Buffy is stretched out by the pool when Dawn comes to find her, "what's up?" Buffy questions taking in her sisters slightly puzzled face.
Dawn's eyes narrow as if still trying to make sense of something, but she eventually responds, "Andrew is here."
"Here?" Buffy questions, Andrew in all reality was the last person she wanted to see at this moment. She knew he's just been in LA, God wasn't she the one to send him there with the direct orders to bring the slayer back to GILES? Not her, the sole purpose being that she didn't want to be tempted to ask him how Angel was. That part of her life, everything that had happened in America was an old chapter in her life that she had no desire to revisit. Not Angel, not her mother, not Riley and certainly not Spike or the many dead potentials who had been lead to their deaths by HER.
Dawn nods, "he won't tell me why he is here though."
"The slayer isn't with him, is she?" Buffy questions not feeling even sightly inclined to deal with a psycho-slayer, she'd had enough of those for one lifetime.
Dawn shakes her head, "no, she's not and he won't tell me why he is here, he says he has to talk to you, it's some big secret. He keeps muttering about how he shouldn't be here and that "he" is going to kill him."
Buffy sighs and moves off of the recliner, "all right, I'll talk to him."
"Buffy!" Andrew jumps when she enters the study where he had been looking at the book collection Giles had provided Buffy with.
"Andrew, what are you doing here?" Buffy questions immediately, "we told you not to come, you were supposed to be on the flight back to England with the other slayers."
"That was the original plan, but things changed, I need to talk to you, it's important."
"If it's about Angel than I don't want to know."
"It's not about Angel."
"If it's about some new Big Bad that isn't Angel then I don't want to know, you were supposed to go to Giles with that stuff, I'm on a long vacation, remember?"
"It's not about a new Big Bad."
"Then what is it Andrew?" Buffy asks now annoyed by the guessing game.
"Spike's alive."
Buffy opens her mouth and then closes it again sinking slowly onto the large chair nearest to her. Minutes pass by and Andrew waits patiently until Buffy asks, "you saw him?"
Andrew nods, "he was with Angel."
"Working with?" Buffy asks.
"Not exactly."
"Does he have a soul?"
"Yes."
"He's alive?"
"Well he's still a vampire so technically no, but yes."
"How long has he been in LA?"
"He seemed settled in there, so I'm guessing awhile. He didn't want me to tell you, he wanted to tell you on his own, but if you knew I'd found out and didn't tell you you wouldn't trust me, I had to tell you."
"Does anyone else know?" Buffy asks.
"I haven't told anyone."
Buffy points a finger at Andrew, "don't. I need to figure out what to do, don't tell anyone. Not even Giles."
"But..."
"No, no one." Buffy orders.Andrew thinks for a second, "I have a plane to catch."
"Fine," Andrew turns to walk away and Buffy calls after him, "and Andrew?"
"I know, I won't tell anyone."
"No," Buffy shakes her head, "thanks for telling me. That means a lot."
"What did Andrew want?" Dawn asks that night at dinner.
Buffy shrugs, "you know, he just wanted to make sure I knew every detail about Angel turning traitor, Xander probably put him up to it."
"How long are you going to stay angry at Angel?"
"Until he stops working for an evil law firm."
"What if he never stops?" Dawn asks.
"Then I'll never talk to him again, Angel and I are on different sides now, no matter how he tries to verify it."
Dawn looks down at her plate, "oh." She knew how much it was killing Buffy not to have Spike and to have Buffy and Angel working on opposite sides. Dawn also knew that her sister was missing Willow, Xander and Giles.
"Dawn, I have to go away for awhile." Buffy states toward the end of dinner.
Dawn sets down her glass of water, "Andrew was here more than just to tell you what is going on, wasn't he?"
"Dawn..."
"I'm not asking what it was, I just want you to be sort of honest with me." Dawn responds, her voice not whiny like it used to be.
Buffy nods, "then yes, it is more than what I said, but I can't really talk to you about it now."
Dawn nods, "how long will you be gone?"
"Maybe a week, maybe more, maybe less."
Dawn nods, understanding, "all right, I will be fine. You'll call when you get there?
"I call when I get there." Buffy responds and after the sisters return to their meals in silence Buffy breaks she silence. "Thank you Dawn."
"For what?"
"For not asking me questions I don't think I can answer right now."
"Do you think you are going to answer them sometime?" Dawn asks.
Buffy nods, "I will, but right now I have to figure this out for myself."
Dawn nods, "I get that, so do you think maybe I could go visit Willow in Brazil while you are...well where?"
"No."
"Why? Come on you get to pick up and leave why can't I?"
"You have school."
Dawn sighs, "it was worth a try."
"I promise you can go visit Marco soon." Buffy responds speaking of Dawn's current love interest, a boy her age who lived in Willow and Kennedy's apartment building.
Dawn grins, "thanks. When?"
"Maybe when I get back we'll go see Willow." Buffy states, realzing that she was probably going to need her best friend's shoulder to cry on in the very near future.
"When do you leave?" Dawn asks.
"In the morning." Buffy responds.
The flight to L.A. was long. Buffy could remember the flight from California to England and then to Rome but this flight seemed so much longer. She had no idea what she was actually going to do when she got to LA, but she didn't know that she had to see Spike for herself. In regards to her feelings for both vampires she had no idea, she had no idea who she cared for more. The last time she had seen Angel she had kissed him, and the last time she has seen Spike she had professed her love for him and she had been telling him what was in her heart. But she had the feeling that she had to figure it out soon, because both were going to want to know.
Dawn's eyes narrow as if still trying to make sense of something, but she eventually responds, "Andrew is here."
"Here?" Buffy questions, Andrew in all reality was the last person she wanted to see at this moment. She knew he's just been in LA, God wasn't she the one to send him there with the direct orders to bring the slayer back to GILES? Not her, the sole purpose being that she didn't want to be tempted to ask him how Angel was. That part of her life, everything that had happened in America was an old chapter in her life that she had no desire to revisit. Not Angel, not her mother, not Riley and certainly not Spike or the many dead potentials who had been lead to their deaths by HER.
Dawn nods, "he won't tell me why he is here though."
"The slayer isn't with him, is she?" Buffy questions not feeling even sightly inclined to deal with a psycho-slayer, she'd had enough of those for one lifetime.
Dawn shakes her head, "no, she's not and he won't tell me why he is here, he says he has to talk to you, it's some big secret. He keeps muttering about how he shouldn't be here and that "he" is going to kill him."
Buffy sighs and moves off of the recliner, "all right, I'll talk to him."
"Buffy!" Andrew jumps when she enters the study where he had been looking at the book collection Giles had provided Buffy with.
"Andrew, what are you doing here?" Buffy questions immediately, "we told you not to come, you were supposed to be on the flight back to England with the other slayers."
"That was the original plan, but things changed, I need to talk to you, it's important."
"If it's about Angel than I don't want to know."
"It's not about Angel."
"If it's about some new Big Bad that isn't Angel then I don't want to know, you were supposed to go to Giles with that stuff, I'm on a long vacation, remember?"
"It's not about a new Big Bad."
"Then what is it Andrew?" Buffy asks now annoyed by the guessing game.
"Spike's alive."
Buffy opens her mouth and then closes it again sinking slowly onto the large chair nearest to her. Minutes pass by and Andrew waits patiently until Buffy asks, "you saw him?"
Andrew nods, "he was with Angel."
"Working with?" Buffy asks.
"Not exactly."
"Does he have a soul?"
"Yes."
"He's alive?"
"Well he's still a vampire so technically no, but yes."
"How long has he been in LA?"
"He seemed settled in there, so I'm guessing awhile. He didn't want me to tell you, he wanted to tell you on his own, but if you knew I'd found out and didn't tell you you wouldn't trust me, I had to tell you."
"Does anyone else know?" Buffy asks.
"I haven't told anyone."
Buffy points a finger at Andrew, "don't. I need to figure out what to do, don't tell anyone. Not even Giles."
"But..."
"No, no one." Buffy orders.Andrew thinks for a second, "I have a plane to catch."
"Fine," Andrew turns to walk away and Buffy calls after him, "and Andrew?"
"I know, I won't tell anyone."
"No," Buffy shakes her head, "thanks for telling me. That means a lot."
"What did Andrew want?" Dawn asks that night at dinner.
Buffy shrugs, "you know, he just wanted to make sure I knew every detail about Angel turning traitor, Xander probably put him up to it."
"How long are you going to stay angry at Angel?"
"Until he stops working for an evil law firm."
"What if he never stops?" Dawn asks.
"Then I'll never talk to him again, Angel and I are on different sides now, no matter how he tries to verify it."
Dawn looks down at her plate, "oh." She knew how much it was killing Buffy not to have Spike and to have Buffy and Angel working on opposite sides. Dawn also knew that her sister was missing Willow, Xander and Giles.
"Dawn, I have to go away for awhile." Buffy states toward the end of dinner.
Dawn sets down her glass of water, "Andrew was here more than just to tell you what is going on, wasn't he?"
"Dawn..."
"I'm not asking what it was, I just want you to be sort of honest with me." Dawn responds, her voice not whiny like it used to be.
Buffy nods, "then yes, it is more than what I said, but I can't really talk to you about it now."
Dawn nods, "how long will you be gone?"
"Maybe a week, maybe more, maybe less."
Dawn nods, understanding, "all right, I will be fine. You'll call when you get there?
"I call when I get there." Buffy responds and after the sisters return to their meals in silence Buffy breaks she silence. "Thank you Dawn."
"For what?"
"For not asking me questions I don't think I can answer right now."
"Do you think you are going to answer them sometime?" Dawn asks.
Buffy nods, "I will, but right now I have to figure this out for myself."
Dawn nods, "I get that, so do you think maybe I could go visit Willow in Brazil while you are...well where?"
"No."
"Why? Come on you get to pick up and leave why can't I?"
"You have school."
Dawn sighs, "it was worth a try."
"I promise you can go visit Marco soon." Buffy responds speaking of Dawn's current love interest, a boy her age who lived in Willow and Kennedy's apartment building.
Dawn grins, "thanks. When?"
"Maybe when I get back we'll go see Willow." Buffy states, realzing that she was probably going to need her best friend's shoulder to cry on in the very near future.
"When do you leave?" Dawn asks.
"In the morning." Buffy responds.
The flight to L.A. was long. Buffy could remember the flight from California to England and then to Rome but this flight seemed so much longer. She had no idea what she was actually going to do when she got to LA, but she didn't know that she had to see Spike for herself. In regards to her feelings for both vampires she had no idea, she had no idea who she cared for more. The last time she had seen Angel she had kissed him, and the last time she has seen Spike she had professed her love for him and she had been telling him what was in her heart. But she had the feeling that she had to figure it out soon, because both were going to want to know.