The Park: Sunday Evening

[cantjossme.livejournal.com]

Truthfully Mel wasn't really in the mood to patrol. Or beat the crap out of anything undead.

But after Saturday night's session in the woods and staying cooped up in her room most of the day she gladly took the opportunity to grab Dawn and drag her out for a spin through town.

Even if that did mean getting an earful about Sam.

"He did what with the what?"

[For lilpunkinbelly otherwise open]

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[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"He e-mailed the entire school and sent them files all about Alec," Dawn was pretty stompy by this point and hoping she ran into a vampire. "And we had a big fight and I'm spending tonight in Dean's room and I'm not completely sure we're still dating. He's just so stupid." She picked up a rock and threw it at a nearby tree.

[cantjossme.livejournal.com]

"Well he is a guy," Mel replied watching the stone bounce of the tree. "That kind of comes with the territory. Why'd he do it in the first place?"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"He says it was because he was worried about Dean, and that Alec was going to go off and kill someone."

[cantjossme.livejournal.com]

"Alec? Nah. Lick someone maybe. Not Kill," Mel said shaking her head. "Though... I get the whole protective sibling thing."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

Dawn sighed. "Yeah, I do too, but...he didn't talk to Dean or Alec or even the principal first. He just told everyone. I wouldn't want someone to do that to me."

[cantjossme.livejournal.com]

"He didn't talk to them first? That is so toy!" Mel said shaking her head. "I thought he was the smart one."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"That makes two of us," she grumbled, scanning the area. Couldn't there be one vampire that needed staking?

[cantjossme.livejournal.com]

"So... Did you break up with him? Or was this the type of thing where you just stormed out angrily?" Mel asked.

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"I'm not sure," Dawn admitted, "I mean, I grabbed a bunch of random clothes," which explained her current outfit of jeans, a pink sweater, one blue argyle sock and one plain white one, if Mel was paying attention, "and went over to Dean's room. I'm staying there tonight, but I don't know if that means we broke up." She worried at her bottom lip for a while.

[cantjossme.livejournal.com]

Mel paid attention. She just wasn't sure if that was something people wore in the past to be fashionable.

"Well if he's smart? He'll come around," Mel replied with a little elbow poke toward Dawn to lighten the mood. "If not I'll be happy to beat some sense into him."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Thanks, I appreciate that," she rubbed her side a little. Yep, definitely a slayer. "So, how're you after yesterday? Feeling more mystically connected?"

[cantjossme.livejournal.com]

"Nah. Just more confused," Mel said quietly. "What is it with spirit guides and their need for being cryptic?"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"I'm sorry, I hoped that would help," Dawn answered, "and I don't know. I think maybe it's the spirits just being bored and having fun watch us run around trying to figure out what they meant. What'd they say?"

[cantjossme.livejournal.com]

Mel takes in a deep breath and lets it go. "Basically the guide said something about the whole connection thing but that's not why I'm here. Or at least it's part of it but not the main reason. Apparently something went wrong with someone's destiny and I have to fix it by taking her place."

Mel gave Dawn a look. "Of course who she is and how I'm supposed to do that? Yeah. Not a clue."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

Dawn shivered when she heard the guidance, and she'd definitely have to talk to Giles about this. It was way out of her league and, she suspected, Xander's. "When Buffy did this, she didn't know what it meant for months. But she eventually figured it out." Right before she died, but she wasn't going to tell Mel that.

[cantjossme.livejournal.com]

Mel just took that in with a nod as they continued to walk. "What did the guide tell her?"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"She never told me. Just that she figured it out and knew what she had to do."

[cantjossme.livejournal.com]

Mel thought about that for a bit and nodded.

"The guide said something else. But... Um. Well it's hard to talk about. Have I ever told you about my brother?"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"A little bit?" Dawn stepped carefully over some rocks, "But I don't mind listening."

[cantjossme.livejournal.com]

"He died a couple of years ago," Mel said quietly. "He was killed by a vampire because I wasn't strong enough. Or smart enough. Apparently he fed off the lurk because he became one himself."

Mel kicked a rock across the ground before continuing. "He was my twin. He got the whole psychic vibe thing I was supposed to get. He's still undead and kicking back in my timeline. The guide told me I'd never be able to beat him. Or something to that effect."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Oh, Mel, I'm so sorry," Dawn glanced over at her, but couldn't see much in the dark, "Maybe she just meant there's another way. Like with Spike or Angel."

[cantjossme.livejournal.com]

"Maybe," Mel replied but her tone didn't have a lot of hope in it. "If I can find a way back and a way to get someone to find the spell and cast it."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"I...might have a way to get you to another dimension," Dawn said, "but there'd have to be a lot of research first, since time is involved, too. I don't know if I could do the spell."

[cantjossme.livejournal.com]

Mel bit her lip as she thought about that. "I don't know. I guess so. Apparently this whole thing is worked out ahead of me and I just need to find the path. Or something. I guess having a spell would work in any case. Maybe Willow could help."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

Dawn tried to ignore the knee-jerk reaction she had to Willow doing any seriously mojo-heavy spells and think rationally. "She might be able to, yeah. But if you're waiting for a path to open up, maybe you just have to wait?"