Where Do We Go From Here?

by BookSmartBrilliance

Everyone's trying to adjust to their new lives in Cleveland. Trying to get back to normal isn't easy. Especially when you're trying to define normal on the Hellmouth.

Title:  Where Do We Go From Here?

Author: Audrey Evans – booksmartbrilliance@msn.com

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers:  Post-Chosen

Disclaimer:  I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Warner Bros, etc.

A/N:  Unable to let go of my obsession with Buffy and not being satiated by new episodes I've been forced to use my imagination to try to continue the story of my favorite Slayer and her faithful companions.  Feedback is deeply, deeply appreciated! 

This story is nine months after Chosen.

* * * * *

Dawn sighed as the car came to a stop in front of the former Erie Bed & Breakfast, currently known as Slayer Central by its odd assortment of residents and, in Dawn's opinion, legal prisoners.  She thought the older building looked even more run down than it usually did as Jason turned off the car and looked over at it.  The house had been built in the late 1920's and hadn't been lived in for the last forty years, which meant that even after months of renovation inside and out it still looked like something from a cheesy horror movie.

"I still can't believe you live here," he said nodding up at the house.  "We all thought it was haunted."

"I'm not so sure it isn't," she said, giving him a nervous smile.

He laughed, even though she had been partly serious.  This was the Hellmouth, anything could happen.  Of course he didn't know that.  He didn't know anything about Vampires or Slayers or Keys and she thought that was probably one of the reasons she was so attracted to him.  Of course his gorgeous smile, blue eyes and the way he looked in P.E. shorts was an even better reason.

There was a moment of awkward silence as Dawn zipped up her coat and prepared herself to step out of the warmth of the car and into the cold.  "Well," she said at length, "I really had a good time tonight."

"Yeah," Jason said, looking a little nervous as he drummed his fingers absentmindedly on the dashboard.  "I did too."

There was a longer moment of silence until Dawn, not able to find any good reason to stay in the car finally spoke up.  "Well…I guess I'll see you at school then?"

"Oh," Jason said blinking and looking away at the house.  "Actually, I was going to walk you to the door.  I may not be from California, but we Ohio boys have manners too."

Dawn, who had put her hand on the doorknob in order to let herself out, spun around to face him.  "N-no!"  He gave her a startled look.  "I mean…you don't have to do that!  It's like fifteen feet away.  I can handle it."  She laughed nervously.  "Besides, what do you think is going to happen?  Someone's going to attack me on the way to my front door?"

"No," Jason said, looking confused.  "I want to… you know…kiss you goodnight."

"Oh," Dawn said, rolling her eyes.  She leaned forward and pecked him on the lips.  She pulled back, looking surprised.  That had been good.  Real good.  She just hoped that after tonight he'd want to see her again and she could get in a real goodnight kiss.  "There," she whispered.

He smiled at her.  "See, that's what I like about you Dawn.  I think it's because you're from California.  You're not scared of making the first move like the girls from around here.  You're different."

"Different?" Dawn asked, her face falling.  "No, I'm not.  I'm normal."

"No you're not…you're mysterious and pretty and …could we do that again?  The kissing part?"

She looked up at him, meeting his eyes and nodded.  She felt her heart speed up as he closed the distance between them and kissed her.  Dawn closed her eyes as she felt his hands rest on her arms.  Her heart was beating so fast that she thought it might explode.

There was the sound of a fence slamming shut and she jumped, accidentally biting his lower lip. 

"Ow," he said, pulling away from her and putting a finger to his slightly bleeding lip.

Dawn spun around to see Andrew approaching the trashcan on the curb his hands full of garbage.  Andrew paused as he noticed the car. 

"Is that your brother?" Jason asked, as he continued to finger the bite mark.  Andrew put the trash away and then hesitated for only a split second before making his way to the car.  "You didn't mention you had a brother."

"What?  No!"  Dawn said quickly.  "He's…my cousin."

Andrew knocked on the passenger side window and now that he was closer Dawn could see that not only was he wearing dishwashing gloves, but also an apron.  She sighed as Jason rolled down the window.

"Hey Dawn," Andrew said eyeing Jason warily.  "Everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, Andrew," Dawn said, giving him a look that told him to get lost.

"Hey, I'm Jason," Jason said reaching across Dawn and offering his hand.

"Wells," Andrew said, taking his hand.  "Andrew Wells."

Jason gave him a small smile.  "Uh…your gloves are wet."

"Oh," Andrew said pulling his hand quickly out the window.  "I was cleaning the bathroom…"

Jason look horrified as he quickly wiped his hands on his pants. 

"Andrew," Dawn snapped.  "Shouldn't you be going back inside?  I mean, we wouldn't want to keep you from your cleaning schedule."

"Nah," Andrew said, "I was going to take a break anyway.  Those slayers are wearing me out."

"Slayers?"

"Layers!" Dawn said quickly.  "As in layers abouters.  I hate lazy people, don't you?"

"Right," Andrew said, as if kicking himself mentally.  "Layers….abouters."

"Oh," Jason said, his eyes having a slightly glazed over look. 

"Um…Dawn, if I were you, I'd get inside.  Buffy was asking for you a while ago.  She's not going to be happy about you being late for your curfew.  She's all rawr tonight."

"Just a minute, Andrew," Dawn said, glaring at him. 

"Buffy?"

"She's my sister," Dawn said.  "She kind of takes care of me."

"What about your parents?"

Dawn opened her mouth to answer, but was distracted as Andrew poked his head in the window.  "Dawn, can we go in now?  It's kind of cold out here."

Dawn made a frustrated noise and swung the door open barely missing hitting Andrew with it.  She got out of the car and stuck her head inside the window.  "Night, Jason, I'll see you Monday."

He nodded, and she hated the look of confusion in his expression.  "Goodnight, Dawn."

She turned around and came face to face with Andrew.

"What?" he asked, shrugging the way he always did and causing her to seriously contemplate whether or not she'd be rewarded or punished if she murdered him in his sleep. 

She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the front door.  Behind her she heard the sound of Jason's car start…and then die.  She paused and turned around.  She watched as he turned the key and the car refused to start.

Jason got out of the car and called out to her over the roof.  "Hey, can I use your phone?"

* * * * *

"The phone's over here," Dawn said leading the way down the hall and towards the living room.  She hoped to God, or as Willow insisted – Goddess, that they didn't run into anyone.  Jason probably already thought she was strange, living in what looked like a haunted house, having a disgusting *cousin* and the last thing she needed was for him to…

"Dawn?"

Dawn spun around to see Buffy standing in the doorway that led to the Dining Room.  Dawn felt her heart sink when she saw her face.  She wasn't happy.  But worse than that, she was holding a sword, something decidedly not normal. 

"Do you know what time it is?"  Buffy said angrily. "Your curfew was at 11:00."

"Buffy…"  Dawn half begged as she nodded towards Jason.

"Is…is that a machete?" Jason asked, inching back against the wall.

Buffy looked at him startled, she hadn't seen him yet.  She looked back at Dawn.  "Who is he?"

"Uh…yeah, it is," Dawn said quickly to Jason.  "We've got really high weeds in the backyard.  You know…overgrown and everything.   Buffy likes to go out and cut them down."

"Oh," Jason said, not really looking convinced.  "In the middle of the night?"

Dawn gave her sister a look that begged for her to play along. 

"Uh, yeah," Buffy said lamely.  She held up the machete and smiled evilly at Dawn.   "It's all part of my anger management program."

"Anger management?" Jason asked, swallowing hard.

"Buffy, we're ready when you are," said Vi appearing from the Dining Room with a crossbow in her hands.  She stopped abruptly, noticing Jason and Dawn in the hallway.  "Oh, hello."

Dawn frowned and grabbed Jason's arm.  "Come on, Jason.  You wanted to use the phone, right?"

She pushed him in the living room and shut the door behind them.  He made no move for the phone.  "Dawn…"

"I know what it looks like," Dawn said quickly.  "I promise we're not mass murders or anything.  My family is just…odd."

"Was that redheaded girl your sister too?"

"No….she's uh…another cousin."

"And the crossbow?"

"Buffy whacks weeds, she shoots squirrels."

"So you live here with your sister and your cousins?"

"Yes."

"And they have anger problems and have dangerous weapons?"

"Yes, but only to work through their anger.  They're harmless, really."

"How many cousins do you have?"

"Um….fourteen?"

Jason frowned and stepped towards her.  "Dawn, I think I know what's going on."

"You do?"

"Yes…and I think we should leave right now.  We can get you some help."

"Help?"

"Don't you see?  You're being brainwashed.  They're making you live in this family compound by threatening you.  No wonder you didn't want me to come in."

"What?"  Dawn asked, her eyes going wide.  "No, that's not it at all."

"No, I saw this on 20/20, you've got to get out of here."

"Jason, stop.  This isn't a family compound and I'm not being brainwashed…I just…"  Her mind searched for some way to explain things, but came up empty.  She sighed, as the realization hit her.  "I just think you should leave."

"Dawn," he said reaching out to her.  "I under—"

"No, you don't.  Just use the phone and go, alright?  I don't think this is going to work out."  How could it when he wasn't a freak like the rest of them?  She had thought that getting away from Sunnydale would mean a new chance at being normal, but now she knew the truth.

As long as she was in this house, as long as she was Dawn, Buffy's little sister, nothing was ever going to be normal.

* * * * *

Buffy walked into the living room and instantly found the girl she was looking for staring forlornly out the front window.  She stepped up soundlessly behind her .  Outside the window she could see the boy from earlier and an older man, presumably his father, bent over his open hood.  She watched as the boy reached up and slammed it shut, got in the car and grinned at the man as the car started. 

"I hate it here," Dawn said, her voice flat.  She didn't turn away from the window, but Buffy knew that the comment was directed at her.

"You were late tonight," Buffy said, her voice firm.  Dawn said nothing as she continued to stare out the window, her arms crossed across her chest.  Buffy watched the boy drive away first, followed by the man.  "Dawn, you know how hard it is to keep the girls in line.  If you, my own sister, can't follow the rules how can I expect them to?"

"I was thirty minutes late, that's all."

"That's all?" Buffy said, not believing what she was hearing.  "I can understand, five, maybe ten, but thirty?  That's just being irresponsible.  And you said it was a study date.  Not a date, date."

"What does it matter?"  Dawn asked, turning away from the window and looking at her.  "I'm never going to see him again, anyway.  Not after tonight.  He thinks we're some kind of cult.  He thinks I've been brainwashed!"

"He what?"  Buffy asked her eyes wide. 

"You just had to show up with that machete didn't you?"

Despite the furious expression on Dawn's face Buffy wasn't able to hold back the laughter.  "Brainwashed?"

"It's not funny," Dawn said stepping towards her, her hands clenched into fists at her side.   "You're ruining my life…again."

Buffy stared at her.  She loved her sister, hell, she'd even given up her life for her once, but this…this was exactly why she felt the urge to take that very same life she'd saved sometimes.  "That's not fair and you know it."

"Fair?"  Dawn yelled.  "Is it fair that I can't bring people home?  Is it fair that I can't tell people about my life before Cleveland?  Is it fair that I thought I'd have a chance to be somewhat normal here and you've ruined it in less than five minutes?  How is any of that fair?'

"I don't have time for this," Buffy said turning and walking back towards the door.  "When you're done blaming me for ruining your life we've got a situation on our hands that we could use your help on."

"I'm not helping anyone," Dawn said.  "This house if full of slayers and watchers in training, get them to help.  I have no special powers, I have no sacred calling, and it's not my problem."

"That has to be the stupidest thing you've ever said," Buffy said feeling her annoyance boiling over into anger.  "It's everyone's problem."

"No, it's not," Dawn said, crossing her arms and looking Buffy in the eye.  "It's only my problem because I live here in the middle of all of it.  We could have started over somewhere else, but you couldn't stay away.  You couldn't just let Faith take control could you?  No, you always have to be in control.  It's always about you!  Well, I'll tell you something, when I graduate, I'm out of here.  I'm going to go somewhere far away from the Hellmouth and from you, and I'm never going to look back."

"We've got a location on it," Vi said stepping foot in the living room.  "Maya says it's in the Warehouse district."

Buffy turned to her and nodded.  "Alright, call Faith, tell her we'll meet her there.  Bring Moses, Turner and Patil."

Vi nodded and left the room.  Buffy turned back to Dawn who was glaring at her, she returned the glare with an icy stare.   "Dawn, you know that even if you move away and pretend that this doesn't exist it still exists."

"For you, maybe."

Buffy clenched her jaw.  "Well, you've still got another year before you're out of this house and leave us all behind.  In the meantime, as long as you're living under this roof you'll have to follow the rules like everyone else.  You're grounded."

Dawn's eyes narrowed.  "For how long?"

"Until I say you're not."

"I hate this house!" Dawn cried as she pushed by Buffy and into the living room.  "And I hate you."

Buffy sighed, but her attention was drawn away from Dawn marching up the stairs as Vi appeared with the new Slayers in the hallway.

"Alright," Buffy said to them, nodding at the nervous looking slayers-in-training.  "Let's get this over with."

* * * * *

"Are you hungry?" Xander asked the pretty dark haired girl sitting beside him.  He wondered if all Slayers were naturally born pretty, or if it was just a coincidence that all the Slayers he'd ever seen could have doubled as models.  "We can stop if you are."

"Oh, no…thanks," Dana said quietly as she turned away from the window and its seemingly never ending miles of highway to look at him instead.  "Are you hungry?"

Xander smiled, "I'm always hungry, but I can tough it out.  We've only got about three more hours before we hit Cleveland.  Then I'm going to sleep till noon and make Andrew whip up some of his chocolate chip pancakes."

"Sounds like a plan," she said smiling.  "Who's Andrew?"

"Oh, well, think Alice from the Brady Bunch, but shorter, male and more annoying.  He's sort of like our cleaning lady, laundry woman and cook all rolled into one.  He prefers to be called a domestic engineer, but mostly I just call him Alice."

Dana laughed but quickly placed her hand over her mouth.  She looked in the rearview mirror afraid she'd woken the two women sleeping in the back seat.  Xander followed her gaze and saw Willow and Kennedy sleeping at opposite ends of the car.  It was clear by the way they were both huddled near their respective doors that they hadn't wanted to chance the possibility of accidentally touching, even in sleep.

"Don't worry about them," Xander said.  "Kennedy could sleep through an apocalypse and Willow's completely worn out from driving for so long."

"They…" she seemed to hesitate and then she saw her visibly make the decision to continue.  "They don't get along very well, do they?"

"Not lately," Xander conceded, as he took the exit for Interstate 71 North.

"Why not?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

Xander gave a non-committal shrug.  It wasn't his place to talk about Willow and Kennedy's relationship, no matter how strained it had gotten over the past month or so, or the fact that it was obvious, even to him, that it wasn't going to last much longer.

"Just standard relationship problems, I guess."

"Relationship?" She asked, blinking slightly.  "Why do I get the feeling you're not really talking about a working relationship."

Xander shot her a sly glance from the corner of his good eye.  "Probably because I'm not."

"Oh, wow," she said looking up at the rearview mirror again.  "Well now I know I'm really not in Kansas anymore."

"I think it would be safe to say that," Xander said with a grin.  "Anyway, lately…they've been having some problems.  The best thing to do is not to get in the middle of it, or you might get your head chopped off."  He paused.  Actually, that was a real possibility with Kennedy involved.  "Literally."

"Gotcha," she said nodding somberly as she settled back into her seat.  Conversation stopped then, and there was a minute of silence followed by another and another until he had begun to think that she had fallen asleep, but then she spoke up suddenly her voice soft.  "I kind of miss it already.  Is that stupid?"

"Kansas?"

"Yeah," she said, giving a small laugh that didn't disguise the slight tremble in her voice.  "I mean, growing up all I wanted to do was get out…and now I'm out.  I always saw myself going to New York or maybe Los Angeles and just being swept away by the city.  It would be one big adventure, not one big bore like in Wichita Falls.  But here I am…headed to Cleveland on the biggest adventure of my life and I'm kind of missing being bored.  It beats terrified."

"It's not stupid," Xander said, his voice firm and reassuring.  "Everyone is homesick in the beginning, but once you get to know the girls and you get into a routine of training and slaying everything will fall into place.  You'll see."

 "It's just so strange!  If you had told me a week ago that I would be dropping everything and moving to Cleveland to become a Vampire Slayer I probably would have had you committed."  She shook her head slightly as she crossed her arms across her chest.  "But then again I probably would have joined you soon enough, I thought I was going insane with all those Slayer nightmares.  It was actually a relief to find someone who could explain them." 

"A lot of the girls don't take us seriously until we mention the dreams," Xander said.  "I think all the slayers have been getting them, like a call to arms."

"Call is the right word.   It's one hell of a wake up call if you ask me.  One day I'm plugging my days away at the veterinary clinic until something better comes along, and the next I've got a purpose that was destined for me before time began?  Talk about putting you on the spot."  She looked at him curiously; the full moon shone through the front window and kept half her face in shadow.  "When did you know this was your destiny?"

"I don't," Xander said a little thrown off.  "I'm not a slayer.  It's not as clear cut for the rest of us."

"I know you're not a slayer," she said, smiling.  "But, when did you know you wanted to be part of all of this?  I mean you're not one of us, but you go around collecting us?"

"Yeah, next thing you know I'll be auctioning you off on Ebay," he said feeling a little uncomfortable.  She gave him a smile, but refused to back down from the question.   "I've been fighting the Hellmouth in Sunnydale, California since I was fifteen.  Buffy, the girl in your dreams, short, blonde, green eyes, brilliant smile…"  She nodded, acknowledging that she knew who he was speaking of.  "Well…she's one of my best friends and walking away was never an option for her, which meant it was never one for us.  We called all of you, now we have to prepare you for what you've been called to."

Feeling that he might have gone a little too Obi Wan Kenobi, he hastily added.  "Plus, there aren't many openings for one eyed crew chiefs.  I used to work in construction and now the way things are, I can't really do that anymore.  So, destiny or not, this job pays the bills and keeps me close to my friends and that's good enough for now."

"One eyed crew chiefs?"  She asked, looking confused again.

Xander pointed to his left eye, "It's a prosthetic."

He was used to the look of horror and surprise.  The truth was that ever since he'd gotten the prosthetic eye over six months ago people who didn't know about his unfortunate run in with Caleb never suspected he was missing an eye.  He had gone from the eye patched pirate back to normal looking Xander.  He didn't feel like normal Xander, but he looked it, and that had been good enough for now. 

He glanced over at her and he saw surprise register in her face.  "Oh, I'm sorry," she said quickly.  "I had no idea…it looks so real."

"It's okay, most people can't tell, which is the way I like it."

There was another long stretch of silence and Xander felt the feeling of unease surface again.  He hated it when people treated him differently, knowing that he wasn't completely whole as a person. 

"Mind if I ask how it happened?" she asked.  "Please don't tell me you were running with scissors in your hand, I'd hate for my mother to be vindicated."

Xander laughed and shook his head.  "Actually, it was a pair of garden shears and I was jogging…"

"Yeah, you have to watch out for those garden shears."

"They're so pointy," he said, drawing things out longer than necessary. 

The truth was, even though nine months had passed since he'd stood on the edge of Sunnydale and realized they had saved the world again, the days leading up to that moment and the people and things they lost still made his heart ache with the thought of them.  A picture of Caleb flashed in his mind's eye and he felt a shiver travel down his spine.  He'd had nightmares for months about the evil preacher, but often in his dreams Caleb did much more than take his eye, sometimes taking Xander's life, or worse the life of one of his friends.  Even now, he still popped up occasionally in Xander's dreams, though his appearances seemed to be getting further and further apart.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to," she said quietly.  "I shouldn't have asked."

He wanted to tell her that it was fine, that he didn't have a problem talking about it.  Instead he heard him self say, "Thanks."

Once again, silence prevailed in the car.  But it was short lived before she broke it, once again.

"So how about them Indians?"

* * * * *

A/N:  I know it seems like there are a lot of original characters, but they are a side affect of having to have new slayers.  This story will be mainly following the Scoobies and how they're adjusting to life after Sunnydale.