Title: A Simple Plan
Author: Christine
Email: Xanderette43@hotmail.com
Rating: PG-13 right now, R- NC-17 later on.
Summary: Dawn takes someone’s advice and follows it through.
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine sadly..... I really would’ve liked to have Spike, but hey what are you gonna do?
Dedication: To Spike and Dawn lovers everywhere, and especially to Regina cause she appreciates my craziness. :)
Author's Notes: This idea took place after many sleepless hours and thoughts of Spike, lol.

Prologue


Dawn sighed. It seemed like every plan she had to tell Spike her true feelings for him had resulted in her chickening out at the last possible moment. She was eighteen and for the past four years she had not had feelings for anyone but him. She knew she shouldn’t like a 120+ vampire without a soul, but to her Spike was everything she’d ever wanted. He cared deeply for her, protected her against everything that could potentially harm her, and spent time with her nearly everyday. They had become best friends, and to her that meant the world.... but there was a large part of her that wanted more. She was head over heels in love with him, and he didn’t have a clue.

She walked into her kitchen, grabbed a can of coke and sat down at the table before sighing heavily. She wanted to ask Willow’s opinion, but was afraid Xander would find out and she knew that would equal mucho badness. Xander tolerated Spike as much as he could, but Dawn knew if he found out she had a thing for Spike, he’d try killing Spike, even though he really didn’t do anything wrong.

Dawn sat at the table for what seemed like hours when suddenly an idea popped into her head. She finally realized that there was one person she could seek advice from, it was so blatantly obvious, she couldn’t believe she didn’t see it before. She grabbed her coke and jacket and walked out of the house without looking back.

She knew who she had to talk to, after all ex-vengeance demons should know a thing or two about love shouldn’t they?


Part One


Dawn was halfway to Xander and Anya’s apartment when the sun went down. She quickened her pace and reached inside her jacket for her stake just in case. She had just rounded the corner of Weatherly Park when she bumped into something and fell down against the hard concrete. She looked up and saw Spike standing there surprised.

“Nibblin, I’m sorry, what are you walking so fast for?”

He helped her up and brushed the dirt off her back. “It’s okay Spike, I was just on my way to Anya and Xander’s place.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Why are you going to visit that bloody poof for? If I had a nickel for every time I saved that pansy’s ass I’d be richer then Bill Gates himself.”

Dawn laughed. “Spike please no more Xander bashing, at least for a while, he has feelings you know, if he heard half the stuff you’ve said about him, he’d be pissed and you know it.”

Spike raised his eyebrows. “And what might the little nancy boy do to me?”

“Well he could spend countless hours torturing you with Babylon 5 trivia.”

Spike laughed. “You’re right Nibblin, that would be a nightmare wouldn’t it?”

Dawn smiled at him. “You bet it would be.”

Spike put an arm around her and they started walking towards Anya and Xander’s place. “Let me at least walk you the rest of the way there, who knows what the hell’s lurking out here.”

Dawn nodded. To the casual observer, it would seem that Spike’s arm around her indicated something more then friendship, but she knew that to Spike, it was just a friendly gesture and nothing more then that. She mentally sighed and when she saw the apartment building up ahead she stopped walking.

“Spike I think you’d better stay here until I get inside just in case Xander is there.”

Spike looked confused. “I thought you were going to see Xander though.”

Dawn shook her head. “Nope, I wanted to talk to Anya.”

Spike looked even more confused. “What the bloody hell about? Don’t tell me she’s telling you more of those tales from when she was a demon.”

“Nope.”

“Then why are you going there?”

Dawn smiled suggestively at Spike. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

With that she turned and headed up the pathway to the apartments, leaving an utterly confused Spike behind. Sighing, he waiting until she was inside and then started walking again.

“That girl always makes me crazy.”


Part Two


Anya greeted Dawn at the door as soon as she rang the doorbell. “Hi Anya!”

Anya smiled at Dawn. “Dawnie, how are you?”

Dawn stepped into the apartment. “Pretty good. How are you and Xander doing?”

Anya laughed. “We’re good, we just had this amazing round of sex before, and he did this thing with -”

“That’s okay Anya, I *really* don’t need to know.”

Anya shrugged and then lead them into the kitchen area. “Want something to drink?”

Dawn shook her head, “Nah, I just had a coke on the way here, but thanks anyway.”

Anya pulled a chair around the table for Dawn and sat across from her. “Xander’s not home yet, but he should be home soon.”

Dawn shook her head again. “Actually I came here to talk to you. I wanted to ask your opinion about something that’s been bothering me for a long time.”

Anya grinned. She was so happy that someone actually wanted to talk to her for once. Usually everyone that came over wanted to see Xander. Not that she was jealous, but there was still a part of her that was lonely from having few friends. “So what what’s bothering you? I bet it has to do with sex!”

Dawn smiled a little. “Well, that’s part of it, but I wanted to ask your opinion about Spike and I.... I’m kind of in love with him, but I don’t know how to tell him without ruining our friendship.”

Anya laughed. “Dawnie, I don’t think you have to worry about ruining your relationship with Spike! Have you ever noticed the looks he’s given you? They aren’t friendship glances, they’re ‘I want you more then apple pie’ kind of looks. He’s got it bad for you my friend.”

Dawn’s face went from shock to disbelief within seconds. “No way.”

Anya raised her right hand in the air as if swearing to tell the truth in a court of law. “I swear Dawnie, he loves you just as much as you love him. Trust me, I wasn’t nicknamed ‘The Love Bitch’ for nothing.” She crossed her arms and smiled smugly.

Dawn’s smile widened wider then she thought possible. “Really?”

Anya nodded. “Oh yes, once in London around the turn of the century, there was this young woman who’s husband cheated on her with a maid, so I turned him into a mule, but right before I did it, he called me that nickname-”

Dawn interrupted her again. “No Anya, I meant does Spike really love me? I just never thought he felt anything more for me then a friend.”

Anya shook her head. “Nope, he loves you.”

Dawn grinned and then it faded. “I’m not sure what to do now though. I mean I know he loves me now, but how do I tell him? I’m not sure I can.”

Anya thought for a moment, and then her eyes sparkled with delight as she told Dawn her plan.

“See, when I wanted Xander, I didn’t know how to approach him, so I just went to his place in the basement and....”


Part Three


Anya was just finishing telling Dawn about her scheme when they heard some noise outside. Dawn got up from her seat in the kitchen and ran to the front door. She threw it open and looked out on the lawn, but didn’t see anything. She walked out of the apartment building and looked down the street and saw four figures fighting. She took off running and as she came closer she saw Spike and Xander fighting two vampires who looked like they were in serious need of a shower.

She quickly looked around for a tree branch big enough and she found one laying near a bush. She broke it in two and saw Spike being pinned beneath the gross looking vampire. She ran and threw herself at the vampire, knocking him down off of Spike, and she thrust the wood into his heart before he had a chance to defend himself. He exploded into ashes and she slowly stood up and saw Spike and Xander staring at her.

“What?”

Spike walked over and flicked some vampire dust off of her cheek. “Nibblin, you just saved my arse.”

Dawn shrugged and threw the branch back over on the lawn. “I just saw you guys fighting and I thought I would help.”

Xander shook his head. “But Dawnie, you tackled that vamp like he was nothing.”

Dawn shrugged again. “Well you know how Buffy and I shared the same blood... maybe I just had a little of her slayer strength that’s all.”

Xander nodded his head. “Yeah you’re probably right. I better go and say hi to Anya before she starts getting wiggy.” He turned and started walking to the house, rubbing his arm where the other vampire scratched him.

Dawn turned towards Spike and looked at him worriedly. “Are you okay?”

Spike rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah bit, I’m fine, I’ve got a bump on the back of me head, but it’ll be gone by morning, you shouldn’t worry about me.”

Dawn smiled slightly and then noticed a large cut on his forehead that was starting to bleed.

“Oh you’re bleeding Spike.”

She took a tissue out of her pants pocket and reached up to press it on his cut. Spike winced at the pain at first, but then as glanced at her face he noticed how worried she was about him. He reached up and took hold of her wrist. “I’m fine Nibblin, it’ll heal.”

She looked up into his eyes and realized how close they were to each other. She immediately thought of Anya and what she had said, and her eyes grew wide. She slid her arm down so it brushed past Spike’s hand and he closed his eyes for a brief moment. Dawn noticed his sudden quietness and as much as she hated doing it, she stepped back, out of his reach. He inwardly sighed, thinking to himself that she didn’t like him as anything other then a friend.

Dawn awkwardly ran a hand through her hair. “Want to walk me home?”

Spike nodded. “Yeah let’s go before anything else jumps out and you have to save me.”

She looked over at him and he was making a sarcastic face at her. She stuck her tongue out at him and started walking a little faster since it was starting to get more then a little chilly outside.

“Cold Nibblet?”

Dawn nodded her head. “We’re almost there though.”

Spike slid out of his trenchcoat and draped it over Dawn’s shoulders. “Thanks.” She smiled at him and he grinned back.

“Are you sure you won’t be cold?”

“I don’t really have much of a body temperature Nibblin, so its okay.”

Dawn slid her arms through the sleeves of the coat and hugged it close to her body. She inhaled deeply, and noticed it had Spike’s scent on it. She smiled as they continued walking, but she noticed how quite Spike still was. “Are you all right Spike?”

Spike snapped out of the trance he was in and nodded. “Sure Bit, I’m fine, I just want to get you home safe ‘n’ sound is all.”

They kept walking until they got to her apartment building. “Do you want to come in? I could make that hot chocolate with the little marshmallows in it that you like so much.”

Spike acted like he was thinking about the offer. “I don’t know Nibblin, they’re having a Passions reunion special on later...”

Dawn playfully smacked his arm. “Come on, you know you can’t resist those marshmallows floating in the warm cocoa...”

Spike grinned. “You really know how to make a man happy Nibblin.”

With that, they walked side by side into her apartment building.