“Okay. Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?”
Buffy rolled her eyes as they strolled along the main street, leaving the school building behind them. “I’m serious, Dawn. I know I haven’t exactly been sharing girl since I came back, but—”
“Buffy. It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.” She stopped walking and turned to face the stunned teenager. “I’ve been keeping my distance from everyone—cutting myself off, and that needs to change. It’s not fair to punish you and Spike for what the others did to me.” Taking Dawn’s hands firmly in her grasp, Buffy sighed and exhaled a shaky breath. “We’re family,” she said, “and unless Dad comes down with a belated case of parental responsibility, it’s just the two of us now. We need to stick together.”
“Three.”
Buffy frowned. “Huh?”
“Not two, three. You, me and Spike.” Dawn studied her sister’s reaction, and couldn’t help but notice the multitude of changes since the day before. Her eyes shone with a new lease of life, and it was a relief to see a genuine smile on her lips. “You didn’t see him over the summer, Buffy. He was devastated, but he was always there for me. We leaned on each other, you know? For a while there—after the funeral—I was afraid he’d go and dust himself. But he pulled it together and took care of me, made sure I wasn’t alone, that I ate properly... stuff like that. If it weren’t for Spike, I don’t know what I’d have done.”
“He promised he’d take care of you.”
“Till the end of the world... yeah, he told me.” Dawn sighed, squeezing her sister’s hands before continuing their journey along the sidewalk. “Do you know what bothers me the most?” she asked, shaking her head and not waiting for a response. “The others... It’s like they’re just pretending it didn’t happen. As if now that you’re back, they can treat him like dirt and it doesn’t matter. Well it does! It’s not fair. He deserves better than that.”
“I know,” Buffy replied with a smile. “Spike is... one of a kind, that’s for sure. I promise you, Dawnie, things will be better from now on. I won’t let anyone ignore what he did for them... for you.”
Dawn grinned as she cocked her head to the side, leaving Buffy in no doubt of where she’d picked up that particular trait. “He really does love you,” she said. “I’m just glad you finally woke up and smelled the undead roses. Spike’s like the big brother I never had, which, when you think of it that way...” She wrinkled her nose, and dissolved into giggles. “Eww... Forget I just said that, okay?” They settled into a comfortable silence, until Dawn, unable to resist, burst forth with the question that had plagued her all day. “So,” she said drawing out the vowel sound to epic proportions. “Have you told him yet?”
“Told him what?” Buffy replied, immediately suspicious of her sister’s tone.
“Well duh! That you love him.”
“H-how do you—”
“Oh, please.” Dawn raised an amused eyebrow. “Apart from the major UST, it was so obvious you were crushing on him... even though you’d never admit it.” She schooled her features into a mask of innocence, sensing an opportunity to play the bratty kid sister. “I saw the way you watched him when you thought no one was looking. I’m not completely clueless you know. It’ll be nice to see you happy again.” Grinning, Dawn increased her pace as she anticipated the reaction to her next words. “...Plus, you just know he'll be great in the sack.”
“What!” Buffy froze mid-step, a look of utter shock and disbelief written all over her face. Great, she thought. I’ve officially lost it. There’s no way I just heard that...
“Well, come on,” Dawn said, turning to face her. “He’s been around since like forever. He must have learned a thing or two in that time.” She suppressed a laugh at her sister’s pole-axed expression. She was a high school student for crying out loud. Oversexed, hormonal teenagers were the norm, and she couldn’t understand why Buffy tried so hard to shield her from it.
Stunned, the Slayer’s mouth hung open for several seconds as she struggled to force a response past her suddenly dry throat. “That’s not... I—We... No!” Okay, so it wasn’t the greatest response in the world, but under the circumstances Buffy was fairly impressed with herself.
“No? He isn’t?”
Buffy stared in horror at the Dawn-shaped creature before her. “No! I mean... no, there is no sack.” She cringed. “I mean sex... There is no sex... or sack... of any kind!”
Dawn grinned as a flush spread over Buffy’s cheeks. “Ah, but there have been smoochies?” This is just too easy. With a casual shrug, she crossed the street and waited for her sister to snap out of her stupor and catch up. “So what are you waiting for? Go jump his gorgeous bones, already!”
“Dawn!”
“What? I have eyes!”
Buffy folded her arms across her chest, and affected her best no-nonsense stance. “This conversation is over,” she said. “There is no way in hell I’m discussing my non-sex life with my little sister.”
“Fine!” Dawn pouted as she shrugged airily. “Spoil my fun why don’t you.”
Incredulous, Buffy shook her head. “That isn’t... Wait. You’re fifteen years old. You shouldn’t even be thinking about sex!”
“I’m not,” Dawn replied. “Well not in the, I’m gonna rush out and boink the first hot guy I see way, at least.
Oh, God, thought, Buffy. This isn’t happening. Please tell me I’m not about to have ‘the talk’ today of all days. This is so not in my job description.
She eyed the teenager warily, having no idea how to proceed, and even less of how they got here in the first place. “Good,” she said eventually, “because for one thing, you’re too young. Way, way to young... and for another—”
“Says she who gave it up at seventeen...”
Exasperated, Buffy threw her arms into the air. “Oh, yeah, ‘cause that turned out to be all puppies and rainbows, didn’t it?”
As much fun as she was having, Dawn decided to take pity on her increasingly flustered elder sister. Not wanting to run the risk of a slayer sized noogie—or worst case scenario, a grounding—she let her genuine smile shine through, giggling as realisation set in, and colour slowly returned to Buffy’s face.
“Relax,” she said, amidst her laughter. “I’m just kidding. Honestly, I have no intention of having sex in the foreseeable future.” Dawn got herself under control and grinned even wider as she saw the panic leave Buffy’s eyes. “You should have seen the look on your face!”
“That wasn’t funny, Dawn!” The Slayer breathed a sigh of relief and pointed emphatically. “From now on, just consider yourself the poster child for ‘just say no’, okay?”
“Isn’t that for drugs?”
“You’re my little sister,” she replied, “believe me, it covers everything.” They shared a smile of mutual understanding, and Buffy decided a change of subject would definitely be of the good. “So, what did I miss this morning?” she asked. “I came downstairs to face the firing squad, but I don’t know what happened before that.”
Dawn shrugged. “Not much really. You flounced off with the Joan Collins ‘tude—which, FYI, seriously cool by the way—then Xander grabbed some Pop Tarts and practically shoved me out the door. He didn’t say much in the truck, I kinda got the impression he was in a rush to get back to Willow.”
“Yeah,” Buffy replied, quietly. “I got that memo.”
A tense moment passed between them, before Dawn’s timid voice broke the silence. “She’s getting out of control, isn’t she?” There was no doubt of whom she spoke, and the teen began to wring her hands together nervously. “Willow’s ego is getting bigger every day, and yesterday’s spell...” Dawn sighed, and met her sister’s gaze. “I hate that she can do that to us. It’s like we’re not in control of our own lives anymore, and now Tara...” She paused, inhaling sharply. “How—after what Glory did to her, how could Willow mess with Tara’s head like that? It’s just so... wrong.”
Buffy listened carefully to her words, experiencing a newfound appreciation for the young woman before her. At some point, the whiny little brat who stole her clothes and read her diary had grown up. Dawn was smart, and she deserved more credit than Buffy usually gave her.
Huh, she thought. I guess Spike isn’t the only underappreciated one around here.
“I know how you feel,” Buffy said, meeting her eyes. “And for what it’s worth, I told Willow she was using too much magic this morning.”
Dawn lips curled into a half-hearted smile. “I bet that went down well.”
“Trust me,” Buffy replied, in a flat deadpan. “You don’t wanna know. Definitely the kind of fun that’s not.” Her eyes scanned the street, before returning to Dawn’s face. “Let’s just say I had to get out of there before I did something I’d regret.” An opportune growl of her stomach reminded the Slayer that she hadn’t eaten all day. Admittedly, since her return, food had barely registered on the radar, but right at this minute, Buffy was certain there was a bag of fries somewhere with her name on it. “Are you hungry?” she asked the despondent teenager.
Dawn shrugged. “I wouldn’t say no. What do you have in mind?”
“The Doublemeat Palace is just down the block,” Buffy said, before continuing somewhat reluctantly. “They’re always advertising for jobs, and the way things are going...”
Dawn’s expression spoke volumes. “You’re not serious?”
“The bills aren’t going to pay themselves, Dawnie,” she replied. “The mortgage is overdue, and I have zero money in my account. So unless I have a fairy-godmother who’s been holding out on me for the past twenty years, I don’t have much choice.”
“I can’t believe all the money’s gone.” Dawn muttered as she walked away. “What about Mom’s life insurance payout?”
“I guess the medical expenses used a lot of it up,” Buffy replied as casually as possible. She didn’t want to worry her sister, but she knew the financial situation was dire. If she didn’t find a regular source of income soon, there was every chance they could lose the house, and Buffy refused to let that happen. A familiar sense of resentment surfaced within her. Why was this solely her responsibility anyway? Willow and Tara had been quick enough to move in after her death. Why hadn’t they contributed any money whilst literally eating her out of house and home?
Frowning, Dawn glanced back at her sister. “What about the ugly uniform?” she asked. “Flame retardant polyester is not your friend. Not to mention you’ll reek of burger grease—”
Buffy raised an eyebrow. “As opposed to the fragrant scent of eau de demon guts, you mean?”
Dawn rolled her eyes as she considered the alternatives. “Hey, maybe you could charge for being a slayer?” she said. “You could be like a bodyguard or... ooh—a bounty hunter. How cool would that be?”
Buffy laughed at her sister’s enthusiasm. “I can’t charge people for saving their life, Dawnie, even if they are stupid enough to be wandering around a vamp-infested cemetery after dark.”
Sighing, Dawn raised her hands in defeat. “Alright, alright, it was just a suggestion. Why don’t you just charge Willow for room and board instead?”
“It’s crossed my mind, but I felt weird about asking.”
Dawn arched a brow at her sister. “Well, she’d be paying rent if she still lived at the dorms or had her own apartment, so what’s the diff? It shouldn’t all be down to you.”
“I know... I know,” Buffy replied. “I’ll think about it, okay?”
“Deal.”
Buffy smiled at her sister. “Spill it, wise one. Since when did you get so smart?”
Dawn giggled. “Yeah, I’m a regular Yoda. Remember that the next time an apocalypse comes a-calling. Just call me research-girl.” They walked in companionable silence for several yards as the garish entrance of the DMP beckoned them onwards. “So, are you seeing him tonight?”
“Spike?”
“No, Jango Fett... Of course Spike!”
“Jenga who?” Buffy held the door open for her sister, and they joined the queue of jostling teenagers waiting to be served. “And in answer to your question... Yes, I’m meeting Spike later for patrol.”
“That’s probably for the best,” Dawn replied as she squinted at the grimy menu board. “Tara said she’d be round to pick up some of her stuff tonight, so it’ll be a whole world of awkward at home. You wouldn’t want to be there for that.”
“No,” Buffy agreed. “That’s going to be rough on both of them. I don’t think they’d want an audience.” A slow-born smile lit up her sister’s face, and the Slayer had the distinct impression that she’d just missed something important.
Rubbing her palms together, Dawn assumed her best pleading expression and gazed at Buffy expectantly. “And on that totally coincidental note,” she said, rocking on her heels, “how would you like to approve a sleepover at Janice’s as your first official act of sisterly love?”
Buffy chuckled and raised a knowing eyebrow. “I walked straight into that one, didn’t I?”
“Yep.” Dawn nodded.
Sighing, Buffy put her arm around the delighted teen’s shoulders. “Come on Obi-wan,” she said stepping up to the counter. “Let me think about it over a bag of high-calorie goodness. Oh... and the milkshakes are on you.”
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Author's Chapter Notes:
A/N So, did everyone have a good Halloween? I don’t know about you, but I did my best to explain to the youth of today about REAL vampires. Not sure how much they listened though… but I was reliably informed that they can all turn into bats and are afraid of lightbulbs… *headdesk* Anyway, time for a bit of sisterly bonding methinks.