Author's Note: hey everyone, super short chapter just about how the scoobies are dealing. Dawn is going to be a mjor bitch in this fic, by the way, just a warning. I totally love her character and all, but i plan on ruining her for this fic, so if you love her, Sorry!
Chapter VI - Trouble with Dawn
In the Magic Box, Sunnydale:
"Hey, Dawn." Tara said. She put a cup of tea down next to the distraught teenager and joined her at the table in the magic box. Dawn had been very quiet since Buffy disappeared and she had been gone for two weeks. Two weeks of near silence from dawn or as Xander called her, the dawnster, was even scarier that any monster hell could ever cough up. no one laughed though normally they would have. They were all sad and worried but Buffy had been gone for too long. if they didn't find her then they never would have found her. Even Willow lost hope of trying to locate her.
They all did.
Except for dawn.
"Hello, Tara" Anya called from the cashier. Tara waved back. She had never really been that close to Anya but times of crisis brought people together. In this case she and Anya. They had all grown closer, each of them trying to fill the void that Buffy's disappearance and possible death had caused. All except riley, he had distanced himself from the rest of them since Buffy left, he still helped from time to time, but it was too uncomfortable, he only had ties to Buffy.
"Hi." Dawn mumbled.
"So... what's up?" the blonde wiccan tried again. She was desperate now to make conversation. Dawn had been so... out of it lately. So quiet, so detached from the scoobies.
Dawn turned around and looked at Tara intently.
"I'm fine, okay?" she said sharply. "You can leave me alone. I'm not going to disappear" then she turned away.
Tara flinched at the implied meaning.
"Dawnie," was Tara reply. "Look,"
Dawn remained staring in the other direction. Determined not to hear the witch spew on and on about how they were her friends and not just Buffy's. But as hard as Dawn was trying to block her out, Tara was continuing and when Dawn tuned back in, she had no idea what words the witch has used, but it still pissed her off, all of them were so concerned. Well, she didn't need any.
"-ing and we're just worried about you."
"Well, I'm fine." she said. Her tone and face unreadable. She turned to Tara. The Wicca had believed that Dawn was finally going to forgive them but when dawn turned to face her, she didn't look the least bit forgiving. She was clearly angry now. Her tone was cold and her face registered more contempt than Tara had ever seen. "It's not me you should be worried about." she added icily. "It's Buffy."
She abruptly stood up startling Tara.
"You're not still mad at us, Dawnie, are you?" Tara called after her.
Dawn turned around.
"Oh, no," she said calmly. "I'm not mad." she then walked out the door and closed it behind her.
A second later, Xander entered the shop. He walked over to his fiancé and kissed her on the cheek.
"Hey, Ahn." he greeted.
"Hello, Xander." Anya replied smiling slightly. "Dawn was just in here. She and Tara had a sort of fight..." she added in a lower tone shaking her head slowly.
"I see." Xander affirmed.
She smiled at him and went back to counting her money. None of them though of this as a strange, apathetic or unimpressed action, they all knew that this was just Anya's way of dealing with stress or anxiety. It was comforting to her.
Xander nodded, and then he approached Tara.
"What was that?" he asked her, jerking his hand behind him at he door. Obviously he had just passed Dawn.
"Trying to assure Dawnie that we still cared for her and that we didn't hang with her just because of Buffy." Tara replied she looked down into her cup of tea.
"Dealing with hurricane, the Dawnster." Xander said raising his eyebrows. "Takes a lot of courage and flawless technique."
"Wow, Xander I didn't know you knew so many big words." Tara teased lightly.
Xander pretended to be offended and then a second later rolled his eyes. They both laughed.
"We shouldn't be doing this." Xander said suddenly.
Tara looked at the carpenter confusedly.
"W-wh-what?" she stuttered immediately biting down on her tongue, ashamed of her nervous stammer.
"Laughing like this." Xander said seriously. "No wonder Dawn's furious."
"Oh..."
"Yeah." Xander agreed.
"It's got to be worse for her." Tara said. "I mean-
The door opened interrupting the two scoobies talk. Dawn walked back inside.
Wordlessly, she picked up her school bag which she apparently left behind and walked out closing the door behind her. Pointedly ignoring everyone else in the room.