Trust

by Rob Sorenson

Chapter Twenty-six

Dawn walked into the Hyperion with her gym bag slung over one shoulder. A moment later Riley appeared from behind the front desk, pointedly glancing at his watch.

“Twenty minutes late.”

She dropped the bag at her feet and folded her arms. “Dock me.”

“Could put you on latrine duty for a week.”

Dawn just stared. Riley grinned shamefacedly.

“Nahh, maybe not. You want to take another practice run before we go?”

“Probably a good idea. Where’s Fred?”

“She went with Gunn to get an early dinner.”

“No sense in rehearsing without her. Any idea how long?”

Riley shrugged. “They said an hour, but the way you people keep time…”

Dawn squinted at him. “How much do we have, anyway? Time, that is.”

Riley checked his watch again. “About 3 hours. Xander set up the meeting for 8:00.”

“Cool.” She looked around the lobby. “Where is everybody?”

“Upstairs, I guess. I’ve been working out a few things in here. Last time I spoke to anyone, my life was threatened if anything happened to you.”

Dawn sighed, allowing a small smile to creep on to her face. “Typical. Ok, I’m going to get a quick workout in. Let me know when Fred gets here, ok?”

“Would you mind some company? I’m still a little wired from the action earlier.”

“Action? I missed action?”

“Nothin’ special,” Faith said from the open kitchen door. Dawn nodded.

“Hey.”

Faith forced a grin. “Hey yourself.”

Dawn frowned. Are you-“

“Yeah.”

“Ok. You just seem-“

“Dawnie, I’m cool. ‘Kay?”

Angel, who had just followed Faith out of the kitchen, caught Dawn’s eye and shook his head. She forced a grin of her own.

“Right.” She inclined her head toward the gym bag on her shoulder. “Gonna go change.”

“I have to see what she’s got,” Riley added with a smile.

Dawn frowned. “Huh?”

“Heard a rumor you’ve been doing some training. Figured we could spar a little.”

Dawn glanced at Angel and Faith, then looked back to the soldier with a shrug.

“Ok, sure.”

Riley patted her on the back. “Don’t worry. We’ll go slow.”

He headed for the basement, unaware of the daggers being hurled from Dawn’s eyes as she followed. Angel turned to Faith.

“Did you find any popcorn while you were digging through the cupboards?”

“You eat popcorn?”

Angel nodded toward Riley and Dawn. “For this I will.”

Faith chuckled, then took a deep breath, running fingers through her hair.

“Look, about before…I didn’t mean to-“

“It’s ok.”

“No, it’s really not. Sorta broke your wall.”

“After this is over, Xander can fix it.”

She stared at him for a moment. Angel nodded gravely.

“I meant what I said. We’ll find a way to work it out.”

Faith gave Angel a little punch on the arm. “That a promise, big guy?”

“As close as I can get to one, yes.”

There was a momentary silence. Faith jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “Gotta go upstairs.”

“Are you sure? I’m guessing downstairs will be a lot more fun.”

Faith grinned. “I’ll catch up with you. Might wanna get going, by the way. Probably changed her clothes in record time.”

“Good point.”

The vampire rounded toward the basement. Faith spoke softly.

“Angel-“

He spoke with his back to her.

”Faith, it isn’t necessary.”

“I was gonna say your fly’s open.”

He stopped abruptly, looking down. “No, it isn’t.”

“I know. Just don’t like being interrupted when I’m thanking people. Hurry up and get your ass downstairs.”

He turned to her, now watching her back as she bounded upward, taking two steps at a time. Angel sighed to himself before eagerly heading down to watch the show.

*********************************

Buffy took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Spike tore his eyes from the television and regarded her with a confused look.

“You all right, luv?”

Buffy swallowed hard. Dammit. “Yeah. Fine.”

Spike leaned toward her. “You’re not lookin’ so good.”

“Oh, just what every girl wants to hear.”

“Buffy-“ Spike frowned as she disengaged herself from his arms and rose from their bed.

“Where are you headed? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. Willow’s been awfully quiet all day. Thought I might check on her. Wanna come?”

The vampire winced. “Sounds like a bunch of pregnant girly talk.”

“And?”

“What do you mean ‘and’? Wouldn’t be my cup of tea, would it?”

Buffy sighed melodramatically, forcing a slight grin. “Ok, whatever. Look, at least go downstairs or something. Get some air.” Spike raised an eyebrow, causing Buffy to glare. “I don’t mean to breathe, obviously, just…” She waved her hands. “Move about among it. All this couch potato action is going to warp your brain.”

“Been watching tv all day for half a century, luv. If it hasn’t affected me by now…”

It was Buffy’s turn to raise an eyebrow, and Spike’s to glare. “Watch it, Slayer.”

She grabbed his hand and yanked him to his feet. “Get up, lazy bones. I need a favor from you anyway.”

Spike glanced back at the bed, then back to her with a leer. Buffy rolled her eyes.

“Not THAT kind. Take your mind to the station and change tracks.”

“Sorry. Only have one when it comes to you.”

Spike leaned in for a kiss, which Buffy returned with as much enthusiasm as she could at that moment. After a few seconds, she pulled away.

“Seriously, can you check in with Riley?”

Spike frowned. “All right, we’ll do it your way. Let’s go sew booties with Willow.”

“No, I really need you to see how the plan for tonight is shaping up.”

“Buffy…”

“I hear the pleading baby voice coming on. Please don’t do that.”

“I don’t wanna spend time with the wanker.”

“He’s not a…” She folded her arms defiantly. “Whatever a wanker is, I wouldn’t have dated one.”

“Already did it twice.” the vampire said under his breath.

Buffy’s voice lowered dangerously. “Spike…”

“We know the bloody plan already,” he whined. “You suddenly don’t trust Captain Kangaroo?”

“And the baby voice arrives.”

Spike hesitated, dropping his own voice a notch. “It’s a fair question. If you don’t think they should go through with this, just-”

“It’s not that. I’m aware this covert stuff is Riley’s thing. God knows he does it well…but it’s Dawn.”

“Don’t forget Fred.”

“I haven’t forgotten anyone. Look, can you please look things over? Usually, I’d go to Xander for a second opinion on this, but he’s…” Buffy stopped, mentally searching for the right phrase.

“Not himself?” Spike supplied. Buffy shrugged.

“I just don’t want to bother him right now. He and Faith have things to work out, and it’d be safer for all of us if they do. We’re going to need them.”

Spike sighed. “Fine. I’ll go socialize with Beetle Bailey, but only ‘cause it’s the Little Bit and Fred we’re talkin’ about.”

“We might want to get going before you run out of silly military references.”

“Oh, no worries there. Got quite a few more, actually. Spent the better part of a year workin’ out different ones in the crypt.” He made a show of checking his pockets. “Wrote ‘em down somewhere…”

“Spike…”

“All right already! The threatenin’ voice only goes so far. Said I’d do it, didn’t I?”

Buffy gave him another quick kiss. “That’s my guy.” They headed into the hallway together, almost colliding with an onrushing Faith.

“Whoa, camel.” Buffy said in surprise. Faith’s head jerked up.

“Oops. Sorry. Little distracted.”

“You all right?” Spike’s voice was tinged with concern. Bad day for Slayers, apparently.

“You guys seen Xand?”

“Been in our own room,” Spike said. “Headed downstairs now. If I see him, I’ll send him your way.”

“Thanks.”

The three of them headed in separate directions.

*******************************

Willow was emerging from the bathroom when the knock came on her door.

“Come in,” she responded tiredly. Buffy peeked her head inside.

“Hey. How are things?”

The witch shrugged. “Ok, I guess. Something’s up?”

Buffy stepped in and closed the door behind her. “Nope…still in a holding pattern until tonight.”

“Right. Dawn and Fred doing the black bag job at Wolfram and Hart.”

Buffy frowned. “You’ve been watching too many cop shows again.”

They shared a brief grin. Willow shrugged slightly.

“So…if nothing is wrong…”

The Slayer spread her hands.

“What, I can’t just drop in and see how you’re doing?”

Willow looked at the floor. “Sorry. I’m just…not feeling so well.”

Buffy moved closer. “Nausea? Do you want to lie down?”

“I’ve been lying down.”

“Maybe we should see a doctor.”

“Buffy...”

“We haven’t even had time for a full pre-natal yet. Why don’t we take advantage of this down time and-“

“Buffy, calm down. It’s just a little morning sickness.”

The Slayer pointed a finger at her. “A-ha! But it’s early afternoon isn’t it? See, we have abnormalities abounding. Let’s stay on top of this.”

Willow spoke softly. “How about we wait and see if we live through tomorrow night?”

There was a long silence. Buffy sat heavily on Willow’s bed.

“I’m sorry. I just want…” She shook her head. Willow sat close to her.

“What?”

Buffy stood abruptly and began to pace. “I’ve never been pregnant.”

“O…kay.”

“And you are. Technically.”

Willow raised an eyebrow. “Technically?”

“I mean biologically. Normally. Whatever.”

Willow didn’t know what Buffy wanted her to say, so waiting for more info seemed prudent. She didn’t have to wait long.

“See, the thing is…ok, disclaimer time, Will: this is going to be weird.”

Willow nodded firmly, eyes following her best friend as she moved back and forth. “Duly noted.”

“If I’m not physically pregnant, technically…then I shouldn’t be feeling any physical symptoms. Would that follow? You know, hypothetically speaking?”

Willow blinked. “Well…I’m not sure this particular situation follows the same rules…hypothetically speaking or not, anything can happen. Are you saying-“

“I’m not saying anything. Just…brainstorming.”

“Buffy, could you sit down? Your brainstorming is making my sore neck even worse.”

Buffy’s eyes widened; she rushed to Willow’s side. “You’re sore? What does that mean? Is it bad?”

Willow turned to face Buffy, grasping her hands. “It means I slept on it wrong. Please…you’re starting to freak me out here.”

“Oh God, I don’t mean to do that! I’ll…I’ll leave you alone…” She broke off, unable to keep the tears from filling her eyes.

“Buffy, please tell me what’s wrong.”

“I don’t know! I’ve been feeling sick lately. Not too often, just every now and then. Plus, sometimes my emotions just go all out of whack, like…” She pointed to her leaking eyes. “When I was at that Royal guy’s house, things got a little intense. Normally, I can deal, right? Scary life or death stuff, pretty much routine. I outflanked them with Riley, no problem. Thing is, though…I wanted to scream and cry the whole time. I barely held it in, and I don’t know why.”

Willow squeezed Buffy’s hands. “While you were gone, I got so scared I almost teleported over there to make sure everyone was ok. I didn’t want to tell you that, ‘cause it would sound odd…I mean, I know you guys can handle just about anything. Still…I go from the highest of highs to the opposite in, like, 4.8 seconds. It’s all part of-“

Willow’s eyes widened. “Wait. Are you trying to tell me what I think you are?”

Buffy nodded weakly. “I think this is how a woman feels when she’s pregnant. Even though…”

“Technically, you’re not.”

“So…am I right? About the feelings?”

“I don’t think it’s exactly the same for every woman. Jeez, it’s only been a couple of days since I found out.”

Buffy shook her head. “Seems like forever.”

“Yeah. Anyway, since we’re sharing weirdness…” Willow scooted back on the bed, leaning against a pair of propped pillows. Her voice dropped to a whisper, though she didn’t know why. “I can feel it. Inside me. Normally I’d chalk that up to imagination, because it’s the first trimester. I shouldn’t feel anything yet…” She trailed off.

Buffy considered a moment. “You think maybe it has to do with the circumstances? Giles was pretty definite about the whole ‘specialness’ thing.”

“I think it’s possible. I mean, at this point, what isn’t possible?”

Buffy didn’t respond, falling back on the mattress near Willow’s hip. Again Willow decided to wait her out, reaching down to smooth her best friend’s hair against the bed spread.

“I put it out of my mind.”

“What?”

“Children. Any consideration of the traditional family thing. I mean, first and foremost, Slayer here. Demons didn’t sign the Family Leave Act. As quiet as things have been, you just know as soon as I try, something evil’s a brewin.’ Secondly, my life is with Spike, which makes it physically impossible. I won’t lie and say I never thought about it before, but…you know, I have my family. I have tons more than a lot of normal people; God knows I rolled sevens compared to other Slayers. Kendra had no one. Faith, until recently, had LESS than no one. Inge had Hans, but he wouldn’t allow it to work…when you really think about it, I’m incredibly lucky.”

Willow grinned slightly. “But…”

“Please don’t hate me.”

“Buffy…”

“I feel gypped.”

“What?”

“See, they woke up these feelings inside. Feelings I’d put away. I’d made peace with certain things about my life…then they did this. Now I’m apparently feeling everything any pregnant woman does…except for, you know, the cool part. The actual living, breathing person growing inside.”

Buffy covered her eyes. “God, I can’t believe I’m telling you this.”

“It’s ok, Buffy-“

“I’m the most selfish person in the world.”

“Stop it.” Willow scolded. “You are not. No one’s ever been in this situation before. If you can’t talk to me, who else can you talk to?”

“I’d talk to Spike, but this is so hard for him already. The one thing he can’t give me…” Buffy felt tears sting her eyes again. “Why does it always have to be so screwed up?”

Willow just continued stroking Buffy’s hair, letting her cry. When the storm began to subside, she broke the silence.

“I wonder how Faith is handling it? With Xander.”

Buffy sniffled indelicately, craning her neck in search of a tissue. Willow leaned over and grabbed one from the end table, handing it down.

“Thanks. I don’t think things are going well with them.”

Willow nodded. “Any normal person would have a tough time with this. Mix in Faith’s insecurity-“

“We have instant issues. Exactly.”

“You should talk to Spike. About all this.”

“I did talk to him, actually. Told him he was an important part of everything.”

“I don’t mean-“

“I know what you mean.”

“Were you sincere about him being involved? Or were you just trying to make yourself feel better?”

There was a hesitation. “Of course I was sincere.”

“Then prove it. Don’t just tell him what you think he needs to hear. Tell him how you feel.”

Buffy fired her spent tissue across the room in frustration. It landed perfectly in the heart of the garbage can under the sink.

“Argh! What I feel makes no sense!”

Willow shook her head. “Oh, Buffy. First of all, it makes perfect sense. Secondly, Spike doesn’t care if your feelings are logical. He just wants to hear them. It’s all he’s ever wanted.”

Buffy nodded slowly. “You know what? You’re right. I wasn’t sharing with him, I was just giving him lip service.”

“Well, if you’re giving him THAT, you can probably say anything.”

“Ok, from now on I’m emotionally available Buffy…” Her eyes widened, finally realizing the joke. “Willow Rosenberg!”

The witch laughed. “Took you a second there.”

“Well, jeez…I don’t expect that kind of stuff from you!”

“It’s the hormones.”

Buffy stood. “Ok, I’m going to find him.”

“Wow, your hormones are strong too.”

“Is everyone’s mind in the gutter but me?”

Willow winked. “Spike shouldn’t be too hard to find, at least. Dr. Phil is still on for another 20 minutes.”

“I actually managed to pry him away from the tv.”

“Really? Did I miss an apocalypse?”

“Nope. I sent him downstairs to work with Riley.”

Willow stifled a laugh. “I thought you were trying to make him feel better.”

Buffy couldn’t stop herself from giggling. “Ok, good point. I just…wanted to talk to you alone.”

Willow got up from the bed. “Well, if you’re heading downstairs, would you mind a little company? I’m starved.”

“Really? Me too.”

“Wow, this connection thing really is strong.”

Buffy opened the door. “Think we can chalk this one up to coincidence. I haven’t eaten since last night.”

“Right. See, now I’m reaching.”

“Willow?”

“Yeah?”

“In case I’ve forgotten to tell you lately, I love you.”

They held each other for a long time.

“We’re having a baby,” Willow whispered in wonder.

*****************************************

When he’d first reached the ground floor, Spike had a difficult time figuring out where everyone had gone. The front desk area had been deserted; at first he rejoiced inwardly. Now he could go back to Buffy and report Riley’s absence with a clear conscience. Just as he was placing his foot on the first stair leading up to their room, Spike halted.

Buffy would want to know if he’d gone looking for the berk. Damn.

Sighing heavily, he turned around and made his way to Angel’s office. After rolling his eyes at the locked door (stiff-necked bastard apparently thought someone cared about his bloody pencil sharpener or something), he strode into the kitchen. His keen hearing would’ve probably picked up the noises from downstairs sooner, but the fist-sized hole in the wall beside the tables captured his attention for a long minute.

Someone got a bad batch of Grape Nuts.

Once he’d mentally narrowed down the list of suspects (he quickly deduced a wall this thick could’ve only been penetrated by someone with capabilities similar to his own), he finally perked up his ears, registering the little grunts and thuds, occasionally accompanied by what he could have sworn was a chuckle.

In Spike’s long experience, only two activities sounded like that…and he happened to like them both quite well. This was something he had to see. He hustled out of the kitchen and descended to Angel’s training area.

*******************************************

“So…warmed up yet?” Dawn couldn’t keep the smug tone from her voice, bouncing from one foot to the other, knees bent slightly.

Riley slowly got to his feet, rubbing his arm.

New rule: no training with people named Summers.

He’d known from the moment he first saw her again that she’d been working out. Dawn just carried herself like an athlete these days, moving with a confidence she’d never shown as a high school freshman. When she’d come out after changing clothes (Clark Kent couldn’t have switched outfits so fast, he’d thought at the time), the ropey muscles revealed by her tank top confirmed it.

Still, unless she’d turned into a Slayer when he wasn’t looking, Riley knew he had a vast advantage in strength and experience. He decided to let her get in a few moves early; she needed a confidence boost for the difficulties later that night.

“Ok, let’s just do a couple of simple things to warm up-“

He was on his back before he could finish the sentence. Instinctively, he kick-flipped to his feet, only to be arm-dragged back down again. This time, Dawn decided not to let him up, maintaining her grip on his hand and dropping to the mat, placing his arm between her legs. She gave his elbow a mild twist in the wrong direction.

This hadn’t been one of the confidence-builders he’d had in mind.

“Whoa, whoa! Ok!”

Dawn released him immediately and rolled to her feet. “I assume you meant auntie?”

Riley looked at her in confusion, gingerly touching the earlobe that had been scraped by the sole of Dawn’s Reebok. “Say again?”

“You can’t say uncle. I’m a girl, silly.”

He was standing again, unable to keep himself from grinning. “Ok, that was a good move. Now, if you could allow me to finish a sent-“ Riley reached for her head, deciding two could play at the surprise game. Dawn easily ducked out of the way and spun, careful to kick him squarely in the back of his knee so he wouldn’t be damaged permanently. As expected, he buckled immediately; before he could recover Dawn forearmed him in the chest, sending him unceremoniously back to the mat. Riley tried to roll, but Dawn’s knee was on his throat before he could get started.

“O…kay.” He’d managed to choke out.

“What was that?”

“…Auntie.”

“Cool,” she said happily, this time embellishing a little by doing a back bend and cartwheeling back to an upright position, a picture of flexibility and grace. She began bouncing from one foot to the other.

“So…warmed up yet?”

Riley coughed once. “Yup. Think so.”

There was a quiet chuckle near the stairs. The soldier turned with surprise.

“What are you doing here?”

“Me?” Angel asked. “Just passing the time.”

“Something funny?”

The vampire shrugged. “Just wondering how you’ve survived this long, considering how you underestimate your opponents. Of all people, you should know better.”

Riley was highly annoyed now. “We’re just training here, ok?”

“Wait a sec,” Dawn interjected. “Are you trying to say you’re not going all out?”

“What? Well…um…Dawn, you’re doing great. Don’t misunderstand me. It’s just…this is sparring, ok? Nobody should get hurt here.”

Dawn licked her lips. “Tell you what. Just for kicks, let’s go all out one time. Don’t hold anything back.”

“Dawn-“

“Hey, I’ll never get better if you don’t give me the best you’ve got. Right?”

There was a beat of silence. It was broken by a new voice.

“Nibblet’s got a point.”

Riley threw his arms in the air in frustration. “Don’t you people – and I use that term loosely – have anything better to do?”

Spike grinned lazily, taking a seat on the stairs next to Angel. “Sounded like the best show in town from up-“ he stopped suddenly, losing his cocky grin when he focused on Dawn. She frowned with concern.

“Spike? Are you ok?”

His eyes widened. “What? Oh! No! I mean yeah! Everything’s fine. Just got a little…thinkin’ about other things, is all.”

“Maybe you should take a walk outside to clear your head,” Riley groused under his breath. Spike gave him a withering look.

“Maybe you should pay attention so the Bit doesn’t kick your arse all the way back to basic training, mate.”

“Ok, that’s it. Dawn, we need to get ready for tonight-“

“Aw, come on.” Dawn whined. “We have some time.”

“This is supposed to be training, not a Pay-Per-View event.”

“Just one time, all out. It’ll be really fast. What do you say?”

Riley sighed. “Fine. Let the record show I tried to back out.”

“The record’s not surprised,” Angel said drily. Riley tossed him a glare, then faced Dawn with a determined expression. They circled each other warily.

“This is gonna be interesting,” Spike said quietly. Angel nodded in agreement.

“When she first came to LA, I learned pretty quick how hard she’d been training. Buffy worked with her, I assume?”

Their conversation was being punctuated by little grunts of effort from both Dawn and Riley as they threw and blocked punches expertly. Spike answered while following the action.

“Buffy and I both worked with her, actually. Bloody Hell, did you see that block? She’s gotten quicker.”

Angel grinned. “She was already fast before she came down here last year. I had Fred research a workout program to emphasize Dawn’s strengths.”

“Looks like it worked. Doesn’t matter how strong you are anyway.”

“Speed kills,” Angel confirmed.

Dawn caught Riley with a left jab, but he didn’t even fall back a step. Spike shook his head.

“Soldier boy’s into it now. Maybe we should have ‘em put on the pads.”

Angel quirked an eyebrow. “Little late for that now. By the way, that was really subtle a minute ago.”

Spike’s face darkened. “Things are happenin’ a little fast with them.”

“Spike, they’ve been seeing each other for eleven months. You just didn’t know about it.”

“She’s young.”

“Dawn’s older than her years. You know that. Anyway, nineteen is practically ancient these days.”

Spike was still watching the sparring, but his eyes held a far away look. “Not sayin’ I don’t understand it. Just don’t wanna see her hurt any more.”

“You think I do? Whether you choose to believe it or not, I love Dawn too.”

“She’s been through enough, is all I’m saying.”

“I know that. She’ll go through more, too. If you don’t, that isn’t living, it’s existing. I want more for her than that. How about you?”

Spike didn’t respond immediately. Angel turned back, noting with pride Dawn’s deft footwork as she dodged an attempted leg sweep. He’d paid special attention to that when they’d trained together.

“Wesley’s as good as any, I s’pose.”

“He’s a lot better than that,” Angel said softly.

Both combatants were starting to breathe harder; despite their best efforts, neither Riley nor Dawn could take each other down. She deftly ducked an right cross. Spike pointed excitedly.

“There now! I taught her early on about that.”

“What, how to duck?”

“Family weakness, I’d wager. Ever notice how Buffy leaves herself open by dropping her left?”

“Excuse me?!”

Spike’s eyes widened as he spun toward the door at the top of the stairs. Buffy stared down, arms folded.

“Oh! I was just sayin’…that you dropped in on Willow and left me. You know…as in left the room.”

“Smooth,” Angel said out of the corner of his mouth.

“Oh, sod off.”

Buffy slowly made her way down the stairs, followed by a smiling Willow. Squirmy Spike was so much fun to watch.

“How convenient that we’re in a training room. Wanna go see if I still drop my left? Or hey…maybe I can drop a few lefts on you.”

Spike sighed. “Look, why can’t you simply accept a little constructive criticism? No need to threaten anyone. Angel, help me out here. Does she drop her left or not?”

Angel shifted uncomfortably. “Well…it’s been a while.”

“Oh, come on! Don’t waffle about. Answer the bloody question!”

“Ok, at one time, yes.”

Buffy’s jaw dropped for a moment, then snapped shut. Her gray eyes turned steely.

“Note to self: two asses to kick.”

“Can’t right now,” Spike said hastily. “Action goin’ on.”

Buffy and Willow sat down. “How’s it going?” the witch asked.

“Since Riley actually started paying attention? Dead even.”

Buffy grinned. “So she surprised him a couple of times to start with?”

“Yeah,” Angel said with glee. “It was great.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy,” Willow said with a smile. It quickly faded. “Wait a minute, just how happy are you, Buster?”

Angel turned to glare at Willow, causing him to miss the first clean punch in five minutes. Riley blocked yet another of Dawn’s punches and threw an overhand right that caught her just above the chin, causing her to stagger back and put a hand to her mouth.

“Riley! That really hurt!” Dawn cried in shock, bending over. The soldier’s eyes widened in horror; he rushed to her.

“God, Dawnie, I’m so sorry! I didn’t even realize what I was- OOF!”

Her elbow caught him straight in the solar plexus. Dawn grabbed his upper arm and heaved him over her shoulder and on to the mat butt-first. Quickly dropping to one knee, she bounced a fist against his chest.

“And you’re staked!”

Dawn checked her mouth again, this time for real; there was a trickle of blood there.

“That was a pretty good shot. Spike, did I drop my left?”

He felt Buffy’s eyes on him. “Um…well…possibly, yeah.”

“Definitely,” Buffy added.

“Oh. Hey, Buffy. Hi, Willow.”

They gave her a wave. Dawn walked over to Riley, offering her hand.

“That was a good little workout. Thanks.”

He grunted as she pulled him to his feet. “I thought we were going all out.”

“That wasn’t?”

“You made me believe I’d really hurt you.”

“Well…you did hurt me. Thing is, you needed to follow up. Riley, no matter how much I work out, you’re going to be stronger than me. Right now you have, like, almost ten years more experience. There was no way I could beat you straight up…so I took whatever advantage I could. That’s what someone like me has to do.”

Riley hesitated a moment, then nodded. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have underestimated you.”

Dawn smiled awkwardly. “So…you wanna check and see if Fred and Gunn are back?”

“Yeah. Good idea.” Riley slowly walked toward the stairs, pointedly ignoring the smirks from Spike and Angel as he passed them. Halfway up, he stopped and turned.

“You’re ready, Dawn. More than I ever thought you were. Good job.”

He resumed climbing, finally closing the door behind him. Spike and Angel started chuckling, causing Dawn to scowl at them.

“Hey. It’s not that funny. I seem to recall putting both of you on your back once or twice.”

Angel froze. “We had an agreement.”

“Not talkin’ about us here, Nibblet.”

“The point is, you two are no better than him.”

Buffy held up a finger. “One second. Rewind. Dawn, you put BOTH of these two on their backs? Why did I never hear of this?”

“It was the same deal as Riley. They were taking it easy, and it pissed me off a little.”

The vampires glared at Dawn in unison. She folded her sweating arms defiantly. “You shouldn’t have humiliated Riley like that.”

Angel raised an eyebrow. “WE shouldn’t have? I’m not the one who just kicked his ass.” He smiled to himself. “Though I have done that before…”

“Getting all giddy again,” Willow warned.

Dawn sighed. “I just…I wanted to show him I’m not some little girl who can’t handle herself any more. Think maybe I took it too far, though.”

Buffy stood. “Talk to him about it later. I think he understands.” She clapped her hands. “Ok, let’s table the oh-so-pleasant discussion of Dawn taking you guys down for a bit. Spike, did you ever talk to Riley about what I asked?”

“Didn’t get a chance.”

“Well, you have one now, right?”

Spike mumbled under his breath. Buffy smiled. “Thank you.”

Everyone began shuffling back up to the lobby except Buffy and Dawn, who lingered behind.

“So…it’s a day of firsts for you, huh?”

Dawn blinked hard. “What?”

“You know…first time taking Riley down. First felony in the name of good later on tonight…the latter of which being a Scooby rite of passage, of course.”

“Oh.” Dawn took a deep breath. “Right.”

Buffy squinted slightly. “Are you ok?”

“Sure. All systems go.”

“Well, Riley says you’re ready. We all heard it.”

“He’s right.”

“Dawn…you realize it isn’t necessary to put on the tough girl act-“

“Kinda is, actually.”

Buffy sighed. “You don’t have to prove anything to me. That’s all I’m saying.”

Dawn grinned, shifting from one foot to the other. “Did you ever consider the tough act wasn’t for you?”

“Oh.” Buffy hesitated. “You realize no one would think less of you if-“

“Don’t.” Dawn glared. The Slayer raised her hands defensively.

“Ok. Don’t get all…well, you know how you get.”

Dawn’s face softened. “I’ll be careful.”

“I know.”

“I need a shower.”

“Believe me, I know that too.”

Dawn gave her the finger. Buffy smiled broadly, throwing an arm around her little sister.

“You know, I never used to reach up to do this.”

“Yeah, but I was already taller than you when I was created. Live in the now, sis.”

They went upstairs together. As they opened the door facing the lobby, Faith nearly ran into them. Buffy jerked slightly.

“Ok, you’re determined to run me down today, right?”

Faith’s voice was strained. “Is he down there?”

“Who…Xander? No, I thought he was with you.”

Faith shook her head. “He’s gone.”

Buffy swallowed hard. “Are you sure? You looked everywhere?”

“Buffy, he’s not here. Trust me on this one. The only place I hadn’t looked was the training room.”

The blonde Slayer broke away from Dawn. “No! He has to be here somewhere!”

Dawn frowned. “What’s the big deal? Maybe he went for a snack or something.”

Willow shook her head. “Dawnie, right now the three of us need to stay together. If all three of us don’t make it to the Coliseum tomorrow…” She broke off, unconsciously placing her hands against her belly.

Buffy was pacing. “Faith, did anything happen between you two?”

“I…I haven’t even talked to him since we got back here.”

“Before that. Did you say anything to upset him?”

“We argued some, maybe, but-“

“Dammit, Faith! I trusted you to keep him safe! What did you say?”

Angel stepped up and spoke quietly. “Ok, let’s calm down a little.”

“I want an answer!”

Faith’s eyes flashed. “What would it matter what I said? You two are having his baby!”

“That’s enough!” Angel said strongly. “Let’s focus on what matters. Right now we need to find him. If Willow’s right, Xander could be a target, and he’s the most vulnerable.”

“Oh, you’re finally catching on now?! Congratulations!”

Spike spoke softly. “Buffy…”

She shook her head violently, holding a hand up to fend him off. After taking am moment to run her fingers through her hair, she sat down heavily next to Willow.

“I didn’t mean…I’m a little messed up.” She looked up, her eyes moist with tears. “Faith…”

Faith waved her hand. “Angel’s right.”

She walked to the steps leading to the front door and turned.

“We have to find him. First off, his cell phone’s upstairs, so that’s out. Willow, locator spell?”

Willow took a breath. “In Sunnydale, it wouldn’t take long. In a metropolitan area like this…several hours.”

Faith shook her head. “Too slow. Dawnie, check the garage and see if the car’s gone.”

Dawn ran out the door to comply.

“Ok, help me out here. When Xander’s pissed or worried, he goes where?”

There was a momentary silence. Spike spoke up first.

“Oh! Those comic book places!”

There were several nods of agreement. Faith pointed at him.

“Good call. Ok, how about Home Depot? Is there one nearby, maybe?”

Willow’s eyes widened. “Yes! Building supplies calm his nerves.”

“Right. He says they make him comfortable, like me around weapons.”

They stared at her. Faith tilted her head. “Right, like most of you aren’t the same damn way.”

Dawn came back in. “Cars are all here.”

“Ok, that’s a good thing. It’s only been what, two hours? He couldn’t have gone very far. Any more ideas?”

“Arcades?” Cordelia piped up from the other room. Again there were several nods. Faith spoke emphatically.

“Another goody. Anywhere else?”

No one spoke.

“All right, here’s the deal. Willow, you stay behind and work the mojo. Worst case scenario, we’ll have him in a few hours. In the meantime, Angel and Cordy will clue us in on comic books, arcades and lumber yards. Sun’s goin’ down in a minute, so we should all be able to cover some ground.”

“I’m printing out addresses of likely spots within a three mile radius,” Cordelia called out. “Give me two minutes.”

“I’ll take the arcades,” Dawn said.

Riley cleared his throat. “Actually…”

“We have some time. If Xander’s in trouble, I’m helping.”

“We have an hour and a half.”

“Exactly.”

“That’s not enough. We have to get you to the rendezvous point, and I want to allow some cushion.”

Dawn stood up straight. “Finding Xander takes priority.”

“Dawn-“

“This is not a discussion! God, what is wrong with you? Nothing we do tonight means anything if Xander’s-“

“He’s right, Dawn.”

Dawn turned to Spike in shock. “What?”

“Never would have agreed to you doin’ this thing tonight if it wasn’t vital. There’s plenty of us to track Xander down.”

For a long minute the only audible sound was Cordy’s printer. Finally Dawn looked around the room, settling her eyes on Faith.

“You WILL find him.”

“Damn straight.”

“Ok, then.”

“One more thing,” Faith said.

“Yeah?”

“You WILL get the job done tonight, and come back safe. ‘Kay?”

Dawn’s eyes welled up; she looked down for a moment, then cleared her throat. When she looked back up, there wasn’t a hint of moisture.

“Deal.”

*******Three Minutes Later********

“Charles, oysters are not an aphrodesiac. It’s a fallacy.”

“It’s a phallic what?”

“That’s not what I meant and you know-“

Fred broke off as they entered the hotel, seeing Riley and Dawn at the front desk. She gave them a nervous smile.

“Guess it’s time to go, huh?”

They nodded soberly. Gunn looked around the lobby.

“So where is everybody?”

- End Chapter Twenty-six -