To be free: to enjoy liberty, to be with out obligations or commitments. Time: a measurable period during which something happens. Put them together and you have free time: a measurable period during which you enjoy liberty with out obligations or commitments. Free time, something Dawn found herself frequently pondering as she skimmed tome after tome looking for demons. When she had free time she was in Buffy's room discussing slaying strategy. When she had free time she was in Xander's room indulging his obsession with the demons he hunted. When she had free time Willow was teaching her to levitate objects with her mind. Dawn had no free time.
One murky Thursday, a usual day as far as London was concerned she had been so occupied by the library and her bi-weekly reports she almost ignored dinner. This was very unlike Dawn indeed. Buffy had rushed into the room peering around this bookshelf and that until she had spotted her sitting alone at a computer desk. Dawn appeared entranced but when the appropriate words were dropped, "dinner" and "time" she snapped out of it.
"Thank goodness that worked!" Buffy exclaimed, "I thought I might have to call Giles in here with his crystals". Dawn's sour expression deepened at the thought of being pelted with lavender rocks, being forced to meditate on the flaws within.
They were nibbling their dinners in the study that belong to Buffy; only Giles had an apartment large enough to suit a dining table where they could all sit together. The kitchen was where the slayers took their meals; they did not eat with the Watchers, or W.I.T.s for that matter.
Dawn could not understand why suddenly lunch had become dinner. They had only crossed one ocean, to a place that spoke (mostly) the same language. Her dinner was called supper or tea now. Giles was hell bent, turning them all into the stuffy watchers of old. Tragically for Giles he was failing miserably, only Buffy attempted to humor him. Buffy owned a tweed blazer, which she wore on days such as this one, but it looked only too stylish with a flimsy Victorian blouse, which was totally inappropriate for the weather in London, and jeans.
Buffy was not dating anyone. She was far too busy with her slaying duties, her sister, and her friends. A woman did not need a man or another woman for that matter to define who she was. Life was plenty fulfilling with out a warm or cold body for that matter to join you in your bed at the end of the evening. A slayer did not need a significant other who would make demands on her time, get in her way, and distract her from, well, everything else in this life. Faith had Wood, but that was different, really. His mother had been a slayer and he understood his place. Wood was going to be a watcher. But not Faith's watcher that would be creepy!
Dawn was not dating anyone. She was far too busy with her W.I.T. duties, her sister, and her friends. A woman did not need a man or another woman for that matter to define who she was. Life was plenty fulfilling with out having someone to share one's deepest secrets and passions with. She had her sister to talk to, didn't she? A W.I.T. did not need a significant other who would make demands on her time, of which she had so very little as it was. A W.I.T. did not need a significant other who would not understand about the demons and the vampires and the (multiple) apocalypses. Of course there was Xander, but he was different, really. He was an impressive demonologist, with soulful brown eyes and a lopsided grin, who only saw her as a little sister. Really, she should stop spending so much time alone with him, he was like a brother, and this was practically incestuous!
Dawn had rose off of the couch, stretched and popped every joint along her spine. As she finished she rolled her hips and Buffy placed her last piece of unfinished chicken back on her plate, "Must you do that?" Buffy asked her, to which she replied, "Yes".
"Watcher meeting. Five minutes. Giles' rooms," it was Willow's voice over the intercom system. Buffy also rose to her feet and grabbed a hairbrush, hurriedly pulling it through the tangles in her mane of honey hair. When she had finished she turned to look at her younger sister, now so very much a woman. She ran the brush through the ends of her hair and Dawn waited patiently. Dawn, in her brown wool trousers and sky blue cashmere turtleneck played the part of English Watcher well, but never one to be entirely won over she still wore brown stiletto boots. Completely impractical Giles thought, too fashionable for a Watcher, how could one, well, watch in those? Inherited trait from her sister he figured.
Giles' apartment was a great deal more spacious that the rooms of the other members of their team. However he held the meetings, served them tea, and commonly had the lot of them in for supper. He was also Head Watcher; he needed some distinction from the ranks. The young slayers, who stayed in dormitories on the lower floors, were never invited to sit with Giles in his study. They did not have the status to do so, but many of them knew they also did not want the responsibilities that came with that invitation.
He did not mean to be an elitist but what could the Head Watcher say to a thirteen-year-old Australian girl, away from home, learning to slay vampires. He had done his time with teenagers and their flights of fancy. Besides, his team, sitting around the table was still immature enough to keep him level and grounded to the world downstairs. Faith was the council member who spent the most time with the potentials; she had the greatest deal of patients with them. Something to this day Giles was fairly surprised about.
"Tea?" he was offering. Xander pouted and Dawn cast her eyes in his direction every twenty to thirty seconds. "What happened to donuts and snack-man?" Xander wanted to know. Willow had patted him on the back, reassuring him, "You hunt demons now Xand, you are no longer required to fetch the donuts". He nodded momentarily relieved only to ask, "I only fetched because I didn't have another thing, right?" Everyone grimaced and Buffy spoke up, "Well, who cares about little things like that now Xander, really?" The meeting went on and Xander begrudgedly snacked on a cookie, or biscuit as Giles reminded him.
Mid-meeting, after the pleasantries and the friendly banter portion, the point of this conference finally came up. A new dance club had opened in the warehouse district. But why did that matter? As Dawn read over the research she had done into this particular location and building there was nothing to really catch the ear. Buffy's eyes were glazed over and Xander may have nodded off for a moment. That was until the mention of the dead bodies came into play. Three young women had been found that morning, extensive tissue damage to the throat and neck region. Buffy snorted, "What? No barbeque fork?" Giles eyed her into silence.
Dawn had concluded and stood at the foot of the table, awaiting a verdict on her research. She wasn't thinking about the murders. She was wishing she had slept in her bed as opposed to a chair in the library last night. Other than for a brief moment after the shower she had taken that morning she had been sleep walking through the day. Her eyes betrayed her, straying to Xander, he had cookie crumbs on the side of his mouth. Dawn was no longer thinking about sleep.
Xander was not dating anyone. He was far too busy with his demon hunting, his research, and his friends. He, as a man did not need a woman or anyone for that matter to be happy. Life was plenty fulfilling with out a woman to share his days with, he had wanted to share them with Anya but she ended up dead. A demon hunter did not need a significant other who would make demands on his time, distracting him from the cause, and who would end up dead (probably because of him). Wood had Faith, Xander had had Faith, but that was different, really. Faith was a slayer, she would understand, she wouldn't end up dead. Xander no longer wanted Faith because that would be just, well, disturbing!
Buffy was standing beside Dawn and their hands were moving at a frantic pace as they spoke first with one another then to the group on a whole. With in moments the sisters had formulated a plan, which they would be putting into action at that very moment. Xander needed to be paying attention, wanted to know his role and his duty. Then he could stop thinking about dating and not dating and demon hunting and his dead ex-fiancé and Faith naked and Buffy naked and Dawn naked. Oh God, he had to stop doing that. He was an awful substitute brother.
Willow's eyes bounced between Buffy and Dawn but they finally came to rest on Xander, he was twitchy. One evening some weeks before this meeting she had been alone with him in his study, they were having quality "Willow – Xander" time. She hadn't meant to, no, not at all, or at least she continued to tell herself that but she may have glimpsed into his thoughts, for just a moment, maybe two, at the most! There in a small, windowless corner of Xander's brain Willow had stumbled onto something Xander had hoped to hide until the end of his days. It was a picture, a moment captured by his mind's eye whether real or not, of Dawn showering. A recent Dawn. Xander did not know it but Willow now had in her clutches his deepest, darkest secret. She would never use it against him in the conventional sense but from that time on Willow had been more mindful, more observant during these moments the Scooby's were together.
Willow was not dating anyone. She was far too busy with her Watcher duties, her research, and her friends. A woman did not need another woman or a man for that matter to define who she was. Life was plenty fulfilling with out the whispering of a lover in ones ear, a moment's embrace. A Watcher did not need a significant other who would make demands on her time, get in her way, and distract her from, well, everything else in this life. Sure there was Oz, but that was different, really. He was a boy, a man now that she thought about it, and she wasn't interested in that sex anymore. Oz could not replace Tara, but did Tara ever replace Oz? Or did they exist in different but equal regions of her heart? She couldn't think about this, it was far too messy!
Buffy was laying out the plan and Dawn nodded along for emphasis. They were like two parts of the same person at that moment. It was a recon mission; there would be no hunting, no slaying, or as Buffy once so eloquently put it, "no kick-o, no fight-o". She had to choose her team, this mission could be important but it may also be a waste of time. In the end it would be Buffy, Dawn, Willow, Xander, and Angel, an obvious choice. Faith had rolled her eyes as the names slipped between Buffy's lips; it was just the team she would have chosen to put together as well but she didn't dare let Buffy know. The slayers, the young ones downstairs resented Buffy for never training with them, for always sticking with her tried and true team, for being so old for a slayer. They resented Faith too. She was in that inner circle, the coveted position for a slayer, something you would only see if you survived long enough to be deemed a Class-A Slayer. So far only the fabulous Buffy Summers joined Faith, but then again, she was happy to keep it that way. The more people who were let in on a secret the less exciting it became, Faith was still living for the thrill.
Dawn lived for planning, for executing plans, especially if she had Buffy's help. Xander picked at his cuticles and pulled a tiny sliver of skin away from his hand, dropping it to the floor. Dawn's eyes followed its descent. "What's the deal Buffy? Weapons, street clothes, plastic vamp teeth?" Buffy rolled her eyes but she had smiled. Xander could get away with banter and sarcasm no matter what the mood, it was his thing.
Dawn faced Buffy, smug grin in place, "Not street clothes per say," pausing to share the moment with her sister who looked stricken, "unless they are gothic, leather vampire street clothes". Willow swallowed audibly and remembered her vampire, black leather bustier wearing doppelganger. "Gothic leather?" Angel asked, speaking for the first time that meeting, "but, I'm a vampire and I do not wear gothic leather," beat, everyong staring, "very often". And it was settled; the next morning Dawn with the help of Willow and Buffy would find the appropriate costumes. She took notes; sizes, likes, dislikes (but those did not matter to her one bit), and comments.
Willow said, "Dawn, have you ever worn a bustier or a corset," she flashed the resolve face, "not conducive to breathing". "Vampires do not breathe," Angel reminded her. Xander panicked, "Will I be required to hold my breath? We will have oxygen providing devices?" With a pointed look from Willow and then Buffy he spoke again, "No, because I will be allowed to breathe". "Yes," Buffy told him, "Obviously this is a human club with a few unwanted vampire patrons". "Or," Angel added, "A club run by vampires to keep a good number of humans on hand at supper time. They are certainly capable of that". Dawn smiled at him, "Vampires? Being devious? No, I can not believe it!" "Funny," said Buffy.
Angel was not dating anyone. He was far too busy with his avenging, his brooding, and his friends (or were they merely co-workers?). He, as a cursed vampire with a soul certainly did not need a woman or anyone for that matter to be happy. Life was plenty fulfilling with out a woman to share his nights with, he had wanted to share them with Buffy at one time but look how that ended up. A cursed vampire with soul did not need a significant other who would make demands on his time, distracting him from the cause, and who would end up dead (probably because of him). Sure there was Buffy, but that was different, really. She just happened to understand the whole ordeal with the curse. But Buffy had loved Spike, probably still loved Spike; he had been more a part of her than Angel had been in the end. Angel had to keep the secret; he did not want to spend any more of his eternal life with Spike around, he was justso obnoxious!
"Right, so defensive weapons only; crosses, holy water, stakes. I don't want any crossbows or axes. This is recon only, we're just gathering information," Buffy nodded and Giles called an end to the meeting. The team would reconvene in his quarters the next night.