Chapter Five: New Places

Sunnydale was back up and running. Some families had completely cleared out and put their houses up for sale. Jack and Laura's mission was easy. They acquired a new house in Sunnydale and said goodbye to their old house in L.A. Buffy returned to Spike's crypt and waited for news. Wesley, Dawn, and Connor remained at the apartment. Spike returned to the crypt and found Buffy. He opened the door and walked in. Buffy whirled around and looked at him.

"Just me." Spike told her.

Buffy sighed and played with her hands. "I'm worried about the others."

"Dawn and the others are safe back at the apartment." Spike reassured her.

"What about Jack and Laura?" Buffy asked. "Any word on them yet?"

Spike shook his head. "No, but I'm sure they'll be back soon." He paused and walked towards her. "You look really different in this body."

"I feel really different." Buffy admitted. "I feel like half of my power is gone."

"Gone?" Spike repeated.

Buffy nodded. "Gone." She said and lifted her arm. Buffy looked at her hands. "This is a body of a Potential. I can feel it."

"Do you miss it?" Spike asked her.

Buffy thought about it and then shrugged. "I'm not sure. I guess I'm not the Chosen One anymore."

"But you could be." Spike said.

Buffy nodded. "It's just different." She said, "I've always had power."

Spike stepped towards her. "You will again one day."

"Maybe." Buffy said and put her arms down. "For now, I'll roll with it."

There was a knock at the door. It was Jack and Laura. Jack held the door open for Laura and Laura stepped inside. He closed the door and entered the crypt. Buffy looked at them and asked,

"Do we have a house?"

"In about a day or two." Jack told her. "Laura and I handled everything we could, but these things take time to process."

Buffy sighed, disappointed. "I wish we had better news."

"Well for now we can all stay here." Spike said. "The kids are safe and we can all figure out what our next move is tomorrow. I suggest we sleep in shifts."

"I agree." Buffy said and turned to Spike. "You take the first shift."

Spike sighed and nodded. He felt like he was being sent to his room, but he agreed with Buffy. He climbed downstairs and got into bed. He needed to hide out from the sun anyway. The Winters walked towards Buffy and Jack looked at her.

"What can we do?" He asked.

"Go get supplies. There should be a general store not too far from here." Buffy told him. "No one should go alone. You two go together. I know it's not a great option, but this is where we're at."

Jack nodded. "We'll be back quick."

With those words, the couple left the crypt again. The town seemed to be in good shape after Buffy and her new group kicked the demon horde out. Jack and Laura followed Buffy's directions and found the general store. It was safe to walk the streets again. Jack used what cash he had left in his wallet and bought some supplies. While they were gone, Buffy walked over to Spike's fridge and saw that he had stocked up on his own supplies.

She was grateful that he had some food and she didn't have to worry about him. Meanwhile, Laura held the food and Jack held the waters in a couple of bags. They went back to the crypt. Spike was still asleep. While Spike slept, the three of them ate some of the food that the couple had purchased. Laura handed everyone a water bottle.

At the apartment, everything was going great. Connor was well taken care of and Dawn helped Wesley out. Dawn was having fun taking care of the infant. She had never done it before and the chores were quite easy. Once Connor was asleep in the bedroom, Wesley fell asleep on the bed. Dawn watched the door with a crossbow in her hands. The town was safe, but they were still under a great deal of pressure.

Once Wesley got some good sleep, he walked out of the room with the baby monitor in his hands. He closed the door quietly and turned on the monitor. Dawn was still awake and on edge. Wesley smiled and sat next to her. He placed the baby monitor on the end table and turned to Dawn.

"You've grown quite a bit since the last time I saw you." Wesley said.

Dawn smiled. "Thanks." She said, "Think it would be okay if I got some rest now? I'm kinda beat."

Wesley nodded and took the crossbow from Dawn. "Go ahead."

"I'll just sleep on the other couch. I don't want to wake the baby up." Dawn told him and got up and sat on the opposite couch.

Wesley got up and looked out the window. He was tempted to open the blinds, but he denied himself that pleasure. Dawn needed rest and he didn't want the sunlight to disturb her. He just needed to look at the sun for just a moment. Once he was done, he closed the blinds and went back to the couch that was pointed at the door. Wesley grabbed the crossbow and pointed it at the door.

Back at the crypt, Buffy and the Winters couple talked for a little bit. They got to know one another since their actual daughter was gone. Once the sun had set, Spike woke up, and had some blood to replenish. The couple went to sleep next and Buffy spoke with Spike. She turned to him and said,

"One of us should go check on the others."

"I'll go. I know the way." Spike said and Buffy agreed. "I'll get them some food." He paused and turned to Buffy. "Don't worry, Dawn's in good hands."

Buffy nodded and Spike left. After Spike left, Buffy heard some noises outside. There were a few vampires, but she was able to get rid of them. There were just three or four. Buffy returned to the crypt and the couple awoke. Laura and Jack had some water and turned to Buffy.

"Is there anything else we can do?" Jack asked Buffy.

Buffy shook her head. "You guys aren't local. Trust me, when the sun sets it's better for you to stay put."

"You should get some rest." Laura told her.

"I will when Spike gets back." Buffy said.

"That could be hours." Jack said.

Buffy looked at them. "I get you guys are new, but trust me, I'm used to this." She said and reassured them.

The couple nodded and realized that they weren't going to change Buffy's mind. They made themselves comfortable in the crypt and Buffy watched the door. Jack's phone rang and he answered it. He discussed the housing situation. The house in L.A was emptied and sold. The furniture was moved to a storage unit inside Sunnydale. Jack Winters had people that could make things happen very fast if need be. He was appreciative. The phone call ended and he told Buffy the good news.

"That's great to hear!" Buffy said. "Thanks Jack."

Spike entered the crypt and said, "Everyone is safe and fed."

"Good." Buffy said and turned around. "Welcome back."

Spike nodded. "There were a couple of demons on the way here, but I took care of them."

"We should relocate." Buffy said. "We are too easy to find here."

"We're fine." Spike said.

Buffy sighed heavily. "I wish things would move faster."

"Things are going as fast as they can." Jack said. "Trust me, this is the fastest I've ever sold a house."

"I just don't like staying here." Buffy said. "We need a place where all of us can stay."

"Don't worry Buffy," Spike said. "We'll get there soon." He sighed and walked to the fridge.

Spike grabbed some blood out of the fridge and the couple cringed. They weren't used to the way of life here in Sunnydale. Buffy grinned and sat on the ground. Spike walked over to a dresser and grabbed some cards.

"You all want to play?" He offered.

The Winters couple shrugged and sat down next to Buffy. Spike dealt and they all played cards for a little while. Once the card games were over, the sleeping shifts began. The Winters couple took the first shift. Buffy got some rest after the couple, but it was short. Spike slept when the sun came up. Buffy watched the door to the crypt and sat down on the ground. Jack and Laura talked a little. Laura was a little upset, grieving of the loss of her daughter, Megan. Jack comforted her and she fell asleep. Jack walked over to Buffy and Buffy stood up.

"She misses her." Jack whispered.

"I figured." Buffy whispered back. "I brought her the journals just in case."

"I think those will give her little comfort." Jack said honestly. "I think she really misses Megan."

"I can't do anything about that, I'm sorry." Buffy said.

"I didn't mean that," Jack said. "I'm sorry, I know she's gone…We don't blame you."

"Thank you." Buffy said and sighed. "I'm sorry that you lost your daughter."

"Thank you." Jack said. "We'll know more about the house tomorrow. Apparently, it's really easy to get a house in Sunnydale."

"I wonder why." Buffy said sarcastically and rolled her eyes.

Laura stood up and walked over. "We're leaving everything behind," she said. "But I'm trying to stay positive."

"Good." Buffy said. "We need to be positive."

The sun went down and Spike woke up. Once again, he went to check on the others. Buffy wanted to go with them, but she didn't want to leave the couple behind. When Spike got there, Dawn and Connor were asleep. Wesley was on watch. Spike sat on the couch next to Wesley and said,

"We should have a new house by tomorrow." He paused. "How are things here?"

"The little one sleeps pretty well now and Dawn is doing okay." Wesley whispered. "I think she's got a handle on everything."

"Good." Spike said. "Good. I'll come by and get you tomorrow night. The gang should have a new house by then."

"Nice." Wesley said. "We should be good on supplies."

"Perfect." Spike said. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

With those words, Spike left the apartment. On the walk back, he fought a few demons and won. He walked back to the crypt and found that the others were safe. Spike sat down and turned on the television. Since Spike was back, Buffy rested. She had dreams about Heaven. She missed her mom the most. When she awoke, Buffy realized that she was back on earth.

She sighed heavily and went back upstairs. It was the couple's turn to sleep. They turned in. Spike and Buffy stayed up. Once the sun was up, Spike went to sleep. Jack's phone rang and he answered it. The house they bought in Sunnydale was ready. Buffy smiled at the couple and nodded, but wanted to wait until sundown. Once the sun had set, Spike and the others walked to the apartment. They got Wes, Dawn, and Connor. The new gang walked to the new furnished house. Wesley stared at the the two story house and said,

"Welcome home."