"Connor's Sunnydale Vacation" - Chapter 4
Dawn's rescue.
*********
Connor moved swiftly down the street following his nose, Buffy flanking his left and Xander trailing behind. Connor wondered why Xander was even with them. He was overweight, huffing in his efforts to keep up, and he was a little drunk. Connor didn't think he'd be much use in a fight and might even be a hindrance.
Pausing at the next street corner, he scanned the area for signs of Dawn and her captor. There had been a few drops of blood spattered in the alley by the door where they had found Dawn's shoe, from which Connor had been able to trace her scent for several blocks. But now, when they should be getting closer and the scent should be stronger, it suddenly disappeared. He dropped to one knee and examined the ground, leaned in close to try to breathe in Dawn again, but she was just ... gone.
He looked up at the Slayer. "I'm sorry. I can't...."
"Look at this!" Xander interrupted, trotting to the curb and pointing down at the road. "Pile of cigarette butts and skid marks where a car pulled away fast. Someone's picked them up."
Buffy nodded agreement and Connor felt like a fool for missing the obvious clue. If it had been animal tracks in grass or even on stony ground, he would have caught it immediately. Could even have said without a shadow of doubt what kind of beast had dragged her off.
"All right then," Buffy said thoughtfully. "Someone was expecting them. This wasn't a random attack. It seems like they were specifically after Dawn." Lips pressed in a grim line, she exchanged significant looks with Xander. "It's hell being related to the Slayer. Maybe I should appoint her a permanent bodyguard when we get her back."
She and Xander turned as one and headed back up the street. This time Connor walked behind.
"But.... How do we track her?" he asked, confused.
"We don't," Buffy said curtly as she marched along. "We go home, get weapons ready, hit the books, see if there's some once in a lifetime demon feast day coming up. And we hope the kidnapper contacts us soon."
"We'll call Giles and Willow," Xander added. "Get them researching."
Buffy nodded.
"Don't worry, Buff." Connor heard Xander say quietly. "We'll work it out. We always do."
*********
Connor examined the blade Buffy had handed him. He fingered the nice sharp edge then whirled it around once or twice to feel the weight and balance and how the grip fit his hand. It was a good weapon. But if he didn't get a chance to use it soon he was going to fly out of his skin. He glanced over at Buffy, who was pacing and talking on the phone, and Xander, who was seated and looking hopelessly at the stacks of books that surrounded him.
This was a pointless waste of time. Every second they spent inactive was another second Dawn could be moving closer to death or being sadistically tortured or ritually sacrificed or eaten alive or....
A huge stone came crashing through the living room window and landed on the floor.
"Bingo!" Buffy said. "Hold on a second, Giles. We have incoming ransom note. I'll call you back."
"Deja vu, anyone?" Xander quipped as he retrieved the rock, unbound the message and handed it to Buffy.
"Slayer. Tonight. 2:15. Restfield Cemetery. Boreanz crypt. Come alone," she read aloud.
"2:15?" Xander questioned.
Buffy shrugged. She looked at the clock on the bookshelf. "Almost 1:00? Well, at least they gave us plenty of time to plan."
"Connor," she called and started when he answered from right behind her, "Yes?"
"Okay, you're on stealth watch. I'm sending you in early to scope out the area, see who shows up. Or maybe they're already there. Either way." She handed him a cell phone. "You've patrolled Restfield with me. You know that little wooded ridge in the center of the cemetery? When you're done looking around, park yourself there and check in with us." He nodded and turned to leave.
"And Connor." He looked back over his shoulder. "Don't go Rambo on me," she cautioned. "Just recon and report. I don't want anything to happen to Dawn because you had a brainstorm and tried to pull something on your own. Got it?" Her voice rang with authority and Connor slowly inclined his head again.
"Yes."
"Good."
Without another word Connor vanished through the front door.
"Must be genetic," Xander mumbled to himself. "They're as spooky as black cats."
**********
Dawn came to with a blinding headache and the taste of coppery blood and dirty rag in her mouth. Crap! Kidnapped again. Without opening her eyes, she listened to the sound of her captors arguing. No need to alert them to the fact that she was conscious before finding out all she could about their plan.
"...is good enough, dammit! Why do you always have to take these stupid risks? Why can't you ever be happy with what you've got?" a female voice complained. "We had a simple plan. It worked. But now you have to go and...."
"Shut up!" a Bluto-sized voice roared. "Bitch, this was ALWAYS the plan. I just didn't tell you about it because I knew you'd start your yapping. The girl may have some watered down version of Slayer blood in her but it's not the same thing. It's like comparing piss to Andecker. I want the gold label stuff not some cheap knock off."
"But I tasted her," the woman continued. "She's delicious - not like anything you've ever drunk."
"Fine. While I'm feasting on the Slayer, you can finish off little Brittany here."
'Blood. It's always about the blood,' Dawn thought. 'Key blood. Slayer blood. Whatever. We're just so damn special!' Her mind paused then added, 'And where does he get off calling me Brittany? What the hell?'
She ventured to slit one eye to check out the layout of her prison. It looked like the basement of Spike's old crypt - the way it used to be before he fixed it up and then Buffy blew it up. Okay, we're in a mausoleum then. Check. She was grateful to find that she wasn't chained to a wall or anything, just bound hand and foot with rope and tossed into a corner on top of some poky things that she had a horrible feeling were old bones. Peeking with both eyes now she could see the backs of the vampire couple holding her captive. They were still engaged in heated debate and didn't know she was awake yet.
Now if this crypt were anything like Spike's it might lead into the ridiculously complex underground tunnel/cave/sewer system that riddled Sunnydale. She cautiously craned her aching neck around to scan the shadowy corners of the rough-hewn room. Maybe she could roll or crawl away while they argued. Her heart sank. None of the shadows looked deep enough to be a tunnel opening.
Upstairs the door to the crypt opened and slammed shut again, and two voices could be heard exchanging greetings. "Greg's back," one of the voices called down. "The message is delivered."
"All right," Bluto bellowed. "Now I want you two guys to go station yourselves where I said, one by the north gate and one up the hill. If the Slayer sends any of her minions ahead of her, you take care of 'em. I don't want any surprises. Then I want you to be ready to move in behind the Slayer when I take her down."
"Right," another voice, which must be Greg, growled.
Heavy footsteps clomped away above their heads.
"That's it? That's the extent of your 'plan'?" the whiny girlfriend began again. "Attack the Slayer and hold her while those two bozos shackle her? And then what - we keep her as a pet?"
"Hot Slayer blood on tap day and night," Bluto confirmed. "We feed her a little something now and then to keep her healthy and we feast for weeks!"
"I can't believe this," Whiny moaned to herself. "I was the CEO of one of the largest companies in L.A. before I got turned and was reduced to following an idiot like you."
There was the sound of a slap, followed by snarls and punches as the verbal battle turned physical. Dawn began writhing like an inchworm toward the ladder. She glanced up in time to see petite little Whiny throw Bluto against the wall. She started crawling faster.
"Damn it, baby, why do you have to give me so much trouble? Why can't you ever support me?" Bluto raged.
Whiny got batted across the room and landed on top of Dawn. The vampire scrambled up and screamed at her mate. "Maybe if you weren't such an obtuse, pig-headed...." She stopped her rant and looked down at Dawn, who had curled up like a pillbug and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to feign unconsciousness again.
"I put you in the corner. How'd you get over here?" She kicked Dawn in the side - hard.
"Ooff."
"Hey. Open your eyes. I know you're awake."
Dawn abandoned her pretense and glared up at the pretty woman who had asked her for one of her Altoids as they primped in front of the mirrors in the Bronze' restroom.
"So what do you think? Will Brad's stupid plan work? Will your sister come for you?"
"Of course," Dawn spat. "And she'll turn the pair of you into road grit, but not before she pulls your spinal columns out through your rectums!"
Whiny laughed. "That's what I thought. See, Brad? Even the kid knows this is a stupid idea."
"Enough," Brad thundered. "Look. All you gotta do is hold the girl, fangs to throat, while I take care of the Slayer. She's not going to make a move while her sister's in danger. Humans are dumb like that - even the Slayer. While we've got the girl, we've got the power."
Whiny suddenly capitulated. "Whatever." Dawn wondered what the woman's personal agenda was because Dawn doubted that she would really cave that easily.
Brad, like most males however, took what his woman said at face value and grunted an acknowledgment of her defeat. The female vampire wandered over to her purse and began rummaging until she produced a tube of lipstick, which she started to apply.
"God, not having a reflection sucks," she whined, when she was finished. "I must look like a clown half the time. How's my eyeliner?" She held her face up for her boyfriend to examine.
"Fine, baby," he said without looking. He was starting to pace nervously. "I hope those morons are doing what I told them." He looked at his watch. "Only 1:30! Why the hell did I tell the Slayer 2:15?"
***********
Connor reached the cemetery wall at the same time as the vampire he was tailing. He had been on his way to Restfield when he noticed the furtive figure slipping suspiciously from shadow to shadow, so he had dropped back and followed. Now the vampire threaded his way between grave markers toward the Boreanz crypt, and Connor knew he had the message bearer in his sights. It took all his willpower not to tackle the vampire and stake him before he entered the crypt. Instead, he followed Buffy's instructions and made his way to the top of the low, tree-covered rise in the center of the cemetery.
When they had returned from the Bronze, Connor had changed into dark jeans and a black jacket. Now he took the opportunity to complete his camouflage by gathering the loamy soil under the pine trees and wiping it into his face and hands so the moon wouldn't reflect off his pale skin. Next he found a secluded spot in the underbrush, which still afforded a good view of the crypt and hunkered down to wait. Connor was an expert at waiting. He could be still for hours like a cat watching a mouse hole and had once gone two days without eating or drinking, perched on a branch, out-waiting a Parnipse demon who had him treed.
However, he didn't have to wait long this time. In a few minutes two vampires emerged from the crypt. One headed north but the other began to climb the hill straight toward Connor's hiding place.
"Jesse was a friend. You know he was a good friend of mine. But lately something's changed. It's not hard to define. Jesse's got himself a girl and I wanna make her mine," the demon warbled in a surprisingly good tenor as he trudged uphill. He turned and looked back down at the crypt as he stopped to light a cigarette, then he strolled under the shelter of the trees like a man taking a Sunday walk in the park.
"Oh I wish that I had Jesse's girl. Yeah, I wish that I had Jesse's girl. Where can I find a woman like that? Like Jesse's guurgg...." Connor's blade sliced Greg's head cleanly off and the vampire dispersed in a cloud of dust.
Connor glided back to the shadows and squatted down to wait some more.
***********
"All right. We're going out. Grab the girl," Brad directed, half an hour later as he climbed the ladder to the upper level of the crypt.
Whiny Girlfriend complied, slinging Dawn over her shoulder like a sack of dirty laundry. She got about halfway up the ladder when she realized how awkward it could be to carry a wiggling mass of human.
"Hey! A little help here," she called.
Brad reached through the hole in the floor, grabbed Dawn by the back of her already sore, bitten neck and hauled her up. "Behave!" he growled into her face, his own twisted into bumpy demon ridges.
As Whiny emerged from below, he tossed Dawn back into her arms. "Keep her in line. Drink her down to unconscious if you have to."
They went outside where Brad stationed the other vampire in the shadow of the building. "I want you where she can see that her sister's still alive but not close enough for her to attack and get the girl away from you."
Dawn heard the woman sigh deeply right next to her ear and smelled blood breath. "All right." The arms holding her squeezed harder and Dawn heard the squishy, awful sound of bones and muscles sliding into game-face.
"And now, we just wait for the lion to come to us - then we cage her," Brad said confidently.
Buffy was early. At 2:05 they saw her blond head shining in the moonlight as she wended her way through the cemetery toward them. Dawn felt her heart pound even harder, if that were possible. The moment was at hand when she would have to participate, to make some kind of move if any opportunity whatsoever presented itself.
"Slayer," the beefy vampire greeted Buffy as she drew near. Dawn felt hot, moist breath on her neck and a pair of fangs just pressing into her skin. She held as still as her trembling would allow and waited to see what would happen next.
"I'm here. What do you want?" Buffy asked coldly, her stoic face betraying nothing.
"Why, you, of course," the vampire replied, trying for Elegant Villain voice and ending up with a laughable Dr. Evil one instead. "Greg! Shaq!" he called his flunkys.
Simultaneously several things happened: Shaq came running from the left but Greg was mysteriously absent. Brad dove at Buffy and knocked her to the ground. Dawn tensed and prepared to drive an elbow back into her captor at the same moment that Whiny abruptly released her, pushing her roughly forward.
"Slayer. Take her. I had nothing to do with this," Whiny screeched and tore off in the opposite direction to the scuffle that was taking place. Dawn crashed to the ground, hitting hard on the palms of her hands then immediately jumped to her feet. Buffy was already back up, had taken stock of the change in situation and begun to battle her two opponents.
"Dawn. Run for the trees," she commanded, as she delivered a roundhouse kick to Shaq's chest and ducked Brad's punch. Dawn, who would never think of obeying her sister without an argument under normal circumstances, took to her heels up the hill.
Her legs and arms pumped and her head was down as she ran when another pair of strong arms caught her. 'Must be Greg,' she decided as she struggled and kicked. She was damned if she'd let another vamp bite her. Dawn kneed the vampire in the balls hard while biting down on his arm, through a layer of fabric and skin, with her human but perfectly serviceable teeth.
"Aaagh!" the vamp yelled, letting go of her and falling to his knees. "Dawn!"
Dawn had already run a few paces beyond him, but the sound of her name stopped her. She turned around. "Connor?"
"Yesss," he hissed, hunched over and holding his crotch.
"Oh my god! I'm sorry," she said, going to him. "I thought you were a vampire." She stooped and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you all right?"
He glared up at her through his long bangs.
"Sorry," she said again with a weak smile.
He shrugged off her hand as he scrambled to his feet and started down the hill to help Buffy. But her battle was already almost finished. Before they reached her she had staked Shaq and was straddling Brad while pummeling his face to a pulp. Dawn and Connor stood watching her fists of fury for a moment before Dawn broke in.
"Uh, Buffy? You want to wrap it up? Some of us have bleeding neck wounds that need tending to."
"And arms," Connor muttered, pushing his sleeve up to examine the crescent shaped bite marks that now tattooed his arm.
Buffy ended it with a quick thrust of her stake through Brad's chest. He dissolved from beneath her and she jumped to her feet and went quickly to Dawn to check her injuries.
"You okay?" she asked, a frown of concern creasing her face as she dabbed at the bloodied bite.
"Go ahead and say it cause I know you're thinking it . Again!" Dawn said disgustedly. "It's embarrassing. Here I finally get you to start training me and it doesn't make any difference whatsoever - I still get kidnapped! This is getting really old."
Buffy put an arm around her and gave her a big hug then she looked back at Connor, who was rubbing his arm. "There aren't any more of 'em?"
Connor shook his head. "No. I took care of the other one." He nodded toward where Whiny had disappeared. "Do you want me to go after her?"
Buffy sighed. "I guess not. Let's just go home." Supporting Dawn, whose legs had suddenly gone boneless now that adrenalin wasn't moving her, she led the way toward the north gate. Dawn stumped along awkwardly, one leg shorter than the other by a couple of inches from lack of shoe, until she felt a little tug on her arm.
"Here," Connor said. They all stopped walking as he slipped Dawn's other shoe from his jacket pocket, stooped to one knee in front of her and slipped her foot into it. He fumbled a little with the side buckle before getting it fastened.
"Thanks," Dawn said softly, feeling a little embarrassed at the Cinderella treatment. "And, again, I'm sorry about...."
"Yeah," Connor answered curtly, jumping up and walking ahead of them.
Xander had parked outside the locked gate of the cemetery and was pacing anxiously by his car. When he saw the trio approaching, he relaxed visibly.
"Another successful search and rescue," he called. "We may get you to your sixteenth birthday yet, Dawnie."
"Ha. Ha. Very amusing," Dawn grumped as Buffy pushed her up the stone wall into Connor's waiting arms and he passed her down to Xander on the other side. "Remind me to make jokes next time you get knocked unconscious again. That's always good for a laugh."
"Point taken. Anyway, I'm glad you're all right." He gave her a fierce hug before bundling her into the back seat of the car.
Buffy slipped into the passenger seat as Xander took the wheel and Connor climbed into the back by Dawn. She lay wearily across the seat and he had to wedge himself in next to her. She shifted around and suddenly he found himself with her head in his lap.
"No hospital, Buffy," Dawn called out groggily. "Or Child Services will be all over us again. I just want to go home and sleep." Buffy assented unwillingly.
Connor felt Dawn trembling against his leg from the chill night air and blood loss so he slipped off his jacket and spread it over her. When he was sure that she had drifted off to sleep, he allowed his hand to stroke her long, smooth hair. It felt as soft as he had imagined it would be and her head was warm and solid on his thigh.
To be continued....
Dawn's rescue.
*********
Connor moved swiftly down the street following his nose, Buffy flanking his left and Xander trailing behind. Connor wondered why Xander was even with them. He was overweight, huffing in his efforts to keep up, and he was a little drunk. Connor didn't think he'd be much use in a fight and might even be a hindrance.
Pausing at the next street corner, he scanned the area for signs of Dawn and her captor. There had been a few drops of blood spattered in the alley by the door where they had found Dawn's shoe, from which Connor had been able to trace her scent for several blocks. But now, when they should be getting closer and the scent should be stronger, it suddenly disappeared. He dropped to one knee and examined the ground, leaned in close to try to breathe in Dawn again, but she was just ... gone.
He looked up at the Slayer. "I'm sorry. I can't...."
"Look at this!" Xander interrupted, trotting to the curb and pointing down at the road. "Pile of cigarette butts and skid marks where a car pulled away fast. Someone's picked them up."
Buffy nodded agreement and Connor felt like a fool for missing the obvious clue. If it had been animal tracks in grass or even on stony ground, he would have caught it immediately. Could even have said without a shadow of doubt what kind of beast had dragged her off.
"All right then," Buffy said thoughtfully. "Someone was expecting them. This wasn't a random attack. It seems like they were specifically after Dawn." Lips pressed in a grim line, she exchanged significant looks with Xander. "It's hell being related to the Slayer. Maybe I should appoint her a permanent bodyguard when we get her back."
She and Xander turned as one and headed back up the street. This time Connor walked behind.
"But.... How do we track her?" he asked, confused.
"We don't," Buffy said curtly as she marched along. "We go home, get weapons ready, hit the books, see if there's some once in a lifetime demon feast day coming up. And we hope the kidnapper contacts us soon."
"We'll call Giles and Willow," Xander added. "Get them researching."
Buffy nodded.
"Don't worry, Buff." Connor heard Xander say quietly. "We'll work it out. We always do."
*********
Connor examined the blade Buffy had handed him. He fingered the nice sharp edge then whirled it around once or twice to feel the weight and balance and how the grip fit his hand. It was a good weapon. But if he didn't get a chance to use it soon he was going to fly out of his skin. He glanced over at Buffy, who was pacing and talking on the phone, and Xander, who was seated and looking hopelessly at the stacks of books that surrounded him.
This was a pointless waste of time. Every second they spent inactive was another second Dawn could be moving closer to death or being sadistically tortured or ritually sacrificed or eaten alive or....
A huge stone came crashing through the living room window and landed on the floor.
"Bingo!" Buffy said. "Hold on a second, Giles. We have incoming ransom note. I'll call you back."
"Deja vu, anyone?" Xander quipped as he retrieved the rock, unbound the message and handed it to Buffy.
"Slayer. Tonight. 2:15. Restfield Cemetery. Boreanz crypt. Come alone," she read aloud.
"2:15?" Xander questioned.
Buffy shrugged. She looked at the clock on the bookshelf. "Almost 1:00? Well, at least they gave us plenty of time to plan."
"Connor," she called and started when he answered from right behind her, "Yes?"
"Okay, you're on stealth watch. I'm sending you in early to scope out the area, see who shows up. Or maybe they're already there. Either way." She handed him a cell phone. "You've patrolled Restfield with me. You know that little wooded ridge in the center of the cemetery? When you're done looking around, park yourself there and check in with us." He nodded and turned to leave.
"And Connor." He looked back over his shoulder. "Don't go Rambo on me," she cautioned. "Just recon and report. I don't want anything to happen to Dawn because you had a brainstorm and tried to pull something on your own. Got it?" Her voice rang with authority and Connor slowly inclined his head again.
"Yes."
"Good."
Without another word Connor vanished through the front door.
"Must be genetic," Xander mumbled to himself. "They're as spooky as black cats."
**********
Dawn came to with a blinding headache and the taste of coppery blood and dirty rag in her mouth. Crap! Kidnapped again. Without opening her eyes, she listened to the sound of her captors arguing. No need to alert them to the fact that she was conscious before finding out all she could about their plan.
"...is good enough, dammit! Why do you always have to take these stupid risks? Why can't you ever be happy with what you've got?" a female voice complained. "We had a simple plan. It worked. But now you have to go and...."
"Shut up!" a Bluto-sized voice roared. "Bitch, this was ALWAYS the plan. I just didn't tell you about it because I knew you'd start your yapping. The girl may have some watered down version of Slayer blood in her but it's not the same thing. It's like comparing piss to Andecker. I want the gold label stuff not some cheap knock off."
"But I tasted her," the woman continued. "She's delicious - not like anything you've ever drunk."
"Fine. While I'm feasting on the Slayer, you can finish off little Brittany here."
'Blood. It's always about the blood,' Dawn thought. 'Key blood. Slayer blood. Whatever. We're just so damn special!' Her mind paused then added, 'And where does he get off calling me Brittany? What the hell?'
She ventured to slit one eye to check out the layout of her prison. It looked like the basement of Spike's old crypt - the way it used to be before he fixed it up and then Buffy blew it up. Okay, we're in a mausoleum then. Check. She was grateful to find that she wasn't chained to a wall or anything, just bound hand and foot with rope and tossed into a corner on top of some poky things that she had a horrible feeling were old bones. Peeking with both eyes now she could see the backs of the vampire couple holding her captive. They were still engaged in heated debate and didn't know she was awake yet.
Now if this crypt were anything like Spike's it might lead into the ridiculously complex underground tunnel/cave/sewer system that riddled Sunnydale. She cautiously craned her aching neck around to scan the shadowy corners of the rough-hewn room. Maybe she could roll or crawl away while they argued. Her heart sank. None of the shadows looked deep enough to be a tunnel opening.
Upstairs the door to the crypt opened and slammed shut again, and two voices could be heard exchanging greetings. "Greg's back," one of the voices called down. "The message is delivered."
"All right," Bluto bellowed. "Now I want you two guys to go station yourselves where I said, one by the north gate and one up the hill. If the Slayer sends any of her minions ahead of her, you take care of 'em. I don't want any surprises. Then I want you to be ready to move in behind the Slayer when I take her down."
"Right," another voice, which must be Greg, growled.
Heavy footsteps clomped away above their heads.
"That's it? That's the extent of your 'plan'?" the whiny girlfriend began again. "Attack the Slayer and hold her while those two bozos shackle her? And then what - we keep her as a pet?"
"Hot Slayer blood on tap day and night," Bluto confirmed. "We feed her a little something now and then to keep her healthy and we feast for weeks!"
"I can't believe this," Whiny moaned to herself. "I was the CEO of one of the largest companies in L.A. before I got turned and was reduced to following an idiot like you."
There was the sound of a slap, followed by snarls and punches as the verbal battle turned physical. Dawn began writhing like an inchworm toward the ladder. She glanced up in time to see petite little Whiny throw Bluto against the wall. She started crawling faster.
"Damn it, baby, why do you have to give me so much trouble? Why can't you ever support me?" Bluto raged.
Whiny got batted across the room and landed on top of Dawn. The vampire scrambled up and screamed at her mate. "Maybe if you weren't such an obtuse, pig-headed...." She stopped her rant and looked down at Dawn, who had curled up like a pillbug and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to feign unconsciousness again.
"I put you in the corner. How'd you get over here?" She kicked Dawn in the side - hard.
"Ooff."
"Hey. Open your eyes. I know you're awake."
Dawn abandoned her pretense and glared up at the pretty woman who had asked her for one of her Altoids as they primped in front of the mirrors in the Bronze' restroom.
"So what do you think? Will Brad's stupid plan work? Will your sister come for you?"
"Of course," Dawn spat. "And she'll turn the pair of you into road grit, but not before she pulls your spinal columns out through your rectums!"
Whiny laughed. "That's what I thought. See, Brad? Even the kid knows this is a stupid idea."
"Enough," Brad thundered. "Look. All you gotta do is hold the girl, fangs to throat, while I take care of the Slayer. She's not going to make a move while her sister's in danger. Humans are dumb like that - even the Slayer. While we've got the girl, we've got the power."
Whiny suddenly capitulated. "Whatever." Dawn wondered what the woman's personal agenda was because Dawn doubted that she would really cave that easily.
Brad, like most males however, took what his woman said at face value and grunted an acknowledgment of her defeat. The female vampire wandered over to her purse and began rummaging until she produced a tube of lipstick, which she started to apply.
"God, not having a reflection sucks," she whined, when she was finished. "I must look like a clown half the time. How's my eyeliner?" She held her face up for her boyfriend to examine.
"Fine, baby," he said without looking. He was starting to pace nervously. "I hope those morons are doing what I told them." He looked at his watch. "Only 1:30! Why the hell did I tell the Slayer 2:15?"
***********
Connor reached the cemetery wall at the same time as the vampire he was tailing. He had been on his way to Restfield when he noticed the furtive figure slipping suspiciously from shadow to shadow, so he had dropped back and followed. Now the vampire threaded his way between grave markers toward the Boreanz crypt, and Connor knew he had the message bearer in his sights. It took all his willpower not to tackle the vampire and stake him before he entered the crypt. Instead, he followed Buffy's instructions and made his way to the top of the low, tree-covered rise in the center of the cemetery.
When they had returned from the Bronze, Connor had changed into dark jeans and a black jacket. Now he took the opportunity to complete his camouflage by gathering the loamy soil under the pine trees and wiping it into his face and hands so the moon wouldn't reflect off his pale skin. Next he found a secluded spot in the underbrush, which still afforded a good view of the crypt and hunkered down to wait. Connor was an expert at waiting. He could be still for hours like a cat watching a mouse hole and had once gone two days without eating or drinking, perched on a branch, out-waiting a Parnipse demon who had him treed.
However, he didn't have to wait long this time. In a few minutes two vampires emerged from the crypt. One headed north but the other began to climb the hill straight toward Connor's hiding place.
"Jesse was a friend. You know he was a good friend of mine. But lately something's changed. It's not hard to define. Jesse's got himself a girl and I wanna make her mine," the demon warbled in a surprisingly good tenor as he trudged uphill. He turned and looked back down at the crypt as he stopped to light a cigarette, then he strolled under the shelter of the trees like a man taking a Sunday walk in the park.
"Oh I wish that I had Jesse's girl. Yeah, I wish that I had Jesse's girl. Where can I find a woman like that? Like Jesse's guurgg...." Connor's blade sliced Greg's head cleanly off and the vampire dispersed in a cloud of dust.
Connor glided back to the shadows and squatted down to wait some more.
***********
"All right. We're going out. Grab the girl," Brad directed, half an hour later as he climbed the ladder to the upper level of the crypt.
Whiny Girlfriend complied, slinging Dawn over her shoulder like a sack of dirty laundry. She got about halfway up the ladder when she realized how awkward it could be to carry a wiggling mass of human.
"Hey! A little help here," she called.
Brad reached through the hole in the floor, grabbed Dawn by the back of her already sore, bitten neck and hauled her up. "Behave!" he growled into her face, his own twisted into bumpy demon ridges.
As Whiny emerged from below, he tossed Dawn back into her arms. "Keep her in line. Drink her down to unconscious if you have to."
They went outside where Brad stationed the other vampire in the shadow of the building. "I want you where she can see that her sister's still alive but not close enough for her to attack and get the girl away from you."
Dawn heard the woman sigh deeply right next to her ear and smelled blood breath. "All right." The arms holding her squeezed harder and Dawn heard the squishy, awful sound of bones and muscles sliding into game-face.
"And now, we just wait for the lion to come to us - then we cage her," Brad said confidently.
Buffy was early. At 2:05 they saw her blond head shining in the moonlight as she wended her way through the cemetery toward them. Dawn felt her heart pound even harder, if that were possible. The moment was at hand when she would have to participate, to make some kind of move if any opportunity whatsoever presented itself.
"Slayer," the beefy vampire greeted Buffy as she drew near. Dawn felt hot, moist breath on her neck and a pair of fangs just pressing into her skin. She held as still as her trembling would allow and waited to see what would happen next.
"I'm here. What do you want?" Buffy asked coldly, her stoic face betraying nothing.
"Why, you, of course," the vampire replied, trying for Elegant Villain voice and ending up with a laughable Dr. Evil one instead. "Greg! Shaq!" he called his flunkys.
Simultaneously several things happened: Shaq came running from the left but Greg was mysteriously absent. Brad dove at Buffy and knocked her to the ground. Dawn tensed and prepared to drive an elbow back into her captor at the same moment that Whiny abruptly released her, pushing her roughly forward.
"Slayer. Take her. I had nothing to do with this," Whiny screeched and tore off in the opposite direction to the scuffle that was taking place. Dawn crashed to the ground, hitting hard on the palms of her hands then immediately jumped to her feet. Buffy was already back up, had taken stock of the change in situation and begun to battle her two opponents.
"Dawn. Run for the trees," she commanded, as she delivered a roundhouse kick to Shaq's chest and ducked Brad's punch. Dawn, who would never think of obeying her sister without an argument under normal circumstances, took to her heels up the hill.
Her legs and arms pumped and her head was down as she ran when another pair of strong arms caught her. 'Must be Greg,' she decided as she struggled and kicked. She was damned if she'd let another vamp bite her. Dawn kneed the vampire in the balls hard while biting down on his arm, through a layer of fabric and skin, with her human but perfectly serviceable teeth.
"Aaagh!" the vamp yelled, letting go of her and falling to his knees. "Dawn!"
Dawn had already run a few paces beyond him, but the sound of her name stopped her. She turned around. "Connor?"
"Yesss," he hissed, hunched over and holding his crotch.
"Oh my god! I'm sorry," she said, going to him. "I thought you were a vampire." She stooped and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you all right?"
He glared up at her through his long bangs.
"Sorry," she said again with a weak smile.
He shrugged off her hand as he scrambled to his feet and started down the hill to help Buffy. But her battle was already almost finished. Before they reached her she had staked Shaq and was straddling Brad while pummeling his face to a pulp. Dawn and Connor stood watching her fists of fury for a moment before Dawn broke in.
"Uh, Buffy? You want to wrap it up? Some of us have bleeding neck wounds that need tending to."
"And arms," Connor muttered, pushing his sleeve up to examine the crescent shaped bite marks that now tattooed his arm.
Buffy ended it with a quick thrust of her stake through Brad's chest. He dissolved from beneath her and she jumped to her feet and went quickly to Dawn to check her injuries.
"You okay?" she asked, a frown of concern creasing her face as she dabbed at the bloodied bite.
"Go ahead and say it cause I know you're thinking it . Again!" Dawn said disgustedly. "It's embarrassing. Here I finally get you to start training me and it doesn't make any difference whatsoever - I still get kidnapped! This is getting really old."
Buffy put an arm around her and gave her a big hug then she looked back at Connor, who was rubbing his arm. "There aren't any more of 'em?"
Connor shook his head. "No. I took care of the other one." He nodded toward where Whiny had disappeared. "Do you want me to go after her?"
Buffy sighed. "I guess not. Let's just go home." Supporting Dawn, whose legs had suddenly gone boneless now that adrenalin wasn't moving her, she led the way toward the north gate. Dawn stumped along awkwardly, one leg shorter than the other by a couple of inches from lack of shoe, until she felt a little tug on her arm.
"Here," Connor said. They all stopped walking as he slipped Dawn's other shoe from his jacket pocket, stooped to one knee in front of her and slipped her foot into it. He fumbled a little with the side buckle before getting it fastened.
"Thanks," Dawn said softly, feeling a little embarrassed at the Cinderella treatment. "And, again, I'm sorry about...."
"Yeah," Connor answered curtly, jumping up and walking ahead of them.
Xander had parked outside the locked gate of the cemetery and was pacing anxiously by his car. When he saw the trio approaching, he relaxed visibly.
"Another successful search and rescue," he called. "We may get you to your sixteenth birthday yet, Dawnie."
"Ha. Ha. Very amusing," Dawn grumped as Buffy pushed her up the stone wall into Connor's waiting arms and he passed her down to Xander on the other side. "Remind me to make jokes next time you get knocked unconscious again. That's always good for a laugh."
"Point taken. Anyway, I'm glad you're all right." He gave her a fierce hug before bundling her into the back seat of the car.
Buffy slipped into the passenger seat as Xander took the wheel and Connor climbed into the back by Dawn. She lay wearily across the seat and he had to wedge himself in next to her. She shifted around and suddenly he found himself with her head in his lap.
"No hospital, Buffy," Dawn called out groggily. "Or Child Services will be all over us again. I just want to go home and sleep." Buffy assented unwillingly.
Connor felt Dawn trembling against his leg from the chill night air and blood loss so he slipped off his jacket and spread it over her. When he was sure that she had drifted off to sleep, he allowed his hand to stroke her long, smooth hair. It felt as soft as he had imagined it would be and her head was warm and solid on his thigh.
To be continued....
