Disclaimer, etc.: See chap one.
Author's Notes 1, Tigerwolf: This is an exciting chap. It's the last place where we have used anything that is exactly like what happened in the show. After this, we're totally AU and on a ROADTRIP!! YAY!
Dawn lugged her bag to the Winnabago, letting out a big breath as she heaved it inside. She was pretty sure her room was bare, except for the bedframe, which she had left. She dragged it to the back room, where Buffy said to stash it. She opened the door, backing into the room, tugging on the strap of her enormous, but still bulging bag. Her foot got caught under the bag, and she lost her balance, spilling backwards onto the bed. "Whoof!"
And onto Spike's sore ribs. "Ah!" He popped awake. Noticed who was in the room. "Bit?"
She bounced up quickly, spun to look at him. "Spike! I'm so-" stopped as she saw his beaten visage. And it had been two days healing. Her mouth opened into a soft 'o', her eyes filling with guilt.
He offered her what he hoped was a reassuring grin. "Hey, Niblet. Lookin' forward to the vacation?"
She reached out one hand to feather her fingers over a bruise on his face. "I'm so sorry." She sounded so much older than she should have.
He cupped her cheek. "It's not your fault, Bit. I'm glad I did it. Kept you safe. Kept all you safe. It was worth it." Gave her a half pat on the head. "Now, are you looking forward to the vacation?"
She gave him a bright smile, all for his benefit. "Yeah. It'll be so cool." And a part of her was excited. She bit her lip a moment, then confided, "I've never been on a roadtrip."
He leaned toward her. "Can you keep a secret?"
She nodded. She loved it when Spike told her stuff.
Grinned at her. "I've never been on a roadtrip either." Tapped her on the nose. "Don't tell, or I'll have to hurt you."
Enthused smile. "Promise. So... we can be like... newbies together."
He chuckled, hiding a cough. "Yeah. That's a good way to think of it." He glanced at her mammoth bag. "Did you remember the kitchen sink? Or did you run out of room before you got downstairs?"
She grinned charmingly. "I left the bedframe and dressers. What more do you want?"
He grinned, playfully poking her ribs. "I guessed as much."
She gave a small giggle, with a tiny snort, and covered her mouth with her hand in mortification.
He chuckled and grinned. "Hmm. I'll have to file that away for future use."
She glowered at him, the blush on her cheeks making it MUCH less threatening. "You wouldn't dare."
He laughed quietly. "I'm evil, remember? Try me. Sides, what would you do to stop me?"
She gave him a self-satisfied grin. "I'll tell Xander you watch Winnie the Pooh."
"He wouldn't believe you."
She shrugged. "That doesn't matter. I don't even know if you really do. But he wouldn't care even if HE didn't believe me. He'd tell everyone. Prolly take a special trip down to Willy's, too."
Spike made a fake mortified face. "Oh no. I couldn't have the demon community thinking that I'm useless, now can I? Oh. Wait. They already do. Don't worry, Bit. Don't give me a reason, and you're safe."
Relieved face. "Good." She smiled and said, "Well, I gotta go help Buffy still." She gave a small wave.
Spike settled back on the bed again. "Good idea. I'm sure Buffy needs all the help you can give her. See you later, Bit."
She stopped at the doorway, turned, and stepped close to the bed again, frowning. She leaned forward and gently kissed the sharp edge of one cut cheekbone. "Thank you, Spike." She ducked her head, as though embarrassed, and left the Winnebago quickly.
All he could do was touch a hand to his cheek, and stare at the door. Maybe this wasn't going to be such a bad week after all.
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"DAAAAAWN!!!!" Buffy called desperately from her bedroom, "WHY DO YOU STEAL MY PANTS!?!?"
Dawn trooped up the stairs to lean against her sister's doorjamb. "Because I want to. Don't worry. I packed all your clothes I stole, so, one way or the other, you've got 'em."
She gave Dawn a measured glare, simply for the reason that it was warranted. "I could choke you."
Dawn grinned, then walked in the room, and looped her arms around Buffy's waist from the back, hugging her. "Thank you for asking Spike."
Buffy reached one hand back to pat Dawn's head, and scrunched back against her in a hug. "You're welcome. Now come on. Let's make sure Willow and Tara are packed, too, and get a move on."
========================================================================== =======
Willow and Tara sat on one side of the booth, holding hands, while Buffy and Dawn sat on the other side. "Did you guys have fun?" the Slayer inquired.
Dawn grinned, "Oh yeah... I had cotton candy, candied apples, and a funnel cake. And! I flirted my way into getting a stuffed elephant."
Spike was driving, but he was listening. They were on their way to the Magic Box to pick up the rest of the Scoobies.
Buffy laughed, and patted her sister on the back. "Go you, Dawnie, with the feminine wiles."
Tara smiled shyly. "Dawn had a full day. We rode every ride there twice."
Willow nodded. "Maybe three times..."
"Anyone throw up?", Spike called from the drivers seat. They were at a red light.
Tara gave a small laugh. "I almost did on the.... uh... spinny thing."
Dawn's eyes rounded. "Oh, man. Her face was grey. It was the sickest thing."
Willows thumb stroked over the back of Tara's hand comfortingly. "Yeah... she felt bad."
Spike chuckled. "And you still went on it again?" Light turned green, Winnabago began moving again.
Tara's smile brightened at Willow's touch. "Yeah. It was still fun."
Buffy wished she had gone. She missed fairs.
Spike fell silent. Trying to remember when the last time he'd done anything like that. Scared himself when the most recent thing he remembered was Woodstock. The first one. Coughed a little. Continued watching the road.
Everyone heard it, but politely ignored it. Except Dawn, who made her way to the front, the brave little toaster, and sat in the passenger's seat. "Y'ok?"
He cleared his throat, hid his surprise at the taste of his own blood being swallowed. His lung hadn't knitted yet. Nodded at Dawn. "I'm fine, Bit. Just a little eager to pick up the Watcher, the Whelp and Demon Girl. So I won't have to drive anymore and can keep from incinerating."
She nodded, but kept him company in the front, looking pointedly at him as she drew the safety belt over her shoulder to clasp at her waist.
He sighed, but buckled his belt at the next stop light. After all, flying out the front window might not kill him, but the sunlight on the other side of it would.
Dawn shifted nervously. "Is there enough tin foil for a little bit? I mean... we can pick up more, but it's ok for now?"
"Yeah. It'll do for now. Besides, it's still pretty cloudy. And the sun'll be down in a few hours."
She nodded, leaned her head back against the rest, waiting till they got to the store.
Less than ten minutes later, they pulled up outside the Magic Box. Spike put the Winnabago in park and blew the horn, mouthing to Dawn, "I feel like we're carpooling."
She giggled, little more than she would usually, because she was feeling a little bit nervous.
Xander came out of the front door of the shop, dragging a huge box. Spike saw him, and blew the horn again. Loudly.
"Yeah, yeah. Keep your shirt on!", Xander yelled, straining to pull the box off the curb.
Giles and Anya followed him out, both carrying three suitcases. Anya paused to lock the shop.
Spike vacated the drivers seat to avoid the sunlight that would come in when Giles opened the door. Sat on the edge of the booth bench, near Buffy. She scootched over, both to avoid them touching, and to give him more room.
With little difficulty, Xander got the box of weapons through the door and shoved it into the back room. Giles and Anya brought their and Xander's suitcases in and left them on the floor halfway between the booth and the bathroom door. Giles got into the drivers seat, and prepared to shift into drive. He would have, except for a sudden shout from Xander as he returned from the bedroom. "WAIT! We can't go yet!"
Giles nearly had a heart attack. "Why not?"
All the females stopped to look at him, every single one of them, at that instant remembering something they'd forgotten.
"It's bad luck to ride in an RV without a name," Xander proclaimed, looking around for people to agree with him.
Spike spoke up. "I thought that was for boats."
Xander nodded. "RVs too. My cousin told me."
Willow nodded, Tara did because Willow did, and Dawn did because she felt stupid, but Buffy just gave him a questioning look. Anya nodded because Xander was speaking. "Very bad luck," The ex-demon intoned.
Spike snorted. "What do you name a Winnabago?"
Willow brightened. "How bout, 'The one that got away'??"
Even Tara groaned slightly.
Xander shook his head. "Naw. How about, 'Road Warrior!' "
Buffy said, "Grand Theft Auto."
Giles thought for a moment. "The Hornblower."
Spike laughed, sending himself into a coughing fit.
Anya piped up, "Winnebago the Pooh?"
And the vampire now choked.
Dawn gave a derisive snort. Thoughtfully she said, "Buffy... what's that word, ya know, that Aunt Sophia use to say all the time..." Dawn had left the passengers seat to sit at Spike's side, on the floor by the booth.
Buffy thought back to her world-traveler aunt. She was great... "Ohana? I think."
Spike snorted. "What's that? A Tahitian sex position?"
Buffy gave him a glare.
Dawn piped up. "Ohana. It means family. And family means that no one gets left behind." Her hand reached up to grab Spike's defensively, giving every person there a thorough look. "No one."
Spike looked down at her, not knowing what to say. No sarcastic remark was forthcoming, so he did the next best thing. Rested a hand on Dawn's shoulder. "Sounds good to me."
Unanimous, solemn nods echoed his sentiments.
Giles smiled. "Very well. The 'Ohana' it is. Is there any place else we need to stop before we head out of town? Anyone forget anything?"
Dawn nodded. "I did."
Giles swiveled the seat around. "Oh? What?"
Spike gave her a look. "Bit, you packed the whole house."
She pouted at both of them. "Can you just stop?"
Giles sighed and turned the Ohana around, heading back to the Summers home. Parked outside. "Make it quick, Dawn. We need to get some miles under our belts before the sun goes down."
She nodded, and hopped out, having got the key from Buffy, and slipping in the house. A few minutes she returned with her arms full. She smiled gratefully at Xander for opening the door for her, and climbed in. "Ok," she chirped at Giles. "I'm ready now."
Spike cocked his head at her. "What's all that stuff, Bit?"
She shrugged, and started sorting it in front of their eyes. "Well, Buffy forgot Mr. Gordo." Which she handed up to her sister.
Spike hid a chuckle. A Slayer sleeping with a stuffed animal. Too much.
Buffy gave him a look, and petted her pig's head once.
"And..." She held up a jewelry case, "if Glory finds out, or... anyone breaks in, it's all Mom's jewelry, and this was her favorite book, and, this..." She held up a small statue. "Well, it's lucky, and it's Mom's, too. Her favorite, so she put it by the door, so everyone could see it, too." She looked at Buffy with tentative eyes, the held up a photo of everyone. "And... it's the one off the end table..." She shrugged shyly. "No one gets left behind." Bit her lip suddenly, looking for reassurance, because suddenly everyone looked so serious. "Was I wrong to grab it??"
Spike slowly shook his head, not trusting his voice at that particular moment.
Buffy reached quickly across Spike to touch Dawn's hair. "No, Dawnie. It's very thoughtful and smart... I- I should have thought of it."
Willow gave her a bright smile. "I'm glad you grabbed the picture, too. It's a great one."
Anya frowned at it. "I think I look fat."
Tara just gave her that wonderfully encouraging nod.
Giles gave a quiet chuckle. "Are there any supplies that we need? I believe the kitchenette is fully stocked... Oh." He swiveled around again. "Except for one thing. We'll stop by the butchers and get some blood for Spike."
Spike looked up from where he had been studying a photo of Joyce that was in the jumble of stuff that Dawn had brought in, surprised that the Watcher remembered him. "Uh. I'm fine, really. I can wait till we hit the next town tonight. We should go."
Dawn shook her head forcefully. "I wanna stop." Quietly, for him, "You need to get better."
He gave her one of those rare true smiles and ruffled her hair. "Well. God knows we can't not listen to a teenager."
Giles had already begun heading for the butcher's shop.
She gave him a pretend offended look for daring to mess with her shiny locks, and nodded with a 'Hmmph!' "That's right. Even God knows."
Buffy smiled. Already Dawn looked younger. Less worried, less haggard, less everything she shouldn't have been in the first place. Grand theft auto or not... She was happy about the trip.
Giles parked outside the shop and opened the door, then looked at Spike. "Do you have a preference? Pig, cow...?"
Spike was thoroughly shocked. Ok. When was the other shoe dropping? He glanced at the others, then back at Giles when the shoe did not become apparent. "Uh.. pig, I guess."
"Very well." Giles closed the door behind him, leaving two witches, one Key, one Slayer, one ex-demon, one construction worker, and a very confused vampire behind him.
Dawn had already gone in the bedroom, bringing out books and a portable CD player, bopping her head pleasantly to N'Sync.
Spike just sat in the booth, looking confused to anyone who happened to look at him. Fortunately, Tara, Buffy, and Willow were engrossed in conversation about some TV show, and Xander and Anya were... Well, making out in the bathroom, from what his ears could pick up. No one to notice him. He got up and went into the back room. No one wanted to talk to him, and he knew Giles would want him to drive when the sun went down. Better take a nap.
Buffy grinned at Tara. "I know, but seriously... The season finale SO shouldn't have left us hanging THAT bad." She stood. "I'll be right back. I'm gonna grab some stuff from the bedroom." She walked in, closed the door softly behind her. "Restin' up?"
Slight chuckle. "Staring at the ceiling is more like it." They felt the Winnabago start moving again, but it was a gentle movement. No hindrance to walking.
She nodded, sat at the foot of the bed. "Have you changed your bandages? It's been a few days. You should have."
Nodded. "This mornin'."
Half smile. "Good. Um... how's... everything mending?"
He moved around a little, testing. "Some good, some not so good. Still got a hole in my lung and my ribs are so sensitive that the shirt hurts. My leg's pretty much normal, though."
Nodded. Geez, so much with the nodding. She stood quickly, then found her bag, started to dig through it. Grabbed a small bottle and emptied a few pills into her hand. "Just a minute." She went out, grabbed a bottled water from the kitchenette, and brought it back, handed him the pills and the water. She shrugged. "They're just super-strength Motrin."
He took the pills. "I dunno if they'll do much good. The makers of this stuff always seem to expect a bloke to have an operating circulatory system." Half grin. "Silly them."
Eye roll. "My my... who'd have thought it? Try to explain that to a doctor. 'But, your pills suck, make some for me! Market the undead!'"
He laugh/coughed. "Yeah. That's the ticket. I might just write them a very strongly worded letter if these don't work."
She snorted. "You do that." She pulled out a medium sized romance novel, and frowned. "I swear to God. I could just kick her ass."
He glanced at her. "Who? For what?"
"If I said, 'Dawn, don't jump off a cliff', you think she'd do it?" She waved the book at him. "I told her to not read this. Not for virgin... well, anything. And she folded the page down where she stopped reading."
He chuckled quietly. "And where did she stop?"
She sighed. "Too far to still have a virgin brain, that's for sure."
He let out a half laugh half snort. "Well, it's up to her family to take care of this sort of thing. If you didn't want her reading it, why was it in the house?"
"It was in my room," she said defensively. "In a DESK. Is NOTHING holy?"
He shook his head. "Not when you have siblings. Especially younger ones. Believe me. I know."
She rolled her eyes. Grumbled.
He grinned at her. "So, it's your book, then? Learn anything new?"
Tried her absolute damnedest to keep the blush off her face. Tossed her hair knowingly. "Why learn from a book?" Blinked innocently. "Did you?"
"No. I learned from.." Stop there. "None of your business, Slayer."
Thought smugly, 'Point onnnnne for Buffy. Hehe...' "Right. None of my business."
'Damn it, she's winning.' "Right." Went back to staring at the ceiling. "Thank you, by the way."
She hated it when he did that. Thanked her. It put her off, confused her, and made her uncomfortable, which she was SURE was why he did it. "For what?"
"You've kept your promise. Been nothing but civil to me all day. I know it's probably killing you, so you don't have to do it anymore. I just wanted to see if it was possible." His eyes were closed.
Yup. That's why he did it. Cuz there went that uncomfortableness making itself cozy in her whole body.
"What did you come in here for, anyway? Unless you're plannin' to read aloud from that book of yours to the group."
She shrugged. "To get you the pills." She was seated on the floor, her head on her drawn up knees. "Do you think we'll be able to do it?" The uncertainty of it snuck into her voice. She wanted Dawn safe, more than anything in the world. But...
Perfect opening... But.. No. "Keep Dawn away from Glory, you mean?"
She looked up, confused. "Yeah.. What else?"
"You- Never mind. I think we will. I know we will. Your little band of Scoobies can do anything. In fact..." He trailed off, sitting up. "Do you hear something?"
She tilted her head. "No... I-"
Hoofbeats. Lots of them. Either there was a herd of buffalo outside or... Xander opened the door. "Uh, guys? You might want to look out the back window. We have company. And they brought a CRUSADE!"
Spike got up. Far too fast. Sat back down in a wave of pain. Looked at Buffy. "What is it?"
She glanced out the windows. "The Byzantine Knights." She ran to the main room, ripped Dawn's headset off her ears. "Under the bed. Now! Go!"
Dawn scrambled, her eyes taking on a fearful glaze.
Spike stood, going into the main room of the Ohana, calling to Giles, "Step on it, Watcher! These wankers mean business!"
Giles made a growling sound. "I AM bloody stepping on it!"
Willow and Tara stood, united. "What should we do?"
Buffy stood at the center of the room, ready for the attack.
Spike looked out the window. "Save it, Wiccas. They've got a few priests with them. They'll repel whatever you throw at 'em."
Willow frowned, and Tara shifted nervously.
Xander was digging through his box of weapons. "God. We can't kill them. They're HUMAN for cryin' out loud!"
Anya stood with Xander, whispered in his ear to not mar his face for the wedding. She nodded. "Yes we can. I mean... technically, they're the easiest to pick off."
Buffy's eyes firmed. "Try not to kill them. But if it comes to them or Dawn... no holds barred."
Spike made a yelping sound when a spear flew through the window that he'd been looking out of, barely missing his neck and embedding itself in the far wall. "Bloody IDIOTS!"
Buffy threw him a look. "Stay with Dawn." He was useless in this fight, and he didn't need the defenseless hell beat out of him to prove it.
He nodded and started to go back into the bedroom, when a thumping sound made him pause. He looked up. "They're on the roof..."
Xander held up a short sword, trying to figure out where one of them was so that he could stick the sword through the roof and impale him. No one messes with this family. No one.
Buffy stood still, ready for the attack barefisted. Kill Dawn, her ass. Those stupid mother fu-
Giles meanwhile was swerving from side to side, trying to shake the Knights off. It was working a little. Every now and then they'd hear a thump as a Knight lost his grip. Finally, it looked like the Knights were falling behind. The horses unable to follow the Winnabago onto the freeway.
Xander looked out the window. "I think we lost 'em!"
Buffy sighed. Ok... Safe... Safe... Time to reassure Dawn.
Spike was still staring at the ceiling. Game face in place. "Slayer, when I say now, duck."
She gave him a confused look. "Spike...? Why, they -"
"NOW!"
The ferocity of his yell made her duck and roll more so than the order.
A sword plunged through the ceiling. It would have still impaled Buffy's head, except that something caught it, held it. Spike was gripping the sword bare handed, the steel slicing deep into his hands, his sharp teeth gritted against the pain.
Buffy crouched, unsure of what to do.
The Wicca's were standing in a corner, watching wide-eyed, both minds racing for a protective spell that could MAYBE hold them off, just for a moment.
Knowing if he did what he was thinking of, the chip would go off and hurt like hell, Spike called to Giles anyway. "Watcher! Your turn. When I say now, swerve hard left. I don't care if you sideswipe the median, just do it."
Buffy crept into the bedroom, pulled Dawn out from under the bed, stared at her shaking, crying little sister, and pulled her into a protective embrace. "It's gonna be ok," she whispered into her hair. "Everyone's fighting for you... Ohana..." She rocked left and right. "Ohana."
Spike yanked on the sword, throwing the human holding it off balance, then rammed it back up through the hole, feeling the hilt connect with what he assumed to be a human nose. "NOW!", he called, collapsing to the floor clutching his head in bleeding hands as the chip went off.
Giles swerved, thankfully not hitting anything, and they heard a human scream, followed by breaks screeching behind them.
Buffy rolled as they were all thrown to the right, taking the brunt of the fall, keeping Dawn tight to her. She left her sister, to come into the room to check on everyone.
Spike stayed on the floor, curled in a ball. This was the longest the chip had ever gone off for. Probably because he'd actually hurt a human this time. He was whimpering, his hands bleeding all over his head.
He kept taking the beatings for her family... for her... She crouched, her hands over his, drawing them away from his head.
He moaned. "..stopstopstopstop.." The chip had stopped, but the lingering electrical discharge was almost as bad.
Xander stood next to the booth, unsure of what to do. He slipped an arm around Anya, holding her to him.
She uncurled Spike's fisted hands, examined them. Deep, gushing cuts, two for each hand, one down the palm, one down the middle joints of all his fingers, to the bone on some of them. "First Aid kit, NOW!" she snapped at someone, anyone.
Willow and Tara made for the bathroom as fast as they could move, returning with the first aid kit and wet rags to wipe the blood up.
Buffy took them gratefully, called up to the driver, "Giles? How's things?"
"I think that was the last one, Buffy. I don't see anymore of them. What's going on back there?"
Spike was trembling. Some of his mended ribs had re-broken when he'd fallen to the floor. Too much pain... Far too much.
"Spike... he's... I'll fix him." She glanced at Anya and Xander. "Dawn. Go. Make her feel better."
Glanced at the witches. "Think of a protection spell for Ohana. Strongest, biggest, baddest one you've got. Giles brought some books. Go through them."
The two couples nodded, going about their appointed tasks.
She turned back to Spike, opened the kit, and pulled out some migraine medication, and held out two pills. "Open your mouth." His hands would be useless for a few hours, to say the least.
He had lost his game face when the chip had gone off. One of it's side effects. He opened his mouth slightly, willing himself not to puke. A quiet... kicked puppy-like sound came from within him.
She slipped the pills in his mouth, and went to the bathroom to grab a quick glass of water. She moved behind him, hauled him up gently, and held the cup to his lips.
He swallowed just enough to get the pills down. Leaned back against her without meaning to. The limited strength that he'd been running on for the past few days was almost gone.
She let him, but squirmed to the side, so his head and back were supported mostly by the right side of her body. She reached out a leg, to sweep the kit toward her. She opened it, grabbed the peroxide. "I need your hand."
Held up the left hand. No words. No argument. He was breathing, but there was an odd rattling sound about it. He coughed explosively, scaring everyone on the Ohana, including himself. He looked at Buffy, gratitude and love shining in his eyes.
She saw the look, averted her gaze to his hand, disinfecting, then gauze wrapping the cuts over his palm, then bandaging every finger individually. She let go, then put the kit in his lap, and shifted to support his weight on her left shoulder now. She took the kit back, and held out a hand.
He placed his right hand in hers, letting her do what she would. His eyes kept closing, damn them. He wanted to enjoy this. Being close to her, without her yelling at him, or hurting him on purpose, or any of their usual ways of communication. It was... nice. But short lived. Soon as this little trip was over, and Dawn was safe, she'd go right back to beating the crap out of him for no reason. It was the normal way of things and not to be questioned. Predators know these things.
She finished bandaging, ran her fingers over his hand, for no reason, and she picked up a rag to wipe to the blood from his face and where he had gotten some into his hair. "Hurt anything else?"
Shook his head. "Just re-broke some ribs. And I have a huge headache. I'll heal." Stood up slowly. "I'm going to go... check on Dawn." He was wobbly, but walking. As he entered the bedroom, Xander and Anya came out.
"Dawn's feeling better now, Buff," Xander said. "She just wants us never to go to a Renaissance fair ever."
Buffy grinned. That was her girl. "I swear. Never."
Back in the bedroom, Spike sat on the bed next to Dawn. "How're you holdin' up, Niblet?"
Big smile, a little full of fake at the edges. "Ok. You?"
Didn't even have the strength to grin. "I'm okay. Your sis fixed me up."
Nodded solemnly. "Is she ok?"
"She's perfect. And she swore that you'll never go to a Renaissance fair again." Deep sigh, ending in a cough.
The Key frowned. "Do you want me to wrap them?"
Half laugh. "They are wrapped." He lay down next to her. "Do you mind if I stay here for awhile? Sitting up isn't agreeing with me at the moment."
She nodded her head. "I'll share my bed with you." Made a gross face and scootched back a few inches. "Ya know... in that... um... non-sexy way, cuz... ya know... The TOTALLY non-sexy way-"
He chuckled, and instantly regretted it. "I know, Bit. Believe it or not, I used to have a little sister who used to slip into my bed during storms."
She smiled at him. "Yeah?" Grew more comfortable, laid on her side to look at him. "Was she pretty?"
"Beautiful. You look kind of like her, actually. Her name was Annabelle." Slight choke up on the name. Could have been the hole in his lung.
Dawn grinned a little bit. Spike thought she was beautiful. "Wanna talk about her?"
"I don't want to bore you, Bit. Life was quite a bit different back then."
She gave a small smile. "As long as there were no knights running around, I don't mind. Was she... nice?"
He turned his head slightly to look at her. "Yes. Once again, something you have in common, most of the time. We had a horse, the two of us. We'd go riding outside town for hours at a time."
Dawn closed her eyes, and pictured it. Then giggled.
"What's so funny?"
Another small laugh. "I keep picturing you riding a horse and all, in Victorian clothes... but I only see bleached hair. I don't know what color it is for real."
"Guess."
"Mmm... brown? Oooh... if you'd had black hair... it would have been so hot. You'd be like the guys in the romance novels!" She reached out a hand to tug at his locks. "Got some roots going on here."
He pulled back. "What? Damn. I knew I was forgetting something. Soddin' bleach. Wears off too fast."
Dawn smiled. "I'll pick some up at the first Wal-Mart we stop at. We can do it in the bathroom."
He cocked his head at her. " 'We'? Excuse me? I've been doing it myself for quite some time. I think I can manage."
She gave him a stern look. "Yeah... cuz... it's not gonna hurt your perfectly fine, un-mangled hands at all."
He winced. "Oh. Maybe I'll just let it alone for a week or so. Just as long as it doesn't start.." Whoops, stop there.
She gave him a grin. "I like it. The roots are... punkish. So are the curls."
"CURLS!? Bugger it all." Started to look for a comb.
Buffy cracked the door open, holding a coffee mug. "Hey."
Dawn looked up, raked her eyes over Buffy critically, then smiled when she saw not a scratch on her. "Hey."
Spike franticly ran his fingers through his hair, ignoring his aching hands. He couldn't let Buffy see him with his hair all... ugh.. curly.
Buffy gave her sister a small smile. "Giles was soundin' kinda worried about you, why don't you go let him know you're ok?"
Dawn cast a look at Spike, and bit her lip. She really didn't want to.
"Scoot." Buffy's warning tone.
Dawn scooted, closing the door behind her.
Spike growled at his hair, kept messing with it. But those stubborn curls just wouldn't go away. 'Damn I miss my reflection..'
Buffy's smile faded as Dawn closed the door. She held the mug out. "Dinner."
Spike glanced at the Slayer, hoping against hope that his hair was at least semi normal. Started to reach for the mug, then realized that he wouldn't be able to hold it. "Just leave it on the nightstand, Slayer. I'll drink it later."
She started to nod, then glanced down. Damnit. She knew they didn't have straws. She sat on the bed, held the mug up.
He eyed her curiously. "What're you doin', luv?"
She scooted forward a little bit closer, till she was near enough, should she want to, and she didn't, she could touch him. She lifted it again, this time it was by his lips. She shrugged. "It's this or starve. We don't have any straws."
Gave her an amused look. "Feeding me now, huh?" He leaned forward and drank as best he could, keeping his eyes on hers.
Rolled her eyes, looked around the room, tilting the mug toward him a little more. "Had to get Dawn out someway."
He swallowed the last of the blood, leaning back and licking his lips. "Couldn't wait to be alone with me, eh?" Playful tone. Since when was Spike playful?
She almost dropped the mug. "Not so much. You need to sleep. You'll need to drive when it gets dark, and Giles will take over again at dawn."
He nodded. Sighed as she rose to leave. "What does it take, Slayer?" His voice was suddenly tired, ragged.
Her hands gripped the mug tightly. "For what?"
"To make you like me. I've done every bloody thing I can think of, and you still treat stuffed animals better than me." This was said to the ceiling. "All I want is... Nevermind."
She hadn't turned away from the door. "I- I do like you. In that, annoying, you have a smart remark for everything, and you make Dawn feel better, kind of way." She braved the question, "What do you want?"
"Someone who cares. Who.. loves me. I know it's impossible. I just hoped that... maybe this time it'd be different. I'm a notorious failure in this department. I was stupid to think that I might get it right once."
Well. That certainly wasn't in the 'for you to strip naked and jump my lovely, fine, hard bones' part that she expected. "I don't think I have that in me, Spike. For anyone."
"I know. Just your pals. They're your family. Your.. Ohana. I don't blame you for not having room for one more. If I had a family like yours, my heart would be full, too." Kept talking to the wall.
She didn't know why, didn't like giving him any kind of hope, but she said quietly, "You weren't left behind."
Looked at her. "Yeah. And I can't figure out why. Unless it was like, 'oh, can't leave the dog tied up all week'."
"We're not like that," Buffy started in, getting angry. "We're nice people. We care. We hate seeing people get hurt. It was kind of like, 'Gee... Since Glory had such an easy time finding Spike last time, maybe we better make sure he won't be DUST when we get back.' But fine. You keep being like that." She glared as she ripped the door open, wishing she could tear it off the hinges,"*Xander* even thought you should come. Sleep well." She slammed the door shut behind her.
He stared at the door for a moment. "Huh?" Slowly rolled to his feet, opened the door a crack, trying to see what was going on.
Buffy sat in the front, where Dawn had vacated after reassuring Giles she was fine, in a good sulk. The Wicca's were pouring over a few thick old books. Dawn was sprawled out on the carpet, N'Sync audible even to him through her headphones, asleep. Xander and Anya... Well, they were in the bathroom again.
Spike opened the door a little further, cleared his throat. "Um.. Everyone? I just wanted to say..." Coughed, cleared his throat again, then rushed out, "Thankyouforbringingmealong." Door shut.
Giles looked back at the door, then at Buffy. "What was that about?"
Buffy glowered at her Watcher. "Let's not go there."
Giles shrugged and returned his eyes to the road. "Alright. I do have one question, however."
Arms folded her over chest, feet propped on the dash, she said with great suffering, "What?"
"Do we have any idea at all where exactly it is we are going?"
She sighed. "No... I mean... where SHOULD we go? Should we go across the state line?"
"We did about thirty minutes ago."
She blinked. "Oh. Um.... hell is hot, right?"
Giles glanced at her. "I would imagine."
"Then let's head north. I mean, the less comfortable for her to follow, the better, right? And we'll stay away from places with nice shoes."
Giles chuckled. "I doubt she even knows we've gone, let alone where. But north is as good a direction as any. How about we head for Mt. Rushmore? We might as well make it as close to a real vacation as possible."
She smiled, nodded. "Tell me we'll be ok... That I'll protect Dawn, that everything will be fine."
"You won't protect Dawn, Buffy. *We* will. Ohana, remember?" One hand left the wheel to find it's way to her arm.
She moved her arm till their hands met. "Right." She pulled her knees in, to scrunch herself into the chair. "Giles?"
"Yes, Buffy?"
"Can- can I stay with you while you sleep?"
He looked at her. "If you want to, Buffy. Of course. I know it must be very hard for you and Dawn." He turned as he said her name, but she wasn't on the floor anymore. "Where did Dawn go, anyway?"
Buffy stood quickly. She knew she couldn't have gone anywhere, but still. The sick feeling in the pit of her stomach wouldn't go away. She crossed to the bathroom door, opened it, then with a yelp closed it. "Sorry."
She opened the bedroom door, let out a quick breath. Dawn had crawled onto the bed next to Spike. Her head was between his shoulder and his chest, her body curled to his. She didn't know whether to let Dawn sleep or tell her that was NOT acceptable. But... her face. Buffy always knew, by looking at Dawn's face, how she would sleep for the night. Knew before Dawn even had them when she was going to have nightmares. And tonight, Buffy could tell, she wouldn't.
There was a quiet noise coming from the bed. Like a cat. The noise caught her attention, and she scanned the room for the source. Spike. It was coming from Spike? She frowned as one arm curled around Dawn, the noise now slightly more pronounced. She watched his body, his face carefully. One ounce of sexiness, and she'd tear off his arms and beat him to death with them. The dusty kind. There was emotion on his face but it was... Protectiveness? And something else... Contentment. And he was still breathing.
Buffy gave one last half-frown, basically sure that Spike wasn't going to put the moves on Dawn. And she knew Dawn'd throw up on him if he did. So she made her way back up to the front, leaving the bedroom door open.
"She's asleep in the bedroom," she reported.
Giles looked up. "Isn't Spike in there?"
Tiny frown line between her brows. "He won't hurt her."
Giles shook his head. "I didn't think he would, I just meant that he's pretty badly hurt. She shouldn't be bothering him."
She thought about the looks on their faces. Dawn's, peaceful for once, and Spike's, oddly protective and content. "I think he's ok with it." She watched Giles' hands on the wheel. They were one of her favorite things about him. They were big, and hard. She didn't think they should be, since he was a librarian, but they were, probably from handling all the weapons, training her. They were sure, steady, strong. Safe. That's how she felt when he put a hand on her shoulder, her hand. Not in that, weak-in-the-knees way, but that, protective fatherly kind of way. That he'd see her through, guide her. Keep her safe. She smirked. Her fatherly-guardian angel-Watcher.
The sun had gone down awhile earlier, and Giles yawned while they were at a stop light. Shook his head. Looked back at the booth. Willow and Tara had fallen asleep leaning on each other, and Anya and Xander, who had exited the bathroom a short while earlier, were in similar positions on the opposite side of the booth. "My my. Seems that everyone's asleep." He pulled off the road. "Time to wake up our night driver."
Buffy nodded. "I'll clear them out."
Giles yawned. "Good idea."
She made her way back to the room, shook Dawn's shoulder gently. "Dawnie... come on... wake up."
Dawn mumbled something indignantly, then pushed her face farther into Spike's shoulder.
Buffy left Dawn be for a moment, cleared off the smallish, thickly cushioned couch in the corner of the bedroom. She slid her arms by Dawn's knees, and her back, slid her backwards gently.
Spike's eyes popped open, a snarl momentarily curling his lips, ready to kill whatever was bothering Dawn, and stopped when he saw it was Buffy.
Her eyes grew large as she saw his demon surge forward, then retreat as he recognized her. The drop of respect grew to a puddle as she realized his devotion to her sister. She nodded at him, and carried Dawn to the couch, covering her with an extra blanket. "Your turn to drive," she told him.
He nodded, a finger to his lips. Slowly stood up, taking care not to allow the bedsprings to creak. He let Buffy go through the door first, and then carefully closed it behind her, the latch not making a sound. Upon seeing the two sleeping couples at the booth, Spike continued to be as quiet as he could. Very quiet, being a vampire. Walked up, tapped a dozing Giles on the shoulder, and jerked a thumb toward the back. Giles nodded and got up, surrendering the drivers seat to the vampire. Spike pulled back onto the road as Giles walked over to Buffy.
She gave him a small smile.
He slipped an arm around her shoulders and lead her back to the bedroom, remembering what he'd agreed to.
She began to let him, then ducked out from under his arm, giving him a reassuring smile and a gentle push to the room, a promise to be right there. She walked to the front as Giles walked in the room, closed the door. She shifted from foot to foot a moment.
Spike sensed her presence, said quietly, "Need somethin', Slayer?"
She shook her head. "No. Just... um... Goodnight?"
He looked up at her, surprised. "Oh. Uh, g'night, Sla- Buffy."
She nodded. "Yeah," began backing toward the bedroom. "G'nite." Turned and went in the door.
Spike turned his eyes back to the road, the wheel suddenly hurting his hands a little less. No one gets left behind. It was starting to make a little more sense.
Author's Notes 1, Tigerwolf: This is an exciting chap. It's the last place where we have used anything that is exactly like what happened in the show. After this, we're totally AU and on a ROADTRIP!! YAY!
Dawn lugged her bag to the Winnabago, letting out a big breath as she heaved it inside. She was pretty sure her room was bare, except for the bedframe, which she had left. She dragged it to the back room, where Buffy said to stash it. She opened the door, backing into the room, tugging on the strap of her enormous, but still bulging bag. Her foot got caught under the bag, and she lost her balance, spilling backwards onto the bed. "Whoof!"
And onto Spike's sore ribs. "Ah!" He popped awake. Noticed who was in the room. "Bit?"
She bounced up quickly, spun to look at him. "Spike! I'm so-" stopped as she saw his beaten visage. And it had been two days healing. Her mouth opened into a soft 'o', her eyes filling with guilt.
He offered her what he hoped was a reassuring grin. "Hey, Niblet. Lookin' forward to the vacation?"
She reached out one hand to feather her fingers over a bruise on his face. "I'm so sorry." She sounded so much older than she should have.
He cupped her cheek. "It's not your fault, Bit. I'm glad I did it. Kept you safe. Kept all you safe. It was worth it." Gave her a half pat on the head. "Now, are you looking forward to the vacation?"
She gave him a bright smile, all for his benefit. "Yeah. It'll be so cool." And a part of her was excited. She bit her lip a moment, then confided, "I've never been on a roadtrip."
He leaned toward her. "Can you keep a secret?"
She nodded. She loved it when Spike told her stuff.
Grinned at her. "I've never been on a roadtrip either." Tapped her on the nose. "Don't tell, or I'll have to hurt you."
Enthused smile. "Promise. So... we can be like... newbies together."
He chuckled, hiding a cough. "Yeah. That's a good way to think of it." He glanced at her mammoth bag. "Did you remember the kitchen sink? Or did you run out of room before you got downstairs?"
She grinned charmingly. "I left the bedframe and dressers. What more do you want?"
He grinned, playfully poking her ribs. "I guessed as much."
She gave a small giggle, with a tiny snort, and covered her mouth with her hand in mortification.
He chuckled and grinned. "Hmm. I'll have to file that away for future use."
She glowered at him, the blush on her cheeks making it MUCH less threatening. "You wouldn't dare."
He laughed quietly. "I'm evil, remember? Try me. Sides, what would you do to stop me?"
She gave him a self-satisfied grin. "I'll tell Xander you watch Winnie the Pooh."
"He wouldn't believe you."
She shrugged. "That doesn't matter. I don't even know if you really do. But he wouldn't care even if HE didn't believe me. He'd tell everyone. Prolly take a special trip down to Willy's, too."
Spike made a fake mortified face. "Oh no. I couldn't have the demon community thinking that I'm useless, now can I? Oh. Wait. They already do. Don't worry, Bit. Don't give me a reason, and you're safe."
Relieved face. "Good." She smiled and said, "Well, I gotta go help Buffy still." She gave a small wave.
Spike settled back on the bed again. "Good idea. I'm sure Buffy needs all the help you can give her. See you later, Bit."
She stopped at the doorway, turned, and stepped close to the bed again, frowning. She leaned forward and gently kissed the sharp edge of one cut cheekbone. "Thank you, Spike." She ducked her head, as though embarrassed, and left the Winnebago quickly.
All he could do was touch a hand to his cheek, and stare at the door. Maybe this wasn't going to be such a bad week after all.
========================================================================== ===========
"DAAAAAWN!!!!" Buffy called desperately from her bedroom, "WHY DO YOU STEAL MY PANTS!?!?"
Dawn trooped up the stairs to lean against her sister's doorjamb. "Because I want to. Don't worry. I packed all your clothes I stole, so, one way or the other, you've got 'em."
She gave Dawn a measured glare, simply for the reason that it was warranted. "I could choke you."
Dawn grinned, then walked in the room, and looped her arms around Buffy's waist from the back, hugging her. "Thank you for asking Spike."
Buffy reached one hand back to pat Dawn's head, and scrunched back against her in a hug. "You're welcome. Now come on. Let's make sure Willow and Tara are packed, too, and get a move on."
========================================================================== =======
Willow and Tara sat on one side of the booth, holding hands, while Buffy and Dawn sat on the other side. "Did you guys have fun?" the Slayer inquired.
Dawn grinned, "Oh yeah... I had cotton candy, candied apples, and a funnel cake. And! I flirted my way into getting a stuffed elephant."
Spike was driving, but he was listening. They were on their way to the Magic Box to pick up the rest of the Scoobies.
Buffy laughed, and patted her sister on the back. "Go you, Dawnie, with the feminine wiles."
Tara smiled shyly. "Dawn had a full day. We rode every ride there twice."
Willow nodded. "Maybe three times..."
"Anyone throw up?", Spike called from the drivers seat. They were at a red light.
Tara gave a small laugh. "I almost did on the.... uh... spinny thing."
Dawn's eyes rounded. "Oh, man. Her face was grey. It was the sickest thing."
Willows thumb stroked over the back of Tara's hand comfortingly. "Yeah... she felt bad."
Spike chuckled. "And you still went on it again?" Light turned green, Winnabago began moving again.
Tara's smile brightened at Willow's touch. "Yeah. It was still fun."
Buffy wished she had gone. She missed fairs.
Spike fell silent. Trying to remember when the last time he'd done anything like that. Scared himself when the most recent thing he remembered was Woodstock. The first one. Coughed a little. Continued watching the road.
Everyone heard it, but politely ignored it. Except Dawn, who made her way to the front, the brave little toaster, and sat in the passenger's seat. "Y'ok?"
He cleared his throat, hid his surprise at the taste of his own blood being swallowed. His lung hadn't knitted yet. Nodded at Dawn. "I'm fine, Bit. Just a little eager to pick up the Watcher, the Whelp and Demon Girl. So I won't have to drive anymore and can keep from incinerating."
She nodded, but kept him company in the front, looking pointedly at him as she drew the safety belt over her shoulder to clasp at her waist.
He sighed, but buckled his belt at the next stop light. After all, flying out the front window might not kill him, but the sunlight on the other side of it would.
Dawn shifted nervously. "Is there enough tin foil for a little bit? I mean... we can pick up more, but it's ok for now?"
"Yeah. It'll do for now. Besides, it's still pretty cloudy. And the sun'll be down in a few hours."
She nodded, leaned her head back against the rest, waiting till they got to the store.
Less than ten minutes later, they pulled up outside the Magic Box. Spike put the Winnabago in park and blew the horn, mouthing to Dawn, "I feel like we're carpooling."
She giggled, little more than she would usually, because she was feeling a little bit nervous.
Xander came out of the front door of the shop, dragging a huge box. Spike saw him, and blew the horn again. Loudly.
"Yeah, yeah. Keep your shirt on!", Xander yelled, straining to pull the box off the curb.
Giles and Anya followed him out, both carrying three suitcases. Anya paused to lock the shop.
Spike vacated the drivers seat to avoid the sunlight that would come in when Giles opened the door. Sat on the edge of the booth bench, near Buffy. She scootched over, both to avoid them touching, and to give him more room.
With little difficulty, Xander got the box of weapons through the door and shoved it into the back room. Giles and Anya brought their and Xander's suitcases in and left them on the floor halfway between the booth and the bathroom door. Giles got into the drivers seat, and prepared to shift into drive. He would have, except for a sudden shout from Xander as he returned from the bedroom. "WAIT! We can't go yet!"
Giles nearly had a heart attack. "Why not?"
All the females stopped to look at him, every single one of them, at that instant remembering something they'd forgotten.
"It's bad luck to ride in an RV without a name," Xander proclaimed, looking around for people to agree with him.
Spike spoke up. "I thought that was for boats."
Xander nodded. "RVs too. My cousin told me."
Willow nodded, Tara did because Willow did, and Dawn did because she felt stupid, but Buffy just gave him a questioning look. Anya nodded because Xander was speaking. "Very bad luck," The ex-demon intoned.
Spike snorted. "What do you name a Winnabago?"
Willow brightened. "How bout, 'The one that got away'??"
Even Tara groaned slightly.
Xander shook his head. "Naw. How about, 'Road Warrior!' "
Buffy said, "Grand Theft Auto."
Giles thought for a moment. "The Hornblower."
Spike laughed, sending himself into a coughing fit.
Anya piped up, "Winnebago the Pooh?"
And the vampire now choked.
Dawn gave a derisive snort. Thoughtfully she said, "Buffy... what's that word, ya know, that Aunt Sophia use to say all the time..." Dawn had left the passengers seat to sit at Spike's side, on the floor by the booth.
Buffy thought back to her world-traveler aunt. She was great... "Ohana? I think."
Spike snorted. "What's that? A Tahitian sex position?"
Buffy gave him a glare.
Dawn piped up. "Ohana. It means family. And family means that no one gets left behind." Her hand reached up to grab Spike's defensively, giving every person there a thorough look. "No one."
Spike looked down at her, not knowing what to say. No sarcastic remark was forthcoming, so he did the next best thing. Rested a hand on Dawn's shoulder. "Sounds good to me."
Unanimous, solemn nods echoed his sentiments.
Giles smiled. "Very well. The 'Ohana' it is. Is there any place else we need to stop before we head out of town? Anyone forget anything?"
Dawn nodded. "I did."
Giles swiveled the seat around. "Oh? What?"
Spike gave her a look. "Bit, you packed the whole house."
She pouted at both of them. "Can you just stop?"
Giles sighed and turned the Ohana around, heading back to the Summers home. Parked outside. "Make it quick, Dawn. We need to get some miles under our belts before the sun goes down."
She nodded, and hopped out, having got the key from Buffy, and slipping in the house. A few minutes she returned with her arms full. She smiled gratefully at Xander for opening the door for her, and climbed in. "Ok," she chirped at Giles. "I'm ready now."
Spike cocked his head at her. "What's all that stuff, Bit?"
She shrugged, and started sorting it in front of their eyes. "Well, Buffy forgot Mr. Gordo." Which she handed up to her sister.
Spike hid a chuckle. A Slayer sleeping with a stuffed animal. Too much.
Buffy gave him a look, and petted her pig's head once.
"And..." She held up a jewelry case, "if Glory finds out, or... anyone breaks in, it's all Mom's jewelry, and this was her favorite book, and, this..." She held up a small statue. "Well, it's lucky, and it's Mom's, too. Her favorite, so she put it by the door, so everyone could see it, too." She looked at Buffy with tentative eyes, the held up a photo of everyone. "And... it's the one off the end table..." She shrugged shyly. "No one gets left behind." Bit her lip suddenly, looking for reassurance, because suddenly everyone looked so serious. "Was I wrong to grab it??"
Spike slowly shook his head, not trusting his voice at that particular moment.
Buffy reached quickly across Spike to touch Dawn's hair. "No, Dawnie. It's very thoughtful and smart... I- I should have thought of it."
Willow gave her a bright smile. "I'm glad you grabbed the picture, too. It's a great one."
Anya frowned at it. "I think I look fat."
Tara just gave her that wonderfully encouraging nod.
Giles gave a quiet chuckle. "Are there any supplies that we need? I believe the kitchenette is fully stocked... Oh." He swiveled around again. "Except for one thing. We'll stop by the butchers and get some blood for Spike."
Spike looked up from where he had been studying a photo of Joyce that was in the jumble of stuff that Dawn had brought in, surprised that the Watcher remembered him. "Uh. I'm fine, really. I can wait till we hit the next town tonight. We should go."
Dawn shook her head forcefully. "I wanna stop." Quietly, for him, "You need to get better."
He gave her one of those rare true smiles and ruffled her hair. "Well. God knows we can't not listen to a teenager."
Giles had already begun heading for the butcher's shop.
She gave him a pretend offended look for daring to mess with her shiny locks, and nodded with a 'Hmmph!' "That's right. Even God knows."
Buffy smiled. Already Dawn looked younger. Less worried, less haggard, less everything she shouldn't have been in the first place. Grand theft auto or not... She was happy about the trip.
Giles parked outside the shop and opened the door, then looked at Spike. "Do you have a preference? Pig, cow...?"
Spike was thoroughly shocked. Ok. When was the other shoe dropping? He glanced at the others, then back at Giles when the shoe did not become apparent. "Uh.. pig, I guess."
"Very well." Giles closed the door behind him, leaving two witches, one Key, one Slayer, one ex-demon, one construction worker, and a very confused vampire behind him.
Dawn had already gone in the bedroom, bringing out books and a portable CD player, bopping her head pleasantly to N'Sync.
Spike just sat in the booth, looking confused to anyone who happened to look at him. Fortunately, Tara, Buffy, and Willow were engrossed in conversation about some TV show, and Xander and Anya were... Well, making out in the bathroom, from what his ears could pick up. No one to notice him. He got up and went into the back room. No one wanted to talk to him, and he knew Giles would want him to drive when the sun went down. Better take a nap.
Buffy grinned at Tara. "I know, but seriously... The season finale SO shouldn't have left us hanging THAT bad." She stood. "I'll be right back. I'm gonna grab some stuff from the bedroom." She walked in, closed the door softly behind her. "Restin' up?"
Slight chuckle. "Staring at the ceiling is more like it." They felt the Winnabago start moving again, but it was a gentle movement. No hindrance to walking.
She nodded, sat at the foot of the bed. "Have you changed your bandages? It's been a few days. You should have."
Nodded. "This mornin'."
Half smile. "Good. Um... how's... everything mending?"
He moved around a little, testing. "Some good, some not so good. Still got a hole in my lung and my ribs are so sensitive that the shirt hurts. My leg's pretty much normal, though."
Nodded. Geez, so much with the nodding. She stood quickly, then found her bag, started to dig through it. Grabbed a small bottle and emptied a few pills into her hand. "Just a minute." She went out, grabbed a bottled water from the kitchenette, and brought it back, handed him the pills and the water. She shrugged. "They're just super-strength Motrin."
He took the pills. "I dunno if they'll do much good. The makers of this stuff always seem to expect a bloke to have an operating circulatory system." Half grin. "Silly them."
Eye roll. "My my... who'd have thought it? Try to explain that to a doctor. 'But, your pills suck, make some for me! Market the undead!'"
He laugh/coughed. "Yeah. That's the ticket. I might just write them a very strongly worded letter if these don't work."
She snorted. "You do that." She pulled out a medium sized romance novel, and frowned. "I swear to God. I could just kick her ass."
He glanced at her. "Who? For what?"
"If I said, 'Dawn, don't jump off a cliff', you think she'd do it?" She waved the book at him. "I told her to not read this. Not for virgin... well, anything. And she folded the page down where she stopped reading."
He chuckled quietly. "And where did she stop?"
She sighed. "Too far to still have a virgin brain, that's for sure."
He let out a half laugh half snort. "Well, it's up to her family to take care of this sort of thing. If you didn't want her reading it, why was it in the house?"
"It was in my room," she said defensively. "In a DESK. Is NOTHING holy?"
He shook his head. "Not when you have siblings. Especially younger ones. Believe me. I know."
She rolled her eyes. Grumbled.
He grinned at her. "So, it's your book, then? Learn anything new?"
Tried her absolute damnedest to keep the blush off her face. Tossed her hair knowingly. "Why learn from a book?" Blinked innocently. "Did you?"
"No. I learned from.." Stop there. "None of your business, Slayer."
Thought smugly, 'Point onnnnne for Buffy. Hehe...' "Right. None of my business."
'Damn it, she's winning.' "Right." Went back to staring at the ceiling. "Thank you, by the way."
She hated it when he did that. Thanked her. It put her off, confused her, and made her uncomfortable, which she was SURE was why he did it. "For what?"
"You've kept your promise. Been nothing but civil to me all day. I know it's probably killing you, so you don't have to do it anymore. I just wanted to see if it was possible." His eyes were closed.
Yup. That's why he did it. Cuz there went that uncomfortableness making itself cozy in her whole body.
"What did you come in here for, anyway? Unless you're plannin' to read aloud from that book of yours to the group."
She shrugged. "To get you the pills." She was seated on the floor, her head on her drawn up knees. "Do you think we'll be able to do it?" The uncertainty of it snuck into her voice. She wanted Dawn safe, more than anything in the world. But...
Perfect opening... But.. No. "Keep Dawn away from Glory, you mean?"
She looked up, confused. "Yeah.. What else?"
"You- Never mind. I think we will. I know we will. Your little band of Scoobies can do anything. In fact..." He trailed off, sitting up. "Do you hear something?"
She tilted her head. "No... I-"
Hoofbeats. Lots of them. Either there was a herd of buffalo outside or... Xander opened the door. "Uh, guys? You might want to look out the back window. We have company. And they brought a CRUSADE!"
Spike got up. Far too fast. Sat back down in a wave of pain. Looked at Buffy. "What is it?"
She glanced out the windows. "The Byzantine Knights." She ran to the main room, ripped Dawn's headset off her ears. "Under the bed. Now! Go!"
Dawn scrambled, her eyes taking on a fearful glaze.
Spike stood, going into the main room of the Ohana, calling to Giles, "Step on it, Watcher! These wankers mean business!"
Giles made a growling sound. "I AM bloody stepping on it!"
Willow and Tara stood, united. "What should we do?"
Buffy stood at the center of the room, ready for the attack.
Spike looked out the window. "Save it, Wiccas. They've got a few priests with them. They'll repel whatever you throw at 'em."
Willow frowned, and Tara shifted nervously.
Xander was digging through his box of weapons. "God. We can't kill them. They're HUMAN for cryin' out loud!"
Anya stood with Xander, whispered in his ear to not mar his face for the wedding. She nodded. "Yes we can. I mean... technically, they're the easiest to pick off."
Buffy's eyes firmed. "Try not to kill them. But if it comes to them or Dawn... no holds barred."
Spike made a yelping sound when a spear flew through the window that he'd been looking out of, barely missing his neck and embedding itself in the far wall. "Bloody IDIOTS!"
Buffy threw him a look. "Stay with Dawn." He was useless in this fight, and he didn't need the defenseless hell beat out of him to prove it.
He nodded and started to go back into the bedroom, when a thumping sound made him pause. He looked up. "They're on the roof..."
Xander held up a short sword, trying to figure out where one of them was so that he could stick the sword through the roof and impale him. No one messes with this family. No one.
Buffy stood still, ready for the attack barefisted. Kill Dawn, her ass. Those stupid mother fu-
Giles meanwhile was swerving from side to side, trying to shake the Knights off. It was working a little. Every now and then they'd hear a thump as a Knight lost his grip. Finally, it looked like the Knights were falling behind. The horses unable to follow the Winnabago onto the freeway.
Xander looked out the window. "I think we lost 'em!"
Buffy sighed. Ok... Safe... Safe... Time to reassure Dawn.
Spike was still staring at the ceiling. Game face in place. "Slayer, when I say now, duck."
She gave him a confused look. "Spike...? Why, they -"
"NOW!"
The ferocity of his yell made her duck and roll more so than the order.
A sword plunged through the ceiling. It would have still impaled Buffy's head, except that something caught it, held it. Spike was gripping the sword bare handed, the steel slicing deep into his hands, his sharp teeth gritted against the pain.
Buffy crouched, unsure of what to do.
The Wicca's were standing in a corner, watching wide-eyed, both minds racing for a protective spell that could MAYBE hold them off, just for a moment.
Knowing if he did what he was thinking of, the chip would go off and hurt like hell, Spike called to Giles anyway. "Watcher! Your turn. When I say now, swerve hard left. I don't care if you sideswipe the median, just do it."
Buffy crept into the bedroom, pulled Dawn out from under the bed, stared at her shaking, crying little sister, and pulled her into a protective embrace. "It's gonna be ok," she whispered into her hair. "Everyone's fighting for you... Ohana..." She rocked left and right. "Ohana."
Spike yanked on the sword, throwing the human holding it off balance, then rammed it back up through the hole, feeling the hilt connect with what he assumed to be a human nose. "NOW!", he called, collapsing to the floor clutching his head in bleeding hands as the chip went off.
Giles swerved, thankfully not hitting anything, and they heard a human scream, followed by breaks screeching behind them.
Buffy rolled as they were all thrown to the right, taking the brunt of the fall, keeping Dawn tight to her. She left her sister, to come into the room to check on everyone.
Spike stayed on the floor, curled in a ball. This was the longest the chip had ever gone off for. Probably because he'd actually hurt a human this time. He was whimpering, his hands bleeding all over his head.
He kept taking the beatings for her family... for her... She crouched, her hands over his, drawing them away from his head.
He moaned. "..stopstopstopstop.." The chip had stopped, but the lingering electrical discharge was almost as bad.
Xander stood next to the booth, unsure of what to do. He slipped an arm around Anya, holding her to him.
She uncurled Spike's fisted hands, examined them. Deep, gushing cuts, two for each hand, one down the palm, one down the middle joints of all his fingers, to the bone on some of them. "First Aid kit, NOW!" she snapped at someone, anyone.
Willow and Tara made for the bathroom as fast as they could move, returning with the first aid kit and wet rags to wipe the blood up.
Buffy took them gratefully, called up to the driver, "Giles? How's things?"
"I think that was the last one, Buffy. I don't see anymore of them. What's going on back there?"
Spike was trembling. Some of his mended ribs had re-broken when he'd fallen to the floor. Too much pain... Far too much.
"Spike... he's... I'll fix him." She glanced at Anya and Xander. "Dawn. Go. Make her feel better."
Glanced at the witches. "Think of a protection spell for Ohana. Strongest, biggest, baddest one you've got. Giles brought some books. Go through them."
The two couples nodded, going about their appointed tasks.
She turned back to Spike, opened the kit, and pulled out some migraine medication, and held out two pills. "Open your mouth." His hands would be useless for a few hours, to say the least.
He had lost his game face when the chip had gone off. One of it's side effects. He opened his mouth slightly, willing himself not to puke. A quiet... kicked puppy-like sound came from within him.
She slipped the pills in his mouth, and went to the bathroom to grab a quick glass of water. She moved behind him, hauled him up gently, and held the cup to his lips.
He swallowed just enough to get the pills down. Leaned back against her without meaning to. The limited strength that he'd been running on for the past few days was almost gone.
She let him, but squirmed to the side, so his head and back were supported mostly by the right side of her body. She reached out a leg, to sweep the kit toward her. She opened it, grabbed the peroxide. "I need your hand."
Held up the left hand. No words. No argument. He was breathing, but there was an odd rattling sound about it. He coughed explosively, scaring everyone on the Ohana, including himself. He looked at Buffy, gratitude and love shining in his eyes.
She saw the look, averted her gaze to his hand, disinfecting, then gauze wrapping the cuts over his palm, then bandaging every finger individually. She let go, then put the kit in his lap, and shifted to support his weight on her left shoulder now. She took the kit back, and held out a hand.
He placed his right hand in hers, letting her do what she would. His eyes kept closing, damn them. He wanted to enjoy this. Being close to her, without her yelling at him, or hurting him on purpose, or any of their usual ways of communication. It was... nice. But short lived. Soon as this little trip was over, and Dawn was safe, she'd go right back to beating the crap out of him for no reason. It was the normal way of things and not to be questioned. Predators know these things.
She finished bandaging, ran her fingers over his hand, for no reason, and she picked up a rag to wipe to the blood from his face and where he had gotten some into his hair. "Hurt anything else?"
Shook his head. "Just re-broke some ribs. And I have a huge headache. I'll heal." Stood up slowly. "I'm going to go... check on Dawn." He was wobbly, but walking. As he entered the bedroom, Xander and Anya came out.
"Dawn's feeling better now, Buff," Xander said. "She just wants us never to go to a Renaissance fair ever."
Buffy grinned. That was her girl. "I swear. Never."
Back in the bedroom, Spike sat on the bed next to Dawn. "How're you holdin' up, Niblet?"
Big smile, a little full of fake at the edges. "Ok. You?"
Didn't even have the strength to grin. "I'm okay. Your sis fixed me up."
Nodded solemnly. "Is she ok?"
"She's perfect. And she swore that you'll never go to a Renaissance fair again." Deep sigh, ending in a cough.
The Key frowned. "Do you want me to wrap them?"
Half laugh. "They are wrapped." He lay down next to her. "Do you mind if I stay here for awhile? Sitting up isn't agreeing with me at the moment."
She nodded her head. "I'll share my bed with you." Made a gross face and scootched back a few inches. "Ya know... in that... um... non-sexy way, cuz... ya know... The TOTALLY non-sexy way-"
He chuckled, and instantly regretted it. "I know, Bit. Believe it or not, I used to have a little sister who used to slip into my bed during storms."
She smiled at him. "Yeah?" Grew more comfortable, laid on her side to look at him. "Was she pretty?"
"Beautiful. You look kind of like her, actually. Her name was Annabelle." Slight choke up on the name. Could have been the hole in his lung.
Dawn grinned a little bit. Spike thought she was beautiful. "Wanna talk about her?"
"I don't want to bore you, Bit. Life was quite a bit different back then."
She gave a small smile. "As long as there were no knights running around, I don't mind. Was she... nice?"
He turned his head slightly to look at her. "Yes. Once again, something you have in common, most of the time. We had a horse, the two of us. We'd go riding outside town for hours at a time."
Dawn closed her eyes, and pictured it. Then giggled.
"What's so funny?"
Another small laugh. "I keep picturing you riding a horse and all, in Victorian clothes... but I only see bleached hair. I don't know what color it is for real."
"Guess."
"Mmm... brown? Oooh... if you'd had black hair... it would have been so hot. You'd be like the guys in the romance novels!" She reached out a hand to tug at his locks. "Got some roots going on here."
He pulled back. "What? Damn. I knew I was forgetting something. Soddin' bleach. Wears off too fast."
Dawn smiled. "I'll pick some up at the first Wal-Mart we stop at. We can do it in the bathroom."
He cocked his head at her. " 'We'? Excuse me? I've been doing it myself for quite some time. I think I can manage."
She gave him a stern look. "Yeah... cuz... it's not gonna hurt your perfectly fine, un-mangled hands at all."
He winced. "Oh. Maybe I'll just let it alone for a week or so. Just as long as it doesn't start.." Whoops, stop there.
She gave him a grin. "I like it. The roots are... punkish. So are the curls."
"CURLS!? Bugger it all." Started to look for a comb.
Buffy cracked the door open, holding a coffee mug. "Hey."
Dawn looked up, raked her eyes over Buffy critically, then smiled when she saw not a scratch on her. "Hey."
Spike franticly ran his fingers through his hair, ignoring his aching hands. He couldn't let Buffy see him with his hair all... ugh.. curly.
Buffy gave her sister a small smile. "Giles was soundin' kinda worried about you, why don't you go let him know you're ok?"
Dawn cast a look at Spike, and bit her lip. She really didn't want to.
"Scoot." Buffy's warning tone.
Dawn scooted, closing the door behind her.
Spike growled at his hair, kept messing with it. But those stubborn curls just wouldn't go away. 'Damn I miss my reflection..'
Buffy's smile faded as Dawn closed the door. She held the mug out. "Dinner."
Spike glanced at the Slayer, hoping against hope that his hair was at least semi normal. Started to reach for the mug, then realized that he wouldn't be able to hold it. "Just leave it on the nightstand, Slayer. I'll drink it later."
She started to nod, then glanced down. Damnit. She knew they didn't have straws. She sat on the bed, held the mug up.
He eyed her curiously. "What're you doin', luv?"
She scooted forward a little bit closer, till she was near enough, should she want to, and she didn't, she could touch him. She lifted it again, this time it was by his lips. She shrugged. "It's this or starve. We don't have any straws."
Gave her an amused look. "Feeding me now, huh?" He leaned forward and drank as best he could, keeping his eyes on hers.
Rolled her eyes, looked around the room, tilting the mug toward him a little more. "Had to get Dawn out someway."
He swallowed the last of the blood, leaning back and licking his lips. "Couldn't wait to be alone with me, eh?" Playful tone. Since when was Spike playful?
She almost dropped the mug. "Not so much. You need to sleep. You'll need to drive when it gets dark, and Giles will take over again at dawn."
He nodded. Sighed as she rose to leave. "What does it take, Slayer?" His voice was suddenly tired, ragged.
Her hands gripped the mug tightly. "For what?"
"To make you like me. I've done every bloody thing I can think of, and you still treat stuffed animals better than me." This was said to the ceiling. "All I want is... Nevermind."
She hadn't turned away from the door. "I- I do like you. In that, annoying, you have a smart remark for everything, and you make Dawn feel better, kind of way." She braved the question, "What do you want?"
"Someone who cares. Who.. loves me. I know it's impossible. I just hoped that... maybe this time it'd be different. I'm a notorious failure in this department. I was stupid to think that I might get it right once."
Well. That certainly wasn't in the 'for you to strip naked and jump my lovely, fine, hard bones' part that she expected. "I don't think I have that in me, Spike. For anyone."
"I know. Just your pals. They're your family. Your.. Ohana. I don't blame you for not having room for one more. If I had a family like yours, my heart would be full, too." Kept talking to the wall.
She didn't know why, didn't like giving him any kind of hope, but she said quietly, "You weren't left behind."
Looked at her. "Yeah. And I can't figure out why. Unless it was like, 'oh, can't leave the dog tied up all week'."
"We're not like that," Buffy started in, getting angry. "We're nice people. We care. We hate seeing people get hurt. It was kind of like, 'Gee... Since Glory had such an easy time finding Spike last time, maybe we better make sure he won't be DUST when we get back.' But fine. You keep being like that." She glared as she ripped the door open, wishing she could tear it off the hinges,"*Xander* even thought you should come. Sleep well." She slammed the door shut behind her.
He stared at the door for a moment. "Huh?" Slowly rolled to his feet, opened the door a crack, trying to see what was going on.
Buffy sat in the front, where Dawn had vacated after reassuring Giles she was fine, in a good sulk. The Wicca's were pouring over a few thick old books. Dawn was sprawled out on the carpet, N'Sync audible even to him through her headphones, asleep. Xander and Anya... Well, they were in the bathroom again.
Spike opened the door a little further, cleared his throat. "Um.. Everyone? I just wanted to say..." Coughed, cleared his throat again, then rushed out, "Thankyouforbringingmealong." Door shut.
Giles looked back at the door, then at Buffy. "What was that about?"
Buffy glowered at her Watcher. "Let's not go there."
Giles shrugged and returned his eyes to the road. "Alright. I do have one question, however."
Arms folded her over chest, feet propped on the dash, she said with great suffering, "What?"
"Do we have any idea at all where exactly it is we are going?"
She sighed. "No... I mean... where SHOULD we go? Should we go across the state line?"
"We did about thirty minutes ago."
She blinked. "Oh. Um.... hell is hot, right?"
Giles glanced at her. "I would imagine."
"Then let's head north. I mean, the less comfortable for her to follow, the better, right? And we'll stay away from places with nice shoes."
Giles chuckled. "I doubt she even knows we've gone, let alone where. But north is as good a direction as any. How about we head for Mt. Rushmore? We might as well make it as close to a real vacation as possible."
She smiled, nodded. "Tell me we'll be ok... That I'll protect Dawn, that everything will be fine."
"You won't protect Dawn, Buffy. *We* will. Ohana, remember?" One hand left the wheel to find it's way to her arm.
She moved her arm till their hands met. "Right." She pulled her knees in, to scrunch herself into the chair. "Giles?"
"Yes, Buffy?"
"Can- can I stay with you while you sleep?"
He looked at her. "If you want to, Buffy. Of course. I know it must be very hard for you and Dawn." He turned as he said her name, but she wasn't on the floor anymore. "Where did Dawn go, anyway?"
Buffy stood quickly. She knew she couldn't have gone anywhere, but still. The sick feeling in the pit of her stomach wouldn't go away. She crossed to the bathroom door, opened it, then with a yelp closed it. "Sorry."
She opened the bedroom door, let out a quick breath. Dawn had crawled onto the bed next to Spike. Her head was between his shoulder and his chest, her body curled to his. She didn't know whether to let Dawn sleep or tell her that was NOT acceptable. But... her face. Buffy always knew, by looking at Dawn's face, how she would sleep for the night. Knew before Dawn even had them when she was going to have nightmares. And tonight, Buffy could tell, she wouldn't.
There was a quiet noise coming from the bed. Like a cat. The noise caught her attention, and she scanned the room for the source. Spike. It was coming from Spike? She frowned as one arm curled around Dawn, the noise now slightly more pronounced. She watched his body, his face carefully. One ounce of sexiness, and she'd tear off his arms and beat him to death with them. The dusty kind. There was emotion on his face but it was... Protectiveness? And something else... Contentment. And he was still breathing.
Buffy gave one last half-frown, basically sure that Spike wasn't going to put the moves on Dawn. And she knew Dawn'd throw up on him if he did. So she made her way back up to the front, leaving the bedroom door open.
"She's asleep in the bedroom," she reported.
Giles looked up. "Isn't Spike in there?"
Tiny frown line between her brows. "He won't hurt her."
Giles shook his head. "I didn't think he would, I just meant that he's pretty badly hurt. She shouldn't be bothering him."
She thought about the looks on their faces. Dawn's, peaceful for once, and Spike's, oddly protective and content. "I think he's ok with it." She watched Giles' hands on the wheel. They were one of her favorite things about him. They were big, and hard. She didn't think they should be, since he was a librarian, but they were, probably from handling all the weapons, training her. They were sure, steady, strong. Safe. That's how she felt when he put a hand on her shoulder, her hand. Not in that, weak-in-the-knees way, but that, protective fatherly kind of way. That he'd see her through, guide her. Keep her safe. She smirked. Her fatherly-guardian angel-Watcher.
The sun had gone down awhile earlier, and Giles yawned while they were at a stop light. Shook his head. Looked back at the booth. Willow and Tara had fallen asleep leaning on each other, and Anya and Xander, who had exited the bathroom a short while earlier, were in similar positions on the opposite side of the booth. "My my. Seems that everyone's asleep." He pulled off the road. "Time to wake up our night driver."
Buffy nodded. "I'll clear them out."
Giles yawned. "Good idea."
She made her way back to the room, shook Dawn's shoulder gently. "Dawnie... come on... wake up."
Dawn mumbled something indignantly, then pushed her face farther into Spike's shoulder.
Buffy left Dawn be for a moment, cleared off the smallish, thickly cushioned couch in the corner of the bedroom. She slid her arms by Dawn's knees, and her back, slid her backwards gently.
Spike's eyes popped open, a snarl momentarily curling his lips, ready to kill whatever was bothering Dawn, and stopped when he saw it was Buffy.
Her eyes grew large as she saw his demon surge forward, then retreat as he recognized her. The drop of respect grew to a puddle as she realized his devotion to her sister. She nodded at him, and carried Dawn to the couch, covering her with an extra blanket. "Your turn to drive," she told him.
He nodded, a finger to his lips. Slowly stood up, taking care not to allow the bedsprings to creak. He let Buffy go through the door first, and then carefully closed it behind her, the latch not making a sound. Upon seeing the two sleeping couples at the booth, Spike continued to be as quiet as he could. Very quiet, being a vampire. Walked up, tapped a dozing Giles on the shoulder, and jerked a thumb toward the back. Giles nodded and got up, surrendering the drivers seat to the vampire. Spike pulled back onto the road as Giles walked over to Buffy.
She gave him a small smile.
He slipped an arm around her shoulders and lead her back to the bedroom, remembering what he'd agreed to.
She began to let him, then ducked out from under his arm, giving him a reassuring smile and a gentle push to the room, a promise to be right there. She walked to the front as Giles walked in the room, closed the door. She shifted from foot to foot a moment.
Spike sensed her presence, said quietly, "Need somethin', Slayer?"
She shook her head. "No. Just... um... Goodnight?"
He looked up at her, surprised. "Oh. Uh, g'night, Sla- Buffy."
She nodded. "Yeah," began backing toward the bedroom. "G'nite." Turned and went in the door.
Spike turned his eyes back to the road, the wheel suddenly hurting his hands a little less. No one gets left behind. It was starting to make a little more sense.