Part 8
read some disclaimer somewhere, then apply it to this story. This part takes place 3 months after the last part. Why? Cause I was in a bitchy mood and it seemed like a good way to get things moving the way I needed them too.
Dawn and Rogue had a habit, a pattern. The whole school knew it, and respected it. Neither girl seemed to be much of a morning person, but three months after dawns arrival, they met every morning. Faces pale and blurry, before settling silently on the roof, or during inclement weather on the library floor. They meditated, and then they did tai chi. Then they ran, and then this was the most well known part, they fought. No sparring between them, all out fighting, they left blows that had one or occasionally both limping and bandaged.
The habit had started in July. Dawn had noticed that the community center was holding tai chi lessons. She signed up, and attended for two weeks daily. During this time she made a few friends. At the end of this two weeks, she talked Rogue and Kitty into joining her. This was where the problems started. Three days later Dawns new friends weren't talking to her. Dawn, Rogue and Kitty put up with all sorts of harassment for 3 more days, when Kitty quit. The teachers had no problems with the girls, it was the other students that had the problems. Things went to hell when Dawn pushed to the end of her rope by the ignorance of the other girls in the class, was pushed, or rather someone tried to push her. This incident ended with a very sheepish Dawn being collected at the police station by an aghast Jean and a somewhat smug Scott. The other girl was released from the hospital the same day. Rogue and Dawn were permitted to go back to the class after two days. They did go back, and after two more days of harassment, and yet another trip home from the police station the girls were quite firmly told that they were not welcome back to the class, which in the words of the head instructor, 'was quite a pity, they took to it so well, like they'd been handling energy all their lives.' After this the girls took to rising early so as to get some practice in, now the entire school knew and respected that this was very much a thing for just the two of them.
This morning was exactly the same as all of the others that had passed, but for one tiny difference. It was 1 o clock in the morning. Rogue had caught Dawn sneaking out of the mansion, something that Dawn did every night. Although Rogue didn't actually know that yet.
"Where are you going?" Rogue asked gently. Dawn was wearing dark clothes and was actually, although somewhat oddly, armed. Rogue had been on the roof thinking when Dawn had appeared, climbing up from her window. Rogue now had what felt like would be a very impressive shiner, and a small cut on her arm where she'd been stabbed with a wooden stake. "And what the hell are you doing?" She asked, her voice rising sharply. At this point a darker shadow on the roof stood and stepped forwards.
"Those would be loaded questions kid," Faith said, staring at Dawn. "But i think i can answer both of them."
"What are you doing here?" Dawn asked sharply, moving into a basic stance.
"I got out on good behavior." Faith retorted. "I went back to work. I heard about Buff."
"Let me guess you came to say you were sorry?" Dawn shot back acidly. "Well you can get lost before i hurt you." Rogue moved to stand at Dawns side.
"Before we hurt you." Rogue added.
"I'm here on business actually." Faith snapped in reply. "As for you Stripes, maybe you should run along back to bed while Dawnie and i have a chat."
"Or i could scream." Rogue shot
"Great idea." Dawn muttered. "Wake up Logan."
"Logans here?" Faith asked with a sharp grin. "Wolvie? Got kick ass claws and what not?" Rogue growled softly. Then blinked, the part of her that was Logan knew this girl. She was one of the shadowed shapes that rarely appeared in her dreams.
"Your Faith." Rogue said accusingly. She turned her gaze to Dawn. "You know her?" Her memories weren't very forth coming except for on one detail. Logan wanted Faith and as such Rogue was know finding herself attracted to the older woman. "I think i'm going to be violently ill."
"S'all right love." Muttered yet another voice from behind her. "You've got all the time in the world." Then things blurred. Rogue blinked as a hand gently but very firmly tossed her at Faith. They landed in a pile of arms and legs. "Look at you. Little dove all grown up and sneaking out." Dawn blinked at the woman now standing beside her. "Is the nasty other slayer bothering you?" Drusilla asked gently. "I've killed one." Dru went on. "I'll help you kill her too."
"That's ok." Dawn said, taking a few steps away from Drusilla. "How did you get on the roof?"
"I flew with the birdies." Drusilla replied.
"Or," Faith tossed in from where she and Rogue were untangling themselves. "Your minions helped you climb." A deeper shadow behind her nodded. Faith grinned and hit the shadow, staking it within a few seconds.
"What i'd like to know is how you got past the professor." Rogue was saying. "And how you touched me."
"She hasn't got any life energy." Dawn said, "which answers question number 2. As for the first question, the answer to that would be." She was cut off as a gloved had wrapped around her throat.
"Me." Said a voice from behind her. "They call me Rack." It was at this point that Dawn began to panic. She didn't know this Rack person, but his hand was very strong, and cutting off her airflow. So she slammed her foot into his heel pulled forwards and very strongly thrust her elbow into his groin. Faith and Rogue both had their hands full with several vamps that were trying to kick there asses. Drusilla was grinning at Dawn and Rack.
"He's my new toy." Drusilla said dreamily as Rack stumbled backwards, towards the edge of the roof. he stopped and turned, suddenly Dawn had nothing beneath her legs. The only thing keeping her from a fall to her death was Rack, or more specifically his hand wrapped around her throat. "Show her the pretty light show." Drusilla commanded, and Dawn her hands frantically locked around Racks wrist was horrified to see him smile.
"I bet you taste like vanilla." Rack whispered, holding out his other hand. Dawn had tried weed once, but when things like vampires pop at you, drugs aren't really a good thing to invest in. Now she was seeing and feeling everything she'd missed out by not using drugs. Racks magical energy ran down his arm and over her hands throat and face. It crawled in currants, and whispered seductively in her ears. Her vision went black then slowly came back in varying shades of red, then purple and finally blue. Racks eyes were closed and he was smiling. a tiny bit of Dawns brain, the part that wasn't panicking, or really really high frowned and went 'eww.. hes getting off on this.' Unfortunately for Dawn the rest of her brain was panicking and/or really really high. As such she started to giggle. It was at this point when Drusilla was whipped off the roof by a very angry Logan. Who then kicked Rack to get his attention. Logan only saw Dawn when she began to fall, giggling hysterically.
For Dawn as she began to fall with what felt like horrifying slowness, her only option was easy. With Racks magic crawling over and through her she closed her eyes, tried to concentrate and opened a portal. Dawn landed on the roof in the spot where a vampire had been. The vampire fell the remaining two stories to the ground, and landed with a crunch that had Dawn giggling until she fell over. She put out an arm to balance herself and caught Rogue. Both girls fell back to the roof where Dawns hand came into contact with Rogues cheek. Both girls screamed as a magical whirlwind picked them up and suspended them four feet over the roof. Magic was whipping back and forth across their skin and Rogue was drinking in the energy and memories of the key. Dawn and Rogue were in a world of pain and to make matters worse now they were both tripping out hardcore. Dawn took a deep breath and screamed.
"Spike!" Her voice ripped across the rooftop interrupting Faiths fight with several vamps, Logan and Rack and then the scream went on wheeling through the air with a ripping noise. Dawn and Rogue made a complicated hand signal and a portal opened right next to them, through this Spike was pulled, followed by Angel and three other people. The portal collapsed, the magic stopped and Dawn and Rogue fell to the roof, still connected. Neither girl moved. Logan growled and tossed Rack off the roof in one graceful move and dove for Rogue and Dawn. He took a hold of Dawn and pulled her away from Rogue breaking the connection. They were both breathing and he took a moment to thank god for that before he dove into the fighting as vampires seemed to have come out of the woodwork. Spike and Angel were crouched by Dawns unconscious body trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Fred was curled up in a terrified little ball, with Gunn standing over her as Wesley jumped into the fray. It took seconds for the remaining vamps to be staked, beheaded or tossed off the roof. It was at this point that Scott, Jean and Ororo showed up on the roof, followed by Gambit and Kitty. There was quite a lot of shouting. When everyone calmed down the girls were moving into Dawns room, Dawn carried by Spike, Rogue carried by Logan. Fifteen minutes later Jean was handing out her medical prognosis.
"They're fine." She said, with a frown. "I don't know why, I mean Dawn should be dead." Spike, Angel and Logan all growled.
"Sounds like you care bout our bit." Spike said sharply, Scott nodded, shooting a glare at his girl.
"Shouldn't you be thanking god?" Angel bit out, sharing a glance with Wesley who was racking his brains.
"Theres no precedent for anything like this." Wesley said finally. "I'm afraid i need to get in touch with Giles." No sooner had he spoke than Dawn and Rogue both awoke with shared gasps. The sat up ignoring everyone in the room but each other. Rogue peeling off her glove slowly ignoring Jeans gasps, muttering and swearing. Dawn was smiling, as she reached out and took Rogue hand. Skin on skin, and nothing happened but tears spilling down Rogues cheeks even as her smile grew and grew.
"Touch." Dawn said softly. "Is everything."
"Touch." Rouge continued, "Guides us." Angels mouth dropped open, for some reason this sounded familiar. the girls smiled and began speaking as one.
"the touch of love, the touch of hatred." Dawn and Rogue were almost wrapped around each other now. "it hurts sometimes more than we can bear." Spike started to snicker quietly. "If we can live with out touch, we would have no peace. We would be dank and empty rooms, hollow and shuttered. Without touch there is no passion, no true love or hatred. There is no life." Dawn paused and Rogue finished softly, "with out touch." Dawn looked at Spike and smiled. "We thought we dreamed you." She and Rouge said as one.
"This, is weird." Jean said. "they are one." Dawn and Rouge nodded.
"We need Willow." They said, holding each other. "Now." With two casual hand waves a portal opened in the wall which revealed Willow, and Tara. In bed, together. Angels eyes almost crossed, while Spike just grinned. Dawn made a reaching motion and then Willow and Tara were on the floor. Naked, together. Faith started laughing, while Willow made an 'eep' noise. Logan handed them blankets. As Willow started to speak Dawn and Rouge smiled and turned to her. "We need help." They said.
"I need an explanation." Willow replied.
AN: for those who care to know, yes the touch speech is a bastardized passion soliloquy. I had to! it worked so well. oh yeah, r and r. and telling me that i should have written more chapters in the time that its taken me to write these ones will do nothing but piss me off, which makes me want to procrastinate on the story. I have a life, a boyfriend, exams and several other stories i'm working on. other than shit like that, i love the reviews i'm getting. Oh and yeah I did have to do the bit at the end.