Angel and Wesley glared at each other before Angel broke away pacing.
"Gunn would you go after her? Make sure she's safe." Angel asked, unhappy he couldn't follow her out into the sunlight.
"Sure thing, man." Gunn took a dagger from the weapons cabinet and slipped it into his jacket before heading out to find Dawn.
"I'll help him," Wesley stated firmly but Cordelia shook her head.
"No Wesley, you, me and Angel are gonna have a little talk…sort some things out."
Wesley and Angel unwillingly sat down.
"Ok, now we're not going to deliberate over whether Angel was right or wrong to do what he did because he had his own reasons. That doesn't matter anymore anyway so listen up. Dawn's home is here now because the only home she ever knew has been destroyed. We are Dawn's family now because Buffy and her friends are dead. Dawn has been through an awful lot for a girl her age. We have to help her regain normality as soon as possible. Although fighting may be a part of many families' lives, it is not going to help Dawn right now. Wesley, get over what Angel did, it's done and we have to live with it. Think about the effect you're having on Dawn when you're punching Angel to the ground."
Angel broke in, "He was not punching me to the ground…not even close."
Cordelia glared at Angel, "Angel, accept that you may not be popular right at the moment. Dawn needs time to adjust, just like we all do. Stop being overprotective and stifling her and just don't provoke Wesley. Ok?"
Both men nodded sulkily and Cordelia smiled, "There's my boys."
Dawn walked the streets of LA, taking in everything around her. She didn't know why she had run out. It wasn't as if their fighting had particularly upset her. Although it hadn't helped her forget about the horrific fighting she had been in the midst of. She had wanted space from the hotel because even though it was large, the air was stiflingly close.
She had realised Gunn had been following her nearly two hours ago. He wasn't quite as elusive as Angel but she didn't really mind him being there. Eventually she began to get bored and she knew that as soon as sundown came Angel would come and find her. She was also getting very hungry as she still hadn't eaten anything since Angel and Wesley had interrupted the pancake making session.
She turned into an alleyway and waited for Gunn to catch up with her. When he didn't, she started to walk back to the main street.
A noise sounded behind her and she started to walk more quickly, not having grabbed a stake before she left the hotel. "Where are you going, honey?" She turned quickly to meet a vampire, licking his lips slowly.
She turned again and started to run. "Hey, don't you wanna stick around for dinner?" The vampire paced after her. "Why are you running? You don't look too old to play."
"She may not be but I am," Angel's voice sounded from above. He dropped to the ground and raised his sword, neatly decapitating the vampire. The dust blew away and he looked at Dawn. She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Are you ok Dawn. He didn't hurt you did he?"
"No, I'm fine. Thanks for dropping in like that."
"You know you should always carry a weapon Dawn."
Dawn looked away.
"Ok, I'm sorry, it was my fault you ran off like that. Wesley and I have sorted through things though. There are plenty of stakes in the weapon cabinet that you can grab before you run off next time ok?"
Dawn rolled her eyes and nodded, "Whatever."
At that moment Gunn came round the corner panting. "Dawn, you're ok, thank god, I'm sorry Angel, there were more vamps round the corner."
Angel nodded, "Good thing I was here then. You coming back to the hotel Dawn?" Something in Angel's voice was pleading with her. She gave in and they walked back to the Hyperion.
When they got back there was a new face there, who introduced herself as Fred. Dawn thought this an odd name for a girl but she liked her Texan sweet nature. Cordelia had made pancakes, which she noticed were perfectly round, unlike the funny shapes she was accustomed to when Willow was cooking. She sighed but forced Willow's image out of her head and ate them quickly, barely breathing between mouthfuls. Fred watched her eat, smiling "Gee Dawn, you sure know how to eat." Dawn nodded and gave a thumbs up.
Angel and Lorne were in the foyer, watching them through the doorway.
"What's on your mind, sweetcheeks? You seem worried."
Angel shrugged. "I just don't know what to do Lorne. She's here looking remotely happy which is great but what happens now. Do I put her in school here? What? Obviously she still needs time to adjust but…I'm not used to dealing with teenagers. Apart from Connor, but as you can see from how he turned out, I'm not very good at it."
Lorne shook his head, "You just have to go with the flow baby-doll, see what she wants to do, wait until she's ready. Also, since both slayers are dead, does that mean they're gonna send a new one. Maybe they don't need one now the First is destroyed."
"Yeah, well, about that, I don't know whether the First is destroyed 100%. Hey, hey, don't look at me like that, I don't even know whether it is possible to destroy the First. I do know that it's very weak and in hiding and won't be wreaking havoc for a very long time. So, yeah, there should be a new slayer, because the hellmouth is still open and there's still plenty of evil to go around."
"Don't you just love this job, always something to look forward to," Lorne said sarcastically.
Dawn walked out of the kitchen, "What's to look forward to?" Dawn hadn't meant it to come out so pessimistic but her life had been turned upside down and she didn't know when it would flip the right way again.
"Uh, I don't know Dawn."
"I think I'm gonna go to my room. I'm kinda tired."
Angel nodded, "Is your room ok? You sure you don't want to move closer the ground floor.
"No. I like being where I am." Dawn climbed into the lift and closed the door, blocking out Angel looking at her. She wasn't really tired but she wanted some alone time. She found it strange because she usually liked being around people, but she felt awkward here, no one understood what she had been through and although Cordelia and Wesley had lived in Sunnydale, they hadn't been there for years. She stepped out of the lift and investigated the other rooms on the floor. Some were locked and some were pretty identical to her room but one room had what looked like an old fire exit. She pushed open the window and stepped out onto the metal platform which had stairs going up to the roof. She climbed up and sat down carefully. A smile passed her lips as she looked at the impressive view of LA and she shivered, both from cold and the strange sensation of overlooking the city. It felt incredibly calm and peaceful and a wave of relaxation washed over her. She must have fallen asleep because her eyes opened and she heard raised voices inside.
"Cordy, she's gone, again. I can't do this. She must hate me to keep running away like this."
"You have to calm down. Have you checked everywhere? Maybe she's just exploring the hotel. She doesn't hate you, I see it in her eyes, she trusts you now. She's still hurting and she's confused but you can't give up on her yet Angel."
Dawn couldn't help feeling sorry Angel. She didn't mean to cause him worry. She got up to go and reveal that she was in fact alive and well but slipped and slid on the roof tiles. She screamed loudly, truly afraid she would fall and break her neck.
"Dawn!" Angel's agitated voice sounded from inside. He practically flew through the window and scooped her up in a second. She clung to him gratefully, her little heart pounding against his chest. It made him feel so alive to have a warm human body pressed against his own cold dead one. He found it strange that she wasn't repulsed by the idea but then again she had grown up with vampires as the norm. He must have been the first good vampire she knew. He still remembered when she was just Buffy's annoying little sister who would break in on them kissing. Of course she had never done that, the memories the monks invented only pretended she had but she still had the same innocence, only slightly tainted with all the experiences the hellmouth had thrown at her.
Cordy had stuck her head outside the window. "Dawn! See Angel I knew she'd be around here somewhere. Angel was all panicky; he thought you'd run away."
Dawn looked into Angel's eyes, "I know, I heard. Cordy do you mind if I speak to Angel for a bit?"
Cordy grinned, "No problemo. I have to go….do something important." She disappeared from the window and Dawn asked Angel to put her down. She climbed back on to the roof, treading more carefully. She saw Angel watching her intently from the corner of her eye, watching in case she fell. Once she was safe he climbed up next to her.
"Angel. I heard what you were saying before, about me hating you. I don't hate you, I can only hate myself at the moment. I'm glad you found me and brought me here and saved my life twice in the same day. Everyone is being great and I do honestly appreciate it. I'm just a bit messed up at the moment. When Buffy died…when she jumped off the tower instead of me, I didn't think I could ever live again. I could tell everyone would have preferred me to jump instead of her. They assured me they didn't but I could tell. I felt alone because everyone was tiptoeing around me and wouldn't look me in the eyes. I think the only way I got through that was having Spike." She felt Angel stiffen beside her at his name. She continued anyway, "He stood by me and didn't treat me like it was my fault. He felt guilty I suppose for not stopping the Doc, the guy who bled me to open the portal. I guess he also missed Buffy and I was kind of a link to her. Anyway it was never really normal, even when Buffy came back. She never really adjusted to being taken out of the heaven dimension and when she looked like she was starting to be normal, the trouble with the First started to happen. This time it's different. They are all gone. Buffy and Spike and Xander and Willow. I haven't got them here to help me get through it like they did with Buffy. What I am basically trying to say is that it's gonna take time. I'm not gonna get over this straight away but you have to stop worrying. I need to do this my way."
Dawn felt relieved to have got things off her chest. She shivered again, feeling content. Angel removed his beloved coat and put it around her shoulders, hugging her close.
"I know that no one knows what you've been through Dawn. Just remember I'll do anything for you."
He held her for a while before pulling back, "Dawn, I'm not trying to push you but at some point we are going to have to talk about the future. Things like school and stuff and what you want to do."
Dawn's eyes fell to the ground, "I know Angel. Just not now ok?"
Angel tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, the way Buffy used to. Dawn didn't want to cry so she handed his coat back to him and stood up, leaning on his shoulder and made her way down the steps. He stayed outside for a few minutes and when he came in she had slipped into her bed.
"Goodnight, Dawn. Sleep well. Don't let the vampires bite." He turned to walk away.
"You used to say that to me all the time when I was little, when Buffy was babysitting me and I refused to go to sleep without you saying goodnight because I was a brat. I mean I know the memories aren't real but I remember it."
Angel nodded remembering it too.
"Angel, wait. Stay with me." She felt oddly comforted by his presence now.
He sat on the bed, watching her breathe gently in and out, gradually falling into slumber. "Anything you want, Dawn, anything you want."