Subject: [SpikesSalvation] Normal's A Place in Illinois- Chapter 8
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 09:25:26 -0800 (PST)
From: Jerusha Hancock <enigmaticblue@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: SpikesSalvation@yahoogroups.com
To: SpikesSalvation@yahoogroups.com


Chapter 8: Being Real

"Hey, don't write yourself off yet/
it's only in your head you feel left out or looked down on/
just try your best/
try everything you can/
and don't you worry what they tell themselves when you're away/
hey, you know they're all the same/
you know you're doing better on your own so don't buy in/
live right now/
just be yourself/
it doesn't matter if that's good enough for someone else/
it just takes some time/
little girl, you're in the middle of the ride/
everything will be just fine/
everything will be all right." ~ Jimmy Eat World


They hadn't actually painted the town. Spike promised what he called a "real 
date" after he'd had a little more time to prepare. Just going to a movie and 
then for coffee later had been fun though; it gave them a chance to feel one 
another out again. Buffy realized that with them it could end up being two 
steps forward and one step back for a long time. Only the fact that Spike was 
the most persistant person on the planet had kept him in Sunnydale, and she was 
certainly beginning to appreciate that.

Tonight was the promised "real date," and Buffy found herself standing outside 
what looked to be a little hole-in-the-wall along the lines of Willy's bar. She 
kept her mouth shut and her face carefully blank as he opened the door for her, 
even though she could tell by the amused look in his eyes that he was probably 
reading her mind. The inside of the restaurant was something else altogether, 
and she turned to face him. "How did you find out about this place?" she asked.

"A little bird told me about it," he said with a smirk. "William Benton," he 
said to the maitre'd waiting to seat them. The place was quietly elegant with 
old wood floors and panelled walls, and the tables were set with linen cloths 
and white china, candles glowing in the middle of each. The man led them back 
to a table in the corner, and Spike pulled Buffy's chair out for her.

"You know, I could get used to this," Buffy murmured quietly. "Seriously, 
though, how did you know about this place? It looks like a hole from the 
outside."

"Just goes to show that you can't judge things from the outside." He was 
smiling, but his blue eyes were completely serious.

She met his gaze with her own. "I guess it does." She might have said more, but 
they were interrupted by a thin, dark man with a moustache.

"Mr. Spike? I thought it might be you! How good to see you again!" Buffy looked 
from the small man to Spike in surprise. Spike was actually turning a little 
pink.

"Nice to be seen, Pierre," he replied. "You don't think I could stay away from 
your cooking for that long, did you?"

"My cooking?" Pierre asked, with a sly look at Buffy. "I do not think it was my 
food that brought you back to this place. But you must let me cook for you and 
your friend tonight, no? It is on the house."

Spike shook his head. "No, I couldn't—"

"But you can," Pierre replied firmly. "Our deal still stands. Whatever you did, 
my customers remain unmolested, and business is good. I still owe you a few 
meals for such a service."

He scurried off before Spike could continue to argue with him, and Buffy 
watched him, amazed. "You have to tell me what that was about," she insisted.

Spike shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "Well, I heard about the food here and 
thought I'd see what all the noise was about, right? Anyway, I found out 
business wasn't so good because the local vamps would wait for his well-fed 
customers to exit and then grab dessert for themselves. So, I offered him a 
deal. I got fed with a good meal twice a month, and his customers don't get 
eaten. Didn't take more than a word on the street and a few piles of dust to 
make my point. Thought about bringing you here sometime, but it didn't work 
out."

"How long ago was this?" she asked.

"Not long after you came back," he replied, hesitation in his voice. "Found 
myself a bit more at loose ends and wanted something to do. And it's some of 
the best food I've ever had."

He wasn't lying. The food was incredible. No one she'd dated had ever done 
something like this for her. She and Angel had mostly snuck around and slayed, 
and Riley had been more of a picnic in the park kind of guy. But Spike seemed 
intent upon wooing her, and she was willing to let him.

They talked about mundane things, like the beginning of school the next week, 
and Dawn and her friends, and all the other little things that made up everyday 
life as they worked their way through the various courses. Afterwards, Buffy 
feeling full and sleepy, they walked back towards her house by way of a few 
cemetaries to make sure there weren't any fledglings begging to be staked. "And 
for the second dessert, a little after dinner slayage," Buffy said facetiously. 
"Is that anything like after-dinner mints?"

Spike pretended to give it serious consideration. "Don't think so, luv. Can't 
put this in those little bowls, unless you count vamp dust."

"I'm not sure you could market that," she replied. "Let's sit. I'm too full to 
walk."

Obligingly, he waited until she'd sat down on the grass, her back against one 
of the tombstones before sprawling down beside her. They sat in comfortable 
silence for a while, looking up at the stars. "Spike?"

"Yeah, luv."

"Tell me about yourself."

He gave her an amused look. "You already know everything there is to know about 
me, Buffy."

"I know a lot about Spike," she replied. "I don't know anything about William."

He snorted. "William was a ponce. Nuff said."

"I see him in you," she said with a smile. Her eyes sparkled as he fixed her 
with a glare. "And before you accuse me of insulting you, I see things about 
you now that I never did before. But even before you came back, there were 
times you'd look at me, and I would never have believed that you were the same 
Spike who tried to kill me. Or you'd touch me, and I could see something better 
in you." She reached over to take his hand. "If any of that was William, then 
he was worth knowing."

When had he been able to refuse her anything? He told her slowly, warming up to 
his story, the real one this time. He'd had a father, a mother, and a sister, 
and he'd been a student, a son, and a brother. William had been a sorry prat, 
and there was no way Buffy would have looked twice at him if they'd met as 
humans. He was beneath her notice in any number of ways, but still he told her 
the bare, unvarnished truth as some part of him waited for her laughter. It 
never came.

"What happened to them after you—met Drusilla?" she asked, unable to say it any 
other way.

"After I got turned?" he asked, amused that she couldn't actually say it. 
"Well, my dad and lil' sis had already passed on at that point. It was just me 
and mum." Spike fell silent.

"Go on."

He looked over at her. "I'm not sure you want to hear this part, pet."

"I know what Angel did to his family," Buffy replied steadily. "I doubt you 
could shock me."

"It felt so good," he said quietly. "To be that strong, and to know I'd be 
young forever, when all I'd ever been was weak. I wanted to share it."

"You turned her," Buffy whispered.

"Yeah, and then I killed her," he replied. "When she rose, she wasn't my mother 
anymore. And to see her like that... I never wanted it to be that way. I 
thought she'd still be my mum." Spike shook his head to rid himself of the 
memories. "They would never have let me keep her around anyway. Angelus wasn't 
that happy that Dru had sired me; they weren't looking for another fledgling."

Buffy could see the pain in his eyes, even after so many years had passed, and 
she understood. She reached out to where he lay with her free hand and stroked 
his cheek. "I'm sorry," she said.

Spike swallowed. He had not expected her sympathy. There were times that he 
still expected to wake and find that this was all a dream, that he was still in 
Africa, or in some urban jungle, trying to get back to her, or that he was 
still a vampire, laying in his crypt, and this was only one long, sad daydream. 
And Buffy wouldn't be his, and she would tell him again that she never would 
be. He was still surprised that she hadn't just let him go. He'd expected her 
to let him leave, to let whatever hung between them die of starvation until 
they were just two people who'd known each other once upon a time. Instead, she 
sat next to him, looking at him as though she would wipe away every bad memory 
until all that was left was her. And it would always be her. She was his world.

He pulled her to him gently, giving her plenty of opportunity to refuse, but 
she met his lips willingly. It was gentle and sweet and demanding and full of 
hope. It was everything he'd ever wanted and nothing he'd believed he could 
have. "I love you," he whispered. And while she said nothing in return, the 
renewed hunger in her kiss told him everything he needed to know. For now.

~~~~~

"I still don't see why I can't get my own car," Dawn said, a bit of a pout on 
her lips as she sat in the passenger seat of Spike's Desoto.

He sighed. They'd been over this at least a half dozen times. Apparently, she 
thought if she brought it up often enough, he'd just give in. Truth be known, 
he'd love to buy the Niblet a car, but he and Buffy didn't have the money. Even 
with the extra he was bringing in and the money their dad was sending, there 
wasn't enough to afford another car, what with the extra insurance and gas and 
everything else. Not to mention that the Jeep had seen better days, and if new 
cars were to be had, that one needed to be replaced first. "When you can buy 
the car and the insurance, you're welcome to get one, Bit," he said patiently.

"All my friends have cars," she pointed out.

Spike pulled up in front of the school and just managed to keep from saying, 
"And if all your friends jumped into the Hellmouth, would you?" It would only 
aggravate the situation. Both he and Buffy knew that most of the problem was 
that the kids she was running with at the moment required a lot when it came to 
fitting in. Apparently, being popular was hard work, and required copious 
amounts of spending on clothes, shoes, hair, and the like. Spike had never 
thought Dawn behind on the times, but she felt she was, and she'd been bugging 
her sister for more money for clothes, among other things. Buffy, needless to 
say, was less than thrilled with the situation, especially after that little 
incident at the Bronze and missing curfew, but there were some things that you 
just couldn't control. Even when you were the Slayer and especially when you 
really wanted someone you knew to have a shot at a normal life.

And, while Buffy did what she could, and Spike would have done anything within 
his power for Dawn, they were both getting just a little bit tired of hearing, 
"But all my friends..." Spike had every reason to hope that this was just a 
stage Dawn was going through, and in time she'd figure herself out, but until 
then she was going to drive both of them nuts. "Have a good day, Niblet," was 
all he said, and he watched as she got out and flounced away. He sighed. 
Teenagers.

Dawn wasn't surprised when Janice came to meet her on the steps, but Marcy's 
presence, the current self-titled queen of Sunnydale High, was a shocker. "Who 
was that guy?" the girl demanded, flipping her long, blonde hair expertly.

She hesitated, and then replied truthfully, "That's Spike. He's kind of a 
friend of the family."

"Well, he's gorgeous," Marcy replied, looking in the direction that his car had 
gone as if she could still see it. Dawn resisted the urge to laugh in her face. 
Spike wouldn't have bitten her when he was an evil vampire. As a college grad 
student, he wouldn't give her the time of day. She bit back her snide remark, 
though. If Marcy was actually talking to her, she might have a chance with the 
popular crowd.

"Yeah, well, he's really sweet too," she offered.

Janice looked at her in appreciation. "It's so cool that he's living with you."

Marcy's dark eyes sharpened. "He's living with you?"

"Well, he and my sister are going out and he's helping out with some bills." 
Dawn realized that it was slipping. She absolutely hated bringing her sister 
into the conversation. Everyone seemed to know that there was something strange 
about her.

"That's nice," Marcy said absently, and then sauntered off, leaving Dawn 
behind. She sighed. This school year was just going to be great.

~~~~~

Being popular took more effort than Dawn had ever thought it would. Clothes, 
hair, makeup, everything had to be perfect when you walked out the door, 
because if it wasn't you knew that every girl around was going to be picking 
you apart all day. It was a competition for limited resources, a battle for the 
goods. There were only a few spaces at the top of the food chain, and Dawn 
understood the law of supply and demand as well as the next average high school 
student. The demand for the top space was high, which meant competition was 
fierce, and the gloves usually came off by second period. She played the game 
as best she could, and convinced herself that it was just part of life, nothing 
personal.

At least, it wasn't personal until Simon asked her for the history notes from 
the day he'd missed.

Simon was an enigma. His dress was somewhere between punk and preppie, usually 
with the lastest in jeans or khakis and a t-shirt advertising an underground 
band. The most distinctive thing about him was his hair: spiky tow blonde with 
an overlay of blue. He was one of those kids who had a lot of friends, but 
there weren't a lot of people who knew him well. A favorite with the teachers, 
he was a good student and was well-known for his quick wit. Everyone knew that 
he was one of the best guitar players in Sunnydale, but he didn't play with 
anyone regularly, filling in on occasion for any one of the local bands. About 
the only thing you could say for sure about Simon was that he hated, and was 
hated by, the popular crowd. They didn't like one thing about him, from the way 
he dressed, to his blue hair, to the way he seemed above all the petty 
jockeying for position, and it was policy not to give him the time of day. Dawn 
didn't always follow policy; it seemed to be a family trait.

"Hey, Dawn, do you have notes from yesterday's class?" he asked as he 
approached her locker. "I know the test is Friday, but if I could borrow them 
for a day or so, I'll make copies and give them back." He smiled at her as he 
leaned casually against the locker next to hers.

Dawn smiled back. She liked Simon, and thought he was cute. "Sure, no biggie." 
Quickly fishing through her folder, she handed them over. "I probably won't 
start studying till tomorrow anyway."

"Cool, thanks," he replied, smiling warmly. "I promise you'll have these back 
by tomorrow lunch. I'll see you around."

Dawn watched as he left and didn't think anything of it until Marcy approached 
her later in the day. "I heard you were talking to Simon Yeager earlier. Was he 
actually flirting with you?"

Dawn frowned at her slightly. "No, he was just asking for history notes. Not a 
big deal."

Marcy shook her head. "Dawn, you have to learn. There are some people you just 
don't talk to if you want to keep your social life. Simon is one of them."

Dawn's frown deepened as she started to get angry. "Are you saying you won't be 
my friend if I lend someone my history notes?"

"I'm saying that you'll never be popular if you talk to people like Simon. 
They're nobodies, Dawn," Marcy explained patiently.

Anger blossomed. Buffy had been on her case lately, and maybe for a reason, but 
still she was tired of people trying to tell her what to do all the time. She 
might take it from her sister, but there was no way she was going to take it 
from some high school bitch like Marcy. "So I'm a nobody if I associate with 
'people like that?' If that's the case, maybe I don't want to be somebody at 
all. I don't need help picking out my friends."

Marcy's eyes glinted, realizing a challenge when she heard it. "And maybe you 
don't want to be a part of our crowd anymore."

"Maybe I don't," Dawn replied, drawing herself up to her full height. "In fact, 
I know I don't." And she walked off. It was a good exit, as exits go, but it 
didn't mean she wasn't stuck walking home after getting rides from friends all 
week.

~~~~~

"Thanks for picking me up, Spike," she said, sliding into the passenger side. 
She'd called him at his office at work, and he'd agreed to pick her up. She 
didn't want anyone to see her walking. Her humiliation would definitely be 
complete.

"Anytime, Bit," he said. "You know that. What happened? Thought you usually 
rode with friends."

"I do," she said, "but I don't think anybody was feeling very friend-like 
today."

He stayed silent, figuring that if she wanted to talk about it she would after 
a while. "I kind of told Marcy off today," she confessed.

"I'm assumin' no blows were exchanged since we didn't get a call from the 
principal," he said.

She shrugged. "No, but there might as well have been. I pretty much can kiss my 
social life good-bye."

"What'd you say that was so bad?"

"There's this guy, and he said he wanted some notes from me, but he's someone 
no one in the popular crowd likes, so she said I couldn't talk to him. I told 
her she couldn't tell me what to do." Dawn remembered the look on Marcy's face 
just before she walked off. There would be payback, of course, but it was 
almost worth it to see her that shocked.

"Good on you, Bit," he replied smiling. "That lot's all the same the world 
over. They try to play top dog and they get taken down. Don't feel bad about 
it."

"I don't, except that I kind of wanted it, you know? I wanted to be special." 
Dawn looked out the window of the car, and Spike reached over to tug on her 
hair affectionately.

"You are special, Dawn. So tell them to sod off and get over themselves. You'll 
feel better."

Dawn shook her head. She didn't really believe him, but she'd pretty much 
already done that, which meant she'd just have to make the best of a bad 
situation. "Maybe." But maybe not, that little voice inside her head told her. 
Maybe she'd end up being on the outside all through high school, only without 
her own band of Scoobies for support. Maybe she'd end up alone.

~~~~~

The beginning of Spike's school year was a bit less traumatic. Buffy had 
insisted on taking him shopping the Monday night before his first class. He had 
to admit that it was kind of fun. Surprisingly enough, to him at least, she had 
fairly decent taste in clothes, and he'd only had to veto one or two of her 
choices. That next morning had found him dressed in khaki pants and a dark blue 
button down shirt. "You look good," Buffy complimented him when he came into 
the kitchen.

"Thanks, luv," he replied, running his hands down the front of his shirt. "Not 
sure I'm ready for this."

She came over and pulled his head down for a long, breathless kiss. "You're 
going to do great, Professor," she said with a smile.

"If you say so."

"I do." Buffy reached up to smooth a stray lock of hair. "You do need a 
haircut, though. I think that should be next on your list." He leaned in to 
kiss her again when he heard a very loud "ahem" behind him.

"I'm going to be late," Dawn said impatiently.

Spike and Buffy shared a conspiratorial look, and then he kissed her again, a 
quick peck. "Good luck," she called after both of them.

He hung onto that moment through the next hour and a half as he got ready for 
his class. "How are you, William?" Liz asked, popping her head into his closet 
of an office.

"Just peachy," he replied, smiling.

"Nervous?" she asked sympathetically.

"Of course not," he denied. "Why would I be nervous? I've faced three Slayers 
in my lifetime and beat two of them. I've saved the world, or at least helped, 
twice. Teaching a class full of freshman gits shouldn't scare me at all."

Liz raised an eyebrow at that. "Of course not. My advice? Don't let them know 
you're scared, and you'll be fine." She smiled at him. "Seriously, though, if I 
didn't think you could handle this you wouldn't be here. You'll do great."

"Thanks," he said gratefully. "For everything."

"You're very welcome. Give 'em hell, Professor," she said, leaving Spike to 
wonder if she'd been talking to Buffy.

Fifteen minutes later, he was watching students walk into the large lecture 
hall where he was supposed to be teaching. Much to his surprise, the seats 
began to fill rapidly. Even more to his surprise, he saw Willow slip in the 
door and sit down off to the side in the second row. A quick look at the roster 
showed that she wasn't signed up for the class, which meant she was there for 
moral support. While touched, he wasn't sure he wanted anyone he actually knew 
there. That way if he screwed this up royally, no one would ever have to find 
out exact details.

"Welcome to Greek Mythology 101," he began. "My name is William Benton, Dr. 
Kearns' graduate assistant, and I'll be teaching the class this semester."

When it was all over, all Spike could feel was immense relief that he'd made it 
through the class and that no one had asked a question he couldn't answer. He 
busied himself picking up his notes and shoving them into his book bag. Buffy 
had finally convinced him to get one after watching him struggle with a pile of 
books one morning. She'd teased him by telling him that they could get a manly 
pack, one that enhanced his "Big Bad" image. It made him smile to think of it. 
It made him smile to think of her.

"Hey, you did good." The hand on his arm made him turn to look into Willow's 
dark eyes.

"Thanks, Red." He smiled in appreciation. "It was nice to see a friendly face 
out there."

"I thought it might help," she replied. "I was even mildly fascinated, which is 
quite a feat for an introductory lecture."

His smile grew into a smirk. "That right?"

"Yes, but don't go getting overconfident or I'll have to come back and ask you 
something incredibly obscure." She tugged on his arm. "Come on, let's go to the 
Grotto, get a celebratory drink or something."

Spike smiled and felt a warmth spread through him. It was nice to realize that 
he was beginning to be friends with others apart from Buffy. He hesitated ever 
so slightly as he saw Liz in the doorway. "Sure, Red, but d'you mind if Liz 
comes with us?" As he introduced the two of them, he noticed that they were 
clicking immediately, and he realized that the two halves of his life were 
beginning to come together. For the first time in a long time he realized that 
he had a chance at making a future work, not just with Buffy, but with a career 
and friends and everything else that made a person tick. And suddenly he was 
just plain happy.

~~~~~

Dawn had been miserable all morning. Even Janice was ignoring her, and everyone 
was whispering behind their hands as she walked down the hallway. They all had 
heard about what she'd said to Marcy yesterday, and while some of the looks 
she'd caught were admiring, no one went out of their way to talk to her. In 
fact, no one talked to her at all. When lunchtime rolled around, she went 
outside to eat, deciding that her best option was to try to get her homework 
done so she could hang out with the gang. There was supposed to be a Scooby 
meeting tonight, though there really wasn't anything too serious to discuss. It 
was more a chance to get together and eat pizza. Still, if she had her homework 
done, Buffy couldn't bug her about it, and she wouldn't feel quite so lonely. 
At least, that was the plan.

"Hey." Dawn looked up to see Simon standing next to her, history notes in hand. 
"I wanted to give these back to you. Thanks."

"You're welcome," she replied, taking the notes from him and going back to the 
text book in front of her.

She knew he was still standing there, and he finally spoke. "I heard what you 
said to Marcy yesterday. Thanks for that."

Dawn looked up at him. "I didn't do it for you," she said honestly. "I get 
enough people telling me what to do when I'm at home. I don't need it at school 
too."

He gave her a sympathetic smile, sitting down next to her on the bench, his 
back to the table. "Your folks giving you a hard time?"

"Not my parents," she corrected him. "My sister mostly, and it's just because 
she worries. It just bugs me sometimes."

"No parents?" he asked, but before she could reply, he got a stricken look on 
his face. "Wait, I remember now. Your mom passed away a couple years ago, 
right? I'm sorry, I didn't think—"

"It's okay," Dawn told him, seeing that he was really apologetic about bringing 
it up. "Well, it's not okay, but it is. You know?"

He looked at her. "Yeah, I do." Simon hesitated and then said, "I always 
thought you were way too good to be running with that crowd. In fact, I was 
wondering if you wanted to get together sometime."

"Like on a date?" Dawn asked. Most guys avoided asking her out, she thought 
because of her sister. There were enough rumors to chase off a lot of guys.

"Well, maybe like on a practice date," he suggested. "We've got that history 
test on Friday, and we could study after school or something. And then if 
everything goes well maybe you'll go out with me on Saturday night?"

Dawn was charmed. He was sitting there, looking at her with these vulnerable 
blue eyes. He was cute and smart and suddenly being popular wasn't nearly as 
appealing. "I think I could go for that," she replied.

He grinned, one dimple appearing rakishly in his right cheek. "Great. I'll meet 
you at your locker after last period. Keep your chin up," he said, reaching out 
and touching her arm in a friendly way, and then disappearing into the crowd of 
students.

Dawn was just getting her books out of her locker and into her pack when Janice 
and Marcy showed up at her locker. From the looks they were giving her, she had 
a feeling that the conversation could get interesting. "You know, Dawn," Janice 
began, her voice an odd mixture of condescension and nervousness, "we were a 
little hard on you yesterday. I thought maybe Marcy was too quick to judge. You 
have to realize we were only warning you because we're your friends and we were 
concerned."

Dawn really couldn't believe what she was hearing. If they were really her 
friends it shouldn't matter that she loaned her history notes to Simon. Friends 
were the people who forgave you after you did really horrible things, like 
trying to destroy the world. And they were the people you forgave when they 
hurt you. And yet, part of her wanted to let it go, just be one of the group. 
At just that moment, Simon came up to her locker. "Ready to go, Dawn?" he asked 
cheerfully.

There are points in life when the decision you make can change everything, and 
if you're lucky you recognize those moments and make the right decision. Dawn 
knew exactly what her choices were, and she knew whatever choice she made would 
pretty much determine how she spent the rest of her high school years. She 
could completely blow Simon off, cut him down in front of Marcy and Janice, and 
she'd be in completely. In fact, if she played her cards right, she might be in 
the top spot her senior year. Or, she could tell Simon that yes, she was ready 
to go, and everyone in the school would think they were dating by this time 
next day. Which would mean her chances of becoming popular were over.

"I told you guys yesterday," Dawn said quietly and with great dignity. "I don't 
need help picking out my friends. And you guys never were my friends. If you 
were, you wouldn't have blown me off just for loaning somebody my notes." She 
paused and remembered what Spike had told her over the summer. "So you can both 
just sod off." Zipping up her pack in one smooth motion, she turned to Simon, 
who was standing there with a very impressed and very smug look on his face. 
"Let's go."

~~~~~

"So you live with your sister?" Simon asked as Dawn unlocked the door to let 
herself in.

"Yeah, and Spike," Dawn replied, leading the way into the kitchen. At his look, 
she smiled, realizing he had no idea who "Spike" was. "Spike is Buffy's 
boyfriend. He was out of the country for a year or so and didn't have a place 
to go when he came back, so he stayed with us. And he's helping out with some 
bills and stuff."

"They were going out when he was gone too?" Simon asked, taking a soda from 
Dawn as she pulled a couple from the fridge.

Dawn pulled a face. "No. It was a really bad breakup, and he left unexpectedly, 
but they missed each other a lot and decided to try again when he came back." 
She rolled her eyes slightly. "It's sort of complicated. Story of my life."

He smiled. "I hear you. Must be weird, living with the Slayer anyway."

Dawn gaped at him. She'd been trying to make everything seem as normal as 
possible; she'd been trying to gloss over all the weirdness that was her life. 
And she had been worrying about how not to let on that Buffy was the Slayer 
when he told her he already knew. "How?"

Simon grinned. "Hey, I've been to the Bronze, remember? The Bronze that has 
real vampires on a regular basis? I've even seen your sister in action a couple 
times while I was playing there. I've lived in Sunnydale my whole life, Dawn. 
Figure you can either turn a blind eye and hope nothing makes you admit the 
whacked stuff that goes on behind the scenes or see it for what it is. I've 
never been one for lying to myself."

She sighed and sat down across from him. "What exactly do you know?"

"Just pretty much what I've told you. And there were rumors flying around after 
the old high school got blown." He shrugged casually. "There're all kinds of 
rumors about Buffy, but one of the guys I play with sometimes graduated with 
her. I've heard some of the stories, like about the Mayor and all. I found out 
who she was by accident when I overheard some guys talking to her in the Bronze 
last year. They called her the Slayer, and I guessed it was just putting a name 
to a face." Simon grinned. "So you can stop dancing around stuff for my sake."

Dawn looked at him sourly. "It was that obvious, huh?"

"Only to someone who knew you were trying to hide something," he replied, 
smiling.

She might have replied to that, but the front door opened and she could hear 
Spike calling her. "Niblet? You home yet?"

"We're in the kitchen," she called back. Turning to Simon, she warned, "He can 
be kind of scary, but he's pretty much a softy."

Just then Spike walked into the kitchen. He didn't even blink an eye at seeing 
Simon sitting at the island with Dawn. "What are you two up to?" he asked 
mildly.

"Spike, this is Simon. We're studying for a history test we have on Friday."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Is that right? Well, good on you for not waiting till 
last minute then. You do know Xander and Willow'll be over tonight?"

"Um, yeah. Is Xander bringing his date?" Dawn replied.

Spike shook his head. "No, she was up to something else." He pulled out his 
wallet and laid two twenty dollar bills down on the counter. "Buffy and I are 
going to be training this afternoon. You'll call the pizza place?" When Dawn 
nodded, he looked at Simon with a lopsided smile. "You're welcome to eat with 
us if you like," he said.

Simon nodded. "Thanks. That sounds good."

"Good. Best change then." Spike headed out of the kitchen, calling back over 
his shoulder. "We'll have to have a little chat later."

Simon looked over at her. "I didn't think he was that scary."

"We'll see," Dawn said, knowing how Spike could be, especially if you didn't 
know he was mostly all talk.

They were busy studying a couple hours later when Buffy got home. "Hey, Dawn," 
she greeted her sister. "Do you know where Spike is?"

"He's downstairs. I think he said something about training," Dawn replied.

Buffy seemed to realize Simon was there for the first time. "Hi. I'm Buffy, 
Dawn's sister."

"Hey," he replied, standing up to shake her hand. "I'm Simon."

She smiled at him. "It's nice to meet you. I should go see how Spike is doing 
though. Dawn, you'll call for the pizza in about an hour?"

Dawn rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yeah, I've got it."

"Good," she said, and then as she was leaving the kitchen, she called back. 
"Simon, if you want to stay for dinner, you can."

His face split in a grin. "Thanks." He shook his head. "Is it always like that 
around here?"

"Usually." Dawn made a face, and then grinned. "When they aren't agreeing about 
everything, they're usually fighting."

There were sounds coming from the basement that might have been a little scary 
if Simon hadn't known he was in an unusual household. About fifteen minutes 
after Dawn called for the pizza both Buffy and Spike came up the stairs, 
arguing about something. "That was a completely dirty move, Spike," Buffy 
protested.

Spike had a smirk on his lips that made him look like a cat who'd just eaten 
the canary. "You're only saying that because you didn't expect it. Next week, 
you'll be using that same move and telling everybody you're the one who came up 
with it."

"That is so not true!" Buffy replied heatedly, though when he stopped and 
looked at her, amusement written all over his features, she backed up a little. 
"Fine. But you have to teach me."

"Why else do you think I came up with it except to keep you alive, Slayer?" he 
asked, smiling, both of them seeming to have forgotten that both Dawn and Simon 
were in the room.

Dawn cleared her throat loudly, and both Spike and Buffy froze. "You know, I 
only meant—" Spike began, trying to get around the fact that he'd just called 
his girlfriend a seemingly very un-girlfriend-like name.

"Actually, it's okay, guys," Dawn said quietly. "Simon knows."

A panicked look crossed both of their faces. "Simon knows what exactly?" Buffy 
asked.

"Simon knows you're the Slayer," Dawn replied. "He overheard somebody calling 
you that in the Bronze, and I guess he saw you in action a few times."

When they looked at the boy, he shrugged. "Well, it's good to know who the 
players in this town are if you want to keep your neck in one piece," he said 
philosophically. "Besides, I've played with Rick Farris a couple of times. He 
was one of Oz's friends, and I've heard some of the stories."

"Oh. Well, then," a rather confused Spike managed to say. He hadn't actually 
ever met a citizen of Sunnydale who was willing to admit to the strange goings 
on unless they were explicitly attached to Buffy somehow.

Buffy was equally confused, but a look at Simon's earnest face convinced her 
that he was telling the truth. Whatever he knew, he had accepted a long time 
before, and didn't seem to think it was remarkable or strange. It simply was. 
"I suppose that's done then. I guess that's one less thing we have to worry 
about hiding around here."

"That's one way to look at it," Spike said wryly. He looked at Simon again, a 
little more closely this time. "What else do you know, lad?" he asked.

Spike's eyes seemed to bore into his soul, and Simon suddenly understood what 
Dawn had meant about him being scary. He had no doubt that the older man could 
be quite frightening when he wanted to be, but it was his eyes that unnerved 
Simon. There was a wealth of understanding and knowledge stored behind those 
eyes, and he wasn't sure what he should feel about that. "Not much, to be 
honest."

Spike nodded. "Well, I'm sure Dawn will fill you in eventually," he said, 
giving her ponytail a friendly tug.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Only if you don't scare him off," she replied.

"Now, Bit, you know I wouldn't do that," he protested. "Though any guy worth 
his salt wouldn't be scared off so easily." He looked over at Simon, who 
understood the challenge plainly. Spike looked over at Buffy. "We should really 
get in the shower, luv. Willow and Xander'll be here any minute."

~~~~~

It didn't take long for Simon to realize that he completely envied Dawn her 
friends and family. They might not be the most normal bunch in the world, but 
they were incredibly nice to him, and he could tell immediately that there was 
a bond between them that was unusual, to say the least. Among friends like 
that, it might be easy to feel like an outsider, but Willow went out of her way 
to talk to him after finding out he'd known Oz, at least peripherally, and 
still had contact with some of his friends. When Spike and Xander weren't 
sparring verbally, they both acted like it was completely normal for him to be 
there. And Buffy was really nice.

Xander and Willow both left around nine, saying that they had work and school 
the next day. When it was just the four of them, Simon cleared his throat. "Uh, 
I wanted to ask you guys if I could take Dawn out Saturday night," he said.

Spike leaned back into the couch, one arm thrown across the back, and a hand 
resting on Buffy's shoulder. He looked over at the Slayer to see what she would 
say. "Where were you guys thinking of going?" she asked mildly.

Simon looked over at Dawn, who decided to fill in the blanks since they'd both 
talked about what they wanted to do earlier. "We were thinking about going to 
the Bronze. You know, just hang out."

Buffy gave her a look that plainly said, 'Do I look stupid to you?' Hesitating 
ever so slightly, she asked, "Do you really think that's the safest place, 
Dawnie?"

"Maybe not," Dawn admitted. She hadn't been all that thrilled to pass out in 
public, and really didn't want a repeat performance. "But where else is there 
to go in this town?"

"I promise I won't let anything happen to her," Simon interjected quickly, 
meeting both Spike and Buffy's eyes with a touch of defiance.

"Let her go, Buffy," Spike said softly. "Can't protect her all the time."

She looked over at him, about to argue, but something in his eyes stopped her. 
"All right, you guys can go. But," and she gave Dawn a hard stare as she said 
it, "curfew's at 11, and if you miss it again, it's going to be 10 permanently."

"Thanks, Buffy," Dawn said. She wasn't completely happy about the arrangements, 
since she knew plenty of kids her age that were out all night and their parents 
didn't even care. And at the same time, she'd had Buffy ignore her before, and 
it wasn't pleasant. Concerned Buffy was definitely an improvement.

"Thanks," Simon said sincerely. "I should probably get going though."

Buffy and Spike both watched as Dawn walked Simon to the door and slipped out 
behind him. "Okay," Buffy said, turning to Spike. "Spill. You have devious 
face."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I just thought we should probably make sure we spend 
at least one night a week at the Bronze, making sure it's safe for the kiddies. 
Wouldn't hurt to make that night Saturday night."

Buffy's eyebrows went up, and a sly grin spread over her face. "You aren't 
seriously thinking about spying on Dawn and her date, are you?"

"Who's spying?" he asked innocently. "This is patrolling, luv."

"She's gonna be pissed," Buffy murmured, leaning in to kiss him.

"She'll live," he replied, kissing her back.

The kiss went on until Dawn came back inside. "Geez," she commented, heading up 
the stairs. "Can't you guys get a room?"

---------------------------------