Sorry about the lack of updates; I have no excuse- only writers block can be blamed, but I've already started on 'Halloween' so that should be up within the week. And I fully intend on finishing this fic.
Thanks a lot to the reviewers:
Atenlot: Thanks for reading and reviewing.
Buffy fan: I can assure you that Spike will not 'reform' upon seeing Dawn- there will be some kind of relationship there obviously, but not like S5 and it won't come to light for a few more chapters. Thanks for your comments.
Gigi13: Thanks for reading and reviewing, I hope you like this chapter as mch as the last.
Charmed-angel4: Thanks for reading and reviewing. I'm glad you like the story.
Pigeonofdoom: I'm sorry about the lack of updates, but this is an extra long chapter to make up for it and I promise the next chapter will be fairly soon. I will do Killed by Death- I downloaded a copy off the internet so I now know what happens. I hope you like the chapter and please keep reviewing, reviews keep me writing.
Alextii: Thanks you for your comments, you're the second person to pick up on that. Comments have been taken on board and I'll do my best in the future.
DragonThorn: Drusilla would most probably hate Dawn and most probably will :) Dawn and Buffy will still have a good relationship, I think that they might separate a little when Joyce finds out but still close and then, as you said about S5.
Freezyboncoolipants: Thanks for reading and reviewing, it's much appreciated.
Thanks to Matt for being so patient and betaing this for me.
CHAPTER 7: SCHOOL HARD
Sunnydale library was not your normal library, but then, the people in it weren't ordinary people.
Willow was checking over a crossbow and their other weaponry, Jenny Calendar was carrying an armful of wood over to where Xander and Cordelia sat whittling stakes for Buffy, who was wielding a machete…to cut a cucumber. Giles, as usual, had his nose in a book and the final occupant of the room, Dawn Summers, was arranging biscuits on a plate, looking a bit miffed.
Giles was researching the latest threat made by the newest bid bad; Spike. "For three nights the unholy ones scourge themselves into a fury, um, culminating in a savage attack on the night of St. Vigeous."
Xander sighed wistfully. "Does anybody remember when Saturday night meant date night?"
"You sure don't." Cordelia retorted.
Dawn finished with her biscuits, but then Buffy plonked another plate and two more packets in front of her. Dawn scowled. "Buffy; when you said you'd take me to a Scooby meeting; I didn't think you meant…this!"
"Ooo! Parents start arriving in an hour. Okay, so, um, banners are in place, the lounge is comfy... What am I forgetting?" Buffy clicked her fingers in agitation, ignoring he sister.
"Punch?" Willow tried.
"Punch. I need, I need punch!"
Cordelia inspected her nail polish. Thankfully it was all still intact. "My fingers are cramping. How long have I been doing this?"
"Three minutes." Xander replied, not looking up from his whittling.
"So, can I go now? She doesn't need this many stakes. I mean, if this guy Spike is as mean as you all said, it should be over pretty quickly." Cordelia suddenly found herself on the receiving end of many glares. "We're still all rooting for you on Saturday. I'd be there for you myself if I didn't have a leg wax."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "You guys hold down the fort. I'm punch bound. Dawn; don't leave the library, and there's more food in Giles' office that has to go out."
"Fine." Dawn sighed eyeing the cookie mountain in front of her wearily.
Buffy left the library, and the minute she was gone, Xander and Cordelia reached over to the vegetable plate she had been preparing to grab something to eat.
Buffy's head appeared round the door. "No!"
x?x
Dawn was dutifully pouring the punch into cups while Buffy watched over her like a hawk.
"What kinda punch did you make?" Willow asked as she came over and took a plastic cup from Dawn.
"Uh, lemonade. I made it fresh and everything." Buffy said proudly.
"How much sugar did you use?" Willow asked taking a sip.
"Sugar?"
Willow spit the lemonade back into the cup, grimacing at the sour taste. Thankfully Buffy didn't see, but Dawn did and she grinned at Willow.
Dawn had already sampled the punch- she knew how bitter it was but decided to say nothing and watch as everyone pulled all kinds of faces as they tried to drink the lemony drink.
"It's very good." Willow spluttered, putting her cup down.
"Okay, now all I have to do is keep my mother and Snyder from crossing paths for the rest of the night."
"Hi, Mom." Dawn called out.
"Hi, Mrs. Summers." Willow said.
"Hi, Willow. Hey, Dawnie; have you behaved?" Dawn nodded whilst rolling her eyes at her mom. "Hi, honey. Did you, uh, do all this?"
"Yeah! Um, here, have some lemonade." Buffy offered her a cup before seeing Principal Snyder enter the room. "…Right after Willow shows you the library. I have to stay here and hostess."
"Great, the library." Realisation struck as Willow remembered what was happening at that moment in the library. "Uh, um, ooo, no, G-Giles and everyone..."
",..is locked in there studying." Buffy continued smoothly. "Right. French class it is!"
"Dawn-" Joyce started as she was whisked away by Willow.
"I'll stay right here, Mom." Dawn called out as she saw Principal Snyder. "I think it's going to be more interesting here."
"Was that your mother?" Snyder asked as he approached.
"Here." Buffy grabbed a cup of lemonade and turned to Snyder, spilling the cup over him. "Oh! Oh, sorry! Um, yeah! Yeah, I was gonna introduce you, but, um, she wouldn't have said much. You know, she doesn't speak a word of English."
Dawn rolled her eyes at Buffy's blatant attempt at a cover up, and Principal Snyder appeared to believe the story even less than Dawn. He went after Joyce and Willow and Buffy looked anxiously at the clock on the wall; still nearly three hours to go.
Dawn slung her arm around her sister, both girls watching the retreating back of Snyder. "Just so you know," Dawn started; "that was the worst cover story I have ever heard."
x?x
"Giles has us locked up in that library working on yourweapons. Even slaves get minimum wage." Cordelia moaned as she approached Buffy and Dawn.
"What?" Buffy asked noticing Cordelia staring at her face.
"You're starting to look a little slagged. What, are you just skipping foundation entirely now?"
"Cordelia, I have at least three lives to contend with, none of which really mesh. It's kind of like oil and water and a... third unmeshable thing."
"Yeah, and I can totally see the oil.Is that your mom?" Cordy asked looking over at Joyce. "Now that is a woman that knows how to moisturize. Did it, like, skip a generation?"
"Well, I believe that I have seen every classroom on campus, and just as I get there all your teachers miraculously have stepped out."
Willow grinned over Joyce's shoulder looking very pleased with herself and Buffy smiled back appreciatively.
"Dawn have you behaved yourself for Buffy?"
"Why do you always ask that?" Dawn asked agitated, then, seeing her mothers look, continued with a roll of her eyes. "Yes, I was an angel."
"She's been fine, Mom." Buffy clarified, but then seeing Snyder: "Oh! Mom! You haven't seen the boiler room yet. And, you know, that's really interesting, what with the boiler being in the room and all."
Buffy laughed nervously as Snyder approached the group.
"Hi. I'm Joyce Summers. I'm Buffy's mother." Joyce said holding out her hand.
Snyder ignored her hand. "Principal Snyder. I'm afraid we need to talk. My office is down here."
"He didn't look very happy." Buffy said worried.
Dawn snorted. That was the understatement of the century.
"But you did such a good job." Willow said.
"When they're done talking..." Cordy started with a big smile on her face.
"What?"
"My guess? Tenth high school reunion, you'll still be grounded."
Buffy and Willow gave Cordelia identical looks, but Buffy's turned into a worried face while Willow was just annoyed. "Cordelia, have some lemonade."
Dawn grinned evilly as Cordy went over to the punch table- watching people drink Buffy's lemonade was funny!
x?x
"In the car, now." The meeting with Snyder had finished and Joyce Summers was not happy.
Buffy and Willow exchanged looks as Dawn followed Joyce out of the room in silence; when their mother was in this mood, it was better to keep quiet.
Snyder was going around turning off all the lights to encourage the remaining parents to leave, but he was disturbed as two vampires came crashing through the window. Parents began to panic and ran about to try and get away, but more vampires were surrounding them.
Buffy came back into the room, her mother and sister frozen in the door way.
Spike grinned. He was in game face and he looked quite scary. "What can I say? I couldn't wait."
Buffy distracted Spike by throwing a chair in his pathway. "Everyone get out! Come on!"
Spike watched Buffy lead the humans out. "Nobody gets out! Especially the girl!"
"Everybody, this way! C'mon! C'mon!" Buffy yelled to the group following her, which included Snyder, Joyce and Dawn.
Giles came out of the library hearing Buffy's shout. "What the hell...?!"
"Spike and an army! Look out!" Buffy warned seeing a vampire behind them as she continued to try and get the 'civilians' to safety.
Giles and Jenny ran back towards the library, while Buffy opted for opening the door to the science classroom. "In here! Now!"
The vampires chasing them began to pound on the door, but on the other side Snyder and a parent had put a large cabinet in front of the door.
"Dawn? Are you okay?" Joyce asked.
"I'm fine- what are the vampires doing here?" Dawn questioned a little dazed. She hadn't seen this many vampires before and this Spike guy had sounded like bad news from what Giles had been saying earlier.
"Vampires?" Joyce repeated, but then she laughed nervously. "I'll never understand the slang you kids use."
x?x
"What's going on?"
"Who are those people, and what do they want?"
"Buffy, what are they doing here…it isn't Saturday yet!"
"I didn't get much of a look, but is there something wrong with their faces? I..."
"Yes! PCP! It's a gang on PCP! We've gotta get out of here." Snyder pushed a desk over to the window and started climbing on it, but he was pulled back by Buffy.
"You can't go outside! They'll kill you!"
"You don't tell me! I tell you!"
"They will kill everybody in this room. Nobody goes out; nobody comes in until I say so. Do you hear me?" Buffy ordered.
"Who do you think you are?" Snyder desperately grasped at the control that was slipping through his fingers.
"I'm the one that knows how to stop them."
Joyce grabbed her daughter. "Buffy, are you crazy? Look, I know you've been accused of fighting and other things, but those guys are serious. You can't go out there."
"I know. That's why I'm going up there."
Buffy pulled a table to the middle of the room
"Don't worry, Mom. Take care of her Dawnie." Buffy said as she climbed through the ceiling.
"Always." Dawn replied seriously, but Buffy was already gone.
x?x
"Why don't you sit down?" Joyce suggested to Snyder who was pacing the room.
"This is my school. What I say goes, and I say this is nothappening."
"Well, then I guess the danger's over!" Joyce said sarcastically, earning a small snigger from Dawn and a glare from Snyder.
"I'm not waiting for them to open the doors. I'm getting out!" One of parents climbed up to the window and started to lift the sash.
"Don't be an idiot!" Joyce protested.
"I'm beginning to see a certain mother daughter resemblance." Snyder sneered.
"No! Look, you heard what Buffy said!" Dawn cried seeing the man try to force the window open.
"She's a student. What does she know?"
"More than you'd think." Dawn muttered, but didn't have the courage to say too loudly.
Snyder took off his jacket and began to help the father who was trying to escape, neither knowing what dangers lay in wait outside.
x?x
"I did it!" Snyder proclaimed with a grunt as he and the other man forced two of the slats guarding the window back.
The other man started to pull himself through the opening. Snyder helped him through, but let go when the man began to kick and scream while struggling with something outside. Snyder watched dumbly as the man got pulled through the window and then stepped down slowly. Joyce quickly climbed up, bent the slats back and closed the sash.
Someone had just lost their father.
x?x
Apparently the vampires had found an axe. The evidence of that fact was that there was now a hole in the door and noises could be heard as something pulled back the attacker and was fighting with it in the hallway.
"Buffy! Are you okay?" Joyce asked as Buffy's face appeared in the hole.
"I'm fine, mom. Is Dawn okay?"
"I'm fine!" Dawn yelled from inside.
"Buffy, look, uh, get out of here, okay? We'll be alright!" Joyce said with a false brightness.
"Look, just hang on for one more minute until I tell you to open the door." Buffy said, moving away from the door.
The group inside heard Buffy move away. They waited in silence for what couldn't have been more than three minutes, but felt more like thirty, until they heard someone approaching.
"Mom, now!"
Joyce opened the door as she was told. "Okay, come on, let's go!"
"C'mon! Hurry!" Buffy ushered the people into the library. "Giles; get them out!"
Alarm bells went off in Joyce's head. "You're coming too!"
"In a minute! Go!" Buffy rushed off.
"Buffy!" "Be careful!" Joyce and Dawn shouted after her.
Giles started to lead the group out through the stacks. Joyce stopped and turned around.
"Mom?"
"Stay with Mr. Giles, honey." Joyce ran off in the direction Buffy had taken.
"Mom!" Dawn looked round at the other escapees, her mind torn. With one last look back Dawn headed after Giles to safety.
x?x
"So she saved you from Spike?!"
"Yes! Just like I told you a million times already!" Buffy laughed.
"I just don't get it!"
Buffy sighed. "She grabbed the axe and stood be-"
"No, no, not that!" Dawn interrupted. "She saw vampires. She was held hostage by loads of them and beat up one of the baddies, yet she doesn't think to ask what happened."
Buffy shrugged. "People only remember what they want to remember… or something like that. She doesn't want to believe it, so she doesn't; simple as that." The blond slayer said logically.
"I guess that makes sense." Dawn said doubtfully. "I'm sorry I didn't look after Mom."
"What are you talking about?"
"When she went after you. She told me to stay with Giles, and I did. I let her go off on her own."
"It's okay Dawn; I think you were doing a pretty good job of looking after her. Mom just tends to jump into things without thinking."
"Says the slayer." Dawn snorted.
"Hey! I think, all the time; I'm a regular Giles when I want to be…but without the lack of dress sense…and the accent."
Dawn looked on amused as Buffy paused. "And the books." She added as an after thought. "And I have better hair."
x?x x?x x?x