Stranger In My House
by Shyfox
Room of Memories
[reviews]
Chapter Eight: Room of Memories
I couldn't see how the darkness in my dreams had a hold on me.
Tried to deny that the tracks in my memory stood right by my side.
Naked and blind I fell down to my knees and found where I belong.
Now I'm back home again.
I wanna feel what I've been missing.
I need to know I've got a friend.
I'm back home again.
I wanna touch the world around me.
I wanna make you understand.
That I'm back home again.
Never believed that the door to happy endings would close on me, no.
Deep in my mind were the whispers of wisdom I left behind.
Dancing alone I tried hard to believe that melody was mine.
Now I'm back home again.
I wanna feel what I've been missing.
I need to know I've got a friend.
I'm back home again.
I wanna touch the world around me.
I wanna make you understand.
That I'm back home again.
-- Jack Wagner
Faith watched as opportunity presented itself to her on a silver platter. The timing couldn't have been better if she had planned it herself. All of Buffy's family were inside that house, all except that moron Xander, and that would be taken care of easily enough. Fingering the cool metal of the Police Special in her grip she admired it's dark casing. She had acquired it easily enough. Simple really. 'Want, take, have.' It was the motto she lived by.
The gun felt comfortable in her hand, like it was a part of her. It was as deadly as she was. Maybe even more so. After all, she had failed once...no twice to take out the 'all superpowerful Slayer.' This time, the Slayer wouldn't be so lucky, and neither would her family. She waited until she saw the last of them going up over the stairs, then slipped quietly into the house, closing the door behind her.
*****
Buffy had felt a chill the moment she'd turned on the light, revealing the 'mystery' room to her view. She shivered as she wondered how a room painted so cheerfully could feel so cold, isolated...abandoned. Big pictures of baby Mickey and Minnie mouse grinned at her accusingly from their spots on the walls. Staring at their smiling faces, she could swear that their little, beady, black eyes were looking right through her, and finding her guilty for crimes she hadn't known she had committed. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a Tinky Winky doll peeking out at her from between the slats of a baby's crib. The forlornness in it's cherub-like face caused her heart to seize painfully in her chest.
The room assaulted her from both sides with memories that were both confusing and overwhelming, dragging her to her knees as they washed over her. A kaleidoscope of images danced through her head as she looked around at the items surrounding her, her eyes open wide and her breathing coming in soft pants as she tried to absorb all that she was seeing. This was no office, she realized belatedly, it was a baby's Nursery. "Well, duh." Her inner voice cried, sarcastically. It was obvious that a lot of time and love had been put into the construction of this room...a lot of hours spent in making sure that everything was just right...no...perfect...as if they were preparing it to hold the most important person in the universe.
Ghosts moving in the passage of time appeared before her very eyes. An image of Willow and herself, both dressed in baggy overalls and old t-shirts, spending the most of a lazy afternoon getting bright yellow paint over the four walls and each other, as friendly bickering had escalated into a full fledged paint fight. She remembered that her mother had scolded them, a gentle laugh twinkling her hazel eyes, before she had joined them in the messy fight. Luckily the floor had been covered with about three good inches of tarpaulin, but the rest of the room had looked like a tidal wave of paint had washed over it. She clearly remembered looking around at the mess they had made, shrugging her shoulders, then after briskly rubbing her hands together, went to work on fixing their 'so called' paint job. Her mother and Willow had fallen into step behind her, the three of them brandishing brushes as they prepared to finish the job together.
It had been obvious to her, even before now, that Willow was pregnant. Why her family hadn't thought to mention it to her she hadn't been able to figure out. She had just assumed that the baby belonged to Oz. She had assumed a lot of things. Now, her senses overloading with input, she wasn't so sure.
Glancing around the room again, her eyes fell on a rocking chair sitting quietly by the window. As she looked over the object, looking so quiet and still another memory ghosted into view. She saw herself sneaking out of her bedroom, feeling excitement streak through her as she had followed the redhead up the hall, sneaking up behind her as she'd reached the door of the nursery and throwing a hand over her eyes before she could go in. She'd felt the redhead tense, hearing a distinctive gasp issue forth from her lips, before a sense of familiarity had washed over her unsuspecting prey and she'd realized who it was.
"Buffy." Willow had sighed, admonishing her softly. "You nearly scared me half to death. You know, if this is a game, I want you to know that your mother is right down the hall." She'd said, still sounding out of breath, as she continued to reprimand her.
"Relax." Buffy hadn't been able to hide the grin in her voice as she had chuckled softly. "I just want to show you something."
"Oh, a surprise? What is it?" Willow was genuinely curious, she just loved surprises, well, most kinds anyway, but she still wanted the use of her eyes.
"Uh uh...No peeking." Buffy had teased in a sing song voice, as the redhead tried to take her hand away.
"Buffy, I want to see. Where are we going, anyway?" Willow protested, wondering why they were still standing still, her hand on the doorknob.
"Right here." Buffy answered, grinning from ear to ear.
"The nursery? Buffy, I've seen the Nursery. Why the 'blindfold'?" The redhead had sounded definitely perplexed, even her forehead was crinkling, as she tried to imagine what Buffy was up to. Buffy had felt the movement of the eyebrows under her hand.
"You'll see, just keep them closed okay?" She'd chuckled again, excitedly, as she had guided the redhead into the room. "Okay..." Buffy said, quietly, as she'd turned on the light inside the nursery. "Now you can see." Removing the hand from Willow's eyes, she had watched with great satisfaction as green eyes had lit up with delight.
"Oh Buffy." Willow had gasped, eyes open wide as she'd seen the wooden rocking chair sitting by the window, looking rather lonely, as if it was waiting just for her to sit in it and rock. The redhead had walked over to it slowly, mesmerized by the sight, and had reached out to touch the finely grained, remarkably crafted and designed piece of furniture. She relished the smooth feel of the finely polished amber oak wood.
"Do you like it?" Buffy had asked, her voice soft and low, almost as if she were afraid that her gift would fall way short.
"Oh Buffy." Willow had murmured, still captured by the view of this gift of love. "I love it." She'd whispered softly, then had turned to look the blonde square in the eyes.
"Buffy...you remembered."
"How could I forget?" The words echoed loudly in her head, repeating themselves mockingly, over and over again, as she drowned in the memory. She had forgotten, and as tears streaked unnoticed down her face, her arms folded over the seat of the rocking chair, her head buried in between, her heart raged for her lost memories.
*****
Willow watched her wife sob for a few unbearable moments before she moved to place a gentle hand on her shoulder, hoping to console her somehow, only to have red-rimmed eyes rise to meet hers. Confusion mingling with a dawning realization swam within the hazel blue depths, and Willow found herself hoping for that realization to spread. She wondered how much Buffy had remembered, if seeing the nursery had broken through some of the blocks that were guarding the lost memories. Though seeing pain in her wife's eyes caused her to wince with an ache of her own, she couldn't help but hope that the nursery had done what she herself hadn't been able to, and brought her wife back to her.
"Will?" Buffy blinked up at the redhead, wondering for a second if this was yet another vision, another memory breaking it's way through the wall in her brain.
"I'm here." Willow reassured her gently, her voice rich with tears. Buffy reassured herself that the redhead in front of her was indeed real, before taking a moment to notice that her mom and Mr. Giles had also followed her into the room. They must have followed her from downstairs, she realized in an abstract fashion, before she noticed someone else making their presence known.
Buffy opened her mouth to speak, but the intruder spoke before she could, bringing an aching tension to all who heard it. "Oh good. The gang's all hear." Willow's blood turned to ice in an instant as she turned wide eyes toward the apparition standing cockily in the doorway, her eyes focusing on the weapon held steadily in a hard, sure hand. "Well, this makes it so much easier, don'tcha think, B? Now, that I don't have to hunt you all down like dogs." The smile of a predator flashed over her face, and Willow had no doubt that this person, contrary to her words, would have enjoyed every minute of that.
"Faith." It was the only word Willow could manage to choke out.
"In the flesh."
*****