Wild Horses
Part 04
By Jeconais
Monday Morning.
The successful visit to the Mall had been followed by an equally successful visit to a grocery store. Both Dawn and Xander had silently agreed to actually try and buy decent food. Microwave pizzas had been dumped in favor of differing cuts of meat, salads and items from the delicatessen. Bottles of coke were supplemented by bottles of water, orange juice and a four pack of beer.
Almost mournfully, Xander had looked at the trolley of food and said, "I miss junkfood."
Dawn had laughed and nudged him, "you're a big boy now Xand, you have to get big boy food."
Xander had laughed, and ignored the rude stare of the cashier who was fascinated by the bandages swathed around his head.
As Xander still couldn't drive, he handed Dawn his keys and told her to go to school on her own. With a bright smile, she dropped a kiss on his cheek and vanished out the door.
The apartment suddenly seemed a lot quieter than it had a few minutes before. He opened his briefcase and tried to concentrate on the contracts inside. He was partially successful, as the time passed reasonably quickly. The only interruption came from the Sony delivery men.
He watched with great interest as the flat screen TV was hung on a wall and a DVD player hidden in a stylish cabinet next door. The stand-alone music system looked like it belonged in 'Total Recall'. He spent 5 minutes waving his hand in front of it, watching as the sensors opened and shut the CD holder. Small things amused small minds, and he knew he had the smallest, at times.
One of the advantages of buying from one store was that everything worked together. The DVD and TV hooked up to the stereo, with the flat panel speakers displayed neatly in each corner of the room actually looked more art deco than pieces of technology.
Dawn pulled in to the students' car park, grateful again that she was early enough to have an easy space to pull the huge car into. She slid out, carefully keeping her skirt down, and walked towards the building.
Her demeanor was very different to what it had been on Friday. She had a slight smile on her face, Xander's Raybans perched on her nose, and walked with a confident stride that the teenager had not possessed a few days before. The tight jeans and cropped t-shirts had been replaced by a smart skirt that fell to just above her knees, and a light blouse that only had two of the three standard buttons undone.
"Hey Dawn, looking good," one of a group of guys wearing Sunnydale Football team jackets called. At least, that's what she hoped he said, as her Neanderthal was not currently up to date.
She threw a polite smile at him, and continued on her path. She wasn't interested in playing the high school dating game anymore. She had a much bigger target to aim her affections at: persuading Xander that she was date-worthy material.
"What's happened to her?" one of the jocks asked another.
"She's got an older boyfriend," one of them said with a rare moment of insight. "New clothes, new car and new confidence. All points to the same thing."
"I didn't realize how hot she was! I think I'll get close to her, so I can 'console' her when the older guy dumps her."
Ribald laughter followed that statement. It was a curious aspect of high school that, as soon as a girl became unavailable, she became a lot more attractive. Especially if this was due to an older boyfriend. It was probably the idea that an older boyfriend would want certain acts to take place, and younger girls had a habit of performing these acts.
"What the hell happened to you?"
Dawn grinned. "Moved in with Xander."
"No Way!"
"Yep, but you can't tell anyone. Promise me, Chrissy."
The smaller blonde looked at her friend. "Are you sleeping with him?"
"No!" Dawn's voice was shocked, avoiding the fact that she wanted to. "Look, Buffy and I had a major blow up. She accused me of something that was totally untrue, of wanting to break up her relationship with her boyfriend. She then announced that she was marrying him, and Xander told her she was being stupid. Her boyfriend is a complete jerk, spends all day hanging around and goes out at night, getting into fights. They had a massive fight over it that ended with Buffy's fiancé beating Xander up pretty badly. The guy makes me really nervous, so Xander offered to let me live with him. He's got a new apartment."
"Where you get to play nursemaid to a cute older guy?"
Dawn giggled. "Yeah. He took me shopping yesterday, and brought me a whole new wardrobe. It was so cool."
"Lucky bitch!"
"Oi," Dawn knocked her friend into a locker with a grin, before grabbing her hands. "His new apartment didn't have a TV, so he let me chose a new one for him. We went to that new Sony store and he brought $20,000 worth of stuff, his apartment is going to be the coolest place in the world."
"And you're falling for him, big time?"
Dawn's face lost its smile. She pulled her friend into a deserted classroom. "Not falling, fallen. I'm in love with him."
This wasn't the first time that Dawn had made a statement like that, normally about a fellow student. It was the first time it had been said with absolute conviction.
Chrissy stared intently into Dawn's eyes, searching for something. "Ok, I won't say anything. Until your birthday, anyway."
"Thanks, you're the best."
Xander put the documents back down; the legal jargon sometimes made him wonder exactly why he given up building. Creating something with your hands was a lot less stressful than dealing with lawyers.
He pulled out his cell phone, as a quick scan of the apartment had revealed that he was missing a standard land line. He dialed a number from memory and waited for it to be answered.
"Sunnydale High School," a perky voice said.
"Could you put me through to Principal Wood please? My name is Xander Harris."
"I'll just see if he is available, Mr. Harris. Please hold."
Sunnydale High School was not the richest in the world, so there was no music for Xander to listen to as he waited, just a beep every 30 seconds told him he was still connected.
"Xander, What can I do for you?" The friendly voice of the Principal surprised him.
"A situation has come up; I need to meet you after school today. I can come to your office."
"Ok, around 4:30?"
"That's fine, thanks."
"No problem, Xander, see you later."
Checking the time, Xander dialed another number from memory.
"Hey Dawn Patrol, how's school going?"
"Ok. What d'ya need, Xandman?"
"You, to pick me up straight after school and bring me back for a meeting with Wood."
"What are you seeing him for?"
"To explain why you are living with me. I want to see if we can head off any problems that Spike might cause."
"Ok, I'll leave as soon as I can. See you later."
"Thanks, Dawn."
Dawn hung up her phone, a bright smile on her face.
"From someone who normally has to have her frown surgically removed, you're looking pretty damn happy."
Dawn grinned. "Xander's meeting the Principal later, to make sure there won't be a problem with me staying with him."
"Cool! So that's why you look like the cats that got the cream, gone back for the strawberries and ended up with Wimbledon tickets."
"You are very weird!"
"Why thank you, my dear Dawn. So, when are you going to invite me to see this new apartment, and what's it like anyway?"
"You know that new apartment block on East 17?"
"It's there? Damn, Dawnie, talk about landing on your feet! That place is gorgeous."
"He has the penthouse apartment, it's got 4 bedrooms, all with en-suite bathrooms, a huge kitchen, a dining room, and a humongous living room with a window wall that you can see all of Sunnydale from."
"When did you forget to mention that he is rich? If I'd known that, I'd have gone after him myself."
"Whore," Dawn grinned teasingly.
"Hey, I'm not the one shacked up with an older guy. I'm not the one with a new SUV parked outside. I'm not the one who's got a brand new wardrobe."
Dawn shrugged, and flicked her hair; she stood and moved off, ready to go to class. She turned, looking over her shoulder at her best friend. "If you haven't got it, don't be jealous of those of us who have."
Chrissy laughed loudly, and then ran to catch up with her. "I don't know if I should mention this, Sugar, but you are attracting a butt load of attention."
"What do you mean?" Dawn asked, confused.
"You've shot way up the school hierarchy."
"Huh? How? Actually, I don't care about that anymore."
"Dawn, Dawn, Dawn," Chrissy sighed, "I can't believe your education has been so lacking.
"Last week, you were available. You flirted with the right people, you ignored the wrong people. You followed the rules, you wore the correct clothing. As such, you were pretty much ignored by the guys, mainly because they hadn't gotten around to you yet. You were near the bottom of the pecking order.
"Now, you've got new clothes, new confidence, a new smile, which, by the way, is blowing people away. Rumor already has it that you are dating a college guy, and a rich one at that.
"No, I didn't say anything, so drop that look immediately, Ms Summers! Anyway, you've gone from being available to being *very* unavailable. In the twisted intellects of the boys and girls who go to this place, this means that you are now *wanted*. The girls will be friends with you, partly so that they can check if you are planning on stealing their boyfriends, and partly to see how you hooked a college guy, and to see if they can copy you and get one themselves. The guys will hang around you hoping that when your relationship fails, you'll turn to one of them for comfort. They'll then be lifted up the ladder because they will have replaced a college student. It's all completely logical."
"Logical?" Dawn looked stunned. "It's stupid and pointless. I'm not interested in that."
"And that's the biggest change, and why you will go even higher. You've suddenly obtained a degree of maturity that the other girls haven't got. Which makes the guys chase after you even more."
"Won't that make the girls hate me?" Dawn asked, getting really confused.
"Of course not. They'll want to learn everything they can from you, so that they can copy you and get the same respect. Of course, there will be the back stabbers, but as long as you keep your original friends, me, close, you'll be fine."
Dawn shook her head. "So what am I supposed to do about all of this?"
"That's the best part - nothing at all. Just keep turning up to school wearing smart and slightly sexy clothing, ignore the guys, be friendly to the girls and keep that smile on your face.
"Oh, and ignore it when the bitches call you a whore."
"What? Wait a second! Where did that last bit come from?"
"I may have glossed over that a little," Chrissy admitted, enjoying the confused look on her friend's face. "The school bitches will try and bring you down a peg; it's their way of boosting themselves and retaining control."
"You haven't made any sense at all," Dawn groaned.
"Look, if someone does insult you, just remember that violence is the answer."
As if on cue, their progress to their English class was halted. Three girls, in outfits that would have made the legendary Cordelia Chase approve, stood in front of them.
"Well look what we have here," the lead girl, Porsche, announced loudly, calling attention to herself. She took her position as Queen of Sunnydale High very seriously, and hearing that someone else had a college boyfriend, while she was only dating the Quarterback, meant she had to react quickly to knock this girl down.
"I hear you've got a new boyfriend, who's buying you lots of little presents. Tell me, has he taught you that fucking him is the only acceptable payment yet?"
Her hangers-on giggled at the insult.
Her friend's last piece of advice firmly in her mind, Dawn took a step forward and punched Porsche, hard, catching her right on the chin, knocking her to the ground. "No, he taught me how to lock my wrist when I punch. I leave that other sort of behavior to you, and the blow jobs you gave the entire football team for winning the last game."
With a dismissive flick of her hair, Dawn stepped around the fallen cheerleader and continued on her way to class. She ignored the cheers that followed her.
As they entered the classroom, Chrissy dropped to her knees and starting bowing, in true 'Wayne's World' style.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Dawn, I didn't actually mean that you should really hit someone. I was joking. But that was brilliant! A cool punch, a classic put down, then walking off as if nothing happened. You just broke every rule in the high school book, and pulled it off brilliantly. I thought that you were a no-hoper, forever destined to be near the middle of the ladder. By the end of the day, you'll be a queen."
Dawn groaned, sitting down and holding her head. "I don't want this. All I want to do is get through school as quickly as possible, then go home and work on getting Xander to fall in love with me."
Chrissy sat down next to her, patting her back softly. "I know, Sugar, but look how grateful the local store owners are going to be. You've just inspired a whole generation of teenagers to dress with class."
The school bell rang, so Dawn lifted her head, getting her notebook out. As the rest of the class entered, she was inundated with smiles and greetings, mostly from people who had never before bothered to notice her.
The rest of the day passed by in a blur. She now had a slightly flushed expression that actually added to her looks. People she had never met took the time to stop and say 'Hi', party invitations were handed out like they were confetti, and offers of hanging out and shopping were dropped at every opportunity. With a polite and friendly smile, she turned them all down, saying that she had plans. Of course, this just added to her mythos, and it was a very confused Dawn who eventually escaped to Xander's car.
Noticing she was running a little late, she hooked her cell phone up to the car's hand free system and called Xander.
"Xan, I'm running a little late. Can you meet me downstairs? I'll be there in five."
"Sure, Dawn, see you in a bit."
Xander had spent a very positive afternoon on the phone. After a bit of weaseling, the insurance company had eventually agreed that his doctor's records were adequate, and his policy did cover loss of eyes due to muggings. The police report, while sketchy, was completely enough for him to file his claim, leaving the company with very little room to maneuver. They did try, but when he got the construction company lawyers to drop them a line, they changed their tune very quickly. He suspected that the agent who sold him the policies was now going to get a very firm talking to. Not that he cared; the payoff was going to be astronomical.
His bosses had also been very understanding. Like most of Xander's friends, they had been introduced to Sunnydale's night life in a most unfortunate way. Displaying a hitherto unknown use for a builders shovel, Xander had dealt with the incident with as little fuss as possible. His first promotion to managerial level had been another reward that he had tried to turn down, but he was told to accept it or he would be sacked.
His subsequent promotions, though, had all been due to the sheer competence the carpenter possessed. The owners of PJH Construction had been delighted; not only had the brown-eyed young man saved their lives, but he had then proved to be a genius at contract negotiations, as well as a whiz at getting difficult projects finished on time and under budget.
With his knowledge of the night, Xander had also worked closely with the architects. The result? It was becoming well known, if whispered, that the PJH construction buildings were the safest in town, resulting in a huge boost in business.
Unknown to the modest young man, the owners were already thinking about changing the name from PJH to PJHX Construction. Peter, James and Harry being the original three owners.
With his finances extremely healthy, Xander had spent half an hour debating a decision. Should he pay off the Summers' mortgage, leaving Buffy and Willow in a much better state?
In the end, he decided to put off the decision for now. Despite everything that had happened, there was still a tiny voice inside him that told him to give them another chance. It was almost drowned out by the hurt and anger of many years abuse of their friendship, but it was still there. That was the only reason he didn't just say 'no' and move on.
Xander had always been generous. Even when he hadn't had anything, he had willingly given everything he had to others, to help with whatever they needed. So it wasn't a surprise that, now he had money, he didn't think about how much he was spending on Dawn, only about what she needed.
When he went back to work next week, he would need his car. As he usually worked late, he wouldn't be able to pick her up from school. With perfect logic, this meant that he would simply buy her a new car. Possible repercussions of such an act never crossed his mind. A member of his family needed something and he could get it for them. That was the only thing that mattered.
He waited outside for Dawn to pick him up, absently focusing on different objects, trying to get used to the difference in how he saw things. It was better than yesterday, although his eye socket had started to ache. He had been told that this would happen, and that he would have to be fitted with an artificial eye after a while. The only good thing about the situation was that if he wore dark glasses, no one would be able to tell that he only had one eye.
Dawn pulled to a stop next to him, and he climbed in slowly.
The journey back to school was filled with conversation about the day. Dawn told her about her classes, leaving out the strange things that had happened out of class. Xander told her about the new equipment that had been installed. He mentioned that the two laptops were unopened, waiting for her to do…something… with them.
She laughed at his technophobia, asking him if he was the next Giles. He had looked so horrified at the suggestion that Dawn had had to pull the car over for a minute till she stopped laughing.
She reluctantly agreed to wait in the car while Xander went to the Principal's office.
The route was very familiar; years of attending the school with a less than perfect disciplinary record had meant that he had trod this path on numerous occasions. At least the friendly face of the Principal Robin Wood was better than the face of the disgusting troll Snyder, the principal in his day.
"What the hell happened to you?" Were the polite words he was greeted with.
A faint smile flickered onto Xander's face as he sat down. "Long story."
"You want a coffee first?" the principal asked.
"Nah, been drinking the damn stuff all day, I'm so caffeine'd up that I could walk up that wall."
Wood laughed. "Ok Xan, let me have it."
Xander settled back in to the chair, noticing it was a lot more comfortable than the ones Snyder had employed.
"Buffy has gotten engaged to Spike."
The normally cool Principal gaped at Xander, his jaw dropping almost to the floor. "She's done what? No! Don't answer that!" He got to his feet, pacing around the room. "I thought, well, hoped, that she was over him."
Xander shook his head. "Nope."
Muttering to himself, Wood sat back down, slumping a little. He reached into the lower desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He poured himself a shot glass full, and offered one to Xander, who declined.
Knocking it back, he then looked at the young man in front of him. "Continue!"
Xander obeyed the command, explaining everything that had happened, not leaving anything out.
"So, after leaving the hospital, we went back to my apartment, and Dawn's going to live with me now."
The Principal nodded slowly, considering the situation. His first reaction to being told an underage student was moving in with an older man would have been a fast phone call to social services. This, however, was *very* different. He held a lot of respect for Xander, and completely agreed that Dawn should be nowhere near Spike. He hated the blonde vampire with a passion that was unrivalled by anything else in his life, as the vampire had killed his mother.
"You want me to change her address on the school records and list you as her official guardian?"
Xander nodded. "Please."
Wood frowned a little, then made a decision. "Xander, it's not that I don't trust you, but I need to speak to Dawn first, and make sure she is ok with this."
"Of course," he shrugged, having expected it. "I'll call her in."
A few minutes later, the pretty young girl entered nervously. Xander gave her a smile, and told her he'd wait outside while they talked.
"Dawn, I asked you in because I have to make sure that Xander's not pressuring you to move out. That this is really what you want."
She smiled at him. "Did he tell you what Buffy said about me?"
Wood shook his head. Xander had mentioned it, but he wanted to hear it from her directly. "She accused me of wanting to be raped by Spike."
The fury in Dawn's voice revealed a lot more to the Principal than he had expected. He recognized it as a similar hatred of the Vampire to his own.
"What's Xander's apartment like?"
"Huge four bedroom place in the new block on East 17. He has the penthouse suite."
"And you have your own room?"
"Of course," Dawn said. "Xander doesn't think of me that way." She said the absolute truth, and not many people would have heard the faint sadness in her voice.
While he asked her a few more inconsequential questions, the principal started to pull his thoughts together. Dawn was safer with Xander than with just about anyone else he could think of. The man would do everything in his power to protect her, that was a given. It was Dawn that was concerning him a little. He knew she was a level headed girl, and was not far from Slayer level herself when it came to power and ability. He recognized the sadness in her voice when she had said that Xander didn't think about her that way. He also heard a completely unsaid 'yet' that she had tried to hide.
He smiled to himself. He liked the young man, a lot, and he also knew he had a very clear view on Vampires. Dust them all and let someone else sort out the mess. He also knew part of Xander's history with unhappy romances. This girl, who was looking much more like a woman these days, he admitted to himself, would be very good for the younger man. It was probably slightly sexist, he admitted to himself, but if Xander had been chasing Dawn, he would have whisked Dawn out of his grasp so fast it would have left an imprint. But with Dawn doing the chasing, and Xander not having a clue, the situation was very different.
"You like him, don't you?"
Dawn went bright red, as she tried to stammer a denial. He smiled softly at her, "All I'd ask is that you don't do anything inappropriate till you are 18."
As Dawn's face fell, he continued. "It's only a couple of months, Dawn. I'm going to change the records so that Xander is listed as youre guardian. He'll receive all the stuff that would normally go to your parents. I suggest that you keep the illusion that you have a College boyfriend for now. You can always reveal that it's Xander later."
Dawn smiled at him, He'd always been nice to her, even when he had argued with Spike and she'd tried to defend the Vampire. "I still have the same problem, though," she admitted. "How do I get Xander to like me, like that?"
Wood laughed, more than a little amused. "I'm the wrong person to ask, Dawn. All I will say is to be yourself. It might take him some time, but he will eventually see that you have grown up. I suspect that you have made a good start with your new clothes."
"Xander took me shopping. All my old ones are at her house."
"Oh, one more thing Dawn. While I shouldn't condone violence in school, I admire your restraint in only hitting her lightly. Your full strength could have done a lot of damage." His voice was stern. "Violence is not an answer"
"However, no complaints were made, and no teachers saw the incident, so you're off the hook. Just don't let it happen again," he warned.
Dawn nodded, wondering how he knew about it. She stood and walked to the door.
"Oh Dawn?" Wood smiled, losing his Principle persona. "Good luck. Xander needs a girlfriend."
She blushed prettily again, grinned at him and walked out, letting Xander back in.
"Ok, as far as this school is concerned, Dawn is now your responsibility. I would recommend you talk to Buffy, to make sure they don't accuse you of kidnapping or anything else."
"Thanks," Xander replied. "I'm planning on going around next to have a chat with them." He smiled bitterly, "I'm really not looking forward to it."
Wood watched them walk together away from his office, the tall brunette construction worker and the smaller form of the Slayer's sister. He raised his glass, toasting them. "Your life's about to get a lot more complicated, Xander. But the rewards are more than you can imagine. I wish you both good luck and God speed."
"Dawn, drive us over to your sister's house. We'll pick up our clothing and then get the hell out of there as fast as we can."
Dawn looked nervous, "I'm not sure that I want to face them yet. It was only two days ago that this all blew up."
"I know, Dawnie, but I need to have a talk with Buffy, Willow and Spike."
The journey to Revello Drive was filled with a nervous tension.
Dawn pulled into the driveway, next to Spike's pimp mobile. Xander pulled out a brown envelope from the glove compartment and placed it in the inside pocket of his jacket.
"Dawn, don't volunteer any information. Feel free to look as smug as you like, just don't tell them where we are living."
"Ok, Xan," she replied, biting her lower lip nervously.
Xander shook himself, wondering why he found that strangely alluring.
The door opened as they approached it, Buffy and Willow stood watching them.
As Xander climbed out of the SUV, they couldn't miss the large bandages wrapped around his head. A flash of guilt shot through the two girls, but they remembered that Xander was never hurt seriously.
A bruise here, a sprain there and a broken arm was pretty much the sum total of his injuries in all the time he had fought by their side.
They had seen Xander cut his head on a table. They hadn't been called from the Hospital, and they hadn't checked. They simply presumed that it was a semi-serious cut to his forehead.
"Come crawling back?" Buffy asked, immediately on the offensive, trying to offset a little of the guilt she was feeling. "Got nowhere to live?"
Somehow, Buffy's hostility had a positive effect on Dawn. She wasn't going to let this skank get away with insulting her future boy friend.
Dawn smirked at her sister, then looked down at her own smart, expensive clothes, then looked at Buffy's faded jeans and old top. The implication was obvious, and her sister's expression darkened.
"We're here to pick up our clothing, then we're gone again," Xander said firmly.
"Fine," Buffy half sighed, showing them into the living room.
They walked in, to see Spike waiting for them. The room was dark and gloomy due to the blackout curtains Xander had erected a few weeks before.
"Droopy," Spike spat. "Dawn will not be living with you. She's moving back in here, where she belongs with her sister."
"Like hell I am, you fucking rapist," Dawn responded, her insult carrying more weight because she didn't shout it.
Spike snarled, his face vamping out as he took a step forwards.
Xander took a step to one side, while calmly reaching behind his back. With a smooth motion, he pulled a gun out and shot Spike in the stomach. Well, he *meant* to shoot the stomach, but with only one eye, it was hard to aim. The vampire made a high pitched keening sound and dropped to the floor, clutching his crotch.
Dawn actually laughed. She was as shocked as Buffy and Willow, but there was such a feeling of justice in Xander's movements that she couldn't help herself.
Anything Buffy was going to do was immediately halted as Xander pointed the barrel of the gun at her.
"Don't even think about trying any magic, Willow," Xander's growled softly, his eye not leaving Buffy. "I know all your signs, and one hint of a spell and I'll shoot."
Buffy fumed, desperately wanting to jump at him, but aware that even she probably wouldn't survive a point blank shot.
"I suggest that we move into the kitchen, and discuss this like reasonable adults."
Against her will, Buffy turned around and walked towards the kitchen, Willow following.
As quickly as possible, Xander changed the ammunition clip in his gun. "Those were regular bullets," he growled at the incapacitated vampire. "These are blessed bullets. I have no idea if they will dust you or not, but I'm more than willing to put a couple in your dead heart and find out."
Xander walked off, leaving him rocking on the ground. He entered the kitchen and sat at the table. Dawn moved her chair so that she sat next to him, offering and receiving support.
"Lover boy will be fine," Xander announced. "His vampiric healing will have him back to normal within thirty minutes. And considering what he did to me. I think that's just a little of the payback he has coming.
"But I didn't come here to discuss Spike, I came here to make sure you people didn't do something stupid," he told the two women who were sitting on the opposite side of the table, staring at him as if they didn't know who, or what, he was.
"What do you mean?" Willow asked, hardly recognizing the cold stranger in front of her.
Xander sighed patiently, "I'm sure that by now Spike has made several suggestions for getting Dawn back under his control. Let me guess, a call to the police and child welfare complaining that I've kidnapped her and am raping her?"
Flashes of guilt appeared in both Buffy and Willow's eyes as his remarks hit home.
"I thought so. Listen very carefully, because this will be the only time you hear this. This is what is going to happen if you do anything like that.
"First, a doctor's report will be produced showing that Dawn is still a virgin.
"Secondly, my lawyers will file with the local courts a motion to declare Dawn an emancipated minor. This will be based on Buffy's extensive criminal record, her failure to maintain gainful employment for any length of time, her ongoing associations with people of low moral character and the fact that she's been suspected of both assault and murder.
"Thirdly, the IRS will be notified of Spike's status, including the facts of how he appears to support you without a job, and how he hasn't ever paid taxes.
"Fourthly, the INS will be notified of Spike's status as an illegal alien. I somehow doubt that he's got a valid green card, all things considered.
"All of this will take over a year before it is settled, within which time Dawn will be 18 and legally entitled to make her own decisions. Once that happens, I will direct my lawyers to sue you for slander and defamation of character.
"And finally, the police will receive evidence that Willow has been committing statutory rape."
Buffy and Willow paled, shocked expressions appearing on their face, but Xander hadn't finished yet.
He pulled out the envelope he had placed in his jacket earlier. Opening it, he started placing pictures and pieces of paper down on the table.
Buffy and Spike kissing passionately.
Buffy and Spike in the Bronze, fighting.
A copy of Kennedy's birth certificate.
A picture of Willow and Kennedy kissing passionately, with Willow's hands on her partner's chest.
Buffy and Spike, together, in public, engaged in an act that should have been confined to a bedroom.
Spike, naked from the waist up, thrusting his crotch at the S.I.T's.
"The negatives of these pictures are being held by my lawyers," He said quietly.
"This isn't you," Willow croaked, unable to take her eyes from the picture.
"You don't know who I am," Xander snapped. His one eye glared at them, showing exactly how furious he was.
"What do I do for a living?"
Buffy and Willow looked at each other.
"You're a carpenter?" Willow ventured, a bit uncertainly.
"I was a carpenter, two years ago. I'm now one of the vice presidents of PJH construction. You really don't know me. All you had to do was ask. Well, it's way too late for that now.
"Dawn, go and start packing."
The green eyed girl got a lot of pleasure at seeing her sister and ex-friend appear so shell shocked. She ran up the stairs and started to pack, grabbing a suitcase from under the bed. She didn't actually pack that much clothing. Their shopping trip had been very comprehensive, after all, and she wanted to stay as far away from 'young Dawn' clothing as she possibly could.
She filled the suitcase with pictures and mementoes, mainly of her mother, favorite books, stuff needed for school, her favorite CD's and pretty much everything else she couldn't leave behind. She dragged the case to the stairs, shocked by how heavy it was.
Looking down, she could see that Xander was still sitting with the other two girls, so she walked into his room and started packing for him. While she did pack some of his clothes, she conveniently left out some of his wilder experiments. She examined his suit and turned her nose up at it, cheap and off the shelf. He would look *much* better in the ones they had arranged for him.
She then examined his pictures, one by one. A lot were of Buffy, Willow and Anya, and he even had a couple of Cordelia and Giles. What did surprise her was how many he had of her. She found a huge smile forming on her face as she realized that there was as many of her as there were of Buffy and Willow. And while Buffy and Willow were often photographed together, she was on her own in most of them.
"I knew it," she whispered to herself. "I've just got to get you to realize now."
Picking up his suitcase, she dragged it next to hers. Then, with a grunt, she picked both up. Thankful that she had some residual Slayer strength she carried them down the stairs into the kitchen.
"I packed yours as well, Xand."
"Thanks Dawnie," he said, shooting her a grateful look.
"You bastard," Spike shouted, appearing in the doorway. Xander reacted instantly again. In a split second he had his gun in hand, and in moment of mercy, for Buffy, not for Spike, he shot the vampire in the knee. He compensated for his vision this time, and hit the vampire perfectly, blowing out his kneecap. The sound of the shot echoed around the room, as the peroxide blonde fell to the floor once more.
"It burns, it burns," he cried in agony.
"The bullets work then?" Xander sounded interested.
Spike's response was a series of invectives that showed the length and breadth of his knowledge of expletives.
Xander looked firmly at the still stunned Buffy and Willow. "You have made your decisions, now live with them."
With a hint of reluctance, he pulled one last peace of paper out of the envelope and laid it on top.
"Now, we're even."
He stood up and grabbed one of the suitcases.
"Come on Dawn." His voice was radically different as he talked to the younger Summers.
"Wait," Buffy said, "Where are you staying?"
"My apartment." Xander's face twisted into an evil grin.
"Where's that?"
"Get Willow to find out, if she remembers how to do something other than use Google."