Dawn decided it was time to talk to Xander. She tracked him down at his place, and she skipped the small talk.
"You almost killed Spike! You beat him up when you knew he couldn't defend himself, and you just left him out there to die."
Xander was stunned. He'd never seen little Dawnie like this.
"I was just trying to make a point."
"Which wasn't yours to make in the first place."
Huh.
"I'll say it again. Get used to Spike being a part of my life or I don't want you in my house. Or anywhere near me. And if you go against him again I swear you'll regret it."
When did she become unbelievably scary?
Dawn left Xander's place still fuming, but at the same time she realized how spent she was. She really needed a few hours of sleep in her own bed.
She woke up to the scent of hot chocolate. Sitting up she took the mug from Tara.
"How's Spike?", the witch asked her.
"Way better. You did it."
"We did it. How are you?"
"I'm good. Rested."
Dawn sipped the chocolate and they were silent for a moment.
"Dawn, if there's anything you need to talk about, I'm here. OK?"
Dawn considered for a moment.
"I kinda took Xander's head off."
"We're talking figuratively, right?"
Dawn huffed out a small laugh.
"Yes."
"What for?"
"It was him, Tara. It was Xander who did that to Spike. He almost killed him."
Tara's eyebrows went up.
"What? But why?"
"He thinks that Spike and I...but it's not true. We're friends, and I won't just stand back and watch while he's getting hurt."