Title: Dawn of the Son

Author: Spichik453

Chapter 7

Dawn attempted to lay low the next day at the hospital. However, she should have known better. Almost from the instant she set foot in the hospital she had more cases than she could handle, and after a night of researching and patrolling, Dawn had gotten next to no sleep, unless you count the forty five minutes she snagged right before leaving for the hospital. She sniffled a yawn as she stepped off the elevator. She held two charts in her hand, and was relieved that those were done, knowing that there were going to be at least two more waiting for her at the nurse's station. "Summers, the cute guy with the head gash is back today." Nurse Kelly informed Dawn before she even made it to the desk.

"Varjack?"

"That's the one. No one has taken his case yet, you want it?"

Dawn did not hesitate taking the chart from Nurse Kelly. Not only was it the opportunity to try to contain the fact that Dawn knew a thing or two about vampires, or that others might think she might know, but she did not mind looking at Jake Varjack yesterday. "Hello Mr. Varjack." Dawn said, pulling aside the curtain to see him sitting there scratching his forehead. This time the cut was on his leg. "Another fight?"

"Its Jake, and yes." He flashed Dawn a smile. "I'm glad its you stitching my leg up this time. The ones on my head haven't broken open yet."

"Thanks. After a day I'd hope that they would not have split. So what cut you this time?"

Jake looked down at his leg. "It was either a sword, or a stake. I cannot remember. One cut my arm, and one cut my leg."

Dawn raised an eye at both sword and stake, but decided to shrug it off. "Your arm is cut?"

Jake shrugged. "It is just a scratch."

Dawn sighed as she cleaned the large cut on Jake's calf. "You might want to consider another hobby." She joked. "Or don't quit your day job."

Jack scoffed. "You think that hunting vampires is a hobby? It's my calling."

"So you hunt vampires?" Dawn attempted to sound inquisitive without sounding judgmental. Why would anyone in their right mind hunt vampires? Well, besides her sister who was destined to fight vampires and the others who out of devotion to Buffy and a desire to good help her. And the other slayers. When it comes to the actual fighting though, they left a lot of it up to Buffy or the other slayers. Dawn could only figure that Jake was delusional, thinking that he could fight vampires. And part of her thought he was delusional for even believing in vampires. She had never met someone who did believed in vampires outside of their circle of vampire and demon hunters. Jake seemed to read Dawn's mind.

"Yeah, and don't call psych on me. I'm not crazy. They're the ones killing all those people lately. And I know you think its vampires because I think yesterday you slipped."

"I did not slip. I just spoke out loud that I think that if vampires were real, they would want to lay low."

"Oh they do." Jake tried to reassure Dawn. "But with so many in town someone has got to fight them. There were these girls at the cemetery last night. They were strong for little girls. I kind of just hid and watched. And then I got jumped by these two vamps, and I staked one, after he got my stake, and he is the one that cut my arm. So I guess the leg was cut by the sword the other one was carrying. But I dusted him."

Dawn tried so hard to ignore everything that Jake just said. They had gotten a report from Vi that the other slayers went patrolling in a cemetery last night, so Jake could have seen them. And after examining the wound in the leg, Dawn could tell that something sharp and clean did it, like a knife or a sword. And judging from how his shirt was ripped, Dawn could guess that the cut on his arm was going to look like a stake cut. Then there was the fact that Jake knew that vampires turned to dust after being staked. She was starting to believe him.

"Hunt vampires often?"

Jake shrugged. "Sometimes yeah. With the rash of killings I go out almost every night, and I generally get three or four a night. That is up from my one maybe two a week before. Something big is going down, you know."

Dawn only smiled. "Why do you think you need to kill the vampires?"

Jake laughed. "You mean besides the fact that they kill people?" Jake suddenly got quiet and his smile faded. He looked at Dawn seriously. "As my doctor you cannot tell anyone. But I've been alone in this for so long that I just need to tell someone. And you promise no psych evaluation if I tell you?"

Dawn hesitated, but so much of his story matched up with what she had grown up around that she had to find out what he wanted to say. "I promise."

Jake leaned in close to Dawn, who was in the process of stitching his leg. "I have these super human powers. I mean they're not so much powers as they are this strength. It is this instinct that I have to kill vamps. I'm still pretty new to the game and I may not have perfect aim for the heart every time, but I killed my first vamp my first time out."

"What?"

"Don't make me repeat it."

"No I heard you, it's just that..." Dawn's voice trailed off.

Jake leaned in, knowing that Dawn had some pressing secret. "Its just that, what? You seem to believe me."

"You're describing that you're a vampire slayer."

"Is that what I am?"

"It doesn't make sense. The slayer line passes through one female, and there is no way that you're a slayer."

"Is there a test?"

Dawn turned bright red. She knew she had said too much. She had to get rid of Jake Varjack, and fast. There was only one problem, she was only halfway done stitching up his leg. She stiffened up her back, and made sure that her done was flat and defensive. "No. There is no test."

Jake leaned back in his bed, letting the fresh bedding crunch a couple times before he spoke. "Sorry, I must have hit a nerve. I guess you probably said too much. I'm new to the whole vampire thing, so I'm not sure if there is a code of silence or anything. Its just that, when I'm slaying a vampire, it feels like I'm fulfilling my destiny or something." Dawn raised her eyes to look up at Jake. He was leaning back with his hands behind his head looking up. "It probably sounds lame or something."

"No. You sound passionate about it."

"So you believe me?" Dawn said nothing. "I'm going to take it from your silence that that's a yes? You're the first person I've met that even believes in vampires."

"Some people are lucky to have the luxury of not believing. Me? I grew up in Sunnydale."

"The giant sink hole town? What does that have to do with vampires?"

Dawn wrapped the bandage around Jake's leg. "Nothing. Listen. You want to know about vampires?" Dawn did not know what she was saying. It was word vomit. She shouldn't be doing what she was about to do, but at the same point, she could not stop. He talked like Buffy did when she used to talk about slaying. And he seemed dedicated to the job. She knew that she would either scare him away, or there was something to his story.

"Yeah?"

"Meet me in the lobby at 10 tonight."

"Yeah?"

Dawn did not say anything. "You can get directions for how to take care of this wound at the nurse's station when you check out. And no more fighting. I'm benching you for a while."

Jake smiled. "Yes Doctor."

Dawn smiled, and walked away from Jake, mentally slapping herself. This time she knew she had gone too far for a smile.