A/N: Sorry for not updating. I've been busy. This chapter is more of a bridge than anything else, so there isn't a lot of development. Next chapter should be better. Oh, and yes, I had just found a Latin book and felt like including what I learned in relevance to this story.
Thank you to all those who have reviewed: Leanne8582, AnGeL GiRl, and Queen Boadicea (I've got a friend obsessed with Monty Python. Some things are going to rub off). Specifically:
Squalldaman: Hey again. I acknowledge everything you say. I'm just thinking about the episode, I think it's called "Killed by Death", which is close to "Becoming" where Angelus comments that Xander still cares. Yeah, maybe this is a lousy idea for a story, but do you enjoy it? Why else do you read it? I understand your constructive criticism and will probably work it into some future "get over it" speech. But for now, I'm just going to let the characters live in their angst (I mean, it took Buffy a year to get over heaven. You'd think she has some troubles letting stuff go).
Chapter Four: Car RidesDawn fell into the backseat, letting her head hit the back of the seat. "Ahh," she sighed, letting her frenzied breaths slow.
"You sure took long enough," Buffy lightly complained, hitting the pedal. "You finish your homework?"
"Got study third period." Dawn sat up, throwing her armful of homework into her backpack. "By the way, Xander called. Have you two been fighting?"
Buffy was silent, her eyes flicking briefly to the rearview mirror to see Dawn, and then back onto the road. "Dawn, it's none of your concern."
"Okay. Two things. One, I'm your sister. I'm your friend. Two, I'm Xander's friend, you know, after that whole awkward crush phase. So, since I am a fellow research girl against the end of the world and a self-proclaimed Scooby, I think I have a right to know what's going on."
Buffy let out a deep breath, licking her lips slightly in apprehension. She just wanted to say, "It's none of your beeswax!" like she had done when she was little. She could remember Dawn following her around when they were younger, always inquisitive about her older sister's latest crush. Not that she really remembered any of that. Technically it'd never happened. But now that they were older with no Mom around to settle disputes….Dawn was older, wiser. Sometimes wiser than Buffy herself. The Slayer just accredited it to being an almighty energy ball. And in some ways, with Willow and Xander not as close as they used to be, her sister had become a sort of confidante. Of course, she still didn't have the guts to tell her younger sister everything. Some things you just had to figure out yourself.
"Xander just…we're just fighting. You know how our personalities clash sometimes."
"You and Xander only clash when it has to do with you and you dating a vampire. So unless you and Spike are getting back together, of which, I remind you, he tried to rape you so you shouldn't, or Angel got seriously bored of L.A. and is coming back, you too shouldn't be clashing." Dawn looked at Buffy, but Buffy's eyes were concentrated on the road. The kind of concentration that meant "Don't mess with me; I've got a stake in my purse". Dawn dropped it. If Buffy didn't want to tell her, she wasn't going to tell her. Better not to have a pissed off sister. Dawn sighed. She'd just have to go all Harriet the Spy and find out what was going on later.
Buffy's cell rang and the Slayer answered it. "Hello? Hey, Mr. Wood. Robin, sorry. Uh huh. You're what?! She's a psycho! The last thing this school needs…just let me talk to you when I get there….yeah, just arriving in the parking lot now. Just…don't give her access to any rat poison for right now, okay? I want a meeting with you and her after school. Thank you. See you in a sec." Buffy sighed and put her cell phone back into her purse, swinging the car around to parallel park. "For crying out loud."
"What?" Dawn asked, waiting for the car to stop before jumping out.
"Remember when I could hear thoughts?" Buffy said, slightly agitated.
Dawn nodded, stepping out of the car and swinging her backpack over her shoulder. "Of course. You told Mom about my plan to run away and fulfill my dream of appearing on MTV," she responded, slightly bitter.
"You were twelve! Anyway, remember that insane cafeteria lady who wanted to kill us all? Rehired! Hellmouth perkiness is not going to help her mental stability!"
"But it sure as hell isn't going to harm it," Dawn quipped. "I mean, once you go mass-murdery on the entire student body…"
Buffy shook her head, vexed. "It's like, make Buffy's life suck week! Remember your past demons, Buff? Well, hey, face them again!"
Dawn grew quiet and Buffy looked away, as if she had opened herself up a millimeter too much and was trying to conceal it before she was open to be attacked. "Does this have to do with Xander?
Buffy took in a deep breath. "It doesn't matter, Dawnie. Nothing I can't handle." She gave her sister a forced grin. "Can you get a ride home? I'm thinking that this meeting might take a while."
Dawn sighed reservedly. "Sure," she whispered. "Whatever you say."
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Tap.
Cum. With.
Tap.
Dis. Apart.
Tap.
Ira. Anger.
Tap.
Doleo, Dolere, Dolui, Dolitum. To Grieve.
Pause.
Extra. On the outside.
Scratch.
Intro. Within.
Tap.
Pro. Before.
Tap.
Rrrrring!
Willow shot up at the telephone ring, abandoning her pencil and Latin homework. For such a small campus as UC Sunnydale, it was surprising that they even had a Latin class, but since cosmic energies seemed to be attracted to the archaic language, the Hellmouth seemed to be the perfect place to learn the lingo.
She picked up the telephone. "Summers residence."
"Hey, Willow? It's Dawn."
"Dawnie. What's up?"
"Typical Hellmouthy goodness, i.e. big sis Buffy thinks that the new cafeteria lady is after us all again. She's been through rehab! They've assured us she doesn't have homicidal urges anymore."
Willow smiled, sitting up from her stretched out position on the bed. "Need a ride?"
Dawn sighed on the other end. "Yes."
"Be there in a sec, okay? Where do you want me to meet you?"
"In front." Dawn paused. "Willow, do you know—" She grew silent again.
"Dawn?" Willow asked. "What?"
"Nothing. I'll ask you when you get here." Then the line went dead.
Willow sighed. It was a good thing that she had convinced Anya to let her have Giles' car for traveling purposes. But the hesitation in Dawn's voice made her uneasy. She shook her head. Whatever it was, Dawn was going to tell her when she got there. She could wait.
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Willow pulled up to Sunnydale High. Different, yet completely the same. Getting out of the car, she spotted Dawn leaning against a tree, playing with her hair anxiously. Willow frowned. Whatever it was that was bugging Dawn, it was seriously bothering her. "Hey, Dawnie! What's up?"
Dawn looked up, a bit of the deer-in-headlights look in her startled eyes. "Hey. Thanks for picking me up."
"No problem." They both started walking toward the car. "How was your day?"
"Pop quiz on Jane Eyre. Lousy book," Dawn huffed, getting into the passenger seat.
Willow nodded, although she completely disagreed. She loved that book. Charlotte Bronte was a genius by all accounts, although she could never replace the romantic drama as Jane Austin could weave.
Willow started the car and they drove off. Willow glanced over at Dawn and remembered she wanted to know something. "Dawn, what did you want to ask me?"
Dawn looked at her and contemplated telling her, and finally decided to do so. "Do you know what's going on between Buffy and Xander? You know, why they're fighting? 'Cause Buffy is all trying to be strong Slayer and Xander is leaving messages on our answering machine and…I just don't know what to do. Not to mention the out-of the-loopiness."
Willow froze as the truth dawned on her. "Oh great."
"What?" Dawn asked.
Willow sighed. "Xander—Xander lied to Buffy a few years back about Angel. And you know how she is about Angel." Dawn nodded. Now everything was making sense. "And I'm the one who prompted him to tell her. Good Willow," she murmured cynically. "Throw a monkey wrench into your friends' relationship right after you've just come back from don't-end-the-world therapy!"
The brunette teen looked at her oddly, but didn't press the issue. "Whatever you did," Dawn said, "was probably for the best. Just….can you convince Buffy to talk to Xander? Please? I don't like it when they fight."
Willow stopped the car as they arrived outside the Summers' house. Even though she'd like to avoid it, she knew she had to talk to Buffy. "Of course, Dawn. I'll do my best."
And that's all she could really hope for.
Next Chapter: Willow talks to Buffy…
I know this chapter was less plot-forward, but I needed to set up a link between the past chapters and the next one. R&R!