Disclaimer: I do not own the characters.
Instinct
Chapter 1 - Prologue
Joyce hugged her eldest daughter one last time, then watched her disappear into the bus station. "Oh, I just hope she makes it to LA all alone," she sighed, wrapping her arms around her younger daughter. "Buffy really has her head up in the clouds sometimes."
Inside the station, Buffy was glad to finally be rid of her overly protective mother. Even though Buffy had turned 18 recently, her mom still freaked at sending her alone on the way to see her dad in LA. Buffy was looking forward to some serious shopping. Her dad would be in compensation mode after not seeing her for such a long time. The bus station was filled with people, bristling with activity. An ethereal voice announced the boarding of her Greyhound. Just as she was grabbing her bags to make way to the platform, a wave of nausea hit her, big time. People's voices and the shuffling of bags, crying children and motors revving – all joined into an unbearable din. Shapes melted and shifted before her watering eyes. Buffy stumbled along, steadying herself against the wall. People were pushing against her, making her tumble and turn. Just as suddenly, the nausea subsided and Buffy found herself standing at the bus door. With a relieved sigh, Buffy stepped in.
Meanwhile:
Spike sat in their lair, feeling restless. Prague had been alright for the last couple of years, lots of tourists to snack on, and the occasional Golem to rough up. But lately, things had become uncomfortable, if not downright unpleasant. Dru was forever playing with her marionettes, one of which she had fitted out to resemble the big poof, and the other being a black haired beauty, now it didn't take a genius to figure out what she was up to with these two. Talking about Freudian Slips, his girl used bloody telephone poles for pointers. Maybe taking her away from the place where the four of them had spent so much time together would get her mind back to Spike. And he would make sure the marionettes had no ticket for the ride. His mind set, Spike bounced up on his feet and strode over to Drusilla who was preoccupied with gelling up the male marionette's hair. Real hair, Spike noticed and rolled his eyes.
"Dru, love, trip down memory lane is canceled. Off we go. Prague is boring, and it's no longer safe. Remember that mob that nearly caught you a couple of weeks ago?"
"Why, my Spike, where do you want to take your princess?"
Spike grabbed an atlas from a table, flipped it open at random and put a finger down. "California, luv. A nice and now doomed place called Sunnydale." Drusilla's mood brightened instantly. "My Angelus," she whispered inaudibly.