Chapter 8
Dawn swiveled her hips against Spike's. He pulled her close and growled in her ear. His long black duster fluttered as they moved as if it too would like to wrap itself around her.The music was a slow techno beat. Dawn tossed her hair back and laughed. She wore low cut, faded jeans and a pale blue tank top that just skimmed her belly button. She felt sexy but it had very little to do with her clothes. It was the way Spike was looking at her, like he'd like to eat her with a spoon. The mood was instantly crushed when she felt a light hand on her shoulder and she was spun around. She found herself looking straight into Buffy's eyes.
"Are you very drunk or on drugs? What the hell are you doing here with Spike?" She turned her fury to Spike, "and if you ever put your hands on my baby sister again, I'll-"
"I know, stake me right and proper. If you haven't noticed lil sis isn't such a baby anymore. She's a bloody full grown woman and I think she can make her own decisions about who puts her hands on her and who doesn't." Spike said.
"Dawn, what are you doing here with him?" Buffy asked turning her attention back to Dawn.
"I was dancing, until you interrupted. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to dancing now." Dawn started to turn away from Buffy, she caught her arm.
"No, you aren't. "Buffy said.
"Buffy, I'm seventeen, I'll be eighteen in a few months. There's not a lot you can do about it." Dawn said.
"Let's just go home and talk about this." Buffy said.
"It's not going to change anything. I'm not moving back in with you." Dawn said.
Buffy sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Alright, let's at least get a mocha and sit in a quiet corner like civilized people and talk about this. Spike, you're not invited, just so we're clear,"
Dawn grabbed Spike's hand. "Yes, he is." She tugged Spike over to one of the quieter corners in the Bronze without looking to see if Buffy was following.
They sat down, mochas forgotten. Buffy took a deep breath. Dawn just stared at her. The music was muted here but it still wrapped around the silence and made it somehow intimate.
"Dawn, where are you living? I've called your friends. No one knows. Are you even going to school?"
"I started back to school today. I've got most of my makeup work done." Dawn said.
"Oh, well. That's good. I'm glad." Buffy glanced down at the floor. That wasn't the answer she'd expected and it had taken a lot of the fire out of her anger. "So, where are you living?"
"Why? So you can tell Dad? So he can rush in here and drag me out of whatever horrid conditions you've imagined I must be in. Sorry, Buffy, maybe you didn't get the memo but Dad doesn't care. He'll probably send flowers with a card that says Sorry, honey, wish I could help but I'm in Timbuktu for work." Dawn snapped bitterly.
"Dawnie, I just want to know where you're living at. I want to know you're safe. I love you and I'm not going to call Dad and tell him anything. As long as you're safe, happy and going to school, I don't care who you live with." Buffy said.
Time to test that theory, Dawn thought. "I'm perfectly safe, I'm happy. I'm living with Spike."
Buffy stared at her, mouth agape for a moment. "You're what with who? Sorry, I thought you just said you're living with Spike. Let's rewind here."
"I'm living with Spike." Dawn said. Spike lit up a cigarette next to her and tried to wipe the smirk off his face. It was not going to help Dawn in this situation.
"Dawn, please tell me this is a really bad joke." Buffy said.
"No. He's got me in handcuffs and chains most of the time and I have to perform sexual favors for food but he does let me go to school." Dawn said.
"Hey, Niblet, I'm not looking forward to a staking. She's kidding, Slayer." Spike jumped in.
"Buffy, it's not what you think. He's got a nice apartment in the basement of the crypt. He's really good to me. He makes sure I eat and do my homework and get up for school."
Buffy looked deathly pale. She had her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles were white. "So you and Spike-"She couldn't finish.
"He sleeps on the couch. I sleep on the bed." Dawn said. It wasn't entirely true. She had taken to sleeping curled up into him with her head on his shoulder. It was mostly innocent though. The only thing they had done was a lot of heavy making out.
"It didn't look like that when I came in here. The part where you were dancing? Some societies call that mating." Buffy snapped. "Dawnie, he's a vampire. I thought you got over the vampire thing on Halloween when you were almost bit." Buffy changed her tone, trying to be a little gentler, less accusing.
"Oh and excuse me but are you going to try and tell me that you spent two weeks with Angel in LA and didn't kiss him. I mean he is a vampire." Dawn said.
"My life is not the topic of discussion here." Buffy said.
"I'm just pointing out that you have no right to judge me." Dawn said.
"Dawn, he doesn't have a soul. He's evil." Buffy said glaring at Spike. Spike just nodded at her and blew out a puff of smoke. "Don't you know there's no smoking in here?" Buffy snapped.
"Heard something 'bout that. Guess they'll let me know if it's a problem." Spike said.
"He may not have a soul, but he's not evil. He doesn't kill people. He hasn't tried to hurt me at all. He found me." Dawn said.
"I looked for you everywhere Dawnie. Angel used every contact he had looking for you." Buffy said.
"Apparently Spike has some contacts Angel doesn't." Dawn said. The lies about her nonexistent trip to San Francisco came easily.
"Bookie, used to use him when Tanofran was still a track. Bet on that ugly little horse they recently made a movie 'bout, Sea Weed, Sea Bread. I don't know. Won a nice chunk o' change though." Spike said.
"Nice, you use bookies to look for my little sister." Buffy said.
Spike shrugged. "Whatever gets the job done."
Buffy sighed. "Dawnie-"
"I don't know why you're so surprised. I hardly remember a time you weren't in love with a vampire. Hell, I figure it's practically normal in the Summers family. I like Spike. He's good to me and he makes me happy. "Dawn said.
"He's evil!" Buffy repeated.
Dawn shrugged "Until I see him do something evil, I'm sticking with the theory that he's growing a soul, or a conscience or something."
Buffy glared at Spike. "If you hurt her-"
"I know, I know. You need new lines, Slayer." Spike rolled his eyes and dropped his cigarette butt on the floor. He snuffed it out with his boot.
"I won't stake you. I'll keep you alive for a very long time and you'll just wish you were dead." Buffy said. "There are things worse then death and I'm really interested in trying them all out on you." She got up and left the Bronze.
Spike draped his arm over Dawn's shoulders. "Well, now that was fun."
Dawn fell back against him, exhausted from the encounter. "It went better then I thought it would be but then she really couldn't kill me with all these witnesses."
Spike chuckled. "Are you kidding? This is Sunnydale, the most oblivious people on the face of this earth, she could have tortured you ten ways to Sunday and no body would see anything and if they did, it'd be a gang on pcp."
*
Dawn smashed the alarm clock with the palm of her hand. She noticed happily that it hit the concrete floor. Cool fingers tiptoed up the nape of her neck and she turned on her back with a smile, her eyes still closed. Cool lips teased her mouth and then were gone and her lips felt bereft. She opened her eyes with a pout.
"Come on, Niblet. You've got to get up for school." Spike said.
Dawn scowled. "Couldn't I just skip?"
"Right, I got the distinct impression that the preservation of my unlife depends on your happiness and your school attendance. I rather like dragging my carcass across this earth. Get up I'll fix you breakfast." Spike said.
Dawn groaned. "What if one negates the other? You might notice I'm not terribly happy about going to school." She drug herself to the bathroom none the less. When she came out, Spike was pouring her a bowl of Frosted Flakes. He set the bowl on the small table and got his mug of blood out of the microwave. He grabbed a handful of Frosted Flakes and crumbled them in his blood. Dawn sat down at the table to eat. He sat across from her.
"Bloody hell, these are sweet. Even I can taste the sugar." Spike said looking into his mug.
"When I was little, I used to pour extra sugar over them." Dawn said with her mouth full.
Spike cocked an eyebrow at her. "Isn't there a limit to how much sugar a human can ingest before they rot or something?"
"Yeah, but I don't think it applies to little kids." Dawn said.
Spike shrugged and took another sip of his mug. "Must be why they taste so sweet."
"Guess so." Dawn commented like this was normal breakfast conversation. She glanced at her Hello Kitty watch and shoved a last bite of frosted flakes in her mouth. She stood up and dropped a kiss on Spike's head. "I'll be home after school." She said grabbing her backpack and dashing out the door.
*
Dawn had started patrols again. Spike was helping her in training. He sparred with her but had forbidden her to use her shield against him.
"Thing bloody hurts like an electric shock when I slam up against it." He had grumbled.
Her key powers and her slayer skills increased all the time. She had yet to tell Buffy about them even though things were amicable between the two. Buffy didn't understand how she could be with Spike and Dawn couldn't explain it, anymore then Buffy could explain her and Angel, who she was in LA visiting, this time for pleasure instead of business. Willow was working on an anti-curse spell.
Spike currently had Dawn pushed up against a crypt kissing her. He pulled away slightly and looked around. Dawn slid down to the grass panting. Spike sniffed the air and grabbed her hand. He pulled her up.
"Come on Niblet, think we better get out of here." He said without explanation.
"What is it?" Dawn asked.
Spike shook his head and tugged her along. There was a sharp cracking sound. Spike shoved her to the grass. He fell on top of her and then quickly rolled to his feet, shoving her in front of him. "Run," He yelled. She glanced over her shoulder and he shoved her forward. There was another loud crack and Spike stumbled. He caught himself and kept running behind her.
"Spike what the hell is going on?" She yelled over her shoulder.
"We're being shot at, Luv." He yelled back.
She kept running. She hadn't tested if her shield would stop bullets, and she didn't think this was the time to find out.
Four more shots sounded before they made it to Spike's crypt. Whatever was after them was either incredibly fast or extremely well organized. Once they were in the basement with the trap door securely shut, Dawn noticed Spike had blood all over him.
"Oh, God, you got shot." She said and started pulling his jacket and shirt off to look at it. There were six neat bullet holes scattered all over his torso.
"S'okay, won't kill me just hurts like bleedin hell." He said with a growl. "We can't stay here. Good chance they'll be visiting here." He pushed himself to his feet and beckoned to Dawn. She slid his arm over her shoulders. "Place down by Willy's I can get these bullets dug out and then maybe I can figure out what the hell is going on."
Spike's place down by Willy's happened to be in the tunnels under Willy's. Someone had set up a makeshift demon hospital there. The doctor was vaguely human looking if you could ignore his pale green skin. He reminded Dawn of the color of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, without the chocolate chips. He was digging bullets out of Spike when Willy came down. He looked nervously at Spike and Dawn.
"Spike, man, you-you can't bring her here." Willy stammered. Dawn could almost see him break out in a sweat.
Spike cocked an eyebrow and looked Willy up and down. "Alright, spill it, Willy. Doc's gonna be awfully upset if I have to get up from here to beat your sorry ass."
"She's the slayer's sister." Willy said shaking his head.
"Telling me things I don't know might keep you in one piece, Willy." Spike said.
"I'd get her out of town if I were you. Sneak out secret like and don't come back." Willy said.
Spike sat up. The demon doctor grumbled but continued digging in Spike's shoulder for the last slug. Spike snatched a half empty bottle of whiskey from the table and took a swig of it. "Why's that, Willy?"
"Alright, but you didn't hear it from me. If they find out you heard it from me, I don't even want to think about what they'd do." Willy started rambling.
"Information, Willy, useful information now." Spike reminded him.
"Someone wants her. I don't know who honest. They've sent the Order of Tareka after her. They have orders to maim, not kill. Whoever wants her, wants her alive." Willy said.
Spike cursed under his breath. "Sure as bloody hell didn't look like a maim mission tonight."
Willy shrugged. "You're the only one shot up."
Willy had a point.
Dawn swiveled her hips against Spike's. He pulled her close and growled in her ear. His long black duster fluttered as they moved as if it too would like to wrap itself around her.The music was a slow techno beat. Dawn tossed her hair back and laughed. She wore low cut, faded jeans and a pale blue tank top that just skimmed her belly button. She felt sexy but it had very little to do with her clothes. It was the way Spike was looking at her, like he'd like to eat her with a spoon. The mood was instantly crushed when she felt a light hand on her shoulder and she was spun around. She found herself looking straight into Buffy's eyes.
"Are you very drunk or on drugs? What the hell are you doing here with Spike?" She turned her fury to Spike, "and if you ever put your hands on my baby sister again, I'll-"
"I know, stake me right and proper. If you haven't noticed lil sis isn't such a baby anymore. She's a bloody full grown woman and I think she can make her own decisions about who puts her hands on her and who doesn't." Spike said.
"Dawn, what are you doing here with him?" Buffy asked turning her attention back to Dawn.
"I was dancing, until you interrupted. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to dancing now." Dawn started to turn away from Buffy, she caught her arm.
"No, you aren't. "Buffy said.
"Buffy, I'm seventeen, I'll be eighteen in a few months. There's not a lot you can do about it." Dawn said.
"Let's just go home and talk about this." Buffy said.
"It's not going to change anything. I'm not moving back in with you." Dawn said.
Buffy sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Alright, let's at least get a mocha and sit in a quiet corner like civilized people and talk about this. Spike, you're not invited, just so we're clear,"
Dawn grabbed Spike's hand. "Yes, he is." She tugged Spike over to one of the quieter corners in the Bronze without looking to see if Buffy was following.
They sat down, mochas forgotten. Buffy took a deep breath. Dawn just stared at her. The music was muted here but it still wrapped around the silence and made it somehow intimate.
"Dawn, where are you living? I've called your friends. No one knows. Are you even going to school?"
"I started back to school today. I've got most of my makeup work done." Dawn said.
"Oh, well. That's good. I'm glad." Buffy glanced down at the floor. That wasn't the answer she'd expected and it had taken a lot of the fire out of her anger. "So, where are you living?"
"Why? So you can tell Dad? So he can rush in here and drag me out of whatever horrid conditions you've imagined I must be in. Sorry, Buffy, maybe you didn't get the memo but Dad doesn't care. He'll probably send flowers with a card that says Sorry, honey, wish I could help but I'm in Timbuktu for work." Dawn snapped bitterly.
"Dawnie, I just want to know where you're living at. I want to know you're safe. I love you and I'm not going to call Dad and tell him anything. As long as you're safe, happy and going to school, I don't care who you live with." Buffy said.
Time to test that theory, Dawn thought. "I'm perfectly safe, I'm happy. I'm living with Spike."
Buffy stared at her, mouth agape for a moment. "You're what with who? Sorry, I thought you just said you're living with Spike. Let's rewind here."
"I'm living with Spike." Dawn said. Spike lit up a cigarette next to her and tried to wipe the smirk off his face. It was not going to help Dawn in this situation.
"Dawn, please tell me this is a really bad joke." Buffy said.
"No. He's got me in handcuffs and chains most of the time and I have to perform sexual favors for food but he does let me go to school." Dawn said.
"Hey, Niblet, I'm not looking forward to a staking. She's kidding, Slayer." Spike jumped in.
"Buffy, it's not what you think. He's got a nice apartment in the basement of the crypt. He's really good to me. He makes sure I eat and do my homework and get up for school."
Buffy looked deathly pale. She had her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles were white. "So you and Spike-"She couldn't finish.
"He sleeps on the couch. I sleep on the bed." Dawn said. It wasn't entirely true. She had taken to sleeping curled up into him with her head on his shoulder. It was mostly innocent though. The only thing they had done was a lot of heavy making out.
"It didn't look like that when I came in here. The part where you were dancing? Some societies call that mating." Buffy snapped. "Dawnie, he's a vampire. I thought you got over the vampire thing on Halloween when you were almost bit." Buffy changed her tone, trying to be a little gentler, less accusing.
"Oh and excuse me but are you going to try and tell me that you spent two weeks with Angel in LA and didn't kiss him. I mean he is a vampire." Dawn said.
"My life is not the topic of discussion here." Buffy said.
"I'm just pointing out that you have no right to judge me." Dawn said.
"Dawn, he doesn't have a soul. He's evil." Buffy said glaring at Spike. Spike just nodded at her and blew out a puff of smoke. "Don't you know there's no smoking in here?" Buffy snapped.
"Heard something 'bout that. Guess they'll let me know if it's a problem." Spike said.
"He may not have a soul, but he's not evil. He doesn't kill people. He hasn't tried to hurt me at all. He found me." Dawn said.
"I looked for you everywhere Dawnie. Angel used every contact he had looking for you." Buffy said.
"Apparently Spike has some contacts Angel doesn't." Dawn said. The lies about her nonexistent trip to San Francisco came easily.
"Bookie, used to use him when Tanofran was still a track. Bet on that ugly little horse they recently made a movie 'bout, Sea Weed, Sea Bread. I don't know. Won a nice chunk o' change though." Spike said.
"Nice, you use bookies to look for my little sister." Buffy said.
Spike shrugged. "Whatever gets the job done."
Buffy sighed. "Dawnie-"
"I don't know why you're so surprised. I hardly remember a time you weren't in love with a vampire. Hell, I figure it's practically normal in the Summers family. I like Spike. He's good to me and he makes me happy. "Dawn said.
"He's evil!" Buffy repeated.
Dawn shrugged "Until I see him do something evil, I'm sticking with the theory that he's growing a soul, or a conscience or something."
Buffy glared at Spike. "If you hurt her-"
"I know, I know. You need new lines, Slayer." Spike rolled his eyes and dropped his cigarette butt on the floor. He snuffed it out with his boot.
"I won't stake you. I'll keep you alive for a very long time and you'll just wish you were dead." Buffy said. "There are things worse then death and I'm really interested in trying them all out on you." She got up and left the Bronze.
Spike draped his arm over Dawn's shoulders. "Well, now that was fun."
Dawn fell back against him, exhausted from the encounter. "It went better then I thought it would be but then she really couldn't kill me with all these witnesses."
Spike chuckled. "Are you kidding? This is Sunnydale, the most oblivious people on the face of this earth, she could have tortured you ten ways to Sunday and no body would see anything and if they did, it'd be a gang on pcp."
*
Dawn smashed the alarm clock with the palm of her hand. She noticed happily that it hit the concrete floor. Cool fingers tiptoed up the nape of her neck and she turned on her back with a smile, her eyes still closed. Cool lips teased her mouth and then were gone and her lips felt bereft. She opened her eyes with a pout.
"Come on, Niblet. You've got to get up for school." Spike said.
Dawn scowled. "Couldn't I just skip?"
"Right, I got the distinct impression that the preservation of my unlife depends on your happiness and your school attendance. I rather like dragging my carcass across this earth. Get up I'll fix you breakfast." Spike said.
Dawn groaned. "What if one negates the other? You might notice I'm not terribly happy about going to school." She drug herself to the bathroom none the less. When she came out, Spike was pouring her a bowl of Frosted Flakes. He set the bowl on the small table and got his mug of blood out of the microwave. He grabbed a handful of Frosted Flakes and crumbled them in his blood. Dawn sat down at the table to eat. He sat across from her.
"Bloody hell, these are sweet. Even I can taste the sugar." Spike said looking into his mug.
"When I was little, I used to pour extra sugar over them." Dawn said with her mouth full.
Spike cocked an eyebrow at her. "Isn't there a limit to how much sugar a human can ingest before they rot or something?"
"Yeah, but I don't think it applies to little kids." Dawn said.
Spike shrugged and took another sip of his mug. "Must be why they taste so sweet."
"Guess so." Dawn commented like this was normal breakfast conversation. She glanced at her Hello Kitty watch and shoved a last bite of frosted flakes in her mouth. She stood up and dropped a kiss on Spike's head. "I'll be home after school." She said grabbing her backpack and dashing out the door.
*
Dawn had started patrols again. Spike was helping her in training. He sparred with her but had forbidden her to use her shield against him.
"Thing bloody hurts like an electric shock when I slam up against it." He had grumbled.
Her key powers and her slayer skills increased all the time. She had yet to tell Buffy about them even though things were amicable between the two. Buffy didn't understand how she could be with Spike and Dawn couldn't explain it, anymore then Buffy could explain her and Angel, who she was in LA visiting, this time for pleasure instead of business. Willow was working on an anti-curse spell.
Spike currently had Dawn pushed up against a crypt kissing her. He pulled away slightly and looked around. Dawn slid down to the grass panting. Spike sniffed the air and grabbed her hand. He pulled her up.
"Come on Niblet, think we better get out of here." He said without explanation.
"What is it?" Dawn asked.
Spike shook his head and tugged her along. There was a sharp cracking sound. Spike shoved her to the grass. He fell on top of her and then quickly rolled to his feet, shoving her in front of him. "Run," He yelled. She glanced over her shoulder and he shoved her forward. There was another loud crack and Spike stumbled. He caught himself and kept running behind her.
"Spike what the hell is going on?" She yelled over her shoulder.
"We're being shot at, Luv." He yelled back.
She kept running. She hadn't tested if her shield would stop bullets, and she didn't think this was the time to find out.
Four more shots sounded before they made it to Spike's crypt. Whatever was after them was either incredibly fast or extremely well organized. Once they were in the basement with the trap door securely shut, Dawn noticed Spike had blood all over him.
"Oh, God, you got shot." She said and started pulling his jacket and shirt off to look at it. There were six neat bullet holes scattered all over his torso.
"S'okay, won't kill me just hurts like bleedin hell." He said with a growl. "We can't stay here. Good chance they'll be visiting here." He pushed himself to his feet and beckoned to Dawn. She slid his arm over her shoulders. "Place down by Willy's I can get these bullets dug out and then maybe I can figure out what the hell is going on."
Spike's place down by Willy's happened to be in the tunnels under Willy's. Someone had set up a makeshift demon hospital there. The doctor was vaguely human looking if you could ignore his pale green skin. He reminded Dawn of the color of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, without the chocolate chips. He was digging bullets out of Spike when Willy came down. He looked nervously at Spike and Dawn.
"Spike, man, you-you can't bring her here." Willy stammered. Dawn could almost see him break out in a sweat.
Spike cocked an eyebrow and looked Willy up and down. "Alright, spill it, Willy. Doc's gonna be awfully upset if I have to get up from here to beat your sorry ass."
"She's the slayer's sister." Willy said shaking his head.
"Telling me things I don't know might keep you in one piece, Willy." Spike said.
"I'd get her out of town if I were you. Sneak out secret like and don't come back." Willy said.
Spike sat up. The demon doctor grumbled but continued digging in Spike's shoulder for the last slug. Spike snatched a half empty bottle of whiskey from the table and took a swig of it. "Why's that, Willy?"
"Alright, but you didn't hear it from me. If they find out you heard it from me, I don't even want to think about what they'd do." Willy started rambling.
"Information, Willy, useful information now." Spike reminded him.
"Someone wants her. I don't know who honest. They've sent the Order of Tareka after her. They have orders to maim, not kill. Whoever wants her, wants her alive." Willy said.
Spike cursed under his breath. "Sure as bloody hell didn't look like a maim mission tonight."
Willy shrugged. "You're the only one shot up."
Willy had a point.