Dreamscape

Author: Joy

Email: Julianna@ziplip.com

A/N: REVIEW!

Will laid back on the bed in the room he chose. Clearing his mind he tried to focus on Dawn and call to her. After a few frustrating minutes she popped into his head. "You okay?" she asked.

"Well I think we've found our problem," he sighed.

"What's that?"

"I tried to get into your head and left the door open to come into mine. I can't actually seem to cross that bridge. You however can come over fairly easily."

Dawn sort of played with her hair twirling it nervously. "So…um…can I stay?"

Will thought about it. It was just the two of them. Buffy had nothing to do with it. "Yeah…stay."

Dawn grinned big. "So…how's it going? Found Angel yet?"

Will's jaw tightened visibly. "Don't call him that." Dawn sort of stared at him. "He is no angel. He doesn't deserve the title… His name was Angelus for a century. He can keep it."

"Didn't realize you were as adamant as your mom… It doesn't matter to me what he's called. I never particularly liked him," she said causally.

He swallowed, "Sorry… Joy and I can share thoughts… I've seen some of his thoughts…I want to kill him. Actually I want to torture him in every manner he tortured my mum."

"Guess I don't know the whole story."

"No you don't."

Dawn nodded, "Well are you and Spike getting along?"

"I guess… I mean he's gonna marry mum. He is my father… Its just weird to see mum love anyone but my dad even if they were together before," Will commented.

"They're getting married? Wow…How'd Buffy take that?"

"I know she's your sister…but considering all I know of her…I really don't care."

"It was really that bad?" the teenage girl questioned.

The vampire chuckled, "Bad doesn't describe it… I mean they were both psycho at moments, but the things she said to him. I mean…it's just weird. So much of the time you could see they weren't hearing each other at all… But Spike just kept forgiving her letting her use him. And it was Buffy that would always come to him…then she would pull this 'you're a disgusting monster' crap when she had just shagged him into the floor." He let out this exasperated sigh, "Mum told me over and over how if you're in love and truly committed to each other it won't be that way…but god. The only time I have ever really seen tenderness when it came to sex in Spike's life was when he would remember mum. I just can't figure out how once you've had that type of love and affection how you could go back to the other?"

Dawn sat down on some sort of dreamscape sofa next to Will. "Maybe because you don't want anyone to come close to what you had with that one person."

Will looked at the girl next to him thoughtfully, "Ya think? It's not just about getting laid?"

"That was crude…Now I know your Spike's," she laughed. He chuckled. "I think… How many woman can you recall Spike having slept with?"

"Druscilla, Mum, Harmony and Buffy… oh and that demon girl…Anya."

"That was weird…but honestly…I think that's all there has been," she stated. "I'll admit track record in the last couple years has sucked but for like a hundred years he was with Dru. He was faithful. That's a big deal… I don't know what has been up with him recently. I think Anya was about Buffy and Harmony was just about sex and having someone to stroke his ego but I think he loved Dru, Buffy and your mom. And even Buffy…she was just a replacement for your mom."

"What?" Will said confusedly.

"Don't you see? Buffy is short, blond, strong willed, passionate, loyal, and good. Though I know that last is questionable in your opinion. Your mom was the one that had all those qualities first. She's the one he was completely in love with… I mean he walked into the Magic Box saw Gabriella and went right to her. There was no worry what we would think or how Buffy would react…it was just about wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. I don't know if I can describe that to you. It was the same look he had when Buffy came down the stairs in our house after being dead. If you hadn't come into the room with the whole mug of blood incident I think he would have kept holding her and kissing her…which of course would have been weird."

"I know he loves mum…I just… I don't know. He hasn't been there and now he is and even though I know his mind I don't feel like I know him… It's just odd," Will ground out.

Dawn tilted her head, "Well, I know him. Ask me."

He stared for a minute, "Okay. Tell me about my father."

"That is weird…Father… Though I guess that's kind of what he's been to me. Not in the traditional sense of course. But…my mom is dead and my dad is a jerk who is nowhere to be found. Spike…Spike just would hang out with me, tell me stories about his life. He would come over to the house and watch movies. He'd go to the art gallery and visit mom. They'd talk about art and all the stuff Spike had lived through. We'd sit in the kitchen drinking hot chocolate having fun. He was a part of the family. Then of course he would be moronic with Buffy and screw everything up." Dawn totally forgot Will should actually know all that they had done together…its was her emotions toward Spike that were the issue.

Dawn groaned remembering that last couple years, "But he got beat up really badly and still didn't rat me out."

"I know pet. I wore half the injuries."

"I hadn't thought of that… Well thank you…"

"You're welcome." Will said. They stared at one another a moment too long.

Dawn got slightly flustered at the way her body temperature was raising. "Well…anyway he was there for me when mom died like no one else. Spike loved me. I knew that. More than anyone in my life. More than Buffy I knew Spike loved me. He would die for me, protecting me. And after Buffy died he was all the family I had. Willow and Tara lived with me but Spike understood me."

Will watched Dawn as she spoke. He could understand why his father loved this girl. She was pure and passionate. Once he realized where his thoughts were taking him he shut them out. He felt them from afar for a while. Having her with him didn't change things…or shouldn't have changed things.

"Spike can be your best friend and your biggest ally. He will die to protect you. I don't know if you can understand the type of commitment he makes when he loves someone… He's leaving us. Something he said he would never do because he made a commitment to your mother first. That is huge."

"You love him?" Will asked quietly.

"Of course."

"Even before he had a soul? Even with him being a vampire?" he couldn't meet her eyes.

Dawn reached out and laid her hand on top of Will's as it lay in his lap. "I loved him before he had a soul, even though he is a vampire. He is a better man than my own human father, makes you wonder about the whole soulless demon scenario."

"But," he said softly looking up timidly "isn't it weird to think about being with someone who's dead or undead?"

"My sister in the slayer. My sister's best friend is a very powerful witch that nearly destroyed the world. My big brother type guy is a vampire. A good friend is a vengeance demon. I didn't even exist in human form until two years ago but have memories of a lifetime… In my world there is no ordinary," Dawn explained. "From what you were saying last night it sounds like your mom has tried to make your life pretty normal. I mean you've moved around a lot but concerts, games… I don't know a guy that gets along with his mother more."

"It's stupid I know…but all those things Buffy said to Spike. It was like having my worst fears about myself laid out… Like 'yep you are a monster' and 'you're disgusting.' I guess I just feel like maybe its better not to try," Will confessed.

"You have to try. If you don't, what's someone like me got going for them?" He looked at her suspiciously. "You have a family that loves you. I have a team of barely legal twenties who don't know their feet from their ass," Dawn said in all seriousness. Will cracked up…in fact he doubled over. She got ticked. "I'm being serious here."

He just looked at her like she was nuts and laughed harder, "What kind of a statement is 'feet from ass'? Where did you come up with that?"

"Oh yeah." Dawn dug her fingers into Will's side between his first and second rib. He began to squirm. "Ah hah…Just as I thought ticklish in the same place as Spike. You are so going down."

"How is that possible?" Will asked laughing and attempting to tickle back. "We aren't physically here. How can you tickle me? How can I feel your touch?"

Suddenly humor bled away and attraction took over. "I don't know," Dawn whispered. Drawing her hands away from Will's sides and running them along his arms that were still holding her waist. "Can you feel that?"

Will swallowed slowly trying to breathe normally. He nodded. On their knees Will was only a little taller than Dawn. "What about this?" she said quietly before blowing air on his neck and ear.

He held tighter onto her sides; "Yeah."

She leaned away to look him full in the face. He was quite beautiful. She watched as he took shallow breaths. If anything were going to happen she would have to initiate it. Buffy had done too much damage to his self-esteem.

Will's eyes flicked down to Dawn's lips briefly. He wanted to kiss her so badly…but he just couldn't. She caught the glance and decided to take the chance. "Can you feel this?" Very slowly she leaned into Will barely brushing his lips.

They pulled away gazing at one another. "No," he said.

Dawn was shaken. "No what?"

"No I couldn't feel it," he said seriously. Her face fell slightly but she kept eye contact. "I think we need to try that one again," Will smirked at her.

Dawn got ticked, "Why you little…" Will's lips were on hers before she could finish her protest. "…cocky, annoying," Dawn continued to rant as he pulled away. He laughed and kissed her again, softly slowly. This time there were no more complaints.

"Better?" he asked.

"That wasn't a nice thing to say," she pouted.

Will brought his arms that had been fastened on Dawn's hips to her back pulling her into a hug. "Sorry, luv. It was the cleverest thing I could come up with to let you know I wanted another kiss."

Dawn pulled away looking into Will's open face. Suddenly her face got lit up with a realization. "Do you know what this means?"

"No…since I haven't a bloody clue what you are grinning about," Will stated.

"You…me…couch…never leaving the comfort of our own homes. We can't get busted or be out past curfew or…" her eyes went big then her face turned red.

"What'd ya think?" he asked quickly. For a teenage boy his thoughts were fairly innocuous since all hormonal surges pass through the filter of his father and are therefore squelched.

She slid so she was sitting on the couch rather than kneeling on it. "Nothing."

"Now that ain't true. You thought of something that embarrassed you… Lets see… Busted… Curfew…" Will tapped his finger on his chin…then it crossed his mind. "You were thinking about the lack of parental governing."

"Not quite that innocent," she admitted playing with her fingers. "God… You're the guy and I'm the one thinking about…"

Will and Dawn's eyes met as she swallowed her words. "Sex… You were thinking of sleeping with me?" utter shock pervaded his face. He avoided the word shagging…to many Spike thoughts.

Dawn was so embarrassed she got off the couch and walked away hugging herself. Will got up and wrapped his arms around her trying his best to show acceptance. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about, pet."

She threw off his arms. "God you even sound like him. It wasn't bad enough that I had to have 'the talk' with him now I have to have the person it would apply to sound exactly like him."

Will recoiled. "I wasn't… I didn't…" Dawn turned around to see the hurt and pain in his eyes. She was the first girl he had even tried with since everything happened between Buffy and Spike and then… He couldn't look at her. He started to sever the connection.

"No, Will please…I'm sorry. That was… I'm sorry. Please don't leave," Dawn begged. He braced himself as he dared to look in her eyes. She slowly came to him and tentatively wrapped her arms around him. "I really messed that up didn't I?" Will didn't say anything. "That wasn't fair or right…and it was probably the worst reaction I could ever have given…" She gazed up at him. He still looked like he was going to bolt.

Pride aside Dawn decided to explain. She led him back to the sofa and sat them down. "Last summer… God this is hard. I really don't want to tell you this." He just stared at his hands. "This will make it make sense I promise. I just hate having to tell you… Last summer Spike would stay at the house sometimes…overnight. Willow and Tara were gone and he stayed with me. Well one of the nights…I kind of had a… a sex dream… about Spike." She was staring at her hands while Will was gazing at her softly. "Anyway…he was in the next bedroom. He heard me sort of rustling and then I called out his name…I mean it was a weird dream anyway… Spike thought I was being attacked so he came in all worried. Well with vampire extra smelling capabilities…he knew in like two seconds what had happened. I was mortified. I wouldn't talk to him or look at him."

Will bit his lip and said, "So Spike made you talk to him and said it was nothing to be embarrassed about in the nice British accent I sport."

"And he even said 'pet'… I swear that had to be one of the most embarrassing conversations I've had in my life…and then…it was just life repeating itself and I couldn't deal. It had nothing to do with you. You are incredibly sweet. You didn't act all cocky like 'oh she wants to have sex with me' or completely disgusted… I'm sorry," she whispered still looking down.

Two fingers found their way to her chin urging her head up, "It's okay. Thank you for telling me." He gave her the gentlest kiss he could muster.

"I'm really not a complete horn-dog," Dawn grumbled.

Will chuckled, "Didn't think you were."

"Then what was with the shock?"

"The shock was why would you want to sleep with me?" he said shrugging his shoulders.

"Your kidding right?" she asked.

"No…"

"Well on a completely superficial level, you're a hottie." Will laughed out right. Dawn continued, "And…I like the way you kiss... Been told if you like the way a guy kisses, you'll like the way he'll make…he'll have sex."

"I wouldn't know," he commented matter-of-factly. "And I prefer the term making love too…cause if its about getting laid… Well I have seen how well that goes. Then again I have seen things that I didn't think the human body could do."

Dawn chuckled slightly and settled into Will's grasp. They just sat comfortably on the couch with Will's arm draped over Dawn's shoulder while she laid her head on his shoulder. "This is nice," she whispered.

"Yeah…it is," he replied before kissing her softly.

"So when's our next date?" she asked.

Will smiled. "This was a date, huh?"

"Well…we decided on a meeting place and time. We met here at said time. There were kisses and cuddles involved."

"Don't forget our first fight," he added.

"Yeah…so I think that constitutes a date," Dawn said firmly with a little head nod.

"So…are we dating?" Will pressed this time.

"Well what does that mean to you?"

"Huh?"

"Dating…does it mean we go on dates or does it mean we're exclusive?" she questioned.

"Just tell me the right answer please," he begged hating girl questions.

She laughed. "So you're okay with the exclusive idea?"

"Who else would there be? What part of the 'I better not try' statement are you not understanding?"

Dawn put her finger firmly in the center of her chest, "Hey…How bout the Maggie part? That's the part I'm not understanding."

Will smirked at the twinge of jealousy coming forth. She remembered the 'other' girl's name. "I believe I mentioned her as a friend."

"You also mentioned getting into her head and missing her."

He couldn't help but enjoy the way she acted when her feathers got ruffled. In one swift motion he sat her sideways in his lap. She gasped a bit but kept eye contact when he said, "You had to initiate because you knew I couldn't. I'm not dating anyone. Maggie is a friend that could have been something more… but I have something more in my lap right now who knows who and what I am and still accepts me. I'm not going to give up a good thing." Dawn blushed. "I am as faithful as my father," he whispered before kissing her.

"You're really good at that," Dawn panted.

Will smiled. "Thanks… Natural gift I guess… Hey is Spike a good kisser?"

She slapped his arm, "How would I know…ya big dumb jerk…" She continued to swat him. Will laughed a little. "No one but Spike and I know about my little…well knows okay. Don't make me regret telling you."

"I'm sorry," he mumbled kissing her forehead. "So when is our next date?"

"How bout you knock and I'll open the door?"

"How bout I see you tonight unless something important comes up?" Will murmured as he gave her a squeeze.

"Will? What's your last name?" Dawn asked out of nowhere.

"Jenks…at least that was my mother's last name when she was alive."

"She didn't change it when she married Charlie?"

Will shook his head, "No…Joy is a Jenks too. Charlie didn't have a problem with it so… Why did you want to know?"

Dawn smiled that amazing sixteen-year-old girl smile all girls give their new boyfriends when they're going to claim them, "I needed to know so I could tell my friends."

"So when we come back to Sunnydale am I going to be shown off?" he asked playing with her fingers.

"Of course," she said simply. "I have to have proof you exist plus I want all my friends to be jealous that I have a hot boyfriend with an amazing accent."

Will raised his eyebrow, "Ya like me accent?" Dawn nodded. "What about the hair?" he asked pretending to primp it.

"What kind of junk do you put in it anyway?" she questioned.

"Gel," he shrugged.

"Why blue?" Dawn asked pointing to the tips of his hair.

"What would you prefer some Nancy-boy color like pink?" Will griped.

"No," she said overly dramatically. "I just wanted to know if blue was your favorite color or did you think it looked the best with black or what."

"Oh…well… I like blue. I guess I just liked it best, that's all."

Dawn was twirling one of his curls with her finger. "Its soft under that stuff."
            "Ya want me to change the way I do my hair?" Will sighed exasperated.

She shook her head, "Just one of the days you're here I'd like to see what its like with nothing in it."

"That can be arranged."

A very distracting sound invaded their space. "I guess that means times up," Dawn whispered very close to Will's mouth.

"Yeah…I'll see you tonight, pet," he whispered back before giving her a searing kiss.

"You're way too good at that."