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Author's Chapter Notes:
I know I took longer to update than promised, but we had some more family trouble which caused my muse to gravitate elsewhere for a while. But I've got this one up and ready to go. Hopefully Muse will stay around until this is done.
Thank you as always to Dusty273 for being the bestest beta ever! And thanks sotia and cordykitten for your encouragment! *hugs* Enjoy and please review!
Chapter 17 – Moving Day

The house was bustling with activity. Xander and Anya were busy packing cutlery and kitchenware into meticulously marked boxes. Willow was working with Tara in the living room amongst a giant pile of linens that hadn’t been packed yet. Spike and Giles were set to arrive within the hour with the U-hauls and start moving furniture from the house to the apartment. While Buffy was trying her best not to cry as she packed the last of her mother’s scattered knickknacks around the house.

Buffy could hardly believe this was the last day she would be living in her house. Realistically, she knew they may move back in here one day after she graduated from college and had a proper job. Dawn would have a proper house and yard to live and play in if they did. But she wasn’t so sure this was what she wanted. Maybe they both needed a fresh start after this and would end up selling the house. Maybe they would move somewhere else, somewhere with better schools for Dawn who was already showing signs of having a higher than normal intelligence.

“Kitchen’s all clear, Buffster!” Xander came through to the dining room carrying a couple of small boxes, followed closely by Anya. “Where do you need my expert hands next?”

Buffy offered him a smile, “Upstairs, if you want to start figuring out what to do with the beds and such. Dawn is getting my old one, and I’m taking Mom’s.”

“Sure thing,” Xander said as he moved on upstairs.

“Would you like me to help pack your valuables? I am very careful so I promise you won’t loose any money,” Anya asked Buffy as soon as Xander left.

“Nah, it’s pretty much packed here,” Buffy answered, smiling at Anya’s phrasing. “Just waiting for Giles and Spike to come with the trucks.” Buffy started toward the living room to check on Dawn and her ‘helping’ Willow and Tara pack.

Dawn was sitting on one of the sofa cushions directing the two women on where to put everything. It seemed her orders were overruled from time to time, though, as Willow didn’t always concede to the girl’s logic.

“But Willow!” Dawn argued in a whiney tone. “I wan’ a box I can carry!” Dawn was indicating that the current box, half the size of Dawn herself which only housed two tablecloths, was ready to be taped up.

“I know you do, honey,” Tara said softly, “Maybe you can help me carry all the pillows?”

Dawn cocked her head to the side, considering her options and Buffy smiled to herself thinking how much like Spike’s the gesture was.

“Okay, Tara,” Dawn agreed, hopping off the sofa before collecting various pillows to carry.

“How’s it all going in here?” Buffy asked, motioning to Dawn while her back was turned.

“Great,” Willow said with a glance at Tara. “We’ve packed most of it up. Basic necessities in these boxes with the blue marker, stuff you’ll need in about a week in the boxes with the red marker, and stuff that can wait in the green marked ones. Tara’s idea,” she finished, shooting the shy blonde a winning smile.

Tara smiled softly up at Buffy, “Got everything else packed?”

“Yup. I’m totally on top of it,” Buffy said and was interrupted of adding anything else by the arrival of the Giles’ in the moving trucks. Buffy was happy to see them come, but at the same time loathed to pack up the vehicles knowing it would be the last farewell.

“Hello, sweetness,” Spike came up and wrapped Buffy in a comforting hug as soon as he entered the house. He could see how strained she was from keeping her emotions in check for Dawn and her friends’ sakes.

“Hi,” Buffy replied, lifting her face to kiss him hello. Giles entered the house shortly after Spike and said quick hellos to the gathered people.

Xander came down the stairs, ready to talk strategy with the other male members of the moving crew. Buffy, Anya, Willow and Tara laughed as the discussion, or rather argument, of what pieces of furniture to move first began.

“Listen here, bleach boy,” Xander said in an irritated tone, “You have to move the beds in first, the sofas are too big.”

“Exactly why we should get rid of ‘em first,” Spike countered, less irritated than Xander.

“Though I don’t often say this, you are quite right, son,” Giles pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Helping young people was always a chore. “The sofas should go in first so we can pile in the rest around them. Now you two stop your bloody bickering and get moving.”

Giles’ frustrated tone seemed to launch the younger men into motion, quiet for the first time in the past ten minutes. Giles smiled, happy to have the matter settled and looked over at Buffy. The girl looked stressed and a little worn out, but immediately cracked a smile when the bickering of his son and Xander started up again. This time, how to best move the large sofa was the topic of debate.

“We’re gonna have to angle it, whelp,” Spike spat in frustration after trying in vain to hold his end of the sofa up any longer. “’S not gonna fit if we don’.”

“We’re still going to have to take the front door off. It’s too wide. Has all that bleach fried your brain cells?” Xander countered, setting down his end of the sofa as well. He maneuvered around the large object and pulled a measuring tape out of his tool belt.

“See, we’re off by about two inches,” Xander said more patiently. He liked being able to show Spike what he was talking about, he wasn’t a complete moron after all. Door frames and construction were part of his expertise. “If we just pop the front door off its hinges, we can open up the frame by at least four more. It’ll make moving everything else a lot smoother.”

Spike grudgingly agreed, much to the amusement of the women who hadn’t missed an opportunity to watch another show of male chauvinism. As the two set about the task of removing the door, the rest of the assembled helpers moved back to the task at hand.

“How are you holding up, Buffy?” Giles asked her softly when it seemed no one was listening in on the conversation any longer.

“Oh, as good as expected I suppose,” Buffy replied, not quite willing to go through her feelings in the middle of the chaos. “It’s sad to be leaving, but Dawn seems excited about the new place. It’s just a big adventure to her so far.”

“Well that is good news at least.”

“Yeah, it is. I’m sure once we’re settled in the new place it will be easier,” Buffy said before indicating that she had more work to do. Most of the boxes were packed but needed to be tagged according to which room they were to go into. There were a few boxes of junk and a couple of large pieces of furniture she was selling and getting rid of in one of the living room corners.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“C-could you pass m-me that m-marker?” Tara stuttered slightly, still unable to overcome her shyness completely. Especially around Willow.

“Sure,” Willow responded with a bright smile before passing the thick permanent marker. As she passed the pen, Willow’s hand touched Tara’s, sending a shivering tingle down her arm. Willow had found the last hours she had spent with Tara relaxing and extremely enjoyable. And that was saying a lot considering that moving was not so much of the top fun things to do.

“Thanks,” Tara whispered, holding Willow’s gaze for longer than normal.

“Whatcha doin’?” Dawn came bouncing into the room carrying one of the throw pillows from the sofa Spike and Xander had finally managed to get safely into one of the moving trucks.

After the door had been removed the pair had had no trouble getting the sofa through, and Willow thought she’d heard Spike mutter something about the wisdom of the decision.

“Just labeling the last few boxes, Dawnie,” Willow supplied, holding her arms open for a hug. Dawn scrambled over to Willow and settled on her lap. She’d had enough of moving, it wasn’t fun anymore.

“Oh,” Dawn replied, fingering the embroidery on the pillow. “Are you moving too?” The question seemed to be directed at Tara, but it was hard to tell because Dawn refused to look up.

“I’m not moving, sweetheart,” Willow started, hoping to direct the conversation somewhere else soon.

“Not you, silly! Glinda,” Dawn looked up, scrunching her nose at the silly notion that Willow was moving.

“M-me?” Tara asked softly, looking at Dawn with an amused smile. Spike had obviously been talking about her to Dawn.

“Yeah.”

“No, I’m not moving,” Tara answered carefully, not sure of where this train of thought was leading.

“Jus’ me an’ Buffy hafta move?” Dawn asked, face solemn.

“Yes, into a beautiful new house. Remember the flowers I was telling you about?” Willow answered for Tara.

“The sunny ones, yeah? Can you help me an’ Willow take care of them too?” Dawn looked up at Tara hopefully. “I asked Willyum to help but he told me no an’ not to call him that again.”

“Well that isn’t a very nice thing to say,” Willow frowned, wondering whom William was and how Dawn had met him. “That sounds like a nice name to have.”

“I thought so,” Dawn said with a frown before focusing on Tara again. “Will you help me too with the flowers?”

Tara smiled and nodded at the little girl who had a terrific ability to worm herself into anyone’s heart within in moments. She also had a sneaking suspicion she knew who William was and why he didn’t want to be called by his given name.

“I will, sweetie. And why don’t you tell William that I asked him to help too? I’m sure he’d love to help if you and Buffy made us all some lemonade and cookies. That way we could spend a whole day helping you with the sunflowers and have a picnic too,” Tara smiled mischievously at the girl. She never had problems stuttering around kids, their innocent smiles put her at ease instantly.

“Yeah? A picnic?” Dawn asked face aglow with hope.

“Sure,” Tara smiled brightly at Dawn, sensing she needed something good to look forward to at the new house. All these questions seemed to indicate her unease about living in a new place. “You, me, and Willow can plan the whole picnic out while we wait for Spike and Xander to tell us to move boxes, okay?”

Dawn nodded vigorously at Tara and turned her eyes to Willow who looked a little perplexed at being left out of the loop. Tara had certainly grown on Dawn in the few times she’d met the young girl. Even Tara knows who William is, Willow thought to herself. I’ll have to ask her later. Willow smiled down at the little girl in her lap, engrossing herself in the plans for the sunflower picnic they would soon be having at the new house.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Five hours later found an exhausted group of friends spread over various surfaces in Buffy and Dawn’s new apartment.

“Next time you move Buff, call the professionals,” Xander lifted his head from Anya’s lap long enough to send his best friend a mock-glare.

“But she saved a lot of money this way. And I got to see you do lots of very manly lifting. That was much better than watching you dig,” Anya smiled down at the head on her lap.

Buffy giggled at Anya’s comment, too tired to move herself. She leaned further into Spike’s shoulder, moving back when her movement caused him to groan.

“Easy there, pet,” he smiled over at her, carefully shifting a sleeping Dawn around on his lap. “’m bloody well sore too.”

“Thank you.” Buffy grinned softly at him before extending her gaze to her assembled group of friends. “All of you. You guys were great. Next weekend when I finally have most of this stuff put away we’ll have a move in fiesta. As a big Buffy thank you to her wonderful friends.”

“Not a problem, Buffy,” Willow said with a yawn. “Oh, there’s something Tara and I should tell you too. Dawn is hosting a picnic soon. She was asking us for help with her sunflowers and Tara, Dawn and I got a little carried away.” She blushed prettily as she looked over at Tara.

“Yeah, Buffy,” Tara supplied. “We’ll catch you up on a-all the details.”

“Sure, sounds fun,” Buffy smiled at them before turning her attention back to her sleeping sister. Dawn was exhausted from all the excitement. She had ridden in the truck with Spike, Xander and Anya which had made a huge impression on her apparently. Dawn had played in the yard while the adults worked, reassuring Buffy she’d made the right choice by moving.

“Yeah, it will be, but I have to ask,” Willow started, “Who’s William? And why isn’t she allowed to call him by his name?”

“William?” Buffy asked, perplexed.

Spike had a sudden urge to study his shoelaces while Tara giggled, and Giles full out laughed.

“What?” Willow asked petulantly.

“Oh,” Buffy said, realizing whom her sister was referring to. Then it was her turn to join in the giggles before sobering and looking over at her boyfriend. “Spike’s name is William. Dawn was over at Janice’s house the other day and their neighbor just got a new puppy who they named Spike. She’s been complaining ever since and decided that she would rather call him William, but I’m not sure it’s been agreed to yet,” Buffy smiled at Spike when he blushed slightly, and ruffled his hair for added measure.

“Hey! I’m no soddin’ ponce. Don’ wan’ to be called William,” Spike muttered, shooting his still laughing father a deadly glare before looking down affectionately at the little bundle of trouble on his lap. As soon as the group had settled on the floor to eat the pizza Buffy had ordered, Dawn had decided to play Goldilocks in the sense that she tried out sitting in everyone’s lap before deciding who’s was the best. Spike was happier than he let on that she’d chosen his before allowing the long day to pull her off to sleep.

“I’m sure the little devil will win you over, honey,” Buffy teased gently, knowing that Dawn was bound to get anything she wanted from Spike in the end. If she asked for the moon and stars she was sure there would be a full on mission to get them for Dawn. It was both reassuring and frightening how well the two of them got on.

“Yeah, whatever, pet,” Spike looked up at her with a smile. “I’ve been known to fight the forces of evil and win before.”

Buffy returned the smile and looked at her collected group of friends, all of who were exhausted and itching to get back home to their respective beds. Aside from Anya of course.

“Well, why don’t we call it a night guys?” Buffy said before struggling up off the floor, joined shortly by her friends.

“Good idea, Buffy,” Willow said, making her way out the door. “We’ll stop by tomorrow and see if you need any more help unpacking. Tara and I were going to catch a movie, but we’ve got a picnic to plan.”

“Don’t skip the movie on our account, Will,” Buffy interjected.

“W-we’ll stop by after, if that’s okay,” Tara said after exchanging a shy glance with Willow. Buffy couldn’t help but catch the look and file it away for later analysis. At least Willow seemed to be moving on from Oz.

“Sure, sounds groovy,” Buffy pulled each girl into a hug before repeating the action with Anya and Xander.

“Call me if you need any help tomorrow assembling furniture or what not,” Xander said before waving goodbye.

“Bye, Buffy! It was nice to do forced volunteer work for you,” Anya said with a bright smile, taking the edge of what may have been insulting if one didn’t know her.

“Thanks again, Anya,” Buffy said with a smile before turning to Giles who also looked ready to leave.

“Goodnight, Buffy,” he smiled down at her. “I trust you’ll sleep well the first night in your new home. And I’m certain my son can find his own way back, it would be a shame to wake Dawn.”

“Sure, Giles. And thanks again, for everything,” Buffy gave him a warm hug and assured him that she would ask him for help in the morning, if need should arise.

Buffy made her way back into the living room where she stopped immediately when she saw that Spike had followed Dawn’s example and drifted off. She stood in the doorway smiling at the cozy scene. Dawn really loved Spike. Buffy decided they were entitled to a little nap, so she slipped off silently into the bedrooms to get things set up for their first night in their new home. She could only hope it would become as full of happy memories as their last one.





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