Ch 3
Dawn entered the demon owed strip club, on the short drive she had decided that she would dance to Animal for one more night unable to bring her self to admit Tara was right and that she should dance to White Wedding, but it would take a lot of work to be able to hear the song and not be reminded of him, it was sad she couldn't even think about let alone see Billy Idol without picking out everyone of their similarities. She mentally shook her self as she made her way to the back where the dressing room was, though it should really be the undressing room considering where they were. "Jesus Dawn! Where the fuck have you been!" one of the girls yelled
"Sorry Tara needed the car so I had to walk" she retorted quickly, stripping her trench coat from her body. She stood before the mirror in a black mesh gypsy skirt that showed off her green g-string along with a black fishnet shirt and green bra, she applied her make-up and fixed her hair. She slipped on her now notorious lime green heels with six-inch heels before sitting in her usual chair, closing her eyes and calming her frazzled nerves.
Spike was happy his crypt was still standing and uninhabited, he noticed upon arrival a very fresh and very familiar sent that he couldn't place mingled with the sent of tears, it confused him that someone would come to his crypt to cry unless they had known him, but no one who's known him before he'd left would have cared enough to still cry over him almost five years later, not even the Nibblet. Nibblet, he thought he'd missed her the entire time he was gone it hurt how he had pushed her away in his last few days in Sunnyhell knowing Buffy was going to do something to him, he just didn't know what, it was better she hated him less pain for the Bit. He thought the woman he's seen a few nights before was Dawn, but shook the idea from his head there was no way Big Sis would let little Dawn be in a band. Plus the woman had black hair and Dawn had beautiful brown hair and a tan, the woman had been as pale as he was, no that couldn't have been his Bit.
He jumped when his door was forcefully thrown open, he took his stance ready to fight the beastie that dared come in his home. His stance dropped as he recognized the vampire in front of him "I don't believe it, never thought I'd see your ugly mug again" the vampire laughed
"Yeah well, here I am" he sighed throwing his arms up then letting them drop unceremoniously back to his sides.
"How 'bout a drink? There's this great little strip joint downtown now, you should see the girls!" he licked his lips "Sunnyhell's finest them girls. There's this one, everyone goes to see her, and she got this sexy little belly dance routine, man you haven't seen erotic till you've watched her dance"
"Yeah sure why not" Spike said waving his hand towards the door, it was better than running into the slayer.
Dawn peaked around the curtain waiting for her turn on the pole; she didn't have to wait long as Kitty finished her dance "Now welcome Spike" the DJ growled her stage name, her heart clenched she didn't know what she was thinking when she had picked that as her name, she shook her head and swayed her way out on stage. She smirked as her song started; she could pick out the newcomers, the new one always gawked, she laughed in her head as she swayed her hips beginning her take on a sped up belly dancing routine, before stripping what little clothes she wore and utilizing the pole. She could feel someone's gaze burning holes into her flesh, she was used to people staring at her but this was different. She moved off the pole to remove the rest of the clothes that were left, when she located the source of the burning gaze, he was in the back but she could make out his eyes, she almost froze as blue met green but she broke contact shrugging it off as coincidence and went back to her job.
Dawn sighed as she turned the doorknob to her apartment meaning Tara had fallen asleep. She quietly let her self in, she quietly laughed as she found the older woman neatly laid out on the couch, her face glowing in the faint light from the TV. She smiled draping a blanket over the sleeping woman; she kissed her forehead before making her way to their room and flopping down on the bed. Her cell phone vibrated violently in her small purse, grumbling she grabbed it almost blinded by the light the screen emitted "Hello?" she grumbled
Did I wake you up? A female voice asked, Dawn sat up in bed suddenly not tired anymore
"No, is everything ok? You never call me this early" she stated hurriedly, worried for her sisters' well being.
Everything is fine I just need a favor
"I'll be over in 20 minutes, but you owe me" Dawn hung up not waiting for an answer; she contemplated waking Tara but decided to wait and pack stuff for her. She shook the witch gently "Tar you need to wake up babe. Buffy needs us to baby sit the house" she smiled as the woman's eyes fluttered open "You can go back to sleep when we get there k?" the witch nodded groggily "I packed some stuff for you, it's in the car already" the witch nodded again.
Dawn parked on the road in front of her "childhood" home, she'd really only lived there for at least three years if not less before moving in with Tara after Buffy threw Spike out of town. She loved Buffy and all but she couldn't be around her after she'd done that, and her lovey-dovey shit with Giles just threw her off completely. Dawn put her arm around the sleepy witch and helped her into the house, she didn't even bother knocking, she put her bag down by the door and scooped Tara up carrying her upstairs to her old room that was now used as a guest bedroom. Buffy and Giles slept in their mother's room, it didn't bother her as much as she thought it would.
She was met in the kitchen by Buffy holding out a much needed cup of coffee for her, made just the way she liked it one sugar no cream. "Have you been sleeping at all Dawn?"
"I sleep when I can Buff, sometimes I just don't have time to sleep with the band doing so well I drive a lot" she semi-lied, she hadn't told Buffy that for the last few months she'd been working at the strip club.
"So that's why you weren't asleep when I called?" Dawn nodded
"Gig ran late, I'd only just gotten home" she sipped her coffee gratefully "So where you off to this time?"
"Rupert caught wind of some scrolls in China that could be very useful to us" Dawn almost choked on her coffee when Buffy had used Giles' first name
"I'm never going to get used to that…" she mumbled
"I didn't think I would either but I did" she smiled
"It's nice to see you happy for once" Dawn giggled
"How are you and Tara?"
"Why doesn't any body believe were not dating? I mean she's five years older than me, plus I don't see Tara like that she's my best friend… has been since you died" Dawn sighed
"I think it's just the way you two act around each other, I mean you act like an old married couple," Buffy giggled
"Well we have lived together for five years, so common law says we are married" Dawn laughed
"What's so funny in here?" Giles' voice carried through the hall
"Morning Giles, Buffy was just bugging me about how Tara and I are like an old married couple" she giggled as she stood up and hugged the only father figure she'd actually encountered, he hugged her back kissing her forehead before moving over to his wife and kissing her "Oh man I'm never going to get used to that" Dawn laughed
"No one asked you to watch" Buffy smirked, Dawn grabbed her coffee
"Ok, I'll be in the living room then"
"There's no need for that, we'll be leaving soon"
"Mommy, what's going on?" a small voice pulled all three sets of eyes to the door way