She certainly wouldn’t be invited because she was way too young - what a shame. She wasn’t sure if she really wanted to see exactly what Spike would be doing. On the other hand, she didn’t know for certain what striptease was all about. What clothes did they take off? What did they leave on? When she was older, maybe for her sixteenth birthday, she should ask him for a demonstration. It would be surely an education.
“Dawnie, I think around nine would be a good time to leave. The children will probably be gone home by then, so Giles doesn’t need our help anymore. Okay? I’ll ask, if I can borrow Xander’s car.” Willow smiled at her and went back to her ring of little admirers.
“Do you think Spike’s done a striptease before?” Dawn whispered to Tara. She couldn’t get the idea of Spike stripping out of her mind. “I’ve heard about stripteases, but I always thought that it’s only women. Do men dance, too - like around poles and stuff?”
Tara smiled. Dawn clearly wouldn’t leave it alone. “I’m sure Spike knows exactly what’s expected from him. Vampires have no inhibitions. And yes, of course there are also male strippers. It’s normally more athletic but there’s usually music and some of them can dance really well. But that is all your young, still wet ears will hear from me.”
At least Tara took her seriously and didn’t brush her questions off. How was she supposed to learn anything interesting, if nobody answered her questions? She could process and understand lots more than they gave her credit for. Dawn looked over at Anya. She was sure, if she wanted to know more, she could always ask Anya. She was always so direct, Dawn found that funny. It hurt sometimes, but not because Anya intended to be harsh, it just hurt because it was the truth without any sugar coating.
Dawn thought about it while wrapping more parcels. If she ever wanted to learn about, you know, bees and flowers and stuff, she would go to Anya first. There she would get her answers and when Anya stopped talking, it was because she’d said everything and not because she thought that Dawn was too young to hear it. She really liked Anya.
At a quarter to nine she saw Willow returning from the bathroom. She’d removed the green face makeup and unbraided her hair. She joined Xander at his table and picked up one of the last chocolate filled doughnuts. Maybe Willow told him about the ruckus with Spike before? Xander had glared at Spike from the back of the room but he’d had too many customers to wait on to come over. Dawn wondered if it would be better if she joined them. Xander was always so biased against Spike, that incident would give him material to taunt him for a while.
As Dawn came nearer, she could hear snatches of the conversation.
“…told me about him. I really want to give it a try, Xander.”
“Is this really ok, Willow? I listened to your argument with Tara about using the magic for everyday chores. Not that I wouldn’t love to have an abracadabra spell to clean the bathroom once in a while, but from what you told me that looks like some darker stuff.” Xander was worried about something.
“No, why should it? Magic is just energy and its important how you use it, not where it comes from. Believe me; I know best how to use it for a good cause.”
“Ha, well then, why don’t you stop this stupid striptease idea Anya is so obsessed about. Why should she have strippers when I don’t have them at my bachelor party? And why is she so fixated on the Evil Dead? I couldn't persuade her to at least hire some decent, normal strippers. She just tells me, that it's none of my business what she's doing at her bachelorette party, I should keep to planning my own party and stop interfering with hers.”
“I could make her forget about it. That would be a good thing to do, right? Why would she want to look at somebody else anyway when she has you, Xan?”
Dawn rolled her eyes. Was Willow still crushing on Xander? How long could someone hold on to a kindergarten crush? Or maybe Willow offered her help because she didn’t like Anya? Or did Willow dislike Anya because she had still a crush on Xander and was jealous? Dawn found relationships often so confusing and complicated. If she had someone as devoted and nice as Tara for a girlfriend, well boyfriend in her case, she would be completely happy with that alone.
Willow noticed Dawn hovering and turned around, jingling with the car keys. “Ah, Dawn, ready to go? I’ve got Xander’s car.”
Together they walked over to the counter and Willow gave Tara a sweet kiss on the cheek. “Tara, honey, I'm taking Dawn home now and we'll be waiting until Buffy returns from patrol. Then I'll be back and we can go home together. It might be late, probably ‘round half past eleven.”
“I don’t mind helping Anya and Giles clean up the shop. They’ll close at eleven, so that would be fine.” Tara gave Willow and Dawn one of her warm, sunny smiles. “Good night, Dawn. You were a really big help to me tonight.”
“Bye, Tara. It was fun with you.” Dawn liked Tara a lot and she had enjoyed the day more than she might ever admit to Buffy. No way would she give her the idea she might enjoy work of any kind.
After one final wave and a 'Good night' to Giles, Willow and Dawn left the shop with a merry jingle from the bells above the door.
“Willow, where’re we going? This isn't the way home.” Dawn pointed out the front window of Xander’s car which Willow had borrowed.
“Dawnie, don’t worry. I’m just making a short detour; we’ll be home before Buffy is back. There's just something I have to check out.” Willow turned the car right into the entrance of a dark alley, put the car in park, and stopped the engine.
“Remember, the witch festival I was at during summer? A witch I met there emailed me today and told me that this terrific guru is in town today. I want to meet him. It'll only take a second, alright?” Willow started to open the car door to step out.
“Wait. What guru, a witchcraft guru? I thought witches are all women? And, he's living here?” Dawn looked suspiciously down the passageway between two abandoned warehouses. “Not even a hobo would live here if given a choice.”
Willow rolled her eyes. “Dawn, you're still too young to understand…”
“Willow, I’m nearly fifteen, I’m not a baby anymore!” Why did everybody still think that she can’t count to three? Dawn knew a lot more than everybody gave her credit. Hell, she’d been eavesdropping on them for ages now.
Willow sighed and settled back into the driver’s seat. “Ok, fine. He’s an inter-dimensional specialist on witchcraft. A male witch is called a warlock. His specialty is techniques to refill depleted energy, like meditation, laying on of hands, and elixirs to increase your abilities. Like a traditional healer compared to mainstream medicine. Nothing bad, see? He is only in town today; his office magically changes places so everybody can visit him. Come on, just do me a favor,” Willow begged, looking at Dawn with round and innocent eyes.
“Ok, but just for a minute.” Dawn finally agreed, opening the door and stepping out of the car. It still sounded wrong to her, but it was Willow, after all. Buffy’s best friend.
They were halfway into the alley when Willow suddenly stopped and raised her hand in front of her face. It looked like she was touching a vertical surface of liquid. Ripples of dark brown light flowed out and filled the space between the buildings with a webbing of gleaming circles.
“Here it is!” Willow began to chant under her breath, the syllables rolling low and guttural out of her mouth. Dawn shivered; she didn’t know if it was because of the chilly night air or the enchantment. She jumped as a fiery doorway suddenly appeared in the air in front of her. A worn wooden door swung open with a creak and revealed a dimly lit passage. Creepy!
“Come on, Dawn.” Willow pulled the girl by the hand through the door and into the corridor. An electric tingle ran over Dawn's skin as she was dragged through the opening.
The air inside smelled stale, like no fresh breeze had cleaned out the dust in ages. The only sign of life was the yellow shine of a lone light bulb dangling down from the ceiling and the light spilling from under the closed door at the end of the corridor. Dawn felt completely out of place here with her gaudy cheerleader outfit, like a parrot in a flock of crows.
Willow opened the door into what looked like the waiting room. Chairs of different styles and ages lined the wall. One seat opposite the door was occupied by a middle aged woman with her head leaned back wearily against the wall, eyes closed. In another corner, in a dusty lounge chair beside the door which must lead into the warlock’s office, slumped a young man with matted, dirty hair in dire need of a shave… a change of clothes wouldn’t have hurt, either.
Dawn hadn’t even closed the door behind her when the office door opened and a tall, haggard looking man shot out, dark eyes glittering with a faint red afterglow. His cheeks were sunken, his gleaming eyes nearly vanishing in the purple hollows of his eye sockets.
“New visitors, how lovely! What’s your name, my dear?” The warlock looked Willow over, his gaze gliding like a snail down her delicate frame.
Ick! This was the famous inter-dimensional guru? If a look could leave tracks behind, Willow would be covered in slime by now. Dawn hoped that they wouldn’t stay long.
“Are you Rack? A friend told me you’d be here today and that you could help me.” Willow stepped eagerly forward and eyed Rack like he was a rock star. Whatever it was that she saw in him, Dawn didn’t understand; she didn't like him one bit.
“Yes my lovely witchlet. I’m Rack. Heard of me?” He slowly walked around her and Dawn could see his gaze trailing over Willow’s breasts and lingering on her ass.
As Rack’s attention suddenly turned to Dawn, she stepped back and pressed herself flat against the door, her pompoms held in front of her as a barrier.
“You brought me a friend? Who is this sweet cheerleader?” Rack sniffed the air, like a blood hound taking the trail. “Not human, are you? Not completely at least. But I can’t place you. What’s your name, my child?”
Now Dawn definitely detested him. She was not a child! And she was human! “Willow, can we go now? You've seen him and I’m tired!”
“Ah, a sassy one.” Rack seemed to be pleased. “I can smell lots of anger here and confusion. Such a tasty little morsel.”
At last Willow stepped in. “Dawn is my protégé. She’s not here for your services.”
“I see, but you are, my beauty? I can help you, you know. I see much power within you, but so poorly set to use. You tire quickly when you do more demanding spells, right? I have just the remedy for that.” Rack’s attention was now focused solely on Willow. “I have some free time right now, come into my office. Your little friend can wait here for you.”
“Dawnie, it will take just a few minutes.” Before Dawn could protest further, Willow followed Rack into the office, closed the door, and left Dawn alone in the dingy waiting room.
Dawn eyed the room another time disgustedly. The chairs looked all dirty and it smelled like a moldy old house where somebody had peed in the corner. She picked one chair, as far from the other occupants as possible, pulled her skimpy skirt as far down her backside as possible and sat down at the very edge of it. Then she waited… and waited.
Fifteen minutes passed, then another fifteen. The time crawled by and Willow didn't return.
Dawn stared at the ceiling, counting the cracks in it. There were twelve chairs in five different styles. The woman in the corner snored softly, but Dawn couldn’t figure out the rhythm of it. On the wall opposite her chair was a rickety book stand with a few tattered and dog-eared books in it. The titles were all in foreign languages, some in Latin; she recognized it from the Magic Box. But even if she could have read them, they looked so dirty she wouldn’t have touched the books with a ten foot pole.
She even thought about the homework waiting for her at home. How bored could she get to long for homework? Another look at her watch told her, that it was already a quarter past ten.
“It’ll take some time, ya’ know.” Her musings were interrupted by the slurred voice of the young man in the corner. “Rack likes them young and juicy. Me? I don’t stand a chance against such a cutie as your friend. You know how long I’ve been waiting here already? Hours let me tell you.”
Dawn tried to look uninterested and hoped he would shut up. It was bad enough to be cooped up here, with nothing to distract her. Now this creep was all chatty, like they were buddies or something.
But the man wasn’t discouraged so easily. “He gives you a boost first, ya’ know? A bonus to get you hooked. Then when you want more, you have to pay. Not with money, oh no. I couldn’t have afforded it if he’d wanted money. He wants power, a slice of your own power as price for the elixir.” Dawn noticed that the man's hands were shaking and his voice was grating with need as he spoke.
Dawn shrunk back further into her chair and looked at her watch again. It had been well over an hour already. God, what was Willow doing in there?
“You always want more. It’s never enough power, ya’ know? Once you start, after you get the first taste, you can’t live without more…” The young man looked at her with so much despair in his eyes that Dawn felt sorry for him.
It was nearly ten-thirty now. She needed to be home now – Buffy would be home shortly and she knew her sister would be worried sick if she wasn’t there. What if Willow didn't come out soon? “You said, it’d take time. How long?” Dawn finally acknowledged the man.
“Oh, don’t know… the first time maybe two, three hours…”
“Three hours! Oh no, I’ve to go home!” Dawn was beyond anxious. She pictured Buffy’s face when she got home and the house was empty. Buffy would think they had an accident when she checked at the Magic Box and was told that she had been gone for such a long time already. She had to go home. She would normally never go out alone at night, she wasn’t stupid, but hadn’t Spike always said that Halloween was a night off for vampires and demons; that no real monsters would be out and about on this particular night?
Decision made, Dawn stood up to leave. Before closing the door behind her she turned and addressed the man a last time. “Tell Willow, I went home.”
He was sitting in his chair, rocking back and forth, humming a monotone little tune. Dawn didn’t know if he’d even heard her, but it was the best she could do.
Dawn nearly ran down the dimly lit corridor towards the door, silently chanting “let me out of here, please let me out!” She was relieved when the front door simply opened with a creak in front of her and she ran through. God, how she was glad she’d finally gotten out of that rat hole! She scanned the area for some sort of weapon – just in case - and ripped a plank from an abandoned crate. It came off with a satisfyingly ragged point.
Staying in the golden pools of the street lamps as much as possible, Dawn walked briskly through the dark streets. Crap, she was nearly at the other side of town from Revello Drive. The streets were deserted, all the kids with their entourages and tricky treats were back home and most likely either packed safely in bed or violently ill. She remembered with a shudder the one Halloween she’d stuffed herself with chocolate and Jujubes. She’d spent an hour vomiting when she got home, never again!
If she might cut across the cemetery, it would be much shorter, but Dawn didn’t dare to chance her luck. She was now shivering violently in the cold night air and her teeth had begun to chatter. The skimpy costume didn’t give her much protection and she tried to warm herself with a slow jog. It wasn’t far now, only around the south corner of the cemetery wall and then down a few streets through the quiet neighborhood and she would be home.
“Look who’s there, out all on her own. Bit late for the play, aren’t you?”
Dawn shrieked as a voice from her right startled her. She looked up and saw a swarthy man crouching on the cemetery wall, dressed in a shabby, dusty suit. Damn her luck, if that wasn’t a vampire she would eat her makeshift stake! She quickly hid her weapon behind her back; maybe he’d not seen it yet. If she could surprise him with it, that would give her an advantage and she would need all the help she could get.
Slowly she backed away. “What play do you mean?”
“Well, you’re a cheerleader, aren’t you, girl? When there are cheerleaders, there ought to be a play. Bit late for a training session.” He sounded smug.
Oh, he was a smart one, clearly a giant in the brain department. Hadn’t he gotten the message that it was Halloween? Costume and all? On second thought, if he’d just risen, maybe he didn’t know. Maybe she should tell him - as if that would make any difference now.
“Oh, that! That’s only my Halloween costume. Where’ve you been living, on the moon?” Buffy always said that her quips distracted the vamps. Dawn’s mind wasn’t working too well in the quipage-department right now; it was more focused on the ‘Oh my God’ litany.
“Halloween? Bit early aren’t you? That’s in two days.” The vamp looked puzzled and frowned until a rumbling stomach growl distracted him. “I’m hungry!”
“No! Today's Halloween, you’ve lost two days being dead! And, ahmm, all vamps stay at home on Halloween – it’s like a rule or something, so shouldn’t you, well, go home to wherever you came from?” Dawn didn’t believe that he would fall for that argument, but she tried nevertheless.
Slowly, step by step, she backed away onto the street behind her. Maybe if she surprised him she could get enough head start to reach her house. Once inside, she’d be safe. With a last wary look at him she turned and began running as fast as she could.
The cold air burned in her lungs as she sprinted down the sidewalk, along the quiet street, past dark houses. She could hear the vamp jump down from the wall behind her, and that made her run even faster. Her feet were pounding on the pavement in long strides, her arms pumped hard, swinging the pompoms wildly. Her right hand clutched her roughly made stake while the left fumbled in the pocket of her skirt for the key.
She was nearly home!
A blow at her back made her stumble. Dawn tried to turn around while falling as the impact slammed the wind out of her lungs. Her hand with the stake was caught behind her back and she wriggled frantically to free it. The vamp’s knees came down right and left of her as he settled on her hips, effectively pinning her to the sidewalk.
Dawn let out a piercing shriek, long and ear shattering, winding higher and higher like a siren. For a moment the vamp was startled then he clapped his hands over his ears. Yeah, super sensitive vampire hearing, take that! With fear-powered effort, she pulled the stake free and thrust it upwards with all the force she could muster. For a moment Dawn saw his eyes, suddenly wide open and scared, then she coughed as the dust settled on her face.
Another important tidbit nobody had told her about: Never inhale when you stake a vamp.
Two strong hands grabbed her arms, pulled her up off the pavement and into a tight hug. “Niblet, thought we'd be too late...” Spike’s voice rumbled in her ears.
“I’m fine. Air!” Dawn gasped as she struggled to breathe in his iron grip.
“God, Dawn, are you all right? Spike, give her some space, let her breath.” Buffy exclaimed as she ran up behind them, panting, her voice full of fear.
Dawn looked up at them, full of relief but also pride. She’d staked her first vampire! “Did you see? I staked him! God, he had me so scared, he was all Grrr and then I couldn't get the stake out from under me - I thought I was a goner! When I screamed he went like Arrgh... and I got the stake free and – POOF- vamp dust…”
“Dawnie, thank God you’re ok.” Buffy pulled her into her arms, squeezing the newly found breath back out of her. “What were you doing here, all alone? Where’s Willow? We came home and the house was dark. We just started calling the Magic Box when we heard your scream. Spike nearly tore down our front door to get outside. Thank God he didn't - heaven knows what that would've cost me.”
“You were brilliant, Bit. Let’s get back in and we'll talk ‘bout it, yeah? You're ice cold.” With that, Spike led his girls home.
An hour later, Dawn was still too hyper to sleep. She’d told them about everything that happened at Rack’s several times now and Buffy was worried for Willow, while Spike was clearly furious. He paced around the living room like a tiger confined within a too small cage. Dawn even imagined she could hear him growl.
“When I get my hands on that silly bint…” Spike started yet another time.
“Spike, please. That doesn't help, Willow might be in danger! What if this warlock trapped her in a spell so she couldn’t leave?” Buffy tried in vain to placate him.
“Ya know, Red's powerful. She might've encountered someone better than her, but Niblet would’ve noticed something for sure.” He took another circle and whirled back to where Buffy and Dawn were sitting on the couch.
“I don’t like what the Bit said about that tosser in the waitin' room. Sounds more like addiction to me and that's a tricky one to fight. Casting powerful spells is bad enough, but using magic just for the kick of it? Magic always has consequences…”
Suddenly the front door opened with a loud bang and Willow stormed in. “Is Dawn here? She ran off… Is she ok?” Willow looked flustered, her cheeks burning and her pupils dilated.
“You left me alone there! You said just a few minutes and I waited for way more than an hour!” Dawn accused Willow. She wouldn’t take the blame here.
“Dawnie, I was only gone a little while and when I came back you were gone!”
“It was nearly an hour and a half! The guy should've told you that I went home!” Why did she have to defend herself? Dawn shook her head. “It’s not my fault!”
Buffy stood up and interrupted the accusations sharply. Spike stepped behind her, forming a solid barrier between Willow and Dawn.
“Willow, you should check your watch. Dawn told me you left the Magic Box around nine and now it’s well past midnight.” Buffy stared Willow down. “Where have you been all that time? I trusted you with Dawn and you deserted her in a room with strangers? She nearly got killed on her way back home!”
With her mouth hanging open, Willow checked the time. “I didn’t notice how late it is already. Oh my God, Tara! She's waiting for me at the Magic Box!”
Willow looked with pleading eyes from Buffy to Spike. “I didn’t mean to leave her alone so long, really. I only wanted to check out this Guru. I didn’t think it would do any harm.”
“You didn’t think, that much is clear! Why couldn’t you’ve brought Dawn home first?” Spike stepped closer to Willow, anger radiating off him in waves. “You can’t mess with magic; don’t you have any respect for the forces you play with?”
Tiny blue flickers of lightning zipped between Willow’s fingers. “Don’t threaten me, vampire! I'm a witch - a powerful witch; you don't want to piss me off!”
Her eyes grew darker, her pupils dilating even more, swallowing up her usual grey green eyes. Static cracked in her hair as it started to rise in a cloud around her head. “I’m more than capable of taking you on.”
Dawn stared wide eyed at Willow and pressed her knuckles over her mouth. The vampire attack hadn't scared her as much as the redhead did now. She remembered the 'Ball of Sunshine' spell - what if Willow hurt or even killed Spike? She let out a little whimper and shrunk back into the couch.
“Stop it, both of you.” Buffy placed her hand on Spike’s arm, but he didn't waver. She turned around and stared up at him. As she pressed her palms firmly on his chest and pushed him away from the witch, he finally acquiesced and stepped back.
She took a calming breath and faced her friend. “Willow, it’s late. I think it’d be best if you leave now.”
Willow gave Spike a final deadly glance and locked her gaze with Buffy. Her widened black pupils reflected the living room like a dark mirror and distorted shadows moved in their depth. “I thought I was your friend, Buffy, but I know, when I'm not welcome.”
Invisible hands flung the front door behind Willow wide open and it banged loudly into the wall. Dawn flinched as plaster crumbled to the floor.
All three watched in silence as the witch turned and nearly glided down the front steps. A cold, violent wind came out of nowhere and swirled her hair around her head in a burning halo.
In a small, frightened voice Dawn said what everybody was thinking. “Buffy, what happened to Willow?”