Chapter 2 - Hit the road Jack

Joyce sat in the living room, fire burning, air conditioner cranked up for the atmosphere of it all. She had a mug of warm cocoa; a book in her hand and Dawn was at Janice's house.

She was in for a peaceful night, right?

Wrong.

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.

Joyce winced at the sounds about her head.

"Buffy! Breaking my floorboards isn't going to change the fact that you're going. So stop stomping!" With that the noises stopped. Joyce smiled and started to read her book again.

Bang!

Joyce jumped so high she spilled her cocoa. This was going to be a long night.

Buffy stomped around her room grabbing clothes out of her closet and flinging them into a suitcase. When she heard her mom yell she stopped stomping. She then walked over to her dresser and opened the top drawer. She pulled out a few pieces of under wear and a few bras before slamming it shut creating another bang. She really didn't want to go but she couldn't back out now could she? She was leaving very early in the morning and she had to have all her things packed now. She was going to be driving for at least a day straight and she wanted an early start.

When she had told the news to her mom she was fine with it but when she told Dawn, she got very upset. In her head Buffy was "abandoning" them to go fight. Dawn was still in the stage where she was jealous of her sister for being the slayer and she thought Buffy would rather go off then be with her family. She had no idea that Buffy was more upset then she was about the situation.

After Buffy made sure her clothes were packed she then bagged a duffle bag and filled it with various weapons. She threw in about ten stakes. Sometimes she would forget to pull out the stakes before the vampires dusted. That led basically to a lack in stakes.

She grabbed a crossbow that had been thrown on the floor and she held it up to her right eye as if she was going to shoot out the window, satisfied that is was lined up about right she tossed into the duffle.

She then picked up an axe off the floor and swung it around a few times before it joined with the other weapons. She added a few more before zipping it up and tossing it aside.

They say teens are messy, even if Buffy was 20, they were still right. Whoever "they" were they are usually right.

Dawn for example wasn't allowed in Buffy's room not only because Buffy feared Dawn ruining her favorite peasant blouse but also Joyce wouldn't allow it due the messy slayer.

Buffy always had various things lying on the floor from clothes, hair ties too stakes and swords. Joyce feared her youngest daughter walking in there and cutting open her foot.

She knew Buffy would never hurt her self due to slayer reflexes, if she does step on one, the moment her foot felt a twinge of pain she would jump back very quickly.

Spike grumbled while he walked around the bottom level of the crypt. He mumbled unintelligible things as she threw a few pieces of clothes into a small bag. Since he had basically the same color scheme for centuries he didn't have much to wear. Spike believed if you find a good thing stick with it.

Spike planned on leaving minutes after Buffy did in the morning. Giles had cleverly made a suggestion to leave before the sunrise. He basically fed her some bullshit about how it would help her. In all reality it was to let Spike follow.

Giles had also rented Spike a vehicle with very tinted windows. You couldn't see in there to save your life. Spike would follow behind Buffy about 5 miles. Just out of reach of her senses. No one really knew the reach of the slayer senses but they were going to find out.

Spike placed a few weapons that he had room for in the bag and then threw it by the crypt door so it was there in the morning.

Giles stopped at the local grocery store and brought two small coolers one black and one green, he wanted to get one for each Buffy and Spike but wanted them in different colors so he wouldn't accidentally give Buffy the wrong one. If she got hungry she would be in for a surprise.

After getting those he went to he snack isle and grabbed various granola bars, chips and sodas, also a bag of wheat bits for Spike.

Buffy awoke to her alarm clock. She glanced out her window and saw that darkness still enveloped the outdoors.

She grumbled then threw the covers off onto the floor and basically waddled her way to the bathroom. She wanted to take a shower before Giles came and filled up her car with goodies, then she would leave.

When morning came Giles made one more stop to a gas station to pick up some ice then to the butcher shop for fresh blood to fill Spike's cooler.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Giles stood there knocking waiting for Spike to come to the door.

He heard a few 'Bloody hells' and 'Stupid buggers.'

Giles rolled his eyes before the crypt door opened and showed Spike with a towel around his waist.

"Just five more minutes." Spike grumbled before shutting the door in Giles's face.

Giles was mildly shocked one for seeing a vampire almost naked. The way he thought of vamps he never saw them as an actual person with real person parts. Second, the fact that Spike just slammed the door in his face, sure he was evil but that was plain rude.

The door finally opened to show Spike fully dressed. Giles handed him a cell phone. Spike took it and looked at it, he seemed confused.

Giles took a few minutes to show him how use it.

"When I call you start to leave and follow her. Be discreet about it so it doesn't become obvious that she's followed. Also, we'll use this for communication if there is some thing you want me to know tell me." Giles then handed him a wad of money.

"Get a room near hers, also that's for gas, I filled a cooler with blood, Its in the backseat."

"That it watcher?" He asked stuffing the money into his pocket. Giles nodded.

Giles then visited Buffy also giving her a cell phone of her very own. He then sent her on her way. About five minutes after he took a phone out of his pocket and dialed Spike.

"'Ello?"

"Go ahead and follow her." With that Giles hung up. Spike started his engine and drove off.

Authors note - Like it? Hate it? Please tell me. This is basically one chapter a week till Christmas day.