Title: Home Again
Author: Joy
Email: SleepingBeauty2@ziplip.com
Angel watched with weary eyes as Spike packed up his things to leave. The younger vampire handed him a few bills for the repair of the front door Dawn shattered. "Spike, I don't need your money… Stay here for a few more days. Let Wesley test her reflexes and such. It's not like he's going to report this to the Council."
"I know you mean well and I do appreciate letting me stay but Buffy needs to see the Bit," Spike muttered.
"Are you sure it's not that you need to see Buffy?" Angel considered him.
Spike tied his duffle bag tight. "Angel," he said knowing that he never addressed Angel by his correct name, "life will be more then complicated. Here I can have her say sweet things to me and want me from afar. I get home I become a reality again. Me as a demon, a vampire, a guy that walked away too. Going back to Sunnydale is not easy or fun for me and seeing Buffy is one of the big reasons why."
"You think Hank isn't going to have words about his daughter up and leaving?" Angel said simply. Spike just gave him a look of ignorance. "Yeah that was lame."
"Peaches, what is it that you think is going to happen?"
"I don't know but I feel certain that if you leave tonight it's going to be bad," Angel groaned.
"Yeah well…you and I both know that Fate gets you where you stand and chases you if you run…" Spike said like a philosopher.
A cab pulled up front of the hotel with Dawn in it. She tugged her backpack and suitcase out, hauling it up the steps with ease. "Guess one good thing is I'll never worry about not being able to open pickle jars and carry heavy stuff again," she said brightly to the vamps in front of her.
"We'll see about that… I seem to recall Buffy having trouble with pickle jars," Spike smirked.
"You know she just wanted you to use your fangs like a can opener," Dawn mocked.
"Your sister is not that playful with me Bit."
"Well she will be now…or she better be," the teen fussed. "Only nice, sweet, fun treatment of Spike…not mean, nasty, manipulative using of Spike."
Angel laughed thinking, 'The day Buffy doesn't have nasty uses for Spike will be the day you have a very unconscious slayer.'
"What was that mate?" Spike scowled.
"Nothing!" Angel smirked. Spike tilted his head. "Age appropriate material."
"Oh please," Dawn mocked. "Anya referred to Xander as her orgasm friend forever when they first started dating."
"Dawn!" Spike chided. "No need to repeat what the little ex-demon says without thinking…"
"Hey if it weren't for her Willow might not have realized she was gay," the teen countered.
Angel chuckled. "You're not helping Peaches," Spike growled. "I don't want her picking up on that sort of talk."
Dawn wrinkled her brow, "Yeah right. How often do you say 'Wanker' in a given afternoon? Like I need to hear you think a guy is big into masturbating in his spare time. Or how bout 'Who has the biggest wrinklies?' or 'You don't have the stones' or some reference to tackle. I'd say I hear a ton about the male genitalia from you alone."
Now Angel was actually laughing…a strange concept but true nonetheless. Spike just gapped at the teen not knowing what to say. He cleared his throat, "Fine I'll make an attempt to watch my language."
"That's not what I meant," Dawn shook her head. "I just mean in our little family everyone is pretty sexually blatant… It's not like I don't know you'll be doing Buffy when we get home."
Spike's eyes went big, "Hold it young lady."
Dawn raised an eyebrow, "Young Lady?"
"That's right… And you don't know jack about what's going to happen when we get home… Just to fill you in, Tara will be living with us for a while until I feel sure Buffy understands I'm not going to be bedding her!"
Angel and Dawn looked surprised, glanced at one another then at Spike. "Why not?" Dawn asked.
"Okay… You recall the way things were before we left? You not liking your sister for using me in that manner? Me not liking your sister for using me in that manner? I'm not about to risk starting up that cycle again, especially not with you in the house for god sake," Spike growled running his hands through his hair.
"So you and Buffy aren't getting back together?" Dawn asked cautiously.
"We were never together. Of anyone, you should know that," Spike said seriously.
"But she loves you…I know she does. She told me so. And I know even when you hate her, you love her so why…"
"Because Bit, its not that simple. There are some people you can love amazingly much but you just keep hurting each other and those around you. Maybe in time…Maybe if she's willing to wait…"
Dawn began to tear up, "So you're going to punish her."
Spike scowled, "That's not fair. I'm not punishing anyone. I'm just making sure I keep you as the priority…and frankly not my dick! You are what needs to be happy."
"I thought we were going to be a family," she sniffed.
"Oh Nibblet," Spike said rapping his arms around her. "We are… We will be… I'm just not sure how that's going to look yet." The teen looked up at him with tear filled eyes, "We both love you and want the best for you. But your needs have to come first. You will always be loved and protected… Now go use those new found muscles to take your stuff to the car." Dawn nodded and headed for the door.
Angel looked Spike over. "You believe all that… You think your going to be able to stay away from Buffy living in the same house?"
"Tara will be the buffer… Buffy and I have already talked about this. She knows what the conditions are. I hope she'll respect them," Spike answered.
"You weren't talking about Dru when you were talking about loving and hurting someone were you?"
"No."
"I'm sorry I didn't appreciate it… We were a good team despite it all," Angel worked over his jaw.
"Don't go all freaky on me Peaches… The four of us were family. You taught me everything I know about being a vamp from death to life. Hell you taught me a lot of what I know about sex too…you always were an exhibitionist," Spike smirked.
Angel smirked back, "You need a break again, you're welcome here."
"Thanks," the blond said as he swung the duffle bag to his bag.
Spike was a few steps outside when Lorn caught up to him. "Hey kid."
"Kid? I'm over a hundred years old," Spike grumbled.
"Fine… Take this," Lorn handed him a cell phone, "in case of emergency… And remember what I said. You will make it back to your girls…just hang on to that, okay?"
Spike looked into the sincere red eyes and nodded. "Okay mate… I'll always come for them."
Lorn smiled, "And they will always come for you." With that the green man turned around and headed back into the hotel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike tossed the phone at Dawn, "A gift from Lorn. Call your sis and tell her we're on our way home."
"Don't you want it too be a surprise?"
"No… You sister gets enough surprises in the form of demons and apocalypses."
"You're no fun," she grumbled and dialed the Magic Box. "Hi Anya, its me… I understand." Dawn brought her face away from the phone and whispered to Spike, "She's with a customer." Some more silence as Spike turned onto the highway. "Hi Buffy…we're on the road."
Spike could hear the excited squeal through the phone. He had to smile at the teenage like response Buffy was having to their return. She was really just a kid in a lot of ways. Maybe if things worked out…no remember what Lorn said…when things work out, he'd take her to the movies. He wondered if she'd ever seen 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.' He chuckled at the thought of bringing toast for Buffy to throw at the screen. Maybe he could get her a little yellow raincoat and a white bra to fill out the effect. 'Bad idea if I want to keep things… platonic,' he thought. His mind then wandered to the question of whether Buffy ever got to do the lover's lane thing, fogging up the car windows good and proper.
"Yeah Buffy… he must be things about you, because he hasn't heard me say his name three times," Dawn said into the phone loudly finally getting Spike's attention off of the teenage dating customs and back on the phone conversation being had next to him.
"Sorry…" he mumbled clearing his throat.
"Oh yeah…he has thinking about you. If he could blush he would be," Dawn told Buffy with a smile. 'Say hi' she mouthed.
"Hello luv," he said loudly in the general direction of the phone.
"We are so going to have to work on your telephone skills when we get home," the teen informed him. "So we should be home in a while. Love you… I'll tell him. Bye." Spike looked at Dawn quizzically as she hung up the phone. "She says she loves you and hopes you can talk when we get home." Spike stared ahead at the road.
"So what were you thinking about when you weren't able to be reached by the call of your name?" Dawn dug.
"Just thinking."
"Not lusty thoughts of my sister waiting for you at home?"
"Bit."
"What?" Dawn said innocently. "You were so far gone. At least tell me the G version."
Spike ground his teeth, "Now don't get your hopes up." She nodded. He got slightly boyish, "I was thinking about all the things your sis might have missed dating as a teen because of the whole slayer thing… I was thinking maybe… in time…I could do some of those things with her."
Dawn had a smirk on her face, "Would one of those things be having sex in the backseat of this here car?"
"DAWN!" Spike fussed. "Enough about me sleeping with Buffy. And you are so never dating if you think that is a teenage norm… I have a feeling Buffy will allow me to be the barer of the dating rules so you better watch it."
"Spike, I lost my virgin lips this year… I have no boyfriend… and I'm also very aware that if I snuck out of the house or snuck a guy into the house, like my sister started to do at this age might I add, you would kill first ask questions later," Dawn reassured him.
"Despite what your sister has done in dating (you've lived through how bad that got), there will be rules. 1) No boys at your window, 2) no boys in your room ever, without exception, 3) no sex with boys," Dawn began to laugh. "4) All boys must come by the house to be met if you go out with them only rather then in a group, 5) you'll be up front with me about any potential…sexual situations. I know I can't stop you but I really would rather you not get hurt badly in this area," Spike stated.
"So I can date if you meet him and deem him a nice non-vampire or demon boyfriend?" Dawn asked.
"Or player looking for a little action," Spike added.
Dawn laughed again, "Can I have some rules?"
"If they're reasonable," the new father figure ventured.
"1) No flashing fangs unless they really are bad news," Spike already began to sulk. "2) Neither you nor Buffy is allowed to break stuff in front of the date in order to intimidate him, 3) no 'what are your intentions for my Nibblet?' speeches, 4) no following me on dates, 5) you actually listen to me if we talk about…sexual situations."
"Fair enough," Spike said just as the Desoto's front left tired blew. "Bloody hell!"
They made it to the shoulder of the highway. Spike and Dawn exited the car on the passenger side. Spike started digging around the back of the car for a crow bar, jack, and spare tire. Dawn stood a bit chilly rubbing her arms. "Bit get you're coat," Spike instructed while he put the jack in place.
"I could just hold the car up for you," she said with a smile.
"That wouldn't look at all conspicuous on the side of the road," Spike chided standing again to get something from the truck. Dawn had her back to on coming traffic. When Spike turned around he saw a car weave right at them. "DAWN!" he screamed and threw her to the ground protecting her with his body.
The drunk driver ran over Spike's legs and clipped the back of the Desoto. It rocked back and forth and the jack pushed out from under the car, sending it to the ground hard.
Dawn squirmed out from under Spike. "Spike, I'm okay… He just drove off. He's not coming back," she said touching her head where she had hit it. "I'm just going to come home battered and bruised… Spike? Spike…" She said shaking him.
When he didn't respond she rolled him on his side. The front right side of Spike's face was covered in blood. "Spike?" she said in a whisper.
TBC….
A/N: Don't you just hate me?
A/N2: My in-laws are in town so I won't be posting again until at least Monday. Sorry guys.