Willow was levitating vegetables again. Spike rolled his eyes at her and sat down at the island counter in the Summers' kitchen, a mug of hot chocolate in his hands, "Can you not make the tomatoes float like that? It's...wrong."
Willow stuck her tongue out at him as she made the red veggies slice themselves in mid air, "It's easier cooking this way."
"She loves doing this." Tarah told Spike, "Just let her have her fun."
"Dawn had better be home in time for dinner. I'm using some major concentration in this salad." Willow said as she tossed the lettuce--without her hands, "Where are the Next Generation anyway?"
"Prom shopping." Spike answered, then realized what an opportune moment he had to tell them about what had been happening over the past week, "Speaking of, I have something to talk to you two about."
"Oh, God you're not gonna, you know, follow her around at the prom, are you?" Willow asked, "That's going a little above and beyond, Spike."
The vampire frowned, "No, I'm *taking* her to the prom."
"Like a date?" Tarah asked, eyebrows softly raised.
"Well...yeah, sure. Um, don't get all witchy on me here, Red. But there are some things that have been goin' on and--"
Willow sat down, the green peppers plopping gracelessly into the salad bowl, forgotten by the distracted witch, "OK."
"Me and the little bit...stuff's been happening and we're...things are changed."
"How?" Willow asked slowly, carefully staring the bleached blond down her eyes narrowing just slightly.
"We have feelings and...Oh bloody *hell* I sound like a friggin' episode of Oprah. We kissed, alright? And now we're sort of together. And I know you're gonna have a nice little fit about it but don't, got it? I'm not gonna hurt her and I've already tried to convince myself that it's not right but it just is so just shut--"
"Spike, stop talking." Willow interrupted, one hand on his left forearm, her eyes dancing with mischief, "It's OK."
Tarah nodded, "It's sweet. We always knew she liked you...that way."
"She didn't always." He corrected, "Did she?"
"Oh, yeah." Willow nodded vigorously, "You mean you never noticed? Way back when she was they key...She followed you every chance she got. You were like a celebrity to Dawn."
Spike grinned, "I was?"
"Yup. She was starstruck." Willow told him, sharing a conspiratorial look with Tarah over his shoulder.
~*~
Ian choked on his root beer, "You mean you two *finally* figured it out?"
Dawn frowned at him, "What do you mean, finally?"
The band mates were all seated at a huge table in the food court, bags of prom accessories and attire hung from the backs of their chairs.
"He means we knew you and Spike had the hots for eachother. A long, long time ago." Card told her, "You guys were just too stupid to notice."
"That's not true. Yes, I had a crush on Spike, but that ended when I was 15, and now it's way different."
"Yeah right." Was the chorus of replies and Mia patted her friend on the shoulder, "Dawn, you never got over that so-called crush. Admit it. Now that you and Spike are all over eachother, you're on freaking cloud nine."
"We aren't all over eachother." Dawn muttered with a faint flush to her cheeks as she focused intently on her french fries.
"Uh huh. Sure."
~*~
When dinner finally ended and prom talk had ceased, and Willow and Tarah had finally gone home, Dawn found herself in Spike's lap, on the overstuffed arm chair in the living room. After the first long, I-missed-you-all-day-kiss, Dawn pulled back breathless.
"How'd the shopping go?" Spike asked absently, toying with her hair and placing lazy kisses along her jaw.
"Great...Found a dress." She murmured in reply, her eyes falling shut as his cool lips moved down her neck. Dawn's legs slid down so that she was straddling his denim-clad lap, her hands tracing lay patterns at the nape of his neck.
"Can I see it?"
"No...chance."
Their mouths met again in a hungry kiss, and Dawn didn't realize she had been rocking her hips against Spike's until he groaned and gently pushed her away. They stared into eachother's eyes for a moment, showing a range of emotions on both sides. Lust, love, confusion, need, restraint. Spike took a collecting breath and carefully lifted her off his lap.
"I have to patrol." He said gruffly, grabbing his jacket off the coat rack.
"Spike, I'm sor--"
"It's nothing, Dawn." He cut her off, and she fought not to wince at the use of her actual name.
"Want me to come?"
"Uh...No, you have school in the morning."
And he was gone, leaving Dawn alone and confused and in desperate need of a frigid shower.
Willow stuck her tongue out at him as she made the red veggies slice themselves in mid air, "It's easier cooking this way."
"She loves doing this." Tarah told Spike, "Just let her have her fun."
"Dawn had better be home in time for dinner. I'm using some major concentration in this salad." Willow said as she tossed the lettuce--without her hands, "Where are the Next Generation anyway?"
"Prom shopping." Spike answered, then realized what an opportune moment he had to tell them about what had been happening over the past week, "Speaking of, I have something to talk to you two about."
"Oh, God you're not gonna, you know, follow her around at the prom, are you?" Willow asked, "That's going a little above and beyond, Spike."
The vampire frowned, "No, I'm *taking* her to the prom."
"Like a date?" Tarah asked, eyebrows softly raised.
"Well...yeah, sure. Um, don't get all witchy on me here, Red. But there are some things that have been goin' on and--"
Willow sat down, the green peppers plopping gracelessly into the salad bowl, forgotten by the distracted witch, "OK."
"Me and the little bit...stuff's been happening and we're...things are changed."
"How?" Willow asked slowly, carefully staring the bleached blond down her eyes narrowing just slightly.
"We have feelings and...Oh bloody *hell* I sound like a friggin' episode of Oprah. We kissed, alright? And now we're sort of together. And I know you're gonna have a nice little fit about it but don't, got it? I'm not gonna hurt her and I've already tried to convince myself that it's not right but it just is so just shut--"
"Spike, stop talking." Willow interrupted, one hand on his left forearm, her eyes dancing with mischief, "It's OK."
Tarah nodded, "It's sweet. We always knew she liked you...that way."
"She didn't always." He corrected, "Did she?"
"Oh, yeah." Willow nodded vigorously, "You mean you never noticed? Way back when she was they key...She followed you every chance she got. You were like a celebrity to Dawn."
Spike grinned, "I was?"
"Yup. She was starstruck." Willow told him, sharing a conspiratorial look with Tarah over his shoulder.
~*~
Ian choked on his root beer, "You mean you two *finally* figured it out?"
Dawn frowned at him, "What do you mean, finally?"
The band mates were all seated at a huge table in the food court, bags of prom accessories and attire hung from the backs of their chairs.
"He means we knew you and Spike had the hots for eachother. A long, long time ago." Card told her, "You guys were just too stupid to notice."
"That's not true. Yes, I had a crush on Spike, but that ended when I was 15, and now it's way different."
"Yeah right." Was the chorus of replies and Mia patted her friend on the shoulder, "Dawn, you never got over that so-called crush. Admit it. Now that you and Spike are all over eachother, you're on freaking cloud nine."
"We aren't all over eachother." Dawn muttered with a faint flush to her cheeks as she focused intently on her french fries.
"Uh huh. Sure."
~*~
When dinner finally ended and prom talk had ceased, and Willow and Tarah had finally gone home, Dawn found herself in Spike's lap, on the overstuffed arm chair in the living room. After the first long, I-missed-you-all-day-kiss, Dawn pulled back breathless.
"How'd the shopping go?" Spike asked absently, toying with her hair and placing lazy kisses along her jaw.
"Great...Found a dress." She murmured in reply, her eyes falling shut as his cool lips moved down her neck. Dawn's legs slid down so that she was straddling his denim-clad lap, her hands tracing lay patterns at the nape of his neck.
"Can I see it?"
"No...chance."
Their mouths met again in a hungry kiss, and Dawn didn't realize she had been rocking her hips against Spike's until he groaned and gently pushed her away. They stared into eachother's eyes for a moment, showing a range of emotions on both sides. Lust, love, confusion, need, restraint. Spike took a collecting breath and carefully lifted her off his lap.
"I have to patrol." He said gruffly, grabbing his jacket off the coat rack.
"Spike, I'm sor--"
"It's nothing, Dawn." He cut her off, and she fought not to wince at the use of her actual name.
"Want me to come?"
"Uh...No, you have school in the morning."
And he was gone, leaving Dawn alone and confused and in desperate need of a frigid shower.
