Beging with an E: Band Camp
by a world without prawns
Authers note:i may add one or two more characters not listed k
also one scene from this chapter is very similar to one from "never coming back" wich i also wrote. i wrote this ages ago i just havn't got a round to posting it and the other story was based off a scene from this
Thanx :)
ps:Its ok if your confused i have that effect on people

“The Bronze, of corse why didn’t I think that a scary, yellow, many tentacled beast would be at The Bronze?”
It was three am and the gang was searching for Sunnydale beastie of the week.
“I told you Xander the dream was vague,” replied an exhausted Buffy, “all I remember were people dancing.”
“Ok I can see our demon some here in Egypt torturing some one with weird tribal vampires dancing around in a circle. I can see him decapitating some spiritual rain dancer. But The Bronze, not so much.”
“Xander has a Point Buffy,” said Willow in a voice that clearly indicated she was amazed, “are you sure this is right?”
“I know it sounds stupid but Tara’s locator spell confirmed it, this is or hot spot.”
“Yeh Xander” Anya chipped in, “we should trust in the less capable witch because our Willow might blow our heads off if she tries and friends tell each other good things even if they don’t believe them.” She smiled around blankly as if waiting for a “here here”.
There was a long silence following these words in which Xander suggested they go in. As they entered Anya whispered to Xander “look what you did now, you really should take peoples feelings into account.”

Inside the place was packed with teens two or three Vampires mingled into the crowd, Buffy made a mental note to dust them, but no big yellow slug monsters.
“I spy with little eye something that’s missing”
“Shut up Xander”
“All I’m saying is there’s a total lack of big bad in this room”
“Don’t be so sure about that” said Buffy her eyes following one of the vampires as he crept into the corner, lifted up a floorboard and disappeared beneath the wood.
Gesturing for the others to follow she cautiously made her way to where the vampire had been moments ago and pried up one of the boards to reveal a staircase spiralling downwards. Following the steps she found what appeared to be The Bronze. If The Bronze was populated by demons that is.
“Just a question,”
“Shut up Xander” This time it was not just Willows voice silencing him.
The group scanned the crowd for tonight’s lucky winner all the while missing something going on rite in front of their faces.
“Dose anybody else feel like they have an all you can eat sign taped to their back.” Asked Xander a few minutes later.
“We won’t stay much longer, we just need to find this demon and get out. See there he is rite in front of our noses. Buffy started to walk towards it but was distracted by the sudden appearance of Dawn.
“What are you doing here!” the sisters said in unison.
“I’m hunting a demon like I said I was” replied Buffy.
“I came to see a friend,” said Dawn.
“YOUR IN A SECRET DEMON NIGHT CLUB UNDERNEATH THE BRONZE!!! WHAT KIND OF FRIEND IS THIS!!!”
“Buffy,” interrupted Willow who was staring at the stage behind Xander, “turn around.”
Slowly Buffy turned to see the band on the stage. There were 3 vampires playing a song about death that, despite the horrifying theme, sounded pretty ok. But that wasn’t why Willow had stopped Buffy’s ranting. In the middle of the musicians there was a vampire that was singing. A vampire with bleached hair. Spike.
“Oh my god”
However there was no time to stay and gawk as a pack particularly vicious looking demons had heard some one say the lord almighty was their god and were eyeing the scoobies with hungry expressions.
“We should go”
“My sentiments exactly” said Dawn “you should go”
“You’re coming too”
“Why”
“So you don’t get eaten”
“And so you can explain how long you’ve known about The Bleach Boys.”
“There not “The Bleach Boys”… just Spike.”
“So its just Captain peroxide then”
“We can discuss this later”
“Fine” they both huffed.

Back at the house the gang was getting ready for a good grilling session with Dawn.
“Witch is more threatening “talk or else” or talk or meet mr pointy” Xander asked Anya while doing he sacred Scooby act of ordering pizza.
“Xander its Dawn! She knows you won’t stake her… go with the first one.”
“What’s this about staking Dawn?” inquired Buffy unenthusiastically.
“We weren’t tal-“
“Xanders just trying out some new threats” finished Anya eagerly.
“Lets get on with the interrogating shall we?” said Xander seeing the look on Buffy’s face.

Dawn fidgeted nervously. Spike had trusted her with his secret and now the gang was going to make her tell them every thing. About the singing, about Erica every single detail. Spike would kill her. He had sworn if she had told he would rip out her throat and use her for bait. He had added chip or no chip for effect. She knew he wouldn’t but he’d still be really angry with her. Oh my god, what if he hated her? What if he didn’t forgive her? What if he never forgave her? And how would Buffy react with the whole Erica thing? Spike had told Dawn ,possibly while drunk, that Buffy had kissed him twice in the last week alone. Would she be sad, confused? Dawn doubted if she would be jealous. But something worse could happen. She could laugh at him. She could break his heart off piece by piece. She could throw back her head and scream with cold blunt hilarity. Nothing had gone write for Spike since, well, since he met Buffy. First Dru then that whole gem thingy getting destroyed, the chip, being rejected by Buffy and now this! Even if some of those things were for the greater good meeting Buffy were the worst thing that ever happened to him, and the best thing to happen to Buffy. And after everything she’s put him through he still loves her. If she laughed at him now he’d stake himself, more importantly Dawn would stake Buffy. No hesitation.

A few minutes later the Scobbies gathered around Dawn. Xander was jumping up and down just waiting to cast the first stone. However it was willow who got Dawn to talk with one simple word “Spill”.
“Ok but you’d better listen cause I’m not saying it again. Forgive me Spike. Here goes. 20 years ago Spike and drusilla split up for a while. During which time Spike met Erica. Spike, being Spike, fell in love with her. This was a big deal for Spike because Erica was a human. She also was in a band which she naturally let Spike join. She loved her band almost as much as she loved Spike, her last wish was for it to be remembered. Anyways, One night Spike got a call from Dru. She wanted to meet her at some club. Spike didn’t know what to do, so he agreed to meet her so he could see how he felt about her. He told Erica he was going to where he told her he worked at the department store. He went to meet Dru at the club carefree. When he got home later that night there was a message on his answering machine from the police saying that Erica was found dead in the ally between the department store and the flower shop with neck wounds. She had been going to surprise him at work. If he hadn’t gone and seen Dru he wouldn’t have had to tell Erica he was working and she wouldn’t have been in that ally in the first place. He was devastated. It was his fault she had died. After that he couldn’t quit the band she had so desperately wanted remembered, he made a vow to make the band remembered. He sired the members to keep them alive long enough.” Dawn drew a breath for the 6th time since she’d started speaking. This was the part that had been scaring her the most. If Buffy laughed. “If you don’t believe me then just look in the second draw beside the bed in his crypt. I got curious one and peeked around and well, there’s a song he wrote about her. It was pretty long but the chorus goes:

Your death has plagued my life for some years of mourn,
And you don’t know the way I felt when I saw you on the floor,
But you’re gone from that ally way,
Your eyes shine will no more,
And each night I’ll shed a tear or two,
For the one I adored,

Silence.
“Well” thought dawn, “at least she’s not laughing”
“Dawn” said Buffy all of a sudden, “go to bed”
For once, she didn’t protest. Instead she said goodnight to everyone and ran up to her room glad that for once Buffy felt sorry for Spike. She’d never admit it of corse, but she did. “I know she does” thought Dawn happily. She climbed into bed, turned off her lamp and snuggled up to her soft teddy bear.
“Cause I do”

Back downstairs the group were all taking the sad story that was Spike. Both Willow and Tara were claming they had something in they’re eyes while Anya was insisting on letting her get it out. Xander seemed torn between making a joke about the crappyness of the song and running up stairs before the girls could come down on him for hating Spike. Buffy just sat thinking. About Spike and the fact that he had actually felt remorse for killing someone, no, not killing her, dating some one who died. That’s why he felt remorse, because she died. At this moment something perked up inside and she realized why he had been so sad when Buffy herself had died. If he had been able to stop the guy with the wired tongue from cutting Dawn the ritual wouldn’t have started and Buffy wouldn’t have had to jump into the portal. She’d known this before of corse she just realized that Spike had done that before. He had loved Erica and now he loved Buffy…and they had both died at his hands.

By the time Anya and Xander left it was well after ten in the mourning and Tara had decided to stick around for a bit longer. She and Willow were sitting in her room awkwardly pack up some things.
“So” started Tara “How’re you going?”
“Fine”
“Good”
After a few more minutes tidying it was Willow’s turn to try to break the ice.
“Am I rite in saying no one in that room had anything in their eye?”
Tara turned to Willow and smiled “Maybe, It’s just so sad you know?”
“Yeh, I know”
“I mean Spikes a vampire but still, it’s like he had this time when he was a human, this one person, this one love.” Tara looked at her watch and her eyes flew rite open, “gotta go, bye” and she ran from the room
“Yeh” Willow whispered wiping a tear from her cheek, “I know how he feels.”

Buffy was in the kitchen absently making lunch when Tara came rushing down the stairs yelling hurried good byes to every one. She sprinted to the door, which opened at its own accord and was met by a leather jacket. Ignoring this completely Tara rushed out the door yelling, “See ya Spike!”
The smoking jacket jumped inside and slammed the door shut.
“Bloody hell!” said Spike coming out from the leather.
“What are you doing here!” said Buffy alarmed at the fact that he might have come to see her.
“Well” he started “generally when one agrees to watch a child one turns up to watch said child see”
“Oh” She had completely forgotten she had asked Spike to baby-sit Dawn, “Spike”
“Mmm”
“Could take her to your place instead? I kinda need the house to myself today.”
“Now you tell me,” he said indicating to a large shinny burn on his hand, “fine I’ll go grab the little bit and we’ll be out of your hair”
He disappeared upstairs. Something was wrong, he was acting so… understanding. A few minutes later he came back down with Dawn trailing behind him.

“Yes, I said you could take a magazine but no, you can not quiz me”
Dawn was acting like a little kid, Spike pretended he thought it was stupid but she knew he really thought it was sweet.
“Where were you anyway last night? I saw you before I got on stage but then you disappeared.”
“I ran into someone I knew”
“Dawn, You were in a secret demon club beneath the Bronze, who’s this friend?”
“You sound just like her”
“Who”
“Buffy”
“Buf-, WHAT!!! SHE WAS THERE! SHE KNOWS! How much does she know?”
“Every thing”
“Great! Just great”
“Sorry Spike”
“It’s all right, I’m just… let’s just go out for a bit k?

Buffy entered Willows room to find the young witch in tears.
“Will, what is it”
‘Oh Buffy” she sobbed, “I m-miss her so mu-u-ch.
“It’s all right Will she’ll come round.”
“N-no she won’t, she’s g-gone for good, and-d it’s a-all my fault.”
“Tara loves you, she’ll always love you Will.”
“There’s no w-ay she’d c-come back.”
“Will”
“No Buffy there’s no way.”

As five o’ clock rolled round The Demon Bronze was starting to fill up. Spike and Dawn were sitting at a table in the corner of the room. Demons here and there were eyeing Dawn but Spike would vamp out and they would go back to their food.
“So how did they react when you told them?” He asked curiously.
“I only saw a bit cause I had to go to bed but Willow and Tara seemed pretty upset, Anya didn’t really get it, Xander looked like was a bit scared that Buffy would hurt him if he said anything and well, Buffy just sat.”
The band on stage had stated a new song and Spike glanced up at them and turned to face Dawn again.
“Dawn” Spikes brain went numb and he realized what he’d just seen. He turned his head back towards the stage.
“Spike! Spike! you in there?” Dawn followed his eyes towards the stage where the band was playing a filmier tune on stage. The lead singer had long chestnut coloured hair and bright blue eyes, she was getting up to the chorus and that’s when Dawn realized. Just as the girl sang:

My death has plagued your life for some years of mourn,
And I don’t know the way you felt when you saw me on the floor,
But I’m gone from that ally way,
My eyes shine will no more,
And each night you’ll shed a tear or two,
For the one you adored,

In Spike stunned shock Dawn whispered a name into the cold air.
“Erica”

Tara lay on her bed watching Ms Kitty Fantastico play with a ball of lint. She had been so busy pretending she had had to be somewhere when she saw Willow crying that she didn’t even stop to talk to Spike about the whole Erica thing. It really was sad the way Dawn described it. Still she couldn’t help but feel like she had heard of this before, this Erica. If “William the Bloody” dated a human why hadn’t she heard about it? And come to think of why hadn’t he eaten her on sight? He would have, She smelt a rat, and a magic one at that, All these questions were popping into her head. So she did the only thing that was logical. She panicked. What if Spike goes crazy thinking about her? What if tries to raise her from the dead? With out further ado she jumped up and swiped up some books on vampires and her laptop. Just as she put them down she remembered seeing a book in the demon bronze. It wasn’t the kind of book you could get from a book shop, she was pretty sure The Magic Box wouldn’t have it either, but it would be a big help. And so began Tara’s quest for “Great Vampires of our time”.

Since it was the only place she’d ever seen it Tara thought the best place to find the book would be The “Demon” Bronze but when she down there she found she didn’t need the book to figure out who really was. Spike was sitting across the room frozen by the sight on the stage. Following his gaze she saw the girl and recognized her instantly.
“Ellie?”
Without thinking she ran towards the stage screaming.
O my god Ellie is that you? I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Sweetie.”
But the second she reached the stage her “sweetie” gave her a real sweet kick in the head. Dawn having seen all this let out a squeal. All of the clubs occupants turned to look at her. This seemed to jog Spike back to reality.
“That looks yummy” said a
“Leave the bit alone”
“Why don’t you take your little whore back where she-” but he never did finish that sentence for at that moment an axe swung from behind him and sliced his head clean off. He fell to the ground reveal Tara holding the axe ready for another attack.
“Nobody” she said without the faintest trace of a stutter, “messes with my Dawwnie.”
The entire room was silent.
“Cool.” Whispered Dawn in awe.
“Where did ya get the axe luv?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Now” said Tara turning to face the stage, “Ellie”
Wait who’s Ellie? That’s Erica.”
“Oh Erica. Funny you told me it was Ellie, Then again the police told me you were dead to so I guess everyone’s lying today.”
“Oh Tara” said Ellie/Erica, “I missed you so much”. She started to run towards Tara but was stoped by a voice.
“Ellow precious.”
She turned to face Spike who ad regained his composure.
“Spike, you look…great”
“Cut the crap precious, nobody cares.”
“You know” Started Tara, “ one thing I can’t seem to remember you telling me is the fact that you’re an evil disgusting demon no offence guys.” She added to the demons watching.
“No no it’s fair we are evil”
“Hey I’m not evil, you’re the ones that lied to me” screeched Ellie.
“You set us up!!!”
“Technically yes.”
“And un-technically?”
“Yes again, but let me explain.”
“I’d say you’ve explained quite enough aye Tara?”
“I’d say so”
“Well then Erica”
“Ellie”
“Nightie night then.”
Then both Tara and Spike lunged at her.

“And then they like ripped her to shreds it and this demon goes “You just killed her” and Tara goes “Technically yes” and it was so cool oh did I tell you about what Spike did to her eye ball?”
Two hours later they were all sitting on the Summers’s couch while Dawn told the story with every gross detail.
“Unfortunately yes… twice”
“But it wasn’t as Dawn should not see it as it sounded.” Said Tara trying hard to dum down the violence.
“Are you kidding it was way worse and all the other demons chipped in it was so gross.”
“It’s all right Tara you guys did what you had to do.” Said Buffy
“But why did Spike have to rip out her kidneys an-”
“Bed time Dawwnie.” Pipped up Tara.
“But I was just getting to the good part.”
“Bed now”
“Fine, but I want to talk to Spike first”
“ You’ve got 5 minutes. He’s on the back porch,” said Buffy sternly.
Dawn turned on her heal and stomped out of the room.
“Speaking of Spike do you guys think he’ll keep his band now that he realises she was a demon? Asked Anya out of the blue.
“Anya” said Willow annoyed, “…good question.”

Spike sat on the back porch staring off in to space. He pulled out a cigarette and started to fiddle with his lighter. I kept sparking then dieing.
“Bloody hell”
Out of nowhere a match came down and lit it for him.
“Thanks pet”
“No problem” came Dawn’s voice.
“So” she started in a would be casual voice, “ you gonna keep the band?”
“You gonna tell big sis?”
“No I’ll be good I swear I won’t tell as long as you don’t.”
“Mmmm”
“So, Do you swear?”
“Every Damn Day Pet.”
“You know what I mean.”
“All right then I won’t tell, as long as you’re a good little girl scout.”
“Good,” she said getting up to go inside, “cause when Buffy saw you singing she got this oowy goowy look.”
“Really?”
She turned back to him and smiled “Scouts honour”
“Hmmm” Thought Spike turning back to the bushes, “least it’s Dawn’s less describing then Adam I guess.”
He got up to leave just as he heard something move.
“Who’s there?”
“Spikey”
“Who’s there?”
“It’s me”
“That narrows it down.” Spike retorted to the disembodied voice
“Hush hush there’s no time for you little funny fun games today, you see my Spike Miss Edith would like a word with you.”


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