The Evil That Men Do
Author: MeB (aka XanWill4Ever-Michael B)
Email: lenoxfiles@hotmail.com
Url: http://mlenox.freeservers.com/
Rating: R
Spoiler: Majority takes place in the summer after the First Season. There are scenes that takes place some time after Lovers Walk from Season 3. There may be some slight AU, but not much.
Summary: Willow loses her memory and finds help from a private investigator in Boston.
Disclaimer: The characters from Spenser For Hire belong to Robert Parker. All characters from Buffy tVS belong to Joss. The Lost Boys idea is borrowed from the movie "The Lost Boys" which starred Keifer Sutherland. The actual characters in this story are just four vamps who saw the movie and they simply took the name for themselves.
Distribution: Near Her Always-anyone else, please ask. Thank you.
Pairing: Prologue & Epilogue-Willow/Oz
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10
THE VILLAINS
Damien and David were back at the warehouse on the wharf with S'ushi Alyssia and Billiard as they waited for her thugs to return to her with their prize.
Willow.
The two remaining Lost Boys wore solemn expressions. S'ushi did not like solemn expressions. She especially did not like them on David's face. She sauntered up to him, grabbed a hold of his head with both hands, and kissed him hard on the lips. After all, she wanted his full attention now and there was no reason to be solemn when she would soon have her favorite toy back. David returned the kiss, but then he forcibly shoved her away from him. His eyes had turned yellow and his face had changed.
"You shouldn't play with fire, Red," he warned her as he tried to control his sudden burning desire for her. "You know what I can do to you."
She smiled at him and she ran her fingers through his hair. "We've played rough before, David. I just think you're shy when it comes to..." She looked him up and down as she gave him a sultry smile, teasing him. "...performing before an audience."
Billiard glared at them. He was having a difficult time keeping back his own rage. This display from S'ushi with a creature of the dead sickened him.
David looked at S'ushi. "There's nothing wrong with my performance."
She smiled and played with an ear lobe. "This I know quite well."
"I'm...distracted right now." He was thinking about two Lost Boys who were truly lost, Marco and Little Mikey.
S'ushi snuggled up against him, holding her body close to his. She purred with delight. "Not that distracted, I see." She giggled.
He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away once again. His face was back to being human, but his eyes were burning with rage. "Someone's taking out my boys! Damien and I are the only two left."
She regarded him with concern. "Who do you think has killed them?"
"I have two possible suspects in mind." David paused as he reigned in his anger. He took a deep breath. Then, he looked at S'ushi. "It's either Hawk...or it's Angel."
S'ushi paused in thought. She found herself intrigued. "Hawk, I know," she said softly. "You've never mentioned this 'Angel' before."
David shrugged. "Never needed to before now. The only reason I bring him up is because he's here in Boston."
"Who is Angel?"
David smiled and he shook his head. "Oh, Angel is a one-of-a-kind hero. He's the kind of guy that my kind adores so much," he said with heavy sarcasm, "that all we want to do is torture him slowly for as long as we can. Until we get tired of the poor bastard and throw him out into the sun. Or fill his veins with Holy Water and watch him burn to death from the inside out."
"So he's a vampire?"
David nodded. "He's a vampire."
S'ushi regarded him as from the sidelines, Damien and Billiard watched the two of them closely. "Well, David, it is clear to me that this Angel must be some kind of special vampire, otherwise, you wouldn't hate him so much."
David chuckled. "Oh, he's special all right. Angel has a soul. He cares for humans and he kills his own kind to protect them." He spoke those words with a great deal of bitterness.
S'ushi paused. "Why do you suspect Angel of killing Little Mikey and Marco?"
He let out a sigh. "They're both missing. They should have been here by now. We lost Marco in the tunnels awhile ago and he's still not back." He shook his head. "We saw Angel in the tunnels and he was with two humans." He paused for affect as he watched S'ushi for a reaction. "They were looking for Willow."
Something very dangerous flashed in S'ushi's eyes. "What?"
"Well, Angel told me that he was actually looking for you, but when I mentioned the name Willow, he reacted."
S'ushi thought about what David was telling her. "Well, damn it! Isn't this a fine kettle of fish!"
At that moment, Billiard's cellular phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and he answered it. "Billiard." He listened. "Find his new address and go there! Do it now. Stop wasting my time unless you can bring the girl here without further delay." He closed his cell phone and put it back into his coat pocket. He looked at S'ushi. "Spenser doesn't live at the firehouse any more. But they'll get his new address and they'll find him."
She looked at him with daggers in her eyes. "For their sakes, and yours...they'd better." ________________
SPENSER'S APARTMENT
Willow didn't know what to do. She was leaning over Spenser with tears in her eyes. All she knew was that he was unconscious, but then that only meant he wasn't in any pain.
((That had to have been a good thing, right? N-not a bad thing, 'cause pain is a bad thing a-and Spenser doesn't have a pain face on.))
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Willow jumped at the sound. She looked at the front door fearfully. She then looked down at Spenser with deep concern. She grabbed onto his hand and she held it.
There was another knock.
And then a voice spoke from the other side of the door. "It's your friendly neighborhood thug basher."
A look of relief crossed over Willow's face as she recognized that voice. She opened her mouth to call out his name, but all that came out was a whisper. She tried again, and this time it was louder, but it was only more like a squeak.
"Spenser?"
Willow tried again. "H-Hawk!" she cried out.
The door swung open with a kick and in walked Hawk. His eyes took in everything. He saw Spenser laying on the floor with Willow at his side and he crossed the room to approach them.
He satisfied himself that Spenser was only unconscious and not dead. Then he went into the bathroom to retrieve something. When he came back out, he had a small bottle of smelling salts. As he opened it, he looked at Willow who was watching every move he made.
"The pretty green-eyed white girl can talk," he said softly. "That's good."
Willow looked at the small bottle in his hand.
Hawk held it out toward her. "Smelling salts."
Willow sniffed and then she made a face.
He chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Red. See? Now we get to watch Spense make a face." He waved the open bottle under Spenser's nose. "Better back up. He don't particularly like this stuff." He chuckled again.
Willow glanced at him and then she backed up.
Spenser jerked to consciousness and he roughly knocked Hawk's hand aside.
Hawk flashed Willow a grin. "' Told ya."
* * *
I opened my eyes and found Hawk leaning over me. Believe me when I tell you this...Regaining consciousness to find Hawk leaning over you is not something I would recommend to anyone. Especially if you have a weak heart. I turned my head as I pushed myself up into a sitting position and there I saw Willow nervously wring her hands together as she watched me.
I put my back to the wall. Willow came over to me, grabbed a hold of my hand, and then she sat beside me. She gripped my hand tight enough to let me know that she wouldn't be willing to let go any time soon. She had been afraid for me.
I looked over at Hawk.
The bastard was smiling.
Not much ever made Hawk smile. But when something did, you can bet that it had to have been something incredibly amazing.
My curiosity finally got the best of me. "Okay, Hawk, why the split in your face?" I asked.
"Willow spoke her first word," he said in that deep voice of his.
I looked at Willow. "She did?"
"Uh-huh," Hawk said.
I turned to regard him with one of my dazzling expressions of bemusement. "What was the word she said?"
He flashed me his teeth. "She said, 'Hawk'." He let out another chuckle. "You know what this means, don't you?"
I paused. "Willow's not only the President of the Hawk Club, she's the only member of the Hawk Club?"
"No, Bro. It means that she likes me more than she likes you."
I looked at Willow.
She looked at me with a guilty expression on her pretty face.
I smiled at her. "Don't worry about that. I'm just glad you can talk." I paused. "You can talk, can't you?"
She nodded her head.
I waited.
Then she realized that she had only nodded and so she took a deep breath. "Y-yes," she said softly. "I-I can talk."
She did have her voice back. That was progress once again, and progress was only improving. It made me think about the circumstances in her life. I had lost consciousness and she suddenly had to deal with it. Somehow the experience restored her ability to talk. But did it restore any of her memory?
"Willow," I said to her as I put my hand over hers, "do you remember anything about what happened to you? Do you know how you got here?"
She hesitated. "Y-you took me from the hospital."
I glanced at Hawk. "What about before that? How did you get there?"
A tear rolled down her cheek as she looked at me. She began to tremble, and much to my dismay, she didn't say anything.
I couldn't push her. I didn't want to. "All right, Willow. It's okay." I hugged her to me. "One step at a time, right? We'll take it one step at a time."
She nodded her head.
I then turned to look at Hawk and I realized something else. He was going to ask questions.
And he did.
"What were you doing on the floor?" he asked me.
I shrugged. "Looking for termites."
He grunted.
That was just his way of calling me a liar.
Hawk was one of the most intelligent guys I knew. He had seen the pills I was taking. He had found me passed out on the floor. He would figure it out sooner or later. When he asked me his next question, I knew that he had figured it out sooner.
"Does Susan know?" he inquired.
I sighed. "No. And neither do you."
"I know a lot." Hawk paused. "But that can wait. We have to leave. Now."
"Is there time to pack?"
"Just your gun. S'ushi sent a team to the old firehouse, but they didn't find you there."
I nodded. "Which only means they'll eventually find my new unlisted address."
"They could be on their way here now."
I began to rise to my feet. Willow jumped up and tried to help me. It was endearing and it made me smile.
"Thank you," I told her.
"Y-you're welcome," she responded.
I put my hand to her face and smiled at her. She had a nice voice and it was good to hear. I then gathered my gun and I went into the kitchen to retrieve the prescriptions for myself and for Willow. The two of us followed Hawk out into the hallway.
"We should head to the safe house," I said on our way down the stairs.
"Nah. Some where better," Hawk told us.
I looked at him curiously. "Where?"
"The basement."
That brought Willow to an abrupt halt. Hawk and I turned to look at her and she was suddenly holding onto the stair railing with both hands as if it were a lifeline.
She looked up at me and she shook her head. "N-no...please..." she said, her voice almost a whisper. "I-I don't want to go t-to the basement." Her eyes filled with tears.
I looked at her with concern. "Why don't you want to go to the basement, Willow?" I had to ask her. God knows I didn't want to, but I believed it was necessary. Was she beginning to remember?
A look of confusion crossed her face. She looked up at me. "I-I don't know," she said, frustrated. Scared. Vulnerable. "B-bad things h-happen in...in the basement."
I held out my hand to her. "Willow, if Hawk says that we need to go to the basement, I trust him. We won't let anything happen to you." I looked into her terrified eyes. "I won't let anything happen to you." I paused. "Do you trust me?"
She grabbed my hand and nodded. "Yes." She hesitated. "I-I'm just so scared." It came out as a whisper again as she absently wiped at her eyes with her other hand.
I picked her up and she put her arms around my neck. "Just close your eyes," I told her. "Will that help?"
She closed her eyes and nodded.
I carried Willow and I followed Hawk down the stairs.
"I ran into some people who told me that they were looking for Willow," Hawk told me as we continued down the stairs. "One of them is there waiting for us in the basement."
"Why is this person in the basement?" I asked.
Hawk looked back at me. "We figure if we use the tunneling system, we can get Willow to the Sheraton where they have a room. S'ushi and her guppies will never be able to track us if we stay off the streets."
I had to admit, that was a good idea. "Guppies?"
He chuckled.
"So who are we meeting?"
"His name is Angel." Hawk paused. "Watch where you step, Bro. You are about to enter into a different world. One in which will change the way you see things."
I looked at him and wondered what he meant by that. But before I had a chance to ask him about it, we were heading down the stairs into the basement. Angel was there waiting for us. He looked kind of pale to me, like he didn't get enough sun. Or maybe he didn't get any. I was a pretty good judge of character, too. From the look of concern and relief on his face when he saw Willow in my arms, I could tell it was genuine.
"Willow!" he exclaimed.
Willow opened her eyes and she looked at Angel. Then she turned her head to look at me.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
She nodded.
I set her down and she stayed by my side. She watched Angel very closely, but I didn't see any recognition for Angel cross her face. She was trying though. She was looking at him as if she wanted to burn his image into her memory. And I had to give this Angel a lot of credit. I could tell that he wanted to rush over to her, pick her up, and give her a hug, but he was apparently aware that a move like that could do more harm than good.
He kept his distance. "Willow...do you remember me?"
Willow studied his face. "I...I don't know." There was a catch in her voice. She looked so troubled. It was frustrating to her not having any recollections of the ones she loved and who loved her. "D-do you know me?" she asked desperately.
Angel nodded his head. "Yes. Yes, I do know you."
She took a hesitant step toward him. "P-please...please tell me...W-who am I?"
"Your name is Willow Rosenberg. You live on 6305 Westminster Place, Sunnydale, California. You have a family and friends who love you very much. We came here to find you, Willow. Giles and Xander are with me." He regarded her. "Do you remember?"
She shook her head. "No." Suddenly, she remembered the tree in the park and she looked at me in amazement. "Willow is my real name!"
I smiled. "It is."
Hawk called for our attention. "We have to go, people. Maybe once we get to the Sheraton, we can talk."
I nodded and I waved my hand at them. "Lead the way."
And so Angel and Hawk did.
We went through the tunnels quickly. I had Willow by the hand and every now and then, I would look at her face. She was thinking hard about something. When we stopped so that Angel could open a cover above us, I regarded her with concern. "What is it, Willow?" I asked her.
"Th-these tunnels," she said with a puzzled frown. "There's s-something familiar about all this."
"What is it that makes it familiar?"
She shook her head and sighed in frustration. "I-I don't know." She looked at Angel.
"Take it slow," I told her. "It will come to you."
She nodded, but she still looked thoughtful.
We made it to the Sheraton without incident. Angel led us to the room where he and the others were staying, and he knocked on the door.
The door swung open and there stood this British gentleman wearing a scowl and a pair of glasses. "I-it's about time--" he started to say until his eyes found Willow. Then he was suddenly at a loss for words.
He struggled to say something.
Willow took a hesitant step toward him. She wanted to ask him something. I looked at the Brit and he decided to let her speak rather than fumble over his own words.
Willow looked up at him. "Are y-you my father?" she asked him.
The man's mouth dropped open. "Er, n-no," he stammered as he took off his glasses. "No, I'm not your father. Willow, I-I'm Rupert Giles. Your, er, librarian." He paused. "D-don't you remember?"
Willow looked at him with a puzzled expression.
I couldn't blame her. I was just as puzzled as she was. Librarian? The only thing I could think of about Rupert Giles being here in Boston was that Willow and he shared a similar love for books...or she owed him a lot of overdue fees.
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TO BE CONTINUED--
Author: MeB (aka XanWill4Ever-Michael B)
Email: lenoxfiles@hotmail.com
Url: http://mlenox.freeservers.com/
Rating: R
Spoiler: Majority takes place in the summer after the First Season. There are scenes that takes place some time after Lovers Walk from Season 3. There may be some slight AU, but not much.
Summary: Willow loses her memory and finds help from a private investigator in Boston.
Disclaimer: The characters from Spenser For Hire belong to Robert Parker. All characters from Buffy tVS belong to Joss. The Lost Boys idea is borrowed from the movie "The Lost Boys" which starred Keifer Sutherland. The actual characters in this story are just four vamps who saw the movie and they simply took the name for themselves.
Distribution: Near Her Always-anyone else, please ask. Thank you.
Pairing: Prologue & Epilogue-Willow/Oz
xwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxw
10
THE VILLAINS
Damien and David were back at the warehouse on the wharf with S'ushi Alyssia and Billiard as they waited for her thugs to return to her with their prize.
Willow.
The two remaining Lost Boys wore solemn expressions. S'ushi did not like solemn expressions. She especially did not like them on David's face. She sauntered up to him, grabbed a hold of his head with both hands, and kissed him hard on the lips. After all, she wanted his full attention now and there was no reason to be solemn when she would soon have her favorite toy back. David returned the kiss, but then he forcibly shoved her away from him. His eyes had turned yellow and his face had changed.
"You shouldn't play with fire, Red," he warned her as he tried to control his sudden burning desire for her. "You know what I can do to you."
She smiled at him and she ran her fingers through his hair. "We've played rough before, David. I just think you're shy when it comes to..." She looked him up and down as she gave him a sultry smile, teasing him. "...performing before an audience."
Billiard glared at them. He was having a difficult time keeping back his own rage. This display from S'ushi with a creature of the dead sickened him.
David looked at S'ushi. "There's nothing wrong with my performance."
She smiled and played with an ear lobe. "This I know quite well."
"I'm...distracted right now." He was thinking about two Lost Boys who were truly lost, Marco and Little Mikey.
S'ushi snuggled up against him, holding her body close to his. She purred with delight. "Not that distracted, I see." She giggled.
He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away once again. His face was back to being human, but his eyes were burning with rage. "Someone's taking out my boys! Damien and I are the only two left."
She regarded him with concern. "Who do you think has killed them?"
"I have two possible suspects in mind." David paused as he reigned in his anger. He took a deep breath. Then, he looked at S'ushi. "It's either Hawk...or it's Angel."
S'ushi paused in thought. She found herself intrigued. "Hawk, I know," she said softly. "You've never mentioned this 'Angel' before."
David shrugged. "Never needed to before now. The only reason I bring him up is because he's here in Boston."
"Who is Angel?"
David smiled and he shook his head. "Oh, Angel is a one-of-a-kind hero. He's the kind of guy that my kind adores so much," he said with heavy sarcasm, "that all we want to do is torture him slowly for as long as we can. Until we get tired of the poor bastard and throw him out into the sun. Or fill his veins with Holy Water and watch him burn to death from the inside out."
"So he's a vampire?"
David nodded. "He's a vampire."
S'ushi regarded him as from the sidelines, Damien and Billiard watched the two of them closely. "Well, David, it is clear to me that this Angel must be some kind of special vampire, otherwise, you wouldn't hate him so much."
David chuckled. "Oh, he's special all right. Angel has a soul. He cares for humans and he kills his own kind to protect them." He spoke those words with a great deal of bitterness.
S'ushi paused. "Why do you suspect Angel of killing Little Mikey and Marco?"
He let out a sigh. "They're both missing. They should have been here by now. We lost Marco in the tunnels awhile ago and he's still not back." He shook his head. "We saw Angel in the tunnels and he was with two humans." He paused for affect as he watched S'ushi for a reaction. "They were looking for Willow."
Something very dangerous flashed in S'ushi's eyes. "What?"
"Well, Angel told me that he was actually looking for you, but when I mentioned the name Willow, he reacted."
S'ushi thought about what David was telling her. "Well, damn it! Isn't this a fine kettle of fish!"
At that moment, Billiard's cellular phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and he answered it. "Billiard." He listened. "Find his new address and go there! Do it now. Stop wasting my time unless you can bring the girl here without further delay." He closed his cell phone and put it back into his coat pocket. He looked at S'ushi. "Spenser doesn't live at the firehouse any more. But they'll get his new address and they'll find him."
She looked at him with daggers in her eyes. "For their sakes, and yours...they'd better." ________________
SPENSER'S APARTMENT
Willow didn't know what to do. She was leaning over Spenser with tears in her eyes. All she knew was that he was unconscious, but then that only meant he wasn't in any pain.
((That had to have been a good thing, right? N-not a bad thing, 'cause pain is a bad thing a-and Spenser doesn't have a pain face on.))
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Willow jumped at the sound. She looked at the front door fearfully. She then looked down at Spenser with deep concern. She grabbed onto his hand and she held it.
There was another knock.
And then a voice spoke from the other side of the door. "It's your friendly neighborhood thug basher."
A look of relief crossed over Willow's face as she recognized that voice. She opened her mouth to call out his name, but all that came out was a whisper. She tried again, and this time it was louder, but it was only more like a squeak.
"Spenser?"
Willow tried again. "H-Hawk!" she cried out.
The door swung open with a kick and in walked Hawk. His eyes took in everything. He saw Spenser laying on the floor with Willow at his side and he crossed the room to approach them.
He satisfied himself that Spenser was only unconscious and not dead. Then he went into the bathroom to retrieve something. When he came back out, he had a small bottle of smelling salts. As he opened it, he looked at Willow who was watching every move he made.
"The pretty green-eyed white girl can talk," he said softly. "That's good."
Willow looked at the small bottle in his hand.
Hawk held it out toward her. "Smelling salts."
Willow sniffed and then she made a face.
He chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Red. See? Now we get to watch Spense make a face." He waved the open bottle under Spenser's nose. "Better back up. He don't particularly like this stuff." He chuckled again.
Willow glanced at him and then she backed up.
Spenser jerked to consciousness and he roughly knocked Hawk's hand aside.
Hawk flashed Willow a grin. "' Told ya."
* * *
I opened my eyes and found Hawk leaning over me. Believe me when I tell you this...Regaining consciousness to find Hawk leaning over you is not something I would recommend to anyone. Especially if you have a weak heart. I turned my head as I pushed myself up into a sitting position and there I saw Willow nervously wring her hands together as she watched me.
I put my back to the wall. Willow came over to me, grabbed a hold of my hand, and then she sat beside me. She gripped my hand tight enough to let me know that she wouldn't be willing to let go any time soon. She had been afraid for me.
I looked over at Hawk.
The bastard was smiling.
Not much ever made Hawk smile. But when something did, you can bet that it had to have been something incredibly amazing.
My curiosity finally got the best of me. "Okay, Hawk, why the split in your face?" I asked.
"Willow spoke her first word," he said in that deep voice of his.
I looked at Willow. "She did?"
"Uh-huh," Hawk said.
I turned to regard him with one of my dazzling expressions of bemusement. "What was the word she said?"
He flashed me his teeth. "She said, 'Hawk'." He let out another chuckle. "You know what this means, don't you?"
I paused. "Willow's not only the President of the Hawk Club, she's the only member of the Hawk Club?"
"No, Bro. It means that she likes me more than she likes you."
I looked at Willow.
She looked at me with a guilty expression on her pretty face.
I smiled at her. "Don't worry about that. I'm just glad you can talk." I paused. "You can talk, can't you?"
She nodded her head.
I waited.
Then she realized that she had only nodded and so she took a deep breath. "Y-yes," she said softly. "I-I can talk."
She did have her voice back. That was progress once again, and progress was only improving. It made me think about the circumstances in her life. I had lost consciousness and she suddenly had to deal with it. Somehow the experience restored her ability to talk. But did it restore any of her memory?
"Willow," I said to her as I put my hand over hers, "do you remember anything about what happened to you? Do you know how you got here?"
She hesitated. "Y-you took me from the hospital."
I glanced at Hawk. "What about before that? How did you get there?"
A tear rolled down her cheek as she looked at me. She began to tremble, and much to my dismay, she didn't say anything.
I couldn't push her. I didn't want to. "All right, Willow. It's okay." I hugged her to me. "One step at a time, right? We'll take it one step at a time."
She nodded her head.
I then turned to look at Hawk and I realized something else. He was going to ask questions.
And he did.
"What were you doing on the floor?" he asked me.
I shrugged. "Looking for termites."
He grunted.
That was just his way of calling me a liar.
Hawk was one of the most intelligent guys I knew. He had seen the pills I was taking. He had found me passed out on the floor. He would figure it out sooner or later. When he asked me his next question, I knew that he had figured it out sooner.
"Does Susan know?" he inquired.
I sighed. "No. And neither do you."
"I know a lot." Hawk paused. "But that can wait. We have to leave. Now."
"Is there time to pack?"
"Just your gun. S'ushi sent a team to the old firehouse, but they didn't find you there."
I nodded. "Which only means they'll eventually find my new unlisted address."
"They could be on their way here now."
I began to rise to my feet. Willow jumped up and tried to help me. It was endearing and it made me smile.
"Thank you," I told her.
"Y-you're welcome," she responded.
I put my hand to her face and smiled at her. She had a nice voice and it was good to hear. I then gathered my gun and I went into the kitchen to retrieve the prescriptions for myself and for Willow. The two of us followed Hawk out into the hallway.
"We should head to the safe house," I said on our way down the stairs.
"Nah. Some where better," Hawk told us.
I looked at him curiously. "Where?"
"The basement."
That brought Willow to an abrupt halt. Hawk and I turned to look at her and she was suddenly holding onto the stair railing with both hands as if it were a lifeline.
She looked up at me and she shook her head. "N-no...please..." she said, her voice almost a whisper. "I-I don't want to go t-to the basement." Her eyes filled with tears.
I looked at her with concern. "Why don't you want to go to the basement, Willow?" I had to ask her. God knows I didn't want to, but I believed it was necessary. Was she beginning to remember?
A look of confusion crossed her face. She looked up at me. "I-I don't know," she said, frustrated. Scared. Vulnerable. "B-bad things h-happen in...in the basement."
I held out my hand to her. "Willow, if Hawk says that we need to go to the basement, I trust him. We won't let anything happen to you." I looked into her terrified eyes. "I won't let anything happen to you." I paused. "Do you trust me?"
She grabbed my hand and nodded. "Yes." She hesitated. "I-I'm just so scared." It came out as a whisper again as she absently wiped at her eyes with her other hand.
I picked her up and she put her arms around my neck. "Just close your eyes," I told her. "Will that help?"
She closed her eyes and nodded.
I carried Willow and I followed Hawk down the stairs.
"I ran into some people who told me that they were looking for Willow," Hawk told me as we continued down the stairs. "One of them is there waiting for us in the basement."
"Why is this person in the basement?" I asked.
Hawk looked back at me. "We figure if we use the tunneling system, we can get Willow to the Sheraton where they have a room. S'ushi and her guppies will never be able to track us if we stay off the streets."
I had to admit, that was a good idea. "Guppies?"
He chuckled.
"So who are we meeting?"
"His name is Angel." Hawk paused. "Watch where you step, Bro. You are about to enter into a different world. One in which will change the way you see things."
I looked at him and wondered what he meant by that. But before I had a chance to ask him about it, we were heading down the stairs into the basement. Angel was there waiting for us. He looked kind of pale to me, like he didn't get enough sun. Or maybe he didn't get any. I was a pretty good judge of character, too. From the look of concern and relief on his face when he saw Willow in my arms, I could tell it was genuine.
"Willow!" he exclaimed.
Willow opened her eyes and she looked at Angel. Then she turned her head to look at me.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
She nodded.
I set her down and she stayed by my side. She watched Angel very closely, but I didn't see any recognition for Angel cross her face. She was trying though. She was looking at him as if she wanted to burn his image into her memory. And I had to give this Angel a lot of credit. I could tell that he wanted to rush over to her, pick her up, and give her a hug, but he was apparently aware that a move like that could do more harm than good.
He kept his distance. "Willow...do you remember me?"
Willow studied his face. "I...I don't know." There was a catch in her voice. She looked so troubled. It was frustrating to her not having any recollections of the ones she loved and who loved her. "D-do you know me?" she asked desperately.
Angel nodded his head. "Yes. Yes, I do know you."
She took a hesitant step toward him. "P-please...please tell me...W-who am I?"
"Your name is Willow Rosenberg. You live on 6305 Westminster Place, Sunnydale, California. You have a family and friends who love you very much. We came here to find you, Willow. Giles and Xander are with me." He regarded her. "Do you remember?"
She shook her head. "No." Suddenly, she remembered the tree in the park and she looked at me in amazement. "Willow is my real name!"
I smiled. "It is."
Hawk called for our attention. "We have to go, people. Maybe once we get to the Sheraton, we can talk."
I nodded and I waved my hand at them. "Lead the way."
And so Angel and Hawk did.
We went through the tunnels quickly. I had Willow by the hand and every now and then, I would look at her face. She was thinking hard about something. When we stopped so that Angel could open a cover above us, I regarded her with concern. "What is it, Willow?" I asked her.
"Th-these tunnels," she said with a puzzled frown. "There's s-something familiar about all this."
"What is it that makes it familiar?"
She shook her head and sighed in frustration. "I-I don't know." She looked at Angel.
"Take it slow," I told her. "It will come to you."
She nodded, but she still looked thoughtful.
We made it to the Sheraton without incident. Angel led us to the room where he and the others were staying, and he knocked on the door.
The door swung open and there stood this British gentleman wearing a scowl and a pair of glasses. "I-it's about time--" he started to say until his eyes found Willow. Then he was suddenly at a loss for words.
He struggled to say something.
Willow took a hesitant step toward him. She wanted to ask him something. I looked at the Brit and he decided to let her speak rather than fumble over his own words.
Willow looked up at him. "Are y-you my father?" she asked him.
The man's mouth dropped open. "Er, n-no," he stammered as he took off his glasses. "No, I'm not your father. Willow, I-I'm Rupert Giles. Your, er, librarian." He paused. "D-don't you remember?"
Willow looked at him with a puzzled expression.
I couldn't blame her. I was just as puzzled as she was. Librarian? The only thing I could think of about Rupert Giles being here in Boston was that Willow and he shared a similar love for books...or she owed him a lot of overdue fees.
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