by TinPanAlley
She was surrounded by color, sound, and life, her senses overwhelmed by the beauty of the magical city of Barcelona. Dawn sat down in front of the fountain located in the center of the Placa Reial, enjoying the sun on her face. The pictures in the travel guide she'd borrowed from the library didn't do it justice, that was for sure. Cheerful, yellow arcades flanked by towering palm trees surrounded the square. She dipped her fingers into the water of the fountain, reveling in its coolness, as she studied the statue in the center. According to the guidebook, the beautifully sculpted wrought iron depicted the Three Graces, goddesses of joy, charm, and beauty. She noticed that even the lampposts were particularly ornate. It was one of the most beautiful places she had ever been.
Dawn was surprised by her reaction. After all, she'd lived in Rome, Italy for the past year, one of the most gorgeous cities in the world. But, Barcelona had such a different feel, a different kind of energy. It was intoxicating.
She had been fairly excited when it was announced that the senior class trip would be going to Spain. She had developed quite an interest in travel. Growing up, she had been limited to family trips to San Francisco to visit her grandparents. After the divorce, her mom rarely had the time to take them very far away due to her hectic work schedule. And, after that, well... Buffy certainly hadn't taken her anywhere.
But after that fateful day when Sunnydale disappeared forever, the whole group had followed Giles to England to get their bearings. The streets of London with its museums, theaters, and churches had fascinated Dawn. She had been allowed a little freedom and she gleefully sought out the places she had only read about in books.
Then, Rome with it's cathedrals, piazzas, and castles. She couldn't believe that she had gone through so much of her life without seeing these places. Buffy had teased her about it, telling her she'd become such a little tourist. But, Dawn loved the discovery of a new building or the possibility of finding a place no one had come across in years. She always teased Buffy back, saying that as the ancient, mystical Key, she was merely re-connecting with her roots. And now, there was a new terrain to explore.
She allowed her mind to wander as she watched people walk across the square, talking quickly in their native Catalan. She had been happy for the past few years. The people she loved were safe. Buffy smiled and laughed more than Dawn had ever witnessed before. She was now managing a training facility branch in cooperation with the new and improved Watcher's Council. The rest of the gang was harder to pin down, but they kept in touch and seemed to be doing well. Dawn was finishing up her last year at the American Overseas School of Rome and she had some plans for the future. She had a couple of close friends and enough male attention to matter. However, there was a constant ache that appeared the day they battled the First, destroyed their town, and lost the man who held her heart.
She was startled out of her reverie when she heard someone calling out her name and saw her friends walking towards her. The chaperones were rounding up everyone to go back to the hotel to rest before dinner. Dawn cast a final look at the serene fountain and the breathtaking sunset before catching up to her friends who had run ahead of her.
Dawn lost herself in the beat of the music, in the bass thrumming through her body. The group had finished a delicious dinner of tapas and sangria and then had been set loose in the city before their curfew at 12:00 am. Dawn and her friends had decided to check out the many discotheques in the area and found themselves at the Hits Box in Maremagnum's leisure center. She laughed as the boy she was dancing with whirled her around, and then tried to dip her. As another song began, she smiled. "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie had always been one of her favorite songs. Closing her eyes, she let her hips move in time with her partner's. Her eyes quickly opened again when the boy's hands drifted down to her ass and squeezed. She backed away slightly, but he held firm. She tried to physically place his hands back on her waist, but with an insolent grin, he moved them back to her ass. She pushed him lightly, "Alright, enough. Stop it."
The boy winked at her, "Por que?" He pulled her back to him. She looked around for her friends, but they were nowhere to be found. She could feel his grip tighten and looked into his eyes. Without a second thought, she brought her knee up hard between his legs and watched with satisfaction as he fell to the ground, writhing in pain.
She turned around and after making a round through the disco decided to find the way back to the hotel on her own. She carefully followed the directions to the nearest bus stop and it took her back to the heart of the city. She exited the bus into the night, breathing in the slightly warm air. She walked leisurely and observed a romantic couple inside the Parc Guell, their touches sweet and their kisses passionate. She sighed as she watched them. Would she ever know that kind of love? It seemed doubtful now that the man she loved most in the world was gone.
As she continued to walk, she realized that the Sagrada Familia wasn't far and headed in that direction. She had done some research on the architect, Antoni Gaudí:. He was one of the founding fathers of the art nouveau movement. He had an incredible talent for using a variety of building materials and making them conform almost naturally, as though the entire building was living and breathing on its own. Dawn gazed at the cathedral with wonder, the intricate details and the four towering buttresses truly a sight to behold. She was so mesmerized; she didn't have any time to react when someone pushed her against the wall of the building, before whipping her around in time to see the gleam of fangs.
She opened her mouth to scream, but a hand was clamped over her face quickly. She couldn't believe she had been so stupid. What? Like there weren't vampires in Spain? There were vampires everywhere. Tears filled her eyes as the vampire bit her viciously. She whimpered behind his hand as the pain became acute, her flesh burning. She began to feel faint when all of a sudden the vampire was gone and a strong arm wrapped around her waist before she fell. She struggled to keep her eyes open as a familiar scent encircled her, but she succumbed to the black as she heard a voice say, "It's alright, love. I've got you. You're safe now."
As Dawn awoke, she felt droplets of water running down her face. She sat up with a start, noticing that she was again in front of the fountain at the Placa Reial. A hand began to follow the trail of one droplet down her cheek. She looked up quickly, staring into the man's eyes, those blue eyes that filled her dreams, the same crinkles in the corners, the same twinkle as the man smiled at her.
She placed a hand on the man's cheek, needing to prove to herself that he was real, not a hallucination after a traumatic circumstance. She ran her fingers through his hair, around his neck and down his chest, her hand frantic and confused. "This can't be," she whispered. "You're gone."
Spike threaded his fingers through hers, holding their joined hands to his chest where his heart would be. "I know it's a shock, pet. It was a surprise to me too."
Dawn shook her head, trying to clear it, "I don't understand. How long?"
Spike tilted his head, "About eight months."
She gasped, "Eight months? And no word from you saying, Hi. I'm back from the dead."
Spike sighed, "Yeah, I'm sure that would've gone over well. Listen, we should get out of here. You should walk around some, get your strength back." He stood up, moving to help her.
Dawn stared at him in disbelief, "That's it?"
Spike looked down at her, "It's a long story. A story I promise to tell you later."
Dawn allowed him to help her stand and held onto his arm as they walked. "What are you doing in Barcelona?"
Spike led them in the direction of the Parc Guell, "That's a long story too."
Dawn stopped walking as they reached the mosaic tile, curving benches in the center of the park. "Is there anything you can tell me now?"
Spike stroked her cheek softly, before running his fingers through her hair, "I've missed you, Dawn."
She smiled, "I've missed you too. Whenever anything happened in the past year, I always wanted you there, so I could tell you about it, like always."
Spike nodded, "Yeah, I felt the same way."
Dawn fingered the bite on her neck gently, "I sure am glad you were here tonight."
Spike studied the wound, taking in how close he came to losing her. "I'll always protect you, Dawn. Not just because of my promise to Buffy, but because you're my best friend, the only real friend I've ever had. No matter how much time has gone by and the obstacles we've had to face, I keep coming back to you. I think that's fate trying to tell us something."
Dawn wiped the happy tears off her face, rising up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. Spike closed his eyes as her lips brushed his cheekbone tentatively. She backed away for a moment before placing another kiss on his face, closer to his mouth. Then, finally, after some hesitation, she kissed his lips, a brief touch. She waited for a moment, trying to gauge his reaction, when she felt his lips open against hers, deepening the kiss. It was a sweet, slow kiss signaling a new beginning for them both.
Leni's Choose your Author Ficathon master list for Red Wolf -- Spike/Dawn, Antoni Gaudí or Frank Lloyd Wright, your favourite song by Queen, The Who or David Bowie
Published Defying Gravity — 21.10.2004
dawn summers | fan fiction | ficathon | fiction | spikePost a Comment