A/N: See a plot is actually forming! Hopefully the action will start to pick up and though I know what happens I have no idea how many chapters it's going to take so I just hope you stick with it through what could be a long haul.
"So, Cordelia's the one who used to go to school with your sister?" Jake asked his girlfriend as they faced each other over a battered linoleum table topped with a pizza. Dawn nodded in affirmation as she grappled with a pile of toppings that were slowly slipping off her slice. "And Angel's your sister's ex-boyfriend? So the others are just people you know through Angel?" Dawn shook her head whilst dabbing at her mouth with a napkin.
"Nope, Wesley used to be friends with one of my sister's friends, Faith. Oh and Spike used to have this whole tortured love-hate thingy with Buffy that you really couldn't call a relationship except in the completely dysfunctional sense, back when we used to live in Sunnydale." Dawn said, leaning forward over the table, head perched on steepled hands. Jake shock is head in awe.
"I still can't believe you used to live in Sunnydale. I mean it was all over the news when it collapsed because of 'severe seismic activity'" Jake quoted.
"Yeah, it was pretty intense. And slightly annoying when pretty much all my stuff collapsed into the ground under a gigantic pile of dirt."
"And then you just travelled all over."
"Well, we had some friends who had been staying with us who needed to be dropped off at home. But we did finally settle in Cleveland." Dawn pointed out with a wry grin.
"And then you came back to LA to attend good old UCLA." Jake smiled cupping his hands around Dawn's. "For which I am very thankful." A red blush crept up Dawn's cheeks.
"Well it was all very well fighting the good fight in Cleveland," noticing Jake's questioning expression she amended, "you know, against disease and poverty and all that stuff but there just wasn't the same potential for celebrity spotting as I got for coming to UCLA." she finished with a sigh of relief as Jake laughed.
"But seriously, you've lived all over. That's so cool. The only place I've ever lived is right here in LA."
"Not that I'm complaining or anything but how come you didn't move away for college?" Jake stared at her the question disturbing him for some reason. He glanced away from her his face taking on a thoughtful expression.
"Never even considered it." Now Jake thought back over it, he really had never considered going anywhere else. Mulling it over he realised that he never even imagined himself living anywhere else, ever. Forcing a smile on his face for Dawn's benefit he turned to her. "Guess I just like the sun. And I'd hate to be away from my family."
"Well, that's because you have this nice, normal family." Dawn said, grinning.
"Oh no! You have not met my little sister." Jake argued his melancholy mood vanquished with Dawn's grin. "She's completely weird."
"There is no way you can beat me at a weird sister contest!" Dawn laughed as the rest of the dinner conversation descended into good natured arguing over the strangeness of their respective families.
Throwing an arm over Dawn's shoulder Jake slowly steered them back towards the campus wishing for the thousandth time that he owned a car. He hadn't realised how late it was, the colour of the surrounding trees hidden in dark shadow giving the familiar walk home a menacing quality. Walking in companionable silence it took Jake a moment to register the man stood in front of them on the path. Jake's breath hitched in his throat as, cliché that it was, moonlight glinted off the knife that the bulky man held in front of him. Unsuccessfully trying to shove Dawn behind him it finally registered to Jake that the man was talking.
"..and just hand over that watch too." the man threatened inching closer to the pair.
"You're human?" came Dawn's incredulous response, shocking both the man and Jake. They both looked at her curiously taking in her vaguely bored expression.
"Um, yeah?" the man said with a quick glance at Jake who merely shrugged feeling as though he'd stepped into some sort of comedy sketch that hopefully wouldn't end with him bleeding all over the sidewalk.
"Oh well, then that makes this so much easier." Dawn said in a happy tone that really didn't, in Jake's opinion, gel well with the situation. Before Jake could even mutter a suggestion in the negative Dawn had pretty much thrown herself at the man and in the same instant had found herself thrown to the floor in a pile. Jake would later blame his actions on the primitive human response of seeing his girlfriend thrown to the ground but at the time all that he knew was that before he could even think about it he'd stepped forward and punched the guy in the face with all his strength.
It was the first time Jake had ever physically attacked another human being, always avoiding any fighting situations at school and even play fights with his little sister, but he'd watched enough television to know that the guy probably shouldn't have flown ten feet through the air to land in a heap, out cold.
Jake stared at his fist in morbid fascination before a groan from the heap of Dawn made him hurry to her side. "Forgot that human guys can be pretty strong." she muttered standing shakily, leaning on Jake for support.
"What?" Jake asked, his gaze going involuntarily to the hand that had been a fist and was now clenched around Dawn's upper arm. He lightened his grip. Dawn's eyes widened as she realised what she had said.
"Nothing. Just practically unconscious girl babble." she explained unconvincingly. "How'd you knock him out?" she questioned noticing the man in the heap further down the path. Jake's gaze shot back to his hand.
"Erm, he was looking at you so I hit from behind." Dawn looked at him, the size of the attacker and his position ten feet from where he'd been not lost on her.
"Okay." she replied, staring at him as he glanced around guiltily. "Toss me your cell phone and I'll call the police." Jake reached into his pocket retrieving the phone and gently handing it to Dawn. He didn't dare literally toss it, who knew how far it might go.
