Dawnficathon entry-- Choices Untaken
Something was up.
"Willow was sleeping over on a school night. Buffy had invited her. If Dawn had asked to do that, she'd have gotten an "absolutely not" from their mother. But Mom doesn't have to worry about where I am if I'm not at home with friends,she thought nastily. She doesn't have to ask herself if I'm getting in fights or
burning down a building.
Dawn might not be as smart as Willow, but neither was Buffy, she'd bet. They both thought of her as "little cute Dawnie". Ever since Dawn turned twelve that had begun to get on her nerves.
Dawn hadn't asked about Angel before tonight. She'd thought he must have dumped Buffy. He hadn't been around in months. However, Dawn had been walking past Buffy's door when Buffy was on the phone with Willow earlier, and had heard his name mentioned.
Dawn put down a half-finished drawing of her father and crept to the door. She opened it a crack, then slipped out into the hallway and tiptoed to stand outside Buffy's room, listening intently, barely taking a breath.
"....whenever something like that happens....Angel..."
"....except for one thing," Willow said. "You're still all he thinks about."
I knew it! Dawn laughed silently.
Buffy had been so unhappy the past few months. She must have had some dumb fight with Angel and he'd taken off. And of course Buffy would die before admitting she missed him.
A fiendish idea occurred to Dawn, one that would be payback for a lot of big sister's smugness. Maybe Buffy wouldn't go talk to Angel, but nothing was stopping her.
A faked cold gave her an excuse to stay home that morning. Joyce offered to stay with her. Dawn didn't have to pretend while refusing to have any part of that. "I'm not a toddler! There are plenty of kids my age who stay home by themselves 'cause their parents work late!"
Joyce laughed. "Ok, ok, honey. There's cans of soup in the cupboard and some ginger ale, if you're hungry." She tucked Dawn in and hurried down the stairs to her waiting Jeep.
Joyce wouldn't return to check on Dawn until noon. Four hours; it wasn't much,but the best Dawn could manage. She was pretty sure she knew where to find Angel. He had told her he'd rented an apartment on West Street, to save money. The dorms might
be nicer but a lot more expensive, he'd said, and "I like my privacy, the quiet," he'd added. He wasn't much of a talker.
Dawn figured that was ok. She liked to talk, and he had never seemed to get tired of listening.
She sneaked out the back door, avoiding the street as she ducked through neighbors'back yards and around hedges. Then she froze as she spotted someone. A woman; Dawn recognized her as one of
Buffy's teachers. Mrs. Calendar. Dawn crouched behind a tree as the teacher drew nearer.
Mrs. Calendar crossed the road. Dawn watched her,staying hidden. The teacher went into the Magic Box store. Dawn had been inside once;they sold a lot of cool stuff. She'd bought a Halloween mask there last year.
She caught sight of someone emerging from a van parked at the curb, wrapped in a blanket.No, it was two people. Dawn gasped as she spotted long, black-clad legs and one arm peeking out from beneath the covering. Angel?
He and the other person entered the Magic Box.
She sprinted across the pavement, making a beeline for the shop.
It was him! "Hey! Angel--"
It was then Dawn realized her plan might have hit a snag.
The other person who'd accompanied Angel was a girl; tall, slim, fair skin and long, long black hair. Angel had his arm around her waist. He stiffened as he met Dawn's eyes.
"Hello, dearie," the girl said. "My, you look very strange. All here and burning, and not here at all. Like a dream standing in sunlight, you are. A special one.The stars told me I should hurry or miss seeing you shine."
Angel raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" He sounded irritated. "Hey, Dawnie. How are you? How's--Buffy doing?"
"Oh please." Dawn shrugged, trying to look as if she didn't care. "She's totally still mooning over you. It's sad."
The English girl touched Dawn's cheek. Her fingers were like ice. "Little figment but she smells like the Slayer inside..."
Dawn eyed her. "My name's Dawn. " She jerked away. "Ow! You scratched me, are you nuts?"
Angel and the loony both laughed. He moved closer, putting a hand on Dawn's arm.
"Sorry. Dru, take it easy. We're not here for this. Get what you need--" he jerked his head toward the counters-- "I'll wait here."
The woman obeyed, whispering to herself.
"Are you all right?" asked Angel. "She doesn't mean to go off like that. Sometimes she's very gentle and playful. You just--Dru isn't well. Try to understand. "
"Um. Okay. "
"Do you need anything from the store? I'll get it for you."
Dawn hesitated. "No. It's cool. I just-- " she blushed. "Buffy'd kill me if she knew I was saying this but she does miss you. Lots. So do I," she added, scuffing the dusty tiles with one toe.
"I miss her too. I think about you both. She doesn't want to see me, Dawn--"
"You could come over to bring my watch," Dawn interrupted eagerly.
"What? You--" Understanding, as she took off her Mickey Mouse wristwatch and handed it to him. "Is that an invitation?" he asked teasingly.
She punched his upper arm. "Yes, you--"
"Dawn, NO!" Jenny Calendar was suddenly there. "Don't tell him that!"
Angel rounded on the woman, his expression one of pure hatred. He backhanded her viciously. She fell. He moved to stand over her, eyes blazing.
. "You're getting on my nerves, gypsy ," Angel hissed. "This is a private conversation between me and Dawn. Just once, you might want to consider not interfering with me. Didn't the last time teach you anything?"
"Leave her alone! She hasn't done anything to you, she never touched you--"
"Yet." He laughed nastily. "I've been wondering how much like Buffy she is, too. Might be fun to compare them."
Jenny's face twisted in revulsion.
"Goddess, have mercy," she whispered. "You wouldn't--"
Angel fisted a hand in her hair, yanking at it . "You want me to forget her? Got something else for me to amuse myself with, Kalderash?" Blood trickled between his fingers.
"S-stop it! Angel, this isn't funny--" Dawn took a step toward him. "What are you doing?"
He turned on her, snarling. She screamed at the sight of his face.
Dawn's nerve broke. She fled outdoors, only to collide with the last person
she wanted to see. "Buffy?!"
Her sister stalked past her. She dug into her pocket, and threw something
right at Angel. A glass vial. It hit the back of his coat, and shattered,
dousing him with clear liquid. His skin and hair began to smoke. Dawn gasped
in horror.
He released his hold on Jenny, retreating further into the store. Jenny
staggered forward. Buffy grabbed her by one arm and half-dragged her into the sunlight. The teacher's mouth was bleeding, and bruises were already
visible on her arm and face.
"How did you--" Dawn's voice shook.
"You think you're the first person to play hooky on occasion?" Buffy retorted. "So I phoned the house. No answer.Come on. We're leaving." To
Jenny, Buffy said, "Can you drive?"
"I, I don't think so."
"Ok. I will. You want to explain what you were buying? The last spell you
gypsies cast is still giving me trouble. Not really up for more good old
mojo." Buffy led them over to Jenny's car, pulling the passenger door
open.
"I know. Buffy, I've got good news--about that."
Buffy looked at the teacher for a long moment, then at Dawn, before
saying flatly, "No. Just--no. Save it."
Dawn exploded. "Has everyone gone nuts today? What is going on?!"
"You're going home and you're staying there," Buffy told her. "I won't tell
Mom you scammed her, and you keep your mouth shut about Angel until I have a
chance to talk to her myself. Deal?"
"But--"
"Yes or no, Dawn?"
"All right." Dawn gave in, a little unnerved by the mix of sadness and determination in Buffy's eyes.
Jenny was silent until they reached the Summers house. She waited until
Buffy had washed and clumsily dressed her injuries, and then asked, "Buffy,
are you sure?" She darted a glance at Dawn, standing in the kitchen doorway,
lowering her voice. "I can do this, I promise you. You'd have him back as
he was--"
"The curse broke down once already. How many people would he--hurt, before someone could fix him,if there's a next time? We get a choice in this. Not everyone does. I hate it, but he's not the one I have to worry about first. I can't--we can't go through this again."
Jenny shut her eyes briefly. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah. Me too.I phoned Giles. He's gonna come pick you up, then come back
and talk to my Mom and Dawn with me."
Joyce arrived just before sunset. By then, Dawn had been fidgeting,
pacing, sitting on the couch trying to watch a video, and been to the
bathroom four times.
"Hi, I'm back. You look better, honey." Joyce sniffed. "Is that pizza
I smell?" She set a bag of groceries on the floor.
"Buffy ordered it. She invited Willow and Mr.Giles over for dinner."
Joyce smiled, heading for the kitchen. "Are they here already? I--"
Angel appeared in the open doorway behind her. Grinning, he tried to
follow Joyce inside. He slammed into an invisible barrier just beyond
the threshold.
Dawn walked to the door, shooting the vampire her "Die Horribly" glare.
"Sorry, Angel. Changed the locks."
She slammed the door in his face.
"Willow was sleeping over on a school night. Buffy had invited her. If Dawn had asked to do that, she'd have gotten an "absolutely not" from their mother. But Mom doesn't have to worry about where I am if I'm not at home with friends,she thought nastily. She doesn't have to ask herself if I'm getting in fights or
burning down a building.
Dawn might not be as smart as Willow, but neither was Buffy, she'd bet. They both thought of her as "little cute Dawnie". Ever since Dawn turned twelve that had begun to get on her nerves.
Dawn hadn't asked about Angel before tonight. She'd thought he must have dumped Buffy. He hadn't been around in months. However, Dawn had been walking past Buffy's door when Buffy was on the phone with Willow earlier, and had heard his name mentioned.
Dawn put down a half-finished drawing of her father and crept to the door. She opened it a crack, then slipped out into the hallway and tiptoed to stand outside Buffy's room, listening intently, barely taking a breath.
"....whenever something like that happens....Angel..."
"....except for one thing," Willow said. "You're still all he thinks about."
I knew it! Dawn laughed silently.
Buffy had been so unhappy the past few months. She must have had some dumb fight with Angel and he'd taken off. And of course Buffy would die before admitting she missed him.
A fiendish idea occurred to Dawn, one that would be payback for a lot of big sister's smugness. Maybe Buffy wouldn't go talk to Angel, but nothing was stopping her.
A faked cold gave her an excuse to stay home that morning. Joyce offered to stay with her. Dawn didn't have to pretend while refusing to have any part of that. "I'm not a toddler! There are plenty of kids my age who stay home by themselves 'cause their parents work late!"
Joyce laughed. "Ok, ok, honey. There's cans of soup in the cupboard and some ginger ale, if you're hungry." She tucked Dawn in and hurried down the stairs to her waiting Jeep.
Joyce wouldn't return to check on Dawn until noon. Four hours; it wasn't much,but the best Dawn could manage. She was pretty sure she knew where to find Angel. He had told her he'd rented an apartment on West Street, to save money. The dorms might
be nicer but a lot more expensive, he'd said, and "I like my privacy, the quiet," he'd added. He wasn't much of a talker.
Dawn figured that was ok. She liked to talk, and he had never seemed to get tired of listening.
She sneaked out the back door, avoiding the street as she ducked through neighbors'back yards and around hedges. Then she froze as she spotted someone. A woman; Dawn recognized her as one of
Buffy's teachers. Mrs. Calendar. Dawn crouched behind a tree as the teacher drew nearer.
Mrs. Calendar crossed the road. Dawn watched her,staying hidden. The teacher went into the Magic Box store. Dawn had been inside once;they sold a lot of cool stuff. She'd bought a Halloween mask there last year.
She caught sight of someone emerging from a van parked at the curb, wrapped in a blanket.No, it was two people. Dawn gasped as she spotted long, black-clad legs and one arm peeking out from beneath the covering. Angel?
He and the other person entered the Magic Box.
She sprinted across the pavement, making a beeline for the shop.
It was him! "Hey! Angel--"
It was then Dawn realized her plan might have hit a snag.
The other person who'd accompanied Angel was a girl; tall, slim, fair skin and long, long black hair. Angel had his arm around her waist. He stiffened as he met Dawn's eyes.
"Hello, dearie," the girl said. "My, you look very strange. All here and burning, and not here at all. Like a dream standing in sunlight, you are. A special one.The stars told me I should hurry or miss seeing you shine."
Angel raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" He sounded irritated. "Hey, Dawnie. How are you? How's--Buffy doing?"
"Oh please." Dawn shrugged, trying to look as if she didn't care. "She's totally still mooning over you. It's sad."
The English girl touched Dawn's cheek. Her fingers were like ice. "Little figment but she smells like the Slayer inside..."
Dawn eyed her. "My name's Dawn. " She jerked away. "Ow! You scratched me, are you nuts?"
Angel and the loony both laughed. He moved closer, putting a hand on Dawn's arm.
"Sorry. Dru, take it easy. We're not here for this. Get what you need--" he jerked his head toward the counters-- "I'll wait here."
The woman obeyed, whispering to herself.
"Are you all right?" asked Angel. "She doesn't mean to go off like that. Sometimes she's very gentle and playful. You just--Dru isn't well. Try to understand. "
"Um. Okay. "
"Do you need anything from the store? I'll get it for you."
Dawn hesitated. "No. It's cool. I just-- " she blushed. "Buffy'd kill me if she knew I was saying this but she does miss you. Lots. So do I," she added, scuffing the dusty tiles with one toe.
"I miss her too. I think about you both. She doesn't want to see me, Dawn--"
"You could come over to bring my watch," Dawn interrupted eagerly.
"What? You--" Understanding, as she took off her Mickey Mouse wristwatch and handed it to him. "Is that an invitation?" he asked teasingly.
She punched his upper arm. "Yes, you--"
"Dawn, NO!" Jenny Calendar was suddenly there. "Don't tell him that!"
Angel rounded on the woman, his expression one of pure hatred. He backhanded her viciously. She fell. He moved to stand over her, eyes blazing.
. "You're getting on my nerves, gypsy ," Angel hissed. "This is a private conversation between me and Dawn. Just once, you might want to consider not interfering with me. Didn't the last time teach you anything?"
"Leave her alone! She hasn't done anything to you, she never touched you--"
"Yet." He laughed nastily. "I've been wondering how much like Buffy she is, too. Might be fun to compare them."
Jenny's face twisted in revulsion.
"Goddess, have mercy," she whispered. "You wouldn't--"
Angel fisted a hand in her hair, yanking at it . "You want me to forget her? Got something else for me to amuse myself with, Kalderash?" Blood trickled between his fingers.
"S-stop it! Angel, this isn't funny--" Dawn took a step toward him. "What are you doing?"
He turned on her, snarling. She screamed at the sight of his face.
Dawn's nerve broke. She fled outdoors, only to collide with the last person
she wanted to see. "Buffy?!"
Her sister stalked past her. She dug into her pocket, and threw something
right at Angel. A glass vial. It hit the back of his coat, and shattered,
dousing him with clear liquid. His skin and hair began to smoke. Dawn gasped
in horror.
He released his hold on Jenny, retreating further into the store. Jenny
staggered forward. Buffy grabbed her by one arm and half-dragged her into the sunlight. The teacher's mouth was bleeding, and bruises were already
visible on her arm and face.
"How did you--" Dawn's voice shook.
"You think you're the first person to play hooky on occasion?" Buffy retorted. "So I phoned the house. No answer.Come on. We're leaving." To
Jenny, Buffy said, "Can you drive?"
"I, I don't think so."
"Ok. I will. You want to explain what you were buying? The last spell you
gypsies cast is still giving me trouble. Not really up for more good old
mojo." Buffy led them over to Jenny's car, pulling the passenger door
open.
"I know. Buffy, I've got good news--about that."
Buffy looked at the teacher for a long moment, then at Dawn, before
saying flatly, "No. Just--no. Save it."
Dawn exploded. "Has everyone gone nuts today? What is going on?!"
"You're going home and you're staying there," Buffy told her. "I won't tell
Mom you scammed her, and you keep your mouth shut about Angel until I have a
chance to talk to her myself. Deal?"
"But--"
"Yes or no, Dawn?"
"All right." Dawn gave in, a little unnerved by the mix of sadness and determination in Buffy's eyes.
Jenny was silent until they reached the Summers house. She waited until
Buffy had washed and clumsily dressed her injuries, and then asked, "Buffy,
are you sure?" She darted a glance at Dawn, standing in the kitchen doorway,
lowering her voice. "I can do this, I promise you. You'd have him back as
he was--"
"The curse broke down once already. How many people would he--hurt, before someone could fix him,if there's a next time? We get a choice in this. Not everyone does. I hate it, but he's not the one I have to worry about first. I can't--we can't go through this again."
Jenny shut her eyes briefly. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah. Me too.I phoned Giles. He's gonna come pick you up, then come back
and talk to my Mom and Dawn with me."
Joyce arrived just before sunset. By then, Dawn had been fidgeting,
pacing, sitting on the couch trying to watch a video, and been to the
bathroom four times.
"Hi, I'm back. You look better, honey." Joyce sniffed. "Is that pizza
I smell?" She set a bag of groceries on the floor.
"Buffy ordered it. She invited Willow and Mr.Giles over for dinner."
Joyce smiled, heading for the kitchen. "Are they here already? I--"
Angel appeared in the open doorway behind her. Grinning, he tried to
follow Joyce inside. He slammed into an invisible barrier just beyond
the threshold.
Dawn walked to the door, shooting the vampire her "Die Horribly" glare.
"Sorry, Angel. Changed the locks."
She slammed the door in his face.