Remember Me

Hey guys! To make a long story short, I had to re-register under a different name in order to post. I have chapters for Remember Me and Fate, Faith and Family!! Allow me to catch you up....

Let me know if you want me to repost Remember Me or you can find it under my old penname Brat to catch up!!

Chapter Twenty

Buffy wasn't just Slaying tonight. She was hunting. Hunting
for the monsters that stole her mother, stole her heart and stole her
life--however unwonderful it was. She kept looking over her shoulder
now and then, half expecting Lindsey to be coming after her. She
could admit that she felt guilt for how she used his feelings for
her. She tricked him and she knew it. First she clocked him one, kept
him locked up in a drafty room and then lied to him and used his love
for her to play him. What the hell had happened to her? She wasn't
calculating and decietful. She wasn't any of the things she had
become since. . . well, it was just another thing to blame Spike and
Angelus for wasn't it?
Coming upon a vamp that was actually minding his own
business, Buffy had him pinned against a brick wall in a dank alley
way in no time flat. The shock and the fear was clear on the vamp's
face and Buffy smiled evilly.
"You're the Angel of Death," the vamp said fearfully.
"I have a nickname now?" She asked, straightening with pride
at this information. She'd made a name for herself. That was
something.
"Y--yes. You've killed some of my brothers."
"Brothers huh? Do you mean that in the we were once related
way or brothers in that we're both vamps way?"
"Both."
"Oh. How does that make you feel? Are you scared?"
"I am."
"Are you more scared now than when you were turned?"
He closed his eyes tightly. "More scared now. This is the
end."
She pressed the stake she had in her hand into his back, just
to make sure he felt the prick of it. "Maybe," she told him huskily.
"That is unless you can tell me what I need to know."
"I'll do anything," the vampire begged.
"Spike and Angelus. Know them?"
The vamps eyes widened, "yes, of course. They're legends."
"Isn't that beautiful," she sneered at him, pressing the
stake harder. "I'm looking for them. Have you seen them?"
"No!" He cried out in pain. "The last I heard they had nested
in The States with some girl."
"Nested?"
"Yeah, you know shacked up--"
"Shut up. I know what you mean."
That's when she felt it on her neck and her breast. The
marks. Her breath was coming shorter and shorter, the anticipation
making her heart jump erratically, making her pulse race and pump
what she felt was ice through her veins. Her mouth went dry and she
shivered. She knew now it was time.
She turned and there he was. Spike. Her tormenter. Her
mother's murderer. She clenched her jaw and gripped her stake so
tightly she felt the wood start to give way. She stopped when she
noticed the vamp trying to escape out of the corner of her eye.
Without turning, she reached out and staked him before he could inch
further away. Dust particles billowed around them, but neither seemed
to notice.
Buffy stood rooted as she faced the monster that haunted her
for so many nights. Images of his cruelty flooded her and she felt
her body shake in response. She willed herself to stop. Show no fear,
she kept telling herself. She imagined this moment a hundred times.
She envisioned the moves she would use, the way she would torture him
and Angelus before staking them, and in all those fantasies she had
never thought she would feel fear. However, how could she not? They'd
managed to over come her once after all. The way he was staring at
her was unnerving. It was tender and gentle. The way he looked in her
vision during her meditation. She shook that out of her mind.
"Where's your sidekick?" She finally asked.
"He's around. Buffy, I don't want to hurt you. WE don't want
to hurt you."
She started to laugh and Spike winced. "Are you fucking
kidding me? You ALREADY hurt me, you bastard. You killed my mother."
"No, we didn't. Buffy, listen to me--" Spike started for her
and she charged, stake poised. She didn't know how it happened, but
the next thing she knew she was on her ass on the ground. She looked
up to see Angelus standing next to Spike. He was looking at her
sadly.
"I'm sorry Buffy. I couldn't let you do it. You'd never
forgive yourself."
She jumped up. "Oh, I think I'd manage. Finally decided to
join the party, huh Angelus."
"Angel, Buffy. It's me, Angel."
"Yeah, thanks. I'm aware of who you are." She started for
them again.
"Buffy, we don't want to fight you. Please, Buffy. Just
listen--" Spike was saying but she barely heard him. She sent a
roundhouse kick towards Angelus and he flew back a few feet before
regaining his balance. He righted himself and she started for him
again, giving Spike a mighty shove on the way. He started backwards a
bit and as when he started after her, she waited until just the right
minute before sending a backwards kick to him and sending a fist
flying at Angelus. Angelus blocked her and she smirked at him before
pressing his cold hand with her fist and kicking him in the gut at
the same time. He slammed against the wall and she poised her stake,
ready to strike. Spike, she could sense, was coming closer and she
knew she had to stake Angelus quick. No time for torture. Just as the
stake was about to pierce his flesh, arms pinned her own at her sides
and she heard the clatter of her stake as it fell to the ground. She
stomped on Spike's foot as hard as she could and then elbowed his
stomach. She heard an 'oof'. He anticipated her next move however,
and grabbed the fist that was coming up to meet his face. She spun
and sent a round house kick to Angelus who was starting for her. She
sent a fist to Spike and then started for her stake as both vampires
righted themselves.
She never got that far.
Before she could reach the stake, in mid bend to grab it, she
was hauled up against Spike. His arms wrapped around her, effectively
pinning her own at her sides. She was trying to right herself and
stand erect when she heard him whisper, "forgive me luv."
With a shout of "NO!" from Angel, Buffy then understood what
they both meant as Spike's fangs descended into her neck. Her eyes
widened and her body stiffened under the attack. She saw stars,
bursts of color. She felt his love for her, felt his worry and
sadness. Saw him loving her, her loving him. Her mind raced with so
many images she wasn't sure which was real and which was fake. Her
mind was reeling, her blood rushing and reaching, it was too much to
take all in and she felt her body start to weaken.
"Just kill me," she whimpered before collapsing.


Chapter Twenty-One


"Do you think, ever, at all?" Angel roared as Buffy's fell limply
against Spike.
Spike picked her up, cradled her in his arms and gazed at her
lovingly. He pulled her close against his chest and started to walk
away, making it clear to Angel that he was ignoring him.
"What you just did made it worse for her! Not to mention that we now
have an unconscious Buffy on our hands. Do you know how quickly
Lindsey and Quentin will come after her now? Do you have any idea
what you've done to us?"
Spike spun, still clutching Buffy tightly against him. "I did what I
had to do! I'm not going to let those fucking bastards use and abuse
her any longer. She's my girl and I'm taking her home!" He shouted so
loud, Angel was sure they could hear them back in Newport.
"You just fucked with her mind even more is what you did! You could
have waited. You shouldn't have come out looking--"
"Wait? For what? For more plans? Something needed to be done
Angelus! We'd wait for bloody ever and never get her back with the
way you and Giles were handling things. The longer we wait, the
longer their claws sink into her and the more we lose her. I'm not
willing to WAIT any longer. I want my girl back and by God, I'm going
to have her back."
"And what happens when she wakes up and she still hates you? What
happens when she wakes up and her mind can't make sense of what's
happened to her? You don't know what Quentin did to her--"
"He TOOK her, that's what he did. He took what wasn't his and hurt
her. He took her from us, Angelus. We came here to get her back and
that's what I did. I got her back."
"You got her back all right Spike. But at what price?"
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you weren't happy I've got her
right here in my arms. Look at her, Angel. Look at our girl."
Angel stopped and looked at her as Spike adjusted her so that Angel
could get a better look at her. Angel's shoulder's slumped and his
expression softened as tears pooled in the corner of his eyes. Buffy.
His Buffy. His Salvation. Their Salvation. Shaking, he reached out
and moved some hair away from her beautiful, pale face. She looked so
skinny, so tired, so worn. He wanted nothing more than to have her
back. He wanted nothing more than to take her home, take care of her,
love her, nurse her back to health and ease her manipulated mind. He
knew, however, that it wasn't that easy. That it was going to be hard
on her, on them. Their battle was not over yet. It had just begun.
Again.
In silence both vampires made their way back to Giles's.

Giles knew of course. He was up waiting. He wasn't stupid. He'd
heard the thud of the window slamming when Angel had successfully
crawled out of it. He was actually surprised that Spike hadn't gone
after her sooner. He was a restless, desperate bundle of energy and
he had already guessed that Spike was going to be the one to
ultimately get her back.
He hadn't bothered going after them, knowing he would only be in
the way. He stayed behind instead and paced. He prayed too. Prayed to
the Gods for protection for the three of them. They needed it more
than anything right now. When he finally caught sight of them coming
up to the house, he merely opened the door, not surprised to see
Buffy in Spike's arms. Spike had a dazed look on his face while Angel
held one of sorrow.
Poor Angel. He always did carry the weight of the world on his
shoulders. He was always the one that worried about the consequence
of every action. It was no doubt he was in turmoil now. He also
guessed that Spike would soon be in turmoil when he realized that
kidnapping Buffy back--no matter how justified--would yeild further
destructive results.
No wonder the two argued so much. Spike acted on his impulses, Angel
restrained them. Together, they butt heads. Buffy, he already
guessed, was the one to ease that rift. She created sense for them
and made it possible for the two to co-exist together and referee
them. She was able to communicate to them, for them, to each other,
when they failed to express themselves in ways that didn't involve
shouting and fists.
He'd observed their barely restrained resentment and anger toward
each other, but, he'd also seen them come together and support each
other. If they could just learn to be more in sync with one another
instead of constantly being on the defense, Giles knew they would
make more of a formidable team. And right now, they needed that.
Buffy might be their glue, but they needed to find other means of
sticking together. From what Angel had told him thier past had
separated them and Buffy had united them. From what Giles could
see. . . their past united them as well. Without the aid of Buffy,
but with the aid of one part trust and one part acceptance, the two
could put aside any underlying issues that had been lying doormant
since they'd made the joint decision to share Buffy and be the
brothers he knew they could be. Perhaps they didn't know it, not with
the commotion, the anger, the sadness and the confusion, but they
wanted it too. They needed it.
Angel met Giles's concerned eyes as they entered the house and Giles
immediately set to work on gathering chains and locks to restrain
Buffy. Spike placed her on his bed, laying her down gently as if he
were afraid that she would break. He took her hand in his and
carressed it. He gave Giles a warning glare when Giles shackled Buffy
to the bed, making sure to get her ankles as well as her wrists.
"Hasn't she been restrained enough," Spike whispered rhetorically.
Giles didn't reply, but rather gazed down at the lifeless body on
the bed and ached for the poor girl. What more was going to happen to
the poor girl? He got his answer when he noticed the blood trickling
from her neck. He recieved his answer.
"Do you know what you've done?" Giles whispered on barely contained
rage.
"I did what I had to do."
"You've just hurt her more," Giles told him simply.
"She can feel me now. She can feel US."
"The memories Quentin created are not wiped clean now, Spike. They
are still there. She'll be confused, hurt, angry and she'll blame you
for more than she already does."
"She'll come back to me."
"If she doesn't kill you first."
"Who's side are you on?" Spike burst out.
Giles looked down at the small girl on his guest bed. "Hers."
Spike faced him, expressionless, "funny that. So am I."
"I suppose remembering something is better than remembering nothing
at all," Angel spoke up. Giles looked at his old friend. Knee jerk
reaction from him, he guessed. Just like siblings: They could fight
all they wanted, but once someone else attacked, it was a different
story altogether.
Spike's face told Giles he was not expecting Angel to back him
up. "Bout time I got some respect."
Angel shot daggers at him. Operation Defend Spike gone in a flash.
Good job Spike, opening your mouth. "You're an arrogant fool. You
brought hell to our doorstep."
Spike shook his head, "hell was brought the day she was taken."
Angel remained silent and turned back to Buffy. Giles knew he agreed.
Angel sat down on her side and just stared at her. Spike followed
suit on the other side. Giles watched the three of them and wondered
what the hell they were going to do now.

"Buffy? You still asleep?" Lindsey asked quietly as he entered her
bedroom. He was set and ready to take her out for a hearty breakfast,
followed by some "retail therapy" and then, well, he'd let Buffy
choose. She needed a day off, needed a day to just be a girl. Not a
Slayer, not a motherless daughter, not anything but a girl. Lindsey
hoped that was possible. He had high hopes after last night that it
was.
He stopped when he saw her on the bed, completely covered. He
grinned as an image of him next to her in that bed one day flitted
through his mind. In time, he thought and moved forward. He sat down
on the bed next to her and placed his hand on her arm. His grin
started to fade. Buffy was not squishy like that. She didn't dent
when touched. A cool draft from his left caused him to snap his gaze
toward the wide gaping open window. He flung back the covers and
found pillows. Letting out a restrained, frustrated cry, he bounded
to the window and found a heap of sheets tied together on the ground.
He managed to run through the gamut of emotions in a second: Rage,
betrayal, worry and fear. He settled on a healthy mix of rage and
fear. She went out looking for them last night. Not only that, but
she LIED to him. She PLAYED him. Stalking towards the door, Lindsey
settled on a course of action. First, he'd clean up the mess she'd
left behind, then, he was going to find her. He ignored the nagging
voice in the back of his mind that told him his time had officially
run out, and focused instead on the desire to show her, once he did
find her, who the boss was once and for all.

Spike rubbed his eyes, gathering his bearings slowly. The events of
the previous night rushed back and he popped open his eyes. He had
obviously fallen asleep next to Buffy. He looked over to see Angel
had done the same. Wondering how Buffy was doing in the light of day,
he craned his neck to see his answer. She was staring at him, her
expression devoid of emotion. He saw emptiness, no spark, no life,
nothing. His dead heart clenched at the sight.
"What did you do to me?" She whispered.