(Untitled)

[bond_wannabe]

I emerge from the darkness of the building, and I squint as the light blasts my face. Angel had given me the full blown details of what needed to be done. I was to meet him in the park by the school when the sun went down, and then he and I were going to make history

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[soon_to_be_blue]

AS I hear Dawn trailing behind me, I walk over to the fallen boy, and hunch down next to him. I figure it was the nice thing to do, as I'm sure he was already morbidly embarassed, and everyone was lookin' at him like the rodeo clown who just lost his shoe on a bucking bronco.

...and naturally, no one was helping.

Which seems to be the way of the human race, which makes me sometimes wonder why we work so hard to help people who won't help each other.

But regardless.

"Hey guy, are you ok?"

[lockless_key]

I follow Fred as she walks over to the guy. She's so nice... I don't think I'd help him. I wouldn't laugh out loud, but that's as far as my good-guy graces go right now. I'm not sure if I'd want someone helping me if I did a faceplant in the middle of the Espresso Pump, either.

I stand behind Fred as she talks to the guy, looking him over. Yep, definitely familiar. The blonde hair, the wincing face... I just can't place him. I'm not sure if I know him because I know him or because Buffy knew him and I have her memories, but one of us had definitely had a run-in with this kid before.

[bond_wannabe]

I lay on the linoleum, my face definitely in a bloom of not feeling niceness, and I'm pretty sure I bruised my knees. This kind of stuff never happened to James Bond I swear. When he didn't want to be noticed, no one notices him.

When I try and quietly leave the Espresso Pump, I fall face forward into the ground.

Great.

Before I can even collect myself and push myself to a sitting position, I hear a sweet voice of concern:

Hey guy, are you okay?

"Yeah..." I say as I start to sit up, "I'm perfectly fine, I ju-"

I stop midword when I sit up and face the voice. It's the woman from the table.

...and right behind her is the Slayer's sister.

Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod.

Don't panic Andrew, don't panic.

Be cool...

...this is me being cool.

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO IT!" I scream.

[soon_to_be_blue]

I jump back a little when he screams out.

He seems kind of panicked, and I can't help raise an eyebrow of curiousity at his extreme outburst.

I turn and look over my shoulder at Dawn, and shrug.

I turn back to him.

"Yes," I say calmly, "I'm sure you didn't. I mean, no one MEANS to fall to the floor, do they?"

I smile.

[lockless_key]

"No," I whisper, finally realizing who it is. It's Andrew. Tucker's brother. Andrew the nerd who put my sister into a coma.

Well, she put herself into a coma, it was her choice, but he gave her the ability to make the choice, so he's just as responsible, it's just splitting hairs, really.

"That's not what he's talking about."

It's all I can do to hold myself back so I don't jump on him and punch the hell out of him. I don't really want to make a scene in the Espresso Pump, Andrew's already done that. So instead I kneel next to Fred and grab Andrew's arm, scowling.

"Get up!"

[bond_wannabe]

Buffy's sister clutches my arm and puts it in a death grip, and all but practically rips me up off the floor and to my feet.

How was a little girl so strong? Oh my gosh...what if she was a special little girl...like that Alex Mack girl on Nickelodeon. She was the Slayer's sister after all. What if she could turn into a puddle like on the show that would be so co-

She squeezes my arm and I cry out.

"Ouch! That hurts!"

I pull my arm away from her grip.

"Gosh you don't have to vulcan nerve pinch me. I'm up! I'm up!"

[soon_to_be_blue]

The mood shifts REALLY quickly for a congenial, "Let's help the dork atmosphere" to something more heavy, and in the case of Dawn, it was as if the anger was coming off her in waves.

I take a step back to assess.

"Dawn?" I whisper, "...what's wrong?"

[lockless_key]

"Quit complaining, you... you GEEK!" I yank on Andrew's arm for good measure, he deserves to whine for what he did. For what he let Buffy do. Talking about vulcans and his nerdy things, how can he just walk around like...

Grr.

Fred looks really startled and I have to remind myself that I'm not the bad guy here, and I don't want to make myself out to be. Andrew's the bad guy here. He deserves to suffer.

Although, looking at him right now, whimpering and cowering - from ME! - he doesn't seem so evil. Just freakin' terrified. Again, of ME! Am I really scary? Or just... intimidating? Intimidating would be cool.

"Remember Buffy?" I ask Fred, not turning to look at her but keeping my eyes on Andrew. "Because this is the guy who put her where she is."

I pull on Andrew's arm, but not quite as hard. Mostly 'cause I don't really want to hear him complain. He doesn't have the right to complain. "Let's go."

[bond_wannabe]

She pulls me forward and I may or may not kind of panic!

"Where we going? You can't make me go anywhere, this is kidnapping!"

She gives my arm another squeeze, and I wince.

"Okay, ok. I'll go."

Should I be worried? I'm being man-handled by a girl who hates me. Even worse, I'm being man-handled by a girl. Why wasn't I tougher? Why wasn't I more like...like Angel.

Oh, I bet Angel has women grabbing at him all the time.

God he is SO cool. I can't wait to ask him all about...

My thoughts are totally interrupted as Dawn pushes me out onto the sidewalk, and I almost fall over again.

"Whoa, watch it, Xena. You may not like me, but creating a scene is not helping you gain sanity points with anyone."

[soon_to_be_blue]

I dash after Dawn as she pushes the nerdy kid out onto the sidewalk.

I am aghast at Dawn's sudden shift in behavior, but even more so by the news she just gave me.

"Him? HIM? But he's just a kid! He looks harmless!"

Was it true? Was this little blonde nobody the one who really put the coma whammy on Dawn's sister? How? He didn't even look powerful. I mean I know looks can be decieving...like Angel was really tough and legendary, but he had that hair thing. Maybe this was a case of wrong first impressions.

Regardless of whether who was right or wrong, if this continued, I'm sure someone would be contacting Sunnydale PD.

"Dawn!" I whisper in a loud theatrical manner, "We need to get off the street!"

[lockless_key]

"Yeah. Sure. Okay." I'm not really listening to Fred, I'm looking at Andrew and really trying hard to control the impulse to punch him in the face.

"Looks can be decieving," I say, and I'm surprised by the tone of my own voice. I don't think I've ever sounded this... cold... before. It's cold anger, not hot rage, but like. Frozen emotions. "He's just a kid, just a nerd, and yet he and his nerd buddies managed to put the Slayer out of commission."

I jerk at Andrew's arm and begin walking, pulling him along. "Quit whining," I snap at him again. "This isn't kidnapping, and anyway, would you like me to tell these people what you did? Whatever else you may be planning on doing? You think that would be fair?"

I keep walking in the direction of the house, glancing quickly and half-apologetically at Fred, hoping she'll come along. I just want to get him somewhere where he wouldn't be able to do any more harm.

[soon_to_be_blue]

I am both freaked out and intrigued at the sudden change in Dawn. I rush after her as she hauls the blonde kid along like a steam train pulling a box of kleenex. He is taller than her, and I bet weighs more, but the sheer force of her anger is making it impossible to escape.

"Dawn, I understand. I...I understand why you're mad. But what are you going to do? Where are you taking him?"

I stop in my tracks, hoping she'll stop for a moment too...if only a moment, just to think and consider her actions.

"What are you going to do to him?"

This could be bad. VERY bad. I've seen people let their rage get the best of them...and it never ends well.

If couldn't talk her out of it this kid was toast.

[bond_wannabe]

"YEAH! What are you going to do to me?!"

I wince as Buffy's sister drags me through down the sidewalk.

"She's right you know, you can't keep doing this. I have friends. New friends! Powerful vampire friends who are going to be upset that you're kidnapping me. I'll have you know I'm a special commodity to him."

She doesn't seem convinced. Why does this always happen to me? Just when I get something good, something I did comes back and kicks me in the butt. Like the Wrath of Kahn, just when Kirk finds his son, Khan comes back, mainly cause Kirk never made sure he was imprisoned.

Oh man...it doesn't get much better than Shatner screaming "KAHHHHHHHHN!" I love that part. Why I-

"I told you! You're HURTING MY ARM! When Angel finds out you did this..."

But then I stop.

...cause she stopped.

I wonder what I said?

[lockless_key]

I pause and look back at Fred. She looks worried. And scared. But she doesn't know, she doesn't understand, what I've been through, what we've all been through, since Buffy... left. It was her choice and I blame her for that, all the way, don't doubt that, but this creep was the one who gave her the choice. And if she thinks I'm going to let him go and cause more harm

[soon_to_be_blue]

While I was concerned about Dawn's sudden erratic behavior, when she paused and the boy paused...it took me a second to realize why the stop had been made.

Then the words of the last few seconds hit me.

"Whoa, hold the flapjacks!" I say, nudging Dawn out of the way and grabbing this geek by the arm myself, "Don't even think of making any crappy third rate televison show reference until you answer her question. Angel, what do you know of him...you didn't do anything to him, did you?"

If Dawn was right, and he was really the one who put Buffy out of action, how could I be certain he didn't hurt Angel? Maybe he was on some nerdy quest to get rid of all the world's champions.

I turn to Dawn.

"Remember the question I asked earlier about a hotel? Think of the nearest one. We're going...and we'll need duct tape."

I can't believe I was doing this.

[bond_wannabe]

Holy crap.

They just Thelma & Louised me.

I thought Buffy's sister was bad, but now the other one too? I totally thought I could use her as an out for sympathy, or at least less bruising.

"Hotel? What hotel?"

I don't like this idea. Not at all.

"I didn't do anything to Angel, look lady...he's my new partner. We're supposed to save the world together or something, and I bet he won't be pleased you're interfering with our plans!"