"This is not what I signed on for when I let you move in."
"I need you for backup, B."
"You set me up!"
"It's not a marriage proposal. It's a double date, and you're coming as my wingman."
"Since when did you need one of those?"
"Since some people started lecturing me on adjusting to society. See, I didn't have the cool mom, or a stable dad, or a stack of Cosmo's. You - cheerleader Barbie; - me tomboy tough chick. I suck at this girly stuff. You're helping me out. I'll owe you one."
"Do I at least know these guys?"
"I fixed Eddie's car. He came over for the Vikings game."
"Wait. Personal Trainer Eddie? Ooh - he's all tall, dark and hunky"
"We're going to Lawry's on Rush Street for Dinner. And maybe some dancing in one of the clubs off the Mile."
"All right, so I'll go with. You don't have any dresses, so we'll need to take you shopping first. And I know exactly what we need to do with your hair. Ooh - this is so cool So who's my date, anyway?"
"He set you up with his buddy Sergei."
"Sergei? Sergei the Russian hockey player!"
"Hey. Sergei is quite the muffin."
"But doesn't he only speak, like, ten words of English? I've been on one date in the past three years, and this is how you start me off. And a hockey player?"
"Chill out B. First - off. You don't have to hook up with the guy, just help me along with Eddie. Second - he still has all his teeth. Third - hockey. Think of it like figure skating, only with more violence. Plus he's Russian, so maybe he's into all that frilly ballerina crap you like so much. It'll be fine"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Of course you scored higher than me on that test. I was out all night beforehand saving the world from unspeakable monsters."
"That's because you didn't have Angel and Xander barricading you into your bedroom."
"Yes. And when you receive your high school diploma, not only will you get into whatever college you wish, you'll probably get scholarship money too. And you will thank them for being so unspeakably cruel."
"Right. And you'll name your firstborn Snyder. I'm still planning on going to Cal-Berkeley, and not just because Vi is gonna go there. It's fabulous and I can stay instate. Unli ke some big sisters who run half-way across the country to go to expensive private schools."
"You hush. Thanksgiving break's not so far away. You'll see me then."
"What's the plan for that."
"I'm discussing it with Angel. I want to get as many of us back as possible, and do a big Thanksgiving dinner. He still has that hotel with the surplus rooms and the Giant kitchen. We can have a private thing on Thursday, and on Friday we can bring in as many of the new slayers and watchers and what have you together as can make it. It can be a big tradition thing."
"That sounds like something Mom would want us to do."
"Thought so too."
"I miss her so much Buffy. Did I tell you that I saw dad?"
"Really?"
"Yeah. Angel looked him up for me, and we talked a little. I didn't explain about the slayer stuff - just told him that Angel and Xander were like brothers to me, which they are, and are looking after me while you're off at college, which they also are."
"So. Be honest. Are they playing nice?"
"Not at first. But when they realized I was playing them off against each other"
"Dawnie!"
"What. It was a part of my secret ploy. Get them to complain to each other about me, until they suddenly realize that they actually agree on stuff."
"That's really devious. I like it. But you should only use that power for good. And speaking of dad, do you think we should invite him or just try to meet with him on our own? I haven't seen him in almost four years, but he's still dad."
"It would be nice to see him together. I just don't know if he's really a part of what we do anymore."
"I'll have to think about it. But enough with the heavy thoughts. We'll have all kinds of goodies, and bad stuff aside, we have plenty to be thankful for. Like not getting sucked into a giant hole to hell by the Evilest Evil that ever Eviled."
"Yay to that. But we'll see how thankful everybody is after the dinner. I still hear horror stories from Xander about the last one."
"Hey! I cook plenty good. And I got all of Mom's old recipes from Aunt Arlene. Who is expecting you to come visit soon, by the way."
"Winter break. Which is gonna be ugly. Maybe I can get dad to work off the guilt with a shopping spree. Any more giant Lake Monsters?"
"Nah. Just the run of the mill. But Faith and I broke up a ring of car thieves. We were all detective-y. It was pretty"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Can you come back?"
"Things in Cleveland are pretty quiet, so I should be ready. Andrew wants to come too. How do you feel about that?"
"As long as he understands that come Holiday Dinner, the kitchen is mine."
"It's not even your kitchen!"
"So! I already got Angel to promise. I'm letting him do breakfast, so maybe Andrew can have desert. And then Xander can have somebody to pretend he isn't talking about comic books with."
"Hee. It'll be like old times. But, I think Kennedy and Rona will probably stay here to take care of things. Wouldn't want the Hellmouth to erupt when I'm out of town."
"And she's okay with you going off on your own. With a ton of impressionable teenaged girls."
"I know you don't like her, but she said it was okay for me to go."
"As long as you're finding happiness, it's okay. I know. I just don't want you rushing into things or committing yourself. It's okay for you to still miss Tara."
"And I always will, but I'm moving forward. What about you? Don't you have anybody?"
"A few dates, but that was more about chaperoning Faith. I don't really want or need anybody right now Willow."
"Aren't you lonely?"
"To tell the truth, not really. I've got school, the friends, Faith and slaying, and you guys. I can't just wrap myself up in a boyfriend and have it be all I want or need out of life - not that I'm necessarily saying it's what you do or that it's wrong for other people. But it's not me. I want to do a lot of things with my life. And my last few relationships got in the way of that."
"But Riley was so great for you. And didn't you love Spike."
"What they wanted for me isn't what I want my life to be. We weren't really happy together and we never would have been."
"But you were with them, and you had good times"
"Riley was a nice guy, and I had a good time with him, but that was all it was gonna be. What's a way of life for me, is just a job for him. Someday he wants to go back to the farm, and that's just not me. It was fine when we were first going out, but once things got serious there were problems that couldn't be fixed. We're better as friends."
"And Spike?"
"I was lonely, and depressed, and he was there for me. And for a time, that was enough. But when I looked at my future, and what I want my life to be like, he just didn't fit. For three years Spike could barely let me out of his sight. He wanted a girl that could be as devoted to him as he was willing to devote himself to her. But that's not me. What I do now - the school, the friends, the work, the slaying - I can't be happy or full without all of it. And Spike could protest his love all he wanted but he wasn't okay with that. I like being busy and having my own stuff to do, and I want the people in my life to have their own stuff going on too."
"You've put thought into this"
"I have had a lot of time. What I went through with those guys it's not much different than what other people go through. Robin was like Faith's Riley, Carolyn has a Spike, and half the girls on campus have a Parker."
"Half the girls at UC-Sunndydale had THE Parker."
"Ouch!"
"You kind of set that up."
"I really did. I miss you."
"Yeah. You should come to Cleveland."
"I was thinking about
waiting for when Dawnie goes on break. We could take a whole week instead of
me just popping in for a weekend"