It had nearly been a week since they took out the Judge and everything seemed to be going back to normal. Well, as normal as a town over a hell mouth anyway. The gang came up with a ritual to rid the world of the Judge permanently. Every day they met in the library for their regular Scooby updates, but Buffy was always absent. Giles began to make excuses for her, but they knew that she was out searching for Angel every minute she was able. They even began to patrol in the evening with Giles because Buffy had leads to follow up on. They were all concerned about Angel's sudden disappearance but her spirits were bordering on hysteria nearly all the time. She was jumpy and irritated with everyone around her and had yelled at Giles and stormed out of the library almost every day that week.
Buffy went by Angel's apartment at least twice a day to see if he returned. She beat up Willie every afternoon and after he ran out of demons to rat on, he began to make things up just to get rid of her. She searched every graveyard, mausoleum and cave that was in Sunnydale. She found no traces of Angel anywhere. That was when she decided to go back to the factory looking for Spike and Dru. Maybe they had captured him and were keeping him there hostage. When she got there they had already fled. She rousted some of the vampire minions they left behind and they told her that they left for New York the day she killed the Judge. They also told her that Angel had been seen lurking around the bus station that same night. After she dusted the last of them, she doused the place with alcohol that had been left by Spike and torched the place.
She went home that night feeling like she finally caught a break. She slept that night for the first time since Angel disappeared. As she lay in bed and began to dream, she felt a connection to him. She dreamed that they were together in his apartment making love. It was sweet and sexy and she felt so warm and loved. She closed her eyes tight and breathed in a deeply, she could smell him, taste him, and it was as though she were really there. Then all of a sudden she felt him pull away, when she opened her eyes she was sitting in a chair with all the Scooby gang staring at her. They didn't say a word, they just all turned to look across the room at the same time. When she turned her head to see what they were looking at, she saw Angel standing at the door to the library with his hands around Ms. Calendar's neck. She got up and ran over to him to find out what was going on, "Angel, what are you doing?" She yelled as she approached him. "You have to know what to see Buffy." He said to her, she woke up in a cold sweat at that very moment. She knew it was time to find out what was really going on.
The next morning Buffy came storming into the library, fire in her eyes, she was on a mission. She walked right past the whole Scooby gang that was sitting at the table and stomped directly into Giles' office. "Giles, have you seen Ms. Calendar around? I went to her class room but she wasn't there. I need to talk to her." Buffy spat at him. "No Buffy, I am afraid I have yet to see her this morning. Maybe she is running late." Giles told her with a questioning look on his face. "What's this all about Buffy? Have you found something out about Angel?" Giles was hoping to find out what she was so angry about. He knew Buffy and he could tell she was very volatile at the moment.
Just then the doors to the library opened and Jenny came strolling in with an arm full of books. She plopped them down on the counter and began to walk over to the table to talk to Willow and Xander. Buffy came briskly over to her and before she could say a word, Buffy had her pinned to the table by her neck. "What do you know?" Buffy yelled in her face. Giles was freaking out, "Buffy what are you doing? Let her go this instant. Have you gone mad?" Buffy didn't even flinch "I said what do you know?" Buffy demanded in a stern voice. Jenny put her hands up in defense, a plea to be released from Buffy's firm grip on her neck, "Ok, can't tell if I can't breath." Buffy released her grip on her neck but didn't move from over top of her. "I knew it could happen, I just didn't know how." Jenny finally stood up strait and looked at Giles. "I'm so sorry Buffy; I didn't know how until after it happened. You have to understand, he was the cruelest monster ever known to man and he had to pay for what he did to my people." She dropped her head, unable to look anyone in the eyes.
"I don't understand Jenny, what are you saying?" Giles was distraught, he loved this woman and now it seemed she had been lying to them all. "I'm sorry Rupert, I was sent here to watch Angel. I have known about him all my life; I was raised to hate him. My people are the ones who cursed him. I was to find out if his suffering was lessening and how. I had no idea what would happen thought, I swear, I didn't know." Jenny seemed to be pleading now. Buffy slowly backed away from her. When the whole scuffle started the gang jumped up from the table and backed away from them.
"What is going on? Tell us what you are talking about? What happens if his pain lessens?" Giles was the frantic one now. He knew Angel was missing and now Jenny had lied about who she was but what happened to Angel?
"If he is happy, well, if he has one moment of pure happiness he will lose his memory. So, if his moment of true happiness was Buffy, then he will lose his memory of her. He will have lost all memory until just before he first met her." Jenny was trying to explain the curse to them the best she could. Buffy turned and slumped down into a vacant chair. She put her head in her hands and began to cry, "It was me then, I did this."
"I'm so sorry Buffy. They never told me what would happen just that he would never be able to experience love or happiness, only pain and loneliness for what he had done. My uncle finally told me about the whole curse a few days ago. I called to tell him that Angel had disappeared and he told me about the whole curse. If I knew what would happen, I would have warned you both. Angel has saved my life several times, I owed you both that. I swear I didn't know." Jenny turned to Buffy as tears began to streak her face. Buffy couldn't take it anymore and fled from the library.
"Should we go after her? I am still somewhat baffled by this entire matter. They have been together for months now, what could have triggered this sudden happiness?" Giles was questioning everyone now.
"I think we should give her some time Giles. She needs to figure this out herself." Willow said sounding so sad. "So, what, Angel lost his memory and took off somewhere?" Willow was now facing Jenny.
"I guess so; I mean who knows where he is. I did a little digging myself after I spoke to my uncle. I found out that Angel spent a lot of time in NY before he came to Sunnydale. He may try to find a way back there." Jenny felt so bad, she had no idea what to say or do now. "Rupert, please forgive me. All I want to do is help."
"Yes, well, I think you have done enough Ms. Calendar. Now if you will excuse me, I need to make a few calls, good day." And Giles walked to his office and closed the door. Jenny picked up her things and exited the library.
"Excuse me, have I lost my mind or did Buffy just admit to sleeping with dead boy?" Xander finally spoke. "I mean how else would he get a moment of pure happiness?"
"Shut the hell up Xander, this is so not the time for your stupid humor." Cordy said to him then grabber her purse and left the library as well.
"Well, I guess it's time to hit the class rooms now" Oz said and grabbed Willow's arm to lead her out. "Yea, anything is better than sitting around here with that mental picture." Xander said while walking through the doors into the hall. As the doors to the library closed you could hear Willow yelling 'shut up Xander'.
Buffy was beside herself as she walked from school back to her house. There was no way should could sit thru a whole day of school after the news she was hit with this morning. All she wanted to do was go home, crawl into bed, and cry herself to sleep. Her mom was working late at the gallery tonight so she would have the whole house to herself for hours. She would rest today, and then tonight, she would go out a kill as many vampires as possible. It had been a week since she patrolled and now more than ever she needed to blow off some steam.
She laid in bed thinking over everything that had happened over the past week. She could not believe that a week ago she was happy and with the man she loved, and now he was gone. How could she possibly help him? Where did he go? Who would help her find him? She cried until no tears were left. She lay in bed until the sun went down and the house grew dark. Finally, she got up out of bed and took a hot shower. The water was hot and steamy and for a few brief moments she stood not thinking about anything. Getting dressed was even more of a chore. It felt like someone had drained all the life out of her body and she was just a slow moving shell. She dressed, grabbed a few weapons, and left the house. She needed something to take her mind off of Angel, even if it was just a few hours. Patrolling seemed lonely without him and when she reached the cemetery is was unusually quiet.
It seemed as though this was going to one of those nights were nothing was happening. Since Dru and Spike left the demon population was laying low. She hopped a new vampire would be out looking for a meal but nothing seemed to be happening. After a half hour or so Buffy heard a scream off in the distance, she ran as fast as she could towards the sound. Sure enough it was a girl struggling with a vampire. She ran up and kicked the vamp with a round house sending him to the ground. She looked at the girl, "now would be a good time to run" she said to her with a smirk on her face. The girl took her cue and bolted. "So, ready for some real fun?" Buffy turned to face her opponent. "Oh darn, just when I was about to work out some kinks." After she turned to fight the vamp she noticed him running the other way. She wanted to chase after him but she felt so tired. She thought maybe it would be better if she went home and got some sleep. It only took her fifteen minutes to get to her house. As she approached the house she was a figure sitting on her front porch. It was a man, short, wearing a stupid looking hat and terribly ugly jacket. His presence gave her an uneasy feeling and she reached in her jacket to grab mister pointy just in case. She walked up the steps and approached the strange looking man, "Um, hello, can I help you?"
"You must be Buffy." Was all the man said? He extended his hand to her and she reluctantly shook it. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" Buffy asked. "Not really, this is our first meeting. Let's just say I'm a …….friend."