safe haven

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Joss Whedon. I just borrow them. No copyright infringement is intended nor implied.

part three

Faith was being a real bitch.

Except for her bad moodiness, she and Dawn had traveled uneventfully for six straight days and nights. With Herschel and his underground crew in charge, they'd boarded trains and buses, and even driven themselves a few hundred miles or so on their way to the Promised Land. Nothing bad to report at any point on the route, Dawn was pleased to note. True, a plane would have been faster, but according to Herschel – not safe. Besides Faith never liked flying so it was all good that airplanes weren't part of their exit plan. At any rate, Dawn was certain that it would have upped Faith's nasty quota quite a bit if they'd added 36,000 miles above ground to their journey.

However, once they made it to Nevada getting into Las Vegas was easy. Dawn had to admit that Herschel was the man. He'd known exactly what was needed to get them into the safe haven. He had left out the thing about the drawing of the blood, though. But Dawn accepted that as a must-do. It was the only real way to tell if a creature was a human or a half-breed. To Herschel's credit, he had warned them about the singing and the green demons with the long red raging hair. But he swore to Dawn that the anagogic demons from Pylea were unequaled at detecting truth. “You sing and they'll know if you've signed the oath of allegiance or are in any way, shape or form in league with the Scourge. These demons are what really keep Las Vegas a safe haven," he'd said. "And they are extremely loyal to Wolfram and Hart," he added under his breath. Of course, Faith heard him and instantly became rather twitchy as Dawn tried to stop her from beating him into unconsciousness.

Then it was Dawn's turn to sing for the demons from Pylea, and an old song by someone her mom had called the 'King of Rock and Roll' drifted into her mind. One of those tunes that just wouldn't die. She couldn't remember all of the words, just snatches. “You're gonna set my soul on fire. Viva Las Vegas, Viva, Viva Las Vegas …” The red-haired demons stopped her before she really had a chance to belt out the chorus.

Faith sang an old Motown song. Really seemed odd, since Faith was a rock and roller as far as Dawn could tell from her taste in music. Still she sang the chorus from a song called, “Baby Love.” Faith was certainly one for surprises.

Dawn couldn't help asking as they took their seats in the back of the cab on their way to the hotel, "Why that song?" Her voice terse, Faith blurted out that it had been Robin's favorite. Dawn didn't ask anymore questions. Dawn always left topics alone once Faith mentioned Robin. She didn't want things to go more badly than they'd already gone. Any conversation where Robin's name was mentioned meant shouting, tears and eventually lots of Jack Daniels, and of course, angry sex.


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Their hotel had to be Las Vegas personified, Dawn decided. The huge circular drive way of the MGM Grand gave way to a sea of valets, red-suited tall, elegant human men and half-breed demons from any number of species, waiting patiently in the heat to open car doors, hands or claws elegantly gloved, bodies bent at the waist in polite reverie.

“Ladies, welcome to the MGM Grand, we trust your stay will permit you the ultimate experience and fulfill your every desire.” The words fell from his mouth like candy, thought Dawn as she stared at his outstretched gloved hands. She could tell he was human. He had closely cropped blond hair, large brilliant blue eyes, which appeared translucent, and a wonderfully silky sound to his deep voice. For some reason, he reminded her of a tall Spike. She smiled as she thought it was a good thing he wasn't a vampire. She was close to being in thrall. She looked into his eyes as he captured her hands in his, guiding her from the cab. If she knew what thrall was, she was sure she'd be in it. He was just that pretty.


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She just had to… just had to ask her about him. It had been nearly a year since that world ended and Sunnydale's Hellmouth had been destroyed. Still each and every day, she watched her do it. Sit and stare at her own hands, transfixed by the sight of them, for long, long moments at a time. Or so it seemed to Dawn. So she had to ask because Dawn believed that each time Buffy looked at her hands, she was thinking about Spike. “Do you miss him?” At first, Buffy acted like she hadn't heard Dawn. But she had. Dawn knew it. “I asked you once before, and you never really answered. You said it was complicated. Love is always complicated, isn't it Buffy?”

“Every day.”

“You miss him every day?”

“No, love is complicated. But yes, I do think about him a lot.”

“Did you ever tell him… did you tell him that you loved him?

“Only once.”

“Good, I'm glad you told him.”

Las Vegas was the most self-indulgent, sinful, out-of-control city Dawn had ever seen. Bright lights, sweaty streets, lots of barely covered flesh and chilled casinos stretched out before her like huge straw baskets filled with exotic fruit and sweet, powdered pastries. She wanted to devour its decadence. Reach into its soul and strip it blind. Use her fingertips, palms and the back of her hands to feel, touch and grab that elusive thing called peace of mind. This was her chance to get that deeper rest, a complete cleansing of her spirit. Something she'd never known. At least not for the past five years. And damn it, she was going to enjoy this vacation regardless of Faith's bad mood.

“Wolfram and Hart and safe just don't work for me. They aren't simpatico Dawn. No way, no how, is Las Vegas a good place for us.” Faith wasn't exactly pacing, she was stalking; prowling even. She stomped back and forth, wearing the threads of the carpeting thin with her constant deep-footed plodding. Three days. Dawn had put up with her constant complaining and fear-filled posturing for three freaking days. Thank god, Dawn had been able to get away for a few hours each night to be free in the freest place she'd been in her whole exhausting life.

But she understood why Faith was freaked out and broody, and angry; Wolfram and Hart had killed Angel. One of the two men – okay, one man, Robin Wood, and one vampire – who actually had cared about Faith. Angel had stood beside Faith first. Stood up for her and helped her. He had truly cared about the rogue slayer. Dawn just wished she didn't care so much about her, too. Especially when Faith was acting like taking time off from killing Scourge demons was the same as accepting defeat. A few weeks away from the battle zone didn't mean they'd given up. Dawn wanted to scream – they were just taking a break. No giving up. Never. No matter how much Dawn dreamed about it being over. She wouldn't leave Faith. She'd never choose to quit. She'd never stop fighting.

“Let's go out tonight, Faith. I know if you get out of this hotel room, you'll see. This is a good place. There are no Scourge demons, not one. Just others like us, trying for a few hours to not be killers, to not be in hiding. Trying just to be.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? This is a joke. If Wolfram and Hart is behind this, that means it's not good, believe me. ”

“Come on Faith, why are you being so bitchy and stubborn? I really believe we are safe. No one here can touch us, or wants to.”

“You don't know a damn thing about being safe, and if you think anything that has to do with Las Vegas is safe, you're a fool. A little girl who thinks she's a killer, who can't survive in this world of shit unless she has a slayer by her side, protecting her ass.”

“You haven't had to protect my ass in years, Faith, and you know it,” shouted Dawn. “I don't understand you. You complain, you argue, you bitch and moan. I just don't get it. Why didn't you just stay in Cleveland and hide?”

“Because you needed a vacation, darling. And I'm your partner. Couldn't let you come here by yourself.”

“I'd never leave you, Faith.”

“I know that. But they weren't looking for you. They're looking for me.”

“Damn it, Faith, let's just go out, and get this shit out of our systems. We're free. For a few days, for a few weeks, we're free. Let's enjoy it.”


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Seven hours later it was midnight, and Dawn had won a battle. Faith was sitting next to her at one of the numerous blackjack tables at the Bellagio. It was crowded. Hadn't been an open seat at a blackjack table for two straight hours. Then suddenly, wham! They'd found a spot for Dawn to indulge in what was certainly the best game she'd played since monopoly. When had she last played that game? she tried to remember. Well at least she'd gotten Faith out of the hotel room.


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Seven days in Vegas can make a sane woman crazy, and a crazy woman lose her mind. Dawn wasn't quite certain what category she fit into, but she was confident that Faith had definitely lost it. As broody and non-fun having as she'd been during their first few nights in Vegas, Faith was the total opposite now. Dawn figured she'd gone berserk. Gambling, with other people‘s money – okay, other men's money – and sleeping with most anything with a cock and wallet. Faith explained this twist by saying she'd missed dicks, and since these were safe dicks, she decided it was okay to revisit her old habits. That was okay with Dawn. Their sexcapades had been a combination of lovemaking and a safe place to be when there was no place truly safe for either of them. But now they were in Las Vegas. Everything was okay in Vegas.

On her seventh night in Vegas, Dawn was at her favorite blackjack table at the Bellagio, keeping a wary eye on the cigarette-smoking Fyral demon seated next to her. She was working the cards, playing her hunches, and she didn't want the Fyral to screw it up. Six times in a row, the Fyral demonstrated his stupidity by asking for cards at the wrong damn time, pissing off everyone at the table, except the dealer. ‘Beat the House' was the goal of the game for all the players, with the exception of the Fyral. She didn't need a string of ‘blackjacks' for the dealer spoiling her good time. She had a plan, and it was working, too, grinned Dawn, very pleased with herself. Nothing but puppies and good times a head, she smiled. Still it was late, or very early. Never could really tell inside a casino, but either way Dawn was getting close to calling it a night. Faith should have finished her rituals for the evening, and that meant all clear back at the room.

Then she saw him standing in the middle of a group of women. He was grinning, and it looked natural on his face. That's why she figured she was either drunk or high or any of the above. She'd been thinking about him more than usual lately, so perhaps he was a mirage. They were in the desert. Maybe she was just daydreaming in the middle of the night. No, she'd stopped that dream years ago. The one where Spike would be alive again, and teasing her, and helping her with her homework, and not laughing at her when everyone else thought she was silly. But yeah, it certainly did look like him. Hair still blond, black leather duster, blue eyes; even across the room, his eyes were still perfectly blue.

“Hello, Nibblet,” he whispered into her ear.

Dawn's breath went away. How did he get so close so fast? she wondered, as she spoke aloud,"So not good when ghosts talk.”

“Not a ghost, well, not for a long time, but still a vampire,” said Spike.

to be continued...