Chapter 2
Benji narrowed his one eye and looked around, then shouted, "WELL THEN DO IT NOW, DAWN. MAKE ME A NEW EYE!"
"Okay! I will," Dawn said trembling. She moved cautiously to the closet where her mother kept her sewing basket. "I'll make you a new eye." She pulled out a blue button and some thread with shaking hands. Meanwhile, Joyce stood cautiously near the back door.
"DAWN," Benji yelled waving the scissors in her general direction, "I do NOT like the color blue, blue is the color of the sky! I've never seen the sky Dawn, thanks to you. I want my eye black...like my cold dead heart!"
"Okay! I think there's a black button in here somewhere," Dawn said, trying to hold back her frightened tears. She pulled one out and held it up. "Here's a black one, this can be your new eye." She started to thread the button, which was hard with shaking hands. She then realized that she was going to have to get close enough to him to sew it on.
Benji watched intently, "Ahh yes, that will do." He noticed she kept looking over at him and then back at the thread. His little cotton heart began to beat faster, he clutched the scissors and waved them wildly at her. "Don't you try anything with that sharp stick of death!"
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Buffy fell on a rock, and hit the ground hard. She squinted her eyes, and Angel was himself again. "Are you going to hurt me?"
"Not much." He grinned, walking toward her. "At least, not if you do what I say."
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Dawn flinched as Benji waved the scissors menacingly. "No, I'm only making you a new eye like you asked me to. Here, it's done," she said, meekly holding it out, the threaded button still attached to the needle, foolishly hoping that he would put it on himself.
Benji looked at her and then back at the needle. He held up his little furry hands. "I can't grasp..." It was in that moment that Benji looked sad, as sad as a small stuffed teddy bear could, but he quickly regained himself. He walked over to Dawn and hopped in her lap, holding the scissors to her face. "Okay, I'm ready, put on my eye, but if you try anything..."
Dawn flinched as Benji waved the scissors menacingly. "No, I'm only making you a new eye like you asked me to. Here, it's done," she said, meekly holding it out, the threaded button still attached to the needle, foolishly hoping that he would put it on himself.Benji looked at her and then back at the needle. He held up his little furry hands. "I can't grasp..." It was in that moment that Benji looked sad, as sad as a small stuffed teddy bear could, but he quickly regained himself. He walked over to Dawn and hopped in her lap, holding the scissors to her face. "Okay, I'm ready, put on my eye, but if you try anything..."Dawn couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for her old bear as she saw the sadness cross his little furry face, but then she snapped back to reality. She was being forced to sew a new eye onto her scissor-brandishing very alive neglected stuffed animal. Only in Sunnydale.
Hesitating a little, she poked through his fur with the needle in the spot where his old eye had once been, carefully attaching the button.
Benji shuddered as the needle went in and out, in and out, with each prick it was like an electric bolt running all throughout his cotton filled body. He never knew being alive could also be so painful. But, it would all be worth it, maybe after his new eye...maybe Dawn would finally love him.
"HURRY UP," he shouted to her, never letting go of the scissors.
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"Angel what the hell are you? I know you're not really him, cause if you were I couldn't do this," she said shoving her cross necklace off her neck and into his face.
Angel looked at the cross and smiled, "Tsk Tsk Tsk, I would have expected something smarter from you."
"What, you can't hurt me," Buffy yelled. "I am a slayer, if you just forgot that tiny fact."
Angel laughed, "Oh I can, just not the way your hoping I will."
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"There, there, I'm done," Dawn said quickly, tying off the string. "Can you please put down the scissors now? I made you a new eye, just like you asked."
Benji looked up at Dawn and then blinked his new eyes a few times. He smiled to himself, but did not let go of the scissors. If getting an eye had been this easy, how much more could he have the evil girl do? Money, girls, girl bears, anything and everything would be at his furry grasp.
"Um, Benji? I made you a new eye, can you please put the scissors down now?" Dawn said nervously, uncomfortable with the very close proximity of the bear, who was still sitting in her lap. "I thought you wanted to be friends again. We can be, if you just put them down."
"Friends," he repeated as if the word was foreign to him. He thought for a moment and then shook his little head slowly, "Okay..." He handed her the scissors.
Dawn smiled a little, slowly taking the scissors from him and placing them in a kitchen drawer. "There. That's good." She glanced around awkwardly, unsure of what was going to happen next. She looked at her mother, who was still cowering near the back door, looking frightened, and then back at Benji.
Benji looked up at Dawn, his little bear ears twitching nervously. He looked at her expectantly...hopefully. He had hoped she would keep her promise, that they could truly be friends. That he could spend winter nights snuggled up to her watching old movies which Dawn would always made fun of, that she would take him to the beach like she did when she was little and bury him in the sand or make a small lopsided castle just for him, maybe he could comfort her when she was sick or afraid, and Benji didn't even mind it if she played 'Slayer' again, even it cost him his new eye. But, somehow looking into her eyes he didn't think she would keep her word. After all, he HAD just tried to kill her with a pair of scissors.
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"Okay what do you want, because I know you're not Angel. So show your true face, or are you too much of a coward?" Buffy asked walking over to him, showing him she had no fear.
Angel grinned, "Are you sure you want to see my true face?"
"Of course, did you not hear what I just said?" Buffy said angrily, clenching her fists to the point she swore she felt blood.
Angel grinned and reached up to the back of his head, then without warning he yanked his head and pulled off his skin entirely revealing a black mist of some kind.
"Now you see me," The mist said evilly, "Now you don't." Then with a pop it was gone.
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Dawn cautiously picked up Benji, and stood him up on the floor. She glanced at her mother before looking down at him. "So...what do you want to do now?" She didn't know what she was doing, and she had a feeling she would regret asking that question. A part of her felt really bad that she had upset the bear so much. He was adorable, but then she remembered that he had tried to kill her with scissors. She was torn. She didn't know if she should be formulating a plan to get rid of Benji, or really try and be his friend again, and hope that he stopped being evil.
Once Benji's little feet hit the floor he began to pace up and down the kitchen, occasionally glancing over at Joyce and Dawn as he did. He rubbed his little furry chin thoughtfully until finally he looked back up at Dawn. "Your sister," he said simply, looking up at her. He knew now why Dawn had discarded him like some bad piece of meat. It wasn't just because of all the other little prettier toys, it was because of her sister. Buffy was the cause of all of this.
Dawn glanced worriedly at Joyce. Until Benji had spoke she had almost forgotten that her sister was still unconscious upstairs! "What about Buffy?" Dawn asked nervously.
"She's dying," the little bear said simply.
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TBC! Thanks for reading, and please review!
