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Chapter 5
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The flight to Rome passed quickly as the two friends caught up on each other’s lives during their self-imposed estrangement.

"So, Bit, tell me all about how that prick the Immortal got his hooks into my Slayer? All right, she HAS shown some poor taste in men in the past what with Angel, that college idiot and Finn, but she had shown improvement with me. Looks like she took a giant step backwards. The Great Poof was a better choice even with the bloody curse." Spike shook his head in amazement at the thought of his beloved being attracted to such a puffed-up piece of fluff as Eduardo the Magnificent.

"She was real weird after Sunnydale. It was like she was this boat that got untied and was just drifting with the tide. And, boy, were there some stormy seas at times! All that time she was all, ‘I want a normal life’, then when she had the chance, she was clueless what to do. She got bored easily. She was really moody, too. She didn’t cry or anything, at least in front of anyone. I know I heard her more than once at night though."

"Buffy’d mope around even worse than when she first got back from heaven, then she’d go on a spending spree and come home with tons of shoes. I don’t know how many times she redecorated our apartment. Sometimes, I had to go check the number on the door to be sure it WAS our apartment. Other times the place wouldn’t even get cleaned up for a couple of weeks…eeeew, not even the dishes!"

"Then Andrew moved in after his apartment got burned down and that seemed to get Buffy in a better mood. They’d go shopping together. Andrew can be such a girl, but he’s got great taste in clothes! He’s the one that got her to start going to the designers’ runway shows. He knows some of the people and got Buffy great deals on the real things. Who’d have ever expected that from the little nerd tied to the armchair? He’s got lots of friends in the Italian fashion industry now, goes to all their parties and everything."

"So anyway, he moves in and Buffy perks up, buys lots of clothes, meets Eduardo at one of the shows and the rest, as they say, is history." Dawn looked a bit tired with the long story she’d just compressed to a few paragraphs.

"So, the boy, he’s the one introduced her to the Immortal?" Spike asked quietly.

"No, I don’t think so. I mean Andrew’s got lots of friends, but they are, like, fabric cutters and hairdressers, not in the kind of crowd the Immortal runs with. Naw, I think he was pushing Buffy to go out with Eduardo hoping he’d get to meet him, because he sure didn’t have those kinds of connections. I mean, can you see Andrew with that group of International glitterati?"

"Even the biggest shots like a lap dog hanging about, pet." Spike had a thoughtful look on his face as he said this. "So, Buffy started going in circles that led to her meetin’ Old Eddie AFTER Andrew moved in with you two. And the boy moved in after his own place went up in flames. Did I get that right? I might be wantin’ to have a bit of a chat with my ‘amigo’ Andrew after all."

Dawn looked a bit nervous for her odd yet likable young friend. "No, I think I should be the Andrew connection, just like we planned. You’ll have enough dealing with the Italian bombshell you described over at the law firm. Let me handle Andrew. Like you said, he likes me. I really don’t think he would have done anything to hurt any of us. As weird as it may seem, we’re the only family he has."


"I’m not going to hurt the pup. Like I said, I like the boy, but don’t you ever quote me on that! I think he could be used or intimidated pretty easily though. This all just smells really bad, Bit, and vamps have great senses of smell. When did this apartment fire happen?"

"Soon after Andrew got back from California. He’d gone there to rescue a crazy slayer. Oh! I guess you know that story better then I do. Gee, Spike, we really didn’t know about you being back or about what happened to you with that. God, both of your hands? Do you have a scar? Can I see?" Dawn had her old curiosity face in place and Spike had to laugh.

"Just a little scar on each forearm. They used these shaman guys to make the graft take. Hurt like hell, but healed up right and proper. How’s the slayer girl doin’, anyway?" Spike was eager to change the subject because realizing that Buffy HADN’T known he was back when he was in Rome made him slightly crazy himself. He should have insisted on seeing her in person and not gone back to L.A. with his tail between his legs, should never have just taken the word of the boy when it was about the love of his life. Spike had been stung seeing her with the Immortal, but he should have just gotten in her face over it like he would have in the past. Too late now to think of what might have been.

"Dana will never be able to be in the field. Giles has her working at the council headquarters. She’s still taking medicine, but she’s doing better", Dawn replied to Spike’s question.

Spike looked at her blankly. He’d quite forgotten at first what he had asked.

"Oh! Suspected she’d not make it. Too bad, she had the potential to be one of the greats. Some bloody bastard had to hurt the little girl and ruin her forever. Saw that happen often enough over the last century. Tried not to pick my victims too young. Dru liked the little ones, but usually killed them. Sounds bad, but probably more merciful in the long run. I wasn’t who the slayer girl thought I was, but I hurt plenty of others over the years, so I can’t hold what she did against her, you know?"

"I didn’t know it was you, Spike, but Dana did say that she felt really bad about hurting the man in LA. I think she’s aware of what she did on some level. Sometimes I think sharing all that slayer power may have not been such a good idea in the long run. We still don’t know if there will be more girls called as the current slayers die off. Too hard to tell if the ones we find are from the spell or replacements of ones we lose. We’ll know in a few years, I guess."

"Yeah, well, if we’d known all it would take is flashy jewelry and a fried vamp, it woulda saved lots of trouble on everyone’s part", Spike said ruefully.

"Gotta say again that I’m glad you didn’t stay fried! I missed you, you big idiot. I didn’t even get to tell you that I love you. I can kinda get why you stayed away from Buffy when you got back, but why not call me? I thought you loved me. I thought I was like a little sister to you." Dawn looked as if she was ready to start crying again.

"Do love you, pet. You and your sis are my whole world. Wouldn’t want to be alive in a world without the two of you in it. Last time we saw each other, you still weren’t talkin’ to me. Far as I could tell, you would’ve liked to toast marshmallows on the flaming vamp if you’d been in the Hellmouth when it happened. Wasn’t sure how Buffy’d feel, but was fairly certain you were well rid of me."

"See, I said you’re an idiot. God, all that summer, just you and me most of the time and you STILL don’t understand angsty teenage girls in a pout? I was confused about the whole deal with you and Buffy, but was really mad ‘cause you left ME. You were gone that whole summer and didn’t even call or write once. You were my first friend EVER. I mean I had those false memories of people before I really turned up, but you were the first one for real. You were my lifeline after Buffy jumped off that tower. I loved you…LOVE you. I was hurt and punishing you for leaving me. I guess I never thought I’d run out of time to make up. Next time…NO…let’s not have any next times, okay? You’re back in my life and that’s where I’ll always want you. You got that, you silly vampire? Even if I
get mad or stupid, don’t ever go away and not come back again."

Spike had moist eyes that he hid from the young woman next to him. Her love had carried him through one of the hardest times of his entire unlife. The girl could never truly know how much her love and acceptance had meant to him. Buffy was the love of his life, but Dawn was both the sister and the child he would never have. She was as vital to him as Buffy in her own way. It had killed him when she had looked at him in hate and it ate away at him as she glared and ignored him for months afterwards. Her words had started to repair the rip in his heart that had been there so long he had gotten used to it.

Dawn yawned widely and then snuggled into her seat, leaning her head on Spike’s shoulder for a nap. "Can see why Xander tried to use you for a pillow last night", she muttered.

"Bloody hell! He did what?" Spike sputtered, but Dawn was already asleep.

~~~

He thought back to the last trip to Rome with Angel. Spike had been gripped with a different kind of fear then. He was sure he’d finally be coming face to face with his beloved and was a nervous wreck over it. Did Buffy miss him at all? Would she be glad to see him or angry? Would she be angry that he was alive or that he hadn’t called? He’d needed those tiny bottles of liquid courage then.

Now he was afraid again, but FOR her, not of her reactions to him. He had the worst feeling that if he and Angel hadn’t been such easily manipulated sods, his girl would be safe now. They had been played. He could see it easily now. It had to be the Senior Partners. Buffy, like the soul, was a common denominator between he and his sire. They both loved Buffy differently, just as they had gotten their souls in different ways, but both would dust rather than see any harm come to the Slayer who had saved them.

The partners knew that and used it. She was their trump card to keep the vampires in line. Only thing was they didn’t see Angel going off half-cocked and declaring war on the Circle of the Black Thorn and the partners themselves. That had to be the core of the situation, had to be why Buffy was courted by that blowhard Eduardo and why she’d gone missing at this time. Spike was going to have to do anything it took to get a look at those files.

He remembered the Italian CEO Ilona Costa Bianchi with her theatrical, over-the-top behavior and her ten replacement coats. He recalled how she had thrust her ample chest practically in his face as she called him the very definition of handsome. Yeah, he could play her. Had to be careful how he did it though, wouldn’t do to tip his hand. The diva DID know that both of the L.A. vamps had it bad for Buffy. He had to make her think he’d ‘moved on’ as Buffy had supposedly told them both to do. Had to be careful about it. Ilona was shrewd and far too knowing.

(flashback to Ilona’s office during TGIQ just before
having Angel put on the racing jacket):

"Oh, my so beautiful boys, I have located your Boffy. She is with the Immortal. Such a lucky girl with three such perfecto men to chose from. I’m all filled with
the jealousy at her good fortune! They were dancing, but then they…how should I say it…ah…went and then came! Quite loudly, too, according to his guarda, and
many times."

"That couldn’t have been my Buffy. She’s a sweet girl and wouldn’t make a scene like that!" Angel sounded aghast.

Spike had snorted loudly and given Angel a look that showed he felt his sire was completely bonkers.

"What did you do, Spike, corrupt her? She was innocent and a lady when I left her for her own good", Angel accused.

"Well, yeah, guess I did try to corrupt her at that. She took to it like a duck to water though and taught me more than a trick or two while she was at it. What?
Don’t look at me that way. I didn’t even have my soul then, what’d you expect?" Spike had asked defensively.

"You mean she slept with you BEFORE you got your soul?" Angel was nearly apoplectic at the thought.

"Well, yeah", Spike said with the slightest of smirks.

"Come, come, boys. What is important is the head of the Capo and replacing your lovely leather coats. Such a shame to treat fine vintage clothing like that!
Come, see what I have for you both", Ilona had practically dragged them into her office and presented them with the new coats.

(return to Spike thinking on the plane):

Yes, the bint knew how they both felt about Buffy. He’d have to play his cards very carefully if he wanted her to accept that he wasn’t showing up on her doorstep with the intention of finding Buffy. He’d never get near her files unless he said the right things and acted the right way. Ilona might not know
the details, but Spike would bet a month’s worth of otter blood that she had more than a clue of what had happened both in L.A. and in Rome. He only hoped that she thought Spike was merely envious of Angel’s former relationship and interested in Buffy for that reason. His one upmanship attitude that day might have planted that seed. God, he hoped it had.