"You don't know what it was like, it was horrible."
"It's ok, Spike. I know it wasn't you; you were being controlled." Buffy took a deep breath, and smiled at the recently souled vampire in front of her. "The First Evil was controlling you. I know that, you don't have to worry about it any more."
"You're not going to stake me?" Spike asked, blood tears in the corners of his eyes.
Buffy shook her head; her heart was being pulled in several directions by the despair she could see in the eyes before her.
A small voice inside her was telling her just to stake him, to do her duty. She was the longest living Vampire Slayer in history, and deep inside her a primordial spirit was crying for the end to all vampires. With the ease of long practice, she ignored the voice of her ancestors and pulled Spike into a hug.
"Shhh, it's ok," she whispered gently, rocking him back and forth. Buffy tried not to think about the damage his tears were doing to her shirt.
She had found him like this, lying on the floor of his crypt, shaking violently, shortly after they had defeated the First Vampire.
Xander had jumped in front of the First Vampire, distracting it and allowing Buffy to finally destroy it with a piece of wood from the cross which Christ was crucified on. Surprisingly, Anya had found it through one of her suppliers , and had provided it to the group for free. An almost unbelievable act of generosity from the capitalistic ex-vengeance demon.
Buffy had realized that Spike would be in agony after the First Vampire was destroyed. Remembering what he had been forced to do would be a terrible burden for him so soon after regaining his soul. She had quickly made her excuses to the others and ran to his crypt.
Spike had hardly noticed her as he lay on the floor, curled up in a fetal position, mumbling to himself endlessly, "I killed, again. I killed, again."
Buffy had recently started to have romantic feelings for Spike again; after all, he had been there for her during the awful period of her life after she had been wrenched from heaven by Xander and Willow. He had also showed a remarkable determination to stay with her and win her as his own, though his obsession sometimes bordered on the unhealthy.
As she continued to hold the vampire to her, she started to mentally rationalize his attempted rape of her, dealing with the issues as each arose in her mind. She had spent the first week after the attempt, sleeping with a lit candle in her room, the dark too much to bear.
The relationship between them had been based on their violent attraction to each other. It had been a way for Buffy to release her anger at the world, to feel again. From simply fighting each other, it had quickly developed into a pattern: she would ask him to stop, he'd ignore her and they'd end up fucking, as hard as they could, where ever they could.
It had started the same way that awful night; the only difference had been that Buffy had meant it when she asked him to stop. Now she couldn't help asking herself how she could have expected Spike to realize when she truly meant for him to stop.
She didn't know the answer, but she did wonder if she had led him on. In the heat of passion, it could be easy to fail to recognize the difference.
Again, a small part of Buffy cried in pain as she thought this, but once more she ruthlessly silenced this part.
She knew she wasn't in the same mental place now as she had been back then, and wondered if she could have a normal relationship with him.
"Thank You, Buffy" he whispered, his heart in his eyes. He moved towards her slowly, allowing her room to pull back, trying to kiss her.
Buffy moved back, raising a hand and gently stopping him
"No," she said simply, quietly.
Spike backed off, instantly, stepping out of her arms.
She smiled at him a little, appreciating his actions.
"Why not?" he asked, matching her tone, not accusing her. Simply making a request for information.
"I've moved on from where I was then, I don't need to feel like that any more.
Spike nodded, appreciating the straight reply.
"I've changed too, for you." Spike said, realizing that this was perhaps his only chance. "I left because I could see you didn't need me like that any more. I went to Africa to get my soul back, for you."
His eyes seemed distant as he spoke. Buffy stared into them and was just able to see a blood red tinge as Spike remembered everything he had done while he had been a vampire. That simple sentence struck her, hard.
Spike had voluntarily regained his soul back. The idea shocked her. She knew, without a shadow of doubt, the pain he was voluntarily going through for her. Angel, her first vampire lover, had suffered for a century with the guilt constantly eating at him. The fact that Spike would willingly undergo that form of torture for her made her realize that he did love her.
As she thought of Angel, her mind flicked back to Jenny Calendar, the teacher Angel had killed during one of his trips to the dark side. She had forgiven him because it had been Angelus, not Angel, who killed Ms. Calendar.
Maybe *Spike* had attempted to rape her, not William. It was a distinction that her mind eagerly accepted.
Hardly noticing Buffy, Spike said, "I can see them, you know?"
"Who?"
"My victims, the people I tortured, the people I killed, the people I used to survive. There was no distinction for me, man, woman, child, even animals in some cases. What ever I wanted, I took. I can see them know, they haunt me when I sleep, asking the same questions other and other again. 'What gave me the right to kill them', 'Why did I kill them', 'Why don't I kill myself now, end it'"
"Spike, No!" Buffy exclaimed, shocked. "Suicide is never the answer."
Spike half nodded, barely acknowledging her, continuing to speak, "I think about it, about ending it, letting myself get the punishment I deserve. But I don't, I decided not to. You want to know why?"
Wordlessly, Buffy nodded.
"Because I need to make amends, I need to do some good first. I can never balance the scale, but maybe I can make it a little more even. I'm not much of a thinker, not much good for anything but in a fight.
"You're good for more than that, Spike." Buffy interrupted, passionately, trying to reassure him.
The look in Spike's eyes made Buffy's breath hitch in her throat.
He moved towards her, slowly, non-threateningly, giving her every opportunity to escape. He paused, inches away from her, and lowered his head, maintaining eye contact all the time. This time, Buffy didn't back away; she slowly moved her head up, meeting him halfway.
Her arms wrapped themselves around her Vampiric lover, feeling his preternaturally strong arms hold her as they kissed, gently. A kiss of love and forgiveness.
Spike slowly started to push the Slayer backwards, towards his bed. Buffy moved with him, going with the kiss as it increased in intensity. As she had so many times before, she turned off her conscious mind and went with her feelings as the Vampire laid her down on the bed in his dusty crypt.
A slither of light streamed through a crack in the door, bouncing off particles of dust in the dark crypt, announcing the daylight outside.
Buffy stretched, smiling softly, running her naked legs over her lover's. This was the first time that she had woken up next to Spike, and the first time after having sex with him that she wasn't bruised. Last night had been an expression of tenderness and love for the first time between them. Buffy had enjoyed it immensely, preferring it to the almost feral lust and passion that had engulfed them the last time, even if it hadn't been quite as exciting as before.
Spike woke with a smile, "Mornin', Pet."
Buffy dropped a kiss on the corner of his mouth, then checked her watch.
"I've got to get to work. Meet me at my place tonight for patrol?" she asked, sliding out of bed.
Spike watched her naked form with admiration, "Sure, luv."
Buffy moved, flaunting herself a little for her lover's pleasure. She had to move around the room, picking her clothes up from where they had been flung.
Dressed, she paused at the door and blew Spike a kiss.
Playfully, he reached out and grabbed, pulling it to his heart.
Buffy giggled. "Call me if you start to feel bad again," she said, her mood turning serious for a second.
Spike nodded, "I promise."
Buffy gave him one last smile, and walked out, closing the door firmly behind her.
She bounced along happily, realising that making love to Spike when he had a soul was very different than before. It was almost like loving Angel all over again, only without the whole 'losing soul' ickiness that had followed.
Back in the crypt, Spike smiled, while getting up and dressing himself. He walked to a wall, and opened a secret compartment.
He reached in and pulled out the small velvet box, looked at its contents. His smile grew.
Buffy was relaxing on the couch, watching TV, her feet propped on Spike's legs. Spike was idly playing with her socked feet, gently pulling her toes, a far away look in his eyes. Suddenly, he stopped playing and swung her feet off him, standing up to look down at her. Buffy watched him with a quizzical expression on her face.
He flashed her a quick smile, then grabbed the remote control, turning the TV off.
"Buffy, I need to say some things to you, and I need you to listen."
Buffy sat up straight, looking up into his eyes. "OK."
"I can hardly remember the time before I was turned; I've no specific memories, only feelings. I remember feeling happy, at peace with myself. You do know that I wanted to be a poet?"
Buffy nodded, and Spike smiled, reminiscing. "I was awful - it's where I got the nickname 'the bloody'; it was short for 'Bloody Awful poet'."
Buffy laughed with Spike.
"Anyways, after Angelus turned me, my memory is crystal clear." His voice hardened. "I can remember each of my victims, including the ones that I killed while Angelus taught me how to inflict as much pain as possible."
A solitary tear formed, edging its way down his cheek, past his chiselled cheekbones.
Buffy reached forwards, looking for one of his hands, offering him comfort. He smiled reassuringly at her, and continued.
"I want to make a promise to you, Buffy." Spike took a deep, if needless, breath, "from this day forth, I swear I will never drink a human's blood again, or even hurt one needlessly. Even though my chip is no longer functioning, I will act like it is at all times.
"I want us to get back together, not like we were before, but as a proper couple. I want us to date, to go out to movies, do everything I didn't want to before. I don't want us to fight, again, ever.
"I know this is going to cause problems with Xander, Willow and the others," Spike said, deliberately not using his derogatory nicknames for them. "So I wanted to make a promise to you and to them, a promise of commitment."
Spike looked Buffy directly in her eyes, and took a deep breath. Buffy smiled at him reassuringly.
Spike reached into his back pocket and pulled out the small box.
"This belonged to my mother," he whispered, then fell to one knee in front of her. "I want you to have it."
Buffy looked at him in disbelief, unmoving, frozen as she realised what he was planning.
"Elizabeth Anne Summers. Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" he asked, his face clearly showing his nerves and desperation for her to say 'yes'.
Buffy froze; a thousand thoughts rushed through her mind, not least the fear of being alone. Saying yes would mean accepting Spike's promise that would never leave her, that she would always have someone to turn to, someone to come home to, someone to talk to. Even if the others left, she would have someone of her own, forever.
"Yes," she whispered softly, breathing the word out. "Yes, I will marry you", she smiled and then relaxed, as Spike swept her up into his arms and kissed her hard.
"Stake, check. Holy water, check. Phone with Buffy's number on speed dial, check," Dawn recited to herself. She was going slaying on her own for the first time.
Of course, she had somehow conveniently forgotten to mention this fact to any of the others, but she *was* 17 now. After all, Buffy and the others had been slaying since they were 15. That was a whole 2 years younger than she was now. Besides, she was used to patrolling with the others, how hard could it be to do it alone?
Holding her stake nervously in one hand, Dawn started to walk, heading for Parkside Cemetery. She kept to the shadows as she patrolled, looking around her all the time.
She heard a noise in an alley and turned, bringing her stake up as she adopted a pose similar to one that Buffy might use.
"I can feel you in there," she said, her voice sounding a lot more confident that she actually was. "Come out so I can send you back to the hell you came from," she demanded.
Two eyes peered eerily out of the dark. Dawn tensed, mentally encouraging herself once more. Movement caused Dawn to grip her stake tighter; she prepared to launch herself at the Vampire, a swing kick first, followed by a high powered punch, then a stake straight to the heart. 'Piece of Cake, Dawn, you can do it girl."
As the creature came into light, Dawn leapt with a powerful yell, scaring one of the lives out of the poor cat, who meowed in protest, and slinked off. Dawn carefully looked to the left, then to the right. She quietly thanked God that no one had witnessed her humiliation. She could imagine Xander teasing her endlessly. She shuddered at the thought and went back to patrolling, still keeping to the shadows.
In the distance, she saw two vampires.
"This is it, Dawn. You can do it!" she said to herself, trying to boost her confidence. The vampires walked under a streetlight.A blonde flash caught her eye.
"Spike?" she whispered softly, then crept after them, wanting to see what her friend was up to.
As she watched, Spike lent in and kissed his companion. She could see the long dark hair float around her head, as she responded to Spike's kiss.
Dawn raised her eyebrows. 'Wow, Spike's got a new girlfriend. Wait till I tell Xander.' A smile rose across her face as she imagined the teasing her best friend would dish out to the ensouled vampire.
Spike suddenly stopped kissing, and looked around, as if sensing someone watching him. Dawn froze, willing the shadows to cover her completely.
"What is it?" a soft voice asked.
"Just a nibblet," Spike answered, turning back to his partner.
Her desire for patrol over, Dawn ran back to her house, and sneaked back into her room.
She lay awake for a while, wondering whom Spike had been kissing, when she heard the front door downstairs open.
Dawn crept out again, onto the landing, and looked down.
For the second time that night, she froze in shock as she saw Spike kissing someone. Her sister.
"What's the matter, honey?" Buffy asked, realising that Spike wasn't totally in to their current make out session.
"What?" Spike asked, resurfacing from his thoughts.
"You're not here." Buffy said. "Where are you?"
"Sorry, luv."
"Well?" Buffy asked, more amused than annoyed. She was guessing that it was something of importance because normally Spike couldn't keep his hands of her.
Spike sighed and took a deep, if needless, breath.
"Got a problem with the nibblet."
"Dawn?" Buffy asked, her eyes widening.
Spike nodded, "Yeah. You haven't told her about us, have you?"
Buffy shook her head from side to side; her pony tailed hair bounced cutely behind her, causing Spike to smile tenderly at her.
"Well, when I took her out the other day, she was being a bit too clingy. You know how she can get?"
Buffy nodded.
"She held my hand all through the film, stroking her fingers up and down. When I tried to move my hand away, she grabbed it tighter."
Buffy frowned, not liking the idea of her sister making moves on her man.
"I left it there, figuring it was harmless flirting, and watched the movie. I let Dawn drive home, as she asked."
"Wait a second! You let Dawn drive your car, but you wouldn't let me?" Buffy asked, her eyebrows furrowing in annoyance.
Spike's raised his eyebrows as he realised he'd made a tactical error. "It's going to be our car now, luv, so you can drive it whenever you want to."
Buffy acknowledged his quick thinking with a bounce, a happy smile and a quick kiss.
"Anyway, on the way home, she stopped. I asked her what she was doing, and she just smiled at me and undid her seat belt.
"Then she asked me if I thought she was still a child. Well, obviously I said no, and she smiled, then jumped on me and kissed me hard."
"She did what?" Buffy asked, shocked. The thought of her sister even looking at another boy scared her to no end, but the idea that she would jump on Spike, her fiancÉ in a car was almost unbelievable.
Spike obediently repeated his previous statement, continuing, "I was shocked, I kinda froze and she continued to kiss me, while rubbing herself against me.
"After a few seconds, I pushed her off, and she got mad, asking what the hell I was doing, didn't I think she was pretty enough?
"I said, sure, she was pretty, but that I was in love with you."
Buffy smiled at this, liking to hear her lover declare his love for her, at any time.
"She said that you were over me, that you'd moved on and that it was time I did as well, and as far as she could see, she was the perfect choice. I kinda let it slip then that we were back together and she was furious.
"I don't know if she is jealous, or if she's just embarrassed and holding a grudge now. I never led her on, Buff."
"I know Spike, you wouldn't do something like that. You've always loved her like a sister."
Spike nodded in agreement, then added, "She swore she'd break us up if it was the last thing she did."
Buffy lent back against the couch and closed her eyes, unable to comprehend what Spike had just told her. She opened her eyes and looked directly at her lover, his expression of compassion, regret and slight confusion reassured her. She moved forwards and engulfed him in a hug.
A kiss turned into two, a caress into several, and neither of them moved from the couch for sometime, as Buffy reaffirmed her hold on his heart and his body.
Upstairs, Dawn slept, unware of the noises coming from the living room below.
"Buffy, can I talk to you?" Dawn asked carefully, really not wanting to have this conversation.
Buffy nodded and sat down, mentally steeling herself for the confrontation that was about to happen.
"I kinda went out last night, after you sent me to bed," Dawn confessed, realizing that she wouldn't be able to convince her sister about Spike and the other vampire if she didn't explain exactly why she was outside at night, alone.
"Why?" Buffy said simply, a frown appearing on her face, hoping that Dawn hadn't done what she thought she had.
"I wanted to go patrol on my own." Dawn stated, then launched into an explanation, "I wanted to test myself, to see if I could do it. Besides, you all started at 15. I'm 17 now and I can handle it."
"Dawn!" Buffy exploded. "How can you be so reckless? You're not a Slayer! When we went patrolling, we always had backup, weapons, people who could match them one on one."
"Really?" Dawn snapped. "What about that time after you sent Angel back to hell, and you left town, and left Xander and Willow to do it alone?" At Buffy's shocked look, she continued. "Willow told me all about it- how several 'Ordinary' people patrolled the streets while you were off mourning sending another vampire to hell."
"At least they we're doing it together," Buffy bit back, ignoring the other references, not letting Dawn change the subject.
Dawn glared at her sister, then slowly stated, grinding the words out. "While I was patrolling, I saw Spike kissing a dark haired vampire."
Dawn waited for Buffy to react; waited for the questions she knew would come, about what Spike was doing. This would make Buffy forget about her transgressions as her ire would be transferred to the bleached blonde vampire.
"Is that the best you can come up with?" Buffy mocked, still angry at Dawn.
"What?" Dawn asked, not sure that she had heard correctly.
"I said, is that the best you can come up with? That you saw Spike kissing some one else?. I was expecting something more original than that."
Dawn just looked at her sister, stunned by the apparent change in subject. "I don't understand."
"Look, Dawn, Spike told me what happened in the car the other day, how you jumped on him. One, you're too young to be doing that sort of thing. Two, Spike is a lot older than you, and you shouldn't be having feelings for someone like that, and three, Spike is mine, and you won't be able to break us up. I want you to apologise to Spike the next time you see him."
Dawn felt tears slowly being dripping down her cheek, feeling the injustice of what Buffy was saying as she looked at the implacable face of her sister.
Buffy felt a little sorry for being harsh, but she knew it was for the best. She knew Dawn was crying because she had been found out, not because she was hurt. This way the subject wouldn't come up again.
"But-" Dawn started, only for Buffy to interrupt.
"I don't want to hear it Dawn. Now go to your room."
"That's - " Dawn tried again, desperately trying to assert her innocence. The accusations left her floundering. All she knew is that she had to get Buffy to listen to her.
"Dawn!" Buffy yelled. "This subject is closed. Go to your room."
Dawn stood and fled, the tears falling freely from her eyes as she ran up the stairs.
Spike carefully walked into the kitchen, carefully avoiding the bright sunlight that streamed through the kitchen window.
He wrapped his arms the Slayer, and kissed the top of her hair.
"I know that was hard, Luv," he said, wrapping his arms around her. "But it was for the best. We can forget about this now. Once she gets over it, she'll be happy that we are together.
"Have you given any thought on how you want to tell the others?"
"A few. I thought the best way would be to get everyone together at the Magic Box and tell them together."
"Sounds like a plan, luv. When?"
"Tonight? We're all supposed to be meeting anyway."
Spike looked pleased. He lifted Buffy off her seat and sat down, placing her firmly in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and cuddled her, offering her solace for the emotional upheaval caused by her argument with Dawn.
"Where are Spike and Buffy?" Xander asked, dropping into a comfy chair and yawning. He had spent the entire day in meetings with local politicians, ironing out issues with the rebuilding of his high school. For the first time the carpenter was regretting blowing it up 5 years ago, when they had destroyed the Ascending Mayor of Sunnydale.
Willow briefly looked up from the book she was studying. "Don't know," she said, sounding disinterested and went back to reading.
"Dawn Patrol?" Xander tried.
Dawn sat staring into space, as she had been doing for some time.
Xander frowned as he watched her. "Dawn?" Getting no response, he stood and walked over to the table she was sitting at. He waved his hand in front of her face. "Yo. Dawn! Earth to Dawn, come in, Morning Dawnie."
Dawn blushed and looked up, "Sorry Xand, got something on my mind."
Xander pulled up a chair and sat down. "Want to talk about it?" he asked, keeping his voice low.
Dawn's response was lost as the front door swung open and Buffy and Spike entered together.
"Buffy," Xander said cheerfully; in lieu of an official greeting, he patently ignored Spike. As always, Buffy rolled her eyes at his hatred for the vampire.
"Wills, come over here a second, we've got an announcement."
Willow placed the book down, carefully marking her page.
"What were you reading?" Xander asked, suddenly curious.
The Wicca shrugged lightly, "Sumerian book. Giles suggested I study it after that hassle with the First," she said, referring to the deadly super vamp that had caused them so much trouble,
"How is the G-Man?"
"Enjoying New York, the S.I.T's are dragging him all over on a massive site-seeing tour. I think he's enjoying being Uncle Giles without the threat of imminent death."
Xander laughed, and was about to reply when Buffy interrupted.
"I hate to interrupt," she lied casually, "but as I said, we have an announcement."
"Sorry," Xander responded, rolling his eyes slightly, "please go ahead, you have our complete attention."
Buffy took a deep breath, and blurted out, "Spike asked me to marry him, and I accepted."
Complete silence followed the revelation.
"He's done what and you've done what now?" Xander asked quietly, tilting his head to one side as he was positive she'd said something insane.
Buffy sighed at Xander, "I am engaged to Spike."
"Why?" Xander asked. His brain was having a lot of trouble processing this information.
"Because I love him and he asked me."
"After he's spent over a hundred years killing people, including several of the potential Slayers last week, you're marrying him?" The disbelief in Xander's voice was obvious.
"He was being controlled by the First," Buffy groaned at him, "We've been over this. Spike was innocent; he has a soul now."
Xander was starting to get upset; he could see that this was an incredibly bad idea, for Buffy, for all of them.
"Why the Hell did you even keep him alive?" Xander said forcefully. "He doesn't deserve life." He was aware that this argument was going off on a tangent, but he couldn't stop now. There was too much bad blood between them.
"We kept him alive because we needed him; he's the best fighter we've got."
"No he's not! He's betrayed us or let us down every single time. Even with Glory he was only partly effective."
"At least he's not been a fucking liability, like you."
"I've saved your life, and the world, many times, Slayer," Xander growled, getting right in Buffy's face.
Buffy sneered, her need to attack any threat overcame any semblance of thought. "Finally, you bring that up. You've just been saving it, haven't you, for an argument, any argument you couldn't win normally. Feeling superior in ever time, because you knew you had this as your ace in the pack." She paused for breath, then continued, her voice mocking Xander's deeper tones. "Oh, I'm Xander, I'm not useless, I saved the world and all of you guys and I keep it to myself, aren't I the quiet hero, love me."
"You knew about that?" Xander asked, shocked.
"Of course! Slayer here. We were all busy upstairs, so when a load of dead Zombies are found, it was obviously you. I wondered why you were keeping it quiet till Spike pointed out that you were just holding it over my head to use later. What did you think?" Buffy mocked him viciously, "You'd bring it up and I'd say 'Oooo, Xander, I misjudged you, you aren't useless, I love you, let's go to Vegas and have lots of sex?'"
Xander physically shook himself out of the shock caused by Buffy's reaction. "You think this about me having feelings for you?" he asked, "that I'm in some way jealous?"
"Duh," Buffy said, reverting to the behavior of a former head cheerleader. "Of course."
"Maybe once I would have been," the carpenter replied, "but I sure as hell wasn't in love with you when I was with Ahn, and any residual feelings were pretty much killed when you shacked up with Deadboy junior again. Once could be a mistake, but twice is a lifestyle choice. You remember the word for that? Necrophilia: sleeping with the dead."
Xander was already leaning back as he said those words, guessing correctly that Buffy's first reaction would be violence. As she missed with her roundhouse punch and over balanced herself, Xander pushed her into Spike.
"Typical Buffy, you can't even have an argument without resorting to physical violence. What the hell happened to you? I remember you lying on the floor of the bathroom, crying your eyes out after HE," Xander spat the description of Spike, "tried to rape you."
"Wait a second," Dawn interrupted. "Spike tried to Rape you?"
"Not now, Dawn," Buffy said dismissively.
"Yes, now," Dawn insisted.
"Look, it was back when he didn't have a soul. It's old news."
"You left me alone with a rapist? You asked a rapist to look after me while you were off fighting?" she asked, her voice bordering on the hysterical.
"I would never have touched you, Dawn," Spike said, visibly wincing at the accusations flung.
"I'd've said the same thing about you and Buffy," Dawn snapped back.
"What are you complaining about anyway?" Buffy spat. "It would have been what you wanted."
"What?" Xander and Dawn asked at the same time. They both had identical expressions of shock on their faces.
Buffy's expression was one of pure fury; she was enraged that both her sister and best male friend could not be happy for her and she was reacting the only way she knew how. - with violence, whether it be verbal or physical.
"Didn't your little friend tell you, Xander?" she spat out visciously. "She tried to come on to my fiancÉ then swore to break us up when Spike turned the slut down."
Xander looked at Dawn. A second was all it took for him to confirm that Spike had been lying to Buffy. "You believed a vampire over your own sister?" he asked incredulously.
"Spike Has A Soul" Buffy ground out through clenched teeth, as if that statement was enough.
"So?" Xander responded curtly.
"So, now he can't lie," Buffy said, talking slowly as if she was dealing with a two year old.
"Because he has a soul?" The disbelief was almost physical in Xander's voice.
"Of course."
Willow watched her two friends fight, torn between them, trying to decided which side to join.
"Hey Wills," Xander said as he sat at her table.
The red head looked up at him and smiled happily. "Hey Xand, how's things?"
"Good, good," the building constructor replied.
"I wanted to have a word with you," he continued as he looked over at his oldest friend.
"Go ahead." Willow folded the book she was reading and placed it neatly on the table.
"It's about Kennedy," Xander looked a little uncomfortable and said in a rush, "I'm afraid that you're getting too close to her, Wills."
"What do you mean?" Willow asked, her eyes suddenly wary.
"She's only 16, Willow. She's a lot younger than you are. Despite how forward she is, she's still below the legal age on consent."
"This isn't any of your business, Xander," Willow said shortly, her eyes darkening slightly.
"Hey, hey Willow, calm down. You know I love you - I just don't want you getting hurt or getting in trouble."
"I know, Xander," Willow said, visibly calming down. "It's just that, in five years, no one will know the difference."
Xander smiled softly, thinking he had gotten his point through to the witch. "In two years Willow, no one will mind - just give her a chance to grow up a bit first."
Reluctantly, Willow nodded.
She missed Kennedy, her current partner, the slayer in training. The red-haired Wiccan eventually realized that she had to support Buffy, as she had so many times in the past. It was the only way to get what she wanted now.
"Spike has a soul and Buffy's happy. Why can't you be happy for her, Xander?" Willow asked, entering the argument for the first time.
Xander threw her a hurt look, as he realized she was joining Buffy and Spike against him. "Spike is a vampire; a creature of the night."
"He has a soul," Willow replied, repeating Buffy's earlier defense.
"So did you," Xander snapped. "It didn't stop you from trying to end the world."
Willow burst into tears and sat down, Spike and Buffy both threw Xander disgusted looks.
"There was no need for that, Droopy," Spike spat, aware that he could get away with interfering now. Xander's reaction had been so predictable and easy to manipulate.
Xander slowly looked into the face of his erstwhile friend and said softly "What happened to you? When did you die?"
"What?" Buffy asked, confused.
"You're not Buffy. I'm not sure who you are, but you're not Buffy. Buffy always cared about her sister; she even died trying to save the world."
Xander took a deep breath, then relaxed a little. The turmoil was rocking inside him as he realized he had finally reached the end of his tether. All the problems over the years had built up, and now it finally exploded inside him. The damage was massive, and yet subtle. Xander simply stopped caring any longer about the people who had once been his friends.
As the others watched, they could see Xander change; his eyes darkened and his back straightened.
He turned to the door. "Coming, Dawn?" he asked.
Dawn didn't hesitate. The knowledge that her sister had left her with a would-be rapist had hurt her on a level she didn't know she had. All through her memories, both the artificially created and the natural ones, she had adored her sister, had felt protected by her. Buffy had been her secret hero for as long as she could remember; now she felt betrayed. The hero worship was gone, and she wasn't sure what was left in its place.
She turned and walked away from her sister and her supporters, following Xander. Spike jumped between them, deciding that Xander wasn't getting away that easily.
Xander didn't hesitate; he punched Spike as hard as he could. The punch started low and gathered weight as it flew upwards. He put all of his body and mind behind it. It caught Spike firmly on the chin, rocking his head back. It would have knocked a human out for the count; it barely affected the vampire.
But Spike was a consummate actor. He moved his head with the punch, pushing off with his legs at the same time. He flew heavily into the wall, before slumping down on to the ground.
"Spike!" Buffy yelled, jumping forwards. She launched into a spinning kick that caught Xander in the chest. Like the en-souled vampire had a few seconds before, the carpenter flew backwards, landing roughly on the table.
Spike got back to his feet, play acting his rage. Buffy stood back and callously watched him as he stalked Xander. Aiming carefully, the vampire grabbed the dark haired man by the collar and threw him across the room.
Xander landed, banging his head on a small coffee table. He immediately felt a stab of pain in his left eye, and could have sworn he heard a small popping sound. He groaned, worried because he couldn't see out of his eye, everything was black. He hoped that it was just because of the blood he could feel pouring down his cheek.
"Xander," Dawn cried, rushing over to him and helping him up. "Let's get out of here."
The heavily bleeding man put his arm around the brunette girl, and followed her out. Inside, he was hardly feeling the physical pain - the emotional pain he was experiencing was so much worse than any physical suffering he could ever undergo.
Buffy and Willow watched together, suddenly realizing that something had gone very wrong with their world; they just weren't sure what.
"Xander, wait!" Willow shouted, as Xander and Dawn got to the door.
Xander paused, still leaning heavily on the girl next to him. He impassively surveyed the three people standing in the room behind them with the eye he could still see out off. Finally, he whispered, "Only my friends call me Xander."
Xander turned; leaving the silence that had followed his parting remark behind and stumbled with Dawn's help to his car. He handed her his keys, and whispered softly, "I think you'd better get me to the hospital, Dawnie."
Ten words. Ten simple words. It was amazing how those words could change a lifetime.
"I'm sorry Mr. Harris, but there's nothing we can do."
That was all it took to seal his fate. Even staring at the ceiling wasn't the same. Nothing appeared the way it was before.
After seven years of fighting vampires, of fighting demons, ghosts and ghouls, he had his first serious injury, and in irony that would have had Machiavelli laughing, it was caused by supposed friendly fire.
Spike, Buffy's fiancé. At one time, the thought of that would have been enough to make him physically sick, now it just left him feeling a vague regret. He wondered whether he would be invited to her funeral. People who live in the dark are either corrupted or destroyed by it. He hoped she wouldn't be turned into a vampire; he didn't fancy having to fight her with extra vampire powers added to the already formidable Slayer powers.
He focused on the bed side lamp, moving his head, trying to understand the difference, but he couldn't.
'Still,' he thought to himself, returning to his original thought, faint hint of a smile appearing on his lips, he didn't know of any vampires that could handle 5 lbs of plastic explosives.
He knew he had two directions he could go now. Money wasn't a problem, his job was a lot more managerial and a lot less practical these days.
His insurance cover was going to make him pretty rich. He had winced when he had started to pay, in secret, the premiums for each of the core Scooby gang, but was glad he had, now. With the payoff he had coming, he could take the next ten years off without noticing any effect.
The first direction was to give up, to finally be out of the game. No one could blame him, perhaps more than the others, he had sacrificed. He was the only one without anything special inside him, the only one without a destiny, or a calling. He fought the night because it was the right thing to do, because it was the way he could protect his girls. But they weren't *his* girls, anymore. He wasn't sure who they were.
The second direction was to continue, to prove to himself that this was only a minor inconvenience, not a life changing event. He knew he was driven, to prove something to someone; he didn't know what exactly, but it wasn't in his personality to lay down and avoid what he knew was there.
Perhaps it was his first introduction to the night, having to stake Jessie, his best friend, his brother. Having to watch the evil creature explode into dust, taking the body of the only man he ever loved into history. He didn't want anyone else to face that, didn't want another loving family broken up over a mysterious disappearance.
If he continued, he would be dragging Dawn with him. But would she stay out of it, even if he ordered, begged or pleaded with her? Probably not. Like him, her reasons for fighting were complex. She wanted to prove herself, to protect others, to help protect the Slayer, her sister.
Everything had changed in less than 24 hours. He knew that Dawn had lost her awe over her sister, and now saw her for what she was. A normal, flawed, human, who consistently made bad mistakes in her personal relationships and forced away everyone who genuinely cared for her.
"Hi, Xander." The soft voice interrupted his musings, and he turned his head to look at his visitor.
He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but could tell that he wasn't too successful.
"The doctors won't tell me anything," she said, taking a seat next to him and grabbing his hand.
Xander sighed softly. "The eye is gone; the corner of the table pierced the cornea. A splinter destroyed the optic nerve and tore up everything inside. They had to remove the whole thing." His voice was dispassionate, as if he wasn't talking about himself.
A single tear dropped down the young girl's face, leaving a glistening path on her smooth cheek.
He reached up, very slowly and tentatively, aware that his depth perception was shot to hell, and gently touched her cheek, wiping away the tear. "Don't cry, Dawnie, it's not the end of the world. That's not due till Tuesday."
His poor attempt at a joke eked a small smile out of her.
"They are going to let me out of here in a few hours," he told her, trying to move on. There would be enough time for brooding later. He couldn't believe he had just thought that. Did this incident mean he was going to get a fetish for leather pants and start dating girls who were over two hundred years younger than him?
"Where are we going to go?" Dawn asked, suddenly realizing that they couldn't go back to the house they had been living in. Before the First Evil had been defeated, it had made sense for Xander to move in, to help look after the girls and to repair the damage that fighting monsters often accrued.
Xander smiled a little, and he could feel the pain killers start to kick in. "We could try my apartment," he suggested.
"You gave up your apartment when you moved in with us," she reminded him.
Xander laughed softly, a tiny laugh, but a laugh all the same. "I gave up one of my apartments, Dawn Patrol. I have another one on the other side of town, just in case. It made sense to have a backup base ready, in case anything happened to Case Del Summers."
Dawn blinked. "But -" she tried, before stopping. Little things that had been bothering her suddenly rearranged themselves in her mind. His succession of new cars, never worrying about them when the latest demon destroyed one, the way he always had money if people needed it. Everyone just assumed that it was there, no one asked where it came from. Now, she found out, he had an apartment ready, just in case.
"Xander, what do you do?"
A slightly twisted smile appeared on his face. "You're the first person to ask that, Dawn. After all these years, no one has bothered to see where all the money comes from.
"I'm vice president of the construction company where I work, in addition to being a foreman. I help close the deals that others work on, and occasionally take control of the bigger projects to ensure they are done on time and to budget. I spend a lot more time in a suit than I do in the jeans I wear around the house."
Two expressions vied for control of the young girls face, pride and shock. In the end, pride won. "I'm sorry for not asking earlier, but hey, teenager here. As long as I get an allowance on a semi regular basis, I just assume the money's always going to be there."
Xander smiled at her. "It's ok Dawn, I don't expect you to ask" He left unsaid the implication that he had expected the others to do so.
This small statement actually made Dawn feel bad, and she wasn't sure why. She was slowly starting to realize that she did not want to be seen as a teenager by him, and that she was going to have stop acting like one.
A doctor in a white coat entered the room. "I'm sorry Miss, but you'll have to leave while I give Mr. Harris a final check over. You can wait for your boyfriend outside."
Dawn didn't correct him, and felt a small thrill shoot through her as Xander didn't either. As she walked out, she knew that he hadn't so that she could come back in later, and so that he could be released with her. Still -
She sat on one of the cold hard chairs in the waiting room, wondering if she held a record for hospital visits before the age of eighteen.
Xander was wheeled out to her a few minutes later, his head swathed in bandages that covered one eye. As he got to the door, he stood, and looked grateful as she put an arm around him, helping him walk to the car.
Dawn found herself starting to enjoy helping him, being the responsible one. She eased him into the passenger seat, doing up his seat belt. She could see his good eye was fading a little, as the drugs started to kick in with a vengeance.
"Where are we going, Xander?"
"Hillview Apartments, on East 17." His voice was starting to slur, now, and she wondered why the hell the hospital had pumped him full of drugs before releasing him.
She drove carefully, still unused to his big SUV, but pleased that she could drive. Buffy had never let her drive, as if her own bad driving skills were genetically passed on to her younger sister.
Wincing at the bright sunlight, she pulled on a pair of sunglasses she found in the inner door compartment, noticing for the first time that they were Raybans, another expensive clue that everyone had ignored.
"Park in fifteen, Dawn." Xander opened his eye, having been on the verge of falling back asleep in the comfortable car seat. He only had two modes when dealing with people; trusted and non-trusted. Dawn was trusted, so he didn't feel the need to keep an eye on her all the time.
"Reserved parking?" she asked, a little excitedly.
He nodded, ignoring the slight pain the head movement caused.
She parked the big car as well as she could, grateful that no one was around to critique her. She jumped out and ran around, helping Xander out of the car.
He leaned heavily against her, apologizing as he did.
"Don't worry about it, Xand. The amount of times you've carried me, it's about time I got to return the favor."
They walked in to the impressive entrance lobby, as the doors opened automatically for them.
Two men were behind a security counter, one wearing a suit, the other a security guard's uniform.
"Mr. Harris, are you ok?" the man in a suit asked, walking over to them.
Dawn looked up at him, answering because she could feel that Xander didn't want to talk. "He was mugged, by a gang on PCP. He's going to be fine."
The man smiled at her, and motioned down over the lobby floor they had just walked over. "Mr. Harris does seem to have quite a few run-ins with these gangs. He offered a few suggestions when his company was building this place to help keep them out." The floor tiles were laid out in a large cross shape. "It's strange," the man's eyes were twinkling as he spoke, "but the gangs don't like coming in here. Of course, it might have something to do with the priests that Xander had bless the floor."
Dawn smiled up at him, "Mr.?"
"Michaels, Kyle Michaels. I own the building." Kyle looped another arm around Xander and helped Dawn move him into the elevator. Pressing a button for the top floor, he continued, "I was working here late one night, when two vampires came up and started attacking me. Xander was dropping by with some figures I needed, and dusted them for me. He explained what was going on, and what his night job was. A lot of his suggestions made a lot more sense then.
"When Xander came to me, I tried to get him to accept the apartment free of charge, as a thank you for saving my life, but he refused, and in the end, we agreed he'd pay cost price."
"That's pure Xander," Dawn said with a smile. "He just wants to help people."
Kyle nodded. "Yeah, my wife adores him. She's always asking when he is going to come around again. That boy can sure pack away the food, and if there's one thing Molly loves, it's someone who eats all her food."
By this time Xander was almost unconscious, he wasn't paying attention to the conversation at all.
"He told me about the codename, 'Gangs on PCP'," Kyle explained as the car ascended.
"I did wonder," Dawn admitted, as the elevator door opened into a small, tasteful lobby. She pulled out Xander's car keys and looked at Kyle, "You don't happen to know which key it is, do you?"
He took the key ring and opened the door.
"My God, this place is huge."
Kyle laughed, "Yes, it's a four bedroom apartment and takes up the entire top floor. You can explore later, but let's put Xander in bed, first."
Dawn nodded, helping Kyle lay the now unconscious Xander down on a large bed in the master suite.
She walked with Kyle to the door. "Can you tell me how long you've been going out with Xander?" he asked.
Dawn blushed prettily. "Only for about six months. He was worried about my age before that. It took a long time to convince him, otherwise."
"How old are you?"
"Eighteen," she lied happily.
"Well, you and Xander will have to come over lunch when he's back up and running. Molly will want to meet the girl that's stolen his heart," he teased with a large smile. "She was planning on setting him up with some of her nieces. I'm pleased that he's found someone on his own, and," the next part was delivered with a playful leer, "that he's found someone a lot better looking than our nieces."
Dawn tried very hard to contain the blush that was steadily turning her face bright red, but failed. "Thanks, I think," she squeaked.
He laughed softly, "Don't mind me. It was good meeting you, Ms.?"
"Summers, Dawn Summers," she said, holding out her hand.
He shook it, and then winked at her. "Look after Xander, and if you need anything, dial 9 on the phone. I'll leave instructions for the guard to get whatever you might need."
"Thanks, Kyle," she said with a smile, liking this man who obviously cared for Xander. It was another small shock to realize that the carpenter had a life completely separate from the one she had known. This man before her was a prime example. A little portly, with eyes that seemed to dance, and grey peppered black hair. He grinned at her once more, as the doors to the elevator shut.
The seventeen year old walked back into the huge apartment and looked at her watch, a little surprised to find that it was so late. She walked back into the bedroom and looked down at her sleeping...friend? She decided to categorize him later.
She sat on the foot of the bed, and removed his heavy boots. She held them up, surprised at the weight, and realized that they had steel toe caps. She laughed softly as she noticed the tiny engravings of crosses built into each shoe.
Dawn bit her lip, trying to decide what to do next. His socks came off easily, before she reached for his belt, pulling it out from under him through the loops of his jeans. Next, she undid the buttons of his shirt and lifted him up from the bed, trying to ignore the groan he gave her.
"Come on, Xand. You're going to have to help me here, I'm not strong enough."
Even on the edge of unconsciousness, he responded to one of 'his girls' asking for help. He lifted himself up, moving his arms to allow her to remove his blood stained t-shirt. Laying back down, he lifted his hips at her instruction, as she pulled his jeans down his legs.
Dawn paused, looking down at the body of her first ever crush. This was the first time she had had the chance to really look at him. She touched his shoulder lightly, watching for any response. The drugs had finally done their job, and he was out for the count.
Xander was not a body builder, he didn't have the chiseled muscles associated with people like Stallone. She had seen Spike enough times, the vampire seemed to have problems keeping his shirt on, so she had something to compare him to.
Spike was wiry, almost looking gaunt half the time. She knew her sister liked Spike's look, but she didn't. Xander was more like a real male. His body was solid, and a lot bigger than the baggy clothes he customarily wore showed. His chest was well defined, as was his shoulders, his legs looked powerful.
Dawn felt all the feelings she had ever had for him return with a vengeance. The only thing that stopped her from touching him was Xander's unconscious state. It didn't feel right to do so, not when he couldn't enjoy it.
She was a ball of energy made into a person. A being that was, technically, only three years old. When she had been created, the monks had given her a complete history, and made her into a form that would be protected by the Slayer, her sister.
Now, she started to wonder if that had really been their intention. The memories didn't quite match up. Ever since they had moved to the area, there had only been one person who had consistently been there for her. From the patching of skinned knees to the reassuring that things would be ok. When her mom had died, one person more than any other had been there for her, holding her through the tears and heartbreak. Even when she had started shoplifting, one person had forgiven her first and offered her a way out, as well as slipping her a regular allowance so that she could get the things she wanted and have a normal life.
Whenever she had needed something for school, one person had been there to help, either emotionally, financially or physically. There were countless times the person had gone out of their way to make sure she was at school on time, that she had as normal a life as possible.
One person had sacrificed to make sure that she was safe, throwing themselves in harm's way, sacrificing themselves.
One person had always believed in her over everyone else.
Dawn found herself breaking out in goosebumps as she realized that the monks had gone a lot further than everyone had thought. They had created her as the Slayer's sister to get the protection from her, but had created her as a girl so that she would be protected by someone else as well, someone who would love her unconditionally and always be there for her.
It didn't make any sense for them to have given her a huge crush, unless it meant that they had built her so that she would get the best protection for the rest of her life, from an amazing man.
She had been made for Xander.
He was the one person she could rely on, the heart of the Scooby Gang. The person with the emotional core of steel, who would keep loving her as long as was physically possible.
As surely as she had been made to be loved like a sister by Buffy, she had been made to be loved like a woman by Xander.
She started to feel guilty about the times she had fantasized about Spike. He was the bad boy, the untamable wild man that girls secretly lusted after, the loners who didn't play by the rules.
Dawn had known that he was a killer, but it was a vague concept, like being a Catholic. All she had ever really seen was him fighting on their side. But hearing that he was a rapist, that he had actually hit Buffy had brought his nature to the forefront. In a moment of clarity, she saw how Xander had tried to keep Spike away from her, even when she didn't want it. Another example of how he had tried hard to keep her safe.
Her sister had always been there for physical safety, although that had been questionable recently, when she left her in the care of Spike, but it had always been Xander who had taken care of her.
The problem she would now have was persuading him that she was adult enough for a relationship, and that he could fall pretty hard for her if he accepted it. Even better, she knew he had a hell of a lot of experience with Anya, that he was really good in bed. She licked her lips softly, knowing that he'd be able to make her first time incredibly special, and, as an added bonus, would not turn into a soulless monster in the morning, unlike some sister's chosen paramours she could mention.
She was pretty optimistic that she could get him thinking of her that way. After all, she was now living with him, in a gorgeous apartment, and that would give a lot of room for 'accidental encounters.'
He would resist, hard, but if there was one thing about she knew Xander, it was that he would do anything for the people he loved.
She knew he needed love, craved it even. Despite his awful childhood and all the heartbreak he had gone through over the years, he was still an innocent at heart, offering everyone else what he wanted so badly himself. She promised herself that she would give him what he needed so badly, even though he didn't know it.
Dawn realized she had fallen completely in love with Xander. Looking down at the man, she frowned as she realized he was starting to have a nightmare. He was tossing his head, murmuring 'No, please no.'
"Shh, it's ok, I'm here," she whispered to him, stroking his chest. It seemed to work, as he settled back down a little, falling back into a deep sleep. Deciding that there was no way she was leaving him alone tonight; Dawn stood and walked over to the drawers. They were sadly bereft of clothing, only a couple of t-shirts and pairs of jeans. She guessed this was because his clothes were at her sister's house.
She pulled out the t-shirt and measured it against her, then she smiled as she saw it would reach mid-thigh. Reaching up behind her, she undid the zipper of her light summer dress, letting it pool to the floor, her imagination running away, showing her pictures of her doing this while he was awake, his hot gaze burning her.
She pulled the t-shirt on, smiling because it smelt of him. She climbed into bed, a little shyly, and snuggled up for him. If anyone had told her yesterday that she would be spending a night with Xander she would have laughed at them, and accused them of taking drugs.
She woke up a few times in the night, as Xander's nightmares returned, but whispering softly to him seemed to make him relax. It saddened her that all he needed was reassurance, something that had always been lacking in his life.
She woke up, more refreshed than she could ever remember feeling, as sunlight twinkled through the curtains. During the night she had draped herself over him, her head resting on his shoulder. What was even better for her was that his arm had clamped over her back, and was holding her firmly in place. Even if it was an automatic reflex, it still felt really good.
Showing a maturity that hadn't been there the day before, she gently moved from under him, knowing that he would be embarrassed to wake up with her like this. It would take a lot of work on her part to get him to realize that his emotions could change from platonic love to sexual love. The reward made the work seem like something she would enjoy.
With a very feminine giggle, she knew that Xander was about to enter a very confusing phase of his life.
She walked into the kitchen, and looked in the fridge hopefully, only to be disappointed that it was empty, so she explored the huge apartment.
Xander woke slowly, feeling a lot more rested than he had recently. He had a moment's panic when he realized he couldn't see out of one eye, before the memories came flooding back.
Buffy was marrying Spike. He shook his head sadly at how little that statement meant to him now. She had made her own bed, now she had to lie in it. He felt an emptiness, as though something had been ripped from him.
He frowned as he smelt a faint trace of perfume, a light airy fragrance that seemed familiar, but a little different.
He put together his good nights sleep and his lack of nightmares, and realized Dawn must have looked after him all night.
Carefully he stood, his headache almost completely gone, and walked into the kitchen. Everything had to be done slowly, because his depth perception was still a mess.
"Morning," he said quietly, finding her admiring the view from the top of the block.
She jumped a little, then threw a smile at him, her long hair floating around her face as she turned her head. "Morning, Xand," she replied with a warm smile.
"Thanks for looking after me," he said simply.
She threw him a look he didn't understand, then smiled sweetly at him. "It felt good to look after you for a change, after all the times you've looked after me. But your fridge is empty."
Xander laughed. "Yeah, I didn't expect us to be living here yet. I always thought we'd use it if anything happened to the house."
"I hope you don't mind me using your t-shirt, but I needed to sleep in something."
Xander grinned at her. "You look a lot cuter in it that I do." This wasn't the first time he had complimented her, but after her decisions last night, it meant something very different to her.
"How about we get dressed, nip out to IHOP for breakfast, then go shopping?" he suggested.
"Are you sure you're up for that?" She asked, looking worried at him.
"As long as I keep taking the pills, Morning Dawnie."
She sniggered at him, "Yeah, I heard about that."
"Go and get dressed, missy. I'm getting hungry."
"Yes, master," she joked, and flounced off, trying to get her t-shirt to bounce a little. A quick glance at Xander's expression proved that she had been successful.
Getting dressed wasn't exactly a time consuming job, when all you have was the dress you were wearing the day before. She slid the t-shirt off, putting it to one side, deciding that it was hers now. The dress on, she retreated to one of the bathroom, hoping that he had some form of personal hygiene products.
"Bedroom's yours, Xan," she shouted, un-wrapping a new toothbrush found in a cupboard.
Xander pulled a fresh pair of jeans out of the drawers, and found he had to sit down to put them on, his balance was gone. The doctors had informed him that it would get better, as long as he kept trying. The more active he would be, the quicker his body would learn to deal with the loss of an eye. It was the reason he was forcing himself to go out today.
He followed Dawn's path, entering the bathroom as she entered, unwrapping another toothbrush. He had stocked up with a few of the very basics, just in case, but being male, had no idea what else to get.
They met up again in the large living room; one whole wall was a giant window, offering an unrivalled view of Sunnydale. He hadn't wanted to take the penthouse apartment, but suspected that Kyle had forced it on him, as partial payment for saving his life.
They took the elevator downstairs, in a comfortable silence. "You don't mind doing the chauffeuring today?" he asked her, dangling his keys.
They were grabbed before he could blink. "What do you think?" she grinned.
He just laughed.
A pleasant breakfast was followed by a trip to one of Sunnydale's malls.
"What are we getting from here, Xan?" Dawn asked, a little surprised that he had asked her to drive here.
"We're going to need some clothing till we can get our stuff from your sister's place."
Dawn frowned a little, and pulled him into the food court. "Sit," she commanded, before going to one of the food stands and getting a couple of drinks.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked softly, looking down at the table as she spoke. "You've got your own life to live, you don't have to take me in. I think I'd be safe with Her there."
Xander raised his hand, gently touching her chin and raising it, so he could see her eyes.
"Dawn, you are a part of my life. But it's up to you; I won't stop you from going back there."
She smiled tremulously at him, her bright eyes glistening with moisture. "Something happened yesterday, Xand and I haven't dealt with it yet. What She said hurt deeply. She's always been the person I looked up to, the one who was supposed to look out for what was best for me.
"But she accused me of trying to break up her relationship, of wanting Spike for myself. I don't want Spike! I never did, Xan."
"I know, Dawn," Xander said softly, his one eye focused on hers.
"Then yesterday, she accused me of wanting to be raped. Wanting to be raped by a vampire. What sort of sick person is she becoming? How can I feel safe around her knowing that that is what she is thinking?"
"Dawn," Xander took a deep breath. "What Buffy said yesterday, she said in anger. I'm not trying to defend what she said, just explain it. She lost her temper, that's all."
"But she always does that. Whenever anyone stands up to her, her first reaction is always to fight. Verbal or Physical, it doesn't seem to matter. I'm scared of her now. It's been going that way for some time, yesterday just seemed to finish it off."
"Dawn, I can't defend her. I don't know what she is thinking. I feel like I should be able to, but it's happened too many times now. Like I said, it's up to you. It's your decision. You're an adult now, capable of deciding for yourself what you want to do."
Dawn smiled at him, a faint sheen of tears covered her eyes. "I want to live with you. I promise to help out, do my share of the work without complaining. As you said, I'm an adult now, and I'm going to act like one."
"In that case," Xander smiled broadly, "it's time to go shopping."
He stopped suddenly, turning to her. "I'm paying, Dawn. Don't argue, and just go nuts. I don't know when we'll be able to get to pick up our clothing."
Years of being friends with a lot of girls had built up a lot of tolerance in him for shopping, and as he took Dawn around the stores, he found himself enjoying it a lot more than he had before.
Usually, Buffy and Willow would have drifted from store to store, using him more as a pack mule than a member of the group.
Dawn was totally different. She dragged him into each store with enthusiasm, then modeled each outfit for him. She was having the time of her life. She had never been on a shopping spree like this before. Money had always been tight, especially since her mother had died, and the chance to actually get exactly what she wanted was amazing.
She deliberately chose a different style for herself. Baggy jeans were out, while skirts were in. Partly, this was to show off her legs more, and partly because she wanted a more grown up style.
Each outfit she tried, Xander had something positive to say about it, although he did occasionally note if he thought something was not flattering on her. She found that, to her shock and amazement, he had a pretty good idea about fashion. Obviously, living so long with so many girls had rubbed off on him.
A few hours later, they returned to the car loaded down with clothes. She had everything from formal to lounging around the house, and was almost literally walking on air with excitement. As they put the bag in the trunk, she hugged him tightly.
"Thank You," she said, trying hard not to cry.
"Hey," he smiled, stroking her hair gently. "We've not finished yet. I need some clothes as well."
Instantly reinvigorated, Dawn pulled him back into the mall. It was then that Xander realized he was getting absolutely no choice about his clothing. She dragged him as around before, this time picking out unerringly clothing that fitted his frame and matched his eye. His original wardrobe had been built up over time, and contained many crimes against the fashion industry, something she would not permit to happen this time. This one was being built from scratch by someone who understood the basics of color coordination. As they went through the stores, Dawn lectured him about which clothing could be worn with which.
He had never enjoyed shopping for himself before, preferring to walk into a store, grab the first thing that he saw and get out quickly. This was far different, as he found himself listening to Dawn closely, memorizing color combinations and outfits, finding that he actually liked looking smart as he saw himself in a mirror.
The final stop was to pick him up a couple of suits for work. Dawn discussed with great details color, style and fabric with the tailor, which Xander listened in with great amusement. Eventually, once Dawn and the tailor had come to an agreement, Xander had his measurements taken and a promise that the suits would be ready in a week. As he wasn't planning on going back to work for at least that long, it wasn't a problem.
While Dawn was looking around at the ties, the tailor came up to him, and said with a smile, "I must congratulate you on your girlfriend's taste. It's rare to find someone so young who understands the difference between a good suit and a great suit."
Dawn hovered near by, pretending not to pay attention, waiting for Xander to reply.
Xander smiled, "Yeah, she took one look at my standard wardrobe and decided I needed a complete new one. She's got really good taste."
Dawn felt her heart flip, as she realized he hadn't denied that she was his girlfriend.
Xander checked his watch, and realized they still had a lot to do. "Come on, Dawn," he called. "We need to get a new TV."
Only through great concentration did Dawn manage to walk over to him, her original desire to either float or bounce firmly squashed.
As they walked out of the store, she asked, "A new TV?"
"Yeah, you probably didn't notice, but I never bothered to get one." His eye gleamed, an expression that caused Dawn's heart to jump into her throat. For the first time, he had an expression similar to one of days before, a happy one.
Dawn smiled at him, "Come on then, Xan. If you're lucky, I'll let you buy a new game system as well. And maybe a stereo and a DVD player."
"WooHoo," he cheered, "come on Dawnmeister." Xander took off towards an electronics shop, the large bags trailing out from all angles. Dawn laughed and followed.
They exploded into a Sony store, to the obvious displeasure of a salesman.
"Can I help?" he asked, his attitude clearly stating that he hoped he couldn't. Xander was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and had half his head bandaged. Dawn was wearing her light dress, and her hair was floating around in a way that Xander occasionally found himself watching.
"Yes," Dawn said clearly, "I want a 46" plasma flat screen TV, with a DVD player, a Playstation 2, a discreet sound station with flat panel speakers and a smaller flat screen for a bedroom. And I want to be served by someone without an attitude problem."
The salesman blinked at her, his mouth opening and shutting as he tried to think of something to say. To his misfortune, another younger salesman, who had taken the time to look at the sheer amount of bags they had been carrying, quickly stepped in. "Certainly, Ma'am, if you'll step this way, I'll be happy to show you our range of products."
Favoring him with a regal smile, Dawn followed him to one side. Amused, Xander trailed after them. He had thought he knew her, both his real and his implanted memories of her were comprehensive, so he had presumed that he had Dawn Summers figured out. He now realized how wrong he had been. A quick glance at the shell shocked first salesman had him trying hard not to giggle.
The next five minutes were a revelation for him, as Dawn discussed the different TV's and sound systems. Keeping quiet, he let her handle everything.
Dawn was having the time of her life, she'd spent some time last year planning the ultimate bedroom for herself. She'd spent ages on Willow's computer, surfing the internet for technology, and had learnt a lot.
"Hey, Honey," she looked at Xander. "Does your apartment have an internet connection?"
Xander raised his one working eyebrow at her term of endearment. "Yes, the building shares a T-1 connection, there's an Ethernet jack next to the phone line."
Dawn turned back to the salesman, "Ok, we'll want a couple of Vaio laptops with wireless Ethernet cards, and a wireless hub to finish off with."
Another discussion followed, which lost Xander after the first few seconds. He hadn't heard anyone techno-babble like that since Willow a few years back.
Dawn turned to Xander, and he could see a small amount of shock in her eyes. Almost reluctantly, she passed on the total to him. He smiled a little, and, to the huge disappointment of the original salesman, pulled out his Amex card and handed it to her without a word.
Her eyes went wide, a look that was a plain mixture of shock and pleasure appeared.
Xander found that he liked that expression. A lot. Something had changed with Dawn, but he wasn't sure what it was.
Turning back to the salesman, who, a few days ago, she might have flirted with while looking for a date, she decided that it was time to save Xander some money. What followed was a virtuoso display in negotiation, as she bargained, flirted and threatened to get up and leave. In the end, the manager came out and they agreed on a 7% discount, with free delivery and installation for the next day.
That concluded, she handed over Xander's card, and let him sign for it.
They then walked out, leaving behind one very pleased salesman, who saw his commission for the week go through the roof, one pleased manager, who saw his store sales for week reach a new record, and one gutted salesman, who had none of these things, and, to finish off his day, was called into the manager's office and given a large talking to about not pre-judging a customer.
"Are you sure you're ok with that, Xan?" Dawn was beginning to feel really guilty. She had got totally carried away, and had just spent over $1000 for every minute she had been in that store.
"You've just spent my completion bonus for my last project," Xander said with a grin, "So don't worry about it. I was planning on kitting out the apartment with modern stuff, and I'm just glad that you made sure I wasn't ripped off."
Dawn's smile was incredibly bright. "You know, if you ever want to really piss off Buffy, Willow and Spike, you should invite them around one day."
Xander laughed his agreement.
As they walked back to the car, Xander once again tried to work out what exactly had changed in their relationship.
Yesterday morning, Dawn had been a kid, a close friend of his, but a kid. In less than twenty four hours, she had decided to move out of home and had spent the night looking after him. She'd then proved to be an interesting, fun and insightful companion, who had made the day one of the most enjoyable he could remember. She had followed it all up by showing him how to buy clothes, then, taken complete control, with a put down of a salesman he only dreamed of doing, of his electronic buying. And she did it all with a charm that endeared her to virtually all the salespeople they had dealt with, who had congratulated him on his girlfriend.
Girlfriend.
He wasn't sure why he hadn't denied it when the term was used.
Before today, he would have said, 'She's like a sister to me.' Perhaps it was because of his injury, that he wanted some sort of pride to have a beautiful young girl at his side. He knew he shouldn't be thinking about her as beautiful - he had practically helped raise her.
Besides, she was over her crush on him.
Wasn't she?
The successful visit to the Mall had been followed by an equally successful visit to a grocery store. Both Dawn and Xander had silently agreed to actually try and buy decent food. Microwave pizzas had been dumped in favor of differing cuts of meat, salads and items from the delicatessen. Bottles of coke were supplemented by bottles of water, orange juice and a four pack of beer.
Almost mournfully, Xander had looked at the trolley of food and said, "I miss junkfood."
Dawn had laughed and nudged him, "you're a big boy now Xand, you have to get big boy food."
Xander had laughed, and ignored the rude stare of the cashier who was fascinated by the bandages swathed around his head.
As Xander still couldn't drive, he handed Dawn his keys and told her to go to school on her own. With a bright smile, she dropped a kiss on his cheek and vanished out the door.
The apartment suddenly seemed a lot quieter than it had a few minutes before. He opened his briefcase and tried to concentrate on the contracts inside. He was partially successful, as the time passed reasonably quickly. The only interruption came from the Sony delivery men.
He watched with great interest as the flat screen TV was hung on a wall and a DVD player hidden in a stylish cabinet next door. The stand-alone music system looked like it belonged in 'Total Recall'. He spent 5 minutes waving his hand in front of it, watching as the sensors opened and shut the CD holder. Small things amused small minds, and he knew he had the smallest, at times.
One of the advantages of buying from one store was that everything worked together. The DVD and TV hooked up to the stereo, with the flat panel speakers displayed neatly in each corner of the room actually looked more art deco than pieces of technology.
Dawn pulled in to the students' car park, grateful again that she was early enough to have an easy space to pull the huge car into. She slid out, carefully keeping her skirt down, and walked towards the building.
Her demeanor was very different to what it had been on Friday. She had a slight smile on her face, Xander's Raybans perched on her nose, and walked with a confident stride that the teenager had not possessed a few days before. The tight jeans and cropped t-shirts had been replaced by a smart skirt that fell to just above her knees, and a light blouse that only had two of the three standard buttons undone.
"Hey Dawn, looking good," one of a group of guys wearing Sunnydale Football team jackets called. At least, that's what she hoped he said, as her Neanderthal was not currently up to date.
She threw a polite smile at him, and continued on her path. She wasn't interested in playing the high school dating game anymore. She had a much bigger target to aim her affections at: persuading Xander that she was date-worthy material.
"What's happened to her?" one of the jocks asked another.
"She's got an older boyfriend," one of them said with a rare moment of insight. "New clothes, new car and new confidence. All points to the same thing."
"I didn't realize how hot she was! I think I'll get close to her, so I can 'console' her when the older guy dumps her."
Ribald laughter followed that statement. It was a curious aspect of high school that, as soon as a girl became unavailable, she became a lot more attractive. Especially if this was due to an older boyfriend. It was probably the idea that an older boyfriend would want certain acts to take place, and younger girls had a habit of performing these acts.
"What the hell happened to you?"
Dawn grinned. "Moved in with Xander."
"No Way!"
"Yep, but you can't tell anyone. Promise me, Chrissy."
The smaller blonde looked at her friend. "Are you sleeping with him?"
"No!" Dawn's voice was shocked, avoiding the fact that she wanted to. "Look, Buffy and I had a major blow up. She accused me of something that was totally untrue, of wanting to break up her relationship with her boyfriend. She then announced that she was marrying him, and Xander told her she was being stupid. Her boyfriend is a complete jerk, spends all day hanging around and goes out at night, getting into fights. They had a massive fight over it, that ended with Buffy's fiancé beating Xander up pretty badly. The guy makes me really nervous, so Xander offered to let me live with him. He's got a new apartment."
"Where you get to play nursemaid to a cute older guy?"
Dawn giggled. "Yeah. He took me shopping yesterday, and brought me a whole new wardrobe. It was so cool."
"Lucky bitch!"
"Oi," Dawn knocked her friend into a locker with a grin, before grabbing her hands. "His new apartment didn't have a TV, so he let me chose a new one for him. We went to that new Sony store and he brought $20,000 worth of stuff, his apartment is going to be the coolest place in the world."
"And you're falling for him, big time?"
Dawn's face lost its smile. She pulled her friend into a deserted classroom. "Not falling, fallen. I'm in love with him."
This wasn't the first time that Dawn had made a statement like that, normally about a fellow student. It was the first time it had been said with absolute conviction.
Chrissy stared intently into Dawn's eyes, searching for something. "Ok, I won't say anything. Until your birthday, anyway."
"Thanks, you're the best."
Xander put the documents back down; the legal jargon sometimes made him wonder exactly why he given up building. Creating something with your hands was a lot less stressful than dealing with lawyers.
He pulled out his cell phone, as a quick scan of the apartment had revealed that he was missing a standard land line. He dialed a number from memory and waited for it to be answered.
"Sunnydale High School," a perky voice said.
"Could you put me through to Principal Wood please? My name is Xander Harris."
"I'll just see if he is available, Mr. Harris. Please hold."
Sunnydale High School was not the richest in the world, so there was no music for Xander to listen to as he waited, just a beep every 30 seconds told him he was still connected.
"Xander, What can I do for you?" The friendly voice of the Principal surprised him.
"A situation has come up; I need to meet you after school today. I can come to your office."
"Ok, around 4:30?"
"That's fine, thanks."
"No problem, Xander, see you later."
Checking the time, Xander dialed another number from memory.
"Hey Dawn Patrol, how's school going?"
"Ok. What d'ya need, Xandman?"
"You, to pick me up straight after school and bring me back for a meeting with Wood."
"What are you seeing him for?"
"To explain why you are living with me. I want to see if we can head off any problems that Spike might cause."
"Ok, I'll leave as soon as I can. See you later."
"Thanks, Dawn."
Dawn hung up her phone, a bright smile on her face.
"From someone who normally has to have her frown surgically removed, you're looking pretty damn happy."
Dawn grinned. "Xander's meeting the Principal later, to make sure there won't be a problem with me staying with him."
"Cool! So that's why you look like the cats that got the cream, gone back for the strawberries and ended up with Wimbledon tickets."
"You are very weird!"
"Why thank you, my dear Dawn. So, when are you going to invite me to see this new apartment, and what's it like anyway?"
"You know that new apartment block on East 17?"
"It's there? Damn, Dawnie, talk about landing on your feet! That place is gorgeous."
"He has the penthouse apartment, it's got 4 bedrooms, all with en-suite bathrooms, a huge kitchen, a dining room, and a humongous living room with a window wall that you can see all of Sunnydale from."
"When did you forget to mention that he is rich? If I'd known that, I'd have gone after him myself."
"Whore," Dawn grinned teasingly.
"Hey, I'm not the one shacked up with an older guy. I'm not the one with a new SUV parked outside. I'm not the one who's got a brand new wardrobe."
Dawn shrugged, and flicked her hair; she stood and moved off, ready to go to class. She turned, looking over her shoulder at her best friend. "If you haven't got it, don't be jealous of those of us who have."
Chrissy laughed loudly, and then ran to catch up with her. "I don't know if I should mention this, Sugar, but you are attracting a butt load of attention."
"What do you mean?" Dawn asked, confused.
"You've shot way up the school hierarchy."
"Huh? How? Actually, I don't care about that anymore."
"Dawn, Dawn, Dawn," Chrissy sighed, "I can't believe your education has been so lacking.
"Last week, you were available. You flirted with the right people, you ignored the wrong people. You followed the rules, you wore the correct clothing. As such, you were pretty much ignored by the guys, mainly because they hadn't gotten around to you yet. You were near the bottom of the pecking order.
"Now, you've got new clothes, new confidence, a new smile, which, by the way, is blowing people away. Rumor already has it that you are dating a college guy, and a rich one at that.
"No, I didn't say anything, so drop that look immediately, Ms Summers! Anyway, you've gone from being available to being *very* unavailable. In the twisted intellects of the boys and girls who go to this place, this means that you are now *wanted*. The girls will be friends with you, partly so that they can check if you are planning on stealing their boyfriends, and partly to see how you hooked a college guy, and to see if they can copy you and get one themselves. The guys will hang around you hoping that when your relationship fails, you'll turn to one of them for comfort. They'll then be lifted up the ladder because they will have replaced a college student. It's all completely logical."
"Logical?" Dawn looked stunned. "It's stupid and pointless. I'm not interested in that."
"And that's the biggest change, and why you will go even higher. You've suddenly obtained a degree of maturity that the other girls haven't got. Which makes the guys chase after you even more."
"Won't that make the girls hate me?" Dawn asked, getting really confused.
"Of course not. They'll want to learn everything they can from you, so that they can copy you and get the same respect. Of course, there will be the back stabbers, but as long as you keep your original friends, me, close, you'll be fine."
Dawn shook her head. "So what am I supposed to do about all of this?"
"That's the best part - nothing at all. Just keep turning up to school wearing smart and slightly sexy clothing, ignore the guys, be friendly to the girls and keep that smile on your face.
"Oh, and ignore it when the bitches call you a whore."
"What? Wait a second! Where did that last bit come from?"
"I may have glossed over that a little," Chrissy admitted, enjoying the confused look on her friend's face. "The school bitches will try and bring you down a peg; it's their way of boosting themselves and retaining control."
"You haven't made any sense at all," Dawn groaned.
"Look, if someone does insult you, just remember that violence is the answer."
As if on cue, their progress to their English class was halted. Three girls, in outfits that would have made the legendary Cordelia Chase approve, stood in front of them.
"Well look what we have here," the lead girl, Porsche, announced loudly, calling attention to herself. She took her position as Queen of Sunnydale High very seriously, and hearing that someone else had a college boyfriend, while she was only dating the Quarterback, meant she had to react quickly to knock this girl down.
"I hear you've got a new boyfriend, who's buying you lots of little presents. Tell me, has he taught you that fucking him is the only acceptable payment yet?"
Her hangers-on giggled at the insult.
Her friend's last piece of advice firmly in her mind, Dawn took a step forward and punched Porsche, hard, catching her right on the chin, knocking her to the ground. "No, he taught me how to lock my wrist when I punch. I leave that other sort of behavior to you, and the blow jobs you gave the entire football team for winning the last game."
With a dismissive flick of her hair, Dawn stepped around the fallen cheerleader and continued on her way to class. She ignored the cheers that followed her.
As they entered the classroom, Chrissy dropped to her knees and starting bowing, in true 'Wayne's World' style.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Dawn, I didn't actually mean that you should really hit someone. I was joking. But that was brilliant! A cool punch, a classic put down, then walking off as if nothing happened. You just broke every rule in the high school book, and pulled it off brilliantly. I thought that you were a no-hoper, forever destined to be near the middle of the ladder. By the end of the day, you'll be a queen."
Dawn groaned, sitting down and holding her head. "I don't want this. All I want to do is get through school as quickly as possible, then go home and work on getting Xander to fall in love with me."
Chrissy sat down next to her, patting her back softly. "I know, Sugar, but look how grateful the local store owners are going to be. You've just inspired a whole generation of teenagers to dress with class."
The school bell rang, so Dawn lifted her head, getting her notebook out. As the rest of the class entered, she was inundated with smiles and greetings, mostly from people who had never before bothered to notice her.
The rest of the day passed by in a blur. She now had a slightly flushed expression that actually added to her looks. People she had never met took the time to stop and say 'Hi', party invitations were handed out like they were confetti, and offers of hanging out and shopping were dropped at every opportunity. With a polite and friendly smile, she turned them all down, saying that she had plans. Of course, this just added to her mythos, and it was a very confused Dawn who eventually escaped to Xander's car.
Noticing she was running a little late, she hooked her cell phone up to the car's hand free system and called Xander.
"Xan, I'm running a little late. Can you meet me downstairs? I'll be there in five."
"Sure, Dawn, see you in a bit."
Xander had spent a very positive afternoon on the phone. After a bit of weaseling, the insurance company had eventually agreed that his doctor's records were adequate, and his policy did cover loss of eyes due to muggings. The police report, while sketchy, was completely enough for him to file his claim, leaving the company with very little room to maneuver. They did try, but when he got the construction company lawyers to drop them a line, they changed their tune very quickly. He suspected that the agent who sold him the policies was now going to get a very firm talking to. Not that he cared; the payoff was going to be astronomical.
His bosses had also been very understanding. Like most of Xander's friends, they had been introduced to Sunnydale's night life in a most unfortunate way. Displaying a hitherto unknown use for a builders shovel, Xander had dealt with the incident with as little fuss as possible. His first promotion to managerial level had been another reward that he had tried to turn down, but he was told to accept it or he would be sacked.
His subsequent promotions, though, had all been due to the sheer competence the carpenter possessed. The owners of PJH Construction had been delighted; not only had the brown-eyed young man saved their lives, but he had then proved to be a genius at contract negotiations, as well as a whiz at getting difficult projects finished on time and under budget.
With his knowledge of the night, Xander had also worked closely with the architects. The result? It was becoming well known, if whispered, that the PJH construction buildings were the safest in town, resulting in a huge boost in business.
Unknown to the modest young man, the owners were already thinking about changing the name from PJH to PJHX Construction. Peter, James and Harry being the original three owners.
With his finances extremely healthy, Xander had spent half an hour debating a decision. Should he pay off the Summers' mortgage, leaving Buffy and Willow in a much better state?
In the end, he decided to put off the decision for now. Despite everything that had happened, there was still a tiny voice inside him that told him to give them another chance. It was almost drowned out by the hurt and anger of many years abuse of their friendship, but it was still there. That was the only reason he didn't just say 'no' and move on.
Xander had always been generous. Even when he hadn't had anything, he had willingly given everything he had to others, to help with whatever they needed. So it wasn't a surprise that, now he had money, he didn't think about how much he was spending on Dawn, only about what she needed.
When he went back to work next week, he would need his car. As he usually worked late, he wouldn't be able to pick her up from school. With perfect logic, this meant that he would simply buy her a new car. Possible repercussions of such an act never crossed his mind. A member of his family needed something and he could get it for them. That was the only thing that mattered.
He waited outside for Dawn to pick him up, absently focusing on different objects, trying to get used to the difference in how he saw things. It was better than yesterday, although his eye socket had started to ache. He had been told that this would happen, and that he would have to be fitted with an artificial eye after a while. The only good thing about the situation was that if he wore dark glasses, no one would be able to tell that he only had one eye.
Dawn pulled to a stop next to him, and he climbed in slowly.
The journey back to school was filled with conversation about the day. Dawn told her about her classes, leaving out the strange things that had happened out of class. Xander told her about the new equipment that had been installed. He mentioned that the two laptops were unopened, waiting for her to do...something... with them.
She laughed at his technophobia, asking him if he was the next Giles. He had looked so horrified at the suggestion that Dawn had had to pull the car over for a minute till she stopped laughing.
She reluctantly agreed to wait in the car while Xander went to the Principals office.
The route was very familiar; years of attending the school with a less than perfect disciplinary record had meant that he had trod this path on numerous occasions. At least the friendly face of the Principal Robin Wood was better than the face of the disgusting troll Snyder, the principal in his day.
"What the hell happened to you?" Were the polite words he was greeted with.
A faint smile flickered onto Xander's face as he sat down. "Long story."
"You want a coffee first?" the principal asked.
"Nah, been drinking the damn stuff all day, I'm so caffeine'd up that I could walk up that wall."
Wood laughed. "Ok Xan, let me have it."
Xander settled back in to the chair, noticing it was a lot more comfortable than the ones Snyder had employed.
"Buffy has gotten engaged to Spike."
The normally cool Principal gaped at Xander, his jaw dropping almost to the floor. "She's done what? No! Don't answer that!" He got to his feet, pacing around the room. "I thought, well, hoped, that she was over him."
Xander shook his head. "Nope."
Muttering to himself, Wood sat back down, slumping a little. He reached into the lower desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He poured himself a shot glass full, and offered one to Xander, who declined.
Knocking it back, he then looked at the young man in front of him. "Continue!"
Xander obeyed the command, explaining everything that had happened, not leaving anything out.
"So, after leaving the hospital, we went back to my apartment, and Dawn's going to live with me now."
The Principal nodded slowly, considering the situation. His first reaction to being told an underage student was moving in with an older man would have been a fast phone call to social services. This, however, was *very* different. He held a lot of respect for Xander, and completely agreed that Dawn should be nowhere near Spike. He hated the blonde vampire with a passion that was unrivalled by anything else in his life, as the vampire had killed his mother.
"You want me to change her address on the school records and list you as her official guardian?"
Xander nodded. "Please."
Wood frowned a little, then made a decision. "Xander, it's not that I don't trust you, but I need to speak to Dawn first, and make sure she is ok with this."
"Of course," he shrugged, having expected it. "I'll call her in."
A few minutes later, the pretty young girl entered nervously. Xander gave her a smile, and told her he'd wait outside while they talked.
"Dawn, I asked you in because I have to make sure that Xander's not pressuring you to move out. That this is really what you want."
She smiled at him. "Did he tell you what Buffy said about me?"
Wood shook his head. Xander had mentioned it, but he wanted to hear it from her directly. "She accused me of wanting to be raped by Spike."
The fury in Dawn's voice revealed a lot more to the Principal than he had expected. He recognized it as a similar hatred of the Vampire to his own.
"What's Xander's apartment like?"
"Huge four bedroom place in the new block on East 17. He has the penthouse suite."
"And you have your own room?"
"Of course," Dawn said. "Xander doesn't think of me that way." She said the absolute truth, and not many people would have heard the faint sadness in her voice.
While he asked her a few more inconsequential questions, the principal started to pull his thoughts together. Dawn was safer with Xander than with just about anyone else he could think of. The man would do everything in his power to protect her, that was a given. It was Dawn that was concerning him a little. He knew she was a level headed girl, and was not far from Slayer level herself when it came to power and ability. He recognized the sadness in her voice when she had said that Xander didn't think about her that way. He also heard a completely unsaid 'yet' that she had tried to hide.
He smiled to himself. He liked the young man, a lot, and he also knew he had a very clear view on Vampires. Dust them all and let someone else sort out the mess. He also knew part of Xander's history with unhappy romances. This girl, who was looking much more like a woman these days, he admitted to himself, would be very good for the younger man. It was probably slightly sexist, he admitted to himself, but if Xander had been chasing Dawn, he would have whisked Dawn out of his grasp so fast it would have left an imprint. But with Dawn doing the chasing, and Xander not having a clue, the situation was very different.
"You like him, don't you?"
Dawn went bright red, as she tried to stammer a denial. He smiled softly at her, "All I'd ask is that you don't do anything inappropriate till you are 18."
As Dawn's face fell, he continued. "It's only a couple of months, Dawn. I'm going to change the records so that Xander is listed as you're guardian. He'll receive all the stuff that would normally go to your parents. I suggest that you keep the illusion that you have a College boyfriend for now. You can always reveal that it's Xander later."
Dawn smiled at him, He'd always been nice to her, even when he had argued with Spike and she'd tried to defend the Vampire. "I still have the same problem, though," she admitted. "How do I get Xander to like me, like that?"
Wood laughed, more than a little amused. "I'm the wrong person to ask, Dawn. All I will say is to be yourself. It might take him some time, but he will eventually see that you have grown up. I suspect that you have made a good start with your new clothes."
"Xander took me shopping. All my old ones are at her house."
"Oh, one more thing Dawn. While I shouldn't condone violence in school, I admire your restraint in only hitting her lightly. Your full strength could have done a lot of damage." His voice was stern. "Violence is not an answer"
"However, no complaints were made, and no teachers saw the incident, so you're off the hook. Just don't let it happen again," he warned.
Dawn nodded, wondering how he knew about it. She stood and walked to the door.
"Oh Dawn?" Wood smiled, losing his Principle persona. "Good luck. Xander needs a girlfriend."
She blushed prettily again, grinned at him and walked out, letting Xander back in.
"Ok, as far as this school is concerned, Dawn is now your responsibility. I would recommend you talk to Buffy, to make sure they don't accuse you of kidnapping or anything else."
"Thanks," Xander replied. "I'm planning on going around next to have a chat with them." He smiled bitterly, "I'm really not looking forward to it."
Wood watched them walk together away from his office, the tall brunette construction worker and the smaller form of the Slayer's sister. He raised his glass, toasting them. "Your life's about to get a lot more complicated, Xander. But the rewards are more than you can imagine. I wish you both good luck and God speed."
"Dawn, drive us over to your sister's house. We'll pick up our clothing and then get the hell out of there as fast as we can."
Dawn looked nervous, "I'm not sure that I want to face them yet. It was only two days ago that this all blew up."
"I know, Dawnie, but I need to have a talk with Buffy, Willow and Spike."
The journey to Revello Drive was filled with a nervous tension.
Dawn pulled into the driveway, next to Spike's pimp mobile. Xander pulled out a brown envelope from the glove compartment and placed it in the inside pocket of his jacket.
"Dawn, don't volunteer any information. Feel free to look as smug as you like, just don't tell them where we are living."
"Ok, Xan," she replied, biting her lower lip nervously.
Xander shook himself, wondering why he found that strangely alluring.
The door opened as the approached it, Buffy and Willow stood watching them.
As Xander climbed out of the SUV, they couldn't miss the large bandages wrapped around his head. A flash of guilt shot through the two girls, but they remembered that Xander was never hurt seriously.
A bruise here, a sprain there and a broken arm was pretty much the sum total of his injuries in all the time he had fought by their side.
They had seen Xander cut his head on a table. They hadn't been called from the Hospital, and they hadn't checked. They simply presumed that it was a semi-serious cut to his forehead.
"Come crawling back?" Buffy asked, immediately on the offensive, trying to offset a little of the guilt she was feeling. "Got nowhere to live?"
Somehow, Buffy's hostility had a positive effect on Dawn. She wasn't going to let this skank get away with insulting her future boy friend.
Dawn smirked at her sister, then looked down at her own smart, expensive clothes, then looked at Buffy's faded jeans and old top. The implication was obvious, and her sister's expression darkened.
"We're here to pick up our clothing, then we're gone again," Xander said firmly.
"Fine," Buffy half sighed, showing them into the living room.
They walked in, to see Spike waiting for them. The room was dark and gloomy due to the blackout curtains Xander had erected a few weeks before.
"Droopy," Spike spat. "Dawn will not be living with you. She's moving back in here, where she belongs with her sister."
"Like hell I am, you fucking rapist," Dawn responded, her insult carrying more weight because she didn't shout it.
Spike snarled, his face vamping out as he took a step forwards.
Xander took a step to one side, while calmly reaching behind his back. With a smooth motion, he pulled a gun out and shot Spike in the stomach. Well, he *meant* to shoot the stomach, but with only one eye, it was hard to aim. The vampire made a high pitched keening sound and dropped to the floor, clutching his crotch.
Dawn actually laughed. She was as shocked as Buffy and Willow, but there was such a feeling of justice in Xander's movements that she couldn't help herself.
Anything Buffy was going to do was immediately halted as Xander pointed the barrel of the gun at her.
"Don't even think about trying any magic, Willow," Xander's growled softly, his eye not leaving Buffy. "I know all your signs, and one hint of a spell and I'll shoot."
Buffy fumed, desperately wanting to jump at him, but aware that even she probably wouldn't survive a point blank shot.
"I suggest that we move into the kitchen, and discuss this like reasonable adults."
Against her will, Buffy turned around and walked towards the kitchen, Willow following.
As quickly as possible, Xander changed the ammunition clip in his gun. "Those were regular bullets," he growled at the incapacitated vampire. "These are blessed bullets. I have no idea if they will dust you or not, but I'm more than willing to put a couple in your dead heart and find out."
Xander walked off, leaving him rocking on the ground. He entered the kitchen and sat at the table. Dawn moved her chair so that she sat next to him, offering and receiving support.
"Lover boy will be fine," Xander announced. "His vampiric healing will have him back to normal within thirty minutes. And considering what he did to me. I think that's just a little of the payback he has coming.
"But I didn't come here to discuss Spike, I came here to make sure you people didn't do something stupid," he told the two women who were sitting on the opposite side of the table, staring at him as if they didn't know who, or what, he was.
"What do you mean?" Willow asked, hardly recognizing the cold stranger in front of her.
Xander sighed patiently, "I'm sure that by now Spike has made several suggestions for getting Dawn back under his control. Let me guess, a call to the police and child welfare complaining that I've kidnapped her and am raping her?"
Flashes of guilt appeared in both Buffy and Willow's eyes as his remarks hit home.
"I thought so. Listen very carefully, because this will be the only time you hear this. This is what is going to happen if you do anything like that.
"First, a doctor's report will be produced showing that Dawn is still a virgin.
"Secondly, my lawyers will file with the local courts a motion to declare Dawn an emancipated minor. This will be based on Buffy's extensive criminal record, her failure to maintain gainful employment for any length of time, her ongoing associations with people of low moral character and the fact that she's been suspected of both assault and murder.
"Thirdly, the IRS will be notified of Spike's status, including the facts of how he appears to support you without a job, and how he hasn't ever paid taxes.
"Fourthly, the INS will be notified of Spike's status as an illegal alien. I somehow doubt that he's got a valid green card, all things considered.
"All of this will take over a year before it is settled, within which time Dawn will be 18 and legally entitled to make her own decisions. In which case, I will direct my lawyers to sue you for slander and defamation of character.
"And finally, the police will receive evidence that Willow has been committing statutory rape."
Buffy and Willow paled, shocked expressions appearing on their face, but Xander hadn't finished yet.
He pulled out the envelope he had placed in his jacket earlier. Opening it, he started placing pictures and pieces of paper down on the table.
Buffy and Spike kissing passionately.
Buffy and Spike in the Bronze, fighting.
A copy of Kennedy's birth certificate.
A picture of Willow and Kennedy kissing passionately, with Willow's hands on her partner's chest.
Buffy and Spike, together, in public, engaged in an act that should have been confined to a bedroom.
Spike, naked from the waist up, thrusting his crotch at the S.I.T's.
"The negatives of these pictures are being held by my lawyers," He said quietly.
"This isn't you," Willow croaked, unable to take her eyes from the picture.
"You don't know who I am," Xander snapped. His one eye glared at them, showing exactly how furious he was.
"What do I do for a living?"
Buffy and Willow looked at each other.
"You're a carpenter?" Willow ventured, a bit uncertainly.
"I was a carpenter, two years ago. I'm now one of the vice presidents of PJH construction. You really don't know me. All you had to do was ask. Well, it's way too late for that now.
"Dawn, go and start packing."
The green eyed girl got a lot of pleasure at seeing her sister and ex-friend appear so shell shocked. She ran up the stairs and started to pack, grabbing a suitcase from under the bed. She didn't actually pack that much clothing. Their shopping trip had been very comprehensive, after all, and she wanted to stay as far away from 'young Dawn' clothing as she possibly could.
She filled the suitcase with pictures and mementoes, mainly of her mother, favorite books, stuff needed for school, her favorite CD's and pretty much everything else she couldn't leave behind. She dragged the case to the stairs, shocked by how heavy it was.
Looking down, she could see that Xander was still sitting with the other two girls, so she walked into his room and started packing for him. While she did pack some of his clothes, she conveniently left out some of his wilder experiments. She examined his suit and turned her nose up at it, cheap and off the shelf. He would look *much* better in the ones they had arranged for him.
She then examined his pictures, one by one. A lot were of Buffy, Willow and Anya, and he even had a couple of Cordelia and Giles. What did surprise her was how many he had of her. She found a huge smile forming on her face as she realized that there was as many of her as there were of Buffy and Willow. And while Buffy and Willow were often photographed together, she was on her own in most of them.
"I knew it," she whispered to herself. "I've just got to get you to realize now."
Picking up his suitcase, she dragged it next to hers. Then, with a grunt, she picked both up. Thankful that she had some residual Slayer strength she carried them down the stairs into the kitchen.
"I packed yours as well, Xand."
"Thanks Dawnie," he said, shooting her a grateful look.
"You bastard," Spike shouted, appearing in the doorway. Xander reacted instantly again. In a split second he had his gun in hand, and in moment of mercy, for Buffy, not for Spike, he shot the vampire in the knee. He compensated for his vision this time, and hit the vampire perfectly, blowing out his kneecap. The sound of the shot echoed around the room, as the peroxide blonde fell to the floor once more.
"It burns, it burns," he cried in agony.
"The bullets work then?" Xander sounded interested.
Spike's response was a series of invectives that showed the length and breadth of his knowledge of expletives.
Xander looked firmly at the still stunned Buffy and Willow. "You have made your decisions, now live with them."
With a hint of reluctance, he pulled one last peace of paper out of the envelope and laid it on top.
"Now, we're even."
He stood up and grabbed one of the suitcases.
"Come on Dawn." His voice was radically different as he talked to the younger Summers.
"Wait," Buffy said, "Where are you staying?"
"My apartment." Xander's face twisted into an evil grin.
"Where's that?"
"Get Willow to find out, if she remembers how to do something other than use Google."
They sat in silence for a few minutes, digesting what had just happened.
"Damn, Xander, I don't know what to say."
Xander moved his head so he could see her expression. Thinking that she disapproved, he mentally collected the defenses he thought he would need.
"That was amazing," she continued happily. "I can't believe you shot Spike like that."
"I was aiming for his stomach," the brunette replied honestly.
"Xander, I just want to say, thanks for everything you are doing."
"I told you before, Dawn. Your safety is the most important thing to me. You couldn't be safe with Spike in that house."
Dawn decided to accept this for now, and just bide her time till she had an opportunity to show her gratitude properly.
"Where did you get those pictures from?" she asked, changing the subject.
Xander shrugged. "I had Andrew drop them round earlier."
A surprised expression appeared on the green eyed girl's face. "Andrew? What happened to him? I haven't seen him since Giles and the S.I.T's went to New York."
"He's back in College, being sponsored by PJH Construction. He helps us out with some of the more proactive anti-vampire defenses our buildings have, and in return, he gets his fees paid, a small apartment to live in, rent free, and a small stipend to keep him busy. He's actually getting straight A's, now that he's not under Warren's thumb all the time. When he graduates, he's going to work for us full time, as head of our Supernatural Defense department. He's got too much experience to waste, and if handled properly, will make a great ally.
"The picture of Buffy and Spike was from Warren's personal collection. After Willow fried that murdering scumbag, we went through all of his stuff together. I think it was cathartic for Andrew.
"Anyway, it seems that Warren had a large collection of these pictures, taken by a network of hidden cameras he had set up around the town.
"I destroyed most of the images, but I thought it was a good idea to keep a few, just in case."
"What happened to all of the cameras?" Dawn asked, carefully negotiating the SUV through a stop sign.
"We rewired them, added a thermal camera overlaid onto a normal camera, and hooked up a motion detector. Whenever they detect movement without a body temperature, they set off an alarm at the PJH control centre, where it is assessed, and if necessary, a security team is sent to neutralize the threat."
Dawn checked the mirrors on her car, then swerved violent, pulling into a McDonald's car park, swinging the car into a parking slot and pulling to a stop, hard. She undid her seatbelt and turned to face Xander, the shock on her face making her eyes seem incredibly large.
"You're telling me that you have a private firm dealing with Vampires? Based on a city wide network of Vampire sensors?"
Xander nodded. "You think that Buffy suddenly started having an easier life just because the first went 'Poof'?"
"Does Giles know?"
"Of course. How do you think he knows the best place to patrol? He gets a SitRep before each patrol, and our number on his cell phone speed-dial."
"Giles doesn't have a cell phone."
"Of course he does, he just doesn't like using it."
Dawn slid her right leg underneath her, settling in and making herself comfortable, sensing that this conversation might take a while. "Isn't that like the Initiative?"
Xander grinned. "Nah, I've never been to a farm in my life, and I have a personality.
"Sunnydale is a strange place, Dawn. We've had the highest death rate in the country for years, but it's always been covered up, first by the Mayor, then by incompetence as people simply stopped believing the stories.
"I've got to admit that it was a bit of a shock to find out that most of the police are not like the unlamented Detective Stein.
"I was at a corporate function around six months ago, when I was approached by a police sergeant called Steve Morris. He'd been friends with Pete Johnson for some time - Pete's one of my bosses. Anyway, Pete had told him, over several beers, about Vampires, and had expected Steve to laugh. Turns out that half of the Sunnydale police force have been trying to fight vampires for around a year, but received no support at all.
"We talked for a few hours, and it gave me an idea. I pitched it to Pete and the others, and they gave me the backing to re-jig the security team we had.
"I got Steve involved first, laid out the all the cards on the table, and he joined instantly. We then raided the police force. We selectively offered new jobs to the people who had experienced the dark and felt like they wanted to help.
"With Steve involved, we had 100% acceptance rate. We now have a waiting list of people wanting to join. People can only get on the list with the recommendation of two existing members; it helps create a feeling of teamwork and inter-reliability.
"Of course, we pay very good salaries, with great insurance benefits. These people are helping keep the night safe, so they deserve to be looked after. We pass the costs onto our customers, the ones who are willing to pay for safety.
"We've just started to hire armourers, shown them vampires, demons and the like and how to destroy them, given them a large budget and sent them off to brainstorm. The blessed bullets were their first idea, but they're working on all sorts of other things too.
"We have a chapel in the Head Office, Father O'Reilly is on full time call for blessings, exorcisms and any thing else that might be needed. He's also our liaison with the Catholic Church.
"For far too long Sunnydale has been an open town for Vampires. Well, as far as I am concerned, it's damn well time that changed. I'm fed up with the 'Missing' column in the local paper being bigger than the news section. This is my hometown, and I want it safe for everyone living here.
"If that means setting up a private security force and running it, then damn it, that's what I'll do. In two years time, I intend to hold a New Years festival, the first one since 1831. I want to hold it outside City Hall, and I want it so that the only trouble anyone might have is caused by the occasional person who's had too much to drink."
Dawn gaped at him, trying to take in everything he had just told her.
With a grin, he reached over and gently lifted her chin, closing her mouth.
Absently, she shook herself. "Damn, Xander. Why the hell didn't you tell us?"
The smile vanished from his face. "I tried, several times, but was told that a window needed fixing, and to please get on with that, instead."
Dawn launched herself forwards, engulfing him in a hug.
"I can't change what's happened in the past, Xan. All I can do is promise you that you do have friends that care about you, and won't take advantage of you."
She could feel the tension slowly ease from his body, as his hands flattened against her back and gently started to stroke her hair. The young woman had to struggle to restrain the sudden urge to start purring.
Dawn had to stop herself from swearing as Xander's pocket started to ring. He released her gently, and pulled his cell phone out.
"Harris."
"Xander, it's Molly. Have you eaten yet tonight?"
"Nope. Haven't gotten around to it, yet."
"Excellent! I expect you at my door in twenty minutes. And make sure you bring Dawn." Not waiting for Xander to say anything, she hung up.
He stared at his phone for a second, and then smiled. "We're been invited to go and eat dinner with some friends of mine. Did you meet Kyle the other night?" he looked slightly confused, wondering how Molly knew about Dawn.
Dawn nodded. "Yeah, he helped me get you upstairs. I mentioned 'Gang members on PCP' and he laughed."
Xander grinned, "That's fast becoming an in house joke, and we still use it to refer to vampires. Anyway, we need to get moving, Kyle's wife wants us there in twenty minutes."
Taking a deep breath to try and quell the butterflies that had suddenly taken up residence in his stomach, Dawn re-fastened her seat back, and followed Xander's directions to the Michaels' home, concentrating on not hyper ventilating as she drove..
Looking over at the girl, he reached out and touched her hand. "Relax, Dawn. You know that Kyle is a nice person, and Molly's the same. They are good people; you've got nothi