Chapter 29

Will wanted to lock the door. Dawn was close on his heels, and he was not ready to have to the conversation he knew she wanted to have. Sitting at his desk, he put his head in his hands. The paperwork on his desk was stacked neatly, but was nearly a foot high. The amount of work in front of him was overwhelming.

Taking a deep breath, he started into the pile of briefings on his desk. His mind was not focused; images of Dawn were floating behind his eyes. She was beautiful, she was headstrong, and she was a warrior. He admired all those qualities.

She was so young, though, he thought to himself. She was barely beyond her teenage years. Guilt overwhelmed him as he tried to focus on the tasks at hand and get through some of his work. He just wasn't sure in what direction a relationship between he and Dawn could progress. Could they move beyond just sex, and did he want to move beyond just sex, he asked himself.

He was almost through a majority of the paperwork on his desk when the door to his office opened without the preamble of a knock. A thin arm holding a brown paper shopping bag that smelled like Chinese food was dangling through the doorway.

Leaning back in his chair, he watched Dawn walk into the office. She set the bag of food on his desk and slipped her heels off. Sitting the chair, she set her feet on the edge on his desk and crossed her arms. Will could see the tops of her thigh-high stockings as her skirt to fell to the sides of her legs. Catching his breath, he sat back a little further in his own chair, glad to have the desk in between them.

"Are you going to avoid me for ever, now?"

Crossing his own arms, his expression became steely. "We can't do this. It isn't right."

She was exasperated. "It's not as if I'm some sixteen year old. What isn't right about this? Why can't we keep doing what we're doing?"

"What are we doing? What is it that you want from me, Dawn?"

Pausing, she considered the question. She wasn't sure what she wanted from him. She knew she wanted to have sex with him. She wanted to go to dinner with him and spar with him. Instead of answering, she leaned forward and started unpacking the bag of food. She had to stop herself from throwing one of the white containers at him.

Looking at the clock, he winced. It was after four. The others would be here late; they all had a lot of work to catch up on. He started into the food in front of him, vowing not to be the one to break the silence. The ball was still in her court, he reminded himself.

She used the chopsticks to take a few bits of her noodle mixture before she finally worked up the answer to the question he had asked a few minutes previous.

"I want to date you. I like being with you. You're funny, you're good in bed. We'd be good together. Buffy doesn't have to know. I won't tell her if you don't want me to. We can keep this a secret. I just want to try, okay? I'm not asking for a ring or anything."

"There's history between us. You remember me chained in a bathtub, for God's sakes. I mean, Dawn, come on, how can we be good together? You're sister will find out, because Angel already knows. And then she'll kill me."

"You told Angel!" She leaned forward in one swift movement and slammed her hand into the desk in front on her. "How could you do that?"

"I didn't tell him anything, you silly bint! He smelled it on us. I know I could. He wouldn't miss something like that."

Calming herself a little, she leaned back again and started stabbing pieces of chicken with her chopsticks. "This is the part where you list all the reasons why we can't be together, right? You give me a bunch of excuses and then I get mad and leave. A Buffy and Angel rerun, right? Bullshit, Will. That's bullshit."

"Such pretty language from such a pretty lady," he mocked, "Look, we can't do this. And it has nothing to do with Buffy and Peaches. Nothing. It just wouldn't work."

"Why not?"

Blowing out a slow breath, he started into his pre-prepared list. "It's dangerous. We lead dangerous lives, and I can't be worried about coming home to someone every night while I'm out killing demons and committing felonies. Reason two, you are way too young for me…"

He did not have the chance to finish. "Well I doubt there are many other three hundred year old people out there that look as good as I do naked." There was a smug look on her face, and he realized this was going to get ugly soon.

"Okay, point. However, you are too young. I'm too old. We wouldn't work out, our interests are too different. You would want to go to the club and I…well I wouldn't."

"That is the dumbest reason I have ever heard. And I am not the average twenty-two year old, you know that. I have been on the front lines for eight years, I can handle myself. You really think I can date a twenty-something? I tried, Will, it didn't work out."

They stared at each other, dead locked. He hated to admit that he enjoyed her company as much as he did. He had loved sparing with her the few times they had been able to, and he had greatly enjoyed the night he spent with her. It wasn't going to be enough, he told himself.

"It won't work. Bottom line. I won't let it work. I don't want you Dawn. I don't want you." He looked at her, watched as his words sunk in.

He's lying, she told herself. She could see the lies written all over his features. He wanted her. Even now, she thought, there is a passion burning in his eyes. He can lie to himself, she said in her head, but he cannot lie to me.

Standing, she pulled her pullover white blouse off in one fluid motion and came around the desk. He opened his mouth and went to stand in protest, but here lips silenced him before he could speak. Part of her hated herself for using her body to win him over. She though she could convince him with other ways, but this seemed to be the only language he understood.

He tried to stop himself, but a familiar feeling blossomed in his chest. His mind recoiled from what his heart was telling him. There was no way, he told himself, no way he could feel this way for Dawn. He had had these feelings for Dru, for Buffy. This was the same, but different.

Before he could dissect the feelings enveloping him, his body responded to the woman in front of him. his mind stopped working as his hands took over. His lips were eager for hers and even before she could strip the rest of her clothes off, he was tugging at her skirt.

Pushing the thoughts of guilt from her mind, Dawn focused on what her body was feeling. The odd feeling she had the night before returned, and an acute ache in her chest told her she could not let this man go. Her heart was screaming to keep him any way she could, and if her body was the only thing that could tether her to him, she would use that to advantage.

Neither of them wanted to think about the implications of their actions or the feelings washing through them. Will knew he was going to get attached; his romantic nature had always left him wanting more of the women he slept with. Dawn knew she was not willing to let her infatuation die so quickly. What had started as a primal kind of attraction was quickly growing to something more and she was helpless to stop herself.

Neither of them spoke as they fell to the floor behind Will's desk.