Prophesy After the Fact
Part Eight
By Marie Nomad
The house had changed. Buffy saw the house surrounded by the white picket fence but there was a girl banging boards on the door. She was slightly taller than her and has pink hair. Her hair was strangely natural looking. "What are you doing?"
She didn't answer. Instead she took more boards and started nailing them on the windows, on the walls, and even on the ceiling. Buffy's heart turned. "Stop it! You're locking him in!" Quickly, she reached out for the girl only to see her hand went through. "Okay, this is getting stupid. Leave the house alone." She grabbed one of the boards and tried to pull it off.
The pink haired girl glared at her and then flung her away. "You are causing too much damage!" She screamed as the house moaned.
Out of nowhere, clouds gathered and rain fell.
Buffy jolted up to see she was soaking wet next to an equally wet Willow. "Hey!" She scsreamed as she got out her stake and saw William with a hose in his hand.
"Pays you for stalking me." William chuckled.
"What makes you think that I was stalking?" Buffy fumed.
"The sleeping bags, the coffee… and the binoculars."
At that, Buffy blushed brightly. She tried to figure out a nice logical explanation for her being in Will's yard with camping gear and a pair of binoculars. Buffy may be a slayer but she was not a stalker. "Oh… I was… uh…"
"Bird watching." Willow concluded and Buffy gawked at her and then added.
"Yeah, bird watching. There are so many birds out at night." Buffy said as she grinned.
"Bird watching… right." William laughed, "Well, I have to go and do some more job hunting and stuff."
Buffy jumped up and took his hand. "Let me come with you." She paused, "I mean, I've been there and you might need some help."
"I don't need a bodyguard or a stalker. Besides, its daylight, no vampire would dare attack me right now." William said as he touched the sunlight coming down over the trees.
"True but there are de-" Buffy stopped and stared at him. "That's a joke right?"
William stared at his hand covered by sunlight. "Yeah. It's a joke." He blinked. He didn't know why he made such a joke or why he was serious about Buffy. Last night, something happened and a great weight was lifted from his shoulders. He never felt to free and so confused in his life, like he had lost his memory only more real. "I… I gotta go." He ran off.
"Oh no you don't." Buffy marched on after him.
The two walked past the two goddesses who watched the scene. "That is so unfair." Cordelia scowled at Shanshu. "You wiped Angel's memories too! What about that demon on the way?"
"Buffy and her mortal allies could handle him. Demon hunting is one of the few things they can do right."
"Hey! They are her friends and why do you think so little of them?" Cordelia demanded.
"Because they think so little of Angel. They may act like they support them but I know that they and you make every attempt keep him miserable." Shanshu replied as she smirked, "
"That was high school stuff. Besides, there's the curse."
"You mortals never cared for Angel. At least, not the way that he deserves."
"And you can?"
"Yes."
Cordelia flung up her hands. "Oh brother! Well, looks like I have some work to do." She vanished in a bright light.
"Not if I have anything to do about it." Shanshu vanished in a whirlwind.
XXX
William glanced behind him as Buffy followed him. He didn't understand why the petite woman would want to follow him like this. It was like she was his bodyguard and he was the unwanted celebrity. He should get this nut away from him but she was Leia's friend and he liked her.
He really liked her. There was something familiar about her, something that he couldn't place. Yesterday, he was less confused than he was now. He didn't know why but this morning, he woke up feeling free. He wanted to eat, enjoy the sunshine, just the basic out of coma stuff he loved to do. Then, he looked down at Buffy who was looking around warily.
"Look, no one is going to attack us. The name of this town is Sunnydale, what could happen?"
"Everything." Buffy muttered under her breath.
William became confused again. "Huh?"
Buffy smiled a bright but fake smile. "Nothing! Nothing at all! Nope, this is a very normal town and nothing will happen to you."
The guy just sighed and looked down at her. "You're a lousy liar."
"I am not!" Buffy puffed insulted that William thinks that she was lying to him. Granted, she was but she couldn't believe that he would think that she did.
William laughed as he walked away. "You're incredible." Buffy paled as she swore she saw Angel standing in front of her where William was. "If I was blind, I would still see you."
Buffy's eyes widened as the vision faded. "Oh… oh…" She shook her head as she tried to focus. She couldn't believe that she was actually thinking of Angel when William is standing right next to her with problems of his own including a great big demon that will kill him.
"Are you okay?" William asked.
"I'm fine. Fine." She glanced around for any signs of the demon. "So… what are you going to name the puppy?"
"I'm not sure." William shrugged. "These names just pop up in my head but nothing felt right."
"I'm sure you can think of a good name for the puppy." Buffy walked along side of him.
"And keep an eye out for any demons." William reminded as he winked.
"Oh yeah."
XXX
It was a nice normal day at Dante's Gate. Dante's gate was a nice normal demon bar where demons go to get a nice cool drink and catch up on the latest gossip. Most demons ended up in Sunnydale, New Jersey, mistaking it for the Sunnydale in California. The bar was quiet except for a few 'day walkers' and demons that could look human.
"You know, it's not a safe time to be in Sunnydale." Bobshaka said as he filled up the drinks. Bobshaka was human sized, green, with long tendrels as 'hair'. Ever since Attack of the Clones, people thought that he was that Jedi. "The Mama Slayer is here along with the witch and the vampire with the soul."
"Grrr…" A huge gray demon wearing a tattered green pair of pants with long white hair lumbered forward. "Graka briz boyjerk Will Smith?"
"No, I don't know any Will Smith except for the actor." Bobshaka replied. As a bartender, he knows many languages both alive and dead.
"Gris pah mih." The demon tapped on his nose.
"Oh, so you could smell him nearby? You still gotta be careful. All these slayers around, one can't be too careful."
"You've got that right, mate." Spike said as he came out of the shadows. "Gotta love those underground passages." He glared at the demon. "Look here, you better stay away from Will Smith, the Mama Slayer has a thing for him and I don't want her heart to be broken again."
"Kah bash grish! Porl brashka, Debbi." The demon pounded his chest.
Spike's eyes widened. "This Will bloke killed your brother and you want revenge, Debbi?"
Debbi nodded and roared, "KAH BAH ROSHKA LLIK VOHAH!"
"I don't care. I've died twice, been there done that. Shall we fight?" Spike said as he got out a long broadsword and get into position. At once, the other demons backed away and Debbi and Spike lunged at each other.
XXX
"So, has it always been peaceful here?" William asked as he and Buffy walked arm in arm.
"How should I know? I don't live here? You've been here all your-" Buffy replied and then looked down. "Oh, the amnesia, bad Buffy."
William laughed. "It's okay. I like it when people forget that I have amnesia, it makes me feel human, normal."
"Oh well, yeah, you are normal. You are all nice and normally." Buffy agreed as she nodded. "Will- Willow and Giles will help you with the memory problem. They… use techniques that may seem weird but trust me; they know what they are doing."
"Great because… lately, I've been feeling empty. Like, I need something but I don't know what. I feel so cold inside, especially now. I don't like the cold, Buffy." William put his hand on her cheek.
Buffy put her hand on his and gazed into his eyes. "Me too." They started to lean into each other for a kiss.
"Buffy!" Fred called out and the two pushed each other apart.
"Damn!" Buffy muttered and then saw Illyria in her Fred disguise waving her hands. "What is it?"
"It's Spike, he's hurt." Fred exclaimed, "I mean, badly hurt by that… nut we were talking about before."
"Where is he?" Buffy was concerned about Spike. True, Spike is a vampire and he once recovered from having an organ crash on him but he was still vulnerable and still her friend.
"Over in the bomb shelter."
"Wait." William held out his hand. "If Spike is so badly hurt, why not take him to the hospital?"
"Uhhh…" Buffy and Fred looked at each other. "He… he's an illegal immigrant who had some major law trouble." Buffy fibbed, "He can't go to a hospital."
"But… illegal immigrants go to the hospital all the time and Spike doesn't look all that… illegal."
"Oh… well…" Buffy looked at Fred who just looked back. "Umm… he just can't go. That's why."
William frowned. For some reason, Spike not going to the hospital made sense. It didn't sound logical but it made sense to him. "Well, I guess. We better make sure he's okay."
"No." Buffy said as she put her hands on his chest. "You can't. I mean, he doesn't like you. It's better if you just go home and stay there, in the house."
"I'm not a kid and I'm a strong guy. I can handle myself. Why do I have a feeling that you're hiding something from me?" Will asked.
"She's not." Leia said from behind. "Will, just do as she says. There's a nutcase out there and he will kill you."
"What about the police?"
"Ha! Like they could do anything." Buffy laughed and then Will stared at her. "Well, the police these days. Not a bunch of bright guys."
"Let's go." Leia took William by the hand and dragged him home. Buffy and Fred followed them.
XXX
"Look, I don't see why I have to stay at home." Will complained as Leia stood at the door.
"It's for your own good." Leia advised, "Just please stay in this room until the psycho is taken care of."
"What? Now wait." Will protested but then Leia ran out and closed the door behind her. "You are being ridiculous."
When there was no answer, he sat down and sighed. "Damn it." He reached under his bed to get out a long broadsword and then stared at it. "Where did I get this?"
XXX
Buffy and Fred ran to the bomb shelter and the slayer rushed in to see Spike bruised and bloody with Willow tending to his wounds. "How is he?" Buffy asked.
"Fine but I can't heal him like I could with normal people. Healing magic is holy and dark magic is on my off list so…" Willow pointed to the bandages.
"Old fashioned way." Buffy guessed.
Spike sat up and picked up a pen. 'I've been through worse, Luv. Where's your boyfriend?' He wrote out and held up the pad in large but strangely elegant letters.
"He's not my boyfriend and you can't talk?"
The vampire shook his head and wrote out, 'My jaw is broken, wired shut, can't talk or eat normal food for a few hours at least. Can still feed though just no biting.'
"Ouch."
Spike shrugged. 'Been through worse. Once had my hands lopped off and that was not fun.'
"Who could do that?"
Spike paused, ripped off another sheet and wrote out, 'Dana, that psycho slayer you took in.'
"Oh. Who… what did this to you?"
Spike drew out a rough sketch of a demon that looked like Doomsday and wrote below it, 'Debbi'.
"Debbi? We have to fight a big scary demon named 'Debbi'?" Buffy said as she fought the urge to laugh. "Why do we get the weird naming demons, Glory, Angelus, Caleb, The First, he didn't even have a name."
"Regardless, he's a scary demon race." Ryoma said as he looked at the demon. "Ah yes, I was expecting him to come when William got out of his coma."
"Eh?"
"It's true." Ryoma sighed, "We fought his brother before and William… I was hoping that the demon won't come because of the time but I was wrong."
"Damn it!" Buffy kicked the wall. "The one time I met a guy that I am attracted to that is 'normal' and he has to be a walking demon target!"
"At least he's human. Oh, no offense Spike." Willow said as Spike glared at her. The vampire sighed and just closed his eyes.
"We still need to get that demon and if he kicked Spike's ass then he gotta be tough." Gunn said, "How did Will get that demon? Did he have the slayer powers like Leia?"
"No, only girls can become slayers and Will has no special abilities." Ryoma explained, "That is why Leia is so concerned about him. She need for him to be safe from her duty. Besides, he cannot be prepared for this."
XXX
Will spun around as he swung the metal sword . He didn't know how long he had the sword or even where he got his sword at. It was heavy in his hands but strangely comfortable. Did he use this sword before he had amnesia and when? More importantly, why would he need to use a sword?
There was a knock at the door. "Will?" It was Buffy.
"Wait a second!" Will tossed the sword under the bed and opened the door. "Yeah?"
"Hi." Buffy said as she grinned, "I'm sorry if you were feeling…"
"Like everyone is treating me like I'm helpless?" Will guessed, "I just don't get why that is. I'm the older brother; I'm supposed to protect my little sister. I may not remember much but I know that part."
"Well…" Buffy turned around and crossed her arms. "The world is a very complicated place. Leia's just worried about you."
"That's the point. I'm a grown boy. I can handle myself in a situation. You have a little sister right?"
"Yeah, her name is Dawn."
"And how would you feel if she was constantly protecting you?"
Buffy paused as she thought of all the times she saved Dawn. "It would feel a little freaky since I had to protect her from-" She stopped when she remembered. "All those boys trying to get her. My mom died from a tumor so I had to take over and raise Dawn myself."
"Oh." Will feels a pang of pain in his heart. "I'm… I'm so sorry."
"Don't worry, it was years ago." Buffy shook her head. "But, thanks. It's just that… there's a lot that's going on that you might freak out about. We just want you to take it one step at a time."
Will frowned. He felt insulted. How could she think that he couldn't handle what was going on? He had plenty of experience, from where, he didn't know but he knows stuff. "Buffy, just tell me what is going on. What is the secret? I can handle it."
Tears started to trickle from Buffy's eyes. She had to tell him something. She knew that as soon as he found out her dark secret, he might turn away or go nuts. No human could have her as long as that man knows. She shook her head. Leia must tell first, Will was her brother. "Leia must tell you first but just trust me. Okay?"
Will took her hand. "I trust you, Buffy, with all my heart and soul." He glanced at the door to see Spike walking up to the door. "Don't you dare come in here!" As soon as he said those words, Spike bumped his head on the invisible barrier and fell back. "Whoa. Cool." He grinned as he reached at the doorway to feel nothing. Spike glared at him and flipped him the bird. Then, he pointed at Will again and gestured to him and then walked his fingers towards the door. "Huh?"
"Invite him in." Buffy figured. "He comes from a family of mimes so he can't enter a home or a room without being invited into."
"No, I'm not letting him in my room and him take my stuff." Will denied.
Spike stared at him. How did Will know not to let him in? It wasn't like he knew that he was a vampire. To him, vampires shouldn't exist; like Boogymen and honest politicians. He got out his white board with marker and wrote out, 'I'm not interested in your stuff. I'm not a thief you wanker.'
"I thought mimes don't talk or write." Will asked.
'I broke my jaw, mate.'
"Don't call me mate and how did you break your jaw?"
Spike stared at his white board and wrote out, 'If you let me in, I'll tell you.'
"Not a chance, Willie." Will stopped as he felt the name came off his lips. Where did that came from?
Spike was equally surprised. That insulted hurt him and only one man had ever called him 'Willie' and got away with it and he had vanished off the face of the Earth. Ever since he first met Will, there had been a familiar presence about him. Like he had met him before but he couldn't remember when. Then, his eyes widened as he wrote out, 'I gotta go to the shelter. Be right back.' He ran off.
"Wonder what that was about?" Buffy asked.
"No idea. He's your ex-boyfriend."
"I never understood him. He always do stuff that just come out of left field like when he made that Buffybot and got that soul just to get me-" She stopped in midrant and added, "That was just role playing of course."
"Of course."
XXX
Buffy walked to the shelter where she saw Spike leaning against the door. 'I figured it out.' Spike wrote out as he chuckled. 'Whoever did this is a bright one.'
"You know?" Buffy asked wide eyed. "You actually figured it out."
'What did you expect? I knew him way before your grandparents were even born.'
"So? Where is he? Where's Angel?"
Spike sauntered up to her and wrote out, 'It was quite brilliant actually. Whoever the latest goddess was.'
"Spike…" Buffy warned as she held up a stake.
'Okay okay. Angel is-' He stopped when he felt his chest burning. He stepped back with his hand on his chest. He tried to write out again, 'Angel is…"
"Spike?" Buffy came up to him and the vampire collapsed onto the floor. "SPIKE!"
Standing over Spike's body, Shanshu stood there smiling.
To Be Continued…
