Title: Taboo
Author: Lowdeen
Disclaimer: The characters and show do not belong to me. The story contains love between two women.
Author's Note: Dawn feels something more for Buffy than a sister should. What will she do with these confusing emotions?
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Buffy/Dawn
Timeline: Early season seven

Shopping was so boring. Being led from store to store and standing around waiting for Buffy to try on clothes felt like the worst sort of torture. It was like being grounded, sent to her room without dinner, and getting caught playing with her sister's stuff all rolled into one giant ball of un-fun.

When she tried to complain, her mother would inevitably shush her and Buffy would roll her eyes in that oh-so superior way that always made Dawn want to stick out her tongue at the older girl. But she knew if she did that, her sister would only laugh at her and call her a baby.

She was *so* not a baby. She was six years old and her dad always said she was a mature six.

Whatever that meant.

She huffed as her mom found another dress that Buffy just absolutely *had* to try on. Stupid Buffy.

Even though she hadn't learned how to tell time yet, Dawn was sure Buffy had wasted an extraordinary amount of it already. Really, Dawn couldn't understand why it was taking so long for her sister to find clothes that would fit her. Maybe Buffy was really a mutant in disguise. Yep, that had to be it. Otherwise, they would have been done by now and on their way to get ice cream.

The girl giggled, earning her a stare from the object of her derision. Pasting an innocent smile on her face -- a skill she'd honed for awhile -- she ignored the mutant masquerading as her sister.

Looking around the store for something -- anything -- to do besides standing there in a bad imitation of a stone column, her eyes caught a flash of color from outside. Briefly, she contemplated investigating. Briefly because her mind was made up in the split second she saw that her mom was completely oblivious to anything she might do and Buffy was still in the dressing room.

It wasn't as if she was going far, she rationalized as she walked outside. She just wanted to see what had caught her attention. She looked left and right, squinting slightly in the bright sunshine of an LA afternoon. In between a mass of tall bodies and long legs, she thought she saw what she'd been looking for.

It couldn't hurt to follow a little ways. She wouldn't get lost. She was a big girl now. With that indisputable fact bolstering her confidence, she began walking. The colorful something kept flashing in and out of her line of vision. If only these adults would get out of the way, then she could see.

She made a disapproving noise and considered stamping her feet, which always seemed to work with her mom. But before she could do anything, she found herself swept up in a tide of humanity, her little feet moving, despite herself. And, inadvertently, she found herself crossing a very busy street.

Her mom would be very mad at her if she found out. She wasn't supposed to cross a street without either her or Buffy. She had to get back but with a sudden sinking awareness, she realized she'd gotten turned around in the confusion.

She wanted to ask for help but everybody was rushing around her. They were so big, she didn't even think they saw her. For the very first time, she felt real fear. This wasn't a fear of getting caught doing something she shouldn't. It wasn't fear that her teacher would call on her because she hadn't done her homework. This was a fear that left her palms clammy, and her stomach twisted into so many knots, she felt for sure she would double over and throw up her breakfast at any moment.

"Dawn!" A high-pitched voice yelled from her left. "There you are. You're in so much trouble. Mom's going to kill you."

Dawn quickly looked up, her eyes shining bright with tears as her sister rushed up to her. Never had she been so glad to see Buffy in her life. Her small arms came up to hug her older sister tight, reassuring herself that she was safe now.

"Shh … it's all right, Dawnie," Buffy said, her voice instantly changing to a soothing tone. "I found you … you're safe now."

Dawn would always point to that incident as the exact moment when her feelings towards her sister first started to change. With a child's conviction, she knew from that point on, Buffy would always keep her safe.

Buffy would always protect her.

And everything her sister had done since that moment when she was six years old and so very afraid had only strengthened this belief.

****

The fact that they were sisters wasn't enough of a deterrent for her errant thoughts. The fact that they were bound closer than blood only served as fodder for her dreams. She knew it was sick. It was wrong. There were a hundred and one reasons she should have stopped those thoughts cold -- stopped them from ever materializing in the first place. But there they were, crouching in the back of her mind, waiting to ambush her every time her brain got enough of a break to wander off on its subconscious way.

And to add to the already bone deep guilt building within Dawn's heart was the overarching fact that, more often than not, she would allow the dark thoughts to continue even when she realized what was happening. She often wondered if she was some sort of freak -- if the monks that had designed her life hadn't messed up in one of their spells, maybe mixed in a bad batch of eye of newt into the cauldron. If that were the case, at least it wouldn't be her fault.

Not technically.

But ultimately, these were just idle musings because she couldn't exactly go up to the source and ask about the specifics of her 'birth'. The monks were all dead. Taken out by a vengeful hell-god with more fashion sense than tactical sense. And she doubted that these detail-oriented holy men were the type to use sub par ingredients anyway. So in the end, there was a distinct lack of targets to pin the responsibility on.

In fact, there was only one person Dawn could really blame for her traitorous thoughts -- herself. Her mind. Her thoughts. Her desire. Her body. They all betrayed her. And if she could, she wouldn't hesitate to wipe away this need that seemed to burn brighter every day. She had even briefly pondered recreating that spell Willow used to wipe away everyone's memory but her own lack of magical prowess combined with the redhead's previously disastrous results stilled her hand.

Short of completely excising herself from Buffy's presence by hopping the next plane to Spain and staying with her dad and his latest secretary, Dawn decided the best and only thing to do in this prickly situation was to grin and bear it -- just like the title of that non-funny comic strip she always skipped in the newspaper. Quite possibly, this was also the only viable solution open to her since confessing a mad, passionate love for her own sister was not a route Dawn could see herself following except maybe in her ever-increasing fantasies.

In an earlier effort to curb her Buffy lust and also as a last ditch attempt to save the last shreds of her sanity, she had decided to actively stay out of her sister's way. But as with all good intentions lately, the plan fell flat on the execution. In a twisted sort of way, it was almost funny that she'd spent most of the last year begging for the few spare crumbs of Buffy's attention and now that she had it in spades, she was the one trying to distance herself.

Before her ill-fated attempts at distance, Dawn had never noticed how often she was always touching Buffy until she had to stop. Her hands seemed to have a life of their own, constantly reaching out, constantly touching her sister's solid form as they passed each other at the breakfast counter. Fingers inevitably found themselves tangling playfully in silky blonde hair as they sat side by side on the couch. Ultimately, she admitted the futility of trying to stay away from Buffy when her own body delighted in betraying her at every opportunity.

Having little choice but to abandon that particular plan, the former Key settled on a less ambitious route, namely, restraining herself from saying or doing anything that could even vaguely be construed as 'inappropriate'. For instance, something like pulling down her sister's face and laying a big, fat one on those perfect coral-colored lips, would be a definite no-no.

However, even this last ditch plan had its flaws. Constantly monitoring her actions and words lest they reveal the depths of her feelings was exhausting work as she found out when she first put it into action. For instance, there was only so much control she could exercise when she and Buffy were both sweaty and pumped up from their practice sparring sessions. And the task was made doubly hard when said sweaty sister in her sexy, sexy sparring outfit was currently sitting on her stomach, having captured Dawn's wrists easily in one hand.

Almost in a trancelike state, the younger Summers looked up, her eyes tracing the few drops of sweat that trickled down Buffy's neck, meandering their way lazily between the Slayer's breasts. She had the sudden, desperate urge to lean up and lick the salty drops with her tongue and, control or no control, she would have probably gone through with the ill-advised move if given a few more seconds. As it was, she didn't know whether to scream or thank the Powers that Be when Buffy pierced her lust-ridden bubble with a well-timed comment.

"Earth to Dawn," the smaller blonde impatiently snapped. "Are you with me today or did you hit your head too hard on one of those falls?"

Scrambling for her lost composure, Dawn snapped back while mentally berating herself for her lapse at the same time.

"It's your fault, you know," the younger girl sniped. "Whoever heard of practicing falls anyway? I thought you were going to show me the punching and the kicking. My body's probably a horrible patch of black and blue by now."

Dawn observed Buffy's face as it screwed into a familiar expression, one that indicated she was about to be on the receiving end of a lecture. She didn't mind so much anymore. The young Key had become pretty adept at zoning out the boring diatribes and besides, it just meant more time for her to stare at the Slayer without it seeming out of the ordinary. And best of all, Buffy hadn't bothered changed positions, delivering her speech while still sitting atop a deliriously happy Dawn. Her sister could stay on top of her forever as far as Dawn was concerned. The warm heat pressing down on her tummy, the strong thighs gripping against her sides, the hands holding her wrists -- all these glorious sensations were duly filed away in her mind, no doubt to be brought out and relived later on that night in the privacy of her room.

As Buffy's lecture continued, Dawn's mind began to wander. She wondered when her infatuation with her big sis had began. She frowned as she tried to identify the exact moment she began to see Buffy as more than her sister, more than her protector. But the thing with monk-conjured memories was that she didn't know when the false memories ended and her real memories began. Her memories, her entire history had been falsely planted by a group of people she had never met, just like she herself had been falsely planted.

There was no Dawn.

There had never been a Dawn.

There was only the Key.

In her darker moments, she wondered why the monks hadn't just destroyed her. That would've been better for everyone, wouldn't it? The world would never have been in danger and Buffy wouldn't have had to sacrifice her life to close the dimensions. To think of the sacrifices her sister made …

"Dawn … what's the matter?"

The younger girl broke slowly from her morbid thoughts and focused on the concerned eyes peering down at her. In this light, they looked green.

"Dawn?" Buffy called again. Calling her back to the present.

Dawn knew she should say something but her throat felt tight, as if there was something lodged there. She couldn't help the slight tremble as Buffy's thumb brushed her left cheek. It was such an intimate gesture that it took a moment for her to notice the drying wetness across her skin. Gasping in surprise, she realized that somewhere along the way, she'd started crying and now Buffy was looking at her like she was a freak.

Pushing against the much stronger Slayer, Dawn tried escaping from the position that had been so pleasurable just a few moments before. Now, it felt like she couldn't get out fast enough.

"Calm down," Buffy kept saying.

But Dawn couldn't stop. She had to get away from here and away from *her*. After what seemed an eternity, Buffy finally rolled off, allowing the brunette the freedom to stand. Looking anywhere but at the no doubt confused eyes of her sister, Dawn muttered some apology before sprinting up the stairs and retreating into her room.

Cursing herself silently for acting a fool, she dropped onto her bed, hiding her face in the pillow. She knew she only had a few minutes at most before Buffy came looking for her, no doubt looking for an explanation of what had happened down there.

If only she could provide one.

She was such an idiot! She couldn't even pretend to be normal without screwing it up. Because surely, normal people don't lust after their sisters. Normal people don't freak out for absolutely no reason at all. Normal people don't spend millennia hanging out as a glowy inanimate object.

Dawn got up and started pacing back and forth across the length of her room, intermittently chewing herself out in her mind and then wondering how to salvage the situation without making it worse. By her estimation, it was a full ten minutes later before the soft knock at her door came. In her panic, she almost considered avoiding confrontation by hiding in the closet but after briefly reflecting on the inherent irony of that, Dawn decided to suck it up and face her sister.

"Come in ... " she said, her hesitation coming through loud and clear in those two little words.

Buffy stuck her head inside the door, the rest of her body hovering just outside the entrance to the room.

"Can I come in?" The older girl asked. If the blonde noticed the deer-in-headlights look on her sister's face, which she would be blind not to see, she chose not to comment.

Dawn nodded from her new position on the bed as Buffy nervously came in a few steps before stopping completely in the middle of the room.

"Want to tell me what that was all about just now?" The Slayer asked without preamble. "Was it something I did? Something you weren't comfortable with?"

Dawn winced slightly with each question. Why did Buffy always try to shift the blame for the Key's bad behavior on herself?

"No," she cut her older sister off. "You didn't do anything wrong … It was me. All me. I just spazzed. You know, me and spazzing -- we're like two peas in a pod. On a first name basis even. So it was so totally not your fault. And I'm going to work on improving that so the next time -- and there will be a next time -- there won't be an incident. It'll be incident-free because who really wants to work in an incident-prone environment anyway -- not that I think about what we do as work. Couldn't be farther from the truth. In fact … "

Dawn knew she should close her mouth and stop the flood of words from ever seeing the light of day even as her mouth refused to cooperate and kept opening back up. And by the look on Buffy's face, her explanation was doing more to confuse than to explain. If there was an all-loving, all-powerful God out there, it would take pity on her sad, pathetic self and send a lightning bolt down on her head right that second.

Smoting would greatly be preferable to babblage.

Instead of intervention from a higher being, however, Dawn was saved from herself when Buffy suddenly moved the remaining few feet across the room and sat on her bed, placing a comforting hand on the Key's thigh. All the muscles in her body tensed simultaneously at the unexpected touch -- even her mouth managed to freeze in a moue of surprise as she stared inanely down at her sister's hand. Her mind kept repeating that this was only sisterly affection of the most platonic variety but her heart desperately wished this small gesture carried more meaning.

"You need to slow down and catch a breath every now and then," Buffy said with that quirky half smile Dawn loved so much. "We can't have you passing out, now can we?"

Dawn managed to gulp even though her throat was as dry as the Sahara when those graceful fingers began drawing delicate circles on her leg.

"So not needing that right now," she muttered under her breath.

The fingers stopped.

Buffy frowned. "Did you say something?"

"NO!" Dawn quickly answered. Perhaps a little too quickly and maybe even a tad too loudly, seeing as how the frown between those blonde brows deepens. "I mean, no. Just talking to myself again."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she inwardly groaned. As if her sister didn't already see her as enough of a nutball, now she had to add 'talking to herself' onto the list of her less than stellar qualities.

Buffy thankfully switched topics without comment.

"So we're all right?" She asked, indicating Dawn and herself. "Because, I've got to say -- what happened down there isn't something I want us repeating anytime soon. Actually, ever again fits the bill too."

"Yep, we're fine." Dawn plastered a fake smile on her face, hoping it would be enough to convince. Adding, "Nothing could be finer" was probably overkill but her mouth, as ever, was faster than her brain.

"Good. Good. That's all … good." It wasn't the most resounding endorsement of well-being but at least Buffy finally lifted her hand from its resting place, much to the disappointment of her younger sister's hormones.

"It's almost time for my shift at the Doublemeat Palace," Buffy continued as she stood up. "I'll be back around eight, okay?"

"All right. And I'll cook dinner. I'm thinking of experimenting with pasta tonight so don't be late."

"Can't wait," the blonde said, her eyes not quite masking the dread of what Dawn would concoct this time. Although the brunette had been known to create some truly interesting dishes, the disasters still outnumbered the successes. Buffy still vividly remembered the horror that was the meatloaf and kidney surprise.

Dawn watched Buffy walk out of her room with a wave. As soon as the Slayer left, she let out a big breath, not realizing she'd been holding it in. Her skin still tingled from where Buffy had touched her, even if it was through a layer of denim. Falling back onto the bed in an overdramatic swoon, she wondered again at the soap opera-ish twists her life had taken recently. "Party of Five" had nothing on her.

****

When Buffy said she was going to show her the world, Dawn had a bit more in mind than Sunnydale's finest graveyards. But she couldn't really complain. After all, she was getting to spend time with her favorite sis, something that she'd sorely missed in the months after Buffy's death and eventual resurrection.

Believing that she would never have Buffy in her life again, those first few weeks after the Slayer's sacrifice, Dawn thought for sure she would literally curl up and die too. The only thing that kept her going was the Buffybot but even that was like putting a band-aid on a seeping wound because as realistic as the bot might be, it could never, ever replace the real thing.

She thought she was going to die for a whole other reason when she found out Willow had gone ahead and brought the blonde back to life. The elation she felt at that moment could probably light up Nevada for a week if someone found out how to bottle joy. But that initial euphoria quickly withered to nothing. Not only was Buffy not happy to be back, the Slayer was also withdrawn and depressed to the point of Spike-boinking because she wanted to 'feel something', as Dawn would later overhear in a conversation Buffy had with Willow.

A shiver of revulsion ran down the teenager's spine. Dawn still had trouble understanding that whole situation. It seemed sordid to her. With Angel, at least, there was the big doomed love aspect hovering over everything like a third-rate reproduction of "Romeo and Juliet".

But Spike? She didn't even think Buffy *liked* Spike. But it didn't matter anymore. Now that the platinum blonde vamp was gone, it was a moot issue anyway. And with any luck, the vampire would do the smart thing and not stick his peroxide head back in Sunnydale again. Otherwise, Dawn would have to take things into her own hands.

She could probably back that threat up now that she'd spent some time training with Buffy. She wasn't a world-class fighter like her big sis but she'd staked her share of vampires … well, three, anyway. But if you do the math, that's way better than none at all.

Bringing her mind back to the present just in time to hop a tree root, Dawn schooled her, up until now, scattered focus. Buffy had brought her along on another supervised slaying run slash practical training session and she needed to pay attention.

"I was thinking about doing a movie night tomorrow," Dawn began, suddenly filling up the silence between them. "Complete with popcorn and all the fixin's. What do you think? I thought maybe it was about time we do something fun."

Buffy faked a pout. "Hey now, I put a lot of planning and forethought into these little late night trips of ours. Are you telling me this doesn't bring the fun?"

Playing off of her sister's teasing mood, Dawn rolled her eyes and, adopting a long-suffering voice, said, "No, Buffy. This is very fun. I wouldn't trade this for a barrel full of monkeys and you know how I feel about monkeys." She smiled when that elicited a Buffy chuckle. "But this is fun of the action variety. Every once in a while, we need to partake in fun of the laid-back variety -- that's where movie night comes in."

"You've really thought this out, haven't you?" The blonde lightly smirked. "All right, pencil it into my schedule. Never let it be said I don't try to give you a well-rounded life, action or otherwise."

Dawn immediately squealed with delight and, unable to hold herself back, she quickly hugged her sister. An immediate flush warmed her body as she pressed against the Slayer. Maybe it lasted a little too hard, a little too long but if she really had her way, they'd stay in each other's arms forever.

But, like all good things, the blissful contact ended all too soon. Dawn missed the warmth immediately but contented herself with the prospect of getting some cuddle time tomorrow night if she played her cards right. And if she had to cheat to make the cards fall in her favor … well, the younger girl had long since come to terms with herself for that eventuality.

Whatever qualms she might have still harbored about her feelings for her sister all but disappeared sometime in the last month. Ultimately, Dawn had made up her mind to do everything in her power to snag her sister, taboos be damned. How the decision had come about and the motivating factors behind the sudden change were questions the younger Summers didn't want to delve too deeply into. But there was little doubt the more aggressive push had more than a little something to do with an over-active teenage libido. But whatever the reason, her path was set.

Dawn wasn't backing out now.

She couldn't back out.

No way was she going to be known as the 'backing out" girl. That was almost as bad as being known as the girl with the B.O. -- not that she was, but it was a fair comparison on the sliding scale of badness.

****

The hours prior to the scheduled movie date passed in a spiraling mixture of manic excitement and edgy impatience for the youngest Summers. And as prescription drugs were still beyond her underaged reach, the edge to her panic just became edgier as the minutes ticked by.

She had planned everything down to the last detail, leaving absolutely nothing up to chance. This evening would be remembered for years to come as the night that the sisters' relationship progressed to that next plateau. Hopefully.

Dawn chose not to brood on any of the thousands of things that could derail her romantic plans, least of all the fact they lived atop the Hellmouth, the most unpredictable place on the planet. What good would dwelling on the insignificant details have done anyway? It wasn't as if she could magically snap her fingers and they'd suddenly pop up in Hawaii or something -- she wasn't Willow. She figured if she stayed positive and wished real hard for it, everything would turn out well. Just like in the Disney movies. Besides, she was nervous enough without constantly second-guessing herself.

Dawn checked, doubled checked and barely stopped herself from triple checking what still hadn't changed in the last two minutes. The popcorn was still popped. The nachos still nuked and the soda still well carbonated -- the snack situation was well under the iron fist of her control. And the movie she'd picked out was in the VCR, waiting for her to push Play. Her thumb literally itched to push down on the little button but there was one thing missing from this scene -- one very important *someone* to be exact.

However, the rattling of the front door's lock, followed almost immediately by the noisy clomp of footsteps thudding closer alerted the young Key that the important missing person would soon be making her appearance.

"Hey!" Buffy chirped seconds later, vaulting onto the couch cushion next to her sister. Spying the rich plethora of junk food laid out meticulously on the coffee table, the tiny blonde grabbed two sizable handfuls and without further preamble, proceeded to pig out.

Dawn sat, beaming approval that her hard work was being so well received. She knew some of her more adventurous forays into the culinary arts had yielded less than stellar results but she'd always liked cooking, mostly because she liked feeling as if she was contributing, even in a small way. Watching Buffy now, she felt the familiar warm glow lightening her heart.

Her Buffy was so adorable. Especially with her mouth full and her cheeks puffed out with food. Dawn tried schooling the no doubt sappy expression on her face as Buffy turned her way, wearing a sheepish look.

"Sorry, got a little carried away there," the blonde mumbled, having swallowed her large mouthful. "God, Dawnie. This is great. If I knew you were going to feed me like this, I'd have insisted on a movie night every night."

Dawn blushed at the appreciative words. She wondered if this was what winning the lottery felt like. She couldn't imagine it feeling better than this. She sat, sporting a goofy grin as Buffy continued blithely alternating between complimenting her and taking in slightly smaller mouthfuls. She could have happily sat there indefinitely but for the blonde's sudden prompting for the movie.

"So now I'm excited," the Slayer was saying. "What did you choose for our viewing pleasure?"

Dawn smiled excitedly, gripping tighter onto the remote that had never left her hand.

"I got a horror movie," the younger girl said, nearly bouncing on the cushions. "Night of the Living Dead. It's a modern classic -- says so right on the box."

Dawn had spent considerable time choosing the perfect movie. She'd gone through the racks of romantic comedies, action adventures, and even foreign films before finally settling on a horror movie, which, in her mind, would allow for a significant amount of cuddle time. She planned on huddling into her sister's strong arms as often as possible. Who better to protect her from evil, flesh chomping corpses than the Slayer herself?

Already anticipating the blonde's usual objections to watching anything relating too closely to her supernatural duties, Dawn placed a silencing finger to Buffy's lips. Showing an enormous amount of restraint, the teenager ignored the softness under her fingertip and concentrated instead on the surprised look on Buffy's face.

"I know you don't usually go for the horror genre," she began in her most conciliatory voice. "But I've heard good things about this movie -- it's supposed to be like the granddaddy of all horror films. Come on, just this once … "

Pulling out all the stops, Dawn brought out her much practiced puppy-dog look, adding a "Please?" just to stack the odds.

As expected, Buffy's face instantly softened into an indulgent smile that made the younger girl's knees turn weak.

"Okay," she assented, her lips moving underneath Dawn's finger.

The brunette reluctantly pulled back her still tingling finger to start the video.

****

She was definitely in heaven … or as close an approximation as she could get achieve without actually having died. She burrowed closer into Buffy's arms, hiding her face in the older girl's chest. Dawn felt strong arms tighten reflexively around her.

The movie might have been scary or it could have been a 90-minute documentary on cotton candy and lollipops -- she could have cared less. She was as happy as a hog in slop. But even as she was practically lying on top of the reclining Slayer, Dawn wanted … needed to get closer. Spiritually, mentally, physically -- she needed to be as close to Buffy as anyone had ever been or would ever be.

Right then, at that moment, nothing else seemed to matter. Not the recriminations that might come later, not the rejections, nothing but the here and now and the woman she was with.

Screwing up her courage, Dawn started nuzzling Buffy's chest, which was covered only in a low cut top. There was something to be said for sunny Southern California weather. She could smell the light perfume she always associated with her sister but it was the revealing flesh right under her nose that truly captured her attention.

If she hadn't been so completely caught up in a Buffy haze, she might have noticed the immediate tensing in the body beneath hers. If she had been in a saner frame of mind, maybe she would have even pulled back and re-evaluated her impulsive actions.

But Dawn was fully engrossed, beyond all rational thought … and about to stick her tongue down Buffy's cleavage. This was just like in her dreams … well, some of them anyway. If she had had a moment's doubt, it had long past.

She couldn't believe she was actually doing it even as her tongue emerged to cheerfully swirl across smooth skin, lapping at the sweetness that only seemed to further her thirst. It wasn't surprising given how very comfortable she'd gotten that Dawn let out an indignant squeak of surprise mixed with no small amount of displeasure when she suddenly found herself thrown against the other end of the couch.

Buffy shot straight to her feet. "What … what the … FUCK?! … huh?"

Seemingly unable to form a complete sentence and getting dangerously close to hyperventilating, Buffy floundered about. Switching from wide-eyed gaping to unintelligible grunts that vaguely resembled actual words, she finally closed her eyes and took several deep breaths.

Dawn observed the entire display with an increasing sense of despair. The longer Buffy remained incoherent, the more Dawn wanted to say something. But what exactly could she say?

Finally, the Slayer closed her mouth with an audible click. Taking several steadying breaths, she then trained steely hazel eyes on the still mute Key. Dawn waited with dread for the inevitable and wasn't soon disappointed.

"Dawn."

Her head snapped up upon hearing her name, a staccato shot above the background noise of the television. She squeaked. It wasn't a very dignified sound but then again, this was a uniquely undignified situation and allowances had to be made.

"Dawn," Buffy said again in an even sterner tone, something the teenager hadn't thought was possible. "Did you just do what I think you just did?"

Dawn hedged. Maybe if she played dumb …

"What is it you think I just did?"

A glare -- full force ten, as Xander would have put it. Time for Plan B. Less of the dumb and more of the contrition.

"Buffy," she said, conciliatory and pleading in her tone. " … Buffy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to … Actually, strike that. I did mean to -- but I didn't mean for you to freak out like that. But it was right there -- so close. And you smelled so good. You always smell so good. And I wanted it. I've wanted to do something like that in like, forever."

Dawn knew she was doing a screwed up job of explaining so she took a breath, intent on starting over. But when Buffy held up a silencing hand, her words dried up in her throat and she trailed off with a slight whimper.

"Wait a minute." Buffy looked incredulous. "What do you mean you've wanted to do it in like forever? Do what?! Lick me?!"

Dawn cringed. "Well when you put it that way, it just sounds crude," she mumbled.

"You LICKED me!" Buffy nearly shouted, carefully enunciating each word as if still trying to confirm it in her own mind. "God Dawn, what were you thinking? And exactly how long have you been thinking about … doing this?"

"A while." The words were barely above a whisper. Dawn could feel the slow burn of tears starting to sting her eyes but she was determined not to cry in front of her sister. Only babies cried and she wanted Buffy to see her as so much more than that.

The blonde didn't answer, instead walking over and turning off the TV. She stood with her back facing her sister for what seemed to Dawn like some of the longest few seconds in the history of short moments. Finally, just when the younger girl thought she couldn't stand the non-communicative act any longer, Buffy started speaking, still not having turned around.

"Dawn, listen to me very carefully," Buffy began in a measured voice. "Whatever you thought -- whatever you might think you want, it's not right. THIS isn't right. But what's done is done. I don't blame you, Dawnie. You're just a teenager with teenage hormones. I should know -- I've been there too.

"This probably wasn't even your fault. Probably just another weird side effect of living on the Hellmouth. We've had international demon egg dealers and blackmarket kitten trading rings popping out of the woodwork, why not this too? But I think the best thing we can do right now is to forget this ever happened -- put it out of our minds."

The entire speech was delivered in a low monotone, lacking any hints of emotion. Dawn had sat, listening to the whole diatribe without interrupting but she was silently fuming inside and getting more irate with every word.

'Forget this ever happened?' That was Buffy's great advice? How could Buffy possibly expect Dawn to forget that she loved the Slayer with everything that she was? That wasn't something you could just forget. And for the Key it wasn't something she wanted to forget. She loved Buffy. How could something that felt so incredibly, bone-deep right, be wrong?

Dawn was tired of suffering alone. She was tired of constantly needing to watch what she said or what she did lest she reveal too much. But most of all, she was beyond tired of feeling bad about herself. The nail in the coffin though was to be told by Buffy of all people that her feelings were nothing more than 'side effects'.

Buffy.

"Stop it! Just stop talking!" Dawn shouted, propelling herself to her feet. She waited for Buffy to turn around before lashing out again.

"I love you, Buffy. And not just because you're my sister, not even because you've saved my life a bunch of times. I love you like Angel loved you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to go to sleep every night in your arms and wake up every morning to your face because it's you I want to kiss and it's you I want to make love to."

"Dawn I --"

"NO! I let you talk. Now it's my turn. This isn't my hormones talking. This isn't a phase. The Hellmouth has nothing to do with my feelings for you. Sweep it under the rug if you want and pretend this whole night never happened but these are my feelings and they won't pass. I love you so much and I don't want to lose you. But I'm not going to lie about it anymore either."

"I can't believe we're still having this conversation." Buffy shook her head, her hand coming up to cover her face. "Dawn, even if you believe you love me--"

"I do!"

"Even so … how do you think this can work out? We're both girls and we're sisters, Dawn. I still remember seeing you in diapers, for Heaven's sake."

"Willow and Tara were both girls and you didn't seem to have a problem with that," Dawn stubbornly persisted as she inched closer to the agitated blonde.

Buffy dropped her hands, exclaiming, "We're not Willow and Tara!"

"But I still love you!" Dawn proclaimed, equally hotly.

If ever she was going to get her point across, Dawn figured words just weren't going to cut it. In a move that surprised her seemingly as much as Buffy, she took the Slayer's face between two hands and firmly kissed the startled blonde. For those few seconds, her lips finally tasted what had always been forbidden to her and she reveled in the sensation.

She might not have had the most extensive experience where kissing was concerned but, in her opinion, this was heads and shoulders above the few sloppy make out sessions she'd taken part in.

Sparkage. Instant and combustible. Hands instantly moved to her hips but didn't push her away. Buffy's lips quivered invitingly and, to her delight, a few moments later, her sister started kissing her back. It was really happening. If she still had the wherewithal, she would have pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

There was a fireworks display going off in her brain and heat burning through her belly -- everything she expected, times ten. As she tried to deepen the kiss, Dawn felt as if her insides were twisting into a knot -- but in a good way. She wanted to taste the inside of that sweet mouth, to bathe in the golden warmth of her sister's nearness, to--

"Oof!" Dawn fell back a few steps, almost knocking the back of her legs into the coffee table as her eyes popped open in alarm. Her focus zeroed in on Buffy's lips. Small, pouty, soft lips. She'd just been there. And it was *so* good. Thoroughly entranced, she took a small step forward before noticing that the face framing those heavenly lips, looked a mite too flustered.

"Buffy," the teenager called out timidly. "You okay?"

"Me? I'm fine. I just exchanged fluids with my sister while she tried to suck out my tongue but everything's just peachy,' she answered sarcastically.

Dawn's lower lip trembled at the cutting words. "You didn't like it?"

Buffy threw up her hands in exasperation. "That's not the point!"

"But you didn't like it," Dawn doggedly persisted. "It sucked, didn't it? I know I'm not that good yet. I can get better though. I just need some practice."

"Dawn, trust me when I say you're not a bad kisser. But try to focus -- that's not the point. Do you know what would happen if people found out? They could take you away from me and put you in a foster home somewhere. Don't you remember the last time social services came here? They weren't exactly brimming with approval and if they found out about … this … then … why are you smiling?"

"You don't think I'm a bad kisser," the younger girl said, a dreamy-eyed smile on her face.

Buffy rolled her eyes, unable to hold back a tiny smirk.

"Focus Dawnie. We've really got to work on that."

"Okay." Dawn agreeably nodded. "But you don't have to worry -- I won't tell anybody about us. Social services won't know, I promise."

Moving forward before Buffy could stop her, Dawn wrapped her sister in an exuberant hug. She was able to avoid swooning only by the barest of margins as her breasts pushed up securely against Buffy's.

"I love you," she stated confidently. "I know we can make this work. We can be happy."

"What if I don't feel the same?"

Dawn froze, her grip involuntarily tightening around Buffy's soft body. In a meek voice, she asked, "You don't?"

A nerve-wracking pause and then …

"I'm not supposed to."

It wasn't the earth shattering "no" she had feared. Even in its ambiguity, the answer was more than Dawn had ever hoped for. It meant that maybe, possibly, Buffy really did have more than sisterly feelings for her but, for all the obvious reasons, hadn't acted on them before. Trying not to read too much into it, Dawn was careful to temper her rising sense of giddiness with a healthy dose of caution.

"Buffy … do you think we can try?"

"Try?"

"Try to … you know … be a couple?" Dawn could feel the blood rushing to her face. She'd imagined propositioning Buffy thousands of times and in thousands of ways but when the time finally came to deliver on the suave, her brain had served up a heaping helping of what had to be the most retarded line in the history of bad lines.

"God, listen to me, I sound like such a dork," she continued, burying her face into Buffy's neck and immediately feeling a wave of calm enveloping her senses. "I'm trying to be all romantic and instead, I come off about as smooth as a bag of lumpy rocks."

Buffy chuckled, the sound automatically bringing a smile to the Key's lips.

"Not dorky at all. I thought it was kind of sweet."

"Really?"

"Yep … But Dawn, I'm really not sure about this couple thing … It's not exactly something I've thought about a lot … or at all. But you know what? I thought I'd be a lot more freaked out by now but this is … nice -- it feels comfortable. Probably more than it should. And what I'm trying to say in a roundabout, not getting to the point kind of way is, if we do this ... do you think we can we take it slow?"

Dawn broke out into a wide grin, pulling back only enough look into Buffy's eyes.

"We can take it any way you want it."

****

Their relationship didn't change overnight. In fact, from Dawn's perspective, it hardly seemed to change at all. She'd thought, after that breakthrough the other night, the two of them would be well on their way to couplehood.

Skipping into the kitchen for breakfast the next morning, ensconced in a happy bubble of joygasm, she'd gone up to her sister for a good morning kiss only to have her bubble rudely burst. Buffy turned her head at the last second, depriving Dawn of the lips she so craved, instead landing the kiss chastely on a smooth cheek.

Disappointed but still optimistic, Dawn chalked the behavior up to nerves. Buffy always had a way of over-analyzing every little feeling so it wasn't entirely out of character for the blonde to spend a sleepless night dissecting what had happened between them.

Plus, somewhere along the way, Buffy had picked up her first boyfriend's annoying habit of brooding like a big, broody thing so with those two particular qualities in the mix, the teenager wasn't all that surprised about getting the cold shoulder.

She was, however, determined to break down Buffy's reservations -- again.  As if it hadn't been hard enough the first time. But doing so turned out harder the second time around. Whenever she tried initiating something more intimate, Buffy would dance skittishly away and either cut her off short or make up a flimsy excuse to leave. She'd even forgone hugging, much to Dawn's dismay.

For the few times they'd been in the same room together for more than a few minutes, they'd spent it in a series of quietly awkward moments. It was terrible and Dawn was going out of her mind, racking her brain, trying to find a solution.

But the really frustrating part was realizing she had been that close to bliss -- a finger's width away. She'd tasted her Eden and been booted out like a bad habit. But this was going to stop, even if she had to corner Buffy to get her sister to talk to her. In fact, given the blonde's recent skittishness, she would no doubt end up having to go that route.

Dawn impatiently sat through the rest of her interminably dull classes that day, barely able to stop from jumping out of her seat when the bell finally signaled the end of school. When she raced out, nobody stopped her in the halls just to say hello. Nobody so much as spared her a glance.

It wasn't all that surprising even though it was the start of a new school year in a new school. You'd think everybody would be on level ground so to speak but it was surprising how fast the cliques formed up.

And typically, Dawn found herself on the outside looking in. She wasn't part of a popular crowd. Actually, she wasn't part of a crowd, period. Funny thing about being perceived as a borderline dork with a tendency for breaking out in hysterics -- nobody wants to associate too closely with you lest the stink of social leprosy rub off.

Dawn didn't mind though. At least, she'd convinced herself it didn't bother her anymore. Whether that was the truth or not, she didn't wish to contemplate too deeply. In her opinion, whatever insecurities she possessed were better left unexplored.

At that moment, especially, she had neither the time nor the compunction for self-reflection. If she hurried home, she'd just catch Buffy coming back to drop off her stuff. It was still hard to get her head around the fact that her sister was now working in her school. But as far as she was concerned, any job was better than working at the Doublemeat Palace.

She knew if she didn't catch Buffy right then, she wouldn't see her until late that night after the Slayer had done with her Slayerly duties. Buffy had successfully dodged her using that excuse far too often lately.

More and more, her sister was staying out longer and later and Dawn had no doubt it was because of her. Whenever Buffy found herself in a tough situation she didn't want to deal with, her first inclination was always to run. That was exactly what happened after Angel got sent to hell. Buffy ran to L.A. For the whole summer.

Secretly, in her heart of hearts, Dawn also believed her sister used her favorite coping mechanism up on that tower when all those dimensions were about to collide into a soupy mess because of the Key's spilt blood. Buffy had jumped and, although it managed to save earth and everybody on it, Dawn didn't believe it was the only reason behind her sister's sacrifice.

Dawn wasn't blind. At the time, she'd clearly seen Buffy's increasing despondency over their mother's sickness and subsequent death. She had wanted to run up to the blonde on so many occassions, just to hug her and tell her everything was going to be all right. But in the end, her words would've meant nothing. In the end, she was just a terrified kid who had found out she was the key to the destruction of the universe and her entire life was a fabricated lie. How could she comfort Buffy when she couldn't even comfort herself?

Dawn forcefully shook off the disheartening memories. She'd already gone over and over those in her head -- it was familiar territory. And now wasn't a time for a retread.

In what could've been a record-breaking sprint if people kept records for that sort of thing, the teenager ran home, arriving short of breath with a fine sheen of sweat uncomfortably coating her body.

Her discomfort was worth it though as, not more than ten minutes later, she caught Buffy coming into the house and into the foyer. For a moment, Dawn allowed herself to contemplate how incredibly adorable Buffy looked when she had that wide-eyed, caught with the entire cookie jar look.

"Buffy, we need to talk," she stated in her most authoritative voice as soon as she realized any longer and the blonde would surely bolt.

"I just dropping off these papers and then I promised Anya I'd help her sort out what's left of the Magic Box," came the predictable evasion even as Buffy tried to gently nudge her sister away from the strategic position she'd taken in front of the door and thus, the only escape route.

Dawn refused to budge even though she knew if Buffy really wanted to, the Slayer could have easily removed her.

"How long are you going to keep avoiding me?" Buffy opened her mouth to speak but Dawn cut her off. "And don't even try to deny that you're not. We're living in the same house but you might as well still be living in the dorms for how much I've seen you lately … I hate that we're not even comfortable in the same room anymore. Do you have any idea how much I miss you?"

Buffy looked away, her eyes pained and her lips pressed into a thin, straight line. Dawn hesitated, seeing no answer forthcoming from her reticent older sister. The sudden lump in her throat robbed her of her words but with a painful swallow, she offered the one thing that could return everything back to normal again. And, even as her heart started to break, she began speaking.

"If … if you really hate the idea of us together … we don't have to be. I mean, we can just forget about it. If that's what you want then we can do that.  I'm sorry for messing up. Just … can we go back to when you don't leave the room whenever I come in?"

By the time Dawn finished her request, her lips were trembling so hard that it was a wonder that Buffy could understand her at all. The blonde blinked slowly in the silence afterwards. Once. Twice. Three times.

Dawn was starting to give up on getting a response at all when she was suddenly swept up in a hug hard enough to make her ribs creak in protest.

"Buffy?" She squeaked, trying hard to enjoy the physical closeness but fearing she would pass out from the lack of air and therefore still miss out on the delicious contact.

"Oh! Sorry Dawn," Buffy apologized as she loosened her grip. However, to the teen's utter delight, Buffy's arms remained wrapped around her body. As far as she was concerned, they could remain right where they were for the rest of the night.

"God, I'm so sorry," Buffy continued, biting her lower lip. "I'm sorry for putting you through my avoidy phase. I didn't mean to hurt you, to throw it all on your shoulders. I just couldn't figure out how to deal. But listen to me very carefully, Dawn. This … none of it is your fault, okay? You don't have anything to feel sorry for."

"But if I hadn't opened my big mouth--"

"If you hadn't said anything, I would have never known how you felt. I would have still thought this is a one-sided thing."

Dawn's brows scrunched in confusion as she went over what she'd just been told.

"What do you mean it would have been one-sided? If I didn't tell you, you wouldn't have known. It would have been one-sided but only on my side. Only I would have known. It would only be one-sided for you if … "

Her mind spun at the logic even as she noticed a grin beginning to form on the other girl's face -- one that could only be described as chagrined.

"Dawn." Her name was slowly dragged out from those amazingly expressive lips. It was as if an automatic response had been triggered for her brain to take a break for a little while.

"Dawn," Buffy repeated, patiently waiting for the younger girl's eyes to focus once again before speaking. "You're not the only one having these feelings. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but I just didn't feel it was right."

Dawn was astounded when her sister dropped her head, nearly resting her chin on her chest.

Trying hard to grasp the truth of what she'd been told, Dawn hesitantly asked, "You mean you felt the same way I did? You *love* me, love me?"

Buffy nodded, almost shyly, further cementing Dawn's budding hopes.

"Really?" The Key asked, trying to contain the desperate edge tingeing her voice but failing miserably. She wanted to be absolutely sure she wasn't misinterpreting Buffy's statement. She couldn't take it if she was rejected again.

Buffy looked up, her eyes pinning Dawn more securely than any physical restraint.

"I love you more than a sister should," the blonde stated in a voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid she would be overheard even though, rationally, there were only the two of them in the house. "God, you don't know how many times I've told myself to stop feeling this way about my own sister but … " she shrugged helplessly. "I can't."

It was as if she was re-living that time she was learning how to swim and accidentally swallowed several mouthfuls of water. She couldn't breathe and an overwhelming sense of panic started welling up in her chest. As it was then, so this time was no different. Buffy grabbed her, pulling her to safety, into the warmth of her arms.

Muttered words of comfort floated to her ears and slowly, bit by bit, the tension trickled from her body as she gave herself fully into the hug.

After a long minute, she mumbled into her sister's neck, "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

"No more apologies, okay?" Buffy rubbed a slender hand soothingly up and down the other girl's back. "We haven't done anything wrong -- nothing that would hurt anybody. People are always saying how love is never wrong and believe me when I say, I don't think I can love anybody more than I love you Dawnie. So, here's me asking you to give me another chance even though I messed up horribly the last time. No matter what, I promise I'll try never to hurt you like that again."

The resulting grin threatened to split Dawn's face in half. To think that Buffy not only had *feelings* for her but she was also asking for a resumption of their relationship.

Asking *her*.

This was almost too good to be true. Surreptitiously, she pinched herself just to make sure it wasn't a dream.

Nope, it was real.

As soon as she realized that, Dawn squealed in pure happiness as a sudden mischievous twinkle lit up her eyes.

"If I give you another chance, does that mean I get to kiss you?"

Inwardly, the young Key fervently prayed this would be the case as she wet her lips in subconscious longing.

She watched Buffy's eyes grow incrementally bigger at the bold request, finally witnessing firsthand her little sister's more lascivious side -- a side she would have never thought existed before. But whatever wariness Buffy might have felt was gone in a blink, as she seemed to come to a quiet decision.

Dawn held her breath, this time in anticipation as, without another word, Buffy leaned in slowly. So slowly that she felt for sure she would pass out by the time their lips finally met.

But the kiss, when it came, succeeded in wiping all those fears from her mind. In fact, much like a turbulent summer storm clears away the dust, this kiss managed to clear away all coherent thought from her consciousness as well, leaving only an unbearable feeling of contentment in its wake.

She was unsure how long the kiss lasted or how long they stood there afterwards, staring into each other's eyes like newly minted lovebirds. But later, she would recall and catalogue the hundred of myriad sensations that ran through her body at the sweet taste of the person she loved.

****

Buffy had asked her to keep them a secret, at least for now.

"No one would understand," her sister had said. "The people at Social Services were already gung-ho on taking you from me. They'll have a field day if they find out about what's happening between us."

"I promise I won't say a word," Dawn swore for what seemed like the thousandth time. She understood her sister's concern. She too feared the long arm of the government snatching her away from her love and her home but still, after the fifth time Buffy mentioned it, she was ready to start pulling her hair out.

Dawn really hoped Buffy would start mellowing out after awhile, especially if nothing ever came of her fears. And, meantime, she would do all in her power to make sure nothing and nobody interfered in their newly formed, still very much fragile relationship. Of course, her sphere of 'power' being as limited as it was, about the only thing she could do was not blurt out she was in love with her sister in front of people. Aside from playing it discreet, there was very little she could actively do.

Little frustrations aside however, her life seemed infinitely better than it had a few short days ago. She was feeling more and more like dancing in the streets and the primary reason for this jubilation came from how comfortable they were with each other now.

Tonight, for instance, they were just hanging out and although the two of them weren't alone, what with Xander, Willow, and Anya there, Dawn was still reveling in the new turn their relationship had taken even if nobody else knew it but them.

The lingering glances, the light touches, the secret smiles and they hadn't even gotten into the movie theater yet. Dawn couldn't wait to get to their seats and for the lights to go down. Naughty thoughts ran through her mind at all the delicious possibilities swirling through her brain.

"What's with the evil grin?"

The question effectively pulled her from her thoughts, as did the sudden nearness of Buffy's mouth to her ear. A look of surprise replaced said grin even as Dawn suppressed a shudder, turning her head slightly to see the impish smile gracing her sister's features. Maybe it was a trick of the light but Dawn could have sworn Buffy was glowing at that moment. Taking a second to compose herself and to shake her mind from such fanciful musings, she returned the smile with a wicked one of her own.

"Well," she whispered, keeping her voice down so the others walking slightly ahead of them wouldn't overhear. "I was just thinking about all the fun things I could do to you while we're sitting next to each other in a dark movie theater."

A blond eyebrow arced. "You don't say. If they're half as much fun as the things I'm thinking about, then don't let me interrupt. Keep on thinking."

Aiming a smoldering look towards her older companion, or as close to smoldering as a relatively innocent teenager could muster on the fly, Dawn sidled closer, bumping hips playfully with her sister. The bump was returned just as playfully, but coming from a Slayer, it almost sent Dawn staggering to the side.

"Oops! Sorry." Buffy quickly righted the toppling teen, casting a weak smile at her three friends who had stopped to look back. "Didn't know my own strength."

"Slayers rarely do," Anya flippantly stated, turning back around without sparing them another glance.

Xander shrugged, more than used to his girlfriend's quirks by now. Willow dropped back to walk with the sisters, making any more flirty moments between the two all but impossible.

Dawn sighed with relief when they finally arrived at the theater. Much as she loved the redhead, she loved private time with her sister even more and she was really looking forward to the hour and a half they had coming up.

This would be like a date for them -- an honest to God, getting out of the house, and doing something together that didn't involve walking through a graveyard, date. Granted, they were going as part of a larger group, but Dawn chose to selectively ignore that superfluous little fact and dwell on the happier elements of the night to come.

They had decided to see something with an action-y theme, not that the younger Summers cared all that much. They could be sitting through a Swedish documentary on halibut for all the watching she intended to do. No, tonight, all her watching was solely reserved for one person.

Three guesses who that would be.

Once they'd purchased their tickets and gotten the mountain of pre-requisite popcorn, nachos, coke, and assorted candies to see them through the movie, the group slipped into their seats, barely making it before the previews started.

The seating arrangement was such that Dawn ended up on the aisle seat, sitting next to Buffy. Almost as soon as the lights went out, she leaned over, feigning the need to ask Buffy a question, only to capture an unsuspecting earlobe gently between her teeth. She could just make out the gasp above the noise of the ubiquitous narrator guy and smiled a sly smile.

This could be very interesting indeed.

****

Dawn lay sprawled across her sister's lap, completely limp, floating in an utter state of relaxation. Buffy's fingers lazily ran through her hair, making her scalp tingle in an entirely pleasant way. She might have dozed off right then and there but for Buffy's sudden announcement that she had to go slaying now. They'd just gotten back from the movie and the last thing she wanted was for the moment to end so soon, especially since they were now so blissfully alone in Dawn's bedroom.

Dawn whimpered a short protest, turning on her side and wrapping her arms more securely around the blonde's body.

"Dawnie, it's not like I really want to go skulking around Restfield in the wee hours of the night. I'd much rather stay here -- you know that. But, duty and destiny and blah, blah, blah as Giles used to say -- kinda cuts in on the cuddle time."

"I know," Dawn sighed, turning onto her back so she could look up at Buffy. "But it doesn't mean I have to like it though."

The Slayer tapped her on the nose, making her scrunch it up. "No, it doesn't but would you feel better if I gave you a goodnight kiss before I go?"

"Are you trying to bribe me?"

"Yep. Is it working?"

"Yep. Come here."

Dawn reached out, wrapping an arm around the back of Buffy's neck, pulling the Slayer down. Her lips rejoiced as they always did whenever they kissed. She could feel parts of her body growing exponentially warmer with each second that passed and she moaned in encouragement when Buffy's hand began peripherally exploring under her shirt. This was farther than they'd ever gone. Dawn was thrilled they were finally entering gropage territory. And further thrilled that Buffy was the one initiating the contact.

She was enjoying it so much that she wouldn't let go when she felt Buffy trying to pull away. 'Not yet!' her mind screamed, frantically extracting every little bit of bliss from their make-out session.

But, inevitably, the blonde managed to extricate herself from her grasping arms, smiling down indulgently.

"I think you're trying to stall me."

"Is it that obvious?" Dawn asked, her tone not at all contrite.

Buffy muffled a chuckle before getting up from under the teenager. "All right. Now I've really got to get going before I find any more of my willpower magically sucked out of me."

"Willpower? I thought that was your tongue."

"Very funny."

Dawn preened. "I thought so."

Buffy swooped down, stealing one last kiss and before Dawn could react, sauntered out of the room with an extra bounce to her step. The Key flopped back down onto her bed as soon as the door closed, burying her head under a pillow so the entire house wouldn't overhear her squeals of happiness.

If there was anything in the world better than kissing Buffy, Dawn hadn't found it yet but with luck, the two of them would soon be getting acquainted those as of yet, unexplored aspects of their relationship -- that is, if she had anything to do with it.

****

"Dawn … Dawn! Are you listening to me?"

Dawn snapped out of her daydream only to be pinned by Janice's irate stare. She looked down at her lunch tray as if it could provide an answer but saw none forthcoming.

"Um … sorry. What did you say?"

Janice sighed. "Honestly, I don't even know why I bother. Lately, you've just been in like outer space or something."

Dawn harrumphed, starting to get irritated too. "Yeah, whatever," she said, not even bothering to make up an excuse.

And so ended what little conversation they'd started. It wasn't that she didn't like talking to Janice, arguably her best friend, but her life now seemed to inexorably revolve around her new relationship -- a relationship she'd sworn not to tell anyone about. It made for a big black hole as far as conversational topics went.

Dawn sighed as Janice quickly left in a huff, knowing she'd have to mend a couple of broken fences in the very near future. But for right now, she really couldn't find the energy to come up with heartfelt apologies and excuses. For right now, she just needed a rest from the turmoil and unrest of the last few days -- heck, the last few weeks had been kind of out there even though she wasn't complaining about the results.

Far from it.

It was just kind of overwhelming, what with all the changes, seemingly happening overnight. It made her head spin trying to figure it all out. But Dawn wouldn't have traded it for the world.

That didn't mean she didn't have doubts every so often. Even at her happiest, there were still little, niggling thoughts at the back of her mind feasting on all her misgivings. She couldn't help feeling guilty, even though, logically, she knew she and Buffy weren't doing anything wrong. They were in love and sharing that love with each other. It had been her fondest wish for as long as she could remember.

But, she had to admit, having this huge secret that no one could ever know wasn't exactly serving to alleviate matters. The gravity of their situation weighed on her delicate shoulders and sometimes, she wondered if she wouldn't break from the strain.

But she kept up a happy face, never letting Buffy know her darker thoughts. Buffy had enough to contend with -- the blonde had her own demons to battle, both literally and figuratively speaking. Dawn was determined to help lighten that load, especially if it meant doing the little things such as acting with continual cheer.

It was only lately she'd found her thoughts settling on the murk. Dawn shook her head, trying to rid her mood. She was probably thinking too much into things. She had a tendency to do that -- to nitpick at something until it bled. She was trying to cut back but cold turkey didn't always cut the cheese.

Eventually, her thoughts did turn to the brighter side of things but only because they had wandered onto the subject of Buffy again. The blonde was never far from her thoughts and always served as a quick pick-me-up whenever Dawn needed it -- like mental caffeine, only without the twitchy side effects.

Her big sister wanted her to drop by her office after school so they could walk home together. Dawn grew starry-eyed at the prospect. Although, at first, she hadn't been jumping for joy at Buffy's announcement of working in the new school as a guidance counselor, Dawn had definitely warmed to the idea, especially if they got to spend more time together. Dawn was always up for that.

And besides, with the new job, Buffy seemed to be getting her zing back. Working at the Doublemeat Palace as a counter girl isn't exactly anyone's idea of a dream job and particularly not for the Slayer, the destined protector of all humankind. The situation was only exacerbated because that particular job came at perhaps the lowest point in the older girl's life.

The teenager didn't know all the gruesome details and, truth be told, she didn't want to know. She knew her sister had been depressed. She knew the blonde had engaged in an uber-abusive relationship with Spike. She knew that the relationship had ended in Buffy's attempted rape.

Her blood boiled over whenever she thought about what the bleached blonde vampire had done to her sister. Mixed in with the anger were the faintest strains of jealousy. How could she not feel jealous? An evil undead thing had had carte blanche to Buffy's body while she herself had still been pining away, touching Buffy only in her dreams.

It wasn't fair that Spike was the only one her sister felt she could turn to -- the only one she didn't withdraw from. Why was he so special? Because he was *there*? Dawn had been there the whole time too. Why couldn't Buffy see her?

Dawn wanted to ask these questions to the one person who could provide some answers but when all was said and done, she wasn't brave enough to subject herself to the possible rejection. The last thing she wanted to hear was that Buffy had lovey-dovey feelings for Spike … maybe still did.

Dawn ewwed that mental scenario off the stage. Even if that was all true, Buffy had her now. The Slayer didn't and wouldn't need Spike. Not for anything because she could provide all the things Spike could. So what if Mr. Peroxide was back in town and sporting a spiffy new soul. Dawn wasn't threatened. Not in the least. She was secure of her place in Buffy's life.

Definitely.

So fortified with a measure of self confidence restored, she stood up, trashing her lunch, which, sadly, hadn't improved much in quality since the Scooby Gang's high school days.

****

"Hey, whatcha doin'?" Buffy asked as she bounced into Dawn's room and onto her bed, unrepentantly displacing notes and books in her wake.

Dawn pointedly looked at the mess of papers spread out around her, made even more chaotic by her sister's welcome, if not sudden, arrival.

"I'll give you one guess."

"Does it start with an H, end with a K and rhyme with chrome jerk?"

"Bingo!"

"How's it going with that?"

"I could use a break."

"Are we talking snack or something else?"

In response, Dawn immediately pulled the blonde close enough to claim unresisting lips.

"Something else," she murmured in between wet kisses.

Dawn soon found herself once again happily ensconced in a heavy make out session with her sister. She knew they only had so long until Willow came back from her classes so she intended to make the most of what time alone they had left, heedless of whatever work she still needed to finish before tomorrow.

Buffy's hand wandered under her T-shirt, slowly teasing its way along her ribs. Her gasp at the welcome intrusion was muffled as Buffy's mouth covered hers once again. Her arms automatically tightened around the blonde's neck, deepening a kiss that already threatened to swallow her whole.

Before the teen fully realized it, Buffy had positioned herself almost fully on top of her. The weight suddenly resting along the length of her body felt exquisite and she moaned her approval at this delightful change.

Deciding it was all right to escalate things on her part, Dawn slipped her hands under Buffy's top, feeling warm, smooth skin under her palms. Dawn firmly believed her sister had the world's softest skin but she might be biased in that perspective.

Dawn could feel the back of Buffy's shirt bunching up as her hands moved higher, only stopping as she reached the bra. The two of them had never gone farther than heated groping but that didn't mean they couldn't.

Feeling adventurous and wanting to fully supplant whatever position Spike had staked in Buffy's life, not to mention heart, the Key unfastened the clasp with surprising ease for someone who was a novice at that sort of thing. Dawn mentally gave herself a pat on the back as her hands continued on their journey towards Buffy's front.

She groaned feeling the older girl pulling back. When Dawn opened her eyes, she managed to focus enough to see Buffy looking down at her with a knowing expression on the blonde's pretty face.

"Aren't we the eager little beaver?" Buffy asked in a tone full of mirth while planting tiny, almost chaste kisses across Dawn's face. "But I'm afraid if you go any further, Willow will catch us putting on our own little magic show."

"And what's wrong with that?"

Buffy leaned down, kissing the tip of Dawn's nose.

"Honey, much as I adore you, you've got to learn the meaning of keeping a secret."

"Sorry, but when I'm with you, I just can't seem to control myself. I swear you're driving me slowly insane. I don't want to stop anymore. I want to do it, Buffy." Dawn stated, punctuating 'it' with a thrust of her hip. She grinned, hearing Buffy gasp -- about time the tables were turned.

Buffy's face suddenly went serious as she gazed tenderly down at the younger girl.

"You know we don't have to rush anything, don't you?" The blonde asked. "I'm not saying you're not ready to take this next step but you're just fifteen. What's the rush?"

"You're right. I am fifteen. But you weren't much older when you made the decision to sleep with Angel."

Buffy let out a sigh, her whole demeanor turning melancholic from one heartbeat to the next. It always seemed to happen whenever Angel's name was brought up but still, Dawn felt she had a valid point.

Seeing that her sister still looked unconvinced, Dawn delivered the coup de grace to her argument.

"I love you, Buffy. I want to be with you in every way."

"I love you too but … "

Still sensing that last niggling doubt, hanging tough, Dawn pulled out her weapon of last resort: outright pleading.

"Please? Pretty, pretty please?"

Buffy rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the smile from slowly spreading across her face.

"I can't believe you're actually lying there, begging me for sex," the Slayer said, shaking her head.

Dawn blew out an inelegant snort. "I'd get on my hands and knees too but I can't seem to move because *someone's* using me as a mattress."

She grinned in delight as Buffy's face reddened at her comment. She felt a rush of affection for her older sibling.

"But I think I'm beginning to see the advantages of being a mattress-American so carry on. Continue to use me for your pleasure."

The blonde shrugged at the suggestion, easing down until her face was only a few inches from Dawn's.

"That better?"

"Much … so about this sex thing … "

Buffy groaned, burying her head in the curve of Dawn's neck, breathing deeply of the fragrance uniquely her sister's.

"We'll see," Dawn heard her mumble.

Since this ambiguous concession was more than she'd had at the beginning of the day, Dawn was satisfied to leave the discussion at that. They still had at least a couple of minutes before Willow's return and she could think of so much better things to do than talk.

****

With her head resting carefully on Buffy's uninjured shoulder, Dawn finally let herself breathe a sigh of relief that her sister hadn't been hurt worse tonight. She could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times in her life when she'd been more frightened.

Seeing all that blood and more still pooling on the floor where Buffy stood -- not for the first time, she shivered at the memory. The image, burned into her memory, wouldn't go away, even as she consciously willed it to go away.

Intentionally focusing on something else besides the macabre picture painted in bright reds across her mind's eye, she mentally made up a list of what had to be done tomorrow.

-Go to school, of course

-Make sure Mrs. Morelli didn't catch her falling asleep again

-Make some time to talk to Janice

-Get more bandages, especially some more antiseptic cream.

-Find out how to get bloodstains out of towels without bleaching the color

-Make Buffy stay in bed until she could walk without a limp

Dawn groaned. This wasn't doing much to take her mind off Buffy's injury. Wait. Correction, make that plural: injuries.

There was the right shoulder -- clawed. The ribs -- cracked and maybe broken. The tops of her hands -- looked like she'd adhered to the Rocky Balboa school of beating on raw cow. And finally, the right calf -- large bite mark.

Maybe it was because the Hellmouth hadn't sported the usual slew of bad-ass demons and monsters for such a long while that encountering the aftermath of a battle with one shook Dawn up so much. Even Buffy, the injured party, seemed to take tonight more in stride than the teen. But Dawn couldn't shake the thought that if things had gone differently, Buffy wouldn't be lying here with her right now. And things could go awry so easily. One wrong move, one unlucky shot and her sister wouldn't be coming home.

Dawn had mourned Buffy once already. She couldn't bear the thought of doing it again, especially now that they had gotten so much closer. Her eyes teared up as she gazed blearily upon her sleeping sister.

Logically, she knew there wasn't anything to be done about the situation except trying to be more careful and prepared in the future. After all, Buffy couldn't very well turn her back on being the Slayer, at least not and live with it. Dawn understood this but on a purely emotional level, she just wanted to pack the two of them up and leave all of this far, far behind -- move to some deserted island where there were no vampires, not even the bat variety and they could be themselves without subterfuge.

But that was nothing more than a pipe dream.

****

"Dawn, I appreciate the attention. I really do but you've got to stop fussing so much," Buffy said, taking the bib out of the younger Summers' hand and putting it aside.

The teen stood by the bed with hands on her hips and a stubborn look on her face.

"Okay, maybe the bib's going a little overboard," Dawn conceded. "But someone's got to take care of you and I've already called dibs so let me do my job … grumpy."

Dawn smothered her grin. Buffy looked way too adorable, dressed in her pajamas and reclining on the bed with her arms folded across her chest, doing an uncanny imitation of a pouting 10-year old.

"Did you just call me grumpy?" The still healing Slayer asked, eyeing the teenager from under blonde lashes.

"If the shoe fits … "

Dawn ignored her sister's affronted expression and instead, lifted up the bed tray, which held the leftovers from lunch from across Buffy's lap.

"I'll be right back," she said, sporting a mock-chastising look. "Don't move from that bed."

"Who me?"

"Don't give me that oh-so-innocent look. Did we already forget that last time, I almost caught you doing push-ups?"

"I had to do something to relieve the boring."

"Well, I promise I'll be back before the 'boring' sets in."

"Can I have that in writing? Everything's much more official and binding when it's in writing."

Ignoring the flippant request, Dawn backed away and left the room, making sure she was putting one foot in front of the other. The earlier mishap involving flying dishes and splattered food had taught her this lesson the hard way. Who knew bed trays could also double as flying missiles of destruction. Now, it was safety first, all the way.

After quickly cleaning the dishes and putting them away, all nice and tidy-like, Dawn raced back upstairs, now unencumbered by anything that might actually trip her up.

"I'm back!" She excitedly called out right before bursting through the door. "Have you been a good girl?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Dawwwnnn," the blonde pityingly whined.

"All right, forget I asked," she said, sitting down in a huffy tit.

Taking the younger girl's hand, which Dawn easily allowed despite trying to remain the picture of aloofness, Buffy said in a gentler tone, "I think you're taking great care of me. There's no one else I'd want sitting with me right now but you. I admit, sometimes I get carried away and I push my body too far and I'm glad you're here looking out for my best interests. But believe me when I say I'm not made of glass, Dawn. I won't break because I want to leave the bed and move around a little bit."

"I know," Dawn mumbled, studying their entwined hands for a minute. "And I can't help it. I wish I could protect you … keep you safe from everything … but I can't. I don't have superpowers. I might be the Key but right now, I'm nobody special. No matter how much you train me, I'm never going to be that good with the slaying. So this is me … doing the only thing I know how to help you."

A moment of silence passed as Dawn continued staring down at their linked hands while she considered the many ways a bag of Quik-Dry Cement could be of more use than her. A pair of fingers under her chin finally forced her to lift her head.

A gentle smile was illuminating the Slayer's face. "Dawn, you don't have to slay a monster to show me how special you are. You're special just for being you … Did I sound like an after-school special?"

Dawn nodded.

"Okay, well, what I'm trying to say is, you're important to me. I'm not with you because of your fighting prowess or lack thereof. I don't care if my lover can trounce ten bad guys with one arm tied behind their back. That doesn't matter to me. All that matters is that I love you and I … I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

As if she couldn't believe she was actually saying them even as she was saying them, Buffy's eyes had widened considerably as she uttered those last words.

Dawn couldn't keep the hope from springing forth as she asked, "You mean that? You … you really want to spend the rest of your life with me?"

A look of heady resolve settled across Buffy's demeanor. "Wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it. I'm sorry if I didn't make that clearer to you before. I guess, somewhere in the back of my mind, I was still holding onto some reservations."

Before the last few words had finished leaving the Slayer's mouth, Dawn had all but catapulted herself onto the reclining form.

"Ooomph!"

"Oh, sorry. Sorry," Dawn yelped, realizing how careless her over-enthused response was after the fact. "Are you all right?"

"Nothing a new pair of ribs and some industrial strength morphine wouldn't fix," Buffy joked, wincing through obvious pain. Despite the discomfort, she wrapped her arms around Dawn's body, refusing to let the younger girl up. "Uh-uh, you're not going anywhere, Little Miss I-Likes-To-Jump. You think you can just get up and go on your merry way without redressing the pain and emotional distress you've caused upon my person?"

Delighted at the appearance of joke-y Buffy, a nearly non-existent persona until recently, Dawn played along.

"I'm SO sorry. What can I possibly do to redeem myself in your eyes?"

Buffy smirked at her sister's hammy antics. "Let's start with two kisses and work our way up from there."

"I think that's a fair and equitable suggestion," Dawn said, almost immediately descending down to bestow the first of what would have been many kisses if it weren't for the sudden untimely appearance of Willow.

Neither the Slayer nor Key noticed they'd acquired a voyeur until a horrified gasp alerted them to the intrusion.

Because of their positions, Dawn was nearly sent flying as Buffy immediately sat up. Only her firm grip on the blonde's torso saved her from getting her posterior bruised on the floor.

"W-Willow!" Buffy's eyes were wide with fear and alarm. "What are you doing here?"

In a weak voice, Willow explained, "I came back early because I forgot my textbook but .. " The redheaded witch shook her head as if to order her thoughts. "Did I really see what I think I saw? Was it … I mean, it looked like … and that can't be right because you're sisters and sisters don't do … that …"

Buffy visibly cringed at her friend's faintly accusatory tone but Dawn observed the blonde doggedly refused to break eye contact.

"We were kissing," Buffy stated, her words brooking no ambiguity. "What you saw was us showing our love for one another."

A little ball of warmth ignited somewhere inside Dawn -- somewhere the girl hadn't known was cold until the heat appeared. Until that moment, she had always secretly harbored the fear that her sister would ultimately reject her if their relationship were ever brought to light. Now that fear and doubt had been burned away by Buffy's reassuring words. Dawn's eyes grew wet with happy tears, her heart full to near bursting. Her blissful moment ended much too soon as Willow again intruded.

"You mean you two were really … When? Why? This doesn't make any sense." Willow looked between the two sisters as if she were looking at two complete strangers who were absurdly claiming they were her friends.

"I know it seems like that--"

"Seems like?" The redhead interrupted, frantically waving one of her arms around. "Buffy, this isn't seems like -- this IS. This is me, seeing you kissing your own sister like you used to kiss your boyfriends. Buffy, what do you think you're doing? I don't know in how many states this kind of thing is illegal but I'm pretty sure it's frowned upon most everywhere. And that's not even taking into account that Dawn is a minor. She's fifteen years old and you're taking advantage of her."

Wanting to set the record straight, Dawn was about to finally break into the conversation. She was beginning to get a little angry herself. Willow was making her out to be some clueless imbecile, incapable to making her own choices. Dawn hadn't jumped into this with her eyes closed. If anyone were the seducer in the relationship, she was it.

But the gentle squeeze of Buffy's hand, which still held her own, stopped the angry retort just short of leaving her lips.

"Willow, I know all this must seem like it hit you from out of nowhere and I'll understand if you don't approve of what we're doing. But don't think your opinion will change what Dawn and I do together from now on because it won't. You might not like it but then again, this isn't about you. I didn't take advantage of Dawn -- I'd rather die than ever hurt her. I love her. She loves me. It took me awhile to accept it myself but now that I have, I won't give her up for anything. Not even you."

Willow and Buffy held each other's gazes and it was a crapshoot whether the redhead or the blonde would look away first. Dawn anxiously held tighter to her love's hand, feeling her world teetering precariously on a shaky ledge.

Finally, the tension broke as Willow's eyes lowered slightly, her face still a mask of confusion. But gone now was the disgust and for that, Dawn was hopeful everything would eventually turn out okay.

Willow muttered, "I can't take all of this in right now. This has to be the last thing I was expecting to find when I started home today but--" Her attention focused on Dawn. "Is this what you really want? Dawnie, have you really thought about all the consequences this will have on your life if you continue with this relationship?"

Dawn took a deep breath. Never in her life had she been so certain of something and her conviction showed as she answered.

"This is what I want Willow. Being with Buffy, being able to love her like this -- I don't think I've ever been so happy in my life."

Giving her sister what was undoubtedly one very sappy smile, Dawn leaned in, pecking the older girl briefly on the lips. It was neither a long kiss nor a particularly passionate one but the love inherent in the tiny gesture was clear to all three women in the room.

"I guess if this makes the two of you happy and it's not hurting anyone then I really can't be all judgmental on the both of you. But you're going to have to give me time to absorb all this."

With a bright smile adorning the blonde's face, Buffy answered.

"No problem. I know this is a lot to take in all at once and I'm glad you're at least not going ballistic over the situation and giving us a chance to explain."

Willow nodded slightly. "Right. Okay. Now that that's settled, gotta get that book because that's what I came here for. Can't really go to class without the required reading material, now can we? Well, I could but then it wouldn't really endear me to the professor. So um … getting the book and ... I'll see you later."

The sisters shared an amused grin as the redhead all but scurried away as fast as scurrying could carry a person.

"That went way better than I ever imagined it could," Buffy quipped, brushing a soothing hand through Dawn's long locks.

Dawn, in turn, breathed out a long-held sigh as she rested her head against her sister's shoulder. The tension and adrenaline that had been pumping through her body ever since Willow's first gasp were now gone, leaving her body worn out.

"Do you think she'll ever be okay with us being an 'us'?" The brunette asked, snuggling closer to her lover.

Buffy spoke slowly as if thinking over the answer carefully. "I don't know if Will can ever be totally comfortable with the idea. But I've known her a long time and I know she's pretty tolerant … so if anybody can come around, she can."

Buffy fell silent, her fingers continually playing through the younger girl's hair.

Tilting her head slightly so her lips were pressed up against the smooth column of Buffy's throat, Dawn planted several light kisses across the warm skin, occassionally letting her tongue slip out to play. She felt the silent growl purring against her lips and barely suppressed the giggle from popping out of her mouth.

It alternately amused and amazed her the rainbow of different reactions she could draw from the blonde with merely the simplest touch.

"Dawn … you've got to stop," came the breathy plea. "You're going to make me crazy if you keep doing that."

"You mean you're not already crazy? I must be losing my touch."

Buffy moaned. "When did you start becoming such a little minx?"

"When you started loving me."

Dawn was pleased to see Buffy's smile. Corny as it sounded, it was like looking at the sun peaking out after a particularly cloudy day: warm and brilliant. And when the inspiration for that smile came from something she'd said, it was just a double scoop of goodness.

****

Two weeks of near honeymoon-quality bliss. Two weeks of sometimes tolerant, nearly always awkward interactions with Willow.

Two weeks.

And like clockwork, every night during those two weeks, Dawn never failed to thank whatever stars were shining down on her. Indeed, someone up high must kinda like her if the recent turn of events in her life was anything to go by.

Sure, school still sucked -- as it always would -- and life on the hellmouth wouldn't be anyone's idea of an enchanting suburban dream but those things were all extraneous -- kind of like the plot in a Steven Seagal movie.

What mattered -- what kept her awake at nights, giddy with a happiness that threatened to burst out of her in the guise of periodic squeals that any full-blooded teenager could respect, was simple.

She was in love.

Sounded straightforward enough, right?

If you discounted who she was in love with, Dawn was just a girl, madly head over heels for another girl. That wasn't to say the familial bond that linked her to Buffy wasn't an integral part of their new relationship. They were sisters. Nothing could change that. Nothing would.

Dawn knew with a certainty that only came from knowing someone your entire life, she could trust Buffy -- with her body, with her life, with her heart. Trust was implicit. It would exist no matter where their relationship took them.

And for those many and varied reasons, Dawn would forever thank whatever higher beings had a hand in her happiness before inevitably turning on her side and burrowing deeper into the arms of her lover … her sister … her Slayer.