All right, this song played while I wrote this and I'm kinda obsessed with it. I accidentally downloaded it and I'm all grateful! Anyway, if you read it and think of Connor and Dawn and what they must think in the privacy of their minds this is probably it in some fashion.
"How does your heart beat?
Why do you breathe?
How does your heart beat?
Why do you breathe?
Why did you come here?
You weren't invited
You were on the outside
Stay on the outside
Now you want to ask my why
It's like, How does your heart beat?
And how do you cry?
How does your heart beat?
There are some things
I'd like to figure out
There are some things I can do without
You and your letters are gone forever
You and the people that were never friends
Never friends…
With all the things that you could be
Never could learn how to be me
Now you want to ask me how
It's like, how does your heart beat
Why do you breathe?
How does your heart beat?
Why do you breathe?
How do you breathe?"
- "How" by Lisa Loeb
"This place is pretty cool, in a creepy, hermit kind of way." Dawn said as she surveyed her surroundings. The place was bare, save for empty boxes and crates and bits of furniture. Iron chains hung from the ceiling. There was a couch with plastic on it. Dawn walked over to it and took the dagger Buffy gave her before the started this little adventure and slashed the plastic wrap off. "Oh my God no wonder this couch was left here." "Why's that?" Connor asked, landing deftly onto the cement floor of the warehouse.
"Because it's flannel! How gaudy can you get?"
Connor rubbed his temples and sighed. Dawn plopped down on the couch and drummed her fingers on the arm rest. Connor began to pace, speaking to himself. His hands kept opening and closing.
"Would you please stop pacing? You're making me antsy." The super human ignored her. "Why are you freaked anyway?" "I don't like to be without a weapon." he replied.
"I completely understand. Like, I cannot leave home if I don't have at least three flavors of lip gloss." she said, rummaging through her purse and bringing out Plumb Fantasy, Peach Delight, and Strawberry Naughtiness. Connor halted his pacing abruptly and loomed over Dawn.
"You're comparing lip stick to weaponry? What is wrong with you? You're just a little girl, you don't belong here. You should have stayed at home like your sister told you to."
The loud crack of Dawn's hand across Connor's cheek startled them both.
"How dare you say that to me? You have no idea who I am." she said.
Connor rubbed his cheek.
"Spare me the sob story. You can't hold a candle next to what I've been through." "Really? Try me." Dawn crossed her arms and cocked her head.
"I'm the son of an unholy union. Of ensouled vampire and ensouled vampire who were mass murderers in their prime. When I was born I was dragged into a Hell Dimension with my father's mortal enemy as my only human companion. He fed me lies, told me that Angel never birthed me, that I was Steven, his son. And when he died…I blamed Angel for it. So I fought him, sealed him in a box and tossed him into the ocean." Connor finished, dark eyes downcast and shoulders slumped.
"Not exactly Nuclear Family type stuff huh?" Dawn said, her voice hushed and filled with sympathy and embarrassment.
"Only the nuclear part." he replied. He sat down beside Dawn. "Now it is your turn."
She looked at him oddly. He wasn't still angry at her for slapping him, nor for making him spill his guts to her in the heat of a stupid argument. Maybe spending most of your life in a Hell Dimension made you less petty. "I-I'm not supposed to exist. Everything I am, it was a big lie. Fabricated by monks hiding a Key from a mad goddess bent on merging all the realms and be ruler of all of them. So every memory I have, Buffy has, Angel has, is an elaborate spell. I was never born like Buffy was, we didn't have the same mother because I never had a real mother. At least, in the flesh and blood sense." she shrugged and sniffled.
"I'm truly sorry Dawn. I did not know." he took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. She looked at him in surprise and her cheeks flushed crimson. She withdrew her hand and stood up.
"So what exactly is this Eye of Imora?"
"Cordelia had a vision about a demi-god who used this Eye of Imora to drain the life force of Buffy and therefore taking her Slayer powers. Then, he would go to Angel and take his powers, destroying them as he went along. And then…no one would be safe. The Eye itself is the device that sucks the abilities of warriors."
"Sometimes I'm not sure if I should run for the hills or laugh when stuff like this happens." "What do you mean? Why would you laugh?" he asked, perplexed.
"All this Apocalypse Now stuff is a long time coming. We've faced six so far and I'm sure that weird thing in Los Angeles with the perpetual night and rain of fire qualifies as end of the world stuff. And hey, we're all still here. Buffy will destroy this demi-god person and then we'll both go to our respective homes and take a nap." "Spoken like a truly spectator." Connor said, getting up from the sofa and walking away, his diatribe finished.
"Whoa whoa whoa now." Dawn said, following him. "What do you mean 'spectator'? I'm sorry if I don't have a hero complex and charge into every battle." "You just wait here until someone comes along and saves you. It's pathetic." "Excuse me? I killed that Woodlark thing back there, remember?" "Wuulark. And that was only after I saved you first."
"Fine, next time I'll call dibs on being the savior guy."
"What? You can't call dibs." "Sure you can. Just like you get in a car and the first one to jump in the front seat."
"I don't like cars. I'm much faster and I don't need gasoline." "Then why are you so full of combustible gases?" she fixed him with a sneer.
"Just stop talking!" Connor said, pointing emphatically. "Really, not even the Lksrys' were as annoying as you." "Ok, take back that thing that I can't pronounce!"
Connor threw his arms in the air and collapsed into the flannel loveseat. That was when the door began to tremble with the pressure of long, tough, blade-topped arms…
***
The Slayer and the Vampire made their way across the street into the large cathedral that was boarded up and still under construction.
"Hey Buffy, remember this place?"
"Yeah, it was where Spike cured Drusilla. That was how she was able to kill Kendra." the blond Slayer grimaced with long forgotten pain and guilt. Angel had seen this look in her green eyes too many times already. He knew it was best to not speak of it.
"I think we lost the Wuulark." Angel said, taking a chance to place his hands on his knees and rest.
"I just hope Dawn is ok. Connor's probably used to this kind of stuff by now." Buffy said, looking around to see if the big blue demons were approaching.
"Yeah, Connor will protect Dawn. He knows how much she means to you, how much you mean to-" "Angel don't, please. Not now." her face became tight, as though she had been battling the same thoughts since Angel made an appearance at Sunnydale.
"I only meant with all we've been through together." the vampire said sullenly. He couldn't help but feel his heart swell at seeing her. He attempted to say something else when the Slayer pointed at the Cathedral.
"Maybe Igon is shacking up in there. It reeks of demon ickiness."
"Remind me to buy you a thesaurus before I leave." Buffy smiled and so did Angel. They held their weapons, broad sword and sledge hammers, then looked at each other. They traded and made for the Cathedral.
"Don't worry about Dawn, Buffy. They can't possibly be worst off than us."
"How does your heart beat?
Why do you breathe?
How does your heart beat?
Why do you breathe?
Why did you come here?
You weren't invited
You were on the outside
Stay on the outside
Now you want to ask my why
It's like, How does your heart beat?
And how do you cry?
How does your heart beat?
There are some things
I'd like to figure out
There are some things I can do without
You and your letters are gone forever
You and the people that were never friends
Never friends…
With all the things that you could be
Never could learn how to be me
Now you want to ask me how
It's like, how does your heart beat
Why do you breathe?
How does your heart beat?
Why do you breathe?
How do you breathe?"
- "How" by Lisa Loeb
"This place is pretty cool, in a creepy, hermit kind of way." Dawn said as she surveyed her surroundings. The place was bare, save for empty boxes and crates and bits of furniture. Iron chains hung from the ceiling. There was a couch with plastic on it. Dawn walked over to it and took the dagger Buffy gave her before the started this little adventure and slashed the plastic wrap off. "Oh my God no wonder this couch was left here." "Why's that?" Connor asked, landing deftly onto the cement floor of the warehouse.
"Because it's flannel! How gaudy can you get?"
Connor rubbed his temples and sighed. Dawn plopped down on the couch and drummed her fingers on the arm rest. Connor began to pace, speaking to himself. His hands kept opening and closing.
"Would you please stop pacing? You're making me antsy." The super human ignored her. "Why are you freaked anyway?" "I don't like to be without a weapon." he replied.
"I completely understand. Like, I cannot leave home if I don't have at least three flavors of lip gloss." she said, rummaging through her purse and bringing out Plumb Fantasy, Peach Delight, and Strawberry Naughtiness. Connor halted his pacing abruptly and loomed over Dawn.
"You're comparing lip stick to weaponry? What is wrong with you? You're just a little girl, you don't belong here. You should have stayed at home like your sister told you to."
The loud crack of Dawn's hand across Connor's cheek startled them both.
"How dare you say that to me? You have no idea who I am." she said.
Connor rubbed his cheek.
"Spare me the sob story. You can't hold a candle next to what I've been through." "Really? Try me." Dawn crossed her arms and cocked her head.
"I'm the son of an unholy union. Of ensouled vampire and ensouled vampire who were mass murderers in their prime. When I was born I was dragged into a Hell Dimension with my father's mortal enemy as my only human companion. He fed me lies, told me that Angel never birthed me, that I was Steven, his son. And when he died…I blamed Angel for it. So I fought him, sealed him in a box and tossed him into the ocean." Connor finished, dark eyes downcast and shoulders slumped.
"Not exactly Nuclear Family type stuff huh?" Dawn said, her voice hushed and filled with sympathy and embarrassment.
"Only the nuclear part." he replied. He sat down beside Dawn. "Now it is your turn."
She looked at him oddly. He wasn't still angry at her for slapping him, nor for making him spill his guts to her in the heat of a stupid argument. Maybe spending most of your life in a Hell Dimension made you less petty. "I-I'm not supposed to exist. Everything I am, it was a big lie. Fabricated by monks hiding a Key from a mad goddess bent on merging all the realms and be ruler of all of them. So every memory I have, Buffy has, Angel has, is an elaborate spell. I was never born like Buffy was, we didn't have the same mother because I never had a real mother. At least, in the flesh and blood sense." she shrugged and sniffled.
"I'm truly sorry Dawn. I did not know." he took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. She looked at him in surprise and her cheeks flushed crimson. She withdrew her hand and stood up.
"So what exactly is this Eye of Imora?"
"Cordelia had a vision about a demi-god who used this Eye of Imora to drain the life force of Buffy and therefore taking her Slayer powers. Then, he would go to Angel and take his powers, destroying them as he went along. And then…no one would be safe. The Eye itself is the device that sucks the abilities of warriors."
"Sometimes I'm not sure if I should run for the hills or laugh when stuff like this happens." "What do you mean? Why would you laugh?" he asked, perplexed.
"All this Apocalypse Now stuff is a long time coming. We've faced six so far and I'm sure that weird thing in Los Angeles with the perpetual night and rain of fire qualifies as end of the world stuff. And hey, we're all still here. Buffy will destroy this demi-god person and then we'll both go to our respective homes and take a nap." "Spoken like a truly spectator." Connor said, getting up from the sofa and walking away, his diatribe finished.
"Whoa whoa whoa now." Dawn said, following him. "What do you mean 'spectator'? I'm sorry if I don't have a hero complex and charge into every battle." "You just wait here until someone comes along and saves you. It's pathetic." "Excuse me? I killed that Woodlark thing back there, remember?" "Wuulark. And that was only after I saved you first."
"Fine, next time I'll call dibs on being the savior guy."
"What? You can't call dibs." "Sure you can. Just like you get in a car and the first one to jump in the front seat."
"I don't like cars. I'm much faster and I don't need gasoline." "Then why are you so full of combustible gases?" she fixed him with a sneer.
"Just stop talking!" Connor said, pointing emphatically. "Really, not even the Lksrys' were as annoying as you." "Ok, take back that thing that I can't pronounce!"
Connor threw his arms in the air and collapsed into the flannel loveseat. That was when the door began to tremble with the pressure of long, tough, blade-topped arms…
***
The Slayer and the Vampire made their way across the street into the large cathedral that was boarded up and still under construction.
"Hey Buffy, remember this place?"
"Yeah, it was where Spike cured Drusilla. That was how she was able to kill Kendra." the blond Slayer grimaced with long forgotten pain and guilt. Angel had seen this look in her green eyes too many times already. He knew it was best to not speak of it.
"I think we lost the Wuulark." Angel said, taking a chance to place his hands on his knees and rest.
"I just hope Dawn is ok. Connor's probably used to this kind of stuff by now." Buffy said, looking around to see if the big blue demons were approaching.
"Yeah, Connor will protect Dawn. He knows how much she means to you, how much you mean to-" "Angel don't, please. Not now." her face became tight, as though she had been battling the same thoughts since Angel made an appearance at Sunnydale.
"I only meant with all we've been through together." the vampire said sullenly. He couldn't help but feel his heart swell at seeing her. He attempted to say something else when the Slayer pointed at the Cathedral.
"Maybe Igon is shacking up in there. It reeks of demon ickiness."
"Remind me to buy you a thesaurus before I leave." Buffy smiled and so did Angel. They held their weapons, broad sword and sledge hammers, then looked at each other. They traded and made for the Cathedral.
"Don't worry about Dawn, Buffy. They can't possibly be worst off than us."
