A/N: Now, I'm not doing a "Saint Spike" here...this is Dawn's perspective, the viewpoint of a young girl who still sees him as her hero and one true confidant. Just in case anyone thinks the following sentiments are too sappy. CM

Chapter 2

Dawn tentatively opened the crypt door the next afternoon. All she knew was that her sister had come home, and the whole mess had been Warren's fault. She'd come straight from school to see Spike, having no one to vent to about this.

"Spike?" she called.

"Shhh. Spike's sleeping. You're Dawn, right?" The wrinkly demon greeted her with a wave.

"Um, yeah?" she squeaked, staying on the sunlit side of the door. "W-who are you?"

"I'm Clem. Spike and I play poker together? Anyway, he talks about you, and your sister. He got kinda beat up last night, so I stuck around…you know, kept an eye out."

Concern overcame her fear. "Is he alright? Spike's always awake by now." Dawn darted past Clem faster than he could reach her, and climbed down the ladder.

She gasped, horrified by what she saw, even in the wavering light of a single candle. Oh my god…he looks like he got pounded with a hammer! Dawn crept forward for a closer look.

"What are you doing here, Bit?" he rasped.

She squeaked, surprised. "I wanted to see you. Spike, what did this? You didn't look this bad from Glory!"

He grasped her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "Sure, I did. You just didn't see me the next day."

Dawn slapped his chest. "Don't joke about that! I don't want to lose you, okay? I almost lost my stupid sister last night, because she cares about her stupid calling more than me. She didn't even think about who would take care of me while she was in jail! Does she hate being here that much, that prison looks better than her own family?" She was crying by the end of her rant.

"Aw, Bit, don't cry! I can't stand it when you cry." Spike brushed the tears off her cheeks. "You know that's not true. Your sister loves you; she dies for you. It's just, you know how she is…obsessed with always doing the right thing." He tried smiling reassuringly. "Ow."

She held the hand he had touched her face with, staring down at it as he tried to comfort her. It dawned on her, then, that his knuckles were still smooth.

"Why didn't you fight back?"

"What? 'Course, I did," he said defensively, yanking his hand back.

"No, you didn't, Spike. I'm not stupid, you know. The skin on your knuckles is always red or broken after a fight, especially on your left hand. Damnit! It was Buffy, wasn't it?! My sister did…this!" she declared, gesturing at his swollen face. Dawn started pacing back and forth, muttering words he didn't know she knew. She whirled around, furious. "Why do you defend her? Everybody knows she's just a cold-hearted shell since Willow brought her back. They all try to pretend that everything's normal, even her, but we all know! I wish she'd never come back!"

"Oh, luv, you don't mean that, not really." Spike coaxed her onto the bed, where he could hold the teen. She curled up next to him, her head on his shoulder, reminding Spike of last summer. He stroked her hair, making soothing sounds. "I had no idea you felt like this, Dawn. I guess I've been a bloody rotten friend, eh? I figured you wouldn't need me as much anymore."

"And the distraction of boinking my sister almost every night?"

"Dawn!" The thought of her knowing what he and the Slayer did was horrifying.

"You think I don't notice that she comes home at 3 AM or later now?" she said pointedly, adding, "It's not like I sleep that great."

"Nightmares still?"

"Sometimes…sometimes, I'm just thinking. Are you coming to Buffy's birthday party?"

"I don't think she'll want me there, pet."

"Like she wants any of us around. If you don't go, can I ditch and hang with you?"

"I don't think your sis would approve…"

"Screw what she wants, Spike! She's kept my best friend away, and that's just wrong! Look where being around her has gotten you, Spike. Your face looks like hamburger, and you have the self-esteem of a whipped puppy."

"Hey!"

Dawn carried on like he hadn't spoken. "I know I'm young, but I also know that love is not supposed to get you treated like this, Spike. My sister is not a saint, or a goddess, or even much of a hero. She's a dysfunctional girl that should actually be dead, and she doesn't deserve the way you look at her. Don't you get it, Spike? Any woman in her right mind would be thanking the heavens to have a guy look at her like that. No, don't turn away from me…I'm trying to be a grown-up, here." Her eyes started to shine with tears again. "Please, Spike. Don't let her hurt you anymore. One of us should be able to escape it."

What did he do now? Spike was overwhelmed by Dawn's honesty. What should he do, when both his girls were hurting, but not on the same side? Dawn was clearly too angry to be convinced of her sister's goodness right now. And really, the girl was old enough to form her own opinions. He loved them both, yet he was being asked to choose his loyalties. On the one hand, Buffy had just beaten him to a pulp and left him for dead. On the other, he was the only person she still talked to at all, and he didn't know how it would affect her to lose that…

"No small request, Niblet. I do love your sister, and I've never been the type to just walk away," he replied, just as seriously.

"I know," she admitted. "But you were mine first."

He had to smile at that. "And I also know that everything seems dramatic and dire at your age. All I'm saying is…try talking to your sister. Not yellin', or accusin', but be honest, and mature, about it…and she might try harder to do better by you."

"But, what if she can't? What if she's not capable of that anymore? Has anyone considered that she might not be able to be normal anymore? She's not the same Buffy that entered that portal, Spike. That girl would never have done this to you if you weren't fighting back," she said sadly.

And there was the crux of the matter – the point he hadn't wanted to consider. Yes, he'd encouraged Buffy to embrace the dark, as in life with him, but he'd never wanted to see her become a parody of the girl that had first intrigued him. If he was honest, he had to admit that Buffy wasn't getting better – she was just better at hiding it from her blind friends. The Watcher would probably notice, but he wasn't here anymore.

"Look, Dawn…I'll think about what you said, alright? Right now, I'm still pretty knackered, and you need to get home…"

"Yeah, okay. I'll take the hint. Um, if I have to go to the party, will you help me get a gift?"

He smiled. "Yeah, Bit. We'll find something nice."

Dawn lunged forward and hugged him. "Thank you, Spike!" Se picked up her backpack and started for the ladder. Pausing, she turned around and waited for him to look up at her. "I love you, you know. I don't care what she says – you're my family." She climbed up the ladder, then, and he heard her say goodbye to Clem.

Alone again, Spike dissolved into tears.

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Corinne dropped by every evening that week after her shift at the hospital. She was amazed at the vampire's ability to heal, though it concerned her that his eye was still so swollen.

"Should this still be this puffy?" she asked on Saturday. She prodded the area with her fingertips, checking to see if she'd missed some broken bones.

"Probably not. I…haven't been that hungry lately," he mumbled. Spike still didn't know what to do with her continued kindness. It made him uncomfortable, even though he craved it.

"I can help with that. I, um, brought you some blood from the hospital. They're throwing it out, anyway, and you probably haven't wanted to go out looking like that, so…"

Spike placed two fingers on her lips, stopping her rambling, a teasing grin playing on his mouth. "Thanks, Cori. I appreciate it. How's work been?" He watched her putter about the crypt, fetching his mug and pouring blood from one of the bags inside. She placed it in the microwave before answering.

"Okay. Being a first-year resident is tough, but at least I'm a step above the students." As usual, she was dressed in scrubs, her long auburn hair wrapped up in a bun. He wondered what she would look like all dressed up.

They'd done the traditional exchange of information: age (her, almost 25, and him, 150), where they grew up (San Diego and England), how long they'd been in Sunnydale (her, about a year; him, a resident since '99), and hobbies.

"What made you decide to become a doctor?" he asked, as she brought him his mug.

"Love for science, curiosity, desire to help people. I originally became an EMT to put myself through college, and it kind of grew on me. Just seemed natural to follow on to the next step."

"I'm sure you could have found a better place than Sunnydale!"

Corinne shrugged. "I like small towns. Didn't expect to find one so…unique, but it hasn't been so bad."

"Well, do me a favor, Doc. Get out of this town before it kills you. There's an apocalypse here every May, you know."

"Really? How is the town still…here?"

Now you've opened up the can of worms, Spike. "The Slayer. It's her job to stop them. She and her team have been doing it since '97."

"You, uh, don't seem to like to talk about her," she hesitantly stated.

He sighed, knowing he shouldn't take his anger out on the innocent girl. "We have history. The most recent of which has been the worst, and the best…It's complicated, pet. I don't even know what I'm going to do about the situation, so explaining it to someone else…?"

She waved it off, grey eyes kind and compassionate. "I get it. You don't have to tell me anything you aren't comfortable with, Spike. We haven't even known each other a week. I'm just curious about this supernatural stuff, that's all."

"I know, and if I get snappy, it's not aimed at you. You've been a very pleasant diversion, Cori. So, Clem dropped off some more videos…"

"Really? What've we got?"

And so began another traditional part of their meet-ups: the video portion of the night. Clem was clearly on a mission to cheer up Spike, since every movie he'd dropped off was a comedy. They'd usually watch two, before Corinne began yawning, and left to go catch some sleep. Spike was starting to really look forward to the company.Dawn dropped by Monday afternoon.

"Spike?"

"Down here, Bit."

She hurried down the ladder to find him reading a book in bed. "Hey! You look better!"

"Thanks." He prodded his still slightly puffy right eye. "Not 100 back to my gorgeous self, yet, but almost. What can I do for you, pet?"

"I've been informed I have to stay at the party tomorrow at least until the food's been eaten, so I need to get a gift. She probably wouldn't notice if I didn't, but the rest of them will give me hell for it."

"Bitter little pill, lately, aren't you?" he teased with a smirk.

She snorted, and flounced over to take a seat on the bed. "So, since I have to be home before dark, can I borrow some money to go to the mall? Please?"

"Tell you what: you scoot home and get your homework done, and I'll pick up something for you this evening. Need to stretch my legs, anyway. Been cooped up in this crypt for a week."

"You haven't even been out on patrol?" Dawn asked, shocked.

He ducked his head, embarrassed, and mumbled a reply. "My doc won't let me?"

"Your what?" she asked, a smile in her voice.

"The doc that looked at my face, okay?" He rolled his eyes at the whole situation. "Apparently, the orbital bone on my right eye was fractured, so that's why the swelling hasn't disappeared, yet. Something about inflammation, or some such…"

"I can't believe you went to a doctor!" Dawn exclaimed, giggling.

"I didn't go to one," he shot back defensively. "She kind of found me."

"Ooo, it's a she…is she cute?"

"Bit!" Spike whined.

"Oooo, she is, isn't she?! I've got dirt on Spike…I've got dirt on Spike…" she sang. The singing became shrieking once he started tickling her to shut her up. "Okay! Okay! I give! I won't tease you anymore."

"Damn straight, you little hellion. Respect your elders, or next time you'll be over my knee." The threat was tempered by the fact that he was grinning, his eyes twinkling with triumph. They both know he would never lay a hand on her.

"So, seriously…how'd you meet a doctor?"

"Cori found me in the alley next to the police station and insisted on helping…girl's as stubborn as all get with the Florence Nightingale routine…"

"Wait. Wait. Buffy beat you up and left you outside? It didn't happen here?" Dawn asked, her voice low and dangerous. He'd seen that look in another Summers woman before, right before she whacked him in the head with an ax.

"Now, Bit…"

"I'm going to kill her," she growled, popping off the bed and heading for the ladder. Spike caught her around the waist before he could reach it. "Spike, let me go. I'm just going to have a little talk with my sister."

"No, you're not. I appreciate the righteous indignation, sweetheart, but this is between me and your big sis."

"But she left you! Out for the sun, Spike! You're not just some random vamp she ran into in a graveyard. You're you! You kept Mom and me safe! It's murder, Spike! She knows you, she's slept with you, and yet she beats you unconscious when you aren't even fighting back? It doesn't matter that you don't have a soul. You're a person, Spike…" The fight left her as she stopped struggling, breathing harshly in his arms.

Spike kissed her temple, the top of her hair. "I know this is hard for you, Dawn. That's why I didn't want you to know. I'm so sorry for bollocksing everything up, luv. You and your sister should be banding together as a family, not fighting over a pathetic excuse for a master vampire."

"You're not pathetic, Spike. You have lousy taste in women, but you're not pathetic." Feeling his arms loosen around her, Dawn turned around to regard her 'big brother'. "If we're still here when I turn 18, will you take me away from here, from them?"

For probably the thousandth time, Spike pondered how he gained this precious girl's trust and love. Looking down at her pleading face, big blue eyes still displaying all to the world, he couldn't begin to refuse. She was his Bit.

"I promise. If you still want me around then, we'll go anywhere you want."

Dawn wrapped her arms tight around his waist. "Thank you, Spike. You don't know how much that means to me." She released him and stepped back, seeming to remember that she was 15 and not supposed to make such displays anymore. "Well, I should get going."

"Right. And no causing a ruckus?"

She rolled her eyes. "I promise I won't say anything about what she did to you. Oh, and don't spend much on the gift. It can even be really lame, okay? I'm not feeling very giving right now."

He laughed, in spite of it all. "Just go! And leave your window unlocked so I can drop it off later."

She grinned, and left. Spike shook his head, still chuckling. If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was his offspring.