Issues

By: funnybunny7

Summary: A Buffy/Higher Ground crossover! Yay! After Dawn's mom dies, Buffy thinks it's best if she is sent off to Horizon. Set after Scott and Shelby are together, Kat's gone in Higher Ground. After 'The Body', Buffy.

Disclaimer: I own not a thing from Buffy or Higher Ground! (Though I wish I owned Scott and Spike!)

Enjoy!


Dawn, who was now frost-bitten, walked to the site of Big Eddie.

Juliet gaped at it. "Look at how BIG it is!"

"That's sort of the idea, considering the name's BIG Eddie." Shelby corrected her sarcastically. Juliet glared at her.

Dawn saw that Peter and Sophie were at the top of the 6 story wall.

Peter waved at them. "Hey guys! You're late! The boys are already ready to go!"

It was true. Scott, Auggie, and Ezra had already geared up and were ready to climb.

"That's a first." Daisy murmured.

Dawn giggled.

Juliet twisted her hands nervously.

"What's wrong Jules?" Daisy asked.

"Ugh, I don't want to climb this! Its too high, what if I fall off?" She whined.

"Then 'Augustus' can catch you." Shelby retorted as she passed Juliet on her way to Scott.

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Don't fret. Shel's just being pig-headed. Look, it's virtually impossible to fall off. You're going to have loads of hooks and stuff making sure you don't. Besides, just think of it as Little Louie only..."

"Taller and scarier???" Dawn suggested, smiling. Juliet and Daisy laughed.

"Okay girls! You can gossip later, for now get on your gear!" Peter's voice boomed from the top.

The three walked over to a big red carton and Juliet pulled out a purple bungee belt and Daisy pulled out a blue one.

"Um...how do I know which one to get?" Dawn questioned, rubbing her head.

Scott looked over. "Oh look kid, its easy. See this chart?" He held up a laminated sheet of paper. Dawn nodded slowly.

"Well, how much do you weigh?"

Dawn blushed furiously. "Um, I think I can take it from here."

Scott nodded and started talking to Shelby.

She looked in the box and pulled out a purple. Then she geared up and looked at the top with the others for instructions.

"OK Group!" Peter clapped his hands. "Today's task is simple. Your goal is to get to the top and get all of the flags. If you drop one or don't get one, you lose fifty points. But every flag you do get is 100 points. The amount of points you get will determine your grade. Understand? This will be using hand-eye-coordination, strength and balance."

Everyone, including Dawn, bobbed their heads.

"Good! Okay, first on the list is Daisy." Peter looked at his chart.

"Good luck!" The girls whispered.

Daisy walked up to the wall, where a man in a red sweatshirt hooked her on.

She looked up the wall with fierce ambition. As she stepped up higher and higher, she retrieved the flags. When she got to the top, everyone clapped.

She had gotten all the flags except for two, which she dropped.

"9500 points!" Peter yelled.

Daisy bowed when she got to the bottom. "Thank you very much!"

Next was Scott. He moved up the wall like Spider-Man.

Dawn tried to suppress it, but she couldn't help but think 'Damn! His butt looks good in them pants!'

When he got to the top, Peter yelled out "9900 points!"

Ezra, Auggie, and Shelby (who missed one and dropped two) took their turns. Then it was Jules.

"C'mon Juliet!" Daisy and Auggie chanted. Dawn joined in.

Juliet put one shaking hand on one plastic stone then the other. When she got all of the flags to about the middle of the wall, she stopped. And stayed that way for a good 5 minutes.

"Juliet, what's wrong?" Peter asked, bending down and looking at her.

"I want to get down." She said quietly.

"C'mon Jules! You can do it!" Auggie yelled upward, looking concerned.

Juliet turned around and looked down. Bad mistake. She started screaming and shaking and crying. "Get me down!!!"

Peter said sternly. "Juliet, you're halfway, just calm down."

But Juliet didn't calm down.

Peter looked at the man in the red sweatshirt. "Hank, get her off." The man nodded.

He pulled her to the ground, but Juliet still continued to rant.

Hank looked at Peter and Sophie.

"I think she's having an anxiety attack." He yelled at Peter. A few nurses ran over to her, and laid her on a cot.

Auggie tried to push his way to her through the nurses, but they stopped him. "Sir, she needs air."

Auggie looked at her worriedly. "Jules, it'll be okay."

The nurse yelled up to Peter. "We need to take her to the clinic!"

Peter nodded as they loaded her up in a Range Rover and drove away.

Shelby rolled her eyes and muttered "Drama Queen."

Dawn decided she didn't like Shelby very much and looked at Daisy. "Do you think she'll be ok?"

"Yeah, she's had anxiety attacks before but nothing like that. This really must've freaked her out."

Peter patted his hands. "OK Group, I know that might have shaken you a bit, but we still have one more person to go. Dawn Summers, you're up!"

Dawn's gut grumbled. Daisy touched her on the back. "Go ahead."

Dawn nodded and gulped. The man hooked her and she looked up towards Peter.

'K Dawn! You can do this.' She thought to herself. 'Just think of a Spike-no, Scott-no BOTH at the top stark naked, waiting for you to embark in making out. Don't keep em' waiting Dawn.'

She climbed towards the first flag and got it. The more she thought about the two blondes, she went faster and faster to get the flags. It only took her 50 seconds to get to the top with all the flags.

Peter held up her arm, grinning. "And this, by far, is the winner with 10,000 points in 55 seconds!"

Daisy, Scott, Ezra, and Auggie clapped and hooted. Shelby just examined a strand of hair.

Dawn, for the first time in her whole life, felt like she belonged.

The Cliffhangers were beaming and congratulating Dawn.


"Way to go new kid!" Ezra smiled. Dawn groaned and told him thank you, but her name is Dawn, not 'new kid.'

Scott walked over to her. Dawn reddened and perked up.

"Hey Dawn, congrats! You beat me, something we all thought was impossible."

"Well that'll just make you work harder to beat me next time." Dawn replied coolly.

Scott laughed. "I'll take that as a challenge." Just then Shelby walked over and pulled him away.

Daisy grabbed Dawn just before she got in a line. "No, if there's one thing you need to know, it's NEVER to go in the Beef Casserole line."

"But it's the shortest!" Dawn argued.

"My point exactly." Daisy said before leading her over to the Pizza line.

"Is this stuff any good?" Dawn asked skittishly looking at her tray.

"Not really. Its freezer burnt and older than your Grandma's wig, but it's better than anything else on the menu." Daisy replied, taking a tray also.

They both went and sat down at the table. Dawn sat by Auggie and Daisy, and Daisy sat by Dawn and Ezra.

Auggie picked his food. "I don't know man," He continued saying. "I just can't eat, knowing she's hurting." He looked glum.

Dawn tried to be cheery. "Well, look on the bright side, the food's not that good here. Or so I'm told."

Scott, Daisy, Ezra, and even Auggie laughed. Shelby just clicked her tongue.

Ezra looked down the table at her.

"So DAWN, where from the good ole' California do you come from?"

"Sunnyhell-I mean Dale, Sunnydale." She replied quickly.

"Oh, on our way to Blanche we passed through there." Scott said. "I lived in Sacramento, but our relatives live in Blanche."

Dawn blushed again. Damn...she'd have to control that.

"So, what's happening after this?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well, it's Saturday. So usually that means we can do whatever we want until 10:30 tonight. Then its bedtime." Daisy replied, trying vigorously to chew the rock hard pizza crust.

"Cool so what's everybody else going to do?" Dawn asked looking around.

Auggie looked up gloomily. "I'm going to go visit Jules."

Scott slapped him on the arm. "Man, lighten up. She's had anxiety attacks before!"

"I know, but she's so fragile. And this one was really bad, Meat." Auggie answered back.

"Well, I'M going to the lodge and do computer this afternoon." Ezra beamed, eating potatoes that tasted like gym socks.

"Yeah, because that's the only thing you'll be DOING." Shelby muttered.

At this everyone laughed except Ezra and Daisy.

"Scott and I are going to do stuff." They both looked uneasily at each other. It was the same look Xander and Anya had...just before they had sex.

Dawn cleared her throat awkwardly. "I need to go to town."

Each person snorted.

"What?" She asked impatiently.

Daisy put a hand on her shoulder. "Town is like, two hours away. And people have to go with you. Big people. Like Peter people."

Dawn grumbled and slouched in her chair. "Oh."

Suddenly everyone started to get up and leave, so Dawn did too.

She dumped her tray and walked to the Cabin with Daisy.

"Daze, what'cha doing this afternoon?" Dawn inquired thoughtfully.

"Spells. Well, spell actually. I'm working on this really hard one; The Teleportation Spell." Daisy sighed.

Dawn giggled and told her about the time Anya and Willow were in a fight and sent the cash register somewhere, and brought forth a troll.

Daisy smiled. "You must really like these people; they're all you talk about."

"Yeah, I really miss 'em. But I've only known them for 6 months literally-I mean, I miss them." Dawn reddened. She almost revealed she was the Key.

Daisy took no notice to it.

Dawn then started to think about Buffy, which made her want to call her. She stopped.

"Daze, do you know where the phone is?"

"Yeah, main lodge."

"OK, thanks." And with that, Dawn hustled to the Main Lodge.


Dawn rushed in and dialed the number to the Scoobie gang's 'headquarters'.

"Hello, you have reached The Magic Box. This is Anya speaking." The phone paused. "Why the hell are you on the phone, and not over here...buying things?"

Dawn couldn't help but smile. "Anya, it's me Dawn."

"Oh, you." She put the phone down without giving Dawn a chance to speak. "BUFFY!!!" She screamed. Dawn pulled the phone away from her ear.

A second later Buffy was on the phone.

"Lo? Buff here."

"Buffy, it's me!!!"

"D-Dawn? Oh my goodness! How was your first day?"

"It was wonderful! I made new friends. Spelly friends. Friends that do spells!"

"Cool, who?"

"Daisy. But then there's this other non-spelly friend who's name is Juliet." She told Buffy all about the rock wall, and Juliet's terrifying experience. Then she told him how hot Scott was, how bitchy Shelby was and how 'ew' they were together.

"Well it sounds like you're having fun!"

"Yeah I am...so have you found out anything new on the-" She looked around and whispered lowly "key or Glory?"

"Nope, nothing. Giles has had us on the books all day though. Like his miniature little drill team. He felt like a god."

Dawn giggled. But then fell silent and bit her lip.

"B-Buffy? What happens when Glory figures out that I'm the thing she's looking for?"

"Dawn, don't you even worry about it. The minute I find out even that she is suspecting you, I'll be up there like-" Dawn heard her snap. "-that."

Dawn nodded reassuringly. "Thanks Buff. Well, I'll be talking to ya."

"Yea, bye Dawnie."


I'VE UPDATED!!! THERE IS A GOD!!! R&R funnybunny7