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Disclaimer: Still own only Susan and Jake.
Summary: Don't think I want to tell.
Reviews: Of course I want reviews. I just hate posting chapters the same day ff pulls down the access so no one can review. I love everyone who has reviewed this fic; you guys are so good to me. As always, Readers rock but REVIEWERS RULE!!!
A/N: Was going to wait a few days before posting another chapter but the fingers just typed this out and now they're all insisting they get posted. Sometimes I think these people just crave the attention and use me to get it.
WayWard Childe: You rule. I was with you all the way up to the chestnut wig. Just not my fantasy, man. Thanks for the rib-tickling reviews.
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Stunned silence met Susan's pronouncement of Will's amnesia. Dawn lowered herself back down to the sofa and leaned against her sister.
'Now we know.' She thought. 'He didn't come back because he didn't know. He didn't remember us. We have to get to him, help him.' She closed her eyes as tears continued to flow down her pretty face. 'Spike, I'm so sorry.'
Angel covered his face with his hands. Weariness bowed his shoulders as guilt over his Childe's plight swept through his large frame.
Susan looked around at the shocked faces. "He's been living with my cousin. He didn't even know he was a vampire at first. It's a long story. For the most part, he just drifts along day to day and doesn't worry too much about who his is, was or what happened to him. Jake told me yesterday that he remembered something but the memory gave him a migraine. There's something wrong. We all need to work together to figure out what. But until then, Jake and I are going to protect Will. We are not going to let anyone hurt him." She gazed at the larger portrait. Raising a hand she traced a finger along his sleeping profile. "He's innocent." She finished quietly.
Wesley was intrigued. He'd never heard anyone describe a vampire as innocent before. Vampires were the very antithesis of innocence.
"I don't understand. How is he innocent? He is a vampire. Surely that makes him dangerous. Are you certain he hasn't turned your cousin and they are acting a part to convince you to protect them?" The young Brit ventured tentatively.
Susan shot him a pitying look. "Jake still has a heartbeat. Will has no interest whatsoever in biting anyone. He hasn't even left the house the whole time he's been back. He was afraid to meet me for fear that he might want to make me a snack but he didn't. He actually looked sick at the thought. Jake buys blood from the butcher. He's quite content with that. Will eats an unbelievable amount of human food though." She turned to Angel. "Do all vampires eat as much human food as Will?"
Angel looked up and shook his head in bemusement. "Will's unique. He's never really left his human personality behind, just covered it up with his 'Big Bad' attitude. He's always eaten human food."
Dawn looked up sharply. "He likes spicy chicken wings. And Passions." She stated sadly.
Susan smiled at the teenager. "You're telling me? If I show up at the door without a big order of them, neither one of them will let me in until I go get some. It doesn't matter that I have a key. Will just uses his vamp strength to hold the door closed and refuses to open up. I swear sometimes they're like a couple of small boys. Don't even get me started on Passions; it's an illness I tell you. What ever else he's forgotten, somehow that horrid soap is one thing he still knows about."
A short round of laughter met that revelation.
Buffy stood up again. "How do we fix this? How do we get him back?" She turned to Wes. "Wesley, do you think we should call Willow?"
Wes looked thoughtful. "I don't know yet. We need to talk to him. It's possible that seeing you may bring his memory back. It's also possible that he may never regain it. It may be gone forever."
Susan shook her head. "I think his memories are just lying beneath the surface. He's had nightmares. Really violent, scary, sad nightmares. But he never remembers what the nightmares are about. He says it's like a door slams shut as soon as he wakes up. Jake has a notebook where he's written down some of the words and phrases that Will's said in his sleep." She indicated the larger portrait again. "That's were he got the title for this piece. Will said it one night."
Buffy was reminded again of that night in the church. The night she'd found out he'd gotten his soul. The smell of Spike's smoking flesh as he draped against the cross was something that would haunt her forever.
'C-can we rest now? Buffy? Can we rest?'
She inhaled shakily. "Angel."
He looked over at her. "Yes?"
"We have to get him back." She stated.
"I know." The dark vampire stood up.
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He looked at the bound teenager in horror as he felt the knife slide into his back. He knew the fear he saw shining from her big blue eyes was reflected in his own. The realization that he was going to break his promise flashed through his mind a split second before the shove that pushed him off the tower sent him tumbling twenty stories down to land in a broken heap amid the rubble.
The scene changed. He was looking up a staircase. The same teenager was descending, followed by a petite blonde. "I've seen the bloody bot before. Didn't think it'd fix up…" He stopped as realization washed over him that it wasn't the robot. It was….
He glanced back over his shoulder and saw the evil preacher gouge out the boy's eye. With a roar he tackled the enemy and helped to carry the brunette to safely.
He was tied to a wall. The phrase tumbled from his lips like a mantra, keeping him from giving up. "She will come for me, she will come for me. She will come…for…me."
Sunlight flowed through his body incinerating the horrible creatures swarming up from the pit. "I love you." She said, green eyes swimming with unshed tears. "No, you don't but thanks for saying it."
With a yell, Will sat straight up in his bed. Trembling from head to foot, he tried to recall the nightmare that had disturbed his sleep once again. Only impressions remained, pain, guilt, sadness and love. That voice, telling him something he'd always wanted to hear. What was it? It seemed important. But if it was so important why couldn't he remember? He threw the sheet aside in agitation. No use trying to get any more sleep. His inner clock told him it was after sunset, later than he normally slept. The events of the previous night must have been more draining than he'd originally thought. Up until now he'd been content to drift along, not caring about his past but now his past was coming back to bite him in the ass and he was tired of it. Tired of the nightmares, tired of not knowing.
He snarled as he got up and slid on a pair of clean black jeans. Tugging a fresh shirt from the closet, he noticed he needed to do laundry again. The mundane observation help to calm him somewhat. Dressed, he wandered into the living room. A note on the television caught his attention.
'Gone to town for some supplies, running low on the red stuff. Will be back in a couple of hours. If Suzy calls, go ahead and answer it. Jake.'
Will noticed by the time printed on the note that his housemate was due back at any time. He made his way to the kitchen and got out a packet of blood to heat. While he waited, he pondered the nightmares. He couldn't recall the last time he'd had any uninterrupted sleep. He scrubbed a hand down his drawn face as the microwave dinged.
As he sipped the red fluid he couldn't survive without, he reflected on the past four months. He felt guilty letting Jake provide everything. Jake had gone out and bought new clothes, he supplied unlimited packets of blood from the butcher and never once complained about the amount of food Will could consume. Will had asked Jake once why he was so willing to support a homeless amnesiac vampire.
"What am I supposed to do? Throw you out? I wouldn't abandon anyone in your condition. My mother would come back from the grave and give me one of her 'I taught you better than that' speeches. Pal, I'd do anything to avoid that. Seeing where you came from makes me believe that she'd find a way to do it too. Besides, I like you. Tell you what, let me paint you and we'll call it even. Okay?"
A reluctant smile crossed Will's handsome face as he recalled the conversation. Since then Jake had refused to discuss it claiming he was only doing what was right. Will still couldn't figure out why Jake was so adamant about painting him, although seeing his image on canvas had been a bit disconcerting. He had the feeling he hadn't seen his own face for a very long time.
The phone rang just as Will heard Jake's Jeep pull into the driveway. The vampire checked the caller id and picked it up when he saw Susan's name flashing on the readout.
"Hello, Cutie." Will greeted her, happy for the chance to talk to her. He really liked Jake's cousin. She treated him like a brother.
His greeting was met by silence for a moment. "Hi, Handsome. How are you?" Susan gave him her customary greeting.
"You sound funny, Luv. Are you on the bloody speaker phone?" Will asked her as he sat down on the sofa and put his feet up on the coffee table.
"Yes. Um… Will? I have some people here with me." She hesitantly started to explain.
Jake came into the living room.
"I thought I could hear more than one person breathing. Vampire hearing, you know. So who's there? Some new boyfriend I need to scare off?" Will joked with her, not realizing how important the people with her was to him.
"No. God, I thought Jake would answer. This is hard. Will, I'm with some people who say they know you. They wanted to talk to you." Susan told him quietly.
Will was stunned. Fear shot through him. "O-okay." He agreed hesitantly, wide frightened sapphire eyes met Jake's comforting gray gaze. He put his feet on the floor and sat forward.
"Hi. Will? I'm Dawn. I really miss you. Can I come see you?" A girl's quavering voice reached Will's waiting ears.
"Hi Dawn. I…um…don't know what I'm supposed to say." Will told her.
"Will?"
The young vampire stiffened at the new voice. He slid off the sofa, landing on his knees. He dropped the phone and clasped his hands around his head. Growling as agony raced through his brain.
