Notes:
Sorry!! Working!!! Lots of problemas!! Will try and chug the other one out but am a bit stomped!! Feedbck is always appreciated!!!
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Thank you everyone, but since I'm so overworked, no time to shout out!! Soooo sorry! I will next time!!!
Stuff between these lines:
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are song/poem lyrics, disclaimed at beginning of episode if necessary.
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"Fuckin' hell, Slayer! This is brilliant! It's the maddest place ever!"
Buffy grinned, still awed by the change in Connor. He had fully settled into the teenage lifestyle that plagued all raisers-of-teenagers. Buffy, Spike, Dawn and Connor were at a club just outside Sunnydale. The mosh pit was overflowing, the walls were draped in black and the atmosphere was beyond pumped up. The energy seemed to flood into everyone's blood the second they entered.
"Not bad, pet."
"Thanks, Spike."
"Where's the Bit?"
"She's just coming."
Connor was stunned. All around him were these…girls. They were like Dawn but, for some inexplicable reason, he wanted to be closer with these girls, to talk to them and ho-
"Hey Dumbo!" Dawn giggled as she thumped Connor on the back. She was dressed in long, dark blue baggy trousers and a black, form-fitting, long sleeved, V-necked shirt. Her wrists were adorned with various bangles and bracelets and her hair was loose, falling to her back. Harsh black eye-liner balanced her out, allowing for a demure punk rock look that suited her.
"Hey Dawn. This place is the shit."
"It really is! Come on, let's dance."
"Dance?"
"It's all we have left to teach you I guess. Very important."
"Alright." Connor grinned and shrugged, allowing Dawn to pull him into the crowd of people. His own black baggy trousers (complete with studs and chains) and brown shirt fitted in perfectly with the crowd as Dawn began to teach him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~
"Wanna dance, pet?"
"Spike…"
"Just friends."
"Ok."
Buffy grinned and they eased themselves into the main crowd. A hypnotic track started up, deep strings pulling on the crowd as the lulling voice of Staind's Outside filled up the room. Simple fairy lights were left on, but all other sources of light were turned off and the crowd seemed almost to form a wave of support.
"This is nice." Buffy sighed.
"Yes it is."
"I needed it. Work is killing."
"You'll make it, luv. One day at a time."
"I know. You taught me that. I'll be fine, but…"
"You keep wanting to give in?"
"To you? To ease? To the escape? Yes." Buffy sagged against Spike and there was a comfortable, contemplative pause.
"Don't."
"Thank you, Spike."
"You're welcome."
"I'm sorry I hurt you so much."
"It's ok. I'm used to it."
"Do you mean…?"
"Dru? Yes. But Angel too."
"You never talk about him." Buffy said, her interest peaked.
"I never thought about him. Steven made me think."
"What happened with you two?"
"Me and Angel?"
"Yeah."
"He broke a promise."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Dawn?"
"Yeah?" Dawn looked up from resting her head against his neck, her eyes glazed and a far-off sleeping look in them."
"I lived in another dimension."
"I know."
"There was evil there. It was dark, always dark. The noises were liars and ghouls, carcasses and rotting flesh lined the landscape and the monster that was ever present but never seen, it was cruel beyond belief."
Not knowing how to respond, she tilted her head in questioning.
"I know that sometimes you think you are evil. But I have seen evil and I know you are not. You are not even the key to anything anymore. You are human, and Buffy's sister. And my friend."
"Thanks Connor." Her eyes fell and he slowly pulled her face upwards again. There seemed to be an unusual feeling in his chest, almost like a dull ache. "I'm going to miss you when you have to go back to L.A."
"I will miss you too. It is strange to think of life without you as a friend."
"We will still be friends, but far away friends. We can call each other and e-mail and stuff."
"Yes, Spike has taught me how to use the Internet."
"You learn quickly."
"I want to. I am scared about this school thing."
"You'll be fine! You can read and write and all that. It'll be ok."
"I hope so."
"I know so."
They smiled at each other and the whole room seemed to go into slow motion as the last few moments of the song resonated through the mass.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hi."
"Hey."
"I'm Tessa."
"I'm Steven."
"Cool, wanna dance Steven?"
"Sure."
Tessa, a black-haired, olive skinned, demure punk-chic - was beautiful. Connor was enraptured with her. Her eyes seemed almost to sparkle and her body's every move drew attention to itself by means unknown to his…heart.
They danced, Connor having gotton the hang of it after a few hours of practice. Tessa's smile was infectious – within a few milliseconds Connor was falling all over himself for the inexplicable need to make her happy.
A drink? A chair? A burger? A cactus? Whatever she wanted, he knew he would go to the ends of the earth to find it.
Dawn and Buffy giggled at Connor's obvious new crush, his wide eyes and clumsy words providing them with entertainment to last a lifetime.
"What the bleedin' hell is he DOING?"
"Calm down Spike, not everyone is a smooth dude like you!" Dawn giggled at Spike's snort and desperation.
"He's acting like a poof! A nancyboy! A wet bloody noodle!"
"Spike. He's Angel's son."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~
"I'd better go Connor. You've been really sweet. Listen, uhm, here's my number - maybe, call me? Bye." Tessa smiled and joined a group of friends as they left.
"Bye."
The night was young as the quartet soon found out. Dawn joined up with a guy she knew from school and Connor, well, Connor danced the night away. Practically every girl in the place was after the shy bad boy. When they had to leave, Connor had at least 6 phone numbers but his heart was set on Tessa.
"She's bloody amazing Spike. I mean, I never noticed females-"
"Girls or Chicks"
"I never noticed girls were so…"
"Enticing."
"Enticing?"
"Luring."
"You mean like the Felan Demon?"
"Can't remember that one."
"Dimension of Palazei."
"Oh, yeh. Nasty buggers. Chicks can be like that mind you."
"They can blow you up?!"
"Well, emotionally, yeah mate. But you won't need to be worryin' too much bout that for a while. Think s'about time I told ya bout the birds and the bees."
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Please feedback guys!!! I'm really stomped at the mo!!!
