Summary: Willow goes back in time to right some wrongs
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 8- Forget Me Not
~Part: 1~
Willow didn't come home until the sun was just rising. Walking quietly into the kitchen, she was surprised to find Tara sitting at the table, nursing a cup of coffee, her eyes looking red and puffy from both crying and lack of sleep.
"Tara…I didn't think…" Willow stumbled over her words, flustered to see her girlfriend after the events of the evening.
"Willow," Tara began, standing up and walking toward her. "Willow…I… I thought a lot about everything you said tonight, and…and I want to try and make this work."
Willow's face lit up at Tara's words, the blonde vampire temporarily driven from her mind.
"I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but…I love you more than anything, and you've been through so much, so I…I just want to at least try."
"Really?" Willow asked, not believing she could be so lucky.
The blonde witch nodded. "But no more secrets this time, Will. Understand?"
"Yes, perfectly," Willow nearly shouted. "No more secrets. Gets my mind all icky feelin anyway, tryin to keep secrets from you guys."
Tara smiled softly before leaning over and gently kissing her babbling girlfriend. The redhead's eyes widened as she felt Tara lean in and kiss her. She let her body melt into the blonde's and closed her eyes, intent on enjoying the sensation she had so missed in her previous life, but found her mind flashing to another blonde… the vampire that she had been kissing earlier that night. How that had even come to be, she wasn't sure, but there was something about it that just felt…right. It felt safe and sweet and…just…right…and that, more than anything else, scared her to death.
~ * ~
Willow walked into the shop the next evening, tossing her bag to the floor and looked toward her companion with tired, weary eyes.
"Ready for this?" She asked with a crooked smile.
"As I'll ever be," Faith responded, running a hand through her long, dark hair nervously.
"Willow, is that you?" Giles called out as he came out from the back room.
"Hey, Giles," Willow responded softly.
"I take it all went well?" He asked, sizing up the rogue Slayer before him.
"Giles, man, how's it goin?" Faith asked, slapping him on the back in an effort to appear less nervous.
"Uh, as well as possible under the…uh, current circumstances," he responded, regarding her carefully.
"Yeah, I'm real sorry about Buffy," Faith said solemnly.
"Yes, well…" Giles cleared his throat, taken off guard by the Slayer's sympathetic attitude. "Thank you."
"B was a great fighter, you know? Gonna miss her."
Giles raised an eyebrow at that statement.
"I'm not sayin we always got along," Faith amended, "but after spending a little time in her shoes…she was tougher than I gave her credit for."
Willow smiled at Faith, who looked down uncomfortably.
Giles cleared his throat again. "Yes, well…why don't we show you around?"
The redhead gave Faith a quick tour of the shop before taking her into the training room, where Xander and Anya were arguing about some wedding details.
"Anya, all I'm saying is, if we're going to be mixing demons with my family, we might run into a little trouble."
"I'm sure that at something as special as our wedding everyone will act perfectly civilized," Anya argued.
"Have you MET my family?" He countered.
"He's right. They're gonna fight. Actually, they're gonna all out brawl."
They both looked up toward the entrance, where Willow's voice had come from.
"Oh, and just because you've already lived through this once, you think that….hey, who is that?" Anya asked, seeing Faith standing next to Willow.
"Faith?" Xander squeaked.
The Slayer raised her hand and waved weakly.
~Part: 2~
"And this is where you'll train…with…Giles, of course," Willow explained, leading the slayer through the training room. Xander stood still, staring at the Slayer with his mouth wide open, Anya glaring back and forth between the new woman and her fiancé.
"Sweet! Much better than that shoddy little set up at the library," Faith said with a smile, looking around the training room.
"Yes, well…we find this works rather well, and…and the library was NOT shoddy!" Giles replied.
Faith held her hands up in defeat. "I'm just sayin…this is much better for training and fighting and stuff. Maybe we could just get the vamps to stop in here at night. You know, set up appointments and stuff, and I could dust them from the comfort of my own training room." She looked up with a smile and saw that only Willow was smiling back.
Giles had a sort of puzzled look on his face, Xander looked nervous and Anya was glaring at the slayer, her hand possessively clutching onto Xander's arm.
"It was a joke, guys," Faith said, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, yes, well…" Giles started, as he took off his glasses, cleaning them. "Uh, I think that maybe…"
"What is SHE doing here?"
They all turned and looked toward the doorway, seeing Dawn standing there, arms folded over her chest, glaring in anger at the brunette slayer.
"Hey, Dawn, how are ya?" Faith asked with a smile, taking a step toward the girl.
"What is she doing here?" Dawn repeated through clenched teeth, ignoring Faith and looking at Willow.
"Dawnie, we talked about this," Willow explained. "We need her."
Dawn ignored the redhead and walked toward Faith. "Oh, so now, when it's convenient for you, you come crawling back here and expect us to just welcome you back? We don't need you," Dawn stated angrily.
"Hey, what's with the `tude, kid?" Faith asked, taking a step back, holding her hands up.
"I'm just saying…if you were half the slayer my sister was…"
"Dawn!" Willow shouted.
"I'd be what?" Faith asked, her anger growing, "Half dead?"
At that, Dawn let out a strangled growl and launched herself at the older girl. Faith blocked her first punch and held her off as best she could without hurting her. A moment later, Willow yelled out something in Latin and both girls froze.
"Stop! Both of you! We don't need this! Faith is here to help… because we need her help and she agreed when I asked her," Willow said, looking toward Dawn. Murmuring another word, she stood in between the two girls as they both were able to move again. "We need to have a Slayer on the Hellmouth, Dawnie, you know that."
"Right, because what we really need right now is more lies and betrayal," Dawn ground out before turning and storming out of the room.
They all stood for a moment in an uncomfortable silence, until Anya moved toward Faith with a strange smile on her face.
"So! You're the one who…made my Xander a man," she said.
Faith glanced over at Xander before looking back at Anya with a confused expression.
"Uh, yeah, I guess," she said uncertainly.
Anya nodded before dropping the smile suddenly. "Well, just remember, he's mine now. You can't have him. So just keep your slutty little Slayer paws off of him, got it?"
"Anya!" Xander shouted in embarrassment.
"What? She needs to know her place…which is far away from you."
"Man, really feeling the love here," Faith said, looking toward Willow who smiled apologetically.
~*~
Before heading out to patrol with Faith, Willow was stopped by Giles who pulled her aside.
"I…I think this will be a good thing," she told him weakly.
"What? Oh, yes, I agree. It will just take a little getting used to for all involved," he responded. "But I actually wanted to talk to you about something else."
She looked up at him questioningly.
"The…uh…the spell you asked me to perform. Did you still want me to do that?"
The redhead nodded, looking down sadly.
"Well, I've given it a lot of thought and though I don't believe it's the safest thing to do…" The Watcher paused and Willow looked up at him, her eyes suddenly full of hope. He let out a deep sigh. "I hate to see you suffering so. You're like a daughter to me, Willow and I hate to see you in such pain. So…I will work the spell for you."
Willow stood, staring at him for a moment, her face a blank canvas as his words sunk in. A moment later, the Watcher found himself pulled into a tight embrace by a crying redhead.
"Thank you so much, Giles! Thank you so much!"
"Oh, well…you're…you're welcome, Willow," he said, a slight blush on his face as she pulled back, wiping at the tears.
"I thought that I would wait a day or two…give me a chance to look it over, be sure it's safe…"
"Sure, sure," she said, her voice full of relief. "No problem."
"And I suppose that you will want to discuss it with Tara," he added.
She stopped nodding her head and looking up at him. "I, uh…I think that actually…it would be better if we…you know, didn't tell her. I mean, she'll know afterwards, but…I just think it's better if we… wait…until we know it works, or…or we could tell her, just beforehand. You know, when we're all ready to do it, maybe after it's performed, before it sets in…we could tell them all then."
Giles nodded, not wanting to push the issue any further.
~Part: 3~
An hour after talking to Giles, Willow found herself walking through the cemetery, on patrol with Faith.
"So, things seem a little…tense around here," Faith said casually.
"You could say that," Willow mumbled, looking down at the stake in her hand.
"It'll get better, you know. And for what it's worth, I think what you did…it shows how strong you really are. I mean, I knew you had a pair way back when I kidnapped you at knife point and you stood up to me."
"Ah, yes…the good old days," Willow said with a small, awkward smile. She let out a deep sigh before attempting to change the subject. "So, how does it feel, to be back here and out on patrol again?"
"Weird…but…pretty good, actually, I think…" Faith stopped, hearing a scream and spotting a vampire chasing a girl in the distance. "I think I got my first slay coming up. Wait here?"
Willow nodded before Faith took off after the vamp. The redhead stood, twirling the stake idly in her hands. Suddenly, she heard a noise behind her and spun around, fumbling with the stake, nearly dropping it. Finally getting a firm hold on it, she raised her arm up, only to find a cold hand clamp down hard on hers.
"Gotta be a little quicker than that, pet."
"Geez, Spike, what did I tell you about sneaking up on me?" She asked as he let go of her hands and she lowered her arm, slipping the stake into her pocket.
"Well, you should be more careful," he told her gruffly.
"Yeah, whatever," she mumbled, turning to walk away, feeling very uncomfortable in his presence.
"Can we talk?" He yelled out, following her.
"I really don't think that's a good idea, Spike," she tossed back over her shoulder, quickening her pace.
"We have to talk," he insisted.
She paused and let out a deep sigh. "About what?" She asked, without turning around.
"Red, we kissed," he said softly, his mouth nearly brushing over her ear. "We ... we kissed, you and me. All Gone with the Wind, with the rising music, and the rising ... music, and what was that, Willow?"
"A…a spell?" She answered weakly.
"Oh don't get all prim and proper with me," he growled in annoyance as she started to walk again, the vampire still following her. "I know what kind of girl you really are, don't I?"
Willow stopped again and turned around, glaring at him. "The kind that likes girls?" She said flippantly.
"Pretty sure it wasn't a girl you were thinking about last night, pet," he countered.
"Spike, look…what happened, it…it was a mistake. I was upset and… and you were being so nice to me, and…but…but Tara…she and I are going to try to make it work and…"
Spike scoffed as she tried to explain.
"She's giving me another chance, and I don't want to mess it up."
Spike opened his mouth to reply, but before he had a chance to speak, Faith suddenly ran at him, knocking him to the ground. They all looked up to see a stake flying right through the air where Spike had been standing and embedding itself in the tree that was behind him.
Willow turned around to see a demon with a shark's head standing along with two vampires.
"Oh, crap," she mumbled, "not you again." She turned toward Spike, her hands on her hips. "Spike, why do you have to gamble with kittens?" She asked in disgust.
Spike stood up, brushing himself off and looking at the demons.
"Easy boys, no need to get physical-like," the demon said, glaring at Spike. "Is there, Mr. Spike?"
"You know this guy?" Faith asked, standing up next to the blonde vampire and pointing at the other demon.
"Yeah," Spike grumbled. "What do you want?"
"You know me, uh ... there are a lot of things I would like, Mister Spike," the loan-shark stated, pulling the stake out of the tree. "A house in Bel Air ... with a generously sized swimming pool ... and of course, the forty Siamese that you owe me." He walked up to Spike, putting his arm around his neck.
"Take it easy, you'll get your kittens," Spike told him with a growl.
Faith rolled her eyes and Willow looked on with an appearance of disinterest.
"I just need a little more time."
"Time, time, time!" The demon shouted. "Time is what turns kittens into cats. Look, I don't want to see anyone get hurt. Boys?" The demon took a few steps back as his two minions stepped forward, ready to fight.
Faith jumped up, grabbing a tree branch and kicked one of the vampires, sending him sprawling to the ground at the demon's feet. "Then you'd better close your eyes," she quipped, jumping down and pushing Spike away from her before punching the other vampire several times.
"I said she was the Slayer, boss," the first vampire said as he struggled to stand up.
"Good for you," the demon responded. "The vampire Slayer, heard there was a new one in town. Have you ever given any thought to, uh, freelance work? A little debt collecting perhaps?"
Faith gave him a skeptical look, "No thank you."
"Boss, he's gone. Spike has split," the vampire said, nudging the demon.
"Well, that's what I get for socializing," the demon said, shrugging. "Alright, come on boys, we'll locate Mr. Spike and `talk' to him a little more. Oh, and it was a genuine pleasure," he added with a nod toward Faith, who glared back at him, a disgusted look on her face.
"You know," she told Willow after the demons were gone, "the Hellmouth really never does get boring."
Willow nodded solemnly, "tell me about it."
~Part: 4~
The next day, the group assembled at The Magic Box. Willow knew that Giles was planning on doing the spell at some point that day, though she wasn't aware that he had already cast it that morning, expecting it to take place in a few hours. He had called them all to the shop so that when the spell succeeded they would all be with Willow and understand what was happening.
"Hey there, witchy-girl," Xander called as he met up with Willow a few blocks from the shop.
She shivered in the cool morning air and he slipped his jacket off, offering it to her. She smiled, accepting it, remembering this from the first time around and feeling relieved to know it would not be the same this time.
"Thanks for the jacket," she said with a smile as they entered the shop.
"No problem. The cold only makes me stronger and more macho-like," Xander replied, flexing his muscles.
"Oh, Willow, I'm glad you're here," Giles said, seeing the two walk in. "There's something I need to tell you, I…"
Giles was cut off as the door flew open and a smoking Spike ran in.
Everyone looked up to see the vampire dressed in an old-fashion brown suit, bow tie and hunters cap, complete with fuzzy ear-flaps.
Willow giggled, remembering this look.
"Spike?" Giles said, stunned to see the vampire.
"Holy moly," Anya added.
"You need to give me asylum," he told them.
"I'll say," Xander quipped.
"No need to get cute," the vampire said with a scowl, taking off the cap and running his hand through his bleached-blond hair. "It's a disguise. Happens there's a bloke I'd rather not see just now." Walking further into the store, he jumped up onto the counter, perching himself next to the register. He looked toward Willow.
"You met him, I believe. Toothy bloke with the baby-seal breath?"
Willow simply rolled her eyes.
"Nasty fellow, him. And ugly, too."
"Yeah, he was really lookin to give you a bit of pain if I remember correctly," Faith said with a smile a she came out from the training room.
Dawn looked toward the Slayer with a scowl.
"Well, now that we've all recovered from Spike's…sartorial humor," Giles said with a roll of his eyes, "I'll jump to the chase. I've decided to perform the spell to forget for Willow."
"What?" Several voices yelled in unison.
"Willow, we talked about this. You said that…" Tara started.
"I know, Tara, but…if I do this…then things will go back to normal. It will be better. I…I just can't take it anymore. It's like…I feel like…" Before Willow could finish, she suddenly collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.
Immediately, everyone else in the room collapsed as well, Giles and Anya slumped over together and Xander falling next to Willow. Spike was slumped over a pile of books on the counter. Dawn was lying on the floor and Tara was slouched down in a chair, and Faith was sprawled out on the floor not far from Dawn.
~ * ~
Willow slowly opened her eyes and looked around in groggy confusion. She was lying on the floor in the middle of some kind of store, surrounded by people she didn't know. Glancing toward the windows, she could see that it was nighttime and as she slowly struggled to sit up she saw the other people in the room beginning to waking up. Sitting up further, she noticed that she had been lying next to a man and jumped back a little, gasping softly. The dark-haired man jumped and gasped at the same time. For a moment they both stared at each other before he suddenly broke out into a goofy grin.
"Hey," he said, smiling.
"Uh, hey," she replied uncertainly.
Giles raised his head and looked at the woman he was laying with, his mind foggy. "Hello?" He said a bit louder than intended.
Spike, who had been laying on the counter, shot up and rolled over, falling off of the counter and onto the floor with a loud bang, causing Dawn to jump and slump back against a wall.
Faith stood up, looking around nervously and noticed the young girl cowering in the corner.
"Who are you people?" Dawn asked meekly.
Faith came up to the girl and knelt before her. "Don't worry," she told her.
"Please don't hurt me," Dawn whimpered, cringing and turning her head away.
"Hey, it's ok, I don't know anyone here either," Faith said with a small smile.
"Yeah? Who are you?" Dawn asked her skeptically.
"I'm…well…uh…" Faith started, before being interrupted by Xander who jumped up and away from the group nervously.
"Okay, who are you freaks?" He shouted.
"You don't know me?" Willow asked in alarm as she stood up.
"Not a clue," he told her.
"But you were all just like `oh, hey,'" she said, imitating his poor attempt at being suave.
"Yeah, 'cause I thought you were a girl and I'd remember, but..." Xander began to explain, holding his arms out, shaking his head.
Willow clutched her chest before responding. "Well, I am a girl! I'm ... not sure ... who I am exactly, but..."
"Okay, why was I on the ground?" He yelled, beginning to panic. "And why are you all staring at me? Is this some kind of psych test? Am I getting paid for this?"
"It's not just you," Giles told him as he stood up. "Does anyone remember anything?" He asked before everyone shook their heads, looking around bewildered.
"Nope," Spike answered.
"Well, maybe we all got ... terribly drunk and this is some sort of, uh, blackout," Giles guessed with a smile.
"I don't think I drink," Dawn responded nervously.
"I-I don't see any booze. I don't feel any head bumps," Anya said, looking around, "and I don't see Allen Funt."
"Okay. I'm not panicking. I'm not. I'm not," Xander said, clearly beginning to panic as everyone looked at him. "Stop looking at me like I'm panicking!"
"Hey, take it easy," Faith told him. "Okay, no one's hurt, right? And none of us look like we're gonna go all murder, rampage on anyone, so ... we're probably safe. Here. Wherever here is."
"Look at this stuff on these shelves," Willow said, pointing to the walls. "Weird jars of weird stuff. Weird books with weird covers, like," she paused, picking up a book from the counter, "Magic for Beginners. Oh!"
"This is a magic shop. A-a-a real magic shop," Tara said, standing up from her chair.
"Alright, then, so maybe something magic-y happened," Faith surmised.
"Magic! Magic's all balderdash and chicanery," Giles said with a scoff. "I'm afraid we don't know a bloody thing. Except I seem to be British, don't I? Uh, and a man. With ... glasses. Well, that narrows it down considerably."
"I don't like this," Dawn said softly to Faith.
"It's okay, don't worry. Look, I got your back and you got mine, okay?"
Dawn nodded and smiled a little.
"We'll all get our memory back, and it'll all be right as rain," Giles said with an unconvincing smile.
"Oh, listen to Mary Poppins," Spike chimed in. "He's got his crust all stiff and upper with that nancy-boy accent. You Englishmen are always so... " He paused looking around for a moment. "Bloody hell! Sodding, blimey, shagging, knickers, bollocks, oh God! I'm English!"
"Welcome to the nancy tribe," Giles said with a scowl.
"You don't suppose you and I ... we're not related, are we?" Spike asked in disgust.
"There is a ruggedly handsome resemblance," Anya stated, looking to two men over carefully.
"And you do inspire a, uh…particular feeling of…familiarity and… disappointment," Giles said slowly. "Older brother?" He asked.
Spike laughed bitterly. "Father. Oh, god, how I must hate you."
"What did I do?" Giles asked in outrage.
"There's always something," Spike told him. "And what's with the trollop?"
"Hey!" Anya shouted.
"I saw you! Sleeping together," Spike said in accusation.
"Resting together," Giles amended.
"Look!" She shouted, holding up her hand with Xander's engagement ring on it. "It's okay, we're engaged. It's a lovely ring."
"Oh, great, a tarty stepmom who's half old Daddy's age," Spike shouted.
"Tarty?" Anya asked, hands on her hips.
"Old?" Giles responded. "You little twerp, I'm young enough to still get carded."
"Carded!" Willow shouted. "Driver's licenses!" At that, everyone began searching for I.D. cards.
"It's me!" Xander shouted. "'Alexander Harris.' Cute picture. Hey, I exist."
"I'm Willow Rosenberg," the redhead said with a strange look, glancing at Xander. "Heh, Willow. Funny name."
"I think it's pretty," Tara said from across the room.
Willow smiled. "Whadda you got?"
"Tara," she told her, holding up her card, "and look, I'm a student at U.C. Sunnydale."
"Me too!" Willow said gleefully. "Hey, maybe we're study buddies."
"I don't have a wallet," Dawn told Faith.
"Well…um…oh, hey! Look here," the Slayer responded, pointing to the charm handing around the younger girls neck. "You're Dawn."
"Or Umad," Dawn replied with a chuckle.
"I'm, uh, called Rupert Giles," Giles stated.
"Rupert!" Spike said, laughing.
"You're not too old to put across my knee, you know ... sonny," Giles said indignantly, seeing the blonde still laughing. "Anyway, what did I call you?"
"Um…" Spike paused, looking around at the labels on his clothes. "Oh! 'Made with care for Randy.'" He looked up at Giles, an angry look on his face.
"Randy Giles? Why not just call me 'Horny Giles,' or 'Desperate for a Shag Giles'? I knew there was a reason I hated you!"
"Randy's ... a family name, undoubtedly," Giles said, clearing his throat and looking away.
"Oh, hey, I have a name on my jacket!" Willow shouted, pulling the jacket off. "Harris," she read.
"Harris?" Xander asked. "That's my last name. Maybe I have a brother and you go out with him. Or maybe you go out with me."
"Well, we did wake up all snuggly-wuggly," she said with a grin, walking closer to him. "Maybe you're my boyfriend."
"Either that, or I got one pissed-off brother out there somewhere," he said, both of them smiling at each other.
"I'm Anya!" Anya shouted, looking at some papers behind the counter. "Um, this key fits this lock," she said, holding up a key that had been around her neck, "and, uh, the forms ... next to the cash register say that, uh, Rupert and…and Anya own the shop together."
"This is OUR magic shop?" Giles asked, walking over to Anya. "Uh, well, that's very, uh, progressive of me.
"So do you have a name?" Dawn asked Faith
"Yeah," Faith said, uncertainly, holding a card behind her back. "It's, uh…Faith."
"What's wrong with that? That's a pretty name," Dawn told her.
Faith made a funny face. "No, yeah, it's…um…swell, really…I just…"
"What are you hiding behind your back?" Dawn asked, reaching for the card in the older girl's hands.
Faith tried to pull her hand away but Dawn got a hold of the card and yanked it out of her grasp. Looking down at it her eyes widened before she took a step back.
"What? What is it?" Xander asked nervously.
"A parole card," Dawn said quietly, looking down at the card. "You were in jail."
"Yeah, well…I mean, whatever I did…I got out…legally, right? So…"
Suddenly, everyone took a step back away from Faith and she scowled.
"Give me back the card, brat!" She yelled, grabbing for the card.
"Whatever, Faith…if that is your real name," Dawn said, eyeing her cautiously.
"Whatever, Umad," Faith shot back. "Boy, you're a pain in the.." She started to say just as Dawn started talking.
"Boy, you're bossy!"
They both stopped and looked at each other, eyes wide in surprise.
"Do you think we're-" Dawn began.
"Sisters?" Faith finished.
They both smiled and hugged each other, the parole card and argument temporarily forgotten.
"You never showed me affection like that!" Spike yelled.
Giles looked at him in confusion.
"...I'd wager," the blonde added. "And her…she's a hardened criminal even."
"Hey!" Faith yelled, staring him down, hands on her hips.
"Look, we need to figure out what's going on. We need to get help," Willow said, attempted to break up the impending argument.
"Looks like Willow here fancies herself the boss," Spike said with a smirk.
"We have a kid here," she argued.
"A teenager," Dawn supplied.
Willow rolled her eyes. "A teenager. A-and we have no idea what's wrong with us. I think a hospital is our best bet."
"Uh, yes…let's head out," Giles said just before they all began to head for the door.
"A-anyone know how to get there?" Willow asked uncertainly, as she put her arm around Xander's offered elbow.
"Dad can drive," Spike offered. "He's bound to have some classic midlife-crisis transport. Something red, shiny, shaped like a penis."
Just then, Faith opened the door and there stood two vampires, growling and snarling. They all screamed and slammed the door shut before crowding together on the floor, cowering below the window.
~Part: 5~
"Did you see that?" Willow asked in a hushed voice, trying to calm her racing heart.
"Vampires!" Spike growled.
"Maybe it's Halloween," Tara suggested.
Dawn shook her head, "It doesn't feel like Halloween."
"Even if it is," Xander stated, "those guys are definitely not kids and those are definitely not costumes. Randy's right, looks like we have vampires."
Just then, they all jumped, hearing the demons pounding on the door.
"Slayer!" They shouted.
"They're definitely not knocking for candy," Xander whispered.
"Okay, doors. We need to check to see if there's other doors, a-and make sure they're locked and put large objects in front of them," Willow told them, gesturing for Xander and Faith to go check the doors. They jumped up and scurried away.
"Monsters are real. Did we know this?" She asked, looking around nervously.
"I don't know, but we n-need our memories back. We need to get to the hospital," Tara answered.
"As the proprietor of a magic shop, I propose we fight them," Giles proclaimed. "We can use things here in the shop. You know, magic… tricks or whatever."
"Send out Spike!" One of the vampires outside yelled.
"They seem to want spikes," Willow said, looking around in confusion.
"Oh!" Spike yelled, running off for a moment and coming back with an arm full of wooden stakes, dropping them to the ground.
The group picked them up, looking at them.
"But wait!" Dawn shouted, before lowering her voice to a harsh hush. "What are they going to do with them?"
"Slayer, come out and play!" They shouted through the window.
"Slay her," Willow repeated out loud. "That's just what they said before."
"They're gonna use the spikes to…" Tara began, horrified.
"To slay someone? A..a...female someone!" Willow finished. "Who do these jerks think they are?"
"Bloodsuckers," Anya provided. "They kill by sucking blood. Take it easy, Willow."
"You guys!" Faith yelled as she and Xander came running back in.
"Trap door in the basement, it seems to lead to the sewer," Xander told them.
"Let's go!" Anya shouted as they all stood up and started running toward the back of the shop.
Suddenly, the front door burst open, a vampire appearing before them, causing the entire group to scream and turn, slightly altering their course but continuing to run.
One of the vampires grabbed Spike. "You owe us!" He yelled.
"Fine! Take your damn spikes," he yelled, pulling the stakes out of his pockets and throwing them toward the vampire who looked at him oddly.
Spike tried to move past the vampire but was stopped with a hand on his chest.
"Don't be stupid," the vampire growled, just as another vampire came around and grabbed a hold of Willow.
"Get your creepy hands off me, you son of a-" She yelled before his hand clasped over her mouth.
"You've got the boss's kittens," the vampire told Spike.
"Kittens?" He repeated in complete confusion.
Willow closed her eyes and suddenly there was a bright flash of light. The vampire holding her was thrown back into a wall. Everyone stopped in place and watched in shock as the vampire near Spike shoved him against the wall. Willow stared the vampire down for just a moment and again there was a bright flash of light followed by the vampire being thrown away from Spike.
"You stay away from Randy!" She growled, her voice low and her eyes going dark. Grabbing a stake from the floor, she suddenly raised it up and slammed it into the vampire's chest. He burst into dust as everyone, including Willow, watched in amazement.
"Whoa!" Dawn whispered.
"What did you do?" Faith asked.
"Uh…I…" Willow faulted, not sure what to say.
The other vampire rushed past her and out the door as she turned around to face the rest of the group.
"I don't know…but it was cool!" She said, a wide smile crossing her face.
~Part: 6~
"I think I know why I'm the boss," Willow said, still beaming widely. "I'm like a…a superhero or something." She paused, "Okay, so…I have a plan. They seem to want Randy, and I seemed to have some kind of cool magical powers or something. So, you guys go through the sewers and get to the hospital and Randy and I'll give the monsters a run for their money."
"That's your plan?" Spike asked skeptically.
Willow nodded.
"I'm not leaving the shop," Anya told them. "I…I have to protect the cash register, and…do some spells."
"Oh. Well, magic might help," Giles said. "After seeing what…what Willow can do…I…I suppose it's worth a shot."
"Alright, you work on that then," Willow conceded. "We need to go. Ready, Randy?"
"Ready, Willow," he said with a nod before they both ran out the front door, past several vamps standing by the shop.
Before they got very far, one of the vampires got a hold of Spike's shoulder, yanking him backwards. Spike's human mask slipped away and he lashed out at another vampire next to him, sending the demon flying backwards.
Willow stopped and looked back to see Spike fighting the two vampires.
"Hey! I'm a superhero too!" He shouted with a smile.
Willow immediately noticed his vampiric features and turned, screaming, and ran away.
"Willow, where are you going?" Spike yelled after her just as one of the vamps hit him hard in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground. It took only a few moments for Spike to fight the vampires off. As soon as they were all taken down, he took off after the redhead.
"Hey! Willow! Wait up!" He shouted, running after her.
A minute later he had caught up with her, his vampire face still showing, unbeknownst to him. Reaching the witch, he grabbed her arm, spinning her around. Immediately, she let go with a blast of energy that sent him to the ground before kneeling over his abdomen.
"Bloody hell, what are you doing?" He yelled.
Suddenly, she realized… "Oh! You…you don't know who you are!"
"Right," he said, rolling his eyes, "none of us do, and we're being chased by…"
"You're a vampire!" She interrupted him.
He looked appalled. "How can you say…I…me…a vampire? No."
"Uh, you're all lumpy-faced," she told him, "and with the grrr…a-and the sharp teeth."
He lifted his hand to his face, feeling his forehead and teeth.
Willow sat up straighter, but stayed over him.
He looked up at her.
"I kill your kind," she told him matter-of-factly.
"And I bite yours," he responded. "So how come I don't wanna bite you?" He looked up at her pensively. Neither knew what to say.
Finally, Willow shrugged and shook her head which was becoming a little hazy. "I…I don't know, but…your face…it's…uh…a little intimidating. Could you maybe…change it back?"
Spike had a look of extreme concentration for a moment before his vampire features finally melted away and Willow smiled down at him, still straddling him.
"Much better," she declared. "You're much more handsome this way."
Spike grinned at her. "That right? The sorceress finds me attractive, now does she?"
"Yeah, well…I…I mean…" Willow stammered, feeling her cheeks heat up as she looked down at the man below her. Before she had a chance to finish, Spike reach up and grabbed the back of her head, pulling her down into a passionate kiss. It wasn't until she finally pulled back, gasping for breath, that she realized what had just happened. Immediately, she jumped off of him and scrambled backwards a few feet.
"I…I…what are you doing?" She asked.
"Well, I know that we lost our memories, here, Willow," he said with a cocky grin, "but I suspect you remember what kissing is."
"I…well, yeah," she said, rolling her eyes. "But…I…we…I shouldn't be doing this. I mean…I think I'm possibly dating that guy…Alex," she stammered, making a distasteful face. "A-and I can't just be kissing someone else."
"You don't even know that he's your boyfriend!" Spike argued. "In fact, for all we know, I am actually your boyfriend and you were cheating on me with that twerp! And when you think about it, you really owe me…cheating on me like that."
"Well, when you look at it like that…" Willow began, looking dreamily into his face, slowly leaning down. Just before her lips met his, she pulled back. "I mean, no! I…I'm not going to do that, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the cheating type, so…"
Before she had a chance to finish, Spike pulled her into another deep, soul-searing kiss, and this time, when he finally let her go, she didn't pull away.
"Well, I didn't feel that attached to him really," she conceded, finally, panting softly. She smiled shyly, her lips pink and swollen, her face flushed. "Feels more like a long lost love kinda thing anyway, a-and…I'm pretty sure I believe in living in the now."
With that, they both leaned in, their lips meeting in what began as a soft kiss, but quickly escalated into another passion filled meeting.
"Oh Randy," she gasped softly.
"Oh Willow," he whispered.
They both paused, leaning back just a bit, making an `ick' face at how funny both of their names were before resuming their embrace.
~Part: 7~
Below the city, lost somewhere in the tunnels, Xander, Tara, Dawn and Faith were wandering slowly through the sewers.
"How are you doin, Dawn?" Faith asked, patting the younger girl on the shoulder.
"Um, I'm okay," Dawn told her. "It's scary, but weirdly…kinda familiar."
Faith nodded, "I know what you mean."
"How are you?" Dawn questioned.
The older girl shrugged. "Alright…I mean, considering I'm trapped in a sewer with a bunch of strangers, with no memory and am being chased by a vampire."
Dawn nodded. "I'm really glad you're here," she told her. "I don't know what I would do if…" Before she had a chance to finish, an arm reached around the corner she was leaning on and grabbed her shoulder. Dawn let out a scream and tried to pull away. The vampire came around the corner, gripping the girl tighter, snarling.
"Hey! Get your ugly hands off of her!" Faith yelled, before punching him hard in the face.
The vampire stumbled backwards, letting go of Dawn, who scrambled to get away. Before he had a chance to react, Faith jumped up, grabbing onto a pipe up above and swung her legs out, kicking the demon in the chest. Leaping down, she pulled a stake out of her pocket and slammed it into his chest, watching in awe as he turned to dust.
"No body messes with my girl," Faith said, smiling at Dawn, before putting her arm around her.
~*~
Giles and Anya had their own set of troubles, trying to work a little magic. Anya insisted she knew which book held the correct spell, though with each new incantation she chanted, their situation worsened…from bunnies…to more bunnies…to swirling, indoor storms…to dueling skeletons…and now a horrible beast had taken over the shop, leaving Giles and Anya hiding behind the register counter.
"Look what you've done, you lunatic woman," Giles whispered harshly as he leafed through a book.
"Don't blame me, you snobby, snotty, thinks he's so great kind of jerk," Anya whispered back. "And I…feel compelled to take some vengeance on you." With that, she leaned over and hit him over the head with a large book.
"Ow!" He yelled. "God, no wonder I'm leaving you!" He told her. "Look." He pulled a plane ticket out of his pocket, neither of them noticing as a small crystal slipped out with it and fell to the floor. "One-way ticket to London, and out of this engagement!"
"Of all the nerve!" Anya yelled.
Giles ignored her and looked back down at the book. Finally, finding what he was looking for, he whispered, "Fatas…venga…mata….waray."
A bright blue light flashed and a second later, they found themselves again completely alone in the shop, the large demon now gone, along with all of the bunnies.
They both slowly stood up and Giles began to walk out from behind the counter, his foot stepping down on the crystal, breaking it.
~*~
Dawn smiled up at Faith, slipping her arm around the older girl's waist and smiling at her.
"I…I think we n-need to get out of here," Tara told Xander.
"Good idea, just have to figure out what direction to go in," he said with a nod.
"Faith, you're the best big sister anyone could ever ask fo-" Dawn paused and they all stumbled a little as their memories came rushing back. The teenager quickly pulled away from the Slayer, a look of horror and disgust on her face as she remembered what had happened. She glanced toward Tara who looked like she was about to cry as she realized what had happened.
~*~
Willow and Spike were on the other side of town, again fighting the group of vampires. Willow, telekinetically pulled a mailbox from the ground and sent the sharp, pointy post spiraling forward into a vampire's chest, smiled smugly.
"Don't mess with Willow the vam-" Suddenly she stopped, as the memories all suddenly hit her at once, and didn't see the other vampire as he came towards her, landing a hard punch to her face, sending her to the ground. She heard Spike calling her name and opened her eyes just as the vampire above her kicked her hard in the stomach. She grimaced and pulled her legs closer into body, trying to shield herself as best she could.
Spike quickly fought off the vampire on him and ran over, grabbing the vampire looming over Willow and threw him back before dusting him.
Just then the shark-faced demon walked up to him.
"You're an odd duck, Mr. Spike," he told him. "Fight your own kind… palling around with the Slayer and her little friends. And whoa, that suit! Chutzpah must be your middle name. Uh, hey, look, um… about our little debt problem, it's okay, I don't need the kittens."
"You'll get paid," Spike growled.
"Right, sure," the demon said, holding his hands up. "You're good for it, I know that. I'm just going to, uh…yeah." With that, he cleared his throat and walked away.
Spike turned with a sigh and walked over to where Willow still lay on the ground, holding her stomach.
"You alright?" He asked, reaching a hand down to help her up.
She looked up at him sadly, not answering, before accepting his hand and struggled to stand up. Without a word, she turned, eyes watery, and slowly walked away.
~Part: 8~
Later that night, Tara packed up her things. Willow knew there was nothing she could say this time to stop her. The events of this part of the evening being all too familiar to her, she got up from where she was huddled on the floor and ran out the door.
Eventually, she found herself sitting at the Bronze, a drink in front of her, though she hadn't touched it in over a half hour. She sat, contemplating everything. The magic gone wrong, the memories that seemed destined to haunt her for the rest of her days, and Tara…the failed relationship that she wasn't able to save even on the second time around. Feeling someone come up behind her, the redhead turned her head and glanced up at Spike.
He tilted his head to the side, his expression almost sympathetic. A few seconds later, she turned away, not saying anything and he stomped away in a huff.
Spike found a vacant spot across the club, near a few couches and leaned against the wall, listening to the music, looking up absently at the ceiling.
"I couldn't do it."
He looked down and to his side, seeing the witch now standing next to him.
"Do what?" The vampire questioned.
"Make it better. Even now…even with…she's still leaving." She looked down sadly.
"That a bad thing?" He asked, eyebrows raised.
She shook her head. "I…I don't know anymore. I mean…this…being with her…having her back again, was what I wanted…I thought, but now…now I just don't know, but I…"
Before she could finish her thought, the vampire leaned over, wrapping an arm tightly around her waist and pulled her close to him, kissing her. It was a deep, claiming kiss that left her weak in the knees and light in the head, and all thoughts of Tara or her previous life slipped away, if only for that one, wonderful moment.