Chapter 17:

Buffy was running at a fast pace through the graveyard, this was her domain. She was on the hunt for more vampires to dust. Buffy was wearing red leather pants and a black polo neck top as she continued to sprint through the cemetery. Saffron was closely behind her, wearing patterned grey jeans and a black sweater that she wished she hadn't worn because she felt all hot and sweaty running after her cousin. A vampire hauled himself out of a freshly dug grave and instantly ran at the first human he saw, which happened to be the slayer. Buffy was kicking and punching the vamp, she had distracted him with a punch he was trying to defend before quickly dusting him with the other hand. Saffron was watching intently as Buffy was fighting in a way that meant Saffron could study her technique. Buffy had chosen simple moves for Saff to memorise so she could fight a vamp without the slayer power.

"And that, is how you do it!" Buffy said proudly, her hands on her hips as Saffron smiled in praise of her cousin.

"So, I do the old trick of misdirection then wham! Straight for the chest" Saffron imitated what Buffy had just done with her own stake. She thought maybe she could actually do that move and she was definitely going to practice it in the mirror later.

"See, you're getting it, I'll make an apprentice out of you, kid!" Buffy put on a funny accent and Saffron smiled but didn't miss that she'd called her on her age, again.

"Buff, not a kid, same age"

"You know, those extra months really count, I'm definitely mature girl"

"Buff, I'm super mature. You're-" Saffron was cut off, she could feel something behind her and she swung round to be met with a pale man coming straight for them across the graveyard. He had long hair and a black cloak surrounding his shoulders and she had to admit he was fascinating to watch, she could barely take her eyes off him. He floated towards them; his eyes were fixated on Buffy. Saffron backed away so she was standing slightly behind Buffy, she had been training but Buffy hadn't let her try a real vamp on her own yet. And this one seemed powerful.

"Very impressive hunt. Such power" He slowly glided towards them, he had finally noticed that Saffron was there too, "An da shealladh. The heart that beats for the world and the eyes that cry for it" He stroked her cheek lightly, staring intently into her eyes. Buffy quickly stepped in front of saffron to break his contact with her. She was ready to fight him, but he was more interested in talking to her, for now. He named her as the slayer and Buffy was introduced to the man before them.

"I'm Dracula" He stated as Saffron's eyes widened and she smiled with glee. The Dracula, she thought to herself in excitement as Buffy verbalised her surprise. Buffy and Dracula continued their conversation as Saffron stayed mostly silent. Saffron could see Willow and Xander walking through the cemetery towards them and she tried to subtly gesture to them that it was Dracula. He looked at her with his head tilted to the side as if he was unsure what to make of her and her actions. She had put her pointing fingers on either side of her mouth to indicate fangs and she looked excited. Xander and willow looked at each other and hurried over. She visibly cringed when she realised both Buffy and Dracula had paused their conversation to watch her imitation. Xander made fun of Dracula and he ended up leaving, with the four of them staring after the bat that flew away.

xoxoxo

Saffron had entered the Crypt and met Spike with a soft kiss. She took her purple jacket off and placed it over the arm of the chair. Spike was mixing them drinks, he already had a blood and vodka cocktail for himself and he was fixing Saffron something with less O negative in it.

"You will never guess who I met last night!" She was practically buzzing with excitement as she waited impatiently for him to actually guess. Spike turned to look at her, searching her face for a hint.

"Give us a sodding clue, pet" He said, already tired of the guessing game as he passed her the glass he had made for her and sat next to her on the sofa.

"This is definitely my cup, right? I don't want a repeat of the other week" She sniffed the glass tentatively trying to spot any blood in her glass.

"Vodka and cranberry, love" He said with an eye roll, she hadn't let him forget it since it had happened, "Anyway, who's this very important demon?"

"Dracula! I met the Dracula!" She tapped his arm in excitement, almost spilling the contents of her glass that she still hadn't taken a sip of, as she revealed her news. She smiled up at Spike but faltered slightly as she saw the look on his face.

"That bloody ponce?" I thought it was someone worth mentioning" He sulked and slumped into his chair, taking a large swig of his drink. Bloody traitor.

"You've met him?!"

"I've more than met him, Honeysuckle. Proper stake in my side, he is. Bloody tosser owes me £11 for one"

"11 quid, what a bastard!" She said in mock horror, "Isn't there a vampire claims court you can take him to?"

"£11 meant a lot at the time" He thought back to the incident and cursed Dracula again. Saffron, however, had pulled a face when he had mentioned his long past.

"Please don't remind me of your age again, it feels like I robbed a grave to kiss the corpse"

"Didn't hear you complaining the other night"

"Well you seemed very… athletic the other night" She thought about it and set her glass down on the table and moved to sit on his lap. He moved his hands to support her waist. She kissed him with feeling to begin with and Spike moved one hand up her back which made her shiver. She started to trail a few kisses on his neck, but something had distracted her.

"When we saw Dracula he called me that old name for having the sight. He spoke to me as if he knew me. I had chills, you know. Literal chills" She explained, pausing from her place in the corner of Spike's neck. She was still not over her encounter. Spike rolled his eyes, already sick of hearing about him. Plus, he could feel jealousy in his stomach, it was weighing on him like a stone.

"Oh and did Dracula tell you how he gets his hair that soft and did Dracula tell you about all the money he got on the rights to that stupid bloody book" Saffron moved to face Spike, he looked slightly pissed off, but she knew it wasn't really at her. She realised something and she was trying to hide a smile on her face.

"Is Spike, the big bad, jealous?" She laughed.

"I'm not bloody-"

"I smell deception" She smiled, pretending to sniff the air before looking back into his eyes. "I only have eyes for you, love" She did a horrible imitation of his London accent which made the corners of his lips move slightly to show a hint of a smile. He was still jealous but having Saffron with him, showing him that she wanted him satisfied him to some extent. They continued to talk for a while and saffron eventually took a sip from her glass to find that it really was just cranberry. He was about to remind her that he loved her when the door was roughly opened.

Riley burst in and Saffron dived onto the floor and crawled behind the nearest concrete tombstone to hide from the visitor. Saffron hadn't seen who it was she had just panicked and hid as fast as she could. Spike watched her go with a disappointed look on his face as he missed the feeling of her on his lap already. He turned to frown at whoever that had made her leave his side and found himself frowning even more when he saw that it was Riley. Riley walked in and looked around with a look of disgust, he then saw two glasses on the coffee table and wondered who would want to spend an evening in this dank hole.

"Have I interrupted something?" He asked with a fake courtesy, his eyes looking between the two glasses.

"Yeah you have" Spike replied shortly, motioning him to leave. If there was one soldier that wasn't invited into his home that wasn't Graham, it was Riley. Saffron was getting pins and needles from being sat on the cold concrete floor as Spike started to rant about Dracula. She crossed her arms as he continued to go on about that £11 he so desperately missed. I'll give him 11 bloody quid if that's all he cares about, Saffron thought to herself. Although she knew it was the principle and he obviously saw Dracula as an enemy. She felt a bit embarrassed about how she had gushed about meeting him, but she still thought it was very cool. She might ask him to sign her copy of the book, if he wasn't trying to kill her cousin of course. Riley threatened Spike and she tensed, why did these soldiers feel like they had warrant to do anything they felt like. None of them were even military anymore. False sense of moral superiority, Saff decided. Riley eventually left after he got the information he needed from Spike. Saffron hadn't noticed from her hiding place that Riley had noticed a purple jacket that was left on the arm of the chair. He decided the next vamp he found in that jacket would be dust.

xoxoxo

By the time Saffron and Buffy had reached Giles' she had been convinced there was something up with Buffy. They had all sat in the living room and Saffron was too caught up in her own thoughts and worries about her cousin to notice that Riley hadn't stopped staring at her since she had walked in. She tried to listen to Willow's facts about Dracula but it was nothing she hadn't read in a book before. She started to twist the rings on her fingers as she continued to think rather than concentrate on the conversation. They had agreed to check out the nicer places in Sunnydale to find Dracula and Saff nodded along, not feeling the need to be too involved. She had a feeling that Spike might have something to say if she went skipping off to Dracula's lair without him. Riley interrupted Saff's thoughts.

"Nice jacket, Saff" He pointed at her purple jacket that she had kept on inside Giles' living room because she was cold.

"Thanks, it's new" She smiled, not aware of his implication. He nodded and continued to stare at her. She felt uncomfortable under his gaze and didn't understand why he was looking at her so oddly, he had barely noticed her before. He was always usually staring at Buffy. She could feel his emotions, but mostly he just felt confused, as if he was trying to solve a puzzle. She guessed he usually felt lost and confused, he often looked to Buffy for the answers anyway. Military drone.

She moved to sit near Giles as he confirmed that Buffy was listening to the conversation. Riley had looked back at Buffy when she replied and Saffron felt tension in her shoulders release. Willow started to gush about the way she had felt when Dracula looked at her and Saffron couldn't help but agree.

"He was mesmerising" She agreed, mostly because Spike wasn't in the room to hear it, and willow seemed to flush at her own feelings towards Dracula. Saff knew she was mentioning it because Tara wasn't around too. She smiled at her friend but her face soon dropped when Buffy replied. She felt the deception instantly and stared hard at Buffy, who didn't look up from where she had been staring since she had sat down. Buffy had lied about feeling Dracula's gaze as much as the other two girls. Buffy avoided looking at Saffron and declared she was going to find him and walked out of Giles' home with speed. Saff got up to follow her but Riley put his hand up, indicating that he would go. The others all gave each other a look and followed the two outside soon after. They could all see that Buffy has been bitten by Dracula and Saff just stared at the mark on her cousins neck and itched her own.

"Buff, what's going on?" she asked, concerned about her cousin. Buffy explained the voice and the feelings she had since her meeting with Dracula at night. Xander started making excuses for her and Saff stared at him with suspicion. The gang decided to search for Dracula while Buffy and Xander stayed at his place. Saff frowned at how quickly he offered but shrugged, she was pleased she had some spare time before night fall to prepare. She lit up a cigarette, much to everyone's annoyance, but she merely smiled brightly and waved goodbye.

Saffron appeared at the door of her now second home. The crypt creaked open quietly, barely enough to hear. But a certain vampire with good senses heard it instantly, and jumped out of his seat ready to attack.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping? It's the middle of the bloody day" She said, smiling at his stance. He quickly dropped his fighting stance and strided towards her, instantly closing the space between them.

"Couldn't sleep, love. Ever since dark and broody came to town there's been demons coming out the woodwork, no matter the time of day" He explained, placing his hands on either side of her arms. He needed to be in contact with her, he was still convinced she would change her mind and leave him.

"Didn't know Angel was back, I'll have to go and say hi…" She acted as if finding Angel was the most important thing, and swung around as if she was leaving the crypt in a rush, trying to hide the smile on her face. Spike grabbed the top of her arm and pulled her close to him, showing her a warning face. They were pressed against each other, and Saffron had to hide another smile. She enjoyed the way he wanted her.

"You'll be doing no such thing" He stated, a hint of a growl came from the back of his throat. She smiled at his reaction, and didn't hide it, and gave him a cheeky wink that made his shoulders relax slightly.

"You know I'd rather be here" she beamed up at him, if Spike's heart worked it would have skipped a beat. She laced her fingers through his, never looking away from his eyes. She explained she was needed at nightfall, not explaining why, but for now she was all his. He twirled her around with one hand as if they were dancing, showing he was pleased. He leant down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips and she enthusiastically responded by opening her mouth a fraction to give his tongue entry. He led her to the couch where re-runs of a black and white show Saffron didn't recognise was on. She didn't pay much attention though as Spike was already kissing her again and helping her adjust on the sofa for a more comfortable position.

They continued this way, barely stopping so Saffron could breathe, throughout the afternoon and into the evening. Occasionally they stopped and talked or watched part of one of the shows. But mostly they continued to explore each other. His touch was soft as he made contact with her skin. No matter how often he had explored her body, it felt special every time he got to touch her. Without either mentioning it to the other, they both felt the same. She reached to run her hand through his hair, eventually resting on the back of his neck. She thought she felt a slight shiver in reaction from Spike and smiled into the kiss. Saffron was sat on his lap now, Spike's strong had was slowly making his way up her thigh, resting at the side to support her place on his lap, while she continued to kiss him slowly. Being able to feel the way he was feeling heightened the moment and Saffron wished that he could feel how good she felt. She didn't realise that after she thought this, Spike started to feel emotions that weren't his own. He stopped and looked into her eyes, feeling a slight disappointment when he pulled away. It's her, he thought to himself. He didn't know if she knew he could feel it but knowing how good she felt willed him to continue.

xoxoxo

The sky was a striking midnight blue, the sun had set hours ago and dark purple hues swirled through the sky as if it was a dream. She had enjoyed her afternoon and had struggled to leave Spike in the crypt. He said he needed to get some blood anyway, which made it slightly easier for them both to part ways. Saffron was almost skipping on her way to her destination now, her smile to herself was genuine but it did look strange as she was walking by herself in the dark. She crossed paths with a vampire, but seemed to be looking through him towards the path she was on. He ran his hands through his slicked back hair, showing off his freshly painted black fingernails, as he wondered what his love was doing walking this way at night. He had thought she was needed at home or in a scooby meeting. He had a brown paper bag under his arm as he closely searched her face. She didn't seem to have any weapons on her and she was grinning, which was unusual as her resting face was usually beautifully morbid to him. She eventually stopped, although reluctantly next to him. Spike didn't even ask, she started to explain herself distractedly without prompt.

"I'm going to meet with the Dark Prince in his castle" Saffron said, staring off in the distance with a dreamy smile on her face. Spike's face turned into a scowl when he heard these words.

"The sodding what?"

"The dark-" But Spike didn't want to hear her say it again, so he cut her off quickly.

"No you're bloody not" He shook his head and picked saffron up off the ground and hoisted her over his shoulder into a fireman's lift. She squealed when he did this as she hadn't been expecting it and felt instantly embarrassed at the noise she had just made. She was related to the slayer, she shouldn't squeal like some kid.

"Spike! Spike, I was joking!" She patted him to get him to release her, but he had started walking a few paces in the opposite direction "Put me down" she commanded, her voice sounding serious, so he reluctantly planted her feet back onto the ground. He looked at her suspiciously but was relieved to find she didn't seem to be under Dracula's thrall.

"I don't want you going in there" He said, his hands on both of her shoulders again, but for a different reason than earlier that day, a pleading look in his eyes as he met hers.

"The others will be there, and I can handle myself much better now" She shrugged, not feeling the need to convince him too much.

"I don't think Drac will be fooled by that cute little misdirection trick you tried on me, pet"

"Well, I'm going. You can't stop me" She put her hands on her hips. He looked at her for a moment and seemed to accept that she was going no matter what. She was stubborn, and he wouldn't get a moments peace if he tried to carry her back to the crypt, "Hey, chin up, maybe you can settle that score. If Buff slays him, maybe you can have the castle!" She said excitedly as they continued to walk up the hill towards the massive castle that Saffron had never noticed in Sunnydale before.

"Hey! What's wrong with the crypt?" Spike said, he was slightly offended she would rather have Dracula's castle than his crypt. He'd made it nice and homely for her, there was even a chest of drawers for her girly crap now. They continued to bicker about the crypt as they got to the ornate entrance of the castle. Saffron used it as another point in her favour, the door to the castle was elegant in a gothic way and she smiled when she saw that Spike grudgingly agreeing with her.

The events went so fast at Dracula's castle. Saffron enjoyed walking through the halls but she tried not to babble about the décor too much in case Spike started to huff. He still seemed sore she had wanted him to have the castle, she had only been joking but she had to admit she loved it. They eventually got to the main room where Dracula and Buffy already were. Dracula had smiled when he saw her and this had made Spike mad.

"You see through them, their foolish worries and hopes. Your amethyst gaze penetrates" Dracula had told her as he began to beckon her to walk towards him. She started a small step in his direction but Spike and Buffy quickly got in the way before she had reached him. Spike managed to get a punch in, especially when he saw the way he was staring at Saffron. Buffy eventually managed to finish him off and Saffron was relieved. Everyone came into the room together and Riley had given them a funny look when he saw Spike stood next to Saffron. Saffron stared back at him, still not aware why he had kept looking over. He quickly averted his gaze when he noticed that Saff was staring back, seemingly annoyed.

The next evening, the Summer's house was filled with the sound of three pairs of legs sprinting up the stairs as fast as they could while voices from the girls filled the house. Joyce knew what was coming and she sighed and put down the hairbrush she had been using. The three of them fought to get through the door frame of Joyce's room to try and be the first one to make their case in front of Joyce. They had been squabbling downstairs and decided they needed Joyce to settle their arguments. Buffy got through the door first but Saffron was louder and started to tell Joyce what was annoying her while she fought to get past Dawn.

"Buffy keeps stealing my hoops! That's my look and-"

"Dawn keeps following me around the house and it's really annoying-"

"Not even! Mom, Saff keeps telling me Buffy needs me and getting me in trouble with her-"

"Is that the sound of my 3 teenage daughters all getting along together?" Joyce smiled as she said daughters, they all usually slipped up like that and it always made Saff smile widely. Things like that made her feel a part of the little family. Joyce managed to talk them down and they all went back to what they had been doing downstairs before they had all started to argue. Buffy went to the kitchen and continued to make the smoothie she had started before Dawn had walked in to interrupt her again. She touched one of the hoops in her ear as she thought about what Saffron had said, but then shrugged and continued to cut up some banana. Saffron had been in the living room watching tv while Dawn worked on her homework on the other side of the room. Saffron had gotten bored of the tv and looked back over to Dawn who was focusing hard on her work. Saffron had always found it weird that Dawn seemed to enjoy homework.

"Hey, Dawn chorus, I think Buffy's calling you from the kitchen" Saff smiled mischievously. She and Dawn got on, but she enjoyed playfully winding her younger cousin up.

"I'm not falling for that again, Saff! She shouts when I even breathe near her"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Do you need any help with that?" Saffron had walked over to her and tapped a dark green painted fingernail at one of the books Dawn had surrounding her.

"It's math" Dawn shrugged, anticipating Saffron's response.

"Gross! I'm out" Saff pulled a face as if she was grossed out by the subject, then added, "But I can offer you a warm drink to help you with your studies?"

"Hot chocolate? Extra marshmallows?" Dawn beamed as she gave her order.

"The ones with or without the cow bones?" Saffron inquired what kind of marshmallows she wanted.

"…with?" Dawn guiltily asked which made Saff smile, she didn't hold it against anyone for not sharing her passion for vegetarianism.

"Coming up, Dawny"

When she returned with the drink, Dawn was almost done. She had been chatting with Buffy in the kitchen and Buff had told her that she spoils Dawn too much. Saffron explained she would have done the same for her if she had been doing homework. Buffy thought about it and guessed she probably would, in fact she had when they were in Sunnydale high. They used to take it in turns to make snacks for each other while they both tried to catch up on their homework. She recalled they usually ended up calling willow to come over and help though. As she handed Dawn the mug, she quickly explained where she was going.

"I'm, uh, just going to get some fresh air. But it's dangerous for you to come out so… don't. Night-time demons and all that" Saffron wasn't a great liar over the little things. She had been hiding her smoking habit from Dawn since she had arrived in Sunnydale and didn't want to be a bad influence on the young girl. Dawn had been young when she had arrived, and she didn't want her to know. Joyce had never liked the habit either so the less that it was mentioned, the better. Buffy rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips, showing her disapproval as she watched Saffron go out for a smoke. When she left through the back door, Buffy walked to her room with her smoothie, scowling at Dawn on her way past.

A/N: Thanks to everyone that has given this a follow/fav! Hopefully you like where I'm taking the story, please tell me what you think xoxo

Really interesting point by Demona Evernight about Saff's powers missing Dawn being the Key straight away, there will be more revealed in the next chapters but I thought I would give anyone else who is wondering my own thoughts! Saff doesn't have an all-seeing power to everything that's going on, although she gets more than most! She can spot deception, but seeing as Dawn isn't deceiving anyone - she believes she's a 14 year old, Saffron won't pick up on it that way. The key was constructed so that it would blend in and have the Slayer (and Saff) protect her, so to me it would be obvious that the monks would make Saff believe she had another cousin too! I have already planned how Saff finds out about the key so keep reading and I love comments like this where I can give you my own explanations! xoxo