| The Hellmouth Opens Again Chapter One by Sapphire Stardust "Dawn! You're leaving already?" Jasmine called as Dawn made her way through the moshing crowd at Club Z-Trance. "I have to," Dawn said with sorry look. "Tara and Willow said no later than 1am." "Aww..poor Dawn and her curfews," Jasmine said with a laugh. "Sorry," Dawn said again. "I wish I could stay." "Aw don't worry about it," Jasmine told her. "Do what you have to." Dawn's other two friends, Lisa and Martie came over. "Hey Dawn, where are you going?" "Home," Dawn answered. "Y'know...curfews." Lisa and Martie nodded. Dawn gave them a half-smile and started going down the steps. "See you tomorrow!" "Bye Dawn!" They yelled to her. Dawn exited Club Z-Trance, and started her walk home. Things had changed since Buffy's death, and Dawn was having a normal life, with the exception of living with Willow and Tara. It had been almost two years, and it was the middle of her Junior year of highschool. Dawn would be seventeen soon. The Hell-mouth had since been closed since Buffy's death. Willow and Tara had agreed to take care of her, since everyone felt that Dawn should be raised as a normal teenage girl. And there was some disagreement on Giles taking custody over her. But they didn't want to put her in a foster home, because Dawn strongly urged against it. So it ended up with Willow and Tara raising her, which Dawn thought was fine. Xander, Anya and Giles visited almost daily. But Spike never visited. He had dissapeared after Buffy's death. And even though Dawn was upset about his absense, she didn't want to let the others know about it. Club Z-Trance was only a two-mile walk from her home. However, on every walk she would pass the cemetary. And each time she passed it, she was overcome with feelings of grief and fear. Grief over Buffy's death. Fear that there was still evil roaming these cemetaries. As Dawn passed the cemetary, she felt strange. She felt a presence that she had not felt in ages, and a deathly silence that she didn't like one bit. Before Dawn could take another step, something flung itself at her, and started to attack her. Dawn screamed and fell back, hitting her head against the pavement. In a second everything was dark, but only temporary. Dawn was semi-concious. She could feel herself being dragged across the grass, through the tombstones in the cemetary, but she couldn't tell who was dragging her. All of a sudden she felt the soft grass leaving her, and now she was on something cold like marble. "Ow!" Dawn cried. Her head bumped against a cold marble step. "OW!" Another step. "Ugh!" Her head bumped against two more steps, until she felt so drowsy that she could barely tell if she was alive. "Don't worry...soon you won't even know what pain is..." Came a low, dark voice that chilled her bones. Dawn's head tilted off to one side. "What....what's going on...?" Her senses were starting to come back to her. She took a deep glance around, and realized she was in a tomb! A tomb for dead people? She thought. As the realization dawned on her, her breathing grew less steady and slow, and more shaky and rapid. Dawn looked around her again. There was a man swaying in the corner, as if reading something. Dawn slowly, unsteadily sat up. She rubbed the back of her head, and looked at the man again, only he was gone. Suddenly she felt something grip her tightly by the arm. "Was that not enough for you dear?" Dawn finally got a good look at his face. He was a vampire. "No!" She exclaimed. She felt like a bad dream had returned to haunt her. She knew this vampire intended to drain the blood out of her and make her into a vampire too. She screamed. "LET GO OF ME!!!!!!" She tried to pry his hand off her arm, but he was holding on much too tightly. She felt as if his grip would crush her bone. The vampire yanked her roughfly over to another end of the tomb. "OH PLEASE LET GO!!!!" The vampire smiled. "Oh not you my dear." He ran a finger down her cheek, and she could feel his sharp nail scrape against her. "You're such a tender morsel. I could never let you go." Tears were running down Dawn's face as she continued to plead. "No no no.." The vampire said in a stern but warning voice. "You're going to be one of us now." "No..." Dawn murmured. She thought about Buffy. Buffy protected the world from vampires, and even though she had many encounters with them, she never let a vampire drink from her unless she wanted them to. Buffy would never have pleaded. She would have- Dawn stopped pleading, and a determination filled her. She swung hard with her left leg, and kicked the vampire in the stomach. And then she punched the vampire across the face twice. She looked on as he touched his nose in pain. The vampire looked up at her. "GIRL! You DIE!!!!" He rushed forward, grabbing Dawn by the stomach and pulling her back. She kicked him in the legs, but that didn't stop him. He grabbed her neck roughly, and she stopped attacking him because his grip was so strong. She could almost feel her veins popping. A tear slid down her cheek. The end of my normal life....Oh Buffy...why did you have to leave me?! "And now my dear, you'll die!" The vampire laughed, and she could feel his breath on her neck. He would bite her. Dawn screamed as the vampire lowered his head to her neck, but before he could bite her, he was jump-kicked away from her. Dawn fell back and her elbow hit the cold marble floor. She looked up to see the vampire fighting with someone else. Rubbing her elbow, she watched the fight from nearby. "Who is that?" The vampire flew back against the wall, hitting it forcefully. The person who attacked the vampire grabbed a stake from inside his jacket. He walked over to the vampire and thrust the stake through his heart. The vampire staggered forward. He swayed from side to side, and then fell face-forward. He hit the floor and burst into cloudy dust. Then Dawn saw the person who had attacked the vampire. She couldn't believe her eyes. She knew that face oh too well. "Oh my god..." She murmured. The person looked up at her. "You okay?" "Spike?!" Dawn exclaimed. Spike looked back at her intently, not answering. He sighed and rushed past her. "Spike!" Dawn called. She scrambled off the floor and hurried out of the tomb after him. "Spike!" She called. "Where are you going?" Spike turned around. "I'm going back. Where does it look like I'm going?" Dawn stared at him. He still looked the same. He had the same sharp cheekbones, the bleach-blonde hair, the piercing eyes, the tall muscular figure. She couldn't help feeling a little faint near him. "But Spike, you've been gone so long. Why didn't you tell us?" "I didn't feel the need to," Spike answered in a cold tone. He eyed her again. "Well if you're okay, I'll be going." He turned to go. "Wait Spike!" Dawn called. "What is it now?!" Spike asked sharply as he turned around. Dawn smiled for a second. "I just...I just can't believe it's you." "Well? Yeah it is me..." Spike paused. "Is that all?" Dawn shook her head. "No. Thank you for saving me back there." "Yeah well...you're welcome," Spike said in a non-caring voice. "And," Dawn continued, "Do you know why the Hellmouth has opened?" Spike looked at her dumbly. "I have no clue okay?" "Oh," Dawn said. She felt a little hurt by his responses. "Where have you been all this time?" Spike scuffed at the dirt with his feet. "Out...stalking innocent young girls. You?" "Still into the vampire stuff huh?" Spike shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not as afraid of a stake through the heart as I should be..." Dawn looked at him sadly. He still loved Buffy. "Look, are you done interrogating me?" Spike asked. Dawn nodded silently. "Good," Spike said, as if he was waiting for the chance to leave forever. He turned away and left. Dawn looked at his back as he left. "Why is he so cold? What did I do to hurt him?" She felt a longing to find out what was wrong with him. "I guess the only way to find out is to follow him." Dawn glanced at her watch. It was past 1am. "Willow and Tara will understand. I just hope they don't call the police and think I got raped like last time." End of Chapter One |