Title: Sweet Ecstasy

Author: Christine

E-mail: Xanderette43@hotmail.com

Couple: Spike/Dawn

Rating: R

Disclaimer: Joss owns Spike and Dawn, I'm just using them....wow that came out really wrong, lol.

Distribution: All the S/Dw sites, anyone else, just ask. Spoilers: After Once More, With Feeling.

******

She dropped her shoulder bag on the floor and sighed as she kicked her shoes off. Dawn flipped her light switch on and opened her dresser drawer, taking out her jewelry box. Quietly she opened it, revealing the stolen items she had been acquiring over the past year. Smiling to herself, she stuck her hand in her skirt pocket and produced a thin gold necklace with a small, simple diamond in the middle. Dawn placed it in the box and as she went to shut it a hand grabbed the top and forced it open. She jumped and looked up sharply and saw Spike standing beside her with an eyebrow raised.

She crossed her arms and glared at him. "What do you want?"

He looked at her and motioned to the jewelry and lipstick. "What's all this?"

"Its none of your business, and why are you even in my room, I don't remember inviting you in."

He laughed. "Luv, you don't have to invite me into your room, I can come and go as I please."

She crossed her arms and gave him a look. "I meant as a common courtesy."

"Oh. Well, sorry Lil' Bit, but I just was passing by and saw you reveling at that pretty little necklace that I knew you couldn't have bought, its too expensive."

"Who says I had to buy it?"

Spike looked at her suspiciously. "So how'd you get then eh?"

"I stole it."

Spike looked visibly surprised. "Now why would you do a thing like that Nibblin?"

Dawn rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Maybe cause I felt like it. You know why does anyone care what I do? I mean they all expect me to be 'Buffy's perfect little sister' but you know what? I'm not. I'm not even her sister, and I'm certainly not younger then her. I'm older then you for God's sake!" She threw the necklace on the dresser and turned to leave the room. Spike reached out and grabbed her arm holding her in place.

"What do you mean about being older then me luv?"

"You didn't hear the General Sargent guy saying I was thousands of years old? Glory told me too, she said I was almost as old as forever."

"Really huh?"

She gave him another look and shrugged his grip off her arm. "Yeah, I'm old, but everyone treats me like I'm a frigging toddler."

He wagged his finger at her. "Now now Luv, no use in cursing."

She let out an exasperated sigh. " *That* is what I'm talking about!!! I can curse if I want to, I'm like 300,000 years old! I'm not a child, and a lecture coming from *you* is hysterical because every other word out of your mouth is a curse!"

"Hey, that's not bloody true!"

Dawn ran out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen where she grabbed her coat and opened up the back door. Spike called after her but she just didn't care and walked out into the night.

***

Spike was only footsteps behind her when she couldn't take it any longer and turned around.

"I'm not deaf you know, I could hear you walking behind me for the last six blocks." She turned around again and continued walking.

He sped his pace up and caught up with her. "Nibblet, please do me a favor and don't act like Buffy, being bitchy is her forte not yours."

She gave him the evil eye and balled her fists. "I. Am. Not. Acting. Like. Buffy. Why is it that I can't get angry? That I have to be happy all the time?" She shook her head and looked up at him. "I can't do it anymore, Spike I can't. As much as I hate to admit it, things were getting better before -" She hesitated.

" - Before Buffy came back." Spike finished as he jammed his hands into the pockets of his leather duster.

She nodded slowly. "Yeah. I just can't take the comparisons anymore. I'm not Buffy, I can never be Buffy, yet everyone expects me to act like her and be all heroic and crap. And you know what? I don't want to be." She looked down at the ground. "I haven't told anyone this, but I can do stuff."

Spike's face clouded with confusion. "Define 'stuff' Luv, cause you got me all bloody confused."

Dawn looked up at him again and this time her normally clear blue eyes went completely black. His eyes widened, and he groaned as she picked him up by his jacket collar and threw him across the street on to the grass.

"Bloody hell!"

"See? I told you." She walked across the street and pulled him to his feet.

"Shit, Luv you're frigging stronger then Buffy!" He went to punch her and she caught his fist in mid air, squeezing it with her hand.

"Ow! Let go Nibblin, I'm not going to hurt you."

She let go and he rubbed his bruised hand. "That's one hell of a grip you got there."

She let a small laugh escape her lips. "Damn right." She pointed in the direction of downtown. "So you wanna go steal some stuff?"

Spike didn't even hesitate. "Now how could I say no to a thing like that?"