| Title: The Space Between (2/??) Author: rowan Rating: R Spoilers: Post-Season 5 (spoilers up to and including "The Gift") Disclaimer: None of these characters or quotes belong to me; they belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. All song lyrics belong to the Dave Matthews Band. Feedback: Yes, please. Archived: Please e-mail [email protected] if you're interested. Summary: This is just the simple story of how a monster became a man. The Space Between What's wrong and right Is where you'll find me hiding, waiting for you The Space Between Your heart and mine Is the space we'll fill with time "The Space Between", Dave Matthews Band Chapter Two - Sleep to Dream Oh, I sleep just to dream her I beg the night just to see her That my only love should be her Just to lie in her arms "Sleep to Dream Her", Dave Matthews Band June 2001 Doc�s long snake tongue comes out. He dodges it, but Doc trips him. Doc�s lifting him, twisting his arm behind his back. He tries to break his hold, but Doc�s too strong. �No,� he whispers. He sees Dawn, he hears her crying; and then he�s falling, falling, hearing himself scream, hearing Dawn scream. The wind is rushing by him. He turns his head. Next to him is Buffy, her head thrown back, her eyes closed, her golden hair streaming in the wind. She turns her head to him, her eyes opening to meet his. �Every Slayer� has a death wish.� She turns her face away. He reaches for her, but she�s just beyond his grasp. He stretches until his arm feels as if it will burst from the shoulder socket, but he can�t touch her. She won�t look at him again. The ground is rushing towards them. Faster, faster, faster; he can�t reach her, he can�t reach her, he can�t reach her� It was dusk. Spike bolted upright in the bed, knocking an empty bottle of Jim Beam to the floor. It crashed, shattering. Christ. He fumbled in his pocket for his cigarettes and lighter. When his shaking hands were finally able to light one, he took a deep drag, burning his lip. He didn�t feel it. He grabbed his duster off the bier, scooped up a couple of stakes, and headed out. The night was unseasonably cool. He walked through the cemetery. Without his conscious will, his feet led him to a quiet corner, shaded by willow trees. He stopped a few feet from the grave. He touched it and a blue spark from Will�s anti-demon protection spell sizzled its welcome. �You think I like having you in here!? Destroying everything that was me, until all that�s left is you, in a dead shell.� The Slayer�s body was here, so he came. But it wasn�t real. The real part of her was somewhere else and he was on the big disinvite list. Permanently. She was gone and the shell of him held her ghost. �Hey look Ernie, it�s Spike.� Spike turned and saw a Neanderthal-looking vamp approaching with his smaller, more timid-looking buddy. �The Slayer�s neutered puppy.� �Looking for me?� Spike asked politely. Mort guffawed. �Nah. You�re just a bonus. We heard the Slayer was dead. We came to pay our respects.� He and Spike began to circle each other. Ernie shifted on his feet nervously. �Let�s just keep going, Mort. We�ll find ourselves a nice couple of kids to split.� Spike grinned evilly. �Yeah, mate, listen to your pet.� �Hey!� Ernie protested weakly. Mort�s smile disappeared. �I don�t think so. At least not until I pay my respects to the lady.� With a retching sound, he spit. A large gob of mucus landed on Buffy�s grave. Spike threw himself at Mort. Knocking Mort down, he began to deliver a series of hard punches to Mort�s face with both hands. Ernie, after looking scared for a few seconds, ran. As Spike stopped to reach for a stake, Mort threw him off with a backhand punch, sending Spike airborne. He crashed to the ground on top of a grave, stunned for a second as his head hit a tombstone. Mort followed and they struggled for several minutes, neither one able to get the advantage. Mort finally delivered a follow-up kick to Spike�s head that split his lip, bloodied his nose, and knocked him down again. Standing over a dazed Spike, it was Mort�s turn to grin evilly. �Hey lapdog, I hear the Slayer has a little sister. Maybe after I finish you off, I�ll head over and pay my respects to her in person.� Spike felt the rage course through him. He swept out a leg, tripping Mort. Standing up quickly, he stomped on Mort�s head. Hard. The vampire screamed. Grabbing Mort by the collar, Spike dragged him up and began beating Mort�s head against a tombstone. �What you did for me, and Dawn�that was real.� As Mort struggled, Spike continued to pound his head against the tombstone. Soon, Mort�s body became limp and he stopped struggling. Spike continued to smash Mort against the tombstone. Blood and brain matter began to splatter Spike�s hands, face, and clothes. It ran down the tombstone. Fwak! Mort exploded to dust in Spike�s hand. He looked up, startled out of his bloodlust. �We only need to dust �em, Spike, not puree �em.� Xander lowered the crossbow. Spike wiped the blood from his nose and mouth with the back of his hand. �Yeah.� Neither one noticed the two observers in the shadows. ************************************************************************************************************************************* Anya, Willow, and Tara were in the living room when Xander arrived. He pulled Anya up out of her chair and then sat down with her in his lap. She curled around him. �How was patrol?� she asked. �Dusty. The Xan Man and his trusty crossbow bagged two bad ass vamps.� He frowned. �Well, one scaredy-cat vamp who was running away and one that Spike had already beaten into submission.� �Where�s Spike?� asked Willow. She was stretched out on the couch, her head in Tara�s lap. Xander shrugged. �He�s not exactly forthcoming guy about his plans. He shows up for patrol, he patrols, he leaves. I never thought I�d say this, but I sort of miss the old sarcastic Spike. You could never get him to shut up. Now, it�s like pulling teeth.� Willow closed her eyes as Tara stroked her hair. �We all miss things.� Everyone was silent for a moment. Xander�s hand covered Anya�s where it lay on his chest; he fingered the diamond ring there. �So I guess I missed wedding planning stuff?� �Yes. We have selected my dress, but you cannot see it unless we wish for extremely bad luck and possible leprosy.� Anya smiled brightly. Xander raised his eyebrows. �Whoa. Like my body parts just the way they are. No more dress questions.� Anya nodded. �I, too, like your body parts.� Willow opened her eyes. �Leprosy Bad. Secrecy Good.� �Where�s the Dawnster?� Xander asked. �Upstairs listening to music.� Tara shuddered. Dawn�s musical tastes were notorious. �I think she was expecting Spike.� Xander said, �You know, it�s hard to tell from his usually creepy, evil deadness, but Spike seemed extra creepy tonight.� �How?� Willow asked. �Well, he almost pounded a vamp into hamburger against one of the headstones near��. He stopped and regrouped. �Usually he�s too cool for words. Big Bad Spike. But he almost looked out of control. Raging Spike.� �Icky.� �Yeah, you said it. But it makes me worried, what with Dawn spending so much time with him.� Tara spoke up. �Spike would never hurt Dawn, right honey?� She looked down at Willow. �No,� Willow said, considering. She frowned. �At least not while its chips ahoy in Spike�s head.� Xander was unconvinced. �Maybe we should talk to Giles when he gets back from England. Start limiting the Dawn and Spike contact. At least to when we�re there to supervise.� Willow stirred, and Tara released her so that she could sit up on the couch. �Dawn�s very attached to Spike. She said that Buffy asked Spike to protect her.� �We only have Spike�s word for that,� Xander pointed out. Tara interjected. �But all he�s done is look out for her since��. She let the sentence trail off. Xander dropped the subject. �Speaking of Giles, when is he coming home, Will?� �He called today. He said he�s almost done with the Council of Watchers. It should be any day now.� She sighed. �No news about Hank. He�s apparently still on the African safari thingy & totally incommunicado.� �Creep,� Xander muttered. Willow continued. �Giles is worried that someone from DCFS will come out here and find out he�s gone. I told him not to worry.� She smiled. �I�m working on a spell that can make them believe that Tara is Giles.� �Well, I hope the Council of Watchers has some good news about the new Slayer. The vamp activity is really picking up. Spike and I are getting pushed to the limit. Soon it�ll be as bad as�� he stopped. Willow finished. �Before Buffy.� On the stairs, Dawn stood up. She picked up the first aid kit and quietly snuck out the back door. ************************************************************************************************************************************ Spike sat up on his bed when he heard the noise at the door to the crypt. He picked up a stake, wondering if some of Mort�s pals had come to even the score. Dawn entered without knocking. Spike put down the stake. �One of these days, Bit, I�ll stake you by mistake.� Dawn rolled her eyes. �Not. Keen vampire senses and all.� Sitting down on the bed next to him, she opened the first aid kit. �Let�s see the damage tonight.� It was Spike�s turn to roll his eyes but he obediently turned his face towards her. Dawn put some antiseptic on a piece of gauze and began dabbing at his split lip. He jerked back, hissing at the sting. �Ooh, Big Bad,� she teased. �Did that hurt?� �Keep the pressure on.� �I always do, sweet bit.� He took the gauze from her hand and finished the job. �No. You�re just no Florence Nightengale.� Unfazed, Dawn moved a bit closer. �What�s that in your hair?� Spike shrugged. �Vamp brains.� Dawn looked a little squeamish. �Gross.� Spike put the gauze down. �Did you come over here alone?� �Ummm�maybe,� Dawn mumbled, looking away. Spike sighed angrily. �Look, you wanna be a pint-sized demon snack, do it. Just not in my graveyard.� Dawn stood up, her feet crunching on some broken glass on the floor. She stooped and began picking up pieces of the broken Jim Beam bottle. Her long hair fell like a dark curtain between them. �I�m not a kid. I�m fifteen. I can�t be under house arrest.� Her voice wobbled a little. Her hand tightened on the glass shards until one cut her. She dropped them to the floor. Spike watched her, silent. Then he reached out to pull her back on the bed. He held her bloody hand for a minute. Finally, as he began to wrap gauze around it, he said, �Magic Box. Tomorrow. Dusk. Self-defense training.� Dawn smiled. |