| Dancing Part 9 by Kass Shakespeare Spike laid on his bed, his whole body still aching like hell. He wondered what Buffy would have done to him if Angel hadn�t showed up. Angel, from all eight billion people in the world he had to be the one to save him. Spike reached his hand to his nose, which was obviously broken. It didn�t bleed anymore but it still hurt. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes again, trying to get some sleep. �Bloody hell!� he cursed as he heard someone knock at the door. He was scared it could be the Slayer again, but she maybe wouldn�t knock. �Come in,� he shouted, not able to get up from the bed. �Hey Spike,� Dawn said and he carefully moved his head to the side so he could see her. �Dawn!� �Oh my god, Spike!� she said and gasped as she saw how beaten up he was. Was that really her sister who had done this? Dawn couldn�t believe it. He had a black eye and dried blood stuck on his forehead and nose. She sat down beside him on the bed and carefully caressed his cheek. �Nice you came,� he said. �I didn�t know that Buffy had beaten you up so badly,� she said, her big blue eyes looking at him sadly. �Well yeah, she did. I couldn�t defend myself, bloody chip,� he cursed. �Poor Spike,� Dawn said and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. �Aren�t you supposed to be angry with me?� he suddenly asked. Dawn shook her head. �I acted like a stupid teenager in love and you were acting like a gentleman.� Spike smiled. �Damn, I am almost twenty years old but my behaviour was that of a thirteen year old.� �Oh, I was just almost 127 and acted like a thirteen year old when I went after your sister,� he said and they both chuckled. �But I was really silly last night,� Dawn said slightly embarrassed. �You were silly? Then listen to this. One night I was standing in front of your house, watching up to her window, smoking one cigarette after the other. Silly enough to do that, even sillier getting caught.� �Buffy caught you stalking her?� Dawn smirked at the thought. �Yeah, she asked me what I was doing there �Five words or less!�,� he quoted. �And what did you say?� �Out. For. A. Walk.� Spike answered. �That were only four words,� Dawn noticed. �Bitch,� the vampire added. �Okay, that was number five then.� Dawn laughed. �And once I even called her ten times on one evening and hung up immediately when she got on the phone. How pathetic is that?� �Maybe I would have done that too of I had your number.� Dawn shrugged. �Now I am asking you, who was behaving childish?� Spike teased. �You were,� Dawn answered and laughed again. She laid down on the bed beside him and propped her head against her hand. Spike smiled at her weakly and then slowly leaned in and kissed her softly. This kiss was so much different from the kisses of last night. It was tender and slow, their tongues barely touched. Only their lips met for a very long time. Spike reached for Dawns hand and their fingers entwined slowly as they were still kissing. After a while they broke the kiss and Spike looked Dawn deep in the eyes. �You are so beautiful,� he whispered and stroked her arm up and down only with his fingertips. Dawn then rested her head on his shoulder and began running circles with her fingers on his chest. He put his other arm around her and so they laid for a long time in this sweet embrace, not saying a word. In this tender moment Spike felt a warmth he hadn�t experienced for a very long time. In hisw hole unlife he hadn�t felt so save and happy like now. With Drusilla it had been completely different. Their love was passion and pain, need and desire, but now as he listened to the wonderful sound of Dawn�s heartbeat he felt perfect bliss. �I should go now,� Dawn said faintly, her eyes still closed. �Buffy will worry what we are doing all the time. She needs time to get used to this.� �Okay.� Spike kissed her on the forehead gently while his hand was rubbing her back. Dawn looked into his light blue eyes and smiled happily. Their lips met again for a long kiss. �Didn�t you say you had to go?� Spike asked teasingly. Dawn sighed and sat up but then leaned forward again and placed another kiss on his cool lips. Finally she could let go off him and sat up completely. �I have to go,� she said again. �Go already,� Spike pretended to threat and Dawn laughed. �Okay, okay. I�m already on my way.� She got up from the bed and headed for the door. �Bye,� she said, turning around a last time. �Bye luv,� he answered and Dawn left. Spike smiled and closed his eyes to fall into a deep and relaxing sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As Dawn came home Buffy was in the kitchen, preparing lunch. She was cutting some vegetables and prepared a salad while two big T-bone steaks were roasting in a pan. �Hey Buffy,� Dawn said and her sister turned around. �Hey Dawn,� she said crying. �Okay, maybe you really can�t cope with this situation yet,� Dawn mumbled. �Huh?� Buffy looked at her with red eyes. �Oh, no, I was just cutting onions.� �Oh, okay,� Dawn laughed. �Lunch will be ready in five minutes,� the older sister said and continued preparing the salad. �Don�t wanna act all motherly again and ask me all sorts of embarrassing questions?� Dawn asked. �No, better not. Would I have any reason to ask?� Buffy frowned and Dawn chuckled. �That�s an indirect question on what I did.� �You don�t have to tell me anything. You are grown up now.� Buffy put the vegetables in a big bowl. �Okay,� Dawn said and wanted to go to the dining room. �Did you do anything?� she asked. �No wait, I don�t want to know.� Dawn laughed. �Buffy, calm down okay. Nothing happened although that�s not really your business.� Buffy just sighed and finished the salad. �Okay, sit down, lunch is ready.� While the two women were sitting at the table and eating, the phone suddenly rang. Buffy left the table and picked it up. �Hello?� she said and then looked at Dawn. �It�s for you. Jim.� Dawn went to the telephone. �Hi Jim, what�s up?� Buffy watched her sister while she was cutting her steak into little pieces. �What?� Dawn asked with a concerned look. �Oh my god. We have to�.Yes�.Uh huh��I will be there in a minute.� Dawn hung up. �What happened?� Buffy asked worried. �The contest, it won�t be in two weeks, they changed it because they didn�t have enough money to prepare everything for two weekends,� Dawn answered. �Well, when is it then?� �Pre-selection on Friday and the contest already next Saturday. I have to go training,� she said quickly and headed to her room to grab her dance shoes and then ran out of the house. �Good luck!� Buffy called after her sister but she was already gone. Dawn and Jim trained all afternoon and evening. They only allowed themselves short breaks when they had finished an important part of their program. This would be a disaster. They hadn�t trained enough in the last week because of all the things that had happened with Spike and they would never be ready for the contest until Saturday. Maybe they wouldn�t even be under the best ten couples after the pre-selection. But Dawn had to think positive. All that counted was that she gave her best. Normally she wouldn�t be able to train after such an upsetting night with only four hours of sleep but she tried to think of the wonderful morning with Spike to calm herself down. But thinking just distracted her from dancing. She desperately tried not to think about anything, only to concentrate on the music and after a while she succeeded. She only listened to the rhythm and closed her eyes and suddenly the effort was gone and she felt light like a feather. It had always been hard work for her to train but this time she let the music control her and everything went by itself. It was almost as if she didn�t have any control of her feet anymore. They just did what they have to do. �Wow,� Jim said after the music had stopped. �That was�great!� Dawn smiled. �How did you do that?� he asked wondering. �I don�t know, I just danced,� she answered. �Well, then just dance again, okay?� She nodded and they went through their program some more times. The sun had already set a long time ago as Dawn finally got out of the dance school. She was tired but not in the exhausted way she was usually. Jim drove her home and she went to bed. She was just about to nod off as she suddenly thought about Spike. �Damn,� she said to herself. She had totally forgotten to visit or call him. She switched the light on again and quickly dialled the number of the directory assistance. She asked for the motel in Kings Street and got to the reception. �Room 23 please,� she said and was connected. �Hello?� Spike asked as he picked up the phone. �Hey, it�s me.� �Hello luv,� he said and switched off the TV so he could hear her better. �Are you feeling better?� she asked. �Oh yeah, much,� he answered. �What are you doing?� �I was watching TV. And you?� �I am about to go to sleep. It�s been a hard day.� �Oh,� he said and Dawn could hear disappointment in his voice. �I told you about this contest, didn�t I?� �Yep, you did.� �Well,� Dawn was lying on her back, curling the phone cable around her finger while she was speaking. �They changed the date for it. It will be next Saturday already and so Jim and I had to train all day.� �Uh huh. Did it go well?� �Yes, very,� Dawn said smiling. �But I will still have to train hard the whole week. I won�t have much time.� �Okay.� �But I can see if I can come before training tomorrow, or after it maybe.� �If you don�t want to come you don�t have to,� Spike suddenly said. �Spike, I want to come. How can you think I don�t want to see you?� Dawn was a little upset. �Okay, sorry, I just thought�� �Don�t ever think something like that. I will visit you as soon as I have time. But this contest is really important and I have to train.� �Right, I wish you good luck with it.� �Thank you.� Dawn�s smile returned to her face. �I miss you.� �Of course you do,� was his answer. �Why do you do that?� she asked with a sigh. �Do what?� �Why can�t you say what you feel?� �What do you want to hear?� �How about you miss me too?� she suggested. �Okay, I miss you too,� he finally said but not only because she had wanted it from him. He really did and Dawn knew. �Good night,� she whispered. �Good night.� Dawn hung up and switched the light off. She fell fast asleep and dreamed she was sleeping in Spike�s arms. |