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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thank you for reading. Please keep with this story, it will get pretty exciting, promise!
ALL MANNER OF MONSTERS


Chapter 5: ‘The Key’


A/N: This chapter is all over the place, but with good reason. It’s one of those chapters that seem unimportant now, but might prove to be very important later.


It had been three days since William had come crashing back into Buffy Summers’ life. Three, excruciatingly long days had passed since her past had finally caught up to her present.

Saturday was here, the day Buffy traveled up to Sunnydale, by car, to visit with her little Dawnie. This Saturday ritual had been constant, since Buffy’s parents, Hank and Joyce had insisted on placing Dawnie in the private school. Although the Sisters of The Sacred Heart were an excellent educational institution, Buffy always felt guilty that little Dawn had been sequestered there. Unfortunately, at the here and now? The present? This seemed to be the only safe, happy habitat for Dawn Michelle Summers.

Buffy watched the passing scenery, in the back of the 2005 Jaguar that Riley had provided, just for this purpose. For her weekly visit to Dawn at the school.

Andrew, who Buffy still had not quite figured out, at all, was driving, as usual. The young man never said a word to Buffy, as they rode along, as usual. He just drove, safely and soundly, his only job here to provide safe passage for Buffy. Up to Sunnydale and to Dawn Summers.

Finally, by the time they had pulled up in front of Dawn’s gated school, Andrew stopped the car and turned to face his employer.

“I will drive about Sunnydale, as usual, Miss Summers,” Andrew stated, simply. “While you visit with Miss Dawn that is," he added. There is a movie I would like to catch, he added with a wry smile. The last installment of Star Wars is out and I would so love to see it. It’s the beginning of Darth Vadar and everything!” Andrew gushed, trying hard to curb his enthusiasm.

“That’s fine, Andrew,” Buffy smiled, softly, at the eager young man. She supposed that the vivacious Andrew had stayed up all the night before, anxiously awaiting a chance to see the movie.

“By the time I speak with the superiors at the school, visit and eat lunch with Dawn? There should plenty of time to see your showing, Andrew. And thank you,” Buffy added, sincerely. “For everything,” she finished with a weak smile.

Now, usually, Buffy would scurry to find Dawn, herself, at her studies or playing at the school. However, today, the young woman decided to pay a visit to the headmaster Priest, Father Johnathan first. Buffy had many things to discuss with Father Johnathan Levech. The foremost thing, being the appearance of one William Giles, back into her life.


Buffy slipped into the inner sanctum of Father Johnathan’s office, quietly. The diminutive priest was busy, studying some important document or other.

“Hello, Father,” Buffy greeted her old friend, shyly.

“Elizabeth!” Father Johnathan exclaimed in delight. “How good it is to see you!" Have you seen Dawnie yet?” he asked, eagerly.

“No,” Buffy shook her blond head, gently. “I thought I would talk to you first, today,” she continued, a little unsure of herself. “There are some things I need to discuss with you, Father,” she added. “Will you hear my confession? First, I mean, before I see Dawnie?”

“Of course,” the priest replied eagerly. “I am always at your service Elizabeth, you know that,” he chided gently. “Let me fetch you some tea, then, and I will hear your confession. I’ve a feeling, Elizabeth, that there is something troubling you? Something much more then usual? Am I right about this?”

“Yes, Father,” Buffy murmured, softly. “William has come back into my life and stirred up all kinds of old feelings and fears,” she whispered in a shaky voice.

“I see,” Father Jonathan stated, simply. “Does he know? Your William? I mean does this William know that Finn keeps you close to him by monstrous methods? Feeds on your fears and that of your parents?” The priest frowned in disgust, at the thought of Riley Finn.

Father Johnathan watched Buffy, intently, with his dark brown eyes. In his day, Father Johnny, as he was known then, was quite the young boxer in the Golden Gloves. He had been a champion in the bantam weight division and still maintained the cocky attitude of a light, but sturdy fighter. The best way to describe Father Johnathan Levech was ‘scrappy’ when need be.

“No,” Buffy rasped, her head hung low. “Will has no idea how Riley holds me to him,” she continued, shakily as tiny tears welled up in her eyes. She was too proud to let even Father Johnathan discover those traitorous tears in her green eyes, so she avoided the holy man’s gaze.

“I see,” Father Johnathan muttered, deep in thought. “Perhaps, dear Elizabeth,” the priest began, cautiously, “it’s time for you to tell me everything there is to tell. About your past with your William and how it has now come back to haunt you.”

He leaned onto his desk, head in hand and stared, soulfully, into Elizabeth ‘Buffy’ Summers emerald green eyes.


Spike and Xander followed Riley Finn into his massive den area, on the lower floor of his mansion. Outside of the spotless sliding glass door, lay a huge, shiny pool.

‘Christ,’ Spike mumbled under his breath, ‘this place is a fucking palace!’

The blond man scanned the outside area, quickly, hoping to find Buffy out there by the pool. He was sadly disappointed when he did not spy her out there. It was such a beautiful Southern California day that Spike had hoped Buffy might be sunning by the pool. No such luck.

Finn was rambling on about something, but only Xander, it seemed, was listening to the idiot. Spike was more concerned with ‘finding’ his Buffy, somewhere about the huge Finn house.

Spike noticed Xander staring at some ‘family’ photos, place strategically on the large fireplace mantel in Finn’s den. Xander was eyeing one photo in particular.

“Cute kid,” Xander noted verbally, as he pointed at a large photo on the shelf of the mantel. “Yours?” the dark haired man asked Riley with a raised brow.

“Nope,” Riley muttered in response after he figured out which photo Harrington was talking about. “That’s Buffy’s little sister, Dawn Summers,” Riley continued, uneasily.

Spike walked over to stand beside Xander/Alec and peered at the subject of the photo.

He saw a cute, smart looking young girl child, grinning back at him from the gold frame.

“She is a little cutie,” Spike grinned, unable to help himself. “Looks a bit like her big sis, too,” he added without thinking.

“She’s a little brat,” Riley snorted in disgust. “Thank God she’s stashed up in a private school, way up north. Sunnydale is the place it’s located,” Finn continued, matter-of-factly. “In fact, that’s exactly where Buffy is this morning, up there in SunnyD. Up seeing the little brat at her fancy school. My girl, Buffy, she grew up there. Her folks, worthless as they were, enrolled Dawn in the school, a while back. When she finally turned five.”

Riley stared at the photo of Dawn Summers, thoughtfully. “You’ll have to forgive me,” he grunted in a subdued voice. “I just feel that if it weren’t for Dawn Summers, Buffy would have married me and popped out a couple of our own kids by now. I love Buffy,” Riley continued, bitterly, “but she’s too God damned tied up with that brat sister of hers and her folks, in general.”


Spike heard the resentment in Riley’s voice and his opinion of the man dropped even more. He could see Xander’s shocked expression from where he stood.

“The bright side though?” Riley grinned maliciously, “is that at least with Dawn up at the school, she isn’t living with Buffy and me. Thank God for that!” Finn chuckled wickedly. “One of these days,” Riley continued, “I’m going to pull the Dawn card out and pressure Buffy to marry me, once and for all.” He finished with a hearty laugh.

‘What an incredible fuckhead,’ Xander mouthed, silently to Spike behind Finn’s back.

Spike just rolled his blue eyes and changed the subject to business. By this time, Spike was so enraged at Finn, that he could barely trust himself to be civil to the man.

‘Cover it, Giles,’ Spike ordered himself firmly. ‘Don’t let the fucking asshole see your true feelings.’


“Elizabeth,” Father Johnathan murmured, “I usually don’t interfere in matters such as these but I feel in this case? I must.”

Buffy flinched, guiltily, when she heard the priest’s particular tone of voice.

“Father?” she asked, carefully.

“Dawn is a wonderful child, Elizabeth,” Father Johnathan began, carefully. “I know that you and your parents love the girl, very much. She’s a delight to have as a student and as a resident here at Sacred Hearts. However,” the priest paused briefly, deep in thought. “As much as the Sisters and myself adore little Dawnie, I truly believe she belongs in her home. With her family, on a permanent living basis, that is.”

“That is simply not possible at this time, Father,” Buffy whispered, sadly. She shook her blond head, slowly, and tried to fight back her tears.

“I know that, Elizabeth,” Father Johnathan sighed, heavily. “I am fully aware of the problems with your parents and your living situation at this time. I guess I had just hoped that…” He left the sentence unfinished.

Buffy hurried out of Father Johnathan’s office and out into the large grassy knoll. Dawn was out there playing with some friends. A game of kickball, Buffy noted happily, when she spied the dark haired little girl.

“Dawn!” Buffy called out to the child in anticipation.

“Buffy!” Dawn Summers squealed in delight when she saw the older woman just yards from her.

Dawn left her game of kickball and her friends to rush into Buffy’s outstretched arms. Buffy picked the girl up, in a bear hug. This in itself was no little feat, considering the fact that Dawn would probably soon be taller then Buffy herself.

“I have a new picture I drew for you, Buffy,” Dawn gushed, gleefully. The youngster squirmed about in Buffy’s arms, excitedly.

“Can’t wait to see it, Dawnie,” Buffy murmured, truthfully. “Let’s go to your room and just have the longest talk, huh?” She stood her ‘little sister’ back on the grass and took her hand in hers.
“There’s so much I need to tell you!” Buffy gushed at Dawn as she led her to her room.

“Daddy and Mommy sent me some real, real art supplies, from Italy, Buffy,” Dawn informed her ‘older sister’ happily.

Buffy flinched, visibly, when Dawn mentioned their parents, but quickly shook off the familiar painful ache their names caused her.

“That’s wonderful, baby,” Buffy purred to the precocious six-year-old. “Did you draw the new picture with the new supplies?”

“Uh huh,” Dawn replied proudly. “There’s this new color of pencil, in the kit,” the little girl exclaimed. “It’s called indigo blue. It’s my new favorite color, Buffy,” Dawn rambled on. The younger childe never noticed the pain, or the tears in the older woman’s eyes.


Later, at the hotel, Spike stood out on his room’s balcony, surveying the view from out there. Xander sauntered up, a beer bottle in his big hand.

“It’s the kid,” Xander mumbled as he joined his friend and partner, Spike, in scanning the horizon. “Dawn’s the reason Buffy is with Riley, you know that? Right man?”

Spike took a long drink from his whiskey glass and nodded, reluctantly in response to Xander’s epiphany.

“I’m thinkin’ you’re right on the money with that one,” Spike muttered softly. “Riley’s using the poor kid as a pawn, somehow,” he sighed. “But how?” Spike turned and looked at Xander, puzzled.

“Threatened to hurt the poor little thing? Probably had Buffy’s folks put their youngest in that school to get her out of the way? For whatever reason he had. Since Hank and Joyce Summers are always flying around the world, doing God knows what.” Xander shrugged, half-heartedly. “Something, that’s for sure. What a fucking prick Finn is,” Harris hissed in disgust.

“Yeah, he’s that all right,” Spike lit a cigarette and stared at the scenery below them, thoughtfully. It broke Spike’s heart to think of Buffy having to sequester that adorable, precious little sister of hers in that school. For what? To protect Dawn Summers from the likes of Riley Finn?

“You really think that Finn would hurt the little girl? Buffy’s little sis? I mean to secure Buffy to him?” Spike’s tone was harsh and raspy. Just thinking about Riley Finn made him physically ill.

“I don’t know about that,” Xander sighed in frustration. “But,” he continued, “I do know this. Dawn Summers is the ‘key’ to the power that Riley Finn has over Buffy. She’s got to be.”


A/N: I wanted to do a flashback scene that showed Spike and Buffy’s first time together, sexually. That will definitely be in the next chapter, promise!!!

Thanks for reading and please review. Luv, Spuf





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