Part 3

Buffy awoke with a splitting headache. In a daze, she looked around. She was lying in a bed that seemed to be unusually high off the floor and had a nubby, cream colored coverlet. The room had pale yellow wallpaper with a delicate pink floral pattern. Ivory lace curtains adorned the windows. The furniture all appeared to be antique, carved from dark wood. Her first thought was that she was dreaming. She got out of bed slowly and went to the window. It was morning. She looked down on cobblestone streets. A horse-drawn cart passed below her window. She was definitely not in Sunnydale anymore!

Buffy stepped away from the window and turned around. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. She was now wearing an old- fashioned white flannel nightgown. There was also a bandage on her forehead where she must have bumped it the night before. A soft knock at the door startled her. A young woman peeked into the room. She was wearing a white apron over a black, full-length dress and her hair was tucked neatly under a white cotton cap that reminded Buffy of the one her Grandmother sometimes used to wear when she showered.

"Oh, you're awake miss," said the young woman. "My name's Cathy. I've come to see how you're doing and if you'll be needing any help getting dressed."

Buffy frowned as she looked at Cathy. "I'm fine," she said finally. "But, where are my clothes?"

Looking uncomfortable, Cathy entered the room and walked to the closet. She pulled out a pretty blue dress with a full-length skirt. "This is one of Miss Emily's but young Master William thought it might suit you."

"William?" Buffy sat on the bed. It was all coming back to her now. The shadowy figure in the alley, the mysterious mist, the flashing lights….and Spike….William. Slowly, she began to comprehend where she was. William must have saved her last night and brought her here, presumably to his home. She was in London – sometime before 1880 – before Spike had turned into a vampire. She must have gone through some sort of time passage. She realized that she was a long way from home and in disbelief wondered if she would ever find a way back to Sunnydale.

Cathy helped Buffy dress and put her hair up. Buffy looked in the mirror and smiled.

"It suits you miss," Cathy said.

"I hope it's…okay that I borrow this," Buffy said uncertainly, touching the dress' lace bodice.

"Okay? Oh yes, of course Miss." Cathy gave Buffy a reassuring smile. "Master William picked out this dress from Miss Emily's wardrobe. She's William's younger sister. I assure you, she has more dresses than she could possibly wear. I believe this dress was only worn once. I dare say she won't miss it. And besides, the entire family except for William is currently away – vacationing."

Buffy still looked uncertain.

"Come now Miss," Cathy ushered Buffy to the door. "Young master William is downstairs in the dining room."

Buffy felt awkward in the strange clothes. She made her way down the stairs and into a rather large dining room dominated by a rectangular wooden table covered with a white lace tablecloth and surrounded by matching chairs with ornately carved backs. She noticed that there were two place settings of delicate-looking china and silverware arranged opposite each other on the table. An anxious-looking William stood up immediately, hurried over to the other side of the table and pulled out a chair. He politely gestured for her to sit down.

"Are you well?" he asked, a look of genuine concern in his eyes.

"I am. Thank you," Buffy replied as she took her seat.

"You're American," William said with understanding. "I suspected as much based on your…ah, rather unique attire worn last evening. Might you be in the theatre, perhaps?"

"Yes, I'm American." Buffy replied, feeling embarrassed about how her modern clothes must have looked to someone from this era. She opened her mouth to say something to explain her modern attire, but found herself at a loss of words. She smiled at him weakly and shrugged.

"I see." William cleared his throat. "And now allow me to introduce myself, I'm--"

"William." Buffy finished for him. "Yes, I know."

He looked at her and frowned. "Last night," she went on. "You told me in the alley."

"That I did." William's frown turned into a smile. "Now….Miss er…."

"Summers. Buffy Summers." She smiled at him. "But you can call me Buffy."

"Yes, Miss er Buffy…" William paused. "You must have some loved ones very worried about you. A husband perhaps? Maybe this, ah, 'Spike' fellow?"

"Oh no, I'm not married. Especially not to Spike!" Buffy quickly thought of a way to prevent William from asking any additional questions which she might not be able to answer. "Actually, I can't remember anything….at all….except, of course…that my name is Buffy and I'm…not…married." She forced another smile and shrugged.

William's eyes widened and he glanced at the bandage on Buffy's forehead. "I've heard of this happening to people before – especially when it involves a head injury. I believe you may have amnesia , or at least partial amnesia as you seem to recall a few things about yourself."

Buffy nodded her head in agreement. "I believe you're right," she said.

"Should we contact the authorities?" William offered. "Perhaps someone has been looking for you."

"No! Not yet, I mean…I think it's actually kind of silly – me not being able to remember anything. I have this feeling that my memories will just come flooding back at any moment."

William was insistent. "Well, I do think we should talk to the authorities sometime soon to report the scoundrel that tried to do harm to you."

"I'd actually rather not do that yet either. I…I just don't feel up to it. Not just yet. I hope you understand."

"Yes, of course," William said kindly. "How insensitive of me. You've just been through a horrible ordeal. Of course I understand. And I want you to know that you're welcome in my family's home for as long as you need to stay here."

"I appreciate…everything you've done for me." Buffy felt touched by William's generosity and kindness. She thought of Spike and compared the two. On the surface they seemed so different. It was almost inconceivable that they could be the same person. She had never considered Spike to be at all generous or kind, but he had at times surprised her. And even then she had always dismissed him as an evil monster.