A/N: Here you go, I'm up to date on assignments at the moment so with any luck I can update a bit more often, but don't hold your breath lol. Thanks to all my reviewers, Here you go.


Buffy walked towards the open door without looking back at either Xander or Spike. Xander hung his head when she walked past him.

Buffy reached the door and put one hand on the frame; she looked out into the early spring day and closed the door, turning round to face Xander and Spike.

"I'm not going anywhere" she spoke clearly and quietly. Xander turned to face her, tears in his eyes.

"Buffy? Does this mean…?"

"I guess so, it just…. It's kinda shocking when you miss so much, but you never realise that you've missed anything? I guess…" She paused and took a deep breath, "I guess I expected everything to just have stayed the same, waiting for me, y'know?"

"Yeah Buffy, I know, but it hasn't, we've all moved on, we've got to get to know each other again, It's not gonna be easy. You up for it?" She smiled at him

"Yeah, I am." He smiled back at her, and she moved towards him to embrace him in a hug. He looked towards the stairs.

"Dawn up there?" he nodded towards the stairs and looked questioningly at the pair in front of him.

"Umm, no," Buffy answered quietly, her smile disappearing.

"Where is she then?" He shouted out for her, "Dawn?" Buffy looked to spike to explain for her, not wanting to anger her friend again.

"Xander?" Xander whipped his head around at the unfamiliar sound of Spike using his name.

"Where is she?" He asked quietly, his smile gone now too.

"She's not here, See, she and Buffy, well they sorta had a little snit earlier, and the little bit took off."

"Took off?" He asked looking straight at Buffy, "She took off? On her own? And you let her?" He questioned, becoming agitated again. "Where you not at the hospital yesterday? Did you not listen to the doctor?"

"I, uh, well, she wouldn't listen to me, she just went" Buffy said, pain in her voice.

"Great, well, do you know where?"

"No, she didn't uh didn't say" Xander looked around the room.

"I've gotta ring Giles" He announced to no one in particular. He left the room to make the phone call, and while he was gone Buffy and Spike stood there in silence, not looking at each other. A few minutes later, Xander came back into the room.

"I've talked to both him and Willow, neither have seen her, but they'll both be home soon, then we're gonna have to look for her. What did you fight over anyway?"

"You, us, everything, She said, she needed time, before she could…." Buffy broke off, fresh tears in her eyes.

"Right," Xander spoke quietly, not liking to see his friend in pain, but not having the strength to comfort her after the pain she'd put his wife and family through. Spike pulled Buffy into his arms, and she allowed herself to let a couple off tears fall, before taking a deep breath and composing herself. She pulled back out of Spike's arms, and walked to the window,

"How long has she been gone?" Xander asked quietly,

"A few hours" Buffy didn't look at him staring up and down the street, willing Dawns location to reveal itself to her.


Meanwhile Dawn was still walking. She had no idea as to her location, the time or her surroundings. Her mind was still on her sister and now also on her baby. She was no longer angry as such, just upset, and her mind was going a mile a minute.

'It's strange' she thought to herself for the millionth time that day 'that Buffy and Spike show up on the same day I find out I'm pregnant.' She carried on, for how long she couldn't say, but before she knew it, not that she realized, darkness started to fall. It wasn't until it was completely dark that Dawn paid any attention to the fact at all. For the first time she paid attention to where she'd ended up. She was at some kind of docks, and there weren't many people around. Certainly no one had noticed the young girl walking in their midst. She sat down on a bench, taking in her surroundings. She wondered where exactly she was, and how far she'd come. She realized with a shock, that everyone would be worried about her, and she hadn't brought her cell phone with her. Hadn't even brought a coat. She pulled her arms round her chest, hugging her torso tightly. Ashe shivered, it was quite cold down by the water.


Xander was getting more worried by the second. Darkness had now fallen and there was still no sign of Dawn. Giles and Willow had come straight home from work after his phone call, had joined together and taken the car to drive the streets in search of her. Faith and Robin hadn't seen her, but Robin had gone out searching. Only stopping when Faith had rung him, she'd gone into labour two weeks early so they'd had to head to the hospital, but had promised to check for Dawn there and call with any news. Buffy and Spike had also gone out looking, but Xander had had to stay behind in case Dawn came home, or there was any news. He hadn't wanted to but Willow had explained that he probably wouldn't be much use searching while he was as worried as he was. The phone rang. Xander raced to pick it up, but didn't hear anything on the other end.

"Hello?...Hello?" Just as he was about to hang up, he heard a click on the line, and a small voice spoke

"Xander?"


Dawn had found a payphone, and miraculously found a few coins deep in her pants pocket. She'd had no idea how to go about getting home, as she had no idea where she was exactly. When she'd found the payphone she'd been overjoyed. She was cold and tired and here was her ticket home. Of course she had to find money to put in it first. Then shed found it in her pants, and tried to call home. She struggled with the machine at first, but finally got it to ring, She heard him answer quickly, but he didn't seem to be able to hear her responses at first, she put the last couple of coins in and prayed that it'd work,

"Xander?"


Xander sighed with relief.

"Dawnie? Honey?"

"Xander, come get me" The quiet voice implored.

"Where are you?"


Dawn looked around herself, trying to find someway of identifying her location.

"I'm, uhhh at a dock, I uh don't know exactly where" she spoke softly. "I'm cold Xan, so cold, Please come get me."


Xander took in what she'd told him, the docks, but which ones?

"Honey, can you tell me anything else?" silence… "Dawn?"

Nothing, she'd gone. Xander hung up, then picked up again and dialled.


Dawn looked at the receiver in horror, her money had run out, and she hadn't given him much to go on. She replaced the handset and went back to her bench, awaiting her knight in armour. She knew he'd come eventually, he had to…..