A/N: Okay I posted this chapter last night and it cut of like 1/5 of the way through and I just noticed it. I am so sorry I don't know what happened! Anyway, I here it is reposted, and I hope it works. -Bri

Spike stirred slightly as a tingling sensation went up his right arm. He opened his eyes and saw Dawn lying on it at a strange angle. Gently, he rolled Dawn off and extracted his arm. He sat up and sensed the air around him. It was damp, musty, and night had definatly fallen. Groaning, he stretched his arms out to their fullest extent and yawned, but it turned out as more of a growl.

Dawn opened her eyes and fell off the couch with an "Ahh!" that ended in a dull thud. She looked up to see Spike leaning over the couch with a bemused smile on his lips. "You scared the hell out of me!" she said, sitting up and resting her elbows on the couch, smiling at him. "Sorry Love, didn't mean to wake you like that. It's good to see you all smiles this morning" he said, getting to his feet. Dawn looked at the alarm clock that was sitting on the old TV. "Morning? It's more like evening. But, yeah. What's wrong with being all smiley? Cramp your demon style?" She asked, still smiling.

"No, well yeah, I supposed it does cramp the demon style a lil' bit" He admitted, chuckling. "But I don't mind it from you. For some reason, it's better than fine coming from you. Now get up Nibblet, and get dressed."

"What? Where are we going . . . and I am dressed Mr. Observant." Dawn said, not moving from her position on the floor. "You haven't got anything warmer than . . . that? I wont have you walking about in a graveyard in nothing but your night clothes!" Spike's smile was gone, and he was rummaging around furiously in the pile of Dawn's belongings. Dawn did nothing, just sat there and watched him, amused at how protective he was over her. With a triumphant "Ha!" Spike pulled out the red sweatshirt with gold writing that said "Sunnydale Dance Team" in gold letters that she had been wearing out in the graveyard. He threw it to Dawn, who caught it.

"Dance team, aye?" he said, smirking. "Once upon a time, when I still cared about things besides the apocalypse and my family getting picked off by the grim reaper." Dawn replied coldly, as she pulled the sweatshirt over her head. Spike looked at her stomach as she raised her arms. Thin, she was. Too thin, and almost as pale as he was. "Dawn, have you been eating?" He asked abruptly. Dawn immediately wrapped her arms around her stomach defensively and scowled at him. "Yes, I have been eating. God, randomly invasive much?"

"Okay, we're leaving," Spike said, ignoring her glaring. "Now." Dawn threw her arms up in the air, exasperated. "That would be a whole hell of a lot easier if you would tell me where we are freakin' going!" Spike considered her, and sighed. "We're going back to Rovello, Dawn." Dawn stood there, staring at him. "No. . . " she started to say, but Spike cut her off with a finger to her mouth. "None of that now, I know it's going to be hard, but we are going. There are some things we need to take care of, first and foremost getting you fed and bathed. And before you tell me that you do both of them regularly, save it. You look like hell. I was your sitter once, and I plan on pickin' up the job. You do as I say, or it's time out for you, Love." He softened his tone as her gaze fell to the floor. He removed his hand from her mouth and grabbed her own. Kneeling down in front of her, he found her gaze again and said, "I know it will be hard Bit, but that's what Spike is here for, 'innit? To love you. And I'm going to help you, whether you want to let me or not."

Dawn fell forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you." She whispered. Spike smiled sadly and picked her up. "That's my girl. Now let's go, Sweet Bit." Spike carried Dawn to the door of his crypt and pushed it open with his foot. He sniffed the night air, and growled low in his chest when he felt evil fill his senses. Holding Dawn closer to him, he quickened his pace through the graveyard.

"What's wrong?" Dawn asked, slightly alarmed. "Two words; Hellmouth and night. Both of which I can deal with and have more times than you or I could count. But all the same, I'd prefer to not have an innocent 16-year- old girl along for the ride." Dawn was quiet for a while, and then gave a small "Oh." Spike nodded, and leaped a hedge. Neither of them said anything else as Spike's boots made steady thuds on the grass.

Dawn could feel Spike relax as they neared the edge of the graveyard. Even through the thick fog they could see the wrought iron gate that was the entrance to the paved road. As Spike was about to clear the last headstone, a vampire jumped out. Dawn caught herself mid-scream and bit her bottom lip. Spike set her down on her feet and reached in his duster for the stakes he always kept with him. One he handed to Dawn, and the other he held at the ready position. The vampire watched them, amused. "What is this? Spike the mighty back in town? Heard you skipped out pal." Spike growled, keeping one eye on Dawn and the other on the vamp in front of him. "That right? Well hate to tell you mate, but this here is my graveyard, and this is my girl, so you can just sod off."

The vampire laughed, and motioned around the graveyard. "Well, that's interesting, because me and my boys here were under the impression that this was our graveyard. And that girl is fresh blood, so whether she was previously ours or not, she will be in about, oh, 30 seconds?" Spike looked around, and his jaw tightened in fear as three other vampires made their way from behind various headstones and trees.

"Dawn, whatever you do, stay behind me, you understand?" Spike said, reaching behind him to get a hold of her sweatshirt. When he found nothing there, he whirled around in a flurry of leather duster to see her dodging a punch from a vampire. She kicked him square in the jaw, and the vampire stumbled back, just as shocked as Spike was.

A cold arm went around Spike's neck, and he heard a voice say, "Sorry, wasn't the best welcome home party." Spike growled and switched to his vampryc visage. "Should have listened to me mate." Spike reached around him and staked the vampire in the back, who immediately turned to dust. Spike didn't even bother to shake it off. He ran to Dawn's defense, staking another vampire on the way. Dawn was on the ground, and swung out her long legs and sent the vampire flying. He tumbled a bit, and got back to his feet. He punched Dawn in the stomach, knocking her against the wall of a tomb. Spike ran towards them, and staked the vampire, missing his heart by a few inches. He grabbed the vampire's coat and shoved him to the ground. He raised his stake to strike, but the vampire disappeared in a cloud of dust before he could touch him.

"What the hell . . .?" He got off the ground and looked at Dawn. Her pupils were dialated and black, green sparks flashing across her eyes. She slumped to the ground, staring at the spot the vampire had been.

Spike leaned down over her pulled her to her feet. "Dawn? Dawn, what did you do? Are you alright?" Dawn said nothing, just raised her gaze from the ground to Spike's eyes. "Where's the other vamp?" Spike asked desperately. Dawn's gaze fell again to another pile of dust a little ways off. "Oh." He said softly.

"But . . . he, it, I did that with a stake," she said, looking back up at him. "I don't know . . . what did I do? What happened? I just, I thought he was going to hurt you and. . . don't know. . . It was like my mind was throwing up." Dawn's eyes flashed green once more, and she collapsed onto Spike's shoulders. He sighed worriedly and picked up her limp body. "Best get you out of here, Nibblet."

Spike ran through the gates and towards Rovello Drive. He didn't stop until he was in front of the Summers' home, where he slowed to a walk. He searched under the doormat for the "hidden key" that he had always known to be there. He unlocked the door and hurriedly locked it behind him. Cautiously, he got his bearings. He smelled no evil here, just memories of people he had once known and loved. He hadn't been in this house for more than a year, and by the look of Dawn, she hadn't been here for quite a while either. The house looked like it had been deserted in a great hurry, all the pictures on the walls remained, and the furniture was untouched. He reached for the light switch, and then cursed himself for his stupidity when no lights came on.

"Bloody electric company," he said under his breath. He made his way into the living room and lay Dawn down on the couch. He pulled out his lighter and went around lighting all the candles he could find, casting a dull orange light on the lower story of the house. He turned around when he heard Dawn move. He walked over to her, kneeling down on the ground. "Dawn?" He whispered gently. "Dawn." He said a little more urgently.

"Hmm?" She mumbled, scrunching her face into a sleepy scowl. "Wake up Love." Dawn slowly opened her eyes, and he could see realization take the place of sleepiness in a matter of seconds. She tried to sit up, but Spike pressed her shoulders down with his strong arms. "No, Dawn, just calm down, everything's okay. Do you know what happened back there?" "He dusted," Dawn said, biting her bottom lip. Spike chuckled a little and said, "Well yeah, thanks for clearing that up for me Love. I saw the dust. Felt the dust on my face. But didn't see a stake anywhere near him, and I'm pretty sure his head was intact up until the point where it turned to ashes along with the rest of him. I want to know how that happened, and if you don't know I'm going to help you find out."

"I don't remember what happened." Dawn said, looking determinedly at her fidgety hands. "Don't lie to me," Spike said. "I could always tell when you lie to me. You get all avoidy with the eye contact. Look at me and tell me you don't remember." Dawn looked at him furiously and yelled, "I said I don't remember, okay? God!" She made to get up, but groaned as pain shot up left leg. Spike looked at her, alarmed. "What, where does it hurt Nibblet?" "I think. . . I think my left leg is broken." She said, as the pain throbbed through her. She bit her lip and looked at him. "I didn't mean to yell, I'm sorry." He didn't take his eyes off of her leg, but said, "S'right Nibblet, raging teenage hormones and all. And don't think our little conversation is over either, but we need to take care of your leg. This is going to hurt," he said, finally looking at her. "It's fine, I trust you." She said honestly. "There should be a first aid kit under the sink in the kitchen. I think there are some bandage thingies in there." He nodded and sprinted into the kitchen. She heard the cabinet doors open and close, and then the sound of wood snapping. Spike returned brandishing the first aid kit, and two wooden planks she recognized as the legs of one of the kitchen chairs.

"Gonna splint it?" She asked him, trying to act casual. "Smart bird, you are." He said, smiling sympathetically at her. "I need to see if it's broken or not first, how did it get injured?" Dawn furrowed her forehead, trying to remember the battle scene by scene. "I think . . . when the first vampire threw me over a headstone. My knee hit the top of it and buckled. I didn't really notice with all the angst, you know?" She said looking up at him. "I know." He answered.

Spike set the kit and the chair legs on the coffee table, and knelt down on the carpet. He took a pair of scissors from the first aid kit and made a cut from the bottom of Dawn's pants leg to about mid thigh. He grimaced when he saw the purple already forming around her knee. Spike cut around her leg, and laid the denim on the floor next to him. He gently lifted Dawn's leg and attempted to straighten it out. She jumped a little, but grabbed a fist full of his shirt to stop herself. When she calmed down, he straightened the leg out all the way. He then prodded her knee with gentle fingers, feeling out the bones underneath her bruised skin. After a while, he looked up at her.

"It's not broken, you've just dislocated it and bruised it pretty damn badly. I'll need to splint it still, but I need to . . . " He made a face as if expecting her to fill in the blanks. "Need to what?" Dawn said, sitting up. "Pop it back into place." He finished, expecting her to scream and protest in a whirl of tears and hitting. Dawn went a little pale at the word 'pop', but nodded solemnly. "Hold on to something," he said, trying to reassure her. Not in the least reassured, Dawn grabbed a fistful of sofa cushion, and buried her face in the back of the couch. Spike smiled when he heard a muffled, "Okay". He gently took a hold of her calf and knee, and manipulated her knee back into place. He grimaced when he felt it connect under his hands. "Alright, it's done Nibblet. Now we just need to splint and let it heal."

Dawn looked up from him, her face red from suppressed tears. "I didn't hear it pop." She said, in a joking voice. "If it wasn't going to actually pop, you should have used a nicer word like 'put' or 'place', for example. But no, here's Spike saying 'pop', trying to scare little girls."

Spike laughed and smiled at her. "Didn't mean to scare you Nibblet. Didn't mean to scare any little girls." "Well lucky you, because I obviously wasn't scared one bit." Spike's smile broadened as he put a chair leg on either side of her knee. "Not one little bit? Come on, don't insult me. I am a vampire, and you're a little girl." Spike felt her glare through the side of his head and he looked up at her. Her arms were crossed over her chest in a very indignant fashion. "I am not a little girl." She said, matter of factly. Spike paused in the bandaging, studying her determined face.

"Suppose you aren't anymore, are you?" Dawn shook her head, a smile creeping on her lips. He sighed, and rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "Guess I can't call you 'Nibblet' anymore after all." He said, faking sadness. "No!" Dawn protested, but Spike ignored her. "Oh, and bloody hell what was I thinking! 'Platelet' and 'Lil Bit' have got to go as well. Those aren't names suitable for a full grown woman." He continued teasing.

"No, it's fine, really! I mean I'm not a full grown woman. . . I'm just not a little girl." She said hurriedly. He smirked at her. "Yeah, you just love my pet names," he said. Dawn stuck her tongue out at him, and at his questioning look she just laughed and said evasively, "Maybe."

They said nothing more as Spike continued wrapping her leg. When he finished he smiled up at her and said, "Right. All fixed Love." "What, with no lollypop? I always got a lollypop." Dawn said with a pout. Spike smiled and said, "Fresh out of those Love, but let's take a look in the kitchen and see what we got for eating."

He leaned down and Dawn wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He lifted her up but she stubbornly put her good leg on the ground. "I can do it." She said. Spike frowned, but let her down. He was relieved when she still clutched his arm for support. They made their way to the kitchen, and Dawn leaned against the doorframe while Spike lit the candles. He went back to Dawn and lifted her over to the kitchen table, helping her sit on one of the unbroken chairs.

After a while of him rummaging around in the pantry, Dawn asked, "So what do we have?" After a moment of silence, Spike replied, "First course will consist of pop tarts." Spike emerged carrying an assortment of boxes.

"Yummy! What flavor?" Spike set the boxes down and bowed low before her. "Strawberry with rainbow sprinkles, my dear." Dawn giggled and hit him lightly on the shoulder. "What about second course?" She asked. "Easy Mac, which according to the directions would take 5 minutes to make if your bloody microwave was working. But I suppose I've got to boil water like the un-modernized people do it. You still keep all that bleeding Evian in your fridge right?" Dawn nodded, and pointed to cupboard. "The pots are in there. How are you going to boil it? If the electricity is out, the gas got cut a long time ago too."

"I'll use your fireplace, which is also where we will be making our desert." He said slyly. Dawn gave him an enquiring look, but he said, "You'll see. Eat your bloody pop tarts girl."

Dawn rolled her eyes and did as she was told for once. She tore open the cellophane and gazed at the multicolored sprinkles. She licked her lips appreciatively and bit in to it, her eyes rolling in the back of her head with delight. "You have no idea how good this tastes right now." Dawn said between chewing. "Well if you want it all to yourself I suggest you stop groaning over it or I just might take the rest." He said, watching her eat. She just smiled at him, shaking her head. Spike opened the fridge and pulled out a large bottle of warm Evian. He poured it into a pot, and made his way into the living room again. Dawn heard him struggling with his lighter, and then heard the crackle of flames. Spike came back in a little while later with a triumphant grin on his face.

"Yeah, I'd say that water will be boiling pretty damn soon." Dawn smiled and said, "Funny how the smallest things in life give us the most trouble." Spike scowled, the triumphant look leaving his face. "You mean like yourself? I'll have you know that my lighter wasn't working properly." "Yeah, uhhuh, whatever." Dawn said, nudging his shoulder as he sat down next to her. Spike grabbed a pop tart and mumbled, "Shut it, you." Dawn lowered her voice as low as she could and imitated his heavy accent, "Or what? You'll kick my bloody arse?" She broke her serious façade by bursting into giggles.

Spike didn't say anything, but finally smiled at her. It was good to hear her laugh again, really laugh. They had had many conversations like this at this very table. He used to love to hear her laugh. And now here he was, reliving the shadows of their past together. A comfortable silence filled the room as girl and vampire ate their pop tarts.

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A/N: Wow, okay. I am really really nervous about this chapter. I wrote my first fight scene and I'm not too sure about how well I did. This chapter took forever to write, and I really hope you like it. For some reason, I'm really nervous about my reviews on this chapter. Please review me and be honest! I need a little bit of help on here, and I hope that wasn't TOO confusing. If you have any questions review me and I'll email you as well as post the answer in the next chapter. Thanks so much everyone! Give me some constructive critisism. Oh, and my beta-man Justin was asleep when I finally finished writing this (5:13 A.M.) so if there are any small errors I missed while re-readind, I appologize 34590824598290358782947 times over.

I love you all! bRi

Oooooh! What's that? A pretty little review button! I wonder what happens when you click it? I heard you get a new chapter faster . . . *wink wink nudge nudge*