Chapter 7

Dawn reawakened

A moan escaped Dawn as she tossed and turned on the floor. Images flashed through her head and all of them so strange and familiar all at the same time. The flash of gun powder from a rocket flying into the sky and exploding into bright tendrils of light and disappearing into the night in puffs of smoke.

"Hey there luv…remember me?"

Dawn quickly turned and saw a man with shimmering blond hair and a devilish grin and beside him stood a woman with raven hair all curled in a Victorian fashion and a red and black dress clutching a doll dressed the same. Her hand rose and the two backed away. Confusion filled her mind as she saw the started look and fear in their eyes until she focused her gaze on her hands. A large wooden cross was what she was clutching and in her other hands she held a stake.

What the hell? She thought silently.

"Looks like she was ready for us pretty William." The woman said with a purr and suddenly in the background a thunderous noise filled the night air as the sound of cannon fire and guns raged the small village. Children began to run and scream trying to flee safely from the scene. A small lost child ran past them screaming in what appeared to be Chinese for his mother. Dawn knew she didn't speak the language and yet it was clear as day. The raven-haired woman took immediate notice of the danger and was aroused by looks of her smile that she had on her face. She turned to the man and gave him a pleading look and he sighed with great annoyance.

"Go ahead luv, I won't be long."

Dawn looked at him with confusion and then her body starts to move quickly as she began to run in the direction of what looked to be a large teahouse that was beginning to set ablaze. The only thoughts that ran through her head was that she needed to take the battle somewhere else. Her ears somewhat twitched as she heard the sounds of the man she had stumbled into following her. Her pace quickened and so did his as they entered the teahouse. The walls were ablaze and mere moments from collapse and as she entered the building she hid behind a pillar. The man entered in a fury.

"Now now luv, don't need to become such a frightful child when you fight, that's what's wrong with you slayers. You have all the power in the world and you hide like some powerless child, it's pathetic."

Dawn's heart pounded and she clutched the steak in her hands waiting for the sounds of his steps to draw nearer to plunge the stake quickly in his heart. His steps grew closer as she hoped and her heart began to pound so fast that her ears were deafened by the sounds and once she saw his shadow she moved quickly to the attack. Her first move was a quick kick and when her assault found no target she stood baffled. Looking nervously at her surroundings the man was gone and she didn't understand what was going on until she felt a sharp blow to the back of her head that made her fall to the ground and wince in the pain of it.

"Well mei ling, looks like you're not all you've been foretold to be. Maybe you slayers are just a bunch of jazzed up Kung Fu fighters."

Dawn looked up and saw the monstrous visage of a vampire in front of her that was looming over her and making himself appear ten stories high. She quickly spun her body with a low kick that sent him pacing back and she brought herself back up to her feet.

"Hmm you sure are going to try and prove me wrong aren't you little shiva?" He said with a small laugh.

Then Dawn charged at him with full strength and the two began to exchange blows left and right. The sounds of her fist cracking as they made contact with his face and body made an extra rush of adrenaline flow through her body like electricity. He pushed her back causing her to crash into a pillar that made the building shake as it began to slowly burn. He laughed as she tried to counter his assault but was taken by surprise when one of his punches caused her to lose her grip on the stake and fall to the ground. She quickly scrambled to regain the stake but was thwarted by the clutches of the vampire she had known to be William the Bloody. And with one fluid motion he pinned her arms above her head and sunk his fangs in her neck. After he felt her heart slow he flung her to the ground and smirked at her lifeless body.

A bright flash of light that signaled the end of her life in her mind and she was gone. Above her she last saw the man and his lover sharing the remnants of her blood. Then total darkness was all she saw before another bright flash of light. Then without warning she was immediately sucked into another place in another time. There were men all around her jeering and carrying on as loudly as they could possibly have been. They pulled at her and she was nearly toppled over before she made her way out of the tavern. The dark streets of the city she was in were fragrant with the rain that had passed and the sound of her heels clicking on the cobblestones took her by surprise. She stopped suddenly and looked at herself. She wore a Victorian style dress with a tight corset and her endowments right out I in the open. It was brisk out and a slight breeze made Dawn shiver. But for some reason she felt used to the weather, but why she could not say. The dark old alleys of this unknown city she noted the foul stench of poverty and sickness filled her nostrils. A poor urchin came up to her and began to get rough with her in his pursuit to gain some sort of charity from her. She quickened her pace to try and avoid any other problems but he persisted. And as she nearly made it to the open streets he tried to grab her shoulder when she flipped him to one side and he fell to the ground. She looked around to see if anyone had seen her but there was no one. She quickened her pace and made her way to a tavern. The wooden sign hung from the wooden roof of the tavern.

Special Spirits.

"Oh lord, I hate having to come to this place night in and night out." Dawn said in her now British accent.

As she walked in the smoke from a thousand nights of cigar smoke filled her nose and made her brow wrinkle until she got used to it and then walking over to the owner who bared a striking resemblance to Giles she smiled as he pointed over to a table where a man was sitting and laughing. He was accompanied by two women, one blonde, the other brunette. Both very beautiful and yet almost inhuman, rouge blush and dim light made their faces glow as they waved her over.

Dawn began her walk but was soon stopped by the sound of the owner's throat clearing. He whispered in her ear and she nodded. It would have seemed that she was being told a secret but instead she was given a tray with three mugs of ale to serve to them. She continued to the three and smiled.

"Good evening dear patrons, a spot of ale compliments of the owner for livening up the place." Dawn said with a smile.

The women looked at her with intrigue and sensuality flowing in their eyes.

"My angel loves his ale doesn't he grandmother?"

The blonde one seemed surprised and then tsked at the other woman.

"Now Dru, I'm not your grandmother dearest…heavens I'm not that old am I?"

Dru smiled and shook her head as she began to run her fingers down the side of Darla's arm.

"No my dearest, you beauty will last you all through time as it will this one no doubt."

Angel kept an eye on her as she sat the mugs of ale on the table and gently sat near him. It was clear to Dawn now that the reason for her snug clothes and revealing dress was for him.

"I am glad to be your matron tonight good sir."

Angel turned to her and smiled as his hand moved to her thigh. Dawn wanted to scream but for some reason she wasn't alarmed externally. She wasn't in trouble, it was almost as if she planned the entire thing.

"If I may ask darlin', what would a beautiful lass like yourself be doing here pettling ale to the worst of the worst in this very tavern of human waste?"

Dawn smiled seductively.

"It is the waste of this town that pay the rent good sir, but you are no waste…you're different from the rest."

Darla leaned to whisper in Dru's ear. A giggle escaped as they quietly excused themselves and exited quietly. A few hours past and most of the patrons of the tavern had left. Angel however had no sign of weariness and it was well into the early hours of the morning.

"Well sir, it would seem that you and I had better make the most of the night before it is daylight."

Angel smiled and took her by the hand out into the alley. The two soon began to kiss quiet passionately. His hand crept up her bodice and even lower. A moan escaped Dawn's mouth and that only made Angel more and more anxious and seemingly aroused. His trousers dropped and the two began to make love against the wall. A voice echoed in her head. It was the voice of her watcher Thomas.

Head and heart…stake in the heart or cut off the head…it's the only way to be sure they're dead. Cut until you see dust. This you must do to kill them Madeleine.

Angel's grunts began to increase in volume and Dawn could feel him approaching the ultimate moment of excitement. Then as she thought nothing could interrupt the sound of his passion the sound of clapping echoed throughout the alley. Angel turned his and saw a glimmer of blonde hair. Dawn saw it as well and almost mistakenly took it to be the hair of the woman he had been in the tavern with some hours ago. But then a voice pitched and it was the voice of a man.

"Well, you told me I got lucky with that slayer in China, nothing compared to you this time eh mate?"

Angel withdrew and smiled.

"Hello Willy."

The man glared.

"I told you not to call me that, it's William the Bloody."

Angel smirked and walked over to him.

"Oh please, you torture them with railroad spikes…you might as well just call yourself spike."

William smirked and looked in Madeleine's direction as she fumbled for a stake. She had only become the slayer half a year ago and was still having trouble making the most of her powers.

William then took in Angel's mockery and glared.

"Oh please…what kind of git would go about calling himself Spike? Only a fool would think that that name strikes fear."

After his words Madeleine was now ready for the fight. With stake in hand she walked slowly.

"I will kill you both."

Angel walked towards her with a slow stride and soon morphed into his vampire visage.

"Oh come now lass, we had your kind of fun, now it's time for you to have ours."

Dawn's mind raced.

How did he know I was the slayer?

Angel laughed and stared blankly at her. His laughter was deafening.

"Now is my turn to have a go at this slayer Willy."

"William the Bloody!" William sniped back.

Then it all went black. Dawn could feel the fangs of the two vampires in her neck. Their penetrating fangs seemed endless as they dug farther and farther into her.

"Angel…" She whispered.