Chapter 16: Detour

When Dawn awoke, she dimly remembered having fallen asleep on the sofa and began to adjust herself accordingly, putting her arms out and legs down to avoid sliding to the floor as she got up. Then she realized none of her limbs were where she expected them. her arms were folded under a pillow and her legs were entwined in sheets. She felt someone next to her and as she opened her eyes and looked up at Clay's face from where her head rested on his shoulder. She looked across and saw that Buffy mirrored her posture exactly.

"Thank you," Dawn said.

"You're welcome," Clay said. "I checked on Buffy an hour ago. Just so you know. I think I will never get used to a Slayer / werewolf hybrid. Her scent smells weird. She smells different than a normal werewolf."

"I know," Dawn said. "I think her scent, like her body, morphed to be a combination of the two. You know I think if Buffy wanted to she could challenge Jeremy and win."

"Yeah, well," Buffy said as she opened her eyes. "Jeremy has nothing to worry about I played General once a long time ago. Don't particularly want to do it again." Dawn smiled and reached across Clay and kissed Buffy's cheek.

"By the way how did I get up here?" Buffy asked.

"I carried you," said Clay. "When your body had healed enough."

"Thank you," said Buffy.

"Clay can you leave Buffy and I alone for a moment," Dawn said. "I want to talk to her in private for a moment."

Clay nodded, he crawled out from between them and left the room closing the door behind him.

"You love him," Buffy said. It was more a statement than a question.

"I don't know, maybe," said Dawn. "I know I haven't felt this way in years."

"Not since, Jack," Buffy said as Dawn nodded. "Then the question is…"

"Do I want to watch him die," Dawn said with a sigh.

"I was going to say live with him for the rest of his life, but that too," Buffy said.

"I think you're right, I love him," Dawn said.

"I guess its settled then," Buffy said as she smiled at her sister.

Later they drove the Explorer an hour north, avoiding any dumping grounds used in the previous few decades. Where they buried Cain. Then Dawn replaced the sod while Clay and Buffy rounded up two rocks too heavy to be lifted by a human, and placed them over the grave. They then backtracked to the Explorer, covering their trail, then drove to site number two.

Site two was chosen with as much caution as site one, but it was over an hour away. There they dug a pit, threw in Cain's clothing, ID, and the bags and cloths they'd used for transporting and cleaning his body. These were doused with kerosene and burned, keeping the smoke to a minimum. Once everything was reduced to ashes, Clay buried the remains and they declared the job complete.

They were less than twenty minutes from Stonehaven when blue lights flashed in the rearview mirror. Buffy looked behind them and then leaned forward in her seat. "Cops," she said as Dawn looked down and checked her speed. The cruise control was set to two miles over the speed limit.

"Did the speed limit change here?" Dawn asked.

"Speed limit?" Clay asked.

"Never mind. I'm pulling over," Dawn said.

"No big deal. Everything's clean," Buffy said.

Dawn pulled onto the shoulder and hoped the cops would zoom past in pursuit of some emergency ahead. As the police car eased onto the gravel behind them, Dawn swore under her breath.

"Everything's clean," Buffy admonished her sister. "Stop worrying."

One of the officers walked over to the passenger side and tapped on the window. Clay waited long enough to express annoyance, but not so long as to be disrespectful, then hit the button to roll down the window.

"Clayton Danvers?" the officer said as Clay looked at him. "My partner recognized the vehicle. We were hoping you were in it. Saves us a trip up to your place. Could you step out of the car please, Mr. Danvers?"

Clay hesitated before opening the door. Dawn and Buffy took off their seat belts and got out too, staying on their side.

The other officer wandered around the Explorer, looking in the back window, then putting his face close to the tinted glass and shielding his eyes so he could see inside. "Lots of storage space," he said. "How much stuff can you fit in these things?"

"Stuff?" Dawn blinked. "Oh, like baggage? Enough luggage for a week's vacation, I'd guess."

He laughed. "If you pack like my wife, that's saying a lot." He squinted inside. "Sure is nice and clean. You folks don't have kids, do you?" He laughed again and dropped to his knees, checking the tires and the undercarriage. "This is one of those new suburban assault vehicles, isn't it? A four-by-four that's not meant for four-by-four-ing."

"It'll go off-road," Dawn said. "But it's too bulky for serious 4X4'ing. Comes in handy in the middle of a New York winter, though."

"I bet it does." He looked over at Clay. "What's the towing capacity on one of these?"

"No idea," Clay said.

"We've never towed with it," Dawn said.

The older cop kept looking under the Explorer, maybe checking the suspension, maybe looking for something else. Dawn waited as long as she could, then asked, "Was I speeding?"

"We had a tip," the younger officer said. He turned to Clay. "An anonymous tip telling us you know something about Mike Braxton's murder. We need you to come to the station to answer some questions."

Clay's jaw tensed. "You expect me to drop whatever I'm doing—" He stopped as he looked at the sisters and knew what they were thinking. Antagonizing the cops wasn't going to help. He went to the station in the back of the police car. Buffy and Dawn followed in the Explorer.

The police station waiting room was smaller than the sisters' bedroom at Stonehaven. It was roughly ten feet square with one door and two windows. One window was one-way glass that looked into an interrogation room. The other was barred opening into a cage where a receptionist sat

As Dawn and Buffy were leafing through the magazines, the door to the waiting room opened. They looked up to see Karl Marsten walk through, followed by Thomas LeBlanc. Marsten leaned into the bars of the cage and said something to the receptionist. Then he turned to Buffy and Dawn and rolled his eyes. Dawn shook her head as she placed a comforting hand on Buffy. Even though Jeremy had denied them their revenge. Dawn knew if push came to shove that Buffy would take him out in a heartbeat.

"Dawn, Buffy," Marsten said, taking the seat beside them. "You two are looking good."

"Don't practice on us, Karl," Buffy growled.

Marsten laughed. "I meant that you two look surprisingly good for someone who had a run-in with Zachary Cain. I'm assuming that's where you got the scrape on your cheek, Dawn." He could see nothing on Buffy but he like most of the supernatural knew who she was, just by her scent. But he could tell her scent had changed. He nodded to himself that Daniel's plan had worked. Brandon had bitten Buffy before he died. "I'm also assuming he's no longer in the game."

"Something like that," Dawn said.

Marsten leaned back. "I haven't seen you two in a while. What's it been, four years? Too long. Don't give me those looks. I'm not practicing on either of you and I'm not hitting on either of you. God gave me a few ounces of brain. I simply meant that I've missed talking to you both. If nothing else, you two are always intriguing company."

LeBlanc had taken a seat on the other side of the sisters. They ignored him.

"I read a couple magazine articles you wrote, Dawn," Marsten continued. "Very well done. You've got quite a successful career, it would seem."

"Not as successful as some," Dawn said, eyeing his Rolex. "Bought or stolen?"

Marsten's eyes glittered. "Guess."

"Bought," Buffy said. "It would be easier—and cheaper—to steal it but you wouldn't wear someone else's jewelry. Though you wouldn't object to buying it with the money you made stealing someone else's jewelry."

"Dead on, as always, Buffy," he said.

"Business must be good," Dawn said.

Marsten laughed again. "I do well enough, thank you, considering I'm damned useless at everything else. And on that topic, I picked up something a few months ago that made me think of you, Dawn. Though now if Buffy's changed scent is any indication, I would say it makes me think of you both."

"Like you don't know," Buffy replied with a growl. "You after all bit Brandon, with the plan to bite me. The question is why?"

"I'll give you that," Marsten said. "The plan was Daniel's. He didn't say why but I hazard to guess that he might want the two of you. While there are other female werewolves, you two are the only ones in the Pack. That makes you both a trophy. And if you were to have children."

"We can't," Dawn replied. It had been long believed by the sisters that neither of them could get pregnant any longer because of the Fountain's effects. A price of immortality.

Marsten shrugged. "Anyways the item I got for you Dawn was a platinum necklace with a wolf's head pendant. Gorgeous craftsmanship. The head is actually woven platinum filigree with emerald chips for eyes. Very elegant. I thought of sending it to you, Dawn, but I figured it would end up in the nearest trash can."

"Excellent foresight," Dawn said.

"I haven't given it up, though. If you want it, it's yours. No strings attached. It would suit you, a nice twist of irony I'm sure you or Buffy would appreciate."

"You know, I'm surprised you're involved in this," Buffy said. "I thought you didn't like Daniel."

Marsten sighed theatrically. "Must we talk shop?"

"I just never pictured you as the anarchist type," Buffy said.

"Anarchist?" He laughed. "Hardly. The others have their reasons for wanting the Pack dead, most of which have to do with allowing them to indulge some rather nasty, antisocial habits. The Pack has never given me any trouble. Of course, they've never done anything for me either. So, in a gesture of reciprocity, I don't care what happens to the Pack one way or the other. I only want my territory."

"If you had that, you'd back out of the fight?" Dawn asked.

"And abandon my fellow anarchists?" Marsten asked. "That would be the act of a despicable, unconscionable rogue, someone completely absorbed in furthering his own fortunes at the expense of others. Does that sound like me?"

LeBlanc made a noise of impatience.

"This one wanted to meet the both of you," Marsten said. "When we saw you two following the police into town, he decided he wanted to speak to you both. I came along to provide the introduction. If he starts to bore you, scream. I'll be reading a magazine." Marsten pulled one from the pile. "Hunter's Digest. Hmmm. Maybe I can pick up a few tips."

Marsten settled into his chair and opened the magazine. LeBlanc shot him a look of pure contempt.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

For at least ten minutes, LeBlanc studied Buffy and Dawn like an entomologist examining some new kind of insect.

"You wanted to talk to us?" Dawn said finally.

"I was wondering what all the fuss was about," he said and then fell silent.

After a few minutes, a shadow of movement passed the one-way glass. Buffy and Dawn got up and walked over to find Clay was in the other room. Alone.

"That's him?" LeBlanc said from behind the sisters. "The infamous Clayton Danvers? Say it isn't so. Jesus fucking Christ. Where the hell did the Pack find you three? At a beach volleyball tournament? Great tan. Love those curls. He's not even as big as I am. He's what, six foot nothing? Two hundred pounds in steel-toed boots? Christ. I'm expecting some ugly bruiser bigger than Cain and what do I find? The next Baywatch star. Looks like his IQ would be low enough. Can he chew gum and tie his shoes at the same time?"

Clay stopped playing with his chair and turned to face the mirror. He got up, crossed the room, and stood in front of the sisters. Both Buffy and Dawn leaned forward and pressed their hands against the glass. Clay touched his fingertips to theirs and smiled.

LeBlanc jumped back. "Fuck," he said. "I thought that was one-way glass."

"It is," Buffy and Dawn said.

Clay turned his head toward LeBlanc and mouthed three words. Then the door to his room opened and one of the officers called him out. Clay grinned at the sisters, and then sauntered out with the officer.

"What did he say?" LeBlanc asked.

"'Wait for me,'" Buffy said.

"What?" LeBlanc asked.

"It's a challenge," Marsten murmured. "He's inviting you to stick around and get to know him better."

"Are you going to?" LeBlanc said.

Marsten's lips curved in a smile. "He didn't invite me."

"Probably only a matter of time," said Dawn as she looked at Marsten who looked up from his magazine. "Buffy and I have been forbidden from dealing with you. If you hadn't bitten Brandon, he wouldn't have bitten Buffy. But Clay has not been forbidden, so while he didn't invite you, don't believe for a second he didn't mean you also."

LeBlanc snorted. "For a bunch of killer monsters, the whole lot of you is nothing but hot air. All your rules and challenges and false bravado." He waved a hand at Dawn and Buffy. "Like you two. Standing there so nonchalantly, pretending you aren't the least bit concerned about having the two of us in the room."

"We're not," Dawn said.

"You should be," LeBlanc said. "Do you know how fast I could kill you? You're standing two feet away from me. If I had a gun or knife in my pocket, you'd be dead before you had time to scream."

"Really? Huh." Buffy said.

LeBlanc's cheek twitched. "You don't believe me, do you? How do you know I'm not packing a gun? There's no metal detector at the door. I could pull one out now, kill you, and escape in thirty seconds."

"Then do it," Buffy said. "I know, you don't like our little games, but humor me. If you have a gun or a knife, pull it out. If not, pretend to. Prove you could do it."

"I don't need to prove anything. Certainly not to a smart-mouthed—" LeBlanc whipped his hand up in mid-sentence. Buffy grabbed it and snapped his wrist. The sound cracked through the room.

The receptionist glanced over, but LeBlanc had his back to her. Buffy smiled at her and she turned away. "You—fucking—bitch," he gasped, cradling his arm. "You broke my wrist."

"So I win," Buffy smirked.

His face purpled. "You smug—"

"Nobody likes a sore loser," Dawn said. "Grit your teeth and bear it. There's no crying in werewolf games. Didn't Daniel teach you that?"

"I think you've outworn your welcome," Marsten said, getting to his feet and tossing the magazine back on the stack.

When LeBlanc didn't move, Marsten stepped toward him and reached for his arm. LeBlanc sidestepped before Marsten could touch him, glared once at Buffy, then strode from the room.

"The joys of babysitting," Marsten said. "I'll be off then. Say hello to Clayton for me." He and LeBlanc then left.

Twenty minutes later, they were still in the waiting room, trying very hard to find something to read as Clay walked into the room.

"Death penalty?" Dawn asked as he walked over to them.

"In your dreams," Clay said. "It was bullshit, darling. Pure bullshit and I missed lunch because of it."

"You should sue," Buffy joked.

"I might do that." Clay walked to the door and held it open for them. "So you two had visitors?"

"Marsten and LeBlanc," Dawn said with a glance at Buffy.

"What did Marsten want?" Clay asked as he mirrored her glance at Buffy.

"He offered me a necklace," Dawn said.

"In return for?" Clay asked.

"Nothing. Just Karl being Karl," Buffy said. "As personable as ever, totally disregarding the small matter of being on opposite sides of a bloody battle to the death. Speaking of death, LeBlanc boasted he could kill me in the waiting room. I broke his wrist. He wasn't impressed."

Clay laughed. "Good. What did he tag along for?"

"To stare at us, I think," Dawn said. "Didn't seem too impressed with what he saw, either."

Clay snorted.

Sometime later they parked in the drive at Stonehaven. Jeremy met them at the front door. "You three missed lunch," he said. "Did something go wrong?"

"Nah," Clay said. "I got hauled down to the police station for questioning."

"After we took care of Cain," Dawn said. "Buffy or I would have called from the station, but the phone was too public. The police pulled us over on the way back from dumping the body. Looks like Daniel tipped them off that Clay might know something about Mike Braxton's death. Seems he hoped they'd catch us before we disposed of Cain's body. No such luck, though."

"How much did the police seem to know?" Jeremy asked.

"Not much," Clay said. "The questions were pretty general. A fishing expedition."

Jeremy nodded. "Did they search the car?"

"One of them took a really good look through the windows and checked out the undercarriage," Buffy said. "He acted like he was only interested in the Explorer in general, how much it can store, how it does off-road, stuff like that. On the other hand, it may have been his way of doing a subtle plain-view search."

"Wonderful," Jeremy said. "Come inside and eat quickly. We need to leave."

"Have you figured out how to get a message to Daniel?" Dawn asked.

Jeremy waved his hand. "That wasn't a problem. I've already conveyed my message."

"Did he reply?" Dawn asked.

Jeremy nodded. "Yes, but it doesn't concern what we're doing right now. Hurry up. We haven't much time."

"Where're we going?" Clay asked, but Jeremy was already in the house.

Less than an hour later, the six of them were in the Explorer. It was the first time the Pack didn't need to take multiple vehicles to travel together.

They were going to the airport to meet Jimmy Koenig. Jeremy had found out that Koenig was arriving in New York City today on the 7:10 p.m. flight from Seattle. The plan was to meet Koenig at the gate and find a quiet place to kill him.