Summary: Sequel to Hoping's Very Fears. Spike and Buffy are trying to decide what their relationship is going to look like. Buffy and Dawn are missing Joyce terribly. And the warlock comes back to town, looking for another pound of flesh.
Author's Notes: This story is the sequel to "Hoping's Very Fears." If you haven't read that one, I'd strongly recommend you do so. Otherwise, it probably won't make any sense. Set in the summer right after BtVS S5. (My Season 5 that is.)
Rating: PG-13
Spike woke late the next morning. He hadn't been able to get more than a few hours sleep for a while now, so it didn't surprise him that he had woken before noon. He was incredibly relieved to be able to scent Dawn in the house. As angry as she had been last night, Spike wasn't entirely certain she would agree to come over.
When he straggled down the stairs, she stood from the couch to greet him. "Hey, Bit." Dawn stalked over to him and kicked him sharply in the shin. "Ow," he protested.
"That was for even thinking about leaving." Dawn glared at him fiercely.
"'m sorry," he said quietly.
Her glare softened. "You can't leave, Spike."
"Not goin' to," he replied. "Not sure I could." He considered the girl for a minute, then said, "Come on."
"Where are we going?" Dawn asked, surprised. "Buffy said we were just supposed to hang out today."
Spike shrugged. "No sense in hangin' out here," he replied. "Easiest place to find either one of us. Let's go."
The vampire threw on a leather jacket and grabbed a blanket before making a mad dash for the sewers. Dawn, with some nose wrinkling, followed. The girl was still trying to decide if following Spike through the tunnels was very cool or very icky when she realized that his duster was missing. "Spike? Where's your coat?"
"Huh?" He turned to look at her, momentarily distracted from figuring their route. "Oh, it got some of that stink on it th' other night. 'm hopin' it airs out after a while, or I won't be wearin' it again."
Dawn frowned in disappointment. "That sucks," she commented. "That's the coolest coat."
There was a strange look that passed over Spike's face, but he simply nodded. "Yeah. It was."
"Have you had it for a long time?" she asked, unaware of the potential land mines that question could set off.
Spike hesitated, then nodded, slowing down so that they were walking side by side. "Yeah. 'Bout thirty years now, I guess. Long time."
"Is there a story to how you got it?" Dawn asked eagerly, sensing that there was, and dying to know. As attached as Spike was to the coat, she couldn't help but think it had some sort of sentimental value. What she wasn't thinking about were the implications of using "sentimental value" and "vampire" in the same sentence.
Spike shook his head. "Not much of one. Not anything you'd want to hear, at least."
"Come on," Dawn coaxed, punching him in the arm. "I know there's a story there. How'd you get it?"
"It's not important," Spike insisted.
"Please?"
"Let it go, Dawn," Spike flared, and immediately felt guilty when Dawn's face fell alarmingly. He sighed, realizing that he'd scared her. The girl had never seen him angry before, not at her anyway. "Look, 'm sorry. It's not something I want to think about, an' it's not a story for little ears. Your sis would kill me if I told you."
Dawn scowled. "I'm not a baby, Spike."
"Yeah, you are," he replied, half serious. When her frown deepened, he sighed, looking over at her. "Look, luv, you're fourteen. 'm a hundred and—" Spike quickly did the math, then blinked. "'m a lot older than you," he improvised. "To me, you're a baby."
"Then Buffy should be a baby too," Dawn replied archly, with impeccable logic. She knew she'd scored when Spike grunted instead of giving her a real reply. "Spike—"
Hearing the wheedling quality in her voice, Spike turned to look at her seriously. "You really think you're old enough to hear this?" he asked, his tone hard. Dawn was a girl still, but if she insisted on growing up, he wasn't going to pull his punches. She nodded. "Pulled that coat off a dead Slayer. A Slayer I killed in New York, back in the 70's. We fought, I snapped her neck, an' I took her coat as a trophy. Satisfied?"
Dawn stared at her friend, not sure how she was supposed to feel now. If she thought she'd be happy that he had told her, she was wrong. Instead, she felt a little sick. Dawn had never really seen Spike as someone to be afraid of. She had only ever heard of Buffy speak of Spike as an irritant, not as any real threat. He'd drunk cocoa in her kitchen and moaned about his love life to her mother. Suddenly, however, Dawn understood that he had truly been a killer. Not just a vampire, but the Slayer of Slayers.
Spike wouldn't meet her eyes as he watched understanding wash across her features. "'m sorry. I shouldn't have told you."
"I'm glad you did," Dawn said, trying to sound sure of herself. "It means you really have changed. Nobody else seems to get that, but I do." When Spike shook his head, as if to contradict her, Dawn grabbed his hand. "I watched that demon almost slice you in half because you wanted to protect me. I didn't get it before, how much that meant."
Spike pulled her to his chest, almost against his own will, aware of the strange picture that they made. A young girl and a vampire, bonding in the sewer tunnels. "Would kill me if somethin' happened to you," he explained. "'d do anythin' to keep you safe, includin' turning the world upside down."
She nodded, and pulled away. "So, where are we going?"
"The movies," he replied, pointing down the tunnel.
Dawn looked at him. "Spike, I don't have any money for the movies."
He gave her an evil grin. "Way we're doin' this, we don't need money."
~~~~~
Dawn had never snuck into a movie theater before, especially not through the sewers. She had to admit that it was fun, the jolt of adrenalin, stemming from fear of being caught, adding spice to the adventure. Since she was certain that sneaking into a movie without paying would definitely be on Buffy's list of "Things That Corrupt My Kid Sister," she'd resolved not to tell her where they'd been.
Spike seemed to agree, and they decided to tell her they'd done nothing when they met her back at the Summers' house, as agreed. What they hadn't considered was that Buffy would know they weren't at Spike's all day.
"Where have you guys been?" she demanded.
Spike and Dawn exchanged guilty glances, telling Buffy that she probably didn't want to know. "Went to the movies," the vampire finally admitted, as casually as possible.
His tone was way too innocent for there not to be any more to the story than that, and Buffy cocked one eyebrow in disbelief. "Okay. What else did you do today?"
"We went to a couple movies," Dawn said. As she was a much better liar than Spike was, she artfully changed the subject. "You weren't supposed to be home for a while."
"I got off early," Buffy said. "It was slow and there were too many waitresses." She sighed. "Look, I don't know what has the two of you looking like that, but I don't want to know. Just—Spike, don't even think about getting Dawn into any kind of trouble. Social Services would just love it if I screwed up."
"We're not goin' to get into trouble. You think I'd let them catch us?" Spike winced, realizing that he'd tacitly admitted to illegal activity.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Pay for the movies next time, okay?" She shook her head. "I swear, you two..."
"What's for dinner?" Dawn asked, wanting to change the subject as quickly as possible.
Buffy shrugged. "I don't know. I don't even think there's anything in the fridge right now. I haven't had time to go grocery shopping the last couple days. We can pick something up on the way to the Magic Box."
"'nother meeting tonight?" Spike asked.
Buffy sighed. "Something like that. I told him we'd stop by before patrol, anyway, and I need to get some training done. Also, Willow and Tara are working on protection spells for the house and the shop. Willow offered to do your house too."
Spike looked touched and doubtful at the same time. "Dunno. It's nice of them to offer, but magic can have funny consequences."
"Oh, Tara and Willow can handle it," Dawn assured him. "They're kick-ass witches."
"Dawn! Language!" Buffy reproved. Turning to Spike, she asked, "Are you coming?"
He shook his head, waving a hand at the light filtering through the curtains of the living room. "Too bright out just yet. 'll take the tunnels an' meet you there after a bit. I'm feelin' a bit peckish anyway, so I should swing by my place first."
Buffy's cheeks turned just a little pink as she said, "Actually, I got some blood for you the other day. You could just eat here and follow. Or we could wait."
Dawn sighed. If Spike and Buffy kept it up with the googly eyes, she was going to be sick. "Just let me know when we're going to leave," she said, smiling as she turned away and went up the stairs. As disgusting as they could be, she still thought it was sweet, the way they seemed to try and not let the other notice how much they liked each other.
It would be so great if they got together. They could be like a real family.
~~~~~
Lyndon looked at his next weapons. Effrendiks were difficult to control, but if he could manage this, he could cause the Slayer and Spike quite a bit of trouble. He hardly thought the Slayer wanted an insane vampire on her hands. Such an ordeal should soften them up nicely for his next trick.
And that was going to be a stunner.
~~~~~
Spike, Buffy and Dawn came strolling through the front door of the Magic Box shortly after the sun had set. Buffy went to the back of the store to talk to Giles, while Dawn and Spike went to the table where Willow and Tara were going over some books. Spike sprawled out in the chair next to Dawn, looking with some interest at the books that were spread out. "What's that then?"
"Books dealing with spells of protection," Willow explained. "We're trying to find a way to put wards up on everybody's house. We started thinking about it with Glory, but we just didn't get the chance to do it right."
Anya called out from behind the cash register, "Just make sure you pay for the ingredients you use."
"Yes, Anya," Willow said, muttering under her breath, "You think she'd give us a discount when we're doing the wards on her house."
The others at the table snickered, just thinking about Anya giving a discount to anybody for any reason at all. "We think we've finally got it right. In fact, we're planning on getting started tonight."
Dawn's eyes lit up. "Can I help?" At Willow's quelling look, she amended it. "Can I at least watch?"
"So, do you want us to put the wards up on your house, Spike?" Willow asked, rather than answering Dawn's question.
Spike was still looking doubtful, although he could certainly see the value of it. "You won't hurt anythin' will you? I'll still be able to come an' go, an' all that?"
Tara smiled at him. "It will just give a warning if someone tries to come in who doesn't belong there. Or if there are magical attacks."
"Well, that's okay then," Spike said, still sounding hesitant. "Long as I don't wake up as a frog at some point."
"That might be an improvement," Buffy teased, her smile growing wider at the glare Spike shot at her. She had approached the table during the course of the conversation with Giles in tow. Xander was looking at the interplay between the two of them with a sense of growing alarm.
Xander might have said something, but Anya came over to him just then and stepped hard on his foot, seemingly reading his mind. He yelped, and then quickly shut his mouth, giving everyone a sheepish look. "Sorry."
Giles looked over those assembled. "Very well. Buffy and Spike will patrol tonight, and Willow and Tara will work on protection wards."
"Wait, do we get jobs?" Xander asked raising his hand.
Buffy looked over at him. "I want you guys to watch Dawn. She doesn't need to be around while the magic stuff is going on."
"But I could help!" Dawn protested. "Or I could be on my own. I am fourteen."
The Slayer didn't look convinced. "Willow and Tara need to concentrate. And the last time you were left on your own, you got kidnapped to raise a Hellgod."
"So not my fault," the younger Summers pointed out. "Come on, Buffy. You can't protect me from this stuff forever. I'm not a kid anymore. I'll bet Spike agrees with me."
Spike went from looking slightly bored to incredibly alarmed. "Uh, you know, I don't really have an opinion here."
"How novel," Giles murmured sarcastically.
Tara, ever the peace-maker, spoke up. "Buffy, it's really okay if Dawn stays with us. I know Xander and Anya could probably use some alone time, and it might be safer. You know, to be with the powerful witches."
Buffy hesitated and then finally nodded. "Fine. Dawn, you can stay with Willow and Tara, but try not to get in the way."
Dawn waited until her sister turned to leave before she stuck her tongue out at her. Spike gave her a look and then smiled at her conspiratorially. "Tell you what," he whispered, "I'll teach you some moves tomorrow, yeah? We'll have our own training practice, Bit." He swaggered out after Buffy, and Xander barely waited for the door to close, before opening his mouth.
"What is going on here?" he demanded. "Buffy is getting way too cozy with the vampire."
"He makes her happy, Xander," Willow said, knowing a little more about what was going on. She and Buffy'd had a long conversation just the day before. "After everything that's happened, I can't see how that's a bad thing."
Xander's eyes widened. "Vampire! Evil undead!" he exclaimed, as though it should be self-explanatory.
"Buffy is old enough to make her own decisions regarding her relationships," Giles said stiffly. "She will have to simply make her own mistakes and be willing to live with the consequences."
"Like lots of sex?" Anya asked cheerfully. "You know, vampires have great stamina. He's probably a good match for the Slayer."
Giles and Xander both looked horrified at the images she just invoked, and Tara hastened to smooth things over. "Buffy knows what she's doing. And Spike's aura has changed."
The others looked at her. "What are you saying, Tara?" Giles asked, feeling a little stupid for not asking Tara if she knew the extent of Spike's changes. She was quite an expert, especially when it came to natural magics.
Tara looked surprised. "It's been changing for a while now, but it took a turn after that warlock hurt him. I—I thought everybody knew, you know, that he had his soul."
"Angel said he didn't have a soul, though," Willow stated. "You were—you weren't there." Willow was beginning to get a strange look on her face. "You had class the day that Buffy was telling us, so you wouldn't have really known."
Tara looked a little confused, not exactly sure what conversation they were referring to, since she wasn't there for it. "Known?" She looked at her girlfriend. "Well, I don't know what—Angel said, but as far as I know Spike does have a soul. He—he's changed on a very fundamental level."
Giles' brows drew together as he pulled his glasses off to clean them. "Then I wonder what Angel knew that he wasn't telling us."
~~~~~
The attack came as a surprise, out of nowhere. They should have expected it, but both Spike and Buffy had been a little too caught up in each other to be highly aware of their surroundings. Unlike the last ambush, however, it wasn't Buffy that the demons headed for immediately.
All three of the tall, wraith-like demons headed for Spike, ignoring the Slayer completely. They piled on the vampire, seemingly trying to rip him apart with their bare—well, hands wasn't quite right. Bony claws with a thin sheathe of skin were all they were, but they were quite effective in tearing at his shirt, putting long, thin scratches into his skin.
"Spike!" Buffy called, throwing herself into the fight. She pulled one of the demons off of him, running a stake through where its heart should have been. "You okay?"
"Think so," he called, trying to get far enough away from the demons so he could get some fighting room. "You seen any of these guys before?"
Buffy was still struggling with the demon she had tried to stake. It wasn't dying, and she wasn't sure what she was going to do. "No, these are new to me." Her demon abruptly pulled away and launched itself back at Spike. The Slayer let out a growl of frustration. "That's it. Nobody gets to mess with my boyfriend."
Buffy's use of that particular term distracted Spike enough so that he was soon at the bottom of a demon pile again, letting out a howl as one of them tore through his jeans, scoring his leg. His cry had Buffy moving just a little faster. With a graceful roundhouse kick, she sent one of the demons flying. She grabbed another by the belt/sash thing that was around its chest, and hauled it off.
The third demon she grabbed by its arm in mid-swipe, just before it clawed Spike again. With a brief twist, she heard the bone break, and then she managed to break its neck. Apparently, neck-breaking worked with these things just as well as it usually did.
The other two demons were coming after her now, deciding she was the bigger threat. This was the kind of thing that Buffy loved—the fight, the adrenalin, the confidence that came from knowing she was going to win. Even when nothing else in her life was going right, she could always count on slaying to make her feel better.
Vaulting off the back of one demon, she crashed into the second, using her momentum to take it to the ground. She snapped that one's neck as well, turning just in time to see Spike doing the same to the third. They looked at each other, and then at the demons. "Okay," Buffy said slowly when the bodies just sat there. "You know, after the other night, I don't know whether to be relieved or disappointed that they're not doing the dissolvey thing."
"After the Miroks?" Spike asked. "Definitely relieved. Better get them out from the open though."
Buffy looked around the park where they'd been attacked and nodded. "You're probably right. Let's get this done. I really didn't want to spend my whole night out here."
"You got plans, luv?" Spike asked, grabbing one of the demons by its bony arm.
She gave him a coy look. "Well, there's this guy. I thought I might ask him to hang out with me tonight. Especially since my little sister is spending the night with my friends."
"You know where this is going don't you?" Spike asked, correctly guessing that he was the guy in question.
Buffy smiled. "I had a few ideas." They dragged the bodies to a more wooded area, hiding them as best as they could under some brush. "You still thinking I'm the target?" she asked when they'd finished. "Because it definitely looked like they wanted you."
Spike shrugged. "Yeah, seems that way, doesn't it?" He shook his head. "Don't have any idea what they were. Hopefully, your Watcher'll have more information. We can figure out what the bloody hell is going on. I'd like ta have a nice, quiet evening."
"In your dreams," Buffy replied.
He leered at her a bit. "Well, 'd like to be makin' my own noise at least." Spike stared at her. "Buffy? What—" He tried to duck as her fist came out of nowhere to hit him in the nose. Her eyes were glowing red. "Buffy! Wait!" He tried to protect himself from the blows in vain, knowing there wasn't anything he could do to stop her.
He just had to hope that whatever was possessing her wouldn't force her to stake him before he had a chance to get away.
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