Conversations About Dead People, Ch.24
Jun. 20th, 2011 02:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
caty_didSunnydale, 2002
Footfalls. Too heavy for a rat, too light for a janitor. Do ghosts have footsteps? Tall, brown hair, never been dead, clutching a memory in her hand. Not a ghost.
“Buffy wanted me to give you this.”
“I don’t want it.”
“I’m not taking it back home with me.”
“Why’d you bring it? Why not her? Doesn’t want to see me I guess.”
“I don’t know. Maybe. She found it last night and said you should have it back. She’s not working today so she made me to bring it to you.”
She drops it on the floor beside him and turns away. He stares at it, and for a few blessed moments his mind is clear and he’s staring at her back. Dawns back. Dawn, his Little Bit, who used to be his friend, and said she felt safe with him, and he might never get another chance like this, and he has to know.
“Do you really want to set me on fire?”
She turns on the spot, her eyes expelling arctic winds.
“You really tried to rape my sister, so yeah.”
“I didn’t- I mean- I wasn’t. I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, she told us that. And that you have a soul now so it’s all better”.
“She said that?” She couldn’t have said that. Because souls? They don’t fix a damned thing. They just bring pain and ghosts, and she’s had one her whole life so she should know that.
“Not in so many words, but that was the gist. I don’t understand it, but Buffy seems to be ready to forgive you. She’s all confused, but I don’t think she’s mad anymore.”
Liar.
“But you still are?”
He meets her gaze, fully, for the first time since she appeared. It’s a bad idea. She’s radiating more righteous fury than he can remember seeing, ever, and that’s saying something.
“Look Spike. She may be prepared to accept that you have a soul now so you’re suddenly fixed and things you’ve done in the past don’t matter. That’s because she pretty much see’s the world in black and white. I don’t. I liked you and I trusted you way before you had a soul, and I can hate you now with one. “
“You hate me?”
“Someone has to.” Someone does. Silly little girl, doesn’t she know that?
“Buffy hates me.”
“No she doesn’t.”
Hope he doesn’t deserve to feel blazes to life in his heart (soul? He’s not sure anymore), and he’s certain this isn’t what Dawn meant when she said she’d light him on fire.
Footfalls. Too heavy for a rat, too light for a janitor. Do ghosts have footsteps? Tall, brown hair, never been dead, clutching a memory in her hand. Not a ghost.
“Buffy wanted me to give you this.”
“I don’t want it.”
“I’m not taking it back home with me.”
“Why’d you bring it? Why not her? Doesn’t want to see me I guess.”
“I don’t know. Maybe. She found it last night and said you should have it back. She’s not working today so she made me to bring it to you.”
She drops it on the floor beside him and turns away. He stares at it, and for a few blessed moments his mind is clear and he’s staring at her back. Dawns back. Dawn, his Little Bit, who used to be his friend, and said she felt safe with him, and he might never get another chance like this, and he has to know.
“Do you really want to set me on fire?”
She turns on the spot, her eyes expelling arctic winds.
“You really tried to rape my sister, so yeah.”
“I didn’t- I mean- I wasn’t. I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, she told us that. And that you have a soul now so it’s all better”.
“She said that?” She couldn’t have said that. Because souls? They don’t fix a damned thing. They just bring pain and ghosts, and she’s had one her whole life so she should know that.
“Not in so many words, but that was the gist. I don’t understand it, but Buffy seems to be ready to forgive you. She’s all confused, but I don’t think she’s mad anymore.”
Liar.
“But you still are?”
He meets her gaze, fully, for the first time since she appeared. It’s a bad idea. She’s radiating more righteous fury than he can remember seeing, ever, and that’s saying something.
“Look Spike. She may be prepared to accept that you have a soul now so you’re suddenly fixed and things you’ve done in the past don’t matter. That’s because she pretty much see’s the world in black and white. I don’t. I liked you and I trusted you way before you had a soul, and I can hate you now with one. “
“You hate me?”
“Someone has to.” Someone does. Silly little girl, doesn’t she know that?
“Buffy hates me.”
“No she doesn’t.”
Hope he doesn’t deserve to feel blazes to life in his heart (soul? He’s not sure anymore), and he’s certain this isn’t what Dawn meant when she said she’d light him on fire.
