Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow

Previously:

"I was wondering if you, maybe, wanted to go out tomorrow night...with me," Spike said, taking a deep breath once he had finished.

Dawn was practically beaming. "Yeah."

Chapter Twenty-Nine:

"Callum, seriously, I don't see what the big deal is," Kara said in exasperation as she leaned against the bathroom doorframe. Callum was hunkered over the sink, rinsing his paler-than-death face. Unbeknownst to either of them, Giles was standing outside their hotel room door, able to hear every word. Though he felt the slightest twinge of guilt for spying on the couple, he desperately wished to know more about whom exactly they were. Kara had insinuated to him that she knew the others in her world, but never detailed the relationships she had to anyone. Giles knew even less about Callum's history.

"Don't see what the big deal is!?" Callum declared. "Jack Borland is my bleeding father, in the bleeding future, and you don't see what the big bleeding deal is?"

"Hello, I see my father from the future every bleeding day," Kara replied, her voice rising in volume as she became more and more irritated. "Or did you forget that I've got Xander's genetic material floating around in me somewhere?"

"I didn't forget that. But you have to understand, I never met my father. He died in an explosion when my mother was just a month pregnant with me," Callum explained. Kara sighed, knowing the explosion to be the very one they were in England to prevent.

"I didn't realize that," she said apologetically. "And he won't die this time around. With any luck, we'll be able to stop the explosion, or at least get the relevant members of the Watcher's Council somewhere safe when it happens."

Outside of their door, Giles nearly choked on his own saliva. "Xander," he muttered in shock. "Xander is her father. Who is her mother then, I wonder." Straightening up, he swiftly knocked on the door.

"Kara! Callum!" He said loudly. "It's nearly time for our appointment with Mr. Borland."

"Coming!" He heard them both yell back at the same time.

"It's gonna be okay," Kara said, moving over to Callum and resting her head on his shoulder. "Just try not to act weird...well, weirder than usual."

Callum smirked. "I'll do my best," he muttered, but smiled at her. "So, how about a kiss for luck?" He asked, hopefully. Kara smiled and leaned in, capturing his lips with hers. Running her tongue along his bottom lip, she plunged it into his mouth, moaning softly as his mouth moved against hers. The incessant knocking of Giles at the door broke them apart.

"We better go," Kara said reluctantly. Taking his hand, she led him out of the bathroom, opening the door to their hotel room. "Sleep well, Giles?" Kara asked, pulling Callum out and locking the door behind them.

"Exceptionally. It's always nice to come back here," Giles said a bit wistfully. Kara smiled.

"Well, let's get this over with then," she said as the trio began walking down the hallway.

A little over a half hour later, they were seated in a waiting room outside Jack Borland's office. There was hardly a soul in the building and the silence was so thick neither of the three felt like they could breathe properly. "Mr. Borland will see you now," the secretary said, smiling robotically and opening the office door for them.

"Thank you," Giles said, entering first. He and Jack greeted each other as old friends and the group quickly took their seats.

"Rupert said you had some information I would find particularly useful?" Jack asked, surveying the young man and woman sitting in front of him. The man looked oddly familiar, though he couldn't place where from, and he didn't seem to want to meet his eyes.

"I believe Giles has filled you in on our situation?" Kara asked, hoping to avoid an unnecessary explanation.

"Yes, he explained to me that you and Callum have come from the future," Jack said.

"Good. In the future, the Watcher's Council is entirely destroyed by the First Evil," Kara said.

"How?" Jack asked in disbelief.

"The First's allies blow up the Council's complex, thereby killing most of its staff and destroying all of the books, artifacts, and other objects the Council houses. To defeat the First, a spell was cast empowering every potential slayer with slayer strength, speed, skill, and healing," Kara said, her words practically memorized.

"The spell turned all of the potentials into actual slayers?" Jack asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Just about," Callum said, speaking up for the first time. He raised his eyes, meeting those of his father. The man was in his late thirties, with thick brown hair and steely blue eyes. Stubble graced his chin and he wore a blue button up shirt, rolled up to his elbows, with dusty black pants.

"I don't know if we can prevent the Council complex from being destroyed, however, we hope with your help, we can save most of the people and things that will be necessary to manage thousands of slayers across the world. In my time, there was no organizational hierarchy that took charge. Attempts were made, but with so many people spread across the world, no one could rally everyone together. However, I believe that you could be the one to do it," Kara said confidently. Jack looked a little more than rattled.

"How can I do all this?"

"Start removing things from the Council, things you have access to. Move all of your people to Sunnydale and send everything there that you can. Rent out houses and warehouses to store everyone and everything. Transfer Council funds to different accounts. The Coven has already agreed to move to Sunnydale. Then I need you to approach Quentin Travers. Tell him to get his people out. If he doesn't listen, the world's no worse off. But try to get as much out as possible," Kara replied.

"And do it as quickly as possible. We're not sure when all this will happen, but it could be as quickly as next week," Callum said, sensing his father's fear and apprehension.

"I know this sounds like a lot, Jack," Giles said. "But I'll be in Sunnydale. I can handle housing everyone and finding storage for the artifacts and books. Simply send everything to my address."

"And Mr. Borland," Kara said, capturing his attention. "I want you out of England in fourteen days. I don't care if you don't have everything. Two weeks from now, you're on a plane to Sunnydale, got me?"

"Yeah," Jack said, nodding vigorously. This was his opportunity, his chance to make a difference. He wasn't going to let it slip by.

"Well, I suggest you get started, we have a plan to catch," Giles said, rising to his feet. He shook his friend's hand as Kara and Callum left the office. "Keep in touch."

............................................

Spike took a deep breath. The sun had set just fifteen minutes ago and the sky was still lit with a pale shade of blue and orange. He was standing outside the Summers residence, preparing to pick up Dawn for their first date. Opting against the motorcycle, he had borrowed a car from a demon friend of his, which sat idling in the driveway. Joyce had helped him plan a time to arrive when Buffy would be out with Faith, so he wouldn't have to deal with Buffy's overprotective nature.

He was quite surprised at Joyce's enthusiasm over his dating her daughter. He had assumed that the very nature of what he was would be an indomitable obstacle. Apparently, he was wrong. Joyce had always seen him more of a man than a monster, a fact that he greatly appreciated. He quickly knocked on the door, deciding it was best to plunge in head first than stand outside all night trying to calm his nerves.

He had opted against his traditional black, leather duster. Instead, he wore a blue button up shirt with black jeans. His wardrobe didn't lend itself to much variety and he hoped Dawn wouldn't be disappointed. He had made reservations at an Italian restaurant just outside of town. Though he didn't need to eat food to survive, he didn't mind partaking in a little culinary adventure every once in a while. It's not like it hurt him any to eat.

Joyce opened the door, smiling warmly at him. "Come in," she said, opening the door for him.

"Thanks," Spike responded. Joyce smiled at the vampire; he was obviously nervous.

"Dawn's finishing up, she should be down in a few minutes," she said, suppressing a laugh. Standing before her was man nearly a hundred and fifty years old and he bouncing back and forth on his feet like this was his first date.

Spike was about to respond when Dawn appeared at the top of the stairs. He quite literally had to stop his jaw from hitting the floor. She was wearing a short dark blue dress that shimmered in the light, catching hidden specks of glitter. Her hair was elegantly piled on top of her head in a sort of spiraling bun, and little tendrils framed her face. By the time she reached the foot of the stairs, Spike thought the might faint.

"You look amazing," he managed to squeak out. Joyce snickered in the hallway.

"Don't be too late," she said as Spike offered Dawn his arm and led her out to the car.

"We won't," Dawn called back as her mother closed the front door. "Where'd you get the car from?" Dawn asked, trying to keep her voice from hitting the upper octaves. Though she was nervous, it helped to know Spike was as well.

"Demon friend of mine lent it to me," Spike responded. "Fixed it up real nice, had it all washed and waxed. Though I suppose it you can't really tell being that it's night and all."

"Looks all shiny to me," Dawn said as Spike opened the door for her. Sliding into the passenger's seat, she smiled at the "tropical breeze" air freshener smell that greeted her. "So where are we going?" She asked when Spike slid into the seat next to her. He stuck the key in the ignition and the car roared to life.

"Little place called the Italian Gardens just outside of town," Spike replied as he backed the car out of the driveway and switched gears. The car rambled forward. "From what I hear, the food's pretty good."

"Cool. I love Italian," Dawn said, settling into her seat. Spike smiled.

"Yeah, your mum told me," he said, watching her out of the corner of his eye. "You really do look beautiful tonight."

He could see Dawn blush slightly. "Thanks," she said lowly. "You're not so bad yourself. New shirt?"

Spike laughed. "Yeah, figured I'd get a bit cleaned up."

They parked in front of the restaurant a few minutes later. Spike opened the door for Dawn again, offering his arm, and leading her into the restaurant. Once they were seated and had ordered, Spike sat back and watched Dawn survey the room. It was a fancy place, with the soft glow of candles lighting up the room. A band was playing and there was a dance floor in the middle. A few couples were swaying to the rhythm.

"This place is amazing," Dawn finally said, turning her attention back to her blonde counterpart. Spike smiled.

"Not quite as amazing as you," he said, mentally kicking himself for how cheesy it sounded. But he meant every word. A brilliant smile lit up Dawn's face. The waiter brought their food out and as soon as he disappeared, Dawn practically dove into her plate. Spike watched her with an amused expression. He loved every sound she made, the way she held her fork, the delight he could see in her eyes from the taste. Even though he didn't particularly care about whatever dish was sitting in front of him, watching her eat with such enthusiasm made him want to taste everything.

Once they were finished eating, Dawn leaned forward with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "Want to dance?" She asked, laughing at Spike's slight deer in the headlights look.

"If you want to, pet, but I'll warn you, I'm not so great," Spike said as Dawn grabbed his hand and dragged him out.

"It's not so hard," she said, as he wrapped his arms around her. Resting her head on his chest, she mumbled, "Just move with the music."

She breathed in deeply as Spike's distinct scent filled her nostrils. It was a bit strange not hearing his heart beat, but he was incredibly warm. She snuggled closer to him, sighing as he rested his forehead on the top of her head. The song ended and the next one began playing. Lifting her head, she gazed into Spike's eyes, almost drowning in their intensity. Leaning forward, she gently pressed her lips to his. The kiss deepened and she had never felt more complete in her life. When they broke away, both were breathing heavily, with awestruck expressions on their faces.

"Thanks, for tonight," Dawn finally said, recovering her senses. "No one's ever cared enough to do anything like this for me."

"You deserve only the best," Spike whispered, gently tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "And I'll give you a thousand more tonights just to see you smile."