Dreaming a reality

[avasa_edan]

Dawn was kind enough to drive me out into the desert, not far from Sunnydale, but far enough to collect my thoughts. Build the wall back up in my mind. I can only imagine how long I can hold it before we reach home.

Home. Is still home? I'm not--I'm not sure.

I think I ought to tell her about the dream, but where would I even begin? Why is it

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[_dawnie_]

We're on our way home now, and I really hope Jordy doesn't mind that I kept his car all weekend long. I think we needed to get away... Avasa seems so much better. I smile and glance over at him, and my smile fades, a sharp spear of anxiety seizing me as I see that he's leaning over, clutching his head.

I pull over to the side of the road, panicky. "Avasa?" Please, not again...

[avasa_edan]

"No, no. I'm okay," I reach my hand out to hers and clutch it tightly. "Really truly okay."

I'm a bad man.

[_dawnie_]

I look at him, carefully, the car idling beneath us. He doesn't look like he's hearing voices still, more like something's bothering him a little. I raise his hand to my mouth and kiss it, then rub it against his cheek. "You sure?"

[avasa_edan]

“I’m sure,” I smile reassuringly and lean over the small distance between us to kiss her on the lips.

[_dawnie_]

"She was a lot better about it than I was expecting," I tell him. "I thought she'd kinda freak. She um, had an older boyfriend too, once." 'Course, Buffy doesn't know quite how old Avasa is just yet. I glance at him and then back at the road, a faint frown furrowing my brow. Why do I keep feeling like there's something strange going on? He seems kind of... I dunno.

Stop being paranoid. Just stop it.

[avasa_edan]

I laugh a little and lower my head, "well, here's hoping she doesn't take it too bad when she sees me," I shrug. I knew the story, how Buffy had released Angel's soul after a moment of pure happiness. I wonder if she'll see the same heartbreak in me as she sees in him?

We're almost there.

[_dawnie_]

"Maybe she won't," I say. I hope she's as cool as she was on the phone. I guess we'll see. I begin making my way through the network of streets that comprises downtown Sunnydale, steering the car toward Revello Drive.

We reach my house, and I park, stopping the car and turning it off. "Here we are."

[avasa_edan]

I take a deep breath and step out of the car. There's nothing to worry about. Nothing--I think I'm hyperventilating. I reach out for Dawn's hand when we reach the front step.

[resurrected_b]

I'm watching out the window every few minutes, wondering whether Dawn is coming home or what, when I see the car pull up and she gets out with...a guy. Tall is about all I can tell from here, so I go to the door and throw it open.

"Dawn, great, you made it okay," I say, relief in my voice. "And you must be..." Uh, she didn't tell me his name.

[avasa_edan]

"Avasa," I say, reaching out my hand for her to shake.

There's a nagging persistence of the townspeople that I try to force to the back of my mind.

[resurrected_b]

"Avasa," I repeat, forcing a smile. "Interesting name. Come on in." I step aside so he can, watching him. He's good looking, and...well not really old, but probably older than I am. And he looks nervous--guess he had good reason to. I try to put him at ease. "So, you guys hungry? There's cold pizza in the fridge I think, unless someone snarfed it."

[_dawnie_]

"This is my sister Buffy," I tell Avasa. It's okay, I think to him. She's not going to knock you over the head. A tiny smile tugs at my lips. "Are you hungry?" I ask him.

[_dawnie_]

I've poured drinks and settled into a seat next to Avasa by now. It's kinda nice just sitting around talking, not feeling like I have to hide things. I find I'm actually hungry, not having eaten anything to speak of all weekend, and I dig into my pizza.

[resurrected_b]

I grab a soda from the fridge and take the seat that Avasa had pulled out. His comment to me was...odd, but I can't pinpoint why. "Wow, Dawnie, some apetite you have there," I remark, and then say to Avasa, "Go ahead, dig in before Willow comes and finishes it off." When she was in research mode she could really vacuum in the food.

[avasa_edan]

I laugh and grab a slice, just as I hear...

[freckled_witch]

I can hear voices in the kitchen, Dawn must be home. I walk in from the living room, relieved. Tara’s been worried since she talked to Buffy last night. ‘Least Dawn’s okay… “hey,” I say, makin’ my way over to the fridge to get a soda. Nope, don’t want an introduction. I’m not being nosy. Really not.

"Oh, pizza!"

[_dawnie_]

I can feel the tears from earlier that day start again, just a slow trickle down my face. "He needs help, Willow. I don't know... I thought it'd help if he was away from here for a while. And he was better. But--." I stop as I realize I'm not making any sense. "Yes, he can hear thoughts."

[resurrected_b]

Guess that explains the weird comment about Xander's hiring practices. Okay, telepathy isn't that strange, Willow had done it before. But Dawn looks seriously upset. "What's wrong, then? Maybe we can help," I say, looking between her and Avasa. "And what's in the basement?"

[freckled_witch]

“I thought Miss Kitty was in the basement, hence…” I say in ways of explanation, wavin’ my hand idly. I set my half-eaten pizza back in the box and move over to the other side of the island to look at Avasa. “Dawnie, I’m gonna try somethin’, I won’t hurt him, ‘kay?” She just sorta nods like she’s outta ideas an’ I take a deep breathe.

Um, hi? Avasa? Can you hear me? He gives me a nod, An’ I can hear you too, ‘kay? So, you can, um… talk. An’ he does. He tells me how he’s always been able to hear other people thoughts, that it was outta control for so long… an’ then he met Dawn and became better. But there was a plant that made him the way he was.

Raven’s milfoil? He nods, his voice is startin’ to get loud now, like he’s havin’ trouble keeping focused on me. “Whoa, whoa…” I say, inwardly rolling my eyes. And then he tells me about a girl. Cassie. He says she was hurt too. Oh, that’s not… Two people affected by Raven’s milfoil? Bad. Really bad. I’ll find her for you, ‘kay? Pinkie swear. Is there anything I can do for you?He wants… to