Dawn Of Time

Part Two: Waiting Up



Author: Megan

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. Nothing 'BtVS' related is mine. They belong to other people, Joss and whomever.

Feedback: Yes, please: shy_grrl@hotmail.com

Summary: Dawn suffers from insomnia.

Spoilers: Pretty much anything. Lots from 'Faith, Hope and Trick' from season 3.

Author's Notes: This story kinda works on the idea that Dawn is a real character, and not just some lame ass plot twist. It could also maybe work as a series of falsified memories planted by the monks. In short, it is season three with Dawn as the bonus element, and focus on the Buffy/Faith relationship. Also, lots of Buffy and Dawn sister stuff. Hope you don't mind about the latter, I just love writing it so much.



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Sometimes I wait up for Buffy. Just to hear her come in. Just to know that she's still here. And not gone. In the daytime, it's easy to hate her, easy to see all her annoying qualities. Easy to fight with her. But at night... at night I understand her better. When it gets dark, I find I love her more. I'm even proud of her, proud that she's my sister. Proud that she does the things she does, without asking anything in return.

Sometimes I sit on the floor in my room, by the door, which I've left open a crack. And wait for the quiet footsteps, for the sound of a door opening.

This time she comes in a little after midnight. I've already written down the events of the dinner in my diary. In excruciating detail. And moved on to making a list of things that are bigger than the average slayer's IQ. Like the number fifty...five. Buffy bringing up the curve by five points. Cause, really she is quite smart. In that stupid way.

I hear Buffy's footsteps getting closer, and then stop. And then nothing for a few seconds. And then a low groan, followed by a few muttered words. I hear her footsteps getting farther. I hear her open the bathroom door. It always creaks quietly.

The most disgusting aspect of the slaying thing has to be the impurity factor. You get all sweaty, and the vampire dust gets everywhere, all over your clothes. Not to mention the demon-yuck-smell. Grossness.

I hear Buffy turn on the shower.

I don't know how she stands it. I'd be wearing like a... a... one of those radiation-protection-suities. What is it with the demons anyway? Don't they care about hygiene and such? Just because you're all evil and demon-y, doesn't mean you have to be repulsive, does it? Just once I'd like to see a tall, dark, and handsome baddie. Well, there was Angel of course... so maybe that's even worse. Cause then it's probably even harder to kill them. Especially, if you've been silly enough to fall in love with it... him.

Buffy turns off the shower.

Not that, that gives you the right to just take off, and leave everyone behind. Cause, like, people depend on you. People NEED you. I need you, cause you're my sister. And I don't have enough of those to go around.

I close my diary. Buffy's home. Everything's fine for the time being. No reason to stay up any longer.

Just as I'm about to stand up, a knock on my door startles me, "Dawn?", Buffy voices, and pushes the door open. Damn slayer sneakyness! I didn't even hear the bathroom door, "What are you doing?", she asks when she sees me sitting on the floor, with my dumbfounded face turned upwards.

Barely a noticeable bruise decorates her left cheek. She's dressed in her pink bathrobe, and her hair is still wet. Dripping water all over the hallway carpet. I gawk at her for a few seconds, before regaining my wits, "Ever hear of a towel, Buffy?"

"No... I don't think so...", she frowns, "Is it edible?"

"I'm sure YOU could eat it, eggplant-girl", I answer shrugging.

Buffy smirks, "So, why you up so late Dawnie?"

I love it when she calls me Dawnie. Makes me feel so special. Like I matter to her. Like she really cares about me.

I smile at her, "No reason", I say and struggle myself up to my feet, "Did you make nice with your new friend?"

My question wipes off the grin from Buffy's face. Her expression gets all serious for a few seconds. Then she shakes it off, cause everything serious has to be kept way far away from little Dawnie, "Yeah", she smiles again, "Except, I don't think she plays well with others."

"Really? You seemed to be getting along earlier", I try not to let the hurt show in my voice, but a little of it shines through.

She stares at me for a while, with the smile frozen in place, and then starts to giggle, "Aww! We didn't hurt your feelings, did we?", she baby- talks to me, and takes a step closer, "Poor little Dawniee..."

"Stop it Buffy!", I demand, when she raises her hands. Cause I know what's coming next. Quickly I try to jump out of her reach, but of course she's faster. Equipped with the slayer reflexes. It's so unfair. She grabs me by the waist and pushes us both down on the bed, "Buffy!", I scream when she proceeds to tickle me.

"Not so loud!", she says, and just keeps laughing.

"I'm telling mom!", I try to wriggle free from under her.

"I don't think you are", she's still grinning, but stops with the tickling, "Cause you're supposed to be in bed already, little girl."

She's pinning my hands down, preventing me from moving, "I AM in bed, genius."

"Oh", Buffy says, letting her gaze roam around the room, "Right", I roll my eyes, "So, you about ready to tell me why you're still awake?"

"Why do you even care?", I ask back. Annoyed as Hell. Buffy has no right using her slayer strength on me. It's not fair!

She looks confused, "You're my sister. Of course I care ", she says with a sweet smile.

But it's gona take more than that. I keep glaring at her and finally her smile changes into a frown, "Like you cared last summer?", I then ask quietly.

We stare into each others eyes. Pain flashes across her face. Not guilt, not remorse, pain, "What do you mean?", she whispers barely loud enough for me to hear, and stands up.

I crawl away from her, and lean my back against the headboard. Her eyes are glued to mine. She's getting angry and upset, "Nothing", I mumble. An angry Buffy is not a good thing. She says and does things that hurt.

"No, you obviously meant something", she demands to know, "So out with it."

How do I explain it to her? That she is the most important thing in my life. That, if I had to pick one person, who would always be there for me, with me, I'd pick her. I'd choose her over mom. Over dad. Over anyone. So it hurts, when she can just leave me behind, without so much as a good-bye. It hurts, when she can totally forget I even exist.

"I just missed you, that's all", I finally answer with a weak voice.

Buffy looks at me in silence. For a long time, trying to figure out something. I shouldn't have brought up the summer. Cause reminiscing about it, only makes her sad. As witnessed in the zombie-party last week. And despite everything, I don't want to make her sad. Not when she's suffered so much already.

"It wasn't about you", Buffy says and looks away. She shakes her head, "And it wasn't about mom, or Willow, or Xander or any of you", her voice raises with every word, as she's working herself up to a fit, "You couldn't understand..."

"I know!", I quickly interrupt her, before she gets a psychotic episode, and kills us all. Her head slowly turns to me again, "But I still missed you."

Again she looks at me silently for a time, before letting a smile return to her face, "As apocalyptic as it sounds, I missed you too."

I force myself to smile back at her, so as not to be rude. I know she's only joking, the way she always jokes. But sometimes I wonder, if she actually feels partially that way. If I'm nothing more than an annoying responsibility to her.

"Must be one of those freaky side effects of the Hellmouth, hey?", I say, playing along with the avoidance game. 'How to deal with the slayer, for dummies': when in doubt, use humor, "Evoking all these unnatural sympathies towards your sister?"

"Must be", Buffy agrees with a nod, and prepares to leave the room. Once at the doorway, she turns around and opens her mouth, "Did... at the dinner... when you were alone with her...", she starts stuttering and grasping for words. When they don't come to her, she shakes her head and turns to leave again.

"What?", I call after her.

And she spins around again, "Faith... she didn't do, or say anything to... upset you?"

"You mean, besides devour our entire dinner?"

"Yeah", Buffy says and smiles, "Besides that."

I shrug and shake my head, "Nothing, that I can think of."

"So... she didn't seem a little... unbalanced to you?"

"No. Why?", I ask frowning. Buffy's being a little weirdish, "Something happen during the patrol?"

She opens her mouth to answer, then thinks twice about it and doesn't answer. Cause I'm too fragile to hear what happens in the real world, outside my own comfy room, "Nah", she shakes her head, "Nothing big. Goodnight", she says and leaves the room, closing the door behind her.

Right. Nothing big. Fine. I stare at the door for a few moments, before getting up and retrieving the diary from the floor, and crawling back into bed.



tbc