Bottom of the Bottle Chapter Three
"Calm down," Dawn whispered, lowering her gaze to the crypt floor, "Please."
Spike realized how dangerous he must have seemed and took a deep breath, stepping back as the look on Dawn's face said it all. She was scared of him…no. She was scared for him, "Sorry, I shouldn't have…"
Dawn bit her bottom lip and neared the sarcophagus, hopping onto it, "It's okay. Really. You didn't know what you were doing," She assured him.
Spike shook his head violently, "No…I don't." He sat back in his chair and felt a rip of emotion start in his chest and work its way through his body, "I'm…confused and hurtin'. I can't think straight and every time…I think of her…it makes it worse."
"Spike?" Dawn eyed the vampire curiously as he leaned forward and covered his face. His back started heaving and she could swear that he was crying, "Spike, are you okay?"
He lifted his head and the teenager saw glistening tears rolling down his cheeks, "Dawn, it hurts. Why does it hurt so bloody much?" The girl scooted off of the cement slab, her feet hitting the floor beneath her with a loud thump, and walked slowly towards the sobbing demon.
"Spike, I know how you feel…I do…but this," She gestured around her and shook her head disapprovingly, "is not helping you at all. You need to get out. Come over to the house…do something!" He sighed and wiped his face with the back of his left hand.
"Can I just have one more night, Dawnie?" Dawn felt an uneasy pull in her stomach as she heard that particular nickname. She'd never heard Spike use that on before and it seemed strange.
"Yes….on one condition."
Spike smiled the best he could, "And what's that, then?"
"I get to stay with you and you follow my rules." She crossed her arms and sweetly smiled. Spike laughed to himself and nodded.
"Fine by me."
A/N: Okay, this was 147 days after Buffy died. I'm giving her one more month of death period, but it won't be written like that. The next chapter is going to skip ahead, passing that month. I think it will open on Xander, Willow, Tara, and Anya talking about the 'resurrection'. I'm pretty sure that the next four chapters are going to be a lot better and well written that the last three. love kara.