**** Chapter 2: Old friends ****
Dawn poked her head in the door to see Spike before she quickly bounded down. She noticed that Spike hadn't even looked up at her as she made her way down the steps and it looked as though he was in his own world. "Hey, your not seeing things again are you? I would hate to have to stake you after all this." Dawn said with a smirk.
"Oh, bit," Spike said with a startle, then a smirk of his own. "No, just thinking."
"Spike, I really didn't mean to embarrass the girls. I was just fed up with them, they're not trying hard enough. I don't want anything to happen to them you know." Dawn said defensively thinking she was in line for a scolding.
"No no, that's not what I was going to talk about. You did a fantastic job of that though." Spike paused trying to find the words, "Dawn, I'm sorry we've neglected you through all this. I want you to know that I haven't forgot about you, in fact, I would like to train you."
"Train me? Don't you have too much on your plate already?" Dawn asked unconvincingly, knowing full well she wanted to be part of the group.
"Well, yeah I do have a lot on my hands, but I think you can do it. Do you want to train?" Spike asked knowing full well the answer by just looking into her eyes. She nodded her head yes as she almost got teary eyed. "Is it okay if we start now, Dawnie?" She nodded again.
Spike quietly circled Dawn in a prowl like manner, as Dawn slipped into a fighters crouch. Just as Spike was preparing to lunge towards Dawn she fell backwards throwing her feet into his chest sending him stumbling backwards, he recovered quickly though. Dawn was still on her back as Spike started forward again, this time full game face and everything. Dawn rolled to her side and swept out his legs from right to left. As soon as Spike had hit the ground she landed a solid boot to his gut and had rolled over. She quickly got up to her knees and started to go for the kill, then realized she didn't have a stake, when she momentarily paused to look for one, he grabbed her by the neck with his left hand and started to draw her towards himself. "What now bit? I have you." Spike slurred through his fangs.
"Are you sure?" Dawn asked while struggling for air. Her right hand had found the blunt stake and she swung with force. Before she could connect Spike knocked the stake to the ground beside them with his right hand.
"What now Dawnie? Come on, do something, your going to be dinner." Spike was getting antsy thinking that he had her but knew that something was coming, she was to calm. In one move as the stake fell to the ground she landed an uppercut with her right, then knocked his left hand off with a hammer blow with both hands. She quickly grabbed the stake with her right hand and Spike's throat with her left. Even though vamps don't breath, they react to the thought of being choked just the same, the reach with both hands to try and release themselves, just enough time for Dawn to raise the blunt stake and hit her target. "Ow, I'm dust. That was good, for a starter." Spike said with a smirk as he looked up at Dawn for the first time breaking her solemn and serious, kick your ass face, into that classic Dawn smile.
"How do I do this, and those girls not even block a blow? Spike, I think I can hang with them." Dawn stated with confidence.
"Bit, I have no doubt in my mind that you could. In fact, we're going to prove it soon. But for now, let's keep our training between us, let's catch 'em off guard." After a slight pause he added, "You fight just like her you know." Spike was saying this while Dawn helped him up by the hand.
"No, I fight like both of you." Dawn softly said, with a smile at her former friend, former foe, current sparring buddy. The two old friends share an embrace and walk up the stairs to join the crew side by side with Spike holding her shoulder and her holding his waste.
"This seems more like old times," Dawn quickly said before leaving the basement, "you know, without all the 'extra' violence."
Dawn poked her head in the door to see Spike before she quickly bounded down. She noticed that Spike hadn't even looked up at her as she made her way down the steps and it looked as though he was in his own world. "Hey, your not seeing things again are you? I would hate to have to stake you after all this." Dawn said with a smirk.
"Oh, bit," Spike said with a startle, then a smirk of his own. "No, just thinking."
"Spike, I really didn't mean to embarrass the girls. I was just fed up with them, they're not trying hard enough. I don't want anything to happen to them you know." Dawn said defensively thinking she was in line for a scolding.
"No no, that's not what I was going to talk about. You did a fantastic job of that though." Spike paused trying to find the words, "Dawn, I'm sorry we've neglected you through all this. I want you to know that I haven't forgot about you, in fact, I would like to train you."
"Train me? Don't you have too much on your plate already?" Dawn asked unconvincingly, knowing full well she wanted to be part of the group.
"Well, yeah I do have a lot on my hands, but I think you can do it. Do you want to train?" Spike asked knowing full well the answer by just looking into her eyes. She nodded her head yes as she almost got teary eyed. "Is it okay if we start now, Dawnie?" She nodded again.
Spike quietly circled Dawn in a prowl like manner, as Dawn slipped into a fighters crouch. Just as Spike was preparing to lunge towards Dawn she fell backwards throwing her feet into his chest sending him stumbling backwards, he recovered quickly though. Dawn was still on her back as Spike started forward again, this time full game face and everything. Dawn rolled to her side and swept out his legs from right to left. As soon as Spike had hit the ground she landed a solid boot to his gut and had rolled over. She quickly got up to her knees and started to go for the kill, then realized she didn't have a stake, when she momentarily paused to look for one, he grabbed her by the neck with his left hand and started to draw her towards himself. "What now bit? I have you." Spike slurred through his fangs.
"Are you sure?" Dawn asked while struggling for air. Her right hand had found the blunt stake and she swung with force. Before she could connect Spike knocked the stake to the ground beside them with his right hand.
"What now Dawnie? Come on, do something, your going to be dinner." Spike was getting antsy thinking that he had her but knew that something was coming, she was to calm. In one move as the stake fell to the ground she landed an uppercut with her right, then knocked his left hand off with a hammer blow with both hands. She quickly grabbed the stake with her right hand and Spike's throat with her left. Even though vamps don't breath, they react to the thought of being choked just the same, the reach with both hands to try and release themselves, just enough time for Dawn to raise the blunt stake and hit her target. "Ow, I'm dust. That was good, for a starter." Spike said with a smirk as he looked up at Dawn for the first time breaking her solemn and serious, kick your ass face, into that classic Dawn smile.
"How do I do this, and those girls not even block a blow? Spike, I think I can hang with them." Dawn stated with confidence.
"Bit, I have no doubt in my mind that you could. In fact, we're going to prove it soon. But for now, let's keep our training between us, let's catch 'em off guard." After a slight pause he added, "You fight just like her you know." Spike was saying this while Dawn helped him up by the hand.
"No, I fight like both of you." Dawn softly said, with a smile at her former friend, former foe, current sparring buddy. The two old friends share an embrace and walk up the stairs to join the crew side by side with Spike holding her shoulder and her holding his waste.
"This seems more like old times," Dawn quickly said before leaving the basement, "you know, without all the 'extra' violence."