*****

The door upstairs was flung open with a crash followed by a crack that must have been the window breaking.

"Come on!" Xander's frantic tone caught Spike even more off-guard than the boy's new found door opening skills. He came to the foot of the stairs.

"Why? Wha-"

"Get your fucking ass up here now!"

Spike was up the stairs in about 3 strides.

"Come on," Xander said with just as much urgency as before, practically the second Spike reached the top of the stairs.

"Wha-" he started again but was roughly dragged outside and towards Xander's car which was partially parked on the lawn and still running. Xander all but threw him into the vehicle and ran to the other side.

"Wha-" it seemed that they had reached the highway almost before Spike finally had a chance to finish his word. "-t the bloody Hell happened?!"

The boy didn't answer. His eyes were glued to the road, jaw set. His knuckles were white from his death-grip on the wheel but his hands were still shaking. Spike's irritation was quickly replaced with concern.

"What happened?" Spike repeated though much more softly. "Tell me love. Please?"

Xander glanced at him, seeming to have calmed down slightly. "It did not go well."

"Well I wasn't expectin' the Slayer to send me a bloody fruit basket."

Xander didn't even smile, he just continued to stare at the road. Spike knew that the boy had fully braced himself for just about any possible reaction that his friends could have to his news so something worse than worst-case had obviously happened. Spike gently placed his hand over Xander's trembling one. "What did she do to you pet?"

Xander swallowed painfully.

"She freaked. I mean, well, duh, but she *freaked*. She said I was being brainwashed or possessed or something. She.....she said she would kill you..." That didn't seem too unexpected.

"And you were expecting the fruit basket?"

Xander's glare shut him up. "She just went on ranting and raving. The look in her eyes....God it was like she'd gone insane. Like not normal friend-dating-killer-vampire-enemy insane but like...*insane*. Like beyond Faith insane...Giles was trying to reason with me and tell me you were messing with my head which I expected him to do, but she just kept cutting him off and screaming, throwing stuff...."

Xander broke off and Spike regarded his face. He looked so horrified. He was pale as death and still trembling. A psycho slayer would upset him sure, but like this?

"Go on," Spike urged, sure there was more.

"She took a stake and an axe and...a metal pointy thing...she stormed out of the house to go after you. I tried to stop her, but she threw me back like half a block, said I'd thank her after she'd killed you and I came to my senses....said I'd like you better as dust..."

Xander made a whimpering sound and a tear fell down his cheek. Spike quickly kissed it away, worried over whether it was due to shock or sorrow.

"Go on," he said, stroking Xander's hand encouragingly. "You'll feel better once it's all out." Xander took a deep breath and forced himself to continue.

"I knew she would....kill you...cause I told her that she'd be killing a part of me too..." Xander choked. Saying something that corny had been hard the *first* time, now he was repeating it? He glanced over at Spike who was gazing at him with something resembling wonder. It was almost true though. "...and she didn't seem to care. I knew if she was in her right mind she'd realize that I never say stuff like that..." he tried for a half-smile but it came out as more of a grimace. Spike just continued to rub his hand. He swallowed again, his hands started to shake a bit more.

"Anyway, I couldn't even bear to think about that. So I got in the car and was driving at top-speed hoping to beat her to my house and then I saw her....running along. I knew I had to stop her so.....I swerved onto the sidewalk and..." Xander broke off again, a ragged sob escaping from his throat. Spike immediately grabbed the wheel and pulled them onto the shoulder. As soon as the car was in park he pulled Xander out of his seat and onto his lap. He held him close, rocking him gently and nuzzling his hair. Xander continued to choke out words through his tears.

"I hit her....so hard...she rolled up the windshield...I heard her...hit the ground....way far back...didn't even...look back." He buried his face in Spike's duster and continued to sob. Spike rubbed his back and kissed his forehead. Bloody bitch, why hadn't she just listened? Well, he knew why she hadn't listened but she had forced Xander to traumatize himself. She wasn't worth this, even if she was dead. Still, that wasn't what his pet needed to hear.

"She'll be alright love," the vampire tried to say soothingly. "She's the Slayer after all. You didn't hurt her, just slowed her down a bit is all." The truth was, if Xander had killed Buffy Spike would be doing back-flips and they both knew it but Xander allowed himself to be soothed. His sobs gradually turned to sniffles and he raised his tear-stained eyes up to meet Spike's.

"She was one of my best friends Spike and I tried to kill her. I didn't even think about the Slayer-super-powers making it okay, I just ran her down. I-I didn't even know I wouldn't kill her but I did it anyway...what does that say about me Spike?"

The boy knew the answer in his heart, and it had nothing to do with his newly sub-scale moral level. He had just given up everything he loved for Spike, the answer was obvious but he wasn't ready to face it. Apparently the vampire was.

"That you're in love?" the words came spilling out of Spike's mouth long before he had a chance to think about them. The vampire's eyes widened and his undead heart lurched as he realized what he had just said.

Xander started at him in complete shock for a good minute before he blurted out, "Are you?"

Spike shrugged uncomfortably, looking away. He carefully studied the door handle for quite some time trying to think of something clever to say to ease the situation. He sighed when he realized that there was no was he could brush this off without hurting Xander. "Gettin' there," he whispered.

Xander let out a short cry and flung his arms around Spike. He clung to his vampire for dear life and mumbled, "Me too."

Spike hugged him back, barely remembering to hold back enough to avoid crushing the boy. They held on to each other like that for a long time, completely lost in each other. Eventually Spike sighed heavily and said, "Best get moving before the Slayer scrapes herself off the pavement and picks up our trail."

Xander nodded and reluctantly released him, preparing to climb over into the driver's seat.

"You sure you're okay? I could drive y' know."

Xander let out a short bark of a laugh. He wasn't sure which was more frightening, the concern in Spike's voice or the idea of him driving.

"I'm fine." And with that he started the engine and headed off into the darkness.

*****
Part 2:

After about an hour of driving, Xander seemed to have calmed down enough to talk. Spike leaned back in his chair and trying to sound casual asked, "Do you know where we're going or is this an adventurous roadtrip?"

Xander half-smiled. "Don't worry, I did plan this out a *little* before I threw you in the car. We're going to this little cottage that my parents used to take me to when I was little."

Spike smirked slightly at the faraway and somewhat wistful look in Xander's eyes.

"Heeeey," Xander whined, trying to sound hurt, "don't laugh at my childhood memories. There aren't too many that don't involve enraged alcoholic fathers." He ran a hand through his hair uncomfortably. Spike rested his head on Xander's shoulder, deciding that an apology would only make him more uncomfortable and this was a no-comment situation. Xander gratefully kissed the top of Spike's head and then quickly turned back to watching the road. This earned him another smirk.

"We'd get there faster if you'd let me drive y' know pet. Your fondness for the speed limit is not getting us far away from the Slayer fast enough for my taste."

"You are *not* driving," Xander said firmly. He increased his speed to exactly 2 over the limit. Spike sighed rather loudly. Xander suddenly made an unexpected and very sharp left turn which send Spike's head flying off his shoulder and into the window. The vampire growled menacingly.

"Sorreeee," Xander said in a singsong voice.

"Psycho," Spike muttered, sending Xander into peals of laughed.

"Being called a psycho by William the Bloody is high praise right?"

"Course love!" Spike said. "But mind that I can't die in a car crash whereas you can."

"I'll try to make it really fiery," Xander promised. "You can go out in a blaze of glory just like you always wanted."

"Thanks pet," Spike smirked, giving him a playful slap on the arm. Then doubled over in pain as the implant went off.

"Bloody Hell that didn't hurt, that was affectionate!" he hollered at his head. The look of obvious pity on Xander's face didn't help.

"Don't give me that look whelp," he muttered.

Xander punched his shoulder with his free hand none too playfully. "Don't call me that."

"Oy! Not fair!" Spike yelled. "Can't e'en hit you back."

Xander punched him again in the same spot.

"Bitch," Spike muttered. Xander laughed, "I don't think I'm going to enjoy this new pet-name. That's right up there with ducks."

"What? You don't fancy the idea of being my bitch?" Spike leered. Xander blushed slightly. Oh he fancied it. He fancied it quite a bit actually.

"Truth is I'm better off being *your* bitch. What with the goddamn implant an' all."

Xander tried very hard to stop the look of pity from coming to his face.

"I'm going to get that thing out of you Spike," he said flatly. "I don't know how and I don't care what it takes but it's coming *out*."

Spike raised an eyebrow at him. "And you're anxious to get me back to feeding on your friends because?"

"Well obviously not!" Xander said. "I just....I just hate seeing you so helpless."

Spike glared at him.

"Well not *helpless*! But you know what I mean," Xander smirked. "But I don't want you killing everyone. I'll just buy you a nice leash. There's an idea."

"A *leash*?" Spike said with a huge smirk. "Why Xander, I believe you're taking this bitch thing quite seriously! I like that dirty little mind of yours."

Xander blushed furiously as he realized when he'd just said.

"S'alright luv," Spike said, squeezing his thigh, "I don't mind being the star of all these kinky fantasies."

Xander smacked his hand away irritably. "Shut up."

Spike continued to chuckle for a good 10 kilometres.

When he'd finally calmed down a bit he asked, "So is there any particular reason we're headed to this cottage or is it just nostalgic?"

Xander thought about it for a minute.

"Well, I guess it's pretty much nostalgic. I mean, it's not a bad idea because we can make it there by sunrise and I doubt anyone will look there but other than that there's no real reason." He shrugged. "Last time I was there was *years* ago. I figured we could get there tonight and board up the windows in the bedroom and sleep for the day, then maybe fix it up a bit. It might be kinda nice if we spend a few days up there. Well for me anyway...to see it one last time."

Spike nodded. He did understand. Xander was realizing that the current chapter of his life had ended and a new one was beginning. He needed something close to him to hold on to before he was ready to move on.

Spike squeezed Xander's thigh. "Sounds good to me pet." Xander's loved-filled smile of thanks was more than enough to quell the nausea Spike felt at his need to make the boy happy. He squeezed his thigh again. It was worth it.

"You're sure the Slayer won't think to follow us here?" Spike asked.

"I doubt it," Xander said. "I don't think I ever told Buffy this place existed. It's kinda personal you know? Like it's not my own special little thing if I go telling everyone about it." Spike grinned and was suddenly overcome with the emotion that comes from being important to someone you care about. Then the nausea set in again.

"I told Willow about it for sure," Xander continued. "But I haven't talked about it in years. I doubt she's think of it. Even if she did, I'm still not sure if she would mention it or not. At the meeting she didn't seem as freaked as the others. I mean, she's been my best friend for all my life. I know she'd want to sit down and talk before she'd come at my lover with a stake." He glared at the road.

Spike decided that now was not the appropriate time to mention that technically they weren't actually lovers yet or to point out that Willow's disposition might have changed slightly now that Xander had run her friend down in his car. Instead he just nodded. "We're all set then."

Xander turned off the highway and onto a gravel back-road. A few more turns and they would be there. He swallowed hard. For some reason he was nervous. Would the cottage be as he remembered it? Hopefully it would still be liveable despite the years of neglect. And what would Spike think? He had to admit, he was self-conscious showing the joy of his childhood to the vampire but for some reason he knew it was a step that he had to take.

"We can only stay here for a few days," he added. "Even if they don't know where we are they'll figure it out somehow, you know Buffy."

"Unfortunately," Spike agreed. "Looks like we'll be on the run together for a while eh pet?"

"Fugitives!" Xander said with a grin as he took a right turn.

"This could be fun y'know," Spike said, poking him in the ribs.

Xander didn't say anything. Instead, he pulled onto a stoney path that Spike finally realized was a long driveway. Xander took a deep breath. "We're here."

******
Part 3:

The cottage was quite small, but still liveable considering how long it had been unattended. There were four rooms. The smallish kitchen had a few cabinets, a table coated with dust more than an inch thick and a stove which Spike noticed looked like something from the 1800s. The living room had a couple of couches and bookshelves. From the looks of things there had been a stereo and TV but Spike guessed that Xander's parents had thoroughly gutted the place before their last departure. Overall the place reeked of abandonment. It was surprising it was in as good condition as it was.

There were two bedrooms, one with a large double bed, empty bookshelves, sparse dresser and empty bedside table. The second bedroom which had obviously been Xander's on the other hand looked nothing like the rest of the cottage. The bed was still made. The shelves were full of stacks of comic books and there was a lamp on the bedside table. Spike experimentally flicked the switch but the bulb had burned out long ago.

Xander had made his way through his cottage with a look of wonder on his face, lost in his childhood memories. Where many people would lovingly run their hands over treasured objets, Xander would reach out and tentatively poke things, as if none of it was real and a single touch would shatter the dream. Spike followed behind him remaining silent. The overall picture had him more than slightly depressed but he obviously wasn't going to say that and he also wasn't going to patronize the boy by lying about it. He chose to let Xander take his silence to mean whatever he wished.

"We should get some sleep," Spike said from where he was still flicking the light switch back and forth as if it would suddenly spark.

"Yeah," Xander said absently. He was staring at his bookshelf, finger resting gently on top of an X-Men comic. Spike came over and put his hand on the boy's shoulder, snapping him out of his reverie.

"What? Oh! Sleep! Yeah, sleep is good." He took a long look around the room. "I guess we should sleep in my parents room since they have a double bed right?" He looked longingly at his own bed. It was small but had been big enough to accommodate his 8-year-old form. He remembered how he used to lie awake for hours on so many nights, reading those X-Men comics and listening to the rain hitting the side of the house. It was such a comforting sound. He wished it would rain now...

"-windows."

Xander snapped back to the present again and turned to Spike. "Sorry, what?

The vampire smiled at him gently.

"There are windows in your folks room. If we sleep here we won't have to board ‘em up. Besides," he said, stroking Xander's cheek, "this is where you want to be love."

The way Xander's face lit up made Spike's heart lurch and he turned quickly to close the door before his face betrayed him. He brushed past Xander, squeezing his hand on the way and stripped the filthy covers off the bed. He took off his boots and duster and then lay down, holding his arms open for Xander.

The boy crawled on top of him and laid his head on his shoulder. Spike pulled his duster over both of them and then wrapped his arms around him.

"See," he said in a low voice, "small bed's not necessarily a bad thing."

Xander chuckled. "You sure I'm not crushing you?

"Y' don't weigh a thing pet," he murmured, kissing the boy's forehead lightly. "Don't even think of moving."

That was enough reassurance for Xander and he fell asleep almost immediately. Being wrapped in Spike's arms was more comforting for him than anything else in the world.

*****

The red-haired witch sat cross-legged on the floor of Giles' bathroom. The sound of the shower running beside her was proving to be just as much of a distraction for her as it was supposed to be for Buffy.

"Make this a quick shower Will, we have to get moving!" came Buffy's agitated voice from outside.

"Yep sure thing Buff!"

The Slayer frowned. Her friend's voice sounded chirpier than usual if that was even possible. Maybe something was up. Gailes raised an eyebrow at her suspicious look.

"Okay, I know I'm going into suspect-everyone-mode," she pouted, "but I have good cause this time what with Xander being brainwashed by blood-sucking creatures of the night! Since when has Willow been subject to these bouts of ultra-cleanliness anyway?"

"A-actually," Tara piped up, "that was a h-hard spell we did. Sometimes when things get intense she..." the girl's face coloured a bit, "s-sweats a lot." The colour turned into a full blush. "That didn't come out right," she finished softly.

"I just hope she hurries up," Buffy said stamping her foot, oblivious to the girl's embarrassment. "We have to get moving."

Something was very very wrong. Willow's hands trembled as she lit the candles beside her. Although Buffy was pretty close to back to normal now, her reaction to Xander's confession of his relationship with Spike had been....frightening. Not that Willow wasn't worried herself. Xander with Spike? How could that even be possible? He was a vampire! After how much Xander had attacked Buffy over her relationship with Angel, how could he be so hypocritical? And *this* demon didn't even have a soul, he was still a psycho-killer, chip or no chip.

The witch closed her eyes and blocked out the noises coming from the other room. Now she filled the black space of her mind with images, Xander's childhood cottage, his room, his face, his bed and Spike.

In her mind these images seemed to circle around her, faster and faster, creating a whirlwind which lifted her up and out of her body, propelling her spirit through the clouds and towards her destination. Her only hope was that despite having already performed a draining spell with Tara and now this one, she would still have enough energy to get back.

*****

Xander awoke as the wind whistled sharply outside. It took him a moment to remember where he was but when he did he was flooded with an overwhelming sense of warmth and protection. He nuzzled closer to Spike, burrowing his nose into the crook of his neck. The vampire was cool beneath him but the warmth the tight embrace spoke of was more than enough for him.

He closed his eyes, willing the tides of sleep to wash over him again. He felt so completely at ease. They were safe. No one knew where they were and no one would be able to find them.

"Xander," came the sharp hiss, "it's Willow, wake up! They're coming for you!"

Shit.

*****
Part 4:

Xander shot up in bed an turned to face his friend. The shadowy figure before him flickered until she was barely visible and then came back into view and billowed. He jumped off the bed in alarm.

"Wills! What's wrong with you? Are you a ghost? Are you dead? Oh my God you're dead! Why are you dead?!"

"Shhh, no Xander I'm not dead," she tried to reassure him. "I'm not really here, my body's back in Sunnydale."

"Oh good," Xander looked wildly around as if something was going to jump out at him, still confused from sleep. "Why is your body in Sunnydale?"

Willow rolled her eyes.

"Listen Xander, just listen okay? There isn't much time. Buffy's gone insane, like not normal insane, but *insane*. Remember when Kathy was sucking her soul while she slept?" Xander nodded.

"She's exactly like that! *Major* no-fun Buffy here!"

"I noticed that."

"Yeah, I don't think running her down helped much either."

Xander shrugged uncomfortably. "I didn't know what to do. I couldn't even think!"

Willow sighed. "Yeah well there wasn't much we could do Xander, she knew that Tara and I could do a spell to find your location. We didn't have much of a choice," she looked up at Xander with eyes full of guilt. "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay Wills," he said with a smile which he hoped was semi-reassuring. "I know you wouldn't have done it without psycho-slayer breathing down your neck."

"Of course not, but listen, right now I'm in Giles' bathroom pretending to have a shower, the second I'm out we're coming after you. You don't have much time. Xander get out of there!" her voice now had a note of panic in it.

"Don't worry, I'm as good as gone." He looked her right in the eyes. "I know it's not your fault Will, I'm not mad at you."

"Thanks," she looked genuinely calmer this time. "I'll try to stall as long as I can."

She did it discreetly but Xander caught her suspicious glance towards the bed.

"I know what I'm doing Will," he said firmly. "I want you to at least know that."

"Are you sure?" she asked dubiously.

"Yeah," he said, looking back at the sleeping vampire and letting a faint smile cross his lips, "I'm sure."

Willow found herself smiling back at him. She didn't understand and she had a feeling that she never would, but dammit, she could tell when her friend was happy!

"We're going to talk about this when things calm down Xander," she said.

"Sure Will," he smiled at her.

"I mean it!" she threatened. He just kept on smiling.

"Willow!!" the voice was a shriek and it was so loud that even Xander heard it. "What's taking you so long?!"

Willow's expression became panicked and she spun around as if the voice was present in the room.

"I'm almost done Buffy!" she yelled at the bookshelf.

There was a pause and then, "Willow, are you even in there?"

"Oh no, she can't hear me," Willow moaned. She turned back to Xander frantically, "I have to go Xander, I have no idea what she'll do if she finds me working a spell in the bathroom!"

Her form started to fade.

"Willow!" Xander yelled. She blinked back into view.

"Yeah?"

"You know Angel's curse?"

She nodded impatiently.

"Do you think you could do the curse again, but without the happiness clause?"

Willow's face softened and a smile began to form. "Oh Xand, I'm so glad..." she gave him her best determined face. "I'll try. I'll find a way somehow. I'll ask Tara, she'll probably know." She opened her mouth as if to say something else but was cut off by a loud shriek.

"That's it Willow! I'm coming in there!"

The Willow-shadow blinked out of sight. Despite the situation Xander found himself smiling. Until he turned around. Spike was sitting up on the bed with an arm draped across his knee giving Xander the most frightening glare he'd ever seen.

"Okay so you're awake," Xander started hopefully. "Did you hear most of tha-"

"It won't work." Spike's voice was cold and final.

"What won't work?" Xander asked. He tried not to start shaking. The vampire that had happily shared his bed a few minutes ago now looked like he would much rather rip his throat out. Xander tried to keep the terror visible on his face to a minimum as he approached the bed. He can't hurt me, he can't hurt me, he can't hurt me, chip, chip, chip, chip, chip.

"The curse." Xander opened his mouth but Spike pressed on. "Ever heard of a bloke called William the Bloody? That was yours truly *before* the Irish poof stuck his fangs in my neck. No bleeding curse is going to make me a puppy, whelp. Get used to it."

Xander sighed in relief. So *that* was it! "It's not-"

"I can't believe you!" Spike jumped off of the bed and came towards him menacingly. The chip prevented him from smacking the boy around but maybe he could scare some sense into him. "You're not supposed to lie to your lover, boy! You can't change me, we've talked about this!"

"It's not-"

Spike shoved him against the wall and held him there.

"Am I not *good* enough for you the way I am Xander? Is that it? If it is then you can bloody well tell me to my face-"

"It's not for you!!" Xander finally managed to scream.

"What?"

"The. Curse. Is. Not. For. You." Xander said pointedly and then shoved Spike violently back.

"Who's it bloody for then? Psycho-Slayer?"

"No," Xander sighed, pushing the vampire aside on his way back to the bed with a tired expression on his face, "it's for me."

He said the last bit so quietly that Spike wasn't sure he's heard him right.

"You?"

"Yeah," Xander lay down on his back. He was not eager to have this conversation.

Spike sat carefully on the edge of the bed. "Care to explain that?"

"Isn't it obvious Spike?" Xander said with his eyes shut tightly, unable to even look at the vampire. "Eventually if we're still putting up with each other and I want to spend forever with you, you'll have to turn me and I don't want to be a killer."

He said it so flatly that it almost didn't register. When it did Spike's mouth dropped open and he felt like he was about to fall to the floor.

"I thought you didn't...." Spike trailed off and then lay down beside Xander, pulling him close.

"I still don't," Xander agreed, "but it's the only way really."

Spike's face lit up bright as Christmas lights and Xander had to laugh. He leaned over and gave Spike a long, gentle kiss. When they parted he turned his head to look at the ceiling and said, "But listen Spike, I don't even want to think about that right now. I just want to make sure Willow can do the spell so my mind can be at ease about it. Don't bring it up until I do okay?" Spike nodded, making that silent promise in the back of his mind. As long as he was getting what he wanted he wasn't going to push it.

Xander glanced nervously over at Spike, "I'm thinking when I'm 21 or 22. That's 2 or 3 years. Is that too long?" He tried to stamp his foot though he was still lying on the bed. "I mean, no that's not too long! That's how long I want it to be and if you have a problem with that then you can shove it up your-"

"Easy pet," Spike laughed, giving him a squeeze. "That's fine."

Xander relaxed. "And then I'll get Willow to do the curse without the happiness clause. I'm too happy with you for it to work otherwise. I'd lose my soul the second I got it back." He smiled at Spike.

"That and the fact that I don't need to put up with another broody poof for the rest of eternity."

Xander smiled again. Eternity with Spike was sounding more inviting every day.

"Don't tell Willow the truth about it okay? I just want her to believe that the curse is for you until I get the chance to explain it to her," he sighed. "She's not going to understand."

"Nope probably not," Spike agreed. He smirked. "You and I are going to make the most pathetic couple of vampires on the planet. The souled and chipped wonders, neither one capable of feeding themselves properly."

Xander laughed. "Yep that'll be us! You have to be the side-kick though."

Spike snorted. "Not bloody likely!" He rested his chin on Xander's head affectionately and then sighed, "We'd best be on our way eh luv? I'm sure the Slayer's on our tails by now."

"No."

"No? What do you mean no?"

Xander stretched back. "She's gonna find up somehow Spike. It won't do to prolong it."

"What, so you're saying that we should sit on our bloody asses and wait for her to come knocking at the door? I don't think so!"

"Spike," Xander said, urging him to listen. He really hoped that Spike wouldn't go off on another rant.

"If we're somewhere else we'll be able to prepare for her attack better luv. We can meet up with some demons who owe me favours, they might not be able to stop her but they can hold her off while we get over the border. Canada maybe? Or Europe, there are so many places I can show you-"

"Spike!" Xander yelled, flipping a leg over the vampire and then straddling his hips. It actually managed to shut the vampire up.

"Look," the boy took deep breath, "I might die tomorrow," Xander clamped his hand firmly over the vampire's mouth before he could start up again. "Seriously!" He looked intensely in those blue eyes and said, "There are a couple of things I've never done that I'd like to do before I die."

Taking a deep breath he slid one hand up and under Spike's shirt, leaving no question as to what he meant. "Show me?"

The vampire's eyes widened. "Are you sure pet?"

******

"I'll be right out Buffy!" The red-haired witch frantically scrambled to her feet as soon as her mind was back in Sunnydale and then turned the water off.

"Finally!" came the voice from right outside the bathroom door. Willow quickly gathered up the candles and pitched them under Giles' sink. Doing her best to gather her wits together she breathed in a calming breath and opened the door.

"Yes!" the Slayer cried, already running for the car, Anya in hot pursuit.

"God she's scaring me so much," Willow whispered to Tara. Her girlfriend nodded. "I know. Do you think she's possessed or something?"

Giles interrupted them by gently pushing them towards the door.

"Tara," Buffy called, "you sit in the front and give me directions!"

Tara ran quickly to the car. Not-insane Buffy made her nervous normally. She wasn't eager to get on psycho-Buffy's bad side. The Slayer had insisted that she be the one to drive Giles' car since they would get there faster. Willow wondered how concerned she was about them getting there alive.

"You know what's interesting?" Giles asked quietly as they headed towards the car.

"What?" Willow said, not really paying attention.

"How a person can take a fifteen minute shower without getting their hair wet."

The witch froze.

"Be more careful Willow," Giles said. "Buffy isn't very perceptive in her current state but there's no telling what she might do." He smiled and patted her arm. "A ‘witch thing' yes?"

She smiled back. "Yep, shower without water, definitely a witch thing."

She took her time heading to the car, thinking that little mistake over.

*****
tbc...