Lady Starlight | Simon waited patiently while Dawn finished loading the VCR. Returning to the sofa, she slipped her hand in his, then smiled at him, blushing as she realized their faces were a lot closer together than she'd realized. "So... you wanna watch that movie?" She glanced at the remote control on the coffee table. "Sure." Simon gave her a half-smile. Neither moved. "Movies don't play unless you start them," Dawn whispered. "Right." Simon still didn't move, and Dawn's heart fluttered as he added, "Gotta start things to get them... going." Dawn was about to crack a joke, but first she closed her eyes - and then he kissed her. This time, she kissed him back. She pulled back from him slowly and opened her eyes. "Wow," she breathed softly. Simon smiled at her, leaned over and grabbed the remote. "Wow yourself," he said as he tucked her under his arm. He pushed 'play' and the credits started. "So, what movie did you pick?" "It's supposed to be scary. I haven't seen it yet but it got great reviews." He tightened his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry. I'll protect you." Dawn smiled and cuddled into his embrace. Is this what Buffy felt with Angel, with Riley?
Dawn screamed and buried her face in Simon's shoulder. "Tell me when it's over," she begged. Simon waited a beat and said, "It's over." Dawn lifted her head and Simon said, "Oops, I was wrong." She buried her face in his shoulder again, feeling his laughter through her skin.
Dawn picked up the remote and turned off the television. She turned to Simon expectantly. "Didn't you just love that movie?" "You hardly watched any of it past the credits." "What? It's a great movie." "Dawn, I may not remember a lot but I'm pretty sure I liked movies with more... car crashes." "But, you, but... " "Gotcha!" She hit him gently with a cushion. "You jerk! I thought you were serious." He grabbed her wrist before she could hit him again. "All right, enough! I'm sorry. No more abusing of innocent furniture, 'kay?" He pulled her gently against him for a minute. "You know, I'm really glad I decided to come here." "I am too." Dawn hugged him tightly, then leapt off the couch and went to her backpack. "Listen, I've got a really cool idea. Willow gave me this magick book and I think there's a section on meditations in it. We can try one and see if instead of dreaming random stuff, you can, y'know, pick up stuff on purpose." Dawn displayed the book, waving it under his nose. Simon looked at it dubiously. "I, I don't know." "Oh come on, it'll be fun. Willow wouldn't give me anything that would hurt me." Simon nodded, his eyes scanning her face, noting the sorrow that passed over it. He took a deep breath and held his hand out for the book. "Okay, but I get to pick. Don't want you turning me into a toad or anything." Just as he'd hoped, her smile came back. "I wouldn't turn you into a toad." She gave him an indignant look and he winked at her, then turned his attention to the book, flipping through the pages quickly. "This one looks pretty easy," he said. "Just sit comfortably, close your eyes, and concentrate on seeing a candle flame in your mind's eye. It's supposed to bring clarity and focus." "Let's try it." They sat cross-legged on the floor, across from one another. Dawn couldn't stop her snickers from slipping out. Simon opened one eye and mock-glared at her. "Look, you! If you're not going to be serious... ." "You'll what?" "Oh, I'll think of something." Dawn stuck her tongue out at him. He couldn't resist, so he leaned over and kissed her quickly. He settled back and closed his eyes. "Meditate now." "All right, spoilsport." Simon breathed in & out slowly, focusing on the candle flame in his mind's eye. |
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He was standing in a library. He began to walk around the shelves, trailing his hand along the books. Each time he took down a book and opened it, the dream-room would dissolve around him, and he was in the story. Someone was holding a picture of a group of kids. A finger pointed to one of them, and he heard a voice say, "She is the Guardian." "What if she's killed?" Dimly he was aware that the voice was coming from him. "We have contingency plans..." Simon raised his hand from the book's page, and the image faded. Turning to the shelf again, he pulled down another book. Even as he opened it, the room spun, dissolving... His hands caressed the rune stones. He drew a deep breath in and waited for the feeling of rightness. He gently cast the runes onto the floor, reading the signs as they fell. He turned to the hovering man behind him. "It is time. They're coming... and she's not far behind. We must do it now, or all will die." Simon snapped the book shut, placing it on the table beside the others. He turned to the shelves, scanning the spines for a particular text. Perhaps it's this one, he thought, as he reached for another. The pages crinkled with age, their edges stiff with disuse, and the room around him dissolved... Pain exploded throughout his body. "No," he heard himself whisper. The tall man dressed in armor turned away from him. "Fool." Simon shook his head and set the book aside. Taking several steps forward, he reached for the first brightly colored spine that caught his eye. It was a small volume, barely an inch thick, and its cover was embossed leather. He paused a moment, then carefully pried it open. The room dissolved... He stood before an altar, chanting quickly. His voice rose above the sounds of fighting muffled by the heavy door. Finished, praise be to God, was his last thought before the polished sword cleaved his head from his body. |
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Simon pulled his hand away from that book, and the image dissolved, spinning to right itself as he caught sight of a book with gilt edges. He took it down and laid it on a nearby table, opening it... He was standing in a large room with stone walls. In the middle of the room was a roaring fire reaching several feet in the air. There were robed men sitting in a circle around it, singing. Simon stared at them quizzically; they looked familiar but he wasn't sure from where. The incantations were getting louder as a mist appeared above the fire. The men seemed to be begging, pleading for something. In the middle of the circle, a green glowing object twisted and turned in its own slow dance. The chanting rose to a crescendo, and the object coalesced into a human form. A flash of blinding light filled the room. Simon threw his arm up over his eyes. When he lowered his arm, he saw five men huddled over a large wooden box about as long as a man is tall, and as high as a man's waist. After a minute's hushed discussion, several of them patted the box, as if congratulating themselves and it. The rest of the men solemnly followed the first group out of the room; many of them had pleased expressions. Simon was left alone in the room with the dying fire and the box. Curious, he took a step towards it and the room dissolved... Simon opened his eyes suddenly, realizing he was sitting in Dawn's living room. "I, I think I just got to see you naked." Dawn looked at him in shock as he described each of the stories in his dream, ending with the vision of seeing her hover over the heads of several men, as if she were sleeping. "Not that I stayed around to see anything in that last part. Or that it wouldn't have been worth it... oh damn." They looked at each other for a second and then the giggling started again. Finally, Dawn stared at the floor. "Don't look at me, or we'll never stop laughing." He reached out and captured her hand. "I'll always want to laugh with you." Dawn blushed. "So why did you see books... and churches?" "Yeah. Old stuff. Like... what's the word... where those guys in robes live." "Monks." Dawn barely breathed the word. "Monasteries. You dreamed about monasteries." "I guess so." "So you were seeing stuff about someone else who was a monk?" she teased, but a hopeful note danced around the edge of her voice. "Naw." Simon shrugged. "That's just the same old dream I have all the time." Dawn stared at him until she realized he was frowning at her, and that her jaw was hanging open. "You always dream about monks?" She swallowed hard. "Yeah," he replied. "Those aren't someone else's dreams, though. Those are mine. I can tell the difference, y'know," he added defensively. Dawn was startled, and then her mind started spinning. A little voice inside her was trying to get her to listen, and she shook her head, attempting to concentrate. Monasteries. His dreams... Monks, she thought with a jolt. He's connected to the Key. It made sense on some sneaky, muddled level. Someone had to be around to tell me about... me. Someone who wouldn't show up until after... Simon watched her thinking, and bit his lip, waiting. "I get it," Dawn exclaimed, then managed to order her thoughts enough to express herself to Simon. "You... remember." "I figure I was a professor's kid, or a writer's. But I don't remember anythi-" "You're the Key's memories. I'm the energy, but you're the memory... from the monks. I saw what happened to..." She halted, shutting away the picture of all the warriors slaughtered by Glory outside an abandoned gas station. "I don't think any of the monks survived, so anything they learned might've been lost... And now it's not." Simon looked confused, and Dawn tried again to explain. "I'm... I'm a normal girl just like anybody," she said, "and not like a normal girl. It's a big, confusing story." Dawn took a deep breath. "Up until a little more than a year ago, I didn't have a sister." "Buffy's adopted?" Simon was bewildered. "More like, my sister didn't have a sister." He nodded, clearly still puzzled. It didn't take long for her to explain that the Key he'd dreamed of was Dawn, and he was a kind of magickal photo album for the origins and creation of the Key. She skipped telling him about Glory, or her sister's death, still uncomfortable with it, herself. After a few minutes of patiently answering his questions, she felt it was going well. He wasn't looking at her like she needed to be stuck headfirst into a lock anytime soon. "So..." he spoke carefully, "I'm kind of... your memories." So someone could tell you what, he wondered. Hi there, you're the greeny glowy energy that could destroy the world, and I've been dreaming about old guys in bathrobes who hoped you weren't evil even though they were all convinced of it secretly? He closed his eyes, overwhelmed. What do I say? I like her so much, what if she asks me what the monks really thought? They wanted her to be good but the Key had destroyed so much... "You okay?" Dawn asked, anxious, and Simon opened his eyes, nodding distantly. He shrugged, and she smiled. "I know it sounds strange, and a little scary. But I'm pretty sure that... you've got something ... you know, I don't know what to do. I don't know what it means." "It doesn't have to mean anything. We can just... just be what we are. If we figure out what it means, what I remember," Simon smiled wryly, "that's good, and if not, it doesn't matter now." He glanced away from her, embarrassed, and sighed. "Sorry, I just... it's a lot at once... but I'm still glad I came." He reached out, shyly, and caught her hand in his. "Just to see you, once." Dawn smiled, flattered, but got to her feet. Something in his tone spooked her, but she tried to shrug it off and started towards the kitchen. "Come on, let's see if we can find something to eat." She opened the fridge door and hung off of it. "It's really late, but for some reason, I'm really hungry." Simon hadn't followed her, and his voice floated into the kitchen from the foyer. "Uh, Dawn? Do you think this twenty on the hall table with a note saying 'Why don't you guys order pizza?' means we should order pizza?" "Funny. Just for that, I'm ordering anchovies and jalapenos on your half." He snuck up behind her and whispered in her ear. "Only if you eat them for me." Dawn giggled as he wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Go away!" she hissed as she dialed the phone. He smirked and went to wait in the living room. Simon was looking at the pictures on the mantle when Dawn returned from ordering the pizza. She noticed his expression, and her eyes darkened with sympathy. "Are you okay?" "Kind of. Still feel weird. Y'know, being told, Hey, guess what? You've got someone else's memories.'" "Shhyeah." Dawn rolled her eyes. "When everyone found out, they were all wigged out and kept looking at me sideways like I was going to explode or something. Everyone except Spike. He just treated me the same as always." "That's cool... Uh, who's Spike?" "He's this semi-evil vampire with a government chip in his head, so he can't hurt people anymore." "Whoa, too much information here. Vampire? Government chip?" "Really long story. Spike is kind of like an annoying, totally overprotective big brother who goes grrr every once in a while. Which is why I don't want you two to meet until I can convince him that you're not going to kidnap me and sell me into white slavery or something. You're not planning to, are you?" "Nah, no money in it anymore." Their eyes met and they grinned at each other as Simon pulled Dawn down on the sofa with him. Without even thinking, he brought his arm up and put it around her. She snuggled in against him and leaned her head on his shoulder. They were both silent for a few minutes. "Whatcha thinking about?" she finally asked him. Simon shrugged noncommittally and looked at her, at the same point she raised her face to study his expression closer. They bumped noses, and Dawn yelped quietly. "Okay, ow!" Simon laughed, and took her by the chin as he stared at her nose. "Wait, let me look." He stared for a second, and Dawn started giggling. He shot her a serious look. "It could be broken." "Oh, really," she teased, skeptical, and he nodded. "And what would you do about it?" "Kiss it and make it better," he said. The kiss on the end of her nose lasted a second, and he opened his eyes to see her frozen in one spot, her lips soft and parted, her eyes closed. Simon's heart ached. She could destroy the world, and does she even know it? Angrily he pushed the doubts away. That's someone else's fears, not mine, he told himself. This isn't a girl who'd destroy anything, she loves too much. He realized her eyes had started to open, puzzled, and hopeful. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he leaned forward and this time, he wasn't kissing her nose. "Sure, sounds good." Dawn walked into the kitchen, and Simon sat for a minute. Someone was coming up the porch stairs. "You were right, pizza's here!" "Can you get it? I'll be right there." Dawn was trying to decide whether she wanted the hassle of cleaning plates late at night. Not, she finally decided and grabbed some paper towels. She heard the front door open as she was digging the last two cans of real Coke out of the fridge. She made a face at the generic colas that sat beside them. Now, Bit, it's all the same, innit? Let's be frugal now, she mimicked sarcastically. "Might be all the same, but I notice you never drank them," she muttered. As she closed the fridge door, she heard a noise from the porch. "Simon? Did you get the pizza?" She set the Cokes on the counter. She heard footsteps moving rapidly across the wooden porch. A series of muffled thumps followed by what sounded like her name got her moving in high gear into the foyer. The door was wide open and Simon was nowhere to be seen. "Simon!" Dawn was barely aware that she was screaming his name as she grabbed her coat and ran out the door. |
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Mental note, she thought as she ran, buy them new roses tomorrow. Simon feigned unconsciousness as his female kidnapper slowly licked the blood trickling from a cut on his forehead. They'd shoved him into the car so quickly he was surprised all his parts were still attached. "Ari," she whined, "can't you go any faster?" "Lia, my sweet, there are such things as traffic cops. Nothing grabs as much attention as speeding. So shut up and let me drive." Aeralyus returned his attention to the road. Talia scowled and sat back on the seat, one hand still on Simon's shoulder. This is bad, Simon thought. He rolled his eyes, checking out the layout of the back seat, especially the door handle. Dawn dodged the litter of toys and hoses in the backyard, but was almost ensnared by the swing set that loomed up out of the darkness. Changing direction quickly, she managed to get around it and clawed the gate open. She sprinted across the alley and charged through another back yard, narrowly avoiding what she thought was a fishpond. She hit the sidewalk and looked around frantically. Headlights were approaching her, still a few houses away, and she froze, uncertain. "Damn!" Simon heard Aeralyus curse, and then the whoosh of two electric windows being lowered, followed by a sound Simon couldn't identify. He barely opened his eyes, and saw the man and woman sniffing deeply through the lowered passenger side windows. "It's from that house," Talia hissed. "The Slayer?" "No," Aeralyus replied. "Sister, I think." Their eyes met in the rear view mirror. "Hostage," Talia said, a note of satisfaction in her voice. "Leverage." Aeralyus replied as he swerved to the curb. Dawn turned around at the screech of the tires and started backing away from the car, up onto the adjacent yard's gentle embankment. Aeralyus spoke through the open window. "You can come quietly, or not, but you are coming with us." Simon tensed his muscles and waited for his moment. Talia opened her door and put one foot on the ground. Now, Simon thought and shoved her out the door. Talia hit the sidewalk hard and stayed there for a moment, stunned. Aeralyus turned at the sound and Simon hit him hard on the chin. "Dawn, run!" he screamed, and scrambled out the open door, climbing over Talia. "Get Buffy! " Aeralyus cursed, and got out of the car. Simon leapt to the curb, pushing off of Talia's back, Aeralyus came around the back of the vehicle, racing to cut the boy off. He grabbed at Simon, careful not to extend his claws. Mustn't hurt the boy yet. Simon ducked under the grabbing arms, and put all his weight into a jab to the wolf's solar plexus as he came back up. Aeralyus staggered back, but only a step. Dawn stood frozen, watching Simon fight. "Look out!" Dawn hollered a warning as Talia slowly got to her feet. Simon glanced over his shoulder and turned, sending a kick sideways at Talia's knee. He didn't connect as hard as he wanted, but it was enough to send her sprawling again. He turned quickly, swinging at Aeralyus and grunting a little with the effort he made. The man caught Simon's hand easily. "Oh, no, little vessel. Can't have this," Aeralyus said. He let go of Simon's hand and swung at Simon's midsection instead. The teenager narrowly avoided the blow but tripped over Talia. Simon twisted his body and rolled, coming to stop only a few feet from Talia. Dazed, he tried to get his feet under him. Dawn instinctively took a step to help Simon but stopped when Talia stood up, blocking her way. "Go!" Simon shouted again as he struggled to his hands and knees. The girl backed up as Talia stepped towards her. The woman's hands were curled like claws, and Dawn's glance flickered to the woman's fingers. Without knowing why she thought it, Dawn intuitively knew something wasn't right about the woman's hands. For a split second, she stalled, torn between wanting to help Simon, and knowing she needed to get Buffy. She screamed as Aeralyus lunged at her, and jumped sideways to escape his grasp. Dawn bolted across the yard towards the side of the house, aiming for the open gate she'd come through. Talia pulled a knife from her belt. She flipped it into a throwing position and aimed for Dawn's back. Behind her, Simon lunged for her knees and managed to bring Talia down again. She spat in fury, but kept her grip on the knife. A second later, Dawn was gone, disappearing into the darkened back yard. Aeralyus didn't chase her, but let her go, an irritated expression on his face as he shrugged. On the sidewalk, Talia turned in Simon's grasp and raised the knife over his back. Simon hollered wordlessly, drawing Aeralyus' attention. In two strides, Aeralyus was at his sister's side, grabbing her wrist. He twisted until she was forced to drop the knife and jerked her to her feet. Aeralyus ignored her indignant cry, and regarded Simon clinically for a minute. He let go of his sister, kicking Simon in the small of the back. As the teenager writhed in pain, the man picked up the knife and knocked him on the back of the head with the pommel. "Get in, and call the others. We don't have much time," Aeralyus snarled at Talia, and threw Simon's limp body into the back seat. |
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