Into the West by Grundy  

“I still think this is dubious.”

“Says the one on this expedition who has the least to worry about,” Willow giggled. 

Dawn glared at her. 

She didn’t appreciate the reminder that it was on her to make sure this wasn’t a one-way trip if they got there and the Uttermost West turned out to not be what their great-grandfather had thought it was. Assuming, of course, that they got there in the first place. 

Even with their supposed guide – tracked down by Indy and Willow combining forces on the research and Buffy providing backup intimidation in case Indy’s ‘diplomacy’ failed – ‘sail off into the sunset and end up in a dimension only for immortals’ seemed too good to be true.

“I don’t trust this Daryn guy,” she said flatly. “If he could go there whenever, what’s he doing still hanging around here?”

“I enjoy people watching.”

Dawn did not actually jump into the air like a surprised cat, but she did startle.

“You need to wear a bell or something.”

Daryn drew pan pipes from his pocket and played a few notes.

“Close enough?” he smirked.

Dawn’s glare found a new target and went up a notch.

“Now that everyone’s on friendly terms, can we finally get this voyage started? You girls have been loading luggage all day!”

 Indy sounded as cranky as Dawn felt.

“Now we know where Dawn gets it from,” Buffy muttered. 

Dawn did not stick her tongue out at her sister. 

She was pretty sure Buffy and Daryn were mutually interested in each other. If any other Slayer was drawn to the guy, Dawn would have taken it as a sign he was ok and she was overly suspicious. Given her sister’s dating track record…

“He really is ok,” Indy informed her quietly as Buffy started undoing the mooring ropes. “If he weren’t, we’d have tried it without him.”

“Yeah, cause that would go well.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Indy shrugged. “It would be somewhat harder to hit the right combo of latitude, heading, and time of day without him, but given enough time, I’m sure we’d figure it out. And no one on this boat is short on time.”

The boat was drifting clear of the dock now. Last chance to back out – oh, who was Dawn kidding? Summers or Jones, none of them backed down from a challenge or away from a quest.

“If it’s so tricky, how did your dad figure it out? You’re the adventurer.”

Henry sounded like Giles given more time to get distrustful of technology and less knowledge of magic.

“Good question. I suspect he persuaded a guide as well. Daryn here isn’t unique – at least, he didn’t used to be. Guy who used to be around occasionally who went by Caine when he gave a name disappeared at the same time as Dad did.”

And nobody in this weird family believed in coincidence.

“Cain? Is that what he was calling himself these days?”

Daryn had repeated his trick.

“Bell!” Dawn snapped, regretting that she hadn’t packed one.

He tootled the pan pipes again, and while Dawn didn’t recognize the tune, she was ninety-nine percent certain it was a joke and she was the butt of it.

“I’ve a fair idea who Henry inveigled into sailing with him,” Daryn said. “And assuming all goes well, I’ll shake his hand for it. Though if he told Henry he had a brother called Able, I may also punch him.”

“Why?” Buffy wanted to know. 

“Because it’s a terrible joke. Also because he knows how it would sound to anyone as steeped in Christian lore as Henry. His brother may have been very able at a good many things, but it wasn’t his name. And Cain did not kill him.”

By his expression, there was a joke somewhere in there, too.

“Are you sure we can’t find any better guide?” Dawn sighed. 

Willow’s look of barely restrained laughter was answer enough, but Daryn just smirked.

“Sorry, kid, you’re stuck with me. I’m the last one on these shores. While it’s true I wasn’t planning to sail and had to be talked into it, now that I’m in, I’m in. This is too good to miss. Henry may have hoped Junior here would follow him, but I’m pretty sure he had no idea about you girls.”

“Any chance you two won’t spend the whole boat ride antagonizing each other?” Indy asked. “Or is that too much to hope for?”

“No pushing anyone overboard,” Willow added.

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