Chapter Twenty-Five

The Theme

A/NIt's very exciting, personally I love this episode it's one of my favourites, and I personally think would've been even more funny with Tara present so here we are.

Sunnydale, the world without shrimp 2002

"It was awful. And no you can't come in." Dawn cried out to the white paint of her door. To which Buffy and Xander were firmly planted on the other side of. If her and Willow weren't off refining their magick, Tara would be here to comfort and give hugs, but she wasn't so Buffy was having to make do being big sis all on her own and Xander was trying but really teenage boy crushes weren't really a thing he was good at.

Buffy heard sobbing from the other side of the door as Dawn's back slumped hard against it. "Dawn, sweetheart it's not that bad." She said, trying her best to coo the weary sixteen year old from her room. It really wasn't that bad, he was just a boy, a dumb stupid teenage boy, in Buffy's opinion anyway. To Dawn he was the quote 'smartest, funniest, cutest boy ever' and nothing was going to change her mind, at least for now.

Dawn abruptly opened the door, her face appearing teary eyed through the minute crack she made, her fist pulling out the handle violently. "How would you even know? RJ's never gonna notice me now." Her voice was cracking and a little winey. She'd been crying by the look of her eyes and Buffy just wanted to make it better, but she couldn't help it if she wanted to make the odd joke here and there.

"From what you said, I'm sure he already noticed you. I mean with the falling and the-" But she was cut off by Dawn ruthlessly slamming the door in Buffy's face, "spirit! Spirit!" She replied abruptly as the door tapped lightly against her nose, the wood bumping back against its frame. Then Dawn gave a sharp "go away!" and Buffy gave in the Xander's offer of pizza.

After a while Dawn trailed herself through the house, her sobs drying into tear streams on her tired face as she grabbed some ice cream from the freezer and piled herself into a heap on her bed with a big blanket. It wasn't the most suitable of solutions but what else was there now Buffy didn't believe her love was real. So Dawn did what Dawn does best, she brought out her latest diary and began to journal about the whole thing.

Dear Diary,

I love RJ, I love him so much and I can't bare to live without him. I've completely found the one I'm going to marry, he's perfect. But I messed it up, I messed it all up and now he'll never think I'm anymore than some stupid falling oafish person.

I got up there and tried my best to dance and cheer, but it just wouldn't, I love him so much and I made such a fool of myself and he looked so embarrassed. I can't embarrass him that's worse. It's all so awful. Way worse than vampires and demons, this is real and my problem.

What am I going to do? Buffy said it's all in my head, well none of her boyfriends have ever stayed have they? Eh? EH? No they haven't and now she's alone and won't admit that she loves Spike which I think is an oversight. Seeing Xander would've helped if him and Anya were still together, he was in love then it was nice reassuring. They were gonna get married and everything. But then he went and screwed that up and now I'm reminded that love fails sometimes.

I kinda wish Willow and Tara were here, a love story that did work out. Plus they're nicer than Buffy and they'd let me stay up later and watch tv, which I'm going to do anyway whatever anyone says, but at least they might watch it with me and I wouldn't be alone.

Dawn Xx

Dawn put her journal on the floor with her pen and leant back into the back of the bed, she imagined she was laying on her mother's lap. Fingers stroking through her hair as her mom comforted her through the pain of the unrequitement. That would be the perfection, but she couldn't have that. Mom's gone. She was alone in her grief, Buffy'd gone out on patrol by this point and Xander was useless to talk to. She just wanted to have him. For him to love her. RJ.

He ran down the stairs with a swooning gait when he saw her. The her that'd made a big laugh of herself the day before trying out for the cheer team. "Summers!" He called out ahead of himself, just catching up to her before she walked away. She'd never ignore him anyway. "Hey."

It was breathy but ok. "Hi." She replied, sultry as ever. Oh my god, RJ, don't be a dork. Don't freak out, he's talking to you, and he knows your name. Wait, hang on what's he actually saying, what do the words all mean? Ahh.

"hauled you into his office." I totally caught all of that, he must be talking about Principal Wood, just nod and agree. Don't look dumb.

"uH, well yeah." She said casually, ignoring his high status and presence amongst a mere mortal like her. She noticed his body, sleek muscle glowed into skin tone and she wanted nothing more than to feel him.

"About O'Donnell?" He asked her clearly, his cheeks dimpling in just the perfect places, he was just so perfect.

"Yes." She was pointed and plain straight to the point, finally actually understood what RJ was talking about, and she relaxed. Shoulders settling back to their original height she walked beside him an equal. A much shorter equal, but an equal nonetheless. Then she was making a really rather terrible joke about the Spanish inquisition and it was all over, he would see her as an inferior child all the livelong day. I love him so much and he sees me as nothing still, now I'll never get him. He chuckled, that's a good sign right?

So she explained it away and made herself blush and make nice with the awkwardness but in truth he thought she was a little cute and it was sweet she liked him. But he could have any girl he wanted so a sophomore like Dawn Summers wasn't really the right person for his radar. He was thinking older, how about her sister? She's the counselor, hot right?

He's touching my arm, eek. Don't eek out loud. That would be totally embarrassing right now. Dawn smiled a little at the contact, it was unexpected, but now they were having an actual conversation it was kinda nice. Dawn had proven she could talk to him without love feelings getting in the way and making her sound all stupid.

Then more words were spilling out of his mouth, words Dawn again hadn't expected and was in no mentally way ready. "You wanna meet up?" It stumbled her and she let out a resounding giggle, not fully expressing words but letting out a high pitched squealy version of an 'um' noise.

With music blaring away in the background and fruity alcoholic cups with straws in sitting before each of the four. They were out on the town for a change, managing to drag Tara and Willow away from their studying long enough to have a night off. Buffy thought it was about time they all sat down together and enjoyed themselves without looking after Dawn and Spike, without the house, just a nice change of scenery and some alcohol to push down all the thoughts of the next day ahead. And also the Bronze was the perfect place to enact their 'we're cool and in college' act whenever around high schoolers.

Xander was just moaning about the annoyance of Spike when they all peered up towards the heavy teenage crowd. "Is that him?" Tara said pointing at one of the many guy suspects for Dawn's out of control crush. Not that Tara understood about which boys were in or hot or anything. She could safely assume the one she was pointing as was fairly attractive in Dawn's opinion.

"No actually I think that's him." Buffy said with her own returning point. The crowd parting slightly to reveal the boy, letterman jacket bound and smiling as he danced with some girl.

"Him who?" Willow said as she sat back down between Buffy and Xander, new drink in hand, straw slipping between her slips as she gave Tara a quick glance and a smile.

"The one who according to Dawn is the quote 'smartest, funniest, coolest, hottest and having-of-the-thickest-boy-eyelashes in school' unquote." Buffy replied inspecting this boy herself, he was ok looking, not really the complete stud Dawn described but she was young and in love and naïve and she definitely didn't know what love was just yet.

"Oh, that boy." Willow replied, following Buffy's gaze towards the crowd, thinking back to what she'd already heard when Buffy'd called the night before. Just a warning that if Dawn leaves the house, to watch out for her.

"We heard about him. Poor Dawnie." Tara piped up, looking down at her lonely straw. She wasn't much of a drinker, her father used to drink and that would lead to eventual shouting and the odd bruise or two. So, she was drinking her usual lemonade with real lemon, not that Buffy or Xander knew that she was keeping up her 'I totally drink beer and stuff' act to be cool. Only Willow knew the truth.

Then the crowd cleared revealing more of the boy in question and his chosen company; a girl. She was shorter than him, curly brown hair and hips that swayed. "Check out the fan club." Xander said slightly pointing towards the girl and chuckling a little to himself.

"Wow, I mean er, woah." Tara said sheepishly, immediately regretting saying anything at all after the pointed look Willow proceeded to give her.

"TARA!" Willow exclaimed, lightly hitting her girlfriend on the arm, and peering at her with sharp green eyes. It wasn't like she was thinking the same thing or anything, but this was an excuse to get Tara back for the serious eyebrow raises she'd received when April the robot came to their spring break party.

"What! She's hot, it's not like I'm gonna do anything." Was what the blonde replied with, except the last part was whispered quietly looking down at her straw. Poking it around the glass with her finger, she then looked back up at the supposed 'hot girl.'

"Er, Buffy?" Tara said, finally noticing who the girl was, as she began turning towards them. Immediately cursing herself for the seriously inappropriate thoughts she'd just associated with Dawn. That's right, Buffy's little sister Dawn was the 'hot girl' Willow, Tara and Xander apparently – by the slight dripping of drool on his lower lip – were all suddenly obsessing over.

"Oh, I didn't, when I was looking, I wasn't looking, you know." Xander said waving his hands around and mildly panicking that he'd just mentally hit on his best friend's sixteen year old sister.

Tara leaned into Willow a bit closer and clasped their hands together quickly, as she herself had her own mental panic. "I promise I'm never leaving you, ok."

"Good, and I know, I just love winding you up." Willow replied, gaining herself her own mild slappage to the arm and a sly smiled from Tara who abruptly began drinking her lemonade again, perhaps for an excuse to drag Willow into the bathroom at some point.