Chapter 4: Dare I?
Author's Note: Yes, I know. Another one. Just wanted to apologize for the delay in updating. When you live in the sticks reliable internet service is not easy to find. However, as a bonus you get Chapters 3 & 4.
They spent a pleasant weekend. Saturday evening they did movie night. Dawn even persuaded Xander to watch "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" with her. Of course, she was repaid by having to sit through the special edition of "Die Another Day" and ALL the DVD extras.
Sunday, Xander took Dawn shopping at an open-air market with a carnival- like atmosphere. Dawn was determined to see everything and drug Xander from booth to booth. She found a silver ring that she fell in love with and Xander, after much pleading and promises to do all the laundry for a week, caved and bought it for her.
The next day was back to school, work, and their regular weekday routine. As usual, Xander worked days while Dawn endured school, but they spent most evenings together, sometimes working on her homework, watching television or just talking.
Thursday evening Dawn had settled in at the kitchen bar with the never- ending homework. Xander had commandeered the kitchen table so that he could spread out the plans on his current project.
"Hey, Dawn, are you going to Amber's house tomorrow night?"
Dawn hesitated. She didn't want to leave him alone this weekend and still hadn't come up with a good plan. "I'm not sure. I don't know if they've managed to work out something on their family catastrophe."
"Catastrophe? I thought it was just a family squabble or something from the way you talked."
"Well, Amber was referring to it as a catastrophe. I just didn't bother explaining that when you're from Sunnydale 'catastrophe' is kind of relative."
"What's going on? Or is it not a share thing?"
"Everyone will know soon enough anyway. Amber's sister is pregnant. She wants to keep the baby and so she's been hiding the fact that she's pregnant from her parents. She always wears big, baggy clothes and they just now found out when even big and baggy couldn't hide her stomach anymore. She's six months. They say she's too young to raise a child."
"How old is she?" inquired Xander.
"Fifteen."
"Fifteen! That's a boatload of responsibility to be facing so young. Where's the guy in all this?"
"I don't know where he fits into the picture," said Dawn. She hesitated, then continued, "Would you be all responsible and stuff if it were you?"
"Well, you don't know how you'll react in any situation until you're actually there, but I'd like to think I would support my partner in whatever decision she made." He turned back to his blueprints.
Dawn just sat looking at Xander.
Xander finally looked up at her and said, "What?"
"You're a good man, Xander Harris."
"Well, I try."
"Yes. Yes, you do."
Dawn picked up her pencil and turned back to her trig, or she tried to anyway. Her eyes and thoughts kept going back to Xander. There had to be a solution. Her thoughts returned to the conversation of a few moments before.
Suddenly, Dawn froze, her gaze on Xander.
Xander looked up as the lead in her pencil snapped from the pressure of her fingers.
"Dawn?"
"Yeah."
"Need me to sharpen that for you?"
"Uh, no. No. I'll do it."
Dawn slowly walked to the office, hand clutching her pencil so tight her knuckles were white. As she inserted the pencil into the sharpener, listening to it slowly grind away, she gave her thoughts free rein. The solution was simple in an amazingly complicated way. And the outcome, while good in a Xander-will-be-alive kind of way, would be life changing for her, whatever happened.
*But how do I get the job done?*
It wouldn't be easy. She needed to do some research and make a plan.
Who knew when she was sneaking around reading her mom's romance novels all those years ago that it would one day be useful, even inspirational.
*I just hope he doesn't hate me.*
Author's Note: Yes, I know. Another one. Just wanted to apologize for the delay in updating. When you live in the sticks reliable internet service is not easy to find. However, as a bonus you get Chapters 3 & 4.
They spent a pleasant weekend. Saturday evening they did movie night. Dawn even persuaded Xander to watch "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" with her. Of course, she was repaid by having to sit through the special edition of "Die Another Day" and ALL the DVD extras.
Sunday, Xander took Dawn shopping at an open-air market with a carnival- like atmosphere. Dawn was determined to see everything and drug Xander from booth to booth. She found a silver ring that she fell in love with and Xander, after much pleading and promises to do all the laundry for a week, caved and bought it for her.
The next day was back to school, work, and their regular weekday routine. As usual, Xander worked days while Dawn endured school, but they spent most evenings together, sometimes working on her homework, watching television or just talking.
Thursday evening Dawn had settled in at the kitchen bar with the never- ending homework. Xander had commandeered the kitchen table so that he could spread out the plans on his current project.
"Hey, Dawn, are you going to Amber's house tomorrow night?"
Dawn hesitated. She didn't want to leave him alone this weekend and still hadn't come up with a good plan. "I'm not sure. I don't know if they've managed to work out something on their family catastrophe."
"Catastrophe? I thought it was just a family squabble or something from the way you talked."
"Well, Amber was referring to it as a catastrophe. I just didn't bother explaining that when you're from Sunnydale 'catastrophe' is kind of relative."
"What's going on? Or is it not a share thing?"
"Everyone will know soon enough anyway. Amber's sister is pregnant. She wants to keep the baby and so she's been hiding the fact that she's pregnant from her parents. She always wears big, baggy clothes and they just now found out when even big and baggy couldn't hide her stomach anymore. She's six months. They say she's too young to raise a child."
"How old is she?" inquired Xander.
"Fifteen."
"Fifteen! That's a boatload of responsibility to be facing so young. Where's the guy in all this?"
"I don't know where he fits into the picture," said Dawn. She hesitated, then continued, "Would you be all responsible and stuff if it were you?"
"Well, you don't know how you'll react in any situation until you're actually there, but I'd like to think I would support my partner in whatever decision she made." He turned back to his blueprints.
Dawn just sat looking at Xander.
Xander finally looked up at her and said, "What?"
"You're a good man, Xander Harris."
"Well, I try."
"Yes. Yes, you do."
Dawn picked up her pencil and turned back to her trig, or she tried to anyway. Her eyes and thoughts kept going back to Xander. There had to be a solution. Her thoughts returned to the conversation of a few moments before.
Suddenly, Dawn froze, her gaze on Xander.
Xander looked up as the lead in her pencil snapped from the pressure of her fingers.
"Dawn?"
"Yeah."
"Need me to sharpen that for you?"
"Uh, no. No. I'll do it."
Dawn slowly walked to the office, hand clutching her pencil so tight her knuckles were white. As she inserted the pencil into the sharpener, listening to it slowly grind away, she gave her thoughts free rein. The solution was simple in an amazingly complicated way. And the outcome, while good in a Xander-will-be-alive kind of way, would be life changing for her, whatever happened.
*But how do I get the job done?*
It wouldn't be easy. She needed to do some research and make a plan.
Who knew when she was sneaking around reading her mom's romance novels all those years ago that it would one day be useful, even inspirational.
*I just hope he doesn't hate me.*
