Chapter 14
Spike ran upstairs to Dawn's room and burst through the door, then froze. He could smell the fear coming off of Dawn in waves. It occurred to him that her blood, already so sweet and powerful, would be spicy from the fear. It would coat his mouth with that spicy innocence and flow like syrup down his throat.
His yellow eyes dragged from the scared girl to his mate. While the girl was scared, the Slayer was powerful and angry. Her eyes were flashing and the rage scented the room and drove Spike wild. The only thing that tasted as good as fear was rage.
Spike licked his lips and ran his tongue along the sharp ends of his fangs. He roared with frustration, and his face started slipping from demon to human as he battled himself. A small, small part of him knew that he had to save the girl, that the Slayer would kill her otherwise, and that could not happen. But the rest of him wanted to let her die and then bath in her blood.
With a whimper he took long strides into the room, ignoring his mate, and scooped Dawn into his arms.
"What are you doing?" Buffy screamed furiously. Spike continued to ignore her. Dawn had started screaming again, seeing the hunger and conflict in Spike's eyes. He ignored that too.
Before he could leave the room, Buffy hit him in the face. "Let go of my sister, you monster!"
Spike growled, and threw Dawn onto her bed. "Don't."
"You can't take her."
Buffy punched him again, but he blocked it. With more strength than he had used on her in over 2 years, he pushed her back and she slammed into Dawn's desk, hitting her head on the corner. She slumped to the ground, her eyes open but glazed. He could still hear her strong heartbeat. He picked Dawn up again and ran out of the room.
He ran down the stairs and out of the house. He wanted to take the girl back to his crypt so he could eat in her privately, without the Slayer interrupting. He ran that direction for 2 blocks until he felt the demon under control again.
Dawn was still screaming and crying.
"Hush, bit, you'll have the neighbors call the cops."
"Spike?"
"Shhh, I'll take you over to the watcher's."
"I was scared."
"I know. You don't need to talk about it right now. Let's just get you to Rupert's."
'Please, Buffy, please don't follow,' he begged silently. He didn't know how he would handle himself if she showed up, but he didn't think it would be well. He picked up his pace and arrived at Giles' place in record time. Not bothering to knock he opened the door and hurried in.
Willow's eyes widened when she saw Dawn, tears streaming down her pale face, looking frightened. "What happened?"
"I don't know Red. I was walking by their house when she screamed. When I ran upstairs it looked like Buffy was attacking her, so I got her out of there."
"Wait, you ran upstairs? Is Buffy ok?"
"I don't know. I hit her, she didn't follow us. I think she's ok. Might have a concussion."
"Oh dear lord. Xander?"
Xander glared at Spike, "Yeah, I'll go check on her."
Willow kept her attention on Dawn. "Dawn, are you hurt?"
Bruises were beginning to form on her arms and her face. "I'll be ok." Tears were still dripping down her cheeks.
"Can you tell us what happened, Bit?"
Dawn forced her breathing to slow down and held back the tears before she started. "We were talking about Spike, about the soul. We were arguing a bit, she didn't want me to go through with it. One minute we were talking, than all of a sudden she started crying and screaming. I tried to leave the room but she shouted that I can't turn my back on her."
Dawn stopped as a sob hitched her throat. She took a deep breath and continued. "She grabbed my arm, harder than she's ever grabbed me and pulled me back into the room. Then we got into a fight. Well, actually, I tried to duck and dodge and avoid her blows." Dawn grimaced, "But she got me a few times."
Spike's blood was boiling. He was absolutely furious. At that moment it didn't matter that it was Buffy who had hurt Dawn, all that mattered was that she had been hurt. And Spike wanted to make her pay.
Dawn could sense his anger and she grabbed her arm, "Don't, Spike. I'm fine."
"You're not fine," he ground out.
"It wasn't Buffy's fault," Dawn insisted.
"She's right," Willow said quietly. "You said yourself that Buffy was overwhelmed by her emotions. I've noticed it more and more recently."
Spike took a few deep breaths to calm down. "When can you perform the spell, or whatever it is that you need to do?"
Willow thought about it for several seconds, "If Anya can gather some supplies, I can start preparing right now."
Spike nodded. This was no longer about Buffy's destiny, this was about keeping the Bit safe. It killed him that he might have to hurt her in order to accomplish that, but there was no other way.
"Dawn, are you up to this now? We can wait."
She nodded, "I don't want to wait.
Spike sat with Dawn and stroked her hair while Willow and Giles scurried into the guest room and prepared the circle for the spell. Travers watched the two of them with interest, as Spike comforted the scared girl and apologized for making it worse.
"I'm sorry for scaring you like that, Niblet," Spike said softly.
"But you don't have a soul," Travers interrupted.
Dawn opened her mouth to speak but Spike held up his hand. "So?"
"So, why do you even care if she's scared, or in danger? Why did you rescue her?"
Spike studied the man carefully before answering. He seemed genuinely curious.
Spike rolled his eyes, "I know this will probably throw you for a loop, but I love the little girl."
"Hey!" Dawn protested, "I'm not a little girl." "I know you're not Niblet," Spike said with a smile.
"But how can you love without a soul?"
Spike stood up, "You don't need a bloody soul to love somebody! Vampires know the difference between right and wrong, love and hate, good and evil. Our natural inclination to hate and be evil, but that doesn't mean we have to be that way."
"You're an odd vampire."
"And you're a bloody wanker."
Spike marched into the guest room. "Are you guys ready yet?"
"Yeah, as soon as Anya arrives."
As if on cue, Anya teleported into the room. "Here's the rest of the supplies."
"Great. Spike, will you go get Dawn?"
"Yeah."
Several seconds later Spike returned, his hand resting lightly on Dawn's shoulder. "Where do you want us?" She asked.
"Dawn, you stand inside the circle. Spike, you stand here. Willow, you stand against the wall. Anya, take this orb and stand behind Dawn," Giles instructed, "and I'll stand in front of Dawn." In Giles' hand was Spike's glowing soul.
"I went to Buffy's and told her to stay away until we call her," Anya informed the group.
"Thank you Anya, that was very thoughtful of you."
"Hey Rupes, do I need to do anything?"
"No, you just need to stand there. Now Spike, no matter what happens, you can't touch her until it's over. It will upset the balance and ruin the spell, and we don't know what the results of that would be."
"Right, no touching," Spike nodded. "Ready Niblet?"
Dawn nodded, and Willow began chanting.
Spike watched intently. At first nothing happened. Dawn just stood there, her eyes wide with fear. Anya and Giles both had their eyes closed and they were mouthing the words a long with Willow. Just when Spike was sure nothing would happen and the spell wouldn't work, he saw the soul leap from the orb and into Dawn's wide blue eyes.
Spike could clearly see her aura turn from green to black, and his blood froze in his veins when he heard her scream in pain.
***
Dawn heard herself scream, and then everything went black. When her vision cleared she realized she was standing in a long black hallway. She didn't realize it, but it was the same hallway Buffy saw in her dream nearly two months earlier.
She hesitated a moment, unsure if she should walk down the hall of stay there. She saw a sword propped up against the wall, similar to the sword she used when they were hiding from Willow. She grabbed it resolutely and began to purposely move towards the door at the end of the poorly lit hallway.
She felt cold, shivers running up and down her body. She didn't just feel physically cold. She felt the cold in her mind, her heart, and her soul. It seemed to freeze her. She did her best to focus on images of the sun in an effort to ward off the chill. Those images shifted to Buffy. Dawn would never admit it to anybody, but Buffy really was her hero. All she needed to do was picture her sister's bright smile to feel warmth, and picture her fighting nasties to give her strength.
Finally she reached the door and tentatively touched the doorknob. She half expected it to be locked, or the door to be jammed, or at least have squeaky hinges. But the knob turned easily in her hand the door opened smoothly and silently.
She stepped into a large chamber with stadium seating. The seats were full. Some people were smiling, some frowning, some cheering, some crying. But no matter their reaction, all their attention was turned to the table in the center of room, and the writhing vampire on the stone slab.
"Spike!" Dawn screamed and rushed to his side. He was bound with large, thick ropes at his wrists, waist, and ankles. His entire body was injured and badly scarred. His eyes looked old and tired. They weren't the eyes of her Spike, they were the eyes of a war refugee who had nowhere left to go and no reason left to live. Dawn felt her eyes flood and the tears overflow as she looked at her friend helplessly tied to the table under the gaze of thousands of people, calling for his blood.
"Not Spike. William," he gasped.
Dawn understood. This looked like Spike, but it wasn't him exactly. It was his soul.
"I've come to save you," Dawn said gently.
"I don't deserve it."
Dawn frowned, "Don't argue with me. I'm going to see if I can cut these ropes."
She brought her sword back as far as she could, and with all of her might, she brought it down on the ropes next to Spike's wrists. To her surprise, they actually broke. Spike freed his arms, and with a sigh of relief, lowered them to his side.
"What is the girl doing?" The crowd yelled as one.
"I'm freeing him!"
"You can't free him," they protested. Thousands of voices raged at her.
"I have to! We need him," Dawn shouted back, refusing to back down. She would not let these figments scare her. She knew they weren't real.
"He needs to be punished."
Dawn stood back and took a whack at the rope by his feet. "He has been punished. I need him now."
A door on the opposite side of the chamber opened, and Buffy emerged. "No Dawnie, you can't do this."
Dawn narrowed her eyes, "Why are you here."
"I can't let him go. I need to stake him."
"But you don't want to stake him," Dawn flung her body across Spike's as a shield, mindless of his broken and battered chest and her own safety.
"Get off of him," the crowd roared.
Buffy transformed into a man Dawn didn't recognize. "If you don't move, I'll stab you!"
Dawn didn't budge, and the man brought the railroad spike down into Dawn's hand.
***
"Ow!" Dawn screeched, then started to cry, cradling her hand against her chest. Spike's eyes caught Giles' just as he was reaching for her, and he stepped back.
"How long has it been?" Willow asked.
"Five minutes," Anya replied.
"It should have been over by now. End it," Spike demanded.
Willow shook her head, "I can't."
"It's hurting her," his eyes pleaded with Willow, but she could only stand there and watch.
***
Dawn screamed when the stake was plunged into her hand, but as soon as she felt the pain the stake disappeared.
"Ok, gotta get you out of here before that happens again."
The man came after her again, walking slowly over to the side of the table where Dawn was. She straightened and prepared herself for an attack, like Buffy had taught her. As soon as the man was close enough, she raised the sword and brought it down on his head. As soon as the blade touched him, he disappeared.
"Can you untie the rope around your waist?"
William shook his head, "No."
"I'll try to get it with this, but I don't want to hurt you."
Dawn had horrible visions of missing the rope and cutting into William's stomach. She could see the blood and the guts leak out of him and she blanched.
"Don't worry about hurting me. Not much more damage you could do," he gave a bitter laugh.
Squaring her shoulders she lifted the blade and brought it down on the rope, narrowly missing him as the sword hit the stone table. But the rope snapped and William jumped up.
"Behind you," he shouted and Dawn spun, bringing the sword across the neck of a young woman. Like the man before her, she disappeared.
"How do we get out of her?" She asked.
There were only two doors. The way she came and the entrance Buffy had used. She was uncertain and knew she'd probably only get one chance. There was no way that she and William could fend off thousands and thousands of angry people, all crying for blood and vengeance.
"Quick, this way," she called as she headed back to the door she came from.
***
"Look at her aura," Willow shouted. "It's almost green again!"
***
"Come on, come on, come on," Dawn pleaded. "Hurry."
"I'm going as fast as I can," William insisted as he limped down the hall. Behind the door they could hear the people rioting, screaming, and looking for weapons. The way they had been worked up they probably wouldn't need weapons to tear the unlikely duo apart.
"How much farther?" William asked.
"I don't know," Dawn panted. "Probably not too much. Here grab my hand. Don't let go," she instructed. The hall stretched in front of them, ominously, seeming to go forever.
***
"It's green, it's green," Spike shouted. Willow quickly began reading the last half of the spell, and the light bounced out of Dawn, and into Anya's hands.
As soon as Willow's part was done, Giles started speaking. Within minutes, the light of the soul was in Spike's eyes.
Spike ran upstairs to Dawn's room and burst through the door, then froze. He could smell the fear coming off of Dawn in waves. It occurred to him that her blood, already so sweet and powerful, would be spicy from the fear. It would coat his mouth with that spicy innocence and flow like syrup down his throat.
His yellow eyes dragged from the scared girl to his mate. While the girl was scared, the Slayer was powerful and angry. Her eyes were flashing and the rage scented the room and drove Spike wild. The only thing that tasted as good as fear was rage.
Spike licked his lips and ran his tongue along the sharp ends of his fangs. He roared with frustration, and his face started slipping from demon to human as he battled himself. A small, small part of him knew that he had to save the girl, that the Slayer would kill her otherwise, and that could not happen. But the rest of him wanted to let her die and then bath in her blood.
With a whimper he took long strides into the room, ignoring his mate, and scooped Dawn into his arms.
"What are you doing?" Buffy screamed furiously. Spike continued to ignore her. Dawn had started screaming again, seeing the hunger and conflict in Spike's eyes. He ignored that too.
Before he could leave the room, Buffy hit him in the face. "Let go of my sister, you monster!"
Spike growled, and threw Dawn onto her bed. "Don't."
"You can't take her."
Buffy punched him again, but he blocked it. With more strength than he had used on her in over 2 years, he pushed her back and she slammed into Dawn's desk, hitting her head on the corner. She slumped to the ground, her eyes open but glazed. He could still hear her strong heartbeat. He picked Dawn up again and ran out of the room.
He ran down the stairs and out of the house. He wanted to take the girl back to his crypt so he could eat in her privately, without the Slayer interrupting. He ran that direction for 2 blocks until he felt the demon under control again.
Dawn was still screaming and crying.
"Hush, bit, you'll have the neighbors call the cops."
"Spike?"
"Shhh, I'll take you over to the watcher's."
"I was scared."
"I know. You don't need to talk about it right now. Let's just get you to Rupert's."
'Please, Buffy, please don't follow,' he begged silently. He didn't know how he would handle himself if she showed up, but he didn't think it would be well. He picked up his pace and arrived at Giles' place in record time. Not bothering to knock he opened the door and hurried in.
Willow's eyes widened when she saw Dawn, tears streaming down her pale face, looking frightened. "What happened?"
"I don't know Red. I was walking by their house when she screamed. When I ran upstairs it looked like Buffy was attacking her, so I got her out of there."
"Wait, you ran upstairs? Is Buffy ok?"
"I don't know. I hit her, she didn't follow us. I think she's ok. Might have a concussion."
"Oh dear lord. Xander?"
Xander glared at Spike, "Yeah, I'll go check on her."
Willow kept her attention on Dawn. "Dawn, are you hurt?"
Bruises were beginning to form on her arms and her face. "I'll be ok." Tears were still dripping down her cheeks.
"Can you tell us what happened, Bit?"
Dawn forced her breathing to slow down and held back the tears before she started. "We were talking about Spike, about the soul. We were arguing a bit, she didn't want me to go through with it. One minute we were talking, than all of a sudden she started crying and screaming. I tried to leave the room but she shouted that I can't turn my back on her."
Dawn stopped as a sob hitched her throat. She took a deep breath and continued. "She grabbed my arm, harder than she's ever grabbed me and pulled me back into the room. Then we got into a fight. Well, actually, I tried to duck and dodge and avoid her blows." Dawn grimaced, "But she got me a few times."
Spike's blood was boiling. He was absolutely furious. At that moment it didn't matter that it was Buffy who had hurt Dawn, all that mattered was that she had been hurt. And Spike wanted to make her pay.
Dawn could sense his anger and she grabbed her arm, "Don't, Spike. I'm fine."
"You're not fine," he ground out.
"It wasn't Buffy's fault," Dawn insisted.
"She's right," Willow said quietly. "You said yourself that Buffy was overwhelmed by her emotions. I've noticed it more and more recently."
Spike took a few deep breaths to calm down. "When can you perform the spell, or whatever it is that you need to do?"
Willow thought about it for several seconds, "If Anya can gather some supplies, I can start preparing right now."
Spike nodded. This was no longer about Buffy's destiny, this was about keeping the Bit safe. It killed him that he might have to hurt her in order to accomplish that, but there was no other way.
"Dawn, are you up to this now? We can wait."
She nodded, "I don't want to wait.
Spike sat with Dawn and stroked her hair while Willow and Giles scurried into the guest room and prepared the circle for the spell. Travers watched the two of them with interest, as Spike comforted the scared girl and apologized for making it worse.
"I'm sorry for scaring you like that, Niblet," Spike said softly.
"But you don't have a soul," Travers interrupted.
Dawn opened her mouth to speak but Spike held up his hand. "So?"
"So, why do you even care if she's scared, or in danger? Why did you rescue her?"
Spike studied the man carefully before answering. He seemed genuinely curious.
Spike rolled his eyes, "I know this will probably throw you for a loop, but I love the little girl."
"Hey!" Dawn protested, "I'm not a little girl." "I know you're not Niblet," Spike said with a smile.
"But how can you love without a soul?"
Spike stood up, "You don't need a bloody soul to love somebody! Vampires know the difference between right and wrong, love and hate, good and evil. Our natural inclination to hate and be evil, but that doesn't mean we have to be that way."
"You're an odd vampire."
"And you're a bloody wanker."
Spike marched into the guest room. "Are you guys ready yet?"
"Yeah, as soon as Anya arrives."
As if on cue, Anya teleported into the room. "Here's the rest of the supplies."
"Great. Spike, will you go get Dawn?"
"Yeah."
Several seconds later Spike returned, his hand resting lightly on Dawn's shoulder. "Where do you want us?" She asked.
"Dawn, you stand inside the circle. Spike, you stand here. Willow, you stand against the wall. Anya, take this orb and stand behind Dawn," Giles instructed, "and I'll stand in front of Dawn." In Giles' hand was Spike's glowing soul.
"I went to Buffy's and told her to stay away until we call her," Anya informed the group.
"Thank you Anya, that was very thoughtful of you."
"Hey Rupes, do I need to do anything?"
"No, you just need to stand there. Now Spike, no matter what happens, you can't touch her until it's over. It will upset the balance and ruin the spell, and we don't know what the results of that would be."
"Right, no touching," Spike nodded. "Ready Niblet?"
Dawn nodded, and Willow began chanting.
Spike watched intently. At first nothing happened. Dawn just stood there, her eyes wide with fear. Anya and Giles both had their eyes closed and they were mouthing the words a long with Willow. Just when Spike was sure nothing would happen and the spell wouldn't work, he saw the soul leap from the orb and into Dawn's wide blue eyes.
Spike could clearly see her aura turn from green to black, and his blood froze in his veins when he heard her scream in pain.
***
Dawn heard herself scream, and then everything went black. When her vision cleared she realized she was standing in a long black hallway. She didn't realize it, but it was the same hallway Buffy saw in her dream nearly two months earlier.
She hesitated a moment, unsure if she should walk down the hall of stay there. She saw a sword propped up against the wall, similar to the sword she used when they were hiding from Willow. She grabbed it resolutely and began to purposely move towards the door at the end of the poorly lit hallway.
She felt cold, shivers running up and down her body. She didn't just feel physically cold. She felt the cold in her mind, her heart, and her soul. It seemed to freeze her. She did her best to focus on images of the sun in an effort to ward off the chill. Those images shifted to Buffy. Dawn would never admit it to anybody, but Buffy really was her hero. All she needed to do was picture her sister's bright smile to feel warmth, and picture her fighting nasties to give her strength.
Finally she reached the door and tentatively touched the doorknob. She half expected it to be locked, or the door to be jammed, or at least have squeaky hinges. But the knob turned easily in her hand the door opened smoothly and silently.
She stepped into a large chamber with stadium seating. The seats were full. Some people were smiling, some frowning, some cheering, some crying. But no matter their reaction, all their attention was turned to the table in the center of room, and the writhing vampire on the stone slab.
"Spike!" Dawn screamed and rushed to his side. He was bound with large, thick ropes at his wrists, waist, and ankles. His entire body was injured and badly scarred. His eyes looked old and tired. They weren't the eyes of her Spike, they were the eyes of a war refugee who had nowhere left to go and no reason left to live. Dawn felt her eyes flood and the tears overflow as she looked at her friend helplessly tied to the table under the gaze of thousands of people, calling for his blood.
"Not Spike. William," he gasped.
Dawn understood. This looked like Spike, but it wasn't him exactly. It was his soul.
"I've come to save you," Dawn said gently.
"I don't deserve it."
Dawn frowned, "Don't argue with me. I'm going to see if I can cut these ropes."
She brought her sword back as far as she could, and with all of her might, she brought it down on the ropes next to Spike's wrists. To her surprise, they actually broke. Spike freed his arms, and with a sigh of relief, lowered them to his side.
"What is the girl doing?" The crowd yelled as one.
"I'm freeing him!"
"You can't free him," they protested. Thousands of voices raged at her.
"I have to! We need him," Dawn shouted back, refusing to back down. She would not let these figments scare her. She knew they weren't real.
"He needs to be punished."
Dawn stood back and took a whack at the rope by his feet. "He has been punished. I need him now."
A door on the opposite side of the chamber opened, and Buffy emerged. "No Dawnie, you can't do this."
Dawn narrowed her eyes, "Why are you here."
"I can't let him go. I need to stake him."
"But you don't want to stake him," Dawn flung her body across Spike's as a shield, mindless of his broken and battered chest and her own safety.
"Get off of him," the crowd roared.
Buffy transformed into a man Dawn didn't recognize. "If you don't move, I'll stab you!"
Dawn didn't budge, and the man brought the railroad spike down into Dawn's hand.
***
"Ow!" Dawn screeched, then started to cry, cradling her hand against her chest. Spike's eyes caught Giles' just as he was reaching for her, and he stepped back.
"How long has it been?" Willow asked.
"Five minutes," Anya replied.
"It should have been over by now. End it," Spike demanded.
Willow shook her head, "I can't."
"It's hurting her," his eyes pleaded with Willow, but she could only stand there and watch.
***
Dawn screamed when the stake was plunged into her hand, but as soon as she felt the pain the stake disappeared.
"Ok, gotta get you out of here before that happens again."
The man came after her again, walking slowly over to the side of the table where Dawn was. She straightened and prepared herself for an attack, like Buffy had taught her. As soon as the man was close enough, she raised the sword and brought it down on his head. As soon as the blade touched him, he disappeared.
"Can you untie the rope around your waist?"
William shook his head, "No."
"I'll try to get it with this, but I don't want to hurt you."
Dawn had horrible visions of missing the rope and cutting into William's stomach. She could see the blood and the guts leak out of him and she blanched.
"Don't worry about hurting me. Not much more damage you could do," he gave a bitter laugh.
Squaring her shoulders she lifted the blade and brought it down on the rope, narrowly missing him as the sword hit the stone table. But the rope snapped and William jumped up.
"Behind you," he shouted and Dawn spun, bringing the sword across the neck of a young woman. Like the man before her, she disappeared.
"How do we get out of her?" She asked.
There were only two doors. The way she came and the entrance Buffy had used. She was uncertain and knew she'd probably only get one chance. There was no way that she and William could fend off thousands and thousands of angry people, all crying for blood and vengeance.
"Quick, this way," she called as she headed back to the door she came from.
***
"Look at her aura," Willow shouted. "It's almost green again!"
***
"Come on, come on, come on," Dawn pleaded. "Hurry."
"I'm going as fast as I can," William insisted as he limped down the hall. Behind the door they could hear the people rioting, screaming, and looking for weapons. The way they had been worked up they probably wouldn't need weapons to tear the unlikely duo apart.
"How much farther?" William asked.
"I don't know," Dawn panted. "Probably not too much. Here grab my hand. Don't let go," she instructed. The hall stretched in front of them, ominously, seeming to go forever.
***
"It's green, it's green," Spike shouted. Willow quickly began reading the last half of the spell, and the light bounced out of Dawn, and into Anya's hands.
As soon as Willow's part was done, Giles started speaking. Within minutes, the light of the soul was in Spike's eyes.