The Dawn of a New Slayer
By Bashful C 5/14/02
Disclaimer: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and all characters belong to Joss Wheden and whatever network has it. I can't remember right now. But I know it doesn't belong to me. Much the same with "Angel". Joss Wheden and the WB own that, not me. I intend no infringement, this is a piece of amateur fan fiction, and I make no money off it. Only the original idea contained within this work is the property of the author.
Timeline: *sighs* I really hate these. OK, for BtVS its after the Gift and Giles goes back to England. Its also AFTER the wedding, so Xander and Anya are married. For "Angel" its after Conner comes back as teenager. I'm ignoring the whole Holtz comes back with Conner thingy. In my fic, Holtz dies in the hell dimension. Conner comes back to find his father, everything's peachy keen. Oh, Justine is a good girl. Sorta. After Holtz went into the hell dimension, she changed. Seeking acceptance and forgiveness, she helps them fight. They don't fully trust her, though. Groo's not here either. I don't like him. He screwed up Angel's chance to tell Cordy about his feelings. So, sorry all Groo fans. Can ya'll tell I'm screwing up the timelines?
Universe: uh…Slightly AU. Obviously.
Pairing: For BtVS its Xander/Anya; Willow/Tara; Buffy/Spike. For "Angel" its Angel/Cordy; Fred/Gunn; and eventually it will be Wesley/Justine (I'm screwed up, I know.) as well as Dawn/Conner, don't ask about that one. It just popped into my head.
Summary: BtVS/Angel crossover. There's a new slayer in town and Buffy's not happy.
Archiving: Want, ask, take.
Feedback: Yes, please. My e-mail address is Sassy_Sky_Angel@hotmail.com or leave a review. *grins cheekily*
Rating: R For violence, swearing, bad scenes, you get the picture.
Dedicated to: My best bud, Charmander, who is positive she's gonna fight for legal custody over me when I move to Colorado in August. And if fighting for custody doesn't work, she says she's gonna kidnap me. She's also the one who got me addicted to BtVS and Angel. Damn her!
Author's note: OK, as you've already noticed from the timeline and stuff, I've royally screwed up the shows. *grins* and if your offended by that, I fully suggest you turn back now. If you don't mind, keep reading. *waits for offended people to leave* OK. If you like Groo, don't read. I don't like him, as you've probably already read. This is my second BtVS/Angel fic. My first one is, as my sister so elegantly put it, on reserve for the time being. I started this cuz I think its a good plot and its been jumping around in my head for the past couple of weeks, giving me major headaches. I hope you like it. I know I probably screwed up a couple things in this, but I'm new at writing BtVS/Angel fics and I haven't seen EVERY SINGLE EPISODE, like my best bud Charmander. So please forgive me if I make any mistakes. I think that's about all there is. In the forever words of CharChan, Peace and Monkey Grease! Bashful C
~~~ * ~~~
*Dream*
She was dreaming. She was almost positive about that. Dawn didn't want to think about the implications if she wasn't. She remembered laying down in her bed, listening for her sister to come home from patrol and falling asleep. That's why she was almost positive she was asleep.
Dawn was sitting in front of a roaring fire, staring at a young girl on the other side. The girl had dark skin with writing all over it and was dressed in animal skins. She herself was dressed in a pair of black pants and a black shirt.
"You are different. Your sister is the slayer." Dawn started when she heard the young girl speak. Looking at the girl, she quickly thought of what could be going on. She remembered Buffy had once mentioned the first slayer looking like a weird African warrior. /Is this the first slayer? If so, why was she talking with me? I'm not anything special, I'm not even real!/
"Everything is real. You were the key, but you are still you." Dawn brought her attention back to the girl in front of her and frowned deeply.
"I'm not real. The monks made me. They gave me memories that weren't real. They gave the people who I call my family the same memories. Just so they could protect the key." She spat out. The girls face remained neutral but Dawn thought she could see something in her eyes. Something like compassion.
"That may be true. But how was your sister made?" Dawn blinked, bewildered. /What kind of question is that?/
"My sister was born. She wasn't made like me." Dawn informed the spirit. She knew that this was in fact the first slayer, somehow she just knew. /I have a feeling I'm not gonna like what this dream means./ Dawn thought to herself. She was startled when she saw the girls lips twitch. She clearly was trying not to smile.
"Everything is made. You sister would not have been brought into your world if she hadn't been conceived by your parents." Dawn grimaced. /I SO did not need that mental image!/ Thinking about what the spirit had said she had admit, a bit grudgingly, that in a way she was right. Looking over at the spirit she opened her mouth to ask a question, but the spirit beat her to the punch.
"You wish to know why you are here, do you not?" Dawn stared at her. /How did she know that?/ She nodded wordlessly as the spirit set her lips into a firm line.
"Into every generation, a slayer is born. One girl, in all the world, a Chosen One." The girls lips stretched into a amused, yet tentative smile.
"Only now, because of a very stubborn slayer, your sister, there are now……three."
*End Dream*
"……Then I woke up." Dawn sat in the Magic Box surrounded by her friends, her family. She had just finished telling them about her extremely weird and disturbing dream. Looking around, she tried to figure out what everyone was thinking.
Anya was sitting on Xander's lap on the couch and both appeared upset and a bit confused. Tara was sitting at the table, her face thoughtful and Willow was sitting across from Tara, frowning and staring at Dawn. Spike, the chipped vampire, was leaning against the wall, making sure to stay in the shadows. She knew by the way his body was rigid, he didn't like her dream. /Maybe he knows what it means./ She thought to herself. Finally her gaze came to her sister. Buffy was sitting next to Dawn, staring into Dawns eyes and frowning deeply. Dawn could've swore she saw something like fear in Buffy's eyes, but just as quickly as it came, it was gone.
"I don't know what the dream meant, but we'll figure it out." Dawn could see right through that lie. Buffy did know what that dream meant, or at least she thought she did. Grabbing Buffy's arm she made her sister look into her eyes.
"Your lying." She said bluntly. Buffy looked away and Dawn could see the mist in her sister's eyes. Pulling away, Dawn glanced at Spike. He was glaring daggers at the ceiling and was muttering curses that would've made the devil himself blush. Straining her hearing, Dawn was shocked when with out much of a effort, she heard everything he said clearly. It was like he was standing right next to her instead of across the room.
"Damn Powers that Be! What is it with the Summers chits, huh? First you bloody screw up the slayers life by making her the slayer, then you take Joyce away from them, then you have Buffy die, only to come back again after being in heaven, and now Dawn! If I ever meet one of you wankers I'm gonna have a hellova lot of fun torturing you!" Spike stopped muttering when he noticed Dawn smirking at him. Breaking eye contact with Spike, Dawn stared at Buffy who stared deeply into Dawn's eyes.
"Dawnie? Can you answer a few questions for me? I need you to be fully honest with me, all right?" Dawn nodded, trying swallow the lump that had lodged itself in her throat. Buffy took a deep breath.
"OK. Have you been feeling…different lately? Has anything changed in the last few days?" Dawn thought for a second.
She HAD been feeling different lately. She hadn't really been able to sleep the last few days. She use to have a hard time seeing in the dark, but lately, it was like she had night vision. She could smell things better too, like the blood in Spike's crypt refrigerator. She had increased strength. A few days ago she had meant to simply shut off her alarm clock, but ended smashing it into a hundred million pieces instead. She hadn't told Buffy and had gotten a new one. Her stamina and speed had increased. She use to have a hard time running the required mile in gym class every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but for the last week she had always finished first. When she was done she hadn't broken a sweat and her breathing was fine. Her teacher had commented on it. Then there was the hearing. Dawn swallowed and nodded. Buffy's lips went into a tight, rigid line.
"Like what? What's changed?" Dawn glanced at the others and then began in a soft voice.
"I haven't been sleeping well the last few days. It's like I should be up and around instead of laying in the dark trying to sleep. My...uh…alarm clock is now a million tiny pieces. I got a new one and didn't tell you." Buffy gave a small smile.
"I wondered what happened to your alarm clock. It use to have a purple one, now you have a black one." Dawn blushed. She nodded and continued.
"I can see better. Like the small mouse hole in the wall over there." She pointed to the far wall. Anya, Tara, and Willow each gave a small yelp and Buffy glance over at the wall to see that there was indeed a mouse hole. The only people who could see it though were Spike, Buffy, and apparently Dawn. Turning back to Dawn Buffy nodded, motioning for her to go on.
"I can smell a lot better. Like when I went to see Spike a few days ago I could smell the blood in his fridge." Spike raised an eyebrow and smirked. Buffy simply nodded.
"My stamina and speed has increased. You know how I hate running the mile in gym class?" Buffy nodded and Dawn continued. "Well, yesterday I was the first one to finish. I wasn't out of breath and I hadn't broken a sweat." Buffy nodded slowly, her mouth a firm white line. Dawn continued.
"I can hear things no one else can. Like when Spike was cursing out the Powers that Be under his none breath a few minutes ago." Spike grinned and Buffy smirked. Sobering, Buffy stood up and grabbed her arm.
"Come on, I wanna try something." Dawn and the others followed Buffy into the back room that Buffy used for training. She quickly pulled six darts from the dart-board and walked over to Dawn on the other side of the room. She handed them to Dawn.
"Try and hit the bulls-eye from here." Dawn nodded and stared at the dart-board for a few minutes. Her first dart hit the direct center. Looking over at Buffy she threw the second one, this one also landing on the bulls eye. It was the same for the rest. When she was done, there were six darts embedded in the center of the bulls-eye.
Next, Buffy had Dawn stand next a wall. Grabbing three stakes she threw one of the stakes directly at Dawn's chest. Moving faster than humanly possible, Dawn caught the stake mere inches from her heart. Ignoring the startled gasps from the on looking scoobies, Buffy threw the other two, one going towards her heart, the other one to her stomach. Dawn caught the one aimed at her stomach with her right hand and the one aimed for her heart with her left hand.
For the last test, Spike and Buffy sparred with her, not holding anything back. Moving with grace, precision, and agility, Dawn was easily able to fight back. It was obvious there was something different about Dawn. Finally Buffy and Spike brought the fight to a halt. None of the fighters were breathing hard or sweating, much to everyone's, except Buffy, Dawn, and Spike's astonishment. Buffy sighed, glanced at Spike and then at the rest of the scoobies and Dawn.
"I think we better call Giles."
~~~ * ~~~
In LA, miles away from Sunnydale, Cordelia Chase walked into the hotel trying to explain to Conner about girlfriends, boyfriends, and love. They had seen a couple about a block away, hugging, kissing and generally breaking every PDA rule except sex. Conner had wanted to know why they were acting that way and after she explained they were probably a couple, he had wanted to know more about couples and boyfriends and girlfriends. Needless to say she wasn't doing a very good job explaining.
They sat down there bags and Cordelia noticed Wesley in the office, looking over a few papers. She smiled. Fred had talked Angel into meeting with Wesley and the two had come to an understanding. Wesley was invited back, but had to promise not to ever leave them in the dark about something like that again. He had. Bringing her attention back to the teenager standing awkwardly in the room, she smiled and grabbed his bags.
"Come on, lets go take these to your-" stopping mid sentence, she put a hand to her forehead and dropped the bags. Conner looked at her worriedly as Wesley and Angel, who had appeared the moment he had heard his son come back, walked up to them.
"Cordy? What's wrong? A vision?" Angel asked, reaching for his duster. At the word vision, Conner tensed. He knew when Cordy had her visions it meant someone was in trouble and needed there help.
Cordelia sat down and placed her hand in her head, trying to sort out everything that was running through her head. Finally she looked up to find not only Conner, Wesley, and Angel there, but Lorn, Fred, Gunn, and the newly added Justine staring at her worriedly. Justine had joined there team, looking for forgiveness and acceptance. Fighting wise, she fit right in, but there was always that little seed of doubt. They still didn't fully trust her.
"I'm fine. It was a vision, but it wasn't. it was…weird." Glancing at the others worriedly, Angel sat down next Cordy and asked gently,
"What do you mean? Cordy?" She sighed and looked up.
"Its Buffy. She's upset. Not hurting or in danger, she's just upset. I also saw Dawn. She…she was staking vamps with a grace that I've only seen in a couple people. Buffy, Kendra, Faith, and you." staring into Angel's eyes, she finished softly.
"She was acting like a slayer."
~~~ * ~~~
Rupert Giles, commonly known simply as Giles, walked off the plane and searched the crowded airport for Willow. Giles had flown back to Sunnydale a day after Buffy had called and told him what she had discovered. Dawn was showing traits of a slayer. After having a confusing and troubled phone call with his former charge, he immediately made plans to fly to Sunnydale. He would be staying at the Summers house and trying to determine how Dawn could have slayer traits. He sincerely hoped they were simply a side effect of being the key, but he doubted it.
/Face it Rupert, you already know why Dawn is showing traits of a slayer. Because she IS a slayer./ The rational side of his mind told him. The other side of his mind, the stubborn and overprotective side, fired back, /No she's not. It is not possible. Faith is still in prison./ The knowing side fired back, /So? Faith became a slayer because Kendra died. Kendra was called because Buffy died. She came back to life again, making there two slayers. Now she has died and brought back again. It is more than possible that after she had died, Dawn was called./ Giles shook his head, clearing his head from all thoughts.
He finally spotted the red headed witch making her way towards him. Meeting her half-way, Willow quickly hugged him.
"Giles! I'm so glad your back! I mean…I wish it were under better circumstances, but I'm still happy your back!" Sobering, Willow added worriedly "Buffy…hasn't been taking this well." Giles frowned and nodded. Changing the subject, Willow pointed to his duffel bag.
"Is that all you brought?" Giles nodded. Willow smiled and looped her arm around his.
"Then lets go home." Giles smiled ruefully, but nodded. Settling into the car, Giles begane asking questions.
"How has Dawn been handling it?" Giles watched as Willow began to softly laugh. Calming herself down, she explained.
"She's excited. She's handling this better than anyone. She knows the dangers and everything, but I think she now has something that proves she's real, which makes her happy." Giles smiled. He knew how much it had hurt when Dawn had discovered her origins. He listened as Willow started telling him some of the adventures Dawn had made for herself in the past day and a half.
"She is driving not only Buffy up the wall, but Spike too! She begged and pleaded them to let her go on patrol last night and they refused to let her go. Well, she didn't take no for an answer. About an hour after Buffy and Spike left, she climbed out her window and went patrolling on her own. She was fighting three vamps, kicking there butts too, when Spike and Buffy heard. They got there just as she staked the last one." glancing at Giles, she continued.
"During the lecture Buffy and Spike were giving her, six vamps were able to encircle them. Dawn noticed them first and jumped over Buffy and Spike and staked a vamp that was coming up behind them. All hell broke loose after that and according to Spike and Buffy, they were only able to stake three vamps between them. Dawn got the other three. After that, they let her come with them." Giles frowned.
"I'm gonna have to have a talk with Dawn when I see her. Patrolling on her own was dangerous, slayer ability's or not. She's still new to this." Willow shook her head and chuckled.
"Don't bother. Buffy told her the exact same thing this morning and she ignored her and asked if she could go with them tonight." Giles shook his head. What had he gotten himself into?
~~~ * ~~~
Conner was laying down on his bed in his room thinking. After Cordy had told everyone what her semi-vision was about, Wesley had gone pale; Fred, Gunn, and Lorn had exchanged looks; his father seemed to have gone even more pale, if that was even possible; and Justine had been like him, no clue what was going on. He had no idea who Buffy or Dawn was, but from what he gathered they were important.
His father had announced that they were driving to Sunnydale that night and had then immediately walked rigidly upstairs. Wesley, Cordy, and Gunn had said they had to go get some clothes and stuff. Fred, Lorn, and Justine had both retreated to there rooms, but not before Fred had found him a duffel bag and told him to pack a few clothes and stuff he would need for a vacation. He had put in five pairs of jeans, several shirts, and other essential items. Now he sat in his room thinking and wondering.
/I wonder who they are? Father was upset, any blind man could see that. Why are they so important?/ Conner had many questions and no answers.
He bolted up when he heard his door open. Seeing it was only his 'adopted mother' as Fred had dubbed her, he relaxed. Cordy settled down next to him and brushed a few strands of hair from his eyes.
"When I was driving back, I realized you have no idea what is going on." Cordy told him. He nodded soundlessly. Laying next to him, she sighed and began.
"Buffy is special. She is the slayer. Or, one of them." Conner frowned.
"What's a slayer?" He asked. Smiling Cordy answered.
"A slayer is the one girl in the world who has the strength, stamina, and gift of being able to fight vampires. She stops insane vamps who are trying to take over the world. She makes sure that earth is safe, like your father. There is only supposed to be one slayer, but because Buffy died and then came back to life, we have two. Faith is what we call a rogue slayer. She was….seduced to the forces of evil and eventually ended up in prison." She explained. Conner thought for a minute before asking his next question.
"And Dawn? Who's she?" Cordy smiled and absently played with his hair. Sighing, she answered him.
"Dawn is Buffy's sister. Sort of. From what I know, she's really this really old magical spirit called the Key. Now, there was a Hell Goddess names Glory who wanted the Key, so she could open a portal to her own hell dimension and the Key can do that. Anyway, in order to protect the Key, a bunch of wacked out monks made the Key into the form of a young girl and sent her to Buffy. They fabricated memories so no one thought much about the fact that Buffy suddenly had a sister. Unfortunately, Glory found out that Buffy had the Key. At first she didn't know Dawn was the key, but she found out. Glory was able to kidnap Dawn and after a huge battle, was able to open the portal." Glancing at Conner, she saw he seemed entranced with her tale. Smiling softly, she continued.
"Now Dawn and Buffy had mixed blood and the very first slayer's spirit had been plaguing Buffy, telling her that 'Death was her gift'. Buffy thought that it meant she was just a killer. But when that portal opened and she looked at her sister, Buffy finally understood what the spirit had meant. The only way to close the portal was to use the blood of the Key. Buffy had Dawn's blood. The Spirit had been telling her she was the one who was supposed to seal the portal, not Dawn. Of course, Dawn wanted to jump and close the portal herself, but Buffy jumped instead. While sealing the portal, she died." Cordy saw the fascinated look on Conner's face and had to stifle a smile.
"If she died, how is she alive now?" Conner asked. Cordy chuckled as she thought of Buffy's best friends, Willow and Xander.
"Buffy has some VERY stubborn friends. They wouldn't accept the fact that Buffy was gone forever. So Willow and Tara, who are witches, used a spell and brought Buffy back." Conner nodded. He looked at the sketch of himself and Angel on his night stand and asked puzzled.
"If she's the vampire slayer, wasn't she supposed to kill father?" Cordy chuckled. He was too smart for his own good.
"Yes, but they have an…interesting…relationship. As you know, your father has a soul. He's a good vamp. He helped Buffy out, teaching her martial arts and the like. Eventually, they fell in love." Seeing the disbelief on Conner's face she nodded.
"Yup, they fell in love. Mortal enemy's by nature, falling in love. Irony doesn't begin to describe it." Sobering, Cordelia continued.
"A lot happened. On Buffy's eighteenth birthday, Buffy and your father….made love." Cordy waited for Conner to absorb that little piece of information, then continued.
"What no one knew then, was that the gypsy curse he has had a clause. He couldn't have a moment of pure bliss. He can never have a moment of pure happiness. When they made love he did." Cordy jumped and glared at Angel as he walked into view. He ignored her glare.
"And I was reverted back to Angelus. I didn't kill Buffy immediately. First, I rejoined with two of my childe, my…vamp kids if you will. Spike and Druscilla. The three of us and your mother, Darla, had wrecked havoc together for years. I killed one of the teachers at the school, who was also an ally of Buffy's, as well as Willows fish.
Finally, Buffy and I had one final show down. Buffy sent me to hell. Literally. Unknown to both of us though, Willow was trying to give me my soul back. She succeeded. I felt it enter my body again minutes before Buffy sent me to hell. In hell, time runs differently. It was about a month before I came back, but to me, it was a year. When I came back, Buffy found me. She was able to help me get back to what I use to be. I realized however, that we couldn't be together. It just wouldn't work. I was a vampire. She was the slayer. So I left. I came to LA and bumped into Doyle, who I told you about, and Cordy. You know the rest of the story." Angel finished. He stared at Conner, wanting to know what his reaction would be.
Conner sat still. He could plainly hear the pain that laced his fathers voice and finally understood. He had two faces and he was two people. Angelus was the evil, ruthless, killing vampire. Angel was the good, loving, kind, champion who fought the forces of evil. He finally understood the difference. Swallowing, he reached out and tentatively hugged his father. Crying, he kept muttering the same words over and over.
"I understand. I understand. I understand." Hugging Conner back, Angel let the blood tears fall as he realized that Conner had accepted him, vampire and all. Cordy smiled at the two. All three glanced up as Fred knocked on the door.
"Guys? The cars ready downstairs and its sundown." Angel nodded. Grabbing Conner's duffel, the trio walked down stairs.
~~~ * ~~~
Giles was sitting on the couch in the Summer's living room, listening to Buffy. He listened to Buffy explain what had been going on for the last few days, including a more detailed account on what had happened on patrol the night before.
"I don't know whether to be happy because she's taking this well or to be scared because she's taking this well. She's actually EXCITED about being a slayer. It's weird." Buffy finished. Giles took a sip of his tea and thought about everything he had told him. Finally he set his cup down and sighed.
"Buffy, you know more than anyone what is going on. Dawn is a slayer, plain and simple. I know you don't like the fact that she is, but the sooner you except it, the better." Seeing her stony expression he continued.
"Buffy, once word gets round that there is a new slayer around, and word will get around, trust me, Dawn will not be safe. She will need to learn to hone her ability's, just like you did. I can think of only two, no three, people who are capable of teaching her." Buffy sunk into the couch and stared ahead. He knew she understood. She just didn't want to accept it.
"I know. Its just that…" she faltered a bit then continued, "Dawn was the one who was supposed to have a normal life. She was supposed to be the one who would be able to go to collage and not worry about the end of the world. She was the one who was supposed to be able to fall in love and have kids. She was supposed to be normal." Buffy said, sadly.
"You actually think I've had a normal life?" Both of them jumped when they heard Dawn's voice. Turning around, they saw her standing in the doorway. She walked in and sat down on the armchair.
"I've NEVER been normal. It might seem like it, but I've never have. I've had to do things that normal girls have never had to do. I've seen things no normal girl has. I know things that no normal girl knows." Seeing Buffy's confused look and Giles solemn face, she continued.
"No normal girl is made up of energy that opens doors to other hellish dimensions. No normal girl has ever had a hell Goddess trying to hunt and kill her. No normal girl has two witches as best friends slash sisters. No normal girl has ever been a bridesmaid in a Ex-demon and a construction workers wedding. No normal girl has a vampire for a best friend." That got a small snort from Buffy, as well as a grin from Spike, who was listening outside the door. Staring into Buffy's eyes, she continued.
"No normal girl has a sister who saves the world on a daily basis. No normal girl has a sister who has died and come back to life. Twice. No Buffy, I was never normal." Dawn said softly.
Blinking back tears, Buffy stood up and wrapped her arms around her sister. Dawn hugged her back and the two began talking about what they would do with her training and such. Giles waited for a few minutes before interrupting there conversation.
"Buffy? I would like to talk to you. Alone." He said pointedly at Dawn. She gave a sheepish smile, nodded, and scampered upstairs. Turning to Buffy, he took a sip of tea before speaking.
"You are planning to train her yourself?" he asked. She nodded, narrowing her eyes.
"Yeah, why?" Frowning, Giles glanced upward, asking silently for help. Looking back at Buffy he sighed and began.
"I don't think you should." He said bluntly. He watched, surprised as she opened her mouth then snapped it shut. Her expression turned thoughtful as she thought it over. /Seems I'm not going to have my head bit off after all./Giles thought to himself. Buffy looked up.
"Who do you suppose we have train her? And don't you dare say the watcher's council!" she warned. He grimaced.
"Buffy, you know I would never let the council get there hands on her. No, I was thinking more along the lines of somebody else." Buffy studied him for a minute, before finally, exasperated, she asked.
"Well? Who?" Looking at the cup of tea in his hands, he uttered a single name, but one that made Buffy go rigid.
"Angel."
By Bashful C 5/14/02
Disclaimer: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and all characters belong to Joss Wheden and whatever network has it. I can't remember right now. But I know it doesn't belong to me. Much the same with "Angel". Joss Wheden and the WB own that, not me. I intend no infringement, this is a piece of amateur fan fiction, and I make no money off it. Only the original idea contained within this work is the property of the author.
Timeline: *sighs* I really hate these. OK, for BtVS its after the Gift and Giles goes back to England. Its also AFTER the wedding, so Xander and Anya are married. For "Angel" its after Conner comes back as teenager. I'm ignoring the whole Holtz comes back with Conner thingy. In my fic, Holtz dies in the hell dimension. Conner comes back to find his father, everything's peachy keen. Oh, Justine is a good girl. Sorta. After Holtz went into the hell dimension, she changed. Seeking acceptance and forgiveness, she helps them fight. They don't fully trust her, though. Groo's not here either. I don't like him. He screwed up Angel's chance to tell Cordy about his feelings. So, sorry all Groo fans. Can ya'll tell I'm screwing up the timelines?
Universe: uh…Slightly AU. Obviously.
Pairing: For BtVS its Xander/Anya; Willow/Tara; Buffy/Spike. For "Angel" its Angel/Cordy; Fred/Gunn; and eventually it will be Wesley/Justine (I'm screwed up, I know.) as well as Dawn/Conner, don't ask about that one. It just popped into my head.
Summary: BtVS/Angel crossover. There's a new slayer in town and Buffy's not happy.
Archiving: Want, ask, take.
Feedback: Yes, please. My e-mail address is Sassy_Sky_Angel@hotmail.com or leave a review. *grins cheekily*
Rating: R For violence, swearing, bad scenes, you get the picture.
Dedicated to: My best bud, Charmander, who is positive she's gonna fight for legal custody over me when I move to Colorado in August. And if fighting for custody doesn't work, she says she's gonna kidnap me. She's also the one who got me addicted to BtVS and Angel. Damn her!
Author's note: OK, as you've already noticed from the timeline and stuff, I've royally screwed up the shows. *grins* and if your offended by that, I fully suggest you turn back now. If you don't mind, keep reading. *waits for offended people to leave* OK. If you like Groo, don't read. I don't like him, as you've probably already read. This is my second BtVS/Angel fic. My first one is, as my sister so elegantly put it, on reserve for the time being. I started this cuz I think its a good plot and its been jumping around in my head for the past couple of weeks, giving me major headaches. I hope you like it. I know I probably screwed up a couple things in this, but I'm new at writing BtVS/Angel fics and I haven't seen EVERY SINGLE EPISODE, like my best bud Charmander. So please forgive me if I make any mistakes. I think that's about all there is. In the forever words of CharChan, Peace and Monkey Grease! Bashful C
~~~ * ~~~
*Dream*
She was dreaming. She was almost positive about that. Dawn didn't want to think about the implications if she wasn't. She remembered laying down in her bed, listening for her sister to come home from patrol and falling asleep. That's why she was almost positive she was asleep.
Dawn was sitting in front of a roaring fire, staring at a young girl on the other side. The girl had dark skin with writing all over it and was dressed in animal skins. She herself was dressed in a pair of black pants and a black shirt.
"You are different. Your sister is the slayer." Dawn started when she heard the young girl speak. Looking at the girl, she quickly thought of what could be going on. She remembered Buffy had once mentioned the first slayer looking like a weird African warrior. /Is this the first slayer? If so, why was she talking with me? I'm not anything special, I'm not even real!/
"Everything is real. You were the key, but you are still you." Dawn brought her attention back to the girl in front of her and frowned deeply.
"I'm not real. The monks made me. They gave me memories that weren't real. They gave the people who I call my family the same memories. Just so they could protect the key." She spat out. The girls face remained neutral but Dawn thought she could see something in her eyes. Something like compassion.
"That may be true. But how was your sister made?" Dawn blinked, bewildered. /What kind of question is that?/
"My sister was born. She wasn't made like me." Dawn informed the spirit. She knew that this was in fact the first slayer, somehow she just knew. /I have a feeling I'm not gonna like what this dream means./ Dawn thought to herself. She was startled when she saw the girls lips twitch. She clearly was trying not to smile.
"Everything is made. You sister would not have been brought into your world if she hadn't been conceived by your parents." Dawn grimaced. /I SO did not need that mental image!/ Thinking about what the spirit had said she had admit, a bit grudgingly, that in a way she was right. Looking over at the spirit she opened her mouth to ask a question, but the spirit beat her to the punch.
"You wish to know why you are here, do you not?" Dawn stared at her. /How did she know that?/ She nodded wordlessly as the spirit set her lips into a firm line.
"Into every generation, a slayer is born. One girl, in all the world, a Chosen One." The girls lips stretched into a amused, yet tentative smile.
"Only now, because of a very stubborn slayer, your sister, there are now……three."
*End Dream*
"……Then I woke up." Dawn sat in the Magic Box surrounded by her friends, her family. She had just finished telling them about her extremely weird and disturbing dream. Looking around, she tried to figure out what everyone was thinking.
Anya was sitting on Xander's lap on the couch and both appeared upset and a bit confused. Tara was sitting at the table, her face thoughtful and Willow was sitting across from Tara, frowning and staring at Dawn. Spike, the chipped vampire, was leaning against the wall, making sure to stay in the shadows. She knew by the way his body was rigid, he didn't like her dream. /Maybe he knows what it means./ She thought to herself. Finally her gaze came to her sister. Buffy was sitting next to Dawn, staring into Dawns eyes and frowning deeply. Dawn could've swore she saw something like fear in Buffy's eyes, but just as quickly as it came, it was gone.
"I don't know what the dream meant, but we'll figure it out." Dawn could see right through that lie. Buffy did know what that dream meant, or at least she thought she did. Grabbing Buffy's arm she made her sister look into her eyes.
"Your lying." She said bluntly. Buffy looked away and Dawn could see the mist in her sister's eyes. Pulling away, Dawn glanced at Spike. He was glaring daggers at the ceiling and was muttering curses that would've made the devil himself blush. Straining her hearing, Dawn was shocked when with out much of a effort, she heard everything he said clearly. It was like he was standing right next to her instead of across the room.
"Damn Powers that Be! What is it with the Summers chits, huh? First you bloody screw up the slayers life by making her the slayer, then you take Joyce away from them, then you have Buffy die, only to come back again after being in heaven, and now Dawn! If I ever meet one of you wankers I'm gonna have a hellova lot of fun torturing you!" Spike stopped muttering when he noticed Dawn smirking at him. Breaking eye contact with Spike, Dawn stared at Buffy who stared deeply into Dawn's eyes.
"Dawnie? Can you answer a few questions for me? I need you to be fully honest with me, all right?" Dawn nodded, trying swallow the lump that had lodged itself in her throat. Buffy took a deep breath.
"OK. Have you been feeling…different lately? Has anything changed in the last few days?" Dawn thought for a second.
She HAD been feeling different lately. She hadn't really been able to sleep the last few days. She use to have a hard time seeing in the dark, but lately, it was like she had night vision. She could smell things better too, like the blood in Spike's crypt refrigerator. She had increased strength. A few days ago she had meant to simply shut off her alarm clock, but ended smashing it into a hundred million pieces instead. She hadn't told Buffy and had gotten a new one. Her stamina and speed had increased. She use to have a hard time running the required mile in gym class every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but for the last week she had always finished first. When she was done she hadn't broken a sweat and her breathing was fine. Her teacher had commented on it. Then there was the hearing. Dawn swallowed and nodded. Buffy's lips went into a tight, rigid line.
"Like what? What's changed?" Dawn glanced at the others and then began in a soft voice.
"I haven't been sleeping well the last few days. It's like I should be up and around instead of laying in the dark trying to sleep. My...uh…alarm clock is now a million tiny pieces. I got a new one and didn't tell you." Buffy gave a small smile.
"I wondered what happened to your alarm clock. It use to have a purple one, now you have a black one." Dawn blushed. She nodded and continued.
"I can see better. Like the small mouse hole in the wall over there." She pointed to the far wall. Anya, Tara, and Willow each gave a small yelp and Buffy glance over at the wall to see that there was indeed a mouse hole. The only people who could see it though were Spike, Buffy, and apparently Dawn. Turning back to Dawn Buffy nodded, motioning for her to go on.
"I can smell a lot better. Like when I went to see Spike a few days ago I could smell the blood in his fridge." Spike raised an eyebrow and smirked. Buffy simply nodded.
"My stamina and speed has increased. You know how I hate running the mile in gym class?" Buffy nodded and Dawn continued. "Well, yesterday I was the first one to finish. I wasn't out of breath and I hadn't broken a sweat." Buffy nodded slowly, her mouth a firm white line. Dawn continued.
"I can hear things no one else can. Like when Spike was cursing out the Powers that Be under his none breath a few minutes ago." Spike grinned and Buffy smirked. Sobering, Buffy stood up and grabbed her arm.
"Come on, I wanna try something." Dawn and the others followed Buffy into the back room that Buffy used for training. She quickly pulled six darts from the dart-board and walked over to Dawn on the other side of the room. She handed them to Dawn.
"Try and hit the bulls-eye from here." Dawn nodded and stared at the dart-board for a few minutes. Her first dart hit the direct center. Looking over at Buffy she threw the second one, this one also landing on the bulls eye. It was the same for the rest. When she was done, there were six darts embedded in the center of the bulls-eye.
Next, Buffy had Dawn stand next a wall. Grabbing three stakes she threw one of the stakes directly at Dawn's chest. Moving faster than humanly possible, Dawn caught the stake mere inches from her heart. Ignoring the startled gasps from the on looking scoobies, Buffy threw the other two, one going towards her heart, the other one to her stomach. Dawn caught the one aimed at her stomach with her right hand and the one aimed for her heart with her left hand.
For the last test, Spike and Buffy sparred with her, not holding anything back. Moving with grace, precision, and agility, Dawn was easily able to fight back. It was obvious there was something different about Dawn. Finally Buffy and Spike brought the fight to a halt. None of the fighters were breathing hard or sweating, much to everyone's, except Buffy, Dawn, and Spike's astonishment. Buffy sighed, glanced at Spike and then at the rest of the scoobies and Dawn.
"I think we better call Giles."
~~~ * ~~~
In LA, miles away from Sunnydale, Cordelia Chase walked into the hotel trying to explain to Conner about girlfriends, boyfriends, and love. They had seen a couple about a block away, hugging, kissing and generally breaking every PDA rule except sex. Conner had wanted to know why they were acting that way and after she explained they were probably a couple, he had wanted to know more about couples and boyfriends and girlfriends. Needless to say she wasn't doing a very good job explaining.
They sat down there bags and Cordelia noticed Wesley in the office, looking over a few papers. She smiled. Fred had talked Angel into meeting with Wesley and the two had come to an understanding. Wesley was invited back, but had to promise not to ever leave them in the dark about something like that again. He had. Bringing her attention back to the teenager standing awkwardly in the room, she smiled and grabbed his bags.
"Come on, lets go take these to your-" stopping mid sentence, she put a hand to her forehead and dropped the bags. Conner looked at her worriedly as Wesley and Angel, who had appeared the moment he had heard his son come back, walked up to them.
"Cordy? What's wrong? A vision?" Angel asked, reaching for his duster. At the word vision, Conner tensed. He knew when Cordy had her visions it meant someone was in trouble and needed there help.
Cordelia sat down and placed her hand in her head, trying to sort out everything that was running through her head. Finally she looked up to find not only Conner, Wesley, and Angel there, but Lorn, Fred, Gunn, and the newly added Justine staring at her worriedly. Justine had joined there team, looking for forgiveness and acceptance. Fighting wise, she fit right in, but there was always that little seed of doubt. They still didn't fully trust her.
"I'm fine. It was a vision, but it wasn't. it was…weird." Glancing at the others worriedly, Angel sat down next Cordy and asked gently,
"What do you mean? Cordy?" She sighed and looked up.
"Its Buffy. She's upset. Not hurting or in danger, she's just upset. I also saw Dawn. She…she was staking vamps with a grace that I've only seen in a couple people. Buffy, Kendra, Faith, and you." staring into Angel's eyes, she finished softly.
"She was acting like a slayer."
~~~ * ~~~
Rupert Giles, commonly known simply as Giles, walked off the plane and searched the crowded airport for Willow. Giles had flown back to Sunnydale a day after Buffy had called and told him what she had discovered. Dawn was showing traits of a slayer. After having a confusing and troubled phone call with his former charge, he immediately made plans to fly to Sunnydale. He would be staying at the Summers house and trying to determine how Dawn could have slayer traits. He sincerely hoped they were simply a side effect of being the key, but he doubted it.
/Face it Rupert, you already know why Dawn is showing traits of a slayer. Because she IS a slayer./ The rational side of his mind told him. The other side of his mind, the stubborn and overprotective side, fired back, /No she's not. It is not possible. Faith is still in prison./ The knowing side fired back, /So? Faith became a slayer because Kendra died. Kendra was called because Buffy died. She came back to life again, making there two slayers. Now she has died and brought back again. It is more than possible that after she had died, Dawn was called./ Giles shook his head, clearing his head from all thoughts.
He finally spotted the red headed witch making her way towards him. Meeting her half-way, Willow quickly hugged him.
"Giles! I'm so glad your back! I mean…I wish it were under better circumstances, but I'm still happy your back!" Sobering, Willow added worriedly "Buffy…hasn't been taking this well." Giles frowned and nodded. Changing the subject, Willow pointed to his duffel bag.
"Is that all you brought?" Giles nodded. Willow smiled and looped her arm around his.
"Then lets go home." Giles smiled ruefully, but nodded. Settling into the car, Giles begane asking questions.
"How has Dawn been handling it?" Giles watched as Willow began to softly laugh. Calming herself down, she explained.
"She's excited. She's handling this better than anyone. She knows the dangers and everything, but I think she now has something that proves she's real, which makes her happy." Giles smiled. He knew how much it had hurt when Dawn had discovered her origins. He listened as Willow started telling him some of the adventures Dawn had made for herself in the past day and a half.
"She is driving not only Buffy up the wall, but Spike too! She begged and pleaded them to let her go on patrol last night and they refused to let her go. Well, she didn't take no for an answer. About an hour after Buffy and Spike left, she climbed out her window and went patrolling on her own. She was fighting three vamps, kicking there butts too, when Spike and Buffy heard. They got there just as she staked the last one." glancing at Giles, she continued.
"During the lecture Buffy and Spike were giving her, six vamps were able to encircle them. Dawn noticed them first and jumped over Buffy and Spike and staked a vamp that was coming up behind them. All hell broke loose after that and according to Spike and Buffy, they were only able to stake three vamps between them. Dawn got the other three. After that, they let her come with them." Giles frowned.
"I'm gonna have to have a talk with Dawn when I see her. Patrolling on her own was dangerous, slayer ability's or not. She's still new to this." Willow shook her head and chuckled.
"Don't bother. Buffy told her the exact same thing this morning and she ignored her and asked if she could go with them tonight." Giles shook his head. What had he gotten himself into?
~~~ * ~~~
Conner was laying down on his bed in his room thinking. After Cordy had told everyone what her semi-vision was about, Wesley had gone pale; Fred, Gunn, and Lorn had exchanged looks; his father seemed to have gone even more pale, if that was even possible; and Justine had been like him, no clue what was going on. He had no idea who Buffy or Dawn was, but from what he gathered they were important.
His father had announced that they were driving to Sunnydale that night and had then immediately walked rigidly upstairs. Wesley, Cordy, and Gunn had said they had to go get some clothes and stuff. Fred, Lorn, and Justine had both retreated to there rooms, but not before Fred had found him a duffel bag and told him to pack a few clothes and stuff he would need for a vacation. He had put in five pairs of jeans, several shirts, and other essential items. Now he sat in his room thinking and wondering.
/I wonder who they are? Father was upset, any blind man could see that. Why are they so important?/ Conner had many questions and no answers.
He bolted up when he heard his door open. Seeing it was only his 'adopted mother' as Fred had dubbed her, he relaxed. Cordy settled down next to him and brushed a few strands of hair from his eyes.
"When I was driving back, I realized you have no idea what is going on." Cordy told him. He nodded soundlessly. Laying next to him, she sighed and began.
"Buffy is special. She is the slayer. Or, one of them." Conner frowned.
"What's a slayer?" He asked. Smiling Cordy answered.
"A slayer is the one girl in the world who has the strength, stamina, and gift of being able to fight vampires. She stops insane vamps who are trying to take over the world. She makes sure that earth is safe, like your father. There is only supposed to be one slayer, but because Buffy died and then came back to life, we have two. Faith is what we call a rogue slayer. She was….seduced to the forces of evil and eventually ended up in prison." She explained. Conner thought for a minute before asking his next question.
"And Dawn? Who's she?" Cordy smiled and absently played with his hair. Sighing, she answered him.
"Dawn is Buffy's sister. Sort of. From what I know, she's really this really old magical spirit called the Key. Now, there was a Hell Goddess names Glory who wanted the Key, so she could open a portal to her own hell dimension and the Key can do that. Anyway, in order to protect the Key, a bunch of wacked out monks made the Key into the form of a young girl and sent her to Buffy. They fabricated memories so no one thought much about the fact that Buffy suddenly had a sister. Unfortunately, Glory found out that Buffy had the Key. At first she didn't know Dawn was the key, but she found out. Glory was able to kidnap Dawn and after a huge battle, was able to open the portal." Glancing at Conner, she saw he seemed entranced with her tale. Smiling softly, she continued.
"Now Dawn and Buffy had mixed blood and the very first slayer's spirit had been plaguing Buffy, telling her that 'Death was her gift'. Buffy thought that it meant she was just a killer. But when that portal opened and she looked at her sister, Buffy finally understood what the spirit had meant. The only way to close the portal was to use the blood of the Key. Buffy had Dawn's blood. The Spirit had been telling her she was the one who was supposed to seal the portal, not Dawn. Of course, Dawn wanted to jump and close the portal herself, but Buffy jumped instead. While sealing the portal, she died." Cordy saw the fascinated look on Conner's face and had to stifle a smile.
"If she died, how is she alive now?" Conner asked. Cordy chuckled as she thought of Buffy's best friends, Willow and Xander.
"Buffy has some VERY stubborn friends. They wouldn't accept the fact that Buffy was gone forever. So Willow and Tara, who are witches, used a spell and brought Buffy back." Conner nodded. He looked at the sketch of himself and Angel on his night stand and asked puzzled.
"If she's the vampire slayer, wasn't she supposed to kill father?" Cordy chuckled. He was too smart for his own good.
"Yes, but they have an…interesting…relationship. As you know, your father has a soul. He's a good vamp. He helped Buffy out, teaching her martial arts and the like. Eventually, they fell in love." Seeing the disbelief on Conner's face she nodded.
"Yup, they fell in love. Mortal enemy's by nature, falling in love. Irony doesn't begin to describe it." Sobering, Cordelia continued.
"A lot happened. On Buffy's eighteenth birthday, Buffy and your father….made love." Cordy waited for Conner to absorb that little piece of information, then continued.
"What no one knew then, was that the gypsy curse he has had a clause. He couldn't have a moment of pure bliss. He can never have a moment of pure happiness. When they made love he did." Cordy jumped and glared at Angel as he walked into view. He ignored her glare.
"And I was reverted back to Angelus. I didn't kill Buffy immediately. First, I rejoined with two of my childe, my…vamp kids if you will. Spike and Druscilla. The three of us and your mother, Darla, had wrecked havoc together for years. I killed one of the teachers at the school, who was also an ally of Buffy's, as well as Willows fish.
Finally, Buffy and I had one final show down. Buffy sent me to hell. Literally. Unknown to both of us though, Willow was trying to give me my soul back. She succeeded. I felt it enter my body again minutes before Buffy sent me to hell. In hell, time runs differently. It was about a month before I came back, but to me, it was a year. When I came back, Buffy found me. She was able to help me get back to what I use to be. I realized however, that we couldn't be together. It just wouldn't work. I was a vampire. She was the slayer. So I left. I came to LA and bumped into Doyle, who I told you about, and Cordy. You know the rest of the story." Angel finished. He stared at Conner, wanting to know what his reaction would be.
Conner sat still. He could plainly hear the pain that laced his fathers voice and finally understood. He had two faces and he was two people. Angelus was the evil, ruthless, killing vampire. Angel was the good, loving, kind, champion who fought the forces of evil. He finally understood the difference. Swallowing, he reached out and tentatively hugged his father. Crying, he kept muttering the same words over and over.
"I understand. I understand. I understand." Hugging Conner back, Angel let the blood tears fall as he realized that Conner had accepted him, vampire and all. Cordy smiled at the two. All three glanced up as Fred knocked on the door.
"Guys? The cars ready downstairs and its sundown." Angel nodded. Grabbing Conner's duffel, the trio walked down stairs.
~~~ * ~~~
Giles was sitting on the couch in the Summer's living room, listening to Buffy. He listened to Buffy explain what had been going on for the last few days, including a more detailed account on what had happened on patrol the night before.
"I don't know whether to be happy because she's taking this well or to be scared because she's taking this well. She's actually EXCITED about being a slayer. It's weird." Buffy finished. Giles took a sip of his tea and thought about everything he had told him. Finally he set his cup down and sighed.
"Buffy, you know more than anyone what is going on. Dawn is a slayer, plain and simple. I know you don't like the fact that she is, but the sooner you except it, the better." Seeing her stony expression he continued.
"Buffy, once word gets round that there is a new slayer around, and word will get around, trust me, Dawn will not be safe. She will need to learn to hone her ability's, just like you did. I can think of only two, no three, people who are capable of teaching her." Buffy sunk into the couch and stared ahead. He knew she understood. She just didn't want to accept it.
"I know. Its just that…" she faltered a bit then continued, "Dawn was the one who was supposed to have a normal life. She was supposed to be the one who would be able to go to collage and not worry about the end of the world. She was the one who was supposed to be able to fall in love and have kids. She was supposed to be normal." Buffy said, sadly.
"You actually think I've had a normal life?" Both of them jumped when they heard Dawn's voice. Turning around, they saw her standing in the doorway. She walked in and sat down on the armchair.
"I've NEVER been normal. It might seem like it, but I've never have. I've had to do things that normal girls have never had to do. I've seen things no normal girl has. I know things that no normal girl knows." Seeing Buffy's confused look and Giles solemn face, she continued.
"No normal girl is made up of energy that opens doors to other hellish dimensions. No normal girl has ever had a hell Goddess trying to hunt and kill her. No normal girl has two witches as best friends slash sisters. No normal girl has ever been a bridesmaid in a Ex-demon and a construction workers wedding. No normal girl has a vampire for a best friend." That got a small snort from Buffy, as well as a grin from Spike, who was listening outside the door. Staring into Buffy's eyes, she continued.
"No normal girl has a sister who saves the world on a daily basis. No normal girl has a sister who has died and come back to life. Twice. No Buffy, I was never normal." Dawn said softly.
Blinking back tears, Buffy stood up and wrapped her arms around her sister. Dawn hugged her back and the two began talking about what they would do with her training and such. Giles waited for a few minutes before interrupting there conversation.
"Buffy? I would like to talk to you. Alone." He said pointedly at Dawn. She gave a sheepish smile, nodded, and scampered upstairs. Turning to Buffy, he took a sip of tea before speaking.
"You are planning to train her yourself?" he asked. She nodded, narrowing her eyes.
"Yeah, why?" Frowning, Giles glanced upward, asking silently for help. Looking back at Buffy he sighed and began.
"I don't think you should." He said bluntly. He watched, surprised as she opened her mouth then snapped it shut. Her expression turned thoughtful as she thought it over. /Seems I'm not going to have my head bit off after all./Giles thought to himself. Buffy looked up.
"Who do you suppose we have train her? And don't you dare say the watcher's council!" she warned. He grimaced.
"Buffy, you know I would never let the council get there hands on her. No, I was thinking more along the lines of somebody else." Buffy studied him for a minute, before finally, exasperated, she asked.
"Well? Who?" Looking at the cup of tea in his hands, he uttered a single name, but one that made Buffy go rigid.
"Angel."