A/N.- This is chapter Twelve of the ENOUGH series.
Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show on the air.
Feedback.- As you wish.
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Dawn.
Buffy and Willow arrived a few minutes before the ambulance arrived. They ran upstairs to Xander's apartment and found the door unlocked. Both girls entered and gasped when they saw their friend lying face down just where his attacker had left him. They left the door wide open for the paramedics to enter and didn't know wether to move their friend or leave him lying in there.
"Oh, God, he's so beaten up." Buffy whispered. Willow was shocked beyond belief. She knew that Spike hated Xander but she didn't know to what degree. Now she had an idea.
"Willow! I'm talking to you!" Buffy said. Her friend had dozed off and seemed to be on a faraway land. "How did you know that Xander was like this?" She asked, "Did he call you?"
Willow shook her head no and was just staring at her shattered friend. All of a sudden, the paramedics arrived and proceeded to help Xander. Buffy didn't know what was going on but when they stepped outside the apartment to give the paramedics room she noticed something. There was blood on the hallway's walls. That meant that Xander had been assaulted outside and thrown into his apartment. Who was so considerate to attack someone and then throw him into his house? And Willow had said that he had been attacked by the supernatural. She knew something that she didn't.
"What happened, Willow?" Buffy said, staring at her friend, "What are you not telling me?"
"Uhm," Willow fidgeted a little with her sweater, "promise to not be mad at me?" She asked nervously.
Buffy stared at her. She was worried and she saw her worries reflected in Willow's eyes.
"I can't promise you anything, Will, one of our best friends is lying there in a puddle of his own blood!" Buffy shook her hands violently, "So please forgive me if I am a little pissed off and want to know who did this to Xander so I can go and rip him in half!"
Willow trembled a bit, and lowered her head. What she said next was a little whisper, but it was something that hit Buffy like a thunder.
"Spike."
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Dawn heard a soft knock on her door. She woke up and stared at her clock. It was 10:45. Barely ten minutes after Buffy had left to see what had happened to Xander. She assumed it was Tara knocking to tell her that they had called and she knew what was wrong with Xander. She got up, wrapped herself in her robe and went to open her door.
"Ok, Tara, tell me what's...." She expected to see her friend but she was greeted by the face of a vampire in her house.
"Hi, Dawn," Spike said, "can I talk to you?"
Dawn was shocked but not afraid. She was used to seeing the vampire in her house. Not so much lately but she still liked him.
"Well, that depends, you haven't been very talkative with me lately." Dawn said, shrugging.
"Yeah, sorry 'bout that." Spike said. Dawn sighed and moved aside, motioning for the vampire to enter her room.
"So, what you wanna talk about?" She said, sitting in the corner of her bed.
Spike stared at her, and felt his emotions back. What was it about this girl that made him feel that way? It was actually very simple; at least it was to him right now. Every time he tried to show emotion to somebody he had been shut down, even mocked upon. But this girl was different.
He showed her his emotions because she let him.
"Are you going to talk or are you gonna mope in there?" Dawn said, confused by Spike's silence.
"Please let me tell you what I want to tell you and later you can scream all you want, ok?" Spike said, staring into Dawn's eyes.
"Something tells me that I won't like what you're about to tell me." Dawn stated, crossing her arms.
"Yes, Dawn, I don't know how to tell you this." Spike ran his hands through his hair and avoided looking at her.
"Ha, well, let me guess," Dawn said, "guess what nibblet, I got the chip out of my head and I'm back on my killing spree!" She ended, having imitated a lousy English accent and laughing out loud. However, she stopped laughing when she saw how Spike lowered his head and his posture changed. Without knowing, she had guessed what he was about to tell.
"Spike?" She asked, her voice small and about to break, "It's true?"
Spike looked up and smiled sadly.
"Yes, Dawn, the chip is out, I managed to get rid of it."
Dawn's face didn't change. She just kept staring at him. She then smiled.
"You haven't killed anyone, right?" She asked.
Spike smiled back at her.
"No, Dawn. Haven't done it and don't plan on doing it again."
She jumped and hugged him.
"I knew it! I knew that even when that thing was out you wouldn't go back to you old ways."
Spike thanked whatever deity would listen for the love that this girl gave him. He almost hated what he had to do next.
"Listen, Dawn, I haven't finished yet."
Dawn separated from him and saw the emotion on the vampire's eyes. She was the only one to whom he'd allow to see any emotion in him. Ever.
"There is something else I need to do." He took a deep breath and grabbed Dawn's shoulders. "I'm going to leave Sunnydale, Dawn."
Now she leapt back, and seemed shocked to the core. She tilted her head and tried to understand what was going on.
"What? Why are you leaving? What happened?" Dawn said, her voice breaking and sounding a pitch higher than usual.
"Listen, Dawn, it's just something I have to do, please don't be mad at me." Spike was afraid that Dawn would close herself and get angry at him. Shutting him off her for the rest of her life. That he couldn't stand.
"Will you come back?" She asked timidly.
"Don't know, Dawn, but I'll keep in touch with you, if you let me." He offered a shy smile. Dawn didn't understand what was going on.
"Is this about Buffy?" Dawn asked. Had Spike been the same his face would have fallen and he'd protect the slayer at all costs. But he wasn't the same Spike; he didn't feel like protecting the slayer anymore.
"Yes, Dawn, it has something to do with the slayer." Spike answered.
Dawn noticed something weird. The same thing that Tara had seen earlier. He wasn't calling her nibblet and he referred to Buffy as the slayer.
"What did she do to you this time?" Dawn asked, noticing the distant look that the vampire had in his eyes. Spike looked away. He didn't want to tell anyone what was going on in his head. But he owed this much to the girl who had always been nice to him. He owed it to the only girl who showed him some tenderness.
"She made me see what I am, Dawn." He finally said. Dawn didn't know what to make of that statement. She wanted to scream or shout at him, or maybe insult her sister. She didn't know what had her sister told the vampire to get him in such mood.
"You know I won't forfeit that promise, Dawn," He looked at her and ran his hand through her cheek, "if you need me I'll be here. Anytime, everywhere, every when."
Dawn fought back a sad feeling washing over her. He was saying 'see you later', not 'goodbye'. That eased her a little bit.
"Will you keep in touch, Spike?" She asked.
"You know I will." He said, and walked over to the door. "The slayer will tell you about things I did this night, Dawn. Please try to understand my motives."
"It was you who hurt Xander, wasn't it?" Dawn asked, taking a step closer to Spike.
"Yeah," Spike looked at her ashamed, "but he's not dead. I only told him a few basic truths."
"And proceeded to beat the crap out of him." Dawn said, uncomfortable with a friend of her beating another friend.
"One thing, Dawn." Spike said, turning around to stare at her. "It may sound cold, but I don't care what happens to any of them. I just care about what might happen to you. My promise only covered you. No one else."
Dawn was shocked by his statement. Spike had protected the scoobies and seemed to have bonded with them over the summer. She wondered what could have happened in order to change the full of life vampire into the shell that was in front of her.
"You're different, Spike, what happened to you?" Dawn asked, worried as hell.
"Nothing, Dawn. I was simply reminded of the thing I am." Spike smiled and patted her head, ruffling her hair a little bit,
"Now I have to go, Dawn. Someday we'll see each other again."
He turned around, left her room and a few moments later she heard the front door closing. She stepped outside her room and walked to Willow's room, where she knew Tara was. She knocked and waited to hear the sorceress' voice. Instead, Tara opened the door and saw the look in Dawn's eyes. She instantly understood.
"Come here, Dawnie." Tara said, and Dawn approached her and hugged her tightly.
"He's gone, Tara," Dawn weeped. She didn't want to cry but it was becoming really hard to hold on. They stood there, in each other's embrace until the phone rang. Tara let go of Dawn and answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Oh, Tara, thank God, are you ok?" Buffy asked, obviously nervous.
"Yes, Buffy, I'm all right." Tara said, knowing that Willow had already informed Buffy about Spike
"And Dawn, is she...?"
"She's fine as well, Buffy, a little sad but she's ok." Tara answered Buffy's half question.
"Sad?" Buffy asked, still feeling anxious.
"I'll explain when you get home, Buffy, bye." Tara said.
Buffy said bye as well and the conversation ended. Tara just laid down the phone and returned to comfort the sad teen in her bedroom floor.
End of Chapter.
