Chapter Two – A Little Sisterly Advice

Dawn could smell the breakfast pancakes before she even entered the kitchen, she prayed that it was Willow cooking and not Buffy. They hadn't talked last night and she had nothing to say to her as far as Spike was concerned. She knew why Buffy was so worried about her, Dawn understood that Spike was dangerous but he would never hurt her. She walked through the doorway; Buffy was standing over the oven, flipping the pancakes onto a plate. She turned to face Dawn and handed her breakfast.

"You are definitely eating breakfast this morning," she mumbled before putting her own breakfast out. Dawn sat at the counter and waited for the lecture to start, she slowly chewed on a forkful of pancake, still waiting. Buffy sat down and took a sip of orange juice, "We need to talk,"

"Here it comes," whispered Dawn, sighing quietly. Buffy raised her eyebrows daring her to continue. "Look, all I'm saying is we've had this conversation before and it always ends the same,"

"I just wish you'd listen to me for a change. Spike is not like one of your friends, he's a vampire and he's evil. Why do you insist on seeing him?"

"Because he treats me like a human being, he doesn't act like I'm a child. You act like I can't understand anything,"

"Dawn, I don't treat you like a child but things with Spike are difficult right now. Can you not just listen to me for once?"

"I would if you were making any sense. You haven't given one good reason for me to stop going over there. It's not like we're plotting evil together, he's teaching me how to fight because you won't,"

"I can't teach you how to fight on top of slaying and homework and everything else. I don't want you out there, I need to keep you safe, you're all I have now,"

"Buffy, I love you but you can't protect me all the time. Spike would never hurt me or let anything happen to me. Look, I'm gonna be late for school," sighed Dawn, standing up and grabbing her bag. Buffy looked up at her, Dawn knew she was upset but neither of them appeared to be budging. "I'll be home for dinner,"

"Thank you," smiled Buffy a little sadly as Dawn walked out of the room and headed to school, passing Willow on her way out.

"It is Friday, right? I mean, Dawn had Monday face but I'm pretty sure it's Friday," grinned Willow, pouring herself a large glass of orange juice.

"We had a fight again," sighed Buffy, "About Spike,"

"What about him? I thought things were okay with you two now?"

"They are, it's Dawn. I don't know what's wrong with me, Will. I feel like I'm jealous or something, things between me and Spike are over but how can I let him go if he's still in our lives?"

"Can't you tell Dawn that?" asked Willow.

"No, it's completely selfish. All my reasons for keeping them apart are selfish. Dawn likes spending time with him and I'm just being stupid. Forget it, it doesn't matter. I'll just have to deal with it," said Buffy, clearing away her plate and throwing her untouched breakfast into the bin.

"It obviously means a lot to you, Buffy. I'm sure Dawn would understand all this if you just told her,"

"Yeah, 'cause that wouldn't be awkward. I can't tell her I have feelings for Spike, it's just too weird, even I don't want to believe it,"

"Do you love him?"

"No, I don't know what it is. It's not love but there's something there…"

"You have to talk to Dawn, you have to tell her something or she's just going to keep on running,"

"I know," nodded Buffy and walked out of the room.

Dawn begrudgingly went straight home from school although she was slightly late; she had taken the long way home – past the graveyard. She had wanted to go in and see Spike for a little while but knew that once they got talking, she wouldn't want to leave. Buffy hadn't been waiting by the door when she got in but she might as well have been, as soon as the front door opened Buffy was in the hallway ready to meet and greet Dawn. Dawn hung up her coat and dumped her schoolbag on the floor.

"Good day at school?" asked Buffy. "Do anything interesting?"

"Not particularly," sighed Dawn. "Maths sucked big time, I might get Willow to explain it. She'd probably do a better job than Mr Mackenzie,"

"You hungry? I'm making Italian, thought it'd make a change from takeaway," smiled Buffy, Dawn just nodded. "Maybe we could watch a video later,"

"I don't know, I've got homework and I'm really tired,"

"Okay, whatever you want, I don't mind. What time do you want to eat?

"Not yet, maybe a bit later. I want to take a bath first, I'm still aching from yesterday," said Dawn, idly rubbing at her neck and shoulders. Buffy nodded in acknowledgement and watched as Dawn disappeared upstairs. She didn't know what else she was supposed to do so she wandered back into the kitchen and turned the oven down.

Upstairs, Dawn climbed into the hot bubble bath and moaned with a mix of pleasure and pain; Spike had worked her hard yesterday and her muscles were still protesting. The warm water seemed to quiet their complaining and Dawn revelled in the peace and quiet. She was still a little annoyed with Buffy but decided to just ignore the subject and let it lie, she could do without any more family arguments. After a while, Dawn's bath water was almost cold and she decided it was time to get out. She changed into her new flared jeans and an old t-shirt before walking down the staircase and into the kitchen. Buffy and Willow stopped talking at her arrival but Dawn bit her tongue, they might not have been talking about her.

"All ready for lasagne a la Buffy?" smiled Willow, putting knives and forks on the counter while Buffy counted out three plates.

"Yeah," said Dawn. "Are we eating in here or in the dining room?"

"Here's fine. Less messy too," laughed Buffy spooning lasagne out onto the plates and carrying them across to the counter.

The three women ate in relative silence, only stopping to offer appreciative noises to Buffy; it was near the end of the meal that Willow decided to break the code of silence in the least tactful of ways.

"Buffy told me you've been hanging out with Spike a lot,"

"Yeah, he's been teaching me how to fight and stuff," said Dawn flippantly, Willow's thinly veiled attempt at starting a conversation was not going to work.

"Are you still seeing your school friends? I mean, Janice hasn't called in a while, have you two fallen out?" smiled Willow, Buffy watched on in silence pretending not to care.

"Janice is in Mexico visiting her Dad. Is this little conversation about school or about Spike?"

"Neither, I was just worried about you. I mean, I had no friends in high school and I was thinking that maybe that's why… with the Spike stuff,"

"So you think I'm hanging out with Spike because I'm some big loner?" asked Dawn, Willow shook her head and started to protest but Dawn cut her off. "Whatever, Will. I'm not some little kid you've gotta watch over and I know what an intervention is, it's just not gonna work,"

"Dawnie, this isn't an intervention. Will's just worried like me," said Buffy. Dawn jumped down from her chair and walked over to the back door.

"I'm going for a walk. Don't worry, I have my stake," she spat angrily, slamming the back door behind her. Buffy shot Willow a look of complete despair.

"Let her go. At least you know where she is," sighed Willow as she started to clear the plates away.

"Y'know," said Buffy. "If she wasn't so much like me, I'd be a lot less worried,"