DISCLAIMER AND AUTHOR'S NOTE: All Buffy The Vampire Slayer stuff belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and Warner Brothers. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fiction. All other characters that appear belong to me. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies may be made for private use only and must include this copyright notice and disclaimer. There is some subtext in this story. If this kind of stuff is not legal where you live, if you're under 18 or if you don't like the notion of two women being in love, then you should read no further. This story is a sequel to Circle of Life.

On the Edge
By Kristjan Brezovnik

Sara and Daisy were dancing to a slow tune, occasionally making out, teasing the audience.

"Alright! Check out those two cuties," Sara said and pointed at two girls about their age.

Daisy looked.

"Mmm, delicious, aren't they?" she said, licking her lips. "I've seen them here twice. I think. You wanna… Holly shit. Look at that! Those two little sluts are fast."

"Competition."

Daisy chuckled.

"You bet. They left with a date both times I saw them."

"Hey, what's up, guys?"

The girls turned.

"Hi, Faith," Sara said with a smile.

"Anything interesting?"

"Oh yes. We were just checking out the competition."

Faith raised an eyebrow, amused.

"Competition?"

"Yes, those two cuties," Daisy said and pointed at the girls they've been observing.

"Mmm, nice," Faith agreed as they watched them go to the ladies' room.

Sara and Daisy smiled.

"Delicious," Daisy said and Sara chuckled.

"Yes." Faith looked at them. "So how come they're competition?"

"It took them five seconds to get a date."

Faith laughed.

"That's fast."

"That's not exactly a problem," Sara said.

Faith looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

"You just pick someone willing and ask them if they wanna go to bed with you. And if you're sexy like them, that's definitely gonna work."

"Yeah, I guess so." She smirked. "You thinking of laying them?"

"We were, but they already got a date."

"Tough luck."

"Yeah."

"They might break up with their dates. Or maybe you could have a sixsome."

Sara and Daisy laughed.

"I don't think so," Daisy said.

"Let's go take a closer look at them," Daisy suggested. "They're in the ladies' room."

Faith chuckled.

"Ladies' room."

"We'll see you later," Sara said with a smile.

"Okay," Faith said and watched as Sara and Daisy went to the ladies' room.

The ladies' room was surprisingly empty, only two other girls were there and they were already leaving. Sara and Daisy each went to a cubicle and waited for the competition to come out of theirs. As they quietly waited, they heard sniffing. They didn't quite understand what was going on, but when they got out of their cubicles a few moments after the competition, they understood. They stared after them as they were leaving and then looked at one another when they were gone.

"Didn't want to go to bed with you?" Faith asked when she saw their serious faces.

"They're junkies," Daisy said and Faith's face also got serious.

"Oh," she said and everyone looked at the girls, who were leaving with their dates. "Damn," Faith said quietly and sighed. "So, you wanna join us?"

Sara and Daisy glanced at one another, hesitating.

"Okay," Sara said and looked at Daisy. "I'll get us drinks."

Daisy nodded and sat.

Faith gave Cordelia a deep kiss when they met in their dreams.

"Wow," Cordelia said, breathless, when they stopped. "To what do I owe this?"

Faith slapped her gently on the arm.

"Like there needs to be a special occasion."

Cordelia smiled.

"I know."

Faith's face became serious and she sighed.

"It's just, I've seen two girls today." She hesitated for a moment. "I could've easily become like them."

Cordelia raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

Faith nodded.

"Real hookers. And junkies."

"Oh."

Faith sighed.

"So, how did things go with Harmony?"

Cordelia rolled her eyes.

"Not good. I mean, I knew she's a vamp and all, but she didn't act like one. I mean, we hugged, we gossiped, we did our toenails. Then she started acting all weird and I thought she was suddenly gay now."

Faith chuckled.

"Her?"

Cordelia smiled.

"I know." She sighed. "Anyway, she offered to help, but in the end, she turned out to be as… stupid as when she was alive."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. She went with us on a mission and she betrayed us. We fought and I kicked her ass."

Faith grinned.

"Go Cordy!" she said and did some cheerleading moves.

Cordelia laughed a bit, but then her face became serious again and she sighed.

"Anyway, I couldn't kill her. I mean, I know she was a brainless sheep, but she was still my friend. Sort of."

Faith grinned.

"I remember you calling her and your friends sheep."

Cordelia chuckled.

"And then I walked off with Xander." She shook her head. "I still can't believe I did that." Then her eyes brightened. "Oh, guess what. Angel bought me lots of new clothes in exchange for those he donated to Anne."

Faith raised an eyebrow, amused by the thought of Angel shopping.

"Yeah?"

Cordelia smiled.

"I know. But I like his taste. I mean, you should've seen… Hell, I'll show you."

Faith wiggled her eyebrows.

"A little private fashion show?"

Cordelia licked her lips seductively.

"With your very own striptease show and your very own lap dancer."

Faith squirmed.

"Can't wait. How about a preview?"

Cordelia smiled.

"How about not?" she said and Faith gave her a puppy look. "Just think of the anticipation, Faith."

"But then I'll be all hot and bothered for days."

"And that's a problem?"

"Not if it's continually taken care of."

"Aww, poor baby," Cordelia said and caressed her. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Faith licked her lips.

"Can't wait."

"Who's the new chick?" Faith asked when she noticed a new girl the next day.

Raelee and Lara looked.

"That's Alison," Raelee said. "She was in juvie."

"Yeah?" Faith said, carefully observing the girl.

"Yes. She was always a troublemaker."

"That's what they said about me," Faith said thoughtfully, staring at Alison.

"Alison."

Alison stopped and slowly turned.

"Billy," she said.

Billy smiled.

"Hey. I'm glad they finally let you out."

"Yeah," Alison said, staring at him, battling her own emotions.

"Em, do you need help with the review of what we've been doing?"

Alison frowned and thought about it.

"Yeah," she said.

"My place at five?"

Alison shrugged.

"Fine with me."

Billy smiled.

"Okay. I'll, em, see you later."

"Okay."

Billy hesitated for a moment and then left.

Alison stared after him, not sure what to do. Billy had always been on her side, everybody else was either against her or they just didn't care. And she liked him. She didn't want to, but she did.

During the main break, Faith decided to talk to Alison. She had noticed her strange behavior and it reminded her very much of herself after she had killed Finch. It didn't necessarily mean that Alison had killed anyone, it merely indicated that she had a serious problem.

"Alison," she said as she approached her.

Alison looked at Faith and since she didn't know her, she ignored her. Faith sighed.

"Look, I know you have a problem, but if you're gonna keep it all in you, you're gonna go crazy."

"What would you know?" Alison snapped and gave her a wild look.

"More than you can imagine," Faith said sadly.

Alison stared at her for a few moments and then looked away.

"If you need someone to talk to, you can come to me," Faith continued. "If you want. Anyway, I suggest you talk to someone, someone you trust. Just… talk, before it's too late."

Alison didn't respond, so Faith left.

"You talked to Alison?" Monique asked Faith when she and Renee met with her.

"Yeah," Faith said.

"And?"

Faith shrugged.

"Nothing. I think she has a problem and I told her to talk to someone about it. There's not really much I can do."

"Oh."

Faith thought for a moment.

"What's with Billy and Alison?"

Monique and Renee glanced at one another.

"I think he has a crush on her," Renee said.

"Yes," Monique agreed. "He has always been on her side."

"Does she trust him?"

Monique frowned.

"I think so. I mean, if she trusts anyone at all, it's him."

Faith nodded.

"Okay. Thanks."

"Hey, Buffy," Faith said as she and Jasmine came across the blonde Slayer in the evening.

"Hey," Buffy said.

"What's wrong?" Jasmine asked, feeling that something was wrong.

Buffy sighed.

"Dawn tried o resurrect Mom."

"What?" Faith said, her eyes wide. "Did… Did she succeed?"

Buffy shook her head.

"I don't think so." She frowned. "I'm not sure, but Mom is dead."

"Oh," Faith said quietly, missing Joyce as well.

Jasmine said nothing. She slowed down a bit to give Buffy and Faith some space, knowing that Joyce had been important to Faith.

"How are you holding up?" Faith then asked.

"I'm scared," Buffy said quietly.

Faith put her arm around Buffy's shoulder.

"You're not alone, B."

Buffy looked at her and smiled.

"Thanks, F."

Faith grinned for a moment.

"If there's anything you need, anything at all, let me know, okay?"

Buffy nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks."

Faith nodded and let go of Buffy. She looked around for Jasmine, who quickly caught up with them.

"Are you going to the Bronze later?" Jasmine asked Buffy.

Buffy thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"No, I'm not really in the mood."

After patrol, Faith met with Jasmine at the Bronze. Jasmine had arrived only a few minutes before Faith and she had joined Raelee and Lara, who had been making out in the corner.

"Hey, guys," Faith said.

"Hey," Jasmine said. "Everything quiet?"

"Six vamps. Two were newbies."

"All at once?"

Faith shook her head.

"No."

"Oh. I only got two. And some little demon. Feisty."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And fast."

"Did you kill it?"

"Yes."

"Look, there's Alison," Raelee said.

"Who?" Jasmine asked and looked.

"She was in juvie," Faith said.

"Oh."

"She has some problem and she's gonna do something bad if she doesn't solve it soon."

Jasmine looked at her.

"You think?" she asked, concerned.

Faith nodded.

"I know." She noticed Billy. "I hope he can help her."

"Who?" Jasmine asked and looked.

Faith nodded at Billy.

"Billy."

"Why?"

"He likes her and she… tolerates him."

"Oh."

They watched as Billy tried to talk to Alison, but she was rude, so he left, confused.

"I think I better talk to her," Faith said and got up.

"Be careful," Jasmine said, "she looks like she's on the edge."

Faith nodded.

"Yeah."

She slowly approached Alison, thinking about what she should say.

"Hey," she finally said.

Alison merely glanced at her.

"You okay?" Faith pressed on.

Alison ignored her, so Faith slowly put her hand on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me," Alison snapped and turned around, furious.

Faith quickly removed her hand, realizing that whatever Alison's problem was, it had happened again recently.

"I just want to help you," Faith said calmly.

"I don't need your help."

"Really? Then why were you rude to Billy?"

"None of your fucking business."

"Alison," Faith said and reached for her, but Alison pushed her away.

"Leave me alone!" she screamed, her eyes wide, and pulled a knife.

Faith saw it and quickly took it from her. Then she grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out.

Back at the table, Jasmine, Raelee and Lara observed them, worried.

"I better go see what's going on," Jasmine said and got up.

As she headed for the exit, she noticed Stacy. She saw that Stacy was also following Faith and Alison, so she slowed down, hoping that it would help improve Faith's image in Stacy's eyes.

Outside, Faith pushed Alison against the wall.

"Let me go!" Alison raged, trying to break free of Faith's grip.

"Or what?" Faith asked. "Do you want to die?" she asked and pressed the knife against Alison's neck.

Alison's eyes went wide and she froze.

"Or do you want to kill someone?" She put the knife into Alison's hand. "Me? Do you want to kill me?" She lifted Alison's hand and pressed the knife to her own neck. "All you have to do is pull and I'll be dead."

Alison started to tremble.

"But that still won't solve your problem, Alison. Talk to someone, soon, or something bad will happen. You'll either gonna end up killing someone or someone's gonna kill you and I don't think you want that. Okay?"

Alison didn't move, so Faith let her go. Alison slowly stared to slide down the wall and Faith backed off a little, taking a deep breath to calm down. Alison then hugged her knees and started to cry. Faith hesitated for a moment and then decided to go back in and get a drink.

"Oh, hi," she said when she noticed Stacy.

"Hi," Stacy said, staring at Faith.

"Could you, em, watch over her? I need a drink."

Stacy was surprised by the request.

"Okay," she said.

Faith smiled a bit.

"Thanks," she said and went to the Bronze.

"That was interesting," Jasmine said when Faith reached her.

Faith smiled a bit.

"Yeah. I need a drink."

"I'll be at the table."

When Faith he got back, Stacy was still there, watching over Alison, who was still, sitting against the wall, hugging her knees.

"Thanks," Faith said.

Stacy looked at her and nodded, thinking.

"You were pretty rough on her," she said after a few moments.

Faith looked at her, nodding.

"Yeah, I had to be."

"Why?"

Faith sighed.

"Have you noticed her behavior?"

Stacy thought for a moment.

"Yes. It's like she's on the edge."

"She is. She has a problem, probably something to do with her family, I guess, I don't know. I had to be rough on her, I had to get her over the edge."

"You think it helped?"

"For now. But she'll have to find someone to talk to, someone to help her."

"You?"

Faith smiled sadly.

"She doesn't know me. She may have accepted my help now, but that doesn't mean she trusts me. I mean, I probably could help her, but I can't do it if she doesn't want me to."

Stacy thought about it.

"Would you kill her if she said yes?"

Faith looked at Stacy.

"No," she said, her face serious.

"Would you have let her kill you?"

"No."

"Did you know she woudn't try to?"

Faith smiled a bit.

"I wasn't completely sure, but my gut told me that she isn't a killer."

"Oh."

They were quiet for a while.

"Em, Stacy," Faith then started hesitantly.

Stacy looked at her.

"Yes?"

Faith gulped.

"How… How… do your parents feel about… about… me?"

"They don't know about you."

"Well, I know, I mean…"

"They still want to find Grandpa's killer."

"Oh," Faith said and looked down, thinking. "Do… Do you think, em, if they knew about vamps and stuff, they'd, I don't know, em…"

"I don't know," Stacy said, guessing what Faith was trying to ask. "But they don't know yet and I don't want them to know."

Faith sighed.

"I know." She shrugged. "It's just, I don't know, it sort of feels like an unfinished business or something, you know? I want to apologize and they want to know who killed your Grandpa and why."

Stacy nodded in agreement.

"I know," she said and looked back at Alison. "I hope you can help her," she said.

Faith raised an eyebrow, surprised, and also looked at Alison.

"Yeah, me too."

Stacy sighed.

"I'll see you around," she said and turned to leave.

"Stacy?" Faith called after her.

Stacy turned back.

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

Stacy stared at her for a few moments and then nodded. Faith nodded back and Stacy left.

Faith then looked at Alison again, who was still hugging her knees, thinking. She waited for a while, hidden, until Alison got up and headed home. She then secretly followed her home, making sure nothing happened to her.

The next day at school, however, Faith noticed that Alison was even worse off than when she had last seen her. She guessed that whatever Alison's problem was, it had to do with her parents, probably her dad. Alison was on the edge, her eyes wide, she looked like she was about to explode. She quickly looked for Raelee and Lara.

"Hey, guys," she said.

"Hi, Faith," Raelee said.

"The History classroom is empty the first period, right?"

"Yes," Lara said.

"Raelee, get Billy, I want him to talk to Alison. Lara, you come with me, you'll watch the door."

Lara nodded and Raelee quickly left to find Billy. Faith went straight to Alison and Lara followed her.

"Alison."

Alison nearly jumped. She quickly turned around and Faith could see that she was afraid.

"Come."

"I'm not going anywhere," Alison said and started to back off.

Faith sighed. Then she grabbed Alison by the arm and started to drag her toward the History classroom.

"Let go of me!" Alison protested and tried to escape Faith's grip.

Faith ignored her and kept dragging her. The students stared after them, puzzled, but no one intervened.

As they entered the classroom, Faith lowered the blinds on the door and then closed the door. Alison finally pulled free from Faith's grip.

"Are you fucking crazy?" she asked angrily.

"No," Faith said and pushed Alison against a wall.

"Let me go!" Alison demanded, trying to break free, but Faith was stronger.

"No," Faith said. She hesitated for a moment and then ventured a guess. "Your dad raped you, didn't he?"

Alison's eyes went wide and Faith could see that she was scared.

"Let me go!" Alison then screamed and tried to break free again.

"Listen to me, Alison," Faith said. "Listen to me," she said again when Alison ignored her, and then shook her.

Alison stopped struggling and she glared at Faith.

"Let me go," she said quietly.

Faith hesitated for a moment and then let her go.

"You need to talk about it, "she said.

"No…"

"Yes, you need to get it out. You have to say it out loud and acknowledge it. If you keep suppressing it and denying it, it will destroy you. I know."

Alison looked down, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I'm scared," she said quietly.

"I know. But don't worry, I'll take care of your dad."

Alison looked up, surprised.

"How?" she asked skeptically.

"I have a friend. She'll scare your dad so he'll turn himself in. He'll never hurt you again."

Alison swallowed hard and looked away.

"Do you trust Billy?" Faith asked her after a few moments and Alison looked at her with a frown.

"Why?"

"Do you? Yes or no?"

Alison thought about it.

"Yeah, I guess," she finally decided.

"Then talk to him. Please."

Alison stared at Faith, thinking about talking to Billy and about why Faith gave a damn.

Then the door opened and Billy came in.

"Alison?" he asked, worried, when he saw the look on her face.

Alison looked away.

"Talk to him," Faith told Alison and Alison looked at him. Then Faith looked at Billy. "She needs you. Lara will lock the door so you won't be disturbed. When you're done, raise the blinds and we'll get you out."

Billy nodded.

"Okay," he said.

Faith left and closed the door behind her.

Billy slowly approached Alison, who was avoiding his eyes. She slid down the wall and hugged her knees. Billy hesitated for a moment and then sat beside her.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked softly after a few moments.

Alison glanced at him and he could see that she was scared.

"I… I…" She took a deep breath. "Faith said I should talk to you."

"Do you want to?" Billy asked.

Alison looked at him, surprised that he was giving her a chance to back out. She thought about it.

"No, not really," she said and sighed. "But I should." She gulped. "Faith is right."

She didn't go on and Billy didn't pressure her.

"My… My dad," Alison started after a minute or so, "he… he… beats me." She swallowed hard. "A-And he… he… he… rapes… me," she forced herself to say.

Billy gasped, shocked. He was speechless.

"Since I was six," Alison continued and finally burst into tears.

Billy put his arm around her and pressed her to himself.

Alison sobbed.

"It… It was only… oral at f-first," she continued when she calmed down a bit, "but wh-when I t-turned eight, he… he… started… raping me."

Billy caressed her, feeling like crying.

"He beats Mom," Alison continued. "She… She tried to stop him once, f-from raping me, but he… he nearly killed her."

"Why don't you go to the cops?" Billy asked.

"I-I did. Once. He… He then threw me out the window."

"What?" Billy said, outraged.

"I-I was in coma… f-for a week," Alison said, sobbing.

"Son of a bitch," Billy swore.

Alison finally relaxed a bit and she leaned her head on Billy's shoulder. Billy caressed her.

When Faith, Raelee and Lara came to the History classroom during the next break, the blinds were up. Faith looked in and saw that Alison and Billy were sitting on the teacher's desk. She knocked on the window and they looked at her. Billy smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. Faith smiled, relieved.

"I'll get the janitor!" she called.

"Okay!" Billy called back.

"I can open it," Lara said.

"I know, but it has to be official," Faith explained.

"Oh."

Faith quickly returned with the janitor, who opened the door.

"Thanks," Billy said to the janitor.

"Everything okay?" Faith asked them.

Billy nodded.

"Yes, we had a talk."

Faith looked at Alison.

"How do you feel?"

Alison shrugged.

"Bit better."

"Good."

Alison thought for a moment.

"You said you can get him to turn himself in?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah. Bring a photo of him to the Bronze tonight and my friend will take care of him."

Alison sighed.

"Okay."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"What about your mom?"

Alison shook her head.

"She's okay. She's as much a victim as I am."

"Oh." Faith thought for a moment. "Oh, your dad may turn himself in, but you'll probably have to testify against him in court. Or at least give a written statement. Will you be up to it?"

Alison shuddered and Billy squeezed her hand reassuringly. Alison glanced at him and he smiled at her encouragingly.

"I need to think about it."

Faith nodded.

"Let me know tonight."

Alison nodded.

"I will."

"Okay. I'll see you at the Bronze then."

"Okay."

Two breaks later, Mrs Stewart came to Faith.

"Faith."

Faith looked at her.

"Mrs Stewart. What's up?"

"Did you have anything to do with the jammed lock on the History classroom door?"

"Yeah. You know Alison Quinn? The new girl."

Mrs Stewart nodded.

"Yes."

"She had a serious problem and she needed to talk about it. I locked her and Billy in so they'd have an excuse for cutting class."

"I see. Did it help?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah. And I'll have her problem taken care of."

Mrs Stewart raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing illegal, I hope."

"No, just scaring the shit out of a bastard."

"I see," Mrs Stewart said, noticing that Faith was avoiding mentioning Alison's problem. "Okay then," she said, deciding not to pry.

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Mrs Stewart, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why are you treating me like an adult? I mean, if, I don't know, Jack came to you, I don't think you'd believe him."

Mrs Stewart nodded.

"Probably not."

"Why me?"

"Because you're a Slayer. You save people every day, it's become a part of you. And I know you're a responsible girl."

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't always like that."

"I know. I also know you've changed."

"Yeah, I guess."

Mrs Stewart smiled a little.

"Anything else?"

Faith shook her head.

"No. Thanks."

Mrs Stewart's smile widened and she left.

When she got to the Bronze, Faith was alone at first, but then Lara and Raelee joined her. Half an hour alter, Dawn showed and up and Faith went to her.

"Dawn," Faith said when she got to her.

Dawn looked at her.

"Faith."

"I have a job for you."

Dawn frowned.

"What?"

"Remember James?"

Dawn thought for a moment.

"The rapist?"

"Yes. I have a similar case."

Dawn made a face.

"Who?

"I'll tell you later, as soon as I have his photo."

"Okay," Dawn said, not thrilled at all.

Faith went back to Lara and Raelee and wasted time with them. Ten minutes later, Alison and Billy arrived.

"Lara, tell Dawn to meet me in the hall," Faith said as she got up.

"Okay."

Faith went to meet Alison and Billy and Lara went to Dawn.

"Hey, guys," Faith greeted Alison and Billy.

"Hi," Billy said.

"Hey," Alison said nervously.

"You made up your mind?" Faith asked Alison.

Alison nodded.

"Yeah, I'll do it."

"Got the photo?"

"Yeah."

"Come."

They went to the hall, where Dawn was already waiting.

"Guys, this is Dawn. Dawn, these are Alison and Billy," Faith introduced them. She looked at Alison. "Show her the photo."

Alison took a photo of her parents from her jacket and gave it to Dawn.

"What did he do?" Dawn asked, looking at the photo.

Faith looked at Alison, who sighed.

"He… beat me. And… raped me," she said and Dawn looked at her abruptly.

"Really?" she said in a cold voice.

Alison nodded.

"And he beat Mom," she finished.

Dawn looked back at the photo, her eyes glowing. Then she looked at Faith.

"I suppose you want him to go to jail."

"Yeah," Faith said.

"Consider it done," she said and gave the photo back to Alison.

"Invite her into your house," Faith told Alison.

"What?" Alison said, startled.

"She can't get in without your permission."

Alison frowned, puzzled, but she didn't comment. She looked at Dawn.

"You can come into my house," she said and looked at Faith. "That okay?"

Faith nodded.

"Yes."

Dawn looked at Alison.

"Wait here until I come back," she said and left.

"Man, she was pissed," Billy observed when she was gone.

"Yeah," Faith agreed, staring after Dawn thoughtfully. "She was a victim of abuse herself."

"Oh."

"I guess you can get yourselves a drink now. You can hang with me and my friends if you want."

Alison and Billy looked at one another.

"No, I think we'll sit by ourselves," Billy said.

"Suit yourselves," Faith said with a smile and left.

When Dawn arrived to Alison's house, she first looked through the windows to see if Alison's parents were home. They were and she went to the door, a cruel grin on her face. She rang the bell and waited.

It was Mrs Quinn who opened.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Hi," Dawn said and entered, pushing the woman out of the way. "I'm… the exterminator," she said and grinned. "I hear you have cockroaches."

Mrs Quinn frowned, puzzled, as she hurried after Dawn.

"We don't have no roaches," she said.

"Then what is that?" Dawn asked and pointed at Mr Quinn, who was watching TV and drinking beer.

Mr Quinn looked her.

"Who the fuck are you? What do you want?"

"Me?" Dawn said and blinked her eyelashes innocently. "I'm…" she thought for a moment, "the avenging angel of the abused," she the finished off, morphing into her game face.

"What the hell?" Mr Quinn said, surprised.

"Hell is exactly where's you're going," Dawn said as she straddled him and grabbed his throat.

"What… What are you?" Mrs Quinn asked, scared.

Dawn looked at her and grinned.

"I told you," she said and looked back at Mr Quinn, licking her lips. "I'm also hungry," she said and buried her teeth into his neck.

Mrs Quinn screamed, scared.

"Mmm, delicious," Dawn said a few moments later and licked her lips. "I so miss the taste of Human blood." She sighed. "Oh well."

Mr Quinn touched his neck and saw he was bleeding.

"You bitch!" he yelled and pushed her away.

Dawn laughed as she sat up on the floor.

"That wasn't nice," she said.

"Fuck nice," Mr Quinn said, pulled a gun and emptied the clip into her.

Mrs Quinn covered her ears and screamed, terrified.

"Take that, bitch," Mr Quinn said when the clip was empty.

Dawn lay still for a few moments and then opened her eyes.

"That hurt," she said and sat up.

Mr and Mrs Quinn looked at her, shocked, and Mrs Quinn had to sit down.

Dawn looked at her body and examined the holes.

"Shit."

She got up and backhanded Mr Quinn, who collapsed, barely conscious. Then she looked at Mrs Quinn.

"Do you have a pair of tweezers or something? I need to get the bullets out, they're annoying me."

Mrs Quinn kept opening and closing her mouth, speechless. Dawn rolled her eyes, sighing.

"Today," she said, morphing back to her Human face. "Look, honey, I'm on your side here. I'll make sure this piece of trash leaves you alone. Now, tweezers?"

Mrs Quinn stared at her for a few moments and then hurried away. Dawn then looked at Mr Quinn, who was starting to come around.

"Stay," she said, kicking him in the head. "Good boy," she added when he passed out.

Mrs Quinn quickly returned with tweezers and handed them to Dawn, scared.

"Thanks," Dawn said. "Can you get me a rag or something? I need something to put the bullets on."

"I… Yes," Mrs Quinn said and hurried away again.

She quickly returned with an old rag and put it on the table.

"Thanks," Dawn said and started fishing for bullets.

"What… What are you?" Mrs Quinn asked after Dawn pulled the first bullet out.

Dawn glanced at her.

"A vampire."

Mrs Quinn frowned.

"A vampire?"

"Yes. But don't my actions misguide you, vampires are evil."

Mrs Quinn thought about it.

"Then why are you here?"

Dawn glanced at her again.

"I have a deal. I don't do evil and I'm allowed to live. And scare some bastards occasionally."

"Oh," Mrs Quinn said, not quite understanding.

Dawn smirked.

"When I was alive, my mom abused me. When my mom was turned, she turned me as well. She abused me for decades after that, but I finally killed the bitch." She smiled coldly. "I guess I don't like abusive parents."

Mrs Quinn thought about it.

"But… But… How did you know?"

"About your husband?"

Mrs Quinn nodded.

"Yes."

"Your daughter had a friend, she told me about it." She moaned as she removed another bullet. "Now, this is what we're going to do. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to kill your husband, but I can scare him enough so he'll turn himself in and file a divorce."

Mrs Quinn shook her head.

"He has a friend at the police."

"Then I'll scare him too. Don't worry." She removed the last bullet and stretched. "Better." She looked at Mrs Quinn. "Do you love your daughter?" she asked, wiping her hands in the rag.

Mrs Quinn nodded.

"Yes"

"Good." She looked at Mr Quinn. "Time to get this party started." She glanced at Mrs Quinn. "Get rid of the rag and the bullets while I wake him up."

Mrs Quinn quickly grabbed the rag and left.

Dawn kneeled beside Mr Quinn.

"Wakey, wakey, asshole," she said and shook him violently, morphing into her game face.

Mr Quinn moaned. Dawn rolled him onto his back and then straddled him.

"Come on, I don't have all night," Dawn said, annoyed, and slapped him twice.

Mr Quinn blinked his eyes.

"What…"

"Finally," Dawn said and slapped him some more.

"Hey!" Mr Quinn protested and looked at her. "You!" he said, shocked. "But… But…"

He trailed off when he saw the holes in Dawn's chest.

"That wasn't very nice, you know," Dawn chided him, glancing at Mrs Quinn, who had returned. "Now, where was I? Oh, yeah, I was telling you about your sins."

"The fuck you talking about, bitch?" Mr Quinn demanded.

Dawn slapped him.

"You know, it's bad manners to call someone your life depends on a bitch. Now, as I was saying, you're guilty of beating and raping your daughter, of beating your wife and of being an all around asshole." She paused. "You know, I need to replace the lost blood," she said, glancing at her chest.

"What…" Mr Quinn started, but was interrupted by Dawn's teeth in his neck.

"Mmm, much better," Dawn said when she stopped feeding. She frowned and sniffed the air. "Did you piss your pants?" she asked and looked. "My, an asshole and a coward," she said and looked back at him. "Now, I'm obliged to make you an offer, but I really hope you'll refuse."

"What offer?" Mr Quinn asked, scared.

"Well, you see, in the old days, I could just rip you apart or something," Dawn made up. "But nowadays, I have to give you a choice between going to jail or killing you right away." She made a face. "Unfortunately, most people choose jail." She pouted. "It's so not fair."

"Jail. Jail," Mr Quinn said, nodding vigorously. "I choose jail."

Dawn sighed.

"I knew it. Life is so not fair," she said in an overly dramatic way. She sighed. "Oh, well. But don't think you're free of me yet. Now, here's the deal. You go to the police, turn yourself in and confess your sins. Then you file a divorce and leave everything to your wife." She grinned. "You're not gonna need it anyway." She leaned closer, licking her lips. "And if you ever get out of jail, stay the hell away from Sunnydale. Got it? Or I'll find you."

Mr Quinn nodded vigorously, scared.

"Good," Dawn said and patted him. She sat up. "And if you come across a young rapist named James, tell him I said hi." She got up. "Now beat it. And take your gun with you."

Mr Quinn grabbed his gun and ran away. Dawn morphed into her Human face and looked at Mrs Quinn.

"That should do it. As far as the police is concerned, I was never here. Now give me the name and address of his cop friend."

After getting the address, Dawn went after Mr Quinn to make sure he did as she had told him. He did, so she went to the house of his friend. She checked if he was in and saw that he was. Since she hasn't been invited into the house, nor was she ever going to be, she had to think of a way to get him out. A grin spread over her face when she noticed that his car had an alarm installed. She kicked the front left tire and the alarm went off. Ten seconds later, the detective came out, his gun ready.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Trouble," Dawn said and morphed into her game face. She moved and grabbed the detective by the throat and the right hand. "Jack Falk?" she asked.

"Yes," the detective said, dropping the gun.

"Shame on you, detective," Dawn said, shaking his head. "You knew that your friend, Mr Quinn, was abusing his wife and daughter and you did nothing about it. In fact, you made sure he wasn't punished. Well, it's time to pay." She bit him and drank some blood. "Mmm, delicious."

"What the fuck?" the cop said, scared, and touched his neck. "You bit me!" he said when he saw blood on his fingers.

"My, are you smart," Dawn said and pushed him so he fell. Then she straddled him. "Now, as I told Mr Quinn, I can't kill you right away, at least not without offering you to turn yourself in first."

"What?" Mr Falk said, confused.

Dawn rolled her eyes.

"If you turn yourself in and confess that you're a corrupt cop, I'll let you live. If not," she grinned, "I'll be more than happy to kill you."

She buried her teeth in his neck again and he screamed.

"No! I'll go to jail!" he screamed, scared. "I'll go to jail."

Dawn stopped feeding and she looked at him.

"I wasn't going to kill you," she said and grinned. "Not yet." She pointed at her chest. "See this? Mr Quinn tried to kill me. Needless to say, he failed. Just so you know," she said. She got up. "Now why don't you run along. And tell Mr Quinn I said hi."

Mr Falk scrambled to his feet and then grabbed his gun.

"Don't," Dawn said. "Or I'll have to hurt you." She thought for a moment. "On the other hand, go ahead, I want to hurt you."

Mr Falk hesitated for a moment, but then he looked at the holes in her chest and decided that maybe he should listen to her.

"You can ask Mr Quinn," Dawn said. "He's at the station right now, giving his confession."

She stepped closer and Mr Falk started to back off.

"Run," she said.

Mr Falk hesitated for a moment, but when she licked her lips, he ran.

Dawn shook his head, disgusted.

"He's a bigger coward than the other one," she muttered and went after him.

When Dawn came back to the Bronze, Alison and Billy looked at Faith and she nodded toward the hall. She waited till Dawn saw her and then went there as well.

"How'd it go?" Faith asked when they were all gathered.

"No problem," Dawn said.

"Then what's that?" Faith asked and pointed at Dawn's chest.

Dawn opened her jacket and looked at the holes.

"Oh. Well, he was a feisty one. He emptied a whole clip."

"He shot you?" Alison said, surprised.

"Yes."

"But… But you're alive."

"Well, no, I'm dead. Well, undead, but that's details. Oh, I also scared the hell out of that cop friend of his, Falk."

"Really?" Alison said, surprised.

"Yes. They're both in jail now."

"Really?"

"Yes. You should go home, the police will probably want to talk to you."

"Don't forget to pretend that you don't know what's going on," Faith warned her.

Alison nodded.

"I won't. Thanks."

Faith smiled.

"No problem."

"I'll walk you," Billy said.

"Okay," Alison agreed and they left.

Faith looked at Dawn.

"You okay?"

Dawn glanced at her chest and closed the jacket.

"I've been better," she said. "I need to change."

"Yeah," Faith said with a grin. "I'll see you around."

Dawn mumbled something and left. Faith chucked and returned to her friends.

"Will you be okay?" Billy asked when they got to Alison's house.

Alison took a deep breath.

"If he's really going to jail, yes."

"Good luck. And call me if you need anything."

Alison nodded.

"Thanks."

Billy smiled.

"You're welcome."

Alison smiled back.

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Okay."

Alison hesitated for a moment and then entered the house.

"Alison?" Mrs Quinn asked and came to see if it really was her daughter.

"Is… Is he really gone?" Alison asked, a part of her still doubting it.

Mrs Quinn nodded, smiling.

"Yes, he's gone."

"Thank god," Alison said, relieved, and hugged her mother.

When they stopped hugging, Mrs Quinn looked at her daughter.

"I'm so sorry, honey. I wish I could've protected you."

Alison nodded.

"You couldn't, I know."

Mrs Quinn wiped her tears and took a deep breath.

"At least it's over."

"We'll still have to testify," Alison said.

"Oh," Mrs Quinn said, frowning.

"I'm ready," Alison said.

Mrs Quinn stared at her for a few moments and then smiled.

"Me too."

The End