| Caught Author: Cynthia E-mail: [email protected] Rating: PG/PG-13 Summary: Dawn catches Spike in Buffy�s room. That�s all I�m giving ya. Spoilers: basic Season 5, before Crush Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. Feedback: Please? Distribution: YGTS?, obviously, and Danielle�s site(s), if she wants it. Otherwise, ask, please. Notes: My English teacher is zapping my creative energy dry with all these writing papers we have to write because we take the English 10 Writing Test, so if this sucks, I apologize. I�m usually a LOT better at this. Also, in the second part, I was thinking Gundam Wing, so just ignore those references. Dedication: To Collie, because she proposed the challenge, and she gave me the extensions when she didn�t have to, and to Danielle, for being a kickass friend, for introducing my to YGTS?, and so much more. I love ya, girl. ****** Spike picked up yet another shirt that was on Buffy�s chair and held it to his face, inhaling deeply. The cloth smelled exactly like her, as if she had just taken it off. It triggered wonderful images of her to dance in front of his mind�s eye, causing him to become dizzy with love for the one person he wasn�t allowed to love. There came the sound of someone clearing their throat behind Spike. Startled, he turned around before he could manage to hide the shirt. The person there just smirked up at him, not fearing him in the least. Stupid humans..., he thought to himself. "Should I even bother to ask what you�re doing in my sister�s room, Spike?" Dawn asked, smiling widely. "Sod off," Spike mumbled, too embarrassed from being caught by the little rat to think of anything else. "Aww, is Spikey mad he got caught?" the human taunted him. "Didn�t I say �sod off�? I meant it, whelp!" Dawn physically shrunk back, obviously hurt and taken aback by his explosion of emotion. He immediately felt sorry for the act and went to comfort her. She pulled back even further before turning around and racing into her room. She slammed the door once she was safely inside. "Damn," Spike cursed under his breath. This would require some repairs...Which meant he�d have to miss Passions. Yet again. He walked up to the door, where he could hear her sobbing as if the world had ended, taking all she loved from it. He paused there briefly before knocking softly. "Go away!" came her muffled yell. "No, luv, I won�t. I hurt you, and I won�t leave this house until I�ve righted my wrong." There was a silence on the other side of the door before it opened, revealing a red-faced Dawn, tears streaked down her face. "Really?" she asked softly. "Really," he replied, reaching to her face to wipe it clean of tears. "Then, come in, I guess. Do you need an invite when it�s just a room?" Spike walked into her dwelling, taking a quick glance around before giving a slight shake of his head. The space was small, but livable. There was a simple bed in the center of it all, with a bookcase lining one of the walls and an entertainment center on another. In one of the corners was a pile of stuffed animals. It was an average room for a teenager, only a lot neater than most. "Uh, this is the first time I�ve ever had a boy, I mean, a man, I mean, a guy, in my bedroom before," Dawn stated, shifting around nervously. "Um, what am I really supposed to do? Is this it? How am I doing? Should I shut up?" "Breath, luv. I hear it�s good for humans, occasionally." She followed Spike�s advice, taking a few deep breaths before continuing. "Ok, I�m sorry about that. I�m just a little nervous because I�ve never had a...male person...in my room before, not even my Dad. Am I doing everything right?" "Yes, luv, as far as I know, you�re doing fine. Now, what do I have to do to: a)fix what I did, and b)keep you quiet about my being in your sister�s room?" A small smile began to slowly creep it�s way across Dawn�s face as she remembered what had started the whole commotion in the first place. You could almost see the wheels turning in her head. It was a few seconds before she spoke again. "Well...What exactly are you willing to do?" "Anything. I�m desperate to keep my little adventure a secret, and I promised I wouldn�t leave until I�d righted my wrong. Now, what will it be?" "Hmm,...I just can�t seem to know which is the best to do in the situation. I�ve thought of so many wonderful things. So, until I do, why don�t you tell me why you were in my sister�s room in the first place." "My, you are a sly thing. I like that, I like that a lot." "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just get on with it and answer the question." "Of course," Spike said in full grin, mocking an official tone, "although, I think it�s kind of obvious as to why I was in your sister�s room. You see, I have a thing for her. As impossible as it may seem, I like you sister in a way that most vampires, notice I said most, shouldn�t and wouldn�t because she�d kill them on the spot. But she can�t do that to me, you see. I have a chip in my head that takes the bite out of the Big Bad. So, I�m free to love her without the fear of an arse kicking. Have I lost you?" Dawn didn�t speak, she didn�t even move. She just looked at him. Then the corners of her eyes crinkled every so slightly, the only warning to her abrupt and boisterous laughter. Pointing rudely at him, she laughed so hard, her face turned a slight shade of purple. After several minutes, Spike could take it no longer. In a huff, he turned around, intent on leaving the annoying punishment. Before he could, however, she stopped laughing and grabbed his arm, not turning him around or anything along those lines, but just a gesture to show him she didn�t want him to leave. "Please, Spike," she inquired, her brown eyes begging with his clear blue ones. "Don�t leave just because I don�t know when to shut my mouth. But seriously. Put yourself in my shoes for a second. You�re a vampire--" "This I know..." "--and my sister is a Vampire Slayer--" "Yet another thing I knew..." "And you have the hots for her, but she has no interest in you. To me, this is all so hilarious." "Yeah, well, I�m so glad I helped to give you such a knee-slapping day. Are we done here yet?" Spike glared at Dawn, his ice-blue eyes more frosty than normal. If she had not known the cause of the anger, she would have been frightened of him. Instead, she closed the gap between them and looked up into his eyes. It would have been so easy to kiss him. Just a little stretch of her neck and a pucker of her lips, and it would have been done. But his heart didn�t belong to Dawn. It belonged to her. They all belonged to her. Caught up in jealousy over her sister, Dawn looked away from Spike. He misread the signal and thought he�d been too harsh with her. Grabbing her chin, he focused her eyes on his. "I apologize yet again, pet. I should stop being such a hard-ass. Now, what do you want me to do? You never did tell me..." Jealousy temporarily gone, Dawn concentrated on what she was going to do. Her little pink tongue came out of the corner of her mouth as her eyes traveled to the ceiling. "Don�t think too hard now; you�ll break something," Spike teased softly, earning him a glare from the human in front of him. Then Dawn�s pupils seemed to glow. "I�ve got it! I know exactly what you can do for me, and it�ll be done by tomorrow, so this is all behind you..." Dawn told Spike her plan, his entrails twisting at the thought of how bent this girl really was. *** Cursing silently at how he got himself into this situation, Spike dashed from the Summer�s house, his blanket the only thing preventing the bright, southern California sunshine from scorching his skin. He waited until he was safely inside his crypt before he actually contemplated what exactly he just agreed to. Leaning against a dirty, dusty wall, Spike closed his eyes, absorbed in thought. That girl, that Happy Meal with legs, wanted irrational things from him just because she had some incriminating information about what he sometimes did in the middle of the day. It was annoying that he had allowed this to happen. Dawn had given him very little choices when telling him what he was to do to insure her secrecy. In fact, she�d only given him a choice on one of the four things he was to do for her. He was to go up to Riley, that day or that night, his pick, and emphasize on how much Dawn wasn�t a kid, with a possible reference to girls of his need-to-breath days. He was to call his poof of a sire and inform him of the recent events surrounding the Scooby Gang. Politeness was required and name-calling was prohibited. He was to try to convince Joyce that Wicca wasn�t as bad as she thought it was, and it was an okay thing for her youngest daughter to study and practice. And finally, he was to tell Buffy that Dawn is more grown up than she�s given credit for. All this was to be done at his leisure, but the longer Spike waited to complete his given tasks, the �harder� it was for Dawn to keep her secret from her sister. "Dammit, how the hell did I get into this?" Spike asked himself quietly. "Well, I suppose that doesn�t matter anymore." Spike picked up the phone. "Might as well get the hard task done first." He dialed the number and listened to the ringing on the other end. It was only 3:15 in the afternoon, so he should be up... Once, twice, three times the ringing sounded, his bloody sire too lazy or too stupid to pick up the phone. With Spike�s luck, Angel wouldn�t answer the call for another week or two. "Hello?" came the mumbled voice of his sire. "Bloody hell, what took you so long?" Spike said impatiently. "Spike, what do you want?" "Just to talk to my lovely Peaches. How are you doing nowadays?" "Spike, I�m in no mood to play games. I�m going to repeat myself once and once only. What. Do. You. Want?" "Hey, why didn�t that Cordelia answer the phone?" "Spike..." "Alright, alright, I�ll tell you what I want." Spike paused, thinking of exactly how to word everything. "I want a confidant. Someone that I can trust to confide in, someone who knows me and what I�ve been through. And since Dru�s out of the question, and Darla-dear is dead, you�re the only one left." "Why should I trust that�s why you�re really calling?" "I�m not saying you have to, I�m just saying I chose you." "Spike, what game are you playing here?" This continued for several minutes before Angel gave in. From that point after, Angel and Spike shared stories on what had been happening. Then they just talked. They talked about their feelings, about Dru, about Darla, and about anything else that came to mind. For the first time in centuries, Spike was happy to call Angel his sire, if not his friend. Promising to call back soon, Spike hung up the phone. That had be easier and more sincere than he thought it would be. Turning around, Spike walked out into the early evening air, intent upon completing his other three missions. Stopping to light a cigarette, he tried to think of who he wanted to talk to first. Deciding, he walked back to the Summer�s home. Upon arriving, Spike didn�t bother knocking on the back door as he opened it. He stealthily moved through the house, looking for Joyce. He heard some shuffling in the living room. Slowly, he crept into the room. He found Dawn there. "What are you doing here?" she whispered hoarsely. "Well, I was going to find your Mum and talk to her as you asked, but if you don�t want me to..." Spike turned to leave. "No, no, no, no, no, please don�t!" "Well, what do you want me to-- No, I better not say that. I�ll get myself in more trouble than I already am. Where�s your Mum?" "She�s upstairs, talking to Buffy. They�re all secretive and won�t let me in there to listen. I hate it when they get like that." "What were you doing down here all by yourself?" "I was setting the table for dinner before Buffy goes out to slay." "Oh. Well, I�ll help you, before I go talk to Riley. I�ll give you family-time." "Thank you, Spike. For everything." "I don�t have a choice in this, remember? Besides, I�m evil. Who thanks evil?" "I do. Well, I thank you, anyway. Not evil. Only a crazy person would thank evil itself." "Which was my point. Now, where do the forks go again?" *** Spike walked briskly through Shady Lane Cemetery in search of Riley Finn. When he got to the mausoleums, he heard sounds of fighting. There�s Riley, I�m sure....Spike thought to himself. Spike turned the corner, only proving himself right. One of Spike�s old minions was in the midst of getting his ass kicked by a human, a normal human. "Didn�t I teach you better, Heero? You never let a normal human attack and get the better of you." Spike said, slightly mocking the Japanese vampire. T hat�s when he noticed the others in the shadows. "I see you brought friends, Heero. But why are they so shy? Come on, come play." The other four vampires came out into the clearing. The also had been his minions, at a time when things had been so much better for him. "Ah, Duo, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, how are you? Feeding not too well, I see. Why don�t you leave this poor, stupid boy alone. I�ll direct you to some small orphans. You all enjoyed children more extremely well, if I remember correctly. How does that sound?" "You�re tricking us," Heero accused. "You have feelings for this mortal. Is he your lover? If I remember correctly, women weren�t the only thing to please you." "No, he is not my lover, Heero. He�s not even a friend. I was thinking of my old minions. Is that a crime now?" "No, it�s not. Where are these children you talked of?" Quatre asked, impatient as always. "They�re in an vacant house over on Shamrock and Fourth. And, you�re welcome." Spike and Riley watched as the weak vampires scurried toward the address. "There�s no house over on Shamrock and Fourth," Riley stated, a question in his voice. "I know," Spike said. "But it saved your life. You owe me, now." "I owe you nothing but a good stake to the heart," Riley said, his voice so cold it should have caused ice to form on Spike�s clothes. "But you are mistaken, Commander. You do owe me. Those were starved vampires that were using their last bit of strength to obey their small plan. They not only would have killed you, they would have tore every muscle off the bone in order to get every drop of blood. I saved your arse." "Whatever. Obviously, you want something, so what is it?" "Well, this time it isn�t for me. I�ve talked to Dawn, and she�s a bit upset that you keep calling her a kid." "But she is, Spike. You of all people should know that. You�re, what, over 200? She�s 15, a total of at least a 175 year difference. She�s a baby." "That may be true, Riley, but she doesn�t feel like that. She�s a teenager and she feels like she�s grown. You were a teenager not too long ago, a shorter time than when I was a teenager. Don�t you remember how it was?" "Yes, I do. I was having sex all over the place, thinking I was a big hot-shot. But I wasn�t...I guess I can be more respectful about calling her a kid. Now, is that it, Spike?" "Yes, it is. Have fun killing that vampire around the back of the cemetery." "What?! There�s a vamp at the back? �Bye, Spike!" Spike walked out of Shady Lane Cemetery with a smirk on his face. How gullible that Iowa whelp was! He�d have a laugh about that one for a day or two. But he couldn�t think about that right now. *** Spike walked up to the Summer�s house, the third time that day. This time, however, he knocked. Dawn answered the door, a scowl on her face, but a brightness to her eyes. "Just can�t seem to keep yourself away from this house, can you, Spike?" "Of course not. Now, where is your sister?" "She�s out slaying and Mom is over at Giles�, asking him some questions about something. Did you talk to Riley?" "Yes, and he will no longer call you �kid�. Also, before I was here the first time, I had called Angel. All I have left is your Mum and sister. So, ha!" "Then what are you doing standing here, talking to me?" "Right. Off I go to do your bidding. The only time I ever will, too." "Whatever. Have fun, Spike." "Did your sister happen to say which cemetery she was going to first?" "Yes. She�s going to Rich Crest first. She didn�t leave too long ago. If you hurry, you�ll catch her before she leaves." Spike jogged the fourth a mile to Rich Crest Memorial, hoping this night would just hurry up and end. It didn�t take long to find Buffy once there. "What are you doing here, Spike? This is no where near your crypt," her lovely voice said to him. "Yeah, well, I thought I�d see what all this �fighting evil� thing was all about." "Whatever. Do you want something, or are you just bugging me with no objective?" "No, I have a reason." "How much?" Buffy said impatiently. "It�s not money. Do you think that�s all I come to you for?" Spike asked, everything about him softening as it always did around her. "That�s all I really want you to come to me for." "Well, that�s not why I�m here. Not this time, at least. It�s about Dawn." "What about Dawn? Is she alright? Where is she?" "It�s ok, she�s fine. She�s at your house, safely away from all the baddies." "Then what�s wrong?" she asked, concerned. "This is about an observation I�ve made. I mean, I know Dawn�s The Key and all, but don�t you think you�re being a tad too overprotective? She�s more a human than a thing, and she feels like you�re treating her like a child." "How do you know this?" "I asked her. You should try it on occasion. It tends to work." "Yeah, well--" "�Yeah, well� what, Slayer? Your sister is alienated and hurting right now, and the only person she feels she can turn to is an evil vampire with a chip in his brain. How messed up is that? Huh?" "Spike, you�re yelling." "I�m allowed to yell, Slayer. I�ve done it for centuries, and you aren�t going to stop me now." "Well, I wasn�t planning to. It�s just, it happens to be nine o�clock at night, and people in this neighborhood go to bed around that time. Have some courtesy." "Whatever. Just, will you please keep what I�ve said in mind the next time your sister wants to do something, or says something?" "Sure, whatever. Anything if it�ll make you go away, Spike." *** Satisfied with himself, Spike walked casually to Giles�s pad. He knew what Rupert and Joyce were doing, and he knew he didn�t want to walk in on it. He�d seen the looks, smelled what they�d done. It was so obvious. Only, no other person was picking up on it but him. Oh, well. As Spike entered the parking lot, he spotted Joyce unlocking her car door. Her hair was mussed, her lipstick smeared, and her clothes rumpled. She indeed looked as if she had just finished having sex. "Joyce!" Spike called. She looked up, startled. When she realized who it was, she smiled and went to fix herself. "Spike, how are you? I look horrible, I�m sure, but I had such a rough day at the museum, and Rupe-Giles had offered to talk with me afterward. You know, a winding-down time with another adult." "You don�t have to make-up an excuse, Joyce, I can smell that you just had sex with Giles." "W-what? Have sex with Giles? Why would I...?" Her face lost all anxiety as she gave up lying to him. "Just don�t tell anyone, please. Buffy would freak if she found out me and Rupert slept together without the influence of the candy from two years ago." "You�re secret�s safe with me." A wave of relief crossed her face. "But you have to do something for me." "Alright, Spike." "When Dawn next asks you if she can begin to study Wicca, you allow her." "Spike, I just don�t know. Wicca doesn�t seem too safe..." "I assure you, it is. Besides, you can always have Willow help Dawn, Giles teach her what all to do, and have Buffy watch over her as she practices." Still, she was reluctant, but she caved anyway. "Alright, Spike, you win. So, this thing about me and Rupert...?" "Strictly between you and me and Giles." "Thank you, Spike." "You�re welcome, Joyce." *** It wasn�t until the next day that Spike was able to make it over to the Summers' again. He had wanted to make sure that he could talk to Dawn alone, without fear of someone hearing what they said. "Spike, I swear, every time I turn around, you�re always here," Dawn said with a grin on her face. "I did everything that you asked of me. Can I be sure you�ll be quiet?" Spike asked, ready to have this all behind him. "Yes, but you have to do one thing." "Haven�t I done enough, Dawn?" "No. The last thing is an easy thing for you to do. You have to hang out with me at least once a week, got that?" "Why are you doing all this, Dawn? All I wanted was you to keep quiet about me snooping in your sister�s room, and you told me to do all these things before I could count on you being quiet. Why the favors?" "Do you agree?" "Of course, yes. Please answer my question." "It�s quite simple, really," Dawn stated, a small, half-smile on her lips. "I did it all just to have fun with you." |