Stay for Eternity

Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel belong to Joss Whedon.

Summary: The truth about Connor and Dawn's origins come out as Fred and Gunn's wedding looms near.

"I wanna meet this girl of yours," Fred's voice drifted teasingly over the phone. Around the same time Fred spoke, Dawn squealed from inside the living room. He furrowed his eyebrows and stepped back so that he could see into the living room. 'A horror movie…' He realized. He snorted softly and shook his head. 'I don't know why she insists on doing this to herself. She knows nightmares follow…' "We're your family too, you know," Fred reminded him.

"I know," Connor said. He was unaware that his voice was so much softer than before. In L.A., it brought a gentle smile to Fred's face. She could practically hear the love he had for the girl in his voice. It was a brilliant change from the young man he had been before. "I'll talk to her about it." Before he even brought it up, he would have to tell her…the truth of what he was. "I don't even know if she'll wanna come…" 'If she'll wanna be with me…once she knows…Tracey sure hadn't wanted to stay. She had ran out like the hounds of hell were on her heels.' She looked back toward Dawn again. She was holding a pillow to her chest. Before the phone had rang, she had been clinging to him like she was that pillow. 'Will she still hold onto me like that once she knows?' He wondered.

"Well, don't want too long, you here? I wanna meet her before Gunn and I tie the knot," Fred said. "That's assuming of course that you'll bring her as your date. What am I saying? Of course you will. It's not like you'd bring anyone else…" Fred rambled. The idea of her wedding always made her launch into a ramble. Connor couldn't smile like he usually would when Fred rambled nervously. It just wasn't as amusing to him right now.

"Uh, yeah, Fred. I'll talk to you later, okay?" He didn't even wait for her to hang up, he did it for her. Fred frowned as the line hummed at her.

"Okay?" She muttered as she lowered the phone back onto the reception desk. She frowned. "Did I do something?" She wondered. Then, it clicked. Connor's girl didn't know who he really was. She only knew Connor Reilly, stable son of two humans. Fred closed her eyes and sent out a quick prayer that the girl would be open minded. She couldn't stand to see him hurt again. She didn't want to see him broken again.

"Who was that?" Dawn asked once she heard him approaching her again. He sank down on the couch beside her. She glanced over at him. He wasn't looking at her. He rubbed his hands across the knee of his jeans.

"Um…it was Fred. She works with my dad…at a detective agency of sorts. She's getting married in about a month." Connor glanced over at her now. Her eyes were still on him.

"Oh! Good for her!" Quietly, he began to countdown. It would only be a matter of seconds before she realized what he had said. He estimated she would realize it at seven seconds. "Are we going to the wed-" He had underestimated her. He had only made it to five seconds. "Wait…I thought your dad worked as a car dealer…" Connor licked his lips and glanced toward her quickly. His heart was beating a tattoo against his chest. He could feel his hands shaking. He tightened them into fists. He licked his lips and forced the story out of his mouth. Dawn stared at him as she listened to him speak of being the son of two vampires, trapped in a hell dimension, and being a father briefly. He held nothing back; he told her everything except the names of the people he called his first family. She didn't say a word until the story wrapped up. "It's like watching it through someone's eyes…I know it's me. I know that I did all of that…but it doesn't feel real…" Her silence was starting to scare him. Dawn was just letting it all sink in. Sure, his story wasn't pretty, but who was she too judge? She wasn't alone in her oddity anymore. She finally had someone that understood. It was a shock to be certain, but it was comforting. Dawn smiled. "Dawn!" Connor pleaded, "say something…" Dawn looked over at him. His blue eyes were frightened and pleading. She reached out and cupped his cheek in her hand then she kissed him. Connor's lips parted slightly in surprise as she pulled away. He had expected her to get up and tear out of their apartment just as Tracey had.

"I believe you, Connor," Dawn told him. Connor's blue eyes widened in shock. He shared his story with her. It was only fair that she do the same. "Would you like to hear my story?" Connor blinked. Dawn sighed and began. "It all started about five years ago with a goddess named Glory…" When she reached the part about Doc, she lifted her T-shirt up to her bra. Connor's breath caught in his throat. Two jagged scars stretched across her stomach. One stretched from her ribcage to her the right of her hip. The second was smaller than the first and spanned from her belly button to the center to the first scar. Connor reached forward and tenderly traced the scars with his index finger. Dawn shivered underneath the gentle brush of his fingertips. She stumbled over the rest of her story: "Buffy…jumped to keep me from doing it…" Instead of removing his hand, Connor splayed his fingers over her stomach. His blue eyes bore into hers. He couldn't wrap his mind around the concept of never meeting Dawn. "But…she was brought back four years ago…So, you don't have to worry. I'm not going to run. You're-" Connor's lips cut off any further speech. His kiss was gentle. His hand slid from her stomach around to the small of her back. Dawn shivered at the heat of his hand against her bared skin. He poured all of his passion, gratefulness, and love into his kiss. Dawn wrapped her arms around his neck and attempted to pull him closer. Her fingers tangled into his hair.

"Thank you…" He whispered as between his kisses.

"As if you could get rid of me," Dawn whispered over his lips. He smiled. "You're stuck with me, mister…" She mumbled as his lips pressed into hers again. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and teased it with his teeth. Dawn shivered; a moan threatened to build up from her throat. Connor released her bottom lip from his lips.

"I could think of worse ways to spend my eternity…" Dawn's heart leapt into her throat at the quiet statement. She hummed her agreement as she pulled him back to her. They traded three kisses before Dawn thought of something.

"When's the wedding?" She mumbled. Connor rested his forehead against hers.

"August 3rd."

"Oh…" Dawn mumbled. "So…"

"She wants to meet you before the wedding though…I told her I would talk to you about then give her an answer. Do you…want to meet her, them?"

"Of course. Might as well meet the rest," Dawn stated. Connor smiled.

"Mm hum…" Connor agreed as he leaned forward and kissed her again.

"Especially if I'm going to be around for eternity…" She whispered against his lips. Connor smiled and tackled her back on the couch. She squealed as her head hit the couch arm. Connor caught himself before he could fall on top of her, but his lips didn't leave hers. Small giggles filled the air of their apartment as they traded kisses and whispered words.