A Little Bit Forgetful: Prologue
by Calie Johnston
Disclaimer: We all know that I don't own (or claim to own) Buffy, Willow, Xander, and so on. They belong to Joss Whedon, WB, and Mutant Enemy, Inc. Bottom line: they're not mine!

Notes: This is my first Buffy fanfic, so if it's really awful, please tell me! I want *any* flames, criticism, or good feedback, because just the fact that somebody read this is a huge ego boost.

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Prologue

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10:13 P.M. April 6, 1999

Buffy, holding her stake in front of her, looked around suspiciously. she thought. She hadnšt seen anything even remotely Hellmouth-y in the last ten minutes. Her instincts screamed "Trap! Trap!" but she continued on nevertheless, her curiosity - or perhaps her emotions - provoked by the frighteningly familiar scream she had heard only minutes before. But now...nothing. Everything, save for the runaway pounding of her heart, was deathly still.

Buffy realized then that she was nearing the factory, and the fact made her more than a little uneasy. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. she asked herself, shaking her head in bemusement. She decided that her uneasiness had probably more than a little to do with the conversation she had held earlier with her mother.

Buffy sighed. Yeah. Thatšd be it.

Or not - she spun quickly at the sound of rustling in the bushes behind her, expecting to come face - to - face with yet another unlucky vamp out to end the world.

Then again, in the Hellmouth, it tended to be a good idea to expect the unexpected.

Buffy breathed in deeply, the adrenaline still rushing through her bloodstream. "Oh. Xander."

He gave her his trademark puppy-dog grin. "Hiya Buff," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He looked somewhat quizically at Buffy, who was still panting hard. "Uh...did I miss something?"

"Nothing. I was just about to stake you, thatšs all." She flashed him a sardonic smile. "Pity."

Xander cocked his head to the side, and did his best to look offended. "Hey, I-"

She cut him off, holding one finger to her mouth. "Shhhh..." The bush that Xander had exited only a moment before was wriggling once again. She pulled out her stake, figuring that her chances of getting lucky twice were slim to none. Buffy crept closer to the bush - and looked back at Xander just in time to see a fist connecting with the side of his face with sickening force. "Faith!" She hissed, the name coming out as more of a curse than a name. "What the hell-"

Then everything went black.

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