Dawn walked in nervously. Something seemed different about Spike...the way he was looking at her. It made her feel self-conscious. What's with me? she thought. It's just Spike..just Spike. Ha. But still, I'm usually not this nervous around him.
Attempting to stop the anxious thoughts and act normal, she went and flopped down on his couch like she usually would. "So, w-what's up?" she asked, her wavering voice giving her away.
"Well, I was jus' about t' go get something to eat. But, staying here with you is good, too."
Dawn moved to sit on the stone sarcophagus that Spike sometimes slept on. "Yeah, so, I notice you weren't at my party yesterday. It was my birthday, uh, at the- at the Bronze."
"Well, I wasn't invited to any party now, was I? If I had been, mighta been able to make it."
"Oh, right. Sorry."
" 'S alright, Nibblet."
Dawn flinched. She was starting to detest the nickname, but at the same time, she loved the familiarity of it. She wished he called her something else. "Little bint", "Nibblet", he still saw her as a little girl. She screamed inwardly at the unfairness of it. Dawn toyed with her necklace, noticing Spike staring at it.
"You like it? It was a present."
"Yeah? From who?"
Dawn, confused by his smirk, answered, "I dunno, there was no card."
He walked up to her and fingered the delicate chain. She jumped and felt her face flush with happiness at the touch of his cool fingers against her skin. Dawn looked up at him and noticed that her face as startlingly close to his. He was staring intently at the necklace and didn't notice her gaze. She thought about what it would be like if she just reached up and kissed him. Suddenly, his eyes flickered up to her face and he stared back into her eyes. Quickly, she looked away, embarrassed. When she noticed that he wasn't moving away, she flushed again, keeping her face lowered but looking up at him through her lashes.
"Jumpy, aren't we? Why so nervous, pet?" he asked, breathing softly into her ear. She'd never heard him speak like this before. No one had ever talked to her like this...To her fury, she felt her cheeks becoming even more crimson, if that was possible.
"I'm n-not nervous," she laughed weakly.
Still leaning over her, he smiled. "No?"
"Spike?" she mumbled, sure this wasn't really happening. She was sure she was dreaming, yet knew she wasn't, and despite her bewilderment, she glowed, and felt like jumping up and down with delight.
I can't believe it!! Spike is flirting with me! She took a deep breath and told herself not to act like a complete idiot, which was hard since she had never been this close to the vampire and every nerve in her body was tingling with excitement.
She chastised herself for jumping slightly when his hand brushed her thigh. He noticed her awkwardness, and, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable, he pulled away and sat beside her on the stone coffin.
"So, how was the party, pet?" he asked, his voice returning to normal.
At that moment, her party was the farthest thing from her mind. Dazed, she asked, "What?"
Then, remembering what they had been discussing before, she stuttered, "Oh, it was.....good. I danced with some guys from school and stuff, and Xander..." Then, returning to her usual talkative self, she began to chatter about her party, not noticing Spike staring at her lips as they moved, nor his eyes wandering over her. "And there was this guy, Robert...I think he's totally into me. We danced twice and he was all over me. Only, he has a girlfriend...but still, it was cool. Nice to be noticed."
She stopped, Spike's eyes had narrowed and he emitted a low growl from his throat.
"What? Are you ok?"
"Fine, 's nothing."
"Oh, okay," Dawn said, giving him a strange look. "Well, I should go. Buffy; still pretty overprotective...but I guess you'd like it if she came storming in here, all Slayery and stuff. Maybe I should stay," she muttered dejectedly, not able to keep the jealousy out of her voice.
"Not really in the mood for getting my ass kicked right now..."
Taking it as a hint, Dawn got up to leave. As she neared the door, Spike's voice stopped her. "Dawn..."
She whirled around. Dawn? she thought. He called me Dawn!
I didn't mean y' had to go, just meant that I wasn't really in the mood to see big sis right now."
"You, you don't want Buffy to come over? I thought that's why you put up with me."
"Put up with you? Nibblet, I like having you here, sometimes more than Buffy."
"Really? That's cool. But I thought you were in love with her."
"I am, pet. But when you love someone, and they don't feel the same way, it's not always good to be around them. It hurts, because you see it, you touch it, but you'll never have it. With love there has to be hope, if not, then it's just pain."
Dawn paused, letting that sink in. It was something she loved about Spike; he never spoke to her as a child, even if he thought of her as one. He told her what he was thinking and didn't try to hide things from her. I do love him, she thought. I always have, it isn't just a crush. I'm always thinking of him, and when I'm around him, I'm happy. Happier than I am with anyone else. I can talk to him about anything.
After realizing this, she felt terribly sad, reflecting back on his words. She didn't have a chance with Spike. He loved her sister. She felt tears stinging her eyes. "Spike, I have to go...I don't want Buffy to worry..."
With that, she ran out the door.
* * *
Spike sat, staring after her. He was pleased, now sure she had feelings for him. For some reason he was extremely jealous of that wanker, Robert or whatever the bloke's name was. Now that he knew the name of the idiot who had been groping his Dawn...he paused. His Dawn?
When did I get so damn possessive? he wondered. He brushed the thought aside and contented himself with imagining what he'd do to the kid if he didn't have the chip holding him back. Lots of blood came to mind. He grinned to himself in the darkness then walked through the door that Dawn had neglected to close, taking a deep breath as he stepped into the night.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Thanks for the reviews!! First bit of Spike/Dawn flirtiness! Yay! I hope you all enjoyed it! It gets better, so if you're curious you BETTER review! Thanks so much again for supporting my fic!