Title: Family Affairs

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I only own the plot and the character of Kali

Author's Notes: Hope you like part two. The beginning is slow going, but later chapters will be better, I PROMISE! Enjoy :)

+

Dawn unlocked the front door and motioned for Kali to follow as she started up the stairs, "Buffy? Hey! Buf, are you home?"

"I'm in my room." Came the muffled reply. Dawn turned to say something to Kali, but saw the vampiress still in the doorway.

"Are you coming or what?"

"Invite me." Kali said, "And I will."

"Oh. Sorry." Dawn shrugged, "Come in, oh cryptic one."

Kali rolled her eyes, "Can we just speak with the Slayer now?"

"Who needs to speak to me?" Buffy asked, appearing at the top of the stairs, "Who's she?"

Dawn turned to her sister, "This is Kali. She's the female version of Angel."

"She's a vampire? You let a strange VAMPIRE into our house?" Buffy drew her stake, "Have you gone INSANE?"

Dawn plucked the stake from Buffy's hand, "She's cursed, over-reaction girl."

"Cursed with a soul?"

Kali spoke up, "No. I'm not like Angelus." She shut the door and crossed her arms, "I was cursed by a Native American spell caster. I had killed her children and husband and she got just a little pissed."

"When was this?" Buffy asked, coming down the stairs, brushing past Dawn.

"1997, I was living in Arizona." Kali replied.

Dawn glared at the retreating backs of the Slayer and the vampire, "Your welcome." She muttered, and then followed them to the kitchen.

"So...why are you here in Sunnydale? What do I have to do with anything?" Buffy was asking as she poured herself an orange juice.

"I'm looking for Spike, my sire."

Buffy spit out the orange juice, "Excuse me? Spike has a...whatever you are?"

"Do the two of you know NOTHING about vampirism? I'm his childe. Spelled with an -e." Kali sighed heavily, "I just want to find him. If he can't help me, then at least I can reconnect with him."

Buffy shook her head, and started washing out the empty juice glass, "Last I heard, Spike was in New York."

"He was staying in Greenwich Village." Dawn elaborated, "Having a hell of a time with the whole punk scene."

"How do you know?" Buffy asked curiously.

"He called a couple months ago, and emailed me back in January." Dawn replied casually.

"That was six months ago! Why didn't you tell me you were in contact with him?" Buffy slammed the glass down.

"You don't have to know EVERYTHING, Buffy." Dawn retorted, "I am Spike's friend, and I am allowed to talk to him."

"But why--"

"Why didn't he contact you?" The former key snorted and began to tick the reasons off on her fingers, "Let's see, then. You used him for sex. You used him for information. You rejected him. Treated him like a worthless, undead, THING. He loved you and you made him feel less of a man for it. Oh, I just can't imagine why he wouldn't talk to you."

Buffy watched, slightly startled by the outburst as Dawn snatched her car keys off the table and grabbed her jacket, putting it back on. The Slayer followed her to the front door, "Where do you think you're going?"

"The Bronze." Dawn replied, yanking the door open, "I'll probably stay at Janice's tonight."

Buffy opened her mouth to say something, but the door slammed in her face. When she turned around, running a tired hand through her hair, she faced a very pissed-off vampire.

"You treated him like dirt." Kali stated.

Buffy sighed, "I treated him like what he was."

"And what was he, to you?"

"A vampire. Someone I trusted, but could never respect. Someone I could never, ever love."

Kali made a noise of disgust, "You have no clue what you threw away, do you, Slayer?"

Buffy opened her mouth, but Kali went for the door, "Where are you going?"

"This...Bronze that Dawn was talking about." Kali replied, "I'll find Spike on my own."

Buffy tried to say something, but yet again the door slammed in her face.

"Oh, no. My life isn't too weird." She muttered, her only answer being the empty house.

+

Kali entered the Bronze an hour later, after stopping off to change at her motel. She scanned the crowd, but found no sign of Dawn. She shrugged to herself and sat at the bar.

"Gimme a beer." She said, shrugging off her leather jacket, revealing a tight black, spaghetti strap tank top with a low neckline.

"ID." The bartender deadpanned.

"I'm 21."

"ID."

Kali growled, "Fine. Gimme a coke."

The bartender turned to get the drink and Kali looked around. Her eyes were about to sweep past the entrance, when she caught a glimpse of Dawn, dressed in a completely different outfit than she had been wearing earlier.

In place of the khaki pants and sneakers, she had changed into a pair of tight black jeans and a pair of black boots. Where there had been a t-shirt, there was now a blood red halter-top. Dawn's hair was down around her shoulders in waves and her makeup was heavy around her eyes; a set of bangle bracelets adorned her wrists. Kali was shocked at the transformation. Dawn sauntered up to the bar, a girl dressed similarly beside her. She leaned against the bar and smiled at the bartender.

"I'll have a beer." She said with a wink. The guy behind the bar winked back and handed Kali her coke before turning to get the beer.

Kali raised her eyebrows, "How'd you do that?"

"Practice." Dawn replied with a grin, "So. How'd the meeting with big sis go?"

"I left." Kali replied, "She…How could she be so horrible to Spike?"

"She's a bitch." The girl at Dawn's side chimed in. When Dawn looked at her, the girl shrugged, "Hello? That guy was SO hot, and your sister totally tossed him aside."

"Janice has a point." Dawn said, "Spike is hot. And Buffy was a total bitch."

Kali sighed, "Let's hope we can find my sire in time."

"What's a sire?" Janice asked.

Dawn's eyes widened, "Oh! French word for boyfriend. Kali's French, can't you tell?"

Kali raised an eyebrow, "Yeah…French for boyfriend."

Janice nodded, "Oh, OK."


"Ix-nay on the ire-say." Dawn muttered, then took a long sip of her drink, "OK, I'm ready for the dance floor." She turned to Janice, "You?"

"Nah. I'm gonna go find Rob."

Dawn nodded then looked at Kali, "You?"

Kali shrugged and slid off the barstool, "Let's go."