DISCLAIMER: The Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters are the property of Mutant Enemy, Joss Whedon, and Fox Studios. The story contents are the creation and property of Djinn and are copyright (c) 2001 by Djinn. This story is Rated PG-13.
Gravity
Part 1 - Release
by Djinn
"I won't go! What if she comes back?"
Giles sighed. This was one of those nights he wished he had
never come to Sunnydale, never become a watcher. It was bad enough dealing with his own grief
over Buffy's death. But to have to help
Dawn deal with hers was almost more than he could bear. And for her it wasn't just grief; it was
guilt. She knew that she was the one
that was supposed to have died. But
Buffy had changed all that the only way she could. By taking her sister's place--the greatest
gift she could give.
"I won't go to
"You will, Dawn. I'm afraid you have no choice."
"Why? Because you don't want me around
anymore?"
"You know that's not
true." He glared at her. "Your father is your legal
guardian."
She looked even sulkier. "Well, why did you have to go and tell
him?"
"You know why. Family services was already watching Buffy
closely. If they had their doubts about
leaving you with your sister, how do you think they feel about letting you stay
with an unrelated male foreigner, hmm?"
Dawn didn't try to argue with
that. "How'd you even find
him?" She sat down, appearing
resigned for now. "Buffy couldn't after
Mom died."
Giles silently thanked the
Council for their assistance in helping him track down Hank Summers. The man was well hidden in
Daughters, plural. Giles marveled at the power of the monks'
spell. How far it had reached and how
durable it appeared to be. He might know
intellectually that the girl was a construct and the memories he had of her
were false, but that didn't convince his heart.
His memories felt real. They were
real, and they weren't. The same strange contradiction that Dawn was
herself.
At least Hank Summers would
not have to struggle with that. And
perhaps in a way it was a blessing that he had this other daughter to help him
come to terms with the death of his oldest.
Not that he deserved that much help, Giles thought angrily, as he
remembered how he had been more of a father to Buffy than Hank had over the
last five years. Hank hadn't had to
watch as his daughter launched herself off a tower to save Dawn. Giles had known that she was dead before she
hit the ground. Had somehow sensed when
her life ended as she fell through the crackling energy of the portal. The body that hit the ground in front of him
had held no soul. At that moment, he had
wanted to follow her wherever she had gone.
It had been too much.
He looked at Dawn. She was so young and innocent. So full of pain. He wasn't helping her, even though he was
trying. Maybe being with her father
would be the best thing. A complete
break from all of this madness.
"They won't know what I
am," she said, as if reading his mind.
"You're human,
Dawn. That's why Buffy wanted so badly
to save you. You truly are human."
"But I'm still the
Key. I know. When I came down those stairs...after she was
dead. Nothing had changed. The crazy people still saw it, the
energy. They still knew what I was. They knew that I'm not real."
"I know it doesn't make
much sense. But you are real. And you're still the Key. Both. You're
special."
Her voice was very
small. "I don't want to be
special."
Neither did Buffy, he thought
sadly.
-------------------------------
It was absurdly easy to sneak
out of Giles' apartment. He was
oblivious, snoring softly in his bed up in the loft. Dawn rose from the couch, dressed in the
bathroom, and grabbed the backpack she had stashed earlier. The note she left in the kitchen was brief
and to the point. "I'm not
going."
"Good bye," she
whispered as she closed the door behind her.
"I'm sorry."
The streets of Sunnydale were
deserted at this hour. She hurried to
the cemetery. There was no place else to
go. The others wouldn't help her. They really thought that it was best that she
go with her father. There was only one
person. She hadn't seen him since Buffy
died. He had kept to himself. She knew why.
The crypt was dark when she
arrived. "Spike?" He wasn't there. She checked in the underground room. He wasn't there either. She went back up.
She didn't like the look of
the place. It was a mess. Liquor bottles everywhere, empty containers
that once held blood littered the room.
Ashtrays were overflowing. She
wrinkled her nose at the combined smells.
She waited for an hour, but
he didn't come back. She let herself out
of the crypt.
"Spike, where are
you?" she whispered desperately.
"What have we
here?" A deep voice sounded, too
close for comfort.
She turned and backed away
quickly. A tall vampire stood in front
of her.
"Don't run, sweet
thing." He laughed at her. "I just love little girls."
"I bet," she
replied, swinging the backpack hard. The
blow took him by surprise and she took off through the trees. She could hear him behind her, could feel his
arm reach out and touch her shoulder. As
she burst through the clearing, she put on extra speed and was surprised to
feel his hand fall away. She tore
through the cemetery, could feel him right behind her. She suddenly realized where she was going,
saw what lay ahead of her. Who lay ahead
of her.
"Spike!" she
screamed.
A blonde head poked up. His eyes were dazed but he leapt to his feet
unsteadily. "Dawn?"
She ran to him, stopped at
the headstone. Buffy's headstone. "Help me," she urged.
Spike looked at the vampire
that stood just in front of him.
"Get out." His words
were slurred.
"Hey man, get your
own. I saw her first." The bigger vampire pushed him out of the way.
Dawn felt real terror as she
saw Spike stumble away from her. "Leave
me alone," she said to the other vampire.
"Worked up an appetite
with you, little girl. You sure can
run." He leered and took another
step toward her.
Spike looked up. "I wouldn't be stepping there,
mate."
The other vampire ignored
him. His foot came down on Buffy's
grave.
Spike's expression
changed. Dawn had never seen such pure
rage. He didn't make a sound as he
stalked over to the other vamp, who oblivious to the danger he was in took
another step. Spike's fist caught his
shoulder, spun him around. The first
punch sent the bigger vampire sailing over her.
He recovered with a roar of
anger. "What is your problem?"
he yelled as he ran toward Spike.
Spike just smiled. It was the most dangerous thing she had ever
seen.
His fists were blurs as he
knocked the vampire down as fast as the other could get up. Finally, seeming to weary of the sport, Spike
grabbed the vampire's head. "I said
not to step there," he whispered as he gave a vicious twist.
Dawn barely saw the head come
free before the vampire exploded into dust.
"Wow." She said. "That was so cool." She sat down heavily. "And so gross."
He moved to her. "Are you all right?" He suddenly seemed perfectly sober.
She nodded. "I was scared."
He looked down at the
grave. "You shouldn't come here at
night, Dawn. You know that."
"I didn't come to see
her. I was looking for you."
He started walking toward his
crypt. "Don't know why. What the hell would you need with me?"
"Your help."
"Well you just got
it."
"That wasn't about
me." She held her ground when his
head snapped around. She met his glare
without flinching. "That was about
Buffy. You don't care about me."
"That's not
true." He turned back around, but
didn't move away.
She walked up to him. Took his hand in her own, trying not to
flinch at how cold it was. "Will
you prove it?"
He pulled away, took out a
small flask, started to unscrew the lid.
She grabbed it out of his
hand.
"Hey!"
"You don't need
it."
"Well maybe not, but I
bloody well want it. Give it back."
She threw it far into the
woods.
He stared at her
angrily. "What is your problem,
girl?"
"I need your help. Your sober help."
"For what?"
"To get me out of
town." She pulled him to his crypt,
retrieved her backpack as they went.
Once inside, she pushed him into his chair, stood over him with her
hands on her hips. Unaware of how
completely like her sister she looked.
His expression softened. "How are you doing?"
"Not so good,
Spike. See tomorrow, I'm supposed to get
on a plane and leave here. They want to
send me to my Dad. To
"Why not,
"That's not the
point."
He smiled sadly. "What is the point, Dawn? Why not go?
There's nothing here for you."
"Yes there is. There's
"We all came together,
stayed together, because of Buffy. You
watch. Everything will change."
"It doesn't have
to."
He leaned back, pulled out
his cigarettes. Lighting one, he looked
at her. "I assume I can still do
this?"
"Yes."
"Small mercies," he
muttered sarcastically.
"So will you help
me?"
"What good is running
away going to do? You want to stay here,
running away isn't going to accomplish that.
Might as well go to
She was irritated at his
logic; she knew her plan made no sense.
She also knew she had to do this.
"So you won't help me?"
"I just don't see the
point."
"Buffy asked you to keep
me safe, didn't she? How are you going
to feel when something terrible happens to me?"
He closed his eyes. "Go to
"She'd be pretty
disappointed in you, wouldn't she?"
"Go to
"Boy, you sure are
letting her down. Hope you didn't
promise or anything...you know, to look out for me."
She knew she had won when she
saw him flinch.
"You don't fight fair,
Dawn."
"Not when it's this
important, Spike. Will you help
me?"
His weary groan as he stood
up was all the answer she needed.
------------------------------
Giles woke with a start. The loft was quiet. Too quiet.
Dawn liked to watch cartoons in the morning. Noisy cartoons.
He kicked the covers off and
grabbed a robe. Running down the stairs
to the main level, he called out, "Dawn?"
There was no answer.
Her suitcases were still
placed neatly by the door. The blankets
on the couch were rumpled. He hurried
down the hall to the bathroom. It was
empty.
He picked up the phone and
hit speed dial. He barely heard
"Giles? Do you know what time it is?"
"Is Dawn there,
Her voice was more awake but
still confused. "She's leaving for
"She's gone."
"You mean she left
already?"
"Missing. She's missing."
"Maybe she went to the
grave. Do you want us to check it
out?"
"The grave. Yes, of course. No, I'll go."
"Call us if you need
anything."
He barely remembered to dress
in his haste to find Dawn, but when he got to the grave there was no one to be
seen. He stared down at the marker. Felt a surge of pain at the sight of it. His lost slayer haunted him.
He drove back to his
apartment. Walked in and started some
water to boil. He needed some tea. Then he saw the note. Picked it up, knowing what it would say but
reading it anyway. She was gone.
The phone rang. He crossed the room slowly. "Yes?"
"Giles?" It was Xander. "
"She's run
away."
There was a long
silence. "We'll be right
over."
Giles hung up the phone,
stood staring at nothing. He felt as if
someone had catapulted him back three years to that awful moment when he had
found out that Buffy had run away. Only
at least he had known that Buffy could take care of herself. She had been the slayer after all. But Dawn was just a young girl. No super powers to help her survive in a
world she had barely had a chance to live in.
"Where are you,
Dawn?" he whispered. "Where in
god's name have you gone?"
------------------------------
Spike barely beat the
daylight into the apartment. The place
was small but serviceable. He had found
it using an old scam, pretending to be a fellow traveler at the airport,
looking for someone in the check in line whose address was easy to spot on the
outside of his bag. A few minutes of
chatting the unsuspecting young man up and he knew exactly how long they could
stay at the place. This was their last
night.
Dawn looked up as he ran
inside. "Cutting it close, aren't
you?"
"Yeah. But we've got everything we need
now." He pulled out the cash he had
taken off the Cikner demon. After he had
killed him. The young woman he had saved
had been exceedingly grateful. Spike
smiled at just how surprised she'd been when he hadn't taken advantage of that
gratitude.
Dawn was excited. "You found us a new place to stay? Where?
Does it have a pool?"
"You know, that wasn't
one of the first things I asked about.
Oh wait, I didn't ask at all.
Dawn, we're on the lam, you know.
We're not going to rent a place up on
Her smile faded.
"What?"
"I don't really like it
underground."
He edged around the sunshine
slipping through the closed blinds and went into the kitchen. "Well, I do. No sunshine is a bloody good thing."
"Yeah, I guess."
"You guess? Gonna be hard to be your minder if I've gone
poof, now won't it?"
She was glum. "Yes."
He felt sorry for her. Maybe he had overdone it. "Dawn.
I can't protect you when it's daylight.
I know it's hard but you can't go out."
She just nodded.
"I'm sorry, kid. But this is what you chose when we ran. If you don't like it, I hear there's lots of
sunshine and pools in
Her look hardened. "No, It's ok. I'll get used to it." She walked into the bathroom.
He pretended he couldn't hear
her crying behind the closed door.
--------------------
"You understand we don't
like this. Reactivating you wasn't our
first choice. But she's enough of a
loose cannon without adding a new watcher to the mix. We really have no choice." The British voice on the phone oozed
disapproval.
"Of course." Giles was only mildly surprised at the
news. "When shall I go get her,
Quentin?"
"It will take us a
fortnight or so to get her out."
That soon, he thought. The reach of the Council again. So long.
So pervasive.
"She's asked for
you. Wants to talk to you before she
agrees."
"To me? Now?"
"Yes to you. I expect you to get over to
"I'm surprised you're
letting her. Frankly, I expected you'd
arrange some sort of fatal prison accident.
You know her death would call a new slayer."
"How droll, Rupert. And on an unsecured line, no less. Suffice it to say that the girl appears to
have changed. Just the fact that she
remained in prison speaks volumes. Even
if it hasn't improved her disposition."
Travers sighed. "You'll go
to see her then?"
"I'll leave
now."
The drive to LA was a
blur. His thoughts alternated between
Dawn and how he was going to find her now that she'd been missing for a week,
and Faith who was going to become his responsibility. Before he knew it, he was pulling up to the
prison. It took some time to get through
the security measures but finally he was waiting for her in the visiting room. He watched as she was led in and took a seat
across from him.
She picked up the phone, and
he followed suit. Studying her through
the glass, he thought she looked older.
But her voice was the same as he remembered.
"I'm glad you
came."
"They said you wouldn't
agree to this till you talked to me."
She looked at him, studying
him as steadily as he had done to her.
"You look like shit."
He laughed, a short burst of
sound. "I rather feel like it as
well."
"Angel told me about
Buffy."
He nodded.
"Are you sure you're up
to this?"
He frowned. "Do you not want me to do this,
Faith?"
"No, I want you to. But I know how it is. I mean Angel had to take off for a while to
deal. Maybe you do, too? Maybe the last thing you need is me."
He thought about that. "Maybe the last thing you need is a watcher
as damaged as I feel. You'll be free
again. Perhaps some fresh blood would do
you good."
"I don't trust the
Council." She smiled tightly. "They may need me out now. But some things have gone down in here that
I'd swear they had a hand in. I don't
think I was meant to survive this sentence.
And if they ever do find that other slayer, I know I don't want one of
their people with me."
He decided not to lie to
her. "Probably not."
"That's why I want you
to be my watcher. I know you'll be straight
with me. And I won't have to watch my
back." She flashed him the
devil-may-care grin he remembered.
"We can be damaged together."
He nodded, his expression
serious. "Perhaps we can heal
together too."
"I wouldn't bet against
us." Her grin faded. "So tell me what I can expect when I get
back in town."
---------------------
Spike and Dawn had been in
the demon's lair for two weeks and it was clear that she was not going to
adapt. She seemed to lose every ounce of
her normal vivacity. It was as if the
very life was being sucked out of her.
Spike felt frantic. He didn't know what to do. He brought her anything she wanted. The previous owner had enjoyed the finer
things in life, even by non-demon standards.
There was a gameboy, video games, television. He brought her movies and books. They even played games.
All she wanted to do lately
was talk. About Buffy.
He had to get her out to the
sunshine. But how? Maybe it would be all right if she went out
alone.
He turned the TV on. It was the news. He was about to flip the channel with he saw
a picture of a young girl flash on the screen.
At first, he thought it was Dawn.
But her hair was darker.
"Police are asking for
your help in the Kelly Manners murder.
Anyone who saw the red sedan that has been reported around Canyon Ridge
Junior High School at the time of her disappearance, or any other unusual
happenings is encouraged to call KSTV's crime stoppers at..."
He flipped off the TV. "Come on."
She looked up at him in
surprise.
"Come on," he held
his hand out, unwilling to admit how spooked he was by the report. The girl had looked so much like Dawn. He could imagine what had happened to her. He knew the mind of a killer, because he had
been one. Maybe still was, but for a
piece of metal in his brain. "It's
a full moon, let's go admire it."
She didn't move. "I'm ok"
"Well, I'm not. Come on." He finally had to walk over and pick her
up.
"Put me down!" she
yelled at him.
"Can you walk?"
"I'm not a baby."
He snorted as he set her back
on her feet. "Then prove it."
"Fine. Let's go." She grabbed her jacket and walked out of the
room.
He caught up with her
easily. Watched as her mood lightened as
they walked in the cool night air. She's
been cooped up too much, he thought guiltily.
They walked for hours. He worried that she was overdoing it, but she
didn't seem at all tired. And she seemed
to be enjoying the night as much as he was.
They were nearing the
entrance to their hideaway when he heard a familiar voice. Cordelia Chase. She was walking toward them, a man he didn't
recognize next to her. Spike pulled Dawn
into a doorway and listened to their conversation as they got closer.
"I still can't believe
it, Wesley. They're really just going to
let her go tomorrow?"
"The Council pulled
strings." The voice was
English. Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, Spike
guessed.
"Why? She's a psycho." Cordelia's voice was strained. "I haven't forgotten what she did to
you."
The man's voice was
cold. "Nor I. But I'm not her watcher anymore. Giles will be. And perhaps he can help her."
"Yeah. Look how much he did for Buffy."
There was a long silence.
"They really can't find
the new slayer?"
"It's a big planet. She
could be anywhere." Wesley sounded
defensive.
"Well tell them to look
harder. They need to find her. Preferably before Faith flips out
again."
"Angel says she's
changed."
"Uh huh, and he thought
Darla had too." Cordelia's voice
was scornful. "Angel gives
homicidal maniacs way too much benefit of the doubt, if you ask me."
"Well, I'm inclined to
agree with you on that one. Between him
and Fred, it's tolerance all around these days."
The voices moved away as the
two crossed the street. It was harder
for Spike to hear Cordelia's reply.
"Oh, don't even get me started on her."
He waited a few minutes then
stepped out to watch them disappear around the corner. "Very interesting."
"You learned something
from that?"
"Uh huh." He smiled.
"Come on."
He led her past a park to the
bus stop. He grinned again thinking of
the conversation he had just overheard.
He reached into his coat, pulled out a new flask. He didn't expect to have it yanked out of his
hands. "Dawn, no!" But it was too late; she had thrown it into
the woods.
"I thought we were clear
that you didn't need that stuff."
Her eyes were very fierce.
"Well this stuff I do
happen to need. You just threw away my
dinner."
She gulped audibly. "That was blood?" At his nod, she grimaced. "Not booze?"
"Nice fresh blood."
She was already moving. "I'll get it. You just wait there. I'll be right back." She ran toward the woods, turning around to
make sure he wasn't following.
"Just stay there. Don't
move."
"Yeah, and make it
fast. I'm hungry." He managed to hold in his laughter until she
was out of range.
When she came running back
with the flask, he was all stern displeasure.
"Here," she said as
she handed it over.
He opened it, took a deep
drink. "Come on, then, we're
wasting moonlight."
"Where are we
going?"
"We need help. And I know just the person."
------------------------
Faith followed the guard to
the visiting room. She was curious who
would visit her this late. Angel had
already been here to wish her luck and she knew that Giles would be coming in
the morning to pick her up when she was released.
"You know the
rules." The guard said sternly.
Faith just smirked.
"Don't push it. I don't care what tomorrow is."
"Right." She dialed down her attitude a notch. No need to piss off one of the few guards
that was nice to her. "Don't worry,
I'll behave."
When she saw who was sitting
on the other side of the glass, she almost laughed. "Spike?" she said neutrally as she
sat down and picked up the phone.
"William the Bloody here to see me off?"
Then she realized that Dawn
was sitting in the next seat. Buffy's
sister moved to share the stool and the earpiece with the vampire. "William the babysitter," Faith
corrected disbelievingly.
"He's my
bodyguard," Dawn corrected with bravado.
"And my friend."
"For real? Betcha big sister is spinning in her grave
over that."
Spike's eyes never left
her. "Buffy is the one that asked
me to take care of her."
"Whoa, points off for
judgment." She suddenly had a bad
feeling. "You didn't make her into
a...?"
Dawn made a face. "No.
He's not evil."
Faith did laugh out loud this
time. "Hate to correct you, midget,
but that's exactly what he is."
"Buffy trusted
me." Spike said with quiet dignity.
"And look where that got
her." Faith studied the two. They looked miserable. "Hey, as much fun as trading insults
with you two is, I've got things to do, you know."
Dawn opened her mouth.
"Yeah, we
heard." Spike interrupted whatever
Dawn had been about to say.
"Amazing, isn't it? I'm locked up in here for a good long
time. I think the technical term was
'till you rot.' But then they need a
slayer, and hey presto, I'm set free."
Dawn stared at her with
hatred. "Only till they find the
new one."
Faith met her gaze
evenly. "Yeah, well that's the
funny thing. See, they can't find that
new slayer. Anywhere. It's just possible that since Buffy already
died once, this latest death won't call some new girl to join the ranks of the
cursed."
"They should just kill
you then. Bet that would work."
Faith could see a spark of
Dawn's sister in the teenager.
"Wow, guess you've been taking charm lessons from Buffy? Wicked harsh, kid. Good thing I'm past letting that kind of
thing bother me." She leaned
forward, smiled nastily. "See, all
hell is breaking loose out there. And
the Council, well, they need a slayer. A
trained one. And whether it's obvious to
you or not, I've changed."
Dawn looked dubious.
"I have. Inside.
But that doesn't mean I have to like you, or the Council, or anyone that
was against me. I may have to die for
you. But I don't have to care for
you."
Dawn looked away.
"So who told you I was
getting out?"
Spike's lip quirked into a
small sneer. "I wouldn't say anyone
told us. But we overheard your old
watcher and Cordelia talking."
"Wesley." Faith felt a twinge, she hated the guilt she
felt when she thought of how she had hurt him.
The vampire's sneer
grew. "He's really not happy that
you are being let out. Nobody is."
She thought of Giles, hoped
that wasn't true of him. "You know
that's what I don't get. Angel tortures
Giles, everybody's favorite watcher, and all is forgiven. But I do maybe half as bad to the watcher
nobody liked and I never hear the end of it."
Spike's face fell a bit as he
muttered, "Different rules for Angel.
Always have been."
"Yeah, I
guess." Faith was suddenly tired of
sparring with them. "Why are you
here?"
Dawn looked at Spike and
shook her head solemnly. He nodded back
as if arguing with her.
"Look this is loads of
fun, really."
Spike's voice was soft in her
ear. "We need your help."
"What? You want me to stake you and take her back to
Giles?" She leaned back. "Cuz the way he told it to me, the
Council is wanting her back but bad.
Papa Summers is not one of the initiated, and well he's wicked pissed
that his baby has gone missing. I could
make some major points if I were the one that brought her home. In fact, they'd never need to know I killed
you. That could just be for my own happy
memories." She grinned.
Dawn rose to leave but Spike
pulled her back down. "I have to
protect her. I promised. But I can't.
Not during the day. And not when
they're looking for her."
Faith was amazed at the
emotion she read on the vampire's face.
He really meant it. "So
don't go out in the day. You can protect
her at night."
"She's not like us. She needs the sunlight."
Faith didn't like the way he
included her in his night, then she saw Dawn's expression. Lost, utterly lost. She recognized the look. She turned to meet Spike's eyes. "Take her back. Give her to the Council. Let her grow up away from all this, away from
things like us."
Dawn's voice was broken. "I am a thing like you."
Faith was confused. "What?"
"Green, glowy energy
that a psycho god wanted to turn into a portal to hell. That's what I am. Not a girl.
Not a human. Not really."
Faith looked at Spike. He nodded slowly. She felt suddenly helpless. "I can't help you. Giles believes in me. And the council..."
"Leave them."
Faith shook her head. "I can't. I have a duty that I need to see
through. I'd like to help you, but if I
do there won't be anyone left to fight the evil. I'd let everyone else down just to help one
girl. I can't do that."
Dawn stared at her
angrily. "Why not? Because I'm Buffy's sister."
Faith shook her head. Was startled to hear herself say, "Because it would be wrong."
Spike seemed to accept her
words. "So are you going to tell
them you saw us?"
She shook her head, gave him
a lopsided grin. "Tell who I saw
what?"
Spike nodded in understanding
and stood up. "Let's go, Little
Bit." He looked at Faith. "Good luck with the slayer gig. Hope you get it right, this time."
"Best you can hope for
is a little more time." Faith saw
something spark in his eyes. Identified
it as grief. She suddenly knew that he
was remembering Buffy.
"And love," he
whispered.
Dawn grabbed the phone from
him. "I don't get it. You fell too.
Got all smashed up. How come you
get to live?"
Faith looked at the girl, saw
her anger, her rage. Understood it. In a gentle voice she answered, "Maybe,
because I've still got a lot to learn about being a slayer."
Their eyes met and held. Dawn's gaze grew fiercer even as Faith let
her own grow soft.
"I'm sorry, Dawn. Buffy tried to be my friend before it all
went bad. I'm sorry I wasn't there to
help her."
"Me, too." Dawn let her lids close as she tried to hide
the pain.
Faith nodded to Spike and
turned away quickly. She wanted to be
out of that room before Buffy's sister opened those accusing eyes again. On the other side of the door, she angrily
wiped a tear away.
"You ok?" the guard
seemed surprised to see this small sign of weakness.
Faith shook her head. "Not even close."
----------------------------------
Spike and Dawn stood out on
the street. The bus was long in
coming.
"So what now?" she
asked.
"Don't know." Spike's voice sounded defeated.
Dawn felt a new resolve fill
her. "You didn't really think she'd
help us, did you? I mean, come
on." She took his hand in
hers. Didn't even notice the cold skin
that used to bother her. "We don't
need her."
"Yes, we do. Dawn, don't you get it. I can't protect you."
"You're a vampire,
Spike. If you can't, then who can?"
He closed his eyes and shook
his head. "I can fight demons. And gods.
But I can't fight humans, Dawn.
And that's what the threat is now to you. Regular people. With just enough of the evil in them to want
to hurt a young girl. I can't stop them."
She suddenly understood. Remembered the newscast they had been
watching. The way he had paid
attention. She had not comprehended. Now she did.
"Nothing bad is going to happen to me."
Spike didn't answer as a bus
pulled up and they boarded. She went to
sit behind the driver, but the vampire pulled her over to the other side. "No mirrors," he hissed.
Stupid, she realized. Things she didn't have to think about in
Sunnydale were suddenly crucial here. So
much to learn. But she could learn. If he taught her.
They sat in silence for a
minute. Then she turned to him. "You could teach me to fight. Like Buffy fought. I mean I know I'm not her, but I could
learn. Some of it anyway. You could make me tougher to hurt."
He was looking out the
window. "Should just take you
back," he muttered.
"Spike, no, I want to
stay with you."
He didn't answer.
She realized that he was
about to give up. "Let's just try,
ok? Give me a week. Train me to fight back. If I don't get it in that time, you can take
me back to Giles. I'll tell them I ran
away and you came after me. They'll
never know."
He looked down at her.
She put every ounce of
persuasion she could into her voice.
"One week? Please?"
He sighed. Then he nodded tiredly. "One week, Dawn. And that's it."
She squeezed his hand and
leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Thank you, Spike."
--------------------------------------
"Again." Spike rushed her, felt her flip him easily
over her back. He landed hard on one of
the mats they had spread all over the room.
"Sorry."
He stood up gingerly. She was learning fast. Almost too fast.
"What?" Dawn looked at him in confusion. "Did I do that wrong?"
"No. You're doing it perfectly. And after only seeing it once. Perfect."
She beamed.
"Just like you did the
ten other throws perfectly." He
walked to the table, picked up the judo videotape. "Have you seen this before, Dawn? Maybe Buffy was watching it?"
"No. Buffy didn't like to learn from tapes. She got bored really quick."
Spike frowned. "You're sure you never took martial
arts? In school maybe? Or maybe Buffy showed you some things. You just don't remember."
She was clearly
mystified. "I don't
understand? I'm doing ok, aren't I? What's the big deal? Why are you acting like it's some sort of
crime?"
He thought of her, that night
he had seen her running toward him in the graveyard fleeing the vampire. He had been drunk. That was what he told himself. He hadn't
really seen her moving like that. No human could outrun a vampire over any kind
of distance. No normal human.
"No," he moaned, as
he felt his heart drop. "No."
She moved closer to him. "What is it?"
"They can't find her
anywhere."
"Huh?"
"They can't find her
because she's with me."
Dawn still didn't understand.
He whispered, "One girl
in all the world..."
She backed away. "No."
"Dawn..." He didn't know what to say.
"That is the stupidest
thing." She began to pace. "We're just tired is all. And this judo stuff, well I just have natural
ability."
"Did you
before?" He asked, remembering how
she used to complain about her gym classes.
"Well, no. But I've never done judo before. I guess it's what I'm good at and I just
didn't know. But I mean, I still totally
suck at gymnastics."
Fast as lightning he was at
her side, lifting her high before throwing her across the room. His chip didn't flare. That alone told him he was right. He didn't need to see her fall into a perfect
back handspring, push herself up to a faultless landing.
"Damn."
"Oh no," she said,
tears filling her eyes. She sat down
hard on the mats.
"One girl in all the
world," he repeated sadly. He
slammed his hand down on the table, felt it jump. "Damn it. It's not fair. Not both of you."
"She said I was made
from her." She looked up at him,
got up and moved behind him. He felt her
arms go around him. "It's ok,
Spike. We'll figure this out."
He turned around. Held her tightly. She started to cry. Through her sobs, he heard her say
something. "What? Dawn, what did you say?"
"Promise me," she
gulped. "Promise me, we'll figure
it out together."
"Love, I'm a
vampire. You're a slayer."
She was still crying but it
was a quieter, less desperate sound. She
pulled away from him. "No. Not good enough. I don't have a choice. And it's the one way I can pay Buffy back,
don't you see. But I do have a choice on
who helps me. And I say it's not going
to be some old watcher guy. It's just
not."
"Giles..."
"Will have his hands
full with Faith."
Spike couldn't believe what
she was suggesting. "They'll never
go for it."
"Why not? If I say you're my watcher, who are they to
argue. And we won't go back until we're
ready. We'll hunt here. Nobody'll notice. They'll think it's Angel. We can do it, Spike. We can be so strong when we go back that they
won't be able to say anything. And
you'll be the first watcher that can go hand to hand with vampires." She grinned at him. "We can do it."
He looked at her. At the earnestness and certainty blazing out
of her eyes. And at the terror. He couldn't leave her alone. Buffy had charged him with caring for
Dawn. A slayer might not need him, but
Dawn, the lost little girl, still needed him. And he needed her. Not in the way he had wanted Buffy. Never like that. But in a way that mattered, because no one
had ever needed him before, not the way Dawn did. He looked at the eyes shining up at him. He grinned and saw her answering smile. "Bloody right, Dawn. We can do it."
---------------------------------------
"Yes. Yes, I see.
No, I'll tell her. Yes, at
once." Giles hung up the phone, his
face expressionless.
"What did they
say?"
He looked over at Faith. "They want me to come back to
England."
Her face fell.
"Both of us are to go,
Faith."
Her look was happier, but
skeptical. "Me too?"
He nodded. A few months ago, he couldn't imagine taking
her with him to the supermarket, much less back to England. But now, something had happened. She had hit Sunnydale like a meteor, taking
out the vampires that had moved back in, exterminating whole tribes of
demons. Her energy seemed limitless. And he had been there to help her. She had brought him back to life.
He studied her as she
processed the news. She had kicked off
her shoes and lay sprawled on the couch.
He tried not to notice how attractive she was. The fact that she had turned into a woman
since the last time he had seen her should be of no real interest to him. She was a slayer. He had a sacred charge to watch over
her.
He smiled as he thought of
her in England. His colleagues were in
for a shock. She may have turned over a
new leaf, but she was far from tame. He
knew that Willow and the others weren't entirely comfortable with her even
after all the good she had done. Of
course, Faith hadn't helped matters by being as arrogant and rude as she could
be to the Scoobies. The original
Scoobies anyway. She seemed to get along
fine with Tara and Anya. And with
him. In fact, to him she had been
gentle, polite. Or as polite as she
could get. He smiled.
"What?" Her voice was only mildly irritated. He considered that an excellent sign.
"You haven't been what
I'd call civil to Willow and Xander, but you've shown me nothing but
respect. Why?"
She considered his question,
her eyes meeting his fearlessly.
"You were always nice to me, Giles.
You never tried to hurt me, or lock me up. You might have been able to help me if Wesley
hadn't screwed everything up." She
stopped as if unsure.
"What?"
"And you're so
miserable. I get sad just looking at
you." She shrugged. "Call me a big softie. Don't tell anyone that though."
He smiled at her.
She grinned back. He was again struck by how attractive she
was.
"So when do they want us
to leave."
"In a week."
She laughed. "No problem for me. Not like I have much to my name. I assume the Council has sent you a passport
for me?" At his nod, she nodded
knowingly. "Figures. What about
you? Can you be ready that fast?"
He nodded. "I can sell the magic shop to Anya. She can afford it. Made a killing in the stock market and got
out before the downturn."
"Demons have great self
preservation instincts," Faith teased.
"Well, and she's
Anya."
"I was trying to be
nice."
"And it almost
worked."
They shared a smile. Then he sobered again. "I just wish we could find her."
"Dawn?"
He felt the same despair he
always did when he thought of her. They
had looked for her, Hank Summers had flown over from Spain, the police had
tracked her to an apartment in LA. Then
the trail had gone cold. She could be
anywhere. Or nowhere. Sometimes he dreamed that she was dead. That he was trying to explain to Buffy how it
happened. Or that he had to tell Joyce
that he had lost both of her girls.
"Giles." Faith was standing close. Her hand was on his shoulder. "She ran away. It wasn't your fault."
"But it was. I mean..." He felt something threatening to tear loose
inside him, something heavy and dangerous.
Guilt. Blame. Pain.
He felt her hand move to his neck.
It was comforting but did not stop the feelings inside. "I let her down again, you see. I was supposed to make sure Dawn was ok, to make
the sacrifice mean something. But what
did I do? I lost her. She could be dead. And that would mean I killed them both."
"You didn't kill Buffy." Faith's voice wa