Part Four
15 Minutes earlier
The smell of the freshly brewed coffee still permeated throughout the house as Dawn took her mug over to her favourite chair and sat down. She took a deep breath of the flavour, before bringing the cup to her lips and sipping on the top layer. It was just what she needed after the day she had. All she wanted to do was have her cup of coffee, listen to some music than head to bed, in the wish that tomorrow would bring something new.
Her dreams of Idillya were interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing. Glancing at her watch, she frowned at the lateness of the hour, though truth be told it had more to do with the fact she was comfortable, then the hour being past ten.
Placing her cup down on the table, she walked slowly over to the phone, pausing to stretch half way there, as if her body told her it was necessary to answer the phone, with her muscles warmed up.
"Hello, Dawn Summers" she answered after picking up the handset.
'Miss Summers I'm sorry for calling at this hour. My name is Inspector Fletcher from Sunnydale P.D"
Dawn frowned, having no idea what this could be about. "Yes?" she asked impatiently.
"Well, we have this young man down here who asked if we could call you and let you know he is here."
"Well you is he?" Dawn asked. What was left of her good nature was ebbing away with each passing second.
"The thing is, he is on our records as a missing person, presumed deceased."
"Did you say, missing?" Dawn asked slowly, not daring to hope.
"Yes, about 10 years ago.."
Dawn felt her heart jump. Was it too much to ask? "Xander.." she whispered into the mouthpiece, more to here the sound of his name, then to ask the inspector if that is who he was talking about.
"Umm..Yes. Harris, Xander. Could I ask you.." But all the inspector heard was the sound of the disconnect beep.
By the time the Inspector had hung up his phone, Dawn was halfway out of her driveway.
***********
The sound of Xander's laugh worried Dawn. It sounded like he was going to collapse under the shock of what he had seen. Letting go of his chest, she led him to the chairs, and sat him down.
Kneeling before him, Dawn took his hands in hers. As she looked up at him, she really focussed on his face. She marveled at how he looked exactly like the
last time she had seen him.
"Xander, I know this is weird for you, actually it is weird for me too" she added, smiling when she saw it got a little recognition from Xander in the form of an upturned edge of his lips. "I'll go and talk to this guy and see if I can take you home, okay?"
Xander simply nodded, then watched her get up and walk towards the door, where Fletcher had been observing them. He shook his head at how much Dawn had grown. He estimated she was 5 foot 7. He could tell it was her. Especially when she smiled at him, but he also knew that the Dawn he knew was in the past.
"Miss, what is going on. You seem to know him, but he didn't recognise you?" Fletcher asked, when Dawn stepped outside.
"We haven't seen each other in along time," Dawn answered evasively. She needed to think of a cover story quick.
"I'll say. It says here he disappeared over ten years ago."
"That was when we last saw him. Maybe he just had to get away for a while." Even Dawn didn't think that would fly, but on the other hand did they really have any reason to hold Xander here.
"And not let anyone know?" Fletcher asked, thinking that there was something more to this that a simple reunion.
"That's where the 'wanting to get away' part came in I think." Dawn's reply had a little bit of scorn in it. She had developed a healthy dislike of the Sunnydale PD, when Buffy had had problems during her High School years. "If there isn't anything else I will be taking my friend with me," Dawn stated.
"I'm afraid there is a lot of questions to be answered first... ," Fletcher tried to start, before Dawn interrupted him.
"Not tonight." Dawn said immediately, before pausing and talking with a more conciliatory tone. "Surely he can come home for the night and you can ask him questions when tomorrow. Unless I am mistaken you don't have any warrants on him at all."
Fletcher took a deep breath. He had no real reason to hold Harris, apart from curiosity. The complaint from the lady had no real substance and he had the feeling that Harris wouldn't be running anywhere. At least before tomorrow.
"Okay. I ring tomorrow. My advice is not to let him leave before then."
Dawn took a quick peek at Xander, before flashing a grin at Fletcher. "Don't worry. I won't let him go again."
***************
The ride back to Summers Central had been quiet. Xander seemed to be still coming to grips with the ten year gap in his life, while Dawn was till trying to work out how to tell Xander about those missing years.
So instead she sat in silence, always acutely aware that Xander kept turning and looking at her, as if she could make it all right.
Pulling up at her place, Dawn got out of the car and waited for Xander to follow her, before she went up to unlock the front door.
She turned to face him and saw that once more he was staring at her. Dawn quickly turned back around, not wanting to face that glare right now.
"I'm freaking you out, aren't I?" Xander asked.
Dawn almost missed the question in her joy at him actually talking to her. "No...well a bit. But I understand."
She reached up and unlocked the door, letting Xander walk in first. "You know where everything is, I'll be back in a minute," she said motioning him towards the living room.
Xander looked around the living room of the Summers house, looking at it like along lost friend. Even thought to him he had been in it less that 24 hours earlier, the differences in the room made the ten-year difference seem more real.
He moved over to the mantle piece and smiled, seeing pictures of himself, Buffy, Joyce and Giles there. He noticed there was the odd pictures, of Willow and other Scooby Gang members, even Anya. Most of them were new to him, obviously being taken after he disappeared. On the other side there were some pictures of other people that Xander didn't recognise.
He picked up a picture of Buffy and Willow. It was definitely taken after he had left, but judging by their looks not that long after. A year or two at most. He smiled, looking at the two of them laughing, almost picturing them in his mind's eye.
"Hey, you want a drink," Dawn asked from the hallway, breaking Xander out of his reminiscing.
"What," Xander turned around, before stopping and staring at her. After a couple of seconds, her realised he was doing it again. "Sorry," he stated, bowing his head, before lifting it again and looking Dawn straight in the eyes. "It's just..wow, you look so....well, old" Xander offered the last part, apologetically, but it was what he felt.
"Hey!" Dawn protested as she moved closer to him. Her grin telling him she was only kidding. "You'll get use to it. Well at least I hope you will. I can't really change back." Her last comment hadn't had much affect on Xander, who had turned back and picked up a picture of Anya. Seeing him pick up Anya's picture, so delicately, Dawn suddenly realised he may start asking questions she didn't want to answer.
"Drink?" she asked hoping to break his chain of thought.
"Yeah," Xander replied, thinking he was being a little bit rude. Dawn may be twenty-four, and he may be 10 years out of whack, but this was still her house and he was her guest. He placed Anya's picture back from where he got it and followed to the kitchen.
"So, you live here by yourself?" he asked.
The relief that Dawn felt over the fact he had followed and wanted to talk, vanished quickly as she knew her answer would throw up obvious follow up questions from Xander. She was glad she wasn't facing him when he asked. Her body language would have been a dead give away, that it wasn't something she really wanted to talk about. No matter how much she knew she would have to. He had 10 years to fill in. And she was the one who would have to do that.
"Yeah," she replied still facing away from him.
"Where's Buffy? Is she married with a couple of kids, waiting to meeting their Uncle Xander?" Xander asked, trying to lighten the mood he felt he had created.
"She moved away about six years ago, when the Hellmouth finally closed. A new threat opened in San Francisco, so Buffy, Giles, Anya and Willow decided to move their to combat it."
"Wow, I noticed that it seemed safer here. She finally did it," he added with admiration. He closed his eyes and felt the pride he had for her flow through him. "She must have thought it was safe to leave you here?"
"Yeah. I was about to start University and I had my own friends to hang with." Dawn replied.
"And Anya went with them." Xander commented. He felt it strange to ask, as he couldn't really expect her to be faithful to him. Especially as they would have had no idea if he was coming back. But for his own curiosities sake he had to know. "So is Anya, around or with anyone?"
"No we lost contact we her four years ago," Dawn replied a little too mater of fact like.
"Oh," Xander sadly replied.
Dawn could here the pain in his voice, and turned around to face him. His eyes showed how much that news had hurt him, and Dawn felt callous for the way she had blurted it out. "I'm sorry. It's just that for me it's so long ago. I didn't think."
"That for me it is like coming home from work to find out your girlfriend has disappeared." Xander continued, stating how it felt for him. "She never left any contact details?"
"No," Dawn said quietly. "It wasn't the best of times for any of us."
There was something in Dawns voice, that Xander dreaded. He knew instinctively that he wasn't going to like what she said next, though he also couldn't stop her. He had to know.
"It wasn't just in Sunnydale that she stopped the demons," Dawn stated, before adding, "she stopped them all."
"Wow!" Xander exclaimed. "I've gotta call her. I know it's late, but could you give me her number?"
As Xander said those words, he watched Dawn's face fall. She didn't have to tell him anymore. He could see the tears forming at the sides of her eyes. Reigning in his own emotions he reached out and took her into his arms. She may be older than him, but Xander could not stand to see Dawn upset. He had seen it way too much, and it hurt him inside when she cried.
"I'm sorry," she squeaked out.
"There's nothing for you to be sorry about. She died stopping them, didn't she?"
Dawn just nodded.
Xander nodded silently as well.
Which lasted for five seconds, when he no longer could hold in his emotions.
End Part Four