The Real Me

PUBLIC BETA

Note: You can change font size, font face, and turn on dark mode by clicking the "A" icon tab in the Story Info Box.

You can temporarily switch back to a Classic Literotica® experience during our ongoing public Beta testing. Please consider leaving feedback on issues you experience or suggest improvements.

Click here

“Buff, I left word with Willow. She’ll come do a return engagement of her uninvitation spell. She probably still has the stuff from last week. And bang, boom, you’re back in the Fortress of Solitude. All better.” Xander said.

“No. Not all better. I mean, it’s not like Dawn hasn’t grown up in this house knowing all the rules.”

Unknown to them Dawn was listening in, from the hall.

“Especially the biggie! Numero one-oh. ‘Do not invite bloodsucking dead people into our house’.”

Dawn rolled her eyes.

“I mean, please. I would never have Harmony over even when she was alive.”

“People slip, Buffy. Your Mom did. She invited in the Mas…” Xander caught himself, “Dracula. In for coffee.”

Buffy and Michael gave Xander an odd look.

“Well, that was different. I mean, she... he would... she was lonely, and, and, and she didn’t know he was a vampire. The vampire. Meanwhile, Dawn knew exactly what Harmony was and she rolled out the welcome mat for her.”

“She’s just a kid.” Said Michael.

Dawn rolled her eyes again.

“You know, will everybody please stop saying that? I was just a kid when I met my first vampire, but somehow, I still managed to remember the rules.”

“You had to. It was your job.” Michael said.

Buffy put on a jacket, “No. No, it was common sense. But nobody expects even that much from Dawn, do they? No, she has to be protected and coddled from the big bad world, well you know what? We are doing nothing but turning her into a little idiot who is going to get us all killed.”

Dawn made an unhappy face, though no one saw her.

In Buffy’s bedroom Xander and Michael look displeased, but they didn’t argue any more.

Dawn turned and walked away down the hallway.

Buffy sighed and spoke more quietly.

“She just has to be more careful. Now, I can’t be there to protect her 24 hours a day. I-I just can’t.”

Dawn ran through the downstairs part of the house, passing by Anya in the kitchen.

“Hey! Don’t!” Anya called.

Dawn ran out the back door and Anya followed.

“Dawn!”

Dawn stopped a few feet outside the door and put her hands to her face, as if trying not to cry. Anya grabbed her shoulder, startling her.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Anya asked.

“Leave me alone.”

“I will after you come back inside the house.”

Anya grabbed Dawn and started shoving her back toward the door.

“Let go of me!” Dawn said and broke free.

“No, it’s not safe out here!”

Dawn shrieked as Mort stepped from behind a bush, wearing his vampire face.

“You got that right.” He said.

He hit Anya, sending her flying back inside, where she fell to the kitchen floor unconscious. Mort grabbed Dawn and passed her to the other minions, who herded her away shrieking. Mort paused to look at Anya lying on the floor, then followed the other minions.

Xander, Michael and Buffy came down the stairs and found Anya on the kitchen floor.

“Anya!”

Xander and Michael knelt to lift Anya up. Buffy went to look out the door.

Half conscious, Anya said, “Oh, vampires took...”

“This head wound looks bad. We gotta get her to the hospital.” Michael said.

Buffy went to the phone.

Murmuring, Anya said, “They took her...”

“Shh, shh.” Xander told Anya.

“Dawn.” Anya managed to say.

“Dawn? Wha-what about Dawn? Buffy asked, anxious.

“She ran out... they took her... vampires...”

“Oh God. Oh God. Uh, take care of Anya.” Buffy handed the phone to Michael and ran out.

“Buffy!” Michael called but she didn’t listen.

In Harmony’s underground lair her minions looked a little impatient.

“All right, once again, nice work, Minionators. I’m really, really proud of you guys.”

Mort came in.

“Ah, Mort. I trust you made our guest... comfortable?”

Confused, Mort said, “You told me to chain her to a wall.”

“Yeah, I know, I’m being, you know, sarcastic or whatever?”

Mort looked blank.

“Anyway...” Harmony turned back to the other minions. “I’m feeling really good about this new plan, people. I think it’s a winner.”

“When do we eat the girl?” Cyrus asked.

“We don’t. Not yet.”

“Why not?”

“Because! That’s not the plan!” She sighed. “Do I have to go over the plan again? We use the sister as bait. We send Buffy a note…”

“More notes?” Peaches asked.

Annoyed now, Harmony said, “We send Buffy a note, telling her that if she wants to see her sister again, she has to come alone to a place we choose. She comes, we jump her, we kill her.”

Peaches nodded.

“So it doesn’t really matter if we’re actually holding the Slayer’s sister, just as long as she thinks we are. She’ll walk into the trap.” Mort said.

“I guess.”

“So it won’t make any difference if we eat the girl now.” Cyrus said.

“We’re not eating the girl.”

“Why not?” Peaches asked.

“Cause! That’s not the plan.”

All the minions looked dissatisfied.

A TV was showing mostly static. Spike banged on it and fiddled with the knobs and antenna for a while, with no results.

“Bollocks. Gonna have to pinch one of those satellite dishes.”

He looked up as the door banged open and Buffy strode in, looking very pissed off.

“Well, speaking of dishes, to what do I owe this unpleasant…” Buffy hit him in the face. “Ow! Bloody hell!”

Grabbing his shirt, Buffy said, “I don’t have time for banter, Spike. Where’s Harmony’s lair?”

“Haven’t seen her in months. How should I know…” Buffy hit him in the face again. “Ow!”

“Where is she?” Buffy asked again.

“At least lay off the nose.” Buffy pulled back her fist. “Okay! Okay! Used to have a cave in the north woods. About forty meters past the overpass construction site.”

Buffy punched him in the nose again, then let go and turned to leave.

“Ow!! I was telling you the truth!”

“I know.” Buffy said as she left

Spike rubbed his nose and glared after her.

“They don’t respect me. They pretend they do, but deep down they think I’m nothing.” Harmony was saying.

She was talking to Dawn, who was chained to a wall with her wrists at head height.

“I mean, I’m the one who put this group together. Me! But they treat me like I don’t even matter. Do you have any idea what that feels like? “

“A little.”

Whining, Harmony said, “They have no idea how much pressure I’m under. I have to make all the hard decisions. And it’s hard!”

Dawn gasped. Harmony turned to see Mort leading the other minions in, all wearing vampire faces.

“Excuse me, I didn’t hear anybody knock.”

“We’ve been talking it over, and we decided we don’t like this plan.”

Scornfully Peaches said, “Except for Brad. He abstained.”

Angrily, Harmony said, “Oh really? You have a plan you like better?”

“We’re gonna feed on the girl and kill you.” Mort said.

Dawn looked scared.

“Maybe not in that order.”

“I don’t think I like your attitude, Mort.” Then to the others. “Kill him for me.”

The other minions didn’t move. Mort smirked.

“All right. You’re all on my list.” She looked nervous as Mort advanced toward her. “Th-this isn’t fair. Okay, so things haven’t been perfect. I just need a little more time to grow into my leadership role.”

“Time’s up.” Mort said.

He grabbed her by the throat. Dawn watched fearfully as Cyrus walked toward her.

Nervously, Dawn said, “Touch me and my sister’s gonna kill you.”

Cyrus smirked and reached out one finger. He poked her on the shoulder and laughed. The other minions laughed too. Suddenly the point of a crossbow bolt shot through Cyrus from behind. He stopped laughing and turned to dust. Mort let go of Harmony and they both turned, as did the other minions, who were holding weapons.

“Can’t say she didn’t warn him.” Buffy said.

To Mort, Harmony said, “And you didn’t like the plan.”

“Dawn, close your eyes.” Buffy said.

Dawn did so.

“So, Slayer, at last we meet.” Harmony said.

“We’ve met, Harmony, you halfwit.”

“I’m the halfwit? Um, excuse me, but look who’s fallen into my…”

Peaches attacked Buffy with a large axe. She ducked his swing and staked him. As he turned to dust, Buffy grabbed the axe from him. Brad attacked, and Buffy chopped off his head. Dawn scrunched her eyes together tightly.

“Trap.” Harmony finished.

“Harmony, when you tried to be head cheerleader, you were bad. When you tried to chair the homecoming committee, you were really bad. But when you try to be bad... you suck.”

During this speech Mort moved around behind Buffy. Dawn opened her eyes and saw him.

“Buffy, watch out!” Dawn called.

Buffy turned and swung the axe but Mort knocked it out of her grasp and knocked her down.

“Ooh, good shot, Mort, I think you got her on the…” Harmony said.

Mort glared at her. Harmony laughed nervously, turned and ran away.

Mort swung at Buffy; she punched him, grabbed a large stick and hit him with it. He punched her. She ducked a few more punches and landed one on him.

Dawn struggled against her chains.

Buffy kicked Mort a few times, he hit her a few times and she went down. He picked her up and threw her across the cave. She got up and they exchanged more punches and kicks.

Mort grabbed Buffy by the neck and lifted her off the ground. One of her dangling feet hit something, she looked around and noticed a large unicorn statue nearby. Buffy shoved Mort away, landed on the ground, grabbed the unicorn and stabbed him through the heart with it. He turned to dust. Buffy scowled at the unicorn, then shrugged and put it down.

Buffy strode toward Dawn, picking up the axe along the way.

“You are going to be in so much trouble when we get home.” Buffy struck at the chains with the axe.

“Yeah, well... I’m telling Mom you slayed in front of me.”

“Fine. I’ll just tell her that you ran out of the house in the middle of the night,” another strike at the chains, “that you got Anya hurt,” another strike, “invited a vampire in,” strike, “got kidnapped....”

Buffy and Dawn entered the kitchen through the backdoor, moving quietly, looking around guiltily. Just as Buffy closed the back door, Joyce came in the front door.

“Sorry it ran so late. Everything, uh, go okay?” Joyce said as she walked into the kitchen.

Buffy and Dawn looked at each other.

“Yeah. Yeah, you know... I got the vamps and we watched some TV.” Buffy said.

Joyce smiled, “Well, I know at least one of us who’s supposed to be in bed by now.”

Dawn obediently kissed Joyce and exited.

“Night.” Joyce said.

“So how was the exhibit?”

Opening the fridge, Joyce said, “Oh, it was fantastic.”

Dawn looked back at them as she walked toward the stairs.

Buffy probably would’ve gotten in way more trouble than me anyway.

The next day, Dawn was sitting at a table, in the magic shop, writing in her diary.

But I guess it was pretty okay of her not to say anything to Mom. Anya’s gonna be okay, and Xander wasn’t mad at me. So stuff mostly worked out.

Buffy was leaning against the counter.

“Giles, are you sure about this?” Buffy asked.

Giles stood up behind the counter.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” He asked.

“Well, aside from the fact that most magic shop owners in Sunnydale have the life expectancy of a Spinal Tap drummer... and, have you ever run a store before?”

“I was a librarian for years. This is exactly the same, except people pay for the things they don’t return.” He came out from behind counter. “It’ll give me focus. Increase my resources. And it’ll prevent you lot from trampling all over my flat at all hours.” He and Buffy walked toward the back. “There may even be some space for you to train in the back.”

“Boy, you’ve really thought this through. How bored were you last year?”

“I watched Passions with Spike. Let us never speak of it.”

Giles entered the backroom.

Buffy followed him, laughing her wonderful, infectious, laugh. A Moment later she reappeared in the doorway.

“Don’t. Break. Anything.” Buffy said to Dawn.

Dawn gave her an exasperated look. Buffy went out, then came back in again.

“Just don’t touch anything.” She left again.

Not that Buffy’s really changed at all. Like she ever would.

Buffy reappeared in the doorway.

“What you’re doing right now, not moving?” Buffy made the ‘okay’ sign with her fingers. “Good. Keep doing that.”

She exited again and for the last time.

She still thinks I’m Little Miss Nobody, just her dumb little sister. Boy, is she in for a surprise.

Please rate this story
The author would appreciate your feedback.
Share this Story

Similar Stories

Confessions of a Cleaning Lady Alex does research at her new job.in Erotic Couplings
Buffy & The Exiled Ch. 01 Faith and Dawn get intimate.in Celebrities & Fan Fiction
Transylvanian Roulette Ch. 01 Is there anything as dangerous as a cock-sucking vampire?in Humor & Satire
Bad, Bad Thing Ch. 01 Buffy is hot for teacher.in Celebrities & Fan Fiction
Work Ethic Ch. 1 Beverly figures out how to get the painters' attention.in Loving Wives