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Thank you everyone who is reading this story. Thank you for the reviews! I love them!
Chapter 18: ‘Family Tries’


Summary: Spike and Buffy take their daughter to stay the night with them. Riley ‘calls’ and raises the fear factors again. Spike comes up with a vacation for Dawn and to try and protect his daughter.


A/N: Only a few chapters left of this one, now. Thank you for reading.


Chapter 18:


“I want the Bit to stay with us, tonight at the hotel,” Spike blurted out suddenly. They were still in the Sunnydale Park, the three of them and he was pushing Dawn in a swing. Buffy stood next to him, giggling wildly at the sight of their daughter flying through the air. Dawn was so carefree and happy, oblivious to the danger that still lurked within their fragile lives.

“No,” Buffy whispered quickly, eliciting a stunned, confused look from her lover. “I want Dawn to stay with ‘us’ at my parents’ house, in Sunnydale,” she added with a stubborn smile. “I want at least one happy memory ‘there’ for Dawnie and me. Call it my last big hurrah before the Apocalypse!” She finished with a wicked laugh.

“I think it’s a bloody brilliant plan,” Spike chuckled in an equally wicked manner.

Spike stilled the swing and pulled his lover into his left arm, while he held his daughter in his right. “Your mum has something she wants to ask you, Bit,” Spike whispered lovingly into Dawn’s ear.

“Do you want to stay at the big house tonight, baby?” Buffy asked in an almost shy voice of her child. “Stay over with your daddy and me? We’ll be there all alone, well and with Andrew too,” she added with a warm smile. “Mom and Dad, I mean your grandparents are still in Italy and I thought maybe you’d like to…”

“Oh yes!” Dawn squealed in delight. “I’d love to stay in the big Sunnydale house,” she finished with another squeal of joy.

Buffy felt a hard tug at her full heart, to think that her daughter, her Dawn, would be so excited to actually stay the night in that house. It was the house that Buffy associated with so much fucking misery and sorrow.

Spike watched Buffy, carefully, almost able to read his lover’s thoughts like a book.

‘She’s feeling guilty,’ he thought sadly, making the whole stay over idea a little more then bittersweet. His lover, the mother of his child was full of remorse and guilt that she had just now admitted the truth. Dawn was her daughter, not her sister and he, William Giles was her father.

“Really, baby?” Buffy asked in a childlike tone, unable to look at Dawn. She could only gaze at William with awe.

“Oh, yes,” Dawn replied with another excited giggle. “I’d love to! Can we pop some corn and watch TV together? Like a real family, Buff…I mean Mommy? Do you even have corn to pop at the big house? We don’t have to have it,” Dawn’s face fell just a bit, at the thought of no popcorn with TV.

“We’ll stop and buy corn, Bit,” Spike interjected warmly, tucking a loose dark strand of his daughter’s hair behind her little right ear. “We’ll get a ton of the stuff and pop it all night, if you want, sweet,” he finished with a slight hitch in his voice.

“Okay!” Dawn squealed again, hopping off the swing and pulling her parents towards the parked Cadillac. “Let’s go now,” she ordered firmly, “I want to have time to buy the corn and pop a ton of it, Daddy. We can watch ‘Smallville’ if we hurry. That Tom boy that plays Clark is just so cute!” The six-year-old finished with a happy little giggle.

After a quick stop at the nearest 7/11 store, the trio made their way to the big old Sunnydale house on Revello Drive. Buffy cringed as they neared the place, but quickly pushed aside her own bad memories.

‘Now is the time to make new, happy memories,’ she assured herself again. ‘Here, with my real family; my really for real family.’

Andrew was so excited that there was going to be a ‘houseful’ of people; he nearly fainted when he met them at the door. Apparently, the poor guy had gotten rather lonely in the big old house by himself.

“Can we watch some DVD’s?” Andrew asked, almost as excited as Dawn. “There’s some great DVD’s in the cabinet,” he pointed to a large entertainment center.

“Sure,” Buffy murmured carefully as she glanced around the big, nearly empty front room. Tara McClay and Willow had done some major ‘damage’ control already in the house and renovated the front room first.

“It looks good,” Spike nodded his approval at Buffy, taking her tiny hand in his. “Your friend’s girl has done this, yes?”

“Yeah,” Buffy mumbled under her breath. She was happy with the changes, of course, but wondered if her parents would truly be happy about them?

‘Who gives a fuck,’ Buffy asked herself sternly, as she shook away her sentimental concerns. ‘They think I’m marrying Riley and that I’m selling this dump for them. Well, then let them think it,’ she reasoned coolly. ‘I’ll do what I want to get rid of this nightmare as soon as possible.’

“You okay, Princess?” Spike asked Buffy with subtle concern. He could tell that being in this house unnerved his lover and wondered if this had been a good idea tonight.

“I’m fine,” Buffy quipped abruptly and took Dawn’s hand in hers. “Let’s get you upstairs, to my old room,” she stated evenly to her daughter. “Now, Dawn,” Buffy began with a pause, “I want you to understand that your daddy and me? We’ll be staying in a guest bedroom, together. Is that all right with you?”

“Well where else would you stay, but together?” Dawn snipped with a smirk. “You’re my daddy and mommy. You should stay in the same room. Right Andrew?”

“Right little Miss,” Andrew chuckled affectionately down at the tiny girl.

“Where will you stay Andrew?” Dawn asked suddenly, quite concerned about her friend.

“I’ve been staying in the guest house, Miss,” the young man replied honestly. “I find it nice and quiet and there’s a lovely VCR player in there, with a thirty inch TV to boot!”

Buffy flipped open her cell phone and dialed Dawn’s Catholic school to speak with Father Johnathan.

“So she’ll be staying, with us, here at the house, Father,” Buffy explained to the priest. “We think it would be best and all,” she added, a little overwhelmed by this big turn of events.

“I do too,” Father Johnathan replied quickly. “I believe it’s best for dear little Dawn to feel at home with both of her parents, as rapidly as possible. I’m so glad you decided to tell your daughter the truth, Elizabeth,” he finished with a contented sigh.

“I need a word with you Miss Buffy, Mr. Spike,” Andrew whispered to the couple. “Miss Dawn? How about you get washed up and let me speak with your big sister and…”

“She knows,” Buffy murmured softly to Andrew, watching Dawn carefully. “We told her the truth,” she finished with a relieved sigh.

“Good,” Andrew crowed happily. “I’m sure it’s for the best, Miss Buffy.”

Dawn left to wash up while Buffy and Spike followed Andrew into the dining room and closed the door behind them. Andrew looked ‘concerned’ which began to worry Buffy.

“What is it Andrew?” Buffy asked anxiously.

“It’s Mr. Finn,” Andrew sighed, “he’s called here, a number of times. He claimed that your cell phone was off and he wanted to know what was going on. I told him that you took Miss Dawn out for supper and a movie. I hope that was all right Miss Buffy?” Andrew looked as if he might get ill.

“It’s fine, Andrew,” Spike interjected, taking charge of the situation immediately.

“It’s not a lie, right?” The blond FBI agent added sincerely, “we did take Dawn out for hamburgers and to the park. Close enough, right Princess,” he glanced nervously at Buffy.

“Yeah, right,” Buffy stammered, quite nervous herself by now. As long as Riley Finn was a threat to her family? Buffy would be terrified of him.

“I’ll call him, now,” Buffy muttered resentfully. “I can cover this and get him off our backs for a while longer.” She walked over to the phone and dialed the mansion, nearly missing the right numbers because of her anxiousness.

“It’s me Riley,” Buffy mumbled, glancing over at William who frowned back at her. She noticed he ran his hand through his hair, at least five times while she was on the phone with Riley.

“When are you coming home?” Riley asked her curtly, apparently fed up with Buffy’s time away with Dawn.

“I haven’t told her yet,” Buffy lied easily. “This isn’t something you just blurt out to a six-year-old, Riley and…”

“Well, tell her, and be quick about it!” Riley grunted at Buffy through the phone line. “Quit fucking around here, Buffy. You wanted to come clean with the kid so do it. Christ, tell her I’m her father, if it makes you feel better!”

“I can’t do that!” Buffy cried desperately, “I’ve already lied to her, so much. Kept things from her and…”

“Suit yourself, babe,” Riley spat; Buffy could almost ‘feel’ him shrug with indifference. “But tell her and get home. With or without Dawn, that’s up to you. Where in the hell are you, anyway?”

“At my folks' house,” Buffy replied, coolly. “I brought Dawn home with me, to the house. We’re having a sleep over and…”

“That’s just great,” Riley snorted. “You’re up there, sleeping in a bed without me and trying to play mother, for once, to your illegitimate kid. This is turning into a real circus Buff. We need to resolve this once and for all. I’ll come up there, tomorrow and…”

“NO!” Buffy screamed into the phone, causing Spike to jump and hurry over to her. He took her in his arms and tried to cuddle her as much as he could.

“No,” Buffy repeated, a lot more calmly now. “I’ll, I’ll tell you what, Rile,” she stammered, trying to think of a way out of this mess. “I’ll tell Dawn, tomorrow, for sure. Right here in my folks’ house. Then I’ll take her back to the school and let her adjust to the news? After that? I’ll come home to LA and you; make sure to get everything ready for our wedding and for Dawnie’s move there?”

“Okay,” Riley muttered half-heartedly. “I can live with that,” he added with a bit more confidence. “As long as your home here by the end of this weekend.”

After Buffy and Riley hung up the phone from each other, she turned to William, tiny tears in her green eyes. “If I don’t go home to LA, soon? He’ll come up here and…”

“He will not come up here,” Spike hissed angrily, his jealous nature taking over again. “We’ll work out something, something good for Dawn by tomorrow. Riley is not coming up here, to you, Dawn or this fucking house!” He pulled Buffy into his arms, possessively.

“Look,” Spike began carefully, “Xander and me? We’ve pretty much got Finn nailed for Warren Meirs’ murder, and other crap.”

Andrew perked up at this news and joined the couple by the end table. “You think you can point the finger at Mr. Finn?” Andrew asked hopefully.

“Yes,” Spike muttered, his eyes narrowed into angry slits. “We’ve got enough to nail the fuck and we’re going to. Soon, maybe even within a week. In the meantime,” he looked at Buffy, thoughtfully, “if you go back to that fucking house? In LA? I’ll go over there and rip that fuck’s head off and kick…”

“I’ll stay with Willow and Tara for a while,” Buffy blurted out, suddenly. “I’ve already covered my not sleeping with Riley; pre-wedding superstition and all,” she added quickly. She hated having to say that in front of Andrew, but William most of all. Buffy noted the way Will flinched at the blunt words.

“Okay,” Spike sighed, still unhappy that Buffy would be in the same town as Riley, even if she wasn’t in the same house anymore.

“He’ll buy that explanation, for a while, anyway,” she murmured, nodding her golden head. “It’s just,” she began, then closed her mouth and looked away from William so he wouldn’t see the fear in her green eyes.

“It’s Dawn, isn’t it?” Spike asked her, without having to hear her reply. He knew that Buffy was afraid for their daughter; terrified for her, because, frankly, so was he.

“Yes,” Buffy whispered trying not to cry, but she snuggled into Will’s arms anyway and buried her head in his chest. “I’m afraid that when things go down? Riley, he might go after Dawn and hurt her, Will. I know he’ll try and…”

“He won’t get to her,” Spike stated with determination. “Riley won’t get to our daughter because he won’t be able to find her.”

“What? How? Will, what are we going to do?” Buffy looked up into his open blue eyes and suddenly felt ten times better.

“We’re going to send Dawn somewhere, somewhere safe, Princess,” Spike murmured, nuzzling Buffy’s forehead with his mouth. “Someplace that Riley Finn’s never even dreamed of.”

The family and Andrew watched the second DVD of the night together. Buffy snuggled into Will’s strong embrace, while Dawn sat on the floor at their feet, in front of the couch. Andrew was stationed in a chair, closest to the television set.

“See Dawn,” Andrew exclaimed like a little boy at Christmas. “Little Anakin is going to grow up to be Darth Vadar! Just like I told you!”

“Dawn,” Buffy whispered, stroking her daughter’s soft head, “your daddy and I need to ask you something. We need to kind of run something by you and see if it’s all right with you. Will you be honest with us?”

“Sure,” Dawn shrugged, still focused on a very handsome Obi Wan Kenobi that smiled out from the TV.

“How would you like to take a trip, Bit?” Spike asked in a hushed tone. “To another state of the USA? Way over by another ocean?”

Dawn turned around and looked up at her parents, her blue eyes filled with confusion. “You’re sending me away?” She asked in a hurt tone.

“No,” Buffy and Spike chimed in at the same time.

“Not sending you away, baby,” Buffy whispered with regret. “We’re just trying to give you a little vacation, for a little while. You’d be going to a place called Virginia, honey,” Buffy gave William a pleading look.

“Tell her, please, Will,” Buffy whimpered in the barest of voices. “I don’t think I can,” she finished in a strangled whisper.

Spike pulled his daughter up to sit on his right knee, leaning her head back against his chest. “Your mum and me, well, we thought you might like to take a little trip, Dawn. See where my mum, your Granny Jennifer lives. It’s a farm that my mum lives on, Bit. A real big farm, in the country. In a place called Virginia. Your Grandpa Rupert, my dad,” he choked out the name, “he’s not there, with Granny Jenny right now and she’s a bit lonely. We thought, your mum and I, that you might like to visit and meet Granny Jenny. Would you, Bit? The farm is real nice and full of animals, like a zoo almost and…”

“Are there lions, Daddy?” Dawn asked, suddenly quite interested in the ‘zoo/farm’ of her grandparents.

“No, not lions, exactly,” Spike smirked and tried not to chuckle at his little angel. “But there are bloody big farm cats, Bit, and a big nice old dog, by the name of Micky. He's an Australian Sheep dog. There are lots of horses and a few cows even. Of course you’ll be expected to help, with the chickens and all. I think you’d like it, sweetheart and I know Granny Jenny wants to meet you. She’ll just love you, Bit,”

Spike rasped, trying not to choke up again. “She can’t wait to meet you and your mum and I have a lot of work to do, here in California. If we’re going to…”

“Get rid of Riley Finn from our lives, forever?” Dawn asked her father evenly. Spike was momentarily stunned at his daughter’s perceptiveness.

“Yes,” Buffy answered for her love, “we desperately need to get rid of Riley Finn, forever, baby. Your daddy will do just that, Dawnie, I promise.” Buffy laid her head on William’s shoulder and wrapped her arms about her daughter. Her heart felt like it was breaking all over again, but Buffy knew this was for the best. Dawn ‘had’ to be made completely safe.

‘We have to do this,’ she told herself for the hundredth time. ‘We have to protect Dawn at all costs.’


A/N: So, there you have it…Dawn is going to be sequestered, in safety in Virginia on her grandparents’ farm. I think she’ll like it there, for a while, until she can be reunited with her parents. Don’t you?

Thanks for reading and please review. There are a few chapters left now, spufette.





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