Ladybard (chapter 5), by Slayergirl
Please note that from here on, there will be some fairly large time lapses between chapters… we're now at the end of season 5.
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"'I know you'll never love me. I know that I'm a monster. But you treat me like a man. And that's…'" The words echoed in her head as she hastily shoved some clothes into a bag. Those words, from the vampire who was waiting downstairs for her. Those words, and what he'd already done for her and Dawn, what he was still prepared to do… He would die for them – spend an eternity in hell for them. The thought shook her. She bit her lip, fastening the bag, and running downstairs.
"Ready?" He seemed to have regained some of his composure as he turned to the door, weapons in hand.
"Spike, wait." He turned back. She squared her shoulders, resolved. "I just wanted to thank you," she said softly. "For what you've done. For being willing to do whatever's necessary. And," she took a deep breath, "no one who does that is any kind of monster. So don't think of it like that." There was a small pause. "Anyway, we'd better get going – not much time," she said as he looked at her in amazement.
"Yeah. Uh. Best go, then," he said, feeling slightly dazed. He found it hard to believe that she'd just said those things to him. He followed her silently.
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Dead. She couldn't be dead. His beloved Buffy. But she couldn't be alive either, not after that fall. Even her Slayer strength couldn't have saved her. He dropped his head in his hands and wept, oblivious to the others round him. Oh, they'd saved the world. But what was it to him without her?
A small hand was trying to clean the wound on his head as he clutched her broken body to him. He barely noticed, until he smelt blood that wasn't his own. He blinked up at his attendant.
"Dawn." She was crying, too, not knowing what to do, instinct taking over as she tried to clean him up, her own blood still flowing freely from the shallow cuts, mingling with his own. He wrapped an arm round her, and, still not letting go of Buffy's body, sobbed into the blood-soaked dress of her younger sister.
Her fingers wound into his hair in an attempt to comfort him, but her own anguish was too great. She kissed him on the forehead, tasting his blood, not knowing why she'd done it. He looked up at her. "Sorry," she quavered.
He shook his head. "Might help heal those cuts – vampire healing. Won't hurt you. Take some more if you need to."
She knelt beside him. "No. My blood was the same as Buffy's. I should heal quickly anyway." She noticed the strange look on his face as she said it, and understood. Uncaring of the others watching, she brought his mouth over one of her cuts. "Drink."
He backed away. "No! No, not from you, never…"
"Do it. Drink," she said. "Just take a little." She brought his mouth back to the cut, and he took a little, unwillingly.
"Bound to each other forever, now, Nibblet," he tried to smile.
There were tears in her eyes. "No. They made me out of her. It's as much her blood as mine. You're bound to her forever. You'll always carry a part of her in you." She sat, stroking her dead sister's hair. "I know how much you loved her. I'd hoped that one day she'd love you back. I'd have given my life for it." Tears were running down her cheeks.
"And so you gave me all you could of her," he whispered. "Bound us to each other…" Dawn nodded. "Like it or not, you bound yourself to me as well."
"I know. You're my brother. All I have now," she whispered.
Eventually they remembered the others, who were staring curiously at them. Giles had come up behind them.
"Xander. We need to get them out of here."
"Spike will carry Buffy. And I can walk," said Dawn with no emotion in her voice.
"But…" began Giles.
"No." She got up, helping Spike to his feet. Neither looked back as they walked back to the shop. Willow and Tara gathered up the broken pieces of the bot.
No one knew that Dawn spent that night in Spike's arms, both of them crying, grieving for Buffy, huddling together on the sofa at Revello Drive, unable to think of anyone or anything else. Each drew comfort from the other, bound to each other by blood, a bond as strong as that between Buffy and Dawn. They would be brother and sister till the end of the world.
Author's note: No, this isn't turning into a Spike/Dawn fic, and yes, this chapter is important for the rest of the plot… just wait and see!
Please note that from here on, there will be some fairly large time lapses between chapters… we're now at the end of season 5.
*** *** *** ***
"'I know you'll never love me. I know that I'm a monster. But you treat me like a man. And that's…'" The words echoed in her head as she hastily shoved some clothes into a bag. Those words, from the vampire who was waiting downstairs for her. Those words, and what he'd already done for her and Dawn, what he was still prepared to do… He would die for them – spend an eternity in hell for them. The thought shook her. She bit her lip, fastening the bag, and running downstairs.
"Ready?" He seemed to have regained some of his composure as he turned to the door, weapons in hand.
"Spike, wait." He turned back. She squared her shoulders, resolved. "I just wanted to thank you," she said softly. "For what you've done. For being willing to do whatever's necessary. And," she took a deep breath, "no one who does that is any kind of monster. So don't think of it like that." There was a small pause. "Anyway, we'd better get going – not much time," she said as he looked at her in amazement.
"Yeah. Uh. Best go, then," he said, feeling slightly dazed. He found it hard to believe that she'd just said those things to him. He followed her silently.
*** *** *** ***
Dead. She couldn't be dead. His beloved Buffy. But she couldn't be alive either, not after that fall. Even her Slayer strength couldn't have saved her. He dropped his head in his hands and wept, oblivious to the others round him. Oh, they'd saved the world. But what was it to him without her?
A small hand was trying to clean the wound on his head as he clutched her broken body to him. He barely noticed, until he smelt blood that wasn't his own. He blinked up at his attendant.
"Dawn." She was crying, too, not knowing what to do, instinct taking over as she tried to clean him up, her own blood still flowing freely from the shallow cuts, mingling with his own. He wrapped an arm round her, and, still not letting go of Buffy's body, sobbed into the blood-soaked dress of her younger sister.
Her fingers wound into his hair in an attempt to comfort him, but her own anguish was too great. She kissed him on the forehead, tasting his blood, not knowing why she'd done it. He looked up at her. "Sorry," she quavered.
He shook his head. "Might help heal those cuts – vampire healing. Won't hurt you. Take some more if you need to."
She knelt beside him. "No. My blood was the same as Buffy's. I should heal quickly anyway." She noticed the strange look on his face as she said it, and understood. Uncaring of the others watching, she brought his mouth over one of her cuts. "Drink."
He backed away. "No! No, not from you, never…"
"Do it. Drink," she said. "Just take a little." She brought his mouth back to the cut, and he took a little, unwillingly.
"Bound to each other forever, now, Nibblet," he tried to smile.
There were tears in her eyes. "No. They made me out of her. It's as much her blood as mine. You're bound to her forever. You'll always carry a part of her in you." She sat, stroking her dead sister's hair. "I know how much you loved her. I'd hoped that one day she'd love you back. I'd have given my life for it." Tears were running down her cheeks.
"And so you gave me all you could of her," he whispered. "Bound us to each other…" Dawn nodded. "Like it or not, you bound yourself to me as well."
"I know. You're my brother. All I have now," she whispered.
Eventually they remembered the others, who were staring curiously at them. Giles had come up behind them.
"Xander. We need to get them out of here."
"Spike will carry Buffy. And I can walk," said Dawn with no emotion in her voice.
"But…" began Giles.
"No." She got up, helping Spike to his feet. Neither looked back as they walked back to the shop. Willow and Tara gathered up the broken pieces of the bot.
No one knew that Dawn spent that night in Spike's arms, both of them crying, grieving for Buffy, huddling together on the sofa at Revello Drive, unable to think of anyone or anything else. Each drew comfort from the other, bound to each other by blood, a bond as strong as that between Buffy and Dawn. They would be brother and sister till the end of the world.
Author's note: No, this isn't turning into a Spike/Dawn fic, and yes, this chapter is important for the rest of the plot… just wait and see!