Title: Twilight Part 7/?
Author: Emily
Rating: PG 13
Category: Dawn/Spike. Isn't a Dawn whipped Spike so much more attractive than a Buffy whipped Spike?
Summary: Dawn and Spike meet up in an alternate universe and Dawn's in serious need of help.
Spoilers: The whole Key/Glory arc of season five. Not 'The Gift'. This is AU, Dawn's still the Key, she and Buffy are being kept in some place with magical barriers from the rest of the world, she's seventeen, the other Buffy characters may come into it later.
Disclaimer: Dawn, Spike, Buffy, Glory and any other characters I bring into the story belong to Joss Whedon and his minions at Mutant Enemy. I used to want them but now they've all been bratted and Buffy whipped, I'll keep them the way they were thanks. Living in the past is so much fun.
Distribution: Lil' Nibblin, A Little Bit Bad, Spike/Dawn lists, fanfiction.net, SU, anywhere else that wants it please take it but take the other parts too and let me know where it's going up :)
Feedback: Feedback is like oxygen...and do you really want me to go into the 'feedback lifts us up where we belong' chorus? I didn't think so, drop me a line and let me know what you think or leave a review if you're reading at ffnet :). Pipergal33@yahoo.co.uk
Dedication: To Faery because I read her wonderful Spike/Dawn fic 'Because I Can' for the first time today and I felt the need to write some more Spawn :)
AN: I changed some things from season five slightly like the Ben thing, and the snake monster that comes after Dawn, 'cause well it wasn't particularly impressive ;) Oh and can you tell I'm a B/A'shipper? *g*. I may make this fic more B/A yet (like Angel'll make an appearance) but still focusing on Spike/Dawn.
AN2: I suck at fight scenes so I apologise for this one, I've never really written them before but for this fic I have to write a few so hopefully I'll improve.
~ **Twilight **~
Part 7
" The alignment's moving faster than we had thought" Voices no doubt belonging to some scaly minions drift through the trees and hit me hard.
" Tomorrow night?" And harder.
" Yes." The voices drift back through the trees but the pain doesn't go. *Tomorrow*. How could I have missed this? Tomorrow. It must be about midnight now. Less than a day, maybe a day if I'm lucky. Oh God. I've never believed in him but right now I'm willing to believe in anything if it'll help. The couple hastily thought words don't bring Dawn to me in the forest, they don't destroy the barrier. Nothing. No it won't help.
I don't know if Tara will have gotten through to that powerful witch friend of hers and if she hasn't then that won't help either. There's no one in these woods that will help me and so I make my way through the woods till I reach the edge. It's still dark and yet I still shouldn't go any further.
Didn't think I'd get as involved as this. I didn't know. I go further until I'm right outside the house and I wait. I know the Beast could come but I wait all the same. I can't go back from here.
Curtains open in a high up window. White fluttering in the breeze. It's still cold. The snow is still here and the sight of those curtains does nothing to warm me until I see Dawn's head poking out of the window. She sees me and closes the curtains.
I go back a little, nearer to the edge of the forest, relieved at the safe darkness there. A couple of minutes pass and they're out of the house. The door closes with a soft sound. Damn, the front door. There's no way we can get away with this. No way.
And yet they make it over to the edge of the forest and I don't say anything, I just get them to follow behind me to the cave. Then they're in the cave - I can't quite believe I'm staying in a bloody cave, although I suppose I've had worse - and Dawn's shivering some. I pass her my jacket.
" Thanks" She says and the words echo in the cave.
" Why'd you use the front door?" I turn to Buffy and ask her.
" There isn't another door." She says flatly.
" Not another single way out?" I demand.
" No. Not another single way out. Don't even try and question me. Why the hell did you get us to come here? You'd better have a damn good reason because - " She starts.
" It's tomorrow." I say.
Dawn hugs the leather jacket tighter around her and her eyes look down to the stones on the floor.
" Tomorrow?" Buffy asks, her eyes widening.
" It's fucking tomorrow. The stars align, the Beast cuts Dawn open and the world is damned. That count as a good reason to you?"
I can feel Dawn flinch. Still studying the ground.
" Shut up." Buffy says. " Shut the hell up!" She yells at me and I think she's going to hit me or something, her arm starts to swing but then there's a mere whisper from Dawn and it stops.
" Could you guys just not?" Dawn asks in a soft trembling voice, finally looking up.
She's fighting back tears.
" Dawnie -" Buffy starts to say, shaking her head. " Sorry, it's just things are so - "
Buffy doesn't know what to say. Neither do I and so I don't attempt to make it right.
" You think I don't know that?" Dawn asks, looking at Buffy. She sits down on the poor excuse for a bed that I've been sleeping in. A couple sheets on the floor. Dawn wraps her arms around her knees.
" Sorry" I say too although it's not the right thing to say - I don't think there is anything we could say.
" Okay." Buffy says. " It's tomorrow so that means sooner or later, probably sooner, Glory's going to realise Dawn is gone. She'll be able to find us too. This place is big but not that big. Spike, do you have any plans? Any people who can help? Anything?" Her eyes have a kind of desperation on them as she looks at me.
" There's a couple of witches that are trying to break down the barriers." I tell her. Or at least I hope they're trying. Some of the desperation fades from her eyes.
" I have a vengeance demon friend who can teleport herself here. We could call upon her if we needed her."
" What about Angel?" Dawn asks, looking up at us.
" What about Angel?" Buffy asks, looking blank - after the pain flits across her face.
" You told me how you could feel each other when you were near."
" But we're not."
" Well maybe you can *make* him feel you." Dawn says.
" I...I don't know" Buffy says, biting her lip a little.
Dawn nods. " And Glory won't find us if she's that guy."
I hold a hand up, not understanding. " That guy?"
She nods and Buffy looks confused.
"Ben, I think. Sometimes she turns into him, he's like part of her or something. She's usually just Glory though, but when she's him she doesn't care about the key. I think he's human. We still couldn't get out though when she was him because of all the minions. He's only around when she's tired or needs to eat a brain" Dawn says matter of factly.
" Dawn I don't remember her turning into a guy, this Ben" Buffy says, frowning.
" But I told you about him. Remember?" Dawn asks, a similar frown on her face. Buffy shakes her head.
" Maybe there's some kind of magick which means humans don't remember?" I suggest, frowning too.
" And I remember 'cause I'm not" Dawn says quietly. Buffy glances across at her sister and I think she wants to deny it, I want to deny it too, she's all too human to me, and yet Dawn is right. Technically, she's not human.
" Buffy, you try and do that thing with Angel. Just...think really hard about him or something." Dawn says quickly, changing the subject.
" Dawn if all it takes is thinking really hard about him then he would have been with me months ago." She says, her face suddenly vulnerable. This Slayer isn't as tough as she'd like everyone to think.
Dawn smiles a little half smile and opens her mouth to say something but then she stops. " What was that?" She asks.
Buffy looks around, on instant alert and I make my way to the entrance of the cave and look around. There's something out there. Dawn's right. I don't know what it is, but it doesn't feel human, or vampire. Almost reptilian. A low hiss sounds through the night.
" What is it?" Dawn breathes, shuddering a little.
" Dawn maybe you should get back." Buffy says, shifting uneasily. She reaches in her pocket for a stake.
" Do you have anything else?" The Slayer asks me anxiously holding up the wooden stick.
" There should be swords in the back." I say. Dawn moves to fetch them, picks up three.
" Dawn you can't" Buffy starts to say.
" Buffy, I'm not going to just stand here while you two fight this thing. Besides if it's after me then I should have a weapon of some kind. In case." In case of the numerous terrible things that could happen. In case.
" Okay" Buffy says, looking worried and then there's another hiss from the darkness. Closer this time. I don't like this. I'm about to tell Dawn to get back, regardless that her idea makes sense but then it's here.
A snake. Not a snake. Reptilian, yes. Large, overgrown, dark ivy green, black eyes and it opens it mouth and lets out a high pitched noise as those empty eyes turn to Dawn. Dawn stays still, it's like she can't move and then it's moving towards her with surprising speed and she screams.
Buffy swings at it, breaking from the temporary trance come over all of us and the blade of the sword barely cuts the flesh. It moves so goddamn fast. I swing at it too and it whips out with it's tail knocking Dawn over, she still seems frozen. Buffy wields the sword again this time cutting deeper into the flesh of its back and the creature lets out another wail same as the last one.
" We have to stop it" Buffy says, panting. " Someone will hear it."
Out of the corner of my eyes I see Dawn get up shakily, grasping the sword. I push my sword deep into the creature, near it's head and the sword slides in satisfactorily, red blood seeping out. The creature wails again but then Buffy swings viciously at it's mouth and there's more blood and everything is silence. It flops still.
" Is...is it dead?" Dawn asks.
Buffy doesn't speak, looking intently at the creature, holding her sword tightly. I see a slight twitching movement and before I can move it arches at me, teeth swiping across at my chest and body whipping against me. Then a sword comes down sharply on its head and that falls to the floor with a slight thud. I look up and Dawn puts the sword down.
" Go Dawn" Buffy says in surprise.
Dawn manages a smile. " Are you okay?" She asks me.
I nod. " Just a little cut. Thanks, Bit" I add on, still surprised at her. She smiles again.
" A bit of what?" Buffy asks, rolling her eyes. " Stupid vampires with their stupid words. Pet, Bit, what the hell is that?" She contributes and then gets to work on moving the snake beast's body out of the cave. Dawn giggles a little at her sister's outburst.
" Okay." Buffy says straightening up. " I figure she sent that thing to find Dawn, so nothing else coming for the moment."
" Yeah" Dawn says, an expression of relief on her face.
" What can I do?" Buffy demands. " Not gonna sit here and wait for the next thing which could quite possibly be Glory. Who's this demon friend? Give me the spell and I'll get her here."
" Anyanka only responds to scorned women." I say.
" I'm scorned! He left me because he *loved* me and wanted me to have a normal life." She says rolling her eyes. " That's totally scorned. I'll tell her you sent me."
" You *are* scorned." Dawn says thoughtfully. " Angel and then Riley - he left her too" She starts to explain to me.
" Dawn? Not the time to talk about *my* bad relationship choices." Buffy fixes Dawn with a pointed look. " And Riley didn't leave me exactly" She protests.
" He flew away in a helicopter" Dawn mumbles and Buffy glares at her.
I smirk at them bitching and I pass Buffy a piece of paper with the spell to call forth Anyanka written on it. "You should be able to find somewhere to do the spell. There's a whole chain of caves around here."
Buffy nods.
" Hurry back" Dawn instructs. "I'll wig out if you take too long - and remember about Angel"
" You do tend to remember the love of your life" Buffy says with a slightly sarcastic smile. " I'll be back soon and I'll check around for more of those bumpy minions too." She puts the discarded stake in her pockets, and holds on to the sword.
" Spike. Look after Dawn." She orders.
" And if anything happens to her you'll kill me?" I ask flippantly.
" Yes" Buffy says before turning to go.
" Be careful" Dawn calls after her.
" Always am."
A couple seconds pass and Buffy's disappeared into the night. Dawn peers at the blackness her sister was standing in and tries to make her out but it doesn't work.
She turns to me. " Okay let me see what that snake thing did to you."
" It's nothing" I insist.
She rolls her eyes just like her sister did a few minutes earlier. " Take your shirt off."
" Unless you want me to do it" Dawn adds when I don't do anything. I don't respond to that. I'm not too sure what my mouth would say if I responded to that. I don't trust myself to answer that because it's suddenly filled my head with more of those Dawn thoughts I've been trying to suppress. I just do as instructed.
* * *
tbc...
Feedback would be sweet and make me finish part 8 (which is in progress) quicker :) My email addy is pipergal33@yahoo.co.uk
Author: Emily
Rating: PG 13
Category: Dawn/Spike. Isn't a Dawn whipped Spike so much more attractive than a Buffy whipped Spike?
Summary: Dawn and Spike meet up in an alternate universe and Dawn's in serious need of help.
Spoilers: The whole Key/Glory arc of season five. Not 'The Gift'. This is AU, Dawn's still the Key, she and Buffy are being kept in some place with magical barriers from the rest of the world, she's seventeen, the other Buffy characters may come into it later.
Disclaimer: Dawn, Spike, Buffy, Glory and any other characters I bring into the story belong to Joss Whedon and his minions at Mutant Enemy. I used to want them but now they've all been bratted and Buffy whipped, I'll keep them the way they were thanks. Living in the past is so much fun.
Distribution: Lil' Nibblin, A Little Bit Bad, Spike/Dawn lists, fanfiction.net, SU, anywhere else that wants it please take it but take the other parts too and let me know where it's going up :)
Feedback: Feedback is like oxygen...and do you really want me to go into the 'feedback lifts us up where we belong' chorus? I didn't think so, drop me a line and let me know what you think or leave a review if you're reading at ffnet :). Pipergal33@yahoo.co.uk
Dedication: To Faery because I read her wonderful Spike/Dawn fic 'Because I Can' for the first time today and I felt the need to write some more Spawn :)
AN: I changed some things from season five slightly like the Ben thing, and the snake monster that comes after Dawn, 'cause well it wasn't particularly impressive ;) Oh and can you tell I'm a B/A'shipper? *g*. I may make this fic more B/A yet (like Angel'll make an appearance) but still focusing on Spike/Dawn.
AN2: I suck at fight scenes so I apologise for this one, I've never really written them before but for this fic I have to write a few so hopefully I'll improve.
~ **Twilight **~
Part 7
" The alignment's moving faster than we had thought" Voices no doubt belonging to some scaly minions drift through the trees and hit me hard.
" Tomorrow night?" And harder.
" Yes." The voices drift back through the trees but the pain doesn't go. *Tomorrow*. How could I have missed this? Tomorrow. It must be about midnight now. Less than a day, maybe a day if I'm lucky. Oh God. I've never believed in him but right now I'm willing to believe in anything if it'll help. The couple hastily thought words don't bring Dawn to me in the forest, they don't destroy the barrier. Nothing. No it won't help.
I don't know if Tara will have gotten through to that powerful witch friend of hers and if she hasn't then that won't help either. There's no one in these woods that will help me and so I make my way through the woods till I reach the edge. It's still dark and yet I still shouldn't go any further.
Didn't think I'd get as involved as this. I didn't know. I go further until I'm right outside the house and I wait. I know the Beast could come but I wait all the same. I can't go back from here.
Curtains open in a high up window. White fluttering in the breeze. It's still cold. The snow is still here and the sight of those curtains does nothing to warm me until I see Dawn's head poking out of the window. She sees me and closes the curtains.
I go back a little, nearer to the edge of the forest, relieved at the safe darkness there. A couple of minutes pass and they're out of the house. The door closes with a soft sound. Damn, the front door. There's no way we can get away with this. No way.
And yet they make it over to the edge of the forest and I don't say anything, I just get them to follow behind me to the cave. Then they're in the cave - I can't quite believe I'm staying in a bloody cave, although I suppose I've had worse - and Dawn's shivering some. I pass her my jacket.
" Thanks" She says and the words echo in the cave.
" Why'd you use the front door?" I turn to Buffy and ask her.
" There isn't another door." She says flatly.
" Not another single way out?" I demand.
" No. Not another single way out. Don't even try and question me. Why the hell did you get us to come here? You'd better have a damn good reason because - " She starts.
" It's tomorrow." I say.
Dawn hugs the leather jacket tighter around her and her eyes look down to the stones on the floor.
" Tomorrow?" Buffy asks, her eyes widening.
" It's fucking tomorrow. The stars align, the Beast cuts Dawn open and the world is damned. That count as a good reason to you?"
I can feel Dawn flinch. Still studying the ground.
" Shut up." Buffy says. " Shut the hell up!" She yells at me and I think she's going to hit me or something, her arm starts to swing but then there's a mere whisper from Dawn and it stops.
" Could you guys just not?" Dawn asks in a soft trembling voice, finally looking up.
She's fighting back tears.
" Dawnie -" Buffy starts to say, shaking her head. " Sorry, it's just things are so - "
Buffy doesn't know what to say. Neither do I and so I don't attempt to make it right.
" You think I don't know that?" Dawn asks, looking at Buffy. She sits down on the poor excuse for a bed that I've been sleeping in. A couple sheets on the floor. Dawn wraps her arms around her knees.
" Sorry" I say too although it's not the right thing to say - I don't think there is anything we could say.
" Okay." Buffy says. " It's tomorrow so that means sooner or later, probably sooner, Glory's going to realise Dawn is gone. She'll be able to find us too. This place is big but not that big. Spike, do you have any plans? Any people who can help? Anything?" Her eyes have a kind of desperation on them as she looks at me.
" There's a couple of witches that are trying to break down the barriers." I tell her. Or at least I hope they're trying. Some of the desperation fades from her eyes.
" I have a vengeance demon friend who can teleport herself here. We could call upon her if we needed her."
" What about Angel?" Dawn asks, looking up at us.
" What about Angel?" Buffy asks, looking blank - after the pain flits across her face.
" You told me how you could feel each other when you were near."
" But we're not."
" Well maybe you can *make* him feel you." Dawn says.
" I...I don't know" Buffy says, biting her lip a little.
Dawn nods. " And Glory won't find us if she's that guy."
I hold a hand up, not understanding. " That guy?"
She nods and Buffy looks confused.
"Ben, I think. Sometimes she turns into him, he's like part of her or something. She's usually just Glory though, but when she's him she doesn't care about the key. I think he's human. We still couldn't get out though when she was him because of all the minions. He's only around when she's tired or needs to eat a brain" Dawn says matter of factly.
" Dawn I don't remember her turning into a guy, this Ben" Buffy says, frowning.
" But I told you about him. Remember?" Dawn asks, a similar frown on her face. Buffy shakes her head.
" Maybe there's some kind of magick which means humans don't remember?" I suggest, frowning too.
" And I remember 'cause I'm not" Dawn says quietly. Buffy glances across at her sister and I think she wants to deny it, I want to deny it too, she's all too human to me, and yet Dawn is right. Technically, she's not human.
" Buffy, you try and do that thing with Angel. Just...think really hard about him or something." Dawn says quickly, changing the subject.
" Dawn if all it takes is thinking really hard about him then he would have been with me months ago." She says, her face suddenly vulnerable. This Slayer isn't as tough as she'd like everyone to think.
Dawn smiles a little half smile and opens her mouth to say something but then she stops. " What was that?" She asks.
Buffy looks around, on instant alert and I make my way to the entrance of the cave and look around. There's something out there. Dawn's right. I don't know what it is, but it doesn't feel human, or vampire. Almost reptilian. A low hiss sounds through the night.
" What is it?" Dawn breathes, shuddering a little.
" Dawn maybe you should get back." Buffy says, shifting uneasily. She reaches in her pocket for a stake.
" Do you have anything else?" The Slayer asks me anxiously holding up the wooden stick.
" There should be swords in the back." I say. Dawn moves to fetch them, picks up three.
" Dawn you can't" Buffy starts to say.
" Buffy, I'm not going to just stand here while you two fight this thing. Besides if it's after me then I should have a weapon of some kind. In case." In case of the numerous terrible things that could happen. In case.
" Okay" Buffy says, looking worried and then there's another hiss from the darkness. Closer this time. I don't like this. I'm about to tell Dawn to get back, regardless that her idea makes sense but then it's here.
A snake. Not a snake. Reptilian, yes. Large, overgrown, dark ivy green, black eyes and it opens it mouth and lets out a high pitched noise as those empty eyes turn to Dawn. Dawn stays still, it's like she can't move and then it's moving towards her with surprising speed and she screams.
Buffy swings at it, breaking from the temporary trance come over all of us and the blade of the sword barely cuts the flesh. It moves so goddamn fast. I swing at it too and it whips out with it's tail knocking Dawn over, she still seems frozen. Buffy wields the sword again this time cutting deeper into the flesh of its back and the creature lets out another wail same as the last one.
" We have to stop it" Buffy says, panting. " Someone will hear it."
Out of the corner of my eyes I see Dawn get up shakily, grasping the sword. I push my sword deep into the creature, near it's head and the sword slides in satisfactorily, red blood seeping out. The creature wails again but then Buffy swings viciously at it's mouth and there's more blood and everything is silence. It flops still.
" Is...is it dead?" Dawn asks.
Buffy doesn't speak, looking intently at the creature, holding her sword tightly. I see a slight twitching movement and before I can move it arches at me, teeth swiping across at my chest and body whipping against me. Then a sword comes down sharply on its head and that falls to the floor with a slight thud. I look up and Dawn puts the sword down.
" Go Dawn" Buffy says in surprise.
Dawn manages a smile. " Are you okay?" She asks me.
I nod. " Just a little cut. Thanks, Bit" I add on, still surprised at her. She smiles again.
" A bit of what?" Buffy asks, rolling her eyes. " Stupid vampires with their stupid words. Pet, Bit, what the hell is that?" She contributes and then gets to work on moving the snake beast's body out of the cave. Dawn giggles a little at her sister's outburst.
" Okay." Buffy says straightening up. " I figure she sent that thing to find Dawn, so nothing else coming for the moment."
" Yeah" Dawn says, an expression of relief on her face.
" What can I do?" Buffy demands. " Not gonna sit here and wait for the next thing which could quite possibly be Glory. Who's this demon friend? Give me the spell and I'll get her here."
" Anyanka only responds to scorned women." I say.
" I'm scorned! He left me because he *loved* me and wanted me to have a normal life." She says rolling her eyes. " That's totally scorned. I'll tell her you sent me."
" You *are* scorned." Dawn says thoughtfully. " Angel and then Riley - he left her too" She starts to explain to me.
" Dawn? Not the time to talk about *my* bad relationship choices." Buffy fixes Dawn with a pointed look. " And Riley didn't leave me exactly" She protests.
" He flew away in a helicopter" Dawn mumbles and Buffy glares at her.
I smirk at them bitching and I pass Buffy a piece of paper with the spell to call forth Anyanka written on it. "You should be able to find somewhere to do the spell. There's a whole chain of caves around here."
Buffy nods.
" Hurry back" Dawn instructs. "I'll wig out if you take too long - and remember about Angel"
" You do tend to remember the love of your life" Buffy says with a slightly sarcastic smile. " I'll be back soon and I'll check around for more of those bumpy minions too." She puts the discarded stake in her pockets, and holds on to the sword.
" Spike. Look after Dawn." She orders.
" And if anything happens to her you'll kill me?" I ask flippantly.
" Yes" Buffy says before turning to go.
" Be careful" Dawn calls after her.
" Always am."
A couple seconds pass and Buffy's disappeared into the night. Dawn peers at the blackness her sister was standing in and tries to make her out but it doesn't work.
She turns to me. " Okay let me see what that snake thing did to you."
" It's nothing" I insist.
She rolls her eyes just like her sister did a few minutes earlier. " Take your shirt off."
" Unless you want me to do it" Dawn adds when I don't do anything. I don't respond to that. I'm not too sure what my mouth would say if I responded to that. I don't trust myself to answer that because it's suddenly filled my head with more of those Dawn thoughts I've been trying to suppress. I just do as instructed.
* * *
tbc...
Feedback would be sweet and make me finish part 8 (which is in progress) quicker :) My email addy is pipergal33@yahoo.co.uk