Dawn slowly opened the door to the vampire's crypt. She looked around and he was nowhere to be seen. The door creaked loudly behind her as she closed it shut. It was day time so she knew that he'd be there, unless of course he decided to walk around in the sewers, which she though unlikely. Before she knew what was going on she felt a presence behind her. She turned quickly and was startled to see Spike standing there with his game face on.

Spike jumped as well to her sudden turn. He put his human face back on and looked a little disappointed.

"Dammit, Bit, can't a guy have a little fun?" He asked her as he smiled a wicked grin.

"What do you mean?"

"I was trying to scare you."

"How nice," retorted Dawn sarcastically. Spike just smiled at the girl and turned, walking over to the beaten chair he kept in his crypt.

"So what brings you to my neck of the Hellmouth, Nibblet?" He asked her as she walked over and sat on the tomb to his right.

"I have some VERY, interesting news."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"I'm the new slayer." Spike immediately stood up, fear upon his face.

"Oh god, Dawn! Did something happen to Buffy?"

"Oh! No, no, no! Not Buffy, Faith, that other one," Dawn told him reassuringly.

"Oh," was all Spike could manage, as he took a long and unnecessary breath. He then pulled out a cigarette from behind his ear and lit it coolly.

"So, pet, you're the new slayer then? How does it feel?"

"You know, everyone's been asking me that, and, I can't really tell yet. It's weird, surreal."

"You scared?" Spike asked as he blew out some smoke.

"No."

"You should be."

"Why? Buffy isn't."

"Don't be so sure of that, love," he instructed to the youngest Summers. He through his cigarette on the floor and stepped on it; he was trying to smoke less in front of Dawn.

The young girl looked up at him and tilted her head. She didn't know what he was talking about; she stood up to face him.

"What do you mean?"

"I can smell fear on person from meters away, and your sister is not immune to it. Fear, it lives in everyone, and I can smell a bit on you right now. Don't be so smug, Nibblet."

"Yeah, whatever," she said with a sigh to the platinum blonde man who looked at softly with his icy blue eyes. She stared right back for just a minute.

"I want you to stop calling me that," she commanded as she pushed passed him and walked to the center of the crypt.

"Calling you what?"

"Nibblet. Little Bit. All of those names. I'm the slayer now, the "Chosen One." I'm too old for all of that."

Spike looked a little hurt as he walked over and grabbed her shoulder. He spoke to her slowly in a low, gutteral tom. "When you are old, and wrinkled, with frizzy blue hair and a bloody wheelchair, you will still be my Nibblet."

Dawn pushed him off of her. She hadn't seen him pretty much at all lately, and was totally angered by his remark.

"I'm not your anything." Looked at her long and hard trying to figure out what was bothering the usually cheerful girl.

"So what did you come here for then, *Dawn?" He asked her forcefully, "you come to hassle me. My god, you really are taking after your sister."

"I just wanted you to know, the people who are, or at least *were in my life deserve to know."

"Were? I am in your life. I'm right bloody here, Dawn."

"You never come around anymore, why?"

"It's complicated Sweet Bit."

"Complicated? How? Is it in a, 'I'm sleeping with your sister way'?" Asked cleverly.

Spike just stared at Dawn in utter shock, "how did you…"

"Know? Oh please. All the signs were there."

"Oh yeah, like what?"

"Like, every smart vampire knows to be in at least two hours before sunrise and Buffy would be coming home at six or seven in the morning; when she did come home, I could smell the blood and cigarettes. Also every time your name was mentioned, or any time she saw you, her eyes got all googly."

Spike smiled. 'Well, she got me' he thought to himself. What could he say, he really was busted.

"So, does Buffy know you know?"

Dawn shook her head. She knew without him telling her that if Buffy knew she knew, Spike would sooner than later have a redwood in his chest.

"Did you guys, like, break up or something? I mean, she's been coming home on time and stuff so…" Dawn trailed off as she saw a sad look to come to Spike's eyes, "so, uh, enough about Buffy."

Spike looked up. At that point he wasn't sure what to say.

"So, Slayer, you want some pointers? I could tell you what I told Buffy."

"Um, okay," she responded, a little apprehensive.

"Promise me you'll remember this," he commanded as he put his hand on her shoulders.

"I promise."

"Right, then. First: a slayer must always reach for her weapon. Second: Always ask the right questions, it never matters how you win, what's most important is why they lose."

Dawn looked at the vampire, totally stunned. She had never even staked a vampire before(as the slayer) but immediately she knew what he meant. She had heard Buffy speak of too many battles to not know.

"Another thing, Dawn."

"Yeah?"

"Promise me you will be careful because right now, you're the only thing keeping me sane," Spike smiled a loving smile at the girl he had cared for during the summer. Her eyes filled with tears as she wrapped her arms around Spike's waste. He embraced her with out even a flinch and rested his cheek upon her head only to hear a small giggle.

"What's that, Little Bit?"

"This time I'll be the one coming home smelling like blood and cigarettes. Do you think Buffy will figure us out?"