***Dawn's POV***
I walked into the house with Spike following slowly behind me. Buffy was walking down the stairs as I came in.
"Dawn? Where'd you-" she stopped interrogating me the second that she saw Spike standing behind me. "Oh my god," was apparently all she could manage.
"Hi Buffy," he said shyly, as he walked to the base of the stairs. Buffy made her way down to him and slapped him across the face.
"Whoa," he said, a little surprised, "a lot of that going around, isn't there, slayer?"
"You shouldn't have come back, Spike," she said, obviously holding back tears. "You can't just walk in and out of someone's life!" She yelled, reprimanding him.
"Buffy, I would always come back for you."
"But that's the thing. I don't you to come back. I want you out of my life!" I was taken aback at her last comment. I was hurt that she would say that, but she was obviously so hurt that he would leave that she didn't consider anything she said.
"Buffy-"
"Not now, Dawn!"
"Yes now!" I yelled, "Buffy, he has a soul."
Buffy looked as though she were going to faint. She narrowed her eyes and cocked her head. She took a deep breath and walked so that she was standing in right in front of him. "What?"
"Yeah, well, I was gonna tell you myself but the Nibblet sort of spilled the beans, huh?"
"Could we sit?" She asked numbly.
Spike nodded and the three of us headed toward the living room. Buffy more collapsed onto the couch than sat, and Spike sat down beside her. I sat down on the nearest seat, and waited to see what she would possibly say when Willow came down the stairs.
"I heard shouting so- Spike!"
"Hey, Red."
"You're back!"
"That I am. And I see you're here without your left arm."
Willow's eyes filled with tears. It had just occurred to me that Spike knew nothing of what happened after he left. He didn't know about Tara, or that Giles was back, or how Anya and Xander finally reconciled. I myself talked very little to Willow, I knew it was petty of me but every time I spoke to her I thought of how remorselessly she was going to kill me and everyone I loved. I still loved her very much, but, it hurt.
"Tara, is dead," she told Spike, her voice shaking fiercely.
Spike just stared at her with a blank look of shock on his face. He had liked Tara, I know that they kind of bonded a little more over the summer when Buffy was gone. He could manage no words, but just looked at the floor.
Willow was not angry with him, I could tell, but she turned and ran up the stairs to her room. It was still very hard for her to think of Tara, not only because she was gone but because it reminded her of what she did, and almost did after she was shot.
Buffy shook her head and put her hand on Spike's knee. He looked up and smiled, but tears were just barely forming in his tired blue eyes.
"It's okay," she tried to say reassuringly, "you couldn't have known."
"I'm so sorry, Buffy."
She just nodded and she rubbed her hand up and down his back comfortingly. Nothing could have made me happier. She looked up and me and smiled. I nodded in agreement and ran up the stairs, sitting at the top. She must have been to shocked form, well, everything to think that I wouldn't eavesdrop.
"Uh, Spike?" I heard her say from upstairs.
"Yeah," he answered hoarsely.
"How did-how did all this happen?"
"Africa."
"You went to Africa?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Well, my original motive was to get the chip out, but that obviously didn't go as planned."
"You wanted the chip out?" Buffy asked, sounding a bit hurt.
"Yeah."
"Oh." They sat in silence for a minute until finally Buffy spoke again. "Why do you have a soul then?"
"Well, that's the thing. I'm not sure. I went to this demon guy, somewhere in Tanzania, and told him that I wanted to become what I was, I wanted to give you what you deserved." Once again Buffy put on a little bit of her puppy dog hurt face but silently let him continue. "So he made me take all these tests, right? And when I passed, he told me that he would make me what I was, and then I could give you what you deserved."
"And he gave you your soul?"
"Yeah. And you know, I think I've figured it out. I was, originally, human. And what you deserve…is a man, not a monster."
Buffy lifted her hand and placed it softly on his face, rubbing her thumb over his sharp cheekbone.
"Maybe," she began sheepishly, "maybe I deserve you." I watched a tear fall down her face and he leaned in and kissed it where it rested on her face. She smiled as he but soon pushed him away.
"We can't, not yet."
Spike nodded in agreement and smiled. She merely hugged him and looked at me sitting on the stairs. She smiled and I gave a thumbs up as Spike released her from there embrace.
"Buffy, I know I shouldn't ask you this, but, would you mind if I stayed here, for the night? I've- it's been hard, to be alone."
"It's fine Spike."
Spike looked completely shocked at her response. I'm sure he was expecting a punch in the face but Buffy was obviously feeling really sympethetic.
"Thank you."
"Really, it's okay. If you want to talk some more-"
"Actually," he said, cutting her off, "I really just want to go to sleep."
"Okay. I'll get you a blanket-you can stay on the couch."
Spike nodded in agreement, and Buffy ran upstairs to where I and the linen closet were.
"You know," she whispered to me, "it's not polite to listen in on other peoples conversations."
I just shrugged and ran off to my room, flinging op my closet door. It only took a minute to find where I had been storing Spike's leather duster. I pulled it out and looked at, finally it would be going back to its proper owner.
I walked into the house with Spike following slowly behind me. Buffy was walking down the stairs as I came in.
"Dawn? Where'd you-" she stopped interrogating me the second that she saw Spike standing behind me. "Oh my god," was apparently all she could manage.
"Hi Buffy," he said shyly, as he walked to the base of the stairs. Buffy made her way down to him and slapped him across the face.
"Whoa," he said, a little surprised, "a lot of that going around, isn't there, slayer?"
"You shouldn't have come back, Spike," she said, obviously holding back tears. "You can't just walk in and out of someone's life!" She yelled, reprimanding him.
"Buffy, I would always come back for you."
"But that's the thing. I don't you to come back. I want you out of my life!" I was taken aback at her last comment. I was hurt that she would say that, but she was obviously so hurt that he would leave that she didn't consider anything she said.
"Buffy-"
"Not now, Dawn!"
"Yes now!" I yelled, "Buffy, he has a soul."
Buffy looked as though she were going to faint. She narrowed her eyes and cocked her head. She took a deep breath and walked so that she was standing in right in front of him. "What?"
"Yeah, well, I was gonna tell you myself but the Nibblet sort of spilled the beans, huh?"
"Could we sit?" She asked numbly.
Spike nodded and the three of us headed toward the living room. Buffy more collapsed onto the couch than sat, and Spike sat down beside her. I sat down on the nearest seat, and waited to see what she would possibly say when Willow came down the stairs.
"I heard shouting so- Spike!"
"Hey, Red."
"You're back!"
"That I am. And I see you're here without your left arm."
Willow's eyes filled with tears. It had just occurred to me that Spike knew nothing of what happened after he left. He didn't know about Tara, or that Giles was back, or how Anya and Xander finally reconciled. I myself talked very little to Willow, I knew it was petty of me but every time I spoke to her I thought of how remorselessly she was going to kill me and everyone I loved. I still loved her very much, but, it hurt.
"Tara, is dead," she told Spike, her voice shaking fiercely.
Spike just stared at her with a blank look of shock on his face. He had liked Tara, I know that they kind of bonded a little more over the summer when Buffy was gone. He could manage no words, but just looked at the floor.
Willow was not angry with him, I could tell, but she turned and ran up the stairs to her room. It was still very hard for her to think of Tara, not only because she was gone but because it reminded her of what she did, and almost did after she was shot.
Buffy shook her head and put her hand on Spike's knee. He looked up and smiled, but tears were just barely forming in his tired blue eyes.
"It's okay," she tried to say reassuringly, "you couldn't have known."
"I'm so sorry, Buffy."
She just nodded and she rubbed her hand up and down his back comfortingly. Nothing could have made me happier. She looked up and me and smiled. I nodded in agreement and ran up the stairs, sitting at the top. She must have been to shocked form, well, everything to think that I wouldn't eavesdrop.
"Uh, Spike?" I heard her say from upstairs.
"Yeah," he answered hoarsely.
"How did-how did all this happen?"
"Africa."
"You went to Africa?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Well, my original motive was to get the chip out, but that obviously didn't go as planned."
"You wanted the chip out?" Buffy asked, sounding a bit hurt.
"Yeah."
"Oh." They sat in silence for a minute until finally Buffy spoke again. "Why do you have a soul then?"
"Well, that's the thing. I'm not sure. I went to this demon guy, somewhere in Tanzania, and told him that I wanted to become what I was, I wanted to give you what you deserved." Once again Buffy put on a little bit of her puppy dog hurt face but silently let him continue. "So he made me take all these tests, right? And when I passed, he told me that he would make me what I was, and then I could give you what you deserved."
"And he gave you your soul?"
"Yeah. And you know, I think I've figured it out. I was, originally, human. And what you deserve…is a man, not a monster."
Buffy lifted her hand and placed it softly on his face, rubbing her thumb over his sharp cheekbone.
"Maybe," she began sheepishly, "maybe I deserve you." I watched a tear fall down her face and he leaned in and kissed it where it rested on her face. She smiled as he but soon pushed him away.
"We can't, not yet."
Spike nodded in agreement and smiled. She merely hugged him and looked at me sitting on the stairs. She smiled and I gave a thumbs up as Spike released her from there embrace.
"Buffy, I know I shouldn't ask you this, but, would you mind if I stayed here, for the night? I've- it's been hard, to be alone."
"It's fine Spike."
Spike looked completely shocked at her response. I'm sure he was expecting a punch in the face but Buffy was obviously feeling really sympethetic.
"Thank you."
"Really, it's okay. If you want to talk some more-"
"Actually," he said, cutting her off, "I really just want to go to sleep."
"Okay. I'll get you a blanket-you can stay on the couch."
Spike nodded in agreement, and Buffy ran upstairs to where I and the linen closet were.
"You know," she whispered to me, "it's not polite to listen in on other peoples conversations."
I just shrugged and ran off to my room, flinging op my closet door. It only took a minute to find where I had been storing Spike's leather duster. I pulled it out and looked at, finally it would be going back to its proper owner.