Author's Note: I just had to stay up and write the following. Tell me how the characterisation is...

For the next two months Dawn trained with Wesley every night. She amassed a web of bruises that, although each would heal in under a day (a perk- super healing) another would take the empty place. She started to eat less, a Summers trait when under stress and sleep later. Her friends commented on her unbrushed hair and missing homework. She was even beginning to look tired! But, despite all this, Dawn felt powerful. She felt a rush every time she staked a vampire (and she had beheaded a m'fashnick demon, after catching it at a hospital where she was getting a dislocated shoulder bandaged). She relished the fear in their eyes when they realised that they couldn't win. That she was a superchick… She even started to pun at them, laughing as they tried to kill her. Her dad came back from his business trip for a couple of days, promised Dawn a vacation and leaving. At the moment, he was in Washington. Dawn wasn't sure what her dad did for a living, she knew it was something in the law but he was never clear. She was just glad that he would leave her alone. Junior year came to an end with a flurry of finals (which she breezed through) and parties.

It was the first of July and Dawn was stretched out on a towel at the beach. Wearing a boy-cut purple heart printed bikini, her hair tied in a loose ponytail, huge sunglasses on and her pale skin almost glowing as the sun bounced off it (she didn't tan, but she loved the sun) she dozed as her friends discussed their plans for the evening.

"Cookout, right Dawn?" Abi asked slowly.

"Uh huh, but I might be late, boyfriend wants to go to a 'gig'" She said the last word in a mockney accent, inwardly shuddering. She had told her friends that Wes was her boyfriend, studying law at UCLA. Wesley had argued that they might find it strange, a man of his age with a seventeen year old. But Dawn had explained that, to her friends, older guys were the norm. And, it was the only way to explain why Dawn was spending so much time with him.

"Tell him to come," Callie pouted.

"It's not really his scene, Cal." Dawn smiled, turning onto her stomach and turning on her Ipod, indicating that the conversation was over. After a few minutes like that she rolled over and stood up, pulling on her green batik print mini dress and flip-flops.

"I need to do something!" She said, sighing. "Lying around is so boring." Callie rolled her eyes and stood up, pulling on a pair of denim cut-offs.

"Shopping?" She said, buttoning up her white cotton top.

"Always," Dawn replied, grinning as she linked arms with her friend as they walked away from the group.

"Abi, put our towels in your car, okay?" Callie said to the redhead, who was lying on a star print towel, doing her best imitation of Lindsay Lohan circa 2005. The girl mumbled her acceptance and they walked away, taking the stairs to the car park two at a time.

It was past seven when Dawn got home. She opened the door and, seeing a note left on the mat stooped down to pick it up. 'Rest fields Cemetery, midnight' it read, in Wesley's now familiar fountain pen scrawl. She shrugged her shoulders and dumped her shopping in her room and undressed to take a shower.

She put on a pair of worn jeans shorts and a white lace-trimmed tank top; she pulled on a purple hoodie and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was presentable. She grabbed her messenger bag and shoved her phone, ipod, wallet and keys in with the mess of stakes and knives. With her hair loose down her back and her eyeliner freshly applied she bounded down the stairs, exited that she had an evening with her friends.

By 11:45 she was getting antsy. She had slain a vampire by the shallows (far from her friends, thank god!) and was dying for more. It wasn't that she liked the kill, that she actively hunted. She just loved the feeling that she was saving people, one vampire at a time. She stuck out her tongue, 'lame, Summers', she muttered. She made her excuses and left her friends.

Rest fields was eerily calm as she stepped through the gates, her green flats making no sound on the gravel. She went towards their usual meeting place and waited, the angel statue making her feel protected. She gripped a stake and she was tense, ready to fight at any minute. At exactly midnight a figure approached from the trees. He swayed and smelt of cheap alcohol, his platinum hair tousled and in messy curls. Dawn stood up, not sure whether he was a vampire, or just a drunk (she had come close to staking a few before). He was muttering to himself, and didn't seem to see her. As he came closer to her she caught what he was saying "I'm a bad man, I killed the girls, didn't have the spark, couldn't be good, couldn't be bad. She loved me but I'm too bad, can't hunt, can't fight. So I got it back. So I could fit. So I could do what they wanted. The girl, Buffy wanted." He stopped in front of her and his head seemed to clear.

"Dawn," he smiled and put on his game face. Immediately Dawn lunged towards him, to that he cowered, sat on the floor and leant against a gravestone, his knees drawn up to his body and his hands over his ears. He shook his head and rocked from side to side.

"Knew she wouldn't want me, she doesn't know me, but the girl has dreams, a sister dead. I wanted to kill her, but everything changed. Different girl, slayer messed up. I messed up. Dru wouldn't love me anymore. Said I didn't have it anymore. Worthless, should be dead, like Angelus. Should have fried." He said, not stopping for breath. He wasn't looking at Dawn and she slapped him in the face.

"What did you do? How do you know Buffy? How did you know about my dreams?" She asked the stake still in her hands.

"You know me, and I know you, you were the Key, curds and whey. But not any more, they changed it. Dru saw. I was going to be a hero and they changed it. She loved me and they changed it. Niblet, what have we done?" He asked, bewildered, looking into her eyes. When their eyes met Dawn realised who he was.

"Spike?" She said softly, feeling safe near him, despite her better judgement. This dishevelled, crazy man was Spike. And he knew about her dreams, knew what she had been. But did he have a soul? Quickly she opened his shirt and looked at his pale chest; there on the left side over his heart was a criss-cross of cuts and older scars.

"Tried to cut it out," he said, looking at her sadly. She looked closer. He was painfully thin, covered in cuts, obviously self-inflicted.

"What did you do?" She whispered.

"I had to suffer, do to myself what I did to them. I have to suffer. There's no penance big enough. So I looked for you. Sanshu said that I had to help." He replied carefully, as if the words hurt to get out.

"Sanshu?" She asked

"The vampire with a soul will become human, once he survives the coming darkness, the apocalyptic battles, a plagues and fiends that will be unleashed." He paused, thinking about something. "So I'll help you, the slayer." He tried to smile.

"But you don't know me, how can I trust you?" She asked.

"'Cause Buffy would, 'cause you could kill me in a flash. 'Cause I saved your watcher." He said.

Dawn jumped up "You have my watcher?" She asked through gritted teach.

"Hey, hey, purely good intentions. I don't bite, can't bite, 'cause I'm a bad puppy. Had to be trained, choke-chained. Help the girl, save the girl. Don't hurt people, stay away, hide; eat the rats, ones that they don't miss…" He rambled as he staggered through the cemetery, Dawn following him cautiously.

'If this was a horror movie… I'd be dead already.' She thought bitterly as she stalked behind the clearly deranged vampire.