FIC: Sundowning-Pick a Peck of Pickled Pepper

[Mad-Hamlet@xxxxxxx]

Disclaimer: All this belongs to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy Inc. 
(Grrr...raarrr)


Drain Brameged Inc. Proudly Presents
A Mad-Hamlet Production


Sundowning
Pick a Peck of Pickled Peppers


"I don't give a damn about your soddin' opinions Watcher!" He 
says poking his finger in my chest. "I made the bloody twit a promise 
and I intend to keep it. I don't understand why you're being so damn 
stubborn about all this. I've helped before."

"Yes Spike." I say angrily. "Always for a price though."

"Excuse you bucko but the last time I helped you I was forced 
to take a nosedive off a bleedin' tower and the only payment I got for 
that was hitting the concrete at a good two hundred miles an hour!"

"I will not tell you what you want to know Spike." And I cross 
my arms over my chest and sit in one of my chairs. The best signal I 
can use to imply the conversation is over.

"Then how am I supposed to protect Dawn if I don't know how or 
why others might use her?" He insists. 

"It's quite simple." I say sharply while picking up a book on 
the table. I'm not sure which one it is but I wish to use it more as a 
prop to indicate I want Spike to go away. I peer at him over the top 
edge of the book. "You don't." I say.

Spike stands beside the chair and leans over slowly putting 
the tips of his fingers just a hairsbreath underneath my chin. 

"I made the Slayer a promise 'Ripper'." He snarls. "It would 
be a very bad mistake to try and convince me otherwise." 

"You cannot harm me Spike." I growl back. "Please take your 
undead male bravado and leave my home."

"You're holding the book upside down." He says in my ear.

Against my will my eyes flash to the page I randomely opened 
the book too. The text is not upside down but in it's proper place. 
Spike ..ahem..beeps me on the nose.

"Gotcha." He smiles at me and steps away from the chair.
"Of course you're right Watcher, I can't hurt you...more's the 
pity..physically at least; but let me introduce to to a scenario." He 
reaches into his pocket and retrieves his lighter. "This is called 
'fire'." And he flicks a small flame into existance. 

"This." And he gestures with his other arm to take in all my 
books lining shelf after shelf. "Is called 'fuel'." He smiles at me, a 
very friendly, welcome smile but since I know what's behind it all it 
looks, in truth, very, very unpleasent. "Catch my drift...mate?" He's 
still smiling.

"Get out." I say horsely. I swallow a few times to moisten my 
throat and lurch to my feet. "Get Out!!" I bellow in his face. 

Spike inahles deeply. "Mmmm...bacon..and...lettuce sandwhich 
with mayonaise and..don't tell me..don't tell me..a hint of mustard. 
Am I right?"

I blink a few times. "Uh..and tomatos." I mumble. 

Spike snaps his fingers, "I always miss tomatoes." He bemoans 
then his other hands shoves the lighter, long since extinguished, back 
in his jacket pocket. 

"Wasn't I telling you to get out my home a few mintues ago?" I 
ask.

"You were and I was ignoring you." Spike answers quickly 
thumping his fingers in my face like one brushes away a fly. "Because 
you still havn't answered my question Giles old chum." 

"I am not your chum." I try and interupt but he rides past me.

"Actaully you havn't answered several questions I asked." He 
cocks his head to the side. 

"First," He says counting with his pointer finger. "You won't 
tell me what other threats the little bit could be used for, or 
attacked for. Second.." and he counts this with his middle finger. 
"You won't tell me why you won't tell me, citing only that you don't 
believe that Buffy..." his voice fades away.

He seems to think for a few seconds.

"Of course that's it isn't?" He says finally, quietly.

"What's it?" I protest, feinging ignorance.

"She asked me." He says in that quite voice. "She asked _me_ 
to protect Dawn. Not you, not The Scoobs, me. Spike, your 'enemy'." 

"That..that.." Damn this stutter. "That has nothing to do with 
it."

"Oh please Watcher. It's bad enough you're lying to me, but to 
yourself? I though you were far more clever." He shrugs his shoulders. 
"But this is just the final nail in the coffin of my belief that 
you're a total idiot."

I really wish to strike him. Instead I just let my reflexes 
take over and, of course, I find myself taking off my glasses and 
rubbing the bridge of my nose. 

"I have no idea what you're talking about Spike." I murmer.

He reaches out casually and with a slight shove sends me 
stumbling backwards back into my seat. I say 'ow' hoping to trigger 
the chip in his head, petty perhaps but I'm not exactly at my best.

"No headache for the vamp today Watcher." Spike smirks. "I was 
very careful." He sits down on the cusion directly across from me. 

"Now you hear my out 'Ripper' and you hear me out good." He 
pokes a finger at me. "Loathe as I am to admit it Buffy's choice made 
good sense. From a strategic point of view."

"Strategic." I snort.

"Bloody hell you're thick." Spike sighs. "Are you as strong as 
I am? Can you move as fast? Can you get shot in the soddin' head and 
still smile for the camera? No? Golly jee whiz boss, I wonder why not! 
Probably that whole 'I'm a human bean' thing. Whoops, but hold on a 
mo' human beans are somewhat fragile and..horrors..I'm not! Gosh, how 
about that then squire?"

"And daylight?" I shoot back.

"Well..there is a reason the whole menagerie of hell is 
usually catagorised under 'creatures of the Night!!" Spike shakes his 
head again. 

"Alright. Let's try this approach then." He says after a few 
seconds. "And hold on to yer hat gentelmen, Spike is going to get 
all," He gives an exagerated gasp. "Touchy Feeley!"

I ignore the sarcasm, though he is actaully quite good at it, 
resign myself to my fate and set the book aside. I reach for the cup 
of tea beside where it lay instead. Ah..tepid. Of course, why should 
anything this evening go right? Why should anything recently go 
correctly?

'No' I hear my voice in my head. 'Nothing has gone right since 
she left us. Taken actaully.'
We're all so lost. Floundering. Oh I'm not blind I see what's 
happening. I read it about it in so many novels..yes I read novels not 
just mythology..the funny thing is the authors were absolutly correct. 
We have died inside. A very large hole seems to be ..somewhere inside 
me. Focus, concentration.. I remember those things but I cannot 
recall, for the life of me, how those things worked. 

Oh I try and focus, on Dawn mostly. She's my charge now, my 
responsibility. Only recently has there even been a minor 
breakthrough. She was able to sleep throughout the night without 
screaming..or crying.. She did not need me with her last night to 
sleep. Whens he woke up she instantly realised this and this set off 
an entire pinwheel of guilt. Guilt based on her belief that she's 
'forgetting' her sister. 

Which is utter nonsense. One could no more forget Buffy than 
you could ...could... Nothing compares adequaltey in mind. I ..miss 
Buffy. I miss her very much. 

I nod. As if I'm listening to Spike, but I'm not. My thoughts 
are..elsewhere. Somewhere. I can't even really keep track of them, 
after ..I glance at my watch..it's nearlly been six weeks. Six weeks 
and we're all still reeling. My mind starts down a road..a road I 
don't want to see. Memories, like butterflies, pay no heed and flicker 
where they will.

Willow.

If there was ever a more tragic figure I do not know them. We 
have..all mourned, are mourning in our own ways. Dawn's burdens, while 
terrible are being dealt with. All of us... are..handling things as 
best we can. Xander and Anya, together. Thing were rough between them 
at first, everything between us all has beeen rough. But we're 
handling it. That was the first posotive sign, when all of them, Tara, 
Xander, and Anya volunteerd to begin patrols, actually Tara would aid 
me in research. Spike's questions aside I was, and have been, very 
concerned with possible ..uses there could be for Dawn. She was, and 
is, still The Key. A single drop of blood was enough to tear open all 
of reality. What kind of mystical energy does she have? We had to know 
and thus our research began. Of course she knows none of this, being 
content to just have us around, occasionally going on the odd patrol 
despite my vehement objections. I gave up after the third time she 
snuck out the window. 

I took it as a good thing when Willow herself showed up a few 
days later, also looking to go on the odd patrol. I really should have 
known better.

Tara later came to tell me that Willow has not spoken to her 
since ..that night. They no longer have been practicing spells or 
socialsing of any kind. Tara insisted, once again, that Willow was 
'eaten'. I heard similar news from Xander and Anya. I know for myself 
that Willow had come here on occasion, asking for the odd tome or 
other bit of information. 

Then she started doing the patrols. Alone. Every night.

"Which is why, Giles my bestest british buddy in the whole 
wide world, I believe a bannana would look better transpanted to 
replace your nose."

I nod. "Quite right Spike. An excellent point...uh..sorry?"

Spike sighs and puts his head in hands. "You wern't listening 
to bloody word I was saying were you."

It's not a question.

"No. No I wasn't Spike. I would apologise but that might 
indicate I give a damn regarding your feelings." I snap.

"Hey, hey now Watcher, no need to be all ...violent 
and..petty." Spike replies, I notice him eyeing the swords on the wall 
behind me. I smile inwardly. 

"To recap," He says. "I don't have a clue why you're so upset. 
Buffy wouldn't have asked you, she didn't need to. She knew you'd do 
it anyway and, can you really blame her for being..a little too clear 
headed. After everything that happened to her?" He raises his 
eyebrows. "She was thinking like a warrior, more Slayer, than Buffy. 
I'm surprised you wern't all for it what with you watchers being more 
hellbent on makin' the chickies soddin' weapons and not people!"	

"That's beside the point!" I thunder back slamming my fist on 
the table. The cup of tea jumps into the air and falls back to the 
table, lands badly and tumbles to the floor. I want to jump to catch 
it but, predictibly, instict makes me cringe in the oppoiste 
direction. 

It's a simple china cup and it shatters easily. The tea 
spreads rapidly over the floor, a small pool, nothing a few seconds 
with a rag couldn't clean up.

"That could be the Little Bits fate." Spike says quietly. 
"Broken, shattered and drained. Spread out on a cold cement floor 
somewhere."

I slowly lift my head up and look at him. He's not smiling, 
his face isn't some delighted sneer, his features are set quite 
relaxed. His tone strong, voice, serious. 

"Tell me what I need to know Watcher. Tell me who would want 
to hurt her. Not even because she is the key, merely because she was 
related to The Slayer." He says again, quite placidly.

"Damn...damn you." I say horsely. "But... I'll tell you what 
you need to know, or, at the very least, try and find out."

Spike nods, his features never changing. "Good." He says 
getting to his feet and shrugging out of his duster. "This will take a 
good part of the night so I'll get us a fresh pot of tea." 

I look up, a bit surprised. Spike likes tea?

He pauses as he walks past me. "Do you..eh..prefer sugar or O 
negative in yours?" He asks.

I just sigh, and find myself removing my glasses again to rub 
my nose.

***

Mmmm..wha..what was that noise? Thought I heard 
something...breaking? 

Oh..just Spike and Giles. Not worth listening too, I don't 
want to hear anything they might be saying. Prophecies, boogie men, 
objects of power that kind of stuff. I've had my fill, even if I might 
be one, I've had my fill..never never wanna know about it again.

I cross my 'room'. It's nice of Giles to let me stay here, 
though he did insist I not be alone. The window is open and a cool 
breeze is making the curtains billow out. I open them and look 
outside. 

There's a break in the clouds, ah..there's the moon. She's not 
very big..not even halfway full. 

I rest my elbows on the windowsill and my head in my hands, 
just..gonna look for a few minutes, then..maybe go back to sleep. 

It must be so simple being the moon. Just..hang in the sky, go 
in circles... Not like being The Key. Just..be some rock. Occasionally 
pull some water this way and that. 

What...what was it my teacher told me? Seems like so long ago. 
Oh that's right. The moon..has a darkside or something, never faces 
the Earth. I guess even very large pieces of stone hanging in midair 
even have secrets. 

Is that where you are Sis? Other side of the moon..straight on 
till morning? Or am I getting my stories mixed up... not too sure. 

Can you see me Buffy? Wherever you are? I havn't gone into 
your stuff y'know. Havn't even touched the door really. See? I'm 
respectful of your property. Little sis isn't snoopin' around anymore 
Buffy. Not going to poke and pry my nose where it don't belong. Nope, 
I'll let you...leave..you...I mean. 

Is it raining? Oh..no of course not. That's just my tears on 
the windowsill. About time really. Where have you guys been? I havn't 
cried for..oh..at least eight hours. I was thinkin' something was 
wrong with me for a minute there. 

Hello tears, hello sobs. Hello salty goodness to lick off my 
lips every..five or so minutes. Hello ache in my chest, hello hole in 
my ...me. 

Goodbye sis. 

Heh heh..y'know if some company found a way to sharpen knives 
so they were as sharp as these holes in me they'd make a fortune. 

Mmm..

Shhhh..don't cry too loudly. Don't want Giles bursting through 
the door. Shhh... I know..I'll go cry into Mr. Gordo. 

Oh. Oh..I'm sorry Buffy, I ..lied. Accidently. I did take Mr. 
Gordo. Well, didn't exactly take, Xander gave it to me, he though 
you'd want me to have him. No, no you're right of course, he's not 
mine, he's yours. I'll put him back tommorow. Go home, to ..to 
..uh..our house and put him back where he belongs. Y'know, upper left 
corner of the bed, with just the edge of the covers covering him so he 
doesn't get cold. We have to take care of our pigs. 

Buffy?

Would...would you mind terribly if..if I didn't put Mr. Gordo 
back? Can I keep him? Just..y'know just for a little while? 
He's...very..fuzzy..and warm. He smells like you..didja know that? No, 
no I don't sniff him. I just sorta realised it a few nights ago. 

I'll show you..I'll prove it to you I'm taking good care of 
him..hold on. Don't go anywhere alright?



Back. See? Here he is? Pink and..uh..both eyes are here. I 
even washed him..just once. He's fine. We're both...

What am I doing?

God Buffy, you can't hear me. Whoops, see? I'm doing it again.

I've..I've gone bonkers, talking to my de..dea...

Is Mom okay Buffy? Mr. Gordo misses her..we both do.

***



"Dawn? What on Earth are you doing up at this hour?"

I ignore the pile of open books surrounding Giles and Spike as 
I stumble down the stairs.

"Catch." I mumble. The stuffed animal lands in Giles surprised 
lap. "Mr. Gordo was hungry. So am I. What we got to eat?"

"Um..there's a bit of chicken in the fridge if you care to 
make a sandwhich." Giles stutters.

I shrug and look at Spike.

"Evenin' pet." He says. 

He's sitting..slouching really..legs crossed in one of Giles 
chairs. We just look at each other for a moment.

"Well?" I finally ask. "Arn't you going to ask me how I'm 
doing? Everybody else does." I roll my eyes. "Constantly."

Spike leans foward and clasps his hands together. "Let me 
think." He says slowly. "You recently lost your identity, your mother, 
and, as of a few weeks ago, your sister. Add to that an absent 
father... Hmm. I don't think I need to waste the breath, not that I 
have any in the first place, to even ask when I can easily figure out 
the answer for myself. You're doing bloody lousy."

That said he sits back and picks up a tea cup and takes a 
careful sip, not looking away from me the entire time. My left knee 
starts to shake..badly. Spike just went all blurry. The whole room 
just went all blurry...do I still have legs? I can't feel them 
anymore.

"How DARE you?" I hear Giles thunder behind me. "Get out! Get 
out of this house and don't you-"

"How can I dare not?" Spike shouts back, despite the ferocity 
of his voice and face, he's being really careful to put the teacup 
down. "It's the truth, she's been royally fucked over by life and you 
all are tiptoeing around the entire time."

Heehee..he said 'fuck'. Buffy would have a cow if heard him.

"Let's face it Watcher," Spike continues ranting. "None of you 
have been up front with the issue and it's been..what..six weeks now? 
Bugger that, I say just make her eat the facts and give her time to 
chew and swallow!"

Giles crosses the room and yanks Spike from his chair. Spike 
doesn't resist.

Mmm..I'm kneeling now. Rooms still blurry, I don't think I'm 
actually sobbing, which means I have my voice. Time to use it.

"SHUT!!" Deep breath. "UP!!" I scream.

Giles and Spike just stare at me. Giles is still holding Spike 
by his collar

"Just..just..just shut up!" I wail again. "Shut up the both of 
you!"

I lose control for a minute and they stand statue like not 
reacting as I try and push the cries long enough to continue.

"He's ..y'know..right. Spike is. " I say. "Everyone has been 
so nice, and careing and loveable and fluffy, but you don't seem to 
realise..you're drowning me in it! How can I ..can I..how can we 
get..uh..better, over it..move on..oh God I don't want too though! 
What if we..we forget her? No we could never do that but it.." I pause 
and start tapping at my temple. "It's always the same thing, 'Are you 
alright Dawn, 'can we get you anything Dawn?' 'Are you sure you're 
alright Dawn?' And it's just pounding and pounding and...y'know." My 
voice dies away along with the sudden fury. "Pounding and stuff."

Spike, still being almost throttled by Giles, starts to smirk 
and a fresh wave of anger washes over me. 

"You can keep on shutting up too Spike!" I push past Giles who 
releases his grip so I'm standing right if front of Spike pushing my 
finger in his face. "High and mighty Mr. Vampire. Oh, sure you say you 
don't care, that we're all pathetic little meals on wheels but if 
that's the case then why the hell are you here? Why you making such a 
big deal about protectin' me from all the nasty whoitwhatits still 
mucking around this ...hellhole? And what about..about..all this 
'advice'? Huh? What's up..with..all that crap? It's good advice 
actually, and you just keep goin' on an' on about how you just say it 
cause you like to watch us hurt. Yeah..right." I snort disdainfully. 
"As if."

Nobody says anything, Giles is just ..y'know...behind me so 
I'm not sure what he's lookin' like but Spike is all straight and 
lookin' down on me, trying to be intimidating but I'm just not in the 
mood to be intimidated. I go in for one last shot. 

'C'mon Mr. Answer-Man, 'scuse me, Answer-Vamp. What's up with 
that huh? C'mon..tell me. Let's here what.." I take a deep breath. 
"The FUCK is up with THAT?" 

As I scream the 'That' I give him a really hard push, fourteen 
year old muscles don't add up too much but he does have to take a step 
back so as not to be knocked over. Go Dawnie, go Dawnie, go, go, go 
Dawnie!

Spike looks at me, he actually looks a little startled and 
then looks over my head at Giles. I guess..maybe he realises 
how..um..open he looks because I can see, almost see I mean, the steel 
slam over his eyes and that..ratty little predatory gleam pop up. 

"Giles." Spike says. "What have you been teaching the la-"

I slap him.

"DON'T IGNORE THE QUESTION!!" I scream in his face.

Spike just claps a hand to his cheek and looks doubly 
startled. 

And then..of course..rage sputters out and I realise just what 
I've done, what I've said and to who've I've said it. Both of the 
who'ves...who's I mean. 

My knees are going to start knocking together any second now, 
better idea..let's collapse. Okay. They're collapsing.

My knees hit the floor with an audiable crack, it hurts 
but..but..

"OhGodI'msorrypleasedon'thateme!" I squeak. 

What the hell was I doing?
What the hell was I doing?
What the hell was I doing?

over and over and over and over..

what the hell was I doing?
what the hell was I doing?
God..I was doing THAT??

So, predictably, tear glands go into overdrive. I think I'll 
eat some potato chips with that chicken sandwhich, have to replace all 
this salt y'know.

"Please don't hate me. Please don't hate me. Please don't hate 
me." I say again and again between sobs.

It takes a few second but I guess Giles snaps into action. I 
feel his hands on my shoulder in a supportive gesture, the closest I'm 
guessing his british nature will allow in place of an actual hug. It's 
enough.

"Hate you? Lords no Dawn. We could never hate you. I, uh, we 
had no idea you were feeling this way."

"Thats," I swallow down another bout of sobs. "That's okay 
Giles, I wasn't exactly aware of it myelf. It kinda jumped out at me. 
Boo! Y'know?"

"Yes, yes of course I can understand. Really. I think, I'm not 
quite sure honestly but..yes." Giles stammers out an attempt to be 
comforting. It's kinda funny despite the circumsantces. "We shall..try 
to refrain from being so overbearing so..uh.. no more killing with 
kindness. Agreed?"

"Did you have to use the word 'killing'? "I wince.

"Oh..yes..right! Sorry." Giles hastily amends. "But no, we 
don't hate you, could never hate you." He glances around for support. 
"Isn't that correct Spike?"

Spike still hasn't moved, his eyes have glazed over slightly, 
hand still clasped to the cheek that was struck. His jaw is slightly 
slack too. Did I break him?

"Spike!" Giles says a bit more forcefully. "We could never 
hate Dawn isn't that right?!?"

Spike snaps too.

He keeps his hand to his face and turns his head until his 
eyes are bearing down on me with all the force and vehemence of a 
hundred years of hatred. Or, a royally honked off vamp. 

Then he smiles, a big smile that reaches even his eyes and the 
fire there just winks out.

"Hate her Giles?" Spike says slowly. "By George I absolutly 
_ADORE_ the lassie!" 

He swoops down, grabs me and spins me in the air like a rag 
doll before any of us can react. 

He only spins twice but that makes me seriously dizzy. So I 
don't really react when he plants a really big wet one on my cheek. 
Yuck! Vamp slobber.

"This is the ballsiest chippie I have ever met!" He crows. 
"Did you see her? All in my face and charged up? Gods above I've 
disembowled people for just lookin' at me funny and she bloody well 
knows it, but does she back down? Does she cowtow under?" He chucles 
mirthlessly. "Too right she does not!"

He puts me down, I'm still woozy. 

Spike throws his arm around my shoulder. "This little bit 
o'monster bait goes up against William the Bloody and never backs 
down. Hate her Giles? Are you totally teetotaled or something?" He 
laughs again. "I'm a fan of hers for life!"

I look up slowly to look at Spike, expecting a sneer, some 
mask slipping away to reveal a sarcastic edge. He's..actually quite 
honest looking right now. Wow.

Giles, on the other hand, looks somewhat flustered.

"Yes..well. That's a ..ah..yes I take it. Good." He pauses and 
gives Spike a pained glance. "Please don't call me Giles." he adds.

Spike catches my eyes with his own and does a slow, evil, 
wink. How do you _do_ an evil wink anyway? 

"Of course Giles." Spike says. "I'm sorry about that 
..Giles..what could I have been thinking...Giles. Only those close to 
you can call you 'Giles'..Giles. I, not being particularly close, 
should only refer to you as 'Watcher' or 'Stupid Git' on every second 
Tuesday. Isn't that right...Giles? Is that what you'd like..Giles?"

Giles simply sighs and rubs his eyes. "Yes...quite. Exactly 
that. Thanks ever so much...Bill."

I gape. Spike gapes.. Giles WON?

It's all a bit too much and my poor self overloads. Emotions, 
tempers, tears, sobs, jokes, gaffs and going toe to toe with a 
murderious fiend. These things just knock your feet out from under 
you. 

A smile? I'm smiling? No..that's not right. Gravity's gone 
backwards, that's it..more likely at any rate. Yeah, gravity went all 
wonky and..no..I'm still on the floor. Jee..maybe it is a smi..what's 
that wierd noise? 

Someone's laughing..me? I'm laughing? And..wow..now I'm really 
close to the floor..I fell over. Whoops, laughing really hard now. 

Hey, someone else is laughing..why it's Giles! We're both 
laughing! That's just all screwy now isn't it. Spike isn't laughing. 
He looks all grouchy sitting in his chair with his arms crossed. He's 
pouting.

Pouty Spike! Pouty Spike!	

I'm laughing and laughing and it feels so good, clean, 
clean..and it's just..and I'm so..wow..yeah..I'm a wow! 

Wow!

Heh..pouty Spike!

Wow.

Laughter's ending...laughters going..but that's okay..I 
feel..good. Because of the laughter, the...ow..my chest hurts but..it 
still feels good.

Laughters gone now, but that's okay. It didn't end in tears. 

Giles is sitting now, a big ol' smile on his face as he sips 
his tea. 

My stomach growls.

"Can I have that sandwhich?" I ask.

***

"G'night Giles, G'night Spike." I say from the foot of the 
stairs. 

My stomach is full, and I'm actaully pretty tired. It's late. 

"Hey Pet, catch yerself." Spike says tossing Mr. Gordo in a 
lazy underhand. I snatch him out of the air. "Little porker reminds me 
too much of supper." Spike growls.

"Thanks Spike." I say. 

He just growls and looks away. 

"Do you nee-" Giles starts to speak and I just glare at him. 

"Oh..yes. Of course, sorry." Giles stammers. "Habits and all 
that." He looks abashed. "Good night Dawn." 

I head up the stairs and as I enter my room I hear Spike, in a 
hurt voice, whine. "Bill?"

I just close the door and go over to the window.

The moon is still there, in the sky, she's settling on the 
horizon, and not even half full she seems so big. Warm, and big and 
friendly. I seat Mr. Gordo on the sill. So he can see too. 

Tears begin to slide down my cheeks again. It's okay though, 
they're quite, peaceful tears. They don't hurt, they don't even burn a 
little. I bet if I licked em' off they would'nt even taste salty, just 
clean. ..like me.

"I miss you Buffy." I whisper too the moon. "I'm going to 
sleep now, keep the nightmares away? Please?"

Must be the tears in my eyes, really. The moon, she can't wink 
at you..can she?