Ch 4
"Mommy, what's going on?" a small voice pulled all three sets of eyes to the door way, Dawn smiled as she watched the small child, rub her eye with one hand while holding her teddy in the other dragging him on the floor. Buffy scooped the small blonde up from the floor and placed her on her hip
"We didn't mean to wake you baby, Mommy and Daddy have to go away for a few days but Auntie Dawn and Auntie Tara are going to look after you" Buffy explained, the child's eyes snapped to Dawn, who she had clearly only just noticed. Dawn laughed as the small child wiggled out of her mother's arms and rushed over to her, Dawn caught the child and hoisted her up in the air
"Mornin' cupcake" she smiled, the child laughed snuggling her head into Dawn's neck
"Morning Auntie"
"Now Danielle, I want you to be a good girl for aunt Dawn" Giles said picking up his daughters small chin, two figured joined the four. Dawn recognized the two as Faith and Andrew, Dawn nodded towards the two before turning her attention towards Danielle
"What do you say we go back upstairs and back to sleep Danni?" she nodded sleepily, Buffy and Giles kissed and hugged Danielle goodbye and hugged Dawn "Be careful, I'll take over grave duty while your gone" Buffy nodded as Dawn made her way up the stairs carefully. She set Danielle down on her bed "Do you want me to stay till you fall asleep?" Dawn asked, the small blonde nodded, Dawn took off her shoes and coat and almost laughed at the situation it was almost exactly like every night during the months Buffy was dead. She remembered she would sit in front of Buffy and their mom's grave crying until she was exhausted, then out of no where Spike would show up scoop her up whispering sweet nothings to her, carry her home and then stay with her while she cried herself to sleep. She smiled sadly and lied on her back, just as Spike used to, Danielle curled up beside her, her small head on Dawn's shoulder. Dawn draped her arm around the child and pressed her mouth to Danielle's head, willing her self not to cry
"Auntie?" her small voice pulled her out of her thoughts
"Yeah Bit?" she had always used Spike's nicknames for her with Danni, when they were alone
"Who's Spike?"
"Where'd you hear that name?" Dawn asked, not moving she didn't trust her self not to burst into tears
"Mommy and Daddy were talking about a Spike a while ago but wouldn't tell me who it was" Dawn almost sighed, of course they wouldn't Buffy had thoroughly instilled in Danni that all vampires and demons were bad and told her never trust them.
"Spike was a friend of mommy and I, he used to help mommy fight the demons and vampires. He looked after me when mommy was having a hard time when grandma went to heaven and helped me get through the months when mommy had to go see grandma so she could save me from that nasty hell-god Glory and you know what Bit, he was my best friend" she blinked away the tears forming in her eyes as she smiled
"Daddy didn't like Spike, Daddy said nasty things about him and Mommy said he was a soul-less vampire" Danni said straight up, Dawn sighed she was going to get it for saying what she was about to
"Well Nibblet, mommy is right. Spike was a soul-less vampire for a very long time, but when he came to help mommy, after five years of fighting along side mommy he decided to go and look for a way to get his soul back, and he did. So yes Spike was a vampire but he did have a soul. And Daddy didn't like Spike because Daddy couldn't handle a little competition" Dawn laughed, Danni nodded clearly tired again
"Will you sign for me?" she asked innocently, Dawn smiled
"Of course Bit" Dawn said pulling the small girl closer to her "Any requests?" Danni yawned
"The song you wrote for Spike" Dawn blinked staring at the child
"How did you know I wrote it for Spike?" Danni giggled
"Please Auntie, I'm not stupid I knew when you started talking about him that it was for him" Dawn smiled
"Smart girl you are"
"Well look who my dad is, it's in my jeans" Danni smiled, Dawn giggled
"I think you mean g-e-n-e-s Bit" Danni held up her small hand
"Please I know what I'm talking about. Now please sing?" Dawn laughed nodding and started humming the beginning of the song
When I was younger
I saw my daddy cry
And curse at the wind
He broke his own heart
And I watched
As he tried to reassemble it
And my momma swore that
She would never let herself forget
And that was the day that I promised
I'd never sing of love
If it does not exist
Dawn ran her fingers through Danni's long blonde hair, like Spike used to do to her, she always wanted to be there for the child like Spike had been there for her
But darling,
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
Maybe I know, somewhere
Deep in my soul
That love never lasts
And we've got to find other ways
To make it alone
Keep a straight face
Dawn leaned her head back against the pillows, tear escaping the corners of her eyes but her voice never wavered, it wasn't the first time she had sung this song to Danni and she was sure it wouldn't be the last, but in her heart she knew the one person she wanted to hear the song never would.
And I've always lived like this
Keeping a comfortable, distance
And up until now
I had sworn to myself that I'm
Content with loneliness
Because none of it was ever worth the risk
Well, You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
Dawn was unaware of the audience outside Danni's door as she continued to sing the small girl to sleep. Tears ran down Buffy's face, she knew Dawn used to have a childish crush of the blonde vampire but she hadn't realized it had been so sever. Giles put his arm around his wife as he listened to Dawn's voice
I've got a tight grip on reality
But I can't
Let go of what's in front of me here
I know you're leaving
In the morning, when you wake up
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream
Ohh-
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
And I'm on my way to believing
Oh, And I'm on my way to believing
Dawn wiped her face with her sleeve, pulling the small frame tighter against hers "I love you Danni, don't you ever forget that" she whispered in the girls ear, remembering how Spike used to do the same when he thought she'd fallen asleep. She looked up as the door creaked open and Buffy poked her head in "Can I talk to you?" she asked in a hushed voice, Dawn nodded moving out from under the sleeping child carefully. Once downstairs Buffy flung her arms around her younger sister, breaking into tears once again "I'm so sorry, I had no idea!" Buffy sobbed, Dawn put her arms around the crying woman
"What are you talking about Buffy?" Dawn asked pulling her sister away from her a little
"Spike, I had no idea how you felt about him" she continued to sob, Dawn sighed pulling her back to her
"It's fine, it's not like the feelings were reciprocated. I'm doing ok now, it's not like I needed him to survive or anything. You did what you thought was necessary and it's fine. I'll find someone else Buff, I'll be fine" Dawn explained calmly, even though her heart and soul were screaming at her. Buffy nodded wiping her face
"Hey B, we gotta jet" Faith said peaking around the corner, Buffy nodded to the other Slayer before walking towards the door
"Oh Dawn, thank you for explaining to Danni about Spike and what he meant to us. I couldn't bring my self to do it and I wouldn't let Rupert tell her, god knows the hateful things he'd put in her head about him" Dawn nodded
"Go, you'll miss your flight" Buffy hugged her, kissing her cheek "I love you Buff"
"I love you too Dawnie" Dawn smiled, no one had called her that in a long time it was nice to hear, once the door had shut she made her way back up to Danni's room where she laid beside the child, memories flashed in her mind
She stood watching him walk away from her, Buffy had tried to pull her away from the retreating figure but she had ripped her arm away from the Slayer and stood there. Everyone had left her and she could no longer see him. "I love you Spike, don't you ever forget that," she whispered as she turned and walked back to her home on Rovello Drive to pack her things.
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters except Danielle. The song is The Only Exception by Paramore.