| Dawnty's Inferno Part 4: She's Dead, Spike Author: Jerri Cocke Summary: Dawn and Spike meet and talk after Joyce's death. They both angst. Disclaimer: Joss owns all, I own none. I do try not to break them to badly before I return them. Distribution: If you have, take. If not, ask. Spoilers: The Body, season five in general. Feedback: It gives me a happy. Dawn looked up at the blond vampire, who walked beside her. Spike had a profound look of grief on his beautiful face. There were traces of blood in the corners of his eyes. She had known that he loved her momma, but she hadn't realized how much. Dawn stumbled slightly as the approached the park. Spike grabbed her elbow to steady her, and felt the teenager trembling. He slipped one arm around her thin shoulders and brought her to his chest as her tears began to fall. "Do you need to sit down, Kitten?" She nodded as Spike guided her to a secluded bench. She cried silently, drops of sadness, pouring down her face. Spike wrapped his arms around her and held her securely as she wept. After long minutes, the brunette sniffed and pulled away to wipe at her face with grimy hands. Spike dug in the pockets of his duster, finally finding a handkerchief that was clean. He gently wiped the tear stains from the girls' face. The mismatched pair sat in silence as they thought about the past and in their own way, each wondered how they could go on without the woman they both thought of as mum, in their lives, or unlife as the case may be. Finally Spike broke the silence, "They are sure it was something to do with the tumor?" "The doctor said that it was a wall that weakened, and broke. That it was fast and that Momma, felt very little pain. I saw her you know. I snuck back into the morgue and saw her. She looked like Momma, but she was cold. Is Momma cold?" "No, Kitten, your mum isn't cold. I know for a fact that there is a hell, and I believe there's a heaven and as surely as we are sitting here, your mum is in heaven. Kitten, she'll never be cold again." "You're not just saying that to make me feel better?" The teenager turned a determined face up to him, "Cause I can deal. This is so horrible, but I can, no I have to deal." "Kitten, I have no doubt that Joyce is in heaven. She was one of the best women I ever knew. She didn't judge, she just accepted that there was good in everyone, and she brought out that good, even in the big bad. She always made me feel better then I really am." *choked sob* "She made me hot chocalate, with those little marshmallows. She understood more than anyone I've ever known." Dawn reached up and traced the trails of blood running down the vampire's face. She sighed as she accepted, finally, that her momma wasn't coming back, ever again. Spike sniffed and suddenly smelled what he had missed before. "Kitten when were you attacked, this time? I can smell a vampire on you." "A fledgling woke up in the morgue while I was there and tried to have me for breakfast, Buffy got there in time to save me. I'm alright. It's not like I'm not getting used to it. It seems that everytime I turn around something is trying to kill me." Spike grinned slightly, looking down at his, (Oh, bloody hell,) best friend. "Dawn, they should have named you Dawnty. You are a demon magnet." A tremulous smile appeared on Dawn's face, "It must run in the family." Together they sat and accepted, what was to both of them unacceptable. And together they stood, knowing that there would be more storms of grief, but accepting that they would go on. "Come on Kitten, let's get you safe home." tbc |