~*Chapter Six*~
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"YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" A petite brunette shouted in a tearful voice. She was dressed in pair of draw-string pants and baggy T-shirt, barefoot, her hair a mess and looking as if she had just gotten out of bed, which was exactly where she had been dragged from. Disbelief, hurt, anger...it was playing across her delicate features.
"Your not the adult here Dawn. I CAN do this and I am. Now go pack your things." A young blonde woman said sternly, her voice just brimming on the edge of anger. She stood only an inch taller than the brunette who, even though was younger, was threatening to tower over the older woman. Her eyes held nothing but anger, disappointment...and nothing there to sympathize with.
"But it's not fair! I didn't do anything wrong!" Dawn continued, not caring that her sister was looking about ready to explode at her. Angel and Cordelia had dragged Connor from her room only minutes before Spike could get at him and seconds after she had dressed, she'd been dragged down to the lobby. To be screamed at by Buffy.
"Nothing wrong, Dawn! You were having sex. Look where it got you last time!" Buffy shouted back, losing her patience quickly. How could her sister not see the wrong in that, and after what happened the last time she'd had sex. She was too young to be doing adult things, to be in the adult world of sex. She would only get hurt.
Dawn reeled back as if she had been slapped, "It's not the same and you know it. I was taken advantage of before, I was drunk and in pain because Tara had just died, I didn't know what I was doing. It's not like I can get any more pregnant." Dawn protested, then crossed her arms as Buffy gave her this look like it was wrong to have sex, "Your one to talk! You were only a little older than me when you were off having sex, only I have more sense to know who I'm sleeping with and what will happen afterwards. I'm not you, and Connor isn't Angel." She said calmly, "He won't turn evil and decide to kill my friends."
Buffy heard a slap and it took a moment to realize she had slapped her own sister, not for the first time. She watched as Dawn's eyes gazed at her, no tears, no anger, no nothing, they were suddenly empty, "Go pack." She said firmly, yet her voice was shaky. She was only trying to help her, protect her, why couldn't Dawn understand that.
"I hate you." Dawn whispered, turning on her heel and all but running to her room. She slammed her door behind her and burst into tears, blocking out the voices arguing downstairs. It wasn't fair. Everytime she had something she loved, it was ripped away from her, it was as if no one wanted her to ever be happy. She wanted to scream, shout...cry...hit...everything, anything. She just...she was dying and no one even cared that they were causing it.
"I'm sorry..." A man's voice said quietly, in a whisper from his place in the shadows. He walked up behind Dawn, placing his hands on her shaking shoulders and she turned, throwing herself into his arms.
"It's not your fault Connor.." She whispered back through her tears. "I should have known this would end badly. Only bad things come to me and the people I love, I should have known this would be no different." She pulled back, trying to suck it up, take it like a man. But she wasn't a man. She was a blooming young woman who was scared and being torn away from something, someone who made her happy in this cruel life she had been dealt.
"Who hit you?" Connor's voice held anger, his eyes narrowing as his fingers gently brushed across the rapidly coloring cheek. "Who hit you." He demanded a little louder. Who could even think about hitting her? She was pregnant for crying out loud, he hadn't been there that long, but he knew you weren't supposed to hit pregnant women, or women at all.
"Don't worry about it...Please? Connor? Just...forget it." Dawn pleaded quietly, her tearful eyes staring up at him and he immediately caved. She pushed herself back into his arms, hugging tightly, "They're making me leave. I have to go back to sunnydale. I have no say so in this." She whispered thinking how she should be calling Sunnydale home, but it wasn't. She's known Connor for a little over a month, had only realized her feelings for him for a little while, and still....he was home. Not Sunnydale where her real family was, but here, in his arms, in LA.
"I know...I'm sorry." Connor repeated with a sigh, burying his face in her neck, "I hate to see you cry. I don't know what to do when you cry." He whispered, causing her to laugh quietly.
"I know...why do you think I'm constantly crying. I love to see you weirded out." She joked with a sniffle and pulled back. She stared at him, gazing at him almost as if she was trying to memorize his face, him. She took another step back, putting a little room between them. "You should go. I'm not good with goodbye's." She whispered with a catch in her voice, her eyes filling with tears once again.
Connor frowned, feeling his throat close up as he looked at her. How was he going to be able to even think of going on without her there with him. It didn't seem fair. One thing that had truly felt right to him....and he was being told he couldn't have it. He brushed his fingers across her red cheek again, sighing when she closed her eyes and turned her head, kissing his palm as a stray tear slipped down her cheek. He closed his eyes briefly and kissed her forehead, "This isn't goodbye...I love you." He whispered, but not sure she heard him, and then he was gone. Fleeing the room quickly, quietly, so fast and silent that it would make his father proud.
Dawn opened her eyes and fought back the tears and the sob building within her. "I know...I love you too." She whispered, although she knew he hadn't heard, he wasn't there to hear it. She fought with her tears as she turned, quickly grabbing clothes from her dresser and shoving them into her bags. She didn't understand how Buffy could say she loved her, wanted to protect, then would tear her from Connor, from the only real safe place there was for her to stay just because she was going against something she thought was wrong.
"It's for the best, bit." Spike's voice said from the doorway, arms crossed as he leaned against the doorframe, watching her pack, never missing a beat, even as he talked. "The wanker would 'ave only caused you more pain. You're too young to be goin' on 'bout luv and such anyways." He went on, and that small statement seemed to have snapped something in her.
Dawn spun around, glaring at him. "You don't know what's best for me, or what I need, what I'm ready for you! You and Buffy and..everyone...you just don't want me doing something that you've said no to! I may be in this body and only be 15 years old, but we both know I'm older than that. I'm thousand of years old, older than you, older than Angel...older than time itself and no one even cares that I'm not a child anymore! When we go back home everything will set back to the way it was. I'll be making myself dinner, I'll be watching out for myself when the house is empty at night because everyone has to patrol and no one even cares to think if little Dawnie will be safe by herself. I'll take care of myself. You won't take of me, Buffy won't...no one but myself. And yet you two seem to think that your the adults here. You both need to grow up and learn that I'm not a child." She repeated again, "I can take care of myself, I know what I want, I know what's wrong and right, and I know how I feel. You might not like it, but I love Connor, and I might be going home right now, but I will find a way to be with him again, and nothing you say or she says can stop me." She said firmly, then went on before he could say anyting.
"God, neither of you even realize that you want to control me, but when you have the chance, you ignore me." She watched as he tried to say something, opening and closing his mouth a few times, but staying quiet, "Now if you'd leave me alone, I need to pack." She turned her back on him again, shaking her head, pushing back her pain with anger.
Spike stared at the girl before him, shocked beyond words, but not knowing what to say. "Right then." He pushed himself from the doorway and shut the door behind him. He stood there a second, "Bloody hell." He muttered to himself, stomping down the hall. He needed to kill something.
TBC...
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"YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" A petite brunette shouted in a tearful voice. She was dressed in pair of draw-string pants and baggy T-shirt, barefoot, her hair a mess and looking as if she had just gotten out of bed, which was exactly where she had been dragged from. Disbelief, hurt, anger...it was playing across her delicate features.
"Your not the adult here Dawn. I CAN do this and I am. Now go pack your things." A young blonde woman said sternly, her voice just brimming on the edge of anger. She stood only an inch taller than the brunette who, even though was younger, was threatening to tower over the older woman. Her eyes held nothing but anger, disappointment...and nothing there to sympathize with.
"But it's not fair! I didn't do anything wrong!" Dawn continued, not caring that her sister was looking about ready to explode at her. Angel and Cordelia had dragged Connor from her room only minutes before Spike could get at him and seconds after she had dressed, she'd been dragged down to the lobby. To be screamed at by Buffy.
"Nothing wrong, Dawn! You were having sex. Look where it got you last time!" Buffy shouted back, losing her patience quickly. How could her sister not see the wrong in that, and after what happened the last time she'd had sex. She was too young to be doing adult things, to be in the adult world of sex. She would only get hurt.
Dawn reeled back as if she had been slapped, "It's not the same and you know it. I was taken advantage of before, I was drunk and in pain because Tara had just died, I didn't know what I was doing. It's not like I can get any more pregnant." Dawn protested, then crossed her arms as Buffy gave her this look like it was wrong to have sex, "Your one to talk! You were only a little older than me when you were off having sex, only I have more sense to know who I'm sleeping with and what will happen afterwards. I'm not you, and Connor isn't Angel." She said calmly, "He won't turn evil and decide to kill my friends."
Buffy heard a slap and it took a moment to realize she had slapped her own sister, not for the first time. She watched as Dawn's eyes gazed at her, no tears, no anger, no nothing, they were suddenly empty, "Go pack." She said firmly, yet her voice was shaky. She was only trying to help her, protect her, why couldn't Dawn understand that.
"I hate you." Dawn whispered, turning on her heel and all but running to her room. She slammed her door behind her and burst into tears, blocking out the voices arguing downstairs. It wasn't fair. Everytime she had something she loved, it was ripped away from her, it was as if no one wanted her to ever be happy. She wanted to scream, shout...cry...hit...everything, anything. She just...she was dying and no one even cared that they were causing it.
"I'm sorry..." A man's voice said quietly, in a whisper from his place in the shadows. He walked up behind Dawn, placing his hands on her shaking shoulders and she turned, throwing herself into his arms.
"It's not your fault Connor.." She whispered back through her tears. "I should have known this would end badly. Only bad things come to me and the people I love, I should have known this would be no different." She pulled back, trying to suck it up, take it like a man. But she wasn't a man. She was a blooming young woman who was scared and being torn away from something, someone who made her happy in this cruel life she had been dealt.
"Who hit you?" Connor's voice held anger, his eyes narrowing as his fingers gently brushed across the rapidly coloring cheek. "Who hit you." He demanded a little louder. Who could even think about hitting her? She was pregnant for crying out loud, he hadn't been there that long, but he knew you weren't supposed to hit pregnant women, or women at all.
"Don't worry about it...Please? Connor? Just...forget it." Dawn pleaded quietly, her tearful eyes staring up at him and he immediately caved. She pushed herself back into his arms, hugging tightly, "They're making me leave. I have to go back to sunnydale. I have no say so in this." She whispered thinking how she should be calling Sunnydale home, but it wasn't. She's known Connor for a little over a month, had only realized her feelings for him for a little while, and still....he was home. Not Sunnydale where her real family was, but here, in his arms, in LA.
"I know...I'm sorry." Connor repeated with a sigh, burying his face in her neck, "I hate to see you cry. I don't know what to do when you cry." He whispered, causing her to laugh quietly.
"I know...why do you think I'm constantly crying. I love to see you weirded out." She joked with a sniffle and pulled back. She stared at him, gazing at him almost as if she was trying to memorize his face, him. She took another step back, putting a little room between them. "You should go. I'm not good with goodbye's." She whispered with a catch in her voice, her eyes filling with tears once again.
Connor frowned, feeling his throat close up as he looked at her. How was he going to be able to even think of going on without her there with him. It didn't seem fair. One thing that had truly felt right to him....and he was being told he couldn't have it. He brushed his fingers across her red cheek again, sighing when she closed her eyes and turned her head, kissing his palm as a stray tear slipped down her cheek. He closed his eyes briefly and kissed her forehead, "This isn't goodbye...I love you." He whispered, but not sure she heard him, and then he was gone. Fleeing the room quickly, quietly, so fast and silent that it would make his father proud.
Dawn opened her eyes and fought back the tears and the sob building within her. "I know...I love you too." She whispered, although she knew he hadn't heard, he wasn't there to hear it. She fought with her tears as she turned, quickly grabbing clothes from her dresser and shoving them into her bags. She didn't understand how Buffy could say she loved her, wanted to protect, then would tear her from Connor, from the only real safe place there was for her to stay just because she was going against something she thought was wrong.
"It's for the best, bit." Spike's voice said from the doorway, arms crossed as he leaned against the doorframe, watching her pack, never missing a beat, even as he talked. "The wanker would 'ave only caused you more pain. You're too young to be goin' on 'bout luv and such anyways." He went on, and that small statement seemed to have snapped something in her.
Dawn spun around, glaring at him. "You don't know what's best for me, or what I need, what I'm ready for you! You and Buffy and..everyone...you just don't want me doing something that you've said no to! I may be in this body and only be 15 years old, but we both know I'm older than that. I'm thousand of years old, older than you, older than Angel...older than time itself and no one even cares that I'm not a child anymore! When we go back home everything will set back to the way it was. I'll be making myself dinner, I'll be watching out for myself when the house is empty at night because everyone has to patrol and no one even cares to think if little Dawnie will be safe by herself. I'll take care of myself. You won't take of me, Buffy won't...no one but myself. And yet you two seem to think that your the adults here. You both need to grow up and learn that I'm not a child." She repeated again, "I can take care of myself, I know what I want, I know what's wrong and right, and I know how I feel. You might not like it, but I love Connor, and I might be going home right now, but I will find a way to be with him again, and nothing you say or she says can stop me." She said firmly, then went on before he could say anyting.
"God, neither of you even realize that you want to control me, but when you have the chance, you ignore me." She watched as he tried to say something, opening and closing his mouth a few times, but staying quiet, "Now if you'd leave me alone, I need to pack." She turned her back on him again, shaking her head, pushing back her pain with anger.
Spike stared at the girl before him, shocked beyond words, but not knowing what to say. "Right then." He pushed himself from the doorway and shut the door behind him. He stood there a second, "Bloody hell." He muttered to himself, stomping down the hall. He needed to kill something.
TBC...