You guys, are just way too good to me. Merry Christmas and all that jazz! Sorry it takes soo long between updates, I know I'm the biggest bum in the world, and I still don't know where this story is heading. But buckle your seatbelts mates; it'll be a bumpy ride! Spike's a 150-year-old vampire, and throw a 15-year-old unstable hormone bomb into the mix, trouble is guaranteed! *Wriggles eyebrows* Anyways, thanks are due to the following WONDERFUL people:

Claire Starling - Okay, wow. You were one of my inspirations to start writing fan fiction so the fact that you reviewed one of my fictions means *so* much to me. And what you said means even more! Thank you so much! I particularly favored the last few lines myself.*sigh* wish it was me and not her, don't you?

blackbeltchic - I like Spike and Spike .I mean Spike and Dawn too, I think their friendship is beautiful. Thanks for the review!

jen (naughty169420@hotmail.com) - I know my chapters are short, but I do that on purpose. I don't like to cram meaningless babble into chapters just to make them long, what I write in chapters is supposed to stick out and mean something, I duno! Haha thanks for the review!

DevilishGurl0222 - That was so, so sweet of you love! Thank you! That means a lot.

Jill - thanks so much! I shall oblige, dear.

Enn-Enn- Thank you for all your words of encouragment, you rock some hard- core socks!

bretts-girl - Aw, my old reviewer! I remember you from my other fics, and you're so sweet thank you.

the-witchs-babe - Thanks love! "Oh my goddess" I will surely continue ;)

Now that that's outta the way, on with the show!

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"Forever is a long time, pet." He whispered into her ear in his husky English accent.

"Perfect."

Spike hummed low in his chest, soothing and calm. She sighed, sleepily. Dawn couldn't help thinking that it half sounded like a purr, but she thought better of telling him that. Hurting a vampire's pride wasn't a smart move, she had learned. Instead, she turned around so that her back was facing him and stretched out her body, arching her back. Spike reached an arm out and clasped her hip to keep her from suddenly slipping off of the couch. Dawn giggled, surprised as he pulled her back against his chest. She gave a sleepy little "hmm" as she laid her head back on his arm. Spike quirked a grin down at her and said, "Just as sharp on the reflexes as ever, Pet." Dawn lay flat on her back and looked at him with her best scowl and said, "Well, Captain Kitten, if you weren't purring like some appeased animal, maybe I wouldn't have gone all relax-o, and therefore, would not have fallen off of the couch."

To her surprise, Spike didn't defend himself against the kitten/purr comment, but looked thoughtfully down at her. Awarding herself prematurely triumphant, Dawn's scowl broke into a grin and she stuck out her tongue at him.

Spike was on top of her before she had time to pull her tongue back inside of her mouth, straddling her hips and pinning her to the couch again. She gasped, and her eyes widened like they had when he had done the same move before, only this time there was no anger in her eyes. Just innocence, and . . . was that giddiness? Dawn swallowed down the lump forming in her throat as silence stretched out between them. He still looked down at her with those blue eyes, not giving away what he was thinking about.

Spike wanted to grin when he saw the abashed look on her face. Color was flushing her cheeks, and she finally broke the wide-eyed stare and looked away from him, cheeks still burning. Knowing that he had beat her at their silent battle of wills, he grinned and leaned in closer to her, his face hovering over hers. "First of all, the point was to make you relaxed Love, I don't go around humming like a ponce for no reason, and don't you go telling nobody I . . ." he paused for a minute, and continued, "Purr either. I'm no kitten." He finished in his thick English accent, and winked at her as she looked back up at him. "And second of all?" She asked, bringing a hand up to his hair and playing with his messy curls unconsciously. She grinned impishly at her own daring and, growing flushed again, took her hand down as she looked away.

"Second of all, Nibblet, I am not an animal. I am a monster, don't mistake the two." Spike slipped into game face, expecting her to squirm and fear him. He almost jumped at the small hands that found their way to both of his cheeks, and then his forehead, tracing the ridges with her fingers. He looked down at her, surprised, as she searched his face with her innocent, wondering eyes. She closed them and sighed, still rubbing the rough flesh of his game face with her warm fingers. After a few minutes, Spike cupped her face and she opened her eyes. "What are you doing, Love?" He asked her, all traces of gruffness and threat gone from his voice. "Memorizing you." She said, as if it were the simplest, most wonderful thing in the world. As if he were the most wonderful thing in the world. Dawn dragged her thumb across one of his fangs, and gave him a small smile, meeting his beautiful eyes again. "You were never a monster to me, Spike. Always just plain beautiful."

Spike unconsciously lost hold of his game face, and went back to his human front. "Beautiful." She repeated, playing with his hair again. Spike closed his eyes for a moment, and Dawn was snapped out of her little reverie. Sudden embarrassment swept over her, and she dropped her hands once again, blushing the darkest shade of red she had all evening, by far beating out any from previously. At the loss of her touch, Spike frowned and opened his eyes, taken out of his own reverie.

"What's wrong Dawn?" He asked her, suddenly concerned. He could hear her heart racing in her chest.

Dawn replied with something that sounded a whole lot like a failed attempt at "Nothing, I am just tired." Only my faster, quieter, and all strung together in a low nervous mumble.

Dawn cringed at how her words came out and knew there was no snowball's chance in hell that he would ever believe that. Don't show him all your cards now Dawn, she thought to herself. Really, really convincing Dawnster.

"Right. That's while you've gone all hot and bothered. . . "

Spike frowned down at her as she pulled her bottom lip into her mouth. He grinned as she immediately stuck it back out again when she saw that he had noticed, and registered it as a familiar dawnerism.

". . . and why you'll be doing that then, ay?" He finished; satisfied that he had gotten the best of her.

"I am not hot and . . . I am not hot and bothered Spike!" Dawn said, as heat practically radiated from her cheeks.

"Nibblet," Spike started. He cupped her cheek and flashed her his comforting smile. His hand was pleasantly cold against her blush dispite the situation. "I'm a vampire, remember? I can feel blood, and heat a mile away, and you are definatly not a mile away, now are you?" He finished, still smiling slightly.

Dawn didn't say anything, but just looked at him with those wide innocent eyes. Damn, those eyes. Whether Spike saw her do it or not, Dawn didn't care. She pulled her bottom lip back into her mouth and bit down, hard. If my eyes get any brighter they'll scorch him to dust, she thought, butterflies threatening to choke her.

"In fact," He continued when she greeted him with silence, "I'm currently. . . " Spike looked around them in mock concentration. "On top of you, at the moment Nibblet. So I can feel your heat coming off of you in waves. Now, I asked you what's wrong, and you lied. Even if I couldn't feel your warmth, I know you too well to not know when you lie to me anyway Dawn. So enlighten me."

After a few minutes of them staring at each other in silence, Dawn made an attempt at explaining how she felt.

"I. . . " But that's as far as she got before embarrassment overtook her and butterflies continued their erratic flight all around her chest.

"Well, that was certainly ballsy, wasn't it?" Spike said in a mocking tone, and quirked a crooked grin at her.

Dawn did not find that funny, or the least bit comforting. Instead she rolled over the best she could with him still on top of her, and burst into tears.

"Oh, Dawn . . . Nibblet. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, you know? I'm really not good at the whole comforting thing. Vampire, remember? Soulless bastard. I'm sorry, Bit. Dawn, C'mon now Love. Tell me what's wrong." Spike moved his hips lower, so that he could stretch out over Dawn better. She gave a little jump at the contact, but shot at him icily, "Why, so I can be ballsy again? I don't even know what that means, but I was trying to talk to you and . . . I hate this." She finished uncertainly, the venom leaving her voice.

Spike, not thinking it was the opportune moment to explain the term "ballsy" to a fifteen-year-old girl that he was currently straddling, took a different course of action. He cupped her cheek, and forced her to look at him. "You hate what, exactly love?" He said, eagerness showing through his eyes. When she looked up at him, her anger faded away and all she saw was his love for her.

"I hate not being able to. . . " She trailed off, getting lost in his eyes. He wiped away some of her tears with the thumb of the hand cupping her face. "To. . . ?" He inquired, resting some of his wait on her, and propping himself up on the elbow that he wasn't using in wiping Dawn's face.

"To tell you how I'm feeling." She finished, much in the same manner that she had said ""Nothing, I am just tired." Earlier, low, and mumbled. But he heard her

He heard her loud and clear.

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This seemed like a good place to stop. Its 6 a.m. and I haven't slept yet! Anyway, this is my favorite chapter so far. I really hope that you like it.