OK, I know I said I wouldn't post again til' next week - I just couldn't
leave it that way! It's short, but this is what I came up with!
Chapter 13
Spike has finally drifted off to sleep after simply watching Buffy sleep for several hours. He wanted to memorize her sleeping face, her golden hair. Who knows if he will ever have another chance? He is overwhelmed that she trusts him enough to relax and go to sleep. There was a time not too long ago when she wouldn't do just that.
Suddenly, there is a scream from somewhere upstairs. Spike would know that voice anywhere. It's Dawn. What the hell now? It's sodden' daylight, don't these buggers ever give it a rest?
He's up, unceremoniously tossing Buffy in the floor. He is halfway up the stairs before Buffy wakes enough to follow. By the time, he reaches the main floor, he can hear footsteps upstairs and someone banging on a door. He stops just long enough to listen for a moment and wait for Buffy to catch up.
Buffy looks to him, "Dawn?" she asks as they start up the steps.
He nods, "Must be Tuesday, huh?"
When they reach the top of the stairs, they are treated to Willow with a sleepy Kennedy in tow. Banging on the door to Dawn's room, frantically calling out for Dawn. She turns to them, "It's locked!"
Spike immediately places himself at the wall opposite the door. "Move Ducks, I'm going in."
*****************
Just as Spike charges the door, it opens causing Spike to pretty much fall through the door in a most undignified way. He looks up to see Xander towering above him. "Bloody Christ, are you trying to kill me?" he asks.
Even though he has essentially been caught red-handed, Xander can't resist baiting Spike. "If I was trying to kill you, I'd have opened the drapes first."
Buffy rushes in, practically tripping over Spike who is now sitting in the floor. "Dawn, Dawn - I heard her scream - we heard her screaming." Willow, Kennedy, Andrew and a chorus of potentials follow.
A slightly high-pitched voice draws all eyes to the bed. "I'm right here."
Dawn sits in the middle of the bed, holding the sheets up to her neck. Her hair is messy and her face is red.
"What happened? We heard you scream." Buffy asks, quickly going to sit on the bed. Before she can help herself, she quickly surveys Xander's state of dress and then admonishes herself for even thinking such a thing.
She is relieved to see that Xander is dressed in sweats and a tee shirt. His hair is messy and he needs a shave but he's dressed - yes, thank goodness, an all covered up Xander is a good Xander, Buffy thinks.
Buffy jumps back to survey Dawn. "Dawn, come clean! Look at you!" She says in a very big sisterly tone.
Dawn's eyes are as wide as saucers and if possible her face looks even redder. Her voice sounds even a little squeakier than it did a minute before, when she speaks, "Come clean?" She asks. "'Bout what?"
Buffy's eyes narrow, "Don't give me that you know what I'm talking about."
"I do?" Dawn asks, her brain going blank at what to do. She can't look at Xander. Don't look at Xander, Dawnie!
"You know full well what I'm talking about young lady!" Buffy says in her best Joyce imitation.
Dawn can feel her heart beating double time. She chances a look around and catches Spike's eye. One look at him and she knows, he knows. Oh God!
"Go ahead, try to deny it!"
"Deny what?" she squeaks.
"YOU HAVE ON MY FAVORATE PAJAMAS AGAIN! Dawn, how many times have I told you to stay out of my closet!"
Dawn suddenly feels like all of the wind has rushed out of her lungs. She puts on her best pouty face, "But, Buffy, I feel so much safer when I have something of yours close to me". She throws her arms around her sister. "I'm sorry, I promise I'll never do it again. Double pinky-swear promise."
Buffy pulls back from the death grip that Dawn has her in. "So, tell me this. Why on earth, were you screaming loud enough to wake the dead?"
Having dodged the pajama thing, Dawn is fresh out of ideas for this one. Hearing Xander's voice pipe up, she sends up a silent prayer of thanks.
"Ah, it was - a nightmare - yeah, a nightmare. Bad one, scared me and I was right here." He says the last with a little discomfort. Spike arches a disbelieving brow his way but he ignores it.
Buffy turns back to Dawn, concerned. "Dawnie, I'm sorry. What was it about?"
Dawn's mind is more than blank and she figures that she has roughly twenty pairs of eyes pointing her way. She opens her mouth and words come out. "The Marshmallow Man."
Buffy does that wiggy thing she does with her forehead, "The Marshmallow Man?"
"Ah, you know the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters --- or was it the sequel? Anyway, definitely the Marshmallow Man."
Andrew jumps in, thankfully turning the eyes away from Dawn. "It was the original and the better of the two pictures that you are thinking of Dawn. Starring Harold Ramis, Dan Ackroyd and my favorite, Bill Murray. Ever see Caddyshack? Gotta' love that dancing Gopher."
Dawn could kiss him, that diatribe has the crowd breaking up. Even Buffy looks about ready to go. Still, she asks one more time, "The Marshmallow Man?"
And Dawn answers, "The Marshmallow Man".
Buffy scrunches her shoulders, "Well, OK. Try to get a little more rest. May as well, with school canceled and all. She gives Dawn a quick peck on the forehead and she is off to find her own bed.
As the crowd disperses, Spike stays back. "Ah, Dawnie - best be doing a bit better when dressing under the covers. Your top's buttoned up all wrong."
He turns to exit and thinks better of it. He turns around to Xander. Pointing a finger Xander's way, he speaks again. "You best better watch it, Pirate Jack. Soul or no soul, I'll kill you if you hurt her." Not waiting for a reply he leaves too.
TBC
Chapter 13
Spike has finally drifted off to sleep after simply watching Buffy sleep for several hours. He wanted to memorize her sleeping face, her golden hair. Who knows if he will ever have another chance? He is overwhelmed that she trusts him enough to relax and go to sleep. There was a time not too long ago when she wouldn't do just that.
Suddenly, there is a scream from somewhere upstairs. Spike would know that voice anywhere. It's Dawn. What the hell now? It's sodden' daylight, don't these buggers ever give it a rest?
He's up, unceremoniously tossing Buffy in the floor. He is halfway up the stairs before Buffy wakes enough to follow. By the time, he reaches the main floor, he can hear footsteps upstairs and someone banging on a door. He stops just long enough to listen for a moment and wait for Buffy to catch up.
Buffy looks to him, "Dawn?" she asks as they start up the steps.
He nods, "Must be Tuesday, huh?"
When they reach the top of the stairs, they are treated to Willow with a sleepy Kennedy in tow. Banging on the door to Dawn's room, frantically calling out for Dawn. She turns to them, "It's locked!"
Spike immediately places himself at the wall opposite the door. "Move Ducks, I'm going in."
*****************
Just as Spike charges the door, it opens causing Spike to pretty much fall through the door in a most undignified way. He looks up to see Xander towering above him. "Bloody Christ, are you trying to kill me?" he asks.
Even though he has essentially been caught red-handed, Xander can't resist baiting Spike. "If I was trying to kill you, I'd have opened the drapes first."
Buffy rushes in, practically tripping over Spike who is now sitting in the floor. "Dawn, Dawn - I heard her scream - we heard her screaming." Willow, Kennedy, Andrew and a chorus of potentials follow.
A slightly high-pitched voice draws all eyes to the bed. "I'm right here."
Dawn sits in the middle of the bed, holding the sheets up to her neck. Her hair is messy and her face is red.
"What happened? We heard you scream." Buffy asks, quickly going to sit on the bed. Before she can help herself, she quickly surveys Xander's state of dress and then admonishes herself for even thinking such a thing.
She is relieved to see that Xander is dressed in sweats and a tee shirt. His hair is messy and he needs a shave but he's dressed - yes, thank goodness, an all covered up Xander is a good Xander, Buffy thinks.
Buffy jumps back to survey Dawn. "Dawn, come clean! Look at you!" She says in a very big sisterly tone.
Dawn's eyes are as wide as saucers and if possible her face looks even redder. Her voice sounds even a little squeakier than it did a minute before, when she speaks, "Come clean?" She asks. "'Bout what?"
Buffy's eyes narrow, "Don't give me that you know what I'm talking about."
"I do?" Dawn asks, her brain going blank at what to do. She can't look at Xander. Don't look at Xander, Dawnie!
"You know full well what I'm talking about young lady!" Buffy says in her best Joyce imitation.
Dawn can feel her heart beating double time. She chances a look around and catches Spike's eye. One look at him and she knows, he knows. Oh God!
"Go ahead, try to deny it!"
"Deny what?" she squeaks.
"YOU HAVE ON MY FAVORATE PAJAMAS AGAIN! Dawn, how many times have I told you to stay out of my closet!"
Dawn suddenly feels like all of the wind has rushed out of her lungs. She puts on her best pouty face, "But, Buffy, I feel so much safer when I have something of yours close to me". She throws her arms around her sister. "I'm sorry, I promise I'll never do it again. Double pinky-swear promise."
Buffy pulls back from the death grip that Dawn has her in. "So, tell me this. Why on earth, were you screaming loud enough to wake the dead?"
Having dodged the pajama thing, Dawn is fresh out of ideas for this one. Hearing Xander's voice pipe up, she sends up a silent prayer of thanks.
"Ah, it was - a nightmare - yeah, a nightmare. Bad one, scared me and I was right here." He says the last with a little discomfort. Spike arches a disbelieving brow his way but he ignores it.
Buffy turns back to Dawn, concerned. "Dawnie, I'm sorry. What was it about?"
Dawn's mind is more than blank and she figures that she has roughly twenty pairs of eyes pointing her way. She opens her mouth and words come out. "The Marshmallow Man."
Buffy does that wiggy thing she does with her forehead, "The Marshmallow Man?"
"Ah, you know the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters --- or was it the sequel? Anyway, definitely the Marshmallow Man."
Andrew jumps in, thankfully turning the eyes away from Dawn. "It was the original and the better of the two pictures that you are thinking of Dawn. Starring Harold Ramis, Dan Ackroyd and my favorite, Bill Murray. Ever see Caddyshack? Gotta' love that dancing Gopher."
Dawn could kiss him, that diatribe has the crowd breaking up. Even Buffy looks about ready to go. Still, she asks one more time, "The Marshmallow Man?"
And Dawn answers, "The Marshmallow Man".
Buffy scrunches her shoulders, "Well, OK. Try to get a little more rest. May as well, with school canceled and all. She gives Dawn a quick peck on the forehead and she is off to find her own bed.
As the crowd disperses, Spike stays back. "Ah, Dawnie - best be doing a bit better when dressing under the covers. Your top's buttoned up all wrong."
He turns to exit and thinks better of it. He turns around to Xander. Pointing a finger Xander's way, he speaks again. "You best better watch it, Pirate Jack. Soul or no soul, I'll kill you if you hurt her." Not waiting for a reply he leaves too.
TBC