| Title: Reckoning 2/? Author: Alexandria Pairing: S/Dawn � not like that though Summary: Someone takes something they shouldn�t Feedback: Keep it coming Rating: NC-17 series � PG this part Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, WB, Fox � they wouldn�t torture them like this Distribution: List archives, anybody else, let me know Spoilers: Season Five � set after �The Body� Archives: My site: www.angelfire.com/rant/AlexandriaBrown - go see all the other series I�m supposed to be working on Notes: And I�m off again. Have no idea where this is headed. Enjoy the ride. ======================================================================== Part Two She pressed her head into the coolness of the window, concentrating fiercely on watching the trees go flashing by. If she just stayed here, just kept living right in the now, in the present, in each breath that she took, if she thought about nothing but that, then she would be fine. The glass was smooth. The car smelled of stale smoke. She liked the smell, it was comforting, it smelled like him. She never told Buffy, but he made her feel safe, somehow she knew that when the chip came out, he would never come for her. She started to shake at the thought of her sister. Gone, they were all gone. Her mother, Giles, Tara, Willow, gone. All gone. Xander was going to let her drive around the parking lot at the mall this weekend, he had promised. He had promised. �Liar,� the quiet whisper shattered the stillness in the car. �Liar,� the words a little louder as she began to shake. �Liar, liar, liar, liar, liar, liar, liar,� a low mantra, repeated over and over as she began to rock. �Liar, liar, liar, liar,� Spike swerved to the side of the road and threw the brake. He turned to pull her into her arms, to try to settle her. He could hear her heart pounding frantically in her chest, the beat too fast, too shallow, she couldn�t be getting enough oxygen in her blood. Her breathing was erratic and she was growing paler with every second. �Liar, liar, liar, liar,� the words blurring together into a meaningless sound. �Pet,� Spike reached out, heart breaking at the sound. His weakening control over his emotions frayed as she jerked away, eyes darting over his face, not realizing who he was. �No, no, no, hurts, stop, stop, please,� the babbling grew louder as she tried to shrink into the door. �Hurts, hurts,� Spike gathered himself and reached out yet again. �Dawn. It�s me. Spike. Breathe for me, pet. Just breathe.� Some faint recognition hovered behind the panic in her eyes and she allowed him to run his hands down her arms. �That�s it. Just breathe. Spike�s here. Safe now. Think. Remember, did you see them? Not going to hurt you again. Nothing is going to hurt you ever again.� He gathered her in his arms as she finally burst into tears. �Not while I can help it. Nothing will ever touch you.� Truth burned in his bright eyes. She snuffled into his chest, soaking up the comfort. �Spike,� his name wavered from her lips. �Why are you helping me?� She pulled back as Spike hesitated. �It�s because I�m the Key isn�t it? You just don�t want to get caught in the backlash.� The bitterness of the words washed across her face as she turned, fumbling for the handle. �Well, don�t worry about it, I won�t tell anyone, besides, isn�t the Key supposed to be innocent and pure? Not that anymore, so not much of a worry there.� She yanked the door open, tumbling out and landing flat on the ground. She tried to stagger up, but her legs wouldn�t stay steady under her. She let out a strangled cry as the pain slammed into her, the gouges around her wrists and ankles a blessed diversion from the burning between her thighs. She whimpered, feeling the blood coating her legs. It hurt. It hurt so much. She sank back down, resting her head against the metal of the door. It just all hurt so much. Spike slowly walked around the front of the car, watching her closely. He slipped out of the duster, placing it gently on the hood. He bent down, carefully lowering himself until he was eye level with her. Slowly, slowly. The words pounded in his mind. Slowly, no sudden moves, let her see your hands, see you aren�t going to hurt her. �Luv, I�m helping you because I want to. Not because I have to. Like you, you silly bint.� He smiled a bit, trying to coax a matching touch to her lips. She simply stared at him, eyes rimmed red. The smile died from his lips and he looked dead at her, letting all his hard-earned guard drop away. �You and your mum. Treated me like family. Not something I take lightly, that.� He moved closer and this time she reached out to him, blindly seeking his touch. She settled into his arms and he stroked a pale hand down the dark hair. �Treated me like family. And I take care of what is mine.� He rocked her back and forth, hearing her calm, feeling the trust as she slowly fell asleep in his arms. He gathered her up and settled them back in the car. He cast a wary eye at the sky. Only a few hours to sunrise. And they had to be gone by then. Dawn woke as he settled her on the floor, the tile cold on her back. She looked around, startled. She was in Giles� bathroom. Why were they here? Why not the crypt? Why not her house? No, her eyes widened at that the horror creeping back in. Not the house, couldn�t go back to the house. She clenched her hands together, battling back the panic rising in her. �Thought you might want to clean up a bit. Have to hurry though, police will probably be here soon.� Spike leaned in the doorway, pointedly looking away from her and at the ceiling. It was a risk coming here, it was only a matter of time until all sorts of official investigations began. The scene at the Summers house would be impossible for even Hellmouth residents to ignore. He closed his eyes, wishing fiercely that he could risk their staying here so that Dawn could at least have the closure of the funerals. But if they were going to disappear, they had to disappear. But he needed to pick up a few things first. �Do you have any clothes here?� Dawn nodded, raising her head to look at him. �Yes, I always keep a few here in case we end up staying over. The closet in the spare room.� �I�ll just go fetch them for you. Probably want a bath, but I don�t think we have time. Don�t mean to rush you, pet, but we really need to get moving.� He wanted to be on the road again as soon as possible. There was a little out of the way dump of a motel that they could reach just before the sun rose. As long as they were out of here within half an hour. �I�ll just leave them outside the door.� He turned away, startled when she reached out and caught his wrist. �Please don�t leave me,� Dawn ducked her head, shame flaming her cheeks. �Just, promise you won�t leave me here.� Her hands clenched tighter, desperation fueling her strength. Spike turned back and gently tapped her on the nose. �Not going to leave you. Just have to gather some things. Just hop in the shower and I�ll get us all packed up.� Her hand slowly let go and he pulled the door mostly shut behind him. �You just call if you need something.� He moved quickly, gathering her clothes and placing them outside the door as he promised. He could hear her frantically scrubbing at her skin and he suppressed the urge to go in and stop her. He could smell the blood and he smiled grimly, the inhuman scent clear now. He moved back through the apartment, grabbing two small duffel bags from the closet in the bedroom. He filled one with Dawn�s remaining clothes, then the other with any small, easily fenced item that he could take without making it obvious it was gone. He didn�t want the apartment to look pilfered. He moved to the kitchen, loading the few remaining bags of blood into a cooler he pulled from under the sink. Not that they were necessary any longer. But he wanted to have them handy, not sure how Dawn would react to his hunting. He reached into the tea tin and pulled out the small envelope buried under the bags. He flipped through it quickly. Approximately four hundred dollars. Into the living room, through the books, straight to the three he wanted. He placed them in the bag with Dawn�s clothes, then pulled a chair over from the dining room table. He moved it next to the tall bookshelf, then hopped up, reaching over the top and searching for the case he knew was there. He pulled it down, then flipped it open. The gun was there, along with two clips. He placed that in the bag with the books. Have to teach her how to use that tomorrow, the thought crossed his mind as he heard the water stop. He paced back up the hallway, making sure that she could hear him coming. �Ducks, you all right?� He hovered just out of sight of the door, not wanting to startle her. She opened the door and waved him in. He moved warily into the bathroom, looking her over. She looked tired and very frail, but much calmer. �You were right, I feel better.� She opened the medicine cabinet, pulling out a new toothbrush. �I knew this would be here, he�s so anal.� Tears prickled up again at that, but she pushed them aside. She brushed her teeth, rinsed out her mouth, then stood there with the toothbrush still in her hand. �Suppose I should take soap and stuff.� �That would be a good idea.� Spike watched as she opened the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a plastic bag. She threw in the toothbrush, the extra tube of toothpaste and the extra deodorant. Reaching back under the sink, she pulled out a bottle of shampoo and a bottle of bath gel. �We�re leaving town, aren�t we?� �Have to, luv. Don�t want Glory finding out you�re not dead.� The flat words shook her momentarily. Spike watched as her back stiffened, the enormity of the situation finally staring to sink in. She whirled around, grabbing one of the bags from him and headed for the door. �Let�s go. Still have to stop at the crypt and there�s only about an hour and a half until dawn.� She stalked out of the apartment, Spike on her heels. Spike kept her hand in his as they walked to the crypt, every sense fully extended. He felt danger around them, the demons who thought that he was still the partially emasculated vampire they had grown to hate. He kept up the low growl, pitched just below Dawn�s ability to hear. The growl of warning. The growl that identified her as his and warned off all who would make a move for her. The news of the death of the Slayer had ripped through Sunnydale like a brush fire and every demon in town would be gunning for them. Let them come. They would soon learn. They made it to the crypt without seeing anything, a fact which troubled him slightly. He moved Dawn so that she was standing with her back pressed to a column in the center of the crypt. �Stay there, don�t move.� He pitched his voice low, hovering between an order and a plea. She did as he requested, exhaustion causing her to sink to the floor. He yanked the chest out from under the bed, pulling out the things he knew he would need. Some clothes, thrown into another duffel. Small leather bag, the coins clinking together. Two more books. A thick leather portfolio. This he opened, making sure all the documents were there. He nodded, satisfied. Yes, everything he would need to set them up once they reached their destination. Another leather wallet. He thumbed through this as well. About five thousand dollars there. Enough to keep them going until he could cash in some of the bonds. He closed the chest, pushing it back under the bed. He pulled out the smaller chest, opening this as well. The weapons glittered in the night. Knives, another gun, a small hatchet. He locked it tightly, then tucked it under one arm. He cast a quick glance around, making sure there was nothing else he would want. Nothing really. Just. He walked over to the chair, then reached down and pulled the picture from under the seat. Joyce and Dawn smiled back at him, arms wrapped around each other�s waist. He sighed, infinitely glad he had stolen this oh so long ago. �Time to go, night awasting.� He gathered up Dawn and stalked into the night, leaving the crypt without a second glance. Always best that way, no looking back, no hesitating over what might have been. He took her hand again, pulling her along faster. They were circling now, trying to catch them before they reached the car. He began to run, practically dragging Dawn behind him. He would stop and fight if he had to, but he really didn�t think Dawn could face seeing any more blood tonight. He shoved her into the car, diving in after her and peeling into the night. He heard a loud roar of frustration behind him, but he didn�t look back. Spike settled her on one of the twin beds, gently placing a blanket over her. She had fallen asleep almost as soon as they began driving and he didn�t want to wake her. He pulled the curtains tightly shut, draping a towel over the window as added protection. He tugged on the other bed, moving it closer to the far wall. He surveyed the room again, checking carefully to make sure that it was as sun proof as possible. Couldn�t take any chances. Had someone else to think about now. He settled down on his bed, leaning against the wall, watching her sleep. He lit a cigarette, frowning slightly as he smoked. Would they be bad for her? Didn�t know. Wasn�t really human, so maybe not. But had a human body, so maybe would. He finished it quickly, setting the thought aside for later. Maybe he would just smoke when she wasn�t there. He growled lowly at that. Not that he planned on letting her out of his sight any time soon. She was far, far too fragile for that. He sighed, letting his head rest on the wall, staring at the ceiling. He just hoped he would be able to nurse her through this. He had no idea no idea just how he was going to help her heal from all this. But he had his first step firmly in mind. Get her as far from here as possible. He stirred slightly, pulling the bag over and opening the portfolio. Still had that house on the lake. He smiled slightly. She would like it. The smile deepened. And no one knew he had ever been there, not even Angel. He already had their cover story in place, wishing for a moment that this was still the England of his youth where he could simply say that she was his ward and that would be that. Not now, not in the day of instant access to all information. He slid a finger under the edge of the envelope, breaking the wax of the seal. Inside were the plans he and Joyce had made, the last contingency, the final barrier against leaving that precious child all alone in the world, the last gasp against ultimate horror. He ran a finger down the words, the smoothness of her handwriting a double-edged blade of happiness and pain. Her letter to her child. He placed it aside, then pulled out the rest of the papers. New birth certificate. A passport. School records. Medical records. All as unreal as the ones created for Dawn in the first place. Stock certificates. The numbers to the accounts Spike had set up for her in the Caymans. All perfectly in order. Some pictures, a sketch. A note for him. He trailed his fingers on the envelope, then placed that away. Time for his grief later. Right now, right now he had a child to guard. He watched her sleep, mind racing as he made his plans. Get them to the lake. That was first. Get her there, then worry about the rest. �Don�t worry, Joyce. I�ll keep her safe.� Spike spoke quietly, sending the quiet oath drifting heavenward. TBC |