Chapter Three: Tough Love
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1008
I smelled her coming before she got to my crypt. She had this distinctive odor about her-- like wood and hairspray. And sunlight. Or what I remembered sunlight smelling like. Crisp and fresh and potentially deadly.
And I knew she had Dawn with her, too. Dawn smelled like soap and that bubblegum lotion you can buy at the grocery store for $3.49. And there was something else as well-- something dusty and old and sacred. That smell was usually just below the surface of her.
And, as usual, Buffy banged through my door without knocking. Like she thought she owned every crypt in Sunnydale. Like they were where she belonged. She was dragging Dawn behind her and the Bit was protesting loudly.
"I want to go with you! Tara's my friend, too!"
"Dawn, you can't. Just, stay here. I'll be back later, okay?" Buffy ran a hand through Dawn's hair as if it was the only gesture of sisterly affection she could muster. She did that a lot, I'd noticed. I wondered if it worked-- If Dawn felt soothed by the gesture or if its inefficiency just irritated her more.
Buffy looked away from Dawn and up at me. "Spike, will you watch her?" Her tone was rushed-- not unkind, but it carried an undertone of urgency that warned me not to play games with her right now.
I nodded. "Sure."
"You should probably take her downstairs... Or into the tunnels. Glory knows you live here, so..."
I nodded again and stood, motioning for Dawn to come to me. She moved away from Buffy and stood behind me, near the opening to the lower level of my crypt. She stared at her shoes.
Buffy held my eyes for a moment, then turned and walked out.
I walked to where Dawn stood. "Well, to the tunnels, I guess." Wordlessly, she began to climb down the ladder. I followed closely behind her, maintaining the silence. We exited my crypt through the small opening in the lower room which I used to travel around Sunnydale during the daylight hours. Dawn turned to me as if anticipating directions. I pointed left and we began to walk, Dawn in the lead, me a few steps behind. After a few seconds she stopped, reached into her bag and pulled out a small flashlight, then continued walking.
I started to wonder how long Dawn would go without speaking. Usually the Bit was quite a blabbermouth and the silence was starting to unnerve me. I wanted to talk to her, to ask her exactly what was going on, but I worried that any wrong word would end in the teenage snit to end all snits. I assumed that Buffy's hasty request had something to do with Glory. But it couldn't be a fight of any kind, or she would have wanted me there. Right?
Finally, while my internal debate was still raging, Dawn broke the silence herself.
"Tara's in the hospital."
That threw me, although looking back I'm not really sure why. I suppose it's because out of all of them, Tara always seemed the least likely to get hurt. She was always hanging back, never right in the middle of the fray. I liked Tara more than the rest of non-Summers Scoobies. She was more real, somehow.
"What happened?"
"She had a fight with Willow and Tara left. And then I guess Glory found her. Glory thought Tara was the Key. Willow went to find her, but she was too late."
Shit. That Key stuff-- Glory was one dumb hellbitch.
"But she didn't kill her?"
"No. She did that brainsuck thing on her, though. Nobody would tell me how bad it was."
"I'm sure she's fine, Dawn."
She looked at me. Held my eyes exactly like Buffy had done just moments before. They were sisters-- that much was obvious.
"How would you know?"
"Because she's got Willow and your sister and Giles and plenty of doctors." Because she had to be. Because I wasn't sure how much more of this they could take. How much more Buffy could take. She walked through all of this drama like it was nothing-- Like it was air. But I worried, sometimes... There was nothing behind her eyes anymore, and I didn't know how much more she could lose before she shattered into a million pieces and was lost forever.
"Right. Right." Dawn didn't seem exactly soothed. She just continued walking through the tunnels at breakneck speed.
"Dawn. Dawn! Slow down."
"I should be at the hospital." She kept up her pace.
"You'll see Tara soon enough." Wincing, I put on a bit of speed and caught up with Dawn. "Let me lead, would you?" She moved to the side and let me pass and silence fell between us again.
Every once in a while as we walked I heard Dawn sniffle behind me. She wasn't sobbing-- just crying quietly in the dark. Not the way Dawn usually cries-- no big scene, no yelling, no dramatics. I was grateful for that little noise, both because it was quiet enough for me to pretend I couldn't hear it, and because it kept me from having to turn around and check on her. But it also tore at me. I wondered if there should be a limit to what these girls were expected to endure. I wanted to turn around and... comfort her. Somehow. But I didn't know how. That wasn't what I was made for. I was made to destroy.
And yet somehow it seemed like Buffy expected me to be the big protector. Even though I couldn't hit humans. Even though I'd just had the shit kicked out of me by the very same hellgod who was now hunting down Buffy's friends. As Dawn and I walked through the tunnels in silence, I smiled a little. Buffy trusted me. She hadn't offered to pay me, hadn't threatened to kill me. She'd just asked, knowing I'd help. Knowing I'd do everything I could to keep Dawn safe.
And I would.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1008
I smelled her coming before she got to my crypt. She had this distinctive odor about her-- like wood and hairspray. And sunlight. Or what I remembered sunlight smelling like. Crisp and fresh and potentially deadly.
And I knew she had Dawn with her, too. Dawn smelled like soap and that bubblegum lotion you can buy at the grocery store for $3.49. And there was something else as well-- something dusty and old and sacred. That smell was usually just below the surface of her.
And, as usual, Buffy banged through my door without knocking. Like she thought she owned every crypt in Sunnydale. Like they were where she belonged. She was dragging Dawn behind her and the Bit was protesting loudly.
"I want to go with you! Tara's my friend, too!"
"Dawn, you can't. Just, stay here. I'll be back later, okay?" Buffy ran a hand through Dawn's hair as if it was the only gesture of sisterly affection she could muster. She did that a lot, I'd noticed. I wondered if it worked-- If Dawn felt soothed by the gesture or if its inefficiency just irritated her more.
Buffy looked away from Dawn and up at me. "Spike, will you watch her?" Her tone was rushed-- not unkind, but it carried an undertone of urgency that warned me not to play games with her right now.
I nodded. "Sure."
"You should probably take her downstairs... Or into the tunnels. Glory knows you live here, so..."
I nodded again and stood, motioning for Dawn to come to me. She moved away from Buffy and stood behind me, near the opening to the lower level of my crypt. She stared at her shoes.
Buffy held my eyes for a moment, then turned and walked out.
I walked to where Dawn stood. "Well, to the tunnels, I guess." Wordlessly, she began to climb down the ladder. I followed closely behind her, maintaining the silence. We exited my crypt through the small opening in the lower room which I used to travel around Sunnydale during the daylight hours. Dawn turned to me as if anticipating directions. I pointed left and we began to walk, Dawn in the lead, me a few steps behind. After a few seconds she stopped, reached into her bag and pulled out a small flashlight, then continued walking.
I started to wonder how long Dawn would go without speaking. Usually the Bit was quite a blabbermouth and the silence was starting to unnerve me. I wanted to talk to her, to ask her exactly what was going on, but I worried that any wrong word would end in the teenage snit to end all snits. I assumed that Buffy's hasty request had something to do with Glory. But it couldn't be a fight of any kind, or she would have wanted me there. Right?
Finally, while my internal debate was still raging, Dawn broke the silence herself.
"Tara's in the hospital."
That threw me, although looking back I'm not really sure why. I suppose it's because out of all of them, Tara always seemed the least likely to get hurt. She was always hanging back, never right in the middle of the fray. I liked Tara more than the rest of non-Summers Scoobies. She was more real, somehow.
"What happened?"
"She had a fight with Willow and Tara left. And then I guess Glory found her. Glory thought Tara was the Key. Willow went to find her, but she was too late."
Shit. That Key stuff-- Glory was one dumb hellbitch.
"But she didn't kill her?"
"No. She did that brainsuck thing on her, though. Nobody would tell me how bad it was."
"I'm sure she's fine, Dawn."
She looked at me. Held my eyes exactly like Buffy had done just moments before. They were sisters-- that much was obvious.
"How would you know?"
"Because she's got Willow and your sister and Giles and plenty of doctors." Because she had to be. Because I wasn't sure how much more of this they could take. How much more Buffy could take. She walked through all of this drama like it was nothing-- Like it was air. But I worried, sometimes... There was nothing behind her eyes anymore, and I didn't know how much more she could lose before she shattered into a million pieces and was lost forever.
"Right. Right." Dawn didn't seem exactly soothed. She just continued walking through the tunnels at breakneck speed.
"Dawn. Dawn! Slow down."
"I should be at the hospital." She kept up her pace.
"You'll see Tara soon enough." Wincing, I put on a bit of speed and caught up with Dawn. "Let me lead, would you?" She moved to the side and let me pass and silence fell between us again.
Every once in a while as we walked I heard Dawn sniffle behind me. She wasn't sobbing-- just crying quietly in the dark. Not the way Dawn usually cries-- no big scene, no yelling, no dramatics. I was grateful for that little noise, both because it was quiet enough for me to pretend I couldn't hear it, and because it kept me from having to turn around and check on her. But it also tore at me. I wondered if there should be a limit to what these girls were expected to endure. I wanted to turn around and... comfort her. Somehow. But I didn't know how. That wasn't what I was made for. I was made to destroy.
And yet somehow it seemed like Buffy expected me to be the big protector. Even though I couldn't hit humans. Even though I'd just had the shit kicked out of me by the very same hellgod who was now hunting down Buffy's friends. As Dawn and I walked through the tunnels in silence, I smiled a little. Buffy trusted me. She hadn't offered to pay me, hadn't threatened to kill me. She'd just asked, knowing I'd help. Knowing I'd do everything I could to keep Dawn safe.
And I would.