Title: The First Seconded

Author: Falcon-Rider falcon_rider@hotmail.com

Rating: PG-13 for Angst and ect. And CD

Disclaimer: I own nothing 'cept the plot and Nich. Oh and a few others…

Authors note: Me not grounded after conferences… is this a first? We're back in Sunnydale… why? Because I had writers block on how to end the LA scene so I took the easy way out… cheesy flashback scene. Oh look at me, I'm going to take Karate or Tai-Chi(spl?) as my PE credit. I'm cheating the high school system using the Community College…Oh my towns mall lost its gottchalks and emporium and everything in the food court but a pizza place and the Chinese food place. How very sad. Well, we still have sears.

And now the light at the end of the… wait… no it's just a new part…

***

Part Thirty-one

Unpacking baggage

25 days

"-know," Nich rolled her eyes as she spoke into the cell phone. "I'll be-" She frowned. "No. I picked it up. Yes, yes I did." She sighed and adjusted the strap to her sports bag.  "Fine, I'll do it when I get home... in a few hours." She tapped her fingers against the black strap of the bag.

"I'm at the school. Yes I'll be home before dark- of course! Will I'm already- I'm late Will. Goodbye Will." She rolled her eyes as he continued. "Whatever. Listen- I got to go- Goodbye!" She slapped the mouth piece shut and shook her head.

Nich adjusted her ponytail, making sure all of her long wavy blonde hair was securely placed in it. She took a deep breath and let it out before pushing the door to Sunnydale High's Gym open.

Upbeat music filled her ears and she gritted her teeth till her ears adjusted to the blaring noise. Plastering a smile on her face she headed over to where the dance team was practicing.

Nich's senses screamed at her as she neared the group, two of the girls weren't exactly normal. She placed them as slayers after having hung out with Spike for so long.

The dance moves that the team was performing where fairly simple, probably because this was the teams first year and they didn't have that many experienced dancers as of yet. A few of the girls were obviously dancers and others obviously not. Nich set her bag down off to the side near a group of other similar bags and walked over toward the coach.

The coach was a young blonde woman who turned fake blue eyes toward her. She wore black exercise pants and a light blue tank top with a jacket over top. A red whistle on a yellow chain fell around her neck. The coach smiled at her with pink lip glossed lips.

Nich spoke as the pop song came to an end, "I'm Nicole Saulder, I just moved here."

"Oh, where from?" A girl in the front of the group asked.

"London, my brother and I were visiting family during the summer."

"Cool," A blonde haired girl with matching Calvin Kline clothes started. "I've always wanted to go to London."

"Oh, you'd of loved it," Nich replied with a smile. Until a vampire ate you because of your annoying vocal ranges.

"Well," The coach nodded after adding her name to a list. "Do you have your sports registration papers?"

"Right here," Nich slipped a folded sheet of paper out of her jacket pocket and handed it to her."

"Okay then, I am coach Wilkins." Faith smiled at her. "Why don't you take a position next to Miss Jade."

Nich looked around the room confused till a girl with purplish red hair waved at her.

"That'd be me."

"Awe," Nich nodded at she took her place. "I'm Nich."

"Nice to meet you Nich, I'm Echo, not an echo my names Echo," Echo rolled her eyes. "My mom was a hippie."

Nich laughed, "Oh. So, is Coach Wilkins tough?"

"Well I'll just put it this way, if you're not in shape now you will be before our first competition."

"Well then," Nich stretched her arm above her head. "I shouldn't have any problems."

*

Spike slid another box across the wood floor into a growing pile of empty boxes. There new house was magnificent and quite large. It may have hurt to earn the money to buy it the way he had but since he did he would have enough money for everyone to live off of for several decades.

The group was in a good financial situation and Tara had even managed to get a scholarship from the coven to study once again at Sunnydale University. The University didn't even stop to ask why a 'dead' person was reenrolling in classes.

Picking up another box he headed to the kitchen to unpack its contents. Amazingly their house was pretty homely, especially since once Tara had arrived in LA all the girls had gone shopping for stuff.

~~~~

The door to the Hyperion opened and a nervous young woman walked through. Tara smiled awkwardly at the group in the Lobby till Nich rounded the corner.

"Tara!" The teen ran to her. Tara barely had enough time to drop her bags to the floor before she was enveloped in a hug.

Pulling back Nich motioned toward the stairs. "William nearly got him self killed, again. Twice."

Tara sighed with a chuckle on her lips, "That's our William."

"What about William?" Spike asked as he moved down the stairs.

Nich shrugged, "Oh nothing, just talking about your tendency to nearly get your self killed."

"Oh that." Spike glanced around the room. "Tara this is Fred, Gunn, Conner, and my poof of a sire."

"Angel." The souled vampire corrected Spike with a glare.

Nice t-to meet you." Tara stuttered slightly.

"I'm Fred," Fred waved to her from across the lobby.

~~~

***

"Knock, knock!" Willow announced as she opened the door to the old fashioned two story house. "Anybody home?"

She glanced at the box strewn living room. "Tara? Nich? William?"

Willow made her way through the living room and into the dining room which was separated by a large archway from the living room and staircase. Another archway gave room for a door and breakfast counter which was strewn with boxes as well. Pulling up a stool willow sat down on it.

"'Ello Red." Spike said standing up with a box in his hand startling the Wiccan.

"So you are home," Willow smiled and pulled an unopened box toward her. "Where is everyone?"

"Nich's at school trying out for the bloody dance team," Spike grumbled. "And Tara went to a furniture store to get a sofa and matching recliners. She wants this house to 'match'."

Willow laughed, "She wanted to hire a designer and you told her no? Or did Nich want the designer?"

"Nich wanted a designer and Tara made me compromise," Spike shook his head "Tara and Nich get to decorate the house." At Willows look he continued quickly, "Not that I wanted to decorate, or anything."

"No," Willow shook her head containing giggles, "Of course you didn't." She glanced around as she ran her fingers over the uncut tape holding box together.

"Oh," Spike looked around. Seeing the razor he grabbed it and handed it to her. "Here you go."

"Thanks." She smiled as she cut the tape holding the box together.

"So Red, how've you been lately?" Spike leaned against the counter as Willow opened he box.

"You guys already bought a blender?" She frowned at him. "Where'd you get all this money?"

"I sold my family estate while I was in England," Spike replied quickly. He grabbed an empty box and tossed it into the dining room. It landed near the box holding the dismantled dinner table.

Willow choked on air, "You have an estate?"

Spike shrugged, "I was the sole remaining heir when I died, and yes I did. I kept it in repair over the years and just decided it was time to say goodbye," He smiles slightly. "Sides I still own the country house."

He tilted his head and met her eyes, "I wasn't using it anyway. Now, you need to stop avoiding my question. Willow, how have you been?"

She fiddled with her bracelet witch was a lot looser than it had been the last time he say her, "So if your so rich do you really need the teaching job?"

Spike stared intently at her, "Willow."


She glanced away, "It's kind of hard. Did you hear how I wished that I wouldn't have to face them and how it came true?"

"Tara told me something about that, your stomach healed yet?"

"Yah," Willow shrugged. "I put myself, and them, in so much trouble. I was lucky Dawn wasn't badly hurt or permanently paralyzed."

Spike nodded, "You where lucky."

"And," Willow smiled slightly. "I've learned never to go out alone looking for an evil demon."

"Something I need to learn right?" Spike asked.

"No," Willow joked. "You nearly getting yourself killed should happen everyday."

"Glad someone agrees with me." Spike grinned as he received a light punch in the arm. "Oh the pain, the pain!"

Willow rolled her eyes and sighed, "I'm getting better though. Not so much with the hiding more with the chatting out my pain. Although it's getting kind of hard to hide the fact that Tara's still alive." She sighed, "Plus I miss the hanging out with people who aren't constantly worried about me diving off the deep end of the pool."

"Now you know how I felt."

"Yah," She nodded. "I really do."

"So Red, want to help with the unpacking? There'll be pizza involved when the others get here."

"Well who can say no to food?"

***

To be continued in: They don't serve breakfast in Hell

A. Note:  Thanks for all the wonderful reviews people, and wow I'm almost under 20 days on the count down… It won't end with the count down though people. I've got an arc ready; think of this as a season of Buffy from no on. An alternant season 7, hehehe. There will be some similarities just do you know cause I'm trying to keep some things in balance and remember this story focus's on Spike with a side of Nich, Tara, Buffy and Dawn. So the other characters will play big parts but aren't the major focus. Oh, also I'm attempting something new that I wasn't going to do before because I don't usually end up typing it up when I write it down first but when I'm at school I'm going to write a bit and type it up when I get home… and now I'm rambling….

Review Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^_^