Part 17, by Estepheia
It was not without some apprehension, that Spike moved into Giles's house. His last extended stay there had been …. frustrating. Well, it had been fun, too. Not the bit about being chained up in the bathtub, and definitely not the librarian's choice of television programs, but it had been in this house that he and Buffy had actually planned on getting married. And they had kissed. Okay, so they had both been under a spell at the time, and they had both expressed utter revulsion afterwards, when Willow eventually reversed her wayward spell. So what! The memory was real. Painful but real, and there weren't so many other Buffy-kisses to remember, were there….
He pocketed the bunch of keys he had let himself in with (*Would you believe it, I've got my own set of keys for the house and the shop. I'll join the ranks of the taxpayers next, Heaven forfend!*) and dropped the cardboard box with his few possessions on an unoccupied chair. He had never owned much. A car, a telly and the clothes he was wearing. Dru on the other hand, now she had been different. She had always had dolls and pretty dresses, sometimes live animals (that usually died of neglect), books, her tarot cards and other esoteric objects. He always had to make sure that none of her favourite dolls was left behind, because Drusilla would get quite agitated, if someone of her little porcelain family somehow went missing.
But moving Dru's stuff from place to place was nothing compared to moving Dawn's possessions to her new home. He sighed. He and Dawn (and of course the Scoobies – whenever they had time) had spent hours among boxes and crates, pondering what to keep, what to give away to charity and what to store away for the time being. Certainly not an activity he would have volunteered for, but when Dawn had asked, he hadn't found it in his undead heart to refuse her. He had forgotten how many things the living accumulated in their comparatively short lives. Furniture, household utensils, china, photographs of the whole Summers family, a few trophies, Dawn's posters and magazine clippings, records and CDs, old cuddly toys, books, old tax records, Joyce's jewellery, Buffy's clothes (in some of her things the Slayer's smell still painfully lingered) and of course Buffy's diary (*And wouldn't I just love to read it, except I never would, even if I had the opportunity*). And all these items had memories clinging to them like price tags. Spike hadn't felt so dead in a long long time. And for Dawn it had been a lot worse.
What did it matter, that most of Dawn's memories were artificial? They hurt just as much. Going through the things of her late mother and sister had left her worn out. The witches had decided, that the youngster needed a heavy dose of Miss Kitty Fantastico (*or whatever the name of that cat was*), comedy (*I think they mentioned the Rocky Horror Picture Show*) and calories, namely pizza and ice cream. So, tonight Dawn was staying with Willow and Tara. A good opportunity for Spike to clear out of his old crypt.
What he hadn't felt like keeping he had burned. Some of Harm's old things, too. Magazines, clothes and such. Hadn't made him feel any better, though. Sometimes unlife sucks!
Looking around he realized, that Giles had made an effort to clear some of his books away, making the living room a bit more cosy. *He still needs a bigger telly, though. No doubt about it.* There was even an ashtray on the living room table.
Spike lit a cigarette, turned the television on and then walked over into the kitchen. He still remembered, where Giles kept things. He found the cookie jar straight away. An unopened packet of Weetabix greeted him when he opened the cupboard (*Why, Rupert, I didn't know you cared!*).
Spike had just put the kettle on, when he heard the sound of keys rattling in the lock.
"Good evening, Spike. I trust you have made yourself feel at home?" Giles greeted him.
"Yeah, sort of. Haven't unpacked, though."
"Dawn is with Willow?"
"Seemed like a good idea. She needed cheering up."
The watcher just nodded. There was something strange about him. Spike's danger radar picked up some very unusual vibes. Was it ….. resolve?
"What is it, Rupert? Is this the moment where you deliver your "you-have-no-soul-and-I-will-therefore-never-trust-you"-speech? I thought we had all that covered." Spike threw himself on the sofa and stubbed out his cigarette. In the ashtray. *See, watcher, I'm making an effort, too. Come on, be impressed!*
Giles remained standing, one hand in the pocket of his jacket. He frowned. "I'll be honest with you, Spike. Well, yes, you're right. I don't trust you. I never did and I never will. Everything I ever learnt about vampires tells me to put a stake through your heart once and for all. I should dust you right here. Take advantage of that chip." Involuntarily Spike backed off a bit. He didn't like the sound of that.
"And no one would ever know." Giles continued, with just a hint of malice. "A bit of hoovering and Dawn wouldn't find a speck of dust. I could tell her that you changed your mind, that you finally realized what you had gotten yourself into. That you took off to find yourself something more exhilarating to do than helping a fourteen-year-old do her homework. What do you think, Spike, would she believe me?"
*Bloody hell, he's trying to intimidate me. And what's worse, he is actually succeeding.* He felt his demon nature stirring and had to consciously keep his vamp face from emerging. He tried a shrug. *How on bloody earth am I supposed to make him trust me?* "Yeah, she might. Except that I wouldn't – leave like that, I mean." Spike answered. *He gave me the keys to his house and now he talks about staking me. What made him change his mind? Unless…. Well perhaps giving me the keys was a clever ruse, to deceive Dawn? Oh bugger!*
"I wonder, if I stake you now, will that chip turn to dust, too?" Giles actually managed to sound, as if he was pondering a particularly interesting scientific phenomenon. This wasn't playful banter. With Buffy Spike had always been reasonably sure that she wouldn't put that pointy wooden thing into his undead heart, as long as he was unable to defend himself properly. Okay, that tiny little bit of uncertainty had added a bit of spice to their encounters. For all his civilized manner and his seeming harmlessness Giles had a ruthless streak. He was resourceful and resilient (*Hell, Mr. Bookworm survived being tortured by Angelus! If I were him I probably wouldn't trust another vampire, either. Not. Ever. Oh boy!*). The Vampire raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Hey, don't get carried away! This IS purely academical interest, right? I mean you're not going to stake your good old comrade-in-arms, Spike, are you?" He got up from the sofa. He wondered whether the watcher had locked the door, when he had come in. Giles still had one hand in the pocket of his jacket. Clutching a stake?
"Oh, I admit, that you have been a valuable ally for quite some time now," the librarian answered, taking a step towards the vampire. "And even though I find your sense of humour a bit ….puerile, I perceive that you have improved – or should I say evolved – considerably. While I personally believe that the chip is to blame – or rather thank – for this, it is quite possible that I am mistaken and that you are indeed different by choice and not just by force. But...." The word was hanging between them. Like bait.
"But?" Spike said softly, raising his scarred eyebrow. Involuntarily he took a deep breath, as if bracing for some kind of impact. One of the tell-tale signs that gave away that even vampires were not entirely immune to fear.
"But I'd rather be safe than sorry." The Librarian said firmly. "If that chip ever were to come out or malfunction, I believe you would try to kill us all, even Dawn. And I can't let that happen."
Suddenly there was a shrill whistle. The kettle was boiling.
Part 18, by Marguerite
"Tea?", Spike shook his head no at the watcher's question. Giles smiled mischievously, as he poured the water into his favorite cup. He knew he had the control now, he just had to decide what to do with it. Spike had no choice but to stay and listen or leave and never come back. Anything that the vampire did from this point forward would be either a futile attempt to gain trust or admission of his evil nature giving up his rights to Dawn. *Yes, I've got him right where I need him - scared *
Spike kept his panic hidden, but the watcher knew… he could see right through him. Spike needed time to think. The game had just changed mid-play, and he needed a new strategy. Anything he said or did could make him lose everything - not just his unlife, but Dawn and the promise he made to Buffy. He couldn't fail her a second time. The best he could do was be patient. There is only one other time he's ever succeed in the waiting game and that was when he remained in the wheelchair even though he could walk. Waiting for his moment, waiting for the perfect plan, watching Angelus seduce his Dru, Listening to the insults in silence - it was torture. But in the end his patience got him what he wanted, even though what he wanted didn't want him any more, but the plan still worked.
All he needed was patience. If he could manage to not get staked tonight, he would come up with a plan, only he didn't have Buffy to help his this time. He sat on the couch in silence avoiding the watcher, who, from the kitchen, sipped his tea and stared at the vampire with hate in his eyes.
The two remained like that for hours. An intense psychological chess game, both deep in thought planning their next move. Finally, the silence was broken by a loud ringing of the phone. Spike jumped at the sound, leaping off the couch. Giles smirked at the obviously nervousness of his house guest.
Spike reached for the hands free button - he needed to play everything open for the next few days.
"Hello?"
"Spike?"
"Yes. Willow? Is anything wrong? Is Dawn ok?" Spike's back stiffened with fear at the thought something might have happened.
"Um… yes.. Um.. Dawn's ok. Just a little shaken up, you know? She had a dream… it was Buffy… it's hard to explain … Spike, we need you over here now. If Giles is there then I might need him too, but there are a few books he'll need to pick up from the Magic box first. Just come quick…"
Without looking back at the Watcher, Spike rushed off to the Witches apartment, leaving Giles to get more instructions from Willow.
Part 19, by Snakes
By the time Spike got to Willow's, he could barely even think. Giles had already put him terribly on edge, and the sense of urgency in the witch's voice over the phone had sent him fully over the edge into panic. He wasn't even trying to hide it when Willow opened the door. "Where's Dawn?! What happened?! Where is she?!" It all came out in a jumble.
Willow stopped him and whispered anxiously to him, "Spike, you need to calm down. Dawn's going to need you to be calm or you're just going to get her more worked up than she already is." Spike wanted just to push past Willow and run inside to find Dawn, but Willow and Tara had only recently moved out of the dorms and into this apartment, and this was Spike's first time visiting. So he had to wait for the invite. Spike forced himself to outwardly appear calmer, but on the inside, he was still in a frenzy. "Willow, tell me what's going on. You said it was just a dream, but then why the stuff from the magic shop?"
"I'll explain when Giles gets here. Right now, you need to go to Dawn. She isn't responding to anything Tara or I have tried to do to calm her down. Come in." Spike nodded, and Willow led him into the bedroom where Dawn was sitting on the floor, shaking and crying. "I'll be out in the living room if you need anything", Willow said as she left the room. Spike knelt down beside the frightened girl. He really had no idea what he was supposed to do to help, especially since the witches had already tried unsuccessfully. But as her guardian, he guessed he was just going to have to figure out stuff like this.
"Hey Nibblet", he said. She didn't even respond. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair. "It's ok, Dawn. Whatever it is, it's going to be ok. I really don't know what to do, but I'm here." He noticed that she stopped shaking although she was still crying quietly. "Can you tell me what's got you so frightened?" She tried to speak, but was too choked up. "It's alright, Little Bit. Give yourself time to calm down." He felt like he was saying all the wrong things, but her tears did seem to be subsiding, so he just waited it out. Finally, she seemed to relax a bit, enough to start talking.
"I had a dream about Buffy. At least I'd thought it was a dream. But apparently I was talking out loud about magic spells and stuff, ingredients I would never have heard of, words I wouldn't even know. Willow and Tara heard me. They think it was really Buffy talking to me. And the magic stuff, they think it has something to do with a way to bring Buffy back." She shuddered. "But I remember when I tried to bring Mom back. It wasn't right. She wouldn't have been right. Willow and Tara want to find the spell that I was talking about and do it. But what if it does bring Buffy back, but it brings her back... wrong somehow?"
Spike remembered that all too well. His heart had been in the right place when he'd tried to help her bring her mother back, but it had been the wrong thing to do. "Willow and Tara have a lot more experience with magic than you or I did, Nibblet. I'm sure even if they find the spell, they won't do it if they aren't sure it will be right."
Dawn shuddered again. "They've done plenty of spells that haven't gone as planned. I'm not so sure they wouldn't risk it to try to bring Buffy back. They miss her almost as much as we do." Dawn looked up at Spike. "What should I do? I want Buffy back, but I don't want a zombie Buffy. I'm not sure I could bring myself to talk them out of trying though."
"I don't know that I could either", Spike told her. "I want Buffy back too. But you're right, not a zombie Buffy. Let's wait and see what they find out. Maybe then we'll have a better idea what to do."
Dawn thought for a minute and nodded. "We'll wait. Maybe they won't even find anything."
She was quiet for a while, and then spoke very quietly. "Spike. There's something else that has me frightened too. There was other stuff in the dream, stuff that either I didn't say out loud, or at least they didn't notice. They were so focused on the magic. But if the magic spell part of the dream wasn't a dream, was really Buffy, then the other part's probably real too. Buffy told me to watch out for you."
"She wants you to be afraid of me again?" Spike was confused. That didn't make sense.
"No, not watch out for you that way. She meant, like, that something might happen to you. Something might hurt you. And she wants me to keep an eye out for whatever it is."
Spike had a pretty good idea what that something, or someone, was. He couldn't very well tell Dawn that though. So he just said, "Well, now I have fair warning to watch my back. If you see Buffy again, thank her for me."
They headed back into the living room, and found the witches and Giles among some big piles of books. Willow heard Spike and Dawn enter the room and looked up at them. "I think we found the spell."