Title: ABNORMAL AGAIN
Synopsis: Buffy reveals her secret to her family. A post-"Normal Again" episode fanfic.
Rating: G
Date Written: Thursday, 25 April, 2002
Author: The Resident Vampyr © 2001-2002.
Note: Abnormal Again is the 16th of a series of post-episode fanfictions based on Buffy, the Vampire Slayer season 6 episodes. I will try to write a short, mostly Spike/Buffy story every week for the entire season. Again, these are pure speculations. I don't read spoilers no early bird review. Let me know what you think.
Credits: Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the property of Joss Whedon and the powers that be.
Characters: Buffy Dawn Spike


"You're addicted to the misery. It's why you won't tell your pals about us.
Might actually have to be happy if you did... " - Spike to Buffy

Dawn watched as Buffy drank the antidote Willow made for her. It was a long night for everybody. Buffy went into deep hallucinations that prompted her to act violently against her friends and against her kid sister. Dawn could only imagine how serious Buffy's emotional dilemma was that she desperately wanted everything to just disappear. Buffy told her hurtful things such as her not being real, that she was put on this universe as a cloak. Dawn wondered if Buffy really meant everything that she said, including sleeping with the vampire she hated.

Buffy finished her antidote and prepared to get some sleep, Dawn still at her side making sure that everything was okay.

"Are you okay?" asked Dawn.

Buffy nodded.

Dawn sensed there was something else bothering her sister. Unconvinced, she asked her again, "Are you sure?"

Buffy couldn't hide from the fact that there was indeed something that she wanted to explain to Dawn.

"Dawn," unsure of herself, "I m-may have said something, somethings tonight that I probably s-shouldn't have."

"I understand. You're not yourself."

Buffy smiled tentatively. "None of it were real."

"I believe you," Dawn nodded as she prepared to leave.

Buffy stopped her. Tonight's revelation not only made things clearer for Buffy, she wanted to reclaim the lost time with her sister, to build the trust again between them.

Buffy realized she wanted to come clean with what's happening to her lately. She knew that trust was the issue between them from the very beginning-- Dawn's stealing, her late night trysts with Spike. Buffy wanted to start all over again.

"Dawn," she held her sister's hand, and looked at her intently, "I have to tell you something."

Dawn looked very concerned, yet nervous at the same time. Her sister never looked so determined.

"What is it?"

"A-about what I said when I was under the spell...", Buffy paused. "None of it were real, except..."

Dawn remembered every word that Buffy said, especially about one particular thing. "Except what?"

"Me, s-sleeping with a, a vampire that I... hate. That was real..."

One particular thing that Dawn couldn't help to wonder ever since Buffy mentioned it. Until now. Dawn simply stared blankly at her, unable to comprehend in disbelief.

"What? Since when?" Dawn started to get upset, "Why?"

"It doesn't matter when, or why. It's all over now," Buffy tried to pacify her sister.

"Buffy, h-he's your mortal enemy, remember?! How could you sleep with him?"

"I know. It was a mistake."

"You didn't answer my question. How could you?"

"I don't know...I--I guess I needed someone. He was there for me," Buffy felt guilt again. "I used him."

There was silence. Buffy was afraid that this would happen. She was never the one who expresses her feelings well. She was always the one who knew how to keep things to herself. Dawn couldn't understand why Buffy did what she did. Buffy was supposed to set examples, not to break the rules. But, she did by sleeping with the enemy. Yes, Spike was there for Buffy and for them through the past year and even before, but it never erased the fact that Spike was once a mortal enemy.

"Does Willow know? Giles?" Dawn asked, still in disbelief.

"Tara," she replied quietly. "I didn't tell you because I was afraid." Buffy bowed her head.

Dawn studied her sister. Afraid? Dawn couldn't help but be concerned for her sister. She doesn't want to see Buffy suffer again like what happened with Angel.

Angel was the first and only vampire her sister loved. He was good, and yet...

Now, Spike. A vampire, whose much of his unlife was dedicated on killing slayers. What would become of them?

"Are you in love with him?" asked Dawn.

Buffy lifted her head and searched for an answer to a simple question, but she couldn't find any.




***



Dawn woke up early in order to come to school ahead of time. It was almost the end of the school year and it was getting pretty busy because of the finals and everything. Xander volunteered to pick her up again but she declined since it was early spring and she wanted to walk to school with her friend next door. Dawn was about to leave the house when Buffy called her from the kitchen.

"Dawn, is that you?" she called.

Dawn hurriedly went to the kitchen and to her surprise, Buffy was preparing breakfast. Fresh orange juice in the glass, pancakes with blueberries on the plate, maple syrup and butter on the side.

"Want some pancakes?" asked Buffy cheerfully.

"You made these?"

"Yep," Buffy placed Dawn's packed lunch on the table. "Starting today, you will see more of the new me," Buffy removed the apron that she was wearing and reveal the Doublemeat Palace uniform underneath it.

"No more missing Buffy, no more late night patrolling..." she continued.

"No more messing around with vampires?" Dawn asked jokingly.

"Right," Buffy smiled.



***


Dawn slowly pushed the thick door of the crypt. No matter how quietly she entered, it made those creepy, creaking sound. It was dark, a smokey stench can be smelled from underneath. It was as if somebody had burned something.

Dawn walked towards the television. 'Passions' was on.

"Eiww," Dawn whispered to herself.

"What are you doing here little bit?" Spike sneaked up from behind her.

"Spike!" Dawn was startled.

"I-I was just on my way home, and I was just passing by, and," she reasoned out. This place always gave her the creeps even before she was hiding out in here a year ago.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she turned their conversation elsewhere.

"I haven't been here since...Glory," Dawn remembered. "You still watch this show? How's Timmy?"

Spike sensed confusion and fear.

"You didn't come all the way here to talk about Timmy, aree you? Are you sure everything's all right?"

"Everything's back to normal, except,"

Spike was curious. He approached her slowly.

"Buffy told me everything," Dawn cleared her throat, "About y-you and her."

"She did?" Spike smiled in surprise. This was unexpected, he thought. Buffy being honest with her family? "She told you about, what?" he asked again just to make sure that they were thinking of the same thing.

"I want you to stay away from her."

Spike chuckled. "I think you got your story all wrong," he said, half-amused. "She was the one coming here to me," he paused and corrected himself, "Well, I mean, not anymore, but--"

"It doesn't matter!" Dawn began to raise her voice. "She's been through enough already. I don't want to see her get hurt again!"

Spike was confused, but at the same time was able to understand how Dawn felt about all these. "I won't hurt her," he guaranteed her.

"You will! she argued. "You are!"

"J-just, leave her alone," she said, now calmly.

Dawn walked towards the door. Before she left, she looked seriously at Spike, "I mean it."


***





next post-episode#17

Also by The Resident Vampyr™ The Vampyr Pentateuch & Other Stories™. A compilation of Season 5 BtVS post-episode fanfictions. Visit http://www.vampyrslayer.cjb.net for more. Vampire Seasons™ - a compilation of season 6 BtVS post-episode fanfictions @ http://vampireseasons.cjb.net. Mirrored at http://www.fanfiction.net