Part 4

As my eyes slowly flutter open I'm caught unawares by the harsh sunlight that bathes my room. The brightness intensifies the dull ache behind my eyes and my hand fumbles around the bedside table for my bottle of Advil. My fingers come in contact with the cool plastic of the bottle and I quickly pop off the cap, pouring two pills into my hand. Without water I swallow them and turn over onto my back, waiting for the pain to go away.

I wonder how Dawn's doing this morning. Spike graciously opted not to tell her sister about our little excursion- but only under threat of severe physical pain if we ever pulled something like that again. So I imagine that Dawn's trying to conceal her hangover by now. I honestly hope she pulls it off. It'd suck if she was banned from hanging out with me or something. I've had that happen with friends before. You'd think I'd learn my lesson.

After Spike dropped Dawn off- literally carried her up to her room and dropped her unceremoniously on the bed without so much as another word- he escorted me home. He's a sweetie- that one. Almost makes me feel bad about playing him that first day. Almost.

Suddenly I hear my door open. "Well, did you have fun last night?" a bitter voice asks.

Shit. This is all I need right now. "Go away." I mumble, rolling over and hiding my head under my pillow.

OK, that was sooo the wrong thing to say. Cold air washes over my body as Roger tears the blankets off of me. Thank God I had the sense to actually change into some shorts and a T-shirt before collapsing onto my bed last night. Next the pillow is yanked off my head and a callused hand is firmly clutching my arm, jerking me harshly upwards. "Don't you talk to me that way!" he shouts angrily.

I stare wide-eyed at him, suddenly feeling like a small child. I hate him so much. I hate that he can do that to me- that with one look or one angry word he can reduce me to a meek little girl. "I-I'm sorry." I mumble. My heart is racing in my chest as I prepare for the blow I know is to come.

"You need to learn some respect, girl!" And there it is- right in my gut.

I double over, clutching my aching stomach. Bile rises in my throat and I choke it back with a gasp. He doesn't look like much, but he packs one hell of a punch. Dammit, I can feel hot tears welling up in my eyes. I don't cry. I never cry. No, no, no!

"What are you crying for, bitch?" he screams.

I shake my head, unable to speak because of the lump in my throat and unwanted tears roll down my face. He grumbles and pushes me away from him before storming out of my room. I hear my door slam behind him and the walls and floor shake with the force of it. Bastard. I should kick his ass. I'm tougher than this. I survived a vampire attack last night! I can take this! But all I do is curl up on my bed and cry.

*****

I ring the doorbell of the Summers' home. My headache has cleared up- or maybe it's just the effect of the Advil. That stuff works miracles. Anyway, I decided to come over and check on how Dawn's holding up. And I brought her some Advil, too, just in case.

The door swings open and there's a redheaded woman staring at me expectantly. "Can I help you?" she asks.

"I'm Jade…Dawn's friend."

"Oh! Of course!" She steps aside for me to come in. I do and find myself in a cozy hall. There's a staircase in front of me, a doorway leading to a dining room to my right and a living room to my left. All very cozy. I think I like it, though. "I'm Willow." The woman introduces herself.

I call upon manners I haven't used in quite a while. "Nice to meet you. Is Dawn around?"

"Yeah. She's upstairs in her room. But she's not feeling very well at the moment."

I pull my best surprised face. "Oh…well, I'll come back later if-"

"No, no. I'll go check on her and see if she feels like company. She's been cooped up in her room all day and she's probably bored stiff. Make yourself at home."

Willow disappears up the stairs. I take the opportunity to look around a bit. I make my way into the living room, glancing at a few pictures on the mantle- a woman with dark blonde hair smiling softly, another younger woman laughing with Willow and a dark haired boy I don't recognize. Then I hear Willow call me from the top of the stairs. "Jade? You can come on up." I abandon the pictures and hurry up the stairs. The redhead is standing on the landing and motions me to follow her down the hall to an open door.

"Hey." I wave at Dawn from the doorway of her room and she smiles meekly at me.

"I'll leave you two, to it." Willow says, leaving gracefully. I walk into the room and close the door behind me.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like several tons of bricks fell on me." Dawn groans.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have taken you to that place." I say as I take a seat at the foot of the bed.

"No, no. I don't remember much but…I think I had fun."

I chuckle. "Yeah…I should say you did. You were giggling like a maniac the whole time."

"Ugh. I was?"

I nod. "But don't feel bad, I think the guys were digging it. Or…they could've just been hungry."

"Huh?"

"Geez, you really don't remember do you?"

"I remember beer…and beer."

I sigh and finger a loose thread on her blankets. "They were vampires…"

"What?" she screeches, shooting up in bed. Then her hand grips her head and she lays back against the pillows. Composing herself she stares at me, a hundred questions passing over her face. "How did you…"

"I…uh…I kind of did it with one…in the alley behind the bar." I ignore her shocked gasp and continue. "I didn't know…but he bit me," I pull down the neck of my turtleneck to reveal the twin puncture wounds. "and just when he did…poof."

"Poof?"

"Spike staked him."

"Spike?" she screams. Again she holds her head for a few seconds, waiting for the pain to go away, no doubt.

"Yeah. He followed us. He saved my life." The seriousness and gravity of it all suddenly hits me.

"So let me get this straight," Dawn begins. "Spike followed us to the bar, caught you in an alley getting it on with one of the undead, and staked him? Then what?"

"Well after I realized what had just happened, we ran inside, got you, and left. Spike left you in your room. He promised not to tell your sister. But he said that he'd kill us himself if we ever did that again."

"Figures." She mutters. "He's all talk. He can't do anything."

I shrug. "Well…I just figured I'd come by and see how you were. Make sure you're still alive and all." I stand up.

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah, I gotta hit it. I have some neglected homework to get to. I'll see you on Monday?"

She nods. "Yeah."

*****

I left Dawn's house, but didn't feel like going home. So I wander the streets of Sunnydale aimlessly, just contemplating the events of last night. Vampires. Holy shit. I understand why Spike and Dawn didn't tell me. If they had, I probably would've laughed in their faces. But after last night, there's no denying it. I've always been one that reality tended to come up and smack in the face. That's probably why I drink and party as much as I do.

But I keep wondering, what if Spike hadn't showed up? What if that vampire had killed me? Would I have turned into a vampire myself? How does that work exactly? And would it actually have been a bad thing? I honestly don't know. What's it like to be a vampire? Are they immortal like on TV? Do they age? Is it like Anne Rice- all tortured and painful?

The vampires last night didn't seem very tortured. In 'Interview with the Vampire', Lestat didn't seem tortured, but Louis did. I kind of liked Lestat though. He was cooler than Louis. Louis was whiny. But he was like, so much hotter. If only Brad Pitt had played Lestat- that'd have been perfect…

I shake my head as my thoughts wander and finally approach the thought that had been nagging me all day. That with those vampires last night- it was better than I'd ever had. I don't know if it was the chills they sent down my spine with their cold fingers and tongues and…other things. Or if it was their experience- perhaps acquired over centuries. Or maybe…it was the bite.

I'd never experienced anything like that in my whole life. It was amazing. No, more than amazing. Mind-blowing, wondrous, awe-inspiring! I shudder with equal parts excitement and censure. This is sick. They're dead! Dead people! That's why they were so cold! They feed off the blood of the living! That's why he bit me! And he would have happily killed me right there if it hadn't been for Spike. I sigh. I don't know whether to thank him or hate him for that.

Well, speak of the devil. A familiar voice draws me out of my thoughts. "Do I have to knock you over the head to get it through to you that walking out here after dark is dangerous?" Spike asks from where he stands a few feet in front of me.

I stop walking and glance around me. Somehow, it's gotten dark and somehow, I've ended up by a cemetery. Well, no surprise there. There's like…twenty in this town. I frown as the reason for that dawns on me. "I didn't realize it'd gotten dark. I was just out for a walk."

He takes a few steps towards me. "Well, there's lots of better times and places for a walk."

"It was light when I left Dawn's house."

"Yeah, well it's dark now. You'd best head on home before you're a tasty snack for some fledgling."

I tilt my head at him curiously. "Fledgling?"

"Newly risen vampire." He looks at me thoughtfully. "You don't know much about vamps do you?"

I shake my head 'no'. "Unless it's anything like in books or on TV. Do you know much about them?"

He chuckles, smirking at me as if I've said something incredibly stupid. "Yeah…I know a thing or two." I stand, waiting expectantly for him to enlighten me but he just studies me for a long moment and asks, "What are you doing out here?"

"I told you. I'm out for a walk." He looks a bit skeptical so I elaborate. "Not that it's any of your business- but I had some thinking to do."

"Anything the matter?"

I look down at the ground, avoiding that damn blue gaze of his. It's like he can see through me and right now, that's something I'm not sure I want. Silently, I debate whether I should tell him what I'd been thinking about the vampires. 'No, nothing's wrong. I was just thinking how great fucks vampires are.' Yeah right. I'd sound like a total pervert. So I shake my head. "Nope. Just needed to work some things out."

He nods, but I can tell he's unconvinced. However he doesn't comment, merely asks, "You want me to walk you home, then?"

"Yeah. That'd be good."

He steps to my side as I head in the direction of my house. His presence is soothing, like a teddy bear or a security blanket. And am I really comparing this incredibly hot guy to a child's plaything? When did he go from potential lay to comfortable companion? I shake my head and continue walking.

After a little while I say, "I never thanked you, did I? For what you did last night…you know, saving me and all." He glances over at me but remains silent. "Thanks." I mumble.

"Don't thank me. I should've let him drain you, you know." His voice is light- my guess, to cover his embarrassment. I don't think he gets thanked very often.

"What would've happened if you hadn't staked him? Would I be a vampire?"

Spike shrugs. "Perhaps. Though most likely not. He probably just would've killed you."

"So…just getting bitten doesn't turn you into a vampire?" I ask, fingering the wounds under my turtleneck.

"No. You have to drink their blood before you die. Then you rise and you're a vampire."

"How long does it take to rise?"

"Depends. Could be hours. Could be days. That's why you should watch out around the cemeterys. Vampires tend to get buried sometimes. They'll rise up from their graves and the first thing on a fledgling's mind is the kill- the bloodlust. Slayer swats them like flies that way- they're just so crazed."

"Slayer?"

"Oh. Right. Um…girl who's 'chosen' to kill vampires. Super-strength, girl power, and all that. Pain in the ass, too. Oh, and Nibblet's sister."

My eyes are wide as I take this in. All I manage is a small, "Oh." and a nod.

"That's why I was so shocked last night. Dawn knows better than to go out like that at night."

"It was my fault. I pressured her into going. I don't even know why…she's not really the party girl type. And that's a good thing." I add quickly. "I promise- she's never gonna get caught up in that again. Or not with me, at least. I won't take her with me ever again."

I'm a few steps ahead when I realize he's stopped walking. I turn and look at him curiously. Finally, after a long look-over he asks, "You're going out again?"

"Well…yeah. I mean…I know what to watch for now. It's not a big deal. I can take a stake with me or something just in case. Don't look at me like that! You can't expect me to just stop living my life!"

He snorts. "Oh, you call that living? Getting fingered in the middle of some cheap bar? Banging some stranger in an alley, right in there with the garbage and the rats?" He closes the short distant between us in three long strides and he's in my face, staring down his nose at me. "That's not living, little girl. That's dying- real slow like."

I push him away roughly, fury surging within me. "I'm not a little girl." I say and I'm a little surprised how menacing my voice sounds. "I'm sixteen years old! I can make my own choices without any help from you!"

"Oh really? Was this your choice then?" He yanks down the neck of my shirt, revealing the two marks there. "I didn't see you putting up much of a fight when that vamp sank his teeth into your pretty little throat. Liked it didn't you? Believe me I know how gratifying a vampire's bite can be. Maybe you've been thinking about finding yourself another to give you the high, eh?"

"You know nothing about me!" I shout.

"I know that you're a hot little tramp who can't keep her legs closed and gets her jollies whenever and with whoever she chooses. But it gets a little boring doesn't it? The same routine night after night. Some little schoolboy cumming all over you- inconsiderate of your pleasure. But now you've found something new. Something exciting. Something dangerous. Well it'll get you killed!"

The rage swelling inside me makes my breath shallow. My fists clench and unclench at my sides as I listen to his tirade. Damn him. That presumptuous bastard. But before I can retort with my own outburst, he says, his voice low and even, "You don't get it. You. Will. Die."

"Maybe that's not such a bad thing."

**Please review! Feedback is so very much appreciated! Also, I guess I should address now the issue of the NC-17 rating. OK, it's not so much an issue unless you've read my bio and know that I'm only 16. All I have to say to that is that it's only a year difference and I've been writing NC-17 material since I was 14 as do many people that age. I try to keep that kind of content to a minimum cause frankly it's just kind of tedious to write for me but for purposes in the story it's necessary. I actually had this as an R rating but just to be cautious I upped it. The content's really not that bad. I try to keep it short and sweet. Although in later chapters there will be more scenes of abuse but also stemming to sexual abuse. But I'm gonna try to make that as non-graphic as possible cause…well it's just a touchy thing, really. So there it is- just to stop the lecturing e-mails I know I'll get cause I've gotten before.**