A/N: A bit of Max and Alec-y goodness in this chap!!! (wink!wink!) ;-)

"Remember that the road to healing winds through pain, anguish, sickness, and many tears."

Chapter Three: Broken

He found her standing at the edge of the dock, her dark hair cascading onto her back in waves as it billowed in the wind, imitating the motion of the ocean's water. He smiled. When he woke up this morning, he had found the lack of warmth that was usually found beside him unsurprising. He knew Max well enough to know that the best time she loved to think was either really late at night or really early in the morning. He didn't really know the reason, but he suspected that it was because of the sweet silent atmosphere that was not usually available in other times of the day.

"Morning Alec," she greeted him without turning around.

He didn't reply, he simply wrapped his arms around her and planted a chaste kiss on her head. Instinctively, she leaned back against him, and a smile of contentment flitted across his face.

A few years ago, if someone told him that he and Max were going to end up together, he would've laughed outright. Max had barely known him as anything more than a 'screw-up' who loved to endlessly taunt her until she'd kick his ass. Of course, the sexual tension between had been undeniable. And it seemed that through their never-ending arguments and intense banters, the tension was released.

A mischievous grin graced his face. Of course, now it's released in an entirely different and more pleasurable way. With an impish twinkle in his hazel-green eyes, he spun Max around and captured her mouth in a fervent kiss. He felt Max respond just as fervently, opening her mouth and giving him total access. Alec groaned, his hand finding its way underneath her tight black tank top, and hers finding its way onto his chest. The feel of her smooth silky skin beneath his palm aroused him, until he could no longer take it.

He needed to feel his skin on her skin.

Forgetting that they were right outside in a completely public area, he started to unbutton Max's jeans. As he did so, Max chuckled lightly. "Woah, slow down tiger. Not here."

And with those words, he picked her up and carried her all the way back to bed.

The smell of bacon beckoned for Buffy to enter the dining room without further ado, and when she did, she was highly disappointed. Around the large table sat Willow, Giles, Faith, Dawn, Xander, Andrew, and Robin. In front of them lay the delicious trays of food. However, their plates were empty and none of them were making a move to start eating. Instead, all of them were bent over maps and holding ballpoint pens. In short, they were putting research first before food.

Buffy's stomach disagreed strongly.

And judging by the scowl on Faith's face, she too opposed the said research.

"Um, guys. Shouldn't we like, eat first before doing all that work?" Buffy asked loudly, causing everyone to look up from their seats.

"Oh, hello Buffy." Giles acknowledged. This was followed by a chorus of 'heys' from the group.

"That's what I said," Faith said, rolling her eyes. "Eat first, work later."

"Actually," Willow piped up. "We we're just using up our time on waiting for you on working for a while, because it would be rather impolite to not wait for you and eat all the food even if we're all like, really hungry. But that's okay coz' you're my bestest friend, but I don't know about these guys, but I'm sure it would be okay with them if they wait for a while for you until you get here so we could eat together--"

"Willow," Buffy said kindly. "You're babbling again."

Willow flushed. "Yes, thank you."

"Well, now that B's here, can we eat now?" Faith asked, pushing an Almanac away from her.

"Yes, of course." Giles said motioning for Buffy to take a seat. She did so and piled her plate up with enough bacon and eggs to last a lifetime. An exaggeration of course. It simply meant that she was really, really hungry.

After she abundantly filled, Buffy spoke up. "So what'd you want to tell us Giles?"

Her Watcher wiped his eyeglasses clean before replying. "I asked Willow to do a Locator Spell earlier this morning to see if there were any more Slayers poking out of their shells..."

"Go on."

"Well, the Locator spell would've made the locations of any existing Slayers glow white." Giles cleared his throat nervously, and Buffy's eyes narrowed. Something was not right here. "Well, there was one spot where it glowed blue."

"Blue?" Faith's eyebrows shot up. "What does that mean?"

"That's the problem," Willow replied. "We don't really know. I've never experienced anything of this sort before."

"Where was the glowy-thingy set on?"

"Seattle, Washington."

"Washington?" Dawn echoed. "That's awfully far from Cleveland."

Buffy shrugged. "Doesn't matter. When something weird happens, it's our duty to go check it out and make un-weird."

"Cool!" Dawn squealed. "We get to go to Seattle!"

Giles shook his head. "Not all of us should go. Someone should stay behind and manage the Academy while we're gone."

"Well, why don't you just get one of your tweed-dudes to take charge?" Faith asked.

Giles glared at her. "First off, not all of us wear tweed, Faith. And second, I don't trust any of them to take control of things here while we're gone."

"I'll stay behind," a quiet voice spoke up from the end of the table. All eyes turned to him.

It was Xander. He hadn't spoken ever since they had breakfast that morning. In fact, he hadn't been his usual funny self since the battle with the First Evil...since Anya's death.

It seemed that the loss of his ex-fiancée had hurt him a lot harder than Spike's death did Buffy. Both Willow and Buffy had once tried talking to him about it, but he simply stayed silent and refused to open up. This worried the two friends and they did everything they could to cheer him up. That was during their first few months in Cleveland.

After a while, he started to get more comfortable in their new life, but – but he just wasn't the Xander they used to know anymore.

Buffy locked eyes with a pair of emeralds which told her everything. This would be the perfect chance for Xander to mend his broken heart for a while without his friends nagging him all the time. Buffy nodded and Willow smiled.

"Sure, Xand." Buffy said with a grateful smile.

"I'll stay too," Robin volunteered. "I don't think I can make it all across to Seattle without snapping my legs in half."

Robin had broken his leg during a training session with the Slayers just yesterday. It wasn't anything major, but if he wanted it to heal fast, it'd be best if he stayed behind too.

"Ditto," Andrew chimed in. "I'll keep an eye on Robin Hood, I mean, Robin Wood."

Buffy then got an idea. "Dawn, I think you should say too." She said to her younger sister whose face fell the minute she heard these words.

"Why? Coz' its too dangerous?" She asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice, her eyes burning.

Buffy fixed her a look. "Yes."

"But you said that I'm capable of handling myself already!" Dawn argued. "Before, you would've let me go with you to fight – how come a measly trip to Seattle to find a single Slayer would get you to leave me behind?"

"Because, before you had someone to look after you." Buffy clenched out through gritted teeth, feeling frustrated tears well up in her eyes. Dawn's eyes widened. "It's not always that I get to have a chance to see if you're alright. I'm always on the front lines, Dawn, and its not always that I get to look behind me and check on your safety."

Everyone was shifting uncomfortably now, seeing the depressed look on Buffy's face.

"But don't you trust me enough to look after myself?" Dawn asked, feeling just as distressed as her sister. Trust was always the issue between them. It always came down to that.

Buffy looked away.

"I knew it," Dawn shook her sadly before storming out of the dining room.

"Wow," Faith whistled. "That was intense."

"Just – just shut up Faith," Buffy sighed and stormed out of the room after her sister, albeit going towards a different direction. The opposite one in fact. She needed some time to think.

It seemed that she was wrong about Anya's death affecting Xander more than Spike's death did her.

Spike's death had made her a bit more overprotective over the people she loved. Spike's death had snapped her back to reality – to the fact that any of those she loved could die. It had made her so overprotective, that it was almost to the point of paranoia. Of doubting her friends' capability of protecting themselves.

Tears fell from her eyes.

She had never felt so...broken.

And what made her feel even more shattered was the fact that she knew that only Spike would be able to mend her.