Chapter 3: Bring the Memories Back to Me

Spike looked at his surrounding. There was nothing but mist. Where am I? He thought as he tentatively took a step, breaking into the thick fog.

"Spike…" There it was again, a female voice that called him the night Angel found him. He turned around to the source of the voice, but no one was there. "Spike…" She called again, this time was clearer and louder.

"Who are you?" He called, squinting his eyes and waving his hands to clear the fog. "Where are you?" He shouted again. A figure slowly appeared and approached him. It was female, the same figure, yet her face was still blurry, hidden by the mist. He froze on his feet, eyes open wide as the figure moved towards him. "Who are you?" He asked in a whisper. 

She extended her hand and called his name again gently. "Spike…Come home. I want you to come home."

"But I don't know where home is. I don't even know I am." Spike reached for her hand but she suddenly moved backwards. "Wait! Don't go! Where's home? I need you to tell me about me." He tried to run after her but he couldn't move from his spot. His feet glued to the ground and he could only watch her disappear. "Wait! Come back!" He yelled.

"Come back!" Spike shouted, then snapped his eyes open and looked around him. He was in his bedroom. He sat up and wiped the sweat from his forehead, his heartbeat was racing.

Who is she? Where's home? The questions filled his brain and he was eager to find out. Perhaps the AI crews might have the answers. After all, they believed in supernatural and dealt with it everyday like Angel told him.

Getting out of bed, he grabbed his jeans and shirt and put them on. He sat again as he slipped into his boots. He glanced at the clock before he headed for the door. It was 3 AM. People should be asleep by now, except Angel. The brunette vampire told him that he was a creature of the night just like he himself was in the past. At first, he was ridiculed by the information though he was somehow amused with the fact that he used to have superhuman strength.  He asked Angel whether he was a good person in the past, but the vampire never answered him. He tried to ask every one of the AI employees, yet he found no answer.

Spike digged into his jeans pocket for cigarettes and lighter, finding them, he slipped one cig between his lips and lit it as his feet brought him to the balcony. He halted immediately when he saw the petite blond standing in one corner, her arms wrapped around herself as she looked far to the night.

"Hi, there." He called softly, taking a puff and blowing it off, and smiling at her. Buffy spun around to the voice and smiled back. She took his appearance in. Black jeans, black t-shirt and boots. Funny how he still had the same taste in clothes.

"Hey. Can't sleep?"

"No, try to clear my mind. Had a weird dream before." He walked towards her and leaned against the railing. "What about you?" She shook her head.

"Can't sleep either. I still have the habit of being awake at this hour for slaying and patrolling." At the puzzled look he gave her, she realized that he didn't know who she was, what she really was. "I'm…a slayer. A vampire slayer." She watched him as emotions passed over his features.

"Does that mean…you kill my kind?" Buffy was slightly surprised that he knew who he used to be.

"You know?"

"Angel told me. Does this mean we were enemies? If you kill my kind, then I was supposed to be you're enemy, right? Or used to be." He stared at her; desperation for answers was evident in his blue orbs. He was getting more confused by every new piece of information thrown at him. How could they be involved if they were enemies?

Buffy wasn't prepared for this. She didn't expect him to ask about their former status so soon. But she couldn't lie either. It was bad enough to tell him that they were happy. He deserved the truth, no matter how painful it could be. The problem was, how far would she tell him?

Taking a deep breath, she answered, "Yes, I kill your kind and we used to be enemies. BUT, it happened way before we got involved." Spike nodded thoughtfully, pleased with the answer. He took a long drag as he shifted from one foot to the other.

"Your name…Buffy, right?" At the nod the slayer gave him, he continued, "Angel kept mentioning it when we met the first time in the alley. So I figure since we used to be involved, you should know a lot about me." Buffy gave him a smile. She reached for his hand and pulled him as she walked back inside.

"Come with me. I wanna show you something." Spike silently followed her as she guided him to her bedroom.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

"This is Willow, that's Xander and that's Dawn." Buffy pointed to each person in the picture that Spike held in his hands. "Willow and Xander are my best friends since high school and Dawn is my sister. She was very close to you and she's coming over tomorrow." For a minute, they stared at each other. Then Spike broke his gaze and looked down to the picture again. It was the only picture she brought with her.

Buffy silently cursed Angel for not telling her about Spike's condition sooner. She could've brought everything that could remind him about Sunnydale, about her, and about the people he used to know. But then again, she didn't have many reminders since Sunnydale was destroyed. She suddenly remembered the other thing she brought with her as she reached for her neck and pulled her necklace out. A silver ring with black gems was attached on the string and she unhooked the clasp. Spike looked down to the ring she represented to him.

"You gave me this ring when you proposed to me. Well, it was a spell actually. Willow cast a marriage spell on us and we were engaged." She chuckled softly. Spike stayed quiet as he took the ring from her and observed it. Studying his features, Buffy wished that the marriage proposal were real. She wanted to spend her life with him, now that he came back.

She remembered when the spell was broken, she never returned it to him. She had kept it in her drawer and forgotten about it. Until she cleaned her room during the summer Spike went to Africa that she found it. She was grateful that she secretly wore it under her shirt before they went for the final battle. And she never took it from her neck ever since. It was the only thing she had from him. She used to cry over it for hours every night after having the same dream, kissing the ring and holding it like a precious gift.

"Y-You can have it if you like. It's yours after all." She said. Spike looked up to her, then handed the ring back.

"No, keep it. I want you to keep it." He smiled genuinely. She must have loved him so much that she brought the ring everywhere she went. Warm sensation coursed through him at the thought of loving and being loved by this woman. And he could fall for her all over again in no time. "Think I should hit the bed now. Thanks for showing these to me. Even though they don't ring any bells." He gave her another smile before started for the door.

"Spike…" Buffy grabbed his arm and he spun around to her. Her eyes looked deeply into his with assurance. "We're going to bring your memories back. Sooner or later. No matter what." A smile crept over his face.

"Counting on it." Giving a slight nod, he resumed his pace and headed back to his own room.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

"Spike!" A young brunette girl flung her arms around Spike and hugged him so tightly that he began to lack of air. He just reached the bottom of the staircase when he saw her talking to Buffy. Her blue eyes widened in shock as she approached him, then threw herself to him. 

"Dawn!" Buffy warned, trying to disentangle her sister from the blond man. Dawn gave her a questioning look at her action. "Amnesia, remember?"

"Oh, sorry." The former key looked back to Spike sheepishly, but couldn't hide her hurt in her eyes. Spike only smiled at her.

"S'okay. You're Dawn, right? Buffy's sister? She showed me your picture."

"Oh. Yeah, I'm Dawn. Dawn Summers." God, this was awkward! Introducing herself to the person she used to be closest to. "I'm in my final year in high school a-and I'm turning 18 soon. So yay for me!" A wide grin plastered over her face, which then vanished as soon as she realized she was babbling.

Spike chuckled at her excitement. "I'm…" He then also frowned when he didn't remember his own age. How old was he again? "I…don't even know how old I am."

"Oh, it's okay. W-We can do some research for you. OR you can decide your age yourself or I-I can choose a number for you-" Buffy cleared her throat as a warning to her sister's babble. Dawn noticed it. "Or I…can shut up now." She smiled apologetically. Spike smiled back, amused at her prattle.

"Where's everyone?" He turned to Buffy once he took in the emptiness of the lobby.

"They're working. I'm actually going to head over Wolfram & Hart after I take Dawn home. Wanna come with?"

"Sure. S'not like I have anything to do here anyway."

"But I wanna stay over here tonight." Dawn whined, pulling her best wounded puppy eyes.

"No! I promised dad to have you home by 7. Besides, you have exams tomorrow. No excuses!" Buffy looked at her sister sternly.

"But- But I have so much to tell Spike and-" At the look Buffy shot her, Dawn rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Spike watched the two sisters argue with amusement. He was delighted that this brunette girl had so much love for him. That these two young women cared a big deal about him. Maybe bringing his memories back wouldn't so bad at all, regardless the weirdness and mystical things involved. Maybe he would be actually glad to know how his past life was. And now, he couldn't wait to find out.

to be continued.