Do I Really Have to Stay Out Here?

[bratty_dawn]

Who: Dawn and Anyone Who Comes to Visit Her
Where: Out in the Country Where She is Hiding
When: Just After Nightfall
What: Dawn is lonely all out by herself.
Status: Complete

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[theslayer_buffy]

Buffy nodded, encouraging her sister to continue the story, while she clammed up quickly. She knew that whatever Dawn was about to tell her was clearly hard to say. Hell, maybe she hadn't told anyone what happened yet. She listened quietly, her eyebrows going up in shock a few times; the drinking, then intense, that word really stuck in her mind. But, then she felt proud of her sister. Proud of her for owning up to her mistakes to a boyfriend. Buffy had far too much pride to do that, at least until way after a relationship was over.

As Dawn concluded, Buffy let out an audible breath, "Wow," she said, "I didn't know sending you to college would bring out the party animal." Okay, a joke to lighten to mood. Of course, Buffy had no idea what she was actually feeling. A little disappointed, obviously, but also proud. Those were two very unmixy feelings that didn't seem to lend themselves to many words.

"Thanks for telling me," she said, finally. "I'm not thrilled with the idea of you drinking and hooking up--and god, I hope you used protection--but it takes a lot to own up to what you did, not just to me, but to your ex."

She watched her sister for a moment before saying, "You know, I did something kinda similar in my first few weeks of college," she said, realizing she had never shared this story with anyone but Willow and Xander, "I was really lonely and sad about Angel heading to L.A. and I met this really cute guy, Parker. And after a couple dates, we went to this party, drank a little, and then you know, things got intense," she used her word knowingly, "After he didn't call me, I saw him hitting on this total slutbomb and thought I was the one who had done something wrong," she shook her head, still angry at herself, "He was just a player and I was just another one night stand to him."

She felt her fists clenched; she hated thinking about Parker. Probably her biggest guy mistake. "So, moral of that really long story is that boys suck and girls make mistakes with boys. I found out later that Riley punched him after he made some rude comment about me," she said, smiling slightly, "And also, I bashed him on the head with a huge stick a few times while I was cave-woman Buffy." She thought for a moment, "And another lesson, don't drink mysterious beer with pretentious frat guys because you might turn into a cavewoman."

[bratty_dawn]

Dawn rolled her eyes when Buffy said that she didn't realize that going to college would bring the party animal out in her. She knew it was a joke, though. "It was only my first party, Buffy," she still said. It wasn't like she had gotten crazy drunk and had started stripping on a table or anything. Well, not that what she had done had been too much better. And look where it got her. Eight billion feet tall and stuck out in the wilderness.

"We did," she admitted. She wasn't that kind of stupid. She didn't want that extra little present in the morning, if you get the meaning. "I thought I was doing the right thing when I told him. Considering what happened later, I haven't really wanted to tell anyone else for a reason." Might trigger something else, for all she knew.

She stayed quiet when Buffy started telling her story. Wow, this was something that she had never heard. She definitely got the 'intensity' that Buffy was talking about. "I'm sorry that happened to you," she said once Buffy had said her peace. Wow, this was kind of a sisterly bonding moment, wasn't it? Weird.

"Cave Woman Buffy?" Obviously some other story that she had not been privy to when she was younger that seemed to involved mystery beer and frat guys. "At least I went to a more normal college, although it wasn't that normal if I was dating a thricewise." She definitely wasn't drinking any strange beer if it was going to turn her into a cave woman, though. "Still, I'm not sure how this will help getting me back to normal."

[theslayer_buffy]

Buffy nodded to her sister's defenses, glad her sister had been listening in sex-ed classes, at least. Not that she was one to talk. The last person she frequently slept with had been a vampire and well, no need for protection there. One of the perks, really...

"I understand that," she said as Dawn explained she hadn't wanted to tell anyone. "But, it's good you told me. You should tell Willow, too. Knowing the circumstances might help with knowing how to fix you. I don't know how, but anything's possible."

She shrugged her shoulders slightly at her sister's apology, "It's no big. Once you bash a guy on the head with a big stick, you're pretty much over it," she grinned. "Well, I went to college on a Hellmouth, so even the beer wasn't safe. I think Xander said the bartender had cursed it," she told her. Of course, it was a fat chance anything similar would ever happen to her sister. But, she had learned that anything was possible in this world.

"I dunno if it will help. That's Willow territory. But, you know never know," she said, before glancing at her cell phone. It was getting late and dusk was falling. Not that she needed to get out and patrol, but it wasn't really safe for her to be galavanting around town when most of the undead were out and about. "I should get going, Dawnie. I need to get back to the house without anyone really seeing me. But, I'll tell Xander and Will to come visit you tomorrow."