Author:
For: tinpanalley
Pairing: Buffy/Tara and Dawn/Spike.
Rating: PG.
Setting: Post-"Not Fade Away."
Words: 575.
Request: Spike/Dawn, Christmas morning.
Summary: Spike and Dawn make gingerbread men for Christmas (as mentioned in Snow Angel).
"I want this kitchen sparkling by the time I get home," Buffy said. "Sparkling. Like Mr. Clean himself came out of the bottle and sponged up."
Dawn rolled her eyes. No matter how old she was, Buffy always treated her like she was still the twelve-year-old who decided that marshmallows went with enchiladas. "Got it." She looked over to Spike who seemed to also be rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, sparkling." Spike nodded and placed a cigarette between his lips.
Buffy yanked it from his mouth. "I told you not to smoke around my sister."
"You won't let me smoke around her, but you'll let me-"
Tara reached over and grabbed Buffy's arm, lowering it. "The shops are going to close before we get there, and I don't want to scrub Spike's blood from your clothing again."
"Fine." Buffy allowed herself to be pulled out the door.
"Finally," Dawn said. She placed her elbows on the counter and sighed. "Would you please stop baiting her? You don't even smoke anymore."
Spike wrapped his arms around her. "Come on, nibblet, it's funny." His hand touched her chin, turning her head for a kiss. "Love you."
"Love you too." Dawn smiled. "I'll love you even more when you stir because Buffy broke the mixer last week. Apparently scrapping batter off the side with a knife and stopping the mixing with your Slayer strength burns up the motor. Go figure."
"No problem." Spike let go of Dawn to root through the cupboards. "What do you think the difference between crushed ginger and root of the ginger tree is?" He stuck a finger in the powder and tasted it. "Tastes like ginger."
"Are you sure?" Dawn eyed him as she poured flour into a bowl.
*****
Dawn woke up to a loud crash from the living room and Buffy swearing loudly. Maybe the real Santa had decided to pay them a visit, but he preferred children over grown women and a very old vampire. Then Dawn heard a grunt, a grunt from Spike, whose pillow was cold next to her.
"What the hell did you put in these things?" Buffy shouted when she saw Dawn standing in the doorway of their living room.
Horrified, Dawn watched as little gingerbread men ran around their apartment breaking things. One tiny little man with a yellow bowtie smashed a picture of Tara on the mantel. Spike punched it and his fist when through the mantel's wooden trim.
"Don't destroy my home, Spike." Buffy lifted her foot and smashed another with her shoe's heel.
Dawn grabbed a broom from the corner of the room and brought the handle down on one trying to sneak towards her room.
"I got it." Tara ran out with a powder in her hand and sprinkled it around the plate the cookies had been on. She muttered something Dawn couldn't quite make out and all the gingerbread men stopped and broke into a zillion pieces.
"Oh, thank god." Buffy collapsed on the armchair. "I thought for sure that Senora De Luca would be banging on our door. Again."
Dawn started to sweep up the tiny bits of gingerbread. "Let me guess, ginger root tree is magical?"
Tara nodded.
"I told you that we should've found the actual ginger," Dawn said. She hated sweeping and vacuuming or really anything to do with cleaning floors. She threw the broom at Spike's feet. "You can vacuum in the morning. For now, I'm going back to bed and so are Buffy and Tara. Sparkling clean, Spike."