Part Two

Xander stood there for a while, wondering if Buffy was ever going to answer his question. As Buffy sat, she wondered the same thing. She tried to answer; wanted to, but in the end didn't. A shiver ran through her, and she stood again.

"I should be getting inside."

"Wait, Buffy-"

As Buffy turned around to face her friend she saw Warren enter her backyard from behind a tree. He had a gun but her instinct kicked in and she'd disarmed him before her conscious mind even registered it.

Kneeling on his back – keeping him successfully pinned to the ground – she inspected the weapon. There was another shiver, then she threw it away from her.

"Xander, call the police."

He was stood there, rooted to the ground in shock.

"Xander, now!"

"Uh," his mouth hung open. "Uh, yeah, right. Cops. Phone."

Buffy watched him run inside as Warren wriggled under her slight weight. She applied more pressure as she tried not to think about what would have happened if he'd succeeded; if he'd had come in without her noticing; if she had faced the same scenario a few months ago, and been so despondent that she'd just let him pull the trigger.

When Xander stepped back into the yard he saw Buffy was shaking violently, and trying to hold back more tears. He went over to her, and put a hand on her shoulder again, but she hadn't seemed to notice his presence and practically jumped out of her skin at the touch.

Leaping off Warren, Buffy put her arms around herself and complained loudly about it being so cold.

When sirens could be heard in the street she glanced back down at Warren, making sure he wasn't going anywhere, then bolted into the house, up the stairs, and into her room, slamming the door.

"What the hell was that?" asked Warren.

Xander knocked him out.

Dawn had sat in silence with Spike a while longer. She decided her best course of action would be to go home and think up a new plan of getting him and her sister talking again. She went to leave but, as she did, the cell phone Buffy had given her the previous week started to ring. That worried her. Only the Scoobys had the number, and it was only supposed to be used in emergencies.

"Hello?"

"Dawn." – it was Xander.

"What's wrong?"

"Buffy. She's… she's okay. Just a little freaked, I think."

From the tone of voice he was using, and the fact that he was calling at all, Dawn knew that whatever happened wasn't minor. She also knew that bad news was better in person, and that Xander probably wasn't going to tell her in a phone call anyway.

"I'm on my way. Be home soon," she said. When she hung up she turned to say goodbye to Spike, but was surprised to find him putting on his coat.

She didn't bother asking him where he was going. Buffy was in danger; or freaked, whatever that meant. Of course he was going to go to her.

Dawn knocked on her sister's door. There was silence, from the other side.

"She's not talking to anyone," said Willow, "Even Tara tried."

Dawn frowned and stepped back, then looked at Spike.

He gave her an expression that asked, 'Can I?'

She nodded.

He knocked.

There was no response.

"Buffy? It's me."

Suddenly the door opened, Spike was dragged in, and then it was slammed again.

Spike stood rigid, his arms locked in place around Buffy as she sobbed into his chest. Words didn't come for a long time, but he waited. Didn't move.

Eventually the tears stopped, but the embrace carried on.

Xander had given Spike and Dawn a brief run down of what happened. Warren had come to the house to try and kill everyone, or maybe just Buffy, it didn't matter. It made Spike seethe with anger. He could have killed the bastard, chip or no chip. In fact, he still might. In the short term, though, he was more concerned with plans to try and comfort Buffy. He felt like he should say something, but for once he couldn't think of a single thing.

More time passed; he didn't know how long.

When Buffy's tears dried into his shirt she gently began pulling away from him, without ever looking into his eyes. He let her go – watched as she went and sat on the edge of her bed, then shifted awkwardly a few inches to the side, obviously making room for him beside her.

As he took his place she took his hand. Her breathing and heart rate had returned to normal, he noticed. At some point the sun set around them.

"What do you think they're doing up there?"

"I don't know, Dawnie," said Willow, "There's no sound."

"I think he's comforting her," Tara added, smiling across at her girlfriend, "Don't need words for that."

"Yeah," Dawn agreed, softly. She didn't talk about what was really on her mind – how Spike was the only person Buffy had let in – guessing that had been the way it was for some time, in a less literal sense.

Xander was pacing the living room.

"I should have done something," he said.

"You called the cops, there was nothing else to do," Willow told him.

"Yeah? Then why do I feel so shitty?"

"You've been through a traumatic event," Tara soothed, "People react differently."

Xander shook his head. "I'm like the worst person ever. One of my best friends is suffering – has been for months, and I didn't notice – there's nothing I can do for her."

"Some people need different kinds of comfort," Tara said again.

Xander gave her a tight smile, then looked over at Willow and said, "You've got a great one here. Don't let her go."

"Don't plan to," Willow agreed.

"I once said that if you needed anything I'd be there," Spike began. "I'm sorry I've been a useless tosser."

"You've been around."

"Not in a good way, though, init? Not remotely fucking helpful."

Buffy didn't say anything to that, but she gave his hand another little squeeze.

"I'll be goin', then."

"Okay."

When he'd first heard Buffy needed help he reacted on instinct and went to her, without thinking. He now reckoned it wasn't the best idea, that he was more hindrance than help, and if he had thought through his actions he probably wouldn't have came.

Silently, he criticized himself for not thinking anything through. He couldn't change things, but he could at least leave and not make things any worse.

Fresh tears rolled down Buffy's cheeks when she heard the front door close. Dawn came up to her, and put an arm around her shoulder.

All Buffy said to her was, "I miss him so much, Dawnie."

Dawn gulped. She'd have to come up with a plan more urgently than she thought. Maybe she might get the rest of the gang involved in planning…