Author's Note: Normally, I use my author's notes to apologize profusely for the delay between chapters...but not this time! I had a couple really nice reviews for the last chapter, and I think my muse got inspired (see...feedback really does make me write faster!). This chapter is my longest one to date. It also most definitely earns the M rating. If sex scenes really aren't your thing, you might want to skip the second half of this chapter.
Dawn raced through the open portal and closed it behind her with an audible snap of magical energy. The last thing she needed was for her well-meaning family and friends to follow her into the ether between dimensions. She'd never actually tried bringing someone with her before, and she wasn't quite sure what the outcome would be. She had an unsettling feeling that if any of them tried it without her consciously helping them, the end result would be deadly.
Feeling secure in her getaway, Dawn stared down the hallway full of doors, a sight that had become quite familiar to her over time. For several years now, she had used this hallway as a refuge, but no matter how hard she'd tried, she'd never been able to get any of the doors aside from the one to Earth to open even a crack. She had always been reigned in, her curiosity stifled. But now she had the ability to open any door she liked and travel to amazing and terrifying worlds. They would no longer be locked to her.
For a moment, Dawn felt like a kid in a candy shop who had been given permission to take her pick of the store. She had the wild urge to go exploring.
You forget, her inner voice said, I have already traveled to all of these worlds. I can tell you anything you wish to know about them. We have more pressing responsibilities at the moment.
"Just because you got to go traveling doesn't mean that I don't want to do some exploring of my own. Having a ton of information downloaded into my brain isn't quite the same as getting to experience stuff first hand."
Be that as it may, I have finally, finally returned home from my journeying. I am not eager to embark on another trip just yet. There will be plenty of time for exploring at a later date…we are practically immortal, after all.
"You know," Dawn said absentmindedly, "if we're going to be having a lot of these inner arguments, I need to know what to call you."
You are well aware of what my name is.
"Oh, c'mon now. You have to admit that if we both go by Dawn, it's just going to get confusing real quick."
I have already had my life stolen from me for the 'greater good'. Must I give up my name as well?
If Dawn didn't know any better, she'd say the older, wiser version of herself was sounding downright petulant…although if she'd been tossed around by the Powers That Be as much as her elder self had, she might be a bit grumpy too.
"How about Aurora? We were studying mythology in school, and the teacher said that she was the goddess of the dawn in Roman mythology. It's kind of fitting, don't you think? I can be Dawn, and you can be my inner goddess. Don't think of it as giving up your name…think of it as a name upgrade," Dawn said in a placating tone.
Aurora...the name does have a certain ring to it, she conceded. And what you say has some logic to it. I certainly have changed drastically from who I once was. If you believe it will make cohabitating easier, I will consent to be called Aurora when we converse.
"Great!" Dawn replied. "Now if only all of our problems could be solved so easily."
I sense that the matter of my name is not truly what is bothering you. I believe that you are stalling for time.
"Can you blame me for needing some time to adjust? When you linked your memories from before your wild and crazy journey to my conscious mind, my whole world turned upside down…again. I now have two sets of conflicting memories from birth to age fifteen. Let's say, for example, someone asks me what I did for my fifteenth birthday. Do I say 'oh, my mom Buffy threw me a surprise birthday party,' or do I say 'that's the day my mom Joyce died and I took a swan dive off a tower into a portal to another dimension.'
Well, the latter would certainly be more of a conversation stopper, Aurora replied dryly. But it may be simpler to think of the memories in terms of calendar date. Our age has always been a difficult thing to quantify. When we were first given physical form, we were placed in the body of a fourteen-year old girl and given false memories of a life that did not exist. In physical years, we were an infant. In mental years, we were a teenager. And our essence was, and always will be, ancient. You will have an easier time if you cast off notions of age. If you think 'such and such event occurred on this date', the memories from before and after our journey will take on a linear form and be much easier to cope with.
But of course…you already know all of this, Aurora said after a brief pause. It is not the overlapping of the memories that is vexing you…it is the new memories and emotions you have for Spike that are causing you turmoil.
"You know, it's totally unfair that you get to know what I'm feeling without me telling you," Dawn grumbled.
If at some point you wish to have a discussion about what is fair and what is not fair, I would be happy to oblige you, but I guarantee that I would win that contest. However, I do not believe dwelling on life's injustices will be productive for either of us. Even if the merging of our memories must occur slowly, we are still one being. I will always be able to sense your emotions.
"Fine…you're always going to know how I feel. I get it…I don't have to like it, but I get it. But since you're so in the know about my emotions, tell me, how am I supposed to carry through with your little plan for Spike when I feel so conflicted? I remember loving him…loving him so much that I thought I would die without him. But I also remember hating him for all of the terrible things he's done, and it makes me want to ram a stake into his heart and be done with him. Because there's no guarantee that what you've got planned is really going to fix the problem. He could be just as evil when we're done as he was before. The world is chock full of evil people…that's why we have prisons. I'm not sure if I want to sacrifice my virginity to a monster just because you think your spell will work better if he's getting all sexed up when you perform it."
I should remind you that we are blood bound to Spike. If you were to ram a stake through his heart, you would inflict tremendous psychic trauma upon us. This is not just because I would mourn his loss. We are magically connected to him. While we are in other dimensions, that link becomes dormant, but it is still present. If ever Spike were to die, our best bet for survival would require us to be in an entirely different dimension so that we would have the buffer of time and space to shield us from the psychic blow. But even then, the pain would be terrible. While on Earth, our survival is linked to his. The depth of the connection is so deep that if he were to die, our mind would be crippled. It could take us years to recover, if we were able to survive at all.
"Ok…fine…no staking Spike. But can I tell you how much it scares me that our survival is dependant upon his? I mean, do you have any idea how many fights he gets into? I don't want to end up a vegetable because he picks a fight with the wrong guy."
That is why it would benefit us greatly if we were partnered with him.
"I know…I know…you can't wait to bump uglies with him. But that brings me back to my earlier point…why do I have to sleep with him before you do the spell? Couldn't we wait until he's not evil before I have to get naked with him?"
As I said, we are blood bound to Spike. You may not have realized it, but you've had this bond with him since infancy. He merely strengthened the bond when transferring my memories into this body. That bond can be used as a telepathic link, allowing each of us to sense the other's emotions and even see out of the other's eyes if we so chose. Spike has had seventeen years to play around in your unguarded mind. I could try to shield you from him, but I have no guarantee that he wouldn't be able to break the shield and uncover our plans. And I'm sure he would become suspicious if we were suddenly guarding ourself against him. But if we approach him with a mind projecting lust and desire, I assure you that he will not feel the need to pry. Why would he need to look further if we give him exactly what he expects?
"But still…couldn't we put the whammy on him before any clothes have to come off?"
The chances of success increase dramatically if he is at his most vulnerable. The spell works best on a heart that is open and prepared to receive a wonderful gift.
"And you have the hots for him," Dawn replied teasingly. She could feel her own cheek's blush in response to Aurora's reaction.
And I have the hots for him, Aurora replied, not bothering with the futility of trying to hide the truth from her own self.
"He is pretty easy on the eyes," Dawn admitted with a sigh. "And I know, deep down, that everything you're telling me is true. I'm not sure you could lie to me even if you wanted to. I just…I just need a bit of time to get warmed up to the idea."
I do understand…truly I do, but I think the time has come for us to act. I fear what will happen if our makeshift family reaches Spike before we do. I'm not certain they are aware that we are still bonded to Spike.
"Nothing like the fear of a persistent vegetative state to get a girl in the mood," Dawn grumbled, a jolt of panic racing through her.
Stepping towards the door to Earth, Dawn placed her hand in the center of it, causing it to turn transparent without actually opening it, revealing the empty bathroom of her hospital room.
That's clever, Aurora commented in a surprised tone. I never thought to try something like that.
"Well, I've done a lot of camping in front of this particular door. One day I was talking to myself and saying how it would be great if I could see through the door without having to open it, and the door went all clear for me. It was a total accident, but it's been really useful."
It's nice to know that there are still things left for me to learn.
Dawn smiled in response to Aurora's sudden burst of happiness. She was just about to designate the coast as clear, when Willow appeared in front of the portal, her eyes covered in a black film.
"She's still here," Willow said, turning her head to speak to the rest of the people still in Dawn's hospital room. "The place where she went through…it just got thinner. If I focus, I can almost see her."
Willow turned back towards Dawn, her black eyes making her appear rather menacing. "You listen here young lady! Giles told me all about your popping in and out of dimensions trick. He said that you always show back up in pretty much the same spot, give or take a few feet. Now you march your butt right back into this room, or I'm coming to get you. You aren't the only one that knows how to travel to a different plane of existence."
Willow pounded her fist against the space where the portal was, and Dawn could see the air in front of her ripple, sending out concentric circles of energy.
"What do we do?" Dawn exclaimed. "I really don't think we have time to go back and explain the plan to everyone. I know for sure that mom and dad will flip out…Xander too. I think Faith would understand, but it would still take too long to get them all calmed down. We need to get away before sundown. I don't want Spike showing up there…not if he can go poking around in our head. Can you stop Willow from coming through to get us?"
We are the Keeper of the Gates, Aurora replied. None shall pass if we expressly forbid it.
As Aurora spoke the words, the portal back to Earth ceased its trembling and became like a solid piece of glass once more. On the other side of the doorway, Willow was vacantly staring in their direction, her eyes back to their normal color. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and a look of horror was written across her face.
"What have you done?" both Dawn and Willow asked in unison.
It is the nature of the Key to both grant and deny access to other dimensions. I have cut off her ability to access other dimensions, and with it her ability to use magic.
"I don't understand…I didn't think you needed to be an inter-dimensional traveler in order to use magic. I mean, Willow was floating pencils long before she had the ability to travel to higher planes of existence."
Once, long ago, all dimensions were what you would call 'demon dimensions'. Humans had not yet come into existence. Some of these demons favored creation, and some destruction. There are legends throughout all of the dimensions surrounding the creation of humanity. The stories vary greatly, but one common thread is that they all state that humanity originated on Earth. Whether humans were created by an all-powerful God who crafted the entire universe or merely one of the Old Ones who felt bored, I cannot say. But for a time, humans were given protectors and sheltered from those who would do them harm. Eventually though, the other demons grew jealous and infiltrated their sanctuary, capturing most of the humans and breeding them for entertainment. They became highly regarded as prized pets. This is the reason you will find humans in so many dimensions now.
But the original guardians managed to save a handful of their wards from being kidnapped and passed around like chattel. The guardians taught the remaining humans how to harness energy from the demons, to perform what we now call magic…that is the kernel of truth behind the legend of Prometheus. Because many of the demons did not have true flesh and blood bodies…they were creatures of pure energy given shape. The ability to tap into that energy is what allowed humans to prosper on Earth and the Old Ones to decline. Even to this day, humans on Earth possess the rudimentary skill to perform this sort of magic. It is the reason why symbols of faith such as the cross harm demons. The symbol is merely a conduit for a person's will power, and the burns the demons receive are caused by the sudden removal of a portion of the demon's energy.
Eventually, using their new abilities, humans were able to cast out all but the lesser demons from the earthly realm and erect a barrier to prevent the more powerful demons from returning. But it was necessary for the shield to be peppered with tiny holes, small gateways to the other dimensions. Ironically, the very demons we are trying to keep out are the ones that power the barrier. The gateways allow for a constant source of energy for the barrier. The Key was created as a tool to manage this energy flow. Before we were given consciousness, we were simply used to close and open gates as needed. But now the scope of our ability has been broadened. We did not learn so much of the other dimensions merely to combat the demons. Every time we slay a demon, their energy is released into Earth's dimension, fueling the barrier. With vampires, this release is quite violent, causing their bodies and all that they touch to crumble to ash from the force of it. But not all demons are created equal. By knowing their kind, we can determine which to slay and which to allow to remain without endangering the world. In this way, balance is maintained.
Dawn's head was reeling from all this new information. "How did you learn all this?"
The Powers That Be…they were once human…the very humans that were first taught how to harness the energy of the demons. They now watch over Earth from a higher plane and enlist the help of others to protect our world.
"It's so weird to think that magic is really just demon energy. Does that mean that using magic is evil?"
Energy is energy…it is what you do with the energy that makes it good or evil. But one does have to be careful. High level witches such as Willow are tapping directly into demon dimensions to fuel their magic, and there is the danger of actually drawing entire demons into one's body when trying to perform a powerful spell. That is why there are so many instances of magic users becoming possessed. For those with a strong force of will, they might actually convert entire demons into raw energy, but it is a risky business. Every time Willow's eyes go black with power, there is a demon just dying to enter her body and take up residence. I dare say that cutting Willow off for a short time might do her some good.
"But we can turn it back on, right? I mean, I know Willow has had some brushes with magic abuse in the past, but she's been working really hard to control it. And she's pretty buddy buddy with some good guys in the higher planes. If we took that away from her, it would be like cutting off a limb. Magic is part of who she is."
I believe that Willow has great potential to aid the world in its never-ending battle to fend off the darkness. It would not surprise me if the Powers That Be target her as an ally in their fight. Her heart is good. However, she could stand to learn more caution. I will restore her powers to her eventually, but I would like to warn her of the dangers inherent in drawing too much magic into herself at once. If she cannot bear to go a single day without magic coursing through her, it may be a sign that she has become too dependent on magic for day-to-day life.
"I dunno," Dawn said reluctantly. "People get kind of funny when you take something away from them. Like, when I was a kid…you know, the second time 'round, Buffy…mom, she decided to clean out my closet and donate a bunch of my old toys to charity. I hadn't even looked at those toys in years, but the moment she took them away, I wanted them more than anything."
I am sorry that we have had to cause our friend pain, but it was necessary, and it will be short-lived. If we had not neutralized her, she would have followed us here, and I am not certain of her safety in this space between realms. But we are wasting time. Once everyone gets over the shock of what has happened, they are going to hunt down Spike. It would most definitely be in our best interest to reach him before they do.
"Yeah, I'd hate to see the fireworks if they get there before us. Xander sounded waaay to kill-happy for my liking. But, do you have any nifty ideas for how to get past Buffy and company? Normally when I pull this trick, I just wait around until the coast is clear and pop back in pretty much the same spot I left."
The Key is capable of traveling within dimensions as well as between them, Aurora said. Relax and open your mind, and I will share with you the information you need.
Dawn forced herself into a state of calm, and the picture of an empty glass waiting to be filled suddenly popped into her head. As she focused on making her mind an open vessel, she saw the image of sparkling water filling her cup. Within seconds, she felt her brain flooding with new information about her abilities, information that had lain dormant in her subconscious until now.
"This is so cool!" she exclaimed. "I feel like I'm in the Matrix!"
Unfortunately, I will not be able to make weapons materialize out of thin air…but knowledge…knowledge I can give you.
Dawn held her hand out towards the door, palm up, and then curled her fingers upwards. "I know kung fu," she giggled.
Believe me…what I've just taught you is so much better.
Dawn finally got serious, staring at the passage back to her world with new eyes. She allowed the door to become opaque again, doing her best to ignore Willow's distraught face on the other side. Dawn expected the portal to return to being a simple wooden door with no frills, but now it was so much more. As she examined it, the door began to change shape, bending and curving until it was actually a sphere, a miniature version of the entire Earth. She knew that with the slightest exertion of will, she could go anywhere on the face of the planet. But there was only one place she wanted to be right now.
Dawn stared at the globe in front of her and let Spike's blood call to her. She could be standing on the opposite side of the Earth from Spike and still be able to spin and point in his direction. Or in this case, not standing on the Earth at all.
As she focused on their connection, the image of the world in front of her began to change, zooming in closer and closer. First she was looking at all of North America, and then the West Coat of the US. Soon, the image of Sunnydale was rushing towards her, buildings and streets whizzing past until she was looking into a hotel room…the bathroom of a hotel room to be specific.
And the view was glorious.
She was greeted with the sight of Spike taking a shower as he waited for the last rays of the sun to finally disappear below the horizon. He was partially hidden by the distorted glass of the stall door, but even a blurred vision of a nude Spike was a vision to behold.
Dawn let out an involuntary gasp. The lust was all hers…even if he was the enemy, she couldn't deny that he was attractive…but there was also a swell of love in her heart…the violent, intense emotion of a young person in love for the first time. And the love was still not quite her own. Dawn had thought she was doing an OK job of adjusting, but staring at Spike and feeling her heart swell with love was just…strange. It was like trying on clothing she had borrowed from someone else…the feelings didn't quite fit. It would take some time until this love really felt comfortable and true.
With a deep breath, Dawn made an effort to embrace the feelings of love and affection that were making her pulse race, allowing them to sweep her away rather than fighting the tide of emotion. She stared at Spike and remembered night after night of teasing touches and toe-curling kisses that left her aching for more. She remembered the euphoric sensation of his fangs piercing her neck, and she felt the lower region of her body tingle in anticipation of an entirely different sort of penetration.
Dawn allowed herself a few more moments to admire Spike from a distance, taking advantage of the fact that he could not sense her when she was outside of Earth's dimension. She knew the moment she crossed the threshold into that room, he would be all over her, and she wanted to be suitably aroused. She couldn't let him sense any uncertainty in her, or her plans for him could collapse like a deck of cards.
So Dawn looked unabashedly, admiring the way the water ran over his muscles, making his pale skin glisten, and she imagined her hands following a similar path. She pictured what it would be like for him to step out of the shower with a predatory grace, his eyes blazing with hunger for her and her alone. She let these thoughts consume her, until her entire body was aching with desire.
When Dawn finally took a step forward, exiting the realm between dimensions and materializing in Spike's bathroom, she barely had time to feel the damp heat of the room wash over her skin before the shower door came flinging open and Spike launched himself at her. She had not expected him to react so quickly. Dawn didn't even have time to admire the unobstructed view before she found herself forcefully slammed into the wall with Spike's fingers curled around her throat.
Dawn's purse, with all of her lovely vampire-fighting accessories, clattered to the ground. She could see the animalistic urge to kill or be killed in Spike's eyes, and Dawn had to make an effort not to reach under her skirt for the stake strapped to her thigh. She forced her body to remain still, like a little rabbit frozen in fear, hoping the predator would move on by rather than attack and gobble her up. After several long seconds, Dawn felt Spike's body relax as he finally came to his senses recognized just who he had pressed up against the wall.
"That's quite the trick you've got there," Spike said with a predatory smile, allowing the bruising grip he had on her throat to morph into a sensual caress. "You'd best be careful with that popping in and out of dimensions rubbish. Or next time I might snap that pretty little neck of yours before I realize who you are…and there are much better things I could be doing to your neck," Spike purred, planting a kiss against one of the bruises that was already forming on her throat.
Despite his bravado, Dawn could sense his uncertainty, as if he wasn't sure just yet which Dawn had barged unannounced into his bathroom. She forced herself to relax into his touch, letting years of pent up longing rise to the forefront of her mind. Using her connection to Spike, Dawn sent tendrils of love and desire flowing along their link, causing his body to stiffen in shock.
"It really worked," he said, his voice awestruck. "For a moment, I wasn't sure if you were a Slayer come to end my sorry existence now that I'd outlived my usefulness, or if maybe you were just a hormonal teenager itching to take a walk on the wild side. But I can feel it in my heart…my Dawn has come home to me."
And then his arms were around her, holding her tight in a bone-crushing hug. He let out a choked sob, his cocky demeanor washed away in a flood of emotion. "Bloody hell, I've missed you," he whispered fiercely.
Dawn let her lips graze his throat, planting butterfly kisses along his jaw until she reached his mouth. "I've missed you too," she replied, kissing him tenderly as tears of her own began to fall freely.
Spike took a moment to brush the tears away from her eyes, and then he was kissing her passionately, his fangs bruising her lips as he claimed her mouth. Dawn could feel the evidence of his desire pushing against her stomach, and she allowed her hand to slide down the wet skin of his chest, slipping lower and lower until her fingers cautiously grazed the hardened member between his legs.
"No more waiting," she murmured into his ear.
Spike backed away with a startled gasp, his eyes blazing with barely restrained hunger. For a moment, Dawn wondered if he would take her right there against the bathroom wall, but then she saw him visibly reign himself in as a mischievous smirk spread across his face.
"I see your little trip across the universe has made you impatient. But you know, you did just barge in here without so much as a by-your-leave. I haven't even had time to put in conditioner. Hair this fabulous takes work, you know."
Dawn giggled and turned as if to leave. "If you'd rather I come back another time…" she said.
Spike reached behind him to turn off the water in the shower, never letting his eyes leave Dawn's. "I think I can make an exception, just this once," he said with a grin.
Dawn mimicked Spike's motions, reaching behind her to open the bathroom door without ever taking her eyes off of him. She made a point to openly admire the view as she began to back away from him, allowing him to stalk her like prey as they slowly crept into the bedroom.
When she felt the backs of her legs hit the edge of the bed, she paused and let Spike close the distance between them. When he reached her, he stopped mere inches away from her body and sank to his knees. With a tenderness that belied the hunger in his eyes, he slid his hands down to her ankles, gently lifting each leg to remove her sandals, planting a soft kiss on the top of each foot as he did so.
Dawn trembled as Spike inched his hands up her legs. His fingers teased the skin of her calves and slowly slid past her knees to caress her thighs. When he encountered the thigh harness for her stake, he let out a soft chuckle.
"No toys for you tonight," he said as he removed the offending weaponry and tossed it into a corner. "I'm still a tad sore from the last time I let you play with one of those."
Dawn felt like she should have some sort of witty reply, but her brain was too overwhelmed by the sensation of Spike touching her for her to form any sort of coherent thought. His hands continued to roam over her legs, traveling up and up until his fingers were hooked over the waistband of her panties, and Dawn just stood there like the trembling virgin she was and reveled in the assault on her senses.
Spike gave a sharp tug to her panties, causing Dawn to gasp as the delicate bit of lace was abruptly torn from her body. "Do you want me to stop?" Spike murmured against her thigh as he casually tossed aside the remnants of her underwear.
"No…no more running away," Dawn replied as her body shivered at his touch.
"That's right, pet…no more running away," Spike said, gripping her hips possessively. He carefully lifted one of her legs over his shoulder and ducked his head under the skirt of her dress, trailing wet kisses up the length of her thigh.
When his tongue finally delved between her legs, Dawn let out a throaty moan of pleasure. Spike's hands were still warm from the heat of the shower, but his tongue was cold against her sensitive flesh. Dawn threw back her head and arched her back, bucking against his mouth. But given her precarious positioning, the motion caused her to lose her balance and fall backwards onto the bed.
Spike let out a deep, satisfied chuckle. "I thought you'd have better balance, what with being a Slayer and all," he teased, his tongue darting out to capture the lingering taste of her on his lips.
"Maybe I'll get better with practice," she replied, looking slightly flustered and more than a little rumpled. Dawn sat up and attempted to pull her dress back down into a more decent position.
"Oh no you don't, luv," Spike said, grabbing Dawn's hand. "I'm thinking you are decidedly overdressed for this occasion."
Spike pulled her back up to a standing position next to the bed. He leaned in close and whispered, "You're doing wonderful, pet," as he reached around to lower the zipper of her dress. He slid his hands up her spine to undo the clasp of her bra, and his hands continued their journey up her back until they reached her shoulders. With a gentle nudge, both the bra and the dress came tumbling off Dawn's body to pool at her feet.
Dawn instinctively crossed her arms to cover her chest, but Spike grabbed her hands and gently placed them at her sides. "You got your eyeful when you first popped into the bathroom…now it's my turn."
"Well, it is a rather nice view," Dawn giggled.
"Glad you approve," Spike said with a grin, taking a step back and slowly spinning in a circle for her benefit. When he finished twirling, he crept back towards her, his eyes raking over body. The bedroom was only illuminated by the light leaking out of the bathroom, and in the shadowed room, her skin gleamed like moonlight.
Like a groom carrying his bride over the threshold, Spike scooped Dawn up in his arms and laid her gently in the center of the bed. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this," he said, crawling over her and kissing her hungrily.
Dawn surprised Spike by rolling him onto his back and straddling his waist. "I guarantee you, it's not nearly as long as I've been waiting," she replied, kissing him back with just as much force.
"Then I won't make the lady wait any longer," Spike said, grabbing Dawn's hips in a bruising grip. He slid her forward until she was positioned above him, the tip of his manhood just barely grazing her entrance. He held her steady with one hand and used his other to draw her wrist to his mouth. "I want to taste you when you come," he murmured against her flesh.
With a lascivious grin, Spike sank his fangs into the skin of her wrist, slowly suckling the tender flesh. As always, the brief flash of pain associated with the skin breaking was immediately washed away by the pleasure Spike could cause when he fed. Dawn threw back her head and groaned, pushing her wrist hard against his mouth. Her hips ached to thrust against him, but with preternatural speed, Spike's hands flew to her legs, the muscles of his arms bulging with the effort of keeping her from sinking onto him.
Not yet, she heard him whisper through their connection.
Dawn had her head thrown back, her eyes closed in ecstasy, and her arched back caused her pert breast to jut out beautifully. Unable to reach the tantalizing display, Spike sent a subtle suggestion to Dawn through their link, causing Dawn to unconsciously raise her free hand and begin caressing her own breasts. Her fingers trailed back and forth across each mound, alternating between feather-light touches and sharp pinches to each nipple.
Spike continued to feed from her wrist, each tiny sip causing Dawn to spiral closer and closer to her peak. Spike drew it out for as long as he could until both of them were trembling violently, all the while refusing to penetrate her. When he felt her teetering at the edge of her breaking point, Spike released Dawn's weight, allowing her to sink onto him in one sharp thrust as her orgasm crashed over her. Spike clamped her wrist firmly to his mouth, finally drinking deeply as her body thrashed against his.
Through their connection, Spike mentally shared in Dawn's release, waves of pleasure rolling through his mind, but when her spasms subsided, he was still hard inside her. Dawn's palms were splayed across his chest, and she was supporting herself with her shaky arms as her breaths came in ragged gasps. As her pleasure subsided, he could dimly sense a tendril of unease flitting through her mind, as well as the tight, stinging sensation of the unfamiliar intrusion between her legs.
Spike rolled so that Dawn was now cradled beneath him, his manhood still snuggly sheathed inside her. When he brushed her hair away from her face, he could see the glimmer of tears in her eyes.
"Hush, luv. It will only hurt for a moment," he said, gently kissing a stray tear from her cheek.
Dawn could feel that Spike's body still throbbed with unfulfilled desire, and even though her own body was already beginning to ache in pain from his violent intrusion, mentally, she encouraged him to continue, letting him know without words that she wanted to give him as much pleasure as he had given her.
Spike set himself a painfully gentle rhythm at first, slowly withdrawing from her and easing back in with the greatest of care. His eyes gazed intently into hers, the depth of emotion he was feeling causing his breath to catch in his throat. It was exquisite torture, but worth the effort, because slowly, Dawn's body began to relax and open wide to him.
It wasn't until Spike drew close to his release that his self-control finally broke. He began to set a more demanding pace, gradually increasing in tempo until he was finally thrusting into her with an animalistic need, a deep, inhuman growl emanating from the back of his throat.
Without their connection, Dawn would have been feeling more pain than pleasure at the frantic pace he was now setting, but because they were linked, Spike's desire was able to carry her into a world were pain and pleasure mingled in the perfect proportions. Dawn rode the storm of his desire, her nails digging into Spike's back and her hips rising to meet his. Every time he sheathed himself in her, she found herself making an involuntary grunt of pleasure, halfway between a moan and a scream. Dawn's conscious mind was drowning in Spike's desire, her thoughts focused solely on culminating their union.
But all the while, in the back of Dawn's mind, Aurora silently watched on, allowing her magic to build as she waited for Spike to pass the point of no return. Tears flowed freely from her eyes now, because despite every terrible sin he had ever committed, part of her loved Spike just as he was. There was a terrible, animalistic beauty to him, and she was terrified that she was about to destroy it. Because she knew, for good or for ill, what she was about to do would change him. But it was something that had to be done if she ever wanted to be able to give her heart to him without reservation. As the Key, she could not risk being corrupted by the monster within him.
And so she waited for that glorious peak, when his mind would be at its most vulnerable. When she felt the cold release of his seed inside of her, his climax sending a flood of pleasure through her mind, she clutched him to her, her body shuddering as she echoed back his words from earlier.
"It will only hurt for a moment, love," she cried, choking back a sob as she quickly rolled Spike onto his back and placed both of her hands over his heart. The spell took only a few seconds to complete, but the explosion of magic was so violent, it sent a shockwave through the room.
Spike only had time for a moment's confusion before his entire body spasmed in pain. His back arched until his entire torso was lifted off the bed, and he let out a guttural roar as golden light began to stream from his eyes and mouth.