Disclaimer: Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, and Angel are property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and the WB. Not mine, please don't sue.

Chapter 2: Figuring It Out

"On a scale of one to ten, that sucked about a million." Dawn mumbled to herself. She was rummaging around in the hotel mini-fridge for ice cream. Buffy would probably kill her for it, but she was craving the sugary goodness that only came from a pint of Ben and Jerry's. The hotel they were staying in was pretty swanky, thanks to the council's extensive travel budget, and the fact that this was being written off on their taxes as a business expense.

Honestly, after finding out that her sister was having a baby through Immaculate Conception with her ex-boyfriend's son, Dawn was pretty sure Buffy would let most other things slide.

There really wasn't anything worse than that at the moment.

Finding the menu promised pint, she grabbed a plastic spoon from the sidebar (where the complimentary coffee and tea was kept), and slumped down on the couch. She opened the ice cream and took a huge bite, reveling as the creaminess melted on her tongue.

Seemed the baby liked ice cream too.

Dawn sighed.

Tonight had not gone at all like she'd hoped.

Yes, she and Connor had told their families the truth. Yes, there was major freaking out, on both sides.

And then Buffy had said the most dreaded words -

"You and Connor are done, Dawn. You are not seeing each other anymore."

"B...b...but..." Dawn stuttered. "We're having a baby, Buffy."

"No, you are." Buffy crossed her arms over chest, and Dawn mocked her, feeling childish. "He will have no part in it."

"You can't do that!" Dawn protested, her voice going shrill. If anyone knew exactly how to whine and have it make the most impact, it was her.

"I can so." Buffy replied, her face hard. "I am your legal guardian until you're 18, Dawn, and you will do as I say."

"Buffy!" She cried, actual tears forming in her eyes. She couldn't do this.

"My mind is made up." Buffy pushed a few loose strands of hair out of Dawn's eyes. "We're going back to Rome tomorrow night."

"No!"

Buffy had remained un-moved. Spike was in agreement, and he was going back with them.

But that wasn't the worst thing.

No, the worst thing was Connor's reaction.

He didn't fight, protest, or utter a syllable in response to the declaration.

He did nothing.

Dawn fought another round of tears. She had cried silently the entire drive to the hotel. Buffy and Spike had left her here to pack, and they'd gone on to his place to 'pack'.

Connor hadn't even said good-bye.

She threw the empty pint carton in the trash, and sighed. She lived nearly two lifetimes in the span of a few hours, and then gotten pregnant. She sprawled out on the bed.

It wore a girl out.

She didn't even realize she'd fallen asleep until a noise in the dark woke her.

*

Buffy had ingrained in her to be prepared at all times, so she slept with a bat next to the bed.

You could do a lot of damage with one, if you tried.

Silently, Dawn's hand crept forward and her fingers curled around the handle.

She felt the gentle pressure of someone sitting on the bed.

Dawn lifted the bat and swung in a fluid motion, feeling extremely satisfied as the bat made contact.

A familiar yelp sounded in the darkness of her room, and she lurched for the light switch.

"Connor!?' She exclaimed, rushing over to him. He was holding a hand to his head, and she could see a trickle of blood trail past it. "Oh, crap, I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine, it's fine." Connor reassured her.

"You're bleeding." She pointed out, starting to get out of bed. "And your other head injury still hasn't healed completely yet." Dawn was hopelessly tangled in the covers at this point, and struggled to get loose.

"Well, then they'll match." He replied, trying hard to keep a straight face and failing.

"I'm glad you think this is funny." She pouted, shoving roughly at the blankets while he shot her an amused glance.

"Seriously, Dawn, I heal fast." He reassured her. "It'll stop in a minute."

Dawn settled back for a minute.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, all of her heartache from earlier coming back.

"Apparently, getting some sense knocked into me." Connor answered, a ghost of a smile on his lips. She glared. "I just...couldn't leave things that way."

"You mean, in the way that you did absolutely nothing at all?"

"Yeah, that." Connor answered after a moment, looking sheepish. "I was just...overwhelmed."

"That makes two of us." Dawn put a hand on her stomach. "Possibly three of us." She couldn't get a read on his expression as he stared at her hand where it lay gently on her abdomen. "She's been through a lot, too."

"Dawn, I...I don't think I..." He tried to say. "I'm not the right person for this. I mean, you saw..." Connor looked pained. Dawn though back to earlier, to the memory spell and how horrible Connor had been in those memories – and how he'd gotten that way. He wasn't that Connor anymore.

"You aren't him. Not anymore." She insisted.

"But he's still inside me."

"Connor, I can't do this without you."

He groaned, panic flooding his eyes.

"I'm not good for you or her."

"Says who?" Dawn countered. "Good and Evil aren't predetermined, Connor. It's a choice, one we make every day."

"You really think I can just choose to be good." Connor clearly didn't believe her.

"I really do." She smiled softly at him. "I'll think you'll be a good father too, even if we are a little young."

Dawn was startled when Connor shifted and slid his hand over her abdomen, stopping next to hers.

"Is this ok?" He asked, uncertain.

"It's more than ok." She replied, meeting his gaze.

She checked the clock, curious as to what time it was, and how much longer he would be able to stay.

"Buffy will probably be back soon." Dawn said, sad. "I won't let her shut you out of the baby's life."

"I don't think you have a choice." Connor replied. "Just because you're pregnant," He stumbled over the word. "Doesn't mean you're emancipated. She's still you're guardian until you're 18."

"Well, crap." Dawn replied. "I don't want to go back to Rome. I want to stay here with you, and finish school and raise our baby."

"You really want to be with me?" He sounded uncertain. "After everything you saw?"

"Of course, silly." She smiled. "I love you. That's never going to change." He smiled back, his first real smile since leaving Wolfram and Hart earlier.

"So what do we do?"

"I don't think there's anything we can do."

"There has to be some way to stop her from taking me out of the country." Dawn insisted. "What if we got married?"

"Married?" Connor echoed, staring at her. Dawn blushed.

"It's the only thing I can think of."

"You have to be 18." He told her.

"In California – surely there's state where it can be done at 17." She said. "I mean, I'm pregnant. I'm sure that matters."

"We can look." Connor replied, gesturing to the laptop on the desk at the end of the bed. He got up and crossed the room, settling himself in the chair, and started typing. Dawn struggled with the blankets for a few more minutes, before finally ripping her way free. She padded her way to the bathroom, and ran one of the washcloths under warm water, and then made her way back to Connor's side.

True to his word, the cut on his forehead was virtually gone, and all that remained was dried blood. She set about wiping it up, gently moving the washcloth over his skin. His fingers stopped their typing for a moment, and he closed his eyes against the sensation

"There, all done." Dawn said, lowering the washcloth.

"Thanks." Connor met her gaze. He'd never met anyone quite like her.

"You're welcome." She breathed, unable to pull her gaze away. How long they stared at each other, she didn't know. It seemed as if time stopped, leaving them there with each other. Her breath came in pants, and she watched his Adams apple bob as he swallowed. Dawn's lips were suddenly very dry, and she licked them tentatively.

A loud noise in the hallway broke the moment, startling them. Dawn jumped and the flushed to the roots of her hair.

"I'll just go…" She gestured to the bathroom door.

"Yeah, I'll keep looking." Connor focused on the computer screen. "Hey, this site looks promising." He called as she ducked into the bathroom.

"Ok." Dawn managed to get out around her embarrassment. She splashed some cool water on her cheeks to calm down, and made her way back to Connor's side.

"So far everything says you have to be 18." He told her. "And for some reason, in Minnesota, they don't recognize common law marriage unless it was before 1958."

"Laws are weird." Dawn replied. "Seriously, you should Google "stupidest laws" or whatever they're called. It's hysterical what people have made illegal."

"Ok." He said, drawing her attention back to the matter at hand. "There's only one state I can feasibly see us getting married in. Indiana."

"Indiana?" She repeated. He nodded.

"All we need is proof of pregnancy from a doctor, and you can get married at 17 there."

"So what's the plan, then?"

"We hop a flight to Indiana." He suggested.

"What about getting proof?" Dawn asked, starting to throw her clothes into her small suitcase. Connor did some quick typing, while Dawn grabbed her toiletries from the bathroom.

"There's a red eye flight to Indianapolis leaving in a couple of hours." He called out.

"Here." She said, tossing her watcher's council travel credit card at him. Buffy insisted she have one in case of emergency. I guess this qualifies.

She watched as he quickly purchased the tickets, and then did some quick search for local doctors.

"There's a clinic on Main that's open for a couple more hours." He said, watching her zip her bag.

"Let's go then." He grabbed her bag while she put on her jacket. "Wait!" Dawn exclaimed, running back to the desk, and scribbling down a couple of lines on hotel stationary."

"Come on." Connor said, as she put the pen down. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to his side.

The door shut behind them with a click.