Chapter 6 - Dreams
Dawn lay awake that night. Unfamiliar place. It hadn't been like this at Spike's. He was right there. But she got the feeling Angel really didn't want her here. They had exchanged some awkward formalities and then when silence swallowed their non-existent conversation, she muttered something about being tired. Cordelia made up a room for her and tried not to stare. She asked her if she wanted to go shopping for new clothes the next day, which Dawn agreed to. But then she realized she was basically broke. Unless somebody had forgotten to tell her, her family hadn't left her a whole lot of inheritance, and she sure as hell didn't have any money, or a job. Basically she was living off of whatever Angel wanted to give her. It didn't feel right. Riley always told her she was taking too much from him.
"You selfish bitch! I work all day to support you and you don't do shit! I ask one little thing from you and it's too much! Fucking spoiled brat!"
Then there was the problem of how permanent this was. There really wasn't another option. Willow and Tara, Xander and Anya, Giles..she really didn't want to go back to Sunnydale. It could never get back to normal there, not with Buffy and mom gone. Not like this would ever be normal. I So would she go back to school? She missed seven months of eighth grade and it was November now, so she missed part of ninth too. Would she start back at eighth grade? She had been a really good student before..and now she'd be a remedial kid.
I heard her screaming in the middle of the night. Dad put her in the room next to mine. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, wondering whether I should go wake her or just let it pass. She cried out again and I couldn't take it. I went out through my door into the long hallway and opened her door.
"No! I didn't mean to! I won't tell anybody I promise! Stay!" she screamed, and her legs curled up. I reached out to touch her, then stopped myself, remembering her reaction before. In Quor-toth, I never touched anyone unless I was killing them. But as I got used to this world, it seemed like people liked to touch each other. I didn't really understand why Dawn was different. Dad had told me a little of what had happened to her after she went to bed. I don't understand why anyone would do that to anybody. But maybe touching is like cookie dough - if you have too much, you stop wanting it.
"Dawn," I whispered as she continued to thrash. "Dawn!" I said louder. She opened her eyes.
"Connor?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"
"You had a nightmare. I just thought I'd wake you." Ok, maybe I was looking for an excuse to go into her bedroom. She wiped tears from her eyes and sat up. "Do you want to talk about it?"
She closed her eyes and shook her head. Then she was staring at me again, only not at my face. I'm just wearing sweatpants, and I don't mean to brag, but I don't look half bad. Neither does she. She's wearing Fred's tank top and PJ pants, and even though she was still bruised and her face was tear-streaked, she was beautiful.
"If you want, I can stay here." Dawn hesitated. She felt safe with him, but still. Connor saw her slightly alarmed look. "I meant I could sleep on the floor. Keep you company."
"Oh," she said, relieved. "That would be nice." She got up and gave him two of the five extra blankets Angel had given her in case she got cold. She also passed him one of the pillows from her bed and he made himself a pallet on the floor. "Sleep tight," she said.
To be continued.
A/N: Check out Buffy and Angel - The Next Generation! Well, technically Dawn isn't REALLY the next generation, but you know what I mean. Right? That was weird. Sigh. Please review!
Dawn lay awake that night. Unfamiliar place. It hadn't been like this at Spike's. He was right there. But she got the feeling Angel really didn't want her here. They had exchanged some awkward formalities and then when silence swallowed their non-existent conversation, she muttered something about being tired. Cordelia made up a room for her and tried not to stare. She asked her if she wanted to go shopping for new clothes the next day, which Dawn agreed to. But then she realized she was basically broke. Unless somebody had forgotten to tell her, her family hadn't left her a whole lot of inheritance, and she sure as hell didn't have any money, or a job. Basically she was living off of whatever Angel wanted to give her. It didn't feel right. Riley always told her she was taking too much from him.
"You selfish bitch! I work all day to support you and you don't do shit! I ask one little thing from you and it's too much! Fucking spoiled brat!"
Then there was the problem of how permanent this was. There really wasn't another option. Willow and Tara, Xander and Anya, Giles..she really didn't want to go back to Sunnydale. It could never get back to normal there, not with Buffy and mom gone. Not like this would ever be normal. I So would she go back to school? She missed seven months of eighth grade and it was November now, so she missed part of ninth too. Would she start back at eighth grade? She had been a really good student before..and now she'd be a remedial kid.
I heard her screaming in the middle of the night. Dad put her in the room next to mine. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, wondering whether I should go wake her or just let it pass. She cried out again and I couldn't take it. I went out through my door into the long hallway and opened her door.
"No! I didn't mean to! I won't tell anybody I promise! Stay!" she screamed, and her legs curled up. I reached out to touch her, then stopped myself, remembering her reaction before. In Quor-toth, I never touched anyone unless I was killing them. But as I got used to this world, it seemed like people liked to touch each other. I didn't really understand why Dawn was different. Dad had told me a little of what had happened to her after she went to bed. I don't understand why anyone would do that to anybody. But maybe touching is like cookie dough - if you have too much, you stop wanting it.
"Dawn," I whispered as she continued to thrash. "Dawn!" I said louder. She opened her eyes.
"Connor?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"
"You had a nightmare. I just thought I'd wake you." Ok, maybe I was looking for an excuse to go into her bedroom. She wiped tears from her eyes and sat up. "Do you want to talk about it?"
She closed her eyes and shook her head. Then she was staring at me again, only not at my face. I'm just wearing sweatpants, and I don't mean to brag, but I don't look half bad. Neither does she. She's wearing Fred's tank top and PJ pants, and even though she was still bruised and her face was tear-streaked, she was beautiful.
"If you want, I can stay here." Dawn hesitated. She felt safe with him, but still. Connor saw her slightly alarmed look. "I meant I could sleep on the floor. Keep you company."
"Oh," she said, relieved. "That would be nice." She got up and gave him two of the five extra blankets Angel had given her in case she got cold. She also passed him one of the pillows from her bed and he made himself a pallet on the floor. "Sleep tight," she said.
To be continued.
A/N: Check out Buffy and Angel - The Next Generation! Well, technically Dawn isn't REALLY the next generation, but you know what I mean. Right? That was weird. Sigh. Please review!