Riddles

Once filled with sorcery, the forest had subsided into the preceding hours of the night as the glowing moon bowed its head, giving way for the creeping dawn. Leaves ruffled across dry dirt and tickled the side of Buffy's face. Lying on her back, she eventually came to.

Ohhh. Head spinney. Can't focus - where the hell am I again? Oh yeah, forest. Bad guys with flying boomerang hammers. Did I fly into one? Buffy winced at the pain in her chest. Yep. Willow better get me my old body because I think this one's going to break in two.

"Hey, Buffy. You alright?" The man's voice, full of faithful concern, held a shimmer of familiarity to it. Oddly it wasn't Spike's.

Buffy's eyes were still closed as she sat up and grasped her chest with palms. "Yeah ... my head's still attached to my body right?" Her head was spinning wildly. "I must have hit my head real hard Spike because you sound just like-" Buffy froze the second her eyes fell on Angel's face. He was crouched down on the tips of his toes beside her looking more smug than the situation called for. He wore the usual long black coat with a white undershirt. Buffy didn't notice her mouth was gaping.

A moment of silence passed, and then Angel smiled. "It's nice to see you too." Before he could help her to her feet, Buffy was digging her head deep into his chest.

"Angel," she whispered. "How did you?"

"Willow sent word. I guess she didn't want to spoil the surprise."

Buffy looked into his dark eyes. She could feel herself on the verge of weeping but she swallowed it and when she tried to speak, there was a giant lump in her throat. "It's been so hard Angel. I don't know why or - or how but I'm..." She stopped, realizing how pitiful she was sounding.

"Hey easy. It's alright," he said. "Right now, we have to get out of this forest, it's still dangerous."

"Hey!" Spike shouted from behind. "Mister hero. We're in the middle of something in case you hadn't noticed." He brushed the dirt from his coat with annoyance.

Angel turned his head with his eyes still on Buffy. "Still alive Spike?"

"Oh pelease," he snorted. "Don't think I owe you thanks. I had him, right where I wanted him." Spike could feel his temper rise as Angel stroked Buffy's cheek. Seeing Angel and Drusilla together all lovey-dovey brought back ill memories, back when the three of them were doing evil with Spike as the third wheel and in an actual wheelchair. At the time, he was unable to give Angel the sucker punch to the jaw he so righteously deserved. "Alright, there'll be no more of that." Spike pushed an intervening arm between them and took the dignity of helping Buffy to her feet.

"Ohh slow down." Buffy put a palm to her head and moaned. "Still ... need ... to cut out ... liver."

Angel appeared confused.

"Demon liver. Willow needs it to cook up her spell to cure Buffy."

Angel's eyes narrowed. "I don't recall Vorshal organs being useful for anything other than messing around with time. Just how powerful of a witch has Willow become?"

Spike nudged his head forewarningly. "Not sure I know myself. The red head got it on with some demon essence trapped inside some globe and now it's loose inside her."

"Willow." Angel looked down with unease. "She didn't mention that."

"Women," Spike said. "Always hiding something from you." He stared at Buffy who appeared to have fallen unconscious in his arms. "Never telling you the truth." He couldn't help but stare at her. There she was in his arms and all he wanted to do was kiss her. He lingered over her for a moment. It felt like time was still. He looked up seeing Angel's curious gaze. Spike swayed his eyes away and cleared his throat. "We better get her home."

"No time." Angel thumbed towards the light blue horizon.

"My crypt's closer." Spike went to move but flinched at the sudden pain in his body and dropped a knee to the ground. The demon had hit him harder than he realized.

Angel stepped forward. "You alright to carry her?"

Spike sucked in his gut and managed to stand again with Buffy in both of his arms. "I got it."

. . .

Yellow and orange light swirled and the sound of lively chatter hummed as the surrounding area came into full form before Buffy's eyes. A cold glass of red coloured juice rested between her fingertips. She sat alone at a triangular shaped glass table wearing a white wool turtleneck with red leather pants. She looked around seeing the faces of teens enjoying the energetic atmosphere as the Dingoes Ate My Baby played onstage. It seemed strange to Buffy that her table was the only triangular one. She looked up. What is with this floodlight directly over my head?

"Hey blondy."

Buffy turned to a young man who dressed like he had tried a bit too hard. She stared at him abstractedly as she sipped her drinking straw.

He smiled in the awkward silence. "You ... wanna dance?"

"Nuh uh. I'm waiting for someone," she said merrily. "I think ... I'm waiting for someone." Buffy curled her head as if she couldn't remember. The boy made a slow and confused nod, then walked away.

The noise and lights of the club faded as if an invisible wall was placed around Buffy. Her eyes focused on a crowd of people and she could see a figure making its way through them. Spike was walking towards her in a fitted black shirt with rolled up sleeves. His dark eyes stared her down like a prowling beast. Buffy couldn't move a muscle.

He laid a hand on her shoulder and smiled slyly. "Why do you still come to places like these? Do you honestly think you're ever going to fit in again?"

The syllable barely escaped Buffy's lips. "What."

"You're not Buffy. You're just some thing that crawled out of its hole." He laughed harshly. "Don't worry you'll always have me."

Buffy's heart pounded and her throat was tight. She shook her head. "I am Buffy." She looked at her hands and then pulled them down her face. "It's me. This is my body."

"You've tasted blood Buffy. You've tasted it from a boy. Haven't you?"

Buffy couldn't stand to look at him anymore. "No. I - I couldn't have." Memories of a dark alley and a young boy in her arms flashed into her eyes. She couldn't see any further. She couldn't remember biting him. "I didn't!" Her eyes darted around but no one seemed to be paying attention to the conflict at the center of the room. She wanted to shove him away, but her arms were frozen. She looked back up at him but he had already turned into a vampire. He smiled through his fangs and then lowered his head to her neck. Buffy couldn't scream. The figure of Drusilla standing behind him was the last thing Buffy saw before everything turned a blinding white.

Buffy felt something warm wrap her body and she opened her eyes to a bright blue and cloudless sky. She was lying on sand with the sun shining down on her. The waves hugged the shore soothingly and Buffy found herself feeling serene. She looked down the shoreline and saw the body of woman with dark brown hair lying motionless. Buffy heard feet sifting through the sand in the other direction and turned her gaze. Buffy was sure the woman standing before her in a black gown was the same one lying in the distance.

"They say when you die, you're supposed to be able to hear them," Drusilla spoke.

"Hear who?" Buffy asked.

She was staring over the ocean. "Mama and papa. Head's always in the clouds she'd say. Papa never talked about it. He was afraid he was. Scared little birdy afraid of the black rabbit." She brought her fingers to her temple and whimpered. "Crazy they said. Witch they whispered. The stars are telling me what is to come." Her eyes narrowed on Buffy. "I think we are sisters. One and the same, sharing a life. But, some time or another, heads will have to give way for tails my dear. The day will come."

Buffy looked down at herself and felt the fabric of her white gown. She sifted her feet in the warm sand and smiled. "Is this my body?" she asked.

"The white rabbit lives in its own cage."

Buffy pointed to the body lying in the distance. "Is that you?"

Both hands now grasped her head and she moaned pitifully. "Ohh! Bad men. They are bad. The Hand comes, and the Hand goes. Never gentle when it comes down upon you." Drusilla regained her posture and looked behind herself. "They are calling. Where is my dark one? Where is my Spike? Ohhh..."

Buffy gazed after Drusilla until she disappeared into nothingness. She closed her eyes and relished in the final moments under the sun.

. . .

The glass slipped out of his fingers and shattered against the concrete floor. Spike sighed. "Oh bollocks." He kicked the broken fragments to the corner of the room. "Here you want some?" He shoved the bottle of rum in Angel's face.

"No thanks. I don't drink."

"Pfft." Spike fell backwards heavily on the couch. "You know, you don't have to stay here. I can handle lookin after her."

Angel looked at Buffy who was resting in Spike's bed. He shifted his lips and then narrowed his eyes on Spike. "I'm not leaving her."

"Oh no of course not. You stupid wanker," he slurred.

Angel crossed his arms and leaned against a stone tomb. "I guess you should know."

"That you're a giant poof?"

His expression remained serious as his eyes darted around in thought. "Someone's after Buffy. He's been tracking her down all the way from L.A."

Spike looked concerned. "What, like a demon?"

"Name goes by the Hand."

"Not ringing any bells." Spike massaged his forehead. "What's he want with Buffy?"

There came a groan from the bed. "Huh? Who wants what with me?" Buffy slowly rose and gazed at the two men with half shut eyes.

"Buffy," Spike moved to her.

"How are you feeling?" Angel asked.

"Oh, please don't ask me that." Buffy swung her legs to the side and got up from the bed. She crossed her arms. "What were you guys talking about?" she asked drearily.

"You're being hunted by a demon who calls himself the Hand."

She looked at Angel. "I've heard that name before. Some vamp mentioned him when I was patrolling a few days back." She raised an eyebrow at Spike. "It's too bad jumpy over here staked him before I had the chance to ask him any questions."

The conversation was broken up by three hard knocks on the door.

"Open up! We know you're in there slayer!" shouted a man, clearly some kind of demon.

Angel gestured his head. "Well looks like you're going to get a second chance."