Not Just Annoying
Dawn really was Buffy's sister, not the key, and she's 12 in this story (she is six years younger than Buffy isn't she?). It's about a week after graduation (so I'm thinking two weeks after the break up?), and Dawn has gone to L.A. to see her dad; Buffy stayed at home. Also, she never actually met Angel, and he never met her – they only heard about each other. I don't own anything you recognise.
"Dad! I'm going out shopping, okay? I'll be home before dark."
"Bye sweetheart!"
Mum had brought me over here as a surprise. I don't know who was more surprised – Dad or me!
Buffy can't even think straight, otherwise we would have gotten the bus here like usual, but I'm too young apparently. Just because she's older, and the Slayer! But I am kinda glad Buffy isn't here – she's such a mess. Angel left last week, and we don't know where; well, Giles knows, but he isn't telling. She spends most of the day crying, or moping, or eating ice cream, before going out to patrol for vampires and then coming home to sleep. She has really bad nightmares. They scare me. I don't know what dad would think – he doesn't know anything about her Slayer powers, or vampires … or anything in our lives anymore.
So mum brought me to dad's by myself; I was meant to spent two weeks here. He's leaving in two days though, because he forgot we (just me now) were coming, hence him being surprised. As soon as I got there, at about twelve in the afternoon, I decided that I had to go outside. I told dad I was going shopping, and left. I doubt he would even have noticed I was gone if I hadn't said anything.
The sun had just set in L.A., and a girl, no older than twelve or thirteen was hurrying through the streets muttering to herself.
"All I wanted was a bar of chocolate, it really didn't need to take that long. Stupid shop, stupid chocolate, stu – oh dear." She knew she was being followed, and she had a good idea of who was following her, or rather what was following her. "So not good. When's Buffy when you need her?"
Dropping her shopping bag to the floor, she began to run, knowing that her only chance was to find somewhere to hide, or someone to fight them for her. 'Fat chance – the Slayer's back home, and no-one even knows about vampires, let alone how to fight them. If I survive this, Buffy is gonna kill me so bad!'
She turned the corner, praising any god listening that she knew roughly which way she needed to go, and kept running, hoping that her 'stalkers' would just give up if they had to chase their food. She was out of luck, just getting to a park five seconds before they did. She was nowhere near any houses, and in a 'scream all you want' situation.
"Erm, guys? Can we please not do this? My sister will kill you all for this you know … you might want to rethink your choice of meal?"
"Ooh I'm so scared little girl! What's she gonna do, sweetheart? Bleed on me?"
He began to advance on her, and she backed away slowly. She was scared, and would willingly admit that; just not to them. As he got closer, she ran, knowing that she would be caught, but moving anyway, he had just caught up again, when she tripped over a lone football that some kid had left in the park earlier, hitting her knee and arm in the process. Dimly, she realised that she was bleeding, and that the blood would only make them want her more. She had just about given up hope of surviving to even let Buffy kill her, when a big, black something jumped onto the back of one of the vampires. She knew this was the kind of fight that Buffy wanted to keep her 'safe' from, and why she wasn't allowed to patrol with her.
"Hey, you okay?" In answer, she fainted.
"Kid! Come on, wake up. That's it, you can do it"
Dawn woke up to find herself on a bed in a dingy apartment. Thinking the worst, she opened her mouth and screamed.
"Hold on, I wont hurt you. You're safe now. You're safe." The guy just kept repeating the words, staying out of arm's reach to put her at ease. When she finally stopped screaming, she tentatively asked,
"Where am I? Who are you? And how do you know how to fight vampires?"
"You know about vampires? Oh, I'm Angel, an–"
"What! You're Angel? As in the tall, dark, mysterious and cryptic vampire with a soul? Boy do I have things to tell you. Dawn Summers."
"As in Buffy's little sister? Oh god. You're not here looking for me are you? I left for good reasons – it's better in the long run like. It's better …"
"Say what now? I'm here in L.A. to visit dad, and here here because you brought me here. Do you make a habit of bringing strange girls back to your place? Or am I just lucky that way?"
"What? No, yes – you were hurt! You should have known better than to be wandering around after dark, alone. You do live in Sunnydale."
"It wasn't my fault. I was shopping, and the stupid shop was being slow. I told dad I would be back before dark, but –"
"He'll be worried sick then"
"Doubt it"
"Hi dad … Yeah, I'm fine … Some guys tried to jump me on the way back from the corner shop, but I ran into an old friend of Buffy's" 'you have no idea how old' she thought, "and I'm fine … No, really, I know him … Yes, him … Buffy's boyfriend – I know him … well I was a little bit hurt, but he patched me up … DAD! Stop yelling! It was just a scraped knee … sigh do you wanna speak to him? … Okay … here you go"
"Mr Summers? … Yeah, she really is fine … they were hanging around outside my offices … I'm thinking about starting a business, and my family left this office to me … well yeah, but not like that or anything … honestly! You can speak to Joyce if you want, or Buffy, actually, don't speak to Buffy … well we broke up, sir … I would never hurt either or your daughters, sir … she's at my apartment, her knee was scraped up pretty bad, and I thought it might need looking after … no of course not … would you like me to bring her home? Or would you like to collect her? She seems pretty tired, so … oh … well; I have a spare bedroom … no, no that's fine with me. Dawn?"
"Yuh-huh? … Hi again dad … no, I know him – I told you … no, I don't mind … you sure … all right then … I'll see you tomorrow? … I thought you knew? … Well, I'll ask Angel to take me back home then … no, I'm sure he wouldn't mind" 'would you mind?' she mouthed. Angel shook his head, not knowing that 'home meant Sunnydale, and not L.A. "he doesn't mind … okay then … bye."
"Settled?"
"Yeah, I'll stay here tonight, and you take me home tomorrow?"
"Sure."
He led her over to his bed, told her to sit, and disappeared. A few minutes later, he returned with a shirt and extra blanket.
"Here, you can sleep in this, and I don't get cold, but you might need this. Call me if you need anything. I don't have much in the way of food, but I do have water – I'll order you some breakfast in the morning."
"Thanks for letting me stay, Angel."
"No problem. I have plenty of room, and you're only a kid."
"I'm not just a kid!"
"You are to me." He smiled painfully at the pout she gave him. It was so like Buffy's itbroke his heartto see. "Good night Dawn … sleep tight."
"Night."
Angle disappeared again, shutting the door after him, leaving Dawn to change in peace. She was asleep within ten minutes.
Angel took the spare bedding out of a cupboard, and went to the sofa to set up his own bed. Dawn reminded him so much of Buffy. And she didn't seem as bad as Buffy had always made her out to be – then again; Angel could still remember what it was like to have a younger sibling. When he was Liam, Katherine had hero-worshipped him, just as dawn did to Buffy. His brothers not so much, but little Katherine … and he had killed her, just like he did to all of them.
A single tear trickled down the vampire's cheek.
He walked over to the closed door of his bedroom, and smiled slightly when he heard the soft rhythmic breathing that told him that Dawn was asleep. Then he went back to the sofa, and settled down for a night of troubled sleep, filled with his sweet Katherine's face.
"Angel? Angel, wake up! Angel, you're scaring me."
He jerked awake, sitting up violently, sweat pouring down into his eyes. Then he remembered that he was not alone, and looked straight at Dawn, where she was standing, three feet away from him, a scared look in her brown eyes.
"Sorry, I have nightmares sometimes. I didn't scare you did I?" he knew he had, but that wasn't the point. The girl shook her head, and looked down.
She had clearly just woken up, even if it was already eleven O'clock, and was still wearing the shirt he gave her – it completely dwarfed her. It was quite comical really.
"You know, she has nightmares? Sometimes – well actually mostly – she wakes up screaming for you, screaming your name. She talks in her sleep. Stuff like 'I'm sorry; I had no choice' and 'please don't leave me'. She never says, but I know she's talking about you. The nights she doesn't have nightmares, she walks about like a zombie all day, after crying for twenty minutes before she gets out of bed. Do you have any idea of what you did to my sister? She told Willow she feels like she's dying; she feels like she can't breathe."
There was no need to name her, he knew who she was talking about.
"Dawn … I left for a reason, lots of reasons. I can't just … go back and pretend none of reasons exist anymore. It's better this way."
"Better for who? For you or for Buffy?"
"Both"
"That's rubbish and you know it. Buffy is miserable, and you're … what? Avoiding all human contact 'just in case'. I know you're a vampire and drink blood to live, but since I've gotten here, you haven't had any. Do you just not have to drink – eat … whatever – for ages, or are you ashamed or what?"
Angel just stayed quiet. If Dawn was anything like her sister (and she was proving to be quite similar) then even without Slayer strength, she was a force to be reckoned with. A blind man could see the love those two had for each other, even if they didn't always show it. A deaf man could hear the worry dawn had for her older sister. Nothing comes between family. Or love. And right now, dawn was seeing straight through him. He hadn't eaten … drunk … in a week, more even. Not since he drunk from Buffy. Not just a human, or a Slayer, but his love.
"I know I'm 'just a kid' – especially to you, I mean you're what 243 years old – anyway … yeah, I know I'm a kid, but I still know some stuff. Like when my sister needs you.
"We never met, but she was always happier after she went to see you. And then she said you changed or something, what was up with that? She was miserable, but I was the only one who could see it (we've always had that sister thing – you know, when we can know exactly what the other is saying even without talking). It only got worse, when you left last year … she never did say where … she was so torn up, that she ran away. Did you know that? She said later that you were good again, but had to go away, and she thought you were dead.
"We were all so worried about her – mum was frantic, and Giles was just as bad. You would have thought he was her dad, not watcher person the way he was acting. When you came back from whereever you went (you clearly weren't dead), she was so happy, but sad at the same time. She told me that you couldn't be her boyfriend anymore even if you were 'good again' … never really did explain that one … she knew it couldn't happen.
"That Christmas, she was as happy as she was to start with, when she first met you. She said that you were her boyfriend again, and were 'taking it a bit slower' yeah, like I don't know what that means! Mum wasn't all that happy, but I saw what she couldn't see – my sister was happy again even if we now knew you're a vampire … although it does explain a lot. What you broke up with her – and just before the Prom as well, you jerk! – she was devastated. I'm surprised she didn't run away again. It was worse that last year. She said it was because you had a choice this time … never explained that one either."
"So who is it better for, Angel? You, or Buffy?"
Through the whole speech, Angel had stayed silent; closing his eyes in an attempt to block out the pain it was causing him. Dawn may not have known all of the sordid details, but she certainly knew enough to cut deep into his dead heart. The question did not require an answer, but he gave one anyway.
"Me." His eyes were downcast, as he realised what he knew all along. Nothing could stop him and Buffy from loving each other. Sooner or later, they would see each other again, and it wouldn't take much for them to be at the stage they were a week ago. He was scared of what might happen, and wanted to protect his love from that ugly future, but in the end, he hadn't given Buffy a choice. He had never wanted to hurt her, and now, Dawn was telling him that's exactly what he had done. It was last thing he ever wanted to do. According to this little girl, he, Angel had hurt Buffy far more than even Angelus had – something he thought impossible. But then, what about her wasn't impossible.
A Slayer in love with a vampire. He had not been right to call their relationship a freak show; it was a miracle. He had to go back.
I've been re-watching Buffy and Angel now that I'm actually old enough to understand more than 'vampire bad, Buffy good' and just decided to do something about it. I might continue, or I could just leave it here. What do you think?