CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: TABULA RASA
Willow walked into the Magic Box, trying to keep her breathing steady. She was nervous about this, but she new it would work, without a doubt. The bell above the door tinkled as she entered and she took in the scene before her.
Giles and Anya were sitting at the table, going through the ledgers, talking shop about what needed to be ordered and how they should give loyalty discounts to some of their regular shoppers.
Dawn was sitting on the other side of the table, her books spread out in front of her, the girl chewing thoughtfully on the end of her pen, then frantically scribbling something down before the thought left her head. Xander was sitting beside Anya, his feet on the table as he flipped through a menswear magazine advertising tuxedos.
Willow could hear the rhythmic punching from the training room, automatically telling her that Buffy was out the back. They were only missing Tara and Rik, and when the bell jangled once more, Willow looked up and saw Tara enter, followed closely by a bleached blonde vampire, sans his duster.
Giles looked up and realised that the entire group was there. He stood and went to the training room, smiling softly as his fiancée turned towards him, her face lighting up with a brilliant smile.
"Hey!" she said happily, abandoning the punching bag and going towards him, enveloping him in a quick hug. "Is the gang here?"
He smiled and gently kissed her without answering her question, something that she really didn't mind. When Giles pulled back Buffy pouted adorably and he couldn't help but kiss her again. She smiled into the kiss and felt completely content in his arms.
"Everyone's outside," he said.
She smiled and leant her head against his chest. "I'll get changed and meet you out there," she said. "I'll be out in a sec."
He smiled and left the room, leaving Buffy to change in privacy. She ripped off her tank top and replaced it with a fitted tee-shirt, spraying herself with some deodorant before slipping into a pair of black pants and her ankle length boots. She exited the room, brushing her hair as she did.
She grinned again when she saw her fiancé sitting at the table beside Anya.
"Hey guys," she greeted.
The group looked up, waving or saying hello, some doing both. Spike just nodded at her and she walked up behind Giles, kissing the top of his head affectionately.
"You wanna tell em, or should I?" she whispered.
He turned and stood up, smiling widely at her. He moved away from the table to stand beside her, stepping back so that he could see everyone in the room.
"Uh…Buffy and I would like to tell you something," Giles began nervously.
The group looked up in interest, hoping that they wouldn't talk to them about some new Big Bad. That thought was immediately killed when the group saw the brilliant smiles on both the Slayer and her Watcher. Tara smiled softly as she realised what they were about to announce.
"Uh…this afternoon, I…I asked Buffy to marry me," Giles explained. "And she's said yes."
Spike's face fell as he realised his chances with Buffy had just been completely obliterated. He couldn't stop the smile that came to his face when he saw the massive grin on the girls face. As long as she was happy, Spike could live with that.
He stepped forward and touched her shoulder softly. "Congratulations."
She grinned at him and gave him a short hug. "Thank you Spike."
He nodded once more and stepped back to allow the rest of the gang to bombard them with hugs and rapid fire questions about the ceremony.
As Anya hugged Giles, she looked up at him sternly, telling him they weren't allowed to have the ceremony before she and Xander's wedding. Giles just smiled and let the girl hug him. Anya pulled back and faltered a little, Giles automatically reaching out to steady her. He led her to her seat and sat behind her.
The entire group suddenly felt dizzy as Willow's backfired spell took effect. Buffy's knees collapsed, Spike racing forward and catching her until he too felt the effects and the Slayer and Vampire fell to the ground in a heap.
Willow and Tara collapsed to the ground, three feet between them. Dawn and Xander collapsed onto the table while Giles fell with his head on Anya's back.
------------------------
One by one, the group began to stir. Buffy felt something lying on top of her and wriggled to get free of it. She jumped as she saw an attractive bleached blonde man dressed in black laying next to her. As he stirred, he looked just as shocked to be on top of her. They looked at each other warily until their attention was cast to the others in the small store.
Willow and Tara came to slowly, looking around with confusion. They stood at the same time, their movements completely in sync with each other. They looked towards each other and smiled hesitantly.
Xander awoke with a start, his head jerking off the table. He suddenly pushed his chair back and stood up abruptly, looking from one person to the next without hiding his obvious ignorance of what was happening.
Anya stirred, yawning a little, her movements awakening Giles. He looked towards his pillow and moved his hand up to wipe at the small amount of dribble he had left on the floral pattern. Anya stiffened under his touch and Giles looked surprised to see that it hadn't been a pillow where he was resting but a person.
Dawn was looking increasingly scared as she regarded the other older people in the room. They didn't look dangerous to her, but she had been taught by…someone…that just because someone didn't look dangerous, it didn't mean they weren't. She stood, her eyes darting around the room frantically.
"Who…who are you people?" Dawn asked fearfully.
Buffy, feeling incredibly protective of the young girl, though she had no idea why, stood up and stepped forward, reaching out a hand towards her.
"Don't worry," she said, trying to sound encouraging and soothing at the same time.
"Please don't hurt me!" Dawn cried, moving away from the short blonde girl.
"Oh, it's okay," Buffy reassured her. "I don't know anyone here either."
"Yeah?" Dawn asked, thankful that at least she wasn't alone in the confusion. "Who are you?"
"Well, uh…" Buffy stopped, unable to answer the question.
Xander finally broke, his panic and fear coming to the fore. "Okay, who are you freaks?" he exclaimed.
Spike stood up and leaned nonchalantly against the counter, his eyes not moving from the blonde girl he had woken up on top of. He almost smiled at the other young man's panic, finding it thoroughly amusing.
"Okay, why are you all staring at me?" Xander yelled when he realised that every eye in the room was giving him attention. Except for the blonde guy by the counter. "Is this some kind of psych test? Am I getting paid for this?"
Giles stood up, finding himself oddly unruffled by the young man's outbursts, as though he was used to them.
"It's not just you. Does anyone remember anything?" he asked, looking around the room.
Everyone looked thoughtful and just shook their heads.
"Nope," Spike replied, speaking for them all.
"Well, maybe we all got…terribly drunk and this is some sort of, uh…blackout," he suggested.
Dawn couldn't remember how old she was, but she could feel within herself that she wasn't as old as the other people in the room with her. They all looked to be about twenty or twenty-one, except for the man who had suggested that they had been drinking.
"I don't think I…drink," Dawn said nervously.
"I don't see any booze," Anya proclaimed. "I don't feel any head bumps. And I don't see Alan Funt."
"Who?" Giles asked, looking curiously towards the young woman he had woken up next to. She was rather attractive, and he had to wonder what his relationship with her was. He looked away from her towards where the short blonde girl was standing with the fourteen year old.
His breath caught in his throat as his eyes glanced over Buffy. She was astonishingly gorgeous, holding herself in a way that was incredibly mature for someone of her age. She caught him looking at her and he looked away immediately. Buffy blushed a little and turned her attention to Xander who had begun screaming once more.
"Okay, I'm not panicking. I'm not. I'm not," he exclaimed, his voice sounding incredibly panic-stricken. "Stop looking at me like I'm panicking!"
"Hey, hey, take it easy guy," Buffy said, holding a hand out in his direction, unsure why she was taking the initiative to fix things. It felt extremely natural for her to do so though. "Okay, no one's hurt right. And no one looks all hatchety-murdery so we're probably safe. Here. Wherever here is."
Willow stepped towards the counter and picked up a book that was lying on top of the glass cabinet. "Look at this stuff. Weird books with weird covers like…Magic for Beginners."
Tara looked excited and bounded towards the red-head. "This is a Magic Shop. A real magic shop."
"Well, maybe that's it," Buffy said. "Maybe something magic happened."
"Magic?" Giles exclaimed, looking towards the young woman who had suggested it. "Magic's all balderdash and chicanery. I'm afraid we don't' know a bloody thing. Except I seem to be British, don't I? And a man. With glasses. Well, that narrows it down considerably."
"I don't like this," Dawn said quietly.
"It's okay, don't worry. We'll take care of each other," Buffy assured her, stroking the young girls hair. Dawn smiled and felt comforted by the somehow familiar gesture.
"We'll all get our memories back and we'll be right as rain," Giles assured them.
"Oh, listen to Mary Poppins," Spike mocked, a smirk on his face. "He's got his crust all stuff and upper with that nancy-boy accent. You Englishmen are always so-"
Everyone just looked at him until he finally figured out why they were staring in his direction.
"Bloody hell!" he exclaimed. He began counting off the words that came to him naturally. "Sodding, blimey, shagging, knickers, bollocks, oh God! I'm English."
Giles just stared at him with displeasure. "Welcome to the nancy-tribe."
"You don't suppose you and I…we're not related are we?" Spike asked, looking horrified at the suggestion.
Anya looked between the two men. "There is a ruggedly handsome resemblance."
Buffy felt something stir within her, as though the young woman who had commented had no right to comment about her man like that. The only problem was, which one was her man? Both of them seemed to be staring at her intermittently. The young blonde man seemed to be more her age, but the look in the elder Englishman's eyes set her on fire like never before.
Giles looked pleased by Anya's description and then looked back at Spike.
"And you do inspire a um…particular feeling of…familiarity and…disappointment," Giles said.
Spike looked vaguely insulted and walked up closer to Giles.
"Older brother?" Giles suggested.
Spike scoffed and looked Giles up and down. "Father. Oh god, how I must hate you."
"What did I do?" Giles asked, looking outraged.
"There's always something," Spike replied. He then gestured towards Anya. "And what's with the trollop?"
"Hey!" Anya cried.
"Her?" Giles asked, looking towards the young woman beside him.
"I saw you! Sleeping together," Spike accused.
"Resting together," Giles corrected.
Anya looked down at her hands and saw a slight sparkle coming from her ring finger on her left hand. She held it up for them all to see.
"Look!" she cried with excitement. "It's okay. We're engaged."
Giles gave a half-smile feeling somewhat disappointed that he was with the perky young woman instead of the magnificent blonde girl who was still standing beside the younger girl.
"It's a lovely ring," Anya said, admiring it.
"Oh great," Spike said sarcastically. "A tarty step-mum who's half old daddy's age."
"Tarty?" Anya repeated, feeling the need to hurt the young man who had insulted her.
"Old? You little twerp, I'm still young enough to get carded," Giles said.
"Carded!" Willow cried suddenly. "Driver's licenses."
Everyone moved simultaneously to search through their pockets. Xander was the first to hold up his license.
"It's me!' Xander cried. "Alexander Harris. Cute picture. Hey, I exist."
"I'm Willow Rosenburg," Willow said, holding up her UC Sunnydale ID. "Heh, Willow. Funny name."
"I think it's pretty," Tara said shyly. Willow smiled at her and looked towards the card in her hand.
"What have you got?"
"Tara," she replied, holding up her card. "And, look, I'm a student at UC Sunnydale."
"Me too!" Willow cried. "Maybe we're study buddies."
Dawn looked towards Buffy forlorn. "I don't have a wallet."
Buffy gave a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry. Me neither." Buffy suddenly spotted something around Dawn's neck and lifted it gently. "But look. You're Dawn."
Dawn grinned and looked at the silver necklace. "Or Umad," she joked, attempting to get a smile out of the girl who was being so nice to her. It worked.
"I'm Rupert Giles," Giles announced.
Buffy couldn't help but look in his direction when she heard his voice. It was almost as though she was addicted to hearing him speak. Of course, with that accent, she couldn't possibly be blamed for it.
"Rupert," Anya repeated, looking up at her fiancé with adoration. The look made Giles feel distinctly uncomfortable, though he couldn't explain why.
"Rupert!" Spike scoffed, holding back his laughter.
Giles glared at him, but Spike didn't back down.
"You're not too old to put across my knee you know…sonny," Giles threatened. Spike's laughter didn't stop. "Anyway, what did I call you?"
Spike's laughter stopped and he looked through his pockets, coming across a twenty dollar bill and a lighter. He pulled out the small silver lighter and looked at the inscription.
"For W. from D," he read. "W?"
Dawn looked up at the cute blonde man. "Maybe it stands for Wallace," she suggested.
Spike's nose crinkled at the thought.
"Or Wesley," Buffy added.
"Wendell," Xander said, a grin on his face.
"Walter," Anya said, giggling at the thought.
Spike looked disgusted by all of the suggestions until he heard Buffy's voice again.
"What about William?" she suggested.
Spike's breath caught in his throat at the gentle suggestion from the blonde girl. He smiled at her and finally nodded his approval.
"William Giles," he said.
He grinned at Buffy and she couldn't help but smile back a little. He didn't make her blush though, and her heart rate didn't increase just by looking at him.
"What 'ave you got?" Spike asked her.
Buffy just shrugged a little. "I don't have a wallet," she explained.
"You want me to name you?" Dawn asked.
Buffy looked at the young girl and smiled fondly. "That's sweet, but I think I can name myself," she said, thinking carefully. After a moment she had decided on the perfect name. "I'll name me…Joan."
"Ugh," Dawn let slip out as her face wrinkled in distaste.
"What?" Buffy asked, looking at Dawn. "Did you just 'ugh' my name?"
"No!" Dawn said. "It's just…I mean, it's so blah. Joan?"
"I like it," Buffy defended herself. "I feel like a Joan."
Dawn just shrugged. "Fine, that's your pergative."
"Prerogative," Buffy corrected.
"Whatever Joan," Dawn said.
"Whatever Umad," Buffy retorted.
"Boy you're a pain in the-" "Boy you're bossy," the girls said simultaneously.
They stopped and looked at each, slow smiles creeping over
their faces.
"Do you think we're-"
"Sister?" Buffy finished.
The two girls hugged enthusiastically and Buffy took Dawn's hand comfortingly.
"You never show me affection like that," Spike said, looking towards Giles. Giles just raised his eyebrows as though to question how he could know that. "I'd wager."
Dawn looked down at her hand that was holding Buffy's and squealed loudly.
"Look," Dawn exclaimed, pointing to Buffy's hand. "You're engaged too!"
Buffy looked down and saw the ring on her finger. She looked up at the men in the group, feeling incredibly disappointed that Rupert was already engaged to the chirpy girl in the floral dress. She looked towards the bleached blonde man in black whom she had woken up next to.
Spike saw the look in her eyes as she realised that she was engaged to him. Spike felt his mouth go dry, and he swallowed hard. He was engaged to the blonde bombshell he'd woken up next to.
Giles looked thoroughly disappointed by the fact that his son was engaged to the woman who made his breath catch in his throat and made his heart pound furiously. He cleared his throat and looked towards Spike.
"Congratulations son," he said.
He looked towards Buffy and nodded at her. "Congratulations to you as well Joan."
Spike smiled widely at the though. "William and Joan Giles," he said quietly.
Buffy managed a small smile. She had to admit, he was fairly attractive. His tight black tee-shirt showed his well defined muscles, and apart from him looking a little pale, he was extremely well-built.
"Well, we still need to figure out what's going on," Buffy said. "We need to get help."
"Looks like Joan fancies herself the boss," he said, giving his fiancée an indulgent smile.
She smiled back at his teasing tones. "We have a kid here-"
"A teenager," Dawn corrected.
"A teenager," Buffy agreed. "And we have no idea what's going on. I think a hospital's our best bet"
Tara stepped forward shyly. "I- I don't know t-that they would even know what to do w-with us."
Buffy stopped to consider that and nodded. "You're probably right Tara. Uh…well…that was pretty much all I could think of. Anyone else?"
Willow looked up at Buffy and stepped forward hesitantly.
"Well, if it is magic, maybe…maybe it's only temporary. Maybe…a good night's rest and…we might get our memories back," Willow said.
The group seemed to prefer that suggestion to going to the hospital and admitting that none of them had any idea who they were or where they came from.
"So…we just go home?" Spike asked.
Willow shrugged and nodded. "Pretty much."
Spike looked worried for a moment but them agreed. "Well, it's better than anything I can think of. And if we don't get our bloody memories back? Then what?"
Willow had no answer to that, but Buffy stepped forward. "Well, we could meet back here tomorrow. And if we still can't remember, then…we find someone to help us."
The group seemed to agree with that and stood to move out the doors.
"Uh…dad?" Spike asked, addressing Giles nervously. Giles turned, unaccustomed to hearing anyone calling him 'dad'.
"I uh…I didn't have a wallet or keys or anything, so…do you reckon…could I stay with you?" he asked.
Giles smiled and put a fatherly arm around Spike. "Of course you can William."
Dawn looked towards Buffy worriedly. "Where will we stay?" she asked worriedly.
Buffy looked at her blankly, wondering the same thing. Her eyes automatically fell towards Giles who saw the silent question written in them.
"You and Dawn are welcome to stay with us Joan. I'd wager you and William probably spend many nights at our place."
Buffy nodded, grateful that they had a place to go home to.
Giles pulled his keys out of his pocket and stumbled across a piece of paper. He unfolded it and read it quickly. It was a receipt from the post office.
"What that?" Spike asked curiously.
"It's a receipt saying that our change of address had been registered at the post office, so we could get our mail redirected," Giles explained.
Spike took it off him and read the address.
"1630 Revello Drive," he read. "Sounds swanky."
"It's not the address on my lisence," Giles added.
"So, maybe we moved. Wanting to accommodate for the new mum and my lovely lady and the nibblet," Spike suggested.
Giles looked surprised by Spike's logical rationalisation of it all. Giles just shrugged and headed towards the front of the store.
"How are we gonna find it?" Dawn asked nervously.
"I'd wager there'll be a street directory in the car," Giles guessed.
"Rupey, will you know which car is yours?" Anya asked, her voice sickenly-sweet, causing both Spike and Buffy to roll their eyes. They caught each others gestures and shared a grin.
Spike smirked suddenly and put his arms around Buffy. "Dad's bound to have some classic mid-life crisis transport. Something red, shiny, shaped like a penis."
Giles looked towards his son, shocked by his flippant way of stating things. Spike had to bite back a peal of laughter as they stumbled across a red sports car outside the store. Giles just glared at Spike and fit the key into the lock, upset that Spike had been right about his transport.
"You're treading on thin ice there William," Giles threatened.
Buffy couldn't help but agree with her father-in-law-to-be. "Shush Will. Don't upset him."
Spike turned to her and glared.
"What, you're taking his side over mine? Your own fiancé?"
Buffy looked away, but Spike held onto her hands.
"Joan, I was only joking with 'im. He knows I don't mean nothing by it," he said, trying to placate his fiancé. "Don'tcha dad?"
Giles couldn't help but want to comfort the young girl in his son's arms.
"It's alright Joan. Though I do appreciate you trying to defend me," he assured her.
She managed a slight smile at him and he had to turn away before all the blood rushed to his face and to other areas where he didn't particularly want his blood to be.
Spike looked down at Buffy, holding her close.
"I'm sorry," he whispered sweetly. "I didn't mean to upset you."
She went to reply but found her lips being crushed by his. Not only was this young man gorgeous, but he was an incredible kisser as well. But still, her heart refused to catch in her throat. He moved his hand down from her shoulder and onto the small of her back, pulling her closer to him, letting her feel his obvious excitement. She pulled away suddenly, embarrassed by being so intimate with him when she barely knew him.
Buffy looked towards Dawn who was grinning at her. She pulled her kid sister in for a hug and sat herself between Spike and Dawn on the back seat of Giles' convertible. She watched as Anya took Giles' hand and held it tightly until Giles needed to use it to steer somewhere. Anya was directing Giles to the house on Revello Drive, and they pulled into the driveway.
On instinct, Buffy pulled out her own keys and unlocked the door. Spike and Giles looked towards her curiously. She looked down at the keys in her hands and saw the open door.
"That's…really weird," she commented.
Dawn nodded but followed her sister into the house anyway. The group of five explored the downstairs of the house, looking at the photos curiously. There were none of Spike at all, most of the photos consisting of Buffy, Dawn and an older woman who Buffy resembled.
On the mantle there were other pictures of the entire group. In most of the groups, Buffy and Dawn were seated next to each other, usually glaring at each other or pulling funny faces. Xander was usually with Anya, and Willow and Tara seemed to be far too comfortable together.
Anya looked at the photo and showed it to the rest of the group.
"Rupert," she said softly, tugging his hand until her looked. His eyes widened as he saw Anya seated on Xander's lap.
"Well uh…perhaps you aren't…aren't engaged to myself. Perhaps you and young Alexander are…are meant to be together," Giles said.
Anya looked at the picture thoughtfully, studying her smiling face and the affection in Xander's faced as well.
"He makes my heart fell funny," she whispered.
Giles put a comforting hand on her shoulder and took the photo away from her, studying it. He was in this particular photo, sitting a little apart from the group, but still smiling.
Spike grabbed the photo from him.
"Hey, why aren't I in this photo?" he asked.
Buffy peered over his shoulder and looked at what he was staring at.
"Maybe cos you were the one taking the photo," she suggested.
Spike looked thoughtful at that and eventually nodded. "Must be it."
He grinned at her and picked up another picture, this photo of Buffy by herself. "With a model as gorgeous as you, it's no wonder I enjoy photography."
Buffy blushed at that and Dawn just grinned, thinking that the romance between her sister and the handsome blonde man was too cute.
"Well, uh…perhaps we should…check upstairs for any other clues," Giles suggested.
The group nodded and moved towards the stairs. They checked the rooms one by one, Dawn claiming one room as her own as she took in the blue bedspread and the untidy room with books and papers strewn across the table. She picked up one of the novels on the ground and flipped open the cover.
"Hey Joan, we've got a last name," she said, pointing to the corner of the inside of the book where Dawn's name was written. "Dawn Summers."
Buffy smiled and took in the mess of her sisters room. "Ugh, look at this place. You really should clean it before you start getting rats in here."
Dawn just rolled her eyes. "You found your room yet?"
"We haven't gone further than your room yet, so no," Buffy teased.
Dawn shrugged and left the room, curious to see if she could tease her sister for being just as messy as he was. Buffy opened up another door and saw an immaculate room with a large double bed in the middle of it. She stepped inside and took in the posters and photographs.
Dawn stepped inside and made a sound of disgust. "Neat freak."
Buffy poked her tongue out at her sister and stepped towards the dresser. She picked up a silver necklace with a cross on it.
"Hey, I'm all religious," she said.
Giles smiled at the phrasing and Spike couldn't help but glare at Giles in what could only be described as a possessive manner.
Buffy put the cross down and picked up a leather bound notebook, running her hands across it. She opened it to the first page.
"Journal of Buffy Anne Summers," she read.
Dawn looked at her curiously. "Uh…either that's you or we've got another sister somewhere," she said.
Buffy looked at her and nodded thoughtfully. "I think it might be me."
Anya looked at her sceptically. "What kind of a name's Buffy?"
Buffy just ignored her and replaced the journal onto her desk.
"We should…keep going," Spike suggested. "Find dad's room."
Buffy nodded and moved to the door, jumping a little as Spike put his hand on the small of her back to lead her down the corridor.
Giles opened up the door to another room and looked inside. Spike stepped in after him, whistling under his breath.
"Nice digs," Spike said.
There were small antique statuettes in the room as well as beautiful paintings on the wall. Giles unconsciously worked out the value of many of the items in the room and was surprised to work out how much money he would have to earn if he wanted to own these items.
The bed had a large ornate wooden frame, the mattress covered with a rich burgundy colour quilt and matching pillows.
The dressing table held no photos and the drawers were empty.
"Well, uh…perhaps Annya could take this bed and…I'll take the couch," Giles suggested.
"Joan…uh, Buffy and I can take her room and the nibblet's got her own," Spike said.
Buffy swallowed nervously at the thought of spending the night in bed with a man she didn't know. It didn't seem at all appropriate, but she knew that when they got their memories back, she would feel comfortable with him once again. Of course, if he didn't want to sleep together in that sense, it would be a moot point anyway.
Giles took off his glasses and cleaned them with a handkerchief that was in his pocket.
"Well uh…it is fairly late," Giles said. "Perhaps we should call it a night."
Spike looked thrilled at the idea of going to bed, and no one could think of any reason why they shouldn't.