Disclaimer: don't own any of it, wish I did, and I also wish it hadn't ended, but oh well, don't own anything, just like to play with them.

Note: denotes thoughts…as though any of them think…

Note 2: takes place post season 7 (sniffle sniffle), that gang has managed to move on together, all the slayer's taking off too wherever, but what's left of the original gang, plus andrew have all moved on together.

CHAPTER 1 - Away

It's been ten months, since the end, the end of the simple life in Sunnydale. Okay, well not so simple, but ten months. Wow, I still can't believe it. Can't believe that ten months ago today I was leading an army of girls against any army of ubervampires. Now, wow, look at me, residing in another state. Who'd've thunk it? Not me for sure. I always figured that the slayer gig required me to stay in Sunnydale. Well, what was once Sunnydale, for Sunnydale is no more. A lot of things are no more. I miss them, I miss him, but I don't think about it. It's too painful, especially when I'm having a great time traveling the U.S. going from tourist city to tourist city. God I miss him. No I will not think about Spike, can't let myself miss him. Like he said, I didn't love him I was just being-okay back to the card game at hand. Buffy glanced down at her cards, three kings and two fours. How she had this luck at poker no one seemed to know. Maybe it had something to do with being the 'chosen one'. Yeah, that never got her anything but death. But now, she was living the high life in Vegas with her best friends, her sister, and an annoying blonde nerd, with whom her sister seemed to be getting a little too friendly. She tossed a few chips into the center pot and watched other players around her fold. A man sitting opposite from her kept his hand though, and so did an elderly gentleman, who looked as though he could have been her grandfather three times over. They went around the circle once more and Buffy tossed in a few more chips. She was feeling rather lucky, the ancient man folded, but the young one across the table did not. He stayed on as they laid down their cards. He cringed as he saw her begin to lay down her kings, and looked as though he would pass out when she put down not one four, but two.

"I win, again." She grinned stupidly as she pulled the pile of chips over to her side of the table. She'd count up her winnings and cash out. The room was up a few floors and hopefully it was late enough that Dawn would be asleep across the hall. Buffy counted up her winnings and handed them off to a waiting cashier who was more than happy to hand the wad of cash back to Buffy. She smiled graciously and stuffed the money into her pockets, and headed off to find someone worth talking too. Willow and Xander had wanted to walk down the Las Vegas strip at night and watch some of the fountain shows in front of the more ritzier hotels. Dawn had headed up to catch a movie on pay per view and oddly Andrew had joined her. Buffy didn't want to think about what they might be doing. It was weird enough they all thought he was okay to keep around. Sitting down at the bar she ordered up a plain coke. Nothing special tonight, didn't want to lose what she had just won. There were several attractive men hanging around the bar, trying to pick up women, but Buffy found no interest in any of them, they didn't particularly strike her as Buffy-worthy. After an hour of cheesy pick-up lines she decided to call it quits. While walking through the lobby to get to the elevator a familiar tingling sensation crawled up her spine. Sure there were thousands, if not millions of demons in the Las Vegas area. Yet the tingle was somewhat familiar, like she had felt it before. She shook it off as just another vampire passing through. Probably one she had encountered in a cemetery somewhere while patrolling and decided to let it live. They seemed to have measly existences anyway. Buffy looked around the lobby, checking to see the new people checking in. One in particular caught her eye. He was a younger man by appearance, wearing faded jeans and a bright red sweater. Very Riley, Eugh, shake that thought. Yet his hair was strikingly different, it was a very red brown color. Burnt sienna maybe? As he turned around Buffy caught a sight that made her break down inside. His eyes were almost the same as Spike's. Except they were more of a deeper blue. She couldn't help it and ran towards the elevator hoping the stranger wouldn't be heading to the same elevator. She pushed the up button as fast as she could, the stranger got closer and closer to the elevator waiting area. She pushed the button hurriedly, praying she wouldn't lose it in front of someone she didn't know. She had in months past, but this was a new town, and it had been almost a year since he had left her life forever. It used to be anyone wearing a black leather trench coat, and in L.A. that had been quite a problem, seemed they were in season, so the gang said their good-bye's to Angel and company and embarked on their trip. Dawn had taken quite a liking to Steven while in L.A. and had it not been for her utter dislike of Angel, Buffy was quite sure she would have begged to stay at the hotel. Yet Dawn hated Angel too much even for Steven to stay with him. Then it had been anyone with bleached hair, whether they were male or female. The sight of peroxide blonde had set her off during their adventures in Colorado. Winter there was hell on earth, it seemed as though she could never escape someone who wanted to remind her of him. The stranger and his blue eyes were now standing a few feet from Buffy, obviously waiting for the same elevator.

"I couldn't help but notice Miss, but are you okay, you look like you're going to cry. Someone as pretty as you shouldn't be made to cry." He spoke as Buffy ran onto the elevator.

"I'm fine. Thanks, I'm fine." She pressed the button for her floor, 23, Spike had been 123 when he died. WHY THE HELL DO YOU PUNISH ME LIKE THIS??? Her head screamed, everything reminded her of him, she had pushed him to the back of her mind and he was surfacing again. After such a good night her head had to go and ruin things. The elevator ride went on in silence, the lighted button of her floor taunting her as it slowly climbed up the building. She rushed off of the elevator, out of the presence of baby blue eyes, and crumpled to the floor. She fought back tears, which didn't want to stay within the confines of her eyes. They came out like floods and she was sure someone was going to come out of their room and see her sobbing like a little child. They were surely to tell her to be quiet and go away. Buffy forced herself to get up and slowly walk towards her room. She pushed open the door and lay down on the queen bed closest to the wall, unaware that Willow was on the other bed. "Why do you do this too me? Why, do you think him saying that to me wasn't enough? Damnit, make him leave me alone, get him out of my head, I can't handle this anymore. I miss him too much to take much more of this!" Buffy pulled a pillow over her head and lay there, crying herself into a fitful sleep of twisted dreams.

Willow listened intently to Buffy's words, Kennedy resting, undisturbed next to her. They had met in a shop on the strip after Willow told her they were visiting Vegas. Willow wanted to comfort Buffy but she didn't have a clue how. The slayer had been so distant from them all for two years now that she didn't feel as though there was much she could do. She assumed the man Buffy was talking about was the dead peroxide vampire, but she couldn't be sure. Well, she didn't want to limit herself to that one spectrum of man whom Buffy had loved. Willow sat up in bed as soon as she heard Buffy's sobbing stop and figured she had finally fallen asleep. Willow went over to Buffy's side, pulled off her coat and boots and tucked her in under the covers, the new Mr. Gordo at her side, the old one had been consumed along with everything else she had owned when Sunnydale had sucked itself into oblivion. Willow placed a light kiss on Buffy's forehead, not knowing what else to do, she returned to Kennedy's side, and fell into a dreamless sleep.