Dawn walked up to the vampire and smiled.
"Dawn get back," Buffy said moving to block Spike from the girl. The young Slayer didn't move and didn't heed Buffy's advice.
Dawn looked up at the vampire.
"Hello Spike," Dawn said softly, "I thought it was you who knocked me out the other day."
Spike closed his eyes, "That was you." He opened them again, "You're still the Slayer?"
Dawn nodded, "Lucky me, still got the position."
Spike let out a long sigh, "I suppose that you know her, she claims to be the Slayer too," he asked nodding toward where Buffy stood, still afraid to look at her.
Dawn smiled, her lips close together, as not to let a giggle out.
"So you two are working together. The Slayers?" Spike said, very reserved. He studied the two of them. There was no emotion registering on his face.
"Isn't that impossible?" he said biting on the insides of his cheeks. The vein in his jawbone jumped. Buffy pondered how *that* was possible. He didn't have a heartbeat, but he had a pulse in his cheek.
"So you know Dawnie?" Buffy asked Spike.
Dawn giggled, "The big bad vampire was my bodyguard."
Buffy raised an eyebrow, "He guarded your body?"
Dawn laughed again, "No I was a kid, it was completely innocent, but non consensual."
"Thanks pet for still portraying me as a bad guy," Spike suddenly broke in, "But you're telling the story wrong."
Dawn couldn't stop laughing, "It-was--non----consensual-on----his--part."
Spike was grinding his teeth into dust.
"That's it!" he growled loudly, "You two are going to be the death of me."
"You're already dead," Buffy pointed out walking up to Dawn and linking arms with the giggling girl.
"So you and Spike?" Buffy asked with bland curiosity.
Spike rolled his eyes, he realized that the situation was beyond his control. These two girls had seen that he had lost all semblance of what it meant to be a vampire. These girls weren't scared in the slightest. In fact the look that the little blonde was giving him was again bordering on jealous again.
Dawn crinkled her nose she answered in a mock swoon, "I believe it was a case of unrequited love. I was in adoration of him and he would never love me."
"You were going to be a Slayer," Spike said defensively, "I was a vampire. We don't mix."
The blonde gave him faint smile, "No never."
Spike looked at her and saw something. He felt wrong. The kiss that they had just shared had brought down a wall of black and white, just like what Dawn had done three years earlier.
Buffy turned to Dawn, "So dish girl, what did William the Bloody do for you?"
Dawn looked at him in the hero-worship way once again, "He saved my life."
***
Dawn woke up with a start. It was five in the morning in Prague. She closed her eyes and thought of home. She hadn't been home in a year. She had been found by her watcher. There were martial arts in Japan. There was meditation in Nepal. Each month brought another training exercise. Sometimes it hurt so much, she had been traveling since she was twelve and her parents died. Her watcher was wonderful, but most of the time Dawn just missed having a home.
She woke up with a dream she couldn't really remember. All she knew was that she felt strange.
She stretched and she could feel the muscles ripple under the skin.
Dawn got up and looked at Prague outside of her window.
Tonight was a strange night. There was something in the air. There was something different about tonight.
"Dawn, we need to leave now."
Dawn turned suddenly and saw her watcher, breathless at her bedroom door.
"What is wrong?" Dawn asked wide eyed.
"Please just pack. I'll explain on the way. You have ten minutes."
Dawn knew better than to not listen. There were many times when she knew she could get away with whatever she wanted to do, but not now.
Her watcher already had bags packed. Dawn threw all her clothes and the few possessions that she had into a bag. In a matter of minutes she was ready. The pair headed out of the door and down the stairs.
"Okay, we're going to Master Locke's house. He was killed by vampires a few hours ago. The people here in Prague aren't very happy with anyone who is involved with anything occult. They're looking for the vampires and they are not going to be happy with us being here. They're going to come after us as soon as they would come after the vampires. Without Master Locke's protection we have to leave."
"Why are we going to his place. Why don't we just leave?" Dawn asked panic going through her.
"We need to get some books. They're very rare and the Council really wants them."
Her watcher looked down at her and suddenly saw something in her. She paused her quick steps.
"Dawnie, did something happen tonight?"
Dawn shrugged, "I feel funny, but that is it."
The watcher nodded and continued down the alley way.
They quietly entered Master Locke's studio and they headed to where he kept books. Dawn grabbed a few of Master Locke's best weapons and put them in with her clothes.
Dawn went back into the back where her watcher was. When she entered the room she was startled by the sight that welcomed her. Her watcher was fighting with a blonde vampire.
"Stop," Dawn said lifting up a crossbow to the fighting pair.
The vampire looked up at her.
"Stay out of this little girl," he growled.
Dawn looked at him and aimed. She had never been any good, but it was worth a shot.
"Bloody hell," the vampire said as he saw the arrow enter his arm. Dawn acted faster than she could think. She immediately threw down the crossbow and did a handstand and shot herself at the vampire. She knocked him to the ground and she hit him.
She was momentarily startled. She had never felt so much power behind her punch. She had a vampire pinned down and he was looking up at her with a smirk. She looked at her watcher and she nodded. Dawn realized what the feeling tonight was.
"Hello, we've got us a little slayer," he said in wonder.
Out of the shadows a thin gothic woman stepped. The woman cocked her head, "She's pretty. Can I keep her?"
"Dru," the man said in a nice voice that hid a lot of ice, "Get the book and get out I'll be right there."
The woman smiled, "She brings our doom. Come here pretty child."
Dawn was a bit mesmerized but a crash of glass broke the trance. Through the cracked window she saw an angry mob. They were attacking the house they knew where they were.
"Bullocks," the vampire muttered, "I'm not having any luck."
Dawn looked at them with wide eyes. She may be the brand new Slayer, but she couldn't take on an entire mob, plus they were human. Dawn looked at her watcher for advice, but her words died on her lips.
Her watcher was on the ground with a crossbow arrow through her heart.
"No!" Dawn screamed ignoring the vampire and jumping to the aid of her watcher.
Her watcher said a few words and suddenly Dawn could feel the walls up around the building.
The watcher looked up at her, "It will hold for a few minutes."
The watcher looked over at the vampire.
"You will take her to the Watcher's Council in London," she said softly.
Spike laughed, "Are you daft? Not a bloody chance."
"Look those people outside cannot tell her from you right now. They will kill her. I need you to take her to England."
"Why would I do that?"
"Because she is the Slayer. If you don't help her you will die tonight. I will help the three of you to get away or we all die here. You cannot get Dru out of here without aid. They will kill her and I will make sure that they kill you."
Spike looked at the two girls waiting. He had always liked life.
"Fine," he said flippantly expecting to drop the new slayer at the first chance.
The watcher grabbed the arm of the vampire.
"I'm expecting you to protect her."
Spike shrugged and said mockingly, in almost a natural reaction, "Until the end of the world, even if it is tonight."
Then suddenly Spike faltered. He heard those words before. They meant something to him once. For one second he wasn't making a promise to a Watcher woman, he was making a promise to green eyes that were so afraid.
"That is something else entirely," the watcher said smilingly. She had bonded the vampire to the slayer. Her would protect her. She had made his words become the future truth, "You will take her where she needs to go."
Spike rolled his eyes.
The watcher closed her eyes, "Go now."
The vampire grabbed Dawn's arm, "I won't leave you."
The watcher looked at the girl she had been with and had learned to care for.
"I love you Dawnie, you're like a daughter to me. Now leave"
Dawn's eyes teared, "I love you Tara."
The vampire grabbed Dawn and looked down at the fallen watcher.
"Start your mojo," he growled and took two women into the night.
***
"The bint wouldn't shut up until we reached England," Spike mocked with a smile on his face
"He told me all about killing slayers," Dawn said wrinkling her nose, "It was very helpful but way too gruesome."
"Spike!!!" Buffy scolded the vampire it seemed like the right thing to do. He always was teaching dawn things she shouldn't know.
He shrugged, "Nibblet asked."
Buffy looked up at him, he remembered the eyes that looked at him in his mind as he made the promise. He had been damned the minute he saw her. He understood what she was asking. He looked at her long and hard.
He still was unsure of what he was willing to give, but when she looked at him like that we wasn't sure that he would resist.
"Dawn get back," Buffy said moving to block Spike from the girl. The young Slayer didn't move and didn't heed Buffy's advice.
Dawn looked up at the vampire.
"Hello Spike," Dawn said softly, "I thought it was you who knocked me out the other day."
Spike closed his eyes, "That was you." He opened them again, "You're still the Slayer?"
Dawn nodded, "Lucky me, still got the position."
Spike let out a long sigh, "I suppose that you know her, she claims to be the Slayer too," he asked nodding toward where Buffy stood, still afraid to look at her.
Dawn smiled, her lips close together, as not to let a giggle out.
"So you two are working together. The Slayers?" Spike said, very reserved. He studied the two of them. There was no emotion registering on his face.
"Isn't that impossible?" he said biting on the insides of his cheeks. The vein in his jawbone jumped. Buffy pondered how *that* was possible. He didn't have a heartbeat, but he had a pulse in his cheek.
"So you know Dawnie?" Buffy asked Spike.
Dawn giggled, "The big bad vampire was my bodyguard."
Buffy raised an eyebrow, "He guarded your body?"
Dawn laughed again, "No I was a kid, it was completely innocent, but non consensual."
"Thanks pet for still portraying me as a bad guy," Spike suddenly broke in, "But you're telling the story wrong."
Dawn couldn't stop laughing, "It-was--non----consensual-on----his--part."
Spike was grinding his teeth into dust.
"That's it!" he growled loudly, "You two are going to be the death of me."
"You're already dead," Buffy pointed out walking up to Dawn and linking arms with the giggling girl.
"So you and Spike?" Buffy asked with bland curiosity.
Spike rolled his eyes, he realized that the situation was beyond his control. These two girls had seen that he had lost all semblance of what it meant to be a vampire. These girls weren't scared in the slightest. In fact the look that the little blonde was giving him was again bordering on jealous again.
Dawn crinkled her nose she answered in a mock swoon, "I believe it was a case of unrequited love. I was in adoration of him and he would never love me."
"You were going to be a Slayer," Spike said defensively, "I was a vampire. We don't mix."
The blonde gave him faint smile, "No never."
Spike looked at her and saw something. He felt wrong. The kiss that they had just shared had brought down a wall of black and white, just like what Dawn had done three years earlier.
Buffy turned to Dawn, "So dish girl, what did William the Bloody do for you?"
Dawn looked at him in the hero-worship way once again, "He saved my life."
***
Dawn woke up with a start. It was five in the morning in Prague. She closed her eyes and thought of home. She hadn't been home in a year. She had been found by her watcher. There were martial arts in Japan. There was meditation in Nepal. Each month brought another training exercise. Sometimes it hurt so much, she had been traveling since she was twelve and her parents died. Her watcher was wonderful, but most of the time Dawn just missed having a home.
She woke up with a dream she couldn't really remember. All she knew was that she felt strange.
She stretched and she could feel the muscles ripple under the skin.
Dawn got up and looked at Prague outside of her window.
Tonight was a strange night. There was something in the air. There was something different about tonight.
"Dawn, we need to leave now."
Dawn turned suddenly and saw her watcher, breathless at her bedroom door.
"What is wrong?" Dawn asked wide eyed.
"Please just pack. I'll explain on the way. You have ten minutes."
Dawn knew better than to not listen. There were many times when she knew she could get away with whatever she wanted to do, but not now.
Her watcher already had bags packed. Dawn threw all her clothes and the few possessions that she had into a bag. In a matter of minutes she was ready. The pair headed out of the door and down the stairs.
"Okay, we're going to Master Locke's house. He was killed by vampires a few hours ago. The people here in Prague aren't very happy with anyone who is involved with anything occult. They're looking for the vampires and they are not going to be happy with us being here. They're going to come after us as soon as they would come after the vampires. Without Master Locke's protection we have to leave."
"Why are we going to his place. Why don't we just leave?" Dawn asked panic going through her.
"We need to get some books. They're very rare and the Council really wants them."
Her watcher looked down at her and suddenly saw something in her. She paused her quick steps.
"Dawnie, did something happen tonight?"
Dawn shrugged, "I feel funny, but that is it."
The watcher nodded and continued down the alley way.
They quietly entered Master Locke's studio and they headed to where he kept books. Dawn grabbed a few of Master Locke's best weapons and put them in with her clothes.
Dawn went back into the back where her watcher was. When she entered the room she was startled by the sight that welcomed her. Her watcher was fighting with a blonde vampire.
"Stop," Dawn said lifting up a crossbow to the fighting pair.
The vampire looked up at her.
"Stay out of this little girl," he growled.
Dawn looked at him and aimed. She had never been any good, but it was worth a shot.
"Bloody hell," the vampire said as he saw the arrow enter his arm. Dawn acted faster than she could think. She immediately threw down the crossbow and did a handstand and shot herself at the vampire. She knocked him to the ground and she hit him.
She was momentarily startled. She had never felt so much power behind her punch. She had a vampire pinned down and he was looking up at her with a smirk. She looked at her watcher and she nodded. Dawn realized what the feeling tonight was.
"Hello, we've got us a little slayer," he said in wonder.
Out of the shadows a thin gothic woman stepped. The woman cocked her head, "She's pretty. Can I keep her?"
"Dru," the man said in a nice voice that hid a lot of ice, "Get the book and get out I'll be right there."
The woman smiled, "She brings our doom. Come here pretty child."
Dawn was a bit mesmerized but a crash of glass broke the trance. Through the cracked window she saw an angry mob. They were attacking the house they knew where they were.
"Bullocks," the vampire muttered, "I'm not having any luck."
Dawn looked at them with wide eyes. She may be the brand new Slayer, but she couldn't take on an entire mob, plus they were human. Dawn looked at her watcher for advice, but her words died on her lips.
Her watcher was on the ground with a crossbow arrow through her heart.
"No!" Dawn screamed ignoring the vampire and jumping to the aid of her watcher.
Her watcher said a few words and suddenly Dawn could feel the walls up around the building.
The watcher looked up at her, "It will hold for a few minutes."
The watcher looked over at the vampire.
"You will take her to the Watcher's Council in London," she said softly.
Spike laughed, "Are you daft? Not a bloody chance."
"Look those people outside cannot tell her from you right now. They will kill her. I need you to take her to England."
"Why would I do that?"
"Because she is the Slayer. If you don't help her you will die tonight. I will help the three of you to get away or we all die here. You cannot get Dru out of here without aid. They will kill her and I will make sure that they kill you."
Spike looked at the two girls waiting. He had always liked life.
"Fine," he said flippantly expecting to drop the new slayer at the first chance.
The watcher grabbed the arm of the vampire.
"I'm expecting you to protect her."
Spike shrugged and said mockingly, in almost a natural reaction, "Until the end of the world, even if it is tonight."
Then suddenly Spike faltered. He heard those words before. They meant something to him once. For one second he wasn't making a promise to a Watcher woman, he was making a promise to green eyes that were so afraid.
"That is something else entirely," the watcher said smilingly. She had bonded the vampire to the slayer. Her would protect her. She had made his words become the future truth, "You will take her where she needs to go."
Spike rolled his eyes.
The watcher closed her eyes, "Go now."
The vampire grabbed Dawn's arm, "I won't leave you."
The watcher looked at the girl she had been with and had learned to care for.
"I love you Dawnie, you're like a daughter to me. Now leave"
Dawn's eyes teared, "I love you Tara."
The vampire grabbed Dawn and looked down at the fallen watcher.
"Start your mojo," he growled and took two women into the night.
***
"The bint wouldn't shut up until we reached England," Spike mocked with a smile on his face
"He told me all about killing slayers," Dawn said wrinkling her nose, "It was very helpful but way too gruesome."
"Spike!!!" Buffy scolded the vampire it seemed like the right thing to do. He always was teaching dawn things she shouldn't know.
He shrugged, "Nibblet asked."
Buffy looked up at him, he remembered the eyes that looked at him in his mind as he made the promise. He had been damned the minute he saw her. He understood what she was asking. He looked at her long and hard.
He still was unsure of what he was willing to give, but when she looked at him like that we wasn't sure that he would resist.