Chapter Fifteen: History Lesson
"What I can't understand is your lack of cooking skills," Dawn told Spike. "I mean you've been around for over a hundred years. How could you not know something about cooking? You were born before take out. Didn't you starve?"
Spike grinned at down from across the table. They were eating take-out chicken with Buffy and Willow, "I was a vampire," He explained. "Vampires eat blood. I didn't need to learn how to cook."
"Then how did you eat when you were human?" Dawn asked.
"My family had a cook," Spike explained. "She did all the cooking and baking in our house. I don't think my mother ever set foot in the kitchen unless it was to order the day's menus or to find me, Charles or Charlotte. We always made our way into the kitchen for a snack."
"Charles and Charlotte?" Dawn asked.
"My younger brother and sister," Spike explained, taking a bite from the chicken wing.
"You had a brother and sister?" Dawn said, surprised.
"What did you think?" Spike asked. "That I was an only child?"
"I don't know," Dawn admitted. "I guess I never thought about it." She thought for a second, "Were they twins or something?"
Spike nodded, "I was ten when they were born." His eyes grew distant. Buffy noticed they always did that when he talked about his human family. "I was surprised when I got a sister along with the brother I had been told I was going to have. We were inseparable from the moment they were born…." He snapped back to the present and said, "Anyway that was a long time ago."
"What happened…" Dawn started to say but a look from Buffy silenced her. Buffy had figured out by now that Spike didn't talk about his family very often and that it was a very touchy subject.
"So how was school today, Dawnie?" Willow asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Great," Dawn brightened. "There's a school skiing trip and I really want to go. Everyone in school is going. It's going to be chaperoned and everything."
"Where is it going to be?" Buffy asked.
"In the mountains," Dawn explained.
"Will it cost anything?" Buffy asked.
"A little," Dawn admitted. "But I can pay for it myself. I already checked and I have enough. All I need is your permission."
"I don't know," Buffy said. "I don't like the idea of you being so far away."
"It would only be for a week," Dawn said. "I'd be fine. There are no demons in the mountains."
"Just the abominable snowman," Spike said. "And if you see him tell him hi and that he still owes me from our last poker game."
Ignoring Spike, Buffy went on to say, "I don't think it's a good idea, Dawn, not right now."
"Why?" Dawn asked.
"Well for starters you're still on probation after all the stealing you did," Buffy said. "I don't think that I should reward you for stealing with a ski trip."
"That's not fair," Dawn said. "I worked at the Magic Box and I paid off everything I stole. My grades have been getting better. I've been doing everything you ask. What more do I have to do?"
Buffy wavered for a second. It wasn't that big a deal to let Dawn go on the trip but she knew she had to be firm, "Consider not going on this trip the last aspect of your punishment," Buffy said. "I'm sorry."
Dawn stood up, "This is so not fair. Everyone is going."
"I'm sorry," Buffy repeated, still trying to be firm.
"You're going to be sorry," Dawn said. "When I call social services and tell them that you're pregnant and shacking up with the father of your baby and that there's a lesbian witch living here too. I wonder how long it will be before I get put in a foster home where at least I'm appreciated." Then she turned and stormed out of the room.
"She wouldn't really call social services," Buffy wondered, looking at Spike and Willow. "Would she?" Buffy stood up. "I'll go talk to her."
"No," Spike said, standing up. "I'll handle it. She's too mad at you to listen right now."
Spike walked up the stairs and knocked on Dawn's door.
"Go away," Dawn yelled.
"It's me, Nibblet," Spike said. "Can I come in?" There was no answer so Spike took that as a yes. He opened the door and stepped into Dawn's room. She was lying down on her bed, hugging one of her stuffed animals.
"If you're here to lecture me then you can leave," Dawn said. "I don't want to hear it."
"I'm not going to lecture you, Lil Bit," Spike said. "I just want to talk to you."
"About what?" Dawn snapped.
"About this bloody crazy scheme of yours to hand yourself over to social services.."
"It's not crazy," Dawn said. "I'm serious. I'll do it."
"And the situation you'll wind up in will be better than where you are right now?" Spike asked. "At least here you know that there a lot of people that love you, Buffy, Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya, and…me. If you go to one of those bloody foster homes then you'll be alone. Do you want that?"
"No," Dawn admitted. "But you don't know what it's like for me. No one notices me, no one cares about me. Buffy doesn't want to be here and the only reason you're hear is because of the Buffy and the baby."
"That's not true," Spike said. "If I was only around because of Buffy I would have left last summer when she died. Now listen to me, I know what it's like to be parented by someone other than your own parents and I know that you don't like your life right now but it could be worse."
"How?" Dawn asked, scornfully.
Spike sat down on the bed next to her, "I'm going to tell you something no one else knows, not Buffy, not Dru, no one." He sighed, "My father died when I was ten, hunting accident and my mother was left with a ten year old son and twin infants. She had been so dependent on my father that she didn't know what to do without him so she turned to the next best thing, his younger brother."
"Your mother married your uncle?" Dawn said. "Eww."
Spike shook his head, "No, she didn't marry him. He already had a wife but Mother depended on him for everything. She handed control of the estate over to him. It was agreed that he would manage it until I was old enough to take over it myself."
"Sexist, but what was so terrible about that?" Dawn asked, her troubles momentarily forgotten.
"If you knew my Uncle Charles then you'd understand," Spike said. "I've only known one person that was crueler than he was and that was Angeles. He moved onto the estate to manage it but it was really to take control over all of us. Mother spent most of her time mourning my father and then when my brother died she was too depressed to notice. Charlotte and I didn't go her with our problems because we knew that any complaints would be handed over to Uncle Charles and we'd be beaten."
"You were beaten," Dawn said horrified, trying to reconcile the image of Spike being beaten with the figure sitting in front of her.
"He was trying to gain control over me so that he could control the estate even after I was grown. He succeeded too. If I'd lived then I would have let him control the estate and lived out my life my way, totally ignoring the estate."
"But what does this have to do with me?" Dawn asked.
"If you get sent to some bloody foster home then you might wind up with someone as bad as or worse than my uncle and you'd be alone. At least here you have a sister who had and would die for you, a vampire who's rather fond of you, and all kinds of friends who keep an eye on you, plus pretty soon there's going to be a little Spike running around who's going to need you."
"What are you talking about?" Dawn asked.
Spike grinned, "You're not going to be the youngest anywhere. You'll have a little niece or nephew that you're going to have to help out with."
"Great," Dawn grumbled. "I'm becoming a glorified baby-sitter."
"No," Spike corrected. "You're going to be someone that I know I can trust with my child and," Spike added. "I need you around to help me out with our…project. I can't do it by myself, you know."
"No," Dawn agreed.
"So no more talk about social services?" Spike said.
"Alright," Dawn said.
"Good," Spike said. "Now on to more boring subjects: Have you finished your homework yet?"
"No," Dawn said. "I have to do this really boring report for history on the Boxer Rebellion."
"The Boxer Rebellion, you say?" Spike grinned. "I think I can help you with that…"
An hour later Buffy quietly opened the door to Dawn's room. She hadn't heard a word from Spike or Dawn since dinner and she was wondering what was going on up there. She wasn't sure what she expected to find but it certainly wasn't Spike and Dawn bent over her desk, discussing Dawn's schoolwork. Buffy quietly closed the door and went back downstairs, shaking her head.
"What I can't understand is your lack of cooking skills," Dawn told Spike. "I mean you've been around for over a hundred years. How could you not know something about cooking? You were born before take out. Didn't you starve?"
Spike grinned at down from across the table. They were eating take-out chicken with Buffy and Willow, "I was a vampire," He explained. "Vampires eat blood. I didn't need to learn how to cook."
"Then how did you eat when you were human?" Dawn asked.
"My family had a cook," Spike explained. "She did all the cooking and baking in our house. I don't think my mother ever set foot in the kitchen unless it was to order the day's menus or to find me, Charles or Charlotte. We always made our way into the kitchen for a snack."
"Charles and Charlotte?" Dawn asked.
"My younger brother and sister," Spike explained, taking a bite from the chicken wing.
"You had a brother and sister?" Dawn said, surprised.
"What did you think?" Spike asked. "That I was an only child?"
"I don't know," Dawn admitted. "I guess I never thought about it." She thought for a second, "Were they twins or something?"
Spike nodded, "I was ten when they were born." His eyes grew distant. Buffy noticed they always did that when he talked about his human family. "I was surprised when I got a sister along with the brother I had been told I was going to have. We were inseparable from the moment they were born…." He snapped back to the present and said, "Anyway that was a long time ago."
"What happened…" Dawn started to say but a look from Buffy silenced her. Buffy had figured out by now that Spike didn't talk about his family very often and that it was a very touchy subject.
"So how was school today, Dawnie?" Willow asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Great," Dawn brightened. "There's a school skiing trip and I really want to go. Everyone in school is going. It's going to be chaperoned and everything."
"Where is it going to be?" Buffy asked.
"In the mountains," Dawn explained.
"Will it cost anything?" Buffy asked.
"A little," Dawn admitted. "But I can pay for it myself. I already checked and I have enough. All I need is your permission."
"I don't know," Buffy said. "I don't like the idea of you being so far away."
"It would only be for a week," Dawn said. "I'd be fine. There are no demons in the mountains."
"Just the abominable snowman," Spike said. "And if you see him tell him hi and that he still owes me from our last poker game."
Ignoring Spike, Buffy went on to say, "I don't think it's a good idea, Dawn, not right now."
"Why?" Dawn asked.
"Well for starters you're still on probation after all the stealing you did," Buffy said. "I don't think that I should reward you for stealing with a ski trip."
"That's not fair," Dawn said. "I worked at the Magic Box and I paid off everything I stole. My grades have been getting better. I've been doing everything you ask. What more do I have to do?"
Buffy wavered for a second. It wasn't that big a deal to let Dawn go on the trip but she knew she had to be firm, "Consider not going on this trip the last aspect of your punishment," Buffy said. "I'm sorry."
Dawn stood up, "This is so not fair. Everyone is going."
"I'm sorry," Buffy repeated, still trying to be firm.
"You're going to be sorry," Dawn said. "When I call social services and tell them that you're pregnant and shacking up with the father of your baby and that there's a lesbian witch living here too. I wonder how long it will be before I get put in a foster home where at least I'm appreciated." Then she turned and stormed out of the room.
"She wouldn't really call social services," Buffy wondered, looking at Spike and Willow. "Would she?" Buffy stood up. "I'll go talk to her."
"No," Spike said, standing up. "I'll handle it. She's too mad at you to listen right now."
Spike walked up the stairs and knocked on Dawn's door.
"Go away," Dawn yelled.
"It's me, Nibblet," Spike said. "Can I come in?" There was no answer so Spike took that as a yes. He opened the door and stepped into Dawn's room. She was lying down on her bed, hugging one of her stuffed animals.
"If you're here to lecture me then you can leave," Dawn said. "I don't want to hear it."
"I'm not going to lecture you, Lil Bit," Spike said. "I just want to talk to you."
"About what?" Dawn snapped.
"About this bloody crazy scheme of yours to hand yourself over to social services.."
"It's not crazy," Dawn said. "I'm serious. I'll do it."
"And the situation you'll wind up in will be better than where you are right now?" Spike asked. "At least here you know that there a lot of people that love you, Buffy, Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya, and…me. If you go to one of those bloody foster homes then you'll be alone. Do you want that?"
"No," Dawn admitted. "But you don't know what it's like for me. No one notices me, no one cares about me. Buffy doesn't want to be here and the only reason you're hear is because of the Buffy and the baby."
"That's not true," Spike said. "If I was only around because of Buffy I would have left last summer when she died. Now listen to me, I know what it's like to be parented by someone other than your own parents and I know that you don't like your life right now but it could be worse."
"How?" Dawn asked, scornfully.
Spike sat down on the bed next to her, "I'm going to tell you something no one else knows, not Buffy, not Dru, no one." He sighed, "My father died when I was ten, hunting accident and my mother was left with a ten year old son and twin infants. She had been so dependent on my father that she didn't know what to do without him so she turned to the next best thing, his younger brother."
"Your mother married your uncle?" Dawn said. "Eww."
Spike shook his head, "No, she didn't marry him. He already had a wife but Mother depended on him for everything. She handed control of the estate over to him. It was agreed that he would manage it until I was old enough to take over it myself."
"Sexist, but what was so terrible about that?" Dawn asked, her troubles momentarily forgotten.
"If you knew my Uncle Charles then you'd understand," Spike said. "I've only known one person that was crueler than he was and that was Angeles. He moved onto the estate to manage it but it was really to take control over all of us. Mother spent most of her time mourning my father and then when my brother died she was too depressed to notice. Charlotte and I didn't go her with our problems because we knew that any complaints would be handed over to Uncle Charles and we'd be beaten."
"You were beaten," Dawn said horrified, trying to reconcile the image of Spike being beaten with the figure sitting in front of her.
"He was trying to gain control over me so that he could control the estate even after I was grown. He succeeded too. If I'd lived then I would have let him control the estate and lived out my life my way, totally ignoring the estate."
"But what does this have to do with me?" Dawn asked.
"If you get sent to some bloody foster home then you might wind up with someone as bad as or worse than my uncle and you'd be alone. At least here you have a sister who had and would die for you, a vampire who's rather fond of you, and all kinds of friends who keep an eye on you, plus pretty soon there's going to be a little Spike running around who's going to need you."
"What are you talking about?" Dawn asked.
Spike grinned, "You're not going to be the youngest anywhere. You'll have a little niece or nephew that you're going to have to help out with."
"Great," Dawn grumbled. "I'm becoming a glorified baby-sitter."
"No," Spike corrected. "You're going to be someone that I know I can trust with my child and," Spike added. "I need you around to help me out with our…project. I can't do it by myself, you know."
"No," Dawn agreed.
"So no more talk about social services?" Spike said.
"Alright," Dawn said.
"Good," Spike said. "Now on to more boring subjects: Have you finished your homework yet?"
"No," Dawn said. "I have to do this really boring report for history on the Boxer Rebellion."
"The Boxer Rebellion, you say?" Spike grinned. "I think I can help you with that…"
An hour later Buffy quietly opened the door to Dawn's room. She hadn't heard a word from Spike or Dawn since dinner and she was wondering what was going on up there. She wasn't sure what she expected to find but it certainly wasn't Spike and Dawn bent over her desk, discussing Dawn's schoolwork. Buffy quietly closed the door and went back downstairs, shaking her head.