They spent the rest of that day lazing around the house. Sam and Willow spent their time
on their computers tracking down information on the Jekfoontar Clan and new fledges.
Dean and Xander watched TV and did maintenance on the groups weapons, from guns to
battle axes, swords to cross bows. Giles and Tara went to the Magic Box to prepare for
the binding spell on Hank. Joyce sent the day on the couch and preparing snacks for the
movie marathon Dean and Xander were watching. John and Buffy carved stakes and
watched Dawn do her school work. Spike spent the day tormenting Hank. He would get
very close so Hank could see the transformation from Human face to Demon face in clear
detail. Then he would trace a vein somewhere on Hank's body and making comments on
just how Xander would have to make the cut so as not to attract too much attention. He
even asked Joyce if he could borrow a cheese grater to simulate some road rash. He
pouted when she told him no, she needed it to grate cheese.
But the biggest shock of all that day for Hank Summers came not from Spike, but from
the girl he now knew had been glowing green. It was late in the afternoon when he
overheard the conversation between the girl and Buffy. "Mom, why can't I go too? Dad'll
be there and so will Dean and Sam, not to mention Spike and Xander. I won't get into
any trouble."
"Dawn forget it." Buffy said. "You are not going anywhere near a demon bar. And if
your dad and brothers know what's good for them, they won't even think about taking you
into ANY kind of bar until you turn 21 for real. I don't mean your physical age either,
Dawn Marie!" Buffy glared at them all impartially.
"That's so not fair! I am not waiting until I'm 35 before going into my first bar!" Dawn
pouted.
"Don't look at me, young lady." John said sternly, waving his whittling knife at her.
"Your mom is saying 21. I'd prefer when hell freezes over."
"Not fair." She mumbled, pouting even more. "I don't even get to see Spike eat Grandpa
Hank!" This she said in a rather loud wail that had Hank Summers almost wetting his
pants again. That child could not be his granddaughter. Buffy wasn't old enough to have
a daughter. And she was far too old to be Buffy's child.
"Dawn, just because you are seven months old does not mean you have to act like it."
John snapped. Seven months old? What did he mean by that? Hank wondered.
"Sorry, sir." Dawn said. "But can I at least get to see Spike feed? Please." She begged.
John shrugged and turned to Buffy. "It can't hurt. It's not like she's not going to see a
vampire feed sooner or later. And this one won't try to eat her."
"Ok," Buffy sighed. She didn't want Dawn involved, but Giles' and Anya's information
made that impossible. Maybe if she eased into it. Get Dawn involved with the research
side of things rather than the slaying/hunting side. And John did have a point. It was
going to happen sooner or later, and Spike wouldn't hurt Dawn. She didn't know why,
but there was just something in his manner towards her that made Buffy trust him.
Which was really wiggy, she thought. "But you are staying home with your grandmother.
There will be no experimenting with your magic." She held up the stake she was working
on. "Giles told me all about it. He's also told me he's going to get you a good teacher.
No experimenting! I don't want you to end up addicted like Ethan Rayne!"
Dawn blanched. She hadn't thought about that. She knew that magic could be addictive
if you weren't extremely careful. She had once asked Giles about the whole Eyghon deal
and he had been very blunt with her about it.
"Ethan Rayne?" John asked.
"You remember the cursed candy I mentioned? This was the same guy. He likes to
torment Giles. He is a chaos mage. He literally worships chaos. He came to Sunnydale
and opened a costume shop this one Halloween. We had been ordered to escort trick or
treaters by our high school principal, in costume, no exceptions. He thought we were all
juvenile delinquents. Lucky us, we picked Ethan's shop to get our costumes, which meant
that we ended up turning into them. Willow was a ghost. Xander was a soldier. That
was actually helpful because he kept a lot of the skills afterwards. Me, well, I had wanted
a night where I could forget about being a slayer for a while. It was supposed to be my
night off. Instead I became a seventeenth century noblewoman and spent almost the
entire night screaming and fainting because of the little demons and monsters running
around. Ethan's also a magical addict." John nodded. He knew addicts couldn't stop
without help and many either didn't want to stop or were in denial about their ability to do
so. Buffy's story also explained many of the contradictions he had seen in Xander. One
minute he would be acting like a kid and then next a hardened soldier like he hadn't seen
since leaving the marines. "Hopefully a good teacher will help Dawn to not get sucked
down into that."
"Buffy, it's almost time for patrol." Willow said. "We've got three fledges rising tonight.
In two different cemeteries."
"Ok. Spike, Xander it looks like we'll be splitting up tonight. Would the two of you take
care of the single?" The look she shot them reminded them that others would like a shot
at Hank tonight as well.
"Sure Buffy." Xander said and pulled out a dagger. "But if it's nearly time for patrol, I
need to feed Spike. I did promise."
"YES!" Dawn jumped up and ran over to behind Hank so she could get a good view.
Xander and Spike had already discussed with everyone what they would be doing. A
single cut across the back of Hank's right hand and it would be made in such a way that it
would be sure to scar. A permanent reminder of both his crimes and his punishments.
Xander made the cut and Hank watched in horror as Spike's game face came out. He had
seen it often enough during the day to realize that it was real. Spike placed his hand on
Hank's thigh and forearm and very slowly began to feed. It didn't take long for Hank to
realize that they were actually letting the thing feed on him. They were serious. He
began to panic and struggle against his bonds. Dawn said, "Mom." But Buffy was
already there. She pulled Spike off of Hank. When he growled at her, she merely shook
him until he stopped.
"Sorry, slayer." He said sheepishly. "Been too long." He went to stand behind Xander
who was cleaning the dagger. Everyone gathered around Hank.
"We're done playing." Buffy said, and turned to Hank. She took a deep breath to gather
her courage and was surprised to find John's arms wrapping around her. It was good to
know that she didn't have to confront her father alone. She was so focused on Hank that
she didn't notice the smirks Dean and Sam were trying and failing to hide. John shot
them a look but didn't move. "I am a vampire slayer. I didn't chose this job, I was chosen
for it. This is my team. Spike is a vampire who works for me. Xander is a demon
hunter. Willow and her girlfriend Tara are witches. Giles, the man who gave you the
bruise on your jaw, and who left with Tara , is my Watcher. John," She laid her hand on
John's arm, which was wrapped around her waist. "Dean and Sam are also demon
hunters."
Dawn came out from behind Hank. "Dawn Marie Summers Winchester." She introduced
herself. "I'm John and Buffy's daughter." She leaned down into Hank's face. "Nice to
meet you, Grandpa." She said as sarcastically as she possibly could. Then she pulled out
his gag. Xander sliced the ropes holding Hank to the chair and Dean and Sam grabbed
him by the shoulders to make sure he didn't bolt. Willow handed him a glass of water.
As Hank gulped the water Buffy said. "You will be coming on patrol with us tonight.
You need to see exactly what really goes on out in the dark. You will not try to escape.
Whether you believe it or not, we've actually been very gentle with you. What is out
there will not be. Stay with us, or you will not survive the night."
"She can't be my granddaughter. You aren't old enough to have children!" Hank couldn't
protest the vampire bit after Spike had fed, he shuddered at the thought. But he couldn't
let Buffy claim this child as hers.
"Dawn is only seven months old. She was aged by magic by a group of monks up to
fourteen. I am twenty years old Dad. I am more than old enough to have three children,
not just a seven month old baby. And yes, before you start in on one of your rants, John
is her father. Deal with it; because I'm not going to listen to it." John smirked at Hank
over Buffy's head. He knew what the other man was thinking. He and Buffy hadn't
gotten that far in their relationship, but Hank didn't need to know that. He let her go and
began to pass out weapons for the night's patrol.
It was a very shaken Hank Summers who followed his daughter into the cemetery. He
had two very large young men on either side of him and if he was to believe Buffy they
were as much for his protection as they were to make sure he didn't run off. Vampires,
magic, it was all so...he couldn't even complete the thought. John Winchester was
walking beside Buffy armed to the teeth. She wasn't carrying more than a few sharp
pieces of wood. He couldn't understand. They had shown him that the vampires were
real, so why didn't they protect her? They should have at least armed her better. And this
was considered a routine patrol?
They came up to a grave just as a hand began to claw it's way out. Hank was astonished
to see John lean up against a headstone out of the way and just watch with an infatuated
little smile on his face. Buffy stood at the end of the grave and waited, using the stake
she carried to clean her nails. Once the vampire was out of the grave, it lunged at her
faster than Hank could see. She sidestepped it without even looking. One quick swipe of
her stake and the vampire exploded into dust. It was much the same at the second grave,
except that this vampire had three others waiting for it. Hank almost fell to the ground in
shock as he watched his little girl pulverize all three of the vampires waiting for her while
John stood at the head of the grave and decapitated the vampire before it could get all the
way out of the ground.
After all of the vampires were dust they dragged Hank into a dingy bar. The customers
weren't human. Hank didn't know what they were, but they definitely weren't human. He
was plastered against the wall next to the door, with his guards bracketing him. Buffy
had gone straight to the bartender. "Hey slayer! Slayer in the house!" the bartender
called out. Hank saw several people who he thought must be vampires leaving out the
back quickly. Buffy reached over the bar and picked up the bartender. She had picked
him up!
"Willie, this is just a little warning. The swarm is over. I want a quiet summer. I'm tired
and cranky. If anybody gets the bright idea that this would be a good time to take me out,
it would really piss me off." Buffy stared hard at Willie, who got the message loud and
clear. It was not a good idea to piss off any slayer. Pissing off Buffy was even worse.
Willie nodded his head so fast it would have fallen off if it hadn't been attached. She
smiled and patted his face. After she had set him down, she turned and looked at the rest
of the bar. Somehow it didn't surprise Hank that all of the bars clients were looking at
Buffy with respect.
Buffy led the group back to her house where Giles, Tara, and Willow were waiting.
Joyce and Dawn had commandeered front row seats to what was coming up next.
Surprisingly it was Tara who took charge when they got there. "Buffy please stand here.
Mr. Summers, kneel here." She gestured at her feet. Hank was sure that whatever was
going to happen next, he really didn't want it to happen to him. With the two young men
standing at his shoulders however, he had no choice. He knelt at her feet. "Mr. Summers
you are brought before us for judgment not only for crimes against your family, but
crimes against humanity as well. You sent your sane daughter to a mental hospital, not
because you believed it was the best for her, but because it was best for you. If that was
your only crime, however you would not be here. That was only a selfish mistake in
judgment. But the girl you sent to the hospital was not only your daughter. She is The
Vampire Slayer. The one girl chosen in all the world to protect humanity from the forces
of darkness. You denied humanity her protection. As punishment for your crimes against
the slayer and humanity, we bind you with a three fold geas." She, Giles and Willow laid
their hands upon Hank's head and shoulders. "You will be a kind a courteous gentleman
to all you encounter, male and female alike."
"You will be celibate, in every way possible." Willow laid the second geas on Hank.
"You will serve the slayer line for the rest of your life." Giles laid the third and last geas.
They removed their hands.
"The geas are laid, Mr. Summers." Tara continued. "Mr. Giles will escort you to
England where you will serve out your sentence as a clerk for the watcher's council. I
suggest you use the time to consider exactly what you have done both to your family, and
to the world." With that, Giles dragged Hank to his feet and left the house.