Chapter 6
Dawn felt something cold and damp hit her in her sleep. She moaned in protest as her eyes slowly opened. As she got used to the light, or rather the lack of it, she noticed that she indeed was lying on the cold damp floor.
"Great," She mumbled to herself. "Why am I always the one to get knocked off the bed?" She reluctantly pulled herself up with some help from the bed. She glanced at Spike and was surprised when she found him being covered in sweat, twisting and turning on the bed. He was mumbling something in his sleep, Dawn couldn't hear what.
That's weird, she thought. She'd never seen Spike like that. He looked like he was having a nightmare of the worse kind.
"No! ...you can't... mine!" He was shouting now.
Dawn decided it best to wake him up since she wouldn't get any sleep in the same bed as him as it was.
She gently shook his shoulder.
"Spike? Spiiiike!" His eyes suddenly flew wide open. He seemed to be staring right through her, and there was a terror in his eyes she'd never seen before.
"Are you alright? Spike!" She tried to catch his attention. His eyes then seemed to recognize her.
"Oh. 'm fine. Never been better. I had the strangest dream, 's all." His browns furrowed as if in thought.
"What was it about?"
"Nothing. Really, nothing important. At all. What are you doing on the floor? Now the bed's all cold." He pouted, changing the subject.
"Well, I just thought I'd sleep on the floor. You know, give you more room." She said sarcastically glaring at him. Spike got her point.
"Sorry, luv. Didn't mean to knock you up. Off." He quickly corrected himself.
"It's okay. Besides, the clock's already... "She tried to find her cell. "... I know it's somewhere here. I do. Really, I don't lose things. Often."
Spike watched her amusedly, ignorning the throbbing pain in his head.
"Ha!" She held it up triumphantly. "Told you so! The clock's 1 pm. Okay, maybe a little early to get up after all... "
Spike watched Dawn sleep, her head on his chest. She looked so content and happy.
Spike wondered about what had just happened. First he'd had a dream about Dawn. Pregnant. With his child. Now that wasn't so weird, he often had strange dreams.
But he didn't wake up afterwards with a cold sweat. He was sure he had a fever. He'd never had a fever before, at least not while being a vampire.
He'd assured Dawn it was nothing, just a side effect of his dream. But it wasn't getting any better.
Only worse. His head was aching terribly, his eyes he could barely keep open and his hands were shaking. Aside from the fever.
Okay, he certainly wasn't feeling great. In fact... he shoved Dawn off of him in a rude manner, quickly stumbled up from the bed and into the bathroom. And threw up.
'This is just getting better', he thought miserably while sitting down on the cement floor of the bathroom, staring at the wall opposite of the toilet.
He heard some rude mumblings from the other room.
"Again!? Twice in one night? We are so getting another bed. Or even better, we'll move in with Buffy. Why did I agree to live in a stinking basement anyway."
She was just going to wake Spike up again to tell him her opinion, when she saw he wasn't there. After a quick check that he wasn't lying on the floor on the other side of the bed she got a bit worried. Then she saw the light coming from under the bathroom door.
"Spike? You in there?"
"Yeah." A raspy, harsh voice replied.
Dawn opened the door to find him sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall.
"What happened?" Dawn crouched down beside him, taking in his ragged appearance.
His deep blue eyes were empty and tired ,his cheeks seemed ever so hollow, he was even paler than he used to be and his dark hair was tousled.
Spike looked up at Dawn. So beautiful, his princess.
"Dunno. After I had that dream I've been feeling a bit sick..." Dawn looked at him disapprovingly.
"Why'd you say you were okay? You don't have to act all tough and manly around me."
"I know, I- I just didn't want you to worry and fuss is all."
Dawn smiled. She'd never get used to Spike looking all embarrassed and guilty.
"Okay. You have my forgiveness. Are you feeling any better now?"
"A bit, I guess." He slid up against the wall, caughing a bit.
"Can you come back to the bed?" She put her arm around him in a supportive manner.
"I think so." He didn't like leaning on a lady for support, but he wasn't sure he wouldn't collapse otherwise.
"You're shaking." She inspected him closely, trying to figure out what could be wrong with him. A flu? She'd never heard of a vampire having a flu before.
"Mmm." Now he was closing his eyes, leaning almost completely on Dawn.
"No wait, please don't fall asleep now!" He opened his eyes slightly.
"I'll sleep on the floor, Dawn." He rasped. "Wouldn't want you to catch anything."
"No way. You're the sick vampire who needs taking care of, therefore I'm the one one sleeping on the floor."
"No." There it was, his manlyness kicking in again.
"Yes. Spike, I'd rather get cold there and catch a human flu than some weirdo vamp one that looks bad enough to kill me."
"A lady shouldn't..." He was leaning on her again, but trying to stay awake.
And failing.
Dawn half-carried, half-dragged her sleeping fiancée to the bed. She pulled the duvet off the bed, spreading it out on the floor.
'It's not like he'll need it to keep warm anyway.' She told her nagging conscience.
But what the hell was wrong with him? She'd ask him if vampires had flus when he woke up, if he was feeling better. She'd go to Buffy's tonight at eight anyway, tell her that Spike was having a flu or something and that he couldn't come patrolling.
Things sorted, she quickly fell asleep.
AN: Please review, all you smart readers, it makes my day.
