Two vamps, a girl, and a prophecy

Summary: What happens to Spike (and Angel) after ‘Not Fade Away.’
Rating: NC-17 explicit sexual descriptions (later on), some language.
Pairings: Dawn/Spike, and a small side of Buffy/Xander.
Feedback: Yes, please. This is my first time posting a fic, so be gentle!
Archive? : Ask me first.
Beta: I need one!
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em. I’m just borrowing them for a while since Joss isn’t using them anymore. If I was making any money off of this, I would own a much better laptop!!!

Chapter 3

Dawn followed quickly, closing the door in hopes of blocking out any additional noises from the couple at the far extreme of the apartment. When she finally turned and looked at the vampire on the bed, she let out a horrified gasp and cupped her hand over her mouth. The smell of burnt flesh suddenly filled her nostrils, and she struggled to fight back a wave of nausea as she scrambled to open the door. She tried to make a run for the nearby bathroom, but failed miserably. Dropping to her knees, she dry-heaved violently in the middle of the hallway. A small part of her mind observed gratefully that it was a good thing she hadn’t gotten a chance to eat her pile of junk food back at the hotel. The majority of her brain was too busy screaming in horror over Angel’s condition. She was only dimly aware when Spike pulled her to her feet and ushered her into the living room.

“G-god! Th-that couldn’t be-that thing wasn’t really A-Angel, was it?” She whimpered into his neck, as he pulled her onto his lap in the armchair and began stroking her hair soothingly.

“I’m sorry, Dawn. I shouldn’t have…I wasn’t thinking. I’ve gotten used to it I guess. Took us so long to get over here…longer than I thought…” Spike mumbled.

“What happened to him? He looks like…I mean…shouldn’t he be dust?” Dawn shuddered. Suddenly she froze. “Buffy saw him like that, and she’s in there screwing Xander? What the hell is wrong with her?!” She demanded angrily.

“Calm down, Bit,” Spike calmed her, wrapping his arms more tightly around her when she tried to stand up. “Your big sis didn’t see him like that. I had him wrapped up in blankets, and she just helped me carry his feet. He was asleep, and I didn’t want to wake him up…he needs his rest. So, she doesn’t know how bad he’s hurt.”

“Why didn’t you tell her?” Dawn frowned, confused.

“I could tell I walked in on something in Buffy’s room. Could tell from the smell of the place that it was something new,” He gave her a little smirk. “I didn’t want to wreck their big moment.” He shrugged.

“Eww Spike! How many times do we have to tell you? That smelling people thing is gross,” Dawn made a face and pulled away from him. “Hey…how did you ‘walk in on them’? Don’t you need an invite?” She asked suspiciously.

Spike winced. “Uh, well, I did…the first time I was here.” He admitted meekly. “I was here with Angel a few months ago. Andrew invited us in.”

“Andrew knows you’re alive, and he didn’t tell us!” Dawn screeched, jumping out of his lap, and pacing back and forth. “I’m so going to kill that little…” Glaring at Spike, she yelled, “What the hell else has been going on that I don’t know about?! Is Angel evil again? I heard Buffy say that Giles wouldn’t have anything to do with Angel because he was working for some evil law firm…”

“Whoa! Calm down, Dawn!” Spike reached out and snagged her wrist as she stormed past him for the tenth time in as many seconds. “Sit!” He ordered, and pulled her back down on his lap. Recognizing that she was near hysterics after seeing the severity of Angel’s burns, he wrapped his arms around her, and began purring and rubbing her back comfortingly. After a brief struggle, Dawn went limp and collapsed against his chest. “Shh, that’s it.” He murmured, gently kissing her forehead, “It’s okay.”

“Just tell me what happened. What’s going on?” Dawn whimpered quietly.

“You want the short ‘How Angel got nearly everyone killed trying to take down the evil lawyers’ version, or the longer ‘How Spike came back from the dead, and then Angel got nearly everyone killed trying to take down the evil lawyers’ version?” Spike asked, continuing to gently rub her back and giving her a small smirk when she peeked up at him.

“Is there a medium version?” She asked after a brief pause.

“Ah, the medium version,” Spike nodded. Looking thoughtfully at the ceiling, as if he had kept a diary there for the last year, he began ticking item off on his fingers as he spoke. “Let’s see…went in the Hellmouth wearing the Liberacé reject amulet…there was light, and my soul burned…the ubervamps dusted…I dusted…and, I assume, the Hellmouth closed for good…”

“Did it hurt?” Dawn asked in a small voice. He didn’t answer, but the clenching of his jaw muscles told her all she needed to know. She reached up and sadly caressed his cheek. “I’m sorry.” She whispered.

“Don’t be. You lot made it out okay, and that’s all that matters,” He replied, in a tone that made it clear he was not going to be dragged into a deeper discussion of the events in the Hellmouth the year before. “Anyway, about three weeks after that, a package showed up at Evil Lawyers R Us, addressed to Peaches.” He winced suddenly. “Addressed to Angel. Turned out, it was the amulet, and when he opened it, I popped out. Kind of reverse dusted. Then, I was some kind of ghost for a few months.” He sighed.

“A ghost?” Dawn, momentarily getting caught up in the story, began to relax and leaned against him, getting more comfortable. She settled in with her cheek resting against his shoulder and asked, “What was that like? Did you get to haunt anybody? Were they all scared of you?”

Spike snickered, “I was a bit like Patrick Swayze. Couldn’t touch anything, spent most of my time trying to annoy people into helping me. Faced down some dark forces trying to suck me into hell…”

“And you were so ruggedly handsome that all the other ghosts were jealous?” Dawn contributed with a playful wink. Spike looked at her oddly, and she quickly asked, “Did you try to contact Buffy, but she couldn’t see you?”

“No,” Spike sighed sadly. “Being visible wasn’t my problem. I even learned to manipulate objects after a while. But I was bound to that damn amulet, so I couldn’t leave LA. And I really did nearly get dragged into Hell.”

“Oh God, I thought you were kidding about that part!” Dawn gasped, unconsciously grabbing his arm.

“I wish,” Spike shuddered.

“So, how did you get all…touchable again?” Blushing slightly, Dawn finally noticed her hand on his forearm, and gave it a gentle squeeze before letting go.

“Well, someone, we’re assuming it was the same someone who mailed the amulet to Pe-Angel in the first place, sent me a package after a couple of months. When his secretary opened it for me…Poof. Nifty little light show, and good ol’ Spike was back among the…solid.” He shrugged.

“Well, why didn’t you come to see us then?” Dawn gave him a dirty look and waited expectantly.

Spike shrugged sheepishly, very uncomfortable under the brunette’s fiery glare. “I wanted to, but…well…the truth is I got caught up in a pissing contest with Peaches. Got a lot of issues there. Both of us wanted to be the best damn vampire with a soul. Well, he wanted to be the only one, because of this stupid prophecy. I just wanted to win so I could take something he wanted for once.” He sighed.

“Like Buffy?” Dawn asked quietly. “You were really in love with her.” It came out as more of a statement of fact than a question, and Spike nodded slightly.

“I-I was. I mean, I do still love her. She’s one of the few people to ever really believe in me,” He sighed sadly, and Dawn opened her mouth to protest. “Dawn, luv, I know you’re the other one. You were the first.” He smiled at her fondly, then continued his explanation. “I’ve gained some perspective lately. I don’t think it ever could have worked out with us. Too much bad history between us. I know I’m not the one who can make her really, truly happy.” He sighed again, and Dawn gave him a reassuring hug. “It’s all right, Bit. I’ve come to terms with it, and I’m just glad she’s finally happy.”

As if to emphasize his point, there was a sudden burst of very energetic screaming from the direction of Buffy’s bedroom, and they both snickered embarrassedly. “Wanna go mess with them?” Dawn winked.

“No, I really should go check on Angel. Try to get him to take some blood,” Spike smiled warmly at her. “You go ahead and give them hell, though.” He encouraged her, helping her stand up before they headed their separate ways down the apartment’s long central hallway.

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Author's note: I don't usually like it when the vamps purr, but this one kind of needed it, I think.