Chapter 6

The sun was getting lower in the sky as Dawn Summers lay on the beach next to her friend Mindy.  The two girls were having a blast gossiping about the other girls, trading fashion secrets and of course flirting with the boys.  Mindy and Dawn watched the young men with great interest.  Some of them were swimming around in the ocean, others were showing off their surfing ability or their excellent beach volleyball skills, but most were chowing down on the food that Mindy’s parents had brought for their daughter’s fifteenth birthday beach party.

Mindy leaned over to her friend and whispered in Dawn’s ear.  “Don’t look now, here comes the love of your life again.”

Brian Ward was emerging from the waves and heading in their direction.  Much to Dawn’s dismay he had been flirting with her all day.  Not that she minded too much, he was nice, but he was so annoying!”

Mindy snickered at Dawn’s discomfort.  “Geez, Dawn!  Do you really need two guys?”  She asked while nodding in Brian’s direction.

“Who?  Brian?  He’s just a friend and anyway he’s like really good friends with Kevin.”

“I think he likes you as more than just a friend.”

Dawn watched him from behind her dark sunglasses as he dried himself off and started put on his “punk rock soldier” uniform – baggy army green shorts, combat boots and a Ramones tee shirt.  He was always wearing same kind of thing.  The only thing that ever seemed to change was the band on the front of his tee shirt.  It was either The Clash, Metallica, Linkin Park, Green Day or of course, The Sex Pistols.  *  Spike would be so proud a kid my age even knows who they are.  *  And his hair – it was always a different color.  Today it was blue, last week it was fire engine red and the week before that it had been green.  Dawn didn’t even know what his real hair color was.  Although, it was probably dark brown, if his eyebrows were any indication.  And his eyes, they were the strangest color of all.  They were blue-violet almost too purple sometimes.  *  I bet fifty bucks he wears color contact lenses!  They can’t be natural.  *  But he was super nice to her all the time and he’d be kind of cute if he didn’t look like such a freak all the time.  But on the other hand, watching him walk around all day today, dripping wet wearing nothing but a baggy bathing suit made him seem a little less freakish.  In fact, when the sun caught his face just right and he smiled at her he could be really quite attractive.  Like sexy attractive, like “I wonder what he looks like without the bathing suit attractive.”

But this was Kevin’s buddy.  The two of them hung around with a couple of older kids and had just decided to form their own garage band.  Dawn heard them practice once.  Kevin played lead guitar, Brian played bass and the other two guys played drums and rhythm guitar.  Both Kevin and Brian sang vocals together.  They wanted to be the next Linkin Park or The Clash or whatever band was supposed to be cool that month.  Dawn thought most of it sounded like they were just screaming instead of singing.  *  I bet Spike would have enjoyed it.  *

Brian walked over to Dawn and Mindy and shook out his short blue hair right into Dawn’s face raining salt water down on her and her friend.

“You dork!”  Mindy scowled at him with disgust.

“Eew!  Brian you are such a dweeb!”  Dawn yelled at him as she picked up a towel and wiped off her face.

“Oh come on, Dee!  You look so much more yummy when you’re wet.”

Dawn rolled her eyes at the boy.  “You are a total pig!”

Brian smirked at her and leaned right into her face as if he were trying to kiss her.  But instead he only replied.  “Oink.”

Dawn crossed her arms in front of her chest and began to question him.  “So, Bri, where’s Kevin at?  He said he’d be here, right?”

“I don’t know where that jackass is.  He’s missed two band practices and has stopped returning my voice mail messages.  If he shows up at the Bronze tonight I’m so gonna kick his ass.”

Dawn tried to ignore Brian and turned to Mindy.  “So Mindy, why don’t we all go to the Bronze soon before I have to go home.”

Mindy whined at Dawn.  “I cannot believe your sister and her boyfriend are making you come home so early!  It sucks!”

“I know, tell me about it!  But she like needs me home tonight.  If I don’t make it by curfew I’ll get major guilt not to mention the Evil One will torture me with more summer homework.”

Brian looked confused at Dawn’s last remark.  “Who’s the Evil One?”

Dawn smiled.  “Oh just our friend or roommate or whatever . . .”

“When did you two get a roommate?”

“A few weeks ago.  He’s a total demon sometimes, but he’s not so bad, anymore.  He just takes some getting used to.”

++++++++++++++++++++++

The sound of the doorbell made Spike bolt upright in bed.  Buffy shifted slightly in her sleep.  Spike looked over at his lovely Slayer and shook her lightly.

“Pet, someone’s at the door.”

The sound of a key turning in the lock of the front door made Spike’s anxiety rise in his throat.  He knew it was one or more of the Scooby gang, probably Xander, he could almost smell the whelp from right there in the bedroom.

“Buffy, luv, your friends are downstairs.”

Buffy’s eyes snapped open.  “What?  Oh God!”  She jumped out of bed and ran to her closet to find some clothes, but she was at a loss to find something quickly enough.  Spike rummaged through her dresser and found a tee shirt and some underwear.

Handing them to her he headed to the bedroom door.  “I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

Buffy furiously put her clothes on and made her way to the hallway where she came face to face with Willow.  Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes she greeted her best friend with a smile.

“Will?  Hey!  What are you doing here?”

“We came to see you.  The gang’s downstairs.  We brought dinner.”

“Wow.  Thanks!”  Buffy looked down at herself and noticed she didn’t actually have any pants on.  “Um, maybe I should actually get dressed today.”

Willow smiled at her blinded friend’s state of undress.  “Come on lazy bones, let’s get some clothes on you.”

“Well all I really need is for you to find me a pair of sweatpants.”

Willow gave Buffy’s tee shirt a sideways glance.  “Are you sure you don’t want to change your shirt too?”

Buffy looked down at herself.  “No, this will be fine.”

Willow and Buffy went back to her room and Willow pulled out a drawer full of sweatpants.  “So, where’s Spike?”

“He’s sleeping.  I think, he may be sleeping . . .”

Willow was concerned at the strange tone to her friend’s voice.  “Hasn’t he helped you at all today?”

Buffy quickly responded.  “Yeah, when I slipped in the bathroom . . .”

Willow handed her the blue pair of sweats and rubbed her arm lightly.  “Oh, Buffy!  You should have had me come over today!  I could’ve helped you.”

Buffy hopped into her pants.  “It was stupid, Willow.  I thought I could do it myself.  It’s my own fault and anyway he made me feel better.”

Willow noticed a slight blush rise up into her best friend’s face as she led her from her bedroom into the hallway.  “How did he make you feel better?”

Just then Spike opened the door to his bedroom and stepped in front of the girls in the hallway.  His hair was a mess and he was shirtless, wearing only a pair of faded blue jeans.  “Oh, hey there, Will.”

“Uh, hi, Spike.”

“Buffy?  Do you need anything?”

Buffy shook her head.  “No, the gang’s all here.  They brought dinner.”

“I know.  I can smell the garlic from here.”

Willow thought for a moment.  “Oh yeah in the pizza.”

Spike held his nose for a moment.  “Thank the Powers That Be I don’t have to breath.  Damn Italians!”

Buffy reached out and put her hand on his arm with concern.  “Is it going to make you sick?”

“No, luv.  As long as I don’t eat it.”

Buffy looked down at her bare feet.  “Oh Willow?  Can you go get my Birkenstocks?  I think I left them by the bed, maybe?”

“Sure.”  Willow turned to go back into Buffy’s bedroom.

Buffy turned her attention to Spike.  She felt a bit uncomfortable all of a sudden.  They had not yet had a chance to talk about what had happened between them in the bedroom this afternoon.  So she decided to keep the conversation light.  “Are you hungry?”

Spike moved closer to Buffy.  “A little, I’ll come down in a bit.”  Spike moved her hair away from her face.  Buffy touched his bare chest and placed a soft kiss over his dead heart.  He tilted her face up towards his and looked into her eyes.  He kissed her forehead and then examined her eyes carefully.

Willow stood in the doorway of Buffy’s room.  Her nagging suspicions about what had been going on with Buffy and Spike had just been confirmed.

Spike noticed Willow watching them out of the corner of his eye.  “Will?  Can you make sure someone puts one drop in each of the Slayer’s eyes after dinner?”

“Sure, Spike.  I’ll do it.”

Spike faced the witch’s gaze.  He smiled warmly at her and Willow felt guilty for thinking that Spike shouldn’t be here with Buffy.

“And don’t let her whine her way out of it like she does with Dawn.”

Buffy shook her head.  “I do not whine.  Honest, Willow!  I don’t.”

“Don’t forget to put on your sunglasses, luv.”  And with a wink at Willow, Spike went back into his room and shut the door.

Willow slid Buffy’s sunglasses onto her face and hooked her arm with the slayer’s.  Buffy could feel the tension in the air between her and her best friend.

Buffy gulped with anxiety and asked.  “You saw me kiss him didn’t you?”

Willow nodded.  “Yes, I did.”

Buffy whispered to her friend in confidence.  “Please don’t tell the others, not yet.  Just until I’m better.  I can’t deal with the third degree right now.”

Willow sighed in resignation at her friend’s request.  “OK Buffy.  But I just have to ask you . . .”

“OK, go ahead . . .”

“Is he really taking good care of you?  Does he make you happy?”

Buffy smiled to herself.  “As weird as this sounds, Will, yes.  And yes. To both questions.”

Willow shrugged.  *  Living on a hell mouth is never dull, that’s for sure! *

“Well then, who am I to judge?  I’m a lesbian witch who used to sleep with a werewolf.”

Buffy laughed and hugged Willow tightly as they descended the stairs.

“You know I love you, Willow, right?”

“I love you too, Buffy, lots.”

“Tons?”

“Tons and tons.”

“Me too.”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dawn sighed in disappointment as she looked around the Bronze at all of her friends dancing and having fun.  The sun had just set and Kevin never showed up.  *  This totally sucks!  Guys suck!  Being a teenager sucks!  *

Dawn made her way over to the pay telephones to call home and have her vampire chauffer pick her up.  Just as she put her quarter in the slot she felt a soft tap on her shoulder.  Turning around, Dawn saw Kevin standing there smiling at her.  “Hey, Dawn!  How is it that the prettiest girl in Sunnydale isn’t out there dancing?”

Dawn blushed immediately.  “Don’t you mean how is it that the freakiest girl in Sunnydale isn’t dancing?  ‘Cause there’s a reason for that.”

Kevin took hold of her hand.  “Could it be because the freakiest guy was late getting here today?”

“Could be.”

“I’m sorry I missed the beach today.  I was kinda tied up today.  But I’m here now so . . . let’s dance freaky girl.”

“I wish I could!  But I’ve gotta go home.  My sister, she’s sick and . . .” “Oh come on, Dawn!  Just one dance then you can go, just one, please?”

Dawn looked up into Kevin’s warm brown eyes and melted. How could she say no to him right now?  She hadn’t seen him in almost three weeks and he looked so good right now. 

“OK, but just one.”

Kevin led Dawn onto the dance floor.  Wrapping his arms around her, he picked her up and spun her around.  Kevin buried his face into Dawn’s hair and inhaled deeply.  “You smell so good.  Like a sunny day at the beach.”

Dawn flinched slightly at the feel of Kevin’s cold nose on her neck.  “Geez, Kevin!  You’re nose is freezing!  You feel all right?”

“Yeah, I feel fine.  The AC is up really high in here.  I bet you could warm me up though.”

Dawn felt her temperature start to rise as Kevin pulled her closer to his body.  She looked up into his face and licked her lips, which had just suddenly gotten very dry.  Kevin leaned in and kissed her softly.  *  Oh my God!  My first kiss!  *  This felt wonderful, amazing and beautiful all at the same time, but something was off. Kevin had never been so grabby before and his lips were cool, too cool.  It kind of reminded her of when Spike would kiss her goodnight after coming in from the outside.  But it felt so good.

Kevin broke away from their embrace and tugged lightly on her arm.  “Let’s get outta here.”

“Where to?  I’ve gotta be home, like now!”

Kevin rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue.  “Dawn!  I haven’t seen you in like forever!  You only live once.”

Dawn allowed him to pull her towards the exit.  Brian emerged from behind a group of dancing kids.  He kept a safe distance as he followed his two friends outside.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

When Willow and Buffy went into the dining room where the pizza and the rest of the Scooby gang were hanging out, Xander was shocked at the slayer’s appearance.  She looked pale and she had a bruise on her forehead.  She was wearing dark glasses and a “Have a Nice Day” smiley face tee shirt that had been turned into a “Have a Nice Night” vampire smiley face tee shirt.  It was just too ludicrous.

“Hey, Buffster.  What’s with the tee shirt?”

Buffy looked down at her chest and recognized the yellow smiley face even though she couldn’t see it clearly.  “Oh this old thing?  I just wear it while I’m bumming around the house.  Been doing a lot of that lately.”

Xander raised his eyebrows at Willow and Tara.  “Ooo Kaaay . . .”

Tara opened up one of the pizza boxes.  “Buffy?  How about some pizza?  We got sausage and mushroom.  Willow says it’s your favorite.”

Buffy smiled at her best friend’s significant other.  “Oh yes, please!  I’m so starved.  I skipped lunch today.”

Giles cleared his throat and eyed the rest of the group knowingly.  “Couldn’t Spike have gotten you something to eat at some point during the day?”

Buffy quickly defended her vampire roommate.  “Oh, well it was my fault really.  I basically spent the day in bed, you know, sleeping.”

Just then Spike walked up behind the group.  “Nice night for it.”

The entire group jumped in fright as they turned to see a black clad Spike holding a mug full of warm blood.  Buffy was the only one who was unruffled by his sudden entrance.

Xander sneered at Spike.  “God!  Why do you still have to do that?”

Spike took a long swallow of his beverage.  “Do what?  Walk around the house?  ‘Cause I’m oh so very threatening when I walk around at night with a mug in my hand instead of an ax.”

Buffy swallowed a mouthful of pizza.  “What did you say?”

Spike chuckled.  “About a mug instead of an ax?”

“No, about it being night.  Did the sun go down already?”

Anya poured Buffy a glass of water.  “Yeah, about twenty minutes ago.”

Buffy’s face turned from mild concern to complete panic in a manner of one second.  She walked over to Spike and squeezed his arm hard.  “Spike?”

Spike put his hand on her shoulder protectively.  “Dawn’s not home yet.  I’ll go and fetch her right now.  Where’s she supposed to be again?”

Buffy began to pace nervously as the gang watched her begin to melt down.  “She’s supposed to be at the beach or the Bronze or both.  Oh my God!  What if something happens to her?  I’m going with you.  Willow!  Please get my coat.  I have to find her. ”

Xander spoke up to his friend.  “Buff, calm down.  Anya and I will check out the beach.”

Spike interrupted the young man.  “And I’ll take Willow and Tara with me to the Bronze to look for her.  Giles, you stay here and keep her from freaking out and following us.  We don’t need her to get injured again so soon.”

Giles nodded at the vampire who seemed to take complete control of this situation.  “Oh yes of course.”

Spike threw his leather duster on.  “Sounds like a plan.  Let’s get some weapons together.”  He then approached Buffy, putting his hands on her shoulders.  “Slayer, don’t worry.  Stay put and I’ll have her home within an hour, I promise.”

Buffy blinked back her tears.  She was glad she still had her sunglasses on so no one could see her break down.  “If you’re not home in an hour I’m going to go and look myself, I swear.”

“We will all be home in one hour, I swear.”

Kevin pulled Dawn into the alleyway next to the Bronze.  Dawn looked around nervously at the darkened alley.  She felt like someone other than Kevin was watching her just then.

Kevin leaned in to kiss her again when Dawn stopped him.  “Kevin, it’s really creepy out here.  What if someone comes and . . .”

Kevin reached out and stroked Dawn’s cheek.  “Hey, don’t worry.  You’re with me now.  I won’t let anything hurt you, ever.”

He wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and pulled her in close for another kiss.  This one was much more passionate than the last.  She allowed his tongue to slip between her lips and he began to stroke her tongue with his.  Dawn’s head began to spin with pleasure.  She had never felt anything like this before; it was so exciting.  She wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed her lithe body up against his.  Kevin moaned into her mouth as he backed her up against the wall.  Kevin’s hands began to wander up from her waist towards her breasts when they heard the sound of a throat being cleared.  Turning towards the sound of the noise Dawn and Kevin saw Brian standing by the door with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Brian smiled smugly at his friend.  “Hey Kev!  Whatcha doin’?”

Kevin scowled.  “Later, Bri!  I’m a little busy here, duh!”

Brian stepped a little closer to the embracing couple.  “Dawn, why don’t you come back inside now?  You can go call your sister.”

Dawn felt a little embarrassed that Brian had seen her in such a compromising position.  She slipped out of Kevin’s arms.  “Um, Brian, we were kinda having a moment here.  You and I can talk later, OK?”

Brian fished something out of his pocket and took another step closer.  “But I’ve got something for Kevin.  Here you go buddy, catch!”

Brian tossed the object at Kevin who instinctively caught it.  Kevin howled in pain as his hand started to sizzle.  He dropped it and Dawn looked down at the small silver crucifix lying in a puddle at her feet.  When she looked back up at Kevin his face was truly demonic. 

She gasped at the sight of his vampiric features.  “Oh no…Kevin?”

Kevin only laughed at her reaction.  “What?  What’s the matter, Dawnie?  I thought you liked me.”

Tears welled up in Dawn’s big blue eyes.  “How can I like you now when all you want to do is eat me?”

Kevin reached out to touch Dawn’s face again, but she flinched away and moved closer to Brian.  “I don’t want to eat you, girlfriend, I want to turn you.  I want you to be with me forever.”

Brian pushed Dawn behind him protectively.  “Yeah, well you have to get through me first.”

Again Kevin laughed at the ignorant humans.  “Oh, I don’t think that’s going to be much of a problem, right boys?”

Suddenly six vampires appeared seemingly from out of nowhere.  They had been hiding behind the dumpsters, parked cars and in darkened doorways.  Brian and Dawn were surrounded by seven of the undead with nowhere to go.

Kevin put his arm around the shoulder of a creature that seemed to resemble another one of their friends, Danny Green.

Danny blew a kiss at Dawn and sneered at Brian.  Kevin continued his speech to his human captives.  “See, Dawnie, me and Danny, well, we’re looking to expand our little gang.  And we need to start finding some gals to spend some time with.  We gotta whole lotta time on our hands.”

Dawn held on tightly to Brian’s shoulders and silently cursed herself for being so stupid.  *  Oh shit!  Why didn’t I figure out Kevin was an undead vampire?  It was so obvious!  I just liked him so much!  I wish Buffy was here!  I wish Spike was here!  I wish anyone was here!  *

Brian could tell that Dawn was scared out of her mind.  All he needed to do was distract these bloodsuckers long enough to get her back inside the club. Kevin took another step towards Brian and Dawn.  Brian took two steps forward closing the gap between them and went nose to nose with his former friend.

Dawn’s eyes went as wide as saucers.  “Brian!  What are you doing?”

Brian ignored her and kept his eyes on Kevin.  “Don’t do this Kevin!”

Kevin grabbed Brian by the front of his shirt.  “Why not?”

Before Brian could answer him a black DeSoto came careening down the alley mowing down three of the vampires sending one of them flying over the hood.

The car came to a screeching halt and its doors opened.  Kevin watched as a bleach blond vampire with a billowing leather coat got out carrying a very large ax.  From the passenger side two very ordinary looking women got out of the car.  The petite red head was carrying a large black bag and the taller blond woman was clutching a small purse that she held tightly to her chest.

“Spike!”  Dawn called out to the furious looking demon.  Within a moment two of Kevin and Danny’s minions lost their heads and blew away in the breeze.

Kevin then felt Brian’s hands grab hold of his wrists.  The next thing he knew he could feel all the bones in both his wrists break.  Shouting out in pain, Kevin was pushed back into the shadows of the alley way hidden from the view of the on going scuffle.  Kevin looked into Brian’s eyes.  His blue haired friend’s eyes were glowing red.  For the first time since he’d become a vampire, Kevin was actually frightened.  He saw Brian’s fingernails morph into claws, which were at least five inches long.  Brian hissed in pain.  “What are you?” 

Brian growled at him.  “Your worst nightmare.”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Danny grabbed hold of Dawn’s long brown hair and pulled her into his grasp.  Spike went game face at the sight of Dawn so close to meeting her demise.  “Let go of the girl, mate!”

Danny laughed at Spike.  “What the hell, man?  You’re one of us!  What do you say?  Let’s have a snack!”  Danny’s fangs grazed the tender flesh of Dawn’s neck.  Dawn screamed and reached down between the vampire’s legs and squeezed as hard as she could.  Danny screamed in agony.  His grip on Dawn loosened and she scrambled away from him.  Spike seized the opportunity to swing his ax and reduce the fledgling to a pile of ashes.

Meanwhile, the three vampires who had been smashed by Spike’s car circled Willow and Tara like a pack of wolves.  Willow placed her big black bag on the ground.  It opened by itself and three stakes levitated out of it.

Spike’s face returned to its human form as he reached down to pick Dawn up off the pavement.  “Come on Sweet Pea, you’re going home now.”

Willow guided the three stakes with her mind and they flew at the oncoming vampires.  Two of them met their mark sending the vamps straight to Hell, but one of the vampires had ducked just in time.  He growled and ran towards the red headed witch.  Tara reached into her purse, pulling a vile of liquid out of it.  She threw it at the vampire.  The glass of the vile broke and the liquid sprayed up into his face.  The vampire stopped in his tracks, expecting it to be holy water.  When he wasn’t burned by it he sniffed his shirt.  “What is this?  Gasoline?  Without a match that ain’t gonna stop me, bitch!”

Tara looked at him and gave him a crooked smile.  “Don’t need one.”  She raised her hand to him and commanded “Fire!”  The vampire went up in flames.

Spike smiled as the flaming vampire was reduced to nothing.  “Good show, Ladies!”

Dawn eyes searched the shadows for a sign of Kevin or Brian.  “Wait!  Where’s Brian?”

Behind the dumpster, Brian plunged his clawed hand into Kevin’s chest, ripping his heart out in one swift movement.  Brian looked into Kevin’s pleading eyes and for that moment Kevin was no longer a soulless demon, but the friend Brian had come to trust and love.  “I’m sorry, friend.”  Brian squeezed the heart to until it turned dust and Kevin along with it.

Brian willed his face and hands to return to their human looking state.     *  Come on, Brian!  Get it together!  You’re human!  You’re not a freak!  Not a freak!  Just be normal!  *  He fished a small hand mirror out of his back pocket and confirmed that his eyes were no longer red and glowing.  Satisfied with his appearance, he emerged from behind the dumpster as he dusted himself off.  Then he saw Dawn in tears, he called out to her.  “Dee?  You OK?”

Dawn wiped her eyes in disbelief.  “Brian?  You’re all right!”

Brian smiled sadly.  “Yeah, I’ll live.”

Dawn ran over to her friend and hugged him tightly.  “Thank you so much!  Do you need a ride home?”  Dawn motioned over to Spike’s car.

That’s when Brian noticed Spike standing there with a very unhappy expression on his face.  He could sense that there was something unnatural about the man in leather other than his hair color.  “Uh, no thanks, Dee.  I’ve got my car down the street.”

Spike lit up a cigarette and sized up the blue haired boy.  “So, you’re old enough to drive, then?  How old are you?”

Willow cut into the conversation.  “Wow!  You dusted that vamp all by yourself!  That’s so great!”

Brian shrugged.  “I guess so.  I didn’t want to.  He was a really good friend of mine.  Not to mention the fact that I have to find a new lead guitarist now.”

Dawn started to blubber again as she held onto Brian.  “I can’t believe it!  Kevin!  Poor Kevin!”

Brian wiped the tears away from her face.  “Hey . . . Dee, don’t cry.  Please don’t cry.”

Spike shook his head in disbelief.  *  Oh Bloody Hell!  Another teenage crush for me to hear about every bloody night and day!  *  Spike cleared his throat loudly.  “Come on, young lady!”

Brian shot a nasty look at Spike.  “Who are you anyway? Her Dad?”

Spike growled and gently pulled Dawn away from Brian.  “Never mind who I am.”

Brian flinched away from Spike as he realized what Dawn was going home with.  “Wait a second!  Dawn, do you know what he is?”

Dawn turned and smiled at him.  “I know, Brian.  I told you he could be a real demon sometimes.”

“And you’re going to get in a car with him?  Do you want to end up dead tonight or something?”

“Brian, chill out!  He lives with my sister and me.  I sleep two doors away from him.”

“Oh my God!  He’s not really your father is he?  Is that why none of your friends ever see him around?”

Dawn laughed at the thought that Brian entertained the thought that Spike was actually her father.  “No, he’s not.  But he’s been around for like forever.  He’s not bad, well not as bad as he used to be.  He won’t hurt you.”

Spike mumbled under his non-breath.  “Well I don’t know about that.”

Spike softened when Dawn shot him her “please stop embarrassing me” look.  “Dawn luv, please get in the car, your sister is worried sick about you.”

Dawn touched Brian’s arm lightly and mouthed the words “call me” to him before she turned and got into the passenger side of the car with Willow and Tara.

Spike approached the young man wearing the Ramones tee shirt.  “Forgive me, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Brian Ward.”

Spike held out his hand to the boy.  “I’m Spike.  I’m the man of the house, if you will.  I suggest that you remember that.”

Brian shook his hand reluctantly.

Spike turned to get back into his car.  “Oh Brian?”

“Yeah?”

Spike pointed to Brian’s shirt.  “Excellent band!  You should’ve seen them at CBGB’s”

Brian smiled with surprise.  “Yeah?  You really saw them back in the day?”

Spike got into his car and started the engine.  “No kid, I saw them back in the night.”

As Spike drove away, he looked a Willow and Tara holding hands in his back seat.  “My lovely witches, you were both brilliant as usual.”

Tara blushed a little at the vampire’s compliment.  “Really?  Th-thanks, Spike.”  Willow just smiled at her lover and squeezed her hand.

Spike tossed his cigarette butt out the window and glanced over to Dawn.  “Well then, let’s get our delinquent home, shall we?”

Dawn bit her lip and looked up at him.  “Delinquent?”

Spike frowned back at her.  “Oh yes, little miss, you are going to be so very grounded when you get home.”

“Grounded?”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Yes Grounded!”  Dawn you could’ve been killed!”  Buffy yelled at her sister as she paced back and forth in the kitchen where Giles and Spike watched the slayer like they were watching a tennis match.

Dawn pouted at first and then decided that trying to debate this issue with Buffy would be a moot point.  She sighed heavily.  “How long?”

Buffy was surprised that Dawn wasn’t fighting her on this at all.  She hadn’t even thought that far ahead.  “Umm . . .”  She looked to Spike for an answer to Dawn’s question.

Spike took only a second to jump in.  “Two weeks.”

“Two weeks?  No way!  This sucks!”

Buffy crossed her arms in front her body.  “Wanna make it three, Dawn?”

Dawn pouted again.  “No.”

Buffy sat down at the counter.  “OK then.  Two weeks.”

Dawn flopped down in the chair next to Spike and whined at the vampire.  “Two weeks is so wrong!  You’re so evil!”

Spike raised his eyebrow at her.  “Well, duh!  Nibblet, it won’t be so bad.  I’ll keep you very busy.”

Dawn leaned her head on Spike’s shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her.  She looked up at him and scowled as if she just swallowed a very bitter pill.  “This means two weeks of Shakespeare doesn’t it?”

Spike rubbed Dawn’s shoulder.  “Oh yeah.  And Melville and Chaucer and…”

“Bronte?”  Dawn asked hopefully.

Spike shook his head.  “Alright, Bloody Bronte, if you insist.”

Buffy motioned to the refrigerator.  “Ok girlie girl, have something to eat, then brush the vamp dust out of your hair and go to bed.”

Dawn got out from under Spike’s embrace.  “Fine!  Are there any Pringles left?”

Buffy shook her head.  “No, but there’s leftover pizza.”

Dawn went to the refrigerator and retrieved the greasy pizza box.

Spike and Buffy looked over at Giles who had offered nothing to the conversation since they all had returned home safely with Dawn.  Xander and Anya had decided to go home straight from the beach and Willow and Tara left to go home for some post vampire fighting rest and relaxation.  Giles had simply stayed out of curiosity.  He was very interested in the dynamic that had formed between the three of them.  They acted as if this were a commonplace occurrence in the household.  There was nothing odd about Dawn almost getting eaten by a former boyfriend.  Nothing strange about William the Bloody grounding her for two weeks and torturing her with classic English literature.  *  No, nothing amiss here at all!  Not bloody likely!  *

Spike eyed the refrigerator.  “Oh, I need a beer.  Badly.”

Dawn reached into the frig and grabbed a can of Guinness which she threw at Spike.  The vampire caught it just before it smacked Giles in the head.  “Thanks, luv.  Although I think we could work on your aim.”

Giles decided to finally join the conversation.  “You’ve been tutoring Dawn, then?”

Spike cracked open his beer.  “Yeah.  She missed a lot of school last term.”

“And you feel that your very prestigious education has made you qualified to over see her studies?”

“Look watcher, I may be a demon but I am also a dead man.  I remember my education very well, thank you.”

Giles bated the vampire further.  “Really? Where did you study?”

Dawn swallowed a mouthful of pizza and answered for Spike.  “Oxford.”

Giles began to stutter with surprise.  “Is-is-is that so?  I’d be very interested in verifying that.”

“Oh would you?”

Buffy picked up a cold piece of pizza and put it on her plate.  “Is that true, Spike?  You really went to Oxford?”

Giles took off his glasses and began to clean them absently.  “Well, if he did, it would be very easy to corroborate.  So tell me, what was your full name then?”

Spike began to drain his beer in earnest now.  “Sod off, Rupert!”

“No, really, Spike.  I’d like to know.  All we know about you is your history as a vampire.  We know practically nothing about who you were when you were human.”

“It doesn’t bloody matter now, does it!  Besides, you don’t want to know.”

Buffy took off her sunglasses and tried to focus on Spike’s form.  “I’d like to know.”

Spike threw his empty beer can into the recycling bin and then grabbed another out of the refrigerator.  He looked at his beautiful Slayer’s pleading expression.  *  Oh why does she have to look at me like that?  *

Putting an unlit cigarette into his mouth he turned and headed for the back door.  “I’m going out for a smoke.”  As he opened the door, Spike turned and looked back at the three of them.  “Bennett.  William Edward Bennett - the fourth.”  He then left them all to stare at one another.

Giles took out his notebook and wrote down the name Spike had just given him.  “Well that is very intriguing.  Willow and I will have to do some research and check this out.”

Dawn munched on her pizza crust and began to talk with her mouthful.  “He was a marquis.”

Buffy furrowed her brow.  “A what?”

Dawn swallowed her bite.  “A marquis, it’s a title like a Baron or whatever.  That might help your research Giles.”

Giles jotted down the information.  “Yes, Dawn.  That will be useful.”

Buffy felt left out of the loop all of a sudden.  Why hadn’t Spike ever told her those details?  She looked to Dawn.  “He told you this?  How come he never mentioned it to me?”

Dawn took another bite of her dinner.  “Did you ever ask him?”

Buffy had said goodnight to Giles and made sure that Dawn had gone to bed.  She was worried about Spike.  He had yet to come in from “having a smoke” out on the back porch.  She did hear him come in briefly to retrieve his cigarettes and the rest of the beer in the frig only to return outside without a word.  She wondered if he may be upset with her for wanting to know what kind of man he had been when he was human.  She felt like she’d made him angry already and they hadn’t even talked about the fact that they had spent the entire afternoon in bed making love.  But why was she so worried about making him mad anyway?  It was what she seemed to do best.  Buffy pisses off Spike, nothing new there.  But she still felt it – the pang of guilt for making him feel uncomfortable in his own home.  *  This is his home now, isn’t it?  *

Buffy stepped out the back door onto the porch.  In the dark she was able to see Spike pretty clearly sitting on the steps next to six empty beer cans.  He was working on his seventh while the eighth and ninth waited patiently for his attention.  She sat herself down next to him and patted him on the knee.

“Are you all right, luv?”  He asked.

She smiled at him in surprise.  “I was just going to ask you the same thing.”

“Rough night.”  He replied as he squeezed the empty beer can and popped open another.  He tipped his beer in salute to his slayer.  “Lovely afternoon, though.”

Buffy scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder.  “Wonderful afternoon.  Terrifying night.  Thank you for getting her home safe.”

Spike put his arm around Buffy and rubbed her arm lightly.  “I’d rather come home in a Hoover than have something bad happen to her.”

Buffy turned his face towards her and kissed him full on the lips, completely ignoring the taste of the beer and cigarette smoke.  She broke the embrace and motioned to the house.  “Are you coming to bed?”

“Sure, luv.  I’ll be up in just a little while.  Please go and get some rest.  I promise to tuck you in.”

“That’s OK, I’m really tired.  I’ll probably be out like a light by the time you come in.”

“Then, I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night, Spike.”

“Good night, pet.”

Buffy turned to go back in the house.  Spike called to her before she reached the door.  “Buffy?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.  And you don’t have to say it back, ‘cause I know you don’t love me, but I need to say it so you know.  And if I didn’t say it today of all days, I know I’d regret it forever.”

Buffy smiled at the drunken vampire on the steps.  “I know you would.  Come to bed soon, OK?”

“Yes, luv, soon.”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

          Spike finished off his last two beers as he watched the moon cross the sky.  *  What a day!  Finally won my slayer and nearly lost my little girl.  Wait a minute, when did I start thinking of her as my little girl?  *  He probably started thinking of Dawn as his since the moment Buffy had made him promise to protect her that night - that horrible night when he had lost his love because of the Hell goddess Glory.  The only thing keeping him from letting the sun consume him that day was that young girl.  He’d made the promise and even if Buffy wasn’t around, he was going to look after Dawn no matter what.  Yes, that was when Dawn became his little one, as close to a daughter as he would ever have, even though he’d never admit it.  He suddenly got the urge to go and check in on her, just to see if she was all right.

          He crept silently towards her room and peeked in through the crack in the doorway.  She seemed to be sleeping somewhat peacefully all curled up in a ball on top of her covers like a little kitten.  Just as he was about to leave her to her dreams, he heard her sigh and begin to mumble.  “Kevin?  Kevin, why?  Why?  Please don’t!  Just come back, please come back. . .”

          Spike could see her face contort in pain and the tears begin to fall from her tightly shut eyelids.  He couldn’t stand the sight of her in any more pain this night.  He made his way quickly to her bedside and tentatively began to pat her head softly.  “Shh, Nibblet, shh. . .”

          Dawn opened her eyes and gasped with fright.  “Spike?”  It took her a moment to focus on the vampire in the dark.  Then she started to really cry.  Reaching out to Spike with her thin arms for comfort.  He gathered her into his arms and rocked her gently.  She blubbered into his tee shirt.  “I was so scared.  He was there and he was so nice, like he always had been.  And then, and then he was a demon and he was going to, he was going to . . .”

          “Shh, luv.  No one can hurt you now.  I’m here, Buffy’s here.  We won’t let anyone harm you.”

          Dawn tugged on him desperately pleading.  “Promise me Spike.  Promise me that you won’t leave.”

          Spike’s expression became serious as he replied to her.  “I promise.”

          “And promise you won’t ever hurt us.  Promise you won’t become a monster again.”

          “But, pet, I still am a monster.”

          “Well, then promise you’ll stay the same kind of monster you are now.”

          Spike kissed her forehead and wiped away her tears.  He needed her to know how much he loved her.  Just as he needed to tell Buffy tonight that he loved her, he needed Dawn to hear the same.  “Dawn, listen to me.  I promise you that I will stay just as I am.  Just remember, no matter how horrible I can be, I will always love you and I will always love Buffy, forever.  I may not have a soul, but I tell you that I have a heart and that never changes.”  Spike pointed to his chest.  “Once you’re in here, I belong to you.  And you and big sis have me but good.”

          Dawn wrapped her arms around him tighter.  Not since she was a little girl had she felt so secure.  It was like before Mom and Dad split up.  She felt like she had two parents again.  Mom and Dad were gone, but Buffy and Spike were there and she knew they loved her.  “I love you, too.  Thank you for coming to get me tonight.”

          “I will always come for you.  Even if I have to run down the beach at high noon, I will come for you.  Now, try to go back to sleep.  You have a long day of reading and essay writing in store for you tomorrow.”

          Dawn rolled her eyes and flopped down back on her bed.  Spike pulled the covers back up over her.  “Oh great!  Now I’m going to have nightmares again!”

          “Sleep tight, don’t let the sonnets bite.”

          Dawn yawned.  “You think you’re funny, but you’re not.”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

          Spike was exhausted and a little tipsy.  He hadn’t drank enough blood tonight and after all the beers he was feeling a little light headed.  He made his way back to his room and took off his tear stained shirt.  He began to remove his jeans when he noticed a sleeping Buffy in his bed.  She opened her eyes and gathered the sheets around her as she sat up.  “Spike?”

          “Yes, luv, it’s me.  Did you get lost on the way to bed tonight or did you just miss your old room?”

          “Neither.  I missed you.”

          Spike smiled evilly at his slayer.  “Oh really?  Well, I missed you too pet and I was just about to . . . are you naked under there?”

          Buffy smirked in response to the question, which she had heard once before from him.  Last time he’d asked her that she’d threatened to drop him head first out the window.  This time she felt differently, very differently.

          “Why don’t you come over here and find out for yourself.”

          Spike removed the rest of his clothing and joined Buffy under the covers.  He was very happy to find that she indeed was naked under there.

Brian Ward rang the doorbell and shifted his weight from one foot to the other with nervous anticipation.  It was bad enough he had to be here at Dawn’s house meeting her family at all, let alone the fact that he was here to tell her what he had found at Kevin’s house last night.

Spike growled as he stalked over to answer the door.  *  If this is a bloody Jehovah’s Witness I will scare the Holy Hell out of ‘em!  *  Spike violently yanked the door open.  “Yeah? Oh, it’s you.  What do you want?”  Spike eyed the blue haired teenaged boy on his doorstep.

Brian nervously ran his hands through his hair, surprised that a vampire would be answering the door during the day.  “Can I see Dawn?”

Spike shook his head.  “She’s grounded.  She can’t have any visitors.”

“May I speak with you then?”

Spike eyed the boy again suspiciously and then decided to let him talk.  “All right then.  Come in.”

Buffy was on the couch with a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of milk when she called out to Spike.  “Spike?  Who’s at the door?  Is it Willow?  Tell her I’m not ready to go to the mall yet.”

Spike led Brian into the living room.  “No, luv.  It’s Dawn’s friend Brian, he came to speak with us.”

Buffy fiddled with her hair momentarily as she tried to make herself more presentable for a stranger.

Brian glanced over at the petite blond lounging on the couch.  She looked so small and helpless.  *  No wonder Dee needed to come home to her sister last night.  *

Buffy squinted at Brian.  “Hi Brian.  I’m Buffy, Dawn’s sister.  Please sit down.  Spike tells me you helped Dawn last night.  Thank you.”

Brian sat in the armchair across from Buffy.  “Oh, anytime, Ms. Summers.  I’m just glad she’s all right.”

Buffy leaned in closer towards Brian.  “Um, I’m recovering from an, um, accident so my eyesight’s not so good right now.  Is your hair blue?”

Brian shifted in his seat uncomfortably and opened his mouth to explain the particular fashion trend he was following when Spike sat next to Buffy and hugged her tightly.  “That’s wonderful, luv!  I think your eyesight has gotten better even since yesterday!  Can you read what his tee shirt says?”

Buffy leaned in again.  “R-A-M-O.  The Ramones!  He’s wearing a Ramones tee shirt!”  Buffy practically bounced off her seat with joy.  “I think I’m going to be better sooner than we both thought.”

Brian cleared his throat.  Spike turned his attention back to the boy.  “Oh yeah, what was it you wanted to talk to us about?”

“I went to Kevin’s house last night.  I found his parents’ bodies rotting in the master bedroom.”

Buffy shook her head with disgust.  “Oh that’s just gross!  I’m so sorry you had to see that, Brian.”

“Yeah, me too.  I called the police, but I really didn’t know what to tell them except that I hadn’t seen Kevin in over two weeks.  Anyway, I looked around in Kevin’s room and I found this.”

Brian held out a small velvet box to Buffy with a little envelope attached to it.  “It’s a gift for Dawn and I’m pretty sure he wrote the note before he got turned.”

Buffy eyed the gift with frustration.  “Spike, it’s too small, I can’t see it clearly.  What is it?  What does it say?”

Spike looked inside the velvet box.  It is was a small sterling silver necklace with a silver pendant shaped like a key.  The note was written on a plain note card.

Spike read it aloud for Buffy.  “For the prettiest girl in Sunnydale, because us freaks have to stick together.  Love, Kevin.”

Buffy’s mouth pouted slightly as she felt a pang of sympathetic sorrow for Dawn’s loss.  *  I was so mean to her last night.  I didn’t realize how hard this might be for her.  *

Dawn came down the stairs carrying a laundry basket full of dirty clothes.  As she passed by the living room she caught a glimpse of someone with blue hair sitting in the armchair.  She stopped in the doorway and put down the laundry basket.  *  Brian’s here?  *

Brian could smell a waft of Dawn’s perfume in the air and turned his head to see her standing there.  She looked so cute in her pink “Drama Queen” mini tee shirt and cut off blue jeans shorts.  Brian smiled as his eyes roamed over Dawn’s body.  “Hey Dee, how are you doing?”  Spike growled softly when he saw the look Brian was giving Dawn.

Dawn smiled at the boy.  “I’m OK.  What are you doing here?”

Spike held up the velvet box and waved it at her.  “He came to give you this.  It’s from Kevin.”

Dawn sat on the couch between Buffy and Spike and read the card.  Huge tears were threatening to fall from her big blue eyes.  Buffy put her arm around Dawn and squeezed lightly.  “I’m sorry about Kevin, sweetheart, so sorry.”

Dawn rolled the key pendant around in her fingers and began to really cry.  She had mentioned to Kevin that she’d liked this necklace when they were all at the mall about a month earlier.  She hadn’t explained to him why she liked it, but she hadn’t had enough money on her that day to buy it.  She looked to Brian and asked.  “He really liked me just as much as I liked him, didn’t he?”

Brian only nodded and Dawn put her head down.  “And then he just turned into a demon and wanted to kill me!”

Brian spoke up.  “Well it probably won’t make you feel much better, but at least he didn’t want to just kill you.”

Dawn looked at Brian as if he’d just grown another head.  “Huh?”

Brian shrugged at her.  “I mean he didn’t just want to eat you.  He wanted you to be his girlfriend, like forever.  That’s sort of sweet in a sick demented demon kind of way.”

Spike nodded in agreement.  “Yeah, I mean I wouldn’t have turned someone I didn’t like.”

Dawn was sniffling and rubbing the tears from her face in disgust.  “I know, but I just wanted a normal boyfriend.  Aren’t there any normal guys in Sunnydale?”

Spike thought for just a moment and asked.  “Xander?”

Dawn laughed.  “Oh yeah, he’s normal and engaged to an ex-vengeance demon!”

Buffy stroked her sister’s long brown hair in an effort to get it out of her face.  “Dawn, there is no normal here.  We are all abnormal.  I mean look at who you’re living with!  A slayer and a vampire.”

Brian felt confused at Buffy’s last comment.  *  What’s a slayer?  *  But before he had a chance to ask them, Spike had scooped the sniffling teenager into his arms and began to give her “noogies”.

Dawn screeched and laughed at his attempt to make her feel better through “idiot older brother behavior”.  “Spike!  Knock it off!  Dork!”

Spike stopped grinding his knuckles into her head and hugged her for a moment.  “Who wants normal anyway, Little Bit?  So boring!”

Brian ventured to ask his question out loud.  “Um, what’s a slayer?”

Spike looked to Buffy and Dawn who both shrugged at him.  “Well, he does know what I am, why not you as well?”

Buffy took a breath and replied to Brian’s question.  “I’m a vampire slayer, it’s my job.  I’m supposed to help rid the world of evil.”

Brian was really very confused now.  “And you’re living with a vampire?  How’d that happen?  You quit your job?”

Buffy shook her head.  “No, I didn’t quit.  Spike’s a little different than most vampires.”

Spike looked at the weird look on Brian’s face.  “Yeah, I can’t hurt human beings anymore.  A lovely government experiment put an end to my murderous ways.  So, I work for Buffy here now, and Dawn.”

“Dawn?  Are you going to be a slayer, too?”

Dawn got a sad look on her face.  She wished she could be like her sister, that way Buffy wouldn’t have to worry so much about her.  “No, I’m not going to be a slayer.  I’m something freakier than that.”

Buffy shook her head and raised her voice in a serious manner.  “Dawn, you’re not a freak you’re a normal teenaged girl!”

“Yeah, as if!  I’m so much more a bigger freak than you are Buffy!  I don’t even have super powers!  I’m just a link to all that’s evil and destructive.”

Brian looked from Dawn to Buffy.  “What?  What’s that?”

Dawn shook her head. “Oh, I’m just the family’s bad luck charm.”

Buffy’s tone got even sterner with her sister.  “Dawn!  You are not bad luck!  Stop thinking like that!”

Dawn spoke through her tears.  “Why?  Everyone I love ends up dead or a demon!  I suck!  I know it!  It’s always my fault!”

Brian furrowed his brow at Dawn.  “It’s not your fault that Kevin ended up like that, Dawn.  It was Danny’s fault.  You didn’t know.”

Spike addressed Brian with suspicion.  “ How did you know then?”

“Know what?”

“That your friend, Kevin was a vampire or that I was a vampire, for that matter.”

Brian shrugged.  “I don’t know.  There was just something off about Kevin and the way he was acting.  I mean he was like my best friend and I knew he really dug Dawn, a lot, but he’d never been so like mauling on her before.  Plus, he smelled different.”

Spike cocked his head at the boy.  “And me?”

Brian smiled at the vampire’s question.  “Yeah, well you just give off the ‘I’m a bad ass demon guy vibe’.  You’re pretty easy to spot.  I’ve met vampires before as well as a couple other kinds of demons. Once you see a demon, you never forget it.”

Buffy nodded in agreement.  “Tell me about it.”

Brian stood up and grabbed his car keys.  “Well, I’m kinda late for work, so I should get going.”

Buffy was impressed that this young kid had a job.  “Oh, sure, so where do you work, Brian?”

“I work over at South Side Auto Body, so if you ever mess up your car I can fix you up.  I’d only charge for parts.  Although I think I might have trouble getting parts for that old DeSoto.”

Dawn put her new necklace on and went over to Brian, giving him a big hug.  “Thank you, for everything.”

Brian hugged her back and straightened her key pendant on her shirt.  “Hey, Dee.  Again, I’m sorry, but I think this proves he really did love you, ya know?  Try to remember him for the great guy he was and not just some demon.”  Brian looked to Spike.  “No offense, man.”

Spike smirked and shook his head.  “None taken.”

Brian walked towards the front door.  “I’ll talk to you soon, OK, Dee?  Nice to meet you, Ms. Summers.  Goodbye, Mr. Um. . . um . . . ”

Buffy laughed at this boy trying his best to be polite.  “Brian, you can call me Buffy.  And you can call him . . .”

Spike interrupted Buffy.  “Bennett.  You can call me, Mr. Bennett.”

Both Dawn and Buffy looked at Spike and rolled their eyes at him.  Spike hissed as he changed his attitude with the boy.  “Or Spike, Spike’s fine.”

Brian just nodded to Spike and replied.  “Goodbye, Mr. Bennett.”

As Brian left, Spike chuckled lightly.  “At least he knows enough to give respect where respect is due.”

Dawn picked up the laundry basket and hoisted it on her hip.  “You are such a dork, Spike!  Stop playing alpha male once and a while and please try to be nicer to him.  He’s a really nice guy and . . .”

“And you totally have a crush on him.”  Buffy said matter of factly.

“Do not!”

“Do too!”  Buffy and Spike said both at the same time.

“Oh my God!  I’m going to do the laundry.”  As Dawn turned to bring the basket to the basement, Buffy caught a glimpse of what looked like blood on one of the shirts.

“What’s this?”  Buffy grabbed the white tee shirt out of the basket and held it up.  It was then that she recognized her yellow smiley face tee shirt.  “What happened to this?  Who wrote all over my shirt?”

Dawn ratted out Spike immediately.  “Spike did it.”

Spike clicked his tongue at Dawn.  “Tattle tale!”

Buffy laughed loudly at the realization that she had been wearing this shirt last night when all of her friends were over for dinner.  “I was wondering why Willow and Xander were asking me about my shirt!”  Buffy smacked Spike in the arm.

“Sorry, luv.  I think it looks better like this anyway.  It’s far less cheery and so much more sinister.”

Dawn got impatient with listening to the two of them bicker.  Dawn was so not in the mood for the banter and the subsequent wrestling.  She snatched the shirt away from Buffy.  “Oh shut up!  It’s just a stupid tee shirt!  I’ll be in the basement if anyone needs me.”  And with that Dawn went towards the basement door.

Buffy put her hand into Spike’s and squeezed lightly.  “She’s taking this badly.  How many more people does she have to lose before it gets too much for her to take?”

“One is too many, pet.  She’s been through enough already.”  Spike wrapped his arm around the slayer’s tiny waist and led her back to the couch.  “We’ll just keep an eye on her and make sure that she’s all right.”

Buffy thought a moment.  “Maybe her friend Brian will be able to take her mind off it?”

Spike scowled inwardly.  *  That’s what I’m afraid of.  *

He couldn’t believe how attached he’d gotten to the little one, though.  He loved Dawn more and more each day, if that was possible.  The girl actually listened to him, debated with him, whined at him and she loved him back.

*  At least one Summers’ girl will admit it. *

Even Buffy seemed impressed with how Spike could handle the Nibblet.  Spike could easily defuse an argument between the two girls with a carefully placed comment or a simple diversionary tactic.  Nine times out of ten he backed Buffy up with her side of the story, but every once and a while he went to bat for Dawn.

However, when it came to the girlie discussions about boys and eyeliner, Buffy won hands down.  Even in her weakened condition she was able to take good care of Dawn.  The two had gone to the mall with Willow and Tara today to do Dawn’s back-to-school shopping.  Dawn came back with an entire new wardrobe and every brand-new and trendy gadget imaginable.

When Spike had questioned her about how much money she’d spent on Dawn, Buffy had simply said, “What do I care?  Those things are for Dawn and it’s not my money.  And anyway, I can’t wait for the phone call from Hank when he gets his Visa bill next month.”

Buffy was bitter about her father’s lack of interest when it came to she and Dawn.  Hank Summers had simply signed custody of Dawn away to his oldest daughter without a thought to how it may make them feel.  He had claimed that he wouldn’t be able to move himself back to California and still be able to make enough money to support the two girls.  Buffy had fought with him over the phone and warned him that she would spare no expense when it came to Dawn.  Hank agreed that he would pay for anything they needed, but this didn’t make up for the fact that their father didn’t feel the need to be there for them.

Well, if they needed someone to be there for them, Spike would gladly do it.  It wasn’t very different than from running a vampire gang, except there was less violence and a little more whining.  He used to have to put out fires with his minions and Dru all the time.  But this was so much easier and far more enjoyable for him.

Buffy shifted in her sleep and Spike continued to thread his fingers through her silky hair.  *  How does she keep it so damned shiny?  *  He was smiling down at her when she opened her eyes and blinked at him in confusion.

“Spike?”

“Yes, pet?”

“I see you.”

“I see you too.”

“No, I see you!”

          Buffy hadn’t seen Spike clearly in what felt like forever.  She’d learned so much about this vampire and his body in a very short time, but she didn’t have a chance to see it.  And there she was, laying in his arms as he smiled back at her.

          “Luv!  That’s brilliant!  I told you that you’d be better in no time.”

          Buffy reached up and grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down to her.  She let one of her fingers lightly brush over his bottom lip.  “I forgot how much I liked looking at your mouth.”

          Spike was puzzled.  Buffy and he had only started being physical with one another since her injury that had caused her temporary blindness.  “When did you start looking at my mouth like that, luv?”

          “Remember when Oz and Willow broke up and she cast that spell?”

          “Oh yes, very well, in fact.”

          Buffy raised her lips to his and whispered.  “Spike lips, lips of Spike.”  Placing a soft opened mouth kiss on his, Buffy’s tongue delved into Spike’s mouth exploring and memorizing the coolness it found there.  He tasted sweet tonight, like he’d been eating something with chocolate in it.

          “Were you plundering my Ho Ho’s again?”

          “No, luv, just the hot chocolate.”

          Spike let his hand stroke Buffy’s chest as he slowly unbuttoned her pajama top.  She stiffened underneath his touch.

          “Spike, we can’t, Dawn.”

“Oh come on, the little one’s been sound asleep for hours.”

“But what if she comes down stairs for a drink or something?”

          Spike picked up Buffy into his arms and carried her off to the downstairs bathroom.  Placing her on to the counter next to the sink he quickly turned around and locked the door.

“We’re all alone in here.  Door’s locked.  The kid’s asleep.  And you’re stuck with me.  What are you gonna do with me now, Slayer?”

Buffy hopped off of the counter and patted it lightly, motioning Spike to seat himself on it.  “I want to watch you come.”

Spike obeyed and sat on the counter as Buffy pulled his tee shirt off and began to kiss and lick his chest.  She could see his erection straining to be set free from his jeans and she didn’t want to keep him waiting any longer.  She roughly undid his belt and pants, tugging at them impatiently.  When she had them bunched around his ankles, she went to work on him.

Buffy began by just looking at the man she had before her.  It was still disconcerting that although he was leaning up against the mirror, she could only see herself reflected back at her.  She reached out and caressed his chest with her little hands, tracing the puckered scars that peppered his flesh.  He had so many it seemed.  Some were definitely from Glory, she recognized those right away, but there were also some bite marks and others that looked like burns.  They may have been there for years for all she knew or maybe they were recent.

“How’d you get these?”  She asked with concern.

He pointed to two scars on his upper chest.  “Well, these are courtesy of the Hell Bitch, herself.”  Then he traced a few bite marks on his side.  “These are from a Ghora demon that pissed me off a couple of days after your mum died.  And I probably got some more on my back from that poison spitting demon that blinded you.”

Buffy reached out and touched the scars on his stomach that looked like burns.  “And these?”

Spike scowled a little.  “Oh, uh, those are from last week.  I ran into a few old friends that thought it might be funny to throw some holy water on me.  It soaked into my shirt and burnt my stomach, but they’re not so bad.  I can’t believe you even noticed them.”

“What old friends?”

“A little gang of vamps that hang around Fairview Cemetery.  They’re pretty small time.  I dusted three of them, but the other ten got away.”

Buffy looked upset.  “You almost got killed by a baker’s dozen of vampires and you didn’t tell me?”

Spike cupped the slayer’s face in his hands.  “My love, please, another day, another demon, remember?  I’m fine.  It’ll take a lot more than some stupid fledglings to take me down, you know that.  Hell, the best Slayer in the world couldn’t kill me.”

Buffy sighed with resignation.  He was right, on the scale of all things scary and dangerous a few vamps weren’t so threatening.  “Well, now that I’m able to see and slay again, you won’t have to fight them alone anymore.  We’ll be partners.”

Spike cocked his head and smirked at her.  “Partners?”

“Yeah, partners.”  She kissed Spike full on his mouth as her hands rubbed the inside of his thighs.  He groaned with pleasure into her mouth and then broke the kiss.  “I like the sound of that, partner.” 

Again she began to kiss his chest, but this time she was sure to kiss every single scar with reverence to everything he’d done for her this past year.  When she reached the burn scars on his stomach, she stopped and looked up into his face.  He had such a look of ecstasy on his face.  She was blown away at how much she’d really come to depend on Spike.  He was becoming so important to her that it was beginning to get harder and harder to resist telling him that she believed she was falling in love with him. 

Spike opened his eyes and looked down at her serious expression.  “Buffy?  Are you all right?”

“Spike, if anything ever happened to you, I don’t know what I’d do.”  Then she placed a soft kiss over his scars.  “So, I guess you’ll just have to stick around, OK?”

Spike smiled wickedly at his lover.  “OK, luv, if you insist.  But are you going to make it worth my while?”

Buffy bent her head down and sucked the tip of his cock into her mouth.  Spike hissed with pleasure as she continued to torture him with her warm, wet, soft tongue.  She stopped for a moment and questioned him.  “Does this make it worth you while, William?”  Then she took the entire length of him into her mouth.

Spike let out a high-pitched sigh.  Buffy softly giggled at his noises as she let her tongue stroke his shaft.  “What was that, Spike?  I didn’t quite understand you?  Did you say yes?”

Spike knocked the back of his head up against the bathroom mirror.  “Oh, God!  Yes!  Yes, you’re worth my while!”

Buffy continued to show Spike that his sticking around was definitely worth his while. 

Quietly her little sister dreamed away all safely tucked in her bed up stairs, while outside in the back yard a young man sat alone on a tree branch outside Dawn’s window watching her sleep.