She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder until she realized it was him. He spoke quietly enough that only she could hear and nodded towards the front gate. "You want to go for a walk?"
It was two o'clock on the morning. She shouldn't even be out there to begin with, and it had been bad enough meeting him in the courtyard without actually going anywhere with him… "Yeah, okay."
They walked along the sidewalk in silence, and Dawn wished she'd brought a jacket. Even in May, the London nights were too chilly for a California girl like herself. She rubbed her arms.
"Are you too cold?" Andrew asked. "We could go back."
"No, I'm fine," Dawn replied. She was cold, but she didn't want to go back.
They walked a little further before she spoke again. "So, I've heard rumors that you've taken to breaking people's noses."
Andrew blushed a bright red, and Dawn realized how little he'd done that recently. She used to be able to make him blush all the time… "I didn't really do it on purpose. He just said some stuff that pissed me off."
"Rumor has it the stuff he said was about me."
"The rumors around here are detailed."
"It's a building full of teenaged girls. It's like the Grand Central Station of gossip."
Andrew chuckled lightly for a moment, then sobered. "Yeah, it was about you."
"Well, thank you for defending my honor then," Dawn said, elbowing him lightly.
"If it involves breaking the nose of a total jackass, anytime." They fell silent again for a few more steps until Andrew spoke up. "Okay, I know I have no right to ask this, and feel free to slap me if you want, but since me, have there been…other guys?"
"Yes. Not like tons, but a few." She looked away from him, debating over whether or not she should say what she wanted to say next. She did. "I have others to compare you to now. And you're still the best lover I've ever had."
With her almost-whispered confession, something broke inside of Andrew, He spun Dawn around, pushed her against the side of the building closest to them, and kissed her. Dawn froze in surprise for only a moment before she was kissing back, her arms holding on to him tightly as she moaned against his lips.
For a brief space in time, nothing mattered but the two of them and how right they felt locked together. He tasted just like she remembered only maybe a little better. It was perfect, passion and love mixing together to heighten every bit of the embrace.
Until the need for air broke them apart and reality hit.
Dawn's hand went to her lips, her eyes growing wide as she realized what they'd done. It was what she'd been hoping for and fearing ever since this had begun, the moment when they gave in, everything changed, and they couldn't keep on pretending that they weren't something other than friends. She had to make a decision now.
Somehow, she found the strength to make the right one. Tears filled her eyes. "We can't."
He looked at her, something helpless in his expression. "I know."
With nothing else that she could say, Dawn left him standing there alone on the sidewalk.
*** *** ***
Andrew looked up sharply from behind his desk when the door to his office opened, and his breath caught in his throat when he saw who was standing there. "Dawn?"
"Hey," Dawn said softly as she shut and locked the door behind her. She walked towards him, a purpose in her steps, and Andrew swallowed hard.
"Did you want something?" he asked.
Dawn put her hand on his leg and turned his chair to the side so she could straddle his lap. "Yeah. You."
"Dawn, I don't know if…"
"Shh…" Dawn said as she put her finger against his lips. "I've been thinking since last night, Andrew. There's no point in denying what there is between us."
"We shouldn't be doing this, Dawn," he protested, even as his hips came up to meet hers.
"I think we should," she replied, her head lowering to his. She licked and nipped her way down his jaw and neck, and Andrew moaned, pushing his pelvis into hers in earnest now.
Dawn's mouth came to his ear, and she half whispered, half whimpered, "Been too long. I need to feel you again…"
Andrew didn't stop her when she reached between them and unzipped his pants. His head fell against the back of the chair at the first feel of her hands gripping him and he groaned. "Dawn… Oh god, please, Dawn…"
"Do you want me?" Dawn asked, her voice almost a purr.
"Yes. I want you. More than anyone else in the world."
Dawn pushed her skirt up on her hips and slid down to take him inside. Andrew gasped at the feel of her around him again. "Yes!" Dawn shouted, her expression one of pure ecstasy. "Missed this so much…" she told him. "Missed you…"
"I missed you, too," Andrew said, his voice shaky as Dawn began to move in his lap. "Dawn… Oh, Dawn, I love you so much."
"I love you, too. I've always loved you. Always…"
Suddenly, Dawn was gone, and Andrew gasped as he realized he was not in his office, but in his bed. And his cheek really stung…
He turned to the side and saw Cynthia and knew he was in trouble. She was glaring at him, her hand still raised from where she'd just slapped him. Oh, shit…
"You said her name," Cynthia ground out between clenched teeth.
Andrew wracked his brain for an excuse but could come up with nothing. Considering the dream he'd just been having, what Cynthia was accusing him of was more than possible. If he was lucky, that was all he said…
"You said you love her."
Yeah, apparently he wasn't anywhere in the neighborhood of lucky… Andrew sat up. "I'm sorry. I didn't…it was just a dream."
"That's no excuse!" Cynthia yelled. "Do you think I'm daft? That I don't know what's going on? I've heard what people are saying, Andrew! You broke Cranston's nose because he was talking about her. And I've heard that people have seen the two of you outside together in the wee hours of the morning!"
Andrew winced. People had been noticing that?
"Is that true? Have you been sneaking out to see her? Leaving our bed to see her?"
"It hasn't been like that!" Andrew insisted. "We've just been talking, that's all."
"Bollocks. Don't even try to insult me like that. Just answer me this—have you been sleeping with her?"
"No!" Andrew said adamantly. "I swear to you, Cynthia, I have not been sleeping with Dawn. I promise."
"I'm having a really hard time believing you right now."
Andrew hung his head. "I don't blame you for that."
"I want to sleep alone tonight," Cynthia told him. "We can discuss how this is to be dealt with in the morning."
Andrew picked up his pillow and stood without protest. "Okay."
Cynthia laid down with her back to him, and Andrew went out into the living room to sleep on the couch.
*** *** ***
The credits began to roll on the movie they'd just finished watching, and Emma turned beside her on the couch to look at Dawn. "It's almost two."
"I'm not going tonight," Dawn said simply, hugging her knees tightly to her chest.
"Did something happen last night?" Emma asked. "You've been sort of lost in space all day."
"We kissed," Dawn answered truthfully. "I can't…I can't see him anymore."
"It's probably for the best," Emma replied.
"I know, it just…" Dawn stopped talking for a moment as tears began to fall. "It hurts so freaking much. I want him, and I love him, but I can't have him. It's so unfair!"
"Is there anything I can do?" Emma asked. "I used to write funny poems in junior high for Katie when she was having boy problems. Granted, they had such lovely titles as 'Brandon Is a Big-Eared Bootyhead,' but they always made her laugh."
Dawn chuckled. "Not right now, but I'll keep it in mind." She sighed. "I think I just want to try not to think about him. I need to move on, and I'm sick of feeling pathetic."
"Pathetic?"
"Yeah. He's like all I think about, all I talk about, and it's making me feel like one of those obsesso girls. I need to just find a new focus."
"Any idea what that's going to be?" Emma asked.
"Not a freaking clue. But I'll find it. Oooh…maybe I could get hobby."
"So what, you're going to get over Andrew by using the power of macramé?"
Dawn shot Emma a dirty look. "No. Not macramé. Maybe, um, embroidery?"
"If I start tripping over embroidery samplers, I'm kicking your ass."
"I'd probably just stab myself a bunch anyway," Dawn remarked. "And only have a big tangled blob of thread to show for my troubles."
"Besides, everyone knows the real way to get over a broken heart is by taking up crocheting," Emma said. "By the five hundredth granny square, you've forgotten all about it."
"And you can make an afghan to hide under. Convenient."
"Very. Am I cheering you up at all? This isn't my best material, I know, but it's two in the morning…"
Dawn laughed. "Yes, you are. And I appreciate the effort, too."
"Do you need me to stay a little longer?" Emma asked.
"Would you? I hate to even admit this, but if you leave…"
"You'll go looking for him?"
Dawn cast her eyes down. "Probably."
"Then I'll stay," Emma said. "You want to put in another movie?"
"You don't mind staying up this late?"
Emma rolled her eyes. "Please. I'm a Slayer, remember? We're all about the night time."
"All right then. Put another one in."
*** *** ***
Dawn stood alone in a long hallway. She recognized her surroundings enough to know that she was somewhere in Slayer Central, but she couldn't figure out where. All the doors on the hall were shut and none of them were marked.
She jumped when she felt a hand take hers and looked down to see a child standing beside her. She frowned slightly with recognition. "Summer?"
"There's no time for that now. She's coming soon."
Dawn's frown grew. "What? Who’s coming?"
"You can't stay where you are. She'll find you." Summer tugged on Dawn's
hand.
"Come on!"
Dawn let the little girl pull her down the hall, struggling to keep up even though her legs were much longer. Her heart clenched with fear when she realized that she heard footsteps behind them, and knew they were being followed.
"Summer, who is that? Who's following us?"
"She's bad," Summer said, still pulling Dawn. "She wants it all, but it's yours."
"Who is she? Who's after us?"
Summer ran into a room and shut the door behind them. It was dark, and Dawn squinted to try to make out what was around them, but couldn't. "Are we safe in here?"
It wasn't Summer who answered. It was another voice, an adult this time, and the tone was sinister. "You aren't safe anywhere."
Suddenly, every inch of Dawn's body was hit with pain and she screamed.
"Dawn! Come on, wake up! Dawn!"
Dawn's eyes shot open and she gasped for air. Her body still shook for a moment, and Emma stroked her arms, trying to calm her down. "Dawn! It's okay—you're awake. It's okay."
Dawn looked at Emma's face, panicked. "No, it's not. Something's wrong, Emma. Something's very, very wrong."
"What's wrong, Dawn? Do you know? Can you tell me?"
Dawn swallowed. She did know what was wrong. She didn't know how she knew, but she did.
"Someone's after the Key."
*** *** ***