Disclaimer: Sigh…I still own nada!

A/N: Love you all and all your lovely reviews!

Chapter 28: Escaping

Spike's eyes widened as he recognised the voice behind him. "Nibblet? That you?" he asked, surprised. What the hell was she doing here?

"Yes!" She whispered, but he could tell she was exasperated. "Now shut up in case someone hears you."

Spike chuckled. "There's no one else around bit, just you and me." He told her.

"How do you know?" Dawn asked as she worked on the ropes binding Spike's hands behind his back, though she obviously believed him since she was no longer whispering.

"Vampire luv." Spike reminded her. "Can't hear or smell anyone else."

Eventually Dawn managed to untie Spike's hands and he undid the rest of the ropes himself. He really hated being tied up! Once he was free he looked over at Dawn who was sitting opposite him, a self-satisfied smirk on her face – she had definitely been spending too much time around him recently! A large part of Spike was screaming to get back to Buffy, but the small logical part of his brain knew it would do no good since he couldn't get into the house. He knew he'd figure out how to get to Buffy soon, but it looked like he was going to need the help of the smug fifteen year old who was now studying him intently.

"Not that I'm complaining," Spike began "but how did you know to look for me here? Actually how did you know I needed help at all?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "God you all think I'm so stupid!"

"I didn't say that Dawn." Spike protested. "I just want to know how you knew when I'm still not clear what's going on!"

"I knew there was something going on as soon as Willow told me she'd arranged for me to spend the night at Janice's." She told him proudly. "Buffy always gives me the third degree if I wanna stay out so there was no way she'd just arrange for me to spend the night somewhere else no matter how guilty she was feeling!"

"That still doesn't explain how you knew I was here." Spike pushed, but Dawn was having none of it. She never got the chance to be the one who saved the day so she was making the most of it!

"Jeez, impatient much! I'm getting there!" She huffed. "Anyway, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I pretended I was going to Janice's but instead I doubled back and listened in from the back door. I saw Giles and Xander bundle you into a car but they were back too quickly to have gone all the way to Xander's, plus he would never invite you in, even tied up so I figured they'd bought you here. I waited till I'd heard everything useful then came here to get you so you can rescue Buffy!"

Dawn smiled then, extremely proud of herself, and Spike had to admit the girl had done well. He did mentally shake his head at the thought that he had to rescue Buffy from her friends, and there was the tiny problem of the barrier spells around the house. When he explained his concerns to Dawn however, the girl's grin only grew wider.

"No problem!" She announced cheerfully. "They only made it so Buffy can't invite you in. It's my house too, so there's no reason I can't. They don't expect me to be involved after all, I don't think they even know that I knew anything about you two!"

Spike shook his head at Scooby's oversight. They really were oblivious to everything going on around them if they hadn't noticed how close he was to Dawn. Who was the one who looked after her all over the summer? Who was the one she always ran to when she didn't feel like being at home? If anyone were going to know something of course it would be Dawn! Spike did however find one little flaw in her plan. "What about the barrier keeping big sis in the house? S'all well and good me getting in but we need her to be able to get out as well."

Dawn however had an answer for everything. "Not a problem." She insisted. "It needs someone who was inside the house when the spell was cast to invite Buffy outside. I was inside the house, they just didn't know it!"

Spike smiled at the girl in front of him and wondered how they had managed to underestimate her time and time again. He silently swore never to make that mistake again. "Well bit," he announced, climbing to his feet "since you have everything organized lets get going!"…

Buffy felt as is her head was going to explode. She'd tried for hours to explain to her friends that she wasn't being controlled by Spike; that this hadn't been a sudden thing but something they'd been building up to for years, but they wouldn't believe a word of it. Xander wouldn't even believe she had actually been in heaven. She was beginning to believe that Spike had a point when he'd told her that the Scooby's were in denial about things they didn't want to face up to. She found it ironic really. They had quite easily accepted that there were such things as demons and slayers and vampires. They'd done the impossible and brought her back from the dead. But they just couldn't accept that any feelings between her and the vampire who had saved their lives countless times could be anything other than a fabrication. No matter how many details she had told them about their time as friends before they became lovers they wouldn't be swayed.

Eventually she had needed to get away from them all before she beat every last one of them to a bloody pulp. She'd managed to convince willow and Tara to expand the barrier spell so she could go out on the back porch. She had every intention of staying out there and not coming back in until they either let her go or she figured a way out of this mess for herself. One by one they had become tired of trying to convince her that they were right and had decided to leave her be until the next day, assuming that she would come inside in her own time. They had all gone to bed, Xander, Anya and Giles all deciding it would be best for them to stay over, apparently not thinking spike worthy of guarding. Buffy guessed they didn't care if he escaped as long as they had her where they wanted her. Xander had commented that even if Spike did escape he would probably just skip town now that they were on to his little scheme! God they didn't know him at all!

So there she sat, on the back porch, sporadically reaching out to touch the barrier on the off chance that it might have stopped working while Willow and Tara were asleep. Since she had had no luck on her previous attempts she was stunned to find the barrier gone when she reached out to it the millionth time. It took a few seconds for her brain to take advantage of this fact, but fortunately she was aware enough not to start screaming and jumping for joy as she felt like doing in case she woke the sleeping Scooby's. What she did do however was run into the open arms of the blonde vampire now walking across the yard towards her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder, tears of joy springing from her eyes.

"Oh God Spike." She sobbed, "I missed you so much."

"Calm down Buffy. It's only been a few hours!" he said lightly, but Buffy could tell it was a front. He had been as affected by their separation as she had, especially if the kiss she was suddenly pulled into was any indication. As their mouths met and tongues danced, hands touched and stroked, each reassuring the other that they were fine and they were together again. Buffy jumped up, wrapping her legs around his waist and rubbed her hips against him, his growing hardness pressed against her sending excited chills through her body despite the layers of clothes that separated them. The heated growl that came form him only spurring her on more as she ran one hand down his chest to cup his length through his jeans. Spike's hand was just about to sneak its way under the hem of her panties when the pointed coughing from their left caused them to break apart suddenly.

"Hello!" Dawn said in irritation "Minor present! I'd rather wait a few years before my mind got warped thank you very much!" Buffy took a step back from Spike and looked at the floor, her face turning crimson. Spike however simply smirked, having no problems with warping young minds.

"Come on bit!" he chuckled. "You didn't want to see the show you shouldn't have untied me!" He laughed when Dawn rolled her eyes and Buffy smacked him in the chest. Nothing was going to ruin his good mood!

"Well not to be the rain on the parade, " Dawn continued as if Spike hadn't spoken "but what are you two going to do now?"

Buffy and Spike's eyes met, silent understanding passing between them. The Scooby's weren't going to accept them anytime soon. As soon as they realised that Buffy could come and go as she pleased again they would just put the barrier back, they'd probably even try and kill Spike this time and not overlook Dawn. There was no way they could go back to hiding. It had been too painful for both of them to go through again. And just being apart wasn't an option. They had to be together. It was a sad and simple truth, if they wanted to be together they had to leave Sunnydale behind.

A/N: And we're nearly there folks – just the final chapter to go now. Please let me know what you think. Love you all!!!