Rating: PG-13
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Summary: Dawn's POV of 'All The Way'.
Distribution: This site, and anyone else, just ask.
Disclaimer: The characters or the show do not belong to me, they belong to Joss Whedon, the UPN and those lucky people. Please don't sue.

'So, see you guys tomorrow?'
'Wait...tomorrow?'
Honestly, Buffy! She's always on my case, not letting me do anything without permission. Just coz she's the slayer. Ooh, scary vampires. They die from a splinter. I tell her,
'Yeah, I'm sleeping over at Janice's.'
'That's tonight?'
She forgot. Typical.
'No, it's on the other Halloween. C'mon, you said I could.'
Do I have to beg?
'I know I said I did, it's just now it's Xander's party, and...'
'Oh, we're good. If she can bring us back extra gifts for our reception.'
That's Xander. He's practically my older brother. I used to have a crush on him at one time. Anya buts in,
'Yes please!'
'I don't know...Giles?'
She always has to check with him. Well I guess he's like the dad of everybody. At least I think he's old enough. I heard him use the word 'newfangled' one time, so he must be pretty far-gone.
'It's really not up to me.'
'C'mon, it's four blocks away. I'll walk straight there. It's not like I'm gonna be roaming the streets.'
That's what she thinks.
'Please?'

So she lets me go. Not so unreasonable after all, huh? I'm walking down the street to Janice's. It's really dark, like middle-of-the-night dark. And it's kinda scary. But don't tell anyone I told you that. I mean, how lame would that sound? Then I hear this really freaky noise, a sort of...squelching? I turn a corner-
'Hey!'
...And there's this couple snogging in a corner.
'S...sorry, I thought...'
I manage to splutter out, and drop the wooden block I was holding. Hey, you've gotta be prepared, y'know. There's a lota unnatural things about at night. Not that you'd know. Suddenly there's this noise behind me.
'Summers.'
'Oh!'
It's only Janice.
'Did you get out the house okay?'
'Yeah, my sister thinks I'm staying at your house.'
'Ah. The mom and Anna think I'm staying at yours. I can't believe they fell for that one, like on the TV!'
Yeah, that's pretty funny actually. But Buffy is so gonna kick my ass if she finds out. If. And there's nothing like getting your ass kicked to make your ass hurt. Anyway, it's not like she's never stayed out on an all-nighter before. Especially with Angel.
'So where are we meeting?'
'The park. It's where all the monsters gather on Halloween.'
She's actually wrong there, but I don't bother to correct her. Buffy's told me how Halloween's a big vampire no-no. I'm not sure I believe her though. Whatever happened to tiny fear demons and people turning into their Halloween costume?

Anyway, when we get to the park there's some really cute guys in letterman jackets hanging about but the swings and some others sitting by this car. One of them jumps off the swing.
'Hey baby.'
For a moment I think he's talking to me, but then Janice cuddles up to him. Damn. I forgot she was seeing someone. Hope I'm not gonna be a third wheel.
'Zack,'
Janice is talking to her date.
'This is my friend Dawn who I was telling you about.'
'Hey, I'm Justin,'
Says the other guy, and shakes my hand. So grown up. I bet he's a sophomore or older. Quite cute though.
'I know, I've seen you around a couple of parties.'
'I've seen you too,'
He noticed me? Okay, definite tingle factor going on here. The guys by the car take off with a couple of girls in tow.
'Alone at last,' Janice's date - Zack - says.
'So,' Janice asks, 'What d'you guys wanna do?'

And guess what we end up doing. Egging houses and putting holes in car tires. Janice and I look bored while they do these manly things. I have a little moan to Justin about stereotype witches on Willow and Tara's behalf. But later, when the guys are walking in front and we're going along to the next house, Janice goes:
'So?'
'He's okay.' I reply. Well he is.
'Ho-hum okay, or like oh-my-god-I'm-wetting-my-pants-okay?'
'...Pants.'
She grabs me and we burst out laughing. What if tonight was, well you know...kissage?

We catch up with the guys in front and Janice whines,
'Hey, can you guys cut out the trashing-the-houses crap, I'm getting kinda bored.'
Zack replies, 'Just one more.'
He's looking up at this house which is practically a mansion, it looks like it's been deserted for years but it's extra freaky on Halloween.
'No way,' Janice is looking at the house like it's a demon from another dimension. 'D'you know who lives there?'
'Old man called Mr. Bard.' Replies Justin.
'Crusty old bastard,' Zack says. Beginning to be a little freaked myself, I ask them weather the man there isn't meant to be mental or something. Zack says yeah, then nudges Janice.
'You go first.'
'Screw that!'
'C'Mon, show us how brave you are.'
Justin buts in. 'Hey, lay off man, if she doesn't wanna-'
'I'll do it.' The words take even me by surprise.
'You don't have to do this.' It's cute; he's worried about me. I think I'm gonna get some smootchies tonight.
'It's okay, I want to.'

I walk slowly up the stairs to the mansion and pick up a pumpkin outside of the house. I hold the pumpkin above my head, getting ready to throw it-
'Oh!'
A hand grabs me and spins me around. I drop the pumpkin. It's the old man.
'You don't wanna mess with those, sometimes they bite.'
The others rush up to me. I back away from the man nervously. Justin speaks up.
'Get away from her.'
'You don't want me to get kung-fu on you man.'
Zack does a few moves in mid-air. Janice and I exchange a nervous glance. The old man laughs.
'Come on inside, I got somethin' special for you.'
He goes inside the mansion and beckons us in. The door creaks on its hinges. We stay where we are.
'We are so not going in there! Dawn, tell them!'
I don't wanna be a loser and not be up for things, but my spider-sense, as Buffy would call it, is tingling, and that's usually a bad sign.
'Uh...well we could just look and run?'
Eventually we end up going inside.

The old man starts muttering, mainly to himself, about making toys. Janice looks thoroughly freaked out. The man looks okay though. Just a little...mental, that's all.
'Who wants to help Daddy in the kitchen? How about you, Sally?'
He looks at me. What? I'm not-
'Sally's not one for the cooking. I'll help you out.'
The man looks at Justin.
'Hands are good. Could always need more hands...'
He totters slowly towards the kitchen humming a nursery rhyme. Justin raises one eyebrow at us, then follows him in. We edge nervously on the sofa. At my guess, it's getting late, but we've got all night.
'I say we get ourselves out of here before Satan Claus tries to stuff us up the chimney. '
'And miss the surprise? It'd break the guys little heart.'
Janice and Zack start play arguing.
'She's right, let's just get Justin and go.'
I'm not staying in a house with Mr.-crazy-guy anymore.
'Crash!'
Janice and I jump in our seats.
'What was that?'
'Justin?'
The noise came from the kitchen. I get up and walk slowly toward the kitchen door. I touch the handle...
'Oh!'
The door bursts open before I can turn the handle and Justin tumbles through it.
'C'Mon, let's go.'
'W...what happened?' What was that noise?
'I escaped while his back was turned. C'mon.'
We rush out the house, Janice and I clattering down the outdoor steps in our heels.

Later, about half an hour after we left the freaky house, we're walking down the street, not really going anywhere, just walking. Justin and I am side by side, which I suspect was Janices's doing He asks if I'm a sophomore. I wish. I'm a freshman. Way down there at the bottom of the rock.
'Here,'
He hands me a ten-dollar bill.
'And so begins your life of crime.'
'You're a little late,' I'm dead right there. 'I steal.'
'Really.' He doesn't believe me.
'Totally. I haven't paid for lipsticks for like...forever.'
'You steal my heart, cute and bad.'
Cute? He thinks I'm cute. I smile, but it's cold and I'm shivering, so my smile comes out like a grimace.
'You are like, frozen.'
Justin takes off his jacket and puts it round me.
'Thanks.'
Out heads come a little closer. I can smell his aftershave...is he gonna kiss me? Then Janice appears over his shoulder clutching a milkshake. Probably vanilla.
'Where's Zack?'
'He went to get the car.' Justin says, rather frostily.
'You guys have a car?'

Zack and Janice are flirting in the back of the car. I hope they're not gonna- I mean, well you hear gross stories about people in backs of cars. It's practically a double date except me and Justin aren't exactly dating...I wish he'd ask me out. Janice rushes off out of the car with a sultry look at Zack, and he chases after her.
'So.' I'm kinda at a loss for words here. I mean, I'm parking with this boy I've just met, and I haven't even kissed him yet.
'Yeah.'
'It's cold. You okay, d'you want this back?' I've still got his jacket on.
'No, the cold doesn't really bother me.' He replies.
'What are you, superman?' I say in a jokey way.
'No. but I do have some special powers.'
His head tilts towards me...is he gonna kiss me? 'Hey, does this work?' I say, fiddling with the radio. Okay, I chickened out. But I will kiss him tonight. We've got all night yet.
'You gotta turn the ignition.'
I can't really think of anything to say.
'I love this song.'
'Just another thing we have in common.'
He reaches over and strokes my cheek. His hand's so soft...and cold. But I guess the temperature's below zero. Then he leans over and kisses me. It's a shock, I can tell you. I mean I've read about it, but they never said it was...wow. His lips press against mine...I notice they're strangely cold...but it feels nice and I kiss him back. We part.
'Shiver me timbers.'
'What's the matter?'
'Nothing, it's just I-'
'That was your first kiss.'
'What? No...' I splutter out. 'I've been kissed before. I kiss lots. Not that I'm a kisser-slut, just with the lips and the pressing together and…okay, okay, it was my first kiss, I know, I know, I suck, my lips are all dry, and my tounge is all sticky and I'm pretty sure I drooled on you so please tell me how awful it was-'
And he's kissing me again. And again. Several times more...I press my mouth closer to his...
'Ow!'
For a moment there I swore I felt something sharp in my mouth.
'Sorry.'
'It's okay.'
'It's just....god, you are so beautiful.'
We kiss. My hand travels up his arm...over his cheek...and I feel lumps by his eyes. Something suspiciously like vampire lumps-
'Get off me!'
I bolt out the car and run into the woods.
'Dawn!'
I stop.
'I thought, you know, we could hang out or something. You're not like other girls. You're different.'
I look at him, challenging him with my non-vampy eyes.
'It'll only hurt for a second.' Justin says, leaning towards my neck. Oh help! What am I gonna do now? He's suck a jerk, trying to sweet-talk me. I can see he's a vampire, he's got game face on. I don't have a stake! Dammit! I can't take out a vamp on my own.
'I bet you say that to all the girls.'
'Giles!?!'
'Now you've got a choice sonny, we can do this the easy way or-'
Suddenly a light blinds Giles and I. I look round and I see a group of cars around us with the headlights on and two vampires getting out of each car. Uh-oh. Justin grabs me by the neck.
'What were my choices again?'

This is getting bad. I raise that 'bad to 'worse'.
'So, is this a private game, or can anyone join in?'
Spike!?!
'Dawn, are you- were you parking? With a vamp?'
Buffy!?! She always buts in at the wrong-okay, maybe this was the right time as it's the middle of the night and I'm surrounded by vampires. But Spike and Giles could've taken them all out.
'I didn't know he was dead!'
'Living dead.'
'Shut up!'
I elbow Justin in the ribs. He seemed a nice guy at first, what with the kissing and the sweet-talk...okay, he was a creep.
'How could you not know?'
Hello, I keep my game face on all the time.
'I just met him!'
'Oh! Oh so you were parking in the wood with a boy you just met?'
Like Mrs.-Slayer Buffy is a saint or something.
'We've seen each other at parties.' Justin tells her.
'Shut up! I don't believe you!'
'Like you've never fallen for a vampire.'
'That was different.'
It always is when it's her.
'It always is when it's you.'
'Uh, excuse me, can we fight now?'
This lame-ass vampire behind Justin speaks up.
'Hey, didn't anybody come here to just make out?'
Trust Buffy with the wise-cracking. This vamp couple raise their hands like we're in kindergarten.
'Oh, that's sweet. You run,' Buffy points at them with her stake. 'You scream.'
And the fights begin. Spike rushes at one, Giles another, Buffy another.
'Your sister's the slayer? I totally get it, I knew there was something about you.'
I knee him in the area which must-not-be-mentioned and rush off into the woods. Anybody remember the time when I was a ball of flame and I at least had some significence, I wasn't just the slayer's whining teenage sister.

So I'm walking through the woods- a little scared actually- and then Justin comes up behind me and grabs me at the waist.
'Trick or treat.'
'Oh!'
I scream but he pulls me down on the ground in the dirt, fangs bared, ready to bite. I struggle to try and get away but he's got my hands pinned down by my side.
'I...I thought you really liked me.'
'I do. And you like me too.'
'I do.'
And he leans in to bite me. He's straddling my legs and his hands are either side of my head. It's really dark- what am I gonna do? Where's Buffy when you need her? Justin's fangs brush against my neck...But suddenly-

He crumbles into dust.

I look down and see the stake pointing upwards in my hand Then the tears that I've been holding back spill out of my eyes and trickle down my cheeks.

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