Chapter 2: Dawn's Mission
Dawn mentally calculated how long it would take her to run over to Spike's crypt. She figured she could make it there in about ten minutes. It would take about two seconds to convince Spike to pay a visit on her sister, and another fifteen minutes to run to Madison's and call Buffy.
She dashed down the familiar streets of her neighborhood and ran through a worn path through a park that was a shortcut to the cemetery Spike lived in. Twenty five minutes to call? Would Buffy buy it? The walk was only about five minutes from her house. But then, Dawn could always say she got caught up in conversation with her friends. Six fifteen year old girls in the same room. It was bound to happen. In fact, Buffy would probably expect her to call late, because after all, it's Dawn. The thought cheered her up a little.
She ran through the small patch of woods and saw the outskirts of the familiar cemetery. She could have run this path blindfolded. Buffy had no idea how much time she spent at Spike's crypt during the summer. Somehow, she thought that Buffy wouldn't take the news very well.
The entrance to the crypt was just in view. The sun was making it's final decent across the horizon, casting long shadows over the gloomy graveyard. She would have shivered, if she weren't so at home here.
"Spike!" she called out, banging on the door. She leaned against the frame, coughing and trying to catch her breath. "Spike!" she called again.
She heard muted footsteps running quickly for the door. The door opened faster than Dawn expected, and she was thrown off balance.
"Dawn!" Spike caught her in his arms and quickly ushered her inside. "What's happened? Are you hurt?" he visually inspected her, checking for any sign of injury.
"I'm - I'm fine." Dawn gasped. "Just running. Fast. Here. Guess I should give up smoking, huh?" she laughed.
Spike straightened and ran a hand through his hair. "Don't ever. EVER panic me like that again. Nearly started my heart." He muttered. "Why are you here?" he asked, hoping he came across as annoyed, but knowing the younger Summers would hear only concern.
"I'm going to a slumber party." Dawn began.
Spike laughed. "What? Going to tell ghost stories with your little girlfriends? Tying to scare each other by candlelight? Want me to be your personal boogey man, is that it?" he asked. Actually, the thought was rather intriguing. Scaring a group of fifteen year old girls clad in nothing but their nighties? He could think of worse things to be doing on a Friday night. Scaring Dawn's friends. Dawn would be there. The thought ended quickly.
"No. I'm going to be gone all night, and so is Willow. Buffy's not feeling well."
"Oh? Did somebody give her nibs a taste of her own bloody medicine?" Spike sniped.
"She said Xander kicked her in the head a few times when they were training, but I don't believe her. She's never had a headache, and Xander hurt her? I mean, come on, please. That's like saying Superman was beat up by Jimmy Olsen."
"Headache?" Spike repeated. He had been prepared to continue his rant on the slayer until he saw the haunted look in Dawn's eyes. A look he knew far too well. Dawn nodded.
"I'm just worried about her being all alone tonight. I mean, she never gets headaches, and this is how mom started and it scares me." Dawn finished in one breath.
"Dawn," Spike said seriously. "What happened to your mum was a one in a million chance. Buffy just has a headache. That's all, pet. I'll go check on her, if you want me to."
"Why did she lie?" she asked.
"Probably because she doesn't want you to worry. That's all, love. Now, I'll walk you to your party and then I'll pay a visit on your sister."
"Thanks, Spike. I knew I could count on you." Dawn leaned over and gave Spike a quick kiss on the cheek. "Sun's just about down. Let's go."
Spike grabbed his duster from the chair in the living room and set off after Dawn. He had been avoiding Buffy as much as possible these days. It had been over two weeks since they had literally rocked the house down. He had been steering clear of the slayer since then, her words from their last conversation echoing in his mind. If she thought for one second that he was going to crawl after her like some sort of big girl's blouse, she could bloody well take that thought and shove it straight up her-
"Haven't seen you much lately," Dawn commented as they walked down the quiet streets of Sunnydale. Rivello Drive was two blocks up. They turned left at the next street.
"Yeah, been busy. I figured you guys would want to do a little woman estrogen bonding thing. How's the arm?" Spike looked down at the purple plaster encasing her left arm. He reached into his coat and pulled out a cigarette.
"Doesn't really hurt anymore, and there has been no estrogen bonding. I haven't spoken to Willow since that night."
"You know that Willow was out of control, right?" Spike stopped walking and turned to face her. "What's important is that her friends stick by her. Addiction is not a pretty thing, and it's scary to face it alone."
"I know, but it doesn't mean I'm not angry. I mean, no one forced her to do magic, right? She learned and she got better and stronger - she did this to herself. Why should I feel sorry for her?" Dawn's voice took on a sharp tone.
"Because she didn't know the danger of getting in over her head. Or maybe she knew but thought she could handle it. Point is, you can't abandon her. She could get worse and the next time she goes on a happy trip, someone could get killed."
"You sound like you're speaking from experience." Dawn commented, her voice calming down a bit.
"Believe me, these aren't experiences I would care to repeat." Spike said darkly.
Dawn averted her gaze and stared down the street. "I'll think about it." She said.
The smile that Spike felt form itself on his face took him by surprise. He felt good, he thought with mild astonishment. He was helping his friend, and he felt good about it. He inhaled another puff on the cigarette.
They walked in silence until they reached the front door of her friend's house.
"Okay, then, have fun, bit." Spike smiled and waved Dawn off.
"I gotta call Buffy and let her know I'm here. Remember, I disavow any knowledge of your actions tonight. Buffy would kill me if she knew I got you to check up on her." Dawn called from the door as Spike headed down the driveway. The front door opened and three teenage girls whisked Dawn inside.
"Bloody bugger," Spike hissed, tossing away his cigarette. He was perfectly happy continuing to pretend to ignore Buffy just as much as she was pretending to ignore him. If he had been the one all head achy, he doubted very much Buffy would come running to his side. She hadn't before. He muttered an oath and swaggered off down the street.
Dawn mentally calculated how long it would take her to run over to Spike's crypt. She figured she could make it there in about ten minutes. It would take about two seconds to convince Spike to pay a visit on her sister, and another fifteen minutes to run to Madison's and call Buffy.
She dashed down the familiar streets of her neighborhood and ran through a worn path through a park that was a shortcut to the cemetery Spike lived in. Twenty five minutes to call? Would Buffy buy it? The walk was only about five minutes from her house. But then, Dawn could always say she got caught up in conversation with her friends. Six fifteen year old girls in the same room. It was bound to happen. In fact, Buffy would probably expect her to call late, because after all, it's Dawn. The thought cheered her up a little.
She ran through the small patch of woods and saw the outskirts of the familiar cemetery. She could have run this path blindfolded. Buffy had no idea how much time she spent at Spike's crypt during the summer. Somehow, she thought that Buffy wouldn't take the news very well.
The entrance to the crypt was just in view. The sun was making it's final decent across the horizon, casting long shadows over the gloomy graveyard. She would have shivered, if she weren't so at home here.
"Spike!" she called out, banging on the door. She leaned against the frame, coughing and trying to catch her breath. "Spike!" she called again.
She heard muted footsteps running quickly for the door. The door opened faster than Dawn expected, and she was thrown off balance.
"Dawn!" Spike caught her in his arms and quickly ushered her inside. "What's happened? Are you hurt?" he visually inspected her, checking for any sign of injury.
"I'm - I'm fine." Dawn gasped. "Just running. Fast. Here. Guess I should give up smoking, huh?" she laughed.
Spike straightened and ran a hand through his hair. "Don't ever. EVER panic me like that again. Nearly started my heart." He muttered. "Why are you here?" he asked, hoping he came across as annoyed, but knowing the younger Summers would hear only concern.
"I'm going to a slumber party." Dawn began.
Spike laughed. "What? Going to tell ghost stories with your little girlfriends? Tying to scare each other by candlelight? Want me to be your personal boogey man, is that it?" he asked. Actually, the thought was rather intriguing. Scaring a group of fifteen year old girls clad in nothing but their nighties? He could think of worse things to be doing on a Friday night. Scaring Dawn's friends. Dawn would be there. The thought ended quickly.
"No. I'm going to be gone all night, and so is Willow. Buffy's not feeling well."
"Oh? Did somebody give her nibs a taste of her own bloody medicine?" Spike sniped.
"She said Xander kicked her in the head a few times when they were training, but I don't believe her. She's never had a headache, and Xander hurt her? I mean, come on, please. That's like saying Superman was beat up by Jimmy Olsen."
"Headache?" Spike repeated. He had been prepared to continue his rant on the slayer until he saw the haunted look in Dawn's eyes. A look he knew far too well. Dawn nodded.
"I'm just worried about her being all alone tonight. I mean, she never gets headaches, and this is how mom started and it scares me." Dawn finished in one breath.
"Dawn," Spike said seriously. "What happened to your mum was a one in a million chance. Buffy just has a headache. That's all, pet. I'll go check on her, if you want me to."
"Why did she lie?" she asked.
"Probably because she doesn't want you to worry. That's all, love. Now, I'll walk you to your party and then I'll pay a visit on your sister."
"Thanks, Spike. I knew I could count on you." Dawn leaned over and gave Spike a quick kiss on the cheek. "Sun's just about down. Let's go."
Spike grabbed his duster from the chair in the living room and set off after Dawn. He had been avoiding Buffy as much as possible these days. It had been over two weeks since they had literally rocked the house down. He had been steering clear of the slayer since then, her words from their last conversation echoing in his mind. If she thought for one second that he was going to crawl after her like some sort of big girl's blouse, she could bloody well take that thought and shove it straight up her-
"Haven't seen you much lately," Dawn commented as they walked down the quiet streets of Sunnydale. Rivello Drive was two blocks up. They turned left at the next street.
"Yeah, been busy. I figured you guys would want to do a little woman estrogen bonding thing. How's the arm?" Spike looked down at the purple plaster encasing her left arm. He reached into his coat and pulled out a cigarette.
"Doesn't really hurt anymore, and there has been no estrogen bonding. I haven't spoken to Willow since that night."
"You know that Willow was out of control, right?" Spike stopped walking and turned to face her. "What's important is that her friends stick by her. Addiction is not a pretty thing, and it's scary to face it alone."
"I know, but it doesn't mean I'm not angry. I mean, no one forced her to do magic, right? She learned and she got better and stronger - she did this to herself. Why should I feel sorry for her?" Dawn's voice took on a sharp tone.
"Because she didn't know the danger of getting in over her head. Or maybe she knew but thought she could handle it. Point is, you can't abandon her. She could get worse and the next time she goes on a happy trip, someone could get killed."
"You sound like you're speaking from experience." Dawn commented, her voice calming down a bit.
"Believe me, these aren't experiences I would care to repeat." Spike said darkly.
Dawn averted her gaze and stared down the street. "I'll think about it." She said.
The smile that Spike felt form itself on his face took him by surprise. He felt good, he thought with mild astonishment. He was helping his friend, and he felt good about it. He inhaled another puff on the cigarette.
They walked in silence until they reached the front door of her friend's house.
"Okay, then, have fun, bit." Spike smiled and waved Dawn off.
"I gotta call Buffy and let her know I'm here. Remember, I disavow any knowledge of your actions tonight. Buffy would kill me if she knew I got you to check up on her." Dawn called from the door as Spike headed down the driveway. The front door opened and three teenage girls whisked Dawn inside.
"Bloody bugger," Spike hissed, tossing away his cigarette. He was perfectly happy continuing to pretend to ignore Buffy just as much as she was pretending to ignore him. If he had been the one all head achy, he doubted very much Buffy would come running to his side. She hadn't before. He muttered an oath and swaggered off down the street.
