Chapter 15

Samantha Fox tried to get into the routine of her old life. That was quite difficult for her to do for many reasons, not the least being that she couldn't remember her "old" life. Her husband was patient and kind, although his instructions and insistence on how she should do things, how she should dress, how she used to be, were getting quite annoying. The person he claimed she used to be, was obviously not who she was now. She tried to explain to him that she felt she was a different person then before, but he just wouldn't hear it.

There were some things she discovered about herself that she never would reveal to him. She was afraid. Was it the head injury that caused these changes in her? Or was she just going crazy? She couldn't believe her eyes when a bruise or a cut would heal practically overnight. She never seemed to get ill, and pains and aches only lasted for a short time. It was like she had accelerated healing or something. It was fascinating to her, but also scary. So far she was able to hide this discovery from her husband. Thankfully, they had not had to be intimate yet. She was far too nervous for that. She just wasn't ready to be physical with a stranger. Logically she knew he was her husband, and he had the license to prove to her that they had indeed been married for four years. He claimed they had a happy union, and she had no reason to doubt him. Why then, did she not feel attracted to him? She knew he was getting impatient, and she'd have to relent eventually. Then it would be more difficult for her to hide her accelerated healing from him.

The second discovery was her strength. One afternoon, her husband had cursed about a can of fruit he couldn't open. He had left shortly after that for work, and she had grabbed the can to put it back up into the cupboard. Just for curiosity's sake, she tried to open it, and found that it took no effort whatsoever. Perhaps Fox had just loosened it, without realizing it? She wasn't sure. Then she went into the garage and found her husband's free weights. She picked up the heaviest one easily, as if it was a piece of kindling. She was strong, very strong. Was this also a reaction to her injury? She didn't know, but again, she kept quiet.

Rick Fox, her husband, was very controlling. She had no friends, no job, and no life outside of the home. She yearned to get out, but it was forbidden. So far, she had not put up any kind of fight. But inside, she knew she was not the type of person that was controlled and manipulated. That wasn't who she was, and she was beginning to get suspicious.

There were no phones in the home. Her husband carried a cell phone on him at all times, though she rarely saw him use it. She didn't know where he worked exactly, but he would come and go at all hours, so she never knew when he'd pop in. Since he had no certain schedule, she was apprehensive to leave the house. And she was sure he had it watched. He worked undercover for the government, but that was all he had told her. He said it was for her own safety that she didn't know.

She had pressed him for details about their life. She asked to see their wedding album, but he said that shortly before her accident, they had suffered a house fire, and all their personal belongings and photographs had been lost. He had just managed to rescue their marriage license, but nothing else. He had also told her that she had no family but him.

Samantha felt trapped. Furthermore, she was sure her husband was up to no good. She wanted some answers. She was done being patient, hoping for her memory to return. At her last check up, Doctor Mast had all but lost hope of her ever regaining her memory. It had been weeks, with no sign of any recollecting on her part. She told herself that she couldn't just stay here, a victim to her husband's control. She didn't know who she was, but she knew who she wasn't.

It was time for her to take some action. Why should she be afraid, she reasoned? Her experiments with her strength had her convinced she could kick her husband's ass if it came to that. And since she had no feelings for him whatsoever, there was nothing stopping her. She also felt she could easily dispatch the guard posted at the door. Fox had told her the guard was again for her own safety due to his work, but she felt like a prisoner in her own home. Her resolve took over.

Samantha ran into the bedroom and grabbed an overnight bag from under the bed. While she threw some clothes in it, she flicked on the television. It was the British voice coming from the television show that froze her in place. On the screen, a woman was fondling the British man in a barn. His giggles and voice caused butterflies in her stomach. That voice….it sounded so familiar to her. And wow, British television was pretty hot! She closed her eyes when a commercial came on, and concentrated on his looks, and that voice. Did she know him? How would that be possible? Perhaps he was like someone she knew? Suddenly, a man's face that was eerily similar to the man on the television flickered in her mind. He was holding a punching bag, and instructing her to keep her right shoulder up. Then, as quickly as it had come, the image vanished. She flicked the television off.

Now Samantha was certain that she did indeed know the man in her vision. It was more than a feeling. Her instincts were screaming out for him. She even thought she had dreams of him at night. She finished throwing clothes into the bag, threw on her stiletto heels, and walked out the back door.

"Hello, Mrs. Fox." The man, known to her as Graham, blocked her exit. His face was expressionless, until he saw the bag in her hand, then his brow furrowed. "What's with the bag?"

Samantha didn't even bother trying to explain. She simply punched Graham under his chin. He fell down into the yard, out cold. She stepped over his body, and slipped out into the woods. The sun was beginning to set, and she wanted to get out of here as fast as possible before Fox returned home.

As she crossed into the forest, a silent alarm went off. Riley's cell phone vibrated, and he cursed when he saw the alert on the ID.

"Is there a problem, Captain Fox?"

Riley nodded. "I have to go, Nelson. Keep researching on the Sub T, and inform me immediately when you learn anything helpful in it's destruction."

"Yes, Sir." The soldier continued reading the book on the table in front of him, and was relieved when Captain Fox left. He was new to this division of the Initiative, and knew that Captain Fox was highly respected. Whatever this undercover operation that the captain was involved in was, the younger soldier was kept out of the loop. Graham had told him it was a "need to know basis", and he didn't need to know. As Captain Fox's assistant, Nelson had been exposed to some restricted documents. He knew that Captain Fox's real name was Riley Finn, and that he ran the Secret Ops division of the Initiative. Nine months ago, Riley Finn's wife, Samantha Finn, had died while fighting demons in the Amazon. Finn had taken time off, but just a few weeks ago had returned as Captain Fox. As his superior, Nelson couldn’t ask him about his name change, and the one time he had inquired of Graham, he had feared he'd end up severely punished. Thankfully, he was a quick learner, and never repeated his mistakes twice. But he still wondered.

Riley returned to his home base, and found Graham unconscious on the back lawn. The guard out front hadn't heard or seen a thing. Riley fumed. "What happened, Graham?"

Graham couldn't look his friend in the eye. "She clobbered me, Riley. I had no time to react."

"I had no idea her strength had returned. Something must have been wrong with the toxin. It should have left her weak and defenseless! Why didn't she say anything to me?"

"Do you think she remembers who she really is? Does she know she's the Slayer?"

Riley looked worriedly at his friend. "I don't know. But we have to find her."

The sun had completely set, and Samantha found herself alone in the dark, in the woods. She knew she should be scared, but for some odd reason, she wasn't. Not even when the pale man leapt in front of her. He sneered at her. She dropped her bag, and immediately got into a defensive stance, her body taking over in instinct.

"Slayer." It hissed at her.

Slayer? "Hey, do I know you?"

He cackled at her. "Not yet, but I'll be the last thing you'll ever know!" His face contorted into a wrinkled mass, and she lost her breath. "Eep!" She squeaked out. "Vampire?"

It lunged at her, but she easily sidestepped out of his way. The vampire turned, and threw a wicked right punch at her jaw line, but she blocked it and returned a punch to his kidneys. He groaned and bent over. She grabbed his hair, and pinned him against a tree. "What can you tell me?"

"About what?" he hissed.

She cracked his nose with an elbow jab. He writhed in pain and attempted to kick her feet out from under her, but again she leapt out of the path of his foot, and then kneed him in the crotch. He would have fallen except she still held his head up by his hair.

"About me. You called me Slayer."

The vampire sneered at her. "You don't know?"

She didn't relax her grip on him, and her eyes bore into his red glare. "I seem to have suffered from forgetfulness lately. Give me the details, and I might let you live."

The vampire knew this was The Chosen One. This was the Slayer that had out performed and beaten The First. He had met his match, and didn't fool himself that he could get out of this in a fight. He decided to give her the information he knew, and his face returned to it's human visage. "I know you are named Buffy, and you are The Chosen Slayer. There are many slayers now, but none that compare to you. Now please, let me go."

"Buffy?" The name reverberated within her skull. She knew that the vampire spoke the truth. "Where do I come from?" She knew this small hick town in Oregon was not her home, even though Fox claimed it was.

"Sunnydale, but it is no more."

"Buffy what? Fox?"

The vampire peered around. "I don't see any fox?"

Buffy slapped him. "Pay attention! Not fox, as in animal, Fox, as in my last name. My husband's name."

The vampire's eyes widened. "Husband? You got married? But what about your Watcher?"

At the word Watcher, Buffy again saw the Englishman's face. Things were beginning to click within her brain. "So I'm not married to Rick Fox?"

The vampire frowned. "Not that I know of. Your last name is Summers. Last I heard, you were in Europe with your Watcher."

Buffy drew a blank at that statement. As she was lost in contemplation, her grip loosened on the vampire. He suddenly realized that in her distraction, perhaps he could bag a Slayer after all. He again vamped out and shoved the Slayer away from him. As he leapt in the air to rip out her throat, Buffy kicked out with her stiletto heel, impaling the vampire in the heart. "Eat my dust!" Buffy screamed at the vampire. As her heel penetrated his heart, the vampire vaporized in front of her, his dust blowing in the breeze. "Ew. Correction. I guess I'll eat your dust."

TBC

Chapter 16