By "Painbow"
Summary: Buffy's dad returns; S6, post DoubleMeat Palace
Disclaimer: Still not mine.
A/N: Thanks again to my beta, spikeNdru. Got this sucker back the same day! Also, thanks to everyone who reviewd the last chapter (all 2 of you ;) ). Please, keep the reviews coming.
Chapter 8
Dawn followed Spike down the stairs. She took a deep breath and went into the family room to face the Scoobies.
Buffy turned as she entered the room and gave her a small smile. "Hey, Dawnie. You okay?"
Dawn gave a small shrug and sat down in one of the chairs. "I didn't do it," she said.
"No one said you did," said Buffy, frowning a little.
"But you're going to ask me if I did, and I didn't."
Willow opened her mouth to protest and shut it again. She thought for a moment. "Well, you were taking our wanting to leave kinda personal."
Dawn glared at her. "Oh, so you noticed that, then."
"Well, yeah. And, you know," said Xander, "sometimes we do something that seems like a good idea at the time...like, say, invoke the power of a musical amulet, and it turns out, you know, not so much."
Dawn sighed, trying to keep her cool like Spike told her. It was really hard. "I didn't do anything."
"Dawnie, we won't be mad." Buffy gave her the 'concerned sister' look. Dawn snapped.
She jumped up. "You know," she said, voice calm but fury etched in every line of her body, "I wish I had done something. I'm glad you're all stuck here. Welcome to my life." She turned and headed into the kitchen.
Spike sucked air in between his teeth. "Well, that was fabulous. You lot really know how to make a person feel loved."
"Shut up, Spike," Xander snapped.
Spike raised an eyebrow and left the room.
Buffy sat heavily on the couch. "Well," she said, putting her head in her hands, "that went well. I'll take that sister of the year award now, thanks."
Hank quickly moved away from the door as Dawn walked towards it. He was more confused than ever. Exactly how could Dawn have caused this? Why would they even accuse her of doing so? And that was the second reference to magic. So either they were all crazy or on drugs, because the last option just didn't...work.
And now he knew why his mother had always told him it was bad to eavesdrop. You ended up with more questions than answers.
Dawn barged into the kitchen, clearly furious, and Spike followed not far behind. Sophie, Richard, and Clem surreptitiously moved out through the dining room door while Hank relegated himself to the corner by the door to the family room. He wanted to hear this. Maybe it would help him understand.
"I can't believe them!"
"Well, Bit, you knew they were gonna—"
"Yeah, but geeze! I say, 'No, I didn't do anything' and they're still convinced I'm lying! Why would I cast a stupid spell anyway? Remember what happened with the last one? Singing, dancing, burning. I'm not that dumb!"
"Well, you are sorta known for getting yourself into trouble, ducks. Remember what happened at Hallowe'en, or all last year?"
"But I didn't do those on purpose! And I didn't cast any spells! Ok, one, but I stopped it! And that was for mom, not some stupid 'ruin Buffy's Birthday' childish revenge thing!"
"I keep wonderin' why she celebrates them anymore. It never goes well." At Dawn's glare he came back to the issue at hand. "Well, Bit, I think it's everything that happened last year. They're all so used to you needin' help and protection from the big scaries that when you don't it throws them for a loop."
Dawn sighed. "Maybe I wouldn't need so much help if Buffy just taught me how to fight."
Spike wandered over to the fridge. "Any blood in here?"
"Should be some left in the back of the fridge. But what do you think? I mean, as the slayer's sister shouldn't I at least know how to kick some demon ass? Like, for the next time something tries to get me?"
Spike pulled a packet out of the fridge and poured it into a mug he had fished from the cupboard. He stuck it in the microwave. "Well, I could always teach you."
Dawn perked up. "Really!? You'd do that?"
"Bear in mind that if big sis ever found out, she'd stake me good and proper, so not a word to her if she says no."
"Oh, Spike! Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Dawn ran over and gave him a hug.
Spike looked a little embarrassed. "No problem, Bit. Now, lets grab my blood and see if those wankers have gotten any closer to finding a way outta this mess."
He turned back to the microwave and grabbed his mug, taking a sip as he turned back and looked straight into the shocked face of Dawn's father. He swallowed.
"Oh...balls."
Dawn turned to see what he was looking at. Her eyes grew wide. "Um...hey, dad."
"...not quite everything," said Willow, looking down at her hands. The other occupants of the room stared at her, only to be interrupted by Hank slamming his way into the family room.
His eyes were wild. He gestured frantically at the door. "He-he's drinking blood!"
Spike came running in after him. "Pudding! Blood pudding!"
Hank glared at him. "Don't come any nearer you freak!"
Buffy looked frantically from Spike to her father. "Dad, just calm down. Spike's—"
"He and Dawn said you kick demon ass!"
Buffy glared at Spike, clutching his mug, and Dawn, who was standing ashamedly in the door to the kitchen. She stalked closer to Spike. "You told him!? You hate me that much?"
Spike looked hurt. "It was an accident, luv. The wanker was eavesdropping."
Hank's eyes widened. "It's true?" He sat down hard on the floor. "I just thought you were all on drugs."
Tara and Willow awkwardly moved toward the kitchen. "W-we'll...um...just get that spell ready," said Tara. They made a break for the door.
Xander looked up like he had just heard something. "Coming, Richard!" He pulled Anya towards the door. "I'll...er...just see what he wants."
"I'll go with him!" said Anya. They left leaving Buffy clenching her fists, surrounded by another mess.
Xander and Anya entered the dining room, happy to just be out of that situation. They didn't want to have to explain things to Hank, or sit in while the small family imploded.
"Buffy should have just told him the truth," said Anya, with a sympathetic look at the door.
"It's not always that simple, An. Some people have a hard time with the truth."
"So, have you decided what you're going to tell your parents? My guests will all be demons. You'll have to make something up."
They both looked up and met the shocked eyes of Sophie and Richard.
Clem waved. "Hey guys."
Sophie and Richard started at him. Clem lowered his hand. "What?"
Hank stared at his eldest. Demons? Blood-drinking men? Why couldn't it just have been drugs? Drugs had programmes, and recovery methods, and...steps! Drugs he could deal with.
Buffy sat down next to him, but he continued to stare at the wall. There was this speck right there in the middle of the wall. His eyes traveled down and onto a sword. It took up all of his attention.
After a good stare, and everyone else in the room shifting uncomfortably, he pointed. "Do you use that to kill demons?"
Buffy went through possible responses in her head. No! Demons aren't real! It is clearly drugs like you thought! The sword? Purely decorative. Spike really was drinking blood pudding. Dawn was lying...making things up. Demons? Pfft!
"Yeah," she said softly, putting a hand on his arm.
Hank tore his eyes away from the sword as Buffy started to explain.
Willow and Xander stood in the front hall, waiting to make a break for the door, should Tara's spell work.
"You sure we don't want Buffy and Spike for this?" asked Xander.
"You want to go in there and get them?" asked Willow.
"Not even a little bit," said Xander, glaring at the front door. "Ok, let's do this!"
They saw a swirl of something come through the entrance hall, and they both clenched their fists and tried to throw themselves at the front door. Nothing.
Willow deflated. "It didn't work," she sighed.
Hank was trying to take it all in. "So, you slay vampires?"
"Um, yeah."
"And Spike here..."
"Vampire," Spike said, grinning. He stopped himself at a glare from Buffy.
"But you don't kill him because he's good?"
"Because he's harmless."
"Hey! I'm not—"
Another glare.
"And what's Dawn? Some ball of energy, like in that episode of Star Trek when the little blond girl...what?" Hank's sarcasm trailed off at their combined stares.
"Good guess," said Spike, and then frowned. "Though, less Spock and more Stargate."
Hank's widened yet again. He tried to wrap his brain around the concept that Buffy killed vampires and Dawn was some kind of energy alien, when something floated through the room.
"Oh, that must be Tara's sp—" Buffy was cut off when molten silver poured out of the sword that had held her father's fascination, formed into a demon, grabbed said sword, and charged her with a roar.
