(Set during "Same Time, Same Place".)
~Um, guys~ Dawn wanted to say as they as the left for the rescue mission with Anya in tow, ~You're not going to leave me here alone, are you?~
Apparently, the answer to that was yes. Since it was the only option, she sat perfectly still. Surely Buffy would take care of Gnarl and she wouldn't continue to stiffen up until she suffocated here all alone. Given the not so pleasantness of that train of thought, she tried to think of anything else, which only led to noticing the fact that her nose itched, her head itched and, scratch that, her whole body itched. Maybe that was how Spike became crazy. He was paralyzed all summer.
Dawn froze. Or at least she would have if she weren't already locked in place. What was that smell? It was worse than the impromptu pig roast after the homecoming game.
"Dawn?"
Speak of the demon. She wasn't alone. Spike was here! Oh my god, she was alone with Spike!
"Shouldn't be here. Girl wouldn't like it," he said as he came into Dawn's periphery vision. "Can't leave her, not like this."
She watched as he cut a wide arc around her, talking way too much like a Glory brainsicle for her comfort.
"Didn't ask, didn't get permission. Should leave." He moved out of her line of sight and, from the sounds of it, toward the door.
To her own surprise, she found herself wanting to stop him. ~Please don't leave me~ she thought. Dawn took in as much air as possible and gave it her all, "Hmmm!" she hummed. She heard him stop. "Hmm. Hmm!"
He moved toward her until all she could see was his worse-for-wear bright blue shirt. Crouching down, careful not to touch her, he asked, "You don't want me here, do you Bit?"
In that moment as he fixed his bright blue eyes on her, his voice sounded like the Spike she knew and trusted. Had trusted. Before the crazy, and the souled and the Buffy harming got layered on top. She pushed away all the "yeah, buts" and stared back, hoping he'd understand that she needed to not be alone.
"I'll just stay until they get back. Make sure you're okay, how's that?"
Dawn put all the smile she could in her eyes.
"Gotta be quiet though. Real still. Shan't do if she knows I'm here. She'll be cross." As he spoke, he backed into the wall and slid down until only his eyes peered over his knees.
He was watching her in that unblinking vampire way she'd read about. She'd never known Spike to be this still or quiet and still qualify as being awake. Which made it disconcerting, although not quite weird enough to distract her from the persistent itching.
Then without warning, she could move. And due to the cramped state of her muscles, she tipped over onto the floor, sending the remote skittering. Dawn tried to sit up, but ironically her body was choosing now to mimic the consistency of jelly. She looked up to see Spike kneeling over her, staring.
"Ah, Spike, help me up?"
He shook his head and his eyes rolled like a skittish horse's. "Shouldn't touch. Might be wrong."
~So not the time to start learning good touch, bad touch Spike~ she thought. "Spike," Dawn said in her best impersonation of authoritative Buffy voice, "Help me up to the couch, okay?"
It worked. He scooped her up and gently set her down. She closed her eyes and let her head flop against the back of the couch. ~Hey, look at that, I'm ready to storm a castle~ she mused.
Just then she felt his cool hand cup her check and she heard him whisper, "Safe as houses."
She opened her eyes to thank him, but he was gone. The front door making a soft click as he closed it behind him.
~Um, guys~ Dawn wanted to say as they as the left for the rescue mission with Anya in tow, ~You're not going to leave me here alone, are you?~
Apparently, the answer to that was yes. Since it was the only option, she sat perfectly still. Surely Buffy would take care of Gnarl and she wouldn't continue to stiffen up until she suffocated here all alone. Given the not so pleasantness of that train of thought, she tried to think of anything else, which only led to noticing the fact that her nose itched, her head itched and, scratch that, her whole body itched. Maybe that was how Spike became crazy. He was paralyzed all summer.
Dawn froze. Or at least she would have if she weren't already locked in place. What was that smell? It was worse than the impromptu pig roast after the homecoming game.
"Dawn?"
Speak of the demon. She wasn't alone. Spike was here! Oh my god, she was alone with Spike!
"Shouldn't be here. Girl wouldn't like it," he said as he came into Dawn's periphery vision. "Can't leave her, not like this."
She watched as he cut a wide arc around her, talking way too much like a Glory brainsicle for her comfort.
"Didn't ask, didn't get permission. Should leave." He moved out of her line of sight and, from the sounds of it, toward the door.
To her own surprise, she found herself wanting to stop him. ~Please don't leave me~ she thought. Dawn took in as much air as possible and gave it her all, "Hmmm!" she hummed. She heard him stop. "Hmm. Hmm!"
He moved toward her until all she could see was his worse-for-wear bright blue shirt. Crouching down, careful not to touch her, he asked, "You don't want me here, do you Bit?"
In that moment as he fixed his bright blue eyes on her, his voice sounded like the Spike she knew and trusted. Had trusted. Before the crazy, and the souled and the Buffy harming got layered on top. She pushed away all the "yeah, buts" and stared back, hoping he'd understand that she needed to not be alone.
"I'll just stay until they get back. Make sure you're okay, how's that?"
Dawn put all the smile she could in her eyes.
"Gotta be quiet though. Real still. Shan't do if she knows I'm here. She'll be cross." As he spoke, he backed into the wall and slid down until only his eyes peered over his knees.
He was watching her in that unblinking vampire way she'd read about. She'd never known Spike to be this still or quiet and still qualify as being awake. Which made it disconcerting, although not quite weird enough to distract her from the persistent itching.
Then without warning, she could move. And due to the cramped state of her muscles, she tipped over onto the floor, sending the remote skittering. Dawn tried to sit up, but ironically her body was choosing now to mimic the consistency of jelly. She looked up to see Spike kneeling over her, staring.
"Ah, Spike, help me up?"
He shook his head and his eyes rolled like a skittish horse's. "Shouldn't touch. Might be wrong."
~So not the time to start learning good touch, bad touch Spike~ she thought. "Spike," Dawn said in her best impersonation of authoritative Buffy voice, "Help me up to the couch, okay?"
It worked. He scooped her up and gently set her down. She closed her eyes and let her head flop against the back of the couch. ~Hey, look at that, I'm ready to storm a castle~ she mused.
Just then she felt his cool hand cup her check and she heard him whisper, "Safe as houses."
She opened her eyes to thank him, but he was gone. The front door making a soft click as he closed it behind him.