**** Chapter Three: The Show ****
Dawn and Spike had trained secretively for almost three weeks when it happened, Buffy asked Dawn to come off the steps and join them for a quick spar. Vi had broken her finger and had to sit out of training for the day so Dawn was allowed to fill her spot. All the girls were teamed up with partners, Dawn's just happened to be Amanda. When it was their turn to face off with Spike, Amanda was quickly beaten by Spike leaving just he and Dawn. Buffy was about to stop the exercise when she saw Dawn step up from behind Spike, she stopped wanting to see what little sis was going to do. She quickly kicked his right leg at the knee dropping him to both is knees. Spike wasn't expecting that and had prepared to block her punch to the side of the head, now as he tried to turn around a face Dawn she caught him across the face with a right stiff kick. Spike fell face first to the floor, vamping out as he hit. Dawn stepped back and allowed him to get up, while she found her weapon. Spike circled her like before in their secret sessions and he growled sarcastically, "What now Summers? You can't take me."
Dawn remained silent as she crouched, she went for a quick right kick to the head but he blocked it. As her foot fell back to the floor she followed through with a left hook, connecting solidly, just not taking the vamp out of the game. He quickly swept her like she had him so many times before, as he raised his foot to step over her in a straddle position, she punched him in the knee, and when he bent in pain she wrapped her hands around his head and placed her feet in his gut monkey flipping him over, she rolled with and started to stake him. He blocked the stake and backhanded Dawn off of him. They both quickly stood up and faced each other again.
"Come on, surely you can do better than that." Spike said as he prowled once more.
The potentials stood in awe of Dawn as she faced off with Spike. Buffy stood even more amazed, she was going to stop them at the beginning but now she couldn't stop it if she wanted to, she couldn't speak out of astonishment. She was doing it, she was doing what all the other girls should be able to do.
Spike started in with a lunge head first, Dawn lifted her left knee and connected as he stood straight she swung mistakenly at his head with a right hook, missing his head but finding his hand. Spike turned her and pulled her in quickly raising his head as if to bite her. "You're dead bit." Spike said almost as if he had stunned himself.
"Are you so sure?" Dawn asked with a smirk, "Spike, what's that against your chest in my left hand? Oh yeah, that's my stake, and that's you going to dust."
Dawn looked at Buffy with a look that shocked Buffy. Buffy expected a giddy smile but she received an eerie scowl. The potentials were all standing in an awed silence until Dawn snapped them out of it by headbutting Spike with the back of her head and knocking him to the ground. Spike hit the floor just in time for Dawn to turn, grab his hand and help him up. He looked at her in confusion for a minute then understood, she was proving herself to them and her.
"Alright guys, I guess that's enough for today. Go on and grab something to eat." Buffy said almost out of trance. After the girls had cleared the stairs she broke out into a huge smile, "Dawnie, that was awesome. How did you do that monkey flip so fast?"
Dawn started to answer but Spike interrupted, "The question should be, how'd she win. Your other girls can't even hit me, she's never lost to me." Spike said letting the cat slip from the bag.
"What's that? You've fought him before?" She asked Dawn with confusion as well as a little anger. "When was this? Why didn't I know?"
"Buffy," Spike interrupted again, "someone has to train her, she can't be expected to stand back and just watch. Besides, she's better than all of them together."
Buffy stood thinking over his words and glancing at Dawn she noticed a gleam in her eye that she hadn't noticed before. Maybe she had pushed her out of this too long. "Dawn, how about joining the potentials from now on? Maybe they'll learn something." Buffy said smiling at Dawn then at Spike. She quickly ran up the stairs to talk to the other girls to tell them of the new addition.
Dawn and Spike started to walk up the stairs again just like three weeks ago when they saw Xander sitting on the fourth step from the door, he walked down and hugged Dawn. "That was great Dawnie, knew you could do it." He released Dawn and she continued on up the stairs and out the door. Xander turned to Spike with a smile, "God, that was a great show. I was worried she had lost for a minute though." Xander said with a slight chuckle.
"No mate, it wasn't a show, it was a fight. And she won." Spike stated as powerfully as any word ever spoken by him. Xander quietly nodded as they walked side by side out of the basement, both knowing that fight or show, she had won.
Dawn and Spike had trained secretively for almost three weeks when it happened, Buffy asked Dawn to come off the steps and join them for a quick spar. Vi had broken her finger and had to sit out of training for the day so Dawn was allowed to fill her spot. All the girls were teamed up with partners, Dawn's just happened to be Amanda. When it was their turn to face off with Spike, Amanda was quickly beaten by Spike leaving just he and Dawn. Buffy was about to stop the exercise when she saw Dawn step up from behind Spike, she stopped wanting to see what little sis was going to do. She quickly kicked his right leg at the knee dropping him to both is knees. Spike wasn't expecting that and had prepared to block her punch to the side of the head, now as he tried to turn around a face Dawn she caught him across the face with a right stiff kick. Spike fell face first to the floor, vamping out as he hit. Dawn stepped back and allowed him to get up, while she found her weapon. Spike circled her like before in their secret sessions and he growled sarcastically, "What now Summers? You can't take me."
Dawn remained silent as she crouched, she went for a quick right kick to the head but he blocked it. As her foot fell back to the floor she followed through with a left hook, connecting solidly, just not taking the vamp out of the game. He quickly swept her like she had him so many times before, as he raised his foot to step over her in a straddle position, she punched him in the knee, and when he bent in pain she wrapped her hands around his head and placed her feet in his gut monkey flipping him over, she rolled with and started to stake him. He blocked the stake and backhanded Dawn off of him. They both quickly stood up and faced each other again.
"Come on, surely you can do better than that." Spike said as he prowled once more.
The potentials stood in awe of Dawn as she faced off with Spike. Buffy stood even more amazed, she was going to stop them at the beginning but now she couldn't stop it if she wanted to, she couldn't speak out of astonishment. She was doing it, she was doing what all the other girls should be able to do.
Spike started in with a lunge head first, Dawn lifted her left knee and connected as he stood straight she swung mistakenly at his head with a right hook, missing his head but finding his hand. Spike turned her and pulled her in quickly raising his head as if to bite her. "You're dead bit." Spike said almost as if he had stunned himself.
"Are you so sure?" Dawn asked with a smirk, "Spike, what's that against your chest in my left hand? Oh yeah, that's my stake, and that's you going to dust."
Dawn looked at Buffy with a look that shocked Buffy. Buffy expected a giddy smile but she received an eerie scowl. The potentials were all standing in an awed silence until Dawn snapped them out of it by headbutting Spike with the back of her head and knocking him to the ground. Spike hit the floor just in time for Dawn to turn, grab his hand and help him up. He looked at her in confusion for a minute then understood, she was proving herself to them and her.
"Alright guys, I guess that's enough for today. Go on and grab something to eat." Buffy said almost out of trance. After the girls had cleared the stairs she broke out into a huge smile, "Dawnie, that was awesome. How did you do that monkey flip so fast?"
Dawn started to answer but Spike interrupted, "The question should be, how'd she win. Your other girls can't even hit me, she's never lost to me." Spike said letting the cat slip from the bag.
"What's that? You've fought him before?" She asked Dawn with confusion as well as a little anger. "When was this? Why didn't I know?"
"Buffy," Spike interrupted again, "someone has to train her, she can't be expected to stand back and just watch. Besides, she's better than all of them together."
Buffy stood thinking over his words and glancing at Dawn she noticed a gleam in her eye that she hadn't noticed before. Maybe she had pushed her out of this too long. "Dawn, how about joining the potentials from now on? Maybe they'll learn something." Buffy said smiling at Dawn then at Spike. She quickly ran up the stairs to talk to the other girls to tell them of the new addition.
Dawn and Spike started to walk up the stairs again just like three weeks ago when they saw Xander sitting on the fourth step from the door, he walked down and hugged Dawn. "That was great Dawnie, knew you could do it." He released Dawn and she continued on up the stairs and out the door. Xander turned to Spike with a smile, "God, that was a great show. I was worried she had lost for a minute though." Xander said with a slight chuckle.
"No mate, it wasn't a show, it was a fight. And she won." Spike stated as powerfully as any word ever spoken by him. Xander quietly nodded as they walked side by side out of the basement, both knowing that fight or show, she had won.