Chapter 4
Damn I'm going to be late.
Dawn needed to get a t shirt quick. All her other shirts had been dirtied from nights of patrolling and she hadn't gotten around to cleaning them.
Maybe Buffy will let me borrow one of hers
She walked down the hall. Her steps were nearly jumps as she made her way to the door.
She was going to meet Janice at the Bronze and hang out. Usually Buffy or one of the other Scooby's would join her just in case things lasted longer and had to walk home after dark.. Dawn liked the fact things were changing, she was finally going to be independent. Not some naïve girl who cringed in fear of the world.
She worked with Anya at the Magic box to work off the things she stole during her "innocent looking thief" phase, but once that was paid she would be earning good money.
After that day her everyone treated her differently from before. Buffy had been okay, she was still protective, but let her fight her own battles now. Though no one else did, but they tried their best. She still felt that her only real friend had been the vampire. That damn vampire.
How could he...
No, she shook her head firmly, she was not going to think about him. That only brought her into a depressed mood. Things were going too well to bring her down now.
Dawn's relationship with Willow, and not for the better. She still remembered what her friend had tried to do. The ex-Wicca had called a few times. But the conversations usually were a series of "how are you" "fine" and "how are you". The stress was still there. Dawn desperately wanted to forgive her, but that image was scorched into her mind. Willows black eyes, pale vieny skin. The anger that radiating off her.
She was snapped out of her thoughts when she entered the room. Buffy was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking blankly at the wall, her face a shade of sheet white. She looked like she had seen a ghost. Err. A very scary thing. She continued the trance she was in.
"Buffy."
There was no movement. No evidence that she had heard her name.
What happened, what did Giles tell her. Is Willow ok.
She was mad at Willow, but she still loved her friend.
"Buffy are you ok?"
She finally got a reaction. Buffy turned her head and looked at Dawn blankly. Suddenly, buffy got up and rushed down the hall. Determination had been etched in her face. Dawn had nearly jumped at the quickness of the movement. She followed. Worried and desperate to find out what happened.
At the closet her sister said flatly.
"We're leaving."
Opened the door and ripped out two suite cases.
Leaving...
Dawn stood shocked. They were leaving. But what about her friends. What about the house. She loved this house. What about mom, she wasn't about to abandon her mom here leaving her here to be thought of as some faceless gravestone. She was about to list her objections when a little voice that Dawn almost never heard chimed in.
But there has to be a good reason.
Calming herself she walked after Buffy who was in Dawns room throwing clothes frantically in one of the suitcases. Trying to be the rational one Dawn proceeded.
"Buffy why are we leaving?"
"Something's coming."
Her response was immediate, still flat and dead. Dawn could see she was in full protection mode. She was this way when Glory was looking for the 'Key' at their house. It would take a lot to get her out. Still trying the rational approach.
"Buffy what's coming."
Buffy didn't answer. She zipped the suitcase up without folding the clothes and brushed past her. Dawn followed again until they were in Buffy's room. Without looking she unzipped the other bag, and started emptying the drawers contents into it. Dawn tried asking again but still got no answer. As she asked the phone started ringing again, it had been left there while everything was going on. Frustrated she quickly picked it up and answered. Giles voice was on the other end.
"Buffy what's..."
Dawn interrupted, speaking quickly.
"Sorry Giles Buffy can't talk right now."
Before he could object she hung up the phone and tossed it back on the bed. She returned to looking at the frantic creature in front of her. Buffy's movements were so frantic. Almost chaotic, but her expression was blank. Unreadable. Like her body was on autopilot. This was scaring Dawn more and more with each passing moment. Finally she broke letting all the emotion out. Tears welling up in her eyes, shutting them tightly as she yelled.
"Damn it Buffy talk to me!"
When she opened them back up, Buffy had stopped and was staring at her. A look across her face as if Dawn had grown a second head. She saw her sisters face slowly melt from being blank. As if Buffy was rising back to the surface. She pulled Dawn into a hug, both crying on the others shoulder.
"I'm sorry Dawnie, I'm sorry."
She repeated the words over and over. Hugging her as if she was never going to see her again.
After a few minutes, Buffy sat Dawn down and started explaining everything. After a few shocked looks and high pitched shrieks, they started calling Xander and Anya.
***********
"Sorry Giles Buffy can't talk right now."
Then the phone clicked and he was cut off.
Damn it.
Giles cursed to himself. That was the second time today that he had been cut off before he could get a response from Buffy. It was past 1:00am and he didn't need this. Spike was still unconscious from the strain of the conversation. After he went out, his wounds started to bleed badly, he had to get pressure on them, but there were so many. He had Gwen help, but after that she was completely useless, she spent the rest of the night vomiting and sleeping.
He dialed again but got a busy signal. He needed to get through. They needed his help.
I could...
With a sudden thought he dialed the coven building that held Willow. No one was there. Willow herself as, a condition of detox, did not have a personal phone and could only use one if she asked.
Why won't anyone pick up the bloody phone!
He left a message.
"Hello this is Giles, please tell Willow that something has come up in Sunnydale, and that I'm headed over there. Tell her I will be back as soon as possible and not to worry."
He might need Willows help, but he had no time to wait.
***********
Damn it!
Janice folded her cell phone and put it in her coat pocket. That was the third time she tried calling that day. Either no one was picking up, or it was busy.
She had waited for Dawn to meet her for an hour, then decided to just go by herself. She danced and drank a few drinks, but without her best friend there she didn't have that much fun. After the second try she decided to go home. The sun had set and Sunnydale was no place to get stuck walking alone late at night.
She walked out of the bronze and tried again, getting a busy signal. She wasn't surprised, this wasn't the first time she had been stood up by Dawn, but it was understandable. She was going through a lot, her mom dying and all. Their family was pretty weird, as were Buffy's friends. But this was Sunnydale where weird is normal.
She was jerked from her thoughts as she passed an alley way, and smelled the most god awful stink wafting from it. She jumped as a noise came from the dark in the alley. She stared in horror as two burning rings were revealed, glowing in the dark.
***********
It remembered her face. This was the friend of the sister of the slayer. An innocent. Perfect for its plans. It knew that the vampire would warn slayer and her friends to flee. That put them into a panic.
Good.
Too keep them in Sunnydale, it needed the violent death of an innocent who was connected to the people it wanted to complete the spell. Soon it would be able to stalk and work without interruption.
"Janice."
***********
Two clawed hands shot out of the darkness and grabbed her arms. Nails digging into her flesh, it pulled her in, darkness swallowing her screaming form. All over Sunnydale the sounds of slicing flesh and screams could be heard in the air.
Damn I'm going to be late.
Dawn needed to get a t shirt quick. All her other shirts had been dirtied from nights of patrolling and she hadn't gotten around to cleaning them.
Maybe Buffy will let me borrow one of hers
She walked down the hall. Her steps were nearly jumps as she made her way to the door.
She was going to meet Janice at the Bronze and hang out. Usually Buffy or one of the other Scooby's would join her just in case things lasted longer and had to walk home after dark.. Dawn liked the fact things were changing, she was finally going to be independent. Not some naïve girl who cringed in fear of the world.
She worked with Anya at the Magic box to work off the things she stole during her "innocent looking thief" phase, but once that was paid she would be earning good money.
After that day her everyone treated her differently from before. Buffy had been okay, she was still protective, but let her fight her own battles now. Though no one else did, but they tried their best. She still felt that her only real friend had been the vampire. That damn vampire.
How could he...
No, she shook her head firmly, she was not going to think about him. That only brought her into a depressed mood. Things were going too well to bring her down now.
Dawn's relationship with Willow, and not for the better. She still remembered what her friend had tried to do. The ex-Wicca had called a few times. But the conversations usually were a series of "how are you" "fine" and "how are you". The stress was still there. Dawn desperately wanted to forgive her, but that image was scorched into her mind. Willows black eyes, pale vieny skin. The anger that radiating off her.
She was snapped out of her thoughts when she entered the room. Buffy was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking blankly at the wall, her face a shade of sheet white. She looked like she had seen a ghost. Err. A very scary thing. She continued the trance she was in.
"Buffy."
There was no movement. No evidence that she had heard her name.
What happened, what did Giles tell her. Is Willow ok.
She was mad at Willow, but she still loved her friend.
"Buffy are you ok?"
She finally got a reaction. Buffy turned her head and looked at Dawn blankly. Suddenly, buffy got up and rushed down the hall. Determination had been etched in her face. Dawn had nearly jumped at the quickness of the movement. She followed. Worried and desperate to find out what happened.
At the closet her sister said flatly.
"We're leaving."
Opened the door and ripped out two suite cases.
Leaving...
Dawn stood shocked. They were leaving. But what about her friends. What about the house. She loved this house. What about mom, she wasn't about to abandon her mom here leaving her here to be thought of as some faceless gravestone. She was about to list her objections when a little voice that Dawn almost never heard chimed in.
But there has to be a good reason.
Calming herself she walked after Buffy who was in Dawns room throwing clothes frantically in one of the suitcases. Trying to be the rational one Dawn proceeded.
"Buffy why are we leaving?"
"Something's coming."
Her response was immediate, still flat and dead. Dawn could see she was in full protection mode. She was this way when Glory was looking for the 'Key' at their house. It would take a lot to get her out. Still trying the rational approach.
"Buffy what's coming."
Buffy didn't answer. She zipped the suitcase up without folding the clothes and brushed past her. Dawn followed again until they were in Buffy's room. Without looking she unzipped the other bag, and started emptying the drawers contents into it. Dawn tried asking again but still got no answer. As she asked the phone started ringing again, it had been left there while everything was going on. Frustrated she quickly picked it up and answered. Giles voice was on the other end.
"Buffy what's..."
Dawn interrupted, speaking quickly.
"Sorry Giles Buffy can't talk right now."
Before he could object she hung up the phone and tossed it back on the bed. She returned to looking at the frantic creature in front of her. Buffy's movements were so frantic. Almost chaotic, but her expression was blank. Unreadable. Like her body was on autopilot. This was scaring Dawn more and more with each passing moment. Finally she broke letting all the emotion out. Tears welling up in her eyes, shutting them tightly as she yelled.
"Damn it Buffy talk to me!"
When she opened them back up, Buffy had stopped and was staring at her. A look across her face as if Dawn had grown a second head. She saw her sisters face slowly melt from being blank. As if Buffy was rising back to the surface. She pulled Dawn into a hug, both crying on the others shoulder.
"I'm sorry Dawnie, I'm sorry."
She repeated the words over and over. Hugging her as if she was never going to see her again.
After a few minutes, Buffy sat Dawn down and started explaining everything. After a few shocked looks and high pitched shrieks, they started calling Xander and Anya.
***********
"Sorry Giles Buffy can't talk right now."
Then the phone clicked and he was cut off.
Damn it.
Giles cursed to himself. That was the second time today that he had been cut off before he could get a response from Buffy. It was past 1:00am and he didn't need this. Spike was still unconscious from the strain of the conversation. After he went out, his wounds started to bleed badly, he had to get pressure on them, but there were so many. He had Gwen help, but after that she was completely useless, she spent the rest of the night vomiting and sleeping.
He dialed again but got a busy signal. He needed to get through. They needed his help.
I could...
With a sudden thought he dialed the coven building that held Willow. No one was there. Willow herself as, a condition of detox, did not have a personal phone and could only use one if she asked.
Why won't anyone pick up the bloody phone!
He left a message.
"Hello this is Giles, please tell Willow that something has come up in Sunnydale, and that I'm headed over there. Tell her I will be back as soon as possible and not to worry."
He might need Willows help, but he had no time to wait.
***********
Damn it!
Janice folded her cell phone and put it in her coat pocket. That was the third time she tried calling that day. Either no one was picking up, or it was busy.
She had waited for Dawn to meet her for an hour, then decided to just go by herself. She danced and drank a few drinks, but without her best friend there she didn't have that much fun. After the second try she decided to go home. The sun had set and Sunnydale was no place to get stuck walking alone late at night.
She walked out of the bronze and tried again, getting a busy signal. She wasn't surprised, this wasn't the first time she had been stood up by Dawn, but it was understandable. She was going through a lot, her mom dying and all. Their family was pretty weird, as were Buffy's friends. But this was Sunnydale where weird is normal.
She was jerked from her thoughts as she passed an alley way, and smelled the most god awful stink wafting from it. She jumped as a noise came from the dark in the alley. She stared in horror as two burning rings were revealed, glowing in the dark.
***********
It remembered her face. This was the friend of the sister of the slayer. An innocent. Perfect for its plans. It knew that the vampire would warn slayer and her friends to flee. That put them into a panic.
Good.
Too keep them in Sunnydale, it needed the violent death of an innocent who was connected to the people it wanted to complete the spell. Soon it would be able to stalk and work without interruption.
"Janice."
***********
Two clawed hands shot out of the darkness and grabbed her arms. Nails digging into her flesh, it pulled her in, darkness swallowing her screaming form. All over Sunnydale the sounds of slicing flesh and screams could be heard in the air.