“Cherish your human connections – your relationships with friends and family."
~ Barbara Bush
Spike looked at Dawn with his eyes full of concern, “Are you ok?”
Dawn nodded and sat numbly. She had the anger knocked out of her and now all that was left was curiosity and hurt. Spike decided to talk while Buffy tried to control herself and her sniffling, “Well bit, this is what happened. I died in the Hellmouth as you know. I could feel the fire burning me from within and I dusted actually but I came back in that fancy little trinket your sis gave me as a ghost at Wolfram and Hart. Being a ghost, I couldn’t hold anything or be touched. I could walk through walls though, which was bloody cool but I couldn’t leave the building. I tried to leave the building the first day I was brought back but it was like I was tied to the building so it was pointless. It took quite a while to be non-ghostly again. By that time, Angel had worked his little magic and convinced me you guys didn’t need me anymore and you were better off with one less vampire following you around. So when I became real again, I drank myself into oblivion and didn’t return. In time, Angel got this idea in his mind to go try and kill Wolfram and Hart. Personally I didn’t care if I lived or died because well I had nothing left to live for. You see I didn’t have Buffy or you so why should I care if I die or live. So I figured I’d go out with a bang again saving the world from the evil of Wolfram and Hart so again, I died. I was in a blank place. Probably where Buffy was where it was peaceful and it felt like I was there forever. But then, Buffy decided to let some vamp take a bite of her and suck her dry so she died but she was sent back stating she had some big beautiful destiny for her. I guess that was me because from what I gathered…”
Buffy decided to speak up cutting in not liking so much that Spike was going to attempt to explain something she experienced first hand, “Anya came to me that night in what I thought was a dream asking me if I could have one wish, what it would be. I wished for Spike because I loved him and never got the chance to make things right with us. I woke up and didn’t even notice him at first. Needless to say, we got together, talked it out, had some tears, had some dates and here we are but we have some stuff to tell you. First off, remember when Giles took off to help? I was kidnapped and found out I was pregnant but a seer stole the baby. It was pretty bad. I felt so empty. Reminded me of when I was pulled out of Heaven but that’s not the point.”
Dawn cut her off, “You were pregnant and never even told me?”
Buffy didn’t say much only not knowing really what to say. She wasn’t into having another big round of angry shouting and knew the stress wasn’t good on the baby, “I didn’t know I was pregnant until the baby was taken from me. Imagine learning you were pregnant then 2 minutes later feeling so empty because it was taken from you. That’s why I didn’t call you because we were put into research and rescue mode. Good news though. First off Spike proposed and we are getting married and secondly guess what? I’m pregnant with a little girl.”
Dawn forgot all her anger and stood up hugging Buffy tight exclaiming happily practically bouncing while still hugging Buffy, “I’m going to be an auntie. Oh my god, you have so got to let me help you pick out the clothes and set up the room and you guys haven’t done that yet, right? Can I baby-sit? I can transfer here or something…”
Buffy cut her off this time putting her hands up in front of Dawn’s face, “There’s something else Dawn you should know. Um, God I don’t know how to say this.”
Spike pulled Buffy tighter to his side and took over a little nervous as to how Dawnie will take such powerful news and still not even knowing how he felt about it, “Little bit, it’s like this, we are immortal. Which means we will be having tons of babies. We are supposed to create the next set of warriors. We will need your help to do it.”
Connor looked at Dawn to see how she was taking the news and she said in a childish but giddy tone, “So you won’t die and leave me alone again?”
Buffy and Spike looked at each other in surprise at how well that had gone compared to the other news they had given her today. Sometimes Dawn seemed so young but other times she seemed so grown up. Spike glanced towards Dawn, speaking in a gentle tone, “Yeah, that’s right.”
Dawn chirped right up taking the news great, “Excellent because I’ve been doing some research with my power with Connor here and I think I might be immortal too. There’s a prophecy that talks about an immortal mystical key being planted on the world and being joined with an immortal warrior and fighting for the greater good. It also mentioned something about young warriors but I was interrupted by Willow and Oz so never got to finish it. I wanted to go over it with Giles when I get back to see what I can find out.”
Buffy smiled but said nothing. Dawn had been aging and growing taller so she didn’t think she was immortal but didn’t want to burst her bubble leaving Giles to handle that part.
Dawn lifted up her hand to try to hide her yawn but knew it was pointless as she was simply exhausted. Learning so much in a matter of days had taken her energy from her, “I’m tired. Do you have rooms for Connor and I? We could sleep in the same room if you want and if it would be easier.”
Spike looked horrified and demanded, “You have slept with Dawn?”
Connor gulped looking very nervous, “No sir. We have slept in the same bed but we have never err um. No I haven’t.”
Dawn shook her head, “You slept with Angel when you were 17 Buffy so you would have no right to say anything to me seeing how I’m 18 turning 19.”
Buffy frowned feeling like a mother and finally understanding how Joyce had felt at that moment she had learned her only daughter had slept with Angel at age 17. She wasn’t even sure what to say, “Be careful? What do sisters tell their little sisters?”
Spike stood up and roared. He wasn’t about to be as gentle as Buffy was being on this topic. Dawn was just a baby and still shouldn’t be allowed to do such things, “You tell them not on their life, I’ll strangle the bloody wanker who dares to sleep with my little bit when I see him.”
Buffy put her hand on his shoulder pulling him back down to the couch and motioned with her head to Connor who had looked a bit paler. Spike thought for a moment and said in a more gentler tone, “Well not that I’m okaying anything but Connor seems like a nice enough bloke. “
Connor looked a little easier and Buffy gestured up the stairs where the bedrooms were, “There’s two rooms. You figure out your sleeping arrangements. I just don’t want to hear any hanky panky going on.”
Dawn shrugged and took Connor’s hand dragging him upstairs, “I know a dampening spell so you wouldn’t hear anything anyway.”
Buffy looked horrified at Spike and whispered still feeling uneasy with the idea of Dawn growing up, “Was I ever that bad?”
Spike shrugged then gave a smirk to change the topic, “Would you kill me if I said yes?”
Buffy laughed and swatted at his chest, “What do you know about me at 19?”
Spike raised his hand to tick off things he knew about her, “You had slept with Angel, killed him, hid him from your friends, got involved with Parker, then Riley, while making eyes at me. You were wearing short skirts and low fitting tops. You were quite the sex bomb then.”
Buffy blinked, “Sex bomb?”
Spike laughed and wagged his eyebrow at her, “You were! Had me drooling every night and turned me into a bloody ponce you did. Course Red’s spell didn’t help. I knew what you tasted like then and knew what your body felt like. God that haunted me.”
Buffy blushed and didn’t say a word so Spike grinned at her reddened cheeks, “I know it haunted you too.”
Spike smirked as Buffy rested her head on his shoulders, “Let’s head to bed. We got a week of Dawn and I need my rest for her mood swings that are giving me whiplash.”
Spike nodded and let her lead the way.