The days passed and turned quickly into weeks and soon, it was as if he had never been away. His life had turned into a routine: wake up, go to work (he had found work as a research assistant at UC Sunnydale), dinner, and then patrol. And then, more often than not, a drink with Spike.

The complete change in the vampire’s attitude had been the most surprising thing about the last few weeks. In the space of a few days, he had woken up from his depression and was back to something like the old Spike. He was cocky again, arrogant, annoying too. And, surprisingly, the group were happy to see it. Things seemed almost normal again, with Spike back to being himself. The vampire hadn’t stopped grieving though, that much was clear. There were still times when he seemed out of it, or when he would be unnaturally quiet. And there were the times when he spoke of Buffy – usually over their regular drinks.

He never revealed anything intimate to Riley – instead telling him of the days when he and Buffy had been enemies – but the warmth in his voice was unmissable. His voice would crack with emotion, but he would continue, as if talking about her eased his pain somehow.

Riley could appreciate that though: just listening to Spike talk about a Buffy he had never met made him yearn to turn back to time, to stay at her side. They had had their problems, it was true, but things might have got better if he hadn’t walked away. It was his biggest regret.



He spent his patrols with the robot Buffy, ignoring her as best he could as he made his way through Sunnydale. She was irritating now, no longer an amusement and no longer a reminder of Buffy. She was too different. He saw now why Spike had come to despise the robot and found himself feeling much the same thing. But she had her uses and if it kept Sunnydale just that little bit safer, than it was worth putting up with her inane conversations. Most of them usually involved Spike anyway, which was not something he wanted to listen to.

He could quite happily share a drink or two with the vampire, but that was about as far as it went. They were not friends, never would be. They had nothing in common but a girl that was long gone. They came from different worlds, held different beliefs, wanted different things from life – or unlife. Somehow, though, they had been united by fate and circumstance. They both fought to keep the town that had once been home to a very special Slayer safe. They fought separately, each in their own way – but essentially, they had the same mission. They were there for Buffy and for the things Buffy cared about.



There was one thing they could not agree on though: Dawn. Riley was worried about her and wanted to try to find some sort of stability for the troubled teenager. Spike, however, wanted to leave her to deal with things in her own way. He did not encourage her quite, but he certainly never tried to put a stop to her antics. It was a fight Riley was doomed to lose though, he knew that, because Dawn would never listen to him.

She had softened ever so slightly towards him but she was still prone to sneak out at night. And, as before, he would undoubtedly find her at Spike’s crypt, dining on junk food and watching trashy television. It was another type of ritual.



Tonight, it seemed, was no exception. As soon as he heard Dawn was gone, he was on his way to Spike’s. It would be funny if it didn’t scare him every time. She knew the dangers, but it was almost as if she didn’t care. He made his way to Spike’s crypt, letting himself in and settling on a sarcophagus comfortably before even greeting the pair.

“Dawn. Spike.”

Dawn was sat cross-legged on the floor, engrossed in the television and gave him a tiny wave, not even looking away from the set. Spike turned to him though and smiled knowingly. Rolling his eyes and ignoring the vampire, he turned his attention to Dawn.

“So, kid, what time were you planning on going home tonight?”

“Dunno,” Dawn answered, shrugging, not even sparing him a glance.

“You know, I got you that cellphone for a reason.”

“Left it at home,” she replied with another shrug, turning to Spike, “Have you got any more chips?”

“I’m all out, Nibblet,” Spike said with a smile, “You eat everything I have.”

“I do not,” she protested, “Clem ate way more than me last time.”

Riley raised an eyebrow in question, regarding vampire and teenager’s interaction.

“Who’s Clem?” he asked curiously.

“Spike’s demon friend,” Dawn said, giving Spike a smug smile as if she could predict Riley’s next words.

“Demon friend?”

“He’s harmless,” Spike explained, giving the teenager a shove in the shoulder that made her giggle and return to her spot on the floor.

“Well, you’re supposed to be harmless too, but I’m never convinced.”

Spike turned to him and gave him a grin, just baring his fangs. He rolled his eyes once more and crossed his arms across his chest, watching the television for a moment.



It was always the same, every time he came to retrieve Dawn from Spike’s crypt. She would ignore him and he would wait patiently for Spike to finally suggest it was time for the teenager to leave. The vampire, of course, never liked to make it easy and seemed to get a great deal of pleasure from tormenting him.

“You comfortable, L’il Bit?” Spike asked, eyes fixed on Riley’s challengingly, a smile tugging at his lips.

“Yep.”

“Well don’t fall asleep on me, eh?”

“I’m not a baby. It’s only, like, ten, you know.”

“Past your bedtime for sure,” Spike teased and Dawn turned to give him a glare before returning her attention to the television.

Riley just sighed and settled in for the wait. This at least was one of the better times – Spike and Dawn both seemed to be a good mood, which rarely happened. Usually, one or the other would be quieter than usual. They seemed to have this effect on each other: as if just by being together, they were reminded of what they had lost. It had brought them closer than any of the group.

Riley wanted to be annoyed about it, but found himself secretly glad for both vampire and teenager: they were both so fragile, but somehow they kept each other going. Their friendship seemed to have come out of nowhere, but it was a strong one. Riley couldn’t even imagine how much more they might have suffered without each other. Instead, they had this incredible bond, almost like brother and sister. And, if he was honest, it made him just the tiniest bit jealous.



“Don’t know about you, Nibblet, but I could do with some fresh air,” Spike spoke up, “How ‘bout we walk you home?”

Dawn turned to him with a smile and nodded.

“Sure.”

The vampire flashed him a triumphant smile as soon as Dawn rose to fetch her jacket and he rolled his eyes. A few minutes later, the three set out into the darkness together – an unusual group indeed. Dawn talked all the way home, regaling them with stories of high school, her bright mood making both males smile at her fondly.

In his mind’s eye, Riley pictured Buffy like this, at Dawn’s age. No doubt, she would have had the same preoccupations, the same silly crushes and grudges. It sent a pang through him and he closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the wonderful woman he had known. It was starting to hurt less now, thinking of her. He could at least look back on the good times they had had together.

“Well, here we are,” Spike announced, drawing him back to the present as they came to a halt on the Summers’ front porch. The door flew open almost instantly and a worried Willow appeared, looking over the teenager and breathing a sigh of relief. Dawn just smiled apologetically and flounced into the house, sparing Tara a wave before bounding up the stairs to her room. Willow rolled her eyes and smiled fondly.

“Thanks for bringing her home again. Both of you.”

“Anytime,” Riley answered as Spike just shrugged, lighting up a cigarette that seemed to have appeared from nowhere.

They shared a few short words with Willow and then left, strolling down to the end of the path and pausing, ready to take off in their separate directions. Breathing out a cloud of smoke, Spike tilted his head and regarded him for a moment.

“Drink?” he asked.

“Read my mind.”

With a smile, the vampire fell into step beside him as they headed for the nearest bar in silence.