Part 2: Hello Again
Dawn yawned widely as she hit the lights and headed back towards her room in a groggy state. She hated early morning bathroom calls, especially when that early morning happened to be on Saturday. Saturday was supposed to be her sleep until noon, get up, have lunch, take a nap before going out and meeting her friends at the Bronze day, not get up at the crack of dawn day. She silently cursed whoever had come up with the Big Gulp idea.
"Seven months, Slayer?" the teen heard a familiar British voice drift up the stairs. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell any of us?!"
The brown-haired girl quietly moved down the stairs, careful to avoid the parts she knew would squeak. She bent down low to peer through the railing and into the living room. Standing there in front of the couch was her sister and the bleach blond blood-sucker, as Xander called him. Spike had his back to the teen, but Dawn could tell he was upset at her dorky sister over something. Buffy had her arms crossed as she gave him an annoyed look.
"And what was I supposed to say? 'Oh, by the way, while we're surprising everyone with news about my return, Spike being souled, Dylan, and Willow's return, I just want to add that I might be having slayer dreams about a wolf.' I thought we had enough to deal with at the moment, thank you very much."
Slayer dreams?! File that under things Dawn really didn't want to hear.
He sighed at her sarcastic tone. "What, love? Did you just think that if you ignored it long enough it'd go away? You know as well as I do that's not goin' to happen. Not if they really are slayer dreams."
She watched her sister's annoyance melt away to an almost pleading, childlike look. The teen hadn't seen her sister look that vulnerable since…well, since ever. Even when she was depressed over their parents' split-up, or when Angel was causing her so much pain, Buffy never allowed anyone to see her vulnerable. She was supposed to be the rock for everyone else to stand on, and vulnerability showed weakness. Yet, from her perch on the stairs, Dawn could easily see her sister letting whatever barriers she had up crumble in front of him. The teen didn't think anyone could ever get Buffy to do that.
"I know," her sister sighed in response. "I just thought that…I don't know what I thought. I mean, I haven't had an official slayer dream since-well, Angel."
Dawn heard Spike let out a deep breath. Though she still couldn't see his face, she knew his anger at her sister was dying as fast as her sister's annoyance with him. His shoulders relaxed before her glanced down at the ground, then looked back up at Buffy.
"It scares me, Spike," she continued. "It really scares me to think Dylan's having slayer dreams with me. I mean, they're hard enough on me. I can't imagine how scary they must be for her."
"Yeah, I know love," he said as he reached over and pulled her into a hug.
Dawn's eyes were wide. Oh man! She knew it! She knew there had to be more going on between them than the whole 'we're just friends' thing they'd been pedaling. The teen couldn't hold back the very large smile that surfaced on her face, and was barely able to keep a very girlish, teenage squeal from escaping her mouth.
He was ever so slowly rocking the slayer as Buffy laid her head against his chest and said, "It's just so-Dawn!!"
The teen jerked in surprise from being caught, which caused her to lose her footing. Her body twisted as she fell down the stairs butt first and hit every one of them on the way down. She landed with a loud thud on the foyer floor. Her back side was throbbing while she laid there on the ground, looking straight up at the ceiling, and then two worried adult faces.
"Dawn," Buffy called.
"You alright, Niblet?"
"Good heavens," Giles said coming in through the dining room with Joyce. He helped Spike lift the girl to her feet, then asked, "What happened?"
Buffy smirked at her sister before crossing her arms and saying, "Oh, Dawn was just demonstrating her catlike agility."
Giles ignored the comment for the moment and kept his attention on the teen. "Are you hurt?"
"Only my pride," she answered, wincing in pain. "And my butt."
"Serves you right for spying," Buffy said childishly.
"I wasn't spying! I was…listening without being noticed."
Buffy rolled her eyes as the others adults gave light groans. Some things would never change.
"Yes, well, if you're sure you're alright, Dawn, then I guess I best be on my way," Giles said, giving the girl the once over before heading for the door. "It's nearly time to open, and there are several books I need to retrieve from my home before we meet at the shop."
"Yeah, I better get goin' myself," Spike agreed. "Overcast provides some protection, but no tellin' when it's goin' to clear up."
Dawn studied her sister reaction carefully. Buffy gave a barely noticeable sigh, and then said, "Right, sun plus vampire equals very bad thing."
Spike smiled at the simple way she put it. "Yeah, love. So, I'll get to the Magic Box later today."
"Okay," she smiled back before he headed for the door with the still apparently oblivious Giles. After they left, the slayer watched the closed door for a few moments, then turned to her mother and sister. Joyce looked confused about something while Dawn just flashed a knowing smile. "What?"
"Nothing," Dawn beamed. Oh, yeah. She so digs him.
Buffy gave her a strange look, then charged back up stairs, muttering something about getting ready.
"Did I…miss something?" Joyce asked her youngest daughter.
The brown-haired girl couldn't take it anymore. She gave her teenage squeal, then relayed everything she had seen to her mother.
**********
Buffy wiped the steam from the mirror and stared at the reflection in it. She was going to be meeting the others at the Magic Box in less than an hour, but she really didn't feel like going. What she really wanted to do was to go back and hide in her bed with Dylan until this was all over.
Everything had just started to go right in her life. She had gone back to school and was actually doing well, her family and friends were being extremely supportive with her and Dylan, she had her own money for the first time in life, and there had been no major disasters or apocalypses since they arrived back in town. There hadn't been the slightest sign of a Big Bad. But now there was and she was terrified.
If it had only been her, she would have never given it a second thought. That was what she did, who she was, the Slayer, hunter of the baddies and defender of the good. Now, however, it wasn't just her. She had Dylan to think of, and her daughter getting hurt because of something like this scared her more than the Master or Glory or even Angelus ever could.
Buffy knew if anything ever happened to her that Dylan would be well taken care of. There would always be someone for her, whether it be Dawn or her mother or Giles or one of the guys.
Of course, they would all have to come after Spike. He swore to her once that he would never leave Dylan, and she was going to hold him to his word, even if she had to do it from beyond the grave.
She sighed at the thought of the bleach blond. Buffy didn't how she felt about him anymore. It was so simple before; he hated her, she hated him, and they were happy that way. Now things were different, and she didn't know how they got that way.
Thanksgiving had been the first time she really knew something had changed between them. First there was the kiss, that sweet kiss they had shared on the front porch. Even now, a week later, she still blushed when she thought about it. She found herself wishing that they would share more like that, but then came the memories of the fight.
Buffy wished she could tell him. They didn't hold back secrets before, and she felt bad that she had to now. She knew she wasn't alone in the knowledge about her baby sister, that she could always go and talk to Joyce or Giles about it, but she wanted to be able to talk to him about it. Spike always understood better than anyone she had known before.
She sighed again, then turned away from the reflection and began to get dressed. She wouldn't let herself think about this. Everything would be fine, just like always. She didn't know how, but it would be.
The slayer turned off the bathroom light and headed back into her own room to find Dylan was still asleep in her crib. The child had finally gotten back to sleep soon after their dream, and now was sleeping like a rock. When the girl wanted to, she could sleep as soundly as anyone Buffy had ever met before. Must get from Dawn, or maybe Spike.
Buffy looked out the twin windows above the crib. Over head, the sky had a thick layer of gray clouds cover up the blue, looking every bit the part of a winter's day. Normally, she didn't like it when the weather was like this, but she could use this to her advantage. The weather man had said it was supposed to stay like this all day and she hoped she would be able to get Spike out this afternoon so they could go pay Willy the Snitch an early visit. No harm in asking at least. Besides, the sooner they had information, the better she would feel.
"Come on, baby," Buffy said, reaching down into the crib and picking the sleepy toddler up. "Let's go see your Daddy before we go meet Grandpa Giles and the others."
"No, sweep," Dylan protested. She was starting to put together small sentences now, a major accomplishment for any child, but her mother found herself really wishing that the child could form larger ones to tell them what was happening. That is, if the child knew herself.
Dylan was fussy for as long as Buffy was dressing her, but, once her clothes were changed, the child's demeanor did a one eighty and now she was ready to go anywhere her mother was willing to take her.
When Buffy finished, the now energetic child held her tiny arms up and said, "Swayer, up."
Her mother dropped her shoulders before doing as the child asked. "It's Mommy, Dylan," she told her grabbing the blue jean baby bag and heading downstairs.
The child gave her mother a smirk that looked far too much like her father's, and Buffy knew for a fact that the girl was calling her that because she didn't like it. She was so Spike's daughter.
Buffy shook her head as she reached the bottom of the stairs, then called back up them, "Dawn, we're leaving."
"Just a minute!" the teen called back and she could hear the shuffling coming from her sister's room.
That's great. A minute in teenage time meant at least another ten in regular.
"You have exactly one minute then I'm going with or without you," Buffy said loudly.
The slayer wandered into the living room to wait, when Joyce walked in from the kitchen, nursing a fresh cup of coffee. "Are you sure you don't want me to watch her for the day? A baby can be awful distracting if you're trying to do research."
Buffy gave her mother a weary smile. Usually, she did let Dylan stay with her mother when she had official Scooby business to attend to, but she didn't want the child out of her sight today for some reason. She pushed the child a little higher up in her arms, then said, "It's okay. Anya's got the pen set up in the store already for Jessie, and she'll be there, so they should keep each other busy."
Joyce nodded, seemingly understanding more than Buffy thought. "Alright, dear. But I'll be here if you change your mind."
"I'm ready," Dawn said, charging down the stairs, straightening out a purple crushed velvet shirt.
"Well, I'm glad you finally decided to join us," Buffy answered sarcastically joining her sister near the front door. "Come on. We've got to stop by Spike's place first."
She came close to saying his crypt, but stopped just short. He didn't live in the old place anymore, and that seemed beyond strange to her. The bleach blond had actually rented an apartment soon after they had moved back saying that he didn't want Dylan running around an old cemetery when she came to see her da'. Buffy didn't disagree with the decision, she didn't want Dylan in a cemetery any more then he did, but she did kind of miss the place. She missed the candles being lit and the glow they gave the place. Not that she would ever admit to that in a millions years, but still, it was a good place to hide out when they needed it.
He had let some demon buddy of his named Clem move into the place. Clem was a good guy, once you got past the floppy skin and kitty eating thing, and said he would let them hide out or crash there whenever they liked. That would never happen, but it was good to know for just-in-case emergencies.
"Okay," Dawn said with a sly smile as Buffy fastened Dylan into the stroller. "And since we're going that way, can we stop by McDonald's for a Quarter Pounder?"
Buffy rolled her eyes at her sister as she went towards the door. She had just seen that girl scarf down two eggs and a thing of bacon and she was sure that Xander would have made one of his donut runs by the time they got there, and she still wanted to stop by McDonalds for more?
"You are such a porker, Dawn," she sighed.
"Am not!" the teen yelled, horrified that her sister would even suggest such a thing.
"Are too," Buffy smirked as she pulled on her jacket.
"Am not."
The two girls fell silent as the slayer stood there with the door open in her hand, both staring straight ahead at the person in front of them. Buffy felt her mouth go dry as she watched him shift nervously on his feet.
"Hello, Buffy," Angel said.
**********
Anya frowned as she watched Willow grab a bottle of black sand off the shelf and placed it with the other items that she and Tara had collected for the protection spell for the Magic Box. Didn't they know that black sand wasn't cheap? It had to be special ordered all the way from the lower planes of India where one little old man knew where to find it. And he didn't get it often!
But did Giles care? Nooooo. 'Oh, no, Anya, don't charge them. This is important. I don't care if I go broke and die penniless in the street while you and your family starve because I give my friends special discounts.' After working for the man for so long, the young woman had finally just decided that he knew nothing of how to be a good business man.
When the two witches had gathered their supplies and headed out the back door to begin, the bell over the front door rang out brightly, lifting Anya's spirits with thought of a customer. She watched the sandy blond-haired man as he browsed around, carefully inspecting one item after another. When she felt this had gone on long enough, she came around the counter, planted that large smile she saved for when she felt a big sale coming on her face, and joined the man in the showplace.
"Can I help you?" she asked politely though her large smile. She had learned that people tend to buy more when you seem like you really want to help them and are nice.
The young man returned the smile and he picked up a package of troll wood moss. Oh, good, that stuff is nice and expensive too, she thought.
"Ah, yeah," he said tossing the little baggy back onto the counter. "I'm looking for a book, Magicus de Praeteritum Tempus."
"Oh, yes, I do believe we have a copy of it," she told him leading him over to the counter before ducking behind it quickly.
He leaned against the counter as she began to dig around on the lower shelf where Giles had stashed the more expensive books. While she looked for the one he requested, the young man glanced over to the area under the loft that she had converted into a play area for Jessie so she wouldn't have to leave her at home. The eight-month-old was sitting there in the middle, quietly chewing on a stuffed ret'yama demon that her Uncle D'Hoffryn had sent her. He made a face at the disgusting looking creature she was playing with, as her mother found the book and slammed it on the counter.
"This book has all sorts of protection spells in it, and all the ingredients that you will need are sold right here in the store," she said brightly. He began to flip through the old, leather bound edition, silently making mental notes of pages. "There is one spell in there I highly recommend. The ingredients cost a little more, but you can't beat its results. I used it on my home. I could go ahead and gather them up if you like."
"Hum?" he said, having stopped listening to her some time back. "Ah, yeah, that sounds good."
She knew it! This guy was going to be a good sale.
The ex-demon came back around the counter and into the main area they had just been in a few moments before. When she was gathering the ingredients, he called to her, "Is it true that there is a spell in here to strip a person of their powers?"
"Strip a person of their powers?"
"You know, make them normal, like us."
Anya shrugged. "Yes, I believe there is one, but it is highly dangerous, even for the most experienced person." She picked up the last of the ingredients and headed back around the counter. "Why?"
He shrugged. "Just curious is all."
The little blond woman began to ring him up, knowing the sale was going to be at least two hundred dollars, happy that she would make some money today. The man, however, just kept looking over at Jessie, who was watching her mother work.
"That your kid?" he asked, nudging his head towards the baby.
"Oh, yes," Anya said placing his things inside a bag. "That's my little precious Jessica Diamond. That will be two hundred and fifteen dollars."
"Jessica Diamond?" he asked with a raised eyebrow counting out his cash.
She took the wad of green bills and counted them out again to be sure he had given her the right amount. "Oh, yes. That's her name. I wanted to call her diamond because those gems are so sparkly and pretty and expensive, but my husband insisted that we call her Jessie after some old friend of his. Can I help it that he had to kill him?"
The young man blinked at the woman before taking the bag from her. "Um, I guess not." He backed away from her and headed for the front door.
"Thank you," she called to his back. "Shop with us again."
The shop's bell rang again as the man reached the door, and Willow walked inside. Anya watched as the two eyed each other hard before he passed her and disappeared into to the street. The red head watched the direction he left in before hurrying inside.
"Who was that?" she demanded from the young woman who was working behind the counter.
"Who?"
"That guy! Who was he?"
"I don't know, just some guy," she shrugged. "He bought lots of expensive things, and actually paid for them in cash. Unlike some people."
Drawing a deep breath, Willow glanced over her shoulder back at the door. "I don't like him," she said shaking her head. "There's something off. I could feel it."
Anya raised an eyebrow at that statement. "He seemed perfectly normal to me."
"Well, if he comes back, don't sell him anything else. We don't want a repeat of what happened with Glory," she warned, grabbed the rest of the black sand she had left on the table, and hurried back outside before Anya could protest.
**********
Buffy stood in the doorway between the kitchen and living room, watching the older vampire who was staring at the toddler that was standing up in her play pen, studying the strange new man who had come to visit. He didn't look as if he quite knew what to make of her, and the child had the odd look of fascination as she cocked her head to the side and let her little mouth drop ever so slightly open. Angel jerked his eyes closed and turned away from her; Buffy knew why. It was, as Xander had put it, the 'Spike look,' and a painful little reminder to Angel about who Dylan's father really was.
He had taken the news as well as could be expected from him. When she told him, he just looked at her stone faced, never changing emotion from the even face that he had perfected over the years, but she saw the fire dance behind his eyes. He was angry, upset, but, most of all, hurt.
Still, there was nothing to be done now, and she wouldn't change it even if there were. Not for him, not for anyone.
Thankfully, her sister picked up very quickly that this was a place that she didn't want to be, so she grabbed the young boy that had come with Angel and the polite, understanding creature that had once been Cordelia Chase, and took off for the Magic Box to let everyone know what was up. Dawn had the strictest instructions to head strait for the shop, but Buffy had a feeling that she may have made a detour to a certain bleached friend's apartment.
"Angel," Dylan said, smiling brightly at him, waiting for the happy reaction that all the others gave her whenever she said their name correctly.
But he just looked at her, his lips never wavering from the strait line, and her little face began to fall and darken. Looks like it's time for Mom to step in. Buffy glanced around the room and found her stuffed dog lying on the end of the couch that Angel sat on.
"Dylan," she said as she walked over and picked up the animal. "You want your dog?"
"Willow!" the baby cried happily, forgetting about the mean man that sat in front of her. "Want Willow."
As she gave it to her, Angel raised an eyebrow. "Willow?"
"Don't ask," Buffy sighed sitting down next to him. "It's confusing as hel-heck now that Willow's back. I don't think she particularly likes a dog being named after her either," she said with a shallow laugh.
"I can see why," he answered, the awkward silence coming yet again. "Did he…force himself-?"
"What? God, no!" she cut him off. "It was a spell. I told you that."
"Are you sure he had nothing to do with it?" he asked coolly. "Because this is Spike we're talking about. I wouldn't put it past him."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, Angel, that makes a lot of sense. I'm sure Spike just woke up one night, said, 'Hum, I'm bored so why don't I go get myself kidnapped, put into isolation for months, knock the slayer up, then spend the next year runnin' around the globe because some crazy witch wants the kid.' Yeah, that just screams 'Spike.'"
"You don't know him like I do, Buffy," he bit back, his own temper rising.
She gave him a good, long, cold stare. "I know him a lot better than you think." Her anger began to die as she looked down at the little girl before them who was now sitting in the play pen, quietly cuddling with her stuffed animal. "He's different, Angel. Even before the soul he was."
"Oh, yeah, I forgot about the soul," he grumbled coldly. "How do you even know it's really there, Buffy? Does he feel sorry for the things he's done? Does he mourn for the people he killed like I do? Tell me, Buffy. If you know him so well, does he?"
"He's not you, Angel," she told him, avoiding his accusing gaze.
"But he was close enough to get you to sleep with him," he said under his breath, but loud enough to where she could hear him.
Without a thought, she spun around and slapped him hard across the face, causing his head to jerk to the side. Dylan looked up at the sound, but her mother was to busy concentrating on the person before her to notice.
"How dare you say something like that to me? I was under a spell then. We both were." She then sneered, "You have a son with Darla. What's your excuse?"
He frowned deeply at her choice of words and the point she had made. Then? He didn't like what that meant.
"I knew this was a mistake to talk to you alone," she said after a moment, her voice becoming softer with every word. "I just wanted you to understand."
The tiny blonde stood up from the couch, picked Dylan up out of the pen, and disappeared out the front door to meet up with her friends.
**********
TBC