Chapter 14

It was easy for Riley to disappear with Buffy. Yes, he had used his name at the motel across from Wolfram and Hart, and yes, he knew his picture would probably eventually show up on the surveillance tapes. And someone in the lab would also discover the missing toxin before too long. But by then, it would all be too late. Riley and Buffy would no longer exist.

The toxin Riley had administered to Buffy not only paralyzed her and knocked her unconscious for a while, but it also erased her memory. When she eventually awakened, she wouldn't remember anything of the past. She wouldn't even know who she was. Buffy would be a blank slate, clean for Riley to program at his will. She was his now.

It was a few days later when she did awaken. She opened her eyes and found herself in a brightly lit hospital room. It was a private room, and the sun was streaming in through the window on her right. When she turned her head to the left she saw a man sleeping in the chair beside her bed. She didn't recognize him. He was fairly handsome, in an all American kind of way, with broad shoulders and blonde hair. He was clean cut, and dressed in a blue flannel shirt and blue jeans.

Before her thought process could progress, a nurse walked in. "Well, look who finally woke up!" This, in turn, woke up the man in the chair. He sat up quickly, grinned at her, and grabbed her left hand into both of his. She found this very disconcerting, but smiled shyly back at him. "I'll run and grab the doctor." The nurse finished checking all of the patient's vitals, and then she scurried out the door.

"How are you feeling, honey?" The man asked her.

She sat up a bit more, her left hand still held captive by the man's firm grip. As she sat up, however, she got a bit dizzy, so the man released his grip to stand and fluff some pillows behind her back, easing her down to the bed.

"I'm feeling…okay, I guess. A little dizzy, is all."

The man smiled, nodded. "How's your head? You suffered quite a thump, honey."

She felt the back of her head, but didn't find a bump or anything, and her head didn't hurt. "It's fine. Um…how long have I been here?"

"A couple of days. I was really scared. I thought I had lost you." He teared up a bit, and rubbed his eyes. She frowned. Who was this man, and who was he to her? She opened her mouth to ask him, when the doctor strode in.

"Well, it's good to see your eyes opened, Mrs. Fox."

Mrs. Fox? She frowned again. This was seriously not of the good, she thought.

"Mr. Fox, could you excuse us for a moment? I need to run some tests. It will just take a minute. I'll meet you in the waiting room when I've concluded?"

"Sure thing. You are in fine hands, honey. Doctor Mast is the best. I'll be right back. I'll go grab a coffee." The man squeezed her hand one more time, then wandered out into the waiting room, a quirky grin on his face. He slipped a cell phone out of his pocket, and made a call. "Hey, it's me. She's awake. Everything better be in order when I get there."

Quite a while later Dr. Mast found Mr. Fox in the waiting room. Fox stood when he saw the doctor approaching, the anxiety showing on his face as he saw the troubled look upon the doctor's face. "Doctor?"

Doctor Mast took the chair beside the young man, gesturing him to sit as well. "There seems to be a few complications, Mr. Fox. Her vitals are all perfectly normal, and there is no bruising, as we discussed before. But your wife seems to be suffering from amnesia. I don't know yet if it's temporary or not."

"Amnesia?"

"Yes. Your wife doesn't remember her name, or anything before the accident. She doesn't remember the accident either. All she knows is she has awakened in a hospital room. I've informed her that you are her husband, and that you could fill her in on any other questions. She's very upset, so you should go to her now."

"Okay," Mr. Fox sniffed. "But you think this is just temporary, right?"

The doctor nodded. "Most certainly. A bump on the head, such as what your wife incurred, can cause temporary memory loss. It will either come back slowly, or all at once. Only time will tell. It might be a good idea to get her around familiar things. That can help. She is perfectly fine to go home tomorrow morning, if you'd like."

"Thank you, doctor. I think that's a good idea. I'll get her home, and I'm sure she'll be back to her old stubborn self in no time." Fox smiled at the doctor.

The doctor smiled hesitantly. There was something about this young man that creeped him out, especially the darkness in the man's eyes. He hastily shook Mr. Fox's hand, and then muttered his excuses, hurrying down the hall.

Riley smiled as he watched the doctor run off. This was easier then he had thought. He turned to head back to Buffy's room. Only she wasn't Buffy anymore. He was about to explain her new identity to her. She was Samantha Fox, married to Rick Fox for the past four years. But everyone, including his wife, always just called him Fox. He called her Sam. And they were blissfully happy.

Back in LA, Giles was a wreck. He was currently sitting in Angel's office, watching and re-watching the video surveillance they had of the front of the building. In the scene, he saw Buffy hurrying across the street towards the motel, and Riley creeping up behind her and plunging a needle into his beloved. He rewound it, and watched it again, his face a mask of emotion, but the tear falling from the corner of his eye betrayed him.

Angel came in, and paused at the door watching Giles. After a few moments, he went over and turned off the monitor. Giles looked up at him fiercely, but Angel put a gentle hand on the Watcher's shoulder. "Giles, it is not your fault. You must stop torturing yourself like this. Buffy has always been the type to do what she wanted, without listening to reason. You couldn't have stopped her, and neither could I."

"I could have gone with her." Giles anguished.

But Angel just shook his head. "No, she wanted to do it alone. We must now focus on finding her. We will find her, Giles, I swear we will. But we all need you to be at full capacity, and to focus. You need to shake yourself out of it, for Buffy's sake."

Giles couldn't face the vampire's expression. He continued to gaze at the blank monitor. Finally, he stood up, shaking himself. "You are right, Angel. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Giles. We will get her back. I promise."

Giles then noticed that Angel was holding a piece of paper in his hand. "What have you there?"

Angel frowned, and passed the paper on to Giles. "It's not good news. It's a toxicology report from the missing toxin from the lab. If this is what Riley injected into Buffy…." But he didn't finish his statement as he saw the concern on Giles' face.

"If I understand this correctly, "Giles began, "this poison not only causes paralysis in it's host, but also wipes their memory?"

Angel nodded. "I'm afraid so."

Angel saw the despair creeping into Giles. He gripped the man fiercely by his shoulders again. "We will find her Giles! We have to!"

Spike came wandering in at that moment. "Sorry to interrupt, chaps, but I thought you'd want a report."

Angel turned to listen to Spike, but Giles, still too upset to face Spike, turned and sat down in the leather couch at the back of the office. Angel had sent Spike over to the motel when they had learned that Riley had stayed there, and in the room right next to Buffy's. The trail had grown cold after that. It was as if Riley and Buffy dropped off the planet. Spike was going to try and get some information from the desk clerk, even if he had to beat it from him.

"No luck. The guy over there doesn't know a thing, the wanker. I didn't even bother slapping him around. It would have been useless." Spike glanced at Giles. "Sorry, mate." When Spike saw the anger on the Watcher's face, he shrugged. Spike only hoped that when he found Buffy, then maybe not only could Buffy forgive him for the past, but Giles as well. And then, maybe Spike could forgive himself.

Chapter 15