Title: First comes the Dark, Then comes the Light
Author: Nikita
Buffy looked around the area she had gotten off at. It really was a little town.
'I thought Sunnydale was small.'
She walked towards the motel sign.
***
"Can I help you miss?" a lady asked.
"Yes. I need a room please."
"Sure thing. That'll be forty for the night."
"Here you go, thanks." Buffy said picking up the key.
She found her room and laid down on the bed.
"Travel a few days, sleep a few nights." she whispered as her eyes closed.
The nightmares soon came.
She saw images that she thought she had buried long ago and woke screaming.
"It's just a dream, just a dream. Can't hurt me." she said to herself as she rocked on the bed.
She looked out the window at the moon in the distance. She could still hear the screams and see the blood. When would she be able to put this in the past and leave it there? she wondered for the hundreth time.
***
Angel arrived back in L.A. and went straight to work. It wasn't going to be easy retracing Buffy's steps from a few years ago but he was going to. He had called the gang on the way back in and they were working on searching for any records of Buffy having been in L.A. He was going to the bus station.
"Hi sir, can I help you?"
"Yes, I'm looking for this girl." Angel asked answered showing the clerk a picture of Buffy.
"I'm sorry. Haven't seen her today." the clerk answered.
"Do you recognize her at all? I am also interested in a trip she would have made about two years ago."
"I'm sorry. I've only been here for three months." the clerk said.
"Is there anyway to find out?" Angel asked.
"Let me call my manager."
A few minutes later a guy in a gray suit came up to Angel.
"You are wanting to know about a passenger?" he asked.
"Yes. I'm looking for this girl, but I also want to know if there is anyway to see her record of her trip two years ago."
"May I ask why?"
"I am a private investigator and I am trying to locate this girl for the family. They said she's done this before and I'm hoping that she will use a similar pattern." he said.
'Just like I hope you are buying this.' he thought as he watched the manger think about it.
"Well, it is an odd request but if it helps bring her home, the records are kept on the second floor and are arranged by year. I'll call ahead and tell the guard you are coming." the manager said.
"Thank you sir."
"I just wish I could be a bigger help. Let me know if you find her will you?"
"Sure thing." Angel said heading for the elevator.
***
Four hours later Angel finally found the box for the time period he was looking for. As he searched the box he came across an empty folder.
'That's weird.' he thought.
A further search turned up that the empty folder would have held the information he was looking for.
Had someone already been here looking for Buffy?
***
"Hey man. Bad news." Gunn told Angel as he walked into the Hyperion.
"Nothing?"
"Not a trace. It's like she was never here." Gunn said.
"You do any better?" Cordelia asked.
"Nope. I went to the bus station and the manager let me look at the files but the one I needed was gone."
"Well I might have something." Wesley said walking in the door.
"What?" Angel asked.
"I searched the hospital records but there was nothing on a Buffy Summers. Thinking that maybe she had used a different name I went to County General. As luck would have it I found a nurse who remembered a girl being brought in during the time frame you gave me and how she had been in critical condition. She said she couldn't remember exactly what was wrong but that the girl had lost an 'enormous amount of blood.' Her words not mine."
"Were you able to see her record?" Angel asked.
"That's the odd part. I lied and said I was her brother and I needed to know what had happened for medical reasons. She went to pull up her chart according to the date and there was nothing there. A few patients with minor injuries but nothing to the level that the nurse was talking about. The nurse was stunned to say the least and couldn't understand why there wouldn't be a record of some kind. They keep their files for years for just such occasions."
"Just like at the bus. The records for that one time period are gone. What happened?" Angel asked.
"It's like someone wanted to erase any trace of her ever being here." Cordelia said.
"Yeah, but they are sure good at it. I wouldn't have thought of the bus station." Gunn said in awe.
Angel went to the phone.
"Who are you calling?" Gunn asked.
"Giles. I don't have much but maybe he has something." Angel said.
***
"Good morning honey. Are you okay?" the lady from the night before asked Buffy as she went into the office.
"I'm good. Why?" Buffy asked.
"I heard you screaming last night." she said fixing Buffy with a knowing gaze.
"I'm sorry. I...don't sleep so well." she told the lady.
"Is there anything I can do?" the lady asked.
"No. I'll be fine. I've dealt with this before, just takes time." Buffy said smiling.
"Well, my name is Ginger if you think of anything." the lady said smiling back.
"I'm Anne."
"Well Anne, nice to meet you. Do you have any plans?"
"Not really. I sort of just left. I guess I need a job and a place to stay." she said smiling.
"Well, I could use a helper around here and you could take one of the rooms for as long as you work here, no charge."
"Thank you." Buffy said in awe.
"Hey, I know what it is like to try and start over. You need all the help you can get." Ginger said wrapping her arm around Buffy's shoulders.
"That I do." Buffy said returning the embrace as they walked out into the sunshine.
Maybe here she could finally start to heal. Maybe here, she could finally let go of the past.
***
Angel and Giles had been calling back and forth for a week now and they were still no closer to finding Buffy then they had been. Angel learned from Giles that Buffy had told Willow about a girl she had helped while here in L.A.
"Willow says it was the only thing Buffy ever said about L.A. and only that she had been surprised because she knew her. The girl was one of the people worshipping vampires that Spike tried to kill back when Ford had come to town."
"Oh yeah. I remember her. She's in L.A.?"
"Well, she was at the time. I don't know where though."
"If she's here, we'll find her." Angel said hanging up.
"Okay guys, new task." Angel said as he relayed the conversation to them.
"I'll get my crew on it." Gunn said leaving.
"I'll search the net." Cordelia said.
"I'm hitting the streets." Angel said.
"I think I'll head back to the nurse. See if her memory has returned at all." Wesley said.
Angel nodded and they left.
Author: Nikita
Buffy looked around the area she had gotten off at. It really was a little town.
'I thought Sunnydale was small.'
She walked towards the motel sign.
***
"Can I help you miss?" a lady asked.
"Yes. I need a room please."
"Sure thing. That'll be forty for the night."
"Here you go, thanks." Buffy said picking up the key.
She found her room and laid down on the bed.
"Travel a few days, sleep a few nights." she whispered as her eyes closed.
The nightmares soon came.
She saw images that she thought she had buried long ago and woke screaming.
"It's just a dream, just a dream. Can't hurt me." she said to herself as she rocked on the bed.
She looked out the window at the moon in the distance. She could still hear the screams and see the blood. When would she be able to put this in the past and leave it there? she wondered for the hundreth time.
***
Angel arrived back in L.A. and went straight to work. It wasn't going to be easy retracing Buffy's steps from a few years ago but he was going to. He had called the gang on the way back in and they were working on searching for any records of Buffy having been in L.A. He was going to the bus station.
"Hi sir, can I help you?"
"Yes, I'm looking for this girl." Angel asked answered showing the clerk a picture of Buffy.
"I'm sorry. Haven't seen her today." the clerk answered.
"Do you recognize her at all? I am also interested in a trip she would have made about two years ago."
"I'm sorry. I've only been here for three months." the clerk said.
"Is there anyway to find out?" Angel asked.
"Let me call my manager."
A few minutes later a guy in a gray suit came up to Angel.
"You are wanting to know about a passenger?" he asked.
"Yes. I'm looking for this girl, but I also want to know if there is anyway to see her record of her trip two years ago."
"May I ask why?"
"I am a private investigator and I am trying to locate this girl for the family. They said she's done this before and I'm hoping that she will use a similar pattern." he said.
'Just like I hope you are buying this.' he thought as he watched the manger think about it.
"Well, it is an odd request but if it helps bring her home, the records are kept on the second floor and are arranged by year. I'll call ahead and tell the guard you are coming." the manager said.
"Thank you sir."
"I just wish I could be a bigger help. Let me know if you find her will you?"
"Sure thing." Angel said heading for the elevator.
***
Four hours later Angel finally found the box for the time period he was looking for. As he searched the box he came across an empty folder.
'That's weird.' he thought.
A further search turned up that the empty folder would have held the information he was looking for.
Had someone already been here looking for Buffy?
***
"Hey man. Bad news." Gunn told Angel as he walked into the Hyperion.
"Nothing?"
"Not a trace. It's like she was never here." Gunn said.
"You do any better?" Cordelia asked.
"Nope. I went to the bus station and the manager let me look at the files but the one I needed was gone."
"Well I might have something." Wesley said walking in the door.
"What?" Angel asked.
"I searched the hospital records but there was nothing on a Buffy Summers. Thinking that maybe she had used a different name I went to County General. As luck would have it I found a nurse who remembered a girl being brought in during the time frame you gave me and how she had been in critical condition. She said she couldn't remember exactly what was wrong but that the girl had lost an 'enormous amount of blood.' Her words not mine."
"Were you able to see her record?" Angel asked.
"That's the odd part. I lied and said I was her brother and I needed to know what had happened for medical reasons. She went to pull up her chart according to the date and there was nothing there. A few patients with minor injuries but nothing to the level that the nurse was talking about. The nurse was stunned to say the least and couldn't understand why there wouldn't be a record of some kind. They keep their files for years for just such occasions."
"Just like at the bus. The records for that one time period are gone. What happened?" Angel asked.
"It's like someone wanted to erase any trace of her ever being here." Cordelia said.
"Yeah, but they are sure good at it. I wouldn't have thought of the bus station." Gunn said in awe.
Angel went to the phone.
"Who are you calling?" Gunn asked.
"Giles. I don't have much but maybe he has something." Angel said.
***
"Good morning honey. Are you okay?" the lady from the night before asked Buffy as she went into the office.
"I'm good. Why?" Buffy asked.
"I heard you screaming last night." she said fixing Buffy with a knowing gaze.
"I'm sorry. I...don't sleep so well." she told the lady.
"Is there anything I can do?" the lady asked.
"No. I'll be fine. I've dealt with this before, just takes time." Buffy said smiling.
"Well, my name is Ginger if you think of anything." the lady said smiling back.
"I'm Anne."
"Well Anne, nice to meet you. Do you have any plans?"
"Not really. I sort of just left. I guess I need a job and a place to stay." she said smiling.
"Well, I could use a helper around here and you could take one of the rooms for as long as you work here, no charge."
"Thank you." Buffy said in awe.
"Hey, I know what it is like to try and start over. You need all the help you can get." Ginger said wrapping her arm around Buffy's shoulders.
"That I do." Buffy said returning the embrace as they walked out into the sunshine.
Maybe here she could finally start to heal. Maybe here, she could finally let go of the past.
***
Angel and Giles had been calling back and forth for a week now and they were still no closer to finding Buffy then they had been. Angel learned from Giles that Buffy had told Willow about a girl she had helped while here in L.A.
"Willow says it was the only thing Buffy ever said about L.A. and only that she had been surprised because she knew her. The girl was one of the people worshipping vampires that Spike tried to kill back when Ford had come to town."
"Oh yeah. I remember her. She's in L.A.?"
"Well, she was at the time. I don't know where though."
"If she's here, we'll find her." Angel said hanging up.
"Okay guys, new task." Angel said as he relayed the conversation to them.
"I'll get my crew on it." Gunn said leaving.
"I'll search the net." Cordelia said.
"I'm hitting the streets." Angel said.
"I think I'll head back to the nurse. See if her memory has returned at all." Wesley said.
Angel nodded and they left.