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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks to Puddinhead for all her beta skillz on this chapter. Hope your holidays were wonderful and warm.

Special thanks to everyone who voted for this story at the Sunnydale Memorial Fanfiction awards. It won best Angst, best Original Character and best Original Character pairing with a few honorable mentions in other categories. I'm awed and touched by the love for this story. Thank you so much to Sanityfair, too, for all the work she's done on earlier chapters.

Wait--they're playing the music, I think that means I gotta get off the stage. One more thank you. Thanks for reading this story. It means a ton when you comment but even if you don't, thanks for letting me bend your ear.
Previously:



"Neither do I. Just one more kiss, then?" he asked, a slinky grin sneaking up his face.



"Okay," she said. He put her soft kiss to shame, taking her mouth with such fervor she could hardly breathe.



"Now you go out first and if anyone sees us you were helping me look for the popcorn," she said, snatching a package from behind his head and shoving it into his hands. Rupert left wearing a smirk. She waited until her legs stopped shaking before she followed him out.



~*~



Buffy and Spike were cuddling together on Dav's bed after decimating most of the food she'd given them. Having him awake had totally restored Buffy's appetite and she'd devoured half the scones. The only item left to eat was the jar of clotted cream. Since their hostess hadn't included a spoon, Spike had brilliantly decided to use his hands. He swirled his index finger in the container until it was covered in thick, white cream.



"Taste?" he asked, arching his eyebrow.



All she could do was nod and open her mouth. The flavor was so sweet it almost burned her tongue. He slid his finger out slowly and then stared into her eyes.



"I'm going to need a dentist now, aren't I?" he asked.



"That was literally the last thing I thought you were going to say."



"Sorry, I was just looking at your teeth and thinking how nice they look. I'll probably need someone to fiddle about with my molars, make sure I don't get cavities. That and a doctor. I haven't even got a social security number, though. They'd probably turn me away at hospital."



Buffy tried not to be grumpy that he'd ruined the mood by being practical. It was probably for the best, anyway, seeing as the whole gang was trapped in the apartment with them. Even though she'd inadvertently put on a show for the Initiative's cameras, she was still too shy to subject her friends to the sound of them getting their freak on. Especially Giles.



"I take it you've got serious thoughts?"



"Yeah. Haven't you, kitten?"



"I'm still basking in the love and relative safety."





He sat up and set the jar of clotted cream on the bedside table, officially ending any further hope of sexy time.



"S'pose we're not as safe as we seem?" he asked as he laid back down beside her. He put his arm around her waist and looked into her eyes.



"Then let's talk," Buffy said, putting her hand on his cheek. He kissed her thumb and a smile curtsied across his face. "What has you worried?"



"Aside from the obvious?"



"Actually start with that. Sometimes it isn't so obvious to me."



Spike sighed and brushed the hair from her forehead.



"Well, with the heartbeat comes a need for all the meaner things in life, starting with an identity. That's gonna wipe out my whole nest egg, unless of course somebody's already moved into my old haunt and taken all that lucre. Then I don't know what we'll do. We'll have to find a way, though, can't work or travel without papers. There's no way we're going to be separated again."



Buffy's eyes widened.



"Why would we be separated?"



"You can't go back to that school, love, not with Dr. Mengele teaching there. God knows who else is in on it besides her."



The enormity of their situation finally hit and suddenly she couldn't lie still anymore. Buffy jumped up from the bed.



"The military industrial complex is in on it," Buffy said, wrapping her arms around herself. Spike also stood and watched her solemnly. "God, I'm dense for not thinking of this before."



"Not dense. Just hopeful."



"There's got to be a way we can fight this," she said.



"You're the Slayer, love, but there are some things that you can't take out with a stake to the heart and a swift kick to the stones."



"Why not?" Buffy asked, giving him a crooked smile. He smirked at her and she doubly regretted that sexy time was over.



"Rupes will know something. Maybe the safehouse is just the start of the plan. I mean they can't expect to stay here forever," Spike said.



"Good point. It's already getting kinda weird out there."



~*~



Dav was sitting on her couch equidistant from Xander and Giles, trying hard to pretend she cared about the movie they were watching. Neither of the men were touching her but Xander's gaze seemed to be a physical presence. She could feel him looking at her just as much as she could feel Rupert purposely not looking. Xander had polished off an entire batch of popcorn and he was slouched, resentfully munching on a second. Eddie was still hiding in the bedroom. Dav wasn't sure what was happening with Buffy and Spike, but she could hear their muffled voices through the wall. Rupert took his glasses off and let them dangle from his fingers as he closed his eyes. It had been a long night for everyone, but she and Rupert hadn't gotten to sleep until the rosy dawn was creeping across the floor. It had been so hard to leave his embrace and curl up on the other part of the sectional. Dav longed to lift up Rupert's arm and slide under its weight. She was lost in her thoughts when Xander spoke.



"I guess Giles' cultural education will be tragically incomplete."



"Huh?"



"He'll never know who won the Cannonball Run," Xander said, setting the tomato-red popcorn bowl down on her coffee table. A smile quivered on the corners of Dav's lips.



"I'm so spaced right now that I totally thought we were watching, 'Pretty Woman.'"



"Are you kidding? Julia Roberts wasn't even invented when this classic of cinema was made."



"It's frightening to think such a world existed."



"We've come a long way," Xander said with a sage nod.



They pretended to watch television for a bit. Dav took the spectacles from Rupert's lax hand and set them on the table. She covered him with a mauve throw she'd bought to replace the one that got singed by Willow's locator spell. As she arranged the soft fabric around his shoulders, she resisted the urge to kiss his forehead.



"You and G-man have a good talk last night?" Xander asked. His voice sounded hesitant.



Dav tried to remember the stuff she learned in the one acting class she took so she could successfully fake a sense of calm. Her main take-away from the instructor was that she should rely on a childhood memory to lend credibility to her acting and to lose at least twenty pounds if she wanted to be cast as the lead. She tried to think of her grandmother teaching her needlepoint instead of the way Rupert's mouth felt against her skin. She sat down next to Xander, making sure their knees didn't touch.



"Um, I guess. It was nice of him to stay up with me."



"He's good like that, with the advising. Did he say anything, you know, about us?" Xander asked as he watched her.



Dav grabbed a pink throw pillow and hugged it to her chest.



"Xander, I don't really want to talk about this. I think we've already said everything."



"So you didn't change your mind."



"I'm sorry, Xan."



"No, I'm sorry," Xander said, patting her hand. "I still love you, no matter what I did to screw things up."



Dav wasn't sure how to react; she gnawed her lower lip but didn't take her hand away.



"I love you, too, but everything's different now. I'll always be your friend, though," Dav said.



Xander looked at their twined fingers for a moment.



"Maybe—"



The knock on the door cut off Xander's words. Giles woke with a jerk and tapped around looking for his glasses. Eddie opened the bedroom door and stuck his head out. Dav stood and went to check on who was outside, with the others following closely behind. Peering through her peephole, she saw, Willow, Joyce and Andrew looking nervously around them. Dav unlocked the door while Giles spoke a spell to lower the wards momentarily. The newcomers filed into the room saying, "Hi," "Hello, Dear," and "What's up?" Eddie bounded over to his boyfriend and picked up the slightly shorter man.



"I was so scared," Eddie said, his lips against the crook of Andrew's neck. Then they kissed like the world would collapse if they stopped. At the same moment Willow nearly tackled Xander.



"We were all scared. I thought I was never gonna see you again," Willow said. Xander didn't react at first; instead he found Dav's eyes. She smiled at him, hoping to make him understand that Willow needed him then. He nodded and hugged his oldest friend.



"I wasn't scared for a second. Not when the team was led by the indescribable Rosenberg."



"Pshaw, I say and also phew," Willow said, nuzzling against Xander's chest. The slim redhead peeked over their tangled limbs and gave Dav an embarassed look. Willow's face was all squished forehead and fearful eye. Dav couldn't help smiling sadly at the other girl. Dav tried to blot out the couple and focused on Joyce.



"How are you?"



"Exhausted," Joyce said, then looked over Dav's shoulder, "Hello Rupert. Where's Buffy?"



Dav turned around and saw Rupert smoothing his rumpled hair and bumping his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his index finger. Joyce made him nervous and Dav remembered he'd had sex with Buffy's mom once. Xander, cringing and laughing at once, told her Joyce said Giles had gotten it on like a stevedore. Dav remembered because she'd had to look up the word—it was a fancy term for someone who loaded and unloaded ships. For the first time since she'd known her, Dav felt incredibly short and just a little bit angry in Joyce's presence.



"Urm, she and Spike are," Rupert began, when the pair in question walked into the room. A second later Buffy was edging Dav out of the way and wrapping her arms around her mom. Buffy and Joyce clung to one another and tears tumbled out of the corners of Joyce's eyes.



"Mommy," Buffy said, softly.



Joyce reached out and her fingers hovered around the crown of Buffy's head.



"Your hair."



"I know."



"What did they do to my baby?"



Spike hung back, with his hands in his pockets and his eyes trained on the floor, as though it would be impolite to intrude. It was another moment that revealed that the long-dead English gentleman he'd been hadn't quite disappeared. What was he now, Dav wondered. Their eyes met, and he seemed to know what she was thinking.



Joyce lifted her head and smiled at Spike.



"I didn't have a chance to tell you, I'm so glad to count you among the living," Joyce said.



"Glad to be back," he said, smiling warmly. Buffy opened her eyes and reached out toward Spike without letting her mom go. He took Buffy's hand and she folded him into the hug with her mother.



"I knew you'd keep each other safe," Joyce said.



Dav regarded the group; Eddie's and Andrew's hands had vanished under each others' clothing; Willow and Xander were whispering and cuddling; Joyce, Buffy and Spike were all huddled together in a teary knot. Only she and Rupert were acutely alone. She'd never wanted to touch him more, to reassure him he was part of the joyful reunion, but Dav was afraid that everyone would know what she'd done. She could shatter thier makeshift family if she chose either of the men who were in love with her.



Everyone slowly disengaged and drifted to the couch. Somehow, all of them fit on the sectional. Joyce took the end beside Buffy who sat on Spike's lap, then Willow and Xander smooshed together in the bend. Eddie and Andrew were next with Dav perched on the arm. Rupert stood, because he always did. His eyes alighted on hers, and she read ambivalence in them.



"So what's been going on with you guys since last night? Eddie filled us in on the commandos and the frat-go-boom," Xander said. He tweaked Willow's chin and Dav had the distinct urge to retreat to the kitchen so she wouldn't have to watch their easy affection.



"We went to the mansion, to see if Angel was there. I thought he'd be able to protect Joyce—" Willow said.



Buffy and Spike looked at each other; her face stilled and he held her clenched hands.



"Angel's dust, kitten. Buffy and I felt it," Spike said.



"I'm so sorry, honey," Joyce said, patting Buffy's shoulder. Buffy just nodded in response.



"We thought so, but we weren't sure. There was a pile of ashes on the chair in front of the fireplace," Willow said. Xander said nothing, which Dav took as a sign of maturity.



"You're certain because of the blood bond," Rupert said, as though he'd discovered something interesting in one of his aged books. He was the only person in the room who didn't seem shocked or upset. Dav's stomach began to roil with her dawning suspicions. She was glad she hadn't eaten much of her breakfast because it was threatening to come up again.



"Yes," Buffy said through clenched teeth, "so you guys spent the night in the mansion."



"Basically, yeah, after all the death-defying we holed up in that fancy manse. And by the way, I've lived in Sunnydale all my life and didn't realize we had an original Carey Meyer building within walking distance of my house."



"Oh my God! I didn't know you were into architecture," Eddie said, planting a kiss on the back of his boyfriend's hand.



"My geekiness is eclectic."



Buffy didn't smile at Andrew's joke.



"We need to get our hands on Walsh. Maybe surprise her at her flat. Get her to call off her dogs," Spike said.



"That's a good idea. She shouldn't be too hard to find," Buffy said.



"Locator spell?" Andrew asked.



"Actually, she put her address in the syllabus. That should've been the first indication she was a complete nutcase," Willow said.



"There's a couple things you should know before you talk to her. Ethan Rayne was killed in a mysterious, single-car accident this morning along with someone named Lloyd Oliver," Willow said.



"The good doctor," Spike murmurred.



"You know this person?" Joyce asked.



"He tortured Spike," Buffy said, her voice calm and even. "He said she'd kill us all. I thought he was just being all villiany and melodramatic, but I guess she started with him. What does Ethan have to do with any of this anyway?"



"The serum that made Spike a mortal man was a concoction of Ethan's," Rupert said as he snapped off his glasses and gave them a rough polish. "We mustn't jump to any conclusions about the crash until we have more information. Willow, how did you find out about the deaths? Was it a spell?"



"No. I get e-mail updates from the paper about mysterious deaths in Sunnydale. You'd be shocked how fast my inbox gets clogged. Actually, no, you guys probably wouldn't," Willow said, wringing her hands. Xander put his arm around her.



"What was the other thing we needed to know before we head out?" Buffy asked.



"When I was in Ethan's mind—"



"When were you in Ethan's mind?" Eddie asked.



"You guys were in the kitchen, after the whole thing with the couch and—anyway it doesn't matter! Walsh kidnapped Faith and she's not comatose anymore. Faith's a fully operational slayer super-soldier," Willow said.



"Poor Faith. God knows what they've done to her," Joyce said.



"Poor us. If Faith's gone way roguer, then the first people she's coming after are us," Xander said.



"We can't let them do this to her. We'll head over to Walsh's now. Xander, you drive."



"I've got a plethora of weapons options in my trunk. And some jumper cables, but we hopefully won't need those unless I left the headlights on again."



"Always good to be prepared," Buffy said with an indulgent smile. She pointed at the boys. "Eddie, Andrew stay here with Giles, Dav and my Mom. If anything should happen to the rest of us we're going to need the cavalry. Besides, Andrew hasn't been spotted by any of the Initiative yet and I want to keep it that way."



"Aw, thanks Buffy. That makes my heart cockles go all warm and fuzzy and I don't even know what cockles are."



"They're like the valves and whatnot that do the pumping," Spike said, earning an, Oh-my-God-could-you-be-more-adorable look from the girl on his lap. A red blush crept up his hollow cheeks like fire climbing a curtain. "What? I looked it up once so I could use the word properly."



"Right," she said, arching her eyebrow at him before turning to the rest of the group. "So we're all set for objects both pointy and blunt. We have transportation. Giles, what am I forgetting?"



"You seem to have things in hand."



"But honey, you're safe now—" Joyce said, grabbing her daughter's thin arm.



Buffy smiled at her mom and her voice got soft.



"Not really mom. None of us are until we deal with Maggie."



"You could wait one more day—"



Buffy absently fingered the stubby ends of her blonde hair.



"Faith doesn't have that time."



Buffy got to her feet and the others rose. Joyce snatched her daughter into a close hug.



"Mom, you've got to let go sometime. I'm not carrying you like a backpack."



"Are you sure? I used to lug you in that baby Bjorn."



"Positive. I love you, though."



"I love you, too."



Buffy released her mom and they walked to the exit saying goodybyes. Dav noticed Xander tentatively took Willow's hand after they passed over the threshold. Once they were gone, Joyce lost the will to fight her weariness. The taller woman seemed to diminish as she leaned against the tattooed door.



"Will they be alright?"



"Buffy has defied all odds and so has Spike for that matter. I think they'll fare better than anyone else in this world could," Rupert said.



"Buffy's the slayer. She's totally made of magic. They're gonna be great," Andrew said, giving Joyce a pat on the arm.



Joyce smiled at him and then ran her fingers through her heavy, blonde hair.



"I think I could use a cat nap. We didn't get much rest last night."



"You can have my room," Dav said.



"That's alright. I'll just curl up on the couch."



"Joyce, before you sleep I'd like to talk to you about Buffy," Rupert said. He glanced at Dav over the tops of his glasses, and she understood that he wanted to talk to Joyce alone. Dav worried her lower lip.



"I could use a nap, too. What do you say, baby?" Eddie asked, turning to Andrew.



"I'm too tired for a nap."



Everyone looked at him quizzically.



"Oh, you mean a nap-nap, not a nap," Andrew said, punctuating the last word with a hearty wink.



Eddie rolled his eyes and grabbed his boyfriend's wrist.



"You're such a dork," Eddie muttered as he led Andrew into the guest room.






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