Chapter Ten: Clert and Podge

Dawn downed the last of her orange juice as Xander and Buffy watched on. Xander had helped himself to some toast while waiting for her to be ready for school. Buffy had had fruit and yoghurt. All the dirty dishes now lay on the kitchen island.

"Done!" she announced. Dawn did her best to flounce out the kitchen, but the effect was lost as she grasped her side. "I'm fine," she assured them quickly, halting Buffy's worried progress to her side with an outstretched hand. "I don't need to stay home another day. I am ready for school!"

"We believe you." Buffy smiled. It was the first time the teen had been excited to go to school in as long as Buffy could remember. She had enjoyed being pampered and waited on for a while but now she just wanted her independence back.

"Spike was here again?" Xander questioned. It seemed nonchalant, but his arms were crossed across his chest and he was scowling.

Buffy sighed. Here we go, she thought. How had he even known? "Dawn wanted to see him." She busied herself cleaning up the remains of breakfast. Scrapping the crusts into the bin and dropping plates into the sink. Xander didn't help.

"Is that really a good idea?" he asked. "I mean we have to talk about this. You saw what he did to Riley, what if he decides to do the same to Dawn?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "He won't."

"Because of the chip? Because that thing-"

"No." Buffy cut him off, "Not because of the chip. Because he cares about her, besides," she added thoughtfully, "Even when he could hurt her, he never did."

"Right," Xander said sarcastically, "Because he only ever kidnapped me and Will, he must be as safe as puppies and rainbows."

"Spike won't hurt Dawn. You wouldn't have left her alone with him all summer if you thought he would." Buffy repeated. She wiped down the counter, brushing crumbs into her hands. "You're just upset because you've realised that one wrong comment could land you with broken nose."

"This is not about me," he said defensively. "This is about keeping people I care about safe."

"And they are. Not that I don't doubt your powers of annoyance, Xand, but if you haven't made Spike mad enough to kill you in the past five years, I don't think you're going to now."

Xander opened his mouth to retort but snapped it closed when Dawn appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Ready," she said happily.

Buffy turned her back to Xander and made her way to Dawn. She gave her a kiss on the cheek and rubbed her hands down Dawn's arms. "You have everything?" Dawn nodded. "Okay well you call me if you need anything and I'll be right there, promise."

"Got it." Dawn nodded.

"Okay," Xander said, clapping his hands. "Let's get you to school."

Buffy opened the door happily but her smile dropped as she saw two detectives walking up the path. She recognised them from the hospital.

"Morning, Miss Summers," the older of the two greeted, quickening his pace up the steps. "Good to see you on your feet, kid."

"Thanks," Dawn said warily, eying off the two strangers.

The older man reached for his badge and flicked it open. "Podgettario – Podge - and Clert," he introduced quickly, flicking his thumb out at Clert. Dawn didn't relax.

"Can I help you, detectives?" Buffy asked harshly, "Only Dawn needs to get to school."

"It's my first day back," Dawn chimed in.

"Oh go, go," the younger one, Clert, said with a smile. "We just have some paperwork for you to sign, statements and such," he told Buffy. "Shouldn't take long. Thought it might be a bit less intimidating if we came here."

"And Constable Mickney seemed very concerned for his arm," Podge added with a smile and a wink at Buffy. Buffy blushed slightly.

Xander looked at her. "He wasn't being very helpful," she said quickly. "Right Dawn, off to school!" She shooed Xander and Dawn out the door. "Have a great day and-"

"Call you if I need anything, I remember."

"We'll talk later," Xander said pointedly as he followed Dawn to the car.

"Can't wait," Buffy muttered. She turned to the detectives. "So you wanted me to sign stuff?"

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Buffy finally laid the pen down on the dining room table. There was a basket of clean laundry on one end and Willow's computer and school books occupied the other. She had hastily cleared them off so Podge and Clert could sit down.

"So the army is going to pay all her medical bills? Just like that?" Buffy asked skeptically.

Podge shrugged. "That's what they told me."

"That's good," Buffy said with a sigh, "because I really can't afford another bill right now."

"Don't you get paid?" Clert started awkwardly, "For being, you know," he whispered conspiratorially, "The Slayer."

Buffy let out a small dry laugh. "I wish. No, it's the Doublemeat Palace for me… But I'm going back to college next year," she assured them quickly, a blush rising in her cheeks. She was going back next year.

"Oh," he said flatly, "I like their Fisherman's Basket."

"So," Podge said, interrupting with a scowl at Clert. Clert shrugged. He was nervous. As he had told Podge three times on the drive over, they were going to The Slayer's house. "That's all the official business taken care of."

"And that leaves…unofficial? Business?" Buffy guessed, looking questioningly from Podge to Clert. Podge lent forward and crossed his arms on the table. Buffy eyed him warily.

"After the whole Initiative clusterfuck -"

Buffy's eyes widened. "Wow you are informed."

Podge barreled on. "I put out some feelers, developed some contacts. Demons who wanted to see the back of the government in Sunnydale. Got a few guys in the Mayor's office."

"That's a good idea," Buffy interrupted. "Last one wanted to be a snake."

Clert looked at her confused. Podge smiled. "One heck of a graduation."

Buffy smiled back.

"Anyway, word is that the mayor has had some important phone calls coming though, army types wanting the mayor's assurances that there isn't going to be any," he paused, choosing his words carefully, "pushback, if they come to town."

"Riley wouldn't be stupid enough to come after Spike," Buffy said decisively.

"No," Clert acknowledged, "but his bosses might."

"We don't know anything for sure," Podge added at her worried expression, "But it might be a good idea for you and Spike to be on guard. Just in case."

"Here's my card," Clert said, rummaging through his jacket pocket to retrieve a bent business card, "Call me if you need anything."

"Thanks," Buffy said softly, brandishing the card, "I will."

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Buffy told herself that she was going to go to Willy's and see if she could confirm anything Podge and Clert had said. But instead she found herself in Spike's crypt, on the opposite side of a shard of sunlight, yelling herself hoarse at the stupid reckless vampire.

"Because I can't fight guns and you can't fight people," she yelled. "We don't exactly have the advantage here!"

Spike stopped and looked at her, tilting his head to the side. His face broke into a rare awe filled smile. "You're worried about me."

Buffy huffed uncomfortably. "Well I don't think they want to take you out for dinner and a movie."

"I'll lay low," he assured, tucking his thumbs through his belt loops and pushing his hips forward slightly. His tongue pushed against his teeth. He looked her up and down. "Keep my wits about me."

Buffy gaped at the sudden change. "Well," she said firmly… "Okay. Good. You do that. And I'll…" she took a step backwards and stumbled slightly over her own feet. "Just go and see what Willy has to say." She escaped back into the safety of the morning sunlight.

Spike smirked. "See you later, Slayer," he called after her.

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Buffy stormed angrily into Willy's, fully prepared to vent her misplaced frustration on the spineless, sniveling, pitiful excuse for a human being. Buffy paused. Little harsh, maybe. She just hoped Willy had information for her. She glanced around looking for Willy and her eyes widened. There was fresh plaster on the walls, no doubt covering holes. There were sheets of thin wood nailed haphazardly to the wall too, Buffy assumed that was the hole Clem suggested just be made into a new entrance. The usually tightly packed chairs and tables seemed sparse and Buffy thought she saw a chair leg buried in the ceiling by the bathrooms.

She smiled when Willy popped up from behind the bar. A bandage taped over his still bruised nose. "No!" he cried. "I don't know him. I didn't see anything, I don't even know where to start looking."

"Now Willy," Buffy said with an overly sweet smile and innocent shrug of her shoulders. "You don't even know what I want to ask."

"Oh no," Willy said, brandishing his dish towel like a shield. "I'm not saying a word about any of the army soldiers scouting the town or anything that might be at all tangentially related to that."

Buffy came up and leaned on the bar. "Just where have those army types been scouting?"

"Oh geez."

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Buffy peered around the corner and watched as a young couple climbed out of a beat up old station wagon. They walked stiffly to the small house at the end of an overgrown drive.

"Gotcha."

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