided to finally try and get it down on paper. I originally posted this under the title "Amnesia" but think that will be better suited for the second part. I've made some changes. I hope you enjoy it. I'd love to get some feedback in the form of reviews. Sunnydale, California - 1878

Lightening flashes across the night sky, illuminating the dark clouds intermittently. The air is heavy with the promise of a summer storm. A blanket of silence, broken only by the rumbling thunder in the distance, covers the graveyard. A woman slips out of the shadows and walks slowly toward the center of the cemetery. Her movement is graceful, purposeful. She stops in front of a fresh grave and kneels. Her face is somber, her eyes bloodshot from crying. Slender fingers reach out the trace the name on the headstone lovingly.

Rodrigo Perez
1850-1878
Beloved Husband & Father

Her hand drops to her lap and her eyes fall to the ground when the mounded dirt in front of her begins to tremble. She shows no surprise, simply bows her head, whispers a hasty prayer, and then shakily stands. From her sleeve appears a wooden stake. She watches sadly as a hand breaks through the soil. The late Rodrigo Perez pulls himself out of the ground, his face distorted by a demon and his new fangs forcing his mouth slightly ajar.

He sees her and steps away, momentarily taken aback. Does she see fear? The recovery is swift. The vampire shakes his head until his human visage appears and then he smiles, "Sara, my beautiful wife. I wondered if you would come for me, mi vida."

The smile weakens her. It's just so…Rodrigo. For one moment, one treacherous moment, she allows herself to forget that they are standing in front of his grave. That she is a widow. That her son is buried in the adjoining plot. That they were killed by a monster who has turned her life inside out. His smile transports her to the million little moments that made up their life together. And then she allows hope to steal reason. Maybe he is different from the countless others she has slain. Maybe the good in him will overcome the demon. Maybe…

Her reverie is interrupted by a snarl. The familiar smile becomes a sneer as he grabs her arms and yanks her close. With one hand twisted in her long brown tresses, he wrenches her head to the side exposing her neck. His breath tickles as he whispers in her ear, "I so wanted my first meal to be your blood. Slayer blood. Gracias por venir."

He gently scrapes a fang against her pulse point and moans as he licks a drop of blood from the cut. Suddenly, he holds her at arm's length. His fingers dig into her arms painfully. His yellow eyes search hers, for what she does not know. His voice is husky when he speaks again. "It does not have to be to the death, mi amor. Let me turn you. I love you. Let me love you forever."

Pulling her close again, he kisses and nibbles on her neck looking for a response. Her eyes squeeze shut and she loses herself in the illusion. Familiar arms hold her. Arms she never thought would envelop her again. His scent surrounds her: a unique blend of rum, tobacco, and the outdoors. "Rodrigo…" she murmurs.

"Be mine." He insists. "Forever mine." She feels his fangs once more on her neck, ready to break the skin. And those fangs bring her crashing back to reality.

With a gasp she brings a foot up and forces him off of her. They stand facing each other, she breathing heavily and he without need for breath. Her hand flies to the wound on her neck, covering it. Her other hand clings to the stake and weakly waves it at him, as though to ward him away. Her mind fights her heart. She's not considering this. Is she considering this? He peers into her startled blue eyes and knows the moment the decision is made. Their ocean blue color sharpens to sapphire and her full lips draw back into a sneer of their own.

"I could never be yours. You are not my husband. And you are not capable of love." Quickly, before she can change her mind, she drives the stake into his heart.

It is done. She falls to the ground, lying in the dust. His dust. She breaks. The heavens open up and cry with her.

TBC

Glossary of Spanish Statements Mi vida – my life

Gracias por venir – Thank you for coming

Mi amor – my love