The beginning of the conflict for Buffy:
"Dawn! I'm home!" Buffy called as she entered the house, throwing her coat onto the banister. "Dawn?" Buffy called, entering the living room. Weapons were spread throughout, and the bleached blond vampire lay unconscious on the floor. "What the hell happened here?" Buffy cried. "DAWN!!! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!" She yelled up the stairs, expecting to hear a groan from her sister's room. She was surprised Dawn had gone to bed, or that Spike had fallen asleep. It wasn't even midnight yet. "DAWN!! I'm NOT JOKING!!!" She yelled once more. She walked back into the living room and this time noticed the dried blood in Spike's hairline. "Oh, no, no, no!" She got a sinking feeling in her gut. The vampire was a pain, yeah, but he was the only one that could protect Dawn. She sunk down next to Spike. "Wake up, damn you!" she said, shaking his shoulders. His head just hung limply.
There was a letter beside his body. She picked up the envelope and ripped it open. A single sheet of paper was inside. It read:
"I know what you are, Miss Summers. If you ever want to see your sister, alive again, then I'd suggest that you do as I tell you. There is a tournament, in three days time. Bring a team of five competitors, including yourself, and we shall see if you can win back your sister. I will get in touch with you three days hence."
"No. No, no, NO!" Buffy cried, rushing up the stairs. "DAWN! DAWN!" she screamed, looking for her sister. She wasn't in the bathroom, she wasn't in her room. She wasn't in Willow's room. She wasn't in Buffy's room. Where Tara and Willow were, she had no clue, but where the hell was Dawn?
She heard a moan from downstairs. She rushed into the living room to see Spike coming to. "What happened?" Spike asked, holding his head.
"I was going to ask you the same thing. Where is she, Spike?"
"Niblet? She's..."
"She's not in the house! Where did you send her? Is she waiting for you in your crypt? Did you send her away because of danger?"
"I..don't remember." He said. His head was full of fog.
"God help me, Spike, if anything happens to her I will-"
"The threat's kinda old, luv."
"This is no threat, Spike. It's a promise! If *anything!* happens to her, I will so see you kissing daylight. And I know a few people who wouldn't mind helping me." She turned and spun to leave the room.
"Where are you going?"
"This note says I need five warriors. And unless there's a slayer running around somewhere that I don't know about, we're gonna have to do some jail breaking."
"What about me? I can bloody well put in the good fight now and again."
"I'm counting on it. But that's still two. Willow can always make big on the magicks, since she brought me back easily. And unless you know any other vampires who would side with the slayer, we're gonna need some help."
"No, not Captain Forehead!"
"Oh yes, Captain Forehead." Her face became a frown as she realized what she had said, before rushing out of the room.
"Can I help? Gather the troops?"
"Go get Anya and Xander. I don't care if you have to drag them out of bed. I'll never hear the end of it, but this is much more important than Anya's sexual bliss." Spike shuddered a moment, and then left. Buffy went to make the call.
~ * ~
"Let me get this straight. Two years ago you were ready to kill me, and now you want me to put in the good fight once more? How do you know you can trust me?" She asked. The girl who four years ago had tried to befriend her, and a year later tried to kill her sat on the other side of the bullet proof glass.
"Because I'm listening to Angel and trusting him when he say's you're on the mend. But, if you prove him wrong, you know I can put you right back into that coma."
"So, what's the plan?"
~ * ~
"Dawn! I'm home!" Buffy called as she entered the house, throwing her coat onto the banister. "Dawn?" Buffy called, entering the living room. Weapons were spread throughout, and the bleached blond vampire lay unconscious on the floor. "What the hell happened here?" Buffy cried. "DAWN!!! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!" She yelled up the stairs, expecting to hear a groan from her sister's room. She was surprised Dawn had gone to bed, or that Spike had fallen asleep. It wasn't even midnight yet. "DAWN!! I'm NOT JOKING!!!" She yelled once more. She walked back into the living room and this time noticed the dried blood in Spike's hairline. "Oh, no, no, no!" She got a sinking feeling in her gut. The vampire was a pain, yeah, but he was the only one that could protect Dawn. She sunk down next to Spike. "Wake up, damn you!" she said, shaking his shoulders. His head just hung limply.
There was a letter beside his body. She picked up the envelope and ripped it open. A single sheet of paper was inside. It read:
"I know what you are, Miss Summers. If you ever want to see your sister, alive again, then I'd suggest that you do as I tell you. There is a tournament, in three days time. Bring a team of five competitors, including yourself, and we shall see if you can win back your sister. I will get in touch with you three days hence."
"No. No, no, NO!" Buffy cried, rushing up the stairs. "DAWN! DAWN!" she screamed, looking for her sister. She wasn't in the bathroom, she wasn't in her room. She wasn't in Willow's room. She wasn't in Buffy's room. Where Tara and Willow were, she had no clue, but where the hell was Dawn?
She heard a moan from downstairs. She rushed into the living room to see Spike coming to. "What happened?" Spike asked, holding his head.
"I was going to ask you the same thing. Where is she, Spike?"
"Niblet? She's..."
"She's not in the house! Where did you send her? Is she waiting for you in your crypt? Did you send her away because of danger?"
"I..don't remember." He said. His head was full of fog.
"God help me, Spike, if anything happens to her I will-"
"The threat's kinda old, luv."
"This is no threat, Spike. It's a promise! If *anything!* happens to her, I will so see you kissing daylight. And I know a few people who wouldn't mind helping me." She turned and spun to leave the room.
"Where are you going?"
"This note says I need five warriors. And unless there's a slayer running around somewhere that I don't know about, we're gonna have to do some jail breaking."
"What about me? I can bloody well put in the good fight now and again."
"I'm counting on it. But that's still two. Willow can always make big on the magicks, since she brought me back easily. And unless you know any other vampires who would side with the slayer, we're gonna need some help."
"No, not Captain Forehead!"
"Oh yes, Captain Forehead." Her face became a frown as she realized what she had said, before rushing out of the room.
"Can I help? Gather the troops?"
"Go get Anya and Xander. I don't care if you have to drag them out of bed. I'll never hear the end of it, but this is much more important than Anya's sexual bliss." Spike shuddered a moment, and then left. Buffy went to make the call.
~ * ~
"Let me get this straight. Two years ago you were ready to kill me, and now you want me to put in the good fight once more? How do you know you can trust me?" She asked. The girl who four years ago had tried to befriend her, and a year later tried to kill her sat on the other side of the bullet proof glass.
"Because I'm listening to Angel and trusting him when he say's you're on the mend. But, if you prove him wrong, you know I can put you right back into that coma."
"So, what's the plan?"
~ * ~