Title: Family Affairs

Rating: R

Disclaimer: Joss owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel: The Series. I own the plot and the character of Kali (pronounced Kay-Lee).

Author's Notes: Just a few quick notes. This is set maybe a year after Xander and Anya's failed wedding. The events leading up to where the story is will be explained. Kali is pronounced Kay-Lee. Um...That's it! Enjoy. :)

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Dawn rang up the order and handed the customer the bag of candles, "Thank you for shopping at the Magic Box. Have a nice day."

The customer smiled and walked away, the last of the day. Dawn did a little victory dance and went to hang the closed sign on the door, when a tall girl about Dawn's age appeared in the doorway. Dawn sighed to herself.

"I was just about to close...Can I help you?" She asked, eying the girl a little suspiciously. The first thought that went through Dawn's mind was "Wow...Check out Faith the next generation.".

"I'm looking for Spike." The girl said, her voice tinged with a faded French accent.

"Spike?" Dawn raised an eyebrow, "Um...Spike's not around."

"What do you mean? Is he not in Sunnydale?"

"Not anymore." Dawn replied, "He left almost a year ago. Last time we spoke, he was calling from Manhatten."

The girl's eyebrows knitted together, "I must find him."

"Who are you?"

"I am Kali." The girl stated, simply, "I need to find Spike."

"Yeah, I get that. Why don't you sit down and maybe I can help you?"

"Can you take me to Spike?"

Dawn sighed impatiently, "No. I can't take you to him. But what I can do is call my sister and she can maybe help you with whatever you need."

"Only my sire can help me."

"Who's your...What?" Dawn's eyes widened and she instinctively went for the stake she always carried, her other hand picking a cross up off the counter, "You're a vampire."

"Yes."

Kali seemed awfully calm. Dawn lowered the cross slightly, "Why aren't you, like, biting me?"

"I can't." The vampiress looked forlorn, "That is why I MUST find my sire. NOW."

"I wasn't aware Spike had any...sirees?"

"Children." Kali corrected, "And I am the only one, his only childe."

Dawn's eyebrows rose again at the dreamy look on Kali's face. She shook her head, "What's the matter with you? Why do you need Spike's help?"

"A curse. One that has destroyed my ability to kill."

"You have a case of Angelitis?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Dawn shook her head, "Nevermind. You're awfully polite for a vampire."

"I try to be. I've been cursed for five years now, and since then I've had to blend in with humans to look for Spike. I'm like a human, now." Kali said the last part with a slight look of distaste.

"Only evil."

"Yes." Kali agreed, "But it's hard to be evil with a curse keeping you from doing anything nearly evil."

"Right...So how old are you?"

"Seventy years old, not including my life as a human."

Dawn sat down, motioning for Kali to sit across from her at the table. Dawn's mind spun as she tried to comprehend the new information, "So...you were part of Spike's family with Angel and Darla and Drusilla?"

"No. By the time I was brought into the "family" as you call it, Darla was off somewhere in Europe, Angelus was just gone, and Spike and Drusilla were in Paris, where I was turned."

"I see...So how come I've never heard of you?"

Kali looked down, "Drusilla didn't know about me. In fact, no one really did."

Dawn was confused even more, "Why not? I mean...Why would you hide from Drusilla."

"Drusilla was easily made jealous. And she was insane. Those two qualities don't quite mix."

"Oh." Dawn paused, "How old were you when you were turned."

"Sixteen."

"Really? I'm sixteen."

Kali smiled, "Spike treated me like a sister, a daughter."

"Were you two...you know...lovers?"

Kali made a face, "Ew?" She shook her head, "No. It's Spike"

"What's wrong with Spike?"

"Nothing. But to me, he was like my brother as well as my mentor. We never had a relationship beyond that." Kali sighed, "Which is why I need him now. I haven't seen Spike in decades, and now that I have been curse...I need him."

Dawn shrugged, "I don't know what to tell you. Spike left last year after Buffy blew up his crypt."

"Who is Buffy?"

Dawn shrugged again, "My sister. The Slayer."

"Your sister is the Slayer?"

Dawn nodded, "Yep."

"Spike didn't kill her?" Kali looked incredulous, "Why not?"

"Spike was in love with her."

Kali shook her head, "He has lost his mind, hasn't he?"

"No. But he's got a chip."

"A chip? What do you mean?"

"I mean, Spike was kidnapped by the government and they put a chip in his head. He can't hurt humans. So he's in the smae boat as you are."

Kali stood and paced around the table, "You mean he has been...sort of cursed?"

"Sort of, yeah."

"Dear Lord, I'm never going to be normal again."

Dawn stood and pushed in her chair, "Look, Kali, there's this whole thing where you're driving me crazy and it's getting old. I get that you want Spike, right now. I get that you're freaking out cause you were cursed. I also get that you're like a master vampire or something and that makes you act all cryptic and ask all these questions. But what I don't get is what you want me to do about it?"

Kali stopped, "Cryptic?"

"Yeah, but that was only part of what I said--"

"Sorry." Kali sighed, "Sorry if I acted...wierd. But I really need to find Spike. And soon."

"Why so urgent?"

"I don't know." Kali cried, throwing up her hands, "I just have a feeling he can help."

Dawn shrugged and said, "Oh well. I guess you could come home with me and talk to my sister. Then maybe we can try and track down Spike. I've missed him anyway."

"Thank you!" Kali smiled widely, "I'll owe you my...unlife. Or something."

Dawn giggled, "OK, come on." She hung the closed sign on the door, "We'll go talk to Buffy."

"The Slayer...does she have experience in dealing with vampires like me? I mean, she knew Spike and he had the chip..."

"Oh trust me." Dawn said, "Buffy has plenty experience in dealing with wayward vamps."