WARNING: The flashback in this chapter is very dark, so if you don’t wish to read it, please avoid it. It’s your own choice to read it or not, so please don’t flame me for it.



Chapter 4 – While the Cat’s Away


Sunnydale, 2000


“Giles, my sister is missing!” Buffy shouted after searching the Bronze for an hour, trying to find Dawn or any hint of where she went. “We need to find her now!”

“Where would she go?” Willow asked calmly, looking at Buffy. “Do you think she would go home?”

“Dawn’s not stupid enough to go home by herself,” Spike replied.

Buffy looked at him, angry. “If I find out that Harmony took her again, you won’t have time to stop me from staking both of you.”

“Why me?” he asked, becoming equally as angry as Buffy. “I like your kid sister – she doesn’t treat me like I’m nothing.”

“But your girlfriend might have my sister!” she yelled.

“Harmony’s not my girlfriend,” he replied, clenching his fists. “I haven’t seen the bint in a couple of days – I don’t even know if she’s still in town.”

“Buffy, one of us would’ve seen Harmony, don’t you think?” Xander asked. “She’s kind of hard to miss, and she’d want us to know she was around. Plus, I don’t think she’d be dumb enough to do what she did a couple of weeks ago.”

“This is Harmony we’re talking about,” Buffy said sharply. “Yes, she is that dumb.”

“Where would Harmony hide out if she’s not staying with you?” Tara asked Spike.

“I don’t know,” he answered. “A hotel, another crypt, an apartment…”

“Can’t you be more specific?” Buffy asked.

“How the hell am I supposed to know where she’d go?” Spike shot back. “I don’t know Harmony that well – I only keep her around for shagging.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Buffy replied before looking at her friends. “Alright, we need to do a full sweep of the town. I’m going to go home and see if she’s there and just isn’t answering the phone. You guys should split up and see what you can find out. Call me if you find her or a trace of her.”

“I’ll check the cemeteries,” Spike said, turning around and beginning to walk away.

“I wasn’t joking about staking you and Harmony if she’s behind this,” Buffy said, causing him to stop in his tracks and look over his shoulder.

“I wouldn’t give you the pleasure of dusting me,” he growled before storming out.

“Have you called Riley?” Willow asked, looking at Buffy.

“I tried, but… he’s not answering his phone,” Buffy mumbled before walking out, too.

“Why do I have a feeling something very bad is about to happen soon?” Xander asked.

“I’d say it’s already pretty bad, wouldn’t you?” Giles asked, glaring at him.

“No, I can feel it, too,” Tara said, a chill running down her spine at the thought. “It’s going to get worse.”

~~~~~~~~~~


An hour before sunrise, Buffy heard a knock on her door and quickly got up to open the door, hoping it was either Dawn or someone who knew where she was.

She hadn’t expected it to be Spike.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, looking down in an attempt to conceal her red, puffy eyes from his view, but it was pointless – he could tell she had been crying.

“I tracked down where Harmony has been staying,” he answered. “I beat up one of her ex-minions, and he told me she was living in the old mansion.”

“The one you lived in with Drusilla and Angelus?” Buffy asked, surprised. “The one Angel lived in before he left?”

“The very one,” he answered. “But when I went to check it out, it was empty. There wasn’t any sign of someone being there, but I could pick up her scent… and another one that seemed familiar, but I can’t place it.”

“Dawn’s?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “It wasn’t hers.”

“Where else would Harmony go?” she asked. “Maybe another big mansion?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “I’d do more investigating, but I’d like to be in my crypt before the sun comes up. I don’t fancy having a dusty ending.” She looked down. “Has anyone called or found anything?”

“No,” she answered. “No one has called with any information.”

“Have you told Joyce?” he asked.

“She’s out looking,” Buffy said. “I told her when I got home, and she hasn’t been back since.” She hesitated, raising her eyes to his. “I’m scared, Spike.”

“We’ll find her,” he said, sighing. “She’s a tough kid – she’ll be alright.”

“What if she isn’t?” she asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

“She will be,” he replied sincerely. “I’m not letting something bad happen to another girl I care about.”

“Another?” she asked, confused. “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing,” he said sadly. “I should head home. Let me know if you find her.”

“I will,” she replied. “Thanks for looking, Spike – I know you and Dawn are friends.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, surprised at her kindness. “I’ll see you at sunset.”

“Be careful,” Buffy said. “We don’t know who or what is out there.”

“I’m a Big Bad, Slayer,” he replied, managing a weak smile. “I can hold my own.”

“I know,” she said, nodding. “Bye, Spike.”

She watched him walk away before closing the door and locking it, leaning back against it and praying that everything would turn out okay.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dawn’s eyes slowly fluttered open, focusing on the gray wall in front of her before quickly scouring the room, noticing how dark and dreary it was. It was as she tried to move her arms that she realized both her wrists and ankles were bound to the wall behind her. She tried breaking out of the bonds, but it was to no avail – she wasn’t strong enough to get free.

“You’re awake,” Tessa said as she walked into the room, smiling. “I was wondering how long it’d take for you to regain consciousness.”

“Where am I?” Dawn asked, her voice hoarse.

“An old home about a mile from Sunnydale,” she answered. “Welcome to your new abode.”

“Who are you?” Dawn asked, anger lacing her tone.

“That’s right,” Tessa said, walking closer to Dawn. “We haven’t been properly introduced, have we? I’m Tessa. What’s your name?”

“Dawn,” she answered.

“Hello, Dawn,” Tessa said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Why are you doing this to me?”

“Well, here’s the thing,” Tessa said, crouching down and unlocking the shackles around Dawn’s ankles. “We have a mutual friend that has been a very bad vampire and needs to be punished for what he’s done.”

“Who?” Dawn asked, moving her ankles around in circular movements to ease the ache in them.

“You know him as Spike,” Tessa answered. “But he will always be William to me.”

“Why would you kidnap me if you’re trying to get to Spike?”

“Because you, my dear, have something in common with me,” Tessa said. “I was very close to him when I was around your age, and I thought he’d protect me because of our friendship, but he didn’t.”

“Let me go,” Dawn said, starting to struggle against the cuffs around her wrists. “My sister is going to kill you when she finds out about this. She’s the Slayer, you know.”

“So I’ve been told,” Tessa replied. “I’m not concerned about your sister – I’m sure I can take her down.”

“Spike never could,” Dawn said, frustrated when she tired quickly.

“That’s because he has feelings for her.”

“Excuse me?” Dawn asked, stopping her ministrations as she gaped at the other girl.

“Apparently, he likes your sister,” Tessa said, frowning. “He’s always been addicted to the misery of falling for the unattainable ones.”

“He hasn’t always liked Buffy,” Dawn replied. “He used to love Drusilla when she was around.”

“Never say her name in front of me again,” Tessa warned, her eyes flashing. “Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Dawn said, raising an eyebrow when Tessa walked away without saying another word. “Let me leave! Please, let me go!”

“No,” she heard the vampire say.

Dawn sank back against the wall, finally letting tears roll down her cheeks.

~~~~~~~~~~


London, 1880


“Is anyone else hungry?” William asked as he stood up from the couch he had been sitting on with Tessa.

“Why don’t you go out and feed?” Angelus suggested. “Drusilla and I can watch over Tessa.”

Tessa’s eyes widened, and she looked at William, shaking her head.

“She will be safe with us,” Drusilla replied.

“Okay,” William said, leaning down to kiss Tessa’s forehead.

“Please don’t go,” she whispered in a pleading tone.

“You will be fine here,” he replied, patting her shoulder. “I will return soon.”

“William,” she said, not bothering to hide how scared she felt as her voice quivered.

He gave her a small smile before leaving, closing the door behind him.

“So, Tessa, what would you like to do?” Angelus asked, leering at her.

“I don’t know,” she answered, becoming even more worried.

“Want to play a game?” Drusilla asked, smiling.

“O-okay,” Tessa said quietly.

Angelus stood up and held his hand out to her, and she hesitantly put her hand on top of his. “I have an idea for what game we can play.”

“Me, too,” Drusilla said, grinning. “I love playing games with my dollies.”

“What game are you thinking of?” Tessa asked nervously.

“Come on, princess,” Angelus said, leading her a few feet away to the bed.

A sick feeling washed over her before Angelus turned around and punched her, watching her fall to the ground and hit her head against the floor, knocked unconscious.

“I love it even more when the dollies don’t play back,” Drusilla said, seeing Angelus pick Tessa up and lay her on the bed, pulling a pocketknife out of his pants and beginning to cut away Tessa’s dress and the layers of fabric beneath it. “Do I get to play first?”

“Don’t you want me to break her in for you?” Angelus asked as he fully exposed her naked body, nearly salivating as he studied her soft skin.

“Don’t play too roughly,” Drusilla warned. “I do not wish to have a bruised toy.”

Angelus freed his straining erection from his trousers and settled between the young vampire’s thighs, aligning himself with her core and moving inside her, delighting in how tight her muscles were around his shaft. As he felt a thin membrane, he grinned maniacally and thrust inside her deeper, taking her virginity and sheathing himself inside of her completely as Drusilla stripped out of her dress and joined them on the bed, beginning to stroke Tessa’s body.

“Remind me to thank William for bringing us such a wonderful gift,” Angelus growled as he began pumping inside her.

“We will need to dress her before he returns,” Drusilla said. “He cannot know of this.”

“It will be our little secret,” he replied, leaning over to kiss her as he kept moving inside Tessa.

~~~~~~~~~~

When William returned to the hotel room, he was surprised to see Tessa in bed, wearing a nightgown and under the covers.

“She fell asleep?” he asked Drusilla, who was laying on a chaise lounge and looking out a window at the night sky.

“She was tired,” Drusilla answered, turning her focus to him.

“Poor girl,” he replied, smiling. “I think she tires herself out rather quickly sometimes.” He walked over to Drusilla and sat down next to her. “Where is Angelus?”

“He took a bath and then decided to go out,” Drusilla said. “I do not know where he went.”

“Well, I’m sure he will be back,” William replied, sighing. “What did you do while I was gone?”

“I watched cherubs burn in the heavens,” she said, smiling.

“Perhaps you need some sleep as well,” he said, stroking her hair. “You can share the bed with Tessa – I will stay awake for a while longer.”

“Good night, sweet William,” Drusilla said as she stood up, walking to the bed and getting under the sheets with Tessa, faintly smelling the scent of Angelus on the girl and smiling as she fell asleep, remembering the night’s events and hoping they would soon be repeated.