A/N : Hey everyone. Well, here it is the final chapter and the epilogue of my first multi-chaptered Buffy fic (I actually started his one before Always Remember - I Love You). Thanx to everyone who has reviewed one or all of the past 25 chapters - I appreciate all your kind words. Hope you like the Spuffy ending, I really enjoyed writing this whole story, especially the end :-)
(For disclaimer, etc - see chapter 1)
Chapter 26 - Talking It Out
At 1630 Revello Drive, Joyce Summers and her daughter Buffy were having a serious mother-daughter talk, but this wasn't your average chat between mother and teenager. They were discussing Buffy being a Vampire Slayer. For this conversation to go as smoothly as possible, it had been necessary to remove Buffy's sister Dawn from the mix, and that's where Spike had stepped in. And so next door, Spike and Dawn sat in his room, both cross legged on the bed, having a talk that was almost just as serious, especially to the girl involved.
"So, what do you wanna talk about?" she asked, smiling in a way she thought was grown up and womanly.
"Well, the thing is Dawn..." Spike began "I like you"
Well that was his first mistake since she took it completely the wrong way, flushing red and sounding completely over excited when she asked;
"Really?"
"Yeah" he smiled, not realising she'd taken it in a different way to that which he meant it "you're like the little sister I never had" he said honestly and the smile dropped completely from her face.
"Oh, little sister, great" she mumbled, dejectedly.
"And y'see" Spike continued "I like your sister too, I love her actually and..."
"Y'know what?" Dawn cut him off as she got to her feet "I so don't need to hear this right now, or ever actually"
"Oh come on Dawnie" he called to her as she reached the door "I thought you were a grown up?"
"I am" she retorted, spinning on her heel to face him again.
"Then hear me out, okay?" he said with an almost pleading smile. Part of him wanted her to stay because he really did want her to hear him out, the other part knew he had to keep her there for Buffy and Joyce's sake.
"Okay" the now slightly grumpy teen conceded, repositioning herself on the bed, legs crossed, as before.
"Well, thing is, I want us to be friends, Bit" Spike told her honestly "even if me and your sister are sort of 'dating'" he said for lack of a better word "Is that okay?"
"She won't like you being friends with me" Dawn told him with a sulky expression to match her tone of voice.
"Well, she'll just have to, won't she?" he smiled and Dawn liked the sound of that, she smiled a little too.
There was a few moments silence before the girl asked her next question.
"Why didn't she trust me enough to tell me she was this Slayer person?" she wanted to know. Spike sighed.
"It's not that she didn't trust you, pet" he promised her "she just wanted to keep you safe. I did too" he admitted, only realising as he said it how true it was "Don't want some nasty making a snack of my favourite under sixteen, do I?" he smirked that smirk that was all his own and she giggled.
"Guess not" she agreed, starting to think maybe if she was too young for him to be her boyfriend, maybe they could be just friends, good friends, and she'd be just as happy with that.
"Y'know what Spike?" she smiled "You're cool"
"So they tell me" he replied modestly.
"I hope when I'm older I end up dating a great guy like you" she blushed when she said 'dating' and 'you' in the same sentence and she ducked her head to hide her red face behind her hair.
Spike smiled at her compliment as well as her embarrassment, reaching out a hand to lift her chin.
"They'll be queued up around the block for you, luv" he assured her "But if any of them screw up they'll have me to deal with" he said, seriously as ever.
Dawn smiled and nodded.
"I think I can live with you being older-brother-guy" she told him and with that she flung herself at him, hugging him tight. He was surprised, shocked even, but pleasantly so. He did like this girl, as a little sister type of course. She had no father to speak of these days, and he would enjoy playing older brother for her when she needed him.
"I should go now" she said as she pulled away from him and hopped off the bed.
"Alright luv" Spike let her go, hoping he'd given the other two Summers women time to talk out their issues "but go easy on big sis, okay?" he added as she left the room "She has a rough time of it"
"Okay" Dawn promised she would, because she'd do anything that her 'big brother' asked of her.
At the same time these two, almost-siblings, were having their little talk, Dawn's real sister was in a nice and uncomfortable conversation with her mother.
"I can't believe all this" Joyce gasped, now sitting up on the sofa, clutching her head that was spinning faster all the time "I mean, how did I not notice?"
"I guess I'm a pretty good secret keeper" Buffy said, quietly, seated beside her mother, hardly daring to look at her.
"So, Mr Giles and Jessica and William and your friends - they all know?" Mrs Summer checked she understood.
"Yes" Buffy nodded once.
"But no-one else, right?" Joyce asked next.
"No, no-one else" Buffy assured her "and it has to stay that way" she added hastily, suddenly aware she hadn't pointed that out before.
"Of course" her mother almost laughed, "I wouldn't know how to explain this to anyone anyway"
The front door opening and closing again stopped Buffy from saying anything and soon her sister appeared in the room.
"Hey, I talked to Spike" the youngest Summers told her sister "I'm sorry if I was off with you Buffy, about the whole Slayer deal. I guess it's kind of cool actually" she smiled a little as she shifted uncomfortably on her feet.
"I guess" Buffy smiled back at her sister who, as much as she annoyed her, she loved very much and was glad she could deal with the Slayer thing. Plus Buffy was ever grateful to Spike for whatever he said to Dawn to make her so reasonable.
"I'm gonna get to bed now" the brunette Summers smiled, kissing her mothers cheek and smiling at her sister "goodnight"
As the girl disappeared up the stairs Joyce checked the clock and realised why her daughter had chosen to sleep now.
"It is getting late" she realised.
"Yeah, I really should patrol" Buffy blurted out without thinking.
"Patrol?" Joyce echoed, confused yet again.
"Yeah" the blonde girl nodded "I search the graveyards and cemeteries and other dark and nasty places and kill any demons or vampires that I find"
"Oh" Joyce sighed "is it...?"
"Safe?" Buffy completed her question for her since she knew exactly what was coming "It's okay Mom" she assured her "I've been doing it for years"
"Years" Joyce got a further shock then "but how...?"
"Window" her daughter said simply.
"Oh" was the only reply Joyce could give and she felt perhaps she'd even worn out that one.
Buffy realised then that the best thing to fill the latest silence was an apology.
"I really am sorry I didn't tell you about this sooner Mom" she said honestly "I just wanted to protect you"
"Protect me?" Joyce gaped "Buffy, honey, I'm the parent, I'm supposed to protect you" she smiled as she took hold of her daughters hand.
"Well, maybe now we can learn to protect each other?" the girl suggested, hoping her mother would accept it and let her do her much needed sweep of the Sunnydale cemeteries.
"Yeah, I guess that'd be okay" Joyce nodded her acceptance "but later, tomorrow, I have more questions I'm going to need answered"
"I understand that" Buffy nodded too "and we will, we'll do the whole mother-daughter Slayer question time thing, I promise"
"But you need to go...patrol...right now?" Mrs Summers stumbled over the unfamiliar term.
"Yeah" her daughter said, standing up, but her mother pulled on her hand.
"Buffy, please be careful" she all but begged of her little girl.
"I always am" the Slayer assured her with a smile, "always"
(A/N2 : Epilogue already posted!)
