Chapter 10: Drama
They did manage to find a movie and spent a couple of hours watching Captain Jack stagger from one bad situation to another.
Afterward they walked along the Redondo pier, eating fish and chips, and just enjoying the return of their companionship.
They were still hanging out at the pier, long after they had finished their impromptu dinner. Their discussion had returned to the movie.
"Can you believe it? A pirate movie and not one of them was wearing an eye patch. This must surely signal an oncoming apocalypse or something."
"Well, I think you make a much better looking pirate than those guys. But I must say that Johnny and Orlando manage to make even dirt look good."
"Excuse me?" Xander protested. "I'll have you know that dirt looks very good on me and I have the eye patch. I would be a much better pirate."
Xander put on his most terrifying face, which wasn't, and loomed over Dawn as he "Argh"ed.
Dawn just laughed at him. She looked carefree. He hadn't realized how much he had withdrawn from her, and she from him, until she had started acting the way she normally did.
Xander decided to repay her for her laughter. His fingers reached over and sneaked a bite of the cotton candy Dawn had chosen for dessert. Dawn was quick to defend her cotton candy from Xander's grabbing fingers.
Xander had snatched the last bit of the candy and was trying to hold it out of Dawn's reach. Dawn struggled for a moment, then stopped.
She turned her gaze on Xander.
"No, not the puppy eyes."
Dawn just continued to look at him.
"Oh, alright." He never could resist those eyes. He held the fluffy candy to her mouth.
A hint of mischief glinted briefly in Dawn's eyes. *Why not? He did it to me.* Dawn's mouth closed around the candy and Xander's thumb where the pink sugar was melting.
Dawn watched Xander as she cleaned his thumb with her tongue.
Xander caught his breath while his eye focused on her mouth closed around his thumb. He finally pulled his hand away as he stepped back, putting a few inches between he and Dawn. They stood unmoving, gazing at each other. It was almost a battle of wills to see who would back down first.
Xander won because suddenly Dawn was no longer standing in front of him.
She was struggling with a guy who looked like he was trying to push her under the bottom rail on the pier. Xander grabbed him and pulled him away from Dawn, but it was an instant too late. Dawn disappeared over the edge.
*NO!* Xander was frozen for a moment that lasted an eternity.
He then dropped to his stomach and put his head under the pier railing trying to see where Dawn had fallen to. He didn't have to look far.
Dawn had caught the edge of the pier with her hands and was clinging like a limpet. He reached for her arm, praying he would have the strength to pull her up before she fell further.
He felt someone beside him, lying on the pier. Fearing it was her attacker back to make sure he couldn't save her, Xander pulled an arm in and jammed outward with his elbow.
"Whoa, mister. Just trying to help here."
Xander looked over and noticed this was a different guy. He just nodded, not wanting to waste his breath on useless talk while his Dawn was still in danger. The guy returned the nod and reached over the side at the same time Xander did. Xander grabbed Dawn's left arm as their rescuer grabbed her right. They soon had Dawn up, under the rail, and securely in Xander's arms. Dawn sat shuddering in Xander's embrace.
"Hey, man. I'm sorry I didn't get over here quicker." Apologized their rescuer.
"I don't see how you could have gotten there any faster," said Xander.
"Well, uh, we heard those guys talking about pushing someone over the edge. I just thought they were talking though. Then one of the guys just goes and actually pushes your girlfriend. I didn't hear all of it but I think they dared him."
"Thank you. I could never repay you for your help." Xander's heartfelt statement seemed to embarrass the guy.
"Not necessary." He said, brushing his hand outward in a rejecting motion. "Just doing my good deed for the day."
"Still," said Xander, "I don't know what I'd do if I lost Dawn."
"Yes," added Dawn, "I do appreciate your help."
Dawn's rescuer perched on his toes as he squatted down to her eye level as she sat on the pier. His voice was gentle as he asked, "Are you okay?"
Dawn smiled. "Yes, I'll be fine. Thank you."
"Well," he said as he stood, "I need to get back to my friends. Be careful. There are all sorts of weird things in the world."
Xander and Dawn both nodded and watched as he walked away.
Xander's arms tightened around Dawn as his gaze turned back to her face. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"I vote we never find out," agreed Dawn.
Xander gently brushed the hair away from her face and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. He finally rose and helped Dawn to her feet checking to make sure everything was working like it should. Her hands were scraped from holding to the rough edge of the pier and a few nails were broken, but she was otherwise undamaged.
As they started walking back to the car, Dawn gave Xander an accusing look.
"You do know this is your fault, don't you."
Xander gave Dawn a startled look. "How's that?"
"You just had to say last week that nothing otherworldly or weird had happened since Buffy's been gone. Here it is one week later and welcome the weirdness. Not only does someone try to kill me, one of my rescuer's has a key tattoo on his arm."
"You noticed that too?"
"Yes," said Dawn. "And if there's one thing that really weirds me, it is the unexplained mention or presence of keys."
"Yeah. I know what you mean," said Xander as he sighed. "Come on let's get you home and cleaned up."
They did manage to find a movie and spent a couple of hours watching Captain Jack stagger from one bad situation to another.
Afterward they walked along the Redondo pier, eating fish and chips, and just enjoying the return of their companionship.
They were still hanging out at the pier, long after they had finished their impromptu dinner. Their discussion had returned to the movie.
"Can you believe it? A pirate movie and not one of them was wearing an eye patch. This must surely signal an oncoming apocalypse or something."
"Well, I think you make a much better looking pirate than those guys. But I must say that Johnny and Orlando manage to make even dirt look good."
"Excuse me?" Xander protested. "I'll have you know that dirt looks very good on me and I have the eye patch. I would be a much better pirate."
Xander put on his most terrifying face, which wasn't, and loomed over Dawn as he "Argh"ed.
Dawn just laughed at him. She looked carefree. He hadn't realized how much he had withdrawn from her, and she from him, until she had started acting the way she normally did.
Xander decided to repay her for her laughter. His fingers reached over and sneaked a bite of the cotton candy Dawn had chosen for dessert. Dawn was quick to defend her cotton candy from Xander's grabbing fingers.
Xander had snatched the last bit of the candy and was trying to hold it out of Dawn's reach. Dawn struggled for a moment, then stopped.
She turned her gaze on Xander.
"No, not the puppy eyes."
Dawn just continued to look at him.
"Oh, alright." He never could resist those eyes. He held the fluffy candy to her mouth.
A hint of mischief glinted briefly in Dawn's eyes. *Why not? He did it to me.* Dawn's mouth closed around the candy and Xander's thumb where the pink sugar was melting.
Dawn watched Xander as she cleaned his thumb with her tongue.
Xander caught his breath while his eye focused on her mouth closed around his thumb. He finally pulled his hand away as he stepped back, putting a few inches between he and Dawn. They stood unmoving, gazing at each other. It was almost a battle of wills to see who would back down first.
Xander won because suddenly Dawn was no longer standing in front of him.
She was struggling with a guy who looked like he was trying to push her under the bottom rail on the pier. Xander grabbed him and pulled him away from Dawn, but it was an instant too late. Dawn disappeared over the edge.
*NO!* Xander was frozen for a moment that lasted an eternity.
He then dropped to his stomach and put his head under the pier railing trying to see where Dawn had fallen to. He didn't have to look far.
Dawn had caught the edge of the pier with her hands and was clinging like a limpet. He reached for her arm, praying he would have the strength to pull her up before she fell further.
He felt someone beside him, lying on the pier. Fearing it was her attacker back to make sure he couldn't save her, Xander pulled an arm in and jammed outward with his elbow.
"Whoa, mister. Just trying to help here."
Xander looked over and noticed this was a different guy. He just nodded, not wanting to waste his breath on useless talk while his Dawn was still in danger. The guy returned the nod and reached over the side at the same time Xander did. Xander grabbed Dawn's left arm as their rescuer grabbed her right. They soon had Dawn up, under the rail, and securely in Xander's arms. Dawn sat shuddering in Xander's embrace.
"Hey, man. I'm sorry I didn't get over here quicker." Apologized their rescuer.
"I don't see how you could have gotten there any faster," said Xander.
"Well, uh, we heard those guys talking about pushing someone over the edge. I just thought they were talking though. Then one of the guys just goes and actually pushes your girlfriend. I didn't hear all of it but I think they dared him."
"Thank you. I could never repay you for your help." Xander's heartfelt statement seemed to embarrass the guy.
"Not necessary." He said, brushing his hand outward in a rejecting motion. "Just doing my good deed for the day."
"Still," said Xander, "I don't know what I'd do if I lost Dawn."
"Yes," added Dawn, "I do appreciate your help."
Dawn's rescuer perched on his toes as he squatted down to her eye level as she sat on the pier. His voice was gentle as he asked, "Are you okay?"
Dawn smiled. "Yes, I'll be fine. Thank you."
"Well," he said as he stood, "I need to get back to my friends. Be careful. There are all sorts of weird things in the world."
Xander and Dawn both nodded and watched as he walked away.
Xander's arms tightened around Dawn as his gaze turned back to her face. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"I vote we never find out," agreed Dawn.
Xander gently brushed the hair away from her face and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. He finally rose and helped Dawn to her feet checking to make sure everything was working like it should. Her hands were scraped from holding to the rough edge of the pier and a few nails were broken, but she was otherwise undamaged.
As they started walking back to the car, Dawn gave Xander an accusing look.
"You do know this is your fault, don't you."
Xander gave Dawn a startled look. "How's that?"
"You just had to say last week that nothing otherworldly or weird had happened since Buffy's been gone. Here it is one week later and welcome the weirdness. Not only does someone try to kill me, one of my rescuer's has a key tattoo on his arm."
"You noticed that too?"
"Yes," said Dawn. "And if there's one thing that really weirds me, it is the unexplained mention or presence of keys."
"Yeah. I know what you mean," said Xander as he sighed. "Come on let's get you home and cleaned up."
