Author: ImmatureLittleGirl Email: immaturelittlegirl@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Joss Whedon and maybe other people, I'm not sure I just know that I don't own them...
Summary: Dawn goes to live with her father in LA and has to learn to live without her sister. Strange coincidences lead her to meet an interesting person. Dawn/Connor
Rating: PG-13 I guess.
AN: Sorry if I confused anyone, I fudged the timelines a little bit to make it work. It's somewhere in Season 6 of Buffy and Season 4 of Angel, I think.
PART 4
When my alarm clock went off, I was greeted first thing the next morning with a painful reminder of the previous day's events. I could feel the blood pounding painfully in my skull and the side of my head was sensitive to any harsh touch. I was almost afraid to look in the mirror. Crossing the room gingerly, so as not to wake my father and draw any unneeded attention to myself that morning, I stood in front of my vanity nervously, before finally looking at my reflection. It was just as I had expected; the side of my head was black and blue, starting at my temple and traveling down to my cheekbone and as far back as my ear. Thankfully, if I styled my hair correctly, and used enough foundation, the bruise would be hardly noticeable.
Grabbing some clean clothes and a towel, I traveled down the hall to the bathroom for a shower. The night before I had been too exhausted and in too much pain to do more than use a damp towel to clean off a bit. That morning I wished I had done more, feeling the mud and dried demon slime, in my hair and on my skin. I had never been filthier in my life.
After scrubbing myself clean in the shower for almost an hour, I tossed the ruined clothes I had been wearing the night before into the garbage and went to work concealing my bruise. Wearing a particularly thick coat of makeup and brushing my wavy brown hair around the front of my face, left the bruise barely visible. Barely visible, but not invisible. I could only hope that my father was too busy with his work to bother to take notice of the disarray I was in. I finished off my business in the bathroom by downing two Advil, and silently praying the pounding in my head would cease.
I found my way to the kitchen where my father was seated at the table, drinking coffee and reading the morning paper. I casually poured myself a glass of juice and began stuffing books into my bag, as I got ready for school. Every bone and muscle in my body screamed for me to go back to bed, but the last thing I wanted was for my father to get suspicious. I quickly finished off my juice and was about to take off to catch the bus, when I remembered I hadn't packed my lunch.
"Dad, can I have some money for lunch, today?" I asked, not having the energy to make it myself.
"Sure honey, wait one second while I get my wallet," my dad replied, getting up from the table and leaving the room for a moment. He was back only a minute later. Riffling through his wallet, he produced a five-dollar bill and held it out for me.
"Thanks," I mumbled, grabbing the money and my bag, and heading toward the door.
"Wait a minute. What happened to your face?" he asked grabbing a hold of my arm. I froze still for a moment, trying to think of a suitable answer. "Did someone hit you?" he pursued, when I didn't answer his first question.
"Uh, it's not a big deal. I'm fine," I answered, evading his question.
"Who did this to you?" I could hear his voice growing angry.
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? You just woke up and found a massive bruise on your face and you don't remember where it came from?" He was now yelling.
"No. I just didn't know the person. I got lost on the way home from school yesterday and then this… big ugly guy… he tried to… steal my stuff. Yeah, he tried to steal my bag, and he hit me." It wasn't that far off from the truth. I supposed it was a bit of a stretch though.
"And you weren't going to tell me? Are you all right? Did he do anything else to you?" my father asked frantically. A look crossed through his eyes I might have characterized as fear. But since when did he start caring about my well-being?
"I'm fine. You weren't home when I got home last night and I went straight to bed. When I woke up this morning I felt better, so I didn't even think to tell you."
"You're not in any pain?"
"No," I lied.
"Why don't I give you a ride to school today?"
"No thanks, the bus is probably here already waiting for me, so I better go," I said, quickly grabbing my books and bolting for the door. The bus was waiting at the corner of my street loading the last few kids. I sprinted down the sidewalk and made the bus just in time, never more thankful to get away from my father.
*
Josh and Emily were hanging out on the front steps of the school when I descended the steps of the bus. Emily immediately saw me and waved me over to them. I gave the best cheerful smile I could muster on such short notice and sat down beside Josh.
"Hey," I greeted, brushing my hair in front of my face.
"Hey Rugrat. How goes it?" Josh asked, brushing his own hair out of his eyes.
"Not great."
"Sorry to hear that. What seems to be troubling you? It's not something a Butterfinger couldn't fix?" he asked, offering me a piece of his chocolate bar. I had to smile at how much he reminded me of Xander at times.
"No thanks, Josh. Just not feeling so great."
"Okay, if you're sure," he replied finishing the candy bar in two bites.
"You're such a pig." Emily chided.
"Sorry, did you want some," he mumbled through his mouth crammed with chocolate.
Emily responded by rolling her eyes, and standing up.
"Hey Dawn, what happened to your face?" Emily asked, taking notice for the first time.
"I got hit," I answered with a sigh.
"Jesus. Who hit you?" Josh asked, as he noticed the bruise, as well.
"It's a long story. I was mugged, but I'm fine," I answered, standing. Thankfully, the warning bell rang a second later. "I gotta go. See you guys at lunch."
*
Tim caught up to me as soon as fourth period ended, right before the lunch period began.
"I heard what happened. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I'm so sorry," Tim babbled as he approached me.
"I'm fine. It wasn't your fault," I assured him, continuing in the direction of my locker.
"It is my fault. Dawn, I told you to be careful! I'm sorry."
"Listen to me. I AM FINE. Would everyone stop freaking out already? It's just a bruise, for Pete's sake!" I exclaimed, drawing attention from other students passing us in the halls.
"I'm sorry. I really am," Tim continued apologizing, ignoring the stares of our fellow students.
"I know," I replied more calmly this time.
"Can I carry your books or something?" Tim offered, taking the books away from me as I opened my locker.
"No," I answered taking the books back and shoving them inside my locker. I finished grabbing my things and walked down to lunch with Tim, while he mumbled apologies the entire way.
Throughout the lunch period, I was drilled for information about my attackers. Both Tim and Josh had offered to hunt them down and 'Kick their ass', but I declined knowing full well, the only thing they would be able to find was a demon corpse, or possibly the wrong person. I was unsure whether I should reveal Connor's involvement in the situation, and looked to him while I explained it, to see if he wanted to add anything.
Connor gave me a nervous, wide-eyed, look that I assumed was a silent plea for me to leave him out of the story, before he looked away from the table, seemingly uninterested. If he didn't want to bring it up himself, I supposed I wouldn't bother either. It would only be more complicated to explain, and I honestly didn't know why he had been there or how much he knew.
Eventually, I was able to steer the topic of conversation away from myself, and to the winter semi-formal, which I knew Emily would fly with.
"It's next month you know," she reminded us, as if we could have forgotten. "And you all have to go."
"Is that a command?" Josh questioned, it was obvious that, unlike Emily, he was not looking forward to it.
"Yes," she answered firmly. Josh backed down, turning his interest to his lunch.
"Can't," Connor stated, suddenly drawing everyone's attention to him.
"You have no choice."
"I don't. It's too expensive," Connor answered simply.
"But…" Emily whined.
"I'm sorry." He ended the argument with those two simple words.
"Fine, you can all stay home and do whatever you want." Emily pouted.
"Oh for Christ sake, I'll take you!" Josh shouted. He was obviously growing tired of this conversation.
"Thank you." Emily brightened immediately, and then leaned over to give Josh a kiss on the cheek.
Tim and Connor exchanged an amused glance, and rolled their eyes simultaneously. Josh noticed the exchange and raised his middle finger in response. I chuckled quietly to myself, but regretted it when my head began to throb again.
I held onto the side of my head, wincing in pain and wishing I had brought some extra Advil with me. I looked up to see Connor watching me carefully, while the others carried on their conversations not noticing my discomfort. I gave him a small smile, trying to reassure him, but I don't think the corners of my mouth made it up very far before I scowled, as the throbbing got progressively worse. I wanted to cry out in pain, but I knew I couldn't without drawing attention to myself. For once in my life, I really wanted to just fly under the radar.
The bell rang signaling the end of lunch, and I gritted my teeth, trying to bare the pain while I made it through the rest of the day. Tim, Josh, and Emily, all waved their goodbyes, still unaware that I was in agony. The cafeteria cleared out before I sat back down, giving up my attempt to get my next class.
"I should have taken you to the hospital last night," I heard Connor say beside me. I hadn't realized he had stayed behind until I heard his voice and felt him brush the hair out of my face.
"I'm okay," I assured him, wincing at the sound of my own voice.
"You have trouble excepting help," he stated, as he examined the bruise on my face.
"No, I don't," I insisted, pulling away from him.
"I don't think you have a concussion, just a bad bruise. They must have hit you pretty hard," he commented.
"Who?" I mumbled paying him only half my attention.
"The... err… 'ugly man,' last night."
"Oh." I was under the impression he knew more than he was letting on, but I understood the need to keep secrets… For now, that is.
I was fairly certain that Connor must have had some experience in the supernatural if he didn't completely freak out when he saw the demons, and I also understood there were few explanations as to why he would have been there at all. As a matter of fact, the only one I could think of was that he was following me, which was a bit disconcerting.
"In any case, I'm sure you will feel better after some time passes. Stay still for a few minutes." Connor sounded more confident than I felt.
"You can go to class, if you want." I didn't really want to be left alone in the cafeteria, but I offered not wanting to hold him back.
"I know," he said simply. He made no move to leave, just stayed at my side.
"I don't trust you," I admitted, breaking the silence after what seemed like forever.
"You shouldn't." The statement wasn't threatening, rather more of a warning. For some reason the answer he gave didn't surprise me. It was almost comforting to know he was being honest, or as comforting as the admittance that he couldn't be trusted could be taken. Connor provided so many contradictions. My mind told me he was dangerous, yet I felt oddly safe in his presence.
Reaching for his hand, I laced my fingers through his. I knew it was a bold move on my part, and I could see that he had not been expecting the gesture, but he didn't pull away. His skin was warm, and his hand just felt right in mine. For the first time in my life, I began to wonder what it was like to be in love. I realized this was completely insane because I didn't know anything about him, I couldn't even tell whether or not he hated me. But something about him just felt so right.
The silence helped the throbbing in my head fade, which gave me time to actually process thoughts. I finally had Connor right where I wanted him, and I had so many questions to ask him, but I didn't know where to begin, or what to ask. I knew he had questions for me as well, but I imagined he was probably having the same problem I was. Then again, he seemed the type to find out answers for himself, rather than just ask. There was something more to him, and I desperately wanted to find out what, but I didn't expect him to open up to me without my opening up to him, and I wasn't ready to do that just yet.
"You kids should be in class." I looked up to see a janitor sweeping the remnants of lunches from underneath the tables.
Connor squeezed my hand and urged me to come with him. I held onto his hand until we reached the entrance to the cafeteria, when he untangled his fingers from mine, to hold the door open for me.
"I'll see you later." I didn't really want to go back to class or say good-bye, but it seemed to be what he wanted.
"Bye," he replied, watching me as I turned down the corridor in the direction of my next class. As soon as I felt his eyes leave me, I changed directions, heading for the girls' room. My headache felt worse the moment he let go of my hand. It had to be in my imagination, but it felt almost like he, specifically, made the pain go away. Not only was I becoming infatuated, I was going mad now too.
*
The rest of the school day couldn't have crept by more slowly. When school finally ended, I hurried outside, not wanting to miss the bus again. Just as I was about to step onto the bus, I saw Connor rushing down the school steps and down the sidewalk. In that moment, an insane idea occurred to me.
Before I knew what I was doing I was stepping out of line and following him. I wasn't sure where he was going, but it seemed unfair that he would follow me and know where I live, but I could not follow him. And so, there I was, jogging down the street behind him, in hopes of discovering… something. I could only pray that he was in too much of a rush to look behind himself.
I was surprised to find that after a ten-minute sprint through LA, we ended up at a grocery store. I could only assume that he really needed some milk or something. I followed him into the store, thankful he still hadn't noticed me. When he arrived he darted to a back room that was labeled, 'Employees Only'. So he worked there, that explained his hurry. I waited over to the side, watching the door he had entered. To see exactly what, I wasn't completely sure.
Minutes began to pass by, and he still had yet to reemerge. Just I was about to give up, figuring he was doing work in back, I felt a hand fall on my arm. I whipped around to find him smiling smugly at me.
"You're not very good at stalking people," he remarked casually. I noticed he was now wearing a green smock, which he looked somewhat humorous in.
"I'm not stalking you," I denied pathetically. "I'm… I'm here to pick up some… bread." He just looked at me doubtfully for a moment.
"Isle two," he replied with a shrug.
"Huh?"
"Bread," he reminded me. "It's in isle two."
"Oh, yeah, thanks." I stood for a moment longer. "So you work here?"
"Yes, when I'm not being distracted."
"Oh, right. I better go then," I stated, taking his hint.
I started for the door, not bothering to pretend I was picking up bread. I figured it was quite obvious I wasn't there for bread by now, anyway.
"Dawn?" I heard him call just as I was about to turn out of the isle. I turned to see what he wanted. "Take a right when you get onto the street. About three blocks down, take a left, stay on that street about a mile and you'll find your neighborhood."
I smiled to myself, taking his direction as a sign he cared. I took note of the information he gave me, also aware that I had not taken into consideration how I was to get home.
*
When I arrived home, I decided it would be best to call Buffy and fill her in on some of the goings on, here in LA. I knew she would know how to handle these demons that were plaguing the city streets, and would come rushing to my rescue as soon as she heard of my experience. She had always been so overprotective of me.
I curled up in the comfy over stuffed chair in the living room and grabbed the cordless phone, dialing the familiar numbers to the place I still considered my real home. Buffy answered the phone after a few rings.
"Hi, Buffy. It's Dawn." I couldn't hide the excitement in my voice of talking to her. I really missed having her around.
"Oh, hey Dawnie! What's up?" Buffy put on her fake cheerful voice. I knew it all too well.
"Well, I was calling to tell you about these demons that attacked me. Is everything okay though?" I asked, worrying about why she would have to put on a false front for me.
"Yeah, everything's great just a little busy. Are you okay? You said something about a demon?" Buffy asked distractedly. In the background I could hear a muffled voice that sounded suspiciously similar to that of Spike's, followed by a quiet, masculine, groan.
"Uh, yeah," I paused wondering what was happening on the other end of the line, but shrugged it off to finish my account of the previous night's events. "These demons attacked me. They were big and blue and really ugly. One of them hit me really hard. My head still hurts."
"Oh. I'm sorry. Are you all right though?"
"Yeah, I killed them. But there might be more. I thought maybe you should come out here and check it out," I suggested.
"I can't. I have to stick around here and take out the demons on the Hellmouth. Besides, you killed them, good work."
"But there are demons in LA, too! Don't you care about them? Think about all the people they could hurt."
"I'm sorry Dawnie. I'm tied up here in Sunnydale. There are other people to take care of the demons in LA. I'm only one person. Look, I'm sorry, but I have to get going. Bye," Buffy answered me, sounding exasperated. I hung the phone up, not bothering to grace her with a goodbye.
I couldn't believe how heartless she was being. To think she didn't even care that there were innocent people out there being harmed by demons. One of those innocent people being me, her baby sister, yet she was too busy. I remained sitting in my chair fuming for a second before I came to a decision.
If she wouldn't try to defend the innocent people in LA, then I would.
*
AN 2: Hope you enjoyed it. This is the product of what I spent my Sunday working on instead of my history paper. Who cares about Andrew Carnegie and Social Darwinism anyway? Ahh, well, it's only quarter past ten, maybe I can finish it after all. As Lilah would say, "No sleep for the wicked." Although I'm not very wicked… Wicked tired maybe. Well anyway. Please review! Please, please, please!