SERIES: Nobility

AUTHOR: Tisienne Blue

E-MAIL: tisatko@msn.com

DISCLAIMER: Joss owns everyone you know from TV, and I am NOT Joss... other characters belong to either me or themselves...

RATING: The series will be NC-17, but I'm not entirely sure of just how soon the smut will start up.

PAIRINGS: Dawn/S; W/A; Anya/Ben... maybe some other ones, too...

DISTRIBUTION: If you want it, just ask... oh, and Di and Nat can have it if they want...

FEEDBACK: is a good thing, I think...*giggle*

DEDICATIONS: to Mystra, for letting me babble at her about it, and Di and Nat for making me even think about this pairing... also, to Salice, Mystra, Nat, and the other CO girls who helped me with the title. Beyond those ladies, though, this is also for: Carissa, Ali, Kim, Angel S, Juanita, Angel N, Whitewolf Alpha, Jerri, and Caroline-- for giving me feedback!!! Thanks, guys; you all rock!!!*G*

NOTES: OK, this is set in the future-- 6 years!!! The Hellmouth is permanently closed, and pretty much everyone has left Sunnydale... Oh, and Slu... I mean, Buffy... is dead!!! *teehee*

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

He woke slowly from his un-planned nap, his mind cataloguing the sensations he was feeling, even before he bothered opening his eyes. For one thing, he could tell that the sun was almost down, and a good bit of his mental disturbance seemed to be passing along with its light. Of course, he'd felt many a sunset in the previous two years, and none of them had seemed to effect him, so... he was fairly sure that what little equilibrium he'd managed to regain was almost entirely due to the warm girl beside him. He smiled slightly and held her just a touch more tightly, his eyes opening slowly when she responded by tightening the arm she had laying across his stomach. "Morning, pet..." he said quietly, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

Dawn smiled brightly, refusing to think about how comfortable she was in his arms. Surprisingly enough, she hadn't had even one of her usual nightmares, not any of the times he'd been with her, and... Seeing as she'd had them on an almost hourly basis every time she'd slept in the last six years, she thought that that might actually mean something. But Spike had just arrived, and he was... damaged, himself, so she just pulled away slightly, and turned to look at him. "It's kind of not-morning, Spikey..." she said teasingly; "In fact, it's getting close to being *night*!"

The vampire held back a heavy sigh, and prepared himself to let go of her. "Yeah..." he said softly, avoiding her eyes, "I guess it is..." He loosened his arms, then smiled almost shyly when she snuggled herself firmly against his side, her own arms gripping him tightly around the waist.

"But," the girl continued, her ear pressed tightly against his chest, "There's still a *little* while to go before it'll be safe for you out there..." She smiled again, this time at his lack of a heartbeat, and tilted her head slightly, meeting his wide blue eyes. "And it's gonna be even *longer* before any of the really *good* clubs open up, so... we've got some time."

"Clubs?" Spike asked, intrigued, "Aren't you a bit *young* to be going to *clubs*, luv?" He barely restrained a groan when she sat up, the movement depriving his too-cold body of her warmth.

Dawn glared down at the far too smug-sounding vampire, one hand still resting on his abdomen. "I'm almost *twenty-one*, Spike! And I went to the *Bronze* when I was still fourteen, so you can just shut up-- Mister 'I'm more than a century old, and don't I look good for my age'!" She growled slightly, still annoyed at him, even though a part of her was thoroughly amused by his shocked expression. "I'm a grown woman, Spike! I go to clubs, I've been known to have a drink or twelve, and I haven't been a vir... well, anyway," she cut herself off, blushing slightly, "The point is that I'm *not* a little girl anymore! And honestly, I'm starting to re-think the whole idea of taking you out with me; maybe I should just leave you *here*." She smirked slightly at his horrified expression. "What's *wrong*, Spike? Don't want to spend the night listening to Giles and Gabby talk about the 'mystical convergence of the powers of the turn', or whatever the hell their current little 'Discussion' is?"

Spike actually felt as though somebody had just reached out and snatched the rug from beneath his not-so-steady feet. Sure, he told himself silently, he'd known that a good bit of time had passed since he'd seen the girl he'd once called 'Nibblet', but... twenty-one. He remembered so clearly the evening of her fifteenth birthday-- although to be technical, it would really have been her *first*. Her sister and the rest of the little Scooby Gang had thrown her a surprise party, and *he* hadn't been invited, of course... but he'd been lurking outside the house, hoping to catch a glimpse of Buffy, and so he'd seen Dawn walking slowly up the front walk to the darkened house. He'd almost said hello, but... Buffy had planned and schemed for so long that he hadn't been able to ruin it for her. As it turned it, he'd been wise to hold his silence, because the younger Summers girl had walked into the house, and after her delighted shrieks of surprise, she'd asked after *him*! He could still remember how shocked he'd been when she'd threatened to go see what was keeping him after the gang had lied and said that he must be on his way, and he'd quickly stalked to the front door and knocked. How angry they'd all been when Dawn had invited him in... except for Red, he recalled. Red had just smiled, and offered him some punch after apologizing for not having any blood on hand. He couldn't count the number of times he'd wished that he'd had the sense to fall in love with the witch instead of the Slayer he was still hung up on, but... he figured that you couldn't choose who you fell for. And besides, it was just as well... Willow had belonged to his Sire, even if neither she nor the Mighty Poof had known it then. But that was another life, and... his eyes swept swiftly over the girl's angry form. She wasn't *old*, by any means, but... she wasn't the child he remembered, either. He tried to ignore the little voice in the back of his head that kept pointing out just how child-like she *hadn't* felt in his arms, and he sighed. "You're right, Dawn," he finally said, his hand covering hers on his stomach. "I guess it's just been so *long*, I..." He shook his head, smiling wryly. "Forgive me, pet? Take me *out* with you tonight?" He smirked slightly when the anger started slipping from her eyes, and gave her the infamous 'puppy-eyes'. "Please... don't leave me at home with just the Watcher and the She-Giles?" he begged.

She couldn't help herself, what with the way he was looking at her. His expression was just so... deliciously overwrought, and exaggeratedly pathetic, that she couldn't hold on to her righteous indignation, and she giggled, still staring into his eyes. "All right, Spike," she finally said, "But you owe me one..."

The vampire grinned up into the girl's... woman's smiling face, and knew that he owed her much more than that, but... "I don't *have* anything, luv, so... Hold that marker for a while, right?"

Dawn grinned even more broadly, a wicked gleam shining from her eyes. "Nope," she announced, "I'm calling it in right *now*." She lay back down beside him, curling against his side once more.

"Uh... pet..." Spike began hesitantly, trying not to notice the way his body was reacting to her heat, "What, exactly are you planning..."

The girl smirked again, her fingers trailing lightly over the cotton shirt covering his tight stomach. "You're going to let *me* pick out your clothes for tonight..." She was so caught up in mentally selecting what he'd wear from the wardrobe she'd just bought him, that she didn't notice his sigh, which was comprised of equal parts relief and disappointment.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"We're finally taking off, people," came the Captain's voice over the loudspeaker of the plane, "Sorry about the delay, but... you know how the Tower can be with these little 'unscheduled' flights of ours..."

Willow smiled into her Mate's deep, dark eyes, knowing that the wait had been worse for him than any of them. It wasn't his fault; he just wasn't much of a 'sit around 'til something happens' kind of guy. And she wouldn't want him to be any other way. "Well, look on the bright side," she said quietly, her fingers trailing lightly up the side of his shirt, "At least it'll be dark when we get there..."

Angel sighed softly before smiling at the little witch who'd stolen his heart without him even knowing it. "I know, my love... but if it had still been light out, we could have found us a nice dark hotel room, and I could have licked your entire..."

"Angel!" she gasped, glancing quickly around at the others with them, trying to see who had overheard him. She relaxed slightly when she saw that Wesley and Virginia were talking quietly, heads together; David Nabbit and his official Mistress, Lina, were playing some sort of imagination-game; and Anya and Ben were still babbling away with Gunn about their offspring. Gunn was barely getting a word in edgewise, even though his daughter was going to be the next Seer,--and his son, another Warrior. Unfortunately, his wife hadn't been able to make the trip with them, due to the fact that she was watching the combined brood of the 'Angel Investigations' team. Willow truly adored the young woman, and thanked every god she could think of-- on an almost daily basis-- for Nutmeg's ability to deal with all the children, because she was fairly sure that they'd have driven her *crazy*! She had a hard enough time dealing with the parents!

The dark-haired vampire grinned, loving it that he could make his Mate so flustered. "Of course, there should be *plenty* of time after we see Giles..." He frowned then, the cloud of worry descending over him again. He'd never known the former Watcher to take the phone off the hook before, so something *very* serious must have happened. "Do... do you think they're OK? It couldn't be something about *Dawn*, could it?"

Willow sighed and leaned her head against Angel's strong shoulder. "I don't know, my heart... He said that she'd found Spike, but... I don't think he'd harm her, so..." She shook her head slightly, breathing in the subtle scent of him. "We should have told her, Angel..."

The vampire sighed and put his arm around his Mate's shoulders. "Maybe we should have, love," He shook his own head silently. "But she was still so *young*... She'd just lost her mother, and then with Buffy dying, too, it just seemed... *cruel*!"

The redhead snuggled closer against her lover's broad side. "I know... The last thing she needed was to find out about that damned prophecy right then, but... We could have told Giles, at least!"

Angel sighed again, turning to the woman who owned him, lock, stock, and soul. "It wouldn't have done any good, Will..." He was cut off then by the voice of his erstwhile assistant, as Gunn shouted across the wide cabin of the 'A.I.' jet.

"Hey, guys!" the very dark and handsome man called out, "They're talking about Dawny's prophecy again!"

The witch and her vampire groaned and exchanged glances, both of them knowing they'd never get a moment's peace until the plane landed in New Orleans.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dawn stretched slowly, almost unable to believe that she'd fallen asleep again, especially when she'd had no intention of sleeping in the first place! But she had, and... she glanced quickly at the clock, a startled 'fuck!' escaping her when she saw the time. "Damn it, Spike, why didn't you wake me up?" she demanded, pulling herself from his cool, strong embrace.

Spike frowned slightly as the girl got up, not willing to admit to himself-- much less *her*-- that he'd been enjoying her presence in his arms too much to deliberately end it. "I must've dozed off, luv," he said instead, running the long, elegant fingers of one hand through his hair, "Sorry..."

The girl stopped her rushing about suddenly, realizing that of *course* he'd been tired. After all, it had been a long, tough day for her-- emotionally-- and she was much more used to it than Spike could possibly be. "Oh..." she said softly, returning to him and sitting on the edge of the bed, "I'm sorry, Spikey... did you, um... did you want to stay *in* tonight? I mean, the both of us? Because I can go out any time; it doesn't *have* to be tonight..."

The vampire shook his head slowly, smiling into her eyes as he took her hand in his. "No, pet, I'm not *that* tired; just give me a minute to... freshen up, and..." He frowned slightly, wondering where he was going to get blood, "And I'll be ready..."

Dawn could see the hunger in his eyes; *feel* it through their bond, and... she almost smacked herself for forgetting about the blood she'd gotten earlier. She released his hand, smiling slightly, and slid down onto her knees, feeling around under the bed for the cooler she hadn't even *thought* about since she'd put it down hours earlier. She pulled it from its hiding place and opened the top, sighing in relief when she felt the still-icy interior. "Um..." she said, slightly embarrassed, "I got you this earlier, and um, I forgot, so... here!" She pushed the cooler onto the bed and stood up. "I, uh... I'm going to get dressed now..." she said, moving towards the door until his voice stopped her.

Spike stared longingly at the containers of blood in the chilled box she'd given him, but... he was almost afraid to let her walk out the door. "Ah, pet?" he said, trying to hide his anxiety, "You, ah... you haven't forgotten that..." He stopped, and shook his head at her questioning look. "You were going to pick out..." he nodded shortly at the new clothes scattered on the bedroom floor, and almost smiled in relief when she responded.

"Oh, trust me, Spikey, I *totally* remember about *that*!" She grinned at him, her eyes sparkling merrily. "I just need to figure out what *I'm* gonna wear first!" She smirked slightly, seeing him eyeing the blood in the cooler. "Microwave's in the kitchen, Spikey... And you could use another shower," she said, sniffing delicately in his direction. "You've got twenty minutes!" She giggled and ran from the room, turning over all her clothes in her mind... after all, she didn't want him to think she looked like a *kid* when they were out on the town!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It actually took her less than twenty minutes to get ready, because she was, after all, a low maintenance kind of girl, but still... in her sheer black nylons and little black dress, she looked like anything *but* a child, and... if the heels on her boots were a bit higher than she normally would have worn at night, so what? She was taking a night off, so hopefully it wouldn't matter, since she'd be doing no staking of the evil undead. She glanced quickly in the mirror, adding just a touch more kohl to the inner corners of her eyes, and applying one more light coat of dark red lipstick before grabbing the leather trench coat from the bed. Hopefully, Gabriella would forgive her for borrowing it without asking, because... the woman was apparently still shut away with Giles in his office, and the *last* time she'd barged in there... She shuddered, forcing the memory from her conscious mind. It had been something she *so* never wanted to see again! Besides, she grinned as she walked quickly down the stairs, she had a vampire to dress!

She walked straight into her room, mostly because she could hear the shower still running, and quickly picked the clothes up from the floor. Most of them she folded and placed on top of the small dresser for Spike to put away, however and wherever he chose, but... she smiled a bit slyly as she arranged the things she'd chosen for him to wear that night on the bed. She wasn't sure of how he'd react at first, but she figured that he'd get used to it fairly quickly. After all, everything she'd bought was going to look... perfect on him! She pulled the new boots from their box, and set them on the floor, then took the last bag-- the only one she hadn't opened for him when she'd gotten back from her shopping-- out of the room with her.

She could barely make out the soft sounds of singing over the water, but she smiled anyway, glad that he seemed to be feeling better, and she knocked loudly at the door. "OK, Spike," she called to him, "Time's up! Your clothes for tonight are on the bed, so put them on and meet me in the kitchen!" She giggled at the realization that she'd just given orders to a vampire who had-- at one time-- been one of the most feared creatures in all of Europe, and he'd responded with a meek 'Be right there, pet...' Oh, well, she figured, as she walked down the hall, he'd get over *that* little phase soon enough! Or he would if *she* had anything to say about it! She sat down at the kitchen table, and slowly examined her fingernails, only then noticing that she'd chipped the enamel on one of them the night before. She almost got up to fix it, but decided not to... after all, she made no pretensions to being perfect, and she *was* a working girl... not that she got *paid* or anything, but still! She sighed for a moment before the breath was frozen in her throat when she turned at the sound of a subtly cleared throat. "Spike!?"

The vampire grinned at the look she was giving him. Granted, he didn't have a reflection, but he *knew* he looked good. He could tell *that* much even without a mirror. "Well, luv?" he demanded, holding his arms out and turning around in front of her, "How do I look?"

Dawn stared at the vampire, speechless. He'd put on the black velvet jeans, and the twelve-hole Doc Marten's in oxblood leather. He'd also put on the *very* tight, *very* sheer shirt, and it was a good thing that it was stretchy, because she'd apparently misjudged the size of him, even though she *had* seen him naked! His pale nipples were hard against the thin material, and she could see every inch of his pale skin, all the way down to the waistband of his pants. Add on his dark blue eyes, and the black hair, and he was... "Beautiful..." she murmured, unable to stop herself. She blushed slightly when he cocked his lovely scarred eyebrow at her. "Well, you *are*!" she said, in her own defense. Her eyes raked over him one more time, stopping at his feet this time. "Are..." she said hesitantly, "Are the boots OK? I mean, do they fit you and all? Because if they *don't*, we can stop on our way and..."

"No, pet," Spike laughed, amused by her slight foray into the world of babble, "The boots are fine, but... Why, Dawn?" he asked, suddenly serious, "Why would you do all... *this* for me, when..."

She could see him getting sad again, and she wasn't going to have it! "Well, mostly," she said, standing and handing him the bag she'd held back, "Because I didn't want to be seen with you in those stinky old rags you were calling clothes... Plus, while Giles' things work for *him*, they are just *so* not the Big Bad..." She smiled at him, waiting for him to open her last present, and she almost cried herself when he did, and gasped.

Spike pulled the long, black leather coat from the huge bag the girl had given him, and held it against his face, his cheek rubbing almost subconsciously against the soft, perfection of it. "Dawn..." he tried to say, but couldn't speak around the lump in his throat, "Pet," he finally squeezed out, "This is just... too *much*! I... I can't..." He lost what he was saying when she flung her arms around him and rubbed her face against his barely-covered chest.

She snuggled against him, careful not to disturb her make-up, and held him tightly, just for a moment. "Yes, you *can*, Spikey! And besides," she said, pulling away when she heard the car horn sounding out front, "It was on sale, so I can't return it." She turned swiftly, heading down the hallway to the front door, and stepped out onto the porch. "You coming?" she demanded from the darkness, the slight gleam of her teeth the only part of her face that was visible.

The vampire shrugged and pulled on the coat as he went after her. If the bloody thing had been on sale, then he wouldn't insult her by refusing to wear it... besides, it was a truly marvelous coat, and was made all the more so by the fact that his Daw... Best friend, he reminded himself... That his best friend had bought it for him. He slid into the cab beside her, vowing to himself that he'd find *some* way of paying her back for all her kindness. He turned to thank her for everything when he noticed what he hadn't seen in the house. He'd been so busy showing himself off to her, that it hadn't even registered on him, but... Dawn was wearing make-up! Of course, that didn't disturb him anywhere *near* as much as the fact that... she looked *damned* good. He hadn't seen what she was wearing, he realized when his eyes took in the long black coat she wore, and suddenly... he was almost afraid to find out. "Pet?" he said softly, trying to interrupt her conversation with the overly-friendly cab driver. He almost growled when the man didn't shut up... who did he think he was? He *had* to be at least forty, which made him *far* to old for the girl! He did growl, very softly, when the man addressed her by name.

Dawn smiled, finally having finished her hellos with Eddie, and turned slightly towards the glowering vampire. "Spi.. uh, William, what's wrong?" she said, taking his hand in hers. "Oh, no," she continued, the warning clear in her tone, "Don't tell me you're gonna get car-sick again... And *Eddie* just had the cab cleaned, too!"

Spike closed his eyes for a moment, wondering what in the hell was wrong with him. Of *course* she knew the cab driver... she wouldn't have been chattering away with him if she didn't. "No, pet..." he finally answered, tightening his grip on her fingers, "I'm all right now..." He moved slightly closer to her, feeling more comfortable as they came into closer proximity. "Sorry, Eddie," he directed over the seat, "It was touch and go for a minute there..." He continued chatting with the both of them until the cab pulled up at Toulouse and Bourbon Streets, and he climbed out, pulling the blonde girl behind him. He was surprised when the man pulled away without waiting to be paid, but then again, he realized, after thinking about it for a minute, the meter hadn't been on. Oh, well, he figured, a free ride was a free ride, and he stood by while Dawn greeted some friends outside the bar they were in front of. Neither he nor Dawn noticed their cab stopped just a few feet up the street, or the driver watching their group in the rearview mirror.

Eddie glanced in both the rearview *and* side view mirrors before turning around to confirm what his eyes were telling him. William-- Dawny's friend who'd been so in love with her dead sister-- was a *vampire*! He wondered if the girl knew, but finally decided that she had to. After all, that was what she did-- she identified and exterminated his kind. And as much as he wanted to believe that the girl had been swayed by a handsome face-- because the vampire certainly had one of *those*-- he just didn't think so. No, there had to be something *different* about this William, and obviously Dawny knew what it was.

He nodded his head then, satisfied that the girl was in no danger from her companion, and wondered whether Dawn had any idea that the vampire she was with was more than halfway in love with *her*... But nah, he told himself, remembering the way they'd both acted-- he doubted that even *William* knew it yet. He sighed to himself, glancing once more into the rearview, and watched as the girl slipped through the door to Molly's on Toulouse. "I hope you know what you're doing, Dawny..." he muttered out loud before pulling over to pick up yet another drunken tourist.
 

next