perpetual anticipation is good for the soul but it's bad for the heart

[maxxx]

Comments

[barely]

( They -- if he's following this correctly, Dawn wasn't a girl. She was a magical ball of glowing light. )

She sacrificed herself for you.

( For all intents and purposes, Dawn was Buffy. Dawn was her sister. She did that for her. He'd do anything for Elena. And Bonnie, at one time. And his friends. )

How'd she crawl out of her grave after that?

[ooglyboogleys]

They kept it from me, but all of them were trying to find ways to bring her back. They did this complicated spell ... but didn't think to dig her up before they did it.

[Sometimes her sister's friends were just ... really dumb.]

So they walked away thinking that it didn't work when Buffy didn't just magically appear in front of them but it did work and she was there so ... she dug herself out.

[barely]

Fuck.

( He doesn't know what... to even say. )

That had to mess her up. I couldn't even imagine...

[ooglyboogleys]

That year after she came back was really rough.

[She can't even really blame her sister for being depressed. Even the ill-advised tryst with Spike makes sense, in hindsight, even with the horrors it entailed.]

But she's a lot better now. And apparently dating your sister's ex-boyfriend.

[She got the rundown from Jo. She knows all the deets now.]

[barely]

Yeah, I still can't -- what are the odds? Last I checked Stefan was in -- ( Okay. ) Europe.

( Still. Europe. Is. It's big. It's very big. )

Guess it's crazy we found each other, too. Good-crazy.

[ooglyboogleys]

Very good-crazy.

[Dawn is pleased with the Jeremy-shaped space he's been taking up in her life, and she wouldn't trade it, regardless of the strange coincidences they're finding themselves in.]

But maybe it would be worth it to arrange a getting all of our coincidences in one place one day.

[barely]

Like a double date?

( Sorry, guy brain takes over. Those are so exhausting. )

[ooglyboogleys]

No. I was thinking like a party. Your sister, my sister, your friends, my friends, their significant others, all that. Or maybe a group trip since it would be unfair to make everyone travel to one place except for one couple.

[Basically plenty of room to retreat and no obligations for everyone to entertain each other.]

The holidays are coming up. Maybe for Christmas?

[barely]

Yeah, yeah, that could be cool. We need a getaway.

( Between his gallery and taking hunting assignments and Dawn working on campus and helping by phone on his assignments, they run busy. )

[ooglyboogleys]

I'll loop in Buffy and we'll see what she's able to schedule.

[Because she is still off doing Boss Slayer things, and her free time is limited.]

[barely]

Yeah, I don't get corporate slayage. Is she incorporated?

( Sure, he's a slave to a mortgage and a hunting trip falling into his lap, but he's not as booked as Buffy. )

[ooglyboogleys]

[She shrugs.]

Kennedy is incorporated. She actually owns a security firm. But I don't know think Buffy was ever the corporate type.

[barely]

But, she's international right? Slaying on all continents? Think there are vampires in Antarctica?

( Your boyfriend's mind wanders, Dawn.

Husband? Did we establish this? )

[ooglyboogleys]

[Boyfriend! As he has not actually met Buffy yet. But Dawn wouldn't be opposed to the upgrade at some point.]

It may be too cold for them, but I can see why they would consider it a viable option.

[With like six months of no sun and all.

But with that the Samhain ceremony wraps up and Jo gives the signal: Time to get to researching.]