Disclaimer: Still don't own 'em
Author's Notes: I was planning on leaving this with only having one chapter....but people wanted to me to continue...sooo I did. This chapter is mainly Spike/dawn friendship-ish centered and a bit of Buffy/Spike fluff...just a bit. Anyways, on with it. Oh, and tell me what you think once again.
"Wait here," Buffy told Spike as they came in through the back door into the kitchen.
Spike nodded, twitching a bit nervously. Just then Buffy remembered what Spike had said earlier about Dawn being scary, and she wondered just what her little sister said to him. She didn't allow herself to linger on that thought though and she quickly made her way through the living room and up the stairs to see if Dawn was still up.
"Dawnie?" Buffy asked, knocking of the door before slightly opening it. "You still awake?"
"Yeah Buffy, come on in..I just finished my math homework," she said emphasizing the word homework. Buffy went into her sister's room and sat on the bed. "So, what happened with the underground demony thing?" Dawn asked.
"Oh the usual...actually, it really wasn't the usual. Big giant worm guy, who actually was literally a guy. One of Anya's vengeance spells. Well to keep it short she reversed the spell."
"Sorry I missed it, but I had to stay home to do *homework*."
Buffy smiled at her sister, but then remembered why she had come up here. "I actually want to talk to you about Spike." She said, completely facing Dawn now.
"Why didn't you tell me he was back?" Dawn demanded angrily. She thought things had changed over the summer, and that Buffy would tell her when these important things happened.
Buffy sighed, "I'm sorry Dawn, but when I first saw him I didn't know what to think..I mean he wasn't exactly sane."
"Huh?" Dawn asked a bit confused. "He seemed fine to me earlier."
"He was...well sort of. I have a suspicion that it was just an act to make him seem like a 'normal' person."
"What are you getting at?" Dawn asked, beginning to get a bit impatient.
Buffy took a deep breath before saying as quickly as she could, "Spike has a soul and he got it because of me."
"Spike has a soul?" Dawn repeated as slowly as possible, "and he got it because of you?"
"Yeah...I'm a bit hazy on the details of how but he got it because he..." Buffy paused, not knowing if she should be telling her sister this.
"Because of what?"
"Because he wanted to give me what I deserved, he got it for me...."
"For you?" Dawn asked, not quite understanding this.
Buffy nodded. "I don't exactly know everything either. Trying to have a regular conversation with him right now is a bit difficult."
"So where is he now?"
"In the kitchen." Buffy replied, uncertain of what her sister's reaction would be. "I told him he could stay here just for tonight...in the basement."
Dawn took a deep breath, trying to take this all in. "Can I go see him?"
"If you want, sure." Dawn smiled slightly and left her room without another word, quickly heading downstairs with Buffy right behind her.
***
As both sisters entered the kitchen Spike was quietly mumbling to himself. "Spike?" Dawn asked, trying to get his attention.
Spike jumped, seeming a bit startled by Dawn's voice. "Dawn..." he said nervously, not allowing himself to make eye contact with her. Dawn had to admit that she was a bit startled at Spike's ragged appearance, but pretended she didn't notice anything different.
"Not that I don't find it kind of cool to actually being able to intimidate someone," Dawn started to say, before turning to look at Buffy who sat down and was now watching them intently, "but I don't want you to be scared of me...I know that you have a soul now." Spike quickly raised his head and looked at her questioningly, but still didn't say anything.
Seeing his look Dawn explained, "Buffy told me. But that's not the point. I just wanted to say that you don't actually have to be afraid of me, you know....killing you at night." At hearing this it was Buffy's turn to look at her sister, but she was also glad to hear that she cared enough about her to threaten a vampire, certainly when she didn't know he had a soul yet.
"What I'm trying to get to here," Dawn continued, "is that while it may take awhile for everyone to fully trust you again, I believe that your going to do good and that you wont harm anyone. At least, I'd like to believe that, and I hope you don't prove me wrong." Dawn paused, taking a deep breath and glancing between Buffy and Spike. Both of them looked pretty speechless at what Dawn had to say.
"Welcome back, Spike." Dawn finally said, walking over to Spike and wrapping her arms around his waist in a hug.
"Thank you Dawn." Spike said, his voice thick with emotion and tears running down his face. "I can promise you, and you know that I never usually break a promise, that I will try to do good and try not to harm anyone--physically or emotionally."
Those two stood there for another few seconds before Buffy interrupted them. "Dawn, its late. I think its about time you head to bed."
Dawn let out an overly dramatic sigh, but agreed anyways. "Night you two." She said before making her way to her room.
"She really has grown up alot," Spike said a few moments after Dawn left.
"Yeah, I know. She still surprises me everyday."
"I meant what I said to Dawn...the promise."
"I know you did. But come on...you should be getting some rest as well." Spike nodded, knowing that if he didn't sleep soon he would sure pass out from exhaustion.
***
About an hour later Buffy was getting up off the couch about to go to bed and get some sleep herself. She was going to go to bed when she got Spike settled in, but there were to many thoughts going through her mind. She wasn't quite regretting inviting Spike to stay, but she still hasn't decided how she felt about it.
Buffy sighed, giving up trying to figure it out. She turned off the light and started to make her way up the stairs when she heard a small whimpering sound. It didn't take her long to figure out it was coming from the basement, and was probably Spike having a nightmare. She sighed again and made her way to the basement, turning on a small, dim light.
As she approached the cot where Spike was sleeping she could see him tossing and turning, a look of pain etched into his features. Before she knew what she was doing she kneeled next to the bed and began running her hands through his hair.
"Shh...Spike, its okay." Buffy said soothingly, relieved to see him calm down a bit at her touch. She put her head down on the bed wanting only to rest her head for a few minutes until Spike completely calmed down. She must have been more tired then she thought, because she dozed off after mumbling, "Welcome home, Spike."
A/N: Once again, tell me what you think. Should I continue on some more?
Author's Notes: I was planning on leaving this with only having one chapter....but people wanted to me to continue...sooo I did. This chapter is mainly Spike/dawn friendship-ish centered and a bit of Buffy/Spike fluff...just a bit. Anyways, on with it. Oh, and tell me what you think once again.
"Wait here," Buffy told Spike as they came in through the back door into the kitchen.
Spike nodded, twitching a bit nervously. Just then Buffy remembered what Spike had said earlier about Dawn being scary, and she wondered just what her little sister said to him. She didn't allow herself to linger on that thought though and she quickly made her way through the living room and up the stairs to see if Dawn was still up.
"Dawnie?" Buffy asked, knocking of the door before slightly opening it. "You still awake?"
"Yeah Buffy, come on in..I just finished my math homework," she said emphasizing the word homework. Buffy went into her sister's room and sat on the bed. "So, what happened with the underground demony thing?" Dawn asked.
"Oh the usual...actually, it really wasn't the usual. Big giant worm guy, who actually was literally a guy. One of Anya's vengeance spells. Well to keep it short she reversed the spell."
"Sorry I missed it, but I had to stay home to do *homework*."
Buffy smiled at her sister, but then remembered why she had come up here. "I actually want to talk to you about Spike." She said, completely facing Dawn now.
"Why didn't you tell me he was back?" Dawn demanded angrily. She thought things had changed over the summer, and that Buffy would tell her when these important things happened.
Buffy sighed, "I'm sorry Dawn, but when I first saw him I didn't know what to think..I mean he wasn't exactly sane."
"Huh?" Dawn asked a bit confused. "He seemed fine to me earlier."
"He was...well sort of. I have a suspicion that it was just an act to make him seem like a 'normal' person."
"What are you getting at?" Dawn asked, beginning to get a bit impatient.
Buffy took a deep breath before saying as quickly as she could, "Spike has a soul and he got it because of me."
"Spike has a soul?" Dawn repeated as slowly as possible, "and he got it because of you?"
"Yeah...I'm a bit hazy on the details of how but he got it because he..." Buffy paused, not knowing if she should be telling her sister this.
"Because of what?"
"Because he wanted to give me what I deserved, he got it for me...."
"For you?" Dawn asked, not quite understanding this.
Buffy nodded. "I don't exactly know everything either. Trying to have a regular conversation with him right now is a bit difficult."
"So where is he now?"
"In the kitchen." Buffy replied, uncertain of what her sister's reaction would be. "I told him he could stay here just for tonight...in the basement."
Dawn took a deep breath, trying to take this all in. "Can I go see him?"
"If you want, sure." Dawn smiled slightly and left her room without another word, quickly heading downstairs with Buffy right behind her.
***
As both sisters entered the kitchen Spike was quietly mumbling to himself. "Spike?" Dawn asked, trying to get his attention.
Spike jumped, seeming a bit startled by Dawn's voice. "Dawn..." he said nervously, not allowing himself to make eye contact with her. Dawn had to admit that she was a bit startled at Spike's ragged appearance, but pretended she didn't notice anything different.
"Not that I don't find it kind of cool to actually being able to intimidate someone," Dawn started to say, before turning to look at Buffy who sat down and was now watching them intently, "but I don't want you to be scared of me...I know that you have a soul now." Spike quickly raised his head and looked at her questioningly, but still didn't say anything.
Seeing his look Dawn explained, "Buffy told me. But that's not the point. I just wanted to say that you don't actually have to be afraid of me, you know....killing you at night." At hearing this it was Buffy's turn to look at her sister, but she was also glad to hear that she cared enough about her to threaten a vampire, certainly when she didn't know he had a soul yet.
"What I'm trying to get to here," Dawn continued, "is that while it may take awhile for everyone to fully trust you again, I believe that your going to do good and that you wont harm anyone. At least, I'd like to believe that, and I hope you don't prove me wrong." Dawn paused, taking a deep breath and glancing between Buffy and Spike. Both of them looked pretty speechless at what Dawn had to say.
"Welcome back, Spike." Dawn finally said, walking over to Spike and wrapping her arms around his waist in a hug.
"Thank you Dawn." Spike said, his voice thick with emotion and tears running down his face. "I can promise you, and you know that I never usually break a promise, that I will try to do good and try not to harm anyone--physically or emotionally."
Those two stood there for another few seconds before Buffy interrupted them. "Dawn, its late. I think its about time you head to bed."
Dawn let out an overly dramatic sigh, but agreed anyways. "Night you two." She said before making her way to her room.
"She really has grown up alot," Spike said a few moments after Dawn left.
"Yeah, I know. She still surprises me everyday."
"I meant what I said to Dawn...the promise."
"I know you did. But come on...you should be getting some rest as well." Spike nodded, knowing that if he didn't sleep soon he would sure pass out from exhaustion.
***
About an hour later Buffy was getting up off the couch about to go to bed and get some sleep herself. She was going to go to bed when she got Spike settled in, but there were to many thoughts going through her mind. She wasn't quite regretting inviting Spike to stay, but she still hasn't decided how she felt about it.
Buffy sighed, giving up trying to figure it out. She turned off the light and started to make her way up the stairs when she heard a small whimpering sound. It didn't take her long to figure out it was coming from the basement, and was probably Spike having a nightmare. She sighed again and made her way to the basement, turning on a small, dim light.
As she approached the cot where Spike was sleeping she could see him tossing and turning, a look of pain etched into his features. Before she knew what she was doing she kneeled next to the bed and began running her hands through his hair.
"Shh...Spike, its okay." Buffy said soothingly, relieved to see him calm down a bit at her touch. She put her head down on the bed wanting only to rest her head for a few minutes until Spike completely calmed down. She must have been more tired then she thought, because she dozed off after mumbling, "Welcome home, Spike."
A/N: Once again, tell me what you think. Should I continue on some more?