"Aspirin?" Dawn muttered before she even opened her eyes. Her head hurt more than anything ever hurt before. And Buffy's burst of laughter didn't help. "Hey. Watch the headache."

"Dawnie?" Willow asked as the teenager slit her eyes open a crack.

"Hey. Aspirin though?"

"I'll get the nurse," Spike said and walked out the door.

Giles walked in with his cane and a cup of coffee he almost dropped when he saw Dawn's eyes open. "Dawn, oh thank god. I'll get the nurse."

"That's where Spike went," Willow said.

Buffy smiled at Dawn with tears in her eyes as she stroked the girl's face. "Hey, you. You should know better than to scare me like that."

Dawn smiled as Buffy kissed her cheek. "What happened?"

"You were in a car accident, honey. But you're going to be fine and you should be rested enough to never need a nap ever again," Buffy said, trying to act as normal as she could.

Willow squeezed Dawn's hand. It gave her a killer headache to keep her demon's hunger in check but it was worth it. "I'll be back in an hour, Dawnie. Don't give the nurses too much hell, okay?"

"Promise." Dawn yawned as Willow's seat got taken by Giles. "How long was I asleep?"

"A little over a week."

"And you're caning it now. Got better without me, I see, Mr. Ruggedly Handsome Dad Figure." She pat her hand in his direction but the movement was sluggish. "When can I get that aspirin? Evil drums are hurting the brain cells."

Spike returned with the nurse. "I hear you're asking for aspirin."

"Yes, please." Dawn said.

"The doctor will be here shortly but he told me I can give you something a bit stronger than aspirin." She injected something into Dawn's IV that in seconds had Dawn grinning like a madman.

"Nice."

"I'll bet," Buffy said with an eye roll. "But don't you get too used to that."

Dawn tried to sit up as she remembered. "Xander!"

Buffy eased Dawn back down. "He's fine. He's at a clinic getting the treatment he needs."

Eyes turning into saucers, Dawn asked, "How bad was he hurt?"

Giles rubbed Dawn's arm. "It's not for the accident. He's there about his drinking problem."

"Oh. But he wasn't drunk. I could tell. I'm glad he's getting help though. But the accident wasn't his fault. It was more like the brakes failed. I could tell he wasn't drunk. Woah." Dawn smiled again as another rush of the pain meds kicking in washed over her. "I need to lie down."

"You are laying down, Bit."

"Spike!" She giggled. "My Spike is here. You need to finish teaching me how to drive a motorcycle. As soon as I have feet again."

"You're stoned." He smiled at her silly grin.

"Buffy?" Dawn reached out to her sister until her shoulder protested, and she settled for waving her closer. Dawn got serious as fear twisted her face. "Buffy, I love you."

"I love you too."

Giles leaned back in his seat and then turned to Spike. "You should check on Willow."

With a nod, Spike went in search of the succuwitch.

"Willow's getting worse, isn't she?" Buffy asked Giles. "For how little she's around and from what I keep feeling, she's feeding all the time, isn't she?"

"I'm sorry, Buffy. I don't know how to fix things this time. We had to make a Travix to help her get to viable demon victims. I enchanted her sunglasses, so she doesn't have to use any energy maintaining her glamour, but she's reaching a point where she'll no longer be able to get enough energy to maintain you." Giles rubbed his scabbing facial cut, which replaced his tendency to clean his glasses.

Buffy sucked in a breath. "You need a monocle. The glasses look odd now. But I agree with Dawn. You are extra rugged with the handsome these days."

"Do you know where I could obtain a monocle to add to my new charms?"

"Sorry but you're the research guy. I'm just the former muscle."

One weight lifted off Giles with how light she was and another pressed down on his heart knowing that she might not get to stay with them. "Speaking of research, do you want me to do that now, or should I keep you company for a while longer?"

"Do whichever compulsion moves you. I'll be fine if you want to hit the books with the hammer of your brain, but it'd be nice to just be here together too." Buffy took a sip of coffee and snorted some out her nose when Dawn mumbled, "Air conditioner excrement."

Giles frowned though, oblivious to Buffy coughing. The colloquialism of Vonnegut's 'the excrement has hit the air conditioning' didn't amuse him this time, but rather worried him. People on drugs, dreaming, or both, were often more precognit than most realized. He pushed himself to his feet with his cane. "I think research is the order of the day. Spike should be back soon. He'll keep you company."

"Giles?"

"Yes."

"I see why you guys kept him around and sorta absorbed him into the group. I think he really cares about this ragtag family, would protect us even if it killed him." She nodded when Spike's yellow head popped into view.

"I worry that his caring won't be enough one day." Giles tipped his head and then walked away while Spike slipped in without getting the Watcher's attention.

"He's probably right." Spike sat down in Giles's vacated seat. "Is it terrible for me to hate him a little for being so damn wise?"

"You're in good company there. How's Will?" Buffy went to sip her coffee again but thought twice and threw it away instead.

"Red's in Sussex at the moment, talked to her through that Star Trek communicator crystal system thing."

"You've spent way too much time with Xander." At his raised eyebrow, she elaborated, "You made a Star Trek reference."

"Ah. I suppose I have spent too much time with the moron. He did a lot of all night television marathons that I got dragged into." Spike kicked his feet up on the edge of Dawn's bed. "Anyway, Red's hanging in there, doing what she needs. Won't last forever though. Doubt it'll last another week, if I'm being honest, but I can't think about losing you again."

Buffy offered him a soft, appreciative smile, but then turned back to Dawn when she snored again.

"Heard what you said."

"I meant it."

The gaze they shared was filled with affection and respect. "Thank you," he said.

"You too." She closed her eyes as she rested her head on her arm on the edge of Dawn's bed. Soon Buffy was asleep too.

Spike took the spare blanket and covered Buffy up. "Bloody hospital's too cold."

The doctor glanced in and saw his patient asleep, so he waited until she woke up again to assess her cognition.

Tara and Anya boarded the plane in England for a direct flight to Los Angeles. They were tired, and sore, and just wanted to go home.

The plane had been in the air for an hour when Tara broke their silence. "I think it just hit me that I'm not ever going to be with Willow again. And I know why she did what she did, but I'm angry at her for it too. I still feel like she threw our relationship away."

Anya took Tara's hand. "She didn't do it for Buffy if that's what you're worried about. She did it to save the world, but mostly she gave up any chance at a normal relationship of any kind ever again to give you a future she knew you wouldn't have given how crappy things were getting. Look at that last attack before we left. It's amazing we lost no one else. She's religious for you. That kind of intensity never happens." Anya rethought that. "Okay, I can think of three cases of it, but that includes how she feels about you. It's not stupid obsession like Spike for Buffy, but the perfect kind of affection. The rest of us dream of having that, but you got the golden ticket."

"You're kinda wonderful, you know that, Anya?" Tara hugged Anya as her heart swelled.

"I know. We need to remind my Xander."

"I'll make sure of it."

"Why are you crying?"

"I'm happy. I'm sad about losing Willow, but I'm grateful and happy at the same time."

Anya smiled at Tara. Not the forced bright smile she usually offered people but a soft genuine smile. Tara returned the smile as her tears ebbed.

The inflight movie came on and Anya almost sprained her eyes rolling them. "Have we had a single flight on this trip that didn't have Multiplicity as the inflight movie? The last one had Swahili dubbed dialog. Must they subject every language to this garbage?"

Tara settled in her seat as she watched the screen while listening to Anya parody the dialogue and even lance some of the action. She had everyone not listening to headphones laughing and Tara couldn't believe there had been a time when she thought Anya annoying, and she mentally kicked herself for not trying to get to know her sooner.