Part Two - Springwater

"Spike? How are you doing?"

Dawn carefully closed the crypt's heavy door behind her, shutting out every ray of light from the outside. She had decided to drop in on her way home from school, to see how Spike was doing. After all he'd been through with Glory, she'd decided that he deserved at least a little 'Thank you' on her part. Also, she had a bad conscience about being so nasty to him in the Magic Shop. The teenager looked around, and finally spotted the motionless figure lying on top of the sarcophagus. She took a step nearer - and backed away, her hand flying to her mouth.

"Oh my god," she whispered, as she stared at the beaten vampire in pure shock. She hadn't imagined it to be this bad. Spike's face was covered with bruises and cuts. The torn T-shirt revealed some serious wounds as well. What did she do to him?

The vampire stirred, sensing her presence. She gasped at the sight of the hole in his chest. As if a finger… no! He opened his eyes, slowly, and looked in sleepy surprise into her horrified face. After one night of healing, he could at least use both of them again. He sat up, ignoring the fact that his whole body was aching, and glanced at his unsuspected visitor.

"Niblet?"

"This is my fault…" she whispered, tears building up in her eyes.

"What?" he asked in confusion, still not fully awake.

"All this pain… it's my fault…" Dawn began to cry.

His face changed as her words hit him. Concern, sympathy, liking. The peroxide blond man jumped off his stony bed, briefly wincing at the pain this brought with it. He walked over to the crying girl, reaching out a hand, but refraining from touching her. Trying to make her eyes meet his, he cocked his head to one side.

"Don't talk rubbish, kid. It wasn't you who did this."

Dawn looked up, taking in every bruise, every cut on his face. "But she did this to you… because of me," she sobbed, her shoulders shaking. "She wanted the key, so she kidnapped you and tortured you, and… I just can't take it anymore. What if she gets Xander next time, or Anya, or-" she broke of, afraid to even think of Glory capturing Buffy. "I just wish I was dead," she whispered.

Rage shot through Spike, and he grabbed Dawn's shoulders.

"Don't say that," he said firmly. "Never say that."

The girl simply broke down. She flung herself into the surprised vampire's arms and buried her face in his chest, her body shaking with heartbreaking sobs. Spike stood frozen for a moment, then, hesitantly, he brought his arms around her in a gentle embrace, holding the crying teenager until, after what seemed like an eternity, he felt her grow calmer. He backed away a little, and gently lifted her chin with his hand.

"Feeling better?" he asked softly.

"Yes. Sorry," Dawn whispered, avoiding his eyes.

"Nothing to be sorry about, pet."

They both stood in embarrassed silence for a moment, then Dawn walked over to the sarcophagus and sat down, dropping her bag beside it. Spike eyed her irresolutely, but took a seat beneath her. She sighed.

"I wish mom was here."

He looked at her sympathetically.

"I know, pet. We all do."

They fell silent again.

"Spike? Can you tell me a story?"

"A story?"

"Yeah, like, a bedtime story?"

Spike glanced at Dawn. "Bloody hell, Niblet, it's early afternoon. Hardly time for a bedtime story, unless you're about two years old."

"But, you know, me being the key, I'm about six months old. So please, can you tell me one?" she pleaded. "Mom used to do it when I-" The girl broke off.

The vampire sighed. "Pet, what makes you think I know any sodding bedtime stories? When I put someone to sleep, never was that of the storyteller kind. Getting what I mean?"

Dawn gave him the I-know-better look. "But you were a poet, weren't you? Poets always know bedtime stories." She grinned triumphantly, and Spike rolled his eyes. "Okay, Little Bit, you've got me there. But hey, you tell anybody about this, I'll put you to sleep. Permanently."

She just nodded and leant in closer, not wanting to miss a word, as he began.

"Once upon a time," he shot her a blazing glare as she giggled, "there was a king named Corc."

"That's a funny name."

"Would you just shut the hell up and listen?"

"Sorry, Spike."

"This king lived in a great castle, that stood amidst the greenest and most beautiful meadows you could ever imagine. And within this castle, there was a fountain of such clear and pure water that it was nothing but a miracle. So the king was full of joy to have such a strange wonder in his possession; but as the people came from near and far to taste the delicious water of that fountain, he became afraid that it would not flow forever. So he ordered that a high wall was to be built around it, and wouldn't let anyone get to the water anymore. That was a great loss to the poor people who lived there. Yet, whenever he himself needed water, he sent out his daughter to get it, and he never trusted the key to the fountain's door to any of his servants, afraid they'd give some of it away. Then, one evening, the king gave a huge festival, and many lords were there, counts and nobles, and the whole castle was full of dancing and sweet music. Dishes were awaiting each man and woman who entered, and no one was rejected at the gates; the doorman called out a 'Welcome!' to everyone. Now it happened that a young prince had appeared at the festival, charming and handsome as one could ever imagine a prince to be."

"I bet he danced with the king's daughter," Dawn murmured.

"If you keep interrupting me, I'll stop," Spike said angrily. As if this isn't bloody embarrassing enough already.

"Oh, n-no! Please, go on," she pleaded and snuggled close to him, her head resting trustingly on his shoulder. He looked down on her, and swallowed. What did I do to deserve this? he wondered.

"Well, he did dance with the king's daughter, whose name was Fior Usga, Springwater, and all eyes were fixed on the beautiful couple as they seemed to glide through the hall, smiling lovingly at each other. After the dance came dinner, and right in the middle of it one of the nobles spoke to the king Corc, 'With your Majesty's permission, everything here is in abundance, whatever the heart may wish for, both eat and drink, yet I see no water.' 'Water!' said the king, delighted that somebody asked for what he had been holding back on purpose. 'Water you shall have, and of such delicious kind you won't find anything to equal that taste, and did you search the world. Daughter,' he called, 'go and fetch some in the golden bucket I had to be made.' The king's daughter didn't seem very satisfied to do such a low work today, in front of so many people. She did not dare to do other than her father's bidding; yet she hesitated, looking at the ground. The king, who loved his daughter a lot, noticed her embarrassment, but couldn't take back his royal word. He came across the idea that the young prince, who sat next to her at the table, should go with her, and said, 'My daughter, I hold no surprise that you would be afraid to walk alone at this time of night. The young prince to your side, so I hope, will accompany you.' This the prince heard with delight, and taking the golden bucket with one hand and the king's daughter with the other, he left the hall under the looks of all present."

"Spike…"

He sighed. "What's it now, pet?"

"This isn't going to end all bloody, is it?"

The vampire chuckled. "You'll just have to wait and see, Little Bit," he said.

"As they came to the fountain in the castle's courtyard, the beautiful Usga carefully unlocked the door, leant down with the golden bucket and wanted to draw some water, but the vessel grew so heavy to her that she lost her balance and fell into the fountain."

"I knew it," Dawn muttered.

Spike merely grinned.

"In vain tried the young prince to rescue her, the water rose and rose with such power that it quickly filled the whole courtyard, and he raced back to the king. The fountain's door had stayed open, and the long locked water, full of joy for its new freedom, flowed in continuously, rising by the moment, and was in the hall as soon as the young prince himself, so that when he tried to talk to the king, he stood in water up to his throat. The water rose to such height that it flooded all the green meadows between which the king's castle lay, forming a huge lake. But the king and his guests didn't drown, neither his daughter, the beautiful Usga, but the next night after the dreadful events she returned to the festival, and from then on the feast and the dance continued every night at the bottom of the lake, and it will go on until someone can get the golden bucket from the fountain that was the reason of this mischief."

He ended, and waited for a reaction.

"So the castle was flooded because the king locked the water away from the poor people?"

"Seems to be the sodding moral."

Dawn raised her head and looked at him in awe. "Wow, Spike! That was an actual bedtime story, you know that? And it was great!" She giggled when she saw his embarrassment. "Really. I'm feeling all better. Thank you." A quick smile crossed the vampire's features.

"Old Irish fairytale. Came across it when I was still alive," he mumbled.

"So this was more like William telling the story, right? Buffy told me about your past," she added, noticing his surprised look. Already wondered where she'd come across the poet… "Or she rather told Willow," Dawn went on, "but I listened." She frowned. "What did you actually do when you were mortal? Your work, I mean."

"Uh-" Spike was relieved of the answer when the crypt's door hit the wall with a banging sound. Ain't I lucky that it opens to the inside? Saves a lot of money for repairing.

"Oh, bloody well come in," he snorted, eyeing the Slayer who was already on her way towards them. She grabbed Dawn's bag which the girl had idly dropped next to the sarcophagus, and looked firmly at her sister.

"Time to go," she said.

Dawn looked defensively at Spike. "I just wanted to-"

"I know what you wanted to do. He's fine, we go." Grabbing the girl's arm, Buffy began to drag her out of the crypt, with Spike staring after them.

Sometimes I would just like to twist that little neck of hers, he thought angrily. And cried out in surprise and agony as a blinding pain hit him, making him clutch his forehead for wanting it to stop. "Bloody hell!"

As the multicoloured dots slowly disappeared, he looked up, only to see the two Summers women left stare at him.

"What's up?" Buffy asked, but her voice indicated that she didn't really care, whereas Dawn seemed to be one step away from panic.

"No biggie," he answered, managing a reassuring smile at the girl. "Must've been from when that bitch sent me into the sodding wall. It'll heal soon," he added as he saw Dawn's look of guilt.

"Okay. Bye." Buffy turned and left the crypt. With an apologetic look, her sister followed.

Spike sat alone on his sarcophagus, trying to figure out what had just happened. He had lied. That pain had become too familiar to him to mistake it for something else. He only wondered what had made the chip come alive when he hadn't even moved in Buffy's direction. Of course, he had thought about getting rid of her, but could that be the reason for his pain? Ignoring the fact that he never really meant to harm her?

Damn thing must be going haywire, he thought.

And tried to convince himself that he wasn't worried at all.

***

Glory laughed in pure delight.

"Hey, this is fun. I think it might be even better than torturing him."

Her minions, who had been watching the vampire and telling her everything, clapped their hands together.

"A great game he is, oh magnificent one. And it is such joy to see you happy, the greatest one of all."

The goddess waved a hand. "Yeah, whatever."

Then she grinned.

"Okay, my little lying vampy. Let's see how you like this."

As she snapped her fingers, new power shot into the chip within the vampire's head.

She was so going to love this.