The Dawn Chronicles
by tenshinrtaiga
Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy, Angel or Supernatural.
Pairing/Characters: Dawn Summers, Connor Angel-Reilly, Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester. Mild Dean/Dawn.
Warnings: Spoilers for Buffy S7, Angel S5 and Supernatural S1.
Summary: When Buffy dies and Dawn inherits her sister's Slayer powers, Dawn doesn't know what to do. She only knows one thing: she can't stay at the International Watchers Council anymore. An unlikely friend in the shape of Angel's son Connor comes to the rescue, training her and teaching her how to handle her powers and just when she thinks she has everything under control, a new Slayer is murdered. Now Dawn's left trying to figure out what happened and how exactly the Winchester boys fit in.
"So, where's Wood?" Dawn asked curiously as they followed Faith through a large hallway upstairs.
"Robin and I didn't really work out," Faith admitted with a shrug as she held open the door. They all walked in to find a large high tech conference room. There was a desk that took up most of the room shaped in a 'U' formation around the front where a large screen was stationed. When Faith led them to sit near the front, they noticed a webcam in the corner and realized that the screen for more than just viewing. "You know me, D. Gotta keep it moving," she laughed.
It sounded like Wood had failed to keep Faith's interest and she had gotten bored. Typical Faith. Dawn smiled in amusement as she sat down, Connor next to her followed by Sam then Dean. "So, where is he now? Is he still with the IWC?"
Faith nodded casually as she pulled up a chair to sit across from Dawn on the other side of the table. "Yeah, he works with Kennedy in South America."
"Kennedy? What about Willow?"
The brunette smirked in wry amusement. "Willow and Kennedy broke up a while ago. Willow is head of the Asian Slayers now." Dawn shook her head at all of the changes. "While I'm at it, I might as well mention that Wes is here although he's actually out of town at the moment recruiting a Slayer in New Orleans."
"I thought he died," Dawn said in surprise. Faith just gave her a look. "Right," Dawn said sheepishly. People had a tendency to not stay dead in their world.
"See what you miss when you go AWOL for over a year?" Faith teased. "But I'm sure you're not here to catch up on the Scooby gang."
Dawn took a deep breath as she leant back on the tall business chairs. "Faith, you remember Connor, right?" she asked, half uncertain. After the spell on Connor was broken, half of it continued to linger on so it was hard to tell who thought of Connor as Connor Reilly and who still remembered him as Connor Angel.
Faith nodded causing the Dawn and Connor to sigh in relief. "Yeah, Angel's son. Not good with directions and very anti-vampire. I remember."
"Yep, that's me," Connor replied wryly. "These are our friends Sam and Dean. They're hunters."
"Is that where you've been all this time?" Faith asked Dawn. "Hunting?"
The lithe brunette shook her head vigorously. "No. After I ditched the plane to Cleveland, I-"
"Hang on," Faith cut in, standing up. "If it's explanation time then there's someone else who needs to hear this." Dawn worried her lip knowing what was about to happen. Now that she'd come home it was time to face the Scooby gang.
Faith went over to the computer in the corner and with the press of a few buttons the large screen projector was working showing her call someone on Skype. Dawn smiled as her eyes locked on the familiar lined face of Rupert Giles.
"What is it, Faith?" he asked as he stared down at his computer before his eyes widened in surprise. "Dawn?"
"Hey, Giles," Dawn managed as she struggled to hold back tears. She hadn't even realized how much she missed him and all of the others until this moment. Giles brought out a wipe and took off his glasses to give them a clean causing her to give a wobbly smile at the familiar action.
"You've come back?" he asked uncertainly.
Dawn gave a hesitant nod. "Sort of. I guess I should start at the beginning, huh? I'm sorry for taking off on you guys, but I couldn't handle it. Even Faith was just another reminder that Buffy was gone." Both Faith and Giles gave reluctant nods in understanding. "So, I ditched the plane to Cleveland and boarded one to Vegas instead. Once there, I contacted Spike. I gave him the news and he helped me figure out what to do next."
"Spike!" Giles said in annoyance, a hint of Ripper underneath. "I knew he was hiding something."
The willowy brunette gave a laugh. "Yeah, he knew that I needed to get away and that I also needed help so he gave me Connor's name and sent me on my way."
"Connor?" Giles asked in confusion before looking more closely at the screen and recognizing the boy sitting next to Dawn. "Ah, Angel's son. Yes, continue."
Dawn shrugged. "He trained me. I got an apartment in Palo Alto and eventually started Stanford. Connor's my best friend." Both Giles and Faith's eyes softened at her words. They were glad that she hadn't been on her own all this time. "I ran into a Slayer last Halloween. Her name was Jessica Moore. She was untrained and didn't have a clue what she was. I gave her the story and sent her on her way to the IWC, but she was murdered before she could make contact," Dawn stated seriously, trying her hardest not to look in Sam's direction as she told her story.
"Murdered?" Faith asked in surprise. "What could take down a Slayer?"
"That's what we wanted to know," Connor finally spoke. "Sam was Jessica's boyfriend. He grew up hunting but gave it up to go to school. His mom was murdered when he was a kid the same way Jessica was, so we know there's something after him and whatever it is, it's powerful."
"I've exhausted my resources," Dawn admitted, getting to the crux of things. "I'd like access to the Watcher Diaries and the Hall of Prophecy to see if I can't find something. A bad guy this powerful has to be mentioned somewhere."
Giles nodded with a hum even as a crease appeared above his brow. He too was worried about something this powerful roaming around. "The diaries are there in Cleveland, but as I'm sure you remember, the prophecies are stored here in London."
"I can try the diaries first and then fly out-"
The Brit interrupted Dawn. "Nonsense. I'll check the prophecies, you just comb through the Cleveland books."
Dawn looked up at Giles gratefully. "Thank you." Giles gave a fond smile in return before clicking off in order to begin his own research. Dawn turned to look at Faith. "So, the library…?"
"If I never see another book again in my life, it'll be too soon." Connor frowned as he slammed the book in front of him shut and reached to grab another one. "I'd forgotten how research intensive this can be." When they'd first reached the library, Dawn had immediately set out and returned with stacks and stacks of books for them to start on. She then split them into two piles. Sam and Dean got English and Latin books while she and Connor split the books in demon languages between them. Dawn also got the books in whatever random language she was capable of understanding such as Ancient Sumerian.
"You didn't mind books at Stanford," Dawn said absentmindedly.
"That was different. I only ever read the bare minimum to write my paper and skimmed the rest. I can't skim this stuff. For one, most of it needs translation. For another, if I skim and miss something important, lives are at stake," Connor explained even as he prodded Dean to move so that he could reach across the older man to snag a donut. "I did miss this part, though. Snacks weren't allowed in the library," he spoke around a mouthful of food.
"Ditto." Dean grinned as he reached out for what was probably his millionth donut. "And seriously, I get what you were saying about these diaries being written by whiny twelve years olds," he said to Dawn. "These have got to be the most boring books I've ever read and I've read Sammy's diary."
"Dude, it was a journal," Sam scowled automatically. "And I was ten. Let it go."
Dean smirked before standing up and stretching. "I'm gonna grab something to drink. Anyone want?" he asked the table.
"Coffee, please," Dawn replied with the other three nodding in agreement.
Dean left the library in search of the kitchens they had raided earlier. Unfortunately, there were so many hallways and floors that he got turned around. Looking around in confusion, he tried to find something familiar when he heard the ring of the elevator. Sprinting to the sound, he grinned widely as he found it, barely making it inside before it closed.
"You okay?" Faith asked in amusement, startling the man.
"Oh, sorry." He grinned at her charmingly. "Got a bit turned around. I think I know where I'm going now that I've found the elevator though."
"Do you want a quick tour through?" Faith offered. "In case you need to find something else later."
A sly grin made its way across Dean's lips as he agreed. Spending time with a smoking hot Slayer like Faith was no skin off his back. As he trailed her through the building, his eyes stayed mostly glued to her ass, but he did make note of the important areas she showed him.
"And this is our training area," Faith said as they got off the elevator at the top floor. She showed him into a large room that looked like a gym. Half of it was shining hardwood with various exercise machines and other workout instruments while the other half was covered in mats. There were a couple of girls sparring on the mats in the corner, a couple playing basketball on the far end and one was using the gymnastics equipment. Dean let out a low whistle at the sheer amount of things inside the large space.
Faith led him through an adjourning door to a large white room filled with cabinets and dressers, all filled with weapons. Every kind of weapon imaginable was there, with the most obvious exception of guns. Dean was admiring a katana hanging on the wall when he heard the telltale click of a door closing. Turning, he raised an eyebrow as he saw Faith standing in front of the door. An interested smirk made its way across his face as he thought about where this was leading.
Sensing his thoughts, Faith merely raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "This is the weapons room," she stated obviously. "As in the visual representation of what can and will happen to you should you break D's heart."
The grin fell off of Dean's face as he shifted uncomfortably, eyeing the weapons with hesitance. "What?"
"I'm not an idiot," Faith spoke as she moved to the side to gently run her hands over the Slayer knife collection, keeping her eyes firmly trained on him, smirking when he squirmed at the threat in her actions. "I've seen the way you look at her and I've seen the way she's been looking at you. There may not be anything going on right now, but I'm sure there will be soon enough." Faith stopped in front of the katana Dean had been admiring earlier. He had long since moved away, keeping a weary distance from the Slayer. "Dawn's been through a lot. Her sister was a legend; someone we all looked up to and loved. Dawn is the only thing left of Buffy and she's one of us. If you hurt Dawn, you can count on one long-ass line of angry people itching for blood and I can guarantee you that there will be nowhere on this earth – or in any dimension – that you will be able to hide."
Dean gulped audibly, his hand itching for the gun that he didn't have. Dawn had convinced them to leave their weapons behind because Slayers didn't like guns and she had worried that it might anger someone. He wished he could say that in a fight he'd be able to take Faith but having sparred against Dawn plenty of times, he knew that he couldn't.
Seeing that Dean got her message loud and clear, Faith straightened up from the loose predator stance she had been in previously and put on a friendly grin. "Now then, I believe you were looking for the kitchen?" she asked as she opened the doors widely and exited the room.
"You know, when I first walked in here, I was excited," Sam said as he leaned back in his chair. He reached an arm up to pinch at his nose, clearly indicating a headache. "I mean all of these books? It's amazing. I thought for sure, with all of these sources, that we'd find something by now."
"Yep," Dawn nodded absentmindedly as she continued searching through her book. "Those Watchers; they sure love to read."
Sam took another look around. The library was a huge room at least two, maybe three stories tall. But instead of having rows and rows of books, they were lined along the walls against a path. It was as though someone cut a circular hole in the second and third floors so anyone on the third floor could look down and see the people sitting in the first floor.
Of course they weren't actually on the first floor. They were on the sixth. So the library really took up the left side of the sixth, seventh and eighth floor of the building.
"And ninth," Dawn replied. Sam blinked in surprise. He hadn't even realized he had been thinking out loud. "The ninth floor is magic-locked so that no one unauthorized can go in. It's where we keep all of the dangerous books." She cocked her head to the side in thoughtfulness. "Maybe I should go check on that," she muttered to herself before standing up and making her way to the elevator that catered to the library only.
A short ride later and she stepped off into a dark room. She flicked on the lights and looked around. Unlike the other floors of the library, this one was rather normal. There was no hole in the center that you could see down into. The books were still against the wall, however, and in the center there was a table with several pieces of parchment on it, clearly in the midst of being studied. "Must be Wes'," Dawn murmured as she bypassed the magic section and went straight for the bad guys. She picked out several promising books and returned to the elevator, but as she passed the magic section once more, she paused in thought. Backtracking, she went to the bookcase on rituals. "It's unlikely, but…" Dawn reached out and grabbed several books on dark ritual magic. It was possible that Jessica's death had been a sacrifice.
Dawn then made her way back downstairs to find that Dean had finally returned, but had apparently not brought back any coffee. She frowned at him oddly, but Dean just shrugged while studiously avoiding her gaze. She cocked an eyebrow clearly sensing something amiss, but ignored it in favor of continuing their research.
The four settled back into the flow of reading. Both Sam and Dean raised eyebrows at the dark magic described in the books they were reading. They clearly understood now why these were under lock and key. It took several hours on top of the day they'd already spent researching before Connor sat up suddenly, drawing all eyes to him.
His eyes reread the page he was on more carefully than they had the first time before he silently handed the book over to Dawn. She set the book in front of her and Sam immediately got up to read over her shoulder. Dawn was a faster reader and so when she got to the correct passage, she murmured the line out loud. "The demon with the yellow eyes. His favored, the demon Azazel."