Disclaimer: Ya, I know, not mine.
__________________________________________
Chapter 2: Hell wasn’t in Sunnydale, it’s in this bus.

Dawn adjusted her picture of Buffy in her room. Buffy would be in Nevada or Utah or something by now. It had only been half a day really since Buffy left but already Dawn felt alone. Dad and Valery were no help. Already Valery had suggested that Dawn find a part time job. Dawn refused. She held the trump card. Dawn was only sixteen but legally Buffy held her guardianship. Dawn wasn’t going to put up with crap from the evil step mom. It had been clear from the beginning that Hank Summers was grateful that his two daughters were safe from the Sunnydale earthquake and wanted to have them live with him, it was Valery who was pushy.

Xander and Willow stopped by today to check up on her, probably according to Buffy’s instructions. This was Dawn’s time to prove that she could be responsible and adult like, to Buffy, to Willow and everyone else. They had made a sort of bargain. Ten months, to fast track and graduate high school and then she could do whatever else she wanted with her life. That’s what she planned to do. She was pretty sure Buffy’s version of do whatever you want with your life did not mean being turned into a vampire or opening the gates of hell, but surely a respectable position as a watcher would be a good idea. Giles was in England even now trying to rebuild the watcher’s council, with all those watchers dead they would need recruits and who better than one personally trained by the master watcher himself? The high school thing was probably a good idea. Dawn wanted to study ancient languages in England, she wanted to go there, a year after training with Buffy. Dawn planned to spend her spare time working on her translations reading up on demons and other big baddies that could possibly help in some future fight. She was also going to get help from Willow about herbs and other magical things that she needed to know about. Oh, and get a boyfriend who wasn’t a demon/ vampire. Seemed like a lot on her plate.

And cheer up Xander. He was still sad about Anya. She could tell every time she saw him. Dawn wished that she could help him though his pain. Willow had said to give him time, give him space, but it was hard. It seemed that all Dawn wanted to do when he was near was hug him, as if that would make it all better. He was her friend, the only one who truly understood her, and it hurt her to see him in pain.

The only people who seemed at ease with everything was Willow and Kennedy, happy and majorly stuck on each other. Kennedy was nice and all, but Dawn felt that they weren’t right together. Tara seemed the only girl for Willow, even after all this time.

Dawn took a look in the hallway mirror before bounding down the stairs.

“I’m going out,” she called.

“Where are you going and with whom?” asked Valery from the kitchen.

“Out, with my friends,” replied Dawn.

“Back by 10 pm,” instructed Valery.

“Fine,” Dawn grumbled as she slammed the door. Nasty cow, Dawn thought.

Willow was at the corner with Xander, Kennedy and Andrew. She smiled as they came into view. This was her real family. All she was missing was Buffy, Giles, Anya and Spike.

“Dawn, you look pissed,” said Xander, “Evil step mom?”

“I know Buffy’s been gone only a day and I know I agreed to stay at Dad’s but I can’t stand that woman. I wish I knew a vengeance demon.” Dawn caught herself as she said the words. “I’m sorry Xander.”

“Movie,” said Willow clearly trying to change the subject, “I’ve heard good things about Chicago.”

“Musicals...not my cup of tea,” said Kennedy. “How about a nice action flick.”

“I’ve had just about enough action for a while now thanks,” said Xander.

“Lord of the Rings?” suggested Andrew.

The group all shrugged and walk on.

“I’ve had a letter from Giles,” said Willow, “He’s arrived safely in England and wants to know all the news.”

“Is he still going to set up a school for Slayers?” asked Kennedy.

“Yes, so he says, but its a big undertaking. He’ll need major help what with the rebuilding from scratch and all of the watchers council.”

“Makes me feel bad that we are going to see a movie,” said Dawn. “I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“I wonder what Buffy is doing right now,” said Xander.

“Probably getting off the bus in Cleveland making her way to the Hellmouth,” said Kennedy, “Itching to fight another demon.”

“Naa, she’s still on the bus. She told me she would phone me on my cell as soon as she’s there,” said Dawn.
__________________________________________
Buffy opened her eyes and watched the wheat fields flash by her through the bus window. It was morning. The windows were tinted, but she didn’t know how tinted they needed to be for him. She closed the curtains and looked over at the sleeping vampire beside her. She leaned over and kissed his forehead before pulling his leather jacket over his head. She looked through a tiny crack in the curtains coverage out into the fields. Before her lay Cleveland , a Hellmouth and new ways to kill and be killed. She wondered if she had done the right thing by leaving Dawn. There would have been schools in Cleveland too. Maybe she should have gone to England with Giles to set up a slayers school. Maybe she just should have started her own life. All she knew now was that it didn’t matter as long as she had him by her side, fighting with her.

The person ahead of her started squirming in his seat. A rest stop was coming up soon. She hoped that there would be a butchers shop or grocery store nearby, Spike was going to need to eat soon. He couldn’t live on the rare hamburgers he had been eating at the last 3 stops. But if this guy doesn’t stop squirming I will let Spike eat him. But he won‘t do that now, he has a soul. She should have never taken Spike on a bus full of annoying people for over 24 hours.

The rest stop came and went, no butcher, no source of non human blood. Just a Mickey D’s in the middle of no where. Buffy returned to the bus disappointed that should couldn’t even get him a tiny bit of blood. As she walked back down the aisle she caught a glimpse of the guy in the seat in front of her. He looked familiar, but his beard and moustache were wildly out of place. It wasn’t until he looked into her eyes that she recognized him: it was Oz.

Buffy raised a hand to her mouth.

“Oz?” she whispered.

“Buffy.”

“Oh my god, how are you?” she said as she slipped into the empty seat beside him.

“Surviving,” he said, “You”?

“Same.”

“I heard about Sunnydale. Nasty. Did everyone make it?”

“Everyone being Willow? We lost a few really good people. Xander lost an eye, got the whole pirate thing going on.”

“How is Willow?”

“Good, She’s at UCLA, still very Wicca-y”

“Glad to hear it.”

“So how about you? What’s new?”

“It goes the same, not so good three nights a month, but I haven’t managed to kill anyone in years, so I think that’s progress.”

“I thought you were in Nepal.”

“Was for a while, decided to come back to the good old US of A, there’s only so many yeti jokes I can handle.”

“You should have said hello while you were in LA. I know Willow would have liked it.”

“I didn’t want to interfere. She made her feelings know a long time ago. If she is happy then I am happy for her.”

“So...Cleveland?”

“Cleveland, thought I’d check it out, see if there’s a place for a hairy guy like me. You?”

“Hellmouth.”

“You aren’t going to do to Cleveland what you did to Sunnydale are you?”

“Hey, I didn’t do anything to Sunnydale, really. It was the First Evil.”

“Ok, just let me know if you do. K? So I can get out of town.”

“Deal”

Buffy could hear movement from the seat behind her.

“Excuse me for a sec,” she said. Buffy kneeled up on her seat and leaned over the back. She lifted Spike’s jacket.

“Good Morning!” she said pleasantly. “It’s a bright and sunny day outside, so you should probably stay under there.”

“I’ve been crammed into this seat for an unbearable amount of time Slayer,” said Spike annoyed.

“It’s just a little while longer.”

“Buffy sat down in the seat with a sigh, “Only Eight hours to go.”

“Angel?” asked Oz.

“Huh?”

“Angel. Under the coat.”

“No, not Angel,” responded Buffy, “Spike.”

“Spike?”

“Yep”

“Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.”

“Yep, change is good.”
__________________________________________
“You weren’t serious about that vengeance demon comment, were you?” asked Willow the next day during a shopping excursion.

“No, no really, though sometimes...” Dawn trailed off.

“Dawn, is it really that bad?”

“No I suppose not, she’s not Buffy. She’s not you, she’s not Tara. You guys were my family. It’s like I’ve been abandoned to two people who know nothing about me. They talk about the Earthquake and I have to think about what they mean. Last night Dad joked to me that I was acting like Buffy had died. For someone who wasn’t ever really part of my like, he really pisses me off by trying to be all dad like.”

“He’s just trying.”

“Sure he is”

“Dawnie, promise me that you will tell me if ever you are having problems at home.”

“Ok”

Dawn’s bag started to chime to the tune of Scooby-Doo.

“Hello?” said Dawn into the phone.

“Dawn it’s Buffy.”

“Buffy!” said Dawn happily, “It’s Buffy,” she told Willow. “Are you in Cleveland?”

“No, I’m at a rest stop in, good lord, somewhere in Kansas. It’s been a long ride.”

“How much longer to go?”

“Twelve hours.”

“Wow,”

“Ya, except try having a grumpy vampire complaining beside you the whole way.”

“Grumpy Vampire? You didn’t take Angel with you did you?”

“No Dawn, not Angel. Spike. He’s alive, undead, whatever. He showed up at the bus station.”

“Spike’s alive!” screamed Dawn jumping up and down.

“He says hi, he would have like to say it himself, but it’s daylight, he’s on the bus.”

“So I guess everything is ok with you too then?”

“Everything is good, I think. I have more news, Oz is on the bus too.”

“Oz?” said Dawn like she didn’t remember who he was.

Willow grabbed the phone away from Dawn.

“Buffy, it’s Willow, what about Oz?”

“Will, he’s on the bus, to Cleveland.”

“Is he there? Can I talk to him?”

“Will he’s on the bus, he doesn’t know I’m phoning you.”

“Right, he’s probably not ready, call me when you get to Cleveland. And tell him, well tell him hi for me.”

“I will.”

Willow handed the phone to Dawn.

“Buffy?” said Dawn

“Dawn, I have to get on the bus. I’ll call you when I get there ok?”

“K”

“Dawn I love you.”

“I love you too”

Buffy hung up the phone and walked back to the bus. Spike was still hidden under his jacket and the blanket Buffy had brought with her on the bus, but now he and Oz were trying to play cards in the cramped space. Buffy sat down in Oz’s empty seat

“Dawn and Willow say hi,” said Buffy looking through the crack between the seats.

“How did the nib take the news that I’m back?” asked Spike.

“She was ecstatic, I think she jumped around for a bit.” She smiled. “ Willow especially wanted me to say hi to you too, Oz”

“That’s nice,” said Oz absently.

Buffy smiled knowingly, “So who’s winning?”

“I am,” they both said together.

“Careful Oz, he cheats,” said Buffy, reaching for her copy of Cosmo, “Three more hours until sundown, Twelve more hours until we get off this bus.
__________________________________________
They stopped in a small town in Missouri just after 8 pm. At last Spike would get off the bus. The moment they stopped Buffy could see the look in his eye.

Safely off the bus he pulled her aside

“I need to eat Buffy, it’s weak of me I know but either I feed or I might do something nasty on the bus.”

“I know. I should have tried harder during the day .”

“No, don’t blame yourself, this is my problem.”

“No, it’s our problem,” she said looking into his eyes.

She saw it there in his eyes, like she could read his mind for a brief second. He would have said it if he hadn’t been afraid of the consequences. She wanted him to say it.

“So what’s your fancy, cat? dog? cow?” she continued.

“Except I don’t see any of those just wandering about town.”

“I’m up for breaking into the local butcher shop.”

He smiled.
__________________________________________
Back on the bus they found Oz fast asleep, snoring quietly. Alone in the dark corner of the bus Spike took Buffy’s hand to help her into the seat. She didn’t let go. They sat there in the dark for a long time before one of them broke the silence.

“Tell me what happened, after you left me in the cave,” he asked.

He didn’t want to talk about what happened in the cave. Buffy couldn’t help but let a pained expression catch her face. She took a deep breath and started the cold grim facts.

“I ran. Everything was falling. I ran on to the roof, and kept running. Jumped on to the roof of the bus. Watched as Sunnydale collapsed. The whole town sinking into the ground. When the bus stopped and I slid down from the roof I couldn’t look away. Dawn hugged me, they asked why the town was a crater. You did it, Spike, you closed the Hellmouth. I was so proud of you.” she squeezed his hand. “They kept asking me what we were going to do now. Live, that’s all I could think, because you wanted me to live. And I wanted to. We drove to LA. Angel put everyone up, the wounded went to the hospital. Dawn I think had the hardest time not knowing when you were going to show up. Willow said “He deserves to be in Heaven,” and Dawn lost it. Took her to Dad’s house. I couldn’t have stayed there. When you were gone, I counted everyday. Ninety Seven days. I thought at first I could just move on, be strong for the rest, get us all to LA. But once we were safe I started to shut down.”

“Did the same when you were gone. 147 days. Except I didn’t have to make sure that people were safe, you did that.”

Buffy rested her head on Spike’s chest.

“You had my back, right until the end” she whispered.

She was proud of him. Him, evil vampire, him. He deserves to be in heaven, the witch had said. If that wasn’t praise... In death, a second time around, perhaps the scooby prats had accepted his little contribution to the group, to the saving of the earth. Little? No not little, and she was proud of him for it. Spike couldn’t help but smile.

tbc...