Chapter 2
Day 14
It had been fourteen days since Buffy had died. She had spent the past fourteen days stuck in Spike's crypt while he healed from his fall off the tower and from Angel's attack. No one had come by except for Der and Clem. Der's wife had given birth to twins three days ago. Something Spike was happy to see. The three of them seemed to be really close. Something Buffy never thought about before. She never wondered what Spike's life was like. She never wondered if he had friends. She never thought of him as anything more than some vampire who wasn't worth the time of her day. Now for fourteen days, she has been trapped here with him when all she wants to do is go and see her friends and Dawn. So far all Spike had done was sleep, drink blood and get drunk. Buffy knew she shouldn't hold it against him but still; she was getting annoyed at this point. Yes, Spike was injured from the fall and Angel, and yes Spike had every right to be upset and hurt by what Angel did. At the same time, though, he was a vampire. He should have been able to bounce back faster from it. Buffy didn't know how she felt about all of this. She didn't know what it meant that Spike seemed to be able to be more human than other vampires. She didn't know how she felt about the way Angel acted towards Spike. What Angel did was wrong, but Buffy didn't know how to feel about it. She was horrified and disgusted by it, but would he have done the same thing if Spike was human. A part of her brain was screaming yes, that she was an idiot and needed to open her eyes. Another part of her brain, the part that was trained by the Council, told her that Spike didn't matter because he wasn't human. It was all confusing to Buffy.
One thing she did know was that Spike needed to leave this place before she lost her mind. If she was going to be stuck haunting Spike the least, he could do was go and see people, mainly her friends and sister. It was night time already, and Spike was just sitting there in his chair with a whiskey bottle in his hand. He still had some bruising on him, and his stomach seemed to be hurting him as well. He still had some organs that were regrowing and repairing. Spike was back to having to drink pig's blood as Der couldn't get his hands on any more human blood. It would take him a few months to be fully healed on the pig's blood, but Spike couldn't do anything about that.
"Really Spike? It's been fourteen days. Come on now go outside and see someone. This is ridiculous." Buffy said as she paced around the room.
Just like all the other times though, Spike didn't hear her, couldn't hear her. Buffy had no choice, but to wait it out and hope that eventually he left or someone came to him. Buffy was brought out of her thoughts when the door to this crypt opened, and Dawn walked in. Buffy instantly felt joy and relief at seeing her sister finally. It had been fourteen days since she had said goodbye to her sister up on that tower and now she was finally seeing her. Only the joy she felt soon vanished at the sight of her sister. She looked exhausted; Buffy could see the black bags under her eyes from where she stood. Dawn's hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, and she was wearing slightly dirty jeans and a shirt with just a sweater. Buffy could tell she was struggling and Buffy instantly wondered what the past fourteen days had been like for her. The sound of his door opening had Spike turning in his chair. He was just as shocked to see Dawn as Buffy was. Spike stood up as he spoke.
"Niblet."
Dawn instantly burst into tears at hearing Spike's nickname for her. Spike instantly went over to her and pulled her into his arms. Dawn cried into his chest, and Spike spoke.
"It's okay Niblet."
Spike continued to hold onto Dawn as she cried. Buffy felt heartbroken at seeing her sister so torn up about her death. She didn't want Dawn to mourn her; she wanted her to live. That's why she jumped. She didn't like seeing her sister in pain. After ten minutes Dawn finally calmed down, and she pulled back from Spike. Spike took his hands and gently wiped the tears from Dawn's cheeks away.
"What's all this about Bit? Big Sis?" Spike asked gently.
"Partly. It's been a hard two weeks. I didn't notice how hard it's been until I saw you."
"Sit and talk to me Bit. What's going on?" Spike said as he guided Dawn over to the couch. Buffy moved closer to listen, even though she had no trouble hearing where she was. She wanted to hug her sister, just touch her in some way, but she couldn't. Dawn sat down on the couch, and Spike sat down on the small coffee table in front of her.
"When was the last time you ate? I can hear your belly growin' from here."
"I ate some toast yesterday morning. The last real meal I've eaten was with Buffy I guess before everything went crazy."
"Why haven't you eaten anythin'?" Spike asked gently, but he wasn't really prepared for the answer.
"There's not really any food. And I don't have any money. It's all in Buffy's name, and I don't have access to those accounts, Willow does."
"Where the Bloody Hell is Red then? Why is there no food?" Spike asked with anger.
"Seriously? Why the hell is there no food in the house?" Buffy asked with her own anger at the condition Dawn had been living in.
"There's no food because no one's really been around since Giles left after the funeral."
"Wait Giles left?" Buffy asked shocked.
"What do you mean the Watcher left?" Spike asked.
"He went back to England right after the funeral. It's just been me at the house. Tara has been by a few times before she had to go to school."
"So you've just been on your own for two weeks?" Spike asked with anger and hurt in his voice.
"There's no way. They wouldn't just leave her on her own. They wouldn't do that to me," Buffy said with denial in her voice with hurt edging it.
"Ya. I've cooked what food I could and just been on my own. The water got turned off two days ago. I haven't been able to do any laundry or shower, brush my teeth, nothing. I know you're hurt and sad, but I just didn't know what else to do or where else to go." Dawn said as a tear ran down her cheek.
Spike wiped it away as he spoke.
"I'm sorry I haven't been around Niblet. I've been hurt. It's no excuse I should have come by earlier to check in on you. I thought they would be lookin' after you. What about the Whelp and Demon Girl?"
"I haven't seen them since the funeral. Xander was supposed to be driving me to school and picking me up, but hasn't been there."
"Then how have you been gettin' to school?" Spike asked.
"I haven't been. I've just been home, alone." Dawn said sadly with a small shrug.
"You need to go to school Bit. You haven't been there in two weeks that's not good Pet."
"So not good. And I am so gonna kick someone's ass if I ever get the chance." Buffy said with anger. As much as she wanted to believe that Dawn was exaggerating, she couldn't see the point in it.
"What does it matter? I'm not really supposed to be alive. Why would it matter if I'm going to school or not?" Dawn said with self-hatred.
"Hey, I don't ever want to hear you say that about yourself again." Spike said with anger dripping from his voice.
"Why not? It's true."
"No, it's not. It's the bloody farthest thing from the truth. You were born different, but so bloody what? Scientists are workin' on a way to clone some lamb, kiddies are bein' made in a petri dish in some lab. Everyone is born differently. Look at me; I was murdered. I'm supposed to be six feet under, yet I'm sittin' here with you. Everyone is different, and there's nothin' wrong with that Niblet. You were made special, more special than anyone else on this planet. You were chosen by the Highest Power this world has. The world felt like it needed a Dawn within it. That's not somethin' to be upset about. It's somethin' you should embrace and be proud of. You're a bloody miracle Niblet."
"Wow Spike, that was beautiful." Buffy said softly.
Another tear rolled down Dawn's cheek. "Thanks, Spike."
"Anytime Bit. Now, you need to go down and take a shower, and then I'll take ya out for some pizza. Then you can crash here tonight, and tomorrow I'll figure out this water business."
"Are you sure?" Dawn asked not wanting to burden Spike.
"Wouldn't have offered if I wasn't. Go on down, you know where it is, and then we'll head out." Spike said as he patted Dawn on her knee.
"Thanks, Spike." Dawn said with a small smile.
"Anytime Bit. We'll sort it out."
Dawn got up and headed down the stairs. Once she was out of sight, Spike let out a sigh and rubbed his hands over his face before he got up. He picked up the bottle of whiskey and went over to his makeshift kitchen and put it in his barely working fridge.
"Wankers." Spike said with anger, and Buffy knew he was talking about her friends.
"I don't really know what that means, but I have to agree with you. They better have a good excuse for this. Not that there really is one. I hope you are going to talk to them. I'd love to hear that conversation." Buffy said with her own anger.
Spike went over to his couch and pulled it away from the cement wall. He bent down and moved a loose cement block out and inside the hiddy hole was a small pile of money. He took it out and put fifty into his pocket before counting it and putting back.
"How much money do you have there?" Buffy asked as she tried to count it herself.
"Three hundred. Hope that water bill ain't too high. Guess I'm gonna need to figure out how to make some dosh." Spike put the fifty into his pocket as he put the couch back.
"How are you gonna do that? It's not like places are hiring the undead." Buffy said.
Spike sat back down in his chair with a sigh. Buffy could see on his face that he was getting stressed, something she never thought she would see on Spike's face. When Buffy had asked Spike to protect her sister should the worst happen, she didn't expect that he would have to be the one to deal with the money and raise her. She just thought he would keep an eye on her and make sure she didn't get eaten. Buffy didn't think that her friends wouldn't be there for Dawn. This isn't what Buffy wanted Spike to be doing. She didn't want her sister being taken care of by Spike. He was a vampire, a soulless one at that. He shouldn't be taking care of anyone.
Twenty minutes later Dawn was all showered and clean as she came back up the stairs.
"Ready to go Bit?"
"Yup. Are you sure about this?" Dawn asked still not sure if she should have bothered Spike at all.
"Told you I was." Spike said as he got up and put his coat on.
"Yay finally going outside, progress." Buffy said with a smile on her face.
Spike put an arm around Dawn's shoulders as they headed out and made their way towards a pizza parlor.
"How are you feeling? You were hurt right?" Dawn asked.
"I'm fine Bit. More concerned about you."
"I'm okay. It's hard. I miss her."
"Me too Bit. No one's been around for the two weeks?"
"Tara has been by, but only on her way to school to check in. She was talking about her and Willow moving in, but they haven't done it yet. I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm gonna have to get a job so I can pay the bills. I'll have to sell the house and find a small cheap apartment I guess."
"You're not dropping out of school or sellin' the house. I'll get it sorted. Your job is school, where you're goin' tomorrow mornin'. I'll handle the adult stuff; you handle the kid stuff."
"That's not fair to you."
"It's not fair for you to be tryin' to figure out how to pay bills. You need to go to school and get good grades and go to University. I'll handle the rest. End of." Spike said with a nonargumentative tone.
"Fine." Dawn said clearly giving up.
"But how are you going to do it?" Buffy asked towards Spike. "How was I going to do it?" Buffy added to herself.
Spike and Dawn arrived at the pizza parlor and headed inside. They sat down and placed their order, a large pepperoni pizza, and two glasses of water.
"Do you need anythin' for school Bit?"
"No, I still have all of my books. It's going to be impossible to catch up. I haven't been there for two weeks, plus that week before everything that happened. It'll be a miracle if I don't have to do summer school." Dawn complained.
"You should have gone for the past two weeks. But I guess it's not really your fault. I don't think I would have either in your position." Buffy said as she sat down beside Dawn on the bench.
"Talk to your teachers and see if they could do somethin' for ya. If you have too, summer school won't be so bad. It'll keep ya out of trouble." Spike said.
"And no time for friends or a life." Dawn complained.
"I know it hasn't been an easy year for ya Bit. Sometimes you just need to push through the mud to get to the good stuff."
"And what would be the good stuff? I'm an orphan, with like no friends basically, living on my own. Where's the good stuff?" Dawn asked sadly.
"Learnin' to drive. Fallin' in love for the first time, first kiss. First trip on a plane, summers at the beach, graduatin', going to college, gettin' married, havin' a child. Livin'. Not every day is easy and not every day is hard. You have to live to get to the good stuff, just like you have to live to get through the mud."
"You know what Buffy told me before she jumped? The hardest thing in this world is to live in it."
"She's right. The world is hard and cruel, but at times it is also beautiful and kind. If you want to ever see more than just Sunnyhell, you need to graduate high school. Then the world is open to you. You can go to college anywhere in it. Live anywhere you want. You just need that fancy piece of paper."
"Ok, ok, I'll go to school tomorrow. But what am I going to do if they ask to speak to my guardian? It's not like Buffy can be there."
"I'll handle it if that's the case. We'll figure it out. For now, just tell em that you've been strugglin' since your mum's death and are back there to work. See if there's anythin' you can do for your grades to make up for the lost time. They might be more sympathetic than you think Bit."
"Maybe. I'll try and see. What am I going to do about the house?"
"Nothin'. I'll figure it out, I told you. It's not for you to worry about."
"It's not for you to worry about either." Dawn said back.
"Maybe not, I'm the adult, though. Your job is school, that's it. I'll talk to the others tomorrow and see what has their head up their asses and set em straight. Don't worry about it."
"I bet they'd be helping Buffy if I had died." Dawn said bitterly.
"Don't start with that. She didn't want you to die. The very least you can do for her now is to live, and the live the best life that you can. Big sis is lookin' down on you from her cloud, make her proud."
The waitress came and placed the pizza down on the table and gave them both a warm smile. Dawn grabbed a slice as did Spike.
"I still don't understand why you eat." Buffy said, as she looked at Spike. Angel never ate, he always seemed offended when Buffy mentioned him trying something. Spike always ate, it was weird.
"Do you think she's in Heaven?" Dawn asked quietly with hurt in her voice.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"
Dawn gave a shrug before speaking. "I overheard Willow and Xander talking at her funeral about how she was in Hell because of the portal."
"Listen here Bit; your sis was Heaven's Chosen One. There's no way someone as pure and good as her went anywhere but up. Hell portal or not. Death's not that simple, and portals are never simple. I know more about this than either of them do. She's restin' in peace up on her own cloud lookin' down on you. Make her proud."
"I'll try my best." Dawn said with a small smile.
"I know you will." Spike said back.
"God, you are so good with her. Have you always been this good with her? No wonder Mom had no problem with her and Dawnie being over with you. I'm not on some cloud looking down, but I'm not in Hell either. I guess this situation could be worse." Buffy said for the first time since her death.
Spike and Dawn spent the rest of the time talking about her school and her friends. Spike didn't complain at all; he just sat there listening to her talking about her life and the little drama around her friends. Spike would add in his own comments, but made sure that Dawn got to talk as much as she needed to. Buffy found herself enjoying this dinner. She wished she got to eat the pizza, as it looked delicious, but she was dead. It was nice for her to be able to sit and listen to Dawn talk about her life, even if she couldn't add in her own thoughts. For the first time, Buffy was feeling some sadness at her situation and not being able to be there for Dawn like she needed. It was a small comfort to know that at least Spike seemed to understand that she needed someone to just listen to her. When they were finished eating they made their way back to Spike's crypt for the night. When they arrived at the crypt, Dawn went over to the couch, and Spike sat down in his chair. Buffy found herself sitting down next to Dawn. Dawn curled her legs up and turned to look at Spike as she spoke.
"Will you tell me a story about you? You know before you died?"
"And why would you want to hear about that?" Spike asked, and even though Dawn didn't pick it up, Buffy could hear a slight hurt tone to his voice.
"Well, you've told me about being evil and some stories there."
"Excuse me?" Buffy cut in, but Dawn kept on talking like she wasn't even there.
"You told me about Drusilla and some of the things you've seen. But you've never told me about your parents or what it was like to be alive in the almost nineteen hundred. Were there girls like me back then?" Dawn asked with a young innocence to her.
Spike gave a snort to that last part. "Bloody Hell, a girl like you back then would never have survived. Times were a lot different back then, especially for the birds."
"What were they like? Come on this is educational, it's interesting history." Dawn said with a smirk.
"I'd tell you to get a history book, but most of it would be wrong."
"How could it be wrong? It's history." Dawn asked confused.
"Ah, but history according to whom? The winner always writes how they see things and the loser always does the same. You take our history books about World War two and the German's you'll see a complete contrast in em. Not to mention the chunk of years they were capturin' vamps to try and make em their little soldiers. Won't read that in any books."
"Seriously?" Buffy and Dawn both asked at the same time.
"The world ain't black and white no matter how hard people fight for it to be viewed that way. It's why I hate the Council and Watchers so much. They fill their Slayer's head with garbage and biased opinions instead of facts. They do everythin' they can to manipulate and abuse their Slayers emotionally and mentally to force them to bend to their beliefs and actions. A Slayer will always deny it and defend them, but any outsider with a brain and two eyes can see the pain they put them through."
"What do you mean?" Dawn asked with concern for her sister, even in her death.
"Take big sis, for example, bloody perfect example. If she had been just a normal teenage girl and had gone through what she did everyone would scream abuse and try to get her away. But you put Slayer in front of her name and all of a sudden its acceptable behavior. Even if you take out the vampires in the mix. Not even sixteen years old and Watcher tells her before she had to fight the Master that he would kill her. Prophecy and all that. Then what does he do? Tells her to get over it practically and sent her on her merry way to her death. Any real man would have kept her safe and took the fight on himself. No real man sends a fifteen-year-old to die and do nothin'. But again Slayer so it's all okay. Eighteen takes her Slayer power from her and sent her to fight a powerful psychotic vampire on her own. But all's forgiven on her end, because he's her Watcher. The years of tellin' her she's a Slayer, and it's her job. That she has to put that before anything else. Go to high school, but don't expect to live long enough to graduate. Big sis was in an abusive relationship, one that she was never goin' to get out of because she was manipulated into believin' that she had nothin' but that in her life." Spike said with anger.
"You know when you say it like that; it does make sense. Even Angel and Riley were manipulative in their own way. Angel always wanted her to be dependant on him and his love for her, which magically disappeared with no soul. Then he added to that when he did get it back by having her believe that a soul is what holds love. Please, even I know that's a load of bull. Souls have nothing to do with emotions. Then Riley, who I thought was good for her at first, but then went all crazy with having to protect her like she was just supposed to be the little woman in the relationship. That's really sad that she died never knowing what real love felt like, what being loved for who she truly is felt like." Dawn said.
"Those two morons had no idea what gift they had in front of them. Both are too bullheaded to let a woman be the strong one in the relationship. Me, powerful women never bothered me. Got in trouble a lot when I was human for helpin' women do things they were not allowed to by society to do. Got a lot of respect for woman. They're all beautiful in their own unique way. They should never be put down or held back. You best remember that." Spike said with a pointed look at Dawn.
"I promise. No man will ever hold me back. If can't accept how awesome I am that's his problem and he can beat it."
"Good girl."
"I was not manipulated or abused thank-you both very much." Buffy said stubbornly, but it didn't hold much strength. She didn't want to admit that what some of the things Spike and Dawn said rang true to her.
"So what type of things did you help women with when you were alive?" Dawn asked.
"Small things nowadays, but back then it was a big deal. Women as young as you were already married off to some bloke and pregnant. Back then most marriages were arranged. The fathers would find suitable mates for their child, and from there you could pick who you wanted to marry."
"So kinda like a forced marriage."
"Sorta, but you weren't bein' tied up and dragged down to the alter. You got under ten options; all were to help with the family business and keep their good name. You got to see which one out of the ten worked best for you. Sometimes you found a mate that you really liked, and it worked on both fronts. Sometimes you had to settle and grin and bare through it. All depends on the list and what level of society you were in. Back then it was the men that worked, and the women took care of the house and children. Most didn't go passed grade six in school; there was no need. The lower level of society wouldn't even go most of the time. They weren't allowed to run a business or go to College. Their place was in the home doin' women's work."
"Sexist." Dawn said rudely.
"That it was Pet. When I was younger, I used to sneak extra school work out and bring it to this one mate of mine who was the daughter of a servant in the house next to ours."
"Wait a minute, if your neighbor had enough money for a servant, that meant you did." Dawn said.
"Oh my God she's right." Buffy said with a sly smile as she sat back, now very interested.
"This does not leave this room. You got it?" Spike said threateningly.
"Ya, ya, ya, I got it. You were rich." Dawn said with a playful smile.
"Very. Top level of society rich. Bloody stuffy parties and all."
"Oh my god this is awesome." Buffy said with a huge smile. "And I can't tell anyone. So not fair."
"Do you know how to Waltz?" Dawn asked so very happy about learning all of this information on Spike.
"Ya and others. Had to learn, had to learn a lot of shit."
"Ok, so what happened with the servant daughter?"
"She didn't go to school, so I helped her read, write and brought her more work. Last I heard she went off to College and got herself a degree. All off of what I was able to help her with."
"Went completely against the rules." Dawn stated.
"After graduatin' University, I opened."
"Hold it, University? You have a degree? In what?"
"This is too perfect. Mr. I've Always Been Bad, has a University degree." Buffy said with a smirk.
"Master's Degree in Business with a Bachelor's in English. You don't ever tell a soul." Spike said in a deadly tone.
"I won't." Dawn said with an eye roll.
"I would, but no one can hear me." Buffy grumbled at not being able to gossip about all of the information she was learning about Spike.
"So after you graduated?" Dawn asked getting back on track.
"I opened a few businesses that were ideas from my female mates and had them run it. Legally they were mine, but all profits and the business went to them. My name was just on the paperwork. A few girls were bein' forced to marry some bloke they didn't like, and he was abusive on some level. I would talk in confidence and private to said bloke about how she came from bad blood and wouldn't be a good wife. The blokes always changed their minds and went on to someone else."
"Mr. Knight in Shiny Armor." Dawn said.
"Hardly, just don't like seein' a woman bein' told what she can and can't do."
"What were your parents like?"
Buffy could see the hurt flash through Spike's eyes for a moment, before he blocked them off. Buffy knew from Angel that family was always a hard conversation to have. Angel never talked about it, because according to him that's the first thing a vampire does, kill their family.
"That's complicated Bit."
"Because you killed them when you were turned? That's what Angel told Buffy, that every vamp kills their family." Dawn said calmly like they were talking about the weather.
"How do you know that?" Buffy asked surprised that Dawn had even heard that conversation.
"That's what he told her to justify his actions? Bloody Git. Angelus never changes. I didn't kill my parents, not every vamp does that only the ones that had thought about killin' them when they were human."
"Oh, so then he wanted to kill them when he was human. That's not good." Dawn said a little disturbed by that piece of information.
"What? That can't be right." Buffy said softly to herself still not truly willing to let her belief of who Angel was go yet.
"His soul was never pure; it's why he can still cross the line without any problems. He was nothin' more than a drunken man whore. Slept with the town's female population. He had servants as young as twelve, and he would hold em down and rape em, includin' his twelve-year-old sister. When he was turned he killed em all and loved every second of it. He's the cruelest vampire in history, and he's bloody proud of it. He's not someone you should be around Bit."
"Wow, I had no idea. I don't think he'll come back here with Buffy gone now. If he does, I'll stay away I promise. That's really creepy."
"I can't believe that, but really Spike doesn't lie, and he wouldn't lie about this." Buffy said to herself.
She wanted to deny it, but really what would be the point? Spike had no idea she was here. He was telling Dawn so she would be safe from him. Plus there was the whole basement situation when Spike was healing. Buffy couldn't deny what she saw with her own eyes. She could tell that Angel was enjoying it far too much. None of this was a good feeling, and Buffy hated that she hadn't done more research into Angel when she was younger. Maybe they could have avoided so much pain and suffering if she had.
"Probably right, he won't be back." Spike said, and Buffy could hear the slight hopefulness in his voice, not that she could blame him.
"So what were your parents like?" Dawn pressed.
"It's gettin' late Bit. You got school in the mornin'."
"Seriously? Come on?"
"You're exhausted Bit. You haven't been sleepin' well. You need rest. Maybe another night I'll tell you, but not tonight. Be happy with what you got."
"Ok fair enough." Dawn said as she got up.
Spike went downstairs with her and Dawn got into bed after she removed her jacket, shoes, and socks. She laid down while Spike lit a few candles so that she wouldn't be in total darkness down here.
"Why haven't you been sleepin'?" Spike asked.
"Too scared to. I keep having nightmares about that night. It's not easy to sleep anymore." Dawn said sadly.
Spike went over to his bookshelf and pulled out a book before making his way back over to the bed. He sat down on top of the covers and put his arm around Dawn. Dawn moved closer, and she put her head against Spike's chest.
"I know a trick. Used to do this with Dru when her mind was too unstable to sleep. Just close your eyes and listen to my voice. You'll be asleep before you know it Bit." Spike explained as he opened the book and started to read the first page.
Buffy sat down on the bed and listened to Spike reading an old English book that she was sure her mother would have loved. Buffy noticed that Spike's accent got softer while he was reading and she found that she liked it without the edge to it. It made him sound like a normal human. Buffy sat there just listening and watching as Dawn fell asleep on Spike before the first chapter had even finished, but Spike didn't stop. He continued to read on until the fifth chapter when he was certain that Dawn wouldn't wake back up. He then gently moved her up and off of him so she would be asleep on the bed. Spike made sure she was tucked in before kissing the top of her head and leaving the room. Buffy had no choice, but to follow Spike back to the upper level. Spike went over to the fridge and got some blood out to drink. She could see the sadness and hurt in his eyes, and she couldn't help but wonder what his parents were like. It seemed like a really sore subject for him, and that made Buffy even more curious as to why that was. After drinking the blood, Spike went over to the couch and laid down on it. Buffy could see that he was in pain still from everything that had happened to him. Buffy knew that tonight Spike was done. She sat down on the chair and sat back getting comfortable. She knew that Spike wouldn't be awake until it was time to get Dawn off to school.
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It as six thirty in the morning when Spike had woken Dawn up so she could take a shower before they would leave. Spike was thankful that it was cloudy outside and suspected to be raining today. That would make his traveling easier. He had to pay the water bill and talk to the idiots that call the Slayer a friend. Buffy could see that Spike was tired and trying really hard not to go back to sleep. Spike was nocturnal, and it wouldn't be easy to get his body used to being awake during the day. Spike had done it many times, but Buffy had never seen him first thing in the morning when he was awake. He looked like he could use a few cups of coffee in him. Twenty minutes later they were making their way through the streets to get to the house so Dawn could change and grab her books. Once in the house, Dawn headed up, and Spike made his way over to where Joyce had kept all of the mail. Spike looked through them, and he could easily pick out which ones were bills and which ones were just junk. Spike grabbed the bills and opened them.
"That's against the law you know. But I guess it doesn't matter as Mom and me are dead now."
"Shit." Spike said as he looked over the bills, most overdue. It wasn't just the water bill, it was the utilities, and Joyce's hospital bill was way past due. It was a large number that they were looking at.
Buffy went over and looked at the bills over Spike's shoulder. She was surprised herself by the number they were looking at. It was a lot of money that was in debt plus the mortgage payments each month. They needed to make four grand a month if they were going to break even and pay down Joyce's hospital bill each month. It wasn't an easy task; it was a grand a week.
"You can't afford this house, Spike." Buffy said knowing that Spike was already trying to figure it out.
Spike let out a sigh as he put the bills down. He started to pace as he thought out loud.
"Don't know how I'm gonna do this. Should sell the house, it would take care of the debt, but where would the Bit go after that? She can't be livin' alone. Three hundred grand left on the house might get lucky to break even on it, but that still leaves the debt, that becomes hers once she's eighteen. The gallery, shit. I need to check that out. It's probably in the red as well." Spike let out a sigh and Buffy could see him getting stressed all over again.
Buffy couldn't blame him. It wasn't as simple as selling a house after someone died. Dawn lived here, where would she go if she didn't? And even Buffy knew the housing market in Sunnydale was terrible. No one wanted to live in a place where they were most likely to die walking down the street at night. Buffy didn't care about the house though. Even if she was alive, she didn't care it was just a house. She wanted Dawn taken care of and if that had to happen in an apartment then so be it. The house wasn't important, the people within that house were.
"Spike, sell the house. Try and break even. Don't take this on yourself." Buffy said even though he couldn't hear her.
Dawn came down the stairs dressed and ready to go to school.
"I'm all set."
"Let's go." Spike and Dawn walked out and made their way towards the school.
"How do you feel about the house Bit?" Spike asked.
"It's fine. It's just a house. A big empty house. Why?"
"How would you feel if you couldn't live there?" Spike asked carefully.
"I've known for two weeks now Spike that I wouldn't be able to live there. It's just a house to me. Besides, there's a lot of bad memories in it. Mom died there. It wouldn't bother me at all to be someplace else."
"That's good, cause I'm probably gonna need to sell it for the bills. It's a little too high on my own."
"That's okay, really Spike I don't care about it."
"Good. Don't add any more stress to your lives." Buffy said happy that Spike seemed to be willing to sell the house and Dawn was backing him on it.
They arrived at the school, and Dawn gave Spike a hug before she headed inside. Spike then made his way towards the water company to pay the bill. He was paying in cash, but he knew he would need to set up an account with the bank for any future bills he would need to pay. He also had to work on getting things at the house taken care of and finding Dawn a place to live. Thankfully rent was cheap in town because of the mortality rate. Finding something decent wouldn't be a problem, it was finding someone to live with Dawn that would be. With the promise that the water would be turned back on by lunch Spike headed back out and moved to the Magic Shop where he was hoping he would find someone there that he could speak to. Spike walked in and saw that everyone was there, minus Giles who had already left for London the day of Buffy's funeral.
"Oh great, you didn't die. And here I thought the past two weeks was a clear sign your ass was no longer here." Xander said with anger at seeing Spike.
"He almost did die, no thanks to any of you." Buffy said with anger in Spike's defense. She was furious with each and every single person in the room for the treatment of her sister.
"Why don't you ask how the Bit is doin?" Spike snapped back.
"She's fine I'm sure." Xander said.
"She's not fine. She hadn't been to school in two weeks, didn't have any water for the past two days and had no food for the past two weeks. Why haven't any of you been checkin' in on her? Why is she livin' alone?" Spike demanded.
"We've been really busy with school and everything after Buffy. We haven't had the time to check in." Willow said.
"Are you kidding me? You were so busy living your life that you forget to check in on my sister? What the fuck?" Buffy asked with rage dripping from her voice now. She walked around the room to try and work off the anger. She knew Spike was pissed so he would lay into them.
"Oh, your lives eh? Who cares about the fifteen-year-old that buried her Mum and watched her sister take a swan dive into a portal and died? Her life doesn't matter. Who cares about the pile of bills sittin' there waitin' to be paid? Who cares if she ends up on the street starvin'? What the hell is wrong with you lot? You left the Slayer's sister on her own for two weeks. How long were you plannin' ongoing for before you finally did somethin'? What if she hadn't come to me last night? You're spittin' on her grave." Spike boomed with anger.
"Damn right they are." Buffy added, and she knew that Spike wouldn't let her down in tearing the others apart by their behavior.
"I thought someone else was looking after her. Isn't that how it normally works? The close friends do it?" Anya asked confused.
"Ya Pet, that's how it works." Spike answered knowing that Anya was still too new to the human world.
"I've gone by a few times, but I didn't check to see if she had everything. Willow and me were talking last night about the house, and what to do. We were thinking of maybe moving in, but weren't sure if Dawnie would want us to or what to do for money." Tara said.
"We're still on student loans and living in the dorm. It's not that simple for us to quit school and find work." Willow said.
"Ya wouldn't want to complicate your life." Spike snarked.
"It's not that, it's a lot of responsibility, and it's not exactly like Dawn really exists." Willow said with a small shrug.
"How dare you say that about my sister! I died for her. The very least you could do is be there for her." Buffy yelled at her so called friends.
"She has a heartbeat, she breathes, she bleeds, just like the rest of you lot. She exists. She deserves to be treated like a normal human bein'." Spike roared.
"Of course she does. I'm sorry Spike, I should have paid more attention and gone by more. I didn't know the situation was that bad. I'll go by tonight and stay with her." Tara said feeling guilty that she had neglected Dawn in the past two weeks. Tara wasn't as close to Buffy as the others had been, but she still mourned her death, and she was trying to comfort Willow with the loss of her best friend.
"She's at school; I dropped her off. It'd be nice if she didn't have to walk home alone." Spike said seeming to take what he was getting from Tara.
"I don't have any classes today. I can pick her up. Take her for ice cream, and we can talk." Tara easily agreed.
"I have to get to work." Xander said with anger as he got up. Still not happy about Spike.
"Why don't you put some of that money and help pay the bloody bills, so the Bit doesn't end up forty grand in debt when she turns eighteen." Spike said as Xander walked towards him.
"I have my own bills to pay. It's not my job to pay someone else's." Xander said as he shoved Spike into the bookshelf as he walked by and out the door.
"Bastard." Buffy said with a deadly tone in her voice.
She couldn't believe her friends were acting like this. This was her sister; she was just a young teenager she didn't deserve any of this. Buffy took comfort in knowing that she would be looked after if she had died that night. Now it was looking like her friends didn't even care about Dawn at all. The only one that did was Spike, and he had every reason to leave and never look back.
"A word Glinda." Spike said before he turned and headed out of the shop and Buffy had no choice, but to follow.
Tara walked outside to speak with Spike and Buffy could see she felt guilty about the past two weeks.
"I'm sorry Spike. I've been so busy with school and with Willow. She's taking it really hard. I should have been there for Dawnie more. I will from now. I promise."
"You're a good Bird. People make mistakes; it's how you correct then that matter. I went over the bills that I found. It's gonna cost four grand to keep the house each month, and that doesn't cut down the debt. It's too much. The house has to get sold."
"I was afraid of that. How is Dawnie going to take it?"
"I mentioned it to her; she seemed fine with it. She seemed a little relieved to get rid of the bad memories from the place. Can't say I blame her. I can find a two bedroom somewhere in town for a decent price, but someone has to live with her. I would, but I can't be there during the night. I'll need to be workin', and she shouldn't have to spend her nights all alone."
"I'll talk to Willow. We can move in, and if she doesn't then, I can just move in. Someone needs to step up and be there for her. You can't do it on your own. I can tutor to help with money."
"Preciate it. I need to find anything on the Gallery that Joyce had. Might be able to turn it around and make a profit. I'll go back to the house and look through it."
"We'll need a real estate agent and lots of boxes. What about all of the things?"
"Keep what means the most and toss whatever doesn't fit in the new place. Can probably find a place without security deposit from a demon contact. Might take a couple of weeks though to get some dosh saved up for the rent."
"What about the mortgage while we are waiting for the sale?"
"Gonna have to try and pay somethin' on it, so the bank doesn't take the house. It shouldn't take too long to get a sale, but we might just get enough to cover the outstanding debt on it. We won't get anythin' extra."
"What's the outstanding amount?"
"Three hundred thousand. Plus there's bout forty in debt not includin' the gallery. It's gonna be tough for a while."
"Oh boy, okay. So we get a monthly budget and stick to it. I'll see what I can do for working while being in school. I should be able to find something to work around my schedule and during the day."
"I'll work at night and patrol. We have another issue of the Bit's school. At some point, they are gonna want to talk to an adult about her."
"And Buffy is dead. We also can't report her being dead because then she'll be taken by Social Services. Ok, problem. Maybe I could get Willow to make some ID for you. A long lost uncle?"
"We need somethin' to keep the Bit with us and not in some foster home. See if she'll do it."
"I'll check with her, but I think she will. She's just really hurt right now; she'll come around soon."
"She better the Bit doesn't deserve this."
"I know she doesn't. I'll see her after school and stay with her. I'll figure it out on my end."
"I got some calls to make then. I'll see you tonight at the house."
"Bye Spike."
Spike turned and headed down the street with Buffy while Tara went back inside.
"Well, at least someone is helping you with Dawn. This isn't what you were supposed to be doing. This isn't what I wanted, but apparently, that doesn't matter to my friends. No, they just want to let my sister be all on her own and who cares what happens to her. I can't believe a soulless vampire is taking care of her. She's gonna turn into a criminal, a British swearing criminal." Buffy said as she let out a huff. If her mother could see this, she would be rolling in her grave.
Spike arrived back at the house just before the clouds opened up and rain started to pour down. He went over to the small desk by the phone and started to go through it all after he removed his coat. He needed to know everything about the bills because he would need to make sure it was all paid off. He also needed the account information so he could have it all set up at his bank. Spike grabbed everything and went over to the couch and sat down with the bills all spread out so he could think. He also had a pencil so he could make them up. Buffy sat down in the chair and watched as Spike could add the numbers up without using a calculator. Just seeing him do it was making her head hurt.
"How are you able to do that? Seriously just how smart are you? You don't act smart that's for sure." Buffy said to herself.
Spike obviously didn't hear her as he continued going through the bills and marking the ones that were paid and keeping the others in order that were most important to least important. When he got to the bills about the gallery, Buffy went over and looked down at the paperwork.
"How does that make any sense to you?" Buffy said slightly amazed that Spike was able to read it and actually understand any of it.
"Hm, it still breaks even. Might be able to turn this around into a profit after all." Spike said to himself.
"Don't know how, but go for it Mr. Master's degree."
Buffy sat there watching as Spike went over the bills making notes on all of them and generating a To-Do list for the house and gallery. Buffy couldn't help, but think that it was a very long list. It wouldn't be easy to sell the house as it required a great deal of work with the packing, cleaning, organizing, finding a realtor and getting it sold. Not to mention finding a new place for Dawn to live and getting the Gallery organized. It was a lot of work, something Buffy didn't think she would have been able to do. With the bills, in order, Spike went back over to the desk and grabbed the phone book to look up realtors. He didn't know which one to go with, but at this point, they just needed someone to start the process. Once he had a realtor schedule to come by tomorrow to have the house appraised Spike then put the call in for his one demon friend that might be able to find them a place.
"Hello."
"Ello Mate."
"Spike, long time no hear. I heard about your fall, how are ya?"
"Gettin' better. How's the wife and kids?"
"They're a handful. You should come over for dinner one night. They miss you."
"I'll make sure I do."
"What can I do for you?"
"I need a place to live, two bedrooms, safe for a young human girl and under two grand a month with everythin'. Know any places?"
"Might know a few. I'll look into it and get back to you. When do you need it by?"
"As soon as possible."
"This for the Slayer's girl?"
"Ya, it is. Need to get the house sold and cut down on bills."
"You and your humans. Alright, I'll see what I can do."
"Ta mate."
"Be safe with those humans."
"Always am. I'll talk to you later."
"Bye Spike."
Spike put the phone back down and let out a sigh as he rubbed his hands over his face. He needed a minute to think about everything, but there was also a lot that needed to be done. Spike went into the kitchen and looked through the cupboards and fridge. It was basically empty. The water bill had been a hundred and fifty dollars, so Spike was down to half of what he had. He would need to make some quick cash tonight to start building up a pot for the rent and bills. The problem was the only job he could do that would make him some decent money, for now, was one he didn't really want to do. It's not something he's ever done before, but he might not have much of a choice at the moment. The house needed food, so Spike grabbed his coat and headed out. He would pick up a few things and then he could go through the basement to try and start getting some of the packing done. They would need to toss a lot of things that they didn't need for it to fit in a new place. Spike was hoping that it wouldn't be too hard on Dawn, but there was no other choice right now. They couldn't keep the house; it was too much for Spike to handle. All Spike could do was hope that Dawn would understand.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It was just after four when Tara and Dawn walked through the front door. Tara had surprised Dawn at the school, and Dawn looked very happy to see her. They talked about her day the whole way home and when they got there why were surprised to see Spike still there. He was in the kitchen going through some paperwork and had a few art pieces on the counter and leaning against the wall.
"Hey Spike, what are you doing?" Dawn asked as they walked into the kitchen.
"Going over the Gallery information and I found these down in the basement and attic. Your Mum must have gotten them before she passed away. How was school?" Spike asked giving Dawn his full attention.
"It was ok. My principal wants a meeting though with my guardian and my teachers to discuss my situation. So I'm thinking not good." Dawn answered as she sat down on a stool.
"Definitely not good." Buffy agreed.
"When's the meetin'?" Spike asked.
"Tomorrow at ten."
"I spoke to Willow, and she made all the necessary documents that you need to be Dawn's uncle. We made it so that you were Joyce's half-brother. Willow figured her dad could have slept with an English woman on one of his many trips overseas. For right now you are Dawnie's guardian while Buffy is away handling family business." Tara said as he handed Spike the documents and his new ID.
"Ta Pet. Looks like I got another meetin' tomorrow."
"Another?" Dawn asked.
"Tomorrow at noon a realtor will be comin' by to appraise the house."
"So we are going to sell it." Dawn stated.
"We need to Dawnie. It's too many bills for us to handle." Tara said apologetically.
"Hey, it's fine with me. Like I told Spike, too many bad memories. I don't think Mom or Buffy would care. It's just a house right?" Dawn said trying to comfort them both as she could see they felt bad about this.
"That's exactly it. It's walls and a roof. I want you happy and being taken care of. The house means nothing to Mom and me would say the same." Buffy easily agreed.
"I got a mate lookin' for a new place for us." Spike said.
"I talked to Willow, and we are going to be living with you Dawnie. Willow will be by later with some clothing. We'll live here now until the house is sold and then we'll move into the new place." Tara said.
"Sure." Dawn agreed.
"Ya now they are going to live with you. Would have been nice if someone was for the past two weeks." Buffy said still angry and bitter about it.
"I got some food to last a few days. I need to patrol tonight and then work to try and get some money for this move. I also need to go to the Gallery and get that sorted out." Spike said.
"I don't have classes tomorrow so I can be here getting the house ready for the realtor. I can also get a bunch of boxes and start going through everything." Tara said.
"What about Buffy's room?" Dawn asked sadly.
"We can do it last and when you're ready." Tara said gently.
"It's just a room and things Dawnie." Buffy said trying to comfort her sister. She hated that she couldn't talk to them or touch them. She really wished she could have helped to make this easier on all of them.
"I need to grab my car and load it with these pieces. Then I'll head out to the Gallery." Spike said as he started to put everything away.
"Do you think we can keep the Gallery running? Who's going to be there during the day?" Dawn asked.
"Your Mum had a bird in there for the day to day stuff in case someone came in. I can see if she wants to keep workin' there. I can run the rest of it."
"I can help too." Dawn said.
"And you will when we have to put on shows to try and increase sales. Don't worry Bit; there will be work you can help with." Spike said.
"Good, because you shouldn't have to do everything yourself." Dawn said.
"He shouldn't be doing any of this." Buffy said.
"I'll be fine Pet. I gotta go. You girls be safe." Spike said as he got up and collected the papers.
"We're just going to cook dinner and stay home." Tara said.
"Ya, we can start to clean up the rooms. I can go through my room and get rid of any of the junk that I don't need." Dawn said.
"Clean the room more than anything. We need to make sure we can get the highest appraisal that we can." Spike said.
"On it." Dawn said.
"I'll work on the rest of the house."
"I moved everything out of the attic and into the basement. If there is anything, you want to store place it down there." Spike said.
"Got it." Dawn said.
Spike headed out of the house to grab his car and then he would be back to fill it with the pieces he could find. It was going to be a long night, but it was one he would have to do. Buffy couldn't believe that Spike was doing so much for Dawn. She never expected for Spike to be doing any of this. Buffy didn't understand why Spike was doing this for Dawn. She knew that he cared for her, but she never expected for Spike to go this far for Dawn.
"Thank you, Spike. I know you can't hear it, but thank-you." Buffy said as she kept up with him.
Buffy spent the rest of the night following Spike around, not by choice, as he gathered all of the pieces from the house and loaded them into his car. Buffy had never been to the Gallery before, and she was surprised to see how large it was. It was nice, dirty, but nice. It would need a bit of cleaning, but it could be really nice with it all set. Buffy couldn't do anything but sit there watching as Spike moved pieces around the gallery and cleaned it up before he headed back out and drove to the really bad part of town.
"What are we doing here?" Buffy thought out loud as she looked at a rundown factory.
Spike let out a sigh before he got out of the car and headed towards the building. Buffy was shocked at what she saw when they walked in. The whole place was filled with demons of all different species. Lights were hanging from the ceiling, a bar off to the right-hand side of the factory. And in the middle of the room was a boxing ring of some sorts, but there were metal bars all around it. Buffy had no idea what this place was or what they were even doing in a place like this. Buffy looked around and saw that in the ring or cell were two demons fighting each other.
"What is this so demon fight club?" Buffy thought out loud.
Spike walked over to someone standing off to the side of the fighting ring.
"Spike, never thought I'd see the day you walked in here. Everyone knows you hate this type of thing." The green demon said.
"Need to make some dosh in a short time. You want me or not?" Spike said in a clipped tone.
"Wait, you're gonna fight?" Buffy asked still confused about what is going on here.
"You can go next then. Forty percent of the winnings."
"Sixty or I walk out." Spike said, and it was clear on the demon's face he knew that Spike wouldn't budge.
"Fine, but only because I'll make a mint off you. We don't get vamps much less a Master. I'll have demons paying me to get in the ring with you. Get in the back and get ready."
Spike didn't say anything he just headed for the back where he would be able to remove his boots and his shirt. Buffy didn't know how she felt about this. Sure Spike could fight, Buffy had no doubt about that, but this was dangerous. All it would take was one lucky hit by a demon and Spike could be seriously hurt or killed. Buffy didn't know if they fight to the death or not in this type of thing, but she did know that Spike was putting himself at risk of not being there for Dawn. Something she wasn't happy about. Buffy watched as the current fight was happening. She was glad to see that the opponents weren't trying to kill each other and when the one demon was knocked out the fight had ended. At least Spike wouldn't be killed on purpose, but he was still at risk of getting seriously hurt. Buffy didn't care about his well-being, but she did care about Dawn's well-being, and if Spike got too injured, then Dawn would be back on her own. Even if Willow and Tara were going to move in with her, Buffy didn't hold much faith towards them, not with the way they had been acting these past two weeks.
Buffy watched as the same demon that Spike spoke to went out into the middle of the ring with a microphone while the two demons made their way off. Buffy looked around and could see demons exchanging money. They were clearly taking bets, so this was some type of betting fighting club. Buffy didn't know whether to be disgusted by it or annoyed that she had no idea this had been going on in her town.
"Next round starts in two minutes. We have a Kfishern demon versus William the Bloody. A special fight tonight folks. Our first Master Vampire to enter the fighting club. Place your bets now."
Buffy could see the excitement filling the club as demons practically ran over to the different makeshift betting booths to place their bets. Buffy had a feeling they weren't betting on Spike's success. Spike rolled his shoulders and got himself ready for this fight.
"You look a little nervous. You better win and not get that hurt. Dawn needs you."
After a quick two minutes, Spike and his opponent were called out to the ring. Buffy moved, so she was closer, but that put her in the midst of the other demons. Buffy could hear the whispers going around about how they wanted to watch as Spike was beaten down. This was not a crowd happy to have a vampire here. Buffy remembered Giles mentioning how demons and vampires don't tend to get along with each other. With a ring of the bell the fight started. The red ugly looking demon in the ring didn't even hesitate to come after Spike. Spike was ready though, Spike wasn't a patient man when it came to certain areas, but he was very patient when he had to be. Spike easily fought off the demon's attacks and made sure to move around a lot to give himself enough space for a proper attack.
"Come on Spike, stop dancing around." Buffy said worried that the longer this went on for the worst it would be for Spike.
Buffy knew Spike preferred to dance; he had told her that himself. It was more fun for him, and Buffy figured that after being inside for two weeks his demon wanted to play. Buffy was just hoping he didn't play for too long and open himself up to a deadly attack. Buffy did notice how well Spike could fight. She had always known he was a good fighter; he was the only opponent of her's that had survived a battle with her. He had always challenged her, and their fights were always intense. This was the first time though, that Buffy had been able to just watch him fight. His movements were fluid and graceful, much like a cat. Dancing was the perfect description of what Spike was doing. It was almost beautiful the way he could move around. Buffy could tell he was playing with the demon. The demon had no idea that he was beaten before even stepping into the ring. Buffy could hear the cheers from the demons for the red demon to break Spike; they had no idea what they were in for. Buffy couldn't help the smile that played on her face when she saw the exact moment that Spike was going in for the kill. With a powerful roundhouse kick to the head, the demon was knocked out cold. The crowd was not happy about it, but Buffy couldn't help but smile at Spike's victory. Spike didn't show off though. He simply turned and walked out of the ring. Buffy went and met him back in the side area where his stuff was. She could tell he wasn't happy about this and that made her confused. Spike was a vampire, he loved the fight, so what was so wrong with this type of situation? As Spike was getting his shirt and boots back on another demon came over to him. This time the demon looked half human, and he smiled at seeing Spike.
"Never thought you would ever be here. You always made it clear when I asked if you wanted to tag along that you hated this type of thing."
"Mick." Spike said without even looking up before he continued. "I do hate this shit. Prefer the kill, don't see the point in bouncin' around just boxin'. The demon in me wants the kill, not the knockout. Sides, these demons are innocent and harmless, they shouldn't be fightin' like this."
"Humans do it, so demons do it too. Not that big of a deal to have some fun. It's our version of boxing. I'd imagine your demon is pretty pissed right now at having to walk away, but you'll get used to it you know that. You didn't answer my question though."
"Niblet needs help, she can't take care of herself, so I'm gonna be fightin' here to make the dosh up." Spike said with a shrug.
"That human girl you've been protecting from that Hell God. There's a lot of demons not too happy about that. They don't like other demons playing human, even a half-breed like us."
"Demons always have a problem with half-breeds. It's why there are so many wars goin' on. Has nothin' to do with me and what is right. She's fifteen; she don't deserve to end up on the street starvin' or being hit around in some foster home."
"Never said she did. I've always admired you for that. You're not afraid to let humans close or to care for them. Just be careful, you'll paint an even larger target on your back. I don't want the wrong people knowing about this. And by this, I don't mean the club. You can beat any demon in the ring. It's the crusades that I'm concerned about." Mick said with worry for Spike's welfare.
"I'll be careful, didn't get this old by luck."
"Bring the girl by the house sometime. It'd be nice to meet her."
"I will. See you around Mate." Spike said as he got up.
"See you, Spike." Mick said back.
Buffy walked with Spike over to the green demon again. The demon handed Spike a roll of bills, and without saying a word, Spike headed out and back to the car. Once in the car Spike counted the money. It was clear no one thought he would win tonight as he had eight hundred dollars from just one fight. Spike knew though the more rounds he won, the less money he would be making as his odds would be in his favor instead of him being the underdog. He would still be able to make a grand a week if he went every night. Some nights he wouldn't be able to though depending on what he had to do for the Gallery. Spike was hoping to be making a grand a week, this week being the first one he would have to be here every night to get as much as he could with being so new. After that, his amounts would even out and be fairly steady. If he could make four grand roughly a month, then half of that roughly would go to bills and the other half could go towards the debt. It was going to be annoying and tiring, because he would have to fight more than once a night to make a decent amount really. Spike would only be getting seventy percent of the money that was bet on him after the payouts, so once Spike became a more sure thing demons would bet more on him, but his odds went up making the payout less compared to betting against him. Some nights might suck for him, but Spike was willing to do it for Dawn and to keep her in a home.
Spike put the money away, and he sat back and let out a sigh. His demon was angry enough at him for taking on a human girl, now he wanted blood, and Spike knew he had a long night of patrolling ahead of him. Thankfully in the past two weeks, the demon population and vampire population has increased with Buffy's death.
"This really bothers you. I don't know why though, I would have thought this was something you would be interested in. Violence is violence. But you seem to hate violence with no point really. Maybe you really are different from the other vamps." Buffy said as Spike started his car and they were off for the cemeteries. It was set to be a long night followed by another long day.
