Buffy and Willow were sitting at the Espresso Pump. Just like old times.
"Buffy, do you remember when we told you about the time Giles was singing here?"
"Yes. I wish I could have seen it. It had to have been kind of weird but kinda cool at the same time."
"I thought it was kind of sexy. So did Tara and Anya. Poor Xander just wanted to crawl under a rock and hide. He thought that it was disgusting, the way we were going on about Giles." Willow couldn't help but laugh out loud at the look Xander had worn on his face.
"I can't believe that it seems so long ago. It seems like a hundred years ago. Why does time pass so quickly?"
"I wish I knew. Sometimes, it just seems like I just met Oz. Other times, it seems like so long ago that he left me and I got together with Tara. The kids are just making it seem like the time has sped up considerably."
Buffy looked at her watch. "Wow. Look at the time. I promised to meet Xander and Anya at their place. Sorry, Will. Gotta split."
"No problem. I got to get back to work." The two young women got up to leave. "I'll see you later, Buffy."
"Ok. You too, Will."
"Xander, I just found out that you've been in touch with Angel ever since he left Sunnydale. What all did you tell him?"
"I didn't tell him about Parker, the little incident at Lowell House, Dracula, or cave-Slayer." Xander was certain that Buffy was kind of angry about all this. After all, this wasn't the first time that he had hidden something from her. He flashed back to when he had neglected to tell her that Willow was going to try the spell to restore Angel's soul again. She had been so mad at him that he thought she was going to kill him when she came back to Sunnydale. They had worked through that though.
"What made you stay in touch with him anyway? I thought you hated Angel."
"Well, while we were laying out battle strategies for graduation day, he and I got to talking and he told me that he wanted to leave a way for you to get in touch with him if necessary. I told him I would hold on to his cell phone number and if you needed it I would give it to you. I also promised him that I would keep an eye on you and update him regularly on what was going on here. There were a few things that I didn't tell him though. Didn't feel like having him breathing down my neck for not protecting you for him." Xander thought for a moment. "He's not so bad anymore. And I haven't hated him for a long time. We kinda got close back around the time Riley took off."
"So he knew about Glory and Dawn?"
"Yeah. He decided that the best thing he could do at the time was to stay in LA. Then, Cordy got sucked into this other dimension and he had to rescue her and . . ." He paused when he saw the confusion cross Buffy's face. ". . . I'm guessing he told you nothing about all of that."
"Not one word. I guess we both kept our secrets."
"I guess. Speaking of Dracula, we haven't seen anything of him since you 'Eurotrashed' him. Do you think he left town?"
"I doubt it. He seemed quite happy here."
"I saw him last night. He seemed to be following Spike and Dawn on patrol." Anya's voice reminded her husband and Buffy that she was still in the room. "I was coming back from the store."
"Great! Just what we need. Dracula going after Dawn and Spike having to go after him."
"I thought you hated Spike too." Buffy was puzzled. She had heard about Spike and Xander's moment while she was catatonic but she wasn't sure that wasn't just the stress of the moment.
"I don't trust him. Especially not after . . . "
"Don't bring that up again. I forgave you for the same thing. I didn't hold a grudge against you then. You can't hold a grudge against him now. He may have tried but he didn't succeed any more than you did."
"Besides," came a voice from the door. "I trust him. That should be enough for you guys." Buffy and Xander turned to see Dawn in the doorway. She had her hands on her hips and a look on her face that told both of them that the subject needed to be dropped right now. It wasn't up for discussion.
"Of course it is, Dawnie. I just worry about you." Xander was trying to keep things smooth with Dawn. She was just like a little sister to him. Just like the one he had lost twelve years earlier to vampires. Of course, back then, he didn't know exactly what it was that went bump in the night. There were still times that he missed that Xander, so innocent and carefree.
"Why? Because I'm following in my big sister's footsteps? Being in love with a vampire?"
"No. Because you remind me of a little sister I had about twelve years ago. She was killed by vamps. She would have been about your age now."
Dawn's eyes had gotten big and she looked around as if expecting to get yelled at. "Xander, I - I'm sorry. I didn't know." That stammer was back. She really thought he was mad at her.
"Dawnie, don't. I'm not mad at you. I just worry about you. You may think that we're overprotective at times but it's only because we love you and don't want to lose you." While he was talking, Xander had walked over to her and pulled her into a brotherly hug. She buried her face in his chest.
The rumble coming from the blond at the door is what finally broke the hug. "It's ok, Spike. Xander was just proving that he wasn't mad at me for jumping to conclusions." She turned around and walked to the vampire who had followed her. She wrapped an arm around his waist and the growl stopped immediately. Spike's arm went around her shoulders and he kissed the top of her head.
"Spike." Buffy's short acknowledgment was Spike's first clue that something was up.
"What's wrong, Buffy?"
"Dracula's still hanging around. He was following you and Dawn on patrol last night."
"Anya, honey. I think Buffy was about to tell them about it."
"But I saw him. I thought I should be the one to tell him." She looked back at Spike and Dawn. "He looked like he was going to try for her."
"I'll personally take his head off if he tries it." Spike's arm tightened almost imperceptibly around her shoulders.
"Watch out for her. Dawn, until we take him out of the game permanently, I don't want you outside after dark alone. Always take Spike, Angel or I with you."
"Ok, Buffy." Dawn remembered the stories about the time Buffy had faced Dracula. Even the Slayer couldn't resist the charms of Dracula and he had bitten her once.
"I almost hope I meet up with him. I have in mind some serious payback for the time he turned me into a bug-eating man-bitch." The venom in Xander's tone surprised Dawn. Sure, she had heard about Xander's brief time as the toadie of the Dark Prince.
Buffy was also surprised. She knew that Xander was no push over but she didn't realize that vengence was something that he thought about.
It appeared that things were about to change in Sunnydale. And not necessarily for the better.
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A/N: I know. It took forever. I just hit a wall and couldn't figure out where to take it for a while. But there you go. Thanks for all the reviews.
"Buffy, do you remember when we told you about the time Giles was singing here?"
"Yes. I wish I could have seen it. It had to have been kind of weird but kinda cool at the same time."
"I thought it was kind of sexy. So did Tara and Anya. Poor Xander just wanted to crawl under a rock and hide. He thought that it was disgusting, the way we were going on about Giles." Willow couldn't help but laugh out loud at the look Xander had worn on his face.
"I can't believe that it seems so long ago. It seems like a hundred years ago. Why does time pass so quickly?"
"I wish I knew. Sometimes, it just seems like I just met Oz. Other times, it seems like so long ago that he left me and I got together with Tara. The kids are just making it seem like the time has sped up considerably."
Buffy looked at her watch. "Wow. Look at the time. I promised to meet Xander and Anya at their place. Sorry, Will. Gotta split."
"No problem. I got to get back to work." The two young women got up to leave. "I'll see you later, Buffy."
"Ok. You too, Will."
"Xander, I just found out that you've been in touch with Angel ever since he left Sunnydale. What all did you tell him?"
"I didn't tell him about Parker, the little incident at Lowell House, Dracula, or cave-Slayer." Xander was certain that Buffy was kind of angry about all this. After all, this wasn't the first time that he had hidden something from her. He flashed back to when he had neglected to tell her that Willow was going to try the spell to restore Angel's soul again. She had been so mad at him that he thought she was going to kill him when she came back to Sunnydale. They had worked through that though.
"What made you stay in touch with him anyway? I thought you hated Angel."
"Well, while we were laying out battle strategies for graduation day, he and I got to talking and he told me that he wanted to leave a way for you to get in touch with him if necessary. I told him I would hold on to his cell phone number and if you needed it I would give it to you. I also promised him that I would keep an eye on you and update him regularly on what was going on here. There were a few things that I didn't tell him though. Didn't feel like having him breathing down my neck for not protecting you for him." Xander thought for a moment. "He's not so bad anymore. And I haven't hated him for a long time. We kinda got close back around the time Riley took off."
"So he knew about Glory and Dawn?"
"Yeah. He decided that the best thing he could do at the time was to stay in LA. Then, Cordy got sucked into this other dimension and he had to rescue her and . . ." He paused when he saw the confusion cross Buffy's face. ". . . I'm guessing he told you nothing about all of that."
"Not one word. I guess we both kept our secrets."
"I guess. Speaking of Dracula, we haven't seen anything of him since you 'Eurotrashed' him. Do you think he left town?"
"I doubt it. He seemed quite happy here."
"I saw him last night. He seemed to be following Spike and Dawn on patrol." Anya's voice reminded her husband and Buffy that she was still in the room. "I was coming back from the store."
"Great! Just what we need. Dracula going after Dawn and Spike having to go after him."
"I thought you hated Spike too." Buffy was puzzled. She had heard about Spike and Xander's moment while she was catatonic but she wasn't sure that wasn't just the stress of the moment.
"I don't trust him. Especially not after . . . "
"Don't bring that up again. I forgave you for the same thing. I didn't hold a grudge against you then. You can't hold a grudge against him now. He may have tried but he didn't succeed any more than you did."
"Besides," came a voice from the door. "I trust him. That should be enough for you guys." Buffy and Xander turned to see Dawn in the doorway. She had her hands on her hips and a look on her face that told both of them that the subject needed to be dropped right now. It wasn't up for discussion.
"Of course it is, Dawnie. I just worry about you." Xander was trying to keep things smooth with Dawn. She was just like a little sister to him. Just like the one he had lost twelve years earlier to vampires. Of course, back then, he didn't know exactly what it was that went bump in the night. There were still times that he missed that Xander, so innocent and carefree.
"Why? Because I'm following in my big sister's footsteps? Being in love with a vampire?"
"No. Because you remind me of a little sister I had about twelve years ago. She was killed by vamps. She would have been about your age now."
Dawn's eyes had gotten big and she looked around as if expecting to get yelled at. "Xander, I - I'm sorry. I didn't know." That stammer was back. She really thought he was mad at her.
"Dawnie, don't. I'm not mad at you. I just worry about you. You may think that we're overprotective at times but it's only because we love you and don't want to lose you." While he was talking, Xander had walked over to her and pulled her into a brotherly hug. She buried her face in his chest.
The rumble coming from the blond at the door is what finally broke the hug. "It's ok, Spike. Xander was just proving that he wasn't mad at me for jumping to conclusions." She turned around and walked to the vampire who had followed her. She wrapped an arm around his waist and the growl stopped immediately. Spike's arm went around her shoulders and he kissed the top of her head.
"Spike." Buffy's short acknowledgment was Spike's first clue that something was up.
"What's wrong, Buffy?"
"Dracula's still hanging around. He was following you and Dawn on patrol last night."
"Anya, honey. I think Buffy was about to tell them about it."
"But I saw him. I thought I should be the one to tell him." She looked back at Spike and Dawn. "He looked like he was going to try for her."
"I'll personally take his head off if he tries it." Spike's arm tightened almost imperceptibly around her shoulders.
"Watch out for her. Dawn, until we take him out of the game permanently, I don't want you outside after dark alone. Always take Spike, Angel or I with you."
"Ok, Buffy." Dawn remembered the stories about the time Buffy had faced Dracula. Even the Slayer couldn't resist the charms of Dracula and he had bitten her once.
"I almost hope I meet up with him. I have in mind some serious payback for the time he turned me into a bug-eating man-bitch." The venom in Xander's tone surprised Dawn. Sure, she had heard about Xander's brief time as the toadie of the Dark Prince.
Buffy was also surprised. She knew that Xander was no push over but she didn't realize that vengence was something that he thought about.
It appeared that things were about to change in Sunnydale. And not necessarily for the better.
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A/N: I know. It took forever. I just hit a wall and couldn't figure out where to take it for a while. But there you go. Thanks for all the reviews.
