Title: No Vacancy in Paradise
Gen/Het/Slash: Gen
Parings: None
Genre: Post S7
Story Warnings: Murder, violence, language

Summary: Things have happened over the years. People have died. Friends have died. And Xander has steeled himself against it all, hunting demons and vampires under the name of Deathbringer. But now…now answers have started to arise about things that have happened. And nothing will stop him from hunting those answers down.

Disclaimer: Written for the Dark Xander Ficathon on Livejournal. Don't own characters or anything relating to them.

Chapter 3

"Ms. Summers? Ms. Summers, are you paying attention?"

Dawn turned in confusion from the window and blinked at her college professor for a moment. Then she flushed and murmured, "Yes, Mr. Williams."

The gruff history professor glared at her then went on into the lesson, ignoring her once again. Dawn listened for only a moment then was drawn back to the window and the view of the outside.

And back, again, to her wonderings about Xander. It had been…oh, how many years? Eight? Yes, eight years since she'd seen anything of the man she'd once had a crush on and had later thought of as a brother.

She could still remember the last time she'd seen him. It had been on the morning of the one-year anniversary of her sister's death and she had been sitting up for five hours waiting for Spike to come back. Buffy had taken the vampire in after he'd shown up two months after everything in L.A. had exploded but nothing had ever happened between them again. Spike had seemed to settle to the fact that nothing would happen ever again and just went about the old business of helping kill the vampires and demons. Oh, and looking after ickle Dawnie even though she could damn well take care of herself.

But she'd been awake then when there was a thunderous knock on the front door, which she'd ran in a blur through the house to answer. When she'd flung the door open there had been Xander with one of his arms looped around Spike's waist to hold him up as the other kept the vampire's arm around his shoulder. She never noticed that he didn't look at all disgusted by the fact that he was helping out a vampire.

Inside they came and she helped him to settle Spike on the couch, who only muttered something about being sorry and whimpering. Xander had winced and looked away so his remaining eye was away from her…she'd known then that the both of them had been out drinking, trying to drown their sorrows at the loss of Buffy. Because of Xander's aversion to alcohol (much thanks to his parents), he was still sober enough whilst Spike was completely gone and out of it.

She'd turned to him and reached out to touch his shoulder but he flinched away.

"Xander," she'd said. "Please…"

"I'm leaving," he'd stated in a cold, harsh voice. He turned towards her, sole eye blazing with…something. She still couldn't put a word to the emotion she'd seen in his eye that early morning.

Her lip had trembled and she'd breathed, "Why…?"

He'd stared at her for a long moment then looked away, replying, "Council bullshit. Nothing for you to worry about."

"Xander…"

"Get away from here, Dawnie," he'd said, turning away so his back was towards her. "Take Spike when he's up and sober and get the Hell out of here. The Council…there's some shit going on that I don't want you to get dragged into."

She'd felt tears in her eyes then and had growled, "But you can?"

"I'm already in deep…no way I can get out now. Things are turning, Dawnie…even Giles can't stop them from happening."

"Xander…come with us. Please."

He'd turned to look at her then and she saw the pain in his eye for a moment. Then it was gone and he looked away again, shaking his head.

"I can't," he'd said. "This world…I'm too far in it. Can't pull out and go back to being normal."

"And I can?" she'd hissed, angry then. "I'm the Key!"

"I know…you're as deep in the mystical as the rest of us. But…Dawnie, God, you're the last one I've got left. I've lost Buffy and Willow already. And Giles is lost too since he's trying to keep the Council from falling apart and has no time for anything else. Please…for me…don't get caught up in this. Get out while you still can. Please."

Maybe it was that last please. Or maybe it was the expression she imagined had been on his face at the time. Who knows what it was that made her agree to do as he asked.

"Okay. I'll go."

He'd stood there for a moment after that then nodded.

"Good."

Then he was out the door and gone before she could make a sound. She'd bolted after him, crashing against the frame of the open front door and clinging there as strength abruptly left her. His shadow she'd caught slipping away and she'd screamed after him until her throat was raw.

He never slowed or came back no matter how she yelled.

He'd left her then and she hadn't seen hide or hair of him since. All she got were the descriptions from Spike of their meetings, few and far between as they were.

"Gone to the dogs, he has," Spike had told her the last time he'd come back from such a meeting. "I'm about tempted to not go to the next meet he tries to get up."

She'd shouted at the vampire for that in a vehement rage and he'd just stared at her. Then he'd said slowly, "He's not the man you knew, Niblet. And it's my sense that it won't be long before he's killed what with the way he's going."

Dawn had desperately wanted an explanation of that – had wanted to know what Spike had helped Xander with – but the vampire was stalwartly silent about it. Just like Xander, he was trying to protect her.

She'd damn well had it with being protected.

Her hand slipped into her pocket to touch a slip of paper that had an address an hour's drive away scrawled on it. She'd pick-pocketed it off Spike whilst he slept – before he had a chance to destroy her only way of finding Xander. God bless Faith for teaching her…even if it wasn't truth. Though if she recalled being taught it and Faith recalled teaching her, even though it hadn't happened…didn't that make it true?

Ah, no matter.

There was a bag full of clothes and weapons in the back of her Toyota, which had a full tank of gas. The moment her class was over she was heading on a little road trip.

She was going to find her Xander.