Story: Walking After Midnight (all chapters)

Prologue

In reality it had only been a few months since Willow and I had declared our love for each other, embraced it, and as a result had been the happiest either of us could ever recall being in life, but, nothing gold can last. That's how the saying goes anyway. Happiness is fleeting, an elusive mistress, while pain is a much more loyal companion, almost shadow like, stalking you constantly, waiting for the sun to set. The last few months however did two things in all their horrific glory. They gave me much time to think, and they brought Willow and I closer together. At times it seemed as if the direct opposite would result, that the seemingly unending obstacles placed in our path would tear us apart, but together we made it through. Still, now, at the end of it all, certain events are hazy and unclear, as if I were viewing them through a piece of dirty glass. Perhaps that's because I wasn't seeing them clearly at the time they were taking place, or perhaps it's just a trick of the mind. I can't forget, so I glaze over.

The first hurdle had to have been when Oz tried to reconcile with Willow shortly after our ordeal with Rio, and that was a hurdle created solely from my own imagination, my own fears. The reconciliation was not to be, but I clearly remember my feelings during that brief period of time. It was before the rest of the cards came tumbling down, and I remember that I was afraid, afraid that he would succeed. Absence, I think, makes the heart grow needier, but time, time makes it grow fonder. Back then I knew that Willow was my crucial game piece, and she is even more so now. Quod me nutrit me destruit-what nourishes me, destroys me. For a transient moment during the time I saw them speaking, saw him smile at her, and her place her hand on his shoulder, I felt a tightening in my stomach and dizziness in my head. I felt like I was dying, and I knew then with absolute certainty just how much of me she actually owned.

My fears were unwarranted, unnecessary, uncalled for, and mentally I knew this all. But love, I was quickly becoming to realize belonged not to the realm of the synapses, of the brain. I was understanding that it was not something to be intellectualized, but to be felt. Felt with the heart, with the spirit. That, sometimes made love irrational, even painful, but without it the experience we call love would not be the same. Would not be love.

One of the few good things to come out of these last few months was that Oz had rejoined us. He had been informed of the recent developments, he had been cool (as usual), and he had been a great deal of help to us. I had been surprised at how well he had taken the news and this surprise, when commented on, blossomed into a conversation which revealed this: To some extent he had always known that there was something special between Willow and I. Something that he couldn't explain or even qualify, but something that he was aware of nonetheless. He said that when all things were considered, Willow was happy and that there was to be no fault found in that. The best man-so to speak-had won.

The person who devastated me so completely over these few months however, was not Willow, or Oz, or Angel, but Faith. Faith, my sister in arms, my friend. She revealed to me a new insight into darkness that I had never considered before, had never needed to consider. My world of darkness is occupied with demons, and vampires, and creatures with no soul. Creatures who were created with the sole purpose of destroying and inflicting suffering. This being said, when the time comes to remove these creatures from the face of the earth there is no remorse, no moral struggle. But Faith, she's a different story altogether, for I knew the good in her, and the very, very worst. The entire situation with the Mayor, and the ascension, and the murder revealed to me a new breeding place for evil. This place more frightening, more disturbing than all the crypts, and fire demon nests in the world because it's much, much closer. This place is the human soul. When the darkness comes from there the motivations of the individual are not so easy to ascertain, the course of action to employ not so easy to decide, the moral dilemma much more difficult to settle. At the end of it all, as she lay in coma, broken and beaten by my own hand, I'm still not sure what to make of her. I only know that despite everything that happened to us, and that we had done to each other, I still considered her to be a friend, to be my sister in arms.

Part One

The school year had ended, the birds were chirping, pretty much everyone made it through graduation alive, and the demons seemed to be on vacation-at least for the time being. After the ascension fiasco Wesley was summoned back to England, Cordelia and her family were getting ready to move, Oz and the band were heading down to L.A to try and get some exposure, and…well, I'm not really sure where Anya went.

Basically what was left of the gang and I had a summer of bumming around, and loitering to look forward to, and to me, that was okay. Giles however had other ideas.

"We're going where?" I asked aghast. I couldn't have heard that right, which is to say that I must not have heard that right.

"Camp," Giles responded calmly, as if he hadn't heard the tone of voice I had used. But he had heard it, I knew it. "The council feels…"

"I thought that I said I wasn't working for them anymore," I started. "I clearly remember stating that I wasn't working for them anymore. I spoke from the diaphragm, and there was discussion that ended in me stating that I was not working for them anymore. Has everyone forgotten this?" I continued looking around at my peeps for support.

"Did I mention that the camp was in Bermuda?" Giles asked conversationally. "It must have slipped my mind. But, if you're absolutely certain that you don't want to accept the councils offer then…"

"When do we leave?" I asked cutting off his response.

"The tickets are for Saturday morning at 9:00am, but the time can be changed if that poses a problem for any of you," Giles answered semi-smugly. He knew I would cave and cave I did.

"Padres?" I asked turning to look at the assembled Scoobs. I was greeted by four wiggling thumbs pointed in the direction of up. "Saturday is fine," I responded. How could I say no to such cute hope filled faces? "I assume this includes rooms, and board…and petty cash?" I asked. If they wanted to buy me back I could as well make them work for it.

"Certainly," Giles responded. I knew that he was going to go into office immediately after and check out the petty cash thing. The council would probably say no at first-like they always did-but I was sure Giles would get us some moola.

"I would just like to note, that I recognize this for what it is," I responded pointing at Giles.

"And what might that be?"

"Absentee Council Syndrome," I responded. "It's a new spin on the classic 'Absentee Parent Syndrome'. When the parent, or in this case 'council', realizes that they have been neglecting their child, or in this case 'Slayer', they lavish them with gifts, and trips to tropical islands…and cars," I added the 'cars' part in at the end. It was worth a shot, fighting evil would be easier with wheels. I mean, every superhero had wheels, or the ability to fly, or something equally as cool. All I had was a BMX…and it was rusting.

"Does this mean you don't want to go?" Giles asked tilting his head to side in that way dogs do when they're curious.

"Yeah…right," I responded guffawing. I always wanted to go to Bermuda, it reminded me of the Beach Boys. Bermuda, and Cocco.

"Very well then," Giles responded. "I suggest the two of you," he continued looking at Xander and Willow, "try to fabricate some suitable tale to tell your parents," he finished then headed into his office.

"So we're going to Bermuda?" Xander asked once Giles was out of hearing range.

"Looks that way my friend," I responded.

"Ha, and to think they laughed and scoffed at the 'Jean Machine' when I bought that blue and purple Haiiwian shirt. For you see, they doubted me and my choice in clothing, but now, now they'll be chew, chew, chewing on that, 'cause every shirt has it's day and mine has arrived," Xander said dreamily. I could almost hear him mentally mocking the sales people.

"Xander that's not why they were laughing at you at the Jean Machine," Willow started to say before Xander interrupted her.

"Yes it was Willow. Yes it was," he said suddenly serious, as he looked directly into her eyes.

"Righhhhttttt," Willow said drawing out the word. "My bad," she continued. Xander nodded seemingly pleased with that response and headed over to where he had left the homework he wasn't going to do.

"Did I miss something?" I asked leaning over and whispering in Willow's ear.

"Yeah," Willow said smiling. "When we went shopping Xander…"

"Hey, what's going on over there?" Xander asked suspiciously looking up. "How many times do I have to tell you," he said whining, "it was the shirt! The shirt!"

"Yes, Xander. It was the shirt," Willow responded soothingly.

"It was the shirt," he muttered turning back to whatever it was he was doing.

"I'll tell you later," Willow whispered back deviously a moment later as she leaned back into me. Once again Xander looked back at us skeptically and glared for a moment.

"It was the shirt and nothing but the shirt," I said putting my hands up. Apparently, we had hit a nerve with the accuracy of a surgeon, and it was kinda fun playing with it.

* * * * * *

I don't know how Giles did it, but he did, and for it he received multiple huggings from all. We had gotten ourselves a petty cash budget and we were going to blow half of it at the mall buying beach wear and other vacation necessities. That was the great thing about school ending-well besides the whole not having to go to school thing-all the time, was all your time. It was noon, we were in the mall, and if all things went according to plan we wouldn't leave until they kicked us out. That, or until we found everything we needed.

"Alright," Willow said checking the list. "What's next?"

"Beach balls!" Xander piped up from behind her. "I say we get the rainbow colored kind, cause they're the prettiest."

"Pretty spherical objects coming right up," I said from my position beside him. I had been standing by Willow but I had to move when Xander came in behind or I would have been squished between them. Not that that would have been all that bad.

While we at the 'Beach Emporium', or whatever the store was called, we decided to take a look at bathing suits, and beach towels. They were after all essential elements to beach life.

"Will," I started slowly eyeing the towel she was holding critically. "Are you sure you want to buy that?"

"Yeah, look," she said pointing at it. "It's all colorful, which was part of the criteria, and it's got a guy fishing on it. Look, he's so happy because he's fishing, and he likes fishing, and he's got his rod out and he's just fishing away. See that smile? That's a fishing smile," she continued smiling. She looked so happy I didn't want to spoil it, but I couldn't let her buy that towel. It would have led to ruin.

"Will, that's not a rod he's holding. At least not a fishing rod," I said trying not to smile.

"Sure it is," she responded looking at the towel a bit more closely. "It's just a short one…Ohmygod…" she squeaked dropping the towel and jumping away from it. "That's disgusting, they can't put stuff like that on a towel and make people think that he's fishing, when he's not fishing. He was soooo not fishing!" she exclaimed. The whole display was too cute. I would never say that though cause she'd go and throw a hissy fit that I would find equally as cute and I would only end up digging myself a bigger grave.

"He was happy though," I said smiling. It always paid to look at the glass as half full.

"I'll bet," she said looking down at the towel a meter or so from her feet with contempt.

"Why don't we move on," I suggested. "Swim wear sound good?"

"Okay," she said quickly forgetting all about the towel. She started shifting her gaze between me and the change rooms and I eyed her suspiciously.

"You just want to molest me in the change rooms, don't you?" I asked smirking. I knew her so well, and I knew this.

"What if I did?" she asked giving me that sexy 'come hither' smile. I loved the sexy 'come hither' smile, I really did. I always hithered.

"I'd say, what are we waiting for?" I responded. We looked at each other for a moment then practically ran to the change rooms. I loved shopping.

* * * * * *

"What took you two so long?" Xander asked when we finally met him outside the store.

"Faulty hinge," I said shrugging. I didn't really know what that meant, but that's what came out of my mouth so I'd have to stick with it, dumb as it was.

"Faulty hinge?" he asked. He didn't seem convinced, I couldn't imagine why.

"Yep," I responded.

"Okaaayyyy," he said drawing out the word. "Where to next?" he asked a moment later.

"Uh oh," Willow said digging around in her pocket.

"What?" I asked though I could just sense where this was going.

"I left the list in the change room," she said blushing slightly obviously thinking about what we had been doing in the change room. She had actually been holding the list when we went in and we were kind of in a hurry so I doubt we would have been able to find the list anyway. I had probably chucked it somewhere…somewhere far.

"Oh," was what I said in response to her statement however. I think that it went without saying that we could not go back into that change room. "No prob, we'll just wing it. How hard could vacation shopping be?" I asked shrugging my shoulders. Theoretically the worst of it should have been over already anyway.

By the end of that day I vowed to never, ever in life, to ask how hard something could be again. Never, ever.

* * * * * *

After our interesting adventures at the mall we headed back to my house to do nothing. We figured that maybe something was on TV, but if there wasn't anything on we'd maybe play a game. Or, if we didn't feel like that we'd just look through the yearbook and make fun of people we didn't like. Or, if we didn't feel like doing that either we'd maybe just sit there. Sufficed to say, we didn't have any concrete plans.

Willow and I were on the big couch, while Xander was off to the side in the recliner. I was using Willows lap as a pillow, as we lounged in the family room watching Ally McBeal. I had never really considered myself to be a snuggler, in fact B.W (before Willow), I probably would have considered myself an anti-snuggler. What I was realizing though, was that I was a snuggler when I was with the right person, and I kinda liked it. As we lounged around we commented on how nuts all the characters on the show were until we realized that it was pretty much a given and not really worth discussion. The principle behind it was identical to the reason why we no longer discussed the oddity that was our lives.

My mom came home shortly before the episode finished and proceeded to completely ruin it by talking through the whole thing. She was trying to find out how our day had gone or something. After a series of grunts met her first query, she decided to move onto greener pastures. Basically to sum up, she ruined any chance I had of finding out if Ling won her lawsuit.

"How did the two of you manage to convince your parents to let you go?" she asked directing her next question at Willow and Xander. I didn't bother moving off of Willow when she came into the room, there were other places for her to sit, and she was fine with Willow and I being together. In fact after the initial shock wore off she was actually pleased. She liked Willow, she thought she was a good influence on me. I wasn't so sure about that but if it made mom feel better then who was I argue. Truthfully, my mother was a pretty cool individual, which was tough on me because when people were bitching about their parents I couldn't really say anything about her.

"We told them that, ad;klv jieh!a dkjfd bobe," Willow and Xander responded together having completely deteriorated into gibberish after the word 'that'. Mom looked down at me to see if I could translate. I simply shrugged then stared back at her. That was always a wise course of action.

"Come again?" she asked once she realized that I was going to be of absolutely no use.

"We told them that *cough* it was something *cough* that had to do with *cough* *cough* thegalleryandthatyouwerepayingforusbothtogosothatwecouldactasgophers *cough* ," Xander responded looking at his hands for the entire time.

"You what?" she asked her voice squeaking a little. I was actually impressed that she had managed to decipher what he had said with all that coughing, and the highly caffinated speech patterns. Willow and Xander hung their heads slightly and turned towards me. They wanted a bail out, and it was my intrinsic duty to provide one. She was my mother after all.

"You are going out of town for the week we'll be gone," I said stressing the word 'are'. "It was the only way their parents would let them go. Not all parents are as understanding, and kind as yourself," I continued plastering a look so sweet it could rot teeth across my face.

"Buffy…" she started to say looking down at me with that mom 'I am not convinced' look.

"Please," I said. I sounded like I was begging and I was. She still looked unconvinced however.

"Please," Willow and Xander said in stereo each matching the pitiful puppy dog face I had on mine.

"Alright," she agreed a moment later. The combination of three adorable faces looking at her beseechingly was too much for her to resist. "But if you get into any trouble, I am 'so' telling your parents," she continued mocking the way myself and millions of other teenagers said the word 'so'.

"Trouble?" I asked. "I know not thy face," I continued. She looked down at me for moment and then sighed. She actually did that a lot, I guess I'm an exasperating kind of kid. Oh, well.

"The things I do for love," she muttered standing up. She walked over and gave me a kiss on the forehead before heading out of the room shaking her head. If I was a less secure individual I would have had major issues with my mother kissing me in front of a friend, not to mention my girlfriend, but since she had just saved our asses I decided I would be mature about it and not start wiping at face going 'ewwww'.

"That was…easy," Willow commented once we were sure she was gone.

"I know," I responded slowly. And we all sat there, thinking.

* * * * * *

Saturday approached quickly which was just fine with me. Everyday between the day Giles told us and Saturday had just been filler. I was ready to go. We arrived at Willow's house first around 6:00am, or at least I think it was around six, I was curled up in the front seat of the car sleeping. After we got Willow's stuff all set up in the trunk-or whatever you call them in jeeps-I went into the back with Willow and curled up and went to sleep back there. And, somewhere in between that and arriving at the airport, we picked up Xander.

We met Giles at the end of a line that had to have been started sometime in the 19th century. When we got to him I couldn't even see the beginning the line. While Giles headed over to where my mom was waiting the rest of us used the opportunity to drop our bags. Xander and Willow started fighting for leaning room on the pillar near us, while I turned to observe my mother and Giles. The two of them, together, had made me nervous since that candy incident. It was just too disturbing for thought. And finding out that they had slept together, twice, on the hood of a police car had nearly made me go loco. It had a chillingly high ick factor.

"Are they in separate rooms Mr. Giles?" my mother asked in what she assumed was a voice low enough for me not to hear. She assumed wrong, I have ears like a hawk, I heard and I glared at her.

"Yes, yes of course," Giles responded in a tone that said 'not to worry I've got it all under control'. I glared at him too after that.

Luckily, we got through the baggage check sometime before the millenium. The lady who was doing the luggage check, and ticket identification took an extra long time when it came to us because she thought Giles was cute, and that if she spent enough time telling us what the weather was like in the Bahamas (even though we were going to Bermuda) was she would get lucky. Then when Giles turned away for a moment Xander told her he was gay and we got through the rest of the process in a snap.

* * * * * *

All I have to say is that first class is a wondrous, magical place, full of chairs big enough for two, and more than enough leg room in between rows, for people who are as tall as I wished I was, to sit comfortably. It was also a place that I would never again visit in life, and I intended to make the most of while I was there.

"I still don't see why we couldn't go to the gift shop," Xander grumbled as he stowed away his bag in the overhead compartment.

"All that was in the gift shop was five dollar gum, and ten dollar key chains," I responded slipping into the window seat. "Wouldn't you rather pay five bucks for Caribbean gum, instead of your run of the mill Yankee Bazooka Joe?"

"Ho, ho, that's very funny. Five bucks for Caribbean gum, Bazooka Joe, very droll indeedy," Xander said laughing in a sarcastically jovial way. I smiled at his response then turned to look out the window as Willow settled into the seat next to me. Xander and Giles were seated across the aisle. I knew that Giles was going to kill me for subjecting him to all of this quality time with Xander but I couldn't give up any opportunity to be alone, or slightly alone with Willow. Besides, I actually think that they were starting to bond, hopefully.

I was pretty sure that in flight attends were seriously considering asking the airline to reconsider the companies policy on the distribution of complimentary peanuts by the time we were finished with them. Our first offense was having a competition to see who could horde the most peanuts. This then branched out into seeing who could actually open the bags of peanuts they had apprehended. I'm ashamed to say that it was not I who succeeded. Neither was it Xander or Willow though, so it wasn't too bad. The three of us eventually had to hang our heads in shame as passed our bags over to Giles to open them, then thank him as he passed them back. It was really very sad, very, very sad. However, once we got over that, the peanuts then became flying projectiles to be used in the civil war launched by Willow and I against the country of Penisalvenia (otherwise known as Xander's pants). What nuts were left at the end of that were now being used by Xander to answer some question Willow had asked about four way stops that I probably failed on my written test.

"No, but you're in like a circle…" Willow had started to say.

"No, you're not in a circle, you're at a four way stop," Xander responded shaking his head as he pointed to peanuts.

"Okay, you're in a square like perimeter, but still who has the right of way, because everyone's like to the right of someone but whose more to the right then the others who are also…"

"Alright," Xander said cutting her off. "Think of it this way, four cars come to a stop at a culdasack," he continued as he moved the peanuts around on his tray table. "You're a car, and I'm a car…"

I watched the display for a few more seconds before turning my full attention to Willow gazing. It was quickly becoming one of my favorite pass times. We hadn't had much time to spend alone together since the incident with Rio and I realized that I missed just holding her, looking at her, and being alone with her as much as I missed being able to make love to her, and have her make love to me. As I sat there watching her bad poetry started to float through my head and I realized why I was a vampire slayer and not a poet. 'Roses are red, violets are blue, Willow loves me, and I love her too' was the kind of crap I was coming up with. It was almost as scary as the demons we fought!

Sometime while I was watching her I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I became aware of was being the victim of incessant pummeling. Wincing slightly I opened my eyes and turned my head to see Willow excitedly whacking me. Sometimes the girl really didn't know her own strength.

"What?" I asked moving out of range.

"Look, look, look," she said pointing at the screen. "She looks exactly like you," she continued. "Only skankier," she added as an after thought.

"Skankier?" I asked stressing the 'ier' part. "Are you implying that I have a skank quotient to be 'ier'ed?" I continued raising an eyebrow. Willow simply stared at me for a moment looking like a deer caught in headlights. I let her squirm for a few seconds before letting her off the hook. "Either way, I suppose there is a slight resemblance," I allowed.

"Slight?" Willow asked as if it was one of the most absurd things she had ever heard. "She's like your twin. If you were to be cloned it would look exactly like that, if you were suddenly to be split into two individual entities the other one would look exactly like that. If…"

"So what you're saying is that she looks like me?" I asked cutting her off.

"Yes," she responded. "Only with brown hair."

"Well, there you go. She can't be my twin. I'm a natural blond," I responded pleased with my own logic. Actually the resemblance I possessed to her did border on freaky.

"I know," she said grinning sexily. I looked over at her meeting her gaze for a moment before having the good grace to blush then look away. I knew how she knew, and she knew that I knew how she knew, and I knew that she knew that I knew how she knew and…

"Hey," Xander called in loud whisper interrupting my thoughts. "Zip it. Zip it real good," he continued. "This is the best part." Returning my gaze to the screen I watched as the brunette me leaned forward and kissed the girl opposite to her on the blanket. I watched as they kissed, while at the same time quasi-wondering if it was wrong for the display to be making me randy. It was positively Freudian, and I suddenly felt bad for teasing Willow about the situation she had been placed in with her vamp-self. When the two on the screen finally separated Xander looked back over at me and started to speak again. "Hey, Buff, not only does she look like you but she…"

Part Two

As I watched the various pieces of luggage move by me slowly I thought back to when we left the plane. I was right, getting off had been an interesting experience. Someone had actually asked me for my autograph. It could have gone worse though, they could have wanted to see a reenactment. Hearing my name being called spastically I reached out and picked up Xander's suitcase. I considered flinging it at him then decided that I would be nice and gently rest it by him. I had two grown men as travelling companions and I got stuck with luggage duty. How did that work into the karmic cycle?

As we approached the van that would be escorting us 'camp' I felt a cold chill run down my spine, and was suddenly filled with apprehension.

"No…" I whispered just loud enough that Willow who was walking beside me could hear.

"What?" she asked keeping her voice just as low and moving closer to me.

"Please God, no…" was all I said in response as I stared at the van. It couldn't be…Giles would have said something. Wouldn't he?

"Ah…good of you to make it. I was starting to worry that Mr. Giles report of the three of you joining us was merely wishful thinking," came the dreaded voice from inside the doorway of the van. Some people brought happiness wherever they went, and others whenever they went. He was one of those people from column B. I had been happy when he had gone, but now he was back, and I was the opposite of happy.

"Wesley," I said smiling slightly, I think.

"Well, come aboard then, we've got a schedule to maintain you know. A prompt girl, is a popular girl," he responded waving us in.

"I'll have to remember that one," I said quickly moving past him and towards the back of the van. He seemed like one of those front seat people, so I was going to get as far away as humanly possible while still being in the same vehicle.

"Who knew the British could be such sneaky bastards," Xander commented taking the seat to the right of me while Willow took the left one. "The G-man knew all about this and kept mum."

"Kept mum?" I asked quizzically turning to look at him. He had definitely been spending to much time around Giles. Way too much time around Giles.

"Yes, kept mum. I've been expanding my vocabulary, trying to better myself," Xander responded huffing slightly. Apparently the incident at the Jean Machine, and his new found vocabulary were off limits.

"Well what are we going to do now that he's here?" Willow asked looking up to the front of the van then looking away before eye contact could be made.

"Three words: avoid, avoid, avoid," I responded.

"That's actually one word repeated three times," Xander pointed out. My response was merely to stare at him until he looked away and was quiet again. Three words, one word repeated three times, the word three was still in there somewhere and that's what really mattered.

* * * * * *

"Thank you, sweet lord," Willow whispered repeatedly as she dropped her bags down at my the door then walked a little further into the room before collapsing on the bed. We were staying at the Cambridge Beaches cottage colony in Sandys parish. The place was very nice, but more importantly very remote, which made it the perfect place for our little group to be staying. Basically it consisted of about forty cottage units spread out across beautiful grounds, and one central compound that served as a sort of base of operations.

"Come on Will, it wasn't that bad" I responded dropping my bag next to hers then moving over to join her on the bed.

"He was a worse driver than you," Willow said as if that explained everything. I was slightly offended. So I sometimes forgot to look at the road, and I had gotten into one minor collision. That didn't mean I was a bad driver, just that I was surrounded by bad drivers and had a short attention span.

"I think that was uncalled for," I responded turning to face her. I mean the van guy swerved into on coming traffic and nearly drove us into a rock-face. Surely I wasn't that bad.

"You turned onto an off ramp," Willow reminded me looking over in my direction. I had forgotten about that.

"One little miscalculation and I'm branded for life," I said throwing up my hands. "You burn down one little school, and turn the wrong way on one little off ramp and nobody lets you forget about it."

"I still love you even if you can't drive," Willow said rolling over so that she was straddling my waist and looking down at me.

"I love you too Little Tree," I said smiling as she stuck her tongue out at me. I was about to pull a switcharoo and secure my position as queen of the castle when there was a knock at the door. Once Willow had removed herself from on top of me I went over to answer it. "Giles," I mouthed back to her rolling my eyes. "Make yourself presentable."

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked Giles once I opened the door.

"I'm looking for Willow," Giles responded still standing outside the door. I was blocking his entrance. Once I had gotten my room key we kind of ran away from him.

"Willow you say," I said stepping to the side to block him. "What makes you think she's here?"

"Besides your paddle ball routine?" he asked.

"Busted," I responded stepping back so that he could enter the room.

"I thought you might be interested in knowing where your room was," he said walking over to Willow who was lounging against the desk.

"Nah, I like it here," Willow said.

"I'm sure you do, it's very quaint, but you're room is identical. And if it's the company you're worried about, I'm sure that Buffy will let you visit," Giles responded. "This way please." In response Willow simply stared at him like he was speaking some foreign language. When he failed to get a reaction besides that from her he turned to me for help.

"What?" I asked helplessly. "Of the three of us here, you think I'm the boss of her?" Even if I had wanted her to go, which I didn't, I couldn't make her go. Willow had a mind of her own and was able to make it up free of any direction from me.

"Children, please," Giles responded looking imploringly between the two of us.

"If it's far I'm coming back," Willow said pushing herself off the desk a moment later.

"I assure you that you'll hardly have to walk at all," Giles responded heading back towards the door with Willow in tow after she picked up her bags.

"Can I come?" I asked bring up the rear. Giles merely sighed and continued out the door. Grabbing my room key, I closed the door behind me then joined Willow and Giles who were waiting on the pathway outside the door. The only way to get from room to room was by going outside or through connecting doors. I had expected some kind of motion when I joined them, either left or right, but we simply remained where we were. "What?" I asked finally. "Did you forget to bring the map?"

"This is it," Giles responded handing the room key over to Willow.

"You're joking right?" she asked looking at the number on the key.

"I'm beginning to wish that I was," Giles responded. "We meet poolside for tea in an hour. Don't be late," he added then headed down the walkway.

"What room are you in?" I asked moving beside her. The look of disbelief on her face was usually reserved for Xander…and occasionally Cordelia.

"18," she said smiling. I smiled back, I was in 17.

"Who would have thought the British were such sneaky bastards?" I asked mirroring Xander's earlier comment. Willow smiled and opened the door. Walking in we both looked for the same thing, and found it a moment later. The wondrous adjoining door. "Two for the price of one," I commented as Willow tossed her bags to the side.

"We've still got an hour to kill," she said sitting on the bed. "What's to do?"

"You," I responded closing in on the bed.

"Me?….Oh, me," she managed to get out before my lips descended upon hers. For long moments I stood there leaning over kissing her gently, tasting her, reveling in it. It had seemed like so long since we had had a quiet moment like this, just the two of us together with no interruptions, no demons on our heels, and no rouge Slayers to occupy our minds. I had missed it so much, and now that we were here like this I didn't want to let go.

When we finally broke apart she pulled back and looked at me for a moment before carefully pulling me down onto the bed beside her. She took my hand and kissed the palm first, then the wrist, and then all the way up the rest of my arm before returning her lips to mine. We kissed slowly at first, almost chastely. It wasn't so much one kiss as a myriad of tiny ones, merging together. We continued in this fashion for what could have been seconds or minutes, wanting it all to last forever, but eventually the kiss became more passionate and our breathing soon quickened, harmonizing as we sought to consume one another completely. Willow brought her hands to my shoulders pushing on them gently until I was lying on my back, then she draped her body over mine and started to run her hands over body, all the while never breaking the kiss. I liked it when we were like this, her body on top of mine, covering every inch of me. It made me feel safe, loved completely, every square inch. I slid my hands up her sides caressing her as I removed her shirt, loving her all the way with my hands and tongue. She did the same to me, slowly, deliberately. There were no words exchanged between the two of us, there were none needed, not at this time. We were beyond that, I knew what she needed, what she wanted, just like she knew what I did. There was no thought remaining within either of us except for the sweet, breathless, fluttering excitement sweeping us up and pulling us together again, and again as me moved against each other. With each other. She was my world, and I was hers. Together we rocked, together we kissed, together we climbed. And it was beautiful, just as she was, and just as she made me. Together, we were beauty.

* * * * * *

We made it poolside with four minutes to spare. Not bad if I did say so myself. We spotted Xander over by the food line and headed over.

"What's the what?" I asked moving in behind him.

"Not much," he responded grabbing a croissant. "Got unpacked, took a nap, fell in love, tried to hook the movie box up and got zapped," he continued moving along.

"What?" Willow asked.

"I tried to hook up the movie box and got zapped. Do not ask me how, for I know not," he responded.

"I think she was referring to that love part," I said.

"Oh," was all he said in response.

"Come on, dish it out. You know about our love lives, it's only fair to share," I said poking him in the ribs.

"Yeah," Willow said teasingly. "What's her name?"

"Evangelia," he said blushing slightly. Sometimes Xander was just too cute for words.

"Xander and Lia sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g…" Willow singsonged happily. She was finally getting some material to tease him back with. After he had stopped wiggin about the two of us being together he had embarked upon a quest to tease Willow as much as was humanly possible. I was sure if he made one more crack about her going over to my house for 'dessert' she was going to snap.

"Shhh," Xander responded. "She'll hear you," he continued looking around.

"Which one is she?" I asked looking around the patio area. There were about thirty people milling about, watchers, Slayers in training, and Slayerettes.

"Over there," he said jerking his head in what was suppose to be an inconspicuous motion. If she had seen him she wouldn't have known he was pointing at her, she just would have thought he had some horrible tick.

"What is it with you and Slayers?" I asked not for the first time. The girl was indicating was standing off to the side near the waterfall. She was tall, dark-skinned, very beautiful. For some reason the term Nubian princess kept popping into my head.

"Is it my fault you're all dollsome?" he asked. I had no response to that. "That's what I thought."

"Ohhh, look," Willow said as we exited the food line. "It's got our names on it. Well it's got Buffy's name on it…kind of," she amended. I looked over to where her gaze was. The sign read: Bufee

"I get no respect I tell ya, none," I said looking at the thing. "As if my name was flaky enough already they had to go and dork it up even more," I continued shaking my head. There was no justice.

"Oh, come on Boof-fee, it's not that bad," Xander said grinning as he made his way over to the table.

Once everyone was seated we had to listen to some old guy drone about the importance of teamwork or something like that for like half an hour. He had one of those Chef Boyardee mustaches and it kept moving around in all kinds of distracting ways as he spoke. The only thing that was missing was his Colonel Klink eyepiece and riding boots. The gist of his whole little speech seemed to be that us Slayers would live longer if we worked as a collective, and the next week was being set up to help us 'be the most productive units we could be'.

"So, who's the competition?" I asked once Chef Klink sat down and we were left to nurse our orange juices before appetizers were served.

"Virtually every female you see here is competition," Giles responded, "But the only one who posses any challenge to you is one Evangelia Grayson, she's seated over there," Giles said pointing to Xander sweetie. "She being toted as, ah, the next Buffy Summers," Giles continued.

"Don't you mean Bufee?" Xander asked before snapping a bread stick in two.

"The new me?" I asked ignoring him. "Nobody needs a new me. The old me, is still here and doing just fine," I continued.

"That's not what they mean exactly," Giles said trying to calm me down. "They just mean that the two of you share certain characteristics which have proven to make you a great Slayer, and they hope means the same for her."

"So they're saying that she's a tall younger version of me," I stated my anxiety level not having lowered at all.

"That's not what I meant," Giles responded rubbing his brow.

"How far down the line is she?" Willow asked saving Giles from having to complete his answer.

"She's the next in line. When…well, she's the next in line," Giles responded changing his answer half way through. We all knew that he was about to say 'when Faith dies', but none of us could find fault with him changing his answer. It wasn't a particularly nice thought for any of us, despite what she had done, and especially for me considering the part I had played in moving Evangelia up in that line.

Thankfully the appetizers came along soon after that preventing us from having to pursue that line of thought.

* * * * * *

The council wastes no time, and half an hour after dessert was served we moved on to the first structured activity of the week. Beach sparing. Apparently the Slayers parts in the camp activities would be more physical than the others. I didn't know who I was up against, only that I was in the last drawing, so the gang and I found a quiet place to sit on the beach and watched the others go at it.

"Buffy Summers and Evangelia Grayson," called the master of ceremonies, or whatever he was.

"Wish me luck," I muttered as I stood up and made my way over to the pit.

We entered at approximately the same time and walked towards the center, stopping a meter apart. We looked at each other for a moment, her down and me up before she stuck her hand out.

"I'm Evangelia, but everyone calls me Lia. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said with a lopsided grin on her face.

"It's shared," I responded grasping her hand and shaking. "My name's Buffy."

"I know. You're quite the legend around here. You've become the model we've all got to live up to. Not big, but certainly formidable shoes to step into," she responded.

"From what I've heard you've been doing a good job of it," I said. She smiled and looked at the sand for a moment before looking back up to meet my gaze.

"I guess we shall soon see how accurate those reports are," she said finally. With that the master of ceremonies handed us each a staff, and told us to take our positions.

We each stepped back and held the staff half an arms length from our bodies, then started circling each slowly. She thrust out the bottom end of her staff then pulled it back teasingly, a smile playing across her lips. Her eyes were alight, mischievous, and I found myself smiling back. She wanted to play, so we would. I bounced on my feet lightly before sticking out the bottom of my staff which she blocked easily. She then thrust out the top of her staff which I blocked easily.

After a few more seconds of playing around like that we began to actually spare. Blocking, jumping, kicking, twirling. Truthfully I was impressed. She wasn't like the other girls I had watched tonight, she didn't play by the book, she made her own rules, had her own style. She was having fun with it. She was good, I would give her that, by far the best present excluding me. We continued fighting for a few minutes, each looking for an opening, finally I found one when she dropped her left hand, and after a few quick moves her staff was in my hand and she was lying on her back in the sand.

She raised herself into a sitting position then stood up fully. Once she was upright she made a fist with her right hand and laid it against the palm of her left then bowed down.

"Looks like I've still got some work to do," she said grinning, then she turned around and made her way back to where she had come from. I handed the staffs back to the master of ceremonies then made my way back over to the gang.

* * * * * *

"Is this not the epitome of romance?" I asked Willow making a grand gesture with my free hand. The moon was shinning, the sky was filled with stars, the waves were lapping at the shore, and I was with Willow. What was not to love?

"It's beautiful," she responded. "I know that we've done this before at home, but it's not the same. Hand holding and moonlight strolls are always better in foreign places," she continued.

"Been on many moonlight strolls in foreign places?" I asked looking over at her.

"No, I'm basing that generalization on this one time alone," she answered smiling.

"That's good enough for me," I said tilting my head back up to look at the stars. "You know what would be more romantic?" I asked.

"What?" she asked with trepidation in her voice. She knew me so well.

"Wrestling in the surf," I answered. "You'd get all wet and your clothes would cling to your taunt teenage body, and when we were through I would be left with no option but to ravage your body with kisses right here on the shore," I continued pointing to the spot where the ravaging would take place.

"That almost made me want to say yes," she responded.

"Is that a no?" I asked pouting.

"Yes."

"Is that a yes?" I asked hopefully.

"No." She responded. I pouted again and kicked at the sand with my foot. "If it makes you feel better when we get back to the room I'll get in the shower with my clothes on and you can ravage me then," she offered no doubt in response to my crestfallen look.

"It's not the same," I said pulling her along as we started to walk again.

"Why not? Either way I'm wet and clingy. It sounds entirely same to me," she responded. I could have said something totally inappropriate in response to that, but I didn't, I controlled myself..

"The romance factor just isn't there. There has to be stars, and sand, and some old guy on the fifth floor with binoculars watching," I answered.

"A pedophile with binoculars adds to romance factor?" she asked clearly not convinced.

"Well not when you put it like that," I agreed. Perhaps I hadn't made my argument very clear. "Spontaneity is romantic. We're suppose to just throw caution to wind and make mad passionate love where we stand. The world be damned, because the fire we feel for each other cannot be extinguished but for the cool of the ocean and feel of each other," I said trying again.

"That was a much more convincing argument," she said. "I was moved, there were words and they moved me. It was very poetic really…" she continued, but I interrupted.

"Prophetic," I corrected.

"No, I think poetic was the right word. Prophetic would mean that…"

"It was some sort of foretelling that was about to come true," I answered.

"Exactly, and ….Buffy…what are you…Buffy…no this isn't…funny…Buffy…" she started to protest but it fell upon deaf ears. We were going to frolic in the surf and she was going to like it, so it was predicted and so it shall be.

* * * * * *

I was awoken by the sun shining into my eyes, and I raised one of my hands trying to block it. Realizing that it was doing no good I shifted slightly adjusting the hold I had on Willow until the sun was no longer shining in my eyes, and sighed happily. I probably should have gotten us both up, but truthfully I just didn't feel like it. It had been a long time since I had woken up with Willow in my arms and I didn't want to interrupt that just yet. She was so very beautiful when she was asleep, her face totally relaxed, angelic in its state of peace. I particularly loved the tiny little smile that played across her lips, I liked wondering what she was thinking about to put it there.

"Ugh," Willow groaned turning away from the light which was now in her eyes and further into my embrace.

"Come on Snow White, it's time to wake up and go to work with the rest of the dwarfs," I said smiling as I ran my hand up and down her arm gently.

"If I'm Snow White where's my kiss?" she asked sleepily.

"Right here," I said kissing her softly.

"I still don't wanna get up," she said resting her head on my shoulder and closing her eyes.

"Will…" I said brushing a strand of hair out of her face. As much as I would have enjoyed lounging the day away we did have to get up. I couldn't exactly remember the reason just then, but there was a reason. I was sure of that.

"Aren't vacations suppose to be time in sleep…I mean sleep in time?" she asked not moving.

"Not when they're sponsored by the Old England Watchers Council," I responded kissing the tip of her nose. "Giles is going to be making his wake up calls soon, we should probably be in our own rooms," I continued trying to get her to move.

"Who's room are we in, anyway?" she asked rolling away from me and into a sitting position.

"I don't know," I said looking around. "I think mine." We were definitely going to have to start paying attention to those kind of things.

* * * * * *

"Corn Flakes, or Frosted Flakes? Pancakes or Waffles? Sausage or bacon? What to choose, what to choose…" Xander said as we made our way through the buffet breakfast they had set out.

"You'd better chose wisely…this could be one of the tests," I said snagging a few pieces of watermelon and honey dew.

"Yeah, if the answer's Corn Flakes, you don't want to end up with the losers who picked Frosted Flakes, do you?" Willow asked. Xander looked at her then down at the miniature box of cereal he held in his hands.

"Frosted Flakes aren't for losers," Xander said defensively. "They're Grrrreat!" Willow and I exchanged looks and continued on down the line as Xander continued to mull over every piece of food he decided to put on his plate. At the rate he was going he would finish about ten minutes before they were ready to serve lunch.

Once breakfast was finished we were informed of what our activities for the day would be. Xander and Willow got to stay poolside playing trust games and water polo, while I was off on what could quite possibly be another van ride from hell, only to end up in the wilderness where I would get to wander around. Not for the first time I felt like I had pulled the short stick. On the bright side, the exercises where only to last until five, then we were free to do whatever we wanted.

As I approached the van I saw Evangelia hug the young man who had been with her every time I saw her-except for our sparing match-before she boarded the van. It could have been nothing, but since we would be spending the majority of the day together I decided I could at least find out if Xander had a chance with her or not. It was the decent thing to do.

"You look well rested. Sleep well?" Lia asked as I took the seat next to her. There were about eight girls spread out around the van.

"Yeah, you could say that," I said smiling. "You?"

"Can't complain," she said glancing out the window and frowning slightly.

"Something the matter?" I asked noticing the look.

"No. Just not looking forward to spending the day in a place called 'Spittal Pond'," she responded sheepishly. "Doesn't exactly conger up a very appealing image."

"Ew…" I said making a face. I had never really thought about that before. Spittal pond was Bermuda's largest nature reserve, and was suppose to be a very beautiful place, but I had to agree that perhaps the name could have used a little work.

"Yeah," she agreed smiling at the look on my face. "The two people with you," she started a moment later. "Are they the infamous Xander and Willow?"

"Infamous," I said laughing a little. "I don't know about that, but they're definitely Xander and Willow. They're my Scoobs," I responded.

"Clever," she said in response. "Velma and Shaggy I suppose?"

"Shhh, let's keep that between the two of us. Xander's always wanted to be Scooby," I said in a hushed tone looking around. "What about the handsome stranger that's been permanently attached to your hip? He's a muffin."

"I'll make sure to tell him he's among the sweetest of the baked goods," she said smirking. "He's my brother, Lyndon. The only cute nickname I have for him is asswipe though."

"I bet he's hoping that one doesn't catch on," I commented watching with abject terror as the driver started the engine.

"That's what he gets for years of sticking my head in a toilet. He's lucky I still talk to him," she said looking out the window again.

"It's stories like that that make me glad I'm an only child," I responded smiling. I bet he didn't try to do that anymore.

"I'd call you a lucky bastard, but I think that goes without saying," she said shifting slightly trying to make herself comfortable. Sometimes it was an advantage to be short.

"You're a good sister," I told her smirking.

"That's what I keep telling him," she responded finally settling into what could only have been a semi-comfortable position. The afternoon was looking up, I figured with Lia around it wouldn't turn out to be a total bust.

* * * * * *

"Is there going to blood involved?" Lia asked sticking up her hand. "Cause, this jacket's off the rack but it was still ridiculously expensive." The lead Watcher guy just continued with what he had been saying before she asked her question. "Was I just ignored? I'm feeling very ignored here," she said turning to face me.

"Bitch slapped," I confirmed.

"I thought so," she said looking back up at him.

We were inside the nature reserve receiving the instructions for our task. The ten of us had been split up into pairs and each given a map and clues. We were suppose to use the map and clues and find some sort of demons nest they had set up. The first team back won, or got a lollipop or something.

The clues were painfully juvenile, and the map far to accurate. We could probably have found the nest without even reading the clues. I realized they probably wanted to ease us into things, but this exercise was pointless. I thought that perhaps I only felt this way because I had already been called, and had seen the real action, but Lia agreed that activities at her girl scouts camp had been more harrowing then this. We decided that instead of going back and being assigned another tedious task we would just wander around and buy our own lollipops when we got back to town.

"So you know, I figure that if they enjoy living in denial, far be it from me to terminate their lease," Lia said shrugging as we made our way around a bend in the path.

"I don't think that they enjoy it so much as they're totally unprepared to deal with reality. The first time I saw a vampire I nearly had a conniption," I responded thinking back. I hadn't wanted to believe back then either. If I had had the option of forgetting, like they do, I probably would have too. But I didn't have that option, I didn't have a choice.

"It's a big scary world out there. Frankly, I think that the demons and vampires we're born to battle are a lot less frightening than the other things out there people are willing to accept. At least there's an easy way to deal with them," Lia responded kicking at a pebble.

I was about to respond when I heard something. It sounded almost like crying, it was very faint, but it sounded like crying.

"Do you hear that?" I asked.

"Yeah," she responded heading towards the sound. "Sounds like crying. You think one of the teams forgot to pack their pic-i-nic basket?" she continued mocking Yogi Bear.

"Only one way to find out," I said. The sound was getting louder, and I figured that whoever was making it had to be behind one of the rocks to our left. I pointed for Lia to go around on the opposite side to me just incase. When we came around on the other side of the rock I saw a little boy curled up against the rock crying. He looked to be around seven years old, and was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Parts of his clothing, and skin were covered in some sort of black substance, that could have been anything from dirt to tar. Lia started to walk over to the child so I quickly moved to intercept her.

"Be careful," I whispered.

"It's just a little kid," she replied unconcerned.

"Demons come in all shapes and forms. A little kid nearly got my mother to kill me," I responded thinking back to MOO. Stupid, stupid acronym. "Be careful."

"Hey," she called out to the boy stopping just over a meter away from him. The boy stopped crying as hard as he had been and looked over at us sniffling a little bit. But still he didn't say anything. "My name's Lia, this is Buffy," she said pointing to me. I gave a little smile. "Are you lost? Are your mom and dad out here looking for you?" she continued moving a little closer.

"I don't know," the boy said in a small voice.

"What's your name?" Lia asked finally coming to a halt next to him.

"I don't know," he answered again. Lia looked over at me for some kind of answer but I had none. "What are you doing out here?" I asked moving in front of the boy.

"I don't know," he said sniffling again.

"Are you detecting a pattern here?" I asked Lia turning away from the boy momentarily.

"I don't know," she answered smirking a little. Apparently she had a warped sense of humor. "Are you hungry?" she asked the boy. He seemed to consider the question for a moment before answering.

"Uh huh," he answered. "You got food?"

"Yeah, I got food," Lia answered smiling. "I've got a chocolate bar in my jacket, and if you come with us we can get you some sandwiches and something to drink. That sound good to you?"

"Uh huh," the boy answered nodding.

"Alright then Johnny my boy, let's go," she said reaching out her hand.

"My name's not Johnny," he said.

"How do you know that?" she asked once he was upright.

"I don't," he said continuing to hold her hand as we walked.

"Well then from now on you're Johnny. It's better than 'kid' right?" she asked.

"Uh huh," Johnny answered. Lia smirked and looked over at me.

"John Doe," she said in response to my unasked question.

"Uh huh," I answered. The girl definitely had a warped sense of humor. I liked it.

* * * * * *

Long day, it had been a very long day. Once we had found little Johnny we made our way back to the meeting spot. We told the head Watcher guy all we knew, and when the rest of the teams made it back, Lia and I were shipped off to the hospital with Johnny. Once we got there the doctors had questioned us about how he was when we found him, then ran some tests on him to see what could be effecting his memory. Soon after the police arrived and asked us basically the same questions the doctors had. The answers we had weren't much help to either. The preliminary results of the tests the doctors had run came back just before we left, and they didn't show any medical reason for the memory loss as far they could tell. We had actually gotten to be pretty good friends with Johnny boy over the afternoon and didn't want to leave, but the police had located his parents and they were waiting to see him. The last thing I heard as we were leaving was Johnny asking his mother who she was. It was hard for me to hear that, I can't imagine how she felt.

"Look who's decided to grace us with her presence," Xander commented as I made my way through the adjoining doors into Willow's room where the two of them were lounging around.

"Where were you?" Willow asked watching my progress.

"Hospital," I responded kicking off my shoes. There were rocks in them, they were hurting my feet.

"Are you okay?" she asked concerned as she scanned my body for injuries. Xander was scanning my body too but I didn't think it was injuries he was looking at.

"Yeah, I'm five by five," I said not even realizing what was coming out of my mouth before it was out there. That was Faith talk. "We were out on a nature walk when we found this seven year old kid out there," I continued.

"Were they alright?" Willow asked still concerned, only this time for Johnny.

"As far as we could tell physically he was fine," I said dropping down onto the bed. "But he couldn't remember anything. Who he was, where he was from, what his name was, nothing. The doctors think it's all mental though, a result of being lost out there or something."

"So…he'll be alright?" Willow asked.

"Yeah, they already found his parents and everything," I said massaging my shoulder.

"You out of commission for the night?" Xander asked noticing the motion.

"Hell no," I responded. "I promised fun and partying, and fun and partying I shall deliver."

"I love it when you talk like that," Xander responded smiling.

"Where is this party to be at?" Willow asked taking over the job of massaging my shoulder.

"Lia mentioned some place called Oasis. According to the locals it's suppose to be the place to be," I responded.

"Yeah, Oasis. The pool guy was telling me about that place. Let's go there," Xander said. He was way to excited, we were missing something.

"Why?" I asked not really sure if I wanted to hear the answer.

"It's wet T-shirt night," he responded delightedly. I didn't even have to look back at Willow to know she was rolling her eyes right along with me. "Come on," Xander said seeing the look. "Just because you two are all hen pecked doesn't mean you should take away Xander's fun," he continued. The scary thing was that that was his idea of sweet talking us. And we were not hen pecked!

"What's next Xander? Strip Clubs?" I asked.

Part Three

Shortly after arriving at the Oasis nightclub I came to the conclusion that a club was a club no matter what continent you were on. Sure the furniture was in a different spot, and the D.J's looked goofy in different-though not necessary worse ways-but when all was considered a club was a club no matter where you were, and just like back home the bartender spotted as a minors a mile away, so we were left cradling our cokes as we waited for a song to come on that would allow us to get our groove on.

When a song with the right beat finally came on, no communication was needed. We all knew it was time to dance. As we made our way out onto the floor I could feel the vibrations start to move their way through me. When we found a spot big enough for the three of us, we just started moving, the rhythm of the music, letting it dictate our motions. As we continued to move I started to migrate over towards Willow. It wasn't a conscious motion, something that I was even aware I was doing, she just called to me, and I answered. This was why I loved Bronzing, why I loved dancing. For a moment, whether it be a second or an hour, I could let go. I could forget I was the Slayer, forget that I had a world to save, because all that mattered was the music pulsing through my veins, taking me over, consuming me. There was no thought involved, only instinct, only feeling.

By the time we finally got off the dance floor we were all sweaty, but we were energized. As we headed over to the spot we had occupied before I felt a familiar presence.

"You looked good out there. What was that, the jitter bug?" Lia asked sliding up beside me with that lopsided grin on her face.

"Yeah, you want to see The Twist next?" I asked her making a strangling motion with my hands. She raised her hands up before responding.

"I think I'll pass," she said glancing behind us to the bar.

"Lyndon here?" I asked. He was probably hidden in a swarm of girls.

"Yeah, he's getting the goods," she responded happily.

"Are we talking carbonated goods, or goods with a capital 'G' and a lemon spritzer?" Xander asked squeezing his way in between Lia and I.

"Capital 'G' baby, all the way," she said grinning at him. "According to the state of Wisconsin he's twenty-one years old, and so am I. Of course we've never been to Wisconsin…actually, I'm not even sure if it is a state," she continued.

* * * * * *

"Do you think he has a chance with her? I mean, he does have a chance I guess, but do you think the odds are in the millions?" Willow asked turning her attention to the dance floor. Lia and Xander were out there dancing up a storm.

"I think he may," I said smiling

"What about the soothsayer?" she asked. She was referring to Lyndon who was somewhere in the club trying to separate a fool from his money.

"He's her brother. Skies are clear on that front," I responded as Xander and Lia made their way over to the table.

"Come on Wills, it's your turn to take a ride on the roller-coaster ride that is I," Xander said taking her hand and pulling her up. She looked back at me for a moment with trepidation before they disappeared into the crowd.

"The man's a machine," Lia commented sitting down. "What are you feeding him?"

"The usual grubs and berries," I responded.

"Where's asswipe?" she asked looking around. I guess that really was her nickname for him.

"Over by the bar trying to predict the future. Of course inflation has caused him to have to introduce a little non-refundable fee," I responded.

"One of these days his dumbass ideas are gonna get his dumb ass thrown in jail," she said finally spotting him.

"Where's your watcher?" I asked once she had turned back around. I hadn't seen her with one which was odd to the say the least.

"Sweden. Stock holders meeting," she responded.

"Sweden?" I asked.

"You'd be surprised by the number of financial holdings the council has," she responded. "Tim's always been a book man," she added. I assumed that Tim was the watcher in question. "Here, let me do your palm," she continued a moment later.

"Wha…what?" I asked.

"Let me read your palm," she explained smiling.

"What is it? A family pass-time?" I asked giving her my hand nonetheless.

"We come from a long line of thieving seducers. We start with palm readings, then a little wink wink here, and a little nudge nudge there, and next thing you know we're inheriting estates," she said moving her finger along my palm before looking up at me and winking.

"Are you hitting on me?" I asked only semi-jokingly. "No," she answered smiling. "I come from a long line of terrific flirters, it's encoded in my DNA."

"I thought you came from a long time of thieving seducers?" I asked noticing she was still playing with my hand.

"The two go hand and hand, like Sigfreud and Roy," she responded. "Don't worry I would never make a pass at you with your S.O dancing mere meters away. It would be impolite," she continued looking out onto the dance floor.

"Xander isn't my significant other," I said.

"I know," she said smirking again. "I was talking about Velma." She continued to trace the lines of my palm as I stared at her blankly for a moment. Finally regaining some of my motor skills I pulled my hand back and looked at her.

"How'd you know? I mean is it that obvious?" I asked.

"No," she responded. "Only to a disciple of the human condition like myself."

"The…" I started making a swishy hand movement. "What was it?" I asked. I was curious to know. It wasn't that I was ashamed of being with Willow, or that I didn't want anyone to know, that was never and would never be a problem. I was just concerned about the fact that the depth of my feeling were displayed out there for everyone-good or bad-to see, especially those who would use it against us. In my profession I didn't exactly deal with the most upstanding of individuals, and I didn't want my feeling for Willow to place her in anymore danger than they already did. Being the friend of a Slayer was enough to put her in danger, but to be the lover of one, that just added to it.

"Narrow your inquiry, please?" Lia responded.

"What gave it away?" I asked, this time coherently.

"It's nothing obvious, nothing that I think you can even help," she responded thoughtfully. "Someone would really have to be looking. Like I said that night on the beach, you're kind of like our Captain Kirk, you know. The Slayer of Slayers, so I've kind of been watching you trying to perhaps pick up some skills," she continued. "I just ended up picking up on something else too. It's…well I believe it would be best articulated in the words of the great philosopher Bonnie Raitt." I raised my eyebrows at that one, but didn't say anything. "You laugh just a little too loud, you stand just a little too close, you stare just a little too long," she singsonged. "Does that help?"

"I see," I responded. I couldn't really help any of those things.

"I wouldn't worry about it. Demons aren't notoriously perceptive, and neither are most people," she responded. "You're completely forgetting the most important question."

"Which is?"

"Do you think I'm sexy? Cause I usually get cute, people like to call me cute. Do you think I'm cute?" she asked so seriously you knew she couldn't actually be serious.

"Not at the moment I don't," I responded trying to hide a smile.

"I'll take that as a yes then," she responded pleased. "I'll be back, I'm going to try and stop that Neanderthal man from pummeling my brother into the stone age," she continued noticing the walking wall closing in on Lyndon.

* * * * * *

"All I'm saying is that being an oracle can be very, very stressful. It's only fair that those of us with the gift are compensated for our time and effort. I mean if I read one of the cards wrong, or misinterpret one symbol I could ruin someone's whole life. Very few people understand what it's like to be responsible for a burden like that," Lyndon said as we walked down the street. It was probably the longest I had ever heard him speak for at one time. Usually he spoke in clipped, non-committal sentences.

"Despite the loads of crap that are flowing out of his mouth, the truly frightening thing about his diatribe is that his 'predictions' are usually semi-correct," Lia said when her brother had stopped talking.

"The words of a higher wisdom are not, I repeat not flowing crap, you blasphemer," Lyndon shot back.

"Was it that higher power that told you to introduce a service charge, too? What's next shipping and handling fees for the supreme amount of effort it'll take you to pull your head out of your ass?" Lia asked mockingly. I was almost certain that she was actually going to stick her tongue out. Lyndon for his part just looked over at her for a moment before then trying to punch her on the arm. She caught his hand however, then jumped up and gave him a noogie. Willow and I exchanged amused looks at this latest development. They had been fighting over one thing or another since we left the club. I was beginning to think that they spent so much time around each other not because they were terribly fond of each other, but because they enjoyed fighting with each other so very much.

As we turned onto the street where the stop for the bus we had to take get back to the colony was, a young woman jumped out from one of the alley ways and grabbed Willow by shoulders shaking her.

"What's my name?" she demanded over and over again until I stepped in between them and freed Willow bringing her into a loose embrace while giving the woman a look that clearly said 'back off'. Even in her somewhat frenzied state she realized that it would be best for her to find a new person to question so she turned to Lia who was the next person closest to her. "What's my name? What's my name? What's my name?" she asked getting increasingly frustrated each time she spoke.

"Do I know you?" Lia asked not moving from the spot she had stopped in a moment ago even though the woman started to approach her.

"Do I know you? Do I know you? Do I know you?" she replied closing her eyes for a moment before looking at Lia again. "Do I know you?" this time it sounded like an actual question.

"Okay," Lia said holding up her hand. "First of all, stop walking, you're already within a sufficient distance to carry on a civil conversation. Secondly, you have to stop repeating everything we say. Not only is it irritating, it's also a sign of below average intelligence. Thirdly, who are you?" she continued.

"Who…" the woman started then stopped. She had stopped walking like Lia had told her to and was apparently working on number two. "I don't know who," she said finally.

"You don't know who you are?" Willow asked stepping out of the loose circle of my arms. "Not even your name?"

"No," the woman said shaking her head and looking down at the ground.

"Riddle me this Batman," Lia started a moment later while looking at the woman. "What steals a persons memories leaving them disoriented, and alone?"

"What?" Willow asked turning to look at her.

"I don't know, but whatever it is we've got a case of it on our hands," Lia responded stepping towards the woman.

"Who am I?" the woman asked again as Lia approached her.

"We don't know, but we'll find out," Lia said placing a hand on her back to motion her down the street. "Don't worry."

"Jane?" I whispered to Lia once we were on the move again. It looked like it was time to play the name once again.

"No," she responded thoughtfully. "Elizabeth. Yeah, Elizabeth I think," she said finally.

"Why, Elizabeth?" I asked not understanding the correlation.

"I've always liked the name Elizabeth. It's very aristocratic, I think she would like it," Lia responded shrugging. Whatever.

* * * * * *

We took Elizabeth to the police station and once there we informed them of her condition when we found her, and told them what little information we had been able to gather about how long she had been out there for. After that we then headed back to colony to consult with Giles, and if he was around, Wesley. We decided it would be best to try and keep things quiet for now since we weren't certain that anything was actually going on.

Presently we were all gathered in the lounge of the central compound. There was a table in front of us and two couches, and two chairs surrounding it. Willow, Xander and I were on the couch to the south, while Lia and Lyndon occupied the couch to the north, and Giles and Wesley were seated in the chairs to the east and west respectively.

"How long had her memory been gone for when you found her?" Giles asked after we finished our recount of happened when we left the club.

"A week, maybe a week and a half. She wasn't exactly keeping detailed notes," I responded.

"Well, where did it happen? Does she remember where she woke up?" Wesley asked as he adjusted his glasses.

"She said she woke up in the woods," Willow responded. "In a cave."

"Did she give you any other information? Was there anything else of interest?" Giles asked looking at each of us individually.

"Numbers," Lia said quietly. "She said that at the end of a winding trail ahead of the cave mouth she saw a bronze plaque with numbers on it."

"What were the numbers?" Wesley asked leaning forward slightly.

"She didn't say. She just said that they were real G.I Joe-ish, you know looked like a military code or something," Lia responded.

"Hey," Willow said suddenly. "Wasn't there something about that in the brochure?"

"Will, you and my Uncle Morty are the only two people in the world who actually read the brochures," Xander said in response. Willow gave him a look then continued with whatever it was she was going to say.

"It's called Spanish Rock. The plaque is just a copy of some inscription that was found carved into stonewall," she said.

"Spanish Rock. That's near where we found Johnny," I said remembering the map. We were right around that area.

"Hmmm," Giles commented as he removed his glasses and proceed to clean the lenses. I knew what that meant.

"Let me guess," I started. "Tomorrow we're taking a field trip Spittle Pond?"

Giles confirmed that that would be indeed be what we were going to do. First thing in the morning Wesley would talk to those in charge and try to get the five of out of whatever activities we were scheduled into so that we could investigate.

* * * * * *

I was lying on the bed facing the ceiling with my arm draped over my eyes when I felt the bed shake.

"Lyndon thinks you're after his job," she commented moving until she was lying next to me. Fortune-telling was his arena, and I had foretold what we would be doing tomorrow pretty accurately.

"I wouldn't mind swapping. The pay is much better on his side of fence," I responded taking my arm from over my face and sighing.

"Do you think it's a demon that's stealing these peoples memories?" she asked.

"It's always a demon," I responded wearily.

"Yeah," she agreed softly.

"This was suppose to be a vacation," I said. "There was suppose to be sand, and limbo contests, and tequila shooter competitions."

"Don't forget volley-ball, there was suppose to be volley-ball," Willow added.

"And volley-ball," I added. "I could've stayed at home for this," I continued a second later.

"If you did then whatever's doing this would just keep on doing it," Willow pointed out.

"The island's full of demon fighting people," I responded. There was a Slayer's convention in town, if they were missing one little me it wouldn't have mattered.

"But you're the one," she said raising onto her elbows so that she was looking down at me.

"Lia could have done it. Lia or that Austrian girl, Greta. Greta looks pretty tough, I bet she could do it. It would have given them something to put on their résumés," I responded avoiding her gaze. I was acting babyish and I knew it, I just didn't want to see it reflected back at me.

"You are the one," Willow repeated this time stressing each and every word.

"I know," I said a closing my eyes momentarily before finally opening them to meet her gaze. "Sometimes…sometimes being the one is lonely," I said finally.

"You're not alone," she responded before leaning down and kissing my lightly.

"No, I'm not, am I?" I asked reaching up and bringing her lips back down to mine. She was mine, and I was hers. As long as we were one, we would never be alone.

* * * * * *

We were in the park for about fifteen minutes before we located the bronze plaque Elizabeth had mentioned. Inscribed on it was: TF 1543. Giles and Wesley poured over the demonic almanacs they had brought with them while the rest of us looked around to see if we could find anything else that could be of use. Xander found the original carving, but it was exactly the same thing as what was on the plaque.

"I believe I've found something," Wesley called out about half an hour after we arrived at Spanish Rock. He had two books spread out in front of him, one was a book about the history of Bermuda, and the other was one of the almanacs. "It says here," he continued pointing to the history book, once we had all gathered around, "that many believe the inscription was carved by an early Portuguese 'discoverer'. I believe the discoverer they are referring to is Renaldo Falcon," he said now pointing to the almanac. "In here it says that while Falcon was on a trip to La Bermudas his crew started disappearing and suffering from memory loss while they were out gathering supplies. Falcon then goes on to recount an encounter he had with a terrible beast, saying that he barely escaped with his life. It goes on to say that he carved a warning into stone near the beasts lair to warn others of the danger, and spare them the horror that befell his crew," Wesley concluded looking up. "Sounds much like our culprit to me."

"He doesn't give any suggestions about how to kill this beast does he?" I asked from my spot in the grass. All the good sitting rocks were taken. Wesley merely shook his head. "Didn't think so," I muttered. Everybody had seen a demon and wrote about how scary they were, but nobody seemed to have any ideas about how to kill them.

I looked down the path that lead to the opening to the cave, then I looked over at Giles.

"Is it in there?" I asked, even though I was fairly certain what the answer would be.

"Most likely," Giles answered. I could tell he already knew where I was going with this. I nodded, then got up and swung my pack over my shoulder.

"You coming?" I asked turning to Lia.

"Where?" she asked. She had been playing with a twig. "Oh, the cave," she said catching up. "Yeah," she answered jumping up and swinging her bag over her shoulder. "We gonna kick some ass?" she asked walking over to me. "That's why we're going in there," I responded.

"No," Wesley said standing up. "Absolutely not. I do not give you leave to go in there. I forbid it."

"You forbid it?" I asked looking at him. "I'm a Slayer. I slay things, bad things. That's my job, and if I do it well I sometimes get cookies. The thing in there is bad, and I'm gonna kill it. What's the problem?" I continued.

"She," he said pointing to Lia, "is not an active Slayer. If she is injured…"

"What are you afraid of? A lawsuit?" Lia asked interrupting. "Somebody has to go in there with her, I mean you're not suggesting she go up against this thing alone are you?" she asked looking at him. "I'm the closest thing to another Slayer that you've got, and I'm going in."

"I forb…"

"You forbid it. I heard you, I just don't care," Lia responded. "Is he always this anal?" she asked turning to face me. I nodded and she made a face.

"We have to formulate a course of action," Wesley responded not ready to admit defeat.

"We have a course of action," I responded. "We go in there and we kill it."

"I would suggest you put a little more thought into it than that," Wesley continued.

"It's a very simple concept. The thing is bad, we kill it. It doesn't exactly require a Ph.D." I responded. "Do you know how to kill it?" I asked him.

"No…"

"That's what I thought. If we sit around on our asses for a few more hours will you know how to kill it then?" I asked building up momentum.

"No…"

"That's what I thought. So we can go in there and try to kill it now, or we can go in there and try to kill it tomorrow. Since we're here already, I say we go ahead and just kill it already," I finished.

"I'll second that," Lia piped up. Wesley's posture got even more rigid than it had been before and he looked over at Giles in an attempt for support.

"Be careful," Giles said turning to face us. "Don't try anything overly heroic, if you run into trouble, leave. For once we've got plenty of trained back up. There's no need to take any unnecessary risks."

Part Four

When we entered the cave it became obvious that it was a limestone one. Bermuda had one of the highest concentrations of limestone caves in the world, the cave-making activity having began in the Pleistocene Ice Age, and we were walking in one of them now. In history class we had read of an account where adventurer Capt. John Smith had complained that he had encountered a very strange, dark, and cumbersome cave. The cave he had encountered was a limestone one, although he couldn't have known that at the time, and as we made our way deeper inside I could definitely see what he was talking about. There were endless caverns of great stalactites and stalagmites of Gothic grandeur in the cave. The formations themselves had a delicate beauty about them and under different circumstances I might have enjoyed exploring the caves.

"Did you hear that?" I asked breaking the deathly silence of the cave. It was the first time either of us had spoken since we entered.

"Yeah," Lia answered. "What the hell was that?"

"A dying Giraffe?" I offered. "Whatever it was, it came from over there," I said pointing to one of the tunnels.

"We should have brought our rain ponchos," Lia commented as started into the tunnel. We were constantly getting hit by falling water droplets.

"Are you kidding? They would totally clash with our shoes," I responded with a smirk as I took the lead.

We continued to follow the tunnel until it lead to a literal fork in the road. There was a tunnel to our left, to our right, and straight ahead. As we were trying to decided which route to take I heard the noise again. It was close this time, very close, it sounded like it was right on top of us, and then it happened. It was a blur of movement from the right side, just a hulking mass going straight for Lia. Before she even had a chance to raise her hand in defense it knocked her to the side, up against the cave wall, then enveloped her. That was the first time I got an actual look at it. I don't know how quite to describe it other than to say it was like a tar-man. It consisted of this shinny black ooze, but had a humanoid form-legs, arms, and head. Coming up behind it I drew back my arm and punched it in the back. My arm got sucked into it and I had to actually yank it out. When I struck it, it dropped Lia and turned towards me. When it let go of Lia she collapsed into a heap on the floor, and I noticed that she was bleeding. She was completely defenseless and I definitely didn't want that thing going back after her, so I decided that a change of location was needed. Turning I headed into the first tunnel I saw, and when I saw it start after me I started running, and running.

Skidding to a stop I made a sharp turn right and headed down the corridor. I had made so many turns and course adjustments since leaving the fork I wasn't even sure I could find my way back to Lia, but at the moment that was the least of my worries.

"Uh oh," I muttered barely managing to stop before I ran straight into a wall. It was a dead end, and looking around I realized dead sides too. I was trapped, and it was right behind me. As I watched it approach me I entered my battle stance. When it came within striking distance, I tried to punch it again but same thing happened as before and my arm was sucked into it. This time before I had a chance to pull it out the thing kept on walking until my entire arm was covered, and then my entire body.

* * * * * *

Cold, I was terribly cold. That was the first thing I became aware of. The next thing I became conscious of was the pain in my head. Pain was actually to delicate a word for it. What I was feeling, it was all consuming, paralyzing in it's intensity. There was a constant ringing in my ears, and I felt as though my head would explode at any second. I curled up into a fetal position, holding my head, trying to get rid of the pain, or to get my head to just explode already. Finally, after what seemed like hours it stopped. Turning over onto my back, I opened my eyes tentatively. Whatever I was lying on was cold and wet, and above me was a dripping ceiling. I soon came to the conclusion that I was in a cave.

Once I was upright and balanced I looked around trying to figure out what was going on. But I realized that I didn't have any answers, only questions. What was I doing in a cave in the first place? Where was the cave located? How do I get out of the cave? Where do I go once I get out? Every question lead to another. The only thing I knew for sure was that I was in a corridor that ended in a dead end. Having no option but forward, that's what direction I went in.

I let out the breath I had been holding as I spotted the opening to cave in front of me. I had been wandering around inside for what quite possibly could have been hours. Every tunnel, every fork, lead to another one. I had no idea if I was even going in the right direction, and even if I was going the right way I still had no idea what I was going to do once I got out of the cave. Still, despite all the uncertainties something inside of me would not allow me to quit, to give up. I had to go forward, I had to keep walking, so I did.

I squinted as the sunlight attacked my eyes as I exited the mouth of the cave. It was sunny out, sunny and warm. Wherever I was it was a tropical climate. Despite my disorientation I sensed someone approaching me quickly from behind and entered what could only be characterized as a battle stance. Surprisingly, despite my state of readiness I did not attack when the person came within range. Instead I simply turned around and looked at them, looked at her. She was beautiful, she had red hair, and an angelic smile on her face. Before I even realized what was happening she had enveloped me in a hug, and though I was surprised I felt myself returning it. I found her touch to be comforting and I wondered if we knew each other.

"Buffy," she said happily, that smile returning to her face. "I was so worried, when we found Lia she was bleeding from the head…and then we were looking and calling out, but we couldn't find you," she continued. "I'm so glad Buffy."

"Buffy?" I said half asking and half repeating. "That's me right?" I continued. She just stared at me for a moment first confused, then concerned.

"Buffy?" she asked again. I looked behind me just to be on the safe side, then when I saw no one there I decided that she had to be addressing me.

"Yeah," I responded. "I guess," I added a second later. She looked very worried now. I wanted to take back what I had just said, or perhaps say something else to sooth her, but I didn't know what to say. I didn't even know what her name was. All I knew was that she was sad and I didn't like that. She reached out her hand like she was going to touch me then at the last moment dropped it again.

"Do..do you know who I am?" she asked. I looked into her eyes and I knew that she already knew what my answer would be.

"I don't know. I can't remember," I told her truthfully. She closed her eyes for a moment after I answered, then released a shuddering breath and re-opened them. "You know me," I said when she was looking at me again. "We're friends," I stated.

"Yeah," she responded with a sad smile. "Come with me, the others are waiting around the bend."

"Others?" I asked.

"Friends," she responded taking my hand.

"Oh," I said. "Okay," I added then I let her lead me away.

She didn't say much as we walked, and when she did speak it was mostly just to ask me how I was feeling, if I was okay. She was deep in thought for the short walk, so I used the time to observe her. She was scared, that much was obvious. I realized that she was probably scared for me. When we entered the small clearing there were five people gathered around a picnic bench. Around the bench were two older men, two teenage boys, and one teenage girl who had her head against the top of the bench and was holding an ice pack to it. They all looked up when we entered the clearing and they seemed happy to see us. Then they must have seen the worried look of Red's face because the smiles faded.

"It's alright," Red said letting go of my hand and turning to face me. She still hadn't told me her name. It probably wasn't one the most pressing things on her mind, but it was important to me. "I just have to go talk to them for a minute. You just stay here," she continued. I looked at her for a moment uncertainly then nodded.

When she reached the rest of them they all kind of huddled around Red as she spoke. I assumed she was telling them about how she found me. When she was finished talking the more rigid of the older men tried to speak, but he was shushed by the other one.

"Willow," the less rigid, lighter haired older man said, turning to face Red. Willow, that had to be her name. Willow, I liked it, it suited her. "It is most imperative that Buffy regain her memory," he continued. Buffy, that was me. They were talking about me again. "I know that this is difficult for you, but I'd like for you to stay with her. Of all of us here, she's most likely to respond to you," he finished gently.

"Respond," Willow repeated. "Right, okay. Response is good, we want her to respond," she continued. She looked so sad, I wanted to go over to her. Right now she was all I had, and I didn't want her to be sad. I hadn't even realized I had started to move towards her until I felt an arm restrain me.

"Where are you going, darling?" the voice attached to the arm asked.

"Willo…" I started to say, but she interrupted me.

"Willow's alright for now. You've got to stay over here…and let them talk about you in peace," she said. It was the teenage girl from the bench, the one with the ice pack. Now that she was closer I could see that she a rather nasty bruise on the side of her head. I wanted to argue with her about the staying thing, but I knew that she was right.

"Why aren't you over there helping them strategize?" I asked a moment later.

"Firstly, I don't feel I know you well enough to partake in the discussion. But that alone wouldn't stop me which brings me to my secondly, which is that my brain just got jiggled and right now serious thought leads to pain," she answered bringing the ice-pack back up to her head. "My name, by the way, is Lia."

"You're the one that was bleeding from the head," I said remembering what Willow had said.

"Do you remember that?" she asked.

"No. Red…Willow, she said that they found you bleeding from the head," I responded. "I'm Buffy…apparently," I said as an introduction. She laughed at that for a moment before turning her attention back to the group who were dispersing. "So," I continued, "what is this? A field trip?"

"If only it were that simple," was her only reply.

* * * * * *

The ride to the, cottage colony I think they called it, was a quiet one. Everyone was deep in thought, and I knew that it centered around me. Willow returned to my side after the group had split up and had been there since we left the clearing.

"Where are all my clothes?" I asked taking a look around the room, my room apparently. "I do have clothes right?"

"Oh you have clothes alright," Willow answered smiling. "They're still in your bags. You've never been a big fan of unpacking. You always said it makes no sense to unpack…"

"Since you just have to pack all back up again?" I asked finishing up the sentence. That did make sense.

"Yeah," she said taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Where's your room?" I asked sitting down next to her. I hoped it was close.

"Right there," she responded pointing through the adjoining doors.

"Oh, fun," I responded.

"Yeah," she responded looking down at her feet.

"You don't have to do this you know," I said looking over at her. I wanted her to be around, that was true, but not if it was going to make her sad. "I know that guy told you to stay by me, but you don't have to if I upset you."

"No," she responded quickly. "I want to be here, I want to help you. It's just that…" she kind of trailed off after that.

"It's tough looking at me and seeing a stranger?" I asked.

"Uh huh," she answered.

"We were close, huh?" I asked. She looked over at me when I asked that, and stared at me for a second before answering.

"Best friends," she said simply.

"I can see that," I responded. "It's a nice thought."

"It was a nice reality," she responded. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, I think so, yeah," I responded.

"Dinners in an hour," she said standing up. "I have to go to a meeting, but I'll be back to get you, okay?"

"Okay," I answered. She looked at me for a moment longer before giving one last smile and heading out the door. I watched her until the door closed then flopped down on the bed and sighed. After a moment or two more of that I got up and moved over the bags which had been tossed haphazardly near the door to the room.

"Alright," I said opening the first one. "Buffy Summers, who are you?" I asked pulling out the first article of clothing. There had to be something in these bags that would at least tell me a little something about who I was, and I was all for that.

* * * * * *

Willow had come back to the room about forty-five minutes after she had left only to find clothes scattered all around the room. If she had been surprised by the condition of the room it didn't show. In fact she looked amused when she walked in and saw what I had been up to. I guess it had reminded her something I used to do when I was her Buffy. She helped me pack up all the stuff I had taken out of the bags then we headed down to patio area for dinner.

"What are we doing here?" I asked Willow looking around the patio at all the people spread around. Lia and her brother were seated at another table, and Xander, Giles and Wesley were all still in the line.

"Eating, it's dinner time," Willow answered not meeting my gaze.

"Yeah, okay, I got that part," I told her trying to get her to look at me again. "But we're American, and this is Bermuda. And there are tons of teenagers around, and a few chaperons here and there, so what are we doing here? Is it a school trip? What?" I asked when she finally turned back to me.

"Can you open this?" she asked handing me a ketchup bottle. She was stalling. Taking it from her I wondered why she would ask me to open it. I was kind of scrawny so if she couldn't open it I didn't know why she thought I could. Mentally shrugging I reached for the top of the bottle and turned it with all my might.

"Ah," I said drawing my hand away from the bottle. Somehow when I had turned it, I had cracked the top of glass bottle off and ketchup was everywhere. I looked up at her apologetically, then decided that the bottle must have been made with recycled glass or something. "Sorry, I guess I don't know my own strength."

"Ain't that the truth," she responded taking the remnants of the bottle away before I could hurt myself with it.

"Are you going to answer my question?" I asked reaching for a napkin. She thought I had forgotten, but I hadn't.

"It's…like a convention thing," she responded vaguely.

"A convention thing?" I asked.

"Uh huh," she answered. I was about to ask her something else but Giles, Xander and Wesley returned to table effectively putting an end to our conversation.

"Pour vous," Xander said making a sweeping gesture as he handed me a bowl full of JELLO.

"For me? You shouldn't have. Really," I responded taking the bowl.

"Hey now," Xander responded. "You're gonna feel bad for saying that once you try some. You love that stuff!" he continued.

"JELLO?" I asked doubtfully poking at it with my spoon and watching it jiggle. I liked when it jiggled.

"Yep, not only is fat-free, but you like to watch it jiggle," Willow said smiling.

"Oh," I said pulling my spoon back.

The rest of dinner was spent with the three of them regaling me with tales of our former adventures, or misadventures as it were. I got the impression that most of the stories were being censored, but it was still nice to hear about the stuff that we had done together, and the other people we knew. I was particularly curious about Oz, Cordelia and someone named Angel. They were particularly sketchy when it came to him, his name kind of just popped up then disappeared. I was going to have to ask about that later. I wanted to meet Oz though cause he sounded like a cool guy-had to have been to have dated Willow--, and I wanted to meet Cordelia because I didn't see how it was possible for someone to be as horrible as they said she was.

* * * * * *

"What's wrong?" Willow asked coming up behind me. She had been in her room for the last few minutes and I hadn't heard her enter. I had been staring out the window for while and I guess I got caught up in it.

"Nothing's wrong," I responded turning to face her. "What makes you think something's wrong. This is not a face that has something wrong," I continued.

"What's wrong?" Willow repeated. That was the one thing (well one of the things) that sucked about having amnesia. Everyone knew you, but you didn't know them. She could probably tell I was lying by some little thing I did, but I didn't know anything of those things about her.

"Can we go swimming?" I asked.

"Swimming?" she repeated.

"Yeah, you know, like in water. With the holding of breath and everything," I responded. "I can swim right? I mean I'm not going to drown or anything am I?" I asked suddenly.

"You're one of the best swimmers I know, you swim like a fish…well not really like a fish since you don't have gills and stuff, but you swim really well. I mean there was that time that you kinda…wait that's not important…you can swim," she said kind of babbling. I noticed that she did that a lot, kind of ran off at the mouth like that. I thought it was the cutest thing.

"So we can swim?" I asked again.

"Yeah," she confirmed heading back to her door. "I'll meet you back here in a few minutes," she continued before she entered her room and I lost sight of her.

It didn't take me long to find my bathing suit, and I quickly changed. I sat on the bed for a few minutes when I finished changing waiting for Willow, then got bored and decided to go get her. The doors between our rooms were still open so I just slipped in. Not even a second after I walked through the doors, I came to dead stop and my jaw fell. She was naked from the waist up, with her back facing me, and although I knew I should turn around and go back into my room, or at the very least announce my presence, I couldn't. I just stood there, and stared at her. Stared at the elegant lines of her back and she pulled the straps up onto her shoulder, and a hand through her hair.

"Buffy," she said surprised turning around.

"Uh, hi," I said lamely kind of waving at her. She looked at me for a moment quizzically before responding.

"Come on," she said waving me the rest of the way through the door.

When we got poolside, I nearly stopped walking, my breath catching in my throat. There was a full moon out and it was reflecting off of the water creating a beautiful shimmering effect. I couldn't remember seeing anything so beautiful, but then again I couldn't really remember anything. I watched as Willow dropped the towels on two of the nearby chairs, then followed her over to the edge of the pool.

"You're sure I can swim, right?" I asked looked down.

"I won't let anything happen to you," she said looking over at me. I looked into her eyes and say the truth of the statement.

"Okay," I said bending my legs getting ready to jump. "Cannonball!" I yelled then jumped in before she had a chance to back away. Surfacing as fast as I could I looked around to see if I had gotten her. If I had it would have been sweet, it would've been real sweet. I saw her standing in the same spot completely drenched and smiled. "Yes!" I called out jumping up and pumping my fist. After all I wanted to be mature about it.

"You are so dead," she said looking at me.

"You talk big, but can you deliver?" I taunted. She just looked at me for a moment before a smile worked it's way across her face. This wasn't like the other smiles I had seen, this smile had a more sinister look to it, and I got the distinct feeling that I had bitten off more than I could chew.

"Let's find out," she called diving in. I looked around for her but I couldn't see her under the water, it was too dark. Then I felt something brush against my legs and next thing I knew I was being dragged under.

We wrestled like that for a while until finally she got me up against one of the walls of the pool. I was about to beg for the mercy of the court or something like that anyway, when something very strange happened. I was looking at her, and then all of a sudden these images started flooding my through my head, like I watching a clips show.

We were in a library, at least I think it was a library, and she was smiling at me. Then she reached over for a book at the same time I did and we got all tangled up and lost our balance toppling over. I was on top of her, and then I was leaning down and we were kissing.

Then the scene changed and we were outside. It was raining and we were soaking wet and running around. We ended up ducking into an alleyway and hiding from the rain in the doorway of a stores back entrance. We were laughing and shivering, and I brought her closer to my body rubbing her arms and back trying to warm her up. She laid her head on my shoulder and we stayed like that, wrapped together, trying to keep each other warm.

Then I was back to the present, staring at her worried face.

"Buffy," she said putting her hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?" she continued. I looked at her for a moment, trying to sort out what the images I saw meant, if they meant anything at all.

"Yeah," I said finally. "Just got a little dizzy. I'm alright," I said smiling.

"Are you sure? There's a doctor if…"

"I'm sure Willow," I told her cutting her off. I really didn't want to dwell on this.

"Alright," she said back peddling so that I could move away from the wall.

"We should get Xander out here," I said swimming away from the wall. "He was on the swim team, right?" I continued circling her.

"Yeah, but he's not really, I mean he was part…" she said then she paused for moment. "He was on steroids then," she said finally. I looked back at her questioningly. "It's true, he got them in the mail," she said in response to the look.

"Why don't we get him anyway," I said. "We'll just stay in the shallow end."

"Okay," she said heading for the edge of the pool. "He's watching some of the girls play volleyball on the north end of the beach. Cutting through the forest trail would be the fastest way to get there," she continued pulling herself up.

"You think he's gonna want to leave if he's watching them play volley ball?" I asked while getting out of the pool. She looked me up and down then smiled.

"Trust me, he'll leave," she said walking over and getting the towels. I just shrugged and took it out of her hands.

The forest trail was nicely landscaped, and even in the dark there was a very tranquil feel to it. The maids, and cooks, and other personnel had cottages out on the trail, and if you asked me they got the best deal because it was really nice out there.

"Hey, did you hear that?" I asked stopping on the trail.

"No," Willow responded. "But you've always had better hearing than us mere mortals."

"It sounded like yelling," I said. "Come on, it's coming from over there," I said moving off of the trail and into the bushes.

"Are you sure?" she asked even though she had already started to follow me.

"Someone could be in trouble. We can't just walk away," I said moving to the left in between two trees.

It only took a few more moments before we broke through the foliage and were able to see what all the commotion was about. There was a man and woman fighting on the front lawn of one of the personnel cottages. The man had her by the arms and was shaking her violently while she was yelling for him to stop. I didn't even think about what I was doing, I just headed over to them.

"If you're not going to play nicely, you shouldn't play at all," I said coming to a stop behind the man.

"What the hell," he said turning around. I didn't recognize him, but then again that didn't mean much.

"That," I said pointing to the woman's trapped arms, "Is no way to treat a lady."

"Get the hell outta here bitch," he growled.

"It's Buffy actually," I said not moving. He let go of the woman's hands when I said that and shifted so that he was completely facing me. I saw a dangerous glint in his blue eyes and started to wonder if perhaps Willow was right. I was working on instinct alone up until this point and was beginning to think that possibly instinct had taken me as far as it was going to go.

"You want to take her place?" he asked stepping towards me.

"I was actually aiming for a solution where nobody got beat up. Possibly even a round of kumbiyah afterward," I said backing away.

"I'm not really the hands across America type," he said in a mockingly apologetic tone.

"Hey, now," I said still moving back. "Can't we all just…get along?"

"You know what… I don't think we can," he said then he reached out his arm to grab me. My arm flung out blocking his, and then I spun around so that I was behind him. I would have wondered where that came from, but he had turned around again and had progressed to punch mode. I reached up with my left hand and blocked the punch, then grabbed a hold of his arm and twisted around so that it was at his back. Then I kicked out the back of his knee and he fell to the ground.

He was struggling trying to the break the hold, so I tightened my grip on his arm and pushed in against his back harder. That was when I heard the snap, and he started to howl in pain. Letting go of his arm I stepped back and watched as he curled up holding his arm.

Willow who had been slowly making her way towards us came up to stand beside me.

"You broke his arm," she said looking at him.

"Sure looks that way," I responded still watching him. He was a big guy, at least 6'3, and well over two hundred pounds. I was a foot shorter than him, and more than a hundred pounds lighter, but somehow I had managed to overpower him. It didn't compute. "I just don't know how I did it," I said looking over at her. When I did I noticed that she didn't look particularly surprised that I had been able to bring him down, almost as if she was used to it.

"I guess it's like riding a bike," she responded looking over at me. "You never forget."

"So what, I'm like some Kung Fu master or something?" I asked.

"Or something," she responded. "We have to go see Giles," she continued suddenly.

"I thought we were going to get Xander?" I said starting to make my way over to the woman who had been watching the whole scene from the same spot in her yard.

"No, now we're going to get Giles," she said following me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because," she answered. I waited for more but no more came.

"Are you alright?" I asked the woman.

"Uh huh," she responded nodding.

"You might want to call a doctor for him, or possibly the police ," I said looking at the guy. He had made it to his feet now and was eyeing me wearily.

"Uh huh," she answered. She was eyeing wearily too. There's gratitude for ya.

"Alright then," I responded. "Have a nice night," I continued before heading back towards the path.

"Tell me again why we're going to see Giles," I asked once we had made our way back through the bush.

"Because," Willow answered again.

"You're not going to tell me are you?" I asked her.

"No," she answered smiling slightly.

"Why?"

"Because…"

Part Five

Giles's room was covered in books, some were open some were closed, but when we arrived all were forgotten and I was herded into a corner while he and Willow huddled in a corner on the opposite side of the room. Once again I was given the distinct impression that they were talking about me. Truthfully I was getting tired with all the secrecy, I mean it was my life that they were talking about, plotting about and I had a right to be involved in it.

"Alright, STOP!" I demanded walking over to them.

"Pardon me?" Giles asked looking over at me.

"I said STOP," I told him not backing down. "As in stop talking about me like I'm not in the room. As in cease and desist with protecting me from god knows what," I continued.

"Buffy…" Giles started to say, but I interrupted him.

"No, don't Buffy me. Something is obviously going on, something has been going on from the moment I woke up in that cave. There's the first clue…a cave, I woke up in a cave for christsake!" I said, my voice was rising and I didn't care. "You people are suppose to be my friends, but all you've been doing since you found me is having little powwows and I gotta tell you it's not helping with the anxiety factor which is already unsurprisingly high in cases of amnesia. For all I know you could be getting ready to ship me off to Vietnam as a mail order bride. So here's the deal…you give me the real deal, or I'm out of here," I concluded looking him in the eye.

"Where would you go?" Willow asked taking a step towards me.

"Anywhere, somewhere, at least it would be up to me," I answered. "I don't WANT to go anywhere, but I don't want to be left out of the club house anymore. I won't be." Willow looked over at Giles questioning and he took of his glasses and rubbed his forehead before sighing, and nodding to her.

"You'll want to sit down for this," Giles said taking a seat on the edge of the bed. I pulled a chair over from the desk and sat down as he instructed. Willow took a seat next to him. "We haven't meant to insult you with our secrecy, we simply felt that it would be in your best interest if we eased you in. You may have sensed this, or may not have, but your life…our lives are not ordinary," Giles continued once we were all seated. "There is so much more to the world than people are aware of, and underbelly they are ignorant to, and we are a part of that other world."

"We're drug dealers?" I asked alarmed.

"No," Willow answered quickly. "We most certainly are not."

"Pimps?" I asked next. It seemed like a logical progression.

"What have you been telling her?" Giles asked accusingly turning to face Willow.

"Nothing," Willow answered quickly. "You're the one that started with that separate world, underbelly talk."

"We are not drug dealer or pimps," Giles said turning to face me again. "As fantastic as what I'm about to tell you might sound, I want to assure you right now that it is all truthful. In every generation a Slayer is born..."

"Slayer?" I asked. "Like someone who kills things?"

"Yes exactly. One girl in all the world. She alone must fight the demons, and vampires…"

"And general forces of darkness," Willow added.

"Yes, and general forces of darkness," Giles said. "She is the Slayer, she is you."

"Okay," I started. "I was wrong. You don't sell drugs, you're all ON drugs," I continued standing up.

"Everything I have told is true," Giles responded calmly.

"I can't be true, it's crazy…in fact it's more than crazy, it's insane. Can you hear yourself? I mean are you aware of the words that are coming out of your mouth? Vampires, demons, Slayers…hello? Come on, seriously. Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, there's a scary title. Really…" I said incredulously.

"He's telling the truth Buffy," Willow said coming over to stand by me. "I know it sounds nuts, but it's true. Nobody wants to believe it at first, but it's true. You are the Slayer, you're the best…and the world needs you. Needs you to believe," she said taking my hand. I looked over at her after a minute, looked into her eyes. I had known her for less than a day, but already I knew that her eyes never lied. In her eyes was truth, and that's exactly what I saw when I looked in them then. The truth.

"You're serious aren't you?" I asked though I already knew the answer.

"You know it's true," Willow said. "I can see it in your eyes. It's how you broke that ketchup bottle, and how you beat up that man. You are built to battle demons," Willow answered still holding my hand. "And we are here to help you."

"Oh god," I said stepping away from her and moving over to the window. I rested my head against the glass and just looked out it. I could see the ocean. The waters were rough, troubled, just like me. I didn't want to believe what they were saying, it was too fantastic. I could walk out of the room right now, tell them I didn't believe and nobody could have blamed me. Nobody could have blamed me for not believing them when they told me that I was some Superchick destined to save the world. But I wouldn't walk out of the room, I couldn't walk out of the room. Because I knew. I knew that they weren't lying, I knew that despite how insane it all sounded it was true. I could feel it, in my blood, in my marrow, in my heart. I could feel it, I knew it, I knew it all along.

"So now what?" I asked finally turning around.

"Now…you train," Giles responded.

"Train?" I asked.

"Tomorrow you'll start training with Lia. Even without your memory you are still the best Slayer that we have. You've always been very instinctive, you've always had your own way. I never had much to teach you that way," Giles answered. "I would rather you not have to do this, but there is a powerful demon on this Island, the same one that took your memory, and it must be stopped. You must stop it, it's…"

"My destiny," I responded smirking a little. I didn't know why but the answer seemed so familiar. I saw Willow smile too and I knew it must have been something I used to say. "Question," I said a moment later. "Before you said that the Slayer was one girl in all the world, but just now you said that I was the best Slayer you've got even sans memory which means that there are lesser Slayers out there. But if a Slayers one girl, then how can there be others?"

"A Slayer becomes a real Slayer when they are called into duty, but there are other girls who are being trained so that when they are called they will be ready. Most of the girls in this colony at the moment are Slayers in training," Giles responded.

"Lia?"

"Lia is the next in line, yes," he answered.

"So how does one move on up in this line?" I asked.

"When one Slayer dies the next is called," Giles answered.

"Oh," I said. "So right now there's only one real Slayer, that's me?"

"Actually there…." Willow started to say.

"Willow," Giles said quickly cutting her off.

"Hey, don't shush her," I said jumping to her defense. "I want to hear what she was going to say."

"Once a couple of years ago you were…well you were…see you kind of…you sort of died, and another Slayer was called in," Willow responded.

"I sort of what?" I asked. Could this conversation have gotten any weirder?

"You were drowned…but we got your heart started again," she responded.

"That's nice to know," I muttered. "So where's this other Slayer?"

"She's in a coma," Willow answered looking down at the ground. Apparently the other Slayer was a sore spot.

"Demon?" I asked.

"No," was the only response. I waited for a second expecting more, but no more came so I moved on.

"So tomorrow I train?" I asked Giles.

"Yes, we need to ascertain exactly what level you are at. We're not going after the demon unless I'm absolutely certain that you can handle it," he answered.

"Alright then, tomorrow," I said heading for the door. I waited until Willow joined me then I opened the door and we headed out.

Later, once we were back in my room and passed out on the bed I looked over at Willow who was staring at the ceiling.

"So this is really real?" I asked still kind of dazed.

"Yep," she answered looking over at me.

"And I'm good?" I asked looking her straight in the eyes.

"The best," she answered with absolute certainty. Our gazes held after she finished speaking, and as we looked at each other time seemed to slow. I couldn't actually remember watching a movie, but it was like we were in a movie and it was moving in slow motion. Something passed between us in that time, something special. Nothing that I could put a name to, maybe something that didn't have a name to put to it, but it was something special I knew that.

I didn't know why exactly but I trusted this girl completely. She could have told me that the sky was purple and the grass blue and I would have believed her. She could have told me that I had gills and could swim with the fishes and I would have believed her. I couldn't help but be drawn to her, I couldn't help but to trust her. It was like an elemental force. I could try to stop it sure, but I would have failed, and truthfully I didn't want to stop it. When I was around her my emotions were all over the place, like a compass gone mad, but I craved it. I craved that fluttering excitement that I got in my stomach every time she was near, and I craved that safe protected feeling that blanketed me when she was around. Simply put, I craved her.

Shortly after that Willow headed to her room to go to sleep, and continued my musings until I literally passed out.

Warm, wet lips, kissing my mouth, smiling as I moan. Moving down, kissing my jaw, kissing, licking, sucking, my neck playfully as they move down. A warm tongue licking my shoulder, nipping at it as a hand moves to my breast, squeezing, teasing gently. I arch into the touch begging for more, needing more. The other hand moved down, caressing the insides of my thighs, lightly brushing the skin. Tormenting and exciting the hand was. A warm mouth descended upon my nipple sucking, licking, loving. The hand between my legs moves upwards, closer, yes almost there…yesssssssss, moving, pumping…

"Willowwwww!" I screamed as my hips jumped off the bed.

My eyes popped open at that exclamation and I sat up. My heart was racing, my body covered in sweat, and my hand…between my legs. I sighed and let my head fall back onto the pillows, hoping to god that I didn't scream out for real. Willow. I could still hear the name ringing in my ears. As I stared at the ceiling I was beginning to realize that that name was starting to encompass my world. I craved her, in more ways than one.

* * * * * *

"Remember, don't think…feel," Lia said as we stepped away from each other and entered a ready position. That suggestion was alright by me, the last thing I needed to do was think considering what direction my thoughts had been going in.

I managed to block a few easy punches before I ended up on my back on the floor. I stood back up and we fought again with the same result. This continued for a while longer until finally Giles stood up and put a halt to it. He instructed me to go take a seat then started to talk to Lia.

"It's not the amnesia, it's her. The skills are still there, I can see them, she should be kicking my ass. It's something else entirely," I heard Lia say before I sat down next to Willow.

"I'm filling the room up with suck," I muttered brushing some hair out of my face.

"If it makes you feel better, even in this lesser state of Buffness you could still kick my ass," Xander offered.

"Xander, my four year old cousin beat you up," Willow said turning to face him.

"I still say that kid was seven maybe even ten years old," Xander said defensively. "And he went for shins which way, way below the belt no matter what grade you're in," he continued. Willow just smirked and turned back to face me.

"Don't worry I'm sure you just have to warm up," Willow said resting a hand on my thigh. "Once you're warm you'll be kicking ass again. Buffy the ass kicker we'll call you…well we won't call you that, but that's what you'll be doing," she continued squeezing. I looked up at her and felt my heart constrict.

"You think?" I asked.

"I know," she answered smiling. I smiled back then looked over to the side to see Lia staring at me. Actually it was like she was staring through me. A second later she turned back around and said something to Giles. They argued for a moment then Lia took her position again and Giles came back over to us.

"Let's try it again," he said to me. "Just concentrate on what you're doing, be in the moment," he continued. I nodded then stood up and headed over to where Lia was.

"What'd you say to him?" I asked her.

"Nothing of consequence. He disagreed with my interpretation of the text," she answered with a shrug. "Shall we?"

The results that time, and the next few times we fought were the same as before-me on my ass. Finally Lia looked over at Giles.

"Come on Giles," she implored. "If I'm wrong what harm could it do?" He nodded then turned to Willow and spoke to her for a moment. She glanced at me then turned her attention back to Giles and nodded. She then got up and headed across the room, only stopping to wish me good luck, then she was out the doors. Xander said spoke briefly to Giles then he headed out after Willow who looked distraught. I started to head out after her too, but Lia restrained me.

"Your place is here," she said in response to the look I shot her.

"What the hell did you tell him to say to them?" I asked her menacingly.

"The truth," she said simply.

"Which is?"

"The truth is, that right now I could beat you standing on one leg while reciting Shakespeare. The truth is, that there are white belts out there that wouldn't fight you because it would be unfair. The truth is, that you are not fighting like a Slayer, you're not even fighting like a fairly competent sissy," Lia said looking down at me both literally and figuratively. "In a few days we have to go up against a demon that beat BOTH of us not to long ago, and you can't seem to keep your ass of the ground. You want to know why I told him to get rid of them?" she asked her eyes boring into mine.

"I know you're going to tell me," I said with barely controlled rage.

"So that when they follow you blindly back into that demons lair they won't know it's a suicide mission. I've known your friends long enough to realize that they'll follow you in there no matter what, they're loyal that way…like dogs, nothing's going to stop them. So I figured it was best for them to go in there thinking that there was the possibility of victory instead of knowing that with you fighting like crap we're all going to die, or be mind fucked," Lia explained calmly. "But I think they already know what the deal is, Willow sure did. They've seen more action than I have and they know what it takes to win, because you used to be it, now you're shit and they know it. I just hope that Xander can…'comfort' Willow enough…" I don't know why exactly, but when she said that last sentence I snapped. The anger I had been holding onto since she opened her mouth for the first time ten minutes ago rushed out. She would not talk about Willow that way, I would not stand for it. The things she had said before about my being crap angered me, but this latest insinuation in her barrage of insults infuriated me.

I charged her. Before that moment I didn't know it was possible for someone to move so fast. I wasn't thinking, I was just feeling, reacting, and I was winning, I could feel it, I could sense it. Then she was down on the ground, and I was above her looking down. Looking down at her.

"Behold the eighth wonder of the world," she said smiling. I stepped back from her confused. "I knew it," she continued. "Didn't I tell you," she said looking over at Giles. "All she lacked was motivation."

"You planned that," I said tempted to go over there and kick her again.

"It was the only way," Lia responded looking at the ground. "You should have been whipping me. I should have been putting up a fight, a good one, one that would win against anyone but you, but you should have been beating me. But you weren't, you weren't even coming close. So, I told him, I told him that you weren't because of one of two reasons. Either you were distracted, or you just didn't care. So I got rid of the distractions, and made you care," Lia finished finally looking up.

"That stuff about Xander and Willow?" I asked. It was important that I know.

"Pure fabrication," she responded. "No doubt they care for each other, but Willow's heart lies elsewhere."

"With who?" I asked darkly. My tone even surprised me.

"No one," Lia answered smiling a bit.

"But you said…"

"I said elsewhere, as in not with Xander. It doesn't mean someone else has it, just that he doesn't. You dig?" she asked.

"Yeah," I responded. "Her heart lies someplace that is else." 

* * * * * *

I spotted Lia walking across the patio with Lyndon and hurried over to her. She had left about ten minutes before I got out of my meeting with Giles and I wanted to talk to her.

"Hey," I called falling into stop beside them.

"Hey," Lia greeted.

"Can I talk to you for a minute…in private?" I asked.

"I'll just be going now," Lyndon said taking the hint. "I don't really have any place to go but…" he said then started off in the other direction.

"Listen, if this is about the stuff I said earlier, I'm sorry. I know that I was down right mean, and not only did I step over certain lines but jumped on them before making my way across, but I really was just trying to help," she said as we made our way over to a table.

"That's totally yester…forget about it," I said waving it off. I had been quite pissed at the time but I understood what she was doing, and why she doing it.

"That's a relief. I don't really want you pissed off at me," she said rubbing her arm. After that little bit of theatrics, things had gone the way they were suppose to and she was the one on the ground most of the time.

"Can I talk to you…about something important. I mean, will it stay between us?" I asked her looking around the patio area.

"I realize I probably haven't made the best impression, but I promise you that anything you say will remain confidential. I'm much like a lawyer that way…well that and I'm a terrific liar," she responded.

"Okay, good," I said meeting her gaze finally. "Well, it's about me. Well me before I lost my memory," I said.

"Okay, but like I said before, I had only known you for a few days before that," Lia responded.

"Yeah, I know. That's okay, I mean this thing I want to ask you about would be kind of obvious," I said wondering if this was a mistake. "Besides the reason I want to ask you is because you don't know me as well as they do, and I think that you'll give me straight answers when they won't."

"I'll listen, but if I feel that a question is out of my sphere of knowledge, I won't answer it," she said seriously.

"Okay, that's fair," I agreed, then paused momentarily. "Um…do I bat for the home team?" I asked.

"Well, if you are playing at your home diamond I believe you would bat for the home team. But if you were the visitors then that's the team you would bat for, because they would be your team. That makes sense cause it would switch depending on who's diamond you were at. Sorry if that's not much help, but I'm not really a connoisseur of the baseball," she responded.

"No, that's not what I meant. I mean…well…I think I'm kind of gay," I said.

"Oh that. Sorry, I wasn't expecting to have to play 'Guess this Analogy'," she responded. "Why do think I would know?"

"Well, I just figured that…well you know you're good looking and everything and I figured that if I was I might have…you know…like made a pass at you or something," I said while mentally kicking myself in the ass. That was lame, that was very lame.

"Sadly no pass was made…by you at least," she added with what could only be described as a rakish grin.

"Does that mean you are?" I asked.

"I'm ambi-sexual, let's leave it at that," she said. "Back to you…"

"Well, am I?" I asked.

"Can't you tell?" she asked looking over at me. I just stared at her. "Okay, a straight-and I hope you see the irony in my choice of words-answer. To my knowledge you do in fact hit for the home team."

"Okayyyy," I said drawing the word out. "Was I hitting with anyone?" I asked, those images of Willow and I playing out in my mind again.

"Not in my sphere," Lia responded. "Alter your query."

"I keep having these flashes, where I see Willow and myself, and we are in situations that are decidedly more than friendly. We're…"

"G-rated show here," Lia said putting up her hand. "This is really something you should discuss with Willow. I'll tell you this though, if I know that you like girls, then they know too and have accepted it. From what I saw it was clear that you cared for Willow very much, and that she cared for you just as much as you did for her. As for what exactly that caring detailed, you'll have to ask her."

"But I can't," I said.

"Why not?"

"I can't just go up to her and ask how her day went, then smoothly work a question about whether or not we were lovers into the conversation. If we weren't it could make her very uncomfortable around me, and I don't want that," I explained.

"So you want me to make it easier. Well, I can't do that, it's not right. If you want to know you have to ask her, or wait and see if something happens, but you're not going to get it out of me, or Giles, or Xander, or Lyndon…if he knows what's best for him. This is your life now, time to start making the tough calls," Lia answered. Despite her absolute refusal to help me she actually looked sympathetic to what I was going through. "You probably need some time to think, and I need to go baby-sit my brother, so I'm going to be going now. Before I do, I'll tell this…follow your heart Buffy. Trust your instincts, we're Slayers, they never lie," then with that she headed back in the direction of the main compound.

* * * * * *

I remained out there for what had to have been hours, just staring out at the ocean, thinking and trying not to think alternately. Should I risk it? Should I risk telling my best friend, the only person I had any real connection with since waking up that I was in love with her? Did I even know how it was possible to fall in love in a matter of days? Lia was right though, whether I decided to tell her or not to tell her it had to be my decision, based on my life and feelings now.

Finally the stiffness in my shoulders started to bug me, I decided to head back to the room and lay down for a while. I wasn't making any sense anymore anyway. The decision whether or not to tell Willow probably wouldn't have been made sitting outside on a patio anyway, I wasn't like that. If I told her it wouldn't be planned, it wouldn't be something that I orchestrated, it would just happen. I would look at her, or she would look at me and I wouldn't be able to hold it in any longer, and afterwards what would be would be. I just hoped that my heart would be intact after I followed it.

Kicking off my shoes I flopped down onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. I had been doing quite a bit of that, and I wondered if it was something I always used to do, or if it was a new adaptation of this life I was living now. After a few minutes I heard footsteps coming towards me and knew that it was Willow making her way into my room from hers.

"Buffy?" she asked tentatively.

"That's my name," I said lazily not moving.

"Are you okay?" she asked taking a seat on the edge of the bed. I looked up at her and shook my head.

"No," I responded. "I hurt…hurt covers me," I continued rubbing my shoulders.

"Your shoulders always get tense when you're stressed out," Willow said looking down at me.

"Well, how did I fix it before? Cause I want some now," I said meeting her eyes. She was looking at me oddly and I wondered what she was thinking.

"I could…I could massage them for you," she said still looking down at me. "It worked before." I watched her debating the wisdom of letting her touch me like that considering the direction my feeling for her were heading in. The smart thing to do would be to politely turn down the offer, to tell her that I was just tired and needed some rest then send her on her way thus keeping our friendship intact and my feelings hidden. That would have been the smart thing to do which is probably why I ended up doing the exact opposite.

"Okay," is what I said. That wasn't what I had meant to say, but there it was and I wasn't going to take it back.

"Turn over, onto your stomach," she requested. I did as she asked and soon deceptively strong hands started stroking my back, working out the kinks. I started to feel the effects immediately and had to forcefully contain a moan that wanted to make it's presence known. "How's that?" she asked a moment later. "Heaven on earth," I responded unable to stop the cheesy reply. I heard her make a noise in her throat and I instinctively knew that she was smiling.

"I need to get better access," she said a few minutes later, and I felt her hands drift to my waist where they rested.

"Go ahead," I told her. My lips and my brain didn't seem to be communicating efficiently at the moment, because that response and others I had made since she came in the room were not at all what I had been thinking.

I felt her start to pull the shirt up, her hands running along my side as she did. Putting my arms out in front of me I allowed her to remove the shirt completely. After that she tried to resume her motions but my bra kept getting in the way of her motions.

"That, ah, usually goes too," she said resting her hand over the clasp. Before answering I wondered if all best friends gave each other topless massages. Somehow I doubted it, and that feeling that we had been more than friends seemed to be plausible all of a sudden, very plausible actually.

"Well then, by all means," I responded. "Take it off." She didn't verbally reply, she just started the removal process. I was unnaturally aware of her hands as they undid each clasp and then slid around to pull the garment off. I was even more aware of the way her hands brushed against my breasts as she pulled the bra off. Once it was off I laid my stomach flat against the bed again resting my head on my arms, then she started her movements once more.

I could feel her weight on me as she straddled me hips. Could feel the heat radiating off of her body, could feel her bare legs brushing against my naked sides. I could feel her hands caressing my skin, and I realized suddenly that they were caressing. Sometime during my musings she had gone from massaging my back to caressing it. She was moving her hands up and down my sides, stroking them. I realized that this massage was having as much of an effect on her as it was on me. That's when I felt it, warm lips pressed to my shoulder blade, placing butterfly kisses on my back.

"Willow…" I whispered huskily, and she stopped. The moment the last syllable of her name was out of my mouth she stopped. More accurately she froze.

"I'm sorry," she whispered starting to move off of me. It was just like I had thought, unlike me she wasn't aware of what she had been doing. It had been an automatic for her, completely natural.

"No," I said turning around quickly and grabbing her hand. We were now lying side by side facing each other. "It's okay…I promise," I added when she still looked worried.

"I shouldn't have…you're…" she started but trailed off. She was avoiding my gaze, looking at the wall behind me, but I desperately needed to see what was in those eyes. I needed to know what she was feeling.

"Willow," I said gently still holding her hand. "It's okay," I continued bringing her hand to my lips and kissing the palm, then each finger tip. "Please, don't ever apologize for that."

"Buffy," she said finally meeting my eyes. What I saw there almost broke my heart. There was pain, arousal, confusion, longing, loneliness, love. In that look I had the answers to all of my most pressing questions. We had been lovers, but we had been more than that. We had been in love. I didn't know what to say to make her understand that I understood, I didn't know what to say to make her understand that while my memory may have been stolen the love I felt for her never went away, never dimmed. I didn't know what to say to make her see that I still loved her, that I still needed her, that she was still my world, so I did the only thing I could. I leaned forward and I kissed her. Slowly, gently, I kissed her. "Buffy," she said again when I pulled back.

"I love you," I said simply. I was no poet, those were the only words I had to express what I was feeling, and they did so wonderfully. For whether I said it in a thousand words, or three, it came down to that. "I don't know what my address is, I don't even know when my birthday is, but I know that I love you." She looked at me for a moment, then the tears started to fall and I reached out for her. "Don't cry," I said.

"I've missed you so much," she said tightening the hold she had around my waist. "I…"

"I know," I said her stroking her hair, and as unbelievable as it sounded I did know.

She released me then, and brought our lips together. This kiss was firmer, more confident, more passionate than before, and this time I moaned freely. I had almost forgotten that I was topless until I felt her hand move it's way up my side and cup my breast. I arched into the touch momentarily before I lowered her unprotesting to the sheets draping my body over hers as we continued to kiss, sweetly, passionately, our lips moving against each other in a gentle hunger. My hand had slipped under her shirt lifting it up and over her head before I moved down to kiss her neck, to nip at it gently as my right hand moved to her breast, squeezing it through the fabric, as my left moved up and down her side.

And then the next thing I knew we were naked, and my lips were covering every square inch of her body, kissing licking, biting, before raising to the top to start again. Every moan, every movement of her body was like air to me, a necessity of life. Then our lips were pressed together again and our bodies pressed so tightly together that it was hard to tell if were two people or one.

I moved by thigh between her legs and felt her start to move against me. It was a dance older than time, the steps etched into our DNA from the moment we were conceived, and I realized that I had been waiting for this, needing it since the moment I woke up. Then her hand was between us, moving down until she slipped inside of me. Then it was my turn to moan, to move against her. We moved together and away, together and away, for long moments, our motions becoming increasingly focused. Then I felt her start to tremble and I knew the dam was about to burst. She arched off of the bed a second later, her head thrown back and her body on fire as she called out my name. The past few days had been a time of rediscovery for me, and of all the things that had been re-born for me-the sun, a blooming flower, the moon-she was the most beautiful sight of all. And then I was gone too, my body reduced to a mass of quivering flesh and fiery nerve endings. In her arms my body became a conduit for pure ecstasy, and all that I could do was let her hold me as we rode out the waves together.

As our bodies began to calm I dropped my head to her shoulder and exhaled. I wasn't aware of anything but the beating of her heart, the rise and fall of her chest, and the warmth of her body. For the first time I could remember I felt completely at peace. I felt free.

Then just as I had finished processing those thoughts, a bright white light exploded behind my eyes and I felt the flood gates open. My mind was saturated with images, images moving by at a dizzying pace. I almost expected to hear an announcers voice saying "Buffy Summers this is your life". I have no idea how long these images flashed through my mind for, but I know that afterwards-when the storm had passed-that Willow was holding me tightly and stroking my hair.

"Will?" I asked my voice shaky and barely audible. My mind was still spinning.

"Buffy?" she asked in an equally unsteady voice using her hand to tilt my head up so that she could see my face.

Part Six

At a moment like that there were no words for what we were feeling, so we simply lay there holding each other.

"I'm so happy I can't even think," Willow whispered breaking the silence.

"I know, my brains not functioning on the higher levels right now either," I responded nuzzling my face against hers. I wanted to get closer to her, but there was no space between us already. We were so close you couldn't have slipped a piece of paper between us.

"The past few days have been so surreal. It's like I was dreaming it all…but I knew that I wasn't. I knew it was real," she said.

"I know," I said. "That's how it is for me now."

"How are we going to explain this?" she asked. I knew that she was referring to the sudden return of my memory.

"Simple, we'll just tell them that you brought you me to mind blowing orgasm and that…"

"Buffy," she said slapping me on the arm. She was the same old Willow and I loved her.

"What?" I asked innocently. Ten minutes back and I was already being beaten.

"We can't tell them the truth, I mean….wait…mind blowing, huh?" she asked suddenly as a smile worked it's way across her face.

"A mind blowing, earth shattering, re-birth," I confirmed.

"Well, we still can't tell them the truth," she responded a moment later. Despite her answer she was looking mighty pleased with herself.

"Alright," I said in a tone that left no doubt I still thought my first idea was the way to go. It would have been worth it for the shock value alone. "How about the good old knock to the head explanation?" I asked.

"Okay," she said. "What if they ask how you hit your head?"

"Easy, we'll just tell them that we were in the shower and you were bringing me to a mind blowing orgasm when…

"Buffy," Willow said interrupting.

"What?" I asked again.

"Find a new theme," she instructed. I smiled. It was good to be back.

* * * * * *

We decided that the best thing to do would be to just get everybody gathered in one room and tell them all at the same time. That meant less grunt work of us, and only having to conduct one question and answer session, both of which couldn't be interpreted as anything but good. We called the front desk and asked them to deliver the messages out when they made the wake up calls. At 9:00am we all meet in the lounge of the main compound like we had before.

"There's news…news that wants to be shared," Willow started once everyone was seated.

"Does this news have to do with the difficulties at yesterday's practice session?" Wesley asked. My first response to give him the evil eye, then I progressed from there.

"Oh, look," I said looking at the ground before tilting my head up to regard him. "There's a spider. Shouldn't you be running away screaming like a little girl?"

"Merciful Christ!" Xander exclaimed excitedly standing up. "She's back!" he continued. Then when Willow and I looked over at him with amused expressions he sat back down and asked "You are back, right? I mean 'you' you."

"I'm back," I confirmed smiling at him. There was silence for a moment then as everyone in the room looked at everyone else visually asking each other 'what the hell'.

"When did your memory return?" Giles asked me finally.

"Last night," I said. I didn't see any need to volunteer lies.

"How'd you get it back?" It was Lia who asked this question.

"I fell, hit my head and…BOOM," I said clapping my hands together.

"Really?" she asked leaning forward.

"Yeah…really," I answered leaning forward and meeting her gaze. She looked at me for a moment then smirked and leaned back against the back of the couch.

"Okay," she said. "I had just thought that maybe you hurt it playing baseball," she continued, that smirk making an appearance again.

"Sorry to disappoint," I responded leaning back in my chair as well.

"How are you feeling?" Giles asked once the mini-match between Lia and I had ended.

"Like a million bucks," I responded. "I was a bit disoriented right after it happened, but I'm one hundred percent now."

"That's good, because I've been doing some research on our friend in the cave and there's more to this than we suspected," Giles said addressing the entire group.

"Let's have it," I told him. Usually there was always more to it than we expected. Basically, the unexpected was all we could expect…which made it expected, right?

"This particular demon only surfaces once a decade, and only for 60 days in order feed. As you probably figured out it feeds on memory enzymes. After that feeding period it returns to the bowels of the earth where it hibernates until it is time for it to feed again. According to the texts the beast will continue in this fashion for three centuries until it has stored up enough energy to rise permanently. We do not want that to happen. According to the last astrological charts it has been above ground for 58 days, which means that we have two days to kill it," Giles responded. Sometimes I really dreaded it when the man opened his mouth because he usually brought nothing but bad news.

"What happens if we don't get it?" Willow asked.

"It will return to it's liquid state and seep into the ground where it will remain hidden for the next sixty years. Then when it rises the next time it will be at full power," Giles responded.

"So killing it is pretty much a must," I said looking at him.

"Pretty much," he agreed.

"Is life always like this for you guys?" Lia asked a moment later.

"Well if I were to consider that question on, say a weekly basis, I would have to say…yeah, pretty much," I answered.

* * * * * *

Considering everything that Giles had learned about the demon we decided that the best way to eliminate it was to torch it. The only problem was we had nothing to torch it with, and the only supplier of the flame-throwers we needed was not willing to sell us the goods. So, Lia and I were cruising the streets of downtown looking for the store to see if we could…negotiate with them.

"Can you feel that breeze?" Lia asked excitedly as we walked down main street. "It's such a lovely night to commit multiple felonies."

"Multiple?" I asked. "Calm down there Bonnie, we're here to commit one little crime and one little crime only."

"I still say it's a lovely night," she responded. "You think we're going to get a chance to test our 'get away' skills? I've always wanted to jump a fence. Not just in practice, you know, but like in a real confrontational situation."

"It's not as glamorous as it sounds," I told her. "Nobody warns you about the lacerations due to barbed wire, and ripped jackets that result. Not to mention that most of the time when you come across a fence you're being tossed up against it, not jumping it."

"Good with the bad," she responded. "If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain," she continued. "This is it," she said stopping in front of a store.

"So, what do you say, trash can or one of my personal favorites, the window jump?" I asked reviewing our options.

"That's a tough choice, they're both classics you know," she responded. "I'm gonna have to go with the window jump though."

"Everybody always picks the window jump," I said backing up onto the street to get a running start.

"It's a staple of the American film industry. We've been conditioned to pick the window jump," she said joining me on the road.

"On three," I said bouncing on my toes a little. "Three!" I said then took off. It took Lia a second to catch on but soon we were crashing through the window together.

"Kickass!" she shouted as we made it through. "Yeah, baby," she continued as we made our way further into the store. I could hear the alarm and knew we didn't have much time.

"You check out here, I'll check the supply room. We don't have much time so if you don't see them come back and help me. You dig?" I said to her.

"Got ya," she said saluting before heading off in search of treasure.

* * * * * *

"I got two here," I heard her call a moment later.

"Two more back here," I said grabbing them. "That's good enough, let's get the hell outta here," I said joining her in the main room.

"I'm all for that," she said jumping out of what remained of the window. We started to head in the direction we had come from but we saw sirens not rounding the corner and turned around.

We headed straight down the street for a few minutes before ducking into an alleyway. There was a fence, it seemed like Lia was going to get her wish.

"How far back are they?" I asked.

"Not far, minute maybe," she answered.

"Give me your stash, then jump over. I'll throw them over to you then follow," I instructed. I could hear their footsteps getting closer. Lia handed me the two throwers she had then jumped the fence in a fluid motion. Once she landed I threw the throwers over then jumped the fence.

"Let me guess, now we run?" Lia asked handing me back my two throwers.

"You're catching on kid," I said, then we headed down alley. We were out of sight, if not out of mind by the time the officers made it over the fence.

* * * * * *

When Lia and I returned from our escapade we all headed down to the beach for a bonfire. Xander had raided the kitchen and gotten us marshmallows and other bonfire goodies to snack on, so all we had to do now was get the fire lit.

"I would really advice against that," Giles said to Lia as he slowly backed away from where she was standing.

"Oh don't get your knickers in a knot," Lia responded. "this is a great idea. Not to mention fast. Good, fast ideas are rare and not to be wasted."

"Hey, Lia, let's try not to have a repeat of the Snake Hill incident," Lyndon goaded from the sidelines.

"That was a good idea on Snake Hill, mother said that it was very impressive," she responded.

"Yeah, before you hit the tree," Lyndon said in response. By now all of us were standing what we hoped was a safe distance away from her.

"Where's everyone going?" Lia asked looking around. "Nothing is going to happen, this is perfectly safe," she said looking at us all imploringly.

"Miss Grayson, I implore you," Wesley started. "Surely you've broken enough laws for one evening."

"Wes my boy, you can never break too many laws in one evening. There are a lot of them you know, so you'll never run out," Lia responded with a smile. She ignited the flame thrower and headed towards the pit walking slowly so as not to have the flame blow into her face she carefully lowered it into the pit we had dug. Willow and I exchanged a look then turned our attention back to Lia.

The flame was now at full power and the fire was starting to grow. There was brief moment then where everything seemed to be going according to plan. Then it happened, the fire licked up really high and make a popping sound. Seconds later Lia dropped the flame thrower and backed away from the pit. That's when I saw that part of her was on fire. She was waving her arm around in the air trying to get the flame to go out.

"Yeah, alright, this was a BAD idea," she said in a loud voice as she tried blowing on her arm to help.

"That's not going to work stupid," Lyndon said not making a move towards her. "Spit on it or something," he continued now moving towards her.

"You are not spitting on me," Lia said waving her arm in front of her to ward of Lyndon. Then she brought it back in and started blowing with renewed vigor. "Okay, this is really starting to hurt!"

"Stop drop and roll," Xander said moving towards her. "Dirt in the skirt," he continued.

Lia looked at him for a split second then dropped to the ground and started rolling in the sand. Being the good Samaritan that I am I picked up my towel and went over to her to try and help beat out the flame.

"It's out, good god woman it's out!" Lia said rolling away from me and out of range. Standing up she began to survey the damage done to her. The sleeve of her shirt had completely burned away and she was slightly sooty but that seemed to be the extent of it.

"Well," Willow commented a moment later as Lia continued to inspect her rag. "At least the fire is going." Lia looked up at her. "And it was fast," Willow hastened to add, "it was really, really, fast."

"That's true," Lia said brightening up a bit. "I just didn't foresee the living flame part of it."

* * * * * *

"Are you worried about tomorrow?" Willow asked from her spot beside me on the bed.

"No," I responded in what I thought to be a suitably unaffected tone.

"I'm sure everything will be alright," she continued as if I hadn't said anything.

"I know. We're going to open up a can of whoop-ass on it's behind," I told her picking up her hand and taking it into my own.

"Buffy," she said seriously looking down at me. "You'll do it this time, we'll be there to back you up."

I looked up at her.

"Does this mean that you're not buying my 'Cool as Oz' routine?" I asked smiling.

"I was for a minute…but then you made an expression and the jig was up," she responded resting her head down on my shoulder. "What are you worried about?" She had been working on me about talking about what I was feeling over the past months, and I'd been trying. I had gotten better about actually telling her what was bothering me, but it was still hard sometimes, because I didn't want to burden her with what I was going through. She had enough to worry about without me dumping all my crap on her. It was a lose, lose situation because I ended up hurting her whether I told her or whether I didn't tell her. However, I had come to realize that the hurt that came from me shutting her out was worse to her than actually knowing what I was thinking, so I tried to do my best to be honest with her.

"The usual," I said in a kind of half sigh. "You know," I said getting a bit off topic, "just once I'd like for someone who encountered a demon to write about how to kill it. Maybe if they didn't know for sure, they could just theorize to help a sister out a bit. I mean it would be so much easier to hunt and kill things if I KNEW how to kill them. That makes sense right? I mean imagine me…prepared, I could like kick some serious ass. But besides that everything is completely of the usual." Willow placed her hand on my cheek and stroked it with her thumb as she stared at me. Her face was contemplative and I knew what she was thinking.

She worried about me constantly. Not just about my physical health, but about my mental health as well. Frankly, I've dealt with the cards handed to me rather well, but every once in a while I do have a tendency to kind of snap and go all wiggy. I mean, over the years I suppose I've given her cause to worry about both.

"You don't need to hear this," I said not liking the sad look in her eyes. She always asked, then when I told her she always got sad. It was a vicious cycle and I hated it.

"Yes," she responded. "I do."

"But it just upsets you," I protested not for the first time. "It seems like every time I open my mouth I make you cry. It's…it's…it's like I'm Wesley or something bringing misery wherever I go," I continued avoiding her gaze.

"I get upset because I worry about you. I can't not worry about you. I'll tell you something, I worry more when I don't know what you're thinking, because that means that you're keeping it all to yourself locked away. That leads to festering and breakdowns, and unscheduled vacations," she responded. I winced at the last one, I knew that my disappearance that past summer was still a sore spot. I had really hurt her with that one, I had hurt them all, but it had hit Willow and Mom the most. I hadn't realized how badly I had hurt Willow until Xander had let me have it one night and let it all out. Xander was always there for Willow, I was glad for that. I had worried about the tension between them when Willow and I first started dating. Xander had always been there for her and vice versa, and I didn't want to come between that.

"The fact that I worry about you isn't a bad thing, it's just a thing, an unavoidable thing, or in other words a thing that can't be avoided," she continued. "You need to talk about what your feeling, and I want to listen. It's works out well for both of us, and helps avoid the need for pharmaceuticals."

"Why do you have to make so much sense all the time?" I asked with a smile bringing my hand up to her face.

"It's a gift. Sometimes it's hard, but then I just think to myself, 'Willow you were put down on this planet for a reason, and you must fulfill that reason', and then the tension eases," she responded with one of those beatific smiles that I absolutely thrived on.

"Thank you for sharing your gift with me," I told her sincerely.

Part Seven

We stood outside the entrance of the cave looking at the gaping mouth like it was death itself. The gang and I had been in situations like this a countless number of times. Us against the end of the world, heading into the darkness with our heads held high and our knees shaking. But on this particular day there was a different quality about the air around us, it was tenser more desperate and I knew why. I had already stood at the mouth of this cave and I had faced the demon and lost. We were going in now not as predators but as trespassers who were being hunted as well as hunting.

"Stay behind me," I said tightening my grasp on the flame thrower in my hands.

"Yeah," Lia piped up. "Stay behind us." I looked back at her. The look in my eyes conveyed that she too was to follow my instructions. I was the first line of defense and she was the second. If it got through both of us I didn't even want to think of consequences.

Before submerging myself in the darkness of the cave I looked back at Willow. Taking that image with me I stepped into the cave. I had tried to get her to stay behind, that morning before breakfast I tried to convince her that the best thing for her to do would be to stay behind with Wesley and research other possibilities. It didn't work of course, it never did. It was futile to try, but I had to anyway, it was a compulsion. I knew it irritated her, made her feel like I didn't trust her or didn't think that she could take care of herself, but nothing could have been farther from the truth. It was me I didn't trust, but I could never quite get that across.

"You've got to love the décor," Lia said as we traipsed through the cave flash lights bouncing around. "It just reeks danger, like Tori Spelling reeks nepotism."

"Apparently we've got ourselves a demon with self-respect," Xander continued. "This is the way it should be, huh, Giles? All dankness, and filth. None of that condominium and Miata crap for this guy."

"Indeed," Giles responded from somewhere behind Xander. "It's nice to know that demons somewhere still have some values. I mean, really."

I smirked into the darkness then turned a down a passage. We had pondered our own mortality and were now bantering about the décor and the lack of respect demons seemed to have for themselves these days. So far everything was going according to plan.

* * * * * *

"Hey, I remember you," I said as we entered the fork in the cave where Lia and I had been ambushed on our previous trip.

"Yes," Lia agreed darkly. "I remember you too. I don't like you," she continued eyeing the space evilly as she rubbed her head unconsciously.

"Is this where your head got jiggled?" Willow asked Lia as she made her way up to the front of the procession.

"Yes, yes it is," Lia answered. "Can't you just feel the evil?"

"Luckily you for you didn't have much up there to get scrambled," Lyndon said cheerfully.

"We'll see if you're still Mr. Sunshine when that thing decides to play 'splatter brains' with you," Lia responded turning away from him.

"As much as I hate to do this, I'm going to have to ask you all to shut up now," I said staring at the tunnel directly in front of me.

"See, I don't know what Cordelia was talking about when she said that you lack people skills," Xander quipped in response to my request.

"Xand," I said looking back.

"Sorry, shutting up now," he said making a motion like he was zippering his lips.

Before entering the tunnel in front of me I heard Giles mutter, "Today we have witnessed a miracle".

* * * * * *

I felt it before I saw it. No one else seemed to be able to sense it coming so I knew it had to be my spidy-senses. It was coming for us right now. We were being hunted.

"It's here," I said raising my flame thrower. The others look confused but raised theirs as well.

"Where is it?" Willow asked.

"I don't know," I said shaking my head. "I can't tell. But it's here. It's here somewhere."

I closed my eyes and stood completely still. Listening, feeling the air around me, engaging all of my senses just like Giles had taught me. As a Slayer I was acutely aware of things others were not, could not be aware of. Even Giles though he taught me, and was skilled in his own right could not hope to achieve the level of awareness I was capable of. "It's what makes you the One," Giles had said to me. "It's my gift, it's my curse," I had responded quoting Frank Black.

A moment after I closed my eyes I felt it. In the blink of an eye I turned so that I was facing it and pressed the trigger. An eruption of fire burst from the apex of the thrower illuminating the room with a unpleasant glow. I hit it's left side and the beast let out a outrageous cry. It was high pitch, almost deafening, like listening to a bunch of whales mating with the volume way turned up. If I didn't need my hands to hold the flame thrower I would have clasped them over my ears which I was certain were going to start bleeding at any moment.

Finally the beast seemed to grasp the situation and contorted it's gooey body to avoid the blast by propelling the middle part of it's body off to the side. It looked like someone had taken an ice-cream scoop to it. I adjusted the blast when I saw what it had done but it was too late. For something that looked like the Kool-Aid guy on crack the thing sure could move like lightening. By the time I got it again it had almost reached us.

"Guys," I said continually adjusting my fire. "Now would be a good time to use those things!"

"Right." That was Giles

"Uh huh." That was Willow.

"I knew that." That was the Xand-man.

"You looked like you had it under control." That one was Lia.

"Where's the trigger?" Without a doubt that one was Lyndon.

Soon we were all firing at it. I had the mid section under control. Lia was being vicious and going for it's head, and Xander, Willow and Giles were altering limbs. I could see the black ooze bubbling where our fire was in contact with it. Bubbles were forming and popping all over it and an awful smell was released. It was like sulfur only worse, which was quite a feet cause sulfur really, really smells.

Things continued in this fashion for a few minutes until the beast let loose another one of those cries. Then just like before the beast moved like lightening. The gang had listened to me and stayed behind me and at that moment I was eternally grateful for it. I was closest to the beast and it headed straight for me, not that it had far to go. I re-aimed my thrower when I located it again but it was too late, it was on me by then. Sucking me up into it just like before, ready to suck my brain dry.

"Stop firing," it was hazy but I could tell that it was Willow. She sounded worried, not that that was an unreasonable reaction or anything. After all we all knew what happened last time the beast and I danced together. "Stop or you'll hit her."

I could feel it starting to enter my mind. The outside world was starting to fade away, I could no longer make out words or phrases, only sounds. I tried to move my arm. There was resistance but I could move it slightly. That was fine with me, I only needed to move it slightly. I shifted and tilted the flame thrower up so that the barrel was facing the beasts head. "Please don't blow me up, please don't blow me up, pleasedon'tblowmeup, pleasedon'tblowmeup…" I chanted as I pulled the trigger and let loose and stream of fire.

I could see the beast bubbling again. Even though I was only aiming at one part of it's body it seemed to be traveling all over, migrating from the inside out. The longer I fired for the more violent the bubbling became, but I didn't feel any of the heat that was the sure result of my actions. It was like I was in some sort of shielded pocket for which I was thankful, cause what was happening to it looked like it would suck. Like it would suck a whole lot.

Soon it started to glow orange, and where I was lodged inside of it started to become very hot. Even as I kept the trigger compressed I could feel my skin beginning to burn. The body of the thing started to expand creating a huge goo bubble around my body. It stayed like that for a moment thumping like it was breathing, trying to compress, trying to live, but it was not to be. Within moments the bubble burst spraying bits of goop all over the cavern we were standing in and white circular energy waves were cast out from where the beasts body had been filling the cavern with a hum and a blinding white light.

Then all was quiet again.

"Buffy are you alright?" Willow asked running over to where I had dropped when the tar-man exploded.

"I'm alright Will," I said with a slight smile. "Well-done, but I'll be fine."

"Your arm," she said reaching out but not touching it. "It's all burned."

"Hey, I planned on working on my tan anyway," I responded standing up and giving her hand a squeeze. "It's alright, I've had worse."

"Are you sure you're alright Buffy?" Giles asked concerned.

"Yeah, " Xander piped up. "It looked pretty hot in there. Not that you're not always on fire."

"I'll be fine. But I won't protest to getting the hell out of here," I responded.

Epilogue

When I was four years old I wanted to be a figure skater. When I was eight years old I wanted to be an astronaut. When I was fourteen I wanted to be an actress/model and be on 90210 and date Jason Priestly. When I was fifteen I wanted to live to see my eighteenth birthday. Now that I'm eighteen I'm praying to make it to twenty-one. It's funny how things can change so dramatically in such a short period of time. You find out you're destined to fight demons from hell and routinely save the world from unspeakable horrors, and your whole life goes to hell.

These were the things I was thinking about when I felt a hand come to rest on my face. Before opening my eyes I knew it was Willow. Not only because Willow was the only one who could get into my room, or because she was the only one, besides my mother, who would dare touch me when I was asleep, I knew it was her because she touched me in a way that was distinctly Will-like. I smiled and opened my eyes.

"Are you feeling better now?" she asked once my eyes were completely open. "I hope you're feeling better, although I doubt that you could be feeling worse, what with the being inside a demon that blew up thing, so you'd have to be feeling better or at least same…better or same," she finished.

"I'm happy as can be...like Robert Downey, Jr. in a crack house," I responded. "Now that I've got my Wiccan wic me that is."

"You're tried," Willow said brushing a stray strand of hair out of my face. "You never would have made a pun like that at full strength."

"Hmmm, maybe your right," I agreed thoughtfully. "Some bed rest should make it all better though," I continued pulling her down onto the bed so that she was lying down beside me.

"Somehow I don't think that what you have in mind is going to be particularly restful," Willow responded smiling. "And you know what? I'm okay with that," she continued before bringing our lips together.

"You know where this would look really good?" I asked her a moment later fingering the material of her shirt. "On the floor," I said answering my own question. She raised her head up above me and looked down at me for a moment. Then she bit her bottom lip and I knew that I had won. She released her lip and smiled then leaned down and brought our lips back together.

* * * * * *

"You are a bad, bad influence Buffy Summers. Bad," Willow said adding the extra bad just in case I had missed the other two.

"What I ask, what did I do?" I said in a voice like that Rooster from Loony Tunes.

"I had come here on a mission of the utmost importance, and then with your cute little smile, and your bar-style pick up lines you seduced me. Mission completely forgotten. Bad, bad, Slayer," she responded.

"I'm sorry, sometimes not even I fully understand the power of my feminine wiles," I said. "Why don't you tell me about the mission now."

"I would if I could but I can't," she responded refusing to make eye contact.

"Why not?" I asked confused.

"I forget what it was."

"You forget?" I asked. She nodded. "You mean you don't remember?…At all?" Another nod. "Can you remember if it was important? Because if it was that means that someone is probably looking for…"

I didn't get a chance to finish that sentence seeing as how the door to my room flung open. It was Lia and her gaze went straight to the bed. Willow pulled the sheet up.

"A little late for modesty don't you think?" Lia asked rhetorically. "We've been looking for you two. Giles has had us searching the entire compound." She paused for a moment then before continuing. "I knew we shouldn't have sent her to get you," she directed that comment to Willow.

"It's not her fault," I said bringing Lia's attention back over to me.

"No, I would imagine not. Takes two to tango and all that," she responded smiling. "Listen, if you two are finished, I assume you're finished since you both have the freshly fucked look…"

"Lia!" I said interrupting her about two syllables too late.

"What?" she asked. "Do I lie?" I didn't responded. "Alright, alright, sorry," she said. "We're meeting back at HQ in like ten minutes, so come on over cause Giles has some news for you," she continued. "By the way, you two really need to find a new a hobby," she said before heading for the door.

"You're just jealous," Willow said speaking for the first time since Lia entered the room.

"You know what, I probably am," Lia responded before continuing towards the door. "Oh, two last things. First, you might want to consider locking the door unless you want people like me to walk in or perhaps watch secretly. Second, clothes are your friends, please put some on. Okay, bye bye now."

With that she went the rest of the way out of the door and closed in behind her.

"Definitely got to remember to lock the door. Definitely," I said once we were alone again.

"Definitely," Willow agreed. "Uh huh."

* * * * * *

Willow and I were the only ones left on the beach. We had all come out there after our meeting for a game of moonlight volley-ball. The news Giles had wanted to give me was that both Johnny and Elizabeth had regained their memories. The doctors were confounded as to how it happened but they were able to tell Giles the approximate time they got their memories back, and he realized that they coincided with the destruction of Swamp Thing. Giles believed that when we destroyed it the ring of light that we saw was the synaptic energy the beast had stolen being released and returned to it's rightful owners.

Now that we were alone I was lying with my head in Willow's lap. We were just watching the waves lap at the shore, taking in our peaceful surroundings. Moments like that were rare in our lives.

Most people when they looked at us, as friends or as lovers it really didn't matter, always assumed that I was strong one. I am Buffy the Vampire Slayer after all, scourge to beasts and nasties everywhere, so assuming that I am the strong one would be logical. It would be logical, but wrong. Willow was really the strongest out of the two of us. She was the one that kept me whole, kept me sane and together through all of the madman stuff that my life consisted. She was my Slayer, the person who kept the doubts and the demons within me from taking over.

"A pair of Prada boots for your thoughts," Willow said breaking the silence.

"New York or Milan?" I asked.

"New York of course," she responded smiling.

"I was just thinking about us," I told her.

"Good thoughts?"

"If they're about you they're always good," I answered. "Do you ever wonder?" I asked her a moment later. "I mean, I guess there's really been no time to think about, let alone talk about it, but how'd it happen?"

"It?" she asked. I realized that I was being vague again.

"My memory," I clarified. "How'd I get my memory back?"

"I don't know," Willow answered. "Like you said there really hasn't bee much time to think about it, but in the little time there has been to think about it I've thought about it, and still don't really know."

"We could always asked Giles," I suggested. "He usually knows stuff and when he doesn't he's nice enough to make things up and buy us ice-cream. Double scoop."

"No!" Willow answered emphatically. "Cause then we'd have to tell him stuff, stuff about what we were doing. Sex stuff," she said her voice dropping to whisper as she said the last part. "That means that he'd know about…stuff, and we'd know that he knew about…stuff…and…yuck!"

"I'm pretty sure he knows how we spend certain hours of our leisure time," I responded. "In fact he's the one who the found the evidence of your vampire impersonation on my neck," I continued watching the myriad of expressions that crossed her face. I was being bad, I wasn't actually going to ask Giles anything. It would have caused him serious mental distress. He was about as interesting in hearing about our sex life as we were in hearing about his. As in, not at all.

"But details Buffy, he doesn't know the details. And they're the most important part. Without the details it's all academic, it's all abstract. But with the details…it's…it's…pay-per-view resolution. We don't want pay-per-view resolution Buffy, we really really don't," she responded finally.

"Alright, no Giles," I agreed.

"Is it really that important to you?" she asked reaching down so that our fingers were intertwined.

I didn't answer right away, instead I titled my head up so that we were looking directly at each other and said, "Come down here."

"You want snuggles from your snuggle bunny?" she asked with that sexy, mischievous grin I loved so much.

"There are two things in life I can never get enough of," I said as she settle down beside me. "Snuggles form my snuggle bunny, and chocolate. Even better, my snuggle bunny covered in chocolate."

"Buffy," she said burying her head in my shoulder. I shouldn't tease her like that, I know it's mean, but she's so cute what she blushes.

"I love you," I told her placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"I love you too," she said lifting her head up to place a soft kiss on my lips.

"I love you more," I responded with a smile.

"No I love you more," she said grinning.

"I love you more than Mr. Pointy and Mr. Gordo rolled up into one," I said touching her check.

"I love you more than Mr. Laptop and Mr. Modem…they're alright one," she responded.

"Really?" I asked. Coming from a hacker that was probably the biggest compliment one could be given.

"Absolutely," she responded placing her head back down on my shoulder.

I tightened the hold I had on her and we lay there together in silence for a few moments.

"You never answered my question you know," Willow said softly.

"And what, I say what would that be?" I asked.

"If it was really important to you to know how you to your memory back?" she explained.

"Well, the question isn't going to plague me until I need to be checked to place with padded walls and high fiber diets, but I'd like to know," I responded. "In this line of work unanswered question have a way of coming back to try and kill you…or maybe torture and taunt you first just for kicks."

"What if maybe I had an idea how it could possibly have happened…hypothetically," she said playing with her fingers nervously.

"Will?" I asked shifting so that I could see her face. "Did you do a Wicca thing?"

"No!" she responded immediately. "Nothing like that, I would never do something like that without asking you first. I promise," she said with absolute conviction. I felt like a big stupid jerk for even asking.

"I didn't mean," I started to explain but she interrupted me.

"It's okay," she said. "It's a Wicca like result and I'm the only one that you know…at least that you know of…and that I know of, except for Amy, but she's still a rat and doesn't count."

"I'm still sorry," I told her.

"It's okay," she said again. She was drawing in the sand with her left hand.

"What is it Will?" I asked. I was starting to get concerned. Willow wasn't usually a vault when it came to sharing information unless she was concerned about something.

"When you and Lia were out playing cops and robbers I did some researching on the net," she said returning her attention to me fully. "I found some information on this thing called a Tarcon that fit the description of our baddie perfectly. I mean if they weren't the same thing, they had to be like first cousins or something. So, the information didn't say how to kill it, but…"

"But?" I prompted.

"It said that the beast didn't really steal memories, it just kind of made a Xerox copies of the enzymes then took that and blocked the pathway which makes it seem like the memories are gone."

"Self-defense, like a porcupine's needles." I said. "If you can't remember what happened to you, you can't tell anyone, and then you can't be hunted. Why are the ugly ones always the smartest?"

"It said that the barrier wasn't concrete, that it could be broken. The reason that it usually wasn't was because with their memories gone the victims were separated from the person who could save them," Willow continued when I had finished.

"Divide and conquer," I muttered.

"Exactly," Willow said. "Only we found you," she said moving closer to me. "It said that the barrier could only be broken by someone who had a bond deep enough with the victim that they were in a sense a part of the victim. Then that in a moment of closeness the two souls would join and the barrier would be broken," she finished softly.

"They'd have to be…"

"Soul-mates," she supplied.

"That means…" I said staring at her in a daze.

"Yeah," she said lowering her gaze. I watched the movement confused.

"Don't you…? I mean, why are you so…? Isn't this a good thing?" I finally managed to ask. "Big source for the happies?"

"I thought that maybe you'd…I thought that maybe you'd feel cornered, like you couldn't get away from me," she responded in a small voice.

"Will, I don't want to get away from you," I told her. "I love you, more than anything, more than life. I could only wish to be cornered with you for the rest of my life."

"Really?"

"Absolutely," I answered. "I'd never give up my snuggle bunny."

"Soul-mates," Willow said again in a breathless whisper as a smile worked it's way across her face.

"I definitely like the sound of that," I said as our lips came together.

When you know nothing you can see everything. All that was once commonplace and old, boring and tired becomes new again, becomes beautiful and miraculous. You see the world as a new and shiny place to be discovered, like a child, but with an adults ability to reason and understand. You comprehend how Columbus felt on that fateful day centuries ago looking around at the majesty of the new world, both alien and familiar.

Even with my memory returned to me, I still found myself looking around at my surrounding with a touch of reverence and awe. Having it all taken away from me had made me appreciate it all the more once it was returned to me. We all have a tendency to take what we have for granted, we start to think of it all as a right, a constant, rather than a precious gift. When everything is taken away from you, you come to realize how truly special what you possess really is, and you cherish it and hold on to it all the more tightly.

Despite all of the terrible pains which have burned and scarred my soul, if I had it all to do over I wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't change a thing, because I know with absolute certainty that it has all been worth to be able to walk where I walk, which is heaven on earth, hell on earth, and everything in between all rolled into one package.

Undoubtedly, undeniably, I have loved and lost, and loved again. I have fought, and been defeated, and come to stand once more. I have not always been perfect, but I have always tried to do my best. I have made a difference in the lives of the people I cherish most, and people whom I've never meet. I have lived and live still.

I looked down at the expanse of red hair spread across my shoulder and smiled happily. No, I wouldn't change one damn thing. Not one damn thing.