A/N: I hope you like the second chapter as well! Please review and tell me what you think!!!
Chapter 2 - Back in Life
Dawn slowly stood up and got dressed.
She had to search for Spike. He was probably wandering through the dark streets, not knowing what was going on.
Suddenly she heared something.
Spike?
As fast as she could she ran down the stairs to find... Buffy.
Why was she already here?
She wasn't supposed to be at home until tomorrow.
"Hey, what are you doing here so soon?"
"The demon wasn't as dangerous as we thought", she said smiling a little. "Why are you still up?"
"I... uh... I couldn't sleep", she lied.
Then Buffy noticed the black coat in her sister's arms and sighed sadly. "Is it still because of Spike?"
"Yeah, I... I had a bad dream." She tried to pretend but then a piece of paper, which had been in one of the pockets of the coat, fell to the ground.
Before Dawn could react Buffy picked it up and looked at it. What she saw was a beautiful picture of Spike. Doubtlessly her sister had painted it.
"Oh, Dawnie! That's wonderful!"
"Be careful with it!" Dawn nearly shouted. If the spell had worked and Spike had come back he would be gone again if anything happend to the picture.
She couldn't let that happen!
"Don't worry." To Buffy it seemed that her sister was clearly overreacting. But on the other hand she also knew how much she missed her friend. Probably she had painted this picture to have something to remember him, maybe she felt like this was her last connection to the vampire who had been like a big brother to her.
Finally the slayer handed the picture back to Dawn.
"Sorry I shouted at you", the girl mumbled.
"That's alright." Buffy tried very hard to sound as always, but in the truth was that she was close to tears. To see this picture had now had brought back so many memories. It really looked so real, a camera couldn't have made it much better. For the first time she realized that Dawn was extremly talented. "Come on now. You really should try to get some sleep."
The two sisters went upstairs but then Dawn remembered that she hadn't cleaned up after the spell for she hadn't expected Buffy to be home so soon.
"Buffy, I can go to bed myself..."
But it was too late already. The slayer had opened the door to her sister's bedroom and now stopped abruptly.
"Dawn, what have you done?"
An awkward silence followed, then the teenager finally answered.
"Well... I..."
She didn't get the chance to continue.
**********
Buffy stared into Dawn's room.
She asked what had happened but then she figured out herself.
The picture, the things in her room.
"Well... I..."
"You have brought him back!", Buffy whispered and her eyes widened.
Dawn's eyes were full of tears and she couldn't speak. After a few moments she managed a small nod.
"Oh no! Tell me that's not true!" She couldn't manage to say more. Her sister had brought something back.
Something that would look like Spike.
But would it also be like him?
Her mother had come back wrong and she had been human.
What would become of a vampire when he came back from the grave?
"Buffy, please don't be mad!", Dawn pleaded. "I had to try. The thought that Spike could be in hell... I just couldn't stand it."
For a few moments the slayer closed her eyes.
No, she couldn't be mad at her.
She took a deep breath before she spoke again. "Ok, we can't make it undone before we know wether he's like he has been before. But you know that we have to destroy the picture if anything is wrong with him."
Dawn only nodded and then they took the picture and left the house.
**********
Giles had brought Buffy home and now he was on the way to his apartment.
When he was nearly there he saw someone walking on the sidewalk. The watcher was pretty sure that it was a man, but something was wrong with him.
First he thought that the stranger was drunk for he stumbled more than once. But then he saw that he was in great pain. He held his stomach and his rips. He tried to avoid to use his right leg and he looked around all the time as if he was afraid of something.
Immediatly Giles stopped the car, got out and walked towards the man.
It was too dark to see his face but in the light of one of the street lamps he could see blood in the curly brown hair.
When the stranger saw him he flinched back and for a moment Giles thought he would try to flee - but then he froze and stared at him.
Slowly the watcher approached him. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you."
The man before him took a step forward and a silent moan escaped his lips. Yes, he clearly was in pain.
But that wasn't the reason why Giles held his breath.
This man wasn't a stranger to him.
It was Spike!
**********
Even though the wounds the hell demons had caused him hurt terribly Spike walked one step forward, then he stopped again.
He still wasn't sure that all this wasn't just a new trick, something to torture him like never before.
Maybe they just tried to make him hope once more so it would be easier to break him for good.
But Giles seemed to be as surprised as he was.
That didn't change too much, though. Still Spike didn't dare to move.
"My god!" He could hear him say. "Spike, is... is this you?"
The vampire hadn't spoken for centuries, at least in hell it had been that long, he couldn't bring himself to say a word right now.
"Spike?", the other man tried again and moved towards him.
He stood perfectly still until the watcher reached out to him with his right hand. He remembered the pain and flinched back, his eyes wide with fear once more.
"Easy, I won't hurt you. God, what has happened to you?"
Once more Giles reached out to touch him and this time he didn't shy back. In fact he moved towards him as well and leaned onto him.
After a moment of surprise the former librarian gently wrapped his arms around him.
He needed the support right now and it felt good to be held, even though the broken bones hurt more this way.
The vampire still wasn't able to say anything or at least to cry. He just rested his head on Giles' shoulder, closed his eyes and tried to find some peace at last.
***********
Giles was more than amazed when the vampire suddenly fell in his arms.
He had never been so open before, this night was truly full of surprises.
After a few moments Giles had needed to get over the shock he carefully took Spike in his arms. The vampire didn't move anymore, he just placed his head on the watcher's shoulder and made no sound. He didn't even cry, sigh or moan.
Nothing.
Giles didn't move as well, afraid of hurting the other man even more. He could see the terrible wounds, of course he didn't know what had caused them but he knew that they must hurt him terribly.
Still he wondered how it was possible that Spike was here. They had burried his ashed in the wood.
Someone had obviously brought him back.
But who could have done that?
He really didn't know but he knew where the vampire had been. Giles was pretty sure that the hurt had been done to him in hell. It was a wonder that he had been able to walk to Sunnydale.
After nearly 15 minutes the watcher gently broke away and looked into Spike's eyes. What he saw was only pain and a great weariness.
"Come with me, Spike", he said in a tender voice. "My car is over there." He pointed at it. "I will take you home with me."
The vampier just nodded, he still hadn't said a word.
**********
The watcher pointed at his car and then he turned around and walked towards it, still supporting Spike.
Without hesitation the vampire followed Giles and within a minute he sat in the car.
Giles sat down next to him and for the first time he realized the confused and worried look in the watcher's eyes.
He wanted to tell him what had happened but he couldn't. For so many years he hadn't used his voice and now it seemed as if he wasn't able to anymore.
All he could do was sitting there quietly and waiting for them to arrive at Giles' apartment.
He was so tired and badly wanted to rest.
TBC
Chapter 2 - Back in Life
Dawn slowly stood up and got dressed.
She had to search for Spike. He was probably wandering through the dark streets, not knowing what was going on.
Suddenly she heared something.
Spike?
As fast as she could she ran down the stairs to find... Buffy.
Why was she already here?
She wasn't supposed to be at home until tomorrow.
"Hey, what are you doing here so soon?"
"The demon wasn't as dangerous as we thought", she said smiling a little. "Why are you still up?"
"I... uh... I couldn't sleep", she lied.
Then Buffy noticed the black coat in her sister's arms and sighed sadly. "Is it still because of Spike?"
"Yeah, I... I had a bad dream." She tried to pretend but then a piece of paper, which had been in one of the pockets of the coat, fell to the ground.
Before Dawn could react Buffy picked it up and looked at it. What she saw was a beautiful picture of Spike. Doubtlessly her sister had painted it.
"Oh, Dawnie! That's wonderful!"
"Be careful with it!" Dawn nearly shouted. If the spell had worked and Spike had come back he would be gone again if anything happend to the picture.
She couldn't let that happen!
"Don't worry." To Buffy it seemed that her sister was clearly overreacting. But on the other hand she also knew how much she missed her friend. Probably she had painted this picture to have something to remember him, maybe she felt like this was her last connection to the vampire who had been like a big brother to her.
Finally the slayer handed the picture back to Dawn.
"Sorry I shouted at you", the girl mumbled.
"That's alright." Buffy tried very hard to sound as always, but in the truth was that she was close to tears. To see this picture had now had brought back so many memories. It really looked so real, a camera couldn't have made it much better. For the first time she realized that Dawn was extremly talented. "Come on now. You really should try to get some sleep."
The two sisters went upstairs but then Dawn remembered that she hadn't cleaned up after the spell for she hadn't expected Buffy to be home so soon.
"Buffy, I can go to bed myself..."
But it was too late already. The slayer had opened the door to her sister's bedroom and now stopped abruptly.
"Dawn, what have you done?"
An awkward silence followed, then the teenager finally answered.
"Well... I..."
She didn't get the chance to continue.
**********
Buffy stared into Dawn's room.
She asked what had happened but then she figured out herself.
The picture, the things in her room.
"Well... I..."
"You have brought him back!", Buffy whispered and her eyes widened.
Dawn's eyes were full of tears and she couldn't speak. After a few moments she managed a small nod.
"Oh no! Tell me that's not true!" She couldn't manage to say more. Her sister had brought something back.
Something that would look like Spike.
But would it also be like him?
Her mother had come back wrong and she had been human.
What would become of a vampire when he came back from the grave?
"Buffy, please don't be mad!", Dawn pleaded. "I had to try. The thought that Spike could be in hell... I just couldn't stand it."
For a few moments the slayer closed her eyes.
No, she couldn't be mad at her.
She took a deep breath before she spoke again. "Ok, we can't make it undone before we know wether he's like he has been before. But you know that we have to destroy the picture if anything is wrong with him."
Dawn only nodded and then they took the picture and left the house.
**********
Giles had brought Buffy home and now he was on the way to his apartment.
When he was nearly there he saw someone walking on the sidewalk. The watcher was pretty sure that it was a man, but something was wrong with him.
First he thought that the stranger was drunk for he stumbled more than once. But then he saw that he was in great pain. He held his stomach and his rips. He tried to avoid to use his right leg and he looked around all the time as if he was afraid of something.
Immediatly Giles stopped the car, got out and walked towards the man.
It was too dark to see his face but in the light of one of the street lamps he could see blood in the curly brown hair.
When the stranger saw him he flinched back and for a moment Giles thought he would try to flee - but then he froze and stared at him.
Slowly the watcher approached him. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you."
The man before him took a step forward and a silent moan escaped his lips. Yes, he clearly was in pain.
But that wasn't the reason why Giles held his breath.
This man wasn't a stranger to him.
It was Spike!
**********
Even though the wounds the hell demons had caused him hurt terribly Spike walked one step forward, then he stopped again.
He still wasn't sure that all this wasn't just a new trick, something to torture him like never before.
Maybe they just tried to make him hope once more so it would be easier to break him for good.
But Giles seemed to be as surprised as he was.
That didn't change too much, though. Still Spike didn't dare to move.
"My god!" He could hear him say. "Spike, is... is this you?"
The vampire hadn't spoken for centuries, at least in hell it had been that long, he couldn't bring himself to say a word right now.
"Spike?", the other man tried again and moved towards him.
He stood perfectly still until the watcher reached out to him with his right hand. He remembered the pain and flinched back, his eyes wide with fear once more.
"Easy, I won't hurt you. God, what has happened to you?"
Once more Giles reached out to touch him and this time he didn't shy back. In fact he moved towards him as well and leaned onto him.
After a moment of surprise the former librarian gently wrapped his arms around him.
He needed the support right now and it felt good to be held, even though the broken bones hurt more this way.
The vampire still wasn't able to say anything or at least to cry. He just rested his head on Giles' shoulder, closed his eyes and tried to find some peace at last.
***********
Giles was more than amazed when the vampire suddenly fell in his arms.
He had never been so open before, this night was truly full of surprises.
After a few moments Giles had needed to get over the shock he carefully took Spike in his arms. The vampire didn't move anymore, he just placed his head on the watcher's shoulder and made no sound. He didn't even cry, sigh or moan.
Nothing.
Giles didn't move as well, afraid of hurting the other man even more. He could see the terrible wounds, of course he didn't know what had caused them but he knew that they must hurt him terribly.
Still he wondered how it was possible that Spike was here. They had burried his ashed in the wood.
Someone had obviously brought him back.
But who could have done that?
He really didn't know but he knew where the vampire had been. Giles was pretty sure that the hurt had been done to him in hell. It was a wonder that he had been able to walk to Sunnydale.
After nearly 15 minutes the watcher gently broke away and looked into Spike's eyes. What he saw was only pain and a great weariness.
"Come with me, Spike", he said in a tender voice. "My car is over there." He pointed at it. "I will take you home with me."
The vampier just nodded, he still hadn't said a word.
**********
The watcher pointed at his car and then he turned around and walked towards it, still supporting Spike.
Without hesitation the vampire followed Giles and within a minute he sat in the car.
Giles sat down next to him and for the first time he realized the confused and worried look in the watcher's eyes.
He wanted to tell him what had happened but he couldn't. For so many years he hadn't used his voice and now it seemed as if he wasn't able to anymore.
All he could do was sitting there quietly and waiting for them to arrive at Giles' apartment.
He was so tired and badly wanted to rest.
TBC
