Summary/Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
*****
Chapter 3
Spike was the first to wake and quickly sensed that it was around noon. Then he looked at the window in Buffy's room and said a silent thanks to whomever had bought Buffy such thick dark curtains, being woken to find a flaming Spike next to her would not help Buffy. It wouldn't do him much good either.
Spike kept as still as possible so as to not wake the sleeping Slayer cuddled up next to him. In their relationship he had very few opportunities to sit with her like this. He quickly pushed all thoughts of his prior relationship with Buffy out of his mind. This was not Buffy the Slayer, or even the Buffy who was broken from being pulled out from heaven by her friends, this was an innocent childlike Buffy who wanted and needed his help. And he swore that he would stop at nothing to give her that help.
The real problem would be convincing her friends to let him.
*****
Buffy woke feeling safe. She opened her eyes and smiled as she saw Spike next to her, looking at her.
"Mmm, feel good. Happy."
It broke Spike's unseating heart to hear to usually articulate and quick- witted Slayer reduced to being barely able to string three words together. At least she was smiling and said she was happy, he couldn't stand the thought of her being miserable.
"Hello luv, glad to hear you're happy." He gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm just going to go get Dawn so she can help you get dressed." At his words a look of panic came across Buffy's face and she clung onto Spike with all her strength, causing Spike to wince.
"No, don't leave me," she seemed to be struggling to find the words, her voice still at the now familiar whisper. "I'll be good."
Spike was shocked at her words.
"Listen to me Buffy, I'm only going down the hall to get Dawn, and I'll be right outside the door while you get dressed. I'm not gonna leave you and you don't need to do anything to make me stay. You have not been bad, I'm not leaving you," he reiterated, and was glad to feel her relax her grip.
"Coming back?"
"Yes luv, I'll be right back." He smiled and slipped from the bed, retrieving his T-shirt and pulling it on. When he got outside the door he leaned back against the frame and let a single tear fall down his face.
He quickly wiped it away. 'Gotta be strong for Buffy and Nibblet, cant let them see you like this' he thought to himself and walked down the hall to Dawn's room.
*****
Dawn answered her door the third time Spike knocked, after pulling on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
"What's up? Is Buffy OK?"
"Yeah Bit, but she needs a hand getting dressed."
"Oh? And how exactly did she get undressed last night?" She asked, raising one eyebrow, much like Spike had been known to do on many occasions.
Spike gave her a look that clearly said 'Not now' and she dropped the eyebrow.
"Can you be quick Nib? She doesn't want to be left alone." Dawn moved past him in the hall and went to help Buffy.
*****
Inside the bedroom Buffy was anxious. She couldn't have actually said that she was, that was beyond her, but she knew she didn't feel right. She wanted Spike to be there with her. Or maybe Dawn. Dawn was pretty.
She turned and smiled when Dawn walked in.
"Hi Buffy," dawn said, trying to put as much cheerfulness into her voice as possible. "Want to get dressed now?"
Buffy nodded and Dawn helped her stand up. They walked over to the closet where Buffy pulled out some black leather pants and a white top.
"You want to wear these Buffy?" Dawn asked.
"Spike like these?" She answered Dawn's question with her own. When Dawn nodded she smiled and held the clothes out for Dawn. Dawn gave a little grin at the implications of Buffy wanting to look nice for Spike, then remembered that she had to help her sister dress and started to do so.
When Buffy was fully dressed she stood in front of her mirror looking at herself. She reached a had forward and was surprised when she encountered the glass.
"Ready Buffy?" Dawn asked her. Buffy smiled and nodded.
"Are you sure you're not the 'bot?" asked Dawn, not used to seeing her sister smile so often.
The question seemed to confuse Buffy and she got a worried look on her face when she couldn't understand what Dawn was talking about.
"Shhh, hey now, forget I said anything," Dawn said, trying to soothe her sister. It seemed to work as the smile returned so she lead Buffy to the door. Buffy hesitated at the door, as if unsure whether or not she wanted to go out. Dawn gently coaxed her out of her room.
Buffy wanted to stay in the nice room, afraid that when she went out Spike would be gone and then Dawn would leave her too. Buffy stepped out into the hallway, scanning left and right. When she saw Spike at the end of the hall she ran to him and gripped his hand, giving him a huge smile.
*****
Spike and Dawn had taken Buffy downstairs and she was currently occupied watching cartoons on TV. Dawn and Spike stood behind the couch talking quietly.
"What can we do Spike?"
"Not sure Bit, first you make her some food, nothing messy like cereal, a nice bit of toast. Question is who can help us? Whelp will just try to take her away, Reds with the whelp for the week so that leaves her out, Watchers in good old England, demon girl may help but Buffy needs sensitivity now - not Anya's strongest point. That just leaves Glenda which is fine by me. What say you Bit?"
"Yeah, Tara will help. You call her while I make lunch."
TBC
AN: Wow, 3 reviews already, you have my thanks. By the way, if my timeline of people being together or missing is off then I apologise. I am from England and over here Season six is only just starting tomorrow! I am basing the timeline on what I have read in fics so please bear with me, just treat it as part of the AU factor of the story. More soon!
*****
Chapter 3
Spike was the first to wake and quickly sensed that it was around noon. Then he looked at the window in Buffy's room and said a silent thanks to whomever had bought Buffy such thick dark curtains, being woken to find a flaming Spike next to her would not help Buffy. It wouldn't do him much good either.
Spike kept as still as possible so as to not wake the sleeping Slayer cuddled up next to him. In their relationship he had very few opportunities to sit with her like this. He quickly pushed all thoughts of his prior relationship with Buffy out of his mind. This was not Buffy the Slayer, or even the Buffy who was broken from being pulled out from heaven by her friends, this was an innocent childlike Buffy who wanted and needed his help. And he swore that he would stop at nothing to give her that help.
The real problem would be convincing her friends to let him.
*****
Buffy woke feeling safe. She opened her eyes and smiled as she saw Spike next to her, looking at her.
"Mmm, feel good. Happy."
It broke Spike's unseating heart to hear to usually articulate and quick- witted Slayer reduced to being barely able to string three words together. At least she was smiling and said she was happy, he couldn't stand the thought of her being miserable.
"Hello luv, glad to hear you're happy." He gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm just going to go get Dawn so she can help you get dressed." At his words a look of panic came across Buffy's face and she clung onto Spike with all her strength, causing Spike to wince.
"No, don't leave me," she seemed to be struggling to find the words, her voice still at the now familiar whisper. "I'll be good."
Spike was shocked at her words.
"Listen to me Buffy, I'm only going down the hall to get Dawn, and I'll be right outside the door while you get dressed. I'm not gonna leave you and you don't need to do anything to make me stay. You have not been bad, I'm not leaving you," he reiterated, and was glad to feel her relax her grip.
"Coming back?"
"Yes luv, I'll be right back." He smiled and slipped from the bed, retrieving his T-shirt and pulling it on. When he got outside the door he leaned back against the frame and let a single tear fall down his face.
He quickly wiped it away. 'Gotta be strong for Buffy and Nibblet, cant let them see you like this' he thought to himself and walked down the hall to Dawn's room.
*****
Dawn answered her door the third time Spike knocked, after pulling on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
"What's up? Is Buffy OK?"
"Yeah Bit, but she needs a hand getting dressed."
"Oh? And how exactly did she get undressed last night?" She asked, raising one eyebrow, much like Spike had been known to do on many occasions.
Spike gave her a look that clearly said 'Not now' and she dropped the eyebrow.
"Can you be quick Nib? She doesn't want to be left alone." Dawn moved past him in the hall and went to help Buffy.
*****
Inside the bedroom Buffy was anxious. She couldn't have actually said that she was, that was beyond her, but she knew she didn't feel right. She wanted Spike to be there with her. Or maybe Dawn. Dawn was pretty.
She turned and smiled when Dawn walked in.
"Hi Buffy," dawn said, trying to put as much cheerfulness into her voice as possible. "Want to get dressed now?"
Buffy nodded and Dawn helped her stand up. They walked over to the closet where Buffy pulled out some black leather pants and a white top.
"You want to wear these Buffy?" Dawn asked.
"Spike like these?" She answered Dawn's question with her own. When Dawn nodded she smiled and held the clothes out for Dawn. Dawn gave a little grin at the implications of Buffy wanting to look nice for Spike, then remembered that she had to help her sister dress and started to do so.
When Buffy was fully dressed she stood in front of her mirror looking at herself. She reached a had forward and was surprised when she encountered the glass.
"Ready Buffy?" Dawn asked her. Buffy smiled and nodded.
"Are you sure you're not the 'bot?" asked Dawn, not used to seeing her sister smile so often.
The question seemed to confuse Buffy and she got a worried look on her face when she couldn't understand what Dawn was talking about.
"Shhh, hey now, forget I said anything," Dawn said, trying to soothe her sister. It seemed to work as the smile returned so she lead Buffy to the door. Buffy hesitated at the door, as if unsure whether or not she wanted to go out. Dawn gently coaxed her out of her room.
Buffy wanted to stay in the nice room, afraid that when she went out Spike would be gone and then Dawn would leave her too. Buffy stepped out into the hallway, scanning left and right. When she saw Spike at the end of the hall she ran to him and gripped his hand, giving him a huge smile.
*****
Spike and Dawn had taken Buffy downstairs and she was currently occupied watching cartoons on TV. Dawn and Spike stood behind the couch talking quietly.
"What can we do Spike?"
"Not sure Bit, first you make her some food, nothing messy like cereal, a nice bit of toast. Question is who can help us? Whelp will just try to take her away, Reds with the whelp for the week so that leaves her out, Watchers in good old England, demon girl may help but Buffy needs sensitivity now - not Anya's strongest point. That just leaves Glenda which is fine by me. What say you Bit?"
"Yeah, Tara will help. You call her while I make lunch."
TBC
AN: Wow, 3 reviews already, you have my thanks. By the way, if my timeline of people being together or missing is off then I apologise. I am from England and over here Season six is only just starting tomorrow! I am basing the timeline on what I have read in fics so please bear with me, just treat it as part of the AU factor of the story. More soon!