Rating: PG-13
Pairings: W/S, A/C, B/R, F/X
Distribution: Like it? Take it- just tell me where it's going first.
Feedback: this is kind of a given isn't it? lol- well- this is my first challenge fic- so PLEASE tell me what you think
Mood Music: Overprotected by Britney Spears & Bombshell by Powerman 5000
Notes: It's a bit AU- this is around the 4th season. No Tara, Dawn, or Anya *I luv Anya but there's no where for her in this fic* Alright- Angel and Cordy never left Sunnydale- Yes he and Buffy had a relationship- and blah blah blah but they both got over it over time- Spike is workin with the Scoobies now- at first it was against his will *Angel used the right of the sire thing- btw- in this fic Angelus was Spike's sire* but now he's actually liking it- Faith never went bad-
Notes2: This is a Challenge Fic- Rules and Musts were pretty simple- Countess Marsters Challenge: Use the Song Overprotected by Britney Spears, Buffy, Willow, Cordelia, Faith, a road trip, and a convertible VW Bug. Must be rated PG-13 or above.
Disclaimer: I own nothing- Joss & Company own all- *pouts* wouldn't mind owning Spike though.. hmm.. can we say yummy? Britney Spears owns Overprotected. Powerman 5000 owns Bombshell.
*Thanks to Susi who gave me some *great* ideas when I was in a fix- you're the best!!*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~Part: 1~
"Wait- *WHAT*?"
"Dad bought me a car" Buffy pointed to the VW Beetle as if to further prove her point, "I think it was to make up for the guilt factor or something of that sort, anyway- I wanted to put it to good use so I asked Giles if he would let us take two weeks off and he said yes. The guys will be here to take care of the baddies and besides I think we all deserve a break."
Willow stood in Buffy's garage, open mouthed and frozen. Her eyes were the only body part that was moving, the gaze going back and forth between her best friend and the new car. "huh?"
"dear god- don't tell me I have to go through this *all* over again. Ok- Will- you can get over the shock factor when we're actually *in* the car. Now you get your butt over to your house and start packing. We're leaving in," she looked at her watch to check the time, "25 minutes."
"What am I doing?"
"wow- ok- maybe I should go with you."
"What's up B? Hey Red!" Faith ran up the driveway and threw her bags down before running over to Buffy and smothering her in a big hug. "Thanks for inviting me hun!" She looked over at Willow, "Red! Red!" she snapped her fingers in front of her face, "You ok?"
"Yeah.. yeah- did Buffy just say we were going on a road trip?"
Faith nodded with a big grin.
"Yes, and it took you *how* long to finally figure this out?" Cordelia asked before walking over to Buffy and enveloping the blonde in tight hug.
"I feel so loved. Will, you have to get packing, come on now- don't make me leave without you!"
"We're going on a road trip?!"
"Yeeeeesss" Cordelia replied before shaking her head and looking at the car, "I don't think all my stuff is gonna fit in there"
"We'll figure out some way, here" Faith grabbed one of Cordelia's bags and popped open the trunk before turning to Buffy, "B- you get over to Red's house and get her packed. Me and the May Queen will be over there in about 20 minutes." Faith turned around to see Cordelia trying to close the trunk by sitting on it, "Make it 30, this might take awhile"
Buffy nodded and dragged the redhead down her driveway, "Come on Will! Be excited- road trip!!"
~^~**~^~
Willow sat on her porch, pouting. After she got over her initial shock, to say she was excited would be an understatement. They had finished packing about 5 minutes ago and now were sitting on her porch, waiting for Faith and Cordelia.
"Why the pout?" Buffy asked before wrapping an arm around her best friend.
"I'm not gonna be able to see Spike for two weeks"
"Yeah I know, there will be some Riley missage on my part too."
"Do you think we can make a stop at Giles's before we leave?"
"Actually, that was part of the itinerary. All the guys will be over there. I'm pretty sure Faith and Cordy want to see their men too." Both girls looked up when they heard a honk, "Speak of the devils"
"Come on! Get your Cali booties in here. I wanna see my man!" Faith screamed out the car before putting on her sunglasses.
"You better not get those dirty! I don't just let anybody borrow my Guccis!" Cordelia reprimanded from the passenger seat.
"Don't worry hun, these babies are safe with me"
"They better be- or else you're paying for them."
"What are we arguing about?" Willow asked as she got into the car.
"Probably over some material thing that Cordy let Faith borrow" Buffy said matter-of-factly. She got into the car and looked up just in time to see Cordelia flip her off. "Thanks babes but I don't swing that way. Why do you let her borrow your stuff if you're afraid that she'll harm them?"
"Because she's my very best friend and I love her to death." Faith cooed before hugging the brunette.
Cordelia rolled her eyes and returned the hug.
"Ok, enough of the mushy stuff- let's get a move on!" Willow said from the back seat.
"We're going, we're going!" Faith said before switching gears and turning on the radio.
~^~**~^~
"Spike!" Willow squealed before rushing over to the bleached blonde. She jumped up and wrapped her legs around him, "I'm gonna miss you!"
Angel looked at the two and let out a small chuckle. He felt arms go around his waist and turned around to see Cordelia look up at him. "Hey baby" he said huskily before leaning down to kiss her.
Riley was sitting on the couch, reading- well at least he was before a small blonde plopped onto his lap. He looked up, confused at first before seeing who it was. His look of confusion soon turned into one of happiness.
"Good book?" Buffy asked in an innocent voice while raking her nails over his chest.
"Uh huh" He replied before their lips met in a passionate kiss.
Xander walked out of the kitchen and halted his steps when he saw the view in front of him, "o-kay?" He turned around when he felt a tap on his shoulder, "Fai-" was all he got out before Faith pushed him against the wall and kissed him, hard.
The four couples were so lost in each other that they didn't even hear when Giles walked into the room. In fact they still didn't hear him even after he tried to get their attention by clearing his throat. He finally settled for a more forward approach and slammed the door, hard. Six heads popped up. "Nice to see I finally got your attention. I take it you girls are leaving soon?"
"Umm.. yeah- actually we really should be leaving now" Buffy said with a slight blush and crawled out of Riley's lap.
Faith, Buffy, and Cordelia all walked over and gave Giles a hug before starting to walk out the door.
"Wait a sec- we're missing someone." Buffy looked over the heads and saw that Willow and Spike were still in a lip lock. "ROSENBERG!"
"What?" Willow pulled away from Spike and turned her head to see everyone else in the room staring at them. "Are we leaving?"
"What gave it away?" Cordelia quipped.
"Right, leaving now." Willow tried to unwrap her legs from the blonde but he wasn't budging. "Baby, I have to leave now"
"It's not fair" whined Spike.
"The sooner you let me leave, the sooner I can come back." Spike finally let Willow go after that and leaned down to kiss her again, "I love you"
"Love you too"
"Whipped" Angel said through a pretend cough.
"And you're not Peaches?"
Angel glared at his childe.
~^~**~^~
It took a little over an hour to handle all the questions, details, and of course- more smoochies- but finally the four girls were on the road.
"So where exactly are we headed first?" Willow asked from the passenger seat. They were all in their comfy clothes. She herself was wearing a long khaki skirt and an olive green muscle tank that had rhinestones all over it. Her hair was in curls. Buffy who was now in the driver's seat, was in a pair of grey cargo pants and topped that off with a pale purple v-neck tee. She had put her hair up in loose bun. In the backseat were Faith and Cordelia. Faith was looking out the window, enjoying the view. She was in a simple pair of worn out jeans and a tight black tank. Her hair was as always, down but there was a slight wave to her tresses. Cordelia's head was in her lap and she was stretched out in the back seat, obviously asleep. The sleeping brunette was dressed in a light orange summer dress. She had chopped off her mane for summer and so now her locks were only down to around her neck.
"LBC"
"You're kidding me!"
"hmm.. what?" Cordelia looked up with sleepy eyes, "What's going on?"
"We're going to Long Beach!" Willow said, nearly jumping out of her seat with contained excitement.
"Oooh- fun- I do need a tan" Cordelia examined herself, "Yup, definitely need a tan."
"Is that who I think it is?" Faith asked, stretching out her legs after Cordelia got up.
"What?" Willow asked confused, peering out the window, trying to see who Faith was talking about.
"Not outside Red- on the radio!"
Buffy turned up the radio and after the initial screeching from all four girls quieted down, each started to sing along to the lyrics.
Say hello to the girl that I am! You're gonna have to see through my perspective I need to make mistakes just to learn who I am And I don't wanna be so damn protected There must be another way Cause I believe in taking chances But who am I to say What a girl is to do God, I need some answers
Willow sang the loudest, relating to the lyrics the most. She smiled when her thoughts reverted to Spike, he was the first guy that ever treated her like she wasn't some fragile little girl, he treated her like an adult- and she loved him for it.
What am I to do with my life (You will find out don't worry) How Am I supposed to know what's right? (You just got to do it your way) I can't help the way I feel But my life has been so overprotected
I tell 'em what I like What I won't What I don't But every time I do I stand corrected Things that I've known I can't believe what I hear about the world, I realize I'm Overprotected
Buffy bounced in her seat, her body moving to the beat. This was her favorite part of the song- she couldn't help but think <been there, done that> She looked back on her life and it was hard to believe that one thing could change her life so much. She went from being the preppy, popular, bitchy cheerleader to the chosen one- the girl that was supposed to save the world from evils that most human beings can't even begin to imagine. She looked at her surroundings, <but I'm loving every minute of it>
I need time (love) I need space (This is it, this is it)
I don't need nobody Tellin me just what I wanna What I what what I'm gonna Do about my destiny I Say No, No Nobody tell me just what what what I wanna do, do I'm so fed up with people telling me to be Someone else but me
Faith smiled when she heard these lyrics blare out of the sound system. <Hell ya!> She never was the conformist of the group.
(yeah, yeah, yeah) What am I to do With my life? (You will find it out Don't worry) How am I supposed To know what's right? (You gotta do it your way) I can't help the way I feel But my life has been So overprotected
Cordelia looked at the three other girls occupying the car along with her. <I'm glad things turned out the way it did> She was no longer the material obsessed girl that she was before, nowadays, she was sophisticated and loved. She no longer hid behind her daddy's money or the Cordettes. Nope, now she was her own person and hell- she liked it!
~Part: 2~
"I am *not* wearing *that*!" Willow declared, waving her hands about toward the outfit.
"Why not?" Buffy pouted, "Come on Will! Please?" She tried the puppy eyes on the redhead, it wasn't working.
"Yeah Red- that'll look hot on ya!" Faith added while rifling through the racks for a top that would pair well with the leather pants that she had in her hand.
"Oooh- Are those Seven jeans?" Cordelia asked before snatching them from Buffy's grasps. "Nice choice- these babies will look great on you Will" She held them out in front of Willow, picturing how she would look in them.
"Fine- the jeans I'll wear but not *that*"
"What's wrong with it?" Buffy asked with a huff.
"How bout the fact that there's like *nothing* to it!"
"There's material!"
"You're supposed to wear a bandana on your head, not as a top!"
"Get with the now Will- Fine if you won't wear that then pick something out!" Buffy shoved the "shirt" back onto the shelf and stuck her lower lip out even further.
"How's this?" Willow held out, in her mind, a more sensible choice. <At least there's more material to it.. sorta> It was a simple silk red tank that had a drape neck. It was held together by spaghetti straps that had three rhinestones lined vertically on them. The back had criss cross straps holding it together but other then that, it was open back.
"Nice!" Cordelia said before Buffy could reply.
"You guys done?" Faith asked, her outfit of choice in her grasps. "You wearing that Red?" She looked at the outfit Willow had picked and smiled after examining it, "I like"
"Go try it on Will- we gotta be out here by 4- that leaves you," Buffy looked down at her watch.
"20 minutes" Faith said before pointing to the clock over their heads, "there's a reason why that's there"
Buffy shot her a glare before pushing Willow into the dressing room.
~^~**~^~
"Well?" Willow bit her lower lip, waiting for an answer from the three other girls. <*I* think it looks good but you never know>
"Wow" was the only word that came out of Buffy's mouth.
"Is that a good wow or a bad wow" Willow shifted her weight from one foot to the other, <spit it out guys! Good or bad?>
"Definitely of the good Red" Faith answered for Buffy.
"You look amazing Will- all the guys tonight- well let's just say major gawkfest" Cordelia mused with a smirk.
"Don't remind me of guys- I'm already having a hard time *not* thinking bout- not even gonna say his name but you just have to go and bring the male species up!" Willow whined with a slight pout.
"hey! we all miss our honeys- we just have to" Faith straightened out her back before finishing her sentence, "deal"
Buffy raised an eyebrow, "That's a lot harder then it sounds"
Willow blew a curl out of her face, "Don't I know it"
~^~**~^~
"I miss her Peaches!"
"That's the third time you've informed me of that in the past hour! I think I get your point" Angel growled, a slight edge to his voice. <it's times like these I regret making him>
"Don't see why we couldn't go along with them"
"First it was some kind of girly bonding thing" Angel's face scrunched up in slight confusion, <never did understand women> "Second we can't just leave Giles here with all the responsibilities that comes with the Hellmouth and third- I don't think there's a car big enough to fit four couples"
"I'm in denial- leave me alone"
"Sp-"
Spike interrupted him before he could get any further, "Always did have to ruin every bleedin thing didn't you Peaches?"
Angel forced out a sigh and started to walk out the room.
"Where ya going?"
"Anywhere that doesn't have you in the scene"
"But I thought you loved me *daddy*" Spike mocked, he was beginning to enjoy this. If Willow wasn't here to satisfy his.. errmm.. needs.. he'd just have to get his ya-yas elsewhere.
"Do you enjoy putting me through mental torment?"
Spike simply snickered in response. He looked up and saw that Angel was already half way down the hall way in the house.. well actually mansion would be a more precise term.. that they all shared. "Wait up Poof! I was just teasin you- oh come on now- don't be such a bleedin nancyboy!"
~^~**~^~
"Cordy! Will you hurry it up a little?" Buffy yelled toward the direction of the bathroom.
"Ouch! That was a bit *loud*!" Willow glared at her, rubbing her now ringing ears.
"Ooops, sorry Will- didn't see you there" Buffy's lips turned up in an apologetic smile and put some finishing touches to her makeup. "Where the hell is she doing in there?"
Willow shrugged and plopped onto the bed, "Damned if I know"
"Hey babes~ we still waiting for Cordy?" Faith asked as she stepped into the door.
"Have been for the past hour- never knew someone could spend so long in front of a mirror" Willow cocked her head to the side, as if thinking over the matter.
"This is Cordy we're talking bout- when it comes to clothes, makeup, and looks in general- anything's possible" Buffy smacked her lips together and examined herself, she nodded and turned around to face the other two girls, "Ya like?"
"You look hot B" Faith commented before dropping the grocery bags onto the table.
"What's in the bags?" Willow asked, then getting up and heading towards them, checking it out for herself.
"Food, drinks, and some hairspray"
Willow paused her rifling, "Don't we already have like three cans of hairspray?"
Faith tilted her head towards Buffy, "B told me to buy some more"
Willow turned to Buffy and raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't want to run out!"
Cordelia interrupted Willow's oncoming sarcastic remark by walking into the room and announcing, "I'm ready!"
"Finally" Buffy sighed and started to put some essential makeup items into her purse.
"Bite me! Hey- at least it was worth the wait!" Cordelia posed and lifted one hand above her head while the other she moved up and down the side of her body, "Right?"
"You know you look gorgeous Cordy" Willow complimented before getting up and smoothing out her own outfit.
"Don't pump up her ego too much" Buffy warned.
"We-" Cordelia was interrupted by Faith pushing her out the door. Willow was doing the same thing to Buffy, "Come on guys- enough of the bickering. If you must argue, do it in the car- I want to dance!"
"Where are we going again?" Buffy asked, still looking through her purse, double checking that she had all her needed items.
"Static" Faith answered, shutting the door to the hotel room.
~^~**~^~
"Now this" Faith waved her hands about in the air, "Is nice"
"Wow" Willow's green eyes widened when she took in the club's decorations and overall design. The club was decorated, in a word- extravagantly. The club had an overall dark atmosphere and the only bright light was from the flashing strobe lights above. There were cages and small stages all over the floor, each filled with gyrating bodies. Her eyes grew even wider when she saw the confetti that was released over the masses. "Can we move here?"
Buffy giggled before latching onto Willow's and Faith's arms and dragging them towards the dance floor. Faith in turn latched onto Cordelia's arm and pulled her with.
Get up Get up Get up Drop the Bombshell
Get up Get up This is out of control
The four bodies moved in time to the music and began to let loose. All their worries and problems were pushed away to the furthest corners of their mind.
Now I'm not the same because you're not the same, Well you're not the same the because I'm not the same, We're not the same, this could never be the same and we just wanna survive...
Now you are the same, because you want it all, and you want the transmit cause you want the call, and you want the one that makes the worlds collide, but since that has happened who knows what's inside...
Willow felt a set of arms go around her waist and stiffened. She tried to pull away but the rough hands wouldn't budge. Her eyes flashed in worry and caught Faith's. The brunette slayer quickly moved to her side and pulled her unresisting body from the stranger.
"I was dancing with her!" The stranger said annoyed, his arm shot out, trying to get the redhead in his grasps again.
"Sorry hun but she's taken." Faith smiled an evil smile, her eyes threatening as if daring the guy to make a move.
"Whatever" He growled before turning around and pushing his way through the crowd.
"Asshole" Willow muttered, then turned to Faith "Thanks"
"No prob- I'm here for ya babe"
~Part: 3~
The four stumbled into the room, Cordelia in the lead. She kicked off her heels and fell onto one of the beds.
"Tired Cordy?" Willow teased, a slight exhaustion to her voice <never knew dancing could take so much out of you>
Her answer was muffled by the pillow. Willow rolled Cordelia over on her back, the sudden movement made her eyes flutter open.
"You know if you don't get that make up off it'll clog your pores and-" Before Willow could even finish Cordelia had already shot off the bed, heading for the bathroom.
"Aww.. damn- now it's gonna be another half hour before I can get in there" Buffy whined playfully, falling back onto the bed that Willow and her shared for the rest of their stay.
~^~**~^~
"*FUCK*"
The upper half of Willow's body shot off the bed as she yelled out, "I'm awake! I'm awake" She brought her fists up to her eyes and rubbed it for a few moments before opening her eyes to see what was going on. She saw Buffy hopping on one foot, both hands holding onto her other foot. "What'd you do?"
"I stubbed my toe.. I swear that thing came out of nowhere" She shot a venomous glare at the dresser.
"Right- because inanimate objects can do that- appear out of nowhere" Cordelia quipped tiredly as she rose from the bed.
"Careful Cordy, I think Buffy's a bit.. touchy right now" Willow warned playfully.
"Funny, *real* funny" Buffy commented dryly. She continued muttering insults directed towards a dresser, redhead, and brunette.
"I got breakfast" Faith announced, walking into the room with a McDonald's bag. She looked at Buffy who was still muttering and then towards Willow and Cordelia. She rose one eyebrow, "Is she talking to herself?"
~^~**~^~
Willow leaned back against her elbows that were resting against the sand, "I can't believe it's only been a week"
Buffy turned to her and shot her a shocked look.
"What?" the redhead asked.
"Why are you not moping and whining about missing you know who?"
"I do- *believe* me- I do. But it's also nice to just hang out with the girls."
"You do realize this is like a complete 180 then what you were saying- oh.. about an hour ago!"
Willow turned her body and before Buffy could react, she whipped a handful of sand towards the unknowing blonde.
"What the-! Oh! I am *so* getting you for that!" She ran after Willow who was now sprinting towards the ocean. Buffy pounced on Willow, sending her flying into the water. Willow wriggled out of her grasps and when she finally came up for air, she was gasping for air. Buffy moved one arm back and then brought it forward towards the water, effectively sending a wave towards the panting redhead. She was about to do it again when Willow yelled out her surrender.
Willow held up her hands in a sign of defeat, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Don't splash me again!" she pleaded through a fit of giggles. "Truce?" She started to wade towards Buffy.
Buffy held out her hand and Willow went to grab it when Buffy whipped another wave at her, "Truce"
~^~**~^~
"Whoa.. what the hell happened to you Red?" Faith asked from her spot on the bed. She was resting comfortably against the headboard, chatting with Cordelia.
"Buffy" Willow shot a glare at the person named.
"Hey you started it!" Buffy defended.
"I'm gonna go take a shower" She stomped off, heading towards the bathroom.
Buffy jumped at hearing the door slam, "Oops." She jumped onto the bed, "So- what are we doing?"
~^~**~^~
Giles slammed his book down onto the table, "Will you boys *please* stop your bickering and whining!"
All four guys had the same sheepish look upon their face as they muttered their apologies.
<Dear god, I *cannot* stand this anymore- they are driving me insane!> Giles cleared his throat before continuing on, "As I was saying" he shot glares at all four of them, "a new prophecy has been uncovered and it involves all four girls and since they have so conveniently forgotten to leave us their numbers of their new hotel we have no way to reach them. Their itinerary says that they're headed for Las Vegas next though so you four need to go there and bring them back so we can handle this." <are they buying this? Please, for the love of god, let them believe this nonsense>
Spike's face lit up when he heard Giles's words, "You mean- we have to go after them?"
<how he managed to sum up my speech with eight words- I'll never know> He cleared his throat, "Well, yes"
The four sat, stunned. "Well- get going now! I want them back before the end of the week. That gives you 4 days" Giles let out a sigh and began to rub his forehead when none of the four moved, "GO!"
~^~**~^~
"I'm never leaving here" Cordelia declared as she fell back onto the bed, "never- you can't make me!"
"Oh.. oh- this is nice- this is *really* nice" Faith commented as she laid side by side by Cordelia.
"Oooh- they have *so* much good smelling stuff in here!" Willow yelled from the bathroom.
Buffy stumbled into the room, her hands full with baggage, "Thanks for the help guys, nice to know I'm *so* loved."
"hey- now all of *that*" Cordelia lifted her hand up and waved it towards Buffy's direction, "is *your* stuff- I still don't see how you can have that much baggage- you're even worse then *I* am" she got off the bed and walked towards the direction of the window, "besides there is such a thing as a bellhop"
"You know what-" Buffy began but was interrupted when Willow came into the room, her resolve face in place, "If you guys want to fight- do it somewhere else. We are here for a vacation- ok? It's not everyday that we come to Las Vegas and me and Faith want to enjoy our stay here. Don't ruin it all just because you want to bitch at each other"
"She started it" Buffy whined as she pointed an accusing finger at Cordelia.
Willow shot a glare at her and she quieted down, "Sorry"
Faith hopped off the bed, "I agree with Red- now let's stop the pouting," she turned to Buffy, "and the bitching" she turned to Cordelia, "and just have some fun"
A smile broke out on Cordelia's face as she was determined to *not* have her little fix with Buffy ruin her vacation, "I call bathroom!"
~^~**~^~
"Peaches! Will you hurry the bloody hell up!? I would like to get to the damn place before sunrise!" Spike hollered from Xander's garage. He leaned against the driver's seat door and lit a cigarette.
"What the hell is that?" Riley pointed to the two brown bags that Xander was carrying in his arms.
"Food" Xander replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Ok- it's going to be a 2 hour drive- not 2 days!"
"You obviously don't know the moron very well if you think that's" Spike nodded towards the bags "enough for just him"
"Bite me Spike" Xander cringed "On second thought never mind I said that"
Spike snorted, "Not even if you paid me" After sucking in another lungful of smoke from his cigarette he hollered out, "Peaches- you bloody poof! I'm sure your damn hair is just fine! Now will you get your poncey ass out here?"
Suddenly the door was opened and Angel was revealed, his hair spiked up- every strand in place, carrying a black duffel bag. He threw the bag at Spike who reacted with instinct, dropped his cigarette and caught it with ease. Spike shot a glare at Angel and threw the bag to Riley who caught it with an "oof" then put it in the trunk. Xander and Riley then got into their seats. Spike's hand was on the car door when Angel spoke up, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Opening the door, see in order to get into the car- you need to do that first" Spike explained as if he was talking to a two year old.
"You're not driving!"
"Why the bloody hell not?"
"First- it's *my* car- and second.. you *can't* drive"
Before Spike could respond Xander spoke up from the back seat, "He's got a point- I've already lost count how many times you've run over the Welcome to Sunnydale sign"
"Twice and that was because I did it on purpose!" Spike defended but Angel wasn't budging.
"If you want to get a move on then you'll get your ass over to the passenger side of the car"
"Fine" Spike muttered before making his way to the other side of the car.
~^~**~^~
"Deadboy, we there yet?" Xander asked from the backseat.
"If we were there, I would be stopping the car and getting out" Angel gritted out, "away from you" he said to himself underneath his non-existent breath. Xander had been asking that question every 10 minutes for the past hour and it was getting on Angel's nerves. A vampire could only take so much you know.
"How much longer?"
"About another half hour" He turned to Spike, his eyes pleading for help but found that he was asleep. His gaze shifted to the mirror and found that Riley was also asleep. <Damn.. why can't *he* fall asleep too?> "Look Xander- why don't you get some sleep and I'll wake you up when we get there?"
"Not tired"
Angel forced out a sigh, "Alright- well then why don't you read a book or something?"
"I'll get carsick"
The brunette vampire tightened his grip on the wheel, "Ok well then find something else to entertain you then"
"Whatever" Xander leaned the side of his head against the window and looked into the night sky, mesmerized by the designs that were created by the stars. While in the front seat Angel was silently thanking the PTB for shutting Xander up.
~^~**~^~
"Why are we getting all dressed up again?" Buffy asked before pinning a piece of her hair back. She examined herself in the mirror, <not bad> She was wearing a red knee length dress with spaghetti straps and a slit that showed a *lil* bit of thigh. She smirked, happy with the way she looked, <not bad at all>
She turned to Willow as the redhead replied, "We're going to see O tonight at the Bellagio- remember?"
"Isn't that some water show?" the blonde asked, the name sounded familiar.
"Something of that sort- you'll see when we get there" Willow smoothed down her long black skirt. She was also wearing a sleeveless emerald silk cowl neck top to go with it. She turned to face the mirror as she fixed her curls. "Faith- Cordy- you guys done yet?" she called into the other room as she applied some lipstick.
"I'm ready" Faith announced as she walked into the room. She was dressed in a burgundy wrap top that showed a bit of cleavage and black dress pants. Her hair was sexily tousled and let down as usual.
Willow turned to look her, "I thought you were gonna wear that dress that you just bought"
Faith sighed as she began to walk toward the two, "See I *was* but then *somebody* stole it from my suit case before I could get to it"
That somebody walked into the room and caught Faith's last words, "What?" Cordelia blinked innocently.
"You look good Cordy" Buffy commented as her eyes swept over Cordelia's ensemble. The brunette was wearing a one shoulder black dress that had an asymmetrical cut on the bottom.
"I know" she replied before grabbing her purse, "Thanks" she moved her way to Faith and hugged her, "Thank you for letting me borrow it"
Faith scoffed, "I didn't *let* you borrow anything. You stole it- I could report you, you know" she threatened playfully.
"But you won't- because you're my *bestest* friend in the whole wide world"
Willow turned to look at Buffy, "Ok- we're leaving, *now*"
~Part: 4~
"That.. was the *best*" Buffy declared as she walked out of the theatre.
"Vintage Cirque du Soleil" Cordelia commented as she linked arms with Faith.
"I'm starving though" Faith rubbed her tummy to further prove her point.
"You wanna get something to eat then?" Willow asked, her eyes scanning the hotel to find a suitable restaurant. "Oh my god" she blinked a few times and brought her hands up to rub her eyes but then remembered that she had eye makeup on. She opted for elbowing Buffy and asking, "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
Buffy turned her attention towards the direction that Willow was looking at and stuttered out, "Riley?"
~^~**~^~
"We've checked just about every hotel on the Strip- they *have* to be here" Riley said as he walked into the hotel, his eyes searching for any of the girls.
"Maybe they're up in their hotel room" Xander suggested, "Or maybe not here at all"
"They're here" Spike confirmed.
"How do you know?" Xander asked, "Do you see them?"
"I can feel her" His ice blue eyes scanned the hotel, still looking.
"Cordy's here too" Angel stated.
"What- you "feel" her too?" Xander asked him mockingly.
"No" Angel shook his head and pointed in the direction of four girls, "She's right there"
~^~**~^~
"Is that Spike?" Willow asked still bewildered.
"And Riley?" Buffy repeated, equally shocked.
"What are we looking at? Oh my god- Angel?" Cordelia joined in on the shocked factor.
Faith shook her head at the other three and took the more forward approach, "Xander!" she squealed before jumping at her boyfriend and showering him with kisses.
"W-W-What are you guys doing here?" Buffy stuttered out before wrapping her arms around Riley.
"Giles sent us to get you" Angel answered before leaning down to capture Cordelia's, who at the moment was still stunned, lips.
Willow stood frozen, still in shock, and stared at Spike who had a look of lust and desire in his eyes. "Missed you" He whispered huskily as he wrapped his strong arms around her waist.
"I-" before she could finish her sentence, Spike caught her lips hungrily and she returned the kiss with equal fervor.
"Wow.. never knew someone could go that long without breathing" Cordelia commented when Willow and Spike finally pulled away from each other.
Before either of them could make a remark Faith spoke up, "Still hungry here!"
~^~**~^~
"So- how was your trip?" Giles asked as he sat down with a cup of tea.
"Fantastic" Willow commented as she leaned back against Spike.
"Definitely of the fun" Buffy replied, her fingers intertwining with Riley's.
"We have to do it again- soon" Cordelia said as she plopped down onto Angel's lap.
"What they said" Faith nodded towards the other three then stealing the bag of chips from Xander's grasps.
"So what's up with that prophecy G-man?" Xander asked as he took a chip from the bag that Faith was now holding.
Giles cleared his throat a few times and looked up uncomfortably, "errrmm" he began.
Something clicked in Riley's head and he spoke when realization hit him, "There never was a prophecy- was there?"
"Not exactly" Giles got out.
"You lied to us?" Spike asked as he viewed the Watcher's uncomfortable stature with amusement.
"Guys- stop teasing him. He was probably tired of whatever torture you were putting him through and just wanted a break" Willow reasoned.
Giles silently thanked the gods above and Willow as he continued on, "Anyhow- there really *is* a prophecy that I discovered while all of you were gone"
"Hitting the books then?" Faith asked, getting up.
"Yes- and don't" Giles pointed a finger at Spike before he could get out a remark, "start."
"Wouldn't think of it" the blonde demon replied innocently.
~Part: 5~
5 months later
"*What*?" Willow asked as Buffy walked from one side of the room to the other, clothes in hand.
"Road trip Will- get packed unless you want me to do it for you and believe me- you wouldn't want that. I can't pack remember?" the blonde threatened as she dropped Willow's clothes onto the bed.
"Again with the what"
"We're going on another road trip" Buffy explained.
"Why?"
"Do we really need a reason?" The blonde put her hands on her hips. Seeing Willow's raised eyebrow she continued on, "Alright- I guess we do. Well we're finally getting on with our lives and Giles is *finally* giving us another break and so me and Cordy decided that we wanted to go on another road trip" She sighed, "Will you get packing already?"
"Since when did you and Cordy become such good friends?"
"Jealous?"
"No" Willow crossed her arms and huffed out, "Of course not"
Buffy rolled her eyes, "You're still my best friend Will, no worries there- now seriously- get packing. They're waiting!"
~^~**~^~
"You expect all of us" Faith waved her hand in the direction of the group and herself, "To fit in there" she nodded towards the mini van.
"It's bigger then it looks" Riley defended. "Besides- it was the only car I could get last minute."
"Cordelia's bags alone couldn't fit in there" Faith teased.
"Funny" Cordelia threw a menacing look at the brunette slayer.
~^~**~^~
After another hour of loading up the bags and getting last minute supplies, the eight Scoobies finally began on their journey. Willow leaned forward from her seat and turned on the radio, looking for something good.
"You know, you can always ask me to turn it on. I'm right here" Buffy pointed to her seat, the passenger's side of the car.
"I know but I want to pick out something *good*"
"Thanks" the blonde deadpanned.
After pressing a few more buttons Britney Spears's voice suddenly filled the car. "Ahh!! They're playing it!!!" Willow squealed and hopped back onto Spike's lap.
As the four girls sang along to the song, the four guys each mentally shared the same thought, "This is gonna be a long trip"