Spike cleared his throat, and his expression grew nervous as Dawn continued to remain silent. "You gonna say something, nib?"
His words broke Dawn from her trance, and she ran to him, threw her arms around him. Spike immediately returned her embrace, grateful that she didn't still seem to hold the grudge she'd had against him the last year back in Sunnydale.
As her initial shock began to wear off, Dawn began to notice that something about Spike seemed different. She'd hugged him before, and always his skin had been cool to the touch, but now, it was warm against hers. His breathing was more regular, too, not the reflexive memory of an action it had been before. And his heart…
It was pounding beneath her ear.
With a start, Dawn realized the man she was hugging was not a vampire, but was in fact, very much alive. She pulled back with a start, though she kept her arms wrapped loosely around her waist, unwilling to give up contact just yet now that she had him back. "What…how…?"
"You wanna know how I came back?" Spike asked.
"Yeah," Dawn replied. "And how you got a pulse would be nice, too."
Spike gave her a half smile. "Noticed that, did you?"
"It's a little obvious," Dawn said. "I just…" Dawn reached up and touched his face. "You're real. You're really real."
"I am. Got trapped in that amulet down in the Hellmouth. Found myself in L.A. a few days later, all incorporeal like. Got recorporealized some time after that, and at the end of that last battle I became the happy recipient of a newly beating heart," Spike told her as he tried to sum up the past year as best he could. "Something about a prophecy and a vampire with a soul."
Dawn was silent for a moment as she tried to process everything. What could she possibly say? This was something she'd wanted for a year, and now that she had it—that Spike was really standing in front of her—she couldn't find a single word to let him know that yes, all was forgiven.
So she didn't speak. She hugged him again, squeezed him tightly and buried her face in his shoulder as she cried softly with joy and relief. "I missed you so much," she whispered, her hands digging in to the leather of his duster.
"I missed you, too," Spike said.
Finally, Dawn broke away from him again. "So…did you just drop by for an 'I'm not dead visit?" she asked, wiping the tears out of her eyes.
"Not exactly…" Spike glanced over at the blonde woman beside him. "Buffy?"
Buffy smiled sweetly up at him, and Dawn's eyebrow went up. Since when did Buffy look at Spike like that? Well, when she knew people were watching her anyway… "Spike's not here just for a visit," Buffy said as she turned back to face her sister. "He's going to be around for good now—as my husband."
Dawn's mouth fell open, hanging for a moment before Buffy's announcement sunk in and she clapped her hands together, squealing as she did. "Oh my god! You guys are really going to… This is great!" She hugged both Buffy and Spike in turn, her urge to jump around the living room barely contained. "So when? Where? Are you going to…"
"Whoa, Dawnie, slow down," Buffy said. "We just walked in the door, you know. Let's go and sit on the couch to talk."
"Oh, right," Dawn said as she backed up. "Sorry. I didn't really plan to ambush you in the foyer, but well, Spike…"
Buffy smiled. "I know." She peeked over her sister's shoulder and noticed Andrew standing back from them all, his hands in his pockets. "Hey, Andrew," Buffy said as she gave him a small wave. "I didn't even notice you over there. Sorry."
Andrew shrugged. "I didn't want to interrupt the moment."
Spike regarded Andrew for a moment, his head cocked to the side. He was much more subdued than Spike had ever seen him before, seeming almost—afraid? Spike frowned and sniffed the air, his vampire senses still intact despite his recent return to the world of the living—something about the Powers that Be wanting to keep him in top fighting form—and realized exactly what Andrew had to be nervous about. He used every ounce of willpower he had to keep from exploding, knowing it probably wasn't the best move he could make.
He'd have a nice, long chat alone with the boy, first chance he got…
For the time being, he followed the two Summers women over to the couch, taking his place beside Buffy. Andrew stuck to a chair a little bit back from the couch, and Spike noticed him trying to watch Dawn without being too obvious about it. He was failing miserably as far as Spike was concerned, but luckily for Andrew, Buffy wasn't paying him any attention. Spike doubted his Slayer would be as unwilling to cause a scene right there as he was.
"So, engagement—how did it happen?" Dawn asked as soon as they were sitting down. She glanced at Buffy's left hand. "And he didn't buy you a ring? Geez, Spike, cheap much?"
Spike shot Dawn a look, though his mouth curved up slightly in the beginnings of a smile. "I haven't had a chance yet. It was all spur-of-the-moment like. We'll pick one out later." He kissed the top of Buffy's head.
"It was just a couple of days ago," Buffy added. "And not really anything planned, since hey, I thought he was dead and all. But he wasn't—and then he really wasn't—and we decided that we want to get married." She looked at Dawn, a twinkle in her eyes. "And I doubt you want to hear all the details on when we decided on that."
Dawn coughed, the look on her sister's face telling her more than enough. "No, I can live without that description, thank you. But other stuff… Is Spike going to move in here with us? How's this going to work?"
Buffy glanced up at her fiancé for a moment. "Actually, I've decided I should go to England—we should go to England. Giles has been getting on me to be more proactive with the whole Slayer Army thing anyway, and I think it's time for me to do that. So I'm taking over, and I'm going to put Spike in charge of training."
Dawn tried unsuccessfully not to giggle. "The Slayer of Slayers teaching Slayers to fight. That's…amusingly ironic."
"I said something along those lines myself, but Buffy thinks that makes me the best man for the job," Spike said. "Something about me knowing how to kill them making me well-suited for showing them how not to get killed."
"So we're going to England then?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah," Buffy said. "Are you okay with that?"
"Moving to a country where they speak English? Oh yeah, I am definitely okay with that." Dawn smirked at Spike. "Even if it is way messed up sounding English…"
"Oi! You bloody little Americans are the ones that bollixed it up—not us," Spike protested.
Dawn ruffled his hair. "You're as easy to tease as you've ever been."
Buffy glanced over at Andrew, surprising him when she addressed him directly. "I wasn't sure exactly what you'd want to do. You can stay here if you want—the apartment belongs to the Council. Or you can come back to England, too. Or I guess, go wherever it is you want to go. I just wanted you to know that I wasn't throwing you on the street or anything."
Andrew gave her a small smile. "Thanks. But I can, um, go back to England. Giles just wanted me here so you'd have a local contact from the Council if you needed one. So if you're leaving…" The quick shift of his gaze towards Dawn was almost imperceptible, but Spike still managed to catch it. "I go where you go."
"Okay then. I guess we close up shop in Rome and head on over to England," Buffy said. "I've talked to Giles about sending some new Slayers to Rome, since there is a large enough vampire community in the area to warrant it. My guess is they think they're rebels because they're feeding so close to the Vatican or something."
"Or maybe they're like your git of an ex and have a thing for nuns," Spike replied.
Buffy elbowed him. "Behave yourself."
Spike responded with a slow grin. "But then you'd be disappointed."
"Yeah, okay, good point," Buffy said with something that could almost classify as a girlish giggle.
Dawn's eyebrow rose again. If this was how Buffy was going to be around Spike now, she supposed it was going to take some getting used to.
But Buffy did look happy—happier than Dawn remembered her being in well, possibly ever. She hadn't stopped smiling since they'd come through the door, and it wasn't the forced smile that Dawn had gotten used to seeing on Buffy's face. Instead, her sister was genuinely beaming.
Dawn looked over at Andrew, noting how quiet he was. She found it odd that he hadn't said anything to Spike. She'd thought they'd had an almost-friendship back in Sunnydale, but maybe she'd been wrong. She mouthed "Are you okay?" at him, and he responded with a quick nod, though his body language suggested anything but. He seemed very uncomfortable, and more than a little nervous.
Dawn decided it must be because of the changes in their relationship. Was Andrew afraid that Spike would hurt him for daring to touch her, or something like that? She'd been planning to just go ahead and tell Buffy that she and Andrew were together now, but Dawn decided maybe she should wait on that until she talked to Andrew about it. He might not want it out in the open now that Spike was there, too.
She decided to focus on her sister and soon-to-be brother-in-law instead, coaxing them into telling her all about what had happened in Los Angeles.
*** *** ***
Spike leaned against the balcony, taking in the view of Rome at night. He smiled, thinking of Dawn and Buffy and how they'd been ever since their arrival. They'd been gossipy and giggly, acting more like sisters than Spike was used to seeing. Usually, Buffy took on the role of surrogate mother, and Spike thought it was good that she seemed to be doing a little less of that than she had back in Sunnydale. As much as Dawn could use a parent, she could also use a sister, someone to share whatever sort of things it was sisters shared. He was glad to see that between them.
He flicked his cigarette, then took a drag, wondering for the thousandth time since he'd become human if he should kick this habit. It made his lungs burn in a way that it hadn't before, and even though his seemed to have retained his accelerated healing powers, this could still be doing damage to him. And he was, after all, about to become a family man. Of sorts, anyway.
He heard a noise behind him and turned to see Andrew walking past the balcony, obviously trying to sneak past. Spike decided now was as good a time as any to have the talk with him he wanted to have, since the girls had been otherwise occupied the last time he'd checked. "Andrew? Come here for a minute, would you?"
Spike could hear Andrew's heart begin to beat faster and he couldn't help the slow grin that spread across his face at the time. The boy was afraid—good. Spike may have not been evil anymore, or even still a vampire for that matter, but that didn't stop him from appreciating a healthy dose of fear in certain situations.
Andrew tried unsuccessfully not to tremble as he came out on to the balcony. "Um…you want to talk about something, Spike?"
Spike cut to the chase. "How long have you been sleeping with Dawn? And don't even think about lying to me about it either."
Andrew turned pale. He wished that something would swallow him whole right there and end the suffering he was sure was coming before it began. "I…uh…are you gonna kill me?"
Spike raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. Depends on whether or not I like your answers. How long?"
"A few days," Andrew replied, not able to the other man's eyes.
"Are you using her?"
Andrew's head flew up at that. "What? No! No! I'd never do that. Not to Dawn. Not ever."
Spike could hear the sincerity in Andrew's voice, but he still had his concerns. "It wasn't more than a few weeks ago when I was here and saw you leave with two women."
"I'm not with them anymore," Andrew said. "That night, I didn't even stay with them very long. I ran into Dawn, and…I don't know, something started between us."
Spike threw his cigarette down to the ground and stomped it out with his boot before crossing his arms over his chest. "Something started between you? Elaborate. Convince me not to rip your arms off and beat you with them."
Andrew's eyes bugged. "I didn't sleep with her then, things just…changed. I don't know how to really describe it. I mean, I've cared about her for a really long time—she's why I wanted to work here in Rome, so I could be close to her, look out for her, even if I knew that I'd never get a real chance with her. But then I was getting a chance, and I know I probably shouldn't have because I'm nowhere near good enough for her, but I love her, and she's wonderful and beautiful, and I…" He took a step backwards. "Please don't kill me."
Silence hung between them as Spike considered Andrew's response. There was definitely something genuine in what the boy was saying, and even if the thought of his little bit with Andrew of all people at the very least confused him, Spike wasn't going to stand in their way just because he didn't get the attraction there. Andrew loved her. It was plain to see. And Dawn…she deserved to be loved. The girl had had enough loneliness in her life.
"You hurt her, and I end you. Got it?"
Andrew nodded. "Got it. Completely. I hurt Dawn, and you kill me slowly and painfully. All clear."
"Good. Now go back inside."
Andrew was all too happy to comply.
*** *** ***
Dawn had been on her way to the kitchen when she'd heard Spike and Andrew talking outside on the balcony. She knew that eavesdropping was rude, but she stopped anyway, wanting to make sure that Spike wasn't about to tear her boyfriend into tiny pieces. She'd gotten the impression that Spike was picking up on more than he was letting on earlier, with the looks he'd been giving them.
Dawn's stomach clenched when she heard Spike say something she hadn't been expecting at all.
"It wasn't more than a few weeks ago when I was here and saw you leave with two women."
She didn't want to believe the implications of that, but it was clear, especially after Andrew started speaking again. Andrew had known Spike was alive. All this time, he'd known, and had kept the truth from her. And what was worse, Spike had been there in Rome, and he'd kept that from her, too.
Unable to listen to anymore, Dawn ran into her room as tears formed in her eyes.
*** *** ***