It's an update! Yay! And if anyone who's reading hasn't seen the trailer yet, check it out:
http://rapidshare.de/files/15845424/Nightmare_0001.zip.html
Dianneswillowtree - Thanks for reading! I'm not sure if it'll be wild, but hopefully it'll be entertaining!
[hr]
Chapter 2 - Three, Four
Rating:
NC-17 to be safe
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Willow rolled over to look in Tara’s eyes. “So what was that all about?”
“I haven’t the slightest. I guess maybe we’ll find out tonight.”
“Darn it. That’s going to bug me all day, you know.”
Tara leaned down and softly grabbed Willow’s lip between her teeth, tugging it gently. “What if I do that? Will you be thinking about it then?”
“Ummm…”
“And what about if I do this?” Reaching under Willow’s pajama top, she squeezed her breast, tracing her nipple with one finger.
“Uhhhh…what were we talking about?”
“What I’m going to do to you…” Tara began before a yell from downstairs interrupted her.
“You guys! Are we having breakfast sometime today? I’ve got to get to orientation!”
“Coming, Dawn!” Tara dropped her head into Willow’s lap with an exasperated sigh. “You know, one of these days I’m going to cast a spell around our room so we can’t get interrupted.”
“I know, sweetie. But she’s our responsibility now. So says the will of Buffy.”
“I still can’t believe…She trusted us enough to leave Dawn with us.”
“Of course she did, Tara. Dawn’s always looked up to you, and Buffy knew you’d be a great mom.”
“You’re not so bad yourself.”
“You GUYS!”
“We’re COMING!” Willow yelled. She gave Tara a sheepish look. “Sorry. I hate it when she screeches like that.”
Tara gave her a quick peck. “Let’s go make breakfast before she wakes the neighborhood.”
[hr]
With Dawn safely packed into Xander’s car and on her way to school, Tara and Willow cleaned up the kitchen, showered and dressed.
“So, what do you have on tap for today, Will?”
“Not much – there’s a database I’ve got to finish before tomorrow or the client’s going to get a little cranky, and that new online ticket program for the theatre could use some work. How about you?”
“I’m going to finish up picking my fall classes, just in case we can swing a way to go, and see if Anya needs a hand at the Magic Box.”
“Want me to come with? I can bring the laptop, work there just as easy as I can work here.”
“That’d be great. All the noise in the shop won’t bug you?”
“Are you kidding? I’ve worked at home all summer with Dawn in the house – the Magic Box should have a refreshing lack of horrible music playing-“
“All day long,” Tara finished with her, smiling. “Gotcha. Let me get my bag, and then we can get going.”
[hr]
They reached the shop almost twenty minutes after it should have opened – and there was no-one there. A few customers milled around the locked front door, checking their watches and muttering to each other. Willow and Tara exchanged a worried look – not once since Giles had departed for England had the shop not been open on time. Willow was just about to ask whether they should go and look for Anya when she came running down the street, waving her keys over her head.
“Don’t leave, customers!” she cried breathlessly. “The Magic Box is open for all your shopping needs!” She unlocked the door and gestured frantically for Tara to follow her. “I could really use your help,” she whispered.
“Of course – but what happened?”
Anya wandered around the shop, flicking on lights and talking over her shoulder. “I don’t know. Xander left and I went back to sleep for a while, and I was having a nightmare, and even when I heard the alarm clock go off I just couldn’t seem to wake up. It was very disconcerting. I miss the days when I gave people nightmares, not had them myself.”
“What were you dreaming about?” Tara asked, stifling her grin.
“I don’t remember all that much of it. An old house, a creepy little girl singing. That’s about it – but it felt so real! I’ve never had a dream that felt so real.”
“You sound worried,” Tara remarked as she grabbed her name-tag from behind the cash register and began to ring up the day’s first purchase.
“Not really – no, silly customer, if you put those together they’ll send you to the land of the trolls – it’s just…the dream reminds me of a legend, a story I heard back in my demon days. But I can’t remember the story. Something about a gatekeeper, but that’s all…”
“Have a nice day. Willow? Does that sound familiar to you?”
“A demon legend about a gatekeeper? I’ve seen dozens. Possibly dozens of dozens.”
“Any that had to do with people’s dreams? Four dollars, please.”
“No…Once I’m done working for the day I’ll do some research, okay?”
“Thanks, Will.”
“Tara, I’ll take the next purchase – can you go help that girl in magical texts before she reads any more of that book and blows us all up?”
[hr]
“Now, I know all of you think orientation is boring, and don’t see why you have to be here, but it’s important to get back into the swing of things before your first day of classes. Now, how about a game of hangman, just to get in a teamwork frame of mind? Dawn, would you like to start?”
“Um…S?”
“One S,” the teacher replied as he chalked it up on the board. “Good. Now, how about you, Ben?”
Despite her best efforts, Dawn felt her eyelids growing heavy and her head nodding toward her desk. She fought for a moment before deciding to give in and rest for a few minutes.
The nightmare. Again. She had two that seemed to rotate – the first began up on that tower, watching Buffy jump, and then there was this one.
She stood in front of Buffy’s gravestone, calmly laying flowers at its base. The flowers looked like roses, but their blooms were black as coal and their stems were crumbling. As she laid the last flower down, a thorn pricked her finger and a drop of her blood landed on the fresh earth of the grave. The sight of her blood soaking into the dirt filled her with a sense of foreboding, just like it did every time she had the dream – something bad was going to happen, she just didn’t know what it was.
That’s when the hand punched through the dirt and grabbed her ankle. Dawn screamed as Buffy emerged from her grave, staring accusingly at her. “It should have been you, Dawn,” Buffy intoned in a low voice. “It should have been you – the world needs a slayer, and it doesn’t need you.”
“I know!” Dawn screamed. “I know you should be alive, and I should be dead. But I can’t help it!”
Buffy’s face began to change, and her voice was lower and gravelly when she spoke. “I can.” She swiped at Dawn with one hand, and blood flowed from a cut on her cheek. Dawn screamed – and bolted upright in her desk, gasping.
“Well, if Ms. Summers is quite finished with her performance, perhaps we could return to…Dawn, what happened to your cheek?”
Reaching up and probing with a trembling hand, she screamed again when her fingers came away sticky with blood.
[hr]
“No, of course I’ll be there right away. Don’t let her leave without me.” Tara pulled her nametag off and handed it to Anya. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Tara? What’s wrong?” Willow called.
“It’s Dawn – the principal called and said she had some kind of episode during her orientation.”
“What kind of episode?”
“He wasn’t exactly sure – just said she was hysterical, and that she had a nasty cut on her cheek. I guess they haven’t been able to get her to explain it yet.”
“Oh, boy. Do you want me to come with?”
“No, I’ll get her. You should stay, in case Anya needs any help. I’ll be right back.” She kissed the top of Willow’s head and headed for the door. It was a quick drive to the school, and she was in the office within ten minutes. She quickened her pace as she heard Dawn screaming from within. The principal rushed out to meet her. “Come in, please. We can’t seem to calm her down.”
“Don’t touch me!” Dawn screamed. “Stay away from me!” Tara pulled open the door.
“Dawn?”
“Tara!” She was nearly bowled over as Dawn threw herself into her arms.
“Dawn, you’re bleeding! What happened?”
“It was Buffy…” Dawn replied, staring wildly up at her.
“Okay – Principal Williams, I’m going to take Dawn home.”
“Sure – that’s probably for the best. But before you go, do you mind me asking why you’re listed as her emergency contact when her sister is her legal guardian?”
“Her sister’s really busy lately. The odds of getting a hold of me are a lot better.”
“Right. Okay – we’ll see you tomorrow for class, okay Dawn?”
Dawn managed a weak nod as Tara led her to the car, holding back her tears until they were both inside and the doors closed before breaking down, leaning over to put her head in Tara’s lap.
“Dawn…” Tara began once she’d calmed down a little, “what do you mean, it was Buffy?”
“You know the nightmare where I’m at her grave?”
Tara comfortingly stroked Dawn’s hair with one hand. “Yes, Dawnie, I know the one.”
“It was that one again, but it ended different this time. After…” she choked back a sob, “after she told me it should have been me, she clawed at me with one hand – I felt her cut my cheek. And then I woke up, and there was a cut right where there was in my dream – Tara, how can that be?”
“Dawn…are you sure you didn’t cut it with a fingernail or something while you were asleep?”
“I thought of that – but my friend Stacy, she sits right next to me…and she swears I didn’t move at all while I was sleeping, and that cut wasn’t there until I woke up.”
“I’ll have to get Willow to check into it, sweetie. I’ve never heard of anything like that.”
“It’s Buffy, isn’t it? It’s not just a nightmare – she’s haunting me for living when she died.”
“Dawn, n-no! Buffy loved you, and she did what she did for all of us. She would never b-blame you, or any of us.”
“Then why? What is this?”
“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out. I promise.”
[hr]
“So she woke up with a cut on her cheek that wasn’t there when she went to sleep?”
“That’s what she says, Spike – and everyone who was close enough to see it says the same thing.”
“And you two whiz kids haven’t found out a bloody thing yet?”
“Well, we were getting there!” Willow shot back. “But then we had to cut the research short to patrol-“ she was cut off when three vampires jumped from the alleyway nearest them and charged. Spike pulled a stake from his jacket and charged headlong, while Willow and Tara joined hands and chanted a quick spell to disorient their attackers. The Buffybot, who’d been walking behind them, rushed in after Spike. The battle lasted less than a minute, and ended with three fresh piles of dust. Spike rubbed his hands on his jacket and rejoined Willow and Tara, the Buffybot not far behind.
“Red, what’s with the bot lately? She hardly says a word.”
“I don’t know – nothing’s changed in her programming, at least not that I can find.”
“Dawn,” the bot said mournfully.
“What was that?” Tara asked. “What about Dawn?”
“We need to help Dawn. She’s my sister, and I love her, and we need to keep her safe.” The bot sounded so much like Buffy in that instant that no-one could form the words to reply. Spike made a harsh, strangled sound and turned away, angrily throwing the stake he still carried against the wall of the closest building – the theater. It clattered to the pavement and the moment of silence that followed felt like a heavy blanket.
“We will,” Tara finally replied, her voice low and thick. “We’ll k-keep her safe.”
“That’s enough patrolling for tonight,” Spike muttered. “Take the bot home; I’m going to go persuade Willy to tell me if he knows anything about this dream business.”
“But Spike-“
“Just go! I’ll be home later.”
He stormed off, and the bot looked to Willow in confusion. “Did I do something bad?”
“No, no. He’s just…worried about Dawn.”
“Oh. So am I.”
[hr]
Willy jumped when the door crashed open, but relaxed again when he saw who it was. “Hey, Spike. What can I getcha?”
“The usual – some blood and some information.”
“Haven’t heard much lately,” Willy said over his shoulder as he poured the blood. “Lookin’ for something in particular?”
“Some kind of demon – rare, I’d guess, since I’ve never heard of it – that can…I don’t know, invade folks’ dreams? Hurt them in the dream and in real life too?”
“Doesn’t ring a bell, my friend. Here’s your blood.” As he set it down on the counter, Spike reached up and grabbed him by his collar.
“You better be sure, mate. This is about Dawn.”
Willy went silent and thought for a long moment. One of things Spike had made clear at every demon haunt he visited was that the Slayer’s kid sister was off limits – and that any demon or entity who threatened her would face swift retribution.
“No, Spike. Sorry, I never heard of anything like that. You could ask…no, wait, he’s dead…oh…no, he’s not on this plane anymore…oh! Oh! I know just the guy – let me write down how to get there – it’ll take you a few hours.”
Spike released him and downed the shot of blood while Willy scribbled directions on a napkin. “Here you go, buddy.”
He reached for his wallet, but Willy held up a hand. “Don’t worry about it. On the house.”
Nodding his thanks, he headed out, consulting Willy’s directions.
[hr]
Dawn had turned in early, still worn out from what had happened at school, and Tara was nodding off halfway through supper, so she and Willow left the dishes to be done the next morning and went to bed. It was only a few minutes after their heads hit their pillows when they were back on the familiar beach, stretched out on lounge chairs and looking across at the woman they’d met the night before, who was occupying a chair opposite theirs.
“Hello again,” the woman began with a smile.
“Hi. How are you?”
“I’m doing great, thanks. How are you guys?”
“Really good. I’m Willow, by the way, and this is Tara.”
“Nancy.” She looked intently at Tara. “So, you can pull other people into your dreams? That’s a rare talent. I’ve only met one other person who could do that.”
Tara flushed and looked down, her hair falling in front of her eyes, and Willow frowned. As much as Tara’s self-confidence had soared in the past year after standing up to her family and her encounter with Glory, she still had infrequent lapses into her old habits.
“Y-Yes, I can. Ever since I w-was a kid. But I didn’t call you here – at l-least I don’t think I did.”
“Oh, I know you didn’t. But the fact that you can do it is probably why I’m here.” Regarding their confused expressions, Nancy smiled. “Sorry – I guess I should start at the beginning…”
She laid it all out for them – the history of Springwood, Elm Street and Freddy, her first victory over him – and their return engagement, when he fatally stabbed her in the guise of her father. She finished the tale with Kristen’s promise to dream her into a beautiful dream.
“So she sent you here?”
“Probably not on purpose – you were probably the only person close enough who had the power to bring me in.”
“So you’re…stuck here?”
“I guess so. But it’s better than dying.”
“Where, um, do you go when we’re not here?”
“Nowhere. This place, this dream, exists whether you’re asleep or not. It’s paradise, really. I swim, and tan, and read, and I’ve got nowhere to go and nowhere I have to be.”
Willow was suddenly struck by a thought. “Wait a minute! When Dawn woke up with that cut on her cheek that she got in her dream…”
“You don’t think…”
“Well, it m-makes sense I guess…if you could come here, he could have followed you.”
“No, it’s impossible! They buried him, in consecrated ground! He was nothing but a pillar of light when I disappeared!”
“But you said yourself you’ve killed him before and he came back. What’s to stop that from happening again?”
Nancy put her head in her hands for a moment, and then looked up at Tara with naked fear evident in her eyes. “If he’s followed me, then you’re in danger. You and everyone you know. If he can already hurt this Dawn, then he’s more powerful now than ever. When he attacked Kristen, he could only get to other people if she called them in. Now it seems he can get to people you know, even if you don’t call them.”
“What do we do?”
“God, I don’t want to have to do this again. Okay…there’s safety in numbers. It might be a good idea to call Dawn into your dreams from now on – and anyone else close enough to you that they might be in danger.”
Willow and Tara looked at each other. “Anya and Xander. And Spike.”
“Try to sleep at the same time – if one of you falls asleep alone, there’s a good chance you won’t wake up. And remember – you can’t trust anything you see in your dreams now. He’s got incredible power in the dream world, and he’ll use your own perceptions against you.”
Tara nodded, and Nancy regarded her quizzically. “You know, you seem sort of blasé about the idea of a demon that can attack you in your sleep.”
“He’s n-not exactly the first demon we’ve dealt with.”
“When this is all over, you’ll have to tell me more – but take my word for it; whatever you’ve fought until now, nothing’s prepared you for this. He’s evil – pure, unadulterated evil. I’ll help you all as much as I can, but you’re going to have to find a way to do what I couldn’t – stop him for good.”
Dawn’s scream jerked them from the dream before they could reply.
“Three, Four, better lock your door…”
[hr]
Here endeth the update. More to come soon!
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This is very well written and interesting. 
Great Job! And I can't wait for chapter two.
I personally love that you've had Nancy dreamt into her 'beautiful dream' because that's something i always wondered about. This is awesome! 
i can't wait to see where this goes! Looking forward to more.
That was a great update.
I can't wait to read more! I wonder what's happening with Dawn.... and the still effective freddy-rhyme gets me every time. 
hehehe im all tired now.. urgh im going to bed.. but i love the whole freddy verse the scoobies..
I like this story.
I'm happy you're liking the tale, though!
So Buffy is possessing the Buffybot, albeit for a limited time only, and now Dawn is the Slayer? I wonder how much help that will actually be in the dream world. Especially since Dawn hasn't really been trained. Sure, she has the physical prowess now, and the instincts that come with it, but she needs proper training too.
True sibling behavior.