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Chapter 8: Explanations
“So here we are on this sailboat and I am strapped down on the side, puking my guts out. I swear to you, 20 foot waves bouncing us around. And Buffy is so trying to be cool about it, but I saw how she was holding on to that ropey-line thingy. She was holding on to dear life.” Dawn giggled at the memory of her sister looking so out of her element.

After the initial shock, Dawn decided that she needed to talk to Spike, so they went to a local coffee house that was open 24/7. She told him about how Buffy traveled and found a job at a tourism magazine and how she settled down in New York and Colorado. She told him about Hawaii and the vacation she just came back from. “I have pictures and this really cool video we took back at the house, if you want to see.” Dawn didn’t totally trust Spike yet, but he sat there quietly as she related her memories. Every couple minutes his eyes would sparkle at the thought of Buffy actually happy and having a normal life.

“So what about you, I heard you were going to graduate early?” He asked after Dawn finished up with some tales of Hawaii.

“Oh yeah, I guess I got the smart gene, must have skipped Buff, because I am graduating cum laude this year. I am going for the masters and then doctorate. You can call me Dr. Dawn.” She smiled at her joke and Spiked looked like he was in pure heaven. His little Nibblet was making something out of herself.

“Um, so I have a question for you.” He paused as she nodded. “Last time I was… um… well you two were barely making ends meet. Did you win the lottery?”

Dawn giggled at the thought. “No, somehow Buffy got a hold of our father and convinced him to step up to his duty and support me.”

“You have a Dad?” Spike asked incredulously.

“Believe it or not, yes, we have a father, not a Dad. Once he and Mom split and we moved to Sunnydale, he disappeared. Supposedly he was off screwing his secretary, but he never was here. Stop payment, etc. Buffy hated him for abandoning us. He was the first man to do that to her, you know.” Dawn’s scold didn’t bypass Spike, he knew what she meant. “She never wanted anything to do with him after a year. But she found him and convinced him that it wasn’t too late to be a father to me.” Dawn shook her head remembering Hank’s face when Buffy had him up against the wall threatening him with lawsuits and bodily harm if he didn’t cough up cash for school supplies for Dawn. “Then after Buffy found that job in New York and was working permanently, she set up an account for me in case I ever needed it. That money is allowing me to go back to school for the masters, she can’t wait to call me Dr. Dawn. She doesn’t really care what I do with it, each month she keeps adding to it, making sure I don’t have to go through what she did. When she went to Hawaii, she had a HUGE pay increase and she paid off the mortgage of the house and bought me a new car. You should see the house she has; I have pictures back home….” Dawn’s eyes went all dreamy thinking of the beach front property. “Oh and she now owns a night club and small hotel. It is the neatest place.”

“How’s that?” Spike was incredibly interested in how Buffy came into enough money to support her sister and then some. That’s all she ever wanted to do.

“Well, when she first moved there, she was working for another travel tourism journal, but you know Buffy, she loves the night life. So she got herself a part-time job at this local bar as a waitress or barmaid or something. The owner took a real liking to her and she liked him.” Spike started to get the wrong impression and jealousy flared up in his eyes. “It turns out that his guy ended up the ever present father figure (with out the actual father) in Buffy’s life. He didn’t have much family around and the ones that stuck around were just waiting for him to kick the bucket. So anyways, when he passed away she found out that he not only owned this hole in the wall bar, but he owned a restaurant and a hotel and he left them to her. Lock, stock, and barrel. Of course, his family wasn’t happy and tried to drag Buff into the court, claiming she seduced their 89 year old grandfather. His lawyer came to the rescue and proved that even before Buffy came around, he wasn’t planning on leaving his family anything. He was donating them to the state of Hawaii.” Dawn smiled at the look of pride Spike had in his eyes. Buffy did alright for herself. Even before she became and heiress, she was taking care of Dawn.

“So, do you miss her much?”

“Oh yeah, it’s nice not having to worry about money anymore, but having Buffy around is worth so much more. She comes and visits twice a year and we go visit her. It was really difficult right after she left, I mean Traci is a great Slayer, maybe even rivaling Buff, but she never was into the group scenario. It took sometime, but I think we all understand why she had to go now.”

Anger flared in Spike’s eyes, “No one is even close to Buffy…especially that bint. She might have a good show, but Buffy is the original.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean it that way Spike. Buffy trained Traci over a year, so of course Traci fights like Buff, but I mean she can roll with the punches and adapt. Not many people can do that. And she gets the book stuff, too. Buffy never was into the research part of the job.” Dawn tried to explain, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears. Spike will always think Buffy is the best even after everyone is gone, he still will believe she was the best.

“So, anyway, want to see the video? It’s really cool. Buff has this really cool friend named Sam. He edited the video so it looks like a real movie. He even put music to it, under the voices and stuff.”

“Sure Nibblet, I would love to.”
~*~*~*~

The next night, Spike went over to the house on Revello. Outside, it looked the same, but inside was a different matter. The old wood and comfortable furniture was gone and in its place were modern, stiff pieces in its place. Steel, glass, and plastic seemed to dominate the decoration. This wasn’t the same comfortable house Spike remembered. Dawn sat him down in what he guessed Dawn thought was a comfortable chair and they watched Dawn’s vacation videos. Pictures of a very mature and happy looking Buffy in a bikini swimming in the ocean, in a sports bathing suit snorkeling, and sailing assaulted his eyes. The same pictures of a grown up Dawn swimming beside her sister, having fun in the sun made his heart break. They had a guy with them, filming the vacation, which made Spike incredibly jealous. He could never take the Summer’s girls out in the sun like they deserve. He watched as the video showed Buffy’s beach house, the three people having a cook out as the sun dips in the horizon, something he would only be able to see on the television. Then the scene changes to a club. The video rolled on as loud music was beating in the background and Buffy was behind the bar, mixing drinks like a pro. Next to her, was the same man that previously was holding the camera, they looked too chummy. His name is Sam, they are just friends, Spike keeps reminding himself. Pictures of Dawn and Buffy shopping in the local downtown are next. Then more swimming, this time in a private pool that Dawn says is at Buffy’s house. He watched as images of a very beautiful woman sang to his heart, pulling at something he thought was long dead. Her eyes sparkle even more than he remembered. Green and gold flecks dancing as she laughs at a joke that Sam was telling. Spike can’t take it anymore. He gets up to pace trying to stave off the tears in his eyes. This was proof that she really was alive. He skin was even more golden than he remembered. Her once long, golden hair was short, styled more maturely, and had more brown than blonde. She definite looked happy. And she looked normal. “Dawn, I’m sorry. I thought I could, but I can’t I have to go.”

Dawn chased after Spike as he headed towards the door. “Wait, you can’t do this again.”

He turned around and looked into her eyes, “Do what, Dawn?”

“Just leave. You can’t. You broke your promise once, don’t do it again. Tell me what is wrong?” He allowed her to pull him back into the house. They both sat down on the modern leather couch. She let him sit there in silence, letting him start the conversation on his own.

“I never thought I could come back. She would never be able to forgive me, what I did was horrible. I can’t forgive myself for acting that way. It was just terrible. I am a monster. No matter ‘ow much I tried to hide my demon, it figured a way out. I heard you talk to your mum, ‘Bit, I know you know all the ugly details.” He looked up into her eyes and she nodded, not really remembering what she said as she sobbed on her Mom’s grave. “So anyways, ‘ere I was, in some sodding bar passed out on the bar. And these vamps start chitting about the slayer ‘ere. Talking up a terrible storm, they were. I don’t want to tell you something they said about ‘er. Anyways, I heard Slayer and I immediately ‘ad my ears to their conversation. They told me about the old slayer dying in a gang in LA. Hey, wait a minute, Giles….Watcherman, told me about it. What the FUCK is going on.” Anger permeated Spike’s whole body. He got up, wanting to bust the watcher’s head in. “Where is he?”


”Oh, he must have been telling you about Faith. She was released from jail and was attacked the same night. Buffy tried to get there in time, but it was too late.” Dawn looked down at her hands. “Did he really tell you that was Buffy?” She looked up at Spike. Had the watcher said Buffy’s name? He couldn’t remember, but why would Spike care about Faith, someone he never even met? Of course, the watcher didn’t want Spike anywhere near Buffy. Spike never said Buffy’s name out loud just references about a demon gang. Shit, the watcher really didn’t lie, but he certainly didn’t tell the truth.

“I guess not, but ‘e really wasn’t clear as ‘e could have been.”

Dawn nodded, understanding. “So where do you want to go from here?” such a simple question with such a complicated answer.

“I don’t know, ‘Bit.” They sat on the couch for minutes in silence. “I don’t know.”
~*~*~*~

After Spike left the house, Dawn picked up the phone and dialed a very familiar number.

“Rainforest, this is Sam, may I help you?” A familiar voice came from the phone.

“Hey Sam, it’s Dawn, can I speak to Lizzy?” Dawn still giggled at the name Buffy was using. Her given name wasn’t Elizabeth, why did she go by it or any nickname derived from it?

“Hey, Buttons, she’s a little busy right now, a bunch of drunk kids walked in and want more drinks, she is trying not to embarrass them, but they are making that difficult. I’ll let her know you called. How have you been?”

“Oh just fine. Missing the fun in the sun of Hawaii.”

“Oh don’t give me that. I know California is just as sunny, if not more considering you do not have the mountains around.” He chuckled. Dawn blushed, thinking of how cute he looked in his swimming suit in the sun and how nice he was. Buffy is so lucky to find friends like him everywhere she goes.

“Yeah, well it’s not the same without Buf-Lizzy. What have you been up to?” Talking to Sam was so easy. He was one of those people that five minutes after you met him, it seemed you have known him for years.

“A little bit of this a little bit of that. Oh one good thing happened. I got joint custody of Jenna.” Dawn squealed at the good news. Sam’s ex-wife, mother of his child, was trying to keep Sam away from his own child.

“That’s wonderful, how?”

“Well, it’s thanks to your sister, she put her ass on the line in front of the judge, but it worked. I have complete half rights. We are now equal parents. I am so happy to be part of the kid’s life, you know? I missed so much because of her and her manipulative ways.” His voice dripped with hatred every time he talked about his ex, but filled with joy when he talked about Jenna.”

“That’s wonderful, Sam. I better be going, but please tell Liz I need to talk to her ASAP?”

“Sure thing, Buttons. Have a good night.”





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