Subject: [BA_Gutter] Fic: Follow the Yellow Brick Road 8/8 PG-13 Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2004 21:44:33 -0400 From: Andrea P Title: Follow the Yellow Brick Road Author: kindred Disclaimer: These characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and a vast pantheon of notable others. Rating: PG-13 Feedback: If you would be so kind Summary/Spoilers: General S5 AtS spoilers, nothing really specific. Dawn arrives in L.A. and visits Wolfram and Hart to see Spike and mend some fences. A/N: A BIG thank you to Toby for taking time from her busy schedule of alpaca wrangling and yodeling to help polish this story. Thank you!! 8. "It's about bloody time!" Spike spied the new couple as they swayed together to Lorne's heartfelt vocalizations. Fred and Wesley melded together heedless of the crowd around them. Dawn perked up with an announcement. "Hey, I've found one! I'm singing next." Gunn took a final swig of his beer. "Well, as much as I want to smack you all with my sizzling tenor and the righteous words of Chuck D, I do have an early meeting tomorrow. So the soon to be unconscious bid you all fair adieu." Gunn stood up and donned his suit jacket. He fished his wallet out of a pocket and put a couple of bills on the table. "It was great meeting you Charles," Dawn offered her hand and Gunn shook it. "Same here Dawn. You are welcome anytime." Gunn winked and waved toward Wes and Fred who were too absorbed in each other to realize Gunn was leaving. Charles nodded at Spike and then headed to the exit. A cheer signaled the conclusion of Lorne's triumphant Cher number. He gushed and grinned and handed the microphone to Dawn. "What number, cupcake?" Lorne turned to the machine. Dawn told him the number and he punched it in. A slow instrumental introduction filled the small room. Dawn could see the entire audience from the stage. It was a bit daunting. She zeroed in on her table and the new friends she had made. Fred and Wes snuggled together. Lorne and Spike looked at her expectantly. "This was one of my mom's favorite songs..." Dawn swallowed her stage fright and swayed her body to the music. She kept her eyes glued to the video monitor for her cue, then she began to sing and follow the lyrics displayed. "Bows and flows of angel hair and ice cream castles in the air..." Spike smiled when he heard the opening chorus. He'd heard that song at the Summers' residence. Dawn's sweet soprano stilled everyone in the club. All eyes turned to the slender girl with the mic and the beautiful sorrow filled words flowing from her heart. Dawn didn't look up from the monitor. She didn't see the look of rapt amazement on Lorne's face, nor the look of pride on Spike's. The song held a memory she loved and a sentiment she needed to say. It was tough being in Rome, separated from everything she knew in the states. She'd even lost touch with Janice. Being a rolling stone that gathered no moss just wasn't for Dawn. It was plain old lonely. Like Joyce, Dawn was a homebody. It was tough living in a place that could have been the moon for all it felt like home. Rome was Buffy's adventure. Dawn tagged along as usual. She tolerated things as best she could. But it wasn't home. The television was weird too, same old lame game shows and frothy Italian soap operas. It would have been fun for a week or two. Dawn closed her eyes and sang the familiar chorus: "I've looked at clouds from both sides now From up and down and still somehow It's clouds illusions I recall I really don't know clouds at all." Lorne's face was the picture of radiance. This girl was something. Her future was the kind Hollywood used to make movies about. Those great movie musical love stories from the thirties and forties. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers happily ever after stuff. He sighed with contentment. Even the kiddies were turning out good. Dawn kept her eyes closed. Growing up was hard and harder still when your model of behavior needed to grow up too. She was tired of being the smart one, the mature one, the one with her head on her shoulders. The one they didn't have to worry about. Dawn's sweet girlish soprano filled the room as a tear leaked down her cheek. In her mind's eye she saw Joyce and heard the words in her mother's voice. "I've looked at life from both sides now From win and lose and still somehow It's life's illusions I recall I really don't know life at all." There was a brief coda and then Dawn reached for a triumphant final note. Applause greeted her at the end of the song and she bowed with an enormous smile. Lorne grabbed the mic from her and spoke. "Where was this little treasure when we were auditioning for American Idol, huh? Huh?" He hugged Dawn closely and whispered in her ear. "Don't pay attention to anyone, Owen is a fabulous name." Lorne winked at her and walked back to the table which now held Spike, Wes and Fred. "What?" Dawn didn't know if she heard Lorne correctly. Owen was the name she wanted to give her child, if she ever had a boy. Why would Lorne of all people-- er, demons mention that? Dawn grinned happily and handed the microphone to a huge furry thing in sunglasses who took the stage for his/her/its turn. As Dawn slid back into her place at the table she recognized the unmistakable opening strains of Nelly's "Hot in Herre". The actual lyrics were lost under all that hair but the fur ball guy had some surprisingly funky moves. A few songs later Spike spied Dawn as she tried to hide a yawn. "You're tired, Bit." "You make it sound like an accusation." Dawn attempted a brassed off look but she was sidelined by another yawn. Yawning Dawn looked about seven or eight years old. She blinked and reddened. "Time to put the Nibblet to bed," Spike stood up and threw a few bills on the table for the waitress. Dawn knew better than to argue. She was a girl who needed her sleep. "Sorry, guys. Early flight, I have to call it a night." "I hope you visit us again, Dawn." Wesley stood and spoke up before Lorne or Fred. "You are a lovely girl and I am pleased to have made your acquaintance." He shook Dawn's hand. "This was the best day ever!" Fred gave Dawn a huge hug. "Now you've got all my numbers Dawn, so give me a call at work, and..." she leaned in for a whisper, "reverse the charges!" Fred laughed at such a brazen suggestion, made all the more brazen in that she came up with it. Lorne took Dawn's hand and kissed it. "Anytime you want to be a star, just drop on by. I can have ten auditions set up for you like that!" Lorne snapped his fingers. Dawn hugged him closely. "It was really great meeting all you guys. I know Spike's in good hands here." "Aww...Now I'm feeling all Tin Man from the 'The Wizard of Oz'. How dare you make me tear up, Missy. I do have a reputation to uphold!" Lorne blinked rapidly to stop a tear from falling. "Ready, Dorothy?" Spike raised his eyebrows in question. "Yes, we don't want to keep Toto waiting, do we?" Lorne gave Dawn one more kiss on her cheek and then she was off out the door with Spike. No words were spoken after Dawn told Spike the address of her hotel. Spike drove through the busy illuminated city streets. Dawn stared out the window and hoped the ride would last forever. Finally they arrived at the hotel and Spike pulled the car into a parking spot. Dawn threw an arm around Spike as they walked down the corridor to her room. "So you'll come to Rome for sure, yeah?" Spike nodded an affirmative. "Because Buffy really needs a kick in the pants." "Yeah?" Spike smiled thinking of his petulant beauty. "She's just so...aungh! sometimes, you know?" Dawn made a squealing noise in her throat. "Yeah, she is." "I know that together, you and I could snap her out of her buttheadedness because it's getting real old, real fast." They came to Dawn's door. She reached in her purse for her room key. "This isn't good-bye, Spike." She stared at him with intensity. "It's..." "Au revoir." "O what?" "It means until we meet again." "That sounds good." "Thanks for coming to see me," Spike smiled at Dawn. She paused with the key in the lock. He reached inside his coat, pulled out an envelope and handed it to her. "Spike. Don't go getting all Hallmarky on me now." Dawn opened the envelope and read the surprising contents. "What the hell is this?" Dawn's eyebrows wrinkled. Spike leaned in for clarification. "Just what it says: a bill for replacement of damaged and destroyed property: one front door with knob, one lock and two hinges. I estimated the value. Five hundred seemed reasonable." "Spike--" "Look, I've got a year's rent paid up, but I'm gonna get dinged for that damage and for once I am not responsible for it. You can give it to Giles, yeah? Maybe some financial consequences will tighten his control on these wayward slayers. I can't imagine the innocent doorways that are getting kicked in at this very moment." "You're the weirdest, Spike." "Yeah, whatever." He had the disinterested phrasing down perfectly. Dawn smiled and punched him in the shoulder. "Don't be such a doofus." "Perish the thought." "Will do you me a favor, Spike?" The devil twinkled in her sparkling eyes. * Spike walked into Angel's office late in the afternoon of the following day. Angel stood like a sentinel at the window, thoroughly enjoying the drama a well revealed silhouette afforded. He solved the latest problem and now was simply posing up a storm, but of course in a subtle and understated manner. The yobs in Harmony's GQ magazines had nothing on him. He looked over with practiced ennui and sighed as Spike approached. It was going to be another problem, Angel just knew it. It better not be the Viper or he'd have Spike's skin as a throw rug. "Where the hell have you been?" Angel played a good game of not wanting Spike around, but he did get used to Spike's annoying presence. Spike had the uncanny ability to break the tension from the frequent Wolfram and Hart orchestrated catastrophes. "Around," Spike leisurely sauntered up to Angel and with no warning, kicked him in the shin. "OW! SPIKE?!" Angel hobbled to a nearby chair, sat down and rubbed his shin. It wasn't a horrific blow, just typically annoying and right out of left field. "Are you insane now? What the hell was that for?" "Dawn Summers wanted to say so long." Spike tossed the keys to the Viper on Angel's desk. Angel gripped his shin as something weird crackled in his subconscious. The great monolithic brow wrinkled as something faintly alien seized his mind. "Half...pint?" He whispered the words as if a ventriloquist had put them in his mouth. Angel knew he was going to have a headache all day. With a smirk and a shake of his head Spike turned and left the office. He was sure there was some poker to be had somewhere in the building. The End A/N: Dawn sang "Both Sides Now", written by Joni Mitchell. This story was a joy for me from beginning to end. Thank you to everyone for reading and for those of you who took the time to contact me and share your opinions. I would like to acknowledge Luba Kmetyk who gave me the idea for Spike's bill for damaged goods. Thanks Luba! Once again I would like to say thank you to Toby, who read a first draft of this story and gave me encouraging and helpful suggestions. Thank you!