One Big Happy

[littlesummers]

Who: Dawn, Spike, and eventually Buffy
When: Evening after her run in with Xander
Where: Room 101
What: A family reunion

Comments

[first_summers]

Buffy gave her sister an extra squeeze as she laughed quietly at the comment about Angel. It seemed like centuries ago, and yet she couldn't deny that she did still feel something for the dark and broody vampire. But she'd chosen Spike and she would never regret that decision.

She tucked Dawn's now-slightly-messy hair behind her ears and gave her sister a very serious look. "I want you to check in with one of us all the time while you're here," she instructed softly but firmly. "We're talking twenty thousand times a day, okay? People go missing here all the time and you know I'll freak out big time if I don't get to hear you're alright on a regular basis."

[littlesummers]

Dawn glared at Spike for what he did her hair, but was quickly distracted by what Buffy was telling her. "Fine, fine," she rolled her eyes dramatically an heaved a heavy sigh, even though she hadn't really expected anything less as soon as Xander told her that her sister was in the hotel. "Whatever. You're such a Worry McWorrywort."

[william_tbloody]

"And we're goin' to need to figure out somethin' to do about your schoolin'," Spike tacked onto Buffy's parenting. "I'll give you some time to settle in, but then we're startin' classes you and I," he stated firmly, not about to let a little something like being trapped in a mystical hotel for an indeterminte amount of time be an excuse to let Dawn go through life ignorant and uneducated.

[first_summers]

Buffy wanted to kiss Spike senseless for the way he'd just stepped into the role and taken charge of something she hadn't even yet thought of. But that could wait until later; she didn't really want Dawn to witness one of their makeout sessions, it would just be weird.

"Don't think I'm above having a sleepover in your room to make sure you stay out of trouble, either," she warned. "I'll be on you like bad spray-on tan the second it seems like something's up."

[first_summers]

Buffy nodded slightly, her expression sadly blank, before turning to grab her robe from where she'd left it that morning. "I'm going to take a shower," she said, her voice sounding too normal for what had just happened. She was failing to really cope and she knew it, but it would be okay eventually, so she let herself fall into that stream of denial without so much as a splash.

[william_tbloody]

"Alright love," Spike said figuring he would give her the time it took her to shower to work through what must be going through her head before he badgered her into talking about it out loud, knowing her tendancy to bottle things up. Well thats what he fully intended to do, but in reality he only made it about 10 minutes before he followed her into the bathroom.

"I'm not sorry she's here," he declared as his opening statement, hopping up on the bathroom counter. "I love her, I missed her, and I'm glad she is here. Call me selfish, but thats how I feel."

[first_summers]

She'd been on the verge of finally giving in to the torrent of emotions churning about inside her when Spike came into the room; part of her wanted to scream at him to get out. She didn't, though. Instead, she turned off the water and quickly dried off before wrapping up securely in her robe.

"Okay," she replied quietly as she stepped up the counter and picked up her comb. She didn't say anything else as she started working on her wet, tangled hair, nor did she look at him sitting beside her on the counter.

[william_tbloody]

Spike had been giving fangs to the smiley face he had made in the steamed up mirror when Buffy adruptly finished her shower.

"Okay?" he repeated incredulously. "That's all you have to say about it?"