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Buffy The Vampire Slayer > BTVS - Season Six
Hank by Painbow
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Disclaimer: Still with the not mine, though I'd be really flattered if people thought they were...

A/N: Did you know that only 3% of fanfic readers review? Don't be one of the faceless masses! ;)




Chapter 6

Dawn sat, knees curled up to her chest, on top of Spike’s sarcophagus. He wasn’t there, but it was getting close to sunrise, so he’d be back soon. Probably just out playing cards or having a beer.

She laid her head on her knees. Things were so hard now. She wasn’t quite sure how that had happened. All summer she had missed Buffy. She and Spike had sat on the couch, watching TV or a movie, wishing Buffy was there, cringing every time the Buffybot spoke. Then, there she was! Her sister! And Dawn had just known everything would be okay.

But it wasn’t. And Buffy barely even noticed.

Was she being too demanding? She didn’t think so. She knew Buffy cared about her, at least she thought she knew, but it would be nice for her sister to show it besides the obligatory saving-Dawn-from-the-big-scaries way. Buffy could ask about homework, or school, or her plans for the evening. She just assumed that Dawn didn’t have plans when she was ready to spend time with her! *Like I live in some shoebox you can store under the bed.* Dawn clenched her eyes closed, refusing to allow tears. Tears would just upset Spike. And then he’d ask what was wrong, and she wasn’t sure how to answer him.

Of course, she’d have to tell him something.

She heard footsteps outside the crypt and sat up. Demons had learned not to come around her, but there were always some demons that needed the refresher course.

She ducked behind the sarcophagus and peeked around the corner. She let out a sigh of relief when Clem and Spike entered. She let out a gasp when she saw the state Spike was in.

“Spike? What happened?!”

Spike looked at her through swollen eyes. “Hullo, Nibblet.” He coughed a little as Clem lowered him onto the sarcophagus.

“Oh, god…” Dawn reached out a hand to Spike’s face. He flinched when she touched his cheek. “Spike, what happened?”

“Nothin’ you need to worry ‘bout, Bit. How ‘bout gettin’ me some blood from the fridge?”

Dawn scurried over to the mini-bar, grabbing a bag of the human stuff that Spike kept for emergencies. He took the blood from her, mumbling thanks from between his swollen lips, and bit into the plastic, sucking the blood down.

“I’ve gotta head out, man,” said Clem, looking a little uncomfortable. “You need anything, just holler. I’ll tell the guys…something.”

“Right,” mumbled Spike, wincing as he shifted his back.

Clem looked worried, but Dawn motioned for him to go, mouthing, ‘It’s okay. I’ve got him.’

Clem left, and Spike rolled his head to Dawn. “Don’t think I didn’t see that. You ‘ave to get home, ducks. Can’t stick around here looking after the evil undead.” He frowned, insofar as was possible around his injuries. “Why’re you here, anyway?”

“I didn’t want to be at home. Buffy and I had an…argument.” Dawn fingered the bruise on her cheek.

Spike eyed her. “She give you that?” he asked, referring to the bruise.

Dawn pulled her hand away from her face, guiltily. “N-no.”

Spike snorted. “Say it again, this time with conviction.”

“What makes you think Buffy hit me?” Dawn said harshly, angry that he’d, of course, figured it out.

He turned his head so he was looking it the ceiling. “Cause it’s a subject I ‘appen to know something about.”

Dawn gasped. “Buffy did that to you?”

“Didn’t say that.”

“She did, didn’t she? She hurt you.” Dawn’s eyes filled with tears. “Why would she do that?”

Spike looked sharply at her. “I didn’t say that, Bit,” he ground out.

“Fine!” yelled Dawn. “Don’t tell me! No one tells me anything! Just send me home to the same house as my sister, who’s hitting people!” She stomped over to her bag, picking it up angrily.

“Dawn…”

“No, I get it. You don’t care either. I’ll just—”

“Bit, stop being a brat and sit down!”

Dawn’s mouth fell open. “What did you call me?”

Spike sat up, painfully. “You ‘eard me.”

Dawn crossed her arms, glaring.

“Dawn, you know I care. If I didn’t I wouldn’t let you stay in my crypt. You think I let Harris come in whenever he wants?”

Dawn dropped her arms to her sides, looking embarrassed.

“Yeah, big sis hit me. But it doesn’t matter, all right? ‘M a demon, she’s a slayer…this is just how it…it doesn’t matter.”

Dawn looked up with tears in her eyes. “But it does. You’re my friend and she hurt you.”

“Don’t worry about it, luv. “I’ll be alright in a bit. Just help me downstairs, yeah? And…and why don’t you stick around. I’ll need someone to fetch my blood…”

Dawn looked worried. “Spike, do you think Buffy’s okay?”

Spike grunted as Dawn put his arm around her shoulder. “’M not sure, luv.”



*****



Hank didn’t know what to think. He still wasn’t sure if he trusted that Spike guy, but he was having a hard time believing that he was hurting his daughter. He wasn’t sure exactly why, but he got the feeling that Spike truly cared for Buffy. Of course, he’d known of many abusers that claimed the same. It was confusing to say the least.

Hank opened the back door and entered the kitchen. He didn’t hear Buffy and her friend Tara speaking anymore, so he decided it was safe to enter.

Buffy was lying on her side on the couch, clutching a pillow and staring into space. Hank approached her as one would an easily scared animal.

“Buffy, sweetie? Are you ok?” *Oh, good question, Hank. Not in any way inane.*

Buffy turned her head to her father, eyes watering. “I’m sorry I pushed you, dad….I—I just…I’m sorry.” She turned back to stare at the point that had held her fascination before.

Hank wasn’t quite sure what to do. He was, he wouldn’t lie, a little afraid of Buffy’s mood. But he also desperately wanted to comfort her. He went with his gut father instinct. Who knew he even had one?

He sat on the couch next to Buffy’s feet. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart.” He paused. “You can tell me about it, you know. What happened before you went to talk to Dawn?”

Buffy shifted a little but didn’t say anything.

“Buffy, please. Tell me what’s going on.”

Silence from the cushions.

“You know, I didn’t wait until Sherri dumped me to come back.”

Slightly more attentive silence.

“I was sitting in a little coffee shop, girlfriend across from me, when I looked over and saw this blond girl sitting two tables over.”

Buffy shifted a little and Hank suspected that she was sitting up a little more. He continued his story.

“She was about your age, and she looked so much like you. She looked so happy, on holidays with her parents, or something. I reached into my pocket and there was that letter. The one you sent to that old PO box of mine.”

Buffy was sitting up, looking right at her father.

“In it you had sounded so sad. You talked about your mom and about Dawn and how you wanted to “let me know,” like you never expected me to even answer. And I thought, ‘My daughter isn’t happy and she doesn’t think I even care.’ That was when I decided to come home.”

Hank looked his daughter right in the eye. “Buffy, what happened with Spike?”

Buffy looked away. “I…I have to go.”

She got up from the cushions and headed to the front door.

“Buffy, you can tell me, you know? I want to help you.”

Buffy looked at her father. “You can’t help me with this, dad. I have to go.”

Hank walked over and put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m not going anywhere, Buffy.”

Buffy smiled sadly. “That’s what they all say.”

She walked out the door and Hank turned back to the living room. He noticed the desk in the corner, papers strewn across the top, and decided to see what he could do about the bill situation while he waited for Dawn.



*****



Buffy knocked tentatively on the crypt door. *First time for everything,* she thought.

“Spike,” she called, softly. Part of her hoped he was sitting in the chair watching TV while the rest of her hoped he was still out.

She opened the door to his crypt and entered slowly, looking around for signs of him. She was worried. The sun was coming up. She hoped that he made it back.



*****



Earlier that evening…


“Why do I let Spike do those things to me?”

“You mean hit you?”

Buffy looked down.

“Oh…oh!”

“I…you must think I’m horrible.”

“Oh, Buffy, no! I—I’m surprised is all. Wh-when?”

“For a while now…I just…” Buffy looked like she was going to cry.

“Buffy, you…you don’t have to explain it to me. Do you love him?” At Buffy’s look she hurried to her next part. “It’s alright if you do.”

“How? How is it alright?”

“Well, he’s done a lot of good. Helped us, looked after Dawn.”

“I don’t know what I feel, Tara. I just…I hurt him. Tonight.” At Tara’s confused look she continued. “I hit him. A lot. And not just him. I pushed dad and…Dawnie,” Buffy sobbed. “Oh, god, Dawnie!”

Tara’s eyes widened. “You—”

“I hit her. She was yelling at me and then at dad. She said, ‘are you just dense like mom’ and I lost it. Tara, I hurt my sister!”

“And Spike?”

“He was…we found this dead girl. I thought I had…and he tried to stop me from going to the police. I hurt him.”

Tara didn’t know what to think. Buffy was losing it. She needed help, fast.

“Please don’t tell the others! About any of it! Please! Oh, god, how they would look at me!”

“Oh, Buffy, sweetie.” Tara leaned in and pulled Buffy into a hug. Buffy started to sob uncontrollably.

“How can you forgive me? Please, don’t! Don’t forgive me!”




*****



Buffy needed to talk to Spike. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say, but she needed to make sure he was okay. Then she needed to go home and see her sister, try to explain…or just apologize.

She looked around the main floor of the crypt. When she approached the ladder she heard voices coming form the basement. She went down.



*****


Dawn had propped Spike up with some pillows on his bed. He had a glass of blood less then an arm’s length away. She sat at the foot of the bed and dealt the cards.

“Five card stud, jacks are wild,” she said.

“See, there! You quirked your lip! Every time you have a good hand your lip quirks!”

“It does not!”

“Yeah? Well, I fold.”

“But I had a—jerk.” She sulked.

“Dawnie?” Spike and Dawn looked up, surprised. “Dawnie, why are you here?”

Dawn glared at her sister. “Playing cards with Spike and looking after him. Someone hurt him really badly.” Buffy flinched.

“Did you come here alone? You know it’s dangerous.”

“Yeah, I did. And on the way I had a whole bunch of near misses! Not just monsters, either. Drugs, alcohol, boys, you name it, it tried to seduced me.”

“Dawn,” said Spike, warningly.

“I—I’m glad you’re okay,” she said to Dawn. She looked up at Spike, hoping he could read the same message from her eyes.

He caught her glance then looked down at his cards. “Look, slayer, we’re a little busy. Dawn’s decided to stick around for a bit, spend the night, braid my hair, you know.” He looked up at her quickly, making it clear Dawn would be staying. “So if you don’t mind?…”

Buffy opened her mouth to reply then shut it. Opening it again, she just said, “Sure,” and climbed back up the ladder.


*****





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