Spike leaned against the tree outside the Summers' house, the words he had said earlier echoing through his head. They sent the key to her ... in human form. In the form of a sister.
To him the statement in the Watcher's journal had been an amusing revelation...so the little kitten was more than she seemed. Good for her. But to Dawn, the words meant so much more. They heralded the end of her world as she knew it. Suddenly, reality made no sense. Everything she had thought to be true was a lie…an artificial story jammed inside her artificial mind. Spike had to hand it to her though. She had looked like she was going to curl up into a ball and sob her eyes out, but instead she slowly got to her feet and quietly said, "take me home, Spike."
"Since when did I become a soddin' babysitter for the Slayer's kid sister?"
These words had been on the tip of his tongue, but after glancing at the haunted look in Dawn's eyes, he kept his mouth shut. Spike walked with her in awkward silence while she trudged along in a zombie-like state. Once they arrived at her home, she went inside without so much as a "thank you, Spike."
Now the blond vampire leaned against his tree and watched the house. He tried to convince himself he was there for purely selfish reasons. There were bound to be fireworks when everyone found out that Dawn had snuck out, and he always did enjoy a spot of violence. He crushed his cigarette into the ground. Yeah, he was just there to watch the fireworks. Not because he cared sod all for either of the Summers girls.
Spike was jolted from his reverie by the sound of screaming. A chorus of "Oh my God's" echoed through the house. "What do you know, I get to see a touch of violence after all," Spike said to himself, an expectant grin on his face.
With preternatural hearing, Spike listened to the sound of several pairs of feet running up the stairs. Inside, Dawn was roughly shoving her mother and sister out of her room. "Get out, get out, get out!" she screamed. Spike then heard a door slam and the sound of a bolt sliding into a lock.
Inside, it seemed like all the women were crying. "I didn't think the little nibblet could cause such a fuss," Spike muttered. "I wonder what naughty things she's been up to."
As he listened to the commotion, his head was filled with thoughts of the Slayer, warm and pliable, crying against his chest in frustration. She would seek him out for comfort, and he would dutifully kiss it all better. But again he was torn away from his thoughts by a sound coming from the house. This time it was the window being opened as Dawn snuck out for the second time that night.
"What do you know, a baby Buffy," Spike said with a hint of annoyance. "You'd think Joyce would have had brains enough to not give the kid Buffy's old room. That tree is just the perfect escape route."
The tree was also perfect for observing, as he recalled. Angelus had spent hours there, watching Buffy until the first rays of dawn peaked over the horizon. He would sketch and sketch away with plans to torment her. Spike had tried to follow in his grandsire's footsteps and observe Buffy from that same perch, only to be rudely disappointed. Instead of getting a glimpse at the private sanctuary of his Slayer, he was greeted with the horrifying vision of a 14-year-old bouncing around to the music of N' Sync (if one could call it music). But with memories of Angelus haunting her, Spike could understand why the typically possessive Slayer had been willing to give up her old room.
As Spike watched, Dawn slowly climbed down the tree, her progress oddly hampered because she was only using one arm. With a thud she landed on the ground. A wild look was in her eyes, and she began running without care for direction or what might meet her on her way to nowhere. She just needed to run. Spike left his visions of Buffy behind and turned to follow Dawn. If she got hurt out there, he knew that the Slayer would somehow manage to blame it on him...she always did.
Spike kept a moderate distance behind Dawn to avoid being noticed. "Best to let the kitten spend all her energy before I play 'Daddy Spike' and take her home," he thought to himself.
Dawn's meanderings took them to the middle of the cemetery, not too far from Spike's own crypt. Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks, her breath coming in heavy pants. She collapsed into a ball of tears, gasping and sobbing at the same time. Spike also stopped abruptly. The wind had changed and suddenly he could smell it all around him. Blood. Innocent and intoxicating.
"Bloody hell! Stupid chit must have hurt herself in that damned tree."
Spike inched closer with a cat-like grace, moving slowly to prevent Dawn from being startled and bolting again. However, he had not fed on fresh human blood in ages (the fancy government knick knack jammed into his skull saw to that), and as he drew nearer, his hunger began to cloud his senses. Unconsciously, he took on the air of a hunter stalking its wounded prey, and so fixated was he on Dawn's huddled form that he didn't even notice that he was not the only predator prowling the night. At least half a dozen other vampires in the vicinity were also steadily creeping closer to the bleeding girl, intent on claiming her as their own.
With a jolt, Spike was torn from his trance-like state as one of his unseen rivals tried to tackle him to the ground. "She's mine! I saw her first!" the fledgling vampire cried.
With a roar, Spike rammed his fist into the young vampire's chest and ripped out his heart, not even bothering with a stake. As the dust cleared, Spike leapt to his feet, suddenly painfully aware of the other vampires that were forming a circle around Dawn. Like sharks, they were drawn to the scent of her blood.
Punch. Kick. Stake. Spike was a whirl of motion as he fought ferociously to keep the other vampires from laying a finger on Dawn. Luckily, the fact that none of them wanted to share was on his side. Just as he felt certain one of them would reach Dawn before he could save her, another vampire would jump in and attack, trying selfishly to be the only one to claim the prize. If they had fought as a unit, Spike would have been hard-pressed to keep her safe. But vampires were rarely known for their selflessness, a fact that Spike used to his advantage as he fought.
Outwardly, he convinced himself that he was fighting so fiercely because Dawn was important to the Slayer, perhaps even to all bloody human kind, but inwardly, he knew he was just as selfish as the vampires he fought. His demon had scented the power in her blood, and was screaming "MINE!" One by one the young vampires fell, all of them too foolish to think of working together to secure their prey. Alone, none of them could match the skill Spike had acquired after over a hundred years worth of killing and maiming.
When the dust from the last vampire had settled, Spike pulled Dawn to her feet with a rough yank. "What do ya think you're doing, you stupid bint? Do you want to get yourself killed?"
"Leave me alone Spike," Dawn said with a listless tone to her voice, as if she had not even noticed her near brush with death. "I'm not important. I'm not even real. It doesn't matter what happens to me."
Spike gave her a shake. "We'll have none of that talk, you hear? Get inside... now!" Spike dragged the near-limp girl into his crypt. He slammed the door shut and piled several large slabs of stone in front of it. "That should keep most of the nasties out for the time being."
Flinging his duster over one of the coffins, Spike went to take a seat on his couch next to where the forlorn girl had collapsed. He was overcome by a wave of hunger as the smell of her blood washed over him again, but he forced himself to remain in control. Cautiously, Spike took a look at her arm, the source of the smell, and gasped at what he saw. There was one long cut down the middle and several horizontal slashes that looked a bit fresher. All of them were rather deep and still seeping blood. And he doubted that any of them were a result of her inability to climb a down a tree properly. It was quite obvious, now that he'd gotten a closer look, that these wounds had been intentionally inflicted.
Gently, he placed his fingers under her chin and turned her head towards him. "Hell, luv. What did ya go and do this for?"
Dawn leaned against Spike's shoulder, staring vacantly out at the crypt as tears ran down her face. "I wanted to know if I was real…if I was human," she said quietly. "Not some mystical ball of energy. Mystical balls of energy don't bleed, right?"
Dawn's voice became hitched as her silent tears gave way to shuddering sobs. "I'm just not sure of anything anymore. What am I? Is this really blood coming out of me or something else?"
"It's real enough for me," Spike whispered as another pang of hunger washed over him.
"What do you mean?" Dawn asked, a hopeful look flitting across her face.
"I mean that I could care sod all whether you're a mystical ball of energy or just the Slayer's kid sister. That doesn't mean anything to the likes of me. Or to your family, I'd gather. You're you no matter how you came about, and that's all that really matters."
For a moment, Dawn was still, and Spike feared that he was going to have to deal with another bought of hysterical weeping. But then, as his words sank in, a small smile spread across Dawn's face.
"Thank you, Spike," she said softly, wrapping her good arm around his neck and pulling him into a tight embrace. "You know, for a vampire, you're actually rather sweet."
Spike groaned. Both at being called sweet (which chaffed against his demonly nature) and because her proximity was intensifying the scent of her blood. It was getting to be too much. So close yet so far away. Without realizing it, a low growl emanated from the back of his throat, and he began to unconsciously nuzzle her neck as he fought to keep his gold-flecked eyes from straying to her arm.
Dawn tensed at the feeling of Spike's lips grazing her throat. "Spike, what are you doing?" she whispered, pulling back to look him in the face.
Eyes flashing back and forth between blue and gold stared into her own. Fear and excitement replaced her self-pity as she witnessed the raw hunger she saw there. Suddenly, being the Key didn't seem to matter so much. Not when faced with such visceral desires.
Before she could pause to convince herself that this was a bad idea, Dawn shifted so that she was straddling Spike's legs, her eyes never leaving his own. Spike let out a groan as she shifted against him, his hands clamping down on her hips, whether to prevent her from pushing closer or to keep her from escaping, she couldn't tell. Spike closed his eyes and let out a shuddering gasp, leaning his head against her shoulder as he tried to control his desire to feed.
With a daring she didn't know she possessed, she turned Spike's head towards her face once again. Tentatively, she dipped her finger into the blood pooled in her other hand and ran it over Spike's lips. The gesture was intimate and pure and filled with a trust that Spike probably did not deserve. But the revelation about Dawn's true identity had given her a new boldness, and she found herself not caring if she was "too young" to be acting in such a way or if he was "too dangerous" for her. All that mattered was that he keep looking at her with that hunger in his eyes…the hunger that vampires reserve for their prey…their human prey.
A thrill went through Spike as the taste of her blood filled his mouth. Without thinking, he moaned softly and began to suckle her finger like it was his last meal, pressing closer and closer every second. It had been ages since he'd received such innocent blood freely given, and he felt like he could spend the entire night devouring her. The taste of it was too much, and he could sense his demon surfacing completely, and with it the haze of the feed began to overcome him again. Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her and bent his head towards her open wounds. As he pulled her closer, a rising panic began to erode Dawn's newfound boldness.
"Wait!" she gasped, tensing against his firm grip. "It's too fast…it's all too fast."
"What am I to you?" Dawn asked, trying to gain perspective on a situation that was rapidly spiraling out of control. "Am I just a quick meal? Or is there something more? Do you even like me?"
A feral growl escaped Spike's lips. If he had been able, he would have torn her neck open and bathed in her blood for her daring to think she had a say in whether or not he continued to feed. But the chip…the damn bane of his existence, sent tingling warnings of pain through his brain…keeping him leashed…keeping his demon at bay. So Spike forced himself to pause, managing to choke out the word "What!" without sounding too much like a crazed, half-starved beast.
"Do you like me?" Dawn asked again, as if Spike were some teenage boy who had tried to make out with her after a school dance.
Through the fog of his blood-lust, Spike barely managed a coherent reply. "I like you well enough for a kid, I suppose."
Dawn stiffened, various emotions filling her as she contemplated being referred to as a mere "kid."
"I'm not a 'kid' you know," she said pensively. "I think we learned that well enough today. My essence is ancient."
Spike forced his demon to subside for the time being. He had to be calm so he could address her concerns. After all, if she panicked, he would end up with nothing more than a blinding headache for his troubles, and he desperately longed for another taste of her blood. Pausing for a deep breath, he mustered up his most charming smile.
"Your essence may be ancient, but you have the body of a child," Spike said with a smirk, trying to lighten her mood.
"I'm almost 15, I'll have you know," Dawn replied automatically, ignoring the fact that technically she hadn't been in human form nearly that long.
"Fifteen, you say. If I were human, they'd lock me away for being in such a compromising position with someone so young," Spike replied with a wink.
"Fifteen isn't that young," Dawn protested. "That's old enough to get married in some places."
"Well luv, I'm not really the marrying sort. I'm more the bachelor type, being a vampire and all. Churches and priests tend to rub me the wrong way, if ya know what I mean. But the plus side to all that is that I don't have much of a problem corrupting impressionable young things such as yourself…so long as it doesn't end with me facing the wrong end of stake at your sister's hands."
Dawn had been relaxing under Spike's charm, but at the mention of her sister, a new set of fears entered her mind. After all, Spike had been all but stalking the Slayer for months now.
"Am I prettier than Buffy?" Dawn blurted out, immediately wincing when she realized just how immature that question sounded. So much for her "ancient essence" lending her a bit of maturity.
Spike raised his eyebrow as if to say, "Is there even a right answer to this?" But Dawn just chewed her lip with a nervous look on her face, so Spike took a deep breath and tried to answer in a way that would not cause her to become a quivering mass of tears yet again.
"You are different than Buffy, kitten. She is steel and fire. You are innocence and light. Pure ambrosia. I fancy you both in different ways, I suppose. Although you do have the added bonus of lacking that guaranteed punch to the face every time I touch you."
Dawn smiled at Spike's words, warmth filling her at the realization that he truly did seem to care for her just the way she was. His patience and acceptance of everything that was happening was like a balm, soothing away her fears and doubts.
"Do you still want to feed from me?" she asked nervously.
Spike grabbed her chin roughly, letting his demon come to the front once more. "Look at me, nibblet. Do you see this? I am a vampire. I have no problem taking advantage of a 14 year old girl. As a matter of fact, I've tasted younger. Even with this chip I could drain you dry...you're already all opened up and ripe for the plucking. Are you sure you're ready to let the big bad wolf in? Because you know very well that I'm starving for you, and I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself again if you suddenly have another pang of conscience."
Dawn ran her fingernail over her cut, tearing away the thin protective layer that had formed when her blood clotted. At her actions, fresh blood oozed to the surface. "I trust you Spike. Please? I...I want this."
He couldn't take it any more. He had done the honourable thing and warned her about what she was getting into. But the chit was literally begging for it. And Spike certainly wasn't one to deny himself fresh blood when it was being freely offered…especially when it was being offered by beautiful, young slip of a thing. With deliberate slowness, Spike pushed Dawn down onto the couch until she was lying flat on her back. Crawling over her, he took her arm and lifted it to his mouth, suckling gently at her wrist.
Dawn gasped as she felt his cold tongue lapping at her wounds. A slight tingle began to creep all over her skin as her body responded to his touch. She tried to keep her thoughts calm, as befitting of someone ancient and powerful, but she couldn't fool herself. Her inner teenager was squealing with delight. She had a sexy vampire feeding from her after all. A sexy vampire that she'd been crushing on for ages! And with that fact firmly in mind, Dawn decided that maybe growing up on the Hellmouth wouldn't be so bad after all.
