Title: Hyperventilate
Author: Joy
Email: HREF="mailto:SleepingBeauty2@ziplip.com"SleepingBeauty2@ziplip.com
"Buffy… Wait up…" Xander called after the blonde girl quickly fleeing her house.
"Xander I'm not in the mood to chat," she barked.
"I can see that… Why not head to the Magic Box and work off some of that aggression?"
"As long as you don't try to talk me into talking to that guy."
"Fine…"
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Spike, Lorn, and Dawn sat around looking at each other for a moment or two after Buffy stormed off. "Lorn, can I have a minute with Dawn?"
"Sure… I'll call Cordy and see how my favorite bite size human is after his awful night." Lorn left the room to allow Spike and Dawn to talk.
"Alright Bit, here's the deal. You can either wait until Buffy comes around or you can find out what Lorn saw. What ever he tells you will be between you and him… I won't have any part of it," Spike stated clearly.
"Let me think it over," Dawn said and headed up to her room.
Willow saw her upstairs and ventured a conversation, "How'd it go Dawn?"
Dawn took a deep breath and decided it was time to let Will off the hook. "Buffy went psycho sister and fled. I have to decide whether or not to hear the deal without Buffy's approval and…" she got this look on her face of peace. "Maybe you should go downstairs and get some direction yourself… Can't hurt when you're trying to start over."
"Thanks Dawnie," Willow said all choked up as the teen entered her room.
While Willow and Dawn were talking, Spike took Lorn aside. "What did you see for Buffy? I know you don't normally give the info to others but… she is so lost. Please at least tell me which way to face her."
Lorn looked so sad at Spike; "She's stuck Spike… Her dreams are as much about Dawn as they are about her. Until she chooses to see what is going on, she won't be going anywhere."
"Lorn… Help me…" Spike pleaded.
"Love her…all of her. I know you get pissed with her ebb and flow about you but honestly just stick it out. Be the thing she beats on and yells at. Someday soon, she'll move past the anger and into acceptance… including you and Dawn," Lorn said crossing to the phone.
Willow descended the stairs and saw the green guy on the phone while Spike sort of paced. "You look worried."
"I am… Buffy's… Forget it. You don't need anything added to your plate right now," Spike said running his hand through his hair.
Willow quirked her head at him and then her eyes came into focus like she was seeing him for the first time. "My God… You are her other half now…aren't you?" She breathed rapidly. "You're who she's been going to… I was so wrapped up in fixing her and things, I didn't even think about…" Spike stared dumbfounded at the now crying witch. "I've been so blind."
"Whoa… What's with the water works?" Lorn asked reentering the room. Willow began to sob and sunk down into the sofa. Lorn quickly saw images of Buffy dead, Spike crying, Spike caring for Dawn. Then other images came faster of Buffy and Angel then Angel becoming Angelus. Images of demons and witchcraft and finally of the redhead killing a fawn.
Lorn knelt down in front of Willow and spoke softly; "Spike will never be Angelus. He doesn't have it in him. He's too human now to go back… I promise. I've seen his heart. He lives to love Buffy and Dawn. Nothing will ever change that…" Willow looked straight into the red eyes of this demon and knew he spoke the truth. "Now if you want to get out from under this cloud you have over you, let yourself off the hook for Buffy's life. You brought her back and you suffered for it, but let her be responsible for her life. You can't make her happy."
Willow sunk further down into the couch. "But Spike can…I just want to know when Spike became the one she ran too?" she asked softly.
Lorn decided to field the question, so Spike wouldn't screw it up with arrogance. "She trusted him before she died. And when she came back, he was the only one who understood how it felt to be dead… She ran to him because she's not like you anymore. She's more like him. That doesn't make you a bad best friend… It makes him a better friend and lover."
Willow's eyes stared shocked. Spike scrunched his face up in frustration, hiding his face in his hands. "A better what?" she spat incredulously.
Lorn turned to Spike with trepidation. "I shouldn't have said that, should I?"
"She was with you up to the last sentence, mate," Spike said with a sigh.
The redhead began to hyperventilate as Dawn came down stairs. "Oh My God. What did you do to Willow?"
"Put your head between your legs and breath slowly," Lorn said to Willow before addressing Dawn. "I forgot that sometimes the whole truth isn't good with humans."
"Spike and Buffy…" Willow mumbled from between her legs completely missing the fact that Dawn was even there.
Dawn got a big smile on her face. "Oh good it's out in the open. Will, you can't tell me you're too surprised?" Spike, Willow and Lorn just looked at her like she grew another head. "Oh please. I maybe a teenager but I'm not stupid. She was always over there to see you. Then she was always mad at you for no good reason. And come on… She fought a demon all night, please!"
"Oh God," Willow groaned. "It's been going on since then… you were the reason…"
"Breathe slowly," Lorn said soothingly.
"You breathe slowly. I just found out my best friend has been sleeping with a vampire for weeks and hasn't told me… And Dawn knew and I didn't… Can I have some coffee?" she directed to Dawn.
"It's not exactly like that, pet. I hadn't seen her since the day she became inviso girl."
"Oh god… Then you were having sex… Xander saw you and he didn't know… This just keeps getting worse," Will grumbled.
"Hey now… I'd be a right good boyfriend if she'd stop freaking that you Scoobies would act like this," Spike responded with a pout.
Willow looked up at him and started to giggle, then out right laugh. "You look so funny when you pout. I mean… The Slayer of Slayers and you're all pouty lipped."
Dawn returned with Willow's coffee. "Oh yeah… That's great… But you should have seen him all sly, coaxing Buffy to sleep next to him last night… Buffy apparently can't resist the pouty lips either." Both girls laughed.
Spike actually blushed. "You were asleep! You were supposed to be asleep!"
"Not quite Big Bad. I'm made of slayer blood. I tend to wake up when someone stares at me while I sleep," Dawn informed him. "By the way, I think it is very sweet the fact that you are want to making love to Buffy instead of just shag her."
Now Spike began to hyperventilate.
"I told you before and I'll say it again… I like you," Lorn said to Dawn.
"Slayer is going to stake me for this," Spike muttered as he attempted to breathe slower.
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Buffy pounded on the punching bag with great ferocity, while Xander looked on more and more concerned. "Buff, you want to tell me who you're pretending that bag is right now?"
Buffy grunted as she kicked it hard, "Anyone who tries to take away my sister."
"Okay… But no one is trying to take away your sister," Xander reasoned.
"Oh yes they are. The powers that be keep sending me dreams that Dawn is leaving. That guy shows up and says Dawn is incomplete… She's the only solid thing in my life. Are they just going to keep taking everyone away?"
Xander walked up behind Buffy and hugged her shoulders. "I don't think Dawn is going anywhere… I think you're just getting asked to loosen your grip on her."
Buffy shrugged Xander off harshly. "You're not helping."
"Fine… If you don't want to see it, stay blind." Xander left Buffy punching away at the bag again and headed for the house.
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"It's official… Buffy is not listening to reason," Xander announced reentering the house. Spike was breathing into a paper bag, Dawn and Willow were giggling together, and the green guy was patting Spike's shoulder. "What's up with him?"
Willow got up and walked over to Xander. "Xan… You need to sit down."
"Red please. How much deader do you want me?" Spike groaned at Willow.
"You're the one that said Buffy wasn't telling cause we'd freak. I've known Xander the longest… I'll tell him," Will said confidently. "Now Xander… Hand me your stake and cross."
"What the hell is going on?" Xander asked wildly.
"Oh… You'll be fine," Dawn huffed. "Just hand them over so Spike can stop being a wuss."
"Hey now," Spike fussed. "I am not a wuss… I just know he's going to try to kill me. Can't blame a guy for wanting to protect himself."
"It's okay Spike… I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you. Plus Buffy would kill him if he did," Dawn spoke with authority.
"You really are coming into your own kid," Lorn commented.
"Will someone please tell me why I'm going to kill Spike?" Xander asked angrily.
Willow held his hand supportively and said, "Buffy… Buffy…" She couldn't keep a straight face.
"Oh I'll do it myself…" Spike growled and stood up. "Nope… Promised Buffy… Can't," he said sitting back down.
"Buffy's shagging Spike," Dawn said from the couch. All the room looked back at her in amazement. "What? It's the best description, right?"
Xander was on his feet in a second, "You are what?"
"Look mate… I…" Spike began to speak when Willow stopped him.
"Spike has been the one Buffy has gone to when she's needed anything since she's been back. We just can't know what it's like to be dead… I've been given on good authority that Spike will never hurt Buffy… or really anyone else. We knew he changed this summer. I think it would be best to show Buffy we support her in whatever she decides… After all we don't go hammering you about what if Anya gets her powers back."
Xander stood fist clenched and listened, trying to absorb what was being said. The last line of Willow's speech got his attention as he began to pace. "How long has this been going on?" he grumbled.
"What part?" Spike asked.
"The… Don't make me say the words…" Xander ground his teeth.
Willow stepped in front of him. "They were friends and it went from there… Just like the rest of us."
"How long?" Xander spat. His eyes went suddenly big as he put some things together in his head. "Oh my God… I walked in on you and her… She was what you were swatting at… and the ear…"
"What ear?" Dawn asked as Spike glared at her. "She nibbled on your ear… She loves doing that to guys…"
"Buffy's going to stake me," Spike said to himself shaking his head.
"No she won't," Dawn interjected. "Buffy loves you…in a weird way. She'll be pissed but she'll come around. She always does… Plus Willow's okay with it and Xander is going to get over it…"
Xander interrupted, "I'm not either… I'm scarred for life."
"Oh, get over yourself," Dawn huffed.
"Now you listen here," Dawn said addressing both Willow and Xander. "You will be happy for Buffy that she has someone to talk to and share her life with. Spike is the only one who can really share her world… So as of this moment, you will remember he is the missing piece to her soul since she's gotten back. You hear me!"
Both Scoobies nodded with a little fear of the teenager. Lorn looked on with a smile. "Do you even need me to tell you the rest of what I saw?" he asked with a smirk.
"Nope…I got it," Dawn stated clearly.
"Alright then… I'm gonna head home since my services are no longer needed," Lorn said simply.
"Hey… Stay till she gets back. We may need some back up," Spike asked his friend.
"Mate, the best one to handle Buffy on all matters is standing right there. If there is anyone who she'll believe it's Dawn. Besides, I have to go check on the status of the club… I will see you soon with guitar in hand. And I hope the rest of you will come too… especially you Dawn. There is someone I want you to meet."
"See ya later Lorn," Dawn said with a smile. Spike and Lorn hugged a moment and then parted.
The black sedan left the driveway as Buffy came home. Lorn passed her on the street and smiled. "It's show time!" he commented and drove off.