Savage The Hunt

By: skyz

Disclaimer:  Joss owns Btvs

~*~

Chapter 1-

His hands trembled as he paused outside the huge oak doors. His breathing was slow and deliberate. He didn't want to go in there and fly off the handle. He couldn't even if he wanted too. It would not be right to his bestfriend.

So he sucked in a deep breath and took his trembling hands, and ran them down his stubbled cheeks. Reached out abruptly and opened the door, and stepped inside.

The man who sat behind the large Chippendale desk had his head bent over a dossier, and his glasses had slipped to the tip of his nose. He was obviously deeply involved in whatever he was reading.

He cleared his throat and watched his friend's head snap up and his eyes narrow behind his glasses.

"Where the hell have you been?" he snapped out angrily. He shoved his glasses back up and stared at his bestfriend, his anger barely reined.

Charles Gunn slowly shut the door behind him and leaned back against it.

"William…" he began his voice hoarse and unusually strained.

William Savage stiffened in response to his given name. No one called him that except his father, and for Gunn to use it now had his hackles rising. As calmly as he could he rose from his chair and let his eyes roam over Gunn.

He didn't like what he saw.

Gunn's face was covered in stubble; it didn't help to hide the gaunt drawn features of his face. Or the hollows underneath his eyes. Eyes that were glazed and blank. His clothes were rumpled and he looked as if he hadn't had a good nights sleep in weeks.

He suspected he hadn't.

"What's wrong? You've been gone three weeks Gunn. Gwen was crawling the walls, everyone- I was worried about you. Where have you been? Are you in trouble?" William asked as calmly as he could his voice low and controlled.

Gunn let out a shuddering breath.

"I…" he had to clear his throat before he could speak. "I…I found her," he whispered gruffly.

William's whole body froze and he imagined he even stopped breathing. He blinked and then blinked again.

"What did you say?" he demanded harshly as he rose.

Gunn lifted his haunted eyes and met William's.

He didn't say anything; he didn't have to William saw it all in his best friend's eyes.

Shock ping-ponged through him and he staggered back, hit the back of his chair, and abruptly he sunk into it. His hands clenched into fists and he could barely breathe.

"I don't know…God Will I didn't-I was just argh," Gunn groaned and moved warily from the door to drop into one of the plush chairs opposite William's desk.

"Gunn…" it came out as a croak, a strained breath that allowed nothing else out.

But he didn't need to say anything more; they knew eachother too well to need words.

Gunn gazed at William's bowed head and realized he would have to be the strong one now. That he would have to help William handle this, believe it. Sucking in a deep breath he took a moment to collect himself.

"You know I was going out of town for that conference?" he asked and saw William's head jerk slightly. "Well I took the truck. I hadn't taken her out in a good bit. She broke down not even half way and the closest place was this little town. Called Sunnydale. I called a tow truck and went on into town. They needed some parts sent in from some place. I was gonna buy a ticket and get to Vegas. But I uh…I stopped to get a cup of coffee. So there I was sitting there drinking my coffee and she walked in."

Gunn paused and let his words linger between them.

William let out a little moan and his hands clenched in his hair.

"I was shocked. I mean I just about shit my pants. I mean damn man it was her! I wanted to call, but I wasn't sure and so I watched her. Watched her talk and laugh with her friends and then…I followed her out. Saw her get into her car and drive away. I didn't follow but I asked around. Found out where she lived. I staked the place out. Saw…things. Stayed around another day. And another. Until it turned into three weeks. William she's alive. And she's less than a hundred miles from here."

"Did you talk to her?" William asked his voice muffled and deep.

"Yes," Gunn answered immediately.

William's head shot up and he stared at Gunn.

"Is she here? God-did you bring her? Buffy?! Bu-"William jumped from his seat and rounded his desk half running.


Gunn staggered up and blocked William's path.

"I need to only tell this once. Get everyone together," Gunn ordered as he reached out and gripped William's shoulders in a death like grip.

William shuddered underneath Gunn's hands.

"God is it that bad?" William breathed raggedly.

Gunn didn't even bother to answer.

William Savage wasn't a patient man. He didn't like being kept waiting, but there were things he couldn't control, like the whereabouts of his family. Scattered as they were it took him and Gunn three hours to successfully locate everyone, and ask them to get to L.A. as soon as possible.

"Tell it to me," William begged and he wasn't a begging man. He stared at Gunn with a shockingly pale face; his blue eyes dominated his face, wide and slightly wild. His hands shook as he clasped them in front of him. His jaw was clenched and a muscle ticked about his left eye.

If he were a different man, he wouldn't be functioning. The shock was so great Gunn knew that if William hadn't been raised with a steel band of control then he'd be hysterical. This was one of the only times Gunn appreciated William's alien like control.

And because he knew William and loved him like the brother he'd never had, he wanted to prepare him.

"I talked to her William. I spoke to her face to face," Gunn bit out staring into space, his mind wandering back to weeks ago when he'd spoken to Buffy. "And there wasn't a flicker of recognition," he finished flatly.

"Impossible," was William's immediate response. He shook his head and muttered. "No."

He could not believe that.

Gunn flicked his eyes to William's.

Nodded.

"Yes. I am telling you I spoke to her for nearly twenty minutes and there was nothing! I showed her pictures of Gwen and there wasn't a sign of familiarity. Blank. Only polite interest. It…uh…God it cut me off at the knees Will. If she didn't remember me then…"

William was shaking his head still.

"She'll remember me," William announced confidently.

"No. I was there three weeks Will. What do you think I was doing there? I looked over everything I could, and there's no way she's faking this. You know her Will, she would never do that to you or her family. Never."

Gunn's voice was strong and fierce.

William's was sharp and flat.

"You sayin' she has amnesia?" he finally asked.

Gunn crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

"That's what I'm saying."

William rubbed a hand over his face and let out a booming breath.

"That all?" he managed to get out.

Gunn didn't bother to think even as he answered.

"Yes," he lied. There was no way he was going to tell William the rest without the rest of their family here to support William. Gunn knew if he told William the rest right now, he would no doubt go crazy.

So he lied and prayed once their family arrived William could handle the rest.

~*~

They trailed into the house in twos but the important thing was that they had come. When called they'd dropped everything and come here to California on William's plea.

Gunn had maneuvered William out of his office and had driven him home. He had stayed with him all night waiting and watching. William hadn't said a word since they'd left the office.

Gunn hadn't expected him to.

Faith and her husband Robin Wood were the first to arrive.

Faith trooped into William's house like she owned it bellowing out.

"Yo we're here as ordered," she called out as she stepped out of the foyer and into the livingroom.

Gunn paused on the spiral staircase and watched Robin toss their suitcases down.

"It's good you're here," he said.

Robin looked up startled and studied Gunn one long moment.

Faith sauntered back to the foyer and paused when she spotted Gunn, her eyes raked over him and she scowled.

"What the he-"she began.

Gunn waved a hand and finished coming all the way down the stairs.

"You're not gonna know anything until everyone else gets here. Hungry? I'm starving," he brushed past a stunned Faith and headed for the kitchen.

After Faith and Wood arrived it didn't take long for everyone else to trickle in.

Willow and Xander

Lindsey and Anya.

Joyce and Dawn.

Wesley and Lilah.

And finally William's father arrived and everyone was gathered.

William sat ramrod straight in his favorite armchair while everyone took their seats.

Gunn glanced at his watch knowing his wife wouldn't be here for another hour. He wanted to wait for her, he couldn't. He needed to get it out, and the sooner the better.

His eyes flickered around the group and he bit his lip.

"Well what the hell is going on?" Anya demanded.

"I went on a business trip," Gunn began.

"Three weeks ago Gunn! You know how worried Gwen was?" Willow demanded as she glanced up at him.

"We were all reasonable worried about you Gunn," Wes put in with a slight frown.

"Well my truck broke down on the highway, and I had it towed to this little town called Sunnydale. I-"

"Are you having an affair? I told Spike you'd probably run off with some floozy and left Gwen. He wouldn't let me tell Gwen though," Anya muttered feeling miffed still.

Gunn couldn't help the barking laugh that escaped.

"No I am not. I was there having coffee when I ran into someone."

He paused and wondered again how he was going to say this.

"And…?" Lilah asked impatiently.

Gunn spared her a look before he gave a slight shrug and blurted it out.

"I ran into Buffy."

Silence in their little group was hard to come by, and the silence that dominated the room now wasn't a good silence.

"That's a cruel thing to say," Joyce muttered.

"Man jeez if you're cheatin' on Gwen you don't have to make up a lie like that," Faith spat out.

Gunn glanced at William.

"It's the truth. I wouldn't make something like that up. I talked to her. I was with her and she's alive. Living in Sunnydale. I'm not lying. There's proof and everything. Se-"

"Why hasn't she contacted Spike? If she's okay then why did she let him and everyone else suffer like that? That doesn't sound like the Buffy I know," Lindsey demanded his eyes searching Gunn's face.

Again Gunn glanced at William.

"Did you go to the police?" Joyce asked carefully at last. "I mean obviously Buffy would have contacted us if she were able to. So it seems fairly obvious that she was unable to for some reason. I think it has to do with that dead body they found at your house Spike."

"Gunn says she doesn't remember," Spike finally said not lifting his gaze from the floor. "Says she has amnesia."

As the group broke into loud denials and disbelief, Gunn lifted a hand and told everyone to be quiet.

"It's true. I spoke to her and she didn't remember me at all. I got a hold of her medical records too. It clearly states that she has some form of amnesia, and that she doesn't recall a good portion of her life."

"A good portion?" Dawn echoed incredulously. "How about nothing? Because if she did there's no way she would have left us all wondering whether she was dead or alive. She would not do that. Especially not to Spike. She doesn't remember anything does she?"

Gunn's answer was extremely reluctant.

"No…"