Summary: A lazy Dawn day.

Disclaimer: ya, I don’t own them. Sorry to burst your bubble.

Author’s note: Some dialogue taken from ‘Reptile Boy’ Once again I bow at the feet of my fabulous beta, Bloodytearsoflife.

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Chapter 12: Illicit Smoochies

Dawn pulled her shirt down as she emerged from the janitor’s closet, Xander following closely behind her. Illicit smoochies in dark places were a check for today. Xander had even skipped a class for smoochies; ‘course, he couldn’t skip every class. Dawn sent him off to Algebra with a wave and a smile, knowing that she really couldn’t put off another session with Giles in the library.

Giles was annoyed with something, or someone, most likely Buffy. Dawn wanted to keep it that way. She sat down at her now regular seat and took up the next book in the pile Giles had given her to read concerning Glory. It was a whole bunch of pointlessness, and yet she was compelled to actually go through the motions of the research, Giles style. If only to keep Giles happy. The internet freaked him out.

Sure as rain, Giles had decided to ask questions about the future during today’s episode of cooping up Dawn. He had his notebook and pen ready, eagerly trying to catch her eye.

“Perhaps…uh, we could…” he started, when she refused to look up.

“Fire away, Giles,” Dawn responded, her eyes glued to the page in front of her.

“Details on what calamity is going to befall us next would be helpful,” Giles pressed on.

“I’m sure it would,” noted the Key. “But I got nothing.” Dawn finally looked up from the book she had in her lap. “It’s been over a thousand…a really long time, since I lived any of this, I need a few more clues than just, ‘gee Dawn, what’s going to happen next’. Sorry, but that’s the way it is. When something fishy starts, let me know, I’ll solve the problem. Just as long as, you know, Buffy doesn’t spill slushy on it again.”

Giles let down his notebook and paper with a thud. “That is hardly helpful.”

“That’s life,” Dawn remarked. “Plus I’m feeling like a road trip. I’m getting nowhere with all these books. I need to find Ben.”

“It is possible that this Ben person was merely a creation of Glory and that he will not come into existence until she inhabits this realm.”

Dawn groaned.

“Maybe, but I just can’t sit around and wait. Hell, I’m wasting time, time in which I will be bored.”

“Boredom seems to be the least of our fears.”

“Maybe for you. Try a thousand years of being bored.”

“When will you go?” he asked, as if her taking this road trip was inevitable.

“Maybe tomorrow. I want to say goodbye to Xander first, let him know I’m going. Plus I have that whole dinner with m…Joyce and Buffy and Angel tonight. That’s going to be loads of fun.”

“I simply do not understand why you would wish to cause Buffy so much trouble. Despite the fact that you say you know her from your past, any antagonism between you can only be counter productive.”

“Gee, thanks Giles,” Dawn answered, sounding bored. “I bug Buffy ‘cause it’s fun. All the times of my life that coincided with hers, I’ve always done this. It’s what I do. Don’t knock something that works.”

He looked back at her quizzically.

“Don’t worry Giles, deep down, you know I won’t do anything to hurt Buffy.”

“Just how can I be sure of that?” the watcher asked. “I don’t know you at all.”

“No, but you will.”

Dawn set down her book and went in search of another cola to break the monotony of the research. And also to stop Giles’ inane questions. Soon, Xander was going to be free from his classes and she really did want to spend time with him before she headed off into parts unknown. Or, you know, when he started illicit smoochies with Cordelia. Treading the well worn and familiar path from the library to the pop machine, her task was inhibited by a large, burly blond guy strutting in the hall ways, drawing attention to himself.

“Sweet Jesus, are they growing them young!” he shouted at her.

Dawn cringed. Granted, she didn’t like the fact that she looked 14 again, she certainly didn’t want people drawing attention to it. Suddenly the guy was beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

“Are you a freshman?” he asked.

Dawn turned to look at him with unmasked ire.

“’Cause I’d like to get fresh with you!” he said laughing at his own stupid joke.

“I heard you were with Xander Harris,” another boy mentioned trailing behind them as they walked. “Wanna trade up on the food chain?”

“I think I just barfed in my mouth,” Dawn noted in response, pushing the blond’s arm off her neck. “You’re Larry, right?” she asked, earning a nod from the blond.

“Heard of me, baby?” he replied with a leer.

“First of all, eww. Secondly, you should really try not overcompensating for your issues. Thirdly, as I recall, there is at least one person at this school that is genuinely interested in you, maybe you should find her instead of pissing me off.”

“Huh?” Larry retorted.

“Gah, Amy likes you, go bother Amy.”

“What the hell is your problem?” asked Larry’s friend. “What crawled up your flabby ass to make you the world class bitch I see before me now?”

Before Dawn could respond with a well thought out retort, Larry and his buddy were gone, leaving Dawn with a sour taste in her mouth, and just a little bit pissed off.

She stood before the pop machine and nearly punched the button to give her a coke in anger.

World class bitch, my very NOT flabby ass, she consoled herself.

She looked down at the machine and sighed. The stupid thing had not given her a coke. Taking her cream soda from the machine, she turned back towards the library.

World class bitch.

World.

Dawn let out an exasperated sigh. She hadn’t been searching the world for Ben. Just the US. She stomped back into the library, and commandeered the computer, for one last go at finding Ben via the world wide web.

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The bell rung, leaving Dawn with the intense need to leave the library. After school meant Buffy/Giles training time. Boring. Instead, she went looking for Xander. She caught up with him as he was making his way to the front entrance of the building. With a quick hug, the pair joined Willow.

“Boy, what a long day,” Xander noted with a sigh.

“And you skipped three classes,” Willow answered accusingly.

Dawn had a hunch that Willow had known exactly where Xander was during those three classes, but the immortal Key wasn’t going to enlighten her if she didn’t know.

“Yeah, and, of course, they flew by,” Xander answered, as they walked up to where Buffy was sitting in the sunshine, far far away from the library. “Buffy!” Xander greeted his friend.

“Aren’t you supposed to be doing your homework in the library?” Willow asked, before Dawn could mention it.

Buffy stood up from the railing on which she was sitting and flashed a big smile at Willow and Xander, then sent a glare at Dawn. “I’m dawdling!” she answered Willow’s question cheerfully.

And then Cordelia entered the picture, causing Dawn’s further hatred by colliding with Willow and not apologising.

“I’m going to send her, her first roach, I think that’s appropriate,” Dawn muttered to herself. “Well, you know, if I still have hands.”

“Huh?” Xander answered.

Dawn smiled brightly at him, and pressed herself up against his side. He didn’t need to know why she was here, or what her goal was in all this. Any mutterings to herself could be dangerous. She didn’t need an intervention. And she was in the midst of people who really thought interventions were fun on a Friday night.

“So dinner tonight? You, me, Joyce, Buffy, and Angel?” Dawn inquired, purposely turning her back to Cordelia and Buffy, both engaged in a conversation with someone in a dark car.

“Ya, I mean, if that’s cool. I don’t know why Joyce would want me there,” Xander asked.

“’Cause she likes you,” Dawn responded. “And I like you too.”

Xander blushed a little. He was cute, occasionally, thought Dawn. But the thought was fleeting. She had other things to worry about. She was still nil on the Ben front, and this 14 year-old-ness was getting tired. She could feel the eyes of other students watching her exchange with Xander. She had thought that she’d gotten over ageism. But apparently not.

“Buffy!” came Giles’ voice interrupting her inner monologue.

As Buffy walked towards Giles and her inevitable training regimen, Xander was already expressing his annoyance about other guys monopolising Buffy’s time.

“I hate these guys. Whatever they want just falls into their laps. Don’t you hate these guys?” Xander asked no one in particular.

Maybe the idea that she could replace Buffy in Xander’s fantasy world was futile, thought Dawn. ‘Cause clearly…

“Yeah, with their charmed lives and their movie star good looks and more money than you can count? I’m hating,” Willow answered. “I’m going home now. All alone, at home, with parents who don’t care. While you have dinner at Buffy’s. Have fun,” Willow finished glumly.

A twinge of regret flitted through Dawn’s consciousness. She couldn’t very well explain that it was a family night at the Summers’ residence. To Willow, obviously, it felt that she was being excluded. Poor Willow.

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It was all very polite and cordial. Soft jazz music was playing in the background and candles burned, lighting up the dining room in an aesthetically pleasing way. It was as if Joyce had planned this. Dawn smiled at Xander across from her as she reached for her glass of water, resisting the urge to look at Angel and enjoy his uncomfortableness.

Xander, however, was not resisting the urge. His snickers were barely suppressed. If it hadn’t mattered so much to her mom, Dawn would have been right there with him.

“Not hungry Angel?” her mom asked, noticing that Angel hadn’t touched the food on his plate yet.

“I don’t…” the vampire started slowly, formulating a response.

“Oh, are you a vegetarian?” Joyce asked.

Dawn and Xander snorted, earning a glare from the hostess.

“Buffy didn’t tell me…”Joyce continued.

There was a moment of silence. Then, with a loud clunk, Joyce set down her cutlery. “Is there something you want to tell me, Buffy?”

Buffy stared back at her mother in horror.

“I…” Buffy started.

“I just have this feeling that there is something I should know, but I don’t quite have it yet. Perhaps you’d better just enlighten me.”

Buffy looked panicky from Angel and Dawn for moment before staring down at her plate.

It wasn’t what Dawn had wanted. The idea was to get Buffy embarrassed and in trouble, but her mom’s question and Buffy’s panicked look meant something more. Mom wanted an answer to Buffy’s late nights and all the other weird stuff that went on. The only answer that would satisfy her Buffy was afraid of giving. Afraid of ending up in the institution again.

“Maybe I should go,” Angel started making as if to get up.

“Stay where you are,” Dawn ordered, in a voice she hadn’t used since the last time she’d spoken in person with her lawyers. It was the voice that sent people running to do her bidding.

Angel stayed where he was, his eyes wide at her tone.

“You know about it too,” Joyce stated, looking at the newest addition to her family.

Dawn nodded. “And I’ll tell you, it’s about time you knew,” the Key explained, “but I need you to promise that Buffy won’t get in trouble, and that you won’t do anything rash until it’s all explained.”

“Dawn!” Buffy squeaked in protest once she realised just what Dawn was going to tell her mother.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Dawn,” Xander offered his opinion.

Dawn sent a smile to her sister. “Don’t worry Buffy,” she said reassuringly. “You won’t go back. I promise you.”

It didn’t make any difference. Buffy still looked terrified.

“It was when you hugged me. There was something I knew, or I’m going to know. This will all make sense when you tell me,” Joyce said with uncertainty.

“Vampires are real,” Dawn started, glaring at Angel, as if daring him to stand up from the table. “So are witches, and trolls, elves, demons and werewolves. Pretty much every fairy tale and horror flick has some basis in truth. This is the world that is hidden from the rest of the world. This is the something. When I hugged you, you got the sense that I was supposed to be here in your world. I’m figuring that your mind can reconcile the fact of me being here without all that other…something.”

Joyce’s eyes were wide for a moment, but eventually nodded as if she understood. “That’s how I know that you are my daughter, but not my daughter, right?”

Dawn nodded.

“Daughter?” Buffy shrieked.

Xander laughed. “You’re Buffy’s sister?”

“I lived my human life as Dawn Eleanor Summers, sister of the Slayer,” Dawn confirmed.

“Ah! Human! You aren’t exactly human are you?” Angel asked.

“But… you aren’t either, are you?” Joyce asked, staring back at Angel.

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Tbc…