Blood Drenched
"Effulgent isn't a real word," Dawn complained when Spike stole her gentle.
"'Course it is Dawnie," Spike replied. "Look it up if you don't believe me."
"Don't think I won't," Dawn threatened. "And if it's not in the dictionary you loose your turn, I don't care if it would have been in there a century ago."
As Dawn reached for the dictionary the Summers' large picture window shattered, spraying the room with shards of glass. Spike jumped to his feet, overturning the coffee table and sending the anagram tiles to join the glass on the floor. He hauled Dawn up and gave her a shove toward the stairs as two demons invaded the room. A third appeared at the head of the stairs cutting off their retreat.
Dawn broke for the kitchen only to be grabbed by one of the demons. Laughing hideously it slung the terrified girl over its shoulder and turned to leave.
Spike froze for a moment then, for the first time in months, for the first time since being cursed, his features changed. The handsome human seeming gave way to the demon beneath.
Spike tossed the demon from the stairs into the one that had Dawn. Then he pulled Dawn from the tangle and pushed her behind him protectively. Snatching up a floor lamp as a weapon he twirled it like a quarterstaff. Spike bashed in one demon's head with the weighted base then jabbed the pointed cap into the eye of a second.
The last demon caught the pole before Spike could turn it one him and tore it from the vampire's grasp. As the lamp went flying into the wall knocking several pictures down, Spike kicked the demon in the gut. When it doubled over he grabbed it's head and twisted sharply, breaking it's neck.
The second demon, blood pouring down its face from its ruined eye socket tackled Spike.
Together they rolled across the floor, clawing and biting at each other. Working on instinct Spike's fangs found the other demon's jugular and tore it out. As its blood gushed over Spike the demon died.
"You alright, Nibblet?" Spike asked. Dawn nodded then Spike turned to look over the carnage he'd created.
Spike swallowed sharply at the sight of the first demon's brains running out of its cracked skull and hurriedly covered his mouth only to realize his hands were slick with blood.
Moving inhumanly fast Spike ran into the kitchen.
"Spike, are you hurt?" Dawn asked worriedly, rushing after him.
She found him leaning over the sink, clutching the rim with shaking hands as he vomited.
"Spike?" Dawn asked her voice wavering.
Spike collapsed to his knees, leaning his head against the cabinet, his whole body beginning to shake.
Dawn quickly dialed Buffy's pager number then, holding the phone in her lap she crouched on the floor beside Spike.
A few minutes later the phone rang. Dawn answered it before the first tone was finished. "Buffy?" she cried.
"I'm on my way Dawnie," Buffy said. "Ten minutes, okay?"
"Demons attacked the house," Dawn babbled. "Spike killed them, he saved me, but now there's something wrong with him."
"Just hang on, I'm coming," Buffy promised hanging up.
