Chapter 2- Ringing bunnies and Rain soaked duffels
Copyright- Hi Joss waves I know, I told them that the characters all belong to you and Mutant Enemy. Joss, why are there cops behind you? With their billy clubs out....
Anya examined herself. Red wig, patchy dress, little black buckle up shoes. Everything was perfect.Well. Almost. But, one thing was missing...
"Xander? Honey? Where are you? You can come out. You promised we'd play Ragidy Ann & Xandy!" She turned around and Xander was directy behind her, which caused her to jump. "Xander, sweetie. Where's your cute red wig?" She studied his face, but couldn't find a trace of any real emotion.
"Ahn," He thrust a bright blue box at her, "it's for you." Anya's face lit up. She grinned ear to ear and grabbed the box, lifting the cover. Only to drop it again, screaming.
"Oh my god Xander! It's a buh..buh...BUNNY!!! How could you??"But Xanders face only grew impatient.
"Ahn. Pick it up!" He picked up the ringing bunny and thrusted it at her.
"Wait?" Anya thought to herself."A Ringing bunny..?" Suddenly, the ringing got louder and it almost seemed as if Xander was getting muffled. Then, groggily, she opened her eyes, and realized that she was asleep. Or used to be anyways. But she heard Xander's voice yelling "Anya, pick up!" to her left, and she rolled on her side, finding the blinking answering machine instead of her fiance. She reached over and picked the phone up off of it's charger.
"What? Xander it's late. I told you not to wake me up. Unless I was being offered orgasams. In which case, wake away."
"Ahn." Xander sighed. Sounding no less relieved and possibly more urgent. "Dawn's missing."
When Anya, clad in Xander's house coat thrown hastily over a clingy, over-revealing nightie, scuffled through the door into the Summers' living room, she saw Tara and Willow huddled together, Willow nursing a box of kleenex and blubbering about something, while Tara rubbed her back soothingly. Anya wished she could have walked in 10 minutes later, so she wouldn't have to watch this human emotion she had beared witness to so many times in the past months. Self pity. But Xander sounded urgent, so, true to her nature, she flew over to be with him. Him, who was now pacing back and forth silently, running his hands over his forehead.
"I should have known," Willow half-mumbled. "it's my fault, if I just would have came srtaight home from class. I mean, Xander never stays this late. It's all my fault."
"No sweetie," Tara cooed to her lover," it's no one's fault. Sh-she's just a kid. We di-did dumb stuff too when we were young." Im sure she's at Janice's. Or Muh.Marley's." she sighed.Anya spoke up for the first time.
"No. Umm, she's not. Dawn gave me a list of all her friend's numbers. After Xander woke me up from my sex dream, I called them. She's not at anybody's. So most likely she ran away or was kidnapped. She's probably being mangled or worse." As Willow whimpered and Tara turned three shades paler, Xander latched onto Anya's forearm and dragged her into the dining room.
"Ahn, hun. Are you trying to give Willow a heart attack? How can you say things like that?" Xander looked at her worrily, making Anya roll her eyes.
"Xander it's true. If somethings true why can't I tell everyone else? There all blubbery, they must know something could be wrong. I mean, always with the crying. They're not happy. Or are they? I mean, I don't know.And. And I hate feelings. When they're happy, they cry. When they're sad they cry. How am I suppost to know?" Xander witnessed Anya's shoulders drooped, her solid, skeptically defiant composure fading. He knew she wouldn't cry, but he watched as her bright, curious, chocolate eyes melted into saucers of hot fudge. He took her hand in both of his, and planted an airy kiss on her knuckles.
"I know, Ahn. It's worrying. But it's also okay to be worried. It's only human." Xander said the last part proudly. "Oh how far my Anya has come" he thought.
"But, what if I don't want to? I want to look through the magazines with poofy white dresses on the cover together. And I want to find one that makes my breasts look ample and voluminous, so your cheeks flame and your pants feel significantly tighter. Please?" Anya looked at him anxiously.
Xander looked over his shoulder to see an ashen-faced Willow along with Tara setting up a locator spell in the living room. He turned back to his fiancee. "Soon, baby."He soothed."I promise."
Dawn laid on Spike's couch, head resting on his knee and body curled up into a fetal positon. The crimson velvet of his bedspread was folded around her, and her eyes were crushed shut, a feeble attempt at empty the nights events from her mind. Timmy's latest bit of mayhem was unraveling on the TV, and except for the occasional indignant snort, or lude comment from Spike, the crypt was silent.
"Spike?" Dawn asked quietly, her voice still weak from crying.
"Yeah, Platelet?" He responded, hand running over her hair idly. He was looking at the TV but not paying any attention to it, he just couldn't bear to look into her empty grey-ish eyes.
"You broke your promise." Her hushed voice carried no emotion. No conviction or accusation, simply a fact being stated. That, Spike realized, hurt even more.
"I know, Bit. I didn't mean to. I thought I was doing something right for once. Makes a bloke wish he could have premature hindsight." He hesitated, and when Dawn remained silent he continued. "How 'bout you and I make a pact right now. On your terms. Anything, whatever you want to do."
Dawn thought for a moment. "Saturday." she mumbled, unsure of the blond's reaction.
"Come again, Pet?" He asked, slightly amused.
"Saturday." She repeated."Like tonight is Xander's night. Saturday,It's the only night of the week I don't have a designated baby- sitter breathing down my neck. They just throw me to whoever's available." She looked up at him hopefully. "Can Saturday be our day?"
Spike looked down at the eager 14 year old. So wanting, needed, to be with someone she knew wouldn't judge. His cold heart melted, just a little bit. He did say anything, did he not?
"'Course, Niblet."
Dawn smiled. Not her usual 100-watt, but it was a start. Spike felt her cuddle in closer, and he listened as her breathing became slower, and fell into pattern. Once he knew she was asleep, he found himself drifting off.
" I should have know." Xander mumbled as Willow and Tara cleared up the remains of their locator spell. Anya stood beside him patting his back absently, unsure of what was going through her fiance's thoughts.
"W-well. At least we know she's safe."Tara smiled weakly, brushing spell remains off of her hands with her flowy skirt, then linking her arm loosly around the small of Willow's back.
"Not definitly," Anya said, stepping forward," I mean, all we know is that she's in that cemetary. She could be getting mauled by countless demons, or lying there on the brink of death." Anya paused, seeing the gaping faces of those around her." But, I'm sure she's at Spike's." She finished off her statement with a huge, infomercial like smile.
"Alright." Said Xander, who had left her side, and was now loading a cross-bow." Let's go get Dawn."
In his nearly asleep state, Spike could sense, and smell, something, or someone, else in his crypt. He opened his eyes slowly to see Xander cowering above him, the arrow of his bow pointed squarly over his undead heart.
"Spike," Xander spoke his name calmly, " Give me one good reason as to why Dawn is in your crypt or you'll add to the dust on this couch." he added to his promise by clicking off the safety of the cross-bow.
"Gee, dare I ask what's behind door number two?" Spike said, eyes never leaving the pointed spear hovering over his chest. A moment later, he daringly took his eyes from Xander and looked at the prone Dawn, asleep beside him. He nudged her a few times until she woke up, rising from beneath her sleepy auburn veil.
"Hey. I'm here." She rasped sleepily," I thought I heard Xan-" she looked forward. "Oh. Um. Hi, Xander." When he remained silent ,glaring at her, she giggled nervously. Sensing the serious tension in the room, Willow moved from her postion behind Xander. Taking the loaded weapon from a fuming, unwilling Xander , she now stood between him and the couch.
" Dawnie, why don't you get your stuff and we can head home." She smiled hopefully, offering Dawn her hand. Dawn simply sat there, glaring in the basic direction of Xander/Willow. Then she squeezed her eyes closed as tightly as she could, blocking out the intruders. Willow frowned, turning to Xander and poking him with her elbow.
"Listen, Dawnster. I'm sorry. But you need to understand where I was coming from." He paused to judged her reaction. Eyes now open, she stared at him blankly, crossing her arms in defience. "I mean. You're 14. Last time I checked, not legal age to be hanging with the sleezy undead."
"Oi!" Spike exclaimed angerly, lunging upright, daring to move for the first time now that Willow held the pointy thing and not The Whelp." I'm right bloody here!"
"Yeah," Dawn shot back." but we've noticed that I'm not exactly your average 14 year old. Name other kids my age that are over 2000 years old. I've had more things thrust at me in the past 8 months than you've dealt with in the last 2 years. Face it. Demons roam Sunnydale. Spike IS one of them. But he's also probably the only one here who can protect me if any of those demons decide to make me they're meal. Plus, he won't hurt me. And, he kinda couldn't if he wanted to."
She saw the sad looks on the faces of everyone else in the room with a pulse and felt her defenses fade. Slowly she got up and made her way over to Spike's bed to retrieve her drenched clothing. When she noticed her pink duffel bag lying on the floor forgotten, she gave it a nudge with her toe and slid it under the bed. Just in case.
Moving back towards everyone, Tara laced her arm in her own, smiling sadly at her, then they walked behind Will, Anya, and Xander. When she got to the door, Dawn turned to see Spike sitting on the couch watching her.
"Saturday?" she asked eagerly agian, shyness returning.
"Saturday, Bit." He assured her, grinning slightly.
"What ha-happens Saturday?" Tara asked curiously, as she and Dawn walked through the darkend cemetary.
"Freedom." Dawn answered quietly.
A/N- Im so sorry to my beautyous fans! I havent updated in like ever!! :( Please R&R
Copyright- Hi Joss waves I know, I told them that the characters all belong to you and Mutant Enemy. Joss, why are there cops behind you? With their billy clubs out....
Anya examined herself. Red wig, patchy dress, little black buckle up shoes. Everything was perfect.Well. Almost. But, one thing was missing...
"Xander? Honey? Where are you? You can come out. You promised we'd play Ragidy Ann & Xandy!" She turned around and Xander was directy behind her, which caused her to jump. "Xander, sweetie. Where's your cute red wig?" She studied his face, but couldn't find a trace of any real emotion.
"Ahn," He thrust a bright blue box at her, "it's for you." Anya's face lit up. She grinned ear to ear and grabbed the box, lifting the cover. Only to drop it again, screaming.
"Oh my god Xander! It's a buh..buh...BUNNY!!! How could you??"But Xanders face only grew impatient.
"Ahn. Pick it up!" He picked up the ringing bunny and thrusted it at her.
"Wait?" Anya thought to herself."A Ringing bunny..?" Suddenly, the ringing got louder and it almost seemed as if Xander was getting muffled. Then, groggily, she opened her eyes, and realized that she was asleep. Or used to be anyways. But she heard Xander's voice yelling "Anya, pick up!" to her left, and she rolled on her side, finding the blinking answering machine instead of her fiance. She reached over and picked the phone up off of it's charger.
"What? Xander it's late. I told you not to wake me up. Unless I was being offered orgasams. In which case, wake away."
"Ahn." Xander sighed. Sounding no less relieved and possibly more urgent. "Dawn's missing."
When Anya, clad in Xander's house coat thrown hastily over a clingy, over-revealing nightie, scuffled through the door into the Summers' living room, she saw Tara and Willow huddled together, Willow nursing a box of kleenex and blubbering about something, while Tara rubbed her back soothingly. Anya wished she could have walked in 10 minutes later, so she wouldn't have to watch this human emotion she had beared witness to so many times in the past months. Self pity. But Xander sounded urgent, so, true to her nature, she flew over to be with him. Him, who was now pacing back and forth silently, running his hands over his forehead.
"I should have known," Willow half-mumbled. "it's my fault, if I just would have came srtaight home from class. I mean, Xander never stays this late. It's all my fault."
"No sweetie," Tara cooed to her lover," it's no one's fault. Sh-she's just a kid. We di-did dumb stuff too when we were young." Im sure she's at Janice's. Or Muh.Marley's." she sighed.Anya spoke up for the first time.
"No. Umm, she's not. Dawn gave me a list of all her friend's numbers. After Xander woke me up from my sex dream, I called them. She's not at anybody's. So most likely she ran away or was kidnapped. She's probably being mangled or worse." As Willow whimpered and Tara turned three shades paler, Xander latched onto Anya's forearm and dragged her into the dining room.
"Ahn, hun. Are you trying to give Willow a heart attack? How can you say things like that?" Xander looked at her worrily, making Anya roll her eyes.
"Xander it's true. If somethings true why can't I tell everyone else? There all blubbery, they must know something could be wrong. I mean, always with the crying. They're not happy. Or are they? I mean, I don't know.And. And I hate feelings. When they're happy, they cry. When they're sad they cry. How am I suppost to know?" Xander witnessed Anya's shoulders drooped, her solid, skeptically defiant composure fading. He knew she wouldn't cry, but he watched as her bright, curious, chocolate eyes melted into saucers of hot fudge. He took her hand in both of his, and planted an airy kiss on her knuckles.
"I know, Ahn. It's worrying. But it's also okay to be worried. It's only human." Xander said the last part proudly. "Oh how far my Anya has come" he thought.
"But, what if I don't want to? I want to look through the magazines with poofy white dresses on the cover together. And I want to find one that makes my breasts look ample and voluminous, so your cheeks flame and your pants feel significantly tighter. Please?" Anya looked at him anxiously.
Xander looked over his shoulder to see an ashen-faced Willow along with Tara setting up a locator spell in the living room. He turned back to his fiancee. "Soon, baby."He soothed."I promise."
Dawn laid on Spike's couch, head resting on his knee and body curled up into a fetal positon. The crimson velvet of his bedspread was folded around her, and her eyes were crushed shut, a feeble attempt at empty the nights events from her mind. Timmy's latest bit of mayhem was unraveling on the TV, and except for the occasional indignant snort, or lude comment from Spike, the crypt was silent.
"Spike?" Dawn asked quietly, her voice still weak from crying.
"Yeah, Platelet?" He responded, hand running over her hair idly. He was looking at the TV but not paying any attention to it, he just couldn't bear to look into her empty grey-ish eyes.
"You broke your promise." Her hushed voice carried no emotion. No conviction or accusation, simply a fact being stated. That, Spike realized, hurt even more.
"I know, Bit. I didn't mean to. I thought I was doing something right for once. Makes a bloke wish he could have premature hindsight." He hesitated, and when Dawn remained silent he continued. "How 'bout you and I make a pact right now. On your terms. Anything, whatever you want to do."
Dawn thought for a moment. "Saturday." she mumbled, unsure of the blond's reaction.
"Come again, Pet?" He asked, slightly amused.
"Saturday." She repeated."Like tonight is Xander's night. Saturday,It's the only night of the week I don't have a designated baby- sitter breathing down my neck. They just throw me to whoever's available." She looked up at him hopefully. "Can Saturday be our day?"
Spike looked down at the eager 14 year old. So wanting, needed, to be with someone she knew wouldn't judge. His cold heart melted, just a little bit. He did say anything, did he not?
"'Course, Niblet."
Dawn smiled. Not her usual 100-watt, but it was a start. Spike felt her cuddle in closer, and he listened as her breathing became slower, and fell into pattern. Once he knew she was asleep, he found himself drifting off.
" I should have know." Xander mumbled as Willow and Tara cleared up the remains of their locator spell. Anya stood beside him patting his back absently, unsure of what was going through her fiance's thoughts.
"W-well. At least we know she's safe."Tara smiled weakly, brushing spell remains off of her hands with her flowy skirt, then linking her arm loosly around the small of Willow's back.
"Not definitly," Anya said, stepping forward," I mean, all we know is that she's in that cemetary. She could be getting mauled by countless demons, or lying there on the brink of death." Anya paused, seeing the gaping faces of those around her." But, I'm sure she's at Spike's." She finished off her statement with a huge, infomercial like smile.
"Alright." Said Xander, who had left her side, and was now loading a cross-bow." Let's go get Dawn."
In his nearly asleep state, Spike could sense, and smell, something, or someone, else in his crypt. He opened his eyes slowly to see Xander cowering above him, the arrow of his bow pointed squarly over his undead heart.
"Spike," Xander spoke his name calmly, " Give me one good reason as to why Dawn is in your crypt or you'll add to the dust on this couch." he added to his promise by clicking off the safety of the cross-bow.
"Gee, dare I ask what's behind door number two?" Spike said, eyes never leaving the pointed spear hovering over his chest. A moment later, he daringly took his eyes from Xander and looked at the prone Dawn, asleep beside him. He nudged her a few times until she woke up, rising from beneath her sleepy auburn veil.
"Hey. I'm here." She rasped sleepily," I thought I heard Xan-" she looked forward. "Oh. Um. Hi, Xander." When he remained silent ,glaring at her, she giggled nervously. Sensing the serious tension in the room, Willow moved from her postion behind Xander. Taking the loaded weapon from a fuming, unwilling Xander , she now stood between him and the couch.
" Dawnie, why don't you get your stuff and we can head home." She smiled hopefully, offering Dawn her hand. Dawn simply sat there, glaring in the basic direction of Xander/Willow. Then she squeezed her eyes closed as tightly as she could, blocking out the intruders. Willow frowned, turning to Xander and poking him with her elbow.
"Listen, Dawnster. I'm sorry. But you need to understand where I was coming from." He paused to judged her reaction. Eyes now open, she stared at him blankly, crossing her arms in defience. "I mean. You're 14. Last time I checked, not legal age to be hanging with the sleezy undead."
"Oi!" Spike exclaimed angerly, lunging upright, daring to move for the first time now that Willow held the pointy thing and not The Whelp." I'm right bloody here!"
"Yeah," Dawn shot back." but we've noticed that I'm not exactly your average 14 year old. Name other kids my age that are over 2000 years old. I've had more things thrust at me in the past 8 months than you've dealt with in the last 2 years. Face it. Demons roam Sunnydale. Spike IS one of them. But he's also probably the only one here who can protect me if any of those demons decide to make me they're meal. Plus, he won't hurt me. And, he kinda couldn't if he wanted to."
She saw the sad looks on the faces of everyone else in the room with a pulse and felt her defenses fade. Slowly she got up and made her way over to Spike's bed to retrieve her drenched clothing. When she noticed her pink duffel bag lying on the floor forgotten, she gave it a nudge with her toe and slid it under the bed. Just in case.
Moving back towards everyone, Tara laced her arm in her own, smiling sadly at her, then they walked behind Will, Anya, and Xander. When she got to the door, Dawn turned to see Spike sitting on the couch watching her.
"Saturday?" she asked eagerly agian, shyness returning.
"Saturday, Bit." He assured her, grinning slightly.
"What ha-happens Saturday?" Tara asked curiously, as she and Dawn walked through the darkend cemetary.
"Freedom." Dawn answered quietly.
A/N- Im so sorry to my beautyous fans! I havent updated in like ever!! :( Please R&R