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“I come down here when I want to get away from my parents,” Cole said, opening the door to Angel’s old apartment. “I wonder about the guy that used to rent this place. Well, I guess he still does according to the landlady. I asked about it, because he’s never here. She says he always pays his rent for a year in advance. He left all this stuff here, then he’s never here, but he still pays the rent, it’s really curious don’t you think?”
Dawn squirmed a little, she was dying to tell Cole the story, which she knew better than most having snitched Buffy’s diary and asked Angel a few questions even Buffy hadn’t. But that story involved a whole bunch of things that she knew better than to talk about, starting with vampires and ending with a sister who just happened to the Slayer.
“You know something,” Cole pressed, grinning. “I can tell. Come on, what’s the scoop?”
“I know him, the guy that lived here I mean,” Dawn admitted. “He’s my sister’s boyfriend.”
“So what’s the story about this place?” Cole asked.
“I actually didn’t know he still had it,” Dawn said. “He lived here when we first moved to Sunnydale. Then some bad stuff happened and he… left… for a while. When he came back he lived in this other place. I thought it was weird, because the new place had to have had some really bad association for him and Buffy. I asked him once why he didn’t get the apartment back. I mean it’s not like the really limited windows in this place make it a top seller. Anyway he said it was easier to live with nightmares than broken dreams.”
Cole nodded; his dark eyes alight with interest. “What’s he like?”
“Angel? He makes my sister cry too much,” Dawn said. “But he loves her, he’d literally die for her, that’s not even a question. I don’t know... he’s hard to explain. He’s quiet; sometimes I think he’s a little shy. He used to make Buffy feel safe.”
“The girl that’s way into kick boxing?” Cole asked.
“Yeah, I know,” Dawn replied. “Buffy doesn’t need protection, but it wasn’t that kind of safe. He was the one who would always lover her, no matter what. He was the one person that she never had to put up a front for. She didn’t have to be strong for him, or normal, or anything. She didn’t have to hide anything from him.”
“When I first met Angel it was like he lived for Buffy. She was everything to him, if he wasn’t talking to her or about her he probably wasn’t talking. I think that’s part of why they’re fighting now. Well, not so much fighting, that would require them to be speaking to each other,” Dawn sighed. “Things changed, they had to break up for a while and Angel got a life that had more than Buffy in it. She’s not the whole of his world anymore and she doesn’t like that. I think Buffy’s the one that’s wrong this time, Angel’s… I don’t know… more whole? now. We’ve been talking lately, I keep him up to date on how Buffy’s doing, since she won’t talk to him, and she finds how he’s doing by listening in on my conversations.”
“Right now he’s all wrapped up in this case… he’s a detective, isn’t that just the coolest thing? He hasn’t called lately but it’s just because of the case, it’s really important to him. He tried to stop this evil law firm from hurting people. I bet they’re really mad at him and maybe he had to go into hiding or something. He’ll beat them eventually, or Buffy’ll get all “Don’t you dare threaten my boyfriend” and kick their butts, then everything will be okay again. But anyway, before Angel got so busy we were talking and it was nice. Before when he talked to me it was just because I’m Buffy’s little sister, I like it a lot better when he’s talking to Dawn. It’s like I’m a real person, you know? He’s changed and it’s a good thing. I mean he socializes with people who aren’t even Buffy.”
“Come on,” Cole protested. “He can’t have been that wrapped up in her.”
“You never met Angel,” Dawn replied, missing the hurt look that flashed into Cole’s eyes.
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“You were right to worried about this Cole person,” Willow said. “To start with, I don’t think that’s even his name. I couldn’t find a birth certificate or a social security number or anything.”
“Poor Dawnie,” Tara said. “This isn’t going to be easy on her.”
“You’re sure that it’s really bad?” Buffy asked sadly, “I was hoping my wiggins about Cole was a false alarm.”
“If it were just that, I would say lets be cautious and look into his background more carefully,” Willow sighed. “I mean with just that he could have been a run-away, just a kid that needs help. But his school records, which do exist by the way, just scream supernatural.”
“How so?” Buffy asked.
“They’re gobblity gook,” Willow explained, “But no one notices. For example, the school he claims to have gone to last is in Minnesota according to it’s website, but on his transcript he claims to have lived in Louisiana while he was going there. And it says he took physics, but he doesn’t have the math requirements… then there’s the whole fact his transcript says he got a C in battle magic.”
“He took a class in magic?” Xander asked. “And got credit? We should have asked Giles to give us credit for all the research we did in High School, I should have gotten an A for effort alone. An A would have helped my GPA a lot.”
“According to Cole’s permanent record he did just that,” Willow replied. “And no one at the school is even a little bothered by that. It’s not right, I think he’s working some sort of mojo on them.”
“I wonder if it runs in the family,” Buffy said with a bitter laugh. “Maybe Summers are just genetically predisposed to fall for guys who are neck deep in weirdness. Anybody know how I’m going to break the news to Dawn?”
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“They had to be certain the Slayer would protect it with her life,” Spike read. “So they sent the key to her… in human form. In the form of a sister.”
Dawn felt her world collapsing around her.
Spike frowned, glancing over at Dawn, “Huh! I guess that’s you Nibblet.”
“That’s what they meant, why they’re all talking about me. Why people just come up on the street and tell me I’m not real… I’m not. Oh God, I’m not real,” Dawn stammered, fleeing the magic shop.
”Hey, where are you going?” Spike asked following her.
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“Cole!” Dawn yelled, pounding on the closed door.
“Slow down kid!” Spike said, jogging into the apartment building.
“Cole! Oh yeah, he doesn’t live her,” Dawn exclaimed in disgust, turning away from the door.
“Dawn?” Cole asked sleepily, rubbing a hand over his face as he opened the door. “It’s the middle of the night.”
“I’m real aren’t I?” Dawn demanded.
“What? Of course you’re real, if not I’m hallucinating things,” Cole said.
“Not funny,” Dawn said.
“Dawn, I’m half-asleep,” Cole sighed. “Why wouldn’t you be real?”
“Because I’m this key thing,” Dawn exclaimed. “These monks made me, I’m not human.”
“So? Doesn’t mean you’re not real. He’s real isn’t her?” Cole asked gesturing to Spike. “He’s not human, most of the people I grew up with weren’t human. It didn’t make them less real, they’re still people. You’re as real as anyone Dawn, always were.”
Slowly Dawn backed away from Cole, staring at him, absolutely horrified.
“What the bloody hell are you?” Spike asked, pulling Dawn to him protectively.
“He’s your uncle,” Drucillia chimed from down the hallway. “My dearest, darlingest, little brother, who I never even met.”
“Dru, what brings you to Sunnyhell?” Spike asked, striving for casual as he put himself between his insane ex-girlfriend and Dawn.
“You know her,” Darla said coming in behind Drucillia. “The wind told her some ridiculous story so here she is.”
“Darla… I heard you were dust,” Spike said, sounding less than thrilled to find out otherwise.
“And I heard that you’re the Slayer’s new pet vampire,” Darla replied.
“It would be ever so much nicer to go inside and visit,” Dru said walking to Angel’s door.
“We don’t have an invitation,” Darla pointed out.
“It’s Daddy’s home,” Dru said. Turning to Cole she added, “His aurora clings to this place. You haven’t even tried to make it yours.”
“Angel’s not your father you crazy bitch,” Cole snapped.
Dru’s hand shot out catching Cole by the shoulder and dragging him to her. “Naughty, naughty,” she reprimanded, shaking him soundly. “You are a terribly rude child, I shall have to wash your mouth out with soap.”
Imperiously Dru marched into the apartment, towing Cole after her.
“We might as well make ourselves comfortable,” Darla said to Spike. “Bring the girl.”
“I’m not interested,” Spike said moving toward the door, keeping Dawn close. “I think I’ll just be on my way.”
“You always were impertinent,” Darla sighed. “I’m your elder Spike, when I say something, it’s not a suggestion.”
Spike glanced at the narrow doorway and Darla planted firmly in the center of it then turned and walked into the apartment with Dawn.
Darla followed them. Once Spike had taken a seat with Dawn on the bed, Darla pulled the armchair in front of the door and perched on one arm. Drucillia reappeared from the bathroom, brushing unhappily at water stains on her dress as she claimed the other arm of the armchair as her seat.
Cole walked into the main room a few seconds later wiping soap subs from his lips and looking rather the worse for wear sporting a bruised on his cheek.
“We need formal introductions,” Dru announced as Cole slumped to the floor. “Angel should perform them, but as he had been lax in his manners we shall make do. I am Drucillia, your sister. This is Darla, your Grandmother-niece. That is Spike, your nephew. What is your name and hers?” Dru asked gesturing to Cole and Dawn in turn.
Cole glared back sulkily.
“I’m not in the mood for this,” Darla said. “You, boy, are you Angel’s?”
“Why would I tell you?” Cole spat.
“Because if I get frustrated or bored with you I’ll eat you,” Darla said, inspecting her nails.
“I’d like to see you try!” Cole said jumping to his feet. Having his almost girlfriend show up at his door in the middle of the night with a vampire as a watchdog wanting to know if she was real and then having insane vampiress show up a few minutes later for a family visit and threatening to wash his mouth out with soap had thrown Cole for a while. But he’d spent a lifetime preparing for evil demons that wanted to destroy the world or kill him.
He stood, balanced on the balls of his feet, glancing longingly at his pack, laying several feet from him and holding his sword.
“Can’t you see Angel in his face Grandmummy?” Drucillia asked.
“Cole be careful!” Dawn exclaimed, then squirmed uncomfortable as all eyes came to rest on her.
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“Buffy, have you seen Dawn?” Joyce asked frowning. “She’s not in her room, or the house as far as I can tell.”
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