DISCLAIMER…ugh, just read the last billion disclaimers, k? It's not mine.

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The next evening, the group drove to the airport, Luke following. The ride was somber, none of them knowing what to say. Xander spent most of the trip blinking back tears; he loved Dawn, she wasn't just Buffy's sister to him, she was his sister. Throughout the night, he thought about what it would be like if he just didn't go back. If he flew Anya out here and the two of them started their lives over, with Dawn. He could be happy, he realized; Construction workers were needed everywhere, why not Connecticut? He knew that they could be a family; Anya would make a great mom.

But at the same time he thought that, another voice in his head whispered about the Hellmouth. He couldn't leave it, as much as he wanted to. The part of him that could've led a happy, normal life had died when he staked his best friend, and realized that the God he had once believed in just didn't care.

He looked over at Dawn sitting beside him, silent. She was the kind of kid who should be happy and here, he knew, she actually had a chance. She could go on, go to college, get married, start a family of her own. She didn't have to live in the dark, spending her time in cemeteries and worrying about if she was going to die this day. Sunnydale wasn't the kind of life she should have, and he was selfish for wanting to keep her there. He reached over and took her hand.

" I love you, ya know." He told her, his voice wavering.

Dawn gave him a watery smile, nodding. "I know; I love you too."

"You're coming out in the summer, right?"

she nodded "I'm gonna try to. I want to."

"Until then, stay on top of your schoolwork. Don't want you grounded or something. It looks like a decent place, just a guess, but I'd say that it's no eviler than most schools. Definitely not Sunnyd evil." He told her.

"I'll do good, promise. Honor roll and everything." She reassured him, squeezing his hand.

"Good. And if you need us, you've got your computer. Maybe you can get a web cam soon, so we can see you. No using it for anything else though; I don't wanna see you on 'Barely legal teens 10' or anything, got it?"

Dawn laughed as she whipped her eyes. "Promise. If you stay off those sites, you won't see-" she cut off as they pulled up. Panic shot through her brain. There wasn't time to say everything; she would never have enough time. Changing directions, Dawn rushed to the one request she had been saving.

"Xander," she spoke hurriedly, "take care of Buffy. S-she always liked flowers. Can you leave some for her, for me? I don't want it to look like nobody cares. She needs flowers, okay?" She pleaded.

Xander wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. "I'll take care of it. Fresh flowers twice a week, okay? No one will ever be able to say that we didn't care." His voice broke, tears threatening to fall.

"I hate to leave her alone."

"You're not, Dawn. She'll always be with you. You've got her blood- for as long as your alive, she'll be with you." He told her, wishing it was so.

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They pulled up to the main doors, and Luke let them out. He figured they would prefer to say their good-byes alone, away from him. He waved to them all and circled the parking lot, waiting for Dawn.

Inside, Faith turned to Dawn. "Well kid, I guess this is it."

Dawn sniffed. "Yeah, I guess." To Faith's surprise, Dawn threw herself into her arms. "I'll be out this summer, k?"

"Course you will. We'll tear up the Bronze, and have guys begging for our numbers. Just stay safe till then, got it?"

"You too."

Faith shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't worry about me; I know how to take care of myself. You just remember to eat on the occasion, alright? Stay in school, don't hang out with the bad kids, avoid dark alleys, all that crap. You'll be good." Faith turned and headed to the metal detectors, not able to take it any longer.

Dawn turned to Spike. "Spike…"

"Hey, no teary good-byes for me, ducks. I'm not goin' anywhere."

Dawn stood there, stunned. "What?"

Spike just smiled at her. "My Niblett needs me; there's no where else I need to be."

"But- the Hellmouth…"

"They've got a dammed good Slayer, the Witch is getting' stronger by the second, Whelp can even hold his own on occasion. They don't need me." He told her.

Dawn hugged him tightly, burying her head in his chest. "Thank you." She whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

"Shh, don't thank me pet; I made a promise, I did. Now, go say your good-byes to the boy wonder over there and lets get you home."

Pulling away, she turned to Xander. He shook his head. "I can't say good-bye, I'll just end up crying like a baby. Besides, it's not like I'll never see you again, you'll be back in no time. And knowing us, I'll be talking with you and the computer in a couple hours anyways. So, I'll see just be seeing ya Dawn." He told her, the tears finally giving way and streaming down his face.

Dawn wiped her eyes. "I'll see you, Xander. Talk to you tonight, okay?"

He nodded, turning to Spike.

"Spike."

"Harris." The two men stared at each other, knowing what the other would say. They both nodded.

"See y'in the summer, Whelp."

"Later, Fangless." Xander turned and left, leaving Spike and Dawn.

"Let's go find that uncle of yours, bit."

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Luke was more than a little surprised when Dawn came back out to the car with Spike in tow.

"Uh, are you staying?" he asked.

"Yup, my niblett needs me, so I'm not goin' anywhere." Spike informed him.

Luke raised his eyebrows. "So, you're staying with us?"

"Don't worry, mate; found myself a place. I'll be outta your hair-except for the part where you'll see me every day."

Luke just nodded, resigned to the fact that Stars Hollow had just made it's weirdness quota for the year. What's one more in a town full of nut- jobs? "Well, hop on in; we should probably get back and get Dawn settled in."

Spike shook his head. "Uh, I've got m'bike waitin' for me here, so I'll just see ya tomorrow, alright? Give you two a chance to adjust, yeah?"

"Bike?" Asked Luke, hoping he heard wrong.

"Motorcycle. Decided that the Desoto probably wouldn't survive the trip, so I bought m'self a new bike. She's gorgeous too."

"Motorcycle? Dawn isn't riding a motorcycle, those things are death on wheels." Luke told him. Spike just smirked.

"We'll see, Duke."

"Did you just call me Duke?" Luke was liking him less and less every minute

"Did some snoopin' yesterday. Cute pictures, by the way." Spike was with a grin, turning away.

Luke didn't even know what to say. Watching him walk away, he spoke to Dawn. "I don't like that guy."

Dawn just grinned. "Nobody likes him at first. He just takes some getting used to. Spike likes to make you think he's all tough and stuff, and he is; but underneath it all, he's a poet."

Luke raised a brow. "A poet? Riiight."

Dawn smiled. "I did some snooping of my own."

Luke looked at her, then started laughing. "Yeah, you're related to me. Listen, I've got my fiancée coming over tonight to meet you, that all right?"

Dawn was surprised. She didn't know there was a fiancée "Yeah, sure, is she nice?"

Luke grimaced. "She's insane. I've never met a woman crazier than Lorelai. Really, you should hear her go on about some completely mundane something or other; she can go for hours- she has gone for hours. Completely crazy."

Dawn smiled softly, reading Luke like a book. "Yeah, you love her. Only someone completely whipped can talk like that and have that goofy grin on the whole time. She sounds nice. I'm from a large group of babblers, so I understand how easy it is to just go on and on."

"Great, more of you."

She shrugged. "It's a thing."

The ride back to Stars Hollow was quiet, but not uncomfortably so. By the time they

reached home, Luke realized; this…thing- him and Dawn- it was going to take some work, lots of it; but in the end, they were going to be okay.