Story Title: "Tonight And The Rest Of My Life"
Author: La Vie Boheme96
Chapter Title: Sympathy for the Devil
A/N: I'm so sorry that it's been so long since I've updated... school ended not too long ago, and even without its inherent hassles I've been doing a lot of running around lately and haven't had even slightly enough time to write! Hopefully, that will all change in the coming weeks. Thanks for hanging around, and I sincerely hope that you're still enjoying the ride!
"Why does she never want me to know ANYTHING?" sighed Dawn as she walked past one of Sunnydale's larger, more expansive cemeteries with Spike. She kicked a rock that had foolishly gotten into her path, sending it skipping out into the silent street.
Spike's empathy was authentic. He took a long, comforting drag on his cigarette and said, "I know what ya mean, niblet. Seems like when all ya wanna do is lend a helpin' hand, she pushes you away. 'I got it covered,' she says. 'Lookit me, I'm th' bleedin' Slayer! I don't need anybody! Lemme stand 'ere and toss my hair fer a minute b'fore I go skippin' out t' slay all th' beasties bumpin' in th' night! I 'ope I don't get blood on me pretty new dress!'"
Dawn laughed at Spike's voice, a high-pitched, mocking impersonation of Buffy. She believed that his words rang all too true. "She always acts like, you know, 'The world's a better place because of ME, and don't you forget it!'" she said.
Spike grinned, puffing on his cigarette. "Some peoples' egos're just outta control, aren't they?"
"Not *yours*, though," Dawn said. "I mean, you must've killed hundreds of people, right?"
He glanced at her, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Uh . . . well... yeah!" he exclaimed, trying to sound cool.
"And you don't go showing off in front of all the other vampires, telling them you've murdered probably over a thousand innocents, right? It's just a walk in the park for you. Well . . . it *was*."
"Oh, yeah. I mean, you shoulda SEEN the way I . . . uh . . . yeah, Dawnie . . . All that's in th' past, where it b'longs," Spike said, giving up the ruse in favour of telling the truth. "I dunno what's gonna happen if I ever get this chip out, but fer now I'm just a big loveable puppy, if ya know what I mean. I can't see why I'm the only one willin' to accept that." He took in another lengthy draught of cigarette smoke.
"I *wanna* accept that," Dawn said shyly, "but Buffy won't let me. She's always telling me stories about you."
"She is, eh? Bet they don't end with '...and ev'rybody lived 'appily ever after.'"
Dawn grinned sadly and shook her head. "Nah . . . more like '...so that's why I want you to stay away from him.'"
Spike stopped, finished with his cigarette. Dawn walked a few steps beyond him, and then she too came to a halt. She turned around, and Spike dropped the cigarette butt to the ground, stomping it out with the toe of his boot. He looked back up at her.
"Lit'l bit," he said slowly, "you don't think I'd 'urt you, do ya?"
Dawn folded her arms across her chest and looked briefly down at the sidewalk. "Well . . . I don't know," she said truthfully. "Obviously you CAN'T, but if you didn't have that chip . . . I'm . . . I'm not sure I'd feel safe."
"Dawn, whatever she tells you I'd do t' you, I'd never do it."
"Buffy tells me you just say things like that because you're trying to score 'brownie points'. That's what she calls 'em. She says you're just trying to get in good with the gang, and she . . . and she doesn't want you."
"Oh, of COURSE!" Spike shouted exasperatedly, throwing his hands up in the air, turning away from Dawn. He stared at the ground with his hands on his hips, the whiteness of his skin sharply set off by the black leather of his trenchcoat. "Cripes, I guess it's bloody impossible fer ol' Spike t' have feelin's fer somebody, right? I guess it ain't normal fer me t' genuinely enjoy somebody's comp'ny, eh? Nah. Nah, I always gotta have some evil ulterior soddin' motive!"
"Spike, please don't get mad," Dawn said timidly. She knew what his temper was like, and the idea of him getting angry frightened her.
Spike dejectedly looked at her over his shoulder and read her face. "Don't be afraid o' me, Dawn," he muttered. "I don't deserve it."
Dawn sheepishly, gradually walked to where Spike was standing and took a hold of his arm. She hugged it tightly and buried her face in it.
"You're nicer to me than Buffy ever was," she said, her voice muffled by leather. "I wish she wasn't so mean to you."
The vampire looked down at her, taken off guard by her show of affection. Thinking back on his long life, filled with evil and depravity, he never thought that anybody--especially a child--would take to him that way. He thought he could never be good, that it was beyond him. And yet . . . there was that little girl, clinging to his arm, silently begging him to provide her with the emotional support she claimed her own sister could not.
Frankly he didn't know how to handle it.
"Buy you a pint at the Bronze," he offered.
Grinning up at him, Dawn said, "How 'bout a Coke?"
Spike nodded.
"Suit yourself then," he said as the two resumed their walk. "But if I had a sister like yours I'd wanna go out an' get trashed ev'ry night o' my life."
Author: La Vie Boheme96
Chapter Title: Sympathy for the Devil
A/N: I'm so sorry that it's been so long since I've updated... school ended not too long ago, and even without its inherent hassles I've been doing a lot of running around lately and haven't had even slightly enough time to write! Hopefully, that will all change in the coming weeks. Thanks for hanging around, and I sincerely hope that you're still enjoying the ride!
"Why does she never want me to know ANYTHING?" sighed Dawn as she walked past one of Sunnydale's larger, more expansive cemeteries with Spike. She kicked a rock that had foolishly gotten into her path, sending it skipping out into the silent street.
Spike's empathy was authentic. He took a long, comforting drag on his cigarette and said, "I know what ya mean, niblet. Seems like when all ya wanna do is lend a helpin' hand, she pushes you away. 'I got it covered,' she says. 'Lookit me, I'm th' bleedin' Slayer! I don't need anybody! Lemme stand 'ere and toss my hair fer a minute b'fore I go skippin' out t' slay all th' beasties bumpin' in th' night! I 'ope I don't get blood on me pretty new dress!'"
Dawn laughed at Spike's voice, a high-pitched, mocking impersonation of Buffy. She believed that his words rang all too true. "She always acts like, you know, 'The world's a better place because of ME, and don't you forget it!'" she said.
Spike grinned, puffing on his cigarette. "Some peoples' egos're just outta control, aren't they?"
"Not *yours*, though," Dawn said. "I mean, you must've killed hundreds of people, right?"
He glanced at her, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Uh . . . well... yeah!" he exclaimed, trying to sound cool.
"And you don't go showing off in front of all the other vampires, telling them you've murdered probably over a thousand innocents, right? It's just a walk in the park for you. Well . . . it *was*."
"Oh, yeah. I mean, you shoulda SEEN the way I . . . uh . . . yeah, Dawnie . . . All that's in th' past, where it b'longs," Spike said, giving up the ruse in favour of telling the truth. "I dunno what's gonna happen if I ever get this chip out, but fer now I'm just a big loveable puppy, if ya know what I mean. I can't see why I'm the only one willin' to accept that." He took in another lengthy draught of cigarette smoke.
"I *wanna* accept that," Dawn said shyly, "but Buffy won't let me. She's always telling me stories about you."
"She is, eh? Bet they don't end with '...and ev'rybody lived 'appily ever after.'"
Dawn grinned sadly and shook her head. "Nah . . . more like '...so that's why I want you to stay away from him.'"
Spike stopped, finished with his cigarette. Dawn walked a few steps beyond him, and then she too came to a halt. She turned around, and Spike dropped the cigarette butt to the ground, stomping it out with the toe of his boot. He looked back up at her.
"Lit'l bit," he said slowly, "you don't think I'd 'urt you, do ya?"
Dawn folded her arms across her chest and looked briefly down at the sidewalk. "Well . . . I don't know," she said truthfully. "Obviously you CAN'T, but if you didn't have that chip . . . I'm . . . I'm not sure I'd feel safe."
"Dawn, whatever she tells you I'd do t' you, I'd never do it."
"Buffy tells me you just say things like that because you're trying to score 'brownie points'. That's what she calls 'em. She says you're just trying to get in good with the gang, and she . . . and she doesn't want you."
"Oh, of COURSE!" Spike shouted exasperatedly, throwing his hands up in the air, turning away from Dawn. He stared at the ground with his hands on his hips, the whiteness of his skin sharply set off by the black leather of his trenchcoat. "Cripes, I guess it's bloody impossible fer ol' Spike t' have feelin's fer somebody, right? I guess it ain't normal fer me t' genuinely enjoy somebody's comp'ny, eh? Nah. Nah, I always gotta have some evil ulterior soddin' motive!"
"Spike, please don't get mad," Dawn said timidly. She knew what his temper was like, and the idea of him getting angry frightened her.
Spike dejectedly looked at her over his shoulder and read her face. "Don't be afraid o' me, Dawn," he muttered. "I don't deserve it."
Dawn sheepishly, gradually walked to where Spike was standing and took a hold of his arm. She hugged it tightly and buried her face in it.
"You're nicer to me than Buffy ever was," she said, her voice muffled by leather. "I wish she wasn't so mean to you."
The vampire looked down at her, taken off guard by her show of affection. Thinking back on his long life, filled with evil and depravity, he never thought that anybody--especially a child--would take to him that way. He thought he could never be good, that it was beyond him. And yet . . . there was that little girl, clinging to his arm, silently begging him to provide her with the emotional support she claimed her own sister could not.
Frankly he didn't know how to handle it.
"Buy you a pint at the Bronze," he offered.
Grinning up at him, Dawn said, "How 'bout a Coke?"
Spike nodded.
"Suit yourself then," he said as the two resumed their walk. "But if I had a sister like yours I'd wanna go out an' get trashed ev'ry night o' my life."