Fic: Life- an experiment
Title- Life: an experiment
Summary- Dawn's on-campus life needs a boost
Characters- Dawn, Spike
Rating- PG
Note- NEVER written any fic before so it's really rough. Still don't have Spike's voice down yet - but I needed to get this out. Post-NFA, an alt 'verse in which the Slayers came to help Angel in the LA battle.
Dawn woke up with a start and squinted up at the clock at the opposite end of the library. Almost midnight. Good. In the past year or two, Dawn had become addicted to the night; that last year in Sunnydale was the beginning - only a year and a half later and Dawn had almost forgotten what daylight was. While traveling with Buffy and the other Slayers, Dawn had adapted her schedule to theirs, waking up in the late afternoon and while they were fighting or training all night, Dawn researched and studied under the watchful eyes of Giles and Willow. While the other girls fought for time in the sun - sunbathing and soaking it all up, Dawn had shied away. Her light skin now seemed almost devoid of pigment.
She sighed and looked sullenly down at the book that she had previously been using as a pillow: The Sumerians (History Opens Windows). She wasn't quite sure now, a month into the semester, why she had thought that a Freshman seminar on the ancient Middle East was a good idea. She leaned back in her chair and imagined explaining to the professor and 150 other students how she had translated the ancient scroll that was paraphrased in Chapter 5 and how only an idiot . . . She sighed - Positive thinking, Dawnie she thought. You'll only get through this with positive thinking. . . or a nice hot bath . . .
She threw her textbooks into her bag carelessly and thought of the collection of original source material sitting on her nightstand and wondered if a call to Giles would get her into trouble, or out of this ridiculous class. Outside on the library steps, Dawn paused and caressed the smooth stake in her hand. A slight breeze struggled to sweep away the thick heat still clinging to the ground after a long LA day. Dawn charged into the dark stillness, her body humming with anticipation. As she passed under a large tree, Dawn smelled a fine hint of cigarette smoke, and then the comforting aroma of worn leather and dried sweat.
"Awfully late for a study session, isn't it little bit?"
"Did Angel send you?" Dawn said with a smile as she slipped her arm through the vampire's and shivered a little from contact with a being so cold on such a warm night.
"Cordy."
'Oh." Dawn paused at that. Cordelia had been awfully protective of Dawn since she came back from wherever the PTB had sent her. When she had found out that Dawn had been at the large battle in LA at the start of the summer, it became Cordy's campaign to make sure Dawn had a "real life" - she sent her off with Connor to the mall, movies, bowling, you name it and Cordy had forced the two to do it. Cordy's dedication to Dawn was the sole reason why Buffy had made sure Dawn stayed in LA. Buffy had hundreds of little-Slayers to take care of and Cordy wanted Dawn. So Dawn had stayed . . . though after a couple of weeks (and a few million squabbles with Illyria and Connor) she moved out of the Hyperion and placed in Cordy's old apartment with Phantom Dennis.
"She got caught up with vision-y stuff and sent me to tell you she couldn't make it for movie-night. After a few rounds with Dennis, I figured I'd come find you."
That was the way of it most nights: she'd come home to the little apartment to find Spike and Dennis playing poker in her kitchen. Sometimes Connor would join them, but he was often busy with school or helping Angel kill some hell-beasty. Dawn squeezed his arm, overcome with affection. Spike could have... should have left with Buffy. She knew he wanted to and that Buffy had asked. He stayed for her. Cordy had complained about Spike's cell phone bill the first month, but then just enrolled everyone on an unlimited plan. With the Scoobies now spread all over the world and Connor and Dawn in school, it was just more practical. Even though Dawn was sure that now Spike had mastered txting, it was the only thing Cordy could do to keep Angel Investigations from going bankrupt.
"I fell asleep. Sumerian history... ugh."
The vampire laughed softly, 'The true method of knowledge is experiment."
"William Blake?" He had lately been testing her knowledge by passing out random quotes. She hadn't realized before how educated he must have been in his human life. The vampire had encouraged her to sign up for a poetry class and though she was hesitant at first, it had quickly become the most engrossing part of her week.
He nodded slowly, exhaling a cloud of smoke. Dawn eyed the smoke suspiciously - Vampires don't have breath, so how is it that Spike smokes? And what about second-hand smoke, should I be worried about contracting lung cancer because I'm always around a nicotine addicted vampire? They walked in silence for a few minutes more until they were standing in front of a large, blazing sorority house. Somehow he had guided her the opposite direction that she wanted to go. Dawn looked up at him curiously and found him looking intently at the house. There were half a dozen parties on campus that night, but this was by far the largest. Dawn had been casually invited by a cute, nerdy guy in her history class earlier that day, but had declined. The house was full of people dancing, laughing.... Dawn instinctively drew back. She felt her bag being taken off her shoulders and looked up at the vampire inquisitively.
He thrust a bottle of white wine into her hands and said gruffly, "Cordy wants you to be a normal college girl, right?"
Dawn gaped up at him. Surely this was not what Cordelia meant! She shook her head and backed away. He glared at her for a moment and then swept her up in a huge bear hug, whispering in her ear, "I'll be right outside, little bit. Go in and party like hell." He slipped a condom into her back pocket and growled, "I'd know and I'd probably kill him - but just to be safe, anyway."
With that he thrust her toward the door and disappeared. She didn't look back, she didn't hesitate, she walked firmly through the door and into the mess of people, thrusting her trusty stake into the pocket of her jacket.
Summary- Dawn's on-campus life needs a boost
Characters- Dawn, Spike
Rating- PG
Note- NEVER written any fic before so it's really rough. Still don't have Spike's voice down yet - but I needed to get this out. Post-NFA, an alt 'verse in which the Slayers came to help Angel in the LA battle.
Dawn woke up with a start and squinted up at the clock at the opposite end of the library. Almost midnight. Good. In the past year or two, Dawn had become addicted to the night; that last year in Sunnydale was the beginning - only a year and a half later and Dawn had almost forgotten what daylight was. While traveling with Buffy and the other Slayers, Dawn had adapted her schedule to theirs, waking up in the late afternoon and while they were fighting or training all night, Dawn researched and studied under the watchful eyes of Giles and Willow. While the other girls fought for time in the sun - sunbathing and soaking it all up, Dawn had shied away. Her light skin now seemed almost devoid of pigment.
She sighed and looked sullenly down at the book that she had previously been using as a pillow: The Sumerians (History Opens Windows). She wasn't quite sure now, a month into the semester, why she had thought that a Freshman seminar on the ancient Middle East was a good idea. She leaned back in her chair and imagined explaining to the professor and 150 other students how she had translated the ancient scroll that was paraphrased in Chapter 5 and how only an idiot . . . She sighed - Positive thinking, Dawnie she thought. You'll only get through this with positive thinking. . . or a nice hot bath . . .
She threw her textbooks into her bag carelessly and thought of the collection of original source material sitting on her nightstand and wondered if a call to Giles would get her into trouble, or out of this ridiculous class. Outside on the library steps, Dawn paused and caressed the smooth stake in her hand. A slight breeze struggled to sweep away the thick heat still clinging to the ground after a long LA day. Dawn charged into the dark stillness, her body humming with anticipation. As she passed under a large tree, Dawn smelled a fine hint of cigarette smoke, and then the comforting aroma of worn leather and dried sweat.
"Awfully late for a study session, isn't it little bit?"
"Did Angel send you?" Dawn said with a smile as she slipped her arm through the vampire's and shivered a little from contact with a being so cold on such a warm night.
"Cordy."
'Oh." Dawn paused at that. Cordelia had been awfully protective of Dawn since she came back from wherever the PTB had sent her. When she had found out that Dawn had been at the large battle in LA at the start of the summer, it became Cordy's campaign to make sure Dawn had a "real life" - she sent her off with Connor to the mall, movies, bowling, you name it and Cordy had forced the two to do it. Cordy's dedication to Dawn was the sole reason why Buffy had made sure Dawn stayed in LA. Buffy had hundreds of little-Slayers to take care of and Cordy wanted Dawn. So Dawn had stayed . . . though after a couple of weeks (and a few million squabbles with Illyria and Connor) she moved out of the Hyperion and placed in Cordy's old apartment with Phantom Dennis.
"She got caught up with vision-y stuff and sent me to tell you she couldn't make it for movie-night. After a few rounds with Dennis, I figured I'd come find you."
That was the way of it most nights: she'd come home to the little apartment to find Spike and Dennis playing poker in her kitchen. Sometimes Connor would join them, but he was often busy with school or helping Angel kill some hell-beasty. Dawn squeezed his arm, overcome with affection. Spike could have... should have left with Buffy. She knew he wanted to and that Buffy had asked. He stayed for her. Cordy had complained about Spike's cell phone bill the first month, but then just enrolled everyone on an unlimited plan. With the Scoobies now spread all over the world and Connor and Dawn in school, it was just more practical. Even though Dawn was sure that now Spike had mastered txting, it was the only thing Cordy could do to keep Angel Investigations from going bankrupt.
"I fell asleep. Sumerian history... ugh."
The vampire laughed softly, 'The true method of knowledge is experiment."
"William Blake?" He had lately been testing her knowledge by passing out random quotes. She hadn't realized before how educated he must have been in his human life. The vampire had encouraged her to sign up for a poetry class and though she was hesitant at first, it had quickly become the most engrossing part of her week.
He nodded slowly, exhaling a cloud of smoke. Dawn eyed the smoke suspiciously - Vampires don't have breath, so how is it that Spike smokes? And what about second-hand smoke, should I be worried about contracting lung cancer because I'm always around a nicotine addicted vampire? They walked in silence for a few minutes more until they were standing in front of a large, blazing sorority house. Somehow he had guided her the opposite direction that she wanted to go. Dawn looked up at him curiously and found him looking intently at the house. There were half a dozen parties on campus that night, but this was by far the largest. Dawn had been casually invited by a cute, nerdy guy in her history class earlier that day, but had declined. The house was full of people dancing, laughing.... Dawn instinctively drew back. She felt her bag being taken off her shoulders and looked up at the vampire inquisitively.
He thrust a bottle of white wine into her hands and said gruffly, "Cordy wants you to be a normal college girl, right?"
Dawn gaped up at him. Surely this was not what Cordelia meant! She shook her head and backed away. He glared at her for a moment and then swept her up in a huge bear hug, whispering in her ear, "I'll be right outside, little bit. Go in and party like hell." He slipped a condom into her back pocket and growled, "I'd know and I'd probably kill him - but just to be safe, anyway."
With that he thrust her toward the door and disappeared. She didn't look back, she didn't hesitate, she walked firmly through the door and into the mess of people, thrusting her trusty stake into the pocket of her jacket.