Innocent Disruption

Part Two

Disclaimer: see the first chapter.

Notes: Thanks to Queen Boadicea, for reviewing. I love writing goofy Xander… but that soon will change, sigh. Oh well…

"It's show time, boys!" he growled in anticipation.

"Bad dog, all of you," she snapped out her arm to grab him by the neck, "the stars whisper yet, spssss, spsss. It is not time." She released him and floated off, already in her own world.

"Bitch," he murmured to himself.

Suddenly she was beside him, "Very bad dog. Make a wish," she tilted her head to the left, rocking on the balls of her feet, relishing in his uncertainty, "I'm going to blow out the candles."

"Please, mistress, no!" his eyes were wide as she danced her wicked nails in front of his face.

"I do not like you're derision," she growled, "Say pretty please."

"Please, Mistress, please!"

"Don't let it happen again," she let him go, flitting off. She stopped in the doorway, as if listening to something. "The stars sing a new song, of fear, uncertainty, and anguish." She leaned against the door jam, breathing hard. Then she spun around to face them. "Let's go." She clapped her hands twice.

"Honey, we have something to tell you," her mother said after they sat down to dinner. Daddy had come home early, which never happened on Thursdays, he was always really busy on Thursdays, getting ready for the weekend.

"Ok," she didn't know what else to say.

"I-I don't exactly know how to say this, besides that we love you, no matter what, but, honey," her mother took her father's hand and he squeezed hers, "I'm pregnant."

"But…you always said it would just be us three!"

"With my job, we were told I might never be able to have any more children. We've been trying for so long, sweetie, and we had just about given up," her mother looked at her father, and he smiled.

"But everyone says that younger siblings are a huge pain!"

They looked at each other again, her father with a hint of sadness in his eyes. Then he turned to her, "We'd like you to at least accept this, Dawn, whether or not you're happy about it. I was your age when my sister was born, and I felt pushed away, cast aside, displaced-"

"But I promise that won't ever happen to you, baby! You'll always be my first little girl, even when you're all grown up, and rather not be." Her mother reached across the table and ran her fingers through her hair, "You'll always be my baby."

"May I be excused?" she pulled away from her mother's touch.

"Of course," her parents shared a look of uncertainty.

"C-Could I go for a walk, before bed? I finished all my homework."

"Take Spike with you, ok, baby?"

"Ok, Mom." She took her plate to the sink, before heading to the basement. Why was there a reclusive man living in their basement? It was just one of the oddities that made up her life. He never met her at the door, unless there was an emergency, and he almost never babysat. Once she had asked him about it, and his answer was cryptic, something about an oath to a lady, but it was such an obscure answer, she just accepted it as his nature, until now, when she had so many questions flying about her brain.

"Spike? Would you take me for a walk?" she asked, standing on the bottommost stair, peering into the darkness. The basement was as big as the first floor, and as far as she could remember, it had always been dark down there.

She heard a sigh, "So, Mummy and Daddy call upon old Spike to play babysitter as they shag. Do they not think I can't hear what goes on up there?"

"Shag?"

She heard him sigh again, though she had yet to actually see him, "It's a naughty word, not for your innocent ears, bit. Let me get my coat, luv."

"Spike? Why do you live down here?"

"Because I made a promise to a lady, a lady I loved, even if she didn't return the favor."

"What was that promise?"

He was suddenly before her, appearing from the inky blackness suddenly, "To take care of you, bit. Let's go."

They walked out the front door, and headed down the walk. They turned right when they reached the street, towards the center of town.

"So, what's going on, luv? You don't walk after dark without a reason."

"I like the dark. I feel…at home, in the dark."

"Don't tell your parents that, they'd have a cow. What's eating you, kid?"

"Mom's pregnant…"

"Congrats, kid."

"I'm not so sure about it…I mean, it might just the only child in me talking, but I'm not sure if I want a brother or sister. Babies are trouble, and siblings are pains in the butt…"

"But you'll have more responsibility. You won't be the baby, you'll be the Big Sis, and he or she will look up to you."

"I just don't know…it's a change…a big change."

"Well, you know where to find me if you need someone to talk to."

"But what if I need to talk to you, dear, sweet William? Sunshine ran off, and Miss Edith's been bad…"

"Spike?" Dawn asked, confused as he shoved her behind him, turning towards the voice.

"The stars tell of Daddy's demise, and a child sweeter than honey. Miss Edith's been bad, she won't get a taste…but you might, if you're a good boy…"

"Neither will you, if I have anything to say about it."

"What's going on, Spike? Who's there?" she asked, scared.

"An old friend of Daddy's," a woman appeared from the shadows.

"You can't have her, Dru, she's mine." He pulled her around, wrapping his arms around her, almost around her neck. She watched the woman with wide, fear filled eyes.

"Mm…just smell the Fear. You could join us, my William, my Spike. The stars tell of a cure to your ailments, spss, spss, spsss…a doctor…and then you can be bad, ruff," she said, smiling sensually at him.

"No, I couldn't. Even without my chip, I'd never hurt her."

"You care for the child, and her mother!" she said viciously. She stepped forward, and slapped him, "Why, William? Throw it all away…woosh! Watch it dance away in the wind."

"I can't."

"But you could, the Moon whispers of a place, tsss, tsss, tsss, to throw your cares into the sun, burn them away."

Spike stayed silent. She looked around, and saw feral eyes staring back at her. "Spike," she whispered. She felt him look around, then suck in some air.

"Bit, when I tell you to, run. You got me? Don't look back, and don't stop until you get to Red's, uh, Willow's, or Xander's."

"But Spike-"

"Don't but me. I'll be fine." His grip on her shoulders and throat relaxed, "Ready, luv? Give my best to your Mum. Love ya, bit." He bodily threw her away from the glowing eyes, before throwing himself on top of three out of five sets of eyes.

She ran. She couldn't remember ever running so fast in her life; not when she had upset that hive, nor when she had missed the bus, and no one was home to pick her up, and she didn't want to worry anyone.

She didn't know what that lady was back there, or those eyes in the dark, but in the pit of her stomach they felt wrong. Suddenly the dark night didn't seem so welcoming.

She heard the pounding of feet behind her, and she pushed herself just a bit more. Though she had lived in this town her whole life, she didn't know where she was until she saw the street sign that she always saw on their way to Willow and Tara's, her keen eyesight picking it out of the shadows.

The pounding steps were closer now. She was almost spent. She had probably run at least a mile. She didn't play sports, and she didn't exercise on a regular basis. She was in good shape for being ten years old, but whatever was chasing her was in better.

The two things caught up with her, and she tried to scream, but they stuffed an arm in her mouth, grabbing her. She bit down, and tasted the coppery taste of blood. She didn't know if it was hers, or theirs. They put pressure on her neck, and then the darkness was surrounding her.

She paced the length of the living room; thirty paces from one end to the other, then turn around and do it again. Eighty laps to a mile. A mile in just under an hour. She'd been pacing for over an hour and a half.

"She knows when bedtime is. Spike knows when her bedtime is. She's never been this irresponsible before, something must have happened to her," she thought out loud.

"You don't know that yet," he tried to soothe her, "just calm down."

"Calm down? Calm down?! Our baby girl has been missing for over and hour, and you're telling me to calm down?" She threw up her hands in disgust, still pacing. She was on lap 163.

He trapped her in his arms on her return trip, "She's with Spike. You know he'd rather die than have anything happen to her. He loves her, more so than he once loved you." She struggled a moment, before collapsing in his arms.

"She doesn't know. She doesn't know what's out there! I have to go find her."

"She's fine."

"You don't know that! I-I almost lost her once, I'm not losing her again!"

"If you do go out there, you risk your life, and that of the baby inside you," he placed a hand on her flat stomach.

"I don't care!" she pushed herself roughly from his embrace, "Without her, I'm not sure I want this baby." She turned to him, tears in her eyes, "When I wished for another child, for a conception that we'd both remember and cherish, I didn't know I'd have to choose between my daughter and this baby…I can't choose!"

"Let me get our coats."