Fic: Connection ( written for fall_for_sx )
Author: lusciousxander
Pairing: Xander/Dawn, Xander/Spike eventually
Setting: San Francisco. Spoilers for S8 and S9, if you haven't read both and want to read this fic, here's a recap of S8, which is all you need to know to understand this fic.
Big thanks to tempted2play and diebirchen for the much needed editing.

Summary: In a world where metaphor is dead and reality is starting to creep in, where vampires are out and liked by the public, where slayers are hated and considered murderers, Xander and Dawn struggle to have a normal life away from the fight and temptation of the past.










Made by moscow_watcher




Chapter One:







Xander dragged himself into his apartment, already shrugging off his jacket. The silence that greeted him was consistently interrupted by the tapping sound of Dawn's fingers typing restlessly on the keyboard. Another day without his usual dose of Dawn's sweet hugs and kisses. He resentfully kicked the apartment's door shut.

"Welcome home," Dawn's voice drifted from the couch somewhat distant and unfocused. Now she was banging on the keys as if she were on a vengeance mission. Her paper was due tomorrow, and knowing her, she was probably rewriting it for the tenth time. She was as much a nerd as Willow used to be back in high school – which was nostalgically endearing, but unsettling.

He dropped his briefcase and jacket to the floor, hoping she'd notice and get angry at him. His stomach roared when he picked up the luscious smell of macaroni and cheese wafting from the kitchen area. Still on the stove, either Dawn was waiting for an overcooked meal or she'd cooked it last minute. Bottom line was, he'd be eating macaroni and cheese for the third day in a row, which was serious Dawn sloppiness, especially after weeks of eating delicious home-cooked meals produced from experimental recipes.

He grabbed a plate from the cupboard on his way to the oven and lifted the lid off of the food, hot vapors slapped his face and his stomach growled more. It looked about ready to be devoured, so he reduced the temperature to moderately low and started filling his plate.

He placed his dinner on the table, then took hold of the last cola in the fridge. Cracking it open, he placed the can next to his plate. He shoved a spoonful of macaroni into his mouth and chewed loudly, staring at Dawn.

There was no doubt she had been sitting like that all day, her crossed legs must have gone numb by now and her thighs were probably irritated by the laptop heat. She did look adorable with her hair pulled up in a tight bun, leaving her face wide open to reflect her serious expression. When her thin brows met in a frown, he felt a pang of regret at his childish thoughts and behavior. A smile lifted up the corners of his lips when she noticed him staring at her, and clear blue eyes stared back at him in confusion.

He lifted up his cola can. "Here's hoping it's an A plus."

Her lips broke into a sheepish grin. "Oh, sorry, I haven't..." She started rubbing her eyes in apparent exhaustion. "God, I've been typing all day. I can still hear the clicking in my head."

"Like throwing pebbles at a brick wall."

She threw an apologetic smile and returned her gaze to the laptop screen, though her hand wavered over the keyboard, obviously cramped from typing for too long.

"Speaking of brick wall, I think I'm gonna be promoted to crew chief soon." He shoved another spoonful of macaroni into his mouth and swallowed fast.

"Really?" Her face lit up in a way that made him chuckle softly. "That's huge news. The kind worth mentioning at the door before the 'jacket and briefcase in-waiting-for-Dawn-to-pick-'em-up' dropping." She lifted her eyebrows and gave him a look.

He chuckled again. "I thought you wouldn't notice."

"This is a major paper I'm turning in tomorrow. Stop being a jerk."

"Sorry." She'd been working so hard on her schooling, especially given that she had to repeat her freshman year after the gigantic fiasco of last year. Not funny pun unfortunately intended.

She sighed, letting the matter slide. She had already landed the role of the mature partner in their relationship. "Good thing you didn't need to start all over."

"Yeah, after losing everything in the castle explosion last year, including my ID, I was really worried about work. An eighteen year old pizza boy is natural but a twenty-five year old pizza boy just puts pathetic in a whole new level."

She smiled. "Thank God things didn't go to that direction."

"All I needed was to give the names of previous employees and answer some technical questions and the job was mine." He swallowed another bite and went on with his mouth full, "Now I have a brand new shiny ID, and with my new dashing eye-patch it looks twice as cool as the old one. So the explosion was really to my advantage."

Dawn frowned. "I won't call the death of seven slayers an advantage."

He bit on his lower lip. "And the award for the asshole of the day goes to…"

Her frown dissolved into a look of sympathy. "You were also about to be killed that day, too."

"And you saved my life," he said with a loving smile.

Her cheeks pricked with a rosy color and she swiftly returned her attention to the laptop screen. She let out a moan: "God, my hand hurts."

"Take a break and come eat with me."

She placed her laptop aside giddily and trotted to the kitchen area. His smile as he watched her settle next to him with a full plate was lost when she grabbed his Cola can and poured the remaining liquid into an empty glass. He watched her throat work as she drank some of the cold fluid in rapid swallows.

Here he was in a brand new relationship, all with the sharing and providing and planning for the future of two. Kinda like what he had with Anya… but it was a little different this time.

She took a bite of her food and flashed him an approving grin. "Tastes the best tonight."

He was dating Dawn, five and a half years younger than himself and centuries younger than Anya. He was dating the girl he'd baby-sat for six years. Some would think that playing house with Anya was the more natural and easier deal, since she'd been a grown woman, with an income and more experience in life. Now he was the only one fending for the family, and this new girlfriend had more needs for money: school; food; clothes.

Dawn had offered to get a part time job, but he declined. Buffy –until she'd dropped out- and Willow had gone to college without working part time, he'd made certain that Dawn had that, too.

Things would go financially smoother now that Buffy had moved out of their apartment. He eyed the couch where Buffy had crashed over the past few months. One less mouth to feed. A mouth that was probably spouting puns at some stray vampires at the moment. His lips twisted slightly, except their corners turned up in a forced smile when Dawn looked at him.

"I promise, we'll be eating something different tomorrow," she said. "And then, you'll start picking up after yourself."

His gaze drifted to the jacket and briefcase ditched on the floor. "Yes, Mom," he said sheepishly.

"And I think it's time to stop hiding my laptop charger."

"Can't help the resentment." He pouted. "You've been spanking those keys for days."

Her sly smile stunned him. "All the better to practice spanking you with, my dear." She leaned forward giving him a peck on the lips.

Shit, now he wanted her wearing a red hooded cape. Or was it he who should wear it? Dawn in a wolf suit. A sexy wolf suit. Now a peck on the lips was not enough. He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her into a deep kiss, passionately pushing his tongue in, taking pleasure in the taste of his dinner in her mouth. He freed her long hair from the tight bun and enjoyed its silkiness as it ran between his fingers.

She broke away from the kiss with a hard nip to his lower lip, her earnest blue eyes staring straight into his. This was what heaven felt like, so perfect and simple. A life dipped into endless bliss in the arms of a woman who loved and treasured him. A life far away from danger, death and the complications of the demon world. A life that suited him the best, the one Anya had always claimed was meant for him.

If only it made him happy.



~*~*~*~



Chapter Two