Chapter 15

"Willow!" Dawn said in surprise. "If you're here, did Buffy come back, too?"

"Not yet, Dawn. She's still working things out, but…I'm sure she'll contact you soon. Aren't you Buffy's doctor?" Willow replied, directing the last to Corinne as she came in behind the teen.

"This is Corinne, Willow," Tara said. "I was telling you about San Diego?"

"Yeah…how is it Dawn ended up with you?" Willow asked suspiciously.

"She's my friend, Willow," Dawn interjected. "Buffy already knows her, and she's been helping out while all of you have been gone. Just chill, okay?"

Willow's hazel eyes shifted to the defiant teen, assessing. Tara placed a hand on her arm.

"Sweetie, why don't you come in the kitchen while Dawn unpacks so I can finish bringing you up to date?"

The redheaded witch smiled at her lover and nodded. "Okay, baby."

Dawn sighed in annoyance and tugged Corinne upstairs.

"Sorry about that. Willow has a tendency to think she knows better than the rest of us. I hope she has news from Buffy." She set her bag on the bed, then noticed the postcard propped up on her dresser. "Oh!" There was a picture of Big Ben on the front, and a note from Buffy on the back.

Hi, Dawn,

England isn't so bad in summer, but it sure rains a lot. Giles took me into London when he had to visit the Council. I did touristy stuff, as evidenced by this card. Stuff is really old here…it's weird, like, way older than even Angel. I feel very American.

Anyway, I feel okay physically, but I'm still sorting out what are real memories, and what I dreamed while in the coma. It's kinda wiggy. Hey, my scars are nearly gone – go Slayer healing! We're all curious to find out if my kidney will grow back.

I miss you. You probably haven't believed that, but I do. You're stronger than me, though, so I'm sure you're doing great. Give hellos and hugs to everybody for me.

Love, Buffy

"Good news?" Corinne asked.

"More of the same. She's not ready, yet." The teen sighed, and set the card on the dresser. "You're still going to come by, right? Tara's gonna be busier…"

The doctor stepped forward and put her arm around the girl's shoulders. "You're not getting rid of me unless you want me gone, okay? You've kinda grown on me."

Dawn blushed at her insecurity. "Thanks. It means, you know…a lot."

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"…So, I'm here to keep the Hellmouth safe while Buffy does her thing," Willow finished saying.

"It sounds like you've learned a lot that will be useful. I've been running a glamour around to keep the demons thinking Buffy is still in town. I don't know how effective it's been. I guess we'll find out when Spike gets the gossip from Willy's."

"He's been around a lot?" Willow asked.

"Well, Buffy did ask him to look after Dawn. We can trust him, Willow. It's obvious that he loves Dawn. He's really been there for her during Buffy's illness."

"I guess…it's just, he's still a vampire, you know? Not so much with the moral compass and more with the short temper."

Tara smiled. "He's more tolerant than you might think. Dawn can try anyone's patience sometimes, but he seems to always know the right thing to say to her. I've gotten to know him, while everyone's been away. Just give him a chance, sweetie."

"Alright," Willow said grudgingly. "For you."

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"So Red's back, eh?" Spike replied to Corinne's news. "Have to say I'm half surprised, from what Glinda's relayed of her letters."

"Yeah, I know…I guess Buffy asked her to watch over the town while she's away. She's supposed to be powerful, right?" she asked.

"Oh, Red's wicked powerful…probably more potential in that skinny body than you'd find in 10 average witches, but her problem was controlling that. We better hope that she's learned better, for all our sakes," he replied ominously.

Corinne shivered at the seriousness of his tone. "You make her sound pretty scary."

Spike's features softened, picking up on her unease. "'S good to be cautious. But, as long as she's with Glinda, the good Wicca will keep Red in line. She knows Tara will walk, if she starts down that path again," he said reassuringly.

"So, we're betting on love, then? That makes it even more scary." Corinne stood to pace, feeling she could process, think better, while moving.

His head tilted, considering. "You don't have faith in love?" he asked curiously.

Corinne met his eyes. "I have faith in certain people, not love. Feelings are real, but they're not accurate, and making a relationship work…that's not about 'love', by most people's definition of the word. It's about work and actions, not feelings. So, if they're not committed to staying together beyond how they feel, then yeah, I find that really scary when it comes to mystical power," she responded passionately. "I treat people every day for human-caused injuries…normal happenstance. Science, math…they're reliable, constant. A person having the power to defy the laws of physics? I don't know how to deal with that. What happens when she has a fight with her girlfriend, or it's that time of the month, or other normal stuff that piss people off? I trust Tara, because I've been around her long enough to see her character, her self-control. I don't know Willow…and there should be a system of checks and balances when a person holds that much power…"

Spike stepped up, stopping her pacing and making her look up at him. "Hey, easy now, luv." His cool hands on her arms made her skin burn. "This all just occurred to you now, didn't it?" he gently teased. "There's no need to panic, Doc. Red did have judgment issues, but she's not a ticking time bomb. The Watcher wouldn't have let her come back without supervision if that was so. He can be blind as the proverbial bat sometimes, but the old git knows the consequences of traveling on the dark side. Besides, you know I'd never let her hurt you, right?"

"If you could help it. You're only one guy, Spike," Corinne reasoned. She sighed, anxiety deflating. "But thank you. This world you live in is just a bit to take in sometimes." That's scary, too.

He nodded, understanding, and looked down at his shoes. "I have to admit, it still surprises me sometimes that a human girl wants to hang around a vampire like me. It's a bit against the natural order of things…you, Dawn, and Glinda being kind to me. Joyce, too, when she was alive. I keep thinking you'll catch me in my true face and run screaming," he muttered.

She raised his chin with delicate fingers. "Show me?"

Spike's eyes scanned her face, but he only saw curiosity, and trust. His features shifted, the brow ridges becoming prominent, eyes golden, teeth jagged and pointy. A predator designed to tear into flesh. He waited for the expected disgust or fear to enter her expression and averted his eyes. Buffy never liked me like this. Not expecting her touch, he shivered when her warm fingertips grazed over his forehead.

Corinne found him still beautiful, in a savage way. She'd seen him like this once before, when he had been hallucinating, but that event hadn't given her time to really look. Almost lion-like. She lifted her hand to feel the ridges, fascinated by the shifted bone structure. The doctor idly wondered if anyone had ever x-rayed a vampire in game face. He shivered, almost imperceptibly, but wouldn't look at her. She wanted to demonstrate her trust, so she tilted her head up and ever so lightly brushed her lips against his, just for a second.

"I'm not running," she whispered warmly. Golden eyes met hers, reflecting awe and gratitude.

They might have stood there in the moment indefinitely, if Clem hadn't chosen that minute to come in the door.

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Willow and Tara took the patrols of the cemeteries, leaving Spike to hunt in the seedier parts of town, or in the sewers. If Willow went out alone, she took the Buffy-bot (it had been stored in her parent's garage, as she couldn't bear dismantling such a sophisticated piece of technology), always putting it away again before coming home. The others didn't need to know it was functional.

Dawn got her learners' permit. Corinne took her out for lessons, since Tara's car was a manual, and Spike wouldn't let her near the Desoto. Something about "spongy brakes and wet-around-the-ears drivers". Once she turned 16 in August, she could take the test and get a provisional license. Spike felt it was an excellent idea that she knows how to operate a car in case of an emergency…as long as he didn't have to be a part of the learning process. He'd sat in the backseat all of five minutes during her first lesson, before demanding they pull over and let him out after the teen almost hit a telephone pole. Personally, Dawn felt he was being a big baby about the whole thing. (Secretly, Corinne thought he was nervous because he wasn't in control of the car. Spike was a terrible 'backseat driver'.)

For reasons not quite clear, Willow made a point of not spending time around the good doctor if she could help it. Maybe she didn't like outsiders, maybe she was doing it out of some weird loyalty to Buffy…Corinne didn't know, but it was clear the witch didn't like her. It dramatically reduced her time with Tara, which was disappointing. They had gotten to be good friends in the task of looking after Dawn – the only female friend she'd bothered to get somewhat close to since moving to Sunnydale. Since Spike didn't like Dawn out at night without an adult, Corinne was often the teen's company while the others were out fighting demons. The hospital had given her more stable hours, since she was moving into R2 status.

Coming out of the movie theater on one such evening, Dawn and Corinne were confronted by a vampire in the parking lot.

"Well…don't you two look…yummy," it said sinisterly. Corinne pushed Dawn behind her and palmed the teen her keys.

"Really? Because I had a whole bunch of onions on my burger tonight, so I'm thinking…not so much," she defiantly quipped. Her hand slid slowly into her bag to grab her taser.

"Ooo, spunky! I like that!" it growled, and started prowling closer.

"Dawn, start moving, slowly," Corinne muttered, very quietly. If she could keep his attention, then the girl could get to the nearby car. "I've seen badder," she taunted the vampire. He lunged for the doctor, who shoved Dawn away.
"Go!" she yelled, as it tackled her. She tried to taser it, but he pinned her arm down against the pavement. He sniffed at her neck, making her cringe as he practically drooled on her. Corinne struggled as much as she could, keeping her chin tucked down so he couldn't easily bite her neck. It just grinned at her.

"Corinne!" Dawn yelled, dropping the keys as she fumbled to unlock the car. She was struck with indecision on how to help more, then finally ran over and kicked the vampire as hard as she could in the side. Its focus turned towards her, rolling off the doctor and stalking the teen towards the wall. She gulped, cursing that she had left her bag, and stake, at home.

Corinne pressed the taser to its neck as it lunged in to bite Dawn. She grabbed Dawn's hand and ran to the car while it twitched on the ground. "Keys!"

"Ground!" Dawn pointed at the car. The vampire was starting to get up as they unlocked the doors.

It roared and punched the driver's side window, Dawn screamed, though it didn't break, and Corinne stepped on the gas. Once safely a couple miles away, she pulled in front of a Denny's and turned off the car. They were both panting and shaking.

"Next time, we make sure we have a stake," Dawn said breathlessly.

"Agreed. And we don't tell Spike about the window?"

"Oh, hell no! He'll lock us up for good if he finds out!"

"Right. I'll stop at the auto glass shop tomorrow."

"Okay. I think we need chocolate," Dawn stated emphatically. Corinne agreed.

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A week after the first postcard, Dawn got another from Buffy, this one with London Bridge on it. It said nothing important, just that she was actually enjoying meditation with the coven, and had seen Stonehenge. Dawn tacked it up with the other one, further convinced that her sister wasn't coming home. And the thing was, she understood all too well why that would be. Sunnydale represented every painful moment of her sister's recent life. She lost her first love here, twice. She died here, twice. She lost her mother and gained a world full of burdens. Who wouldn't want to run far, far away from that? And the part of Dawn that knew she was just a created vessel, didn't blame Buffy for staying away. The other part, the part that was a continuously abandoned young girl, broke just a little bit further.

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Two weeks later, Corinne was coming over for breakfast. The mailman was just walking up to the house as she was, so she accepted the stack and stepped onto the porch. On top, was a letter addressed to Spike, in girlish handwriting. On impulse, she stuck it in the back pocket of her jeans, and continued into the house.

"Dawn? Tara?"

"In here! Pancakes okay? The farmer's market had fresh blueberries," Tara replied from the kitchen.

"Oooh, yum!" Dawn stated, coming in. Corinne handed her the mail. "Bill, bill, bill, Delia's catalog, ooh – shoe sale at Steve Madden!"

"No!" the two women said simultaneously.

The teen pouted. "Why not?"

"You're saving for a car, sweetie, and you know it won't be safe on your budget to go look at shoes," Tara replied.

"Ah, you're right…it's a Summers' curse. We could all be Imelda Marcos, if we had the millions."

"Hey, '90s reference! Impressive," Corinne teased her.

"It was a Trivial Pursuit question. Xander and Anya are obsessed with that game." She snorted in disgust. "Gee, Willow's back, and suddenly, we see them again. I am sooo glad I got over my crush on Xander!"

All through breakfast, the letter felt like it was burning a hole in her jeans. Corinne had easily put two and two together about the sender upon seeing the feminine script combined with a UK postmark. Her 'good friend' side was saying give the letter to Spike as soon as he's awake later. The side jealous of his affections for the Slayer wanted to know what dangers lurked inside, and then to burn it. Was it a confession of requited love? Instructions for the Hellmouth? Asking advice for more tourist destinations? Her conscience screamed that it wasn't right to withhold the letter, or tamper with private mail. The dilemma plagued her all afternoon as she waited for dusk.

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"Spike?"

"Be up in a sec!" He climbed up a couple rungs of the ladder and hopped up to the main floor. "I wasn't expecting you for another hour. Just couldn't stay away, huh?" he said jovially.

The weeks since coming back from San Diego had been really good between them. As was his nature, Spike had adapted to the Slayer's absence, and had been gradually smiling more each day. It probably helped that he felt accepted for the first time in his long existence. He had three lovely girls that cared, and a best mate that always brought his favorite snacks and beer. The trinkets he found on dead demons usually paid for his blood and smokes, so his savings had only been touched a couple times to pay the Slayer's bills for the house that the witches' rent didn't cover. If he weren't love's bitch, he'd probably be feeling used for taking care of such things without so much as a thank you, but since he was, Spike saw it as an acceptable burden while Buffy healed. He wanted to see her happy. He wanted all his girls to be happy.

Which is why he frowned upon noticing the long face on Corinne that she didn't quite hide as he entered the room.

"What's up, luv?" he asked, concerned.

"I, uh, brought in the mail today over at Dawn and Tara's…"

"Okaaaay…"

"And, um…there was something for you."

He drew up short, surprised. "Oh. Well, I'll make a point of stopping by, then…"

"You don't have to…I took it with me…I didn't want Dawn to see, in case it's…Oh, here!" She thrust the letter into his hand, then whirled away to pace over by the door.

Spike looked at her, confused, until he looked down at the face of the envelope. He'd know that writing anywhere. "This is from Buffy," he murmured, in shock.

"Uh-huh," Corinne responded, nervously chewing on her thumbnail. She stopped pacing and announced, "I'm going to go, leave you in private to read that…um, yeah, I'll just…" She couldn't get out fast enough.

Her exit barely registered to Spike, as he stared at the envelope. Buffy had written his name. Sent him a letter all the way from the Mother Land. What could it possibly contain? A slight tremor in his hands, he pulled out a pocketknife and slid the blade under the flap, careful not to shred the envelope, and its contents. He withdrew a sheet of notebook paper and sunk into his armchair, nervous about unfolding it. After staring it down for what felt like forever, Spike got up, grabbed a bottle of liquid courage, took a swig, and unfolded the sheet of paper.

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Dear Spike,

What a year, huh? From what I've gathered, it sounds like you've been taking good care of my sister. I knew you would keep your promise, but thank you, anyways. I'm sorry we didn't get to have that dinner, just the three of us. I had been looking forward to it. That's my life, though – I make plans, and the Powers That Be screw them up.

Dawn said in her letter that you've been paying my bills. It's so unfair of me that I haven't thanked you sooner for watching out for my mother's house. God, I used you for months, and even when I don't want to, I still am. I've taken advantage of you, and unfortunately, I have to ask you for more.

While I was in the coma, I had Slayer dreams – lots of them – and while I've been healing here, I've also been preparing. I won't go into all the details here, but it's bad, Spike. If what I saw comes to pass, well…it really wigged me out. I'm hoping, with this knowledge, than I can stop it before it gets bad, and so I can't come home, yet. Giles and I have a mission to protect the Slayer line…there are so many girls, vulnerable and unaware…Anyway, the Hellmouth is the least of our problems right now.

I want you to make sure Dawn gets to my Aunt Irene's in Ann Arbor. The address is below. She's expecting her soon, before school starts. I need to know that my sister is far away from any Hellmouths or demon centers, and I know you'll come through for me. Tell her I'm sorry for making her move, and that I love her.

After that, I hope you'll get yourself safe, too, or at least keep your head down. You've earned your freedom from my burdens. Please let Xander and Anya know that they should leave, or get Willow to do it. She knows what I'm facing and is the official guardian of the Hellmouth now, while I'm gone. The Council is even on board, that's how much they need me – how about them apples?

Wow, this letter is pretty depressing…um, I've seen lots of your country, Spike, and I'll admit, it's growing on me. Even some of the food, though you guys have some weird names for things! It sucks that McDonald's doesn't taste the same, though. Giles keeps hoping I'll learn to appreciate 'proper tea', but I'm still a Starbucks girl. Mmmm, vanilla lattes…

Oh, one last, tiny favor – could you send me the number for Angel's hotel, or have Willow email it to Giles? Now, before you get all growly, it's just so I can warn him to keep an eye on Faith. She's in danger, too, and she won't know it's coming. Thank you!

Well, Giles is bugging me again – it's time for weapons training. He's been insisting on being extra punctual the whole time here! I like California Giles better…(pout).

I hope I'll get to see everyone again, sooner rather than later. I'm in your debt.

All my best,

Buffy

P.S. Don't die!

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Spike read through the letter twice, just to absorb everything. "Oh, luv…what have you gotten yourself in to?" he whispered sadly. Read the letter another time, more slowly. Brought the page up to his nose and inhaled deeply, capturing the scent of her skin.

There was a phone number along with the address for Aunt Irene below Buffy's postscript. He supposed he should call and feel the old bird out, before sending his Niblet away. His poor Bit – she was going to be furious that she didn't get a say in making this decision. Well, it could wait to tell her until he had a chance to speak with Glinda and Doc. Speaking of Corinne, he noticed clearly for the first time that she had scampered off as soon as she handed him the letter…which was odd. She usually made sure to say goodbye before leaving. His attention turned back to the various instructions Buffy had made. Thank god she didn't expect him to go tell Angel himself. Their encounters only ended in bloodshed…

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Closing the door of her apartment, Corinne slid to the ground and finally allowed the tears to fall. She wasn't a pessimist, but she expected the contents of that later to send Spike off to be with his 'lady-love'. He'd shared that they were getting on good terms right before the Slayer was shot, that they had even kissed and made plans to get together. Corinne thought that if Buffy had any sense, she'd beg Spike to stay by her side and never let him go…there was just something so rare about him. She cried until it felt like there were no more tears to shed, then gathered herself up and washed and ate. Life would go on, and she'd make a wager that Dawn was going to need their support again. Call it women's intuition, or whatever, but there was a change on the wind.

She looked into the bathroom mirror before leaving, making sure there was no trace of her tears, and her expression was schooled and impassive. Spike had had enough time to read it, so it was time to go back and see what needed to be done.

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Willow called Angel's hotel as soon as Spike told her Buffy's message, but after receiving no answer, she did a quick locator spell and took Tara's car to L.A. to speak with Wesley.

Spike was grateful that Dawn was at a sleepover with her girly friends. It gave him the chance to talk with Tara about the best approach to telling her. Corinne quietly came in while they were in the kitchen. Tigger greeted her at the door, winding his little body around her feet.

"Hey, little rascal," she whispered. "Kill any bugs today?" He mewed and purred while she scratched around his ears.

"Corinne?" came Spike's voice. Damn vampire ears.

"Yeah. I'm with the door greeter." She walked into the kitchen, the kitten on her heels. He ambled to his food dish and started munching on kibble. Corinne hoped she looked more collected than she felt. "So, what's up?"

"The Slayer asked me to take Dawn to live with her aunt in Michigan. Doesn't feel it'll be safe on the Hellmouth much longer," he replied.

She blinked. "Wow…that's…not going to go over well."

Spike snorted and Tara nodded. "Tell me about it! She'll fight tooth and nail, especially because she wasn't consulted on the decision," he added.

"Why is it suddenly so dangerous now? What's going on?"

The vampire shrugged a shoulder. "Big evil. She was vague, which means they probably don't know much more than we do. Slayer dreams aren't to be taken lightly, though, so it has to be attended to."

"So, she's not coming home…" Corinne said slowly. They both shook their heads, Spike's eyes dimming. "Well, best worry about only what we can do. Um…if the move can wait until after Dawn's birthday, then she'll have time to adjust…and have a party with her friends. Turning 16 is huge for a girl."

Tara made the mental calculations. "That will give her about a week to settle in before school starts. They start earlier than over here, because of snow days. We'll have to get her school transcripts for her new school, too."

"Okay. What else?"

"Just to keep our heads down and get out of town if things go south. Slayer's not one for a lot of words, and she wrote like she was in a hurry," he relayed. Corinne noticed that he was being very business-like in passing the information, reining in however he felt about it. Which meant that he was probably going to explode in some way later.

"Are you going to go help her, after Dawn is at her aunt's?" she asked evenly.

A wave of emotion passed over his eyes. "I don't know, yet." He clenched and unclenched his fist in that way he always did when he felt helpless.

Tara felt the atmosphere thicken as her two friends exchanged careful words. Spike was clearly worried and trying not to be. And Corinne…Tara allowed her perception to slip into an alternate mode to view the doctor's aura and saw the heart-flare. Her smoky blue eyes softened in sympathy…oh, sweetie… It made very clear sense, now that she knew. The signs had been there for months. The good doctor was in love, probably more so than she wanted to admit. She excused herself when her cellphone rang.

Corinne stepped closer to him once Tara was out of the room. "How are you doing, really?" she asked quietly.

He expelled a ragged breath. "Worried, about a lot of things. You didn't have to leave earlier, you know."

"I wanted to give you some privacy. Who knew what would be in it, right?" she replied lightly, though the tone sounded false to her ears.

"I couldn't have expected her total trust, that's for sure. I'm not used to it, but…it's nice. I want to go fight beside her, but I'd probably only slow her down, if they're doing a lot of traveling…with my sunlight issues…Bloody hell, it's been so long since I've even seen her."

Corinne nodded. She'd been here the whole time to see his frustration. She wanted to smooth the crease from his brow, and make him smile again. Wanted to give him…something. Her hands itched to touch him, comfort him. She went with the impulse and squeezed his shoulder in a friendly gesture. He patted her hand with his and smiled at her efforts. Just a little.

"A lot to consider, right?" she murmured. "You could move with Dawn, or stay here, or go anywhere…if you don't have other tasks…"

"No, nothing else. The rest is Bit's call, I guess." Spike scratched the back of his neck, thinking. "Can't say I'm too keen on going to Michigan suburbia, but she'll probably insist on the company." He shrugged then. "Deal with it as it comes."

Thoughts skittered through her mind about checking hospitals for openings in Ann Arbor. The only things keeping Corinne in Sunnydale were the Key, the vampire, and the witch. A job was a job, otherwise.

Tara reentered the room. "That was Willow. Wesley's going to keep an eye on Faith. She'll be back tomorrow evening."

"Trouble in the City of Angels, pet?"

"Not really. She's helping him find someone. I'm sure it's just routine detective work."

"Well, are you still up for that movie?" Spike asked Corinne, referencing their earlier plans.

"I guess…are you sure you wanna go?"

"A couple hours of entertainment sounds bloody perfect right now. Glinda, you want to come along?"

Tara shook her head. "Oh, no, that's okay. I'm going to take advantage of an empty house and do some cleaning. You two have fun."

She shooed them out, grinning when she was finally alone. Three would have been a crowd.