I don't own any Buffyverse character. I loooooove Spike.
Dawn woke up but didn't feel particularly refreshed after what must have been hours of sleep. Spike was still there, faithfully by her side. She smiled as she gently squeezed his hand. He looked up and asked: "How are you feeling, pet? You must be right knackered. You seem a bit off color."
"Again that question… how am I feeling?" she wondered.
"I'm… alright, I guess. How long have I slept?"
"Just a kip," he looked up at the clock above her bed, "an hour or two at the most."
"How long must I stay here?"
"Well, they have to make some more tests and stuff to be sure there's nothing else wrong with you… they say you're a bit underweight but they've assigned that to …"
"Grieving?"
He nodded. He moved his chair closer.
"He looks so serious…"
"Nibblet… I don't know what else I can do. You seem to be getting farther and farther from me every day. You need to talk. That doctor wanted to assign you a bloody psychiatrist but … you ought to know you can tell me anything, bit. You have to let this out sometime."
Dawn looked quickly away. She knew she had deliberately tried to distance herself not only from Spike but from anyone else, including herself. "I've tried so hard to push this aside. Maybe I should … do the opposite."
"I… I feel like it was all my fault. If I had never entered they're lives maybe things'd be different. Maybe mom wouldn't have been that worried and Buffy wouldn't have died. I feel as if I destroy everything that comes close to me. It's silly I know. And I also … I sometimes think you're here because you failed to save her and …" "I think I'm in love with you. But I can't admit it because if you hurt me I wouldn't be able to take it."
He reached and pulled her into his arms. But this time she didn't cry. She felt…. safe. And she reminded herself that that was a good thing. He sat on the edge of her bed, his arm around her.
"Dawn, I want you to remember something. I am here because I want to. Not because I feel guilty or because I have nothing else to do. You… matter to me." "That's the safest way I can say it. I'm not sure we are ready for anything else. Yet."
They sat like that for hours until the night was almost over. Dawn made Spike leave so he'd be able to go to the crypt and meet her there.
"You … matter to me." Dawn repeated his words over and over. "Why do I do it the hard way? I think it over and over until I get sick from it." She walked down the road to the crypt. It was a beautiful morning, she noticed. "I haven't heard the birds sing in a long time…"
She entered the crypt feeling maybe there was still a chance for happiness waiting for her. Waiting straight ahead of her. "And in a crypt … from all places," she even chuckled as she pushed carefully the door.
If I caught the world in a bottle
And everything was still beneath the moon
Without your love would it shine for me?
If I was smart as Aristotle
And understood the rings around the moon
What would it all matter if you loved me?
Spike bowed and pointed to an improvised dancing floor.
"Would you care to dance, love"
As she took his hand she felt her heart slip from her tight grasp.
Here in your arms where the world is impossibly still
With a million dreams to fulfill
And a matter of moments until the dancing ends
Here in your arms when everything seems to be clear
Not a solitary thing would I fear
Except when this moment comes near the dancing's end
If I caught the world in an hourglass
Saddled up the moon so we could ride
Until the stars grew dim, Until...
One day you'll meet a stranger
And all the noise is silenced in the room
You'll feel that you're close to some mystery
In the moonlight and everything shatters
You feel as if you've known her all your life
The world's oldest lesson in history
They danced and danced until Spike put his hand on the side of her face and whispered "I need you" as he lowered his face to kiss her. He waited for her to close the distance and she did. As their lips met, they realized everything was going to be alright. They belonged to each other.
Here in your arms where the world is impossibly still
With a million dreams to fulfill
And a matter of moments until the dancing ends
Here in your arms when everything seems to be clear
Not a solitary thing would I fear
Except when this moment comes near the dancing's end
If I caught the world in an hourglass
Saddled up the moon so we could ride
Until the stars grew dim, Until...
Well, that's it. It's finished. This was my first Spike/Dawn fic so please don't be too... you know ;).
If you want there'd be a sequel. Tell me what you think, please.