Buffy just barely finished getting dressed after getting out of the shower after pulling yet another disgusting double shift at Double Meat Palace, when she heard her sister's voice from downstairs.
“Buffy, I'm home! I got the mail!” Dawn yelled from the front hall.
“Hey Dawnie, thanks. Anything good in there?” Buffy asked coming down the stairs.
“Lets see,” Dawn said skimming through the pile in her hands, “Typical stuff, a magazine, a few fliers, the light bill, and ooh, a letter from Giles in England!!” she exclaimed, dropping the rest of the mail on the floor.
“Give it to me!” Buffy said as she dove for the letter. It was first letter in a long time they had received from Giles.
“No way! It's addressed to BOTH of us. I got the mail, so I get to read it first, and then you can read it.”
“But I'm the one in charge and I say that I get to read it first!”
“HA! Not a chance! My name comes first, I got the mail, and I saw it first, so I'm opening it and reading it first! NOT YOU!” with that Dawn took off up the stairs to her room with the letter in hand leaving her sister standing in the front hall.
A few short seconds later, she too was bounding up the stairs to Dawn's room. When she got to the door and went to open it, she discovered it was locked!
"Brat", Buffy thought to herself. Then she had an idea, "Dawnie," she said sweetly, "please unlock the door, I promise I won't take the letter from you. Just unlock the door and we read it together."
"Nice try Buff, but it won't work." came the reply from the other side.
"Dawn Margaret Summers open this door right now or I'll break the lock and come in myself!" threatened Buffy.
"I already told you, No way! But here! This is for you, it was in the envelope." Dawn slipped another envelope under her door with Buffy's name written on it. Buffy picked it up and went downstairs to read it and pick up the rest of the discarded mail from the front hall.
She walked into the kitchen, placed the rest of the mail on the counter by the phone, and sat down at the table to read her letter.
Dearest Buffy,
Hope all things are well in Sunnydale. Things here in England are just fine. I know I haven't written in quite a while, and I'm sorry for that, but things around here have been quite hectic lately. Nothing to be concerned about though. I trust that you all have been keeping the demon and vampire population under control.
How's Willow doing with her magical abstinence? Have Xander and Anya made up yet? She hasn't fallen for D'Hoffryn's tricks has she? I hope not. All right, enough with the chitchat. There are more important matters to discuss.
Between the Council and I, we have something of great importance and concern to you. We will need you to come out here in order to go over these things with you. I have enclosed 3 airline tickets for you, Dawn and one other. The flight will leave from LA airport approximately 7:30 pm (your time), on Monday evening, with a stopover in New York City, then onto England. As of this moment, I have not been informed as to when you shall be returning and that the Council intends to supply your tickets home AFTER you arrive, settled in and all things have been settled.
The council also informs me that they have arranged for your ride and accommodations here in England. Well, that is all I have for now. I shall call before you leave if I find out any more information.
All My Love and Best Wishes,
Giles
Buffy sat at the kitchen table in shock! She wasn't sure what all this was about, but she knew it must be major important if she and Dawn had to go to England to find out. Well, she thought to herself, we were in need for some time away soon anyway.
“Dawn," she yelled upstairs, "please come down here, I need to talk to you. It's important! and No, you aren't in trouble."
Hardly even a step was heard from upstairs, when Dawn appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Yeah?" she asked. "Is everything alright?"
"I'm not exactly sure yet." Buffy said.
"Why what is it?" Dawn asked with growing concern.
"Well," Buffy started. "Remember how just yesterday we were talking about maybe going on some type of vacation when you have your next school break?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Well, ummm, looks like it's going to happen a bit sooner than we thought."
"Really?!" she exclaimed. "What's so bad about that? Well...besides the fact that we probably don't have the money."
"It's England, we have to go to England to the Watchers Council."
"Ugh! I really don't like them! Wait, will Giles be there?"
"Of course! He is part of the Council! I don't like them much either, but we HAVE to go."
"Oh yeah! Duh! So what's up?"
"I'm not sure. Giles didn't really say. All he said was that it was a big deal and important. He said that's all they would tell him."
"Oh," Dawn said, her face showing her great concern about the situation. "So, when do we leave? In a few weeks?"
"Umm, not exactly, try a bit sooner."
"Okay, a couple weeks then."
"Nope. Sooner."
"Hmmm...."
Dawn was thinking hard, when Buffy cut in. "Try a couple days."
"WHAT! No way! How am I supposed to tell all my friends and get all my assignments together by then?” Dawn whined.
"You've got me there. All I know is that we leave around 7:30 Monday night from LA airport. And that we can take one other person with us." Buffy told her.
"Who are we gonna take? Ooh!!! I know!! Lets take Janice, I'll go call her right now and see if she can go!"
"NO WAY!! Absolutely NOT!! I will not be responsible for your friend missing school too. Besides that, I don't know how long we'll be gone. It could only be a few days, or we could end up there for quite a while. You never know with them." Buffy argued.
"I hope you don't expect me to do all my missing assignments when we get back then! I'll never be able to catch up. It was hard enough with Glory around, then I was even going to school!! There's no way I can keep up!" Dawn whined at her sister.
"I'm sure we'll figure something out. 'Till then, why don't you go upstairs and start packing. Be sure to pack some warm clothes, Giles always says how cold it gets sometimes out there." Buffy told her, then added, "and while your packing, think of who else you want to go with us that can be away for an undetermined amount of time."
"Alright, but I don't think I have very many warm clothes, considering this is Sunnydale, California!!"
"I'll be up in a minute, maybe you can borrow some of my stuff. But I'll choose!!"
"Oh!! Thank-You, Thank-You, Thank-You, Thank-You, Thank-You!! I love you Buffy!" Dawn squealed and hugged her sister so tightly she nearly knocked her off her feet then bounded up the stairs.
Buffy then went over to the counter and picked up the rest of the mail and was just about to turn around when she felt a very familiar cool hand cover her eyes and it's opposite strong arm encircle her waist. It sent an annoying, yet comforting at the same time, chill down her spine and made her un-wantingly blush a deep crimson color.
As much as Buffy kept trying to protest it, that voice in the back of her mind still told her that she did like Spike and it would just be a matter of time before it would take over her mind completely and eventually she'd have to face the truth. She wanted to squirm away, but somehow she lost her will to. That voice seemed to be taking over her muscles now too. He took that opportunity to lean in and whisper seductively in her ear.
"Guess who, luv?"
Buffy couldn't speak, she was afraid if she opened her mouth that the annoying voice in her head would speak up, and she didn't want that to happen. Well...not yet anyway. So she just sighed and leaned back into him.
"Give up?" he asked teasingly.
"Uh-huh." was all she managed to get out, barely audible enough for Spike to hear.
"Guess I'll just have to give you a hint then won't I?!" so he started to place a trail of kisses running from her earlobe down to the hollow of her neck and back up, all the while nibbling slightly.
"MMMMMM, Spike, mmmmmm, feels good." Buffy mumbled.
Spike then twirled her around to face him and wrapped both arms around her waist and kissed her passionately on the mouth. They battled tongues for a few moments when Dawn walked in about to ask Buffy if she was going to go on patrol tonight. She opened her mouth to speak, but thought better of it and turned and walked out smiling happily!
"I knew it!" she said aloud to herself after she was out of the room. "I knew they were together!! Now I know who to suggest inviting on the trip! Who better!?! I hope Tara can find a daylight spell for him, so he can go out with us!" Dawn decided to wait on the steps for a few more minutes before interrupting her sister and Spike.
Meanwhile, back in the kitchen Buffy and Spike were still making out like crazy! "Mmmmmm, god Spike, I missed this! I missed it soo much!" Buffy moaned into Spike's mouth.
"Mmmmmm, I've missed you too, Goldilocks. Cor how I've missed you!" he moaned back. They were really into this by now, to the average person it would've looked like they were hurting each other by the grip they had, or they were going to swallow each other whole, but for Buffy and Spike this was perfectly normal.
After about five or more long agonizing minutes of waiting, Dawn decided that she'd better make her presence known before things got out of hand. "Ahem" Dawn cleared her throat after stepping into the kitchen behind the couple. No reaction, so she tried louder "AHEM, Cough, cough" Dawn tried, but still same reaction, zip! "AHEM, AHEM, COUGH, COUGH" well at least they flinched, she thought. Okay last resort now.
"AHEM, AHEM, AHEM, COUGH, COUGH," then she tapped them on the shoulder and said, "Earth to Buffy and Spike!! Enough is enough already! You can come up for air any day now. Sometime within the next few seconds preferably!" That seemed to get their attention.
Slowly, Buffy managed to open her eyes and look at Dawn, but was still lip-locked with Spike. A few moments later, her groggy brain seemed to realize what was going on! She was making out with Spike, in her kitchen and her kid sister was standing there smirking at her with her arms crossed. Quickly, she shoved Spike off of her, started wiping at her mouth and rambling incoherent words at Dawn. Spike took note of Dawn and started doing the same things as Buffy.
Meanwhile Dawn just stood there looking at the two of them rambling, and then she burst out into a fit of giggles! That shocked Buffy back into reality!
"It's not what it looks like! I swear! I was just trying to, ummm, uhhhhh. Spike! Help me out here would ya!" Buffy was saying to her sister who was now giggling so hard she was hunched over holding her stomach and trying to breath.
"Yeah bit, what your sis over there said! Not what it looked like! Really it wasn't! She was helping me out with something. Yeah that's it! She was helpin' me out!" Spike was saying.
But Dawn was too busy laughing to hear any of it! She wished she had a camera to capture the looks on their faces when they realized she was standing there! It was priceless! Breathe she told herself Breathe. "Okay..."she said breathlessly, trying hard not to start laughing again. "So what you two were doing in here WAS NOT making out, am I correct?" Dawn asked the blonde couple standing in front of her.
"Ummm, yeah" the two said unconvincingly at once.
"Right," Dawn drawled sarcastically. "And Giles didn't just send us three plane tickets to England, for a Monday night flight! Oh yeah and blue monkeys really can fly!" she retorted.
"BLOODY HELL!!! ENGLAND?!?! Monday night?!?! That's only two and a half days from now!!! When were you going to tell me this, luv?!?!" Spike yelled at Buffy.
"Whoa! Back off fang face. I just found out, right before you came in and well...you know..." Buffy told him, blush creeping up her face.
"Oh, Sorry." Spike said immediately apologetic.
"Yeah, I thought so. Anyway, I was going to tell you tonight after patrol. I was going to stop by, but now I dunno...." she told him teasingly.
"WE are going to go on patrol tonight and then WE are going to go back to my place and talk about this little trip MY two girls are taking." He told her, going over to nuzzle her neck.
"Ummm, still in the room guys!" Dawn said.
"Not now Spike, later.", Buffy whispered to him.
"Yeah, later." he agreed.
"Whoa! Wait a minute here, Spike" Dawn said.
"Yeah bit, what is it??"
"Did you or did you not just call us YOUR two girls?"
"Yeah. I did. What of it?"
"Well, first off, you and Buffy just claimed not even three minutes ago that you two WERE NOT making out, yet you obviously were and now your claiming Buffy and I as YOURS."
"Oh...ummm..."Spike stammered not sure how to proceed. He tried looking to Buffy to help back him up but she just shook her head, as though to say, You got us into this, you get us out! "Well...as you both know, I love Buffy here with all my being and entire existence. Whether she loves me back or not, that's yet to be determined.
I love you too, sweet bit, you're like a sister to me and my promise still stands that 'I'll protect you 'till the end of the world ’ I'd never let your sis down or you. You both are so very special to me!" He told her sincerely.
"Aww Spike. That's the kindest thing you've ever said!!" Buffy told him and turned and kissed him on the lips without even thinking.
"Ha! I knew it!!" Dawn proclaimed out loud, "I knew you two were together!!"
"No" weakly protested Buffy, but she couldn't even convince herself with that one.
"Okay, I give up! You're right lil' bit. We are together," Spike said wrapping his arms around Buffy's waist and pulling her in front of him so she could tell just what she did to him. "But NO ONE, I repeat NO ONE, not a single other someone demon or human, or anything in between knows or can know yet." he told her. "Isn't that right sweetheart?" he asked Buffy.
"Well..." she hesitated, ignoring his sweetheart comment. Spike just looked at her. "I kinda told someone,” she said meekly.
"BLOODY HELL! What do you mean kinda?? Who?? Why?? I thought you wanted to keep this quiet??" He questioned.
"Stop yelling Spike. Calm down. I HAD to tell her. I didn't say it was you, she figured that out on her own, but I needed some answers to questions. You made me think about them."
"Oh. sorry pet. My bad. Go on. I'm sorry. Whom did you tell?" he asked nicely.
"It was Tara. About a week or so afterit...err...we happened."
"Oh.... I see. Only her then? Not Red, or anyone else?? Right?"
"Right."
"Alrighty then," Dawn said. "So I can talk to Tara ONLY about you two and only when no one else is around correct??"
"Well..." Spike said. "I did kinda mention it to someone myself, but he's not gonna tell anyone either."
"SPIKE!!! You yelled at me for talking with Tara and you talked to someone too? WHO???" Buffy demanded.
"Clem, ya know the guy with the skin condition."
"Oh...yeah...him...ok...he's alright I guess. Better than the other guys that were there for the game." Buffy said calmly.
“Okay so there's only Clem and Tara that I can talk to no one else! Correct now?!” Dawn asked.
"Yep" they both said.
"Good! I'm so happy for you two!!" and she hugged them both tightly, giving each a quick kiss on the cheek, making Spike blush, then went upstairs to continue packing. Halfway up the stairs she paused and called to Buffy to bring up the suitcases when she finished her make out session with her Boyfriend.
"Okay Dawnie, be up in a few." she called back.
"Oh!! So now I'm the boyfriend now, huh?? Seems like I'm moving up the ladder here!" he told Buffy before they started making out again. They stood there in the middle of the kitchen for at least a good fifteen to twenty minutes more before Buffy decided that she'd better bring up the suitcases, before she got too sidetracked.
"Mmmmmm, Spike...gotta go get the...mmmmmm...suitcases.... Mmmmmm. Still... mmmmmm... gotta... mmmmmm.... patrol...mmmmmm...too. God you're such a good kisser, I was beginning to forget!" she told him.
"That'll teach you to break up with me! And by the way luv.... I’m good at a lot more than just kissing, if you remember!" he said seductively and took her hand and put it on his jean-clad leg.
"Oh god Spike!! Not now, Dawn's here. But, I remember, god do I ever! But we still have to patrol, before we get out of hand and Dawn walks in on us, again." With that she kissed him one more time, and dashed off down the basement stairs to retrieve the suitcases leaving Spike by himself in the kitchen.
He walked over to the fridge to retrieve a pint of blood, and found none. So he opened up the cabinet and got out the hot cocoa mix and put on a pot of water to boil. While he waited for the kettle to whistle, he decided to thumb through the mail. Hmmm lets see here, junk, junk, magazine, light bill (set it aside), and more junk. He then walked over to the table with the light bill in his hand, and sat down where his girlfriend, was sitting a mere hour or so ago. He opened up the bill, glanced at the number making a mental note of it and placed it down on the table.
He then decided to read the letter. As he read, he realized how serious this must be if the Bloody Council of Wankers were going to pay for the trip and needed them there so soon.
He opened up the second envelope containing the tickets. Three in all. First class seating too!! Ooh boy! This must be big!! I wonder who they'll take with them?? Maybe Glenda, nah.... She can't miss classes. Red??.... No... classes again. The Whelp?! no, he's got the construction boys to look after. Ex-demon girl...hmmm...maybe.... Nah, not close enough, not like she‘d leave the shop and the Whelp anyhow. Who's left?? Perhaps me?? I doubt that...I don't really think that the Council will be happy to see me. Not to mention Buffy actually bringing me.
Just then, the kettle whistled reminding Spike of his Cocoa. He poured the mix into a mug with the water and stirred thoroughly. "Hey Luv, or Bit.... You guys have any of those little marshmallows I like?" he called upstairs.
"Ummm...yeah I think so Spike.... Try the cabinet above the fridge!" came Dawn's reply.
"I'll be down in a few for patrol.... Hun...k??" Buffy called down to him.
"Alright. I'll be in the kitchen."
Spike downed about four cups of cocoa in the few short minutes it took Buffy to come back down the stairs with her patrol bag already packed. Spike heard her start down the stairs and decided that he was going to play a bit of a joke on her, so he hid on just the other side of the wall in the dining room, when she came downstairs.
"Okay, all ready to go. You ready? Spike?......Spike?? Spike??? Where are you??" she called.
Spike snuck out from his place behind the wall and stood directly behind her knowing she wouldn't sense him because she wasn't concentrating.
"Spike c'mon it's not funny anymore. Where are you?? Spike? Spiiiiiiikeeeeee!!" she squealed as he picked her up and spun her around the room.
"Gotcha!" he said as he gracefully set his dizzy slayer back down on the floor and kissed her on the forehead. While Dawn, watching from the staircase, after hearing Buffy calling for him, burst into a new set of giggle fits. Buffy glared at her and Spike tried his best not to laugh as well.
Soon enough though, Dawn regained her composure and was calm enough to tell Buffy and Spike to be careful, that she'd lock the door behind them, and said "See you in the morning".
With that, the happy couple walked out the door into the night.