Disclaimer: I own no intellectual property claimed by Mutant Enemy or Joss Whedon nor is anyone paying me to write this... Not even Dr. Pepper, the refreshing and original soft drink that has no equal!

"Hi!" Xander said, startling the blonde haired girl who jumped and gave off a little shriek.

"H-hi," Tara stuttered out, shrinking into herself and averting her eyes to the floor.

Xander winced, finding it actually physically painful to see Tara looking so downtrodden. "I'm here to kidnap you. My name is Xander."

Tara's eyes opened so wide Xander thought they might fall out, before she remembered herself and quickly stared at the floor, shaking.

"Let's go pack your bags, we only have a couple of hours before the menfolk wake up."

"W-wake up?" Tara asked as she automatically moved to obey his commands.

"Tranquilizer pistol," Xander explained as he followed her to her bedroom, taking note of scratches on the hardwood floor that showed she'd blocked the door with her dresser more than a few times.

Tara pulled out a half dozen old fashioned dresses like the one she had on, colorless, shapeless, about as feminine as sackcloth and ashes, and laid them on the bed. She paused at her dresser and Xander quickly said, "I'll step outside and let you pack your unmentionables yourself. Let me know when you have everything."

"Okay," she said quietly.

It was only a couple of minutes before the door opened and Tara came out with a large Levi purse that almost qualified as a backpack.

"I- I'm ready," she said meekly.

"You'll need to take your mother's things," Xander said. "If you leave them here, your father will destroy them."

"They're l-locked in a trunk," she almost whispered. "Da-daddy didn't want them influencing anyone."

"Show me where," Xander said.

Tara shrank away from him as she stepped around him before leading him into the cellar where a large steamer trunk was chained shut. "Da-daddy didn't want any — anyone opening it."

Xander picked it up with some difficulty. "I'll cut the chains off when I get a chance so you can access your mother's things again," he promised. "I've parked our ride out front, but you best lead the way just in case I fall carrying this up the stairs."

Tara walked ahead of Xander and didn't even try to run away or push him down the stairs, both of which would have been absurdly easy to do with him burdened the way he was.

A Winnebago covered in camouflage netting was in front of the house. The engine was running quietly only noticeable by the exhaust vapor, visible in the light from the porch.

Xander set the trunk down and opened the door. "Get in," he ordered, following behind her and guiding her to the front passenger seat, "and buckle up."

It seemed no time at all had passed before he'd placed the trunk in the back and climbed in the driver's seat.

She was surprised he could see with the headlights off and the sun not yet risen, but he seemed to do fine as he took her from the dirt roads in her hometown to the pavement of the deserted interstate.

It was over an hour before he pulled into an empty rest stop and started removing the camouflage netting. "You can get out, stretch your legs, and use the restroom," he suggested.

Tara used the restroom and gathered her thoughts. she wasn't sure why he'd kidnapped her, but the fact that he knew about her mother meant it was probably for something bad. She'd try and run but she had nowhere to go, even if she could get away from him.

Xander had set Tara's mother's trunk on a picnic table and was using a hacksaw to cut through the chain on it, when she returned. "I'll have it opened for you in just a minute," he said before finally cutting through the lock and removing the chains. "It's all yours," he said motioning her towards it.

Tara placed her hand on it and felt a warmth she associated with her mother and one that signified her mother had blood warded it. "I-I need a few things to open it," she admitted.

"Anything rare or can we pick it all up at your standard magic shop?" he asked.

"I- I've never been in a shop," she admitted.

"That's okay," he assured her. "I'll take you to one and we'll see where we have to go from there."

She nodded quietly while he loaded the steamer trunk back in the Winnebago.

"Do you want to see Vegas, the Grand Canyon, or anyplace like that?" Xander asked.

"Wh-what?" Tara stuttered out, surprised.

"We are going to be traveling for a while and the destination isn't really important, so what part of the U.S. would you like to see?" Xander asked.

"I-I don't know," she admitted.

"You always gave off a nature vibe," Xander said, having figured she would have said something like that. "So… Crater Lake national park it is."

Despite herself Tara looked interested.

"We'll hit a magic shop on the way so you can have access to your mother's stuff," Xander promised. "I don't have a plan and I didn't really think much beyond kidnapping you. So, I figure giving you access to your mother's things will make you feel safer and more secure."

Tara nodded, wondering how powerful he was that he needn't fear her using magic against him. It was a frightening prospect.

"Do you have any objections to dying your hair black and putting it in a braid?" he asked.

She quietly shook her head.

"I also have some clear glasses for you to wear and we'll see about getting you some new clothes," Xander said, figuring out the easiest way to change her appearance, in case her family reported her missing.

She nodded, worrying about how he would make her dress. Was he going to make her dress like those girls father had pointed at on TV and called whores? Would she be able to resist or would this awaken her succubus blood and start her descent into becoming a whore herself?

It was a two hour drive to the next town and his attempts to sing along with the radio convinced her he was a demon because nothing human should sound that bad!

Typing by: Stephenopolos

AN: Kidnapping someone, even for a good reason, doesn't leave the best of impressions…