Belisma-  Kristen Elizabeth

Disclaimer: Buffy doesn't belong to me, but Dahlia does:) See, I can create characters too...I don't always have to borrow Josses.

Author's Notes: This is a response to my second F.A.N. Challenge. Also, if the dates in this story seem a little off to you, I'm sorry. Time and date order is something Joss has never been good at, so I figure, how can I really be blamed when I screw with it?

Dedication: To the little sister Mom and Dad never gave me. Sniff. And to the little brother they saddled me with:)

Me In the Corner by Kristen Elizabeth

**March 15, 2000

I guess you could say I've always been in the corner. Both literally and figuratively. And I've never really minded. Really, I didn't. My parents never play favorites. They don't have to; they each got one of us after the divorce. Still, it's hard living under the shadow of Buffy Summers. Buffy of the perfect body. Buffy of the blond hair. Buffy of the 1400 something SAT score. Buffy.

Okay, so maybe I do mind....a little. It's not like I'm hideous and stupid. I have good skin, I'm a nice person....okay, I got the brown hair from Dad's side, but that's genetics. Out of my control. No one has ever recoiled in horror upon seeing me. Dahlia Summers is an okay person!!!**

"Dahl!" I heard her voice from downstairs. "Dahlia!" She was coming up the stairs. I quickly stuck my journal in my desk drawer and stood up, anticipating her entrance. She burst in just a second later and stood in the doorway, smiling at me. "Dahl-baby."

"Buffy!", I said with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. It had been awhile since I had seen my sister.

She moved forward and threw her perfectly tanned arms around me. "I've missed you."

"Missed you too", I replied, returning the hug warily. "I was happy when Dad said you were taking the bus up this weekend."

"Yeah, I needed to get out of Sunnydale for awhile. Although, it really should have been you coming to visit us. Mom would love to see you." She set her overnight bag down next to my desk.

I scratched an non-existent itchy spot on my arm. "Okay", was my vague answer.

Buffy stared at me for a second. "Dahl, don't you think it's time you stopped punishing Mom for the divorce. I mean...."

"Buffy, you just got here. Can we not do this? Please?" She answered with a nod. "Thanks. Have a seat." I guestured to my bed as I sat back down at my desk.

She complied, but a second later stood up and pulled something out from underneath her. She had sat on my stuffed elephant, Inky-Binky. "Oh, it's Inky-Binky, the misunderstood green elephant." She smiled at me. I returned it on instinct. She carefully set Inky against my pillows. "How are you, Dahl? It's been forever."

My shoulders lifted, my way of answering without really answering. Then, I thought better of it. "I'm okay. So ready to graduate, though."

"As if skipping one grade wasn't enough or something." She grinned. "You've got a couple of months left. Don't rush it."

"Says the girl who's living the college life. And that grade was kindergarten. Ooh, I missed out on the Alphabet People", I replied, dryly. I looked at my night table, way out of my reach. "Can you toss me that lotion?" I pointed to the bottle.

Buffy reached across the bed and picked it up. "Dahlia and Honeysuckle. Can't have one without the other." She handed it to me.

I squeezed some lotion into my hand and rubbed it on my elbows. "Buffy and Vanilla. We all have our things."

"Oh, I stopped wearing Vanilla ages ago. I've moved onto Peach." She blushed. "Riley likes it better."

"Riley?", I puzzled, smoothing lotion onto my knees. "The last time we talked, it was all about that older guy, Angel. Who's Riley?"

"Another older guy. Not too old, though." She looked down at her hands. "You'd like him. He's very....I don't know. Nice."

"Pretty vague, but the jury will accept it." I swung my legs around and propped my bare feet up on the bed next to her. "I have boy news too."

"Do tell, Dahl-baby."

"His name is Joseph", I told her "He asked me to the prom."

"And you're going, right?"

I stood up and crossed to my closet. From it, I pulled a satin garment bag. Buffy took the bag, unzipped it and pulled out a dark blue silk floor length gown. "I like it", she said. "Dad's Visa has served you well."

"I still have it, if you feel like some shoppage. He still hasn't asked for it back."

She carefully replaced the dress in its bag. "Maybe. I don't really feel like taking Dad's money anymore."

"More fun for me, then. The big double CD of 'Aspects of Love' will finally be mine." I draped the garment bag over my chair and flopped down next to my sister.

She absentmindedly reached for a lock of my hair and began braiding it. "Love changes everything", she quoted the musical. There was an undeniable strain in her voice.

"So they say", I whispered.

Buffy finished the one braid and started on another. "Okay...spill it, Dahl. What's wrong?"

I hesitated for a second, but I wasn't sure why. I used to tell my sister everything. It was only when she had started to keep secrets that I had stopped. When her secrets seemed to compound, I had quit talking to her altogether. But the last few moments had seemed almost like old times. I realized just how much I wanted that comraderie back. "Joseph and I have been dating for awhile now. And he'll be going to Harvard in the fall and I'll be at UCLA."

"And....?"

"And I know what he's expecting to happen after the prom", I finished.

She was quiet for a minute before starting a third braid. "Do you want to?"

I shrugged. My shoulders slid against the fabric of my bedspread. "I can't see any reason not to. He's smart, funny, good looking....all those things in a guy that you're supposed to wait for."

"It's a big deal, Dahl. A really big deal."

I took a breath and released it slowly. "Buffy, I'm not looking for the perfect moment or the most ideal time. I think of it as kind of a rite of passage. And I like Joseph...I really do. I don't see the sense in trying to wait for some perfect scenario."

Buffy began another braid. "I don't think there is such a thing. But as your older sister, can I give you some advice?"

"Shoot."

"Think about it before you do it. Don't get rushed into it. And be ready for the consequences."

I rolled my eyes. "I have had sex-ed, Buffy. I think I'll be okay."

"That's not what I'm talking about. I mean emotional consequences. Make sure you're ready for anything." She stopped for a second and I thought I heard her swallow heavily. "That's the best advice I can give you."

I sat up. "I promise. But I haven't even decided whether I'm going to or not."

"I think it's just a matter of dividing what you want into what you're willing to do and..."

I cut my sister off. "And the wisdom of the Tarot!" I pulled open my nightstand drawer and withdrew my Tarot cards. "C'mon...I'll do a reading for you."

Buffy shook her head. "That's okay."

"Please, Buffy? I'm just learning and I really need practice."

She hesitated for another minute before finally giving in. "I didn't know you were into this stuff", she said, crossing her legs. "You should meet my friend Willow. She's Wiccan."

"So, would that be your very subtle way of trying to get me to Sunnydale to see Mom?" I seperated out a few Tarot cards and handed them to her. "Hold these in your hands and ask yourself a yes or no question. This is the suit of Cups, so make sure it's a relationship question."

Buffy took the cards and pressed them between her perfectly manicured hands. "She really misses you, Dahl. Even more so now that I'm not at home anymore. You could call her more often, come see her....do something."

"Are you asking a question in between all that?" She gave me a look. I sighed. "What does she want to see me for? She's got you. That's how it went, remember? Dad got the house and me; Mom got the car and you."

"She didn't divorce *you*, Dahl. And if there's anyone you should be mad at, it's me."

I rolled my eyes. "How many people have to tell you that you didn't cause the divorce before you start to believe it? Mom fought with Dad way before you went crazy."

"Went crazy?", she repeated. I shrugged again. "You know, I had reasons, I just..." She stopped.

"You just can't talk about it", I finished for her. "Tell me something I don't know." There was a pause. "Have you asked your question?"

She looked down at the cards as if she had forgotten she was holding them. "Yeah...yeah, go ahead. Read me."

"Okay. First, I have to shuffle them." She handed the cards to me and I shuffled for a few seconds. "Now, I take the top card and put it here." I placed the large card in the space between us. "This card...the six of Cups...covers you."

"All right." Buffy sounded skeptical.

I took two more cards from the deck and shuffled them. After a moment, I picked the top card and placed it across the six of Cups. "This card...the Fool...crosses you."

"The Fool...great. And this means....?"

My eyes closed as I tried to remember. "The six of Cups crossed by the Fool means...it's all in the past. So whatever you asked, it's all in the past."

She smiled. "Good. That's what I wanted to hear."

"What did you ask?"

Buffy drew her knees up to her chest. "I asked if you should forgive Mom." She paused. "It's all in the past, Dahl."

I stared at her for a long moment. "Why do you want me to do this so badly? I talk to her every month on the phone and..."

"Yeah, ten minutes every thirty days. Such appreciation for the woman who brought you into the world."

My hands were trembling, but I managed to pick up the Tarot cards and shuffle them back into the deck. "It's not like I abandoned her or anything." My voice dropped. "She gave me up."

"You didn't try to stop her. In fact, it pretty much made you happy not to move to Sunnydale with us."

"Forgive me for not wanting to remain in your shadow, Buffy."

"What does that mean?"

I angrily pulled at my hair, undoing the loose braids. "When you were at Hemery, I might as well have not even existed."

"Hello to the melodrama." Buffy stood up and put her hands on her hips.

"Don't brush this off", I jumped up and faced her. "I wasn't Dahlia Summers back then. I was Buffy's little sister. To every teacher, every cheerleader, every guy, everyone! Buffy's little freshman sister. You know when that started to change? When you started to lose it. And then when you and Mom left, people began to actually notice the girl in the corner. They started to call me Dahlia with no mention of you. So, yeah....I wasn't exactly eager to come to Sunnydale and go back to being the nameless girl in the corner. Sue me."

"I had no idea you felt that way, Dahl", she said, quietly.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "How could you have? You were too busy leading the cheers and then burning down buildings to notice."

"That's not fair. I may not have been the most perceptive older sister in the world, but everything I did, everything I have done since I was fifteen years old was to make the world a better, safer place for you....my little sister." She closed her mouth as if she had said too much.

"You realize that made no sense, right? Touching, but completely cryptic."

Buffy's hands reached out to me. "Dahl....there's something I have to tell you. Something really big."

I cocked my head to the side and looked at her. "Are you dying or something?"

She shook her head. "No. But..."

"Oh god!" I put a hand to my mouth. "Are you pregnant?!?"

"What? No! Of course not. Look.....it's...well....here, sit down." She pushed me towards the bed....hard.

"Ow. Working out much, are we?" I rubbed the spot where she had grasped my arm just a little too strongly.

"Sorry. Okay...here it is." She took a deep breath. "Dahlia....I'm a vampire Slayer."

"Yeah and I'm Bride of Frankenstein, but we're thinking of splitting up. Buffy, if you have something big to tell me, just say it."

She sighed. "That's it. I'm being serious, Dahl. I'm a vampire Slayer...the Chosen One. I kill vampires and I save the world from being sucked into Hell."

I stared into my sister's blue eyes. "God....you really *did* lose it."

Buffy stomped her foot. "Damnit, what do I have to do to make you take me seriously? Do you want to see the scar on my neck where A...a vampire bit me? Should I show you my cross and stake collection? Most of it is in my bag, right at your feet."

My forehead crinkled. "You really do believe this, don't you?"

"So would you if you'd stop and think about it. C'mon Dahl....I went from being Miss Popularity to Miss Juvenile Delinquent overnight. You knew something was wrong; you just didn't have a name for it. Now you do. Vampire Slayer. The question is, can you accept it?"

"Accept it? I don't even know if I believe it. And if I can eventually believe it, I don't know that I'd ever understand it. So don't ask me to accept it right off the bat, Buffy." I paced across the room. "Have you told all this to Mom and Dad? Is this something you keep to yourself, like Clark Kent?"

"Mom knows. Not Dad." She folded her arms across her chest. "My friends in Sunnydale all know too...they help me."

"Oh....I see. You tell complete strangers but you can't tell your flesh and blood in LA?"

"I just did and see what reaction I got?"

"I'm quite sorry. I have people every day telling me that they slay vampires...I really should be used to it by now." I shook my head in mock self-disappointment.

"You know...I'm starting to regret telling you at all." She picked up her bag and stormed out of the room.

I watched my sister go, not making a move to stop her. I wanted to blow her confession off...chalk it up to the ramblings of someone who had eaten too much paste as a child. Overactive imagination. That's what it had to be. But then, I remembered something. Quickly, I pulled my journal out of my desk drawer and opened it to the beginning. After only a moment of searching, I found the entry I was looking for.

**September 23, 1996

School's boring and Mom and Dad are fighting. It's about Buffy again. I liked it better when they just fought about taxes and money. Buffy came in really late tonight. That's what started it all. She told Mom she was with some guy, but I don't believe her. She looked sick, not in love. And then, when I went to the bathroom, her washcloth was in the sink and there was blood on it. I wonder if that guy hit her or something. If he did, I'll beat him up. Well, I'll try anyways. I can hear her crying in her room. I'd go and hug her, but I don't think she wants me to. She's been really quiet lately and none of her friends have called in days. I hope she'll get better soon.**

My eyes were clouded over with tears before I finished the paragraph. She was right; I had known something was wrong. Why hadn't I tried to talk to her about it? I should have just gone to her and asked her what was wrong. Maybe she would have told me. Maybe we could have told Mom and Dad together and then they wouldn't have gotten divorced. No, that was wishing for too much. Mom and Dad's problems had run much deeper than Buffy's 180 transformation. It really was useless to think about all that could have happened. I looked at my door. Down the hallway, my sister was still in her room....alone. It's all in the past, I told myself. And this is now. Things can change from here on out.

I soon found myself knocking on her door. "What?", she snapped from inside.

"Can I come in? Please?"

"Whatever."

I opened the door and went inside, shutting the door gently behind me. She was lying on her old bed, her arms hugging the stiff pillow that was hardly ever used anymore. It was a guest room now; there hadn't been a trace of my sister in the room for four years. "I'm sorry", I eventually said. "I believe you."

She didn't move right away. "Don't do me any favors, Dahl-baby." Her tone was decidedly sarcastic.

"I mean it, Buffy. I remember it all. Late nights, blood in your clothing....burning down the entire gym. It makes sense now."

She turned her head to look at me. "I really did want to tell you. I just didn't know how."

"And I really should have asked you about it. I just didn't think you wanted me to."

Buffy laughed and wiped at a tear. "I guess it's better late than never...for both of us."

I nodded. "There's something else, too. When you go home...I want to go with you. To Sunnydale. To see Mom."

"She'd love that. I love that." A split second passed before my sister hugged me again. This time, my return hug wasn't at all hesistant. We broke apart after a few minutes. She wiped at some more tears. "You can meet all my friends....Willow, Xander, Giles. And Riley, of course."

I laughed, letting my own tears fall without hinderance. "At least I'll be stepping up in the world."

"Okay, explain."

"I won't just be Buffy Summers' little sister in the corner anymore. Now, I get to be a vampire Slayer's little sister in the corner." I smiled to let her know I was kidding.

She took my hands and squeezed them, lightly this time. "You are in the corner to no one, Dahlia. Least of all me."

I hugged her again. "So....who are Xander and Giles? Are they cute?"

The End

To be continued.........