Interlude the Sixth: An extension of Step Forward
    
Written by Nebula
    
Occurs during Chapter 33 (to be read before Ch. 33)
    
A PG-13 overall
    
Xander is traveling around the United States, gathering Potentials. 
These are his adventures.
   
NN: This can be also found at my LiveJournal, with the correct html,
and at my site:
 
http://authoressnebula.livejournal.com
http://www.geocities.com/stepforward_os

All thoughts, emphasized words, and italics are found 'in these'.
  
< --- >
    
  I:6 - All in the Eyes of a Child

  Jillian yawned and snuggled into her seat.  She still wasn't one-
hundred percent awake yet.  They'd almost made it to their
destination the previous night, but Xander had pulled into a hotel,
saying they'd start again the next morning.  No one had disagreed.
  She'd had a complimentary breakfast just an hour ago, and even the
sweet taste of Froot Loops hadn't been enough to keep her from
rubbing at her eyes every other bite.  She'd yawned right before
taking another spoonful of the cereal, and Jennifer had been worried
about her choking.
  "Go back to sleep," Xander advised, having heard her yawn.  "We're
still a ways off."
  "Why do we keep having to get up so early for this stuff?" Rona
moaned.
  Jillian watched Xander roll his eyes and giggled.  Xander could
roll his eyes just like sissy could.  She started to ask Rona if she
could roll her eyes too, but yawned again instead.
  "Get some sleep," Jennifer told her.  "We'll wake you up when we
get there, promise."
  But Jillian was asleep before Jennifer had finished.

  When Jillian opened her eyes next, there were a lot more cars
around them.  The sun was higher in the sky, and she was definitely
more awake.  "Where're we?" she asked, leaning towards the front
seats.
  "Almost into town," Xander said, sparing her a glance.  He gave
her a smile, and she in turn gave him a huge grin.
  "Well, looks like she's not sleepy anymore," Rona said dryly. 
Jennifer snorted in an attempt to smother her chuckles.
  Jillian turned and scowled at Rona, then turned back towards the
front in time to see them pass a welcoming sign.  "We here?" Jillian
asked, bouncing.
  Xander had barely nodded when Jillian continued, "Good, `cause I
wants out.  My butt's flatter then a pancake."
  The other three passengers exchanged amused glances, before
turning back to her.  Jillian frowned.  "S'true!" she insisted,
crossing her arms and pouting.
  Fifteen minutes later Jillian got her request in the form of a
park.  "I've gotta go over the directions anyways," Xander had said
as he'd turned the car off, and Jillian hadn't waited to hear what
else he'd had to say.  She'd jumped out of the SUV, making a beeline
for the swings.  Rona and Jennifer had followed behind her, and soon
all three were reaching new heights.
  A school bus now appeared, picking teens up for their daily
education.  "Um, aren't we going to get into trouble?  You know,
kids not in school, neighbors report us, cops come.?" Jennifer asked
uneasily.
  Rona shrugged.  "We can just say we're homeschooled.  No big."
  Jennifer nodded in understanding.  Jillian frowned in non-
understanding.  "What's that?" she asked.
  "It means that you don't go to regular school; you can do your
lessons and stuff at home.  My friend did it for awhile," Rona
explained.
  The bus pulled away as Rona finished, and Jillian turned to watch
it go.  If you didn't go to school, you couldn't ever ride the bus. 
But maybe you could do your ABC's in your pajamas.  She was still
contemplating this when she saw a girl hurry through the bushes
where the bus had stopped.
  Jillian watched as the girl saw the bus disappear down the road. 
Her straight blonde hair was pulled back in a limp ponytail.  She
was a little heavier than the girls Jillian was used to seeing, but
she was still very pretty.  Even though she wasn't looking very
happy at the moment.
  "Missed the bus.  Nothing I haven't done before," Jennifer said,
having noticed the girl as well.  Rona nodded emphatically in
agreement.
  "Could we giv'd her a ride?" Jillian asked her sister.
  Jennifer shrugged.  "I'm not driving, Jilly.  You'd have to ask
Xander about.wait!"
  Jillian had already taken off towards the SUV, to where Xander was
folding up his map.  "Xanner!" she called out, hurrying over to
him.  "There's this girl an' she misseded her bus an', an', can we
giv'er a ride?"
  Xander stared, stunned into silence by her babble.  "Pwease?" she
said, jutting her bottom lip forward for added benefit.  Jennifer
called it her `puppy face' and said she could get anything she
wanted with it.  Jillian seriously hoped her sissy was right.
  Xander finally blinked, then nodded, looking dazed.  "Let me, uh,
get the car," he said, waving the other two girls over.  Jillian
gave a squeal of delight before launching herself a Xander, wrapping
her arms around his knees for a big thank you hug.
  Jennifer and Rona gave the two knowing grins as they headed into
the SUV.  Jillian was placed in her seat, and the four started off
after the girl, who had begun to wearily head off in the bus's
direction.
  Xander parked the car some distance behind her, and Jillian
quickly hopped out, followed by a more cautious Jennifer.  "Wait!"
Jillian yelled to the girl, running as fast as she could towards
her.  The girl's head whipped around, and her eyes widened at the
sight of little Jillian coming at her.
  Jillian slid to a halt in front of the girl and waved.  The girl
gave a small smile and waved back.  "Did you miss the bus?" Jillian
asked before the girl could say anything.
  The girl blinked, before she nodded ruefully.  "Guess you could
say that.  Why?"
  Jillian beamed at her.  "'Cause we gots a car with lotsa seats,
an', an', if you tell Xanner where you needs to go we can get you
there!"
  The girl blinked again, bewildered once more.  "Being late isn't
fun," Jennifer said, stepping forward.  "I've been there, done that
a million times myself.  My friends and I wanted to offer you a
ride, if you're at all interested."
  Jillian bounced on the cement, watching the girl think it over. 
Finally the girl sighed, hefting her backpack over her
shoulder.  "Why not.  Might actually get to class on time for once."
  Jillian clapped her hands happily, before grabbing the girl's hand
and leading her over to the SUV, all the while chatting about how
fast the SUV was, and how good a driver Xander was, and what grade
was she, and was her school big, because she'd never been to school
before.
  "Sorry about her being such a chatterbox," Jennifer apologized
once they were all buckled up.
  The girl smiled shyly, shaking her head.  "Don't worry about it. 
I think it's kinda cute."
  "Where to, Miss?" Xander said in his best British voice.  All the
girls giggled.
  "Did you pick that up from Spike?" Jennifer asked, grinning.
  Xander shrugged.  "You'll pick lots of stuff up from Spike over
the years.  How to open a beer bottle, how to cheat at pool and
poker.but I digress.  Which way to yonder school?"
  The girl smiled again, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her
ear.  "Go straight until you reach Oakville Road, and then hang a
left."
  Jillian turned to the girl, extending her hand.  "M'Jilyan," she
announced with a grin.
  The girl reached out and shook Jillian's hand.  "Nice to meet
you.  I'm Megan."
  "How do you spell that?" Xander asked suddenly, glancing over at
Jennifer.  Jennifer gave a small nod and reached down for a piece of
paper.
  Megan frowned but spelled her name out.  "Your last name wouldn't
happen to be Dousher, would it?" Xander asked casually.
  "Yeah, it actually is, but how did you know that?"
  Jillian's eyes widened.  They'd accidentally found their
Potential.  "We was looking for you!" Jillian exclaimed.  "We came
to warn you `bout the bad guys."
  Megan glanced at Jillian with a frown, then turned her frown
towards the front.  "What is she talking about?" she asked.
  "I'll explain," Jennifer said quickly, before Xander could
start.  "You're liable to scare the poor girl.  Okay, here's the
wacky rundown: Xander works for a California company that, believe
it or not, fights supernatural evil.  Vampires, demons, werewolves,
you name it.  They're all real.  And the master of them all, the
ultimate evil, has decided to try its hand at taking the good guys,
Xander and his friends, down.  But there's something standing in its
way.  Tons of something's actually.  Okay, some'one''s.  Girls with
the power to become Slayers, strong girls with supernatural powers
that fight the evil.  And that would be us.  Me, Rona, you, and
dozens of other girls.  Of course, the evil is trying to get rid of
us, so we came to warn and possibly rescue you.  Got all that?"
  Jillian glanced over at Megan's dropped jaw.  "I saw `em," she
whispered confidentially to the stunned teen.  "Bad men with knives
an' black dresses an' no eyes."
  "Holy crap," Megan mumbled.  "And.they're after 'me'?"
  Xander nodded.  "Unfortunately.  That's where we come in to save
you.  We'd like to take you to California with us, where our base
is.  So we can keep you safe and train you."
  "Train?"
  "Teach you how to defend yourself, how to fight," Rona
explained.  "I'm from Virginia.  Jenny and Jilly are from New York. 
We'd like to add a little Alabama to the mix."
  "Defend myself," Megan murmured, and Jillian frowned.  Megan
looked.sad.  An angry sort of sad.
  "We know it's a lot to take in," Jennifer said, "So think about it
over school, and then let us know by tonight if you can."
  "Already thought it over," Megan said, glancing up at them with a
determined air.  "I want out of this town.  I'm going with you guys."
  There was a stunned silence in the vehicle.  "That was fast,"
Xander finally said.
  "Are you sure about." Rona started, but Megan was already nodding
furiously.
  "I've grown up with monsters and evil.  My mom split with my dad
and married his brother, who's always there to bring me down with
his fists.  I'm tired of it.  I've grown up in fear, and I'm 'sick'
of it.  I want to fight back."
  Jillian glanced up at Xander, and frowned at the look on his
face.  He looked surprised, but there something else on his face she
couldn't read.  "Would you care to leave now?" he asked quietly.
  Megan nodded again.  "Which way to your house then?" Xander asked,
his voice still very soft.
  Megan pointed at the street they were approaching.  "Hang a right
there, and hang another right at the next street up.  I'm a little
further down, maybe two blocks.  Light blue house, paint peeling off
the sides, dirt road beside it."
  Jennifer nodded, then began telling Megan to just grab one bag of
things.  Clothes first, then anything else she might value.  Megan
nodded, and soon Xander had pulled up in her driveway.
  "Is anyone home right now?" Xander asked.
  Megan shook her head, her cheeks turning pink.  "They went out
this morning.  Breakfast, I think.  I can grab my stuff fast."  She
paused, and Jillian frowned when Megan's cheeks turned even
redder.  "Sorry about.ranting out on you guys," she said, clearly
embarrassed.
  Xander shook his head, turning to glance back at her.  "Don't be. 
It got me through a lot of years of my own childhood.  Just to know
someone's listening always helps.  I had two best friends that did
that for me.  I was lucky."
  Megan blinked, staring with surprise.  "Your.?"
  "Dad," Xander said, giving her a small smile.  "You're not alone
on that."
  Jillian watched as Megan slowly began to smile, looking truly
happy for the first time since she'd seen her that morning.  "I'll
be right back," she said, heading out of the SUV.
  Xander nodded, then turned to the passenger seat.  "Jennifer."
  "On it," Jennifer said, already unbuckling herself and opening her
door.
  Jillian watched her sister hurry to catch up to Megan, before
turning to Xander, puzzled.  "Is her uncle an' your daddy both
meanies?" she asked.
  Xander gave her a small smile, reaching back to muss her hair
up.  "You could say that, Jilly."
  Five minutes later, they were on the road again, Megan now a
member of their traveling gang.


 

Chapter 33:

              
< --- >
 
  "Ankle now."
  "No!"
  "Buffy, it needs."
  "For you to stop arguing over it.  I want you fixed up first, and
then we'll deal with my ankle."
  "I'm as fixed as I'm gonna be, pet.  Your ankle needs tendin' to,
and soon."
  "Spike, I'm."
  "Not fine, don't pull that crap with me Summers.  Red, get me an
ice pack for her, would you?"
  "Willow, I'm."
  "Oh for crying out loud, will you two shut up?" Willow sighed,
standing to retrieve the ice pack.  "You two 'so' belong together."
  Buffy and Spike glanced at each other sheepishly.  "Your ankle
really does need tendin' to," Spike said softly.  "Why won't you let
me take care of you?"
  "It's not that, it really isn't.  It's just."  Buffy
sighed.  "Just another proof that I'm not as strong as I need to be."
  "You're 'human', luv," he said, giving her a look.  "You're not
supposed to be untouchable.  If you were, where would that leave
me?" he teased.
  Buffy rolled her eyes but smiled.  "In desperate need of a shag, I
believe you would say," she said, laughing at his smirk.  The smirk
looked a lot better without a split lip.
  Faith had gone down into the basement after Buffy, helping the two
blondes up the stairs.  Robin had been unconscious, and everyone had
been wearing identical pleased expressions.  Buffy had had no
problem figuring out what had happened after she'd headed downstairs.
  Two hours later, Spike was tucked in bed, wounds treated and
already healing.  He'd started nagging Buffy to treat HER wound, but
she'd argued, using the `I-have-to-check-your-bandages' excuse.
  "I think you're strong enough to do anythin'," Spike said, gently
cupping her face with his hand.  Buffy leant into the touch, and he
continued.  "You keep talkin' `bout you not bein' strong enough;
you've been doin' it since the year started.  Why?"
  Buffy bit her lip.  "It's no big," she started, but Spike shook
his head.
  "Don't avoid it.  You've been doin' that, too.  You told me
earlier this year that you couldn't fix anythin' if I didn't let you
in.  Same goes here, Buffy.  Let me in.  Let me help.  At least, let
me try."
  Buffy leaned forward, laying her head against his chest.  She
didn't want to do this, but he'd asked, and he deserved to
know.  "The first time around, this year, I.I didn't tell you guys
everything before we left," she said.
  "Didn't tell us everythin'?" Spike asked, his hands coming up to
wrap around her.
  "Yeah.  The.the men in the portal, the night before we did the
spell?  One of them showed."  Buffy swallowed and closed her
eyes.  "He showed me what was going to happen.  At the end."
  Silence.  Spike's arms tightened around her and didn't let
go.  "The final fight?" he asked quietly.
  Buffy nodded against him.
  "Did you.did you see who.?"
  "No, I don't know who wins," Buffy said.  "I just saw a huge
army.  One I couldn't possibly hope to win against.  And I was
scared," she admitted softly.
  He placed a kiss on her brow, threading his fingers through her
hair.  "We'll make it," he said.  "I promise.  And we'll be right
behind you."
  "Always?" she whispered as Willow came in with the ice pack.
  "Always," he whispered back.

  "You should really have somebody look at that," Faith said,
glancing over at the man on the sofa.  He ignored her.
  She sighed, stepping up to the open door.  "So.is this an open
invitation?"
  "I don't really care anymore," he muttered, reaching for another
beer.
  Faith groaned.  "Okay, gettin' real tired of the whole `woe is me'
shit.  So you got beat up by B; nothin' that hasn't happened before
to most people I know.  Besides, you really did screw up big time. 
I mean, kidnapping her dream guy?  Not the smartest move."
  "I take it she sent you over here?" he asked, finally looking up
at her.
  "Pretty much, yeah," Faith said, before glancing over at the
bottles lined up beside him.  "You mind tossin' one my way?"
  He glanced at the bottles, then turned back to her with a
sigh.  "Come on in," Robin said wearily.
  Faith gave him a grin and headed in, plucking a still capped
bottle from his side and taking a seat next to him.  Robin said
nothing.
  "I gotta ask why, `cause this whole thing seemed a little too.I
don't know.over the top.  What were you gonna do with him anyways?"
  Robin began to reply, then stopped, frowning slightly.  Faith
regarded him with an odd look.  "I don't really know," he admitted
finally, turning to her.  "She was supposed to show me what to do
next."
  "She?"
  "My mother," Robin said, glancing away, but not before Faith
caught a glimmer of something dangerous in his eyes.  "He killed
her."
  "Okay, getting the whole `he has to die' thing, but I would've
thought you'd have done the deed back at their house."
  "She told me to bring him here and secure him, and then she would
take care of him, make him pay," Robin said quietly, before taking
another sip.
  Faith leaned back, popping the top from her bottle and taking a
long, hard swig.  "You, uh, do know that mommy dearest wasn't."
  "Real?  I knew.  But it was.that perfume she used to wear down to
the earrings she'd received from 'her' mother.I just.just wanted to."
  "To have her," Faith said softly, and he turned towards her,
blinking with surprise.  "I get that.  There's a person I was close
to, and he's dead now.  He was like a dad to me.  If I ever see him
again.well, 'when' I see him again, `cause from what B's tellin' me,
it won't be long `till I do, but when I do see him, I'm gonna
freak.  Among other things," she added under her breath.
  "Buffy's going to kill me, isn't she?" Robin asked,
sighing.  "I've made a real mess of things.  I really DID want to
help, but I got so blinded by this knowledge, this hate for him,
that I lost sight of the helping part."
  Faith shrugged.  "Personally, as I'm a Slayer, she could've sent
ME over to finish the job, but she didn't.  Both blondes asked how
you were doin' and asked if I'd come over to check.  So they still
gotta prefer you not dead.
  "As for the screwin' things over, I'm the queen of that.  I've
tried to kill B and all of her friends at one point.  I even sided
with the big bad of that year.  But I'm still here, and I'm on the
right track now.  People get lost, let emotions take over.  It's
what makes `em human.  Does that make sense?"
  Robin stared at her, before a small smile appeared on his
face.  "Yeah, it does," he said.  Faith returned the smile, then
took another sip.
  "So, if you're the queen of screwing things up, that would make
me."
  "Court jester."
  "Why not king?"
  "You've got nothin' on me.  Nothin' at all."

  Willow hung up the phone just as Buffy came in.  "Well?" the
Slayer asked, plopping down into a nearby chair.
  "Xander's got girl number three," Willow informed her happily,
turning back to her map of the USA.  "He's heading north to
Wisconsin next for.for Vi, actually.  There's only three left for
him to pick up."
  Buffy's smile broadened.  "What's got her oh so happy?" Spike
asked, entering and heading straight for the refrigerator.
  "Xander's only got three more girls and then he's heading home,"
Buffy chirped.
  Spike paused, hand on a blood bag.  "It'll make Anya very happy,"
Willow continued, grinning.  "And we'll have to set up places for
our new guests."
  "Not to alarm you ladies," Spike said slowly, closing the fridge
without his blood, "but I believe we have guests right now."
  Both women froze at this.  "Front door?" Buffy whispered.  Spike
nodded.
  "All together?" Willow asked in a hushed tone.
  "Be the best idea," Spike said, equally as quiet.
  Together the three made their way to the front door.  "Stay back;
there's still sun out," Buffy told him, taking the final two steps
towards the windows next to the door.  Her jaw dropped as she saw
who was outside, and before the other two could ask who it was,
she'd flung the door open.
  Giles smiled at her.  "As much as it pains me to admit it, I
actually missed this town."
  "GILES!" she exclaimed, launching herself into his arms.  Spike
and Willow relaxed.
  "Nothing like being scared out of your wits to make a moment
special," Willow muttered.
  Spike chuckled.  "You wanna head upstairs and tell the others?"
  "Good idea."  She quickly took the stairs two at a time, anxious
to get back down and welcome Giles herself.
  Giles stepped into the house, and the two Brits exchanged
genuinely pleased smiles.  "It's good to see you again, Spike,"
Giles said, offering the vampire his hand.
  "Good to see you too, Rupert."
  Their hands had barely dropped when Giles was almost tackled to
the floor by Dawn.  "I missed you so much!" she squealed.
  Giles blinked.  "I missed you as well, Dawn.  Now, if you wouldn't
mind.?"
  "Sorry," Dawn said, letting go immediately.  "But I really did
miss you."
  Giles smiled affectionately at her.  "As did I."
  Tara and Anya were next, hurrying down to hug their father
figure.  Willow followed down behind them, giving Giles a wide smile
and a huge hug when it was her turn.  "You have been very much
missed, Mr. Giles," she said stiffly, though her grin belied the
tone.
  "As have you, Ms. Rosenberg.  You and Tara have become fine
witches, and I'm very proud of you both," Giles said softly.
  Willow blushed but couldn't stop the huge smile from lighting up
her face.  "Thank you."
  "So, should we put you up on the sofa again?  I bet I could find
those sheets you had last time if I tried." Buffy teased.
  Giles gave her a look.  "I'd rather not.  Besides, you'll have to
make up more than one bed."
  Willow pulled away, frowning.  "More than one?  Um, can I ask
why?"  She headed to the doorway, glancing outside around the porch.
  As she turned to the left, her head almost bumped into someone
else's.  A smirking someone else's.  Willow's eyes widened as she
froze.
  "Hi there," Kennedy said, grinning.


 

Chapter: 34 of ?
                                
Pairings: S/B, X/A, W/T, D/J, Ang/C
                                
Time Period: After the summer following 'Back Track'
                             
Rating: PG-13, occasionally R or 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 has
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:  If you'd like to see this with the actual italics, head on over
to the site (http://www.geocities.com/stepforward_os) or my
LiveJournal (http://authoressnebula.livejournal.com).
  
As usual, all emphasized words and thoughts (basically anything that
would be italics) are enclosed in 'these'.  Enjoy!
                
< --- >
  
  Willow knew she was staring, but she couldn't help it.  Standing
in front of her was the girl she'd gone out with, had held,
had 'kissed', because Tara had been dead.
  But Tara wasn't dead this time around.  Tara also didn't know
about the whole Kennedy thing.  Willow hadn't tried to hide it from
her; she'd simply forgotten.  'Way to go, dummy,' she chastised
herself.  'NOW what?'
  Kennedy took two steps forward, and Willow quickly took two steps
back into the house.  "I'm Kennedy," Kennedy said, still giving that
smirk-smile.  "And you would be.?"
  Willow swallowed.  "W-Willow.  Nice to meet you."
  Kennedy's smirk widened.  "It's very nice to meet 'you'."
  Willow swallowed again.
  Suddenly an arm wrapped around her waist, and Willow almost shot
through the ceiling.  "I'm Tara," Tara said sweetly, giving Kennedy
a bright smile.  "Willow, sweetheart, let the poor girl in?"
  Kennedy's smirk disappeared in two seconds flat.  "Nice to meet
you," she muttered, heading into the house.
  Tara's arm still hadn't released her.  "Um, honey?  I've got to
see about the other girls I saw," Willow said.
  Tara nodded and pulled away, but not before placing a kiss on
Willow's right cheek.  "I'll go see if I can't make them something
to eat," the blonde said cheerfully, before heading into the kitchen.
  Willow watched her go, then glanced over at the others.  Buffy and
Spike's jaws were practically on the ground as their eyes followed
Tara.  Dawn's eyes were wide with disbelief, and even Giles looked
stunned.
  "Um, we can come in, right?" a heavy British accent said.  Willow
turned to Molly and Annabelle, who were glancing around the inside
of the house from the outside.  Willow nodded with a smile, ushering
them into the living room.  Kennedy was seated on the sofa, glaring
in the direction of the kitchen.
  With a small shake of her head Willow closed the front door.  Not
what she'd been expecting.

  If the entrance of Kennedy hadn't been what they'd been expecting,
the afternoon was even more of a shock.
  Molly asked questions about everything.  Annabelle shushed Molly
whenever she did so.  Nothing different from the first time around.
  Kennedy, however, hadn't stopped glowering since she'd taken a
seat on the sofa.  Her eyes would linger on Willow, and then her
glare would deepen whenever she glanced over at Tara.  Tara, after
having gathered snacks for everyone, had promptly taken a seat next
to Willow, grabbing onto the redhead's hand and refusing to let go.
  Buffy turned her gaze from the three women to Giles, who had just
given her the Council's files on the First.  "I'm sure you know more
about it then I or these files might," Giles said, giving her a
knowing look, "but they may be of some use.  I figured I'd bring
them along, just in case."
  Buffy gave a small head nod, and everyone reached forward to grab
a folder or book.  Molly timidly raised her hand in the air.  "Um,
Miss Summers?  Where are the others?"
  It took Buffy a few moments to figure out what the girl
meant.  "You mean the other Potentials?  There's some already here,
but most of them will be arriving with our friend, Xander.  Or on
buses, sent by their Watchers."  She frowned, glancing at the three
girls.  "How much do you guys know about the whole Slayer-vampire
thing?"
  "Mr. Giles told us most of it on the flight over here: about the
history of Slayers, how to kill a vampire, who you were, who Mr.
Spike was.just things like that."
  "Best thing he could've done," Spike said, nodding in
approval.  "To give you girls a warnin': I'm not like other
vampires.  None of the others are gonna have souls, much less want
one.  I'm on your side, and I'm gonna help you girls as much as I
can.  And the name's just Spike."
  "I was going to applaud them for sitting through his explanation
and staying awake," Buffy said, grinning at her Watcher.
  Giles gave her an annoyed glare.  "Oh come on, Giles!  You can be
extremely stuffy when you want to be," Buffy said defensively, still
grinning.
  "Indeed," he said sourly, though his eyes were bright with
amusement.
  "I didn't think he was being stuffy at all," Kennedy said,
speaking for the first time since she'd entered the house.  "We're
going to need that information to beat this thing.  It's important
stuff, and you're just gonna make fun of it like that?  I thought
you were the responsible, mature leader who we'd be safe with."
  Inside, Buffy was seething.  Who did she think she was?  Buffy'd
give her responsible, all right.  Seven years on a Hellmouth changed
a person; it had certainly changed her.  On the outside, she
remained emotionless, though her cheeks flushed with anger and
slight embarrassment.
  She felt Spike tense beside her, but before he could say anything
to Kennedy, Anya rose to her feet.  "I think Buffy's had a lot more
responsibilities then you could ever imagine.  I've only been here a
few years and I know it's a dangerous place to live in, let alone
protect.  You're on the mouth of Hell, and I think she knows a lot
more about it then you do.  Nothing in a book will prepare you for
this.  I've seen some scary things here, and I'm an ex-vengeance
demon who happens to be over one thousand years old.  Not too much
creeps me out.  As for mature, I think you just proved where YOU
stand on that scale with that little speech of yours."
  Silence descended on the room as Anya calmly headed into the
kitchen.  Everyone's eyes were wide, including Kennedy's.
  "I gotta hand it to Xander: he sure knows how to pick the spitfire
girls," a voice from the entranceway said.  Buffy turned to see
Faith grinning at her.  The dark-haired Slayer's eyes roamed over
the new girls, her gaze landing on Kennedy.  "And I'm with little
Mrs. Harris.  B knows what's she's doin', and you'd be an idiot to
not see that.  She'll get you through the bad times."  She continued
to grin, but it was much more dangerous now, an obvious challenge to
argue with her or a warning to not do such a thing.
  Kennedy wisely kept her mouth shut, her face flaming.
  When Faith glanced over at her sister Slayer, Buffy sent her a
grateful smile.  "How was Robin?" she asked.
  "Well, the guy knows his beer, I'll give him that.  We talked for
awhile, but he's cool.  Wanted to know if you were gonna kill him."
  Buffy shook her head.  "Not unless he tries anything like that
again.  If he does.I won't be held accountable for my actions, let's
just put it that way."
  "Nah; he was pretty mad at himself, hating that he got caught up
in the whole lie even when he KNEW it was a lie.  That sorta thing."
  Buffy froze.  "Lie?" Giles asked, frowning.
  Faith nodded.  "He said his mom told him to do it.  Here's the
kicker: she's been dead ever since he was a kid."
  "The First," Willow breathed.  "Oh goddess."
  Spike closed his eyes, and Buffy reached over to take his
hand.  "Did she tell him to kill Spike?" Dawn asked, her fists
clenched.
  "She just said to take him into the basement, and she'd deal with
him.  That was it."
  Buffy's grip on his hand tightened.  They both knew what the First
had tried to do.  Spike was paler than normal, and though he kept
his face blank, his hand trembled slightly in Buffy's.  Buffy,
however, couldn't hide her emotions this time.  Her lips were
pressed tightly together, her eyes glittering with fury and hate for
the thing that had tried to take Spike from her again.
  Willow had also gone rigid in her seat, her mind giving her happy
thoughts of if she could really hit the First with spells.  She knew
Xander would also be pissed off and worried for Spike the moment she
called and told him.  They remembered how bad their friend had been
after the First had captured him the first time around.  Broken
bones, too weak to move, water in his lungs.
  The other Scoobies were silently angry for their friend, even
though they had no knowledge of what had happened the first time
around.  If either blonde had glanced up, they would've seen fury
and rage on Dawn, Tara, and even Giles' faces.
  Giles cleared his throat, forcing his emotions down.  "I would
suggest that we begin finding out what we can from these files."
  "You girls might as well make yourselves comfortable," Buffy said,
gritting her teeth.  "Welcome to lesson one of fighting evil:
research.  Dawnie, call the others.  The more eyes we have on this,
the better."
  Dawn nodded, heading for the phone.  Buffy began glancing through
the book she'd taken earlier, looking for any mention of `ultimate
evil' or `the First'.
  No one said anything about her hand still tightly grasping Spike's.


 

< --- >
     
  I:7 - Are We There Yet?

  Xander stretched and glanced over at his charges, which now
numbered four.  They were chatting happily while finishing lunch,
their minds anywhere else but on the evil that was after them.
  Megan had been quiet all the day before as they'd left Alabama,
answering in monosyllables if spoken to.  They'd stayed at a small
hotel for the night, with all the girls in one room, and Xander in
the room right next to them.  He'd left the door between their rooms
open, just in case.  Towards midnight, he'd heard voices, so he'd
crept out of bed to investigate.  He'd found Rona, Jennifer, and
Megan all whispering on one of the beds.  Well, it had mainly been
Megan whispering, with Jennifer and Rona listening in.  Xander had
quietly gone back to bed.
  The next morning, Megan had been a lot more cheerful, even
giggling with the girls at certain points.  Whatever they'd talked
about the night before seemed to have set the girl at ease.
  Xander cleared his throat, bringing their attention back to
him.  "We should probably get going," he said, standing.  "Oh, and
the trash needs to be taken care of."
  Jennifer grabbed the tray full of empty wrappers and handed it to
him.  "That's so sweet of you to offer, Xander," she said, beaming. 
Behind her, the others tried to not laugh.
  Xander gave her a mock glare as he took the tray.  "Thanks ever
so," he muttered, leaving the girls to their giggles.  He dumped the
trash, then headed out to the SUV, the girls still talking non-stop
behind him.
  As they headed out onto the highway, Xander couldn't help noticing
how the girls kept Jillian in their conversation.  She was ten years
younger than any of them at least, but they listened and told her
everything just as if she was a teen herself.  He smiled at that,
and made a mental note that if he and Anya ever had kids, that that
should be one of the things they did: include the youngest ones.
  The conversation had slowed to a halt by then, the girls all
content to watch the passing scenery.  Xander's smile grew at the
silence.  He didn't mind the babble, was quite used to it after
Sunnydale, but silence was still nice to have every now and then.
  "Xanner?"
  Okay, no silence then.  "Yeah Jilly?" he asked.
  "Can I asks you a question?"
  Xander wondered briefly why she didn't just ask him the question
instead of asking if she could ask him.  She was probably going to
ask for a bathroom.  Or food.  He could do those.
  But.surely she wouldn't ask 'that' question, would she?  Please
no.  Not 'that' one.  "Go ahead."
  "Are we there yet?"
  And there it was.  He'd known those four words would pop up
eventually.  Knew that someone was bound to ask them.  "No, not yet."
  "Oh," was Jillian's reply.  Xander brought his attention back to
the road.
  "Are we there yet?"
  Xander glanced in the back mirror to see her staring at him
innocently.  Megan and Rona, on the other hand, seemed to be having
trouble not smirking.  "No," Xander replied, taking a deep breath.
  Silence.  Xander kept his eyes on the road.  She was going to ask
again, he just knew it.  Could feel it, just like Buffy could feel a
vampire close by.  It put him on edge, knowing that lurking around
the corner were those four damnable words that parents across
America hated with a passion.
  "Are we there yet?"
  Xander whimpered.  Smothered giggles were heard. 
  The next five minutes passed something like this:
  "Are we there yet?"
  "No."
  "Are we there yet?"
  A sigh.  "No, Jilly."
  "Are we there yet?"
  Snickering.  "You three stay out of this."
  "We didn't say anything!"
  "Are we there yet?"
  "No."
  "Are we there 'yet'?"
  "NO!  And we won't be for another few hours."
  "Oh."
  Xander gave a sigh of relief when no response was given.  He
should've told her that sooner.  Actually, they wouldn't be hitting
Wisconsin until probably early tomorrow, but that was if Xander
didn't push.
  "Are we there yet?"
  Xander slowly glanced in the rear view mirror.  She was actually
asking him 'again' with a straight face.  The teens, on the other
hand, couldn't keep a straight face if their lives depended on
it.  "Did you put her up to this?" Xander demanded.
  The others shook their heads.  "She's asking all on her own," Rona
said.
  "Why can't we be there yet?" Jillian whined, bouncing in her seat.
  "Because I can't do a spell that'll magically transport us to our
location.  Very sorry to disappoint, but I have no talent in the
magic department.  You'll have to talk to Willow about that."
  "Is she your friend in Sunnydale?" Megan asked.
  Xander nodded.  These questions he could handle.  "Yeah, she's
been my best bud since we were little.  She's also a witch."
  "You mean she can do that hocus pocus stuff?" Megan said
incredulously.
  "No, I mean she can really levitate things, spark electricity and
flames from her fingers, put up a defense shield.real magics.  Her
and Tara can both do that."
  "Who's Tara?" Rona asked, frowning.
  Xander smiled at the thought of the blonde.  "Tara is Willow's
other half."
  Megan nodded in understanding, before she frowned.  "Tara's an odd
name for a guy."
  Xander's smile turned into a grin.  "Might be because it's a
girl's name."
  Their eyes widened when they caught on.  "Oh," was all Rona said.
  "So Willow could really transport us there if she wanted to?"
Megan asked, shaking herself.
  "Unfortunately, it's not that easy.  That's a lot of power she'd
have to use, and the distance is too great, so no."
  Suddenly a tiny hand shot towards the front.  "What are you
doing?" Jennifer asked her sister.
  "I needs the phone!" Jillian insisted.
  "What for?"
  Jillian sighed at her sister's `ignorance'.  "'Cause I gots to
call Miss Willow.  She can help us get there!"
  Jennifer rolled her eyes.  "Xander just got through explaining how
Willow couldn't transport us there, Jilly."
  "She's not gonna take us there, she's gonna make the car go
faster!" Jillian explained in an exasperated tone.  Xander took one
glance at her and smothered his chuckles.
  "Not a bad idea," Megan admitted.
  "What about the cops, Jillian?" Rona asked, raising her eyebrows.
  Jillian heaved a huge sigh.  "She can makes `em look the other
way."
  Xander laughed until tears ran down his face.  It was the perfect
idea, it really was.
  "So.can we call her already?" Jillian asked him.
  Xander shook his head.  "Unfortunately, no.  As much fun as it may
be to cruise down the highway at over a hundred miles an hour, I
doubt I could control a car at that speed, cops around or not.  Good
idea though."
  "Phooey," Jillian said, leaning back and pouting.
  That was another thing he wanted in his kids.  That free feeling
to do anything they wanted to express themselves, whether it be
drawing on paper or walls.  He'd never gotten to express himself in
any way as a child, and he'd been too afraid to try.  His kids would
never have that fear.  His kids would be able to do anything, say
anything they wanted, just like Jillian could.
  "Are we there yet?"
  .Well, anything but that.



 

Chapter 35:

Desk equals cool.  She could work with that.  Laying her forehead
against the surface, Buffy let it try to stop the headache that kept
pounding away at her skull.
  She'd stayed up late into the previous night searching through the
various texts and books Giles had brought.  She'd gone to bed with
everyone else, then had crept back downstairs for a second look
through the books.  They hadn't gone through everything, and the
sooner they did, the better.
  But after pulling an all-nighter, and with only two and a half
hours of sleep under her belt, Buffy had paid for her reading in the
morning.  A monster of a headache had awakened her, and the very
thought of breakfast had made her stomach roll.
  Now, at the school, she was wondering if that had been the best
idea.  Sure, she hadn't been very pleased with the idea of cereal,
eggs, or waffles that morning, but something might've made the
headache go away.
  Something was placed on the desk in front of her.  Slowly she
raised her head to see two aspirin and a glass of water.  "You
looked pretty miserable," Robin said softly.
  "Thank you 'so' much," Buffy whispered, quickly swallowing the
pills.  She sat back in her chair, then turned to him.  "How are you
feeling?" she asked.
  Robin gave her a dry smile.  "Well, I know now that Slayer
strength equals a very scary thing, and that pissing her off is the
best way to bring that down on yourself."
  The two shared smiles, before he got serious.  "I am sorry, I
wanted you to know that.  Faith and I talked it over, and.she really
did help.  I'm not sure if that would mean anything to her, but it
really did mean something to me, and I wanted her to know that."
  "I think that would mean a lot," she said, smiling.  "I'll let her
know.  And I know you're sorry, and so does Spike.  It's been
forgiven and pretty much forgotten.  Just.don't try anything like
that again.  Or Slayer strength.you get the picture."
  Robin nodded.  "Understood."
  Buffy turned back to the papers in front of her, grimacing.  Time
to get stuff done.  Pills had been taken, and she had no excuse to
not start working.  "There was something else I wanted to talk to
you about," Robin said, and she froze.  That didn't sound like a
good tone of voice.
  "Is it something we can talk about while I work?" she asked,
trying to sound cheerful.  One glance at his face, and suddenly she
realized just 'what' he was probably telling her.  "You're firing
me, aren't you?" she said, swallowing.  "Is this because of what
happened?  Or is it because I suck at counseling?"
  "Whoa, whoa, slow down," he said, bringing both hands up in a
halting gesture.  "I'm not firing you.  And the kids love having you
here, so even if I'd been firing you, it wouldn't be about the
counseling."  He fidgeted, before saying, "I was actually wondering
if you were firing 'me'.  From helping out with the Potentials.  I
really do want to help, but my offer comes off a little suspicious,
I'm sure."
  "Not really," Buffy said honestly.  "Faith came back and told us
about your conversation.  And I trust her; I didn't before, I'll
give you that, but if she thinks you're okay, then I'll go with her
judgement.  And Spike's fine with it, as am I.  Why exactly DID you
want to kill Spike anyways?" she asked suddenly.
  Robin glanced down at the tiles.  "He killed my mother," he said
quietly.
  Buffy blinked.  He'd told her before that his mother had been a
Slayer, which meant.oh.  The Slayer in 1977.  The one in the
subway.  "1977 was the year, right?" she asked.  Robin
nodded.  "Then I know who you're talking about," she murmured. 
Spike was gonna love this.
  He shook himself from his thoughts, then glanced back at her.  "So.
where do I stand?"
  "On our side, if you could," she said.  "We really could use the
extra help, especially now that the first batch of girls has
arrived.  I think that if the First's going to make a move, it'll do
it soon."  'It did before,' she thought.  No.  It wasn't going to
happen this time.  Things would be different.
  He gave her a pleased smile, and she returned it.  Already she had
more help and hope then the first time around.  Things would change,
and for the better.

  "You look tired."
  She'd known that he would eventually ask.  "I just might be,
then," she said, keeping her eyes glued to the texts in front of
her.  Still so many more to go through.
  "And why exactly would you be tired enough to fall asleep after
one day of teachin'?"
  "I still have the learning to do, which I have to leave for in a
bit.  I only have the one lecture tonight, so I should be okay."
  Spike scowled at her.  "You're ignorin' me."
  "Picked up on that, did you?" she muttered, knowing full well that
he could hear her.
  "Buffy, pet, I love you dearly, but there are times I'm so bloody
tempted to wring your neck, I've actually reached my hands out
towards you to do just that.  This is gettin' close to one of those
times."
  Before Buffy could reply, Willow came in with the phone.  "I'm
just about to call Xander and see if he needs the up close and
personal directions yet," she explained, setting the phone down on
the base.  "Mind if I put this on speaker?"
  "Not at all," Buffy said quickly, hoping to stall the question she
knew Spike would ask.  She could feel Spike glaring at her, but
ignored it.  She'd deal with him later.
  Two rings later, and a very NOT male voice answered.  "Hello?"
  "Jennifer?"
  "Oh, hey Willow," Jennifer said cheerfully.  In the background,
raised voices could be heard.
  "Everything okay?" Tara asked, coming in to the kitchen, Dawn
right behind her.
  "Pretty much, yeah," Jennifer said, and Buffy could tell she was
grinning.
  Buffy frowned.  "Pretty much?  And what's with the voices in the
background?"
  Jennifer giggled.  "Why don't you listen for yourself?"  The phone
was presumably held away from her, and the background voices were
suddenly not in the background anymore.
  ".yet?"
  "No!"
  "Are we there yet?"
  "NO!"
  "Are we there 'yet'?"
  "NO!!"
  Buffy covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her giggles. 
Spike grinned hugely, leaning back in his chair as he listened to
the two bickering voices.
  The voices faded some, and Jennifer was back on the line.  "Isn't
it funny?" she asked, before she giggled.  "I just got glared at. 
But yeah, humor is being seen here, right?"
  "Who are the two voices?  I recognize Xander, but not the other
one," Tara asked.
  "That would be my little sister Jillian.  They've been doing this
since after lunch.  She won't take `no' for an answer."
  "I'm getting that," Dawn said with a snicker.
  "No, Jillian, we are NOT there yet, and won't be for some time!"
they heard Xander exclaim.  "'Please' stop asking!"
  "Why did you guys call?" Jennifer asked.
  With a grin still on her face, Willow replied, "Because we wanted
to see how Xander was doing.  The question has been duly answered."
  "Put Xander on," Buffy said suddenly, standing up and heading over
to the phone base.  "I've got one last question to ask him."
  There was a rustling sound as Jennifer handed the phone to
Xander.  "She wants to ask you something," they heard her say.
  The rustling continued, and then Xander sighed into the
phone.  "Who do I have the pleasure of talking to?"
  "That would be all of us, but mainly me," Buffy said, leaning down
towards the base.  "Having fun with the little one?"
  Spike's smirk broadened when Xander groaned.  "Yeah, loads,"
Xander muttered.  "She's a sweetie, don't get me wrong, but she
could 'stop asking that question anytime now'."
  "But I wanna know!" Jillian whined.  "Pancakes are poof'yer than
my butt right now!"
  Willow snorted, and Buffy was happy to see a wide grin on her
friend's face.  She'd been too anxious and panicked earlier with the
whole Kennedy situation.
  "Jilly, I honestly don't know," Xander said.  "Wish I could tell
you.  I really, REALLY do."
  "Are we there yet?"
  "Not again."
  "We there yet?"
  "No."
  "Are we there yet?"
  "No!"
  "Are we."
  "Infinite number of no's!"
  "Xander!" Buffy yelled, trying to snag his attention.
  Xander sighed.  "I'm sorry.  You wanted to ask me something,
Jennifer said?"
  "Yes, I did," Buffy said, running a hand through her hair.  The
others waited, their smiles slowly dropping.
  Taking a deep breath, Buffy asked calmly, "Are you there yet?"
  Silence on both ends of the phone.  Then Spike started laughing,
huge belly laughs that Buffy hadn't heard from him in too long. 
Xander began to sputter indignantly, but his voice was lost in the
laughter from both ends of the phone.
  Buffy's stoic face cracked and she started giggling helplessly,
until she almost fell backwards.  Spike grabbed her, but ended up
falling onto the floor with her.  They glanced at each other, before
breaking out into gales of laughter once more.
  "Sorry Xan," Buffy gasped, leaning against Spike as she tried to
catch her breath.  "But that?  Just too perfect to pass up."
  "Glad I'm such a great source of entertainment for you guys,"
Xander muttered.  "Was there a serious question being asked?"
  "Basically if you needed the miniscule details like the address of
Vi's house or anything," Willow said.  "Oh, and we have three more
Potentials here now."
  "What on earth is going on?" Giles asked, coming into the kitchen.
  There was a pause on the phone, before Xander said softly, "Hey G-
man."
  Giles turned to the phone, a smile growing on his face.  "It's
good to hear from you, Xander.  I assume all is well in your
vehicle?"
  "So far.  Well, unless you count that question."
  Giles frowned.  "Question?" he asked Buffy.
  Buffy gave him a grin and rose to her feet.  "I'll let the others
tell you, since I have to get to class.  Take care, Xander," she
called out, grabbing her book bag, keys, and jacket from by the door.
  "You too, Buff.  And don't think I won't get you for that little
comment of yours."
  Buffy glanced over at Spike, who had also risen to his feet.  His
face was clouded with worry, and as he began to say something, Buffy
gave him a wink.  "I'm counting on it, Xan," Buffy said loudly, then
quickly hurried out the door before Spike could say anything.  She'd
be late to class if she didn't hurry.

  Two hours later, Buffy decided that if Spike wanted to scold her
or rant at her, he could.  Just as long as he massaged her back and
hand-fed her grapes while he ranted.
  Her headache, which had stopped after she'd taken the aspirin, had
returned full force during the lecture.  Forgetting to grab dinner
before leaving might not have helped.  She'd just been in such a
hurry to get out and away from Spike.
  A smashing noise in front of her made her pause.  She couldn't see
the culprit, but she'd place her money on a demon instead of a human
vandal.  She edged forward to the corner, still shielded by a small
brick house.  How big would this thing be?  She just wanted to
quickly fight it and then go home.  Taking a deep breath, she halted
at the edge of the house, then jumped out to face her opponent.
  Nothing.  There was nothing there.  "Slowly losing my sanity,"
Buffy muttered under her breath.  There was no broken glass, no
crumpled cars or wrecked lawns.  Absolutely quiet and still.  She
rose from her crouched fighting position and sighed.  Home would be
of the good now.
  Suddenly she was on the ground, blood dripping from her mouth. 
She pushed herself up, turning to face the demon that was still
obviously around, then froze at her first sight of it.
  A wiry vampire with long nails and bones that prominently showed
through the skin and rags, glared at her, all the while hissing and
growling.
  The Turok Han.  The uber-vamp of the first time around.


< --- >

 

I:8 – Sugar and Spice and Weapons That Are Nice...

Jennifer sat up, blearily blinking away the last traces of
sleep. "Go back to sleep," Xander said, not even looking at her.
She gave him a small scowl, then yawned. "Can't. How are you
able to drive without sleeping?"
"Just the way that I am, don't worry. I'm not going to fall
asleep at the wheel and crash us all," Xander said, giving her a
smile. "And to answer your unspoken question, yes, we're here.
We've been in Wisconsin for the past, oh, hour or so. We're coming
to the city now."
"How far in is this next Potential?" she asked quietly, glancing
back at the three sleeping girls.
Xander shrugged and reached for the piece of paper in the bottom
cubbyhole. "Willow said...ow...that she was probably...wrong
paper...five minutes past the border of the city, so...here," Xander
said, handing her the paper. "If you seriously can't go back to
sleep, I could use directions."
Jennifer nodded, rubbing at her eyes. "Take a right on Cracter
Road. Your handwriting stinks," she added a few moments later.
Throwing her a glare, Xander made the right turn. "Next
direction, with no commentary about my handwriting this time?"
Jennifer snorted, but told him the next street to take. "Aren't
we here a little...early? I mean, it's..." She blinked, trying to
focus on the clock. "Almost three in the morning?"
"Actually, it's almost 'six' in the morning; that two you're
seeing is a five," Xander said, his features softening. "Go back to
sleep, Jenn."
Jennifer gave him a sleepy glare and turned back to the paper.
She'd felt a jolt when he'd said the nickname, remembering the last
time she'd heard that term used. Her mother had been pregnant with
Jillian, and Jennifer had been on her way to school. '"Your dad
will be there to pick you up, but he might be a few minutes late
with traffic and everything. Don't worry about the math test, Jenn,
you'll be fine."'
The jolt wasn't an unhappy one, she realized. It gave her a warm
feeling, to know that someone actually liked her enough to give her
the nickname. Turning back to the paper, she yawned before
saying, "Take a left at Quarterhouse Street. I think we're getting
into the neighborhoods."
She frowned, glancing up at the street sign they were suddenly
flying by. "Um, Xander? That was the street you needed to..."
"Remember what I told you right before I went into the dead girl's
house?" Xander said in a low tone. Jennifer nodded, not liking the
abrupt change in conversation. "I'm telling you to do it again.
Except this time, there's no waiting. I'm out of the car, and you
girls continue on to the house. You have the directions. Got it?"
Jennifer was wide awake now. "Xander?" she whispered, her voice
shaking.
"Hold on," he muttered, seconds before he hit the brakes and slid
the SUV towards the left. She gasped as the vehicle swung to the
right, then halted. Xander threw the SUV into park and grabbed a
knife from under her seat. "Now!" he yelled, jumping out of the car
and running forward. She glanced up, and only then did she realize
why he was doing this.
In the headlights she could see five Bringers, weapons out and
ready to kill. They were gaining on a girl who looked like she had
fallen onto the concrete. Her short red hair made it easy to see
her in the dark, and her tear-stained face held terror as the
Bringers advanced.
Xander was already on them before they noticed the new intruder,
and he managed to get rid of one before the other four turned on
him. "What's going on?" Megan asked, leaning forward. Her eyes
widened as she took in the fight. "Holy crap."
"Bad guys," Jillian whispered. "Sissy, m'scared."
"We should help," Rona said, turning towards the trunk. "There's
got to be weapons back here."
Jennifer reached back and grabbed hold of her arm. "No! We
promised Xander outside that one girl's house that we would move out
as fast as possible. So that's what we're going to do."
Rona hotly disagreed with this. Jillian's lower lip began to
quiver. Megan stayed frozen, her eyes locked on the battle.
Clenching her fists, Jennifer glanced outside. She agreed with
Rona one hundred percent. She wanted to go out there and cut them
all to pieces. They'd been responsible for the death of Mrs.
Hartwood, and she wanted to make them pay.
But she remembered the fight she'd had with them before. How she
had stood practically no chance against them. There were only three
left now, and Xander was still standing. "We're leaving," Jennifer
said with more confidence than she felt, sliding over from her seat
and into the driver's side. "Everyone sit back and hold on."
"Do you know how to drive?" Rona asked bitterly.
"It's been awhile," Jennifer muttered, glancing back at the girl.
She sighed, before she said softly, "Look, if Xander has to worry
about us AND fight at the same, we wouldn't be doing him any good.
We'll get our chance to fight later."
Rona's features softened and she nodded. "Sorry," she said. "I
just..."
"Want to help, I know. Me too," Jennifer admitted. "But I
can't. We'll help more this way. Our mission is to get to
Sunnydale alive."
"Even if that means without Xander?" Megan said suddenly, tearing
her eyes from to the fight to look at Jennifer.
Jennifer swallowed. "If we have to," she whispered, turning back
to the wheel. Making sure her seatbelt was secure, she reached down
to pull the car into drive. Her eyes drifted over the fight, and
she watched with a wince as Xander stumbled. Two Bringers left.
Wait a second, there wasn't another body on the ground. So where
was the third one?
Her eyes widened. The Bringer was headed straight for the girl,
who was trying to pick herself. "Rona, open your door and get in
the front when I say to," Jennifer said. Before Rona could ask why,
Jennifer threw the car into drive and slammed on the accelerator.
Shrieks from the back were ignored as Jennifer maneuvered the SUV
towards her target: the third Bringer. He turned in time to see the
headlights of the SUV on top of him. His body went flying, hitting
a tree trunk before falling to the ground, dead. "Now!" Jennifer
yelled. Rona pushed her door open, before scurrying into the front.
The girl stared at the car with wide eyes. "Get in!" Jennifer
shouted at her as Rona buckled in. "We have to get you out of here
before they cut you to pieces!"
THAT got her attention. The girl quickly pushed herself up and
got in, closing the door behind her. "Are you okay?" Jennifer
asked, glancing at her. Her knit hat was askew on her head, and her
face was covered in tiny scratches, but otherwise than that, she
looked relatively unharmed. The girl nodded, confirming Jennifer's
thoughts.
"Wh-What were they?" she whispered.
"Bad guys," Jillian whispered back, before turning her gaze
towards the front. "Sissy..."
"I know you're scared, Jilly, but don't be. Xander'll take care
of them, and I won't let them near you. Okay? Let sissy take care
of them," Jennifer assured her. Never mind that her heart was
threatening to thump out of her chest.
She put the car into reverse and backed up as carefully as she
could. Xander was fighting the last two still, and he was sporting
a few gashes. Jennifer blinked away the stinging in her eyes,
refusing to cry. She had to get them to safety. Xander knew where
the house was, since he'd written the instructions down earlier.
'But he doesn't have them now,' a voice in her head said. She
ignored it and put the car in drive. "I'm Jennifer," she said,
heading back down the road towards the street they were supposed to
have turned down. "What's your name?"
The girl blinked, before she ventured, "V-Vi."
"Is it short for anything? Your name?"
A shuddering shake of the head. "No. J-Just Vi."
"Are we going down the right street? To reach your house?"
A quick nod. "Yeah. It's the...the brown one at the end of the
street. One of the three houses in the cul-de-sac. Who exactly are
you guys?"
Jennifer sighed. At least the girl wasn't catatonic with
fear. "We're Potentials. Potentials to become vampire Slayers.
Vampires ARE real; so are demons and zombies and werewolves. I know
that sounds really crazy, but those guys back there were kind of
proof. There's a big evil that's after us because we have the power
to get rid of it, and so it's been sending its acolytes after us.
Those were them. Still with me back there?"
Vi blinked a few times. "Yeah. They were gonna...'kill' me?"
Rona turned to give her an incredulous stare. "Did you think they
were running after you because they were playing tag?"
"N-No, it's just, you know, you're running, you d-don't really
think very much. All thoughts are on getting away."
"Fair enough," Rona said. "I'm Rona, by the way."
A tentative smile from Vi. "Vi, b-but I guess you got that
already."
Megan introduced herself next, and Jillian gave her an award
winning smile. Jennifer seriously wished she herself had an
older 'sissy' whom she could trust like that. To not be afraid,
just because someone said they would keep her safe...it must be nice.
Jennifer swung around and stopped in front of Vi's house, pressing
on the brakes a little too fast. "Sorry," she said, chagrined. "I
haven't driven in awhile. Okay, here's how we're going to do this:
Vi and I are going inside to get her things. We'll be back in less
than ten minutes. If we're not, take off. All right?"
"Nooo! M'not leaving sissy!" Jillian wailed. "Jenny, no!"
"Listen to me," Jennifer said, leaning in the back to her
sister. "I'm coming back, okay? But just in case, I want you
safe. All right? Be a big girl for me?"
Jillian sniffled but nodded. "I'll be back," Jennifer said, "I
promise." Presuming there weren't Bringers lying in wait inside...
"Rona, you're driving," Jennifer ordered, reaching under Jillian's
seat to grab a small dagger. When she glanced up, Rona had turned
pale. "What?" she asked.
"You're serious," Rona whispered.
Jennifer nodded. "I'm trusting you and Megan to get to
Sunnydale." She turned to look at Megan, who looked as stunned as
Rona. Jennifer gave her look, letting her eyes flick quickly to
Jillian, then back to her. Her other message was clear: Take care
of Jillian. Megan slowly nodded.
Jennifer stepped out of the car, waiting until Vi was out before
telling Rona to get in the driver's seat. Rona did as she was told,
buckling up and gripping the wheel as if her life depended on it.
Jennifer reached out and took Vi's hand. "We're in and out. Grab
only what you have to, got it? One bag's worth, that's it.
Anything special's going to have to fit in that bag or your purse."
Vi nodded, and the two girls began to run to the house.
They reached the porch, and Vi began digging for her keys.
Jennifer shivered, glancing around at the lightening sky.
Everything was silent, but still dark enough to be hiding dark-robed
wackos.
The door clicked open, and Vi slid in. "My parents are out of
town," she said. "I was staying over at a friend's house, but I was
headed home to get ready for school. That's when..." She
swallowed, and she didn't have to say anything else.
They crept around towards Vi's room, mindful of shadows. Jennifer
could hear nothing except her heart, which was starting to hurt in
her chest from pounding so much. Her thoughts drifted back to
Xander. Was he okay? There'd only been two left, sure, but he'd
been bleeding...
Vi hurried into her room, reaching under her bed to pull out a
camping backpack. "Will this do?" she asked.
Jennifer nodded. "Where do you keep stationary?"
Vi bit her lip. "Um, in the top drawer of my desk. Why?"
"We have to leave a note for your parents. So they don't worry
about where you are. We're going to tell them you're, um, part of a
special witness protection program, and they're to tell NO ONE about
this. But you have to write it."
"Okay," Vi said, leaving her bag on the bed to quickly write the
note. Jennifer kept her eyes on the windows and door, tightening
her grip on the dagger. Something bad was going to happen, she just
knew it.
Vi threw the note down and ran back to her bag, throwing in
various pants and shirts. "Anything special you want to take?"
Jennifer asked.
"Over in the bottom drawer of my desk, the big one? The CD player
and headphones and CD holder." As she spoke, she reached around and
grabbed two picture frames from the shelf above her bed, along with
three books.
Jennifer hurried over, grabbing the music items and handing them
to Vi. "Music fan?" she asked as Vi crammed it all in.
Vi flushed. "I play the violin. I started when I was four."
"Wow," Jennifer said, smiling despite the situation. "I dance."
"What type?" Vi asked, zipping the bag shut.
Jennifer was about to reply when suddenly they heard the front
door open. The two froze, and Jennifer put her finger to her lips.
Vi barely nodded, staring in horror at her closed bedroom door.
Jennifer slowly crept to the door, one hand reaching for the
knob. The other hand, the one that held the dagger, was poised and
ready to strike. If there was more than two, she was dead. Taking
a deep breath, she grabbed the knob and flung the door open,
stabbing forward with a yell.
Xander jumped with a yelp, grabbing Jennifer as she lost her
balance. "Good to know that you're happy to see me," Xander said,
giving her a relieved grin.
Jennifer's smile was much broader as she threw her arms around
him, burying her head in his chest. "I 'am' happy to see you. I
thought I was leaving you to die."
A moment passed, before she felt Xander wrap his arms around
her. "I'm okay. A few scrapes, but I'm fine. It's you guys I was
worried about. I saw the SUV outside, but I didn't see Vi or you.
I had no clue if there were any weirdos left in here."
Jennifer pulled back with a shaky laugh. "None that we've seen.
Vi, you ready?"
Vi nodded eagerly, her backpack over her shoulder and her purse in
her hand. Xander stepped forward and took her backpack, giving the
girl a smile. "Welcome to the scariest carpool in the history of
carpooling," he said, earning giggles from both girls. "I'm Xander."
"Thank you for earlier," Vi said.
Xander gave her a grin. "'Twas my pleasure, m'lady."
Vi giggled again, and Jennifer glanced down the hall. "Can we go
now?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound as anxious as she felt.
They could joke in the car. But they had to get out, and NOW.
Xander and Vi nodded. "Most definitely," Xander said, leading the
girls out. "And I saw how you drove back there. Remind me to never
let you drive again."
"Ha ha. YOU try driving under that kind of pressure."
"Been there, done that. You're worse than Buffy in a car."
"I'm telling her you said that."


 

Chapter 36:

< --- >

The uber-vamp started towards her, and she finally snapped herself
from her paralysis and hurried to her feet. She threw a punch at
it, then found herself flying through the air, landing with a 'thud'
on the pavement. Okay, that wasn't going to work.
She pushed herself up again, then quickly reached into her
jacket. Pulling her cell phone out, she flipped it open and began
sending a text message to the first number in her address book. It
might be Willow's phone, or it might be Spike's. Either way, she
could get some help.
Her finger had just touched the `SEND' button when a solid kick
pushed her onto the ground. The cell phone fell in front of her,
and as she reached for it, the uber-vamp jumped over her and landed
on the cell phone. Buffy's eyes widened as she watched her last
hope get smashed to tiny pieces.
'Please let me have sent the message,' Buffy thought, standing
once more. She raised her hands and blocked two more swings, then
landed a kick of her own to its side. It staggered backwards, but
managed to grab her ankle in the process. Buffy cried out as it
turned her ankle sharply, causing her to lose her balance and land
with her face against the cement.
She dodged the next blow, rolling onto her side and hauling
herself up. The uber-vamp swiped at her, and she ducked down,
listening to the claws whiz above her head. That had been just a
little too close. She'd forgotten how fast it could move.
She attempted a few more strikes against it, before it finally
decided it was done toying with her. With a speed that rivaled hers
and Spike's together, its fingers shot out and wrapped themselves
around her neck, hauling her up off the ground. Her eyes widened as
she began gasping for air. She tugged and scraped at its scaly
hand, then kicked out wildly, desperately trying to release its hold
on her. It felt like her neck and head were going to explode. Her
vision blurred, and her eyes rolled back in her head. Then
everything disappeared, and she felt herself falling into darkness.
Something hard hitting her made her realize she really 'had' been
falling. She pushed against what had hit her, the concrete beneath
her, and took in huge gulps of air. Blinking away the moisture in
her eyes, she turned to see the uber-vamp snarling its displeasure.
She also saw the reason why.
Spike stood, his face a stony mask, though his rage was easy for
anyone to see. In his right hand was an empty crossbow, which was
aimed at the uber-vamp. "Don't. Touch. My girl," he said in a
dangerously low voice.
The uber-vamp pulled a bolt from its chest and leapt at
Spike. "Look out!" Buffy shouted, then coughed when her throat
protested loudly to being used. Spike dodged out of the way, then
spun around, clocking the uber-vamp over the head with the crossbow.
A hand on her shoulder made her jerk around. Willow and Anya gave
her small smiles, then began pulling her to her feet. "Get her out
of here!" Spike roared, landing two punches before taking one across
the cheek. His head snapped backwards, and Buffy immediately began
towards him.
Willow pulled her back. "I have to help him!" Buffy yelled,
starting forward again.
"You're not going to do him much good in the state you're in,"
Anya told her. "You're in serious need of medical help. Trust me
on that."
"We really should get you back," Willow agreed, tugging the Slayer
in the opposite direction.
A loud 'crack' caused all three women to glance back. The uber-
vamp had broken the crossbow, and was now advancing on Spike with
the splinters left over. "NO!" Buffy screamed, trying to break
free. "Spike, RUN!"
Spike didn't run. He kept his eyes on the splinters, dodging them
as he tried to land blows. Unfortunately, watching the wood pieces
meant he wasn't completely aware of what the rest of the uber-vamp
was doing. A solid claw swipe sent Spike sprawling through the
air. Buffy froze, eyes wide with fear as she watched the uber-vamp
jumped forward, arm pulled back and ready to throw.
"'Promotum'."
The uber-vamp went sailing through the air, away from Spike, away
from the women. Buffy's head whipped around to see Tara standing
rigid and tall, her right hand outstretched towards the demon. "It
won't last long," she said, lowering her arm. "We need to get back,
and we need to get back 'now'."
Buffy gasped as arms effortlessly picked her up. She found
herself cradled against a familiar chest, and she closed her eyes,
relaxing slightly as Spike held her.
Not a word was said all the way back to the house.

Spike came in to find Buffy just waking up. "Feelin' any better?"
he asked, taking a seat next to her on the bed.
Buffy nodded blearily. "Anyone get the plate number on the semi
that hit me?" she mumbled, stretching and wincing as she did so.
He glared at her, but there was little heat behind it. He wasn't
really mad at her, he was mad at the nasty from the night before.
The one they'd hoped wouldn't show up this time around. "Just tell
me you didn't start the fight," he said, tucking a stray strand of
her hair behind her ear.
"That would be a big no: I literally never saw it coming. It had
me on the ground before I'd realized I'd been attacked." She leaned
against the headboard, folding her arms. "I still can't believe I
didn't sense it," she muttered crossly.
"You didn't sense it because you were too damn tired to keep yours
senses alert," he said, his glare getting a little more heated.
THIS he was mad at her about. And judging from the look on her
face, she knew it too.
"Can we not do this?" she asked with a tired sigh.
Spike merely continued to glare at her. "We couldn't do it last
night, `cause you did that neat lil' disappearin' trick of yours,
scootin' out before we could talk."
"There was nothing to talk about! There still isn't anything to
talk about!"
"Bullocks, and you know it! You came home exhausted yesterday,
big circles under your eyes, like you'd been skippin' meals again.
Which," he added suddenly, as it dawned on him, "you did yesterday.
You forgot dinner. You didn't eat anythin' on campus, did you?"
Buffy glanced down at her hands, which were in her lap, and Spike
had his answer. He clenched his fists, aware that he was reaching
that `strangle-her' moment again. How could she be so aware of
everyone else's health and feelings around her, yet be so blind to
her own?
When she continued to keep her head lowered, Spike relented and
reached out to take one of her hands in his. Her eyes glanced up at
him then, and he gave her a tiny forced smile. "I could've lost you
last night," he said softly. "If you hadn't sent that message, I
never would've known to come looking for you until well after you
had fought that thing and lost. I really don't like the idea of you
not being here. I've been there, done that before, remember?"
She nodded, though a small smile began to grow on her face. Spike
almost rolled his eyes. There was only one reason she would give
him that smile, and that would be because of a William speech. "The
William accent is cute. Cute but manly," she quickly amended at the
look on his face.
"Glad you like it. But do you see where I'm comin' from?" he
asked, biting his lower lip. The silence as she'd fallen from the
tower, only to be broken by Dawn's screams and that final 'snap-
thud' when she'd hit the ground, still haunted his thoughts and
dreams.
"Yeah, I do," she said, sighing. "It just feels like I'm doing
nothing."
'Nothin'?' he silently yelled. 'If anythin', luv, you do TOO
MUCH.' "Well, if you were to suddenly not be in commission, you'd
be doin' even less," he joked weakly. The thought of seeing her die
again put knots in his stomach.
Buffy blinked, then squeezed his hand. "Didn't mean to bring that
up," she said quietly. "But hey, I don't see any high towers around
for me to jump off of, so I think we're safe." She gave him a grin,
and he returned it, ignoring the voice in his head. The one that
told him there were other ways to die.
Willow came in then with a glass of water, aspirin, and a frown on
her face. "Don't tell me you're going to start on me now," Buffy
said with a groan.
"What? Oh, no. Not you. Xander."
Both blondes sat up at that. "He all right?" Spike asked.
"Apparently, and they've got Vi. They, uh, ran into some trouble
last night. Bringer trouble," Willow said softly.
Buffy stared at her, swallowing before asking, "You're sure he's
all right?"
"So he said. He's got all the girls, and they're all in one
piece, him included. Not him included as a girl, but as one of the
one-piece people, and never mind." Willow rolled her eyes and took
a seat next to Buffy, before handing the glass and pills to her
friend. "Here. Thought they might help."
"Thank you," Buffy said, quickly downing the pills. Spike pursed
his lips as she grimaced, then reached her hand up to absently rub
her head. She was still hurting, then.
"How bad?" he asked quietly.
Buffy blinked. "How bad what?"
Giving her a glare, he said, "How bad are you hurtin'?"
Buffy opened her mouth to protest, but Spike deepened his glare,
and her mouth shut. "I still have a headache, and talking hurts,"
she finally admitted. "A few bruises and scrapes, but I'm 'fine',
Spike. I really am." Her eyes desperately pleaded with him to
believe her, to not keep her in bed to rest.
Spike was sorely tempted to ignore the look in her eyes. Then she
would rest, and by tomorrow would be healed enough to deal with the
Turok Han. But her words from earlier rang in his head. '"It just
feels like I'm doing nothing."' Keeping her in bed would help her
physically, but hurt her emotionally.
"Just take it easy today, all right?" he asked. He watched her
eyes light up, and she eagerly nodded. His heart clenched at the
obvious relief and gratitude on her face. He couldn't keep her down.
Ignoring the little voice in his head that was telling him that
this was a bad idea, Spike stood and helped Buffy to her feet.

Figuring her appearance would be a little difficult to explain,
Buffy phoned the school and told Robin what had happened. After
letting him know that yes, she'd be fine, she asked if he would
bring her sister and the other two Potentials back to the house for
her. He agreed, and after Buffy thanked him and hung up, she let
Anya know that class was canceled for the day. She'd only had one
class scheduled, but it would've been enough to keep her breathing
ragged.
"No lectures either, right?" Spike asked.
Buffy sighed. "No, no lectures."
"Good."
"You wouldn't let me go even if there WAS one."
"Bloody right I wouldn't. Not lettin' you out of my sight," Spike
grumbled, but the apparent anger was belied by the small kiss he
laid on her lips. "Sorry if I'd rather keep you in one piece."
"One piece is good," she agreed as the front door opened. Dawn
came in first, with Amanda and Cassie right behind her. "Sorry
we're late, but Amanda had to finish a project," Dawn said. "Are
there any cookies left, or did Molly eat them all?"
"You might get lucky, but I think she's still in there," Buffy
said, giving the girls small smiles.
Cassie gazed at her counselor, before saying quietly, "It really
got you, didn't it? I wish I'd seen this coming."
Spike was already shaking his head. "She'll be right as rain in a
few days, and it wasn't your fault. None of us were ready for
this. Why don't you head into the kitchen and introduce yourselves
to the new girls? See if you can't find somethin' for dinner while
you're at it, eh Bit?"
Dawn nodded, ushering the girls into the kitchen. The front door
closed, and both blondes turned to see Robin in the hallway, staring
at the girls' retreating forms with a dazed look. "That was revenge
for what I did, right?" he asked, finally turning to them.
"Nah; consider that your final penance," Spike told him, and the
two shared grins, the tension between them lessening.
Turning his gaze from Spike to Buffy, Robin blinked at his first
good look at her. "I see you had fun with the vampire," he said.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Apparently I made quite a nice throw toy."
"Let's be thankful we got there before you became a 'chew' toy,"
Willow said, giving everyone smiles as she came down the stairs.
At the sound of her voice, Kennedy came in from the kitchen, her
eyes lighting up as she saw no Tara. She also gave smiles to
everyone as she entered, but the biggest and brightest smile was for
Willow alone.
Willow gave her a tiny smile in return, looking extremely
uncomfortable. "Tara's, um, got a headache, so it'll be just be me
heading out to pick up Anya and some supplies from the Magic Box,"
she said, hurrying down the final steps and to the door.
Kennedy moved quickly, catching up to Willow just as the redhead
was grabbing her coat. "I'll be more than happy to go with you,"
she chirped.
"That's, um, really sweet, but, I, uh, I'll be fine," Willow
stammered. Buffy bit her lip, wishing Kennedy would just take the
hint already. Surely she could tell that Willow was only interested
in one female?
Apparently not. "You really shouldn't be outside by yourself.
With the big nasty running around and everything. Besides, you
might get lonely."
Spike growled low in his throat. Buffy glanced over to see him
glaring at the back of Kennedy's head, obviously thinking the same
thing she was.
Willow gave a weak laugh. "I'll be fine, don't worry. Sooner I
get there, the sooner I can get back. I've got magic to keep me
safe if need be. But, uh, thanks anyways."
Kennedy crossed her arms, raising her eyebrows at Willow. "This
thing was barely held back by magic last night, if what I heard was
right. And look what it did to Buffy! She didn't stand a chance,
and neither do you."
"And you coming along is going to help me how, then?" Willow
snapped, clenching her fists. Her temper fuse had apparently
reached its end. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with Buffy's
strength; she was caught off guard. Trust me when I say she'll deal
with this. As for magic, you have NO idea what you're putting down."
Dawn came in, closely followed by her two friends. The basement
door opened, and Faith came in to see what was going on. Molly
peeked in from the kitchen, her eyes widening at the pissed off
witch. Even Robin looked slightly stunned.
Unaware of her audience, Willow continued. "It's not waving a
wand and saying 'hocus pocus'. This is the real deal: power drawn
from the earth, from the core, channeled through whomever can
actually control it properly. That would be me, and that would also
be Tara. So by dissing Tara, you end up dissing me as well. And
trust me when I say that's not what you want to do."
"Go Red," Spike whispered, clearly awed by Willow's anger-fueled
speech. Buffy tried to give him a disapproving glare, but it came
out as a satisfied smirk. Maybe Kennedy would finally get the
picture.
Kennedy pinched her lips together, stepping towards Willow. And
again, apparently not. She began to say something, but Molly
hurried all the way into the room then, her face pale. "Annabelle's
split!"

 

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