TITLE: When Ama Met Dawn
AUTHOR: Muse
RATING: General
PAIRING(S): Ama, Dawn
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters, I am only having some fun with them. Ama's name belongs to dharkcharlotte and the character belongs to FOX and Friedman. Dawn belongs to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.
NOTES: This is a challenge fic from btvssccxover that I wrote for the prompt 'Soul'. It is a side piece that goes with my story 'A Sense of Inevitability'. Also, a great big THANK YOU to dharkcharlottefor her amazing beta skills! :-)

She had seen some stone cold killers in her time. Growing up around Carlos, it was hard not have seen it. After her parents died when she was still a young girl, Carlos and his uncle had taken her in… it was that or go to the State. Sometimes, she wondered what it would have been like growing up there instead of amongst the constant ebb and flow of felonies and illegalities that had been commonplace within their household. The gang lords, the drug lords, the thieves… they had been more willing to pull out a gun and put a bullet between your eyes than sit and talk to you about anything. Yes, she had seen some stone cold killers in her time…

But nothing prepared her for the transformed face of the boy who had asked her what time it was at a darkened street corner on her way back from the corner grocery. Nothing had prepared her for the total lack of humanity within his gaze as his teeth elongated and his eyes gleamed with a dull, sickly yellowish green. Nothing had prepared her for the certain knowing that she was not going to walk away from this; that she was going to die on that corner. Gazing into the eyes of the vampire, for that was the only thing it could possibly be; Ama was sickened with the realization that there was no sense in pleading for her life. Instead, she closed her eyes and began to softly pray to the Holy Mother to deliver her unto His arms for safekeeping.

"God doesn't care about your soul, little girl!" the vampire taunted her, licking his lips as he yanked her head to the side. She had long since given up the fight to get away. He was so much stronger and faster that her that he had subdued her quickly.

"Yeah, well… at least she's GOT a soul, fang boy!" another voice quipped from right behind them. As quickly as he had transformed, Ama was surrounded by a cloud of dust. Coughing and choking, eyes watering, Ama looked around frantically for the vampire and instead found a young girl not much older than herself standing there, holding what looked like a wooden stake and friendly smirk on her face.

"You ok?" the girl asked.

Ama nodded.

The girl looked around and that's when Ama noticed that she had book bag with Berkeley's crest on it. She opened her mouth to speak, but winced as her throat ached from abuse it had experienced earlier.

"Hurts, huh?" The girl said with the air of one who had experienced it herself. "It'll get better…"

Just as Ama was going to ask what she meant, her eyes widened as she saw a female counter-part to the boy that had just recently turned to dust come hurtling through the dark towards them.

The girl, seeing Ama's eyes widen, quickly reacted and before Ama could force her frozen limbs to act, had dispatched the other vampire.

Turning with a jaunty grin, the girl looked at Ama again. "Man! – I love a good patrol! It's awesome when they're stupid enough to charge you!"

Ama just looked at her like she had lost her mind.

"By the way, what's your name?" the girl asked.

"Ama." She croaked out.

"Well, Ama… it's nice to meet you. I'm Dawn." She stuck out her hand in a friendly fashion.

Ama looked at it like it was a live snake. She had never been more traumatized in her life and she knew she was probably going into shock. Taking her hand, Ama just gazed at Dawn in a helpless plea for assistance.

Dawn smile at her. "It's ok. Let's get you home…"