Restive Nature
Rated NC-17 (Eventually)
Chapter Six
A Home Of Our Own
The excitement of the day continued. Max and Angel readied themselves and Eva for their flight to Ireland. Giles had finished packing and returned downstairs to visit as he promised. Everyone took a moment to send their best wishes along with the newlyweds when they left for the airport. Buffy, Spike and Dawn offered to drive Giles to the airport when his turn to leave came. They planned on seeing the house after they dropped him off.
Giles advised them that he had authorized the turning on of the utilities at their new home. He laughed over the minor trouble the first person working at the Power Company had given him. But then he’d assumed his best British air and threw around the name of his son-in-law’s law firm, Wolfram and Hart and they were quick to co-operate. There was something to be said about having connections in LA. So that was one less thing to worry about doing. Spike had earnestly assured Giles that they would pay him back for the deposits and payments. Giles just smiled good-naturedly and replied that it was part of the New Council deal and wasn’t Giles’ personal funds. He felt that if anyone did, Buffy was certainly entitled to it.
It put Spike off a little, that he still wasn’t providing any income yet. But then, neither was Buffy. These thoughts whirled through his head as they made their way back out to the car. Both women were fidgeting in their seats. He smiled softly to see it. It had seemed like such a long time since the two of them were together as a family. Ever since the destruction of Sunnydale, so much had changed between them. Dawn was growing up, something that Buffy could relate to in a manner. But they were also establishing new lives that were separate from each other. All of Dawn’s life had revolved around her older sister. And again, to some extent, Buffy’s revolved around Dawn. The loss of their mother changed their roles in each other’s lives so drastically, that they reeled from it for years after.
Spike knew it hurt Buffy a little that Dawn was becoming independent of her. He wondered if that was part of the reason why she wanted a baby so badly. And he could understand, he felt a little of the loss himself. He tried often to console Buffy and himself as well that with this Hellmouth gone, Dawn stood a good chance at a more normal life. And with all Buffy had gone through, she was determined that Dawn would have it. He brought his attention back to his girlfriend as she read off the directions that she’d memorized by heart. He smiled again at her eagerness. It was good to have something of his old Buffy back. Not that he didn’t enjoy how she was now. But there was something about the girl that he’d fallen in love with those many years ago that he wanted to preserve. Wanted to keep for himself. Some little bit of that innocence that was torn cruelly away by their hard life.
Even though Spike had been in LA many times in his life as a Vampire, he had to admit that Buffy knew it better. Despite not having lived there for over ten years, she still remembered certain areas fairly well. And though the people and shops had changed, there was a familiarity about it that she loved. It had been her home for fifteen years, not something easily forgotten. So he wasn’t surprised when she recognized the neighborhood they were pulling into. He’d memorized the address of the house as well, so he would know when they were getting close. He followed the street, as it became a semi-close.
He pulled to a stop at the very end. There it was their new home. The little house sat back a ways from the rest. No lights were on and it gave off the impression of loneliness. The light from the street lamp barely reached to the edge of the property. The group exited the car, making sure to lock it behind them. It was something they’d all had to relearn from their days in Sunnydale. It wasn’t as imperative there as it was here in the big city. Spike waited for Buffy to move around the car, holding his hand out to her. She took it with an excited grin on her face.
There was a feeling between the three of them, hard to pinpoint and describe. Spike and Buffy had been in the wind so long, that they had finally adapted to it, even if they hadn’t enjoyed it. Spike wondered about that. He’d never put down roots before, except ones established by his birth. The closest he’d come was Sunnydale, but those were roots born of love of a woman. Sunnydale wasn’t home, Buffy was. As long as Buffy was here beside him, this place could be home.
Buffy, who’d lived only in two homes, was apprehensive about the third one. Her first home had been destroyed by her parent’s divorce. The house was still standing, but the love had gone out of it. That building could never have been home to her again. And her second home had been destroyed by battle. But it had come before the destruction of the Hellmouth. The suspicion and mistrust that had taken hold of the people that lived there, the Slayers-in-training and her friends destroyed any lingering warm feelings she had. It was a house of pain and loss in her mind now. She just hoped that things would be better here.
Dawn was unsure quite how she felt about this new house. Sure, at first it had been exciting and a relief to have a place to go to. But did she really belong there? She’d essentially been on her own the last year, seeing the others occasionally. She’d grown up and learned to be a little self-sufficient. She wasn’t sure what role was expected of her in this place. Would they expect her to go back to being the little sister? She was nearly of age, just a few more days to go. But family dynamics didn’t often take age into consideration, especially in this group. Buffy, Willow and Xander had been forced into some pretty adult situations at an early age. They’d tried to keep it from Dawn. Would they naturally try again? It was true that they had been trying to treat her as she wanted to be seen, a young woman in her own right. But they’d had time and distance to accomplish that.
The flip side of the coin was that Dawn still felt deep down, that she needed someone there to guide her. Not rule over her, but show her that she was on the right path to becoming a woman. She had college coming up, new friends to make, and other things to take her attention. She knew how things had been changing over the years, but Buffy always clung to what was familiar. Would her sister now revert back to form?
The air was thick with silence as they followed the narrow walk up to the house. Buffy pulled her hand free from Spike’s as she withdrew the keys from her jean pocket. She gave the others a tremulous smile as she inserted the key into the lock. The click echoed slightly and Buffy smiled. It seemed that they were nervous over something extremely silly in that moment. She pulled the key out and turned the knob, but to her surprise, the door wouldn’t budge. "What the hell?" she muttered, trying again. Nothing, it was stuck tight. "Oh don’t tell me this Watcher idiot was some sort of paranoia guy that left a ward on the house," she complained. Behind her, Dawn began to snigger. She whirled around. "What?"
Spike quickly hid the grin on his face, trying not to let her see that he’d been laughing at her. Dawn felt no compunction and cackled loudly. "Er, luv, you might want to unlock the deadbolt as well." Buffy stared at him a moment, a blush creeping up on her face.
"Oh yeah," she rolled her eyes. "Didn’t think of that. Because a deadbolt would make sense. And is just a little too normal for our lives." With a shake of her head, just knowing that Spike was grinning like his idiotic, mirthful self at her, she chose the other key on the ring and inserted into the deadbolt. It turned with a loud click as well and the door finally swung open.
"See Buffy," Dawn giggled. "No magic mojo here." She paused with a smirk. "Not until we walk in that is."
"So let’s walk," Buffy giggled back. The excitement was taking hold again. She turned to see Spike’s arms outstretched towards her. "What?"
"Aren’t I supposed to carry you in?" he asked artfully.
"That’s when you get married stupid," Dawn snorted. Then her eyes widened. "You didn’t-?"
"I told you Dawn," Buffy sighed at her sister’s impatience over her love life, "you’ll be the first to know after us."
"Oy," Spike broke in, "I still feel like I should be carrying someone." He quickly presented his back to Dawn. "Here, hop on Nibblet." Buffy smiled at their antics as Dawn jumped up onto his back and he carried her in piggyback style. Some things just never changed and she was glad that their relationship was one of them. It felt right to her that she was keeping this strong male influence in Dawn’s life. Their father certainly never had been and their only other male friend that Dawn related to was in Europe, finding himself.
While the other two horsed around, her hand felt along the wall for a light switch. She found it conveniently next to the door on the left and with a quick flick, the hallway was bathed in soft light. She could see beyond that that natural light was pouring in through windows around the house. She moved forward, taking in the ambience of the house. To their immediate right seemed to be a coat closet, which would be handy. The main hallway went straight back, ending from what she could see with a door. She stepped forward as Dawn slid back down to the floor.
On their left was a living room, about the same size as the one in Sunnydale had been. There was furniture here, as promised, but covered in sheets to protect them from dust. The walls had been painted a soft blue and Buffy figured that was to combat the natural heat of the city. The entryway into the living room was arched. It had a comfortable feel to her immediately. A very neutral sense to it, as if it were a canvas, waiting for the artist to breathe life to it. She crossed the room, heading for the French doors opposite the hallway. She pulled back the heavy curtains, trying to resist the urge to sneeze. As she had thought, the doors led to the small walkway she’d seen outside the house.
She turned to her right and found the dining room kitchen combo. There was a table set on the linoleum floor, a beautiful cream and blue with gold flecks in it. The table was a light colored oak with matching chairs. Turning right again took her a few steps into the kitchen. It was more compact than their old one had been, but all the necessary tools were there. She continued back to the hallway, through another arched way. She opened the closet that she’d seen earlier, relieved to see it was a little pantry closet.
There were two more doors in the hallway. The first revealed a half bathroom. She smiled, thinking back on the difficulties of so many people in one household. Bathrooms were sacred and to be prized. This one was done in the same decorative style as the kitchen. The use of color gave a continuous feeling to the main level that was comforting and easy. Spike and Dawn had finally caught up.
"Buffy!" Dawn was just as excited about her sister. "Did you go outside?" Buffy shook her head no. "That porch off the living room isn’t it. It leads back to a humungous deck." Buffy and Spike smiled at her enthusiasm.
"What are you smiling about luv?" Spike asked softly. Buffy gestured to the last door she’d opened.
"Bathroom on the main floor," she replied dryly. "Always a blessing."
"What’s this one?" Dawn asked, yanking open the last door. She flipped on the light switch and stared down. "Hmm, basement."
"We can look there last," Buffy decided, pushing the door gently out of her way. "I want to see upstairs." They followed her as she moved to the staircase, which was off the right of the entryway. There were two steps, a landing and then steps that curved up into the upper hallway. Her first stop was the door on her left. A simply furnished bedroom with a bed, nightstand and dresser. The room was undecorated, but Buffy stepped in to check out the closet and then the view from the window. It looked down over the front of their house. She let Dawn look and then dragged her sister out, with a semi-interested Spike trailing behind.
She moved down the hallway, to the other door on the left. Throwing it open, she searched for the light, as the sun was finally beginning to set. She let out a little gasp as she took it all in. The walls were painted a light mauve, with a cream carpet to offset it. There was a massive bed set in the center of the room. Two nightstands, one on either side, matched the cherrywood dresser and vanity table to their right. But what pleased her the most was the large closet along the left wall.
Spike and Dawn exchanged knowing grins. If there was one thing Buffy still loved, it was a massive shopping trip for clothes. Not something that she’d been able to indulge in for long because of time constraints, money and the fact that Spike made Buffy carry her own luggage occasionally. Naturally in the hopes of teaching her an object lesson on why she didn’t need more clothes. Dawn moved off to explore the other bedroom, finding it much the same as the first. She deliberated between the two while Buffy and Spike had a moment in the main bedroom.
"You like it luv?" he asked softly, folding his arms around her waist from behind. She leaned back against him.
"What’s not to like?" she grinned as she tilted her head up. "You and a big bed all in the same room and… oh my God!" She gasped and pulled out of his embrace. "Spike, look."
He followed her the few steps she took and a wide, leering grin appeared on his face as he took in the mirrored sliding doors of the closet. "Well well," he chuckled. "Looks like someone knew how to get their jollies up here." He pulled her back to the bed, sitting carefully to avoid the ensuing cloud of dust from the sheets. She sat next to him and he pushed her head to their left with gentle fingers. She gasped again as she realized how well positioned the vanity table mirror was. "So, are we keeping it?"
"We are," she confirmed. And strangely, they both felt a little click inside them, as if destiny were confirming their decision. Spike drew her back around to him, lowering his lips to hers. She met him with a slow, tantalizing caress of her lips on his, relishing in the tenderness they had for each other.
"Ahem," Dawn’s voice piped up from the doorway. They broke off the kiss to glance at her. "I’d say get a room, but it looks like you’ve found the one you want." She may have been complaining, but it was just a deeply ingrained habit to tease the lovebirds. And they knew it as well.
"So what do you think Dawn?" Buffy asked eagerly. She wanted her sister to feel as comfortable in this house as she did.
"It’s okay," Dawn shrugged. She hadn’t seen anything to get excited over yet, aside from the fact that the location was fairly close to the beach. Only a couple blocks away. "The bathroom’s okay, got a nice bug tub."
"That’s always good," Spike smiled, remembering fondly some previous evenings spent luxuriating in a tub full of bubbles and Buffy.
"Can we check out the basement now?" Dawn asked hopefully. Buffy and Spike nodded, trailing after her as she pounded down the stairs.
They were pleasantly surprised when they arrived at the bottom of the house. Giles had said it was completed, but they never imagined that it had been furnished as well. The laundry area, under the kitchen was blocked off and it looked as if the previous owner had installed a small bathroom under the others. There was an open area, with carpet, to protect feet against the bare, cold, stone floor. But it was the office under the living room that intrigued them. It was a fairly large square room, with a corner style desk on the far side. Buffy slowly turned in a circle, taking the room in.
Contrary to what Dawn may have believed, Buffy knew her sister very well. And she’d learned over the years to read her sister’s body language. She knew that Dawn was hesitant about living with her again. Not that she could blame her. She remembered being Dawn’s age, all excited about heading off to college. Wanting to get out from under the parental eye. And with all her heart, she wished she could do that for Dawn. But right now, they could barely afford tuition to UCLA. If it weren’t for the college fund their parents had jointly set up, it would be out of the question. Hank Summers was never generous anymore with his time, but knew he could find a way to write off the money earmarked for Dawn’s education. And it was all he had left to ease his guilty conscious.
So Buffy was rapidly calculating the next best thing. "You know," she mused aloud, but making sure that Dawn could hear her. "We could take this stuff out of here and move one of the bedroom sets down here. And maybe a couch and television eventually for the other room. I mean, it wouldn’t exactly be your own place, but at least you’d have a lot more privacy." She grinned as she saw Dawn’s eyes light up. She braced herself as Dawn threw herself at her sister.
"Do you mean it?" Dawn shrieked. "That would be so cool." They hugged tightly. Dawn pulled back, her mind already working as to how she could decorate.
"What do you think Spike?" Buffy asked mischievously. She already knew he’d agree. Anything to keep his girls smiling.
"Well," he drawled, rubbing absently at the back of his neck. Dawn spun around, suddenly nervous that he’d object. "I suppose, as long as she’s not inviting strange young men over every night and havin’ wild parties…"
"Yeah, right," Dawn snorted, her arms crossed defiantly. "You’d be right there with me, extolling the virtues of the Sex Pistols versus everything else." And it was true he had to admit. The few parties they’d been to together, she’d catalogued his behavior, as he had hers. Again, it was the good-natured teasing that existed between them.
"Besides," Buffy continued for him, "we’ll probably fill that room with something else soon." At Dawn’s inquisitive look, she went on. "You know, like nursery stuff. And I mean, it’s not fair to ask you to try to be studying upstairs when there’s a crying baby just a few doors down." Dawn’s eyes were just huge.
"Oh my God!" she shrieked, her arms dropping to her side. "Are you guys…?"
"Not yet," Buffy shrugged as Spike slung his arm around her waist. "But we’re trying." And like her sister, Dawn went with the non-verbal approach at this news. The three of them fell in a tangled heap on the floor from her exuberance. And all laughing, they knew they had found their home.
Independence Day
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