It had gotten dark, finally. Buffy hadn't been able to find Dawn anywhere, but Spike had every intention of looking for the missing Key as soon as he could. First stop was the shop, which was pointless since Dawn knew that'd be the first place they'd all look. She hadn't been at her friend's house or even (yeah right) at the school. She wasn't in the park or at the Bronze. Spike headed back to his crypt, thinking maybe she'd gone there. He had been right. The young girl was sitting outside the crypt, reading a book by the moonlight.
"Nibblet..."
"Hey, Spike." She said, her voise weary and tired, "Come to drag me home?"
"No. I came to talk to you."
"About?"
"Cutting your bullshit and growing up a little."
Dawn looked at him in disbelief, "Excuse me?"
"Look, I know your sister is wrong sometimes, and I agree with you on some points. But if you want her to take you seriously and actually treat you like the adult you claim to be, you need to put yourself in her place for one second and think about somone besides yourself for just a second."
"Whatever, Spike. You know, I thought I could count on you." Dawn got up and went to leave but the vampire was faster, and he had pushed her into the crypt in a split second.
"Whatever? No. We're going to talk. Now. Buffy has a lot to deal with, and so do you. But you're both making it harder on yourselves by adding this crap to the pile."
"She's the one who--"
"Hey. I'm talking, here. You may hate the way she treats you and you may want to do more than she lets you, and that's just fine, but the way you act like she doesn't do a thing for you is bullshit. She died for you. Did you conveniently forget that?"
Dawn turned away, tears welling up in her eyes, "Are you trying to make me feel guilty?"
Spike sighed, "No, of course not. But she is killing herself all over again trying to make things ok for you, and on top of that, her best friend is in trouble. She's missing her Watcher and her mother, and I know you are, too. Buffy never had the chance to have a childhood, but she'll move land to let you have one."
"But I don't want to be normal."
"I'll talk to her about letting you in on some Scooby stuff and if you ask her rationally--after you apologize--Maybe she'll let you go to the Bronze."
"Spike...Earlier you said you could tell me stuff I wanted to know. Did you mean it?"
"Yeah, I meant it. But I won't tell you things you don't have any business knowin'."
"OK."
"Ready to go home?"
"Sure. I guess."
~*~
Buffy looked up from the phone and address book and dropped the phone to the receiver when Dawn and Spike came in. She suddenly forgot how mad she was and pulled her little sister into a Slayer-stregth hug.
"Oh, God, You're ok!" She cried, and Dawn had to wrestle her way out of the vice grip.
"Yeah, thanks to Spike." Dawn said pointedly, then looked down a little, "Uh...Can we talk?"
Buffy nodded, "We have to talk. Big time. Meet you in your room?"
"OK."
Dawn went upstairs and Buffy turned to Spike who was moving for the door, "Spike. Wait."
"Yeah?" He turned back to her.
"How'd you find her?"
"She was hanging around my crypt. I had a good talk with her, too."
Buffy smiled a little and hugged him, on impulse, "Thank you."
He returned the hug, savoring the feeling of her so close, "Anything for you. Even when you send me away."
"I'm sorry..." She whispered, "I just..I slapped her and it was like I froze. I let my fight instinct take over just a little."
"You were pissed."
"That, too."
Spike tilted her chin up, "Don't beat yourself up. Go talk to her, and take hot chocolate with you. She likes it. With marshmallows."
"I see you're rubbing off."
Spike grinned and kissed her neck, "The only person I want to be...rubbing...is you."
Buffy sighed and made a tiny whimpering noise before pushing him away firmly, "No...I have to talk to my sister. Now."
He gave her said puppy eyes but smiled, "I know. I love you, Slayer."
Spike leaned down and kissed her lightly before backing away.
"I know..." Buffy whispered and he disappeared out the door.
"Nibblet..."
"Hey, Spike." She said, her voise weary and tired, "Come to drag me home?"
"No. I came to talk to you."
"About?"
"Cutting your bullshit and growing up a little."
Dawn looked at him in disbelief, "Excuse me?"
"Look, I know your sister is wrong sometimes, and I agree with you on some points. But if you want her to take you seriously and actually treat you like the adult you claim to be, you need to put yourself in her place for one second and think about somone besides yourself for just a second."
"Whatever, Spike. You know, I thought I could count on you." Dawn got up and went to leave but the vampire was faster, and he had pushed her into the crypt in a split second.
"Whatever? No. We're going to talk. Now. Buffy has a lot to deal with, and so do you. But you're both making it harder on yourselves by adding this crap to the pile."
"She's the one who--"
"Hey. I'm talking, here. You may hate the way she treats you and you may want to do more than she lets you, and that's just fine, but the way you act like she doesn't do a thing for you is bullshit. She died for you. Did you conveniently forget that?"
Dawn turned away, tears welling up in her eyes, "Are you trying to make me feel guilty?"
Spike sighed, "No, of course not. But she is killing herself all over again trying to make things ok for you, and on top of that, her best friend is in trouble. She's missing her Watcher and her mother, and I know you are, too. Buffy never had the chance to have a childhood, but she'll move land to let you have one."
"But I don't want to be normal."
"I'll talk to her about letting you in on some Scooby stuff and if you ask her rationally--after you apologize--Maybe she'll let you go to the Bronze."
"Spike...Earlier you said you could tell me stuff I wanted to know. Did you mean it?"
"Yeah, I meant it. But I won't tell you things you don't have any business knowin'."
"OK."
"Ready to go home?"
"Sure. I guess."
~*~
Buffy looked up from the phone and address book and dropped the phone to the receiver when Dawn and Spike came in. She suddenly forgot how mad she was and pulled her little sister into a Slayer-stregth hug.
"Oh, God, You're ok!" She cried, and Dawn had to wrestle her way out of the vice grip.
"Yeah, thanks to Spike." Dawn said pointedly, then looked down a little, "Uh...Can we talk?"
Buffy nodded, "We have to talk. Big time. Meet you in your room?"
"OK."
Dawn went upstairs and Buffy turned to Spike who was moving for the door, "Spike. Wait."
"Yeah?" He turned back to her.
"How'd you find her?"
"She was hanging around my crypt. I had a good talk with her, too."
Buffy smiled a little and hugged him, on impulse, "Thank you."
He returned the hug, savoring the feeling of her so close, "Anything for you. Even when you send me away."
"I'm sorry..." She whispered, "I just..I slapped her and it was like I froze. I let my fight instinct take over just a little."
"You were pissed."
"That, too."
Spike tilted her chin up, "Don't beat yourself up. Go talk to her, and take hot chocolate with you. She likes it. With marshmallows."
"I see you're rubbing off."
Spike grinned and kissed her neck, "The only person I want to be...rubbing...is you."
Buffy sighed and made a tiny whimpering noise before pushing him away firmly, "No...I have to talk to my sister. Now."
He gave her said puppy eyes but smiled, "I know. I love you, Slayer."
Spike leaned down and kissed her lightly before backing away.
"I know..." Buffy whispered and he disappeared out the door.
