The next morning, Dawn woke, thinking, Ugh, I hate Mondays. Then, remembering what she had planned after school, she perked up and hopped out of bed. After pulling on a blouse and jeans, she started towards her dresser to brush her hair, then stopped, thoughtfully.
She stared at her brush for an entire minute, concentrating and getting frustrated. Forcing herself to calm down, she shut her eyes and relaxed, reaching out her hand. She opened her eyes just in time to see her brush fly across the room and into her hand. Astounded, her mouth dropped and the brush fell to the floor. Slowly, a huge grin appeared on her face and she stooped to the floor to pick up the brush.
Omigod, omigod, omigod! It worked! That is so cool. I heard it took Willow months to actually get anything to work. I only started reading yesterday!
Now knowing that she was actually accomplishing something with her spell book, she brushed her hair happily and went to school, not even caring that she was bored out of her mind all day. She made her pencil stand on its point during class, but only for a second or two. It took a lot out of her for something as simple as that. Well, to most people it wasn't simple, but still.
Plus, it was cool showing off her necklace to the group of girls who had stopped to admire it. By the time the bell let them out, she was in a pretty good mood. As she rushed down the steps in front of the school she called out to Janice and Lindsay, "You guys meet me at the Bronze! 7:30! I've go a surprise!!"
From there, she hurried to the hair salon, walked in, took a deep breath and said, "I want something different." She sat in the chair apprehensively and squeezed her eyes shut as the girl began to hack off her beautiful hair. Oh please don't let it suck...she prayed.
An hour later, she walked from the shop, hardly believing it was her. She felt like a totally new person...she felt...attractive. They had dyed her hair jet black and cut several inches off the bottom. Instead of waist length, her hair now only reached the middle of her back. In the front it only reached her chin, barely enough to brush behind her ear. From there, it cascaded down in layers till it reached the bottom. It made her look way older. Cool, she thought.
Dawn decided to get a couple new outfits to go with her new look. She noticed that a bunch of guys would turn to stare at her as she passed. Not used to the attention, she blushed and tried to smile while feeling horribly self-conscious. Finally, when some guy who looked like he was thirty approached her, she decided it was enough and hurried into a shop. Boy, am I a hypocrite, she told herself. Blowing off a guy under forty cuz he's too old when I'm in love with a hundred and thirty year old vampire... She laughed to herself.
She tried on outfit after outfit, rejecting the assistance of the pushy sales people until she finally decided on some skintight black leather pants, a tiny leather skirt, a couple tube tops, a red strapless mini dress, and a pair of knee high boots. She made her purchases, feeling a bit devious. I'm turning into such a slut, she joked to herself. Dawn walked out with her bags, beaming; all this cool stuff and she still had $130 left! She glanced at her watch and saw that it was already six.
Hmm, better go get ready for the Bronze... She hurried home, threw her bags on her bed, and jumped in the shower, letting the cool water rush over her. When she stepped out, she dried herself slowly, looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. I look so...sexy. My eyes really stand out with my hair black...I wonder what Buffy's gonna say.
She loved the way her front layers framed her face; it made her seem mysterious, more interesting than she had ever been before. And her eyes...they looked haunting....beautiful. She laughed at these thoughts, then dressed hastily. Whatever Buffy was gonna say about her hair, good or bad, well, she knew it wouldn't be good if she saw the clothes Dawn was planning to wear.
She put on the black leather pants she had bought earlier, plus a skintight green tube top that bared her stomach. Once she slipped on the sexy high-heeled shoes that she had grabbed at the last minute during her shopping spree, she turned to glance in the mirror.
If she thought she had looked good Saturday, it was nothing compared to now. She looked stunning. Better than even Buffy had ever looked. Dawn continued to gaze at her reflection as she fastened her moon-shaped necklace which gleamed against her pale throat. She didn't jump up and down like she had Saturday, somehow she felt more mature. It's the hair, she decided. Quickly, she put on some eyeliner and slipped out the window.
Dawn hurried through the near dark streets, the sun hadn't set completely and she felt uncomfortably bare in her skimpy top and stilettos. She wrapped her arms around herself and felt relieved when the Bronze came into view.
She breezed through the door and finally felt at ease, grateful for the dim lighting. It made her feel less exposed and she relaxed. She became confident as she felt the pulsing beat of the music and passed the dance floor, scanning for faces she knew. Dawn continued to look around, pausing when she heard voices behind her.
"Where is she? It's already 7:35. What's the surprise?"
She turned and saw Lindsay and Janice chatting idly. They turned and noticed her, but said nothing, blinking in shock and disbelief. Lindsay's mouth hung open.
"Dawn?" Janice cried. "Omigod! Your hair! You look so hot," she scampered up and ran her fingers through Dawn's hair.
Lindsay stepped up. "It is Dawn? I didn't even recognize her!" she exclaimed. Turning her attention to Dawn, she said, "You look...wow. Even your eyes look different. And I love the outfit. The necklace goes perfect."
"Thanks. You guys wanna go dance? Look, Lindsay, there's Robert."
Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm over him. He's hot and everything, but...whatever."
"He's coming over!" Janice whispered. "He's looking at you!"
Robert grinned at the three girls. "Hey, Janice," he snapped his fingers, thinking, then blurted out, "Lindsay."
Lindsay frowned at not being remembered.
"So, who's you're friend?" he asked, turning to Dawn. Getting a closer look at her, his eyes widened. "Dawn?"
"Yeah," she smiled. "Like the new look?" He is so hot, she thought.
"Whoa," was all he could say. After a few seconds, he regained his composure. "So," he cleared his throat. "Wanna go, uh, dance?"
Dawn smiled again. "Ok."
He led her out onto the dance floor...somehow, he danced even better than she remembered. Dawn tensed slightly when he came behind her and put his hands on her bare waist, but she tried not to show it and ran her hands slowly through her hair. When she rubbed against him he pulled her to him even tighter, and they continued to move to the pulsing beat. In one quick movement, he whirled her around to face him, pulling her so close that she was straddling his knee. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling away when she felt one of his hands creeping up the back of her top.
Out of nowhere, she felt a hand on her shoulder and heard a familiar voice say, "Mind if I cut in, mate?"
Without waiting for an answer, the newcomer pulled her away and brought her to him, closer than even Robert had. It was Spike.
As her cheeks flushed with excitement and nervousness, she noticed Robert about to say something, but one glare from the bleached blonde vampire and he walked off, subdued.
She wanted to say something to Spike, but part of her, the part that couldn't believe Spike was actually dancing with her like this, told her that this wasn't the moment for talking. Once the initial shock wore off, Dawn realized that she had fantasized about this forever, and that she was doing nothing to make it the way she had pictured. Spike was doing things to her while they moved that made this even better than kissing that other vampire had been.
Well, duh, a voice said. It's Spike. But after realizing she wasn't dancing the way she wanted to, she began to dance seductively, slithering up and down his body, shocking even herself. The faster they moved, the more their bodies rubbed together...it caused electricity to crackle between them. Dawn could feel a fiery heat from their dancing, wondering how it could be so when Spike was so cold. It seemed that even others around them could notice their passion, and some stopped to watch. Dawn's breath quickened as Spike continued to move against her, the friction building between them. When the song ended, he pulled her around to face him and stared into her eyes. Hoping he would kiss her, Dawn stared back at him, but saying nothing, he turned and walked away. At the last minute he turned back and said, "Love the hair, Nibblet," then disappeared into the crowd.
Dawn stood in a stunned and happy silence, still a bit confused about what had just happened. If she had thought Robert was a good dancer, it was nothing compared to Spike...the way he ran his hands over her...and he hadn't even tried to feel her up the way Robert had, but somehow it still felt so much sexier.
She heard and excited squeal and say Janice running towards her with Lindsay close behind. "Who was that?" she asked excitedly, jealousy evident in her voice. "He was such a hottie. No one at our school looks like that."
"Whoa," Lindsay shook her head vigorously in agreement. "I want him. Maybe I should dye my hair black..." she mused.
As they bombarded her with questions, Dawn remained silent. When they realized she wasn't answering, they asked, "Are you okay, Dawn?"
"Oh. Yeah," Dawn grinned. "But I, uh, gotta get home you guys..."
"But who was he?" Janice whined as Dawn walked into the dark night. Dawn ignored her, lost in her own thoughts. As she walked through the dark streets, she smiled. I bet Spike's never danced with Buffy that way. Then she quickened her steps and grinned all the way home.
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I hope everyone liked this chap! I'm getting more and more reviews, so, yay. Please continue to R&R and the next chap should be up soon!