"Wha...happp...?" Buffy struggled up from the couch and looked around. She was in the
danger room behind the magic shop, and there was no one there. Except for a dusky skinned girl
sitting on the training mat, staring contemplatively at the punching bag. "Who are you?"
"Christina Thaylor." The girl never faced her, but thee was an expectation that Buffy
should remember that name and not in a nice way. There was also a lot of defiance.
"Okay, what are you doing here?"
"Xander asked me to stay, make sure nothing happened to you." Ink black eyes raked her
up and down. "You're awake, you look fine to me. I'll be going now."
"Wait." Buffy's voice caught her just as Christina had risen to her feet. "You didn't say
where Xander was."
"He's gone out looking for Willow." Christina turned to look closely at Buffy. "You
really don't remember do you. That must have been a forgetting spell she laid on you. "What's
the last thing you remember?"
"Look, I really don't think I should be telling you."
"Fine, then I'll be going." Once again Christina turned for the door, but this time she was
stopped by Xander coming into the room.
"Did you find her?"
"Xander phone," Anya's voice echoed from the front.
"You know Xander," Buffy studied the girl, feeling that she should be familiar, but not
placing her. "I thought I knew all his friends."
"We're not exactly friends," Christina glanced at the floor. "I, uh, did something he
figured was wrong, and he found me and made me fix it."
"Really what did you do?"
"Bound Willow, so she couldn't use her powers."
"What," Buffy started to get up, fury building upon her face. Christina backed away,
nearly backing into Xander who appeared in the door.
"Christina," Xander's voice was strangely quiet. Buffy looked open mouth, ready to go
into a tirade about what she had done to her best friend. "I need to talk to you. Uh, can we go
into the office. Please."
Buffy watched them go, and sat on the couch, deciding to wait until they got back before
exploding. She heard a muffled 'no' coming from the office, followed by silence. After a bit
longer, Xander came out, leaned against the wall for a beat, then returned to the danger room,
where he sank into a chair. "I never want to have to do that again.."
"What," Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Leave me out of the loop, cause I don't want you to
do that again either."
Xander stared at her, then shook his head. Sorry, I forgot, you don't remember."
"Remember what? What can't I remember? Why can't I remember it?" Buffy looked
confused. "I'm drawing a big blank about last night. What happened last night? Is that what
you're talking about?"
Xander sighed and told her.
"What?" Buffy jumped up from her seat, glaring at Xander. We found her grandmother
unconscious in her back yard, with her wheel chair suspended in the air, and you think Willow did
this. Xander, how could you think her even capable?" Buffy was incensed at the very idea.
"I don't want to think that either Buff, cause it would mean she's not the Willow I knew.
But if she didn't why the forget spell?"
Buffy collapsed back into her seat.
I don't know, she said desperately, casting around for any reason not to blame her best
friend. "Maybe it as that girl, what's her name," Buffy waved an arm in the direction of the office.
"Maybe she did it and set it up so we would blame Willow. I mean, Okay it was her grandmother,
but you said she wasn't seriously hurt, so she must have set her down gently, well not too gently
cause she was unconscious and, well, we can always ask her up at the hospital, when they let her
have visitors..."
"She's dead," Xander told Buffy, his voice showing the deep emotion he was feeling.
"What? But you said..."
"Yeah, I know what I said, but she died. The phone call, that was a nurse I know at the
hospital. She was her only family. Why would she risk losing her?"
"Oh Willow."
danger room behind the magic shop, and there was no one there. Except for a dusky skinned girl
sitting on the training mat, staring contemplatively at the punching bag. "Who are you?"
"Christina Thaylor." The girl never faced her, but thee was an expectation that Buffy
should remember that name and not in a nice way. There was also a lot of defiance.
"Okay, what are you doing here?"
"Xander asked me to stay, make sure nothing happened to you." Ink black eyes raked her
up and down. "You're awake, you look fine to me. I'll be going now."
"Wait." Buffy's voice caught her just as Christina had risen to her feet. "You didn't say
where Xander was."
"He's gone out looking for Willow." Christina turned to look closely at Buffy. "You
really don't remember do you. That must have been a forgetting spell she laid on you. "What's
the last thing you remember?"
"Look, I really don't think I should be telling you."
"Fine, then I'll be going." Once again Christina turned for the door, but this time she was
stopped by Xander coming into the room.
"Did you find her?"
"Xander phone," Anya's voice echoed from the front.
"You know Xander," Buffy studied the girl, feeling that she should be familiar, but not
placing her. "I thought I knew all his friends."
"We're not exactly friends," Christina glanced at the floor. "I, uh, did something he
figured was wrong, and he found me and made me fix it."
"Really what did you do?"
"Bound Willow, so she couldn't use her powers."
"What," Buffy started to get up, fury building upon her face. Christina backed away,
nearly backing into Xander who appeared in the door.
"Christina," Xander's voice was strangely quiet. Buffy looked open mouth, ready to go
into a tirade about what she had done to her best friend. "I need to talk to you. Uh, can we go
into the office. Please."
Buffy watched them go, and sat on the couch, deciding to wait until they got back before
exploding. She heard a muffled 'no' coming from the office, followed by silence. After a bit
longer, Xander came out, leaned against the wall for a beat, then returned to the danger room,
where he sank into a chair. "I never want to have to do that again.."
"What," Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Leave me out of the loop, cause I don't want you to
do that again either."
Xander stared at her, then shook his head. Sorry, I forgot, you don't remember."
"Remember what? What can't I remember? Why can't I remember it?" Buffy looked
confused. "I'm drawing a big blank about last night. What happened last night? Is that what
you're talking about?"
Xander sighed and told her.
"What?" Buffy jumped up from her seat, glaring at Xander. We found her grandmother
unconscious in her back yard, with her wheel chair suspended in the air, and you think Willow did
this. Xander, how could you think her even capable?" Buffy was incensed at the very idea.
"I don't want to think that either Buff, cause it would mean she's not the Willow I knew.
But if she didn't why the forget spell?"
Buffy collapsed back into her seat.
I don't know, she said desperately, casting around for any reason not to blame her best
friend. "Maybe it as that girl, what's her name," Buffy waved an arm in the direction of the office.
"Maybe she did it and set it up so we would blame Willow. I mean, Okay it was her grandmother,
but you said she wasn't seriously hurt, so she must have set her down gently, well not too gently
cause she was unconscious and, well, we can always ask her up at the hospital, when they let her
have visitors..."
"She's dead," Xander told Buffy, his voice showing the deep emotion he was feeling.
"What? But you said..."
"Yeah, I know what I said, but she died. The phone call, that was a nurse I know at the
hospital. She was her only family. Why would she risk losing her?"
"Oh Willow."