Making Mistakes
Dawn woke and stretched lazily. The morning sun was edging its way in through the gap in the curtain and the clock said she was already too late for Buffy's morning briefing at the Slayers Rome compound. She didn't really care though, they might mention Lilah again and last time Andrew had noticed her blushing.
There were clattering sounds and the smell of coffee emanating from the kitchen. Dawn still wasn't sure how to deal with these morning afters. Lilah's mood could be mercurial, friendly and seductive one minute and then suddenly cold and formal. Dawn was often left confused and angry but then Lilah would surprise her with an unexpected sweetness or just a come hither look and all would be forgiven. She knew she was obliged to feel guilty about sleeping with the enemy but to be honest her heart wasn't really into pointless angst.
She entered the kitchen and gave Lilah a kiss hello. The lawyer looked like a different person in the mornings. She was comfortably mussed and not as self-conscious over the thin red scar around her neck. She was sipping a coffee and Dawn went to pour herself one. "Preparing for a hard days work doing evil?"
"Well I have fallen behind on my quota. I need to catch up before my boss finds out."
"Doesn't girl sex count as evil this close to the Vatican?"
"Unfortunately that was downgraded to mild naughtiness a couple of years back. I may have to resort to drowning puppies to get my numbers up."
"Even you wouldn't do that. I'm still hoping there's a good person in there."
Dawn shrugged as Lilah raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Hope can be wonderfully deluding but now you're making me feel dirty." With that she took Dawn's hand and led her off towards the shower.
Forty wet and happy minutes later Dawn was dressed and brushing her hair in the mirror. Lilah appeared behind her and kissed her neck. She looked the most casual Dawn had ever seen her, jeans and a t-shirt. Designer jeans and T-shirt but still. "Mmmmm... I've gotta go, I promised I'd help with translations today."
"Actually" said Lilah "I want you to spend the day here."
"You want to hang out?" Dawn turned around to face Lilah, she didn't believe it.
"Sorry." Lilah smiled a tight, businesslike smile and slapped something onto Dawn's forehead. It felt like an egg cracking and a cold wave spread over her body and the world seemed to twist and spiral away before settling back down again a second later. She was about to ask 'what the hell?' when she realised she was now looking at herself. Lilah looked back at her from stolen eyes and continued. "You'll have hang out on your own, I've got work to do."
Dawn was halfway between surprised and furious but all she could think to say was. "What.....?"
Lilah ignored the anger. Two goons in dark suits entered the room and flanked the door. "They won't hurt you unless they have to. Just relax in here, the phones been disabled so watch some TV, read a book, I don't care."
Dawn was catching up now. "How could you?"
"I'm sorry, really I am but I wasn't lying when I said I've got to catch up on the evil. The senior partners brought be back to help deal with the slayers and I can't miss an opportunity like this."
"This was all because I'm Buffy's sister?"
"No, this was all because you're cute. The sister thing was just chance. Don't worry; I'll give you back your body in a day or two once I've got enough intel on the slayers. For your sake I'll try to avoid hurting anyone." Lilah abruptly turned and walked purposefully from the room. Dawn wanted to believe that the older woman genuinely liked her but she wasn't fool enough to believe Lilah would be sentimental about that.
She eyed up the guards. One gave her a steely gaze but the other smiled. "Let me let you into a little secret. Miss Morgan isn't the kindest of employers, she'd be unhappy if her body got damaged but the satisfaction from breaking a few bones might be worth it so if you feel like trying to escape don't resist." He and his companion walked out the door and took up position on either side of Lilah's apartment door before he gave her a hard look and shut her in.
Dawn sat on the bed fuming. This charade could go on for days. Who knows, would Lilah ever let her go?
Three hours later there were a couple of muffled thump from the other side of the door. It opened and her own familiar form was pushed through by Buffy. Faith followed dragging behind her the limp body of the two goons. Lilah sported a black eye and a pout.
Dawn ran up to Buffy and gave her a hug but stopped quickly as her sister recoiled and she remembered she was in borrowed flesh. "Dawn?" Buffy asked suspiciously.
"Of course it is." Lilah replied for her in petulant tone.
"I knew you wouldn't pull it off." Dawn said haughtily. "How were you caught?"
"Slip of the tongue." Faith answered for her. "I spotted her pretty quick."
Dawn sensed there was more to the story than that but before she could push for more details Buffy interrupted "How did you even fall for this? You know she's the enemy, how did you let her get so close?"
Dawn's blush this time was unmistakeable, even in Lilah's body.
Faith nodded, unsurprised but Buffy took a moment to catch up. "Oh God!" She couldn't keep a slight tinge of disgust out of her voice.
Dawn grimaced, she didn't know if it was the evil or the gay that Buffy didn't like. For someone who had a lesbian best friend and had slept with a couple of vampires she could be very conservative. "Look, Buffy..."
Buffy turned sharply to Lilah. "Just put it right. Get back in your body."
Lilah didn't argue, she simply went to a box on the mantelpiece and opened it to take out a ball of what looked like nothing. The only thing that gave away its presence was the way it distorted light. Without ceremony Lilah splatted it over Dawn's head again. There was the same blurring and spiralling of reality and Dawn was back in her own body again.
Dawn looked pensively at Buffy. The slayer looked at Dawn like she'd never seen her before but still hugged her. Buffy pulled away and looked daggers at Lilah. "So what do we do with her? We don't know what she could do next."
Dawn was pissed at Lilah but she still didn't want to see anything happen to her. "Leave her, her bosses would replace her anyway."
"Better the devil you know, what do you think B?" Faith was giving Lilah an intimidating stare too.
Buffy threw her arms up. "Fine." She pointed at Lilah. "But do anything to my sister again and I'll kill you."
Lilah's only reply was a fraction of a smile and a raised eyebrow.
"I mean...." Buffy gave a frustrated grunt and stalked out with Faith and Dawn on her heel.
Lilah closed the door behind them and went to check if the bugs she'd planted had been found.
A week later Dawn was sitting on a leather sofa in the bar she'd met Lilah in the first time when she smelt a familiar perfume behind her. Lilah leaned in close and laid a trail of kisses up her neck. Lilah paused at Dawn's ear and whispered, "You know the contents of that closet cost three hundred thousand dollars. You can't just slash up my Armani when you're mad at me."
"You highjacked my body and left me in your apartment what did you expect. If I can forgive you using me like that then you can forgive me." Dawn's eyes were half closed in sensual pleasure.
"So you forgive me?"
"I said "if"! You'll have to try...ugh... harder than that." Dawn was having trouble forming words as Lilah nipped at her bare shoulder.
Lilah's only reply was a truly wicked smile as she crooked a finger at Dawn and led her out.
Dawn followed happily basking in the knowledge that some mistakes are worth making again and again.