Buffy trudged through the room without acknowledging the others and Willow and Dawn shared a concerned glance. Buffy just hadn't been the same since Spike had died in the battle with the First. In the day, she kept herself to herself and hardly ever spoke to anyone. But by night they could all hear the crying. It was like she had lost heaven all over again.

Willow was too busy thinking to notice Dawn run after Buffy. After the final battle in Sunnydale they had all needed Buffy, but with Spike gone she had just shut out. She was either out slaying or just locked in her room refusing to come out and talk to anyone. Willow missed her best friend. She missed Buffy's smile.

'I have to do something' Willow thought to herself, remembering the memory purge spell. She quickly looked up guiltily as if someone could have heard her thoughts. Realising she was alone Willow allowed her thoughts to continue.

“It's different now,” She reasured herself. “I'm a stronger witch, I know what I'm doing. Buffy would be happier if she forgot Spike...” Willow trailed off smiling. If Buffy didn't remember Spike she could go back to the bouncy, smiley Buffy that they all missed.

Decided, Willow ran out the room to find some Lethe's Bramble.

***

“Buffy,” Dawn cried out to the locked door. “Buffy, please! You have to talk to me!”
There was no reply.

Dawn sighed and rested her head against the door. She missed her sister. Although she would never admit it out she needed Buffy more than anything.

“Buffy.” She whispered. “Please. I just want my sister back...”
Silence.

After a minute Dawn resumed pounding on the door.

***

Willow sat in the middle of the room, crystle ball by her side, a pile of Lethe's Bramble burning in front of her.

“For Buffy, this I char. Let Lethe's Bramble do its chore. Purge their minds of memories grim, of pains from recent slights and sins. When the fire goes out, the crystal turns black, the spell will be cast. Tabula Rasa, Tabula Rasa, Tabula Rasa.”

The spell complete Willow sat back and smiled to herself.

***

Dawn continued her relentless attack on the door.
“For God's sake Buffy, let me in!” She screeched.

Suddenly the door swung open revealing a confused Buffy. She looked at Dawn, a small frown on her face. After a minute she finally spoke.

“Um, sorry... but who are you?”

Buffy lay out on the sofa, flicking through a book. She kept glancing uncomfortably a the redhead witch named Willow. It had been two months since Willow had robbed her of her memory, and Buffy was always nervous when left in a room with her.

The last two months had been hard on everyone. Buffy hadn't been able to remember anyone or anything that had happened in Sunnydale. Out of nowhere she had a sister, a watcher and a responsibility to help save the world from dark forces that she didn't even know existed.

To be fair, Buffy had picked up on Slaying from the start, reflex doing the work for her. But things between her and her 'friends' had been difficult to say the least. The witch was apparently meant to be one of her best friends, but she had gone behind her back and taken her memories. It was clearly obvious that the Scoobies, which is what they seemed to call themselves, were clearly hiding from her.

Whenever Buffy would try and bring up Sunnydale, she would get a edited version of the story. Her story. She tried to bring it up with Dawn but all it seemed to accomplish was Dawn running of crying.

Buffy frowned, they were hiding something all right. Something important. God, it was so frustrating to be lied to when you can't remember anything to start with. It made her feel weak. 'I really need to kill something' She thought

“Willow, I'm going to patrol!” Buffy announced, heading out the room.

“Oh, okay.” Willow said watching Buffy's retreating form. She took a deep breath. “Um, Buffy...”

Buffy repressed a groan and slightly turned to see Willow, who was avoiding looking her in the eye.

“What do you want Willow?”

“I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

Buffy groaned and walked out the room. It felt like for the last two months that was all Willow said.
Reaching for a stake, Buffy made a b-line for the front door when a voice stopped her.

“Buffy?”

“What do you want Giles?” Buffy grumbled, she really wanted to go and kill something. Turning around and seeing the Watchers crest fallen face she quickly back-peddled . “Sorry. It's been a hard day... I was just about to go patrol.” She said, gesturing to the stake to her hand.

“I understand Buffy, I really do. It's been a hard few months.” the watcher whispered. “But this is important.” With that, Giles turned around and headed towards his mini-library.

With one more longing look towards the door, she followed her watcher out the room.

***

“So, basically it's another prophecy about a evil person doing evil things and trying to end the world. What's new?”

“Buffy, I wish you would take these things more seriously.” Giles said, concerned for the slayer he had come to see as his daughter. “Besides, there is something a bit different about this.”

Buffy looked up with interest. “What's that then?”

“The prophecy seems to suggest this will take place in LA...” he said wincing.

“Really? That's awesome! I've always wanted to go to LA...” Buffy cried out. 'Or maybe I have been to LA and I just don't remember'.

“The thing is we might not have been entirely truthful with you about your past. This prophecy, well, it's big, and you can't handle it by yourself. Your going to be working with someone called Angel... Do you remember Angel?”

Buffy shook her head.
“Should I?”

Giles sighed and took his glasses off, proceeding to clean them. “He was your boyfriend a long time ago."

“Oh.”

“He is also a vampire...”

“What?” Buffy exclaimed and jumping up. “A vampire? What happened, did he get turned?”

“Well, yes, many, many years ago. You started dating him as a vampire.

Buffy frowned. “A vampire and a vampire slayer? That's just stupid!”

Giles snickered to himself before sobering up. “Angel's not a normal vampire. He has a soul.”

“Does that make a difference?”

“Apparently.”

There was a silence.

“Tell me more...”

***

In LA, Angle sat in his office, smiling to himself. He had been told about Buffy's memory loss and now she was coming to LA to help him with latest end-of-the-world-prophecy.

'She doesn't remember me. She won't remember the mistakes I made. She's mine. We're soul mates, destined to be together.'

Angel looked out his office and saw a man with bleached blonde hair and a leather coat and frowned.

'I just have to keep Spike away from her...”