"How like a winter hath my absence been/From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year!/ What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen!/What old December's bareness everywhere!...For summer and his pleasures wait on thee,/And, thou away, the very birds are mute;/Or, if they sing, 'tis with so dull a cheer/That leaves look pale, dreading the winter's near." ~William Shakespeare, Sonnet 97
 

Spike was released after only a few hours, time enough for x-rays to ensure there was no internal bleeding and to prescribe pain meds for the broken ribs. What it boiled down to, once again, was that he'd been very lucky. Any one of the four ribs Glory had broken could have easily pierced a lung. Instead, he was bruised, limping, and an eye was swollen shut, but he was alive and mobile.

Tara was in worse shape.

The doctors were willing to discharge her almost immediately as well, once Willow assured them she would be cared for. There was no more room in the psych ward, and they were sending as many patients home with family as they could. The doctors weren't even trying to explain the rash of insanity anymore. They simply handed out sedatives and anti-psychotics like candy, hoping that the right medications would do what they couldn't.

Willow had held it together admirably, mostly by focusing completely on Tara's well-being. There was a part of Buffy that wondered when the explosion would come, when Willow would start screaming for blood vengeance, but the Slayer was concentrating on Spike.

Spike—who was staring at Tara in utter dismay. "Oh, Glinda."

Tara seemed caught by his voice as she hadn't been by anyone else's. "Blood doesn't matter," she announced.

In spite of his injuries, Spike was across the room in moments. "That's right, luv. Blood doesn't matter." His hand on her cheek seemed to calm her for a few moments, but then Tara was chattering on about being lost again, amidst spiders and darkness.

Buffy could see his jaw tense, and she knew he felt guilty about it. Heck, she felt guilty about it. She was the Slayer, and the job description entailed preventing just such events as this.

"Are we all ready?" Buffy asked, trying for cheerfulness, and almost managing it.

Willow, equally determined to keep a positive outlook, nodded. "Yeah. Why don't we get out of here?"

"Spike?" Buffy called when he didn't move.

He glanced up, startled out of his thoughts. "What—oh. Yeah, whenever...we're ready."

Buffy could see the raw pain in his eyes and felt renewed guilt. Spike had enough guilt to deal with as it was; he didn't need any more added on. It simply renewed her determination. The Slayer knew something had to happen. Glory had come after Spike; there was no indication that she wouldn't try it again.

And next time, Buffy was certain that Spike wouldn't be so lucky.

~~~~~

The gathering at Revello Drive was a grim one. Willow sat next to Tara on the couch, hanging onto her girlfriend's hand. Tara was sleepy and sedated by the medications the doctor had given her, and her head kept drooping.

Spike was seated on the other end of the couch, pain in every line of his body. He'd refused anything stronger than aspirin, and he was watching Giles pace in front of the fireplace. Buffy was perched next to him, and Joyce, Anya and Xander were scattered around the room. It was a council of war, and Buffy had moved into general-mode.

Normally, Spike would have been very turned on. Under the circumstances, he was was just trying to focus on what the Slayer was saying. "You can't stay in town."

"I bloody well can," Spike retorted. "'m not leavin' you."

Buffy shook her head. "It's not safe. Now that Glory's started coming after my friends and family, we can't stay here. If we all left—"

"We can't!" Willow protested immediately. "Buffy, I'm not sure if I can fix Tara, but I know that if we leave she doesn't have a chance. At least if we stay, I might be able to reverse it, maybe even hurt Glory."

It was this last that was Willow's main goal, Spike knew. The red-headed witch wanted vengeance, and he didn't blame her. He wanted revenge too, but Willow was no match for the Hellgod, not in a long, drawn-out battle. Spike wasn't sure that any of them were.

"Okay," Buffy said, sighing. She'd actually been wondering if there was a chance that Willow could help Tara, and if they should stick around to chance it. "Fine, but Spike still needs to get out of town." Turning to her fiancé, she added, "Glory's targeted you now, Spike. If she comes after you again, you won't even be able to run away."

"Wasn't able to run away this time," he grumbled, refusing to look at either Buffy or Tara. "An' I'm not leavin' you to face her alone."

"She won't be alone, Spike," Giles broke in. "And I believe Buffy's right. If Glory has focused on you as having the location to her Key, she will most likely come after you again. You might not be able to avoid telling her its location next time."

All eyes drifted to the stairs. Dawn was supposed to be sleeping, but Spike wondered, knowing that the girl had a nasty habit of listening at doors. "I don't know what you think the rest of us can do," Anya said. "You saw what Glory did to Tara."

"We'll just have to be more careful," Buffy said. "Besides, Spike's the one I've been spending the most time with. It makes sense that Glory would think he would know about the Key."

Xander nodded bravely. "Sure, Buf. You know we're behind you on this one."

Buffy turned to look at Spike. "I couldn't stand it if something happened to you," she said in a low voice. "It would destroy me, and then how would I deal with Glory? I need to know you're safe." When he opened his mouth to argue again, the Slayer shook her head. "You're not in any shape to help with anything, and it's going to take weeks for you to heal. Please don't argue with me."

Spike sighed. "Fine. But if 'm goin', 'm still goin' to help." He looked past Buffy at Giles. "Think it's time we go to plan B, mate."

At Giles' nod, Buffy frowned. "There's a plan B? I didn't think we even had a plan A," she objected.

Giles appeared uncomfortable. "Yes, well, Spike came to me soon after the hospital patient recognized Dawn. At that point we both realized that extreme measures might have to be taken in order to ensure her safety."

"Extreme measures?" Buffy demanded. "You were talking about extreme measures without me?"

"They didn't have anything to do with you, luv," Spike said gently. "It was—just in case."

A silence fell around the room as they all realized what "just in case" meant—in event of the Slayer's death. "Okay." Buffy took a deep breath. "What was the plan?"

"I take Dawn and get out of town, just the two of us," Spike explained slowly. "The idea was for Red and—an' Glinda to do a glamour, make it seem like the Bit never left. Figured it would be easiest to explain me goin'."

"And you agreed?" Buffy asked Giles.

Her Watcher nodded. "I wasn't sure it would come to that, but now I think it might have. Willow is right, we cannot leave, not with any hope of restoringTara. But it isn't safe for either Spike or Dawn to stay here."

Buffy's eyes grew wide. "And how is Spike supposed to protect Dawn when he's hurt? Or ever? I'm the Slayer. It's my job!"

"Yeah, Buffy, but if Dawn's not here for Glory to get her hands on, maybe that'll be enough to stop her from ending the world or whatever," Xander said. "If she doesn't know Dawn's the Key, then Dawn's absence won't matter."

Buffy shook her head. "We don't know how long they would have to be gone," she objected. "It could be—"

"A long time," Joyce said, speaking for the first time. "Buffy, Rupert and William have already spoken to me about this. As they said, it was supposed to be a last resort, but I believe it's the best protection Dawn might have."

Quietly, Giles added, "Glory would not expect you to let the Key out of your sight, Buffy. Not being here with you might be Dawn's best chance for survival."

"How long?" Buffy asked. "Do you even know?"

"Seems Glory's getting pretty impatient," Spike said. "Don't think it'll be terribly long, luv." And then, in a whisper, he added, "Don't you trust me, Buffy?"

She did; Buffy trusted him with her life, but she was the Slayer. It was her job to take care of Dawn, to make sure Glory didn't get her hands on the girl. She was unused to delegating responsibility as there had never been anyone she could truly give that responsibility to.

And yet, in her gut Buffy knew Spike was correct. Away from the Slayer, Dawn would be safer. Glory would never suspect that she might send the Key away.

"I could do an illusion," Willow said. "That kind of thing doesn't take a lot of power, as long as it's simple."

"We were thinking of telling everyone that Dawn was sick with mono," Giles said. "It would be plausible, and then she would be sleeping most of the time, for a potentially long period of time."

"I believe this is the right thing to do, Buffy," Joyce added. "And Dawn is my daughter. I know you're the Slayer, but it's my decision to make."

Buffy took a deep breath and looked around the room. She could see fear in all their faces, but there was determination as well. They would stand by her until Glory was taken care of.

Spike's bruised countenance carried a mixture of resignation, determination and sadness. He didn't think she would let him do this, Buffy realized, and it was important to him. It was important that he be allowed to help, rather than just slinking away, and he thought it was the best way to keep Dawn safe.

He also knew—she could tell—that it might be a long time before it was safe enough for him to return.

"Where are you going to go?" she asked, hearing the sighs around the room after her decision was made. Dawn would go with Spike; he would keep her safe.

"L.A.," he replied. "To Angel. For a while, at least. If we have to, we'll move on from there."

Buffy nodded. "When?"

"Tomorrow night," Giles said, looking at Willow in question. "If  Willow can have the illusion ready?"

"I can get it done."

Xander tried to lighten the moment. "Great! Spike gets a vacation and the rest of us are stuck in good, old Sunnydale."

His joke fell flat, and Buffy refused to look away from Spike, knowing he felt the same way she did. There was no such thing as a vacation if they were so far from one another.

On the stairs, Dawn hugged herself tightly, half frightened, half excited. It terrified her to think that Glory could be coming for her, that the Hellgod had hurt Tara so badly, and yet it was thrilling to think of leaving with Spike. It would be an adventure of sorts.

At least, that's what she was going to keep telling herself until she believed it.

~~~~~

"Let me get that for you," Buffy said softly as Spike started to unbutton his shirt. He was grateful he hadn't worn something that had to be pulled over his head, because he would never have gotten it back on, injured as he was.

His hands fell away, and she slowly undid his shirt, her fingers gently brushing his skin. "I hate this," she confessed. "I hate that you're leaving."

"You're the one who wanted me to go," Spike reminded her, and Buffy could hear the slightly sour note in his voice.

Buffy stopped unbuttoning abruptly. "I didn't want you to go," she corrected him. "I just don't want to have to go through this again."

"Go through what?"

"Thinking I'm going to lose you."

There was a long silence, and then Spike let out a sigh. "You're right, luv, 'm sorry. I know you're just tryin' to protect me, but—"

"You can take care of yourself," she finished. "And if Glory wasn't a god, I wouldn't argue with that, but I've taken a beating from her before. I'm amazed you're still standing."

"I'm not, actually," Spike replied with a bit of a smile, as he was seated on the bed. She chuckled a little as he meant for her to do. "I'll take care of her, luv. Till the end of the world."

Buffy leaned her forehead against his. "I know you will. Dawn couldn't be in better hands." When he opened his mouth, she stilled his words with her fingers. "Even my hands, Spike. You were right, Dawn's safest if we send her away. Maybe we should have done that at the very beginning."

"Might have been too obvious then," he reassured her. "This way, Glory won't ever have expected it."

"I wish I knew how long..." Buffy ran a gentle hand through his hair.

"Me too."

It was impossible to make love that night, even though it would be their last opportunity for a while. Spike's broken ribs were too sore to do much but cuddle, and even that was a bit painful as Buffy kept bumping him in her sleep.

Spike really didn't want to leave; he wanted the chance to stay by his Slayer's side and face the danger with her, as he had done with Adam. He'd proved then that he was perfectly capable of stopping an apocalypse, even with only his human strength.

At the same time, however, Buffy had given him an incredible gift by deciding to send Dawn with him. Spike had never thought to see the day when she trusted him enough to put someone else's life in his hands, when she trusted that he could really help her in an integral fashion. It would be up to him to protect the Key now.

For however long it took—till the end of the world.

Spike finally drifted off to sleep around dawn, waking when Buffy shook him in the late afternoon. "What time is it?"

"It's around 3," she replied. "I thought you might want to get cleaned up and packed before you went rushing out of here."

"'s prob'ly a good idea," he agreed, sleep slurring his words.

Buffy stroked his sleep-mussed hair. "I called Angel, but there wasn't any answer. I left a message, though. Hopefully he'll get it before you arrive."

"Doesn't matter," Spike said, grunting in pain as he pushed himself up. "If Peaches isn't there, we'll hole up at his place. No one'll expect us to stay then."

"Sounds like a plan," Buffy agreed, running a lingering hand down his face. She couldn't seem to stop touching him. "I'll get something for you to eat while you get cleaned up. The clothes you left here last time are in the bathroom."

Spike caught her hand in his. "We'll sort this out, luv."

She smiled, unable to reply, unable to quite believe him.

~~~~~

Dawn fiddled with her glass as she listened to Joyce explain how she was going away with Spike for a while. To keep her safe, she said. Dawn didn't have the heart to tell her mother that she'd already heard the whole thing, not least because she wasn't supposed to be eavesdropping anyway. The last time she'd done it, there had been a long lecture coupled with Joyce's disappointed-face; not something Dawn wanted to face again right now.

"How long?" Dawn finally asked quietly.

Joyce sighed. It was the best decision, of that she was certain, but that didn't mean she was comfortable sending her baby away. Like Buffy, Joyce tended to believe in her own ability to keep her girls safe, never mind that it just wasn't possible in this case.

She felt like she was a bad mother, not keeping Dawn with her.

"I don't know," she admitted. "If it looks like it's going to be for too long, we'll work something out." Joyce reached across the kitchen island and took her daughter's hand. "You know I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have to, right?"

Dawn looked up at her mother, her blue eyes serious, showing a maturity no one would have guessed she possessed. "It's okay, Mom, really. I mean, Spike'll take good care of me, and this way Buffy can concentrate on getting Tara better."

Joyce squeezed her hand. "You're growing up so quickly."

"Kinda have to," Dawn said, smiling bravely. "Besides, I get out of school, so that's cool."

The older woman came around to give Dawn a hug, holding her tightly. It was the not-knowing that was the hardest; if Joyce could be certain that Dawn would be back in a week or even two, it would be more like sending the girl off to summer camp. As things stood, however, she didn't know if it would be a week, or two, or even a month.

Or longer. It could be for longer.

Joyce reminded herself that she should be grateful that she could trust Dawn to Spike's capable hands.

It should be enough to keep Dawn safe. It had to be.

~~~~~

"You got what you need, Bit?" Spike asked that night as they got ready to leave. "Not comin' back for anything."

She shook her head. "I'm all packed."

"That's good." He touched her hair with a wistful smile. "Just you an' me, luv. Should be fun."

Fun wasn't the word for it, but Dawn wasn't going to argue. "Yep. Road trip time."

Willow had come by earlier in the day to set up the glamour and say her goodbyes. Tara had been with her, of course, and she'd made comments about "pretty green swirls" that had Spike and Buffy exchanging glances. It definitely wasn't safe for Dawn to stick around while one of their own could identify her as the Key, not even knowing what she was doing.

Xander had shaken Spike's hand before he left the previous night, not saying a word, and Anya had cheerfully told them, "Good luck. I hope you don't get killed." Coming from Anya, Spike found that touching.

Buffy's touch was gentle as she wrapped her arms around him. "I miss you already."

"Same here." Spike held her, his chin resting on the top of her head. Next to them, Joyce was giving Dawn a hug and telling her to listen to Spike and stay out of trouble while Giles looked on.

"I know you'll take care of her," Buffy said, pulling back so that she could see his face. One side was swollen and purple, the eye almost shut. "But take care of yourself too, okay?"

"Why wouldn't I when I've got you to come back to?" he asked, rhetorically. Then they were kissing, gently because of Spike's bruised face, desperate because it was goodbye and there was a Hellgod on the loose.

Their kiss might have gone on forever if both of them hadn't needed to breathe. When they finally came up for air, Spike's hand was fisted in the Slayer's hair, and she had a fistful of his shirt. Neither wanted to let go.

Spike rested his forehead against Buffy's for a moment before kissing her again. "Soon."

Buffy wanted to ask him to define "soon," wanted to scream at him for making promises. She wanted to grab him and Dawn and just make a run for it. Not since the prophecy about her death at the hands of the Master did she want to run so badly.

"Absolutely," was her only reply.

The moment was gone. Everything had seemed to be moving in slow motion up to that point, and suddenly it was on fast forward. Spike hugged Joyce and shook Giles hand. Giles hugged Dawn, much to his own surprise, as well as everyone else's. Buffy hugged Dawn.

And then everybody had been hugged, or had their hands shaken, and there was no more reason to stall. Spike was taking Joyce's car because it was in better condition than the DeSoto, as well as not being quite so noticeable. The bags were loaded. Everything was all set.

There was one last flurry of goodbyes and hugs and handshakes, and then Spike and Dawn climbed in and were gone.

Buffy felt as though she was watching her whole life drive away.

~~~~~

The drive was made mostly in silence. Spike was in quite a bit of pain, as he hadn't taken any of the pills the doctor had prescribed for his broken ribs. Not a good idea to be driving while under the influence of narcotics.

So he was keeping his teeth clenched and his eyes on the road, concentrating on staying in the lines rather than on the worry he felt.

It was Dawn who finally broke the silence. "Am I bad?"

"What?" His tone was sharp, and Spike glanced over to look at the girl incredulously.

"Am I bad?" Dawn asked again. "I mean, you and—and Tara, you guys were hurt because of me. And we have to leave Sunnydale because of me. If I'm not evil—"

"You can be a brat sometimes, Dawn, but you're not evil," Spike said in as even a tone as he could manage. Damn those monks for doing this to a child. "I've seen evil, an' you're not it."

"But, Glory keeps doing these things," she protested. Dawn didn't understand how so much pain could come about because of a person, and yet that person not have something fundamentally wrong with them.

Spike sighed. "Is a knife evil, Bit? Or one of those axes your sis uses sometimes?"

Dawn frowned. "No. I mean, Buffy uses that sort of stuff to help people."

"But somebody could use her knife to hurt someone, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Does that make the knife or the ax good or bad?"

Dawn thought she was beginning to see where this was going. "No. It's just a weapon or a tool."

"That's right, luv," Spike said gently. "It's just a tool that can be used for good or ill. What matters is the hand of the person holdin' it. Way I understand it, you were energy, an' that's not good or bad. It just is. An' now you're a special person, an' that's definitely a good thing in my book."

Dawn blinked back tears. "But you and Tara were hurt because of me."

"No, we were hurt because Glory is an evil bitch," Spike replied easily. "And there are always goin' to be those out in the world."

Dawn thought about that for a minute. She wasn't sure she completely agreed with Spike, since it didn't seem to quite fit the feeling in her gut. "Is Buffy going to be okay?"

"'course. She's the Slayer."

Dawn stared at Spike. "Don't lie to me."

"Then I don't know," he replied, his tone heavy. "Buffy's job is to help Willow put Tara back together, an' to throw Glory off our tail, make sure she doesn't come after us. We run, she fights, an' fighting is always dangerous."

Dawn thought maybe she didn't want the truth after all.

~~~~~

Giles wasn't quite sure what to do. Like Spike, he believed that sending Dawn away was the best option of a bad lot. There was a part of him that whispered it should have been done from the beginning. At the same time, as he watched Joyce in the kitchen, obviously struggling with a maelstrom of emotion, Giles wished something else could have been done.

Times like this, he felt that there were two competing personalities: the man and the Watcher.

Tonight, at least, the man was in charge.

"Are you alright?"

Joyce looked at him over her shoulder from where she was putting together a couple sandwiches, more because she wanted something to do than because anyone was hungry. "I'm fine." She paused. "You know, I remember when Dawn was nine, we sent her off to a summer camp. Both her and Buffy, actually. Hank and I had been fighting non-stop, and we both thought a little time to ourselves might help the marriage. She made it two days before we got a frantic phone call saying that she wanted to come home."

Managing a weak smile, Joyce put a sandwich in front of Giles. "We argued about whether to get her, of course. Hank thought it would be good for her to stay, and I wasn't about to let my baby suffer. So I went to get her."

"She's fifteen now, Joyce," Giles reminded her gently. "I imagine she'll be able to handle a few nights away from home at this point. Who knows? She might even enjoy it, and Spike will be with her, so she's not alone."

"I know that," Joyce replied. "If anyone will take care of Dawn, it's William. I trust him completely. But she's my baby, and we don't know when this is going to be finished."

Giles didn't try to give her false comfort. Everything she'd said was the truth. So, he did the only thing he could think to do under the circumstances. He held her while she clung to him. And then he kissed her, tasting the bittersweetness of worry mixed with love.

Buffy watched the little tableau from the doorway of the kitchen, finally turning to head back upstairs. She had to admit that she was jealous of her mom. Jealous that she had someone to glean strength from. Buffy wanted Spike. Wanted him with an intensity only felt by those whose loved ones were far from them.

When this was all over, the Slayer promised herself, she was going to take some time for just the two of them. She would make sure that Spike knew how much she needed him, how much she relied upon him.

That it would be impossible to do this without him.

~~~~~

The hotel was dark when they arrived. Willow and Cordelia had kept in touch, at least enough to know that Angel had gotten a new base of operations not long after Spike had dropped in.

Somehow, the Hyperion didn't much surprise Spike, who had always known Angel had a bit of the dramatic in him. The faded décor seemed to be the perfect counterpoint to the Great Brooder's persona.

"No one's home," Dawn said, her voice echoing through the empty lobby.

Spike shrugged. "Then we'll wait till they get back. No one'll be lookin' for us here, anyway."

Dawn wasn't quite sure what to think about that plan. "It seems kind of spooky."

"Bet it was a bit different when it was an actual hotel," Spike replied. "Probably full of people. Would have been an interesting place."

That got the girl thinking along different lines, looking around, imagining what it would have been like blazing with lights and activity. "I guess it would have been cool."

"Why don't we go see what the room accomodations look like," Spike suggested. "We can catch some sleep an' then go explorin' some other time."

There was electricity and running water, at least, which told Spike that Angel hadn't been gone so long that he hadn't paid the bills or that he'd had utilities turned off. With some searching, they found two rooms next to each other that were clean enough for use. One of the rooms they'd opened was Angel's, and Spike briefly thought about sleeping there, just to piss him off.

After making sure Dawn was settled in, Spike went back downstairs, however. Even though it was unlikely anyone knew where they were, he didn't want to sleep upstairs, where he couldn't hear someone come in. It seemed too much like tempting fate.

Spike began to methodically search the office area, looking for clues as to where Angel and his gang might have gone. The papers and case files didn't give him many clues, though, and while he recognized his grandsire's handwriting on a few things, there were many more notes in an an unfamiliar scribble.

Finally, Spike checked the message machine. One of the messages was Buffy's, letting Angel know that he and Dawn were on their way and that they would explain once they got to L.A. The other message was Angel's own.

Spike frowned as he listened. "So, as soon as Wes solves our scattering problem, we'll be leaving. Don't know if we're coming back. It's 11:16. Cordy's been gone for almost 24 hours now. I think I covered everything. Oh, the mortgage for the hotel is under the company name. The lease is up in six months, or that's what they tell me, so...I guess that's it. Take care of yourself."

"Well, isn't that a kicker," Spike murmured. Angel was gone, and didn't know if he or anyone else would return. Or when. Which meant that he and Dawn were alone in the hotel for the duration. Without any backup, Spike was seriously reconsidering the defensive capabilities of the hotel.

If they stayed, he would have to see about rigging some booby traps, looking for escape routes, setting up a plan for Dawn if they were overrun. If something happened to him, she would need a place to go.

Spike replayed the message, grabbing a pen and pad of paper, starting to make notes. He had plans to make, things to do, traps to set.

If it wasn't such a serious situation, he'd have been as excited as a kid on Christmas.