Might Have Been

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The faint tapping on the door failed to draw Dawn's attention from her book. She lay on the couch, a blanket covering her, lost in her favourite book. Her eyes flicked quickly over the pages, showing her excitement and concern, even after the third time of reading, as Professor Lupin hurtled into the Shrieking Shack and disarmed Harry.

A more definite knock followed by a crash outside made the young girl jump. She put down the book carefully and made her way slowly to the door. She swallowed her fear of whatever was outside and glanced quickly around the hall for a weapon. Her eyes landed on a stake next to the vase on the table and she snatched it up.

"It's not that late. Someone might be in trouble. You just have to be brave. Mom's upstairs. It's nothing bad. If it was bad, it would be in here and killing me already. Everything's ok," Dawn murmured to herself as she approached the door. A groan sounded from outside and she stopped, her breath coming in shallow pants. "Who is it?"

"Dawn," a raspy, tortured sound filtered through to her.

"Spike?" Dawn threw open the door at the sound of her friend's voice. Her face collapsed in horror at the sight of his bloodied face as body as he lay on front porch. "Oh my God!"

She sank to her knees next to him and brought her hands up to gently stroke his face.

"What happened to you? Was it the Initiative? Did they catch up with you?" Her friend groaned, his eyes still closed, on the brink of unconsciousness. "Spike?" Dawn's voice was quiet and small. She felt helpless.

After another few seconds of indecision in which the vampire made no noise or movement, the young girl turned her head and yelled towards the house. "Mom! Mom! Mom help! Help please!"

She turned back to Spike and choked back a sob. He looked dead. She gripped his hand, refusing to think about how cold it was. He wasn't dead. He wouldn't be lying there otherwise. "He doesn't need to breathe," she told herself, concentrating on his face, "and he can't help that he does. He'll be ok. This is Spike." She turned her head again. "Mom!"

"Dawn? What is it? What's…?" Joyce ran down the stairs towards her daughter and stopped in the doorway as her eyes landed on Spike. "Oh my God."

"Mom?"

"We need to get him inside Dawn," Joyce said without hesitation. "Can you lift his legs?"

Slowly and carefully they manoeuvred the unconscious vampire indoors and laid him gently on the couch. "I'll get the first aid kit," Joyce murmured as Dawn perched next to Spike and again took hold of his hand.

****

"What happened to you?" Dawn asked an hour later once Spike had been cleaned up and was conscious again.

"Demons," Spike said shortly and took a sip of cocoa, closing his eyes and resting his head against the arm of the couch.

"You got into a fight?"

"No. I got beaten up."

"Why?"

"Because I've been killing demons. I've been helping the Slayer. I've been spending too much time with…"

"With?"

"Never mind."

"With me."

Spike sighed. "That's not what I meant. Can we just forget it? You patched me up great. If I didn't want to be around you I wouldn't have come here."

"But it's my fault you're…"

"No it isn't," Spike interrupted fiercely. "Dawn look at me," He reached out and lifted her head so that met his eyes. "It is not your fault." He pulled her down against him, and she curled around him, taking care not to touch any of his bruises. "Better?"

The young girl nodded and closed her eyes. "Mom says you can stay as long as you want."
Spike smiled slightly and brushed a hand over Dawn's hair. "You Summers women are too good to me."

"Buffy too?"

"Buffy too," he murmured sleepily.

"Want me to read to you?"

Spike's lips quirked again at Dawn's whispered question but he couldn't answer. He nodded once and Dawn twisted carefully and reached for her book. "I'm almost at the end. I don't mind starting again. Promise you'll stay until I finish."

"Promise," Spike breathed and Dawn settled against him again.

"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Chapter One. Owl Post…"

TBC...