Family Ties

Part II

Chapter 2

My Future Lover

            'Restless' was not the word to describe Seth's mood.

            It was twelve hours until show time, plenty of time for him to get another round in with his love on the island of a bed. He lay there in all his naked glory, silk sheets barely covering his aroused member. Sprawled out enticingly with his fingers linked behind his head, he waited impatiently for his pose to strike a cord of desire into Jennifer.

            The only problem, however, was that she wasn't around.

            And laying in bed, alone, trapped in the house for the next several hours, was number one on the vampire's list of 'Things that bore me to tears-Revision 2.0'.

            After five minutes of fruitless waiting, the vampire sighed in frustration, and threw the sheets aside, striding over to his discarded clothes. He slipped into his pants, deciding that topless and barefoot was the choice of the day. She was somewhere in the penthouse, he could sense that, but he also knew she was not alone; the black pull of the warlock, Rack polluted the air as well. 

            Running a hand through his disheveled locks, Seth followed the aura of his two co-conspirators. He paid no attention to the architecture or the priceless works of art that littered the halls, intent on Jennifer. Truth be told, he didn't like her being alone with Rack. It wasn't like the warlock could do her any harm --that would be a simple enough task for her--but his natural tendency to mark what was his that drove him.

            Don't think she'd like that thought, he mused to himself. No, he already knew that the evil within her, as well as the woman, wouldn't take to kindly to being looked at as a territory to be claimed and the funny thing about that was that he didn't know which side he had more reservations about.

            He chuckled at that and decided to take a detour, leaving Jennifer and Rack to their own devices. Even if he couldn't see her, there were other ways to entertain himself, mainly screwing around with the cute, little hostage. Making his way to the northern corner of the house, he came upon the oaken door of the office. Turning the key, Seth unlocked it and slowly pressed the door open, not wanting to disturb the room's lone inhabitant. Though the lights were off, he could see clearly enough. He leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed and head cocked to the side, watching the rise and fall of the girl that, in forty years, would become his woman.

A slight smile rose within him as he thought of all the things that there were to each other, all the places they went, the love they had made. Saying that the whole situation was freaky was an understatement but here she was, sleeping on the couch, her hair strewn across her face. Looking at Dawn made him realize how much he truly loved Emerald. It wasn't that Jennifer wasn't beautiful--she was more than beautiful, not to mention the fact that much of what Emerald was originated within Jennifer. But it was the teenager, Dawn, who had Emerald's body and despite several distinctive traits gathered from Jennifer, most of Emerald's physical make-up was from the slayer's sister. He didn't know if it was that or Dawn's innocence that drew him in. 

Seth flicked on the light and casually strode over to the sleeping form of Dawn and stopped not five feet from her.

"I know you're awake, little one," he cooed. Her heartbeat and breathing had quickened as soon as he entered the room. 

At Seth's confession, Dawn cursed internally. She had hoped for him to get close enough to flash her makeshift cross in front of him long enough for her to scamper through the door and to her freedom. Of course, the best laid plans of mice and men…

"C'mon, cutie," his voice was playful, "no need to be shy. The Big Bad Seth's not gonna hurt you. I promise." When she looked up at him, he placed his left hand over his chest and held up three fingers on his right hand. "Scout's honor."

Dawn's eyes widened as she took in the alabaster form of her capture. The smooth lines of his defined muscles reminded her of Spike, though he was a few pounds heavier. The detailed lines of his abdominals garnered a lingering glance from the teen and she couldn't help but lick her lips at them. She was vaguely aware of the tattoos that coursed up and down his arm though the Japanese symbols sketched into the inside of his right bicep and the small, eloquent block of writing on the inside of his left arm.

Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero.

Realizing that she was staring, Dawn fought the burning desire to turn away, instead covering up her embarrassment with a contemptuous snort. "Scout's honor? And tell me, Mr. Scout," sarcasm clung to every word, "why should I trust you?" She swung her legs off the couch and sat up, mindful of keeping the cross out of sight until the right time.

Seth stared at her, a look of hurt passing over him before he smiled broadly, a light chuckle rumbling at the back of his throat. "You know," he said, hands clasped behind his back, "if I knew you didn't mean that, I'd say that you hurt my feelings." He advanced slowly with exaggerated steps, his eyes never leaving Dawn's frightened yet resolute face.

"And I should be sorry for that?" she asked, her eyebrow arched in the trademark teenage look of annoyance.

Seth stopped and regarded her for a moment with hooded eyes as an indescribable feeling overcame him and, before his mind could comprehend his actions, the vampire lunged at her with preternatural speed.

Dawn screamed as Seth's cool hands clamped down on her forearms, effectively pinning them to her sides, the cross dropping useless from her grasp. Her screams, however, were cut off as his mouth descended upon hers and his tongue plundered her ruthlessly.

Though she fought it at first, Dawn finally conceded to Seth's probing, as an unexpected wave of passion she had never experienced coursed through her at the simple touch of his lips. This had been only the third kiss that she had been a part of (well, two, since the one she had given Spike really didn't count, him being sleep and all, thus not quite what one would call a willing participant) Her body melted against him and she was lost in the moment. Her arms, locked at her sides began struggling anew, but this time it was not for escape but in her body's apparent desire to wrap them around his neck.

Sensing Dawn's more than willing attitude Seth released her arms, letting his encircle her waist as he fell to his knees in front of her, never breaking contact with her lips. He had not thought it possible for anything other than Emerald could stimulate him more than Jennifer had last night. Oh, how wrong he was.

In honesty, he had no fuckin' clue what possessed him to attack the girl's lips like he had but, as their tongues performed an exquisite ballet it was evident to him that the feel of the young girl's lips on his was everything. It was as if what he was sharing now with Dawn somehow brought him back to the times of his mortal life before being turned. Holding Dawn in his arms like this made him feel whole, complete; a feeling only experienced during his short time with Emerald.

Dawn could not think and her lungs burned, screaming for oxygen. But she refused the call as that would require breaking contact with the man in front of her. Not a man a voice in her head shouted, but a demon. But she ignored the voice, letting her body take over despite knowing that it was wrong on the cosmic scale of wrongness. Then again, how could something be wrong if it felt this right?

            The coherent part of her wanted to laugh at that. In the kitchen earlier, Buffy had briefly highlighted her relationship with Spike to a wide-eyed Dawn, admitting that the two had, on their first sexual encounter, been 'lost in the moment'. She hadn't gotten the full story, but the slightly dazed look on her older sister's face led Dawn to believe that Buffy was more than confused at her post-patrol rendezvous' with William the Bloody. Although Dawn herself had been giddy at the prospect of the two getting together--after dealing with a little post-crush jealousy, of course--she could empathize, though not quite understand, Buffy's confusion. Now, locked in this heartless demon's embrace, Dawn could totally see where her sister was coming from.

            Despite groaning protests from his own body, as well as Dawn's, Seth finally relinquished his hold on her and pulled out of the kiss. He smiled as Dawn eagerly followed his lips even as her lungs greedily devoured the air they had been deprived. Her breath was warm against his skin and her arousal intoxicating to his nostrils. His hands had found their way underneath her shirt and they almost burned from the naked contact with her flesh. He laughed as he focused on her heart pounding against her ribcage as she muffled sighs by biting her lower lip.

            Dawn didn't want to open her eyes because to do so would mean focusing and that would only increase her lightheadedness tenfold. As it was now, she could keep her arms wrapped around the neck of the body in front of her and pretend--pretend this was someone she loved, someone who loved her back. Someone she could actually spend her life…

            "I love you," the words whispered in her ear were enough to shock her eyes open even as her body went rigid. Before she knew what happened, Seth was sprawled on the floor, a look of utter confusion etched across his handsome features as she stood over him.

            "Gee," he said sarcastically, masking his confusion, "was it something said?" He stood, brushing off his jeans and stared at the quivering and flushed teenager standing before him, her fists balled tightly at her sides.

            "What did you do to me?" She demanded and was proud that her voice didn't crack one bit.

            Seth frowned, not quite getting it himself. True, she did look like Emerald and, yes, she smelled somewhat like her too, but that still didn't explain why his reaction to her had been so strong. As bewildered as she obviously was, he was a touch past that now. Of course, there was no way in hell that he was going to let her know that.

            "Me?" he went with the incredulous approach. "Why does it have to be me that did something? For all I know, you pulled some witchcraft mojo on me that made me want to do that." Okay, so that didn't sound as convincing as he had first thought. Her expression of disdain confirmed his supposition.

            "Whatever," Dawn sighed at she flopped back down in the chair, wrapping her arms around herself. Her whole body was on fire and yet goosebumps littered her skin.

            "Oh, I see," Seth laughed out, fingering the black stubble of hair on his chin, "it's a guy thing, right?" On Dawn's cross look, he sighed before sitting next to her on the couch and languidly threw his arm around her shoulders. To both their surprises, Dawn merely flinched but didn't attempt to remove his arm.

            "I know how you women are. Like to blame the guy for everything. And hey, in my case, that's usually true. But then there are times like this where we're the innocent party but you still whine about how it's our fault that you feel this way. Comfort you in a time of need and we are taking advantage of you. You never think that we can feel or care about you as much as you do about us." He took his arm away and leaned against the arm of the couch, his eyes focused intently on Dawn. "Maybe, instead of blaming me, what you should be asking yourself is, 'Why didn't I fight back when he was kissing me?'"

            Dawn could only stare at the vampire in disgust and a resigned awe. Though she had been thoroughly bored by some of the stuff he had said, his last comments did ring true. Why didn't she fight back? Here he was, a vampire that had obviously, by his boasts, done some horrible things to her future niece and she was kissing him like it was natural. Come to think of it, when he had touched her, the only reason she had screamed was from surprise. The confusion started to weigh her down like iron shoes and the tickling of pain just behind her eyes let her know it was there—the beginnings of a wonderful headache.

            "Why did you kidnap me?" she asked quietly, trying hard to ignore the pang in her chest as if she already knew the answer was not going to be to her liking.

            Seth's smugness faded and he looked at her before finding a spot on the couch to study.

            "Jennifer wanted you."

            "Miss Calendar? But why? And how? She was killed like four years ago." Dawn remembered that day and the heart wrenching sobs of Willow echoing through the house as Buffy slid to the ground in shock at the news. 

            "Well," Seth stood quickly, "doesn't look like she's dead, now does it? As for why she wants you--well, I would tell you but then I'd have to do a little entry and exit into your jugular." He smiled at her but seeing her less than cheerful glare he raised his hands in defense. "Easy there, wildcat. Just a little vampire humor. But since you won't be getting away, I guess I could tell you what's going to happen. S'not like this is the movies or anything and you'll escape to tell the heroes about our nefarious plans…

            "Anyway, you and Miss Jennifer in there," he thumbed behind him, trying to keep the growing apprehension from filtering into his voice, "are going to be very much into each other. And I mean that quite literally."

            "What are you talking about?" Dawn asked, her heartbeat rising. Whatever it was that Seth was hinting at, didn't sit too well with her. In fact, she was quite sure that it was going to be bad, as in Glory bad.

            "Seems to be that you and her are on two opposite ends of the spectrum. The Yin and the Yang, so to speak."

            "English, please," Dawn snapped, frustration clouding her mind.

            "Touchy, touchy. Well, I guess you already know that there's more than meets the eye to you," he raised his arm and displayed the scarred flesh of his forearm to her. "Turns out that you are some sort of cosmic sparkplug."
            "What in the hell are you talking about?" She was starting to sweat at the implications of what he was saying. It was different than what Glory had said, but eerily familiar, too.

            "She called you the First Light. And though she didn't say straight out, I think you were the light that sparked Creation." He looked her up and down appreciatively. "Quite a nice package for a big, bright light."

            Dawn shivered as Seth's eyes raked across her. It wasn't the fact that he looked at her with restrained lust that bothered her, but the mention of her other existence, her existence as the Key that had her insides churning.

            Even after the ordeal with Glory, Dawn often joked with the Scoobies about her former life as a Key but that had only been because they didn't look at her as such. They saw her as Dawn Summers, walking teenage hormone whose proclivity to screech "Get Out! Get Out! GET OUT!' was still a feared weapon in the ears of the Scoobies. Here was this stranger--though she could not deny the eerie connection his kiss had sparked within her--that gazed at her in wonder, as if trying to envision her as the Key and Dawn hated it.

            "What's wrong, sweets?" Seth asked. When Dawn didn't answer, he shrugged and continued his explanation. "Anyway, just like you are that nice bright light of the big bang or whatever, she is that first Darkness--actually the First Evil is her title. The little ritual she's gonna perform will join you two like peas in a pod. Of course," he knelt in front of her and brushed a hand across her thigh, causing her to shiver, "as stunning as Jennifer is, I'll be glad that you'll be the pod portion of that little mix."

            "What do you mean?" Dawn's heart was beating even faster and despite her question, she had the sinking feeling she knew exactly where this plan was heading.

            "Well, it's something called…"

            "The Enjoining," Dawn said aloud, more to herself than anything.

            "How did you know?" Seth couldn't hide the surprise from his voice.

            Dawn stared at him for a moment, her vision blurring before several images rapidly flashed through her mind.

The moment where she had first blinked into existence, surrounded by nothing, not even the darkness of space…

 The content of nothing becoming something, that something becoming space and stars and planets…

            The pull of an unseen force--a force that was in direct contradiction to her Light, to her purity…

            The content was torn away from her as all that she was had been diminished--she had been sent…where?

            The memories of eons past faded and were replaced with broken images of, not the past, but the future--of things to come.

            The pain ripped through her as a silver light flew through the air and into the light that enveloped her and her adversary…

            The pain of losing her again, her life seeping out of the gaping wounds in her neck…

            The helplessness as she watched him hold her, promises of tomorrow fading in the night…

            Then she saw the man that she now shared the couch with. He was the same, yet his eyes were…brown and his hair dark. The flood of visions showed him laughing with her at his side and other things Dawn knew she had never done. Hell, she never knew the things she was seeing could even be done.

            Then he was with her again, but it was different. His skin was darker; eyes brighter, but what was his life's essence had not changed though his name and purpose had…

            Her hands shot up to her face, trying to cover her mind from seeing the visions and feeling the things she was feeling for this man. She opened her eyes and saw him before her, his face full of concern. She tentatively reached a hand out to him and cupped his face. His skin was cool, not warm like she remembered. But one thing she would never forget was the look that he was giving her now. It was one full of love and adoration and all she wanted to do was bathe in that affection.

            But as quickly as they appeared, the feelings were gone and Dawn stared at Seth as if for the first time. When she realized she was touching him, she pulled back as if her hand was scalded. This was not a man before her: this was a vampire that wanted to kill her friends and had no qualms with someone using her as a mystic tool. It was Glory all over again and Dawn could do nothing to staunch the tears that began to flow.

            Seth was torn inside. The feelings that he had for this young girl was something he didn't even feel for Jennifer and it was more than enough to weird him out. Her tears cut into him, reminding him of the few times he watched the love of his life cry when she had known that their time was limited. The hoarse cries from Dawn tugged at him the same way and all he wanted to do was comfort her, so he did the only thing he could think of.

            Dawn felt the cool arms surround her and her first reaction was to pull away. But as she listened to the comforting whispers of Seth, she leaned further into him, feeling the protection of his embrace as his hands rubbed her back tenderly. She didn't know what to think. On the one hand, this vampire had brought her to be used by another evil force and yet…and yet, here he was, comforting her with words he had spoken to her before, albeit in another life. It was too much to think about and she refused to let thoughts pervade her fragile mind. So intent on that task, Dawn didn't feel her own arms wrap tightly around Seth's neck.

            She was also too absorbed to notice the tears that soaked her shirt.

            …tears that were not her own.

***Well, that was a knuckle ball, wasn't it? For those who may doubt my reasons for this particular scene, in the immortal words of Han Solo…Trust me.

***Chapter 3 is coming along nicely and I am going to shoot for Monday to post it.

***Also Part 5 of the "Do What You Have to Do" post-Grave fic should be up sometime next week as well. Dawn's reaction to Spike's return.