Title: Between Rest and Sleep – Part 3
Disclaimer: Dawn and the characters surrounding Buffy the Vampire Slayer do not belong to me. They belong to the mind of Joss Whedon. The vampire Edric is my character, though, as is many of the supporting characters of this story. If there is any confusion about what belongs to whom, email me and I'll clarify…:) But I'm not making any dough so please don't try to take my bread!
Rating: PG-13 for potty mouth and violence
Spoilers: BtVS through Season 5. AtS through Season 2.
Author's Notes: The timeline on this story forks into difference after season five of Buffy. That is the last of the canon stuff. But some notes so everyone knows where I am in this: Buffy died at the end of Season five and never came back. Willow did not resurrect the Slayer and another wasn't chosen until Faith died. Faith is dead as well, although how may come out in the story. As far as if Spike will get a soul or Angel a son, I don't know. The focus of the story is really on Dawn and doesn't take place in either Sunnydale or LA.
Also, it is circa 2008 (I'm going off the assumption Buffy and gang graduated class of '99 then 2001 was the end of Season 5 when Dawn was 15—if I have the math wrong, let me know…;)). Dawn is about twenty-two years old now. So she's of age for nookie and everything else…;) Her personality is very different from how we know her to be, and why will eventually come out in story, but just so I don't get emails, I do know that her personality is quite non-canon.
This story will most likely be full of angst and darkness. I'm trying to capture the romantic despair of vampires as well as bring something different to the Dawn character.
Thank you to everyone who has written me, even though it's been over a year since I've updated. This continuation of the story is for you.
Please email me if you want to put this or any of my stories on your website. I never say no, but I like knowing which sites are supporting my writing. Thanks!
NOTE! For whatever reason, isn't allowing me to use the regular characters that denote a new section. So I am using a 1234567890 separator. Sorry for any confusion.
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Invitation only. The words flitted to her from the pub she sat in, watching the two girls in front of her. Lesbians, she guessed. They hadn't stopped touching each other in one way or another since Dawn spotted them. Both of them were intent on meeting real vampires. Dawn shook her head.
The two looked like they were going for a sugar and spice type of combination. One had long jet-black hair that matched her fingernails and every other bit of paint on her. The other had shorter white hair. Her make up was all glitter and faint colors, but still managed to look goth. It was striking. Dawn sat at a booth, her back against the wall, her ankles crossed on the table beside her as she watched them. The girls talked as if they didn't realize they were being overheard, but from Dawn's vantage point, she could hear them just fine.
"Where's the invitations?" the dark one asked.
"In my back pocket. I haven't let go of them since they came," the other smiled serenely.
That was Dawn's cue. She stood up and went to the bar, just behind the one in white and ordered another beer.
"Mmmm," she heard from beside her. Dawn glanced over and saw the darkly dressed girl smiling appreciatively at her. Dawn gave the girl a very flirty smile. In response the girl leaned forward and entered into a very languid and sexy kiss with her partner. Dawn wasn't sure if that was an invitation to interrupt or to stay away. Didn't really matter.
When her beer came, she took a drink of it and openly stared at the girls. After a moment of watching, they stopped and the black make-up girl nodded her head to Dawn. The white make-up girl turned and eyed Dawn critically. Dawn just silently drank her beer but her eyes never left the black make up girl.
"If you want her, you have to go through me," the white make-up girl said and leaned back to break the eye contact between Dawn and the other girl. Dawn's eyes focused on the girl in white and smiled. She drained the rest of her beer and nodded. Without a word she grabbed the girl by the back of the neck and pulled her into a very ardent kiss. The girl kissed her back, and held on to Dawn's arms, almost as if to try to steady herself. Dawn plunged her tongue into the other girl's mouth and swiped it over her teeth, making the girl shiver. As quickly as she had started the kiss, she ended it, throwing herself from the girl, and almost pulling her off the barstool.
The girl panted for a moment and nodded. "You win."
Dawn chuckled. "And what do I win?"
"Her," the white dressed girl said.
"Or her," the other said.
Dawn looked between the two of them, as if trying to decide. "It would be impossible for me to choose."
The girls smiled to each other and then to Dawn. "Well, you don't have to choose." The invitation was evident. Dawn smiled and put some money on the bar for her drinks and grabbed her coat from the booth she was at. The girls also paid for their drinks and Dawn left with them.
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She didn't need both of the invitations, but she felt she owed the girls something. Keeping them away from the vampires would be enough, she thought to herself. She brought the invitations back to her apartment, keeping them under the bed. As a bonus, if she happened to lose one, she'd have another.
Dawn flipped on her radio and went to her bathroom to shower. When she was finished, she opened her medicine cabinet and grabbed some aspirin. When she closed the mirror she saw with some shock that the window above her bed stood wide open. Dawn wrapped the towel tight around her body and walked out. She grabbed a stake from the stake box and made her way to the radio. She shifted the music off so that she could hear throughout her apartment. She quickly checked the small space she called home and found no one. She shook her head.
She often slept with the window open. It was cold outside, but under her blankets she felt nothing but warmth. She liked waking up with her cheeks pinkened by the cold and the rest of her body smothered by her blankets. It was dangerous, to be sure. The window led to the fire escape. Anyone who could grab the ladder could walk right into her place. But vampires weren't allowed and anyone else she felt reasonably sure she could take. She realized she must have left it open and pulled it closed, locking it. Her eyes shifted downward and for a moment she thought she saw something. But nothing was there.
"I'm getting jumpy," she said to herself. It happened, but she hated when it did. It showed fear and weakness. She couldn't really handle either right now. She forced any thoughts concerning this event out of her mind and went back to getting ready for bed.
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Dawn blinked at the sunlight and yawned. She wasn't usually up this early, nor was she usually out in the sunlight. She didn't bother with making herself up today. She had just pulled her streaked hair into a ponytail at the base of her skull and tucked the tail inside her leather coat. Grabbing everything that was hers, she packed her stakes, her clothes, and other belongings. She gently packed each bottle of dust in between the clothes so they wouldn't be broken. She secured the tops with even more tape so they wouldn't spill, as well. Making reservations at a high end hotel, she quickly scribbled down some information from the phone book, put the rent on the table along with the key and left her room for good. Quickly, she made the trek to her new hotel. She looked around at the people on the street, almost uncomfortable at how many there were. When she traveled these ways at night there wasn't usually so much traffic.
People pushed their way past her on occasion and she had to remind herself not to go for her dagger one of the times when she almost fell on her ass. Still she got to the hotel to check in and later to the costume house unscathed. When she came to the quaint shop, she stepped inside. She was thankful for the shade and the cooler interior of the shop. Few people were there.
The owner of the shop saw her and smiled, making his way to her.
"Ah, Miss Hawthorne," he greeted. She nodded to him. "I trust you're here to pick up your dress and accessories?"
"Yeah. So, let's see it," she said cutting to the point so quickly his smile almost faltered.
"This way."
He lead her into the back room and she instinctively looked from side to side before stepping through the door. She then rolled her eyes at herself. She was going to have to act like a true lady at the ball. If she checked every corner and kept reaching for her weapons, the vampires were bound to suspect something.
When she rounded a corner, pushing aside some hanging dresses that were sticking out into the walkway, Dawn's eyes settled on an exquisite masterpiece replica of exactly the kind of gown she was looking for. Her breath hitched and she couldn't help but stare. She wasn't normally given to caring about things as frilly as dresses, but this one made even her appreciative of its beauty. The dress was mainly white, but it was accented with gold thread, braids, and a silk gold skirt that went under the actual gown.
"Oh, James, you've outdone yourself," she breathed out. She looked his way and could tell that whatever he may have thought of her abruptness before was gone in the shared acknowledgment of the beauty of this piece.
"It is what you wanted, then?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
She was inclined to play. "Yes, definitely. And the shoes?"
"Harder to replicate, I understand the need for comfort but the style isn't quite right. Still, the dress should cover them most of the time. Try not to hike your skirts up too much and people should only glimpse them."
She smiled a little at his words and nodded when he showed her the soft leather shoes that were dyed white and decorated with gold. They were a cross between a boot and a dress shoe and she inspected them and found that they'd likely be comfortable for the whole night and would allow her to run if she absolutely needed to. She looked over at the other accessories and inspected them as well.
She gave him directions to the hotel she'd be staying in and he assured her they'd be delivered after the afternoon tea. She nodded and thanked him, paying in cash. His eyes widened at the clump of bills, but he didn't complain or question where she got them. She left him a hefty tip that sealed his lips and quieted any doubts about working with her.
Making her way back to the hotel, Dawn stopped in a salon and with a little dismay she had her hair dyed back to its natural color. While there she let the over-enthusiastic lady work on her nails. Dawn resisted glaring at the woman when she admonished her for the obviously shoddy state she kept them in. After that torture was over, Dawn retreated to the luxury of her hotel.
If someone tracked her from the hotel to the masque, or if someone were to track her back, she wanted to appear as if she had a lot of money. Her purpose for doing so was to throw them off when the next place she moved to was a dump, should she be hunted. All bets were off when it came to vampire royalty. While she'd never killed one calling himself a prince of vampires, she had killed demigods before and there were always loved servants that wanted revenge for the death of their master. She hoped they wouldn't follow her to this hotel, as she didn't want to put the people here in danger, but really her focus was on killing the vamps and living to kill another day.
When she got to her room she immediately saw her packages on her bed and smiled. She took the time to lay out the dress so that it would not wrinkle. She grabbed her duffle bag from under the bed where she stashed it before and locked it into the safe that was there for her convenience. It might not be much, but she didn't want it taken.
After everything was put out, she went to the phone and grabbed the paper from her back pocket. It held a number from the phone book of a woman who made house calls and would make her hair and make-up look more authentic. She would cost a pretty penny if they accepted pennies in England. Still, she wanted to look hard core so she needed to dish out the dough. As long as she had enough to get her to the next destination, she could care less what the woman would cost her. When the appointment was confirmed, Dawn laid down in on her living room couch. She immediately shut her eyes and drifted off, preparing for the night ahead.
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Dawn bolted upright and breathed heavily. She waited for it again. The knocking sounded at her door and for a moment she thought the Slayer had tracked her. Her memory suddenly focused and she remembered the woman she had ordered. She bolted over the side of the couch and flung the door open. She peeked around the side and saw a woman carrying what looked to be mini suitcases walking away.
"Hey!" Dawn hollered. The woman turned, surprised. "I was in the other room, sorry," Dawn apologized. Suddenly the woman's face lit up and she made her way back to Dawn.
"I am Angelique, your designer."
Dawn wondered briefly if her name really was Angelique, or if Angelique was a good name for a designer, but she quickly pushed those silly thoughts from her mind as she held the door open for the woman. She had dark strait hair that was pulled severely from her face and was held in a bun. Her make up looked flawless and outlined her sharp cheekbones and blue eyes nicely. Her lips were thin but the way the lipstick was applied to them made them look fuller. Angelique was dressed in a very pretty blouse and a long skirt. It wasn't exactly fashionable, but it was functional. Dawn moved aside to let the slightly plump woman through.
"I've got the dress on the bed, I'll need you to help me get into it."
"Of course." She made her way to the bedroom and gasped when she saw the lovely gown. "Oh, Miss Hawthorne, it's gorgeous."
"Thanks. You can call me Raquel," she said. The woman nodded but didn't take her eyes off the dress. She put her things down on the ground next to her and advanced slowly, almost as if afraid to touch it. "You might as well touch it," Dawn said with some amusement. "You'll be forcing that bad-boy onto me."
The woman chuckled and let her fingers play over the fabrics. "It is lovely. And it'll fit your frame quite right, I should think."
"So…where do I start?"
The woman snapped upright and gave Dawn a hard look. The woman's hawk-like eyes inspected her hair, her face, and her body. She seemed to note everything about her. "Your nails have been done. Your hair too?"
"Yeah, I just got it dyed. It was black and streaked with white and also had red in it. I thought this would be more appropriate."
"Indeed," she said, seeming to have some trouble picturing Dawn's goth look. "Well, first is a bath. Sit." She indicated the vanity chair and Dawn sat with little grace. "Tut, tut, you must have better posture than that if you hope to survive a night in your corset," she said grabbing Dawn's shoulders and pulling her out of her slouch. Dawn's eyes widened but she said nothing. She wasn't used to people grabbing her like that unless they were looking for the pointy end of a stake, but she resisted any violence or even jerking away.
Angelique pulled her hair back into a ponytail and quickly made a bun, pinning it into place with various pins. Afterwards she grabbed a shower cap and placed it over the hair. "That should hold your mane in place," she said. She opened one of her cases and grabbed a few bottles and a jar of something Dawn couldn't recognize and disappeared into the bathroom with them. A moment later Dawn could hear the bath being run. She almost chuckled at how seriously this woman took 'full service.' Instead she got up and wandered in just in time to see the woman empty the jar of what looked to be dried flowers and wood chips into her bath.
"What's that for?" she asked. Dawn's face was crinkled in confusion.
"The roses will perfume your skin naturally and the sweet cedar has been treated by rose oil, which will do the same." She poured some oil into the bath, "Some rose oil, just to make the bath water soft and luxurious. Now, step in there, but don't get your hair wet!"
Dawn nodded and started to undress. She didn't even wait for Angelique to leave. She'd long ago forgotten what it was to by shy. Angelique seemed surprised at her lack of modesty but acted professionally as she waited for Dawn to slip in to the bath and soak. But Dawn could feel the other's eyes on her and finally she looked over her shoulder to see what she was staring at. There was a look of horror on Angelique's features as she stared at Dawn's back. Slipping into the bath fully, she leaned back to hide the scars she carried.
"Do you play sports?" Angelique asked sheepishly, seeming to realize she had been caught staring.
"In a matter of speaking." Dawn let her fingers trail in the water. "I live a dangerous life."
"Of that, I can tell." She took a hold of Dawn's arm and narrowed her eyes in an almost painful grimace as she looked over the ragged scar that went from her shoulder to the middle of her bicep. There was another just under the arm. Dawn gently tugged her arm away from the woman and looked away.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" she asked quietly, sitting on the side of the tub.
Dawn shook her head.
"Is this why?" she asked, waving her hand in the general direction of the scars, even though Dawn was not looking directly at her.
"No. No one I loved did this to me," she said with a softness she didn't recognize. She looked up at Angelique and noticed the very motherly way in which she peered back. "Look, I don't mean to be rude, but I don't really want to talk about the scars. They're no big deal."
Angelique nodded a little and stood, going into the next room. Dawn could hear her rummaging around in her suitcase and the woman reappeared shortly after with three large candles. She lit the candles and placed them around the bathtub. She turned the light out and gave Dawn orders to keep as much of her skin submerged as long as she could. Dawn only nodded. She laid her head on the rim of the tub and closed her eyes. This was the most relaxed she had felt in a long time.
Usually it didn't suit Dawn to let herself get relaxed. Especially in a hotel. Her temporary ownership of this space would not protect her against vampires who might have an inkling of who she was. Like the vampire who nearly killed her. She could almost feel his breath on her neck as he held her immobile. She hadn't thought about it earlier, but now she thought about his blond hair that fell past his shoulders and the blue of his eyes. He could be enjoyable before she killed him.
Her eyes opened. She should not be thinking of him like that. He was far too dangerous a vampire to toy with. He was one that was best to kill straight away if possible. Besides, he already knew she was a hunter. Unless he was suicidal he probably would sooner kill her than try to trust her. She didn't believe he was suicidal, though. He was probably a Ricer with a Lestat fetish, given the way he wore his hair.
Angelique walked in the room and Dawn put the vampire out of her mind. She had no idea how long she'd been laying there, but she felt very rested, which was probably for the best since she'd likely be staying up all night to night and she woke earlier than usual.
After getting out of the bath and drying off, Angelique started dressing her. First came a cool cotton undergarment that was soft against her bare skin. She was given delicate stockings that she pulled over her legs, feeling, in spit of her self, very feminine at the moment. Instead of putting the rest of the dress on, Angelique took some time to brush out Dawn's long hair. She took a warmed iron and made her hair curl beautifully. She took her time, but before Dawn's eyes, her hair started to look fuller, curlier, and was eventually pulled back away from her face at the sides and was pinned very loosely to the top of her head. Some of the hair was long enough that after pinning, it still spilled down her back a little and Angelique encouraged that, spraying the do until she was confident it would stay. The hair that streamed down her back was braided loosely, the braid heavy and fat with the full hair. A gold ribbon that was edged in white was threaded through something that looked like a needle and was interwoven into her braid. Over her hair a veil-like headdress was placed. A gold band cut across the top of her forehead and the thin, nearly see-through material it was attached to was pinned so that it fell down over her hair. It didn't fully cover her braid, though. Dawn almost wondered why it would matter what her hair looked like under the cover, as long as there was a cover. She faintly thought she probably could have gotten away with her old dye job.
Next, makeup was applied. A fine white powder was applied to Dawn's face, neck, and the top of her breasts. Her eyes were accented with a faint glittering gold under the lids and fake eyelashes were used to make her eyes look even more distinctive. Her cheeks were given a healthy dose of rouge and her lips were made a pale rose color. Dangling pearls were fastened to Dawn's lobes. Dawn barely recognized herself. After she was done, Angelique bade her stand so that she could put the rest of the components of the dress together.
First she helped her into the soft leather boots, zipping them up the side of Dawn's ankle. There was the corset, which was pulled very tight and Dawn had to concentrate to get her breathing where it should be. The corset made her posture perfect and she felt as if she were pushing her breasts out far in front of her. A skirt of lace and hoops was fastened around her waist. The skirt did not fall against her legs, but rather flared out to create a wide ring around her legs. Moving in the hoop skirt was easy, but sitting was difficult. Angelique showed her some techniques she could employ to sit in the thing, but Dawn figured she'd be doing a lot of standing at this masque.
Around her waist a strange looking piece was tied. It looked like little pillows that were rolled up at her hips and she looked confused to Angelique.
"They will make your hips look fuller."
"Don't girls usually want their hips to look slimmer?" she asked.
"Not back then, they didn't. They valued the hourglass frame. Large round breasts, large round hips, very tiny waist."
"Freaky people," Dawn muttered and watched as Angelique gently picked up the gold under dress. It was gently slipped over her head and it fell gently over her frame falling a few inches past the bottom of the hoop skirt to obscure her feet all together. The sleeves were long and tight around her wrist. She wondered how she was going to fit a stake there. Or anywhere for that matter. Her dress wasn't exactly conducive to slaying.
When Angelique picked up the very delicate outer dress, Dawn could see the awe she held for the garment. It was beautiful, Dawn had to admit. The squared collar that was slightly high over the back of her neck and wide so that it fell over her shoulders and around her breasts, was trimmed in white fur. The fur trim ended at the bottom of her waist where the dress split to let the gold of the under dress come through with ease. The skirt of the dress flowed over each side from her hips to the floor and the material was very light. Instead of adding weight to the dress, it almost seemed to detract from it. The material was the same nearly transparent stuff that made up her headdress and she was sure it was this way to allow the gold undertones of the dress underneath to shine through. The skirt was hemmed with gold braiding and the embroidery on the dress was all the same gold thread. To further accent the gold, a very long gold chain was wrapped around her waist, one end slipping through the other like a belt. The gold chain hung down the front of her, the whole length of the hoop skirt, but not as long as the dress itself. Poofy sleeves of the same material were fastened at the shoulders and they fit looser and fell just slightly past the backs of her hands.
Moving her hands back up to the headdress, a series of gold chains were fastened at the little hoops in front and behind her ears. The shortest chain was fastened closest to her ears and the next largest went through the hoops just past, and so on, until all three were there. The same was repeated on the other side. When Dawn moved her head, she felt the chains gently slap the side of her face and she could hear the slight jingle as they hit one another.
"No body would recognize me in this thing. I almost don't need a mask at all!" Dawn said, obviously pleased.
"Ah, but what is a masque, without a mask," Angelique said as she gently fastened the gold mask that was trimmed with white ruffles to the headdress and the bottom chain that hung over her ears. This dress was perfectly designed for a masque and made it so that Dawn's hands could be free instead of having to hold the mask to her. She was surprised, but her lush lashes and glittering gold under the eyes was made very pronounced by the mask. It was almost like covering half of her face accentuated that half rather than obscured it.
Perfume was applied not only to Dawn but to various parts of the dress, ensuring that it would linger. It mingled nicely with the gentle scent that clung to her skin from the bath.
"You are finished," Angelique said with satisfaction. It's hard to think of you now as a tall thin rail with little hips. Look at you," she said and Dawn did. Angelique was right. Her hips looked full and her waist was tiny. Her breasts were full and made to look very large by the corset. But then Dawn started evaluating other things. There was no necklace or anything to cover her throat. She liked that. It would be enticing to whomever she killed this night.
"I am excited for you," Angelique said with a smile. "I feel like a mother who is anticipating her daughter's coming out ball." She started to pick up after herself, not noticing the far off look Dawn got at the mention of the word 'mother'. "Do you have a date for this event?" she asked.
"No. I'm going alone."
"Well you will definitely come home with someone," she said, a twinkle in her sparkling blue eyes.
"That's the plan."
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Dawn was glad she picked a hotel close to the building that would be hosting the masque. She did not want to tire herself out by merely showing up. The dress, after having it on for a while, seemed heavier and she was slightly worried about what would happen if there was a fight. She knew that if she slipped off the hoop skirt, moving would become easier, but the dress would become longer and might easily tangle in her legs. She was having second thoughts about the wisdom that lead her to decide to go with something so confining when she'd be in a ball room full of vampires.
She had managed to fit two long and thin stakes in between her breasts and down the front of her corset. Because her breasts were pushed together, they were easily obscured. She was able to fit the dagger in her boot and her purse would hold a few stakes as well. The challenge was to make sure the wood of the two stakes didn't clink together too much. She managed to fasten to the inside of her hoop skirt a cross that was sharpened at the end, making it also a stake. But other than that, she could not better equip herself. With as many vampires as she was expecting she would have liked to have more, but she figured that she'd have to be careful not to let her stakes disintegrate with the vamps if she did get into trouble.
It was probably best to hope for no trouble at all.
She heard the instrumental music from outside the ballroom and she smiled. She didn't mind her nervousness showing a little, but she tried to pass it off as excitement. She took from her purse the invitation she held and waited quietly in the short line of people waiting to get in. A few people were being turned away because of no invitations and she recognized Sugar and Spice, her friends from the bar. Dawn's first thought was to hide her face, but then she realized she was well hidden from them in her disguise.
"We did have invites," Spice growled. "Just talk to Marcus, he'll remember us," she insisted.
"I'm sorry but I can't leave the door unattended," the vampire said with little emotion. He took someone else's invitation, looked it over and nodded, giving it back to them and allowing them in. The girls just stood there, looking like their lives were about to end because they could not get in. Dawn stood beside them for the moment it took for the doorman to check her invitation. The word Marcus was emblazoned to the top of the invite and Sugar looked her way, eyeing the other woman who appeared to be invited by the vampire that invited them. Dawn did not return her gaze, instead looking at the vampire. She kept her breathing easy for those few moments, conscious of the fact that if she started to breath heavily, her breasts would heave and it would be very noticeable. But the vampire eventually gave her back her invitation and let her in and Dawn left the dejected girls still trying to convince the vampire to let them in.
Inside the ballroom was decorated eloquently gothic. She noticed with some amusement that crosses were affixed to the walls, high up, so that no vampire would be caught unaware, but so that they would have their affect. The carpet around the dance floor was lush and her skirt rustled as it brushed it. The dance floor itself was large and reflected the light and shadows of the people moving across it. The lights were moderately bright and the tones of the room were gold and ivory. She fit in very well.
It was as she thought with the costumes. Many tried to replicate Vlad or Dracula, there were some that were straight goth with something that resembled a bat over their eyes to make a mask. Many looked like goth princesses, with big poofy gowns that were shredded at the bottom and combat boots were fitted to their legs.
She wasn't the only person who had thought to try to go authentic 16th Century, but she did it better than those she saw. Many of them made their own gowns, or pieced together outfits to try to give their gown legitimacy. But she had been careful to look as if she had some money behind her and she knew she accomplished that. She got a lot of complimentary looks and some looks of pure jealousy at her attire. She smiled and bowed her head to the people who smiled her way and was careful to keep her posture perfect and to keep the demure smile on her face as she made her rounds, letting everyone see her.
There were a lot of vampires at this gala and a lot fewer humans than she had originally anticipated. She thought the place would be crawling with them, but there were far more vampires with vampiric dates than with human ones. She was glad there were few humans to get in her way or to be hurt, but she was not glad that the lack of humans made her stand out more. She caught many of the hungry stares at her collarbone and throat, but she only smiled mysteriously at the vampire who eyed her like a buffet and moved on. In normal situations, Dawn could often feel when someone's eyes were on her, but in this environment there was never a time when she didn't feel someone looking at her.
At the first opportunity she was asked to dance by a vampire dressed in a mix of 13th and 16th Century garb with a cape that fastened at his shoulders and fell down his back. She accepted and tried to mimic his graceful steps, admitting that she did not know the older dances very well. He was a perfect gentleman and helped her to remember the steps to the dance and engaged her in some conversation, but after the dance was over, he was replaced by another vampire.
The dancing was beginning to take a toll on her. She was growing increasingly nervous and antsy in anticipation of the prince vampire arriving. While dancing with the third vampire, she caught sight of the vampire she had met the other night in the alley, watching her as she danced. Dawn averted her eyes, hoping he didn't recognize her. She was starting to think that trying to give London this big a parting shot was a bad idea. If she had more time, she would have trained herself a little better. She would have enrolled in dance classes. She would have made sure her dress would support weapons. But she didn't have that kind of time and she couldn't stay in London much longer.
Dawn looked towards where she last saw the vampire and he didn't seem to be there. She looked around, trying to locate him, and she found him on the other side of the dance floor, still watching her. He had a smile on his lips that made her feel certain that she'd been made.
After the dance, she politely refused the next and used a fan that she had around her wrist to fan herself gently. She used it, also to obscure the rest of her face as she glanced over to the vampire who was staring at her. His long blond hair had been brushed down and pulled back at the nap of his neck by a ribbon. His calves were clad in bright white tights that disappeared under charcoal gray pants that were tight just under his knees. His white shirt was ruffled at the cuffs and the neck. He wore a vest and a jacket of the same charcoal colored fabric as the bottoms. His fingers were adorned with jeweled rings. He had a mask, but it was really a joke of one. Thin gold bands encircled his eyes and fastened behind his ears, almost like glasses. The mask spiked at the top and bottom of the rims, though, fitting perfectly to his face as if made for him. She could easily see it was the vampire she encountered earlier and she made a decision to avoid him until the prince was announced. If the prince was too difficult to get close to, she would try to take this creature, but she didn't want to compromise her ability to meet vampiric royalty if she could help it.
Finding her way back on the dance floor, she found she was far more comfortable with the steps of the dances, now. She was careful to look demure but not like she was coming onto the vampires she danced with. She wanted to look unattached. Therefore she didn't dance more than one dance with any partner. When her dance partner delivered her back to the edge of the dancing, she felt someone touch her elbow. Turning her blue eyes met the eyes of the vampire that she was trying to avoid.
"You are a vision," he said, bowing his head. She politely curtseyed and cast her eyes downward.
"Thank you."
"Might I entice you to the dance floor?" he asked, his voice a purr passing his full lips in a languid way. She found herself watching those lips for a moment before meeting his eyes.
"I find myself quite tired from the dancing I've already done. Perhaps later would be better."
The vampire looked mildly shocked and she got the feeling that he wasn't used to being refused. Amusement crept into his eyes.
"You will not dance with me?"
"That amuses you?" she asked, surprised by his reaction.
"Very much. I hope that you will change your mind later in the night," he said bowing again to her. She smiled mysteriously at him and turned, making her way away from him. She thought she had shaken him when the next dance came and she was asked to dance again. She was surprised by this partner as she was sure he was human.
"Do you come to these things often?" he asked her. His voice was deep and pleasant to listen to.
"Not too often," she said with a smile. "I am certain that my body would reject the binding clothes if I went too often."
"The dress and the era looks like it was created for you," his eyes burned into hers. His level of attention startled her.
"Thank you. I will be sure to pass my compliments off to the dress maker."
He smiled to her. "I come to these things often. I am humbly looking for companionship that will span time." He pulled her a little closer, making her wonder if he had truly asked her to dance because she looked like a vampire. "Do you look for the same?"
She smiled a little. "I do not make plans that far into the future," she said.
There was a flash of a dark suit behind her dancer and suddenly they were stopped.
"May I cut in?" she heard, her eyes meeting the vampire from before. She resisted the urge to press her lips together tightly in frustration. When was this guy going to get the hint, she wondered to herself.
She hoped her dance partner would object, but he didn't. He merely gave her a longing look and handed her off to the interfering vampire.
They resumed the dance and she observed the pleased look in his eyes.
"You are quite determined, aren't you?"
"Certainly not, I was just rescuing you from the gentleman with the roaming hands." His amused smile lit up his eyes.
"I don't know how women of this period knew their dance partner's hands roamed, as I can feel nothing under so many layers of clothing," she said with a smile.
He chuckled and twirled her towards the center of the floor. "I believe he wanted you to make him," he said.
"And I doubt his statement about going to these masques often. Obviously he cannot tell the vampires from the humans."
"Obviously," her partner said with a smile.
She smiled and turned her eyes downward. Her heart thumped louder than she wished it would. She couldn't tell if this vampire recognized her or not and she wished he wasn't at this party, even while she found herself comfortable in his arms.
"Tell me about yourself."
Her eyes came back to his. "There isn't much to tell."
"Of course there is. You have a lifetime of stories to tell me," he smiled and she couldn't sense any predatory actions from him. He seemed genuinely like he'd love it if she'd start confiding in him. But that wasn't going to happen.
"There's really nothing of interest to tell."
"Are you here to find yourself a mate, as your other partner was?" he asked.
"No," she said plainly. She could tell she sparked his curiosity and she wished she had said yes to shut him up.
"So why are you here? To be food?"
"Are those my choices?" she asked, uninitiated.
"No fear," he said in merely a whisper. The music ended and she tried to pull away from him, but he held her tightly. Their eyes locked together.
A loud voice boomed near the band and she tore her eyes from her dance partner when everyone turned. He let her go and turned as well.
"Thank you all for coming. As most of you know, this is a nice to celebrate, indeed. It is not everyday we have royalty among us!" he shouted and applause broke out in the room. The vampire seemed very theatrical in his outfit, seeming to be mocking the image of the vampires in the early picture shows. "It is my pleasure to recognize Prince Edric von Lasiter, of the vampiric kingdom of Necropolis." He clapped as a very bright spotlight fell to her dance partner.
Her eyes widened a bit and she backed away from him, politely clapping with everyone else. He smiled and waved his hand around. His eyes pierced Dawn's one last time before he made his way to the front of the room. She looked around to see if anyone else had been surprised by his presence when she saw something that took her breath away.
Standing not far from her, oblivious to the danger was April, the Vampire Slayer. She was dressed in an awful array of gothic clothing. Her hair was spiked out, her eyes were painted thickly with black liner, and her lips were dark black. Her trim body was in a corset blouse and a ripped up skirt, complete with the scruffed up combat boots. She stuck out like a sore thumb. Even those who dressed goth in this place generally dressed up, but she seemed to not realize that the vampires who came here would be treating this event seriously. Dawn could already see the looks April was attracting from nearby vampires.
Only an idiot vampire slayer would dare what April did and Dawn wondered how the doorman could stand to let her in.
"Thank you all for honoring me by coming to my party. This night is special to me because it is an anniversary to the night I was made," Edric said silkily, his eyes roaming the crowd. "I see many humans here tonight. Many who would wish this to be the night they were made as well." Some of the humans clapped, but she didn't. She looked towards April and recognized that the slayer determined Edric to be her target this night. Dawn was temped to leave her to it. The stupid girl deserved what she would get, she thought to herself. It wasn't as if she hadn't tried to warn the stubborn slayer, she reasoned. Besides, Dawn knew she was coming dangerously close to being recognized by Edric, if he hadn't already recognized her so escaping this nightmare didn't seem like a bad idea. But she couldn't leave the slayer here alone.
"Cherish these last moments," she heard Edric say. "Many of you will be human no more." His eyes touched hers and her chin came up proudly. If he decided to kill her, she would not go without a fight. "I, too, may choose a companion this eve. One never can tell."
The news brought audible gasps around the room. Dawn knew there'd be plenty of humans vying for this vampire's bite. Perhaps he just set the trap that would keep him from her, she thought with some hope. She watched as some of the humans made their way forward, hoping to catch Edric before he could get back to her. She smiled, moving easily to the back of the room.
She thought about going to talk to April, but she knew some of the vampires were eyeing the slayer with suspicion. Dawn knew she didn't need that suspicion turned her way as well. She passed by many excited vampires as she moved around the room, trying to be elusive to Edric, but also keeping the slayer in sight.
"He's thinking of taking a mate," one said eagerly.
"You're already made, Victor. He wants a human."
Dawn smiled a little at the mention of Victor. Victor IV.
"Hey, it never hurts to hope, right?"
"Depends on if you're wasting your time or not. He'll choose a human. Someone he can mold into his own. Surprising, though. He hasn't wanted a mate since the Slayer."
That made Dawn stop in her tracks. She took out her fan and tried to look as nonchalant as possible.
"Yeah well, he may get himself another," Victor said to his companion.
"You think she's dumb enough to come here?"
"Little twit attacked a couple of vampires at the carnival the other night. Was lucky I wasn't there, she was."
"I heard about that. Didn't she have a friend with her?"
"You think there could be two slayers again?" Victor asked with a tinge of fear in his voice.
"Well don't wet yourself, mate. No, I expect there's jut the one."
"I wasn't going to…"
Dawn made her way from the two vampires, not bothering to listen to the rest. It didn't surprise her that the vampires knew of the fair. There were probably quite a bit of vampires there. The hunting at a fair was plentiful and people were typically in the mood to be a little less careful. She also wasn't surprised that vampires knew the slayer had a friend helping her. She knew she had made quite a spectacle of herself that night. It was a bad night full of unfortunate events. Perhaps tonight wasn't the night to repeat them, she thought to herself as she headed towards the exit. A little voice inside her head tried to ask if she could really just leave the slayer. She stopped.
April reminded her of Buffy. Arrogant. There was a belief that because a girl is a slayer she's better at capturing and killing vampires. Dawn had already killed more vampires than some slayers ever accomplished. It would take her a while to break her sister's record, but she planned to—without the 'super powers'. She had warned the slayer not to show up, but she went ahead and did it anyway. She knew that the slayer was too green for something like this, even if Dawn stayed to help her. All she could really accomplish by staying to help the slayer is perhaps jeopardize her own ability to be a hunter, or her own life. What good would that do, she asked herself. Someone needed to be around to ride the world of vampires when the slayers were too stubborn or stupid to realize that to live to fight another day is smarter than to throw your life, she stopped dead in the middle of that thought.
Her eyes closed to keep the emotion from surfacing. This was not the place for this, she knew, but thinking about a slayer throwing their life away only made her see her sister's swan dive to death.
From her left, Dawn saw vampires grouping up at the same time as she heard the unmistakable sounds of violence. April.
"Fuck it," Dawn said under her breath. Reaching under her dress she fumbled for the strings that tied the hoop skirt to her. It fell to the ground and she quickly stepped out of it, grabbing the cross-stake before abandoning her anonymity. Running into the fray, she pressed the cross against the backs of a few vampires to get them to move out of the way. She darted between the confused vamps that hollered out in pain. She grabbed her gold skirt as she made her way through the throng and ripped it until the laces holding it came apart. That left her legs bare, but free to move. The filmy white dress was thankfully parted in the center and allowed the dress to flutter behind her as she ran.
She could barely see April fighting in the center of the vampires. A poof of dust let Dawn know she wasn't going down without a fight. Dawn stuck her own stake so far into the back of the vampire in front of her that she created her own whole in the mass. Vampires around her all vamped and turned their attention away from the slayer. Close combat was always Dawn's favorite. It was dangerous, sure, but so was she. She had to learn to fight at close range when a few clans had caught onto her before she could bottle their leader.
She kicked her leg straight up, catching the vampire in front of her under the chin and pushed her stake into the vampire behind her. She turned to her right and punched that vampire in the mouth. He seemed more upset about the blood on his white cravat than the dust she'd already spilt. He growled and lunged for her, but she ducked way down and waited until he was over her before standing and using her legs to toss him into the backs of a few vampires that were waiting for the slayer.
Leaping high, Dawn somersaulted over the vamps now sprawled out on the ground and came to her feet in one fluid move. She made brief eye contact with April and they put their backs together.
"Two slayers?" one vampire said in confusion.
"No," a familiar voice said. Dawn looked over towards the platform where Edric stood, watching. His eyes were narrowed. "Just one slayer and one hunter. The goth is the slayer, the princess the hunter." The room seemed to stand still for a moment. "Kill them," he said with a smile.
Dawn lunged forward quickly, not waiting for the vampires to come to her first. She staked the one nearest to her and looked at Edric.
"Come do it yourself, coward!" she yelled his way. His look of amusement just ate at her as the others around her came forward. She didn't know if they attacked because she killed one or because she called their 'prince' a coward, but attack they did. One vampire backhanded April and sent her flying into Dawn. The hunter had to shove back to keep her footing, but that sent April back towards the vampire. Luckily her reflexes were such that she went stake first into the fiend. Dawn ducked to the side to avoid being kicked by a shinny dress shoe and she grabbed the foot, knowing the other shoe would give no traction on a ball room floor. She tugged hard, making the vampire slip and crack his head before she staked his heart.
When a vampire lunged for April's back while she was busy with a particularly big looking vampire, Dawn used the cross to stop him in his tracks, but because her attention was taken up by saving April the trouble of an added foe to fight, she got tackled to the side, her cross skittered across the floor and well out of her reach.
"Fuck," Dawn said as she kicked her attacker in the face. The vampire that had been going towards April now went towards her and she realized she just brought April's trouble onto herself. If she survived this night, she vowed to never step foot near a slayer again. Reaching quickly between her breasts she grabbed one of her slender stakes and pulled it free. One of the vampires seemed surprised to see her reach down between her breasts, so he became distracted. She went for the other vampire, kicking his legs out from under him, staking him, and then jumping up to her feet. She faced the other vampire but two behind her grabbed both arms. She swung one foot up and kicked the vampire on her right in the face. He let go of her arm and she swung the other vampire to the ground. She was tackled before she could stake him, though and she was knocked to the ground, again. Her headpiece that had barely been hanging on before was knocked off completely, revealing her face to the crowd. If she survived this, she'd have to be in hiding for a while before she'd pass enough to start picking off Ricers. But she knew this was her last chance at attempting a demigod. All of them would hear of this.
She heard a strangled scream from her left and turned to see vampires swarm April. One was on each arm, holding her up, and another vampire was choking her, preparing to turn her own stake into her stomach. A flash of light hit her eyes and she suddenly saw Buffy's stomach wound when a vampire did that exact thing to her. The scene before her came back into focus but all she could see was that her sister was in trouble.
"No!" she screamed as she kicked hard at the vampire that came her direction. She crawled across the floor quickly, getting to her feet in the process and shoved the vampire who was trying to stake her sister away from the slayer. She backhanded one of the captors hard across the face and used the heel of her hand to snap his chin back so far he let the slayer go. April had lost her stake in the tussle, so she reached down for another, giving the vampires a perfect opportunity to ground her, which they did. A heavy hand came down hard on the slayer's back, making her crumble to the ground.
Dawn noticed the slayer fall and tried to make her way back to her again. Vampires swarmed her, pulling at her legs and tripping her. Two jumped on her back and kept her to the ground as the vampire that was over the slayer lifted her by the throat. He smiled at Dawn as she struggled to get free. One of her hands was pulled underneath the weight of the vampires. The vampire laughed as his other hand went to the top of the girl's head and snapped the neck. Dawn could hear the distinct pop even in a ballroom full of vampires.
"Buffy!" she screamed as the vampire drank from his kill.
The whole ballroom quieted at the mention of that slayer. Dawn realized her mistake too late. Now that the slayer's body was thrown in front of Dawn, the blond hair faded from view and April was laid out before her.
She was roughly pulled to her feet and a vampire came forward and punched her in the stomach, hard. Another blow came to her face. He morphed into true form before her.
"Hold her steady, men," he said as he came in for the kill.
A gloved hand landed on the shoulder of the vampire. He looked back revealing Edric.
"No," he said gently. The vampire didn't look happy that Edric had stopped him, but he pulled back anyway. Edric came towards her.
"You knew the Great Slayer," he said with a slight awe to his tone. Dawn said nothing, staring at him. "What was she like?" he asked. Again she said nothing.
"Want us to hold her while you kill her, Prince Edric?" the vampire on her left side asked.
Edric kept his eyes on Dawn and noticed she didn't flinch at the thought of her own death.
"I'm not going to kill her. I'm going to keep her."