Feeling the warmth of my girlfriend on me, I take a deep breath and enjoy it.
It was all in my head that somehow something was wrong. I wanted to so badly for something to be wrong that I invented it and made myself worry for no reason. This is all just perfectly normal. I'm glad I talked to B and she helped me work it all out. I didn't think about what Dawn was going through and how she was changing when I was worrying. I should've thought about her more.
I went through my own evolution when I was younger, trying things out whenever the opportunity came up. That didn't exactly end well for me in a lot of situations. But what's going on between me and Dawn is different then what I had. We're in a relationship together and it's real. We love each other so much. None of that was true with me. Maybe I thought it was true while it was going on but obviously it wasn't. I'm more mature now and Dawn doesn't have to worry about me going anywhere. I'm right where I want to be and with who I want to be with.
Which is probably why Dawn has felt so comfortable pushing boundaries with me and trying things out, like what happened at her office. She loves me and feels secure with me. Some part of her probably knows that I've held back from pushing any real boundaries with her because I want our relationship to be different then what I've had in the past. I guess she's ready to push some boundaries though, and maybe I should open up about what kinda things we can try.
Who knows, it might be a lot of fun.
B comes over and sits down at the meeting table to join the rest of us, with Red and Kennedy on the other end from Dawn and I, Xander and Anya sitting across from B and Giles doing his usual watchful observer thing from a distance.
"So... how are things guys?"
My fellow slayer looks around the table at what we've come to think of as our family, mostly getting non-answers.
"Good."
"Yup."
"No complaints Buff."
I decide to add my two cents.
"Five by five B."
Dawn follows up.
"What Faith said."
She seems kinda put off by this.
"Nothing's going on? Nothing?"
We all just sorta shrug in response.
"No demons? No vampires? No sudden problems we need to fix?"
Dawn jumps in suddenly to add some excitement.
"Ooh, I heard... rumours that some vampires were coming into town, but... I think they were just looking for real estate deals."
Xander adds his own blend of fun to it.
"Well it is a good time to buy. Housing prices haven't adjusted to the new normal yet and construction is slowing down because no one needs to rebuild things as much."
Again Dawn can't help but react.
"You're welcome."
Willow gets in on the action.
"Maybe I could summon something. You know, something dark and nasty that wants to end the world or something. That might be fun."
Giles pushes back against that.
"Perhaps not. We know what happens when one of us does that, don't we?"
"I honestly thought it would just be singing and dancing."
Anya pats him on the shoulder.
"We know honey. That makes all the death and destruction it caused completely okay and we don't hold it against you."
That has Dawn laughing in my arms.
"No, of course not."
Buffy looks around the room.
"So... the usual? We keep an eye out and report anything suspicious."
Can't argue with that.
"Sounds like a plan B. Same plan we always have these days."
She seems to take a deep breath at my words.
"Yeah..."
Dawn takes exception to that.
I gotta wonder myself.
"What? Don't you like it? I mean, you've been complaining for years that you never get to have a normal life. That things are always going to hell around here..."
Xander can't help but chime in.
"Sometimes literally."
"Yeah, come on Buffy, enjoy it."
She seems to look at Dawn for a few moments before responding.
"I guess you're right."
Willow jumps in.
"I know what it is."
We all look at Willow, who is focused on B.
"Angel's going back to L.A. You're just upset that he's going to be gone."
B looks like she's considering that for a second.
"Maybe."
Aww...
"Hey, he'll be back soon. You know he will."
Xander tries to help.
"You know we're here for you Buff."
Dawn adds her own help.
"And it's like you said, nothing's really going on. If you want to go to LA and spend time with him, we can be here. Right guys?"
She's not wrong.
"Totally, go if you want to. I'll hold down the fort in case anything serious comes up."
Dawn pushes back.
"But it won't. Everything will be fine without you."
Everyone kinda looks at Dawn.
"I didn't mean it in a bad way. I just mean... if you want to go be happy with Angel, you can."
Gotta back up my girl on this.
"She's right B. Everything you both have been through, you deserve it."
She smiles at us as her eyes scan the room.
"I have the best friends in the world."
Anya can't help but comment.
"Well duh..."
We all start to laugh.
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