Yesterday has been and gone

Tommorow will I find the sun or will it rain

Everybody's having fun except me I

'm the lonely one

I live in shame

Spike opened one eye as the muffled strains of music came up into the living room. The curtains were drawn to block the sun and Spike had finally fallen asleep after a long night of kicking demon ass. It was barely noon on a Saturday. Of course. It was band rehearsal. Spike groaned and rolled off the couch, standing up and stretching. Three times a week, the band Dawn had started with her four friends practiced in the basement. The band, which was mostly a cover band, was playing one of his old favorites, so it really wasn't all that much of an intrusion to his sleep.

I said goodbye to romance [yeah]

Goodbye to friends,

I tell you Goodbye to all the past

I guess that we'll meet,

we'll meet in the end

As Spike heated up a mug of blood in the microwave, he listened to Dawn's throaty voice belting out the song. She was so talented, she could take any song, sung by male or female, and make it her own. Spike listened for a few more moments, then took his blood out as the microwave began to buzz at him. He headed down the basement stairs as the song kept going. He sat on the bottom step, but the band didn't stop playing.

I've been the king,

I've been the clown now broken wings can't hold me down I'm free again

The jester with the broken crown

It won't be me this time around to love in vain

Dawn, Mia, Jag, Card and Ian, made up the group of "Sunnydale High's most talented rejects" as they liked to call themselves. Spike had taken to calling them the Scoobies, Generation Next. Dawn and Mia sang and Mia also played the guitar, Jag (whose real name was Michael) played the drums, Card was keyboards, and Ian was the bass. Spike had come to think of them as a sort of family. The boys practically lived there anyway, always swiping food from the fridge and quizzing Spike on vampire lore.

They all knew, of course, what went bump in the night. Dawn couldn't hide it from them for long. In fact, they had all taken it rather well. Turned out Mia was hell with a stake and Card was their new net-guy. Spike was sometimes shocked at how much they resembled the old Sunnydale gang. Card was the intellegence of Willow, Jag had the boyishness and sarcasm of Xander, Mia babbled like Willow and had learned some magicks since she'd met Dawn, Ian reminded Spike of Riley without the blinding hatred he'd had for Captain Cardboard. And all five of them deserved a record deal.

I said goodbye to romance [yeah]

Goodbye to friends,

I tell you Goodbye to all the past I

 guess that we'll meet,

we'll meet in the end

and I feel the time is right

although I know that you just might say to me

what you gonna do

what you gonna do

But I have to take this chance goodbye to friends and to romance

And to all of you

And to all of you

Come'on now!

Dawn noticed Spike and winked at him. She twirled the microphone in her hands a little, and grinned over at Mia before launching into the rest of the song.

I said goodbye to romance [yeah]

Goodbye to friends,

I tell you Goodbye to all the past

I guess that we'll meet, we'll meet in the end

and the winter is looking fine and I think the sun will shine again

and I feel I've cleaned my mind

all the past is left behind again

I said goodbye to romance [yeah]

goodbye to friends,

I tell you goodbye to all the past

I guess that we'll meet,

we'll meet in the end.

As the song wrapped up the band stood still, all looking to Spike for approval. The vampire sent them two thumbs up, "Excellent. Extra points for playing somethin' by Ozzy. Nice work."

They all cheered and started packing up. Dawn tugged her shoulder-length hair off her neck and tied it up in a messy bun before going to help Jag pack up the drum set.

"Algebra exam tomorrow." Mia reminded them, "Study session tonight?"

Everyone else groaned.

Dawn sighed, "Yeah I guess." She looked to Spike for approval. He nodded, "We can have it here."

**

"a-squared plus b-squared equals c-squared if c is the hypotenuse--"

"OH MY GOD THIS MAKES NO SENSE!" Jas interrupted Dawn's explanation, "Please, someone. Tell me WHEN in my career as a drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers will I give a rat's ass about a right triangle?"

Everyone laughed. Dawn sighed, tossing down her pencil, "Jag, anywhere but here?"

Jag grinned at the start of the old game. He thought for a moment, then said, "Doing a photo shoot for the cover of Rolling Stone. Card, you're turn."

"Sleeping."

"That's it?"

"With Cindy Margolas. Mia?"

"Ummmm....Oooh, in Puerto Rico, with Roberto the cabana boy massaging my feet. Ian?"

"Amy Yip at the water park."

Everyone groaned. Mia rolled her eyes "Does your answer EVER change?"

"I like consistency." He said simply, "Dawnie? Your turn."

Dawn closed her eyes and thought, "Let me see....It's like, four years ago. My sister's alive and my mom's alive. And Spike is still trying to kill us all, but that's cool, because he kidnapped Angel, and I can't STAND Angel. Anyway, it's back then and I'm watching Friends on a Thursday night with Mom and Buffy."

Everyone stared at her, including Spike who had come in to warm up his dinner. He cocked his head to the side, "That's a nice image, pet."

Dawn opened her eyes and smiled at him, "What about you? Anywhere but here?"

Spike was silent for a few moments as all the band members focused on him. After a long pause he met Dawn's eyes and said evenly, "Right here."

Everyone looked at Dawn, then Spike.

"Intense." Ian whispered.