Summary/Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

*****

"What the hell do you mean we'll sleep in the DeSoto?!"

"Relax, I didn't mean all the time, just that we may have to occasionally. Trust me slayer, this car's a lot better than some hotels." Buffy gave him a disbelieving look as she scanned the interior of the classic car. "Look slayer, have you seen the size of this car? We can fold down the back seats and there's plenty of room."

Buffy still wasn't impressed at the idea of staying in the car. When she thought about it the car was large, and she didn't know where they were going but there may be large distances between places.

"Look, I don't have a problem agreeing with that, it's just the car, it's so....ew! It's old and smelly!" Spike sighed then chuckled at her words. He let the insult towards his car drop, after all, a good fighter knows when to pick his battles and arguing with a slayer had the distinct possibility of ending with a dusting.

"Fine, how about when we get to LA we get the car cleaned? Take it to a garage, get it cleaned inside and out."

Buffy eyed him suspiciously.

"How come you gave in so quickly Spike?"

"Was going to get it serviced anyway, don't want the bloody thing breaking down in the middle of some sunny dessert now do we? Wouldn't be too good for my health. I'll just get them to clean it while they're at it." Buffy nodded, satisfied, then she remembered what he had said earlier.

"We're going to LA?"

"Yeah, thought we'd stop off for a few days. Like I said, get this thing serviced, sort out a few other things."

"Like what?"

"Well I doubt you packed a passport in your rush did you slayer?" Buffy shook her head. "Well you'll need one. Was going to get you a new one even if you did have your old one. Don't want to be travelling under your real name."

"Why not?"

"Too easy for people to track. Your friends will probably try looking for you and it would just leave a trail strait to us. Plus if your Watcher looks for us I don't fancy the Council busting in on us."

"Yeah, they'd probably dust you, or try to."

"Not just that luv, you've run off, they may say you've gone rogue. If you won't be their slayer, they'll want one who will be. And the only way to get a new slayer....."

"Is to kill me." Buffy's voice was almost a whisper and her face was a mask of fear.

"Hey now, don't worry, like I said we'll get you some new papers. I've been travelling for over a hundred years, I know how to stay hidden." Spike thought about what he was saying. He, the Slayer of Slayers, was reassuring a slayer that no harm would come to her. His life had completely changed the moment he had teamed up with Buffy to defeat Angelus. He glanced over at Buffy and saw she was still afraid.

"Look, it probably won't even come to that, they already have another slayer don't they? You won't be harmed, trust me slayer."

"Don't call me that." Buffy's voice had gone from a whisper to harsh and commanding.

"Don't call you what?"

"Slayer. Like you said, they will have another slayer. Kendra died and another will be called. She's the Slayer. I left Sunnydale so I could stop being the slayer. So call me anything you want, just not that."

"Sure thing pet."

*****

Two hours later and they had booked into the most expensive hotel in LA. Buffy had thought Spike was joking when he pulled up outside, but Spike had parked the car and strode into the reception. When the receptionist had asked them if they had a reservation Spike had slipped into his vampire face and growled at her. This convinced the woman that they didn't need a reservation and that they could stay at no charge for as long as they wanted.

*****

Buffy sat back on one of the double beds the room had to offer. They had decided to share one large room not have two single rooms. After all, the whole idea behind them travelling together was so that they wouldn't be alone.

It was when she remembered why she would be alone without Spike that Buffy started to cry. In one day she had lost her mother, her friends and her lover. The only person she had in her life now was her supposed enemy, who was watching her from the doorway.

Spike was unsure as to what to do. He didn't really have much experience with crying women, except Dru and he didn't think offering Buffy a nice woman to eat would make her happy. He settled for sitting next to her and awkwardly patting her on the back.

After about half an hour Buffy managed to compose herself. She realised she had let herself loose control in front of Spike and she looked at him, expecting to see him laughing at her. She was shocked the look of compassion on his face.

"Spike?"

"Yes luv?"

"How are you so calm? I mean, you lost someone too and you've been with Dru for years." Spike sighed and dropped is head.

"It's difficult to loose something you never really had." Buffy was puzzled at his cryptic reply so he carried on. "I loved Dru, did from the day she turned me, but I wasn't the one she loved. All she wanted was Angelus. She spent a century with me but as soon as he came back she ran off to him, just tossed me aside.

"Did you know he came back to us after he got that soul? It was a couple of years after he disappeared, he just showed up one night, wanting to be let back in, wanting to prove he could still be part of the family. He couldn't hack it of course, Darla ran him off the same night I killed my first slayer.

"After that, no matter where we went Dru would always be looking for Angelus, for 'her daddy'.

"She didn't love me, she needed me. She was too insane to look after herself so she let me do it for her. And you know something, I didn't figure this out until I was watching her burn. I could have trued to save her, ran over there and pulled her out, but really I didn't want to.

"That's why it doesn't hurt. I didn't loose her today. I lost her decades ago. I lost her before I even had her."

Buffy was crying again, though this time they were not tears for herself, but for Spike, for what he must have gone through staying with a woman but knowing that she would never be his. She leaned over and hugged him close to her.

TBC

AN: 13 reviews in one day! That's great! Please keep it up!

I'm having much more fun writing this than I am 'Wounded' so this story may be updated more than 'Wounded'.

Let me know what you think of it!