Chapter 15
Dawn
We don't run far, mostly because Clem is out of breath by the end of
the block. Way too many Cheetos for that demon. We duck into an alley
instead, but it doesn't appear as though we were being followed anyway.
"Now...what?" Clem wheezes.
"I don't know...I can't go home because that's the first place they'll
look for me, but if they know you then I can't stay with you either," I
reply. I need to go somewhere that I won't get anyone in trouble
legally...somewhere that no one will think to look for me...Do you have a
car?"
"Yeah...why?" Clem asks.
"I need you to drive me somewhere," I say.
"What about your sister?" Clem asks.
"I'll call her from the road and tell her that I'm safe. Now are you
going to help me or not?"
"Spike wouldn't like it if I let you go off on your own," he says.
"Good. Let's go."
XXX
Tara
I find Mr. Giles on the porch of Buffy's house when I get there. He
doesn't ask why I have a key when I let us in or how I know there's
leftover pie in the fridge.
"Thank you," he says as I hand him the mug of hot water. "For
everything...for being here for her when I couldn't."
"You're welcome," I say as I take a deep breath. "I-it, uh, I-I haven't
been h-helping h-her alone," I stammer. I feel like I should tell him
everything. When I called him in England, I just told him the barest
information; Buffy lost custody of Dawn. I hadn't told him about Willow
and Xander...or Spike. It's not really my place, but I feel like I should
say something.
Mr. Giles smiles, "I'm sure that Willow and Xander have been
practically living here, am I right? Has Willow cracked the legal
jargon on how to get Dawn back?"
I start crying. I don't mean to, but it just happens because that's how
it should have been. It should have been Willow and Xander helping
Buffy not Spike and me, but it wasn't.
"Dear lord! Has something happened to Willow?" Mr. Giles asks.
I shake my head. "S-s-she's p-p-acking for E-englad...to s-study with a
c-coven...we b-broke up."
"Oh...oh, my, I am sorry." Mr. Giles is cleaning his glasses.
I shake my head again and take a deep breath. "Willow and Xander
h-haven't been helping Buffy...Spike and I have." I speak slowly so that
I don't stutter.
"I see," he says.
"They...they don't want anything to do with her," I say.
"I see," he repeats. "By 'they' I assume you mean Willow and Xander?"
I nod.
"The ungratefulness of the...well, I suppose I understand...How is she?"
"Not well," I say truthfully. Mr. Giles is an adult. He'll know how to
help Buffy. "She stopped going to work for awhile...She tried to stop
eating too, but Spike and I make her...Spike patrols for her...He takes
good care of her..."
"A vampire literally caring for a Slayer...how interesting..."
The phone ringing interrupts him. I pick it up without thinking.
"Summers' residence," I say.
"Tara?"
"Dawn!"
"Is Buffy home?" Dawn asks.
"No," I reply. "What's wrong?"
"They're demons...my foster family," she says. "It wasn't safe for me to
be there, so I left. I can't tell you where I'm going because I don't
want Buffy or you to have to lie if the police show up."
"What? Dawn!" I say. "Where are you?"
"I'm safe...that's all you need to know."
The click tells me that she's gone.
"What was that about?" Mr. Giles asks.
"Dawn...she ran away."
XXX
Buffy
Home. I told Spike that we were going home. When had that happened?
When had home become a place that included Spike?
He looks at me in awe and there's so much love in his eyes that I want
to weep for ever doubting how he feels about me. All I want is to crawl
in bed and lie in his arms and forget about everything. Forget about
exes who show up with their wives, and people who can't control their
ketchup throwing children, and bosses who treat you like dirt. I want
to listen to him whisper in my ear all the reasons he thinks I'm
special and the muttered lines of poetry he thinks I don't hear.
We're halfway home when I hear him take a deep breath...the male prelude
to a serious discussion.
"Buffy, luv...did you mean it?" he asks. "About...home?"
"Yes," I say without hesitation.
He stops walking and tugs on my hand, yanking me toward him. His mouth
is on mine before I realize that we've stopped walking.
"Amazing you are," he whispers. Then his eyes become serious. "Need to
tell you something...was at Willy's selling your car..."
"You sold the car!" I squeal, throwing my arms around his neck.
"Yayness! One less bill to worry about!"
"Yes, luv. I sold the car...even got you some extra money off it, but..."
he gently pushes me away from him so that he can look in my eyes. Oh,
this does not bode well. "Look, I overheard some demons talking..." he
pauses and runs his hand through his hair. Oh, this really does
not bode well.
"What were they talking about?" I prod.
"They...they were talking about Dawn..."
My heart clenches.
"She's okay," he reassures me. "But...her foster parents are demons."
"What?!" I yell.
"They have this plan to...destroy you," Spike closes his eyes. "They...they
killed Joyce. I don't know how they did it, but they did...and now
they've got Dawn living with demons and..."
"Who.Are.They?" I grind out.
"I only got one name...Rothchild," Spike says.
"That bitch!" I scream.
"We'll get her back, luv," Spike says. "And we'll make them pay."
XXX
Angel
Life is amazing. Twenty four hours ago I was standing in an airport.
Twelve hours ago I was running from demented monks. Ten hours ago I was
running from a man who should have died centuries ago. Nine hours ago I
became a father. Eight hours and fifty nine minutes ago I realized that
I would die a thousand deaths to protect the life that I held in my
hands.
I am a father. I have a son...I have a son. I have a son.
I can't stop looking at him, watching him breath, listening to his
heart beat. I want to give him the world. I want to make the world a
better place. I want...why is someone knocking on the door in the middle
of the night?
I pick up Connor and cradle him in my arm. I pick up a sword in my
other hand and make my way to the door.
"Who is it?" I ask.
"Angel? Angel, open up. It's Dawn!"
Dawn? Why is Dawn at my door in the middle of the night?
"I didn't know where else to go," she says as I open the door.
XXX