Buffy woke up slowly the next morning. Her head was buried under her
pillow and she didn't want to get up. But she had to get Dawn to school and
try and get a job. Which that itself was enough to make Buffy groan. She
rolled over and glanced at her alarm clock. 9:23. Buffy jumped up out of
bed and ran to Dawn's room. She knocked on the door impatiently.P
"Dawn, ahh.Dawnie, you are so late for school. C'mon, get up lazybones," Buffy said attempting to be funny. She opened the door and looked around in confusion. Dawn's bed was made, which meant something was definitely wrong. Dawn was a teenager, her bed was never made. And the picture of her and Dawn was missing.P
She moved towards the bed, her face for once showing concern for her younger sister. That's when she saw the letter. It had Buffy written on the envelope with Dawn's teenage scrawl. Her hand shook as she reached for the letter that she already had an idea what it said. It took her a minute to open it, she tried to prepare for the words that were about to assault her but in the end, nothing could prepare her for Dawn's words.PP
biDear Buffybr
I know what you are thinking. Dawn has run off and doesn't know what she is doing. She's gonna get hurt, end up in some trouble and you won't be able to find me. But I won't. I'm strong Buff, you taught me well. And Spike, he's helped me too. If you are curious as to that, ask him.P
Listen, about the things I said earlier. I wasn't thinking, I was reacting. Something I have to work on. I don't wish you dead. I could never wish you dead. You are my sister, my best friend. I love you so much and I can't stay and watch you despise us. We brought you back. I can only speak for myself when I say, I'm not sorry for that. I was broken without you here. When you were gone, I cried. I couldn't deal, without Spike and Willow and Xander and Giles, I might have killed myself. But then you came back.P
I wish I could say I don't miss the old Buffy because you are essentially the same Buffy. But I miss the confident slayer. The one with the sense of humor, the mindless banter and all around genuine good girl. I want her back, not to be mean, you aren't her. Now that I'm gone, I hope you can find her. I hope you look deep inside of yourself and can bring her out. I'm the cause of everything, since I'm technically not your sister, you should be fine.P
Well, I have to be going. Don't worry Buffy. I'll be fine. Dad will take care of me.P Dawn/i/bPP
Buffy didn't even realize she had sat down on Dawn's bed. She slowly lowered the letter to her lap. Dawn was gone, because of Buffy. She had left, she had run away from her home. To a man that she thought would except her, take her in and raise her.P
Buffy laid her head down on Dawn's pillow. She couldn't think, couldn't move, she was finding it hard to breath. Dawn was gone. And it was Buffy's fault. She was gone. And she had it all wrong.P center*****/centerP
Giles heard the door of the Magic Box open and he looked up with a smile. When he saw Buffy he straightened and looked at her ravaged face. "Buffy, what happened?"P
"Dawn," Buffy said distracted. "Dawn's not here."P
"No Buffy, she's at school," Anya said walking up behind her. She looked at Giles who looked as confused as she did.P
"No, Dawn," Buffy said trying again. She almost had the words formed when her breathing became even more ragged. "She." she tried again. But she felt herself slowly losing consciousness. P
"Buffy!" Giles called hurrying around the counter. He picked the Slayer up and carried into the training room and laid her down on the couch. "Buffy, what's wrong with Dawn? What happened?"P
Buffy shook her head. She couldn't form the words. "Get Spike," she said finally. She wanted to say more but she couldn't. She rolled over and closed her eyes. Spike would help her, he'd tell them what she couldn't.P
Giles rubbed his hand on Buffy's head before he rose and walked back into the main store. "Anya, call Willow. Somebody needs to get Spike. Buffy's gone into some sort of shock and she asked for him." He couldn't keep the confusion out of the tone of his voice. It was one thing to lean on him heavily in battle but a whole other thing to ask for him on an emotional basis. But they would cover that base later.P
Anya nodded as she completed the sale she'd just made and picked up the phone. She hung up a couple minutes later. "Willow is on her way. I didn't tell her why we needed him. Why do we need him?"P
Giles went back to the doorway where he looked on at Buffy. "I'm not sure, but hopefully he'll explain." Buffy looked peaceful laying on the couch. If it wasn't for the shudders that kept wracking her body. She kept shaking. "I hope she gets him here quick."P center*****/centerP
Spike shot up from his bed when he heard the door of his crypt slam open. "What in the bleedin hell!" he yelled yanking the blanket up over his private area. He saw Willow standing in the doorway looking at him in surprise.P
"Sorry, I forgot that you sleep during the day," she apologized. She hurried in and saw a pair of black pants on the ground. She picked them up and threw them at him. "Get up, Anya called me and said that Giles wanted you at the Magic Box immediately."P
Spike caught the pants and slowly blinked the sleep out of his eyes. He was still lost in his dream, of Buffy and a time that didn't include the present. "What? Why? Huh?" he asked confused. "The watcher needs me, the vampire? Are you sure Anya hasn't been drinkin or something. The watcher doesn't need me for anything."P
Willow shook her head. "She said he needed you and that's all I was told. Spike, Giles wouldn't ask for you unless it was important. Please hurry and get dressed. I'll wait outside for you."P
"Ahhh, Willow, I can't exactly go outside right now. Unless you want to bring me to the Magic Box in an urn." Spike smiled when the young witch looked embarrassed.P
"I'm sorry, for a moment I almost forgot," she said apologizing again. "Um.this isn't going to work."P
Spike sighed as he started to stand up. He smirked when she squeaked and turned around so she wouldn't see anything. Some girls could be such prudes. "It's okay now, I'm decent."P
Willow turned around and watched as he slipped a black shirt on and grabbed his black leather duster. She remembered a conversation she had had with Dawn earlier. When Buffy hadn't been here. She was right, Spike was hot. Not in the drop dead gorgeous, I wanna jump your bones way that Angel had been. But he was hot in the damn, I need him now, naked and horny.P
Spike watched as her face turned bright red. He would have paid any amount of money to know what was running through her mind to make her blush so hard. On the other hand, it was probably something that she'd never share. "How 'bout you go on ahead and I'll take the sewer over there. It's gonna take longer but I think Giles would rather me there in one piece than in a million."P
Willow nodded and walked towards the doorway. "Spike, hurry though. I don't know what would make Giles need you so badly in the middle of the day. It's not like him and I somehow think this has to do with Buffy." She watched as Spike's face softened when she said Buffy's name. Xander and Giles laughed whenever Dawn, Willow or Anya brought up Spike's love for Buffy. They claimed he didn't love her, couldn't love her, being soulless and all. But when the girls saw him, with that face, and they saw how he was with her. How patient, how kind and sincere. They would never doubt his feelings for their friend.P
"I'll be there mighty quick," Spike said already making his way for the hole in his home.P
Willow waited until she saw him leave before she looked around the crypt again. She was going to have to ask for Anya's help but they needed to do something about his home. Nobody could survive in such dark and dank surroundings. Not even a vampire deserved that. Angel had lived in a mansion for pete's sake. Nope, they were going to fix it up. With that thought in mind, she started making up a list of things they needed to purchase as she made her way out of the crypt and back to her car.
"Dawn, ahh.Dawnie, you are so late for school. C'mon, get up lazybones," Buffy said attempting to be funny. She opened the door and looked around in confusion. Dawn's bed was made, which meant something was definitely wrong. Dawn was a teenager, her bed was never made. And the picture of her and Dawn was missing.P
She moved towards the bed, her face for once showing concern for her younger sister. That's when she saw the letter. It had Buffy written on the envelope with Dawn's teenage scrawl. Her hand shook as she reached for the letter that she already had an idea what it said. It took her a minute to open it, she tried to prepare for the words that were about to assault her but in the end, nothing could prepare her for Dawn's words.PP
biDear Buffybr
I know what you are thinking. Dawn has run off and doesn't know what she is doing. She's gonna get hurt, end up in some trouble and you won't be able to find me. But I won't. I'm strong Buff, you taught me well. And Spike, he's helped me too. If you are curious as to that, ask him.P
Listen, about the things I said earlier. I wasn't thinking, I was reacting. Something I have to work on. I don't wish you dead. I could never wish you dead. You are my sister, my best friend. I love you so much and I can't stay and watch you despise us. We brought you back. I can only speak for myself when I say, I'm not sorry for that. I was broken without you here. When you were gone, I cried. I couldn't deal, without Spike and Willow and Xander and Giles, I might have killed myself. But then you came back.P
I wish I could say I don't miss the old Buffy because you are essentially the same Buffy. But I miss the confident slayer. The one with the sense of humor, the mindless banter and all around genuine good girl. I want her back, not to be mean, you aren't her. Now that I'm gone, I hope you can find her. I hope you look deep inside of yourself and can bring her out. I'm the cause of everything, since I'm technically not your sister, you should be fine.P
Well, I have to be going. Don't worry Buffy. I'll be fine. Dad will take care of me.P Dawn/i/bPP
Buffy didn't even realize she had sat down on Dawn's bed. She slowly lowered the letter to her lap. Dawn was gone, because of Buffy. She had left, she had run away from her home. To a man that she thought would except her, take her in and raise her.P
Buffy laid her head down on Dawn's pillow. She couldn't think, couldn't move, she was finding it hard to breath. Dawn was gone. And it was Buffy's fault. She was gone. And she had it all wrong.P center*****/centerP
Giles heard the door of the Magic Box open and he looked up with a smile. When he saw Buffy he straightened and looked at her ravaged face. "Buffy, what happened?"P
"Dawn," Buffy said distracted. "Dawn's not here."P
"No Buffy, she's at school," Anya said walking up behind her. She looked at Giles who looked as confused as she did.P
"No, Dawn," Buffy said trying again. She almost had the words formed when her breathing became even more ragged. "She." she tried again. But she felt herself slowly losing consciousness. P
"Buffy!" Giles called hurrying around the counter. He picked the Slayer up and carried into the training room and laid her down on the couch. "Buffy, what's wrong with Dawn? What happened?"P
Buffy shook her head. She couldn't form the words. "Get Spike," she said finally. She wanted to say more but she couldn't. She rolled over and closed her eyes. Spike would help her, he'd tell them what she couldn't.P
Giles rubbed his hand on Buffy's head before he rose and walked back into the main store. "Anya, call Willow. Somebody needs to get Spike. Buffy's gone into some sort of shock and she asked for him." He couldn't keep the confusion out of the tone of his voice. It was one thing to lean on him heavily in battle but a whole other thing to ask for him on an emotional basis. But they would cover that base later.P
Anya nodded as she completed the sale she'd just made and picked up the phone. She hung up a couple minutes later. "Willow is on her way. I didn't tell her why we needed him. Why do we need him?"P
Giles went back to the doorway where he looked on at Buffy. "I'm not sure, but hopefully he'll explain." Buffy looked peaceful laying on the couch. If it wasn't for the shudders that kept wracking her body. She kept shaking. "I hope she gets him here quick."P center*****/centerP
Spike shot up from his bed when he heard the door of his crypt slam open. "What in the bleedin hell!" he yelled yanking the blanket up over his private area. He saw Willow standing in the doorway looking at him in surprise.P
"Sorry, I forgot that you sleep during the day," she apologized. She hurried in and saw a pair of black pants on the ground. She picked them up and threw them at him. "Get up, Anya called me and said that Giles wanted you at the Magic Box immediately."P
Spike caught the pants and slowly blinked the sleep out of his eyes. He was still lost in his dream, of Buffy and a time that didn't include the present. "What? Why? Huh?" he asked confused. "The watcher needs me, the vampire? Are you sure Anya hasn't been drinkin or something. The watcher doesn't need me for anything."P
Willow shook her head. "She said he needed you and that's all I was told. Spike, Giles wouldn't ask for you unless it was important. Please hurry and get dressed. I'll wait outside for you."P
"Ahhh, Willow, I can't exactly go outside right now. Unless you want to bring me to the Magic Box in an urn." Spike smiled when the young witch looked embarrassed.P
"I'm sorry, for a moment I almost forgot," she said apologizing again. "Um.this isn't going to work."P
Spike sighed as he started to stand up. He smirked when she squeaked and turned around so she wouldn't see anything. Some girls could be such prudes. "It's okay now, I'm decent."P
Willow turned around and watched as he slipped a black shirt on and grabbed his black leather duster. She remembered a conversation she had had with Dawn earlier. When Buffy hadn't been here. She was right, Spike was hot. Not in the drop dead gorgeous, I wanna jump your bones way that Angel had been. But he was hot in the damn, I need him now, naked and horny.P
Spike watched as her face turned bright red. He would have paid any amount of money to know what was running through her mind to make her blush so hard. On the other hand, it was probably something that she'd never share. "How 'bout you go on ahead and I'll take the sewer over there. It's gonna take longer but I think Giles would rather me there in one piece than in a million."P
Willow nodded and walked towards the doorway. "Spike, hurry though. I don't know what would make Giles need you so badly in the middle of the day. It's not like him and I somehow think this has to do with Buffy." She watched as Spike's face softened when she said Buffy's name. Xander and Giles laughed whenever Dawn, Willow or Anya brought up Spike's love for Buffy. They claimed he didn't love her, couldn't love her, being soulless and all. But when the girls saw him, with that face, and they saw how he was with her. How patient, how kind and sincere. They would never doubt his feelings for their friend.P
"I'll be there mighty quick," Spike said already making his way for the hole in his home.P
Willow waited until she saw him leave before she looked around the crypt again. She was going to have to ask for Anya's help but they needed to do something about his home. Nobody could survive in such dark and dank surroundings. Not even a vampire deserved that. Angel had lived in a mansion for pete's sake. Nope, they were going to fix it up. With that thought in mind, she started making up a list of things they needed to purchase as she made her way out of the crypt and back to her car.