Betad by Carol and dawnofme


Banner by dawnofme


Disclaimer: the characters do not belong to me - they are used purely for fun and not fiancial gain






Chapter Twenty-Five



Going Home


Buffy walked into the mansion. “Hi, guys,” she said.


Dawn walked over to her. “Have you seen Spike? Is that why you were so long? Is he OK?”


“Yes, I saw Spike. He’s all right, I guess. He keeps getting bombarded with visions of The Initiative,” she told them, noticing that Giles was watching her rather intently. “I guess you were right, Giles, that place has left its mark.”


“Oh, poor Spike, will he be OK in his crypt?” asked Dawn.


“He’s not in his crypt; that’s been trashed. He’s back at our house and I suggest we do the same and move back there. There’s no evidence that The Initiative have been anywhere near the place, so it’ll be much better than staying here long term. And, Willow, you can put a protection spell around it, can’t you?”


“Yes, sure I can. It’ll let us know if anyone tries to get within ten feet of the house. It won’t take long and it’s easy to do. I’ll just have to refresh it daily to keep its power up, that’s all,” replied Willow.


“Oh, thank God!” exclaimed Xander. “Another day without a TV and I think I’d go crazy.”


“You’re so deep, Xander,” said Buffy, shaking her head with a smile. “You’ve been quiet, Giles, are you cool with this?”


“Yes, I think it’s a good idea, Buffy,” said Giles.


“Just one thing I want to make clear before we go. Spike will be staying with us, he won’t be chained up or locked in the basement. He’ll sleep with me in my room. Dawn, can you share Willow’s room with her? Then Giles and Xander, one of you can have Dawn’s bed, the other the couch; I’ll leave it to you to decide.”


“That’s fine,” said Willow.


“Cool,” said Dawn, with an enthusiasm that made Willow realise she’d get no sleep due to her chatter.


“You can chose where you want to sleep, old man,” joked Xander.


“I have no problem with it, Buffy. I’m sure you’ll keep your eye on him,” added Giles, ignoring Xander’s remark.


“Great. Let’s get packed up and back to Revello Drive. I want to hit the shower as soon as possible,” said Buffy.


“God, yes,” agreed Willow.


The gang piled their stuff into Giles’ car. Once it was all in, there was only just enough room for Giles to get in the driver’s seat and for the three girls to squeeze in. Xander gallantly offered to walk back to the house.


Ooooooo


Spike heard the car as it pulled into the road a few minutes before it stopped outside the house. He recognised the note of its engine.


“She’s back,” he sighed with relief. He decided he wasn’t going to let Buffy out of his sight from now on.


They all got out of the car and carried as much as they could into the house. Spike opened the front door as they approached, carefully avoiding the sunlight.


“You OK?” Buffy asked him quietly, as she got to him with an armful of supplies.


“Yeah, pet, I’m fine,” he replied, leaning over and kissing her cheek. He took the things from her arms and put them on the kitchen table.


As the others followed them through, Spike looked around. “Where’s Xander?” he asked.


“Couldn’t fit in the car,” replied Dawn. She went over to Spike and hugged him. “Glad you’re going to stay with us.”


“Thanks, Niblet,” replied Spike, looking at Giles over the top of her head. “Me, too.” Giles’ expression was impossible to read.


“Spike,” said Giles, inclining his head to him.


“Rupert,” replied Spike, holding himself a little tense, and waiting for Giles to give him some sort of warning about his behaviour. But to his surprise, Giles just put the items he was carrying down and went out of the room.


Dawn let go of Spike and looked up at his face. “You won’t leave us again, will you? It’s not just Buffy who likes you around you know.”


“No, Bit, I’m not going anywhere again,” promised Spike, touched by her words.


Giles walked up the stairs and into the bathroom. He sat on the edge of the bath.


“Professor?” he concentrated on sending the words through his mind aided by the link with the Lorac Bug.


“Rupert.” Maggie Walsh’s voice immediately reverberated through his head. “What news do you have for me?”


“We’ve all moved back to the house on Revello Drive.”


“By all, does that mean Number Seventeen, too?”


“Yes, he’s back. He’s been having dreams that are disturbing him. I don’t know what they contain but Buffy is worried about them, and for him,” replied Giles.


“Try to find out more.”


“I will but it may not be easy, as we argued this morning.”


He flinched as Maggie screamed her reply in his mind.


“Don’t give me excuses; just make sure you find out!”


“I’m sorry Professor,” replied Giles. “Willow is putting a protection spell around the house as soon as Xander arrives. She’ll refresh it each day; the house will be impregnable.


“You will relieve the witch of her powers,” ordered Maggie. “Let her put her barrier up tonight, then strip her of her powers and she won’t know that her renewals will fail.


“How do I do that?” asked Giles.


“Listen carefully…” Maggie recounted her orders.


“OK,” said Giles when she’d finished.


A sharp rap on the door startled him.


“Are you staying in there forever, Giles?” complained Dawn, “I need to use the bathroom, too.”


“Sorry, Dawn. I won’t be a minute.”


He quickly splashed water on his face and dampened his hair so it looked like he’d been freshening up. He opened the door to find Dawn impatiently hopping from one foot to another.


“At last!” she gasped, rushing in.


When Giles reached the bottom of the stairs, Xander walked in the front door.


“Did I miss having to help put all the stuff away?” he asked hopefully.


“Not entirely,” said Willow, handing him some weapons. “Put these away, and then I can get the protection spell up and running.”


“OK, Will,” he replied, taking them from her and going to put them in the chest in the sitting room.


“Have you got everything you need for it, Willow?” asked Giles.


“Yes, I always have the supplies for a protection spell on me. You never know when you need to cast one living in Sunnydale,” Willow replied wryly.


“You’re not wrong,” agreed Giles with a smile.


He went into the sitting room to find Xander already sprawled out on a chair with the TV on.


“Didn’t take you long to get settled back in,” said Giles, sitting on the couch.


Dawn came back downstairs. “Would you like a cup of tea, Giles?” she asked.


“Oh, Dawn, that would be lovely,” said Giles.


“Xander?”


“Coffee please, Dawnie.”


She walked into the kitchen to find Spike and Buffy in each other’s arms, kissing passionately.


“Oh please!” she exclaimed.


Buffy and Spike parted guiltily as she spoke. Dawn walked between them and picked up the kettle to fill it with water.


“I’m going to get a shower,” said Buffy.


She went to the stairs with Spike following in her wake.


“You coming up?” she asked him.


“Yeah, don’t really fancy sitting and making small talk with Giles just yet,” replied Spike, “and I don’t want to let you out of my sight again.”


“What, not even when I shower?” said Buffy, licking her lips suggestively.


“Especially when you’re having a shower,” he grinned.


The pair rushed up the stairs and into the bathroom.


To be continued…