TITLE: The other side of Dawn
AUTHOR: Ophelia
EMAIL: ophelia_rd@yahoo.com
DISCLAIMER: Joss, not I.
DISTRIBUTION: Let me know where it's going
CATEGORY: F/A…
RATING:
PART: 1/1
Feedback: Yes please!!!
VISIT ME: http://www.au.oocities.com/dra_gon_fly_er/
SPECIAL THANX:
To Katherine Freeman for her words of encouragement and betaing!!!
The other side of Dawn
"Faith?"
The dark-haired slayer nearly choked on her ice cream, being addressed by a pleasant yet unfamiliar low voice.
"Dawn…"
She whirled around, taken by surprise, forgetting about her puffy red face.
"Is everything alright?"
She watched a small frown sneak across the younger girl's forehead and hurried to wipe away the last remnants of tears.
Today had been one of these days…
She just couldn't help it…
Her run-in with Cordie…
Angel and her blasted interlude…
+Gosh, better not think about that last bit!+
The moment she closed her eyes, she could hear herself panting.
Feel the rugged brigs scraping her back.
Feel him pounding away into her spasming hot channel.
+Why the heck did we had to end up having sex?+
+Okay, we've both been upset…+
+So much for an excuse, but…+
"Did you actually get a single word of what I just said?"
The mocking scold eventually penetrated her brain.
"I'm trying to apologize here," the younger girl grinned. "Saying thanx for defending me and so on and so on…"
The mere thought of what she'd thrown at Cordelia made her cheeks flush in a brilliant shade of red.
"You shouldn't have heard this…," she groaned, hiding her hot face in the heels of her hands.
"Well, I did. So sue me!" Dawn immediately shot back, before she thought better and added with a smile. "Nobody's ever done this for me…, thank you, Faith…"
With this she left, leaving the older girl to her icy chocolate chip snack.
***
(Meanwhile on the phone)
"Spike?"
"You better have a darn good reason for keeping me from getting laid!"
"Don't you say that, bimbo! What if it's my mother, or Willow, or Giles… ohmigod, it 's not Giles, innit?"
"Buffy???"
"This wouldn't be the great hairball, gracing me with…"
"Shut up, Spike!!!"
"Hairball? - Hey, gimme that phone, I wanna talk to Angel…"
"What is it, Angelus? - Damn it, slayer, get off my back!!!"
"What the heck are you doing to her, well, never mind. Spike, I need you to come to LA. ASAP. Possibly tonight."
"And why would you want to see Spike?"
"Slayer, get out of the bloody line!!!"
"Buffy, what are you doing at Spike's?"
"Gimme that phone - now!"
"Why don't ya come and get it yourself, Willie?"
"Don't you call me that name!"
"What? Willie? - W-i-l-l-i-e…, ahhhh!!!"
"Spike? Buffy?"
"Angel, tell him he's gotta give me a ride."
"Over my dead body."
"Your wish is my command - anyway, shouldn't it be undead? Ouch!!! Dare you pulling my hair!!!"
"Spike? - Bloody hell, answer the phone!"
"C'mon, Spike-y, pleeeeaaaase…"
"Shut up slayer. Angel? I guess I could make it til midnight, that's alright?"
"Yeah. Yeah, that's great. And Spike…"
"Hey, where do you think you're going? Buffy, stay away from the keys!!!"
"But I wanna come, too."
"…don't bring Buffy, you hear, not tonight…"
"C'mon, don't be that mean."
"Slayer, I'm gonna count to three, if by then I haven't got this keys…"
"Spike?"
"…"
"…"
"Spike? Spike! - S-P-I-K-E-!-!-!"
***
(Faith to Cordelia)
"Cordie?"
Cordelia suspiciously watched the lone figure through the crack of her door.
"What is it, Faith?" She carefully asked, vividly recalling the other girl's threat.
"Well…, may…, may…, may I come in - please?"
Cordelia's eyes grew big as saucers - please wasn't a wasn't everyday vocabulary when it came to faith.
"You're okay?" She frowned at her warily.
"Yeah, yeah, great…," Faith shrug with an wry grimace. "It's just…, Angel kinda pissed me off…, and well…, would you mind me to stay for the night?"
***
Two more hours and thirty six minutes.
Maybe less, considering Spike's driving.
Angel knew he was being silly, but he just couldn't stop gazing at the dim-lit digits.
He also couldn't quite believe that he indeed had called Spike.
If anything the two of them certainly weren't on friendly terms.
+So why again did I call him?+
The vampire tiredly looked at the TV.
Why did he give in that quickly?
The thought just kept torturing him.
Was it because he caught him with…
… with …Buffy???
Nah, she wouldn't do this.
Not with another demon.
Not with his very own childe.
She just couldn't!
He hadn't moved all the way down to LA to make room for… Spike!
Two hours twenty two minutes.
Once again he caught himself checking his watch.
"Angel?"
He jumped to his feet.
Startled by the timid little voice.
Dawn!
The girl's got nerves!
Sneaking up on him after their afternoon run-in!
"Is it save to come in?" The young girl asked with a grin. "Or' re you gonna have me bowels for dinner?"
On his lame wave she swiftly entered the room.
Their eyes met.
"I came to apologize…"
Her unwavering green eyes drilled into him.
"I've been thinking…," she admitted with what was her idea of a regretful smile. "Wes wouldn't have brought me here if you weren't his friend…"
For a very long time the vampire simply looked at the girl.
He couldn't believe how much right now she reminded him of Faith.
No coquetry, no tiptoeing around facts.
"I'm sorry about your family," Angel much to his surprise heard himself say. "Do you have any memories of them at all?"
The girl seemed to think about this, obviously taken aback by the sudden change of topic.
"Nothing much," she finally muttered. "Wes 's always been my family… - my parents … can't say… Mom used to braid my hair… "
Her face clouded for a second, before her features all of a sudden lit up.
"My sister used to hate me," Dawn grinned with a shrug. "Her name was Rebecca… and for the first three or so years I just couldn't get it right.. ."
+Buffy… +
Angel drew in a deep unsteady breath.
He'd never asked her about her name.
Always assumed Buffy was it.
Gosh, what if Spike… ?
He mustn't bring her here…
Not now!
Not ever!
She mustn't see her!
Not with Buffy being the older sibling.
Not with her most likely to recognize her.
After all she must have a far more accurate recollection of things.
"I had a sister, too."
He once again surprised himself by telling her things.
"Her name was Claire - and my father hated her with a passion! He hated me too, but I've always been a lazy-bum whore… Where against Claire.. . her only fault was to be another man's child… - Our mother...," he hurried to explain at the girl's irritated face. "She got raped… I'm sorry, Dawn, I didn't mean to bore you to tears…" He shrugged with an apologetic smile. "I just thought, if you could see me as a person…"
After this, neither of them spoke for a fair bit of time.
And Angel quietly wondered why he'd even bothered to make an effort.
"Angel?"
Dawn's even voice woke him from his daydream.
"I'm sorry for calling you names."
She told him openly.
"Wesley wouldn't have brought me here if you weren't his friend."
She extended her hand.
"Can we start again? - Oh, the sizzling stuff…"
Her cheeks lit up with a brilliant shade of red.
"I washed it all off."
Not hesitating any longer, Angel accepted her hand.
"Alright, let's try again."
***
Ding!
Dididid-di-di-di-dingding!!!
The obstinate ringing of the doorbell scattered their newly found, yet uncomfortable, peace.
"I'll get it!"
Like a flash of lightening Dawn was on her feet and out in the hall - Angel, however, hard on her heels.
"What the fuck!!!"
He could hear his childe's furious snarl, when he slammed the door into his face.
"Hang on, Spike!" He bellowed, before turning towards Dawn. "He's a friend, okay? So, no stakes, no holy objects…"
The rest of his lecture got lost under a particularly vicious rattle at the doorknob.
"Hurry up, man! Bloody slayer's heavy as lead!"
"Am not!"
Angel's yaw tightened when he heard their low banter.
+What a fucking mess!+
His eyes darted from Dawn to the strong entrance door.
Well, there was nothing much he could do, since he couldn't very well let them wait there all night..
So, with a deep what-have-I-done-to-deserve-this sigh, Angel eventually stepped out of the way.
***
"Arsehole!"
"Shut up!"
"Let go of me - now!"
Angel blinked, one, two, six times.
"Buffy. Spike."
He quickly pulled them inside, trying hard not to laugh at the sight of the anything but foaming slayer firmly held by an equally furious fully-fledged vampire.
"Angelus!"
Although Spike barely nodded at him, his wry expression gave him away.
He knew.
There was no way Angel could have mistaken the distinctive gleam in his boy's golden eyes.
Hell, he could probably smell him all over him, since Angel hadn't bothered to shower.
Gesturing the small group to follow his lead, the dark-haired man stiltedly headed for the stairs.
He anxious tried to come up with a way to introduce Dawn.
Or rather the other way round.
After all how many Buffy's had he come across in all of his two hundred and forty odd years?
So far the girls were merely eyeing one another, waiting for him to fulfil the official part.
However, out of the corner of his eyes he could see his childe sniffing.
Sniffing at the slayer…
Frowning…
Cringing his nose…
Sniffing at Dawn…
"Buffy, Spike, I'm glad you could make it," The vampire lied through his teeth.
And it worked, easily picking up his most obvious lie, Spike curiously gazed at his sire.
"May I introduce you to Dawn," Angel casually gestured towards the young slayer.
"She's been a slayer candidate and for some reason was dismissed by the Council. She now lives with us."
He let out a sigh of relief when brunette girl didn't try to correct the things he'd made up.
Not that he'd lied to his friends.
After all she had been a slayer trainee, and…
Realizing their expectant glances, Angel hurried to pick up the tread.
"Well, and this are…," he hesitated for a split second. "…this are Spike and Buffy…"
As expected the dark-haired girl's eyes immediately sought out the slayer.
"Buffy is the current slayer," he frantically tried to think of a way to describe their bizarre correlation. "We, we, we are old f-f-friends."
He felt his cheeks heat up under Buffy and Spike's unsettled stares.
"…right, and Spike here…"
At this point he got help in a most unexpected way.
"…yeah, Spike here…," the fair-haired slayer snickered. "…he's the bloody thorn in me bloody side - aren't you, Willie?"
She shot the bottle blonde her most innocent smile.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Don't! Call! Me! That! Name!"
He bared his fangs for good measure.
"C'mon, Big Bad!" The tiny girl soothingly traced his ridges. "Allow some fun."
Angel's mouth dropped to his ankles by their open affection.
They weren't lovers, yet, so much he could say.
But they'd sure come a long way since he'd last seen them together.
It took him a moment to actually comprehend the plain facts.
Buffy and Spike?
A couple?
He carefully watched the odd twosome.
Readying himself for the inevitable ache.
However…
Nothing such happened.
Not even a twinge of remorse.
On the contrary…
He immediately felt at least 10% better about the thing between him and Faith.
Although, did it really have to be Spike?
His very own childe?
But then again, he'd seen the big softie fussing over Drusilla.
Oh yeah, Spike would worship and pamper her, tending to her every whim.
Whit him by her side he'd no longer have to worry about Buffy.
Spike would…
"Anybody going for some ice cream? No?"
Three pair of eyes focused on Dawn, when the dark-haired girl all of a sudden chose to speak up.
She obviously wasn't comfortable around their small get-together and discreetly tried to back off.
However…
"Yeah, I'm all game." Spike jumped to his feet surprising more than just him.
"Listen, Peaches, can you hold this for a sec?"
With this he unceremoniously dumped the perplex slayer at the dark-haired vampire.
***
"What?"
The ice cream container hit the counter with an unmistakable thud.
She was cranky, and didn't bother to hide it.
"Well, won't you offer me… something?"
Spike gave her his best puppy-dog look.
Successless.
"If you really think I'm gonna serve you one of this blood bags…"
Angry green eyes drilled into navy blue.
"You want a snack - go and get it yourself!"
"I see, just as well mannered as Faith." The peroxide blonde sneered, unimpressed by her forthright rebuff. "But don't ya worry, luv, choc-chip will do, thank you very much!"
He playfully tugged at a strand of dark locks.
"Oh-oh…" Dawn just about managed to say, before his fingers were covered with angry red blisters.
"Bloody fucking hell…, hat…???" Spike growled at the girl threateningly, with a bewildered stared at his sizzling flesh. "Well, do I hear sorry?!?"
He snapped, miffed by her obvious lack of remorse.
"How about some ice cream?"
Dawn generously reached for a second container.
"I could take it to the living room for you, if you want…?"
She jumped to her feet in unusual kindness.
"Nice try, little one," Spike couldn't but grin despite his sore hand. "Really nice, almost got me on this, sweat heart." He winked at the girl and gave her the thumbs up. "But see, I'm still here, so why don't you sit back and tell me exactly why and how you're akin with the slayer?'
***
"Spike?"
Buffy's appearance immediately put an end to his mission.
"Let's call it a night, shall we?"
Her slender arms sneaked around his waist.
"Angel lets us have his bed."
This got his attention.
And all it needed was one look at his sire for Spike to be sure that there was far more to the story than the old man having had a go on Faith…
***
"Cordelia?"
"Angel!" The brunette girl wiped the sleep off her face. "Why am I not surprised?"
She gestured him to come in.
"So she's here?"
"Yip!"
For one short second Angel heavily leaned on his friend.
"Oh Cordie…," he sighed. "…tell me again, how did I managed to make a mess of my life in less than ten hours…?"
The dark-haired girl had a pretty good idea what had happened…
Although… Angel and Faith…
On the other hand it kinda made sense to her…
"You're gonna tell - or you want me to guess?"
She carefully disentangled herself from his somewhat painful embrace.
Angel didn't object, although he refused to let go of her hand.
"We had sex," he finally admitted with a never seen blush.
"Do you regret it?"
Her question took him for a loop.
"No… No. Hell no! It's just…"
He didn't have the slightest idea.
How could tell Cordelia he anything but raped Faith?
How could he tell her about the guilt eating up inside?
How could he…
"Well, if that's not the case you better go and talk to her since she's been crying all night!"
His mouth fell open.
Cordelia didn't just…?
Nah, he must have heard wrong…!
After all this was Cordelia and she'd never suggest him to make up with Faith.
"E-e-excuse me???"
His eyes big as saucers, Angel stared at the girl.
"Oh c'mon, Angel, you heard me!"
She effectively shoved him towards the living room.
The dark-haired man still hesitated, then finally determinedly reached for the handle.
"Thank you, Cordie!"
He smiled at the girl.
"I don't know how I…"
"Well, what about today off? Paid of course!"
***
A mug of blood in one hand, a spray bottle of holy water in the other, Dawn carefully approached the sound asleep couple.
"Hey, Blondie - wake up!"
Delicately, as though not to rouse Buffy, she placed the cup on the bedside table.
"Yuk!"
She cringed, the moment her slender forefinger disappeared in the repulsing red liquid.
Her nose scrunched up in disgust, the girl swiftly retrieved the now blood-coated digit and playfully let it dangle in front of Spike's nose.
A dirty grin immediately curled up her lips when the sleeping blonde instantaneously smacked his lips.
+Kodak moment!+
She smirked as she watched his nostrils twitch in eager anticipation.
+Just as good as dog biscuits!+
"You better have a bloody good reason for this!!!"
She gave a quick jerk, as she hadn't expected him to come round that quickly, however…
"Meet me in the TV lounge," she whispered and without further ado headed for the door.
***
(Spike's Thoughts)
Great!
Just what I needed.
Why couldn't I just keep me rotten gob shut?
Peaches' gonna love me for this.
But then again, probably not.
But hell, he's gonna be royally pissed.
Anyway, how was I supposed to know that she wasn't…?
Wait a sec…
Nobody's ever explicitly told me she's not…
Maybe that's why he wanted us to bloody come here…
But then again, maybe not.
After all, he's been reeking of Faith.
Where's the bloody bitch anyway?
Focus, Spike!
Dawn.
Living-room.
But what if I'm wrong?
Nah, can't be.
I know what the slayer smells like.
And her mom.
And that jerk of a father.
But how the fuck…?
Nobody's ever mentioned a sister…
***
"Whereyagoin?"
The peroxide blonde had just about managed to disentangle himself from Buffy's steady grib, when her sleepy voice held him back.
"Toilet!" He blurted out to his immediate regret, praying she wouldn't remember right now that it had a good century since he'd last used the john.
But to his infinite relief the hazel eyes without further din wavered and eventually went back to dream-land.
***
"You wanna talk - talk!"
Lightening a cigarette Spike nonchalantly flopped down on the settee.
He'd let her play twenty questions, he'd decided.
Only admit to what she knew already.
And hopefully, cross-my-heart, she'd be bloody sick of their game before he was running out of dumb comebacks.
"Why would you thing I'd be related to her?"
The straight forward question caught him off guard.
"I mean…"
He breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't insist on an answer - yet.
"…my family was destroyed in a vampire attack…"
"Oh!:
Their eyes met.
And all of a sudden and definitely against better knowledge the peroxide blonde felt tempted to forget about his pseudo-conscious or Peaches and simply tell her whatever he knew.
He was just about ready to explain about their similarities in smell and blood, when…
"Dawn? Buffy? - Spike? … Hel-lo-o, anybody home???"
***
tbc