| Fly Home Pigeon Fly away home pigeon Fly high and free You do not belong here There is somewhere else you should be You say you don�t belong anywhere And I say you are wrong Someone is there waiting for you You may not know it Neither do they So fly away home pigeon High and free To a new life And a new world of dreams Heather Doute February 23, 2005 |
Time Line: Buffy Season 6: Seeing Red changed ending, Tara isn�t dead, Willow still goes evil makes a deal with Buffy. Angel Season 3: Connor is still a baby and the gang is still together, Cordelia doesn�t become a higher being Part One: Mending a Broken Wing No one had known that Dawn was home that night. That she alone could hear their arguing from her bedroom. Spike�s desperate pleas for love from someone Dawn felt was incapable of the emotion. At least since Buffy came back from heaven anyway. Dawn knew exactly how Spike felt, because often she felt the same desperation when it came to Buffy. That�s why she had stolen the things she did. She had been close to having her back with the forgetfulness spell, and at times had wished that it had never ended. Then maybe she would have had a chance with Randy. She�d wished to herself for a long time that Spike loved her instead of Buffy. Dawn had a crush on Spike for as long as she could remember. She didn�t know what heaven had been like for Buffy, but for Dawn heaven had been this past summer with Spike. He had shown her the genius behind Monty Python, taught her how to cheat at poker, introduced her to English Literature and the Sex Pistols, not to mention the countless hours eating pizza and blooming onions while watching Passions. Spike would even fix her hair up into all kinds of Victorian styles, then tell her that if she told anyone he would drain her dry. To Dawn, Spike was more than her protector and baby sitter, he was her best friend and the person she loved more than anything in the world. Hearing the arguing escalating and knowing Spike like she did, she knew that his demon was getting forced into a position it probably could not come back from. Dawn also knew that the humanity still in Spike would never forgive itself, even through desperation. That�s if Buffy didn�t bury a stake in his heart. Buffy�s �first slayer� demon often lost control when angry and wouldn�t think twice about dusting Spike and vacuuming up the remains. Dawn did the only thing she could think to do at the time. It seemed like everyone was in a desperate mood for the evening. �Jeez, Buffy could you hurry up in there. Some of us actually have to pee once in a while.� Dawn pounded on the bathroom door and was glad when the voices desisted their tirade. The door was immediately flung open when such force by Spike that it nearly propelled Dawn backwards and toward the stair railing, which thankfully was there or she just might have gone down the stairs. �I�m sorry Nibblet.� Spike put his hands out to steady her only to be physically forced away by a bathrobe clothed Buffy. �Don�t lay a finger on her. Don�t you ever come near any of us again?� �Buffy he didn�t . . . � �Stay out of it Dawn, you don�t know what�s going on.� Buffy pushed Spike into the widest part of the hallway standing between them. �Get out of this house and never come back, in fact get out of Sunnydale because if I ever see you again it will be as dust.� Buffy punched Spike so hard in the face that he rocked back. Seeing Spike clenching his hands, Dawn tried to step between them. �Buffy no. You can�t do this. Don�t send him away.� Now it was Dawn in desperation. She couldn�t lose her one true friend, not now, not after all they had been through together. Without Spike s no one was left here for her. �This has nothing to do with you, Dawn, we can�t trust him, not like we ever could.� Buffy pushed Dawn back so hard that she fell cracking her head on the banister as she went. It was Spike�s name that she called as the stars and pain formed at her temple. Trying to reach out to him she faded into darkness unaware of Spike�s giving in to Buffy�s lament and leaving. Pausing and whispering to her on his way down the stairs �I�m so sorry Dawn, I hope someday you can forgive me.� It wasn�t but an hour later that Dawn came to in her own bed. Buffy sitting beside her a cool washcloth in her hand. �Spike.� Was the only word that formed on her lips? �He�s gone and a good riddance. Look at what kind of things happen whenever he is around. Hopefully by now he�s out of town for good, because if I ever see him again I will turn him into fertilizer.� Buffy was trying to pass off what she did to Dawn as Spike�s fault. As the cobwebs cleared Dawn�s head she began to see a lot of things more clearly and she knew that she couldn�t stay here anymore, not with Buffy. If Spike was gone, then she would have to find somewhere else to go. Maybe she would move to her dad�s. He had been wanting a visit, but Buffy kept telling him that it just wasn�t a good time. Maybe now was the absolute best time to go. Dawn wasn�t stupid, she knew that it was Buffy�s fault that dad wasn�t around anymore. She had kept pushing him away when they needed him the most. It wasn�t so bad when mom had still been alive. Dawn and her dad had still taken time to have weekends together. Buffy was always too involved with whatever Buffy was doing. At first Dawn hadn�t wanted to go live with her dad after Buffy had died, because everything and everyone she knew were here in Sunnydale, but maybe it was the time to move onto something new. The last email from her dad still held and invitation to come and live with him for the summer in L.A. since he was finally home from Spain. �Buffy, I want to go live with dad.� It wasn�t a question. It was a statement. �Dawn, I promise, Spike won�t be around to hurt you anymore. He�s gone. I won�t ever let him near you or anyone I care about ever again. What I had with him was sick and twisted and for a while I needed that. It�s not like I ever loved him, it was about sex and trying to feel something. Still, I promise you it will be better from now on.� Buffy tried to take Dawn�s hand in hers but Dawn pulled her hand away and held it close. �This isn�t about Spike. Buffy, this is about you.� Dawn stood up and turned her back away from her sister looking out of her window into the dark night. Tonight most of all she wished she could look out her window and see Spike standing underneath the oak tree and it was comforting when she found he had not left his post. It made her smile, although she quickly erased it. �What do you mean Dawn?� Buffy dumbfounded and completely without a clue as Buffy often was when it didn�t concern her. �I mean that I can�t be around you any more Buffy. I�m tired of being ignored, of getting hurt because of something you�re involved in, putting up with evil crap on a daily basis. I�m not a Slayer, I�m not even a Scooby. You have all of them here for you. I want to leave. I love you Buffy and I always will but I don�t like you right now. Unlike you I have a good relationship with Dad. Just because you chose to cut him out of your life doesn�t mean that I have to. In Sunnydale it�s all about you, well I want to be someone where I can have some attention for a change. Somewhere my opinions and thoughts matter, where I just don�t take up space.� Dawn turned around to look at Buffy, vaguely aware of the goose egg on her head. The thought gave her strength. She was tired of hurting. �This is about Spike isn�t it. You think I�m going to give it. Well I won�t I promise.� Buffy stood up and tried to put her arms around her sister. Only too again be brushed away. �This is not about Spike. Buffy open your eyes, ears and mind this is about you. I�m leaving Buffy and going to live with Dad in LA. I�m calling him in a few minutes, packing and calling a cab to the airport and away from this hell hole.� Dawn saw the anger build up in Buffy before it was forced to the surface. �You are not going anywhere. After all that I have given up for you and you are just going to walk out when things get hard. You want to know what is hard try having my life. Try living every day knowing that they ripped me out of heaven and back into hell. I have put my life on hold for years so that I can do my calling to the best of my ability. What gives you the right to walk away when I can�t. I gave my life for you and this is what you do to me, you run away like a spoiled child.� It was taking all of Buffy�s control not to smack her sister across the face. Dawn knew that Buffy was roiling but stood her ground, something that didn�t happen very often. �Do it Buffy and give me another reason.� Dawn pushed past Buffy and walked out of the room head held high, only to have Buffy stop her in the hallway with a steel grip on her upper arm. �You�re not going anywhere.� Buffy�s grip was tight enough to cut off the circulation and make Dawn�s bones crack. �Buffy, let go.� Dawn tried to get out of her sister�s grip but only succeeded in causing herself more pain. �You�re going to your room where you will stay.� Buffy was getting frantic. She couldn�t lose her sister too, not now, not after everything that had happened in the past year. Forcibly pulling Dawn toward her room she paid no attention to the pain that she was causing her sister as she pulled her around and propelled her backward. In a fit of her own desperation Dawn screamed at her sister. She screamed at her full force, not caring if the neighbors heard or not. Hoping in a way that they would so that they would revoke Buffy�s guardianship. When Dawn heard the crash at the door, she knew that it wasn�t a neighbor. It was her protector, coming to her rescue yet again. Buffy, flung her sister toward the bedroom door. Dawn hit the wall hard. Hard enough that when her elbow went through the wall and hit the stud causing Dawn to cry out in pain as fire radiated through her arm, the same arm that Willow had hurt in the crash. Spike outside put all his weight, force and demon strength behind his foot and sent the door and its frame flying from the hinges. All he knew was that his girl was in trouble and even if it meant his dusting he would save her this time. He was right when he said Buffy �came back wrong.� Buffy�s demon, the First Slayer was in control more often than not, and that may be the case in this instance. Spike flew across the unprotected threshold and up the stairs game face in play. His demon cared for Dawn just as much as his humanity. Hearing her in pain, the intoxicating fear oozing from her every pore, made Spike�s guts twist. With a roar of pure rage Spike went at Buffy. With one grab and for the first time showing her his true vamp strength, he sent the tiny Slayer flying down the stairs and out the door. Knowing that it wouldn�t take her long to get her bearings, he knew he was in for the fight of his life. He may love Buffy, but he wasn�t about to let her hurt Dawn. �Get your things together Bit, you�ll not be staying here anymore. Be quick about it, I don�t know how long I can keep her busy before she stakes my hide.� Helping Dawn quickly to her feet he fled down the stairs to pummel Buffy more before she could start on him. Dawn quickly did as Spike told her filling two huge duffel bags with clothes and necessities figuring she could have Tara send her whatever she needed later. The sounds of Buffy and Spike fighting was clearly audible up the stairs. Hurrying Dawn grabbed the bags and threw them down the stairs loving the solid thump. �You are not taking her away from me.� Buffy shouted as the uppercut Spike in quick procession. Side sweeping his legs out from under him she grabbed a piece of the broken door frame and readied the aim for his heart. �You�ve given her no choice Buffy. If not by me, she�ll find some other way. You�ll only end up getting her killed, you know it, I know it. Every one of your damn Scoobies knows it.� Spike kipped up and landed a hard kick to Buffy�s head sending her reeling backwards. �The only problem with you Summers is that everything always has to be about you, your feelings, your hardships, your friends. Well it�s not all about you. Get over yourself. A poor little lost girl, except that�s not you is it. It�s Dawn. Where were your precious Scoobies after you died huh who was there for her? Me. Always have been, always will be.� Spike straddled Buffy�s body, his hand on her neck, squeezing just enough for her to know that he meant business and to remind her of the fact that this was the way he had killed his second Slayer. Her hands clawed at his and her feet kicked air. There was no getting out of the position as Spike�s weight sank her into the soft ground. �Nibblet get your stuff in the car and get it started. Keys are in the ignition.� Spike gestured toward the Desoto parked in front of the Summers� residence. Thankful that one duffel bag had wheels she piled one on top of the other and began towing them down the sidewalk. The pain in her head and arm was just as strong as the ache in her heart. Dawn did love her sister, she just couldn�t live in Buffy�s life anymore. �I�m sorry Buffy. I didn�t want it like this, but I can�t stay here. I let you know where I�m at in a few months. Maybe then we can start being sisters again, but right now don�t come after me or Spike. Just leave it alone or I�ll make sure we never see each other again. I love you.� Opening the door Dawn shoved her bags in the back then sat in the front, doing like Spike had asked and started the engine. Turning to look out the other window she waited for Spike to join her not wanting to see the final goodbye between him and her sister. �If you do this I will find you and kill you.� Buffy gasped lacking in oxygen. Proving his point that he could have already killed her Spike�s fangs tore into Buffy�s neck only just a little gentler than Angel�s had, marking her on the opposite side, away from Angel�s and the Master�s bite. Now if she ever came near him or the Bit, he could sense her. Draining her to the point of unconsciousness and not a drop more he got up and carried her in the house, laying her on the couch he left. At least no other vamps would get a snack and the Scoobies were bound to be back soon, they never were gone from the place for very long. Striding back to the awaiting car without a word he put the car in drive and watched as Xander�s car drove past and pulled into the drive. Looking into the rearview mirror he watched as Xander raced into the open house and gunned the car�s big engine, propelling him and Dawn out of Sunnydale at break neck speed. |
| Chapter One: |