back to the salt mines (of fic, that is)

Connor/Dawn, from a little bit later in the story. I'll fit it back into the timeline when I can. Though this is turning out to be less shippy, more mystery solve-y.

"So when did all this start?"

Connor played with the Swedish Chef finger puppet on Dawn's desk as he spoke. "End of my senior year. May, I think. I had a competition that month, for judo-- nearly killed the other guy. That's why I gave it up. I was afraid I'd hurt someone."

Dawn frowned. "That sounds... familiar. Anything else happen around then?"

"This is gonna sound crazy but... I started having these dreams. Nightmares, actually-- monsters, and vampires. All kinds of stuff." He put the Chef down. "Do you have any idea what it is?"

"Well, I know what it sounds like," Dawn said, frowning. "But unless there's been a major change in the order of things, that's the one thing it can't be." She looked over at Connor. "You're not, like, secretly a girl, by any chance?"

Connor spluttered. "What?!"

"Never mind."