Sister, Sister (Book Five, BTVS)

chapter 6 - Family

Giles and I were talking alone in my living room.

I told him everything.

"Uh, I don't know what to say," Giles told me.

"Tell me about it," I told him, looking toward the stairs.

"She has no idea?" Giles asked.

"No," I answered. "She thinks she's my kid sister."

"Are you going to tell her?" Giles asked.

"How can I?" I asked, sighing, standing. "Giles, I just learned this tonight, and I'm barely holding it together. If I told her this, it'd destroy her." I walked toward the doorway, looking up the stairs, sighing. "We have to keep her safe."

I turned around, walking toward Giles.

"This... woman, this, uh, whatever she was... she knows you now," Giles told me. I sat down. "Should we be thinking about... sending Dawn away?"

"Away where?" I asked.

"I don't know," Giles told me. "Uh... your father's?"

I scoffed. "Yeah, he's, um... in Spain, with one of his old groupies from his glory days. Living the cliche. And even if I did call him, he wouldn't even..."

I looked down, shaking my head.

Giles looked sympathetic. "I'm sorry."

I sighed, looking up. "When the summer came around... I remember, Dawn and I would go on tour with Dad in his band, just living it up until school season came back. And--and, Mom was always at work, and Dad was always on the move, so, it--it was like..."

"You had to raise her on your own," Giles finished.

I nodded sadly, still trying to process. "But it wasn't real. She wasn't there, but... I can still feel what it was like." Giles put his hand over his mouth, frowning. "They sent her to me, Giles. And I'm not gonna protect her because I have to. I'm gonna protect her because I want to."

"Do we tell the others?" Giles asked.

I shook my head. "No. No one. They--they'd act weird around her, and it's--it's safer for everyone if they don't know. But, this girl, she nearly killed me, Giles. I can't fight her on my own."

"Then the only one we can tell is Buffy," Giles told me. I nodded in agreement, barely noticeable movement. Giles stood, starting to pace. "She can help you protect her, but... we have to find out who this woman is, and what she needs Dawn for." I took a deep breath. "I mean, if she comes after you--"

"She'll come," I told him, looking toward the stairs. "She'll come for us."

            •••••   

I was moving out of the dorm room so I could live at home with Mom and Dawn to protect them. I was stacking some boxes in the hallway.

Xander and Riley were carrying a mini-fridge out of the dorm room.

Xander bumped his hand on the doorway. "Ow. Thumb. Necessary opposable thumb."

"Sorry," Riley told him. "Cry baby."

"You know what?" I asked. "You guys, just leave it here."

"Got it," Riley told us.

The boys put the fridge down.

Dawn walked closer, carrying a stack of boxes that obscured her vision. "I don't need help."