Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fan Fiction ❯ S W I T CH. ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Gray-blue eyes widened, and the sound of metal colliding with cement ricocheted throughout the crypt. Dawn Summer's involuntarily relinquished her sword, and weaponless, she stood under the very close scrutiny of the edge of another's blade. A dark chuckle filled the silence after the clatter had ceased, and Dawn finally lifted her gaze from the blade held at her throat. A pair of blue eyes met her stare evenly, nothing but amusement sparkling within their depths. It took a moment for the girl to catch her breath, and her surprise—momentary fear, vanished.
"Spike!" she snapped, lifting a hand. Pushing the dagger aside, which he let her do, she stepped out of his range and crossed her arms. Struggling to keep the pout from tugging down the corners of her lips, she huffed before shooting him a very lethal glare. If looks could kill, he would be dead. Again.
Spike's posture changed immediately, and his body dropped into the familiar, lazy slouch the young girl was used to. He spun the dagger expertly through his fingers, before giving her a lopsided, amused smile.
"What is it nibblet," he began innocently, "I thought you said you could take on the Big Bad?"
"Well the Big Bad told me," she retorted, her shoulders stiffening, "that he was gonna' play fair! Going all speedy-vampire on me is so not fair."
Head tilted back, Spike snorted before shrugging his broad shoulders. Tossing the dagger carelessly behind him on the couch, the peroxide blond advanced, stepping over Dawn's own weapon as he did so. Dawn refused to move, spreading her feet apart in an almost defiant gesture, gaze steady and chin tilted upwards ever so slightly.
"Life isn't fair, Pet," was his quiet response, and he lifted his hands to rest them on her small shoulders. She tried to repress a shiver, and focused instead on making her glare more deadly. This only seemed to amuse the vampire, for he chuckled and leaned down to give her a soft peck on the forehead.
"Your sister wants me to show you how to play with swords," he began dryly, his hold on her slackening before he stepped back. Offering a shrug, accompanied by a mildly baffled look, he continued. "I don't think it would be very fair to take it easy on you. Any other vampire certainly wouldn't, you're a dish, is what you are."
Flushing, Dawn cleared her throat, before shifting her footing. Ignoring his comment—or choosing to assume it meant she was simply food as opposed to anything else—she turned on her heel, back to him, more so to hide the blush creeping up her throat than anything.
"Yeah well, I could totally handle myself." she exclaimed, defiantly. Struggling to keep the anger in her voice, she frowned before looking upwards, to the ceiling of the crypt. "Any vampire that got in my way would be dust in less than a minute."
"Right," Spike responded automatically with little sincerity, before shaking his head. He didn't seem to notice her reaction to his comment, and so relaxing ever so slightly, she turned to make her way towards the couch. Eyes fixed to the floor, she scuttled over before plopping down with little grace onto the piece of furniture. She could feel his eyes on her as she did so, and drawing her knees self consciously up to her chest, she cast him a nervous, side-ways glance.
"What?"
"Nothin', love, just wondering when your sis is going to get here. We're finished, and it's getting a little late."
"You want me gone?"
She couldn't help the disappointment that dripped from her words.
"Ah hell no," he responded easily, glancing from the door towards the black television screen. Rubbing his stomach idly, he yanked his leather coat from the arm of the couch and fished around in the pockets. Pulling out a pack of smokes, he slid one between his lips before sidling over and dropping beside her. "I just don't want anything to happen to you on your way home 's all. Not that Buffy couldn't handle a few beasties, but word round the cemetery is that somthin' big is about to take place in lil' ol' Sunny Dale. An' soon, too."
Raising her eyebrows, Dawn couldn't help but ask, "Again?"
Lighting his cigarette, Spike cast her a sidelong glance before nodding.
"Yeah," he responded after a moment, a cloud of smoke escaping from between his lips. "But those bugger's won't tell me a damn thing. Say I've switched sides or some such rubbish."
"Well you kind of have gotten into a habit of dusting vamps with my sister," Dawn replied brightly with a smile. Her next words were cut off by an annoyed glance, and he took a long drag before responding, expression hidden behind the smoke that wafted from his lips.
"Yeah well that's all fine and dandy for you lot, in't it? It's kept my ass alive more 'an anything else has, too. My reputation is bloody ruined now, though. Guess I can't really go back unless I redeem myself."
The bitterness in Spike's tone surprised her, and growing cautious of the subject, she asked with hesitance, "How would you do something like that?"
There was silence then; long, thick, and contemplative as the vampire thought of an appropriate answer.
"Probably somethin' that would prove I'm not pussyfooting round the Slayer," he mused aloud. "Show those bastards I'm serious about what I say and what I do."
"What do you do?"
Spike's expression became more vivid as the smoke cleared. He watched it rise in lazy, spiralling tendrils towards the ceiling, before flashing Dawn a wicked smile. He stretched languidly out, arms raised upwards before settling them behind his head.
"Anything I bloody well want, bit."
Intrigued now more than anything, Dawn shrugged. Letting her long legs drop to the floor, she picked up the dagger that separated the small space betwixt them, and began to inspect it very carefully.
"Funny," she began, trying to hide the amusement in her voice. "'Cuz I was pretty sure that chip in your head kept you from doing a lot of stuff you want to do."
Spike's countenance changed then from smug to annoyed, and he turned to face her, eyebrows drawn together in a frown.
"Now you listen here, platelet," he started angrily, but before he could let into a rant, the door to the crypt slammed open. Dawn jumped, and Spike looked in annoyance to where none other than Buffy herself stood, arms crossed and an expectant look on her face. Green eyes narrowing, she shot an irritated look to Dawn, before addressing Spike.
"How did the training go?"
"Bloody well fine and dandy," the now cranky Vampire muttered, pulling himself up from the couch. Dawn eyed the languid, graceful movements for perhaps a moment longer than she should have.
"Really?" Buffy responded, dry sarcasm dripping from her tone. She stepped down, closer towards them before her gaze fell to the sword, which lay at her feet. "You guys sure do look busy. This isn't exactly what I'd had in mind when I'd ask you to show her how to protect herself, Spike."
"What are you going on about?" he spat, before his eyes followed the line of her body down to her feet. "Oh bollocks. You're going to stand there now and tell me we've done nothing this entire evening?"
"Well I come in and you're sitting on the couch. Talking. What else am I going to think? I should have totally known you'd rather watch some stupid thing on T.V than put in some actual effort."
Speechless, Spike stammered for a few moments before lifting an accusing finger. Before he had the chance to say anything he would regret though, Dawn slid over and squeezed her way between the pair. Fingers settling onto her sisters slender shoulders, she offered a quick smile, before nudging Buffy back towards the door.
"We practiced, Buffy, I just got tired a few minutes ago and asked if we could finish early. He knew you'd be coming to get me soon, too, so he said it was okay."
Her expression was doubtful, but the firm set of her jaw lifted some, and her angry scowl turned into something more along the lines of a pout. The tension drained from her shoulders, and she allowed Dawn to continue leading her backwards. "That better be true," she called past Dawn's shoulder. "Or I'll come back here tomorrow and kick your ass for wasting her time and my trust!"
"Oh Buffy," Dawn mumbled as she finally pushed her beyond the threshold. She cast a glance over her shoulder—Spike stood there, still looking as if he had something to say, but she never gave him a chance.
"See you tomorrow, Spike!" she called, before running after her sister.