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Chapter Two: Into the woods

See chapter one for notes and disclaimers.

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"Into the woods,

It's always when

You think at last

You're through, and then

Into the woods you go again

To take another journey.

Into the woods,

The weather's clear,

We've been before,

We've naught to fear...

Into the woods, away from here-"

From "Into the Woods" by Stephan Sondheim and James Lapine.

***

I can't lie and say that those years from age fourteen to age seventeen were easy. In the beginning it meant a lot of time by myself in my tiny apartment above the shop. I went to school and then went to work in the afternoons. I stayed up late doing homework I didn't care about because it seemed to impress Dawn. I'll admit that I had a crush on her from the start. There was just something about her that made me want to smile and that was something that'd been lacking from my life until that point.

And then things began to change. I grew up, little by little, and I was slowly being accepted into the fold. More and more I'd go out with the group to 'work the mojo' as Buffy said, when they went off the face the latest "big bad." And for the record, I found their manner of speaking to be hilarious. There were times when I'd look around and see us all doing the good fight and I'd wonder when did I become one of those damned Golden-Boy-Potter-White-Hats? But I was, and part of me liked it.

Things began to get really good when Dawn asked me out. Yes, she asked me out. I was too afraid of her sister to do anything about my crush. But for the record, Dawn asked me out first. I can't say when it developed into more but it did. One night as I lay on my bed in the dark, it hit me. I loved her. Not just loved but love. It was so new to me. I'd never been in love before and part of me wanted to run like I had from my father when I found out how he felt about Diggory's death. But I didn't run. I had o place to go and I'd be leaving everything behind.

That was pretty much my life for those years. I gave no thought to going back to the Wizarding world. Or even back to England. Ever. I was happy. I had love and had friends and an almost family. Why would anyone want to give that up? But life is tricky like that. The fact that I turned into the magic shop instead of Starbucks that day when I'd first arrived in Sunnydale had given me this new life, but it also offered up the mess I was about to get into.

Also for the record, my new friends knew all about my past. They had never once condemned me for it but had told me that they had each done far worse than be the school bully and so long as I was over that we were cool. And so we were.

The day that really set things in motion, we were all sitting around. It was late winter and school was half way over. Not much was happening. We'd defeated some great maser vampire a week ago and things were quiet now.

Spike stood in the corner watching Buffy. It was so clear how much he loved her but no one would say anything. I picked that one up real fast. Buffy herself was playing cards with Willow, Xander, and Dawn while Tara and Giles were going through some dusty old books that I personally could not stand. Anya was talking to Xander as he played cards about the mind blowing sex they'd had the night before. That woman was seriously strange. We never did get along.

Finally Giles interrupted the chattering blonde. "Buffy, have you given any thought to what we talked about the other day?" We all looked up to ask what he was talking about.

"Oh!" she said as if she had completely forgotten about it. I'll bet she had. "Um, no. England right?"

Giles sighed and we all stifled smiles. "Yes, Buffy." Now we all knew what he was talking about. That Hellmouth that was opening in Scotland. Other than the one big bad from last week, things were getting boring.

"Maybe we should go. I mean, it's boring here," Dawn said as she placed another card down on the table. "Uno!"

"Darn it!" Xander exclaimed trying to peer at the card in her hand.

"Xander, honey are you paying attention to me? I'm talking here!"

"Yes, dear." That made Anya smile.

Giles cleared his throat and was reaching for his glasses when Dawn and I looked at each other and bean to laugh. (She had the best laugh.) A few weeks ago she had brought it up to him about his glasses and now when ever he did it we both began to laugh at him. It was driving him crazy. "Well?" he prompted.

Buffy looked u from her cards. "We haven't got that kind of money, Giles. You know that."

"I do," he replied quickly making us all wonder how much he really did have stashed way. "Don't worry about that."

The slayer sighed. "It's just that I like it here. It's quiet. I was kind of hoping we could keep the quiet for a while."

"Buffy," said Giles in a tone that said he was trying to do the right thing but wasn't sure how. "I know you want it like it is but you're wasting your talents here. You could be doing so much more. Buffy, we need you. They need you. The whole world needs you. You like the quiet but every one else likes not living in hell."

"I hate it when you get all noble on me."

"So we're going?" Dawn asked. She was so excited.

"Looks that way," her sister told her. "Who's in?"

"I'm going."

"I'm game."

"Me too."

"Don't forget me."

"Why not? It's not like I've got a better way to spend an unlife."

They all looked around too see who hadn't answered. I tried not to look them in the eye. "I don't know, I told them. I was kind of trying to avoid the whole 'home' thing."

"But, Dray," Dawn said softly. "It's not home. Not really. This will always be home."

"Yeah," Xander agreed. "Home is supposed to be the place you look forward to returning to. Home is where you make it."

"Wow, Xand. That was really deep."

"Thanks, Buffy."

"So?" Spike asked me. "How 'bout it? You gonna leave me alone with all this sentimental sap, kid?"

"I've had enough sap to last Potter a year. He's worse than this lot any day."

Giles snorted. "From what I've heard of the kid, he's also got a few less problems."

"Just one very persistent one," I said.

"Well?" Dawn asked impatiently. "Come with us?"

I shrugged. "It's not like we're gonna be near anyone I knew is it? Just a few demons on a Hellmouth."

"That's the spirit!" Willow chirped.

tbc....?