You Guys, hanging in there?
Ok, this is the plan - assume that Buffy never left or got voted out but that she & Spike did have their warm fuzzies at some point around now. Also assume that Anya and Xander didn't - well, you know! Pretty much everything else is status quo. I'm picking up the story where Buffy and Xander talk in the kitchen about taking Dawn somewhere safe. Got it? OK - here it goes -
Chapter 15
Xander is happy to see Buffy looking more confident, happier. Briefly, he thinks of Spike for some reason - no, won't go there. The ick-factor is just too high. Must just be the ax thingy, kind of phallic, but hey, whatever floats your boat.
So Buffy is sending him off to the sidelines with Dawn in tow. He always thought he'd go down with Buffinator. Hey, almost---. Last week, he wouldn't have taken this assignment without a fight or at least a sissy display of some sort. But now, he takes it on willingly. Dawn's gonna be pissed as hell but she's probably going to be alive.
***************************** "You want to what?" Dawn asks with not so much a suspicious voice as an incredulous one.
"I want to go out to the car a minute, maybe go for a drive. Come with?" Xander is already grabbing his keys.
Normally, Dawn would be up for any field trip he had in mind but considering the rest of the so-called army is getting ready for the final showdown, you would think that he would want to stick close rather than touring the all but abandoned Sunnydale. Hey by now, even the lesser demons have split. But whatever, she's willing.
When they get out to the car, he is still kind-of wiggy. She figures that's why he wants to get out for a minute. Usually, she hangs on his every word but for all his wigginess, she is preoccupied herself. Who wouldn't be? Though Buffy does seem better and Angel brought that gaudy necklace --- she tries not to get her hopes up too much. If anything she's learned it's usually darkest right before all hell breaks loose.
He had just been saying something, when suddenly his arm is around her and he is pushing something in front of her face --- hard.
That's it, he thinks. God, he hopes he didn't bruise her. OK, great he has now officially graduated from statutory rapist to kidnapper all in one week. Next week he'll shoot for America's Most Wanted. He'll be the new fugitive - the one-eyed man. Hey, rather one eye than one arm? Well maybe? 'Xander, snap out it man!' He thinks to himself. 'Drive!"
He and Buffy had talked it over and he's headed to LA. While Angel's spooky, old place is not the Ritz; it seemed like the safest bet considering everything. Plus, he knows the whole story so there won't be any need for any long drawn explanation. And if he needs to lock her up, God forbid, Buffy said something about a cage. He always thought Angel had a dark side. Well, understatement much but ---
He makes it to the highway before he turns to her just to double-check. She looks so still. He knew how much chloroform to use from his army-guy episode but he'd even had Will look it up on the Internet just to be sure. Yes, she's breathing steadily. She's drooling on herself too. The wet spot on her shirt makes him happier than he's been all night. Laughing softly, he knows she's going to be modified when she wakes up to find a big wet spot on her shirt.
He hopes against hope that maybe a little embarrassment might take the edge off. Probably not but a man can always hope.
He checks his watch; they've been on the road for well over an hour now. She's been stirring and mumbling for the past ten minutes or so. He's kind- of glad that he's driving. At least, he can look straight ahead while she screams at him. He figures there's a 50/50 chance that she'll give him the silent treatment - nay, not gonna happen.
Dawn has been trying to open her eyes for what seems like forever but it's like she's in the deepest sleep and she's having to work really hard to wake up. In the back of her mind, she knows that is something - something that is really important. What is it? She drifts in and out.
Finally, she drifts a little closer to consciousness and opens her eyes. OK, car --- looking up and around - OK, Xander.
The sight of Xander immediately reassures her and her first inclination is to give in to the urge to go back to sleep. But on the heels of this feeling, comes another, what did he do? It's all fuzzy; something's not good --- something about being in the car.
Like a cascade, it all comes back to her in an instant. Like being used to your Snoopy nightlight and somebody comes in and flips on the big light over your head. Boom.
She struggles to sit up straight and talk. It's like her brain woke up but not her mouth. Try, Dawn, try.
He finally notices she's awake. He's talking again. Now it is hard to follow him because she's working so hard to wake up and make her body work.
Chloroform? Buffy? Leaving?
It's clear in a second what she must do. And hey, all's fair in love and war and well, this is both. She slides her hand down to her pocket in her jeans. It's still there, her shock-the-bad-guy doo-hickey that Xander actually bought her last Christmas. He spent some time teaching her how to use it. It has markings on it so that you can operate it in the dark. 'I mean, how many big bads accost teenage girls in board daylight' he said. Looking over at him, she thinks, 'This one sure didn't!'
She unbuckles her seat belt and then carefully pushes the button to start it up. She's going to have to move fast. The road is empty so that's good. She's got 60 seconds before it's charged. She watches the digital numbers on the clock. OK, one minute.
She moves fast. He's out. Lucky for her that he has long legs, the seat is so far back that she can slide right into his lap and grab the wheel. With one hand, she reaches down and unbuckles his seat belt and with her body weight moves to the side and then pushes him into the passenger seat. His top part falls on over, the bottom is harder but finally she manages.
For a minute, she worries that he's going to be sore. Then she worries that he isn't buckled in. Finally, she figures he's been in worse situations than riding without a seatbelt. Plus, he deserves to be sore. REALLY SORE.
With that, she settles into driving home just as she notices that the left side of her shirt is all wet.
*******************************
The first thing that strikes Xander when he comes on is that his head is pounding. The second thing is that he underestimated her. He should have known better.
"Don't suppose you've got any Advil on you?"
"Nope, don't suppose I would. Headache?" She asks sweetly.
He answers just as sweetly, "Just a tad".
She doesn't seem eager to talk. Women! Do they have some book that tells them all these things? No. 55 - silence is deadly - try it---
Finally he gives, "So, guess I don't need to guess where we're headed."
"Nope". Again, his newfound love answers so sweetly that he is getting cavities just listening to her.
Dawn reaches down and flips on the CD Player. One of her CD's is still in from her taking her to school last fall. Alannis Morrisette's Jagged Little Pill.
Great, Xander thinks, No. 56 - play man-hater music after shocking your man with a tazar gun.
TBC
Ok, this is the plan - assume that Buffy never left or got voted out but that she & Spike did have their warm fuzzies at some point around now. Also assume that Anya and Xander didn't - well, you know! Pretty much everything else is status quo. I'm picking up the story where Buffy and Xander talk in the kitchen about taking Dawn somewhere safe. Got it? OK - here it goes -
Chapter 15
Xander is happy to see Buffy looking more confident, happier. Briefly, he thinks of Spike for some reason - no, won't go there. The ick-factor is just too high. Must just be the ax thingy, kind of phallic, but hey, whatever floats your boat.
So Buffy is sending him off to the sidelines with Dawn in tow. He always thought he'd go down with Buffinator. Hey, almost---. Last week, he wouldn't have taken this assignment without a fight or at least a sissy display of some sort. But now, he takes it on willingly. Dawn's gonna be pissed as hell but she's probably going to be alive.
***************************** "You want to what?" Dawn asks with not so much a suspicious voice as an incredulous one.
"I want to go out to the car a minute, maybe go for a drive. Come with?" Xander is already grabbing his keys.
Normally, Dawn would be up for any field trip he had in mind but considering the rest of the so-called army is getting ready for the final showdown, you would think that he would want to stick close rather than touring the all but abandoned Sunnydale. Hey by now, even the lesser demons have split. But whatever, she's willing.
When they get out to the car, he is still kind-of wiggy. She figures that's why he wants to get out for a minute. Usually, she hangs on his every word but for all his wigginess, she is preoccupied herself. Who wouldn't be? Though Buffy does seem better and Angel brought that gaudy necklace --- she tries not to get her hopes up too much. If anything she's learned it's usually darkest right before all hell breaks loose.
He had just been saying something, when suddenly his arm is around her and he is pushing something in front of her face --- hard.
That's it, he thinks. God, he hopes he didn't bruise her. OK, great he has now officially graduated from statutory rapist to kidnapper all in one week. Next week he'll shoot for America's Most Wanted. He'll be the new fugitive - the one-eyed man. Hey, rather one eye than one arm? Well maybe? 'Xander, snap out it man!' He thinks to himself. 'Drive!"
He and Buffy had talked it over and he's headed to LA. While Angel's spooky, old place is not the Ritz; it seemed like the safest bet considering everything. Plus, he knows the whole story so there won't be any need for any long drawn explanation. And if he needs to lock her up, God forbid, Buffy said something about a cage. He always thought Angel had a dark side. Well, understatement much but ---
He makes it to the highway before he turns to her just to double-check. She looks so still. He knew how much chloroform to use from his army-guy episode but he'd even had Will look it up on the Internet just to be sure. Yes, she's breathing steadily. She's drooling on herself too. The wet spot on her shirt makes him happier than he's been all night. Laughing softly, he knows she's going to be modified when she wakes up to find a big wet spot on her shirt.
He hopes against hope that maybe a little embarrassment might take the edge off. Probably not but a man can always hope.
He checks his watch; they've been on the road for well over an hour now. She's been stirring and mumbling for the past ten minutes or so. He's kind- of glad that he's driving. At least, he can look straight ahead while she screams at him. He figures there's a 50/50 chance that she'll give him the silent treatment - nay, not gonna happen.
Dawn has been trying to open her eyes for what seems like forever but it's like she's in the deepest sleep and she's having to work really hard to wake up. In the back of her mind, she knows that is something - something that is really important. What is it? She drifts in and out.
Finally, she drifts a little closer to consciousness and opens her eyes. OK, car --- looking up and around - OK, Xander.
The sight of Xander immediately reassures her and her first inclination is to give in to the urge to go back to sleep. But on the heels of this feeling, comes another, what did he do? It's all fuzzy; something's not good --- something about being in the car.
Like a cascade, it all comes back to her in an instant. Like being used to your Snoopy nightlight and somebody comes in and flips on the big light over your head. Boom.
She struggles to sit up straight and talk. It's like her brain woke up but not her mouth. Try, Dawn, try.
He finally notices she's awake. He's talking again. Now it is hard to follow him because she's working so hard to wake up and make her body work.
Chloroform? Buffy? Leaving?
It's clear in a second what she must do. And hey, all's fair in love and war and well, this is both. She slides her hand down to her pocket in her jeans. It's still there, her shock-the-bad-guy doo-hickey that Xander actually bought her last Christmas. He spent some time teaching her how to use it. It has markings on it so that you can operate it in the dark. 'I mean, how many big bads accost teenage girls in board daylight' he said. Looking over at him, she thinks, 'This one sure didn't!'
She unbuckles her seat belt and then carefully pushes the button to start it up. She's going to have to move fast. The road is empty so that's good. She's got 60 seconds before it's charged. She watches the digital numbers on the clock. OK, one minute.
She moves fast. He's out. Lucky for her that he has long legs, the seat is so far back that she can slide right into his lap and grab the wheel. With one hand, she reaches down and unbuckles his seat belt and with her body weight moves to the side and then pushes him into the passenger seat. His top part falls on over, the bottom is harder but finally she manages.
For a minute, she worries that he's going to be sore. Then she worries that he isn't buckled in. Finally, she figures he's been in worse situations than riding without a seatbelt. Plus, he deserves to be sore. REALLY SORE.
With that, she settles into driving home just as she notices that the left side of her shirt is all wet.
*******************************
The first thing that strikes Xander when he comes on is that his head is pounding. The second thing is that he underestimated her. He should have known better.
"Don't suppose you've got any Advil on you?"
"Nope, don't suppose I would. Headache?" She asks sweetly.
He answers just as sweetly, "Just a tad".
She doesn't seem eager to talk. Women! Do they have some book that tells them all these things? No. 55 - silence is deadly - try it---
Finally he gives, "So, guess I don't need to guess where we're headed."
"Nope". Again, his newfound love answers so sweetly that he is getting cavities just listening to her.
Dawn reaches down and flips on the CD Player. One of her CD's is still in from her taking her to school last fall. Alannis Morrisette's Jagged Little Pill.
Great, Xander thinks, No. 56 - play man-hater music after shocking your man with a tazar gun.
TBC