Author Notes: Standard Post-Chosen timeline...the scoobs set up a slayer training school and live in Clevland. Buffy, Faith, Willow and Dawn share an appartment type living space. Andrew, Giles, Xander and Wood are in another. That's about all that's relevant to this short story...(which happens to be part of a series i'm working on.)
Part One:
He entered the dingy bar hesitantly, desperately looking around for any sign that he was in the right place. A single word brought his attention to the corner of the room, where she was perched precariously on a bar stool talking politics to a scuzy bartender. His focus didn't falter as he quickened his steps towards her, slowing only as he noticed her short skirt and rather revealing top.
"Dawn?" She quickly swivelled on the stool in response to his voice, and he had reach out to stop her from falling. From her awkward position tangled with the stool and his arms, she gave a goofy smile and leaned up to kiss him. He pulled back instantly, "are you okay? I just got your message."
"I'm fine Andrew. A little tipsy, but fine." Dawn said as she uprighted herself, waving him off. She soon balanced her weight with a hand on the bar and looked around the room.
"You're sure?" Andrew asked still searching her wandering eyes for comfort he wasn't feeling.
"Yes. In fact, I want another shot." She looked up at the bottles on the shelf and pointed out a purple one to the bartender. "You should have one too. You can't come to a bar and not drink."
"Someone's got to be sober enough to take you home."
"I already told you, I'm..." Dawn paused and downed her drink, sticking out her tongue at him once she slammed the empty glass back down, "fine."
"Ah huh, we'll see about that tomorrow," Andrew muttered sitting down beside her .He had to give her points for finding the right sort of place that would let a minor in, and a few more for the sketchy looking bikers in the back corner. He soon turned his attention back to her, watching intensively as she stared into space, a frown prominent. "Okay, why are we here?" His voice startled her and she slowly blinked, soon morphing back into her façade of cheerfulness.
"Because I want to be drunk."
"I didn't think you were one of those girls." Andrew said simply. She gave him a pointed look and rested her chin lightly on her hand.
"You know I'm not. I just…yeah, I'm not like that."
"I know, so explain to me why the teenage stereotype?"
"Because I want to be normal."
"Meaning what exactly?"
"Never mind. Just, please let me do this. Let me have one night of fun?" His silent nod was solemn but tolerant, and she gave him a weak smile.
"Dawn, hun, it's time to go home." Andrew said pulling on her arm for the third time. Dawn lifted her head from the table and tapped him on the nose.
"You're cute, you know that?" She picked up the empty shot glass and looked at him through it, giggling profusely. Andrew grabbed it out of her hand and placed it out of reach, sighing in frustration. He glanced towards the door, so many long steps away and the looked down at Dawn face first on the table.
"Andrew?" Her voice echoed against the table's sticky surface.
Andrew ran a hand threw his hair, "hmm?"
"Why are you still here?" Andrew rolled his eyes and grabbed at Dawn's limp hand, attempting to pull her to her feet.
"Well I'm trying not to be, but someone won't stand up…" Dawn pulled her hand away from his and leant back on her elbows, looking him up and down.
"No." She slowly sat and looked up at him. "Why are you in Cleveland?"
Andrew squirmed under her fierce gaze and ran his tongue along the roof of his mouth, "because I don't have anywhere else to go." Dawn nodded and sat back silently, frowning to herself.
"Do you like living at the new council?"
"Yeah, sure." Andrew lunged forward in response to Dawn's placid state and hoisted her up, placing his arm firmly around her waist.
"I don't want to leave yet Andy." Dawn whined as she vehemently struggled to detach herself from him. He shook his head in defeat and eased her back onto the stool.
"Do you want some water? Coffee?"
"JD and coke please."
"Coffee it is." Andrew said loudly, nodding to the bartender. Dawn shot him an irritated look but was soon spinning around on the stool. Andrew smiled at her childish glee and swivelled a little half circle of his own in tune to the punk rock song playing in the background.
"You're my best friend." Dawn suddenly blurted out. Andrew choked on his coke and stared at her with wide eyes.
"Me?"
"Yes you." Dawn said between revolutions on the stool. Andrew threw his foot out and her stool came to a standstill, leaving her face inches from his.
"Why?"
"Because you're nice, and you listen when I talk, and you know things about my past."
"So does everybody else."
"Noo. None of the junior slayers are my friends; they have their special training, shared rooms and inside jokes. Plus, in their eyes I'm just their hard-ass instructor's little sister.
"Well what about Willow? You're always hanging out with her."
"That's because she doesn't want to be with anyone else." Off of Andrew's confused look, Dawn continued, "she spends time with me to avoid spending time with Buffy or Xander."
"I thought the three of them were best friends."
"They used to be." Dawn paused and drummed her fingers on the table. "When they were in high school they were best friends because there was always something more important than themselves. They had a bond centred around eliminating evil, the threat of death made them put their differences aside. But now they have nothing left to keep them together. They're realizing the extent of changes that occurred over the last seven years and that their lives are going in opposite paths. Things are never going to be the same for them and they can't face it...therefore, avoidyness."
"I really thought they were the real thing. Best friends right out of the movies."
"So did I…so did I." Dawn sighed and pushed a piece of stray hair out of her face. "I hate everyone at school."
"Huh?"
"You were asking why you're my best friend. I hate everyone at my school."
"Why?"
"Because they don't get life. They spend all their time thinking about the future, wishing for things they can't have and waiting for things they want to happen."
"What's wrong with that?"
"You have to make your own life Andrew. Shit doesn't just happen, you have to do it yourself. People are so scared of everything."
"They just don't like the unknown. Give them time, they'll get over it." Andrew said staring into space. He instantly snapped back to attention as Dawn's forehead smacked into the table with a decided thump.
"Dawn, honey," Andrew said as he placed his hand gently on her back, "come on…sit up."
Dawn groaned in response and muttered something resembling "just resting". Andrew stroked her hair quietly and skimmed the room in helplessness. It was true council members were a phone call away, but it was his responsibility as a friend to cover for Dawn. Just as he was about to give up on all hope, Dawn lifted her head and thrust a finger out towards him.
"And that's another thing…I hate how I'm everyone's lost dreams. The normal kid they could never be. But guess what Andrew…" Dawn paused and whispered, "I'm not normal." Andrew nodded in automatic response, still calculating how fast he would have to move to catch Dawn if she fell backwards. Dawn sighed and took a long drink from Andrew's glass of water.
"Is this vodka?" Andrew opened his mouth to respond, but Dawn cut him off, "Good. Because I need to be more drunkness." She paused while she downed the last of the glass, then continued "I don't want to go to NYU next year"
"Yes you do. You were all excited about getting in last week."
"No Andy, I don't. I don't want to be a journalist, or a doctor, or whatever else Buffy and Giles' want me to be…I want to be a watcher. I want to stay here to slay vampires and do research. They make me feel like I'm doing something important, that I have a purpose in life. Slaying made life interesting. When we have nothing to fight, everyone remembers."
"Remember what?"
"Mom. Tara. Spike. Anya. Oz. High School. First crushes. Innocence." Andrew reached out to grasp her hands as silent tears made their way down Dawn's pale face. Andrew had neither inspiring words to say nor any gesture to perform in response to Dawn's words, he simply could not express what he wanted to say. Instead, he looked deep into her eyes and remained still as Dawn moved her lips towards his. The kiss was brief but powerful, reminding Andrew of hot summer nights with cherry popsicles. She pulled back and gave him a huge smile.
"You're alive Dawn. Special not because of what you've done, but because of who you are." Dawn gave a watery snort, followed by her new signature drunken smile. Andrew took advantage of her placid distraction to quickly pull her off of the stool, steadying her with his arm. They slowly made ground towards the door, until Dawn took too large a step and swaggered. Her tumbling motion spurred Andrew to release his grip and to kick a chair out of her collision path. With one unheroic move, Dawn's head smacked the floor and she cried out in pain. Andrew scrambled to her side and sighed in relief as she tried to sit up. Her attempts were useless though and she was soon lying flat on her back again. Andrew's arms appeared underneath her back and thighs, and she was soon being carried out the door without a struggle.
Andrew manoeuvred his way down the empty street trying to get his bearings in the dark neighbourhood he knew very little of. Although Dawn was light in his arms, he was no epitome of masculine strength and he was beginning to slow in his movements.
"Well look what we've got here," a figure muttered from the dark bushes and Andrew jumped in alarm, nearly dropping a now unconscious Dawn in the process. Faith stepped into the glow of the streetlight allowing Andrew momentary relief, until he realized that he had a drunken unconscious slayer's sister in his arms. Andrew gulped in anticipation as Faith looked him up and down. After a few moments of completely silent tension, Faith reached out and took Dawn from him.
"I…she…" Andrew's voice cracked and he looked down at his feet in fear.
"Hey kid, you're worrying about the wrong slayer here." Faith gave him a small smile and started to walk down the road, easily keeping up a brisk pace with Dawn in her arms. Andrew silently trailed a few steps behind, watching Dawn's arm flop back and forth.