| Green Eyes Author: Swirly Head Couples: Buffy/Spike, Spike/Dawn Rating: PG-13 Genres: Angst The pretty young woman in the red dress laughed with her friends at the bar. Her long dark hair swung around her shoulders, and she flicked it back impatiently. It always bugged her, but she liked to keep it long. She’d had long hair since she was eleven years old, and fourteen years on it still suited her. Sometimes she thought about having it all cut off, but it was such an integral part of who she had been…of happier days. Days when everything had been simple. “So, what’s this I hear about you breaking up with Darren?” “Darren? Who’s he?” They all giggled, and Dawn smiled as Ella continued to question Tash on the state of her love life. She’d heard it all before, and her thoughts turned once again to her childhood. How the first guy she’d ever fallen in love with was Xander Harris. Wonderful Xander. He’d always been so sweet and kind, funny and never patronizing…then there had been Spike. Dangerous and sexy…but he’d loved Buffy. They’d all loved Buffy. She was like the golden child, who could do no wrong. The one who was always the most important, always special…well, Dawn had been special. When she’d been the key she had been even more special than Buffy. All that powerful, ancient power, contained in one girl and still all they wanted was her sister. When it all came to an end, she was sort of glad. I mean, she wasn’t in danger anymore. She was just a normal girl, now. Spike and Xander had just been crushes. They’d never returned the affections as anything more than brotherly love. Dawn had never been in love, really. Any relationships had ended after a few months. She had her friends, though. “Well…I never did like him that much. And besides, he spent more time looking in the mirror than anything else…” She’d never lived with anyone. Since her mom died, since she’d left Sunnydale, Dawn hadn’t let anyone in. She was a private person, kept herself to herself. The quiet one in a group of party people. “Now that’s what I call a man…” With a sudden shock she was brought back to reality. The girls were both eyeing up the man who’d just walked in through the door of the trendy oxygen bar. Loud club music seemed to die away, and her breath caught in her throat. It couldn’t be. Not after all this time, not here, not now. “Um...I’ll see you guys in a minute. I have to go to the bathroom.” Walking quickly, almost running, she slammed the cubicle door shut and sat down on the toilet. Breathing hard she put her head in her hands and willed him to go away. ***** “Hello.” “Hi.” “Yeah, hi.” They both giggled, embarrassed at the way his eyes made them feel. Almost as if they were stripped bare…mentally, physically, every way possible. “I’m looking for someone. Don’t suppose either of you lovely ladies know her?” “We might.” “What’s the name?” He grinned wolfishly…it was charming, really. The head dipped a little, and he raised an eyebrow suggestively. “Now girls. Don’t play games with me…there’s time for that later.” They giggled again, a little more nervous this time. He spoke softly, even seductively. “The name’s Dawn.” “Dawn?” “You…you want to speak to Dawn?” “Got it in one, ducks.” “She’s in the bathroom.” He nodded politely and started towards the ladies bathroom. Tash frowned and looked at Ella. They both considered calling out after him, but he turned and flashed them the smile. And despite themselves they smiled back, and leant once more against the bar. ***** Dawn hugged her knees to her body. She shivered and remembered the night when Spike had got his chip out. Well, not out exactly…it just stopped working. He hadn’t tried to kill her then, or Buffy. Not that night. She’d been scared that he’d be gone forever…but he’d come back. She remembered that night too. He wanted to kill her, she knew he wanted to kill her. Probably wanted to rip her throat out and make her hurt…how old was he? About 140 years…plenty of time to learn the finer arts of death. A bubble of laughter escaped from her throat. Scared, hysterical laughter. A vampire was going to kill her in the toilet of an oxygen bar. They’d probably write on her gravestone something funny…something about how ironic it was since vampires didn’t breathe or go to the toilet. They killed people though. Suddenly it really wasn’t funny anymore. Buffy may have been the special one, but she was special for a reason. She was so strong…a grade A killer. Dawn wasn’t strong at all. The door to the bathroom opened quietly. She heard him walk into the middle of the room, stopping when he was directly opposite her cubicle. He started to talk. “Long time no see. Actually, I’m still not seeing you, seeing as how you’re hiding behind the door.” His voice was calm and flat. Lifeless. “Open it Dawn.” “No.” “No? What, you’re going to try and be all defiant, like? That was your sister’s job. Not yours. Never yours. Open up.” She knew it was useless. He’d only kick it down and hurt her more. With shaking hands she unlocked it and it swung outwards. There he was. Must have been ten years and he really hadn’t changed at all. The clothes were slightly different, but the hair was still bleached, the eyes were still blue…forever young. In a few years time she’d start to look older than him. No, she wouldn’t. Because she’d be dead. Forever young. “Aren’t you the pretty one?” He started pacing backwards and forwards. She clasped her hands together and wished for a stake. Not that it would do much good. Dawn made an attempt at conversation. “Pretty? You think?” “Pretty. Not beautiful, like the Slayer. She was beautiful, wasn’t she? Everything about her was like the sun.” “You get too close to the sun and you’ll get burnt.” “Shut up.” “You got burnt, didn’t you Spike?” “Shut up, you little bitch.” Tears started in her eyes, but she bit her lip. “Did it hurt Spike? Did it really hurt when she died?” “I don’t have to tell you that part. You’re going to find out how much it hurt, pretty soon.” He was standing close to her now, and he punched her. The blood flowed freely from a cut in her head, but she didn’t feel it. If she was going to die, he wasn’t going to gain any pleasure from it. She’d make him cry. “You feel better now? Killing me isn’t going to change anything.” He hit her again, and she fell to the floor. “Might not change anything, but it’s gonna make me feel a helluva lot better, pet.” She looked up at him from her sprawled position, and managed a bitter smile through the tears. “You think she was beautiful? Well, she didn’t look so nice with blood all over the place. It was on her hair and her dress and her face…she was wearing that summer dress, the one with all the cherries?” And Dawn knew she’d struck a chord. When he kicked her, his eyes were watering and the snarl of anger had turned to one of pain. “Yeah, she didn’t see it coming at all. Had just finished wrapping your present…what was it? A Sex Pistols CD. Have you still got it, Spike?” He kicked her again, then grabbed her by the throat, pressed her against the wall. His words were choked and heavy. “Here’s some answers. She wasn’t just beautiful, she was an angel. The dress…I got her the dress, and she hated it but she wore it anyway…and yeah, I’ve still got the CD you bloody bitch! Of course I have!” He was screaming now, screaming in her face and she laughed again. He shook his head. “Why did you do it, Dawn? Why did you kill her?” She whispered something inaudible, eyes shining with tears or madness, he couldn’t tell. “What?” He leaned closer. He whispered again, in his ear. “You want to know why I killed her?” He nodded. “Because she didn’t deserve to live.” With a growl he slammed her head against the cubicle, and she heard the ominous crack of bone. White hot pain forced her to gasp for air. “It…wasn’t fair. Everything….she wanted, she got…” “She didn’t want you.” That hurt. He let her drop to the floor, and this time Dawn knew she wouldn’t get up. “Do you think she wanted to be the Slayer? Do you think she wanted a vampire for a lover?” “She…loved…you…” “Do you think she wanted to, Dawn? Do you think she wanted to!” “No.” He kicked her again, and the red blood stained the white tiles. It was like a rose or some other exotic flower, which blossomed only in death’s throes. It was all very pretty. Spike leaned closer, and whispered in a voice full of desperation. “So why?” Her eyes were bloodshot, and he fluttered in and out of focus. She felt the world slipping away, and wondered what happened to you when you died. Wondered where you went. Would she see Buffy there? Didn’t think so. No doubt the angel was in heaven, wearing a dress covered in cherries….or was she dancing on white cloud with a knife stuck in her back? Had the blood stains washed out? No, she wouldn’t end up in heaven. She’d be gone to meet her maker…and God was not her maker… “Because…because…” He was really crying now, but stood his ground, stared into her eyes. “Why?” “I was jealous.” |