FIC: The Spaces Inbetween (8/?) NC-17

["Red Willow" <reddwillow@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Title: The Spaces Inbetween
Author: Red Willow
Email: reddwillow@xxxxxxxxxxx or nick_elodian@xxxxxxxxx
Disclaimer: All characters and reference to belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant 
Enemy, and all them
other peeps. I'm just using them to make my own fun. Casey and Claire are 
mine though. Girl on Girl action.. you know like.. you no read.
Distribution: Story belongs to me. If ya want it, just ask and credit me.
Pairing: W/B with a little bit o' Tara and a smidge of Spike
Rating: NC-17 (up to)
Summary: part 8 of ? S6 and veering off into AU land. Tara's left Willow. 
Buffy slept with Spike. Willow's trying to keep
away from magicks. The spaces inbetween refers to the time between one
relationship and another.... the fight and the makeup, the time spent in 
reflection, dreams...
alone time....
Feedback? I thrive on feedback. Hope you enjoy!
****************************
She can?t do this to me. I?m a bloody animal! A God-damned monster and I 
demand a little respect! I?m not some poor little puppy dog she can kick 
around. I?m not a free ride she can pump for information and a good time.

I opened the door, not even bothering to knock. I heard voices in the living 
room and only had one guess as to whose they were. I closed the door and 
walked into the foyer, turning to see her and Red on the couch.

?This is a great day Buffy. Regardless of anything else that happened 
today, this is the best day ever!? Shouted Red, and pulled the Slayer into a 
tight embrace, which interestingly included a very heated kiss. Ooh, with 
tongue. What in bloody hell was going on? They didn?t even hear me come in, 
so wrapped up in their own little? whatever they were doing.

?Bloody hell!? I growled. That should get their attention. The Slayer and 
me had some unfinished business.
?Spike?!? The two twits yelled at once, breaking off from their kiss.

Before I could even get in any good jabs the Slayer was on me in seconds.

?Spike! I thought I told you to leave me alone?! Now leave!?
?Come on now, luv, don?t you think we need to finish what we-??
Her hand flew up and punched me in the nose, sending me a few steps back. 
I knew she liked it rough, but in front of the witch?

I shrugged, ?You always like to start with the fighting. Maybe it?s you 
that gets off on the pain, eh Slayer?? I grinned at her, trying to cover my 
bleeding nose.
?You?re a pig Spike. Now get out of my house before I throw you out.?
She was being a real bitch tonight. I decided that I would just have to 
try harder.
?You sure you wouldn?t rather me stay?? I said slyly, glancing up the 
stairs. ?Red can join? if that?s what you want.?

Again with the fist, only that time I caught it in my hand. I smiled at her, 
daring her to make another move.
She kicked me in my shin and I howled out in pain. I released her hand, 
fumbled back, and grabbed my leg. I looked up and saw that Red had come up 
behind Buffy, scowling at me.

Anger burned in my undead heart. Did she really think she was just going to 
use me and toss me out with the dogs while she played little miss homemaker 
with the lesbo?
I reached out and grabbed Buffy around the waist, pulling her to me in an 
angry, hungry kiss. Of course she fought, she always fought at first.

?Ugh! Spmmmphf-!? She tried, pushing against my chest.
?Hey!? I heard the witch shout before she brained me with some bleedin heavy 
book.
I released the Slayer from my grasp and on instinct I swung my arm around, 
slamming it into Red?s stomach, sending her flying into a small table. 
Instantly my head seared with red-hot pain. I grabbed my head and sank to 
my knees, yelling in agony.

?Willow!? Buffy shouted, leaving my side and running after her.
I was angry but I hoped I didn?t hurt her too much. I did kind of like the 
little firecracker.
?You son of a bitch!?
I looked up just in time to see Red pull a bloody hand from the back of her 
head before the Slayer pulled me up by my neck, squeezing tight.
?Ssslayer?? I tried. She only squeezed harder.

I wrapped my own hand around her small hot neck, forcing my grip on her. I 
wasn?t going to be taken so easily in this round.

?Ssspike?? She managed, ?a-aabout tthat pr..ahhh..mise??
Promise?

I heard someone shout, but couldn?t focus on it.

Her hold was so tight I didn?t think I could speak at all, and that?s when 
I saw the long piece of wood in her other hand. My eyes went wide and I 
eased my grip on her neck considerably, but I didn?t let go.

?Goodbye Spike?? She said sadly.

I scrambled, trying to break from her grasp, I made terribly gurgling 
noises in protest. I released my grip on her neck completely, thinking she 
would let me go then. I guess I pushed her too far for the last time.

?Buffy??? I heard the little bit say before the flash of wood entered my 
chest.
?Sorry Spike, but I should have done that a long time ago.?

And that?s the last thing I remember the woman I loved telling me before I 
exploded into a cloud of dust. Bloody shame, that was.


***


I heard shouting downstairs. Buffy was telling someone to get out. Oh 
God, did she and Willow get into a fight?! I heard a loud crash and I 
leaped from my bed and shot out into the hall. I came to an abrupt stop at 
the top of the stairs however when I saw it was Spike and Buffy fighting. 
It figured. They were always fighting.

?You son of a bitch!? Buffy screamed and leapt towards Spike, picking him 
up into the air with her bare hands. Even after everything I?ve seen her 
do, I?m still amazed by her strength. Then Spike grabbed Buffy around the 
neck and it was pretty obvious they were squeezing hard.

?Hey!? I shouted, starting to run down the stairs. They were saying 
something to each other I couldn?t hear.
I stopped mid-way down when I saw someone moving beside the stairway and 
realized it was Willow.

Willow! She was hurt. She was holding her head and I could tell there was 
blood on her hand. I didn?t know what to do. I was frozen in fear. What was 
going on? Did? did Spike do this?
I looked from Willow to my sister and Spike. Buffy had what looked like a 
table leg in her hand. She raised it towards Spike?s chest and said 
something I couldn?t quite make out.

?Buffy??? I said, taking a few more steps down the stairs. I didn?t know 
what to do. I didn?t want her to kill Spike, but it was obvious he had hurt 
Willow, was hurting my sister. What had happened? I thought he couldn?t 
hurt anyone anymore. Oh God? He got his chip out and he came back to kill 
everyone like he always said he was going to!

Buffy plunged the Stake into his chest and I knew I would never see him 
again.

?Sorry Spike, but I should have done that a long time ago.? Buffy said 
sadly just before he turned to dust.
?Spike!? I yelled, finally breaking out of my shock and leapt the rest of 
the way down the stairs, only to have Buffy?s tight arms around me. I was 
crying before I knew it and just couldn?t believe that she had staked him.
?Buffy!? I yelled at her, bringing my fists against her chest. ?Why?d you 
do that?!?
?Dawn,? She started, with an eerily calm tone, ?Willow?s hurt. I think she 
needs a doctor.?
I stopped fighting, realizing she was right, I had seen blood on her hands.
?Willow!?
I ran over to her and kneeled beside her.
?Are you ok??
?Dawnie?? She asked, not looking directly at me.
Buffy was beside me in an instant, apparently snapping out of whatever it 
was that had had her so calm.
?Willow? Can you hear me?? She asked her.
?Buff? Yeah? just? I-I?m a little? everything is spinning? ooh? I?m gonna 
be sick.?
?Let me look at your head.?

Buffy took Willow?s hand away and I grimaced at the amount of blood on her 
fingers. I had always heard that head wounds bled the most. Poor Willow 
was always getting her head hurt.

?Dawn, call an ambulance.?
?Is she gonna be alright?!? I felt the hysteria building up in me. 
Control, had to keep cool.
?I think she?ll be ok? I just want someone to look at this.?
?I-I?ll be okay Buffy, really.? Willow told her, trying to sit herself up. 
It was pretty obvious though that she was still too dizzy to sit up all the 
way.
I got up and ran into the kitchen, dialing the 911.
?911 operator, what is your emergency?? An older man?s voice came from the 
other line.
?Uh? my, my friend is hurt. She uh? she hurt her head? she?s bleeding??
?Is she conscience??
?Uh? yeah? she?s awake, but dizzy. My sister said she thought someone 
should check it out.?
?Ok, what is your location??
?1630 Revilo? uh? off of Hadley.?
?Okay, we have you in the system. An ambulance will be there shortly. Just 
make your friend as comfortable as possible, but try not to move her head 
too much, just in case.?
?Okay, thanks?? I said quietly before hanging up the phone.

Never a dull moment in the Summers? household, I?ll tell you that.

I made my way back to Willow and Buffy. They were exactly as I left them. 
Buffy was kneeling beside Willow, holding her hand and whispering to her. 
The only words I caught were Buffy?s ?I love you.? I smiled, knowing they 
must have been down here talking. I guess maybe my talk with Willow earlier 
did do some good. Yay me!

I looked down at the small pile of dust that used to be Spike, someone I 
trusted with my life. I didn?t want to cry. I knew that he was supposed to 
be this big bad evil vampire and had tried to kill us and if it hadn?t been 
for the chip would continue to try until Buffy or one of the others staked 
him, but? But he was my friend, and harmless with the chip, and he protected 
me, talked to me, and most of the time he didn?t treat me like a kid.

?Buffy??
My voice was weak from trying to swallow the lump in my throat. She looked 
at me and I think she must have seen how upset I was because she jumped to 
her feet pulled me into a tight hug.
?I?m sorry you had to see that Dawn. I know how you felt about him.?
?Buffy? I? I thought he couldn?t hurt anyone? with the??
?He could?? She gestured to Willow and continued. ?He did.?
?D-did it stop working??
?I-I? I guess so Dawn?
?I?m sorry,? she whispered and kissed me on the cheek, before letting me go 
and moving back to Willow.
?It?s ok?? I said whispered back sadly.
?Buffy??
?Yeah Dawn??
?What? What do we tell them happened? I mean? It looks like someone threw 
her??
?I know?? She glanced down at Willow and smiled.
?Buffy, I?ll be okay? really.? Willow told her.
?I know you will? but as many times as you?ve gotten knocked around I?d 
just feel better having you checked out. Is that all right??
Willow nodded, then grimaced.
?Does it hurt bad?? I asked her.
?Hmmmm? yes.? She smiled weakly. ?Major headache. I?d like to sit up now.?
?Are you sure??
?Buffy? the guy on the phone told me to not let her move her head too much? 
just in case??
?Well you heard the doctor Will?? Buffy said grinning at me. ?Lets just 
wait on the ambulance, okay??
?Sure? not like I have plans??
?We uh? better get Spike? cleaned up.? Suggested Buffy.
?I?ll do it.? I said, not even thinking twice.

I walked back into the kitchen and grabbed the broom and dustpan. Sweeping 
up my friend. Not something I ever thought I?d be doing before.
I swept the little pile of dust up into the dustpan and just stared at it. 
I wanted to keep him. Put him in a jar and keep him in my room. I figured 
Buffy would have a cow though. Probably several. Maybe she would let me 
bury him, or, or take him back to his crypt at least.
I heard the ambulance siren and thought I could ask her later; I would just 
keep the ashes in a safe place for now.

?Ex-boyfriend knocked you around, okay Will?? Buffy asked Willow, who 
nodded with a half grin.
?Oz wouldn?t do that.?
Buffy smiled, ?I know that silly, but we need to tell them something.?
Willow smiled back, ?I know. It?s cool.?

Buffy leaned over Willow and kissed her on the cheek. She glanced over at 
me to see if I had seen her. I smiled. It was such a sweet moment. I hoped 
they worked everything out and it was going to be ok. I really liked Tara, 
but what Willow said earlier did make sense. I just hoped they could work 
out their differences as well and stayed friends.

The paramedics knocked on the door and Buffy got up to let them in.

She glanced back at me and said, ?Call Giles. We need to tell him about 
Spike.?
I nodded and took Spike back into the kitchen with me, as the paramedics 
came in and went to work on Willow. I felt so stupid carrying this dustpan 
with a pile of vampire dust around. I needed to find a container to keep him 
in.

I dialed Giles? number, hoping he was still up. Waking him during sleep 
always resulted in very grumpy.

??Good grief? Hello?? Came his grumpy, ?I was asleep and haven?t had any 
tea yet? voice.
?Giles, it?s me, Dawn.?
?Dawn? Good heavens child, do you know what time it is??
I actually didn?t and I didn?t care.
?Giles? Buffy-?
?Is everything all right? Buffy? Is she hurt? Are you okay??
?Giles!? I shouted, getting his attention. ?We?re fine, Willow?s hurt, but 
not bad??
?Willow? Good Lord, what happened??
?Spike??
?Spike???
?Giles, Spike? Buffy??
?What? What? What happened??
?Buffy staked him.?
?She what?!?
?She staked him, turned him into a little pile of dust!?
?Dear Lord??

I finished telling him what happened, or everything that I knew had 
happened. I still wasn?t sure exactly what happened and I was definitely 
going to question Buffy and Willow about it. I was tired of being left in 
the dark.

Giles gave me a lot of ?Good Lords? and asked questions I couldn?t answer. 
I assured him that apart from Willow?s injury, we were fine and just ready 
to go back to bed. He told me to let Buffy and Willow know that if he was 
needed to not hesitate to call and that we needed to meet the next day. 
Like we weren?t already going to go to the magic box to see him.

?Okay Giles, we?ll see you tomorrow then.? I said after he finally paused 
to take a breath.
?Right then, goodnight Dawn.?
I hung up the phone and shook my head. He sure could talk when you got him 
going.

I returned to the ?scene of the crime? to see that they had Willow sitting 
on the couch with a small bandage around her head. One of the guys, who was 
super cute, was filling out paper work, while the other one was kneeling in 
front of Willow talking in a soft voice. It sounded like he was explaining 
some stuff to her. She just nodded slightly, wincing at the pain that she 
must have still been in.

?Okay then. We?re all set here.? Said the cute medic. He glanced at me and 
smiled. I flashed him a big smile and then realized I was in my teddy bear 
pajamas. DOH!
?Are you sure you don?t want to call the police and file charges Miss. 
Rosenberg?? Asked the second medic as he stood up.
?No? it?s ok. He won?t be back.?
?Uh? well you can never be too sure.? He responded.
?Oh? um? I-I?m sure.? She said, trying to convince him that she really did 
know what she was talking about.
?Okay then.? The cute medic repeated before grabbing his bag. ?We need to 
roll, Gus.?
?Right.? Gus agreed, picking up his own back.
I wondered what the cute one?s name was.
?Get some rest Miss. Rosenberg.? He concluded.
?I will??
?You ladies be safe.? The cute one said when they got to the door.

I flashed him another smile and he grinned back.

?Thank you!? Buffy offered, before kneeling in front of Willow again.
I closed the door behind them and locked it before turning back and looking 
at the mess made by Willow?s fun with tables.

On the couch, Willow was nodding and saying ok to something Buffy was 
whispering in her ear. I yawned and stretched my arms over my head. I was 
getting sleepy and figured if we had to meet everyone at the tomorrow I 
needed to get my much needed rest.

?Is she ok?? I asked from the foyer.
?Just a deep gash, a bump. Nothing major. They said we could have wrapped it 
and it would have been fine, but glad we thought enough to check anyway.? 
Buffy said, standing up and holding out her hand for Willow.

Willow gripped Buff?s hand and stood up, holding her other hand out to 
steady herself.

?You okay?? Buffy asked her.
?Still a little dizzy? but much, much better. I-I think I don?t want to be 
the one with the head wounds anymore.?
Buffy and I both smiled at that.
?Sure Wills, we?ll take you off the list for traumatic head wounds.?
I gave Willow a tight hug.
?I?m sorry you got hurt.?
?Mmm, me too. Why don?t you go back to bed Dawnie. In fact, I think that?s 
where I need to be too.?
?I was just about to actually.?
?Yeah, it?s late? I need sleep.? Agreed Buffy.

I made my way up the stairs and down to my room, followed slowly by my 
sister who was trying to stifle a laugh while helping a cursing Willow up 
the stairs.

************


"What is a poet? An unhappy person who conceals profound
anguish in his heart but whose lips are so formed that
as sighs and cries pass over them they sound like
beautiful music"
-Soren Kierkegaard


Willow: Oh Buffy, you really need to have every square inch of your ass 
kicked.
Buffy: Then show me what you got, and I'll show you what a Slayer really is.

Who the hell am *i* to capitalize myself?


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