Chapter 1

Buffy looked out her window at the vast expanses of lava surrounding the runway. When their dad had offered his vacation house on the island of Hawaii for a chance to get away, Dawn had said yes without ever consulting her.

Dawn was in contact with Hank Summers on a regular basis since they had moved to Italy. It seemed he was a bit concerned when he heard all of Sunnydale had been swallowed up by a crater, and part of his paternal responsibility started coming through. He had mentioned to Dawn that he had made a killing in the stock market selling some hot new stock and had bought a vacation home in Hawaii.

By the looks of the lush scenery below, they were going to a very unpopulated place.
Great, just what she needed - alone time to think about the man she loved. The man she lost twice now. It had been bad enough when Spike had died saving the world in Sunnydale, but finding out that he had died again fighting the good fight with Angel in L.A. a month ago… That had been beyond bad. It had hurt that he hadn’t called to tell her he was back, and if Giles hadn’t gotten a message from his contact in the States, she wouldn’t have even known.

The wheels of the plane touched down, and the little jarring action woke Dawn up from her nap.

“Are we there?” Dawn asked while rubbing her eyes.

“Yeah, we just touched down now. Did you have a good sleep? You were sure drooling a lot,” Buffy replied.

“Yep. Rested and beyond ready to lie around and work on my tan. Do you know if Dad’s house is close to the beach or has a pool? And how do we get there? Is it stocked with food, or do we need to shop? Because you know I totally don’t mind shopping if we have to get stuff,” Dawn said without taking a breath.

“Slow down. Dad said he’d order a car to pick us up and that he made arrangements to have the house stocked with food. As for a beach or pool, I don’t have a clue since I’ve never been there before.”

Buffy and Dawn walked down the plane’s steps and into the quaint but hot Kona International Airport. They noticed a man in a bright Hawaiian shirt, holding a sign that said “Summers.” Making their way to him, Buffy said, “We’re the Summers.”

“Aloha and welcome. My name is Ka´ne,” he said as he placed plumeria leis over both their heads. “Let’s get your luggage, and we can be on our way.”

After picking up the luggage, they waited for him to bring the limo around. When everything was stored and they were seated in the air-conditioned car, he proceeded to drive. He left the divider down so he could speak with them. “There are cold drinks in the fridge, and I took the liberty of picking up some of the best guidebooks for you. Big Island Revealed is a great book for tourists, and Tales of the Menehune is about the history of the Hawaiian Islands and tells the stories of Pele, the fire goddess, and the Menehune.”

“Who is Pele, and what’s a Menehune?” Dawn asked.

“Ahh, Pele is the goddess of fire and lives in Kilauea Volcano, and the Menehune are tiny pixies or magical people, and you can read a better account about what they do in the book,’’ said Ka’ne.

They traveled for about twenty to thirty minutes when the driver turned down a roadway that led to a gated entrance. He punched several numbers into a keypad, and the gates opened. They first drove about one-fourth of a mile through a lava field, then some trees, and ended up at a lush entrance to a beautiful stone house.

Ka’ne opened the door for them and asked them to follow. He led them up a staircase to a door. Pulling a key from his pocket, he unlocked the door and ushered them inside.

Buffy and Dawn did not know what to expect, but they never imagined something so breathtaking. They had stepped into the great room, and looking across it, there was a wall of windows that looked out to the pool, spa, and a gorgeous view of the ocean. The house must have been built on the edge of a cliff because the infinity edge of the pool made it seem as if the pool ran into the ocean from this view.

“Wow!” Dawn exclaimed. “Why didn’t Dad ever send us here before? It’s gorgeous.”

“Your father just became owner of this home about six months ago. The previous owner was my employer also. He built this house for his family here because he was told by one of the Kapuna that this was a magical spot.”

“What’s a Kapuna?” Buffy asked.

“A Kapuna is a ‘wise one’, or spiritual leader,” said the driver. “Let me show you the rest of the house. A master bedroom opens up to the pool, and there are other bedrooms on the east side of the house. The kitchen also faces west for breathtaking views. The fridge is stocked full, but if there is any other kind of food or drink you desire, just pick up the phone in the kitchen, and it rings at my cottage. I can get you what you want if it is available on the Island.”

“Hey, Buff, why don’t you take the master bedroom, and I’ll take one of the back ones?”

Buffy nodded yes but was still walking around as if her head was somewhere else.

The driver brought up their luggage, bid them goodbye, and reminded them to call if they needed anything.

“First thing I’m doing,” Dawn said as she ran into and out of each of the bedrooms, “is picking a room. I want this one, on the opposite side of the house from you. Second thing I’m doing is putting on my bathing suit, grabbing a cold drink, and jumping into that great pool. Wanna join me?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna unpack first, and then I’ll join you,” Buffy said with a depressed tone.

“Quit with the mopey face. You’re in Hawaii, in a breathtaking house overlooking the ocean - what more could you want?”

“Spike. I want Spike here to enjoy it with me,” Buffy answered with a far away look in her eyes.

“Buffy, you know that can’t happen. Hey, I miss him, too. The big jerk couldn’t even tell us he was back, and now he is gone for real. Anyway, if he was here, he couldn’t really experience the whole ‘Aloha feeling’ with all that sun causing him to dust.”

This was said as Buffy walked away and into the master bedroom to unpack. She was tired of people telling her to get over it. She could stay depressed as long as she wanted. Maybe a little sunshine might cheer her up, but it couldn’t help the loneliness she still was feeling.

Dawn grabbed the books that the driver gave to them, along with a towel and a Coke. She found a lounge chair facing the sun, slathered on sunscreen, and laid down. She picked up the book on mythology and began to read. She was so into the book that she didn’t hear her sister come out and drag a lounge to her side, proceeding to put on her sunscreen.

“Hey, is that any good?” asked Buffy.

“Yeah, the Menehune are really interesting. Kind of a mix between trolls and pixies.
Says they have magical powers, mainly come out at night, and have been known to have built large, complicated structures. It also says that people who live where their magic lies may come upon good fortune and their wishes may be granted. Wow, maybe we are sitting in their magic area. Remember how he said this place was built on a magical site?”

“Uh huh,” came from a disinterested Buffy.

“Hey, are you hungry? I’m gonna go see what’s in the kitchen.”

“Bring me back whatever,” Buffy replied.

After a snack, a swim, and a shower, the Summers girls decided they should eat dinner and make it an early night. Dawn fixed them something to eat, and they sat at the outside table, watching the most incredible sunset either had ever seen.

Soon after, they said goodnight and parted to their own sides of the house and beds.

Buffy grabbed her “special nightwear” since she was feeling so down. Her “special nightwear” consisted of an old black tee of Spike’s and one of her black thongs that he liked so much. It always made her feel a little better wearing that to bed. She got into the massive king-size bed and picked up a magazine to read before going to sleep. Her mind couldn’t concentrate on the article - it kept going back to missing Spike. When the tears started hitting the pages, she thought she had better turn off the light and have herself a good cry. As she leaned over to turn off the switch, unbeknownst to her, several tears fell on a stone embedded in the flooring. As the room went dark, she whispered, “Oh, Spike, I wish you were here and I could tell you how much I love you.”

Because her eyes were full of tears, she didn’t see the green flickers of light swirling on the stone. Sparks began to quickly move around the stone, and before she could call out to Dawn, a big clap of thunder sounded. In the next instant, Spike, in all his leather-clad glory, stood before her in her room.



I'd like to apologize to any Native Hawaiians for tweaking the mythology of Menehunes and Night Marchers to fit my story. I'd also like to send out many thanks to my betas on this chapter: testylizard, Allison, and Klemptor. Disclaimer: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer are owned by Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and Fox studios.