Chapter 3

As an overall responds thanks for all the reviews. I'm sorry for those of you who don't like present tense stories...But I don't write anything else, sorry!

CordiAnne-I'm working on making the chapters longer! I'm just trying to update as often as possible but they will be longer...I hope!

Imzadi-I'm sorry about all the punctuation errors, I'm working on it...side note if anyone is interested in being my Beta please email me! I just don't have the time to Beta my own stuff anymore.

LadyLupin-Sorry the Spike/Dawn scene was to short but don't worry there will be some stuff between them...(nothing romantic of course)

"Hey Angel." Dawn greets, turning to face the vampire whom she hadn't seen since she was a child.

"How are you?" Angel questions looking like he is going to say more, and then stops suddenly.

"I'm good." Dawn nods, "Buffy's good too." Dawn bites her lip, hoping that raising the topic of Buffy with both Spike and Angel in the same room wouldn't be a problem, but within seconds Dawn realizes that it doesn't appear to be one, so she relaxes.

The twins rushing in and giggling interrupts any conversation the adults could have had, "what's going on?" Lorne asks.

Maggie, her and Alisa's muddy boots dripping on the floor, pauses from her laughter to state, "Uncle Gunn fell down in a puddle and now he's covered in mud."

Everyone jumps up moving quickly to make sure that Gunn was all right, but he appears suddenly, covered in mud just as Maggie had said and in a deep voice states, "I'm gonna get..." he draws his words out and finally states, "Alisa!"

Both girls shriek and take off in opposite directions, spreading mud all over the kitchen, "Charles you're getting mud..." Fred begins but Spike shushes her by gently laying his hand on her arm.

"Let them go love, they're having a good time." Spike's words are so endearing Dawn finally picks up on why the topic of Buffy hadn't caused tension in the room.

A crash comes from the entrance and Fred leads the way to find out what caused the sound. They find Gunn doubled over laughing, apparently Alisa has slid across the lobby of the Hyperion leaving a muddy trail across the floor. Alisa grins up at the adults, "that was fun!"

"I wanna do it!" Maggie begins running toward her sister but before she can slide into the table right next to Alisa, Spike grabs her. "Uncle Spiiiike!"

"I know, I'm ruining all your fun love, but your Aunt Fred and I think you and your sister need a bath." Spike responds tucking Maggie under one arm and scooping Alisa up in the other.

"A baath?" Alisa draws out, "we just got dressed!"

"And now you're all muddy." Fred responds.

"Can we play with bath paints?" Maggie questions looking hopefully up at Spike.

"Don't ask me love, it was your Aunt Fred who was covered from head to toe in red paint the last time."

"Pwease?" Maggie and Alisa chime in together.

Fred smiles at the girls, "all right, but lets keep the paint confined to the bathtub this time, all right?"

"We prowmise!" the girls echo.

"I'll clean this up here." Lorne promises, "Gunn why don't you get cleaned up. Wesley, Angel why don't you talk with Dawn. It's been awhile since you got to chat with anyone from Sunnydale, or rather Cleveland now."

"All right, thanks Lorne." Wesley responds.

"So what's been going on in Cleveland, Dawn?" Angel asks as the three settle around the kitchen table.

"Everyone is actually split between England and Cleveland, so it's been really crazy." Dawn states, "Giles, Willow and Oz have started the watchers council again. There isn’t the traditional one watcher per slayer, it’s gotten slightly more complicated. We have a school set up and are constantly training the new slayers that keep pouring in. The most promising slayers are trained not only in fighting techniques but they also train in watcher studies, everyone gets some watcher studies, but there are special slayers who lean more toward the watcher side of things. Once they have progressed out of school they are sent all around the world to protect in smallish groups, running a lot like the way Buffy did when she was the only slayer.”

“Sounds like a good idea.” Wesley comments. “So Willow and Oz are back together then?”

Dawn shakes her head, “no, but Willow’s with this new woman, she’s nice, she’s not a slayer or a witch or a werewolf...She’s just your average person, she’s a sweetie, perfect for Willow. When Kennedy took off we didn’t think Willow could handle it, but she has and Brygid couldn’t have come at a better time. We met Bryg when we were in Poland, her family had just been killed and she and Willow were able to comfort each other.”

“How’s Faith?” Angel asks, obviously dancing around the topic of Buffy.

“She’s doing really well, love suits her if you could believe that. She and Wood have been married for a little over 2 years and surprisingly enough she just had a baby and with her lineage it’s obvious that she’s going to be a slayer. She’s the daughter and granddaughter of a slayer and she is all ready starting to show signs of her strength.”

“And Xander?” Wesley asks.

Dawn’s face looks slightly sad as she gently shakes her head, “he hasn’t really been the same since Anya died. I mean he’s still Xander, but he’s not the same, he’s sadder. He’s actually gone the most, he kind of does his own thing.”

“And Buffy?” Angel finally asks.

“Buffy is Buffy, she dedicates everything she has to the school and she’s pretty well liked. But she’s lonely too, I can see it, but she needs to know that Spike’s alive. It’ll help her, she was devastated by the loss we suffered during the final battle in Sunnydale, the slayers who were there call it Sunnyhell...She pretty much avoids Xander because she always feels so guilty when she sees him.”

“But she’s mostly happy?” Angel inquires.

Dawn nods quickly, “yeah, most of the time, she loves training with the slayers...plus I think she has a superiority complex.” Dawn smiles.

“And you, have they trained you?” Wesley asks.

Dawn nods, “Buffy realized that if I was going to be out on my own traveling that I was going to have to know how to defend myself so I could get myself out of trouble...besides there are plenty of other new slayers who get into their own trouble without me adding to it.” Dawn’s face goes solemn then, “and Spike? How long has Spike been in LA?”

Wesley and Angel exchange glances, “since the fall after the final battle in Sunnydale.” Wesley responds.

“And he never told us?” Dawn asks quickly her entire face darkening, “he let us go through the pain of mourning him when he was alive the entire time?”

“Lil’ bit you don’t understand.” Spike is suddenly standing behind her, “maybe we should talk.”

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