#giles x ethan | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

enigmatist17 · 9 months ago

Text

Weight of the World (Part 4)

----

Part 1 2 3 5

----

Dawn doesn't end up sleeping on her cot.

It's not what she wanted at first, but throughout the day, she kept checking on Spike after everyone had passed out throughout her home. It was so weird to hear the different breathing patterns of six other people when there used to be only two others, and Dawn decided to take them in while everyone slept starting with those downstairs.

Xander snored, no surprise there. Each snore of his was followed by a quiet wheezing from Anya, and the two were almost in perfect synch as they slept on the couch together. The former vengeance demon was using him as a mattress, one hand tangled in his hair while the other was tucked around his waist, held in place by Xander's arms, hugging her close as if she'd fall the moment he relaxed.

Across the house, Giles and Ethan were sleeping in what was usually the dining room; the large table pushed aside for a bed that Ethan had conjured out of thin air, much to the awe of Dawn, who had spent a few minutes poking it. Giles has tucked the warlock against his side, the steady rise and fall of his chest in synch with Ethan's, and Dawn hopes he sticks around. She hadn't been there when Ethan had wreaked havoc on Sunnydale, but at the end of the day, he'd never truly gone to hurt anyone, even nearly dying to prevent a demon from his and Giles' past from killing any more people. Ever since that the two had been in an awkward holding pattern, Ethan understandably nervous to remain in town where Buffy had made it clear she didn't care for him, yet still stubborn enough to be found lounging around his flat when various Scoobies would barge in. It was a strange relationship, but Dawn figured they were made for each other in their own strange way, so she smiled before quietly making her way back upstairs.

Willow and Tara didn't stir when she cracked open the door to her mother's old room; the two nestled in bed like they'd always belonged there. They were as quiet as the nights she'd spent in their dorm before, Willow letting out an occasional mumble while Tara was pretty much dead to the world, and Dawn didn't linger too long before trodding back to her room with a yawn.

Spike makes no noise, which she knew was unsurprising, the vampire slightly curled on his side. They'd been able to take some of the hastily slapped-on braces off after he experimented with moving his arms and legs after eating, and had promptly fallen asleep before anyone could ask any more of him. Dawn looked over at the cot they'd pulled out of the basement for her but found the thought of sleeping on it unappealing as she fidgeted in the doorway. She's not very surprised when she moves for her bed, slipping under the covers as far away from the sleeping vampire as possible, hoping that she doesn't wake him. Despite the sliver of space between them, the tension that had settled in Dawn's shoulders seeped away as she got comfortable.

She's asleep before Spike cracks his eyes open, watching the small human sleep the day away with a fond look.

---

Giles is the first to wake in the early evening hours, momentarily disoriented at where he'd been sleeping before the previous day's memories hit him, and he lays back down with a quiet huff. Ethan doesn't stir in his arms, which in and of itself is a small mercy, taking a selfish moment to enjoy the warmth in his arms, which he hoped wouldn't leave anytime soon. He wasn't sure how he was going to approach Ethan with an offer he quite frankly should have given already, but that can be a problem for more aware Giles; right now, he was going to lie here a few moments long before he got up. He can see Xander and Anya still asleep on the couch as he finally gets up, heading towards the kitchen to get the coffee started.

As much as he enjoyed his tea, this was very much a coffee morning.

Xander joins him right as the coffee maker beeps, cursed thing, the two nodding as mugs are chosen and filled.

"You guys sleep alright?" The younger man yawned after taking a sip.

"As much as anyone can right now, I suppose." Giles nodded, looking at the swirling liquid in his cup.

"Cool, cool." Silence passes between the two for a moment, broken when Anya and Tara enter the kitchen.

"I smelled coffee, and can use a very large amount." The former demon went straight for the cup Xander had prepared for her, Tara giggling a little bit. "Thank you, Xander."

"Any time sweetie." Tara scooted past Giles to get her own mug, the distant sounds of kids playing in the street filtering in from the open windows no one remembered opening.

There was a lot of that going around.

Willow comes down to hear some small talk passing between the small group, giving a wave as she heads for the fridge first. She pulls out some blood for Spike to warm in the microwave.

"He'd come down and get it himself, but Dawnie has kind of pinned him to the mattress." She hummed, grabbing her favorite mug from the cabinet while the microwave hummed. "It's cute, the way she's all curled up and stuff."

"I don't blame her for wanting company I suppose," Giles commented, not particularly comfortable with the arrangement, but at the same time he was pushing away his general distrust for the knowledge that Spike was injured for trying to save the girl in the first place. "Poor thing much be knackered."

"I managed to get her the week off, but next week, she's going to have to go back to school." Xander shook his head. We've got until then to figure out what the plan is going to be."

"W-Willow and I were talking about it a little last night before we fell asleep," Tara glanced over at Willow, who was now pouring the blood into a fresh cup. "W-We could move in; the dorm isn't too far, a-and help make sure she at least has company."

"Do you feel comfortable doing so?" Ethan's question nearly made everyone jump, the warlock making an amused snort as he stood beside Giles with his arms crossed. "School is important."

"A small commute is nothing." Willow shrugged, passing by the others to head back upstairs.

"As the car guy, I can make sure she makes it to school if she misses the bus and stuff," Xander offered before pausing and squinting at his mug. "God, I sound like such an adult."

"You kind of are." Tara giggled behind her mug, the younger man cracking a smile.

"Still, I can do that, and I can always drop by for movie nights or whatever you guys would like."

"I can provide financial assistance." Anya smiled, preening to herself when no one said anything rude about her offer. "I have become very good at online trading."

"Smart girl." Ethan stole Giles' mug to take a sip before grimacing, much to the amusement of the Watcher. "Would it kill you to add some sugar, love?"

"Perhaps." Ethan rolled his eyes as he took in the group. "What about the vampire?"

"He already lives here." Xander's answer makes the warlock's eyes go wide. I need to finish the basement restoration. I might have the guys come help me speed up the process."

"He lives here? Rupert you never told me." The Watcher shrugged, gently nudging Ethan's side.

"It's a recent occurrence." A look of understanding passed between the two before the warlock tutted under his breath.

"Well, if that's the case, I'll enchant the windows."

"You'll what to the windows?" Xander cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"I can make it so Spike doesn't burn to a crisp within the home." Honestly, didn't years working at the Slayer's side teach the boy anything?

"That's so cool." Tara gushed, shooting a look at the warlock that made his heart feel fuzzy. "Would it be hard?"

"Not overly so, it's quite simple really."

The talk of magic can barely be heard upstairs, Willow handing Spike his mug before sitting at the end of Dawn's bed.

"H-How are you feeling?" The vampire shrugged, his face shifting before he downed the cup in one solid go. As much as he'd tried not to let on to his pain, she could see the faint tremble as he sat up, and with a quiet chant, the bed seemed to support the vampire.

"Red, I thought we spoke about magic." He wants to sound more chiding than he does, but not to have his ribs screaming at him was a blessing.

"Only thing I'm doing, promise." She held up her hands with a small smile, and Spike gave the witch a fond look.

"Good girl. How's everyone, I can hear 'em downstairs."

"Tired, um, just really tired you know?" Spike nods as he looks down into his empty cup before glancing over at the sleeping Dawn, his face shifting back to its human state.

"The Bit is exhausted, but she should wake soon." His voice is tender in a way Willow wasn't expecting, and his blue eyes soon look up and over to her. "Can I ask you somethin' Red?"

"Of course."

"If I left, not forever, but for a little while, would you watch over her?" She wasn't expecting that sort of question, the vampire's gaze holding hers.

"Where would you be going?"

"Somewhere none of you can follow."

"Oh..."

Willow and Spike hold each other's gaze, and after a few moments, she smiles.

"I'd protect her with my life, I love Dawnie." Something seems to shift in Spike's eyes, and the vampire looks down at the sleeping teen.

"Good."

---

Buffy is laid to rest in a quiet ceremony a few days later, and the Scoobies and some friendly demons are the only ones in attendance. Angel had arrived the day beforehand, he and Spike having what looked like a serious talk in the backyard of Buffy's home not long after he'd been shown the couch for the next day. Everyone knew whatever they spoke about was important, Angel actually tender when he placed a hand on Spike's shoulder at one point, a pained look in his eyes as the younger shrugged under his hold. They didn't speak for the rest of Angel's time back in Sunnydale, the older vampire departing the night Buffy was buried after saying his goodbyes and hugging Dawn close with a promise to come and visit more often.

Dawn is sent to school at the beginning of the next week, plastering on a smile that doesn't reach her eyes as she lies about being sick to her friends. She nearly bolted during the first day, hesitating by one of the side doors before realizing that running away wasn't the answer she craved, She hid out in the library and got lost in a book she'd grabbed off a random cart. The relief of seeing Xander's car waiting in the pick-up area helped shed whatever anxiety was clinging to her, the two getting a small treat of ice cream before returning to the house.

Spike is there at night to nudge her toward her schoolwork, sitting patiently through a rant before tapping her folder with a stern look. Ethan ends up hanging around in the back of the room as Spike walks her through some of her English homework, able to see the gleam of the Victorian Englishman he'd been in another lifetime, which in and of itself was a treat no regular person would ever experience.

The vampire is up and running by the end of her first week back, patrolling the graveyards as a sort of test, dusting a few fledglings with ease. True, the first night he's exhausted when he stumbles home, but a few days of constant workout's and some training with Ethan, he's back in his true deadly state, most demons steering clear whenever Spike was nearby. He steps back when the group gets the Buffybot up and running, whatever murmurs of dissent he'd heard through the grapevine dying down when it was back to the "status quo".

It's a little after that he sits down with Giles.

---

Rupert had long stopped jumping when he came home to find Spike, be it raiding his Weetabix or borrowing some books, it was just a common sight at this point. Seeing him waiting on the couch, fresh tea made and lacking any jokes makes him pause, the door still open.

"We need to talk, Rupert." It's the first time he's ever heard his name spoken without sass. The Watcher finishes entering his apartment and locking the door despite his unease. The vampire watches him silently hang his coat before joining him on the opposite end of the couch, the tea warm to the touch when he gathers his mug.

"Is something the matter?"

"In a way." Giles' eyes widen at the prim and proper accent he's never heard from the vampire, and idly wonders if that's how he sounded in his human life. The two of them sip their tea. Spike slowly rotates the cup in his hands as he looks at the floor with an expression that Giles couldn't put a finger on, letting the other take his time. "I need a favor from you."

"What sort of favor?" His voice isn't accusatory, blue eyes glancing over with a weak smirk before they look away once more.

"I need you to take care of Dawn and the Scoobies for me."

"What?" Giles blinked as the vampire took another sip of his tea. "Are you leaving?"

"For a little while," His voices wavers, and the Watcher once again waits. "There is something I need to do, and I don't know how long it's going to take. Could be a week, could be a month, I don't know, but I can't leave until I know the little Bit will be safe."

"Have you spoken to the others?" Spike shakes his head, straightening in his seat as he properly gives the Watcher the entirety of his focus.

"No, and I'd rather no one else, but you do." Rupert and Spike look at each other, a shine in the vampire's eyes that he'd never seen before. "I need your word she'll be safe, from herself and from the other people in this town."

"I would never let harm come to pass to Dawn, nor the others, surely you know this?"

"I know." Spike sighs as he glances around the room before back to the Watcher. "I'm going to seek out my soul."

"What?" Rupert had to put his cup down before he spilled it, eyes wide as he stared at the vampire. "That's not possible."

"It is, and I'm going to do whatever I have to." Angel flashes in Giles' mind, and he doesn't have to think too hard to fill in the blanks.

"Why?"

"Why else? While she is—I promised her to protect Dawn until the end of the world, and I can't do this without that part of me I lost a long time ago." The Watcher is dumbfounded, well aware he most likely looked ridiculous. "I trust you more than any of the others, and it doesn't hurt you've got your warlock who could blow the top off a mountain if you asked him."

Giles mumbles something suspiciously like Ethan already had before, and Spike chuckles to himself.

"Spike..." The human ran a hand through his hair as Spike finished his tea. "What you're going to do - you are a good man."

"No I'm not, but I want to be."

"Fair enough I suppose. Will you tell Dawn you're leaving?"

"I will, after she gets off school, I leave tonight."

"Godspeed then." Spike shrugged and got to his feet, Giles rising with him. "Spike?"

"Yes?"

"Good luck, and know that I will move heaven and earth to keep them safe."

"I know you will Watcher." He watches the vampire disappear after slinging his coat over his head, taking a deep breath before going for his phone.

---

Dawn is surprised to see a familiar DeSoto waiting to pick her up, slipping in the backseat before one of the concerned-looking teachers could stop her from entering the car.

"I didn't know you were getting me today!" Spike waves as he begins the drive, some teachers eyeing the oddly blacked-out windows as they leave. "What's the occasion?"

"Oh, no reason." The lie falls flat, but Dawn is happy enough to leave it alone as she fills him in about her day. Spike takes her up and into the woods, finding their favorite spot that is shady enough in the daytime to prevent him from bursting into flames. She can see he's set up a picnic, grinning at the excuse to avoid her homework as she bounds out of the car once he's parked.

"Okay, you are totally doing this for a reason." She points at the amused man as he takes a seat on the spread-out blanket, the teen sitting across from him as she eyed a lot of her favorite foods spread out.

"Go on, eat up." She smiles and tucks in, the two sharing small talk until Dawn lapses into an easy silence.

'So, you gonna tell me what this is all for?' she popped a chip into her mouth as the vampire tilted his head just enough to give a simple smile.

"Dawn," The teen sits up a little straighter at the actual use of her name. "I'm going to go away, for a little while."

"W-What?"

"Easy Bit," A cool hand takes hers as Dawn feels the beginning of an anxiety attack, and she grabs onto it wth her other hand. "I'm not leaving you, I just have to do something."

"Now? You have to go so soon? Y-You can't leave right now, everything isn't back to normal yet, a-and we -"

"Dawn, I have to." His gentle tone cut her off, and for a moment, all she did was take ragged breaths as he gave her time to work through it. "This is for you and Buffy, and the longer I wait, the harder it will be for me to do what I need."

"Will you be gone long?" Her voice is trembling, and she feels him squeeze her hands.

"I don't know, but I will come back, come hell or high water."

"You promise?"

"I promise, 'till the end of the world."

His promise is the only thing that stops her from breaking into tears when she, Willow, and Giles see the vampire off to the airport that evening, watching as he waves before vanishing past the gate. She had to be strong for him, so strong she would be.

#personal #buffy the vampire slayer #spuffy #giles x ethan #dawn summers #xander harris #anya jenkins #ethan rayne #rupert giles #willow rosenberg #tara maclay #spike #spike btvs #season 5 #let's goooo

4 notes · View notes