DISCLAIMER: I own none of these characters. They all belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox. I'm just borrowing them. This is a work in progress. Hopefully.

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She sat on the sofa in her living room. Happy he was here. She wouldn't have even thought of uttering her next words if she had even the slightest indication he would agree.

"You don't have to hang around you know… I mean, if you're bored."

She looked at him shyly. His blonde hair was ruffled and wild on his head. He hadn't cared to gel it lately. The past 132 days actually.

"I'm not. And yeah I do."

Dawn sighed. She didn't know why she kept talking. She knew he wouldn't listen. I suppose that's why I keep talking, she thought.

"It's ok. I'm not the key anymore. And if I am I don't open anything. It's over, remember?"

"I do. But I still have to stay."

His voice was so cool. Literally. It caused her to shiver. Still she persisted.

"I don't see wh-"

"No!"

Suddenly he smashed his glass on the coffee table causing Dawn to flinch. After waiting a beat he sighed and said "I'm not leaving you to get hurt. Not again."

Dawn lowered her eyes. She had wanted passion from him and she got it. He sat across from her and stared at his shattered glass, obviously deep in thought, in memory. She saw what he saw. The energy. The sunrise. All gone.

"That wasn't you."

"Yeah well I sure didn't help."

"No one did. At least you tried."

Spike laughed. "I promised her. I bet she remembered that till…" He voiced trailed off.

"She was told that death was her gift at least a month before that." Dawn moved closer to him. Trembling inside. "I don't think anyone could have stopped it. It was the work she had to do."

"Sod it."

"You're just trying to find some way to blame yourself so you'll feel better."

"What?"

"You can't hurt anyone, right? No one that matters anyway. So you make yourself feel like shit so you can torture someone. "

He tilted his head and looked at her curiously. "You act like her more and more everyday."

Dawn didn't really know how to take that. So she awkwardly smiled.

He touched her cheek lightly. His hands were cold. "Look like her too." He moved closer to her face and studied her carefully. She could do nothing but tremble and look back. For a few seconds no one said anything.

"I-I'm a part of her. The monks…they made me out of her…" He knew all this of course. But she wanted to remind him. Wanted to encourage him.

"What part are you lil bit?"

Dawn racked her brain desperately for a witty and seductive way to reply, but he was so damn close to her and her heart was beating so fast.

She kissed him. Lightly at first but then he opened his mouth and she felt like she was on fire. Fire was all they were. All she had reduced them to.