As soon as Buffy and Spike entered the field office, they were immediately instructed to join Jack in one of the conference rooms. Buffy clung to Spike's hand tightly, afraid that something else had happened to Dawn. In the space of several hours he'd gone from ex-sparring buddy to her only lifeline.
Spike looked down at Buffy and pulled her closer. "Don't worry, luv. I'm sure it's just a run-of-the-mill meeting. Dawn's fine."
Buffy nodded, still unconvinced. If someone had gotten to her sister, her only family left, she'd never forgive herself. Upon entering the room and seeing that Jack wasn't the room's only occupant, she let out a sigh of relief, knowing it was, in fact, an ordinary meeting. He would talk to her privately if anything happened to Dawn, not in front of an audience like this.
Jack stared pointedly at their joined hands until Spike released himself from Buffy's grip. He shrugged out of his duster and took a seat next to Jack. Buffy sat across from Spike between fellow agents Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris. She recognized everyone in the room as someone she'd worked with at one time or another.
"I'm sure all of you have heard about yesterday's tragedy, but I'm going to go over the basic facts briefly so we're all on the same page. Yesterday around noon, a man entered the Summers residence and gave Celia Summers, age 7, a five-dollar bill to buy ice cream from the ice cream truck. He then sat in the living room and had coffee with Hank and Joyce Summers, ages 51 and 48. Once he finished his cup of coffee, he shot and killed Mr. and Mrs. Summers. He had another cup of coffee while waiting for Celia to return. After killing Celia, he wrote two notes, one to Buffy Summers, age 27, and one to Dawn Summers, age 16. The first note directly threatens three established FBI agents as well as Dawn," Jack summarized. He paused as the agents turned to Buffy and whispered their condolences.
"I want to catch this guy," Willow spoke up. The redhead was the Baltimore office's resident computer genius. She had worked with Buffy on several different occasions and genuinely liked the other woman.
"That's why I called all of you in here. I have been instructed to put a team of my best agents on this case. You will be responsible for arresting the murderer before he can follow through on his threats," Jack responded. He'd purposely picked agents that had been associated with Buffy. Their personal connection would undoubtedly motivate them to do their very best on the case.
"What about Buffy and Dawn's safety?" Xander asked. He'd met the younger Summers a couple of times while working with Buffy. He couldn't imagine anyone wanting to hurt the pretty teen.
"Dawn is being sent out of the country to stay with friends. I have put Spike in charge of Buffy's protection," Jack said, glancing at Spike for confirmation that Dawn was still going to London. He thought it best that only a select few people knew whom she was staying with. At Spike's nearly imperceptible nod, Jack continued, "Buffy and Spike are both available to help you in any way possible. Willow, I want daily progress reports. The director's taking a personal interest in this one, so let's get it wrapped up quickly people."
Leaving the rest to start discussing ideas, Jack made his way to the door. Buffy grabbed his arm and pulled him aside. "Do you have a secure line I can use? I need to make Dawn's flight arrangements," she requested in hushed tones.
Jack let her use the phone in his office to call the airline. His office was only accessed by a limited number of people and his phone was routinely checked for bugs and wiretaps. Fifteen minutes later, Buffy returned to the conference room, a piece of notebook paper in her hands. Spike was talking to Xander and Tara Maclay, a shy, soft-spoken, but quick-witted agent. When there was a break in the conversation, she whispered something in Spike's ear and slipped the paper into his pocket. Willow and Anya Jenkins joined the group, listening to Xander's theory.
"It's obvious that this is someone Buffy and Spike caught. He spent years in prison thinking of ways to exact his revenge. As soon as he gets out, he watches the two of them constantly, searching for a weakness. Everyone knows how close Buffy is with her family, so voila! He figures Buffy will be easy to pick off because she'll be so blinded by grief that she can't defend herself. If he's lucky, she'll go running to Spike for help and he'll be able to get them both at once," Xander explained excitedly.
"I'll check the prison records to see who's been released lately. Maybe it'll help if I narrow the list down some. Is there anyone either of you can think of that was particularly threatening?" Willow pulled out a notebook.
Buffy and Spike shook their heads. It was common for criminals to make threats at their trials. Agents learned not to take them too seriously.
"Well, that's okay. There can't be more than forty, right?" Willow smiled hopefully. Her smile slipped when Spike wrote down a number and passed it to her. "This is going to take forever," she groaned. She moved to the computer and began pulling up the records.
Xander, Anya and Tara worked on the psychological profile while Buffy and Spike went to pick up Dawn. Buffy was glad to be away from the office. It hurt to hear the others referring to her mother as victim 2 and her baby sister as victim 3. She'd almost lost it when Anya started talking about the bodies. "Bodies, those aren't just bodies! They're my family! They had names, they had lives, they had a future!" she wanted to rage.
They made a quick stop at the pharmacy to fill Dawn's prescription. When she presented two prescriptions for the same sedative, the pharmacist looked slightly concerned until he noticed that the patient names were different. Buffy was thankful that Dawn's considerate doctor had written up a prescription for each sister. After paying for the prescriptions, she shoved both bottles in her purse.
"I should bring her a change of clothes and let her take a shower. Don't want to let your parents meet Stinky Dawn." After Spike parked in the hospital lot, Buffy rifled through one of Dawn's suitcase and took out a few pieces of clothing. She took one of the prescription bottles from her purse and tucked it in a corner of the suitcase.
Spike stayed outside while Buffy checked Dawn out of the hospital, wanting to give the girls some time alone. Plus, he needed to give his father the flight information. He answered a few questions and gave an overview of what had happened. He felt fortunate to have parents that had been in his line of work. They would help him in any way they could and ask questions later. He was just finishing the call when Buffy and Dawn emerged from the hospital.
"Hey Nibblet. How are you feeling?" Spike helped the teen into the back seat of the SUV. He reached across to secure her seat belt and took the opportunity to take in her bloodshot eyes, red nose and puffy face.
"Everything's kinda fuzzy," Dawn whispered, her voice scratchy and barely audible. "Nervous," she added.
"Don't be nervous. Mum and Dad are great. They'll love you to bits." Spike patted her leg reassuringly. He shut the door and joined Buffy in the front seat.
Buffy twisted in her seat to face her sister. "Giles and Olivia are wonderful people, Dawnie. Giles is sorta what James Bond would be like if he was librarian. Olivia's an artist and her sculptures are amazing," she gushed.
"Giles and Olivia Devereaux. They sound like nice people," Dawn nodded. She'd always been wary of strangers, but wasn't too worried about meeting Spike's parents. After all, they were Spike's parents.
"Rupert and Olivia Giles, pet. I changed my last name when I joined the Bureau," Spike corrected. He glanced over at Buffy and saw the regret in her eyes. He knew she was thinking that if she'd only taken the same precautions he had, this wouldn't have happened.
Before he could say anything to comfort her, Dawn unbuckled her seatbelt and wrapped her arms around her sister. "It's not your fault, Buff. Mom and Dad wanted you to do what you love," she said, fresh tears falling from her blue eyes.
"I know, Dawnie, but I never thought any of this would happen. I wish he had come after me first. He should have come after me," Buffy swallowed her tears as she hugged Dawn tighter.
Spike let them stay that way for a few moments before clearing his throat. "Back in the belt, Bit. Don't want you to spend your trip in a wheelchair," he instructed gently.
Dawn dutifully sat back in her seat and re-buckled the seat belt. She and Buffy chatted about London for the rest of the ride to the airport. Spike smiled to himself at the sisterly banter. He had been right in his assessment of Dawn: she was a bitty Buffy.
The trio walked into the airport together. Buffy and Dawn walked arm in arm while Spike was relegated to pack-mule. After checking Dawn's luggage and getting her ticket, they sat at a table outside one of the mini restaurants. The two agents had used their badges to gain access to the "passengers only" section. Dawn sat in Buffy's lap, her head resting on the blonde's shoulder.
"I'll call you as often as I can," Buffy promised. "If you need anything, Giles has a list of emergency numbers. I packed your sedatives. Take them if you start to feel panicky or you can't sleep, but be careful about how much and how often you use them. I put some money in your suitcase for emergencies or quick getaways. Don't talk to anyone except Giles and Olivia."
"Enough with the ramblings. I'll be okay," Dawn interrupted, putting her hand over Buffy's mouth. She loved her sister dearly, but Buffy still treated her like a kid. Dawn feared that when she was an old woman with grandchildren she would still be dealing with Overprotective Buffy.
Buffy offered a watery smile from behind Dawn's hand and smoothed back Dawn's dark hair. "I know, sweetie, I'm sorry. I just worry," she apologized, her voice muffled.
Dawn removed her hand from Buffy's mouth and settled back in her sister's lap. "Tell me more about your mom and dad, Spike," Dawn changed the subject.
Spike related tales of his childhood and of growing up in the Giles house. He elaborated on a few to get a smile out of the girls. They listened to him talk until boarding for Dawn's flight was announced.
Dawn stood up and fidgeted nervously. Buffy pulled her into a hug, standing on her toes to kiss Dawn on the cheek. "I will always love you, Dawnie, and I will do anything to keep you safe," she vowed fiercely.
The younger girl nodded and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I love you too." She turned to Spike, who was holding his arms out. She gratefully rushed into them and hid her face in his t-shirt. "Thank you," she mumbled.
"Take care of yourself, Bit. Tell Dad and Mum I said hi," he released the girl and stepped closer to Buffy. The two of them watched sadly as Dawn disappeared from view. Spike silently took Buffy's arm and led her out of the airport. She allowed him to assist her into the car and buckle her seatbelt like he'd done for Dawn. Before they were out of the parking lot, her eyes were closed and her breathing was slow and even.
Spike let her sleep the entire way to his house. They both needed a few hours of sleep before they resumed working on the case. After pulling into the driveway, he reached out and shook Buffy's arm. "Wake up, Slayer."
Buffy smiled groggily and attempted to sit up. Once fully upright, she blinked a few times and shook her head. She stared at Spike for a moment and turned away, searching for the door handle.
"What's wrong?" Spike could tell that something had deeply upset his friend. This went beyond just keeping another agent safe or trying to catch a murderer. If Buffy was hurting, he wanted to make it better for her. He needed to help in any way possible.
"When I woke up I thought for a moment that this had all been a nightmare, that my family was still alive and Dawn was at school," she said slowly, turning to face him. "I looked over, saw you, and realized that it really did happen. It was like for one second it didn't hurt, and then this huge wave of pain crashed down on me. I thought I was drowning and. just for a second, I wished I was dead."
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