Just something that popped into my head from recent discussions with other authors and from rewatching Drake and Josh clips. I apologize in advance if Dawn seems out of character.
Summers house
Afternoon
Dawn was reading a book in the living room, a school assignment from her literature teacher. Hearing the front door open, Dawn looked up, relieved to see Willow walk in.
"Hey Dawnie. What are you reading?" Willow inquired as she saw the book in Dawn's hand.
"Hamlet, part of my assigned reading for English," Dawn explained and Willow nodded. "You just getting in?"
"Well, class at Sunnydale U ran a little later than I expected. You been here by yourself for long?" Willow asked concerned.
"Maybe an hour or so," Dawn said with a shrug.
Willow frowned, not liking that Dawn had been left alone for so long. She may be a bit mature for her age and able to handle herself, but she was still just a kid. Further conversation was interrupted when the door opened. Willow and Dawn looked over to see Buffy walk into the house, still wearing her Doublemeat Palace uniform.
At the sight of her sister, Dawn immediately buried her nose in the book, seemingly trying to ignore Buffy's presence. Willow couldn't say she blamed Dawn, given Buffy's recent murder attempt. A few years ago, Willow probably would have reacted the same way. But given what she'd done to Tara and Dawn because of her magic addiction, Willow could understand a bit of where Buffy was coming from.
"Hey Buffy. Are you gonna be home for dinner tonight?" Willow said, trying to extend an olive branch.
"Not tonight, I have patrol," Buffy said, seeming to pay no mind to Willow's offer.
Dawn barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Typical Buff, unaware people were trying to mend fences even they were reaching out to her. Willow could be waving a flag that said 'trying to forgive you' and Buffy wouldn't notice.
"I'm gonna go study in my room," Dawn told Willow as she closed her book.
"I'll tell you when dinner is done," Willow said and Dawn simply nodded.
Grabbing her stuff, Dawn began to head towards the stairs, completely ignoring her sister's presence. However, Buffy apparently didn't take the hint, as she stepped in front of Dawn.
"Could you move please?" Dawn asked, trying to control her temper.
"Dawn…I know you're mad-" Buffy started and Dawn's patience wore thin.
"I'm not mad," Dawn said honestly, taking Buffy by surprise.
"Oh…well, great, Buffy said, taken back.
"I'm done," Dawn said as she started making her way passed Buffy.
"What do you mean 'done'?" Buffy asked as she turned around, Dawn tiredly turning around to face her sister.
"I don't want anything to do with you anymore," Dawn clarified and Buffy stared at her in disbelief.
"So what, you're gonna move out?" Buffy demanded incredulously.
"No. Aside from the fact that I'm a minor, this house is the only thing I have left of mom. So I guess we'll share a house until I leave for college, but that's all," Dawn said firmly.
"Dawn, I know I made a mistake-" Buffy tried only to be cut off by her sister.
"You didn't make a mistake Buffy, you mad a choice," Dawn said, some bitterness entering her voice. "You didn't lose your soul like Angel; you didn't go insane like Faith. You decided you'd rather live in that other reality than in this one. And we were standing in your way: me, Xander and Willow. You didn't even hesitate in deciding to kill us. Anything so you can get what you want."
"It's just been so hard since I came back," Buffy tried to explain.
"And there it is," Dawn snapped, taking Buffy back. "The same excuse you use every time someone tries to talk to you, really talk to you. No one can ever try and help you; no one can ever try to be there for you, because no matter what we do, you're miserable because we tore you out of Heaven. You resent us, you punish over it and it will never be enough. I'm done with it Buffy. I'm done with you."
Dawn then carried her stuff up the stairs, not paying Buffy another glance. Buffy simply stared after her sister numbly, the consequences of her actions hitting her for the first time.
Willow simply stared from the kitchen, her heart breaking for both Summers girls. But there was nothing she could do; this was something Buffy and Dawn needed to work out for themselves.
Most of the time, I like Buffy (depending on the season, I like her more than Xander and Giles) but season six, I'll be honest, she was utterly unlikeable.
In the beginning, I felt sorry for her. I mean, getting torn out of Heaven, sucks doesn't even begin to cover it. I can even understand her resenting the Scoobies over it. But it's her actions that make me lose that sympathy for her.
Buffy makes no effort to try to move forward now that she's back on earth. She makes no attempt to deal with her trauma; she just throws a pity party the entire season. None of the Scoobies can try to help her because she always uses being torn out of Heaven as an excuse for her actions; she even uses it as an excuse for her self-destructive relationship with Spike. She all but abandons Dawn, the only person who was completely innocent in regards to her being torn out of Heaven. No matter how much Dawn acts out over the fact that Buffy doesn't seem to give a crap about her anymore, it's never enough for Buffy to decide she needs to stop her pity party and be there for the one person who actually needs her.
But the moment I lost all sympathy for Buffy was in 6x17. As Dawn said, she didn't lose her soul, she wasn't actually insane, she simply made a choice to live in that other reality instead of the one she was in. She wanted to; you could tell the entire episode that she preferred to live in that reality. Buffy does not even hesitate when offered the solution of killing her friends and Dawn.
And of course, Buffy can't get called out on it. There are people who think Buffy wasn't treated that well by the writers and it's a fair criticism, but one thing I've noticed is that Buffy is rarely, if ever, called out when she is wrong. Other characters spend season trying to make up for their mistakes but Buffy always gets a pass.