Spike sits across from Dawn in complete concentration. He finally looks up; satisfied:
"I think it was the Slayer, with the stake, in the graveyard," he smiles at Dawn, who returns it. She finally looked a bit relaxed. He had tried all night to play her lil' games; whatever she wanted, he obliged. "Professor Plum, candlestick, library."
Dawn suddenly felt a little chattier. "So how long have you known Buffy?
"Know her or known of her?" Spike cocked an eyebrow.
"You've just never been around this much before. Buffy always kept things so secrete-ee. But now she talks about you all the time."
"She does? Well, what does she say?" Spike perked up innocently.
Dawn shrugged, "Mostly about how much she can't stand you, or how she doesn't want to put up with you. . . but she has said how much you changed.
"Changed? She noticed that, huh?"
"For the better. And she has said how much she needs you."
"How much she needs me?"
"Well, she hasn't said that exactly, but I can tell she does."
Spike's eyes bounced around the floor. A feeling that he had kept pushed down in the deep folds of his stomach leapt up to his throat. He sat, taking unneeded deep breaths to calm himself. Dawn's face was furrowed in confusion of his sudden freak out:
"Your roll." A distracted Spike picked up the dice and rolled.
The dice crashed to the cardboard, "Six. One, two, three, four, five, six. Okay, let's see . . .I think it t'was . . ."
"A really ugly guy in a robe."
Spike's head shot up, "Don't think that's a character, luv."
But Dawn's face was filled with horror. "No . . . I freaky guy in a robe . . . Look."
Dawn was staring past him and Spike pivoted in his chair to follow her gaze. Looking through the window was a short, brown monster with a long hooked nose with many imperfections was staring at them through the window, searching.
Pure instinct drove Spike to jump from his chair, wrapping his long pasty fingers around the closest axe. The monster fled from the window. Spike's gut told him where the thing was headed.
"What was that?"
"A minion."
"A what?"
"We have to go warn Buffy."
TO BE CONTINUED