To Will. lol Here's to obsession. Quickly may it reign. I own nothing. Absolutely nothing. *sigh*. Only in my wildest dreams. Meow. Sorry. This is a little Truth or Dare piece. It contains only Dawn, Spike, and Buffy. And every single one of you perverts, get your heads out of the gutter. This is Spike and Buffy mush. *big grin* Rated pg-13 for alcohol use (minor consumption. baaaad.), and maybe language. I love it when Spike swears. teehee. PLEASE R&R!!! *falls to floor and begs* please? Kk. Thanks.

Tequila Sunrise

Buffy called up the stairs to Dawn. "DAWN!!! GET DOWN HERE!! NOW!!"

Dawn tromped dutifully down the stairs, walking into the kitchen where Buffy and Spike sat. "You bellowed?"

Spike frowned, and snapped, "Speak to your sister with more respect, Dawn."

She glanced at him as if he'd grown another head. "All right... What's with all the horrific frowning?"

It was horrific frowning, Spike had to give her. But, so had been the news they had received.

Buffy was beyond angry. "Living room." She stood and stomped in it, dropping Indian style on the rug, pointing for Dawn and Spike to join her. They did soundlessly.

Buffy twisted the cap off the bottle of tequila she had dragged with her. Spike handed her three shot glasses, a bowl of lime slices and a shaker of salt.

"Since apparently, you drink so well, Spike and I challenge you to a game of drinking Truth or Dare."

Dawn paled. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the person who called yesterday. Mistaking me for you. Saying what a cool party trick that was. Held more liquor than all the guys there. And he complimented you on your table dance." Buffy's voice quivered with rage.

"It was just a party, Buffy." Dawn's voice bordered on desperation. "I mean... I held my own."

"You're bloody fifteen years old, Dawn," Spike's harsh voice came to her ears. "You shouldn't be holding your own when it comes to drinking anything but POP! Those sodding litt'el pricks could have taken advantage of you!"

"You drink!" Her eyes swung to Spike's.

"I'm a hundred and twenty years old!!! If we outlast you, Dawn, you promise to never drink again till your of age." He poured the first shot. "Buffy. Truth or dare?"

"Truth." She licked her wrist after sprinkling salt on it, and slammed her shot, making Dawn wince.

"How old were you when you got kissed?"

"Thirteen." Took her lime. "Dawn. Truth or dare?"

"I... Um... Dare." She licked her own salted wrist, slammed her shot, coughing.

"I dare you to do the dance you did at the party."

Dawn steeled her resolve, and stood. Danced. And danced long and slutty. Spike was embarrassed, tried to lower his gaze three times, but Buffy stopped him. Buffy just watched her. When she was finished, she sat, took her lime.

"Spike. Truth or dare." Dawn poured him a shot.

Sprinkling salt over his cool wrist, he licked it off slowly. "Truth." Took his shot.

"Why do you sit outside Buffy's window?"

He thought he did a bloody good job of not choking. "Because without you and your sister, the Scooby crew is boring. I want to make sure everything's all right." He took his lime.

Four rounds into the game, Dawn passed out. Glancing at her, Buffy frowned worriedly. "Spike... we shouldn't have done that. What if she gets sick?"

"Oh, she's gonna get sick, luv. Very, very, sick. And we'll hold her hair, and feed her Saltine's. But now she knows what it's like. And she won't like it in the morning. So she won't do it again."

"I guess." Buffy sipped her shot. "Truth or dare?"

He took his shot, sans salt and lime. "Truth."

"What's the drunkest you've ever been?"

"A month after you... you... Anyway. We started moving things, but then we couldn't do it, so we all got pissed. Very... Very... Very pissed. Even I had a hangover the next night."

She patted his hand.

"So, Buffy-luv. Truth or dare?"

She considered. "Dare."

"Do a body shot."

"A what?"

"A body shot. Look. It's simple." He held his wrist to her lips. At his nod, she licked it, watched as he salted it, licked it off as he handed her the shot glass. She swallowed the liquor, not noting the burning path it made to her stomach. He grinned at her, the lime in his mouth, wedge part facing her. She rolled her eyes, and bit it, sucking the juice off it. She pulled away, and a drop slid it's way down Spike's bottom lip. She glanced at him, licked it off.

His eyes pierced hers, blue into green. "Truth or dare?"

A small, feral smile curved his lips. "Dare."

Buffy smiled, numbed by her five shots, and feeling really quite dandy. "Do a body shot. They're... s'it's... simple."

He grinned again at his tipsy little slayer. He grabbed her wrist. She licked her lips and straightened her posture drunkenly, trying to look down her nose at him.

He grazed his teeth over the sensitive flesh, his blunted, human teeth sensitizing the area, then licked it softly. Sprinkled salt over it, then licked it off, still tasting her under the salt, his eyes closed. Opening them, he took his shot, looked at Buffy.

Buffy was trying very hard to keep smiling with the lime in her mouth. Spike leaned forward, his mouth open over hers, taking the lime entirely in his mouth, his lips touching Buffy's. Pulling away, he sucked his lime, smiling innocently.

"Truth or dare, pet?"

She considered her options drunkenly, then decided that as much fun as Spike sucking something out of her lips was, Dawn was on the floor beside them... so sex was out. "Truth."

"Why can't we... I mean... Why can't I claim you, Buffy?"

"I don't..."

"Truth, Buffy." The game had turned from it's silly course.

"I'm afraid. I'm afraid of what the others will think. I'm afraid of how you make me feel. I'm afraid of how you feel. I'm afraid you'll leave. I'm afraid I won't be enough. Again."

"I'm not them, Buffy. Ya know why? Cuz Angel was..." He shook his head. "Too angsty. He needs the drama, the heartache to make him feel better. You two being miserable was the best time of his turned life."

She winced at the brutal truth he had confronted her with like a sharp blow to the head.

"And Captain Cardboard? Sorry, Riley. He was just that. Goodness embodied. Too boring, come on. Have you ever seen anything more closely resemble white bread in your entire life?"

She giggled a bit. Again, with the truth.

"He was too good, Buffy. And not that you weren't good enough. No. He was just fake. Cardboard. You need a little monster in your man, Buffy, and he wasn't it. You need someone who has a nice little range of emotion between angst and..." He shuddered, "Someone whose picture perfect behavior needs examined behind glass by certified scientists. And smart, Buffy. Riley was stupid. Angel, drunk with freedom without his soul."

"Man poison," she whispered to herself, pulling at the skin around her thumb nail.

"No, luv... Not man poison." He scooted to where she was sitting, running a thumb across her cheekbone. "You're like a drug. Every man wants you, but you're too strong for most to handle. And they overdose. Or that's what they think. Because if they were strong enough, they could never take too much of you. Never..." He grazed his lips across hers. "Not in five eternities." His lips brushed hers again.

She leaned in to his touch, his lips, kissing back. Feeling coursed through her. Something she dearly missed. And it was... warm... Hands were warm... lips were warm...

His hands grazed her upper arms lightly, afraid to touch, his lips brushed softly across her cheek, down her throat. Feeling the raised scar where Dracula and Angel had bitten her, he soothed it. Caressed it. Her. This was so different. This was so different than the first time. The first time had been violence, and blinding light. This... this was softer... The edges softer. He trembled as Buffy ran her small hands under his shirt, caressing the skin the sun had not kissed in over a hundred years. This was so much different... Than last time, than anything he had ever experienced...

As they began to lean back onto the rug, Dawn groaned. Pulling apart they watched as she sat up slowly, arms wrapped around her stomach. "Buffy..." Dawn whined softly, then her eyes bulged. Covering her mouth, she stood, wobbily flying up the stairs. Buffy and Spike were close on her heels, following her into the bathroom.

Holding her hair as Dawn wretched over the toilet, Buffy rubbed her back, whispering soothing words. Spike waited by their sides, holding a cool rag.

Dawn pulled herself from leaning her head into the toilet and flushed it, promptly levering herself *very* carefully down to the cool tile on the floor.

Buffy on one side, Spike on the other, they tried to coax Dawn to her feet. She refused to budge, for fear that the world would start spinning again without her permission. Spike nudged her up to her knees, then sat behind her. Pulling her between his knees, her back to his chest, he supported her, and at the same time, gently ran the cool rag over her mouth and nose. Buffy ran a hand over her hair, tears streaming down her cheeks. Spike sighed. He shouldn't have suggested the drinking game. But it was done now. He didn't think his li'l Niblet would be this sick.

"Dawn...?" Buffy's voice came softly to her sister's ears, gentle. "Let's get your jammies on and we can go to bed, ok? We'll have a little water and crackers a little bit later, ok?"

She nodded, or, at least she tried to. She thought her head lolling back and forth should suffice.

Carrying Dawn back to her room, she laid her on the bed, and gave her a tee-shirt and short shorts to change into. Walking out to give her privacy, she saw Spike talking to himself down the hall.

"Bloody stupid idea, you sodding prig. She could be a lot sicker. But... Still... this might be good. But it's probably not. I've never seen someone so pale... not since... since Buffy..." Shook his head. "Not going there tonight, too sodding pissed. Very pissed. Got to take care of Dawn and Buffy. Get rid of the liquor. Get over it. You're from the Master line... Tequila shouldn't stay you." It didn't, in fact, stay him at all. His Niblet feeling ill was enough to sober him up, Buffy could tell that clearly. It had sobered her up too.

Walking up to him, she laid a hand on his forearm. "Spike... It's ok. Dawnie is fine. We're just gonna all sleep in Mom's old room, so we can both stay with her tonight."

He turned to her, pain evident in his eyes. "I don't apologize often, Slayer... So listen closely. I'm sorry. I never, ever thought... that Dawn would get that sick. Ever. Or I would have never... I just... I'm sorry. I love her."

She held his hand, and led him to Joyce's old bedroom, where Dawn was curled up. "I know. I do, too."

After changing, they both lay on opposite sides of Dawn's slight body. Behind her, Buffy stroked her hair, whispering to her. Eventually, Dawn and Buffy were the only two awake, and spoke in hushed whispers.

"I'm sorry, Buffy."

"No... Dawnie... it was my fault. I shouldn't have let you have any alcohol at all... Mom would be so mad at me."

"No... I'm sorry for... for dancing... and drinking... I just thought that... I was so tough. And I was all grown up... And when I woke up, I hurt. I wasn't even hung over... But I knew it'd hurt you... And that's what I wanted. When you came back... It hurt so much, to have you home, but not have you at all... And I wanted to hurt you. To see if I could. I didn't think... That I would hurt me, too."

"Dawn... I'm so sorry I was... gone. It just... it hurt to be so close again. That's called a conscience, and mine hurts, too, when I think that I left you. Let's start over, ok? Clean slate."

"I... I don't think so, Buffy."

A keen slice of hurt went straight through her heart, and Buffy's eyes stung. "I... All right, Dawnie... if... that's how you want."

"I just... I don't think I can go that far back... I don't have a lot of life anyway. That's real. I just... can't we just turn the page? Just.. turn the page, and think about now?"

The sisters embraced, and a 'sleeping' Spike turned over, smiling.

As Dawn drifted off to sleep, Buffy sat up, watching over her.

"Truth or dare, Slayer," came a slightly tired-sounding Spike.

She grinned happily, warmth coursing through her system. "Truth."

"How alive do you feel now?"

Buffy laughed, and waited for morning.

For a new day.

For a new page...

And for a new chance.

Fini.

Thank you for reading! That is what I call Fluff. lol I own nothing, Joss owns all.. think I already said that.. blah blah... OH! The sequel to "Emergency" or "Surprises in the Night" is on it's way... It's progressing all right... teehee. Au 'vior! Again... I had to repost, cuz I felt so bad about the 15 years old thing... in the original, I put 13. I suck. So sorry. *hangs head*