Dawn collected the CD that even she didn’t know about, Mr. Gordo, Buffy’s stuffed pig, a cute black skirt and white top that she had seen Buffy wear a few times to impress Spike and a book of hers to bring with her so she could do homework while watching over Buffy.
She also packed a few cans of chicken soup knowing Buffy liked the stuff called Chicken and Stars and had seen Spike eat it on a few occasions as well.
She sighed as she remembered Xander’s harsh words about Spike. She knew Xander was up to something as he had stomped back out of the house a few minutes later muttering about how something had to be done to stop it. She carried the bag into the living room to wait for the proper time and turned around to see Anya there.
Anya whispered quietly, “Going to Spike’s?”
Dawn nodded and Anya requested, “Let me walk you over. I have something I need to talk to him about. I want to warn him about something Xander did.”
Dawn frowned looking worried, “What did he do?”
Anya smiled gently as though she were smiling at an infant, “You’re too little to know such a big secret. Don’t worry though, Spike will know what to do.”
Dawn eyed at her clearly unhappy, “You know I’m not really a little girl right? I’m a teenager and probably know more about this world than you do.”
Anya patted her head gently, “Of course you do.”
Dawn rolled her eyes picking up her bag and her CD player putting it over her shoulder walking with Anya to Spike’s crypt.
Spike sighed as he managed to have Buffy finish the juice and the granola bar. She seemed so weak and needy that he didn’t want to leave her side to patrol. He was afraid of what would happen to her if she took a turn for the worse and only bite-size was there to watch her. He held her tight determined to keep her as safe as possible until it was time to go patrol. He really hoped it was a quiet night since he had gotten word through that vampire to leave the slayer alone. He sighed as he felt her snuggle in closer to his coolness knowing it was because she was burning up.
He heard her whisper softly, “Spike?”
Spike whispered in reply, “Yes kitten?”
She smiled but cringed as every part of her body seemed so sore, “Don’t leave me.”
Spike sighed feeling horrible he had to leave her, “I’m sorry slayer but I have to go patrol tonight. Your lil sis will be here though to watch over you until I return. Hopefully it’s a quiet night. I’ll bring home soup for you if you want. I can see if I can pick some up at the store to heat up here.”
Buffy frowned as she wondered out loud, “Can’t Willow or Xander patrol?”
Spike shook his head and pulled her head up to slide a shirt over her head. He had put a pair of his pants on her earlier but didn’t bother with the shirt but didn’t want the nibblet to see her or anyone else who stopped by. He didn’t want to worry Buffy with the fact that he wouldn’t dare ask her friends since they had the fall out earlier.
Instead he whispered, “In a few minutes, Dawn will be here with your favorite CD that she will play and before the last song plays, I’ll be back.”
Buffy smiled liking the fact that sometimes he reminded her of how much he really did love her. She couldn’t stop from whispering, “You love me right?”
Spike laughed kissing the top of her heated head, “Of course and always will. Now get some rest and hurry and fall asleep so I won’t have to leave you awake.”
Buffy rolled over still resting her head on his lap and curled up into a tighter ball and closed her eyes. Spike ran his hand through her hair thinking how privileged he really was to have the slayer in his arms, in his bed even if she was sick. He wondered for a brief moment if this was going to change anything in their relationship. Perhaps she wouldn’t be so eager to run away once she felt better. Perhaps she’d remember how well he took care of her and know for once in her life how much he really truly loves her. He sighed knowing that wouldn’t be the case but thanked the powers-that-be that at least these last few days allowed him to comfort his golden goddess.
He heard Dawn’s voice yell out, “I’m here. Anyone else here?”
Spike looked down thankful Buffy was sleeping and carefully picked up her head to lay it back on the pillows. She seemed unsettled for a few minutes but quieted down as he rubbed her hair putting her back to sleep before climbing the ladder, “Shh she’s sleeping.”
Dawn sat down in his chair putting her feet on the table in front of her, “Good because she’s a bitch to be around when she’s sick.”
Spike frowned not saying anything as Dawn asked, “She treating you ok?”
Spike nodded, “Yea she’s clingy which I like anyway. She hasn’t yelled or anything once.”
Dawn grinned, “She must like you more than she realizes. She’s rarely nice to people when she’s sick and she most certainly never lets them near her. Only one she has ever let near her when she was sick was her mom.”
Spike listened and said nothing about that as his thoughts filled his head. After a few minutes he finally turned to Dawn, “Do me a favor and go downstairs and pop that CD into the player as I leave. I promised her I’d be back before the last song so I’d better get out of here.”
Dawn nodded and did as she was asked and smiled at how nicely Buffy was tucked in before she climbed the stairs.
Spike sighed as he ran across another group of vampires that while they got the memo not to mess with the Slayer, they didn’t seem to get the notice that Spike was the one who said it.
Spike sighed as he kicked the second vampire on the ground, “You guys need to leave town and go far away taking your families with you.”
The vampire stuttered having a hard time talking since Spike had his boot on his wind pipe.
Spike sighed and plunged a stake into his heart, “Never mind. You seem too stupid to listen to reason.”
He turned towards the other two vampires who were standing in shock. He walked up to them shouting, “Boo!”
Both scrambled in the same direction and Spike yelled after them, “Why wouldn’t you be smart vampires and split up to at least give me a challenge?”
He kicked the one vampire into the other making them both fall to the ground. He jumped over the tombstone between him grabbing a hold of a branch of the tree breaking it off as he fell.
He smirked as he stated, “Thanks for lining up so nicely for me.”
Then he plunged the stick into both of their hearts and chuckled at the two dust piles that formed one. He dusted off his hands saying, “I wish they all lined up so easily.”
He turned around to see a scaly demon heading his way. Spike staggered over to the demon greeting him with a mock salute, “What’s up mate?”
The demon shrugged in reply, “I heard a vampire was here staking his own kind and I just had to see it for myself. There’s rumors about you Spike that you have taken the Slayer to your bed and that you fight along side of her.”
Spike shrugged clearly unbothered, “What’s it to you? You don’t eat humans so therefore you’re safe. Why do you care what I do and don’t do?”
The demon offered Spike a cigarette, which Spike took using his lighter from his pocket to light up. He took in a deep drag and blew it out as the demon finally replied, “Well it’s just word on the street. You realize, it might make you and the slayer a target?”
Spike shook his head feeling pretty confident, “I’ve got her back.”
The demon laughed amused, “I heard a few nights ago a gang busted her up pretty bad and that ‘her pet vampire’ jumped in and saved the day. That true?”
Spike took another drag looking as calm as can be as he replied, “All but the pet part. I’m hardly her pet. It’s mutual you see. I scratch her back, she scratches mine. I protect her, she protects me.”
The demon raised his eyebrow, “She protects you?”
Spike nodded his agreement, “Just the other month she was helping me to kick the shark loan’s ass because I owed him kittens.”
The demon nodded as he grunted, “I heard about that. I heard you dusted all his minions and he had to find a vampire to create more.”
Spike took another drag of his cigarette before tossing it aside, “They shouldn’t mess with me and my girl and they might have lived longer.”
The demon chuckled as he waved goodbye, “Well watch your back and good luck to you.” Spike nodded calling out, “Thanks for the cigarette.”
The demon nodded back and disappeared. Spike threw his tree branch aside picking up the stake he had borrowed from Buffy and said to him, “I think I’ve been long enough. Time to head back.”