Dawn and Darkness Spoilers: Through "Grave" Feedback: I LOVE feedback, and everyone who reviews will get a cookie! (NOTE: no cookies will be given out) But this is my first Buffy fic, so please don't flame me. Dedication: This is for all the Spike and Dawn shippers (S/D-it's so wrong it's right) and for Gina.

Spike walked through the familiar graveyard for the first time in a few months. It didn't look any different than it had been when he left, but he felt like a different person. Now that he had that soul, he felt awful about a lot he had done, especially what he had done to Buffy. He knew she would never forgive him. But he was still a vampire, and right now, he was thirsty. As he was about to open the door to his crypt, he heard a familiar voice from behind him. "Spike!" He turned around. "Niblet?" "Yeah. Where were you?" "Uh.places." "Why?" "None of your business." Dawn looked a little hurt, but hurt turned to shock as a vampire grabbed her from behind. He was about to sink his teeth into her when Spike grabbed him and threw him onto a tree branch where he exploded into dust. The cool breeze carried him away. "You okay platelet?" Dawn looked at him, wide-eyed, and fainted. Spike picked her up in his muscular arms, kicked the door of his crypt open and lay her gingerly on the couch. He slapped her lightly on the cheek. "Wake up lil bit. Wake up!" Her eyes fluttered open. "Spike?" "Yeah, you okay?" "Yeah. Where am I?" "In my crypt. You want something? I don't have any water.you want some Weetabix?" She shook her head. "I'm fine." "You sure?" "Yeah. Spike, I wanted to tell you something. I missed you.and over the summer, I was-" "How's Buffy?" he interrupted, not intending to be rude, he just wasn't really listening to what she was saying. He had other things on his mind. "Um.she's ok. She's seeing that guy from her birthday party. Richard." "WHAT??" "Yeah. Spike, over the summer, I was thinking a lot about you and-" "What does she see in that prat? Did you see the way he acted like a nancy- boy at the party?" "SPIKE! LISTEN TO ME!" "WHAT IS IT?" He hadn't meant to sound so angry, but that Richard bloke. "I love you," she whispered. "When I thought that maybe you wouldn't ever come back, I felt like." she began to cry. "Don't cry," Spike said, sitting on the couch next to her. Bloody hell, he thought. She looked so sweet and innocent sitting there, and he hadn't seen this side of her before. In that instant, he fell in love for the first time. Drusilla and Buffy weren't real love, because he hadn't had a soul and without a soul you can't REALLY love someone. He knew that now. He dried her tears with his hands and they locked eyes. He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. "I love you too." (

***The End***