"You'd better be," Spike told her. He was naturally a little defensive on Dawn's part, as he had been the one watching over her for as long as Buffy had been gone. And then there was that stupid deal that Dawn had literally made with the devil. Spike was responsible for her now. If anything happened to Dawn in spite of him, Spike honestly didn't know what he'd do with himself. It was one thing having the guilt of hundreds of lives on his tarnished soul, but it was another when he lost someone that he really had grown to care for. Almost like family. "She won't stand for you leaving her again. And neither will I."
"Which is a first," Spike pointed out. It was usually the other way around. At her question, Spike looked down and smiled a little. "Do you really want to know?"