Chapter Forty: The Answer is Staring Us In The Face
"I don't know," Jonathan said in response to Buffy's question about how to get Spike's memory back. "We didn't research that. I don't even know if there's a way to get it back."
"Why didn't you?" Buffy asked, through gritted teeth. Her patience with Jonathan was rapidly dwindling.
"We did all this so that he would lose his memory. Why would we want to help him get it back," Jonathan said.
"There's no way that you know of to help him?" Angel asked, suspiciously. He knew that Jonathan couldn't be lying because of the truth spell but he wondered if he was telling the whole truth.
"No," Jonathan repeated. "So can I go now?"
Buffy studied him for a minute and then said, "No, you're not going any where, not yet anyway." She looked at Angel, "There's some rope and chains in the basement. Take him down there and tie him up." She noticed Jonathan's panicked look, "Relax, we're not going to hurt you. You're just going to stay in the basement for a little while and if you think you can remember what it is that will bring Spike's memory back then let me know." She turned to Willow and said, "I'm going to check on Spike. Let me know if he says anything." Then she walked upstairs, leaving Angel, Willow and Cordelia to deal with Jonathan.
Buffy opened her bedroom door and went inside. Spike was sleeping and he didn't appear to wake up when she entered the room. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to him, glancing at the handcuffs that were securing him to her bed. It didn't look very comfortable to her but she knew that Spike could handle it and it was for his own good. If she took the cuffs off then he would run off again and she didn't want to have to chase him all over Sunnydale.
Buffy studied Spike critically. He appeared to have healed completely form Drusilla's torture. His bones had mended and the cuts, bruises and burns had healed. The only thing that hadn't healed were his memories and that was one thing she didn't know how to get back for him. She had to get them back, though, for everyone's sakes, his, hers, Dawns and the baby's.
She reached down and touched her stomach, hoping that the baby would stir again. She hadn't felt anything since that one time and she kept hoping that she would feel the baby move again. It was a reassuring sensation that her baby was alive and hadn't been affected by the herbs that she had been given. The doctor had assured her that the herbs only made her sick and that she had stopped taking them in time to prevent any damage to her or the baby. "We're okay baby," She said, looking down at her stomach. "You and Mommy are okay. Now we just have to figure out a way to help your Daddy. Any ideas?"
"I don't think you're going to get an answer," Said a voice from the doorway. Buffy turned around and saw Angel standing in the doorway. "Unless your child's telepathic."
Buffy rolled her eyes, "I don't so. At least I hope not. It's going to be hard enough raising a combination of me and Spike. I don't need to be worried about whether or not he knows everything I'm thinking."
"That's going to be interesting," Angel said. "I hope that your child has more of you than of Spike, though."
Buffy studied him for a second and then said, "Hopefully this baby will inherit the best of both of us. That's all I can ask for."
"Both of you deserve better, you and your child," Angel said, looking at his sleeping childe/grandchilde. "You both deserve a lot better than Spike."
Buffy didn't answer him. They had had this conversation before and she didn't want to have it again because it would get no where.
"Do you want me to stay with him?" Angel asked. "Let you get some sleep."
"No," Buffy said. "I'm not tired and he really doesn't need watching. He's completely recovered and he's not going anywhere." She looked around. "There's just no place where I can really be alone either." She was telling the truth. The house was full. Right now there were so many people staying in the house that there weren't enough places to put them all and absolutely no privacy. If she wanted to be alone she had to either lock herself in the bathroom or hang out with Spike and that one was even a risk because Dawn spent most of her time with Spike.
"If you want us to, Cordelia, Connor and I can leave," Angel said. Even though he didn't want to leave her while things were so unsettled.
"No," Buffy said, shaking her head. "You guys are welcome to stay." But after Spike was back to normal there were going to have to be some changes. One of the three bedrooms was going to have to be changed into a nursery which meant that the sleeping arrangements were going to have to change.
Angel nodded, "Good, I wouldn't feel right leaving until I know that you're going to be alright."
"Once Spike's himself again then I will be," Buffy said. "I just wish I knew how to do that."
"I wish I could help," Angel said. "I called Wesley and he doesn't know what to do either. He and Fred are trying some memory spells but it doesn't sound like any of them will work."
Buffy nodded, "Willow and Tara are checked all the regular memory spells but the ones they found are for total memory loss or memory loss that was caused by an injury. Spike's memory loss was caused by poison and he's only forgotten the past five years."
"Leave it to Spike to make things difficult," Angel said. "He was always good at that."
Buffy nodded, "I won't argue with that but he has come a long way since you knew him. I've noticed it now more than ever. Seeing how it used to be and how it is now.. There's a difference. I don't know if it's the chip or what but Spike isn't the same vampire he was when he first came to Sunnydale. He's different from who used to be." She sighed, blinking back tears, "I miss that Spike. I didn't realize how much until he woke up and thought that it was five years ago."
"He must have changed," Angel agreed. "Enough for you to." He didn't want to think about Spike and Buffy together. The thought still turned his stomach. "I guess he isn't the same vampire anymore."
"He isn't," Buffy assured him. "Now we just need to get the changed Spike back."
"We'll figure out a way," Angel said. He hated seeing Buffy with Spike but he hated seeing her like this even more. "I promise." He sat down on the bed next to her and pulled her into his arms. "We'll get him back."
"Buffy, I brought Spike some blood. oh," Willow said, walking into Buffy's room and stopped short at the sight of Buffy in Angel's arms. "Sorry."
"It's okay," Buffy said, pulling away from Angel and wiping her eyes. She nodded at the mug in Willow's hand. "Blood?"
"Yeah," Willow said. "I thought that he might be hungry."
"Leave it," Buffy said. "He'll want it when he wakes up." She stood up and walked over to the window. It was almost daylight, "I better shut these curtains." She looked at Angel and Willow, "Who opened them anyway?"
"What did you say?" Willow asked, looking startled.
"I wondered who opened the curtains," Buffy said. "If they're open then Spike gets turned into a pile of dust."
"Curtains." Willow said, staring off into space. Then her face lit up, "That's it! Buffy, you're a genius."
"Huh?" Buffy asked.
"I can't believe I didn't think of this before. It was right in front of me."
"What is?" Buffy asked, confused.
Willow didn't answer. She just turned and ran downstairs. Buffy only had time enough to wonder what was going on before Willow was back, accompanied by Tara who was holding a large spell book.
"What is going on?" Buffy asked.
"I found it," Willow said, excitedly.
"Found what?" Buffy said, impatiently.
"The spell," Willow said. "To bring Spike's memory back."
"I don't know," Jonathan said in response to Buffy's question about how to get Spike's memory back. "We didn't research that. I don't even know if there's a way to get it back."
"Why didn't you?" Buffy asked, through gritted teeth. Her patience with Jonathan was rapidly dwindling.
"We did all this so that he would lose his memory. Why would we want to help him get it back," Jonathan said.
"There's no way that you know of to help him?" Angel asked, suspiciously. He knew that Jonathan couldn't be lying because of the truth spell but he wondered if he was telling the whole truth.
"No," Jonathan repeated. "So can I go now?"
Buffy studied him for a minute and then said, "No, you're not going any where, not yet anyway." She looked at Angel, "There's some rope and chains in the basement. Take him down there and tie him up." She noticed Jonathan's panicked look, "Relax, we're not going to hurt you. You're just going to stay in the basement for a little while and if you think you can remember what it is that will bring Spike's memory back then let me know." She turned to Willow and said, "I'm going to check on Spike. Let me know if he says anything." Then she walked upstairs, leaving Angel, Willow and Cordelia to deal with Jonathan.
Buffy opened her bedroom door and went inside. Spike was sleeping and he didn't appear to wake up when she entered the room. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to him, glancing at the handcuffs that were securing him to her bed. It didn't look very comfortable to her but she knew that Spike could handle it and it was for his own good. If she took the cuffs off then he would run off again and she didn't want to have to chase him all over Sunnydale.
Buffy studied Spike critically. He appeared to have healed completely form Drusilla's torture. His bones had mended and the cuts, bruises and burns had healed. The only thing that hadn't healed were his memories and that was one thing she didn't know how to get back for him. She had to get them back, though, for everyone's sakes, his, hers, Dawns and the baby's.
She reached down and touched her stomach, hoping that the baby would stir again. She hadn't felt anything since that one time and she kept hoping that she would feel the baby move again. It was a reassuring sensation that her baby was alive and hadn't been affected by the herbs that she had been given. The doctor had assured her that the herbs only made her sick and that she had stopped taking them in time to prevent any damage to her or the baby. "We're okay baby," She said, looking down at her stomach. "You and Mommy are okay. Now we just have to figure out a way to help your Daddy. Any ideas?"
"I don't think you're going to get an answer," Said a voice from the doorway. Buffy turned around and saw Angel standing in the doorway. "Unless your child's telepathic."
Buffy rolled her eyes, "I don't so. At least I hope not. It's going to be hard enough raising a combination of me and Spike. I don't need to be worried about whether or not he knows everything I'm thinking."
"That's going to be interesting," Angel said. "I hope that your child has more of you than of Spike, though."
Buffy studied him for a second and then said, "Hopefully this baby will inherit the best of both of us. That's all I can ask for."
"Both of you deserve better, you and your child," Angel said, looking at his sleeping childe/grandchilde. "You both deserve a lot better than Spike."
Buffy didn't answer him. They had had this conversation before and she didn't want to have it again because it would get no where.
"Do you want me to stay with him?" Angel asked. "Let you get some sleep."
"No," Buffy said. "I'm not tired and he really doesn't need watching. He's completely recovered and he's not going anywhere." She looked around. "There's just no place where I can really be alone either." She was telling the truth. The house was full. Right now there were so many people staying in the house that there weren't enough places to put them all and absolutely no privacy. If she wanted to be alone she had to either lock herself in the bathroom or hang out with Spike and that one was even a risk because Dawn spent most of her time with Spike.
"If you want us to, Cordelia, Connor and I can leave," Angel said. Even though he didn't want to leave her while things were so unsettled.
"No," Buffy said, shaking her head. "You guys are welcome to stay." But after Spike was back to normal there were going to have to be some changes. One of the three bedrooms was going to have to be changed into a nursery which meant that the sleeping arrangements were going to have to change.
Angel nodded, "Good, I wouldn't feel right leaving until I know that you're going to be alright."
"Once Spike's himself again then I will be," Buffy said. "I just wish I knew how to do that."
"I wish I could help," Angel said. "I called Wesley and he doesn't know what to do either. He and Fred are trying some memory spells but it doesn't sound like any of them will work."
Buffy nodded, "Willow and Tara are checked all the regular memory spells but the ones they found are for total memory loss or memory loss that was caused by an injury. Spike's memory loss was caused by poison and he's only forgotten the past five years."
"Leave it to Spike to make things difficult," Angel said. "He was always good at that."
Buffy nodded, "I won't argue with that but he has come a long way since you knew him. I've noticed it now more than ever. Seeing how it used to be and how it is now.. There's a difference. I don't know if it's the chip or what but Spike isn't the same vampire he was when he first came to Sunnydale. He's different from who used to be." She sighed, blinking back tears, "I miss that Spike. I didn't realize how much until he woke up and thought that it was five years ago."
"He must have changed," Angel agreed. "Enough for you to." He didn't want to think about Spike and Buffy together. The thought still turned his stomach. "I guess he isn't the same vampire anymore."
"He isn't," Buffy assured him. "Now we just need to get the changed Spike back."
"We'll figure out a way," Angel said. He hated seeing Buffy with Spike but he hated seeing her like this even more. "I promise." He sat down on the bed next to her and pulled her into his arms. "We'll get him back."
"Buffy, I brought Spike some blood. oh," Willow said, walking into Buffy's room and stopped short at the sight of Buffy in Angel's arms. "Sorry."
"It's okay," Buffy said, pulling away from Angel and wiping her eyes. She nodded at the mug in Willow's hand. "Blood?"
"Yeah," Willow said. "I thought that he might be hungry."
"Leave it," Buffy said. "He'll want it when he wakes up." She stood up and walked over to the window. It was almost daylight, "I better shut these curtains." She looked at Angel and Willow, "Who opened them anyway?"
"What did you say?" Willow asked, looking startled.
"I wondered who opened the curtains," Buffy said. "If they're open then Spike gets turned into a pile of dust."
"Curtains." Willow said, staring off into space. Then her face lit up, "That's it! Buffy, you're a genius."
"Huh?" Buffy asked.
"I can't believe I didn't think of this before. It was right in front of me."
"What is?" Buffy asked, confused.
Willow didn't answer. She just turned and ran downstairs. Buffy only had time enough to wonder what was going on before Willow was back, accompanied by Tara who was holding a large spell book.
"What is going on?" Buffy asked.
"I found it," Willow said, excitedly.
"Found what?" Buffy said, impatiently.
"The spell," Willow said. "To bring Spike's memory back."