A/N: Thank you all for the kind reviews, and a special thanks to DoS to putting up with me and betaing this ;) Also, when I say "extreme language," I don't mean habitual use of profane language, just one or two four letter words that aren't "damn."



“Duality”




“Riley? What are you doing here?” Dawn asked, holding the door with one hand while using her body to take up the narrow space the open door created, essentially blocking his entrance.

“Well, I came to see my girlfriend—your sister?” he stated slowly, talking to her as if she were five or something.

Her eyes narrowed.

“She’s not here. And even if she was, she doesn’t want to see you, apparently. What did you do to Spike?” To her credit, despite her anger with him, she sounded nothing more than genuinely curious, but the inquiry caught Riley off guard, his expression immediately turning sour.

“Why? What have you heard?” he demanded.

“That you took advantage of his chip and the fact that he’s all…”

Defenseless…attacked Spike…

…six stitches

Fuck you!

Dawn slammed her eyes shut at the images in her mind, horrified as suddenly she could see Spike instead of the guy from the romantic comedy in those showers, and Riley behind him in the place of his attacker…

Her voice was barely over a whisper, her eyes widening as they came back into focus on the ex-soldier standing in front of her.

“What did you do?”

Riley’s expression went swiftly from sour to strong indignation.

“Nothing he didn’t deserve,” he retorted. “He’s just a thing Dawnie. A monster—”

“Nothing he didn’t deserve? What does that mean? What did you do?” she repeated quietly, her breath quickening with apprehension.

“It’s not your concern.”

All signs of emotion drained from Dawn’s face at his impatient, dismissive words. “No, I suppose it’s not,” she admitted. “But my sister said that you aren’t welcome here anymore, because she isn’t so sure what you’re capable of. And yet, Spike is still allowed in our home. Buffy’s always made sure to drill it into my brain that monsters of any kind are not allowed or invited here ever. And suddenly, you’re off the invite list, and Spike’s not.”

Her façade of indifference broke, and her eyes narrowed in anger and hurt as she concluded coldly, “And that tells me that you must’ve done something awfully horrible to him in order for her to do that. Now go away.”

As Dawn began to close the door, Riley put his hand against the top of it, pushing it just enough so that it stayed slightly open.

“Look, whatever you’ve heard…” his voice trailed off at the girl’s look of fright.

Dawn began pushing on the door in earnest, using her full weight to lean on the door.

It was useless, of course, against his greater strength.

“Dawn—”

“No! Go away! Get away from here!” she yelled, sliding against the wooden floor of the hall because of the socks that covered her feet.

Riley ignored her words, pushing a bit harder, causing the opening in the doorway to widen by about an inch or so – but it was enough to push Dawn off balance, making her slide down and crash to her knees, her hands slapping stingingly against the varnished planks.

“Dawn, are you okay? I didn’t mean to—”

Dawn looked up at him through the curtain of her hair, wincing at the pain in her knees. She turned sideways, relieving the pressure and stress of her weight from her bruised shins and onto the sides of her folded legs, as she tucked her hair behind her ears, looking at the floor, embarrassment making her unwilling to look at him.

“Here, let me help you.”

“No, don’t touch me,” she commanded softly, her voice trembling. “Get out.”

Riley shook his head, refusing to leave things this way. He had to make it right.

“No, I’m going to help you.” He bent forward, grasping her shoulders to help her stand.

Her head whipped up toward his, and he saw the overt fear in large, wet, blue eyes. And then– he felt something triggered inside of him by that fearful, vulnerable look, in his newfound “dark place,” and breathed out a soft, involuntary groan into her face. She winced in distaste as the scent of his hot, mint Listerine breath assaulted her sense of smell.

Dawn recognized the change in him immediately. She recognized it, and yet didn’t know what it was; she just knew that she didn’t like what she saw, and was beyond scared of what it could mean, in light of her growing suspicions of what Riley had already done to her friend.

“No,” she whimpered as he stared at her, his expression, though disturbing and creepy, still unreadable as to his intent.

Riley mentally shook himself, placing Dawn carefully on her feet.

“‘No’ what?” He turned his head away from her, taking a step back. He put his hands on his hips, looking at her again, his expression remorseful.

“I would never hurt you, Dawn. Or Buffy, your mom—”

“And Spike? What about him?”

Riley’s lips thinned into a straight line. “You have a crush on him, don’t you?”

Dawn’s eyes widened at the question, silently admitting that the answer was yes.

“He’s not worth it,” Riley sneered softly. “He’s less than nothing. It’d serve you well to remember that.”

On that note, he turned and left, closing the door behind him. Dawn didn’t know whether to sigh in relief or to cry at the horrifying truth she had just learned. Even without knowing the details, she knew now what had happened between Spike and Riley. She now recognized the look that Riley had given her as he had grasped her shoulders, his warm breath an uncomfortable intruder on her face.

It was the thrill of power and lust, feeding off of her fear of him.

Just like the rapist in the film.

Dawn felt her knees begin to give out on her, and she eased down onto the bottom step of the staircase, waiting for her mom to come back downstairs— and hopefully make her world right again.

~~~~~


Buffy found herself sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the couch, Spike lying sideways on it facing her. She had the now half-empty bottle of alcohol to her lips again, and at this point found the taste to be…not so bad. It still left a burning trail down her throat, but she didn’t notice that as much by now, being just this side of tipsy and all.

“Ya know, this floor is way uncomfortable. You are so sharing that couch, Mister.”

“I’m really not sure there’s enough room up here for two people, pet, what with me lying down and all,” he slurred out in response.

“Well suck it up, bleach boy, cause I’m sure my ass is getting numb, and cushions are comfy.” She got up slowly, groaning to herself as the room swayed just a tad to the right of her usual line of vision.

At least, it seemed like it did.

Maybe it was her swaying.

She lay down alongside him, facing him, and promptly pouted as the feeling of being on the edge of a cliff overwhelmed her. A look of dreaminess came over Spike at the plush bottom lip prominently on display and oh so close to him.

Buffy took no notice, of course.

“Feels like I’m gonna fall off, Spike.”

He threw his arm across her at that, leveling his eyes with hers as he held her firmly against him, keeping her from falling off.

“Better?”

“Kinda…” Her eyes brightened as an idea flickered across her mind.

“Oh! I know—get up for a sec.”

“Oh, come on pet. I’m all comfy like about now.” He gave her a pout to rival her own as he weakly protested.

“Stop being a baby,” she admonished, pulling him over as she scooted underneath him, lying flat on her back. She positioned him comfortably above her, stretched out across her, their chests, torsos and pelvises melding together. Spike lay rigid as Buffy moved the leg closest to the couch up so that her knee rested against it, and the other up and over the back of Spike’s leg, crisscrossing with it, and thus making her pelvis tilt upward. He stifled a groan, bringing his head down on the couch next to her neck so she couldn’t witness his discomfort.

“There. All better now,” she cooed with a sigh, stroking the back of his head lazily. “Or more comfortable anyway.” She used her free hand to grab the abandoned bottle off the floor, taking another swig.

“Drink?” she offered when she had finished.

“God, yes,” he murmured, taking the bottle from her as he lifted up slightly, having a healthy swig as well. After several seconds passed, noticing that now only a fourth of the bottle remained, as Spike continued to chug it down, Buffy snatched it from him, causing a bit of the amber liquid to dribble down his chin and splash onto her top. She took another swig herself before placing it on the floor next to the couch.

“That’s it—I’m cutting you off. No more alcohol for you.” She closed her eyes slightly, pulling him back down against her, his chin slightly resting on her shoulder, and resumed her stroking of his platinum curls.

“Didn’t know your hair was so curly. It’s totally adorable.”

“Yea, and that’s exactly why I don’t usually neglect slicking those bloody curls into oblivion. Slayer?”

“Mm hmm?” Her voice was soft, her heartbeat slowing down to a strong and steady rhythm, and he knew that she was starting to doze off.

“What’re you doin’ here, luv?”

“Huh?” Her eyes opened slowly, and she pulled back a little, turning her head so that she could face him.

“I don’t need or want your pity, love. And I don’t want you here if you’re jus’ doin’ it to assuage your guilt or somethin’ like that. I’m fine, really.”

Her brow scrunched up at that, but she held his gaze. “‘Fine’ is a four letter word, Spike. And I’m not…here for that. I’m not sure why I’m here, actually. I just felt like I should be, even if I… didn’t know what to say. I feel awful for what happened to you, I won’t lie, but at the same time…there’s no way that I could’ve—that he would…I’m so furious with him…I’m sure it’s not possible, but I wanted to try and make it right.”

Spike sighed audibly, touching her still damp hair in slight fascination, trying to think of an appropriate response to her rambling but well-intentioned explanation.

“Bein’ my drinkin’ buddy’s a damn good start.”

Buffy smiled at that before pulling him to her again.


~~~~~

Riley marched away from the Summers’ home, overwhelmed with confusion, and driven by anger. Confusion, because of what he had felt when he had had Dawn in his grasp—her overt fear reminding him of the moment right before he had taken Spike. His jaw clenched in frustration as he tried to understand what he had come so close to doing– again.

It all had happened so quickly—the feeling of power as he had looked into her blue eyes, feeding off those fearful tears that had welled up there.

He had looked at her, and remembered Spike—saw Spike— and it had been intoxicating.

Spike.

This, all of this, was his fault. Losing Buffy, scaring Dawn, having his darkest secrets out in the open…

And for those reasons, he had to pay. The vampire was going to pay.

With a grim expression on his face, Riley headed back to his apartment to retrieve a few supplies. After that, he would head to Restfield Cemetery.

He had a vampire to confront.

~~~~~

Harmony, her expression one of pure determination born of rage, headed swiftly through the tunnels. Her destination was one of the many local demon bars down by the docks. The sun would set in another twenty minutes or so, and she figured that by the time she resurfaced to ground level, the sun would be low enough that she would be able to get in the front door without incident.

She knew that she had to act quickly, because as soon as it was nightfall, she had a mission to accomplish. She had to be swift, because the Slayer might be lurking about, ready to screw up her plans— though that didn’t mean that it couldn’t still be as painful as her intended victim deserved.

Maybe I’ll have time to pick up a camera. Gotta cherish those memories.

“That soldier prick is so gonna pay for even thinking to lay a hand on my blondie bear.”

She unconsciously shifted into game face, craving blood…