SERIES - When Angels Weep

PART - 6

TITLE: Invalid Memories

AUTHOR: The Sorcerer Bard [ thesorcererbard@i-am-the-key.com ]

CO-AUTHOR: Michelle Dawn [ MichelleDawnBot@hotmail.com ]

RATING: PG-13

PAIRINGS: Tara/Dawn (20 years old) plus standard pairings of Spike/Buffy and Xander/Anya

SUMMARY: Things have changed but are they for the better?

SPOILERS: None for the series I think [I haven't seen any of season 6 so you draw your own conclusions].

DISCLAIMER: Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and 20th Century Fox own Buffy the Vampire Slayer and everything related to them. I own the storyline and Zee-Ra, the Ha'leth and the Oh-th'Maakem. Also Carmen is mine and no-one, I do mean no-one, can use her for anything.

NOTES: 1) This is only my second attempt at a Tara/Dawn story so feedback is desperately wanted.

2) This story is based on an idea from The Anonymus Reviewer and is set after Buffonia's story 'Zoom from the Moon' [Read it if you can it's a great story].

Major thanks go to The Anonymus Reviewer and Dawn Worshiper for beta'ing this story, and major thanks go to Buffonia for beta'ing the first two parts and giving me some great pointers and thanks must also go to my faithful DawnBot, Michelle Dawn, whose witty comments and sarcastic remarks have forced me to continue this story when I would have given up.

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When Angels Weep 6 - Invalid Memories

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Buffy was sitting on the couch reading a magazine when she heard someone coming down the stairs, she looked up and an involuntary gasp escaped her.

There standing on the bottom step was Willow. Only it wasn't the Willow she had seen yesterday, that Willow had had blackish hair, a greyish tint to her skin and had walked with a slight stoop. This Willow had the same color hair she had had six years ago, her skin was a healthy pink and she stood tall and almost proud.

"Willow? What happened?"

"I don't know, I woke up and this was how I looked, I felt great," Willow moved towards Buffy, her walk was similar to a cat's, smooth and silky, "I feel great."

"You look as good as you feel then."

"She is better than that," came Carmen's voice from the stairs.

"Carmen? What are you doing here?" Buffy looked over at the blonde.

"I awoke here, beside Willow."

"Willow? Have you got something to tell me?" Buffy looked at her best friend, who had a very smug look on her face.

"I don't know," Willow looked back at Carmen with a mischievous smile, "Do I?"

"Well, that's a problem, because I don't know either," Carmen frowned.

Buffy watched Carmen as she moved toward Willow, she noted that the blonde stuck steadfastly to the shadows, "You're a vampire?"

"Yes, she is," Willow looked very comfortable with that fact, in fact she looked almost too comfortable, "I figured it out when I awoke."

"You've got no problem with that?"

"No," Willow said looking Buffy directly in the eyes.

"I'm not a normal vampire, I can control my need to feed and I have the ability to live on solid food." Carmen moved to take Spike's usual seat.

At that moment Dawn and Tara came through the front door hand in hand.

"Hey," Dawn called.

"Morning," Tara said.

"Hey guys," Willow called.

As Dawn and Tara looked at her in what could only called amazement.

"Willow?" Dawn said as she moved forward, "You look ... Great."

"Thank you," Willow gave the younger woman a warm hug.

"How?" Tara asked quietly, "I-I mean how did this happen?"

"I don't know, as I told Buffy I woke up this morning and this was how I was."

"Maybe it is connected to what we came here to talk about?" Dawn made it sound like a question. She glanced at Tara.

"What did you come here to talk about?" asked Carmen.

Dawn and Tara hadn't noticed her and were a little startled when she spoke.

"We can't remember anything since Buffy's birthday," Dawn said.

"That was ... was ... when was that?" Buffy asked, "For that matter what day is it?"

"Thursday, that puts your birthday ... um ... two days ago." Willow answered looking at her watch.

"So what exactly happened yesterday?" Buffy asked looking pointedly at Carmen.

"You expect me to know? Je bidon pas croyez il!"

"You can't believe what?" Dawn asked, before she realised that Carmen had spoken French, "Wait a sec, I don't speak French."

"It seems you do now," Tara commented looking just as amazed as Dawn.

"This is defiantly a spell of some sort," Dawn sat on the couch next to her sister.

"A spell?" Carmen looked interested, "Wait ... there was a fight ... here ..."

"Yesterday?" Dawn asked.

"Nothing happened yesterday," Buffy said, "I woke had breakfast with Willow, went to work, which was uneventful and then I came home."

"Where we had dinner, which was interrupted by Carmen, and later you went out on patrol while Carmen and I reminisced," Willow added.

The life drained out of all five women's eyes and they all stared blankly for a second.

"Where was I?" Willow asked.

"You were telling us about your date with Carmen last night," Buffy supplied.

"Oh that's right, it was wonderful, there were candles and wine and..."

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The angel stood outside the Summers window for the second time in twenty four hours, he watched as his new memories filled the blank spaces left by the spell that removed their memories of Zee-Ra, himself and the prey.

He was a bit disconcerted by the fact that they were only now taking effect, but at least they weren't going to investigate it.

He stood there watching the redhead relating the details of a date between her and the blonde vampire. He head a sound like a pop beside him and he turned to face another man, this one was dressed as a knight from the era of Camelot.

"We must go, the prey have broken through in the mid-thirty eighth century."

"I am worried about them," the angel pointed in the window, "Their new memories are only now taking effect."

"The young brunette is The Key and the others have all been exposed to it, that will interfere with the memory spell," the knight turned to leave, "Are you coming or are you going to stand here and watch them?"

"I'm coming," the angel turned and followed the knight.

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Dawn and Tara left the Summers house about twenty minutes later and headed towards Dawn's car.

"You know it's really good to see Willow so happy again," Tara said as she hopped into the passenger seat.

"Yeah, I thought after you were shot she would self destruct, but with Carmen's help we brought you back and you convinced her to enrol in that magickal detox center in Switzerland."

"But when I told her that I wasn't going to get back together with her, the look on her face broke my heart."

"I know, but she did get over it."

"And I'm happy for her, and she's defiantly happy for herself," Tara smiled.

"True."

With that Dawn put the car in gear and headed off towards their home.

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THE END!

This maybe continued in a solely Dawn centred series "Guardian Warriors" anyone who wants to read it should join http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheDawningGroup as it will be posted there only.

As I already have another story planned it will be a while before the continuation is posted.