The Storm (Part One)

There was screaming.

It seemed to be coming from a million directions at once. It was deafening, and there were blinding lights. Buffy was aching with more physical and emotional pain than she'd ever felt, and was so disorientated, it took her a long time to realize the sound was coming from her. Even with that realization, she couldn't stop.

No.

Because the light wasn't coming from her, but from Dawn.

Blinding as it was, Buffy couldn't see much, but she saw enough to know her little girl's tiny body was burning up – exploding like a supernova, or an atom bomb. That's where the ache originated, because there was no way Dawn wasn't in pain. There was no way she'd survive it, Buffy was sure.

Still, she screamed. Her voice was the only thing she could control, but even it was wavering.

At some point time seemed to stop, when her voice broke – her throat red raw.

The last thing Buffy thought before everything went black was that it had all started out so well. She'd been so convinced they would win.

It was here: the day of the equinox, when the sun would be at its highest point all year, and night and day were of equal length.

"Nice day for a battle," Spike exclaimed, looking out the window at gathering storm clouds.

"That's today?" came a small voice from behind him, in answer.

Spike cursed inwardly. He had meant the comment for Buffy's ears, not Dawn's. Their presences were so similar that when one of them walked in the room without him looking, it took him a moment to tell them apart. Really, he should be more careful to actually take those moments. Scent was the key: Buffy often smelt like sex, or sweat from working out, whereas Dawn smelt like marshmallows.

Sweeping her up in his arms, he asked her, "Have you been at my sweets again?"

Dawn was frowning, silently refusing to let the subject be changed.

Spike sighed and finally answered her. "Yeah, pet. The big fight's today. But it's alright. Do you remember why?"

"Because we're gonna win?" she asked, hesitantly.

He broke out into a wide smile "Exactly! Now, where's yer mum?"

Buffy and Spike hadn't told Dawn everything about what was going to happen – they didn't even know everything themselves – but had decided it was best to tell her enough so she'd be less scared when things started to unfold.

Far as they could figure it, the sun was gonna climb higher and higher into the sky until it was directly above Sunnydale, at midday, then things would kick off. But, glancing out the window again, Spike wondered if anyone would actually catch sight of the star through the storm that was growing second on second.

"Mommy's painting her face," Dawn informed him, bringing him swiftly back to earth.

He rolled his eyes while pulling a faux-exasperated expression. "Of course she is. Can't go into battle without war paint."

Dawn perked up at that, but before she could ask if that meant she was allowed to wear make-up, Spike preempted the question and told her no. And then they went to see if there were any marshmallows left.

Opening her eyes, Buffy was met with more lights, flashing above her, but they were different from before. She tried to ask where she was, but couldn't speak from the pain in her throat. She sensed Spike by her side, but couldn't focus on him.

Feeling him reach out, she tried to reach back, but more pain ripped through her, and it was too much to bear.

Dawn was gone. The battle was over. But why was she still alive? Why had the world not ended? As much as she loved Spike, and her friends, she couldn't bear living in a world without Dawn. Didn't want to.

It was all she could do to close her eyes, grit her teeth, and turn her face away from her Mate, as the world continued to move around her.

Up the stairs, Spike and Dawn had found Buffy unable to decide what sweater to wear. She was stood with their back to them, fully clothed below the waist in a pair of jeans, but wearing only a bra on her upper half, when they walked in the room.

Dawn squealed, causing both her parents to look round at her.

"Daddy! You can't be in here!"

He looked confused. "What?"

"Mommy's not dressed! You can't see her!" Dawn spelt out, as if explaining something simple to a particularly dense child.

"Oh." Spike's face split into a wide smile, but when he looked up from his daughter to share a look with Buffy, she squealed again, trying with all her might to push him back out the door.

"Don't look, don't look!"

Buffy was in hysterical laughter at this, but that only made Dawn more determined to be taken seriously.

"Out! Out!" she yelled, to which Spike had no choice but to raise his hands in defeat and exit to the hallway, where he stood with a wall between him and his mate.

"Er, luv," he said to her, "Are you gonna call off yer guard dog?"

Buffy was still laughing too hard to answer him, and Dawn was still staring him down, hands now on hips.

"Don't you know boys aren't supposed to see what girls look like?!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah," said Spike, "But-" he wavered. How could he explain to a four-year-old that, yes, generally it was inappropriate to see other people partially dressed, but that there were exceptions, of which he and Buffy were one?

"Dawn," said Buffy, who now seemed to be in control of herself, "Come here."

Dawn did go, but not before planting Spike to the floor with a firm look. He loved the fierceness in that look; the whole ballsy attitude. It was bloody wonderful, far as he was concerned. He stood there, listening, as Buffy handled the delicate conversation.

"Dawnie," she began, "You're right about boy and girls, and how they shouldn't… see each other. But, um, you see, Mommies and Daddies are allowed to do things that normal boys and girls can't."

"But only to each other," Spike added, through the wall, amusement in his voice.

"Right," Buffy affirmed. "Do you understand?"

It took a moment, but Dawn eventually answered with a resounding "Nope."

"You said clothes were important, and that no one should look at you without them. Except at bath time, but that's only if you or daddy say so."

"Right," said Buffy again. "So, uh… there are rules. A-and there are exceptions."

"Do you make the rules?" Dawn interrupted to ask.

"Uh, well…"

"Society makes the rules, Niblet," said Spike, in an effort to help that only made things more confusing.

"Society?" Dawn repeated.

Buffy shook her head. "Nevermind that. Just trust us. We know the rules. If you're not sure, you can check with us."

A deep frown appeared in Dawn's forehead as she tried to process what she'd been told. "Okay," she said, after a minute. "So daddy can see you with no clothes on?"

"Eh… well, kind of," said Buffy, blushing, before quickly adding, "But not in public."

She really hoped Spike wouldn't try to 'help' again, by pointing out that sometimes even the 'not in public' rule had been known to be broken. Mercifully, he said nothing – at least, not out loud – but she'd be having words with him later for the mental images he sent via the claim.

Buffy's heated cheeks turned pale when Dawn turned to her and simply asked "Why?"

She really didn't think 'because I said so' was going to cut it any more now than it had done when she'd flustered Joyce with questions fifteen years previously.

Taking a deep breath, she tried again: "When two people love each other very much, and they're… uh, united in that love, things are, umm… different?"

"United," Dawn repeated, pondering the word. Both Spike and Buffy genuinely thought that would be the end of it – that Dawn would give up the topic as too confusing and move on to more interesting things – but in what universe would the offspring of two of the most stubborn people ever to live go down without a fight?

"You're not united," Dawn told Buffy, making her jaw drop open.

"What do you mean, Poppet?" Spike asked, now slightly concerned. Not united? They were as connected as any creatures could be – human or otherwise. Was it not obvious to their daughter how close and in love they were?"

"You didn't unite," said Dawn, simply, as if the statement didn't need any more explanation.

"Do… do you mean we're not married?" Buffy questioned her.

"Duh!" she said.

Spike breathed a sigh of relief. Is that all she meant? Sure, they were sorting that out. Maybe then he'd get some peace to ogle his bird when he liked. He could feel Buffy smile in her aura. This was it. They had planned to wait until the apocalypse was over to share the news, but the best moment had obviously presented itself now, instead.

"Dawnie," Buffy said again. She was in the habit of starting all her sentences to her daughter like that. "Your dad and I are getting married."

There was a pause, as Spike waited for Dawn to start squealing again, this time with happiness, but it didn't come.

"Dawnie?"

"Are you getting united because of me?" she asked, more serious than ever.

"We're getting united- I mean, getting married, because we love each other."

"Oh." A smile finally broke out on her lips.

Dawn hugged Buffy, then ran out into the hallway and hugged Spike around his knees too.

"This is gonna be the best unity ever!" she exclaimed, running down the stairs towards the living room. Spike took his chance to finally enter his bedroom, where he sat down beside Buffy. They immediately broke into laughter.

"God, she's wonderful, ain't she?"

"Totally!" said Buffy. "She should be in charge of interrogations from now on."

"Yeah," Spike beamed. "I bet she's down there right now, drawing pictures of what dress you'll wear."

"I bet it'll be pink," Buffy laughed. She really hoped it wasn't, because Dawn obviously had a talent of getting her own way.

"Almost done, luv?" Spike asked her, drawing the conversion back to the here and now.

Buffy sighed. "Yeah, let's go."

As they left the room and headed for the stairs, Spike pinched her ass and joked, "At least we know anything the hellbitch throws at us can't be as hard as all that."

To be continued...