Step Forward5

Interlude the First: An extension of Step Forward

Written by Nebula

Occurs between Chapters 23 and 24 of Step Forward

A PG-13 overall

Xander is traveling around the United States, gathering Potentials.
These are his adventures.

< --- >

I:1 - Revelations of Many Kinds

Xander hit the off button on his cell and glanced over at his
charges. One was snacking on her hash brown absently, the other
smacking her lips in a satisfied manner, her grin outlined with
chocolate milk. He shook his head with a chuckle, folded up his
map, then headed back over to the girls' table. "You ladies ready
to hit the road?"
Jillian glanced up and gave an emphatic nod. Jennifer rolled her
eyes as she reached over to wipe the milk from her sister's
face. "Let's get you cleaned up first," Jennifer said, taking her
little sister's hand to lead her to the bathroom.
"Can we talk after you're done?" Xander asked casually, hoping
this wouldn't go over as badly as he thought it might. She'd just
started to trust him, just started to really smile since New York.
The topic he wanted to broach with her might destroy all of that.
Jennifer seemed to sense it, because her half-grin faded. "Yeah,
sure," she said quietly, before heading off to the restrooms,
Jillian's hand firmly in hers.
Xander sighed heavily and headed up to the front to see if someone
could direct him towards the route he would be taking next. He'd
grab another coffee while he was at it; he had a feeling he was
going to need it.

He decided he would wait until Jillian fell asleep to ask Jennifer
the question. He figured he would get his answers easier if the
little one wasn't listening to her big sister. Jillian was due for
a nap anytime soon.
'Anytime soon' ended up being after lunch. Jennifer's smile never
made its appearance again after McDonald's, and Xander knew that
this question wouldn't be bringing any grins either.
"Remember when I wanted to talk with you?" he asked softly, so as
not to wake the slumbering toddler in the back.
Jennifer stiffened in her seat. "Yeah," she said, aiming for a
casual air and failing miserably.
He sighed. "It's not anything you have to share if you don't want
to. It's just that we'd like to know a little more about you. So
we know if we're prepared for an alien robot that was sent to
destroy our world in the form of a teenage girl. Stuff like that."
He got a small grin for that. "You're strange, you know that,
right?" she asked with a lighter tone.
Xander shrugged, happier that he'd managed to make her smile. "So
I've been told. Seriously, you don't have to tell me anything if
you don't want to. I just figured that it would be easier if you
did."
"Probably," she admitted softly, her grin gone once more. "Our
caretaker, Mrs. Hartwood..." She swallowed, but kept going. "She
was a good friend of the family, of my mom and dad's. My mom...she
died giving birth to Jillian. Jillian's never had a mom. My dad
was in the marines, had a small part time job so he could take care
of us with a little help from Mrs. Hartwood. He got called up by
his sergeant one day. They said they needed him for a one month
mission." She snorted, giving him a bitter smile. "After six
months of no contact, his sergeant declared him MIA, and that's when
Mrs. Hartwood began to take care of us all the time."
Xander said nothing, merely nodding to let her know that he was
still listening. "Social security came not long after that,"
Jennifer continued quietly. "They wouldn't leave us alone. We
weren't adopted by Mrs. Hartwood, but we were in a guardian's care,
I guess. There was more to it, but they never told me anything
about it. Just that if my grades started slipping, they would pull
both of us out of Mrs. Hartwood's care and split us up. Send us
away to different homes."
She fell silent then, staring out of the windshield as if the
answers to her complicated life lay before her. Xander spared
another glance at the girl before turning back towards the road
himself.
"I'm so used to packing, it's unbelievable," she blurted out,
surprising Xander at her sudden ability to speak again. "I mean, I-
I practiced so many times to run away whenever that damn social
security guy came over, and Jillian and I would plan about where we
would go..."
Xander glanced over at Jennifer, who seemed to have begun to
babble hysterically. He then glanced back at the little one, who
was still sound asleep, then began to slow the car down.
"...told her that we'd go to Disneyworld, just like Daddy promised
we would, as soon as h-he got back from his trip, which was only
supposed to be a MONTH LONG, and instead he winds up disappearing
forever in some frickin' desert, and leaves us to..."
The car bounced slightly as it was guided off onto the shoulder of
the road, before coming to a complete halt. Xander continued to say
nothing, merely reaching to undo his seatbelt.
"...so then we wound up with Mrs. H-Hart...Hartwoo..." Jennifer's
breath started coming in little gasps, as she tried to say the name
of her deceased caretaker. "We couldn't go to...she...she tried so
hard to keep us..." She choked back a sob and let her head fall
into her hands.
Xander scooted over towards the edge of his seat, then gently
reached over towards Jennifer. She stiffened at his touch, then
relaxed completely and leaned into his arms, still crying. Jillian
remained asleep, the sounds of her sister's sobs and Xander's
occasional hushes not waking her.
When Jennifer's tears tapered off, she remained leaning against
Xander, sniffling. She couldn't remember the last time she'd really
been hugged, been held. Her friends gave her little bouncy hugs
when she'd arrive at school, and Mrs. Har...well, she'd gotten hugs
from her, every now and then. And of course Jillian had been there,
always needing a hug from her sister. But there was a difference
between needing a hug and giving one. For the first time in a long
time, Jennifer was on the receiving end of a long, comforting
embrace.
She sniffled again and pulled away, feeling slightly embarrassed.
She'd practically broken down in a stranger's arms, though Xander
was beginning to feel less and less like a stranger every minute she
was with him. Still, it wasn't something she did every day.
If Xander noticed her embarrassment, he said nothing about it,
instead sitting back himself so he could buckle himself in once
more. "I think there might be some chocolate in the cooler back
there," he said with a wink, and her awkwardness faded away.
"Would the chocolate be for you or me?" she asked, smirking as she
wiped the last of her tears away.
Xander shrugged, pulling the car back onto the road. "Depends on
if I'm willing to share or not."
Jennifer giggled quietly, remembering her slumbering
sister. "What if I didn't give you any?" she answered, and it was
him that chuckled this time.
"Now see, therein lies the problem. If you didn't give me any,
then I would just have to forcefully take it from you, if not fight
you for it." Jennifer raised her eyebrows at him. "Or I could ask
very nicely," Xander amended with a grin, earning another round of
giggles. "You've got a sense of humor like Anya does," he said,
smiling wistfully.
"Anya?"
"My wife," Xander said, taking his left hand off of the wheel
briefly to show her his ring. "The best thing that's probably ever
happened to me."
"Is she in California?" Jennifer asked, watching the way his face
lit up when he mentioned Anya.
Xander nodded. "She's back in Sunnydale with everyone else, where
we're headed. Just as soon as I pick up all the girls, and then
we're outta here. Heading home."
"How many girls ARE there to pick up?" she asked, glancing back at
the empty seats.
Xander noticed where she was looking and grinned. "Too many to
fit into the car. The girls we're not picking up have been
contacted by their Watchers already, and they'll be sent to
Sunnydale shortly."
"Watchers?" Jennifer asked with a frown.
Xander cringed. "Right. About that Slayer thing..." He launched
into a brief summary of the Slayers and Watchers, Jennifer's jaw
dropping just a little bit more at each new thing he told her.
"So...I'm a Potential, and I'm going to learn how to be a Slayer.
Well, if I become one. You guys are the actual Slayer's friends,
and the Watchers are the Slayer's teachers. Vampires are real,
werewolves are real...did I miss anything?"
He shook his head. "That's about it. It's a little bewildering
at first, but don't worry."
"Why aren't the rest of us being flown out? Why did you have to
come pick us up?"
"There's some of you that haven't been in contact with the
Watchers yet, obviously. You haven't heard about vampires or
Slayers, and those of you that haven't are going to be picked up by
me, because you guys are more at risk from the First."
"The thing that sent those cloaked guys," Jennifer said, trying to
put the puzzle pieces all together. "Ultimate evil or something?"
Xander nodded. "Right. The First has been around before time
began. It started the whole monster thing, and so the first
Watchers brought their magics together and made a warrior to protect
the people."
"The Slayer, right?"
"Right. There's only one in every generation."
"Your friend is the Slayer now, right?"
"That would be Buffy," Xander said, "and yes, she's the Slayer.
Well, except for Faith," he said suddenly, his smile dropping.
Jennifer frowned. "Faith?"
"The, uh, other Slayer."
Jennifer narrowed her gaze at him. "I thought there was only one
Slayer at a time."
Xander sighed. "It's a complicated matter. See, when a Slayer
dies, the next one is called, right? Well, Buffy drowned the first
year she arrived at Sunnydale, but I brought her back with CPR. She
was gone long enough for the next Slayer to be called. When THAT
Slayer died, Faith was called."
"I bet having two Slayers is a lot of help," she commented,
sitting back. "Twice the strength and stuff."
Xander grimaced, and Jennifer rolled her eyes. "Of course it's
not that simple," she said, her voice full of sarcasm. "Nothing
ever is. Tell me about Faith."
"Long or short?"
Jennifer blinked. "Uh, you choose."
"Faith was okay when she first showed up, until she made herself
known as the 'bad girl' in town. She's tried to kill me and my
friends before but didn't, and then she wound up really killing
someone, albeit by accident. She took sides with the Mayor, who was
the big bad at the time. Buffy ended up stabbing her and sending
her into a coma when Faith tried to kill her again. When Faith came
out of it, she went and tried to take Buffy's life with this body-
switching gadget. Then, when that didn't pan out, she ran away to
Los Angeles to get a friend of ours to kill her, because Faith
thought she deserved it after everything she'd done. He didn't, and
she turned herself in to the police, admitting her crimes. She's
currently away for twenty-five years, I think; she'll be out in
about twenty-two."
Jennifer blinked, before swallowing. "I think I'll go with the
short version next time," she finally said.
Xander gave her a look. "That WAS the short version."
"Oh," was all Jennifer said. She sat back, her mind swirling with
all the new information she'd acquired in the last ten minutes.
Slayers, vampires, Watchers, demons...all of it real. She almost
snorted. And she'd been worried about her trig test.
"It must be nice to be a Slayer," she said after a few moments of
thinking. "I mean, being able to kick anybody's ass if they
attacked you, being able to...to save people," she added quietly,
wishing for the millionth time that she'd listened to Xander. That
she hadn't turned to glance at the mutilated body of her
caretaker. "I bet Buffy has no problems with those cloaked guys,"
she said, shaking the images away.
Xander glanced over at her, and Jennifer was pretty sure he knew
what was going through her mind. "She usually doesn't, but everyone
has a bad day, or gets trapped at one time or another," he said,
wisely not saying anything about her current thoughts.
"Still, I highly doubt that any Slayer would see those guys as
problems. Now, vampires I wouldn't want to face. Those don't sound
like something easy to take...what are you doing?"
Xander was digging around in a cubbyhole fixed in the bottom of
his dashboard. "Trying to find my cell. You just reminded me about
something I should tell Willow about."
"And that would be?" Jennifer asked.
With a triumphant hum Xander pulled his cell out and hit the on
button. "Faith," he said.

Chapter: 24 of ?

Pairings: S/B, X/A, W/T, D/J (more to come later...)

Time Period: After the summer following 'Back Track'

Rating: R this chapter for suggestive themes.

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: As usual, all emphasized words and thoughts (basically italics)
are enclosed in 'these'. Enjoy!

< --- >

"Come in."
Buffy opened the door, giving Wood a smile as she entered his
office. He looked up in time to see her close the door, and
returned her welcoming grin. "Hopefully things have been going well
for you out there," he said, nodding his head towards the windows
that showed the cubicles. "And there's been no problems, right?"
Buffy shook her head emphatically. "Nope, none, zip, zilch. The
kids have been...well, obviously not well or happy all the time, but
I like to think that I'm helping. And they're not trouble of any
kind."
Wood nodded again, glancing down at the papers on his desk. "Then
what can I do for you, Ms. Summers?"
Buffy swallowed. This was the hard part. "Um, I wanted to talk
to you about...you, actually."
Wood froze, then slowly sat back in his chair. "Me?" he asked,
slightly suspicious.
"Yeah. Um, I know why you're here. In Sunnydale, I mean. At
least, I think I do, and I just wanted to confirm that."
Wood continued to gaze at her, his face expressionless. Buffy
swallowed again. She felt like she was going to get fired, which
was a possibility she hadn't considered, she realized suddenly. If
he decided to tell her she was loopy and didn't want her around the
kids... Oops. A little late for that now.
"Do you like horror movies?" she said, trying to think of a good
way to casually swing towards the topic. "It's just that I do. You
know, with Dracula and stuff like...oh forget it," she sighed,
walking over to his desk and slamming her hands down on it. "I'm
the Slayer and you know it," she said bluntly, "and I need your
help. As in now. Not later, 'now'."
Silence descended on the two as Wood stared at her in surprise.
Buffy inwardly crossed her fingers, hoping this would work. She
knew that he would offer his help in February, but it was November
now, and she desperately needed the help. Plus, he offered his
assistance on a date, and that just wasn't going to work. She had a
different valentine this year.
"How did you know that I knew?" he asked, bringing her from her
thoughts.
She sighed, but this time, it was in relief. "It was a Slayer
dream thing. It told me that you would help, and that you knew more
then you were letting on. So I decided to just...well, tell you
that I knew."
Wood nodded, then gave a small relieved laugh. "You know,
sometimes I want to talk to you about the Slaying and vampires, but
I know I can't. Well, that's not really a problem anymore. Now
then," he said, sitting up straight and leaning his arms on his
desk, "How can I help you?"
Buffy smiled.

A ringing phone pulled her away from her paperwork. "Hello?"
"Can I ask what you're wearin'?"
Buffy began to grin, leaning back in her chair. "You saw me leave
for work this morning. You know perfectly well what I'm wearing."
A chuckle. "I didn't get to see what was underneath your clothes."
Buffy's eyes widened slightly at the obvious innuendo. "Well, I
didn't get to see yours, so we're fair," she said, glancing around
to see if anyone was paying any attention to her conversation.
Nope; everyone else was working like they were supposed to be.
"I don't wear anythin' under my clothes, or have you forgotten
that?"
"No, I remember," she muttered, wishing she didn't. That was a
beautiful image, of course, but not one she needed to be thinking
about at work. "Spike, sweetie, what do you need?"
There was a sigh on the other end of the phone. "Don't let me
have any fun anymore," he grumbled. "Xander called with an
interestin' idea. Said he'd been talkin' to Jennifer, and somethin'
she'd said brought up a good point."
"Did he tell you if he'd managed to get her to talk about
herself?" she asked, leaning forward.
"If he did, he didn't mention it. Think that's for a different
discussion, one where Jennifer isn't around to hear it. At any
rate, he brought up the other Slayer, Faith?"
Buffy froze. That was also something she didn't want to think
about. "What about her?" she asked cautiously.
"He said that the First might not be just lookin' at the girls
about to be Slayers. Might look at the actual Slayers as well."
She hadn't thought about that. She'd figured it would come after
her at one point, but she knew she could take the Bringers. They
posed no threat. But for someone that was behind bars, with no
chance to defend herself, and who didn't even know about the enemy
to start with... "He's got a point, as much as I hate to admit it,"
Buffy said with a sigh. "I just don't want to deal with Faith."
"Bad memories?"
She snorted. "That doesn't even begin to cover it. But I'll
deal; her life is a tad more important then my issues with her right
now."
"That's my girl," he said, causing her to smile. "You get a
chance to talk to Wood yet?"
Buffy nodded, then rolled her eyes. 'Verbalize, Summers; it's a
phone, for crying out loud.' "Yeah, and he gave up trying to hide
it. He also gave us his assistance any time we need it. I told him
about Cassie and Amanda being Potentials and caught him up to the
current situation."
"You nodded your head before you started talkin', didn't you?"
Spike said, sounding extremely amused.
Buffy was tempted to bash her head against her desk. She'd bash
his if she could. "Did you hear anything I just said?" she asked,
exasperated.
Another chuckle. "Heard every word, luv, but you didn't answer my
question."
"Yes, I nodded. Happy now? I've got to get back to work," she
said, preparing to hang up.
"Whoa, whoa, hold up. Didn't mean to make you upset. Thought you
could do with a little humor."
Buffy sighed, sitting back. "I know; I shouldn't have snapped.
I'm sorry."
"S'all right; I know you're all built up with stress right now.
Come home and I'll give you a massage. Full body massage with
locked doors."
"Full body massage, huh?" she said, smiling. "That does sound
good. Why the locked doors, though?"
Buffy was sure she could see him grinning. "Tsk, tsk, luv; full
body means there can't be any clothes. We'll have to take our
clothes off, thus the locked doors."
Buffy sat up straighter. "'Our' clothes?" she managed to say.
"Well, it wouldn't be a massage without me usin' lotion. And you
wouldn't want me to maybe get lotion on my clothes, would you? I
know I will, the minute I try to reach all of those hard spots."
Buffy closed her eyes, remembering that Spike usually had her on
her stomach for the massage, and he'd straddle her knees as he
rubbed whatever ached. She felt a tingling between her legs as she
imagined both of them naked, him spreading lotion all over her back,
before he laid himself on her, sliding back and forth... She
swallowed and pushed her legs together, as if that would stop the
wetness from gathering. Yeah, right. She'd gone way too long
without sex.
"Buffy, luv? Still with me?"
"I'm here!" she squeaked out, then cleared her throat
quickly. "I'm here," she said, her voice normal once more. "Sorry,
just a lot of things on my mind. I'll, um, see you when I get home,
okay?"
"I'll be waitin'," he answered in a soft tone, and with a whimper
Buffy hung up, before bashing her head on her desk. WAY too long
without sex.

Interlude the Second: An extension of Step Forward

Written by Nebula

Occurs between Chapters 24 and 25 of Step Forward

I:2 - Do You Believe?

"You're going too fast!"
"No, I'm not!"
"I'm sure that state trooper back there would disagree with you."
"We gonna get pulleded o'er?"
Xander sighed heavily. "No, we are NOT going to get pulled over,
Jillian. Jennifer, 'please' stop grinding your teeth. I can hear
it from here."
Jennifer sighed as well, slouching back in her seat. "My ears
keep popping," she complained.
"That would be the mountains," Xander replied, handing her a stick
of gum. "Chew on this, it'll help."
"Ooh, can I have one?!" Jillian squealed, bouncing in her seat.
Xander glanced over at her sister for confirmation. Jennifer
nodded, and Xander handed a gum stick back to a happy Jillian.
"So...there's another girl down this way?" Jennifer said between
chewing.
Xander nodded. "Two, actually, but the second one's in South
Carolina. Rona's here in Virginia. We should be able to reach her
in another hour or so."
Jennifer said nothing, glancing out the window at the darkening
sky. It was almost night again. Would those cloaked men come for
Rona, too? It was a possibility that they'd get there just when the
cloaked men did. They'd go after not just Rona, but Jennifer too.
Jennifer inhaled sharply at the thought. Probably they'd kill
Xander and Jillian while they were at it. Get rid of everyone at
once.
"We'll be ahead of them," Xander said casually, causing Jennifer
to look up at him. His eyes remained pinned on the road as he
continued, "And besides, I wouldn't let them touch you guys, so
please stop worrying. It does things to my frail male ego."
Jennifer managed a smile, which fell as soon as she went deeper
into her thoughts. It wasn't just her at risk. It was Jillian and
Rona and numerous other girls and people in a Californian city that
was supposedly on the mouth of hell and it was also...
"I said don't worry about it," Xander said, sighing. "You really
don't believe me when I say anything, do you? First I tell you I'm
not going too fast..."
"You were!"
"And now you won't believe me when I tell you I won't let it touch
you."
"It's not just that," Jennifer said, glaring at him as she stuck
her chewed gum piece in the trash.
Xander sighed again. "I won't let it touch Jilly either, okay? I
prefer you guys in one piece."
"It's not that either!" Jennifer narrowed her gaze further at
him, hoping to relay her frustrations through her eyes.
"Then what exactly is it, 'cause I'm missing out on something
here, and I'd rather not be."
"It would come for you, too," she muttered, before leaning back in
her seat, arms crossed over her chest.
Silence descended on the vehicle. Jennifer concentrated on
burying herself further into the chair, her embarrassment reaching
new levels. She'd opened up, told him the truth, and he wasn't
going to say anything now. Of course.
Her thoughts were interrupted when a hand grasped her shoulder.
She turned to see Xander smiling so brightly at her, she couldn't
help giving him a smile, albeit a small one, in return. "I've been
fighting this stuff for almost eight years," he said softly. "Don't
worry about me. I'll get you through this."
Jennifer's smile fell. He thought she wanted him around for
protection? "That's not what I..." she started only to have him
chuckle.
"I know that wasn't what you meant," he said, giving her shoulder
a reassuring squeeze before returning both hands to the wheel. "I
know. I'll be careful."
Jennifer turned her gaze towards the scenery once more, this time
with a lighter heart. The trees were flying past her, making her
drowsy as she watched the colors merge. She started to wonder about
whether she should wear a sweater down here, instead of visualizing
men with no eyes and black cloaks. It looked cooler outside. Then
again, Virginia could normally reach into scorching heats when it
was a normal summer day (or so her father had told her). Of course,
it wasn't summer, and it certainly wasn't day anymore, because she
could barely see the...
Xander glanced over at her a few moments later, and found her
curled up in her seat, a smile on her face as she slept.

A few hours later found them almost at their destination. Jillian
had dozed off for awhile, but she was wide awake now, chattering
happily about how much she was looking forward to school, and how
she thought purple was a much prettier color then pink, and did he
know how many curls she had on her head, 'cause she'd tried to count
them all once, and hadn't been able to...
Xander merely shook his head, biting his lip to keep from laughing
at the little one's happy babbling. Then he caught sight of the
building in front of him, and all thoughts of laughing vanished. He
slowed the car down and parked it against the curb, his headlights
shining briefly on the building before being turned off. Show
time. He scanned the area around them, but he couldn't see any dark
shadows nearby.
Glancing over at the sleeping teen in the front seat, Xander bit
his lip again. He really didn't want to do this. He sighed, but
leaned over and gently shook Jennifer awake. It took a few moments
to rouse her, and she frowned at him, even as she blearily blinked
her eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked, her voice groggy from sleep.
"Nothing. We're here, that's all."
Jennifer stared at him, then quickly sat up, wiping the last
traces of sleep from her eyes. "How long have I been out?" she
asked.
"Just a few hours. Figured you'd like to be awake for this.
Plus, having a girl along with me makes convincing Rona that much
easier."
"Convincing...? Oh. Because she wasn't contacted," Jennifer
said, nodding.
Xander nodded as well. "Right. You ready, kiddo?" he asked,
turning to Jillian.
Jillian continued bouncing. "Ready for what?"
"We're gonna go in there," Xander motioned towards the brick
building in front of them, "and we're gonna get another girl to come
with us."
Jillian's bouncing stopped. "Are the bad guys gonna come 'gain?"
she asked quietly, her eyes wide and afraid.
"No, they won't," Jennifer said, before Xander could reply. He
glanced over at her in surprise, but remained silent. "They're not
gonna get us, Jilly. I promise. Xander's gonna keep us safe.
Okay?"
Jillian thought it over, before nodding. "'Kay. We gonna go now?"
Jennifer turned to Xander, raising her eyebrows at his gaping
jaw. He closed his open mouth, clearing his throat. "Yeah, we're
gonna go now."
After they'd gotten Jillian out of her seat and were headed
towards the building, Xander glanced over at Jennifer. "You believe
everything you told Jillian back there?"
Jennifer's face flushed, and she offered him a sheepish
grin. "Yeah, I do. I didn't before, I know, but now...I feel
better. I feel ready. So yeah, I believe every word I told her
back there. I'm just sorry I didn't believe it earli..." she began,
but Xander cut her off.
"Don't be sorry. You had every right to doubt the being safe
thing, especially when you've got nasties after you."
"Gee, thanks. You know just how to make a girl feel better," she
teased, earning a grin from him.
"Years of practice, my darling Jennifer. Years of practice.
There she is," he said suddenly, his voice serious once more.
Jennifer pulled Jillian back against her, nervously glancing
around. She really did believe that Xander would protect them. She
just didn't like the creepy feeling that if those guys were going to
attack them, it was going to be now. When they were out in the
open, in an abandoned street, with no lights. She swallowed, hoping
her hands on her sister's shoulders weren't shaking.
"Rona?" Xander called, quickening his pace. In front of her,
Jennifer could see an African American teen, two books in her arms,
her eyes showing her obvious confusion as three strangers headed her
way.
"Can I...help you?" she asked uncertainly.
Xander gave her a reassuring smile. "I think it'll be the other
way around, actually."
Rona continued to stare at him, not even tearing her eyes away as
she readjusted the books in her arms. Jennifer rolled her
eyes. "Way to go in scaring her, Xander," she hissed.
Xander glared at Jennifer. "What are you talking about? I'm just
trying to find a good way to break the news to her!"
Rona kept staring, her eyes getting wider by the minute. Jennifer
knew it was only a matter of seconds before the girl took off.
There had to be some way to gain her trust, if only for a few
minutes, so they could talk to her and tell her the whole story.
Fortunately, salvation came from an unexpected source. Jillian
stepped forward, smiling at Rona. "Hi!" she greeted the poor teen.
Rona's eyes finally moved from Xander and Jennifer, and she
couldn't help smiling at the curly-headed girl. "Hi there," she
said, crouching down so they were eye to eye. "What's your name?"
"My name's Jillyan," Jillian declared proudly, before turning back
towards her caretakers. "An' this's my sissy, Jenny, and that's
Xanner."
Xander's face lit up at the unexpected nickname, and Jennifer
couldn't stop the grin that spread across her face. "It's Jennifer
and Xander," Jennifer whispered to Rona.
Jillian frowned at her sister. "That's what I said!" she
insisted, turning back to a now amused Rona. "We're runnin' 'way
from the bad guys," she whispered, as if she was telling a big
secret. Little did she know how big her secret really was.
Rona frowned. "Bad guys?"
Xander nodded. "That building you were just in; was that a
library?"
Rona gave him a 'duh' look, holding up her two books as
proof. "They're gonna close in fifteen minutes, though. Why?"
"That's enough time for us to explain what's going on," Jennifer
said, heading for the library, grabbing Jillian's hand before
trudging onward. Jillian protested, saying she didn't need her
sister to lead her everywhere, because she was a "Big girl now'd".
Xander shook his head and sighed, following the two into the
building, a puzzled but willing Rona right behind him.

Chapter 25:

< --- >

When she arrived home, she headed straight for the phone to deal
with the Faith issue. She'd barely picked up the portable when she
felt someone grab her from behind. Buffy jumped, then turned to
glare at her boyfriend. "Can I do something for you?" she asked,
raising her eyebrows at him.
Spike pretended to think it over. "Actually, there might be
somethin' you could do, yeah," he said, before leaning in to kiss
her. Buffy had been expecting the peck on the lips, and met him
halfway before she began to step away.
She hadn't been expecting a deep kiss, and she let out a muffled
squeak as he continued to kiss her, all the while dipping her
towards the floor. He slipped his tongue between her lips, tilting
his head slightly to give him better access to her mouth. With a
small moan Buffy dropped the phone to wrap her arms around his neck
and pull him in even closer. Her tongue met with his, and she
smiled into his lips.
"Calling Faith, huh?"
Spike sighed into Buffy's mouth, before he pulled them both back
up to a standing position. Buffy bent down to pick up the forgotten
phone, hoping she could wipe off the pout she knew was on her face
before her sister could see it. If Dawn had just left them alone
for a little bit longer, Buffy was sure she would've been wrapping
her legs around Spike's waist and grinding against him. She
mentally slapped herself as she felt a fluttering feeling gathering
between her legs. Way to go, Summers.
When she arose, she met her sister's knowing smirk. "Is there a
problem with me and Spike kissing?" Buffy said, then began to
grin. "It's not as if we have a problem with you and Jonathan
making out when you're supposed to be sparring."
Dawn's face turned a lovely shade of pink as she sputtered for a
response, and it was Buffy's turn to smirk. "Didn't think we knew
about that?" Spike said, grinning.
Dawn just stared at the two, beyond words.
"Andrew told us," Buffy supplied to her Dawn's unasked
question. "He's really reliable if you ask him about a certain
thing." She gave Spike one last kiss on the cheek before walking
away, leaving her sister's mouth hanging open.
Once she was upstairs, she closed her bedroom door and began
taking deep breaths. "You can do this," she muttered, dialing the
number. "You can do this, you can do this, you can..."
"Angel Investigations, we help the helpless."
Buffy took one last deep breath. "Cordelia, may I please speak to
Angel?"
There was a pause. "Buffy?" she heard the ex-cheerleader say
incredulously. "Is that you?"
'No, it's the Easter Bunny,' Buffy thought, but bit her tongue
before speaking again. "Yeah, it's me. Again, can I talk to Angel?"
"Sure; hold on a second, and I'll transfer you." Another
pause. "This isn't good news, is it?"
Buffy snorted. "You have no idea."
It was another ten seconds before she was connected to the
vampire. "Buffy, what's wrong?" Angel asked quickly, sounding
worried.
Buffy blinked. "And hello to you too."
He sighed. "Sorry, it's just...you don't call to just say 'hello'
often. It has to be something big."
"Am I really that predictable?" she said, trying to keep her tone
light.
There was a laugh on the other end of the phone. "Sometimes, yes."
Buffy froze, staring at the phone in shock. "Buffy? Are you
okay?" Angel asked, when she didn't respond.
"Did you just...'laugh'?" she said, raising her eyebrows. "Wow.
I wasn't sure you knew how," she teased.
"Very funny," he grumbled. "Cordy's been on my case about
lightening up, and I've been trying to follow her advice."
Buffy's eyebrows almost reached her hairline at the mention of the
pet name. 'Cordy'? Since when did he call her Cordy? She shook
herself, focusing on the task at hand. "You'd be wise to; not
following it can be hazardous to your health. But you're right, I'm
not calling just to say hello. There's, um, something big brewing
in Sunnydale."
"How big are we talking?" Angel asked.
"Um...how does 'ultimate evil' sound to you?" she said, aiming for
a casual tone again and failing.
"Do you need help?" Angel asked immediately.
Buffy shook her head, then almost slapped herself. She seriously
needed to work on that vocalizing thing. "No, and yes. Do you
remember the First, when it tried to get you to kill yourself, and
the Powers made it snow?"
"I remember," he said quietly. "That was some night."
Buffy nodded and didn't even bother chastising herself. She
remembered the night like it had just happened yesterday. She began
to smile as she saw herself walking down a snow-filled street, and
her smile grew as she pictured Spike holding her hand instead of
Angel. The two of them just walking, enjoying the snow crunching
under their feet, fingers entwined with the other's, her blushing as
he whispered to her how he could warm her up after being out in the
cold for so long...
"BUFFY!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm here," she mumbled. She had just been getting to
the good part, too. "Anyways, the First is back, and it's not
leaving so easily this time. It's sending these cloaked men, the
Harbingers, to find Potential Slayers and kill them. Then, it'll go
for the actual Slayer, me. Except I'm not the only one anymore, am
I?"
"Faith," Angel said, understanding in his voice.
Buffy sighed. "Right. She's in prison, which makes her an easy
target. So, I was wondering if..."
"You want to bust her OUT of jail?!"
Buffy winced at the volume of his tone. "Easy on the ears here;
they may not be vampire ears, but they're still pretty sensitive."
"Sorry," Angel mumbled, before he said, "But Buffy, you can't just
yank her out of prison like this. She's still got time to serve.
And you haven't even talked this over with her yet, have you?"
"She's not safe there!" Buffy said loudly, causing Angel to
stop. "They'll come for her, Angel," she said in a softer
tone. "And when they do, she won't be able to defend herself
properly. Yeah, maybe she still gets the chance to work out in the
gym they have there. But she can't exercise her full Slayer
strength, or they'd think she was on drugs. Do you see where I'm
going with this?"
Angel sighed. "I do, but I don't like it."
"I didn't say you had to. I just need you to help me get in there
to see her. I'll discuss the situation with her, tell her my plan,
and see what she says. Fair enough?"
"Fair enough," he grumbled reluctantly. "What exactly IS your
plan?"
Buffy took a seat on her bed and leaned against the pillows,
smiling. "Well, it starts out with a suit."

Chapter 26:

< --- >

"I don't like it."
"Spike..."
"No! You're not goin'!"
"Spike!"
Tara glanced over at Dawn, who had her head on the table. "How
much longer do you think they can go on like this?" Tara asked.
Dawn snorted. "It's Spike and Buffy we're talking about. They
could argue all night if they want to." She paused, scrunching up
her face as if she'd bitten into something sour. "I hope not."
"No, you can't come with me!"
"Why the bloody 'ell not?"
"Because I need you here!"
"Here we go again," Willow muttered, glaring up at the ceiling at
the two bickering above her. "This isn't gonna go over well."
"Oh that's great, just great. Leave the pet vamp home with
everyone else, eh?"
"'Pet' vamp? Since when the hell have you ever been anyone's pet?"
"When have I not been?!"
The front door opened, and Anya scooted into the room. She winced
at the volume of the voices upstairs, and turned towards the others
clustered in the dining room. "What's going on?" she whispered,
taking a seat next to Dawn.
Tara sighed. "Buffy's got a mission she has to go on, and she has
to go to LA to do it."
"So, she's asked Angel to meet her there and help her," Willow
said, picking up the story. "But she doesn't want to leave the
Hellmouth unprotected, so she wants us to stay here. All of us,
that is."
"Including Spike," Dawn chimed in, rolling her eyes. "They've
been at it for half an hour now. I just wish it would stop."
"...did the idea that you were a pet come from in the first place?"
"Oh please, you're keepin' me here on a bloody leash! You won't
let me go with you, so you're askin' me to sit. Stay. Be a good
Spike. No, that doesn't sound like I'm a pet at all."
"He doesn't sound very happy," Anya said, wrinkling her nose.
The others all sighed. "Obvious much?" Dawn muttered.
"You're not a pet!"
"Then let me go with you!"
"NO!!"
The women downstairs groaned. "And so it goes..." Willow mumbled,
rubbing her eyes.
Anya glanced up the stairs, then back at the others. "They just
keep repeating this?"
Tara nodded. "It's like Groundhog Day. Just...worse."
"Why won't you let me go with you?"
"Spike, please, we've been over this dozens of times already."
"If I wear the jacket, will you let me come?"
"What?!"
"What?!" Willow repeated downstairs, glancing up above her in
surprise.
"Is this something new he's saying?" Anya asked, glancing up as
well.
Tara and Dawn exchanged glances. "Yeah, this is new," Tara said,
frowning.
"Would you let me come if..."
"Why the hell would the jacket make any difference?"
"It would let me do more then 'weep and wail', right?"
Willow's jaw dropped. "Oh boy," she whispered.
Dawn began shaking her head. "I'm not gonna like where this is
going, am I?"
"No," Willow said, biting her lower lip. "You might wanna hang
on. Things are about to get ugly."
"What are you talking..."
"First time 'round, I tried to leave in the middle of one of those
grand speeches of yours, and you told me to go ahead, since I was
only good for cryin', right?"
"You're still on that?! Spike, you can't..."
"I think the stage is mine for a bit, 'Slayer'. You told me you
wanted the old Spike back. Is that what it's gonna take to let me
fight? You want that old Spike so damn bad? Well? The one that
used to think 'bout drinkin' your blood and bathin' in it?!"
"Spike..."
"The one that wanted to rip your throat and your damn Scoob's
throats out?!"
"Spike, please..."
Dawn covered her ears and scrunched down in her chair as Spike's
voice continued to rise in volume.
"The one that cornered you in the bathroom that one day, tried to
make you feel, tried to force you to..."
"STOP!!"
"Is that the Spike you want? Is it really?! I'm 'that' useless
with this chip in my head, even more useless with the soddin' soul?!"
Buffy's reply, if she even had one, was never heard. Stomping
footsteps were heard, getting louder as Spike stormed down the
stairs. He didn't even bother looking at the gaping women as he
yanked the front door open, only to slam it shut behind him.
Dawn rose, her eyes on the stairs, but Willow stopped her. "No.
Leave Buffy alone for a bit." The redhead stood herself, glancing
up at the stairs before making her way to the front door. She'd
been afraid that this would come up eventually.
She found Spike sitting on the front steps, knees hugged to his
chest, head buried in his arms. "I went too far," he whispered,
knowing she was behind him.
Willow sighed and took a seat next to him. "I think it had to
come up for you guys to deal with it. Granted, all's been said and
forgiven, but that doesn't mean it's been forgotten. And she knows
you're worried about her. The last thing she wants to do is leave,
too."
"And I just made her feel worse," he muttered, pulling his head
up. His face was already red with tears. "She was right, you
know. S'all I'm good for. Weepin' and wailin'."
"That's not true, and you know it," Willow said, laying a hand on
his shoulder. "She knows it, too. Before we did the time spell,
she told me how badly she felt about lashing out at you. She hated
herself for it, because she felt like she was falling back into the
abusive pattern you guys had had the previous year. And she didn't
want that. But she wanted you to not be afraid anymore. She wanted
the strong, sure Spike she'd always known to stand at her side, to
fight away the demons. Because she couldn't anymore. Chloe tipped
her too far over the scale. I don't even want to think about what
would've happened if the year had continued."
"Screwed things up royally, didn't I?" he asked softly, turning to
her.
She shook her head. "I don't really think so. She loves you.
That's like a 'Get out of jail free' card, you know?" She was
rewarded with a small smile. "But you might want to talk to her
anyways, see if you can't bring down the tension between you two a
bit. This unresolved stuff can be butt-bitey if you don't deal with
it now."
Spike raised his eyebrows at her. "You know, 'cause it'll come
back and bite you in the butt if you don't...I give up trying to
explain," she muttered, giving a small 'hmph' as she crossed her
arms. "And you call yourself a Scooby."

Normally, Buffy would've groaned in relief as she sank into a
steaming bath that promised delicious scents and relaxed muscles.
But she made not a sound as she slowly lowered herself into the tub,
her mind too much on the fight with Spike.
She hadn't known that he'd felt like that. She should've, she
supposed. She'd been too cruel to him for him to just forget it
like that. She groaned now, but it wasn't with relief. How could
she have been so insensitive? To just forget the harsh words she'd
told him, and she knew it hadn't just been about the words. It had
been the humiliation along with it. Of being called a wimp in front
of everyone, 'everyone', and being told to shape up, because...
Buffy closed her eyes, swallowing convulsively. Because she'd
practically told him he was useless. If he wasn't evil, if he
wasn't the man she'd professed to hating for so long, he was
nothing. She was amazed that he was still with her, that he hadn't
left yet. She'd given him every perfect reason to do so.
Well, maybe he was gone for good now. She opened her eyes,
staring miserably at the tiled wall in front of her. She could
still see the rage in his eyes, the hurt shining just as brightly as
his fury. And she'd been the one to cause it.
She reached up for her soap bar, not even looking as she thought
about how to make it all right. There had to be something she could
do. She knew she couldn't let Spike come with her, no matter how
much he wanted to go. Baking cookies was more Willow's way of
apologizing. Normally, she would've given him a night of pleasure,
a night where she would do anything he wanted, but they still hadn't
had sex since he'd returned from Africa.
She gasped as the soap slipped from her fingers and landed with
a 'plop' in the tub. "Dammit," she muttered, her fingers reaching
for the bar under the water. She found it and began lathering
herself with it, her mind still heavily focused on the huge mess
she'd made. She'd made him feel useless. 'Useless'. What she
wouldn't give to take the words, the actions, all of it back. Just
make it all go away.
She rubbed the soap between her fingers before setting it in the
small shelf built into the wall. She reached down to wash her more
private spot, then closed her eyes and whimpered as the small touch
sent huge tingles of pleasure throughout her body. Okay, maybe she
couldn't take anything back, but she could certainly make it all go
away. At least, just for a little bit.
She began to rub small circles on her clit, alternately pressing
down harder on it every now and then. For the past week, Spike's
teasing had caused her to have to satisfy herself. All the kissing,
all the massages, all of it had had her begging for more, but she
knew Spike couldn't do more at the moment. So she'd started to deal
with the problems herself in the bathroom, making sure to spray a
great deal of air freshener afterwards, so Spike wouldn't smell
anything. The last thing she'd wanted was to make him feel badly
because he wasn't ready to do certain things yet.
It seemed she'd managed to do that without him catching a scent of
her arousal.
With a growl she pushed down harder with her fingers, jumping
slightly when the touch proved too much for her nerves. The small
jolts she was sending throughout her body weren't enough, and she
began to rub faster, closing her eyes as the pleasure swept her
along. She cringed as she began to feel sore under her rough
administrations, but she didn't care. She was so close, and then
she could just ride the waves and forget everything, just forget...
A hand grasped her arm to stop her, and she gasped as her eyes
flew open. "You're gonna hurt yourself if you keep that up," Spike
said gently, his hand never leaving her arm. Buffy's face colored,
and her eyes glanced at the tiled wall. Anywhere but at him. Now
he'd found out about this, too. She could just make him feel even
worse. Wasn't that great?
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't even notice his
fingers skimming down her arm and into the water until they reached
her clit. She inhaled sharply, turning to him in confusion.
Spike gave her a smile before placing a kiss on her
forehead. "Let me?" he asked softly. Buffy could only nod, too
stunned to vocalize a response.
Slowly he began to rub, his other arm moving to pull her up
against him. She closed her eyes, inhaling the scent that was
uniquely his. The hand that was holding her close reached down to
cup her breast, before pinching her hardened nipple. She gave a low
moan, trying not to squirm.
His fingers quickened their pace, and his other hand reached over
to fondle her other breast, before also making its way towards her
lap. His fingers ghosted over her sensitive skin, sending shivers
down her spine.
Then his fingers were gone. She began to pull up, then froze as
his fingers reappeared at her entrance. Spike stopped as well,
though his rubbing never paused. "Do you want..."
"'Please'," she gasped, then whimpered as two of his fingers
slowly worked their way into her pussy. He began to work his
fingers out and in, setting a steady pace with both hands.
If she closed her eyes, she could imagine that it was really him,
and not just his fingers. That it was his cock inside of her,
pumping in and out, filling her, making her whole. She leaned back
enough to see him, reaching out to wrap her hands around his neck
and pull him down. Her mouth fused against his, before his tongue
slipped out, silently begging for entrance. She tilted her head and
opened her mouth, gently pulling on his tongue with her lips.
Spike groaned and pulled away, bending his head to kiss up and
down her neck. Buffy closed her eyes and let her head fall back,
giving him more access to her throat. "Spike..." she managed to get
out, her breathing short and labored.
"Come for me luv," he whispered in between kisses. "Let me feel
you come, baby." His head dipped down to take one of her nipples
into his mouth, and the sudden sensation of wet lips around her
hardened nub was the final thing she needed. With a cry she came,
hard enough to see spots dance before her closed eyes. His fingers
slowed to bring her down gently from her climax, before stopping
completely. He reached up to pull her to him, and she slumped
against his chest.
"Good?" he whispered.
Buffy couldn't stop the goofy grin that spread across her
face. "Better believe it, buster. I'm only sorry I didn't last any
longer."
Spike chuckled, placing a small kiss on the top of her
head. "You've been too long without actually comin' right, if what
you tried to do earlier was any indication," he said, giving her a
pointed look. Buffy blushed but said nothing. "Could've really
hurt yourself, pet," he added, his features softening.
She sighed. "I know, I know. I won't do it anymore, I promise."
"Shouldn't have to, since I'm around."
"Are you...okay with...?" Buffy asked hesitantly.
Spike gave her a small smile. "Yeah, I really am. Only reason I
didn't want to was 'cause I was afraid of hurtin' you. But I'm
ready now. Sorry I wasn't earlier," he muttered, glancing away.
Buffy reached up to turn his gaze back to her. "You have nothing
to be sorry about," she said, smiling. "Trust me. You had every
right to feel wary or not sure of things. The soul's different;
it's new. And after the first time around...yeah, I'd say you'd
want to take things slow. But trust me when I say I'm glad to have
you back. Speaking of which, why 'did' you decide to...well, do
something now?"
"Figured it was my version of an apology for earlier," he said
softly.
"I like your apologies," she murmured. "You should do things that
make you have to apologize more often." Her smile fell, and she
sighed. "If anyone deserves an apology, though, it's you. I
thought over what I'd said, and you were right. I was completely..."
"No, you weren't completely anythin'. I got worked up over
somethin'..."
"That should never have been said," Buffy insisted. "The whole
thing was stupid, and I should never have said that, because I
didn't even believe it. Forgive me? Please?" she said when she saw
Spike about to argue. He sighed, rolling his eyes. "I can make it
up to you," she added suddenly, and she began to grin. "Let
me...'apologize' to you."
Spike's eyes lit up, and she was sure it wasn't the only thing
going up. "Oh?" he asked, striking a casual air. "What type
of 'apology' did you have in mind?"
Buffy's grin broadened. "Get in the tub and you'll see."

I:3 – Must Go Faster, Must Go Faster...

Rona blinked, not even noticing the familiar houses they were
passing by. She should be paying more attention to them; from what
Xander had said, this might be the last time she ever saw them.
The last time. Because she was going to Sunnydale to fulfill her
destiny.
"Turn right at the next light," she said absently, causing the
driver and the other occupants of the vehicle to stare at her. Rona
continued to gaze down at her hands, her face blank.
"You okay?" Jennifer asked.
Rona started to say something, then stopped and shook her
head. "I don't know what I'm feeling right now. This is all so
strange, so bizarre. You're tellin' me that vampires do exist, that
there ARE things out there that wanna eat you, and you're wondering
if I'm okay?"
"It'll take some getting used to," Xander assured her, giving her
a small smile. "I remember when I first met Buffy, the Slayer? I
thought she was just some new hottie. But then I overheard her
talking to Giles, her Watcher..."
"Just what 'is' a Watcher?" Rona interrupted. "Someone with
strong vision?"
Xander snorted, trying not to laugh. "Um...not really,
considering Giles is one of the top Watchers the Council has, and he
wears glasses constantly. A Watcher is a mentor, a teacher for the
Slayer. He or she helps the Slayer train, knows everything about
everything, and is generally an old British fogey." He earned
giggles from all three girls at that. "Giles, though...Giles has
always been different. When Buffy started doing things her way,
going against what the Council of Watchers told her to do, Giles
lost his job as a Watcher because he stuck by her. He's kind of the
father a lot of us never had. But yes, he's old, he's British, and
his pop-culture references make him a fogey."
More giggles from the girls now, and Rona relaxed. Maybe this
wouldn't be so bad.
Glancing out the window, she swallowed as she caught sight of her
house a few blocks up. "That's the one," she said, nodding to a
little white house. The car slowed to a halt in front of it. "Give
me five, ten minutes and I'll be outta there."
Xander nodded, turning to Jennifer. "Would you mind going with
her to help her with her bag?" he asked.
Jennifer sighed, reaching to unbuckle herself. "Yeah, I got it.
Just watch Jilly, will you?" She gave Xander a pointed glare as she
hopped out of the vehicle and followed Rona up the sidewalk.
"Why did he want you to help me with just one bag?" Rona asked,
frowning.
Jennifer raised her eyebrows. "Because he doesn't want you going
inside alone."
"Oh," was all Rona said as she opened the front door. The girls
stepped inside, Jennifer patiently waiting as Rona flipped on the
lights.
"Uncle Vern's still out," Rona explained, heading down a hallway
to the end room. "It's him, me, Great Aunt Miranda and my cousin
Nick. We make an odd family." She headed into her room, then
stopped, having just realized something. "What do I tell them?" she
hissed, glancing back at Jennifer. "What did you tell your parents?"
Jennifer winced and looked away, keeping her eyes on a poster on
the far wall. "I, um, lived with a caretaker. She was...was
murdered while we were trying to get out."
"Oh," Rona said again, paling. "Sorry. I didn't mean to..."
"Don't worry about it," Jennifer said, waving her hand with a
small smile. "It's no big. Um, you could write them a note about
going to a camp? Or, um, a school?"
"Camp at 'this' time of year?" Rona said, giving the other girl
a 'you're-kidding-me' look. "Nuh uh, not gonna work. Besides, they
always have slips for the guardians to sign."
"Well, then we go with the school..."
"Slips again," Rona said, sighing. "It won't work, either."
Jennifer bit her lip, thinking. "Ever run away before?" she
finally asked.
Rona grinned. "Who hasn't?"
"Then there's your answer," Jennifer said decidedly. "Tell them
you just need time for you to become a...a stronger person. So you
have to leave. You'll be back soon, or something like that."
Rona was already reaching for a pad of paper and a pencil to write
it all down on. She signed the note, ripped it from the pad, and
placed it on a rickety desk in the corner. She turned back to
Jennifer with a confident nod. "Okay. Help me pack?"

"You're going way too..."
"If you tell me I'm going too fast again, so help me Jenny, I'll
leave you on the side of the road."
"It's not like we're being chased or anything, and trust me, the
roads back here are dangerous. Virginia is known for its curvy,
windy roads, so just watch yourself, will you?"
"Not you too..."
"Are we gonna get pulleded over 'gain?"
Xander sighed, his eyes going up towards the ceiling in a 'some
higher being take pity on me' sort of way. "No Jillian, we're not
going to get pulled over. We never GOT pulled over before. Rona,
I've learned to drive on the literal mouth of Hell. I think I'll be
just fine. And Jennifer, don't grind your teeth. I know you're
probably doing it, but I just can't hear it."
"Yet," Jennifer muttered, causing Rona to snicker.
Xander whimpered and mumbled something about never volunteering
for the greater good again.
Jennifer grinned and opened her mouth to hassle him again, then
stopped as something moved out of the corner of her eye. She
frowned, turning to glance out of her side mirror. It was another
car; a black, beat up car that almost disappeared in the night's
gloom. She glanced back to get a better look at the people inside
the vehicle, but she couldn't see them very well. Her eyes widened
as she realized why: their black cloaks kept them camouflaged in the
dark.
"Uh, guys? Not to alarm anyone here, but we've got company," she
said in as calm a voice as she could manage.
Rona and Jillian turned to glance out the back window. "That's
the bad guys," Jillian whispered.
Xander took one look in his rear view mirror and cursed. "I
thought we'd gotten rid of them," he said, applying just a little
more speed. The car behind them picked up its pace as well, and
Xander cursed again. "Was hoping they wouldn't notice that," he
grumbled.
"Wouldn't notice what?" Rona asked, her eyes still glued to the
back window.
"The speed increase I just made."
THAT caught her attention. Rona's head whipped forward, and she
shook it rapidly. "That's not really something you wanna be doing
out here. Curvy, windy roads, remember? When they put those signs
up that say '25 mph' on a curve, you'd better do it, or you're gonna
go flying."
"They're getting closer," Jennifer said shakily, turning to
Xander. "If we can't speed up, what are we supposed to do?"
Xander frowned, thinking his options over. "Rona, how well do you
know this area?" he finally asked.
"I know it a little; my Uncle's got friends out this way. Where
exactly are you trying to get to?"
"The main highway," he replied. "This road'll take us there,
right?"
Rona nodded. "Are there any other roads that can get us there?"
he asked.
"There's a whole ton of back roads..." Rona started, before she
realized what Xander was getting at. "You think we can lose 'em?"
"That's what I'm hoping we'll do," Xander said. "But again with
the question: do you know this place well enough to do that?"
Rona paused, before shaking her head. "I know the general area,
but not the street names and whatever."
"That's all I need from you," Xander said, tossing a grin
Jennifer's way. "Would you kindly dig out the phone, please?"
Jennifer nodded, reaching down for the cell. She quickly
hit 'redial' and waited for the familiar cheerful voice.
It wasn't long in coming. "Summers' Residence."
"Willow, it's me, Jenny."
"Jenny, hey! What's..."
"We're kinda having problems at the moment," Jennifer said,
effectively cutting the woman off.
There was a pause. "You're having problems right now?" Willow
asked, and there was a frown in her voice. "What type of problems?"
Jennifer gave a nervous laugh. "Uh, the 'we're being followed by
homicidal maniacs' sort of problem."
"Where are you right now?"
Jennifer turned to Rona for the answer. "Tell her to pull out a
Virginia map and look for a Route 724 that dead ends on the
interstate," Rona told her, glancing back at the window once more.
Jennifer relayed the information on to Willow, who seemed to
already be digging out a map. "Uh, tell her she might wanna hurry!"
Rona yelled, watching with wide eyes as the car behind crept closer.
"I'm looking, just hold on," Willow muttered, obviously having
heard Rona just fine. There was a rustling of papers on Willow's
end of the phone, quickly followed by multiple voices. "Hold on, I
gotta set the phone down," Willow said, before Jennifer heard a
small 'thunk'. Willow's voice was muffled, but Jennifer could hear
her explaining the situation to the others.
"With all due respect to my best friend, 'please' tell her to
hurry up," Xander said, applying a little more speed. The Bringers
merely matched his new speed.
Just then, Willow came back on. "Okay, we found it. What exactly
are..."
"Look, we've got those cloaked guys on our tail, and we can't go
very fast, because we'd don't want to crash on these roads, and
we're thinking that if we take a lot of turns we'll outrun them, so
ANY help on how to reach the interstate from here would help!"
Jennifer said, the last of her 'calm' gone.
"See if you can catch a sign for a route or a street you pass.
Anything'll help, sweetie."
Jennifer forced herself to take a deep breath, then turned to the
others. "Xander, keep your eyes on the road. Rona, keep watch with
me for any signs that'll tell us where we are. Don't worry Jilly,"
Jennifer said, giving her sister a small smile. "We're gonna make
it."
Xander followed the road down a hill then around a curve, making
it hard for the two girls to see things. "Turn your brights on,"
Jennifer said.
"They ARE on," Xander answered, his face grim.
Both ends of the phone were silent, anxiously waiting. Jennifer
could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she scanned the
darkness for a white sign, a green sign, ANY sign...
"There!" Rona exclaimed. "We just passed Route 689!"
"Route 689," Jennifer told Willow.
More rustling of papers, and mumbled voices on the other end, each
one trying to find the route mentioned. "Found it!" a young girl's
voice called, and Jennifer released the breath she'd been holding.
"We found it," Willow said. "You guys are gonna hang a left at
the next street you come across. Don't ask what it is, just do it."
"Left on whatever street's next," Jennifer repeated.
Xander's eyes widened comically. "Then hang on," he said, seconds
before he swung the SUV to the left. The three girls squealed along
with the tires, and then they were shooting down a new darkened road.
"Jenny? JENNIFER!!"
Jennifer swallowed and raised the phone back up to her ear with
trembling hands. "We're here," she said shakily. "Xander's a
really crazy driver, you know that?"
"Hey!!"
Jennifer ignored him. "The next road, with a little more notice
this time?"
"Um...okay, head up past a Janine Drive, and then hang a right at
the next road you guys come across. It's only a right turn, so that
might help you find it."
Jennifer glanced up in time to see them fly past Janine
Drive. "Next right!" she said quickly, already having caught sight
of the road ahead of her. She grimaced and reached for the handle
above the door, holding on for dear life.
The SUV swung again, making an impressive ninety degree before
zooming down the road. "Next?" Jennifer asked, ignoring the
complaints from the back seat's occupants.
"Hang a left at the next road," Willow told her.
"Left at the first road," Jennifer said to Xander, before turning
to the back. "Rona, where are they?"
"Having a little more difficulty then we are, but they're still
behind us," Rona said. The teen sounded completely
shaken. "They're not as close, either."
"Wait! Hang a right!" Willow cried, just as they approached the
street.
Jennifer quickly turned back to the phone. "What?!"
"Right, right! Go right!"
"Go right!!" Jennifer yelled, as Xander reached to turn the
vehicle to the left. In a split second he was hitting the brakes
and sliding into a right turn instead, then punching the gas hard
enough to push everyone back into their seats.
Jennifer sighed in relief, before glaring at the phone. "What
happened to left?" she demanded.
"Whoops?" Willow said, sounding as if she could see the teen
glaring at her.
The car behind them, however, turned left to follow them. When
they realized that Xander had gone right, they'd also turned to the
right, only to slide into a ditch. The car turned over, then burst
into flames.
"Maybe not whoops," Jennifer said, turning to Xander. "Did you..."
"Yeah, I saw it," he said, letting out a whoosh of air. "Ask
Willow for the rest of those directions, if you please."

Chapter 27:

The two were just finishing getting dressed when Dawn
knocked. "Did you need something?" Buffy asked.
Dawn shrugged. "Not really. I just wanted to see if you two
enjoyed yourselves." She raised her eyebrows, causing her sister to
groan.
"You didn't hear us, did you?"
"I didn't hear anything; I just assumed you two were...well, you
know, since Spike didn't reappear anytime soon." She gave Spike a
wink, and Spike chuckled.
Just then, the phone rang. "Red'll get it," Spike said, rolling
his eyes. "There isn't a bloody call she doesn't pick up." As if
to prove his point, the ringing stopped.
"She feels bad for the people on the other end, who obviously
called us for a reason," Buffy explained in defense of her friend.
Dawn sighed. "Buffy, when she starts talking
to 'telemarketers'..."
Buffy laughed and headed down the stairs, Spike and Dawn right
behind her. Willow's voice drifted up the stairs to them. "Jenny,
hey! What's..."
Buffy reached the landing and watched Willow begin to
frown. "You're having problems right now?" the redhead said. "What
type of problems?"
Tara glanced over at Buffy and Spike from her spot on the sofa and
smiled. "Where are you right now?" Willow asked, and the tone of
her voice caused Tara to turn back to her girlfriend, her smile
disappearing.
"Wills? What's going on?" she asked softly.
Willow ignored her, instead hurrying over to the dining room. She
began rooting through a drawer that held assorted maps, before
pulling out one clearly marked 'Virginia'. She threw it onto the
table and began quickly thumbing over to the page she was looking
for. "I'm looking, just hold on," she muttered, turning another
page.
"What happened?" Buffy said, heading over to her best friend. The
others soon followed, arranging themselves at various points around
the table.
"Is Xander all right?"
"Red, what's goin' on?"
"Is Xander all right?"
"Who are you talking to?"
"Is Xander all right?"
Willow rolled her eyes. "Hold on, I gotta set the phone down,"
she said to the person on the other end. She placed the phone down,
then turned to the gang, her lips pursed. "From what I heard,
they've got Rona. They've got Bringers on their tail, though. The
roads are too twisted for them to really speed up without crashing.
Jennifer's on the phone now, Dawnie, and she's asking me to find the
road that they're on, though I'm not exactly sure what good that'll
do them. Xander's 'fine', Anya, I promise you. Now, if you'll help
me find a Route 724 that dead ends at the interstate..."
Several pairs of eyes immediately began searching the
page. "There," Spike said, pointing down at a squiggly line on the
page.
"Ick, what a road," Dawn said, wrinkling her nose.
Willow quickly grabbed the phone. "Okay, we found it. What
exactly are..."
She stopped abruptly, and the others listened as Jennifer began to
babble anxiously. "She doesn't sound like she's taking this very
well," Anya noted.
"See if you can catch a sign for a route or a street you pass.
Anything'll help, sweetie," Willow said, glancing over at the
others. "They're gonna try to lose them by making a lot of sudden
turns," she whispered, grimacing.
"Risky, but it might work," Buffy said, before she
nodded. "Better go with it."
The voices on the other end of the phone stopped talking, and the
gang listened with baited breath for their answer. Buffy bit her
lip as the silence began to stretch on for what seemed
forever. 'Let them make this,' she silently pleaded.
Suddenly a voice shouted on the other end of the phone, and a few
moments later Willow broke into a relieved smile. "Route 689," she
told the others, and instantly the Scoobies began to scan the page
for the route.
"Route 724 is really long," Tara murmured. "It looks like it runs
for over fifty miles."
"Has to be there," Spike said, his finger tracing the first
route. "It has to..."
"Found it!" Dawn squealed happily, pointing at a line that ran
perpendicular to Route 724.
"We found it," Willow repeated, glancing down at the route that
came after it. "You guys are gonna hang a left at the next street
you come across. Don't ask what it is, just do it. It's not like
you can see the names anyways," she added under her breath.
She jumped as screams came over the phone line, and then was
followed by silence. "Jenny?" she asked, her frown deepening when
there was no answer. "JENNIFER!!"
Willow sighed when Jennifer's shaky voice came through, telling
them that they were alive, and did they know that Xander was a crazy
driver? Xander responded indignantly to that, and the Scoobies who
heard him smiled.
"What is she saying?" Buffy asked, as Jennifer came back on.
Willow gave a sheepish grin. "She wants more notice for the next
turn," she said, before turning back to the phone and map. She bit
her lip as she concentrated on finding the next road. "Um..."
Spike already had his finger on another line, so Willow nodded and
took it. "Okay, head up past a Janine Drive, and then hang a right
at the next road you guys come across. It's only a right turn, so
that might help you find it."
"Have you found a good route for them to take?" Tara whispered to
Spike.
He paused, before nodding slowly. "Think so. Not sure, though."
He frowned, then nodded with more confidence. "Yeah, I've got it.
Red, tell Xander to take a left at the first road he comes across
after that right."
Willow nodded and repeated those instructions to Jennifer. "That
doesn't make sense," Dawn said suddenly, frowning as she glanced at
the map over Willow's shoulder. "Spike, we're trying to get them to
the interstate, not away from it."
"I know that," Spike said, puzzled. "That's why they have to take
a left here." He pointed to the road that they had to take, and
used his finger to show which direction they had to take on it.
Willow's eyes widened. "Oh wait, 'your' left, not mine?"
All heads dropped to look at the map. "We should all stay on one
side of the table to read a map properly," Anya said, grimacing.
"Wait! Hang a right!" Willow shouted into the phone. "Right,
right! Go 'right'!!"
The gang froze, waiting to hear the screech of metal or the
screams of the passengers. "What happened to left?" Jennifer said
loudly, and the Scoobies sighed with relief.
Willow gave a nervous giggle. "Whoops?" she said, knowing that
the girl was giving her the patented teen death glare.
"What's the next road?" Dawn asked, already turning to the map.
"Don't worry about it," Willow said suddenly, her face lighting
up. "That last turn got rid of the Bringers. They're safe."
Cheers went up all around the room at the good news. "Put Xander
on, would you?" Willow asked, plopping into a chair. Tara laid a
chaste kiss on the top of her girlfriend's head, and Willow's smile
brightened. Spike and Buffy shared a knowing look, before quickly
hurrying off to grab the other phones.
"Have I told you guys recently how much I love you?" Xander said
when everyone was on.
Spike laughed. "Take it everythin's fine and dandy then."
"Yeah, we're good to go. We've got Rona, Jenny, Jilly, me...yeah,
very good here. How about over there?"
"Exhausted," Willow said, slouching in her chair. "You would not
believe how nervous that made me. That was evil, Xander Harris!"
"Hey, I'm not the one who said to go left, then go right! I
happened to be right in the middle of the turn at the time. What
happened, exactly?"
Spike and Willow exchanged glances. "Miscommunication on the
map's part, and don't ask for any more details then that," Willow
finally said.
"Where are you headed next?" Buffy asked, shaking her head at the
two.
"Um...that girl that's a little further south in South Carolina.
You mind telling me how to get there?"
"Red can tell you later. Before she does, I figured you might
wanna know where Buffy's goin'."
"Going?" Xander said, a frown obvious in his voice. "What do you
mean, going?"
Buffy shot Spike a look. "Thank you, Spike," she muttered, and
Spike didn't even have to hear the sarcasm to know it was
there. "I'm going to LA, Xan. The whole Faith thing, remember?"
Xander groaned. "Oh yeah, that. Who's going with you?"
Spike pursed his lips but said nothing. Buffy made her way over
to his seat, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. "No one is," she
said quietly. "I'm going to meet Angel in LA, and we'll get Faith
out. I'll bring her here, end of story. I'll be gone two days at
the max."
"I would protest against this, but something tells me that someone
already has," Xander said.
Spike sighed. "Shouldn't be goin' alone with all the
nasties 'round," he mumbled.
"I'll be fine, sweetie," Buffy said, bending down to kiss his
brow. "And back before you know it. Xander'll go and get the girls
he's supposed to, and I'll go get the girl I'm supposed to. Okay?"
Spike sighed again but nodded. "It really is the best thing to
do," Willow softly said, giving him a smile.
"It probably is," Xander admitted grudgingly. "So when do you
leave?"
"As soon as I can," Buffy said. "Maybe tomorrow night. It should
be easy, because I've also told Robin that I know about the reasons
he's here. He's on board, and ready to help, and he'll let me off
for a few days on account of knowing of my slaying duties. Speaking
of which, Spike and I should probably go do that. I'll leave Willow
to you so you can work out the next place you have to get to, okay?"
Xander agreed, and Willow reached for the map again. "I still
don't like it," Spike said after he'd hung up.
Buffy hit the 'off' button on her phone. "Neither do I. But it's
gotta get done, so we might as well get it done now. Care to go
beat up a demon or two to work off frustrations?"
Spike gave her a grin as he followed her to the door. "I can
think of a better way to work off frustrations."
"You would," Buffy said with a laugh, reaching for her coat.