Title: Light dimmed
Author: Joy
Email: SleepingBeauty2@ziplip.com
Buffy opened the car door before the car hadn't even stopped rolling in front of the Hyperion. Tara was about to yell at her for endangering herself only to realize Buffy was already half way up the stairs. Buffy took in the boarded up doors where the glass Dawn had broken was and the sounds of activity inside. Tara parked the car and watched Buffy throw the door open. "That's probably how they got broken in the first place," she muttered.
"Buffy?" Angel's voice said haggard as he sat in lobby watching Gunn hold Dawn's hand in the conference room.
"Where are they?" she snapped.
"Dawn's in the conference room and Wesley, Fred and Cordelia took Spike to a doctor's office so Fred could ex-ray his head."
"You have a doctor working for you now?" she asked.
"Ahhh… no… I work for Wesley," Angel started to say as Gunn entered the room.
"Fred is our residence genius on everything math and science related," the young man said. "I spoke to you on the phone," he extended a hand. "Gunn or Charles… whichever you like."
"Buffy and this is… I left Tara."
"Yeah, ya did…but I forgive you. Hi there… I'm Tinkerbell," Tara said to Angel.
"Oh… okay…"
"Huh?" Buffy and Gunn both looked at her.
"Spike nickname… Ya know… 'Peaches,' 'Nibblet,' 'Sweetness,'" she said pointing at Angel, Dawn then Buffy.
"Sweetness?" Angel asked with big eyes. Buffy blushed slightly. "Big improvement over the whole in the wall," he said pointing to the patch job in Wesley's office.
Buffy ignored the comment and headed for her sister. "Dawnie…" she said quietly kneeling beside her sister on the couch.
"Buffy?" she whispered back.
"Yeah Hun… Tara's here too."
Dawn opened her eyes a little to see the witch before her. "I…I messed up…I just wanted him back," she cried to Tara.
"I know sweetheart… We'll do what we can, okay?" Tara answered.
"I punched Gunn…" the teen said groggily, "and I cut myself…and Social services are going to take me away once they see the scar…"
"No they won't," Buffy reassured her. "Slayer blood, remember? Tiny cut… Probably won't even leave a scar."
"Really?" Dawn asked with pleading eyes.
"Let's take a look," Tara offered.
Gunn went to object but Angel grabbed his arm. "They know what they're doing." Gunn just watched in wonder as Tara unwrapped the bound wrist to see the skin was already knit together.
"How did…" Gunn mumbled.
"She's part of the Slayer… Super fast, super strong, super healing," Angel answered.
Tara and Buffy smiled at Dawn. "We could already take the stitches out," Tara informed the teen.
"Really?"
"Really," Buffy said kissing her sister's head.
"I'll make a healing ointment and we should be in business," the white witch commented. She looked over her shoulder. "You have a utility sink or something I can work at… I'd hate to make a mistake and ruin the table."
"Thanks for the consideration," Angel said deadpan. "I'll show up where you can work."
Buffy stroked Dawn's hair as she rested. Turning her head Buffy saw Gunn watching anxiously from the door. "Be right back," she whispered to Dawn, who nodded.
She stood and walked to Gunn. "You were sitting with her before I arrived… You can still do that."
"She's talking to you…She wasn't talking to me," Gunn admitted.
"She's probably embarrassed and slightly ashamed of what she did to you…" Buffy said looking over to her sister. She looked back to see the fear still in Gunn's eyes for Dawn. "Dawn will be okay. Really."
"I just…" he started to say when Dawn groaned.
Gunn crossed to her fast past Buffy. Dawn blinked a few at him trying to focus on his face. "Hey there bright eyes," he addressed her. Buffy quietly stepped out of the room. "You scared me there for a while."
Dawn blinked a few more times. "Buffy and Tara are here, right? I didn't dream that?"
"No… Tara's fixing an ointment and Buffy," he turned to where the Slayer had been standing. His face fell a bit and he became nervous, "She must have gone to get something." They just stared at each other for a few moments. "If you want, I can go get her," Gunn offered and went to stand.
"No…" Dawn caught his arm. "I…" she shut her eyes. In a low whisper she said, "I'm sorry." She opened her eyes and stared into Gunn's big brown eyes. Her breath caught in her throat.
"You okay?" he asked worried.
"Yeah…I just… I shouldn't have… I'm a jerk," she said turning her eyes from him.
"Dawn," he whispered. "Just answer me one question." She turned back to him. He shut his eyes and swallowed, "Did you kiss me because you wanted to… or was it just a distraction?" She didn't answer. He clinched his eyes shut more.
Gunn started to pull away when he felt her breath on his face and the lightest touch of her lips on his. His eyes flew open to see Dawn pushed up on one arm to meet him. He touched her face and kissed her back, leaning her gently back on the couch. Dawn opened her eyes when Gunn pulled away. He smiled at her and touched her face. "You didn't answer my question," he smirked.
Dawn rolled her eyes, "You familiar with the expression 'actions speak louder then words'?"
"So that was telling me?"
She glared, "I wanted to." Gunn smiled big. "Just needed your ego stroked after…"
"Kind of," he said. "It also helps to know that I'm only the second guy you've ever kissed."
Dawn was shocked, "How do you know that?"
"Your sister was trying to get me to feel less guilty about this," he said pointing to her arm.
"Great… I'll have to thank Buffy for this particular humiliation," Dawn snipped.
Gunn moved himself to sit on the edge of the couch next to Dawn's side. "Why would that be humiliating?"
"I don't know it, just is!"
"You must be feeling better. The light of your eyes isn't as dim." Dawn blushed slightly. "I have to say I think watching you be embarrassed is one of the coolest things ever…" Dawn eyes flashed with defiance. "You turned the cutest color and when you get mad you turn another color…"
Dawn reached for his sides and tickled him. Gunn quickly tickled back only to find she definitely had the upper hand. Dawn dug into a spot just below his ribs that caused him to lean forward in laughter. This positioned their heads right in front of one another. Her cheeks flushed. "Oh yeah… I like the different shades you turn," he whispered right before he kissed her.
Gunn nibbled at Dawn's lips bringing her into an almost sitting position. Dawn's arms came around him as his hands framed her face while they continued to kiss. "You better not be doing that when Spike wakes up," Tara said from the door. The couple split apart guiltily. "The last guy she kissed got staked."
The expression on Gunn's face was priceless. "He killed him?"
"No…I did," Dawn replied. Gunn about leapt off the couch if Dawn hadn't had a hold of his mid section. "I dusted him."
"You were kissing a vampire?" he asked almost more freaked out by that concept.
"I didn't know he was one at the time," she answered as Tara laughed at the conversation she started.
"Wasn't he a little cold?"
"It was Halloween and I was wearing his coat. I just assumed it was because of the temperature."
Gunn decided to be smooth. He raised an eyebrow, "Well now I know you should have thought he was a vampire because no living male wouldn't warm up kissing you."
Dawn returned the volley, "Actually vampires warm up more."
"Anyway," Tara butted in again, shooing Gunn off the couch so she could get to Dawn's arm. "I'd keep the kissing to a minimum in Spike's presence. Don't want to tempt the chip." Gunn and Dawn nodded. Tara snipped the stitches in Dawn's arm before applying the healing ointment and wrapping it in gauze again. "There you go… Buffy and Angel know what you were up to so you don't need to hide it… Cordelia called to say they were on the way back from the doctor's office."
"Is he awake at all? He was sucking on my arm," Dawn offered.
"Not really honey… Fred thinks that the chip may have been hurt… Angel is talking about having some guy named Lorn tried to do what seems to me is the equivalent of a Vulcan mind-meld," Tara answered. "Maybe then we'll have an idea what we need to do to help."
Dawn set her jaw, "He knew this was going to happen!"
Gunn looked at her and stroked her hair, "He's a good man…demon…whatever. He helped you earlier. He can't help what the Powers ask."
She looked up at him with big eyes and nodded. "I know… I just hate the thought that they both knew there was a threat and didn't try to stop it."
"How could they know what form the treat would take?" Gunn asked her.
"Well, Lorn had the presence of mind to give us a cell phone for emergencies."
"Yeah…but doesn't that show he was trying to help the situation."
Dawn glared at him slightly, "This is part of that rational thinking process I'm trying not to use so I can stay angry."
Gunn wrinkled his brow as he sat down next to Dawn again after Tara moved. "Why would you want to do that?" he asked.
"I taught her that," Buffy said from the door. "Easier to be mad and lash out at a tangible thing than face the things that scare us." Buffy looked at Dawn hard, "That's part of the reason you left, remember?" Dawn looked a bit shame faced. "Charles, why don't you and Tara get a place for Spike to rest ready? Angel is awful at domestic things."
"I am not!" Angel insisted, calling from the lobby.
Tara led Gunn out who didn't really want to leave without a kiss goodbye but realized what Buffy said went. He just smiled goofily at Dawn as he hit the frame on the way out. Buffy smiled at her sister when they sat alone together. "Did a good job at making him fall all over himself for you," she batted her eyes. Dawn blushed. "He seems like a nice guy."
"He is," Dawn said simply with a smile. "He knows the score with the beasties of the world. He's been fighting vampires for a while and Angel thinks he can hold his own in battle." She bit her lip, "I don't think he's a ton older then me…"
"You're fifteen Dawn. You really want to worry about a boyfriend a few hours away?" Buffy asked.
"Spike once told me anything under five hours is do able. LA is way under five hours," Dawn answered.
"Fine… We'll worry about rules later," Buffy huffed.
"Spike and I already have them set up."
"Really…When did this happen?" the slayer said to her little sister.
"On the way home…before…I think he knew before I did. I figured it would just go away since I was coming home… I don't think so anymore," Dawn said biting her lip again.
"So what are these rules?"
"No guys in my room ever, no guys at my window, no sex with guys, all guys must be prescreened if they take me out alone and I always have to be up front with him if things start heading toward sex with a guy." Buffy's eyes became round as she tried to speak. "We also set up rules for you guys."
Buffy quickly said, "There is no 'you guys' yet Dawn."
"That's not what I meant… I meant about me dating. He's not allowed to flash his fangs or go bumpy unless the guy is awful. You both aren't allowed to break things in front of dates to intimate them, no 'intention' speeches, no following on dates, and he has to actually listen if I talk to him about potential sex with a guy."
Buffy made a fish face again, opening and closing her mouth. "You… You're more comfortable talking to him then me?"
"About sex?" Buffy blanched and nodded. "Oh yeah… He may get mad and frustrated but he'll be honest… You…I'm not sure about that," Dawn admitted.
"Buffy?" The slayer's head snapped up to look at her sister. "He's going to be okay, right? We'll find away to make him okay?"
"I hope so Dawnie."
"I need you to promise me something," the teen said solemnly.
"What?"
"I need you to promise that if the chip has to be taken out or doesn't work anymore, you'll give Spike a chance to show you he's really changed," Dawn stated clearly.
"That depends if he wakes up biting people or not… When he thought the chip stopped working last time, he went out to kill," Buffy answered with tears in her eyes. "I don't want to… I love him. I don't want to kill someone I love again."
"Trust him… Trust me… Please!"
"Okay… If he has changed no one at home needs to know for a while. Give him a chance to prove to them to… We won't give Xander any reason to stake him…"
Dawn looked out into the lobby and saw Gunn. "So?" Buffy began. "Is he a good kisser?"
"You have no idea!"
"I think I can imagine," Buffy smiled.
TBC.