(Disclaimer: I do not own BtVS. Just using the characters.)
Dawn shivered, hurrying along the deserted streets of her neighborhood. There wasn't a human in sight and that alone frightened her. The wind was still whining and she supposed that that was a good sign. Dead silence always meant trouble. Exhaling, she could see her own breath, gathering in a cloud of mist from her lips.
Being the forgetful teenager that she was, Dawn did not notice that the words "Winter Solstice" was printed on the calendar date. She stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk and growled in annoyance. The streetlights weren't bright, as usual. Grimly smiling, she mused, 'Guess the streetlights were put up by vamps. How convenient.'
The brunette jammed her hands into her pockets, eyes fixed on the pavement in front of her. It was that one-sided concentration that made her easy prey. Something unseen in the shadows of the tree was restless. He foolishly emitted an audible snarl. It was just loud enough to startle Dawn.
She broke into a wild dash, swerving to avoid several oddly shaped shadows. There it was. The dreaded dead silence. Why did they call it a "dead" silence anyways? Silence isn't something that can die. Can it? Shaking the thought from her cluttered brain, she used all her focus on getting to the SunnyDale cemetery. It was very amusing that she would try and escape a creature of the night by fleeing to a place where such a thing would hang out. But that was where Spike was.
As soon as her sneakers clad feet hit the tombstone-strewn ground, there were several vamps on her trail already. Only one destination was on her mind: Spike's crypt. Neither vampire nor demon that resided in good ol' California SunnyD would dare challenge the former William the Bloody.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Dawn slammed her fist against the cold, firm stone door. Half hoping that he wasn't out; she waited anxiously for what seemed like hours. Finally, the welcoming squeak of a turning hinge greeted her grateful ears. "Let me in!" The trailing vampires backed away a bit for they had sensed the authority and power the elder vamp possessed.
Spike's English accent taunted at her, "What's the magic phrase, Bit?" She sighed with a mix of relief and irritation. "Please, O' fearful and soap-opera-watching William the Bloody." A wolfish grin spread across his face and allowed the spooked girl to enter.
Brotherly worry replaced his teasing and he directed her to the nearest pilfered couch. "So, enlighten me Platelet, what brings you here on the winter solstice? A.K.A. the bloody longest night of the bloody year!" Her response was one of a wide-eyed confusion and misunderstanding.
"I…forgot?" She stumbled for an excuse to get her out of this tangled situation but found none.
"But your sister is the Slayer. It's not like you're related, eh?" He remarked, a tad too sarcastically. That was the reason why vampires are called demons. The demon within resides in the shell of a former human, containing only memories of its former life.
A hurt expression flashed on her face, only to be shaken off. Having vampiric sight, Spike could see right through her façade. "Sorry, Platelet. Didn't mean it."
"You did," she murmured softly, fiddling with a stray lock of hair. "You're right, as always. She isn't my real sister and I'm technically only two years old. All those past memories of my childhood are only artificial. Birthday celebrations, baby teeth, first grade friends…" Dawn hesitated for a moment, choked up in her thoughts. "I'm the Key. I'm not supposed to be real."
Now that silenced the platinum blond vampire. He wanted to say it wasn't all true but what was the point? It was true. All of it was. "Doesn't mean that you can't make new ones. Bloody—Aw, bugger. Whether you like it or not, you exist and that's just as good as being real. You're flesh and blood."
"Demons are also flesh and blood," she retorted pointedly. He quirked a brow, as if he knew something she desperately wanted to know. "Well, you have a soul."
Dawn narrowed her eyes at Spike. "How do you know that? I'm not sure if I have a soul."
Author's Notes: To be continued... Comment, please!