| Title: Follow Me 1/? Author: Jess Archive: Go a head, just tell me where it is so I can visit. Standard CYA applies. Summary: Spike moves out of the crypt and into his RV. Authors notes: This was supposed to be a simple Spike/Dawn friendship fic that took on a life of its own. As well, this is my first time writing Dawn. I hope I do her justice. Spike tossed the bundles of clothes and money into the few bags that were lying around the crypt. A quick check of the tunnels showed nothing else he wanted to take with him. The pain in chest made briefly made him wonder if the chip was malfunctioning and just randomly providing pain. As he carefully climbed back into the above ground portion of the tomb a smell made him stop. "Hey Bit. In or out?" "How did you know..," Dawn appeared at the tombs step, a slightly confused look on her otherwise pretty features. Spike looked around the crypt distractedly. "You had cinnamon toast for breaky. Someone, not mentioning any Giles names, spilled some Darjeeling tea on your sweater, which the Slayer will be pissed to know you borrowed." "This stalking thing become a full time job for you now?" Dawn asked as she stepped farther into the crypt. Spike looked up from his packing and glared at the girl. "The cinnamon is still on your fingers and your breath. Darjeeling smells for ages and Buffy," He spit the name out "hasn't changed her perfume in since I first smelt her." "Vampire sense thing." She nodded and looked from Spikes bruised face to the usually cluttered crypt. "Got it. You moving?" "Hmm? Yeah, too many arse kicking's in one place tend to get me feeling restless." He looked quickly at the bier and the charred pile of pink linens beside of it. "Time to move on the darker places." "Is this a-a move or a leave?" He caught the look on the young girls face. "Just a move, luv." Spike sucked in his cheeks a bit, making his cheekbones stand out even farther and the pain came flowing back. "I managed to acquired a caravan last night. I must look worse then I bloody well feel. The sod was pretty quick in given over the pink slip." Dawn's eyes raked over the number of bruises and cuts all over the vampire's chest and face. "I thought vampire were supposed to heal quickly, like Buffy does." "We do." He reached for a t-shirt in one of the bags and suppressed at groan as he shrugged it over his head. "Oh. What do you want with a bunch of camels?" Dawn asked, avoiding the topic. "Camels?" "The only caravans I know are the ones from movies about Egypt." "An RV, luv. The portable apartment jobbies that retired people love. Even has a bumper sticker. "If you can read this, get off my ass." Makes it feel authentic. Bedroom in back just made for vamp like me." "Where you gonna park it? Cause we have a big backyard and.." Spike cut her off. "And your big sis is just dying to have me a stake throw away?" Dawn shrugged again. "Not to worry Nibblet. Got a deal worked out with owner of the Sunnydale RV grounds. I keep the biting of his customers to a minimum, I get a space as a fee." He reached for the smouldering fag resting on top of the stone coffin. "And I promise not to kill him while he sleeps. Seemed like a good deal." "You can't kill him. You can barely move and you have a chip your head." Spike took a seat on top the bier, crossed legged with his back the tunnel. "But he didn't know that. Which is the important thing. Now were you by for a reason, or did Slayer sign me up for baby-sitting again?" "I came by to see if you were ok. I'll leave now." Dawns shoulders tightened at the though of another person seeing her as nothing else than a child and she retraced her steps out of the crypt and back into the daylight. Spike pushed the palm of his hand into his eye socket, the fag smoking between his fingers, inches away from his head. He took a painful deep breath and called out to the girl. "Bit! It been a rough couple'a days. You got something on your mind? Other than my well-unbeing." "Glory. Did she..She wants me for something. Did she tell you what?" "Did more poking and cutting then confiding." He nodded to the empty portion of the coffin lid. "Have a seat. I'll tell you what she did say." "Promise not to censor it like Giles and Buffy? If something is going to happen to me, I want to know what I should expect." "If Giles and Buffy are keeping anything from you�' Spike slumped forward on the bier so he had to look up a bit to make eye contact with Dawn. "It's for my own protection, I know. But I could walk into a trap or hurt one of you with all this protection. I need to know." "Suppose you do at that. You sure you want to know? Take a good look at my face, Bit. She did it to me `cause she thought I knew who you were. Wasn't even sure, just thought I might. I can't say I know what she would do with you." "I want to know, I'm sure." "Right. On with the storytelling." Spike sat and smoked and shared what he knew, what had happened with Glory. The fight before hand, the torture, his escape. Spike made sure to include that if Buffy hadn't come in when she did, he would have gone up in flames fighting Glory's minions. He didn't censor, didn't gloss over the pain. He told Dawn about the robot he had built, but didn't go into the details. When he was done Spike was out of fags and Dawn was obviously hungry, her stomach growling every few minutes. "Now you know everything I do, well, not everything. Your still a bit young for most of my knowledge." "I could be hundreds of years old, like you and like Glory." "But until proven otherwise, you are still the Slayers kid sister. Who would come here and beat what ever is left of me if she knew I told you even half of this." Dawn's stomach growled again. "You need food. Buffy will be worried about you, especially if she knows you were comin' here." "She doesn't. Know I was coming here." "Your trying to get me staked, aren't ya? Go home. Tell her you were at the library or somethin'." "Cause she'll totally buy that." "Better than `I was at the crypt of the vampire who made a boink-bot of you and he was telling me about how he got tortured.'" "I'll think of something. Can I visit you at the park?" "Anytime ya like, Bit. Glad to have. Just don't let the princess Clairol know where I am straight off, yeah?" Dawn scoffed. "Like your hair colour in natural, root-boy." She looked puzzled. "Why is that? I mean, you're dead, shouldn't your hair stop growing?' "Hair and fingernails, both keep growing. Even in the completely dead, not just us dashing vampires." Dawn smiled and jumped off the coffin. "What kind of a RV warming present to you want? Anything that doesn't involve blood or Buffy." "Blood of Buffy out the question then right? I need some more Gitanes, Silk Cut if you can't find the Gitanes." "And those would be?" "You know what Marlborough's are right? Red, no filter." "You want cigarettes for a present." "Saves me from buying em, and you said no blood or Buffy." "I'll see what I can do." Dawn started towards the steps of the tomb. "You've got something with ya, yeah? Holy water, cross, Cell phone like every other yank." Dawn studied the tops of her canvas trainers. "What kind of slayers sister are you?" "One that visits vampires." She looked up with a smile Spike returned a slightly resigned grin. "Grab a box, I'll drive." Spike dropped Dawn off about half a block away from her house and watched until she was inside before driving to the RV park. He gave a little wave to the manager, enjoying the waves of fear that rolled off him. "I'm still evil." Spike muttered to himself in satisfaction. He parked the car behind his RV spot, the last and farthest in, and started to unpack his belongings. Slowly. The five broken ribs were healing, and the surface wounds were doing nicely. The big hole where Glory had poked her god- like finger was taking more time. A Junhr demon that owed him a favour had stitched him up pretty well, but it was still a gaping wound. Spike shrugged off the discomfort coming from the injury and tried to concentrate on the unpacking. The flowery curtains came down, as did the ragged poster of waterlogged kitten. Spike smirked at the caption. "Hang in there, kitty. And they wonder why the country is going down hill." He tossed the poster into the heap. Anything that was in the pastel colour palate was either replaced or spray- painted a darker colour. Each window got a deep sun blocking tint along with heavy dark green drapes, effectively creating a sun-proof, vampire friendly interior. The vampire glanced regretfully at the bed in back, and then to the weighty metal door that sat propped up against the small kitchen stove. "No rest for the wicked." Spike stepped out of the RV with power tools in hand ready to get rid of the flimsy aluminium door and replace it with the sturdier metal one he had `borrowed' from the crypt. He managed to get several of the retaining screws out of the original door before he was interrupted. "Hey there! Looks like your doing some renovation to your camper. You worried about burglars? I promise Elli and I won't rob ya." Spike kept his back to the man, willing his demon form down. "Yeah, I'm going up to�Canada later. Worried about�.raccoons and�.mounties." He felt the demon regress and turned to face the man. He was in his early 60's, sporting a sweat suit in an impossibly blue shade. "Ouch, looks like you've already gone a couple rounds with the mounties. You get in a fight?" Spike touched his face, as if he had temporarly forgotten what he must look like. "Coupl'a locals. Thought I was someone else. Had to convince `em otherwise." The older man smiled a bit. "Had to do that a few times myself, in my younger days. Name's George. Wife over there is Elli. It looked like you could use a bit of help with the door, thought I would offer my services." A little confused, Spike raised an eyebrow. "Thanks� but I got it under control." He shook the cordless drill to emphasise the point. George held up his hand in mock surrender. "Hey, just thought you might need some help. That door is gonna need to be held up before you attach it and by the looks of you, I'd say those boys did some bodywork as well." The vampire ran a hand through his already messy hair. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to have another pair of hands." "Good! Now come and have some dinner with Elli and me. We've been through 25 states and we run out of things to talk of. Past three days, just been staring and watching each other chew. You'll give us something to talk about for weeks. The door will keep till after." Spike watched George walk over to the next RV parking spot, dumbfounded. After a few seconds he shrugged his shoulders and followed after. "Oi, George. You smoke?" ------- TBC |