Harmony had settled herself comfortably on the couch while Buffy reluctantly sat on the other side facing her. Willow sat on the arm of the couch next to Buffy and Faith sat in a chair on the other side of the coffee table. Spike and Angel stood beside Faith’s chair watching the scene before them.
“So. How’s everybody been?” Harmony asked looking at everyone pleasantly but landing on Spike and Angel and staying there.
Buffy snapped her fingers in front of Harmony’s face to get her attention. “Umm, hello? You’re supposed to give me information so I don’t kill you. Maybe you should let your survival instinct win this round.” Harmony looked at Buffy angrily but obliged.
“Dorkus is trying to kill you.” She stated like Buffy was incredibly stupid.
“Yeah I got that. How and why might be nice.”
“Well why isn’t a big question is it? She hates you. For both Angel and Spike apparently. It seems you’re both skanks.”
Buffy pulled her fist back to punch Harmony but she covered her face cowering comically. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Don’t hurt me!”
Buffy put her fist down looking at Harmony pitifully. “Oh my god! How pathetic are you? Whatever, just keep to information, and I’ll keep the death painless.”
Harmony looked worried but continued on. “The why I guess isn’t important. I also don’t fully understand the how. She’s mind-controlling people to get them to kill you. Or to get them to want to kill you or something? I’m not entirely sure how it works, but she’s doing it with her mind. She also has like hella protection on her in case you find out it’s her. Apparently she doesn’t want to put her own ass on the line this time.”
“Well that was impressively vague.” Buffy looked up at Spike and Angel but clearly directed her next question at Angel, pointedly ignoring Spike. “Can she do that? Anything like that anyway?”
“Not that I know of. I mean if you’re right in front of her she can hypnotize you. There are some things. But not mind control, at least not that I’m aware of.”
“So either she’s picked up new tricks or,” Buffy turned back to Harmony “we have faulty information.”
“No! Not faulty!” Harmony’s voice pleading for Buffy to believe her.
“Okay, then why isn’t she controlling you? Or is she and this is your brilliant plan?”
“She said she didn’t think I’d be able to get it done but that I could try to infiltrate you because you don’t consider me a threat and because I know Spikey and Angel hair.”
Buffy screwed up her face at the nicknames again before asking, “And how do I know that’s not what you’re doing now?”
Harmony just looked at Buffy worried, she couldn’t think of a way to prove to her that she was telling the truth. She was a soulless vampire after all.
“Truth spell.” Willow piped up.
“Good plan Will.” Buffy told her. “You need any help?”
“I can do it.” Faith told her. “I’ve been spell gal with Will here already tonight. I kinda dig it. Also,” Faith roughly grabbed Harmony by the arm pulling her up, “I wouldn’t mind roughing up this bitch a bit.”
“Hey!” Harmony yelled trying to wrench free of Faith’s grip, but to no avail. Willow got up to follow Faith’s lead.
“I’ll keep her in check, don’t worry.” Willow told Buffy who just shrugged, not really caring what Faith did to Harmony. Really only jealous that it wouldn’t be her doing it, especially because she was now left in the room alone with Spike and Angel. Both of them looked guilty and Buffy smiled at Angel reassuringly letting him know that she didn’t blame him for any of this.
Angel smiled back and then decided to ask, “Where did Conner go?”
“He went with Dawn. I think he was worried about her.”
“Oh okay.”
The three of them just stood there awkwardly, none knowing what to do.
Spike finally spoke, but it was to Angel. “You’ll probably hit me but do you mind leaving so I can talk to Buffy for a bit?”
Angel looked at Buffy seeking permission. “No,” Buffy told them both, “I’m going.”
Spike looked hurt and Buffy whipped back looking at him. “Are you really going to keep playing the misunderstood hero bit? After everything, you think you have the right to be all hurt?”
“I’m not saying I didn’t do things to hurt you Buffy but you’re not the only one who’s suffered.”
“I’m the only one who didn’t have a choice in it!” Buffy yelled, neither of them noticing Angel was now backing out of the room.
“You honestly think I have a choice in it!”
Meanwhile....
Dawn hadn’t noticed Conner follow her so when she went to close her bedroom door behind her she gasped when his hand stopped her. “Do you mind if I come in?” He asked her unobtrusively.
“I don’t really feel like talking right now Conner. Sorry. I think I’m just going to take a nap.” Dawn gave him a small smile and continued to try to close the door but his hand didn’t budge.
“Please just for a minute. I just have some things I wanted to say.”
Dawn really didn’t feel like talking but Conner wasn’t usually forceful so she decided to let him in out of sheer curiosity.
He followed her into her room after thanking her and sat on her desk chair not wanting her invade her space too much. He had been in her room before, but not often and not normally when she didn’t want him too. Dawn situated herself on her bed and looked at Conner expectantly.
“I already had a talk with Buffy about Spike earlier and I thought maybe I could have a quick one with you.” Conner looked at her as if asking if she was going to throw him out.
“I’d prefer not to. Especially because whatever you said made her think that talking to Spike was a good idea and as it turns out he’s a big slut that doesn’t care about her at all.” Dawn seethed, trying not to take her anger out on Conner but feeling her resolve slipping.
“Do you really think he doesn’t care about Buffy?” Conner asked her actually puzzled as to whether or not that was the truth.
Something about the way he had asked made her really think about the question. Once upon a time it hadn’t been a question at all. In fact she was the first that she knew of to notice how he felt about Buffy and she only saw his feelings get stronger over the years. Everything that she had just learned was making her automatically question how he had felt about her, Dawn, and she had just grouped Buffy with herself. Though she couldn’t help but wonder if it was possible for Spike not to love Buffy.
“Well if he does he has a funny way of showing it.” Dawn felt a good answer that wasn’t really an answer was the ticket. Conner however saw right through it.
“That didn’t actually answer the question. As far as I can tell, you’re hurt and you’re thinking he doesn’t care about you. However now I’m seeing that you think he must still care about Buffy. I’m guessing you’re wondering where you fit in?”
“Read my mind why don’t you.” Dawn grumbled under her breath.
“If you didn’t intend for me to hear that, remember that my parents are vampires.” Conner chuckled.
“Look I don’t know what I think about how he feels.” Dawn told him angrily. “What I know is that he’s an asshole, and as far as I can tell that’s all I need to know.”
“But the thing is if he still cares and is acting like an asshole, there has to be a reason right?”
This one had Dawn stumped. She knew it was true, but she wasn’t sure if any reason would sedate her anger. Or her hurt.
“Look I just came in here to tell you something. I’m not excusing him. I was as surprised as anyone about the Harmony thing. I have no idea how he’s going to get out of that one…I’m also surprised that he would do that to Buffy, or to you. The guy I knew cared about you guys a lot. Loved you guys a lot.”
“How well did you really know him anyway?”
“Well enough,” Conner told her, and she understood it was true, “see Buffy, Spike could never talk about. It was too hard I guess. You, he couldn’t help but talk about. Things you said, things you did. How smart you were, how much of a brat you were,” Conner saw a small smile cross Dawn’s face at that and he knew he was finally getting through to her. “I don’t think he even realized how often he talked about you, but he talked about you like you were his…family. Like…I don’t know like you were his sister or his daughter. He talked about you the way I hear Buffy talk about you. He obviously felt guilty for not telling you, but for whatever reason he seemed to think it was the best idea. I never did find out what that was.”
Conner was done and was looking at Dawn trying to read her face. She seemed less angry, but less touched than Buffy had when he had talked to her.
“So…he talked about me like I was family?” This was the first time Conner had seen Dawn look so fragile, so vulnerable.
“Yes, he did.”
“Then how do I forgive him for not treating me like I was?”
“I guess by finding out why he thought he had to do that.” Conner told her not being able to think of any other solution.
Dawn looked defeated now, “fine, fine, fine, I’ll talk to him.”
Conner just smiled at her fascinated by the fact that her found her so…fascinating.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry sorry sorry sorry it took me so long to update. I got the most reviews on any chapter for the last one and I made you wait. I've been really busy changing majors...again...and with homework and visiting home that I haven't been able to update, but here it is! and I hope you like it! I just updated the supplemental story "If In Another Time" and I hope you're all checking it out. It's coming along nicely, and I'm rather proud of it. Though this one is still my baby. So stay with me because I'm back!
Chapter End Notes:
keep up the wonderful reviews! And of course let me know if I'm doing something wrong. Cause I might do it again, often and in public ;)