Chapter 12

            About an hour later, Dawn knocked on Spike's door.

            "Yeah Nibblet?"
            "Can I come in?"

            "Of course...although I don't know why your knocking...you've never bothered before."

            "Cause you might be indecent...and even though I still think your a major hottie, I don't want to know ALL the secrets of the male sex before my time."

            Spike chuckled.

            "I am cute, ain't I?"

            "I am so not going to answer that...we don't need your head getting any bigger than it already is."

            Spike laughed, then wiggled his eyebrows at her,

            "Too late."

            She giggled.

            "Okay, now I assume your not here, only to tell me how I'm the best looking vamp you know...so what ya want?"

            "I'm coming to check and see what you're packing."

            "A few shirts, boxers, jeans, and a few red silk shirt, why?"

            "Okay...see, you need a woman's touch?"
            "Okay...I'm confused.  Why?"
            "Spike...you've been wearing the same outfit for what, 30, 50 years.  It's time for a change."

            "Very funny, Little Bit."

            "Buffy would want you to change clothes."

            Spike gave her an odd look.

            "Now do you really think I'm going to fall for that one?"

            "It's true.  She told me about it in my room.  She said that the day she...um...the day you chained her up, she was kinda impressed, although she'd have never mentioned it then, by the new clothes you were wearing."

            "Yeah, well...why didn't she say so?"

            "Umm...well...see...she might have noticed, except I kinda dropped a bomb on her the night before."

            "What bomb?"
            "Well, you see...she made me so mad.  It was the night that you were telling me about that story, which reminds me...before I continue, what did you really do to the little girl in the story...I know it wasn't something as lame as letting her go and taking her to a neighbors house for safekeeping, right?"
            He nodded.

            "Well?"

            "I ate her."

            "Umm…excuse me, details?"
            Spike laughed.

            "Well...as I was telling you,' I heard this sigh comin' from the dustbin.  So I creep up, not making a sound, throw the lid off, very violently, and this little girl comes tearing out of the dustbin, running as if all of hell was behind her, which...since it was me in all my demony splendor, it was.  Well, she ran and ran, and she reached her neighbors house and pounded on the door to be let in.

Now the little girl had only seen me with vamp face on, so I quickly let my human mask slip back into place, and shed my jacket, which was a different one than the one you've grown to know, cause I knew she had seen and noticed that.  Then I walked up to the door after she had gained entry, and knocked.

            When her neighbor came to the door, I told him that I had seen a little girl running and something had been chasing her and I told him that some awful hideous monster had come out of her house, and I wanted to check and see if she were alright.

            Well, the idiot opened the door and invited me, the Good Samaritan, in.

It took me all of my willpower not to just vamp out then and kill him.  But I held it in, cause I wanted the little girl.  At least, I wanted her first.  Cause if she hadn't of gone next door, I wouldn't have bothered killing them...at least, not that night.

            I was shown upstairs, where they put the little girl in the children's room.

            The little girl turned to look at me, and I scrunched down next to her. She didn't recognize me, which was great for me, but was so not going to be good for her.

            "Are you alright, honey?" I asked her and she nodded, tears still streaming down her face.  I decided right then to have a little fun with her before eating, what with the seven people banquet I had in that house, not to mention the servants.

            "Can you tell me what happened?" I asked her all innocently.  She nodded and said, "A monster with royalty blue and black coat was chasing me?"

            "A monster?" I said, actin' all surprised-like.

            "Yeah," she said, tears running all down her face.

            "Can you describe this monster to me?" I asked, she still hadn't recognized my voice, cause I was using my best, posh Giles sounding voice.

            She nodded again, and then told me," it had big teeth, on both sides," and she pointed to where my canine teeth were located; "and scary, yellow eyes, and it had bumps and ridges on it's face, and..." she whispered the last part," it wanted to kill me, it was gonna suck my blood all out, just like it did to Mom and Pop."

            "Wow, that sure is a story, little one.  Tell me," I said, hoping she wouldn't die of fright before I got to drain her," did it look a little something like...THIS!!!!" I said, changing into my demon form, and growling at her viciously.  The girl's expression was priceless, her eyes were all wide, with that 'deer caught in the headlights' look, and the horrified and terror-filled scream that ripped through the house was like music to my demon ears.  Then I pulled her to me and killed her.  Her scream dying off abruptly as she died.  Then I turned around and killed the some of the neighbor's family, then tying some of them up, locking them up tight, so I could go back and get Dru, so we could do our thing and torture and feast together.  The end."

            "Wow," Dawn said, shivering slightly at what he had told her.

            Spike looked at her a little nervously,

            "You do remember that I'm kind of a 'white hat', good guy now, right?  I'd never do that now.  I'm different now."

            Dawn pulled him close and hugged him, to banish his nervousness at the thought that she would hate him.

            "I know Spike.  Besides I asked for the story.  You could have refused me...but I'm oh so glad you didn't.  I'm going to tell that story to my friends, and scare the hell out of all of them."

            Spike shook his head and chuckled.

            Then he remembered what she had been talking about earlier,

            "So, what's this about 'dropping a bomb on Buffy'?"

            Damn, Dawn thought, I could have sworn he had forgotten about that.  Now I'll have to confess to blowing his secret.

            "Well, after we left here, Buffy was all like 'What is wrong with you?  Why are you hanging out with Spike, he's a monster?'  Then I compared you to Angel, and told her that you were the same kind of monster he was.  We argued back and forth, or better, she argued against you and I kept telling her that there was really no difference between hanging with you or Angel, cause your both basically in the same boat.  Then she looked at me and turned around and told me that I had a crush on you."

            Dawn clasped her hand over her mouth, when she realized that she had said that part out loud. 

            The action reminded Spike so much of Buffy that he almost laughed.

            But although he acknowledged what she had just said, with a nod and a wink, he didn't mess with her because of it. 

            He said," I know...I'm cute.  Continue?"

            Dawn looked down, face red, and continued.

            "Well, anyway, she told me how you were a monster again, and then when I made a comment about her going with Angel for 3 years, she brought up that it wasn't the same.  Then she kind of brushed my comments to the side and said, 'Anyway your only 14 years old.'  Then I told her that I just like hanging out with you, cause you have cool hair and wear cool leather jackets, and you don't treat me like I was an alien.  Then when she started in again about having a crush on a soulless killer, I told her that it didn't matter anyway.   Then I told her that, even if I did have a crush, it wouldn't matter when she was around.  She looked at me like, what the hell are you talking about?  And I told her that you were into her...and she gave this kind of shocked expression.  Then I broke it all down to her, telling her how you were completely in love with her."

            "Oh...so that's why she was so different to me...and watching me strangely the next night."

            "Yeah...your not mad at me are you?"

            "For what?"

            "For telling your secret?"

            Spike laughed.

            "Don't trouble yourself, Nibblet.  It was my own fault.  Of course, if you hadn't told her, she wouldn't have been acting all weird.  But you weren't to be faulted.  That night I had wanted her to come with me and check out that vamp's nest downtown.  As soon as we got in there, I knew that the lead was false, but a little time with her, made me happy.  I even tried to ask her what bands she liked?  Then we went in, and she knew it wasn't the vamp we were looking for, so she tried to leave and I opened the door for her.  Now if she hadn't gotten the warning, I don't think she would even cared about me opening the door.  But, because she knew how I felt, it was a big deal.   I tried to play it off like it was nothing, but she wanted a confrontation...wanted to know how I really felt.  She asked if this was a date?  Now if I wanted to...I could have lied.  Hell...I had started off lying.  Asking her if she was off her bird.  I started quickly denying it, then I looked into her eyes and couldn't lie to her.  Then I asked her if she wanted it to be?  Of course she exploded asking me if I was out of my mind.  And on and on she went, trying to reason it into me why it would be wrong for us to be together, looking so very adorable, all flustered.  I merely told her what I felt and how it wasn't really wrong.  Then I told her that things had started to change between us.  I think, I know, I frightened her.  Hell...if you had come to me, over 6 months ago and told me that I loved the Slayer, I'd have been frightened too.  But I was no longer in denial, and I was trying to rush her over hers."

            Dawn silently hugged him.

            As she pulled back, Spike immediately felt a warmth surround his shoulders and back.  He turned to see a ghostly Buffy, hugging him, as well as she could. 

            She said, "Forgive me for being such a bitch?"

            "Will you stay around if I do?"

            "Of course."

            "Then I forgive you."

            "Why wouldn't you forgive her if she didn't stay around?" Dawn asked. 

            "Cause if she were to float away, I'd be miserable.  I'd rather have her haunt me all my days, then give her leave to go."

            Both Summers' girls smiled.           

            "Come on...the gang will be back within a few minutes...and I still have to pack."

            Dawn, was peering into his trunk, the one that Giles had brought with him, last night.  "Oh my God, Buffy come look at this.  He has clothes.  More than what he usually wears.  Nice clothes."

            Spike felt her warmth pull away as Buffy said,

            "This I've got to see."

            Then he heard the two girls "Oohing and Aahing" over his clothes.

            He chuckled and said,

            "Why don't you girl's pack for me, since your both into what I'm wearing.  Just nothing as bad as what the Whelp sometimes wears...and no tweed like your Watcher, pet.  There's not a fabric more stifling than tweed...besides, it itches like hell."

            Both girls giggled but agreed, and Spike left them to wander downstairs to fix him some blood and fix Dawn a meal.

TBC…