FIC: Dawning Light 7 Through The Glass (Anita Blake/Buffy the Vampire Slayer) PG
Today is the last day to vote in the Twisting the Hellmouth Crossing Over Awards! If you haven't, do so now!
Dawning Light
A Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Anita Blake crossover
Chapter Seven: Through The Glass
by mhalachaiswords
Summary: Dawn fell from Glory's tower and into the portal. Now she's all alone and scared... but sometimes family comes from the strangest places.
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. Anita Blake belongs to Laurell K. Hamilton. No profit has been made from this fic, and the only benefit to me is personal satisfaction and the creative process. I hope you enjoy.
Rating: PG
Words: 5,205
Spoilers: So post-Danse Macabre it hurts.
Note: A response to the Mommy Anita challenge on TTH. More character development for Dawn. And we all know that never ends well.
~~~~~
"She's not eating."
Dawn stirred her spoon around in the unappetizing bowl of porridge and tried very hard not to listen to Anita and Micah talking out in the hall.
"I know she's not eating, Anita. She doesn't have to eat if she's not hungry."
"Micah--"
"She's been through a lot, and we're not going to make food into an issue with her."
Anita's grumble was pointed. "She won't talk to me."
Micah sighed. "She had a rough night. Give her some time, okay?"
"But what if she represses and gets more messed up?"
That was it. Dawn slapped her spoon on the table and stormed out into the hallway. "I'm not messed up!" Dawn exclaimed. "Don't say that!"
Anita tried to reach out for Dawn, but Dawn shoved her away. Sad guilt anxiety guilt pushed at Dawn's head, pushed her until she hit the wall.
"Enough." Micah's calm voice, low enough to sound like a kitty-cat growl, drove the feelings away into dust. "Dawn, Anita didn't mean what you thought she meant."
"She said I was messed up!" Dawn leaned against Micah's chest, letting him hug her.
"I didn't mean that!"
"Then don't say things you don't mean!"
"I said enough, you two," Micah said. "Anita, maybe you can give us a minute?"
Anita glared at Micah. If Dawn had cared, then the underlying hurt on Anita's face would have made her feel bad. If she cared about what Anita thought, which she so didn't. Without another word, Anita whirled on her heel and marched into the kitchen.
Dawn knew she should let go of Micah. He wasn't her father; he wasn't anything to her. Rather, she wasn't anything to him, him or Anita. If she was, they wouldn't have let a vampire in the house the previous night to try and eat her.
But there was something about Micah that reminded Dawn so much of Oz, and Dawn found that she couldn't let go.
"Do you want to go into the living room?" Micah asked after a minute. Dawn nodded, and tried not to be too surprised when Micah put his arm under her legs and stood up with her. She was never going to get used to this.
And I shouldn't be supposed to, Dawn told herself. They're not my family.
She sniffled.
"Shh," Micah soothed, rubbing circles on her back. Without thinking about it, Dawn threw her arms around his neck and hung on tight. "You're safe, it's okay."
"I know," Dawn said into Micah's neck.
"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" he asked, sitting down on the couch.
Dawn sniffled again and wriggled around until she was on the couch beside Micah. "No."
"Okay."
Looking at him out of the corner of her eye, Dawn frowned. "Really?"
"Yes, really. You don't have to talk if you don't want to."
"Oh." Dawn thought about that for a minute. "But if I wanted to, you'd listen?"
"Of course."
"But why? You listen to people all day at work, and then here you listen to Anita all the time. Why do you want to listen to me?"
Micah shifted around until he was looking at Dawn. "I like to listen to people, and I like you," he said.
Dawn stared at him, trying to figure out if he was lying. She couldn't tell. "Buffy didn't really have time to listen to me," Dawn said after a minute. Her gaze dropped to the hem of her blue skirt. "She was really busy." To Dawn's horror, her voice cracked.
"It must have been hard," Micah said. "On both you and her, after your mother died."
Dawn pinched a fold of the skirt and flicked at it with her thumbnail. "I guess. There was all this other stuff going on and Buffy didn't have enough time." Time to stop Glory, to save the world, to save Dawn...
No. Dawn jumped off the couch and walked over to the window, trying to rip that thought right out of her head. It wasn't Buffy's fault that she hadn't been able to save Dawn before they got to the tower. She'd been there in the end. When it was too late.
Just like Anita had gotten home the previous night when it was too late to save Dawn from the vampire. Or it would have been, if the vampire had been hungry.
Rearing back, Dawn kicked the leg of the armchair. It didn't even move the chair an inch. Frustrated, she tried again. Nothing. It was like she wasn't even there.
Like she'd been made from nothing into the shape of a girl, a little flesh Pinocchio that hurt everyone around her.
Micah pulled her back before she could kick the chair again. "Stop it," he ordered, picking Dawn up. "You're going to hurt yourself if you keep doing that."
"So what?" Dawn wasn't crying now. A painful lump had settled in her throat, and she didn't know how to get rid of it. "Doesn't matter."
Micah deposited Dawn on the couch, then knelt on the ground so he could look her in the eye. "It does matter. It matters a whole lot, and no one's allowed to tell you differently." His eyes were bright and almost yellow, sort of like a vampy Spike. The tiny sense of familiar was enough to ground Dawn. "If you're frustrated and angry, that's okay. You can tell and scream all you want. But you shouldn't hit or kick things, you might hurt yourself."
Yelling never made it better, but Dawn was too tired to explain that to Micah. She looked down at her hands, stupid baby hands. "You don't have to talk to me like I'm a little kid," she said crossly.
Micah was quiet for a minute. "Maybe you're right," he finally said.
"I am?" Dawn asked, sneaking a peek at him.
"You are." Micah's face was so serious. "Can I ask you some questions, then, person to person?"
Dawn sat up straight and tried to look adult. "Okay."
"It's about last night."
Dawn folded her hands, not wincing as she accidentally pressed her fingers against her healing wrist. "That's fine. I'm not, like, traumatized or anything." She cast a glare in the direction of the kitchen. "Or messed up."
"Hey." Micah touched Dawn's foot, drew her attention back.
"Sorry."
"No, you're not." Micah's smile told her it was okay. "Last night. When you went downstairs, why didn't you go to Nathaniel right away?"
Dawn shrugged. "At first I thought he was sleeping and didn't want to wake him up."
"But after you saw Damian? Why didn't you go to Nathaniel then?"
Dawn's fingers curled around her wrist. "I thought he was dead," she whispered, pushing down the memory of seeing Mom lying dead in the morgue. "If he was dead, then if I went to him the vampire could eat me faster. So I left him there and I didn't check."
"Why would you check?"
"Because if he wasn't dead and I didn't try to wake him up then the vampire would have eaten him and it'd be because I was too scared to save him." The words kept spilling out of Dawn's mouth and she didn't know how to stop. She wanted to think she wasn't a coward, but what could she be but a coward, when she tried to save her own skin over helping a friend?
Micah took hold of her hands and gently but firmly pried her fingers off her wrist. There were tiny red marks on her skin where she'd been gripping her arm too hard. "So you made a decision, a very hard decision."
Dawn shook her head. "You don't get it!" she exclaimed. "It was a decision based on being scared! Decisions should be based on reasoned thought and rational logic!" It sounded like something Giles would have said at some point, but Dawn didn't want to think of Giles and what he'd think of her for letting Nathaniel sleep while she hid from the vampire in the house.
"Sometimes, you don't have a choice," Micah said. "Sometimes you have to make a decision when you're so scared that you can taste it. Sometimes it's the wrong decision, but there's nothing you can do."
A flash of memory, of pain and darkness and despair, swept past Dawn, too fast for her to catch it. "Did you have to do something like that?" she asked in a tiny voice. "Make a choice?"
There was no mistaking the pain in Micah's eyes. "Yes."
Dawn crawled to the edge of the couch and gave Micah a hug. "I'm sorry," she whispered, wishing that would make it better. Buffy had to make decisions like that, and Dawn had seen how it ate away at her soul.
"Thanks." Micah hugged Dawn back, bear-hug-tight for an instant, then lifted her back to the couch. "You did the right thing, Dawn, to protect yourself."
"But Anita said the vampire wouldn't hurt me," Dawn said with a frown.
"Damian won't. But that's not the point," Micah said. "I know you're young, but you've been through a lot of stuff, so I think you'll understand what I mean. You need to make sure you can protect yourself."
"But Nathaniel--"
"Nathaniel is a wereleopard. If there had been a stranger in the house, he'd have woken up. Same with me, or Anita. No one's getting in here who can hurt you."
Dawn breathed out shakily. "I thought you were supposed to tell me that someone will always be around to protect me."
"Yeah, I probably am." Micah smiled wryly. "And Anita's probably going to kill me for saying this stuff to you."
"She shouldn't," Dawn said, scowling. "She's the one who lets stupid vampires in the house."
"Dawn, Damian won't hurt you. None of the vampires who can come in the house will hurt you."
A tendril of worry snaked its way through Dawn's stomach, a vague terrifying fear of something she couldn't put her finger on. "I don't want to talk about this anymore," she said quickly. "Can we talk about other stuff?"
"If you want," Micah said, then hesitated. He turned his head a moment before Nathaniel appeared in the doorway.
"Are you leaving?" Dawn squeaked, taking in the gym bag in Nathaniel's hand. She hopped off the couch and ran across the room. "Where are you going? Are you coming back?"
Nathaniel knelt down. "I was going to go to the fitness center with Jason, and of course I'm coming back," he said, glancing over Dawn's shoulder to Micah. "Is that okay?"
"Of course it is," Micah said. "What do you think, Dawn?"
Why did it matter what Dawn thought? Still, she shrugged as if she didn't care. "Why do you have to go to the gym?"
"For work."
In spite of herself, Dawn was curious. Why would a stripper have to go to the gym? "How often do you have to go?"
"Usually six times a week." Nathaniel didn't resist as Dawn lifted up his arm and pushed back the sleeve of his t-shirt. "Jason doesn't like to go to the gym alone, so we go together."
"Uh huh." Dawn poked a finger into Nathaniel's arm. "Make a muscle."
Nathaniel obliged, flexing his bicep.
"Cool." Dawn let go of Nathaniel's arm. "Hey, do you have to work out with more weight because you're a lycanthrope?"
Nathaniel frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Because you're so strong. Do you have to bench-press small cars? Can you bench-press a car?"
"You're right, Dawn, lycanthropes do need to lift more weight than humans to get a good workout, but not as much as a car," Micah explained.
Nathaniel was still staring at Dawn, confused. Dawn started to worry. Was it okay she'd asked that?
"It was a good question," Micah added. He put his hand on Dawn's shoulder. "You always have good questions."
A surge of pride washed through Dawn, that she had a Nimir-raj who would answer a child's questions and be to supportive, not like all the foster homes that she'd been in--
Dawn took a step back, shaking her head hard. Those weren't her thoughts and she knew it. Concentrating, she pushed the thoughts out of her head. Why was it easier for her to read Nathaniel's thoughts and not Micah's? This whole stupid telepathy thing was just that -- stupid and dumb.
She opened her eyes to Nathaniel. "Have a good work-out," she said. "See you later."
Nathaniel tried to smile, but the expression never made it to his eyes. "Have fun with Micah and Anita."
Dawn managed to not scowl at Anita's name.
As the front door closed behind Nathaniel, Micah looked at Dawn. "What do you want to do today?"
"I don't know."
"Do you want to play in the snow?"
The memory of how cold she'd been the night before sent a shiver up Dawn's spine. "No."
"Well, it's up to you. Whatever you want to do today, we can do that."
All Dawn wanted was to find a way to go home to Buffy, but she couldn't ask Micah for books to research traveling to other dimensions. They'd lock up her in a mental hospital, like Mom and Dad had done to Buffy before Sunnydale. "Don't you have to go to work?" Dawn asked, trying to stall.
"Not today. I asked someone to cover my shift."
"Why? Because of last night?"
Micah propped his chin up on his hand. "A little. But also because I wanted to spend some time with you and Anita."
"Oh." Dawn didn't know what she was supposed to say. In all her experience, she'd never know a guy who wanted to spend time with her if there wasn't something in it for them. Dad was always working before the divorce, Giles had to be there for Buffy, Riley was only there for Buffy, Spike was only there for Buffy... Dawn was beginning to sense a theme. But then, Micah had said he wanted to spend the day with Anita too. That made more sense. Swallowing down the sense of disappointment, that no one wanted to spend time with just her, Dawn bit her lower lip. "Maybe..."
"Yes?"
Dawn tried to tell herself that if he said no, it'd be okay. "Is there a zoo in St. Louis?"
"Yes, there is." Micah smiled. "Do you want to go to the zoo?"
Shyly, Dawn nodded. "Can we? Buffy never let me go to the zoo in Sunnydale."
"Why not?"
"Evil hyenas," Dawn let slip. She clapped her hands over her mouth, feeling like she'd just messed up big-time. "I mean... hyena are like, evil-looking, and Buffy thought I'd be scared."
Micah blinked. "Are you scared of hyenas?"
"No way!" Which was true. She'd never been possessed by evil hyenas. "Or bunnies."
Micah let that one go. "How about we go tell Anita we're going to the zoo?"
"Do you think she'll want to go?"
"I think she will." Micah leaned closer. "Can I tell you something?" Dawn nodded. "Anita did her college degree in biology. She loves the zoo."
In spite of herself, Dawn couldn't quite hold onto her irritation at Anita. "Cool."
~~~
Dawn was chewing on the tuna sandwich Micah made to replace her soggy breakfast when Anita's cell phone rang. With a muttered curse, Anita handed the phone to Micah and kept driving.
"Anita's phone," Micah said into the receiver. "Hi, Miss Wendell."
Dawn swallowed quickly. Miss Wendell, the social worker? What did she want?
"Anita's driving right now," Micah continued. "Yes, she's with us. Has something... Okay." Micah turned to look in the backseat. "Sure, you can talk to her." He held the phone out to Dawn. "Miss Wendell wants to talk to you."
Dawn held her hands up. "I'm covered in mayonnaise." She waggled her fingers at him.
Micah put the phone back to his ear. "One second, please." He undid his seatbelt and leaned over the seats to wipe Dawn's hands with a napkin. "Here you go, Dawn."
No longer covered in goop, Dawn lifted the cell phone to her ear. "Hello?"
"Dawn, hello. It's Miss Wendell, the social worker. We met two days ago?"
Dawn rolled her eyes. "I remember you. How are you?"
"I'm... fine. Dawn, how are you doing?"
There was no way Dawn was telling the social worker about the vampire incident. "I'm good. We're going to the zoo. Micah's taking the day off to go with me and Anita to the zoo and we're going to look at the animals." What else would a well-adjusted five-year-old child say to a social worker? "I've got nice winter clothing too, and a jacket with a bow."
Micah gave her a look over the seats.
"That's good," Miss Wendell said. "Do you like staying with Anita and Micah?"
"Yes," Dawn said immediately. "Micah let me help make sandwiches, and me and Nathaniel made cookies yesterday." Dawn was aware that she was channeling Nathaniel's inner foster child, where everything was a worry about food and warmth, but she couldn't help herself. "Everyone's really nice."
"That's good," Miss Wendell said quietly. "I'm glad to hear you so happy."
Just in time, Dawn bit back a snappy comment. She wasn't going to talk about the vampires she'd met, or the thing with the knife, or Richard's little hissy fit, or how much she missed Buffy. "Yeah."
"May I speak with Micah again?"
"Okay." Dawn held the phone out. "Here."
While Micah spoke quietly with the social worker, Dawn went back to her sandwich. Why had Miss Wendell called? Maybe she'd gone past the house and everyone was gone. Suddenly, Dawn was very glad that Nathaniel had put the knife back in the kitchen.
"What was that about?" Anita asked when the call ended, bringing Dawn out of her thoughts.
"She wanted to tell me they haven't found a permanent placement for Dawn yet," Micah said. Dawn tried to ignore his words, the nauseating fluttering in the pit of her stomach. Micah didn't sound too upset that Dawn got to stay. "She also wanted to check in on Dawn."
"Right," Anita scoffed, gripping the steering wheel tight. "More like check up on us."
Dawn kicked the back of Anita's seat. "Stop thinking the worst of everyone," she said. "She just asked if I was okay. You ask me that all the time."
"That's different."
"You know, if you didn't want to spend time with me, you didn't have to," Dawn continued.
Luckily, they were stopped at a red light, because Anita turned around to give Dawn a confused look. "What do you mean?"
Dawn gripped her sandwich hard. "Nothing."
"Dawn--"
"It's nothing." Suddenly, Dawn wasn't hungry anymore. The food in her stomach was like a lead ball, cold and dragging her down. It was the same feeling Dawn had with Buffy, when Buffy was too busy saving the world to spend time with Dawn.
"That's so not it!" Honking behind them made Anita look back at the road. "Dawn, I want to spend time with you."
"Yeah, right."
Anita took a deep breath. "If I didn't want to spend time with you, I wouldn't be here."
"You're only here because Micah wanted you here." Dawn felt the lump in her stomach flop around like a live fish.
"That is not true." Anita's voice was fragile, making Dawn feel like the worst person in the world. "I do a lot of things Micah doesn't want me to do."
"Anita," Micah chided. "Dawn, Anita means that she is here because she wants to be, not because anyone's making her do things. She's very stubborn that way."
Dawn stared at her sandwich, like it was a crystal ball that would give her answers.
"We're almost to the zoo," Anita said. "How about we spend some time there and then see what we feel like?"
"Fine." Dawn ripped a tiny shred of crust off the sandwich and stuck it in her mouth so she wouldn't have to talk. Everything that came out of her mouth just seemed to make things worse, anyway.
~~~~
In spite of the mess she kept making with Anita, the zoo was really very cool. Anita and Micah took her to see the tigers and camels and the bears, and they went for a ride on the train, Anita making little snarky comments under her breath that made Dawn giggle.
Dawn should have know it would be too good to last. After going through the bird exhibit, which was quiet and boring, Dawn dragged Micah and Anita into the direction of a large, modern building. She didn't know what was inside, but it had to be less boring than birds, right?
Now, staring at the huge cobra behind the glass, Dawn tried very hard not to freak out. It had been her idea to come in here, but all she wanted to do was start screaming. The memory of the giant Snake-Man that had been after her in the Magic Box was so close she could almost touch it, the big black eyes, the fangs almost a foot long, the huge hood of the snake...
Then Anita was lifting her up and carrying her out of the building. Dawn could only cling to Anita for dear life. She was shaking and cold and sick to her stomach, and in that moment she wanted nothing more than to forget everything she'd ever known.
"Shh," Anita said, walking back and forth with Dawn in her arms. "The snakes can't hurt you. It's cold outside and snakes are all sleeping now." Anita put her hand on Dawn's head, holding her safe. "Micah can smell any snake a mile away. You're safe."
"'S'not it," Dawn whispered.
"Can you tell us what's wrong?" Micah asked. Dawn lifted her head to see Micah standing right beside Anita.
Dawn sniffed hard. "I'm not supposed to talk about it," she said. It was like all the other stuff from her life, with vampires and Slayers and hell-goddesses.
"You can tell us anything," Anita said firmly.
More than anything, Dawn wanted to tell Anita what was going on. But how could she, when there was no way Anita would believe her?
"Sometimes things are less scary when you talk about them," Micah added.
"Maybe," Dawn whispered. She gripped Anita's jacket hard. "Last year, a snake came after me. It was really big, and had big fangs, and a big hood."
"A cobra?" Anita asked.
Dawn nodded. "It was so big, taller than you."
"What happened?" Micah questioned.
"Buffy chased it away and killed it." Dawn leaned back into Anita's shoulder. "But that doesn't make it any better."
Anita held Dawn tight. "You're safe from snakes. Nothing is going to get you."
Eyes burning, Dawn refused to cry. She wasn't a baby that cried at everything. Buffy never cried when she was scared, and Dawn was willing to bet Anita didn't, either.
"You know what?" Micah asked. Dawn looked up at him. "Sometimes, when you're scared, or lonely, it's okay to let others know. And it's okay to cry." He smiled at her. "Tears are nature's way of helping us cope."
"I thought they were nature's way of making sure our eyeballs didn't stick to the insides of our eye sockets," Dawn countered.
Anita shuddered. "Gross."
"You raise zombies, why is that gross?" Dawn asked, grateful for a change of topic. The more time she spent away from snakes, the better she felt. Maybe Micah was right about talking things through. And maybe denial was just a river in Egypt.
"Dawn," Micah said. "We're here for you, if you need us."
Dawn looked from Micah to Anita. "Really?"
"Of course," Micah said.
Anita nodded and smiled, but Dawn knew that the tiny sense of doubt and loss wasn't coming from Micah or herself. And that only left one person.
Dawn swallowed her tears down. If Anita didn't really want her, that was okay, she told herself. Anita wasn't Buffy.
~~~
"I still don't see why Micah can't come in with us," Dawn complained. She held tight to Anita's hand as they wound their way into the children's petting zoo.
"Because the animals can sense the leopard in him, and they freak out," Anita explained. "It's better for everyone if he waits outside."
"So it wasn't just that he wanted to check his voicemail?"
Anita's hand tightened around Dawn's palm. "No." Her voice had an impressive growl to it.
"Micah works too hard," Dawn said, pressing tighter to Anita. The place wasn't too full, but everyone seemed so big, so unlike Sunnydale. Even the children seemed huge.
"Yes, he does," Anita agreed. "What do you want to see first?"
"I don't know." Now that they were around so many people in a crowded space, anxiety pressed in on Dawn. "Maybe we should go."
Anita picked Dawn up and carried her over to the wall. "Can you feel all the people in here?" Anita asked quietly. "Nathaniel said you were the same way in the supermarket the other day."
Dawn concentrated on breathing evenly. "I think so."
Anita looked so concerned, Dawn wanted to lie to her and tell her it would be okay.
"I've got an idea," Anita said quietly. "How would you like to try blocking what's happening?"
"Okay."
Anita pushed a strand of hair out of Dawn's eyes. "Can you think of something that makes you feel comfortable and safe? A place?"
Dawn thought about that. No place had ever really seemed safe, not the house in Sunnydale, not her room. The only time she felt in control of her life was when she was writing in her journal. Maybe that would work. "I think so."
"Good." Anita shifted Dawn up higher in her arms. "Now, concentrate on being in that place, all alone, and being safe there. Can you do that?"
Dawn closed her eyes and imagined herself writing in her journal, putting all her fears down on paper and leaving them there. Gradually, the panic lifted, as Dawn put it all on those imaginary pages. When her panic was far enough away that she could breathe again, Dawn opened her eyes. "I think it may have worked."
"Good." There was a wealth of relief on Anita's face. "Good. Do you want to see the animals now?"
"Okay." Dawn wiggled until Anita put her down, then she caught Anita's hand and dragged her over to the baby bunny pen. They stood watching for a minute, then Dawn looked up at Anita. "Do you like bunnies?"
"I do." Anita knelt down, and put her hand on Dawn's back. "Do you want to know a cool thing about bunnies?"
"Uh huh."
"Well, bunnies partly regulate their temperature through their ears..."
~~~
Nathaniel met them at the front door to the house. The sun had set on the drive back, and even though it had been an exciting day and she was hungry for dinner, Dawn had barely been able to keep her eyes open. But when she saw Nathaniel, shoulders tense, she woke up all the way.
"Damian wants to apologize for scaring Dawn," Nathaniel said as soon as Anita closed the door behind her.
"What?" Anita demanded. "What on earth--"
"Can I meet him?" Dawn interrupted, tugging on Anita's sleeve. "Can I meet the vampire?"
"No," Anita said. Her jaw was clenched and she looked mad. "There is to be no meeting of vampires."
"But I got to meet Jean-Claude, and you said Damian's not going to hurt me, so why not?" Dawn demanded.
"Because I said so."
Dawn put her hands on her hips. "That's the worst reason ever!"
"Anita," Micah interrupted. "Dawn's right, it might help her deal with what happened last night if she were to meet Damian."
"See?" Dawn said, ignoring how Micah still apparently thought she needed 'help'. "Please?" She stuck out her lower lip into a pout. "With sugar on top?"
"For crying out loud," Anita said. She looked down the hall. "Wait here, I'm going to go talk to him first."
Dawn waited until Anita vanished around the corner, then she grabbed Nathaniel's hand. "Is he mad?"
"Is who mad?"
"The vampire!"
"No, he's not. He was worried that he'd scared you."
"He didn't scare--" Dawn cut herself off. He had scared her, and everyone knew it, so she changed topic. "Is he scary? Like a big bad? Or is he just a little bad?"
At a loss, Nathaniel looked at Micah.
"Damian's not a 'bad' guy, Dawn," Micah explained. "There are some good vampires, and some bad vampires."
That she understood. Most Sunnydale vampires were bad, but Angel was good, and Spike wasn't so bad anymore. "So Damian's good?"
"Yes."
"And he won't eat me he if gets hungry?"
"No."
"What does he eat?" Dawn asked. "Pig's blood?"
"That is disgusting," came a deep voice from down the hall.
Dawn whirled around to see the big vampire close, looming behind Anita, and she bit down an urge to run. Anita and Micah and Nathaniel were there, and they had said the vampire was safe. "Then what do you eat? Do you kill people?"
"I do not kill people."
The more she looked at the vampire, the more Dawn realized that he appeared uneasy. She also realized that she couldn't sense a single thing off him. Weird. "But if you don't eat pig's blood, and you don't kill people, how do you eat?"
"A vampire does not need to kill to feed," Damian said. He raised an eyebrow at her. "An adult human has more than enough blood to spare a pint."
"What about a kid?" Dawn asked. "How much blood do they have?" She'd had this conversation with Spike once, about how much blood different people had. It was strange to be having it with another vampire.
The vampire's expression wiped clean. "The human laws prevent vampires from feeding on anyone under the age of eighteen, willing or not."
"Christ, Damian, are you trying to freak her out?" Anita demanded. "Dawn, vampires don't feed on children. Ever."
Dawn wrinkled her nose at Anita. "Do all vampires obey human laws? No. They're vampires. They are like all vampirey and creepy and stuff."
"Regardless, vampires must obey their Master," Damian said over Anita's head. "The Masters in this land have declared that human laws are to be followed. As such, we do not harm children."
"What if you do?" Dawn asked. "Not Damian you, but generic lurky vampire you?"
"Then the human laws have decreed that the vampire in question be executed," Damian said with grim finality. "By the human Executioner."
Dawn's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. They had something like a Slayer in this world? "Who's that?" she demanded. Maybe a Slayer would know how to get Dawn home--
"Me," Anita said softly. She refused to look at Dawn. "I'm the Executioner." She tried to smile, and failed miserably.
Dawn's mouth went dry. Now, she finally understood why she felt so safe with Anita, why she'd been dropped into this world at Anita's feet.
In this world, Anita was the Slayer.
... to be continued
Dawning Light
A Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Anita Blake crossover
Chapter Seven: Through The Glass
by mhalachaiswords
Summary: Dawn fell from Glory's tower and into the portal. Now she's all alone and scared... but sometimes family comes from the strangest places.
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. Anita Blake belongs to Laurell K. Hamilton. No profit has been made from this fic, and the only benefit to me is personal satisfaction and the creative process. I hope you enjoy.
Rating: PG
Words: 5,205
Spoilers: So post-Danse Macabre it hurts.
Note: A response to the Mommy Anita challenge on TTH. More character development for Dawn. And we all know that never ends well.
~~~~~
"She's not eating."
Dawn stirred her spoon around in the unappetizing bowl of porridge and tried very hard not to listen to Anita and Micah talking out in the hall.
"I know she's not eating, Anita. She doesn't have to eat if she's not hungry."
"Micah--"
"She's been through a lot, and we're not going to make food into an issue with her."
Anita's grumble was pointed. "She won't talk to me."
Micah sighed. "She had a rough night. Give her some time, okay?"
"But what if she represses and gets more messed up?"
That was it. Dawn slapped her spoon on the table and stormed out into the hallway. "I'm not messed up!" Dawn exclaimed. "Don't say that!"
Anita tried to reach out for Dawn, but Dawn shoved her away. Sad guilt anxiety guilt pushed at Dawn's head, pushed her until she hit the wall.
"Enough." Micah's calm voice, low enough to sound like a kitty-cat growl, drove the feelings away into dust. "Dawn, Anita didn't mean what you thought she meant."
"She said I was messed up!" Dawn leaned against Micah's chest, letting him hug her.
"I didn't mean that!"
"Then don't say things you don't mean!"
"I said enough, you two," Micah said. "Anita, maybe you can give us a minute?"
Anita glared at Micah. If Dawn had cared, then the underlying hurt on Anita's face would have made her feel bad. If she cared about what Anita thought, which she so didn't. Without another word, Anita whirled on her heel and marched into the kitchen.
Dawn knew she should let go of Micah. He wasn't her father; he wasn't anything to her. Rather, she wasn't anything to him, him or Anita. If she was, they wouldn't have let a vampire in the house the previous night to try and eat her.
But there was something about Micah that reminded Dawn so much of Oz, and Dawn found that she couldn't let go.
"Do you want to go into the living room?" Micah asked after a minute. Dawn nodded, and tried not to be too surprised when Micah put his arm under her legs and stood up with her. She was never going to get used to this.
And I shouldn't be supposed to, Dawn told herself. They're not my family.
She sniffled.
"Shh," Micah soothed, rubbing circles on her back. Without thinking about it, Dawn threw her arms around his neck and hung on tight. "You're safe, it's okay."
"I know," Dawn said into Micah's neck.
"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" he asked, sitting down on the couch.
Dawn sniffled again and wriggled around until she was on the couch beside Micah. "No."
"Okay."
Looking at him out of the corner of her eye, Dawn frowned. "Really?"
"Yes, really. You don't have to talk if you don't want to."
"Oh." Dawn thought about that for a minute. "But if I wanted to, you'd listen?"
"Of course."
"But why? You listen to people all day at work, and then here you listen to Anita all the time. Why do you want to listen to me?"
Micah shifted around until he was looking at Dawn. "I like to listen to people, and I like you," he said.
Dawn stared at him, trying to figure out if he was lying. She couldn't tell. "Buffy didn't really have time to listen to me," Dawn said after a minute. Her gaze dropped to the hem of her blue skirt. "She was really busy." To Dawn's horror, her voice cracked.
"It must have been hard," Micah said. "On both you and her, after your mother died."
Dawn pinched a fold of the skirt and flicked at it with her thumbnail. "I guess. There was all this other stuff going on and Buffy didn't have enough time." Time to stop Glory, to save the world, to save Dawn...
No. Dawn jumped off the couch and walked over to the window, trying to rip that thought right out of her head. It wasn't Buffy's fault that she hadn't been able to save Dawn before they got to the tower. She'd been there in the end. When it was too late.
Just like Anita had gotten home the previous night when it was too late to save Dawn from the vampire. Or it would have been, if the vampire had been hungry.
Rearing back, Dawn kicked the leg of the armchair. It didn't even move the chair an inch. Frustrated, she tried again. Nothing. It was like she wasn't even there.
Like she'd been made from nothing into the shape of a girl, a little flesh Pinocchio that hurt everyone around her.
Micah pulled her back before she could kick the chair again. "Stop it," he ordered, picking Dawn up. "You're going to hurt yourself if you keep doing that."
"So what?" Dawn wasn't crying now. A painful lump had settled in her throat, and she didn't know how to get rid of it. "Doesn't matter."
Micah deposited Dawn on the couch, then knelt on the ground so he could look her in the eye. "It does matter. It matters a whole lot, and no one's allowed to tell you differently." His eyes were bright and almost yellow, sort of like a vampy Spike. The tiny sense of familiar was enough to ground Dawn. "If you're frustrated and angry, that's okay. You can tell and scream all you want. But you shouldn't hit or kick things, you might hurt yourself."
Yelling never made it better, but Dawn was too tired to explain that to Micah. She looked down at her hands, stupid baby hands. "You don't have to talk to me like I'm a little kid," she said crossly.
Micah was quiet for a minute. "Maybe you're right," he finally said.
"I am?" Dawn asked, sneaking a peek at him.
"You are." Micah's face was so serious. "Can I ask you some questions, then, person to person?"
Dawn sat up straight and tried to look adult. "Okay."
"It's about last night."
Dawn folded her hands, not wincing as she accidentally pressed her fingers against her healing wrist. "That's fine. I'm not, like, traumatized or anything." She cast a glare in the direction of the kitchen. "Or messed up."
"Hey." Micah touched Dawn's foot, drew her attention back.
"Sorry."
"No, you're not." Micah's smile told her it was okay. "Last night. When you went downstairs, why didn't you go to Nathaniel right away?"
Dawn shrugged. "At first I thought he was sleeping and didn't want to wake him up."
"But after you saw Damian? Why didn't you go to Nathaniel then?"
Dawn's fingers curled around her wrist. "I thought he was dead," she whispered, pushing down the memory of seeing Mom lying dead in the morgue. "If he was dead, then if I went to him the vampire could eat me faster. So I left him there and I didn't check."
"Why would you check?"
"Because if he wasn't dead and I didn't try to wake him up then the vampire would have eaten him and it'd be because I was too scared to save him." The words kept spilling out of Dawn's mouth and she didn't know how to stop. She wanted to think she wasn't a coward, but what could she be but a coward, when she tried to save her own skin over helping a friend?
Micah took hold of her hands and gently but firmly pried her fingers off her wrist. There were tiny red marks on her skin where she'd been gripping her arm too hard. "So you made a decision, a very hard decision."
Dawn shook her head. "You don't get it!" she exclaimed. "It was a decision based on being scared! Decisions should be based on reasoned thought and rational logic!" It sounded like something Giles would have said at some point, but Dawn didn't want to think of Giles and what he'd think of her for letting Nathaniel sleep while she hid from the vampire in the house.
"Sometimes, you don't have a choice," Micah said. "Sometimes you have to make a decision when you're so scared that you can taste it. Sometimes it's the wrong decision, but there's nothing you can do."
A flash of memory, of pain and darkness and despair, swept past Dawn, too fast for her to catch it. "Did you have to do something like that?" she asked in a tiny voice. "Make a choice?"
There was no mistaking the pain in Micah's eyes. "Yes."
Dawn crawled to the edge of the couch and gave Micah a hug. "I'm sorry," she whispered, wishing that would make it better. Buffy had to make decisions like that, and Dawn had seen how it ate away at her soul.
"Thanks." Micah hugged Dawn back, bear-hug-tight for an instant, then lifted her back to the couch. "You did the right thing, Dawn, to protect yourself."
"But Anita said the vampire wouldn't hurt me," Dawn said with a frown.
"Damian won't. But that's not the point," Micah said. "I know you're young, but you've been through a lot of stuff, so I think you'll understand what I mean. You need to make sure you can protect yourself."
"But Nathaniel--"
"Nathaniel is a wereleopard. If there had been a stranger in the house, he'd have woken up. Same with me, or Anita. No one's getting in here who can hurt you."
Dawn breathed out shakily. "I thought you were supposed to tell me that someone will always be around to protect me."
"Yeah, I probably am." Micah smiled wryly. "And Anita's probably going to kill me for saying this stuff to you."
"She shouldn't," Dawn said, scowling. "She's the one who lets stupid vampires in the house."
"Dawn, Damian won't hurt you. None of the vampires who can come in the house will hurt you."
A tendril of worry snaked its way through Dawn's stomach, a vague terrifying fear of something she couldn't put her finger on. "I don't want to talk about this anymore," she said quickly. "Can we talk about other stuff?"
"If you want," Micah said, then hesitated. He turned his head a moment before Nathaniel appeared in the doorway.
"Are you leaving?" Dawn squeaked, taking in the gym bag in Nathaniel's hand. She hopped off the couch and ran across the room. "Where are you going? Are you coming back?"
Nathaniel knelt down. "I was going to go to the fitness center with Jason, and of course I'm coming back," he said, glancing over Dawn's shoulder to Micah. "Is that okay?"
"Of course it is," Micah said. "What do you think, Dawn?"
Why did it matter what Dawn thought? Still, she shrugged as if she didn't care. "Why do you have to go to the gym?"
"For work."
In spite of herself, Dawn was curious. Why would a stripper have to go to the gym? "How often do you have to go?"
"Usually six times a week." Nathaniel didn't resist as Dawn lifted up his arm and pushed back the sleeve of his t-shirt. "Jason doesn't like to go to the gym alone, so we go together."
"Uh huh." Dawn poked a finger into Nathaniel's arm. "Make a muscle."
Nathaniel obliged, flexing his bicep.
"Cool." Dawn let go of Nathaniel's arm. "Hey, do you have to work out with more weight because you're a lycanthrope?"
Nathaniel frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Because you're so strong. Do you have to bench-press small cars? Can you bench-press a car?"
"You're right, Dawn, lycanthropes do need to lift more weight than humans to get a good workout, but not as much as a car," Micah explained.
Nathaniel was still staring at Dawn, confused. Dawn started to worry. Was it okay she'd asked that?
"It was a good question," Micah added. He put his hand on Dawn's shoulder. "You always have good questions."
A surge of pride washed through Dawn, that she had a Nimir-raj who would answer a child's questions and be to supportive, not like all the foster homes that she'd been in--
Dawn took a step back, shaking her head hard. Those weren't her thoughts and she knew it. Concentrating, she pushed the thoughts out of her head. Why was it easier for her to read Nathaniel's thoughts and not Micah's? This whole stupid telepathy thing was just that -- stupid and dumb.
She opened her eyes to Nathaniel. "Have a good work-out," she said. "See you later."
Nathaniel tried to smile, but the expression never made it to his eyes. "Have fun with Micah and Anita."
Dawn managed to not scowl at Anita's name.
As the front door closed behind Nathaniel, Micah looked at Dawn. "What do you want to do today?"
"I don't know."
"Do you want to play in the snow?"
The memory of how cold she'd been the night before sent a shiver up Dawn's spine. "No."
"Well, it's up to you. Whatever you want to do today, we can do that."
All Dawn wanted was to find a way to go home to Buffy, but she couldn't ask Micah for books to research traveling to other dimensions. They'd lock up her in a mental hospital, like Mom and Dad had done to Buffy before Sunnydale. "Don't you have to go to work?" Dawn asked, trying to stall.
"Not today. I asked someone to cover my shift."
"Why? Because of last night?"
Micah propped his chin up on his hand. "A little. But also because I wanted to spend some time with you and Anita."
"Oh." Dawn didn't know what she was supposed to say. In all her experience, she'd never know a guy who wanted to spend time with her if there wasn't something in it for them. Dad was always working before the divorce, Giles had to be there for Buffy, Riley was only there for Buffy, Spike was only there for Buffy... Dawn was beginning to sense a theme. But then, Micah had said he wanted to spend the day with Anita too. That made more sense. Swallowing down the sense of disappointment, that no one wanted to spend time with just her, Dawn bit her lower lip. "Maybe..."
"Yes?"
Dawn tried to tell herself that if he said no, it'd be okay. "Is there a zoo in St. Louis?"
"Yes, there is." Micah smiled. "Do you want to go to the zoo?"
Shyly, Dawn nodded. "Can we? Buffy never let me go to the zoo in Sunnydale."
"Why not?"
"Evil hyenas," Dawn let slip. She clapped her hands over her mouth, feeling like she'd just messed up big-time. "I mean... hyena are like, evil-looking, and Buffy thought I'd be scared."
Micah blinked. "Are you scared of hyenas?"
"No way!" Which was true. She'd never been possessed by evil hyenas. "Or bunnies."
Micah let that one go. "How about we go tell Anita we're going to the zoo?"
"Do you think she'll want to go?"
"I think she will." Micah leaned closer. "Can I tell you something?" Dawn nodded. "Anita did her college degree in biology. She loves the zoo."
In spite of herself, Dawn couldn't quite hold onto her irritation at Anita. "Cool."
~~~
Dawn was chewing on the tuna sandwich Micah made to replace her soggy breakfast when Anita's cell phone rang. With a muttered curse, Anita handed the phone to Micah and kept driving.
"Anita's phone," Micah said into the receiver. "Hi, Miss Wendell."
Dawn swallowed quickly. Miss Wendell, the social worker? What did she want?
"Anita's driving right now," Micah continued. "Yes, she's with us. Has something... Okay." Micah turned to look in the backseat. "Sure, you can talk to her." He held the phone out to Dawn. "Miss Wendell wants to talk to you."
Dawn held her hands up. "I'm covered in mayonnaise." She waggled her fingers at him.
Micah put the phone back to his ear. "One second, please." He undid his seatbelt and leaned over the seats to wipe Dawn's hands with a napkin. "Here you go, Dawn."
No longer covered in goop, Dawn lifted the cell phone to her ear. "Hello?"
"Dawn, hello. It's Miss Wendell, the social worker. We met two days ago?"
Dawn rolled her eyes. "I remember you. How are you?"
"I'm... fine. Dawn, how are you doing?"
There was no way Dawn was telling the social worker about the vampire incident. "I'm good. We're going to the zoo. Micah's taking the day off to go with me and Anita to the zoo and we're going to look at the animals." What else would a well-adjusted five-year-old child say to a social worker? "I've got nice winter clothing too, and a jacket with a bow."
Micah gave her a look over the seats.
"That's good," Miss Wendell said. "Do you like staying with Anita and Micah?"
"Yes," Dawn said immediately. "Micah let me help make sandwiches, and me and Nathaniel made cookies yesterday." Dawn was aware that she was channeling Nathaniel's inner foster child, where everything was a worry about food and warmth, but she couldn't help herself. "Everyone's really nice."
"That's good," Miss Wendell said quietly. "I'm glad to hear you so happy."
Just in time, Dawn bit back a snappy comment. She wasn't going to talk about the vampires she'd met, or the thing with the knife, or Richard's little hissy fit, or how much she missed Buffy. "Yeah."
"May I speak with Micah again?"
"Okay." Dawn held the phone out. "Here."
While Micah spoke quietly with the social worker, Dawn went back to her sandwich. Why had Miss Wendell called? Maybe she'd gone past the house and everyone was gone. Suddenly, Dawn was very glad that Nathaniel had put the knife back in the kitchen.
"What was that about?" Anita asked when the call ended, bringing Dawn out of her thoughts.
"She wanted to tell me they haven't found a permanent placement for Dawn yet," Micah said. Dawn tried to ignore his words, the nauseating fluttering in the pit of her stomach. Micah didn't sound too upset that Dawn got to stay. "She also wanted to check in on Dawn."
"Right," Anita scoffed, gripping the steering wheel tight. "More like check up on us."
Dawn kicked the back of Anita's seat. "Stop thinking the worst of everyone," she said. "She just asked if I was okay. You ask me that all the time."
"That's different."
"You know, if you didn't want to spend time with me, you didn't have to," Dawn continued.
Luckily, they were stopped at a red light, because Anita turned around to give Dawn a confused look. "What do you mean?"
Dawn gripped her sandwich hard. "Nothing."
"Dawn--"
"It's nothing." Suddenly, Dawn wasn't hungry anymore. The food in her stomach was like a lead ball, cold and dragging her down. It was the same feeling Dawn had with Buffy, when Buffy was too busy saving the world to spend time with Dawn.
"That's so not it!" Honking behind them made Anita look back at the road. "Dawn, I want to spend time with you."
"Yeah, right."
Anita took a deep breath. "If I didn't want to spend time with you, I wouldn't be here."
"You're only here because Micah wanted you here." Dawn felt the lump in her stomach flop around like a live fish.
"That is not true." Anita's voice was fragile, making Dawn feel like the worst person in the world. "I do a lot of things Micah doesn't want me to do."
"Anita," Micah chided. "Dawn, Anita means that she is here because she wants to be, not because anyone's making her do things. She's very stubborn that way."
Dawn stared at her sandwich, like it was a crystal ball that would give her answers.
"We're almost to the zoo," Anita said. "How about we spend some time there and then see what we feel like?"
"Fine." Dawn ripped a tiny shred of crust off the sandwich and stuck it in her mouth so she wouldn't have to talk. Everything that came out of her mouth just seemed to make things worse, anyway.
~~~~
In spite of the mess she kept making with Anita, the zoo was really very cool. Anita and Micah took her to see the tigers and camels and the bears, and they went for a ride on the train, Anita making little snarky comments under her breath that made Dawn giggle.
Dawn should have know it would be too good to last. After going through the bird exhibit, which was quiet and boring, Dawn dragged Micah and Anita into the direction of a large, modern building. She didn't know what was inside, but it had to be less boring than birds, right?
Now, staring at the huge cobra behind the glass, Dawn tried very hard not to freak out. It had been her idea to come in here, but all she wanted to do was start screaming. The memory of the giant Snake-Man that had been after her in the Magic Box was so close she could almost touch it, the big black eyes, the fangs almost a foot long, the huge hood of the snake...
Then Anita was lifting her up and carrying her out of the building. Dawn could only cling to Anita for dear life. She was shaking and cold and sick to her stomach, and in that moment she wanted nothing more than to forget everything she'd ever known.
"Shh," Anita said, walking back and forth with Dawn in her arms. "The snakes can't hurt you. It's cold outside and snakes are all sleeping now." Anita put her hand on Dawn's head, holding her safe. "Micah can smell any snake a mile away. You're safe."
"'S'not it," Dawn whispered.
"Can you tell us what's wrong?" Micah asked. Dawn lifted her head to see Micah standing right beside Anita.
Dawn sniffed hard. "I'm not supposed to talk about it," she said. It was like all the other stuff from her life, with vampires and Slayers and hell-goddesses.
"You can tell us anything," Anita said firmly.
More than anything, Dawn wanted to tell Anita what was going on. But how could she, when there was no way Anita would believe her?
"Sometimes things are less scary when you talk about them," Micah added.
"Maybe," Dawn whispered. She gripped Anita's jacket hard. "Last year, a snake came after me. It was really big, and had big fangs, and a big hood."
"A cobra?" Anita asked.
Dawn nodded. "It was so big, taller than you."
"What happened?" Micah questioned.
"Buffy chased it away and killed it." Dawn leaned back into Anita's shoulder. "But that doesn't make it any better."
Anita held Dawn tight. "You're safe from snakes. Nothing is going to get you."
Eyes burning, Dawn refused to cry. She wasn't a baby that cried at everything. Buffy never cried when she was scared, and Dawn was willing to bet Anita didn't, either.
"You know what?" Micah asked. Dawn looked up at him. "Sometimes, when you're scared, or lonely, it's okay to let others know. And it's okay to cry." He smiled at her. "Tears are nature's way of helping us cope."
"I thought they were nature's way of making sure our eyeballs didn't stick to the insides of our eye sockets," Dawn countered.
Anita shuddered. "Gross."
"You raise zombies, why is that gross?" Dawn asked, grateful for a change of topic. The more time she spent away from snakes, the better she felt. Maybe Micah was right about talking things through. And maybe denial was just a river in Egypt.
"Dawn," Micah said. "We're here for you, if you need us."
Dawn looked from Micah to Anita. "Really?"
"Of course," Micah said.
Anita nodded and smiled, but Dawn knew that the tiny sense of doubt and loss wasn't coming from Micah or herself. And that only left one person.
Dawn swallowed her tears down. If Anita didn't really want her, that was okay, she told herself. Anita wasn't Buffy.
~~~
"I still don't see why Micah can't come in with us," Dawn complained. She held tight to Anita's hand as they wound their way into the children's petting zoo.
"Because the animals can sense the leopard in him, and they freak out," Anita explained. "It's better for everyone if he waits outside."
"So it wasn't just that he wanted to check his voicemail?"
Anita's hand tightened around Dawn's palm. "No." Her voice had an impressive growl to it.
"Micah works too hard," Dawn said, pressing tighter to Anita. The place wasn't too full, but everyone seemed so big, so unlike Sunnydale. Even the children seemed huge.
"Yes, he does," Anita agreed. "What do you want to see first?"
"I don't know." Now that they were around so many people in a crowded space, anxiety pressed in on Dawn. "Maybe we should go."
Anita picked Dawn up and carried her over to the wall. "Can you feel all the people in here?" Anita asked quietly. "Nathaniel said you were the same way in the supermarket the other day."
Dawn concentrated on breathing evenly. "I think so."
Anita looked so concerned, Dawn wanted to lie to her and tell her it would be okay.
"I've got an idea," Anita said quietly. "How would you like to try blocking what's happening?"
"Okay."
Anita pushed a strand of hair out of Dawn's eyes. "Can you think of something that makes you feel comfortable and safe? A place?"
Dawn thought about that. No place had ever really seemed safe, not the house in Sunnydale, not her room. The only time she felt in control of her life was when she was writing in her journal. Maybe that would work. "I think so."
"Good." Anita shifted Dawn up higher in her arms. "Now, concentrate on being in that place, all alone, and being safe there. Can you do that?"
Dawn closed her eyes and imagined herself writing in her journal, putting all her fears down on paper and leaving them there. Gradually, the panic lifted, as Dawn put it all on those imaginary pages. When her panic was far enough away that she could breathe again, Dawn opened her eyes. "I think it may have worked."
"Good." There was a wealth of relief on Anita's face. "Good. Do you want to see the animals now?"
"Okay." Dawn wiggled until Anita put her down, then she caught Anita's hand and dragged her over to the baby bunny pen. They stood watching for a minute, then Dawn looked up at Anita. "Do you like bunnies?"
"I do." Anita knelt down, and put her hand on Dawn's back. "Do you want to know a cool thing about bunnies?"
"Uh huh."
"Well, bunnies partly regulate their temperature through their ears..."
~~~
Nathaniel met them at the front door to the house. The sun had set on the drive back, and even though it had been an exciting day and she was hungry for dinner, Dawn had barely been able to keep her eyes open. But when she saw Nathaniel, shoulders tense, she woke up all the way.
"Damian wants to apologize for scaring Dawn," Nathaniel said as soon as Anita closed the door behind her.
"What?" Anita demanded. "What on earth--"
"Can I meet him?" Dawn interrupted, tugging on Anita's sleeve. "Can I meet the vampire?"
"No," Anita said. Her jaw was clenched and she looked mad. "There is to be no meeting of vampires."
"But I got to meet Jean-Claude, and you said Damian's not going to hurt me, so why not?" Dawn demanded.
"Because I said so."
Dawn put her hands on her hips. "That's the worst reason ever!"
"Anita," Micah interrupted. "Dawn's right, it might help her deal with what happened last night if she were to meet Damian."
"See?" Dawn said, ignoring how Micah still apparently thought she needed 'help'. "Please?" She stuck out her lower lip into a pout. "With sugar on top?"
"For crying out loud," Anita said. She looked down the hall. "Wait here, I'm going to go talk to him first."
Dawn waited until Anita vanished around the corner, then she grabbed Nathaniel's hand. "Is he mad?"
"Is who mad?"
"The vampire!"
"No, he's not. He was worried that he'd scared you."
"He didn't scare--" Dawn cut herself off. He had scared her, and everyone knew it, so she changed topic. "Is he scary? Like a big bad? Or is he just a little bad?"
At a loss, Nathaniel looked at Micah.
"Damian's not a 'bad' guy, Dawn," Micah explained. "There are some good vampires, and some bad vampires."
That she understood. Most Sunnydale vampires were bad, but Angel was good, and Spike wasn't so bad anymore. "So Damian's good?"
"Yes."
"And he won't eat me he if gets hungry?"
"No."
"What does he eat?" Dawn asked. "Pig's blood?"
"That is disgusting," came a deep voice from down the hall.
Dawn whirled around to see the big vampire close, looming behind Anita, and she bit down an urge to run. Anita and Micah and Nathaniel were there, and they had said the vampire was safe. "Then what do you eat? Do you kill people?"
"I do not kill people."
The more she looked at the vampire, the more Dawn realized that he appeared uneasy. She also realized that she couldn't sense a single thing off him. Weird. "But if you don't eat pig's blood, and you don't kill people, how do you eat?"
"A vampire does not need to kill to feed," Damian said. He raised an eyebrow at her. "An adult human has more than enough blood to spare a pint."
"What about a kid?" Dawn asked. "How much blood do they have?" She'd had this conversation with Spike once, about how much blood different people had. It was strange to be having it with another vampire.
The vampire's expression wiped clean. "The human laws prevent vampires from feeding on anyone under the age of eighteen, willing or not."
"Christ, Damian, are you trying to freak her out?" Anita demanded. "Dawn, vampires don't feed on children. Ever."
Dawn wrinkled her nose at Anita. "Do all vampires obey human laws? No. They're vampires. They are like all vampirey and creepy and stuff."
"Regardless, vampires must obey their Master," Damian said over Anita's head. "The Masters in this land have declared that human laws are to be followed. As such, we do not harm children."
"What if you do?" Dawn asked. "Not Damian you, but generic lurky vampire you?"
"Then the human laws have decreed that the vampire in question be executed," Damian said with grim finality. "By the human Executioner."
Dawn's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. They had something like a Slayer in this world? "Who's that?" she demanded. Maybe a Slayer would know how to get Dawn home--
"Me," Anita said softly. She refused to look at Dawn. "I'm the Executioner." She tried to smile, and failed miserably.
Dawn's mouth went dry. Now, she finally understood why she felt so safe with Anita, why she'd been dropped into this world at Anita's feet.
In this world, Anita was the Slayer.
... to be continued