What Can I Say

Inspired by "What Can I Say" by Carrie Underwood featuring Sons of Sylvia.

A/N: This was just a quick one shot inspired by "What Can I Say" by Carrie Underwood featuring Sons of Sylvia. There will be an accompanying one shot soon to follow. Please read and review and I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. Buffy and Dawn are the property of Joss Whedon, and Dean Winchester belongs to Eric Kripke.

Buffy rolled her eyes as she watched her tense little sister pace around the living room, "Dawn…just call him, already!"

"But Buffy…I can't!"

She was not going to lose her temper…She would not… "WHY?"

Dawn made a face at Buffy and whined, "Because!" Upon seeing the look on her sister's face, she elaborated, "He made it completely clear he didn't want to talk to me again."

"That's not a reason."

Dawn stared at Buffy incredulously, her voice getting far too shrill for Buffy's tastes. One of the serious downsides to having superhuman senses. "Yes it is! Of course it is!"

Buffy sighed and attempted to calm her sister down. A worked up and tense Dawn was nobody's friend. And all of this was hitting just a little too close to home, "Dawnie…sometimes people say things in the heat of the moment that aren't true, that they don't really mean. I mean, the things you said, you didn't really mean all of it, did you?"

Dawn finally sat down on the couch, pouting slightly, "Well…no…"

Buffy gave her a little smile, "You see? You just need to pick up the phone, call him, apologize, then he'll apologize, and then you pick up from where you left off."

Dawn shot to her feet, getting worked up all over again. Wonderful… "I can't just do that! You don't understand, Buffy! Haven't you ever been in a relationship with a guy, and had a fight?"

Buffy was silent for a moment, for just a few seconds too long, "…Who hasn't?"

"Exactly. So you should know how it feels. I can't call him."

Buffy shook her head, understanding how Dawn was feeling, but she also knew all too well that she couldn't let the fear of what might happen hold her back, "Dawn, I know you're scared…"

Dawn was indignant, "I'm not sc-"

Buffy cut her off with a hand in the air, "You are. And I also know that you will seriously regret it if you don't call him."

Dawn recognized Buffy's tone and was silent for a moment, taking a moment to take in her sister's far too serious countenance, "You're talking from experience, aren't you?"

Buffy pursed her lips, staring down at the floor, "Yes."

"Tell me about him."

Buffy shook her head and frowned, not really wanting to talk about this. It was so long ago, but in some ways the wounds still felt very fresh, "Dawn, I really don't think…"

"Please?" Dawn widened her eyes and stuck out her bottom lip in an attempt to coerce Buffy into telling what was so obviously on her mind.

Buffy rolled her eyes lightly at her sister's take on the puppy eyes, but still gave in, "A couple of years ago…I was working on a case in Louisiana. I met this guy in a bar, and he turned out to be a hunter, tracking down the same thing. He was a huge pain in the ass, and we got on each others nerves ALL the time, and he was cocky and arrogant…but he was a good hunter. And a good guy. So we started seeing each other for a while. I joined him on the road for a few months, and we hunted together for a while. But one night after a hunt we got in a huge fight. We both said some really hurtful things, and…well…That night Dean packed up his things and left. We haven't spoken since that night." Buffy stopped to catch her breath and to quickly brush away the lone tear that escaped.

Buffy started when she heard the Impala's engine flare to life, and she quickly jumped to her feet, flung the motel door open and flew down the stairs in the pouring rain to the parking lot just in time to see the Impala pull out onto the highway. Her eyes welled with tears as she stood there and watched his taillights fade away into the dark rainy night. Watched the one man in the world who could even possibly begin to understand her leave her life forever.

Buffy started when Dawn's hand covered her own and looked up into her sympathetic gaze, "I regret every second. I picked up that phone every day for weeks and tried to call him, but I was too afraid. I called him one day on a payphone. I got his voicemail and I was going to leave a message, but I just couldn't find the words. So instead…I wrote a letter to him. Lots of them. But I never sent them."

After several tense minutes of silence, Buffy attempted to shake off her dark mood and gave her sister a tight smile, "You should call him."

Dawn was quiet for a moment before she finally nodded, "Okay." She stood without another word and moved towards the door, before suddenly freezing. She turned around to look at her sister, "Hey, Buffy?"

"Yeah?"

"You should take your own advice. It's not too late."

Buffy sighed as Dawn left the room and smiled slightly as she heard Dawn take out her cell phone and call her boyfriend on the way up to her bedroom. Eventually she stared at her own phone, contemplating what she would even say if Dean answered, if she chose to call him. After what felt like hours, she finally decided to bite the bullet and finally call him. She picked up her phone, dialled the familiar number, and took a deep breath as the phone rang. Several tense, way too long seconds passed, but finally Buffy heard the tell-tale click, and that deep male voice she had long often longed to hear. She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and breathed,

"Hi, Dean…? It's Buffy."

The End.