CHapter 1: Discussions of Why?; And Trouble Comes

Disclaimer: All belong to other people
Title: Deuce's Child
Author: Kate R.
Rating: Teen to adult
Pairings: N/A at the moment
Fandoms: HP/Buffy/Angel I think for now
Summary: A voice from the past changes Lucius Malfoy and the lives of those around him. (AKA, Suppose everything wasn't as it seemed?)


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It was late when she woke up. Everyone was in bed and the vestiges of her nightmare clung to her.

"Deuce?" she called out in fear. "Deuce?!"

There were footsteps outside of her room before the door opened and he stood there in sweatpants and a tank top. Dawn reached for him, tears leaking from her eyes, and he sat down and held her tightly.

"They left me," she sobbed. 'They left me alone. And it's so cold and scary and . . ."

"Not alone," he breathed. "You aren't alone. I'm here. Your half brother and stepmother are here. We're going to take care of you."

"O-okay," Dawn sniffled. Lucius made a soothing noise while lighting the lamps with his wand. Dawn stared in awe at the room.

"This is my room?" she asked.

"Indeed it is," he told her. "And tomorrow we will make this house muggle ready. So you can have your things from home."

"R-Really?" Dawn asked. Lucius nodded as he sat rubbing her back. He saw Draco and Narcissa watching and gestured for them to come in.

"Dawn," he said softly, "This is my wife, Narcissa, and my son Draco. My lovelies, this is Dawn, my daughter."

"Hi," Dawn told them.

"Hello, Dawn," Narcissa said quietly.

"I'm sorry about your family," Draco told her. "Your mother and sister I mean. Father said you were really close with them. Like I am with my parents."

"I was," Dawn told him. "And I miss them. But Buffy said it had to be her. Because her destiny said so. And mom said that . . . that you can't stop nature and sometimes bad things just happen but it hurts. It hurts so much."

"I know," Draco told her, sitting next to her on the bed. "I know it hurts. And I can't take Buffy's place. But I'd like to be your brother, if you'll have me. It would be nice to not have to wear a mask with someone my own age."

"W-Why do you?" Dawn asked with a sniff.

"Because it's expected," Lucius told her. "Outside of this house everyone sees me as the epitome of an evil, heartless, bastard who serves evil. They see Draco as my heir and a little snake in his own right and they see Narcissa as a cold bitch."

"But you're not," Dawn retorted fiercely. "And I'll kick anyone who says it."

He laughed, as did Draco ad Narcissa, as Dawn declared herself her family's honor protector.

"I think you may be the best thing to happen to our family in a very long time," Lucius told her. Dawn looked at him with eyes that shined with more than just grief for the first time.

"We could try taking the mask off," Dawn told him. 'Since you said you were going to alter the house so my stuff from Sunnydale could be used. Wouldn't that kind of be a signal something is up?"

"Indeed it would," Lucius agreed, looking at his wife and son. "Since it doesn't look like we're going to be getting back to bed anytime soon, how about I make us something your mother always liked."

"What?" Dawn asked.

"Chicken Quesadillas," he told her. "I learned to make them because your mother liked them."

"Cool!" Dawn exclaimed. Her eyes were bright with excitement as she got to be part of her father's family. Draco hopped off the bed with hr and showed her where the bathroom was. Then he showed her where they'd put her clothes.

"We'll have to get you more though," he informed. "It's colder here in winter than it was where you're from."

"Okay," Dawn told him. "Hmm, so, do I get a tour?"

"Yes, you do," Draco told her wile his parents went downstairs to cook.

"Does he really cook?"

"More than the house-elves do," Draco told her. "He loves to cook. And he normally cooks muggle food. But, again, expectations say he has to be a snob. Even though when he's just here he wears jeans and t-shirts, like I do. So does mother."

"I have always find expectations to be boring," Dawn told him, affecting a prim and proper accent. 'I think you should be yourselves. That tat on his arm isn't real."

"I know," Draco told her. "The Dark Lord despises my father. He's 'Damaged Goods' because of his limp."

"Jerk off," Dawn muttered in reference to the dark lord. "So, you said something about school, right? Because Giles said I have magic. Lots and lots of magic."

"That sounds wicked," Draco told her. "And I guess we can try to convince Father to drop his mask. He doesn’t need it. He never did. He only acted like he joined to try to get Severus out. That failed because the Dark Lord knew how much he hated the bias game and he limps so Father wasn't accepted. We were supposed to go to an art gallery later, one in the muggle world, Father loves art. He loves music and live theatre, too."

Dawn suddenly laid her finger to her lips and then causally walked over to the window. She continued to talk to Draco while doing so, as if she were just wandering around her new room. Her hand shot out suddenly and she dragged someone on a broom inside.

"I really hate eavesdroppers," Dawn told the red headed boy who looked like a gorilla. "You could try knocking on the door and asking what's going on instead of just spying and only hearing half the story."

"Dawn, get off his throat," Draco spoke quietly. He managed to pull Dawn back and the person made a gagging sound.

"What do you want, Weasley?" Draco asked. To boy continued to cough.

"Let him relearn to breathe," Dawn told her brother. "Spike taught me that trick. I heard him; he's been there since I called for Deuce."

"Malfoy," the boy gasped. "Who is this nut?"

"My sister," Draco snapped. "Now what do you want? Before my father gets up here. He hard Dawn grab you. We're right above the kitchen."

"My father and mother didn't buy any food this month," he told them. "Percy sent me to try to find something. Since mum and dad have gone off again. I was looking around your garden and I heard you talking."

"Sonuvabitch.," was muttered from the doorway. They all turned and saw Lucius there with Narcissa.

"Go and floo them to come here," Lucius told the red head. "You can stay as long as you like. I'll have rooms prepared for you all. How long have they been gone?"

"A few weeks so far," the boy told him. "Percy said he'd wait a little longer then try to get some food for us. I don't think he can stretch it any further though. He's out, the garden is out, and he's forgone meals so we could all eat."

"How often do they do this, Ronald?" Narcissa asked. The red head looked down before he muttered something that had Lucius really cursing.

"Go get them," he told Ron. "I will prepare enough for all of us tonight."

Ron nodded and used the floo to go wherever he was going. Lucius meanwhile began the preparations for the quesadillas and had more of what he needed sent for. Dawn watched him work and wondered how anyone could think he was evil, no matter what kind of front he put up outside. She supposed it was like Sunnydale; people only saw what they either wanted to see or what they expected to see. It was sad, really. Pathetic.

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Dawn turned as the fire turned green and a group tumbled out of it. The eldest of the group moved in front of the younger ones protectively until he ascertained that it was safe. Then, he let them come forward.

"Sit down," Lucius told the group. "All of you. What I am making will not take that long."

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy," the eldest of them said. "I don't know how I'm going to pay you for this but . . ."

"You aren't," Lucius told him. "You're going to eat. Then you're going to go to the rooms I have had prepared for you and rest. Tomorrow we will figure out what next."

"Yes sir, he said. The others all nodded. Dawn plonked herself down next to the youngest of them and nudged her.

"I'm Dawn," she said. "Deuce is my father. Narcissa is my step mother. My mom was non magic but she was cool and she and deuce were an item way back when."

The girl looked at her, they all did, and Dawn looked back.

"What?" she asked. "Ron told us your secret. Seems only fair I share one of mine in return."

"We don’t normally do fair," Draco whispered.

"Yes you do," Dawn told him with certainty. "Out there, you may be the most unfair asshole ever, but here, you're not. Here you actually give two shits about people. Don't put the mask up when they need help."

Draco nodded as Lucius laid out plates and such and then pulled a salad out of nowhere with assorted dressing. Dawn squealed when she saw the ranch.

"Your mother taught me to like and love many things, Dawn," he told her. "I have shared them with my family. Now we will share them with those in need."

"Tuck in," Draco told them. "Father doesn’t poison his guests. Especially not when he invites them himself."