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CHAPTER 18: I come in peace
A very grouchy Buffy looked up from her fifth cup of coffee as her sister walked into the kitchen to make herself breakfast. She lowered her eyes, hoping to avoid a conversation with the ever perky Dawn. She didn’t want to talk about last night, explain why she’d waken up screaming, or why she’d been up since six in the morning and presently looked like something the cat dragged in. Besides, it’s not like that nightmare was a premonition or anything. Just her subconscious playing tricks with her and reminding her that she was a little scared about what was going to happen when she really got involved in Spike’s problems. Talking about it with Dawn would only freak the girl out and was unnecessary. But she knew the questions were coming. She could tell by the way her sister was looking intently at her while emptying half a cereal box into her bowl.
Dawn came to sit in front of her, and started munching noisily on her cereal. After she stuffed the third spoonful of Captain Crunch in her mouth, she tried breaking the heavy silence.
“So… Slept well?”
“Like a baby.” Buffy mumbled, hoping Dawn would drop the subject.
“Uh huh. If that’s what you look like after the recommended eight hours of rest, I so don’t want to see you after a short three hours night, plagued with nightmares and all that. Must be a scary sight.”
Buffy growled warningly at her sister, but Dawn wasn’t the type to give up easily.
“Wanna tell me what spooked you into screaming your head off last night?”
“Don’t remember.”
“Excuse me for not believing you, much. A nightmare about Spike? I think you wouldn’t forget so easily.”
“Dawn, can you drop it? It wasn’t about Spike, and I don’t remember it, ok?”
Dawn opened her mouth to protest, but stopped herself when Joyce walked in.
“Morning, girls.”
“Morning, mom.” They answered as one.
Joyce ruffled her younger daughter’s hair, and kissed Buffy on top of her head.
“Dawnie, you can’t seriously think this is a breakfast?” She looked at Dawn’s cereal boll disapprovingly. “Put that in the sink, I’ll make you girls a real breakfast.”
Dawn, who had been giving Buffy a funny look, shook her head. “Sorry mom. I have to go. But I’ll be back later this afternoon. I’ll buy pizza and we can all eat together before I go back to L.A.”
“Sounds good…” Joyce started to answer before being cut off by Buffy.
“Where are you going?”
Dawn shrugged, trying to look casual. “I have a couple of things to do. People to see.”
“People to see? You don’t know anybody in Sunnydale!”
“Sure I do! I met people at the Bronze last time I was here and we kept in touch. It’s not because you’ve been living here for three months and haven’t met anybody yet that we’re all social rejects like you.”
“Dawn, honey, leave your sister alone. She looks like she didn’t get much rest last night.” She said, giving her daughter an amused smile while pouring some more coffee in her cup.
Buffy rolled her eyes, but smiled back at her mom nonetheless.
“All right!” Dawn exclaimed while getting up. “I’m off. I’ll see you guys later.”
They watched her leave, then Buffy spoke up. “Mom? I wouldn’t say no to some pancakes, if your offer’s still good.”
A warm smile illuminated Joyce’s face, and she got up to do her favorite thing in the world: taking care of her daughter.
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“I need a piece of ID miss.”
Dawn handed the man her driver’s license, biting her lower lip nervously.
“What it the name of the person you wish to visit?”
She almost panicked. **Oh God, oh God! She told me his last name. Hold on. … It had something to do with weather. Sunshine? Cloud? Snow? Damn it! Oh… Rain?**
“Rain? William Rain.”
The guard looked at her with surprise and she almost passed out thinking she had the wrong name.
“Well that’s a first. Except for that one guy who comes to visit him once in a while, that guy doesn’t get many visitors.”
Dawn gave him her sweetest, most adorable smile. “I’m family. I just came back from Paris and didn’t even know something had happen to him. Can I... Can I go see him now?”
“Sure. You just have to give me everything you have on you, including cell phone, change, belt, and if you have a present for the prisoner, I have to inspect it. Then you’re free to go.”
Dawn gave her cell phone to the guard and took off her belt. “Is it like, behind a glass and I have to talk on the phone or something?”
He laughed. “No sweetheart. This is a very small prison and it allows us more control over personal visits. You'll be in a room where you can sit at a table with him. You have nothing to worry about though. The room is small, only allowing a few visits at a time, and there are two guards there at all times. We never had any problems.”
“Oh. Ok.”
He ushered her through the metal detector and another guard escorted her to the visiting room. She was told to sit at one of the table and that William would be there soon.
**Dawnie, you moron, you really did it this time. Not only is Buffy going to kill you if she finds out, but she’ll probably make sure your death is slow and painful. Oh God. What did I do?** The young woman was trying her best to look calm and collected, but inside, she was a mess.
Then she saw two guards walking towards her, escorting… A platinum haired god who was looking at her with obvious curiosity. She instinctively knew he was the one and understood completely why Buffy had lost her mind.
She stood up.
**Man, this is awkward**
The guards waited until William was seated, then went to stand in a corner of the room. Beside another prisoner who was with a visitor and the two guards, they were now alone.
When Dawn didn’t say anything, William finally broke the weird silence that had settled over them.
“Not that I’m not grateful for the company, ducks, but… Who the bloody hell are you?”
Dawn grinned. “Bloody hell? That’s so British!”
He gave her a look.
“Oh. Right.” She extended her hand. “I’m Dawn. I’m a…”
“The Dawn? You mean…”
“She talked about me?” Dawn asked excitedly. “I thought you two would have better things to do than talk about me. Wow. I’m flattered, really.”
Despite the girl’s good mood, Spike’s face suddenly darkened. He frowned.
“Bugger! Didn’t they ask for your signature and your ID when you came in here? She will go bug shagging crazy when the guards ask her why her sister came here to see me!!”
“Relax. Bu... WE, don’t have the same last name. Different dads and all. My father got my mom pregnant and disappeared not long after I was born, leaving me with his name on my birth certificate and nothing else. So really, no one will find out. And I chose today to visit you because nobody I met at the party yesterday was working today. So no chance of bumping into someone I know. See? I thought of everything.”
Spike gave her a warm smile, his fears sated for the moment. “So pet, why are you here exactly?”
“Doing my sisterly duties. I usually get to meet my sister’s boyfriends for approval. But since you’re here, I couldn’t.”
“And what does someone do to get your approval?”
“Oh… I couldn’t tell you because so far, none of the losers who dated her got the Dawn Seal of Approval.”
“Oookay.” Spike drawled, peering at the girl from between his tick eyelashes. “You’re making me nervous now.”
“Hey! Don’t worry. You scored really high on most of the categories as soon as you walked in.” She said with her brightest smile. But she suddenly got more serious.
“Look…” She hesitated before continuing. “Ok, let’s call her Anne ‘cause it’s her middle name.”
Spike nodded, waiting for Dawn to finish what she was saying.
“What I meant to say is that you became very important in my sister’s life over the past three months. The thing is, Anne’s luck in love hasn’t been shining bright in the past. She has a bunch of pretty catastrophic experiences that I’m sure she’ll be happy to share with you someday. But that’s not the point. I love her more than anything in this world and when I see her going gaga over a guy--which by the way, never happened before--I can’t help but feeling a bit over protective. Makes sense?”
“Absolutely, pet. And I’m glad Bu... Anne has a sister like you looking out for her. But you have nothing to worry about because I guarantee that…”
“Do you love her?” Dawn interrupted, shocking him into silence.
When he was finally able to speak again, he looked a little spooked. “Ok, hold on a second. You seem very sweet, and if you’re anything like your sister, you’re probably an amazing woman. But I have a hard time saying my feelings out loud when I’m alone in a room so I don’t see why you’d think I’d just confess to you when we met about ten bloody minutes ago!”
“Oh come on Spike. Can I call you Spike? Anne said it was your nickname.”
“Sure thing, pigeon.”
“It’s easy. Let‘s play a little game that Anne taught me when she was in College. Chocolate, love or hate?”
He gave her a puzzled look, but answered anyway. “Love.”
“Beatles, love or hate?”
“Hate.”
She opened wide eyes. “Really?”
He merely lifted a disdainful brow.
“Alrighty then. What about Black Sabbath then, love or hate?”
“Love.” He smirked.
“George Bush, love or hate?”
“Hate.”
“My sister, love or hate?”
“Love.” He frowned. “Oh. That’s what you meant by simple, right?” He looked down, slightly embarrassed by how easy she got it out of him.
“Damn right that’s what I meant.” She answered with a triumphant smile.
“You’re a clever little chit aren’t you? But what was the point of knowing how I feel ‘bout her?”
“I’ll just sleep better at night. Seriously Spike. You look like a nice guy. But I was a little worried that you were just a jerk who was trying to play with her feeling to convince her to find a way for you to get out of here. I’m still not entirely convinced, but I think you’re honest enough. Or maybe you just have a way of charming Summers women. I’m not sure. But know that if you ever hurt Anne on purpose, all the security guards of the prison won’t be able to stop me from hurting you. Got it?”
He nodded and finally smiled. “Thanks.”
Dawn frown, not sure what he was talking about. “For what? Threatening you?”
Spike chuckled. “No, pigeon, for being a good sister to Anne. For taking time to come meet me, for giving me a chance instead of spending all your waking hours trying to convince her that she’s lost her marbles and should stop seeing me. Thanks.”
She got up to leave and gave him a hug. “You’re welcome, Spike. I’ll try to come back to see you once in a while so you don’t feel too lonely in this nasty place.”
“I appreciate the thought, bit. Believe me.”
She waved as the guards took him away, then left. Buffy was going to rip her head off for coming here, but at least now, she knew why her sister was so smitten with this man.
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They were sitting on the couch in the basement; Buffy wrapped in a blanket, her mother sitting next to her.
“I have something to ask you… I know I shouldn’t talk about this because my friend made me promise, but I have to have your opinion. I’ve always turned to you for advice before and it’s hard keeping this to myself.”
“What is it, Buffy?” He mom asked, worry obvious in her voice. “Is there something wrong?”
“No. Not wrong. Or at least, not catastrophically wrong. Just not quite right.” She took a deep breath, not sure how to broach the subject without giving everything away. “I have this friend who fell for this guy. He’s perfect and it was love at first sight. You know… Kinda like in the movies? Anyway. He likes her too, or at least, she’s pretty sure he does. The problem is they can’t be together for a reason I can’t really tell you. Well, in theory, they could be together, but to get there, she’s gonna have to put everything she’s ever worked for in the balance. Risk losing everything. She’s never been in love before so she’s tempted to. But she doesn’t know if it’s worth it.”
Her mother‘s facial expression suddenly changed, a all knowing smile brightening her face as she found the truth behind her daughter’s words. “Buffy Anne Summers! Are you telling me you’re in love?!”
Buffy blushed bright red under her mother’s inquisitive stare, but she still tried to deny it. “Hey! I never said anything about me. I was talking about this friend of mine. You know? It’s a woman I know. From work…”
Joyce shook her head. “Honey, I’m sorry but you were always a lousy liar.”
Buffy pouted. “Damn it!”
“So,” Joyce asked excitedly. “Who is this man who captured my rebel daughter’s heart so I can hug him and thank him? Tell me everything.”
“I’m so sorry, mom. I can’t. It’s very complicated and I can’t talk to anyone about it. The more people know, the more risky it will get.”
“Is he… married?”
Buffy couldn’t help but laugh at this. “God no. Actually, that would be like a walk in the park compared to what’s really going on. Really mom, don’t ask me too many questions I can’t answer. I hate keeping secrets from you. Hell, that’s all I’ve been doing lately. I can’t talk to anyone. My friends, my family, my coworkers…”
“Does Dawn know?”
She was about to say yes, when she realized that her mother would most likely run to Dawn to discuss the new man in Buffy’s life and Dawn would probably spill everything she knew about Spike.
“No. She doesn’t. It’s better this way. God, I don’t know why I can’t just be happy and have a normal relationship with a man I love. Nothing is ever simple in my life.”
“I know sweetheart. But things will get better for you, I’m sure of it. Things will come together and someday, you’ll look back and laugh at all the drama. I don’t know what’s keeping you away from this man, but I’m sure you’ll find a way around it.”
“I just hope I’ll manage to do it without losing everything in the process.” At her mother’s worried frown, Buffy tried to smile. “Sorry, didn’t mean to worry you. I’m just overly dramatic today. It’ll pass.”
After a moment of silence, Buffy finally ask the question that was bothering her most.
“Mom, would you risk losing everything for the man you love?”
“… I did, honey. You’re father. I left everything behind for him. I loved him so much and your grandfather didn’t. Of course, now I know that dad was right about Hank, but that’s not the point. Back then, he was my world and I would have followed him anywhere he wanted to go. That‘s why I ran away from home to marry him.”
“Do you regret it sometimes?”
“Honey, don't be silly!” Joyce exclaimed. She looked pointedly at her daughter and reached out to place a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. “If I wouldn’t have left with Hank, I wouldn’t have you today. You and Dawn are the best things in my life. I don’t regret a thing.”
Mother and daughter smiled at each other.
“Sure, I didn’t go to college and became a lawyer like I had planned, but I know now that it wasn’t the path I was supposed to follow and I don’t regret it. I was supposed to get married, have a beautiful daughter, get divorced, take art classes, open an art gallery, meet another man, have another beautiful daughter, and have said man leaving me like the big coward that he was.” She laughed. “I certainly didn’t choose the easy path, but I don’t regret a minute of it. Even the heartaches. It was all worth it because it lead me to the life I‘m leading today and I love it. Wouldn‘t have it any other way, believe me. The choices you make with your heart, even when they‘re scary, will take you where you‘re supposed to go in life.”
She sighed and took Buffy’s hand, squeezing it comfortingly.
“Buffy, you obviously won’t tell me more about this young man that stole your heart, but let me tell you one thing. If you really love him, don’t let things get in your way. You’ll regret it later. The Buffy I know would fight for what she wants.”
“Don’t worry, mom. It scares me, but I will fight for him.”
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A/N: I'm sure you're all wondering when the action will start (not just the hot monkey sex, I meant Buffy getting Spike out of there) Don't worry, it's coming. Of course, there will be a lot of up and downs in this story, I have tons of great ideas. I hope you trust me. You do, right? Keep reviewing to give me your opinion. I love you all. You guys are the best. I promise to update soon.
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