DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters. If I did I would be rich and wouldn't that be nice? I think so.

Blood and Velvet

Part two: Q and A with the summers'

 "So this is it." Dawns tells her two companions while motioning to a small two story house, a cozy looking place complete with a white picket fence. "Angel told me that it has a really wicked garden in spring and summer, he actually showed me pictures. Strange huh? A vamp like him keeping a photo album of gardens."

 Buffy laughs warmly. "I'm not surprised. He can't actually see them during the day."

 "Oh yeah." She replies, feeling a little stupid.

"It's a beautiful place." Xander comments. "Did you leave the TV on?" Xander asks, wondering about the flickering light just barely visible through the front window.

''Maybe." Dawn answers knowing full well she hadn't.

"Would Spike still be there?" Buffy asks giving Xander a look meant to be just between the two, but Dawn catches it and is slightly annoyed.

 "He might be. We were supposed to go see that new Vampire movie tonight so we could laugh at it and all that rot." Dawn pauses at the door and smiles at their quizzical looks, "So I spend more time with him than is healthy for my vocabulary, so what? Having the former 'big bad' around keeps local thugs and demons away. You should thank him for it"

"I know." Buffy admits. "But lets start with just baby steps ok? I'm still mad at him for hanging up on me today."

"Fine." Dawn finally manages to open the door after searching her bag for the ever-elusive house keys. Nervously she steps in and is relieved to find Spike exactly where she had left him. If he had left it might have meant he wouldn't come back, being more distraught over the slip the night before than she felt he ought to be. Quite truthfully, if he hadn't of stopped himself she wouldn't have done anything to stop it herself. It was the kind of intimacy she had always craved from him. In fact, that morning she had been angry and hurt that he hadn't wanted her enough. Not that it was rape she wanted mind you, she just wanted to be wanted.

"Hey there 'Bit" He gives her a strained smile. He looks at the other two warily, "Buffy, Xander." he greets

"Spike." They answer in unison.

There is a moment of tense silence, "Spike, I'm sorry about not calling." dawn apologizes quickly "They . . . "She motions to Buffy and Xander "Kind of took me by surprise."

"It's fine 'Bit." He turns the TV off and stands. "I guess I'll be going then. See you soon . . . "He stops himself from calling her luv in front of the intruders. "Dawn."

Dawn cringes inwardly. He was mad, she knew it. "Hey Buff." She turns to her sister. "You can sleep with me tonight, Xander you take the spare. You can go on up, I'll be up in a second to make sure everything is all right."

Dawn takes spike's arm and leads him to the kitchen. The other two reluctantly do as they were told.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright." Spike explains sheepishly. "When you left with out telling me . . . "

"Don't explain." Dawn tells him firmly  "I'm sorry I left with out telling you. I just had things to think about and things to do. And about last night? I don't want to hear another word. It was more my fault than yours, you can't help yourself around blood, and I usually stay away when I'm . . . "She blushes a bit and looks at him hoping he understood with out her having to explain further. Spike looks a little blank but nods anyway. "Anyway," Dawn continues, " Buff and Xander will be here for a few days. How about we give each other a few days space and then continue as if nothing happened?" Dawn smiles hopefully taking his hand in hers, having learned a few years prior that a little chaste affection went a long way with him.

 "I don't know luv" He finally manages to answer, tracing a tentative finger along the knitted powder pink scarf she had around her neck, "I don't trust myself. I seem to be able to hurt the things I care about, I don't want - "

"Stop it" Dawn demands, torn between resentment and love. "I don't want to hear any of this. You are not leaving me because of one silly little mishap. You are going to suck it up and move on. You didn't hurt me, if you had even the slightest intension of doing so that blasted chip would have gone off." She looks as though she had more to say but is stopped by a revelation of sorts taking place in her mind. She had never really thought that he had wanted to hurt her, but up until now she hadn't thought about what it was he wanted if it was *not* just about pure bloodlust. She studies Spike who was staring at the floor, his brows furrowed in thought. "Spike?" Dawn asks softly. He looks up. "I trust you." She tells him "I would trust you with my life. If you hadn't stopped yourself last night I wouldn't have stopped you because I know you wouldn't hurt me." She smiles, and releasing his hands, she removes her scarf and lightly touches the red marks his teeth had left. "I know this might sound a little strange but I kinda felt. . . hurt that you never tried or at least looked as if you wanted to before. I thought perhaps being the key meant I had some freakishly weird blood, you know, to go along with all the other freakish things about me."

She stops and frowns at the troubled look upon Spike's face and hearing someone coming down the steps she quickly wraps the scarf around her again. "Forget it." She tells him. He was appalled. She could tell. "Just get out of here!"

"But –" Spike flounders about for words but can come up with nothing.

Dawn points to the door. "Leave. Buff has this weird sense of when something fucked has gone on. She'll stake you and once again someone's death will be one me."

"She won't."

"Who won't what?" Buffy asks cheerfully walking into the room apparently oblivious to the tension in the room. She glances disdainfully at spike then turns her attention to Dawn. "Hungry. Xander wanted to make it before dark so he wouldn't stop to eat. Silly man." She nods aggreeing with herself. "Food?"

"Sure. What do you feel like? I hope it's cereal or salad? 'cause it's all I have."

Buffy shrugs. "Anything would do. So I might have already asked but how's school going?"

"Fine." Dawn answers pulling milk out of the fridge and setting it on the counter. "Haven't set anything on fire, haven't been expelled just yet, met this wicked guy in my lit class, all in all things are swell."

"ooh." Buffy grins. "A guy for Dawnie. Human right?"

Spike flinches inwardly and waving slightly at Dawn he stalks out quietly. Buffy takes almost no notice but Dawn nearly sighs in relief.

"Human?" Dawn asks pretending to think this over. "I suppose. Boys are strange. We went out last night to some club, he passed out so I had to call angel for a ride home. The whole ride home he lectured me about men and their inherent evilness and nearly flipped out when Gabe, that's the boy, called me and asked me to go to his place. You'd think you weren't younger than me when you two were shagging."

"hey." Buffy interrupts. "No talking about that now. Being a Vampire slayer and all, I feel bad enough about not staking him at first sight. Spike too."

"Aye, a vampire slayer who now leaves her kid sister in the care of two vampires both of which she once shagged. A bit of a hypocrite are we?"

Buff frowns. "Yeah. They just happen to be relatively good people, what of it? Technically both are harmless to humans so I have no reason to kill them, unless of course they do something to deserve it. She takes a bite of froot loops. "They haven't have they?" She asks suspiciously. Dawn shakes her head. "Good. I trust Angel but I'm still not sure about Spike."

Dawn nods, "I understand why you doubt him but he's never been anything but kind to me."

"Good."

"So how was your trip?" Dawns asks, changing the subject to something safer.

"Oh not bad at all. Except he wouldn't stop to eat."

Tbc.