Masquerade

by Kim

Part 15

"After spending all of your husband's money, I really think we deserve a rest."

Darla threw back her head and laughed as they descended the escalator at the mall. As she giggled her long blonde hair bobbed perfectly around her slim shoulders and her shapely figure attracted lustful glances from every passing male within a twenty-foot radius.

Darla knew she looked good. After spending countless years, and thousands of dollars, to get the right look, she knew she wore it well. For Darla, attracting men had never been a problem; they flocked around her like moths to an open flame.

All but one.

Only one man had ever rejected her advances and that, of course, had to be the only man on earth she had ever really wanted. But it hadn't stopped her. Rejection had never been a problem before and as Darla stepped off the escalator and caught sight of her and Buffy's reflections in the large store window to her left, she knew without a doubt that it wouldn't be a problem now. Buffy's pale face and skinny body looked almost childish next to her stunning appearance. The fact that she had already tricked the bitch out of Liam's life once only added to her twisted confidence.

"Come on, I know this great pasta house. You'll love it." Without another word, Darla placed her small shoe back on solid ground, turned to the right and, swinging her hips, swiftly moved away.

Lost for words, Buffy stared at her silently for a few seconds and watched in wonder as her so called friend slinked almost catlike across the floor of the mall. Struggling to keep up, she rolled her eyes and let out a deep sigh of relief that the shopping nightmare was finally coming to an end.

By now both her small hands were filled with carrier bags and Darla's poor joke about spending all of Liam's money wasn't that far from the truth. She had tried purchasing just the basics but even doing that had left a large dent in her husband's credit card.

That was the trouble with owning nothing but the clothing she stood up in.

As much as Buffy hated shopping with Darla she knew it as an evil necessity. Until her fragile memory returned, she had no choice but to rely on the generosity of others. She hated feeling so useless and made a strong mental point to memorise every shop she was likely to need in the future.

But not everything she saw was unknown.

Shops that were vaguely familiar caused little sparks to flare in her memory but the flashes were blurred and fleeting. Family days out at the mall, with her mom and Dawn, occasionally rose up from the darkness of her shattered past and taunted her with half promises of remembering. For a few tantalising seconds they danced close to the surface of her memory but, as Buffy fought through the confusion to join the pieces of the puzzle together, they quickly faded from her reach.

As Buffy watched Darla move further away from her, she reflected on the short amount of time they had spent together and as much as she hated to admit it, she still knew absolutely nothing about this woman at all. Although the shopping trip had proved a success, Buffy was increasingly frustrated that she hadn't learned more about her past.

Darla had been quiet for most of the afternoon. Apart from the odd comment about a certain style of dress or the colour of a pair of leather pants, Darla had been content to just study Buffy from a safe distance and watch for any signs that her amnesia claim was nothing but a annoying sham.

Darla Penn was convinced that Buffy's memory loss was all part of an elaborate trick to worm her way back into Liam's affections, but she had no intention of ever allowing that happen again.

From the moment Liam had told her about the accident and the convenient amnesia that had followed, Darla had been filled with doubts about its authenticity. Darla was convinced she would see through it in a heartbeat, she had known Buffy nearly all of their lives and there was no way on earth her rival would be able to pretend forever.

But back at the gallery, when Darla had first stared into her troubled eyes, the confidant, strong, woman Buffy Summers had always portrayed now seemed lost behind a dark wall of confusion. She didn't seem to be pretending at all and it frustrated Darla all afternoon that she couldn't find a way to break through the masquerade and expose her rival as a fraud.

But she wasn't about to give up.

With a smile planted firmly on her face, she watched and waited patiently for the girl she hated with a vengeance to trip up and show herself for the liar Darla believed she was.

But it didn't happen. Darla's cunning eyes followed Buffy's every move but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't catch Buffy out with a single lie

By the end of the afternoon she had no choice but to accept that the little ex-cheerleader was indeed telling the truth. It was a set back and a bitter pill to swallow, but if the amnesia was true and she really had lost all of her past memory, there was always plan B. William

As the two women worked their way out of the shopping area and on to the main street, Buffy sighed deeply and wished with all her heart that she had stayed in bed that morning.

Stayed in bed with Liam

The unexpected thought of her husband brought a smile to her lips for the first time that afternoon. But, just as the warm feeling washed over her heart, a cold dread replaced it with the memory of Will Pennington's devastating revaluation.

Was he really her lover?

No no no no no no no no

Buffy fought to shut out of the handsome young man's face but no matter how hard she tried, the word guilty wouldn't release its sharp claws from her soul.

"If it's all the same to you I'd much rather go home and put my feet up for a few hours" She tried to refuse the offer of a meal but she was quickly dismissed.

Darla spun around.

"Oh no, that won't do at all" Her bright blue eyes sparkled and although Buffy was looking straight at her, she failed miserably to read the _expression the other woman wore so carefully over her gaze.

Darla Penn, like Liam, was a master at hiding her feelings and as the day wore on Buffy was beginning to feel more and more uncomfortable in her presence. The thought that they had once been close, even best friends was becoming more alien with every passing minute. There was simply nothing about this strange young woman that Buffy could relate too.

It had nothing to do with her lack of memory, Buffy's female intuition told her that Darla Penn was simply too good to be true.

"Honey, I've been dying to talk to you properly ever since Liam told me you were home. Come on, I insist we at least grab a cup of coffee, it's my treat" Darla steered Buffy through the door of the most expensive restaurant in Sunnydale and made a large fuss about getting the best table in the house.

After leaving her breakfast all over the gallery floor, the last thing Buffy wanted at that moment in time was food. Darla, on the other hand, had no intention of taking no for an answer and at the determined look on her face, Buffy felt too tired to put up any real form of resistance.

Liam, where the hell are you when I need you? For the second time that day, Buffy found herself asking that question.

Needing a few minutes alone to collect her thoughts, she escaped to the ladies restroom, but when she finally returned to the table, Buffy found to her horror that Darla had not only ordered coffee she had also ordered the house special for both of them.

"There you are, Buffy. I thought for a moment you had forgotten where we were sitting" Looking up from the table, Darla teased and grinned a row of perfect white teeth.

For some unknown reason Buffy suddenly understood how a fly would feel caught in a spider's web.

She was trapped into spending more time with a person she really didn't like very much and in such a small environment, the walls felt as if they were slowly closing in. Looking toward the exit Buffy surrendered gracefully, knowing that there was simply no way of getting out without making a real fool of herself.

"I just left a message for Liam. I told him not to worry about you; we were still catching up. I don't know about you Buffy, but after spending all that money I'm suddenly ravenous" Darla laughed again and her smile grew even larger.

Come into my parlour said the spider to the fly

Stop it

Don't trust her

STOP IT!

While the voices deep inside her head battled with each other, Buffy cringed and realised that a long tiring day was just about to get a hell of a lot longer... and a whole lot more tiring.

Slowly, she pulled out the wooden chair opposite her companion and reluctantly sat down.

"Now you can ask me all those questions I know you're just dying to ask" Darla picked up a bottle of house wine and, ignoring Buffy's refusal, she filled the two tall glasses on the table with the clear cool liquid.

"I was hoping you could fill in a few of the blanks" Buffy asked and totally ignored the glass of white wine the other woman placed in front of her.

"Sure honey" Darla purred softly, and raising her own glass to her lips, she sipped gratefully at her drink. " After all, that's what best friends are for. But let's eat first and then you can ask what ever you want to know"

"Eat? But I'm really not..."Buffy started to refuse again but was quickly interrupted.

"Sorry, I've already ordered for you. I wasn't sure if your tastes were still the same so i just took a chance" Darla explained as their food arrived.

With a frown Buffy looked up and on seeing the overflowing plates of food being brought to their table, she felt her stomach strongly protest.

"I'm sorry Darla but I'm really not hungry."

Buffy bit back the wave of nausea she felt bubble in her throat and raised her hand to stop the waitress lowering the plate of pasta and salad in front of her.

Confused by Buffy's unusual reaction, the young waitress hesitated for a moment unsure of what to do next. She hadn't been working at the restaurant very long and this was the first time a meal had been sent back before the customer had even seen it.

"Would you like something else?" She asked as she hovered with the food but Buffy firmly shook her head.

"Just a glass of water, please"

Seeing the waitress start to turn away, Darla motioned for her to lower the plate anyway.

"Just leave it" She snapped and then realising her perfect image had slipped, she tilted her head towards the young girl and smiled sweetly

"Thank you, dear"

As the food was once again placed in front of her, Buffy felt her stomach turn over for the fourth time in as many minutes. She found herself wishing with all her heart that she could just get up from the table and run as far away from this overpowering woman as she possibly could.

"Please, I really..." She raised her hand again but her refusal was quickly brushed aside.

"It doesn't matter if you're not hungry, Buffy, you look anorexic."

Lowering her glass, Darla raised her hand and pointed her finger across the table.

" Look! I really didn't want to have to say this but you look dreadful, honey. I can see the bones in your throat sticking right through your skin."

Much to Buffy's embarrassment, Darla's voice seemed to carry across the whole restaurant. For a few seconds the noise level dropped considerably and heads at nearly every table turned in their direction. Buffy felt as if a dozen pairs of eyes were suddenly scrutinising her less than perfect appearance.

Unconsciously, she raised her hand to her throat and although she hated to admit that the damn woman was right, the small bones in question were easily felt beneath her fingertips. Before she had a chance to defend herself, Darla's loud voice was booming across the table once again.

"Whether you want the food or not, you need to eat. I promised Liam that I'd look after you and I never beak a promise" At that point Darla turned on her most concerned smile and almost sounded sincere.

With a tiny apologetic grin, the young waitress finally placed the plate of hot pasta back in front of the anorexic looking woman and silently slipped away.

With a sigh of defeat Buffy stared down at the food on her plate and while she really couldn't face eating anything, she didn't want to argue either.

Lifting up a fork she proceeded to move a small amount of the food around her plate and hoped that Darla was too busy with her own meal to realise what she was doing.

"Liam told me we've known each other for a long time"

The first question came easily. Now they were sitting only a few feet apart Buffy knew Darla could no longer avoid giving her the answers she so desperately needed to know.

Darla laughed as she split open a bread roll and lifted the butter knife.

"You could say that... We were five and you stole my boyfriend"

Buffy lifted a skeptical brow.

"I thought you broke my Barbie doll and I beat the crap out of you in the school yard" The spontaneous reply brought an unexpected glow of warmth and Buffy couldn't resist a tiny smile. Just knocking that smug look from the other woman's face felt surprisingly good.

"You remembered that?"

Darla raised her eyes suspiciously and studied Buffy's face for fresh signs of deceit.

Leaning forward she demanded an answer of her own.

" You're not faking this, are you?" Her blue eyes flashed a quizzical look.

Suddenly fresh hope sprung up that Buffy was playing a scam after all, but when Darla looked deeply into the hazel orbs directly opposite her she knew with a pang of disappointment that they only shone back with the truth.

Buffy took serious offence at the accusation.

"No, I'm not faking it, and I'm not playing games. Dammit, Why does every one keep asking me that." She snapped. Buffy was sick to death of that question. First Liam had been suspicious and then William and now Darla.

The question was not only an insult it was extremely cruel.

"Why the hell would anybody want to fake amnesia? " Buffy demanded angrily. Her eyes flashed and she only cooled her temper when she realised that her voice had risen and the occupants of both surrounding tables had stopped eating again and were now looking across with renewed curiosity.

Leaning back in her seat, Darla dropped the suspicion she was showing and replaced her _expression with laughter.

"Honey, calm down, I believe you. You're right. Why would anybody want to fake amnesia?" In the blink of an eye Darla's I really am your best friend voice was firmly back in place.

The last thing she wanted was for Buffy not to trust her. Everything she had planned rested with the foolish girl believing and trusting her completely. Just as she had done the last time their paths had crossed. On that small thought Darla knew the amnesia story had to be on the level. There was no way Buffy could have faked not remembering that little encounter.

That time everything had ran so smoothly that Darla could hardly believe her luck. It had played out just as she had planned. By the end of the evening she had tricked Buffy into believing her marriage was over and the stupid girl had fled into the night never to been seen again. It was perfect. Or it would have been if she had just stayed lost.

Bloody accident Darla silently cursed the event that had brought Buffy home.

Although she was now ninety-nine percent convinced that the amnesia was true, Darla still needed to delve a little deeper.

" So, how much do you remember?"

Buffy sighed, letting out a long, deep breath.

"When I first woke up after the accident, my mind was almost a blank. I could remember a few ordinary, everyday things but almost nothing about my personal life." The frustration she felt returned to her voice as Buffy recalled the first few hours after waking in hospital.

It had been such a difficult time. When asked she had recited the name of the president with ease but for the life of her she hadn't been able to remember her own name.

"Liam said you hit your head?" Still needing her own answers, Darla continued to prod.

Buffy chewed down on her lower lip and considered the question.

"That's what the doctor told me. I guess it must be true because I've still got the lump to prove it." She raised her hand slightly and let her fingertips slide across the slight swelling that was still on the side of her head. After a week it was much smaller now but there was still enough of a bump left to prove the accident hadn't been a complete figment of her imagination.

As her fingertips touched a nerve, Buffy winced slightly in pain and for the first time since coming face to face, Darla felt a small jolt of pity.

"The crash must have been pretty horrific"

She didn't really need to ask; Darla already knew the answer. The New York coach crash had been so dreadful that footage of the accident was even covered on the Sunnydale evening news. The irony was, Darla remembered watching the pictures on her TV screen without even knowing that the girl she had tried to destroy a few months earlier was now amongst the victims.

Not that it really mattered. If Buffy Angelus had died that day all of Darla's problems would have died along with her.

Buffy's death meant only one thing. Liam would be free. Free for her.

If Buffy could have read her thoughts she would have been horrified to learn just how much this woman, who pretended to be her friend, really hated her. Sadly mind reading wasn't one of her talents and in her state of ignorance, Buffy let her guard down and the two women started chatting like they really could have once been friends.

Without noticing it, Buffy's anger slipped away.

"At first I was terrified that I'd never recover any of my past, but the last few days have brought back a few memories. Feelings more than anything else but there was also a few family faces." Buffy smile sadly as she remembered her mother and Dawnie's happy faces grinning across the breakfast table each morning. When she started talking again her voice was much softer, almost distant.

"The hardest thing is not knowing who I am, or who I was. It feels like I have this huge shadow hanging over me and it's suffocating me with frustration." Buffy opened her heart and revealed the true extent of her pain.

That was just how she felt. There were so many blank pages of her lost life she needed to fill in before she could even hope to reclaim her past. Until that past was returned, the shadow of not knowing would remain, and haunt her every waking moment.

As she continued to push the food around her plate with the back of her fork, Darla reached out across the table and unexpectedly gripped her hand.

"That must be so creepy" she sympathised with all the skill of an award winning actress.

At the act of concern Buffy started to forget her earlier fears that this woman could not be trusted and felt her body relax. She was so in need of somebody to talk to that common sense was pushed to one side.

"It is, it's like I'm living in limbo. All my dreams for the future have disappeared into a deep black hole "

Darla didn't have time to smirk, because Buffy's next words sent a bolt of cold fear straight to her heart.

"But luckily Liam's been wonderful"

As Buffy proceeded to explain everything that had happened since returning to Sunnydale, Darla fought with all her might to keep her seething face expressionless.

Outside her body language portrayed the very vision of concern but inside, Darla was frantic to destroy the newfound feelings Buffy was confessing she had discovered.

"But what about poor William, I bet he didn't take being forgotten too well."

"William?" Buffy choked slightly as the pasta she had attempted to swallow got stuck in her throat.

"Why would William be upset?" She asked, nervously hoping the question sounded innocent.

Inside her chest, her heart was beating so fast Buffy swore the word guilty shone brightly in her terrified eyes.

Raising her glass of wine once again to her lips, Darla stopped and repeated Buffy's question.

"Why?" She laughed.

"Because the guy's madly in love with you. He has been for nearly two years"

Buffy felt sick. She had hoped with all her heart that William had been lying, but suddenly with Darla mentioning his name, the forgotten affair started to feel terrifyingly real again.

For reasons she wasn't quite sure of Buffy wasn't about to admit anything.

"Who told you that?"

Darla rolled her eyes.

"Duh! Buffy, William Pennington's my brother. He tells me everything" When she look up, her cool blue eyes were now positively twinkling with mischief.

"Penn. P.Pennington?" Buffy stuttered as the name fell into place.

" Half brother actually. Same father. William lived in England until two years ago, which is why he speaks with that silly accent. But he's my darling brother all right. He changed his name slightly because he thinks in his line of work it sounds more romantic." Darla laughed and her smile grew as she noticed how uncomfortable Buffy appeared.

"Brother" Buffy couldn't think straight as she ran her eyes over the small blonde woman facing her and took in the family resemblance.

It suddenly hit her like a bolt out of the blue.

The hair colour was slightly different but there was definitely something around the eyes.

Buffy went cold. The affair was no longer a dirty secret. She knew, William knew and now Darla.

Although the facts were staring her plainly in the face Buffy still wasn't about to confess. Especially to an affair she couldn't remember.

"What did he tell you about us?"

Darla laughed again.

"Please, do you really want me to go into all the sordid details while we're eating"

"Tell me" Buffy repeated as calmly as possible. She didn't care if Darla was eating, she needed to know the truth and she needed to know it now.

Darla placed her fork down on the table with a loud sigh.

"He told me you were lovers, you had been for awhile" She kept her face expressionless and prayed Buffy couldn't hear the rapid beating of her excited heart.

She needn't have worried; Buffy was too troubled to hear anything.

The tiny speck of hope she had held in her heart that the affair was all in William's mind was being completely blown apart.

"But did I ever tell you we were having an affair?" Buffy pleaded, still clinging to the belief that Will had been lying about their relationship. He might have boasted to his sister that they were lovers but unless she had told Darla herself, Buffy still refused to believe it.

"Not directly, but the two of you were hardly discreet"

"What are you saying?"

Darla rolled her eyes. She could see that Buffy was already falling for William's lies and it warmed her heart. She wanted to come right out and tell her every word her brother had told her was true but that was too easy. Darla wanted Buffy to suffer with the knowledge that she had cheated on her husband. She knew Buffy would never be able to hide that kind of secret and the pressure to tell Liam would rip them apart.

But let her suffer for a while before that happens. Let her beat herself up with the fear of the affair becoming public

"What are you saying?" Buffy repeated her question.

"I'm saying that William was at your gallery nearly every afternoon Buffy. I'm sure if you ask the staff they will confirm this?"

"But that doesn't mean.." Buffy started to protest but Darla cut her off with a wave of her hand.

"Oh sure. Do you expect me to believe you were only having tea and crackers when you locked yourselves in that little office for all hours" she smirked with satisfaction

At Buffy's pained look Darla knew she had hit the mark. Buffy was well and truly suckered.

I've had you on that office floor more times than I can count

Buffy looked down at the food on her plate. She didn't have any appetite to start with but now the smell of the food was making her sick again. Despite the warm day she felt cold. Forcing herself to look up Buffy asked the question that had burned in her mind from the second William had first dropped his bombshell.

"Do you think Liam knew?" Buffy shuddered at the idea. Was that where the underlying anger she sensed in him came from

"Liam?... To be honest Buffy, if he knew about you two he never said anything to me. Of course he might have covered it up after you left him. After all, Liam is a proud man"

You left him once and now you're right back where you started

"So I did leave him?" Buffy asked quietly, although William's earlier words had already confirmed that suspicion.

Her companion frowned for a second before carefully hiding the _expression.

"He never told you?"

Buffy shook her head.

Darla chewed her lip; she hadn't been counting on that. She had expected Liam to throw that little detail right in her face.

"I really walked out on him?" Buffy found that piece of information the hardest to deal with. She hope against hope that the statement was wrong but when Darla finally nodded her head, the last fragment that a mistake had been made was lost.

Darla waited for a moment, giving Buffy just enough time to get used to the lie. From the ghostly colour of her face she knew it wouldn't be too long before Buffy's shattered life imploded

"What now? Will you leave him again?"

Buffy shrugged her small shoulders and her face crumbled into a mask of confusion. The only thoughts that danced in the dark corners of her mind were Did she want to lose Liam again so soon after rediscovering him and Would her life be better without him?

Both questions brought more pain than she wanted to admit. At the hesitation Darla started to get nervous.

"Buffy?" She spoke just loud enough to break through the lost woman's reverie.

Buffy looked up and her eyes flickered.

"I don't know, I wish I did" She finally replied and even as the words left her mouth she started to feel her heart ache.

Maybe she would be better off running away from all this madness and starting a new life. What did the past really matter, she could reinvent herself and start all over again. No ties, no problems.. No strong arms to hold you in the dark. No sweet lips to kiss away your tears.. No Liam.

Without even trying, the questions answered themselves. Buffy didn't want a new life and she didn't want a forgotten lover. She wanted the man that made her heart race with just a single glance. She wanted the man she had fallen in lust with at first sight.. Twice, if she was being honest. From the moment she had opened her eyes in that hospital room, Liam Angelus was all she had been able to see.

Darla felt real panic now as she watched the play of emotions cover Buffy's face. She knew precisely what her rival was thinking, she was losing her battle to send the girl running and it scared her to death.

"Buffy, my brother loves you and inside your mind, underneath all that confusion, you feel the same way about him." She argued, vainly trying to recover some lost ground.

"But that's the trouble, I don't. I'm sorry but don't feel anything for your brother at all. I might have forgotten nearly all my life but my feelings are returning faster than my memories and one thing I'm very sure about, when William kissed me I felt nothing."

"And Liam..?" Darla struggled to keep the bitterness she felt from her voice but inside her veins, her blood was beginning to freeze.

The smile that flickered at the corner of Buffy's lips was all the conformation she needed to fear the worse.

"When Liam's around... it's like the lights dim everywhere else. I don't remember him yet but I already know I still love him." With the words came the relief.

She loved him. There were no longer any doubts in her mind. She loved Liam. She wanted only Liam

"But you left him. You couldn't have loved him if you ran away" Darla started to lose control as all her well thought out plans started to crumble around her. Buffy wasn't supposed to fall in love with Liam, she was supposed to run off with William leaving her to pick up the pieces of his broken heart all over again.

Of all the scenarios that had played out in her head, this was the last one she had considered.

After successfully destroying their marriage the last time, Darla had almost convinced the heartbroken man that Buffy was the worse mistake of his life. But just as Liam was beginning to respond to her, the accident had sent him running back to New York and weeks of turning him against Buffy had collapsed.

The smile that was growing on Buffy's face was starting to make her feel ill. Snatching up the wine bottle, Darla refilled her glass and swallowed the contents as if she was drinking water on a hot day.

In her ignorance, Buffy was still too caught up in her own new plans to notice the change in her companion.

As Darla finished her drink, the wine rushed straight to her head but it did little to help her mood. For her, the conversation was about to go from bad to worse.

"I was thinking, If Liam came all the way to New York to bring me home, then maybe he still loves me too. Darla, I want to make it up to him, whatever pain I caused him I want to make it right. If there's anyway to save my marriage I'm determined to find it." As she finished the rush of words Buffy sighed with relief. She now knew exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to make a life with Liam and she wanted to tell him how she felt as soon as possible.

Not sure of how to proceed Darla played the last card she could think of.

"And you really think that William is going to let you?" She asked sympathetically but inside she was seething with rage.

William really did love the little bitch so it wouldn't be too hard convincing him to make as much trouble for Buffy and Liam as was possible

With that thought, Darla started to feel a tiny ray of hope. If Buffy wouldn't leave her husband then maybe she and William would help Liam leave Buffy.

Why would he want to stay with her when she was screwing another man?

The ray of hope started to grow.

As long as Buffy couldn't remember the truth she couldn't deny the affair. Darla realised. Suddenly the amnesia she so wanted to be a lie was becoming her best ally. Liam was far too proud to stand by a cheating wife. The ink on the divorce paper was almost dry and Buffy would never see it coming

With the new plan taking shape Darla felt better but she wasn't home and dry yet.

"William seemed like a fair person. I hope he understands" Buffy spoke wishfully, hoping she had read William Pennington's character as well as she thought.

Darla looked across the table and reached out her hands to clasp Buffy's fingers.

" Don't worry about Will, Buffy. I'll talk to him and explain everything. I'm sure I can make him see things from our perspective" The happy woman was purring again as her confidence returned.

"Thanks, Darla. What would I do without you" Buffy replied and for the first time she felt as if a large weight had been removed from her small shoulders.

If William really cared about her surely he would want her to be happy?

Buffy suddenly felt very tired. It had been a long day and all she wanted to do was head for her home and try and put the mess that had over taken her life into some sort of order. She and Liam needed to have a long talk and maybe then they could decide where their future lay.

When their bill was settled, the two blonde women walked to the door of the restaurant. Before leaving Darla turned and smiled as she hugged Buffy close.

"Try not to worry, Buffy. Everything will work itself out for the best. Believe me" She whispered her reassurances with almost believable sincerity.

With the nod of her head, Buffy smiled her thanks again and pulled way.

"When you see William, please tell him that I'm sorry, but whatever we had is over. It has to be" Buffy turned and before Darla had a chance to reply she climbed into the back of a waiting cab and was gone.

As the taillights disappeared around the corner taking Buffy back to her husband, Darla started to laugh.

When you see William, please tell him that I'm sorry, but whatever we had is over. It has to be

Yeah, right

Standing in the doorway of the restaurant, the real hatred Darla was feeling broke free and flashed dangerously across her face.

" If you think for one second that I'm going to stand back and let you and my Liam live happily ever after, you couldn't be more wrong. I'm going to rip you two so far apart that you'll never become a problem again. That my dear girl is a real promise."

And I never break a promise

Part 16

To her surprise, the house was dark and empty when Buffy returned from her depressing encounter with Darla. Walking up to the front door with her arms filled with parcels, the peaceful stillness that greeted the exhausted girl caused a shudder of disappointment to slide the full length of her tired body.

After spending almost every second of the last two weeks in Liam's company, his unexpected absence felt strangely unsettling.

Admit it, Summers. When he's not around you really miss him.

The explanation made a lot of sense, but it didn't quite hit the mark. After the events of the last twenty-four hours, Buffy knew the feelings she had for Liam went a lot deeper than just missing him. She might not remember falling in love with the man the first time around but, this time, it was an entirely different story.

When Liam's around... it's like the lights dim everywhere else. I don't remember him yet but I already know I still love him

A warm smile started to spread across her face but before she had the chance to enjoy it, a new voice entered Buffy's head and the smile that had started so readily died on her lips.

It's Will, Buffy. William Pennington...

When he breaks your heart again...I'll still be here and Buffy, I'll still love you

Reaching in her purse, Buffy sighed as she struggled to find her keys.

After spending days looking for answers she realised, for the first time since the accident, that maybe something's in life really were better left forgotten. If not handled carefully, the new knowledge she now possessed could possibly destroy any chance she might have of ever being happy with Liam again.

You left him once and now you're right back where you started

As she closed the door behind her with a deep sigh of regret, Buffy still couldn't remember being the person who had lived in this house just four months earlier.

Buffy Angelus.

A liar?

A cheat?

Buffy shook the unpleasant words from her head. From the feelings she was receiving from her heart, both thoughts seemed impossible to accept.

Was she really the sort of woman who could run out on a husband who had obviously loved her and yet leave no explanation for her actions?

The sort of woman who took a lover after less than two years of marriage?

The reply to her questions brought a small amount of comfort.

You might have run out on a husband but you didn't run away with a lover

Ever since William had dropped his little bombshell, no matter how hard she tried, one thought wouldn't leave her alone.

If William loved her as much as he said he did, why hadn't he been with her in New York? Why was she travelling on that bus all on her own, three months after leaving Sunnydale?

Maybe because it's all Bullshit

Deep in her heart Buffy knew there was something very wrong with the picture in front of her, but, try as she might, she couldn't put her finger on what part of the equation was troubling her the most.

William's a liar?

Buffy shook her head. It couldn't be William because Darla had backed up his story.

Darla's a liar as well?

Again Buffy shook the thought from her mind.

Why would they both lie to her? What could they possibly gain that would make their deception worth all their trouble?

In her right mind, the shattered young woman might have had some chance of seeing through the masquerade that was being cleverly played out in front of her. But with her past temporarily wiped out and her future uncertain, Buffy had no idea which direction the deceit was coming from.

Liam obviously trusted Darla and Darla, in turn, trusted her brother.

For the time being Buffy knew she had no choice but to trust all three of them... .. However, no matter what anyone told her, she still smelt a rat.

Walking through the empty rooms of her childhood home, Buffy felt the loneliness close in all around her. It was strange how the house only felt like a home when Liam was around.

Without his presence, the empty rooms just felt like any other bricks and mortar.

If Liam finds out about William he'll be the one leaving this time

Buffy stood at the kitchen sink and filled the kettle. She didn't really want a drink but she needed to do something, anything to take her mind off the events of the day. Those thoughts refused to stay silent.

Maybe she could tell Liam the truth?

And lose him

Or she could hope that William left her in peace.

But then there was always the chance that if Liam found out later she would still lose him

"Let's face it. I'm dammed if I tell him and I'm dammed if I don't"

With a heavy heart Buffy climbed the stairs to her bedroom.

After the day she had just gone through, Buffy was so exhausted all she wanted to do was stand under a blistering hot shower for a few hours and then crawl into bed.

Walking into her bedroom, she dropped all of her shopping bags on the left side of her bed and, with a sigh of relief, kicked off her shoes and sat down. The softness, which Buffy sank into, felt so comfortable and welcoming that every weary bone in her body pleaded for her to just swing her legs over the side of the bed and disappear into the warmth of the covers.

As the long day and all its complications finally caught up with her, Buffy felt as if she could easily sleep for a week.

But you need to talk to Liam and you need to do it tonight

With a deep sigh of regret Buffy reluctantly struggled back up on her feet, she knew a scented bubble bath was out of the question, far too relaxing, but a shower would be all right. A long hot shower was possibly the only thing likely to chase away the slumber that had serious designs on her body.

Dropping the clothes she had worn that day in a tidy pile on her bed, Buffy walked naked to the bathroom and setting the water for blisteringly hot she stepped in to the shower and closed the door behind her.

Within seconds she was standing under a hot spray of steamy water, her taut muscles slowly starting to relax as the stinging needles hit every inch of her aching body. When a tidal wave of exhaustion crept up and rolled over her, Buffy leant forward and rested her two small hands flat against the shower wall for support.

As the steam started to fill the shower, Buffy closed her eyes and in trying to clear her head of all thoughts, she let the full force of the spray pound against her flesh washing away all the pain of the last twelve hours. The liquid therapy cascaded down over her bowed head and worked its magic on her shoulders, spine and buttocks before pooling at her feet and finally draining away.

For a few blissful seconds, Buffy felt as if she was flying high above the clouds without a care in the world. But bliss never lasts for long. When the water temperature changed, and cooled, reality returned and sent her crashing back to earth with a shiver.

Mourning the warmth leaving her skin, Buffy quickly shampooed her hair in the last of the tepid waters and stepped out of the shower before being blasted with an icy spray.

Feeling relaxed for the first time that day, she dried herself with a large, fluffy towel and returned to her bedroom feeling a lot brighter.

Dressed in just her bra and panties Buffy sat in front of her bedroom mirror and combed the tangles from her blonde hair. Whether it was the effects of the relaxing shower she wasn't sure, but the woman staring back at her looked a lot better than she had a few days earlier. She still looked very tired and far too thin for her liking but Buffy noticed, thankfully, that only a ghostly outline of her bruising remained and the thin pink line where her face had been stitched back together was quickly fading from sight.

A light touch of makeup was all it took to hide the last remaining evidence that she had ever been in an accident at all.

"Now, if only I could remove the scars on my mind that easily" Buffy sighed wishfully as she brushed just a hint of colour to her cheeks.

The sudden sound of movement downstairs caused her to turn her head and, when her name was called, Buffy jumped to her feet with a wide grin across her face.

Liam

In her excitement, Buffy was almost out of the bedroom door before she realised to her horror that she was still in her underwear.

Angel was pouring himself a drink when his wife entered the room. He wouldn't have admitted it, but he had just spent the whole afternoon missing her, wondering how her shopping trip with Darla had gone.

Seeing his friend could hardly concentrate for more than a few seconds at a time, Lindsey had offered to stand in for him at their afternoon meeting, but when Darla left a message saying they were still catching up, Angel had disappointedly carried on with his work.

Arriving home, he had been more than a little surprised to discover Buffy was already home.

On hearing the water running in the shower above, it took all of Angel's restraint not to pull open the bathroom door and join her. He and Buffy had made love in that shower more times than he could count and the thought that they would never do it again brought a sharp sting of regret to his heart.

So lost in his memories of wet bodies and loud moaning, Angel almost missed when the object of his daydream started to speak.

"So. What do you think?" Buffy asked shyly and moved her hands over the soft material of her new dress.

Putting down his now empty glass, Angel looked over and smiled.

"Breath-taking" He replied, fighting to keep his tone level but it was a waste of effort. The sight before him made it impossible to speak calmly.

At the compliment Buffy smiled.

"Thank you. I wasn't sure about the colour at first" She replied quietly, as she continued to erase a non-existent crease from the dress.

Angel watched her for a moment, noting the tension that seemed to radiate from her body.

"I wasn't talking about the dress" He lifted his dark hungry eyes and the heated gaze that devoured her body caused Buffy to blush almost to the roots of her hair.

"R. Really? " She stuttered nervously and felt a rush of blood surge to her head.

"Yes. Really" Angel chuckled softly and without taking his eyes from her face he moved a silent step forward.

Buffy sighed, wanting desperately to believe in his words, but knowing they couldn't be true. Admittedly she looked better than she had a few days earlier, but she was a shell of the woman she used to be.

"You're sweet. A terrible liar, but sweet" Her voice started with a small smile but Darla's cruel words were never more than a breath away.

Look! I really didn't want to have to say this but you look dreadful, honey. I can see the bones in your throat sticking right through your skin.

At the painful memory, Buffy's confidence started to tumble.

" I know I'm only a shadow of the girl you married, I've seen the wedding video, remember" The smile that kissed the corners of her mouth was already fading.

At the pain he heard in her voice, Angel shook his head.

"You're wrong, Buffy. You're exactly the girl I married" He replied truthfully.

" But I look..."

You look dreadful

Darla's voice continued its torment.

Buffy swallowed the lump of self-pity that had risen in her throat and her fingers ran lightly across her collarbone. But, before she had a chance to blink Angel was in front of her, covering her small hand with his and lowering it away from her throat.

"That's not important... Not to me, Buffy... Look "

Without another word he picked up her trembling hand and brought it to rest lightly over his chest.

Buffy hesitated for a moment, unsure of his meaning, but just as she was about to ask him to explain, she felt the rapid beat of Liam's heart pounding beneath her fingertips.

Raising her head, their eyes met in understanding.

"You do that to me every time you walk into a room." He licked his lips nervously, before continuing.

" You have from the very first moment you marched into my office at Wolfram and Hart and threatened to kick my ass if I even tried to take Dawn away from you." Angel smiled softly into her eyes as he related the memory of their first meeting.

She had been so angry that day, full of fire and spirit and when Angel had finally caught his breath after her attack, he knew in a heartbeat that she was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on.

"You constantly take my breath away, Buffy" He admitted truthfully and knew he was leaving himself wide open.

Buffy looked doubtful for a moment, as if the words were so unbelievable they couldn't possibly be real. Women like Darla took men's breath away, not skinny little things like her. But from the look on his face, her husband was strongly disagreeing with her.

"You're the only woman who has ever done that to me" Angel's hands slipped over her shoulders, his heart aching as he saw the need for reassurance in her troubled eyes.

"I really do that?" Buffy asked in amazement. She took a deep breath, which made her breasts swell up against the soft material of her new dress.

Angel nodded his head and almost groaned out loud.

Deciding that actions would be better than words, he slowly drew her closer until their bodies were locked together, her small breasts pushing against the hard wall of his chest, and her hips pressing against him so tightly that there was no mistaking how much he wanted her.

Buffy gasped, but made no attempt to move, as her breath caught deep in her throat. It seemed to her that the breathlessness now worked both ways.

As he watched her come to terms with the revelation, Angel knew at that moment that they were both incredibly vulnerable, but he didn't care. He wanted her so much; he ached in places he had almost forgotten existed these last four months.

When he looked up, the unexpected passion in Buffy's shining hazel eyes sent a shiver right down his spine.

Their bodies were pressing so closely together that Angel could feel the heat radiating from her skin.

"I missed you so much" His voice was husky and raw, ringing with a conviction that tore at her soul.

Tilting his head slightly, Angel's dark gaze bore directly into Buffy’s eyes and waited for her response. He didn't need to wait long.

Touching the side of his face tenderly, she smiled and looked into his chocolate eyes, now dark with passion. When Buffy finally spoke, the word came not from her lost memory, but straight from her heart

"Angel"

The name was less than a sigh, it was almost a silent caress that brushed softly over his skin and soaked deep into his lonely soul.

Angel wasn't sure who moved first, but suddenly their lips were touching, melting together so urgently that the spark they created almost set his blood on fire. With a gasp, Buffy reached up and slipped her arms tightly around his neck.

How on earth could I have forgotten this Every particle of her being cried out as her body ached for his touch.

Closing his own eyes and deepening their kiss, Angel moaned as his tongue slipped into her warm mouth and a million memories of kissing Buffy swam painfully around his head.

Kissing her, holding her, making love to her...

Every memory they had ever shared. Only they didn't share them any more. The memories were now only his.

She's kissing you but she still doesn't really know you

"I can't do this" Panting for breath, Angel reluctantly broke the kiss and gently pushed away. As he stood back his heartbeat thundered so loud in his ears that he thought it was in serious danger of exploding

Immediately missing the intimacy of his body pressing against hers, Buffy looked up with confusion.

"Liam?"

When Angel stepped back even further her large troubled eyes filled with pain and rejection.

"Did I do something wrong?" Buffy whispered again as a small frown marred her beautiful face.

Squeezing his eyes shut for a moment to cut out the pain he saw, Angel shook his head.

"No" His voice was barely a whisper. " I shouldn't be taking advantage of you, not while you still can't remember"

"You don't want me?" Buffy hated the tremor that appeared in her voice as she spoke, but no matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't prevent it.

She had been ready to give herself to Liam, heart, body and soul but he had simply rejected her

"Not want you?" Angel laughed, but the sound that fell from his lips held no amusement. The cool chuckle rattled through the room with deep felt bitterness.

"Buffy I want you so much I'm physically in pain." Angel replied, running his hand through his hair with sheer frustration. He watched as Buffy struggled to accept his words and knew that she was finding the situation even harder to understand then he was.

Taking a deep breath, he continued in a much softer tone.

" Buffy, me wanting you was never the problem.... I always wanted you"

"But I don't understand?"

Angel sighed and held out his hand.

"Then maybe it's time I told you the truth."

Slowly, he led her towards his study and on reaching his desk, Angel pulled open the top drawer.

Buffy felt her heart lurch in sudden panic. The look on Liam's face was the same unreadable mask he had worn at the hospital. For a second she swore she caught a fleeting look of anger but, as quickly as it had appeared, it was hidden

Standing in silence she watched and waited as the contents of a long envelope were then poured onto the table.

Two rings and a folded sheet of paper.

Part 17

The two small golden rings danced as they hit the hard wooden desktop, each reverberating in a spiralling circle before coming to rest in the silent room.

Gripping the now empty envelope tightly in his hand, Angel stood quietly by his desk. He knew this was a pivotal moment and his dark enigmatic eyes swept eagerly over his wife's face, searching for any sign of recognition that the two rings had triggered a memory.

From the second he had taken Buffy's small hand and led her into the study, Angel knew that there was no turning back. This was the moment he had waited for, dreamed about for weeks and yet, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that Buffy knowing was for the best, a tiny voice deep inside his head protested that this was possibly the biggest mistake of his life.

If the information Buffy was about to learn upset her and she ran away again, he would never forgive himself.

But how could they continue to live in the dark

Angel already knew the answer.

They couldn't

If he and Buffy were ever to have any kind of a future together, they had no choice but to confront the past. No matter how painful.

As uncomfortable seconds slipped into eternity, Angel's heartbeat thundered in his ears and a thin sheen of sweat coated his palms.

Taking a deep breath that did little to ease the tension knotting his insides, Angel nervously licked his lips.

The truth was so close now he could almost taste it.

Confronted with the sight before her, Buffy found she could no longer breath. When a surge of fear and anticipation swept over her shocked body and threatened to send her spinning towards a black, silent abyss, she reached out a trembling hand and gripped the edge of the desk to prevent herself from toppling in.

Struggling to stay in the land of reality, her horrified eyes froze, mesmerised by the two tiny bands of gold that now lay glistening on the dark wooden desk.

Next to the folded sheet of writing paper, the simple wedding band and a diamond solitaire engagement ring called out to her tormented mind to remember.

For a moment, flickers of something resembling pain danced behind Buffy's eyelids as her memory taunted and teased her. Emotions she didn't understand rose to the surface of her consciousness only to submerge and leave her feeling confused and bereft.

The rings called out to her, tiny whispers floated inside her head like a lost dream, but no matter how far Buffy reached, the memories slipped through her fingers like the early morning mist.

Looking for something to cling to, Buffy thought back to the day she had woken up in the hospital. She had questioned her lack of rings then but at the time there had been so much confusion following the accident that nobody could confirm ever seeing them. Not wanting to make a fuss about a little bit of jewellery when so many of the other passengers had died, Buffy accepted the loss without question. Once she had returned home the subject hadn't rose again.

Until now.

Almost too afraid to hope, Angel's heart leap as Buffy moved her right thumb over the naked third finger on her left hand.

As he stood watching the turmoil play across her features, he relived that last fateful day over and over in his own memory, The day when his once perfect world had cracked and splintered all around him.

~~~ Four months earlier~~~

6. 45 am

Slinging out a long muscular arm, Angel cut off the annoying buzz of the alarm clock that had not only jolted him awake from his slumber, but had also ripped him from the most wonderfully erotic dream. Laying back against the soft fluffy pillows, a large satisfying grin crept across his handsome features as the last fragments of his night time fantasy lingered on the edge of his memory.

He and Buffy would definitely have to put that little dream into practice sometime in the very near future

As his thoughts turned to the sleeping woman by his side, Angel turned his head and the smug _expression was quickly replaced with a tender smile. Softly reaching over, he swept a stray lock of silky blonde hair away from Buffy's cheek and thrilled at the smoothness beneath his fingertips.

Even after almost two years of marriage, Angel still marvelled at how fortunate his life had become. Meeting Buffy Summers and making her his wife was his greatest blessing.

Although he had an early breakfast meeting planned with Lindsey, before a full day in court, some things in life really were more important. For a few blissful minutes, Angel was content just to watch his wife sleep. Stirring slightly, Buffy looked so utterly adorable that he felt his heart constrict as he was swamped by a whole range of emotions.

Love, loyalty, passion and pride. She touched him in ways he couldn't even begin to explain. From the first moment the petite blonde girl had breezed into his life, she had changed it forever.

And that was the blessing Angel thanked God for every morning he woke up.

As the digital seconds on the bedside clock, flashed by far too quickly, and unable to put off their inevitable parting any longer, Angel leant forward and brushed his lips softly across Buffy's rosebud mouth.

Still happily in the land of dreams, Buffy sighed softly in recognition of her mate and parted her lips, inviting his tongue deeper into her mouth. For Buffy, this really was the greatest way to wake up.

Smiling at her response, Angel dropped a feather light kiss on the tip of her nose.

"Wake up sleepy head, its time to get up"

Keeping her eyes firmly closed, Buffy snuggled in to his side and pretended not to have heard the wakeup call. She adored the warmth of his hard body pressing against her skin and always made waking up last as long as possible.

"I know you're awake" Angel's soft voice teased. It was the same game every morning. Both were putting off the separation for as long as they could.

Buffy snuggled closer.

"Just a few more minutes" Her warm breath brushed against his shoulder.

With a groan of disappointment, Angel started to sit up.

"As much as I'd love to spend the whole day in bed with you, It's almost 7am "

When Buffy felt his warm body moving away from her, she finally opened her sleepy hazel eyes.

"You could always ring in sick" She smiled seductively.

Angel quirked an eyebrow

"Then we could stay in bed all day" Buffy was teasing him and her eyes sparkled, because she knew for a split second that he was actually considering the idea.

Maybe they could try that dream?... No.. Angel silently groaned again.

As work commitments returned to his mind, he knew as tempting as a day in bed with Buffy sounded, this time he would have to regretfully pass up the offer.

"I'm sure you have a hundred things to do today. You haven't forget that Cordy is flying in this weekend?"

Buffy rolled her eyes.

"How could I possibly forget a visit from your dear sister" She sighed but her voice was full of mischief.

Buffy didn't really resent Angel's sister paying a visit; she just hated having to share him with anybody. With Dawnie away at school now, their weekends together had become a time they both cherished. They would lock the door to the outside world and just focus on making each other as perfectly happy as was humanly possible.

"She's only in town for a few days"

Angel smiled; he then slipped his hand beneath the sheets and ran his fingertips across the naked flesh of his wife's tight stomach.

"I guess we could pretend to be out when she calls" Buffy grinned this time and Angel started to chuckle.

"You are so evil " His fingers continued to caress her skin with feather-light circles.

Buffy gave a little moan as her blood started to flow faster along her veins.

She loved it when he flirted with her.

"I know, but that's why you love me" Buffy flirted right back.

"Oh, really. And there I was thinking I loved you because you were smart and sexy and funny and beautiful and ..." Angel's fingertips moved slowly up her ribcage, brushing against the skin in away he knew would drive her crazy.

When he purposely missed touching her breasts, Buffy gasped.

"Okay. Stop crawling. Your sister can stay "

With a chuckle, Angel levered up on one elbow, leaning forward; he used a slow, deliberately sensual smile that he knew always melted Buffy's heart

"Well.. " His soft velvety voice started with a purr that sent shivers through his wife's blood. She knew immediately that he wasn't playing fair.

" Because Cordelia's going to be here all weekend, how about I spoil you tonight instead. A romantic dinner for two, followed by a night at the bronze. What do you think?" Bringing his hand from beneath the sheets, he reached up and softly stroked her cheek

Buffy lifted her eyelashes and her eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Throw in a night of red hot sex and you have a deal"

"You're insatiable "

"What can I say, I love your body." Buffy snaked out a slender arm and running it over the firm abs of Angel's muscular chest, she felt her lover shiver in anticipation. " Especially when it's inside of mine" The smoky passion reflected in her eyes was too much for her husband's restraint.

Angel groaned and rolled her over on to her back.

"God, you're going to make me so late this morning"

As their lips met in a deep searing kiss all thoughts of court cases, sisters and the outside world were temporally forgotten.

For the young lovers, their time together was far too short and making love far too much fun.

"You're so beautiful" Angel murmured softly as his large hands gently cupped his wife's warm breasts. Buffy giggled, but within one beat of her heart, a cool shiver of need flooded her body as Angel's expert thumbs teased her sensitive nipples. Sliding closer, he kissed her eyelids, her nose, her cheeks, before moving to claim her warm willing lips again.

Letting out a low breathy moan, Buffy dug her fingers deep into Angel's shoulders as a tide of pleasure flooded her whole body.

After ravishing her mouth with long cool strokes of his tongue, Angel broke away from Buffy's lips and moved swiftly to her breast.

His tongue tickled and swirled around her sensitive nipple, causing Buffy to arch up and thread her fingers though his hair, pressing him closer. Sliding her hands down over his broad shoulders, she reached the tight muscles of his butt and set up a gentle kneading motion. As his body surged against her, she felt the strength of his desire and insistently twined her legs about his body.

The small bedroom was then filled with gentle moans and soft sighs as the lovers satisfied their need for each other to the full.

Thirty minutes later Angel laid back against his pillow and letting out a deep sigh of contentment, closed his eyes

"I love you" Buffy softly kissed his shoulder.

"I love you too"

For a moment the two lovers lay silent, content just to hold each other as the world passed them by.

When Angel finally turned his head towards the alarm clock, reality kicked back in, and he laughed.

"I'm going to be so late"

Later that night

Closing the door of his car, Angel muttered a silent curse as his eyes caught sight of the time. He had promised Buffy a night out and he was already two hours late.

Bloody Darla Penn Angel cursed again as he struggled with the most enormous bunch of yellow roses.

The damn woman always called at the most inconvenient times. Instead of having a romantic meal with his wife, Angel had spent the last two hours calming a nearly hysterical client, who swore her ex-lover, was trying to break into her house. If it had been any other client, he would have handed the whole matter over to the police and let them deal with it, But Darla Penn was an old school friend of Buffy's and she and her brother William, were both valued clients. The small Law practice he and Lindsey ran was just beginning to make a profit and, as much as Angel hated spending the best part of the evening with Darla, he knew they couldn't afford to lose her as a client.

"Buffy! I'm home" Angel called out as he walked through the front door but much to his surprise and disappointment, there was no reply.

After searching the kitchen and lounge, he walked into his study. That was where Buffy would have left a message if she needed to go out in a hurry. Angel noticed the envelope immediately but as he approached the desk, his concerned eyes focused on two small gold bands, shining in the fading evening light. Reaching out, he ripped open the envelope and five seconds later, Liam Angelus' whole world fell apart.

~~~ End of flash back ~~~

While Angel relived the last day of their marriage, Buffy's eyes were still mesmerised by the folded sheet of paper and two golden rings. As she took in the painful evidence, fear - as cold as winter - wrapped its icy claws around her heart, and squeezed with all its might.

The first time she tried to respond she couldn't, her voice was paralysed by the nightmares her brain was trying to deny.

She really had left him It was no longer just a possibility, it was a fact.

Everything William and Darla had told her was true. In the space of a heartbeat she had become the woman she despised.

A cheat and a liar

"So, it's really true. I did leave you" Buffy's hand reached out towards the contents of the envelope. Her small fingers trembling in both anticipation and fear.

Angel stared down at her, his chocolate eyes almost changing to black. For a second Buffy saw a flicker of despair in his gaze, but it was quickly hidden.

"You remember?"

The air seemed to crackle between them.

After what felt like a small lifetime, Buffy finally shook her head sadly as her fingers slipped over the first gold band, a beautiful solitaire engagement ring. Although she felt a flutter deep inside her head she failed to place ever wearing the ring, let alone removing it and leaving it behind.

As Angel watched the confusion build in his wife's eyes he shuddered as his own memories kicked in and his tormented mind flashed back to the night he proposed. Buffy had been so happy when he slipped the ring on her finger that she cried.

Yes! Yes! I love you, Angel. I want to spend the rest of my life with you..

As the words echoed around his mind, Angel felt as if somebody had pushed a stake through his heart. Within two years, his wife had thrown the ring back and walked out on their marriage without a word of explanation.

Bringing his mind back to the present Angel repeated his question.

"Buffy... Do you remember? "

Buffy nervously moistened her lips.

"No, I wish I could tell you that I did, but I just can't.. I don't "

As the disappointing words slowly sank into Angel's head, the glimmer of hope in his chocolate eyes died.

It was too soon. Angel silently cursed and knew matters would now go seriously downhill.

Buffy's fingers moved away from the rings and lifting the folded sheet of paper, she opened it. She immediately recognised her handwriting.

It's over. Don't even think of looking for me because I'm never coming back. I never want to see you again, not as long as I live. I'll never forgive you for this... Buffy

As the contents finally sunk in, her bewildered eyes shot open in amazement.

"What the..." Buffy swallowed. This was the last thing in the world she had expected to read. As she struggled to control her trembling fingers her mind surged with confusion. The letter almost burned with anger, each tiny word was written with such bitterness. It simply didn't make sense.

From the gist of her words Buffy realised that she certainly hadn't left Liam because of William. The bitterness screaming from the letter was completely out of context.

"I don't understand what this means. I thought.. I thought I was... " She stuttered slightly

Without warning, Angel laughed and the sound sent a sliver of fear down her spine. " You don't understand? "He snorted, his voice tinged with months of suppressed anger

There was no justification for Buffy's actions that night. All he had ever done was love her.

"You just left, Buffy.. You didn't give me a chance to understand"

But William said.."

"Pennington" Angel's dark eyes flashed dangerously and Buffy stepped back.

Consumed by a wave of guilt, and afraid of what Liam might see in her eyes, she lowered her lashes.

Angel was too incensed to notice

"You've seen Pennington?"

At the high level of anger in his voice, a peal of warning bells rang loudly inside Buffy's head. This was certainly not the time for a confession

"William called in at the gallery when I was waiting for Darla" She took a deep breath before continuing with her explanation, but she never got the chance.

"So he came back here after all?" Angel demanded. His voice was so cold it sent a chill through the whole room.

Buffy blinked.

"Back?.. I don't understand "

William hadn't been with her, he hadn't said anything about being away.

When she looked up at her husband again she hardly recognised the man in front of her.

"Don't worry about it, Buffy.. This time I'll kill him"

"Liam" Buffy gasped.

She looked horrified. Shock had stolen every vestige of colour from her skin, making her eyes even more brilliant.

"I promised that bastard if he ever went near you again it would be the sorriest day of his life"

So much for him not knowing Buffy started to realised her greatest fear but Liam's next words contradicted everything she had started to believe.

"Did he hurt you?"

"Hurt me?" Buffy gasped in confusion. This conversation wasn't going anywhere near the direction she had expected.

She could no longer read the emotions blazing from Liam's face.

"No! He was just worried about me, that's all. He said we were close friends"

Buffy hated lying, but from the hatred she felt emanating from her husband, she truly feared for William's safely if Liam knew the truth.

" Friends That's a laugh." Angel spat the words in disgust. " Buffy, William Pennington is nothing but a stalker. He made your life hell for weeks and I promised him that the next time I saw him, I'd send him all the way back to the Mother country in a wooden box"

Without another word Angel snatched up his jacket and marched from the room.

As the front door slammed, Buffy stood motionless in the middle of the study. All around her, the walls of the small room started to close in. Everywhere she looked there were contradictions. So many lies. One minute she was led to believe she was the one having an affair and the next..... Blinking back a sudden rush of tears, Buffy picked up the sheet of writing paper once more and carefully re-read every word.

As a single tear escaped and slipped down her cheek, she curled her fingers around the note and crushed it into a ball

Part 18

With the slamming of the front door still echoing loudly in her ears, Buffy stood trembling in the now deserted study. Standing alone with just her troubled thoughts for company, hot tears pressed behind her eyelids and her throat grew tight with frustration as the nightmare that had become her life since the accident, grew even darker.

Once again, the fragile world that she had awoken to just a few weeks earlier had crumbled into total confusion, suffocating her with new deceptions.

For a short period, Buffy had really tried to believe that the worst part of losing her memory was finally behind her, that her life couldn't possibly get any more surreal. What a mistake that had been. In a single second, a blink in time, her troubled world had once again been turned on its head.

You just left, Buffy. You didn't give me the chance to understand. You. Just. Left.

As Buffy stood listening to the sound of her own heartbeat, Angel's sad words echoed through the room and reverberated right into her soul.

From the pain reflected in his dark, lonely eyes, Buffy was shocked to learn that her husband really didn't have any idea why she had abandoned him three months earlier. Liam Angelus seemed as much in the dark about her reasons for leaving him as she was

As the frightened young woman struggled to come to terms with the new turn of events, Liam's small study seemed to close in all around her, mocking her with its familiarity.

A familiarity that, try as she might, she still couldn't place ever being apart of. At that moment in time, all Buffy could feel was an awful emptiness, as if her brain was hollowed out and that this was as good as it ever gets. Once again, the fear that she would stay like this for the rest of her life returned and immediately all the colour drained from her face, leaving only a ghost of the beautiful young woman she had once been in its place.

Apart from her dreams of burning alive, this was the nightmare that haunted Buffy's sleep night after night. The real terror that if her memory never returned, the rest of her life would be lived in limbo.

Buffy trembled; just the realisation that part of her life could be forever shrouded in darkness, sent a cold shiver down the length of her spine.

Desperately trying to shake the icy visions from her head, Buffy fought to pull herself together, but the small study surrounding her had other ideas. Slowly, from every corner of the room, subtle images of the happy life she and Liam had built together over the last two years silently called out to be remembered. Photographs and mementos from a lost past did their best to jerk a reaction from the frightened girl, but no matter how many smiling faces called out from their frames, each failed miserably to bring a response.

The nightmare was indeed coming true, she was going to stay lost in this darkness forever

Standing all alone in the now empty room, Buffy suddenly understood what it felt like to be abandoned.

What if this time it was Angel who didn't come back? What if William told him the same story he had told her?

With the idea of losing her husband, Buffy found a deep ache form in the centre of her chest. Liam had only been gone for a few minutes but already she was missing him. As her eyes once again drifted to the two golden rings lying abandoned on the wooden desktop, Buffy swore a light of recognition fought its way through the darkness.

Deep inside her head the sound of trapped memories, lost in a distant corner of her mind rattled angrily against their prison walls, desperate to be free.

While struggling to hold on to her sanity, tiny whispers from Buffy's past teased her tired eyes with flashes of colour. Without any warning, feelings of anger and bitterness shot to the surface of her subconscious and her slight body shook with the force of their escape.

I'll never forgive you for this

With a gasp of disbelief, the blackness that had filled her mind since the accident momentarily lifted and Buffy actually tasted the hatred she had felt writing those very words. Gripping the edge of Liam's desk for support, she watched her shattered mind replay the events of a few months earlier. Buffy witnessed despair as she ripped the gold wedding band from her third finger, she felt both anger and betrayal flow though her veins like iced water, as she had turned on her heel and walked out of the front door for the very last time. With a flash of pain, her heart was flooded with a terrible sense of loneliness as she then watched herself sitting on a greyhound bus heading for a new life in New York.

As the vision before her faded Buffy realised she had been very alone on that bus. She fought to hold onto the picture for as long as possible, but just as suddenly as it had started the memory was over.

On reflection it had only been the briefest flicker into her past, but Buffy staggered as she realised the memory was real. It wasn't wishful thinking any longer; she really had started to remember.

For a split second It was all there in black and white, She really had left him, but... Buffy shook her head trying to break through the fog that had returned to cover her mind. From the words she had written in her note, the reasons for her leaving were still not explained. All Buffy knew for sure was the pain she had felt in her heart that day had been unbearable.

Dropping her eyes, Buffy looked down again at the crumpled note lying abandoned on the study floor. At last the first tiny piece of the puzzle had started to fall into place and with that realisation, a shudder of fear ripped right through her heart.

It wasn't love that had chased her away that day, it was pain.

Struggling to come to terms with this new information, one thought refused to leave Buffy's head Someone had to be lying to her

Only three people had entered her life since returning to Sunnydale, and for whatever the reason, Buffy knew one of them had to be lying

Liam, William Pennington or Darla Penn

One of those was an outright liar, but who? And more importantly, why?

Buffy closed her eyes as the question she couldn't even begin to answer pounded at her exhausted brain.

Her husband was the first person to slip into her mind.

No. We're not friends, Buffy... You're my wife...

Liam was the most complicated of the three to understand. One moment he was so cold and the next...

Buffy I want you so much I'm physically in pain.

Buffy had felt the emotion of their past radiating from his body like heat on a warm summer's day. At times, when he spoke, there was real passion in his dark eyes, both passion and tenderness. When Liam touched her skin, her mind might not remember him but her body did. His kisses were remembered, not in her memory but deep in her heart.

Buffy sighed; she still couldn't remember falling in love with this man the first time he had entered her life, but she certainly knew the second time it had happened. Looking back, she realised with a shudder that it started the instant she had opened her eyes in that hospital room. Whatever fate had in store for her, it seemed Buffy was destined to love Liam Angelus whether she wanted to or not.

But Liam wasn't the only man in this equation, there was also William Pennington and no matter how much she wished she could deny it, Buffy knew that the sweet looking guy, with the shock of bleached hair and mischievous blue eyes, seriously cared about her. The hurt look on his face when she failed to recognise him was genuine enough, Buffy was positive about that, if nothing else.

The thing that scared Buffy most about William was, if she believed the story he had told her, not only was she an adulteress, it also proved that Liam Angelus was certainly no Angel. Buffy, I think that knock to your head did more than just wipe out a few memory cells. What on earth's gotten into you? I've already told you that we're lovers, I've had you on that office floor more times than I can count and now suddenly you can't bear to even kiss me.....

When you come to your senses, hopefully you'll remember that I love you much more that he ever did, and when he breaks your heart again. I'll still be here and Buffy, I'll still love you. As Buffy shook her head to clear William's declaration of love, her thoughts then turned to her so-called best friend.

Darla

Buffy still didn't trust the blonde female; who Liam swore was her best friend, as far as she could throw her. But sadly, whether she trusted her or not, Darla Penn backed up William's story to perfection and William's story destroyed any future she might have with Liam.

Buffy, my brother loves you and inside your mind, underneath all that confusion, you feel the same way about him

Buffy shook her head again and ran her fingers through her silky blonde hair in frustration.

"But that's the trouble, I don't. I don't love William, I love Angel ." A soft sigh slipped into her voice as she picked up the rings again from the desk and held them in the palm of her hand. As Buffy started to slip the gold wedding band back over her finger, her words from her past came back with an icy blast.

It's over. Don't even think of looking for me because I'm never coming back. I never want to see you again, not as long as I live. I'll never forgive you for this...

Buffy's heart sank as the rings once again fell to the desk.

"Or at least I thought I did..." As she regretfully accepted that Liam was the one most likely misleading her, Buffy remembered where her husband was heading.

Buffy, William Pennington is nothing but a stalker. He made your life hell for weeks.

This time I'll kill him. I promised that bastard if he ever went near you again that it would be the sorriest day of his life

"Oh God!"

Finally realising the seriousness of the situation, Buffy pulled open the top desk drawer and removed a large address book. As her slim fingers quickly skimmed through the pages, she didn't even question how she had found the book so quickly. Turning to the page marked with a large dark P, Buffy knew in her heart that the name Pennington would not be there, but as her fingers slid down the long list of names, the second name on her lips was..

Penn.

Darla Penn.

Snatching up the receiver, Buffy pushed the numbers and waited with panic building as the phone continued to ring unanswered. Then, just as she lost all hope of preventing a bloodbath the sound of an annoyed female screeched into her ear.

"This better be important, I was in the shower"

Buffy sighed as she recognised Darla's voice.

"Darla, Thank God you answered, I didn't know who else I could ask"

"Buffy? Honey, I'm soaking wet here. Ring me back in an hour will you?"

"I need to find William, like yesterday" Buffy demanded, ignoring the other woman's request

At the other end of the phone line, the dripping wet female smiled as she clutched her towel closer to her body. The panic in the Buffy's annoying voice wasn't missed and a warm glow of satisfaction started to spread slowly through her cool veins.

Although Darla had planned for Liam to eventually find out about her brother's affair it seemed the news had broken much quicker than even she had thought possible. After her lunch date with Buffy, Darla had been worried that all her scheming had been for nothing, but now, much to her delight, it seemed the stupid little bitch hadn't keep her mouth shut after all.

Studying her reflection in the bathroom mirror and taking a deep satisfying breath, Darla transformed herself into Buffy's sympathetic best friend

"So, you finally came to your senses and realised where your heart really belonged " She started softly, her voice laced with fake concern.

Buffy was too worried to notice the treachery in the other woman's voice. All she could see was Liam and William coming to blows and she was terrified of the outcome.

Real fear started to twist knots in her stomach as her patience ran out.

"Darla, I haven't got time to go into the full story, I need to find William immediately. Liam knows I've seen him and he wants blood"

At the increased panic coming from Buffy's end of the line Darla grinned and played the part of a worried sister to perfection

"Buffy, what the hell have you done. Will's no match for Liam. Why on earth did you tell him, why couldn't you have just disappeared again?" Slowly, Darla's voice started to rise as she acted out her concern for her brother's safety. Not that William needed her concern. William Pennington had a strong reputation of being able to look after himself, not that Buffy remembered. If anything, Liam was likely to end up on the wrong end of a real beating.

Darla grinned. And I'll be the one to kiss him better

As the evil smile on her face widened, on the other end of the line, Buffy's beautiful features creased into a worried frown.

This was all her fault. If either man was seriously hurt she was the only one to blame

"I.." Buffy started.

But Darla didn't give her victim time to think about an answer, she continued her attack, wearing the already guilt ridden girl to the bone.

" William would've happily given up his life here in Sunnydale to have gone away with you. When are you going to accept that you don't belong here, Buffy? You should never have returned"

Running her fingers through her hair with frustration, Buffy shook her head. Darla was right, she really should never have come back to Sunnydale.. It was a mistake, and now blood was going to be spilt.

As the consequences pounded her head Buffy finally snapped.

" Dammit, I haven't got time for this now. Look, I still can't remember where William lives and Liam is already on his way. Just give me the goddamn address"

Darla paused for a moment for effect and then reluctantly answered

"Crawford Street. William owns the large mansion on Crawford Street...." She didn't have time to finish her sentence before the phone was slammed down in her ear. Buffy had all the information she needed and didn't have time to waste on long good-byes

The blonde, wrapped only in a towel, replaced the receiver while a large satisfied grin covered her smug face. Everything was going better than she'd ever dreamt possible. This time the little cheerleader's marriage was well and truly history.

Meanwhile

Back at Ravello Drive, Buffy was out of the front door and half way down the road before she'd even released that she didn't have the slightest idea where Crawford Street was.

Part 19

"Stop! Dammit, stop"

After running in circles for at least four blocks, hoping that something familiar would trigger her memory and point her in the right direction, Buffy reluctantly admitted defeat. It was useless. Her poor excuse for a memory wouldn't play fair and even though she'd been born in this small town, and supposedly lived here all of her life, it made no difference. In her present state of mind, and just four blocks from home, the troubled young woman was completely lost.

Feeling bitter, angry and frustrated, only one thought kept Buffy searching. Sadly, she was almost certain that Liam knew exactly where Crawford Street was and from the look on his face, her enraged husband could be carrying out his threat against William Pennington's at that very second.

Don't worry about it, Buffy.. This time I'll kill him

I promised that bastard if he ever went near you again it would be the sorriest day of his life

Feeling the panic in her stomach start to spread like a forest fire, burning out of control, Buffy knew she had to do something and she had to do it fast. With every wasted minute that swirled past her, the prospect of stopping the violence between the two men in her life grew less likely.

Two men in her life?

As the words throbbed inside her brain, Buffy's head began to hurt.

Deep inside her mind forgotten memories were surging to reach through the black abyss that kept them trapped. Fragments of her lost life teased and tormented her as they fought to return home, and the more she questioned her past, the more she knew she was being lied to.

Tiny flashes from somewhere deep inside her subconscious continually echoed that there was only one man in her life. Only one love had ever reached out and truly touched her heart.

But was it William or Liam?

William Pennington is nothing but a stalker. He made your life hell for weeks

Liam's angry voice broke through her thoughts, but only to be counter attacked by Will's

When you finally come to your senses, you'll remember that I love you much more than he ever did, and when he breaks your heart again

More confused than ever, Buffy struggled with the two faces dancing before her eyes.

William was, rich, good-looking and he seemed genuinely found of her. But it felt wrong. There was something missing with this man, heat - fire. There was simply no spark when he kissed her.

Liam on the other hand was a different story. He not only sparked; he sent shock waves of electricity right through her body. He held the missing element. When Liam touched her skin he set her blood on fire. Buffy still couldn't remember falling in love with the man she had married, but if she really searched her heart, she didn't need her memories to know the answer. She belonged to Liam. She didn't have a past and until it returned her present was stuck in limbo but when Buffy thought of the future, if she was truly honest with herself, all she could see was Liam. All she wanted was Liam.

But would he still want her? After this night was over would he be the one leaving this time?

As her thoughts snapped back to the present, and to the look on Liam's face when he first heard that William was back, Buffy knew she was wasting precious time. She had to find both the mansion and Pennington before Liam did... For all their sakes.

If only these streets didn't all look the same

Turing her head one last time for inspiration, a flash of blurring yellow on the horizon answered her prayers.

She might not remember the way to the mansion but there were others that did

Stepping off the sidewalk, Buffy stood in the middle of the road and holding out both of her small arms she waved frantically, forcing the approaching taxi to stop in its tracks. With a slight screech of rubber tyres the car came to an abrupt halt and the bald headed driver shook his head in amazement as he glared out of the side window.

"Lady, have you got a serious death wish or something?" Charles Gunn demanded as he watched the small blonde waif step closer to his cab. It was his last run of the night and the last thing he needed was to hit a pedestrian, especially a crazy one.

Relieved that the car had stopped for her, Buffy was too immersed in her own troubles to notice the sarcasm in the driver's voice. Her only concern was getting to William Pennington's house as quickly as possible and putting an end to the nightmare that had taken over her life. Her first priority was stopping any bloodshed, but while she was heading in that direction, Buffy also knew there was a second reason for seeking out the English poet. She was no longer taking no for an answer.

With the two men in the same room, if Liam couldn't or wouldn't fill in the lost pieces of the puzzle, then maybe William would. And if they didn't, maybe it was time to make them...

That's if they hadn't killed each other first

"Hey! Do you want a cab or not?" The rich masculine voice of the driver broke her out of reverie.

Leaning forward, Buffy peered into the side window and gratefully nodded her head.

"I need to get to Crawford Street. I'm looking for a mansion " She asked as she flung open the car door and after closing it behind her, dropped wearily into the back seat. "Please, as quickly as possible"

"Sure, I know the place you want. That's where that poet lives. My wife reads his work all the time. A bit hearts and flowers for my taste but she likes it" The driver chatted happily as he pulled back out into the road. Although it was getting dark, he was surprised the girl needed a cab, it was such a short distance and every person in Sunnydale knew where the English writer lived. After all, how many celebrities were there in Sunnydale?

Raising his eyes to his mirror, Charles Gunn studied his passenger sitting quietly in the back seat. She was an extremely attractive young woman, although a little on the thin side if he was honest, but it wasn't her looks that caught his attention. The girl's eyes were so troubled, the sad hazel orbs almost looked haunted.

Turning on to main Street Charles tried to strike up a conversation.

"I guess you must be new in town" He asked, not believing a local wouldn't know where Crawford street was.

Buffy was looking out of the window at the passing houses, at the question she sighed sadly.

"I've been away for a while, I guess my memory's not what it used to be" She tried to act calmly but the tension in her voice wasn't missed on either of them.

" Don't worry, It's not that far, we'll be there in less than ten minutes"

"Good... That's good." Buffy turned her head away from the window as her gallery flashed past and closed her eyes.

It seemed the longest ten minutes of her life...

Crawford street, it turned out, was just on the outskirts of town and much to Buffy's surprise, it seemed that every person in Sunnydale knew of William Pennington and the large mansion he kept on in Sunnydale. Everyone that was except her.

The journey seemed to last forever and as the cab turned down the impressive street in question, Buffy's eyes nervously flicked from one large building to the next, hoping that one of them would jump out at her and shout its recognition. In the end she didn't need to be told that they had arrived. When the car pulled up in front of the most impressive building in Sunnydale, Buffy went cold. Looming up out of the dark night, the cold gray structure seemed to whisper out her name from every nook and cranny.

"This is Pennington's place, but it doesn't look like anyone's at home" the driver said offering his opinion as he glanced up at the tall building, blanketed in total darkness.

This part of town was so isolated; he didn't like the idea of leaving the young woman all alone. There was something very vulnerable about the small blonde girl in the back seat of his cab and the thought of leaving her stranded went against his better judgement.

"I can wait for you if you want" Charles asked over his shoulder.

Buffy smiled her gratitude but refused the kind offer. "Thanks, but I'll be fine"

Climbing from the cab, she watched the taillights disappear back up the street, and turning towards the mansion, Buffy shivered and felt the small hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. There was something evil about this house. At one time in her life this house had caused her intense pain.

And you want to go right back inside? Great idea Buffy tried to reason with herself about going inside, but she already knew she would lose that argument.

Liam's inside that house. Liam, William Pennington and the secrets from my past..

It didn't matter how afraid she was; there was no going back..

Climbing the stone steps that lead to the front door, Buffy took a deep breath and felt a needed rush of adrenaline wash through her tired body. She was through with all the lies, all the bullshit she had been spun since she'd first woken into this nightmare of a world. It was time to take charge of her life and stop being the victim. It was time to fight fire with fire and at that very moment Buffy realised that maybe it was time she used a few dirty tricks of her own.

You just left, Buffy. You didn't give me the chance to understand. You. Just. Left.

If what Liam had told her was true, he couldn't help her; so, she would just have to help herself.

On reaching the top step, the first signs that Liam had reached the mansion before her was clearly obvious. The large front door was left ajar and as Buffy pushed it open and walked in, she immediately noticed the sound of broken glass snap crisply beneath her small feet.

Oh God, Liam. What have i done

Buffy felt her stomach nosedive and it took every ounce of strength she had, not to turn around and run as far away from the house as possible. Only the knowledge that if she did run, it wouldn't just be from the house stopped her. Buffy knew if she didn't confront her demons now she wouldn't stop running until she could never be found again.

As a vision of soft brown, enigmatic eyes rose up and teased her memory, she finally accepted that she didn't want to run any longer. She wanted answers. Straight answers. What ever happened next she was finally taking back her life.

"Hello?.." Buffy waited for a second but there was no reply. Only faint echoes of her own voice accompanied her footsteps.

"Liam?" She called out louder this time but received the same response.

Continuing to walk through the impressive hallway, the sound of shattered glass was the only noise that broke the eerie stillness. The hall was in darkness but even still, Buffy couldn't fail to notice other telltale signs of a fight. On noticing a splintered table blocking her path a sliver of fear crept slowly up her spine.

This was all her fault and if Liam was hurt... Buffy shut that thought down as quickly as it flashed through her head. The thought of her husband suffering pain because he thought she was an unfaithful bitch was more than she could bear.

"Maybe I should reconsider that running away option again" Buffy tried to joke but it fell flat.

Following the trail of damage, she eventually noticed a small glow coming from under a door at the far end of the hall.

With a small push the large door opened without a sound. Buffy stopped dead still in the doorway and peered inside.

The room was beautiful. Heavy drapes hung across all the windows and although the only light in the room came from a small over turned lamp, the uninvited guest had little difficulty making out the lone figure, leaning drunkenly against one wall at the far end of the sitting room.

As she stood in the doorway William Pennington made no attempt to look up. His thoughts were far too immersed in the bottle of bourbon that was happily slipping down his throat, trying to numb the burning pain that shot behind his bruised eyes.

His whole body ached but that wasn't the pain William was trying to wipe out. He had been so close, so bloody close to taking Buffy away from that bastard Angelus that he could almost taste it. But suddenly it didn't taste so sweet. It wasn't supposed to have happened this way. When Darla had first asked him to help her get rid of Liam's wife it had all seemed so simple. He wasn't supposed to care about her, just break them apart.

That stupid bitch of a sister should have warned me. William inwardly cursed as he once again raised the bottle to his lips and tried to numb the pain in his heart.

Nothing about Buffy Angelus was simple, she had away of getting into a man's blood and once under his skin, there was no way of getting free.

For the first time in his life, William was hopelessly in love and there was nothing he wouldn't do to keep her.

The fight had been wonderful; Liam had played right into his hands and as soon as his bruises were at their best, he would put a call into the cops and have the loser arrested.

At the though of Buffy's husband behind bars and finally out of his hair, Will smiled. It was at that point that he felt her presence.

"William.. " Buffy's spoke quietly but made no attempt to enter the room.

Lifting his head to the sound of her voice, he didn't answer at first; he just let his eyes drink in the contours of her face.

Under such an intense gaze Buffy felt her cheeks flush and her throat go dry. On closer inspection, the room was a real mess. As her eyes scanned the damage, Will's head turned a fraction and the light from the lamp lit up the full extent of his beating. Both his eyes were beginning to swell and there was a thin line of blood smeared beneath nose, which by the shape of it was possibly broken.

"Oh, God.. Are you all right?" With the shock of seeing the good looking face, battered and bruised almost beyond recognition, Buffy took her first steps into the room.

Yet again broken glass cracked beneath her feet.

At this second question William shook his head, slightly amused at her concern. At the sudden movement a searing pain shot through his battered body and he quickly lifted the bottle he was still holding to his split lips and knocked back what was left of the contents. The cool amber liquid burned with a welcome fire as it slid effortlessly down the back of his throat, but even though most of the alcohol was now swimming happily through his blood stream, it so far hadn't numbed the pain.

"I hope your husband knows a good defence lawyer, he's certainly going to need one"

William looked up and his hungry gaze bore directly into Buffy's eyes. For an instant, she felt an unreasonable tremor of fear flutter through her body but it was quickly pushed a side.

"I think it's safe to say Liam has that covered" Refusing to let herself feel intimidated, Buffy's voice hid her fear well.

As she studied the damage her husband had left on the younger man's face, strangely, her first thought was for Liam's safety.

Liam might be an excellent attorney but If Pennington pressed assault charges against him... Buffy tried not to think of the consequences. Trying to ignore the deep purple swellings now covering what had earlier been a devilishly handsome face, she tried to change the subject.

"You told me we were lovers.. I want to know why you lied to me."

"I never lied to you, pet."

Buffy didn't move.

"Angelus got to you, didn't he?" Pulling away from the wall, William snorted in disgust.

Buffy still didn't move, although her heart was beating so hard she thought that it would break her chest she stood her ground.

"He's a clever sod, I'll give him that much" William spat a mouthful of blood towards the floor and dropped the bottle he was holding into the nearest chair.

"It never crossed your mind that he's the one telling the lies. No, you'd rather believe what that smarmy bastard fed you than follow your own heart" Shoving his hands in the front pockets of his tight, faded jeans, Will slowly sauntered forward.

As the tall, slim figure moved through the dim light, Buffy tried not to notice how his jeans sheathed his lean hips or how his white T-shirt hugged his well-developed chest. Tilting her head slightly, their eyes met and for a second she almost swore she saw a flicker of despair in his penetrating gaze, but only for a second. When she looked again it was quickly replaced with an arrogant gleam.

Sexy, arrogant bastard

Even on the wrong end of a severe beating William Pennington looked hot, but no matter how much sex appeal he radiated, Buffy didn't feel the attraction. Even with amnesia she knew he wasn't her type

He's wasn't Liam

You'd rather believe what that smarmy bastard fed you than follow your own heart

"But that's where you're wrong. It's my heart that knows you're lying." Buffy snapped back the reply with cool certainty.

William laughed

"Am I? And why would I lie Buffy?" he asked as his hungry eyes slid insolently down the full length of her body. She was still wearing her new dress and it was having the same effect on him as it had earlier worked on Angel

Buffy stood frozen to the spot as William continued to close the distance between them. As his tall lean body moved ever closer the air between them seemed to crackle. Anticipation, fear, love, hate. The emotions being exchanged between the two of them with each new step were almost tangible.

"Someone is lying to me" Feeling uncomfortable by his closeness, Buffy tried to retreat but her progress was stopped as she felt her back hit the cold wall

"Like I said before, why would I lie? You might not remember yet but when you do you'll know that you belong to me, Buffy. You love me" William's grin was so smug Buffy would have given anything at that moment to knock it right off his face.

Coming to a stand still Will placed his hands on each side of her body, trapping her small frame up against the wall. He leaned forward, his nose nearly touching hers. Buffy swallowed, she could almost taste the alcohol on his breath, as she took a nervous breath, she could smell his blood

"Trust me, pet. I'm the good guy here"

He was teasing her now and his eyes glinted seductively as his body pressed even closer.

Buffy nervously bit into her bottom lip.

"I don't believe.. " she didn't get a chance to finish her sentence. William grabbed her; his long slim fingers gripping her thin arms so tightly they bruised the delicate flesh. Buffy struggled but before she could breakaway he clamped his hot mouth over her lips and kissed her with a desire so passionate that the girl in his arms almost forgot how to breathe.

"Buffy. Oh, God, Buffy." William whispered fiercely as time after time, his hungry mouth tore at her lips

Caught completely off guard, Buffy's mind whirled as her blood pumped wildly through her veins. The kiss was rough, almost violent and as William groaned deep in his throat, his arms tightened around Buffy's slim shoulders pulling her body into his. The kiss grew more intense but even as Buffy's heart thundered against her ribs she knew that it wasn't passion she was feeling.... The kiss was wrong, in every way possible it was wrong.

This man could never have been her lover; he didn't come near to touching her heart the way Liam always did. He might be touching her body but he could never reach inside her soul. William Pennington was a fraud, a liar and that was the truth. She didn't know if it was a just a gut feeling or a lost memory trying to break through, but she knew it was the truth.

This man wasn't the reason you left Angel

With the realisation set in stone, Buffy finally yanked her head away. Her large hazel eyes flashing with emotion

"Let go of me. It's not you, it was never you"

For a moment only the sound of hard breathing separated them. In an instant, the temperature in the room seemed to drop to freezing and both occupants knew their lives would never be the same again.

"It was never you" Buffy whispered again as she fought to control her breathing.

The harsh words stuck home and stole every vestige of colour from the blonde man's cheeks. Standing in the dim light, his skin took on the deadly white appearance of the dead.

"Your memory's returned" It was a statement, not a question. One glance at the fire in her hazel eyes told him without doubt that the deception was over.

Buffy just continued to glare and played her own charade for all she was worth. Whatever happened next, she knew it would once again change her life forever.

For the longest moment of William Pennington's life there was no sound in the room.

If he were completely honest with himself he would have admitted that her kiss had already told him everything he needed to know. She didn't love him, even in a complete state of amnesia Buffy couldn't return the feelings his heart overflowed with and, now that she remembered her past, she would never be his. It was over.

The bluff was called and he had lost.

Fooled into believing that the woman he adored now knew who really was lying, William felt his happiness slide away. He'd always known the game he and Darla were playing was dangerous. There was always a strong possibility that Buffy would remember their so-called love affair was only in his head, but it was a chance he accepted willingly. Stretching the truth a little or even a lot if he got the girl of his dreams wasn't a problem. And it had almost worked. Just a few more days and the Angelus' marriage would have been destroyed forever. The look on the old sod's face that night had told him that much. Liam Angelus had walked from his house a shattered man.

If only the bloody amnesia had lasted a few more days

Cursing under his breath, and knowing he had nothing left to lose William took a step towards Buffy.

"I might have lied about our affair, Buffy, but it doesn't change how I feel about you." He started softly and nervously ran his hand across his bruised jaw.

Buffy moved away from the wall, but as the realisation of William's deceit sank in, her anger started to spin out of control. Thinking she was being lied to was one thing but hearing somebody admit that they had purposely tried to ruin her life was very different.

"Oh God, I was right, it was you all the time. Everything you told me was a lie... I almost believed you"

Too late, William realised his mistake. Buffy hadn't remembered her past at all. She had played him for a fool and he had let her trick a confession from his stupid mouth.

Fuck it

At the look of horror that crossed her beautiful features, Will quickly tried to justify his actions.

"I only did it because I love you, Buffy. You have no idea what it's like watching you, day after day, being so unhappy. I've had this ache in my chest ever since the first second I saw you. You were in so much pain...The way he treated you.. I just wanted to save you " William's jaw tightened and his skin drew tight across his chiselled cheekbones.

Holding on to the back of a chair for support, Buffy closed her eyes as a single tear slipped beneath her dark lashes..

"I love you" He tried to reach for her but she pushed his hand away.

"You bastard. You low-life lying bastard. I've been in hell for the last two weeks and all the time you could have ended it. That was when you could have saved me " Buffy cried out as the pain and confusion trapped inside her head exploded. She wasn't a cheat or a liar. He was.

To her surprise, William started to laugh but there was no humour in the cold sound

" You're not the only one, luv. I've been in Hell now for the last two years. I didn't want to fall in love with you. I knew it was wrong, but I had no choice. You're in my gut, in my throat, I'm drowning in you Summers, I'm drowning in you" Before she could move further away, William's fingers clamped around her wrists, once again pulling her body up hard against his chest.

" Just give me a chance to explain"

Leaning his face close to her ear, Will's hot breath washed over her cold skin in shuddering waves.

"No" Buffy gasped

She tried pulling her hands free but his long fingers bit deep into her flesh.

"Stop fighting me, I won't hurt you"

"You already have"

"Please..."

Buffy refused to listen as renewed anger burned through her veins.

"After what you've put me through there's nothing you could say that I would believe. I could never love a man like you..." She raised her head and stared straight into his cool, dangerous eyes.

William smirked, but her next three words cut right through his heart and shattered the four beating chambers into a million shards.

"You're beneath me"

Pennington jerked as if she had physically slapped him but continued to grip both her small wrists in his large fingers.

"You bitch. You bloody bitch.. I'll show you who's beneath who"

Before Buffy could move, the handsome features facing her changed into an almost unrecognisable mask of fury. With a violent jerk, once again Will's lips firmly moulded over her mouth. Gasping in horror, Buffy tried to break free, but he was too strong. Continuing to struggle, hot tears of anger welled up in her eyes but it was only when she tasted blood in her mouth, where his teeth had bitten into her lower lip did she finally find the strength to push away

"Let. Me. Go. " The sound of her voice sent a chill right through the room.

Still locked within the circle of William's strong arms Buffy glared at him with stormy green eyes

"Buffy, please" William pleaded as he tried desperately to hold onto the struggling girl's wrists. The situation was getting out of control and he had to try and make her see sense.

Buffy was now beyond listening to anything he said. Her bruised lips throbbed and her wrists stung with the pressure of his finger.

"Get the fuck off me" Without another word, Buffy kicked out her foot and nailed his shin as hard as she could.

"Bloody Hell" William jerked back in shock, releasing Buffy's wrist at the same time. For a second, a look of sheer disbelief flashed across his face but it was quickly dropped. Knowing that he had burnt all his bridges the handsome young man's heavy shoulders finally sagged in defeat and he stepped back.

" You bastard, I could have you arrested for this" Buffy's voice was so quiet he almost missed the threat.

When she lifted her hand to her mouth and ran her trembling fingers across her swollen lips, William sighed, letting out a deep ragged breath.

"For what its worth.. I'm sorry"

Even as the words slipped over his lips he knew in his heart that he wasn't sorry for lying, just sorry it hadn't worked.

Not wanting to stay in the same room as Pennington for another second, Buffy shook her head and turned to walk away, but as she went to walk out the door, she stopped.

"Just answer me one question honestly.... Darla... Darla told me the same story... Why? " That was the one part of this charade that Buffy still didn't understand. Darla had almost convinced her that William was telling the truth.

At the sound of his sister's name, William suddenly saw one last spark of hope. As long as Buffy thought it was only him plotting against her, Darla still had a chance to break them wide apart. Buffy might hate him at the moment but if she thought Liam was screwing Darla, maybe, just maybe he could still save something from this disaster. It worked like a charm the last time they had tried it. Buffy was so angry she ran all the way to New York. As long as she still had amnesia there was no reason it wouldn't work again.

William inwardly smiled. If he couldn't have Buffy he would do everything in his power to make sure that Liam never could.

Turning his head he let his eyes shadow with guilt.

"Don't blame Darla, she's my sister and she believed what I told her. Darla has nothing to do with any of this "Even as the lie was growing William started to feel that there was still a chance. Darla would save the day; she always was the stronger sibling.

Besides, she had got him into this fucking mess in the first place

Lowering his eyes and looking as sad and pathetic as he possibly could, the young poet was already working out his next move. He took a slow breath, fighting to keep his tone as level as possible.

" Tell your husband I won't be pressing charges" Will rubbed the large purple swelling that covered his jaw and winced slightly with the pain. There was still a hint of bitterness in his voice but that couldn't be helped. After all, he was a poet not a bloody actor.

Relieved that Liam wouldn't get in trouble, Buffy nodded. She still wasn't sure if she believed William, especially the part about his sister not knowing, but when her gaze finally settled on his battered face all she could read was pain in the depths of his troubled eyes. Pain and a deep sadness.

Moving through the doorway Buffy realised that she still had so many questions unanswered but now was not the time or the place to ask them. Taking one final look at the man who had tried to destroy her marriage, she left William Pennington with a final shot.

"Maybe its time you took a trip back to the mother country.. And stayed there"

William dragged his bruised body up the stairs and headed straight for the bathroom. As he switched on the light he caught his reflection in the mirror and winced. Both eyes were now nothing more than swollen slits and the best part of his jaw was purple. It was definitely not one of his better nights. Turning on the shower spray, Will kicked off his boots, carefully pulled his blood splattered T-shirt over his head and dropped his jeans on the bathroom floor. His face was a mess, his dreams of a life with Buffy were in ruins and there was no hot water.

Stepping under the spray the water was ice cold and it stung. Sharp needles attacked his bruised flesh but in his present state of mind William didn't care. It was a welcome distraction. Closing his eyes, he leant against the cold tiles and as the icy water washed over his body he let all thoughts of Buffy wash over his mind. Tomorrow, first thing he would call Darla. She would know what to do. Darla would make it right, she always did.

With the sound of the front door slamming loudly behind her, Buffy held her head high and walked away from William Pennington's house determined to bring an end, once and for all, to the nightmare that had plunged her life into confusion.

For one terrifying moment, as she fled along the darkened hallway of the mansion, she swore she felt William's presence behind her. But, as her heartbeat pounded so hard in her chest that it almost snapped a rib, Buffy accepted that her stalker had finally accepted the painful truth.

Stalker?

As soon as the word Angel had used for William slipped in to her head Buffy rejected it. Despite everything that had happened between the two of them, she knew that the cruel description of the blonde English poet wasn't really the truth. She realised sadly, that in all fairness, William really did seem to love her. The foolish young man had worn his heart on his sleeve and his emotions had blazed from his cool blue eyes with every longing glance, but it still didn't change anything. No matter how much he thought he loved her, Buffy couldn't change her feelings about him.

She would never love William. She couldn't love him.

Taking a full breath of cool night air, Buffy silently cursed her amnesia and the fact that she still couldn't remember what her life had been like just a few months earlier. It was so hard living in the dark, not knowing who she could to turn to or who she to trust. 

Running her hands through her hair she stopped when she reached her temples and ignoring the pain, she pressed her fingers firmly against the skin.

"It's not like I'm asking for total recall. Just a few names and faces would be a start."  Buffy  tried to reason with the dark void that swirled inside in her head but as always it remained immune to her pleas.

Whatever was trapped inside her mind it was content to stay there... 

But for how long. A week. A month. A year.... The rest of my life 

The thought of living the rest of her life with no memory of her childhood, her family, or of even falling in love, sent a rush of depression straight to her heart.  But, this time, Buffy refused to feel sorry for herself. If that was how her life played out, she now knew she had the strength to deal with it.

The scene with William had been painful but it had cleared up a lot of confusion

Buffy now knew that whatever her past life had been like, it didn't include loving Will Pennington. She didn't need memories to know that much. Her skin whispered it to her and the beat of her heart confirmed it and if she really needed more confirmation, the rich blood that pounded through her veins screamed out that her heart had been lost long before she had ever known William.

Her heart belonged to Angel. It didn't matter if he now hated her; If he never forgave her. Buffy's heart would always belong to Angel.

Thinking back to William she sadly shook her head

What ever his reasons were for lying to her, Buffy would never be able forgive the good-looking Englishman for his deceit and dishonesty. He had taken advantage of her when she had been at her lowest and that in itself was unforgivable.

For a second she felt a flicker of grief. In different circumstances they might have become friends, but that could never happen now, any chance of a friendship was ruined. After tonight, Buffy knew that  she would never see William again, the defeated look in his eyes when she turned away from him had told her that much.

Maybe that was for the best

Feeling a slight weight lift from her slim shoulders Buffy walked down the stone steps and, standing in the middle of the deserted street, she exhaled a deep sigh of relief.

She had one tiny part of her life back.. Whatever else she might turn out to be, she wasn't an adulteress

A cool breeze fluttered down Crawford street and gently rattled the leaves in the nearby trees.  Buffy shivered as the chill brushed over her skin and left tiny goosebumps on her bare arms. There was definitely a storm in the air and in all her hurry to stop Liam from killing William, she had left without a coat and was now stranded in the middle of Sunnydale.

Tilting her head up towards the heavens, she watched  a thick blanket of cloud move slowly across the evening sky. As the stars faded from her sight, Buffy sighed. The swirling grey masses dominating the skyline matched her mood perfectly.

How could she have been fooled so easily. She should have known right from the start that William was lying..

Why hadn't she seen right through him..?

She already knew both these arguments were irrational. Pennington had taken advantage of her amnesia and used it for...   for what?..... Buffy shook her head not wanting to even travel up that road of thought. How easily it could have all gone wrong. With a shudder she realised how simple it would have been to have believed his stories and fallen into his bed.....

"Stop it!" Again she slammed the door on thoughts of William.

William was now firmly in the past. She now had to look only towards the future

"Do I even have a future?"

You could always get the hell out of here once and for all. Leave Sunnydale and all this misery behind you.

Buffy closed her eyes as the thought drifted into her mind. Leaving this town was a possibility but the only trouble was, if she ran now, the empty void that lived within her, would surely follow her for the rest of her days.

"Or maybe I could just stay, stay here and make a new life for myself?"  Ignoring the fact that she was standing in the middle of the street talking to herself, Buffy pondered the argument out loud.

There were two options now staring in front of her..

A life completely on her own or....  A new life with Angel?

The second choice brought a small smile to her lips.

How many people get a second chance? 

"But would Angel still want her?

Buffy looked up and then down the still deserted street and shook her head wishing that she had accepted the cab driver's kind offer to wait for her.  She shuddered to think what William had told Liam and how much he had believed. From the damage to William's face she knew it hadn't gone well.  The first thing she had to do now was find her husband and bring an end to William's deception once and for all. Only after they had laid the past to rest could they talk about the future.

But there was one giant stumbling block........With the whole town so unfamiliar, where on earth would she start?

"Where would Liam go?" Buffy closed her eyes and took a slow deep breath.

At first she felt nothing, just the usual swirling void that blocked her mind with its confusion and tormented her with its empty promises. But Buffy was tired of playing the victim, instead of giving in to the darkness that fought her at every turn; she battered her way through the abyss. Her memory might not play fair but as Buffy delved into her soul, her heart played its trump card. A tiny crack appeared in the void and a trickle of light seeped into her mind.

The beach. Go to the beach

Night had completely fallen on Sunnydale by the time she reached her destination and the occasional moonbeam peeping through the gathering clouds was the only light breaking the darkness.

After sinking up to her ankles in the soft sand, Buffy slipped off her shoes and decided to continue on barefoot. Walking to the water's edge, the fine white sand felt cold and damp beneath her small feet and every few seconds, a small rush of water would slip over her toes as the cool waves caressed the shore and then quickly fled back to the sea.

The beach was simply beautiful in the dim light, and even though it appeared to be totally deserted, the small girl didn't feel at all out of place.  Buffy had the strangest feeling that she was safe there.

Staying near the water's edge for a guideline, she continued to walk along the wet sand with just the sound of the waves for company.

Buffy stopped to pick up a small shell from beneath her toes and breathed in deeply. She licked her lips tasting the salt in the air and sighed as the cool sea breeze washed over her and revitalised her tired skin.

For the very first time that night she felt relaxed.

And that was the moment she felt his presence

Angel was there

She couldn't see him yet, but she could feel him. Buffy knew that somewhere in this darkness Liam was out there, hurt and alone and fighting with demons of his own

A mile along the beach and with the lights of Sunnydale now a distant memory, Angel stared out at the ocean in front of him and his handsome face fell into a deep scowl.

At his feet the usually lazy waves were almost unrecognisable as they crashed angrily along the shoreline. His expensive leather shoes were probably already ruined as the salt water splashed around his ankles, soaking through his sock and trousers.

Not that Liam cared.

He'd gone there hoping the cool sea air would clear his hot head and maybe blow all thoughts of his wife away once and for all, but it had been a mistake. The beach was the last place he should have sought solace.

Buffy was everywhere.

The surf whispered her name as it tumbled over his feet. Every grain of sand reminded him of happier times and just what he had lost.

Standing alone in the darkness, with the salty spray blowing through his hair, the tall dark figure tried desperately to put the shattered pieces of his life back together. As the events of the last few hours replayed in his head like a bad movie, the lonely young man angrily chastised himself for acting so foolishly.

He couldn't believe that he'd almost fallen for that poet's bullshit. Life had been crazy these last four months and nothing made sense any more but if there was one thing he was certain of, it was that Buffy had never cheated on him. Their marriage had been so damn perfect that the idea of either of them cheating was laughable. She wasn't just his wife, she was his lover and his best friend all rolled into one. Liam honestly believed that he would have known if she had been that unhappy. He would have felt it in his soul if she had given her heart away to Pennington.

But you didn't feel her leave you Closing his eyes Liam shook the argument from his head. In all honesty, it was too close to home. It was true, he hadn't seen her leaving him, the day it happened had been such a surprise it had almost knocked him over.

It's over. Don't even think of looking for me because I'm never coming back. I never want to see you again, not as long as I live. I'll never forgive you for this... Buffy

He still found it madness. Buffy had left him for something HE had supposedly done and no matter how hard he tried to think back, Liam was still dammed if he knew what on earth it was. They hadn't fought, not so much as a cross word and, then, completely out of the blue his wife had fled into the night.

But she didn't leave you for him. The thought brought little comfort. Somewhere lost deep in his wife's memory there was still the real reason for her leaving and until she remembered, Liam knew they would both continue to be haunted.

Thirty minutes after arriving at the beach, Buffy's sand covered feet had covered almost a mile without seeing another human being.

The beach was totally deserted and as the clouds continued to roll in from the sea, bringing the promise of a real downpour, the small glow of moonlight that had guided her earlier path grew dimmer. But it didn't matter how dark or how cold the night got; she wasn't quitting until she found him.

With a lonely sigh, Buffy wrapped her cold arms around her body and walked deeper into the night

A lone dark figure stood gazing out toward the sea; his mind lost deep in thought, as the troubles of the world pressed firmly down on his broad shoulders. In dark trousers and a loose black silk shirt, which flapped freely in the soft sea breeze, the tall form was almost cloaked by the blanket of night. Almost - but not quite.

Watching the endless shoreline blend into the distance with no sign of another human being in sight, Buffy stopped for a moment to get her bearings. She turned her face towards the water's edge and let the salty breeze spray up over her face.

From all indications there was a real storm rolling in from the ocean. On the horizon large black rain clouds merged over the silky waters, ready to do battle with each other all night and if she wasn't careful, Buffy knew she would be in for one hell of soaking. Even if she turned back now she doubted she would make it in time.

On that thought, she glanced one last time at what she believed was a deserted beach and as her eyes swept the vast nothingness, the moon chose that precise moment to slip out from beneath a blanket of cloud. A soft moonbeam of light swept down on the sand casting an almost ghostly white glow on the hidden figure.

"Angel...."

Even though he hadn't seen a soul in over an hour, Liam had the strangest sensation of being watched.

The sensation grew.

"Hey!" She tried for the casual approach but the tone was a little strained.

Liam made no attempt to turn around, he just kept his gaze fixed on the dark waves dancing in the distance and focused on their anger instead of his own pain.

"How did you find me?"

Buffy sighed, she still wasn't really sure herself. In the end she just told him the truth.

"I have no idea. I just closed my eyes and followed my heart"

Still refusing to turn around and face her, Liam's eyes fixed firmly on the ocean in frustration.

"Your heart told you I was here?"

Buffy nodded.

"I don't understand how, but it's as if i could feel you. I just knew you would be here." She watched his broad shoulders waiting for some kind of reaction, when there was none, she continued in a low whisper.

" Angel.. My head might have forgotten you but my heart remembers"

As the words slipped into his head, Liam slowly turned around and met her eyes. Buffy watched as the anger drained from his tired face, leaving his dark haunted gaze full of pain and sadness.

"My heart remembers as well and that's what's killing me Buffy. I don't know when it all fell apart and I don't know how to make it right"

The sadness in his voice cut her deeply. Until now they had been going around in circles but it was time to stop dancing with each other and face their problems head on.

"I've seen William" she started quietly but didn't get very far before Liam interrupted.

"Me too" At the sound of the other man's name, he smirked bitterly and unconsciously rubbed his bruised knuckles. The back of his right hand was swollen and already turning a painful shade of blue. For a second his mind flickered back to the earlier confrontation with Pennington and his anger intensified.

Buffy watched as a rapid play of emotion flashed across his face.

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you? "She asked with concern but she could already see for her self that his face was unmarked.

Liam snorted with disgust. The very thought of Pennington hurting him physically was ridiculous. But even as he thought it, he knew it wasn't quite true. Pennington had hurt him, as much as Liam hated to admit it, the arrogant bastard had almost destroyed him with a few smug words.

"He told me the two of you were having an affair behind my back" Liam couldn't stop himself, he knew it was bullshit but the words tumbled over his lips before he could stop them

Buffy fell silent for a moment carefully choosing her next words; the last thing she wanted was to send her husband running off after William again. She needed to tell him the truth but maybe she should hold back on some of the more sordid details.

"He was lying."

Liam lifted his head, noticing immediately the turmoil on her face.

"Was he? And how do you know that. I thought you couldn't remember him?" For a second the anger returned and flashed brightly in his chocolate orbs.

Buffy swallowed hard but refused to feel intimidated. She hadn't done anything wrong.

"He told me the same thing that he told you and because I was hurt and confused I believed him. How could I ask you? I didn't have anybody I could turn too. I didn't have anybody..."

Liam started to move forward but on seeing the distress on her face he stopped.

Buffy fought back the tears that burned the back of her throat and held her head high.

"He was very convincing. He was sweet and kind and he could see how lost I was and he used it to his advantage."

"And you just fell for it?"  

" I might have amnesia but dammit I'm not stupid, It took a while but I saw through his lies and tonight I called his bluff.

" Did he touch you?" Liam asked, his jaw tight with frustration.

Wanting the violence to end Buffy shook her head

"In his own crazy way I think he really does loves me, but it was all in his head. I don't love him. I don't feel anything for him at all..."

A look of doubt shadowed Liam's eyes and for the longest time it lingered there.

"We don't have to worry about him anymore. William's promised to leave me alone, he's not going to cause us any more problems"

Angel snorted again. William Pennington had made it very clear that night that their problems had only just started. For a start there would be assault charges

Whilst caught up in his own thoughts he failed to notice the _expression on Buffy's face as her eyes started to move around the beach.

"Angel.. I..." She bit into her bottom lip as her eyes took in the dark rocks that towered up behind them.

"This place is so familiar. Have we been here before"

The question jolted Liam back to the present.

"Do you remember?"

"Just for a second there was something... It's gone now but I have been here before, right?" 

Tell her the truth

" Yes.. We used to come here to swim. Before we were married we would come down here to get away from Dawn and... " The sadness in his voice returned but it wasn't swimming in the sea that Buffy remembered

"No, there's something else" She struggled desperately to retain the memory. This time the feelings were so strong that she could almost touch them. Tiny echoes whispered deep inside her head as the void, that was holding back her past, started to break down.

Shaking her head she frowned not able to make any sense of the feelings she was receiving.

"Why does this place seem so important to me?"

Liam sighed deeply. From now on there was no more secrets, if she asked a question he would tell her what she needed to know. No matter how much it hurt.

"Because this is where I asked you to marry me. I got down on one knee right there in the sand and I got soaked to the skin for my trouble."

Buffy closed her eyes and searched deep for the memory, surely something that important couldn't stay hidden forever.

"Did we ever make love here?"

Before he could make it stop a flash of tangled limbs and gentle moans rose up from of his memory and once again tormented his eyes.

Liam just nodded his reply as he fought to wipe the visions way. It simply hurt too much knowing that Buffy no longer shared these memories with him.

Everything hurt too much these days.

Feeling his chest start to ache, Liam realised that for Buffy those memories could possibly be lost forever.

Buffy shivered as the sea breeze increased and she wrapped her arms around slender frame. In the sky overhead the clouds were continuing to gather, growing thicker with their promise of rain.

"I think I was happy here"

"You were"

A single clap of thunder brought the conversation to an abrupt end...

It was no surprise when it began to rain, the first few drops turning quickly into a downpour.

"Quick.. This way" Angel grabbed his wife's hand and turning away from the water's edge, he pulled her towards the nearest shelter

"You're soaking wet"

"So are you"

Buffy blushed feeling her wet dress cling to her curves like a second skin.

Using incredible willpower, Liam dragged his hungry eyes away from his wife's trembling body. The shower had made the material of her light dress almost transparent and the sight of her slender frame so close and yet so far away, was driving him almost insane.

Scrambling from the storm, Buffy thought the small cave carved out at the foot of the rocks had been a miracle find. Liam remained quiet; he didn't have the heart to tell her that they had been there before.

Trying to take his mind off the thoughts he knew would hurt like hell, he turned his head and glanced back outside, hoping for a break in the weather. Outside the moon had temporarily escaped the grey mass of cloud, but the heavens over Sunnydale continued to pour down on them.

Turning his back on the rain, and keeping his eyes away from Buffy's curves, he knew their only option was to sit tight and wait for the storm to blow its self out.

It was going to be a very long night.

Almost soaked to the skin, Buffy shivered and pushed her wet hair away from her eyes.

Illuminated by only the soft glow of the moon, she looked so heartbreakingly young and beautiful that Liam felt his body stir with a speed that shocked him. Memories of them making love late at night in the cool sand, just a few months earlier, rose up and washed over his frustrated body and he had to fight back an overwhelming urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her until they were both senseless.

The wind chose that precise moment to howl through the cave and to Liam's relief, thoughts of kissing disappeared.

Buffy wrapped her arms around herself to try and keep the chill away but it didn't work.

"Buffy, you're cold" Liam reached up and gently brushed the rain away from her face with his fingertips.

Buffy shivered again and knew it was more from his touch than the cold.

"A little" Her voice shook and the small hairs on her arm stood on end.

Liam lifted her hand and started to gently rub the cool flesh beneath his fingertips. As his feather light caresses slid across her skin Buffy's stomach flipped.

"I know it's not going to be easy, with the amnesia and all, but we need to talk, Buffy. About Pennington and everything else that's coming between us" Liam took a slow breath, fighting to keep his tone level but it was a waste of effort. How could he speak calmly when his heart was doing somersaults inside his chest?

As his long fingers continued to dance lightly across her skin, setting every nerve and fibre alight with their touch, Buffy fought with the very same needs. His touch was so warm and familiar that it was leaving her breathless.

Feeling her mouth go dry she slid her tongue nervously across her lower lip, never once taking her eyes from Liam's face.

"I know " she whispered and took a small step closer. Looking deeply into his dark eyes, she was amazed at the emotion shining back at her.

After everything that had happened between the two of them, he still loved her. He still wanted her.

Raising her free hand she trailed one finger gently down his cheek.

"I know in my heart that there's a chance that my memory might never return. I also know that people like William can take advantage of that if I let them. So, I'm not letting anyone take advantage of me ever again. I'll call the doctor in the morning and I'll get some help if I can, but I can't worry about the past any more. If it's gone then I'll have to accept that and move on. " Buffy heartbeat increased and she felt a rush of adrenaline pump through her veins, giving her the courage she needed to continue.

Taking a deep breath she spoke straight from her heart.

"I want a future, Angel.... I want a future with you.. Only you"

Outside, the rain thundered down on the sand and the waves crashed up against the shore, but inside the small cave the air between the two ex-lovers grew very still.

After what seemed like eternity, Liam brought his lips to her forehead and gently brushed them across her wet skin. He then moved his hand to her tiny waist and before Buffy could even think about changing her mind, he crushed her into his chest with a deep sigh of relief

When he finally spoke his voice was husky and raw, ringing with a conviction that tore at her soul.

"I want you too"

Buffy trembled but she was no longer shivering from the cold. Pressed firmly up against Angel's muscular chest, her flesh was now burning with a very different kind of heat. She moaned gently as he wrapped his fingers in her hair and settled his mouth over her lips.

Liam's lips were cool from the sea breeze and yet, beneath the chill, there was a fire that heated her blood. As his lips devoured her mouth, Buffy's body began to ache in all the most delicious places. She wrapped her arms around his lean waist and kissed him back with all the forgotten passion that she had buried deep inside her heart.

Lost in the bliss of his mouth, her thoughts twisted through her head like ivy. The memories from her past were so close to the surface that they fought each other to break into her head.

Breaking away from the heaven of her lips, Liam kissed her eyes, her cheeks, and then her neck. When his warm tongue found and traced the small bones in her throat Buffy through her head back and moaned out loud.

" You are so beautiful" Liam broke away and looked deep into his wife's hazel eyes. Panting to catch her breath, she stared up at him through the darkness of the cave and the smile that she offered him melted his heart.

"You're not so hard on the eyes yourself "

If the first smile she gave him melted his lonely heart, the second one turned Liam's whole body into molten liquid.

"God! I missed you so much"

For a split second Buffy heard a hint of pain return to his velvet voice but it was pushed aside as his hungry lips once again claimed her mouth.

Feeling Buffy respond to his kiss, Liam's hands slid over the folds of her wet dress and followed the soft curves of her body. When Buffy mewled deep in her throat his breath caught on a wave of desire so strong,  it caused a shudder to pass through his whole body. His heart leapt as he felt her small fingers on the front of his damp shirt, pulling away at the buttons. Finally free, the shirt slipped down his arms and disappeared, forgotten onto the dark floor.

Buffy blushed, a warm colour highlighting her pale cheeks. Swallowing deeply, she reached out her hand and ran her nervous fingers over the taut muscles of her husband's smooth tanned chest, exploding the man she had married and yet cruelly forgotten. When her nails grazed across a tight dark nipple he sucked in a short breath.

Liam then lifted own his hand and covered her small fingers.

"My turn" He stared at her with such intensity, such hot-blooded desire, that Buffy felt a sudden need to dive back outside into the raging storm just so she could cool off her burning skin.

She didn't get a chance.

A flash of white-hot fire shot through her bloodstream as his hands slowly drifted down her back, lowering the zip of her dress. Before she could find her lost breath, the wet garment was pooling at her feet, leaving her standing almost naked in the dim moonlight.

As the cool night air wafted over her skin, Buffy felt her nipples harden into tiny buds, desperate to be touched. Almost as if he could read her mind, Liam pulled her back into his arms; he lowered his dark head and kissed his way down her throat, brushing his mouth over the soft lace of her bra.

Undoing the front clasp, Liam released her small breasts and held them lovingly in his hands. Buffy sighed, feeling her nipples puckering in the cool evening breeze.

She then threw her head back with a soft moan as her skin was licked,  nibbled and kissed almost to the point of insanity. Her blood ran first hot and then ice cold with each wet caress of his soft tongue. When her husband finally tore his eyes from her wet breasts, Buffy forgot how to breathe. Meeting his dark gaze she saw Liam's eyes were almost black with passion

With a groan he pulled her into his arms again, pulling her hips up against him so hard that she could feel the hardness of his desire pressed firmly against her abdomen.

Buffy found herself shivering again but this time it was from anticipation.

She wanted him, she needed him but more than that, she loved him with every fibre of her body.

Liam lips then found hers again, when his tongue flicked the roof of her mouth naked heat pooled in the pit of Buffy's stomach and she almost melted there and then. So lost in the heat of Buffy's mouth Liam almost missed her small fingers work between their tight bodies and slip the button on his fly. He felt his damp trousers slide over his hips and as they fell at his feet he kicked them free.

A clap of thunder high above them broke the lovers apart. Within a second the lightning strike followed.

Buffy stood as still as marble, her large hazel eyes never once leaving Liam's face.

"Buffy, are you sure you want this?" Liam brushed a loose strand of hair away from his wife's face and marvelled at how much he still loved her. He knew at that moment that he couldn't bear it if he ever lost her again. He would do what ever she wanted, take it as fast or as slow as she needed.

Buffy answered the question with her eyes long before she found her voice.

"Yes."

Lowering her gently to the floor, Buffy found her back being pressed into the cool damp sand.

The storm outside was then quickly forgotten as Liam's eyes drank in the sight before him. His heartbeat quickened until it's pounding blocked out every other noise.

Reaching out, he softly traced the contours of Buffy's face, before tangling his fingers in the silk of her blonde hair.

"I love you"

The vulnerable _expression in his dark eyes was so sincere that it reached right into Buffy's heart and touched her soul.

With the declaration ringing in her heart, Buffy's reached out her hand, cupping the back of his neck and pulled him down into her body.

Liam smiled softly as his hands gripped her hips and gently rested between her open thighs. Lifting his head he looked deep into his wife's eyes

"Do you still love me?" He asked the question so quietly it was almost lost on the breeze. 

Buffy's heart stopped for a second as the air between them grew still. It was a question she had asked herself a million times over the last few days. Closing her eyes for a second she finally let her heart answer for her.

"I love you " her reply was barely above a whisper but it was all Liam needed to hear.

With those three words all the hatred and bitterness he had felt over the last few months seeped away. All that mattered now was that Buffy was back in his life and she still loved him. Only him.

Tomorrow they would talk but not tonight...Tonight they would heal other wounds

Feeling Liam's mouth once more descend on her lips, Buffy hands slid down and came to rest on his firm buttocks, she gasped as she felt his full weight push into her small body, but instinctively she wrapped her legs around his hips. As Liam started to move deep inside of her, stretching and filling her to perfection, Buffy dug her fingers into the taut muscles of his backside, encouraging him on with her hands and her eyes.

Moaning softly, their mouths locked in a bruising kiss. Their hands joined. Fingers locking together, both desperate never to let go of the other again. As he moved,  Liam's hard chest rubbed against Buffy's breasts. Slow and hard. The friction causing her nipples to harden even more.

Buffy gasped, as the pleasure she was feeling became almost unbearable.

Swallowing her cries of passion, Liam moved his hips faster, but his lover easily matched his pace. She might not remember making love with this man but her body responded with a memory of its own.

Thrusting her hips up to match his rhythm; Buffy let all her fears for the future blow away with the howling wind. In Liam's arms she knew without question that she was safe and that she was loved. Liam was where her heart should be. The past no longer mattered, if it did someday return she would accept it as a bonus and they would deal with it.

Feeling her muscles tighten around him, Buffy threw her head back and screamed out as a burst of coloured stars erupted before her eyes. With that final thrust, she gave her husband back her body, her heart and her soul.

She was home.

Outside in the pouring rain, a lone blonde figure, soaked to the skin stood quietly unobserved by the sated lovers. Darla Penn wasn't worried about the storm raging high in the sky above Sunnydale; she had her own storm brewing deep inside her soul. A deep bitter hatred was burning out of all control, and after witnessing Buffy and Liam's little reunion, that hatred had sent her completely over the edge.

Darla's plans changed that night. Knowing that she had once again failed to break the lovers apart she decided a more drastic option was needed. William wouldn't like it but there was no other choice.

Never send a boy to do a woman's job she thought bitterly at her brother's failure. No, this time she would do the job herself.

As soon as the sun rose Darla was going to put an end to the thorn in her side once and for all.

As the plan took shape in her demented head the tormented woman smiled.

There was only way to keep Buffy away from Liam.

She was going to have to kill her-

Part 22

For the first time in his life Lindsay Macdonald was totally speechless. His mouth dropped open and his brain whirled deep inside his head but as he stood staring at the scene before him, not a single coherent word could find its way across the barrier of his amazement.

Of all the scenarios that had crossed his mind on the short journey across Sunnydale, not one of them had come even close to the actual sight that greeted him...

Some people never cease to amaze you

When the phone had first rung that morning, destroying what was left of an already poor night's sleep, the yawning young lawyer silently cursed his misfortune and pulled his pillow over the top of his head. Lindsey groaned, remembering that he was due in court all afternoon and the last thing he needed was early morning phone calls, killing off the little chance of sleep he might still yet salvage.

The thunder and lightning that crashed its' way violently across the Sunnydale skyline had kept him wake for hours, and the tired young lawyer knew unless he got a full eight hours sleep, it would be almost impossible to destroy the prosecution's case that afternoon. The Prosecutor he was up against was a real evil piece of work and Lindsey needed to be at his sharpest, if he had any real hope of winning his case.

Shaking his head, he closed his tired eyes, pulled the pillow tighter around his ears but it was all to no avail, the incessant ringing refused to end.

Dropping his pillow back behind his head, Lindsey turned his bleary eyes towards the bedside clock, and saw with horror, that it wasn't morning at all, in fact it wasn't even dawn. As his sleepy head slowly started to wake up, he noticed that the room was still dark and even the damn birds that chirped annoyingly outside his window each morning had better sense than to rise at this ungodly hour. With a low groan of annoyance, which he made no attempt to disguise, Lindsey pulled himself up against the pillow and cradled the receiver next to his ear.

"Do you have any idea what time it is? We have to be in court this afternoon and.. What? " The lawyer's eyes widened as the voice on the other end of the line actually seemed to laugh.

Lindsey scowled, at that time of the morning his body might be awake but his sense of humour was still very much asleep and if he heard so much as a hint of laughter, he was throwing the phone out of the window. And when he got his hands on the caller, the person in question was likely to go in the very same direction.

"If this is your idea of a joke, believe me, it's not funny"  He shook his sleepy head and glanced once more at the alarm clock, still disbelieving that anyone would call him at that hour of the morning.

"You're where? What the hell are you doing at the beach..? "

With a tired sigh he rolled his eyes, even more convinced that the call was a practical joke. Even half-asleep Lindsey knew that no one in his or her right mind would have ventured out onto the beach the previous evening. The unexpected storm had torn its way through Sunnydale until the early hours of the morning and, in his opinion, only an utter fool would have headed there in that kind of weather...

Turning his thoughts back to the conversation in his ear, the young man's frown grew darker

" Say that again. You want me to do what?"

With the reply, Lindsey ran his hand through his rumpled hair and scratched the back of his head. It was bad enough being torn from his sleep, but the thought of being torn from his nice warm bed was something he really didn't want to face. If it had been anybody else but Liam calling, the conversation would have already ended.

"Dammit, Liam. Have you been drinking again? "

The answer he heard from the other end of the line was short and sharp and left no doubt that his friend was perfectly sober.

Just totally insane

As an evil little voice whispered the thought deep inside his mind, Lindsey grinned first time that morning. He then closed his eyes and shook his head again.

"Okay, you win, I'll be there as soon as I can, but Liam, for your sake, this better be good"

With a resigned groan that his beauty sleep was well and truly over for the night, Lindsey threw his long legs over the side of his bed and reached for his jeans

Thirty minutes later.

Lindsey had little difficulty getting to his destination, the roads to the beach were almost deserted and before he even had time to moan about missing his breakfast, he was turning his car towards the small slip road that led to the more secluded part of the coast.

On the horizon, the first sighs of dawn had finally started to break their way through the darkness and with the storm now miles away; the Sunnydale skyline was once again giving birth to a glorious morning.

Parking his car just a few feet from the sand, Lindsey took a moment to breathe in the fresh salty air and wondered again what the hell he was doing up at that time of the morning.

Whatever the reason turned out to be, one thing was very sure, Liam was going to seriously owe him for this

Not bothering to lock the door, he left his car by the side of the road and strolled across to the beach.

Finding himself standing alone in the morning sunlight, there was one thing that the lawyer had to admit. The peace and tranquillity that washed over his tense body was amazing.

Maybe that was what Liam had been looking for on the beach the previous evening. Liam could use a little tranquillity in his screwed up life

Lindsey brought his thoughts back to the matter at hand and immediately noticed that apart from the seagulls squawking overhead, the smooth golden sand looked almost deserted. Almost, but not quite.

" Hey!" A familiar voice broke through the stillness and brought all thoughts of tranquillity to an end..

Raising his hand to cover his eyes from the rising sun, Lindsey watched as Liam jumped down from a large rock formation, and walked swiftly towards him.

"It's about time you showed up, it's freezing out here. I need to borrow your jacket?"

Lindsay's mouth fell open and did a perfect impersonation of a goldfish as he watched Liam walk bare foot across the damp morning sand. In all the years he and Liam Angelus had know each other, Lindsey had never seen his best friend looking so dishevelled.... Or for that matter, so contented.

With a dozen long strides, Liam covered the short stretch of sand that separated them. As he moved, his dark silk shirt flapped open around his shoulder and his designer trousers, which appeared to be covered in sand and dirt, were happily rolled half way up his shins.

He looks like a bloody tourist.

Lindsey eyes widened in amazement when his gaze took in the state of his best friend's hair. The gelled spikes were nowhere to be seen and he guessed, with an evil grin, that it would take at least a dozen washes to remove all the sand that Liam had obviously been rolling in.

Not that Liam seemed to care. The smile on his face was enough to light up the darkest night's sky.

"Lindsey, I need your Jacket"

Lindsay's eyes glanced to the size of Liam's arms and slowly shook his head.

" Sure, but you realise it will never fit you" He replied as he slipped the brand new leather jacket from his shoulders and seriously considered trading in his best friend for a more considerate model. One that didn't call him out in the early hours of the morning and definitely one that didn't want to share his clothing.

"Here, just try not to get it covered in sand" He reluctantly handed over the garment and then became even more confused as his soon to be ex best friend, turned, and without another word walked away.

"Liam! What the Hell's going on? I thought you wanted a ride home?"

Not breaking his stride Liam through the reply over his shoulder and left his bewildered friend scratching his head in wonder.

"We do "

Lindsey didn't have time to wonder for long, a few minutes later the confusion differed away when Buffy walked out of the rocks along side her husband, wearing his leather jacket.

Looking at her bare feet and similar dishevelled hair, the penny finally dropped and Lindsey roared out loud

"I should have guessed"

Buffy blushed and her cheeks flamed with embarrassment as she studied the handsome young man's face. She didn't remember anything about him but she immediately liked him and she sensed, from his good-natured grin, that he and her husband were definitely good friends.

"Thanks for the jacket, I was beginning to turn a little blue around the edges" Buffy joked and tried to prevent her voice from showing how cold she really was feeling. It was a glorious morning but the sea breeze was still blowing enough to stop any real heat from warming her cool skin.

The lawyer took a step forward and smiled

"Hello Buffy, it's really good to see you again"  His soft voice was sincere and Buffy immediately felt at ease.

Lindsey watched as she pulled his jacket closer to her thin body and realised how cold she must have been spending the night waiting for the storm to pass. Not wanting either of his friends to catch a chill he cut off the reunion speeches and raising his hand, he indicated to his car

"Come on, let's get you two home, you can give me all the fun facts later"

Liam quirked an eyebrow and his friend knew at once that there was no way he would ever learn what really happened that night.. Not that it mattered. Just seeing Liam smile again was enough to make him happy. That, and a few more hours sleep. But, as the sun continued its rise in the early morning sky, the extra sleep he longed for seemed more and more unlikely.

"I owe you." Liam said sincerely and tightening his arm protectively around Buffy's small shoulders he followed Lindsay to the car.

At the promise Lindsey grinned.

"I'll remind you of that the next time your sister comes to town" He replied happily. At the thought, a vision of Cordelia rose up and danced before his eyes, causing the smug grin he was wearing to double in size.

 A date with Cordy was just what he needed Lindsey would definitely be calling in that favour.

Dropping into the front seat, he twisted the key in the ignition and purposely turned his eyes away from the reunited lovers, now locking lips  in the back.

"You two really need to get a room" Lindsey laughed

He was still smiling ten minutes later as he drove away from Revello Drive.

"Home sweet home" With a heart-felt thank you, and a promise that he wouldn't be late for court that afternoon, Liam watched his friend drive away. Once the car was out of sight, he wrapped his arm around Buffy's shoulders and guided her towards the steps of their house.

Home sweet home

As her husband's words slowly filtered into her thoughts Buffy looked up at the pretty white house and for the first time since the accident, she viewed the building with a completely new perspective.

He was right, This really was her home and she was never going to leave it again.

With a small sigh, Buffy slipped the ruined dress from her shoulders and twisting her tiny hips slightly, she let the damp material pool at her feet in the middle of the bedroom floor. Stepping out of the garment, she quickly peeled off her bra and panties and with the flick of her wrist, the sand filled underwear quickly followed the dress into the waste paper basket. It was sad that all three items were less than a day old but Buffy knew they were all beyond repair. As she looked down at the overflowing wastepaper bin, the memory of Angel removing each garment brought a warm flush of colour back to her cheeks. She might only remember enough about her past to fill up a thimble, but the new memories they were creating certainly made up for the ones she had lost.. Well, almost.

Standing still, she remembered the events of the last few hours and smiled.

Their night together had been wonderful but as she ran her fingers over her pink skin, scratched from rolling in the sand, she knew that later she would be paying the price for being so reckless.  Touching the tender flesh again, she silently made a note that the next time they rolled naked in the sand, she would remember to take along a blanket.

And if last night was anything to go by, there would certainly be a next time in the very near future

Walking across the room with a large grin on her face, Buffy stopped and stood naked in front of the full-length mirror. Gazing down at her reflection, she was relieved to see that her petite body was slowly starting to show signs of gaining the weight she had lost over her four-month absence. Her figure was nowhere near the curvy shape it appeared in their wedding video but she realistically accepted that every new pound she added was a bonus.

Buffy turned away from the mirror, she raised her hand and running her fingers through her hair, she cringed at the tangled mess beneath her fingertips.

I so need a shower

At the blissful thought of standing beneath a jet of hot soapy water, Buffy picked up the large fluffy towel she had earlier placed on her bed, and after securing it tightly around her breasts, she hurried back down the hallway.

On reaching the bathroom, the sound of running water informed her that Liam had not only beaten her to the bathroom, he was still occupying the shower. Not able to wait another second, Buffy quietly opened the door and slipped silently inside the steam-covered room. As her eyes adjusted to the steamy haze, the sight that greeted her almost took her breath away. Although they had spent the best part of the night making love, the cave had been dark and the opportunity to get a good look at her husband's naked body had been limited. But now was an entirely different story. For the first time since her accident. Buffy could see the man she had married in the full light of day.

Gulp

Apart from the butterflies in her stomach, Buffy stood dead still, her mouth dry, and her heart thundering as she watched the naked silhouette through the misty glass door. The room was humid and as she stood nervously biting into her bottom lip, all she could smell was the scent of Liam's shampoo filling the air.

She took her first deep breath and let the heady aroma flood over her senses.

As Liam moved gracefully beneath the cloud of steam, Buffy was unable to drag her eyes away from his long naked form. She watched as the hot water crashed over his dark head, how it cascaded over broad shoulders, ran smoothly down his back and almost seemed to caress his firm buttocks before it faded from her sight.

She swallowed the lump that rose in her throat but still didn't move.

At the sight of his glistening tanned flesh, her small pink tongue slipped over her dry lips and the swirl of heat in the pit of her stomach ignited and seeped deep into her pelvis.

No wonder she found it so hard to breathe. Liam's hard lean body was pure poetry in motion. His shoulders were broad and like most of his body they were sculptured with sinewy muscles. He had a smooth chest, lean hips, muscled thighs and legs that seemed to.... Buffy sighed as her eyes continued their journey down his long wet legs and just for a moment, her mind imagined them twisted around her body. The image was electric and sent a hot delicious shiver right down to her toes.

Maybe I better have a cold shower she smiled at the thought and quickly rejected the idea.

No longer able to wait for her turn, she unwrapped the towel she was wearing and picked up a bottle of her own shampoo from the shelf. Buffy slid back the shower door and without making a sound, she slipped inside the small cubicle and closed the door behind her.

Maybe after being in hell the last few weeks there really was a heaven to be found on earth She remembered the hell well enough, the darkness, the loneliness, the isolation of not remembering who she was, who they were. But now, standing in the warmth, feeling both safe and loved, maybe there was a heaven to be found on earth after all

A rush of hot water crashed over her head as she lovingly slid her hands around her husband's waist and laid her cheek against his wet back. Closing her eyes, Buffy breathed in deeply as the water cascaded over her tired skin, slowly revitalising her weary flesh.

He'd known she was there from the second the shower door had opened.

Liam smiled at the feel of her small breasts brushing against his back and slowly turned around. For a moment he stood, just letting his hungry eyes roam over her beautiful body. After four long months of believing he would never see her again, It was like suddenly being hit by lightning.

She was really home

Liam reached out his hand and turning a small dial on the wall, he adjusted the speed of the water crashing over their heads before closing the small distance between them.

Buffy smiled up at him through the steam and reaching up a small hand, she ran her fingers lightly through the soap in his wet hair.

"You were taking far too long" She tried to smile but there was simply too much heat in her eyes.

With a soft moan, Liam reached out and drew her closer until their bodies were finally locked together, her breasts pushing up against the hard wall of his chest and her hips pressed firmly against his, feeling the hard evidence of how much he wanted her.

"So I got tired of waiting and though it might be fun to share" Her voice whispered suggestively and standing up on tiptoes, Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her hungry lips to his mouth.

While the sounds of lovemaking shook the air, the shower continued to spray water over the occupants inside it's four walls.

Hot, warm, tepid.

The lovers were still locked together when the water ran cold.

Nothing was breaking them apart.

"Mmmmm. That was so nice" Buffy rolled on to her side and purred out a long satisfied yawn.

Sliding her hand down the length of the bed, she found their forgotten sheet and with a sigh of contentment she pulled it up to cover her cooling body.

"Nice?" Angel raised an eyebrow in amusement.

Lowering his eyes, he watched the sheet cover her naked form and a small smile turned the corners of his lips when he felt her small warm body snuggle up against his side.

Nice?

Buffy tilted her head at the question and almost laughed at the pouting _expression her lover wore across his face.

"Nice?.. I only rate a nice now?" Liam's dark eyes glinted seductively as he teased. His fingers reached out and lazily toyed with a loose strand of her damp hair. Lowering his head, he dropped a soft kiss on Buffy's warm shoulder and felt a tiny shiver run right through his wife's body.

"Want to try it again, maybe we could try something not so nice" He suggested with a grin

Buffy's eyes widened

"I was talking about the shower not...." She blushed as she heard a replay of her own words and then with a soft sensual smile, she reached out her hand and gently traced her fingertips across his lips.

"The shower was nice, being clean, dry and warm again is nice but you.. Leaning forward Buffy brushed her lips to his mouth and softly kissed her reply " You were perfect"

She pulled away to gaze into his face and the gleam in his dark eyes told her all that she needed to know. He was teasing, he knew very well what she meant but he was enjoying the game.

Buffy on the other hand was through with playing games.

" You had me worried for a moment...."He started but the words were quickly lost when Buffy lowered her mouth back to his lips and slipped her tongue deep into his mouth for a long tender kiss..

Liam shivered with anticipation and the raw heat that swirled in the pit of his stomach flashed so intensely that it almost burnt him alive.

He closed his eyes and without even realising it, he found himself almost praying Please God, don't ever take her away from me again The though of losing Buffy again sent a bolt of terror straight through his heart. There were still so many unanswered questions between them and even though they had both promised to make a fresh start, Liam couldn't stop the fear flooding through him that maybe, one day, Buffy would leave his life again.

Breaking the kiss he pulled back slightly to stare at her face and was almost choked with emotion. She looked so beautiful lying there. She was still slightly damp from the shower and her eyes, her eyes were shining with such raw passion it made him tremble.

Liam breathed deeply and let her scent fill his senses. It flowed over his tired body in waves, invading his every nerve and fibre.

"I can't tell you how many times in the last four months I've dreamt of this" His soft voice trembled as he opened up his battered heart and laid it open for the entire world to see.

It had been easier in the cave. The storm and being trapped together had made the whole night seem almost surreal. But with the rising sun, came reality and now, lying side by side in their own bed, Liam suddenly felt scared to death that none of it was real. That he would wake any second to the buzzing of his alarm clock and find his bed empty and his life once again in shambles.

Reaching out, he gently traced the soft curves of her face.

"I love you, Buffy. Whatever happens in the future, if you remember your past or not, I just need you to hold on to that.

Buffy's heart filled with joy and when she smiled, the passion in her sparkling eyes changed to tenderness.

She didn't get a chance to reply.

With a soft moan Liam turned her in his arms, rolling her until she was beneath him. He kissed her eyes, her cheeks, her neck, slowly licking his way along the smooth column of her throat.

At the now familiar feel of his mouth on her breast, Buffy sucked in a deep breath and mewed in her throat. Her skin was on fire and it burned where ever his lips kissed her. She let her hands caress their way down his muscular back and dug her fingers into his hard buttocks. As her lover's body surged against her, Buffy felt the strength of his desire press harder. She insistently eased her thighs apart to take him and then twined her legs around his body.

With a passionate sigh, Liam finally sank deep inside of her, filling her body almost to the point of pain. Feeling complete, she cried out his name, and as wave after wave of ecstasy flooded over her tired soul, the very last word on Buffy's mind, was Nice.

With a final shudder of release the man she hadn't remembered, but already knew that she would love for the rest of her life, collapsed bonelessly on top of her.

"God! You were right," Wrapping her tightly in his arms Liam softly kissed Buffy's forehead and stroked her hair. "It was Perfect"

He breathed deeply as the pounding in his chest started to slowly return to its normal level.

"No arguments from me" Buffy sighed happily as she tried to bring her own breathing under control.

The room fell quiet.

For a few contented moments they lay there in silence, reluctant to untangle their sated bodies.. The curtains had been left open from the day before and the warm morning sun now fell in soft golden ribbons across their bed. Leaning into her husband's strong body, Buffy closed her eyes as a wave of exhaustion washed over her tired bones.

"Before you fall asleep, I have something for you" Liam turned away for a moment and when he turned back, he held a small gold band between his long fingers.

Buffy recognised it immediately. Her mind flashed back to the scene in the study and she remembered the pain in Angel's eyes as he waited for her to remember why she had left him. She hadn't remembered removing the ring then and with a sad tug at her heartstrings, she still couldn't remember why she would have taken such a drastic action.

"I thought you might like this back."

She fell silent for a moment, then with trembling fingers; Buffy accepted the tiny circle and slipped it over the third finger of her left hand. It fitted perfectly. Laying her head against his muscular chest, she snuggled up against him, secure in the knowledge that she was no longer alone in this dark world. The darkness inside her head was still ever present but whatever demons it hid, Buffy knew they would now face them together. All thoughts of William Pennington and his sister were firmly pushed out of her head, at least for that night.

Feeling his wife's hot breath sigh softly against his skin, Liam wrapped his arm around her, holding her tight.

"I love you." His lips tenderly brushed a featherweight kiss to her hair as he watched her eyelids flutter, struggling against the forces of sleep.

"I love you too." Buffy smiled at how easily the words slipped over her lips.

" I'm so sleepy, - but I still want.."

At the remark Liam looked astounded

"What? You couldn't possibly.. Not that I wouldn't.." His long fingers danced lazy circles over her taut stomach, once again teasing every nerve ending into life.

Buffy giggled at her husband's stamina and when she looked at him, she knew all the love she felt was shinning in her eyes.

"No, no. I'm spent. You?"

"For now." Liam smiled, but in his heart he knew he would never be truly spent where this woman was concerned.

Their eyes met and held.

"No, I - want to stay awake - so this day can keep happening. This is the best day of my new life, I want it to last forever"

She tried to hide the tiny yawn that crept into her voice but as her eyelids fluttered, the exhaustion of the last twenty-four hours slipped over her face and reflected from her sleepy hazel eyes.

Liam could hardly reply he felt so relieved.

"Sleep. We'll make another one like it tomorrow." His voice was little more than a whisper.

Happy with his promise, Buffy sighed in contentment. She tangled her legs with his, tucked her head under his chin and finally letting out a small yawn, she rested her head against his warm chest.

As the events of the last twenty-four hours took their toll, Buffy closed her eyes, and within minutes she was sleeping peacefully.

Liam cradled her closer to him and tenderly kissed her head.

"Sweet dreams"

Without disturbing her slumber, he reached out his free arm and reset the alarm clock by his bed. He knew that if he were late for court that afternoon Lindsey would never forgive him.

Liam then settled back against the pillow and tried to relax, but even as he closed his eyes he knew sleep wouldn't come. There were just too many demons running through his head. As his imagination kicked in, memories of his fight with Pennington returned to haunt him and the ugliness that they brought left a bitter taste in his mouth.

We don't have to worry about him anymore. William's promised to leave me alone, he's not going to cause us any more problems

Buffy seemed certain that their problems with the lovesick poet were now in the past but Liam didn't believe it for a second. If William loved Buffy as much as he proclaimed he did, he knew the lying little bastard would never give them a second's peace. He wouldn't worry Buffy for the world but he seriously suspected that their problems with Pennington were far from over.

Exhausted, but not able to rest, Liam lay watching Buffy sleep for the next three hours before turning off the alarm clock and silently slipping away.

"Angel"

Buffy cried out in terror as the fire that haunted her earlier dreams returned with a vengeance.

It burned and scorched, as once again it's hot red tentacles licked all around her skin. Even fast asleep, she knew what would happen next, it never changed

Buffy reached out her hand and watched in horror as the once smooth texture of her tanned arm crinkled and blistered as it slowly melted from the bone.

The heat was like a flaming stalker, it followed her every movement and it was still heading her way. No matter what she did, or how far she ran, she wouldn't escape it this time.

Deep inside her nightmare, Buffy stood frozen as she watched the burning heat move ever closer, engulfing her in its hatred.

This time it will get you A voice that she knew but couldn't quite place whispered out the warning. Only this time the words sounded more like a threat. Buffy watched the fire danced around her feet, licking it's way up her ankles and slowly burning her alive.

Run away and hide little girl

Pain bubbled up in her throat but when she tried to scream, she knew it was already useless... In the darkness of her mind there was no one there to hear her cry.

You should never have come back, Buffy. 

He doesn't love you. He never loved you

You were never the cheat...

He was

"ANGEL"

Buffy sat up in her bed, her eyes widened in fear.

The voice she was hearing was her past. It stood right outside the door of her mind now and with a blaze of pure hatred, it screamed to be let in.

Part 23.

Never send a boy to do a woman's job

Darla Penn stood on the rocks for more than an hour before finally tearing her drenched body away from its unobserved vantagepoint.

Wrapped in a blanket of darkness, the shattered young woman felt as if her whole world had come to an end that night. All her hopes for the future appeared to have crashed and burned before her very eyes.

Darla's skin crawled and she felt truly sick to her stomach but, refusing to show so much as a sliver of weakness, the petite blonde quickly blinked back the tears of frustration that burned behind her eyelids. 

Crying was for fools and for babies She wasn't either.

Ignoring the storm still raging high above Sunnydale as it tore violently into the dark velvet skyline, Darla turned silently from the cave's entrance but her exit from the beach was short lived.  Not yet ready to deal with hard reality, her feet found their way to the water's edge and her toes sank deep into the cold wet sand.

Closing her eyes, Darla couldn't prevent the memories of the last few days crashing over her tired body, almost physically attacking her small frame with the weight of their anger.

Buffy's voice was the first to taunt her head, quickly followed by her brother's sad confession.

When Liam's around... it's like the lights dim everywhere else. I don't remember him yet but I already know I still love him

Darla. I need to find William, like yesterday

Sorry, luv, but I've fucked up big time. Buffy knows I lied to her. She's out looking for Liam right now and when she finds him, it's all over  .

Filling her lungs with deep gulps of damp salty air, the lone female on the sand tried desperately to clear the confusion swimming around her head and contemplate her now uncertain future.

A future that until just a few hours ago included the man of her dreams and the words, happily ever after stamped right through it

"Happily ever after. What a laugh that was" Before Darla could even hear her own bitterness, the angrily whispered words were swept up by the wind swirling around her and blown far out to sea. Lost forever on the swollen tide.

Not that she needed to hear words that night to feel the bitter pain of betrayal. The open tear in her battered heart was still very raw, and a constant ache for revenge screamed its way through her blood stream with every new beat.

Fighting back the anger Darla slowly brought her breathing under control by reminding herself of one sure thing. 

No matter what she had just witnessed in that cave, her happily ever after wasn't over yet

Tilting up her wet face towards the sky, she watched in awe as a lightning bolt streaked its way across the infinite heavens, Mother Nature's violence and fury matching her own feelings to perfection. For a split second, the lightning's natural energy lit up the darkness, throwing a ghostly shadow across the silver sand and further highlighting the rage of the surf.

And the rage in her heart.

At that moment, the wind picked up, attacking her small frame but even as her pale skin started to tinge blue with the cold, Darla didn't feel the chill seeping into her bones. Her body was on fire. Her shattered heart fuelled with a lifetime of hatred, pounding in her chest until she was in serious danger of combusting.

Lifting her thin arm against the driving rain, Darla swiped an annoying strand of wet hair away from her face, but she still didn't move away from the water's edge.

Strangely, she took comfort from its anger, finding solace in its rage.

As the violence from the storm washed over her, the deranged female allowed her twisted feelings of betrayal to slowly bleed into any sense of reason she might have once possessed. Once again Buffy had destroyed her one chance of happiness.

Darla painfully twisted her fingers together as her thoughts returned to her childhood rival.

Long months of scheming and planning had been ruined the second Liam had taken that bitch of a wife back into his arms.

Arms that should have been wrapped around her. Arms that would have been wrapped around her if only Buffy had stayed lost 

Darla trembled again as the hatred she felt for Liam's wife, radiated out from every pore in her skin.

She had spent her whole life living in Buffy's shadow, always coming in second place. It didn't matter what she did, or who she loved, Buffy was always there in front of her. Stealing the show.. Stealing her life. 

But not this time.

It simply wasn't fair that Buffy Summers would win again

Darla sighed and closed her eyes. Everything had been going so well until, out of the blue, all of her hopes and dreams crumbled into dust. William's fight with Liam, and his confrontation with Buffy were bad enough, but this sickening reunion was almost the pink icing on a very sickly cake.

Standing in the middle of the raging storm, Darla let the violence fuel her own anger and only one thought whispered in her head

She really had no other choice now but to wipe out the plague that had blighted her life for more years than she wished to remember.

The plague of Buffy Summers.

Buffy was a bug, an annoying little insect that continually gnawed at her flesh, and there only way to deal with bugs that wouldn't go away.

You exterminate them... Once and for all

Turning her head back towards the crashing waves that ripped across the soft pale sand, Darla stared so intensely into the violence of the sea, that the dark vision slowly blurred in front of her eyes.

Could she really kill Buffy?

The question repeated over and over, echoing deep inside her head with each thunderous roll of water. Her rival's face danced in front of her eyes. Laughing at her pain, taunting her stupidity.

Buffy wins again

 Cutting out all other sounds from her mind, Darla let her imagination run wild.

Could she  really kill her rival in order to secure her own Happily ever after ?

Sending the bitch away was one thing, but could she take her life?

Could she kill for Liam?

After a few seconds a small smile curled the corner of the woman's cool lips.

The answer was almost too easy.

"Yes. " 

Darla's voice was barely a whisper but the sea heard her answer and almost in response, it roared.

"Don't do anything stupid and try not to worry. I'll fix it. I did before and I'll do it again.. Trust me."

Darla sighed deeply and regretted her decision to tell William the scene she had witnessed on the beach, the very second she put down the phone. Her brother had been devastated by the news that Buffy was once again sleeping with her husband and even though she couldn't see his face, Darla felt his tired spirit crack underneath the painful information.

Trying to ignore the heartbreak she heard in his voice, the dripping wet woman had promised to call around as soon as she had showered and changed her clothes. They had plans to make. It really wouldn't be that difficult. Darla already knew Liam's agenda off by heart, she remembered that he would be in court most of the afternoon, leaving the vulnerable little wife at home all alone. Even before the receiver was placed back on its catch, Darla Penn's evil little mind was turning over the possibilities. If she was going to stop all of her dreams from slipping through her fingers, like sand through an hourglass, she and Will had to move fast

Buffy and Liam's sickening little reunion wasn't long for this world. One way or another, that marriage was over.

Darla smiled as she kicked off her wet clothes and stepped into a shower of hot water. Lathering her body and shampooing a beach full of sand from her tangled hair, she tried to block all negative thoughts from her head.

William needed her to stay strong and in order to do that; she needed to stay positive.

After all, between them they had broken Buffy and Liam apart once before, there was no reason why they couldn't do it again.

Okay, so William was feeling down but he would soon bounce back.

Darla knew her half brother too well; he had the same lust for life running through his veins that she did. Will was a romantic at heart but he wouldn't quit, he was a survivor, just like she was.

But what if he does throw in the towel. The lovesick fool really does have strong feelings for the ex cheerleader. If the siblings couldn't split them apart, would he stand in her way?

Darla shook the thought from her head.

Maybe it wouldn't do to tell William everything she had planned after all.

Two hours later.

"What on earth are you doing?" Darla asked as her widened eyes swept over the devastation that had once been her brother's living room. The broken glass and splintered furniture from his fight with Liam was still scattered all around the once stylish room but it wasn't the destruction that caught Darla Penn's attention. Everywhere she looked, the room was scattered with personal belongings.

Not even bothering to turn his head, William answered the question with hardly a trace of emotion in his voice.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I've had as much as I can take of this bloody freak show. I'm going home"

With a casual shrug of his shoulders, William threw open a large packing case and without even looking, he dropped the armful of shirts he was carrying into its depths.

"Have you gone insane?"

Darla quickly crossed the room and with a flash of anger, she slammed down the lid of the expensive packing case, preventing the pile of poetry books that her brother was now holding from being added to his shirts.

"This. Is. Your. Home" Her voice was so cold it sent an icy chill right through the room. This was the last thing she had expected.

William sighed deeply with frustration as the books he had been about to deposit tumbled down onto the closed lid and then bounced onto the floor. Without even looking at his sister he bent his knees and started to retrieve his property.

"Darla, I'm through with this bloody town, its caused me nothing but aggravation" His voice was still quiet but the tone was now deadly serious. He simply couldn't carry on living like this.

After receiving his sister's bad news about the state of Buffy and Liam's marriage, the poet's vivid imagination had run wild. Sinking to the floor of his broken home, all he could see was his golden girl, laying naked in arms that weren't his.

Poetic justice really

She was never really your girl

It was never you

At first he had raged, breaking what was left of any still standing furniture. Glass, wood, marble, nothing was sacred as the anger in his blood flooded his body and he ripped loose with a vengeance. But the rampage didn't last for long, once the fury in his heart had burned out; all that was left was the pain. Sitting alone and feeling like a small child who had lost his favourite toy, for the first time in remembrance William Pennington cried.

He cried for Buffy. He cried for what might have been if fate hadn't been such a cruel bastard. But in all honesty, as the tears rolled freely down his perfectly chiselled cheekbones, William cried for what he had become.

God, what have I done?

Finally, sated and exhausted, William took a real good look at his future and reluctantly accepted that the picture staring back at him wasn't Sunnydale.

"I'm going home"

William glanced back down at the book he was holding in his hands and after reading its flowery title, he decided that he wouldn't take the romantic reminders with him after all.

He was exhausted, both physically and mentally. As the emotions attacking his heart flicked across his swollen face, he silently swore that he was finished with love and all the pain it had brought him.

For a second he actually meant it

He remained silent and as Darla watched the emotions flicker across his face, she started to panic slightly.

"And what about Buffy?" She asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

A painful shudder went through William.

Darla's words sliced through the poet's misery and his broken heart clenched deep in his chest. Just the sound of her name caused the blood in his veins to run icy cold. Lifting his badly swollen eyes for the first time, William stared into his sister's face with a look of disbelief.

"Are you taking the piss? You made it perfectly clear that Buffy and that bastard she married are screwing each other again..." The pain in his eyes almost took her breath away. But it wasn't the pain that made her worry. It was the look of defeat that bled into it

Feeling her gaze sweep over his darkening bruises, William turned away. Slowly standing to his feet, his tired eyes swept around for the half empty bottle of scotch he had earlier placed by his packing case.

"Do you want a drink?" He asked holding the amber bottle in one hand and twisted the lid with the other.

Darla shook her head. The solution to their problems wasn't going to be found at the bottom of a whisky bottle.

William shrugged his shoulders.

"Suit yourself"

"That's not going to help."

"Yeah, well I happen to think it just might." Not bothering with a glass, William gulped the burning liquid straight from the bottle.

The first mouthful stung as it found the small cuts inside his mouth and as much as he hated to admit it, Darla was right, It didn't matter how much of the stuff he poured down his throat, it wasn't a magical cure, it wouldn't make Buffy love him. No matter how much he drank, It wouldn't take away the pain or the continuous ache in his chest, but if nothing else, it would numb it for a while.

That had to be better than nothing.

William desperately needed something to help him forget. Something to help him move on before the feelings inside him burned and consumed him until there was nothing left.

"It's over, Darla. " He continued, no longer disguising the fact that his heart was broken and his pride was ripped to shreds. He really couldn't play this game any more, because there was only so much pain a person could stand before it sent them insane. William understood only too well that he had crossed the line with Buffy the night before and standing there in the cold light of day, he knew that nothing they did could ever fix this mess now.

Darla on the other hand didn't want to see the cold light of day; Darla didn't want too see any negativity at all.

"No.." The word tore from her lips like an explosion.

"We can still do this. Last night you were begging me to help you and now you want to run back to London with your tail between your legs.. It's not going to happen that way. It's time you grew a backbone little brother"

He jerked as if she had physically hit him.

Darla felt a knot of fear in her chest grip tight but the pained _expression that slipped into William's sad blue eyes indicated that she had hit her mark.

William raised his hand to his face and when his fingers touched the dark purple bruise on his jaw, he winced in pain. It was true, he had spent the whole night plotting how he could turn this mess around and make Buffy understand that he was the only chance she had for a happy life. But Darla's revelations about the fuckfeast on the beach had destroyed his last remaining hope. He had to get away, he was simply too tired of playing Darla's games and of finding himself on the losing side.

"Why don't you just give it a bleeding rest, Darla. I should never have agreed to this crap in the first place and I'm not staying around Sunnydale to get my bloody heart cut out day after day." Anger flashed across his face. Sunnydale was too small a town to hide in and there was no way he was going to watch Buffy and Liam playing happy families everyday.

Ignoring the outburst, Darla pushed the contents of a leather armchair onto the floor and dropped into the seat

"I can still make this happen for us. I'm so close, i just need a little more time" Her fingers played nervously with the folds of her skirt..

William looked at his sister and for the first time he thought about her sadness. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he slowly crossed the room and crouched down in front of her.

Taking his sister's small hand between his large fingers, he softly rubbed her skin.

"No, luv, you were never close. Look, do yourself a favour and give it up. Come back to England with me because Buffy will never leave him now. I know it and in your heart, you know it as well"

His sad eyes sought hers and they held for a moment. For a split second William thought he was breaking through her denial but the moment passed and when Darla met his eyes again, she smirked.

"Well maybe its time to stop playing games and get rid of the little bitch once and for all"

William shook his head and sighed heavily.

Darla and her schemes

Keeping his voice as free from emotion as possible, even though it was an effort to do so, he continued in a quiet tone.

"You tried that once before and it failed. You sent her running and look where it got us, she came right back. Don't you understand, pet. As long as Buffy can breathe she will always find her way back to Liam" The resentment at the simple fact once again tore deeply into the poet's heart.

As long as Buffy can breathe she will always find her way back to Liam

Darla's smirk grew wider as her brother's words mirrored her own earlier thoughts

"Stopping her from breathing? Good idea little brother. That works just fine for me."

William rolled his eyes at the ridiculous notion.

"Stop being so dramatic" Pushing away from her,  he stood up again and turned away. This conversation was going nowhere.

Darla rose from her chair and followed him. A war of emotions raged within her as she slowly walked across the room.

"I'm not being dramatic, I'm just saying, maybe it's time I got rid of the bitch once and for all"

William spun around and grabbed her arm. His dark blue eyes were like pinpoints, boring into her flesh. Darla opened her mouth to protest, but clamped it shut as her brother's gaze drilled into every inch of her face, hunting for the real meaning behind her words.

"If you so much as touch a single hair on her head, I'll make you sorry you were born" His gaze darkened and the promise was very real. 

Darla swallowed the slight lump that had risen in her throat and almost as an act of defiance, she lifted her chin.

"Now who's being all dramatic?" She smirked and a flicker of playful mischief danced across her cool eyes.

William knew that look only too well. Dropping her arm he slowly backed away.

When he spoke again it was in a deadly quiet voice.

"I mean it, Darla."

To cover her frustration, Darla changed the smirk on her face into a full-blown smile.

"And when did you become so damn righteous, it never bothered you the last time. You were happy to help then." 

Turning away from his sister, William's eyes searched the wreckage of his home for a bottle of anything that would numb his pain. He was sobering up far too quickly and the agony in his head was pounding.

"In point of fact, you were MORE than happy to help last time" Darla continued, cruelly pushing her point home.

Forgetting his need for alcohol, William's eyes filled with guilt as he remembered only too clearly how he had helped destroy Buffy's once perfect life.

Watching his body tremble at the memories Darla continued.

"I might have set the stage little brother but you led the audience right to her seat" She smirked and knew she had scored an important point. Walking closer, Darla laid a hand on his tense arm, but he shook her off, deliberately moving away from her

William closed his eyes, acknowledging her words. He didn't need her to remind him. He'd lived with that little deception for the last four months.

"And what did it get me? Your bloody plan worked too well, Darla. Buffy ran and I lost her." The anger was gone from his voice. Sadness and regret had replaced it.

"Sending her away won't help me this time. I can't go with her... She doesn't love me" His voice trailed off in remembrance.

"Then we might be both better off with her out of our lives once and for all" This time Darla didn't even bother to hide the hostility in her voice.

William's jaw tightened and his skin drew flat over his features. His gaze darkened but Darla stared right back at him, not backing down

"I can't let you hurt her. I love you, pet, you're my only family, but I won't let you hurt Buffy". A sliver of fear clouded his eyes at the thought his little sister might actually be serious.

Darla looked into her brother's face and wished she could shake some sense into him. Somewhere over the last few weeks, he'd changed from the ruthless young man she had always known to a sickly lap dog. The look disgusted her. It was the same look it had taken her weeks to remove from Liam's face after Buffy first fled.

Men

Darla knew better than to continue in that direction, the last thing she needed was William spoiling her plans. She wanted his help not his hindrance. With a forced smile to her lips she moved closer to him again and placed a hand back on his arm. He stayed still this time, their eyes locking in understanding

"Okay, okay. I won't touch a hair on the cheerleaders head, I promise"

William's head lowered, resting against her forehead.

"I really worry about you sometimes. Darla come back to England with me, just for a few months until this all dies down." The anger was gone from his voice. William's hand gently stroked her back. She might act like a cold heartless bitch but at the end of the day she would always be his sister and, for all her faults, he would always love her.

Pulling slightly away, Darla looked into his tired swollen eyes and tried one last time.

"You know I can't do that. Stay here and help me. I have a great idea that will split them apart once and for all. Please Will, I need you.." 

William shook his head and ignored the pain the jerky movement created.

"If I thought for one second that I could really have Buffy, I'd march into Hell and sell my soul to the devil himself, but it doesn't work that way. We tried, we lost. His voice rose, frustrated, his whole body vibrating with the pain of defeat

"I can't do this without you" Darla's voice rose as well, frustration stiffening her body.

At any other time in his life, Darla's pleading would have melted his resolve, but not today. William Pennington was simply too tired of picking up the pieces of his broken heart and shoving them back into his chest. He had no choice this time. He had to get as far away from Sunnydale as possible.

Neither spoke and the room fell deadly silent while the two lost siblings struggled with their own inner turmoil. In the end it was William's soft voice that broke through the stillness.

"I'm on the midnight flight to London. If you change your mind you are always welcome to join me"

Darla sighed and shook her head.

"I can't. I can't give up Liam; I have to try one last time. I can still make it right" She replied sadly, still refusing to admit defeat.

William tried one last time to make his sister see sense.

"You're a fool Darla. Don't you understand, yet? It's too late to make it right. The past has a way of catching up with us, we can't change what we did and we can't make it right" He took a breath before continuing with his last words on the subject.

"This can only end in tears" The words were so low that she had to strain to hear them

When they finally registered, Darla merely nodded, her face expressionless

"I know.. " she turned her head and knowing it was useless to continue the argument, she started for the door. Walking away, her final words were missed by the dejected young poet

"There will be tears all right.... But they won't be mine"

On to Part Twenty Four