The young brunet teen lay in her bed, her long chestnut hair sprawled
around her. Dawn whipped some tears from her eyes and sniffed, laying her
head against her bronze headboard. She held a picture to her heart of her,
Buffy, and her mom. " I'm the only one." She mumbled and threw the picture
to her carpeted floor. Crossing her arms to her chest and cried again. No
one was home, it was winter break, and Christmas eve, Willow and Tara were
at the Library looking at books on robotics for some reason, Xander and
Anya were Christmas shopping, Giles was in ca-hoots with the Council.
Spike. Spike was still recovering from his wounds from the battle with
Glory. No, not his physical ones, his emotional ones, some how he and Dawn
found another thing in common, they've both lost people they'd loved. Spike
more then anyone, his mom, dad, all of his friends, his first love
Drusilla, and then Buffy, his eternal love. Dawn took one big sniff and
grabbed a box of Kleenexes from the dresser and walked down stairs. She
looked over to the side of the living room where a small Christmas tree
was, it was bare and didn't have many needles, Xander said it reminded him
of the "Charlie Brown Christmas Special". Willow was trying to sup up some
sort of spell that could make it snow to cheer her up a little. Sometimes
they act like she never died, or she never existed. Dawn threw down her
tissue box and walked outside not knowing where to go exactly, she had no
where else to go.
Dawn looked up at the sky while walking through the graveyard, it was an hour or so before sunset, so Spike should still be in his crypt. Dawn stopped by her mother and sisters grave and sat some flowers down by both of them; she noticed two sets of roses there, white ones under her mother's grave, and red ones under Buffy's. She smiled to herself and stood up walking back to Spike's crypt. She slowly eased the door open and snuck inside, she climbed down the stairs and looked around, Spike was easily seen hunching over what looked like an old chest, in front of his bed. He was grumbling things and digging through it. He paused and sniffed the air.
" Even'n Nibblet." He said not turning around, closing the chest and locking the bottom.
" That get's creepy even now." Dawn replied smiling slightly. Spike got up and sat on his stone tomb.
" Vampire thing." He said grinning back. " You shouldn't be out here, Sunset's soon."
" First of all, it's in another hour, and second of all I can handle myself." Dawn said frowning and crossing her arms.
" Uh-huh, and you're here why?"
" What? I can't say hi to an old old old old old friend?"
" Ha Ha."
" How old are you really? Like, Bu- I heard that your not as old as Angel, but like, over a hundred." Dawn said, cutting off before saying Buffy's name, still finding it hard. Spike looked a little pained too.
" Technically since I've never really aged, I'm 24. But I've been around for 146 years."
" I should have added an extra old."
" Do me a favor and spot handing around with Xander so much." Spike said shaking his head, knowing that Dawn usually gets any bad traits from him.
" What are you doing for Christmas?" Dawn asked leaning against the side of his crypt.
" Noth'n."
" Nothing? Not even gonna go and get drunk?"
" Noth'n mean'n go and get drunk, what's it to you anyway?"
" Geeze, just making conversation."
" Sorry Bit."
" S'ok, I gotta go anyway, even though I'm not afraid of anything coming out to get me or anything, Willow is coming home and she doesn't know I'm gone." Dawn said walking back to the door. Spike grunted a good bye and lay down on the stone tomb, Dawn rolled her eyes and left.
Dawn walked back into the Summers house only to find Willow and Tara standing over the broken pieces of the Buffy-bot. " What the hell is that thing doing here!" Dawn shouted looking at the pieces of the modeled robot of her sister. Willow didn't notice her come in, she looked up at her.
" Oh Dawn your home, oh we were just working on the Buffy-bot here, trying to fix it an all." Willow said picking up an arm.
" Are you okay Dawnie? You seem a little pale." Tara said stepping towards Dawn. She was still shocked seeing the figure of her dead sister lying sprawled out on the couch.
" What do you need that, thing for?!" Dawn tried not to shout.
" Well, since she's programmed with Buffy's traits, then she knows how to slay. So we were gonna reboot her and make it so that she can patrol with us and do other things." Willow said grabbing a screwdriver.
" What kind of things?" " Do research, uh, cook I guess, if you ever have a meeting at school or something then she can go with you, since like, ya know, parent and guardians required." Willow said smiling and straightening up.
" I don't believe this." Dawn said quietly, feeling the tears swell again.
" Hm? Sorry I didn't hear you." Tara said picking up a circuit from the floor.
" Oh Dawn, I finished that spell so I can make it snow, how about we try it later when we get the bot all fixed up eh?" Willow asked grinning, Dawn didn't reply with an answer, not even a mumble. She just bolted up stairs to her room, hot tears pouring down her eyes. She opened the door to her bedroom and slammed it running in, she locked it and fell onto her bed crying.
" They're trying to replace her! I don't believe them! They're trying to replace my sister with that stupid robotic slayer wannabe machine!" She cried into her pillow and ignored all of the pleading for her to come out outside her door.
Dawn looked up at the sky while walking through the graveyard, it was an hour or so before sunset, so Spike should still be in his crypt. Dawn stopped by her mother and sisters grave and sat some flowers down by both of them; she noticed two sets of roses there, white ones under her mother's grave, and red ones under Buffy's. She smiled to herself and stood up walking back to Spike's crypt. She slowly eased the door open and snuck inside, she climbed down the stairs and looked around, Spike was easily seen hunching over what looked like an old chest, in front of his bed. He was grumbling things and digging through it. He paused and sniffed the air.
" Even'n Nibblet." He said not turning around, closing the chest and locking the bottom.
" That get's creepy even now." Dawn replied smiling slightly. Spike got up and sat on his stone tomb.
" Vampire thing." He said grinning back. " You shouldn't be out here, Sunset's soon."
" First of all, it's in another hour, and second of all I can handle myself." Dawn said frowning and crossing her arms.
" Uh-huh, and you're here why?"
" What? I can't say hi to an old old old old old friend?"
" Ha Ha."
" How old are you really? Like, Bu- I heard that your not as old as Angel, but like, over a hundred." Dawn said, cutting off before saying Buffy's name, still finding it hard. Spike looked a little pained too.
" Technically since I've never really aged, I'm 24. But I've been around for 146 years."
" I should have added an extra old."
" Do me a favor and spot handing around with Xander so much." Spike said shaking his head, knowing that Dawn usually gets any bad traits from him.
" What are you doing for Christmas?" Dawn asked leaning against the side of his crypt.
" Noth'n."
" Nothing? Not even gonna go and get drunk?"
" Noth'n mean'n go and get drunk, what's it to you anyway?"
" Geeze, just making conversation."
" Sorry Bit."
" S'ok, I gotta go anyway, even though I'm not afraid of anything coming out to get me or anything, Willow is coming home and she doesn't know I'm gone." Dawn said walking back to the door. Spike grunted a good bye and lay down on the stone tomb, Dawn rolled her eyes and left.
Dawn walked back into the Summers house only to find Willow and Tara standing over the broken pieces of the Buffy-bot. " What the hell is that thing doing here!" Dawn shouted looking at the pieces of the modeled robot of her sister. Willow didn't notice her come in, she looked up at her.
" Oh Dawn your home, oh we were just working on the Buffy-bot here, trying to fix it an all." Willow said picking up an arm.
" Are you okay Dawnie? You seem a little pale." Tara said stepping towards Dawn. She was still shocked seeing the figure of her dead sister lying sprawled out on the couch.
" What do you need that, thing for?!" Dawn tried not to shout.
" Well, since she's programmed with Buffy's traits, then she knows how to slay. So we were gonna reboot her and make it so that she can patrol with us and do other things." Willow said grabbing a screwdriver.
" What kind of things?" " Do research, uh, cook I guess, if you ever have a meeting at school or something then she can go with you, since like, ya know, parent and guardians required." Willow said smiling and straightening up.
" I don't believe this." Dawn said quietly, feeling the tears swell again.
" Hm? Sorry I didn't hear you." Tara said picking up a circuit from the floor.
" Oh Dawn, I finished that spell so I can make it snow, how about we try it later when we get the bot all fixed up eh?" Willow asked grinning, Dawn didn't reply with an answer, not even a mumble. She just bolted up stairs to her room, hot tears pouring down her eyes. She opened the door to her bedroom and slammed it running in, she locked it and fell onto her bed crying.
" They're trying to replace her! I don't believe them! They're trying to replace my sister with that stupid robotic slayer wannabe machine!" She cried into her pillow and ignored all of the pleading for her to come out outside her door.