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Author's Chapter Notes:
I decided to spilt this chapter in two and go into more detail in the next one.
THE BEST REVENGE


Summary: The title pretty much says it all. Dawn opens up and lets Buffy in on all of her known secrets. Buffy makes a decision and a stand.


Chapter 4: ‘Escape; Plan(s) A & B’


“I need to know everything you can tell me honey,” Buffy cooed to the little girl still snuggled in her arms. “I know it’s going to be hard for you but…..”

“They killed my parents and my big brother,” Dawn whimpered into Buffy’s chest.

Buffy could feel the small girl’s body tremble with emotion and felt her blouse become wet with Dawn’s tears.

“Who did?” Buffy asked, almost reluctant to hear the answer.

“That nasty man, Mr. Rayne,” Dawn sniffed in response. “He’d been at our house before so I kind of knew him,” she added sadly. “Him and Mr. Doyle too,” the child finished with a choked sob.

‘Doyle,’ Buffy thought to herself, wondering who this man might be. She wracked her brain, trying to remember if she had every heard this name before, especially in connection to Angel.

“Mr. Doyle, well, that’s his first name and it’s all I know,” Dawn continued in a shaky little voice. “He was at our house too. Before him and Mr. Rayne hurt daddy and mommy, and Danny,” the little girl choked out a sob.

“Do you have any idea who Mr. Doyle is, Dawnie?” Buffy asked gently, trying to be patient with the distraught child in her arms.

“Daddy called him ‘Officer Doyle, Buffy,” Dawn replied in a muffled voice. “Danny told me that Doyle was a policeman,” she added with a shake of her dark head. “I don’t know why he’d come to our house but…..”

‘Oh God,’ Buffy stifled the gasp that escaped her lips. ‘Rupert Giles was right…..there is a cop involved and if there’s one? There’s a bunch of rotten apples in the barrel, I’m betting.’

“My daddy and mama, they yelled at Danny and me sometimes. For no reason,” Dawn admitted in her little girl whimper.

Buffy realized that the young girl had climbed completely onto her lap, her dark head buried into her silk covered chest. The blond woman couldn’t help but nuzzle her face into the warm, soft darkness of Dawn’s head.

Frankly, Dawn’s story had hit a bit too close to home for Buffy. Then again, that was just why Rupert Giles had chosen her to ‘help’ out in this difficult situation.

“So did mine; my mama I mean,” Buffy admitted in a timid, choked whisper. “When she got sick…..she yelled a lot, before she died. At me, my dad, everyone around us,” she sighed sadly.

“Did you still love her?” Dawn asked carefully, her blue-eyed gaze unnerved Buffy temporarily.

Buffy could not break her eye contact from the child’s innocent blue eyes.

“Yes,” Buffy murmured, almost embarrassed by her admission. “I still loved my mother. Very much.”

“I still loved my momma too,” Dawn sighed heavily and rested her head on Buffy’s shoulder. “Even if she made me and Danny cry sometimes,” she whispered almost conspiratorially.

“Why do mamas and daddies act that way, Buffy? Why do they yell at us for no reason and make us feel bad?” Dawn asked quietly.

“Because they’re human Dawn,” Buffy replied honestly. “They’re human and they just screw up sometimes. They get greedy, for a lot of different things.”

Joyce Summers had gotten greedy for drugs, that much was for sure. As she got more and more involved in the drug scene, Joyce became greedier and greedier for bigger and better drugs to take.

Apparently, Dawn’s parents had gotten greedy too; for drugs maybe, but probably more so for money and power.

In the end, both Buffy and Dawn had lost their set of parents. Even if it was under completely different circumstances.

Joyce had taken her own life and Hank had run off to God knows where. Dawn’s parents had paid their dues with their own lives and that of their precious son’s.

It must have been a miracle or something that Dawn was still alive and safe now. Well, kind of safe that is. Buffy was beginning to understand why Angel was holding the child here, in the mansion that is.

“Dawn,” Buffy began cautiously, “I have to know some more things that happened. Can you tell me more or…..”

“I’ll tell you everything I know Buffy,” Dawn interjected in a hushed voice. The child’s blue eyes were focused on Buffy’s and seemed full of trust for her.

“Okay, then,” Buffy continued in her gentlest tone. “I need to know anything you can tell me about this Doyle. You said he’d been at your house before…..”

“Before they killed mommy, daddy and Danny,” Dawn finished for Buffy. A little tear slid down her pale cheek and Buffy felt like a real shit for even discussing this with her.

“It’s okay, honest Buffy,” Dawn continued bravely, “I know you’re only trying to help so I’ll tell you everything.”

Buffy nodded her head for Dawn to begin:

“Like I said, Mr. Rayne and Officer Doyle had been at our house before,” Dawn began again, her little face scrunched as she tried to remember everything properly. She did not want to let her new friend, Buffy, down in any way and she was smart enough to know this was important to them both.

“The night that,” Dawn stammered, then continued quietly, “the that my family died; Mr. Rayne and Doyle were there too. Some others were there,” she mumbled, deep in thought, “but I’ve never seen them before.”

“Was Mr. O’Connor there?” Buffy asked hesitantly, not sure if she wanted to the know true answer to that one.

“No,” Dawn shook her dark head firmly. “He came later, after Doyle called him on his cell phone. I know that because I was hiding in the attic and…..”


“You saw everything from the attic?” Buffy asked in shock.

The poor kid had witnessed her entire family being slaughtered from up in the attic! Jesus Christ this was getting worse by the minute!

“Uh huh. Danny made me go up there when Mr. Rayne showed up that night. He said, Danny I mean, said that he had a bad feeling in his tummy about everything. He must have been right because Mr. Rayne started screaming and swearing at both Momma and Daddy right away. That nasty Mr. Rayne even asked where ‘I’ was, but Danny lied and told him I was at a friend’s house.”

“Danny sounds like a pretty smart kid,” Buffy mumbled under her breath.

“He was,” Dawn whispered sadly.

“Okay, so it was this Doyle that called Mr. O’Connor? I mean after…..” Buffy began quietly.

“Yes, Officer Doyle called Mr. O’Connor. It was after Mr. Rayne heard me crying, up in the attic and discovered me there. He wanted to hurt me,” Dawn cried in a shaky voice, “Mr. Rayne I mean. He wanted to hurt me too, but the policeman said ‘no’ and called Mr. O’Connor.”

‘Well, at least Angel didn’t try to hurt Dawn,’ Buffy mused. ‘At least not at first,’ she reasoned. ‘I still don’t trust him.’


“Mr. O’Connor showed up and made Mr. Rayne let him bring me here,” Dawn explained. “I guess that makes Mr. Doyle and Mr. O’Connor kind of nice, right?”

“Yeah, they’re both real freaking Saints,” Buffy grumbled. She glanced down at her new ‘charge’ and immediately felt bad about her sarcasm. The poor little girl was just terrified and Buffy realized she was not helping matters with her smart ass remarks.

“Listen Dawn,” Buffy began carefully, “you need to do something for me. You’ve been very good and brave, telling me everything you could, but you have to pretend to Mr. O’Connor some more now.”

Dawn nodded slowly, even though she seemed almost disorientated by this time.

“I’m going to go back to my room and you stay here,” Buffy began but was cut off when Dawn began to cry quietly.

“Can’t we stay in the same room Buffy?” The child asked, weeping softly and her little body shaking in Buffy’s arms.

“No, honey, we can’t,” Buffy replied in her gentlest voice. “We have to pretend that I don’t know anything about you or what happened that night at your house. If we seem too close, Mr. O’Connor might find out and well…..”

Dawn sniffled a couple of more times and nodded her head again; she understood perfectly.

“I have to call my friend, you know the man that is going to help us both. I’ll tell him everything, tonight, and by tomorrow I think we can come up with a plan to get you and me both out of here. Okay Dawn?” Buffy asked the child while she tenderly stroked her slim arm.

“Okay Buffy,” Dawn stuttered in response.

Dawn had stopped the waterworks and was no longer trembling in Buffy’s lap. This was a good sign that the little girl would cooperate completely.


Buffy made a quick stop before she headed back out into the gardens to call Rupert Giles.

There was a rather out of place looking grandfather clock in the second level hallway. While it looked out of place there, Buffy knew the antique served Angel a very useful purpose. At least it used too; hopefully what Buffy was looking for was still hidden in the back of the clock.

When Buffy pulled out exactly what she was looking for; a small, but still impressive revolver, she sighed and shook her blond head.

“Oh, Angel, you’re still as predictable as ever,” she muttered, less then surprised really.

The next morning, Buffy had breakfast in her room and tiptoed down the hallway to Dawn’s room. She explained everything, as best she could to the bright child about the ‘plan’ that she and Giles had come up with the night before.

“What if Mr. O’Connor doesn’t go along with Plan A,” Dawn guilelessly questioned Buffy.

“Then we go with Plan B, kiddette,” Buffy replied confidently.

“What’s Plan B?” Dawn asked innocently, her discerning blue-eyed gaze never broke from Buffy’s.

“We’ll cross that bridge if and when we come to it,” Buffy replied evenly.


Buffy found Angel just where she thought she would; in his study, drinking his morning coffee. This studious side of Angel had always thrown Buffy for a loop.

Angel was really just a thug at heart, but he was also a voracious reader; a reader of every kind of genre. Classics such as Shakespeare and modern works of great American writers adorned the book cases of Angel’s study. It never ceased to amaze Buffy and in some way, it was one of things that drew her to him in the first place.

“Elizabeth?” Angel looked up from his book and gave her his most disarming smile.

“Angel,” Buffy replied in a hushed voice. This might prove harder then she had previously thought, but she just had to stay the course and get Dawn out of this.

Buffy had made a promise to the child and to Rupert Giles; and Buffy’s promise was her word. It was one of the few things she had left in life and she‘d be damned if she would go back on it.

“I was wondering,” Buffy began carefully as she sat in a chair next to Angel’s.

“I mean, I thought maybe I could borrow the ‘Vette’ and do some much needed clothes shopping,” she finished with a almost disinterested shrug. Her green-eyed gaze was focused on a huge, antique vase in the corner of the study.

“Sure darlin’ girl,” Angel replied amicably. “I could go with you, if you like and…..”

“I thought I’d take Dawn with me,” Buffy interjected casually. “It can’t be much fun to hang around here and wait for your auntie to…..”

“How the hell do you know Dawn!” Angel bellowed like a bull as she slammed his book down on a nearby end table.

“Bumped into her in the hallway,” Buffy answered quickly, her green eyes now focused on a particular book in the book shelf.

‘Hmph, the Great Escape,’ Buffy mused silently as she studied said book.

Dawn took that exact moment to appear in the study, her dolly, Sally in tow. Buffy had told the little girl, earlier, to don her most favored dress and grab her best loved toy; just in case they had to make a mad dash of escape.

It seemed that they, Buffy and Dawn, would have to do just that.

Dawn wore a pretty, frilly little lace pink dress with black patent leather Mary Jane shoes. Sally was appropriately attired in a somewhat matching pink smock, Buffy noted.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Angel growled at the anxious child, his brown eyes filled with rage.

“I asked her,” Buffy answered for the mute girl.

“Well,” Buffy sighed, her gaze directed at poor Dawn, “I guess we’ll have to go with Plan B.”

“What the fuck is Plan B?” Angel asked in total confusion. He closed the gap between himself and Elizabeth, his demeanor was anything but pleasant.

“Heck if I know,” Dawn giggled confidently. The little girl had come to place all of her young trust in Buffy Summers and she knew the older woman would not let her down; if she could help it.

“This,” Buffy drawled slowly before she raised the filched revolver up and pointed it at Angel. “Is the start of Plan B,” she finished coolly.

Angel looked as if he’d seen a ghost and he stopped dead in his tracks, his brown eyes wide in shock.

“Elizabeth! You can’t be serious! What is this about then?” Angel hissed incredulously.

“This is about Dawn and me getting out of here, Angel baby,” Buffy replied evenly. “It was your call and you chose Plan B.”

“You, you know……” Angel sputtered in disbelief, his eyes were wild as they darted from Elizabeth to the little girl before him.

“Everything,” Buffy finished for him, non-pulsed. “I mean everything Angel,” she continued easily.

“I know who Dawn really is and where she came from. How Rayne murdered her parents and…..” Buffy was cut off by Angel.

“Her parents,” he growled, “were worthless pieces of shit that traded their family and self-respect for white powder. They weren’t worth the shit that I step in,” he finished angrily.

“Elizabeth,” Angel took another step towards Buffy, but she cocked the safety on the gun back and stared coldly at her ex-lover.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t use filthy language in front of Dawn, Angel,” Buffy muttered in disgust.

Buffy glanced at Dawn, who seemed to be holding her own, but she knew better really. The poor kid couldn’t just stand there and listen to this crap about her family and be okay with it. In fact, Buffy could see that Dawnie was trembling, visibly in hurt or anger; she wasn’t sure.

“It’s okay Ms. Summers,” Dawn whispered softly as she took Buffy’s free left hand in her right one. “I know what my parents were,” she continued sadly. “I just don’t see why anyone hurt Danny, my brother.”

Angel, to his credit, hung his head and apparently stared at his feet.

“Do you honestly think you’ll get away with this Lizzy?” He questioned his ex-lover quietly. “Even if you get out of here, do you think you’ll get far? In ‘my’ car I mean,” he asked meaningfully.

“We’ll get ‘far enough’ Angel,” Buffy replied confidently. “Especially since you’re going to tell Gunn out there,” she nodded the now closed study door, “that you’re going to lie down and take a nice long nap.”

“A nap?” Angel inquired with a smirk. “Now why would ‘I’ take a nap at 9:30 in the morning?” He tilted his dark head to one side and looked at his ex as if she’d lost her mind.

“Because your precious Cordelia is coming home tonight,” Buffy explained brightly. You always take naps…when you have a big night planned that is. Remember baby? I do,” she chuckled evilly.

“Here Dawn,” Buffy held out a coil of rope to the girl and nodded at Angel. “Tie him up sweetie, real good, kay?”

“Okay,” Dawn replied automatically, nervously taking the rope from Buffy and eyeing the gun.

“It’ll be fine,” Buffy assured her. “Angel isn’t stupid, much,” she added maliciously, the gun still pointed at him.

“How far do you think you’re going to get Lizzy? I mean, in my car, with my…..” Angel grimaced when Dawn tightened the ropes on his wrists.

“Oh, far enough,” Buffy replied airily before she checked to make sure that Angel was securely hog-tied with the rope.

“Good job Dawnie,” Buffy giggled wickedly.

“Thank you Ms. Summers,” Dawn replied seriously. She had remembered, Dawn had, not to call Ms. Summers by her nickname of Buffy. That was ‘their’ private name for her.

“Let’s get to it then. I’ll push the intercom button and you tell Gunn that I’m taking Miss Dawn here out for a day of shopping,” Buffy ordered Angel.

“You ungrateful little cunt!” Angel bellowed in somewhat controlled rage. “I bought you your first pair of designer shoes!”

“I know,” Buffy sighed in mock sorrow. “I’ll forever be grateful,” she added coyly.

“But, let’s be frank, Angel,” she continued matter-of-factly. “I’ve repaid you a hundred times over. I went to prison for you Angel. I kind of think that more then makes up for the Jimmy Cho’s, right?”

“Besides, I think I told you not to go with the swearing in front of the kid,” Buffy snorted disdainfully.

“When I get through with you…..” Angel growled lowly, his dark eyes were black with rage. He seemed to try and thrust his trussed body at Buffy, but only managed to tumble, ungracefully, onto his study’s floor.

“You’ll never find us,” Buffy murmured confidently. “By the time you or your butt monkeys know what’s going on? Dawn and I will be so far away from your radar that, well….”




A/N: I’ve been writing this chapter for a week! I just decided to end it here and explain more details in the next one.

Thanks for reading and please review, spufette.





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