Long Time Coming

[Jessy]

My shot at the Willow Tara challenge. Took me a dickens of a long time to actually get down to business, one of the reasons for the title. The other is that you'll have to wait a year, buffy-timeline wise, for any definate lesbianess, though there should be some cute moments along the way... The following is NOT one of them.

Buffy Summers slammed the gate of the cemetery shut, striding with satisfaction as the clanging resounded around the entire graveyard. Who cared if the sound scared away every vampire in Sunnydale, it would serve Giles right for sending her out patrolling when she should be snuggling up with Riley.

“Stupid British man, see if he likes him if I cancelled a date of hi- Well, that would be nigh on impossible, but hey, it could happen, right?” This question appeared to be directed towards a tree which gave no answer. “Oh, what do you know anyway? You’re a tree, you’re just wood, and what’s wood ever been good for,” she continued as she drove her stake through a vampire. “Oh. Right.”

As she continued her patrol, rather dejected at having been outwitted by a tree, something moving between the graves caught her eye. A girl seemed to be stumbling through the graveyard almost blindly, falling over everything from graves to clumps of grass and looking behind her every few steps she took. Buffy took a cautious step forward out of the shadows.

“Hey? You ok?” Something was wiggy about the girl, something that made her spidy-slayer senses tingle. Not a vamp tingle though, not evil. Just different. As if on cue, the girl collapsed.

--------------------------------------------------------

About twenty minutes later, Joyce Summers answered the door to find her eldest daughter carrying the limp form of a young girl, probably no older than her other daughter, Dawn. “Buffy! What happened?”

“Oh My God! Is she dead? Did you kill her, Buffy? Is she a demon? Is she cold? Oooh! Is she going all stiff like I saw on TV this one time, only that was a guy who’d been murdered with a rake, oh, did you kill her with a stake? Like, k-pow, oops, wait, not a vampire- Are you gonna freak like that other slayer did and go all nutso evil on us? Not that that wouldn’t be cool and all, cos you being such a goody two shoes is kind of boring, I mean, if you’re going to be a slayer and stuff, though I guess you should only slay vamps cause of the whole ‘Vampire’ Slayer thing. So, why’d you kill her? Did you just go-“

“DAWN!”

“What?” The teen asked sulkily, annoyed at having been cut off. She stood halfway down the stairs in her pyjamas and teddy bear slippers, the diary clasped to her chest indicating what she had been doing before the doorbell rang.

Buffy sighed, trying to hide her irritation, though the gritted teeth weren’t helping. “She’s not dead. Just unconscious, that’s all.” Buffy dumped the girl on the couch and flopped into a chair.

Joyce surveyed the girl anxiously. “Buffy, do you think it’s safe to bring her here? Why don’t you take her to Mr Giles, and he can look after her.”

Buffy stared at her incredulously. “You’re suggesting that I leave an unconscious, young girl in the charge of a single, british, old man who hasn’t had you-know-what in like a year? The same man who did you-know-what with you-know-who on top of a police car!?” Buffy didn’t really distrust Giles, she just couldn’t be bothered to move anymore.

Joyce had the grace to colour slightly, whilst Dawn rolled her eyes at the you-knows which were clearly added for her benfit. Like she didn’t know that her mom and Giles had made out a little during that candy craze. What did they think she was, totally innocent?

“Perhaps you’re right, Buffy. But where do we put her?”

“Attic?” Buffy suggested lazily.

“But that’s tiny!” Joyce protested.

“She’s kinda short though,” Buffy reasoned. Dawn let out a snort.

“Like you’re one to talk.”

“Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“Fine. Oh, why’d you knock her out, by the way?”

“I didn’t! I didn’t do anything! GO TO BED!”

“Jeez, I’m going. Don’t have a cow. You’re already too much of one.” With that, the fourteen year old disappeared around the corner.

“Mom!” Buffy whined. Joyce sat down and put her head in her hands.

“Just leave it, Buffy. Just leave it.”


Now, who can guess the pairing... I can! Me!

[Rogue]

Interesting response to the challenge. Can't wait for you to more up.

[Ashley]

Bets on who the unconsious girl is are now open!

[Doc]

lol

[Jessy]

Did I get the charactarisation?

[Doc]

With Dawn? Oh yeah.

[Nicki]

Hee, this was cool. The descriptions and characterisations were good.

[Rogue]

You did good, but remember, get at least three chapters done soon.

[Jessy]

Dawn was peering over the girl after school the next day when she eventually woke yup. This came as a surprise to both parties and resulted in a yelp from Dawn as she staggered backwards, hit the coffee table and fell heels over head into the small chair positioned behind it. The poor chair had survived slayers slamming into it, vampires plonking in it and in general four years of severe abuse. This fall finally put the lid on it all as it splintered into match sticks.

Dawn stood up quickly leapt away from the scene of disaster, glancing around for her mother or sister, who, fortunately for her, were both out. Telling off averted, Dawn turned back to the girl, who was staring at her as if she had two heads.

“Where am I?” The voice was accented, American, but southern, Oklahoma maybe, or Kansas. “Who in God’s name are you?” Bible Belt too, maybe.

“Hey, I think I should get to ask the questions,” Dawn replied, folding her arms like she had often seen Buffy do when she was trying to be tough. “I mean, you’re in my house, and you’re sitting on my couch, and you’re lying on – Hey, is that my sweater?” Dawn grabbed the sleeve that was sticking out from underneath the girl. “Oh, no, it’s Buffy’s, that’s fine.”

“Buffy? Isn’t that a dog’s name?” The girl asked, sitting up and eyeing Dawn warily, as one might watch a lion, or a lunatic.

“Well, sometimes she can be a right,” Dawn lowered her voice conspiratorially, “bitch. But, no, she’s my pain in the neck sister, and I mean literally pain in the neck.” Just too late, Dawn remembered the ‘Don’t tell people Buffy’s a Slayer’ Rule (Not that Buffy hadn’t broken it like a thousand times, hypocrite). “By literally, I mean, um, she, err, pinches!” Yeah, sure. God, that was almost as bad as Buffy’s cover-ups.

The girl nodded slowly. “So, who are you?”

Dawn smiled. “Dawn Summers. If you missed the sign on the way into town, then let me be the first to say, welcome to-“

“Sunnydale. I remember. I’m Jessy, Jessy Jackson-“

“OH MY GOD! You were, like, on the news! You’re like, missing right! Oh, my God! This is so cool; you were on Fox news, for like a whole two minutes!”

“I was?” Jessy asked uneasily, her arms folding around her. She glanced out of the window, as if expecting to find a new crew outside.

“I can’t believe I found you!” Dawn appeared to have forgotten her sister’s role in the matter. “I mean, your family are going to be so happy when I call up and I’m all like, I found your daught-“

“NO!” Jessy was on her feet, if a little unsteadily. “Don’t call them, please. I’m not missing. I’m a runaway.”

“Oh.” Dawn was stumped for a second, but soon began to talk again. “Are you, hiding from the law? Did you rob a bank or something? Did you kill someone? Cause, I’m sure there’s a good reason- Did you see someone kill someone, and now they’re after you? Are you in the witness protection programme- No, wait, then the police wouldn’t be looking for you, unless this is some cunning double bluff, in which case, not so cunning, cause hello, fourteen year old girl, totally got it sussed. But then, I am really smart, I mean, I can do calculus and stuff and-“

“Uh, Dawnie? Who’re you talking t- Oh, you’re up!” A redhead was standing in the doorway, beaming. A blonde stood behind her, smiling shyly and giving Jessy a little wave.

“Buffy?” Jessy asked the redhead.

“Willow.”

“So that’s Buffy.”

“Sorry, I’m Tara. I like your accent though. Oklahoma, right?” Tara sat on the sofa and Jessy joined her as the two new girls entered. Behind them came a middle aged man, who was wheezing slightly, as though he’d just been running.

“Ok, he’s not Buffy, right?”

“No, no- Where is Buffy, I’ve found some rare nycean texts she might like to examine for our sl- um- Archaeology club. Yes. Tea, anyone?” Everyone in the room quickly turned their eyes away from the Englishman. Jessy twigged that they were coffee people. Out of politeness, she accepted. “Excellent, excellent. Well, I’ll go to the kitchen then.” The man disappeared for a split second before returning. “You are the girl Buffy found unconscious?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent, excellent.”

Jessy looked towards the redhead named Willow for some explanation. “He’s nervy. And British. Not a combination that is very good for the talking with words.” Jessy nodded, wondering what kind of people she’d managed to get herself involved with.

“So, why’d you collapse in a graveyard? Cause, of all places, a graveyard is not the most homey, unless you’re like a vamfbfphmh” Willow had intervened, placing her hand over Dawn’s mouth.

“I think it’s time for you to do your homework, right, Dawnie?”

“Fine,” the teen replied sulkily, heading up to her room.

Two men, one tall and GI Joe-ish and one thinner and goofier entered the house, along with a short, blonde girl.

“Buffy?”

“Yes?”

“Finally.”

“Who are you again? Oh, right, unconscious girl. Yeah, who are you?”

Jessy began, “Jessy Jackson, teen runaway. I’m looking for the Slayer. Would that be you?”

[Doc]

Dundundundun!

[Rogue]

interesting so far.