Dawn smiled as she looked out of her bedroom window, the early morning light just beginning to peek over the horizon. She knew she was just biding her time. She didn't know what it was that she was waiting for, but she felt that something was coming. Something important.

Life on Revello drive had settled down considerably over the few weeks that had passed since the Hellmouths had been closed. She finally had her family all to herself. Even her mother popped in from time to time. Buffy and Spike never failed to include her in every decision that was made. They respected her abilities in languages and even encouraged her to spend time with Giles at the resource centre. Her keyness was starting to show itself. Languages that had been considered dead for centuries came alive for her, book after book of ancient, indecipherable text became easy reads for her, things were certainly getting interesting.

She refused to think about her immortality, she'd decided that Scarlet O'Hara had the right idea. She also refused to think about the new school year, as a teenager she believed that thinking about school during the summer holidays was the height of geekdom, and given the time she'd been forced to spend with the geek brigade at the resource centre, any and all geek like behaviour was to be totally rejected, she still considered herself lucky that she hadn't had to face summer school. As to the geeks, Jonathan wasn't so bad but Andrew made her teeth hurt.

Conner had been a surprise. Dawn hadn't expected to more than to barely accept him given his parentage, but the little beast had grown on her. His quietly sweet nature seemed more in keeping with Tara than Angel and Darla and he'd managed to worm his way into all their hearts.

His quiet whimper from her old room alerted her to his waking state. Moving swiftly she went to him, picking him up and automatically checking his diaper. A quick change and she took him downstairs to the kitchen and to the bottle that had his name on it. She didn't want to disturb her sister or the brother of her heart. They had probably only just fallen asleep and she liked to let them sleep in while she had her bonding time with the newest member of the Summers' family - not that she'd ever admit that!

She smiled and shook her head in amusement as Conner tried to catch the sunlight that streamed in through the kitchen window. He was developing at a far quicker rate than normal babies, a fact that greatly concerned Spike and Buffy.

As Dawn focused her attention on the bottle she was preparing she failed to notice her mother's appearance.
"Good morning, pumpkin belly," Joyce happily greeted her youngest. "We need to talk sweetie."

Rather than the dread that those words should have brought, Dawn felt the blossoming tendrils of excitement starting to bubble up from inside. This was it. This was what she had been waiting for. Eagerly she faced her mother and waited for the news she had been expecting.

As Dawn listened to her mother her mind raced for a way to get her overprotective sister to agree. She totally needed to downplay this, because Buffy was going to freak if she knew the truth.

"It's okay, mom. I'll let Buffy and Spike know, what time should I tell them?"

"I'll be back at five to get you, darling," Joyce informed her youngest before fading from view.

"This should be fun." Dawn smirked at the oblivious baby.

**

"Will she tell them the truth?" the disembodied voice asked.

"Would you?" Joyce answered, amused.

Laughter was her only response.

**

"Just till Saturday? So you'll be back for your birthday party on Sunday?" Buffy asked with trepidation. The plans for Dawn's sixteenth birthday had been set up for weeks.

"Yes Buffy, and I'll be under mom's watchful eye the whole time." The key to dimensions assured her sister.

"What aren't you tellin' us, Bit?" Spike growled, knowing his little delinquent far better than she liked to remember.

Dawn rolled her eyes at the suspicious vampire. "Nothing. I'll be gone for five days. I'll be with mom for all of it. The only reason she told me and not you was because you were sleeping when she got here. You know how important my training is and this is it. This is where I get to learn how to use my keyness. Sheesh, don't you guys trust me at all?" she stamped her foot in irritation. Hoping that the display of childish pique would be enough to put the male guardian off the scent; damned interfering vampire.

Spike crossed his arms and regarded the young brunette carefully. He knew there was more to it than she was saying, but for the life of him he couldn't work out what it was. Maybe Joyce would be more forthcoming.

Buffy knew how important this was to her younger sibling, but her own need to know where Dawn was at all times and the need to keep her safe weighed heavily on the petite blonde's mind. This family unit, the four of them, was new and precious to her.

The trouble was that Buffy's need to control the situation was tempered with the knowledge of what Willow's need to control had done to her. If she were truly honest with herself she would admit that she missed the redhead. Missed the girl she used to be before the dark side of magic had tempted her and brought forth the arrogant fool that mistakenly believe that she controlled the magic that was clearly controlling her.

No one should be allowed the sort of control that Willow craved and it was with that knowledge that Buffy accepted her sister's journey for what it was; a voyage of self discovery, something that she was entitled to make. Crap, she hated being the mature one.

**

Willow watched as Tara entered the new research centre. It burned her no end that the blond wouldn't talk to her. How was she supposed to win her back if she couldn't talk to her? It's not like she had her powers anymore. Even the lame magic broker, Rack, hadn't been able to help her. She couldn't believe that his power boosts only worked on people who had power in the first place, that was just so unfair. It wasn't like people with power needed a boost, not like she did, they at least had power to begin with...unlike her. She was all no powers girl thanks to Buffy. And that was another thing, how come everyone was all accepting of the Slayer's relationship with another vampire? And when did he get to be a good guy? Hello...vampire! Evil Undead. How come he got to be everyone's friend and she - the good soul-having always-acting-in-her-friend's-best-interests human was thrown out like...like...like yesterday's garbage. That just so wasn't right. Everything was all screwy. It had been since Willow had saved her, okay well technically she might not have actually needed saving, but it wasn't like the ex-witch knew that. How could she? Buffy had closed a portal to a hell dimension. It was an honest mistake to think that was where she'd gone. Angel had. So, okay, maybe her body hadn't gone with her, but it's not like they knew that Angel had been sucked into the portal body and all. They'd never discussed it. For all they knew he could have turned to dust and just his spirit or something went. It wasn't like the PTB's didn't have the power to restore his body when they brought him back. This so wasn't her fault!

If she was honest with herself she might admit that it was the inclusion of Spike, Tara and Anya in the group, while she and Xander, the loyal been-there-from-the-start best friends were firmly on the outside looking in that angered her more than anything else; a vampire, an incredibly stupid ex-vengeance demon whose only interests included sex and money and a white witch who was too afraid to use the type of spells that would be of any use. It made no sense.

Then there was Xander. The brunette carpenter hadn't stopped bitching since his aborted attempt to contact Riley had gone so terribly wrong. And why was it that he wouldn't tell her what exactly had happened? What was it that had gone wrong?

She could sort of understand why Buffy might be angry with Xander, ‘cause seriously, his motives for wanting her back were a little on the shallow side - not to mention kinda fanciful...like Buffy would ever date him! But why was she being punished? Dawn wasn't her responsibility. She had to concentrate on her education and that was far more important than someone who hadn't even existed two years earlier.

It just wasn't fair or right...something had to be done.

**

The portal opened and after five days in a realm where time ran differently, Dawn walked through, followed sheepishly by her mother.

Buffy took one look at her sister and snarled, "What the hell happened?"