Title: Step Forward
                
Author: Nebula
                
Chapter: 18 of ?
                
Pairings: S/B, X/A, W/T, D/J (more to come later...)
                
Time Period: After the summer following 'Back Track'
              
Rating: PG-13, with an occasional R and NC-17
                
Summary: The sequel to 'Back Track'.  The previous year has been
changed, and the Scoobies are ready for the next year.  How much as
their 'fixing' messed up the year they're about to enter?  They'll
be pleasantly (and unpleasantly) surprised... (A season 7 redo,
following a redo of season 6.)
            
Disclaimer: My wishlist still consists of those three boys.  I own
neither them nor any of Buffy.  Joss does, however, and he's so nice
to share.
               
NN:  I apologize for the wait, but I will more than make it up to
you: I have several more chapters to follow these, ready and
waiting.  ^_^  As usual, all emphasized words and italics are
enclosed in 'these'.  Enjoy!
        
< --- >
         
  Xander called that night to report where he was.  "He's in Utah!"
Dawn hissed excitedly, before the phone was snatched by Anya, who
began pestering him with worried questions.  Once they managed to
pry the phone from Anya, the others each took a turn to find out how
he was doing and where he was headed next.
  Spike remained silent, merely smiling at the energy the others
were showing.  Buffy kept a worried eye on him the entire time.  She
managed to give the others a bright smile, but her concern was
blazingly obvious to everyone.  Everyone but Spike, who was too
wrapped up in his thoughts to notice her worried glances.
  A few knocks at the door had Dawn rushing over with a big smile. 
She began to ready herself to see her boyfriend, but a very feminine
voice called through the wood, "Don't both, Dawn; it's just your
wacky poem-writing friend with a notebook you forgot."
  Dawn stopped as her hands were smoothing out her shirt.  Both
Buffy and Spike managed genuine smiles as Dawn opened the door,
giving Cassie an annoyed look.  "That's really annoying," the
younger Summers said, just in case Cassie had missed the meaning of
Dawn's glare.
  Cassie smirked, handing Dawn the forgotten notebook.  "Pop quiz
Monday," she informed her friend, then turned to the group.  "How's
Xander?" she asked, ignoring Dawn's groan behind her.
  Willow gave the teen a pointed look.  "You know it's him on the
phone, yet you don't know how he is?"
  "I wouldn't be asking if I did," Cassie replied, winking.
  Willow laughed.  "He's fine; he's got another couple of days left
until he reaches New York and starts heading back.  So far, the only
evil he's encountered has been traffic.  We tried to avoid the major
highways, but if he wants to get there fast..."
  "Evil, demonic traffic must be endured," Buffy said with a
sigh.  "The world just isn't fair."
  Cassie stared at her, then stole a glance at the still silent
Spike.  Her lips pursed together as she nodded slightly, apparently
having made up her mind.  "Could I talk to you for a minute, Spike?"
Cassie asked casually.  "Just a question about that move you showed
me the last time I was here."
  Spike's gaze whipped over to the teen, as did everyone else's. 
They quickly looked back at the vampire to see his response.  There
was a few moments pause before he nodded, slowly rising to his feet
to follow the teen upstairs.
  Buffy frowned as he passed her, giving her a clear view of his
emotions as he did so.  Confusion, self-loathing, and...fear?  The
emotions disappeared as he began to ascend the stairs, and soon the
gang could hear a bedroom door shutting.
  "Okay, WHAT is going on over there?!" Xander yelled through the
phone.  Dawn was unfortunate to be the one with the phone when he
yelled, and she winced as her eardrums were blasted.
  Tara took the phone from the teen, before glancing over at the
distraught Slayer.  "I don't know," she answered him, "but I get the
feeling we're going to out."

  As soon as the door was shut, Spike took a seat on the bed,
looking anywhere but at the teen.  "You want to tell me why you and
Buffy are distanced again?" she asked.
  Spike sighed.  "Knew you weren't askin' for fightin' help."
  Cassie's gaze didn't waver.  "You going to tell me, or am I going
to have to tell you?" she asked, folding her arms in front of her.
  Spike's eyes widened, slowly glancing up at her no-nonsense
gaze.  "You know?" he choked out.
  "I had one of those sight things I'm so good at.  You, alley,
blonde girl, newspaper article, anything sound familiar?" Cassie
asked, but her tone was softer now.  She took a seat next to him,
giving him a small smile.  "I'm not afraid of you," she said
quietly.  "I think you're a good guy, and I think there's something
else going on here."
  "This happened before," he whispered, shaking his head.  "First
time 'round, I killed half a dozen people, give or take.  What's to
say I'm not gonna do it again?  Or this time, do it to the people
closest to me?"
  "Like Buffy, whom you haven't told yet?" Cassie said, more a
statement then question.
  "Haven't told.  Period," Spike corrected with a glare.
  Cassie glared right back.  "Yet," she persisted.  "Spike, you have
to tell her.  At the very least, for her safety."
  Spike deflated at that.  "She blames herself for the girl's
death.  What this'll do to her when she finds out it was me..."
  "If it 'was' you at all," Cassie argued.  "Do you love her?"
  Spike blinked at the abrupt change in the conversation.  "To quote
my other half: duh much?  I would do anythin' for her.  She's my
reason to still be in this bloody world."
  "Does she love you?" Cassie asked, beginning to smile.
  Spike thought back over the last year, even though he knew the
answer was a resounding yes.  Her laughter as he spun her around
after her declaration of love.  Her determined gaze at the wedding
as she told him she wasn't leaving him.  Her tears that had drifted
down to her wobbly smile as they'd danced in the living room.
  He glanced up at Cassie, not realizing until he looked at her that
they were both smiling.  "I'll go talk to her," he said softly.
  Cassie nodded in approval and stood, but waved Spike back down as
he began to do the same.  He frowned, and she gave him a
wink.  "Might as well wait here; she'll be up in a minute," she
assured him, before heading towards the door.
  Her hand had just touched the doorknob when he called her.  She
turned, and Spike gave her a small smile before saying, "Thank you."
  Cassie shrugged nonchalantly, though Spike could tell that
secretly, she was pleased.  "You guys saved my life; it's the least
I can do, I suppose," she said, heading for the hallway once more. 
Even as she left, though, Spike could see the broad smile on her
face.
  About a half a minute after she left, there was a knock on the
door.  "Don't have to knock, luv.  Your room," Spike called, giving
Buffy raised eyebrows as she peeked in.
  "Our room," she corrected, stepping in.  "You might've been
changing clothes or something.  I thought I'd be polite."
  "Though I'm sure you wouldn't have minded watchin'," Spike said
with a smirk.
  Buffy grinned, taking a seat across from him.  "And what's the
problem with that?" she asked, before her face fell.  "Spike, I know
I was going to let you come to me about things, but you're not, and
I think..."
  "We need to talk," Spike finished for her.  "I know."
  Buffy blinked.  "Oh.  Well, good.  Um, that's as far as I'd
gotten.  When I was thinking earlier, that is."  She sighed, her
shoulders slumping.  "I'm only pushing because I'm worried."
  "There's nothin' wrong with that," Spike assured her, reaching out
to take her hands in his.  "I know you're worried, but you really
shouldn't be."
  "Shouldn't be?" Buffy exclaimed, staring at him like he was
crazy.  "Spike, you've been non-responsive and out of it all day. 
That's enough to make me worry.  You're nervous, quiet, won't smile,
won't talk to me, just like you were..."  She stopped suddenly,
looking slightly guilty at what she'd almost blurted out.
  But Spike knew.  "You mean when I left before because I wouldn't
talk to you.  Trust me when I say it won't happen again.  I
should've talked it over with you, but it was 'my' worry that
stopped me from doing that.  But you have no reason to fear; I'm not
leaving anytime soon, I promise you."
  He stopped at the smile on her face, and almost rolled his
eyes.  "Can I say one bloody thing without soundin' like a nancy-
boy?" he grumbled.
  "I told you, it's sweet.  But we're avoiding the main subject. 
Give, nancy-boy."
  Spike threw a glare her way, but it had no heat behind it.  "All
right, givin'.  I think I killed the girl from the newspaper."
  There was a pause as Buffy let his words sink in.  "I get your not
wanting to tell me now," she finally said quietly.  Her face was
blank, betraying none of her emotions.
  Spike bit his bottom lip unconsciously.  "You, uh, look a lil' out
of it.  Slightly comatose, even."
  "Comatose, no.  Hurt, maybe," she admitted.  "I wish you'd told
me."
  Spike nodded, looking down at the floor ashamed.  "I know.  Put
you all at risk with you not knowin'.  Sorry."
  Gentle fingers raised his chin so his gaze could meet a startled
one.  "That's not why I felt...Spike, the person I'd be most
concerned about is YOU.  'You' are the one most at risk right now. 
There's no way you could've killed that girl; the chip would've
fired, right?  Which means that something had to be stopping it from
blasting your brains.  Something 'powerful'.  Maybe the First?  It
did it before."
  "Yeah, but we 'member everythin' from the first time 'round,"
Spike argued.  "Why would it try somethin' like this again?"
  "Maybe it just really wants Spike, and this plan worked before," a
voice said from the doorway.  Both blondes glanced up to see Willow
standing with the phone.  Buffy frowned at the object in her
friend's hand, and Willow rolled her eyes.  "Xander demands to know
what's going on," she explained.
  "WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Xander's voice screamed through the phone. 
Willow pushed the portable even further away from her at the volume
of his voice.
  Buffy reached for the phone, which Willow was more than happy to
hand over.  "You don't have to yell, Xan.  We're right here," Buffy
assured him.
  "Good.  I was starting to get really weird looks from the people
in the next lane.  Now what the hell is going on?"
  All three grinned at the mental image of people passing Xander and
his vehicle, giving him odd stares as he screamed into his tiny
phone.
  "Do I have to start yelling again?"
  Spike shuddered at the thought.  "Please don't, we can all hear
you just fine," Buffy said, then launched into the explanation of
what was 'going on'.  As both of the other Scoobies listened, Willow
moved to take a seat beside Spike, giving him a much needed hug. 
Buffy was sure that if Xander was still in Sunnydale, he'd have been
on Spike's other side, giving his best friend strength.  It was
something the vampire appeared to desperately need; as Buffy
continued to explain to Willow and Xander, her lover paled even more
then Buffy thought possible, and his hands began to shake as he
gripped his knees.  Immediately Buffy and Willow reached out to take
one of his hands in theirs.
  He gave them a weak smile just as Buffy finished.  "Wow," Xander
finally said.  "That's pretty hefty stuff.  You guys gonna be okay
dealing with the First on your own, or do you need me to come home?"
  "Xander, no!  We can deal with this," Willow told him from her
spot on the bed.
  "You don't think it's me?" Spike asked at the same time, frowning
at the phone, as if Xander could see his face.
  There was a pause before Xander answered.  "My first response is
no, I don't think it's you, but I guess it could be a possibility,"
Xander allowed.  "But you've got the chip, Spike, and this has
happened before.  So if I was asked where to bet my money, it would
be on the First.  I really think we're dealing with its mind games
again.  The only thing you guys can do though is weather it out and
see what happens next."
  "It's scary when he sounds like he knows what he's talking about,"
Willow said to Buffy, loud enough for Xander to hear her.
  "Very funny, Wills.  You should think about going into comedy."
  Willow rolled her eyes.  "She's rolling her eyes, isn't she?"
Xander asked after no one had said anything.
  Buffy giggled, and even Spike cracked a grin.  "Call me if
anything else comes up, okay?" Xander requested.
  "Where are you exactly?" Buffy asked, frowning.
  They heard Xander sigh heavily.  "In traffic that was spawned in
hell.  We've been keeping a moderate pace, but currently that's
ranging from ten miles an hour to just sitting.  It's not fun.  But
hey, that 'Leaving Utah' sign is only two blocks away now, as
opposed to three!  Making progress here."
  Willow's brow furrowed, and Spike was sure she was calculating
miles and times in her head.  "That route's taking you far too
long," she finally announced, shaking her head.  "You should've been
almost halfway to New York by now.  There's got to be a quicker way
there."
  There was a rustling of paper on the other end of the phone.  "I'm
sitting right now, Wills, so anything would be fast than this. 
Different route, please?"
  Willow nodded and took the phone from Buffy, before heading for
the door.  She stopped at the doorway, as if thinking, then made up
her mind and hurried back to Spike.  Giving him a quick hug, she
whispered, "I don't think it was you, either.  We'll figure it out,
sweetie.  Promise."
  Spike gave her a grateful smile as she headed out again.  Turning
back to Buffy, however, his smile dropped slightly.  "What's wrong?"
she asked.
  In response to her question, Spike opened his arms.  Buffy dove
forward, wrapping her arms tightly around his middle.  "Feel better
now?" she asked, her voice muffled by his shirt.
  Spike smiled.  "Much."



Chapter 19:

< --- >
          
  The alley was dark, no lights shining in from the nearby street. 
No bother; she liked it better this way.  The darker it was, the
more fun she could have without being arrested for 'indecent
exposure'.  She was having a lot of that fun at the moment.
  His tongue flicked in her ear and she shuddered, pleasuring
tingles running up and down her spine.  She grasped the sides of his
head and pulled him around to kiss him.  His teeth nipped at her
bottom lip, causing her to groan into his mouth.
  "Oh, baby," she mumbled as his mouth headed down her neck.  She
gasped and arched forward as he pinched one of her nipples, then
gasped again, this time in pain, as he bit down on her neck.  She
whimpered as her blood flowed down onto her shirt, but he didn't
stop until she'd passed out.
  He pulled away, licking his lips while he dug around in his duster
pocket for something.  "Cheers, Buffy," he whispered with a grin,
before plunging the stake through the girl's heart.  She lurched
forward, then fell to the ground, dead.  Her blonde hair soaked up
the blood pooling from her wound, but he simply watched in rapt
bliss.  He closed his eyes with a content sigh, savoring the moment.
  His eyes flew open at the touch of a hand shaking his shoulder. 
Buffy stared at him, her eyes wide and startled.  "Are you okay?"
she asked.
  Spike nodded, blinking away the last traces of sleep.  Buffy
sighed and sat back.  "You were shaking really bad," she informed
him.  "Are you SURE that you're..."
  "I killed someone else," Spike whispered.  He felt Buffy stiffen
beside him, and he closed his eyes, wondering if she'd be wearing a
disgusted look on her face.  Wondered if he was finally beginning to
push her away.
  A few moments later the gentle fingers that had awakened him were
caressing the side of his face.  "Hey," she said, causing him to
look up.  Her eyes shown with worry, but it wasn't for
herself.  "You okay?" she asked softly.
  "What do you think?" he muttered angrily, sitting up
suddenly.  "Killed another knock-off of you, had all sorts of fun
before and after I did so, so of course I'm right as rain.  How do
you think I'm doin'?"
  Buffy's nostrils flared.  "I asked a simple question because I was
concerned.  I won't make that mistake again," she snapped, swinging
her legs over the side of the bed.
  Spike reached out and grabbed the edge of her sleep shirt.  "Wait,
just...don't go.  I know I'm bein' a prick, but I'm scared.  The
things I'm doin' to these girls...if I...I did 'em to Willow or Dawn
or..."  He shook his head, imagining Buffy in the girl's place in
the alley.  Cheek down on the gravel, eyes wide open, blood oozing
down her neck and chest, stake firmly embedded between her breasts...
  Bile rose in his throat, refusing to be kept down anymore.  He
headed towards the bathroom, but Buffy grabbed him before he left
the bed.  "Have to..." Spike started, hoping she'd understand.
  "I know, but you'll be fine.  Spread your legs and put your head
between your knees.  You'll feel a whole lot better."
  Spike shook his head, unable to shake the image of Buffy
murdered.  By his hand.  "Fine then," he heard her mutter, just
before she slid down to the floor and grabbed his knees, pushing
them apart.  She reached up and pulled his head down between them,
keeping his eyes locked on hers.
  "I am NOT giving you up," she said furiously.  "We are going to
fight this, and we are going to win.  We fought for a second chance,
and we got it.  But dammit Spike, you've got to fight back!  I can't
do it on my own."
  "M'gonna throw up on you," Spike joked weakly.
  "I trust you enough to stay where I am," she said, smiling, "And
I'm not moving until I'm sure you're okay.  Throw up to your heart's
content: I'm staying put until I'M content."
  But Spike had stopped listening after those first three words.  'I
trust you.'  Even if she'd been referring to him being sick on her,
Spike still realized that it applied to a whole lot more then that. 
He seemed to have forgotten that, somehow.  He trusted her with his
life, and she trusted him the exact same way.
  He nodded, and he felt the tension slip away.  Buffy seemed to
notice, because her fingers loosened their hold on his head.  "You
okay now?" she asked quietly.
  He nodded once more, smiling slightly.  "We'll fight this
together, then."
  "I missed that," she whispered, earning a frown from him.
  "Missed what?"
  Buffy's smiled broadened as her fingers traced his lips.  "Your
smile."
  "That's all 'cause of you," he told her, grinning when she winked
at him.
  "Damn straight.  That's me, the magical, good-looking Buffy who
induces smiles everywhere."
  "Sexy Buffy," he corrected, giving her an almost leer.
  Buffy pretended to be shocked.  "Who, me?" she asked, hand on her
chest as if she were offended, before her grin fell back into place.
  Spike said nothing, as he gently took two of her fingers into his
mouth.  Before she could ask him what he was doing, he began to lick
and suck on her digits.
  Buffy's eyes darkened, and she swallowed, shifting on the
floor.  "Don't start something you can't finish," she warned him,
but she didn't sound one hundred percent behind her own words.
  Spike smirked at her, fingers still in his mouth.  She shifted
again, but it didn't matter.  He could smell her arousal, and it was
strengthening his own.  "Spike," she whispered, and he wasn't sure
if she was trying to tell him to stop or keep going.  As much as he
wanted to hope it was the latter, he knew he shouldn't be doing
this.  Not with the possibility of him killing people again still up
in the air.
  It was that thought that made him pull away, albeit reluctantly. 
He couldn't help himself from sucking on her fingers one last time
before releasing them with a slurping sound.  Buffy whimpered
softly, looking almost ready to cry when he let go.  "Should still
be careful, whether it is me doin' these things or not," he said,
before growling.  "But bloody 'ell, it's so damn hard!  Can't be
with the girl I love and want.  You know how frustratin' that is?"
  "I've got an idea," she muttered.  She glanced up guiltily, as the
look on his face told her that he'd heard her.  "But I'm willing to
wait," she quickly assured him, before his disappointment could
start reaching new highs.  "Trust me."
  "I do," he said softly.
  She smiled at that, giving his arm a gentle squeeze.  "We'll get
to the bottom of this, I swear."
  "BREAKFAST!!" Dawn screeched, making both blondes wince.  Buffy
stood, stretching as she headed for the door.
  "Isn't it amazin' how loud she can be even from the first floor?"
Spike asked, rising to follow her.
  Buffy giggled, opening the door to let him through.  He headed
down in front of her, never noticing her duck back into the bedroom
to grab a pair of underpants.  He merely smiled at her as she headed
for the bathroom first, unaware of what she was really going in
there for.

  "Did you find a better route for Xander?" Buffy asked Willow once
they'd finished breakfast.  She took a seat next to Spike, who was
already on the sofa.
  "Yes, a quicker route to bring him home faster?" Anya asked.
  Willow looked sorely tempted to roll her eyes.  "Yeah, we got him
off of that massive highway and onto some tinier roads.  The scenic
route is what he's taking, which is usually slower, but considering
the way he was going wasn't going at all..."
  "When do you think he'll be there?" Dawn asked.
  "In New York?" Willow asked, biting her bottom lip.  "Um, two days
at least, so maybe tomorrow night, or early Monday morning."
  Tara looked surprised.  "He's just pushing through like that?"
  Willow rocked her hand in a 'sort of' gesture.  "He stops to
sleep, but Xander can go for days without sleeping."  Anya's eyes
lit up with presumable memories of this fantastic feat, and Willow
quickly continued before the ex-demoness could regale them of sex
stories.  "He's just built like that, always has been.  That's why
he offered to do this in the first place, or one of the reasons, at
least.  Out of any of us, he'll make the best time.  Now, we have a
different matter to deal with," the redhead said, turning to
Spike.  "You said you had another dream about..."
  Frantic pounding cut off whatever she'd been about to say.  "It's
Amanda and Cassie," Dawn said after peeking through the curtains. 
She hurried to the door, almost getting knocked back by the two
girls.
  "Did you see the paper?" Amanda yelled, waving a newspaper in her
right hand.  Cassie headed straight for Spike.
  "It's her, isn't it?" he asked quietly, sinking further into the
sofa.  Buffy reached over and took his hand in hers.
  Cassie grimaced.  "They took a picture from the crime scene to
place in the papers this time instead of a class photo.  You don't
want to see it."
  Spike chuckled bitterly, shaking his head.  "I did it, pet.  Think
I got my fill of seein' it last night."
  Buffy's hand tightened on his.  "You didn't do it, Spike.  You
were here last night."
  "You don't know that!" he yelled, jumping to his feet.  "You have
no way of knowin' that.  As much as you wanna put me in the right
here, you 'can't', Buffy.  You're tryin' to solve a mystery with
obvious clues, one suspect, and dead bodies all pointin' the way to
him.  Any private eye would jump at the chance to take such an easy
case like this.  But you, you're makin' a mountain out of a molehill
by refusin' to admit the obvious!"
  "You didn't do it!" Buffy shouted, standing.  "I'll play Detective
Buffy, not a problem, but you promised me you were gonna fight back
with me!  And if you won't even do that, then case closed, you're
the guilty charge, because I'm done," she hissed, before storming up
the stairs.  Spike glared at her disappearing form, then headed for
the basement, making everyone cringe as he slammed the door as hard
as he could.
  The gang stood in the living room, not sure of what to do next.
  "Did I miss something?" Amanda asked.

 

Chapter 20:

        
< --- >
           
  'Knock, knock'.  "Go away."
  "It's me, Cassie.  We need to talk."
  Buffy snorted.  "Sorry, but go away."
  There was a pause, then a soft 'click' as the door was
opened.  "Sorry, but can't," the teen said, not sounding apologetic
at all.
  Buffy groaned, burying her head in her pillow.  "What do you
want?" she asked in a resigned tone.
  "I need to talk to you about what I saw concerning last night.  In
my sight thingy."
  "Why bother?  He's guilty, remember?" Buffy muttered.
  Cassie shook her head.  "You don't believe that, and neither do
I.  Spike believes it because if it is true, he could harm you. 
That possibility alone is enough to scare him."
  Buffy sighed but sat up to face the teen.  "He told me we'd figure
this out together, but he just gave up.  He doesn't have faith in
either of us.  How can I help if he keeps pushing me away?"
  "It wasn't so much that he pushed away as it was that you walked
away."  Buffy flushed slightly but said nothing.  "He was planning
on you doing that, Buffy.  You did exactly what he wanted you to
do," Cassie continued.  "He wants you away from him."
  "No, IT wants me away from him," Buffy said angrily.  "I know the
First is behind this.  I just have to find out how."
  Cassie smiled approvingly.  "Well, if you'd care to play
detective, I'll play eye witness.  You game?"
  Buffy nodded.  "Game.  Tell me what you saw."
  Cassie stretched, leaning back in her chair before
continuing.  "There's an alley.  It's really dark, but I can see two
people there.  The girl is blonde, on closer inspection, and so is
the man.  They're..."  She paused, giving Buffy a sympathetic
look.  "Do you, um, want to hear the..."
  Buffy shook her head.  "I know what happens.  Spike told me enough
about the first girl for me to guess about the second one.  I don't
need details, nor do I want them."
  "I kinda figured," the teen said.  "Anyways, he winds up at her
neck and bites her, until she passes out.  He lets her go to get
something out of his duster's pocket, and it turns out to be a
stake.  He plunges it through her chest, looking extremely pleased
with himself."
  Buffy sat back, suddenly knowing why Spike had felt sick earlier
that morning.  She was glad she hadn't taken a closer look at that
newspaper; this sounded almost more like what Angelus would do.  She
closed her eyes, fending off more bad memories.  Think, Summers. 
There has to be a clue in there somewhere. 
  Dark alley, with no witnesses.  Blonde girl, just like Natalie
from the other night.  A little naughty touching, blood drainage
from the neck...everything sounded the same.  Something kept bugging
her, though.  Something that didn't sound right.
  The stake.  Well, it was twisted and cruel, but not anything
suspicious.  Spike kept a stake with him whenever he went out.  The
way he'd used it had been a mockery of Buffy's work, and that was
really more what she expected Angelus to do.  She supposed that
Spike could've done it, though.  She could feel her heart twisting
at the thought, but she was down to no other options.  Everything
could've really happened, and there was a dead body screaming that
it had.  The girl passes out, Spike grabs a stake from his duster,
stakes her to finish her...wait a minute.  Duster?  'Duster'?
  Buffy glanced up at Cassie, frowning.  "Did you say from his
duster pocket?"
  Cassie nodded, looking slightly confused at her sudden
energy.  "Yeah, his duster pocket.  And it was definitely Spike, no
doubts there.  Bleached hair, black clothes, and that black leather
duster you guys have talked about.  Why?"
  Without a word Buffy stood and made her way over to her closet. 
She began to grin as she rummaged around, steadily making her way
towards the far right.  Cassie continued to watch, her frown
deepening as her counselor kept pushing further back.
  Finally Buffy pulled away the final hanger, her grin threatening
to crack her face in two.  "What is it?" Cassie asked.
  Buffy turned to the teen, smiling triumphantly as she
replied, "The solution to our mystery, my dear Cassie."

  Spike continued to punch at the bag, pouring out his anger and
frustrations.  He hadn't meant to get mad at Buffy, or yell at her,
but the shock of another girl dead at his hands had been, well, a
shock.  A scary one at that.
  But Buffy'd surprised him by yelling back.  She'd put up with
enough of his crap, it seemed, and she was tired of it.  Not that he
blamed her, but she'd told him that she'd be there for him.  And now
she wasn't.
  'Your fault, mate,' an inner voice sneered.  'You pushed her away
nice and proper.'  He punched again at the bag.
  'It's for the best,' another voice said.  'Shouldn't be close to
anyone right now.  Possibly not ever.  You're a danger to her and
everyone else here.  You should probably leave altogether.'
  "I know, but I just..." he mumbled to himself, sighing as he
lowered his fists.  He was souled now, but he was still a killer. 
Nothing would change that, apparently.
  "SPIKE!!"
  Startled, Spike had barely two seconds to realize that the
basement door had opened before Dawn launched herself at him.  "You
didn't do it!  You didn't do it!" she squealed.
  Spike blinked, still trying to process what was going on.  "Huh?"
was the only intelligent response he could think of.
  Dawn grinned.  "You.  Didn't.  Do.  It," she repeated
slowly.  "Isn't that awesome?"
  "I didn't?" he asked, bewildered.
  "You didn't," Willow confirmed, hurrying down the stairs.  "We
just finished checking, and it's pretty much been proved.  Once it
was figured out, the mystery was easy to solve!  A piece of cake. 
Isn't it great, sweetie?"  Willow was practically bouncing as much
as Dawn was.
  "Who figured it out?" Spike asked, as it began to dawn on him that
maybe he hadn't done it.  But he couldn't imagine how they'd figured
that out.
  Willow grinned.  "She did," she said simply, turning so he could
see the last person coming down the stairs.  The person froze as she
realized she'd been seen, looking unsure as she met his gaze.
  Spike stared at her, not sure he was seeing things correctly.  In
the space of half an hour, she'd been the one to figure it all
out?  "You did?" he asked softly.
  She nodded, stepping down onto the concrete floor.  "I told you
I'm not giving you up," she said, smiling tentatively.  "Detective
Buffy took the case."
  Spike stepped towards her, giving her a tentative smile of his
own.  "Then there's no doubt that everythin' got sorted out."  He
took another step forward, hesitantly bringing his arms up in a sort
of offer.
  He needn't have worried.  Buffy's smile was wide as she took the
few last steps into his embrace, holding him closely in hers.
  Murmured apologies were exchanged, arms wrapped tighter around the
other as the tension between them disappeared.  Willow gave Dawn a
wink, before they softly tip-toed up the stairs, leaving the couple
to themselves. 

  "So you're tellin' me that my duster solved the whole bloody
thing?" Spike asked skeptically, giving the item in question a
suspicious glance.
  Buffy nodded, leaning against his shoulder.  "That coat saved your
undead ass, so quit giving it death glares," she scolded.  "When
Cassie told me she'd seen you in a duster, I hauled yours out and
showed it to her.  Same one, only yours had an inch of dust coating
it."
  "A true duster," Dawn joked, earning groans from the group.
  Cassie glared at her friend, before picking up the story.  "We
checked the inner pocket, and it still had a stake in it, which was
kind of dusty, too.  Don't even think about it," she warned Dawn,
who had opened her mouth to presumably make another pun.  Dawn
pouted and slouched in her chair.
  "So if Spike's not doing this...who is?" Amanda asked, looking
worried.
  "The First," Willow and Buffy chorused.
  Dawn frowned.  "It can't be.  It's not corporeal, remember?  Can't
touch, can't be touched?"
  "There was a whole lot of touchin' goin' on," Spike
muttered.  "Believe me."
  "We're thinking that the First had a vampire do its dirty work,
then it covered the vamp to look like Spike, then sent the dream to
Spike."  Spike gave Willow a disbelieving look.  "Okay, stretching
here," Willow admitted.  "But it has to be along those lines."
  "So it made some random vampire look like Spike, leaving the real
Spike to think he was to blame," Tara said, wrinkling her
nose.  "Far-fetched, but with the right black magics, it could work."
  "It's making my head hurt, so let's move on," Buffy complained. 
Spike chuckled and kissed her poor head.
  Anya nodded her agreement.  "Let's, because my head's starting to
hurt, too.  Why would it do this to Spike?"
  "That's what's puzzling me," Willow said, chewing on her lower
lip.  "I'm fresh out of ideas, guys."
  "I think I've got one," a voice said from the doorway.  Dawn's
face lit up as she hurried over to hug Jonathan.  Amanda gave Andrew
a glare.
  "They're here, I have them," Andrew assured her.  "Not a scratch
anywhere."
  Amanda nodded, pacified for the moment.  "You were saying,
Jonathan?" Tara asked, smothering a grin.
  Jonathan took his customary seat in the chair with Dawn.  "Okay,
what happened the last time the First tried to mess with our heads,
besides attempt to kill us?"
  "Slaughter us?" Amanda suggested.
  "Paint the walls with out blood?" Dawn offered.
  Jonathan rolled his eyes.  "Besides that.  It made Spike think he
was dangerous to be around us.  It probably even sent him that
nightmare to scare him.  What exactly happened then?"
  "I took off," Spike said, understanding where the boy was leading
this to.
  Jonathan nodded.  "Then this mess with the dead girls, which Spike
thought was his fault.  So..."
  "So Spike said nothing, because he was afraid of our reaction,"
Buffy finished for him.  "When we did find out, though, we rallied
behind Spike, not turn against him like it thought we would."
  "So it sent a more horrific death of a girl to try and scare us
off again," Willow said grimly.  "I think I see where you're going
with this.  You think the First is trying to divide us."
  Jonathan nodded.  "That's one of the basic tactics in any video
game or movie.  Divide and conquer."
  "Makes sense," Dawn agreed.
  "Well, we foiled its plan once again.  The people have been saved,
and the scum defeated once more!" Andrew exclaimed, standing tall
with his borrowed D&D books over his heart.
  All eyes turned to him.  "You're a dweeb," Amanda announced
straight-faced.
  Andrew blinked.  "No I'm not!  I'm a...a...a Dungeons Master, a
good video gamer, and I belong to several Anime and Manga
communities," he stated proudly.
  Amanda nodded.  "Yeah, you're a dweeb."
  The others burst out laughing at the look on Andrew's face, which
was best described as an indignant pout.  "Even more of a dweeb then
I am," Amanda continued.  "Now, my books, please?"


 

Chapter 21:

          
< --- >
            
MONDAY, 2:47 am, NEW YORK CITY

  "Jilly?" the girl called into the dark.  She cursed softly under
her breath.  She was going to kill her sister when she found her. 
Her honey-colored hair showed off its natural highlights in the
faded light from the TV below her.  She crept past the stairway,
careful to avoid certain areas she knew for a fact gave a loud creak
when you stepped on them.  Mrs. Hartwood would be downstairs
watching her late night programming, and the last thing she needed
was for her caretaker to come upstairs to see what was the matter.
  "Jillian Rose!" she hissed.  "Dammit Jill, I don't need to get in
trouble again.  Jillian!"
  "Jenny?" a tiny voice from the closet up ahead squeaked.
  Jennifer heaved a sigh of relief and slowly opened the door. 
Inside sat a tiny girl, her blonde curls frazzled from sleep and
bouncing everywhere.  "What are you doing in here?" Jennifer
whispered, kneeling next to the little one.
  "'Fraid," Jillian whispered back.  "Heard creepy bumps, wanted
sissy.  I knewed you'ds find me."
  "Creepy bumps?  Did you have another nightmare?" Jennifer asked,
glancing down the hallway, sure she'd heard Mrs. Hartwood coming up
the steps.
  Jillian shook her head, sending curls flying every which
way.  "Creepy bumps!  Not dream bumps!  Want sissy," she cried, her
bottom lip wobbling.
  Jennifer inwardly grimaced as she opened her arms.  "Sissy's here,
don't worry," she assured her sister.  Jillian was already crawling
into the older girl's arms, unaware of Jennifer almost rolling her
eyes.  The teen could definitely hear footsteps headed their way. 
Great, she got to get in trouble for being up past her bedtime, even
if she HAD been helping Jillian; Mrs. Hartwood was a firm believer
in 'early to bed, early to rise', especially on school nights.
  Suddenly Jillian sat up straight, ignoring her sister's desperate
attempts to signal silence.  "I hearded the bumps!" she
whispered.  "Jenny, I hearded them!"
  Jennifer said nothing, instead listening to the odd bumps that
were getting louder.  It sounded like someone was opening doors and
slamming them against the wall, only it sounded as if they were
trying to be quiet about it.
  And the footsteps kept getting louder.  Jennifer could hear that
it wasn't one person anymore.  It sounded like there was half a
dozen or more, all of them headed their way.
  Suddenly Mrs. Hartwood and her reprimands were the least of her
concerns.  "Hold on tight," Jennifer hissed, grabbing her sister and
hurrying down the hall as quietly as she could.  Jillian kept her
grip on her sister's shirt, eyes tightly shut.  She knew where
Jennifer was taking her.  The place they used to hide out and
sometimes use in their plans of running away when social security
came knocking and threatened to take the two girls away.  Away
to different families, where they'd never see each other again.  And
the only way Jennifer knew to get away from that, should that day
come, would be to use the fire escape.
  The platform to reach the fire escape was at the end of the hall,
which bent to the right, giving Jennifer a perfect corner to peek
around.  But she didn't need it, because her exit was right in front
of her.  She hurried over, quickly setting her sister down to unlock
the window.  She grabbed the bottom latch of the window and tugged.
  Nothing happened.
  "You can't be serious," she whispered in dismay.  Of all the times
it had to stick...
  "Stucked 'gain?" Jillian asked.
  Jennifer sighed.  "Yeah.  Again."  The bumps behind them were
louder now, and the two girls were trapped.
  "I scared," Jillian whispered, sniffling.
  "Don't be," Jennifer said, giving her sister a big smile.  "I know
what to do.  Go get the baseball from the bedroom closet, okay?"
  Jillian nodded, calmer now that big sis was in charge.  She headed
dutifully for the closet in the bedroom next to the window, pulling
out the aluminum bat and dragging it over to Jennifer.  The older
sister smiled reassuringly, hefting the bat up before waving Jillian
back.  She gave a silent thanks to their caretaker for being so
protective of them and their house, prompting her to hide a weapon
of sorts in every room.
  Cautiously she crept towards the corner of the wall, bat fiercely
gripped in both hands.  She shifted slightly, hoping she still
looked brave.  It was keeping Jillian quiet, thinking her big sister
was strong and fearless.  It was a good thing Jillian couldn't
really see her: Jennifer's heart was pounding to the point of
hurting, and her hands kept slipping on the bat.  She was terrified,
but if she didn't defend them, who would?  Back against the wall,
Jennifer crept to the corner and peered around.
  Her wide eyes met blind, carved ones, and she shrieked in surprise
and disgust, automatically swinging her bat to bash his head.  He
fell to the floor, and Jennifer could only stare in horror at the
corpse in front of her.  She'd actually killed someone.
  "Jenny!" Jillian yelled, bringing Jennifer's attention back to the
six other cloaked men before them.  All of them had their eyelids
carved, and all were carrying curved daggers.
  "JILLY, RUN!!" Jennifer screamed, swinging the bat in what she
hoped was a menacing looking manner.  "You guys want a piece of me? 
Come and get it," she said through clenched teeth.  She seriously
hoped that Jillian would put something nice on her tombstone,
like 'Heroic But Stupid'.  Yeah, that would do.
  The first one came at her, and she swung once more, sending him
flying back towards the others.  They glanced down at their fallen
comrades, then back up at Jennifer.  Her eyes widened as she
realized they would be launching all five against her at once. 
Yeah, she was dead.
  Then the one in the back fell forward, a bloody hole in his back. 
The others turned, but two more fell before they had a chance to
retaliate.  Three down, two to go.  Two she could handle.
  With a battle cry she swung at the first one in front of her. 
There was a resounding 'clang' as metal met bone, and the cloaked
figure fell to the ground.  She glanced up to see her savior landing
a well timed kick to his opponent's stomach, before shoving a dagger
through it.  The final cloaked figured tumbled to the floor, dead.
  Jennifer tore her eyes away from the corpse to get her first good
look at the young man who had saved her life.  Dark hair that hung a
little lower then most men kept their manes, brown eyes locked on
her, and a body that was tanned and well toned.  Definitely drool
worthy.  Her eyes fell on his left hand, and she almost pouted at
the ring she saw.  Married.  Why were all the good ones taken?
  "Miss?"
  Jennifer turned her attention back to the young man's face, which
was in the process of asking her something.  "Yes?" she asked,
keeping her hands on the bat.  Just because they had a common enemy
didn't mean they were on the same side.
  The young man seemed to understand this, because he put his knife
away in a leather sheath that hung from his belt.  "I'm not here to
hurt you," he said, hands up in a surrendering gesture.
  "You were going to ask me something?" she said, but she lowered
her bat slightly.
  He smiled, and Jennifer melted.  A cute smile, too.  He couldn't
be evil.  No one with a smile like that could possibly be
evil.  "Yeah, there is just this one thing I had a question about:
Are you Jennifer?"
  Jennifer blinked, before nodding slowly.  "That's me.  Who are
you?"
  His smile broadened.  "I'm Xander, your one-way ticket to safety."



 

Chapter 22:

          
< --- >
             
  "Safety?" Jennifer asked, frowning.  "Safety from what?"
  Xander gave her a 'you're-kidding-me' look.  "Uh, from the Easter
Bunny.  These guys!  Were the daggers not enough of an indication to
you that they're dangerous?"
  He had a sense of humor, too.  Of course.  "Thank you for the
help, but we're just fine," Jennifer told him, plastering on a fake
smile.
  It was his turn to frown.  "'We'?"
  Jennifer's eyes widened.  In all the commotion, she'd forgotten
about...  "JILLIAN!!" she yelled, dropping the bat and running for
the bedroom.  She hadn't seen her sister run past her, so she'd
probably gone in here.  She HAD to have gone in here, or had
Jennifer not seen her running by...?
  "JILLIAN!!" she shouted again.
  "Jenny?"
  Jennifer let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been
holding.  "It's me, sweetie.  You can come out now," she said,
blinking away the moisture that had sprung to her eyes.
  Slowly Jillian crawled out from underneath the bed, eyes wide and
afraid.  "Bad guys?" she whispered.
  "They're gone," Jennifer assured her, dropping to her
knees.  "They're all gone."
  Jillian was already running into her sister's arms.  "Want sissy,"
she mumbled.
  "Sissy's here, don't worry.  Sissy'll take care of you.  Shhh,
it's okay."  Jennifer continued her mantra of promises while she
rocked her sister, not noticing Xander step into the room.
  Jillian did, however.  "Who's he?" she whispered, causing Jennifer
to turn.
  "I helped get rid of the bad guys," Xander told the little girl,
giving her a small smile.  "And just who would the curly-haired
cutie be?"
  Jillian giggled.  "M'Jillyan," she announced with a big smile, her
fears gone now.  "You helpeded sissy?"
  "Sissy?" Xander asked, before his eyes widened in
realization.  "Ah.  Your sister."
  Jennifer and Jillian nodded together.  "I have to keep her safe,"
Jennifer said softly.  "So I can't leave, to wherever you wanted me
to go."
  "California," Xander explained.  "I was sent to gather the girls
who were in the States before it got to you.  Apparently, I just
made it in time," he said wryly, glancing over his shoulder at the
corpses.
  "Before what got to me?" Jennifer asked, bewildered.
  Xander sighed.  "Ho boy.  Um, the ultimate evil.  The one that
wants to take over the world, and before it can do that, it has to
get rid of the people that stand in its way.  People with powers. 
That would be where you come in, as a person with powers."
  Jennifer stared, mouth hanging open.  "I don't know whether to
laugh or cry," she finally said, swallowing.  "You're trying to tell
me that people really can have super powers, and that 'I'm' one of
them?!"
  Xander nodded.  Jennifer continued to stare at him, before
shifting her gaze down to the corpse that was visible behind his
legs.  "They were sent to kill me?" she said quietly.
  Xander nodded again, letting her mull it over by herself.  "There
really are supernatural things in the world?" she asked.
  "Do those guys look normal to you?" Xander said, giving her a
raised eyebrow and a soft smile.  "Yeah, there's some crazy things
in the world.  Vampires, werewolves, demons, they're all real.  But
so are the superheroes.  And you've got the potential to be one of
the good guys.  You need training, though."
  "Why should I trust you?" Jennifer asked, clutching Jillian to her.
  Xander sighed.  "Considering what I'm telling you, you really
shouldn't.  But I promise you that these won't be the last of these
guys that you'll see.  More will come, and they'll be after you and
whomever else is with you.  Tonight you managed to fend them off,
but what happens when you can't?  What if she's with you?" he asked,
nodding towards Jillian.  "You've got the potential to turn your
body into a lethal weapon, to become someone who can save your life
and the lives of the people around you.  But you need to learn how
to hone those skills.  And you need to be protected until you've
done so.  We can give you that.  I don't have any proof to give you
that any of this is real except for those bodies out there.  Do
normal people have their eyes carved into symbols?  It's all true,
trust me.  I've been fighting these guys and everything they stand
for for years.  You say you want to keep her safe?  This is your
best chance to do so."
  Jennifer glanced at him, before turning to Jillian.  The little
one was frowning, clinging to her sister, her eyes pleading with her
to make everything all right.  "More bad guys comin'?" Jillian
whispered.
  It was that tiny whisper that had Jennifer rising to her
feet.  "No.  No more bad guys, I promise," Jennifer said, pulling
Jillian up as well.  She turned to Xander, a stranger who had saved
her life for no apparent reason, who could've gotten killed himself,
and yet still wanted to offer her safety.  "What do I do first?" she
asked softly.
  Xander gave her a grin.  "Clothes, personal belongings, anything
you can fit into a small suitcase or duffel bag.  You can only bring
what you can carry.  Everything else stays.  There's not much room
in the car, and we've got more girls coming."
  Only what she could carry?  It was only then that she realized she
wasn't sure if Jillian was allowed to come along.  Well, there was
only one way to find out.  She turned, grabbing Jillian and pulling
the little one onto her hip and into her arms.  As Jillian set her
head down on her sister's shoulder, Jennifer glanced back at Xander
and said, "I'm ready then."
  Xander blinked, before he began to smile.  "You girls have got
seven minutes to get your stuff in order.  Then we're outta here. 
Got it?"
  Jennifer nodded, setting her sister down.  "Listen to me, this is
VERY important, Jilly," she said, keeping her hands on the little
one's shoulders.  "I want you to go into your room and go grab your
purse and fill it up with your favorite pictures and tiny things,
okay?  And don't forget Susie, because I get the feeling we're not
coming back.  I'll pack up your clothes, okay?"
  Jillian nodded, and Jennifer grabbed her sister's hand, running
down the hallway and towards their rooms.  Xander stayed right
behind them, glancing into both rooms before he let the girls go
in.  "You're pretty good with this protecting stuff.  You do it
often?" Jennifer said, yanking her duffel bag out of her closet.
  Xander rolled his eyes.  "You have NO idea."
  Jillian ran into her sister's room, a tiny pink purse in one hand
and a blonde rag doll in the other.  "Gots ev'rything," she said
triumphantly.  "You gots your thingies?"
  "Not yet," Jennifer muttered, pushing the clothes she knew she
would need into the duffel bag.  "You wanna go get them for me,
sweetie?"
  Jillian nodded, placing her things down on her sister's bed before
running over to a dresser.  She grabbed five things from the top of
the dresser, before opening a bottom drawer.  She pulled something
from there as well, then hurried back to her sister.  "Did I
gets 'em?" Jillian asked.
  Jennifer took one glance at the items before packing them into her
bag.  "You got them, all right."  She went to take the last item,
then stopped at the item that had been pulled from the drawer: a
drawstring black bag.  She glanced up at her sister, glaring.  "No,
Jilly.  Put them back."
  Jillian crossed her arms, her bottom lip jutting out.  "Why?"
  "Jillian, we don't have time for this," Jennifer started, but
Xander cut her off.
  "If it's something you adore, then bring it.  You'll be glad you
did."
  Jillian gave Xander a big grin before promptly shoving the small
black bag into the duffel bag.  Before Jennifer could say anything,
Jillian had the bag zipped up and ready to go.  "See?  They fit,"
the little one said, grinning triumphantly.
  Jennifer sighed once more.  "So they do," she said
wearily.  "Let's get you packed."  She headed for Jillian's room,
closely followed by her little sister and Xander, whom Jillian
seemed to have taken a liking to.
  The younger sister was packed in the space of five minutes, with
Jillian rolling her eyes as her older sister did the 'mommy' bit,
packing an extra sweater along with Jillian's frog boots.  "I
packeded 'yet'?" Jillian asked, sounding and looking fairly
exasperated.  Xander smothered a grin at the sight the little one
made, and even Jennifer smiled.
  "You're packed," Jennifer said, blinking in surprise as Xander
took the bag for her.  "Y-You don't have to do that," she sputtered.
  "What, and not complete the whole knight in shining armor gig?"
Xander said, giving her a wink.  "Nah; you grab your purse, and I'll
get the bags and Jillian."
  Jennifer nodded, running back into her room for her purse, then
heading after Xander and Jillian as they made their way to the first
floor.
  It was only when she saw the glow from the TV that Jennifer
remembered her caretaker.  "Mrs. Hartwood," she whispered, causing
Xander to glance back at her.
  "Who's she?" he asked, re-arranging things so he could carry
Jillian down the stairs.  "Baby-sitter?"
  "Caretaker and guardian," Jennifer replied.  "Why?"
  Xander's smile disappeared at her words.  "Were you fond of her?"
he asked, his voice low.
  "Kinda, yeah," Jennifer said, frowning as she descended.  "Again,
why?"
  "Then don't look," he warned her, stepping onto the landing and
turning so Jillian's face was gazing at the room opposite the one
with the TV.  Jennifer glanced into the TV-lit room, stopping
abruptly at the sight of Mrs. Hartwood watching the television, eyes
wide and unfocused, blood soaking her blouse.
  Jennifer continued to stare, not even feeling Xander take her hand
to pull her away from the gruesome sight.  Mrs Hartwood.  Dead. 
When she blinked, she was outside standing beside an SUV, and Xander
was pulling something down from a seat.
  It was a built-in booster seat, easily accessible from a simple
tag sticking out.  He placed the little one into the seat, buckling
her in and making sure she was secure before turning to the still
shell-shocked teen.  He gazed at her sympathetically.  "You gonna be
okay?" he asked quietly.
  Jennifer glanced up at him, emotions warring in her eyes.  "When
I'm fully trained, I'll be able to stop those sons of bitches from
doing things like that?" she finally asked, her voice soft enough
for Jillian to not hear her.
  Xander stared at her, slightly surprised at her language, before
he nodded.  "Then I'll be fine," she replied, placing her bag next
to Jillian's in the trunk, then heading to sit up in the passenger's
seat.
  Xander slid into the driver's chair, starting the car as he
buckled himself in.  "You girls ready?" he asked, glancing between
the two.  Jillian turned her own gaze to her older sister, waiting
for her response.
  Jennifer took one last glance at the place she'd called home for
the last past couple of years, then turned to face an awaiting
Xander.  "Let's go," she said.
  The SUV pulled away from the curb and disappeared into the night.



Chapter 23:

            
< --- >
              
  For the next three hours, Jennifer and Jillian slept in the car,
letting Xander drive them to who knew where.  Jennifer kept trying
to keep her eyes open, afraid that when she drifted off, Mrs.
Hartwood's body would be the first thing she would see.  Xander had
taken one look at her attempts to stay awake, and had merely turned
the radio on to a soft station.  Listening to music was an easy way
to escape the sudden twist her life had taken, and Jennifer had
given him a grateful smile before closing her eyes, concentrating on
the words.
  A bump jolted her awake, and she opened her eyes to see the sun
tinting the sky a beautiful array of reds, oranges, and
pinks.  "Sissy 'wake?" Jillian called from the backseat.
  Jennifer nodded, yawning.  "Yeah, sissy's awake."  The radio was
still on, but had been switched to a faster, more upbeat station. 
Glancing over at the driver, she asked, "Where are we?"
  Xander snorted.  "I got the same question from your sister not two
seconds before you woke up.  We're heading south towards Virginia
next.  We're currently in Maryland.  Do you guys want breakfast?"
  Jillian cheered to that suggestion, and Jennifer managed a
smile.  "Yeah, that sounds good.  I could probably reach back and
grab the cooler..."
  "Don't bother," Xander said, shaking his head.  "We're stopping
for breakfast.  One, we all need to stretch, and two, I need
coffee.  Desperately."
  Jennifer's smile began to spread into a grin.  "I bet you're scary
when you don't get your coffee."
  "A regular zombie," Xander said, laughing.  "You can ask my
friends, and they'll support that one hundred percent."  He reached
down into a tiny compartment, still talking.  "In fact, if I
can...nope, not it...find the stupid...again, not it...phone, you
can...OW!...ask them for yourself.  Ah ha!" he exclaimed, pulling
out a cell phone and tossing it to Jennifer.
  Jennifer's grin vanished.  "A-Ask them?" she stammered.  "I'll,
uh, take your word on it.  Really."
  "You have to call them anyways, let them know that you're safe and
sound and on your way.  Just hit the redial button; their number was
the last one I called."
  Slowly Jennifer reached down to pick up the phone that had been
tossed into her lap.  She hit the redial button, as if afraid the
phone would leap out of her hands and bite her.  It was only then
that it occurred to her that she had no idea who was going to answer
on the other end.
  "Who do I ask for?" she hissed, just as the ringing stopped.
  "Hello, Summers' residence?" a cheerful, feminine voice answered.
  Jennifer froze.  "Ask for Willow," Xander advised.
  "Is...Is Willow there?" Jennifer managed.  She 'hated' talking on
the phone.
  "This is she, can I help you?"
  "Tell her who you are!" Xander encouraged, as if that was the most
obvious thing to do.
  Jennifer glared at him.  "This is Jennifer.  I-I was told to..."
  "Jennifer?  Are you with Xander right now?"  The woman, Willow,
sounded slightly anxious.
  "Yeah, we're heading down to, um, Virginia, I think he said,"
Jennifer said, frowning.  How exactly did Willow know who she was?
  There was a sigh on the other end.  "Good; we weren't sure if he'd
found you.  But hey, good to know that you're still alive!  Alive is
always good.  Hold on a second," Willow said, and then all Jennifer
heard was muffled voices.
  "You tell her?" Xander asked, grinning.
  Just then, Willow came back on.  "Sorry, back," she
apologized.  "How much has Xander told you about the whole Slayer
thing?"
  Jennifer frowned, growing more bewildered by the
second.  "Slayer?" she asked.
  There was a pause.  "Can I speak with the infuriating man that's
named Xander, please?" Willow asked, her voice too high and sweet.
  Jennifer beamed and handed the phone to Xander.  She knew that
tone of voice; it usually meant a lecture was on the way.  "I think
you're in trouble."
  Xander took the phone, giving her an odd look.  "Hey Wills, what's
up?"  The words were barely out of his mouth before he jerked away
from the phone, wincing at the volume of his friend's voice. 
Jennifer and Jillian giggled.
  "Okay, okay!  So I didn't explain things to a T.  I apologize
profusely, so can you please stop yelling?" Xander pleaded after
he'd placed the phone next to his ear once more.  "I'm getting
laughed at over here."  This only intensified the giggles from the
front and back seat.
  A pause as he listened to Willow.  "No, I most certainly do NOT
deserve it!" Xander said with a pout, and it was too much: Jennifer
leaned back into her seat, clutching her sides as she laughed.
  Xander gave the teen a mock glare, inwardly thanking his friend
for lightening Jennifer's mood.  He would never understand how
Willow knew just the right thing to make a person smile, or how the
witch knew that a person NEEDED that smile.  "Gee, thanks," he said
into the phone, hoping Willow would get the real thanks that was
hidden in the sarcasm.
  "You're welcome, sweetie," she replied, and Xander knew she
had.  "Hope that helps.  Now, Virginia, right?"
  "Yeah, Virginia's next.  Who, what, and where?"
  He could hear a rustling of papers on the other end.  "Um, lemme
see...hey, it's Rona!  Rona's from Virginia.  She's the only one you
have to grab down that way.  After her, it's an odd path heading
west.  Did you have any problems finding Jennifer?"
  "None whatsoever, but neither did they," Xander said, knowing she
wasn't going to take this well.
  "They?" Willow repeated, and Xander was sure he could hear her
frowning.
  "Just tell Spike thanks for his parting gift; it really came in
handy this morning," Xander said grimly.
  There was a pause, before Willow murmured, "Oh goddess," and
turned away from the phone to yell for Buffy.  There was a rustling
as the phone was shifted.
  "Are you guys all right?" Buffy asked breathlessly, as if she'd
just been running.
  Xander's response was interrupted by two soft 'clicks'.  "I got
the portable," Willow explained quickly.
  "What the bloody 'ell happened, Harris?"
  Xander sighed.  "We're fine, Buff, good to know you're still there
Willow, and it's a long story, Spike.  How about I call you guys
back after breakfast and explain it then?  The girls and I are kinda
hungry."  'Let them take the hint,' Xander silently begged. 
Jennifer was still sort of smiling, but that familiar frown was
steadily working its way back onto her face.
  "Breakfast, right," Spike said, and Xander almost gave a sigh of
relief.  "Wait.  Girls?  As in plural?  Thought you were only
grabbin' one in New York."
  "Well, that's part of that story," Xander said, "and my stomach is
rumbling, so you'll just have to wait.  McDonald's sound good to you
guys?" he asked, turning away from the phone.
  Jillian let out a happy squeal and began bouncing in her seat. 
Jennifer nodded, smiling.  Good; the frown was
disappearing.  "Haven't had that in ages," the teen admitted.
  "We'll let you go and get your breakfast and coffee," Buffy said,
before she giggled.  "I wouldn't dare to be the one to get between
you and your life nourishment drink."
  Xander scowled at the phone.  "Don't dis my coffee; that's a
dangerous thing for you to do, missy."
  There was laughter in Sunnydale and the car when Xander hung up
the phone.

  Willow waited exactly forty minutes, before she leapt up to call
Xander back.  She'd almost had her hand on the phone when it
rang.  "Hello?" she answered anxiously, then gestured frantically
for the others to grab their phones when she heard Xander's voice.
  "'Splainy, buster," Buffy threatened once she came on.
  They heard Xander sigh.  "Where do you want me to start?"
  "How 'bout the minute you reached her house?" Spike suggested,
tapping his foot impatiently.
  "Where are you guys now?" Willow couldn't help but ask, reaching
for her map.
  "Almost at the bottom of Maryland, at a really nice McDonald's. 
The girls are still eating, so let's make this quick, shall we?"
  Buffy nodded, forgetting that he couldn't see her.  "Right.  We
can do quick.  Start at the house."
  Xander launched into his explanation of parking across from the
apartment, planning his next course of action when he'd seen
familiar black shapes breaking into the front door.  They'd paused
in the living room, before heading up the stairs.  Xander had
quickly grabbed the knife Spike had given him and had dashed inside,
only to find the girls' caretaker dead.
  He'd run upstairs, watching Jennifer dispatch two of them with a
baseball bat, before jumping in to help.  Meeting Jennifer, meeting
Jillian, packing and leaving.
  "I appreciate you making the jokes, Wills," Xander said
softly.  "After what happened back at the house..."
  "We get it," Spike said quietly.  The four were silent, mulling
over Xander's words.
  Finally Buffy cleared her throat.  "How old would you put Jillian
at?" she asked.
  "Three, four, maybe.  Big enough for clear speech, yet tiny enough
to make up her own vocabulary.  Haven't gotten the whole story yet,
but once I do, I'll call you guys and let you know."
  "You're gonna have to speed things up a bit," Willow said,
sighing.  "I hate to put this kind of pressure on you, but Tara
called the coven after our last conversation.  They told her that
the Bringers are flocking across the U.S., and that just looks like
the starting point, before they head on to the rest of the globe. 
They've called the Council, who's working on getting the rest of the
girls sent to us as quickly as possible."
  Xander groaned.  "Great.  Just great.  So our great master plan of
secrecy is getting blown to pieces?"
  "Unfortunately," Buffy said, standing as Dawn skipped down the
stairs.  "I've gotta get to work," she said, making a face, before
adding, "But please, just be careful, Xander.  I remember stories of
not only the girls, but their caretakers, families, and watchers
getting slaughtered from the first time around.  If the First gets a
chance to bump you off, it'll take it."
  "I'll be fine," Xander assured her, a smile in his voice.  "Don't
worry.  You guys are the closest to the First, so if anyone should
be worried here..."
  Spike snorted.  "We'll be careful, too.  Just...I want that knife
back in one piece," he said lamely, before hanging up.  Buffy gave
him a soft smile as he took as seat at the kitchen table; Willow and
Dawn merely grinned, showing him no mercy.  He rolled his eyes,
wondering why he even bothered.
  Willow headed off with her portable to help Xander plot his next
point to head for, and Buffy hung up on her extension.  "You don't
seem too thrilled with the work idea," Spike said.  His tone was
light, but there was worry behind it.  "Gettin' to be too much?"
  Buffy shook her head.  "I think it's time Robin and I had a chat."
  "Ah; then I don't envy your day," Spike said, relaxing slightly.
  Buffy nodded and called for Dawn.  "Tonight's patrol night for me,
so be ready and waiting for me?" she said, leaning down to kiss him.
  He gave her a grin.  "When aren't I?"
  She laughed as their lips met, then pulled away to grab her
jacket.  "Luv?  Buffy?" Spike suddenly said, stopping her as she
headed out the door.
  Buffy frowned, turning back to him.  He didn't call her by name
often in a questioning sort of way.  "You okay?" she asked quietly.
  "More worried 'bout you," he admitted.  "You, workin' over the
hellmouth every single damn day, when I know what's right below you,
it just..."  He shrugged, frustrated.
  Buffy set her jacket down and walked back over to kneel in front
of him.  "I'll be okay," she assured him.  "I've got you to return
to.  And nothing, not even hell, is going to stop me from coming
back to you.  I promise.  Not letting you go," she said in a softer
tone.  "Okay?"
  Spike gave her a small smile and nodded.  "All right.  Just...be
careful, eh?  For the worrisome vampire boyfriend stuck at home?"
  She winked, rising to her feet and heading for the door once
more.  "When aren't I?" she asked, slipping into her jacket.
  The door was closing behind her when he called after her, "That's
not encouragin'!"
  His only answer was laughter.


 

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