Disclaimer: Come on. Really.
A/N: AU after Storyteller.
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Dawn looked at Morgan in the rear-view mirror. She wasn't sure if she believed it. She wasn't sure if she could believe it. Five people. Out of god knows how many potentials and the entire Scooby Gang, plus Principal Wood, there were five people left. A girl who shouldn't exist, a high school principal, a carpenter, a geek and a three year old girl.
She, of course, would be the girl who shouldn't exist. She didn't know how she survived when all the potentials hadn't. They had been trained, even if just for a little while. They were faster and stronger, even if just a little bit. They were the ones with the destinies, even if they did suck.
Okay so not all the potentials had died, but Morgan hadn't even been in the fight, she was three for God's sake. She and Andrew had hid in a closet for the most part.
Dawn remembered when Giles had brought Morgan to the house. He'd been gone for a week looking for the latest potential. They were all a little nervous when he came back. After what happened with Chloe everyone was on edge. When he'd lead Morgan in through the door Dawn had finally found out what a deafening silence was.
They'd all been shocked. Dawn thought that maybe that was what really put the fight into them. Morgan. They looked at her, a little girl, and knew that she would one day die, and they, all of them, wanted to keep that from happening for as long as possible. They trained harder after Morgan arrived, and when the time had finally come they'd all been ready to die. Most of them did.
Dawn still wasn't sure on the details of what happened. She didn't think anybody was. Most of the potentials had died in the initial skirmish. Amanda had been gutted right in front of her. Molly was drained by a vampire. They'd been the first two to die. After that it was mostly a blur for Dawn.
She spared a cautious glance at Xander in the driver's seat. He was staring straight ahead, eyes on the road. He had stitches on his forehead that would probably leave a scar, there was a bandaged on his throat; it was pretty obvious what kind of wound that was; his wrist was sprained and she couldn't see it but she knew his ribs were taped up. That was just the physical damage though. Dawn knew that was nothing compared to the emotional pain he was in right now.
He'd watched Anya die. Held her in his arms as her blood soaked his clothes. Dawn hadn't known so much blood could come from one person, and Anya wasn't even all that big. Something had come over Xander after that. His eyes had changed, gotten harder and closed, and Dawn was kind of scared because they hadn't changed back. She didn't want to think what would happen if they stayed that way forever. She didn't think she was ready to handle that right now.
Kennedy had died protecting Willow. Willow was so caught up in her spell that she didn't even know it until after the fight was over. She'd been devastated, not like when Tara died; she hadn't gone on a killing spree or anything; but her eyes had lost what little sparkle they'd regained.
Buffy had been the worst. Dawn had watched, frozen, as her sister, her hero, her mother if you looked at it a certain way, threw herself into the Hellmouth. Buffy had said the First would choke on her. She'd been right. Score one for Slayer prophetic dreams. See, Dawn made a funny, ha ha. Or not.
Giles had a theory on why a new Slayer was activated after Buffy died in the fight with the First and not with Glory. He said that while her body had remained behind when she jumped through the portal her essence or soul or whatever may have been transported to another dimension; in which case she hadn't actually died, just, gone away for awhile.
They'd been hoping they'd missed a potential after the fight, but it was pretty obvious Morgan was the new Slayer when she pushed the couch two feet.
Amazingly enough, it was Andrew who came up with the idea. They'd all been wary at first, Giles most of all, but after weighing their options Dawn had demanded they do it. Willow said they only reason it would work was because Dawn had Buffy's blood and because she was the Key. They'd given her Slayer powers. Actually they'd made her a Slayer. Willow had remembered what Buffy told her about her vision of the three guys who created the Slayer and she'd tried to recreate that as much as she could.
They'd used Buffy's heart. That was the part that bothered Dawn the most. They'd used Buffy's heart, her sister's heart, to make her a Slayer.
Well, she wasn't quite a Slayer. Sure, the abilities were the same, but the power source, she guessed that's what it was, was way different. Slayer's got their power from, well, she didn't really know. They thought maybe it was whatever demon the three guys with the sticks had used, but there was no way to be sure. Dawn's power came from herself. Whatever it was that made her the Key also fuelled her newly acquired abilities.
The spell had killed Willow and Giles. Willow had been weak from the spell to defeat the First. She'd had to borrow power from Giles, but he'd been injured and he was weak too. They'd known what would happen. They'd told Xander so he could explain it to Dawn so she wouldn't blame herself. Not that it worked.
They didn't know for sure what happened to Spike, but Dawn had found a pile of dust on the back porch and his duster had been lying on the couch. Dawn had offered it to Robin, it was his mother's after all, but he'd told her to keep it.
"You're the new Slayer." He'd said. "It's yours now. Maybe one day you can give it to Morgan." He'd thought his mom would have liked that. Future generations of Slayers wearing her duster, saving the world in her duster. He'd left the house real quick after that; said he had to get to work. It was a Saturday.
It had been three days. Three days since the First was defeated. Three days since Buffy died. Three days since they saved the world. Funny, no one was celebrating. Come to think of it, no one had celebrated after the last two apocalypses either. Go figure.
They were on their way to LA; her, Xander and Morgan. She had just a small duffel and the emergency kit Robin gave Buffy. Morgan just had a backpack. Xander didn't even have a change of clothes.
She was going on the run. Her and Morgan. It was safer that way. There was less chance of the demons finding Morgan. Dawn had to protect her now.
She looked in the rearview mirror again. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep. Dawn could almost ignore the tear tracks. She sighed, returning her attention to the passing scenery.
She pretended not to notice her own tears.
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Dawn looked at Morgan in the rear-view mirror. She wasn't sure if she believed it. She wasn't sure if she could believe it. Five people. Out of god knows how many potentials and the entire Scooby Gang, plus Principal Wood, there were five people left. A girl who shouldn't exist, a high school principal, a carpenter, a geek and a three year old girl.
She, of course, would be the girl who shouldn't exist. She didn't know how she survived when all the potentials hadn't. They had been trained, even if just for a little while. They were faster and stronger, even if just a little bit. They were the ones with the destinies, even if they did suck.
Okay so not all the potentials had died, but Morgan hadn't even been in the fight, she was three for God's sake. She and Andrew had hid in a closet for the most part.
Dawn remembered when Giles had brought Morgan to the house. He'd been gone for a week looking for the latest potential. They were all a little nervous when he came back. After what happened with Chloe everyone was on edge. When he'd lead Morgan in through the door Dawn had finally found out what a deafening silence was.
They'd all been shocked. Dawn thought that maybe that was what really put the fight into them. Morgan. They looked at her, a little girl, and knew that she would one day die, and they, all of them, wanted to keep that from happening for as long as possible. They trained harder after Morgan arrived, and when the time had finally come they'd all been ready to die. Most of them did.
Dawn still wasn't sure on the details of what happened. She didn't think anybody was. Most of the potentials had died in the initial skirmish. Amanda had been gutted right in front of her. Molly was drained by a vampire. They'd been the first two to die. After that it was mostly a blur for Dawn.
She spared a cautious glance at Xander in the driver's seat. He was staring straight ahead, eyes on the road. He had stitches on his forehead that would probably leave a scar, there was a bandaged on his throat; it was pretty obvious what kind of wound that was; his wrist was sprained and she couldn't see it but she knew his ribs were taped up. That was just the physical damage though. Dawn knew that was nothing compared to the emotional pain he was in right now.
He'd watched Anya die. Held her in his arms as her blood soaked his clothes. Dawn hadn't known so much blood could come from one person, and Anya wasn't even all that big. Something had come over Xander after that. His eyes had changed, gotten harder and closed, and Dawn was kind of scared because they hadn't changed back. She didn't want to think what would happen if they stayed that way forever. She didn't think she was ready to handle that right now.
Kennedy had died protecting Willow. Willow was so caught up in her spell that she didn't even know it until after the fight was over. She'd been devastated, not like when Tara died; she hadn't gone on a killing spree or anything; but her eyes had lost what little sparkle they'd regained.
Buffy had been the worst. Dawn had watched, frozen, as her sister, her hero, her mother if you looked at it a certain way, threw herself into the Hellmouth. Buffy had said the First would choke on her. She'd been right. Score one for Slayer prophetic dreams. See, Dawn made a funny, ha ha. Or not.
Giles had a theory on why a new Slayer was activated after Buffy died in the fight with the First and not with Glory. He said that while her body had remained behind when she jumped through the portal her essence or soul or whatever may have been transported to another dimension; in which case she hadn't actually died, just, gone away for awhile.
They'd been hoping they'd missed a potential after the fight, but it was pretty obvious Morgan was the new Slayer when she pushed the couch two feet.
Amazingly enough, it was Andrew who came up with the idea. They'd all been wary at first, Giles most of all, but after weighing their options Dawn had demanded they do it. Willow said they only reason it would work was because Dawn had Buffy's blood and because she was the Key. They'd given her Slayer powers. Actually they'd made her a Slayer. Willow had remembered what Buffy told her about her vision of the three guys who created the Slayer and she'd tried to recreate that as much as she could.
They'd used Buffy's heart. That was the part that bothered Dawn the most. They'd used Buffy's heart, her sister's heart, to make her a Slayer.
Well, she wasn't quite a Slayer. Sure, the abilities were the same, but the power source, she guessed that's what it was, was way different. Slayer's got their power from, well, she didn't really know. They thought maybe it was whatever demon the three guys with the sticks had used, but there was no way to be sure. Dawn's power came from herself. Whatever it was that made her the Key also fuelled her newly acquired abilities.
The spell had killed Willow and Giles. Willow had been weak from the spell to defeat the First. She'd had to borrow power from Giles, but he'd been injured and he was weak too. They'd known what would happen. They'd told Xander so he could explain it to Dawn so she wouldn't blame herself. Not that it worked.
They didn't know for sure what happened to Spike, but Dawn had found a pile of dust on the back porch and his duster had been lying on the couch. Dawn had offered it to Robin, it was his mother's after all, but he'd told her to keep it.
"You're the new Slayer." He'd said. "It's yours now. Maybe one day you can give it to Morgan." He'd thought his mom would have liked that. Future generations of Slayers wearing her duster, saving the world in her duster. He'd left the house real quick after that; said he had to get to work. It was a Saturday.
It had been three days. Three days since the First was defeated. Three days since Buffy died. Three days since they saved the world. Funny, no one was celebrating. Come to think of it, no one had celebrated after the last two apocalypses either. Go figure.
They were on their way to LA; her, Xander and Morgan. She had just a small duffel and the emergency kit Robin gave Buffy. Morgan just had a backpack. Xander didn't even have a change of clothes.
She was going on the run. Her and Morgan. It was safer that way. There was less chance of the demons finding Morgan. Dawn had to protect her now.
She looked in the rearview mirror again. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep. Dawn could almost ignore the tear tracks. She sighed, returning her attention to the passing scenery.
She pretended not to notice her own tears.