Recombination

Dawn tried to will her panicking mind to actually remember what Spike and Buffy had taught her. All the moves, the defensive positions the counter attacks, they were all redundant. She was out numbered five to one and her mind had gone blank. She couldn’t even recall the easy disarming spell Willow had taught her.
The Firsts minions, the bringers Giles had called them, encircled her almost smugly enjoying her terror.

Dawn closed her eyes readying a scream as the knifed one stepped forward his arm raised to cut into her neck. She felt the blade almost catch at her throat as something grabbed her arms, pulling them hard and propelling her backwards. She opened her eyes as she tumbled to the ground in an ungraceful heap. Stunned she felt the slight trickle of wetness on her neck and she placed her hand against it, feeling a very slight scratch.

Raising her eyes upwards she found herself captivated by the sight before her. Two of the bringers lay on the ground their necks twisted unnaturally, the remaining three were attempting to pin down and kill Dawns savior, a boy. She watched the almost surreal fight; neither the boy nor the bringers made any noise, the knife made the only sound as it clattered to the floor. The boy seemed to be making little effort on his part and was moving with an almost fluid grace despite his attacks being savage, almost animal-like. He fought like a slayer but had the movements of a vampire.

Dawn watched as he punched through one of the bringer’s chests, the creature dropped to the floor instantly and the boy shook his bloody arm in disgust. Without a look towards her he easily dispatched the other two bringers dropping their bodies to the ground in contempt. Turning towards Dawn he stepped out of the shadows.

She willed herself not to look away; she knew the boy couldn’t be human but he’d saved her life and she had to thank him for that. As she opened her mouth his eyes flicked behind her and for an instant she saw them widen slightly. With an inhuman speed he rushed at her, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards him. Dawn felt something close to hysteria run through her, the panic having not left yet, but she didn’t resist him and allowed herself to almost be carried away. Sneaking a glance back she began to run faster, catching sight of the blue robes in the distance the adrenaline giving her the chance to get away.

The boy didn’t say a word to her as they ran, just led her around alleyways and past shops as if he knew Sunnydale intimately. Dawn knew they were getting further and further from the magic shop and even further from Spike and Annemarie but she bit back the tears silently vowing to rescue them all no matter what. She stumbled slightly as she allowed guilt at the baby’s capture to overwhelm her and bit back a startled cry as the boy swept her into his arms before he leapt onto the raised fire escape above them. Somehow he managed to keep them from falling and with his strange silent grace, jumped again and again until they reached the roof. He moved purposely towards a small almost shed-like building in the center and set her down gently before moving back towards the side of the building his eyes scanning for the bringers.

Dawn tensed seeing his body stiffen and she tried to slow her breathing, the rasping sounds seeming to fill the air. It seemed like forever as he stared over the edge, then with a final scan he moved back towards her.
Dawn swallowed hard finding it difficult to believe the boy’s appearance. He looked barely legal, only a year or two older then her. She checked him out quickly as he walked slowly back to her; he seemed human, he wasn’t vamping out and he didn’t have any visible scales. A blush graced her cheeks as her mind wondered briefly where there could be some. All in all he seemed human. Ordinary jeans and T-shirt, floppy brown hair and cute…Dawn stared at his eyes as he moved closer; he took her hand and pulled her up toward him. God his eyes, not the colour so much they were just a light blue, but they were so full of pain. Like he’d seen a world of hurt that had never seemed to completely go away. Like all that was good to feel and experience had disappeared and only loneliness and hurt remained.

She found herself captivated by him, unable to look away. It was only when he pulled her inside did she regain her senses. She opened her mouth to talk and he raised a finger to his lips so she dropped her voice to a whisper as he shut the door, lighting a candle so they could both see.

“Thank you” Dawn was unsure what else to say how could you thank someone who’d just saved your life. She wasn’t going to go for the normal stammering and running that most people they saved did. He nodded briefly and winced slightly.

Dawn glanced down at his arm, her eyes widening at the gash on his arm. Immediately she pushed him onto the makeshift bed behind him and knelt next to him. She yanked off her jacket and wrapped it around the gash to slow the bleeding ignoring his slight hiss of pain. “You have to slow the bleeding” she murmured, holding the wrapped arm tightly, “You really should go to hospital, you need stitches.”

The boy gave a noncommittal shrug and Dawn held the bandage tighter as she watched blood beginning to stain through it. “Thank you for rescuing me from them,” she added.

The boy looked up at her. “What were they?” he asked softly.

Dawn jumped slightly, she’d grown used to his silence, she opened her mouth to give the trademark Sunnydale reply and hesitated. He was different, he’d saved her life and she knew though he asked what the bringers were, he knew they weren’t human. She sighed. “Mad monks, demons I think, Giles, my sister’s w-friend, tried to explain it but I got a little confused. They’re called Bringers and they work for the First. The First evil.”

The boy didn’t seem all that surprised by her answer. “Why were they after you?”

Dawn hesitated not wanting to reveal too much. “The First’s taken a friend of mine and his baby; it’s going to use them for something.” She bit her lip. “It’s done something to practically everyone, there's no adults left at all they’re all under some kind of spell even my sister.” She looked at him. “I saw them take my friend Spike just after they yanked Annemarie off my back.” She clenched her fists slightly looking miserable.

She caught the boy studying her silently obviously thinking about what she’d said. He sat up and unwrapped the bandage from his arm. Dawn made an involuntary movement to stop him before his wound started bleeding again but when she looked at his arm she was amazed to see only a red raised welt remained. The gash had healed over, the bleeding stopped. She reached out, her hands shaking slightly as he allowed her to run her fingers over it even though it obviously made him wince to do so.

Dawn looked up at him, the ‘what are you?’ died on her lips as she saw the apprehension there so she settled for the less hurtful. “How did you do that?”

The boy relaxed slightly and offered her a very, very slight smile. “I’m guessing you know about all the things that go bump in the night. “ His eyes flicked over her. “I’m not a demon or a vampire. As far as it goes I’m human, I have a soul and a heartbeat and as you can see I bleed. I don’t know why I can do things differently, It’s just who I am.” His eyes sought hers and when she didn’t look away he smiled more.
“I’d like to help you find your sister and friends and get them back to normal but to do that I think we’re going to have to find out what did this. Are you with me?” He looked at her steadily holding out his hand.

Dawn swallowed hard; she knew she should still be suspicious but she couldn’t help but believe and trust him, something about him called to her and put her at ease. She took his hand. “They all went to the magic box, Willow went there a few hours later…” she paused as something dawned on her. “Willow…if we can snap her out of this trance she could help us, she’s very powerful, magically powerful.” She added for his benefit. “She could help us get them all back.”

She smiled back at him still holding his hand “I’m Dawn.” She added realizing she’d never mentioned her name nor heard his.

He smiled slightly back at her, “Stephen.” He answered simply.