On the Road

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Happyverse Series: Part 7/15

AUTHOR: JodyorJen
EMAIL: jodyorjen@yahoo.com
PAIRING: Buffy/Spike
DISCLAIMER: All hail Joss Whedon, UPN, the WB, FOX , Mutant Enemy and 20th Century Fox Film Corporation. GO team!
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Part 7: On The Road

"We're only going away for three days," said Spike. "So why exactly do you have three suitcases?"

Buffy turned and looked at him. "One for clothes, one for shoes, and one for makeup and toiletries."

He crossed his arms and gave her a look. "Just to satisfy male curiosity, Buffy, how many pairs of shoes does a woman require for a three day weekend?"

"Eight," she muttered under her breath.

"I surely must have misunderstood you, love," said Spike. "It sounded like you said eight, which would lead me to think that you have a problem requiring professional help."

"I need them all," she said earnestly. "I have boots, I have sandals, I have sneakers, I have loafers, I have high heels, I have pumps, and I have shoes for the wedding. Oh, and flip flops for the pool."

`And the two garment bags?" he gestured at the heap of luggage in their foyer.

"Wedding dress and dress for dinner tomorrow," she explained.

Dawn appeared at the top of the stairs, pulling a large suitcase. "Can you carry this for me, Spike?"

He sighed, "Sure thing, bit." He strode up the stairs to her.

"Take these things too," she said, slinging a purse around his neck and handing him a makeup case.

He carried Dawn's things down the stairs, placing them in the pile of suitcases. He turned and entered the living room. Anya napped on the couch as Xander leafed through a magazine. "Can you lend a hand with
the luggage?" The two men each grabbed armfuls of bags and carried them outside. It was just past dusk on a mild California night.

"I can't believe you bought this thing," said Xander, as they placed the suitcases on the roof rack of the minivan.

"I got a sweet deal on it," replied Spike.

"Yeah, I'm sure there were a lot of other takers for a minivan decked out in Late Seventies Pimp," said Xander sarcastically.

"Well, we can all fit in it for this trip, so there's one advantage right there." Spike took a step back, admiring their handiwork. "There, now we have more room inside for the seven of us." They went back in, going into the kitchen. Spike threw a bottle of water to Xander, getting himself a mug of blood. "So I just need to tie down the baggage after Willow and Tara get here, and then we can hit the road," said Spike.

The two men looked over the map that was spread over the kitchen counter. ""Looks like about a five hour drive," said the blonde, "and a pretty straight shot."

"You want to take the first leg and I'll take the second?" Xander suggested.

"Works for me," Spike replied. "Did you bring the DVD's for the girls to watch? My entire collection so far is `Pink Floyd's the Wall', `Sid and Nancy', and `The Grinch Who Stole Christmas"."

`Well, lucky for us, my house is chick flick central," said Xander. Noticing Spike's wry look, he backtracked. "Anya. Anya picked them out." He grabbed his backpack, pulling out movies at random. "'Steel Magnolias', `Beaches', `Breakfast at Tiffany's', `Sleepless in Seattle"."

"Christ," interjected Spike," we'll have to throw a case of Kleenex in the van. They'll be sobbing from L.A. to Barstow."

The front door opened and Tara and Willow came in. Spike walked into the foyer. Tara handed him a garment bag and a small suitcase. "That's your luggage?" said Spike incredulously.

"Well, it's not just mine," said the witch defensively. "Willow and I shared. We pared it down."

"I love you both," he said with a smile. He kissed each one soundly on the forehead and walked out to the van.

"That was weird," said Willow.

"Must be the pre-wedding jitters," said Tara.

The van sped along the dark road. Dawn listened to her headphones as Willow and Tara dozed next to her. Buffy and Anya sat in the middle seat, their eyes riveted to the video screen. Buffy sniffled, and the
other girl handed her a box of tissues. Spike sat in the passenger seat as Xander drove.

`So your friend Tito could put a full bath in the basement?" asked Spike.

"Yeah," replied Xander. "And we could get with my friend Gordon in on it, he's the drywall guy."

"How much do you think that would cost?" asked Spike, interested.

Anya leaned forward. "I need to pee. Pull over."

"I'll stop at the next place I see, An," Xander reassured her.

"Pick someplace with milkshakes," said Buffy.

A short time later, Xander pulled the van into a fast food parking lot. Spike got out and opened the sliding door. Anya ran into the restaurant. "What can I get you ladies?" asked Spike.

"I want a chocolate milkshake," said Dawn.

"Me too," said Tara sleepily.

"Me three," said Willow, her eyes still shut.

"I'll go with," said Buffy, as he helped her out of the car. They went into the restaurant and stood in front of the counter.

"Ooh," said Buffy, "I want some of those nuggets too. Those look good. And a pie."

"Can I take your order, sir?" asked the smiling cashier.

After he placed his order, Spike turned back to Buffy. "It's good to see you with an appetite, love." He looked at her earnestly. "You're not feeling sick yet? You still feel fine?" She nodded at him, smiling. "Can you feel the baby yet?" he asked, stroking her abdomen.

"It's too early for me to feel anything, Spike," explained Buffy. "I can't even confirm the pregnancy with a doctor for another few weeks."

"Ah, but we know we have our little Tinkerbell in there, don't we?" said Spike, gazing sweetly at her. "I thought of a name for the baby that I really like," he said.

"What?" said Buffy.

"Katharina," said Spike, trilling it off his tongue.

"That's a really awful name," said Buffy, unimpressed.

The cashier placed their food on a cardboard tray in front of Spike.

"Really," he said, surprised. "I'm reading `Taming of the Shrew" for class and it struck me as a beautiful name. `And with her breath did she perfume the air.'" he quoted.

"Please stop. I'm having a William flashback," she said, grabbing her milkshake and bag of food.

"Sorry, pet." He took the tray and opened the door for her as they left the restaurant. "How about Tabitha?" he suggested.

"Like the girl on Bewitched?" she asked.

"No, like the witch on Passions," he explained.

"Tabitha Walthrop," Buffy said tentatively. They shared a look.

"Doesn't scan very well, does it?" said Spike.

"We'll keep trying," she said. They looked over at the minivan. Anya and Xander were leaning against the hood. He rubbed her back lovingly. "I wish we could tell them about the baby," she said. "It seems wrong keeping it a secret."

"Anya's already upset enough that we moved our wedding ahead of theirs," said Spike patiently. "It wouldn't be right to steal her thunder about being the only mum-to-be, too."

"I know, you're right." She kissed him on the cheek. He smiled at her, and then pulled her close for a deep French kiss. They walked over to the van.

"It's all yours," Xander said, tossing the keys to Spike.

Spike opened the sliding door and handed out the milkshakes. "Can I be shotgun?" asked Dawn. "I'm tired of being crammed in the way back."

"I'm going to take a nap anyway, I'll take your place," said Buffy. They piled back into the car and drove away. The car was quiet as everyone drifted off to sleep. Spike put on the radio, sound low. "Yuck," he said, as country music began to play. He pressed the scan button, settling on an oldies station. "It's been a long time since I rocked and rolled," he sang along with Led Zeppelin, tapping the steering wheel. He looked in the rearview mirror, watching Buffy sleep. The miles whizzed by as Spike sped along through the night.

Awhile later, Dawn stirred. Yawning, she leaned over and pulled a Coke out from the built in refrigerator next to her. "Can you get me some licorice, bit?" said Spike. Dawn grabbed a Twizzler from the glove compartment, and leaned over, sticking it in Spike's mouth.

"How long do you think it'll be before you stop missing cigarettes?" asked Dawn, putting her drink in a cup holder.

`Well," said Spike, "I started smoking in 1923, so I think it's going to take me a little longer than the average smoker for me to stop craving them."

"It's a good thing that you quit," said Dawn, nibbling on a licorice twist. "It would be gross to smoke around Tinkerbell."

`Who is Tinkerbell?" asked Xander, leaning forward to grab a piece of candy. Spike and Dawn exchanged a look.

"We're getting a puppy," explained Dawn.

"You guys are getting a pet?" said Xander. "That seems like a really bad idea."

"You think that we can't take care of a puppy?" asked Spike incredulously.

"I don't think that you could do a very good job of it," said Xander. "Dawn is at school during the day. You're at the university and Buffy's on patrol at night. None of you really have the time to deal with training a dog."

"Buffy's at home all day, and I'm home at night," pointed out Dawn.

"Yeah, and you both need to be sleeping then," said Xander. "Buffy could be in danger if her reflexes aren't as sharp."

"I'll do the patrolling for her," Spike said defensively, "so she can take good care of the puppy."

"No offense, Spike," said Xander, "but you're not exactly the Slayer. You could patrol for her occasionally, but you couldn't keep it up for months."

`I can do," says Spike angrily," whatever it takes to take care of Buffy, and Dawn, and the baby. Buffy may be the Slayer, but I'm the man of the house now."

After a moment of silence, Xander said, "You said baby."

"He meant." said Dawn, covering.

"Buffy's pregnant," said Spike abruptly.

"Is it yours?" asked Xander. Without a word, Spike pulled the van over to the side of the road. Going around the side, he opened the sliding door. The interior light came on, causing groans from the
sleeping people. Grabbing Xander, he pulled him out of the van and slammed him into the side. They both winced in pain.

`What did you just ask me?" said Spike, in a low and dangerous voice.

Xander gulped, staring into his eyes. "I didn't mean anything by it, Spike. You're a vampire. I thought the baby thing was a no go with you undead type guys."

"Oh. Good point." Spike let go of Xander and straightened his jacket. "Yes, I'm the dad. We used a spell to get her pregnant."

"So this was a planned thing? Something Buffy wanted?" asked Xander seriously.

"Very much so," said Spike.

"Well, then," said Xander, "Congratulations." He patted Spike on the shoulder, and they hugged awkwardly.

"Sorry," said Spike. "I owe you a drink." They got back in the van and pulled out on the highway.

"What was that all about?" asked Anya drowsily.

"Just a little disagreement over directions, honey," said Xander, kissing her cheek. She fell back asleep.

"Xander, can you put another movie on?" asked Tara from the back. Willow and Buffy still slept on the seat next to her. Xander pulled out a flashlight and looked through his backpack. "Something less angsty would be good," she suggested.

"'Apocalypse Now' is out then," said Xander. "We've got `Highlander', `Monty Python's Holy Grail', `Rocky Horror'."

"What's Rocky Horror?" asked Dawn.

Xander laughed. "Oh, you're a virgin. This should be fun." Dawn turned and looked at him, eyebrows raised. "I mean, you're a virgin. A Rocky Horror virgin. You know, you've never seen it before." he
trailed off, flustered. He leaned over and put the DVD in the player. `Never mind."

"I can't see the video screen from here," complained Dawn.

Spike gestured to the ceiling. `You have your own. It's that thing up there in front of the visor, platelet." She pulled it down and turned it on.

"Science Fiction Double Feature" began to play, and Spike and Xander sang along. "You've been to Rocky Horror?" asked Xander, surprised.

"Of course," replied Spike. "I fit right in with that crowd." He smiled. "And I do a pretty good Riff Raff." They watched the movie, and Spike called out the lines as he listened to the dialogue. Tara and Dawn got into it, learning the songs and making comments along with the two guys. It finished, and they sat in silence for a minute.

"Hey," said Buffy, sitting up. "What's that up there?" She pointed to a glow on the horizon, a bright glare against the desert night.

"That, sweetheart, is our destination," said Spike.

"I didn't think it would be quite so bright," said Willow.

"Bright light city gonna set my soul," sang Xander, in his best Elvis voice. "Gonna set my soul on fire."

"Gotta whole lot of money that is ready to burn, so get those stakes up higher," continued Tara, in her sweet soprano voice. He turned and ginned at her. "There's a thousand pretty women waitin' out there,"
they belted out, "and they're just livin' devil may care."

"And I'm just the devil with love to spare," broke in Spike.

"Viva Las Vegas," sang Buffy and Willow.

"Viva Las Vegas," they all sang, as the van rocketed down the road towards destiny.

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JodyorJen - jodyorjen@yahoo.com