7

Spike raised his eyebrow and cocked his head slightly to the side, "Er do I know you?"

The girl that had blurted out his name so abruptly and at such a volume was now sat opposite him, just starring at him. Spike searched her face trying to place her but with no success.

"Of course you know me duh." Dawn responded but she could see from the look on his face that he was none the wiser. She thought about how much time had passed, 10 years, she'd gotten older, grown up. She probably looked different, her face was thinner, her was a lot shorter now cut in a totally different style, she wore much more make up. He didn't recognise her. "It's me Dawn." she continued.

Still nothing, "I'm sorry luv but I can't say I remember you, have we met somewhere?" Spike looked confused, she certainly seemed sure that she knew him but he could have sworn that he'd never seen her before in his life. He took in her features, pretty enough, maybe a little tall for his taste perhaps. American too. He couldn't completely rule out the possibility of a drunken one night stand at some point and that would definitely explain why she looking at him with such intensity and expectation.

Dawn watched as his eyes studied her face. It was definitely Spike she was sure of that but at the same time she knew that he had absolutely no clue who she was. She knew she had to think quickly if she was going to stand even the slightest chance of working out what was going on because right about now she much seem like a complete crazy. "Um yeah we've met, some party." She gambled.

His eyes narrowed slightly, he wasn't convinced but she clearly did know him. Maybe she had a thing for him and this way her way of trying to make a move, Americans could be brash like that. Pretty as she was he didn't think he was interested in trying to chat her up, he wasn't sure why because chatting women up was one of his favourite pass times. He loved the thrill of the chase but most of the time there wasn't much of a chase, women tended to be easily seduced by him. Nah he wouldn't bother with this one, she seemed too eager but he was intrigued by her interruption.

"A party eh, which party?" He asked smirking ever so slightly as she squirmed under his gaze.

"Oh you know just a party, a normal party, with people." This wasn't really getting any better and Dawn reprimanded herself for not thinking this through.

"Parties do tend to have people, when was it?"

"Em a while back, but it's great to see you again. I mean we didn't really get a chance to talk much at the, er party." Dawn flustered trying to grapple the conversation back onto a normal track.

"Can't say I remember pet, anyway Dawn did you say?" He asked reaching round to the table behind him to pick up her abandoned coffee. Spike had nothing better to do at that moment in time so why not find out where this conversation was heading.

"Yep that's me Dawn Summers" she paused "and you're Spike."

He nodded keeping quiet, goading her to keep talking.

She'd dived into this feet first giving the impression that they'd briefly met somewhere a while back and now she was going to have to run with it. "So this is great place huh, do you come here often?" She asked internally cringing at her use of such an obvious line.

He smiled if she was trying to pick him up she wasn't doing a great job of it, too nervous. "Yeah I pop in sometimes just hang out, how about you?"

Dawn couldn't believe he was actually partaking in this conversation what with all craziness. "Um hum I live fairly close so you know it's handy to just come in and drink coffee".

"I'd say you've probably had enough coffee." He snorted.

"Hey" she said taking a light swipe at this arm.

Spike looked down at his arm, somewhat taken back but the physical contact with someone he didn't know. Strangely it felt normal, almost familiar. This girl, Dawn, seemed ok though.

"Look I've got somewhere that I need to be but what do you say we meet up later for drinks. Hit a few bars, have fun." Dawn asked praying he would agree. If Spike was back somehow she couldn't just walk away but she needed sometime to try and work out a plan. Strategic retreat seemed like the best idea.

"Why not got nothing else on." He responded watching Dawn let out the breath she'd been holding after asking the question.

"Great, well I'm meet you back here at 8 tonight. Oh here's my cell number just in case." She said scribbling the number down on a scrap of paper from her purse. She handed the paper to him and got up to leave.

"Ok then later." He said with a small nod.

—-

Hours later Dawn was walking back down the streets of the Northern quarter hoping that she didn't run into Buffy. It was unlikely because it would be a weird time for her shift to finish and Buffy rarely hung out in the bars outside of work, but still she did live close by. If Dawn was going to work out what the hell was going on she needed to do before Buffy found out that Spike was back.

She'd spent the entire afternoon going over and over the situation in her mind, trying to figure out how he'd come back and why he didn't know he she was. He was clearly humans now but he didn't look any other than when she'd last seen him. If he'd had been resurrected as a human after the closure of the hellmouth he'd be physically 37 now but she didn't think he was. Thinking about it she'd started to formulate a plan, she intended on finding out as much about him as she could. That way she might be able to figure out what had happened to him and why he was back.

Dawn picked up the pace, eager to make sure she was on time the last thing she wanted was for him to think that she'd bailed and leave. She kicked herself for not trying to get his cell number. She was nervous, she felt like she was on the verge of giving him a second chance and the thought of blowing it made her feel sick to her stomach. She'd had a large glass of wine before leaving her apartment for Dutch courage. As she rounded the corner Red's came into sight and she could see that he was already there sat outside at one of the tables. "Good step one he didn't stand me up" she muttered to herself as she approached and crossed the road.

"Hey you're here" she said as she approached the table.

"Didn't think I'd stand you up did you?" He replied with a quirk of the eyebrow.

"No, well I hoped not and then I thought you probably thought I was a crazy lady or something and the, I just, oh well you're here and I'm here and that's great. " she rushed as she sat down.

He laughed a little, this girl was odd and yes he hadn't ruled out her being a crazy lady but he was a little odd himself so what the hell. The world wouldn't be be much fun if everyone was normal.

"You want a drink?" He asked slinging back the last of his bottled beer.

"God yes." She answered a little too hastily "A glass of white wine would be great"

Spike stood up and headed inside towards the bar. Dawn took a deep breath, everything was going to be fine, she'd figure this out.

Spike came back out glass of wine & bottle of beer in hand. "There you go, I got you a large one" he said he handed her the glass, "bloody price of it though I may has well have got you a bottle!"

"Thank you. Next rounds on me I promise." She said.

"So Dawn Summers do you make a habit of asking strange men out?" He enquired as he put the beer bottle to his lips.

"No and I didn't ask you out. Well I did but this isn't like a thing." She could feel her cheeks burning, she hadn't thought about this little plan would look to him. This was so not a date, and god if he thought it was that would be a world of wrong.

"Relaxing I'm just teasing, one my hobbies"

"Oh good because that's totally not what this is about."

"What is it about then?" His face quizzical, she was up to something he just couldn't figure out what.

"Just normal making friends stuff. How people do in order to, you know, make friends." Dawn replied.

Ok she seems genuine enough, he still thought it was strange because he didn't really have any female friends, or that many friends in general truth be told. He was more of a loner.

"Ok then we'll what brings you to sunny ol' England then?" He asked.

"I've been here years now, I came over to go to university and never went back."

"No family to go back home for?"

"Nope my sister came over here with me. My mom had passed our dad is more than useless so we just stayed, there was nothing to go back for." It pained her a little to say it but it was true, nothing she said triggered any sign of recollection in him so she pushed on. "We kinda lost everything in a massive earthquake, it sunk the whole town it kinda made it easy for us to just move."

Dawn watched him as she spoke, looking for the slightest hint that he might remember the fall of Sunnydale. "Earthquake, think I might remember something that a while back on the news, California right?" He questioned.

"Yeah that's the one, 10 years ago." Dawn said taking a sip of her wine. His memories weren't his own that was sure, and that Dawn could relate to.

"So you the big sister or the little sister?"

"I'm the little sister, although I'm way taller than Buffy."

"Buffy, what kind of name is that?" Spike laughed.

"Yeah I know totally right. She's cool though."

"Is she as strange as you?"

"Believe me she is way stranger. You'd like her though." Dawn said softly.

"And how you know that?" He asked.

"She's pretty straight to the point, all action, like you." She responded.

"We've only just met!" He retorted.

"I'm a very good judge of character."