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“Pass the garlic.” Dawn pointed at a terracotta pot with her knife.

“Do vampires eat garlic?” From his vantage point perched on the worktop, Andrew picked up the pot and peered inside.

“Yes, vampires eat garlic. The whole garlic thing? All blew up because Dracula can’t stand the smell of the stuff; some sort of childhood issues thing.” Dawn shrugged as she chopped. “So what with him being the big ‘I am’ and the only vampire anyone’s ever heard of, everyone just assumes it’s all vampires. ‘Course no self respecting vampire is going to put an end to the myth, because...” She paused and affected an English accent “if the silly bint wants to think an onion is going to protect her she bloody well deserves all she gets.”

“Wow!” Andrew gazed at her wide-eyed. “How did you learn that? That must be like a really big vampire secret!”

“Spike told me. I caught him eating garlic bread.” Dawn added the garlic to the onions sweating gently in the pan.

“Spike…” Andrew sighed and looked off into the distance dreamily. “Isn’t it wonderful he’s back?”

Dawn rolled her eyes. “Stop drooling and pass me the capsicum.” She frowned as Andrew looked vaguely around him. “The shiny red thing... there…”

Andrew handed it to Dawn. “People eat that?” He looked at it suspiciously.

“It’s what we earthlings call a vegetable.” Dawn sliced the pepper neatly.

“I eat vegetables.” Andrew said defensively.

“I’m not sure pizza topping and the occasional olive counts.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter, because maybe it’s all just a computer controlled fantasy, and actually we’re all living in tanks being fed…”

“Andrew,” Dawn interrupted with a sigh. “This Matrix thing? Getting a bit obsessional.” She shook her head. “How you ever persuaded Angel to watch all three of them with you…”

“I think Angel enjoyed them really. He told me I needed to keep very quiet so he could concentrate on the movies. He even had his eyes closed a couple of times so he could concentrate fully on the dialogue.” Andrew nodded wisely. “It’s a shame he had to dash off before we got the chance to talk about them properly.”

“And now he’s dashed off back to LA. Ah, the life of a hard working executive. Who you gonna share your popcorn with now?”

Andrew looked over his shoulder and then leaned toward Dawn conspiratorially. “Buffy and Angel had a row. Little while after Spike called. When Buffy wouldn't come out of her room?” He gave Dawn a knowing look. “She sent him back to LA.”

“You know I wondered what happened! It was all a bit sudden!” Dawn grinned to herself, then looked over at Andrew and frowned. “Were you listening at doors again?”

“No.” Andrew looked hurt. “But this apartment is kind of small and I tried not to listen, but you know, Buffy’s room is right next to the living room...”

“Well, you shouldn’t have listened. It was a private conversation. You should’ve stuck your fingers in your ears or something.” Dawn went back to chopping the vegetables. “So,” she said casually, “What did she say?”

“Well,” Andrew shone with self importance. “He said it’s a pity Ilona didn’t just leave him where she found him and she said that was an awful thing to say and he said well, Spike was nothing but trouble, and so she said if that was the way he felt after all Spike had been through then he wasn’t needed in Rome any more and shouldn’t he get back to his girlfriend, and he said she was jealous and she laughed and said that so wasn’t true and then he said something about cookie dough…”

“Have you ever figured that one out?” Dawn cast Andrew a puzzled glance.

“No. He keeps going on about it, though. Maybe the last thing they ever did together was make cookies and it still stays in his heart…” Andrew sighed dreamily.

“Yeah, right. Like Buffy and Angel did a lot of baking together.” Dawn snorted. “Probably one of her analogy things. She was never much good at them. And then?”

“It all got a bit confusing…”

“Spike. Did they mention Spike?”

“Angel said he was getting fed up being sent away just because Buffy wanted to be with her boyfriend and Buffy said Spike wasn’t her boyfriend and then Angel went all snorty and said, oh yeah, well is sure looked like he was from where he was standing…”

“Buffy said Spike wasn’t her boyfriend? Oh!” Dawn sounded disappointed.

“And then…” Andrew leant forward. “Then Angel asked if Buffy loved Spike…”

“And?” Dawn leant closer.

“And it all went very quiet… then she said it was none of Angel’s business, and Angel said it was and he had a right to know and then Buffy…” Andrew shrugged and gave a theatrical shudder. “Well, she went into one of those big long speeches of hers…”

“Yeow. Poor Angel!” Dawn shook her head in sympathy. “I hate it when she does that.”

“Something about forever love and souls and people changing and the cookie thing again… It went on a while. I kind of lost the gist.” Andrew shrugged.

“But did she say she loved Spike?”

“Not exactly…” Andrew frowned in thought. “She said what she felt for Spike was between her and him and no-one else. And Angel went all quiet, and Buffy said he’d always have a special place in her heart, but that she had changed… and Spike had changed…” Andrew sighed. “Angel said some people never change and he had had over a hundred years to get to know the real Spike and Buffy said he’d barely scraped the surface and Angel said that maybe he’d just go ask Ilona what lay under the surface…”

“And?” Dawn was breathless with anticipation.

“Then… I stopped listening.”

“You… why?”

“Well, there was this movie I wanted to see…”

“Don’t tell me – Keanu Reeves.”

“No.” Andrew gave her a hurt look. “Actually it was Tom Cruise…” he admitted sheepishly.

“Tom Cruise! Yeww!” Dawn shuddered. “You like Tom Cruise? That’s just… weird.”

“Actually, I think Tom Cruise is a very much under-rated actor,” Andrew said huffily.

Dawn turned back to stir the sauce with a shake of her head. “You need to get out more. Speaking of which, you have remembered what I told you about tonight.”

“Ooo, the great plot!” Andrew jiggled excitedly. “It’s exciting!”

“It’s not a plot!” Dawn glowered at him. “I don’t plot! I just think they need to spend a little time together is all - you know, talk.”

“It’s so romantic.” Andrew hunched his shoulders and swung his legs, smiling dreamily. “A year spent alone – her ultimate triumph tainted with the bitterness for what's been lost in the struggle. Her lion’s heart broken by the fall of his greatness…”

“Yeah, OK Andrew.” Dawn shook her head bemusedly and turned back to her preparations.

“The life of a Slayer of Vampyrs beset by tragedy…”

“That’s probably enough with the voice-over.”

“Who can truly understand the dreams of such a warrior? Who knows what passions stir for him, returned to her only to be cruelly snatched away…”

Dawn turned and pointed the knife at Andrew. “You know, I’m not afraid to use this.”

“Oh. Sorry. It’s just theirs is a story of a tragic and doomed love…”

“Argh! No more!”

There were a few moments silence. Then Andrew began to hum quietly to himself.

“No theme from “Love Story” either.” Dawn didn’t look up.

“How about ‘The Way We Were.’?”

“No.”

“But…”

“No.”

“Meanie.”

“You better believe it.” She stepped back from the stove. “Now. Go find me a pen.”





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