Title: Rebellion
Author: Wildecate
Email: wildecate@hotmail.com
Summary: Draco Malfoy rebels.
Notes: Set post BTVS S7 and post ATS S4 and definitely post OOTP.
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine.

Draco sat on the sand which was still warm from the heat of the day. He was wearing faded jeans, a white t shirt borrowed from Xander and a jacket which had belonged to Angel until it had been appropriated by Dawn for this outing. He had been in LA for nearly a week now and Dawn, determined that he not waste his time moping around the Hyperion or fighting evil, had brought him down to the beach for one of her favourite moments.

“What are we doing here?” a trace of impatience crept into his tone. He was more than happy to spend time with this delightful creature but he still didn’t understand what he was doing here on this beach.

”Shut up and watch” she said back, laughing at his growing annoyance.

He turned his attention on the darkening sky and watched as Nature spread her beauty out before him, the bright sky fading slowly as the sun sank beneath the horizon, almost setting the sky on fire as it glowed fiery red. The air itself seemed to change from the hard edged clarity of the day to rose tinted before the light diminished. Night spread her fingers across the sky, the clouds altering from fluffy white to yellow, orange, red, pink and then purple.

Draco and Dawn sat on their sand dune peacefully, watching the stars come out and sparkle in the sky above them. Neither of them spoke for what seemed like hours and finally, Dawn realised that she was hungry. They had been out for most of the day, she had been showing Draco around and had decided that an LA sunset was something he should see before he went back to Britain.

Draco, for his part, was silently touched that she would share something like this with him and happy too. Happy and relaxed for the first time in a long time. It had been a strange week at the Hyperion Hotel.

He and Giles had had their “chat” but, being British, it had lasted a little less than twenty minutes, both of them saying simply what had to be said. Giles briefly explained why he had left England, his status was Buffy’s Watcher and how proud he was that Draco might not be following in his father’s footsteps. Finally Giles rolled up his sleeve and showed Draco the tattoo that marked him apart from the others.

“This isn’t a silly teenage game Draco” Giles said seriously “this is life or death. Voldemort is not someone who lets people walk away easily.”

“You did” but there was no challenge in the young man’s voice, no disbelief.

“I went to a Hellmouth. The Council, well aware of my somewhat shady and less than respectable past, faked my death and covered my disappearance. I’ve lived over here for the last seven or eight years now. I’m very difficult to track down unless I want to be found.”

“You knew my mother?” Draco remembered the almost reverent tone Giles had used when he had seen a picture of Narcissa, flipping her hair elegantly over her shoulder and giving a small smile to the observer. Not reverent. Longing. There had been a tone of longing in Giles’ voice.

“I did. Long ago. Before your father claimed her as his own. Make no mistake Draco, your father and I walked very similar paths for many years. How else do you think I managed to become your godfather? But times change. People change. Even me.”

“You were a Watcher for a Slayer.”

“For Buffy. And I learned something about bravery and courage through her, and Xander and Willow.”

Yes, Willow. She was a whole different story. Draco’s thoughts moved to her for a moment, remembering the pale, tired looking girl who had entered his room, walking softly. She had held out her hand to him and he had felt a feeling run through him, raising gooseflesh on his arms. She tilted her head to one side curiously, staring into his face as if she was trying to see his very soul.

Then she had dropped his hand and turned back to Giles.

“The spell is cast. They won’t be able to find him. And anyone who looks at him will see Xander.”

“Xander?” Draco was dismayed. “Why Xander?”

Willow turned back to him “Because there are Voldemort’s servants even here in LA Draco and all they’ll need to do is take one look at you to know who you are. Especially if, as Giles says, you’re the spitting image of your father. So I’ve cast a glamour on you and I know Xander well so he’s the easiest for me to do. Unless you’d rather look like me?” she gave him a brief grin as he shook his head slowly.

“The conflict spell is also cast. No one will be able to track you or find you. We will see you looking as you but anyone else won’t.”

“Thanks” he managed to say.

“No problem” she said and Draco saw the girl that Willow Rosenburg had once been and a hint of the woman she would be. For now, she looked tired and weary. The spell that she had used to activate the Slayers had drained her energy, much more than anyone could have guessed it would. She was still weak but was gaining in strength every day. If he was being frank and honest with himself, she scared the fuck out of him.

She gave him a grin which let him know that she knew exactly what he was thinking and it didn’t bother her in the slightest. She headed back out of the door, moving slowly but much surer of her feet than she had been a few days before.

Draco lay back on the sand, feeling the grittiness of the sand underneath him. He stared up at the heavens, remembering Firenze’s beautiful voice rolling over him, concentrating on trying to discern the future of the world in the twinkling dots of light hundreds of thousands of miles away. He felt a sudden pang for home, not the Malfoy estate but Hogwarts.

Dawn lay down next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder, folding her arms on her stomach. She could hear his heart throbbing in his chest, his body moving up and down with every breath he took. Not for a long time had she felt this peaceful.

Draco had not just spent his time with Giles and Willow. Buffy had taken him under her wing. She had spent a while taking the mickey out of him before off handedly offering to teach him a few moves. He had accepted and the two of them had spent some long hours in the room that Angel had rigged up for training, Buffy working Draco until he could barely stand.

The first time he had stripped off his shirt to face her in a vest and training trousers, she had just stopped to stare at him. He stared back at her, taking in the shocked expression on her face.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“You…. You just remind me of someone.” Buffy shook her head for a moment as if to clear it and assumed her fighting position.

“Come on, like I showed you. Weight on the balls of your feet. Focus.”

Buffy had been forcibly reminded of someone else. Someone else tall and blonde with beautiful eyes, a sculpted physique and the same look in their eye. The confused, torment that lurked at the back of his gaze. The expression that meant “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do anymore.”

She had been so lost in her thoughts that she only just moved as Draco’s arm came past her head, but she wasn’t ready for the foot that hooked itself around hers and she tumbled backwards, landing on her back and staring up at him with shocked eyes.

“That was pretty good” she said, standing back, trying to maintain her dignity.

”Oh please” they began to spar again, Buffy’s mind now completely focused on Draco’s movements “you weren’t even thinking about me.”

Buffy’s mind began to drift off again. Oh god, she thought, he even moves like him. Draco gracefully stepped out of her way as she lunged at him and although she wasn’t using her full strength, she noticed that he was pretty strong as well.

“Come on” he laughed, not realising he was echoing the words of someone else “don’t hold back. Hit me.”

Fuck it, Buffy thought, and suddenly she couldn’t help herself. She stepped back to allow them both a chance to recover before she began her onslaught. He began well enough, attacking her and blocking her moves with ease, but as she stepped up the pace and the force of her blows, he fell back, defending himself as best he could until he was backed up against the wall. She was raining blows down on his chest, a blank expression on her face.

“Buffy?” he shouted and she stared at him for a moment, her face confused.

“No, no, no” she screamed at him, her face dissolving into sadness and tears, before dropping to her knees. He fell with her, pulling her against him, allowing her to cry, the sobs working their way out of her body painfully. Draco was confused, concerned and deeply worried about the girl. He shouted at the top of his voice for help.

Giles came skidding down the stairs with Angel and Faith close on his heels. They stopped abruptly at the sight of Buffy on her knees in Draco’s arms. He was looking down at her with an unreadable expression on her face, holding her close and stroking her hair as she sobbed against him.

Angel knelt beside the pair on the floor and opened his arms. Draco carefully disengaged Buffy from her grip on him and she wrapped her arms around Angel and he lifted her easily, and left the room with the tiny Slayer huddled against him, Faith following them silently.

Draco remained where he was, kneeling on the floor, watching them leave.

”What happened?” Giles asked, joining Draco on the floor.

“We were fighting one minute and she was crying the next. Said I reminded her of someone.”

Giles assessed Draco for a moment and saw what Buffy saw.

“Spike?”

“Pardon me?”

“You remind her of Spike.”

Draco sat and looked at Giles, remembering that Dawn had told him about Spike.

“Oh” he said flatly.

“Yes” Giles answered. He eyed the bruises that were beginning to blossom on Draco’s chest and arms where Buffy, uncaringly, had hit him.

“Come on. Let’s see to those bruises.” Draco allowed himself to be pulled to his feet and followed Giles up the stairs.

The bruises were still showing, although covered up by the t shirt Draco had borrowed from Xander. Buffy had been incredibly embarrassed the next time she saw him but he had shrugged it off, understanding that she had needed to get it out of her system and saying that he had been happy to help. He had jokingly offered to dye his white locks, wear a hat or even wear a wig. She had managed a smile for him and he had felt a curious feeling of pride go through him.

Dawn lay peacefully beside him, her head a welcome weight on his chest.

Hogwarts seemed so far away, the world of NEWTS and Dumbledore and where he was expected to act as a Malfoy seemed a million miles away from the sun soaked beaches of California. How could he possibly return home now?

He had accompanied the others out one night as they cleaned out a vampire nest and he had never had so much fun in his life. He was thankful that Buffy had given him a few pointers on the fighting business. He wasn’t able to use his magic outside Hogwarts so any other means of defence was fine by him.

Dawn lifted herself off Draco and sat up blinking. She had almost fallen asleep on him but it was a hell of a walk back to the hotel and LA in the dark wasn’t the safest plan ever.

Giles glanced up as Dawn and Draco came in. It was late evening, and although Dawn had had her phone on her, neither of them had called. No one had gone running after them, cosseting them, protecting them. There were other things to worry about now and Dawn had grown up immeasurably and was old enough now not to get herself into trouble.

There seemed an aura of peace about them, calmness. Something that they had found in each other, perhaps.

The two of them disappeared upstairs and no one said anything although Giles noticed Buffy’s eyes lingering on the retreating back of her sister.

“Nothing will happen tonight Buffy” Giles reassured her “Trust Dawn, even if you don’t trust him.”

Buffy gave her Watcher a smile “I trust them. It’s nice to see her happy and not constantly fleeing evil. It’s nice that she has her own friend.”

She glanced up the stairs to where her sister had disappeared, and then snuggled back into Angel’s arms, feeling safe and comforted. She was glad Dawn had someone to feel that way with too.

Draco shed his jacket on the chair and settled himself on the bed. Dawn followed him silently, still not saying a word. She kicked her trainers off and joined him on the bed, tucking herself in the crook of his arm and resting her head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent. Draco pulled her close, resting his cheek on her smooth hair and she wriggled, turning on to her side, laying an arm across his stomach, and draping a leg across his.

“Comfy?” he asked.

“Very. You?”

“Yup”

Dawn closed her eyes and fell asleep and within a breath Draco followed her. They slept peacefully together, finding comfort in the presence of the other. They did not even stir when Buffy and Angel swung the door open a few hours later to look in on them.

“Young love” Buffy sighed as she closed the door on the Draco and Dawn.