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 must learn to live without her sister. Strange coincidences lead her to meet an interesting person. Dawn/Connor
Rating: PG-13 I guess.
Author's Note: I'm sorry but the timelines are all screwed up, but its kind of AU, so that's ok, right? Hope you can forgive me… And also I'm very sorry it has taken SO long to get another update out. I'm such a slacker. I considered coming up with some very elaborate excuse for as to why it's taken so long to update, like I had a lobotomy or something, but I guess I'll just be honest and admit I've been lazy. I hope the next chapter will come sooner but if not, please don't hate me… And now, on to reading my tenth chapter! Yay!
PART 10I stood completely still, overcome by an intense feeling of fear as I watched the tiny droplets of blood drip down from my stomach. The air crackled around me, and I watched in horror as a portal began to tear the sky open. I turned to my side to see if Buffy could also see what was happening. Her eyes were the widest I'd ever seen them, and her body appeared to be stiff with tension. She clenched her fists together nervously and I began to wonder if she was going to cry; I certainly wanted to. I wasn't sure why, but the scene before me was achingly familiar and a feeling of pure dread was beginning to creep over me.
"I'm sorry," Buffy stated, finally looking over to me.
"Why?" I asked, feeling severely anxious and confused. I watched as a huge hell beast emerged from the portal and flew into our dimension.
"Because I can't save you this time," Buffy admitted, gazing at me regretfully.
"Why not?" I questioned, still not understanding what was going on around me or why this was happening.
"You have to step up to your responsibility, Dawn. There won't always be someone there to protect you, especially not now."
"What's happening?" I asked; a feeling of panic seeping into my gut. She ignored my question and instead walked to the edge of the platform. Suddenly, the haze of confusion was lifted from me, and my memories clicked as I remembered exactly how this scene was supposed to pan out.
"No!" I screamed as I ran toward her, trying to stop her. She stood at the edge of the platform and I grabbed hold of her arm to prevent her from jumping.
"Are you ready?" she asked, spinning around on me, and catching me off guard, as she wrapped her fingers tightly around my shoulders. It seemed as though time slowed as she pushed me forward, throwing me off the platform. I heard my own scream echo in my ears as I rushed downward, clenching my eyes shut to block out the bright, white, light engulfing me.
Abruptly everything around me went silent and my eyes snapped open. After a minute or so, my eyes were able to adjust to the bright light and I was able to see where I was.
Bolting up right, I realized I was in bed, beside Connor. I sucked in a breath as my memories of the night before came barreling back to me. Connor shifted beside me and propped himself on his elbow.
"You okay?" he asked hoarsely, squinting at me. It was obvious my sudden movement had awoken him just then.
I remained silent for a moment as I contemplated the question. I didn't feel like I was even in the vicinity of okay. I felt like my entire life was one horribly long merry-go-round ride. And good God, did I hate merry-go-rounds; with all that spinning and instability, who could find it enjoyable?
I bit my lip as my eyes connected with his and I desperately willed myself not to burst into tears. I managed to answer with a quiet, "Yeah," while shaking my head 'no' to myself. I pulled my knees up under my chin and hugged them tightly to my body as a feeling of nausea began to sweep over me.
Sitting up completely, he moved closer to me. "What's wrong?" he asked, placing a comforting hand on my back. My body quickly soaked up the warmth of his hand, and I felt the nauseous feeling in my stomach subside some.
"Just…" Just what? I had a nightmare and now I'm going to cry about it? I couldn't say that. "Nothing. I need a shower," I stated, staring ahead at the grayish-whitish wall in front of me.
Connor stared at me for a few long seconds, before nodding in the direction of the kitchen doorway. "Bathroom's through there."
"Thanks," I replied, before climbing out from under his blankets and padding through the tiny apartment, over to the door on the other side of the kitchen.
The bathroom door stuck and I had to lean back with all my weight in order to force it open. The bathroom was small and grimy; the faucets were covered in rust and mildew, and the faded green tiles were falling off the walls and missing in many places. As I turned to shut the door behind me, I hesitated. I wasn't sure I would be able to get it open again, but I decided my privacy was more important at this point and so I closed the door.
I stood in the center of the bathroom and stared into the mirror at my reflection. My long hair was knotted and tangled, my skin was freakishly pale, and my eyes were, to my own annoyance, clouding with tears once again. I wiped at my eyes with the back of my hand and sniffled quietly, trying to reign in my emotions.
Taking a deep breath, my eyes focused on the bloody bandage on my neck. I carefully pulled the bandage off to see how badly I was injured. I wasn't surprised to find that the wound had already closed up. I had always been a fast healer; I theorized it had something to do with having the same blood as Buffy. It followed that if I had slayer blood, I probably had slayer antibodies too, right? I crumbled up the gauze and tossed it into a small trashcan, beside the sink.
Examining the counter, I found soap, a comb, a razor, a toothbrush, a roll of toothpaste, and a few other toiletries, lying around. I used the comb to undo some of the bigger tangles in my hair and squeezed out some toothpaste, brushing my teeth with my finger. I then undressed and turned the shower on. The water was ice cold, but after a few minutes, it didn't bother me much at all. My eyes remained transfixed on the reddish-pink water that was traveling down the drain from the dried blood. I scrubbed my skin until I couldn't feel it anymore, and stepped out of the shower a good hour later, once I was satisfied I was clean.
I opened the small closet across from the sink, expecting to find towels, but instead I found enough weapons to arm a small army. Who kept their weapons in the bathroom closet? With a sigh, I looked around the room for any other towels, but only spotted two, tossed on the floor in the corner, and they were covered in a sickening green liquid substance.
"How does he live like this?" I whispered to myself quietly. I picked the tee shirt he had given me the night before up off the floor and tossed it on. Thankfully, it was large enough that it fell to my mid-thigh, and wouldn't be terribly scandalous for me to wear just for the sake of peeking my head out of the room.
I turned the knob on the door and tried to open it, but the door was jammed. I pushed, but it remained stuck until I, once again through all my body weight into the door, checking it with my hip. I stumbled out the door and into the kitchen, where, to my mortification, I found not only Connor but also Tim and Josh standing around the makeshift kitchen table, leaning over a large cardboard box. The three looked up simultaneously, immediately dropping their jaws. Their conversation died on Tim's lips, and as they gaped at me, I suddenly felt extremely naked.
"Sorry. Connor, do you have a clean towel, and uh, maybe a dry shirt I could borrow," I mumbled, crossing my arms over my chest self-consciously as I realized I was soaked to the bone and my now wet shirt was clinging to me… a lot.
"Yeah," Connor answered, gulping visibly. Tearing his eyes away from me, he went into his bedroom. He was gone only a second before he returned with a fresh tee shirt. "The towels are in the hamper in there," Connor informed me as he handed me the shirt.
"You keep your clean towels in the hamper?" I asked, scrunching my nose in confusion.
"Yes, where would you keep them?" he asked, taking another step closer to me, blocking Tim and Josh's view.
"In the closet," I answered, logically.
"Then what do you use the hamper for?" he questioned quietly.
"Your dirty laundry!" I exclaimed in exasperation.
"Oh. The floor works too," he shrugged. Connor smirked slightly, looking me over once again, and I couldn't help narrowing my eyes at him in annoyance, although, logically, I knew it was my own fault for walking around in almost nothing.
Turning on my heel, I shut the door with a slam. I quickly dried off and dressed before trying to get the damn door open again. I was sure to brace one hand on the doorframe so that when I opened it, I didn't tumble out.
The three boys were still standing around the box when I reemerged from the bathroom only a few minutes later. Tim and Josh were now grinning like idiots, but Connor clearly appeared to be annoyed.
"Hey," I greeted as a yawn escaped my lips.
"Late night, huh?" Josh commented, with a smile.
"Yeah," I answered, leaning back against the counter casually. Josh glanced over to Connor and grinned even wider. The glare Connor shot back in return, clued me in to exactly what Josh had been implying. I felt my cheeks grow hot with embarrassment, and I began to inspect the floor.
"Well, kids, we must be off. My car isn't parked legally, and I can't afford to get a ticket," Josh stated as he slid on his leather jacket and grabbed his keys from the table.
"I'll be down in a minute," Tim assured Josh, looking back over his shoulder.
"'Kay, don't be too long, or I'll leave without you. See you guys later. And hey, congratulations Connor!" Josh winked at Connor before quickly bolting out of the apartment. Connor shook his head slowly, staring at the door Josh had just exited.
"Sorry 'bout him. You'll have to excuse Josh's complete lack of tact," Tim apologized on Josh's behalf.
"Nothing happened. She stayed the night because we were attacked by vampires," Connor explained. My mouth dropped open in surprise as I realized what Connor had just said in front of Tim. The look on Tim's face was similar to what I imagined the look on mine to be: that of shock.
"He knows about vampires?" I questioned, staring at Connor.
"Yeah, of course. This is LA," Tim replied.
"Of course. And I suppose Spike is your father, right?" I mumbled sarcastically. Connor and Tim exchanged a strange look before looking at me questioningly. "Never mind."
"How does she know?" Tim asked Connor.
"Dawn's sister is a slayer," Connor clarified for Tim.
"Huh? You mean, she's in the band?" Tim questioned, staring at me in confusion.
"No, she's a vampire slayer. She kills vampires," I explained.
"Oh. Kind of like Connor, then?" Tim deduced.
"Yeah, I guess," I responded with a shrug.
"Cool. Anyway, here's the information I was able to find on that demon for you. It says something about severing their spinal cord in order to kill them, but you might want to read it over yourself." Tim cringed slightly and handed Connor a folded piece of paper he pulled from his back pocket.
"Thanks," Connor replied, nodding.
"No problem. I better go meet up with Josh; otherwise, he really will leave without me. Oh, and thanks again about the storage," Tim remarked, smiling mischievously as he nodded toward the box on the table. Connor nodded his understanding and followed Tim to the door.
"See ya," I said as Tim was making his way out the door. Tim waved and smiled before disappearing around the corner. Connor shut and locked the door as soon as he was out of his sight. "So… What's in the box?" I asked curiously, taking a few steps closer to the table so that I could peak into the box.
"Alcohol," Connor answered casually, pulling up one of the chairs beside the table and sitting backwards in the chair so that he could rest his chin on the backrest.
"Alcohol?" I repeated, looking through the box. I pulled out a large bottle of Absolut vodka, and looked questioningly at Connor. "You drink?"
"Occasionally," Connor answered with a shrug.
"Oh…" I mumbled uneasily, raising both of my eyebrows. I set the bottle down on the table, and looked through the box a little more. There were several cases of beer as well as a six-pack of some pink stuff and a bottle of Jack Daniel's. "This is a lot, isn't it?"
"Yeah, Josh and Tim are stocking up for after that dance," he explained.
"And you're holding it for them?"
"So their parent's won't find it."
"I see," I remarked, placing the bottles back in the box. I was surprised that they were involved in underage drinking, and I wasn't sure how to react. In junior high in Sunnydale, only the 'bad kids' and the 'rebels' drank, but Tim, Josh, Emily, and Connor weren't 'bad kids'. They were good people, and they were my friends. I knew that I shouldn't be so shocked; in the few weeks I had known them, they had all made references to drugs and alcohol, but I hadn't really taken their comments seriously. "I didn't really think you were like… this…"
"Like what?" Connor asked, standing up and coming to stand beside me.
"I don't know. I didn't think you were the type to… do this… to drink…" I clarified.
"There's a type?" Connor questioned, looking down and staring into my eyes. His voice was steady and his posture casual, but his eyes seemed to have a defensive look in them, which left me feeling somewhat intimidated.
"Well, I g-guess not," I stuttered nervously. His eyes softened a bit and he stared into the box for a moment before glancing back at me.
"Sometimes, I just want to forget… everything," Connor commented, his voice growing deeper and more thoughtful.
"I can understand that," I responded, placing my hand over Connor's hand, resting on the table. I really could empathize with wanting to be able to forget about everything. How many times had I desperately wished that I didn't know about vampires or demons or being a key? I frowned to myself realizing that the supernatural was almost all Connor knew about.
His eyes fell upon where my hand rested on top of his and he turned his hand over so that he held mine inside his grasp. I felt a blush creep up my cheeks and although I could feel his eyes on me, I couldn't drag my eyes away from our hands. I couldn't get over how much I loved the feel of his skin, his touch. It was surprisingly comforting. I looked up when I felt his other hand brush lightly against my cheek, as he brushed my damp hair over my shoulder.
"Does it still hurt?" Connor asked as he gently ran his thumb over the bite marks on my neck.
"No," I quietly answered, looking up into his eyes.
He hesitated for a moment and I could tell that he was contemplating his next move before he finally leaned down, pressing his mouth against mine. His fingers tangled in my hair and he used his other hand to pull me closer to him, while I wrapped my arms around his neck to deepen the kiss further. We continued kissing for several minutes before Connor pulled away abruptly. I used the opportunity to take in a deep, needed, breath. Connor stepped around me slightly and pulled up one of the chairs. Sitting down, he pulled me into his lap and continued kissing me.
I wasn't sure how long we had been making out for when we heard the knock on the door, but it seemed it had been quite some time. My stomach growled quietly and I remembered it was late afternoon and I still hadn't eaten anything.
"Hold on," Connor called, quickly lifting me off of him and hurrying to check through the peephole. He quietly cursed under his breath, before grabbing the box off of the table. "It's Gunn," Connor informed me as he carried the box into his bedroom and shoved it in his closet. Connor then returned to the door to slide all of the locks off and opened the door to let Gunn in.
"Took you long enough," a tall black man, Connor had referred to as Gunn, greeted, as he entered the apartment. Connor simply shrugged, rather than providing an excuse. "Angel's been pacing holes in the carpeting all day, he's been so worried. You're coming back to the hotel with me," Gunn insisted, glancing over at me before returning his glare to Connor.
"Right," Connor snorted, crossing his hands over his chest in defiance.
"Fine, if you don't want to come, you don't have to, but she does," Gunn stated, then redirected his attention to me. "Your sister called, she said your father is looking for you. She's pretty pissed off at you too."
"Uh oh," I muttered to myself, as I began to chew on my bottom lip nervously. How was I supposed to talk my way out of this one? 'Sorry I didn't come home last night, Dad. I slept with a boy, but don't worry! It's not what you think!' Yeah, maybe that'll go over well.
"You need to come back to the hotel and go over the details with us of what happened last night, before you go home. And we'd like to get you home before sunset, that way we don't have to worry about the threat of those vamps coming back, before you're in the safety of your own home," Gunn explained.
"I, uh, okay, I guess," I trailed off, feeling uncertain about leaving with a person I'd never met before, but I trusted Connor's confirmation that this was indeed one of Angel's trusted employees. I looked around the kitchen floor and spotted my crossbow. As I picked up the weapon, Connor wrapped his fingers around my arm and pulled me towards him, taking the crossbow from me.
"Do you want me to go with you?" he asked quietly so that Gunn couldn't hear. I wanted to shout 'yes!' but I knew he didn't really want to go back to the Hyperion.
"Well you did kill the vampire and take his sword, maybe you could tell them about that, I bet that would be helpful. You know, if you wanted to, I mean," I suggested, quickly glancing back at Gunn before looking up at Connor pitifully.
"Yeah, I could do that," Connor agreed reluctantly. "One minute," Connor said, and disappeared into the bathroom and quickly reemerged with the golden sword in hand.
"Okay, we're all going? Then let's leave," Gunn remarked opening the door and starting down the hall, ahead of us.
"Thanks," I whispered, taking my crossbow back from Connor.
"You're welcome," Connor whispered back into my ear, before taking my hand and leading me out of his apartment toward the end of the hall where Gunn was waiting for us.
~TBC~