Don't Turn Around
Call Waiting: Dawn
by Jerome
Rating: G
Summary: Dawn comes home from school.
"Don't turn around."
Dawn froze.
The first inkling that something hellmouthy was going to happen had been the... thing... she'd found on her bed after walking back home from school.
It had been a pen, the sort of pen any girl would be embarassed to be seen in public with after the first year of junior high. The sort of pen made of translucent, yellow plastic sprinkled with glitter, complete with a cap topped by a big pink heart. THAT sort of pen.
Then she had picked the pen, and heard the words, and she froze.
"This is the token of your heritage."
The voice was male, though not very deep. Maybe a kid ?
Giving the pen a closer look, Dawn noticed a sort of astrological sign was drawn on the heart, in golden paint. She considered commenting out loud about the Barbie-ness of the thing, but relented.
"Um, you know, I really, really have trouble imagining mom ever using that, although I guess it's worth knowing."
"It's not your mom's, Dawn, it was yours and it will be yours again."
"Well, I really appreciate the thought, and the silent admirer thingy and all that, but, well, I'm quite sure I haven't lost anything like that and, anyway, wouldn't it have been better to give it back to me at school ?"
Looking at the pen again, she reconsidered her idea.
"Well, maybe not. I totally understand why it should only be seen in private."
There was a small sigh.
"The pen is just a token, your rod of power, as one could say. What's important is the heritage, and the mission that goes with it."
"Mission ?" Dawn brought her hands to her face. "As in, kicking demons, dusting vamps and all that ? Do I get to tag along with the Scoobies ?" After a short-lived giggle, she added "Ooooh, Buffy'll be *so* annoyed ! But that's not possible, I mean, what's mom going to say ?"
There was a short silence with a stunned undertone to it, followed by a series of soft thuds, like someone drumming a single finger in impatience.
"Yes, I guess there'll be some of that fighting evil to do, and, yes, there will be three others with you, but fighting evil is not your most important task. You must find, and protect, the princess."
"The princess ? What princess ?"
"The moon princess," said the voice in a no-nonsense tone.
"WHAT ?" Dawn turned around.
There was a cat sitting on the chest of drawers. A small white cat, with a crescent-shaped bald spot on its forehead.
"Now, hold the pen high."
A *talking* small white cat with a crescent-shaped bald spot on its forehead. With blue eyes. Most fifteen-year old girls would have been left speechless by that, but Dawn was living in Sunnydale, her sister was the Slayer, and she regularly hung out with a vampire and a couple of witches.
"Oh, have you had some sort of witchy accident, mister, ummm..."
The cat's left ear twitched.
"No, I'm not a transformed prince or whatnot, although I *am* a magical moon cat. Name's Artemis. Keep the pen raised, and repeat after me..."
The creature looked harmless, so Dawn lifted the pen high over her head and took a breath.
"Venus planet power, MAKE UP!"
END
~*~
Disclaimer: All Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, David Greenwalt, Greenwolf Productions, Sand Dollar, and the Kuzuis. Artemis from Sailormoon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha and Toei animation. This fan-written fiction intends no infringement on any copyrights.
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