Human - XIV
'How much of human life is lost in waiting?' - Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Early Bird Motel
The light rapping at the motel room door proved a welcome distraction. Dawn had been facing down the flickering screen of her laptop for several hours with her fingertips poised above the keyboard, demonstrating an eagerness that had long since evaporated.
Dawn had been scouring the online magic community for some kind of spell or charm capable of lowering the forcefield surrounding L.A. Her global contacts had produced little of value, and Dawn had quickly grown bored of various attempts to recruit her attendance at festivals and conferences that were of little consequence to her current life. Instead, Dawn had passed the last half hour she had intended to devote to research browsing home shopping sites and checking local cinema listings.
"Come in," Dawn called, closing the lid of the computer and drumming her fingertips on its surface. There was a moment of silent hesitation before the visitor pushed the door open and appeared on the threshold of the room. Dawn straightened up a little in her chair and noted with surprise that her lips had already formed an easy smile.
"Spike," she said, self-consciously yanking her glasses from her face as the vampire wandered into the motel room. Spike paused in the centre of the floor and jammed his hands deep into the pockets of his duster. His shoulders hunched over a little and Dawn noted that he regarded her in an almost coy manner.
"Just came to see if I could help?" Spike inquired. He lowered himself onto the edge of the bed and frowned as he added as an afterthought, "You wear glasses?"
Dawn's cheeks reddened and she nodded as she flung the offending articles across the desk. The glasses skittered to a halt on the edge of the table, scattering a stack of papers and pencils to the floor.
"Got them a few months ago," she explained, returning her attentions to the closed laptop and allowing her hair to fall in a curtain across her cheek that succeeded in obscuring her blushes. Dawn flipped open the computer lid once more and resumed typing in the search engine. She had been mortified to learn during a routine eye test that she required glasses and, for the most part since receiving the prescription, her vanity prevailed and the glasses remained buried in the recesses of her purse. It was only upon rare occasions of migraine or severe eye-strain that Dawn relented to their use.
Dawn gasped in surprise as she found Spike suddenly crouched at her side, her glasses held gently in one hand and his expression intent. Dawn almost held her breath as Spike extended his hands and slid the glasses onto the bridge of her nose, before leaning back on his heels in an appraising fashion. Dawn literally squirmed in her seat, uncomfortable with his proximity and embarrassed beyond all measure. She managed to reign in her blushes and was thankful for that at least.
"Well, I think you look…" Spike began after a pause.
"Stupid," Dawn interjected, her tone flat as she moved as though to remove the glasses once more. Spike caught her hands in his own as they lingered over the frames. His skin was ice cold to the touch yet Dawn found that, rather than prompting her to recoil, the temperature of his body sent a series of delicious shivers resonating throughout her own.
"I was going to say radiant," Spike replied huskily. Dawn's heart literally skipped a beat and her hands immediately fell into her lap. Spike shook his head and almost leapt to his feet, a far too enthusiastic smile spreading across his face. Dawn swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and regarded the vampire.
"So, can I help?" Spike demanded, bouncing on the balls of his feet in a clear display of nervousness. Dawn had never seen anyone so wired and, for just a moment, she was afraid. Then she remembered whose presence she was in and she found herself mirroring Spike's smile with ease.
"Actually, I'm tired of research," Dawn admonished. She pushed her hair behind her ears and stifled a yawn with the palm of her hand. For the first time, Spike noticed the dark circles that had formed under the girl's startling green eyes, and immediately felt a stab of sympathy for the burdens that had been placed on her shoulders. He knew that the fate of the entire world had rested with Buffy at a similar age but Dawn was no Slayer, and he could not help but feel that the expectations placed upon her sometimes were too great, although Dawn would never admit as much.
"Shall we do something… fun?" Spike pressed, one eyebrow raised questioningly. Dawn giggled, amused at the images her mind conjured as she attempted to decide exactly what a vampire's definition of 'fun' would entail. Spike adopted a hurt expression, which he hid quickly as Dawn frowned.
"Sure," she finally replied with a shrug. She knew that Giles would consider it wrong of her to abandon her research when she had failed to turn up a scrap of information, but Dawn's brain screamed relentlessly for just ten minutes absence from the screen of her laptop.
"What do you want to do then?" Spike demanded, rubbing his hands together gleefully like a child. Dawn shrugged.
"I was checking the local cinema schedule," she finally admitted, smiling sheepishly as though she expected to be scolded for her revelation. Spike nodded.
"Great, been ages since I went to the flicks," he replied, capturing Dawn's hand and hauling her to her feet with a tad too much enthusiasm. Dawn stumbled and suddenly found herself pressed against Spike's chest, his arms around her waist securing her. Their faces were now mere millimetres apart and Dawn was momentarily shocked by the intensity of Spike's gaze upon her. He reached out and caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, moving slowly enough to allow her fair opportunity to protest. Instead, Dawn found herself nestling into the vampire's embrace with a contented sigh that seemed to surprise Spike greatly. Although undeniably cold, Spike's skin was impressively smooth, and Dawn found her own fingers wandering to brush against his sculptured cheek.
Abruptly, Spike cleared his throat and allowed his hand to drop to his side. Dawn reciprocated the gesture and freed herself from his arms, moving to stand a few metres away. The moment had been breathtaking and beyond anything Dawn had ever imagined for herself, but it was undeniably over and she was filled with a sadness that she had not anticipated.
"I think maybe I just want to stay here," Dawn said quietly, her eyes falling to the portable television set that stood on a dresser nearby. Her tone was tinged with a disappointment that Spike almost mistook for disgust. "Watch some TV, maybe take a nap."
Spike nodded wordlessly, simply watching as Dawn kicked off her shoes and curled up in the centre of the bed. She reached for the remote and kept her eyes expertly trained on the television screen as it crackled into life. An old black and white Western kicked into action, the sounds of pistol fire and horses filling the room.
"Do you mind…" Spike said eventually, pausing in order to proceed towards the bed, "if I stay?"
Dawn seemed surprised but to Spike's intense relief, not reluctant. She nodded and patted the space on the bed behind her. Spike clambered awkwardly onto the bed and sat cross-legged behind Dawn, who hesitated before finally leaning back against the vampire's chest. Spike stiffened yet Dawn seemed perfectly relaxed, even pausing to lift both of his hands and entwine them around her middle.
"Anything good on?"
When Spike spoke, his voice trembled and almost broke. Dawn allowed herself a brief and somewhat wicked smile. She was delighted, not only by the effect that she appeared to have on the vampire, but also by the butterflies that whirled in flight in the pit of her stomach as a result of his touch. These new feelings were overwhelming; unexpected yet not unwelcome.
They remained in a silence that was not entirely comfortable for an immeasurable time. Spike kept his eyes glued to the screen, but his attentions were focussed on the woman he held in his arms. The steady beat of her heart, the rise and fall of her chest, and above all her intoxicating scent. Spike rested his chin on the crown of Dawn's head, grinning as a wisp of her hair tickled his nose. He realised suddenly that Dawn had succumbed to sleep and was snoring gently, a trickle of saliva running down her chin from the corner of her lips. Spike chuckled and wiped at the drool with his thumb, knowing that upon awaking Dawn would be horrified.
Finally, he turned his attentions to the movie that was playing out on the television, and realised that it was one he had seen almost three hundred times before in his life. He watched regardless, as with Dawn in his arms, for the most fleeting of moments, Spike could almost believe that he was human.