"Cursed beast!" cried the good Knight Xander. His polished white armor shone with the light of the sun. His shimmering blade of honor flashing in the reflected gleam of dragonfire. His great shield Justice deflected the streaming blue flames, protecting its bearer.
"Roar!" the dragon cried, snapping it's fearsome jaws at the heroic knight. Xander swung his longsword Ray of Dawn as he spun away, slicing the dragon's nose as he did so. The beast roared again, this time in pain.
"In the name of Dawn, I shall vanquish thee!" Xander bellowed, charging the hideous creature. His shield shone with a brilliant light as he ran, blinding the dragon with its aura. He leaped into the air, sailing gracefully through a burst of flame, emerging unharmed to pierce the dragon-demon in the heart.
The creature let out a terrifying death cry, taking one last swipe at its vanquisher before collapsing.
"Dawn Juan?" the Knight asked.
"Huh?" Dawn asked.
"You want pizza or chinese?"
Dawn shook her head, the fantasy slipping away. Xander Harris stood in the door to her room, looking at her expectantly. She lay on her stomach in bed, her diary open in front of her as she chewed on her pen. She'd been daydreaming when she was supposed to be thinking of important things to write in her diary!
"Dawn?"
"Oh yeah uh...pizza's good," Dawn said.
"Ah, a girl after my own heart," Xander held both hands to his chest, speaking in a ridiculously bad italian accent. She giggled and rolled her eyes.
Mom had asked Xander to stay with her and Buffy while Mom was at some conference thingy. That was fine with her, cause Xander was like the coolest guy she'd ever met, and never treated her like a babysitter when he was there. After all, she was fourteen now, and didn't need to be treated like a kid anymore.
Buffy was there too, with Spike. The two of them seemed to go on patrols a lot, which Dawn thought was weird, but good. It meant that Xander wasn't spending time with Buffy out on patrol. She'd much rather he spent it hanging out with her.
It was after dinner that the demons attacked, the fight spilling out into the street. Xander stayed back in the house with her, an old short sword in his hand as they watched Buffy and Spike fighting the demons. She stared in awe as Spike spun through the fray, laughing when one of the demons punched him in the face. He responded with a haymaker of his own, sending the demon sprawling across the street.
He was incredible. He had to have killed almost half the demons himself. He dodged and weaved through the battle with ease, and seemed like he was having a great time during it. She looked over at Xander, who stared out the window with her.
She wondered why he didn't help.
"Bloody solid bit of a tussle there, eh Slayer?" Spike said as the two of them came in the door. "You see when I knocked that poor sod halfway up the street?" He laughed, and re-enacted his punch in slow motion.
"Pow! Right inna kisser. Bloody brilliant, it was," he grinned. Buffy rolled her eyes, ignoring him.
"Ugh, this is so gross" Buffy sighed. Her hair was covered in demon blood, and she was sure her blouse was ruined. She lost so many good blouses this way.
"Well look on the bright side Buffy, at least it's not acidy blood like those things you killed last week," Xander said helpfully.
"Don't remind me," Buffy said as she trudged up the stairs to work at cleaning the gunk out of her hair.
"Kinda funny, innit? How Buffy and me does the killin' and you does the...well, you don't do much of anything at all, do ya?" Spike said cheerfully, looking at Xander.
"Hey I'm the fort holder! I hold down the fort!" Xander said. Dawn felt a little embarrassed for him. He really didn't do anything but sit and watch like she did. Not like Spike, who could beat a whole group of demons by himself.
Sir Spike of Dawn strode into the hall, staring down the army of demons assembled there. Each was menacing and horrible in the extreme, with claws and fangs and gross drippy things. Some had swords, and others big giant axes.
"What's all this ruckus?" he asked. His polished black armor gleamed under the firelight. He grinned wickedly, cracking his knuckles and drawing his greatsword, Bloodletter. The demons all screamed their battle cries at the same time, and the battle was on.
The Dark Knight moved through them like a shadow, cutting and slicing his way through wave after wave of demon. His Princess sat in corner of the room, a prisoner of the demon horde. She was unafraid, Sir Spike, her Knight of Dawn had arrived to save her.
He cut them all down, laughing heartily as he did so. He was supremely confident, and the demons were no match for him. The last one dropped with a clang of armor and sword.
"What, izzat all then?" Spike asked to the now quiet hall.
"Dawn Adams?" Xander asked.
Dawn sighed. Xander and his stupid nicknames for her. It was so juvenile.
"Yeah?"
"Pizza, or pizza?" he asked, grinning.
"Ugh, can't we have chinese? I'm so sick of pizza." Spike said he ate a pint of Sesame Chicken, extra spicy, once a week.
"Sick of pizza? Does not computer," Xander joked.
"Not everyone can eat pizza every day like you Xander, some of us like variety," she snapped.
"Hey that's fine, chinese it is, I guess." He looked at her questioningly for a moment before going back downstairs.
They attacked around the same time as the night before. Like the previous night, Buffy and Spike fought them outside while Xander and Dawn watched from the window. She grinned as Spike spun around an attacker, kicking him in the butt before socking another one across the face with a right hook.
A small group surrounded Buffy, but Dawn was sure she'd be fine. She couldn't see her, but Spike was the one she cared about watching. She was so intent on watching him fight that she didn't notice the demon that spotted her and Xander in the window and charged them.
The demon burst through the window faster than she could have thought possible, toppling Xander. The demon rose to its feet quickly, fangs dripping green slime, as it seemed to grin at Dawn. Xander lay on the floor, unconscious.
"Spike! Help!" Dawn called.
"Dawn!" she heard Buffy yell, but the Slayer was surrounded by demons, and though she redoubled her efforts, she couldn't break free.
The demon growled, seeming to chuckle as it stalked closer to Dawn.
"S-stay back, I know karate," she said shakily. She stepped into a shaky stance that she sort of remembered from when she took karate at summer camp.
The demon backhanded her before she realized it had moved, and she sailed across the room. She was lucky, as the blow sent her into the couch, but the force of the blow to her face was bad enough. She thought she might have blacked out for a moment, because when she opened her eyes the demon was on top of her.
"Prrttyyy..." it growled, grinning at her with those huge fangs and dripping green slime on her face. It caressed her cheek with a claw, and she sobbed a little.
"Please no," she begged.
"Miiiiinne..." it said, and then it scratched her cheek with his claw, leaving a red strip of blood.
"Hey!"
The demon turned, and was met with an axe to the face. It froze in place for a moment, and then fell backwards, dead. Dawn sighed in relief. Spike!
Xander stood over her, offering a hand to help her up. She took it, but had to steady herself against Xander as she stood. The room seemed to sway a bit.
"Xander? Where's Spike?" she asked, confused.
"Out getting his violence jollies," Xander said with no attempt to hide his disgust.
"Then who?" Dawn looked at the dead demon, the axe buried halfway into its skull.
"Your friendly neighborhood fort holder," Xander said, shrugging.
"You let one get through!" Buffy was screaming.
"Oi I ain't bleedin' Superman 'ere, pet, I can't be everywhere at once," Spike said defensively.
"You were so busy playing with them that you let one get through! Dawn could have been killed!" Dawn stayed silent, watching the fight with a dazed expression as she held a cold compress to her recently bandaged cheek. She was still a bit shaken from the demon attack, but Xander had declared that he'd had enough concussions to know she had gotten off lucky and escaped with just a bad headache.
"Must be that Summers blood, eh?" he had joked.
"It all worked out fer the best, didn't it? The nibblet's got all her pieces and the demons are all dead, I say score one fer the home team."
"You should have helped her when she screamed! What we you thinking?"
"I wasn't thinkin', I was fightin'!" Spike retorted, apparently under the assumption that this was a proper defense.
"You're damned lucky that Dawn didn't get killed tonight Spike, otherwise you'd be dust right now. Get out of here."
Spike exhaled sharply through his nose. "Fine! I gotta run some errands anyhow." He slammed the door on his way out.
A moment later it opened again, and he stuck his head in.
"We still on fer patrol tomorrow?" he asked.
"Not unless you stay in my sight for another second," Buffy growled.
"Right then," he said, and then he was gone.
Sir Spike of Shadow grinned as he felled the last warrior.
"What? Izzat all then?" He spun around, but saw no challengers. "Right then! The Princess is mine, and the kingdom besides!" He grabbed Princess Dawn by her arm, and began dragging her out of the great hall.
"Not so fast!" the voice rang throughout the room.
"You," the Dark Knight said, eyes wide.
The Knight of Dawn strode into the hall. His pure white armor shining with a holy light. Justice in one hand and the Ray of Dawn in the other. His eyes were pure resolve as he stared at the Knight of Shadow.
"I believe it is my honor to defend my Princess," said Xander Harris, the Knight of Dawn.
Spike roared; his greatsword raised high as he charged Xander. The Ray of Dawn met Bloodletter, and a spray of sparks flashed from where they clashed.
The two warriors pressed sword against sword, each fighting to gain the upper hand. The Knight of Shadow's face was set in a grimace as he struggled to push against the pure strength of the Knight of Dawn.
The White Knight surged forward, shoving Spike back. Their swords met again and again, flashing brightly with every strike. The Dark Knight was losing, and he knew it.
"I won't be beaten by you!" he cried. "I may not have my victory, but you won't have yours!" He screamed and hurled Bloodletter with all his might, heaving the greatsword straight at Princess Dawn.
"No!" cried Xander, as he dove towards Dawn. The sword met the man in midair, and Bloodletter pierced the heart of the Knight of Dawn. He collapsed, blood staining his armor.
"Xander!" the Princess cried, rushing to her Knight.
"My princess," he coughed. He stared up at her, smiling.
"No my Knight, don't leave me, please," tears rolled down her perfect and not-at-all acne ridden cheeks.
"As you wish...milady..." he gasped, and was silent.
"No!" she screamed, crying over him.
"Well look's like I win after all," the Knight of Shadow said. "Ponce wasn't so tough, and I get me a princess outta the deal." He grinned, and picked up the struggling Princess.
"I don't think so."
Spike spun. "It can't be!"
The Knight of Dawn stood strongly, and slowly pulled the sword called Bloodletter from his chest. His armor crackled with pure white energy, sealing the puncture and dissolving the blood. He tossed Bloodletter at Spike's feet.
"I always protect my Princess," the Knight said.
The Dark Knight bellowed wordlessly, releasing the Princess and reaching for Bloodletter. Xander moved quickly, grasping the Ray of Dawn in one hand and rushing to meet the Knight of Shadow.
The Ray of Dawn, held by the a true Knight bathed in the tears of the Princess, shattered the dark sword Bloodletter, and followed through to take the head of the Dark Knight.
"You saved me," breathed the Princess.
The White Knight gave her a lopsided grin.
"Always, milady."
"Dawn Corleone?"
She blinked. Xander stood in her doorway. She giggled inwardly at the nickname.
"Yeah?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Chinese food?" he tried to hide his distaste for it, failing miserably.
She grinned at him.
"How about pizza?"
His grin matched hers, and he bowed exaggeratedly, and then winked at her.
"As you wish, milady."