Twins by AuthorVictorious +8
Responses: 0
Categories: Season 5, Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Season 4
Characters: Buffy, Cordelia, Dawn, Oz, Spike
Summary:

What would the Buffyverse look like if Dawn was Buffy's twin?

What if Buffy had no authority over Dawn? Except for slaying business, Dawn doesn't have to do what Buffy says. She's not a child, the Slayer's kid sister, she's a respected member of the team.

What if she had her own friends and life outside of the close knit and exclusive Scooby Gang? (See: Season Six, when Tara is out of the group because Willow messed up, and Anya is out of the group because Xander messed up, despite the fact that both were seriously hurting and did nothing wrong, and yet they were the ones completely abandoned by the others.) I'd really, really like to see a friendship between Dawn and Cordelia, because I think that would be funny as hell, but NOT by making Dawn a 'Cordette'.

How this affects everything is anyone's guess. Does Spike get to keep the Gem of Amara (or rather, get it back later) because Dawn threatens to swallow the effing Gem before giving Angelus the means to make himself invincible? Is Spike still chipped, or just hunted by Commandos so goes running to his pal Dawn? Does Cordelia stick around offering scathing but accurate commentary? Does Oz stay, and how does that affect Tillow? Is Faith affected by any of this? How is Buffy's relationships with Angel and Riley affected? And Joyce and Anya's relationships with everyone? And Buffy and Dawn's own bond?

I'd like to see the story written as everyone remembers it. So, Dawn can be in Season One, and play a big part. Perhaps she's the one who has to force Angel to help Buffy with the Master, and therefore the one who hears his bullshit 'no breath' excuse, and is quick to point out that speech is caused by air passing through the vocal chords, so clearly Angel does have breath even if he's not using it to breathe!!!

But the story doesn't have to start from Season One or Two. It can start from Season Three, or even Four, but only if there's flashbacks. And brief overviews of the major plot points per season rather than each episode is fine, author's choice, as long as it sets a solid foundation for the friendships and relationships between the characters, as that's the primary focus, not the individual episodes.

 

MUST NOT HAVE:

  • Rape - not actual, not implied, not even vaguely hinted at. NO rape. UNLESS it is in reference to Angelus's victims, as that's kinda his M.O. But none of the main characters can suffer that way. Absolute no.
  • Spike being Buffy's doormat. In this AU, Spike has friendship, and respect, and trust. He has his pride. He is and always will be Love's Bitch, but he has friends, real friends, who love and trust and respect him, and he's slowly realising that he's worth more than what Drusilla and Angel gave him and how the Scoobies treat him.
  • Spike/Dawn relationship. Absolutely no way in hell. They are just friends. Nothing more, at all, no way.
  • Buffy or Dawn taking a swan dive off of Glory's tower.

 

MUST HAVES:

  • Dawn & Cordelia & Oz & Spike friendship of sass, sarcasm, and awesome music. I think the four of them would get along like a house on fire, would be funny as hell, and would offer a fantastic counterpoint to the Scoobies' tendency to swim in that river in Egypt until they're drowning. Especially with Spike and Cordelia both offering hard truths and scathing criticisms. Throw in Anya, and you've got the gold standard.
  • Buffy and the Scoobies are forced to admit that Angel's 'the soul is all that matters' crap is just that - crap - given that unsouled, Big Bad Spike is right there in front of their very eyes being a good friend to the three people (and Joyce!) who treat him like exactly that - their friend - and doing more for them than Angel ever did for the Scoobies with his precious soul and wish for redemption.
  • Dawn defending Spike and Spike defending Dawn. They are thick as thieves even when they're in a snit with each other, and won't have outside influences coming between them. Their friendship is real and strong, and Buffy has no say in it at all.

 

CAN HAVES:

  • Dawn teasing Spike and Buffy about their crushes on each other. Maybe teasing Spike about his Slayer fetish.
  • Dawn hating Angel and jumping on the Peaches, Captain Forehead, etc bandwagon. It's just too funny.
  • Claim.
  • Faith as a part of Dawn's circle of friends too, the way she never really was with the Scoobies, and her having a much happier ending because of it.
  • Buffy comparing Spike and Angel and Angel coming up short, even on the whole white hat thing because Spike does more for Dawn and Cordelia and Oz and Joyce than Angel ever did for Buffy.

 

Throw in Joyce thinking Spike is 'such a sweet boy,' and lots of 'Good Lords' and frantic glasses polishing from Giles. 

Happy Spuffy ending!