"Are We There Yet?"
Author: A. Price
Email: andramichelle@yahoo.com
The dishes clinked in the thesink as Dawn Summers rinsed them to load into the dishwasher. She flipped her long brown tresses as she turned to face her older sister, "I think you should go with him." She sighed as she turned back to the glasses in the sink.
"Give me a good reason!" Buffy replied stubbornly as she ferociously scrubbed the already clean countertop.
"You need a vacation. Even Giles says so. Thats why he's here, he made the offer to patrol for a month so you could take it easy." Dawn put the last dish into the machine and closed the door.
"Dawn do you really think Giles meant for me to vacation with Spike?" Buffy rolled her eyes at the younger girl, "And besides, Spike's only been back about six weeks, and we don't ... I mean I don't know.." Her voice trailed off with a sigh.
Dawn raised her eyebrows at her sister, "Maybe you should go and figure out exactly what it is that you *don't* know?"
Bufffy stopped scrubbing the counter long enough to look at Dawn, "You really think I should go?"
"Yes, I do. He said no strings attached right, just a road trip and some relaxation."
Buffy nodded, "That's what he said."
"Then go... call Giles and tell him you're going on a vacation. I'm leaving for Dad's tomorrow for two weeks - so you don't have to worry about me." Dawn smiled to herself as she saw Buffy begin to warm to the idea.
"Fine, I'll go call Giles." Buffy playfully swatted Dawn with a dishtowel as she reached for the phone.
Dawn grinned at Buffy's back as she talked to Giles. She had done all she could do, now it was up to Spike. She leaned back against the counter and thought about everythng that had happened in the last six weeks. She remembered seeing Spike under *his* tree in their yard which was shock by itself but when she went to confront him and realized that it was broad daylight and he was breathing she had almost passed out. When she was more sure of herself she demanded an explanation and he promised to give one if she would meet him at the address he gave her. He was far from ready to face Buffy yet.
After several more visits to the small but neat apartment that was now Spike's home, the whole story of where he had gone and what he had done unfolded. Dawn wasn't sure why but despite what Xander had accused Spike of she believed he had the best of intentions towards her sister now. In fact Buffy had never described the incident that happened in the bathroom the way that Xander did, she only said it was a very bad misunderstanding and that things got way out of hand.
She had finally talked Spike into seeing Buffy atter a week, the meeting had gone much better then she had expected, but of course she had been there to serve as a buffer between them. Spike had been almost shy, very apologetic to Buffy. Buffy didn't seem to be angry to see him at all, in fact Dawn thought she seemed to bel relieved that he was okay and when she found out about his newfound humanity she had genuinely smiled at him, Dawn could have sworn there was something else there, hope maybe?
Not everyone was quite as accepting of the new improved Spike, Giles and Xander were both wary. Willow was still on a retreat so she had not seen him yet, but Dawn figured if anyone should know about forgiving it was Willow. She still had nightmares about seeing the redhead as an evil brunnette.
Last night, Spike had come by and asked Buffy to go on road triip with him, to take a vacation from everything, no pressure he promised, just time to figure out where they were going. He had even assured her that if they could only be friends then so be it. Dawn had *accidentlally* heard the whole conversation as she pressed her ear to the back door as the two blondes sat side by side on the porch.
Dawn smiled again as she watched Buffy hang up the phone, "So what did he say?"
"He said he was glad I had decided to go away he was sure it would be qutie beneficial." Buffy did her best Giles imitation.
"You didn't tell him the Spike part did you?" Dawn cocked her head to one side.
"Nope." Buffy laughed lightly, "Guess I better pack."
"You gong to call Spike?" Dawn asked folowing Buffy upstairs.
"Nah, let him stew. He said he would be her tomorrow morning and that I should be ready to if my answer was yes." Buffy went to her closet and took out her bag.
"You are a cruel woman." Dawn laughed as she began to help Buffy choose what to pack.
"Pants, shirts, pair of boxers, lollipops, socks, shoes. I think that's it." Spike spoke out loud as he closed the small suitcase. He looked around the bedroom once, grabbed the map off of the bedstand and walked towards the front door. Turning out the light, he sighed, he hoped he wasn't going to make this trip alone.
Reachng for the bag of charms pops in the front seat he chose a green apple one and unwrapped it, he wondered briefly if all the cand y he was eating would kill his new human body as sure at the cigarettes he was replacing would.
He followed the familiar path to Revello Drive anxiously, what if she said no? What if she said yes? He pulled up in front of the house and his face lit up. Buffy and Dawn stood on the front porch, two bags by thier feet.
He walked up the sidewalk with a slight spring in his step, Dawn had to stifle a giggle as she watchec him, Spike was always gonna carry his feelings right out there for the world to see, human or vamp.
"So, you've decided to go, then?" He asked as he reached for the bags, trying desperately to sound casual.
Buffy smiled broadly at him, "No, I'm sending Dawn."
His face fell for a moment, but quickly lifted when he saw both sisters crumple with laughter.
"Yes, I'm going." Buffy told him as she hugged Dawn and put her cell phone in her purse.
Dawn waved at the two of them as they drove down the road. She had last minute packing to do for her trip to LA, she walked into the house with a smile on her face.
"If I can ask, what made you decide to come along?" Spike asked as he fished for another lollipop, this time strawberry.
"Everyone keeps saying I need a vacation. Even Giles, he seems to forget I took about a year ago, six feet under?" She smirked.
Spike's face fell again, "I hate it when you do that." He said softly.
"What?" Buffy asked unsure of what he meant.
"When you make light of dying. You don't know how hard it was for everyone you left behind." His voice cracked slighly.
"i'm sorry. It's just that since I've been back, everyone seems to think they know what is best for me." Buffy sighed as she dug through the sucker bag and came up with a grape sucker.
"I know but we all had a hard time and to have you back is just a miracle." He smiled around his sucker.
"I know," She smiled softly at him, "I really came because I think maybe we have some things to figure out, where we've been, where we're going. I'm not sure of alot right now. But I think this will be fun."
"I'll accept that. Now let's get out that map." Spike pointed to the glove box.
"Where are we going by the way?" Buffy asked as she unfolded the large map.
"Dallas, Texas always wanted to visit there, then on through Arkansas and into Tennessee." Spike smiled at her, "That okay?"
Buffy settled into her seat and leaned back, closing her eyes, "Drive on."
Spike smiled at Buffy and pulled away from the curb, humming "On the road again" softly to himself.
She still had her eyes closed and was finishing up her sucker, taking the sucker stick from her mouth she turned to him "Where do you want this?"
He nodded towards a smalll bag in the floorboard, "Just put it in there." She did as told and lay back against her headrest, closing her eyes once again. Within a few blocks of Revello Drive she was asleep. He was slightly dissappointed but then reminded himself that he had promised relaxation and if the small snores coming from the passenger seat were any indication, she obviously felt like she could relax around him.
He drove for a couple of hours before his stomach started growling, lollipops for breakfast were just not going to cut it. He needed a little more substance. He saw the Shoney's sign and pulled off at the next exit.
Buffy woke up as the car stopped, she yawned and stretched her arms, ":Where are we?"
"Still in California, I'm hungry want something?" Spike asked as he opened his car door.
"Yeah, I am a little hungry and they have this great breakfast buffet." She was slightly surprised when he walked around and opened her car door for her. She remembered for a moment the last time he had tried to open a door for her, the night he confessed his feelings, that seemed so very long ago and so much had happened to both of them since that night.
The waitress took their orders and they went to the buffet, Buffy laughed at the amount of food Spike had piled on his plate. "You really are hungry."
"I'm a growing boy." He grinned at her as he speared sausage with his fork, " Not everyone can live on a muffin and some fruit." He teased her.
"Hey, I've got a couple slices of bacon here too." She rolled her eyes at him, "And if I ate all that, I couldn't slay."
"This is a no slay vacation." Spike countered with a smirk.
"Sounds good to me." She told him as she drank her orange juice.
"So is Dawn as excited as she seems to be about the trip to LA?" He asked over his coffee cup.
"I think so, it's been a while since Dad really showed any interest so I hope he treats her right." Buffy gave him a sly grin as she took her fork and stole a bite of hash browns off of his plate.
He pretended not to notice as she took another bite, she had taken a nap and now she was eating both good signs. "I hope he doesn't dissappoint her either. Lil Bit deserves to have a good summer. The last couple haven't been so good for her."
They finished their meal with more pleasant light conversation and both made trips to the restroom before Spike paid for the meal and they got back on the road. "Wow, look there's a Wisconsin license plate." Buffy pointed to the car in front of them.
"Yeah?" Spike commented.
"Well my grandma always took a pad and paper when she traveled and wrote down all the license plates from different states she saw. We used to love to help her find them." Buffy dug through her purse and found a pad and pen. She quickly wrote down 'Wisconsin'.
"Did you travel a lot with your grandma?" Spike asked as he eyed the car in the next lane, "Hey that one's from Florida."
"Before the divorce we did, but afterwards we just never seemed to do that kind of thing anymore." Buffy replied as she wrote 'Florida" on her paper. She turned to Spike, "And when you see one from that faraway you have to say 'they're a long way from home' it never failed thats what she would always say." She shook her head fondly at the memory.
"Wow, they're a long way from home" Spike replied with a wink.
"Yeah, they are." Buffy rolled down her window and let the wind whip trhough her hair, "So did you ever travel with your Grandmother?"
"I never traveled with her, but I did take a train with my mum and my sister to go visit her once. We lived in the city and she lived out in the country on the farm my mom was born on. See my mum met my dad when she spent a summer at my great aunts house in the summer. Love at first sight is what my great aunt Lenora always said." Spike's accent changed slightly when he told the story and Buffy could see him smiling at his memory too.
"I don't think I've ever ridden a train." Buffy searched the lollipop bag for a strawberry one, "Did you say you had a sister?"
"Yes, I did. Two years older then me." Spike sighed.
"What was her name?"
"Mary Rose." He answered softly, "She was quite lovely, she had self confidence and she would defend anyone she thought was being mistreated."
He thought back to the times Mary Rose would take him aside when he was a little boy and help put his spectacles back on and run a hand through his unruly curls and then turn to the other boys who tormented him and let them all have it. Having your sister defend you didn't do much for your reputation but he had never felt so loved in his entire life, he could still hear her words, "Your a good boy William, honest and kind, don't ever forget that."
Buffy's voice shook him out of the past and in to the present, "What happened to her?"
"She defied my father and married for love not to increase the family fortune, my dad finally forgave her before he died, for that. I think the fact that she had two children that he adored helped the matter."
"When was the last time you saw her?' Buffy asked cautiously, not sure she wanted to know the answer. She knew that Angelus had killed his family, but she didn't know about Spike.
"I saw her on the night I was turned. I was leaving for a party and she was visiting my mother, the last thing she told me was that I was too good for Cecily." Spike shook his head remembering the confrontation with his well meaning sister.
"Cecily?" Buffy asked her interest peaked.
"Just a girl, I thought I fancied." He brushed off the question.
"I want to hear more about Cecily." Buffy propped her arms on the rest between the seats.
"Wow, look it's a tag from Hawaii,,,,,,they are long way from home." Spike quickly changed the subject.
Buffy raised her eyebrows at him but she smiled as she wrote "Hawaii" on the paper. "fine I'll let that drop for now. So this was the night you were turned? The night you met Drusilla?'
"Yes, but you know that part of the story, I already shared it over some hot wings at the Bronze."
"Yeah, it was the best night of your life right?" Her tone was serious.
"Once I thought it was, but I was wrong. The best night of my life was when I stood at the bottom of the stairs at your house and called for Dawn and ... then there you were." His voice cracked slightly and he nervously ran one hand through his hair."
Buffy's eyes watered slightly as she changed the subject to something lighter, "Have I told you I like the new hair?"
"You like the brown?" He decided a change of subject was probably safer at this point.
"Yes, I do the bleached tips look good too. Oh... there's Iowa." Buffy laughed as she wrote down "Iowa".
"You think maybe it's Riley?" Spike asked in a high falsetto voice while batting his eyelashes at her.
Buffy lightly punched his shoulder, "I wouldn't know, guess you'd have to ask Sam, the super soldierwife."
"I didn't get to meet her. You're really okay with that though? You and Riley sussed stuff out?"
"After he offered to kill you for me, yeah we worked it out." Buffy said playfully.
"You turned down the offer?"
"I couldn't let him... I mean we were... " Buffy met his eyes, "You know why."
"Yeah. I do." He looked at his watch, "I figure we can get some lunch in a little while if you want, and then we can drive till dark and get some supper and a hotel room."
"That sounds good." Buffy replied, very happy that he wasn't pushing to talk about them yet.
Several hours later, Spike parked the car outside of a hotel. "I'm going to get a couple of rooms and then we'll get something to eat."
"Okay." Buffy nodded her head, a couple of rooms, well that answered that question she had worried about what would happen when they stopped.
Spike returned shortly with two sets of keys. "Do you want the second or third floor?"
"Second I guess."
Spike handed her a key. "Your room is 204, mine is 305 if you need me. Now let's go eat."
After a quick supper at the hotel restaurant, Spike helped Buffy take her luggage to her room and then said a quick goodnight, leaving her alone in the room. She took a long hot bath and thought about the conversation with Spike, he had a family once, parents and a sister who loved him, and a grandmother who lived in the country. As she crawled into the bed she wondered what Spike was doing and if he hated being alone in a hotel room as much as she did.
The room seemed very lonely to Spike as he stripped and slid under the blankets. He played with the tv remote for half an hour before he gave up and turned it off. He wonderered what Buffy was doing right now, if she was sleeping any better then he was.
Buffy wasn't faring any better then Spike. She didn't really like being in a strange bed in a strange room in a strange town alone. She would have felt much better if Spike's room had at least been on the same floor. She would mention to him that next time she would like the rooms to be closer.
She got up and showered early, choosing a pretty pair of white shorts and a stiped tank top to go with it. Donnng her sandals she checked the room once and gathered her bags leaving them beside the door, she climbed the stairs to Spike's floor and knocked on his door.
Spike wrapped his towel a bit tighter around his waist and went to answer the door. He was greeted by Buffy's smiling face, "Good morning, merry suns... oops Sorry." She stuttered when she saw his state of undress.
Spike smiled at her stuttering, "Morning. Come on in and I'll go get dressed."
She followed him in the room taking a seat and trying not to watch as he grabbed jeans and a tee shirt from his bag and went into the bathroom. He looked good even from the back and she got warm as she remembered exactly what was under the towel. Bad Buffy, we're friends now, we don't do that other stuff anymore.
Spike appeared fully dressed in a few minutes time. He had run a comb through his hair and sat down to put on his shoes. "Ready for breakfast?"
"Yes, that sounds good." She replied as he grabbed his bag and they walked down to her room to get her bags.
They were soon on the road again and this time the conversation centered on Buffy's childhood. "So we talked about my sister, lets talk about yours." Spike reached for his ever present lollipop.
"You know all about Dawn." Buffy chided him, "Let's talk some more about you."
"No, tell me about when you and Dawn were little." Spike encouraged her.
"Well, you know those are implanted memories." Buffy sighed.
"Yes, but to you and Dawn they are real. She's your sister, no matter what." Spike smiled as he tapped out a beat on the steering wheel.
"Yes she really is." She replied soflty, "Okay well once when she was about five, and you can not tell her I told you this."
"Promise not to tell." He said solemnly.
"Her kindergarten class went on a nature trip and Dawn had seen a show on tv about ticks in the woods and it said if you got one on you that you could put vaseline on it and it would let go. So after her nature walk out in the woods, she came home and went to take her bath, she came downstairs and her hair looked really funny. Mom called her over and she had put vaseline in her hair to kill ticks that might be in it." Buffy laughed at the memory.
"How did your mom get it out?" Spike asked as he laughed at the thought of Dawn her hair sticking up all over.
"It took forever! We tried every shampoo and dishwashing liquid, finally she called my grandma and she told her to put powder in it and that would absorb the oil, then she could wash it out. It worked." Buffy shook her head still laughing.
"You of course never did anything like that?" Spike asked as he pulled into a gas station.
"Of course not." She told him as she opened the car door, "I'm going to potty and get a coke, you want one?"
"No thanks, and you know if you didnt' get a drink everytime we stopped you wouldn't have to "potty" so often." He raised his eyebrow at her as he got out to fill the tank.
"Now it's time for a Spike story." Buffy told him as she sipped her coke and pulled out her pad, "Look there's an Alabama plate." She pointed as she wrote down Alabama.
On cue Spike replied, "Wow, they're a long way from home."
They both laughed at the same time over the now standard joke between them.
After several more Dawn and Buffy stories, it was time for supper and to stop for the night again. Spike pulled up to the hotel and started to get out, "Hey Spike, can we get rooms on the same floor this time?"
Spike smiled broadly, "Sure pet." He whistled a happy tune as he walked into the hotel office.
"Here you go. These rooms are side by side." He handed her a key and helped her with her bags again. They opened their doors at the same time.
Buffy stuck her head out of the room, "Spike." She called before he closed his door.
"Yeah." He answered.
"Umm... if you want to, we can watch some tv before bed. If you want to."
"Let me put my stuff in and I'll be over." He carried his bags in the room and sat them beside the bed.
Buffy closed the door behind her and sat her baggage down. She found the remote and turned on the tv.
Soon there was a knock at her door, opening it she let Spike in. "There's not too much on, but maybe we can find something." She sat down on the end of the bed.
Spike looked at her on the bed and then at the chair against the wall, she noticed his discomfort, "You can sit on the bed with me, you can see the tv better."
He gently sat down beside her, "That's a pretty good movie." He motioned towards the set. "Bogey and Bacall. To Have or Have Not."
"It's black and white." Buffy pointed out.
"Yeah lots of good movies are." He rolled his eyes at her and grinned.
"Fine, we'll watch it." Buffy crawled back up the bed and propped the pillow againstt the headboard to get comfortable. Spike remained at the foot of the bed. "You can come up here, there's plenty of room."
He fluffed up the other pillow and for the next hour and a half were immersed in the movie.When it ended, he stood up and stretched.
"That was really good." Buffy told him as she yawned.
"Told you." He grinned at her, "Now I better go."
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Oh Buffy if you need me just whistle." He grinned at her, "You know how to whistle don't you?" He paused for a moment, "You just put your lips together and blow."
Buffy shook her head and threw a pillow at him as he repeated Lauren Bacall's famous lines. "Goodnight Spike."
He walked to the door, "Night, Buffy."
That night neither of them had trouble sleeping.
After another early start on the road the two travelers saw the sign for Dallas - Fort Worth approaching. "We're almost there." Spike turned to Buffy, "What do you want to do first?"
"Well I was looking at the flyers and I think Six Flags would be fun? Are you up to a roller coaster ride?" Buffy held up one of the flyers they had picked up at the Visitors Bureau when they had entered the State.
"Sounds fun, we could go straight there and then go find a hotel? Maybe go downtown later, I saw something about a West End marketplace that sounded nice." Spike saw the exit for Six Flags and switched lanes to exit the interstate.
"That sounds good, and hey theres a big Palace of Wax Museum with a Ripley's Believe it or Not attached to it. Maybe we could go there tomorrow?" Buffy's voice was almost bubbly as she spoke.
Spike laughed, "Yes, we should do that too."
They pulled into the parking lot of the theme park and found a spot and went to buy tickets. Upon entering the park a young man with a camera stopped them, "Want your picture with your girl?" He asked with a smile, "Nice memory of your trip here, you can pick it up at the courtesy booth when you leave the park."
Spike turned to Buffy and shrugged his shoulders, he didn't want to push anything. She hadn't even blinked an eye when the guy had called her Spike's "girl", maybe things were going to work out
"Let's do it. It will be a nice memento." Buffy grinned as she linked her arm through Spike's and the photographer snapped the photo.
"Here's your number, don't forget to pick it up." The photographer waved as he went to find his next customer.
Spike tucked the number in his wallet and turned to Buffy, "Don't let me forget to pick it up. Now where to first?"
"Why don't we start with a smaller coaster first and work our way up to the Batman one." Buffy tugged at Spike's hand as they went to stand in line at a roller coaster that looked like it ran through an abandoned mine shaft.
Several minutes longer they exited the ride, laughing as they talked about the cartoon characters in the shaft, "I used to love Bugs Bunny when I was little."
"And Daffy Duck." Spike chimed in.
"You would like Daffy." Buffy rolled her eyes at him, "He's annoying."
"Oh yeah, well Bugs Bunny has no sense of direction." Spike spoke with mock irritation.
They rode several more rides and Buffy even let Spike take her hand as they walked through the different sections of the park. The Texas sun began to take it's toll after a couple of hours, "You ready for a water ride? Maybe it will cool us off?" Spike suggested as they found a lemon ice stand.
"Okay, we'll finsish these and then on to the water." Buffy smiled at him over her spoonful of lemon ice.
"Do you think we need to rent a locker? You're getting quite a handful of stuff there." Spike nodded at her bag from the gift shop, complete with a stuffed Taz for Dawn and the sovenier cup with Bugs Bunny on it.
"Maybe, I guess I should have saved the shopping till later." She finished off her ice and threw the cup away.
"There are lockers over there, I'll go put your stuff in one for you." Spike walked towards the lockers leaving Buffy alone at the picnic table.
"Hello." A friendly voice spoke to her as she turned a very nice looking man sat down on the other side of the table.
"Hello." Buffy replied as she watched for Spike to return.
"You on vacation." The man asked smiling brightly.
"Yes, from California." She answered politely.
"I could show you around the park if you'd like." He leaned over the table closer to her.
"That's nice of you but... "
She was cut off by Spike's voice behind her, "Nice offer, but she's with someone."
Buffy couldn't help but grin at the protectiveness his voice. She knew that Spike knew she could take care of herself but it was still sweet to let someone else do the protecting once in a while. This was turning out to be a really good trip and Spike was being the perfect gentleman.
"Well, if you change your mind." The man stood up and nodded at Buffy, choosing to ignore Spike completely as he walked away from the table.
"That was okay wasn't it? I mean you didn't want to ... ?" Spike began to explain.
"It's fine." Buffy replied softly, "No, I didn't want him to show me around and yes, I am with someone." She stood up and took his hand, "Come on, lets find that water ride."
He took her hand and squeezed it, "Let's go."
They exited the ride soaking wet and laughing loudly after another hour of rides, they decided it was time to go find a hotel. On the way out of the park they stopped to pick up their photo. It had turned out really well, the older lady who was operating the booth told them they made a lovely couple. Buffy had shyly said thank you and when she saw the picture she had to agree. Her arm was linked through Spike's and they were both smiling genuine happy smiles.
Once they found a hotel, Spike was given instructions to get rooms with an adjoining door between them this time, just in case they wanted to watch tv again.
"Let's change into something dry and we'll head to downtown Dallas, we can get something to eat there." Spike instructed as he put her bags in her room for her and used the door between to enter his room.
"This is so neat!" Buffy exclaimed as they visited the unique shops in the West End Market Place. One shop was filled with all things purple. Purple cows and framed copies of the poem about an old woman wearing purple and anything you could imagine that could be purple was. Buffy bought a purple fuzzy ink pen for Dawn since she loved purple.
The next shop was a Texas Souvenier shop, she found magnets with Texas blue bonnet flowers on them for Anya and Willow. For Giles and Xander she chose adorable little carved armadillos whose heads nodded up and down. For Dawn she settled on an "Everything is Bigger in Texas" mug, it was big enough to be a cereal bowl for her.
"So did you buy anything for you?" Spike asked as they started to leave the market.
"No, I had fun buying for the others." She handed him a bag when he offered to help carry them.
"Oh, well I got a little something on my way to the bathroom." He grinned as he pulled out a thin box from his pocket and handed it to her.
Buffy eyed the box suspiciously, "For me?"
"Of course its for you." He watched as she opened the box. Inside was a delicate silver chain with a charm in the shape of Texas dangling from it.
"It's lovely, Spike." Buffy sighed as she held out her wrist to Spike and he fastened the bracelet for her.
"Thought we could get a charm from each place we visit, be a nice memory of the trip."
"Thank you, this is so sweet." Buffy suddenly pulled him to her in a tight hug, "All of this has been just great, Spike."
He held her tightly for a few minutes, before he pulled back and took her hand, "Your welcome. I wanted, I just wanted you to have a good time for a change." This was the hardest part knowing when to pull back, knowing when to not push.
"Mission accomplished." She smiled at him as they walked through the mass of people in downtown Dallas.
"I got a silver bangle for Niblet, do you think she'll like it?" He asked as they walked further downtown.
"She'll love it, because you gave it to her."
They walked further until they reached the JFK memorial enjoying the sights and the sounds of the busy city. When darkness fell they both realized they were hungry and stopped at a small restaurant on the way back to the Market Place. They listened to the live music coming from The Hard Rock Cafe and watched as people danced in the square behind the club.
"Care to dance?" Spike asked as he offered her his hand.
"That would be lovely, sir." She laughed soflty as a slow song began. He pulled her closer to him and she lay her head against his shoulder. They moved perfectly together as if they were two parts of an intricate machine. It was times like this that she wondered why she bothered to ever make excuses for them not to be together.
After another dance, Buffy yawned into Spike's shoulder. He whispered, "Ready to go back to the room? I'm tired too."
"I hate to go, but I am tired." He took her hand firmly in his and they walked back to the car. "This has been the best day ever." Buffy told him as they pulled into the hotel parking lot.
"It's pretty high on my list too." He smiled at her as he got out and opened her car door. They walked to thier rooms and unlocked their respective doors. "Goodnight, Buffy."
"Goodnight, Spike." She told him with a mischeiveous grin right before she pulled him down and kissed him soundly. She then let him go and flounced into her room.
Spike quickly entered his room trying to figure out what had just happened. She had kissed him, willingly and she didn't seem the least bit repulsed. He didnt' have long to ponder it ,before she entered his room through the adjoining door.
"Spike, I... I just wanted you to know I wasn'' teasing you with that kiss." She suddenly seemed very young and vulnerable to him.
"You weren't?" He asked softly, hope shining in his blue eyes.
"No, I wasn't. I've missed you. I've missed... " She kissed him again this time deepening the kiss as she ran her fingers through the shorter hair at the nape of his neck manuevering them towards the bed.
Spike's mind was on auto pilot as he felt the back of his knees hit the bed, it would be so easy to do this, he'd dreamed of it the last few months. He pulled Buffy up and she latched her legs around his waist. NO! He was not going to do this, not like this. He pulled away from her mouth. "We can't" He choked the words out.
"Why not? Buffy grumbled as she unwrapped herself from around Spike and stood before him.
"Because as much as I want to do this, and believe me I really do." Spike sighed and sat down at the foot of the bed, " We're going somewhere Buffy, you and I, we aren't there yet, but we're gonna find our way this time. We're gonna do it right." He leaned down and gently kissed her lips, "Now go to bed, we have another busy day tomorrow."
Buffy felt his lips on hers, then his hands on her back as he guided her through the door back into her room. She then heard the door close and found her self alone in the hotel room. She wasn't sure if she should be angry that he kicked her out or if maybe she should be thankful that he had stopped them from doing something they weren't ready for. She plopped down on the ugly bedspread and buried her head in the pillow, she wanted him, he wanted her, there was no doubt about that. It was just the middle stuff of getting to the point where they could act on that want that was so darn confusing and hard. She understood why he wanted to hold off though, she couldn't blame him, last time she had given such terrible mixed signals to him. This time if they were going to do this, he was right they were going to do it the right way.
Spike lay on the same ugly bedspread in his room. He was tossing and turning, had he done the right thing? He wanted her so badly, to just lose himself in her, let them do what they did so well together. The only problem was that eventually they would have to get out of bed and thats when things usually took a turn for the worse. He punched his pillow, no, he had done the right thing, he smiled as he closed his eyes, by the end of this trip maybe, just maybe they would find their way.
Buffy was up early again, she was blowdrying her hair when she heard the knock on the door between thier rooms. "Come in." She called as she lay the blowdryer down and ran a brush through her hair.
"You ready for breakfast and the Palace of Wax?" Spike asked hesitantly, not sure of how she would be feeling towards him this morning.
Buffy finished the last of her repacking, if he could be casual so could she, "That sounds good, I'm really hungry this morning."
"Me too." Must be all that unrealeased tension, he thought as he helped her with her bags to the car.
She was serious, Spike thought as he watched her eat a large stack of pancakes, hashbrowns and bacon. Her plate was almost as full as his, it was good to see her eating like this. And she was laughing and waving at a little boy who kept turning in his booster chair to wave at the pretty blond. "He's adorable." Buffy commented over a sip of orange juice.
"Adorable and annoying." Spike commented over his pancakes.
"Sounds like someone else I know." The words slipped out before Buffy realized it and she blushed slightly.
"So I'm adorable?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"You can be," She answered with a smirk, "But more times then not, your just annoying." She balled up her napkin and threw it across the table at him.
"I'm hurt." He held his hand over his heart in mock despair.
"Hey you kicked me out of your room last night." Buffy chewed on her bottom lip as she waited for his reply.
He hesitated for a moment before he replied, "You know why I did that." He replied soflty.
She reached across the table and gently lay her hand on his, "Yes, I do." She smiled at him, "So are we ready to go to the wax museum?"
He returned her smile and relished the feel of her small hand on his, "Let's roll." He left a tip for the waitress and went to pay the tab.
"This is so cool, I love wax museums!" Buffy exclaimed as the pulled into the parking lot. The Palace of Wax was a beautiful building, looked somewhat like Aladdin's castle and the parking spaces had the names of stars printed on them. They parked in Shirley Temple's spot and Spike winced, Dru had gone through a phase of watching all of the little curly blonds movies and he still could hear her singing along with "Animal crackers in my soup." He skipped telling Buffy that particular story.
"Look it's Brad Pitt as Louis in Interview with the Vampire." Buffy pointed to the wax statue of Louis, long hair hanging to his shoulders.
"He needs a haircut." Spike commented.
Buffy shook her head at him as they moved through the movie star portion of the museum. They wondered how some of the figures appeared so lifelike and laughed at some that didn't seem to look like their counterparts at all. Buffy was enraptured with the fairy tale land, all of her favorite characters from childhood brought to life in wax. Rapunzel leaned out of her tower, gorgeous hair flowing to the ground beneath her, while Snow White and the seven dwarfs danced in thier cottage.
They came upon a caution sign labeled 'Chamber of Horror', it instructed that you could take one door to avoid the chamber or you could go through, but small children might be frightened by the exhibits. "So you up to the Chamber of Horror, luv?" Spike asked in his best creature feature voice.
"I think I can handle it." She grinned as they opened the door , the sound of wind and a howling wolf greeted them as they walked by the Wolfman and an figure of Lon Chaney standing beside him. The next exhibit was an open casket with Bela Lugosi's Dracula lying in it. "Doesn't look like the real deal to me." Buffy laughed softly.
"You're probably one of the few visitors they get her who have met the real deal." Spike rolled his eyes at her and took her hand in his.
She looked down at his hand intertwined with hers, "Are you scared, need me to hold your hand?" She quipped.
Spike's expression changed suddenly and he dropped her hand, "I just thought... "
She reclaimed her hand in hers, "Spike you know, if we are going to do this right, you are going to have to learn when I'm teasing you." She stretched and kissed his cheek.
"Eww... " A boy and his friend of about twelve said simutaneously.
Buffy flashed them a smile, "You can walk through this horror stuff, but kissing makes you go eww?"
The boys grinned back at her, "Well, yeah."
Spike winked at them, "You won't always feel that way."
They made thier way back to the beginning of the exhibit and went into the Ripleys Believe it or Not portion of the museum. "This stuff is just weird." Buffy told him as she pointed at the stuffed two headed calf and the shrunken head sitting in a display behind glass.
The walk through the tornado room was fun, the bridge swayed as the wind whipped around them. They made it across and ended up in room with stoves in trees and the model of a man still in his bed on a roof. The left the museum after buying a small shot glass for Dawn.
"That was fun." Buffy told him as he opened her car door, "This is a real treat for me you know."
"You like staring at three headed chickens, that much?" He teased her as he started the car.
"You know what I mean, this ...all of this non slayer, non bill or Dawn worry time." She sighed as she leaned back, "It's just nice."
"I'm glad you're enjoying it." He drove along with a happy smile on his face, "Buffy, look there!" He pointed towards a large RV next to them, "I think thats the Delaware plate you need."
Buffy opened her eyes and scanned the road, sure enough there it was, "Thanks!" She told him as she dug out her pad and pen, she neatly wrote Delaware on the paper, it was looking a bit worse for wear she had spilled a coke on it and dripped part of an ice cream cone, but it only lacked one state now, Hawaii.
"What's that?" Buffy pointed towards a billboard.
"It says visit Puddin Hill Chocolate Shop. Has a dollhouse made of chocolate?" Spike turned to her, "I'm not in a hurry, want to stop?"
"Yes, let's go look at it. You can't go wrong with chocolate!"
The shop was full of all things chocolate. True to their ad, they had a dollhouse and it's furnishings completely made of chocolate, and even a sculpture of Forrest Gump sitting on his bench, holding a box of chocolates all made out of chocolate. The toured the chocolate factory in the back of the shop and each got a large peanut butter cup before leaving.
"I'm gonna gain fifty pounds before we get back." Buffy sighed around her peanut butter cup.
"I'll still love you." Spike assured her with a wink and a grin as he polished off his own chocolate.
She only smiled at him, but inside she was telling herself, that yes I know that you'll love me no matter what. Why couldn't she say it out loud? She fell asleep pondering that question and was surprised when a couple of hours later Spike woke her up.
"I'm getting gas, you need to use the restroom?" He asked her as got out to fill the tank.
"Thanks, I better do that." She found her shoes and got out of the car, they were in Arkansas now. She looked on a board posted in the station. Spike said they were going to Hot Springs next and the little board said that was about sixty miles down the road. She bought a coke for herself and one for Spike on the way out.
"Here this is for you," She handed him the coke.
"Thanks, I guess you don't want to be the only one who has to take a bathroom break next time?"
"I was being thoughtful." She pouted knowing he couldn't resist that.
"I know, I'm sorry. So when we get to Hot Springs we can go see the natural hot springs they have right down town. They use them in bathhouses there, you can get a bath and a massage. I think they also have some really good restaurants too. And lakes, lots of lakes."
They arrived in Hot Springs and found a lovely old motel called the Arlington. It was pink stucco and several stories high. It was situated right down town so they could walk wherever they wanted to go. This time when Spike went to get the rooms, Buffy made a surprise request, "Why don't we just get a double room, you know one with two beds, cheaper and well... you know that way we won't get lonely."
He nodded his head, "That sounds good to me." He grabbed the bags and went to the desk.
"We have time to do a bit of sightseeing before supper if you want to take a walk." Spike told her as she put her bag on her bed.
They walked across the street along Bath House row admiring the houses that had been built at the turn of the century. They went into the Forsyth Bath House and took the tour, "This just isn't fair." Buffy told Spike as she looked at the beautiful stained glass ceiling in the men's dressing room. The women's room was plain and look what the men got."
"Well they didn't think as many women would take the baths as men, did you look out there on the roof, it was for 'private' sunbathing." They admired the piano in the solarium and finished up the tour hand in hand. Walking down Central Avenue they passed another Wax Museum, Bill and Hillary Clinton waved from the front glass. "Do you want to go in?" Spike asked her as they stared at the figures of the former President and First Lady.
"No, I think we've seen enough wax today." Buffy pulled him towards the small gift shop next door. "Let's go in here."
Buffy picked out a souvenier for Dawn as Spike paid for his own purchase. Once out on the sidewalk again, he handed her the bag.
"You're gonna spoil me." She told him as she pulled out the Arkansas charm, "Oh, this will look so good on my bracelet." She stopped right on the sidewalk and gave him a hug, "Thanks!"
"Your welcome, I'll put it on your bracelet when we get back to the room. Now lets find a restarurant." He casually draped an arm around her shoulders as they continued to walk. "Do you like German food?" He asked as they crossed the street.
"I don't know that I've ever had it." Buffy admitted, "I'm willing to try it though."
"There's a restaurant in here called the Brau Haus, someone at the hotel mentioned it was good" He opened the door to let her enter the restaurant.
The interior was small and it was softly lit, very comfy. Buffy let Spike order for her and drank a coke, while he ordered a german beer. "This was a good idea, it's such a nice place." Buffy told him as she sipped her cola.
"I'm glad we came too." Spike took another drink of his beer and sat down the mug, "Buffy, you keep saying thanks for this trip, I have to thank you for coming, for giving me a chance."
"Your welcome, it's really my pleasure, as for the chance you deserve it." Buffy smiled at him as he took her hand in his and placed a soft kiss in her palm.
A dark haired man sat at a table in the corner, he almost choked on his own beer when he noticed the pretty blond a few tables over. It was Buffy, beautiful and smiling and holding some guys hand. He could only see the man's back but something about his posture was familiar, he had brownish hair with the tips bleached blond. He debated going over to her but decided against it, he was in town on business and obviously Buffy was here on pleasure, for some reason their reunions never went well so he thought maybe he could just watch here for a few minutes and go.
He watched as the couple ate their supper. Then the man paid the waitress and stood to go pull out Buffy's chair for her. Angel gasped out loud when he got a good look at the guy, it was Spike. Spike! What the hell was Buffy doing here with Spike? His resolve to stay away from her quickly broke, as he strode over to the other table. "Buffy?"
Buffy turned at the sound of a familiar voice calling her name, she was stunned when she saw the owner of the voice, "Angel?"
Spike could only look between the woman he loved and the one person he hated most in the world. Could things possibly get worse? As he felt Angel's fist connect with his jaw he had his answer.
Buffy watched in horror as Angel's fist plowed into his jaw, causing him to tip back and fall over his chair. She knelt on her knees beside him as Angel looked on in shock. "Spike, you okay?" She then turned towards Angel, "What did you do that for?" She turned back to Spike placing her hand gently on his already bruising jaw.
Angel remained speechless as he watched Spike take a deep breath and get to his feet, it registered after a moment, 'deep breath' and Spike do not go together, Angel thought as he listened to the extra heartbeat, the one coming from Spike. What was going on here?
The manager of the restaurant made his way over to the scene, "Do you want me to call the police sir, have this man arrested for assault?" He asked Spike as he cut his eyes towards Angel.
Buffy looked at the manager, she was angry with Angel, but didn't want to risk him frying in a jail cell, "No!" She answered for Spike.
The manager ignored her and looked again at Spike, "Sir?"
Spike stood then and shook his head, "Might do him some good to spend a night in jail."
"Spike, please." Buffy asked him pleading soflty.
"Fine," He sighed with disgust, "I'll just go, it will be okay."
The manager didn't seem sure that it was okay, but Spike lay some money down on the table and turned to walk out of the restaurant.
"Buffy what is going on here? Why is Spike among the breathing and why are you here with him?" Angel asked as he dropped money on the table along with Spike's.
"It's a long story, Angel." Buffy told him as she turned to go after Spike, "Spike!"
The blond didn't turn to face her as he exited the restaurant. He ran when he got outside, not sure where he was going and yes, the cowards way out, but he couldn't bear to see her with Angel for another moment. He finally found a bar called the Ohio Club, the sign boasted that it had been visited by gangsters and presidents. He gave a bitter laugh as he entered the club and sat down at the antique bar, "Bourbon, and keep it coming."
Angels hand on Buffy's arm kept her in the restaurant long enough to give Spike his head start. He was no where to be seen when she finally shook Angel off of her arm and emerged outside. "Where did you go, Spike?" She looked up and down the quiet street.
"Buffy, we really need to talk." Angel spoke in a soft voice trying to calm her.
"Angel, it's really good to see you, but really terrible timing." Buffy sighed as she walked towards one of the benches that sat in front of the old bathhouses.
The dark haired vamp sat beside her on the bench, "So explain to me why you are here with Spike, why Spike is alive and why you seem to be *with* him?"
"Any easy questions you want to ask ?" Buffy lay her head on the bench back and closed her eyes.
"Well, yeah, his hair looks really good? I've thought about doing some more highlighting." Angel laughed soflty.
Buffy opened her eyes and joined in the laughter, "Okay, we'll get to the hair, but I guess I should start from the beginning. Do you have awhile?"
"Forever." He smiled at her.
"That's not fair, I'm supposed to be mad at you for hitting Spike." She grinned, "So don't try to charm me."
"Okay, no more charm. Serioulsly Buffy, what's going on?" He watched her nibbling on her bottom lip and it reminded him of simpler times.
"Well, after I came back from... well you know. I didn't adjust very well."
"When I saw you, you said you were good." Angel reminded her of that very awkward meeting.
"What did you want me to say? You and everyone else, wanted me to be good, so I did my best to be that way for them. But inside... inside it hurt and the person who could take away that hurt even if just for a little while turned out to be Spike." She took a deep breath and continued, "Even before I ... left, he had told me he loved me and he had helped out with the whole Glory mess, even took some torture for Dawn's sake. I knew then that I had these weird new feelings for him, but I tucked them deep inside, too much was going on."
"I wish I could have been there to help." Angel told her as he took her hand and gave it a squeeze.
"You have you own life in LA, Angel. I don't blame you. But when I came back , he was the only one who made me feel anything, sometimes it was just anger at him but it was feeling, then one night, he discovered that his chip didn't work on me. He taunted me about it and we ended up pummeling each other in an abandoned house, before the night was over we were in the basement and weren't fighting anymore." Buffy gave Angel an anxious glance to see if he caught her meaning.
"You stopped fighting and ... " Angel prodded her.
"We uh... we had sex. Lots of it." Buffy shrugged, if she was going to tell the story she should tell it right.
"You slept with Spike? You're sleeping with Spike?" Angel tried to remain calm but thoughts of Buffy and Spike and sex were giving him a massive headache.
"Yes, I slept with him, but no, I'm not currently sleeping with him. Let me finish the story okay?" She took another deep breath and continued her story. Angel didn't interrupt, but did ball up his fists and growl when he heard the bathroom story,. "So he showed up again about six weeks ago and he was human and souled and very regretful and he didn't even talk to me at first, he saw Dawn first. But a few days ago he brought up going on vacation, a road trip and well I decided to go. I thought things might work out... but now I don't know."
"You don't know how much this pains me to ask but do you love him, Buffy?" Angel sighed, he had heard bittersweet love stories before, in fact he'd been involved in one with the girl sitting next to him, but the way Buffy talked about Spike, about how she had used him and how there had been too many misunderstandings between them, how things had come to a head in that bathroom, how she had forgiven him. He hated to admit it but he had to believe that his Buffy did love Spike.
"I wasn't sure before, or maybe I was and I fought it so hard, but he's changed Angel, and he did it for me."
Angel shook his head, the headache was getting worse now. "If you really love him, you need to let him know." I can't believe I'm actually encouraging this, but he wanted his..no not * his* Buffy anymore to be happy.
"Well, I would like to do that, but he seems to dissappeared." Buffy replied sarcastically..
"You know what, why don't you go back to the room and see if he's there? Meanwhile I'll see if I can find him."
"And if you find him?" Buffy eyed him suspiciously.
"Then I'll bring him back to you." Angel smiled at her, "Where are you staying?"
Buffy gave him the name of her hotel and room number and set out walking, hoping that Spike was in the room and that he would be willing to listen to her. She fished the key out of her purse and opened the door, the room was empty. "Where are we going Spike? Are we there yet? Is this it?" Her questions remained unanswered as she curled up on the bed.
Angel tried three clubs before he found Spike. He sat down on the stool next to him. Spike was staring at a glass of bourbon. "So you decided to you prefer drinking to Buffy's company?"
Spike looked from the glass to Angel, "Gee and I thought you'd be happy to have her all to yourself, catch up on old times, maybe a bit of... oh wait I forgot that pesty curse and all." He lifted the glass and took a deep swallow of the amber fluid. "Why do you care?" He asked his voice dead serious.
"I could easily say it's only Buffy I care about here, because she is my primary concern. But for some reason, I find myself caring about you too, maybe it's because you've got a second chance, maybe since I'm partially responsible for taking away that first chance at a life, William. I want to make sure you don't screw up this one." Angel nodded at the bartender who brought over another glass.
Spike glared as he watched Angel pour himself a drink from his bottle, "Who said I was sharing?"
"We've shared more then booze in the past, Spike. We share more then that now, Buffy says you love her. Do you?" Angel asked as he sipped his drink.
"And if I do?" Spike asked defensively, "You come to put me in my place, show her I'm not good enough for her? You're right we've shared alot, Angelus - starting with Dru, you got to drive her insane and I got to take care of what was left of her, your a real giver."
"Spike this isn't about Drusilla. It's about Buffy." Angel shook his head and sighed.
"Cause I guess we share her now too right, you break her heart so she can never really give herself to another guy and I guess I get what's left. I tried not to think about it before, I just knew that if I could spend some time with her away from everything and everybody, I could make her happy, I got the soul, got the heartbeat now, she could love me. But you waltzed up and interrupt a really romantic dinner and punch me out, and she's worried you'll be arrested. Just like Dru... Angel comes first. Maybe I was right when I told Finn that she liked a bit of monster in her man. In my grand scheme I forgot that important part." Spike poured himself another glass full.
"Are you done feeling sorry for yourself now?" Angel asked his patience running out, "You were always melodramatic. Must be the poet in you."
"So why are you really here, then?" Spike asked as he took a large drink from his glass.
"Buffy loves you." The words were soft and Angel's voice melancholy as he said them.
"She told you that?" Spike asked his scarred eyebrow arched.
"Yes, she told me and for reasons I can't begin to fathom, she'd like to tell you." Angel stood up, "So are you going to sit here and get drunk ,so maybe your new human body can relearn the fine art of throwing up on her shoes or are you going to be a man," Angel sighed and put his hand on Spike's shoulder, "The man I know you can be. Go to her."
"You're serious?" Spike wore a confused expression. "She loves me? "
Angel looked exasperated, "Yes she is in love with you.I want her happy, You make her happy. So I'm asking do you love her?"
"Of course I love her! I did all of this for her!" Spike stood thumping his chest over his beating heart, "I can't even imagine life without her in it, and I was willing to take friendship if that was all that she offered, but she loves me?"
Angel smiled at the giddy look on Spike's face, " *Yes* she loves you. Don't waste this Spike." He told him as he turned and left the bar.
Spike paid the bartender. I make her happy. He repeated the words over and over as he walked back to the hotel.
Buffy sighed as she stood by the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Spike coming back to the room. Is this love? Wanting to see a glimpse of him even though she was angry with him for leaving. Was love what was making her heart break a little bit more every minute he stayed gone? She walked away from the window, when the phone rang. Her heart jumped to her throat, maybe that was him, he was calling to tell her he was on his way back. "Hello!" She answered excitedly.
"Buffy, it's me." Angel's voice came over the line.
"You didn't find him, did you?" Buffy's voice broke.
"I found him and I talked to him and he's on his way back to you. Can't say I'm ecstatic about your choice, but he loves you and that is one thing Spike knows how to do well..love. Good luck." Angel hung up the phone and sighed, he should have taken Spike's bottle, being this understanding took a lot out of a vampire.
Buffy hung up the phone and went back to the window, soon she saw him coming up the street. He had a bounce in his step and he was smiling brightly. A few minutes later she heard the key in the door. Spike entered the room with an apology on his lips, "I'm sorry for runnig like that."
"Are you going to do that often?" Buffy asked him.
"What?" Spike asked looking innocent.
"Run away? I mean if you are going to run away and not discuss things we shouldn't even try to have a relationship." Buffy sat down on his bed and patted the mattress beside her.
"I won't do it again, promise. Do we have a relationship?" His face was so very hopeful that Buffy had to touch him, to let him know how much he meant to her.
"I love you." She told him as her fingertips caressed his face.The words were simple but spoken with such honesty he thought he might cry.
Placing his own hands on her's he took a deep breath, "I never thought I would hear those words from you. I've imagined them in all different scenario's but none of my dreams ever measured up to actually hearing you say them just now. I love you too."
She leaned raised her lips to his and kssed him softly. Her hands came down from his face and began to carefully unbutton his shirt, he sighed when she leaned down and trailed soft kisses down his chest. He was afraid to move, afraid to break the spell, a very small part of him was afraid that in the morning it would be a repeat of the past morning afters, a bigger part of him told him to take the chance, she loves you.
Later, as they lay together in a tangle of limbs and bedsheets, Buffy smiled up at him, "You said we were going somewhere? Are we there yet?"
He laughed out loud, "Yes, luv, I think we're almost there."
He kissed her again and she whispered against his lips, "Almost?"
"You know what they say, pet. Life's a journey not a destination. I'm really enjoying the journey."
In the far future, their children and grandchildren would cherish the picture that stayed on the mantel in Buffy and Spike's home. A photo taken at a theme park, so long ago of two people embarking on a life together.
Many years later when the journey had ended for Spike, he left the world knowing he had been loved, long and true. And a few years later when Buffy followed him, she knew without a doubt that his love would be there to greet her at the end of her journey too.
The End