Title:  Amnesia! Spike

Author:  mahaliem

Part 6 – Final Chapter

Buffy protectively moved so that she stood in front of Spike. She placed her fists on her hips and faced the stranger.

"Nobody important," she replied.



"What are you doing here, Angel?'

That's Angel? thought Spike, peering at the vampire over Buffy's shoulder.

"Willow called me. She said there was a problem with Spike. Seems the problem is that he's still in one piece." Angel's eyes sought out Spike's as he prowled closer, and Spike shivered.

"Stop it, Angel. And lose the fangs. You're scaring him."

"I'm scaring him?" Angel's face became normal, if normal was looking like he'd been smacked with a fish.

"He lost his memory," Buffy snapped. She then turned around, placed her hand on Spike's arm, and drew him closer. "Spike, this is Angel. Angel was the one that made Drusilla a vampire and Drusilla was the one that made you a vampire. So, he's not the one that sired you, and I don't think there's anything called a Grandpa Sire, but he's...um...he's...."

"Know what he is," said Spike. In a blur of movement, Spike launched himself at Angel, wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling him close.

"He's family!"

Spike's voice was filled with emotion as he hugged Angel.

Now Angel looked like he'd been smacked with two fish.

* * *


Spike wasn't bothered by Buffy's slightly worried face when Angel told her he wanted to take a walk with Spike and talk to him. He'd readily agreed. Yet Angel hadn't said two words since they'd started out, so Spike did the talking, instead.

Spike told Angel about the latest failure of Gilligan and his friends to get off the island. He told of Dawn's refusal that day to eat her snack of rutabaga. "It's a vegetable. Vegetables are healthy, right?" he asked Angel.

The only response Spike got as they walked was a sputtering cough from Angel when he tried to explain his relationship with Xander.

Occasionally, Spike would skip ahead to point out where Buffy had killed a vampire or, in one case, where Buffy had killed a demon that had quite a few curves, four on top in fact, and did Angel know what kind of demon that was, and where Spike could find more of them?

After each of these little jaunts, Spike would return to Angel's side and, with a grin, bump up against him. He would jostle the older vampire with his arm as they walked before his attention wandered to something else that he thought Angel had to see.

They were in the cemetery when Angel stopped walking and faced Spike. "Tell me about Buffy."

"She's great. Takes good care of her sis and me. Even been teaching me how to fight."

"You were kissing her."

"Found out tonight that she and I were lovers." Spike stated proudly. "Seems like the sex was a bit kinky, too."

Spike heard Angel take in a hiss of air, but ignored it. "Seems a shame I don't recollect it. Now, she wants to be friends, which is all right by me. Especially if it includes kissing."

Angel swung a fist at Spike. Unfortunately for Angel, it was at the precise moment when Spike moved to point out an interesting headstone. Surprised, Spike looked at Angel, then smiled broadly.

"Want to see what Buffy taught me, do you? Lucky for me, you aimed to the side like that. Might have hit me otherwise."

"Yeah. Lucky, all right," growled Angel.

Gleefully, Spike continued to dodge Angel's blows. After a few minutes, he decided it was time to show Angel what he'd learned in his recent sparring sessions. With a happy yell, Spike leapt forward, knocking Angel onto his back. Before Angel could recover, Spike was straddling him.

With a hand on each shoulder, Spike kept Angel pinned to the ground. Then he did what Buffy always did when she had him in this position. It had never been explicitly discussed, but he'd noticed that she did it every single time.

He ground his crotch into the body beneath his.

Angel froze immediately; his eyes filled with shock. Pleased at how well the move had immobilized the vampire, Spike ground down again.

"Oh...god!" groaned Angel.

Spike leaned over so that his face hovered inches above Angel's. "I win," he whispered, before hopping up and away, leaving Angel lying on the grass.

While waiting for Angel to stop that strange panting, Spike glanced around the cemetery and stopped when he spied a familiar building. He could hear Angel coming up behind him, but he didn't move.

"Spike, what the hell was...Spike? Spike, you okay?"

Angel's eyes shifted to see what Spike was staring at.

"What's that over there?"

"Nothing. Just...just my crypt. Not important."

"Really? Do you want to show it to me?"

"No!" Spike shouted.

"Come on," Angel urged as he moved toward the crypt. "I want to see it."

Spike reluctantly followed Angel inside. As Angel prowled around, poking at the decrepit furniture, Spike kept his gaze on the floor.

"You've been living here?" he heard Angel ask finally.

"Guess so."

Spike slowly raised his eyes and saw the disgust in Angel's expression when he looked at the interior of the crypt. Even though Spike burned with shame, he tried his best to protest Angel's assessment.

"The downstairs was nicer, but…Buffy told me Riley blew it up." Spike scuffed his boot in the dirt on the floor and muttered "Hate Riley."

"I hate Riley, too," Angel said softly in reply.

Angel smiled at Spike and Spike gave him a small smile in return. Angel's smile faded and his face became serious.

"I'm going to help you get your memory back, Spike. And when you do, I want you to remember one thing."

Angel leaned closer to make sure he had Spike's full attention. "You can always come to me for help. Always."

Spike gulped, then closed the gap between them and hugged Angel hard. When two strong arms enfolded him and hugged him back, Spike felt as if everything was perfect. But then perfect became better when he heard Angel murmur, "We're family."

Spike stepped away from Angel, rubbed his eyes, and complained about the dust. As they left the crypt, Spike decided he liked the feel of Angel's arm around his shoulder. He turned his head so that he could see Angel's profile as they walked together.

"What do you want to do now?" Spike asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Angel said slowly, as if measuring his words. "Maybe you can show me how you fight vampires again."

* * *


It was a surprise to Spike that Buffy was still awake when he and Angel returned to the house. Buffy's eyes skimmed over him, his mussed hair and clothes grabbing her attention.

"What happened, Spike? Did Angel do anything?"

"We had the best time, Buffy. We talked and talked. Then I showed Angel how you taught me to fight vampires. I won all four times!"

Buffy's arched eyebrow did nothing to lessen Angel's grin.

"Thanks for taking care of him," she finally said. "I worry about him, what with the whole forgetting thing."

"Believe me, it was my pleasure," Angel smirked.

The eyebrow shot back up. Still not finding anything to call Angel on, Buffy turned to go upstairs.

"It's almost morning. We'll talk about this later. In the meantime, we'd better get to bed."

"Angel can sleep with me," Spike suggested.

Buffy stumbled on a stair. Angel began to cough noisily. "Know the cot's small, but could scrunch up a mite."

"No!" Taking a deep breath, Buffy added more calmly, "It's too small. I'm sure Angel would be much more comfortable on the couch."

Angel's smirk was even bigger than before. "Oh, I don't know about that."

"Shut up, Angel. You're on the couch."

Spike could hear Buffy complaining to a non-existent listener as she went up the stairs. "Is it too late to want them to start fighting again?"

* * *


"There's a spell, I once heard about that might get Spike's memory back." Angel told the assembled Scoobies the next morning. "I called Giles and he's going to research it and get back to us."

Angel turned to face Buffy. "Is Giles okay? He acted strangely. When he answered the phone, without even knowing who I was, he announced that 'he really didn't care to hear anymore about the bloody cherry lotion.'"

Spike, Willow, and Dawn turned to stare at Anya, who was seated on the couch next to Buffy.

"It's strawberry lotion," Anya huffed. "Why does everybody get it confused with cherry?"

Xander cleared his throat. "What about Wesley? Isn't he going to help? He's got his degree from Watching U, right?"

"Wesley doesn't work for Angel Investigations, anymore." At the puzzled looks around him, Angel continued in a voice that seemed devoid of all emotion. "We had a falling out. He kidnapped my son and I tried to kill him with a pillow."

"You have a son?" shouted Xander.

"Wesley kidnapped him?" shouted Willow.

"Vampires can make babies?" shouted Buffy, who appeared to be on the verge of fainting at the news.

Angel ignored their questions. "I really don't want to talk about it. The issue is getting Spike's memory back."

Spike wasn't listening. He was too busy trying to figure out why anyone would use a pillow to try to kill someone. No wonder Angel had lost all of their fights.

Even though Angel was family, one thing was clear to Spike--

Angel was an idiot.

* * *


The Scoobies stood on the porch and let Angel instruct them according to the spell he'd received from Giles.

"We're doing the spell out here because it can't be performed indoors. As Tara chants the spell, Spike should be drinking from me. The rest of you need to be surrounding us. As he begins to drink, you need to clap to the rhythm of a heartbeat."

Angel demonstrated and the gathered Scoobies nodded their understanding. "Now, Spike, you need to bring out your demon."

Spike tried to reach deep within himself to call up the demon face. "Grrr."

"Nope, not bumpy," Spike heard Xander say.

"Grrr!" Spike tried harder to get fangy.

"Heck, I can do better than that," said Dawn.

Anya added, "I have done better than that."

Buffy looked worried. Willow, however, looked thoughtful. "Maybe he could stand on his head and drink a glass of water. Or maybe we could scare him."

"That's for hiccups, Willow," Xander pointed out.

Angel shoved Spike against the wall. "Come on, boy. Bring it up. Now!"

Spike was pinned. Angel's body was plastered over his and Angel's mouth hovered next to his ear.

"You're pissing me off, Spike," Angel hissed. "And do you know what happens when I get pissed off? People die."

Shock caused Spike to stiffen and he could hear Angel let out a harsh grunt of amusement. "It wouldn't be you I killed. That's not my style."

Spike watched as Angel lifted his head and turned it so that he could see the humans that surrounded them; Buffy, Xander, Willow, Tara, Anya, and Dawn. When he turned back to face Spike, there was a predatory smile on his face.

"You have friends, now, don't you, Spike? Human, vulnerable friends. Friends you would mourn if they happened to be, say, torn apart."

A cry of rage tore through Spike and he felt his face shift and fangs emerge.

Angel nodded in approval. "That's my boy."

"See," Willow said smugly. "The scaring worked just fine. Hiccups, hah!"

"Start the ritual. He's ready," Angel ordered Tara, his voice still part growl.

While Tara began to speak the words of the spell, the others formed a semi-circle around the two vampires and started to clap their hands in rhythm.

"Feed from me, Spike," said Angel. "Blood calling to blood."

With a roar, Spike sunk his fangs into Angel's neck.

* * *

Spike felt as if he were waking from a deep sleep when his fangs slipped out of Angel's neck. With a shake of his head, his face returned to normal. Spike's first thought was that he was as hard as a rock against an equally hard Angel. His second thought was that Angel was practically dry humping him in front of the others. With a growl, he pushed an astonished Angel from him. The clapping stopped as the Scoobies stared at him.

He could remember everything. Spike remembered being a prat in London before being turned. He remembered killing with Angelus, Darla, and Drusilla. He remembered fighting against Buffy, then fighting for Buffy, and finally loving Buffy. Spike also remembered the last few weeks, when the Scoobies had become his friends. He remembered everything.

Then a terrible thought struck him.

"Bloody hell! Gilligan and that lot never get off the island, do they?"

* * *


"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," repeated Andrew as he drew back from the monitor.

Spike had recruited a vampire to his service. The Slayer and her friends had been so under the blond vampire's spell that they'd stood around and clapped, as Spike and his new conquest had necked on the porch. Necked in that literal; bloody; and sexily enticing way.

Now, even other demons were being enthralled. It was only a matter of time before Spike ruled all of Sunnydale. There was only one thing for Andrew to do

* * *


"I have come to serve you, oh Great Master of Sunnydale," Andrew announced.

Spike stared. Who was this git? He felt Buffy, Willow, and Xander step up so that they were standing next to him.

"Is this a trick?" accused Buffy.

"No, not a trick." Andrew was vehemently shaking his head. "I've come to pledge my allegiance to the Dark Lord Spike."

Digging into his backpack, Andrew revealed computer discs and printouts that he handed to a bewildered Willow.

"Since it's obvious that a new order has risen, I decided that it was foolish for me to remain with Warren and Jonathan with their lowly plans for world domination."

"And the leader of this new order is Spike?" asked Xander.

"As you well know."

Buffy decided it was time for her to take charge. "Willow, take that evidence and see what information you can get out of it. Let's put Warren and Jonathan away for good. Xander, take Andrew and tie him up for now.

"What?" screeched Andrew. "I've joined forces with you. I'm your compatriot, your comrade, your brother in arms."

"You're an idiot and our prisoner," said Buffy.

As Xander dragged Andrew away, Spike could hear the git whine, "Does this mean that I don't get to neck with Spike?"

* * *


As the humans celebrated the end of the evil trio, Spike and Angel quietly left the house to stand on the porch. Spike did a quick check of the boards that he and Xander had replaced. He considered pointing them out to Angel, but stopped when he realized that he'd already shown them off. Twice, in fact.

"You leaving, then?" Spike hadn't meant to say that to Angel and mentally gave himself a kick. He hoped it hadn't sounded as if he was actually going to miss the poofter.

"My life's in L.A., now." Angel replied. He moved so that he was standing only a foot away from Spike, who shifted, but didn't back up. Angel's voice dropped down to a husky murmur. "Your life could be in L.A., too, if you want."

"Suppose you expect me to stay in one of those empty rooms in that hotel of yours, like those other prats you have working for you."

Angel took a step closer so that when he spoke, his breath brushed over Spike's skin. "Actually, I was expecting you to stay in my room."

Spike opened his mouth in shock and Angel reached out and placed his finger on Spike's lips. "My bed's much bigger than your cot, but we could still scrunch up together."

Angel let his finger drift from Spike's mouth, down over his chest, until it rested on his belt buckle.

"Think about it," Angel coaxed, before turning around, walking to his car, and driving away without looking back.

Spike stood on the porch and contemplated Angel's offer long after the elder vampire had left for Los Angeles. He heard footsteps behind him and relaxed when he recognized that they belonged to Xander.

When he'd had amnesia, Xander had been his friend. A brief flash of the memory of Xander's lips flitted through Spike's thoughts, but he quickly brushed it away.

If they were still friends, he probably shouldn't start out by insulting Harris, Spike decided. Dismissing the snarky remark that automatically came to his lips, he glanced at Xander and let his concern for this human come to the fore.

"Heard Anya moved out. That right?"

"Yes. And despite rumors to the contrary, it's just a coincidence that she decided to get her own place five minutes after she learned that Giles might come back to Sunnydale."

"Sorry 'bout that."

Spike heard Xander let out a deep sigh before answering. "Actually, I should be thanking you. Things might have turned out worse, if you hadn't interfered."

For a few minutes, Spike and Xander stood quietly together and gazed at the stars before Xander spoke again.

"You know, Spike, since it's your fault I don't have a girlfriend, the least you can do is keep me company."

"Thought you said you should be thanking me."

"Changed my mind."

"Oh." Spike lit a cigarette and took a deep drag of it. "Company, huh? What were you thinking of, then?"

"I don't know," Xander said nonchalantly. "We could go to the Bronze and hang out. Listen to music, kiss a bit, maybe have a few beers."

Spike almost choked on his cigarette smoke.

"Right, you hate American beer," said Xander. "I guess you could drink whisky instead."

"Not that you...you...." Spike stopped sputtering and took a deep breath. "Thought you weren't gay. It's what you've been babbling every five minutes."

"That's because I'm not gay." Xander leaned toward Spike until his lips were close enough to Spike's ear that his whispered words were a caress. "But I'm thinking that I might be bi."

With a huge grin, Xander turned away and skipped down the steps. When he reached the grass, he spun around to face Spike.

"So, tomorrow night -- it's a date?"

Shakily, Spike nodded. Xander's instruction for him to be ready at eight seemed to come from far away.

Damn, Spike thought as Xander drove away, the boy was a dominant after all.

"Spike?"

He turned to see Buffy leaning against the doorjamb.

"Are you coming in? Willow, Tara, and I are waiting for you so we can start the video. Also, you're the only one who can keep Dawn and Anya from hogging the popcorn."

"You go ahead. Going to stay out here for a while."

With a shrug, Buffy gave Spike a small smile and went inside to join the others. Spike could hear their happy murmurings as they fought over the sofa and the popcorn bowl.

They were now his family and friends. And quite possibly more, Spike decided as he thought of Buffy and the gentle kiss they'd shared. There was also Xander and their date tomorrow to think about, as well as Angel's invitation to come to L.A.

Spike had his memory back; he knew what was in his past. His future, though, was up in the air. He didn't have the foggiest clue what was going to happen next, except for one thing. Luckily, it was a very important thing.

It was going to be fun.


The end

A big thank you to Jane Davitt and moosesal for beta reading this nonsense.  Hugs to both of you wonderful people.    Also, thank you to everyone who commented and encouraged me on my LJ.