Alternate Gift

by snakes

Basically a Spike and Dawn story. Changes the ending of 'The Gift' episode. But then how much abuse can one vampire take?

1. Intro

(This starts near the end of 'The Gift'.  Everything else would be the same, but the ending is changed.)

Spike hit the ground with a force that would have killed an ordinary man.  As it was, he was cut and bruised and had suffered a few broken ribs.  It took a few moments for him to regain his senses.  He shook away the fog in his head and quickly realized with a terrible shock that Doc was still up on the platform with Dawn, ready to begin the bloodletting ritual.  Spike dragged himself to his feet, and ignoring the pain coursing through his entire body, ran back to the top of the stairs. 

Doc saw Spike return.  "Didn't get enough the first time, boy?  Back for more?"  Spike glared at Doc and growled, "I won't let you hurt her."  Doc chuckled, "It's a bit too late for that.  The blood is already running."  Spike looked past Doc to where the terrified Dawn was tied, bleeding from several cuts.  A great fury ran through Spike, awakening the demon he'd been keeping suppressed.  As his face changed, he launched himself at Doc like an enraged animal.  The struggle was short.  In his intense rage, Spike slammed Docs head against the platform, then broke his neck and threw the body from the platform. 

Spike ran to untie Dawn.  He grabbed her by the arm to pull her away with him.  Dawn pulled back and gasped, "NO!".  A confused Spike looked back at Dawn.  "What do you mean, No?!  We've got to get out of here NOW!"   Dawn shook her head.  "No, I can't.  It's already started.  The portals are opening.  I have to go!"  She tried to pull away from Spike to move towards the opening portals.  She intended to throw herself in, to end her life, stop the bleeding, and close the portals.  The realization of what she was doing hit Spike hard, and he grabbed her, lifted her into his arms and held her tightly so she couldn't pull away.  Then he ran.  Without thinking, just ran, as fast as he could back towards where Buffy and the Scooby Gang waited.  He'd almost made it to the top of the steps when the burst of energy knocked him and Dawn to the floor.  The portal had closed, very suddenly, the shock of closure had knocked Spike off his feet.

The scoobies made their way up the tower, to find a bleeding Dawn crying over an unconscious Spike.  When they'd seen the portal close, they'd feared the worst.  Yet here Dawn was, alive, and no hell dimension in sight.  Buffy fell to her knees to hug Dawn.  They held each other, afraid to let go.  Buffy finally decided it was best if they all got out of there.  The tired fighters headed back towards the magic shop, Buffy and Giles carrying the unconscious vampire.  They stopped by the cemetery to lay Spike in his crypt.  Dawn started shaking and crying again.  "We can't just leave him here!  He saved my life!  And he's hurt!"  Buffy looked her sister in the eyes and said much more confidently than she felt, "He'll be fine.  Vampires heal fast.  He'll. be. fine.  But it's almost daylight. We can't safely take him any farther. I'll come back and check on him later, ok?".  Buffy held her sister close.  "I…I guess so.", Dawn managed to choke out between her sobs.  Buffy kept one arm around her sister's shoulders and guided the girl back to the rest of the group and back on towards the shop.  Dawn looked back until Spike's crypt was out of view.

Back at the shop, they collapsed around the table.  Buffy looked at Giles.  "So, what closed the portals?  Dawn is alive.  She was still bleeding when we found her.  The portals closed.  How?!"  Giles, took off his glasses and began wiping them, seeming very nervous.  "I don't know."  Buffy glared at him. "You know what you told us.  Now tell me how the portals closed without… without what you said you would happen!"  She was practically screaming.  Everyone looked at Buffy and at Dawn rather uncomfortably.  Giles had been standing by the table, but now he too sat down hard into a chair.  "I… I think…"  "WHAT?", yelled Buffy.  "YOU THINK WHAT?"  Giles couldn't look at either of the sisters.  "I… may have overlooked something."   "OVERLOOKED SOMETHING?!"  Buffy was practically hysterical. 

Finally, Giles sighed, "The ritual required the blood to spill in a certain spot, as well as at a certain time.  I think that when Spike got Dawn far enough away from the portal… well… at least as far as the location of the lock for the portals was concerned… the blood had stopped flowing."  He finally looked up and saw the anger in Buffy's eyes.  "I'm sorry, Buffy."  "How did Spike know to get me away from the 'lock'?", Dawn asked quietly, confused by the whole exchange between Giles and Buffy.  Giles shook his head, "I don't think he did.  He was just trying to save you… and was lucky".  Buffy stood up.  "Come on Dawn.  We're going home.  We both need to get some rest."  Buffy led her sister out of the shop and headed for home without looking back.