Epilogue
Two days later, Ryan and the Summer's woman were all packed and ready to go. Ryan said her good-byes, which was actually harder than she thought. You become close to people you steal cars, commit fraud and witness death with. "Don't think we'll go easy on you just cause we know you," Roman said as he shook her hand.
Ryan grinned. "Likewise. See ya' Davis. I hope you figure out what color your aura is."
Davis slapped her five. "Peace."
Buffy said her polite good-byes to the rest of the people in the house, and then paused at Spike.
"Slayer," he said officially.
"Hostile 17."
He smiled and shook her hand. "You know where I live now, so I'll be around, all right? For free, even."
She nodded and then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "That was for being the best possible blood sucking killer you can be. Don't think it went unappreciated. Come on, Dawn," she waved at her sister. "We're gonna miss our flight."
"I'll be right out," she said, and Buffy and Ryan left the building. As soon as the door closed behind them, Dawn ran and gave Roman a huge hug.
"Thank you so much for not eating me," she said.
Roman laughed. "No problem. You're a trip to be around, Dawn. The pleasure was mine. Don't get into too much trouble."
Dawn nodded and then went to hug Davis who was knocked slightly off balance. "Oh, hey," Davis suddenly perked up. "I almost forgot." He rooted around one of the giant pockets in his cargo pants and produced first a spool of kite string, a fortune cookie and a driedel before fishing out a tape. "The singing Coke can and I cut another demo. The first song is dedicated to you. Its called "Convenient Bite Size." But don't think you'll see a dime if it becomes a big hit." Dawn just looked at Davis with a bewildered expression.
"Thank you. Coming from you…that means a lot."
Then she turned and stood in front of Spike for a moment. "You sure you want to go back?" he asked her.
"Come with me," she said asked just as impulsively as she had asked to stay with him months ago.
Spike just gave her a look. "You're kidding, right?"
Dawn sighed and then hugged him. "I'm gonna miss you."
"Hey, I'm still here. Whenever you need someone to bitch at incessantly for hours and hours…" he said in a mock-exasperated tone of voice. Dawn slugged him in the shoulder.
"Look after your sister, OK?" Spike said. "You're a tough kid. She needs you."
Dawn nodded. "I'll um…see you again sometime." Dawn sighed and picked up her bags. She turned and caught a glimpse of Nell's shrine. "Bye, Nell," she said. "May you come back in your next life as The Edge's guitar pick." She smiled and then went to leave the apartment.
"Hey, Bit?"
Dawn paused without turning around.
"You just made it out of New York," Spike said. "If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere."
Dawn smiled and then ran to catch up with her sister.
"My Watcher's gonna to kill me," Ryan was lamenting on the tram ride over to their terminal. "I haven't even called since I got here."
"Are you that miserable with him?" Buffy asked.
Ryan sighed. "I've seen pit bulls with more patience than him. He just barks shit out of his books and expects me to remember it."
Buffy nodded. She had really lucked out when it came to Watchers. She might have been dead a long time ago if it hadn't been for Giles. She wished he could say the same of her. But sadly, you can't save everyone. Well, she thought as she looked at the young girl sitting next to her. She could still try.
"Ryan…I've been doing a lot of thinking. If I could get it approved, do you think you would like to have me as your Watcher?"
Ryan stared at her with wide eyes. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah," Dawn said with an equally shocked expression. "Are you serious?"
Buffy nodded. "Yeah, actually. I'm quite serious. The Council will give me shit about it but they've always been more than a little afraid of me. I think I can get it approved."
"You really mean it…you would be my Watcher? Forever?"
"It would be a sin and an insult to those I've loved if I kept all I've learned to myself. And I think you have a lot you can teach me. So…how about it?" Buffy's question was answered by Ryan flinging her arms around her.
"Thank you," she said.
Dawn smiled. Sheesh. After all that. She looked out the window, Spike's last words to her ringing in her ears.
"You made it out of New York. If you can make it here you can make it anywhere."
Suddenly, life seemed so full of possibility. The claustrophobia she once felt in Sunnydale was gone completely. A few months ago she felt as if her whole world was crumbling and now she felt as if it was finally opened to her. Screw this Nibblet stuff. She was the key to the Universe, sister to a Slayer, confidant to vampires, survivor of several would be Armageddons, and free of the strings that held her sister in place for so long.
The Nibblet was officially dead.
Long live Dawn Summers.
Two days later, Ryan and the Summer's woman were all packed and ready to go. Ryan said her good-byes, which was actually harder than she thought. You become close to people you steal cars, commit fraud and witness death with. "Don't think we'll go easy on you just cause we know you," Roman said as he shook her hand.
Ryan grinned. "Likewise. See ya' Davis. I hope you figure out what color your aura is."
Davis slapped her five. "Peace."
Buffy said her polite good-byes to the rest of the people in the house, and then paused at Spike.
"Slayer," he said officially.
"Hostile 17."
He smiled and shook her hand. "You know where I live now, so I'll be around, all right? For free, even."
She nodded and then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "That was for being the best possible blood sucking killer you can be. Don't think it went unappreciated. Come on, Dawn," she waved at her sister. "We're gonna miss our flight."
"I'll be right out," she said, and Buffy and Ryan left the building. As soon as the door closed behind them, Dawn ran and gave Roman a huge hug.
"Thank you so much for not eating me," she said.
Roman laughed. "No problem. You're a trip to be around, Dawn. The pleasure was mine. Don't get into too much trouble."
Dawn nodded and then went to hug Davis who was knocked slightly off balance. "Oh, hey," Davis suddenly perked up. "I almost forgot." He rooted around one of the giant pockets in his cargo pants and produced first a spool of kite string, a fortune cookie and a driedel before fishing out a tape. "The singing Coke can and I cut another demo. The first song is dedicated to you. Its called "Convenient Bite Size." But don't think you'll see a dime if it becomes a big hit." Dawn just looked at Davis with a bewildered expression.
"Thank you. Coming from you…that means a lot."
Then she turned and stood in front of Spike for a moment. "You sure you want to go back?" he asked her.
"Come with me," she said asked just as impulsively as she had asked to stay with him months ago.
Spike just gave her a look. "You're kidding, right?"
Dawn sighed and then hugged him. "I'm gonna miss you."
"Hey, I'm still here. Whenever you need someone to bitch at incessantly for hours and hours…" he said in a mock-exasperated tone of voice. Dawn slugged him in the shoulder.
"Look after your sister, OK?" Spike said. "You're a tough kid. She needs you."
Dawn nodded. "I'll um…see you again sometime." Dawn sighed and picked up her bags. She turned and caught a glimpse of Nell's shrine. "Bye, Nell," she said. "May you come back in your next life as The Edge's guitar pick." She smiled and then went to leave the apartment.
"Hey, Bit?"
Dawn paused without turning around.
"You just made it out of New York," Spike said. "If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere."
Dawn smiled and then ran to catch up with her sister.
"My Watcher's gonna to kill me," Ryan was lamenting on the tram ride over to their terminal. "I haven't even called since I got here."
"Are you that miserable with him?" Buffy asked.
Ryan sighed. "I've seen pit bulls with more patience than him. He just barks shit out of his books and expects me to remember it."
Buffy nodded. She had really lucked out when it came to Watchers. She might have been dead a long time ago if it hadn't been for Giles. She wished he could say the same of her. But sadly, you can't save everyone. Well, she thought as she looked at the young girl sitting next to her. She could still try.
"Ryan…I've been doing a lot of thinking. If I could get it approved, do you think you would like to have me as your Watcher?"
Ryan stared at her with wide eyes. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah," Dawn said with an equally shocked expression. "Are you serious?"
Buffy nodded. "Yeah, actually. I'm quite serious. The Council will give me shit about it but they've always been more than a little afraid of me. I think I can get it approved."
"You really mean it…you would be my Watcher? Forever?"
"It would be a sin and an insult to those I've loved if I kept all I've learned to myself. And I think you have a lot you can teach me. So…how about it?" Buffy's question was answered by Ryan flinging her arms around her.
"Thank you," she said.
Dawn smiled. Sheesh. After all that. She looked out the window, Spike's last words to her ringing in her ears.
"You made it out of New York. If you can make it here you can make it anywhere."
Suddenly, life seemed so full of possibility. The claustrophobia she once felt in Sunnydale was gone completely. A few months ago she felt as if her whole world was crumbling and now she felt as if it was finally opened to her. Screw this Nibblet stuff. She was the key to the Universe, sister to a Slayer, confidant to vampires, survivor of several would be Armageddons, and free of the strings that held her sister in place for so long.
The Nibblet was officially dead.
Long live Dawn Summers.