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DISCLAIMER: I can't even claim the bathtub. :-(
SUMMARY: Dawn meets Spike.
WORDCOUNT: 645

FIRST MEETING

by Leni

Dawn groused under her breath as she went through Giles' apartment. Everywhere she went it was 'We're in danger." and "We can't keep him." at the top of their voices. Even Xander, especially Xander if she thought about it. Couldn't they see that she was trying to do her homework? Why had Mom left her with Buffy? She was thirteen already! Why couldn’t she stay at home on her own? Oh right, because they'd tried that and there had been that minuscule incident with the stove. As if Buffy had never done worse!

She stopped at a closed door and listened intently. Nobody seemed to be in there. Finally, some peace! With a relieved grin, she grabbed her things and entered the room.

"Hey!"

That startled her and her hand froze on the turned knob. A man was there. In the bathtub. Chained to the bathtub. Dawn sighed, only her sister got in these situations. "So you're the creep that caused this..." She gestured outside. "This!"

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Vampire, not creep," he corrected her. "And you are... hey, if it isn't the Slayer's baby sis. Whom do I owe the pleasure?"

Dawn glared in response to that small undesciferable smirk on his lips. Who was the one in chains here? And she wasn't anyone's baby sister! "Whatever! I'm grounded and I can't leave Buffy's sight so I must stay here and everybody is too worried about you to stay silent for one minute." One hand went to her hip as the other waved a book in his direction. "I have to write an essay, you know? Little Women is not as easy a read as Joane told me it was." Dawn pouted a little at the injustice of that, then remembered why she was standing in the bathroom, ranting at the vampire who was chained in a bathtub - and, ew, they were going to burn it afterwards, right? And did he have to choose today of all days to let himself be captured?! "I hope they vote to throw you out. Because I can't concentrate with the chaos you have caused!"

"They are worried about me?" He grinned.

Dawn huffed and threw her hands in the air. She made to leave but the stranger's next words stopped her.

"Just say that Jo was a fool."

"Huh?"

He rolled his eyes as if it was obvious, nodding towards the book. "For letting her beau go when he liked her better. That's the most foolish thing on Earth."

Dawn stared. "You... You've read it?"

He shrugged as much as he could in his chains. "Not much to do in the day when you can't go outside."

She thought about it for a moment and then nodded. It kinda made perfect sense. Then she thought to leave the vampire alone. Buffy would kill her if she found her here. But voices came through the open door, loud and distracting. Dawn sighed, just because they were out of highschool didn’t mean that everyone was. She weighed her options. Chained evil vampire behind her, loudmouth and unbearably cocky. On the other side of the door were her sister and her friends, who’d protect her if Bathtub managed to get out... and give her a F in the process.

The assignment was due tomorrrow.

With a loud sigh, Dawn decided that Mr. Vamp won. If only because he had the quietest room in the house, plus, he’d read the book and was actually available for her questions - not like he had any other option, anyway. She finally settled down on the floor, her note book on her lap and rooted for a pen in her bag.

"Any other thoughts?" she asked him.

He smirked, settling back into the bathtub and, to Dawn’s surprise, making it look comfortable. "Well, for starters, Beth took too long to die..."

The End
02/05/04

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