Title: Sense Memory

Disclaimer: The rights to both Buffy and Angel characters are certainly not mine and though there are a couple of original characters in here, trust me, I'm not even making money off them.

Pairing: Dawn/Connor (Jake)

Timeline: This is set about three years after the Buffy finale and the Angel Season 4 finale.

Author's Note: I've changed one small detail when it comes to the 'Connor-memory-change-thingy'. We were shown that the other members of AI had no memory of Connor, this bothered me for so many reasons and for the purposes of this story it's been changed with all the members of AI knowing exactly who Connor is. Oh, and Connor's name in this is Jake. Can't see them keeping the same name in his new life, can you?

Author's Note 2: Whilst this first chapter is pretty slow with character introduction and all those other yucky things that writers have to do hopefully the action will pick up. Also, hopefully I will write more.

At the age of seven Jake realised that memory was a fickle thing. It was Christmas and his house was full of family, like it was every year at that time. His father, who Jake remembered being tall then though now Jake could look him directly in the eye, had introduced him to an old family friend who Jake had, apparently, met before. Jake knew what to do with old family friends, he had to shake their hands and smile and if he knew them really well he was supposed to give them a hug. Except Jake didn't know this family friend at all, however hard he tried to think up a name or even a recollection of the face Jake came up blank. So, though he'd shook the man's hand politely and said hello, he hadn't smiled. Because Jake didn't smile at strangers, and because he couldn't remember that man's name or face he was a stranger.

Fourteen years later Jake was of the opinion that the periodical table of elements was made up of old family friends who most definitely were strangers. After his tenth try of memorising it Jake threw the book across the cramped dorm room narrowly avoiding his roommate's head. The tall, gangly boy leaning on the wall with the book shaped dent in it raised his head from his own book whilst leisurely raising an eyebrow. The unspoken question caused Jake to grunt in annoyance and throw himself back on the bed in a style that would have looked dramatic to anyone else and yet on Jake never looked anything less than natural. "It won't work." Ground out Jake through gritted teeth. "I have tried every memory exercise in the book and then some and I still can't remember the damn thing!" Hurling himself back to his feet Jake marched to the door grabbing a leather jacket and so causing a mini-avalanche of clothes as he did so. "I'm just going to fail chemistry! Hell, I might just drop it anyway." Jake sighed resignedly while throwing on the battered jacket.

The other occupant of the room watched him patiently, presumably waiting for a lull in the tirade. When he was satisfied that his friend had finished he placed his book down carefully after ensuring his bookmark was in place, and smoothly stood from the bed retrieving his own jacket as he did so. "Firstly, you are not going to drop chemistry as you've never dropped anything your entire life." He stated firmly and calmly, coming to stand in front of Jake. "Secondly, you just need a break and so are coming with me to the bar that I know you despise and thirdly, well I can't actually think of a thirdly but basically if I have to avoid decapitation by chemistry book for a third time, I'm really not going to be happy, so come on!" he finished happily trying to bundle his roommate out the door.

Running a hand through short brown hair as he was shoved through the doorway Jake half-heartedly protested; "Chris!" before he let himself be led through the crowds of chattering students that filled the halls.

As Jake filed in behind Chris the first thing that hit him was that the bar was smoky and noisy and filled with people who were obviously students and so even more obviously were most likely underage. "Do I really have to be here?" Jake implored Chris, his voice rising in a effort to make himself heard over the music pounding though the room. Chris merely glanced over his shoulder giving what Jake had come to think of as his manic grin before leading the way through a throng of pretty girls giving them all admiring smiles as headed for the bar.

"Beer?" Chris tossed the question over his shoulder as he leaned over the bar looking for the tender. Jake cocked his head to the side, appraising his friend.

"Now you ask what I want?" he inquired, though his tone was more good-natured than irritable.

"I'm going to take that as a yes." Chris answered half-turning to give his friend a genuine smile. While Chris gave the bartender their order Jake cast another appraising look this time over the room. He'd picked out maybe ten people he knew when he noticed a girl stood giggling at the bar. She was obviously arguing with the barman about her age and was using all the feminine wiles at her power to get a drink. Jake smiled at the display guessing the girl to be a couple years younger than himself. Pushing his way back to Jake laden with two jugs of beer, Chris let his gaze follow his friend's to see what he had latched onto. The manic grin reappeared when he saw the pretty long haired girl.

"Go talk to her." He yelled into Jake's ear whilst pushing the beer into his hands. Jake glanced at him guiltily and yelled back.

"And say what?" He glared down at his beer morosely. "I always end up saying something stupid." Chris chuckled good-naturedly and threw a hand onto Jake's shoulder.

"You're in a bar, man! If you say something stupid you can blame it on the drink!" Jake looked as though he was contemplating this.

"You know that actually makes sense." and with a determined shrug that dislodged Chris' hand Jake set out across the bar. Chris smiled after him for a second before turning his attention to a cute redhead that was perched on a barstool next to him.

Muttering sorry to the dozen people that he inadvertently rammed his shoulder into Jake made his way through the crowd getting closer to the girl. Unfortunately the time it took him to elbow his way towards her also gave Jake some time to think about what he was about to do. It wasn't that Jake never hit on girls, he just really didn't like to hit on girls in crowded bars that smelled like the inside of a men's urinal. His rationalisation for avoiding this situation was that there were never any nice girls in those places anyway. So as Jake pushed himself past a burly senior it occurred to him that he was just about to break one of his own unwritten rules. It also wasn't helping that the closer he got the cuter she got. That fact just made his nerves skyrocket even higher.

Just as the decision to back out had implanted itself in Jake's mind he found himself in front of the girl. Shocked by his sudden proximity Jake's mouth went dry and he found himself not even able to think up something stupid to say. The girl glanced to her side, her mouth quirking up in a friendly smile as she saw him before turning back to the bar and the drink she'd apparently finally wrangled from the bartender. This gesture infused Jake with some new found confidence and before he could once again over-analyse his actions he leaned in next to her and practically yelled over the music, "Hi, I'm Jake."

The girl turned fully towards him, her smile this time filling her face. She gave him a once-over with bright blue eyes before offering her hand in a friendly gesture with the words; "Nice name. I'm Dawn."