Chapter 1

In Xander's apartment Anya, Xander, Dawn, Willow and Tara were talking about Buffy.

"You think she walked around on a cloud? Wearing Birkenstock and playing a harp?"

The others looked at Anya grim.

"What i was just saying what everyone else was thinking right?"

"And it's okay to wonder what it was like" Tara said trying to calm the atmosphere.

"Buffy was in a happy place and we took her from it." Willow said blaming herself.

"We didn't know," Xander was now trying to reassure her.

"We didn't want to know," Willow carried on.

"We just need to spend more time with her, like a movie club or something?" Dawn offered.

"No I can fix it, I know a spell." Willow cut Dawn off

"No! No more spells."

"Then what sort it out with a movie club? This is something i did, I wana make it right."

"By magic? Willow I know you used that spell on me." Tara now had tears in her eyes.

Xander and the rest went upstairs and left Willow and Tara alone.

"I think we need to, i can't believe I'm saying this, I think we need space." Willow looked shocked to hear the love of her life saying this.

"No i was just trying to help."

" Maybe thats how it started, but now its just... you just don't even consider the options you just do a spell."

"Fine then i'll go without magic.. A month?"

"No a week, a week without magic then we'll see."

We cut to Buffy and Giles having a conversation in the gym if the magic box.

"I have to." Giles was saying, Buffy sitting on a pile of mats looking shocked.

"Uh-uhh."

"You have to be strong, I'm trying to- to..."

"To what?" Buffy said jumping up off the mats. "Desert me? Abandon me? Leave ma alone when i really need someone?"

"I don't want to leave."

"Then don't, please don't" Buffy pleaded.

Buffy sits next to Giles.

"I can't do this without you."

"You can, that's why I'm going, and you've become too dependent on me. I need to leave; I can't bear to see you suffering."

"Me too. Hate suffering. Had about as much as I can take."

"Believe me; I'm loathing causing you more, but this." Giles paused.

"I've taught you all i can about being the slayer, and your mum about life. Your never gona trust that until you are forced to stand alone."

"But why now?" Buffy said with almost tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Why now, with all that I'm going through?"

"I know the temptation to give in is overwhelming," Giles aid with confidence.

"Then I won't, no giving up. You can be there, i can still be strong."

"Buffy, I've thought it over; it's the right thing to do."

"You're wrong." Buffy storms out.

Willow appears at the top of the stairs wearing a towel.

Tara and Dawn were standing at the bottom of the stairs waiting for Willow.

"Willow, come on, you ready?" Dawn said calling up the stairs.

"No not really, you go ahead tell Giles to hold on." Willow called down.

Willow then disappeared up the stairs and a second later came down fully dressed.

She took out a crystal and some matches and rushed over to the fireplace.

"Fore Buffy and Tara, this i char." She lit the match and places flowers on the fireplace, she then lit them.

"Let Lethe's Bramble do its chore. Purge their minds of memories grim, of pains from recent slights and sins." Next Willow took the crystal and held it to the buring flowers. "When the fire goes out and the crystal goes black my spell is done, tabula rasa, tabula rasa, tabula rasa."

She put the crystal in her pocket and was out the door.

At the magic shop, with the scoobies round the table shortly joined by Willow and Xander.

"Wow thanks for the jacket its kinda cold outside." Willow said wearing Xanders green jacket with the word Harris on it.

"No problem the cold only makes me more manly and macho-like."

Willow and Xander both shared a laugh and joined the others at the table. The whole room was quiet waiting for someone to break the silence. That person was Dawn.

"So what we got?"

"Uh sorry?" Giles asked obviously confused with what Dawn had just said.

"What kind of oogly-boogleys? Lizzardy types? Or um zombies? Or, or vampires?"

"There are no oogly-boogelys Dawn, I'm glad your all here. There's something I need to tell you." Giles said cleaning his glasses with Buffy glaring at him. The others look expectantly as Buffy carries on glaring.

"I know it feels like we've been through this before. Um."

"Why don't you just cut to the chase," Buffy cut in whilst walking down form the stairs of the magic box.

"Tell them that you're….."

Just then the door slammed open, it was Spike. His skin was buring where the sunlight had hit him.

He was wearing an old fashioned brown suit with a bow tie and a hat with padded ear flaps, he looked ridiculous.

"Spike?" Giles questioned. By now everyone was truing to look at Spike.

"Holy moly." Anya said trying not to laugh.

"You need to give me asylum." Spike said trying not to make himself a bigger fool then he already looked.

"I'll say." Replied Xander.

"No need to get cute," Spike now removed his hat.

"It's a disguise. Happens there's a bloke I'd rather not see just now."

Spike welcomes himself in and sits on the cash register. Turning to Buffy he said, "You met him, I believe. Big toothy guy, baby seal breath."

Buffy just rolled her eyes.

"Nasty fellow, him. And ugly too."

As Spike was saying this Willow took the crystal from her pocket, it was glowing green.

Cuts to Buffy's house and the fire Willow lit went out.

Now back to magic shop and Giles was carrying on the conversation the gang was having before Spike interrupted.

"Well, now we've recovered from Spike's.. Sartorial humour. I'll jump, to the chase." Giles was now looking at Buffy then back to the Scoobies. "I'm headed back to England, and I'm planning to stay. Indefinitely."

Everyone looked shocked at each other.

It was all quiet.

"Now? No not, not after……. Everything." Xander was the first to break the second awkward silence.

"Yes, now." Giles told them.

"For real this time? Cause, honest to Pete, a young shopkeepers heart can only take so much. I mean, not that I want you to go." Anya questioned Giles secretly wanting it to be true so she could own the magic box. She was money obsessed.

"I can't do this." Buffy got up and walked toward the door in tears. "I just, I don't think."

"Buffy, listen." Willow said reassuring her everything was going to be alright.

Buffy stopped and turn back to look at her best friend.

"I know this must be awful for you, and I'm sorry. I… I'm so sorry for..."

"Sorry. Everybody's sorry. I know you guys are just trying to help, but it's too much. And… and I can't take it anymore." Buffy was now tearful by this point.

"if you guys understood how it felt, how it feels. It feels like I'm dying. It…"

Buffy suddenly fell to the floor followed by everyone else.

Back in Buffy's living room there is a pile of ash where the bag of Lethe's Bramble used to be.