The Trouble With Magic Is...

Disclaimer: As usual, not owning anything. Joss, share, please? Don't sue, don't have pocket lint to pay with.

Summary: Do vampires get migraines? That's Dawn's question of the moment. Continuation of 'Going Through The Motions'.

A/N: Again I had a totally different plot and plan for this story but these people just do what they want, I have no control here. Ask the muse if you want answers.

Reviews: Sure, go ahead. Still have my super long stick, flames will toast marshmallows. Thanks to all past reviewers, y'all rock!!

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He wasn't aware he was being watched. He was so used to her presence that he never noticed anymore when she just sat quietly and watched him. Her blue eyes held worry in them as she sat pretending to read. He was sitting at the small desk balancing the checkbook and paying bills. That in itself was amazing. Such domestic tasks were not what one expected a vampire to do. But then, she mused, Spike was not a normal vampire. Something she had gone to great lengths to convince her friends of. She worried about him, a lot. He had been getting more and more irritable lately. She couldn't get him to open up and tell her why. A wince of pain flickered across his face, causing her to frown. She continued to watch as he put all his papers away. He picked up a leather bound book and began to write in it. She was only mildly surprised by the action. She had suspected he kept a journal but respected his privacy enough not to look for it. Apparently he forgot she was close by, or else he just didn't care anymore if she knew about it.

He rested his head on his right hand while he wrote with the left. Dawn wondered why he appeared to be in some pain. Did vampires get headaches? She knew he did but only after he caused the chip in his head to fire by hurting a human. But he was just sitting there quietly, surely that wasn't enough to set the chip off. He only wrote a few minutes before putting the book away. He pushed his chair away from the desk. She hurriedly looked back down at her book and pretended to be engrossed in the story.

Spike crossed the living room. He picked her feet up off the new sofa and sat down next to her, placing her feet on his lap. It was Friday night and they were having their usual Teenager/Vampire togetherness. Usual as in this was the second week in a row they had made time to hang out together.

"Sorry about the paperwork, Bit. Didn't get it done this morning. Slept in a bit and got behind in my schedule." The blond vampire said as he picked up his own book. They had decided that renting movies was a waste of money after they fell asleep the previous week during the first one on their agenda. They'd decided that catching up on their reading was of the good as long as they were together.

"It's cool, Spike. It's not like you had to go do something. You're still here and that's what counts. Gotta ask though, are you all right?" Dawn laid her book down on her chest as she looked up at him worriedly.

"I'm fine, Bit. Why?" Spike hid his nervousness. Did she notice? His head had been on the verge of exploding all day and he had done his best to keep it to himself. He didn't think it was the chip as the pain was not localized in the chip's vicinity. He didn't realize that his dark blue eyes revealed every bit of the intense pain pounding through his skull.

"Liar." She said bluntly. She took his book away and placed it with her own on the coffee table. She moved her legs out of his lap and sat up straight on the sofa. She picked up one of the new matching throw pillows and placed it so that it lay on her lap.

Spike smirked at her. "Hello. Vampire, Niblet. We lie." He watched her in bemusement. "What are you doing?"

Dawn grasped his arm and pulled him down so that his head rested on the pillow. He immediately tried to get up. She threw her arm across his chest, holding him in place. "Just relax, okay?" She said. He knew he could escape if he wanted but surprise held him still for the moment. She placed her fingers on his temples and began to massage them. He propped his feet on the opposite arm of the sofa and got comfortable. He closed his eyes. That felt sooo good. He could feel the pain receding just a little.

He took a deep unneeded breath. "How did you know?" He asked.

"It's in your eyes." She answered softly, continuing to rub small circles on his temples. "Is it the chip?" She asked, afraid of the answer.

"I don't think so." He answered drowsily. "It's not centered back there. It's all over, my whole head is pounding." He gazed up at her with pain-glazed eyes. "Thought I was hiding it pretty well."

"As if you can hide anything from me. You dork." Dawn looked down at her vampire fondly. He was the big brother she'd never had and she adored him. "How long have you been getting these headaches?"

He closed his eyes again. "Three or four days. This is the worst one yet. Thought it was the chip cause it was just a mild ache. But today...." He trailed off sleepily.

"We have to go see Giles tomorrow and see if we can find out what's causing this." The teenager soothed him as he drifted off. She picked up the television remote from the end table and clicked it on, immediately muting the volume so it wouldn't disturb the sleeping vampire. Dawn sat quietly watching the silent television. Time passed slowly as she continued to comb her fingers through his curly platinum hair, gently massaging his scalp. He was being unnaturally still. As a vampire he was dead and therefore should have been still while sleeping, but he usually moved around a bit. He normally breathed while sleeping too, but he wasn't now. The stillness bothered her. She looked down at his handsome face.

He opened his eyes and looked at her, his blue eyes hazy and unfocused. "Niblet, I love you." He whispered, then slipped back into sleep.

Okay, now she was scared. She couldn't loose him too. It had been so close after Buffy died. He had almost left her. His grief had been so deep he'd nearly sunk into what vampires refer to as 'the dark'. Only Angel had been able to reach him and bring him back. Angel! That was it. She could call Angel, he would know what to do.

Carefully she eased out from under the pillow. Spike stirred and she shushed him by saying she needed to go to the bathroom. He drifted off again, frowning as the pounding in his head increased. Dawn quietly went upstairs and closed the door to her room. Picking up the phone, she dialed the number in LA that she knew well.

"Angel Investigations, we help the helpless. How may we help you?" Dawn recognized the voice as belonging to Cordelia.

"Hi, Cordelia. It's Dawn. Can I speak to Angel please?" Dawn spoke quietly as she was uncertain whether or not Spike could hear her. She doubted it but wanted to be safe.

"Sure Sweetie. Is everything okay there in Sunnyhell?" Cordelia asked. She motioned to Angel as he came into the room to see who was calling.

"Yeah, I guess. I just really need to talk to Angel." Dawn was getting nervous, she didn't like leaving him alone so long.

"Dawnie? It's me. Are you okay?" Angel took the phone.

Dawn sighed. "I'm fine. Spike's not. He's having headaches but they're not chip related. Can vampires get headaches? This one's almost like a migraine. He's in so much pain. The dork tried to hide it from me." She was almost in tears. "I'm so scared. I can't loose him."

"Hold on Honey, let me check on him real quick." Angel said without thinking.

Dawn looked at the phone in puzzlement and then shrugged. Vampires, always with the weird stuff.

In LA, Angel closed his eyes and opened the Sire/Childe link. Spike had been doing so well lately he hadn't used it much.

Cordy watched curiously for a moment then went back to her fashion magazine. All she wanted was for Wesley and Gunn to get back so she could go home.

Following the link, Angel winced at the intense pain his Childe was in. Activating the link should have wakened Spike but surprisingly hadn't. It was not a good sign. Being careful to not disturb the younger vampire, Angel used his senses to try to find the source of the pain. He found an enormous amount of magic surrounding Spike. Not magic that had been done to him but magic that had been practiced in the vicinity. Magic that Spike was not consciously aware of. Unfortunately. Angel knew that Spike was sensitive to magic. Too much of it near him gave him blinding headaches. Angel had forgotten that little quirk until now. He backed away gently, not wanting Spike to wake up and suffer from the pain even more. He closed the link. Angel opened his eyes and went back to the phone.

"Dawnie, this is very important. Who's practicing magic?" Angel asked grimly.

Dawn was shocked. "What? Magic? I mean Willow and Tara are both witches but they don't do that much magic here at home. What has that got to do with what's wrong with Spike?"

Angel sighed. "Dawnie, someone in the house is practicing a lot of magic. It's affecting Spike. He's sensitive to it. It gives him migraines, especially if he doesn't leave the area very much."

Dawn gasped. "He's been home a lot the last few days. He took some time off from work. Willow and Tara must be doing magic and not telling us. I thought they'd been extra quiet lately. How can we fix it?"

"You need to get Giles to do a cleansing spell on the house and dispel the magic. It can't wait until morning. Do you want me to call him?" Angel rubbed the back of his neck. There was a reason he didn't like witches. They were like gypsies, always up to magic. He'd thought Willow was different. Now she was endangering his Childe.

"Yes, please. I need to get back down to him in case he wakes up." Dawn was relieved Angel could help. She hung up and crept back downstairs.

Angel hung up then immediately picked it back up and called the former Watcher.

"Hello?" The sleepy British voice promised pain to the person waking him up.

Angel took a deep unneeded breath. "Rupert. It's Angel. Dawn needs your help."

Giles sat up in bed, turned on a light and fumbled for his glasses. "Angel? What? Why didn't Dawn call me herself?"

"She didn't want to wake up Spike. He's suffering from a migraine." Angel was interrupted before he could continue.

"A migraine? He hurt someone. Dear Lord." Giles got out of bed and began looking for clothes to put on.

"No. He hasn't hurt anyone. It's not a chip migraine. It's a magic migraine." Again the master vampire was interrupted.

"A what? A magic migraine? Now he's practicing magic?" Rupert sat on the bed abruptly.

Angel sighed. "He can't practice magic, I mean, he can but he doesn't. Now, stop interrupting and let me explain. Dawn called me to find out how a vampire could get a migraine. I checked on him and there's a lot of magic surrounding him. Not magic that was done to him, or that he's done, but it's around him. In the house. He's always been extra sensitive to magic. Which is why he doesn't do it. He has the capability. He's quite a good wizard actually. But he has to stay away from it. Dawn says he's been home the past couple of days, which allowed the magic to build up around him and give him headaches. Damn, I don't know if I'm explaining this right." Frustrated, he paced back and forth in his office.

Giles cleaned his glasses. "I think I understand. Spike is sensitive to magic. Tara, Willow or the two of them together are practicing magic in the house and it's giving Spike migraines. How can I help?"

"Do you have any cleansing spells to dispel the magic?" Angel asked.

"Yes, I believe I do. When do I need to do it?" Giles began gathering his clothes again.

"As soon as possible. Please. The pain he's in, well, I don't think he can last much longer. Dawnie is terrified. She realized how serious it was. I'm just glad she called me." Angel's worry began to show in his voice.

"I'll get right on it. Fortunately the book I need is here. Will she be expecting me? I don't want to call and cause more pain." Giles took his cordless phone downstairs and switched the lights on so he could locate the required book. He crossed to the book shelves and searched the old volumes quickly. "There it is." He murmured with satisfaction.

"You found the book?" Angel asked hopefully. "Yes, she's expecting you." He added.

"Yes, now I need to get dressed. I never really mastered doing that one-handed so I need to hang up now. Thank you for letting me know about this. I'll explain the problem to Willow and Tara tomorrow." Giles went back upstairs.

"Okay. Let me know how he is, please." Angel requested.

"You're not using the link?" Giles asked curiously.

"It would hurt him." Angel answered simply.

"I'll call you." Giles promised.

"Thanks." Angel hung up.

Giles hung up as well and changed his clothes quickly. He grabbed the needed book, a few supplies and left as fast as he dared. He arrived at the Summers home within a few minutes and used his key to quietly enter the house.

Dawn had turned down the lights and switched the television off. She had resumed her position with Spike's head once more in her lap so she could continue the massage that seemed to help. She looked up as the older man entered the house. In the gloom of the living room he could see the tears coursing down her face.

Giles switched on a light that would not shine directly on the sleeping vampire and set his things down on the table. He crossed over to the sofa and knelt by the ailing blond.

Spike stirred as he sensed the new presence and opened pain-filled eyes. "Rupert, what's up?" He whispered.

"Apparently the level of magic in the house." The Watcher answered softly.

Spike winced. "Bloody Hell. No wonder my head hurts." He murmured.

Giles nodded and rose. He went back over and unpacked his supplies. He lit candles and placed them in a small circle. He opened the book and searched for a moment. Finding the spell he needed, he quietly began to chant. After several long moments the candles flamed brightly and then sputtered out. He closed the book and returned it to the table. Crossing over to the sofa, he again knelt by the vampire.

"You should feel better soon." Giles said soothingly. He looked up at the teenager. "Dawn, are you all right?" He asked.

She nodded and wiped her face with a tissue from the box on the end table. "Is the magic all gone now?" She asked.

"Most of it. It's not possible to get rid of it completely. But the level should be tolerable now. What were Tara and Willow thinking? Practicing so much magic at home. How irresponsible of them." Giles ranted softly.

The platinum blond looked up at Dawn. "Hey, Bit, there now. I'll be good as new soon. Don't fret so." He reached up and wiped away a stray tear. He could feel the pain receding but knew it would be at least a day before it went away completely. He looked over at the older man.

"How did you know?" He asked.

"Angel called me." Giles answered.

"Peaches? How?" He trailed off and looked back up at Dawn. "You called him?"

She nodded. "I had to know how a vampire could get a migraine. I was scared. He knew what was wrong. I don't know how but he knew."

Spike and Giles exchanged a glance. They knew but weren't going to enlighten the girl. Spike was just amazed that the old poof had used the link without his knowing. He must have really been out of it. He rested his head against the pillow and closed his eyes for a moment. Opening the link, he assured his Sire the problem had been solved.

'Sire.' He thought.

'Will. Are you all right?' Angel asked quietly.

'Been better. Thanks for calling Rupert. Didn't know the witches had been doing so much magic. Would have stopped it.' Spike sent.

'You couldn't know. Get some sleep now. Give Dawnie a kiss. She really saved the day by calling me. Call me tomorrow.' The Sire ordered.

'Yes, Peaches.' Spike smiled as his Sire growled before closing the link.

"What's so funny?" Dawn was getting concerned about Spike's continued silence.

"Nothing Bit." Spike sat up and gave the girl a kiss on the cheek. "That's from Peaches."

Dawn looked at him confused. "You vampires are so weird."

"Yeah, well, I'm tired too. So let's go to bed, eh?" Spike glanced at the other man. "Staying the rest of the night, Rupert? New sofa's pretty comfy."

"I think I will. I need to talk to Tara and Willow as soon as I can so this doesn't happen again. Angel seemed to think you were in grave danger." Rupert said as he nodded.

Dawn sniffled. "That's why he was so adamant that you come over tonight." She threw her arms around Giles's neck. "Thank you." She said into his shoulder.

The former Watcher patted her back gently. "Any time." He said.

Spike got up from the sofa and went upstairs with Dawn. He waited until she was ready, then tucked her in. Giving her a kiss on the forehead he thanked her for taking such good care of him. She drifted off to sleep quickly, worn out from the stress of the evening.

Returning downstairs, he sat down for a moment in the easy chair. Resting his still aching head against the back, he gazed at the other man sitting on the sofa. "Could feel myself slipping away there, thanks for coming over, Mate."

Giles cleaned his glasses. "You didn't know they were practicing magic here?"

Spike shook his head. "Would've stopped it. I know what that stuff does to me. I'm surprised none of you ever noticed that I clear out when someone makes with the mojo. Just didn't make the connection this time. Started feeling bad three or four days ago but thought it was the chip acting up. Headache muddled my thinking. Niblet really saved my undead ass tonight. Just wish I knew what the stupid bints were up to."

"Where are they?" Giles wanted to know.

"I think they're at Xander's. They decided to clear out for the evening so Bit and I could hang together. Supposed to be back soon though. Don't want to see them so I think I'll go down to bed." The vampire said.

Giles nodded. "Good night Spike."

Spike rose and headed for the basement, detouring past the refrigerator for a package of blood. It would help get rid of some of the remaining headache.

Giles picked up the phone and called Angel.

It was answered before the first ring was finished.

"Rupert?" Angel asked.

"Yes, it's me. The problem has been fixed for now. I just have to warn Tara and Willow about using magic at home. And find out why they're doing it. Spike should be fine now. It may take a day or two for his headache to go away completely, it looked to be pretty severe." Giles said wearily.

"It was. Using the link to find out what was wrong gave me a little bit of a headache myself. I wouldn't want to be the one in that much pain. He would have just suffered with it until it got so bad he just slipped away to escape it. His consciousness would have been gone and we would never have gotten him back." Angel sighed. "He's such a dork." Then laughed when he realized what he said.

Giles laughed as well. "Sounds like something Dawn would say. He couldn't fool her. She always knows when something is wrong with him."

"I know, that's where I got it." The master vampire stood up from his chair and stretched. "I'm going to go patrol now. I feel the need to let out some stress."

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Giles got up and went to the linen closet for some blankets. He made himself comfortable and waited for the witches to come home. He was on the verge of falling asleep when part of his first conversation with Angel came back to him. He sat up straight as what Angel told him clicked into place.

"Spike? A wizard? Dear Lord." Giles whispered into the darkness.