Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?
Chapter 11
Dawn's return to awareness lacked the stealth Spike's had possessed. As the chloroform wore off, she remembered the panic she had experienced before losing consciousness and adrenaline flooded her system. Her eyes shot open and she gulped in air through an open mouth, preparing to scream. Before she could make a sound, though, the only man in the room who wasn't restrained straightened from his crouched position over another being huddled on the floor. A still relaxed part of her mind absently noted his freedom and assigned him the label of today's Big Bad. He quickly turned and his tongue shot out across the room and smacked her lightly in the forehead. The unexpected and slightly absurd gesture startled Dawn out of her scream.
"Good keys don't scream. Even if there isn't anyone to hear them." Doc reprimanded her softly.
First recognition, then horrified understanding crossed Dawn's face before her features settled into a fair impression of her older sister's infamous I'm-going-to-kick-your-ass expression. As she spoke, Spike idly wondered if she had been practicing in front of a mirror.
"I'm not the key anymore, old man." Dawn's voice was icy and held no hint of the whiny teenager she so often sounded like. "Whatever hell dimension you're trying to open, I can't do it. But by the time my sister is through with you, you'll be begging for hell."
"Big words from such a small girl. Too bad you won't be around to see your sister's death."
"Been there, done that. Heck, even picked out the tombstone. Try something new for once, why don't ya?"
"What?" Doc's voice reflected his puzzlement. He knew the Slayer was alive; he'd been observing her for a while, plotting his revenge. So what was the child babbling on about?
"Don't worry," Dawn assured him, "she got better." Her face twisted into a smirk Spike recognized. It was one he wore when he had gotten in an especially good verbal barb, usually while fighting the Slayer.
"Bit's got a point," he spoke up from his place on the floor. "Slayer's gonna kick your ass for taking me and little sis. Then she's gonna kick it again for the last time you hurt the Nibblet. And then again for trying to open the Hellmouth. And possibly once more on a matter of principle."
"Yeah, she hasn't been in a real great mood lately, and she likes to remedy that with demon slayage," Dawn added, encouraged by Spike's litany of Doc's crimes. "I wouldn't expect to walk away with all my pieces intact, if I were you."
"By the time I'm finished, I'll have more pieces than I started with, little girl." Doc said, dismissing the chained vampire and the bound key as he turned stepped across Spike and rummaged around in the shadows at the edge of the room.
"Ooooh. And the award for unfunny, lame-ass comebacks goes to…" Dawn said quietly, as if to herself, but still loudly enough to be heard.
"Such a funny little girl." Doc turned and his ebony black eyes pierced through the darkness. "I wonder, will you laugh when I bleed you or beg me to stop like last time?"
Dawn's face paled at Doc's words, but she refused to give any other reaction. However, seeing her discomfort, Doc pressed his advantage.
"Do you know what you're doing here, key?"
"Auditioning for 'The Crucible?'" Dawn asked sweetly, thankful that her English Lit class was at least good for providing punning material.
During the exchange, Blair and Abe had awoken. Both were confused by their location, not to mention being tied to wooden poles. Blair's eyes grew big when he heard Dawn's words.
"Y-y-you're going to burn us?" he exclaimed, wildly trying to twist his head so he could see who Dawn was speaking with.
"No burning. At least, not yet," Doc replied, still standing out of Blair's line of sight. "First, I'm going to bleed you."
"Oh, that's original!" Dawn scoffed. Her courage was returning, and she was intent on keeping Doc talking for as long as she could, knowing every moment she stalled was one more moment Buffy had to find her.
"Then he's going to open the Hellmouth. Any burning that occurs once you're in hell is just a bonus," Spike told the reporter.
"Indeed," was Doc's only response.
"Again, how original," Dawn said dryly. "What's the matter, Doc? Couldn't think of a villainous plan without your precious Glory? Had to fall back on a Big Bad standby, opening the Hellmouth?"
"Hey! Don't be comparing me to this git, Platelet. I NEVER tried to open the Hellmouth!"
Dawn rolled her eyes at Spike's defensive comment. "I don't think that really helps your status as the Big Bad, Spike."
Abe couldn't believe that the two were bickering. Here they were, tied up (or chained in the case of the blonde man on the ground) and they were arguing, almost playfully! Recognizing Spike from the aborted interview, Abe directed his attention to the vampire.
"What's going on here?"
Spike rolled his eyes. "Save me from helpless victims. What's it bloody well look like is going on? Lizard boy's looking for a Slayer- sponsored beating."
Doc's foot caught Spike square in the back of the head as he walked by the prone vampire.
"Ow! You bloody git, that hurt!"
Doc ignored him and approached Blair's pole, circling it to face the terrified man. In one hand he held a pewter bowl. Dawn noted the designs on the side; it was clearly ceremonial. In the other hand, Doc carried a large, wicked looking knife, identical to the one he had used to cut her atop Glory's tower the previous spring. *He buy those in bulk or what?* she thought.
Blair was shaking and he tried desperately to plead with the demon. "T-t-there's no need for anyone to get hurt, here. We-we can work something out. Th-the people I work for, they'll pay you. Anything you want."
"I want your blood."
"Oh, i-i-is that all. H-how about we get a nice sterile needle and I'll donate some to your cause?"
"Like that's really going to work," Dawn snorted. She continued, with false cheer, "Hey, at least he didn't say he 'vanted to suck your blood.'" She finished the last phrase in a horrible impression of a Transylvanian accent.
"No, I believe that's his line." Doc said, gesturing to Spike.
"Bloody Hell, Bit, how many times have I told you? No self respecting vampire talks like that, not even that ponce, Dracula!"
"I knew it!" Abe glared accusingly at Spike. "I knew you two knew more than-"
His exclamation was cut short by Blair's cry when Doc sliced him lightly across the abdomen.
"Let me guess," Dawn said dryly, "Shallow cuts?"
Doc's only response was to slice Blair again, and hold the bowl under his cuts to catch the blood.
tbc
Chapter 11
Dawn's return to awareness lacked the stealth Spike's had possessed. As the chloroform wore off, she remembered the panic she had experienced before losing consciousness and adrenaline flooded her system. Her eyes shot open and she gulped in air through an open mouth, preparing to scream. Before she could make a sound, though, the only man in the room who wasn't restrained straightened from his crouched position over another being huddled on the floor. A still relaxed part of her mind absently noted his freedom and assigned him the label of today's Big Bad. He quickly turned and his tongue shot out across the room and smacked her lightly in the forehead. The unexpected and slightly absurd gesture startled Dawn out of her scream.
"Good keys don't scream. Even if there isn't anyone to hear them." Doc reprimanded her softly.
First recognition, then horrified understanding crossed Dawn's face before her features settled into a fair impression of her older sister's infamous I'm-going-to-kick-your-ass expression. As she spoke, Spike idly wondered if she had been practicing in front of a mirror.
"I'm not the key anymore, old man." Dawn's voice was icy and held no hint of the whiny teenager she so often sounded like. "Whatever hell dimension you're trying to open, I can't do it. But by the time my sister is through with you, you'll be begging for hell."
"Big words from such a small girl. Too bad you won't be around to see your sister's death."
"Been there, done that. Heck, even picked out the tombstone. Try something new for once, why don't ya?"
"What?" Doc's voice reflected his puzzlement. He knew the Slayer was alive; he'd been observing her for a while, plotting his revenge. So what was the child babbling on about?
"Don't worry," Dawn assured him, "she got better." Her face twisted into a smirk Spike recognized. It was one he wore when he had gotten in an especially good verbal barb, usually while fighting the Slayer.
"Bit's got a point," he spoke up from his place on the floor. "Slayer's gonna kick your ass for taking me and little sis. Then she's gonna kick it again for the last time you hurt the Nibblet. And then again for trying to open the Hellmouth. And possibly once more on a matter of principle."
"Yeah, she hasn't been in a real great mood lately, and she likes to remedy that with demon slayage," Dawn added, encouraged by Spike's litany of Doc's crimes. "I wouldn't expect to walk away with all my pieces intact, if I were you."
"By the time I'm finished, I'll have more pieces than I started with, little girl." Doc said, dismissing the chained vampire and the bound key as he turned stepped across Spike and rummaged around in the shadows at the edge of the room.
"Ooooh. And the award for unfunny, lame-ass comebacks goes to…" Dawn said quietly, as if to herself, but still loudly enough to be heard.
"Such a funny little girl." Doc turned and his ebony black eyes pierced through the darkness. "I wonder, will you laugh when I bleed you or beg me to stop like last time?"
Dawn's face paled at Doc's words, but she refused to give any other reaction. However, seeing her discomfort, Doc pressed his advantage.
"Do you know what you're doing here, key?"
"Auditioning for 'The Crucible?'" Dawn asked sweetly, thankful that her English Lit class was at least good for providing punning material.
During the exchange, Blair and Abe had awoken. Both were confused by their location, not to mention being tied to wooden poles. Blair's eyes grew big when he heard Dawn's words.
"Y-y-you're going to burn us?" he exclaimed, wildly trying to twist his head so he could see who Dawn was speaking with.
"No burning. At least, not yet," Doc replied, still standing out of Blair's line of sight. "First, I'm going to bleed you."
"Oh, that's original!" Dawn scoffed. Her courage was returning, and she was intent on keeping Doc talking for as long as she could, knowing every moment she stalled was one more moment Buffy had to find her.
"Then he's going to open the Hellmouth. Any burning that occurs once you're in hell is just a bonus," Spike told the reporter.
"Indeed," was Doc's only response.
"Again, how original," Dawn said dryly. "What's the matter, Doc? Couldn't think of a villainous plan without your precious Glory? Had to fall back on a Big Bad standby, opening the Hellmouth?"
"Hey! Don't be comparing me to this git, Platelet. I NEVER tried to open the Hellmouth!"
Dawn rolled her eyes at Spike's defensive comment. "I don't think that really helps your status as the Big Bad, Spike."
Abe couldn't believe that the two were bickering. Here they were, tied up (or chained in the case of the blonde man on the ground) and they were arguing, almost playfully! Recognizing Spike from the aborted interview, Abe directed his attention to the vampire.
"What's going on here?"
Spike rolled his eyes. "Save me from helpless victims. What's it bloody well look like is going on? Lizard boy's looking for a Slayer- sponsored beating."
Doc's foot caught Spike square in the back of the head as he walked by the prone vampire.
"Ow! You bloody git, that hurt!"
Doc ignored him and approached Blair's pole, circling it to face the terrified man. In one hand he held a pewter bowl. Dawn noted the designs on the side; it was clearly ceremonial. In the other hand, Doc carried a large, wicked looking knife, identical to the one he had used to cut her atop Glory's tower the previous spring. *He buy those in bulk or what?* she thought.
Blair was shaking and he tried desperately to plead with the demon. "T-t-there's no need for anyone to get hurt, here. We-we can work something out. Th-the people I work for, they'll pay you. Anything you want."
"I want your blood."
"Oh, i-i-is that all. H-how about we get a nice sterile needle and I'll donate some to your cause?"
"Like that's really going to work," Dawn snorted. She continued, with false cheer, "Hey, at least he didn't say he 'vanted to suck your blood.'" She finished the last phrase in a horrible impression of a Transylvanian accent.
"No, I believe that's his line." Doc said, gesturing to Spike.
"Bloody Hell, Bit, how many times have I told you? No self respecting vampire talks like that, not even that ponce, Dracula!"
"I knew it!" Abe glared accusingly at Spike. "I knew you two knew more than-"
His exclamation was cut short by Blair's cry when Doc sliced him lightly across the abdomen.
"Let me guess," Dawn said dryly, "Shallow cuts?"
Doc's only response was to slice Blair again, and hold the bowl under his cuts to catch the blood.
tbc