The Blossoming Dawn

Spike felt awkward standing at the front door and knocking lightly. It was too unnatural.

Then she opened the door and his cares about how strange it was disappeared.

“Spike?”

Her eyes stared at him disbelievingly and sparkled a small smile on her lips. She forced it to vanish.

“Does Buffy know that you’re here?”

Clear concern showed on her face and it made him want to cry joyful tears just to know that she cared.

“Yeah, she told me to stop by. ‘Said you missed me. That true, nibblet?”

He saw a blush creep to her face and a flustered smile on her lips, but she tried to force her face to remain neutral.

“Well---kind of. I mean I grew so used to you watching me and um…you know being here.”

Her eyes met his for a second then nervously looked away.

“I know what you mean, bit. Strange as it sounds I found m’self missin’ your company too.”

She could not hide the pleased smile that came to her lips or how her heart nearly skipped a beat.

Buffy walked to the door, not sensing the tension that some one could have cut with a knife—a sharp one.

“Dawn? Spike—are you going to stay out there all night or?”

Dawn moved away from the door so he could enter and he looked around—happy to be taking in the sight of the Summers household once more.

He sat down in the armchair he used to her or easy chair—he wasn’t sure quite what it was.

Dawn sat across from him on the couch.

“So—what’s new since I’ve been away?”

He noticed a small blush creep to Dawn’s cheeks.

“Well um—nothing really—I-I started high-school…”

“Oh—really how goes it?”

“Well she’s become popular with the boys. She had her first date a few days ago.”

Dawn scowled at Buffy.

“I can tell him. I don’t need you to. It wasn’t that big of a deal anyway…I guess.”

“A first date is always a big deal. It’s a special thing.”

Dawn smiled embarrassed.

“You couldn’t have been too surprised though…I’m not. I knew sooner or later the boys would be knockin’ down the door tryin’ to get a date with you.”

Dawn could not help but smile but a surprised look was her on her face as well.

“Why did you think that? I-I mean how did you know?”

“’Cause little bit” he waited until Buffy walked back into the kitchen to answer the phone.

“You’re beautiful” he purposefully locked eyes with her and made his eyes as intense and raw as he could, so intense that she found herself taking a deep breath all of a sudden and her eyes remained lost in his.

“Dawn?”

She jumped at the sound of her name, then came out the fog she had been in.

“Um—yeah?”

Buffy held the phone in her hand and was smiling.

“It’s Ben.”

Dawn suddenly felt awkward and quickly took the phone from Buffy.

“Hello?”
“Hey Dawn”
“Oh—um hey Ben”
“Um—I wanted to know something?”
“W-What is it?”
“Um—I-I wanted to know if you wouldn’t mind um…being my girlfriend?”

Dawn’s eyes went wide and she nearly dropped the phone in surprise.

She felt awkward and even more nervous then she would have been with Spike’s eyes on her.

She could barely concentrate.

“Dawn?”
“Huh? Oh—um…I-can I think about it?”
“Oh—um sure. Yeah take all the time you need. No um…pressure or anything”
”Okay I’ll um…let you know…when I decide”
“Oh—okay yeah—uh—talk to you then…I guess”
“Bye”

She hung up more abruptly then she should have but all she could focus on was Spike. He was there, he was back in her life and he had…called her beautiful.

It seemed like a dream too wonderful to be real.

“So was that lover-boy on the phone?”

“What? Oh…yeah he wanted to ask me something?”

“Another date? Soon you’ll have a busier love life then I do…who the bloody hell am I kidding you already do.”

Dawn couldn’t help but chuckle at his joke.

“No—he asked me something else.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

He could see the embarrassment on her face.

“Never mind you don’t ‘ave to tell me if you don’t want to. Don’t wanna embarrass you.”

“Well…he sort of asked me if I would be his girlfriend.”

Jealousy, anger and anxiety coursed through him, but he made sure not to let his feelings show on his face.

“Yeah? What’d you say to ‘im??”

“Well…I sort of told him that I wanted to think about it and you know to…give me some time to give him an aswer.”

Spike felt the anxiety wash away and he was content once again.

“Oh. Well that’s sounds smart. Don’t wanna rush into anything.”

Dawn nodded and couldn’t stop her eyes from flicking up to meet his again.

“Dawn? I’m gonna see if I there’s any nasties lurking around. Are you gonna be okay here?”

Dawn nodded.

A small sad smile came to Buffy’s lips and she nodded slowly.

“Okay then, um—Spike—Dawn, have fun—but no leaving the house and don’t let her watch movies that are too scary or she’ll have nightmares.”

“Got it”

“Okay um—I’ll be back in a little while.”

Dawn nodded and they both watched as Buffy walked out of the front door.

The room hung heavy with silence.