Title: Boxed Bleach, Cheap Hotels and a RV

Rating: PG-13 for language and some suggestive dialogue

Disclaimer: OK, none of the characters are mine, they all belong to joss n' company, and Waffle House, to whatever company owns them.

Part 1

OK Buffy, how'd you get yourself into this one? Not that it was hard or anything, but this? You stoop to this? Buffy sat in the passenger's seat of the RV. The stars shown through the windshield and the cool night air rushed in the window as the RV zoomed out of Sunnydale. It was over, it was officially over. It being a sane life as a slayer. She had no one left, except of course for the man, well, thing she had agreed to run away from the cops with. The police wouldn't believe her, no one would. She'd sound like a crazy lunatic ranting and raving about vampires, demons, and the Hellmouth. But the police were the least of her worries, she had to find a safe place to stop and rest, with him. "Pull over, we need to stop. It'll be morning soon, and if we don't find somewhere; you'll be dust. I can't loose someone else right now."

~

Sunnydale, winter 2003

"Xander, what are you doing?" Anya looked up at him trying to sound as frustrated as she could, with him it wasn't easy. All of their arguments had been resolved, and they had gotten back together. Everything seemed to be good, well, to Anya at least.

"Juggling magical orbs. What does it look like?" He said with a silly grin on his face. He set them down on the counter and walked over to Anya.

"Well, don't do it anymore, we need to keep those in stock." She said turning to another box that lay in the corner of the Magic Shop. "Dawn, are you done with your homework?"

"Yeah, I've been done for 10 minutes. Can I get up and do something?" Dawn huffed up from the table and shoved her half finished work into her bag, along with a spell she'd dug up to finish the work for her.

"Help Willow with sorting the books, she needs to be around someone." Xander yelled from behind the counter.

"K, hey Will, how's it going?" Dawn attempted friendly conversation with the mopey looking Willow.

"It's fine. As fine as anything can be right now. Do you remember when T-"

"Will, you've gotta stop thinking about it, there's nothing you can do to change the fact that Tara's gone. Nothing. You miss her and I miss her but being like this isn't going to bring her back. Nothing is going to bring her back. That's why we need to move on. Come on, what letter were you on?" Dawn said picking up a book on ancient slugs.

"T" Willow looked down at the book she held in her hand. It was entitled, True Love, The Only Thing Magic Can't Control, she sighed and set it on the shelf. "Where's Buffy? Wasn't she going to help us restock the store?"

"She went to go pick up Spike from the airport. He caught a red-eye back from Africa. Stayed over there a long, long time. Damn him! I hate him!" Dawn's eyes grew stone cold.

"But Dawnie, you can't hate him, he did what he had to do." Anya said as she walked by to place a candleholder in the front window.

"Yes I can, he left Buffy and he left me, without a good-bye or anything. He didn't call for a year, he didn't write us. He finally called after he felt he couldn't live without us anymore. He promised me he wouldn't leave and he did. He never keeps his promises. I hate him." She grumbled and threw a book onto the shelf.

"And don't forget, he is convicted of attempted rape on your sister." Xander chimed in.

"I just don't think teens should experience hate, it's a very bad emotion, but bliss, after having sex, I think is a very good emotion that we should all share." Xander pulled Anya aside.

"I'm going home. You don't need my help." Dawn grabbed her bag, swung it over her shoulder and paraded to the door.

"Dawn you can't go. Buffy told us to make you stay right here, and keep you here until she got back. Besides, it's no fun at home when you're alone, and there are bad guys out there." Xander blocked the door.

"You never listened to Buffy, so don't listen to her now, and let me leave." Dawn tried to push through him.

"No, sorry Dawn I can't." Xander slapped her hard and she fell to the ground. "You have to stay with us." Dawn looked up in fear as Xander's eyes changed to a deep yellow color, his face shifted, and he grew fangs.

"You-You're-You're a vampire. Get away from me, don' t touch me. You aren't Xander, you're evil, get off of me!" She screamed as Willow approached her from the other side. Willow seemed completely oblivious to what was going on. Almost like a zombie, but she wasn't dead, she was just losing it. "Xander get off me! You're a demon, Buffy's gonna kill you! No! Stop it!" She sobbed into her hands as he came towards her in full game face.

"Hey Dawn, remember how fun it was to stay with me? I hated it; I hated being your baby-sitter. I hated being Buffy's slave. I loved Buffy too much, but now things have changed, I'm different, completely different. I know all about her weaknesses. I've been her bitch for long enough, now it's all gonna stop. First by saying bye-bye to you." Xander hit her again, knocking her unconscious to the floor.

"What about her?" Willow looked up from her daze, pointing to Anya. "The stars are whispering about her."

"What do they say Will?"

"They say she must die. Quickly though, because the little one won't fall if she's still around."

"Already done."

"Oh Xander, we can finally be rid of this hell, I want to bring Tara home with me." Willow smiled coyly at Xander as the back door creaked open. Tara stepped out, she was ghastly pale with a light grin, just enough to show what had happened to her.

"Just as long as you two give me some time too." Xander wrapped his arms around both girls, kissing them both on the cheek, then letting them do the same. He then picked Dawn's body up and carried it with him through the sewer.

"Guys, we're here! Hello? Anybody?" Buffy pushed open the door of the magic shop. It was completely deserted.

"They all leave us?" Spike said following her steps into the shop. He sniffed the air; it smelled dank and dead. "Somethin's not right luv. Something happened in 'ere. It ain't good pet." Spike watched as Buffy wandered over behind the counter. And sunk to her knees. "Luv?"

"An-Anya's dead. She's been bit. Oh god, where are the rest of them. Where's Dawn? How could I let this happen?" Buffy put her hands up to cover her face as tears started to fall. "Where's my sister?"

"Li'l bit 'll be OK. She's learned from the best. This doesn't smell right." Spike scanned Anya's body. "Says the whelp did it. But he's one of you, no; he's been changed. Damn the whelp thinks he's all big and bad now. Bloody hell." Spike pulled Buffy to her feet and gave her a hug. "It'll be all right luv, we'll find li'l bit, and it'll all be OK."

"Don't kill her just yet. We have to have the slayer first. She did this to us." Xander watched as Tara and Willow ran their eyes greedily over Dawn's body. She had been tied to a wall in their 'hide-out'.

"But the slayer doesn't want to come to our party. She's content with Spike. That's why she didn't come out to save us." Willow licked playfully at Xander's neck.

"She'll come. But we'll change Dawn before she gets here. The key will make a powerful vampire. I want to change her." Tara walked around Xander, one arm trailing across his back. Then she took Willow's head between her hands and kissed her. "I love you Will. Maybe Dawn can restore your mind."

"If you hadn't of died and not told us you were coming back, maybe she wouldn't of ended up this way. It's your fault. Dawn better be able to restore her mind. If not I'll make sure yours goes too." Xander glared at Tara.

"Shh, don't fight. The walls are whispering, they say she's coming. She's coming to help us." Willow's eyes lit up and she hummed to herself.

"Oh baby, I love to see you happy." Xander tucked the long locks of red hair behind Willow's ear and kissed her forehead.

"Mm, daddy, we must hurry, she'll be here soon." She began to dance around the remains of the room. "It's going to be so much fun." Willow smiled as she wandered down the burnt corridor.

"This is where they all loved to hang together. Just the three of them, I was never part of their 'group'. I miss them already." Buffy walked up to the remains of the old Sunnydale High School. "Tell me I can do this. I can get through this." Her eye's pleaded with Spike's for some hint of hope.

"Luv, we'll find them. We can do this." Spike pulled her close. This isn't going to be good. This can't lead to anything good. "Stop I smell something wrong. It's coming from- wait right here." Spike kicked open the half-charred door. Dawn lay in a pool of blood beyond the door. "Don't come in. Buffy stay out there, stay out there." His eyes clouded up with crimson tears as he approached the body. "Dawn…Dawn…" He paused, standing over her body and let his tears fall. "Li'l bit? Li'l bit get up, please get up." He smacked her across the face lightly. He drew back as she began moving; slowly she attempted to get up.

"Damn it, why is everyone smacking me lately?" She glared up at him. "Hey Spikey, long time no see, nice to know you like to abandon us. Us being Buffy and myself. Now I can get rid of you and not have to listen to any more false promises. Scum." She struggled to get up on her feet. "Damn loss of strength due to minimal blood. When I can get up and get to you you'll be dead. I promise, and I don't break my promises. Tara I need your help! Xander need food here!" Spike hit Dawn in the face making her nose bleed.

"Stupid. You won't get me, nor will you set a finger on your sister. She'll kill you and I'll help."

"Aww, standing up for the Buffster. How sweet since you only abandoned us. If you hadn't of left, this might not have happened to me. Thanks you stupid British bastard. Oh, Tara thanks for showing up. No, don't kill him, I want to do it when I'm feeling better. See ya 'round Willy." Dawn waved as Tara scooped her up, grinned at Spike and disappeared through another door.

"Damn it. Why couldn't I just kill her? WHY?" Spike trudged out of the room and looked around for Buffy. She sat sobbing in a corner. "Luv, luv, I guess you saw, heard, figured out what happened to Dawn. Luv, we can get through this, I promise it will work itself out somehow." He stooped down beside her and rubbed her back.

"She's gone, I should never have left her with them. I knew something was wrong with Xander and Willow but I left her there anyway. I should have made her go with me. It's my fault. My friends are my enemies and my sister is out to kill me and it's all my fault, I've been to self-absorbed in my own problems to notice something wrong with them. It's all my fault." She cried out. "I can't do this anymore! I can't take this anymore!"

"Buffy wake up. You've been doing it for most of your life. You've taken the good and the bad. You can do this. Buffy you can do this, I'll be here to help you. Let's get you out of here first. Maybe get you away from this town. A little vacation, forever?"

"No, I have to get rid of them, all of them. They can't live. None of them, not after what they did to Dawn, Xander, Willow and Tara. I'm getting rid of them." She scowled.

"Buffy, you're forgetting, I'm one of them, peaches is one of them. What about us?"

"You can stay. I will never forget what happened to Dawn though. They will all make the final trip to hell. And I'm gonna be the reaper." Buffy stood up, dusted herself off and marched out of the remains of the school.