"Spike, is it always this quiet down here?"
"During the day, usually. At night though it's only when something big is gonna happen. Last time it was this quiet was just before the demons tried to take over the city."
"Which time?" Buffy asked dryly.
"The night they brought you back. Right before that was the quietest I've seen in a long while."
"Trust you to know the ins and outs of Sunnydale's underground life." They made their way through the Sunnydale sewers without mishap.
"Here's our stop. Go topside for me and see if your neighbor in the blue and white house went to work today. The carport is perfect shade and I can see both ends of your street from there."
"Geez Spike, lurk much?"
"I used to check and see if your mum was home. If she was I'd go over to watch Passions with her. After you went away to school she was feeling lonely, so we'd have hot cocoa and chat."
"Sometimes you amaze me. How are you going to live down that reputation? The Big Bad being nice to the Slayer's mom."
"I always liked Joyce. First time I saw her, she didn't have a clue as to what was going on, still knocked me about with an axe to get me away from you. I've always had a soft spot for tough women."
"I'm going topside. Back in a second." She shimmied up the ladder and moved the manhole cover. She popped her head up and looked around to get her bearings. The blue and white house was right across the street. "Carport's empty. I'll get out, then toss me your blanket--less chance for you to get burned that way." She reached down, took the blanket, and hopped out on to the street. She spread it wide to shade the manhole, then moved aside as Spike came barreling up the ladder. "I'll replace the cover. You head for the carport." They switched off holding the blanket and Spike made a determined rush for shelter. Buffy joined him at a more leisurely pace. "So, any idea what time it is?"
"There's a huge clock just inside that door there. It's in direct sunlight, so you'll have to peek in the window."
"Almost ten. I don't know how I'm going to break this to Dawn."
"Not like it will be a surprise with it staring her in the face. House gone. Clothes gone. Sister fine."
"Spike, don't tell her exactly what happened. She's still not talking to Willow and I don't want her to find out how the house actually burned down until she's calmed down a bit."
"Not wise to keep secrets, luv, they usually come around and bite you when you least expect it."
"Are you talking about the fire or something else?" Buffy asked pointedly.
"I'm talking about secrets in general. The harder you try to hide something, the more damage it does when things finally come out."
"I'll take my chances." She took Spike's blanket and sat down on it. "Spike?" she yawned, "will you watch for Dawn while I take a nap? I know she'll be late and I'm still tired from all the excitement last night."
"Next you'll want a pillow then."
"If you have one. You don't, do you?" He sat on the edge of the blanket and patted his thigh. She curled up, resting her head there and promptly fell asleep. Spike sat and watched for Dawn; running his hands idly through Buffy's hair.
"Slayer, wake up."
"Hm? What?"
"It's been about two hours and I haven't seen anyone drive down the street. The person who lives here usually comes home for lunch and wouldn't appreciate us blocking his drive. We have to move."
"Oh. Any more shelter around here for lurking vampires?"
"Yeah. The backyard patio of the house next door to yours. Nobody home all day. It's kinda hard to see the road, though."
"You wait there, I'll sit in front of what used to be my house." As he picked up the blanket, Buffy started to move toward the street. "Here she comes, I recognize the car." Spike hurried across the street to safety.
The car stopped and Dawn got out. "Buffy, what happened to our house?"
"There was a fire. Willow was hurt, she's in the hospital. We're staying at Giles' until things get straightened out."
"But, what about the things Mom left us? The little things to remember her by? You saved them, right?"
"No. I'm sorry, everything was a total loss."
"It's not FAIR! No pictures, no letters. All gone." She wailed.
"Dawn, we lose things. It happens. As long as we hold mom in our memories, we can't lose her." Dawn clung desperately to Buffy, sobbing.
A woman got out of the car. "Do you need a ride somewhere?"
"No, thank you. We're gonna stay for awhile, then go to a friend's house."
"We were running late, we tried to call and didn't get an answer. We tried your friend's store, but nobody was answering there, either. We though everyone had celebrated too much and was still sleeping."
"No big. I was going to call but didn't have your number. It was on the refrigerator which is somewhere in the basement, I think. Dawnie, do you have your things? Did you get them out of the car?" Dawn went back to the car and got her bag. Then she ran back to Buffy, still crying.
The woman offered one more time, "you're sure you don't need a ride?"
"No, really. Thank you, though. We'll be fine."
She drove away.
Buffy and Dawn went as close as they could to look at the wreckage of their home. "We probably should stay behind the yellow tape, the arson investigator hasn't been here yet. Besides, if you slip you only have one arm to catch yourself with."
They walked toward the backyard. Dawn looked up and saw Spike on the neighbor's back patio. She let go of Buffy and ran toward him. "Spike! Did you see what happened to my house?"
"Yeah, Bit. I was in the neighborhood when they were still fighting the fire." She buried her face in his chest, still sniffling. "Hey, what's with the waterworks? I thought you Summers women were tough. You can't let a little setback get you down. It'd wreck that meaner than anyone reputation. Besides, you'll ruin the shirt."
She looked up and gave him a watery smile. "Like that would be a loss. Do you own any colors besides black and red?"
Buffy laughed. "He used to have a bright blue shirt. I destroyed it when we were...fighting. It's a shame, though. He looked nice in it. Brought out the blue in his eyes."
Spike and Dawn looked at each other, then at Buffy who was suddenly studying the ground intently. They both started laughing. Flustered, Buffy tried to change the subject. "Very funny. Let's get Dawn's stuff to the condo then do some serious studying. I want this disaster over with."
"Buffy, how are we going to get to Giles' place? I mean, I like Spike and don't want him to get a fatal case of sunburn."
"Sewers."
"EEWW! Last time he took me through the sewers it was really wet in there. I wrecked a pair of my favorite shoes."
"It's drier now. How do you think we got here in the first place? If your sis can't manage to ruin a pair of her shoes, you can make it, too.
"I want to go to the hospital. I mean, I'm still mad at Willow but I didn't want her to get hurt. Well, not bad, anyway."
"We'll do that before studying and after dropping off clothes and getting you settled. Lunch would be nice too. I just wish I had enough money to buy some groceries. My purse was in the house along with the checkbook and any cash I might have."
"If we stop at my crypt, I have to get clothes and I have a small stash. I need something to eat, too."
"Okay, Spike's, Giles', someplace for lunch, hospital, and Magic Box. Glad I wore sensible shoes. Are you going to be able to walk that far, Dawn?"
"Yeah. I'm not thrilled about the underground route, but I will feel safer with Spike around."
"Hey, you take that back!"
"I just meant that nobody will mess with us while you're around."
"That's better."
The trio made it to Spike's crypt without mishap. No ruined shoes, no fatal sunburns. As they went in, Buffy found his first aid kit. "When we get back to the condo, I want another look at your burns, Spike."
"Spike got burned? What was he doing in our house?"
"No, Dawn, he got burned fighting Rack at the Bronze. We went looking for him after talking to Willow in the hospital. He beat her up bad."
"Is this something I'm gonna need a scorecard to keep up with? Just give me the short version."
"Okay, here goes. Rack came looking for Willow. I was on patrol. He beat her up, the house got set on fire trying to stop him, I came back, Willow went to the hospital. I got Spike to help me find Rack, we went to the Magic Box to get magic reinforcements, it was trashed. We called Tara who stayed with Willow for her protection, called Xander and told them about the store. They showed up, Xander went to talk to the firemen, Anya stayed to talk to the police. We went to look for Rack, found Amy. She couldn't find Rack either. We took her back to the Magic Box, tied her up, went to the hospital, talked to Willow. She suggested the Bronze. We went there, got in a fight with Rack and his two goons. He drained them dry for power, burned Spike with lightning, knocked me out. Spike brought me here. When I woke up, we went back to the Magic Box, Anya offered Giles' place to stay. We went there, showered, slept, and came back to get you. Any questions?"
"Three. How did Rack know where we live? How did Willow know where he was going next? What actually set our house on fire?"
"Willow said he was reading her mind and she woke up at home after her first experience there. She said she saw the Bronze, the Magic Box, and home. Since he had hit the first two, she figured the Bronze was next. The fire was an accident. It was the only spell Willow could think of to make him stop hitting her."
"I'm still mad at her for my arm and the demon attacking me. Buffy, is it wrong to be mad at someone who has been beaten up and is in the hospital?"
"No, you can be mad at someone for no apparent reason. We can love someone and still be mad at them for doing something stupid. Just try to be civil when we get to the hospital--or at least don't glare at Willow like you're waiting for her to close her eyes so you can do something horrible to her. If it helps, remember she's lost all her stuff, too, and knows it was her fault. You know how guilty she can get when people pretend everything is fine."
Spike popped his head up from the lower level of his home. "Remind me never to cross you, Slayer. Most of my evil is spur-of-the-moment. You could run a seminar on getting in touch with your inner vengeance demon."
"Spike, never cross me." She smiled and stuck out her tongue. "Or I'll cross you. Or stake you, or holy water..."
"I'm ready, just one last piece of business to conduct here. Nibblet, your mum gave this to me. You should have it."
Dawn reached out and took the photograph he had in his hands. She looked at it and threw her arms around Spike. "Thank you so much. Buffy, look, it's the one of us at Mom's first big show at the Gallery. Before I spilled punch all over your dress."
Spike looked up at Buffy and smiled. "Sounds like a good story for the road, Platelet. Let's go and you can tell me all about it."
"During the day, usually. At night though it's only when something big is gonna happen. Last time it was this quiet was just before the demons tried to take over the city."
"Which time?" Buffy asked dryly.
"The night they brought you back. Right before that was the quietest I've seen in a long while."
"Trust you to know the ins and outs of Sunnydale's underground life." They made their way through the Sunnydale sewers without mishap.
"Here's our stop. Go topside for me and see if your neighbor in the blue and white house went to work today. The carport is perfect shade and I can see both ends of your street from there."
"Geez Spike, lurk much?"
"I used to check and see if your mum was home. If she was I'd go over to watch Passions with her. After you went away to school she was feeling lonely, so we'd have hot cocoa and chat."
"Sometimes you amaze me. How are you going to live down that reputation? The Big Bad being nice to the Slayer's mom."
"I always liked Joyce. First time I saw her, she didn't have a clue as to what was going on, still knocked me about with an axe to get me away from you. I've always had a soft spot for tough women."
"I'm going topside. Back in a second." She shimmied up the ladder and moved the manhole cover. She popped her head up and looked around to get her bearings. The blue and white house was right across the street. "Carport's empty. I'll get out, then toss me your blanket--less chance for you to get burned that way." She reached down, took the blanket, and hopped out on to the street. She spread it wide to shade the manhole, then moved aside as Spike came barreling up the ladder. "I'll replace the cover. You head for the carport." They switched off holding the blanket and Spike made a determined rush for shelter. Buffy joined him at a more leisurely pace. "So, any idea what time it is?"
"There's a huge clock just inside that door there. It's in direct sunlight, so you'll have to peek in the window."
"Almost ten. I don't know how I'm going to break this to Dawn."
"Not like it will be a surprise with it staring her in the face. House gone. Clothes gone. Sister fine."
"Spike, don't tell her exactly what happened. She's still not talking to Willow and I don't want her to find out how the house actually burned down until she's calmed down a bit."
"Not wise to keep secrets, luv, they usually come around and bite you when you least expect it."
"Are you talking about the fire or something else?" Buffy asked pointedly.
"I'm talking about secrets in general. The harder you try to hide something, the more damage it does when things finally come out."
"I'll take my chances." She took Spike's blanket and sat down on it. "Spike?" she yawned, "will you watch for Dawn while I take a nap? I know she'll be late and I'm still tired from all the excitement last night."
"Next you'll want a pillow then."
"If you have one. You don't, do you?" He sat on the edge of the blanket and patted his thigh. She curled up, resting her head there and promptly fell asleep. Spike sat and watched for Dawn; running his hands idly through Buffy's hair.
"Slayer, wake up."
"Hm? What?"
"It's been about two hours and I haven't seen anyone drive down the street. The person who lives here usually comes home for lunch and wouldn't appreciate us blocking his drive. We have to move."
"Oh. Any more shelter around here for lurking vampires?"
"Yeah. The backyard patio of the house next door to yours. Nobody home all day. It's kinda hard to see the road, though."
"You wait there, I'll sit in front of what used to be my house." As he picked up the blanket, Buffy started to move toward the street. "Here she comes, I recognize the car." Spike hurried across the street to safety.
The car stopped and Dawn got out. "Buffy, what happened to our house?"
"There was a fire. Willow was hurt, she's in the hospital. We're staying at Giles' until things get straightened out."
"But, what about the things Mom left us? The little things to remember her by? You saved them, right?"
"No. I'm sorry, everything was a total loss."
"It's not FAIR! No pictures, no letters. All gone." She wailed.
"Dawn, we lose things. It happens. As long as we hold mom in our memories, we can't lose her." Dawn clung desperately to Buffy, sobbing.
A woman got out of the car. "Do you need a ride somewhere?"
"No, thank you. We're gonna stay for awhile, then go to a friend's house."
"We were running late, we tried to call and didn't get an answer. We tried your friend's store, but nobody was answering there, either. We though everyone had celebrated too much and was still sleeping."
"No big. I was going to call but didn't have your number. It was on the refrigerator which is somewhere in the basement, I think. Dawnie, do you have your things? Did you get them out of the car?" Dawn went back to the car and got her bag. Then she ran back to Buffy, still crying.
The woman offered one more time, "you're sure you don't need a ride?"
"No, really. Thank you, though. We'll be fine."
She drove away.
Buffy and Dawn went as close as they could to look at the wreckage of their home. "We probably should stay behind the yellow tape, the arson investigator hasn't been here yet. Besides, if you slip you only have one arm to catch yourself with."
They walked toward the backyard. Dawn looked up and saw Spike on the neighbor's back patio. She let go of Buffy and ran toward him. "Spike! Did you see what happened to my house?"
"Yeah, Bit. I was in the neighborhood when they were still fighting the fire." She buried her face in his chest, still sniffling. "Hey, what's with the waterworks? I thought you Summers women were tough. You can't let a little setback get you down. It'd wreck that meaner than anyone reputation. Besides, you'll ruin the shirt."
She looked up and gave him a watery smile. "Like that would be a loss. Do you own any colors besides black and red?"
Buffy laughed. "He used to have a bright blue shirt. I destroyed it when we were...fighting. It's a shame, though. He looked nice in it. Brought out the blue in his eyes."
Spike and Dawn looked at each other, then at Buffy who was suddenly studying the ground intently. They both started laughing. Flustered, Buffy tried to change the subject. "Very funny. Let's get Dawn's stuff to the condo then do some serious studying. I want this disaster over with."
"Buffy, how are we going to get to Giles' place? I mean, I like Spike and don't want him to get a fatal case of sunburn."
"Sewers."
"EEWW! Last time he took me through the sewers it was really wet in there. I wrecked a pair of my favorite shoes."
"It's drier now. How do you think we got here in the first place? If your sis can't manage to ruin a pair of her shoes, you can make it, too.
"I want to go to the hospital. I mean, I'm still mad at Willow but I didn't want her to get hurt. Well, not bad, anyway."
"We'll do that before studying and after dropping off clothes and getting you settled. Lunch would be nice too. I just wish I had enough money to buy some groceries. My purse was in the house along with the checkbook and any cash I might have."
"If we stop at my crypt, I have to get clothes and I have a small stash. I need something to eat, too."
"Okay, Spike's, Giles', someplace for lunch, hospital, and Magic Box. Glad I wore sensible shoes. Are you going to be able to walk that far, Dawn?"
"Yeah. I'm not thrilled about the underground route, but I will feel safer with Spike around."
"Hey, you take that back!"
"I just meant that nobody will mess with us while you're around."
"That's better."
The trio made it to Spike's crypt without mishap. No ruined shoes, no fatal sunburns. As they went in, Buffy found his first aid kit. "When we get back to the condo, I want another look at your burns, Spike."
"Spike got burned? What was he doing in our house?"
"No, Dawn, he got burned fighting Rack at the Bronze. We went looking for him after talking to Willow in the hospital. He beat her up bad."
"Is this something I'm gonna need a scorecard to keep up with? Just give me the short version."
"Okay, here goes. Rack came looking for Willow. I was on patrol. He beat her up, the house got set on fire trying to stop him, I came back, Willow went to the hospital. I got Spike to help me find Rack, we went to the Magic Box to get magic reinforcements, it was trashed. We called Tara who stayed with Willow for her protection, called Xander and told them about the store. They showed up, Xander went to talk to the firemen, Anya stayed to talk to the police. We went to look for Rack, found Amy. She couldn't find Rack either. We took her back to the Magic Box, tied her up, went to the hospital, talked to Willow. She suggested the Bronze. We went there, got in a fight with Rack and his two goons. He drained them dry for power, burned Spike with lightning, knocked me out. Spike brought me here. When I woke up, we went back to the Magic Box, Anya offered Giles' place to stay. We went there, showered, slept, and came back to get you. Any questions?"
"Three. How did Rack know where we live? How did Willow know where he was going next? What actually set our house on fire?"
"Willow said he was reading her mind and she woke up at home after her first experience there. She said she saw the Bronze, the Magic Box, and home. Since he had hit the first two, she figured the Bronze was next. The fire was an accident. It was the only spell Willow could think of to make him stop hitting her."
"I'm still mad at her for my arm and the demon attacking me. Buffy, is it wrong to be mad at someone who has been beaten up and is in the hospital?"
"No, you can be mad at someone for no apparent reason. We can love someone and still be mad at them for doing something stupid. Just try to be civil when we get to the hospital--or at least don't glare at Willow like you're waiting for her to close her eyes so you can do something horrible to her. If it helps, remember she's lost all her stuff, too, and knows it was her fault. You know how guilty she can get when people pretend everything is fine."
Spike popped his head up from the lower level of his home. "Remind me never to cross you, Slayer. Most of my evil is spur-of-the-moment. You could run a seminar on getting in touch with your inner vengeance demon."
"Spike, never cross me." She smiled and stuck out her tongue. "Or I'll cross you. Or stake you, or holy water..."
"I'm ready, just one last piece of business to conduct here. Nibblet, your mum gave this to me. You should have it."
Dawn reached out and took the photograph he had in his hands. She looked at it and threw her arms around Spike. "Thank you so much. Buffy, look, it's the one of us at Mom's first big show at the Gallery. Before I spilled punch all over your dress."
Spike looked up at Buffy and smiled. "Sounds like a good story for the road, Platelet. Let's go and you can tell me all about it."