Disclaimer: I do not own anything; Characters belong to Joss Whedon & Mutant Enemy. However this story is my own.
Summary: A seer tells Spike that his Slayer is in immediate danger. He returns to Buffy's life, watching her from the shadows. He wants to keep his presence a secret but Dawn has other ideas.
A/N: Reviews are greatly appreciated - LoversWalk89
From The Shadows
CHAPTER ONE
Buffy pushed the door open and passed the threshold closing it behind her, she placed her keys in a dish on a table that stood beside the door. Dawn had insisted they had a dish for their keys just like their Mom had done in the old house back in Sunnydale.
Buffy kicked off her boots and padded into the kitchen. She saw a note on the refrigerator from Dawn 'Got a date with Jarred, Be back at 11. Love you. D x'. She checked her watch "9:47" she whispered "Man the vamps in this town are early risers"
She'd just been on her casual petrol, taking out any vamps she thought would cause a threat to the baby slayers that occupied the town. Well at least that was what she told everybody. The truth was there would always be a part of her that loved the dance.
She searched through the fridge for something edible and pulled out a slice of leftover pizza. "Not exactly the healthiest food" she said with a shrug and took a bite.
She look a glass out of the cupboard and poured herself a glass of orange juice. She was just about to take a sip when she felt the familiar tingles on her neck that signalled a that a vampire was close by.
She peered out of the kitchen window but saw nothing untoward, she shrugged. Maybe her vampire senses just weren't what they used to be.
For the past few days whenever she was home alone she felt tingles on the back of her neck and after many thorough searches of the house and the yard. Nothing was to be found.
Buffy placed the glass she was still holding on the kitchen counter. The hair on the back of her neck was truly standing on end now, and her whole body was singing their was a vampire around.
She went into the living room and looked around, she caught the scent of old leather. She screwed her face up in frustration as she headed and to the kitchen.
She sat on the stool at the kitchen island and sulked, she was way off her game. She started telling herself she needed to train harder and patrol more often to get her vampire senses back to normal.
As she was mentally rearranging her schedule to accommodate more slay time, she caught a whiff of stale cigarette smoke.
Her brow was knitted in confusion, the only person she knew who smelt of leather and stale cigarette smoke was gone. And he wasn't just gone, he was dust.
She cursed herself as tears built up in her emerald eyes, she'd promised herself two days of mourning and then she would move on but it seemed that was no easy feat. It had been six months already and she still wasn't able to let go. Of course she couldn't. She loved him, and she waited for the least appropriate time to tell him. When he was going out in his blaze of glory - no pun intended.
She closed her eyes and the tell tell tinglies were back. She smiled softly "You're still here aren't you... I can feel you" she whispered
Dawn opened the front door and stomped her way into the kitchen "Hey" she greeted
Buffy looked around cautiously "Hey uh... You're back early"
"Yeah turns out Jarred although he's so hot doesn't really know how to romance a girl" she ranted
"Oh..." Buffy murmured
"Oh? That's all you can say? I had to pepper spray a guy tonight and all you can say is oh?" Dawn yelled
"Pepper spray?" Buffy finally landed back on earth to join the conversation with her sister.
"Yeah... Also I had to do that thing Spi- I had to kick him in his unmentionables" Dawn shrugged
"Well I'm proud of you" Buffy smiled
"Are you okay? You seem kinda edgey" Dawn asked
"Huh?... What? No I'm fine. I'm better than fine I'm good" Buffy smiled a little too enthusiastically
"O...K... So I'm just gunna go up to my room and see if I can cram a little studying in before bedtime"
"Okay" Buffy said lost in her thoughts
"Maybe you should get to bed Buffy, you're looking a little tired" she said lightly kissing her older sister on the cheek
"Yeah... I'll be up in a sec" she smiled
"Okay. Goodnight" Dawn said scampering off up the staircase.
Buffy couldn't feel his presence there any longer, it seemed Dawn's impromptu appearance disrupted them. She sighed heavily 'This could be a fricken sign and Dawn and her crappy date have to ruin it' she scolded Dawn mentally as she too climbed the steps.
She heard Dawn talking to someone in her bedroom. She lightly tapped on the door "Dawnie"
She heard her sister scramble and a lot of hushed tones before Dawn invited her to come in.
"What's up?" Asked Dawn peering over one of her history books looking suspicious.
"I thought I heard you talking to someone..." Buffy told her
"Me? Talking to someone?" She said apprehensively
"Yeah... Do you have a guy in here?" Buffy asked
"What?! No!" Dawn protested slamming down her book
"Dawnie it's okay you're a grown up now, I'd just like to be informed of any gentleman callers"
"Well there's nothing to inform you of" Dawn told her "I was just reading out loud... It's a thing Willow taught me, if you uh say it you'll remember it. And I have a big science test coming up" said Dawn flashing the book she'd just been reading at her
"Uh Dawn" Buffy raised an eyebrow
"Yeah?" She whimpered
"That's a history book..."
"Right... The history of science is what I have a test on... So I should study so you need to leave" she told her ushering Buffy to the door and closing it firmly behind her.
"She gets weirder" Buffy mumbled to herself making her way to her room
XXXXX
Dawn locked her bedroom door, and walked over to her closet.
"Coast is clear" she whispered
"Thank god, can you imagine if she caught me here?" Said a familiar British voice from inside the closet
"You need to come out and then. You need to leave" Dawn said quietly
Spike popped out of the closet, his trademark leather duster and combat boots were still in tact. "I don't want to get you into trouble Nibblet"
"Yeah me either so go, I don't really understand what you're doing here anyways"
"I told you, I came to make sure she was okay. Friend of mine had a vision that big sis was in trouble"
"Why does this sound all Sunnydale 1999?" Dawn rolled her eyes
"I know..." He sighed "I don't usually do the stalker bit"
Dawn raised an eyebrow
"Okay or I guess I do but Buffy knew I was there the whole time"
"And how do you know she doesn't know now?"
"Good point..."
"Look I get it, Buffy's in danger blah blah blah. But you could just tell her you're here... Don't make the same mistakes as Angel" Dawn told him
"Honestly Nibblet I wouldn't know what to say" he sighed heavily
"Uh the truth might be a good start. Plus she's gunna figure this out anyways, and I'm gunna be the first one on her shit list" Dawn panicked
"Don't worry, worst comes to the worst"
"Which it always does" Dawn butted in
"Alright, alright. I'll tell her I'm here"