Title: Summer Rain Part 9/?

Author: Emily

Rating: PG 13, same as show.

Disclaimer: Property of Joss and Marti

Spoilers: Set in the summer after 'The Gift'. My

version of season six and before it. Continues on from

the rest of my Summer Rain series which you can find

archived at Lil' Nibblin, ff.net etc.

Feedback: Where's the love, people?! Feedback is always good. pipergal33@y...

Notes: Help! I'm not too sure where to go with this,

should I bring Buffy back or not? Let me know what you

think after reading these two parts. Oh and hell yes,

I'm a B/A 'shipper! Darn proud too!

Distribution: Lil' Nibblin, LNABB, ff.net anywhere else just

ask.

Part 9



I walked into the Magic Shop. Willow passed a book

across the table to Tara, and pulled some herbs out of

her pocket. Anya said something that I couldn't hear

and Xander patted her on the shoulder. What was going

on? I guess they must have gotten in with Anya's key

'cause Giles wasn't there. Weird much. They were

having a meeting without Giles? Or Spike, or me?

This wasn't the first time it'd happened either. Just

the other day Willow had gotten rid of me so she could

have some kind of meeting with the gang, not including

Giles. I could name a few other times too. Not to be

paranoid, but something really was going on. This

wasn't just group hang time.

" Dawn!" Tara said, looking up and suddenly seeing me.

" Hi guys. What's going on?"

Willow hastily put the book into her bag and swept the

herbs off the table.

" Nothing. Nothing is going on" She said quickly. What

a bad liar.

" Oh – kay"

" How are you today? Sleep well?" Willow asked

brightly.

" Uh huh. What's with all the questions?" I asked.

" Nothing." She repeated.

Like I'm going to fall for that. There really is

something going on here and I'm going to figure it

out.

" Oooh we have presents!" Willow announced.

" You didn't have to get me presents" I protested

slightly. But hell yes, they had to get me presents.

" That's what I told them. Birth is a special occasion

and there's no point in receiving presents on the

wrong day. It's a waste of good, healthy money." Anya

told me.

Xander looked across at her.

" What? It *is* a waste of money. We could buy all

sorts of things with it like antelopes or zebras oh

and stock market shares…" She started, her lips

curving in a smile at the thought of money.

Everyone looked across at her.

" Happy Birthday!" Anya said with a big smile. " Have

some presents"

Willow reached for something under the table and piled

a bunch of brightly wrapped presents onto the table.

She beamed at me and I couldn't help smiling back.



* * *



I looked around slightly guiltily. No-one was looking

in my direction. I was being the invisible girl again.

My gaze flicked to Willow's bag right beside my feet.

The corner of the book they had been looking at before

stuck out. It was almost asking me to take a look. So

I did.

Osiris.

The word caught my eye and I gasped. Osiris. An

Egyptian guy. Um, the god of the dead or something. I

don't know. God, he was the one in the spell I used to

bring Mom back. In the book with the resurrection

spells.

Osiris. Resurrection. Secret meetings. Suddenly

everything makes an awful, horrible kind of sense.

Oh my God.

" Dawn?"

I dropped the book on the floor, damn, and tried to

put it in the bag, managing to put it in before Willow

came round to talk to me.

" Hey" She said, not seeming to notice anything out of

the normal.

" Hi!" I said quickly trying not to look guilty and

making myself look even worse.

" You okay?" Will asked.

" I'm fine. I'm good. I was um drinking coffee."

" You're too young for that!" Anya called across the

store.

" Next she'll be taking drugs and having sex" I heard

Anya say it but didn't take it in. I couldn't really

take anything in.

Willow made a face. "Anya!"

Anya shrugged.

"Yeah, caffeine makes me jumpy too", Willow continued.

" It's getting late. You want to go home?" She asked.

"Okay"

"Spike can walk you home" Willow added.

" Spike's here?" I brightened slightly, coming back to

the real world, trying not to think about the

knowledge weighing down on me.



* * *



" You're quiet, Nibblet." I commented.

" Huh?" Dawn asked, jumping

" Oh right, quiet yeah."

I frowned in her direction.

" What is it?" I demanded.

" It's nothing. Just school and stuff."

" Dawn it's the bleedin' summer vacation." I rolled my

eyes

" Oh. But I have homework." She persisted.

" So you've been preoccupied with math this whole

time?" I asked sarcastically.

" Uh huh" Dawn said in a small voice.

" Is it the birthday thing? Because Willow and that

lot forgot?" I started.

" Nope" Dawn said.

" You're not pregnant or anything…bloody hell, please

say you're not?" I panicked.

Dawn stared at me and then gave me a look. "No. No!"

" God! I can't believe you would think that. Do I look

like the kind of person that..that does that? I mean,

I've only ever ki – never mind. I am so not having

this conversation with you." She finished starting to

blush and folded her arms across her chest

defensively.

I glanced at her, almost smirking.

" Leave me alone" Dawn protested, walking faster.

I laughed. Couldn't help it.

" You know what? I'm just going to walk by myself from

now on. It's not like anything's out here. But if

there is and if I get killed or whatever you can feel

guilty." She informed me.

I looked down briefly as memories swept my brain. Dawn

up there on that tower. That bastard slicing into her.

I didn't let them show on my face.

" All right." I said casually. Not gonna leave her

alone out here for a single minute.

Dawn turned to face me. "*All right*?"

She turned back round, offended and walked faster. I

just grinned and followed behind her, watching the

shadows nearby for any signs of danger.

A noise broke the silence as some garbage cans toppled

over.

Dawn jumped, startled and grabbed for my arm.

" What was that?" She asked urgently.

A barking sounded in the air.

" A dog"

" Oh." She rapidly let go of my arm.

" You're right love, there's nothing out here." I said

mockingly.

" It could have been a werewolf." She muttered.

" Yeah. Sure could have been."

" Oh look, my house" Dawn said with relief as we

reached 1630.

" And by the way, I' m not even inviting you in for

hot chocolate." She added.

" I prefer blood."

Dawn rolled her eyes and completely unexpectedly, out

of the blue, slid her jacket and top off her shoulder,

exposing pale white flesh and the soft curves of her

neck to me. She pushed down a pale aqua bra strap and

looked up at me.

" Go ahead" She smirked.



* * *



I was just kidding. I really was. But suddenly

everything turned serious.

He seemed to force a laugh. " Forgotten about this

chip, pet?"

" Would it stop you?" I asked.

He took a step closer and peered at me.

A pale vampire hand reached and stroked down my neck

in an unexpected gesture.

I gasped, surprised.

Spike's hand slid gently up and down my neck, fingers

tenderly caressing my skin before he removed it.

I looked up at him and then rapidly, suddenly, hastily

he pulled away from me entirely.

" Spike?" I started to say, but he was walking quickly

back in the direction we'd come from.



* * *

Oh my God. What was that about? Why did he do that?

I'm confused and oh God, I shouldn't be thinking about

this, about Spike. Willow had a book with Osiris in

it. That means resurrection. She…they're going to

bring Buffy back.