Conjuring Tomorrow
By SinisterChic

Somehow Buffy made it to apartment 34 in a daze. She came to awareness outside the door and stared at the golden numbers. She didn’t want to go inside. She wasn’t ready to confront a Rome-loving sister and a little traitorous liar. It’d be nice to sneak inside and sleep for a solid ten hours, saving any confrontation until tomorrow.

Reminding herself that she was the slayer and could deal, she took hold of knob and turned. The living room was filled with laughter. She spotted its source on the white sofa, Dawn, chatting loudly into the cordless telephone. The teen slipped in a little Italian now and then. Buffy wondered if she was trying to show off. Dawn gave recognition to Buffy’s presence by giving her a tiny wave, and then proceeded to talk about some new male student.

Buffy stood in the entryway and examined the place she’d resided in for months. It was a little messy, but classy. Throughout the room, lights were mounted on the soft orange colored walls. They were accompanied by black and white framed photographs. Near the doorway was a table with drawers. On top, there was a lamp and a few decorative vases. In the center of the living room was a white couch, with a lamp on either end, each raised up by wooden stands. A chair matched the couch, and was placed next to it to form an ‘L’ around the coffee table.

This isn’t home, Buffy thought. The furnishings seemed foreign, alien figures to create the illusion of false-Buffy. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to picture 1630 Revello Drive. It was crisper and clearer than the here and now. She felt that if she reached out she could grab it and pull herself back.

“Buffy?”

Her eyes snapped open. Dawn held the now off phone, herself perched on the edge of the couch cushion, and she gave Buffy her ‘Are you going weird on me?’ expression.

“You’ve been standing there for over fifteen minutes,” Dawn said.

“Oh.” Really? Fifteen.

There was a long pause.

“How was your date?” Dawn asked.

Buffy cringed.

“What was the scrunch up for?”

“Where’s Andrew?” Buffy questioned.

Dawn stood up. She crossed her arms. “Out. Don’t change the subject. Something happened tonight. What’d you do, break up?”

“Yeah.”

Buffy couldn’t read Dawn’s face. Eventually Dawn said, “Did he do something guyish to totally piss you off?”

Buffy shook her head. “No. I just . . . Dawn, can we sit together?”

Dawn hesitantly sat back down. Buffy moved to settle down, positioning herself in an angle so she could look her sister in the eye.

“It wasn’t him, it was me. I realized he wasn’t what I wanted, that’s all. I know you liked him but. . .”

Dawn made a “guh” noise and turned her head.

“What was that?” Buffy asked.

“That was a ‘how dead have you been lately?’ sound. I very much don’t like Ambrogio!”

“Huh?”

Dawn nodded. “Really. Not that I hate him exactly. I guess I like him as much as I like Riley. He was just totally wrong for you.” She shrugged. “But I can’t rule your life.”

Buffy blinked. “Okay. This is unexpected.”

“Did he throw a fit?”

“Oh yeah. Tried to make out I was sick and I’d get over it.”

Dawn laughed. “He thinks he’s God’s gift to women, you know?”

Buffy lifted one side of her mouth. “Well, he does resemble that guy who played Hercules on that show.” Buffy took a moment to think. “Hercules was the son of Zeus, right? My college deprived brain is all mixy.”

Dawn smiled. “That one I know. Yeah, he was the son of the on high.”

Buffy sighed. “You are smarter than me.”

“What are you talking about? So am not.”

“So are,” Buffy retorted. “You know Italian and culture. I know zippidy-doo-da except the location of clubs around here.”

“Which would be me too if I were twenty-one. OR, I had a major cool sister who would conform to the Italian belief that 17 is an acceptable alcohol drinking age.”

“Not gonna happen, Dawn,” Buffy said firmly.

“Why not?” Dawn whined.

“Because mom would disapprove.”

“But-“

Buffy decided to put the conversation on trajectory. “We might have to conform to new beliefs anyway.”

Dawn clearly didn’t get it.

“I’m thinking of moving,” Buffy clarified.

Dawn studied her hands. “Where?”

“I don’t know.”

“I don’t get it.” Dawn raised her head. “It was your idea to come here in the first place. And you were the one who was so excited to decorate the apartment. You moved on with The Immortal. It was all you.”

“All me? You picked Rome.”

“No. I said I wanted to ‘visit’ Rome. I never wanted to live here. That was all you!”

Buffy gestured to the phone still in Dawn’s hand. “What about the phone call? You sounded happy, all settled in to me. You’ve made friends here.”

“One,” Dawn said. She held up her index finger. “As in single friend. And you are one to talk. You seemed all happy-go-lucky to me too.”

“Well, I’m not!” Buffy snapped. “I’m miserable here!”

“Me too!” Dawn shouted.

They stopped and stared at each other. Then, simultaneously, they let out a long breath. Dawn smiled, which made Buffy reciprocate the action.

“I feel better,” Dawn stated.

“Diddo,” Buffy said. “God, I’m sorry.”

“It’s kinda funny actually. We both thought the other loved Rome and so we put on acts to make out we were happy here.”

“Bout sums it up,” Buffy said.

Just then Andrew came barging inside. He wore a Cheshire cat grin, his mouth very red from supposed lipstick smudge. He swayed a little and let out an exaggerated sigh.

“Ah, that’s amore,” he sang.

Buffy jumped to her feet. Andrew took one good look at her and stepped back into the wall. She must have displayed her fury visibly.

“Guess what I heard on the grape vine, Andy?” Buffy said.

Andrew cowered away. “You’re all in slayer mode again. I thought that side of you was gone. I forgot how scary you can be. You aren’t going to put a knife up to my face this time, are you?”

“Depends on how you respond to my questions. I was out slaying and heard something very interesting.”

“You were out slaying?” Dawn asked. She sounded pleased.

Buffy took a step closer. Andrew squeaked.

“I got word that a certain someone we both are acquainted with didn’t stay so dusty afterall. Did you know about this?” Buffy continued.

Dawn came up to stand next to Buffy. “What are you talking about?” Her voice wavered.

Buffy turned. “Spike’s alive, Dawn.” She turned back to look at Andrew. “Or, that’s what I heard.”

“Spike?” Dawn said in shock.

“He made me promise not to tell,” Andrew squealed.

Buffy felt more heat rise to her face. She flexed her fingers. “So, you spoke to him?”

Andrew nodded.

“What exactly did he say?”

“Which time?”

“What do you mean, which time?” Dawn shouted.

“I. . . I. . .” Andrew turned his head away.

“Speak up, or I’ll burn your Transformers collector set.”

“Ah! Not that, I just got it!”

Dawn came closer. “Well then tell us what you know.”

“I talked with him tonight,” Andrew confessed.

“Tonight?” Buffy whispered.

The world seemed to close down. He was here, or had been. That glimpse she’d caught while dancing hadn’t been a hallucination. He’d been so close.

“I thought I was doing the right thing,” Andrew cried.

“And why would you think that?” Dawn demanded.

“Because. . .” Andrew glanced at Buffy. “Because Buffy never talked about Spike after- you know. And then she moved on with The Immortal. They were all cuddly on the couch and stuff. I thought she didn’t love him. Spike doesn’t deserve to be broken hearted again. He’s my role-model. He’s like major cool with the coat and the redemption. Better he didn’t see her at all.”

Buffy shut her eyes. This was all her fault. If only she could have gotten Spike to believe her in the first place . . . He’d have come back then. He’d have rushed to her side first thing. A tear escaped her eyes – the first real tear since Spike’s death.

__

Dawn took a good look at Buffy. She noticed the impact of Andrew’s words. The tear slid down Buffy’s cheek to fall slowly off her chin and then to be replaced by another. Dawn shifted her hard eyes upon their houseguest with a glare.

Andrew pressed himself into the wall.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Dawn yelled. Andrew jumped.

They deserved to be happy. Well, maybe not Spike, she hadn’t quite forgiven him quite yet, but Buffy definitely did. She stared down at Andrew as if he were an ant.

“I wish you could know what you’ve done. What you’ve taken away from MY SISTER!”

The pictures rattled on the walls. Andrew gazed around in panic. “Does Rome have earthquakes?” he asked.

She ignored him. “If you could only see how perfect they are for each other.”

Then she noticed the green, swirling mass of green right where Andrew had been. A roaring sound that resembled a train filtered into the apartment. She gasped. Buffy grabbed her shoulders and spun her around.

“What did you do?” Buffy asked loudly.

“I-I’m not sure.”

“I think you’ve made a portal.” Buffy scrutinized Dawn. “You aren’t bleeding, are you?”

Dawn shook her head. She glanced down to be sure. “No.”

“You have to stop it!”

“How?” Dawn asked.

Buffy looked at the green mist for a long while. “Do you think . . .?”

Dawn was quick to shake her head. “NO!”

Buffy’s face softened. “Do you think we should call Willow?”

“Oh.” Dawn relaxed. “Yeah. That would be good.”

Buffy reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind Dawn’s ear. “There aren’t any demons coming out, Dawn. I won’t do anything rash unless I have to.”

All of a sudden the roar stopped. Both girls searched for the portal, but it was gone.

“Wow,” Dawn said. “Guess we don’t have to rush in calling Willow after all.”

“What about Andrew?”

“Can’t we leave him?”

Buffy smiled. “As tempting as that sounds . . .”

Dawn groaned. She looked down to discover she’d dropped the phone. She picked it up and waved it around. “I got it. Rescue mission on its way.”