***Dawn's POV***
I awoke with a start. It had been such an emotional night, with Spike returning that sleep was nearly impossible. I looked at the clock that was next my bed, it's numbers glowing 2:37 in bright red luminescence. I moaned at the early hour and decided to go downstairs and raid the fridge for a little snack.
As I walked down the stairs I saw Spike turn on the couch. I saw his Doc Martens as well as his shirt which were on the floor next to the couch. I was about to continue my trip to the kitchen when I heard the softest moan escape from his mouth. I looked back and saw him turn again. He was panting in his sleep, which I assumed was a reflex for I knew he did not need to breathe. His moans got louder and more agonizing and just as I thought he might explode misery and distress, he jerked awake.
He looked around and swung his feet over the edge of the couch, still panting a bit from whatever he was dreaming. He placed his face in his hands and began to cry. CRY! I hadn't seen him cry this hard since Buffy died, and I was surprised to see that he cried more furiously than that night. I had never seen him look so weak, and it frightened me to see my protector like that.
I turned and ran upstairs to Buffy's room. I didn't have a clue at what she could possibly do, but she had to do something!
"Buffy!"
"Huh? Dawnie? What is it?" She asked sleepily as I awakened her.
"It's Spike!"
"What?" She asked confused.
"I think there's something wrong with him."
Buffy's eyes widened with what I assumed was fright and she immediately hopped out of bed, taking the lead toward the stairs. As we left her room Willow came out of hers and saw the look of worry that MUST have been on my face. She said nothing but followed us down the stairs.
When we reached the living room, spike was nowhere to be seen. Buffy looked around and walked into the kitchen to see that the door was open. She walked outside to see Spike crying on the steps of the back porch. Willow and I stood at the door and watched my sister try to calm him.
"Spike?"
He made no response and Buffy sat down beside him.
"Spike?" She asked again, putting her hand on his knee. He flinched reflexively and moved a few inches from where she sat.
"Don't touch me," he commanded her. Buffy looked really hurt.
"Why?"
He looked up, his eyes red and his face tear-stained. "You shouldn't touch me."
Buffy now just looked confused. "And why shouldn't I?"
"I'm dirty," he professed, "I'm all covered in bodies. I'm disgusting"
Buffy looked at me and I suddenly realized what was going on. I felt a tear fall from my eye and down my cheek, the guilt must have been killing him. I realized why he looked so tired; he must not have slept in weeks.
"Oh god, Spike. I-I can't imagine how you must feel right now. Is there anything I can do, or get you?" Buffy asked kindly.
Looked at her and then looked at his bare feet again. He nodded slightly but didn't look up.
"What? If there's anything I can do…"
"Call Angel."
I almost fell backward and I could see the look of shock on her face. That was about the last thing I was expecting to here. I didn't know the details but I did know how much he hated Angel.
"You want me to call Angel?" Buffy finally manages the words.
Spike nodded again and laughed a little. "I thought I'd never say that. I thought I'd never need him."
Tears began to fall from Spike's eyes again. He was so sad, and so tired, and I completely felt his pain. I knew what it was like to feel sad, and tired, and guilty.
Buffy put her arm around Spike and he cried into her shoulder. I wasn't sure how long we were there just watching, but I could tell that he was happy that we were there.
After a few minutes that seemed like hours, Buffy kissed Spike on the forehead and told him not to move. She got up and walked over to me, pulling me n the house.
"Dawn, you know Angel's number, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Would you call him?"
"Why me?"
"Dawnie, please just do this."
I nodded in agreement and picked up the phone in the kitchen. Willow just looked from me to Buffy and without a word, walked back up the stairs.
The phone rang and I heard a relatively unfamiliar voice pick up on the other end.
"Angel investigations. We help the helpless, so come to us with your-"
"I need to speak to Angel," I said surely.
"Uh, may I ask who this is, please?"
"Dawn Summers."
"Summers as in Buffy Summers? Are you the slayer's sister."
"Yes," I answered frustration obvious in my voice. It was late and I was not in the mood for small talk.
"Oh, alright then." I heard the man call out to Angel, "he'll be right there."
I just sighed in response and waited for Angel to pick up the phone.
"Dawn?"
"Yes!"
"Hi, is everything alright?"
"Well, not really but, who was that?"
"Uh, Charles Gunn. What's wrong, did something happen to Buffy?"
"No, not Buffy?"
"What is it, then?"
"It's Spike," I told him nervously, not sure of his reaction.
"What? Did he do something?"
"No no no. It's nothing like that."
"Well then, out with it Dawn. You didn't call me for nothing."
"It's just," I decided to just tell him, I wasn't in the mood for prefaces either, "he has a soul."
"WHAT!?" Angel shouted loudly into the phone. I doubted whether or not he believed me, so I just decided to continue.
"He went to Africa, and to make a long story short, he came back with a soul."
"Why was he in Africa?"
"Long story short, Angel," I insisted to him.
"Oh, right." I gave him a minute to get over the shock. Angel knew Spike better than anyone I knew and I was sure that was the last thing he was expecting to hear. Finally, the vampire spoke again.
"Why are you telling me this."
"He wants to see you."
"What? I'm not coming to see him."
"Please Angel, your grandchilde really needs you right now."
"I don't what he is-was to me. He's nothing to me now. He has no right to ask ANYTHING of me!" Angel sounded as though he was firm in his decision.
"Angel-"
"What?"
I took a deep breath. I knew exactly what to say to get him to come. "You had to go through this alone, why should he."
Angel sighed and I gave him another moment to collect his thoughts.
"Alright, I'll come."
I awoke with a start. It had been such an emotional night, with Spike returning that sleep was nearly impossible. I looked at the clock that was next my bed, it's numbers glowing 2:37 in bright red luminescence. I moaned at the early hour and decided to go downstairs and raid the fridge for a little snack.
As I walked down the stairs I saw Spike turn on the couch. I saw his Doc Martens as well as his shirt which were on the floor next to the couch. I was about to continue my trip to the kitchen when I heard the softest moan escape from his mouth. I looked back and saw him turn again. He was panting in his sleep, which I assumed was a reflex for I knew he did not need to breathe. His moans got louder and more agonizing and just as I thought he might explode misery and distress, he jerked awake.
He looked around and swung his feet over the edge of the couch, still panting a bit from whatever he was dreaming. He placed his face in his hands and began to cry. CRY! I hadn't seen him cry this hard since Buffy died, and I was surprised to see that he cried more furiously than that night. I had never seen him look so weak, and it frightened me to see my protector like that.
I turned and ran upstairs to Buffy's room. I didn't have a clue at what she could possibly do, but she had to do something!
"Buffy!"
"Huh? Dawnie? What is it?" She asked sleepily as I awakened her.
"It's Spike!"
"What?" She asked confused.
"I think there's something wrong with him."
Buffy's eyes widened with what I assumed was fright and she immediately hopped out of bed, taking the lead toward the stairs. As we left her room Willow came out of hers and saw the look of worry that MUST have been on my face. She said nothing but followed us down the stairs.
When we reached the living room, spike was nowhere to be seen. Buffy looked around and walked into the kitchen to see that the door was open. She walked outside to see Spike crying on the steps of the back porch. Willow and I stood at the door and watched my sister try to calm him.
"Spike?"
He made no response and Buffy sat down beside him.
"Spike?" She asked again, putting her hand on his knee. He flinched reflexively and moved a few inches from where she sat.
"Don't touch me," he commanded her. Buffy looked really hurt.
"Why?"
He looked up, his eyes red and his face tear-stained. "You shouldn't touch me."
Buffy now just looked confused. "And why shouldn't I?"
"I'm dirty," he professed, "I'm all covered in bodies. I'm disgusting"
Buffy looked at me and I suddenly realized what was going on. I felt a tear fall from my eye and down my cheek, the guilt must have been killing him. I realized why he looked so tired; he must not have slept in weeks.
"Oh god, Spike. I-I can't imagine how you must feel right now. Is there anything I can do, or get you?" Buffy asked kindly.
Looked at her and then looked at his bare feet again. He nodded slightly but didn't look up.
"What? If there's anything I can do…"
"Call Angel."
I almost fell backward and I could see the look of shock on her face. That was about the last thing I was expecting to here. I didn't know the details but I did know how much he hated Angel.
"You want me to call Angel?" Buffy finally manages the words.
Spike nodded again and laughed a little. "I thought I'd never say that. I thought I'd never need him."
Tears began to fall from Spike's eyes again. He was so sad, and so tired, and I completely felt his pain. I knew what it was like to feel sad, and tired, and guilty.
Buffy put her arm around Spike and he cried into her shoulder. I wasn't sure how long we were there just watching, but I could tell that he was happy that we were there.
After a few minutes that seemed like hours, Buffy kissed Spike on the forehead and told him not to move. She got up and walked over to me, pulling me n the house.
"Dawn, you know Angel's number, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Would you call him?"
"Why me?"
"Dawnie, please just do this."
I nodded in agreement and picked up the phone in the kitchen. Willow just looked from me to Buffy and without a word, walked back up the stairs.
The phone rang and I heard a relatively unfamiliar voice pick up on the other end.
"Angel investigations. We help the helpless, so come to us with your-"
"I need to speak to Angel," I said surely.
"Uh, may I ask who this is, please?"
"Dawn Summers."
"Summers as in Buffy Summers? Are you the slayer's sister."
"Yes," I answered frustration obvious in my voice. It was late and I was not in the mood for small talk.
"Oh, alright then." I heard the man call out to Angel, "he'll be right there."
I just sighed in response and waited for Angel to pick up the phone.
"Dawn?"
"Yes!"
"Hi, is everything alright?"
"Well, not really but, who was that?"
"Uh, Charles Gunn. What's wrong, did something happen to Buffy?"
"No, not Buffy?"
"What is it, then?"
"It's Spike," I told him nervously, not sure of his reaction.
"What? Did he do something?"
"No no no. It's nothing like that."
"Well then, out with it Dawn. You didn't call me for nothing."
"It's just," I decided to just tell him, I wasn't in the mood for prefaces either, "he has a soul."
"WHAT!?" Angel shouted loudly into the phone. I doubted whether or not he believed me, so I just decided to continue.
"He went to Africa, and to make a long story short, he came back with a soul."
"Why was he in Africa?"
"Long story short, Angel," I insisted to him.
"Oh, right." I gave him a minute to get over the shock. Angel knew Spike better than anyone I knew and I was sure that was the last thing he was expecting to hear. Finally, the vampire spoke again.
"Why are you telling me this."
"He wants to see you."
"What? I'm not coming to see him."
"Please Angel, your grandchilde really needs you right now."
"I don't what he is-was to me. He's nothing to me now. He has no right to ask ANYTHING of me!" Angel sounded as though he was firm in his decision.
"Angel-"
"What?"
I took a deep breath. I knew exactly what to say to get him to come. "You had to go through this alone, why should he."
Angel sighed and I gave him another moment to collect his thoughts.
"Alright, I'll come."