When Buffy had walked into the Hyperion with Faith everyone was surprised and happy to see her. There was hugs, exclamations and questions. The 3 Slayers from Bellingham got hard hugs from Buffy and promises to sit down and dish about Paris.
Giles and Angel knew that something was seriously wrong. Faith had looked at them, shook her head and mouthed, "Bad."
Later that night Willow was sitting on Buffy's bed and talking quietly about Paris. "Will, it was amazing! The lights and the people and the châteaux. It was romantic too." She sighed and blocked out the bad stuff.
"Then why are you here instead of with Adam?" Willow asked, pinning Buffy down. Buffy smiled wryly, trust Willow to pounce when something was wrong.
"I'm fine Will, I just need a break."
Willow snorted inelegantly, "Yeah, tell me another one."
Buffy sighed, "Tomorrow."
That night Buffy dreamed terrible dreams. Dreams filled with Methos' blood soaking her clothes, covering her hands.
Buffy's screams woke everyone, high terrified screams of loss that spooked every one who heard. Giles burst into her room to see Buffy thrashing in her sleep, crying out for Methos over and over. He crawled into bed with her, wrapping his arms around her to keep her still so she wouldn't hurt herself.
Angel and Willow stood in the doorway, eyes grim. Dawn shooed everyone back to bed before she came back to sit beside Buffy.
"Methos, don't don't!!" She would cry. Dawn brushed the sweaty hair off of her sisters' face, worried sick. Suddenly Buffy went limp and fell into a deeper sleep.
Giles nodded his head for everyone to leave and he tucked Buffy in, closing the door behind him quietly.
"She's been traumatized. Did she speak to you Willow?" he asked. Willow shook her head no.
"She's had nightmares for a week." Faith said and they turned their heads to see Faith in her ripped t-shirt and shorts standing in the hallway.
"Did she tell you anything?" Angel asked and Faith shook her head no as well. "She won't talk about it to anyone." She said quietly and walked back to her room.
Angel went to his office and picked up the phone and dialed.
"This is Duncan McLeod, leave a message."
"McLeod, this is Angel. Call me."
Giles had the same idea.
"This is Duncan McLeod, leave a message."
"Ah yes, Mr. McLeod, we need to speak to you about Buffy. Please call. Oh, this is Rupert Giles."
"This is Duncan McLeod, leave a message."
"Yo Mac, Faith. Loved having you, literally. Buffy' having some really bad nightmares. Something's wrong. Call me."
Duncan had gotten Methos as drunk as humanly possible, then took him home and poured him into bed. Sighing he walked into the kitchen to get some water and automatically pressed the message button on the phone.
"Hi Mr. Mac, it's Eva. Everything is faaabulous dahling. Tell everyone I said hi. Peace."
Mac smiled at this then listened to the rest of the messages, his alarm growing with each successive message.
He dialed the phone quickly.
"Faith, it's me."
"Mac, something bad is happening to B. Tell Adam we're working on it on our end."
Duncan sighed, "Adam has been poured into bed, I'll tell him tomorrow."
Duncan called Giles and found Angel with him, "I don't know what's going on. Well, there was a demon but I'll fly down tomorrow and we'll talk."
"Keep Adam there." Angel said harshly.
"I will." Mac sighed, "It won't be easy. Tomorrow."
Mac then made one more phone call.
"Joe, Mac."
"Mac? It's 4 in the morning, I just saw you a couple of hours ago. What could be so all fired important?" He groused.
"Something is wrong with Buffy and I have to fly down there tomorrow. I need you to come here in the morning and watch Adam."
Joe sighed, "I'll be there at 9. But you're gonna owe me big."
Buffy had two more nightmares and Angel had shooed everyone else out and had stayed with her. When Buffy had woken up she made the motions of going through the day, but her heart wasn't in it.
Angel had snuck Duncan in the back way to avoid Buffy but Dawn and the Bellingham Slayers had taken her out to a local park.
Everyone met in his office. "OK, this is what I know. She found Adam after the vamps kidnapped him, and decided to go after the vamps in Paris. Well, we ran into a wee problem." Duncan paused and everyone exchanged glances.
"What?" asked Giles curiously.
"The vamps had made their home in the catacombs beneath an old château no longer there. They found the bound prison of the demon Appolyon. Apparently the kidnapping was to scare the Slayer into leaving. You know how well that worked. As we fought the vamps the demon was released and it called more demons and now we were fighting demons and vamps." He smiled at Faith as he remembered. "Suddenly 8 Knight Templars showed up, helped us finish the fight and the demon was sealed up again and we won."
"Fascinating." Giles said.
"None of this is making B wig out though. She's never had a problem with battle." Faith said firmly.
"No doubt." Angel agreed.
Duncan looked at his watch, "I don't what else there is. I need to fly back. Call me if you need anything more. Buffy is one of my best friends, I need to make sure she makes it ok." His eyes met Angel and Giles and they nodded.
After Faith escorted McLeod away Angel stood up and slammed his chair back before pacing angrily.
"What happened?" he asked frustration in his voice.
Unfortunately that night, and the next two nights the nightmares were immeasurably worse. When Buffy woke up the next morning of the 4rd day she didn't remember Adam, or even the trip to Paris. She did remember Mac and Richie and the girls, but now everyone was frightened for her. Giles however was beginning to get a glimmer of what might be wrong.
Methos was tired. He was sitting in front of the TV, not watching, just staring blankly. Joe had left the day before and Richie and Mac would switch off watching Methos. Right then Richie was puttering in the kitchen when Mac walked in. He raised his eyebrows to Richie who shrugged desperately.
Methos walked over and switched off the TV and stood in front of Methos.
"We need to talk old man."
"Leave me be Highlander." Methos said angrily, about to stand up.
"Buffy's worse."
Methos' eyes flew to Duncan's face and Richie walked in, having heard what Mac said.
Duncan rubbed his face tiredly with his hands, "Giles called me at the dojo. Buffy has deliberately blocked out you and Paris. Giles thinks that something so traumatic happened to you that she just won't face it." He said quietly.
Methos eyes widened and he suddenly realized what it was. "Oh God." He groaned and dropped his face into his hands, sinking back into the couch. Mac and Richie exchanged looks and came over to sit down.
"What? What is it?" Mac said, wanting to shake his friend.
"She found me. Don't you get it? After I was dead. I don't remember much but there was enough blood for 2 or 3 bodies. Her hands and her pants where she kneeled in it were covered. I was covered in it."
He thought back carefully. "The vamp had stuck a sword into each shoulder, I was bleeding like a stuck pig. He had pinned me to the floor like a butterfly on a specimen card and took my picture. I passed out after that."
Duncan stood and paced, "The missing piece must be what she saw when she found you."
Buffy woke the next morning, feeling tired and discouraged, but most of all lonely. Not that she was alone, she had like 20 people hovering. She knew that Willow, Giles, Dawn or Angel took turns with her at night to help with the nightmares.
The day before Giles had flown to Washington with the girls so they could get ready for the start of school. Buffy had called Eva who had bubbled about her vacation and Buffy had tried to be cheerful for her sake. She didn't know that when Eva had hung up with troubled eyes, she had looked over to Methos and shook her head.
"She sounds broken Mr. Pierson." Eva watched his eyes close in pain.
Dawn and Xander were watching a JAG rerun, Faith was dozing on the floor, Angel was pacing by the windows and Giles was sitting at his desk. Willow was up with Buffy.
"You know, I don't get Mac. She loves Harm but every time they get close to making it it's like life sabotages it and she runs, thinking that Harm is going to leave her. You'd think she would know better after 8 seasons." Dawn complained.
"Dawn? It's only a TV show." Xander said, tongue in cheek, then yelped when she bopped him on the head.
"Shows what you know."
Giles head snapped up, his eyes wide and suddenly he jumped to his feet.
"Dawn, you are an absolute genius!" he said and everyone turned to stare at him.
"Don't you see?
Everybody Buffy has ever loved has left, you Angel, "Angel looked away, "Riley,
Joyce, Spike, myself, she's afraid that Adam will do the same. How she found
him just reinforced it into her subconscious."
"I didn't leave her." Dawn
said in a small voice. "No dear, you didn't. You and Xander and Willow always
stood by her." Giles said, but they all looked guilty.
Dawn spoke quietly, "We kicked her out of the house before the battle, don't you remember?" she said, guilt coloring her voice and Xander took her hand. Giles stood silently.
"Then Buffy is doing this because she's afraid that Adam will leave her too?" Angel asked.
"Yes, I believe that's it. If we can get her to remember how she found him, I think we can go on from there."
"Let me get Willow and run this past her." Dawn jumped up and walked right into Willow.
Willow grabbed Dawn before she fell onto the floor, "Where's Buffy?"
"In bed?" Giles asked a little desperately. Angel cursed, "She's on the run."
