Escape
Chapter One: Craters

Here's how it goes
You and me
Up and down
But maybe this time
We'll get it right
Worth the fight
'Cause love it something you can't shake

- Escape, Enrique Iglesias

A wind picked up and Buffy swayed forward slightly. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and took a deep shuddering breath. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Willow, Giles and Xander drift back toward the school bus. She sighed and took a step back away from the crater.

"Goodbye, Spike," she whispered to the wind. "And thank you."

She turned away from the crater and walked slowly back to the school bus. Giles smiled at her as she boarded and she returned it, but it felt forced and insincere. She moved to the back of the bus. Passed Faith who was frowning deeply as she pressed a makeshift bandage to Principal Wood's abdomen. Passed Willow and Kennedy who were holding each other tightly, passed Dawn who didn't attempt a smile, merely nodded in understanding and returned to gently prodding Andrew's arm. Xander was slumped against the window, staring impassively at the landscape as it shuddered past. Silent tears coursed down his face and Buffy reached out to squeeze his shoulder. He turned to her and his face broke her heart. With shaking fingers, he took her hand and squeezed. Then his hand went limp and slipped down to his lap. His head slumped back against the window with a dull thump and Buffy left him to his grief.

She found an empty seat at the back of the bus and sank into it. Heads bobbed over the seats ahead of her and she sighed. Everyone had someone but her. Faith was with Wood, Willow was with Kennedy, Dawn was taking care of Andrew. All the girls had paired up. The only person that sat as alone as she was, was Xander, but Anya's ghost hung around him like a shroud, making him less alone than she felt.

She felt strangely empty. She didn't have to worry anymore. Not about slaying or apocalypses. She didn't have to worry about Spike.

She hadn't been lying. She had told him the truth. But he had been right. She loved him, just not like that, but she thought he deserved to hear it at least once before he died to save her and her friends.

But in truth, she had only ever loved one person in her entire life. Of course, she loved her friends, her family. But that kind of love, well, that was reserved for one person only.

She stood up and moved to the front of the bus.

"You ok?" she asked Wood.

"I'll be fine," he answered. "Just as soon as I get to a hospital."

"Where we going, B?" Faith asked, not looking up as she checked the wound before covering it up again.

"LA," Buffy answered.

Faith looked up then, eyebrow raised. Buffy shrugged and turned away, wondering where that idea had sprung from. She carried on down the bus, gripping seats as she went, checking on the girls, Willow and her sister and Andrew as she went.

"Hey," she greeted Giles, holding onto the back of the driver's seat.

He shot her a glance and smiled.

"How are you?" he answered.

"Fine," she replied.

"How's Xander?" he asked, his voice tight, eyes focused a little too intently on the road.

"Grieving," Buffy said softly. "He's just lost the woman he loved. And we've just lost a friend. Friends."

He glanced at her, nodding.

"Ah, yes," he said. "Spike. He did the right thing, Buffy."

"I know that," she stated. "And he knew that too."

"Any idea where we're going?" he asked. "I take it Cleveland's out until we've been to a hospital?"

"Cleveland's out for a while, Giles," Buffy answered. "We've had a rough time these last few months and I know we're gonna have to sort out this new Slayer thing soon, but I think we deserve a holiday."

"Hear, hear," Giles agreed, "I was rather hoping you'd say that. So where are we going for this well deserved break?"

"I was thinking… LA," Buffy said slowly.

"I see," he nodded. "Well, he has got a hotel after all."

"Giles, it's got nothing to do with him," Buffy replied. "LA's the nearest place with a hospital."

"And free accommodation," Giles answered, shooting her a wry smile.

Angel settled in the chair and closed his eyes. He heard the gentle rustlings of Fred in her room down the hall, Gunn walking across another room, the flicking sound of paper as Wes took notes on something and the gargle of water from Lorne's room. He listened to them, anything to chase away all the other thoughts. All the other thoughts that wouldn't leave him the hell alone.

He wanted to ignore the picture of Cordelia's body lying still and silent, not breathing, cold and dead. He wanted to close his ears to Lilah's voice telling him that once he signed, that would be it, no more Connor. He wanted to forget the way the others carried on, happy, hesitant about their deal with Wolfram and Hart, as though nothing was missing.

He wanted to pretend that seeing Buffy had been a dream. A horrible nightmare. He didn't want to think about how she had freely admitted that Spike was in her heart. How he had been replaced.

Angel opened his eyes and stood up, crossing his room to the closet, opening it, he pushed through the endless supply of dark tops to a green sweater. It was all he had left. All he had left of his son. And he couldn't leave it there, anyone could find it. He had lost count of the number of times he had lent Wes a shirt when his got ruined in a fight. Carefully, he folded it up and placed it in the bottom of a drawer, fingers lingering over the worn fabric.

He had to move on. He had done the best thing for Connor. He had given him a family, a good life and from what he saw, Connor was doing well. Going to college. Angel couldn't suppress his smile. His son, college! He had had so many dreams, hopes for his son. College was one of them. And his son was going to college.

Angel glanced at his bed. He should sleep. They started their first day of work at Wolfram and Hart in a couple of days and tomorrow would be spent sorting out the offices downstairs. And that was something he wasn't looking forward to.

They would have to sort out Cordy's young and carefree filing system, pack up her beloved coffee machine and sort out the sketches she had done to illustrate her visions then thrust into a drawer. He wasn't looking forward to going through any of it and he doubted that the others were looking forward to it.

He was about to force himself into bed when he heard a creaking. He froze in the middle of the room and listened. Fred, Wes, Gunn and Lorne had fallen silent. But there was the distinct sound of the main doors opening and the sound of many pairs of feet pattering across the lobby. He grabbed the sword he kept by his bed and slipped silently out of his room, padding down the stairs silently.

He expected a Wolfram and Hart SWAT team, sent to kill them all now they had been lulled into a false sense of security.

He grabbed hold of the rail that ran along the hall and vaulted it, landing in a defensive position in the lobby, sword raised to face the intruders.

It took him a second to realise that they were mostly young girls, a few slightly injured and all of whom glared and raised fists. Five familiar people faced him.

Giles, with a slightly put out expression. He waved him hand at Angel, who glanced at the sword and lowered it. Dawn smiled and glanced back to roll her eyes at the girls behind her. Willow looked tired, but smiled slightly at him. Xander's shoulders were hunched, his hair tousled, smelling of salty tears and misery. Angel was stunned to note the black eye patch.

But then he turned his attention to the final person in the front row. A small blonde, with a gash on her forehead. She offered him a weak smile and his eyes scanned the large group. He ignored his curiosity about Spike's whereabouts and instead focused back on Buffy.

If it weren't for the thoughts that hung constantly on the perimeter of his mind, he might have been in the Bronze, all those years ago, watching her across a crowded dance floor, but not noticing anyone else in the world, because she was smiling at him.

"Got any room for a slumber party?" Buffy asked.

And the sword clattered to the floor as he smiled his first proper smile in days and nodded.