Author: Muse
Title: Blood of Fate | Chapter 3
Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Spike sighed and leaned against the newspaper dispenser outside yet another book store Dawn had disappeared into a half an hour earlier. He snorted as the wind swept past, causing dust to shoot up his nose.

The scent of Something filled his sensory glands, sending him into instant full alert. He couldn't tell if it was a Bad Something or a Good Something and that worried him immensely. He surged to his feet immediately, shaking out the massive mane of fur around his neck and a low rumble of a growl erupting from deep in his throat. Several people slipped past him quickly, casting fearful glances his way. Normally this reaction would have caused him no end of amusement, but right now he was solely focused on the approaching Something he couldn't identify.

He spared a quick glance through the window of the bookstore and saw Dawn talking to the clerk behind the cashier's counter. Scanning the immediate area, he tried to determine where the Something was approaching from. His instincts told him that whatever it was, it was here for Dawn.

Deciding that he could better protect Dawn by being closer to her; Spike moved his substantial bulk in front of the entry and kept a wary surveillance of the neighborhood. He could only catch brief puffs of the elusive scent belonging to the Something, but it was getting stronger by the minute. He settled down at the front stoop and arranged himself so anyone coming along would understand he would not move until he decided to.

Glancing back into the bookstore, he could see Dawn handing a book over to the clerk, the faint sound of her laughter drifting through the crack in the doorjamb.

Head snapping back to the front, he abruptly lurched to his feet, all senses keyed in to the fact that the Something was Here, somewhere nearby on this block. He felt a sense of urgency as he lifted his massive head once again to the wind in an attempt to determine what was that was heading their way. A soft whine of frustration escaped from his throat when he still couldn't tell what the Something was. Risking a quick glance back into the bookstore, Spike saw Dawn taking a small bag from the clerk, a wide smile on her face as she thanked him. It was obvious that she would be outside soon and he was no closer to identifying what was headed toward them. He just might have to block her exit.

He surveyed the block again, experienced eyes dismissing what was unnecessary to his needs. His eyes narrowed on a man across the street. Dressed casually, the man leaned against the wall of the bakery directly across the street from them, his eyes steadily watching Spike. Spike lowered his head slightly, both ears turning back toward the potential threat as he moved into a stiff-legged stance, barring the door as much as possible with his unmoving bulk. The man pushed away from the brick wall and began a slow walk towards the bookstore, pausing slightly as several cars passed by in the street. Tension built in Spike's muscles as their eyes remained locked. The closer the man got to Spike, the more obvious it became that the two of them were sizing each other up, attempting to determine weaknesses and strengths and ways to exploit both.

The man stopped within a few feet of Spike, just out of lunging reach, never once breaking his gaze with Spike. It had become a staring match, a challenge of dominance. He still wasn't sure what the Something before him was, but he was absolutely positive that it was not a fully human male. The scent was off, different. A low rumble once again boiled up from his chest as the man continued to stare, setting off alarms even louder in Spike's mind. No normal human male ever challenged him to this extent. Just as he was about to bare teeth and get into a good old fashioned dog-against-man brawl, the bell to the bookstore behind him jingled and Dawn emerged, bag in hand, rummaging around in her purse and not watching where she was going. Which inevitably resulted in stumbling over Spike, dropping both purse and bag and flinging her arms out, grasping them around the man in front of her in an effort to avoid a face plant onto the cobblestone sidewalk.

~*~*~*~

Dawn sighed tiredly as she grabbed the shopping bag containing the book she found for the Council. After checking out about a million stores in the tri-state area, she had finally located one. Luckily, neither the bookstore owner nor the clerks had any idea what the book actually was or she would have never found it. As it was, she still paid through the nose for it and was definitely going to be sure to have the Council fully reimburse both her travel expenses and the cost of the book. Her credit card had cringed when the sales clerk rung up the total.

Holding the bag in her other hand, she rummaged through her purse, not looking as she stepped through the door and out onto the steps that led to the sidewalk. Her ever elusive cell phone was proving to be… elusive. Highly irritated, Dawn continued to dig into her bag, unaware of her surroundings and completely unprepared for Spike's body blocking the head of the steps. When her shins came into contact with his back, Dawn was already mentally preparing to verbally blast the dog… just as soon as she picked herself up. Her descent began and the shopping bag, purse and stupid cell phone went flying in an unknown direction as she violently pin wheeled her arms in a desperate attempt to avoid an embarrassingly horrible face plant.

Bracing herself for the hard impact with the cobblestone sidewalk, Dawn was surprised instead when she found her crash halted by a pair of strong arms. Opening her eyes, she was nose to breast bone with a very impressively muscled chest covered with a nicely stretched t-shirt. Taking a deep breath as the arms settled her back safely on her feet, Dawn continued her perusal of the chest and up over the collar of the shirt and jacket to the neck where she could just make out a faint shadow of dark hair. Her gaze continued to follow the neck up, revealing a strong chin and jaw, full lips, ending with a pair of brilliant blue eyes… eyes that stirred a faint memory she couldn't quite grasp as it flitted through her mind.

Shaking her head, she flushed hotly when she realized that the man was watching her appreciative observation of him with a slight smirk. Taking several steps back, Dawn glanced down and saw that Spike was silently watching the scene unfold. Remembering why she was in this predicament to begin with, she leveled a glare down the dog that should have seared the fur right off of his body.

"Spike!" she growled out at him. "I thought we talked about this."

Spike had the good sense to look down in apology.

Turning, she looked back at the man who had saved her from even more embarrassment. "I'm sorry. Really. He's a gentle giant, but Spike has a habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time." She shot another look down at Spike, which he studiously ignored. "I'm Dawn." She stuck her hand out in greeting and smiled, feeling slightly giddy when the man took it and shook it in return.

"I'm Marcus." The man said in a quiet, deep voice. He looked down at Spike and then glanced back up at Dawn. "I'm not sure I know what kind of dog that is. I don't think I've ever seen anything like him."

Dawn smirked a little. "I'm sure you haven't. He's an extremely... rare… breed. He was a gift!"

Marcus nodded.

Dawn fidgeted as the silence stretched between them. Just when she didn't think she was going to be able to take it much longer, Marcus looked at her and said, "Hey. I know you don't know anything about me. But would you be interested in grabbing a cup of coffee with me?"

Spike chuffed quietly beside her. She waved her hand slightly in his direction and smiled at Marcus. "Sure! I'd love to! I think there's a place just around the corner… if you'd like?"

Marcus flashed a grin and waved a hand ahead of him, indicating for her to lead the way. "Sure! Sounds good." He glanced behind her at the dog that was still staring at him with those all too-knowing eyes. "Is he coming with us?"

Dawn shrugged. "Yeah. He kinda goes everywhere with me." She sighed. "Is that a problem?"

Marcus locked eyes with the dog and they evaluated each other again. Spike's steady gaze reassured Marcus that for the moment, Dawn was safe and being watched after. Each coming to the same conclusion of no immediate threat, they dropped their gazes simultaneously and Marcus shook his head. "No, it's not a problem. Are you ready?"

Dawn nodded happily and started down the sidewalk toward the coffee shop, Marcus in step with her and the massive dog following behind. They drew quite a few stares on their way.

~*~*~*~

Arm stretched along the top of his side, Marcus leaned back in the booth and listened as Dawn babbled away. He could tell she was nervous and was trying to cover it up with random small talk. As he watched her fidget in her seat, he had a hard time reconciling this vibrant young woman with the tortured female he had released from those engraved bonds in his bleak and terrible future.

Hearing her ask him what he did for a living, he realized it was show time and sat up in his seat, taking a sip of his coffee and started the lie that he and Connor had come up with.

"I'm in private personal security."

Dawn looked at him, puzzled. "What? You mean like home security systems?"

"No." he said, chuckling. "I mean like bodyguard."

"Oh." She said, floundering. "Is it for celebrities or something?"

Marcus nodded. "Among others, yes. But I don't do the work personally anymore. I own the company and I train the employees." He looked at her, expression grave. "I think that it's an important service, one that isn't given enough consideration."

Dawn pondered that for a moment. "Yeah, I can understand that." She glanced out the window comforted that Spike was sitting quietly, his unwavering gaze intent on the door leading into the coffee shop. "You can't be too careful these days. Danger lurks everywhere, it seems."

"What about you? What do you do, Dawn?" Marcus asked her, genuinely curious.

"Me? I'm a researcher and a translator for an antiquities procurement company." The lie rolled off her tongue easily and yet, for some reason, she felt a little guilty for lying to Marcus.

Marcus pursed his lips. "Impressive. Any particular languages?"

"Dead ones." She replied, laughing. "Sumerian, Aramaic, Etruscan, Galatian… just to name a few. And then the old standby of Latin, when all else fails." She sighed. "It gets tiring at times, the research, the translating… but when you figure something out that no one else has found, it makes it all worth it!"

Marcus smiled and then proceeded to take over the small talk. Questioning her in such a way that he was able to glean quite a bit of useful information. He learned that she lived with her sister and two friends, worked for a large firm that was internationally established, kept to herself for the most part and she graduated college with highest honors. The most important thing, however, was that he was able to determine that she was not currently being stalked by the T-1000 that had been sent through before him. That made his life and his mission a little simpler since it allowed him the opportunity to become better acquainted with her as well as her getting to know him before anything happened. It gave him time to start establishing a trust between them. He took all of the information and started filing it away. After all, the smallest detail could be of vital importance.

~*~*~*~

Dawn laughed and then frowned when she happened to glance down at her watch and saw what time it was. Good lord! – They'd been at the coffee shop for over two hours! Buffy and Faith were going to have a fit!

Marcus saw the sudden change in Dawn's manner and leaned forward, gently tapping her hand. "Hey. Everything ok?"

Dawn sighed. "Yeah… it's just… I have to go. I was supposed to be back at my office over two hours ago."

"Ok." Marcus watched her for a moment. "Do you think I could get your number? Maybe I could call you later this week?" He was barely able to hide the smile that threatened when he saw the excited look that came over Dawn's face.

Dawn nodded vigorously. "Yes! Yes, of course!" She tore off a corner from the bill and quickly wrote her cell phone number down. "Feel free to call anytime!" She invited with a wide smile.

He tucked the paper into his wallet and stood up, heading to the register to pay the bill. Dawn gathered up her items and stepped out of the booth as he dropped several bills on the table for the waitress. He placed a hand lightly on the small of her back as he escorted her to the door and she barely suppressed the shiver of acknowledgement that a gorgeous man was touching her. God, she felt like she was fifteen again!

Making their goodbyes and a promise from Marcus for him to call later in the week, Dawn watched as he strolled off with an easy gait. Sighing in happy excitement, she looked at Spike.

"Well! – that was a pleasant surprise!"

Spike huffed and stood up; looking in the direction that Marcus had taken when he left.

"What? He's a nice guy!"

Spike snorted.

"Whatever. He's a nice guy and I'm excited I met him."

Spike snorted again.

"And don't think I've forgotten what you did to cause this whole thing, Mister!"

Spike turned a silent gaze towards her.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Nothing to say when you know you're in trouble, huh?"

Spike studiously ignored her.

Dawn gazed at the large dog for a moment and couldn't help but smile. He had just been doing his job; she couldn't really be too upset with him. Leaning down, she reached out a hand and scratched that special spot behind his ear that always made him lean heavily into her. Giving a happy snuffle, Spike turned his head and licked her hand. Dawn stood back up and patted his head and then slung her purse back on her shoulder.

Hearing her cell ring and seeing the display showing Willow's number, Dawn sighed heavily. "All right, Spike. Let's go. We're being paged." She turned headed toward her Jeep. "Lord only knows what they'll do if we're any later." Answering the phone, she braced herself for the inevitable Willow-babble and started off to her car. Time to go home; maybe, just maybe, she'd get a call from Marcus later in the week.

~*~*~*~

Marcus made his way back to the apartment he had set himself up in. He'd been in the Cleveland area for almost a year looking for Dawn. It hadn't been easy, the group she was affiliated with was clandestine and finding information on them had been rather like looking for a needle in a haystack. Luckily, Connor had given him information pertaining to various contacts that he had set up during his time there and also several bank accounts that had been set up with a substantial amount of money to fund Marcus's mission.

Knowing that the Council Dawn worked with would investigate him thoroughly, he had in fact started a private security company and earned 'an honest living' through it. He was instinctively good at what he did and the business thrived with little effort on his part. This left him with plenty of time to search for Dawn and also monitor the situation regarding the other Terminator. So far it hadn't shown itself.

Entering his place, he tossed his keys on the table and shrugged off his jacket, slinging it over a chair and headed into the kitchen where he proceeded to open the refrigerator and grab a beer. Turning, he went into the living room and sat heavily on the couch, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV to one of the local news channels. Opening the beer, he tugged out his wallet and pulled out the slip of paper Dawn had written her number on. The young woman he'd just had coffee with was so unlike the emaciated female he had met in the future. In this time, she was vibrant, full of life, and seemed so untouched. He wasn't sure if she had already been abducted yet and was that good at hiding it, but he knew he'd do whatever was needed to help prevent that from happening. Having met the girl, it was imperative that the horrifying future awaiting her had to be avoided at all costs; more for her than for what it meant for the future. Why he felt so strongly about it, he wasn't entirely sure.

Leaning back on the couch, he took a long pull on his beer before setting it down on the end table next to him. Lifting first one leg and then the other, he pulled his boots off and then turned to lie down on the couch, arm over his eyes. Rest was his priority right now. He had a feeling watching over Dawn for the next few weeks were going to be exhausting.