"Hey Little Summers," Paul greeted Dawn in his squawky voice, "where's big Sis?"
He had strolled over to stand in front of their booth, and was now blocking any thoughts of escape, while his bigger counterpart stood over his shoulder.
"She's on her way here actually," Dawn said with as much fake confidence that she could muster, "She's meeting me. She should be here any second."
Paul snickered. "I don't think that's a hundred percent true, do you Dredge?"
"Nope," Dredge said happily. Dredge was huge, but stupid. Paul was obviously the brains of the operation; Buffy had told her he was the more dangerous of the two, despite his small rat like appearance.
The waitress peeked out the kitchen door and quickly retreated, obviously not liking the looks of the newcomers.
"Dawn, who are these men?" Cameron asked, apparently totally unthreatened. 'If she only knew,' Dawn couldn't help but think.
"They're friends with my sister," Dawn told her. "Something tells me she's going to want to talk to them once she gets here."
She had tried to sound as menacing as possible, but Paul only smiled and leaned in closer. "Your sister isn't coming," he told her smugly. "We got word her and the witch were over in Santa Monica, raiding a nest. No one's coming to save you."
"Dawn, these men have no heart beats," Cameron said, her confusion plain in her voice.
"They aren't men," Dawn whispered, nearly inaudible. She never took her eyes off Paul's smiling face. "They're vampires, and they're going to kill us."
"Oh," said Cameron.
Paul leaned in even closer, mere inches from Dawn's face. "That's right little girl, we're going to ki-" he broke off suddenly when he was surrounded by a green smoke cloud.
He turned around abruptly, but where his partner had been, Cameron now stood, examining a layer of grey-green dust that had collected over her fist and forearm. "They die easily enough," she said, never taking her eyes off the remains of Dredge on her arm.
"What the fu-" Paul started, before Cameron's other arm shot out, her fingers wrapping around his throat. Paul was suddenly a foot off the ground, his hands clawing at Cameron's arm, trying to break the hold. She still didn't look up from the green filth on her other arm.
"How interesting," she mused to herself quietly while scrutinizing the dust, "I have never heard of such a thing actually existing. How could Vampires possibly be real, and we not know? The theory about destroying the heart is apparently true enough."
Paul made some unintelligible squeak, and Cameron's eyes shot to his, like the sound had reminded her of his presence, suspended by her one arm a foot above the tiled floor. "Do you turn into a bat?" she asked it. He tried to kick her, but if it caused her pain in any way her face didn't show it.
Dawn sat there in shocked silence, absolutely astonished.
Cameron must have squeezed his neck tighter because he grimaced in pain.
"Bat?" she repeated, arching her eyebrow, her face making it clear her patience was running out.
"No," he grumbled, wincing in pain.
"Sunlight?" she asked, and when he didn't immediately answer she tightened her grip. The skin of his neck around her fingers was beginning to rip.
"Kills!" he shouted, the immense pain obvious in his expression.
"Holy water?"
"It burns us!" he screamed immediately, not wanting to cause her to squeeze any more.
"And crosses?" She asked.
"Burns!"
"Beheading?"
"Yes! It kills!"
"And you kill people? You drink their blood?"
"Yes!"
"And you were going to kill Dawn?"
"Yes!"
Her face looked thoughtful for a moment, and then her eyes drifted to Dawn's. They didn't break eye contact as Paul suddenly erupted into an explosion of green dust as her fingers tightened to his neck's apparent breaking point. Her face didn't change as the ashes drifted down over her, her expression unreadable as she regarded Dawn.
Dawn looked at Cameron as if for the first time. 'Is she a Slayer?' she thought to herself, totally stunned. That was the only explanation for this petite, beautiful girl to have the kind of power to destroy two Vampires so easily. 'But if she is a Slayer, wouldn't she know about Vamps? Isn't it like, built in? And if she is a Slayer, she's the strongest one ever, even Buffy wouldn't be able to kill both Paul and Dredge without even breaking a sweat.'
"What are you?" she finally whispered.
Cameron grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the seat, forcing her to a standing position. "Come on," she told her, "we need to talk."
Dawn let Cameron lead her by the arm out of the restaurant and into the parking lot. She opened her SUV's passenger door, and Dawn promptly hopped into the seat. Cameron walked around the vehicle and got into the driver's side, but never took her eyes off Dawn. Dawn shuddered. 'It's like she's making sure I don't bolt,' she thought.
Cameron turned the ignition, and then they were moving.
"Where are we going?" Dawn asked when she realized they were heading away from her home.
"My house," Cameron told her.
Dawn stared at her, eyes wide. She had wanted to see Cameron's house and meet her family, but now something in the brunette's stiff posture and calm expression, especially her eyes; completely emotionless and cold, scared her.
