Inell's Fanfiction Archive

It was over. The First had been destroyed. It had been a rough fight for a bit, but they'd managed to pull through. The reinforcements from LA had been a lifesaver, adding the extra power they had needed. Together, they'd triumphed. It had been worse than Graduation and worse than Glory, in Willow's opinion. True, there had been no casualties on their side, but it had been months of stress and fear and doubt. She was glad that it was over. She sat on her bed, her eyes moving over the suitcase that was open laying beside her. It was still empty, even though she had opened it an hour before. She was leaving Sunnydale. It was time for her to move on. She had never honestly intended to return to her hometown from England. She'd only returned because Giles had said she was needed. As it was, he had been right. She'd not only been needed for the battle, but she had needed closure. It had been good to face the past, to learn that she had grown up, to realize that she wasn't needed now that the fight was over and they had been left standing.

She'd waited to leave until things had settled down. It had been three days since the battle was finished. A lot of things had changed. Buffy was setting up a training school for the junior slayers, Giles planned to stay in Sunnydale to train them, Dawn was going to start training so she could become a watcher, and Xander had expressed some interest in studying with Giles so that he could help train and teach the new slayers. She had heard Cordelia talking about staying in Sunnydale, not seeming to have an interest in going back to LA with Angel. There was tension between the former cheerleader, souled vampire and his son. Connor had already decided to stay, talking to Buffy about going to school and living in the basement. Luckily, Giles had already purchase a rather large home not far away that had a room for each of the juniors as well as a training area and library for all his materials. Anya had been helping him some, though she kept talking about going to see the world. Kennedy had become a leader among the juniors, showing a lot of potential. Willow felt a bit guilty over leaving the girl that had become such a good friend and even a bit more for a few months. She needed to do this, though, and Kennedy seemed to understand, declaring that she'd come for a visit once Willow was settled. They had been brought together during a very tense time, when it wasn't evident that they'd live through the night, and Willow knew that it had been nice, but she honestly didn't think it would have lasted long once the threat of danger was gone. It was better to end it now, when they could still be friends, before it had really become serious and moved past a flirting stage.

As for everyone else, Spike was gone having left town for parts unknown after making sure everyone was okay. Wesley and Fred had already gone back to LA. Willow knew that it was a new relationship for the two, also knowing that it hurt Gunn to be around them considering the circumstances. He'd had it rough. Losing his girl to his good friend and then having to be around them as they prepared to fight the First. He'd relaxed a little once they had left. Angel and Lorne were still hanging around, though Willow supposed they'd be leaving soon enough. And then there was Faith. Willow didn't know what the slayer's future plans were, but she doubted she'd end up staying. Buffy had been polite, but there was still a lack of trust and some major issues between the brunette slayer and the Sunnydale gang. Willow could understand completely.

"So, you're really leaving," a voice said quietly from the doorway.

Willow drew herself from her thoughts as she looked at the slayer standing in her doorway. Speak of the devil, she thought before she nodded, "Yeah, I think it's time."

Faith understood. Things had changed. Any idiot could see the strain between Willow and the others. Sure, they all acted buddy buddy, but Buffy and Xander would watch the redhead constantly as if they didn't trust her. Faith knew about that lack of trust. She'd risked her life a dozen times for them in the last few weeks, and they still acted like she could suddenly go psycho and kill them. She and Willow were in the same boat. They were both murderers. To the goody goodies, they'd always be tainted because they'd given in to the evil. It didn't matter that they'd done their time, her in jail and Willow in England, or that they were trying to make up for it. Those close-minded little snots would never let either of them forget what they had done, what they had let themselves become, that were killers. "Where are you going?"

********************

Willow sighed, shrugging, "I was thinking New Orleans. I've always wanted to go there, and it's far enough away without being too far."

"New Orleans, huh?" Faith looked at the empty suitcase, "You planning on packing or just leaving it all?"

"I'm mentally packing," Willow said with a faint smile, finally getting to her feet and moving to her dresser. She opened a drawer and took out a stack of clothes, putting them in the suitcase as she looked around the room, making notes of what she would take and what would be left.

"Gunn's going to drive you, right?" Faith asked as she moved into the room, sitting on the bed as she watched the redhead packing.

"He wants to," Willow said with a smile. "I told him I could take the bus, but he won't hear of it. He insists that it isn't safe for a girl to travel all that way alone. I didn't point out how chauvinistic he is because I honestly just think he doesn't wants to go back to LA just yet, and he's jumping at the chance for a cross country chance to clear his head."

"He's cool. He'll get over it," Faith said, having not been too fond of that Fred girl anyway. "He can do better."

"It always hurts to lose someone you love," Willow said softly. "But, you're right. He'll get over it. I think the drive will do him good. Plus, it gives him time to accept the idea of seeing Wesley and Fred together when he gets home."

"So, Red, you think there's enough room for one more?" Faith asked the question that she had been wanting to ask since hearing that Willow was leaving. She and Willow had become friends over the past month and a half, the redhead being the only one she really liked. Red had changed, and Faith liked the changes. She felt Willow's eyes look at her in surprise and shrugged, "I don't have a lot of luggage so I won't take up much space."

"You want to go with me?" Willow asked, wanting to make sure she had heard correctly. "Are you sure, Faith? I mean, it would be starting over completely. I've got a little money in my savings, but we'd have to get jobs and live somewhere real cheap."

"I've been in jail for years, Red, I think I can handle it," Faith said with a smile. "Besides, there'd be two of us working which means more money and not as cheap a place, right?"

"You're serious," Willow sat down, her plans changing automatically as she added Faith to the mixture. It would be easier with a friend, and, strangely enough, she did consider the dark slayer a friend. They still didn't know each other that well, but she rather liked the girl once she got past the attitude. "Now, Faith, you need to be sure this is what you want. Once we leave, that's it. We're stuck there. I'd love to have a friend with me, but I want to make sure you know what you're facing."

"Red, I had to move here from Boston alone, I think moving to New Orleans with a friend won't be near as bad as coming to Sunnyhell and meeting Buffy," Faith said with a smile.

"Okay then, you can come with me," Willow returned the slayer's smile.

"Hot damn," Faith said excitedly, "I was so scared that you might say no and leave me here with B and the others."

Willow leaned forward, whispering, "I'm not into cruel and unusual punishment, Faith."

Faith laughed, "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, Red."

"I'll let Gunn know that we're going to have another passenger," Willow said with a smile, really happy about going now that she knew she wouldn't be starting over alone. She wanted to get away from Sunnydale, but really hated the idea of being alone. This was great. "We'll be leaving tomorrow morning. We hope to get to New Orleans by the weekend."

"What fun!" a voice spoke from the doorway, causing the girls to look at the beaming green demon. Lorne nodded as he thought about it, "A road trip then a brand spanking new start. I like it. I really like it," he moved into the room, sitting on the bed beside Faith as he said, "Squeeze over, cupcake, I'm coming too!"

********************

"Lorne!" Willow had to laugh at his enthusiasm even as she was shaking her head. She'd only known the demon for a few weeks, but he had the ability to always cheer her up. "You don't want to go to New Orleans with us."

"Why not?" he asked, giving her a look. "Trust me when I say that going back to LA isn't something I'd want to do. Going to New Orleans with my pretty little dumplings *is* something I want to do."

"First a cupcake, now a dumpling?" Faith said having to smile at him. "Why don't you want to go back to LA? I thought you liked it there."

"Pshaw," he made a face. "I'm tired of all the angsty brooding. I need fun and excitement. Besides, with the annoying brat boy and Cordy staying here, well, imagine all the drama that awaits me back at the hotel. You can't possibly wish that on me, can you?"

Willow watched him bat his eyes innocently as he hammed it up, "I'd think there would be less brooding without Cordelia and Connor there."

"Quit being logical, Red. I want to go with you two," he whined, suddenly smiling, "I have money. Loads and loads of money. I had insurance on the club plus tons saved up for a rainy day. I think moving to a new city and starting over is as rainy as it gets, don't you?"

"Why, Lorne, are you trying to bribe us into letting you go?" Faith asked, her tone shocked though her dark eyes were amused.

"Whatever works, babycakes," he said with a wink. "Oh, I also have connections in the Crescent City. I could buy a new club, get us a nice place to stay, you'd only have to work if you really wanted too....."

"We wouldn't let you buy everything," Willow said, rolling her eyes. "You guys realize that not two hours ago, I fully intended to leave here tomorrow ready to start over alone in a strange city with no friends or support, and now I've got not one but two friends going with me."

"Wait, two friends? Does that mean I wore you down with my charm and wit?" Lorne asked with a smile.

"It means that you can come with us, if you really want to," Willow said, having to laugh as Lorne slung his arm around Faith's shoulders.

"Sweetlings, this is going to be the most fun I've ever had," he declared. "I'll be the best roomie, you just wait and see. I'll always put the toilet seat down, I'll do the dishes and take out the trash, and we can watch sappy romance movies every night if you want."

"No sappy movies," Faith said as she made a face. "So, how much money is tons and tons?"

"Faith!" Willow laughed as she tossed a pillow at the slayer.

"What?" Faith smiled as she rested her head on Lorne's shoulder. "A club, huh? I think that could be fun."

"You can both help me with it," Lorne declared. "See? You've already both got jobs and we haven't even left Sunnydale yet."

"I'm definitely going to have to warn Gunn," Willow muttered as Lorne and Faith started chattering excitedly about the impending move as she continued packing.

********************

"Can we leave early tomorrow?" Faith asked from her position laying across the bottom of Willow's bed. Now that it was determined she would be accompanying Willow to New Orleans for a new start, she was eager for the new chapter in her life to begin. She knew that Willow had been planning to leave the following day, but she didn't want to wait half the afternoon before they could go.

"How early is early?" Willow asked, looking up from her book and giving Faith a look.

The dark haired slayer shrugged, her expression growing thoughtful, as she asked innocently, "Midnight is considered tomorrow, isn't it?"

"Faith!" Willow laughed, shaking her head. "We aren't leaving at midnight. I had figured that I'd get up and load the car, say the final good-byes and take off by early afternoon."

"You already told them good-bye," Faith reminded, not really liking the idea of facing Buffy and the others before leaving. She was excited to be going to a new city with Willow and even Lorne, having built up a pretty good friendship with the lively demon since getting out of jail, but seeing Buffy and the others would definitely dampen that excitement. The bottled blonde slayer always seemed to know the perfect look or words to make Faith feel like something on the bottom of her shoe, as if she weren't good enough to be associating with Buffy's people, as if they were the ones doing the favor by allowing Faith to be with them and saving their asses. Even now, she could feel the beginnings of doubts and guilt and she hadn't even seen Bitchy.

"I know, but I don't really think they realized that I was actually leaving so soon," Willow said with a frown. "It was more like they thought I was just talking, not really listening. They probably think I'm not brave enough to leave here, to leave them, to start over."

"You're the bravest person that I know," Faith said sincerely, having been completely blown away by the redhead. She'd always respected Willow, from the first time they met, and had been envious of the redhead's complete trust and devotion to Buffy. In fact, said slayer wouldn't even be here if not for the witch's determination and power. It really pissed her off, more so than their hatred towards her. She knew she deserved it, didn't really give a flying fuck what the little goody goodies thought of her. Willow didn't deserve it, though. True, the girl had given in to dark magic, but there had been extenuating circumstances certainly. Okay, so Faith was glad that Xander had gotten through to Willow before the world had ended, but she just knew that Buffy and the others had been partially to blame for Willow's downfall. She didn't know how or why, but she knew that Willow would never have reacted that way if she'd had a strong group of friends to support her. If Faith had her way, Willow would never again doubt having such unwavering support.

"You're not too bad yourself," Willow said with a small smile as she watched the thoughts flicker over the slayer's pretty face. With a sigh, she realized that she really had no desire to see Buffy or Xander before she really left. She'd told them good-bye earlier that day, when she had mentioned that she was leaving Sunnydale. They hadn't seemed to care. If anything, they'd looked a bit relieved. Her decision made, she said, "I'll find Gunn and Lorne and see if they can be ready at dawn. Is that early enough?"

"Really?" Faith rolled her head to look at Willow, a large smile on her face. "We don't have to see Bitchy and the others before we go?"

"No, we don't have to see *Buffy* and the others before we leave," Willow said with a smile. "I told her that I'd get in touch once I got settled, so I don't think there's all that much left to be said between us. I'll leave her a note, just in case, but I'm ready to go."

"So am I," Faith said, her duffle bag having never been unpacked. "What's Lorne gonna do about his stuff? It's all at the hotel back in LA."

"He said he'd make arrangements. I don't really know what he plans," Willow said with a shrug. "I'm still rather surprised that he wants to go with us."

"I'm not," Faith laughed. "That place is such a downer, and it's been draining him. He needs to get himself a club and get back to doing what he loves: entertaining. He seemed happier tonight that I've seen him."

"He did seem pretty enthusiastic," Willow laughed as she got to her feet. "I'll go find the guys and let them know about the plan."

"I think I'll go see Giles, let him know what I'm doing," Faith decided as she, too, stood. "He's the only one I really care about telling."

"Tell him I'll call him when we get to New Orleans," Willow said, having promised the man that was so much like a father that she would stay in touch. He was the only one that had seemed too upset at the idea of her leaving, but he, more than anyone, could understand.

"Will do," Faith said, grabbing her coat before walking out of the room.

Willow followed her, going downstairs to locate Gunn and Lorne. She hoped they were as eager to leave as she was.

********************

"So you'll send everything to me once we're settled?" Lorne asked for the tenth time.

Angel nodded, resisting the urge to roll his eyes, "Yes, Lorne."

"It might be a few weeks before we have a place," Lorne reminded.

"I know," Angel finally gave in, rolling his eyes as he said, "I think I can be trusted to pack up a room and ship it to you, don't you think?"

"It's not trust, Angelcakes," Lorne said with a smile, "I just want to make sure everything is covered before we leave."

Angel stared at the demon that had become one of his best friends, "You're sure this is what you want?"

Lorne nodded, having taken to the idea from the minute he had heard the girls talking in their room. New Orleans was a good place for a fresh start. One of the few cities where his kind could walk openly on the streets without anyone batting an eye. True, most tourists assumed there were costumes and such, but the locals accepted the supernatural with an ease that always surprised him. To answer Angel, he said, "I am definitely sure, honeybun. Sure you won't come with?"

"No," Angel smiled fleetingly before continuing, "I really can't, but thanks for the offer. I got my new start a few years ago, remember?"

"Well, if you ever change your mind, you're always welcome," Lorne said with a fond smile at the attractive vampire. "I think things in LA should finally calm down for you. Probably bore you to tears now that W & H is gone."

"Calm is good, I guess," Angel said. "So, Gunn is driving you guys?"

"We both know why," Lorne replied with an arched brow. He had always liked Fred, that is until he had learned that she had been lying to Gunn and sneaking behind his back with Wesley. Oh, sure, she hadn't meant to hurt anyone, but it had taken a lot for Gunn to trust her in the first place, now the handsome youth was shutting everyone out, closed up tighter than a virgin on her wedding night. Yet another reason he was thrilled not to be going back to the drama of LA.

"Maybe it will do him so good," Angel decided. "Give him some time to think. It's a pretty long drive there and back."

"Hmm," Lorne agreed, looking at Angel. "And how are things between you and Cordy?"

"There's nothing between me and Cordy," Angel said with a shrug. "Maybe there was at one time, but there's not even a friendship anymore. I'll always care about her, but I'm glad she's not coming back with us."

"She was never the right one for you, anyway," Lorne declared. "So, you're going to pack up my room and ship it to me when I call, right?"

"Lorne, if you don't quit asking me that, I'll kill you before you can even go!" Angel said, his eyes flashing yellow as he glared at the laughing demon.

"Oooh, someone's letting their demon out to play," Lorne said with a knowing chuckle. He'd watched Angel after Willow had restored his soul again, seen the slight changes. He'd never said a word, but he could see that the soul seemed to have merged with the demon this time around, sharing the body instead of fighting over it. It had been a definite improvement in his eyes.

"Drop it," Angel said, not at all wanting to discuss the fact that he was more like Angelus now than since he had first been souled. He didn't really understand it, was still trying to get used to it, and hadn't even had time to analyze why it felt good to be so like his old self. It hadn't been easy trying to ignore the presence of his demon, especially considering the trials he had gone through lately. First, Cordelia and Connor. Then, watching Fred hurt Gunn, and seeing Buffy again. The worst had been seeing Spike, ignoring his demon's desire and his soul's empathy for his grandchilde. He thought, for an instant when Spike had first looked at him, that the blue eyed vampire had seen it...had seen the demon joined with his soul....but Spike hadn't said a word, just fought the fight and then left without even saying good-bye. It had been a tough year over all. He was more than ready to get back to the hotel and simply enjoy being alone.

"Being dropped, sweetcakes," Lorne said with an easy smile.

"Lorne?" a soft voice spoke from the doorway, causing both demons to look up and stare at the beautiful redhead bathed in the glow of false light from the hallway.

"Right here, Dumpling," Lorne said, leaning over to flip on the lamp switch.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Willow asked with an apologetic smile. "I thought I heard voices.

"It's okay, Willow. We were talking about the move," Angel said, his dark eyes moving over the beauty that the shy redhead had become.

"Oh, that's why I'm here, actually," Willow gave him a smile before looking at Lorne. "We're going to be leaving shortly after dawn, if that's okay? Faith and I are both ready to just go."

"I'll be ready," Lorne said, winking as he added, "I'm going to be the most envied man in New Orleans, living with two such beautiful and powerful woman."

"You're impossible," Willow laughed as she rolled her eyes, her face flushing slightly at his compliment, "Do you know where Gunn is? I need to let him know when we're leaving and that we're having company."

"He was outside last time I looked, on the porch," Angel smiled as he saw her blush, deciding that she might seem more confident and powerful but underneath there were still lovely traces of the old Willow that he had known.

"Thanks, Angel," Willow's eyes widened as she said, "Oh my God! I forgot to tell you good-bye." She moved into the room, going to where he was sitting on the sofa and hugged him tightly, surprising him. She felt his arms go around her in an awkward embrace. "Take care of yourself, Angelus," she whispered, feeling his arms tighten at her use of his full name, confirming her suspicions that the spell she had performed had been completely successful. She'd been bad, not doing the original soul restoration. She'd made some changes, her knowledge of magic far more advanced now than back in high school. She had wanted to do something good with the power and knowledge that she possessed, deciding that she would find the spell needed to fix Angel so that he never had to worry about losing control again. If she couldn't use her magic to help her friends, what good did it do her? It had taken some time, but she'd finally found something that satisfied her wishes. She had merged his soul and his demon, taken away that stupid clause, made it where the demon would never again completely take over, having to instead share with the soul. She'd known she would be leaving and hadn't wanted to have the threat of Angel losing his soul ever again. She was glad that it had worked, making it easier to leave knowing that he would finally be able to be happy.

"You did it," Angel said softly, his eyes looking at her wonder and admiration, pulling back to look into her green eyes. "Thank you, Willow. I hope you find happiness. Take care of yourself, and the others."

"Don't thank me, Angel. You're my friend and I just want you to be happy. I promise that I'll take care of them. Be happy," Willow smiled, brushing a kiss over his forehead. "Just be happy. I'm gonna go find Gunn now. I'll see you in the morning, Lorne."

"Sweet dreams, sugar bun," Lorne replied as she left the room, shutting the door behind her. With a smile, Lorne turned the light back off and laid down. He needed to be well rested for the upcoming car trip.

********************

"Hey there, big guy," Willow said as she moved to sit beside Gunn. She felt the tree behind her as she sat back.

"Red," Gunn flashed her a quick smile. "What brings you out here this late?"

"You," Willow smiled. "I was looking for you to let you know there's been a slight change in plans."

"You're not going?" he asked worriedly. He had been looking forward to driving the redhead to New Orleans since she had mentioned the trip to him earlier. He'd volunteered to drive, wanting the time to think before he had to go back to LA and face Fred and Wesley. He was still angry and hurt and knew he might say or do something he'd regret if he faced them too soon. As it was, he hadn't discovered Fred's betrayal until they were well into the preparations for the battle against the First, so he hadn't really had time to react until after everything was finished. Now, he still wasn't sure how to react. He'd jumped at the opening when he had heard Willow talking about moving away and starting over. When he'd asked her and she'd mentioned New Orleans, it had seemed far enough away to give him time to think. She had seemed pretty determined to leave when they had been talking earlier, seemed happy about it though a bit scared.

"Oh, no. I'm going. It's just, we're having some company," Willow laughed softly as she saw the relief enter his brown eyes.

"Company?" he asked with surprise.

"Faith and Lorne have decided to move with me," Willow smiled. "They both want to start over and thought it would be easier if we all started over together. Is that going to be a problem? I mean, it's your car and I wanted to check and see if it would be okay."

"It's fine, Red," Gunn said, adding, "just as long as Lorne doesn't get to control the radio. I am not driving thousands of miles listening to Judy Garland and show tunes."

"Okay, I'll let him know," Willow smiled, glad that he didn't seem upset that they were having two more passengers. Of course, she knew he just wanted time away from LA, so it probably didn't matter to him at all. "We're going to leave at dawn, if that's cool?"

"The sooner, the better," he sighed. "I filled up the car earlier, so it should be good for a few hundred miles at least."

"Thanks for driving us, Gunn," Willow said as she got to her feet. She had everything packed and knew she should try to get some sleep before their trip. It was going to be difficult to sleep though. She was excited and a bit scared and uncertain of what was to come, but things looked so much better now that she wouldn't be facing it all alone.

********************

"That's the last of it," Gunn said as he shut the trunk of his car, breathing a sigh of relief that it actually would shut. There had been a couple of tense minutes when he wasn't sure if everything was going to fit. He'd only had the car for a couple of months, having traded in his truck when it became obvious that the poor thing didn't have much life left in it. He'd had enough money saved to put the trade in amount to buy the dark blue Mustang that was about to take them halfway across the country. It was a used car, but seemed to be in good shape so he wasn't too worried about the trip. He wasn't stupid enough to buy a car without checking it out thoroughly before paying. Luckily, the trunk was a pretty good size. Willow had three bags and two boxes as well as her laptop, while he, Faith and Lorne only had a duffle bag each. He glanced at the demon and slayer, still finding it surprising that they were both ready to just up and move at such short notice. While he himself had entertained the very same idea, he'd decided that LA was his home. He welcomed the week or so of free time, though.

"It all fit?" Willow looked at him with amazement. "You're good!"

He laughed, "We really didn't have all that much, Red."

"Kinda sad, really," Willow made a face, "my entire life fit into two boxes and three bags."

"Please," Faith snorted coming up behind the redhead, "you have tons of stuff at your parents' house."

"It won't be my parents' house for long," Willow reminded, having spoken to her parents about her move, listening as they mentioned their desire to just sell the house in Sunnydale. She'd had all of her stuff boxed up already, having completed that chore when she had first moved in with Buffy, thinking that she would eventually move it all to her new place. She hadn't, instead leaving it in her empty room at her childhood home. Her parents said they would keep everything in storage for her, taking it with them to their new home in Seattle, where they had been renting a house for the last two years while her Dad lectured at several universities in the area. Eventually, she might find room for her stuff, but, for now, it wasn't anything all that important to her. She had her favorite mementos in one of the boxes now resting in Gunn's trunk. Photos, yearbooks, silly stuff that reminded her of both Pre-Buffy and Post-Buffy times.

"I bet they're thrilled they can finally sell the place," Faith remarked, knowing that Willow's parents had only kept the house for their daughter's use, not seeming to realize she hadn't lived there since starting college.

"Okay, we can go now," Lorne said as he joined them in the driveway. In his left hand, he held a cup of hot coffee. "I'm starting to wake up."

"We told you early," Willow said with a smile.

He glared at her, "Cupcake, I didn't realize after dawn meant three in the morning!"

"Well, I can see that someone is a grumpy guss in the morning," Willow laughed, moving away from him as he playfully tried to smack her arm.

"Can't you kids keep it down? Some people are trying to sleep," an amused voice spoke from the doorway.

"I wouldn't classify you as people, Fang," Faith said with a smirk.

"Oh, big words from the slayer. Three syllables, I am impressed," Angel said with a slight narrowing of his eyes as he looked at her.

"Talk about us being kids," Willow said with a slight smile. "Angel, you didn't have to get up to see us off."

"We're friends. That's what friends do," he reminded as his expression softened. "You have everything you need?"

"All packed and ready to go," Gunn said as he moved to the driver's side of the car. "I should be back in a couple of weeks. Don't save the world without me or anything."

"I sincerely hope there will be no need for world saving for a few more years at least," Angel said with a smile. "Take your time, Gunn. Things will be fine."

"I'll call you when I'm ready for all my stuff to be sent," Lorne said before he covered up a yawn. "I'm so not a morning person!"

"Whine, whine, whine," Angel said with a wink at Willow. Turning serious, he said, "You guys be careful. New Orleans isn't anything like Sunnydale, but it can still be dangerous. If you ever need anything, you've got my number."

"Thanks, Angel," Willow moved to hug the vampire, whispering, "we'll keep in touch."

"Be happy, Willow," he said giving her forehead a brief kiss just as she had given him earlier.

"Take care, Sweetcheeks," Lorne said with a smile and a wink before he said, "Shotgun!" and scrambled into the front seat of Gunn's car without spilling his coffee.

Faith rolled her eyes at Lorne's antics, then looked at the dark haired vampire that had become a mentor of sorts on her road to redemption. He was the only one she'd miss, she realized with a start. She wasn't the huggy type, though, so she just shot him a cocky smile and said, "Don't miss me too much."

"Good luck, Faith," Angel said quietly, moving to pull the surprised girl into his arms. He hugged her tightly before letting her go, "Keep them safe."

"I will," she whispered before a wicked smile crossed her face, "you know, Fang, there's this wonderful thing called color. You really should think about looking into it."

"Brat," Angel rolled his eyes as she laughed, winking at him before she joined Willow in the back seat of the car. He lifted his hand and returned their wave as he watched the car leave the driveway, watching it until it disappeared down the street. Looking back at Buffy's house, he made a face as he decided that tomorrow, he'd go home. It was time.

********************

The lid of the ice chest fell back into place. A light illuminated the car as the door opened and the blond man stepped into the crisp night air. Spike looked at the convenience store, making a face as he slipped the bag of blood into his pocket. He was in Arizona, Flagstaff to be exact. He'd seen the sign when he had pulled off the freeway, his hunger forcing him to stop. He hated this, his blue eyes flashing as he kicked at the sidewalk before entering the brightly lit store. The clerk didn't even look at him, the man's attention on the magazine he was flipping through. One thing you could always count on, Spike had to smile, third shift clerks never paid attention to anything. In the old days, he could have attacked the guy and been feasting on a nice, warm meal. Good old days, he sighed, instead moving to the back of the store where the microwave was set up.

He tossed the bag of blood into the microwave, turning it on as he leaned back to wait for it to heat. He had always assumed that, once the chip was removed, that he would be back to normal. He'd be the big bad once again. Of course, that had been before he had stupidly gone and gotten himself obsessed with Buffy, before he had gone through days of torture only to find himself cursed with a soul, before he had had nearly a year to realize that Buffy would never accept him no matter what, that she had been using him the entire time he had convinced himself that they might have a future together. As soon as they had defeated the first, he'd been gone. He knew it would have been pointless to stay. He was over Buffy, past the strong emotions that had drawn him to her in the first place, knew that it would be wise to leave.

So here he was. Driving around with no idea where he was headed sans implant but with a damn annoying soul to remind him constantly that he was a demon and monster. The few shags he'd had with Buffy hadn't been anywhere near good enough for his eternal life sentence of having a soul. He'd been a bloody idiot, but there was no use thinking about it now. What's done was done. No way to lose the soul. Didn't have a nifty little clause like Peaches. He could shag a billion women and find that moment of happiness with every single one and he'd still have the soul. And he couldn't blame anyone but himself. That really pissed him off. He had been responsible, his fault. Now, he was stuck with it forever.

He guessed it really wasn't all that bad. His interest in torturing and killing humans had been fading even before the soul. The implant had seen to that. Hurting humans equaled pain. Besides, it wasn't all that much fun anymore. They were weak and pathetic and didn't put up a good fight. Now, fighting demons was a different story. Kept him on his toes, was a right fine challenge, meant a bit more when he defeated them. He could feel proud killing some demon that had nearly kicked his ass. Soul didn't really change that view. He'd been lucky, he guessed. Hadn't had any of those sniveling moments like Angelus, creeping around in alleys and feeding on rats. No, he'd gone a bit crazy there for a few months, but it hadn't been his fault. He was over that, over Buffy, over Sunnydale. He was still haunted by visions of things he had done in the past, but he didn't give them much thought. Couldn't really change anything, so why bother worrying about it? He'd just cause himself to brood constantly like his grandsire, and he had no intention of becoming like that wanker.

He heard the microwave beeping, drawing him from his thoughts as he removed the bag of blood. He frowned as he realized tat he didn't have many more bags left in the car. His supply had gotten him through the last week on the road, but soon he was going to have to restock. He slipped the warm bag of blood into his pocket, grabbing a bottle of water and a bag of chips on his way to the front. He tossed three dollar bills on the counter, not waiting for his change. Once he was seated, he poured out the water, draining the bag into the now empty bottle. Taking a sip, he leaned his head back against the car seat. He ran his hand through his hair, not able to see that the bleach was fading from the strands, leaving his normal color of blondish brown, or, as Drusilla had once called it, dirty hay. His attention had been elsewhere over the last few months, not having time to think about dying his hair. He knew it must be looking pretty bad, but soon the bleach would be gone and then he might get it cut. It was getting kind of long, his fingers brushing through the slight length. No more bleaching, though. That part of his past was dead, the only concession he was making to the soul.

He turned on the car, deciding to head down to Tucson. He knew some demons there that could give him some blood. Maybe he'd stay awhile. It wasn't like he knew where he was going. He kept driving, thinking that he'd know where he was heading once he got there. He'd headed west because he hated the weather up north. He wasn't going to the East, hating the weather there too. He wanted somewhere warm, thinking that if Tucson wasn't the right place to stay, he'd head south, maybe go into Texas. He knew that there had to be somewhere for him to call him home. He just hadn't found it yet. He'd just keep driving, keep looking, have to find it eventually. He turned on the radio as he merged onto the interstate, the loud music filling the silence of his car. He really hated being alone, he decided as he sighed, turning the music up even more.

********************

Gunn tightened his hands on the steering wheel, letting out his breath slowly as he grimaced at the road ahead of him. They'd been on the road for half the day, and he'd kept silent for most of the time, listening to the chatter of the other three passengers. Lorne had been telling funny stories, doing his best to keep everyone entertained. He didn't know why he had ever thought that this would be a nice, silent trip in which he could spend some quality time reflecting and thinking. Quiet didn't seem to be in Lorne's vocabulary. Gunn didn't really mind, thankful for the opportunity to laugh and just enjoy hanging out with people he considered friends. Now, though, things had gone too far. He looked in the rearview mirror, his brown eyes catching apologetic green ones.

Willow saw Gunn look at her and tried to smile without laughing. It was difficult. She'd spent the last few hours laughing so much she thought she might pee her pants. Lorne was a fantastic story teller, seeming to know just the right things to entertain them. She could see why he had been such a successful club owner. He could make anyone a part of his life with a wink and a laugh. She knew that life with him would always be an experience. A fun one at that. She watched him move his head, his hands joining his dance and waited for Gunn's inevitable explosion.

"And all...that....jazz," Lorne sang along with the CD, having put in the soundtrack for Chicago just a few minutes before.

"Enough," Gunn said, hitting eject. "Red, I said no show tunes!"

"You ejected my CD," Lorne said, glaring at the black youth as he went to push it back in.

"I'm with Chuck on this one," Faith said, laughing as Gunn turned to glare at her use of the nickname he so loathed. "No offense Lorne, but c'mon."

"I've had to sit and listen to his horrible music for hours," Lorna protested, "If I have to hear one more song about drugs or hoods or gangstas, I'm going to scream. I've earned some show tunes."

"Hey, guys," Willow spoke up, "we have several more days in this car. If we're already fighting over something as stupid as the radio, we'll never make it to New Orleans."

"Willow's right," Faith said. "Why don't we agree to listen to something we all like?"

Gunn snorted, "Yeah, like we could all agree on one thing."

"Try the radio," Willow said, leaning over to switch through stations. She flipped through several before hearing the opening riff of Stairway to Heaven. She glanced at Gunn, watching as his fingers began to hit the steering wheel with the tune. She looked at Lorne and saw him smile in approvement. Relieved, she sat back as everyone began to sing along to the well known song.

"Crisis number one averted," Faith whispered to the redhead, wondering just how many more they'd face before arriving in New Orleans. "Well done."

"I have a gift, what can I say?" Willow whispered back accompanied with a modest smile. "Besides, if they'd kept fighting, I'd have just threatened to turn them into lizards until they agreed to get along."

"Where do you think we'll be tonight?" Faith asked as she watched Gunn and Lorne join into a duet for the main chorus of the classic rock song.

"Somewhere in Arizona, I hope," Willow said. "I'd like to make it to New Orleans in a couple more days."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Faith decided, "we're not planning on stopping except to eat, get gas, and sleep."

"I don't want Gunn to get too tired though. That's a lot of driving," Willow said. "I asked him if he wanted me to drive, but he's a bit possessive about his car."

"Probably named it and everything," Faith said as she rolled her eyes. "You know how weird guys get about their cars."

"I think this song is never-ending," Willow said as the song seemed to endlessly play. She liked it, but good grief. Enough already.

"It's almost over," Lorne said with a large smile. It wasn't Chicago, but it was still fun.

"I love this song!" Faith said as Stairway to Heaven faded and the beginning of American Pie started. "Turn it up!"

"Will do, sweetness," Lorne said as he turned up the volume as all four of them began to sing along as the car continued on its journey west.

********************

"He's looking at me!"

"She's touching me!"

"Am not!"

"Are too."

"Am not. Lying demon bastard!"

"Are too. See? Look. Your leg touched mine!"

"It's just because you take up too much room!"

"I'm on my half. You're on my half. It's not fair! Willow, she hit me!"

"I can't sit back here with him! He's looking at me!"

Willow rolled her eyes as she turned around in the front seat to glare at Faith and Lorne, "Would you two try to act like the mature adults you're supposed to be?"

"Yeah, or I'm gonna stop the car and let loose some whup ass on you two," Gunn threatened, having listened to the bickering between the demon and slayer for the last fifty miles at least. He was starting to really regret his offer to drive them.

"Ooooh...ghetto-boy is making threats. Whatcha gonna do, Chuck?" Faith taunted with a smile. She was going insane. It had been three days stuck in this small car. She was itching for a fight, wanting nothing more than to kick some ass. She had forgotten how much she hated being confined to a small space. She had been okay the first day, excited to be leaving and thrilled at the idea of starting over in a place that didn't know her past. Now, though, she just wanted to move. Thankfully, it wouldn't be much longer. They were nearing the border of Texas, hopefully going to be in New Orleans sometime tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow night, she could patrol. She was thrilled at the idea. Until then, she was stuck in this small back seat with Lorne's tall frame taking up half the room. She started to kick her foot against the back of Gunn's seat when he failed to rise to her challenge, muttering instead something about being surrounded by idiots.

"Gunn, why don't we stop somewhere and stretch?" Willow suggested as she saw how restless Faith was becoming. Poor slayer couldn't sit still. She could understand. It had been hours of endless driving, only briefing stopping for food or gas. She was sick of motel rooms, missing her comfortable old bed, and she knew they had who knew how many more nights in one once they reached New Orleans and started searching for a house. That should be fun. Lorne was buying the house, and, being one of the pickiest people she had ever met, he would probably look at every single vacancy in the entire city limits before deciding on a property. Then, they'd have to buy furniture and look for a club, find jobs, and, goodness she hadn't realized just how much work went into starting over. So much to do.

"Sure, Red," Gunn said tightly, wishing like hell that Faith would quit kicking his seat. He wondered just how difficult it would be to kill a slayer. Could it be considered self defense in view of her attempts to drive him crazy?

With a large smile, Faith sat back knowing they would be stopping soon and she could get out and move around a bit. With a smirk, she asked, "Are we there yet?"

********************

They had stopped in Beaumont, Texas, a city outside of Houston close to the Louisiana border. By tomorrow afternoon, they'd be in New Orleans. Faith glanced at the closed bathroom door, stretching as she waited for Willow. She and the redhead were going for a walk. She really hoped she'd spot a vampire or something, having gone three days without doing a proper patrol and was starting to feel a bit antsy. During her years in jail, she had missed her patrols. Hated being confined to a small cell, the car having begun to remind her of those years behind bars a little too much. She liked freedom, liked fighting, liked being a slayer.

"Okay, you ready for that walk?" Willow asked as she joined her friend.

"Yep," Faith nodded.

"Maybe you can get rid of some of that energy," Willow laughed as she followed the slayer outside.

"Tomorrow, you can ride in the back with me," Faith said, her eyes scouting their surroundings as they started to walk away from the motel. "You don't take up as much room as Lorne."

"Fine, I'll ride in the back," Willow said, her eyes moving to the dark room that Gunn was sharing with Lorne. "The guys are asleep."

"Good. Maybe Gunn won't be so crabby tomorrow," Faith said with a smile.

"If you and Lorne are nice, I'm sure Gunn will be in the best of moods," Willow said sweetly, knowing that her new friend enjoyed playing around with Faith and Lorne, but she could also see that the drive hadn't seemed to do him much good. Poor Gunn.

"I'm always nice, Red," Faith said with a wink, "want me to show you how nice I can be?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm just too tired," Willow laughed as Faith flirted with her. Truth be told, she almost wished the slayer were serious. It had been so long since she had touched someone, since someone had touched her. She sighed as she thought of Tara, still feeling sadness over the loss of her lover, but it wasn't the consuming grief that it had once been. She was ready to move on, had taken a few tentative steps with Kennedy before realizing that it just wouldn't work between them. She missed being loved. Faith was attractive and sex with her would probably be wild and hot and exciting, but Willow had too much on her plate at the moment to deal with passionate sex with one of her best friends. Talk about complicating things. Nope, there could be flirting and friendship, but nothing else. She wouldn't say never, because who knew what the future might hold, but it wouldn't be happening anytime in the immediate future, that was for certain.

"Well, at least you didn't say you had a headache," Faith said with a smile as her eyes moved over the redhead. She knew that Willow thought she was joking, just being a flirt. Yeah, sure she was flirting, but she was far from joking. She'd had a crush on the shy redhead when she had first arrived in Sunnydale, had almost acted on the crush when she had switched bodies with Buffy and realized Willow was into girls, was now starting to feel a variety of emotions for the gorgeous witch starting with lust and ending with a love that calmed her. Of course, who wouldn't love Willow? Willow was very love worthy. And, she appeared to consider Faith a friend and not a potential lover. Faith was cool with that. Having a best friend was better than having a lover. Of course, having a best friend that was also a lover would be the best of both worlds, and Faith was never one to settle for less than the best. Not yet, though. Too much happening to try to change their relationship at the moment. Maybe after they got moved in and things settled down. Until then, she'd continue flirting, let Red know she was really interested in moving their friendship to a more physical level, especially one that included nakedness and moaning and screaming in pleasure. And if nothing came of it, well, she'd still have a best friend that she'd do anything for. No harm done either way as far as she could see it.

"You're too much," Willow had to giggle at the pout that Faith shot her way, taking the other girl's arm and hooking it with hers. "I'm hungry. Let's see if we can find something to eat."

"With milk shakes," Faith added as the two girls headed to the 24 Hour Diner that was just down from their motel.

********************

Tucson was hot. Even in the wee hours of the morning, there was a warmth in the air. According to his sources, it was an unusually hot summer. Just his luck, Spike thought as he made a face as he nursed his drink. He'd wanted somewhere warm so he really shouldn't be complaining. It was just, Tucson wasn't right either. He'd been there for two days, meeting up with some Kyiera demons that he'd met at Woodstock. They freaked him out a bit, but they were harmless. Hippy demons. Wouldn't the little Scooby gang find them amusing? His lips twisted into a scowl as he thought of Sunnydale. Surprisingly, there was no overwhelming desire to run back. Instead, it was a flash of nostalgia at thinking about the strange group that had become his companions at worse, friends at best. No, not friends. Except Niblet and Red.

He'd consider them his friends. Only two he would have spared if he'd lost the chip without having the lovely accessory of a soul. He'd never have hurt Niblet, and Red, well, he'd had plans for the beautiful witch at one time. His eyes flashed as he remembered how close he had gotten to realizing those plans, his mouth on her neck, her heart beating in fear and anticipation, the soft scent of arousal surrounding her as his lips had brushed against her throat right before he had doubled over in pain as the stupid implant had prevented him from making his first childe. He'd watched her, though, even during the height of his dizzying passion for the slayer, he'd watched his witch. Wished he had been there to see her kick Bitchy's ass, glad that she had been prevented from ending the world but hating that he hadn't witnessed the delicious darkness and pure evil that had possessed her. He'd always sensed the power, never imagined she would use it for revenge and destruction. She'd been the purest one, the light in that hell that was Sunnydale. Still was, despite having the blood of a human on her hands. Powerful and strong and bloody beautiful.

He'd watched how the others treated her, all except the watcher. Even Niblet had seemed hesitant around Red, scared of the witch. Stupid people had no idea what it took for her to accept what she had done and deal with it. She didn't even have a demon to help her, didn't appear to have much support from her so called friends. When he had left, she had turned the power into something good, using it the way it had been meant to be used before tragedy had entered her life. A part of him would have loved to see her consumed by the darkness, but another part was glad that she had tasted it and found it unpleasant. He shook his head, frowning at the direction of his thoughts. Stupid soul, always made him think about things he'd rather not think about. Haunted his dreams with visions from his past, of the things he had done, of the torture and death, faces of victims that he'd forgotten, of his time with Angelus and Drusilla, of his time in Sunnydale.

He took another drink, deciding that too much thinking about the past might turn him into Angel, and that was definitely not high on his list of things to become. A brooding, whiny, guilt ridden, tortured, unhappy pain in the ass. Nope, didn't matter if he were cursed with a dozen souls, Spike wasn't going to let it control his life and his actions. Okay, so he wasn't likely to go out and slaughter any innocents for kicks, but he didn't have to listen to the soul to prevent himself from this behavior. That had lost its appeal years ago. Took more control to not give in to the demon completely than it did to kill a bunch of weak humans. He liked the game, the hunt, the thrill of winning, the challenge of it all. Angelus had taught him control, had taught him more than he cared to remember. The thirst would always be there, the need for blood part of being a vampire, but the senseless killing was just that: senseless. Would he ever admit that to anyone? Not bloody likely. Let them all believe him to be the monster they imagined. Never hurt to have a reputation, something else Angelus had taught him all those years ago. With the right reputation, you had it made. He was starting to get his reputation back, word out that he no longer had the implant, that he'd been fighting demons for the last few years. Ironically, they seemed more scared of him now that he had become some sort of souled demon hunter than they had been when he'd tortured and killed humans for fun. He liked seeing fear in their eyes, soul or not.

He finished his drink, getting to his feet as he tossed money on the bar, nodding at the demon behind it as he headed outside. He was staying with his friends, not having to sleep in the car or rent a room. He was having money wired to him the following evening, getting enough to get through a week of driving. The Sunnydale Scoobies would be shocked if they knew he had enough money in his accounts to live comfortably for a century or two. Yet another lesson from Angelus. His grandsire had set up the account for him after his initial turning, the elder vampire stressing that it was important to have the means to survive comfortably because you never knew what the next night might bring. Angelus had gotten off on that, teaching him everything, becoming his sire in every way that mattered, feeding, shagging, fighting. Not liking his thoughts heading in that particular direction, the blond vampire moved them back to his bank account. Spike usually lived off money he made either by selling trinkets he'd get off his victims or pick up at their homes, but, through the years, he'd always deposit what he didn't need at the time, never knowing if one day he might need it. As it was, he was finally using some of it. He entered the apartment where he was staying, falling onto the couch as he covered his eyes with his arm. After he got his money, he'd leave. Maybe go to San Antonio. His decision made, he drifted off to sleep.

********************

"Woo hoo!" Faith exclaimed when she saw the highway sign announcing New Orleans. "We're going to be there in time for lunch."

"You can't possibly be hungry," Willow stared at the slim slayer, "you ate three pancakes, bacon, and eggs only a few hours ago!"

"What can I say? I'm a growing girl," Faith said with a smile. "I'm making up for years of jail food. Give me a break!"

"We should be in the city within the hour," Lorne said, "but we need to decide where to look for a room."

"What do you mean, where to look?" Gunn asked as he glared at the car in front of him that was barely going sixty miles an hour. He turned on his signal, easily passing the car before moving back into the right lane.

"Well, do we want a cozy little bed and breakfast in the Quarter or something a little more formal or a motor lodge near the airport?" Lorne asked. "It's summer, so it won't be very difficult to find a room wherever you want."

"What's the cheapest?" Willow asked as she leaned her chin on the seat in front of her. "We can't afford some fancy place. We'll be staying there until we find a new house, which could be weeks."

"I see your point," Lorne said, growing thoughtful. "That could be quite expensive when it is all said and done. Maybe something with weekly rates."

"Uh, guys," Faith interrupted, giving Willow and Lorne a look, "haven't you forgotten something?"

"What?" Willow looked at her friend curiously.

"Lorne! We need to find somewhere that he could stay without people thinking it's a bit weird he's a big, green demon," Faith laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Right," Lorne said, nodding. "Quarter it is."

"You're serious when you say you'll be able to prance around this city without anyone even noticing?" Gunn glanced at Lorne, still finding it a bit hard to believe. He wasn't calling the demon a liar, but what kind of city was it if a six foot green guy could walk around freely without anyone being scared or shocked?

"Sugarlumps, we're talking about the French Quarter, New Orleans. They'll either think I'm wearing a great costume or they'll know I'm a demon," Lorne said. "It's part of the reason I love the city. You don't have to hide what you are to be accepted."

"Sounds wonderful," Willow said with a sigh. She remembered being accepted, having her friends trust her and care about her. She gave Faith a smile, knowing that her new friend was as eager as she was to start a new life. It didn't really seem possible to think they there were nearly there.

"I think we're going to fit right in," Faith declared, liking Lorne's description of what would soon be their new home.

"When we reach the city, I'll make some calls," Lorne decided with a smile. "Time to use those contacts I mentioned. I'll find us somewhere to stay. Just leave everything to me."

********************

Willow looked around the room and smiled. Lorne had pulled through and then some. They'd reached the city limits of New Orleans not an hour ago. He'd immediately been on his cell phone, making calls. It had taken three before he had located Markine, a Lorius demon that happened to run a quaint little hotel on the edge of the French Quarter. She had rooms empty and had insisted they stay with her until they found a new home. The hotel was beautiful, having a calm feel to it. Balconies overlooked the peaceful courtyard. Willow was sharing a room with Faith, having decided to take up as few rooms as possible. After they finished unpacking, they were to meet Markine in the lobby for her to take them out to lunch.

Lorne hadn't been exaggerating about this town. They'd been passed by several people when they had first arrived and been unloading the car. Lorne hadn't even warranted a second look from most of them, earning a "Cool mask, dude," from a group of three boys. This had been a good choice, Willow decided. Here, they could start over and be happy. Not that she wasn't happy in Sunnydale. Okay, so she hadn't been happy for months, but it hadn't been a total hell. Buffy and the others had tried, she could give them that. It just hadn't been home anymore. Everywhere she looked, she saw her past. The good and the bad. Here, everything was new. It was a blank canvas waiting for new memories to be made.

"After we eat lunch, you want to go exploring?" Faith asked the thoughtful redhead as she moved to lay on her bed. She bounced, a smile crossing her face. "Wow...the bed actually moves. The last few nights, it felt like we were sleeping on wood!"

"I know! Those motel beds were horrible," Willow said, before answering Faith, "Sure, we can go exploring. Lorne said he was going to meet with some of his friends and see if there was any good real estate available. He seems so excited about opening another club."

"I like this hotel and all, but I really hope it doesn't take long to find our own place," Faith admitted as she sat up, her hand pushing her hair away from her face.

"I understand," Willow agreed. "A new home, find a job, meet some new people, help Lorne with the club, help you with patrol."

"A job," Faith made a face, "I guess we do have to find jobs. Where am I supposed to work, Red? I have a record and all I've ever done is be a slayer. I really wish the council paid us for ruining our lives."

"Your life hasn't been ruined," Willow said with a smile, having to agree with Faith that she wasn't too eager to find a job. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too difficult. She didn't mind the idea of working with Lorne at his new club, but she wanted to bring in some money on her own, rather liked the idea of a part time job to give herself some spending money, as long as it didn't interfere with patrol or the club.

Faith laughed, "I know. I love slaying. Okay, for a few months there, I went a little...."

"Psycho? Evil? Bad?" Willow supplied several adjectives.

"Yeah, those," Faith smiled, "but I got over it. I'm a slayer, I help people. That's my thing. I just wish I got paid buckets of money for doing it!"

"Hey, I might not be a slayer, but I'm a pretty damn powerful witch and you don't hear me complaining about not getting paid for all the times I've saved people and the world," Willow pointed out with amusement, having accepted her natural ability with magic and come to a balance between the power and being good that satisfied her. She was stronger now than she ever had been, knowing that nothing would ever cause her to slip back into the depths of darkness she had embraced so eagerly not a year before. She had hope, something she had lost during that time.

"And would they have sent you that check before or after you tried to end the world?" Faith asked sweetly, glad to see that Willow could talk about what had happened without growing sad and guilty.

"Well, before of course and for the last few months. I think I deserve some sort of reward. And I do think I should have received a plaque for killing Warren," Willow admitted, feeling no guilt at killing the raping murderer. She felt guilt for hurting her friends and for causing them pain, she even felt guilt for losing control like she had because she knew she was stronger than that, but she felt no guilt at all for killing Warren. Wouldn't Buffy be shocked if she knew that?

"Good riddance to him," Faith agreed, having heard about the man Willow had killed. He hadn't been a good guy, had, in fact, been as close to a monster as a human could get. She could understand why Willow wouldn't regret that action. That was the first step in moving past it all. She knew from experience that you never really forgot, but time heals. It also didn't hurt if you spent that time saving people and fighting evil. It didn't make your actions go away, but it helped replace the guilt. Of course, she couldn't really compare herself to Willow in this case. Her victim had been an innocent, while Willow had killed a murdered. On the flip side, her first murder had been an accident while Willow's had been pretty much barbaric torture. Okay, maybe they were even in the past mistakes department.

"You know what? I'm really glad I was unsuccessful at ending the world," Willow said thoughtfully, a small smile crossing her lips as her hands moved across the bed.

"Duh," Faith said, rolling her eyes.

"If I had ended it, we'd never have become friends," Willow continued, ignoring Faith's sarcastic comment.

"That's so sweet," Faith said with a genuine smile at the redhead. Willow thought that their being friends was better than destroying the world.

"And if we hadn't become friends, I couldn't do this," Willow said with an evil laugh as she picked up her pillow and hit Faith with it.

"Oh....the witch thinks she's a contender, does she?" Faith laughed, picking up her pillow, "we'll see about that, little girl," she said as she started to hit Willow back, both girls laughing as they continued their pillow fight.

********************

He was in Austin. Had reached the capital city shortly after dusk, renting a cheap room in a chain motel off the interstate. He wasn't very far from San Antonio, his current destination, but he'd decided to call it a night. He'd driven all the way through the night before, and was ready for a break. After he'd registered for his room, he'd found a nice pub to have a drink. It had been a popular place, crowded with humans on the prowl. It had entertained him, watching them. Had found himself being the object of one chit's attention, her eyes giving him no doubts that he could have had a warm body in his bed had he so much as arched a brow in her direction. He'd been amused by her flirting, returning it for a bit. Then, she'd told him her name. Angel. That had stopped that flirting immediately. He'd scowled at her and turned back to his drink, his mind moving from the pretty flirt to his brooding grandsire.

That had pretty much ruined the evening. Couldn't enjoy a drink at the pub with a bunch of loud humans when his mind was centered on Angelus. He'd paid for his drink and left shortly after, deciding to take a walk and get some air. Turned out to be a good idea. He'd stumbled upon a couple of fledges, college boys it would appear, trying to feast on a frightened woman. He'd knocked her out of the way and let his demon out to play, this being the first time he'd fought since the big battle with the First. It was nice, letting out some of his aggression on the stunned vampires. He'd ignored his souls urging that he should simply stake them and move on, instead having fun with their deaths. Soul or not, he still enjoyed a good fight. Afterwards, as he was walking back to his car, he found himself wondering what the difference was. Between him and Angel. They both had souls, but he hadn't reacted in the same was as his grandsire. Okay, so he'd gone a bit crazy when he had first received it, but that hadn't really been his fault. It had been the First, messing with his head, confusing him, making him see things and hear things that kept him off balance. Once those voices were out of his head, though, he'd adapted.

Was still a bit strange, having a conscience, but it wasn't that much different than before. He liked to think he had been maturing as the decades had passed anyway. Didn't need a damn soul to tell him what was wrong and what was right. So maybe he hadn't cared so much before, but he'd still known the difference. Hell, he'd deliberately done a lot of things because he knew they were bad. Angelus, on the other hand, had received his soul and completely changed. Become a whiny, brooding, miserable Nancy boy. True, there were more signs of the old Angelus around now than ever before, but for decades the vampire had wallowed in pity and guilt. Why? It was just a soul. Didn't really change all that much, in Spike's opinion. Humans had souls and committed evil actions daily. What was the difference? He had decided, after his many hours on he road and endless stream of thoughts concerning what had happened and his past, that he was just stronger than Angelus. Maybe not in physical strength, but in mental strength. He had adapted easily when given time while Angelus had not. It was rather a nice thought, thinking that there was finally something he had done better than the might Angelus. Ironic, in a way, that it had turned out to be adapting to a soul. Of course, Angelus had always claimed part of his soul had remained when he had originally been turned, claimed that was what made him weak by allowing him to care and to love. One reason Spike had earned his nickname in the first place, doing everything he could to contradict the handsome vampire's amused words about him being pathetic and retaining some of his humanity.

He'd proven his grandsire wrong, joining him in murdering sprees across Europe. A frown crossed Spike's face as he remembered those sprees, all the blood and screams....oh, how he'd loved it....playing with Angelus, learning from the dark vampire, sharing a meal and a shag and a spot of torture. Those were the days. He shook his head slightly, not wanting to dwell on the carnage. It hadn't always been like that, sometimes just the two of them hunting quietly, dark eyes watching him, lips twisted into a secret smile that only he got to see, hands on his flesh, shagging in a rented room for hours upon hours, wet lips on his neck and his face and everywhere. Why Darla hated him so much.....Drusilla wasn't a threat. She was an amusement, a childlike beauty that would never give Angelus what he needed, what he craved. He, on the other hand, was an equal. Darla had done everything possible to keep a wedge between him and Angelus, never understanding that what was between them, the lust, desire, friendship, and an emotion that was as close to love as Angelus could allow, could not be controlled. That was the reason Angel hated him so much. When the dark haired vampire looked at him, he saw what Angelus had created, what Angelus had ached for, what Angelus had loved. The soul couldn't very well enjoy the idea that, even before it had arrived, Angelus had allowed himself to care. Oh, but he certainly hadn't cared when he had returned. No, he'd taken great pains to show how much he didn't care. Doing everything possible to cause Spike pain, to laugh at him for still caring about Drusilla for still caring about him....punishing for the weakness his emotions showed.

He'd made the damn deal with Buffy because he'd finally seen that his grandsire was right. He did possess a bit of humanity, not wanting to see the world end. He liked humans and their oddities....found them amusing. Hell wasn't somewhere he'd wanted to live, especially not with Angelus ignoring their entire past unless it was to throw it in his face as an example of how useless a demon he was, without the soul as an excuse. Everything that had happened since, it had finally been his own choice, his own decision. He hadn't acted with thoughts of what Angelus would think, of how Angelus would feel. He'd made his own choices, finally having to take responsibility for them. And what had happened? He'd gone and gotten himself caught and implanted, been unable to even feed like a demon. He had fallen in love with the girl his grandsire had loved, been able to still smell Angel's scent on the blonde slayer despite the years since their mating, had felt a connection to Angelus when he had shagged Buffy that he hadn't felt in so many years. He'd used the slayer in a way similar to how she had used him. She had wanted to feel again, even if it was extreme lust for someone she hated. He'd missed his grandsire, wanted to possess something the soul had loved so dearly. When he had seen her again, with the soul, he'd looked at her and not feel the suffocating need to possess, had not had the urge to shag her senseless, had, in fact, felt an admiration and fondness for her in a way that he felt for Niblet. It was then that he knew it had never been love. Devotion, infatuation, lust....but never love.

Spike arrived back at his motel, laying on the hard mattress as he found himself debating the idea to go to San Antonio. He studied the ceiling of the room, his blue eyes thoughtful as he tried to figure out where to go. He could have made San Antonio that night easily, but he had hesitated, instead stopping in Austin. He smiled as he decided to go to Houston instead of San Antonio. It wasn't very far, plus he knew some people in that city. Could stay with them until he decided if it was the place to stay or if he would be moving on again. He could be there in a few hours, have a visit with his friends, and then decide what the future held. He covered his eyes with his arm, deciding that a few hours rest would be nice. He'd shower in the morning, not caring that his hands still had bits of blood on them from his fight earlier. He was suddenly exhausted, not taking anytime until he was drifting off to sleep, his sleep dream free for the first time in weeks.

********************

"This is delicious," Faith said after she swallowed a bite of her gumbo. "I was famished."

"Of course you were, Cupcake," Lorne shot the slayer a smile, "it has been nearly five hours since you last ate."

"I just can't believe you can eat so much and still be so thin," Gunn said, shaking his head as he remembered all the food the slim girl had eaten over the last few days. She usually finished everything on her plate and would then steal off their plates.

"It's metabolism, dear boy," Faith said loftily, having to smile, "that and a hell of a workout training and patrolling. Slaying keeps you in shape."

"Besides, Faith needs to regain her strength," Willow said with a smirk. "After all, she did lose our pillow fight."

"Red," Faith's eyes narrowed at the smiling redhead. "You cheated! You used magic. Had to have. No way I'd have lost if it had been fair."

"Hmph," Willow snorted, "I didn't use magic. I'm just a better pillow fighter than you are, slayer."

"Whatever," Faith muttered as she took a bite of her food. "It's just because I didn't have experience in fighting a pillow fight. Next time, I'm kicking your cute little ass."

"Just face it, Faith," Willow shook her head. "You might be great at slaying vampires and killing evil demons, but you suck at pillow fights."

"Children," Lorne interrupted, his eyes shining with amusement, "who was it that suggested that I was the immature one the other day?"

"You know," Faith shot Willow a smile, "if we teamed up on the green guy, we could so take him down!"

"He *is* a demon, so it would be quite fair for two weak little humans to fight against him," Willow said with a large smile.

"Oh no," Lorne said, shaking his head. "I am not getting dragged into a pillow fight with you two."

"Party pooper," Faith said as she stuck her tongue out at the demon before laughing. She exchanged a look with Willow and knew that, before the night was out, Lorne would find himself on the receiving end of two fluffy pillows. She gave him an innocent smile and said, "We were just teasing, Lorne. We'd never think about hitting you with a pillow."

"Hmm," he studied them suspiciously, finally nodding as he decided to keep his own pillow ready that night just in case. He was loving this. Having fun and laughing and just enjoying the company of some good friends. The last few years had been so dismal, the fun having left his life over the last few months. So much internal fighting and bickering and that didn't include the battles they had participated in. He was ready for a break. He wanted his club back, wanted that nice life of entertainment and amusement. He would be surrounded by friends that he cared about deeply, could help fight evil, but it wouldn't be near as dark and broody as it had been in LA. Nothing could be very dark around his darlings, Willow and Faith. The poor dears had both been to Hell and back and now radiated a strong power and light that was nearly intoxicating. It was hope and knowledge and friendship and strength all rolled into one lovely bright aura. Being around them made him happy, growing a bit more as the days passed and they had moved farther away from their pasts and Sunnydale. Soon, once they were settled, things would be absolutely lovely.

"Willow, Lorne mentioned to me that you would be looking for a job," Markine spoke up as the redhead looked at her.

"Yes, something part time probably. It's not going to be that easy, I'm afraid. I promised to help him with the club, and I've got patrols with Faith, so my time is sort of limited," she made a face as she wondered how she could find a job that was only a couple of days a week and would be finished by dusk.

"Might be easier than you think," Markine said. "I've got a friend that runs a shop over on Royal Street, Yesterdays. A nice little gift shop with an area devoted to magic. She gives readings in the back a couple of days a week. Tourists and locals visit it, and she mentioned needing to hire another person since her day girl moved back home after she finished college. It would probably only be two or three days a week, nine to four or hours around that. I know she hasn't had a chance to hire anyone yet, so, if you're interest, I'll set up a meeting with Sienna. You've got knowledge of magic, that much is evident in the power I can feel from you, and I think you'd be good."

"Really? That's great," Willow smiled. "Thank you so much, Markine. It sounds like a perfect job."

"I'll call her when I get back to the hotel," Markine said with a smile, glad that she could help one of Lorne's friends.

"And who was it that was whining about how difficult it would be to find a job?" Faith asked with a pointed smile, having had no doubts that Willow would find something easily. She would have more trouble, but she probably wouldn't start looking until after they got moved into their own place anyway.

"Just eat, slayer," Willow said as she rolled her eyes, not wanting any of Faith's I told you sos. She was thrilled at Markine's news, thinking the shop sounded wonderful. They'd only been in New Orleans a couple of hours, and already things were going better than she had ever imagined. After they finished eating, she and Faith were going to go look around a bit, play tourist as they checked out their new home. Maybe she'd go and find this Yesterdays shop, take a look. With that decided, she went back to eating her lunch.

********************

"And just where do you two think you're going?"

Willow turned to look at Lorne with wide eyes, saying, "Oh my God...you sound like a father!"

"Brat," Lorne rolled his eyes at Willow's words that were soon followed by her laugh.

"Well, Daddy dearest, Red and I are going to check out the city," Faith said with a wink at Willow.

"Do we have a curfew?" Willow asked eagerly, smiling at the green demon. "I've never had a curfew before. Giles never gave us one."

"Now you're comparing me to that old watcher?" Lorne made a face. "Maybe I should have just gone back to LA. I don't know if I can put up with you two wiseasses."

"You love our asses," Faith said with a snicker.

"It's a compliment, Lorne," Willow said as she gave him a hug. "I've missed having a parental figure in my life. If I have to have one in my new home, I'm thrilled that it is you."

"Ah, how sweet. Can I puke now?" Faith asked, making a gagging face as her dark eyes lit with amusement.

"I think I may join you," Gunn said, shaking his head.

"All a bunch of comedians," Lorne said as he returned Willow's hug. "Since you put it that way, Cupcake, I'll be happy to be all parental for you. No curfew, though. I don't believe in them."

"Hmm...okay, maybe this Daddy thing won't be all that bad after all," Faith said with a wink. "Does that mean we get an allowance?"

"No, it means that I get to meet all potential suitors and give them my version of the Inquisition before they're allowed to court one of my girls," Lorne said watching as the pretty slayer laughed.

"I don't think you have to worry too much about that, Pops, at least not for a while," Faith said, having no interest in getting involved with anyone except for the flirting she was doing with Willow. She'd never been one for relationships, having only recently allowed herself to form a friendship with someone other than Mr. Redemption himself, Angel, not that she and Angel were really friends. No, it was more like she was one of his many projects on his own path for redemption. With Willow, it was different. She had finally let down her guard, letting the redhead become her first true best friend. She knew it was only time though before she let more people in. Damn it all to hell. She was actually starting to like Lorne and would even miss grumpy Gunn when he went back to LA. This friendship thing was weird.

"Pops? Did you call him Pops?" Gunn asked as he joined the group on the sidewalk. He looked them over, having to smile, "Talk about your fucked up families!"

********************

"Ha ha, Chuck," Faith said, taking great delight in the way the man's eyes narrowed as he glared at her.

"Faith, be nice to Gunn," Willow warned.

Gunn smiled at the redhead, "Thanks, Red. So, what's with the little sidewalk party? Everyone forget how to walk?"

"I was asking the girls where they were going," Lorne said, "because they were starting to walk in the wrong direction to go back to the hotel."

"And I mentioned that he sounded like our father, which is really very sweet, because neither of us has a father. Well, we have them, but they aren't around really and Giles has been pretty much my Dad for the past seven years or so and now he's not here so I'm pretty much fatherless which isn't a good feeling because I like having a bit of parental influence, especially considering what happened when Giles moved away and my whole sliding into dark magic wanting to destroy the world thing and I think that Lorne makes a great surrogate Dad for us because how much cooler could it be than having a big, green, funny demon as a Dad? And that's what we were talking about when you joined us," Willow finished, smiling at the stunned looks on the others faces, rather used to seeing such looks of surprise from people that didn't know of her ramblings and lack of need for breath when she had something she really wanted to say, which hadn't been very often the last few months. It felt nice to ramble again, she realized.

"That's just scary," Gunn decided, shaking his head as he looked at the redhead, "I actually understood everything you said! I'm really worried now."

"So, Pops, can we go look around?" Faith asked, admitting to herself that she agreed with Willow's statement. It was rather nice having someone that seemed to care where they were going. She had experienced a taste of that with Giles all those years ago, and then with the Mayor, who had become like a father to her in his own warped way. That was probably why she had been loyal to him, even near the end when she had been plagued with doubts and the knowledge that she had gone way too far to ever go back.

"Well, actually, that's why I had asked," Lorne said, "Markine has gotten in touch with a friend of hers that is in real estate. He's supposed to come by the hotel in a couple of hours with some of his available properties so that we can have a look at the pictures and decide what to actually go view."

"Houses and clubs?" Willow asked, excitement evident in her green eyes. "That soon? We've only been here a few hours!"

"I told you that I had connections," Lorne said smugly. "Did you dare doubt my word?"

"Of course not, Dad," Willow said watching the pleased smile cross the green demon's face. He might not admit it, but he liked the idea of being needed by them. She had known he'd get a kick out of becoming their parental figure in their new lives, just giving off a vibe that suggested he enjoyed being a mother hen to all the misfits in the world, her and Faith being two of the biggest ones at the moment. She looked at Gunn, glad to see the easy smile that had been on the handsome man's face since they had arrived in town. He was relaxed and seemed to be having a good time hanging out with them. She was glad, knowing that he had had a few stressful months, just like the rest of them. They all deserved to be happy. And this was the first step.

********************

"What time do we need to be back at the hotel, Pops?" Faith asked Lorne, as eager as Willow to begin looking for a new house. She had figured it would take several days before they'd be able to look at any places, and then even longer to get moved in once they found the perfect place. It was amazing to think that they would already be looking at pictures by the end of the day.

"I don't really know, Cupcake," Lorne said. "Markine said it would be late this afternoon. I'd guess sometime after five, since he does own a business. I told him to concentrate on properties in the Quarter for the house and definitely for the club. He mentioned having a couple of places that might be ideal, but he wouldn't give me details over the phone."

"Five, huh?" Willow reached over and took Gunn's arm, turning his wrist so she could read his watch. "It's nearly three already."

"Gives us two hours," Faith said, "plenty of time for a quick look. We can look at street signs so we have an idea where these houses are when we see the pictures later."

"Good idea, Faith," Willow smiled at her friend. "I know that the French Quarter isn't really all that big, but it will be nice having some idea where these places are. I also want to walk by and see that store that Markine mentioned."

"She said it was on Royal," Faith remembered, "Yesterdays or something like that, I think."

"It was Yesterdays," Willow said. She looked at Lorne, "We remember where the hotel is, so we'll be there by five."

"I think I'll use that time to take a quick nap," Lorne said with a smile. "Do be careful. This might not be a Hellmouth, but it is still a new city for both of you."

"Where do you think you're going, Grumpy?" Faith asked as Gunn started to follow Lorne back to the hotel.

"Back to my room," Gunn said as he rolled his eyes. Well, he guessed Grumpy was better than Chuck.

"Sorry, Gunn. We can't allow that," Willow smiled at him as she took his arm. "You have to come with us."

"Oh, really?" he looked at the redhead and felt himself smiling as she nodded, her face trying to appear serious.

"You heard Lorne. This is a new city. It could be very dangerous. Faith and I can't possibly walk around by ourselves until we get a feel for the land," Willow said.

"Yeah, I mean, look at us. We're just a powerful witch and a slayer with superhuman strength. What would we do if someone got rude with us?" Faith winked at him as she took his other arm. She had followed Willow's lead, knowing that all Gunn would do was go back to the hotel and mope around about losing Twiggy, sorry, Fred to Wesley. The black man had been around Angel way too long, probably knew all the best brooding techniques in the book. It was up to her and Red to make sure he couldn't brood until he got back to LA. Then, maybe he'd past the brooding stage and not give a flying fuck.

"Probably kick their ass six ways from Sunday," Gunn said dryly, though he was secretly pleased that they had included them in their short tour of the town. He hadn't much looked forward to going back to his room and having to think about what waited for him back in LA. He looked at the two girls that had surprisingly become his friends, a smile crossing his face as he gave in, "You're right. You need me. I guess I'll have to accompany you two on your walk. It's a tough job, but I can't have it on my conscience if anything happened."

"You're so brave," Willow said as her lips twitched. "So sacrificing."

"Our hero," Faith said before giving up and laughing. "Okay, that was too much."

"Come on, let's go," Willow said, pulling Gunn's arm as the three started to walk towards Jackson Square. "I want to see the river!"

"Oooh...the Cafe Du Monde is down here somewhere. I've read about that place. They have these doughnut type things that are supposed to be delicious," Faith said with a smile. "We can eat some before we go back."

"We just ate lunch, Faith," Gunn pointed out, laughing as she arched a brow.

"Your point?"

"Word of warning, Gunn, if you're going to be sticking around. Never get between a slayer and her food," Willow whispered with amusement in her voice.

Gunn laughed, his mind on her words as he felt himself being pulled down the street by the two pretty and talkative girls. Sticking around? A smile crossed his face as he found himself rather liking that idea, wondering if maybe there wasn't an opening in their twisted little family of misfits for an older brother type. He had experience, his mind flashing back to his sister and the knowledge that he hadn't been able to protect her. Who would be here to protect Faith and Willow? True, they had strength that was far greater than his, but sometimes even the strong needed help and protection. This time, he wouldn't let them down. He liked the idea, finding no need to leave New Orleans and rush back to LA anytime in the near future. He'd wait to go home until he was certain that they were okay, that they and Lorne were settled and everything was good. His eyes looked from the brunette to the redhead, his decision made. His smiled widened as he laughed at something Willow said, making the silent promise that he'd be the best big brother either girl would ever want.

********************

"Piss."

"What?" Willow looked at Faith with a confused expression on her pretty face. They'd been walking for a few blocks, the redhead amazed at how many people were just walking around on a weekday afternoon. She'd already heard four languages and found it fascinating to see all the different people. She loved to people watch and somehow knew this town was going to provide her with the best opportunity to do so.

"I finally realized what the town smelled like," Faith said with a smile. 'It was bugging me cause I couldn't quite place the scent."

"You think the town smells likes urine?" Willow asked, frowning as she took a minute to inhale. Her nose wrinkled as she found herself agreeing, "It does smell like piss."

"And alcohol," Gunn added with a shrug, "and kind of like trash."

"I like it," Faith decided, "gives it character."

"Only you would think that smelling like urine, trash and beer would give something character," Willow said with a smile.

"Don't say a word, Chuck," Faith warned, watching as the black man's eyes lit with amusement and his lips moved to add to Willow's words.

"Damn, you do take the fun out of it," Gunn said, "I guess I'll be nice and not suggest how familiar you are with those scents."

"I warned you, Grumpy," Faith said, moving to hit Gunn in the shoulder, finding no offense at his words. There was a bit of truth in them, her life having not been the best. Growing up without ever knowing who her father was, living in the slums of Boston with an addicted whore for a mother, fighting off all her 'uncles' from the time she was ten and starting to develop. She'd been thrilled to be taken away by her watcher when she was thirteen, never realizing just how easy it was to slip into the behavior she had witnessed all her life. It was a good protection against people, prevented her from having to trust anyone but herself, had ended up driving away everyone that might have cared about her, and had nearly gotten her killed. That was the past, though, and she was sick of dwelling on it. No more. She'd come to terms with her life many times over when she had been sitting alone in her small cell with only her memories and thoughts to keep her company.

"Ow!" Gunn moved to rub his shoulder, having forgotten for a minute that he had been teasing a slayer. A very strong slayer that had now bruised him with what had been a light tap on her part. Reminded to self, never piss off Faith. His eyes moved to the smiling witch and he mentally added, never piss of Willow, having no desire to find out what Willow's idea of repayment might be.

"Quit whining, Gunn," Willow said with a laugh as the man glared at her. She figured that he wouldn't be teasing Faith in the future without remembering that she liked to hit back, not verbally but physically. Even a playful smack from the slayer could be bruising, something she assumed Gunn didn't know. She, herself, had earned plenty of light bruises over the years from Buffy, and she honestly believed that Faith had more physical strength than the blonde. "Oh, I think I can see the river."

"It's just a bunch of dirty old water, Red," Faith said as she saw how excited Willow got at the idea of seeing the river.

"Yeah, but it's now our dirty old water," Willow smiled at the slayer. "We live here. We're residents of New Orleans. Or we will be once we buy a house. That means the river is ours, and I want to see it."

"I gotcha," Faith said, understanding the redhead's logic and then wondering if that wasn't a bit scary that she was actually understanding Willow. She smiled, deciding that it was comforting instead of worrying. "Come on, Grumpy. Quit rubbing your arm. It was just a tap. We've got a river to see."

"I'm not rubbing my arm," Gunn defended, glaring at the walking slayer that only laughed at him. He rolled his eyes, deciding that it had been a bit easy to slide into a sibling relationship with these two. He had to smile as he followed them, not at all that interested in seeing some dumb river.

********************

"This is it?" Faith asked, her tone less than impressed.

"It's....," Gunn tried to think of an appropriate word, "certainly big."

"I so wouldn't swim in that," Willow said with a laugh as she looked at them both. "Guys, it's dirty and brown and smells kinda funny. But, it's our river. We can come here and sit whenever we want and just watch the boats or the tourists. We can say that it's dirty because it's ours. Does that make any sense or am I just crazy?"

"You're crazy," Faith said with a smile as she moved to sit on an empty bench, "but we love you anyway."

"No, I get ya, Red," Gunn said. "If we were just passing through, we couldn't say that it was just a big old dirty river because it wouldn't really be our place. Since it's our river, though, we can say whatever we want."

"Okay, you're right. I do sound crazy," Willow laughed as she took a seat next to Faith. "I like it, though. True, the water isn't as blue as anything in Sunnydale, but it's got character, just like the rest of the town."

"I love this town already," Faith agreed. "I can stand the urine smell because all the aromas of food sort of cover it up. And man, that food smells great."

"I can just see it," Gunn laughed, sitting on the arm railing of the bench, "you're so going to gain weight in this town, slayer."

"I can eat anything that I want and never gain a pound, Grumpy," Faith said with a smirk. "You can call it slayer metabolism, I call it one of the few perks of the job."

"Look!" Willow interrupted them to point out a large riverboat that was returning to port. "Isn't it pretty?"

"Pretty?" Gunn asked, rolling his eyes. "Boats aren't pretty, Red. They're seaworthy."

"So sayeth the expert," Faith snorted. "Willow, we've been looking at the river for half an hour. Can we go get some of those beignet things now? I'm hungry."

"I don't care if you have slayer metabolism or not, I'm thinking you had better start training immediately," Willow laughed as she thought of everything Faith had eaten that day.

"I don't mess with you for wanting to look at the dirty water, Red, so you better lay off my food," Faith warned with a smile.

"Yes, Ma'am," Willow laughed as Gunn pulled her to her feet. "I think we should follow up a visit to our river with some tasty treats for dessert."

"Our river," Faith repeated, putting her arm around Willow's neck as she smiled, "I like the sounds of that, not as much as the idea of dessert, but close."

"What are we gonna do with you?" Gunn asked with a laugh as they started down the steps to head towards the Cafe du Monde.

"Love me even if I gain a billion pounds from living in this damn food smelling city," Faith said with a smirk.

"Food smelling city?" Willow repeated with a giggle. She grabbed Gunn's arm, looking at his watch, "We have about an hour until we need to be back at the hotel for the meeting with the real estate guy. Should be enough time for dessert. We can go look at the shop tomorrow."

"Are you sure? We can see it now and put off the food," Faith said, knowing that she could always eat but also knowing she was never that hungry until she actually was sitting down with the food. Besides, she was eating so much now to make up for years of prison food. She deserved a reward after eating that slop.

"No, we can see it tomorrow. I could use a snack," Willow smiled as her two friends as they walked towards the cafe. She looked around, the smile widening as she took in her new city. She loved it already, knowing instinctively that it was right. A new start in a new city. And, in a few hours, they'd even be looking at pictures of possible new homes. Could it get any better?