"Dawn doesn't start school again for three more months." Cordelia reminded Xander a couple of days after Jesse's first birthday. A celebration Dawn had thrown herself into planning, something Cordelia had taken note of. "She's doing everything she can to distract herself from the fact that her life has completely turned upside down, again and she has none of the people around her who helped her deal before."
"Apparently after Buffy died the second time, she relied on Tara, Willow's girlfriend a great deal." Xander agreed, remembering the briefings about the last four years of their friends lives, the years they themselves hadn't been a part of. "Willow was busy trying to figure out how to resurrect Buffy, which Dawn didn't know, at the time she thought Willow was avoiding her, which must have seemed like a slap in the face given they lived in the same house and the Echo was fixing up the house and patrolling with the chipped Spike and probably wondering why he didn't just stake the son of a bitch some night and claim another vamp got him."
"Exactly and she and they, were still mourning Joyce's death and apparently Giles abandoned them and moved back to England, just when they needed him the most. Buffy always was his priority, not the rest of us and that just proves it. And don't get me started on them using that creepy sex bot of Spike's to take Buffy's place. Ewww! But Dawn needs something to do, she's being a model guest and that worries me."
"Because she's a teenager and stubbing your toe is epic drama when you're a teenager. Losing everyone you love in one way or another is overloading her already overloaded mind."
"And she needs an outlet, something to help her deal and begin to heal. But we also need to think about some practical things. That facility Demon Command arranged for Buffy to be treated at, they're teaching her sign language, right?"
"A version of it, yes. Which means either Buffy will need a translator to go every where with her when she gets out or we need to learn sign language too."
"That's where I'm going, I'm sure we can find the money for a class. Dawn's the only one who actually needs to take it. It shouldn't be difficult for her to learn it, she told me she has a gift for languages, she did learn Sumerian after all. Once she learns it, she can teach us. In fact, she could teach Jesse too. I picked up a book on sign language at the library the other day, there was a chapter on teaching babies to sign, it actually helps a baby learn to talk faster and better. They can move their bodies and make gestures more easily than they can make sounds at the age Jesse is. Sign language can be a kind of bridge and make learning to talk easier, because with sign language he already has an understanding of what he's trying to communicate."
"She's finding it easier being around him then us anyway." Xander said thoughtfully, he too had noticed how enthusiastic she'd been about making sure the little guy had a great birthday party. "Less emotional, we remind her of the people she knew and misses, he's brand new for her."
"So we arrange for her to learn sign language." Cordelia decided. "She teaches Jesse and we watch and pick it up as they go along."
"We don't crowd her, we let her know we're here if she needs us, but we're not pushing." Xander agreed. "This is a doable plan, plus it gets her out of the apartment and into the world for awhile every day. Gives her a chance to connect with other people, start making new friends."
"And we can ease her into getting to know the neighbors. This neighborhood is so different from Sunnydale, everyone already knows we've taken in a traumatized teenager and every time Jesse and I go for a walk they ask if she's okay, if there's something they can do to help."
"There may be actually." Xander said, considering the possibilities. "A lot of the kids in the neighborhood help out in the community garden. It's good for them, they learn how to take care of something that's alive in a sense and that contributes to the betterment of the neighborhood and lets them see one way we look out for each other. She can see that Sunnydale isn't the norm out in the world."
"I have to tape my scenes tomorrow," Cordelia reminded Xander, she'd gotten the role she'd auditioned for, "so you check into where she can go to learn sign language and how much it'll cost and we'll find a place in the budget for it."
"First thing tomorrow." Xander promised and having decided on a course of action the couple settled down to get some sleep. In the room next door a blissfully unaware one year old slept and a world weary teenager listened to the conversation through the open vent over her bed and silent tears flowed down her cheeks. They were so much like the Xander and Cordelia she had known and trying so hard to help her, right down to the wanting to stake Spike.