Disclaimer: I do not own any Buffy the Vampire Slayer character.

She opened her eyes to find the breeze playing with her hair. She had been laying on the green grass when she heard laughs around her, she rapidily stood up and found her mother dancing happily under a distant tree. Dawn was staring at her mother with curious eyes when she finally saw her mother's eyes fixed on her. Joyce then opened her arms and with a warm smile she invited the youngest Summers to join her.

Come here and dance with me, Dawnie.

As Dawn ran to her mother's embrance, she felt her heart pounding so fast that she thought she was going to stop breathing. She was so happy to see the woman that had left her a year before calling her name with a sweetness in her voice that no one else possesed. Nothing was going to stop her from reaching her mom.

Suddenly, she heard another voice screaming her name. This voice did not sound sweet at all, but it was familiar. Dawn tried to ignore it at first and kept running toward her mom. But the distance was growing larger and no matter how much effort Dawn put on running, she was not getting any closer. She fealt tears of desperation coming out of her eyes, she wanted to be with her mom so much.

Without any warning, the image of her mom, the grass and the trees started to fade and everything went blank. She opened her eyes and knew she was not longer with her mom because she couldn't see the blue sky anymore. Instead, she could see a shadow around her saying something that Dawn could not decipher. Everything was so dark, but she didn't have enough energy to be scared, so she closed her eyes hoping to see her mom again.

When she opened her eyes again she felt dizzy and it took her a few minutes to realize that she was in an ambulance. She noticed the oxygen mask on her face and the wires attached to her chest. Things that only made her more nervous. Surrounded by unfamiliar faces, Dawn felt like crying. But as the door of the ambulance was opened, she felt sister's hand touching her arm telling her that everything was going to be OK. That didn't calm Dawn though, people told her the same thing when her mom got sick.

While Dawn was being transported inside of a room, she could hear her sister arguing with someone who didn't want to let her come in. Dawn knew how stubborn her sister was to know that she was going to come with her no matter how many people try to get in her way. No one could tell Buffy what to do. So, she didn't feel surprised when Buffy appeared at the door a couple of minutes later. She looked scared and Dawn could see that she had been crying. Which made Dawn think that she was going to die. She had so many questions about what was going to happen if she died. Will Pete, the boy she had a crush on, attend to her funeral? What was going to happen to her stuff? Will Janice come to her house to borrow some clothes when Dawn's not there to tell her no? Will Buffy remember her after a couple of years? Will Buffy think of her at all? So many important questions that Dawn would never find the answers for. Because she would be dead and dead people don't come back to see what happened after they left. She knew that, she had been waiting for her mom to visit, but her mom never came.

The doctors kept running tests on her and Dawn could hear them talking about medical stuff that she didn't make sense. She knew it had something to do with her heart though, that was the only thing she understood. She didn't know how bad it was so she tried to get something from Buffy's facial expressions. But she wasn't lucky, Buffy was as confused as her.

After a while, Dr. Shultz, the one that Dawn classified as the "Buffy" of the group because he was bossy, ordered the nurse to take her to another room to spend the night. Then, Dr. Shultz turned to Buffy and told her to come with him. Dawn imagined Buffy's reaction when Dr. "Buffy" told her that Dawn was going to die. She didn't know if Buffy was going to be sad or relieved. Maybe both. Things hadn't been the same since their mother died and Buffy didn't pay much attention to Dawn nowadays. Buffy never shows her how much she cares anymore, she used to when they were younger. Dawn remembers how their mom used to tell them how important siblings are and how much they should love each other. Kinda ironic considering her mom and her aunt Christine hadn't talk to each other in five years when Dawnie's mom died. She wonders if that's going to happen to Buffy and Dawn someday, if she survives this of course. They already spend half of the day fighting, the rest of the time they just ignore each other. Maybe in the future, one of them is going to show up at the other's funeral looking sad. But without really knowing the person that just died. Because one can't say you know someone when you haven't seen them in five years. A lot can change in five years, Dawn knows this too well. Five years ago she was a happy girl with a mother and a sister that loved her. Now, one of them is dead and the other doesn't seem to think about her much anymore.

There was nothing special about Dawn's new hospital room. She thought the walls could use some color. Maybe if she's staying there for a long time, she can bring pictures and posters of her favorite popstars to decorate. She wanted to bring some life to the place. The beeping of her heart monitor was the only proof that there was some life in that room. Not even Dawn herself looked alive. She didn't move, she was just laying there stilled, patiently waiting for her sister. Thoughts about death swimming through her head.

She had been waiting for several minutes in her room when Buffy arrived wearing an expression that Dawn could not read. It was when she talked though that Dawn realized she had been crying again.

"Hey sweetie. How are you feeling?" said Buffy sounding uncomfortable, trying to hide the shake of her voice. Her fingers running through Dawn's hair.

Maybe she cares, Dawn thought. "Just tired. What happened? I don't remember". She really didn't. She had been so busy thinking about death that she made little effort to remember what had happened to her.

"I went to check on you this morning because I heard some weird noises. I found you there gasping for air. I couldn't wake you up so I called the ambulance and here we are now" Buffy explained. She was doing her best to remain calm. But the truth is, she was terrified. Only a year before, she had lost her mom. And now, it was Dawnie who was sick. She knew she hadn't been the best sister lately. She had barely spent time with her at all. Dawn was so difficult to deal with. So, she opted for the easy way out and only talked to Dawn about school related issues. She loved her sister, she really did. But she wasn't emotionally ready to be anyone's mom. She still needed hers.

"So... what's wrong with me?" What Dawn really wanted was to know if she was dying. The thought of been reunited with her mom was appealing. But she wasn't sure she was ready to die. She hadn't even been kissed by a boy.

"They're not sure yet. But they say it's your heart and you need to stay here" Buffy retorted.

"Is it serious?" Dawn asked.

"We don't know that yet. But it's probably nothing. Now you should probably rest. I'll be here, don't worry" Buffy replied, trying to comfort her little sister.

Dawn nodded. She was exhausted anyway, she would try to get something out of her sister later.

"I love you" Dawn heard Buffy saying. It made her smile. She really missed hearing those words.

"I love you too" She said after feeling her sister's lips touching her forehead.

She hadn't felt this loved since her mom was alive. So, when she closed her eyes, she dreamt of those happier times when Buffy was nice and her mother was there to make them both feel safe and loved.