11168/The Summers

The Summers
Date of Scene:	09 March 2020
Location:	Summers House, Sunnydale
Synopsis:	Angel heads to Buffy's Sunnydale residence to talk to her, and encounters someone from the backyard that, until tonight, he didn't know existed...Dawn, Buffy's sister. And then Buffy came home, and they discuss...heavy stuff.
Cast of Characters:	Angel, Dawn Summers, Buffy Summers

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Angel has posed:
Nighttime in Sunnydale. It was cool, spring was around the corner, and the air was damp and dark. There were sounds, the sounds made from a night just like this in March in the city, creatures, and insects, and the world starting to wake up from winter. There were other sounds as well, the sounds of someone trying to be stealthy outside the house.

Angel was walking in the backyard, moving around the fire pit, and looking up at the second story windows, wondering if she was home. His expression was cool and distant, wondering if this was appropriate considering everything that had happened. The past. The curse. Things. As it was, Angel was finding it hard to stay away.

Dawn Summers has posed:
She was up late. Homework. You know, that kid who waits til the last minute on a Sunday to actually start it. How hard could it be? Well a lot harder when currently your focus was bordering that of a fish. The young girl padded her way to her window, a welcome distraction to the English paper that refused to write itself. It was then that she spotted the figure in the yard, circling the fire pit. Her eyes narrowed and she tried her best in the moonlight to detemrine who it was: Angel.

She slowly opened the window and leaned her elbows on the window frame, peering down in her unicorn t-shirt. Her soft voice calling through the cool night air. "You know there's a thing called knocking. She may even answer. You should try it." Her tone is sarcastic and delivered easily.

Buffy Summers has posed:
It's nice to be able to shed a little clothing on a mild spring evening, and Buffy was pretty tired as she returned from a late night patrol. Between school, work, patrol and visiting her family on a regular basis, Buffy was keeping pretty busy.

But it was nice to return to the Summers house, pop in and make sure things were going well. Last she heard, her mom was doing better since her last hospital visit, and Dawn was dating some shady guy that she didn't approve of. As she steps in through the front door, she yawns and stretches, tossing her bag on the kitchen table before climbing up the steps to her room.

Looks like she's not alone either. "Dawn? IS that you?" she steps into her room, peering around, "Who you talking to?"

Angel has posed:
Angel was pacing. Brooding. Walking around the fire pit. It was what he did when he wasn't sure what to do next. His face was difficult to read in the darness, and then he heard that voice. Looking up at the window, Angel somehow made his frown grow even deeper. Dawn. Wait. His expression changed to confusion. Dawn? Who was Dawn?

Why, she was Buffy's sister of course. It only took a moment for him to remember, as he brain re-wired, remembering her. The Key. Dawn Summers. Younger sister to Buffy. Buffy. "Dawn." His voice was emotionless. Calm. Hiding the inner turmoil threatening to sneak out. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

At this point, Angel hadn't noticed Buffy returning home. Front door, and all that. It wasn't like he even knew that HAD a front door, having only ever really seen the back door. And the back yard.

Dawn Summers has posed:
The entrance of her sister draws her attention away from the window for a moment, turning her pony-tailed head away to greet Buffy. "It's me. Just lil ol' should be in bed Dawn." She turns her eyes back to the window and peers down. "Some guy. Beats writing my English paper tho." She calls down to the yard. "I should be in bed, but a little thing called procrastination won't let me."

She looks back to Buffy and motions for her to come over, moving to the side. "Come talk to him before he wears the grass down with his pacing. He clearlyis not here for me." Yet, the young girl stays in the window. Oh hell no, she is not missing this. "Look Buffy a man. And it isn't that other guy who has been around. So scandalous."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers narrows her eyes suspiciously, stepping towards the window. "'Some guy?' Dawn, are you still seeing that shady guy..What was his name..Riven?" Drawing a deep breath, Buffy peers down, and swallows. Oh. It's Angel. She hasn't seen him in a while. And..He's in Sunnydale!

"Angel..?" she bites her lip, her tone softening considerably. "Why are you pacing in my back yard..?" Because what else can you possibly say to your ex whom you haven't seen in a while? And kinda miss..

Angel has posed:
Looking up at the window, Angel takes a few seconds to realise that a teenager had just talked circles around him. Not sure how to take that, Angel opens his mouth to retort, realises that it would be silly, and then tries again. That was when Buffy makes her appearance in the window.

"Hello Buffy." His voice was calm, measured, and with as little emotion in it as he could muster. Which, from the look on his downcast face, was difficult to say the least. "I was...worried about you." Hrm. How to make that sound like he wasn't creeping, in her back yard. With a teenager in the house. Upstairs.

"Are you okay? You have a sister..." Angel looks confused again. That was almost a question. "I just had a feeling that something was wrong." There he said it. Feelings. Now that caused some issues within the Vamp.

Dawn Summers has posed:
Dawn leans her elbow on the window and watches as her sister and the man in the yard converse, hear head moving back and forth as they speak. She then seemingly speaks to herself to not interrupt their conversation. "How Romeo and Juliet. Wow, this paper is going to write itself. The irony is sickening." She offers a half smirk and looks down to Angel calling down once more. "Nice to meet you..Angel was it? Dawn...you know like the sun coming up..which it may very soon if you drag this out."

She smiles over to her sister and smiles mockingly sweet. "Riven is a fine young man. And he couldn't be here in our yard. At least for a week. It's out his ankle bracelet range for your information." She waves a hand in the direction of the window. "Cut to the chase sis...clearly you two wanna talk. Invite him in."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers licks her lips, gazing down at Angel. For a moment, she feels like Juliet, talking to Romeo. You know, forbidden love and all that. Dammit, her love life is such a mess. "Angel.." she manages a soft smile and nods, "Of course you can come up, why wouldn't you? She pauses at the worry in his voice, quirking a brow, "Worried? Heh, I can take care of myself. Gimme a sec.."

And she steps quickly out of Dawn's room, moving maybe a bit too quickly to reach the back door to let him in. "Angel..You know you're always welcome here, right? So quit being soo...Lurky!" it's almost an admonishment, although there is yearning in her eyes as she watches him.

It's been a few years since he left, and she only dropped by the hotel a few weeks ago but..

Wait, did Dawn just say, ankle bracelet? She blinks up at Dawn, but is totally distracted by Angel-ness at the moment to follow that line of thought, dammit..

Angel has posed:
Angel pushes his hands behind his back, and cranks his neck to look up at the window. It was dark in the backyard, but the light from the open window floods down to where he was standing, highlighting his face in his dark overcoat. "Yes. Nice to meet you. Dawn." Angel's eyes flicker to the horizon, that did seem to be getting lighter. Kid's got good instincts.

Riven...Angels hears that name, but for now, it means nothing. His eyes find Buffy's though, as she continues. And then she is at the doorway. Her eyes, golden blonde hair, her lips...it was almost too much. Closing his eyes, he takes one step forward. Two steps forward. Her heartbeat. Bdump. Bdump. Bdump. Then, he stops. Sighs, and opens his eyes.

"I....I just wanted to make sure you were ok. And your sister. I need to go. I can come back later, maybe." A pause. "It was good to see you again Buffy."

Dawn Summers has posed:
Well this is awkward. You know that third wheel feeling that is undeniable. Dawn just stands there with her hands clasped behind her back, rocking back and forth slowly barefoot and in her sleep clothes. She silently watches them speak like two kids at a middle school dance trying to find a partner to dance with for the last song of the night. She nibbles her bottom lip slightly and then breaks in. "Well this was fun." She extends a hand to Angel and offers a soft smile. "You most certainly should come by again. There seems to be so much more for the two of you talk about. Maybe you could write her a poem?"

She smiles over to her sister and exhales softly. "Dinner. Tomorrow night. I'll cook. I hope you like Chinese...cuz it's gunna be takeout. Don't worry, I'll be listening from upstairs and won't bother you."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers peers intently at Angel, her own thoughts perhaps echoing his. She knows - they both know, it could never be, not so long as that curse still lingers between them but, just once..Cant she...She takes another step towards him, almost close enough to reach out and touch him, reach out and kiss him maybe..?

But of *course* he retreats, of course he does what Angel does best. Being broody and mysterious. She sighs, "Geez Angel, you come all this way, just to peek in, get our hopes up and then..Then just, turn and run away? Are you *trying* to annoy me? Why didn't you just stay in Los Angeles!? I don't need this kind of drama!"

There it is, that temper of hers roiling again, taking out her frustrations on Angel. Because of course.

And somehow Dawn is all sweet and inviting, offering him to...Dinner? she sighs, turning to glance back at her. "Dawn..Really? do you even *know* how to cook?"

Angel has posed:
"Ummm...thank you Dawn." Angel takes the young woman's hand in his, and gently gives it a shake before releasing it. His hand was ice cold. "I will think about writing her a poem, but that is more William's thing to do." Angel mentions Spike, but then regrets mentioning that name as soon as it was out of his mouth.

Looking at Buffy, Angel forces a smile. "Well. Chinese food. Sounds like your sister is quite the "cook" then." Echoing Buffy. Angel shakes his head, and regards Buffy for several seconds, listening to her voice. Watching her take that step towards him. His eyes paid complete, rapt attention to her every movements. It was agony personified.

"I am not trying to annoy you Buffy. I am trying to protect you..." His eyes flicker on Dawn, and then back to Buffy. "Protect all of you. You know what could happen." His brooding grows deeper as she gets angry, almost making him wince. "I'm not in Los Angeles anymore. I bought a hotel here...you were there. I...couldn't stay away." That was too much. He revealed too much. "You know how I feel." What was it about Dawn that was making him say so much?

Dawn Summers has posed:
Dawn looks between the two of them, clearly feeling out of place and watching the love boat head towards the iceberg. She murmurs to herself from off to the side. "You two would drive Dr. Phil into retirement." Back to reality. Where to start. Oh the little pit viper is about to strike and ain't nobody escaping. "Clearly there is some unresolved tension between the two of you."

She exhales once more and turns to her sister. "It's just dinner Buffy. Not like you two are going to pick out curtains and backdrop tile. Besides, what's his name...won't even talk to me. This one..." She points to Angel. "He recognizes my existence Buffy...and that..that matters." Her words a pleadingly mocking."

Her glance now goes to Angel and she offers him one of those patented Dawn smiles. "Protection. Oh I need tons of protection. You know with all the strange men walking about in my yard. You really should come around more...you know to protect me from the /fire pit wanderers/." She nods vehemently. "Cuz...you would not want anything to happen to Buffy's little bitty sister would you?"

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers bites her lip, glancing between Angel and Dawn, expression softening as the former reveals his true intentions. "...I'm fine, I can take care of myself, but.." she sighs, fumbling with the ring on her finger, the one Angel gave her once on her seventeenth birthday so very long ago. clearly she still cares, still thinks about him all the time, more than she should..

"To be honest..I'm worried about her.." she lowers her voice, stepping nearer to Angel so only he can hear her. "At the very least, can you keep an eye on her? I've been..Having bad dreams lately. I know you can't stand to be around me, but.."

That makes her laugh because she knows she's not being fair, she knows he has no choice. "But at least take care of Dawn, while I try to figure this thing out..I dont want her getting involved."

Angel has posed:
Angel's eyes drift over to Dawn for a moment, and his expression is nearly unreadable. Not sure who Dr Phil was, Angel gets the point. There was a lot of unresolved tension between the two of them. Angel winces slightly at the thought of that sword that was driven into his body at the hands of Buffy after he had been Angelus for some time. It was a long road getting from there to here, and his soul back.

Angel looks at Dawn. Then Buffy. Then Dawn. Of course he notices her, even though there was something off about all this. Buffy has a sister. Hm. "Protection it is. I'll try not to walk around in your back yard in the future than, Dawn." Angel smirks. Then, his voice gets serious. "I would never want anything to happen to Buffy's little sister. You have my word on that. If you are in trouble, Dawn, I will be there." His words were for Dawn, but his eyes were all on Buffy and staring into her eyes.

Angel notices the fumbling and the ring. It made him. Happy. "I know you are. Worried about her." Angel moves towards the gate, and looks back over his shoulder. "I promise to keep an eye on her Buffy. I...I..." Angel looks torn. It wasn't that he couldn't stand to be around her. But. "I still care about you Buffy. I...always will." A pause. "I will watch over her." With that, he was gone, into the shadows, moving fast and quiet. Another shadow.

Dawn Summers has posed:
Things just got hella serious. Sarcasm put away. Dawn always knew she had an over protective sister and she never questioned it. As much as she found it annoying at times, deep down she was thankful for it. It is at that moment that dawn realizes she may be the topic of the conversation, but is not part of it.

Her hands go behind her back once more and she slowly begins to barefoot backstep towards the kitchen. "I'm gunna go get some Lucky Charms. This girl loves her rainbow marshmellows."

Buffy Summers has posed:
She lowers her eyes almost shyly, unable to meet his gaze, dammit. Why does she still feel this way, her heart pounding a little too much, palms sweaty..Buffy still remembers when he came back to her, and she told him to trust her, to close his eyes as she stabbed him through the heart..To save the world.

"Angel.." she murmurs softly, glancing back at him with sad, longing eyes. "Thank you.." she licks her lips, his words echoing her thoughts, but she's too proud, to angry to return them back at him.

"I miss you too.."