I got inspired to write a Dawn/Andrew fic and this is the result. It came out a little less shippy than intended, but oh well. XD
"Andrew, will you get that thing out of my face?" sighed Dawn, looking away from the camera Andrew held in his hand.
Andrew sighed with frustration. "How am I supposed to document what could very well end up as the lead up to our deaths if nobody will let me film them?!" he whined.
Dawn turned back to Andrew, who had lowered the camera, and gave him a cold look. "You know, we're fighting for our lives here, Andrew. We're just trying to get through each day in one piece. Reminding us that we could die isn't helping. We already know that. So that," she nodded to the camera hanging by Andrew's side, "isn't what anybody wants."
"But, Dawn," he began, "how will future generations know-"
"Dammit, Andrew, I don't have time for this!" growled Dawn. "I gotta get this stuff to Buffy." she added a little more calmly, picking up a cardboard box of weapons and leaving Andrew alone in the kitchen.
OoOoOo
It had been 2 hours since Dawn had snapped at Andrew, and he was now sat on the front porch trying to figure out why it had bothered him so much. He kept telling himself that is was because tensions were running high, but he knew that was mere pretence.
Reaching out to his left, he picked up the camera he always carried with him, switched it on, and started watching the footage he'd recorded so far. He laughed at his sad commentary and fast forwarded through most of it, only playing when the first bit of Dawn footage flashed up on the tiny screen.
Andrew watched the footage of Dawn writing in her diary, his lips curving into a soft smile. Amanda walked into the shot and smiled at Dawn, who returned the smile.
"Hey, Dawn." greeted Amanda cheerfully.
"Hey, Amanda." Dawn replied. "What's up?"
"Oh, nothing much. We've all got a bit of a break before having to go back to training." answered the potential.
"Cool." said Dawn.
Amanda took the lid off of her bottle of water, eyeing Dawn curiously. "What's up with you?" she asked before taking a sip of her water.
Dawn shrugged, shaking her head a little. "Nothing much. Just writing." she responded, though her tone betrayed her.
Before Amanda had the chance to ask if Dawn was really ok, Buffy's voice called from the kitchen.
"Amanda! Kennedy! Break's over!"
"I'm sorry, I gotta go." Amanda said with an apologetic expression.
Dawn watched Amanda leave then returned her gaze to the notebook she'd been writing in. There was a sadness in Dawn's eyes that had never truly left since Amanda was revealed as a potential.
Andrew turned the camera off and stared at the now blank camera screen in sorrow. He wished he could do something, or say something, that would make Dawn feel better about not being a potential. But he knew he was the last person who should be trying to comfort anybody. With a sigh, he set the camera down and put his head in his hand.
Dawn opened the door and stepped out onto the porch, freezing momentarily when she saw Andrew sitting just a few feet away from her. "Didn't know you were out here." she said light-heartedly, smiling when Andrew gasped and looked up in shock. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."
Shaking his head, he looked back towards the empty street ahead. "It's fine. You just made me jump a little." he said quietly, not hiding his sadness all that well.
Dawn looked at Andrew in confusion, wondering what was wrong with him. "Is there room on this porch for two?" she asked, her tone not wavering. Someone had to be cheery.
Andrew shrugged, not bothering to look back as he gave his answer. "Sure."
Dawn sat next to Andrew, nudging him gently. "What's up with you?" she enquired.
Andrew was focusing all of his efforts on not looking at Dawn. The Summers women had an eerie sixth sense when it came to him and he didn't want Dawn guessing what was wrong with him. "Nothing. I guess it's just all this… this…" he trailed off, trying to think of how to summarize the situation they were in. "…this!" he said eventually, hoping that one word would be enough.
Dawn's smile turned sad, and she looked across at the street too. "I know what you mean. It all feels like it's too much." she murmured. When Andrew mad a non-committal sound in response, Dawn once more looked at him. "Andrew, there's something else. I can tell." she said softly.
Andrew sighed, closing his eyes. "It's nothing, ok?" he lied.
"It's clearly something." she responded. "But if you don't wanna talk about it, that's fine." she added, standing up and turning to go back into the house.
"You're important." mumbled Andrew, his eyes fixed ahead of him.
Dawn turned back, curiosity in her light blue eyes. "What?" she asked.
Andrew tried to turn to her, but he found himself unable to move. "You're way more badass than any of those potentials." he said, his volume going up a bit.
Dawn stood rooted to the spot, her mind a complete blank. "Wh… What makes you think… I mean, why are you bringing this up?" she asked.
Andrew finally stood and turned to meet Dawn's eyes. "I just don't want you thinking you're not important because you're not one of them. You're…" he paused, his gaze falling to the floor. "You're worth a thousand potentials." he mumbled, his voice barely a whisper.
Dawn couldn't stop the smile that stretched across her face. In any other situation, she'd ignore anything Andrew had to say. But there was something about the way he said it… a certain sincerity perhaps… that made Dawn think this was the most honest thing Andrew Wells had ever said in his life. "Thank you" she replied, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him.
While initially shocked, Andrew returned the hug, his eyes closing once more. "You're welcome." he replied.
Dawn pulled back from the hug, smiling at Andrew, then glancing down at his camera. "You know, maybe documenting this whole thing might not be such a bad idea. For the future generation." she said with a nod, before turning and walking back into the house.
A smile slowly grew on Andrew's face as Dawn walked away. "Yeah." he murmured to himself, bending down and picking his camera back up.