Dawn wakes from her deep slumber as the sun begins to rise.

“What time is it?” she asks, removing herself from my lap and sitting bolt upright beside me.

“About seven would be my guess.” I tell her.

“Has Buffy come down yet?” she asks, concerned about her big sis.

“Not yet. We should let her sleep in. There’s not much she can do until nightfall anyway.”

“Yeah, but knowing Buffy she’ll be up early anyway.”

“True, Pet.” Dawn looks at me in a peculiar way out of the corner of her eye, obviously contemplating whether to say what’s on her mind.

“Spit it out ‘lil bit.” I tell her.

“Are you in love with my sister?” she blurts out. Her question really takes me by surprise. I actually thought I was doing a bloody good job concealing it. Insults have still been thrown; punches have still attempted to be thrown.

“Spike?”

“Of course I’m not you git! What kind of a bloody question is that? Are you in love with my sister?” I mimic her voice. “I’m a vampire. She’s a slayer. the very idea is not natural! Angel’s a testament to that.”

“I know it’s not natural.” Dawn says, “but do you? Really?”

“I just said it didn’t I?”

“I know what you said. But I also see how you look at her, how you do what she says, how you follow her around and you’re always protecting her…”

“Well I’m not in love with her, alright? That would be sick; it would be sick and wrong. And she’d kill me, she’d bloody put a stake right through my heart.”

“But you still love her right?” she prods.

“Jesus Christ munchkin. Do you never bleedin’ give up?”

“I’m just worried about you.”

“Worried, about me? Why?”

“Because Buffy would never, I mean never love you back. And I know what that feels like. How lonely it feels to love someone and get nothing in return.”

“How on earth could you know anything about that? You’re barely out of the womb.”

“Trust me, I know.” She says sincerely. I sigh, knowing that everything she’s said is the truth. The truth that I’ve been trying to convince myself for quite some time.

“She never will, will she? Love me, I mean.”

“No, she won’t.” she tells me sympathetically. “She won’t.”

“Spike, Dawn, are you awake?” Buffy calls as she comes down the stairs.

“Yes Buffy.” Dawn tells her. Buffy enters the room, looking all ready for battle.

“What’s with the weapons?” I ask. “Not gonna make good on your promises are you, coz if so, I might leave…”

“Spike, I’m not going to kill you.” She sighs, “atleast not today. Today you help me take out Angel and Darla when they’d least expect it…in the daylight.”

“We don’t even know where they are.” I remind her.

“I know where they are.” She tells me. “Angel wouldn’t come back here without going back to his old home.

“Are you sure?” Dawn asks.

“I’m positive. I know him.”

“Well, let’s go get the others then.” I say, rising from the couch and putting on my leather jacket, actually quite excited about the prospect of taking Angel out once and for all.

“No.” Buffy says bluntly. “I don’t want anyone else there. But you and me can take care of ourselves and make this ambush quick and painless.”

“I doubt painless would be the word…”

“Dawn, you’re to go to Willow and Tara’s and stay there until I come for you.”

“Or until you receive her corpse.” I add. Buffy glares at me contemptuously. “Kidding.”

“Let’s go.” She commands me with the tilt of her head, tossing an axe in my direction. I catch it in one hand and follow her lead, just like always.

“Well, well, well. Look who’s here.” Angel says as Buffy and I enter the now beaten down door to his crypt.

“Why don’t you seem at all surprised?” Buffy asks the very question I’d been asking myself. In fact, not only does he not seem surprised, he seems as if he’s been expecting us, even almost prepared.

“You forget Buffy, I know you.” He answers, swinging his sword carelessly about in his hand as Darla tosses hers aside and replaces it with a wooden stake, obviously meant for me.

“And we both know you.” Darla says to me. “At least we thought we did. But here you are, palling around with the slayer.”

“He almost resembles a man in love.” Angel laughs.

“Atleast he can go to his grave along side his love.” Darla adds as she flies toward me with her stake.

Maybe I was right after all…maybe Dawn will be receiving her sister’s body tonight.