Brace Yourself by Enigmaticblue

1 :: 2 :: 3 :: 4 :: 5 :: 6 :: 7 :: 8 :: 9 :: 10 :: 11 :: 12 :: 13 :: 14 :: 15 :: 16 :: 17 :: 18 :: 19 :: 20 :: 21 ::

Chapter 13: Eye of the Storm

"Words fell/Like roses at our feet/When you let me see you cry/Your silent lips against my cheek/Words fell/On a night as black as coal/Your kisses traveled deep/Your eyes pierced my soul...Words fell/In another place and time/I knew your mournful blue/Knew your golden grace/Words fell/When we let the ocean hold us/And sank beneath the waves/In the silence of the roses..." ~Lucinda Williams, "Words Fell"

"What?" Buffy asked, her eyes widening. "Okay, we'll be right there."

Spike frowned. "What's goin' on?"

"That was Giles. Dawn showed up in the training room with a friend in tow. He said that the kid with Dawn needed to go to the hospital."

He glanced outside at the bright afternoon sunshine. "Meet you there?"

"You'd better," Buffy replied.

Spike made his way through the sewers, feeling the knot of worry ease a bit, knowing that Dawn was safe. Dawn hadn't needed to go to the hospital, and that was all that mattered to him. He couldn't help but wonder who she had brought with her, though.

Giles was seated in the lobby of the emergency room when he arrived, and Spike headed over. "Buffy already here?"

"She's back with Dawn and Bracken," Giles replied. "I'm not sure that the doctor is buying our cover story."

"Which one is that?"

"That Bracken was involved in a play and was mugged on his way home."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "A play?"

"We had to explain what he was wearing somehow," Giles replied. "He looked like he was from some sort of Medieval exercise."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "I'll just check on them, then."

"Room 107," Giles replied. "The doctor wanted to take him back for x-rays."

Spike frowned. "Who is this kid, Rupert?"

Giles shook his head. "All Dawn would say is that he saved her life."

"That's enough for me," Spike commented. "Be back in a bit. Have you called Tara yet?"

"I left a message with everyone I could think of," Giles assured him. "It should be taken care of."

Spike nodded, heading back to the room that the Watcher had indicated. He glanced through the window set into the door before entering, catching sight of Dawn hovering next to a bed holding a young man, Buffy at her side. Spike had a feeling that the Slayer wouldn't be letting her younger sister out of her sight any time soon.

He entered the room, watching as the boy tensed, and Dawn laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's okay." She hugged Spike in greeting. "Hey, Spike."

Spike returned her embrace. "You okay, Bit?"

"Fine, thanks to Bracken," Dawn replied, throwing a grateful look at the boy in the bed. "Spike, this is Bracken. He saved my life. Bracken, this is Spike. He's like my big brother." She made a face. "You know, a nice one."

Bracken bobbed his head nervously. "Hello."

"Anyone who takes care of Dawn is welcome here," Spike said, deciding that questions could wait. He saw a little of the tension drain from the boy's face. "What happened?" he asked.

Dawn sighed. "Can we wait? Because everybody is going to want to know what happened, and I don't want to explain more than once."

"Sure, Dawn," Buffy said, shooting Spike a look. "We'll wait until we get back to the house and everyone is there."

Spike shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me." He reached into his pocket, pulling out Dawn's knife. "Were you lookin' for this?"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Dawn exclaimed, snatching it from his hand and throwing her arms around him. "I thought I'd lost it!"

"Came in handy, did it?" Spike asked.

"Very," she replied.

The doctor entered the room, a woman who was probably in her mid-thirties. "How are we doing?"

Spike could see Bracken's puzzled look. "How soon can we take him home, doc?" he asked, giving her his best smile.

She returned it, blushing slightly. "In a few hours, I imagine, once we're sure of the results of a few tests. It doesn't appear as though there's any internal bleeding." She gave Bracken a severe look. "You'll want to avoid any kind of strenuous activity for a while, however."

"We'll take good care of him," Dawn piped up.

The doctor appeared amused. "I'm sure you will." She scribbled off a prescription. "For the pain," she explained, handing the script to Buffy.

"Thanks, Dr. Suarez," Buffy said. "We really appreciate all your help."

"Call me if you have any other problems," Dr. Suarez ordered. "And I'll want to see you in a week, Bracken. I want to be sure your ribs are healing."

He nodded. "Yes, doctor."

As soon as the doctor had left the room, Dawn heaved a sigh. "Thanks, Buffy. I didn't know what to tell her."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "What did you tell her?"

"That Bracken was a friend of Dawn's who was living with my boyfriend while he pursued a theater degree at UC Sunnydale," Buffy replied, all in one breath. "And don't even ask where that came from, because I have no idea."

"Good cover story," Spike admitted. "You sure you're alright, Bit?"

Dawn nodded. "But I'm really hungry, and I'll bet Bracken is, too. Can we get something to eat?"

"As soon as we're cleared to leave," Buffy said. She gave Bracken a critical look. "We'll have to find something for you to wear," she observed.

"I'll take care of it," Spike said. "I'll let Rupert know what's goin' on, and he can give you a ride."

Buffy nodded. "I'll see you back at our place?"

"If that's where you're heading," Spike replied, returning her kiss. "See you in a bit, luv."

He was both surprised and gratified at Dawn's quick embrace. "Thanks, Spike."

"Glad you're safe, Bit," Spike replied, meaning it. They had come too close to losing her.

Much too close.

~~~~~

Bracken was bewildered by Dawn's world, filled as it was with noise, people, and strange sights—like the vehicle that Giles had driven. He didn't even know that such self-powered conveyances were possible.

Perhaps even more bewildering was how kind everyone was. Giles had been nothing but courteous from the moment they had met, Dawn's sister had fussed over him much like his own might have, and the man called Spike had welcomed him.

Dawn had claimed that her world had room for him, and while Bracken still wasn't convinced, so far she had been right. At least it seemed that her family and friends were happy to accept him with no questions asked.

"This is our house," Dawn said, apparently anxious for his approval. "It's not huge, but—"

"It is a big house," Bracken assured her. "By our standards, at least." Dawn's house was larger than his father's, and he asked, "How many besides you live here?"

"It's just me and Buffy," Dawn said. "Spike stays over a lot, but other than that, nobody."

"All this space for two people?" he asked, staring at the interior. Everything looked rich, much too rich for someone like him—and yet he got the impression that this was modest by the standards of this world. Bracken wondered what a truly wealthy person might have.

"Do you want to get cleaned up?" Buffy asked, as she and Giles followed them inside. "I'm going to order pizza, but it's going to be a little while before it's here."

Bracken sensed that the correct answer to that question was "yes," and so that was the one he gave. "I would appreciate it."

"Dawn can show you how the shower works," Buffy said. "I'm sure Spike will be here soon with clothing."

"Thank you." Bracken trailed Dawn up the stairs, feeling more out of place as the moments went by. "Your house is amazing," he said, struggling to find the words to say. "It's—you—"

"It's not that special," Dawn replied quickly. "Really. We're pretty average."

Bracken shook his head. "This is more than my family could hope to have, even with Andrus stealing from the richest of the rich!" he protested.

Dawn shrugged uncomfortably. "Maybe, but it's different here. Just give it a try, huh? It's really not so bad once you get used to it." She laid a hand on his arm, and Bracken found himself just a little amazed by her kindness, particularly after she had seen what his brother was capable of.

"All right," he agreed, not sure what he was promising.

"Here," Dawn said, leading him into a smaller room. She turned a handle fixed over a large, white basin. "This one will give you hot water if you turn it and the other will give you cold water. You pull this handle to get a shower."

"A shower?" Bracken echoed.

"If you want the water to come from there," she replied, pointing at the metal fixture on the wall just above his head. "Make sure you close the curtain so the water doesn't go everywhere," Dawn advised. She pulled what looked like a thick piece of some sort of cloth out of a closet. "You can use that to dry off with, and this is shampoo and soap. Shampoo for your hair, and soap for everything else." She blushed a bit. "Got it?"

Bracken nodded without replying. He didn't understand half of what she'd said, but he sensed that he'd do better trying it out for himself. Once Dawn had left the room, Bracken stripped down, turning the handles as Dawn had demonstrated. The water that gushed out soon warmed, and he experimented the temperature.

After a few moments, he began to feel a bit guilty; Bracken had no idea what kind of effort or expense it took to get to get the water hot and plentiful. Following Dawn's directions, he pulled the appropriate handle, startled when the water hit him in the face.

It didn't take him more than a few seconds to realize exactly how nice a shower could be. Remembering that he probably ought to be quick about things was a lot harder to do, but Bracken used the soap and shampoo that Dawn had pointed out, finally turning off the water and stepping out of the shower when he was clean.

He used the cloth Dawn had given him, amazed at the soft, plush fabric. The knock on the door startled him, and he turned quickly. "Yes?"

"I brought some clothes for you." Bracken recognized the voice as belonging to Spike. "You want to grab them or should I leave them out here?"

Bracken hesitated, then hastily wrapped the cloth around his middle and opened the door. Spike handed him the pile of clothing, and he clutched it to his chest with his free arm. "Thank you, sir."

Spike snorted. "It's just Spike. Haven't been a 'sir' for over a century now. We've got dinner here when you're ready."

"Thank you." Bracken shut the door, staring at the clothing in bewilderment. It was nothing like his own. He fingered the soft fabric of the shirt, softer than anything he'd ever had next to his skin before.

He wanted to believe Dawn—Bracken wanted to believe that there might be a place for him here, as many wonderful things as her world seemed to hold. It seemed impossible, however; if he didn't fit with his own family, how would he find a place among strangers?

~~~~~

Dawn bit her lip anxiously, wondering what was taking Bracken so long. Someone was probably going to have to explain other aspects of good hygiene to him, and he'd need more than the one set of clothing that Spike had brought over. Dawn didn't regret bringing him back to Sunnydale with her—she was sure he would have been killed sooner or later by that jerk, Andrus, otherwise. At the same time, things were getting a little more complicated than she'd intended.

Honestly, she hadn't thought past bringing him to safety and convincing Spike and Buffy to let him stay.

"He can stay at my place," Spike said quietly.

Dawn glanced over at him in surprise. "What?"

"Your friend? I've got room for him."

She had no idea how Spike had known. "Thanks. It's just—he saved my life, Spike, and then they nearly killed him. I couldn't leave him behind."

"'Course you couldn't," Spike agreed. "We'll get this sorted, Bit."

There were voices at the front door then, and Willow, Xander, and Anya came in. "Dawn!" Willow said. "You're okay!"

Dawn didn't mind returning Willow's heartfelt embrace. She'd mostly forgiven the woman by now. Mostly. Xander gave her a slightly awkward one-armed hug. "I'm glad you're okay, Dawn."

"Me, too," Dawn replied. She and Anya looked at one another for a moment before Dawn grinned and hugged her. "Hey, Anya."

"Congratulations on a very successful portal jumping," Anya said. "That can be very tricky."

"It was a little tricky," Dawn agreed. She could see Bracken over Anya's shoulder, and she pulled back. "This is Bracken, guys. He saved my life."

She watched as he flushed deeply, obviously unused to being the center of attention. In the jeans and t-shirt that Spike had procured for him, and with his shaggy brown hair, Bracken might have been a native Californian; Dawn realized that he looked a lot like some of the surfers she knew from school. Once the bruises faded, he'd fit right in.

Dawn was just about to begin the introductions when Tara arrived, and she could tell that Bracken was quickly beginning to feel overwhelmed. Even though he'd said that he had a lot of siblings, Dawn knew that it probably didn't compare to being around so many strangers.

Besides, if any of his other siblings were like Andrus, Dawn could understand why he might like living in the woods most of the time.

Dawn glued herself to Bracken's side, giving him quiet explanations about everything and everyone—what pizza consisted of, what each person's relationship to her was, and as much background information as she thought he could handle.

Once everybody had a plate, Dawn told her story; she was grateful that there weren't any interruptions for the most part, although Spike made a comment about a knife in the back not being enough for Ray, and there were several startled exclamations when Dawn described Andrus' attack.

"Well, it's certainly a good thing that you were there, Bracken," Giles said once Dawn had ended with their appearance in the training room of the Magic Box.

"I'll second that," Buffy said fervently. She gave Dawn a severe look. "You could have waited a little longer."

Dawn glared at her. "I didn't know when you guys were going to show up, and I didn't want to be there when Ray's buyer arrived."

"You made a judgment call, Bit," Spike said. "That's about all you can do in a situation like that, an' it looks like it worked out for the best."

"It did," Tara said softly. "And now we won't have to worry about Ray coming after Dawn." She smiled at the girl. "That helps."

Xander frowned. "Is that the only other person who knows about Dawn being the Key? Rack's dead, and so are the other creeps."

"There was another guy who grabbed me for Rack," Dawn said, "but I haven't seen him since then."

Spike frowned. "I can check around. Wouldn't do to leave a loose end like that."

"For now, however, I think you might be safe," Giles said.

"Same rules go, Dawnie," Buffy said. "No opening portals without someone there with you."

"What about Bracken?" Dawn asked.

Spike shrugged. "Buffy told the doctor that he's living with me, and I've got the extra room." He raised an eyebrow. "Long as he doesn't mind."

Dawn looked over at Bracken, who was sitting next to her on the couch, looking like he was trying to make himself as small as possible—not an easy task. While he might have been smaller than Andrus and his friends, Bracken had several inches on her. "Thank you," was all he would say. Dawn was beginning to realize that he was really shy, particularly around people he didn't know.

"You're definitely not going to be out on the street," Buffy said firmly. "After what you did for Dawn, you know you've got a place here for as long as you want."

Bracken managed a smile for her then. "Thank you," he repeated.

Dawn just shifted a little closer to him. Although she'd only known him for a short while, she liked him—as a friend, of course. She didn't like the thought of him going back to a world where he was in danger from jerks like Andrus.

Not that they weren't in danger from various people in Sunnydale, but at least Bracken wouldn't be alone here. Dawn knew how important it was not to be alone.

~~~~~

"I don't suppose you can stay here tonight," Buffy sighed, not liking the idea of Spike going back to his apartment. They'd been spending a lot of nights together recently, and Buffy was getting used to having him around constantly. Even though it wouldn't be long before he'd be moving in, she was still impatient.

Of course, now they would have to figure out what to do with Bracken once Spike did move in.

"Better not," Spike said apologetically. "Doesn't seem right to drop the kid off an' then leave him on his own."

"He seems nice," Buffy said. Xander had already left with Anya, Tara, and Willow, since he was giving them a ride home. Giles was doing some research in the dining room, and Dawn was introducing Bracken to the miracle of television. It was a relief to have her sister home and safe.

Spike nodded. "Quiet, though. Dunno what we're goin' to do with him on a long-term basis, but he killed that bastard, an' he might come in handy."

Buffy shrugged. "We'll make it work. Dawn told me that she promised to send him back if he asked, but after what she told us, I'm kind of hoping he doesn't ask. It doesn't sound like a very nice place."

Spike touched her cheek. "Doesn't mean that it isn't home."

"And isn't that the truth?" Buffy asked rhetorically. "It's probably a little like living in Sunnydale." They shared a kiss. "See you tomorrow?"

"Soon as I can get over here," Spike promised.

Buffy watched him go, wondering how Bracken would get along with him. Spike could be sensitive—when he wanted to be. Other times, he had the tendency to rile someone up just because he could.

Watching as Bracken said goodbye to Dawn, Buffy could tell that they'd already gotten attached to one another, and she could understand why they might. She still remembered her first meeting with Willow and Xander, and fighting vampires together; there had been an instant bond that came from going through a very scary situation and coming out together on the other side.

"What do you think?" Dawn asked as soon as the door had closed behind them.

Buffy raised her eyebrows. "About what?"

"Bracken!" Dawn said impatiently.

Buffy smiled. "Isn't it a little early to have a crush on him?"

Dawn glared at her sister. "I don't have a crush on him. It's not like that."

Buffy couldn't resist teasing a little bit. "Then what is it like?"

"He—he saved me," Dawn said, looking a little uncomfortable. "One minute, I thought that Ray was going to..."

Buffy frowned. Dawn had left that part out of her story; all she'd said was that Ray had followed her through the portal and threatened to hurt her. "What did you think he was going to do?"

"I don't know." Buffy gave Dawn her best "big sister" look. "I don't know. It was scary. I thought he was going to hurt me, and then Bracken was just there. I don't want him to go back."

Buffy was sympathetic. "I don't know that it's up to you, Dawn. He seems like a nice guy, and as far as I'm concerned, he can stay as long as he wants, but it's a big change for him. Bracken might decide that he doesn't like it here."

"But he might like it," Dawn countered. "If he does, can he stay?"

"We'll figure it out," Buffy promised. "If Bracken wants to stay, we'll make it work."

Dawn nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. "Thanks."

Buffy pulled Dawn into her arms, needing the tangible reassurance of her sister's safety. There hadn't been time for this before. "You did a really good job, Dawnie," Buffy said. "I'm proud of you."

She felt Dawn clutch at her. "Thanks, Buffy."

Submit a Review!