Dawn wasn't sure why Buffy and their mother were taking her here. Things weren't great in their family, Glory had been defeated, but Dawn still wasn't sure why she was still here. She wasn't suppossed to exist, at least not in human form, they never asked for Dawn to be sent to them. Finally, the three of them arrived, at Chuck E. Cheeses. It looked like it might be closed, the lights were out, and there appeared to only be a few employees working in the dark. Somehow the door was unlocked, as soon as the three of them entered the lights went on and people yelled "Suprise." Dawn recognized them, Xander, Willow, Tara, Anya, Riley, and Giles.
.
Dawn: I don't understand.
Joyce: Happy gotcha day Dawn.
Dawn: Still a little confused.
Joyce: I know you feel you were adopted, so I did some research on the internet. Some adoptive parents, rather than celebrate their child's birthday, celebrate the day their child came into their lives.
Buffy: Giles did some research, made his best estimate as to when exactly you came, and that was exactly one year ago today.
Joyce: We want you to know Dawn, how happy we are that you came to us, and how much we love you.
.
Dawn was touched beyond words. She hugged her mother and sister, and soon went to the games. She got to be a kid again, playing skeeball, in the ball pit, the pizza. They had fun at this gotcha day party. All the characters were here, Chuck. E. Cheese, Jasper Jowls, Helen Henny. It occurred to Dawn that her childhood memories of this place might be false, but her family made them real. Just because she was adopted, and started off as a mystical ball of energy, didn't mean these people weren't her family.
