This is set between "Older and Far Away" and "As You Were". I just had an idea. Hope you like it.

Summary: Let's see. The Scoobies decide to take a little vacation. The nerd herd follows. What could go wrong, really?

Rating: Something in the middle of PG and PG-13, you decide

Distribution: Just ask me

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Not making any money off it. Just like to borrow.


Vacation


Chapter One


"I think a vacation would be great," Willow said as she stood at the kitchen counter chopping celery stalks for a salad.

"I dunno, Will," Buffy said, doubting.

"C'mon," Willow put the knife. "Especially with what happened with Dawn at your birthday. We could all go away for a little bit. Spend time together." Buffy sighed. "I know I could use one. Anything to keep me away from all this temptation with the spells and the casting..."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Fine." She shook her head. "I can't believe I'm agreeing to this. Dawn's already missed too much school."

"I'm missing school?" Dawn asked coming into the kitchen and stealing a stick of celery.

"I'll call Dawn's school in the morning," Willow offered.

"Thank you," Buffy said.

Dawn raised her eyebrows, "Someone wanna inform the student why she's missing school?"

"Hey, hey!" Xander and Anya let themselves in the front door. "We're here!"

"And we've brought wine!" Anya added as her and Xander came into the kitchen.

"Thanks," Willow said taking the bottle from Anya.

"Why wine?" Buffy asked.

"Oh, well. It's a custom I've recently come across. Whenever you are invited to a dinner party, you bring a bottle of wine that compliments the food that's being served," Anya explained.

"Good thing we're having spaghetti," Willow said.

"Wine and spaghetti? Gross," Dawn commented.

"Compared to what?" Buffy asked. "Gatorade and oatmeal cookies with mustard?"

Anya and Willow grimaced and Dawn gave her sister a Look. "Anyway, why am I missing school?"

"Ooh, new demon at the school? Kids disappearing? Giant snake?" Xander asked a little too enthused.

Buffy shook her head, "Nothing like that. We've decided to take a vacation. Haven't decided where yet, but Willow thought it'd be a good idea."

"Ooh, what about camping? We could go camping. I've been watching that show on how to survive in the wilderness," Everyone just looked at Anya. "What? It's on before 'A Wedding Story'."

No offense, Ahn, but I'm not really woods-y, camp-y girl here," Buffy said.

"Buffy's idea of roughing it is a trip to the beach without sunscreen," Dawn giggled.

"Hey!" Buffy protested. "That's not true. I'm just not real keen on the idea of going to the bathroom in the woods."

Dawn wrinkled her nose. "Eww..."

"And I don't even know how to set up a tent," Buffy continued.

"What about renting one of the cabins near Yosemite State Park?" Willow suggested.

"That'd be great," Buffy said appreciative of her friend's quick thinking. "Cabin-ing sounds a lot safer than camping."

"So what? We'll get everything packed and leave Thursday?" Xander asked.

"Sounds good to me," Buffy shrugged.

"Can I invite Tara?" Dawn asked.

A moment of uncomfortable silence passed as the gang looked at each other. "Well, it's uh..." Buffy looked at Willow. "Up to Willow.

Dawn looked at Willow expectantly. "Uh... sure," the recovering wicca attempted a forced smile. "It'd be... good for her to come."

Dawn broke into a huge grin and ran to the phone to call Tara. "Like that's not gonna be awkward," Xander muttered.

"It won't," Willow said. "It's important to Dawn. And Tara loves her very much. This trip is for Dawn anyway."

"Great!" Anya said. "Let's eat."


After dinner, Buffy stood at the sink while the gang was in the living room talking excitedly about the vacation. She dried off a plate and smiled. She couldn't help but catch their excitement. Willow was right, this would be good for Dawn, and herself. A little getaway with her friends. Take her mind off all the evil nasties. Almost.

"Knock, Knock, love," Spike said letting himself in.

"Go away, Spike," she said, not looking at him. If I don't look at him, I won't want him. Who am I kidding? I wanted him when I was eating dinner. The whole time I was thinking that the spaghetti noodles looked like his hair.

"C'mon now," he said as he slid his arms around her waist. She squirmed, but he didn't budge. He kissed her on the neck and ran his lips to the back of his ear. She leaned back into him, letting his hands wander up her shirt, caressing the smooth skin above her jeans.

"Stop Spike," she whispered. But he didn't and she didn't stop him

"You know," he purred into her ear. "We never did get to finish what we started the other day."

Buffy turned around, kissing him on the lips. Their tongues wrestled against each other. They soon were lost in heated passion and somehow ended on top of the counter. "No," Buffy said pulling away from him. "Willow. Xander. In the other. Room," She managed to say between kissing him.

"Uh huh," he said quickly as he pulled her back into kissing him. Their lips smacked together. She writhed on top of him and a moan escaped from him.

"Buffy?" Dawn called.

Buffy looked up at the sound of her sister's voice. She fell off Spike and on to the floor. "Ow!" She exclaimed.

"Buffy?" Dawn came into the kitchen to see her sister on the floor and Spike sitting up on the counter. "What are you doing on the floor?"

"Uh..." Buffy searched for an excuse. "I... dropped a cup."

"A cup?" Dawn asked, not quite believing her.

"Yeah, didn't you hear it? Big noise, it broke and I was making sure there were no pieces on the floor," she said digging herself deeper. She got up from the floor. Spike tried to hide a smirk but she shot a Look at him anyway.

"Right," Dawn said. She knew what had been going on. She wasn't stupid. She saw Spike's swollen bottom lip and Buffy's guilty eyes. She'd known about them for a while now. She didn't want to say anything, she thought it was kind of romantic. A light went off in Dawn's head. "Hey, can Spike come too?" She asked.

"What? No!" Buffy said.

"Oh, come on, Buffy. Please," Dawn put on her best puppy dog face. "Please."

"No," Buffy said as she smoothed her tousled hair. "Spike can't come. He... He has better things to do."

"Actually I do," he said looking pointedly at Buffy. "But nothing I can't put on hold." Spike said amused by Buffy's nervousness. "Where are we going?"

"We're renting a cabin near Yosemite," Dawn told him.

"A cabin, eh? Doesn't sound too bad. A little fresh air might do me some good. Well, if I could breathe it." He said.

Dawn giggled, "So you'll come?"

He looked at Buffy, "Up to big sis," he said already knowing Buffy's answer.

Buffy glared at him, then smiled at Dawn. "Spike can come."

Dawn grinned. "This is gonna be so fun."


Three days later, they all piled into Xander's rental van. It was around eleven and the sun was high in the sky. Spike hurtled himself into the van

"Hey what's chip boy doing here?" Xander asked.

"Dawn invited me, whelp," Spike said as he settled in the back of the van covering himself with a blanket.

Xander glowered at Spike, but kept his mouth shut. Anya sympathetically patted his knee.

"Tara sit here," Dawn said scooting over so that she was nearest the window. Tara smiled at Dawn. Willow looked helplessly around, but she really didn't want to sit in the back with Spike, so she climbed in next to Tara.

"Where am I supposed to sit?" Buffy asked.

"Plenty of room back here," Spike said.

"Ugh, I'd rather sit on top of the car," she said more for her friends ears than her own.

"Fine by me, pet," Spike said stretching out under his blanket.

She glared at him and reluctantly, but secretly glad, sitting next to him. "Move over," she told him.

"Make me," he shot back.

"Do I have to turn this car around before we even hit the road?" Xander asked looking in the rearview mirror. "Or maybe I can just throw Spike out."

"Hey, watch it, wanker," he snarled.

"Settle down," Buffy whispered to him reaching under his blanket. Spike's face softened and he just glared at Xander instead. Xander turned the ignition and they were off. No one had noticed the black van behind them.