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Chapter 23: Los Angeles

“Did they say when they’d be back?” Anya asked, flipping through a bridal magazine, as she and Xander sat around at the Magic Box.

“Sometime after Christmas,” Xander said with a shrug. “I can’t believe she’s going to see her dad. He hasn’t been there for her in years. He wasn’t there when Mrs. Summers died. He wasn’t even around to hear about Buffy dying, which now that I think about it, was probably good, because she’s going to visit him now. Still, I think it’s only gonna make things worse.”

“Maybe,” Anya considered. “You know, when I was human…well, the first time around, I didn’t get along with my family either. But, I always managed to find time to spend with them.”

“That’s different, An,” Xander explained. “Their dad used to be a pretty good guy, but then he just stopped coming around. He would cancel their visits.”

“Are you madder that she’s going to visit her father, or is it because she’s taking Spike to meet him?” Xander was silent for a few moments, but Anya could practically hear the meltdown coming. His fingers tapped the table, his breathing increased, and finally, he slammed his hand against the hard wood of the table.

“What’s she thinking, huh? He’s a vampire. And not only that, but he doesn’t have a chip. He could kill her. He could kill any of them, and…”

“And he hasn’t. He could have done it the second he had his chip taken out, but he didn’t. He has a soul now.”

“Just because he has a soul doesn’t make up for everything he did in the past.” It was Anya’s turn to get angry. She stood up, crossing her arms. “Anya? What…”

“What about the things I did, huh? I’ve been around a long, long time. I’ve done more things than Spike could ever think about doing. I’ve eviscerated men just because they made their moody girlfriends cry at the wrong time of the month. I did it without question.”

“That’s different. You’re…you’re…”

“Human? That’s what makes all the difference? Come on, Xander.” She shook her head, exasperated. “Is this really because you hate Spike, or is it because you don’t want her to be with him? Is this some kind of…of sick control game?”

“You know that’s not it!” Xander exclaimed, standing up to face his future bride.

“Then why are you acting like this? If you’re going to hate Spike, then you should hate me too, because when I was a demon, I was worse than you could have ever imagined. I made Spike look like a…a kitten!”

“An…”

“No. Look, I want to support you, Xander, but I just can’t take much more of this. I sit here and listen to you talk about how evil Spike is, but the only difference between him and me is that I’m human. That doesn’t change the past. And I’m sure if Spike was human, you’d still hate him, because Buffy loves him, and you can’t change it.” Xander was stunned into silence. “If he’s so awful because of the things he’s done, then I must be a monster.” She turned on her heels, throwing the bridal magazine down on the table, and she stalked out of the shop without another word, leaving Xander to realize just how much of an idiot he’d become.

***

“I can’t believe you’re making him drive his own car. He could ride with us,” Dawn commented, as they drove down the highway shortly after sunset.

“Then you’d have to be the one to explain to him why Spike drinks blood when he gets hungry. I want to drive straight through, so we can get there before sunrise. Dad’s not gonna be home until tomorrow afternoon, so he left a key for us to get in.”

“You could’ve at least let me ride with him.”

“I’m keeping an eye on his driving skills. If he passes my test, you might get to ride home with him. Right now, I’d rather you be in the car with me.”

“Says you, who lets her lead food boyfriend drive.” Buffy looked at the speedometer. It read 80 mph.

“Spike! Slow down.”

“What? Oh, c’mon, pet. There’s nobody out here.”

“We’ll hit the interstate soon, and I’d like to get to L.A. in one piece.”

“You sound like mom,” Dawn murmured from the back seat. “Remember when she tried to teach you how to drive?” Dawn could help but giggle. “You almost took out an old lady in the grocery store parking lot!”

“Ok, enough with the walk down memory lane,” Buffy muttered. “I’m sure Dad’s gonna have enough ‘fun’ stories about me to share.”

“I can’t wait.”

“Just so you know, since your boyfriend’s coming, I’m sure he’s gonna have plenty of stories to tell about you.”

“Like what?” Dawn challenged.

“Oh…I don’t know. How about…the Dolly Parton concert you held in front of your mirror and stuffed animals when you were six. I remember you had one of my bras…”

“Training bras,” Dawn quipped, getting a glare from Buffy and a stifled laugh from Spike.

“You stuffed them with my socks and had mom’s new makeup all over your face.” Dawn’s face drained of color. “I’m pretty sure we took pictures. Maybe Dad has that one.”

“Oh my God. I’ll kill you if you bring that up.”

“All’s fair,” Buffy said with a nonchalant shrug.

“Nothing your dear old dad could have to say about Buffy would surprise me.” Dawn burst out laughing, and Buffy slugged him in the shoulder.

“Do you want to sleep alone tonight?” Spike smirked but kept his mouth shut. They drove in silence for the next few minutes, until Dawn let out a sigh. “What?”

“Nothing. Just hoping this huge pool Dad told me about on the phone is actually as huge as he says. I can’t wait to go for a swim.”

“Never fancied swimming, myself,” Spike said with a shrug.

“That’s ‘cause it’s physically impossible for you to appreciate how cool the water is,” Buffy quipped. “Of course, swimming on a hot summer day would be pretty impossible for you too.”

“Yeah. Don’t think the strongest SPF would help you there,” Dawn joked. “Whoa…” She swooned a little.

“Dawn? You ok?”

“Mmmhmm,” she muttered. “I think this carsickness pill is finally kicking in.”

“There’s enough room to lay down, right?”

“Yeah,” Dawn muttered. “I think I’m gonna do that.” Dawn lay back in the seat, and it wasn’t long before they could hear her snoring softly. Buffy eyed Spike, smiling. He caught her grin out of the corner of his eyes.

“What?”

“Just thinking about seeing you swimming. You don’t know how, do you?”

“Sure I do. I’ve had a lot of time to practice, you know. Not like I have to worry about drowning. Just don’t care much for it is all.”

“Well, you’ve never swam with me before.”

“Swimming’s always better when hot, naked women are involved.”

“Would you settle for a partially-clad Buffy?”

“Settle? You don’t know how beautiful you really are, do you?” He glanced at her for just a moment to see her smile inwardly, shrugging her shoulders a little. “And I gotta say, pet, the minute we get in that pool, there’ll be no ‘partially-clad’ about it.”

“Spike!”

“She’s sleeping.”

“Yeah, but I don’t need her learning anything by…by osmosis.” Spike smirked again.

“She’s not a child, Buffy.”

“She’s fifteen. It’s close enough.” Buffy relaxed against her seat, wiping her suddenly sweating hands on her pant legs. Spike reached over, placing his hand over hers. She looked at him, and he met her gaze. She smiled and rolled her eyes at him but looked forward, curling her fingers around his, and they continued on in comfortable silence.

***

“This is it. Up on the left,” Buffy said tiredly, as Spike coasted down the road in the quiet but very expensive-looking neighborhood. “1630…yep, that’s it.” Buffy’s eyes widened at the sight of her father’s large house. She knew he’d always had a good deal of money, and right now, she felt a twinge of anger that she and Dawn had been just getting by since Joyce’s death. Spike could sense her thoughts, and he squeezed her hand.

“S’alright, Pet. You said he left a key?”

“Yeah.” She turned, reaching into the backseat to nudge her sister awake. She squinted when Jake pulled in behind them in the drive.

“What?” Dawn muttered against the seat.

“We’re here. Get up.” Dawn muttered something unintelligible and stretched herself into a sitting position. Her eyes widened immediately.

“Holy crap! This is Dad’s house?” It was a spacious two-story modern house and from the wave of chlorine-scent that filled their nostrils, they could discern that a large swimming pool waited for them in the back. “Think we can guilt him into switching with us? I mean, it has to be, what? Three times as big as ours?” Buffy had to fight the urge to wonder aloud why he could afford this house but couldn’t afford to send a little cash their way once in a while. The last time she’d gotten anything from the man was when she’d visited over the summer in high school.

Jake came around from his car and pulled his arm around Dawn’s waist. Buffy couldn’t help but stare at the two of them. Jake was admiring the house with Dawn, who looked slightly skittish. It was nice to see her sister happy, but being the big sister, she was going to make sure she wasn’t too happy.

“Jake, I think Dad said you can sleep on the pull out downstairs.”

“Yeah. Thanks for letting me come along, Buffy.”

“Yeah, thanks, Buffy. Nobody should have to spend Christmas alone.” Buffy nodded.

“You’re welcome. Besides, it’ll give us a chance to talk.” Jake looked slightly concerned, but Dawn shrugged.

“Don’t worry. If she gets too bad, I have lots of blackmail stories to share. I used to read her diary. A lot.” Buffy’s eyes widened. “So Buffy? Be nice.” Dawn was joking, of course, but not about the blackmail part. Buffy had hid her diary in just about every place she wouldn’t expect anybody to look for it, and Dawn had always managed to not only find her sister’s diary but hide her own. Very well. It sucked being the Chosen One and not being able to find a damned diary in order to repay the ‘favor.’

The four tired travelers made their way up to the front door. Buffy found the spare key exactly where her dad had told her it would be. When they stepped inside, Spike found the light switch, and with a flick, the downstairs was illuminated.

“Whoa, Dawn, your dad’s loaded.”

“Ok. Buffy, the beach is like…practically in the back yard. Is it ok if me and Jake take a walk?” Buffy tensed up.

“I don’t think that’d be a good idea.”

“Oh, come on. I’ll take my cell, and…”

“Dawn,” Buffy said quickly. “Hey, let’s go check out the kitchen. The guys can get our bags, right?”

“Uh, right,” Jake said quickly. He and Spike began to take the luggage to the separate rooms. The living room for Jake, and the two free rooms upstairs for the rest of them.

Buffy dragged her sister into the kitchen.

“What’s your problem?” Dawn snapped. “We just wanna go for a walk.”

“My problem, Dawn, is that he’s sixteen and you’re…well, you’re not. My problem is that it’s late, and we should all get some sleep.”

“Yeah, like you and Spike plan to sleep in the pool?”

“What?”

“I’m not that heavy of a sleeper.” Dawn rolled her eyes. “Besides, we just wanna go for a walk. That’s it. You’ve let me go miles away to a party with him, but you won’t let me go about a hundred feet away to walk on the beach?”

“It’s L.A. You’ve been here maybe three times.”

“Gee, if we run into any problems, I can always call Angel.” Buffy’s mouth set in a thin line. “He’s only about fifteen minutes away, after all.”

“No. We’re not here to see Angel. We’re here to visit Dad, and it’s my job as your big sister to make sure that you’re in one piece when he gets here tomorrow. So no walks on the beach until tomorrow. When the sun’s high and there are people around as witnesses.”

“What? In case somebody tries to kidnap me or in case I get the urge to ravage my boyfriend in the sand?”

“Don’t joke about that,” Buffy warned. “You’re still a…”

“A kid? No, I’m not. Yeah, I’m fifteen, but I’ve been around for thousands of…”

“Really, only a couple.”

“Yeah, in this body. But…”

“Dawn, don’t pull the age card on me. I don’t care if you’re fifteen or fifteen thousand. Just humor me tonight, ok?” Dawn clenched her teeth and gritted out a response.

“Fine.” She turned to walk out, but Buffy gently grabbed her hand, turning her back around.

“Dawnie,” Buffy said softly, “I don’t mean to treat you like a little kid. I know you’re growing up. Just…I need you to listen to me. I know what it’s like to have a new boyfriend…one that just makes you smile every time you think about him. I know what it’s like to think about…well, a lot of things. But please, listen to me. You’re young, and Jake’s probably not gonna be the one you end up with. Just think before you do anything you might regret not…you know, doing with the right person?” Dawn yanked her hand away.

“You didn’t wait. Angel wasn’t the right one. Neither was Parker. Or Riley.” Buffy stiffened again.

“I loved Angel. I loved Riley. Parker was…well, he was there in a confusing time of my life. I was having trouble getting adjusted to school. I was…”

“Alright. Ok. Look,” Dawn murmured, “thanks for worrying about me, but you don’t have to. I know what I’m doing. They force sex-ed down our throats every year. I’m not stupid.” Buffy felt a little taken aback.

“Dawn…”

“Please…can we not talk about this, Buffy?” She could tell by the look in Dawn’s eyes that Dawn had just let slip something she hadn’t really wanted to, even without saying it outright. “I love you. You’re my big sister. But you’re not my mother.” Dawn turned to walk away, but Buffy called out again.

“Dawn.”

“What?” she asked without turning around.

“Please…just…be careful. If you need to talk to me, please…just…”

“I know. I will.” With that, Dawn left the kitchen, and Buffy felt her knees starting to give way. She leaned against the marble counter top and took a few deep breaths.

“Buffy?” She looked up to see Spike standing in the doorway. He examined her trembling frame, as her skin turned a slightly paler shade. “What’s the matter?” He came to her, pulling an arm around her waist. She looked up into his eyes.

“I think…I think my little sister just told me she’s having sex…or she’s…she’s thinking about it.”

“What?” Spike asked, eyebrow raised.

“She didn’t…she didn’t exactly come out and say it, but…” She shook her head. “This is too much to process.”

“Can I do anything?”

“I think the damage has already been done. Just…help me keep them away from each other.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m on your side. Nibblet is just a kid. But you know what it’s like to want to be with somebody so much you’d do anything to make it happen…don’t you?” He looked into her eyes, and she trembled. “It’s not going to be easy.”

“This can’t be happening, Spike. She’s fifteen!”

“And a smart girl.”

“Not very smart,” Buffy muttered. “If I didn’t love her so much I’d kill her.”

“Why don’t you talk to her? You are the Slayer, after all. You could always torture it out of her.”

“I just tried to talk to her…”

“Go talk to her again,” he urged. “It’s late, but you won’t feel better until you do.” Buffy nodded.

“OK. You um…you keep Jake busy, ok?”

“Right. What’ll we talk about? How much hair product he uses?”

“Hey, you could both talk about that.” She ran her hand over his gelled back locks.

“Funny, Slayer. Remember, I know where you sleep.” Buffy smiled a little and stepped up on her tiptoes to kiss him.

“I’d say don’t wait up, but you’d better.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be waiting for you when you’re done.” Buffy sighed, nodded, and headed off to find her sister, hoping she wouldn’t have to threaten her with sending her away to a convent. Her sister was smart. But she was young and vulnerable, even being the sister of the Slayer. She had a lot to learn about life, and Buffy just hoped that she wouldn’t learn too much too fast.


Chapter End Notes:
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