Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox,
etc... except of course the ones I make up.
Summary: While Dawn is dealing with balancing school, slaying and dating, Buffy and Spike are dealing with their relation. And all together they are dealing with impending apocalypse.
Spoilers: Well, it takes place about a year and a half after "Normal Again", but it's pretty AU. Xander and Anya are married and Tara is alive.
Continuity: It's the sequel to "The Delegation of Aurelius". However, you don't really need to read it to understand this fic. It sort of just picks up where "TDoA" left off.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
APOCALYPSE NOW... AGAIN
Chapter 1: Balance
The Slayer's eyes fluttered open and immediately shut again. She groaned at the sound of her alarm clock going off, it was seven in the morning and she hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep. She wondered how Buffy was able to balance school and patrolling when she was a senior in High School.
Dawn sat up and swung her legs around so that her feet were just barely touching the soft carpeting on her floor. She pressed the 'snooze' button on her alarm clock and sighed thankfully to herself that the annoying buzzing sound had ceased. She smiled to herself a bit, and in spite of the fact that she hated the first day of school, she was finally a senior.
Dawn stood up and looked around. She had an hour and thirteen minutes to get shower, dress, and eat before Xander came to drive her to school. She knew looking good on the first day was extremely important, but she wondered if it would be wiser to just go back to bed. She looked at the dirt encrusted under her nails from the night's patrol and decided that personal hygiene had to come first.
The young Slayer walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She let the water run and fill the room with steam before taking off her pajamas and stepping into the pleasantly warm water. She didn't realize how sore she was until the water dripping down her body soothed the aches in her back and shoulders.
After what Dawn figured what was about ten minutes, Dawn turned off the water and proceeded to get ready. She dried her hair and pinned it up so that it still hung about her neck. She dressed in the beige spaghetti- strap top and tight blue jeans that flared out at the bottom. By the time she finished dressing and putting on her make-up, it was seven fifty-nine, which gave Dawn just enough time to eat.
As she climbed down the stair, Dawn could smell pancakes being cooked in the kitchen. She smiled and wondered to herself which of her three makeshift mothers was cooking. She turned around the stairs to she Tara standing over the stove, spatula in hand. Willow and Buffy were at the other side pouring various liquids into cups of all shapes and sizes. When Tara saw the teen standing at the threshold of the kitchen, she smiled warmly.
"Morning," she greeted cheerily. "Round or funny shapes?"
Dawn smiled. "Whatever."
"Good morning, Dawnie," Buffy said to her sister.
"You guys are all early risers," Dawn said smiling. "You guys aren't worried about me getting off are ya?"
"Well, besides that," Willow told her jokingly, "I have classes and your sister has to go to work."
Dawn nodded. She was excited for Buffy who was able to get rid of that stupid Doublemeat palace hat and pick up a nametag at the Y. She had proven herself worthy of a job teaching self defense to whomever needed defending. On the Hellmouth, these types of classes were quite popular. She even taught kids classes twice a week. The best part was she got paid more and worked less. As Buffy put it, there was no such thing as a double shift, which was mainly why she took the job.
Dawn put a pancake on her plate and smothered it in syrup. She devoured it and downed a glass of orange juice before looking in the direction of the stairs questioningly.
"Is Spike still sleeping?"
Buffy nodded. "Yeah, I guess you really tired him out last night, huh?"
Dawn smiled. "We came upon this whole nest of vamps, it was awesome! I mean, such a rush, Buffy you should have been there."
"Dawn, I think you might be getting a little too excited over this."
"I don't know," Dawn shrugged. "I've gotta have something to keep me awake. Hey! Can I have coffee?"
Buffy raised and eyebrow and then sighed. "Sure."
Dawn smiled widely and picked up a one of the cups of coffee. She placed it to her lips and started to drink when she heard Xander's car honking. She sighed and put the cup back on the counter. Dawn smiled and promptly left the house and jumped into Xander's car. He squeezed her shoulder playfully and smiled.
"Hey Dawnster. You ready for your first day of school?"
"Hmm," the Slayer wondered allowed. "I suppose as ready as I'll ever be."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Dawn sat herself at one of the outdoor lunch tables that had been added over the summer. She put down the tray, which had a tuna sandwich, and Snapple can and sighed. She was tired and hungry which made a bad combination. She picked up the sandwich and was about to take a bite when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned her head to see Janice and her friend Maya standing over her.
"Hey Summers," Janice greeted as she sat down.
Dawn smiled and warmly as she could. "Hey. Maya, right?"
The girl nodded and sat next to Janice who was eating Doritos and a diet Coke. She smiled at Dawn and tilted her head.
"You look worn."
"I am," Dawn sighed. "Late night. Many late nights."
"What are you doing up so late?"
Dawn shook her head. "Not sleeping."
Janice shrugged and continued to eat her chips. "Hey, what are you doing tonight?"
"Uh..." Dawn was annoyed that such a simple question had to be covered up by a more ambiguous answer. "Working."
"You work?" Janice asked. "What do you do."
"Oh, you know, odd jobs here and there."
Janice furrowed her brow. She had been friends with Dawn since middle school, and they had always been really close. However, over the past two years, Dawn had seemed to be distancing herself.
"Can I come?"
"What?"
"Can I hang with you at work?"
Dawn was truly surprised by the question. Janice had never been so inquisitive about her life, at least the "work" aspect anyway. Dawn tilted her head and got a good look at her friend, her best friend. Would it really hurt for Janice to know? Dawn trusted her, and it's not like Janice hadn't seen a vampire. Buffy had friends who knew, why couldn't Dawn.
"Why don't you come to the Magic Box after school with me."
Janice smiled widely. "Okay." Finally she might have her friend back.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Dawn was smiling and listening to Janice's story politely as they left the school grounds. She was so wrapped up in paying attention to her friend that she walked into David. David: the adorable next door neighbor sort of kid who you could take home to mom. Dawn smiled apologetically and shook her head.
"Sorry Dave, I wasn't watching where I was going."
Dave smiled back, which caused his beautiful blue eyes to light up. "It's no problem. If I had to bump into anyone I'm glad it was you."
Dawn felt her knees weaken a little when he handed her the book that she had dropped. She had had a crush on him for months, but didn't want to say anything to ruin their friendship. Sometimes, however, he sent subtle hints that told her he felt the same way.
"I'm glad I bumped into you then," Dawn told him, smiling as widely as she possibly could. He nodded at her then Janice, before walking past them towards wherever he was off to.
Dawn began to walk again when her movement was interrupted by David's voice. "Hey Dawn?"
"Yeah?" She said, turning around.
"You wanna go out sometime?"
Dawn thought she would faint. However, she able to maintain her composure. "Yeah," she told him, trying not to sound too eager.
"Great. Friday?"
Dawn nodded enthusiastically. Dave smiled at her again and she thought she might melt. However, she remained a solid and turned back in the direction of the magic shop. She was smiling so hard she thought her face might rip in two. A date! With Dave! It didn't get better than that. Dawn looked at Janice who was giggling uncontrollably. Dawn couldn't help but laugh as she and Janice managed to make their way to the Magic Box.
Summary: While Dawn is dealing with balancing school, slaying and dating, Buffy and Spike are dealing with their relation. And all together they are dealing with impending apocalypse.
Spoilers: Well, it takes place about a year and a half after "Normal Again", but it's pretty AU. Xander and Anya are married and Tara is alive.
Continuity: It's the sequel to "The Delegation of Aurelius". However, you don't really need to read it to understand this fic. It sort of just picks up where "TDoA" left off.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
APOCALYPSE NOW... AGAIN
Chapter 1: Balance
The Slayer's eyes fluttered open and immediately shut again. She groaned at the sound of her alarm clock going off, it was seven in the morning and she hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep. She wondered how Buffy was able to balance school and patrolling when she was a senior in High School.
Dawn sat up and swung her legs around so that her feet were just barely touching the soft carpeting on her floor. She pressed the 'snooze' button on her alarm clock and sighed thankfully to herself that the annoying buzzing sound had ceased. She smiled to herself a bit, and in spite of the fact that she hated the first day of school, she was finally a senior.
Dawn stood up and looked around. She had an hour and thirteen minutes to get shower, dress, and eat before Xander came to drive her to school. She knew looking good on the first day was extremely important, but she wondered if it would be wiser to just go back to bed. She looked at the dirt encrusted under her nails from the night's patrol and decided that personal hygiene had to come first.
The young Slayer walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She let the water run and fill the room with steam before taking off her pajamas and stepping into the pleasantly warm water. She didn't realize how sore she was until the water dripping down her body soothed the aches in her back and shoulders.
After what Dawn figured what was about ten minutes, Dawn turned off the water and proceeded to get ready. She dried her hair and pinned it up so that it still hung about her neck. She dressed in the beige spaghetti- strap top and tight blue jeans that flared out at the bottom. By the time she finished dressing and putting on her make-up, it was seven fifty-nine, which gave Dawn just enough time to eat.
As she climbed down the stair, Dawn could smell pancakes being cooked in the kitchen. She smiled and wondered to herself which of her three makeshift mothers was cooking. She turned around the stairs to she Tara standing over the stove, spatula in hand. Willow and Buffy were at the other side pouring various liquids into cups of all shapes and sizes. When Tara saw the teen standing at the threshold of the kitchen, she smiled warmly.
"Morning," she greeted cheerily. "Round or funny shapes?"
Dawn smiled. "Whatever."
"Good morning, Dawnie," Buffy said to her sister.
"You guys are all early risers," Dawn said smiling. "You guys aren't worried about me getting off are ya?"
"Well, besides that," Willow told her jokingly, "I have classes and your sister has to go to work."
Dawn nodded. She was excited for Buffy who was able to get rid of that stupid Doublemeat palace hat and pick up a nametag at the Y. She had proven herself worthy of a job teaching self defense to whomever needed defending. On the Hellmouth, these types of classes were quite popular. She even taught kids classes twice a week. The best part was she got paid more and worked less. As Buffy put it, there was no such thing as a double shift, which was mainly why she took the job.
Dawn put a pancake on her plate and smothered it in syrup. She devoured it and downed a glass of orange juice before looking in the direction of the stairs questioningly.
"Is Spike still sleeping?"
Buffy nodded. "Yeah, I guess you really tired him out last night, huh?"
Dawn smiled. "We came upon this whole nest of vamps, it was awesome! I mean, such a rush, Buffy you should have been there."
"Dawn, I think you might be getting a little too excited over this."
"I don't know," Dawn shrugged. "I've gotta have something to keep me awake. Hey! Can I have coffee?"
Buffy raised and eyebrow and then sighed. "Sure."
Dawn smiled widely and picked up a one of the cups of coffee. She placed it to her lips and started to drink when she heard Xander's car honking. She sighed and put the cup back on the counter. Dawn smiled and promptly left the house and jumped into Xander's car. He squeezed her shoulder playfully and smiled.
"Hey Dawnster. You ready for your first day of school?"
"Hmm," the Slayer wondered allowed. "I suppose as ready as I'll ever be."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Dawn sat herself at one of the outdoor lunch tables that had been added over the summer. She put down the tray, which had a tuna sandwich, and Snapple can and sighed. She was tired and hungry which made a bad combination. She picked up the sandwich and was about to take a bite when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned her head to see Janice and her friend Maya standing over her.
"Hey Summers," Janice greeted as she sat down.
Dawn smiled and warmly as she could. "Hey. Maya, right?"
The girl nodded and sat next to Janice who was eating Doritos and a diet Coke. She smiled at Dawn and tilted her head.
"You look worn."
"I am," Dawn sighed. "Late night. Many late nights."
"What are you doing up so late?"
Dawn shook her head. "Not sleeping."
Janice shrugged and continued to eat her chips. "Hey, what are you doing tonight?"
"Uh..." Dawn was annoyed that such a simple question had to be covered up by a more ambiguous answer. "Working."
"You work?" Janice asked. "What do you do."
"Oh, you know, odd jobs here and there."
Janice furrowed her brow. She had been friends with Dawn since middle school, and they had always been really close. However, over the past two years, Dawn had seemed to be distancing herself.
"Can I come?"
"What?"
"Can I hang with you at work?"
Dawn was truly surprised by the question. Janice had never been so inquisitive about her life, at least the "work" aspect anyway. Dawn tilted her head and got a good look at her friend, her best friend. Would it really hurt for Janice to know? Dawn trusted her, and it's not like Janice hadn't seen a vampire. Buffy had friends who knew, why couldn't Dawn.
"Why don't you come to the Magic Box after school with me."
Janice smiled widely. "Okay." Finally she might have her friend back.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Dawn was smiling and listening to Janice's story politely as they left the school grounds. She was so wrapped up in paying attention to her friend that she walked into David. David: the adorable next door neighbor sort of kid who you could take home to mom. Dawn smiled apologetically and shook her head.
"Sorry Dave, I wasn't watching where I was going."
Dave smiled back, which caused his beautiful blue eyes to light up. "It's no problem. If I had to bump into anyone I'm glad it was you."
Dawn felt her knees weaken a little when he handed her the book that she had dropped. She had had a crush on him for months, but didn't want to say anything to ruin their friendship. Sometimes, however, he sent subtle hints that told her he felt the same way.
"I'm glad I bumped into you then," Dawn told him, smiling as widely as she possibly could. He nodded at her then Janice, before walking past them towards wherever he was off to.
Dawn began to walk again when her movement was interrupted by David's voice. "Hey Dawn?"
"Yeah?" She said, turning around.
"You wanna go out sometime?"
Dawn thought she would faint. However, she able to maintain her composure. "Yeah," she told him, trying not to sound too eager.
"Great. Friday?"
Dawn nodded enthusiastically. Dave smiled at her again and she thought she might melt. However, she remained a solid and turned back in the direction of the magic shop. She was smiling so hard she thought her face might rip in two. A date! With Dave! It didn't get better than that. Dawn looked at Janice who was giggling uncontrollably. Dawn couldn't help but laugh as she and Janice managed to make their way to the Magic Box.