Lab Rat
by Viki
Lab Rat
[reviews]
Chapter One:
Three years have gone by.
The photo fell to the floor, picture down.
Three years have gone by.
Another photo glided to the floor and fell a top the other.
Three years have gone by.
No Sunnyhell.
Three years have gone by.
No vampires.
Three years have gone by.
No Buffy.
She rubbed her eyes, wiping at the burning feeling inside of them, rubbing at the tears that were threatening to pour out. It had been like this for the past two years, she had learnt to deal for the first year. Thinking Buffy would come back to her from wherever she was. But when the first year passed. Willow gave up. If Buffy wasn't back now, she wasn't back at all.
Willow leant over the side of the bed and grabbed at the photos that she had dropped, flipping them over to see the smiling woman in front of her. Buffy. Her life long friend till she left for Cleveland. That's where she was meant to be. But when she had ringed up Giles to ask how Buffy was, he told her that she had left a good while a go.
He did ring her back a couple of weeks later informing her that he had found her but Buffy didn't want anybody else knowing where she was. Giles refused to spill telling her that it was Buffy's choice and she is leading a happy life. Willow wasn't convinced; she had tried out a locater spell. But nothing, it told her that she did not exist. Like last time.
And now here she was, sitting on her single bed once again in a small rundown flat looking at old photos over and over. She spent most of her time here, hardly got out of bed, just to eat or use the loo. Every so often take a shower if she was expecting company. But she rarely got it. Xander didn't come around much he was in his depressed state with Anya's death. Poor soul.
Faith and Robin had scampered off somewhere to "make babies" Dawn had put it, Start a family I prefer. Dawn had moved off to college, sharing a room with a beautiful girl. Kennedy. Willow was jealous at first, they weren't in a relationship but there was a tight bond. Dawn needed it after losing hers with her older sister.
The ring of her phone broke her from her thoughts and Willow sighed, she wasn't up for talking.
Leaning over the witch picked up the phone and raised it to her head, her lips together tight as she sat there silently.
Beep.
Willow frowned they hung up. Maybe because I didn't say anything, she thought to herself placing the phone back down on the hook.
It rang again.
Licking her lips she watched it for a few short seconds before reaching over and picking it up.
"Hello?" Willow asked quietly, her voice reeked with tiredness.
Beep.
"Fuck..." Willow slammed the phone back down.
Lying back down on the bed, she closed her eyes she was bored. Tired. And stank.
Buffy's never going to come back if you sit around like this all day...
Them words rang through her head, that's what Xander had said on one of his good days and they don't come around often.
But she had never actually stopped doing what she did.
Until now!
Climbing out of bed, the red head stripped off her clothing and padded through a door to reach the dirty shower. Reaching inside the glass cubicle she turned the faucet and watched as the water pounded down onto the tiles below. Stepping in, a shiver shot down her spine as the cool water splashed her body. Might as well get cleaned up.
It didn't take her long for her to get clean. Used the last of her shampoo and conditioner and rummaged through broken drawers to find some clothes. A long flowing skirt and a blue number the one that Joyce liked. It made her stomach churn and her mouth become dry when she thought about the lovely woman. But she loved this top.
Doing her hair to a simple fashion she grabbed her bag and pulled on her shoes before leaving the flat. Off to find Xander to help her with another locater spell and track down the Buffster as he puts it.
***
"Cold... So cold...why is it so cold?" A woman whimpered her ankles and wrists bound to her bed.
"It's not cold... Calm down. Please?" A British voice asked, his hand reaching out to squeeze her shoulder gently.
"It's fucking freezing... I'm not wearing anything and your... your in your... tweed suit" The woman cried out, her eyes flashing open and watching the old man beside her shuffle nervously around.
"Buffy! Calm down!"
Buffy Summers, not the only slayer had been shoved into a padded room to do some tests. They shoved a number of needles into her weak body with lots of different coloured liquids inside them. She wasn't crazy, she was doing something in her mind that was being monitored on a special computer.
"Red, Willow... Where's Willow? Xander... I miss my cuddly Xander"
Giles swallowed, pressing the back of his hand to her forehead and she seemed to calm a bit.
Buffy had been in here for coming up to a month now. Every so often they would inject her with something to return her to her normal state and then she had pleaded to go, they had granted it but she never went. In her mind she was trying to figure out some things, some things with great importance. She couldn't go yet; she still had another month to go.
"Willow!" Buffy screamed.
Giles flinched at her manner, taking a small step back and shoving his hands into his pockets, all he could do was watch.
She had called out for her best friend for a while now.
Giles didn't know whether to tell Willow where Buffy was, Buffy had disagreed to the idea a good year back but was she still not up for it? Buffy wasn't living the good life when Giles had found her; she had a boyfriend very much like Spike but wasn't. She was into all sorts, no drugs though. She had told him she would never allow herself to do drugs. It would affect her powers.
That's when an idea popped into his head.
Crossing over to the door he took one more glance at Buffy before exiting the room and walking down the hallway. Taking out a long slip of paper from his tweed pocket he looked down at the digits before lifting up the payphone and slipping in a few coins. Dialling the number and waiting.
It picked up at the other end, he waited for a few seconds nobody was talking he could just hear the breathing on the other line. Slamming the phone down he cursed to himself causing nurses to look at him oddly as they passed, he thought he was quiet!
Picking up the phone again he put in a few more coins and waited for it to go through.
"Hello?" Willow.
Giles smiled, his heart racing.
What if Buffy was against it?
The watcher slammed the phone down again.
"Bollocks!" He shouted, it seemed to echo of all the walls; everything went silent apart from the screaming in all different rooms.
He made his way back to his slayers room.
***
Buzzzzzz
Xander groaned, rolling over onto his back and throwing his arm over his face in an attempt to shield him from the light at the window.
Buzzzzzz
He grabbed a pillow and pressed it against his face muffling some of the sound but what amazed him was the voice that called his name on the other side of the door.
"Xander!"
He sat up sharply, grabbed his joggings of the floor and yanked them on before a large tee shirt. Pushing long fingers through his rough hair he walked to the door and opened it, flinching at the light.
"Willow?" His eyebrows rose at her sight, she was dressed, clean and her hair wasn't greasy!
She pushed past him into his room and looked around, it was reasonably tidy apart from some dirty clothes and the messy bed but it was a lot better then her room. Willow slowly walked around, looking at various parts of the wall, there were photos all over them of them together, and Buffy, many of Anya.
"Willow?" Xander repeated giving her shoulder a small shake.
The red head turned sharply, her eyes wide before she relaxed a little and smiled softly.
"What are you doing here? Not that I don't want to see you, because I sure as hell do."
"I've decided to sort my life out and then contact Giles and get Buffy back," She said it like it was simple, the easiest thing in the whole entire world.
Xander had been in contact with Giles, he had spoken to Buffy after she had left, knew what she was doing but the watcher didn't want Willow to know. He knew how much she loved Buffy and this may dampen the tests.
"Willow..."
"I know" Willow pressed two fingers against his lips before lowering her hand. "I know"
Xander smiled, pondering the thought of getting Buffy back, he slowly nodded.
"Yah, lets get Buffy back"
The witch giggled throwing her arms around the whelp, burying her face in his matted brown hair.
"Xander you don't ever leave me, will you?"
He shook his head.
"Good, 'cause I love you."
***
"Gile's it hurts so much" Buffy whined, rubbing her wrists roughly.
"I know it does, but... It'll be alright" Giles had his arm across her shoulders pulling her against him as she slowly wept.
"I tried calling Willow today"
Buffy snapped back her eyes narrowing before she looked worried, panicking, her chest rising and falling for her fear of what was to come next.
"Don't worry I hung up both times" Giles comforted her and she relaxed.
"I've made a decision, I am going back, and tests be damned... I miss them so much"
"Are you sure?" The watcher questioned.
Buffy simply nodded, not trusting her voice.
"'Course I'm sure... I am sick of having needles jammed into me"
The slayer looked around the padded room; there was a large "mirror" on one side. That's the place where they must watch her, she guessed sighing heavily. Standing up, her left hand still rubbing her bruised right wrist she walked to the mirror and rested her head against it. Her eyes closing as she waited for what Giles was going to say next.
"Well, I'll go tell them, then we'll get your stuff packed. We'll be off back to LA in no time"
((Please review, i don't want to waste my time doing another chapter if nobody likes it))