Disclaimer: The characters, Buffy, Xander, Joyce, Giles, Angel, Spike, and all those others you might recognize from BVS are not mine

Disclaimer: The characters, Buffy, Xander, Joyce, Giles, Angel, Spike, and all those others you might recognize from BVS are not mine. Though there are a few characters that are.

Prologue "Awakening"

Sensations crept into the sleepers conciousness. Pain still lay thick in his mind and body. The memories of unbearable mind searing pain. Relentless burning, melting, and fear tingled over his skin. Cringing in memory he crept along the floor, trying to escape the fires of hell. But the fire was gone, the floor lay cold and still beneath him.

It was quiet, no screams, no laughing, not even the deafening silence that had been a torture in a long list of agonies. Cold stone felt like a kiss against his cheek, against his burning skin. Almost afraid of the blindness inflicted upon him, he opened his eyes to take in his surroundings. And they were blessedly bright, lit by the light of a full moon.

He was in a building. A very old building. A building full of memories....

Tears slid down his face in recognition, as she stood before him. She was crying too, but why, his mind was cloudy. What had happened? Why was he here?

Feeling like the world was falling on his head, he tried to think. To clear his mind. To remember....

Her name was on his lips, as he took her into his arms. She was crying too, and her shoulders shook in his embrace, as her tears covered his shirt.

Why? What happened? How had he gotten back? Question swirled around his head, as he struggled to stand. His body was covered in bruises, he felt battered and everything ached. But the pains of his body could not compare to the pain in his head as he tried to think, struggled to lift the veil clouding his mind.

Tears gleemed in her eyes as she looked up at him. How could she look at him like that? Longing to sooth her pain away, he lowered his mouth to hers. The desperation in her kiss surprised him, it was almost as if they were kissing for the last time.

A cool breeze swept across the floor, awakening him to his nakedness. Padding acrossed the stones felt like a new torture on his burned feet, it took a force of will to keep standing and moving towards the other room. Old furniture covered with sheets looked like the ghosts of life this house had once held. Sweeping the sheet off an ancient couch he wrapped his body in it and slumped into the cushions.

There was a peace in this place. A peace that defied all reasoning, after what had happened here in the centuries since it had been built. Out of all the death and chaos that this small town held, much of it had traspired within these walls, and yet the soul of the building still remained untouched by evil. At times like this it even felt like a sanctuary.

Breaking the contact of their lips she whispered to him. Words he had longed to hear.

Feeling restless he paced acrossed the floor. Searching, trying to remember. Something caught his eye. Beside one of his bare feet the moonlight shone off something. Reaching for the object his fingers closed around a tiny metal thing. Opening his hand, the familiar ring shone back at him, catching the moonlight again.

"I love you." she cried. Before he could respond she lifted her arms and plunged a sword into him.

"Buffy!" His cry broke into the silence of the old house, as reality crashed down on his head.

A sound came to his ears, louder in the quiet than it should have had the credit for. He was not alone. A figure moved into the dark room. He watched quietly as whoever it was shuffled acrossed the floor in search for something, or someone. Stepping into a beem of light from the window, for moment he thought he saw wavy golden hair.

"Buffy?"

Turning, straight auburn hair fell acrossed a familiar face. The look in her eyes could only be described as shock.

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And special thanks to White Sapphire. You have been such a friend and it's great to have a fellow fan-fic fend on the Caring Board. LOL