Remember Me

Chapter Thirty –Two

Everything happened quickly after that. Giles had decided it was best to call on some friends of his, one a former Watcher like himself, and some other magically inclined friends he'd come in contact with over the years. When they heard what had happened, they rushed to help. Spike had demanded to know why, from the poor battered Giles, they hadn't been called before. Witheringly, Giles informed him that too many involved, too many traipsing in and out of his home, would have aroused suspicion even sooner. Quentin had said himself that the ‘walls had ears.' And, he pointed out; he had not been up to putting their lives in danger as well. There had been enough pain and victimizing. Besides, it wasn't as if any of them had planned the attack that Quentin brought on them.

It was a miracle they'd gotten as far as they had. To which Angel pointed out, he was sure the Powers that Be had something to do with that.

They had quite a mess to clean up.

"I motion that we forego the authorities," Jenny, the dark haired gypsy said determinedly.

"What do you propose?" Maggie, a tiny spitfire, asked.

"We send him to a different dimension. Preferably a hell dimension. Or one
that preys on humans. Jail is too good for him. He deserves to rot
somewhere. Painfully." Jenny gazed darkly at Quentin who was looking up
at them in fear. "We can save the clean up of the bodies by sending them
with him. All in favor?"

Everyone's arms shot up in agreement.

"I have some books," Adam, a tall, intelligent scholar announced. "I have
some chants for a particular hell dimension portal." He leaned down and
into Quentin's face and monotoned, "Where you will face your greatest
fears and be tortured for all eternity."

Quentin trembled, his eyes wide with fear.

"Lindsey needs medical care. So does Giles, despite his protesting," Buffy
piped up from her place next to Lindsey as she pressed a towel against his
wound.

"I can help with that!" Amy, a small blond raised her hand sheepishly. "I
know some healing spells. I can take that pesky bullet out, no problem."

Buffy set about helping Amy heal Lindsey and Giles She let the conversations drift around her on what they should do with Quentin when she finally turned to them with an idea.

"How about we do what he did to me?"

Heads swiveled to her, some in shock, some pensive. "What?" Giles asked.
She shrugged. "Seems only fair. He took my memories and replaced them with something horrific. Why not do the same to him? We could make him crazy. Make him one of those people you see on the side of the road, yelling at the sky, telling you the mother ship is coming any day now. If he's lucky, he could be picked up and put in a padded room. Or place him in a life where he's married to some woman he could care less about and sits around all day, everyday wishing for a better life with his tattered, stained old man wife beater on and a beer in one hand. Someone just wasting his life away. Something this Quentin would hate."

Jenny grinned and pointed at her. "I really like her."

Angel and Spike laughed. "I really love her," Spike said proudly.

Buffy watched the remaining group mull it over. "All in favor?"

All hands shot up. "Aye."

And so it was decided that Quentin would be a nutcase. His mind would be
soft, his life going nowhere. He'd have no recollection of his stint as Head of
the Council. All he'd know is that he could smell colors, the light posts spoke
to him, and to get his quick fix, he needed to see a man named Lenny at the
end of 6th and west in the Bronx. Any talk of vampires and slayers would
only fuel his mental instability and, hopefully, push him to that padded
room of the fifth floor of the hospital. Buffy watched him as he sat bound in
the circle Jenny had made for him. She watched the terror on his face and
smiled.

"How's it feel Quentin?" She asked him. He looked up at her.

"Scary isn't it?" she continued. "Not sure what's better. Knowing what will
become of you, or having no clue what's going on. What do you think? Oh
wait. You can't answer me. You're bound and gagged. With broken wrists."
Moving forward, the rage coursing through her, she kicked him straight in
the stomach, taking pleasure in his body doubling over. He choked for air
against the gag and his eyes rolled up in his head before passing out.

"Buffy."

She turned to see Spike standing a few feet away from her. He opened his
arms and for the second time that day, Buffy broke down.

After that everything was a blur. Circles were cast, chants were spoken,
candles were lit and smoke billowed. In the blink of an eye Giles' basement
was once again clean of all blood, evil Heads of Council and henchmen. A
weary Giles coughed and sagged against a wall. Jenny and his friends
immediately set about bringing him up the stairs to help him heal some
more. The spells had taken a lot out of his battered, but slowly healing
body. Lindsey had been brought to bed, having passed out after Amy had
taken out his bullet.

Spike, Angel and Buffy stood in the now clean basement and looked around
and then at each other. It took only but a second for them to be in each
others arms, holding tight and weeping with a mixture of joy at being alive,
and relief that it was all over, and pent up tension that had not yet been
released from the whole ordeal.

Now that the fight was over, it was time to heal. More importantly, it was
time to go home.

TBC.........there is more to come!