Two vamps, a girl, and a prophecy

Summary: What happens to Spike (and Angel) after ‘Not Fade Away.’
Rating: NC-17 Explicit sexual descriptions (later on), some language.
Pairings: Dawn/Spike, with a small side of Buffy/Xander.
Feedback: Yes, please. This is my first time posting a fic, so be gentle!
Archive? : Ask me first.
Beta: I need one!
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em. I’m just borrowing them for a while since Joss isn’t using them anymore. If I was making any money off of this, I would own a much better laptop!!!

Chapter 10

“What kind of ‘something?’” Dawn asked, wearily.

At the same time, Angel said, “But Dawn already-”

“Oh, Dawn doesn’t have to give anymore blood for this. I just thought maybe I could use some of her ‘Key’ energy to help you heal faster.”

“What?!” Dawn asked disbelievingly. “Are you crazy?”

“No way,” Angel stated flatly, shaking his head.

“It won’t hurt her! I’ve done the same sort of thing before, with Buffy!” Willow interjected quickly. “After the Gnarl demon attacked me last year, I was using a healing meditation technique to grow the missing skin back, and Buffy came in. She asked if she could help somehow…lend me some of her strength.” Looking back and forth between Dawn and Angel, she smiled weakly. “One of the many things I learned after the whole Warren disaster was how to transfer different types of energy from one object to another. The earth, crystals, water…and from one person to another.”

“You can channel my energy into Angel, using yourself as a conduit!” Dawn gasped, immediately seeing where the witch was heading. Catching Angel staring at her like she’d grown another head, she cocked her head slightly. “I’ve been socializing with Giles pretty much all my life. I picked up a thing or two!” She tossed her hair over her shoulder and gazed at him challengingly.

“Of course you have,” His tone was a tiny bit patronizing, but Angel smiled apologetically at her, then turned to Willow. “That won’t hurt her?”

“No,” Willow assured at him. “We could probably drain energy from her for days and not make a dent in the energy she got from the Key.” She shrugged. “It’s just kind of there, and it’s not like she’s using it for anything.”

“It won’t…it won’t make me disappear?” Dawn asked nervously. “‘Cause, you said it would, during the…the Warren mess.”

“No, Dawnie. It won’t make you disappear. I was…” She trailed off miserably. “I was just trying to scare you. You’re human now, and even siphoning off your entire reserve of metaphysical energy wouldn’t change that.” Willow sighed. “I’m really sorry I made you think otherwise.”

“You were a little upset at the time,” Dawn shrugged dismissively. “It’s okay.” Seeing that Willow looked like she was on the verge of tears, she leaned across the bed and gave her friend a quick hug.

“Thanks,” Willow whispered, before pulling away and taking a deep breath. “So, do you want to try it?” She asked, directing her question to both of them.

“If it’ll help him heal faster, sure,” Dawn shrugged.

“Only if you’re sure that it’s not going to hurt her,” Angel murmured, reaching out to grasp Dawn’s hand.

Dawn smiled at him briefly, then pulled her hand away as graciously as possible, trying to squelch her nervousness. “Let’s try it.” She urged, smiling encouragingly at Willow.

“It’ll be okay, you probably won’t even feel anything,” Willow patted her on the leg comfortingly. Taking Angel’s left hand in her right, and Dawn’s right in her left, she closed her eyes.

“Should we do anything?” Angel asked, looking a bit nervous himself.

“Yeah, shut up so the powerful witch can concentrate while she tries to leach energy from me!” Dawn hissed at him irritably, already beginning to regret going along with this.

“Uh, there is that,” Willow nodded sheepishly at Angel. “Just close your eyes and try to relax, guys.”

Dawn shifted her weight, getting more comfortable on the bed, and tried to take deep, cleansing breaths. She was just about to ask if Willow had started yet when she noticed a strange tingling feeling growing in her abdomen. The sensation spread, moving up her chest, into her right shoulder and then down her arm to her hand, where it seemed to flow into Willow’s hand. After a few minutes, she heard Angel moan.

“God!” Hearing Angel’s sharp cry, Dawn opened her eyes and stared at him in wonder. She could actually see his burns slowly healing as she watched, transfixed. Just then, he opened his eyes and smiled at her. Feeling like she’d been caught cheating on a test, she blushed and quickly closed her eyes. To her surprise, he grasped her hand again, and began stroking the back with his thumb, sending warm tingles up her arm.

“Quit flirting, you’re sending all the energy right back into Dawn!” Willow ordered with a giggle, not opening her eyes.

“But Mo-oom!” Angel mock whined, and Dawn’s eyes shot open again. A quick glance at Angel confirmed he was staring at her again, a rather self-satisfied smirk on his face. Which, when she thought about it, was an amazing achievement, considering his face looked a lot like a side of overcooked bacon. When he caught her looking again, he squeezed her hand and then shifted his hold on it, intertwining their fingers. Too stunned to form an appropriate response, Dawn found herself staring dazedly at him. “Hey, she’s doing it, too.” He complained teasingly to Willow.

Doing what, too? Was it possible for him to still move around and talk with his brain turned to dust? Before she could protest, Willow spoke up, “Yeah, yeah…” She opened one eye and grinned amusedly at Dawn.

Glaring angrily at Angel, Dawn suddenly felt the warm tingling sensation in her stomach intensify. It exploded through her torso, and shot down both her arms, far more strongly than it had before. Too amazed to stay angry, she grinned widely when Angel twitched just as it began to flow into his hands. “He can feel it, too.” The words escaped her before she could stop them.

“Yeah,” He smiled wonderingly, and she found herself smiling back. “It feels good. Look at my hands.”

Dawn glanced down, and her jaw dropped open. The burns on his hands were nearly completely gone, leaving smooth, unblemished skin in their place. The accelerated healing spread rapidly up his arms, and down across his chest. “Hot damn, I’m good.” She gasped breathlessly. Blushing when she realized she’d spoken out loud again, she lowered her head to avoid Angel’s amused look.

“This is amazing!” Willow exclaimed suddenly. Dawn jumped, having almost forgotten the redhead was still in the room. “Giles should see this.”

“I’ll go get him!” Dawn jumped from the bed, jerking her hand free of Angel’s, and ran into the hallway, eager to escape and find a place to gather her thoughts. Leaning against the wall for a moment, she rested her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, and she felt like she’d just run a marathon. How could she have had the capability to do something like that all this time, and not have suspected it? Her mind swam with the sudden possibilities.

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Author's note: I always thought it was kind of weird that they just dropped the whole Key business, just because Glory was gone.