Summery: Dawn encounters Cordelia and Joyce

Disclaimer: The pixies tell me that I don’t own Buffy the vampire slayer. The pixies don’t lie.

Author’s note: There’s a little bit of Cordelia bashing here, be warned. Massive thanks to Bloodytearsoflife for the great betaing.

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Chapter 3: Mom

She suddenly had an urgent need to get up out of bed, as much as she wanted to stay in the warm soft cocoon she’d built in the massive king size bed. Xander was still asleep beside her, making what could be explained as cute noises as he slept. Dawn slipped on a t-shirt and headed to the bathroom, random thoughts fleeting through her head.

Xander didn’t go home last night. Where his parents worried? From what Dawn knew of Xander’s parents, they probably hadn’t noticed yet. The high school, however, would notice when Xander didn’t show up for school.

Her head turned towards a clock, finding there was still time before the school bell would ring. She just hoped that it had been set correctly. Coming from the bathroom she stalked towards the bed, uncertain as to just how she should wake up her bed buddy.

In the past she’d had a wide range of experiences with this sort of thing, but aside from the times when she’d actually been married or engaged to the men in question, she’d never given much thought to how they liked to be woken up and kicked out of her house. The seconds ticked down; time was wasting.

Throwing caution to the wind, she threw the curtains wide, casting a beam of light onto Xander’s face, and causing him to snuggle further into the covers. Next, she threw the covers aside, revealing Xander in all his glory. His rather aroused glory.

You don’t have time to go there, she reminded herself.

The memories she had of last night were dwell worthy. Sure, it had been his first time, something she was extremely proud of considering that she’d wrested that honour away from Faith, the ho slayer. Oh the bitter train was still on layover at the Dawn station. And sure, Xander had been nervous and tentative, but he’d been extremely enthusiastic, and Dawn was sure that he’d improve with time. By the time Anya came onto the scene…

“Crap!” she shouted into the room, startling awake the teen that lay in her bed.

“What!?” responded Xander, somewhat awake. He noticed that he was exposed to Dawn’s gaze and the open window and hastily covered himself up again. “What?”

“Nothing,” she muttered, sinking down onto the bed, her knees knocking together. “I’ve completely screwed up your life,” she continued with a wry smile. “You want to get some breakfast?”

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Across the table at the local McDonald’s, Xander was munching away on an egg McMuffin. Dawn toyed with her own, her thoughts more caught up in the ruining and the destroying rather than the processed fatty goodness that lay before her.

“So how did you destroy my life?” asked Xander as he swallowed another mouthful.

“Oh, you heard that did you?” Dawn asked with a sigh.

“'How could you ruin my life?' is the question I’m asking myself. I mean, you, gorgeous, completely out of my league, and with the…last night. Not seeing anything ruined here.”

“You don’t see the big picture, Xander.” Dawn fiddled with her straw for a moment. “I’m not supposed to be here, just me being here has ruined your life, and I didn’t mean for that to happen. Stop my life from happening, sure. Possibly making Angel dust in the wind, sure. Castrate Riley for hurting my sister, absolutely, but I never meant to ruin your life.”

“How about some context with that lump of huh?” he asked.

“Two words,” she started, standing up from the plastic chair. “Cordelia Chase. Let’s go, the bell is about to ring.”

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The two brunettes walked into the library with moments to spare. The three humans in the library looked up as they entered, each with their own expression and feeling towards the two tardy people.

“You!” seethed Buffy instantly. “You ran away!”

Dawn smiled a bit at her sister. “You tied me up, and I wasn’t supposed to run away? I told you I have a place to stay and frankly, chained up in the basement was not the way I wanted to spend my first night in Sunnydale in a thousand years.”

“A…a thousand years?” stammered Willow.

“I’m…from…the… future,” repeated Dawn slowly. “Will you quit trying to tie me up?” Dawn asked her sister.

“Quit telling me that Angel is wrong for me, and maybe I will,” noted Buffy, her voice cut off by the ringing of the first period bell.

Dawn watched Willow, Xander, and Buffy walk out of the room shaking her head.

“But Angel is all wrong for her,” the Key muttered.

“If you wish to convince Buffy of that, I suggest that you undertake another method of persuasion,” noted Giles.

Dawn laughed. “It takes two boyfriends and several apoloypses for her to realise there’s someone else better for her. I don’t think any method of persuasion will work. None that I can see anyway.” The library filled with silence for a moment before Dawn clapped her hands. “So, Glorificus. Let’s research.”

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Dawn threw down the book she held in her hand. “But where is she now?” Dawn asked to no one in particular.

The only one in the room, Giles, looked up from his own book and grimaced at her outburst.

“Perhaps a break is an order,” noted the watcher, putting down his own book and taking up a journal. “Shall we continue with the other side of our agreement?”

Just then the bell rang, signalling the end of the school day. If Dawn thought she had been saved by the bell, it was a fleeting thought. Soon, Xander, Willow, and Buffy all strode into the library, toting bags and homework. Xander placed himself next to her, his puppy dog eyes nearly making her laugh. Despite the disruption, Giles wanted to continue. He pressed the matter.

“Shall we begin with the events of significance to occur this year?” asked Giles, his pen poised over the journal.

“This year?” asked Dawn. “Let’s see, Thursday you have parent teacher night right?” She looked at the teens seated around the table, who nodded. “And you are in charge of that, aren’t you?” she asked, looking at Buffy.

“Yes, though Giles wants me to prepare for the Saint Vestimus thingy,” noted the slayer. “I just figure, if I don’t get kicked out of school on Thursday, I’ll worry about Saturday and Spike.”

“Ya, I’d totally worry about Thursday if I were you though,” mentioned Dawn. “Not that I have exact details or anything, it’s not like I was allowed to go. Got stuck at home with a babysitter. I heard about things later.”

Dawn leaned back in the wooden chair, satisfied that she’d been cryptic enough.

“What happened?” prompted Giles.

“Oh I can’t tell you, it’ll mess up stuff.”

“Giles make her tell!” whined Buffy.

The library doors swished open as Cordelia Chase strode in.

“Great,” muttered Dawn, standing up, Xander mimicking her movement. “Let’s just say that whatever happens on Parent Teacher night, it makes the cheerleader here spend the night in the closet with Willow. It’s a memorable night. Also, Buffy, I’d look up an actual recipe for lemonade.”

With that, Dawn strode out of the room, eager to be out of Cordelia’s presence. As the doors to the library swung behind her, she clenched her fists and tried to reign in her displeasure. There were reasons she wanted to keep Parent Teacher night the same this time around. Spike always looked fondly on her mom whacking him in the head with an axe. And it was after the botched battle that Spike killed the annoying one. If Dawn warned Buffy about what was going to happen, she might stake Spike! That was certainly not something she wanted to have happen. She’d already ruined Xander’s life, he was never going to meet Anya now, but Buffy and Spike could still get together with her help. She wasn’t going to mess that up.

She looked back at the still swinging doors and sighed. She knew exactly what they were doing; they were talking about her. She always hated when they did that. Always thinking they were doing things for her own good, when they were alive anyway.

Dawn shook out her frustrations, turned, and walked through the library doors once again, interrupting a conversation she really didn’t want to walk in on.

“What do you mean she’s not a demon? I mean, let’s look at Xander’s past romantic attachments,” noted Cordelia. “All I have to say is Bug Lady.”

Dawn shrugged. “Well, ya, he’s had his share of demons, but then I wouldn’t cast stones, Cordelia,” noted Dawn with a sneer. “And I’m not a demon. That’s more than I can say about some of the other people in the room,” she said, looking directly at Cordelia again.

With patented Cordelia denial, she almost snorted. “I’m not a freak, like some people. Fashioned challenged people.”

Dawn gasped. “I can’t believe you just said that!” the Key exclaimed, shocked. “Oh wait, I don’t care what you think. I’m older than dirt and been on the covers of more magazines than you ever will Cordy. Remember this moment when you are living in a roach infested apartment. ‘Kay?”

The group in the library stared shocked. Dawn rolled her eyes.

“Enough! Look, I’m not going to let you bully me into giving up info I don’t want to. Let’s just say that whatever happens this week, off limits, I have my own reasons for wanting Parent Teacher night to happen without interference from me.”

“It’s your reasons that are circumspect,” noted Giles.

“We don’t trust you,” explained Buffy.

“Ah ah,” piped up Xander. “I trust her.”

“That’s ‘cause you had smoochies,” intoned Willow bitterly. “I’m the only one not getting smoochies now. Well except Giles, but he doesn’t count.”

“Don’t worry Wills, you will,” added Dawn encouragingly.

“Other than giving Willow romantic hope for the future, is there anything else you can give to us, to prove you’re trustworthy?” asked Giles.

Dawn sank into a chair beside Xander and exhaled. She couldn’t think of a single thing that would prove anything. She knew all about them all, but that didn’t prove anything, except that she had knowledge.

“Maybe this was a mistake,” she muttered. “I can’t prove anything. I don’t have anything that would make you trust me. I’d be suspicious too, if I were you.”

“What if…” started Xander. “What if, she doesn’t tell us what happens on Thursday? What if she doesn’t even come near the school that night? What if she tells us what happens afterwards?” Xander tried to articulate.

“Her detail of the events would prove to us just how much of the future she knows?” asked Giles.

“That still doesn’t prove if she’s a demon or not,” mentioned Cordelia.

“I hate to admit it, but Cordelia’s right,” noted Buffy.

“It’s a start though, right?” begged Xander.

“Xander,” warned Willow.

“If that’s what you need,” Dawn breathed, raising herself up from her chair. “I’ll have my report to your house tonight,” she addressed Giles.

“You know where I live?” the watcher asked.

Dawn sent a sarcastic glance towards her former mentor.

“Yes, quite, you are from the future,” he answered.

“Glad that’s finally sunk in,” Dawn quipped.

“What is she going to do until tomorrow night?” asked Willow.

Buffy made to open her mouth, but Dawn cut her off. “Don’t even think about chaining me up in the basement again.”

“No, learned my lesson on that one,” Buffy muttered. “Plus my mom’s home.”

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There were some lessons that Buffy Summers had learned and there were some that she hadn’t quite gotten to yet. This would be the reason that Dawn found herself being dragged to 1630 Revello Drive yet again, this time with the guarantee of seeing Joyce Summers.

“How are you going to explain me?” Dawn asked, as Buffy led her by the hand towards the house.

“I thought I’d just wing it. Demon girl from the future probably wouldn’t sit too well with her,” admitted the slayer.

“No, it would probably be a one way trip back to the funny farm for you,” retorted Dawn, flippantly. She regretted it the moment it passed her lips.

Buffy spun around, mad as all hell and faced Dawn, stopping mid step. “How the hell did you know about that?” she nearly screamed.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have made a joke. I don’t think I ever really made a joke about it when you were alive, I don’t even remember talking about it.”

“How did you know?” Buffy seethed.

“I wish you people would stop asking me that question.”

“No one knows that. Not Willow, not Xander, not Giles,” Buffy continued on the subject.

“They don’t know yet, but in four years, you tell them.”

“Why would I do that?” the slayer asked, all quiet.

“’Cause something happens, demon, as usual. It makes you think you are back in there. It’s a little hard to keep things like that a secret when you’re hallucinating,” Dawn explained.

“I know my friends would keep a secret, how do you know?” asked Buffy pointedly.

“Oooh, ouch,” snarked the Key, raising her hand to her heart. “That hurt. You don’t think I could be one of your friends?”

“Are you saying in four years you are one of my friends?” asked Buffy.

“No, I’m not saying that at all. Not saying anything. Nope, not me.”

“Right, you’re mute girl. Let’s go home.” Buffy grabbed Dawn’s hand again and started dragging her along.

Ahead of them loomed her old house, complete with mom. This time she wasn’t getting out of it.

Buffy kept a firm grip on Dawn’s wrist just until they were safely inside the house.

“Buffy? Is that you?” came Joyce’s voice from the back of the house.

Dawn stood transfixed in the front hallway. Now that Buffy had let go of her arm, she was free to move. She just couldn’t.

“No, it’s your other teenage daughter,” Buffy yelled into the house.

Dawn looked sharply at her sister. If only she knew.

There were footsteps in the kitchen and all at once Dawn was confronted with an image she had almost forgotten.

“Who’s this?” asked Joyce as she took in Dawn, standing in the hallway. “Hello.”

“Uh, mom this is…” started Buffy.

Dawn couldn’t take it anymore. She leapt forward and wrapped her mother up into a hug.

“…Dawn.”

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tbc…