CHAPTER EIGHT
"Spike!" she screamed and she ran and launched herself into his arms.
Spike opened his arms to accommodate the teenager that was charging at him, Dawn wrapped her arms around him and squeezed almost all of the newly found life out of him.
Spike held her close to him and let her enjoy this moment of happiness before the questions started coming.
"Oh Spike you're back, I've missed you things got so messed up last year and now your back." She said with her head still pressed into his chest. Spike could feel the a little wet patch growing on his t-shirt from her tears.
He pulled back from her slightly and held her out so that he could have a proper look at her.
"Come on Bit I'll take you for ice-cream." Spike said as he picked up her school bag and headed for the door.
~*~
They sat together at an ice-cream parlour but not really saying anything. Dawn had so many questions to ask and so much to say that she didn't know what to say first. She stayed silent and waited for the big brother she never had to explain himself.
"So what's with the sunbathing?" she finally asked.
"I wondered how long it'd take you to ask about that." Spike said picking the chocolate flake from the ice cream and eating it in one bite.
"God Spike you're always full of surprises now tell me what happened." Dawn demanded trying her very best to sound forceful.
"Did Buffy tell you what happened in the hellmouth?" he asked.
"Not really, she told us that you saved the world by sacrificing yourself but she never went into details." Dawn answered.
"Well here's the deal Nibblet, I wore some gaudy gem that Angel picked up and it let the sunlight enter the hellmouth via me. It looked at treat it did as well only catch was that it meant the sunlight hit me too." Spike explained trying to keep it brief so as to not upset either of them.
"You burned." Dawn muttered a wash with emotions.
"That's not the important part. The important thing is that it fulfilled the Shangshu prophecy, you know that one that was either going to kill Angel or make him human. Seems it did both but for me." Spike said.
Dawn looked at him for a moment, she took her hand and traced it over his face which was now had a tint of a suntan. She moved her hand down to his neck and felt his pulse and as soon as she felt it tears started to flow freely.
"Dawnie don't cry." Spike said trying to sooth her.
"I'm sorry I can't help it. All these months I wanted you back here with us. I wanted to make everything ok between us all because ever since Buffy got back things weren't right between all of us." Dawn spluttered as the tears continued to fall, "Every god damn night I cried out for you to come back. Every night and now you have."
Spike just stared at the young woman in front of him. He had known when she younger that she had a crush on him, then he knew that she idolised him like a big brother but then during the last year on the hellmouth he thought that she didn't care at all.
"Well I am back." Were the only words Spike could find.
"I really did miss you and there's so much to tell you." Dawn said wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Better get started then Bit you always were the best person to come to for gossip." Spike said with a smile.
~*~
"Yeah and when Xander agreed to let him stay with him Andrew built this little shrine to you!" Dawn said unable to repress the giggles.
"That boy is strange." Spike commented as he tucked into his second bowl of ice cream.
"Yeah I think he's kinda gay." Dawn said.
Spike started to cough and spit out his ice-cream, "What? And you think he has a thing for me?"
"Well yeah." Dawn added as if it was common knowledge that Andrew had a crush on Spike.
"Anyway enough about Andrew, I want to know what your plan is." Her tone of voice more adult than it had been previously.
"Plan?" Spike questioned, "Plan for what?"
"Come on Spike do I look stupid? As much as I would love to believe that you hunted us down just to have a chat with lovely old me I know that it Buffy you came for." She said with a hint of sadness in her voice.
Spike sighed, "Of course I came for Buffy but Dawn I came for you as well. Just because the love I have for you is a different kind of love it doesn't mean that I love you any less. Ok?"
Dawn's face lit up with an almighty smile, that was exactly what she wanted spike to say, "So do you have a plan?"
"Not at the moment." Spike admitted sheepishly knowing that Dawn would give him a lecture on proper preparation.
"Well it's a good job I'm here to help you then!" Dawn said in tone that was even bossier than her sister.
TCB.
"Spike!" she screamed and she ran and launched herself into his arms.
Spike opened his arms to accommodate the teenager that was charging at him, Dawn wrapped her arms around him and squeezed almost all of the newly found life out of him.
Spike held her close to him and let her enjoy this moment of happiness before the questions started coming.
"Oh Spike you're back, I've missed you things got so messed up last year and now your back." She said with her head still pressed into his chest. Spike could feel the a little wet patch growing on his t-shirt from her tears.
He pulled back from her slightly and held her out so that he could have a proper look at her.
"Come on Bit I'll take you for ice-cream." Spike said as he picked up her school bag and headed for the door.
~*~
They sat together at an ice-cream parlour but not really saying anything. Dawn had so many questions to ask and so much to say that she didn't know what to say first. She stayed silent and waited for the big brother she never had to explain himself.
"So what's with the sunbathing?" she finally asked.
"I wondered how long it'd take you to ask about that." Spike said picking the chocolate flake from the ice cream and eating it in one bite.
"God Spike you're always full of surprises now tell me what happened." Dawn demanded trying her very best to sound forceful.
"Did Buffy tell you what happened in the hellmouth?" he asked.
"Not really, she told us that you saved the world by sacrificing yourself but she never went into details." Dawn answered.
"Well here's the deal Nibblet, I wore some gaudy gem that Angel picked up and it let the sunlight enter the hellmouth via me. It looked at treat it did as well only catch was that it meant the sunlight hit me too." Spike explained trying to keep it brief so as to not upset either of them.
"You burned." Dawn muttered a wash with emotions.
"That's not the important part. The important thing is that it fulfilled the Shangshu prophecy, you know that one that was either going to kill Angel or make him human. Seems it did both but for me." Spike said.
Dawn looked at him for a moment, she took her hand and traced it over his face which was now had a tint of a suntan. She moved her hand down to his neck and felt his pulse and as soon as she felt it tears started to flow freely.
"Dawnie don't cry." Spike said trying to sooth her.
"I'm sorry I can't help it. All these months I wanted you back here with us. I wanted to make everything ok between us all because ever since Buffy got back things weren't right between all of us." Dawn spluttered as the tears continued to fall, "Every god damn night I cried out for you to come back. Every night and now you have."
Spike just stared at the young woman in front of him. He had known when she younger that she had a crush on him, then he knew that she idolised him like a big brother but then during the last year on the hellmouth he thought that she didn't care at all.
"Well I am back." Were the only words Spike could find.
"I really did miss you and there's so much to tell you." Dawn said wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Better get started then Bit you always were the best person to come to for gossip." Spike said with a smile.
~*~
"Yeah and when Xander agreed to let him stay with him Andrew built this little shrine to you!" Dawn said unable to repress the giggles.
"That boy is strange." Spike commented as he tucked into his second bowl of ice cream.
"Yeah I think he's kinda gay." Dawn said.
Spike started to cough and spit out his ice-cream, "What? And you think he has a thing for me?"
"Well yeah." Dawn added as if it was common knowledge that Andrew had a crush on Spike.
"Anyway enough about Andrew, I want to know what your plan is." Her tone of voice more adult than it had been previously.
"Plan?" Spike questioned, "Plan for what?"
"Come on Spike do I look stupid? As much as I would love to believe that you hunted us down just to have a chat with lovely old me I know that it Buffy you came for." She said with a hint of sadness in her voice.
Spike sighed, "Of course I came for Buffy but Dawn I came for you as well. Just because the love I have for you is a different kind of love it doesn't mean that I love you any less. Ok?"
Dawn's face lit up with an almighty smile, that was exactly what she wanted spike to say, "So do you have a plan?"
"Not at the moment." Spike admitted sheepishly knowing that Dawn would give him a lecture on proper preparation.
"Well it's a good job I'm here to help you then!" Dawn said in tone that was even bossier than her sister.
TCB.