Sunnydale, Early June 2009

The dream brought Buffy bolt upright in bed, gasping for air as she struggled against the sheets that wrapped themselves around her body. In that moment between troubled sleep and startled awaking, the meaning was irrevocably clear -- these were slayer dreams and something was coming.

"Buffy?" The voice next to her was sleepy and concerned, Kevin struggling to sit up himself. "What's wrong?"

She buried her head in his chest, practically sobbing with relief as he wrapped his arms around her. "It was dreadful...the dream..."

"Must have been one helluva nightmare to get you screaming like that." His hand stroked her hair softly, holding her close and rocking slightly in a comforting motion. "Tell me about it."

Without thinking, Buffy began to spin her story of graveyards and vampires, of a struggle that saw dripping blood and dust explosions...and blindfolded dolls, which meant Drusilla, which was never good. It'd all been horrifyingly real and grew stronger each time she dreamt it.

She was only halfway through when Kevin laughed a bit nervously. "That's it; no more anchovy pizza for you before bedtime."

"But I didn't..." Buffy pulled back a little to look up at him and realized exactly what she'd been saying. "You think I'm crazy."

"I didn't say that." He kissed her on the forehead. "I think you're maybe a little stressed out with the wedding and all. I mean, vampires? You don't even like horror movies."

Looking up at his puzzled face, Buffy realized she needed to tell him. If she told him, she could stop playing Secret Identity Girl and not have to sneak around while dealing with the Field Team. She could explain why Giles was so important to her and why she had to work such late and strange hours. She could stop keeping secrets, which she was heartily sick of doing. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "Kevin, have you ever considered the possibility that vampires might be real?"

This time, the laugh wasn't nervous, but it told her everything. "I know there are some weird stories around this town, honey, but I can't believe you'd honestly believe them. Besides, vampires? In Sunnydale? Get real. Maybe in San Francisco -- they'd fit in with our fog -- but I can't see them here. The place is too modern."

Buffy wanted to tell him about the apocalypses which had helped serve as urban renewal projects by forcibly taking out the old, and that the latest of these was why the City Council had been put in the position of needing an architect to renovate City Hall, but something in his manner warned that Kevin wasn't going to be particularly receptive. The dream had given her a sudden sense of urgency, though, and she decided to try again. "I'm serious."

Kevin sighed. "Fine. Vampires exist. We'll buy garlic. I also think you're nervous about seeing your Mr. Giles tomorrow, especially since I've gotten the impression he's not exactly Xander's favorite person. Buffy, I'm not surprised you're having nightmares; we're getting married in less than two months, you've got to pack the house for the move and Dawn's moving to England. I'd be surprised if you weren't having nightmares of some kind."

She opened her mouth to argue, but stopped, realizing she wasn't going to change his mind tonight. Instead, she settled back down with him to get some more sleep as he suggested, but found herself staring at the ceiling for a long time.

***

Buffy had originally asked Kevin to come along to help her pick up Giles at the airport, but she found herself secretly relieved when he couldn't get away. There was still dinner that evening and given his reaction to the mention of vampires the night before, it would probably be easier meeting the team Giles was bringing along without him present. It would definitely be a good idea to remind Anya that Kevin didn't know about her real line of work and demons weren't the best dinner conversation.

Besides, she couldn't help but feel a bit selfish about getting some time with her friends before everything kicked into full gear. They'd get the team settled at the hotel, and then she'd take Giles and Anya back to her place. There'd be plenty of time before dinner to talk about the dreams as well as catch up on all the news. She couldn't wait to hear about Anya's latest business adventures.

The passengers started to trickle out into the waiting area and Buffy found herself bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement. It seemed like there were waves upon waves of people exiting before she caught sight of Mike with Giles following closely after. She didn't hesitate, but launched herself, wrapping her watcher in a bear hug. "Buffy...air," he managed, returning the hug as soon as she'd loosened her grip slightly.

"I'm so glad you're here," she told him. "Once we get you two settled in, we can...where's Anya?"

Giles smiled down at her, a warm and familiar expression. "She'll be here for Dawn's graduation. We decided that was best."

Buffy knew exactly what he meant by that, but she wasn't going to bring it up in front of the others. Instead, she let Giles perform the introductions. Hands were shook and pleasantries exchanged and Mike definitely seemed a bit friendlier than when they'd met the first time. "I think we can fit everyone into the car," Buffy said. "I haven't gotten rid of the SUV yet because, well, I'm going to need it for the move."

"Actually, we have a rental reservation," Mike said. "We thought it'd be best if we got our own transportation."

"Oh." It made sense, she supposed. "Giles, do you want to go help them settle in and I'll pick you up later or should I come along to help? I'm great at carrying luggage."

Giles gave her a strange look. "I'm staying with the team, Buffy. Didn't you get my e-mail?"

"No. Didn't you get the one where I said you could stay at the house?"

"No. Don't you want to be alone with your young man?"

"Kevin's going to be up in San Francisco most of the time. There's a bunch of stuff he needs to get taken care of before we go off on our honeymoon and do the moving and all that, because he's taking off work for almost a month. I mean, he's here now, but he really came down because of business and so he could meet you...and Anya. He's got to head back tomorrow."

Giles must have read the disappointment on her face. "I'd be thrilled to stay with you, Buffy. I simply hadn't wanted to impose."

She quickly reassured him that it wasn't imposing as they headed off to the baggage claim, happy that at least something was going right. It didn't take that long to get the team checked in at their temporary digs and Giles and Buffy were back at her house with a good two hours before she needed to start dinner. "Do you think you can convince Anya to come early?" she asked as they settled themselves on the couch with two glasses of wine. "I was looking forward to spending time with her -- and I've got a high-speed Internet connection, so she could stay in touch with her clients. I know you two can't enjoy being separated."

Giles took a sip of his wine and leaned back against the cushions. "I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you and Anya have remained friends through the years." The smile faded. "I don't know if she'd be comfortable spending that much time here. You can understand why she doesn't want to spend much time around Xander and since I imagine he'll probably be helping us with settling the team..."

"Xander doesn't patrol with me very often. He hasn't for some time." Buffy reached for her own glass. "Marlene doesn't really like it and since they're talking about starting a family, he figures he'd better stay home in the evening."

She took a drink, not really wanting to discuss the rest of it. Not surprisingly, she hadn't done a good job of hiding her feelings from Giles. "I take it you and Xander aren't getting along the way you used to."

"Xander and I haven't gotten along the way we used to in about seven years. Since I asked Spike to move in with me. He's never really forgiven me for that."

"Buffy, after seven years..."

"When I decided to sell the house, I asked Xander if he and Marlene wanted to buy it. They're still living in his apartment and they've been talking about moving since they're trying for a baby. This place has plenty of room and I was willing to sell it to them below market because, well, it's Xander. He kinda hemmed and hawed but he didn't say yes or no, just let it lie there. Later, Marlene told me the reason."

She could feel her eyes stinging. "Turns out he didn't want to live in the same house where I'd lived with Spike."

"I can actually understand that," Giles said quietly.

"Then when he found out I'd talked to Spike about Dawn's grant, he hit the roof, swore Spike was doing it just to worm his way back into my life. He didn't actually forbid me to speak to him again, but it felt like he wanted to."

"You and Spike talked?" Giles seemed surprised. "When?"

"A couple of months ago, when Dawn got word about the grant. I wasn't happy about the idea of her doing anything with the Council, so I called London and since you were out of town, I asked for him. We'd, uh, exchanged e-mails about Mike coming out to look for houses for the team. Anyway, you know how he and Dawn are, so I figured he'd be willing to get me the information I needed."

Giles' face took on a somewhat annoyed expression. "Funny that Spike didn't mention it to me."

"It was just a couple of phone calls, Giles. We both tried to talk her out of it, but she's determined to go. We...it was okay. We're okay with each other."

They were okay with each other -- at least as okay as they were ever likely to be. They'd talked, the world had not ended and they hadn't thrown hurtful words. It'd actually felt good. "Anyway, Spike and I talked and Xander got all bent out of shape about it. It was..."

She paused, groping for words. The thoughts had been burbling in her brain for some time now, but it felt slightly traitorous to give them voice after so long. "Willow's got her life in Seattle, doing the software and magic thing. Xander's married and thinking about a family. They've both moved on with their lives."

"As we all do," Giles said, his voice carefully neutral. She knew the clues; he was waiting to see what she had to say, but she wouldn't be at all surprised his thoughts had sometimes run along the same lines.

"They've moved on with their lives," she repeated, "but I sometimes get the feeling they expect me to stay where I am, like I'm not supposed to have changed from high school. It's...I don't know why I get that feeling, but I do. They're allowed to move on, grow up, but I'm always supposed to be here, fighting vampires with quips and kicky boots and dating only those guys they approve of."

"Do you think that's perhaps a little harsh?"

"You didn't meet Victor, did you? He and I dated for about six months. Great guy and I think I really could have developed feelings for him. Had a pulse, owned his own business, lots of fun to be with. Xander couldn't stand him. He kept looking for something wrong."

"Since you're engaged to Kevin, I take it there was something wrong."

"We were coming back from the movies and had a close encounter of the vampire kind. No biggy; I dusted it pretty quickly, but Victor kind of freaked out and wondered what I was into. I told him and he couldn't deal with it. We didn't see each other after that. Xander was absolutely thrilled...and he didn't bother to hide it."

Giles was frowning. "I knew Xander was possessive, but...how has he reacted to you and Kevin?"

She shrugged. "He seems happy enough, though he's not actually thrilled about me moving to San Francisco. He introduced us, you realize. The only one of his blind dates that was ever worth anything."

Buffy realized she'd pulled herself into something of a ball, legs tucked under her, arms wrapped tightly around her chest. Giving voice to the words at last was a relief, but it made her angry as well. "I'm really looking forward to moving, Giles. It's time. I need to get out of Sunnydale and start a new life, otherwise I'm going to end up getting myself killed a third time because I'm not concentrating because I'm so unhappy. I'm twenty-eight; I think I've earned the right to have a life."

Now Giles looked really worried. "You're not marrying Kevin just because you want a change, are you? Of course you deserve to have a husband and family, but are you sure you love him?"

He looked so much like he had in the old days, eyes filled with such concern, that Buffy found herself laughing before reaching out to hug him. "I do love him," she assured him. "He's a wonderful man and I'm very, very lucky. He's talented and bright and there are times when he seems to look at me and understand everything that's going on without me having to say a word. I feel at peace when I'm around him -- and excited and energetic at the same time, if that makes any sense. The idea of building a family with him is...I can't describe it. It's not because it'll be a family -- something I never thought I'd have -- but because it's him."

The worry vanished from his face. "That's wonderful, Buffy. The idea that you've found someone makes me very happy. I know you're retiring, but does he, ah, know about your calling?"

Buffy couldn't help the sudden sinking feeling. "He doesn't. I've tried to tell him, last night, in fact, but either it hasn't been the right time or he doesn't want to believe vampires and everything exist. If we can get married and I can get out of Sunnydale, maybe it won't matter."

"You tried to tell yourself you'd left slaying behind when you moved to Sunnydale," Giles said quietly. "You tried to ignore the fact you knew the vampires were there and that you'd been having the dreams."

"I'm having them again." She nodded in response to Giles' questioning look. "It's been more than just that one I e-mailed you about. Little ones, mostly, with weird images that make no sense whatsoever. Nothing concrete. Last night, though...last night was a big one. I woke up screaming."

"Were you alone?"

She knew he didn't ask the question to intrude. Giles had fallen into watcher mode without even considering it. "Kevin was here. I managed to wake him up as well. He wanted to know what was wrong and I started to tell him. He put it down to nerves."

"I see." He sighed and removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "The choice is yours, Buffy, but my advice would be to try and tell him as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more likely it is there'll be trouble from it."

She nodded, knowing he was right, but not at all certain how to proceed. When Giles turned the discussion to the dream itself, she was glad to concern herself with slayer-watcher things and temporarily forget the messiness of relations between human beings.

***

Dinner was pleasant, Kevin and Giles hitting it off quite well. Architecture proved one of the main topics, the men discussing buildings in Europe and changing styles with an ease that delighted Buffy. She didn't get a chance to say much, but she didn't mind, just glad to see the two most important men in her life get along so well, something she'd rarely been able to enjoy.

The news that Anya would be joining them by week's end was welcome, too. When handed the phone, Buffy had assured Anya that Xander wouldn't be around much, which seemed to settle the main issue. Having received the assurances, Anya told Buffy she'd see her soon and asked to be handed back to Giles.

"Giles won't admit it, but I don't think he wanted to be away from Anya so long," she told Kevin as she joined him in the kitchen to help finish up the dinner dishes he'd started while she and Giles called Anya. "The way he's talking to her, it sounds like they're high school sweethearts."

"Kind of nice." Kevin handed her a towel so she could start drying. "Think we'll sound like that when we're that age?"

"I hope so." She wiped a dish dry and set it on the counter. "Actually Anya's my age," she said, deciding that even if she couldn't convince him of the supernatural aspect, she could at least warn him about the more human pitfalls.

Kevin chuckled. "Okay."

"There's more. She used to be engaged to Xander."

Kevin stopped chuckling. "Excuse me?"

"She used to be engaged to Xander, only he left her at the altar, then wanted to get back together, but she didn't -- which I totally understand -- and then she and Giles fell in love, which Xander didn't take too well, so maybe you shouldn't mention that she's coming into town if you two talk."

He stood there with his hands in the water. "Buffy, I love you, but you have some seriously weird friends."

"You don't know the half of it," Buffy muttered under her breath.

They continued washing and drying in comfortable silence for a few minutes until Kevin said, "She was engaged to Xander? Is this the crazy ex-girlfriend? The one who used to own the shop?"

"She used to own The Magic Box. She and Giles were partners." Buffy didn't like the reference to Anya as "crazy" and she doubted Kevin had come up with that description on his own.

"He's mentioned her a couple of times, but he never said they were engaged." He handed her another dish. "He doesn't get along with Giles, does he?"

"No. It's a real sore point." Sometimes, Buffy had to wonder how much the situation with Xander had to do with Giles' reluctance to return to Sunnydale in addition to his job duties within the Council. "That's why I'm glad Giles agreed to come; we haven't had a long visit in years."

"Then I won't say a word." Dishes done, he turned off the tap and pulled the plug so the water could drain. "Think they're still talking?"

Buffy cocked an ear. "Yup. Billing and cooing."

"Good. Come here."

As much as she didn't want to break the mood, Buffy realized she needed to broach the subject of her dream again. He was leaving early in the morning and wouldn't be back until next weekend at the earliest. There weren't going to be too many evenings like this left before the wedding, though he was going to be down for Dawn's graduation for sure. "Kevin, what we talked about last night..."

"Hmmm?"

She exerted a little strength to pull back. "When I had the nightmares. About vampires."

Kevin sighed. "Everyone's entitled to an irrational opinion, darling, but you can't seriously expect that I'm going to believe blood-sucking fiends with bad accents and stupid capes really exist. There are a lot of people who play at it in San Francisco, but it's not real."

"Kevin, I'm serious. There are some strange things that go on in the night, evil creatures... most of whom don't wear stupid capes but have big fangs or claws and definite bad intentions."

He wanted to laugh; it was obvious on his face, but he managed to restrain himself. "You really do believe in these things."

"They're as real as you or me."

"Have you talked to Marion about this? No, forget I said that. I shouldn't poke into what you and your therapist discuss. Buffy, if you believe vampires exist, then I can accept that. I've got a few weird things I believe that I haven't told you about yet." He grinned down at her. "Wanted to get you all locked up before I let you see the real me. But it's not a big deal."

She opened her mouth to argue, but stopped. This conversation wasn't going anywhere and pushing the matter would only ruin the evening. Stepping a little closer, she let her head rest on his chest and closed her eyes. She couldn't get out of Sunnydale soon enough.

Back toChapter 16