Spike stood, "Slayer, don't get mad yet."
Buffy glared at him, "She skips school and you're hanging out with her in the kitchen, and now you're telling me not ot get MAD?"
"Yeah. I am." He said firmly. "There are things that you two need to talk about." Spike looked at Dawn, "Now."
"Talk, then." Buffy said, crossing her arms over her chest and watching Dawn carefully.
"I want you to stop treating me like an idiot." Dawn said calmly.
"Oh, Dawn, I don't treat you like an idiot." Buffy said impatiently, "I treat you like a fifteen year old."
"So let me just make sure I understand." Dawn snapped, "Treating me my age means never letting me go anywhere, sticking me with a babysitter, acting like I can't handle...things, and sending me out of the room if something remotely bad happens? Am I right?"
"No. You're being dramatic."
"Slayer, give her some slack--"
"Spike, shut up." Buffy snapped at him, then looked to her sister, "I don't treat you like an idiot or a child. I just want you to be normal."
"I'm centuries older than your vampire boyfriend." Dawn hissed, "I'm not normal."
Buffy ignored the boy friend comment and rolled her eyes, "Dawn, do we have to go over this? Again?"
"Yes, we do! Not just that, you don't let me help with the Scooby stuff, you won't let me go to the Bronze--"
"You're too young for the Bronze!"
"You were my age when we moved here and you went to the Bronze every night! God Buffy, another year from now I should be having sex with my undead boyfriend."
Spike's eyes widened at the younger Summers woman and he turned to Buffy. The Slayer's eyes had gone cold, "Go to your room. Now."
"No." Dawn said with a voice of steel, "You have no right to treat me like some criminal just because I spoke my mind. You act like everything I do is so horrible. Skipping school. Hanging out with the 'wrong people'. But I could be doing so much wrose and you know it. Let's just recap, big sister. You sent your first boyfriend to hell. You ran away. Your second boyfriend was a government army guy who turned out to be a total disappointment, you're best friend is a witch who just can't quit, and now here we are in the present. YOU have a perfectly good, though slightly fangy, guy standing right in front of you and half the time you treat him like crap. Compared to you, I'm an angel."
Buffy didn't know what she was doing until after she had slapped the other girl across the face. Dawn backed away, her eyes not registering pain or even tears. She just gave Buffy a glare of hate before grabbing her things and running from the house.
Spike watched as the Slayer stumbled to the table and fell into a chair, head in her hands. He had no clue what to do. When Dru lost it, she coaxed her down with presents and kisses. When a Slayer lost it, what did you do?
"Erm...Buffy?"
"Spike, just leave me alone for a while." She whispered, and he heard the tears in her voice.
"Slayer, please don't do that."
"Spike. Go."
He sighed and backed out of the kitchen. It was sunny and clear out. And he wasn't in the mood for suicide.
Buffy glared at him, "She skips school and you're hanging out with her in the kitchen, and now you're telling me not ot get MAD?"
"Yeah. I am." He said firmly. "There are things that you two need to talk about." Spike looked at Dawn, "Now."
"Talk, then." Buffy said, crossing her arms over her chest and watching Dawn carefully.
"I want you to stop treating me like an idiot." Dawn said calmly.
"Oh, Dawn, I don't treat you like an idiot." Buffy said impatiently, "I treat you like a fifteen year old."
"So let me just make sure I understand." Dawn snapped, "Treating me my age means never letting me go anywhere, sticking me with a babysitter, acting like I can't handle...things, and sending me out of the room if something remotely bad happens? Am I right?"
"No. You're being dramatic."
"Slayer, give her some slack--"
"Spike, shut up." Buffy snapped at him, then looked to her sister, "I don't treat you like an idiot or a child. I just want you to be normal."
"I'm centuries older than your vampire boyfriend." Dawn hissed, "I'm not normal."
Buffy ignored the boy friend comment and rolled her eyes, "Dawn, do we have to go over this? Again?"
"Yes, we do! Not just that, you don't let me help with the Scooby stuff, you won't let me go to the Bronze--"
"You're too young for the Bronze!"
"You were my age when we moved here and you went to the Bronze every night! God Buffy, another year from now I should be having sex with my undead boyfriend."
Spike's eyes widened at the younger Summers woman and he turned to Buffy. The Slayer's eyes had gone cold, "Go to your room. Now."
"No." Dawn said with a voice of steel, "You have no right to treat me like some criminal just because I spoke my mind. You act like everything I do is so horrible. Skipping school. Hanging out with the 'wrong people'. But I could be doing so much wrose and you know it. Let's just recap, big sister. You sent your first boyfriend to hell. You ran away. Your second boyfriend was a government army guy who turned out to be a total disappointment, you're best friend is a witch who just can't quit, and now here we are in the present. YOU have a perfectly good, though slightly fangy, guy standing right in front of you and half the time you treat him like crap. Compared to you, I'm an angel."
Buffy didn't know what she was doing until after she had slapped the other girl across the face. Dawn backed away, her eyes not registering pain or even tears. She just gave Buffy a glare of hate before grabbing her things and running from the house.
Spike watched as the Slayer stumbled to the table and fell into a chair, head in her hands. He had no clue what to do. When Dru lost it, she coaxed her down with presents and kisses. When a Slayer lost it, what did you do?
"Erm...Buffy?"
"Spike, just leave me alone for a while." She whispered, and he heard the tears in her voice.
"Slayer, please don't do that."
"Spike. Go."
He sighed and backed out of the kitchen. It was sunny and clear out. And he wasn't in the mood for suicide.
