I'm not real!
Dawn walked down the LA street, bleeding and broken. Her face was emotionless, haunted by her fears and past acts; she walked.
"Mmmm, what do we have here?" a voice drawled behind her, drawing her attention out of her wallowing.
Dawn just turned and looked. Her eyes held nothing but coldness and death; and they just ran. She continued walking, not caring anymore.
Seeing the exchange between the mysterious girl and the vampires, Connor and Faith ran to investigate. Halfway there Faith recognized the girl, and started sprinting harder; not noticing Connor's sharp take of breath.
"Baby girl!" Faith shouted, running up and drawing the girl into a tight hug. She didn't notice the broken expression the girl held on her face, or the scratches on her arms and legs.
"Faith," Connor whispered, noticing the blood and lost expression.
"Baby girl, what-" Faith stopped, finally seeing Dawn's face and tears came to her eyes. "What happened?"
"I'm not real, the blood flows and never stops," Dawn said, her voice void of any emotion.
"You are real," Faith stated, tears flowing freely from her eyes.
"No…no I'm not, Buffy…Buffy, she's….she's…I'm dead," Dawn stated, finally looking up at Faith. What Faith saw in Dawn's eyes chilled her to the bone; her eyes were empty, there was just nothing there.
Faith looked over to a shocked Connor and noticed his stare at her side. Her abdomen was bleeding thoroughly and she didn't even notice. "Oh god Dawnie," Faith choked, pulling the girl into another hug.
"Faith, we better get going," Connor stated, feeling the eyes in the darkness of the alley. He gently picked up the girl called Dawn and helped Faith to her feet; and he headed off to the Hyperion Hotel.
"Who are you?" a small voice whispered in his arms, making him look down at the girl. She gently lifted her hand and caressed his cheek.
"Connor," he said, slightly shaking from electricity of her touch.
"You glow with light," Dawn smiled, her eyes slowly closing and herself drifting off to sleep. Connor smiled lovingly down at the girl, unaware of Faith's smirk of knowledge.
"Figures, another Angel falling for a Summers," Faith muttered, shaking her head amusedly. Watching as Dawn unconsciously snuggled closer to the blushing Connor.
"I don't know what happened to her Angel," Faith stated, pacing on the wooden floor. She was discussing Dawn with him, and she was getting slightly frustrated; she could tell that Connor was slightly miffed that he had to let the girl go.
"Was-She-Did she just turn up in that alley?"
"No, she walking but not her usual self. Angel you didn't see her eyes, they were empty; the only hint of emotion she showed was when she was sleeping," Faith sighed, collapsing onto the lobby couch.
"Dawn Summers void of emotion?" Angel asked skeptically, remembering all the bright visits he would get from the young girl.
"Yes, she was broken," Connor stated, speaking for the first time; his voice hauntingly with sorrow. "She was bleeding badly, and had several severe injuries."
"Angel, something's up in Sunnyhell. They would never have let Dawn out like that, especially Spike," Faith said, rushing to her feet.
"Faith, you said that she said she was dead. What do you think that meant?"
"I-I-I don't know," Faith whispered, her courage deflated. "But I can't just sit around like she's not hurting!"
"Do you think I want to! I love you like a sister, she was the closest thing to a real family I got until Connor! Do you think I like her being helpless upstairs while we're down here doing nothing! I can't stand the idea that someone or something did this to her, but it's happened and we somehow have to put our personal feelings away until we find whoever did this; and then I swear that I'll make them Faith, have no doubt in that," Angel warned, his eyes glowing a frightening yellow.
"Okay Angel," Faith muttered reluctantly, feeling like a school kid told off.
"What do we do?" Connor asked, slightly flustered with the news of the girl. She was close to Angel and Faith, and seemed sweet; but there was something off about her.
"I suggest we wait until she awakes," Angel stated, looking longingly at the staircase. He wanted to go up to her room and just sit with her, to know that she was okay; but he couldn't because every time he did, he burst into a fit of rage. No one should have had through the pain that Dawn was now facing. Her body was battered and bruised and from what Faith and Connor had told him, so was her mental health.