Buffy/ABVH
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#5: Dawn/Asher - She was Julianna all over again... – 329 words
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Her long, dark locks, her doll-shaped face. Her limbs that seem to never end, her waist, tiny enough to span with his hands. The grace in her fingers, the curve of her lips.
The similarities do not end there. The glint of mischief in her eyes, the sparkle something beautiful under her skin. Her capacity for compassion, for love, even for one such as him. Her magic like a living thing against his cold flesh. They burned her a witch for loving him, for loving Jean-Claude, never understanding how true their words were, and how merciful she was.
True magic, true power, slept within her but even as she burned, she did not turn it against humans, did not take life. She swore an oath to protect and protect she did. He should not have survived their torture and he knows it.
It was her last gift to him, this half life, this ugliness he bears now and would gladly bear for a thousand more years if only he had her back.
And now here she is again, Julianna reborn, brought back to him by some gracious twist of fate, looking at him with the same adoration, the same love. Seeing past the monster to the man, who has forgotten he even existed.
Here she is again, calling herself Dawn – sunrise – and remembering nothing of her past life and its gruesome end, an end she met because of him and Jean-Claude.
An end she met because she was a soul too beautiful, too gentle for this world.
And for all that he knows now, for all that he fears a repeat of history, for all the pain and suffering, for all that he wants to spare her the fate of loving him, he know he is not so strong.
She says his name with a smile, hand held out to him and he should run, should run far and fast. To spare her.
But he is not so strong.
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