Chapter five

Two hours later...

"Spike, stop! There she is!" Buffy yelled unexpectedly.

"Bloody hell, I thought you were asleep! Never surprise a drive like that!" Spike yelled back at her. He began to take his foot off the pedal. Buffy didn't even wait for the car to come to a complete halt before she opened the door and leapt out into the rain.

"Dawn!" She screamed. Dawn turned around.

"Buffy?" Dawn's voice cracked. It sounded as if she had been crying...for a long time. Buffy ran and embraced her younger sister.

"Sweetie, what's wrong, what happened?" Buffy cooed gently. She felt Dawn's small arms wrap around her.

"I ran off because you were kissing Riley and it was nasty...and then I got lost and I couldn't find my way home and I was scared and tired and lost..." Dawn began to cry again.

"Shh...its ok, its ok...I'm here now..." Buffy picked up her little sister and carried her to the car. Dawn's body slumped in her arms. Opening the back door, Buffy leant down to put Dawn onto the seat. Dawn's arms tightened around her neck. "Ok..." Buffy mumbled, straightening back up, closing the back door and opening the front one. Sitting down in the front seat, Buffy turned to Spike.

"Ready?" he whispered. Buffy nodded her head.

"How long is it going to take to get us home?" she whispered as Spike began to drive. Spike held up two fingers. "You mind if I..." he shook his head before she finished her sentence. Thanking him, she looked down at her sleeping sister's face before allowing herself to doze off as well...

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Feeling the car stop, she turned over and, sitting up, looked out the window. Surprised that she didn't see familiar surroundings, she rubbed her eyes and turned to where Spike was. He was sitting on his cell phone, looking rather exasperated. 'Where are we?' she mouthed. Spike simply shrugged. He covered up the speaker on his phone.

"I'm getting directions for how to get home right as we speak...go back to sleep, I'll wake you when we're home, ok?" he whispered to her. She shook her head. Sitting up fully, she shifted Dawn so her weight was on Buffy's other leg. Buffy looked around, trying to get a sense of where they were. The car was stopped in the empty parking lot of a 24 hour convenience store. She turned back to Spike as he started to curse at whoever was on the other side of the phone call. "...I told you all I bloody know, now can you get me home or not?" Spike ran his hand through his already disheveled hair. Buffy could tell he was tired as well, but he hadn't gotten the nice bonus of taking a nap, since he was the driver. Feeling slightly guilty that she had made him drive her, she lifted Dawn out of her lap and set her in the back seat. Snatching Spike's wallet, she unbuckled her seatbelt, and held up one finger to tell him she'd be back in a minute. Running into the convenience store, she looked around. She smiled as she spotted what she was looking for: one of those coffee pot things where you take the coffee or hot water and then pay for it at the cashier. Filling a large cup with coffee for Spike and a medium cup of hot water for herself, she grabbed a box of hot chocolate and a stirrer and went to the cashier.

"That'll be $11.60 with tax." The cashier mumbled. Buffy handed him the money and walked back out to the car. Holding the coffee and the hot water in one hand, she opened the door with the other. Smiling at Spike, she handed him his wallet back along with the cup of coffee. She then turned to fumble around with the package of hot cocoa. Grinning as she finally got all of the mix to dissolve in the hot water, she took a big gulp. Taking a sip of his own drink, Spike chuckled as Buffy burned her tongue. He covered the speaker phone once again.

"Watch it, luv. Wouldn't want you hurting yourself now..." he whispered to her before going back to the phone. "I heard you say that the first time. And the second time. And the third. Now you listen to me! There is no way I can get there from where I am!" with that he took the phone away from his ear and flipped it closed. Sighing, he leaned back in his seat.

"I take it they weren't helpful?" Buffy grinned. Spike glared at her.

"I think I liked it when you were asleep better." Spike said sardonically. He grinned when Buffy began to pout. "Now, go to sleep. I'm gonna see if I can find a way home and it's easier to do that when you aren't awake. Less whining." Glaring at him Buffy tried to come up with a good comeback. When she did, she grinned.

"And if I wake up sleeping beauty back there?" She nodded her head in the direction of Dawn. Spike mirrored her glare from earlier.

"You wouldn't dare..." He murmured quietly. Buffy's eyes widened.

"Is that a threat?" Came her whispered reply.

"You'd better believe it." He grinned.

"Alright alright alright!" Buffy squeaked. Turning to face the door, she snuggled down. When Spike was sure she was asleep, he pulled away, determined to get his girls home.