1
Chapter 2
Buffy fell unconsciously into Angel's waiting arms. He placed Buffy on the couch in his office. It was then her noticed the darts sticking out of Buffy's neck. He look around the room to see who fired the tranquilizers. Harmony? He was about to say something but Spike beat him to the punch.
"What the hell do you think you are doing Harm? It's Buffy." Spike questioned Harmony as she put the gun back on the shelf. "Well she was, like, freaking out. Plus she's all glow-y eyed, and don't kill me I was just trying to help." Harmony said raising her hands in surrender backing out of the room.
"It's Buffy. You can't just," "It's better her be out until we can figure what's wrong with her." Angel interrupted Spike's ranting "It's just like you to be going 'round doing what's 'best' for her." Enraged Angel vamped out and slammed Spike into the nearest wall, pinning him there. "Since when did any one ask your opinion on anything." Angel growled.
Spike knew that murderous look that was now in Angel's eye, he'd seen it before in Angelus's. Smartly Spike said nothing until Angel through him on the floor closest to the door. "Well, don't expect me to be here to pick up the pieces this time when you rip her heart out doin what you think's best for her." Spike glanced over at the couch were Buffy was now sleeping. "She's like a sister to me you know." With that Spike left the office, leaving Angel with his thoughts.
Wesley decided to speak, breaking the awkward silence by asking what his fellow employees were dying to ask. "Angel, if you don't mind me asking, maybe we should have Fred run some tests. Maybe call Giles, tell them what is happening?" Looking at Buffy, Angel replied "No, let's wait until she wakes up. I'll take her to my room."
"Angel, do you think that's wise man, what if she wakes up pissed?" Gunn asked "I'll deal with that when it happens. Right now I think it's best you all go home for the night, get some sleep it's late. I'll call you if anything changes." After they said their goodbyes, Angel gently picked up Buffy taking her over to his private elevator and up to his room.
Once there he placed Buffy in his bed and pulled a chair beside the bed. Gently, as if not to disturb her sleeping form Angel picked up her small hand and placed it in his, moving a piece of hair away from her face with his other. He noticed her breathing was off apart and less frequent then usual What happened to you love? Angel thought
-----Buffy's dream-----
It was hot, it felt as if she was on fire, but at the same time as cold as ice. The air smelled like copper and burning wood. Buffy's eyes shot open at the sound of clanking metal and blood curling screams.
It was dark, the only illumination was coming from the opposite wall where a low fire was burning in a gigantic stone fireplace in the spacious room casting it in an eerie glow.
The glossy wood floors were a rich red-brown color and the windows were draped in heavy crushed black velvet. There were only three things wrong with the room, Buffy noted:
First there was no furniture in the room. Second, the walls were cement, and three pain filled moans were coming from the form chained to the far corner. What? Buffy thought squinting her eyes to get an a better look, when another dark figure walked into the room.
Buffy's insides clenched at the amount of power rolling off it. She heard the it speak and the it sounded... female? "Now, what's a matter don't you wanna play some more?" The female asked playfully walking to the chained figure.. The chained figure moaned and begged for the pain to stop. Buffy tried to move to help but found she also was chained, and struggled.
Buffy stopped struggling when she heard the female laugh. It sounded familiar, but yet the sound made her blood turned to ice. The female abruptly stopped laughing. "Awe, dose the human not wanna play any more?" Grabbing the human by the neck, she twisted the chains ripping them from the wall and through the human across the room.
The human hit the wall closest to the fireplace with a sickening 'thwack' and landed on the floor dead. Buffy stared frozen in place at the sight before her. The female walked over to the body, kicking it into the fire causing the fire to blaze higher.
The smell of burning flesh had bail rising in Buffy's throat. "Well there's more were that came from." Turning the female stared directly at Buffy; making Buffy scream in terror for the female was...
Chapter 3
"Buffy wake up," Angel shook Buffy a little harder. She shot up screaming and swinging. Before Angel could stop her, Buffy had him pinned to the wall. "Buffy. Buffy it's all right it's me, Angel." She loosened her vice grip on Angel's throat. "Angel?"
"Yeah, you were moaning in your sleep. I've been trying to in to wake you up for the last rive minuets, what were you dreaming about?" Angel asked rubbing his sore throat, leading Buffy back to sit on the bed.
Buffy thought, what had she been dreaming? She looked you at Angel. "I-I don't remember" "Well, it must have been something really bad because I've only seen you like that twice before" Angel said looking at Buffy with concern.
Buffy looked at Angel tring to figure out her dream when the situation from earlier dawned on her. "My eyes were glowing red. what happened I don't remember anything after seeing that." "Harmony shot you with a tranquilizer gun."
"Harmony? As in the same ditsy Harmony from high school turned vampire Harmony?" "Yeah, that'd be the one." "Can this get any weirder? First I wake up at night in an alley," "An alley? What do you mean you woke you in an alley." "Exactly what I said I woke up in an alley, but the last thing I remember was seven months ago when I was walking home and everything went black."
"What do you mean seven months ago? You were here seven months ago" Angel said not quite masking his hurt. "No I was at home in Italy, well walking home when everything went black, then I wake up here in L.A. in an alley with a major headache." "How'd you know its been seven months later?"
"Well, when I was back in Italy in was August 23. When I woke up in the alley I saw a paper it said March 30th. That's to day." Buffy concluded. "Actually that was yesterday night." Angel corrected. Buffy looked at the clock it read 6:45 pm.
Sighing Buffy finished her story "So anyway after that, I thought I was going out of my mind and decided to come see you, ask for help, and well you know the rest." And he did, he'd seen it, but what to do now?
------ Next morning, Angel's office -------
"So she didn't remember anything at all?" Wesley questioned. "No" Angel said simply. "How peculiar she wakes up ready to kill you, thinking she's killing something in her dream, but doesn't remember a thing. Usually she remembers these types of things." "Maybe she's just having freak out over the fact that her eyes glowed." Gunn thought out loud. Everyone stared at him.
"O.K. maybe not, but you can't stand there and tell me that seven months ago. Buffy. The slayer, disappeared without a trace or anybody knowing; then suddenly one night appear here, in L.A." Gunn pointed out. "Boy, you've got a lot to learn about me."
Everyone turned to see Buffy enter the room. "So talking about me behind my back hasn't changed I see. My life is an enigma that everyone just loves to talk about. " "Buffy," "Yes" Buffy replied sarcastically.
"We weren't talking about you, just the situation your in." Angel continued watching as she slid by him to sit on top of his desk."What's the diff?" Buffy replied coolly, staring directly at Angel causing him to fidget.
"Eh, Buffy we were only trying to get the facts straight. Angel was just filling us in on what you told him last night." Fred stated hoping to get Angel out of the spot light, it worked. Buffy's cold gaze locked on to Fred.
"Oh, ok. Well what do ya think, besides me being crazy?" She finished the statement looking at Gunn who suddenly found his shoes very interesting. "Well, eh, we think some tests are," Wes was cut off by Buffy jumping to her feet.
"Oh no you don't. Don't even think I'm gonna let this place poke and probe me. If you think that your out of your mind." Buffy hissed crossing her arms over her chest, her result face firmly in place.
"Buffy, you've been gone seven months without anybody knowing then wake up in an alley with no memory of anything that happened in those months. I believe some test wouldn't hurt." Wesley stated logically.
"Fred would be administering the tests." Angel quickly before Buffy could protest, she seemed to think about it briefly. Before she could answer Wesley spoke up. "Ah, wait seven months ago." "Yes Wes seven months ago, we're past this." Buffy said annoyed.
"Yes, but during those seven months you disappeared, almost to the day, we had trouble with this thing that also disappeared two days before you came here." "What are you saying?" She asked cautiously. "You think Buffy's disappearance had something to do with that?" Angel questioned, rolling the idea in his head. It all fit. But how? Angel thought.
"I'm just speculating, it all fits, but it's the only lead we have at the moment." Wesley said looking at Buffy.
Chapter 4
Buffy sat in the cold lab chair while Fred attached a white strip to her head that were connected to a bunch of wires. The wires were hooked up to a gigantic T.V. screen. Angel, Gunn, Wes were standing across from it. Nervous Buffy asked "S- so, uh, what's this test supposed to do again?" "Well, the wires create a electric current that shocks your subconscious mind into bringing up old or forgotten memories,
"Then with the help of magic, images or short 'movies' will be pulled out of your subconscious mind and played on the screen. You'll be in a trance and I'll be asking you questions trying to get the answers from were your mind is blocking them." Taking a deep breath Buffy calmed herself. It'll be fine "Ok let's do this."
Buffy strapped to a metal table and put into trance. Fred turned on the machine. Images poured onto the screen. Buffy's brief child hood was one of the fist things they saw. Pictures of her running around playing with friends, laughing and carefree. Flashes of her being called, old friends leaving, her parents fighting, and her first watcher dying.
Then, Buffy walked on the screen. Her hair was loose and curled hanging down her back, she was wearing a pair of tight, black leather pants, chunky black heels, and a blood red silk low-cut, sleeveless top.
Looking at everyone, she asked. "What do you want?" Angel looked at Fred "What is that?" Screen Buffy answered. "I'm Buffy's subconscious mind." "Oh." "I'll ask again what do you want?" Buffy repeated a little annoyed. "We want to know what happened to you over the time you disappeared, and why." Angel stated."Ok, here goes."
The screen flashed, Angelus popped on the screen taunting Buffy and killing her friends, trying to break her. Xander blaming her for everything Angelus did. Buffy crying alone in her room. The police shooting at her after the scene at the school. Spike's alliance with her. Her mom kicking her out.
Then it flash to the scene with Ackathla, the fight between her and Angelus, and Angel getting his soul back. Her kissing him telling him she loved him then shoving a sword trough him.
Buffy walking out of the mansion, falling to the floor in a wreck of helpless, heart breaking sobs. Then her boarding a bus and seeing the 'you are now leaving Sunnydale, come back soon' sign.Lastly Buffy renting a dinky, ratty apartment in down town L.A.
The screen went black and the subconscious Buffy came back on. "Is that it?" Fred, Wes, and Gunn were staring at Angel who's face was colored with complete anguish and anger, hating himself and the Scooby's for allowing Buffy to go through that. And I never knew. Angel thought sadly.
"Uh, no that's not what I meant." Fred answered the screen Buffy. "Then what did you mean?" Buffy asked. Angel spoke before Fred had the chance. I have to know. "What happened after I left?" "After you left? Are you sure you want ro know?" Screen Buffy asked with a pinch of hurt and sadness in her voice. Angel responded without thinking. "Yes, please, I-I" Screen Buffy interrupted. "Very well."
The screen cut to Buffy and Angel giving each other one last look, then him turning and leaving. Then Buffy waking up tears streaming down her face, calling for Angel. Buffy patrolling the cemeteries. Looking worn and tired, with deep purple circles under her eyes. Her hair and eyes lost their shine.
Flash to a came vampire out of no where attacked her, she barely put up a fight. The vamp had her pinned down and was moving in for kill when Giles popped out of no were staking the vampire.
Flash to Giles yelling at Buffy for her not eating or sleeping, for patrolling non-stop and putting herself in dangerous situations. Buffy shrugged it off saying she didn't care, that she'd rather die. Cut to Buffy crying by Giles's bedside at the hospital, her saying she was sorry for the vampire because was suppose to kill her, and she'd stop being self-destructive if he lived.
Flash to her starting college, her putting on fake smiles and laughing at the right moments, lying to her friends. Flash to the 'forgotten day'. Then to Buffy dating Riley, never saying she loved him back when he said it only dodging it with 'yeah-s' and 'me too-s'.
Then her life spinning down from there. Glory. Buffy's mom dying. Dawn being the key. Buffy going catatonic. Buffy diving from the tower, leaving the world behind. Flash to Heaven, then Buffy digging out of her grave to face the world yet again.
The screen went black and Buffy was back. "I think you've seen enough of that don't you?" She asked everyone in the room, who by now had tears in their eyes except Angel who had turned from the T.V. shaking with a barley controlled rage.
"I told you you wouldn't want to know. I advise you consider that before you open anther door you can't close." Angel looked at the Buffy 'sleeping' on the table. Please believe I only wanted you to be happy love. Angel begged her in his head.
"Have you ever thought I would have been happier with you, Angel?" The screen Buffy shocked Angel by reading his thoughts, but before he could ask Wesley asked what they came to find out, "For the past seven months Buffy, you, disappeared where did you go? what happened? Why did you wake up in the alley?" "Good bye" The screen Buffy said as rge screen went black.
Before anyone could say anything, the screen flashed to life yet again.