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Dawn watched Spike, and heaved a little sigh of relief. With Drusilla's help, he was getting better, and soon he would be back to his old self. He'd be the 'Big Bad' again, on her case about anything, and everything, she did.

He still looked pretty banged up, but Drusilla promised to be back at sunset, so, everything was going to work out. As long as he didn't have to fight any baddies anytime soon, everything would be fine.

Buffy came into the apartment, after making sure Drusilla was safely stowed at the Hyperian for the day. Drusilla loved the idea of staying at her Daddy's "dollhouse" for the day. She wasn't so hyped about the refrigerated blood, but said, that she would make the sacrifice, to make her boy strong again.

"How's our patient, Dawn?" Buffy asked, quietly shutting the door, trying not to disturb Spike.

Dawn looked at her sister's face. She was pasty white, and the circles under her eyes were darker than Spike's signature wardrobe. Dawn winced at the sight of her, "Better than you, right now," she nodded toward Spike as she said, "You'd better sit down. If he saw you like this," she drew her face up, in a weak imitation of a vampire's visage, "he'd be all 'Grr, argh,' and tell you to go straight to bed, and sleep for two days."

Buffy sighed, coming to stand by her sister, and looking down into Spike's face longingly, "Would almost be worth the hassle; to see him sparkle again, you know?"

Dawn nodded, "Yeah, I know what you mean," she said, "Sometimes, I'd get into trouble, just to see how mad he'd get at me," she smiled, "It let me know he loved me, just a little."

Buffy squinted at Dawn. This was new information, "When was this, Dawnie?"

"That summer. Before Willow did that spell. He was kind of... out of it, for a while. Protecting me, I guess, gave him focus."

"He loved you Dawnie, you know that, right?" Buffy asked, seeing her sister's eyes cloud over with tears, "He loves you now. Just as much, maybe more, than he did then."

"He told you?" she asked, hopeful.

Buffy shook her head, "No, Dawn, he didn't," she smiled, "He was inside my head for a while, remember? I still have to ask Angel how that's even possible. Vampires aren't supposed to be able to cast any type of reflection, not even their thoughts are supposed to reflect," she waved off the thought, "Anyway, I can still hear him sometimes. It's sort of like a buzzing, you know, like background noise? But, sometimes it's real clear," she smiled again, "He comes in really clear when he's thinking about you. He loves you."

"Really?"

"Really, Nibblet," Spike grumbled, from the bed, "And, if you two ladies don't keep it down, I'll never get any sleep."

"Oh," Dawn gasped, covering her mouth, to prevent a squeal of surprise, and joy, from escaping, "Sorry, Spike! I'll be quiet," she said, grinning at him, " I promise!"

Spike opened one eye. His voice and eye, held a barely contained joy, and Buffy knew that, if he'd had the strength, he would've jumped out of bed to hug her sister, and her, "No, you won't, Bit. I know this from experience, Summers girls are never quiet. It's physically impossible for them to be," he paused when he heard a coughing noise from Buffy, "It's just one thing, on the list of a million things, that I love about you two."

"We love you, too, Spike," Dawn said.

Spike caught a glimpse of Buffy, in the corner of the room, trying to disappear into the wallpaper so that she didn't disturb her sister's moment with him, "Bit's right, Love. If I thought it would help, I'd throw you over my shoulder, weak or not, and take you to bed," at Buffy's sly grin, he added, "To sleep! You look like the walking dead! And this is coming from someone who is the walking dead. Get some sleep, Love, you need it."

"I will," she sighed, "Just as soon as I talk to Giles."

"What did old Rupert do now, Love?"

"It's not what he did, it's what he didn't do," Buffy said as she neared the door, "You'll be all right, with Dawn?"

"Yes," Spike said, "I'm sure there's some prepubescent boy band that Bit's just itching to tell me about," he smiled at her, fully awake, "And for once, I can't use the excuse of patrol to skip out on a gripping conversation," he rolled his eyes, "I'm sure she's just loving this. Aren't you, Bit?"

Buffy smiled as her sister nodded her head, vigorously, "I'll be back soon," she said, as she left the apartment.
************************

Drusilla sat in front of the empty vanity mirror in the privy of the tiny room in her Daddy's dollhouse and thought of all the countess nights William had spent, brushing her raven tresses until they glowed in the moonlight. Those were some of the happiest nights she'd had. He'd been so loving; she counted herself lucky to have him. It was nights like that, that made her grateful she had listened to Miss Edith that night, long ago, in the stable. That woman hadn't been worthy of having a heart such as his. If that woman couldn't see the wealth he had, she would take it. Most of the wealth that he'd carried that night had flown to Miss Edith, but Drusilla was happy with the little that had been left for her.

Drusilla hadn't wanted to give William to the Slayer. But, her boy had such a strong heart; it knew what it wanted, and it needed the light. Even though she grieved his loss, and had tried to show him that it could be good with her, that he could still be her beautiful poetry, she knew he was like Icarus. He had to fly close to the sun, even if he knew he'd drown because of it.

Then, that evil little sprite had the gall to tell him he was broken. She'd told him that his golden heart wasn't good enough. So, like the brave knight she knew her boy was, he sought the broken piece, the piece he hadn't needed, the part that had been Miss Edith's, to keep, and shoved it in his chest, for all the world to see.

Now, Miss Edith missed her sweet William. Drusilla knew what it was like, to lose someone you loved dearly. She'd lost her Daddy, and William, too, to that nasty little sprite. She couldn't bring them both back, but she could give William back to Miss Edith, and make the Slayer pay, for making William cry.

Daddy had been wrong. But then, Daddy still thought she was a little girl. When she'd been little, she'd wanted her songbird to sing to her again. But, little girls grow up, and put away childish things. Because Daddy had been mistaken, the sprite had given Drusilla the opportunity to bring William back to Miss Edith, and she would be a fool if she didn't take it.
***************************

Buffy found Giles, talking with Riley, outside the apartment.

She approached Giles, who looked at her with guilty eyes. Good, she thought, maybe now he'll know that I'm not a little girl anymore. "Giles," she said, "we need to talk."

"I know," he said, his head bowed, "Buffy, you have to know, I had my reasons for what I did."

Riley had seen the look in Buffy's eyes before, he knew when to, "duck, and cover." He left to take a noonday stroll. Riley thought that maybe he'd better warn the National Guard, of the impending disaster that he was sure was going to result from the "conversation" that was going to take place. "Excuse me," he said, "while I go find another zip code to be in," he patted Giles's shoulder, in a gesture of sympathy, and left them to talk.

"Giles," Buffy said, "it seems that you might have known about Spike, before, is this true, or did I just imagine that you looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, before Drusilla showed up, last night?"

"I did know," he admitted.

Buffy had expected to be shocked, but she wasn't. She nodded, "Do you mind telling me why you didn't tell me?"

"Buffy, I saw how much you grieved for him. I held you while you cried, while you wondered where it was that he had gone," he sighed, "I knew what you said you felt like, after you'd returned from heaven. You weren't yourself, everything around you brought you pain, and misery," Giles nodded toward the door, and the resting vampire behind it, "If he'd had that, and been torn from it, he mightn't be the same being you had loved. The vampire, who'd risked everything, to save you, and the world you lived in."

Buffy swallowed hard, "Go on," she said.

"If he had gone to some sort of hell," Giles continued, "he might have been wild, unpredictable. He might have been so tortured that he would have been unable to love you, even if he'd wanted to. Buffy, he might have hurt you, regardless of where he'd been. And, I just couldn't risk you being hurt again, if I could do anything to prevent the hurt."

Buffy admired the fatherly instinct, even as she was angry. Giles loved her, more than even her own, biological, father had, "But, Giles," she said through a tight throat, "you can't protect me from life. I learned that, when I tried to protect Dawn like you tried to protect me. Life happens, whether you're ready for it or not," she smiled, a wet smile, "Don't get me wrong, I'm very angry at you right now. But, I understand the impulse. You have to remember, that little girls grow up."

"I think I may need reminding, at times," Giles said.

"The next time you forget that," Buffy said, "I will give you a good right hook to remind you."

"I'd expect nothing less," he said.
**********************

"You mean, Drusilla's actually here," Spike asked, "I didn't dream that?"

"Nope," Dawn grinned, "She's here. A few more nights, and she says you'll be well enough to travel."

"Travel," Spike was confused, "Bit, where are we going, and what's that you said about a 'deal' with Buffy?"

"Drusilla wants to take you to the Hellmouth. To make you stronger. And, as far as the deal goes, Buffy won't tell me, but I don't care," she said, "as long as you're better."

The fear he felt made his heart freeze, "I care, Bit," he said, "I care, very much."
**************





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