How You See Me
Chapter 2

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"Dawn! Where have you been??" Willow exclaimed the minute she walked through the door.

Dawn shrugged.

"It's no biggie, I'm home before sunset aren't I?"

"We've been worried." Willow said, tilting her head to gesture towards a not very worried looking Buffy who was sitting on the couch. "You're supposed to call if you're going somewhere after school."

"I forgot." Dawn lied, "There wasn't a phone where I was anyway." She wandered into the living room and sat beside her sister.

"Buffy..how was your trip?"

Buffy turned to look in her direction, but seemed to stare right through her. She attempted a smile.

"Good..it was a, um, good trip.." She paused, deep in thought; it was almost as though she was searching for the proper type of response, as though she had forgotten how to act. "Um, so where were you that didn't have a phone."

Dawn's eyes grew wide and she looked to Tara and Willow for help.

"Um, well..actually.."

"Dawn?"

"IwasatSpike'scrypt." Dawn mumbled.

"What?"

Willow tried to intervene.

"So Buffy, hungry? It looks to be about the hour of eating."

"Huh? Oh, yeah sure Will..what was that you said Dawn?"

Dawn wrinkled her nose.

"I went to see Spike."

A heavy silence descended on the room as they all watched and waited for Buffy's response. They hadn't mentioned the vampire's name since Buffy'd been back for fear of upsetting her.

She tensed up noticeably at the mention of the name.

Spike. She'd tried to keep him out of her thoughts but he was always there, sitting, waiting in the shadows. That was typical of him. She'd been wondering what happened to him, no one had said anything and she'd found herself feeling sad at the thought that he might have skipped town while she was gone. She would have asked about him if it hadn't been for the fear that her questions may be misinterpreted.

But now, with the mention of his name, she wished he had.

Things were already complicated enough.

"Spike." She breathed, and then mentally shook herself. "How is he?"

Dawn grinned. "Good. Bitter and snappy as usual. He says 'hi'."

"Oh." That was it; he'd sent his greetings through Dawn? Somehow she'd expected more.

Dawn took in her sister's disappointed face and started to embellish a bit. "He just found out you were...y'know..back and all, and um, he was really glad and..well he's busy, but he said he'd stop by soon."

"Oh well, I'm kinda glad he's stayed away..there's reasons why the welcoming wagon never recruits people like him.." Buffy recovered quickly and began to play the indifferent role.

She was indifferent wasn't she? Of course, it was Spike for God's sake. The chipped vampire that'd sometimes helped them out for kicks. Those feelings before..that was just more of her muddled head. Would it ever clear completely?

But then he was also the same Spike that'd let himself get tortured without ever giving Dawn's identity away, and risked his life to save Dawn...and her..and the world.

"Earth to Buffy?"

"Oh sorry.."

----

Buffy mindlessly passed the stake back and forth from one hand to the other. She stepped softly through the cemetery, her senses peaked.

It was amazing how in the slayer sense her mind hadn't been muddled at all, yet when it came to being Buffy random thoughts were floating all over the place in no logical order and unexpected emotions surfaced quickly and then were subdued again just as fast. It was like her own feelings were toying with her, taking her up slightly, and then dropping her down..and down..until she was suffocating in their onslaught.

She heard a twig snap off to her right and snapped her head around to peer into the darkness. A hedge was separating her and whatever creepy crawly was haunting the cemetery this late at night.

She quietly made her way to the edge of the hedge and waited breathlessly, listening. There was no sound.

She decided to make the first move; after all, she would have the element of surprise. She raised her stake and rounded the corner only to have someone jump out from the other side of the hedge.

They froze, their stances identical, wooden stakes raised and ready. Her eyes met his icy blue ones and in a rush she realized who it was.

"Spike." Her arm dropped limply to her side.

"Slayer.." he whispered, arm still raised, body taunt. He stared as if mesmerized.

TBC...