Story [Buffy the Vampire Slayer] The Long and Rocky Road (Spike & Dawn [friendship] pre Season 6)

Title: The Long and Rocky Road
Characters: Spike and Dawn
Rating: PG
Summary: Spike and Dawn share a moment in time during the hardest summer of their lives. Written for the Live Journal community, the_jossverse Round 2, BtVS character Spike, prompt comfort.
Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of its characters, settings, and situations. No copyright infringement intended. Not profit is being made.
Word Count: 2865
Beta: okdeanna

The Long and Rocky Road

*~*

?What do you mean, ?I can?t tell you??? Dawn scrunched her face in disgust. ?Honestly, Spike, I?m not some dumb little kid!?

?I know you?re not, Dawn.? Spike glanced sidelong at the girl, now pouting childishly despite her declaration. ?But I?m not tellin?. Deal with it.?

?Stupid vampire,? Dawn muttered, crossing her arms and kicking at the gravel with the toe of her tennis shoe. ?You?re just like them, you know! Xander and Willow and Giles.?

?And you lot say I?m the evil one,? Spike muttered, noting Dawn?s pout give way to a prideful smirk when he stopped short to glare at her. Comparing him to the bloody Scoobies? Talk about a low blow.

?Well, you are!? she said. ?They?re always not telling me stuff for my own good and you?re doing the exact same thing!?

?I am not.? Spike whirled around to face her, a threatening finger aimed level with her annoyingly right-on-the-money little smile. ?You take that back.?

Dawn?s grin widened. ?Not until you tell me.?

Spike scowled and lit a cigarette, following Dawn as she started walking again. ?Not playing fair, Niblet.?

Dawn scoffed and plucked the smoke from his lips, tossing it to the dirt and cheerfully grinding it out beneath her well-worn shoe. ?Nobody said I had to.?

?Those cost money, you know!? Spike said, reaching for the pack again only to find it empty. Growling quietly at the completely cigarette-free carton, he crumpled the useless plastic-covered cardboard and tossed it to the ground.

?They also cause cancer,? said Dawn, stooping to lift the pack off the pavement. ?And don?t litter.?

?Already dead,? Spike replied, ducking when the package sailed through the air toward his head. ?And I?ll do as I damn well please.?

He turned and gave the cigarette package a farewell kick for good measure.

?I?ll do as I damn well please,? Dawn repeated, deepening her voice and accenting her words in clear mockery. ?Yeah, you?re so evil.?

Spike stomped after her. ?I am evil,? he said, coming level with her after taking a couple of long, catch-up strides. ?You?d do well to remember that.?

She giggled. ?Oh please, Spike. You haven?t been evil for a long time.?

Spike told himself he ought to want to wrap his hands around her scrawny little neck for that remark, headache be damned. He wanted to want to do it, too, but that little voice in his head that he supposed was some blasted form of a conscience reminded him that chip or no chip, he?d rather die than to see Dawn hurt, by his hands or any other.

Christ, he really had gone soft, hadn?t he?

Spike fought the small smile of concession that threatened to ruin his scowl and muttered, ?Yeah, well, just don?t tell anyone.?

?Not like they?d listen to me anyway,? she whispered softly, turning to catch his eye. He saw her expression shift from teasing to serious. ?They don?t like you and they hate that you?re the only one who can keep me safe.?

Her words sent a stab of agony through his heart and he pressed on his chest with his palm in effort to smother it before it got the better of him. He felt Dawn?s hands gripping his shoulders and opened his eyes ? he hadn?t realized he?d closed them ? to find her staring hard at him with a watery gaze.

?Stay with me, Spike,? she said, giving him a none-too-gentle shake. ?I?m sorry. I didn?t think??

Wrenching his thoughts away from their treacherous heading, Spike sucked in a breath and nodded sharply. ?It?s all right, Dawnie,? he said, hands lifting to grip her s

 

That was so heartbreakingly sweet. Great job!!

 

That was wonderful. Well done!

 

NYCitygurl & Sara_Kenobi

Thanks for reading and replying! I'm glad that you liked it.

~Abby

 

?All right. Pizza??

Dawn smiled, her hand on the doorknob. ?No hot things on my half, kay??

?Got it.? Spike nodded toward the door. ?Best get inside before the girls start worrying.?


Like these two together, especially right here. He's kind, and keeping his promise, and making her go on even though it's the last thing either of them want to think about.

Good fic, Abby.

 

Thank you very much! This is exactly how I think Spike and Dawn could have spent that summer - like you said, keeping his promise to Buffy, and the two of them becoming each other's reason to go on.