“Spike!” Buffy yelled again as she rushed into the kitchen, grabbing packets of blood and stuffing them into a bag. “Comin’,” Spike responded. His boots thumping on the stairs as he made his way down. “Grab our stuff.” “One step ahead of you, pet. Figured the only reason you’d be screamin’ like a bleeding banshee was if it was time to go.” He smirked unrepentantly at her affronted glare. “No time for that, Slayer. You can kick my arse when we get where we’re goin’. Now say goodbye to the nice people,” he said, nodding to indicate their hosts and the rather thoughtful looking demon. Buffy glared at him once more before turning an appreciative smile on those hovering in the doorway. “Thank you. You have no idea how much help you’ve been and...” “No need,” Wesley said, shaking his head. “It was our pleasure. Good luck.” “Faith...” “Just go, B. Find your sis, okay?” Faith said nonchalantly. “Take care,” she added at a whisper when she found herself suddenly and unexpectedly engulfed in a quick hug before the blonde slayer pulled away and started tugging her pack hastily onto her back. “Buffy.” Lorne’s use of her name rather than one of the cute nicknames that she’d noticed he used for everyone—including Spike, much to the vampire’s disgust—had Buffy stopping in mid-action. “Sometimes,” he continued once he had her attention, “looking isn't enough, you have to learn to see.” “Uh...okay,” Buffy replied, smiling uncertainly at the earnest-looking demon. “I’ll remember that.” “Ready, Slayer?” Spike asked as he finished stowing the blood Buffy had gathered and shouldering the duffle Faith had picked up for him. Buffy nodded, reaching for him and beginning the incantation. ~*~ They landed on soft grass, in the crisp air of early evening. Buffy hugged herself as she looked around, waiting for the deep chill of their journey to dissipate. “We’re back in Sunnydale,” she said, recognising the small park. “Looks like,” Spike agreed. “Now let’s see if the Bit’s around.” Inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the plethora of scents mingling on the breeze. Buffy fidgeted impatiently while she waited, chewing the inside of her lip to keep from asking him if he’d found anything. “Dammit,” Spike cursed. “There’s nothing. Reckon there’s something wrong with that little bauble of yours. It’s bloody compass is off or something.” Buffy sighed. “Okay, well I guess all we can do is look around, and hope you can pick something up.” After an hour of roaming around the streets of Sunnydale, stopping every now and then for Spike to scent the air, they were no closer to finding Dawn, and Sunnydale was down several vampires. Exiting Shady Hill Cemetery, they found themselves heading automatically towards Revello Drive. “Maybe she went home,” Buffy suggested. “Worth a try,” Spike said, closing his eyes and inhaling once more as she set off towards her house. “Hang on, pet.” He stopped and inhaled more deeply. “There’s something. She’s been through here, but not recently.” “How not recently?” Buffy asked. “Hours... maybe ten or more.” “Come on, let’s try the house.” Buffy hurried down the street. An SUV pulled up across the street and a frazzled-looking Giles got out and hurried across the street towards them. “Buffy, Spike. Thank goodness. Have you found Dawn?” “So we are back here,” Buffy mused aloud. “No. God, Giles are you sure this thing even works? We’ve been all over the place looking for her and all we keep coming up with is dead ends.” “Damn that girl. I hope you’re going to have a firm word with her about responsibility. If she didn’t want to do the job, she should have said so and we would have found somebody else. As it is, it’s probably too late. Unless you’d consider...?” “What the bleedin’ hell are you on about, Watcher?” Spike growled. “It’s alright, Giles,” Buffy explained, having realised somewhere mid-rant that this wasn’t their Giles after all. “Spike won’t hurt you he’s...” “I know he won’t hurt...” “Got a chip...” “Chip?” Giles frowned, looking from his slayer to her companion. “I’m reasonably sure I’m missing something.” “It’s a long story,” Spike said, having come to the same realisation as Buffy. “We’re from another dimension. This Plonky demon kidnapped Dawn and we’re trying to find her.” “Or not,” Spike muttered. “And it’s P’Lontus,” he continued more loudly, raising an eyebrow at the slayer as he bit back the ‘you stupid bint’ that he was tempted to add. Buffy shrugged. “We were going to try the house… um, where my house is in our dimension... You know, in case she went home.” “Another dimension?” Giles asked, intrigued. “Fascinating. But what makes you believe she’s here?” “This,” Buffy said, holding out the amulet. “It’s some kind of tracking thingy. Only, lately? Not so much with the tracking. Spike thinks it’s broken.” “Remarkable.” Removing his glasses, Giles squinted and peered closely at the innocuous-looking amulet. “Yeah, well, it’d be more remarkable if it worked,” Spike grumbled. “You say a P’Lontus demon kidnapped Dawn?” Giles asked, dragging his attention away from the amulet and replacing his glasses. “That’s most uncharacteristic, they’re generally a peaceful race...” “Yeah, so Wes said. Only this one? Not so much with the peaceful and more with the kidnapping my sister. So, normally peaceful or not, when I get my hands on this thing I’m gonna make demon chop suey out of it.” “Understandable, I’m sure. So where do you live in your dimension?” “On Revello Drive,” Buffy said, indicating the direction they’d been heading in. “Ah. Then I think the best course of action is for us to go to Buffy and Spike’s and see if your Dawn has turned up.” “Buffy and Spike’s?” Buffy asked, incredulously. “Yes, I... Oh, dear,” he said when he noticed both Buffy’s wide eyed stare and the wistful look on the vampire’s face. “Forgive me, I assumed as you were travelling together...” He trailed off, removing his handkerchief from his pocket and carefully polishing his glasses before continuing. “In this dimension, you, that is our Spike and Buffy are, well, I believe the term is cohabiting. They’ve been together for almost four years now.” “And you’re okay with this?” she asked, her gaze flicking briefly from her watcher’s face to her companion’s. “I mean...vampire.” “Well, I certainly had my reservations in the beginning, but Spike has proven time and again that those reservations were unfounded. I have no doubt as to the sincerity of his feelings for our Buffy. In fact, over the years Spike and I have become rather good friends.” He gave Spike an apologetic smile for talking about him—in a manner of speaking—as if he were not there. “He’s quite learned, and of course there is so much of history that he’s experienced firsthand. Not to mention it’s pleasant to have someone to talk to who speaks the Queen’s English,” he added with a smirk. “Now if I might suggest...” He waved his hand toward the still-idling SUV. |