AN: This is a story about what if Dracula wanted the Key instead of the Slayer.
Her eyes fluttered open with a start. She had another dream, except these were different from the rest. Instead of showing horrific memories, she saw what her lifes without Dracula had been like. She ended up alone, everyone leaving her. Flashes of many self-deaths depicted her way of leaving this world.
Shaking her head, she forced a look in the mirror. Her face looked dirty. Smudges of dirt were on her skin with bruises underneath. Pushing back her hair, two bite marks were exposed. Thoughts of the night before flood into her head and it was tearing at her.
She let him bite her. Twice. If she thought about it, she would have realized that every time he did something to her, she was in a thrall. But she didn't and instead took a shower.
As the hot water cascaded around her body, she hissed under the pain. Her whole body was so sore from all the new things she had experienced in the past days.
The phone started to ring, but she decided to let it ring.
"Hey Dawn, it's your favorite sister," Buffy joked into the answering machine.
"You're my only sister," Dawn mocked to herself while listening to it.
"Anyway, we're all over at the Magic Shop. I was going to wake you this morning, but you looked tired. So... just come by whenever. We're researching Dracula, tres boring. Be careful!"
The machine clicked and Dawn slowly got out of the shower. She dressed in an old pair of jeans and a red vintage shirt. Seeing her bite again, she pulled out a black scarf and tied it around her neck. She'd hate for anyone to find out. It would be too embarrassing.
"What's up, Dawnster?" Xander asked when she walked through the door of the Magic Box. The brunette gave him a small smile and sat down the farthest away from any suspicious eyes.
"Okay," Buffy said, getting down to business. "We've found Count's hideout. He's in this castle over on Stuart Street," she finished, clasping her hands together.
"What do you propose we do?" the ex-watcher asked, cleansing his glasses with a hankie.
"Um, kick some ass?" Buffy grinned.
Giles sighed and put his glasses back on his delicate nose.
"Buffy..." he trailed off. "Dracula is indeed notorious. He has probably faced slayers way before our times, yet he is still alive, er, undead."
"What are you saying?" she replied. "That I can't kill him?
The blonde slayer was starting to get huffy and sat down. Willow gave her a comforting glance.
"He's got those powers, Buff. And you guys seem to deck it out every night, yet he always wins. I mean...maybe we should get someone else to do it."
Dawn tried not to listen to their talk. The bites on her neck and upper, inner thigh were throbbing and she couldn't help but realize that her friends were going to kill him. Going to kill her life mate. Without him, she'd be so lonely that she'd take her own life. She'd...
"What about Spike?" Anya suggested, pulling Dawn out of her thoughts.
The bleached vampire rushed in the shop with his blanket over him. The smell of enflamed flesh hit Dawn's nose which made her stomach turn. He threw off his cover up and sank into the seat next to her. Sinking further into her seat, she flipped her hair so it covered the scarf.
"Yeah, what about me?" he smirked. "Talkin' 'bout me again, eh?"
Buffy shot him a dirty look which he ignored, lighting up a cigarette instead.
"What were you saying, Anya?" Giles insisted, ignoring the blonde couple's tiny fight.
"Well, if we're worried about Buffy's mind being controlled by Dracula, what if we switch Buffy with Spike. I'm sure, even if Dracula did try, Spike could block the connection."
He nodded his head slowly, digesting the information.
"That's brilliant!" he declared. "So, Spike, could you do it? Kill Dracula?"
"Sure. The bloke owes me twelve pounds anyway," he shrugged.
Dawn had had enough. The thoughts of killer her past-life's lover made her nauseous and just plain ill, so she exited the shop through the back door and returned to her position the other day. With her head rested on the brick wall, she tried not to dwell on the thought of him dying. She had to get to him! Had to tell him that someone was going to kill him!
Making a mad dash to get up, a hand caught her wrist.
"Where do you think you'regoing?" Spike asked, his voice steel-like and mechanical.
"Home...I'm tired," she lied and tried to continue walking, but he was still holding her.
"I know what's going on," he accused. With her confused look, he finished. "I heard you whispered his name. I can tell when a girl's got it."
Dawn looked away from him quickly. He knew, she thought. He was going to take Dracula away from her.
"Take off your scarf." She didn't. "I said take off your bloody scarf," he commanded.
His hand was quick as it worked its way around her neck. The piece of fabric fell to the ground after he finished untying it.
"Oh Dawn," he sighed as he finger worked around the small bite.
"I don't know why I covered it. I just heard this voice this morning and...and it told me to," she confessed with a sigh. "I'm not...I'm not enthralled. I was just curious," she lied again.
Anger flew into Spike's eyes and body, but it calmed down when he heard her sniffle.
"'S okay, bit. I'll kill him tonight and then everything will be good again, yeah?"
She nodded into his chest, but a sense of determination crawled through her. She would get to Dracula before he would. She'd help him and then she'd get his surprise.
I don't really like this chapter, but hmm. I'm starting to write a HP fic. Yes I know! It's crazy. But I'm proud that I even thought of it, though it probably has been done. Anyway... whatever. R&R.